Welcome to Haazen'Ra

## A Sunny Beach with Many Moons

The party emerged somewhat weakened from their transport from the dank, ancient dragon cave to a sunny beach. Where it was night time before, it was now sunny, warm with a westerly wind blowing over their backs as they looked to the east over a small sound between where they were and where they could be. Fortunately, the threat of fighting any Ûr was no longer present, but they were truly unsure of where exactly they were, and how they could get back. Lady Ulutra and the rescued Shade Folk indicated that they had not been here before, but knew of its presence. Some of their kind, one explorer in particular named **Caergalyn**, had traveled back and forth through the world-membrane that existed between this place and the cave in the Valley of Bomar. Although Caergalyn loved to travel, he knew of the predicament in the Valley of Bomar, and would certainly wait until he heard word that all who had planned to come were safe, or perhaps a month or two should no one cross the membrane.

For now, however, the party was just attempting to gain their bearings. While resting on the shore, the party determined a few things about where they now found themselves. The wind, without exception, came directly from the west. It exhibited various strengths, but the direction was constant. The beach at which they sat had a considerable tidal change. And not only that, but the five quick moving moons in the sky above was likely to make the tides very peculiar compared to the single moon present in Eirethune. Regardless of these differences from whence they came, the beach seemed rather normal in other aspects. There were mollusks, baby crabs, and minnows by the shore, and the air smelled of the salt of an ocean.

Looking southward a mile or two from where they sat, there appeared to be a simple village of huts. Extending from the small village, there was a pier extending out over the tidal range of the beach with several cogs moored. Lady Ulutra had heard that the inhabitants here were not hostile, but she knew little else of the folk that inhabited the huts.

A few minutes later, the party could see one of the inhabitants, small in size, walking along the shoreline. It appeared the gnome-sized creature was spying for bubbles in the sand, digging up a mollusk or crab should a bubble appear, and then quickly tossing it into her mouth or the small net bag that she carries. On closer observation, the creature appeared to be a young, female, somewhat strange gnomish creature that was also carrying some sort of ornamental blade. The girl was named **Teedlin**, and her species was Tiyunak. They live on this island, known as *"That For the Lost",* and live a simple life. Despite her near undead appearance, she was very much alive and pleasant when talking to the party; even though she referred to some of the party as *Flank* and others as *Sausage*. She indicated that there were several small groups of the Tiyunak on the island, but the largest one (though still small) was just south of where they were currently conversing. There were also a few of the Shade Folk that were living there as well. The Tiyunak are simple hunters who live off of the land and sea. A couple of the Tiyunak also make visits to the much larger town across the sound on the main continent. The inhabitants were different there, more like the party, but all were *Sausage,* except perhaps for the leaders of the town who were most certainly *Flank*.

The party arrived at the small village and observed the few number of palapa and wood dwellings in which several of the Tiyunak dwelled. Each of the Tiyunak carried a Tiyutar in honor of their deity, Tiyuno; although these creatures seemed to maintain their friendliness as the party walked among them. The party asked whether there were more Shade Folk nearby and soon the group was directed towards a hut just south of the others.

Inside the hut were two Shade Folk, Undai and Llygalayn, who were pleased to greet their kin as well as the party. Undai and Llygalayn had come from the Valley of Bomar as well, but had left as a matter of nature rather than being forced out. They had traveled back and forth through the membrane to the north of the island, but were happy to settle here on "*That For the Lost*" for the time being. The two Shade Folk explained that the Tiyunak might seem strange, but they were very helpful, generous and kind, despite their nature to eat pretty much anything, including their own dead. The Shade Folk had seen many strange practices in their long lives and great travels, but this practice was certainly not the strangest they had witnessed.

Undai and Llygalayn had been to the town of Am'Gaht, across the sound, but it was too busy there, and not as comforting as the Shade Folk would prefer. The townspeople of Am'Gaht treated the Shade Folk with curiosity and relative friendliness, but it was clear that to the citizenry, the Shade Folk were different enough to be viewed as foreigners who should best be passing through. The Shade Folk would be granted some civility, permission to trade, to eat, to stay for a few days, but there were probably better places for them to settle. And so the Shade Folk remain on the isle with the Tiyunak for the time being. Undai did confirm that Caergalyn was indeed at his hut, off in the wood to the east of the village. There were several other huts in the wood, but the hut to the far north east corner of the wooded peninsula was that of the traveler, Caergalyn.

Now the party elected to rest before venturing further. A fine meal was provided for them with Freya making sure of the ingredients, but it would sate the group and allow them to slumber in a well-needed rest. In the middle of the night, Wubba communicated again with the Dreamwarden, although the connection was somewhat strange.

> *The world is being shaken around the Mote.   The armies of the Ûr have been gathered and they now sense an opportunity for glory.  I truly sense it will mean their destruction as well, but they see the power of that Uthargot is bringing; a thorough madness to the land.*
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> *In the woods northwest of the Mote, Lady Rhiddar is pressing back, closing funnels that have appeared near her, but given your information from Shazendrar, she has sent for scouts into the deep wood to watch for the Ûr emerging from the Mote.*
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>  *In the southwest of the Mote, Baronet Realnore has disrupted the Blending Circle along the River Ffydd, but not without losses.  Now, the Baronet rides to Kreenan in order to gain more support as soon as possible.  The Kreenan Plains, Coten and Derrin Dale are all vulnerable if Bavarin and Angleside do not muster as quickly as possible.*
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>  *In the northeast, Lady Alurian has closed down the horrors in east of West Eye, but she has been informed there will be more coming.  Her scouts in the Eastern Mote Hills believe that there is a large force around some ancient ruins in those otherwise desolate hills.*
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>  *Lord Fahnde has a long line of pickets in the southeastern hills of the Mote.  He reports that there is no doubt the large force only a couple weeks north of Taitronen might be moving soon, so all nearby must be prepared.*
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>  *Although we have been successful in closing some of the funnels and circles, the strange beasts and anomalies are being joined by actual war bands of Ûr, preparing to assault our borders. It is unclear exactly what in total we will be facing, but we don’t doubt that the horror will be greater than what the funnels had manifested before.*
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> *The center of the Mote is channeling horrors to various locations around the Mote, yet there in the center, amidst the peaks lies the true threat. We must seek the destruction of whatever Gate they wish to open deep in the Mote’s core.  It is there that there is a weakness in the fabric of the world… high in the Chwaer Peaks…a hole growing and being manipulated by the vision streams I had seen before.   This must be where the Order is focusing their attention, and where we must go and disrupt their plans.*
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> *As for you…your essence…you are…beyond where I thought you would be…it is strange for me to see you there, but there you are.  Where you were…in the Valley….it is a strange place for me as well…something is broken there…yet something shines from outside.*
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> *I see that same shine a distance away, at two points very close to the Chwaer Peaks.  Perhaps there is some way between the shining locations wherever you are.  It could help you get to the Chwaer Peaks without encountering hordes of Ûr. Crossing the plains of the Mote at this time might very well lead you to your doom, but if you can reach the peaks through your new realm, you may well not have to face the terrors in our world.*
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> *If you can reach their Gate, do what you can to potentially disrupt their work focused on the world’s destruction.  I do not know if you can destroy the Gate, but I believe it will be enough if you can keep the Order Founders from opening a rift to allow a greater manifestation of Uthargot from entering.  There may be runes or symbols that can help you in sealing the gate, as was done in the past by Elzarin and Theomar. They had used Tarbin, Styree, Orz and Hahmgill to close the gate, but it is important that you should only use those if no other streams from our plane are in contact with the gate.*
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> *This Gate lies in the Chwaer Peaks, yet there is something or someone still held…. Imprisoned …perverted…that exudes power from somewhere beyond the Mote.  The dark reach of Uthargot and his chief minions throttle this being elsewhere in Eirethune…perhaps I will know more when we next speak…*
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The Dreamwarden also conveyed a few spells to help the Wizard out, but his supply was not as grand as was previously found. The complexity of the arcane knowledge that Wubba now desired would tax the Dreamwarden's knowledge. The party would have to find any further spells in the villages and towns across the sound.

