The Lazarus Expedition: Episode 05

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==Synopsis==
The party is in a walled village between Abalar and Bellwind. There is a town meeting where the party explain the events of last episode with the Ponos Cult. They swear to hunt down Drakthar Planebane who escaped. The town elder tells the party that Drakthar could be hiding at an Oasis where a Hydra resides. The party head to the Oasis with a guide from the village.
==Recap==
===Town Meeting===
The Lazarus Expedition take a week of rest in the walled down between Abalar and Bellwind. During the week the bright green comet of Martha disappears, meaning that the Goddess having landed someplace.
Dara, the merchant who hired the party to escort her, talks up the party's prior heroics, with the party known as the "Waystars". Roy enjoys this is the way the party is being referred to, as the same as their surname.
At the end of the long rest, in the Tavern debate their next action. They decide the best way to cut off Drakthar Planebane is for this town to send out messages telling other towns what Drakthar did and to prevent them from recruiting anyone else locally. Cassian goes for a walk on his own. Roy becomes overwrought over the past few weeks of traumatic events. Styrmir and Vasher seek out some town leadership about sending those messages.
The party find there is no town leadership. The population of the village is around 400 people. The town guard are made of volunteers from the community. Decisions are made by communal meetings. Styrmir decides the best thing to do would be to call such a meeting to discuss the matter, also having it be a sermon as well. 
That evening a crowd of villagers gather. He begins talking to the crowd while standing on a barrel. His preamble explains that Roy and Vasher will go into detail about what occurred at the temple.
Vasher explains grimly what Drakthar Planebane has killed all the missing children. Vasher swears he will see Drakthar dead. Vasher urges the villagers to spread word about Drakthar. Vasher tries to lie about the children not suffering, but the crowd sees though the Paladin's poor attempt at lying.
Roy steps up and tells a story he had read about revenge about taking on evil to comfort the crowd. He then steps down.
Styrmir steps up and gives a sermon about overcoming struggle and giving thanks to the gods to give them strength. He talks in remembrance to the fallen, and about the gods Martha and Nadinis, and offers those close to the victims to come up and say some words. Then he gives a prayer from his homeland to Felumbra.
The villagers are moved by the party's words. The villagers discuss their next move.
The party discuses what they should do next, along with the town elder, a retired hero himself. The elder talks about how local hiding spots are taken by local bandits or other cults, but can think of a half-dozen locations Drakthar could be hiding. Dara says that Drakthar went westward up-river, but not sure for how long. The elder says that there are some villages, caves, old watchtower, and an oasis (with a hydra) in that direction.
The party decide to investigate the Oasis. A villager, Fenix (male human), offers to guide the party to the Oasis. The Oasis is south-west from the town, into the desert, away from the river. 
===The Oasis===
Phlax and Dara come with the party and Fenix into the desert. As they travel Cassian calls out "Roh-Slosh" to keep Azari away, to the annoyance of Styrmir and Vasher.
The party arrive in the desert on their second day of travel. There is no sign of a cave that the Town Elder had mentioned. Fenix thinks it was covered by the sands. The party approach the Oasis and the Hydra with six heads comes out and attacks.
Party vs Hydra
* Round 1: The Hydra bites at Styrmir,e Vasher twice, Cassian twice, and the Horse (Scrappy). The party disengage away from the Hydra except Cassian, who attacks with his greatsword, then disengages as well. The hydra bits the cart as they retreat, damaging it, force the party to leave the cart behind.
Combat ends.
The cart is left behind along with all their belongings and supplies. The Hydra eats the Seaweed in the cart along with everything else. Vasher heals the party with Turn the Tide.
The party regroup and make their next plan. The party don't have the supplies to get back to town safely and someone could die on the trip. They watch hydra drag the cart down under water into the oasis then disappear itself.
The party eventually decide their plan Fenix goes back to town with the horse for supplies while the party attempt to fight or deal the hydra.
The first thing they try is throwing a water skin at the end of a rope into the oasis, then pulling the rope back. The plan half-works, dragging the waterskin back ended up with sand inside the waterskin along with water. 
Roy casts . He sends the Unseen Servant to fill the water skins, one at a time. On the 5th water skin the hydra rises from the pool again. The party back away as the Hydra destroys the unseen servant and the 5th water skin.
The hydra moves towards the party and the party keep moving away. The Hydra returns down into the oasis.
Roy repeats the plan. The 6th waterskin works, but the hydra again comes out for the 7th waterskin and destoys it. The 8th waterskin also gets destroyed.
The party still need to fill one waterskin, but only have 4 empty waterskins left. Roy sends Vika to distracts the hydra while an unseen servant to fill a waterskin, but it fails. Roy tries with 2 unseen servants at the same time, but the hydra notices both and destroys them both. There is 1 empty waterskins left.
The party give up, Vasher says he'll go without water. The party start traveling north towards the river.
==Into the Desert==
The party travel until nightfall in the desert 3 hours later. The party decide to rest for the night.
Cassian, Vasher, Plax, & Dara take no exhaustion. Roy takes 1 exhaustion level. Styrmir takes 2 exhaustion levels. Styrmir is reduced to half-speed, so is carried by Roy's .
The party travel north and make it to the river. They then head eastward back towards the walled village to find Fenix and the horse.
On the way the party encounter a potion seller, Saffron Shadowwalker, on the way, with a group of mistrals. She is selling blue potions for 30 gold each. Cassian buys a potion and drinks it right away and nothing happens. He yells out thievery.
: Combat: Party vs Saffron Shadowwalker
* Round 1 Styrmir casts Calm Emotions on everyone. He then offers for the party to walk away if she just gives the money back. Roy, calmed, repeats Styrmir's point. Vasher pulls his sword and says Velmontarious doesn't suffer swindlers. Saffron Shadowwalker goes invisible. The minstrels stop playing music. Cassian where she has moved by her tracks in the sand and grass, and attacks her. Saffron looses concentration and is no longer invisible.
: Combat Paused until next episode
==Experience==
No experience given this episode.
Category:The Lazarus Expedition Episodes
Category:Save Or Die Episodes
Category:The Lazarus Expedition