Leaving New Kurn for the Buried City

[DM Bob]

Enemy's Slumber, 2nd of Fortuary - Sunrise & thereafter

Current Locations: New Kurn to Fort Protector to the North

Travel out if the hidden City State always passes through Fort Protector, a massive rock fortress that stands imposingly at the only entrance to New Kurn. A gigantic manned gate might be a more apt description. Sendic's outriders were readied and packed, bedecked in dark intimidating garb, the black lances displayed openly as was their name. The mix of a dozen riders were human, half elven and even one mul. Tattoos, face paint and ugly piercings bedecked the brute crew, the only thing betraying their tough personas being the general relaxed smiles that clashed with their attire and one's first impressions.

Leading out of the fortress, a rocky road led down through a literal field of sharp, jagged rock formations. To assault this locale would require much more than simple foot soldiery.

You do not follow the path to the south and Old Kurn like usual. Instead, Sendic leads the team along a decently hidden trail to the north east for a few scant miles, before the rocky badland gives way to course sand. By noon, a small oasis is spotted, well known to the Kurnans. In fact, a group of thirty or so herdsmen and women are currently drawing water for their kanks and letting the insect mounts graze about the limited vegetation that eeks out life near the still water. Brief words are exchanged, nods as well and your group continues now to the north west, keeping the White Mountains to your left. Further peaks are seen in the distance to the east - your right.

By evening, you are camped with the end of the sand within sight. The wind is stronger now, without the protective mounts to block the savage gusts from the west.

Three close fires are lit and food produced, as well as instruments. Small drums, seed filled gourds and bone flutes are pulled out from hidden recesses as watered wine is passed about. Songs of heroes from ages past are sung as you discuss your concerns and knowledge of the fell ruins that are your eventual destination.

[Deleted]

Chat'cho is visibly pleased to stand once again upon sand instead of the grass covering verdant New Kurn. Often, her eyes turn toward the horizon, vainly hoping for a glimpse of a passing Kreen pack. She settles down somewhere comfortable, some distance away from the storytellers. She's interested in listening to the tall tales--a sort of sleeper racial memory.

[Attilius]

During the evening/dinner fire side chat, Attilius speaks to his Balican countryman
"Dominus, what is this team's combat make up? Who takes point, mid and rear security during battles? Are they practiced in any formations? What are the members specialities: Melee, ranged, the way, magik?"
His last word is spoken with some disdain behind it.

[AthasianLaborer]

'Muiko engages sincerely with the kankherds, even giving them a failed piece of statist propaganda on the back of the failure from the day before.

Artistic Ability rolled a 19 needing a 13 or less [Failure: Picture the cover of 'Slave Tribes' with Quila being the central advancing figure with the assembled party behind. Then realize that Sendic should be the central figure so you just do a quick erase and head swap only to notice how shit Sendic's head on Quila's body looks as you're handing it over]

As the party camps for the evening, 'Muiko will keep practicing his art, sketching them as they converse around the fire.

Artistic Ability rolled a 13 needing a 13 or less [Success: 'Muiko draws those surrounding the fire from his perspective with the fire as the central point]

When Attilius inquires about battle plans, 'Muiko clears his throat before volunteering "Do not believe everything that you might hear, the jealous will decry my mastery of The Way as arcane tricks. I assure you that they know not of what they speak!"

[Niachi]

Niachi adds to the campfire songs after a skin of diluted wine. To compensate for his rather limited vocal range he finishes with a bit flashy firewalking to test out his new amulet.
When talk turns to battle tactics, he listens to Coden. When the Balican finishes, he will add:

"Put me where you like, but prefer middle or rear guard, unless my skills are needed for detection. I have options for giant sized, undead, and multiple attackers. I can even grant you, our arena champion, or anyone, the boon of enhanced agility for a good long battle! Imagine dodging some blows while you increase your odds of ranged attacking! Twice the danger!

If you still want a demonstration of how my Magiks are not to be feared, Coden will vouch for my care for growing and preserving plant life."

To 'Muiko:

"Aha now I have it! The Behemoth Artist! Your work is admired among my tribe. Unlike other, more foolish tribes. Were you asking about my Xerichou, Kahw-rah?" Happy to discuss sometime later the fine pets we keep, yah?"