The party now left their Shade Folk friends with Undai and Llygalayn and proceeded to venture into the woods to visit this traveler of the worlds. Finding the hut was easy enough and the traveler was present as expected. Caergalyn was pleasant and welcomed the party with graciousness and interest. Now the party's interest would turn to what Caergalyn could tell him about the world, and whether there were options to return to their own other than the way they had come.

## The Tide is High and Also Low

Caergalyn was pleased to speak with the party, as it was obvious to him that not only was the party responsible for saving his friends from their unpleasant fate should they have been captured, but also they were intrepid travelers as well. They spoke of how they arrived on the small island in another world and how they might want to return. From Caergalyn's knowledge, albeit somewhat limited, he was able to find other thin membranes between where they are now and Eirethune. The membranes in Haazen'Ra, this world to which the island belonged, were found in various cities and towns scattered around the sub-continent, with various levels of accessibility.

1. **Hazad'Gar -** The relatively large town of Hazad'Gar on the northeastern coast of the sub-continent had a rift in the throne room of the Gusion Lord there. It is not common practice to infiltrate throne rooms of Gusion lords in any of the towns or cities, so the rift was not that easy for even someone as stealthy as Caergalyn to reach. On the other side, however, there were more challenges. The doorway in Eirethune emerged in the middle of ancient ruins in the East Mote Hills, not far from the border of Teldor. However, these ancient ruins were not empty. There was an army of Ûr, peppered with creatures who Caergalyn had never observed on Eirethune. Some of these creatures could sense Caergalyn, so he chose to retreat back through the membrane and deal with the security of the throne room in Hazad'Gar once more.
2. **Ashengar -** The great city of Ashengar lies at the southwest base of the Surge of the Gods, the great mountainous rise above the jungle in the southern part of the sub-continent. It was strange enough to find, but Caergalyn could sense the rift around the entrance to the Ruling Quarter of the city. The rift sat about 20-30' out from the gate tower, so for a Shade Folk, it was actually easy to access. The doorway in Eirethune lead to a massive Ûr encampment. This camp was a convocation of higher echelon Ûr clans, but also provided sanctuary for some of the higher summoners from the Order. Visages and worse swarmed in and out of the encampment making Caergalyn quite uneasy about his chances of escape. This mass of inhumanity made the doorway at Hazad'Gar seem like a garden party, though it had certainly not been.
3. **Uthenegar -** Inside the great capital of the sub-continent and largest city of Haazen'Ra lies the last of the rifts Caergalyn has found. Inside the Ruling Enclave, in the High Gardens that surround the Great Tower of The Powers, lie the last two membranes to Eirethune. In the northern gardens, there is a small lava pool over which a rift lies. In the southern gardens, the rift lies at a base of a monolith. There is a large amount of security around the Great Tower of The Powers as it is the home of magical research and power in Haazen'Ra, where even the lesser Gusion and Ronoves must surrender their weapons. Yet many different people come to the Great Tower, some of which appeared to be carrying weapons, so who knows what the rules might be. Anyhow, the door to these rifts lead to two locations near each other, tucked among the Ûr burial mounds of an ancient necropolis. There were no Ûr nor Visage present at the necropolis, so for Caergalyn this was his preferred rift beyond the one on the island on which they conversed. There were probably undead somewhere in the necropolis, but Caergalyn did not wait long to investigate the Ûr barrows.

There were several terms that Caergalyn used in his descriptions that the party was not clear on. What was a Gusion and who were The Powers?

Caergalyn explained that the Gusion were a race of creatures unlike all other inhabitants of Haazen'Ra, yet they were the only types of creatures who ruled the towns and cities. Caergalyn had spoken with several of these rulers and although strange, seemed fair and wise. They spoke clearly and they expected that those requesting audience would do the same, in the language of the land. The Gusion leaders demanded an interpreter so that no word could be misconstrued during a negotiation. **Gorn'Chahn** is the ruler in Am'Gaht, the town across the sound, and it was relatively easy to gain an audience with him. He seems fair and attentive to those in his court. He is the only Gusion in Am'Gaht, as far as Caergalyn knows; however, in the cities, there can be many Gusion.

The Powers is another strange group, again all of one different species, but they are the keepers of magic in Haazen'Ra. It is true that all commoners in Haazen'Ra are users of magic, whether arcane or religious or both, but The Powers provide a common guild for anyone to investigate or converse about magic. The members of The Powers are all of the species known as Ronove; again a species unlike all of the common inhabitants of Haazen'Ra, yet also quite different than the Gusion. The head of The Powers in Am'Gaht is known as **Mawngoon.** He is quite the traveler himself, having been to the Great Library in Balmorien on more than one occasion. He has two other Ronove as his assistants, although they are always found together.

The next topic for Caergalyn to cover was how was the party going to get across the sound? Caergalyn and the rest of the Shade Folk are gifted with flight, yet the sound would offer some challenges for those not so gifted. Caergalyn explained that if the party required a boat, there were two of the Tiyunak who were common travelers across the sound. There was Tidjan, the young entrepreneur and cog captain who would more than certainly like to enlarge his largesse. There would be no problem scheduling Tidjan, and as a young captain, he has had only minor difficulties crossing, during those times when he was able to cross. Then there was Caergalyn's neighbor, Toogork. Toogork was an older Tiyunak who did things his own way, at his own time, but he knew the sea better than any Tiyunak on the island. After some discussions with both captains, and some additional revenue promised, the party elected to travel with the learned captain Toogork. The party would have to be awake and ready to leave the docks at 3:30 in the morning, for it proved to be the best time to balance the tidal surges.

Before the night was over, a couple of strange moments befell the party. At one moment, Freya paused, staring out blankly, but then seemed to awake to full consciousness. When asked about what had happened, Freya had no recollection about what the party was talking about. Aterean and Wubba examined Freya, but no abnormality could be detected, not even with *Detect Magic*.

Then later in the evening, as the party slept before the crossing, Zak briefly dislodged himself from his trance and noticed that Hormish was standing with his eyes open, again staring blankly off inside the cabin of Caergalyn. A moment later and then Hormish seemed normal again, shrugged and started to return to the floor to continue his slumber. Zak quickly got Aterean and Wubba to investigate, prior to Hormish fully going under, and again there was nothing abnormal that they could find. Hormish remembered nothing, although he did have a vision of a strange black bird for a brief second. Nothing else.

