Slate Terrapin Azimuth Session V

## Ensure:

* Players have Miniatures
* Map is Drawn
* Miniatures are set aside for: 1 x Kh'loi, Monk Leader, Air Ship, 1 x Peak Giant Chim'ung Hammer of Commerce, Shop Keepers if necessary. Shop keepers can send the Azimuth on any variety of quests for shop goods as their money levels are quite low thus any suiting miniatures may be required.
* Prepare music for adventure areas. **Syrinscape:** Bell Monk Temple, Oriental Tavern, **Youtube:** Drums of War
* Recap is Given

## Recap

Last time we delved into Paracelsus you helped maintain the integrity of the very landmass you walk upon. Through ridding the giga-leviathan terrapin Kurok of a life threatening infection, the hundred and seventy two spines of his shell that form the mountains for as far as your eyesight reaches will not decay into the earth. By activiting the purification chamber despite the best attempts of the sentient infection, you have succeeded in impressing the Leaden Monks. Known for blessing Discipline Steel, the highest quality in the world. Like many of the land's traditional practices tied to religeon, art and agriculture, this part of the Discipline Steel crafting process has been defunded by the governing palace in favor of additional military might. The Monks remind you that without forces such as yourselves in this dire time, the balance between the land's military might its ability to sustain it will fail and the land will descend into chaos.

## Session V

The air around you in the mouth of the temple that once felt warm in contrast to the outside frigid air of the mountains now feels chilling against your skin after spending hours within the skull of the titanic creature before you. In audience with Kh'loi, he welcomes you warmly telling you that that while in descent, transport was organised to take them to their desired location in persuit of the fabled Shakuhachi. Even as he says this, a vibration is felt up through the floor that brings with it an unnatural uncertainty. Even as seasoned adventurers, the shiver that rickets up through the bones of your shins is something you've never experienced. With fast approach, a shadow spreads upwards over the white mountain to almost half of its height followed quickly by the deadly visage of a python, its maw spanning like a great sea vessel. Its scales are ancient, exceeding its flesh like bladed feathers, its skin too stubbourn to shed. With ferocity and purpose, the girth of this python screams past bringing with it a wind tunnel that buffets you and your allies, setting the bone bells around you into motion. For minutes the length of this beast seems unending making you wonder if it is passing for a second time despite not re-seeing its head. Eventually stopping and letting the hurricane of noise die down, the carved-teeth bells of the turtle cease to ring. Kh'loi makes introductions.

"Respect this audience with Hün. It is the feat of a decade to recieve a service from him. He will take you to your destination. You will need these however." Kh'loi brings out a small trunk that contains what seem to be ice spikes for your shoes. "His scales can take it, a milennea of survival makes all pain but an inconvenience."

Climbing Khün, the frigid air you felt before now feels icy, the heat of the air seemingly sucked into the beast and destroyed. Each handhold is slippery and hard to navigate and an athletics or dexterity check must be made to mount him. Equipping the ice spikes adds a +5 to climbing icey slopes and Khün. Each failure to climb below +19 will result in d6 fall damage. When all players are on, the serpent will depart.

The trip takes around half an hour but the wind passing you is blistering. Barely able to hold on, your extremities barely feel able to function if taken outside of your garments. It isn't long before you are assaulted by equally fast moving parasites. A nature or history check on these quickly darting bats tells you as much as you know:

* Nature 12+ - Whip Skites, some of the fastest predators in the Mountains of One Thousand Disciplines. They move incredibly fast through the air.
* Nature 14+ - Reaching air speeds of over 300kph, keeping up with a Whip Skite, especially by a means of ground travel is unheard of. You may never do such a thing again.
* Nature 16+ - Whip Skites used to be scavengers who would find fresh corpses and performing an arial somersault would lash open with tail the skin of beasts and birds alike to feast on their internals.
* History 15+ - Whip Skites, like many creatures of the land have assimilated an elemental echo post Fragmenterra. Air currents scream around their wings and have allowed them speeds four to five times faster than ever before. They have since learned with this new ability to hunt by raking claws, lashing their tails and on occasion with high force push and drag high up creatures off of peaks.

8 Whip Skites.

AC: 18+

Dex 20 - +5

Str 13 - +1

Con - 12 - +1

Wis - 11 - +1

Int - 4 - -3

Cha - 2 - -4

Before combat, roll a d6 for each Whip Skite. Each roll of 6 allows a special attack.

Attack: Claw x 2, Strafing, make one claw attack +3 to AC on two seperace PCs, 1d4+1 per attack.

Attack: Whip x 1, The creature will try to fly overhead and whip for +6 to AC for 1d6+1 damage.

Special Attack: Whip Skites will attempt to drag a player off of Khün. +5 to AC. On success, players must succeed on a strength roll of +10 to resist being dragged. -5 to roll if their Ice Spikes are not equipped.

On Failure, players may attempt to grab a side spike. A dex roll of 10+ allows this. They may get up on their turn with a strength roll of 10+.

If they fail to bring themselves up three times during the encounter, their hands have become too numb and become lost to the icey wastes. (Do not tell them, but they will catch up with the party.)

Post combat, players will arive shortly in what seems to be an abandoned crater. The crater is a black stone that seems completly crafted from slag.

An Investigation, Nature or History roll can be made to understand what this place is with +5 bonus for anyone with MoOTD Hailitage.

Investigation:

* 10+ This place seems abandoned and no trace of anyone exists.
* 12+ While possible used as some sort of meeting place, it seems like this may be from a time long gone.
* 14+ the occasional scuff marks of the stone seem to imply that this place was orderly with planned infrastructure and thoroughfare.
* 16+ Buildings and utilities seem to have disappeared without a trace as if lifted from existence.
* 20+ This is the site where Damascus Steelwind, Paragon of the Mountains of One Thousand Disciplines and last Temperial Emperor went into battle with the Demi-Titan Afflatus, Sirocco of Dissonance to end the war within this land. The blast from the battle that results from all Immense Elemental made this sacred site and in all lands, something has been built in these that is a sacred site.

Nature:

* 10+ This is a crater... it seems important.
* 13+ made of monolithic proportions. Something must have made this as a natural formation like this is near impossible without being a meteor...
* 15+ Even a meteor however could not have made the temperatures required to boil the rock itself into molten slag.
* 20+ This is the site where Damascus Steelwind, Paragon of the Mountains of One Thousand Disciplines and last Temperial Emperor went into battle with the Demi-Titan Afflatus, Sirocco of Dissonance to end the war within this land. The blast from the battle that results from all Immense Elemental made this sacred site and in all lands, something has been built in these that is a sacred site.

History:

* 13+ This crater is a sacred place. You have heard of these mentioned around your travels but have never seen one.
* 15+ This is a site of a great battle and there is one of these in each land.
* 20+ This is the site where Damascus Steelwind, Paragon of the Mountains of One Thousand Disciplines and last Temperial Emperor went into battle with the Demi-Titan Afflatus, Sirocco of Dissonance to end the war within this land. The blast from the battle that results from all Immense Elemental made this sacred site and in all lands, something has been built in these that is a sacred site.

With tired bones and aching muscles from such cold conditions, advise the party that attempting anything physical will incur a -5 to rolls until they warm up and rest.

Players can decide to keep watch in this abandoned place in case anything arrives.