[Attilius]

Nov 8, 2023 13:04:13 GMT -12 Niachi said:

...When the Balican finishes, he will add: "...I can even grant you, our arena champion, or anyone, the boon of enhanced agility for a good long battle! Imagine dodging some blows while you increase your odds of ranged attacking! Twice the danger!"

"Aye, out in the open, that I'd be interested in! But sounds like we'll be down in a tomb. Got anythin' for up close and personal? Making my weapons hurt magical enemees? Or protektshuns from fire?" Attilius pats his large gouge blade to accent the melee aspect.

[Skrye [AC3; 48/48HP]]

- As the group leaves, Skrye listens to the comment about group formation - "I'm normally at the mid to end when I'm in any party, as I'm not a warrior ready for frontal combat, I'm more of a quiet been until provoked, as the sands blessed me with the skills of a healer, in case these are needed"

[Quila Oris (John M.)]

Stretching her legs whenever the opportunity presents itself, Quila is quick to dismount her favorite war crodlu. Even though she's an adept rider and has seen training by the Black Lances regimentation, she will never fully get used to using a riding animal. Her eloy upbringing on the Trembling Plains not only gave her an ingrained habit of transport-by-foot, but also an independent and proud mindset. Even though she's no full elf and cannot partake in elf runs, she, like other eloys, are swift of foot and can hold their own to most individual elf.

At the camp she'll find a nice spot near a fire and near Coden and Niachi, intent on sharing her findings in the Library. Spots, her tagster, will inevitably be coming in after some mild hunting and drape himself at her feet near the fire, settling in for the evening.

"Coden, Niachi, any of you that might have some previous experience in the area, please listen up. I went to the Library yesterday to find anything I could about this Buried City. Gruv produced a sleek volume which contained lots of interesting tidbits. I feel however, it's incomplete, or partial, as historical accounts from previous ages often are. Let me share what I found. Maybe you can elaborate or add to it from what you learned in your travels?"

The templaress folds in her legs and starts, "The original name of this Buried City might have well been Tnor’morken, which to me definitely sounds like troll nomenclature. This was it's original function, and much of it was said to lie underearth. Presumably trolls had poor eye sight under the sun. You will recognize such poppycock from songs to scare children into thinking trolls will steal and eat those that wander too far from their wards."

Quila flashes a smile and plays some pantomime with the shadows the fire throws upon her features.

"Tnor'morken, or the Buried City nowadays, is thus a very old settlement, and it certainly has had other names or occupants during its history in the Green Age and Time of Magic, let alone the Cleansing Wars. Who is to say that not just trolls were there, maybe more races called Tnor-morken home, like any City-State in these days. It's interesting to note that I think it had to be very hard to cleanse a race that mostly hid beneath the ground, that must have involved a slaving taskmaster, countless troops, and must have required especially destructive defiling magic."

She sighs, scratches her tagster, and finishes, "Presumably this Aman the Maker is in the area, but maybe even Myron, who also worked for this Rajaat fellow, is alive, as his successor, one Manu, might have failed in killing him."

[Coden Rokos (Jesse H.)]

Coden notes to Attilius that the team's tactics probably involve himself and the half-giant up front, with the spellcasters behind, and beyond that, it's going to depend upon the layout of the tomb.