The answer to what these moments could mean would have to wait. The morning was coming and it was time to cross the sound. The party tied themselves in to the cog and Toogork led his cog out into the sound promptly at 3:30. The winds were strong, from the west and the current was in their favor. Throughout the trip, save for one 30 minute segment, the winds would be strong. A couple quick storms sent gales to toss the ship, but Toogork was able to keep the cog on course. Both Aterean and Wubba would lend a strong hand to maintaining the course by having a water elemental push them towards their destination. The 5 moons of Haazen'Ra could not deter the party from reaching Am'Gaht on this day. There were times when Wubba, Kazin, and even Zak were sent prone, but the rest of the party would join in to keep them from going overboard. Finally, the winds died down and Toogork's cog arrived on the busy docks of Am'Gaht.

## Taking In Am'Gaht

Toogork tied off the cog and welcomed the party to the town of Am'Gaht. He then walked down the dock to the Harbor Master, Hrabin, to sign in and chat for a bit. Hrabin seemed friendly enough to the Tiyunak so the party did not perceive any trouble entering the busy dockside quarter of the town. Even at the docks, it did not take the party long to observe that the comments about the inhabitants of Am'Gaht that had been alluded to previously were quite accurate.

Firstly, the people of the town seemed to be unanimously mixed-species. Hrabin was a human/elf mix, which seemed normal, but the guard next to him was of human and gnomish mixture. Along the dockside sidewalks where most of the pedestrian traffic traveled, it was easy to see that there was a very large variety of different mixtures. There were even some giant mixes with a variety of species. This was definitely a town of ***Sausage***.

Secondly, there was a lot of magic use in town. As described, each of the inhabitants were either tattooed or were wearing symbols indicating the magical aspect that they followed: Eyes, Rings, Blended or Dark. The Eyes, Rings and Blended symbols were approximately on 30% of the population each, and the remaining 10% was displaying Dark symbology. It seemed that the tattoos were not present on children under approximately 10 years of age, but they did probably have some sort of symbol on a swatch that was pinned to their clothes. On top of all of the magical aspect symbology, the inhabitants were casting spells quite a bit. The spells were mostly cantrips, but you could see one going off at almost any moment. It seemed the inhabitants were quite normalized with the presence of magic.

The party took all of this in, but there were other pressing matters. They had heard that the **Halls of The Powers** was the location to peruse and gain spells, and these halls were close at hand, so they headed directly for them. On the way, however, they did notice some curious drawings near the harbor master's shed. After careful examination, Brynda and Aterean determined that it was a cultural shrine to a deity or powerful being that meant something to the people of Am'Gaht. There was a drawing in charcoal on canvas, and below it were personal or precious items. This drawing of the being, **Kettek**, had rope, line, fish hooks, fish skeletons, gold and even a ruby present at its base. As the party looked around their area, they saw another of these impromptu shrines, although the next drawing was that of the being known as **Ssalagang**. Cooper flew over the top of the Halls of The Powers and viewed yet a couple more simple shrines on the busy thoroughfare on the other side of the building. There was one to **Hlugok** and another to **Dragonkind**.

Led by Kazin, Aterean, Wubba and Tindora, the party entered the Halls of The Powers. There was one quite large room with light pouring in through windows to the outside. However, the room was largely empty. There were 4 rows and 2 columns of large 10'x4' tables. Each table had 3 horizontally aligned drawers on each side, yet nothing was present on any of the tables. Along the northwestern wall stood a line of various chairs and stools. There were no parchments, nor inks, nor anything other than the tables and seats. On the long southeastern wall, there were two doors. Befuddled and wondering what sort of library this might be, Kazin headed towards the doors.

Before he could reach them, however, the door opened and out stepped a large, yellowish, naked humanoid with strange eyes, and a featureless tail. He was holding a book and greeted Kazin warmly and responded further after Kazin reciprocated the greeting.

> *What an interesting dialect you have! Welcome to Am'Gaht, and perhaps to Haazen'Ra! How can we help you today?*
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    The party responded that they wished to investigate, acquire and research some spells, and the being was happy to assist. The being called himself, **Ahnmin**, and his species was **Ronove**. The Ronove were different than all other inhabitants of Haazen'Ra, as their role was to tend to the Halls of The Powers, facilitating the spread and research of magic throughout the world. When asked if the Ronove existed on other worlds, Ahnmin responded that they did, but that they were different there. Ahnmin had only heard of tales of their kind elsewhere, but he had heard that these other Ronove were perhaps not as friendly as those on Haazen'Ra.

In any event, Ahnmin procured a list of the spells they had to offer. Should the party need any spells, he could acquire the scrolls and components that would be necessary for them to understand and memorize them. He also indicated that if the party had spells that Ahnmin did not have, the Halls of The Powers would trade or purchase them as they liked. For now, Ahnmin asked the party to go over the list to see what they would want, and in a couple hours time, Ahnmin could have everything ready for them on one of the tables in the Halls so that they could share and acquire information.

Ahnmin also provided information on what the different aspects of magic in Haazen'Ra actually meant from a practical point of view. He described how the aspects gained power from the relative configurations of planetary conjunctions, some more acutely than others. The Dark aspect was the most acute as it focused on the void space with no celestial conjunction that occurred in the so-called **Mid-Days** of the month. The other three, however, were all focused on the presence of planets and celestial bodies, though in different ways. Ahnmin gave the party enough information so that they could see what would happen in the course of a month's time with respect to the power of magic in Haazen'Ra.

Lastly, Ahnmin answered a couple questions on the shrines outside and what the local religious practices were. For the most part, the inhabitants of Haazen'Ra worshipped often, but not in large ways. There were no grand officials of a particular religious belief in Haazen'Ra. People practiced their faith in any or all of the deities or great powers, but there were few temples to them. In Am'Gaht, and in most of Haazen'Ra, there were three deities that received the most worship, namely **Kettek, Hlugok** and **Ssalagang**. As Ahnmin put it, *Kettek governs all choices, Hlugok governs all questions, and Ssalagang governs all answers.*

Ahnmin set to work collecting supplies, and the party exited the Halls and now turned their attention towards the marketplace at the east end of town. The party had not been in a town in months, and had certainly acquired many items along the way. Deep in the delves of the Ffydd Dwarves or in the Abbey Beodrahn or even Bandraht Manor, the party had gathered a fair amount of loot that probably could be put to better use than testing Freya's back with its weight. As the party traveled the busy sidewalks of Am'Gaht, they did notice more of the simple shrines in their passing. The vast majority were supplications to the three Ahnmin mentioned, but ever so often, there was one for some other being. Perhaps Ahnmin wasn't fully complete in his answer about the local religious practices.

The party arrived at the marketplace and it was quite busy. There were many vendors and people, not just from Am'Gaht but from the various other places in Haazen'Ra, who were ready to trade, sell or consume. The party circled the marketplace, investigating armor and weapons, gems and jewelry, eager to both buy something new or sell something they no longer required. It seemed like mithril was not a common currency here, but it was appreciated. Gems, on the other hand, seemed to warrant similar value. And magical items also brought a good price.

