Session Ninety-One: A Noble's Love

The group asked the guards if they could buy supplies in the client village. The guards told them that a larger client village, a few miles north, would be better. The guards made a few comments about the group dying in the mountains, but the group ignored them.
The group hiked a few miles north and found another small village. There was obvious mining taking place. Samsun was spotted and called out by the guards. They called out that he's a criminal and will be detained. Kraah intercepted the guards and bribed them, to pretend like they never saw Samsun.
The group moved away from the village and Cheet used her magic to turn Samsun invisible. Then, the group returned to the village, telling the guards that he went west. The group entered the village and went straight for the village's small trading post. They purchased climbing gear and rations. However, their request of half-giant climbing gear would necessitate a three hour wait, as they fashioned such a large harness.
When they left the trading post, a noble approached them and began asking questions about Samsun. Dimitria, being unable to lie, told him that he magically disappeared. The noble stated that sorcery would be added to his list of crimes. The noble then asked Dimitria to join him for a meal. Dimitria would agree, but only if her friends could join them. The noble agreed and asked her to meet him in front of the alehouse in two hours.

Session Ninety: The Tower, The Village, and The Oasis

The group appeared in a large, white room. The group had never been to this place and looked around. Everything in the room was very old and dust covered. There were stone tables and glassware. There were also empty scroll racks and comfortable, but ancient chairs. The group looked at The Unspoken One and asked what this place was. The Unspoken one explained.
"My master came from a race called the Pyreen. They were a race of wise individuals that other races called peace bringers, because they valued peace and harmony. I have traveled all over the Tablelands and have not seen a single Pyreen, so it is possible that they are extinct. Pyreen were long lived and had features that you would recognize as belonging to all the civilized peoples of the Tablelands."
"This was my master's home and workshop. He was a master of the way and worked here, in this white tower. He was a genius and figured out how to become immortal. He created preserving magic and taught it to others. He worked with the Ogre Doom, before he was the Ogre Doom, and taught him preserving magic and the way. Then, the Ogre Doom and his compatriots betrayed my master. Even they were not powerful enough to kill him, so they imprisoned him in a realm called The Black."
"I was a devout follower of my master and, for my devotion, the Ogre Doom and his compatriots imprisoned me as well. Over time, I died, but my soul could not escape and I became a creature of The Black. I have been imprisoned for over two thousand years. When Alaxander freed me, I bonded to him and traveled with him, to learn everything I could. Then, I left him and traveled in a different body, to learn more. So, I know you do not trust me, but I want to assure you. I hate the Ogre Doom more than you can imagine. I hope that by destroying him, we can somehow free my master and bring an end to the reign of the sorcerer monarchs."
The group understood his hatred and agreed to assist him with freeing his master, if they survived their attack on the Ogre Doom. Cheet asked what his master's name was and the Unspoken One answered that his master's name was Rajaat.

Session Eighty-Nine: The Unspoken One

The group stared at the giant beast before them. She spoke to them, her voice was weak. She told them that she was a rain drake and the servants of magma had imprisoned her in the volcano. She was much too large to leave the cave and wards had been constructed to keep from leaving through magic or the way. That was why she had such a difficult time contacting them with her telepathy. She also told them that the servants of magma were slowly draining her life and natural magical properties, for their own nefarious purposes.
The group began devising a strategy for her to escape. After a lengthy discussion, they came to the conclusion that, despite their many powers, they could not free the rain drake. She told them not to worry, that she had resigned herself to death long ago, but she did need their help. She produced two large, soft shelled eggs. She explained that these were her eggs and had to be taken back to the Paraelemental Plane of Rain, or they would die.
Raco didn't understand what the Paraelemental Plane of Rain was, so she explained it to him. Samson reluctantly took the eggs, wrapped them in a wet cloth, and put them in his half-giant sized backpack. Cheet asked the rain drake what would happen to her. The rain drake smiled weakly and said now that her eggs were safe, she could finely die.

Session Eighty-Eight: A Disparity of Trust

Meanwhile, back in Tyr, word of Alaxander, Shade, Julius, Vashti, and Kalino's exploits had reached some influential ears. These influential people hired a group of experts to assist them in their quest. Those hired included: Samsun, the half-giant water cleric and fighter; Cheet, the human preserver, Kraah, the aarakocra air cleric, and Yusef, the human thief. Using the way, the influential people were able to locate the previous group's last location and used the way again to dispatch the new group there.
Upon their arrival, they immediately found a room filled with burning hot steam. Kraah used his air magic to push most of the steam away. They saw the bodies of the old group and were greatly disappointed. Cheet noticed the absence of Vashti and Julius, so she hoped that they had survived whatever had killed the last group. Yusef suggested that they may have sought shelter down the hallway, which was half filled with pumice, or through the open doorway.
They checked the doorway and found another large room filled with steam. They decided that they probably did not go that way, so decided to check the pumice filled hallway. Yusef and Cheet crawled inside. Samsun was too big and Kraah did not care for the cramped conditions.

State of the Blog 2023

 

Unfortunately, due to the state of the economy and the exorbitant cost of living in Utah, I have been forced to get another job. This means I will have less time to dedicate to Adventures Under the Dark Sun. I appreciate everyone who has been reading my blog for these last few years and I enjoyed writing weekly articles, stories, and creating creatures for all of you.

This comes at a good time, as viewership of my blog has decreased dramatically. I do not know if this is due to the Wizards of the Coast controversy, a genuine disinterest in the setting, or an elimination of bots. I will likely never know.

This is not the end of the blog. I will continue to post Dark Sun material, but the posting will become more infrequent. I will try to post as often as possible. Thank you for your understanding.

Together, we can keep Dark Sun alive.

Sekhar Nasir (Rock Eagle)

Sekhar Nasir (Rock Eagle)

Climate/Terrain: Mountains, Rocky Badlands
Frequency: Very Rare
Organization: Solitary or Pair
Activity Cycle: Day
Diet: Carnivore
Intelligence: Animal (1)
Treasure: See Below
Alignment: Neutral
No. Appearing: 1 or 2
Armor Class: 3
Movement: 1, Fl 30 (C)
Hit Dice: 4+4
Thac0: 17
No. of Attacks: 3 or 1
Damage/Attacks: 1-2, 1-2, 1-4 or 1-8
Special Attack: Flyby Attack
Special Defense: 1/2 damage from piercing weapons
Magic Resistance: Nil
Size: S (3' Tall, 7' Wingspan)
Morale: Elite (13)
XP Value: 

Session Eighty-Seven: Dust to Dust

Day 27, Week 2, Macro, Friend's Vengeance, 190th King's Age, Sun Descending

The group awoke in the grassy area of the Lost Oasis. The group was badly injured and took the time to recover. They laid about lazily for the entire day.

Day 28, Week 2, Macro, Friend's Vengeance, 190th King's Age, Sun Descending

In the morning, the group decided to return to the volcano and find the gem they needed. They took their new druid ally with them, Dimitria. Alaxander use the way to open a gateway, so they could return to the volcano complex. Once inside, they got attacked by a group of firenewts and lesser magma paraelementals. The group quickly defeated them.
A dozen firenewts, along with their pet frilled flame lizards, were waiting for the group, deeper into the complex. The group rushed into the battle and scattered their foes. The firenewts that weren't killed, fled away from the battle. A firenewt, who was trained in the way, attacked Alaxander's mind, but the group rushed him and he fled.