On the trail of Arroin

A rumour

Teela & Kiraani are investigating a rumour they've picked up about a certain chart that has been recovered by Pavis Temple. This scroll is none other than the one discovered by Mizra after the Lunars looted the shrine that was found in the Rubble. None of the team that Mizra was with seems to be around in the city any more, so he has spoken toShereama and Corbis about it (he's got to share his news with SOMEONE).

A mysterious discovery

The scroll seems to be part of a larger text or a collection, because it details only one part of a legend. The legend seems to date to a time preceding the Dragonkill, the scroll is obviously later but has noreference as to who wrote it or when. There is also a partial (andvague) map accompanying the scroll, which lends credence to it beingmore than just a story.

The legend seems to deal with a hero of a Sun cult (not specified) whodiscovered the location of a magical item (not specified, but referredto as "the prize" and "the vessel") of great value to members of another(again unspecified, but definitely associated to the hero's) cult.

The map details a tomb or crypt of some kind. There are littlereference to the location apart from some notation on the map (whichseems to have been added later) in Auld Wyrmish which points to West toVulture Country, and East-South-East to Teshnos.

There are Runes marked on the map:

Fire, Light, Fire (broken).
Chaos, Illusion, Death.
Fertility, Harmony, Plant.

Investigation

The party goes to speak to Windwhistler the Wyrm at Griffin Gate. He says the first set of Runes are from his cult, the cult of the Sun Dragon. He speculates that the third set of runes are those of an Aldryami subcult of Arroin - the son of Chalana Arroy. He also says he is willing to help, but not to accompany them. He does not say why.

Shereama goes to the CA temple, and asks lots and lots of questions about Arroin, ending up doing a study and raising her Cult Lore skill. She finds that there were Arroin Shrines scattered sparsely through the Great Forest ofPrax (during the Darkness, before Oakfed ate the Forest).

Hafna goes the the SD Temple, and researches the Sun Dragon Cult, finding nothing. He really would like to prove Yelmalio was Arroins father. He then searches for references to Wyrms and finds a copy of an old temple diary that says some Wyrms from "Vast Teeth" in the Rockwoods visited the original Sun Dome Temple (in SDC) a couple of times.

Corbis celebrates his Holy Day and earns enough pennies to pay for an LM mindscan. He receives a vision that makes his Black Fang connection not-so-scary. A few days later he meets and is robbed by the infamous Griselda.

Teela goes to work at the Trade Temple, and learns a lot about the difference between what something is worth and what someone will pay for it (she raises her Bargain skill). She also finds out about which caravans are going to Adari at the end of Fire Season, and signs the party up with one for nothing on the strength that they have a Healer with them.

Kiraani and Corbis have a suspicion that this caravan will be carrying the grave goods that were stolen from the Rubble, as this will be the first caravan west since the incident happened.

Everyone is caught up in Hafna's enthusiasm and you all agree to go to Adari to see if there is anyone there who can pinpoint "Vast Teeth". They spend a week training and preparing before leaving Pavis on the second day of Earth Season (Waterday, Disorder week) in the middle of a raging thunderstorm.

The Journey to Adari

The party travel along the Pavis Road with the caravan for three days before turning north at Adari Bridge. In that time, Corbis manages to break into two of the wagons in search of the grave goods, ruining a cargo of Kralorelan silk in the process and getting cursed by it's owner.

At the bank of the Adari River, camped in the shade of Adari Bridge on the Pavis Road through Northern Prax. It is Fireday, Disorder Week, Earth Season. The rain has stopped after two days, and Yelm is shining his Glorius Light onto the world (Yes, Hafna says, praise Yelmalio, he _is_ the light). The river is swollen with the first of the Earth Season floods (it is usually not much more than a trickle in Fire Season, and can rise and fall quite dramatically - as can be observed by the tidemarks on the stonework of the bridge), and there is much debris to be seen floating downstream.

The party decides to rest for a day (it is a fine sunny Fireday, and both Hafna and Kiraani fell like a bit of Yelm-worshipping). Teela and Kiraani go off hunting; Shereama goes foraging in the Adari River, and is attacked by a hungry Traskar (giant frog). Hafna leaps valiantly to the rescue and is promptly swallowed whole.

Shereama freaks and with a shriek practically tears the Traskar in half with her claws (the one instance that a CA Healer is allowed to fight - in defence of her companions against (what she believes to be) creatures of Chaos). She then spends quite some time washing her claws and praying in sorrow.

Teela and Kiraani return with a wild pig, and are surprised to find Hafna and Corbis cooking themselves some roast frog. Kiraani is burning the skin and organs of the pig he has caught, and both the pig and the frogleg that was severed by Shereama are roasting on the fire that Hafna has built from driftwood and tinder. Corbis is cleaning his remaining darts. Hafna prays in thanks for his rescue from the inside of the Traskar. Teela tends to her chariot, waterlogged by rainwater.

Down the river comes a boat, made of pale wood and with a hut-like structure in the centre of the deck. Painted on the side of the boat are the Runes of Water, Movement and Darkness. As it approaches the bridge (and your encampment) it turns gently and glides to a halt at the riverbank. The image of serenity is shattered when the occupant of the boat, a small bald-headed man, starts shouting and gesticulating with his spear in an agitated manner. The Boatman berates the party for having killed a sacred guardian of the river, which wouldn't have atacked them if they'd made sacrifice. After some discussion, the party make amends with the River Goddess and the Boatman leaves.

By night the sound of the river gets much louder, and when Hafna's singing wakes the party on the Wildday morning the waters are much higher up the bank. They break camp, and continue north along the bank. Overnight the sky has clouded, and the wind has picked up dramatically. The moaning of the winds put them all on edge, and they seek higher ground so that they can spot approaching Whirlvishes. Later, as Yelm descends towards hell and Xentha spreads her dark cloak across the land, the swollen clouds begin to release their burden, which is whipped into squalls by the wind, leaving them shivering even in the warmth of Kiraani's campfire.

As Wildday night fades into Godsday morning and Hafna serenades the rising sun, the wasteland winds lessen their fury somewhat. The rain steadies to a demoralising drizzle, just enough to lend a chill to the backs of their already-soaked clothing (and fur). They continue on the way, knowing that today they will reach Adari.

In the afternoon they come to a fork in the river, and an area of verdant growth. After a while they start to think there is something strange about this area of greenery (there is no dead wood to make a fire, or in fact anything dead at all, not even a leaf). Corbis finds a marker stone pointing directions to Adari and the Castle of Lead. Near to the stone is a wide area of bare earth. Examination of this turns up a Trollish stone statue, and when the party touch this, an Elf appears and threatens them. Not wanting to end up as plant food, the party quickly leave.

They reach Adari just after nightfall, and are refused entry at the gates (Hafna has a mug of beer thrown over him from the gatehouse). A scout of the shanty town outside the walls turns up a friendly campfire, and Sheraema even discovers a party of Morocanth traders to party with. The party settles down to a night of boisterous entertainment after the traumas of their journey.