As the party haggled and shopped, Brocktharian peered down an alleyway that was strangely void of any foot traffic. All of the other alleys entering the market square were packed with people, but this one strange alley had no one. Brocktharian stepped down the alley and found a dark, barren bit of earth near one of the walls of the houses on the alley. Posted on the wall was another image on canvas. As Brocktharian stopped to examine the image, two street urchin ran up and began singing a song...

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> *She doesn’t watch but she will see,*
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> *Men with birds’ heads peck and pee*
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> *Sucking the life from so many worms*
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> *Who will cry as they no longer be*
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> *Some men choke and some men scream*
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> *Some men laugh and others dream*
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> *They’re sucked away just like all little worms*
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> *As they are gifts to She supreme*
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> (link to the tune for the street urchins' rhyme)
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As they finished their rhyme, a guard at the end of the alley at the marketplace threw a couple stones as the urchins, sending the two away to the south, cackling and laughing. Coinciding with the urchins' departure, a pair of Ronove turned down the alley to speak to Brocktharian; the taller of the two speaking to Brocktharian directly.

> *I believe you have found something of interest in our little town. You are welcome here, of course, and may the Powers grant you strength by whatever discipline you follow.*
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The Ronove introduced himself as **Mawngoon**, the head of The Powers in Am'Gaht. He also explained a bit about the image in front of them.

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> *This is **An'Zhu**, referred to as **She Unspoken** by all others who walk this soil. I would have great care speaking her real name, lest you wish to enable her to visit you in some way. You hear me speaking her name, but I am not speaking it. You only hear her name in your minds. I would not speak it with a voice resident on this plane. And I advise you to do the same.*
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> *An'Zhu gains power by acknowledgement. Even a thought about her will cause her to gain power. People avoid this street because they might see this image and then think about it, or curse it under their breath. To focus on any aspect of An'Zhu is to give her rise.*
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> *She is not a god of single purpose, but something beyond the power of the other gods. Those that do worship her are never rewarded, except with increased fear and servitude, and eventually are consumed or transformed into whatever She requires.*
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> *If you have had visions recently, images or trances that you have never had before, it is quite possible that An'Zhu is looking for you to hear her call.*
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> *An'Zhu can only be suspended for a time. Right now, she is ascending, so she can reach out to anyone here and use them to bolster her existence. However, she can be weakend to a point where her manifestations will be barely noticeable. If you wish, I could speak more when you come to the Halls of The Powers to gain your spells.*
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Mawngoon seemed honest and pleasant enough. He bid the party farewell and that he would see them again before they left, probably at the Halls of The Powers. He also indicated that the Inn, *The Snapping Lizard*, was just a block further down the alley, where the people are again willing to walk. There should be food and wine and rooms for them to enjoy should they need them.

The party did visit *The Snapping Lizard*, where Polo, the Innkeeper was happy to serve them what they wanted and get them settled for the night. There were many folk in the inn, as it was the beginning of lunchtime, and so the party had a bunch of people to converse with to learn more information about Haazen'Ra.

One traveler spoke of the **Pyramid Roads**. The major routes between the cities of Haazen'Ra were actually following a set of ancient, tiered stone roads which more or less connected the present-day towns and cities. These ancient stone roads had 3 different tiers on each side; each tier being about 15-20' difference in height from their neighbors, with the central tier being close to 50' off of the ground. There were stairs from time to time bridging the tiers, but as these roads were ancient, both sections of the roads and the stairs were not always in the greatest shape.

When the party asked about danger, the response was unanimously that the jungles were dangerous. There were beasts that lived in them that were exceptionally dangerous, but the towns and cities were not places where the creatures wished to roam. When asked about the Mid-Days, when Dark was strongest, and the Necromantic groups were out and about, the travelers told the party that as worrisome as these groups could be, they would probably not be as dangerous as that which naturally lived in the deep jungle. Travel was tough in Haazen'Ra, but people worked together to survive it. There were waystations out in the jungle along the *Pyramid Roads* where different travelers could group together to make sure each survived. If two rival merchants met in the jungle, they would put aside their differences as the dangers of the jungle far out-weighed the dangers of the market.

The party sat for a while and enjoyed their food, drink and rest. Soon, they would have to gather their spells, make their trades and head out into the wilderness yet again.

When the party did return to the Halls of The Powers, Ahnmin was almost completely ready to handle spell requests. The once empty room of the Halls had one table completely covered with tomes, parchment, and ink. There was an apothecary chest present with all sorts of little components that may or may not be necessary for the spells to present themselves. Mawngoon was there this time as well. He would be happy to help out with the spell trading, but first, he had a proposition for the party.

> *Before we get started trading spells, I would like to propose a possible task you could perform for me.  You are not under any obligation to conduct the task, but I believe it may be advantageous for you to consider it.  The task relates to the growing presence of An’Zhu in our world.*
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> *If you have been seeing any visions, they will continue.  Not just for you, but for all in our area of Haazen’Ra.   They will continue as She Unspoken gains power.  You have seen the shrine dedicated to She Unspoken, yet no one knowingly created it.  In addition, there have been reports that images of She Unspoken have appeared inside the houses of the recently departed.  She Unspoken is not going away.*
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> *Another element, besides her shrines here in the city, has arisen in the jungle as well.  There is reportedly a temple to An’Zhu rising from rubble to the east of Izbir, the waystation at the crossing of the Pyramid Roads several days east of here.  This rising temple lies across a river deep in the jungle not far from a section of the Great Rift.  As her visions affect more and more people, the temple grows.  As the temple grows, so does the reach of She Unspoken, creating a problem for us all.*
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> *With that in mind, we would all gain benefit if the temple was disrupted.  No need to fully destroy it, as She Unspoken cannot be undone, however, to reduce the power of the temple will reduce her reach, and her ability to infect people with her visions.*
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> *I have sent a couple scouts to observe the temple, and they have not yet found any of her minions on the west side of the river.  Yet, none of these scouts have wished or have been able to cross a bridge to the temple itself.*
>
>

> *As much as I enjoy the study of powerful beings, deities and such, I have had my fill of An’Zhu for now.  She Unspoken may return in strength someday, but perhaps we can have a brief moment without her eye on our town.*
>
>

> *So, I am making a request of you to see if you can disrupt the temple.  You are welcome to refuse, but I have many boons at my disposal should you decide to help us in this manner.*
>
>

> *I can grant you a **Writ of Entry** to any of the cities – even permitting you entry for research in the Great Library of Uthenegar.  I could possibly reduce the price of spells that you may wish to transcribe and learn.  And lastly, Gigi, my goat, may have a couple of books and tomes you may be interested in.*
>
>

> *Of course, if you’re not interested in these boons, you can be on your way.  Pleasant journeys and may you not find your visions deceiving you.*
>
>

The party heeded Mawngoon's words and elected to help the strange, naked humanoid with the investigation of the temple of She Unspoken. They would visit Mawngoon again before they left, but there were merchants to visit.

