Expedition 137: The Shrine of Bahamut

**Expedition 137:** *Shrine of Bahamut*

**Date:** 26th of Bloom

**Roster:** Bahasati, Fi Falcon, Indresark, Valorie Veyer.

### **THE SHRINE OF BAHAMUT: GOOD IDEAS, MIDDLING EXECUTION, REDEEMED IN THE FINAL TRIAL.**

On the 26th of Bloom, 367 AoP, our top-notch team of vacation critics visited the Shrine of Bahamut in the Felwood to bring *you* the honest, up-to-date advice you need to plan your journey ***Into the East***. Regulars Finnjamin Falcon and Valorie Veyer were joined by guests Bahasati and Indresark for this expedition to **The Shrine of Bahamut, Draconic God of Law and Good.** A key stop for any vacationer aiming to complete a Pantheistic Circuit or visit all of the cursed ruins built by Port Vrall’s new draconic overbeing, Emervox, the shrine is also a worthwhile stop for more casual vacationers. Anyone interested in being demeaned mentally, assaulted physically, and judged morally in exchange for divine magic will find plenty of fun in Bahamut’s Shrine.

*To whoever is reading this, I am sorry. She said she would not rewrite the report, and the only other one on the expedition willing to help was the dragon and he is illiterate. Please, read what is here and do not blame Boris for what bards do in this world. --Boris.*

#### LOCATION: PLEASANT ENTRANCE IN QUIET FELWOOD NOOK. 4 OF 5 STARS.

The Shrine of Bahamut is located near the border of the Felwood, in a small cave entrance embedded in the foothills of the Silent Cliffs. Visitors can enjoy a scenic trek over the rocky cliff-faces which once divided Emervox’s former (and soon to be current) holdings from the adjoining territory, or can pass through the ongoing runaway ecothaumaturgical disaster known as the Felwood, witnessing the majesty of nature engorged to grotesque size by the experiments of mad wizards. Your true challenge, of course, may come from within your own group, as happened to our critics when they forgot who was supposed to have the map!

#### BOONS: BAHAMUT OFFERS STRAIGHTFORWARD GRAFT. 4 OF 5 STARS.

Like all of the Druidaca Shrines scattered across the East, Bahamut’s Shrine directly connects to divine power. A visitor can beseech the Shrine’s deity for boons and services, and most gods, with a sufficiently lavish ~~bribe~~ offering, will happily grant reasonable requests.

Of course, most gods have their quirks, from Mae'ra’s preference for group boons to Tempus’s specialization in weapons and vehicles to Nerulla’s insistence that death is the greatest gift of all. Bahamut, we were informed by his Shrine’s architect, Emervox, was refreshingly simple. He offered individual boons to those who completed his shrine and preferred offerings of “noble metals,” which translates into lay-speak as cold hard coin. It will bring the governments of the world joy, we are sure, to see that their modus operandi is reflected in heaven as it holds sway on Tark.

With such a simple choice of offering, all of our four critics assembled offerings without trouble. Only Indresark, due to poverty, had to substitute for coin, using metallic dragon scales. The one problem we had was the inherent issue of the Shrines: indecision.

As with any vacation spot you can only visit once, you want to get your money’s worth the first time you enter a Shrine. We worked carefully on our boon choices, but still had many questions and uncertainties heading out. Finn Falcon brought along dragonscale to try reviving metallic dragons and dragon eggs from Prexar’s lair to turn *into* metallic dragons or to identify; he needed a Bag of Holding to carry everything he thought might be useful. Indresark, by contrast, wanted only Strength and Freedom, with very few specifics in mind. Valorie Vayer only wanted a unit of celestial hair for a spellcraft project, and Bahasati wouldn’t share her boon choice with the group. Part of the fun of a Shrine expedition is considering boons, though, and none of us could complain about a deity so honest about what you’d get for your money.

#### TRIAL PROGRESSION: CLEAR, CONCISE, THEMATICALLY COHERENT. 4 OF 5 STARS.

Emervox described Bahamut’s Shrine as testing one’s mind, body, and heart, in comparison to metallic dragons. This short set of three thematically intertwined trials is an excellent structure, giving shrine-goers a clear sense of progress on their journey. The consistent draconic theming also rewards ardent dracophiles with secrets, shortcuts, and plenty of delicious dragon lore if they pay attention!

#### TRIAL OF WIT: CLASSIC TRICK ANSWER BETRAYED BY POOR EXECUTION. 2 OF 5 STARS.

The first Trial of Bahamut’s Shrine is of Wit, and, as with many other shrines, a trio of riddles tested ours. Bahamut’s Shrine went a step beyond the usual godly statues or talking animal images, however, taking home a special commendation from our critics for riddle ambiance.

