Session0025

Episode 0025 - Upsetting Pepper
Previous | Next

**Setting:**

The Golden Wastes - The Red Towers - Taruki Jungle - Ntambu - April 29th-May 2nd, 211 AW
**Synopsis:**

* The party spends the evening with the thri-kreen at their hive, then utilizes their tunnel network to reach the Red Towers.
* At the Red Towers, the party stocks up on supplies and magic items, and meets a young gnoll named Lo who's eager to reach the College of Mimrinoth, and asks to accompany the party.
* The party agrees to bring Lo along, and departs the Red Towers toward the Taruki Jungle and the settlement of Ntambu.
* Reaching the jungle, Jack leads the party to a monument of singing stones to rest for the night, where they are attacked by aberrant magic-eating monsters.
* Eventually, the party traverses the jungle and reaches Ntambu. After briefly settling in and shopping for items, they go to meet with the Oubutu - the council of the settlement's leaders - to ask about the location of Death Cap Temple.
* When the party meets the Oubutu council, they discover that one of the members is Drez - the leader of Jack and Djinni's former gnoll tribe - who claims that Pepper is his child, and accuses Jack of stealing him.
* Jack explains that Djinni asked him to care for Pepper, and denies Drez's accusations that he abducted Pepper in order to take advantage of his magical abilities.
* The argument grows heated, but before it can become violent, Drez requests that the Oubutu council vote on a resolution to their conflict.
* After hearing both of their stories, the Oubutu vote in Jack's favor, and Drez storms off in anger.
* With the matter regarding Pepper resolved, the party asks about Death Cap Temple, and the Oubutu council shares the temple's location with them.

## April 29th

At the thri-kreen hive within the Golden Wastes, a thri-kreen - who introduces himself in broken Common as "Mark" - grants the party permission to use the thri-kreen tunnel network to reach the Red Towers, out of gratitude for their assistance with the liondrake earlier in the day. At the party's request, Mark gives the party permission to camp outside the thri-kreen hive for the night, before proceeding through the tunnels in the morning.

As the party sets up their campsite, the thri-kreen take an apparent interest in some of the party's activities which seem unusual to them, such as milking Rye's highland yak, setting up places to sleep, playing music, and playing fetch with Odell's dog, Garm. Utilizing the *psi crystal* that the thri-kreen gave to the party as a reward for their aid, Odell communicates telepathically with Mark, who explains that the concept of leisure and entertainment are strange and foreign to the thri-kreen. Odell gives the thri-kreen a chance to play fetch with Garm, and Malkoth shares some recreational drugs with them.

The party observes that the thri-kreen do not require sleep, and they spend the night retrieving and butchering the slain liondrakes from earlier. They also dismember the corpse of one of their fallen comrades, seemingly utilizing the body for resources and food.

At their campsite, Rye speaks with Frog about the impending war between Mycorrhiza and Kameshima. He offers to help strategize for the conflict, utilizing his experience as a commander in the Blood War, and his in-depth knowledge of demons' battle capabilities. He also explains that he wants to help Frog rally the support of the Mycorrhizan colonies that they plan to visit on their travels, by demonstrating Frog's heroic deeds and helping him to write speeches.

The party spends the remainder of the evening resting at the thri-kreen hive.

## April 30th

In the morning, the party awakens to find that Rye has dressed up in a costume as Asmodeus, and he wishes them all a happy Depravium - a holiday which none of them have heard of. Nonetheless, he admonishes them all for not doing enough evil, and gives them each a card with a number indicating the value of their souls in terms of gold pieces.

Afterwards, Mark leads the party into the thri-kreen tunnels towards the Red Towers. The party discovers that the hive connects to a vast underground network of tunnels, which stretches out in many different directions. With Mark leading the way, they begins traversing the tunnels towards the Red Towers.

Around midday, they come upon a massive sinkhole, where a portion of the tunnel network has collapsed into the earth. While Mark rallies some thri-kreen workers to begin constructing a bridge to reconnect the tunnels, the party explores the area at the bottom of the sinkhole, discovering veins of Material Chaos, which they take the time to gather.

Once Mark and the other thri-kreen have finishes constructing the bridge to reconnect the tunnels, the party presses onward. In the later afternoon, they reach the tunnel exit, from where they can see the Red Towers nearby. After expressing their gratitude to Mark and the thri-kreen, they head toward the Red Towers.