The party spoke with **Hoorsh**, the vendor in charge of mounts. He had several to choose from, but he also had some mounts that the party had never seen before. There were elephants, for one, which none of the party had actually seen before. These elephants were not trained in battle, but they could carry several party members at once. There were also giant riding lizard mounts, which could handle several people as well, but were also pretty well-equipped in the swamp that populated various parts of the jungle. And lastly, there were the riding spiders. They were expensive, but they could climb the high trees to reach the canopy, 200' above the ground, and travel there. Hoorsh was curious about this group, and impressed with their presence, and offered them a reduction in price if they helped him transport a special item to his business associate, Umthinder, who lived in Uthenegar. Hoorsh had a padded chest which carefully housed a **Vringalu** egg which Umthinder desperately wanted. Umthinder would be able to give the party decent prices for their mounts and perhaps a bit more should the egg safely reach them.

In the eating hall of the Snapping Lizard, they learned of another delivery need in town. Kiernan, the daughter of Milandia the esteemed cooper in town, was overheard talking about another coffer that needed delivery to Uthenegar. Kiernan was holding court among her young adult friends at the Inn, and Kazin approached the group with refreshments and magical fun. After an evening of conversation and drinks, Kiernan not only told the party of a special coffer with a plant inside that needed to be delivered to the **Rift Seer** in Uthenegar, but it was also revealed that Kiernan had done significant work on the creation of a **Coffret of Savings**, and perhaps could make another for a reduced price if they gave her a couple of days of work. The deal was done, and in a couple days, Kiernan was able to provide the special spell-saving box.

While at the Snapping Lizard, Freya attempted to find some affection from the staff, and although a physical relationship could not be achieved, the main chef, Toobwan, at the Snapping Lizard did become fond of the giantess. They shared recipes and delicious cuts of meat, and perhaps there would be another time when the giantess and the half elf / swamp folk could share more. Toobwan did make sure that Freya's floating smoker would be constructed correctly, and that it would hopefully survive the trip through the jungle to Uthenegar.

The party stayed in town a couple days waiting for their crafted goods, and gathering the spells that Mawngoon had to offer. During the nights, however, a few of the party members were subjected to visions during their sleep and trances. Fortunately, none of the visions were too detrimental to the party members. Most of the visions could not be clearly remembered, but there were some common elements in the visions, like a black bird that was partially skeletal. When the description of this strange bird was brought to the attention of Mawngoon, he commented that it was probably the *Nether Bird*, a harbinger of change and chaos - a gatherer of shadows and darkness.

On the sixth day, the party departed on their riding spiders into the jungle, heading towards the pyramid roads which linked the civilized breaks in the overwhelming explosion of flora and fauna that was Haazen'Ra.

## Welcome to the Jungle

The jungle is massive and dense. The trees soar hundreds of feet into the air, creating a canopy at around 200' which is a completely different ecosphere than the shrub and ground layer. The party had gotten some of the low down on what they might face in the jungle, and where it might be encountered. As they party entered the jungle, it was clear that it was full of life. The howls of simians climbing through the upper branches of the trees could be heard almost immediately, even if they were miles away. There were signs of great lizards and snakes, of large and small primates, of gooey effluences from some sort of beast, of all sorts of life beyond the personal experiences of any of the party members. Although there were some smaller rainforests near the coasts of Udbotsi, where Wubba originated, they could not compare to the wall of life that was present in the jungles of Haazen'Ra.
The party traveled atop their arachnids along the various tiers of the pyramid roads, watching and listening to the sounds all around them. There were times when the sounds of great beasts were nearby, but just out of visual range, given the thick density of the forest. There were sounds of slithering from some sort of reptilian creatures that would dwarf the greatest of serpents in Eirethune, yet there was no trouble as of yet. It wasn't until the evening when the party first was confronted with some strange and deadly dangers of the jungle.

The party had decided to climb up and set camp on the canopy, hundreds of feet above the floor of the jungle. Their camp was was nestled amidst some thick outgrowths on the canopy, where several trees reached up to add to the overstory. They party would only be able to rest a bit before something mysterious began to move closely against the trees darting up through the canopy. It was difficult to see, but a different set of branches, cold and unnerving, began to embrace the trees, slowly approaching the party.
Hormish and Brocktharian would engage first - Hormish focused on one, while Brocktharian needed to move to engage another. Zak, Freya and Tindora all moved forward to engage as well, while the rest prepared spells to assist their friends or destroy these strange creatures. It was soon discovered that the roots of these creatures not only sucked the life out of the trees they moved upon, but also as weapons against the party. Hormish would take several horrific blows of necrotic horror, but Aterean was there to help heal him. Brynda was quite successful in blasting these **Ddyncar** with *Guiding Bolts* - it seemed the power of Thadaok would even manifest itself here, while Wubba cast *Scorching Ray* and *Chromatic Orb* at the beasts. Kazin had the clever idea of turning one of the Ddyncar into a turtle, yet it would only last a couple rounds as the party members almost immediately pounded on the turtle, breaking the *Polymorth* spell. The Ddyncar were resistant to many types of damage, but the party was still strong and ruthless, damaging the formidable creatures quickly. Unfortunately, however, the Ddyncar were also quite adept in their martial attacks. After a couple more rounds, Hormish would fall, despite the continuous heals he was receiving. What would the party do now, with one of their stalwart having fallen? The next few minutes would certainly determine their collective fate.

## What Emerges from the Deep Wood?

The *Ddyncar* had many strong roots to bash their enemies, sucking the life right out of them. But worse still, they slowly grew back if given any quarter. It seemed like there could be ways of staving off their regenerative abilities, but it wasn't clear until Brynda blasted one with a strong *Guiding Bolt* which *Thadaok* was able to enhance even in Haazen'Ra. At this point, the party was fully armed and ready to surround and cut down these horrible tree creatures, even as Hormish convalesced his wounds with Aterian's help. Slash and slash, spell after spell, the two Ddyncar were not going tear down anymore of the party's members. A minute later and the trees would be felled - withering away and turning into dust and pieces of bark. Whatever animated this bizarre flora, Aterian would surely take a sample for its alchemical properties; though Freya was pretty certain the wood remaining was not advisable for use in her levitated smoker.

There would be a few more hours of rest possible that night, but the peace would not remain for its entirety. On Zak and Hormish's watch, the party received another strange visitor. This visitor was something that Zak and Hormish had both seen in their dreams, but never ever in reality. One hundred feet or so to the east, alighting on the canopy, the strange crow-sized avian creature known as the ***Nether Bird*** had elected to visit. It was not directly concerning itself with the party so it seemed, but the two watchmen were curious about why it was here at ll. "*Would it be possible to catch it and learn from it?"* though Zak as he stealthily approached. The *Nether Bird* now stood on a perch in a material sense. It's strange half corporeal body seemingly acting normal as it gazed out over the nighttime treetops. As quietly as Zak could be, however, the *Nether Bird* gained a sense of his presence when the Drow was a few feet from it.

