Strandbeests 2 Electric Boogaloo

*Hired by*: Fulminar (lightning cat)

*Mission Request*: Find stolen cub

*Rewards/Loot*: Not dying :D

*Discovered Places*: Explorer's Beach

*Caravan Allies*: Gromlo (antiquarian), Caliban (cook)

*Monsters Encountered*: Fulminar

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## Summary

The party plans to make their way east toward Beldin's mysteriously traveling shop and then the Bay of Fortune beach. They ride the now Psi-level Aardwolf for three days making it toward the most eastern side of the Whorl. On the first night C2 hears a scream while he's on watch. He kicks Eira awake before finding a gnome freaking out in their cabin. Bill's roommate Greg had just disintegrated after a flash of blue-purple lightning. C2 fetches the rest of the party while Eira stays with Bill. C2 wakes up *everyone* on the Strandbeest before taking the party to the scene of the crime. The party starts to investigate and learn Greg was one of the gnomes that had been brought on from The Hierarch. The party decided to split up. Aster and Eira stationed themselves by some other cabins that housed more of the new gnomes. Arco stayed in Bill's room in case something came back. C2 and Raxis took Bill back to the quarters provided to the party. Aster sees a flash of light and hears a scream of "I don't have it". Aster and Eira trip over each other rushing to the room. They find another pile of ash and residual sparks along the metal walls. Darith got dusted. They search for another gnome who worked with Greg and Darith, Lindell. Just as they arrive to Lindell's room and find more sparks. Aster brands the creature, which appears to be a lightning cat, so they can track it even when it travels through the walls. Lindell is struck down by the beast and it leaves to pursue another target. Raxis is able to catch up to the creature first and casts invisibility on its new target. The now invisible gnome scurries out of the room with a bag clutched in his hands. C2 is able to speak animal and convinces the lightning cat that the party will help it retrieve its cub. The party finds the invisible gnome in another room. Raxis un-invisibles the gnome, Ness, and demands the return of the cub. It was trapped in a metal flask. The cub is released, but the fulminar still demands justice and wishes to kill the last gnome. Arco tries to fake out the creature out by killing Ness and then subtly casting spare the dying. Unfortunately he was not so subtle, so he yells "plan didn't work" and makes a run for it with the dead gnome's body. Eira and Raxis leaps out of Arco's path while Aster and C2 try to block him and they strike at the body. C2 also has his summoned wolf strike the body and it tears the gnome's head off. The lightning cat is satisfied and leaves.

The next two days of travel are uneventful and the party is dropped of close to Beldin's whereabouts. The party buys a few cursed goods, then make their way toward the beaches of the Bay of Fortune. Eira identifies a statue of an armored man with a sword as Paragonian with her keen archeologist eye. An inscription reads "honor the gods with blood stained hands". The party chooses to have a fun day at the beach before messing with the ominous statue. Aster successfully catches a few tuna for dinner. Eira tries to get Arco in the water. Raxis sunbathes like a lizard on a rock. C2 summons a giant salamander (*beast*) to fight Arco after Arco claimed C2 doesn't do anything. A very bizarre fight ensues before the party gets bored and decides to unleash whatever the stone statue is guarding. C2 cuts both the salamander's hands in order to place them in the hand-shaped recesses of the stone. The stone shakes and the statue salutes...