On the way to the Red Towers, XVIII asks Patches to use his magic to ask if XV has safely returned to Dr. Johann Conrad Dippel. With a *divination* spell, Patches learns that XV has, indeed, returned safely. XVIII also wishes to know if Dippel and the other children are well, and if Dippel hates them, but Patches says that the spell can only provide one answer.

Shortly later, the party arrives at the Red Towers. Jack warns them to stay close to him, as outsiders are liable to treated with hostility. After setting up a campsite, they go to explore the towers, stock up on supplies, and shop for magic items. Rye and Malkoth purchase some starberries from a drug dealer, and Malkoth purchases some spell scrolls. Patches buys some candles, Odell buys antiques, and Rye buys a giant hyena mount and a pair of carts. Meanwhile, Gragnok finds a tattoo artist, and gets a new tattoo.

While exploring the towers in search of magic items for sale, the party finds a stall where a young gnoll girl, who introduces herself as Lo, is selling magic items recovered from throughout the Wastes. During her conversation with the party, she reveals that she has some innate magical abilities that she is trying to learn how to control, and that she dreams of saving up enough money to leave the Wastes and travel to the Empire. When Odell suggests that she tries to go to the College of Mimrinoth, she is enthusiastic about the idea, explaining that she has always wanted to go there.

Lo sells the party some magic items, and also trades them for some books. She offers Gragnok a very expensive magical bow, but he says he'll need to think about it. Privately, speaking in gnoll, Jack warns Lo against being too brazen with her magical abilities around outsiders, warning that it could get her into trouble, and insinuating that he had to leave the Golden Wastes himself for a similar cause. Lo thank him, and tells him that she could offer a discount on the bow for Gragnok in exchange for the party's help reaching the College of Mimrinoth. Jack promises to discuss it with the party.

Before the party leaves Lo to her business, Odell gives her some money, and the names of his parents - Eridred Heskin and Brottor Heskin - saying that they would help her find her footing if she made her way to the College.

After their evening of shopping, the party reconvenes at the their campsite. Jack tells the party about Lo's offer, and her request for the party to help her get to Mimrinoth. The party tentatively agrees to bring her along with them, depending on what exactly she's willing to offer.

As the party is resting for the night, XVIII receives a message from Dr. Johann Conrad Dippel written on a *paper bird*, which reads:

> XVIII,
>
>

> You cannot know how pleased I am to learn that you live. You must be very confused, and I wish very much to speak with you and explain everything that has happened. Unfortunately, there are those who wish me harm, and I must remain discreet. As such, I cannot put my location in writing.
>
>

> I am sending XV back to you. He will bring you to me. In the meantime, XVIII, I must urge you: do not return to the old keep. There is nothing left for us there, and it is no longer safe. I will explain everything when you have returned to me.
>
>

> I am so terribly sorry for what you must have gone through.
>
>

> Regards, until we meet again,
>
>

> Dr. Johann Conrad Dippel
>
>

## May 1st

Early in the morning, Gragnok gets up early and returns to speak with Lo privately. He offers her half of her asking price for her magical bow, and swears to bring her safely to the College of Mimrinoth. Lo agrees, and begins packing her things.

The rest of the party reconvenes with Gragnok and Lo shortly after, and together, they set out toward the Taruki Jungle.

During the day's travel, a vicious sandstorm begins to build, eventually escalating into an elemental phenomenon which Jack knows as the Flaywinds - a sandstorm fierce enough to tear flesh from bone. They recognize the danger quickly enough to find shelter and avoid the worst of the danger. While waiting for the Flaywinds to pass, XVIII gives Gragnok a new collar for Yuengling, which he purchased as a gift at the Red Towers.

In the late afternoon, the party reaches the edge of the Taruki Jungle, where the geography rapidly transitions from arid badland to dense, lush rainforest. As they begin their trek into the jungle, Jack leads the way, familiar with the terrain from his time living in the jungle amongst Djinni's tribe. Rye asks Jack if he knows the location of any more singing stones, like the ones the party found in the Wastes. Jack knows the location of one such set of stones, not very far out of the way, and the party agrees to head there to rest for the night, and avail themselves of the stones' magical restorative properties.

Arriving at the singing stones, Gragnok, with his *divine sense*, recognizes that the place was once hallowed, or at least regarded as a holy site. The party begins setting up camp; and meanwhile, Gragnok offers Lo some lessons in archery.