Without a glance towards the elf, the *Nether Bird* sat motionless, yet shadowy creatures were rising around it, impeding any close contact with the strange avian creature. As peaceful as the *Nether Bird* may have been, alighting peacefully on a branch, hundreds of feet from the ground, these *Nether Imps* were clearly not as sedate, moving quickly to intercept the Drow. They appeared as both gossamer and shadowy, wings lifting them up in one plane or another, resolute on keeping the hands of the material party members from touching the *Nether Bird.*

Zak and Hormish pulled back and made sure more of the party was awake before fully engaging these strange, shade creatures. Although they flitted about with the ease of a sprite, their *Dark Touch* rendered both pain and fear in those with weaker disposition. In addition, these dark fey sang a song which rattled the mind and souls of all who could hear them, save themselves and the *Nether Bird*. Before the imps could do too much damage to the mind of the night guards, the party was up and ready to dispatch these creatures to whatever plane they had come from. The imps were no real match for the full strength of the party, regardless of how many the *Nether Bird* could summon; however, they were able to delay the party enough for the *Nether Bird* to set off again into the night, disappearing in the darkness of the jungle's overstory.

During the day, there were many jungle creatures that the party could detect while they passed eastward towards the Waystation, yet the vast majority of these beings elected to remain hidden - whether they were giant arachnids, lizards, snakes or whatever the jungle could muster. There were times when the creatures made their presences known, however. Rustling through the jungle on the north side of the Pyramid Road, the party encountered a couple of the ***Qaqtla*** emerging from the darkness, making their way up towards Hormish and Freya. The tentacles of the bizarre lizards were strong, and the skin was very tough, but they would be no match for the party. Brocktharian activated his *Barbed Ring* and plunged into combat, after a minor trip, to nearly destroy one of the *Qaqtla* in one fell swoop. Nonetheless, with the bows, spells and weapons of the party all ready and descending down upon the lizards, the *Qaqtla* were taken out quickly. Still, it was interesting to see these creatures for the first time, as the party had purchased a jacket made from the skin of the *Qaqtla* while they were in Am'Gaht.

Another time, the party was introduced to another creature by its horrific stench. Wafting from somewhere to the west of them, the party began to smell something that was as disgusting as anything they had ever encountered. Freya and Aterian were sure that this was not some *Corpse Flower* trying to lure olfactory-sensing insects, rather some strange fauna was presenting this horror through the light breeze moving along the Pyramid Road. The party prepared themselves, and began to see signs of something large flying through the jungle southwest of them. Moments later, they would not only see the flying, somewhat emaciated, lizards, known as the Giriku, but also be confronted with a wall of putrefying odor, capable of knocking lesser beings down to wretch violently in reaction. Besides the uncanny, otherworldly fetor of the Giriku, they were also known for having rows of razer sharp teeth. The party prepared their weapons and spells, but none were loosed as the Giriku continue to pass through the jungle. The party probably saved themselves a day of washing their garments had any of the Girkus' innards splattered upon them during the fight.

The jungle was not a place to rest for long. Not from creatures. And unfortunately, not from the visions of *She Unspoken*. As the party progressed, the visions continued unabated. At least one in the party, every day, every night, would succumb to the manifestations of the otherwordly queen, *An'Zhu*. No one had suffered any lasting determent, fortunately, but would the visions remain incidental forever?

The jungle was not done with the party, not by a long shot. High atop the canopy, the party rested for another evening. The magic was still strong in the air, and the party regained their strength. Zak and Hormish were awake again during the night, when they heard a slithering and thumping sound approaching through the trees composing the canopy. The two listened carefully, and it definitely seemed like the sounds were coming closer. As they began to wake the party, Freya was abruptly awoken by one of her *Alarms* going off inside her head. The party began to get up from their slumber when Zak peered out to see the tentacles and eye stalks of a strange creature which was mostly just mouth and stomach, the ***Tlelakha***.

The tentacled beasts approached, but were slow enough for the party to be fully prepared. Kazin made sure the members of the party who focused on melee were *Hasted*, and then all hell broke loose. Brocktharian, Hormish, Zak and Freya all closed on the creatures, savaging them quickly and keeping them from engaging any of the casters. The casters both augmented the fighters as well as blast the Tlelakha from afar as the bizarre creatures approached. Hormish was struck by several of the Tlelakha's tentacles, deeply attaching to his body with the sharp barbs protruding from the tentacles. The Tlelakha's mouth gnashed towards Hormish, but it was never get to taste the hardened warrior. In quick measure, the strength of the party was felt by all of the Tlelakha. The Tlelakha on Hormish dropped first, but the others would not survive long enough to be able to attack any other of the party. The rest of the evening was uneventful, and another day of strong magic and progress towards the temple was underway.

During the day, the party did see more of the common fauna of the jungle, but nothing impeded their progress. That is until Hormish's mind was again infiltrated by visions from *She Unspoken*. As the party rode their spiders east, Hormish paused, and then buckled over, writhing and crying while he sat on his mount. Zak and Aterian approached him quickly to attempt to break the mental influence from the otherworldly queen, but it was Kazin that rescued Hormish's mind. From atop the Pyramid Road, Kazin looked down and sent a deep *Suggestion* into Hormish's mind which was able to reach down and break the vision that captured his mind. Hormish woke with a jolt and relayed his violent visions. While he rode, vines descended around him and cut parallel lines deep into his arms and torso causing tremendous burning pain. Yet when Hormish woke, none of the wounds were present. The vision was debilitating, but fortunately it did not present any lasting wounds. Yet who knew what would happen next time?

The following evening, the party grouped up on the canopy as they had been and settled in for another sleep in the jungle. Relatively early in the evening, the silence of the night was broken up by radiant beams blasting their encampment from the west and north. A terrible blast of both cold and doom shattered the party's sleep as they were confronted by the sight of hovering, eerie creatures of enchanted wood and an ethereal blue glow. The **Nadui** had arrived and were taking no prisoners. With the opening volleys, Brocktharian and Zak were nearly obliterated, if not for the quick reactions of Kazin to *Haste* Aterian and Freya. Aterian had to push out heals as fast as he could while Freya and Hormish quickly engaged the devastating floating creatures. The branches of the *Nadui* were dangerous as well, but the cold, deathly beam was truly taking its toll upon the party. A Storm Sphere and cloud of lightning was brought overhead to start punishing the *Nadui*, and in addition, it was learned that these creatures of enchanted wood were susceptible to fire as well. Although the *Nadui* were powerful, the strength and fortitude of the party proved that they were stronger, and again the terrors of the jungle would be stopped. Zak took careful care in investigating the corpses of the *Nadui,* as this was the creature from which some special arrows of his had been made. Perhaps there would be enough material here for Zak to make a bow, should they find the time and place to carefully craft such a weapon. The party gathered their senses and returned to slumber.

In the wee hours of the night, Hormish and Zak were awake to hear something else approaching their camp. A heavy lumbering, climbing up the tall trees to the canopy. From the south, east and west, the sliding and plodding could be heard as it slowly approached. The party was quickly wakened and soon all could see the bizarre plant creatures approaching. Aterian and Freya would have said their were some sort of shambling mound, except for their horrible heads which sprouted long tentacles surrounding an ever-hungry maw. The party was now being approached by the jungle shambler known as **Ibimahk**. Would this night of horrors ever end?

