ToA: Session 44

## **Out of the Pan and into the Fire**

After breaking away from the trance with half of the squad in a daze. While Daedalus is snapped out of his daze, Fargus is utterly catatonic and has to be carried out of the facility by Neb and Daedalus upon Artus's urging that they need to leave as soon as possible. Thindlethorn and whatever entity it is merged with can simply not be dealt with at this point it seems, and so the squad and duo hurry out to the walls, to descend and try and get as far away as possible. But as they set up the ropes and begin to rapel down, something strange happens. The hole in the sky has reopened, blurry and weak but there all the same. One of the overgrown cannisters begin to let out a strange vapor, and every so often within the vapor they see shrieking faces, and all of the undead dinosaurs below suddenly look out towards the eerily quiet jungle. Just as Dragonbait begins his descent, the squad feels the air pull together, as if it were being pulled into a vaccuum, only for five bursts to hit them in waves. With the waves comes the most five figures, slithering out from the jungle clad in midnight black plate, and looking for the squad.

## **A Den of Snakes**

The group of five are led by a tall, gangly, armored figure adorned in the symbols of the ghouls and followed by a vicious looking falchion, leaving behind a trail of gloom and darkness enveloping the four followers. Armed with a bow and raising it at the hapless group, he prepares to fire upon. Neb, being the first to notice moves swiftly and in his best effort to pre-empt the being, fires two eldritch blasts. But the falchion swings forward and deflects both blasts. Realizing the danger they were in, Neb calls to the others to run and jumps down to a ledge below the wall in an effor to shield himself from retaliation. But the serpentine being only lifts his bow up further and fires twice, striking down Neb in one fell swoop. In a voice drenched in rage the creatures calls out, seeking the killers of his daughter.

## **Escape from Old Fortress, starring Snake Pl- er, People. Snake People**

As the leader sweeps his falchion past the heads of the others Fargus, awakened from his catatonia, rushes in to strike. Meanwhile Daedalus is met by two of the others, and the last attempts to attack Kinlek and Artus while Dragonbait scrabbles down the wall. Among the fighting Neb's body slinks closer to the edge as his form slowly shifts back to normal. The Dream Thief pulls back his bow and once again fires, this time aiming for Kinlek. While the first shot misses, the second one finds its mark, though the resilient Tortle remains standing. The Falchion sweeps across again, striking Daedalus and felling him as well. As the situation grows dire, Kinlek yells out to Fargus to grab Neb and jump for it, before polymorhping himself into a giant ape, taking Daedalus on his shoulder, and climbing down the wall himself. Their only hope at that point is to retreat and get away from the Dream Thief.

As Kinlek climbs down he takes another hit, but is not stopped. Fargus runs down to the ledge to grab Neb and drops him on Kinlek's shoulder as they go, rattling the changeling more. Artus utilizes the ring to create a giant wall of ice separating the group from the dream thief, giving them a chance to get to the ground and make a run for it. As the group makes it to the ground, Kinlek returns to normal and casts healing spirit over Neb, bringing Neb back from the brink of death, who in turn hurries over to Daedalus and stabilizes him with spare the dying. The group moves into a better spot to keep out of sight of the Dream Thief, and Neb uses a healing potion to bring back Daedalus as the booming strikes into the ice wall sound above. As the ice wall finally breaks above, the dream thief looks in vain for the group, and in a rage throws his helmet to the ground, revealing his true face. Razhni stands above them in a rage, fireballs in hand.

## **Missing the Trees for the Jungle**

Razhni casts down his two fireballs at the dinosaurs in a rage, before vanishing with some form of teleportation magic. The Squad begin to run as the dinosaurs stampede, and with the quick thinking the group divert the stampede around themselves, saving themselves from the last ditch effort of the enraged Razhni, and securing themselves a spot to rest in the shade. Artus explains to the group that with the ring in its current state, thanks to using it to make that wall, they would be too easily tracked if he continues with them. For now he and Dragonbait will go elsewhere to throw Razhni off, and the group promises to meet up again in Omu. Dragonbait gestures for the rest of us to come over to him and the sword, which lifts from the ground and with a wind carrying a calming scent, envelopes the Squad in a feeling of comfort. The duo bid their farewell to the Squad and depart. The Squad in turn head back towards the jungle and Omu, through the deadened part of the jungle full of animal skeletons. Birds and monkies, all stripped down to the bone, acting as if they were still alive. Reaching for fruit that do not exist on trees long dead. And once more the squad feels the pull of darkness upon their souls, and just as it passes over them the branches of the mangroves move around them all and in near-druidic whisper out to them.
"You have spoken to our lord, tell us mortals, who imprisoned our king?"

**Will the Squad manage to make it through this part of the especially deadly Jungle? Will they yet be able to appease the throne of Thindlethorn? Will they ever make it to Omu? Find out next time on, Tomb of Annihilation!**