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| Tsathoggua |
The Dead Dread Lord of Voor Darayn - by Aeshma
We examine the shrine and determine that it has recently been repurposed for the worship of Set. Leaving Cassandra, Ayilda and Marrek there to recover from their injuries, Aeshma, Vorstag, Zerda and Finnris head quietly up the stairs to confront the ritualist.
This time our plans to be stealthy have been successful and the witch is oblivious to our presence as her ritual reaches its climax. Our first sight of her is before a great statue of the toad god, Tsathoggua, standing above a recent sacrifice with blood still dripping from a dagger.
Aeshma takes a few more steps forward, and uttering a quiet prayer to Mithra she flings her sacred chakram at the witch. Despite a displacement effect, the chakram strikes true and staggers her, disrupting her concentration on the ritual. She turns with a snarl of anger, summoning a Fire Shield around her as she meets Vorstag’s attack. Aeshma and Finnris close to melee while Zerda hurls two javelins at her.
Using her magic, she forces Finnris to attack Aeshma, but fortunately the priestess is able to block him with her shield. A dretch starts to coalesce from the bold dripping from her wounds, but Vorstag destroys it just as it forms. Then Aeshma knocks her prone with a shield bash and finishes her off with a blow from her scimitar.
A debate ensues as to who should have the Cloak of Displacement that is only put in abeyance when Aeshma bundles it up and puts it in her pack to be decided later. We then go to investigate a squat, ugly building that exudes an aura of menace. Carefully opening the doors we find it holds a shrine to Tsathoggua. In one of the shrine’s back rooms we find two chests containing the tribute sent by Lomar – 100,000sp and assorted art objects – and Zerda finds the witch’s spellbook.
The witch, Alsuvess, had apparently been a student of the Katagian mage Ebbon, a master of conjuration, and the secrets written in the book are intended to empower a conjurer’s magic. Zerda carefully packs it away for later study. Returning to the main chamber, Aeshma encourages the destruction of the idol of the toad god. It resist our efforts until Finnris strikes it with the Spear of Asura, shattering it. Just to make sure, Aeshma drips holy water over the shards and they bubble and dissolve.
With only Tur Nyaan’s white marble palace remining to be explored, we finally rest for an hour. Looking at the palace exterior, we decide against trying the main doors and instead enter via a collapsed section of wall, disturbing the jungle creatures that had taken up residence in there.
The doorsv leading onward are crafted from heavy bronze, but both Vorstag and Aeshma spot a faint lightning motif etched on the metal. Thinking it is likely to be a trap we flick a copper coin at the doors and are unsurprised when the coin is melted in a crackle of electrical energy. Vorstag and Finnris confirm that the front doors to the palace are similarly warded.
Zerda activates the Cube of Meng and we are able to safely open the doors and enter Tur Nyaan’s treasure chamber. The vast room is filled with gold and gems; a magical fountain forms and reforms over a central pool in shimmering curtains of water. Facing the pool is an unmoving, hooded figure sat on a throne.
We are initially cautious as legends abound of wizards whose power extends beyond death, but Finnris goes forwards and nudges the figure. The ancient, mummified corpse topples off the throne and its skull rolls away, only to be grabbed by Finnris as a momento.
Vorstag’s glee at the mountains of treasure is dampened when Aeshma discovers that, like the treasure hoard in the Ziggurat of Meng, this too is illusory, with only about one coin in a hundred being real.
Exploring the rest of the palace the only other room of interest is draped in rich velvet and contains some kind of scrying device that appears to look back into the past. It may be connected to the Serpent Folk who, in their fight against the elves, pulled great beasts from the past to fight against their enemies. Zerda is unfortunately unable to discover how to activate it and decides to recommend to Queen Deyane that it warrants further study.
Having recovered, Cassandra, Marrek and Ayilda come and meet up with us. We leave them to pick through the illusory treasure to find anything genuine while we go to find the escaped Serpent Wizard.
Following the direction of his retreat we find a partially dilapidated building and cautiously enter. The wizard proves far less adept at hiding than his archer allies and is easily spotted. Aeshma and Finnris move to attack, but the wizard tries to enspell Aeshma with its gaze. She is able to shake off that enchantment, but seconds later it attacks with a Hypnotic Pattern that Finnris withstands but that catches Aeshma.
Zerda blasts the wizard twice with Burning Hands that it proves incapable of dodging, then, along with Vorstag and Finnris, moves to surround the wizard. With no way out, the wizard tries to beg for its life. Vorstag wishes to spare it, to take it back to Quodeth as proof, but the other believe that it is too dangerous and duplicitous and over Vorstag’s protests, it is killed.
We return to Quodeth and report, first to the Vizier who appears to be afflicted with consumption, then to the Queen and her advisors. The Queen announces she wishes to reward our efforts. Prince Dredan suggests making Zerda Baron of Anselmo and sending him to explore the Jungles of Meng, conveniently getting him out of the city for a while… Zerda demurs and is instead given a commission as Captain in the Queen’s forces.
Vorstag asks for the same and is made a Sergeant. Though saying nothing at the time, the Half-Giant is unimpressed with the offered rank and later spends considerable funds convincing senior officers that he too should be given a commission, so a month or so later he is promoted to lieutenant.
Finnris is given a pouch of 1000gp and a letter of introduction to Kal-Zinan as he still wishes to return the steel sword he bought to the dwarves who made it. Aeshma says she is content serving the Church of Mithra, but is asked by the Queen to join her Court.
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