## A Break from the Road

The Ibimahk were a strange sort of shambler, but several were now approaching. Fortunately, they were not quick to move. Their form gave them stability amidst the branches, but their lumbering form was slow enough so that the party was quickly able to move against them. The Ibimahk approached from three directions so the melee defenders readied themselves to make sure they could fend off the beasties prior to them. Kazin quickly *Hasted* Aterian and Freya, and then Freya, Zak, Hormish and Brocktharian moved quickly against the plant-like beasts.

The Ibimahk were strong and could hit hard, but the group was adept enough to generally avoid their viney reaches. Hormish and Zak suffered some wounds as the plant beasts lunged towards them, but Aterian was at the ready to make sure they were healed up to safely return to combat. The Ibimahk just were no match for the party. One by one, the great plant creatures fell, whether by weapon or spell, but they should have found other quarry in the jungle that night. The rest of the night was peaceful thankfully, and the party continued their journey eastward along the Pyramid Roads.

As it was with other days, there were moments when someone from the party was struck by the visions of *She Unspoken*. This time, Tindora was wracked with visions of the jungle approaching when it was not. The party was ready to help her if anything terrible would happen, but fortunately the visions subsided.

Later on in the morning, the party came upon something truly unsettling in the physical world. In a break in the Pyramid Road, the party found a pile of bodies, some crates broken open with strewn goods and an bryken strongbox. Brocktharian was a bit skittish to investigate the strong box, as it was certain of some sort of otherworldly nature, but the rest of the party began to peruse the detritus of what appeared to be some sort of skirmish. In the crates, there were some bolts of fabric, as what a merchant might be bringing to market. There were also some relatively good quality rabbit and capybara pelts that could be made into relatively fine furs. The strongbox, however, was quite empty, with no sign of what may have been inside. There was also a ghastly pile of dead merchants present by the crates. The bodies were burnt and laid together for only the smallest of jungle creatures to find value. This most certainly was some sort of banditry, as far as the party could ascertain.

It was Freya's keen eye that could also see that there were tracks leading north from the incident...deep into the jungle. There were tracks of at least eight people; whether they were just bandits or perhaps captives, it was uncertain. The party debated briefly, but they knew who they were, and they would not leave such a dastardly act go unpunished. They might be strangers to this world, but the party has a sense of morality that even here, these bandits should be brought to some sort of justice.

It was difficult to follow a single track for too long, but fortunately, when one track seemed to end, another could be found close enough so that the party could continue their hunt. A few hours went by and then Cooper thought he spotted a group in the trees ahead. Quietly, Zak sneaked up through the jungle wall, and suddenly came upon their quarry. Unfortunately, however, they did not seem surprised by the approach of the party. Suddenly, Zak sensed that all around himself, there was only silence.

It wasn't just Zak, however, that had found themselves in silence. Freya and Brocktharian, too, were pushed up towards this unknown group, and they were also finding themselves neither hearing nor making sounds. Aterian brought forth another Iorek, who would find advantage while approaching, and the rest began to fan out, peeking their way into the large perimeter of voicelessness that stood to the north of them. That is, except for Kazin.

Kazin moved with determination directly forward until he made visual contact with the group. There was a lightly armored humanoid with a drawn bow who was checking Kazin out, although not directly aiming at him. Kazin attempted to communicate that he could not speak, but the archer seemed only to smile, and nod another of his kin to come forward to view Kazin. Kazin bowed down, prostrate in prayer, and the archers stood watching...also giving the rest of the party a bit more time to move up.

Zak had progressed further north, using a *Shadow Step* to move across their camp into a copse of trees. From there, he could espy several others around the clearing, all apparently ready for the party's advance. The attention of this group was still focused on the prayers of Kazin, until Brynda startled one of the group's pickets in the wood. Immediately, the picket attacked Brynda and the fight was now on.

Almost all of the party was in some zone of silence, so they pushed forward to engage, and to hopefully find a place where one could hear their breath again. Hormish and Brocktharian pushed up to defend Kazin from any attack, Freya and Wubba engaged a couple of woodsmen to the east, and Brynda, Iorek and Aterian moved through the woods to the west. Other than Zak, all were in silence, but the rogue was able to assist from the far side, pushing in to help out the center of the party.

The archer Kazin first communicated went down quickly, but unfortunately as the archer fell, a pair of fireballs shot down into the party from the northwest, singeing the party though not hurting their own kin. To the east, Wubba found himself surrounded at one point, but Freya rushed in to crush one of the bandits and protect the silent wizard from harm. To the west, Aterian and Brynda still sought some refuge from the silence, but Aterian's cloak came into use to help heal the wounds that were being inflicted upon various members of the party.

After a few more moments, it was clear that there were different levels of quality and ability in the bandits whom the party were fighting. Some of the bandits fell quickly, but one ability that it seemed all had in common was to move with ease in and out of combat when they had to. More of the bandits fell, but there were a few who were quite adept at survival, and who were receiving help with their wounds from others still hiding in the wood. Kazin had seen yet another standing by some chests, and *Suggested* that the bandit bring the chest towards the sorcerer, which he did. However, before Kazin could get a chance to examine the chest, a *Wind Wall* rose up, dividing both the chest and certain members of the party from each other. Hormish had just crossed the wall to engage one of the stalwart bandits when another set of fireballs descended into the party's midst. Both Hormish and Kazin could not survive the blasts. Zak quickly poured an elixir of health down Kazin's throat, while Brocktharian used his barbed ring to pull one of the fireball casting bandits into his proximity.

What would happen next was unknown, but hopefully the party would eventually be the victors this day.

## The Devilish Bandits of the Jungle

The party were savaged by the bandit mages in particular, but it would not be the bandits' day. Freya and Wubba continued to fight against one of their strongest fighters in the southeast of the grove. To the northwest, Brynda would be making her way around the edge of the *Wind Wall* to see if she could find more of where they were, and whether there was a venue so that the rest could cross uninjured. The center was recovering, but at least there were no more fireballs reigning down on them. In addition, after the bandit brought the chest over, the party made sure this bandit, Ribbenshporp, would cause them no further trouble and sent him to his grave.

Freya and Wubba were battling, but gaining the upper hand on their elite bandit. Yet before they could finish him, the bandit ran off into the rocks to the northeast with great speed.

Almost at the same time, Kazin had grown tired of these bandits tearing into the party. With great arcane focus, Kazin was able to create a *Wall of Stone* that divided the bandit mages from the group. Perhaps now, Aterean would have the chance to help the fallen in the party's center. The wall was a blessing to keep the group safe for a moment, but it made Freya's pursuit of the elite bandit that she had been fighting a bit more difficult. On her own, Freya bounded through the rocks to the northeast and then came around the end of the *Wall of Stone* to pursue the elite bandit on the other side. The elite bandit was definitely direly injured, but unfortunately, the other bandits on the other side of the wall of stone were not. Freya was able to down the elite bandit, but at nearly the same moment, a barrage of *Magic Missiles* shot forth, dropping Freya to the ground.

