Pyous Pass

Podcast Thumbnail Artwork from Episode 58: Armageddon - You Shall Not Pyous Pass

## Intro

"Your feet sink a few inches into the ground as cold sand begins to creep in-between your toes. You're surrounded by towering rusty-red canyon walls that look to be blocking the morning sun. A quick glance around you leads you to believe you are standing at the heart of a town on the main road. Looks like on either side of the road there's pairs of wood-plank buildings separated by small alleys." - Pyous Pass description from Episode 6: Infinight Interns - Pyous Pass, Part 1.

Pyous Pass is a desert town inhabited by the Pyes, a mantis-like humanoid race. The town was founded by Guv Urns, Swap Mate, Chase Ness, Barry Tune, and Cara Vance.

Pyous Pass is due east of Boulderay.

## Notable Locations

* Bard-ber Shop
* Chapel - a circle of eight monoliths on the north end of town. In front of each stone is a wooden pew, and in the center of the circle is an ivory alter, a small bonfire, and a box for alms. Along the canyon walls near the chapel is lines of graves.
* Give And Take - General Store and Bakery operated by Chick Mate.
* Hump House Stables
* Lil Pecker - two-storied saloon and brothel operated by Luddie, a voluptuous Pye with hazel eyes.
* Jail House/Sheriff's Office - Office of Sheriff Guv and Deputy
* Stone Water Well - a stone well that stands in the center of town.

## Infinight Interns - Pyous Pass

One day, Mother Abby, an elderly Pye priestess wearing milky white robes and bearing an ivory staff, took up residence in the city. Sheriff Guv was distrustful of the strange women, despite her providing care for the Pyes. A few months later, the town began to suffer from a mysterious plague called Crypt-Curse. The symptoms began with tingling in the legs which progressed to paralysis and concluded with death. Mother Abby gained renown for providing caring to Pyes inflicted with Crypt-Curse. Around this time, Sheriff Guv's daughter, Patt Urns, became sick with Crypt-Curse. Rather than suffering the usual symptoms of Crypt-Curse, Patt began to exhibit zombie-like characteristics. Sheriff Guv was able to determine the cause of Patt's sickness was a cursed water bucket at the town's well, and Sheriff Guv deduced that the water bucket had been cursed by Mother Abby.

Around this time, the Infinight Interns arrived in town to retrieve a package for Dr. Ahem and to investigate the Crypt-Curse outbreak, believing it to be linked to Paralyte. While the adventuring party was shopping in the Give and Take, Sheriff Guv dramatically arrested Mother Abby for the murder of Patt. The townspeople, believing Mother Abby to be a saint and suspicious of the motives of the Sheriff, agreed to pay the party if they rescued Mother Abby. Executing their rescue plan which involved a staged (but actual) robbery of the Give and Take and infiltrating the Jail House, the party discovered Sheriff Guv was holding Mother Abby in the Hump House Stables. It's implied that Sheriff Guv forced Mother Abby to walk through the desert, and Sheriff Guv was found offering Mother Abby water drawn using the cursed water bucket. The adventuring party distracted Sheriff Guv long enough for Mother Abby to escape the stables and flee to the chapel.

Once she reached the chapel, Mother Abby kneeled atop the ivory alter. Clutching her ivory staff and goblet, she said "I never wanted this! She made me do it! I just wanted to see Fred again; hold him in my arms once more..." She then let out an agonizing shriek. Her countenance changed to anger and she turned on the party. She raised several zombies to attack the party and collect their souls. In the ensuing battle, the adventuring party nearly defeated Mother Abby, but at the last second a portal opened. Paralyte stepped through the portal and quickly paralyzed Mother Abby. The adventuring party noticed they were surrounded by archers with bows drawn and were silenced by Paralyte. Ripping away her milky white robes, Paralyte revealed Mother Abby to actually be the Infinight Elleve. Paralyte told the crowd that Elleve had disguised herself as a Pye to infiltrate the town in order to poison it and steal the souls of the dead in order to resurrect her deceased husband, Fred. Paralyte told the crowd of Pyes that she and her Everguards had arrived to save them from Crypt-Curse and from corrupt imposters like the Infinights.

After Paralyte had disappeared through the portal, the town's folk confronted the Infinight Interns about their role in the poisoning of their town. Able to placate their anger, the people returned to their business. Shortly thereafter, a Pye arrived to deliver Dr. Ahem's package. The party spent the night in town before returning to Boulderay the next morning.

## Armageddon

After their promotion to Infinights, the adventuring party has occasion to return to Pyous Pass in their search for diagems.