Session 67 & 68: The Gang Gets a Restraining Order

The group leaves the cave along with the demon and travel further up the mountain. Vojta gives his insignia of claws to Cho, saying it will help him fight supernatural creatures without his magic glaive. As they approach the cave, Arran and Nan notice Kolo tossing something away. They question him and he suddenly changes his tone, admitting that he’s not really here. He wishes them luck in finding the spear and says the lord of apostasy sends his regards, then crumbles into snow. Nan asks the demon if Kolo was really the thief. It says the real one was but not this one. They then hear a mechanical growl nearby. They consider using Ti’ireth’s gem to escape but they don’t immediately know how. Vojta says that they should be able to destroy the steel predator now that they know its abilities, so they take up positions at the entrance of the cave, alongside the demon.

The predator appears from the blizzard and roars, stunning Cho and Vojta, but the others are hidden behind the cave walls. The demon stabs it with its spear, to no effect. Nan and Arran shoot the predator with several eldritch blasts and magic missiles, blowing shards off its body. It teleports past the demon and roars again, stunning Nan. With his fists enhanced by Vojta’s amulet, Cho shrugs off the stun and punches the predator, knocking one of its fangs out. It bites and claws him in return with its electric teeth and arcane claws. The demon stabs it again, but its mundane spear can’t damage its magic armour, so it flees down the mountain path. Nan also recovers and shoots two more holes in the predator’s body. It responds by teleporting to her and injuring her. Cho gives chase and continues pummelling it while Nan teleports out of its grasp. The predator turns on the easiest target and knocks out the stunned Vojta, then teleports down the mountain path. As it tries to retreat, Arran shoots it with a barrage of magic missiles, bursting it into shrapnel.

Cho feeds Vojta a potion to bring him back to consciousness. Before they can do anything else, they hear an avalanche coming, brought on by the predator’s roar. They all flee deeper into the cave right before the overhang collapses, trapping them inside. The cave seems to be partially man-made and has an old abandoned campsite deeper inside. There is a pile of coins with a bident standing in the middle, with the dead body of Kolo impaled on it. His body looks heavily tortured, impaled with his own greatsword and with coins stuffed into his mouth. “Choke on the riches that you stole” is carved into his skin in multiple languages.

Cho removes the body from the bident and along with Vojta stitches it up into a more dignified state. He then burns it in a hearthfire while performing a prayer to Yane and Mereteth. Arran and Nan sift through the pile of valuables, leaving the bident untouched but taking the mundane coins and gems. They also find a necklace of air purification, a ring of feather falling, a jar of healing ointment, an unknown scroll, and a book with an abacus. Kolo’s sword also seems to be magical, so Cho attunes to it. He finds out that Kolo’s spirit is inside of it, eager to take revenge on his killers. During their mental conversation, Kolo confirms that he never met them before now.

Arran inspects the bident and concludes that it will likely curse them if touched, so they leave it there. Vojta transforms the rubble blocking the entrance into mud so the group can exit. They then shovel mud into the entrance and Vojta hardens it into stone, mostly sealing off the cave. They decide to meet with Redmud before taking further action on Ti’ireth, so Vojta turns them into clouds and they fly down the mountain slope. They find a tree at the base and he transports them back to Hiru. Back at the inn, the keeper gives them a message from the Red Tower saying they can meet with Redmud at midnight at the shrine in the woods. They rest and handle some minor business throughout the day.

When they head into the jungle at night, they encounter Kolo. Nan immediately shoots him with an eldritch blast, but it passes through his illusory form. He tells them that he was contracted to keep them occupied and asks for their bag of holding, saying that he will make their adventuring life a living hell if they don’t give it. Nan tries to dispel the illusion but it resists. Cho asks his name and he tells them to call him Disiver. They tell him to fuck off and continue on their way. Cho asks if they have a way to block divination. Vojta says that they had one but sold it. Disiver, who is following them, shows that he has that very amulet now and says it allows him to track them. Nan gets fed up and casts dispel on him repeatedly, erasing the illusion after a few tries.

They eventually reach a statue of a tabaxi hugging a crystal ball, next to a small dock. Some red mud is smeared on part of the statue. They see no one, so Cho announces that they’re here to meet with Redmud. Four tabaxi appear from the trees with longbows at the ready, while a large tattooed leonin with an ornate battleaxe greets them. Cho opens by saying that they are looking to put the axe of the roaring tiger to use for the greater good, namely to resist the invasion of the dragonborn. The leonin finds it a noble goal and asks who they work for. Cho explains that the dragonborn conquest is tied to a religious plot and that they’re part of a movement to stop this. He asks about their allies, so they mention Moradhin, Seagate, and the occupied elves of Kadoma. He invites them to discuss further at the camp.

When they arrive at the camp, which is filled mainly with beast folk, an aggressive gnoll guardsman questions them before reluctantly letting them pass. The leonin reveals that he is not Redmud but a lookalike who meets outsiders in his place, so Redmud doesn’t get assassinated. He lets them loose in the camp and points them to the real Redmud, who has greying hair and is humbly dressed. He congratulates them on clearing the ruins and invites them to join for dinner. Around the campfire, Cho explains the same matters as before, stressing that they need help in retaking Kadoma.

Redmud will gladly take the side of the conquered elves, but says he only has a small amount of capable warriors here, and asks if they want him in the field or want to receive the axe from him. They claim that is up to him, but that they can use any help they can get. He says he will think about it. Cho asks what the axe actually does. He says a spirit that empowers him lives in it. He asks about their adventures, so Cho tells him about their struggle against the aboleth. They give Redmud the map they made of the underground ruins, so they can scavenge it, and warn him not to take any statues.