(Dec. 11, 2005) Chronicler: Isaku
Month 10, Day 11, Year 1563 –
We returned to the Dragon capital city to rest a few days. Birkat, Gorvak and Isaku were heading to their favorite Saki house, when a snake-like demon suddenly appeared next to Isaku and grappled him. The companions fought back and the demon eventually fled. As the demon fled, a human we had never met before took a swing at it.
The human introduced himself as Nurn, and suggested that we get out of the street. We went into the Saki house and Isaku bought Nurn a drink. Nurn explained that he had been following the demon for some time now. He asked if we had other companions in the city, because they may also wish to hear what he knew.
We went back to the castle and gathered the rest of the group, except for Abu (who was off on some monkey business), and Ashiko (who was off on some business of her own). Nurn introduced himself as an agent of someone called Hethradia. Nurn was bound by an oath not reveal anything about Hethradia, but he explained what he knew about the demon.
The snake-like demon we fought was known as Cathezar, and appeared to have the combined powers of different types of oni (an anomaly, to be sure). Cathezar is an agent of Ammuel, a very powerful oni lord who is trying to find a way to double his powers. Nurn and his boss want to prevent this from happening. Apparently Cathezar is looking for a living descendant of Dydd, a powerful shaman, in order that some wyrm might be tamed. Cathezar also muttered something about the "bastion of unborn souls", which reminded T’ilk of the "ban of the unborn", a celestial rule preventing deities from messing with souls before they are born, so they start with a clean slate.
Nurn thinks Isaku may be the descendant of Dydd, since the demon specifically attacked Isaku. If so, the demon will keep trying until it catches Isaku. Noku goes to the library, and learns that Dydd is said to have killed the Great Red Wyrm, but not before the dragon wiped out an entire order of shamans. Dydd is believed to have died in the battle, as well.
Hatori took Isaku into the spirit world to learn more about the agents involved. We eventually got to the library of the Celestial Court, and spoke to a librarian. We learned that Cathezar works for a very devious oni lord that is hard to pin down. Cathezar is a hybrid, half devil and half demon, hence the merged powers of both. Dydd only mostly killed the Great Red Wyrm. The dragon managed to replace his heart with an oni, and is staying alive by feeding on unborn souls, causing some babies to be born without souls. This clearly disrupts the Celestial Order, for these individuals have no morals or sense of law. The order of shamans that fought the dragon belonged to the Temple of the Elements, near a barbarian village that we’ve heard of. Hatori thanked the librarian and presented the book from the ancient city of the Kumo (spider people) as a gift. The librarian was very pleased with the gift, naturally.
The party decided to find the Temple of the Elements, and set a trap for Cathezar. Nurn agrees to join us, since he is still tracking Cathezar. Noku and Hatori managed to Teleport everyone to the base of a bald hill where the Temple of the Elements should be. As we move up the hill, Noku noticed faces on the trees, some sort of tree spirits.
A shaman named Dorus and a dire tiger were at the top of the hill, near a sapling at the east end of the circle. As we passed through the standing stones that marked the edges of the temple, the sky above changed and became very stormy. It was disconcerting, but we continued on, remembering that this was called the Temple of the Elements. (Some of the group noted that were Ashiko with us, she probably would have tried to Control Winds.)
Isaku approached Dorus, and explained our situation. Dorus had indeed heard of Dydd and the Great Red Wyrm (named Ashardalon), and confirmed what we had already learned. Dorus knew that the dragon was still alive, but recent Divinations of the dragon were silent, so the dragon was shielded somehow. They only clue that Dorus had was a prophecy saying: "The dreamer reveals what the deities must conceal." Noku thought it might refer to the Guild of Sleepers, a group of magic users who take drugs to enhance their dreams.
Noku then asked Dorus if the sapling beside her was the legendary sapling Semphalon, a famous oracle. Dorus said yes, and was impressed by Noku’s knowledge. She confirmed that the sapling was Semphalon, and that it communes with the shaman of the temple. Dorus consulted with the sapling, and learned that there may be a branch of the Guild of Sleepers in Drakara City.