During the first watch of the evening, Blakjak spots a brightly colored teal and white centipede, which she eats. Telepathically, she tells Malkoth that it's delicious and he should try some. Malkoth does so, and experiences a rush of euphoria before passing out unconscious.

On the following watch, Jack discovers the unconscious Malkoth, and discerns that he is poisoned, but not in any mortal danger. He moves Malkoth to safety, and continues his watch. During the watch, he asks Lo about her family. Lo explains that her mother died in the Flaywinds while out on a hunt, and she knows nothing about her father. Lo also asks Jack about his relationship with Pepper, assuming that the two are father and son. Jack explains that he met Pepper's mother in the jungle, and took him into his care at her request after she was killed by the Inquisitors.

On the following watch, XVIII shows Frog the letter that he received from Dr. Johann Conrad Dippel, and explains that he will have to leave soon to return to Dippel. Frog expresses his skepticism and mistrust for Dippel, but says that he won't force XVIII not to leave, or else he would be no better.

Between watches, Frog and Rye discuss the events that took place with Israphel at the Luxturrim Obelisk, and Frog asks how Rye is handling it. Rye admits to having mixed feelings, but says that however the situation plays out, he wants it to end well for Israphel, even if it means the worst for himself. He expresses concern that his own attempts to behave morally are having a negative impact on Israphel, based on his belief that they are valkyries.

## May 2nd

Early in the morning, around dawn, the Zenith begins, and the singing stones begin to play their song. Rye notes that the song is the same Psalm of Rest that played from the singing stones in the Wastes. While the stones are active, as the Zenith is ongoing, the campsite is ambushed by a pair of aberrant beasts - a panther-like creature with an eye stalk for a tail, and a bipedal snake-like creature with dozens of mouths - which are seemingly attracted by the song. AS the creatures attack, the rest of the party awakens and fights them.

During the ensuing fray, XVIII is affected by mind-altering magic produced by one of the creatures, and is compelled to attack Pepper, leaving him badly wounded and near death. The party manages to stabilize Pepper and defeat the beasts, and the Psalm of Rest completes, granting the party restorative magic.

After recuperating from the morning's events, the party sets out toward Ntambu. Jack takes extra care to keep Pepper close, and XVIII keeps his distance from the rest of the party, fearing that he will harm them again.

En route to Ntambu, Jack informs the party of what to expect, explaining the jungle is home to disparate clans of gnolls, loxodon, lizardfolk, tabaxi, and yuan-ti. While these groups are generally hostile towards each other, Ntambu stands as a peaceful place of trade, respite, and armistice. It is governed by the Oubutu, a council of five leaders - one from each major people group of the jungle - who administer the city's rule and prevent violence from taking place by offering peaceful conflict resolution.

Meanwhile, Rye talks to XVIII, and encourages him that the morning's events were not his fault, and were merely the result of mind-altering magic. XVIII nonetheless seems concerned about the danger he could pose to the party, and apologetic for harming Pepper. At Rye's recommendation, XVIII writes Pepper a note with his apology for the morning's events, which Rye delivers to Pepper.

Later, with Jack's permission, Pepper talks to XVIII, and forgives them for what happened, saying that he understands it was just magic, and that XVIII would never willingly hurt him. XVIII nevertheless apologizes, and also explains that they will be leaving soon due to the letter they received from Dr. Johann Conrad Dippel. Pepper insists that XVIII should not leave, and says that if XVIII is returning to Dippel, they should take the party with them.

In the later afternoon, the party reaches Ntambu. When they arrive, they get a room at a tavern, then spend some time shopping for magic items and other supplies.

Meanwhile, Rye sends a message to Mahadi with a *sending* spell, saying that they need to talk. Mahadi assures Rye that he'll get to him as soon as he can, and asks for an update regarding his search for Passeri the next time he can afford to use a *sending* spell again.

After they finish their shopping, the party goes to the Seat of the Oubutu - the temple where the settlement's council of leaders resides - to ask them about the location of Death Cap Temple.

Arriving at the Seat of the Oubutu, the party finds that it is heavily guarded by wardens, who insists that the party must surrender their weapons before approaching the Oubutu. The party complies, and steps into a pool of sacred water outside the temple dais. When the Oubutu emerge from within the temple and take their places on the dais, Jack recognizes one of them as Drez - the leader of the gnoll tribe where he met Djinni and Pepper and spent a number of years with them. Drez, who bears a lightning scar on his face that Jack does not recognize, stares intensely at Jack, and Jack ushers Pepper behind him.

