subplotkudzu | New Dawn session 4

The shout out to A&E session

Session 4: The Anee Temple

Attacked by the menacing hundred-headed snake beast, K’aedreeka's the beastmaster grew claws and adopted a defensive posture, hoping to ward off the attacks until Tinksa could bring help. Fortunately help was quick in coming, with the rest of the company rushing to her aid, under the direction of Voilodion, who had clambered to the top of one of the ruined buildings to get a better view of the action. Hadassah was able to weave the word of speed into the brother-sister team of Razorshot and Swordstory: former of found the best shot available - shooting out the supports that held the stone chandlier dangling over the serpentine threat - and the latter laid into the beast to get its attention and provide 'Dreeka with a respite. Under Voi's direction Dex found an unstable pillar that he knocked over onto the beast just as the chandelier fell, and under the rain of marble the creature tried to escape, only to be stymied as Rastorshot destroyed the keystone of the doorway it was fleeing to, collapsing the bolthole.

The creature was shedding shake corpses during the assault, and through the gaps in its aggregate form several of the company were able to spy something pulsing inside of it. Voi leapt into the shrinking hole to stab it, but was caught in the re-forming ophidian bodies. Swordstory prepared a flask of oil while Dex pulled the thief free, and threw her makeshift weapon into the re-opened hole with a not at her brother. Razorshot complied with a flaming arrow into the beast, igniting the flammables in the confined space and blow the creatures body into dozens of individual serpents. The throbbing, pulsing thing at its center lay in the middle of battlefield, and Voiloidon stabbed it multiple times just to be sure.

The group then split up to explore the temple, Dreeka locating and conversing with a small tangled cluster of the snakes, who seem to get smarter the more of them are wrapped around each other. The creatures refer to themselves as Nesu, and thank Dreeka and her companions for their assistance - the horror-tool they had been braided around had driven then quite made and left them unable to separate on their own. Free of its influence the Nesu are courteous and friendly, explaining the history of the Anee temple as being home to a mystery cult from Herrine that followed the passions Upandal and Raggok. The Nesu keeps no secrets, but has no idea what the nature of the outside world is or the state of Herrine, given that it had been in that chaos braid for centuries. It does let them know that there was once a road that led to Herrine, well concealed unless you were starting at one of the way-posts, and directed them to where it began.

Voi, true to his Thief nature, heads off on his own to scout out the best treasure. He is able to find a large amphora that is clearly valuable if not magical, a set of exquisite statues of horses, mules and a cart and a crystal topped spear, along with a variety of other, lesser trinkets. After some hi-jinxs of him trying to claim some of these precious items for himself the group gets some information from the Nesu on the items uses: the amphora is a Padolian, an engrained death amphora, which will catch the spirit of anyone who dies near it, so that the spirit can be returned to the body once the body is repaired (the groups is clear that this would be useful, but not sure how useful, or if it is too ungainly to carry); the statuettes are enchanted become live animals when a command word is spoken (and were used to carry things to and from Herrine for important rituals - they might even remember the path there; and the spear is actually a counterspell staff, something that Hadassah knows the history of once she has it identified to her, and a potent tool for the wizard.

With the rains still pouring down outside and no sign of their abating for days, the group decides to let Silver use the forge in Upandal's shrine to further enchant some weapons. She is able to improve a few before the rains let up, and with that the company bids the Nesu farewell and make their way for Herrine. The Nesu were accurate in their description of the road, as the company finds it with no difficulty and has some successful hunting along the way. They reach Herrine with full bellies and high spirits. The city of Herrine is in ruins - no surprise - but it is also full of recent footprints. Some sneaking about in the ruins by 'Dreek and Voi lets them spot the animated dead (!) before being spotted, and the group retire quickly to higher ground, finding a campsire where they can observe without being observed. The Cadaver Men apparently have some intelligence and a broad streak of cruelty, as our company spies them hunting and bagging a buck which they then torture to death before carrying down a tunnel in the ruins.

After conferring with the books in her head Hadassah is comfortable speculating that the people of Herrine built their Kaer directly under their city rather than hiding it nearby, an act of hubris that apparently cost them everything. Herrine, or at least parts of it, are clearly lost. The question now is if they can be recovered.

This is where we ended the session.