Dorus also learned that Isaku was indeed a descendant of Dydd, and said that if the descendent of Dydd declared himself, it would cause the dragon great pain. (It would certainly get his attention, anyway.) Something to the effect of: "In the name of Dydd, whose blood is my blood, who slew your heart, feel again the pain of your heart's demise!"
Month 10, Day 18, Year 1563 –
The party decided to seek out the sleepers in Drakara City, but there was a slight hitch, since Noku was still banned from Drakara City for a youthful indiscretion. Hatori intervened on Noku’s behalf, and arranged a hearing. Noku apologized to the party involved, and his banishment was finally lifted. Noku visited his parents to give them the news, in case they wished to resume their place in society. They were pleased to hear the news, but decided they were happy with life at Waterstone Temple.
Hatori did some divinations, and learned that: "Awakening the Sleeper a difficult task might be – seven years asleep can make even the nicest old hag cranky." Based on that, Hatori decided that it would be best for the entire group to encounter the Guild of Sleepers.
Hatori’s contacts helped him locate the Guild of Sleep in a rather run-down area of Drakara City, so we headed there. There was no visible guard on the door, so we entered the building. There were many people of all ages lying on pillows, in various stages of sleep, and there was a scent of Jasmine in the air.
Noku approached three people in deep blue robes who were sitting in the center of the room. We got the feeling that they might be spirit folks. Noku and Hatori asked if there were a sleeper who had been asleep for seven years. They said "yes, the prime sleeper had been asleep for seven years, and are were few questions that she cannot answer," and they directed us down the hall.
We entered a large room, where a woman floated vertically in the air. There were three ethereal tigers and a triceratops around her. As Hatori entered the room, the woman told us to go away, because she did not wish to be awakened. Hatori replied that if she could speak in her sleep, perhaps she need not wake up. She paused a moment, and asked what we wished to know. Hatori asked if she knew anything about the Great Red Wyrm, called Ashardalon. She replied that she could only answer such questions while awake, but she was not willing to give up her dream, and told us to go away, or she would fight. We entered the room, and Hatori started to prepare tea for the Tea Ceremony.
The woman started to make gestures, and the battle commenced. We eventually defeated the tigers, a triceratops, and three iron golems. The Sleeper disappeared, leaving her clothes in a pile, apparently some sort of illusion. Hatori found hidden doors to another room, with a sarcophagus on a platform and two more iron golems. Isaku opened the sarcophagus, and found a really ugly looking hag inside. She looked up and said she was awake, stop making so much noise.
Noku brought over the robe that fell in the other room. Hatori then performed the tea ceremony, with Noku's assistance. After they finished the tea, Hatori asked what she knew about Ashardalon. She told us that Ashardalon is in the bastion of unborn souls in the spirit world, feeding on souls to become immortal. The bastion is a place of positive energy. In order to get in the bastion, we need one of the pieces of Desayeus' totem.
Desayeus was a deity who put most of his power into a totem in order to take upon himself the responsibility for unborn souls, thus violating the ban on the unborn. The other deities could not allow this, so they imprisoned Desayeus somewhere in the spirit world, and broke the totem into three pieces. Desayeus has one piece of the totem, Ashardalon has another, and she doesn’t know where the third piece is.
The scales we collected from the Obsidian Caverns are from Ashardalon, according to the librarian of the Iron Fortress. The Sleeper thinks we might be able to use Limited Wish to adapt the scales in order to fool the bastion into thinking that one of us is a relative of Ashardalon, and let us in.
The Sleeper also said that Ammuel is a really one head of a two-headed demon prince who must not be named (Demogorgon). Cathezar has a basement hideout somewhere nearby, in Drakara City. If we defeat Cathezar, her backup is a trio of extra strength balor.