Arcadayn Journal: Session #33

Arcadayn Journal, Session #33

Game Date: 8-14 Harvestmonth, 994 KC; Play Date: 9/30/2000

8 Harvestmonth: Ruqayyah continued to plague Al-Zaki with questions: "What do you think about us?" He found humans very intriguing and confusing--the more he learns about them, the more he learns how much he has yet to learn.

Near the end of the day, they approached the Dvesti River, which flowed out of the northeast, then turned north. Their line of travel formed a tangent to the south side of the bend. The banks here were steep, but the water was easy to reach. They made camp on a rise a short distance away, in the shelter of a partial circle of rocks. The setting sun glimmered off of a highland in the distance: Perbor, about two days' travel due east.

During the night, Darra saw movement on the far side of the river: about six forms, but too far away to tell size or shape. Naima later saw two man-like (?) figures moving from east to west at the limits of vision. Ruqayyah saw several small groups of birds flying east during her watch--about two dozen total.

9 Harvestmonth: Darra's arrow now pointed a direction between the river and the eastern highland. Birkum knew that this river flowed from a plateau at the north edge of Perbor, so following either river or highland would get them there. He had never been further east that this, so knew of no river crossings, but knew that Vadim's Mynars sometimes came from this direction. The women decided to follow the arrow. Darra showed it to the Mynars, who spent some time committing the direction to memory.

During the day, the plateau grew closer. The light of the setting sun brought out the colors in the rocks--not as brilliant as those in Darra's vision, but closer than she has ever seen before. As they made camp, they could see scavenger birds circling to the east.

10 Harvestmonth: They saw fewer scavengers in the sky this morning, but the party's path brought them near the site of the birds' interest by mid-afternoon. Birkum could tell that they were ravens--large ones. A while later, the site itself could be seen, and Naima could make out two bodies, at least one with horns. She and Birkum went to investigate as the party found a place to rest and wait for them. The ravens were feeding on two Mynar bodies: one had been killed by repeated axe-like blows, then beheaded; the other had been staked to the ground and disemboweled. The scene shocked Naima, and made Birkum violently ill. When they recovered, Birkum spoke with the ravens, who told him the bodies had been here for a day or two, but they had not seen what happened. The bodies bore no marks to identify their tribe or cult. They reported to the others. (Naima guessed that the head was taken in order to create something like the skull-thing that killed her friend.) At Umok's request, Al-Zaki burned the bodies.

That night, the wind picked up. The wind carried (or created?) eerie howling noises coming from the direction of the cliffs. The Mynars were noticeably edgy.

12 Harvestmonth: When the party rounded the northern point of the plateau, Darra's arrow pointed southeast. They could see the Dvesti River again to the northeast.

They stopped early, so that Darra would have time to prepare before the full moon that night. Laylah suggested trying a lullabye, as she had done once for Ruqayyah. Darra (in horse form) was lulled to sleep by Laylah's singing. She kept it up for a about an hour, then stopped to see whether Darra would wake. She did not, so Laylah dozed near her. Those on watch saw the horse wander around camp in its sleep, but she never left camp.

13 Harvestmonth: The cliffs east of the northern spur grew more and more colorful as they continued their journey. They eventually came within sight of the canyon where the river left the plateau. Darra paled as she recognized it from her vision. She could not see the volcanoes, but did see a smoky smudge in the sky to the south. By the end of the day, they had not quite reached the canyon, but were very close.

In camp that night, Darra revealed more about her past and her mission. The necromancer was her father, from whom she had escaped at a very young age. After some time in a temple of Tovanira, she had tried to locate him again for revenge, but his castle was abandoned. She called upon Kuldor for aid, He answered, and she has hunted Curazal Taroq ever since. If she manages to kill him, Kuldor will expect her to help those who can't achieve justice on their own.

Ruqayyah expressed her concern for Darra. She took off her outer robes and veils in order to show her caracal-marked skin, because Darra liked it, and begged her, "Don't die." She then asked Laylah to dance with her, going through her tribe's ritual dances for protection. [Laylah was greatly relieved that Darra had finally confided in the others, not just her. She had already told Darra that she hoped Darra survived, but that more than that, she wanted Darra to stay true to herself.]

14 Harvestmonth: Ruqayyah left off her outer robes and veils, to continue to make her statement; this caught the attention of all her companions.

The rising sun showed the cliffs ahead in all their multi-colored glory. They reached the canyon entrance in a couple of hours. Darra checked her arrow there; it pointed straight in. As they entered, they could see several odd rock formations along the cliff faces--some resembling horned figures. Umok gestured at the plateau ("Perbor"), then the horned rocks ("small Klur"), then up the canyon ("Mouth of Klur," beyond many "small Klurs").

After a mile or so, they could hear an intermittent roaring noise from further up the canyon. It didn't sound like water, or Mynar calls. The noise reminded Al-Zaki of things he had seen in the hot spots of the northern Landrings. He has some resistance to fire, but not to a volcano. They continued onward, following the canyon floor along the river, and the roaring grew closer.

Then with no real warning, they rounded a bend and saw the source of the noise: The wall of the far side of the canyon had somehow been given the shape of a gigantic bull's head, easily a hundred feet or more tall, complete with curved horns. The eyes, nostrils, and gaping mouth were formed by holes in the cliff face, from which streams of smoke issued. At that moment, a great jet of flame erupted from the Mouth of Klur, reaching halfway across the canyon. Most of the Mynars spent a moment in awed rapture, while the shock made Ruqayyah (and one Mynar) sick, and Naima fainted.

Then, Laylah saw something below the Mouth of Klur: Curazal Taroq, with a large escort of human and Mynar undead. She managed to grab Darra just as she saw them, too, and keep her from charging or screaming. She let go only after exacting a promise not to charge after him immediately. Al-Zaki suggested that they all move back out of sight, to tend their ill friends and discuss their options.

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