One of the Oubutu - a loxodon named Baraka - asks the party for their business in Ntambu. Frog explains that they are searching for Death Cap Temple. Baraka defers to Drez, stating that Death Cap Temple is a sacred place of the gnolls.

Drez takes the floor, but instead of responding to Frog's inquiry, he calls out Jack, and accuses him of stealing his child, claiming that he is Pepper's father. He demands Pepper's return, and threatens Jack with violence if he refuses. When Baraka demands an explanation, Drez says that his tribe was attacked by outsiders, and that in the wake of the attack, Jack absconded with Pepper because he wanted to take advantage of Pepper's magical powers and use them for himself.

When asked for his side of the story, Jack says that Djinni - Pepper's mother - charged Jack with Pepper's safety, and insisted that he take care of Pepper when the outsiders came. He also says that Drez willingly handed Djinni over to the Inquisitors, and that he knows full well that Djinni wanted Jack to take care of Pepper, despite Drez's claims to the contrary. The argument begins to grow heated, and Drez threatens violence, before one of the other Oubutu members - a tabaxi named Orchid - reminds him that violence has no place in Ntambu, and warns him to calm himself.

The situation nearly grows violent, but instead, Drez calls upon the Oubutu council to provide a peaceful resolution for the conflict, requesting that they vote for whether to return Pepper to him or not.

The Oubutu agree to hear the case, and they ask Jack for his version of events. Jack explains that he lived in the tribe with Djinni and Pepper for a time, and that during that time Drez never had any interest in Pepper or claimed to be his father. Jack further states that Drez might not even be Pepper's father, but Drez offers to bring in soothsayers with divination magic to prove his claim. Nevertheless, Jack explains that when the Inquisitors came to their tribe, Drez willingly handed over Djinni to be executed, and that Djinni charged Jack with taking care of Pepper, before using her own magical powers to destroy both herself and the Inquisitors who had come to execute her.

Regarding Pepper's magical powers, Jack says that he has helped Pepper learn to control them, but that his powers were not the reason he took Pepper; rather, he took him in order to honor his mother's wishes and keep him safe.

Baraka asks Pepper if he wishes to return to Drez. Pepper insists that he does not, and that he wishes to stay with Jack, emphasizing that Jack is his real family, and that Drez is the one that only wants him for his powers.

Baraka calls for a vote on the matter. Drez, unsurprisingly, votes for Pepper to be returned to him. The yuan-ti member, Shriarsiss, votes with Drez, citing the fact that Pepper is his child. The lizardfolk member, Atherexl, votes against Drez, citing that Pepper clears wants nothing to do with Drez. Orchid votes against Drez for the purpose of recusing him from a vote that she feels he should not have participated in, declining to comment on the case at hand. Finally, Baraka votes against Drez as well, citing that Pepper's wishes should be honored, but admonishing Jack for taking Pepper without Drez's knowledge or consent.

After the outcome is determined, Drez storms off, after swearing to Jack that the matter is not over.

With Drez gone, the council returns to the topic of Death Cap Temple, and Atherexl asks the party's business there. The party explains in vague terms that they are attempting to rectify an elemental imbalance, leaving out the details of the Fable of the Thousand Year Door. Shriarsiss objects to the vote, stating that because Death Cap Temple is a sacred place to the gnolls, they shouldn't reveal its location without Drez present. Nonetheless, the council votes to tell the party the location of the temple, and they mark it on the party's map.

After the council has concluded, Orchid warns the party that they will be mistrusted in Ntambu as outsiders, and that they will not receive the benefit of the doubt if anything goes wrong. The party asks if they should fear retribution from Drez. Orchid assures them that the decisions of the Oubutu are binding within Ntambu and are enforced by wardens, but she says that she can't make any promises for what Drez may or may not do outside of Ntambu.

Odell asks Orchid for permission to see Ntambu's records and lore, expressing an interest in fostering a peaceful relationship between Ntambu and the College of Mimrinoth. Jack further explains what the party has learned regarding the Inquisitors' impersonation of the Weavers Conclave, and vouches for the College's intentions. Orchid agrees to allow Odell access to the Oubutu's records.