ToA: Session 36

## **Visions of the Future**

Daedalus returns vie death ferry. YAY!

Omu lies between the Peaks of Flame and the Valley of Lost Honor.

The Lich was news to her, her visons of Omu being clouded. Wrapping around Neb, she offered him asylum, to which he politely refused. She did however agree the company should be warned of this danger.

She found it weird the Chowangas helped the squad, this clearly not being something they are allowed to do. She begged us to be cautious of these spirits, as more then one tragic tale has the rascals playing both sides.

Mezrow truly gone, though she still believes that it can be saved, though more out of hopeful conviction than any hard evidence.

Having paid the usual tribute, the Oracle granted Daedalus 5 questions.

1. Can Ilasandre be saved? Unclear, beyond her knowledge. Omu is shrouded in mystery.
2. Will Artis Cimber betray us? Maybe, his heart and intentions are good, but he may be led astray.
3. Can Razni be slain by mortals? Yes, even if he has undergone a great transformation.
4. Can we stop the disease? Yes, and all signs point to Omu as the source.

The party were unsure about what the last question, prompting Fargus to ask a personal one, which Daedalus then generalized:

5. Will D-squad ever see their families again? Maybe, some will, some won't.

Ending on that vague note, no one felt the need for any other future probing questions, though the seer gave one last truth: We would never meet her again. And so they bid each other farewell, the mist consuming them, and before they knew they awoke on the river, Dragonbait guiding their raft downstream.

### White Water Rafting

Neb soon had the bright idea of asking Fargus where they were, and suggested Fargus remember to use his compass this time. This led to a scene that surely would be erased from the epic future bards would write of this adventure. This thought would be of little help to Fargus, who had to endure Artus's relentless mocking. He had set up Whispers of the Past along with Klerval as a joke, and that people were still gullible enough to purchase it's wares amused him to no end. Also, the compass didn't even point north, a fact that Fargus had totally deduced on his own.

Despite the disruptions in concentration, Fargus managed to deduce they were somewhere in the Aldani basin, and they should be able to reach their destination by following the river. Which might be easier said then done, as the water grew ever more turbulent. And then a choice had to be made. On the left bank sat a giant frog on top of a broken ziggurat, on the left a charcoal colored eagle. To whom would the squad beseech for assistance? Given their recent history with frogs, they decided not to bow to the frog, and with a bit of help from Kinlek the eagle helped hem through the rapids. Soon the came upon the first signs of the company, finding a camp no older then a couple of days. Hot on their trails, the squad pressed on.

Further down the river they came upon more signs of activity, though not from the company this time. Tracks in the mud showed that the company were being followed by some locals, of the albino dwarf variant. These dwarves were aggressive to outsiders and dwelled in volcanic areas, making it extra suspicious that they had ventured this far out.

### Oh Great, More Locals

Further investigation will have to wait however as ripples in the water alert the party of incoming danger. And sure enough, out of the water comes 12 bulky lobster humanoids with mean expressions on their faces. Or maybe that's just how lobster folk look.

Kinlek recalls an old tale of greedy fishermen who were cursed by Ubtao to become the very thing they had killed: lobsters. This transformation had shunned them from polite society, and so they became xenophobic and reclusive. And apparently this was their turf we had encroached on. A 13th lobster, this one with a blue shell, ordered the party to leave their domain, stating we had brought cursed items unto their holy river. Deciding not to genocide any more species of the jungle, Neb tried the diplomatic approach, to resounding success. They immediately backed down, giving the squad free passage on the river, so long as the evil we brought never touched the water.

**Will the squad manage to catch up with the company before the fools get themselves killed? Will they manage not to intentionallypush Cimber and the ring into the river? And will the squad just admit already that the D should be changed to diplomacy? Find out next time on The D-Squad, Tomb of Annihilation!**