It would be moments until the rest of the party found Freya's body. Zak leapt up on the wall and then *Shadow Jumped* further into the woods to seeif he could find any of the bandits vulnerable. The rest of the party followed in short measure, but there was not trace of the bandits on the other side of the wall. They were able to find Freya and care for her wounds, but the bandits were gone without tracks or trace. As Freya awoke, she also noticed that the elite bandit she had downed was no longer there as well. Lastly, the bandits apparently had taken some of Freya's magic jewelry from her after she fell.

The party, now enraged, searched for any trace of the bandits. Nothing material was found, but after Wubba cast *Detect Magic,* the party was able to determine that there was *Abjuration* magic in the area. Perhaps a spell such as *Pass without Trace* was used. Now the beings of Haazen'Ra all use magic, so it would be quite common for most anyone to use *Pass without Trace* or *Silence* at a moment's need, especially if those casters were bandits.

The party had no idea what to do at first, but then an idea arose. Brynda walked over to the bandit who had brought the chest over for Kazin and cast *Gentle Repose* to preserve the body a bit longer. Then when they were ready, Brynda cast *Revivify* to bring the bandit back to life, while Kazin threw *Suggestion* to see if the bandit would take them to a location where the rest of the bandits would deem safe. The risen bandit, Ribbenshporp, indicated there were a few temporary hideouts not too far away. About a day to the north-north east was the first; the second being another 8 hours to the north east from it. Lastly, a third hideout was another day to the north east from the second, just a bit from the Pyramid Road that runs to Koda'Gaht.

Now it would take some time to reach any of those locations, so the party made sure that the *Suggestion* spell was consistently present on Ribbenshporp by resting more often. The party would take more rests in the deep jungle, which could be dangerous, but they were not going to let the bandits get away with stealing from the downed giantess.

The evening before the party made their last 8 hour journey to the closest hideout, the sentries heard something with thunderous footsteps move through the dense jungle. The party was awoken prior to detection, and all went into hiding, including Ribbenshporp. Only a few seconds later, the thunderous steps grew close, and before their eyes, the party saw the giant lizard known as the *King of Teeth*.

The beast was massive and set upon Hormish with great vigor. The massive rows of teeth dug into his armor like it was butter. Yet there was only one of these great beasts, and the party could focus all the spells, swords, hammers and worse upon it. In only a few seconds of combat, the *King of Teeth* would fall, allowing Aterean to investigate the characteristic properties of this majestic, massive and ferocious beast.

A few moments after the combat, the party looked about and they could no longer observe Ribbenshporp. In fact, no trace or track could be found of him as well. Again *Detect Magic* was used so that the party could determine that the bandit had used some sort of *Abjuration* magic to hide where they went. Wubba then cast *Dispel Magic* on the region where Ribbenshporp was last seen. Wubba could now see that Ribbenshporp had headed south following along their own tracks that paralleled a north-south jungle stream.

The party had a quandary. They could not continuously cast *Dispel Magic* spells to determine the whereabouts of Ribbenshporp, but perhaps they could at least determine his general direction. The party followed the general direction of how Ribbenshporp departed, until the stream that was close to his tracks departed from the tracks of the party themselves. Ribbenshporp's tracks indicated he was heading more easterly now. Perhaps Ribbenshporp was affected by the visions of *She Unspoken*, and now found himself heading to the **Temple of An'Zhu**. The party followed the river in suit. It was slow going through the jungle, but they were adamant on finding this last bandit. The party would have little chance to recover Freya's belongings if they gave up now.

They could continue their hopeful tracking of Ribbenshporp, but Freya thought otherwise. The jewelry was hers and she thought they should return to the road. If indeed the bandit was heading to the Temple of An'Zhu, then perhaps they would come upon the bandit when they arrived there. If not, well, they still had to investigate the temple for Mawngoon. The party decided to head south away from the stream and set up camp for the night.

It wasn't really a camp, however. Kazin decided to create a structure from walls of stone to give the party a small sense of protection in the deep jungle. Perhaps these walled camps would be useful to other travelers in the future - who knew? Regardless, the party finally settled in for the night....or at least a few hours.

Hormish and Zak were awake atop the walled encampment when Zak espied something strange floating through the jungle. Zak had seen jellyfish before, but never were jellyfish this large, nor floating in mid air! The guards awoke the party and the rest watched these giant, green jellyfish as they floated through the wood, consuming most anything in their paths.  The party was tempted to encounter them, just to investigate what sort of creatures they truly were, but they thought better of the encounter and let the strange beasts pass into the night.

The next day was mostly uneventful, with just minor jungle creatures peering at the party from the depth of the overgrowth.  It wasn't until evening that the party found themselves amidst a new denizen of the jungle.   Now that the Blended Magic Aspect was truly waning towards the middle of the month, the party elected to save Kazin's magical capability and forgo the creation of the stone shelter.  It was never certain what the party would face in the night, and they wanted to make sure everyone had as much capability as possible.   It was early in the evening when Brocktharian, Aterian, and Wubba were on guard duty and saw something weird atop the canopy, just a little ways away.  At first, it appeared like just normal branches moving in the wind, but after careful observation, the movements were out of sync with the wind.  Something was moving nearby.   Wubba and Aterian began waking the others while Brocktharian moved out towards the edge of the canopy to espy these movements a bit more closely.

There, across a small divide, in the waning light of the moons, Brocktharian could see something like a biped humanoid, save this creature appeared to be made of branches and wood.  Unlike some of the hulking creatures, such as a Shambling Mound or the Ibimahk of these jungles, these were relatively lean and anthropomorphic, close to approximating the bulk and size of a normal human.   Brocktharian could also barely see that they appeared to be carrying bows.   These creatures were not aiming their weapons at Brocktharian, but it did appear they were able to observe the paladin.

As the party awakened, more moved up to investigate the creatures.   It was difficult to determine their intent.  They seemed to be potentially encircling the group, moving from west to east upon the canopy, but for what reason?   As the party looked closer, they began to see that there were probably many in their group, at least ten or so.  The wood creatures and the party watched each other, but no one broke into violence.

Finally, the paladin had enough of just watching, so Brocktharian lit up the night time sky with a massive emission of bright light, drawing any eyes that were open in the jungle to the shiny paladin.  At once, these wooden creatures that found themselves in the light moved out, back into the shadow.  Hails and greetings were made towards the wooden beings, but no response came.  Both groups waited a few more moments, but it was clear now that these wooden creatures were aiming to move away from the party and the glowing paladin.  However, there might be other creatures of the night who wished to investigate the new light source in the dark wood.

About 90 minutes later, the party would again find themselves hearing branches creaking around them.  This time it was coming from below.  Something heavy was moving through the branches of the understory.   Without catching a glimpse of what was making the noise, Brynda was set upon by two of the Tlelakha - the Mouth Slavers.   The tentacled mouths latched hard on to Brynda, wounding her grievously, and nearly causing her to succumb.   The party had encountered the Mouth Slavers before, and knew they had to kill them quickly before their maws began to chew on the body of the cleric.  As the Tlelakha emerged, swords and spells rang out, cleaving the hungry beasts before they could do further harm.

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