The Trial of Wit took place inside of a cavernous chamber dominated by a massive statue of a golden dragon, made from iron pyrite. The dragon’s wings blocked the way forward, and crept down as each riddle was answered, revealing the next one on the wall. Even by the high standards set by other Druidaca Shrines, it was a majestic sight.

However, the substance of any riddle challenge is the riddles, and our critics found these lacking. The first two riddles were relatively trivial:

> “What do you hold but never keep? If you take your last, make it deep. ”
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Our critics answered “breath” within three minutes.

> “Kept when shared,
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> Worthless broken,
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> Must be cared
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> For fragile once spoken.”
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Our critics responded “promise” within ten minutes, after only some back-and-forth.
However, the final riddle we found utterly incomprehensible:

> “A half-dozen faces,
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> But not a single eye,
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> Twelve legs and no paces,
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> Swimming across the sky
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> It lives without breathing,
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> And dies without soul,
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> It grows till it is teeming,
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> But is never whole.”
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>

It took our team of critics five hours of discussion and attempts to finally conclude that the riddle was impossible and try to climb over the pyrite dragon’s (much lowered) wings to reach the exit, carefully avoiding the wickedly sharp spines. The riddle was intended, we concluded after the fact, to convey that draconic insight exceeded anything folk could achieve, and that the best mortals could hope to do was maneuver carefully around dragons, not hindering them, as the mortals went about their business.

Guest critic and actual dragon Indresark did not comment on this aphorism.

Though the spirit of the challenge fits well into the themes of Bahamut’s shrine, our critics must ultimately judge it harshly. Riddle challenges in any divine shrine require a high level of buy-in from shrine-goers to be effective. Because answering tricky questions to gain divine power is a fundamentally silly concept, it requires a great deal of faith from shrine-goers to play riddle games at all, instead of looking to move through the Shrines with geokinetic spells or shaped explosives. Abusing that faith, even for a thematic lesson, is a recipe for frustration. Indeed, critic Finnjamin proposed to the group that the riddle might be a fake-out after only two hours of discussion, but the group voted down acting on his hypothesis for fear that attempting an alternative solution to the riddle-puzzle would fail the challenge. When beseeching the gods, it is entirely understandable that petitioners would not want to call them out for a trick.

#### TRIAL OF BODY: UNIQUE COMBAT, OVERSTAYS WELCOME. 3 OF 5 STARS.

After passing through the Trial of Wit, our critics entered an unpleasantly claustrophobic tunnel that served as the opening to the Trial of Body. Finnjamin Falcon, our lead man for this leg of the journey, entered a twenty-foot-by-sixty-foot stone chamber with a large, glowing rune laid into each corner, and a locked door on the other side of the chamber with a quickly progressing combat introduction asking us to survive “the Claws.”

By the time Sati and Valorie had arrived, the combat had begun and the “Claws” appeared. From each rune, large, spectral dragon claws erupted and attempted to grab our critics and hold them over the runes in each corner, which released blasts of fire, lightning, frost, and acid at timed intervals. Each blast of energy also conjured another Claw, unless it was absorbed by an existing Claw or a shrine-goer’s convulsing body. As time went on, the Claws changed from Brass to Copper to Bronze to Silver to Gold dragon-claws, accompanied by the appropriate damage resistance.

Our critics all enjoyed the initial waves of the trial. Bahasati exploited the summoning runes’ limitations by enchanting Claws to remain in place after they were summoned. Valorie employed Hypnotic Patterns to great effect, and Indresark got in on the fun with honest fisticuffs and his ability to absorb more damage than a battleship. Finnjamin, of course, was the hero of the battle, as his incredible acrobatic abilities allowed him to weave between grasping Claws by the dozen.

As time went on, however, the Claws grew more and more numerous, as destroying four Claws before another wave was conjured was nearly impossible for our group; they were too durable. The fight became less interesting as hordes of undifferentiated Claws began to trip over themselves due to their sheer numbers. As the fight wound down, Valorie took the only damage our critics received in the battle, from a fire rune, before Bahasati stepped out of the trial room through the unlocked door (open after each Metallic Dragon type was used) and found the off-switch.

Ultimately, though our critics applaud the Trial of Body’s unique premise and strong draconic theming, the execution falls short: the trial produces more minions than it can use, creating a bewildering but not particularly threatening encounter. We advise increasing the power, but decreasing the number, of Claws for future Trials in the same room.

#### TRIAL OF VIRTUE: BAHAMUT OFFERS PERSONAL TOUCH ON CLASSIC FORMULA. 5 OF 5 STARS.

After the party passed through the Trial of Body, we entered another small corridor leading to the Trial of Virtue, which was also the center of the Shrine and the altar for direct connection with Bahamut. Plants grew inside a wide cavern dominated by a large step pyramid, impossible for a humanoid to easily climb, topped with a massive gold dragon statue.