"We're first to engage. Your principal role is to position yourself to deny enemies opportunities to get past and into melee with our scholars and mindbenders. I'll be giving melee support, using my spear to dissuade people from trying to flank while you anchor the front."

~~~~~~~~~~

Coden listens attentively to Quila, then says, "Wait... Manu? As in... Hamanu?"

[AthasianLaborer]

'Muiko replies to Niachi [Elven: "Yes, of course. When we return, I will make sure to show you the methods of familiar enhancement. Perhaps you could share some invocations with me as well?"]

As Quila finishes informing the party of what she learned, 'Muiko adds "I found out that the old masters allegedly kept trolls as livestock, using the harvested blood in their studies. It reads as though it was a powerful component in their pursuits. Perhaps we'll find some intact jars? I'm sure that'd be of interest to someone"

Addressing both Attilius and Coden "I cannot speak for any spell casters as I am a formidable practitioner of The Way. I find your offering of cover to be agreeable and happily accept it. I am so greatly skilled in Psychometabolism that I am able to effect changes in the bodies of others, growing them, shaping them, strengthening them; potentially permanently changing them. These are only a few of the abilities that I have coaxed from within my mind. Defend me and by my mind, you shall be unstoppable my Balican friends"

[Quila Oris (John M.)]

“Oh my. Now that’d be quite incendiary. It sure sounds reasonable knowing that most sorcerer-khans have been around for ages, if not for the similarities in name. What leads you to such an inference Coden? And more importantly what consequences for our current undertaking follow from that?”

[Attilius]

The giant stops eating and stares at Coden at the mention of the Lion of the Desert...

[DM Bob]

Coden recalls the strange vision he and Hurk had encountered in the gigantic dark tower of Aman the Maker in their previous visit. A ghostly illusion that played above a weakened floor trap was still vivid in his memories after these last few years. How much he wishes to share of this event is up to him.

[Condensed and posted for ease of reference. -Bob]

The rest of you begin to see a battle begin in this second room, as if out of nowhere. A large regal man with a white cloak points a gigantic flaming sword, he's flanked by two men in archaic, metal armor wielding torch and axe... they charge from the left to the right, towards a tall, dark, hooded figure with an odd misshapen iron mask, that has its own quartet of bodyguards at hand. They recoil as the warriors advance and defensively stand at the south end of the chamber.

They appear to be the same race as the odd paintings of humanoids in the room with the stairs, greenish, wart-ridden skin, long noses and deadly claws.

The battle rages before the rest of you.

You smell dank stench, from the rubbery, green-skinned beasts. They shamble, posture atrocious, but brace to receive the charge. The regal man cuts deep into one, the body erupting into cleansing flame.

The two other men charge but are less successful. They take savage blows that tear into the metal carapaces that protect their vitals... landing only minor blows in return. Blood splatters through the air, now charged with the heat of battle.

The alien, masked thing (leader?) raises its arms and calls out savagely in a tongue unfamiliar to you all. Its hands glow steel grey light. What will happen next?

They fight, vividly, about ten to fifteen feet inside the room. Metal carapaces? Your characters have rarely (if ever) seen anyone in plate mail. Some of you have seen spirits from the Obsidian Plain wearing odd ghost armor, but the only person here to see someone in a full suit is actually Kri-kcht (a thri-kreen ranger now separated from Coden and friends for some time), who has seen the owner of a trading house in Urik wearing such oddities openly.

The masked villain? You assume it's playing the role in this scene? It calls flaming stones from the very ether in a series of booms and crashes that are simply deafening. Molten rock slams into the ground, the metal clad men, and even the monsters that flank him.

Only the regal man seems unaffected, as his two lieutenants fall, crushed by smoking molten stones. The masked antagonist turns and vanishes. The white-cloaked regal man stands alone, points his own flaming blade where the strange wizard once stood, sneers and shouts angrily as he stomps off alone, towards you...

Only to vanish.

Along with the flames, bodies and smoke, leaving the room much the same as you first left it. Kri-kcht strangely feels that he's seen that cloak before as he watched the man disappear, once worn by Hamanu, the King of Lions himself. This man looked smaller, perhaps younger.

[Coden Rokos (Jesse H.)]

Coden thinks a moment, then relates his old experience.

"HurK and I had a vision of Hamanu in the tower, I think. In a battle against another sorcerer, but we don't know whom. Both of them wore ornate... metal carapaces, for lack of a better word. Shells. Armor, I suppose, now that I think about it, but who could wear that much metal in the heat of the day? They used swords and magic against one another, then one fled and the one who looked like a young Hamanu was left behind."

"At least, our old companion said it reminded him of Hamanu. I've never met the man, myself."

[Attilius]

Nov 9, 2023 11:10:23 GMT -12 Coden Rokos (Jesse H.) said:

Coden thinks a moment, then relates his old experience.

"HurK and I had a vision of Hamanu in the tower, I think. In a battle against another sorcerer, but we don't know whom. Both of them wore ornate... metal carapaces, for lack of a better word. Shells. Armor, I suppose, now that I think about it, but who could wear that much metal in the heat of the day?"

The half giant shrugs as he goes back to eating "Anyone really. Just gots to put that magik whammy on it. Mekillot Breastplate of coolness? (He knocks on his own Ankheg breastplate for emphasis) Heard a water fountain cleric once talk about somethin' like dat... said it was like wearing the armor always at night: 'always cool'. Wouldn't mind gettin' one ov those!"