However, our critics’ attention was drawn instead to an elderly human gentleman surrounded by seven Canaries, who introduced himself as Bahamut.

Bahamut issued the Trial of Virtue personally, directly instructing shrine-goers how they could overcome their flaws and weaknesses and assigning them divine tasks of self-improvement. Though such an approach could easily seem heavy-handed, our critics found Bahamut to be an insightful life counselor and an inspiring personality, and his tasks were fair and even-handed. The only issue that cropped up was the overeagerness of Bahamut’s youngest Canary, Al-Zakanna, who kept forgetting that her claws were still sharp relative to Bahamut’s mortal form when she jumped on his lap, which was more endearing than disruptive.

To Indresark, Bahamut asked only for his name, as he had faced enough hardship in his life to be more than worthy of Strength and Freedom.

Bahasati took the worst of Bahamut’s trial: Bahamut asked that she reveal her secret. Bahasati was, in truth, not a cleric of Bahamut, but a sorceress of the draconic line of Aesvar, a white dragon. Bahasati was at first reluctant, but with encouragement from our critic Valorie, steeled her courage and permitted Bahamut to strip away the illusion magic that concealed her draconic features from the townsfolk.

To Valorie, Bahamut asked that she resist her hordelust, her great desire for wealth and power, by ending every week for a month without keeping coin. Valorie agreed to this, but pointed out that she already spent coin almost as fast as she made it, trading it for influence, power, items, and stamping her will upon her surroundings. Valorie admitted that she felt it was not hordelust that troubled her, but a great hubris, a belief that she could organize and control far more than she really could or should. Impressed by her self-knowledge, Bahamut declared that she had passed the Trial of Virtue without needing the vow of poverty.

Bahamut asked Finnjamin to describe his core, his central driving purpose, as he lacked focus. Finnjamin had to seriously consider, but ultimately said that his experiences with Indresark had allowed him to realize becoming a hero was his purpose. Helping those in need and earning their adulation and respect was what he desired, and Finnjamin would continue to do heroic feats instead of merely recount them. Bahamut was proud of his growth, and declared that he had passed the trial.

With the trial of virtue masterfully concluded, Bahamut moved on to the giving of boons, which he handled with laudable showmanship and pomp.

#### GIVING OF BOONS: POIGNANT AND PROFOUND. 5 OF 5 STARS.

Bahamut then personally heard the requests of our critics for boons, and answered each of them.

Valorie Vayer received a unit of celestial hair, taken directly from one of Bahamut’s Canaries.

Bahasati received Bahamut’s promise to direct his children to protect the Scaletop Monastery during the War in the South, in exchange for almost all of her current savings.

Finnjamin Falcon learned, to our regret, that Bahamut could not revive the metallic dragons from the scales we had gathered, though Bahamut did say that something had changed in the world: draconic souls now were persisting after death, going on to some sort of afterlife, when previously they had dissipated. Bahamut could not speculate as to why that had happened.

In lieu of resurrections, Finnjamin asked Bahamut to identify the metallic dragons among Prexar’s eggs, which Bahamut did with ease, noting 11 metallic wyrmlings among the 19 eggs, taking from Finn two gold pieces for the service.

Finally, to Indresark, Bahamut granted an unusual boon: an opportunity to learn of mortal folk as one of them. Bahamut transformed Indresark into a gold and silver dragonborn, preserving his arcane abilities. He would retain his dragonborn form for one mortal lifespan, and then shed it to become a full-fledged dragon again. In this way, he would learn the skills of mortalkind, and preserve them for all his life.

With the giving of boons concluded, Bahamut wished us well, and we travelled back through the doorway to find ourselves quickly exiting from the Shrine’s main entrance.

#### OVERALL RATING: FRUSTRATING MIDDLE SECTION SAVED BY THE FINAL ACT. 4 OF 5 STARS.

Bahamut’s Shrine may demand much from would-be aspirants, but its thematic consistency, charming location, and Bahamut’s personal touch all put it ahead of the pack of the Druidaca Shrines. Anyone interested in a challenging but fun experience of offering bribe money to the newly restored master of our newly restored draconic overbeings will find fun and fortune in Bahamut’s Shrine.

Join our vacation critics later this week, when we return to the East’s #1 long-stay vacation resort, the literally inescapable and ever-growing Tower of Nexus!

**Expedition Result:** Success

**Expedition Level:** Story (Max XP)

**Expedition Loot:** Fi Falcon received knowledge of which of the 18 eggs held by Prexar contain metallic dragons, paying two gold. Valorie Veyer received a unit of celestial hair for five silver. Bahasati received a promise of protection, to be carried out by Bahamut’s metallic dragon children, for the monks of Scaletop Mountain. Indresark, in exchange for a unit each of gold and silver drakescale, was transformed into a dragonborn, to learn of mortal life, until his body decays naturally.