Date At Start Of Game: 1/4/207

[Author’s Note: This is the log for the 24th session. Note that the order of the events in this record may not be in the exact order that they occurred during play.]

Attack Of The Gem Eaters

After finishing off the strange insect creatures the PC investigate a nearby cave that apparently was their home. Along the edges of the cave are remnants from several dead beings. From the clutter the PC find several silver coins, a silver belt buckle, and a magical set of gloves. Po determines that the gloves aid someone using a sword. They are magical fencing gloves. After some debate the PC decide to give the gloves to Cillian. While searching the room Bilby catches some movement in the cavern! There is a small gem eater in the corner disguised as a rock. After approaching Kanga decides to shoot the rock. It falls to the ground in a heap. With that another small gem eater detaches from the wall and starts to flee. Oren smashes it with his maul. This concerns Kanga as he did not realize these were creatures and probably young. He takes the dead insect child body with him. With that the PC head deeper into Mount Lockmoro.

Speaking With Cragspine

After travelling for another 10 hours the PC enter a gigantic kidney shaped natural cavern. Running along the sides are sheets of quartz crystal with strange lights arcing up and down them. As they enter a huge form stirs in the far corner of the cavern and approaches. Cragspine is a massive Chinese dragon with dark brown spines and a copper colored underbelly. He has huge fangs and wiry black barbel that hang down from his nose. After approaching the PC he winds up his body and sits. Kanga then abruptly asks him if he can help the dead insect creature. The dragon replies that the PC have met the gem eaters and survived. Cragspine then says he cannot help the dead. He then asks the PC to introduce themselves. With that Oren does introductions. When he introduces Cillian Cragspine seems surprised and asks him who gave him that name. Cillian says he named himself. Cragspine simply smirks. After the introductions Oren explains that they are avatars of the Great Tree and that they have come looking for Donovan’s Mate. He then describes how Po and Cillian became tainted and their current quest to cure them. Cragspine acknowledges that the quest is noble and decides to make an arrangement with the PC for Donovan’s Mate. It turns out that Cragspine does not have Donovan’s Mate but he knows where it rests and knows how to use it. Cragspine says that a crafty Cougar Kin mage named Soza “acquired” the rod from from him roughly 50 years ago and has secreted it in his tower. The problem is that the tower is invisible, shielded by some type of impenetrable magical barrier, and…um…does not have any big doors. He admits that he could not break down the barrier or get around it underground. Cragspine does not know where the mage has hidden Donovan’s Mate in the tower but he does know that this Spirit Mage was extremely crafty and an expert at dimensional pockets, force shields, and traps. Thus the PC should look for items with those magical energies when in his tower. Cragspine lets the PC know that the tower resides on the southern coast of the Golden Isles in the massive Sarei Swamps. Local guides know the region where the keep resides as the source of the Rintao River. Cragspine recommends finding a guide at Piers if the PC want to find anything while in the swamp. Piers is a small city on stilts that sits along the delta of the Rintao River. It is essentially the gateway city to the Sarei Swamps. Cragspine explains that the tower can be spotted by gazing at reflections in nearby pools. Cragspine then tells the PC to have Meiji contact him when they have retrieved Donovan’s Mate.

Epic Tale #10 – The Mysterious Tower

Travelling To The Source Of The River Rintao

After speaking with Cragspine and leaving Mt Lockmoro the PC hire a ship to take them to Piers. On the way the PC ask the sailors about the best guides at Piers and their going rates. The sailors mention an Alligator Kin guide known as Seymour. They figure the going rate is around 2 sp per day. Piers is really just a set of four large rafts that have been tied together at the Rintao River delta. The inhabitants are comprised primarily of Hissers, Alligator Kin, and Crane Kin. Everyone is dressed in light clothing and appear hardened. The only structure on Piers is a small shack with a propped up window that acts as a tavern and storage facility. The proprietor is an Alligator Kin known as Lockjaw. As the PC approach there is a hand painted sign that says, “Comfort 1 sp, Bess 4 sp”. The PC ask for a round of “Comfort” and find it to be an ale like drink. They ask Lockjaw about Seymour and are directed to a table with 3 Hissers and a scrawny looking Alligator Kin with a wide brimmed hat (aka Seymour). When the PC ask about hiring Seymour one of the Hissers slams his fist on the table and say that he is already hired. Thinking fast Oren makes a proposition to the large Hisser. He says that if the Hisser can beat his small Bat Kin friend, Bilby, in an arm wrestling contest will he let them hire Seymour. If the Hisser wins he will give them a bag of silver. The largest Hisser Maggok laughs and agrees. This gets the entire place excited as the contestants prepare to arm wrestle. After a tough fought battle Bilby wins! This sends the bar into raucous cheers! Immediately after the contest Oren buys a round for the house which cuts off any chance the Boa Kin had of wanting to start something. After things calm down the PC hire Seymour for 2.5 sp per day and plan their journey.

The Tower And Ruins

Although the trip to the source of the Rintao River is grueling and Po gets sick for a bit the PC make it in good shape. At the source of the river there are large ponds which are formed by underground springs. Carefully Bilby and Po fly out looking for the tower. After searching for a bit Po spots a glimmer when gazing into one of the ponds. He calls over Bilby and points out the glimmer in the pool. While Po goes back to get the others Bilby starts to scout the grounds. To his surprise he finds the ruins of a small keep with the tower in the center. The ruins are overgrown with jungle vegetation and many of the interior wooden building are rotting. After watching for a few minutes he spies three beetles fighting over a dead body. He returns to alert the PC. Po decides to take a shot at the beetles with his bow once the PC get closer. The beetle takes the shot then the trio of insects start flying after Po! Po dives down to Oren and the PC chase them off with a few shot. Once the beetles are gone the PC enter the keep to explore.

The tower in the center of the keep is the first thing the group examines. It is roughly 5m in diameter and 10m tall. There are no doors or windows in the structure. Roughly 15cm from the white marble walls is a shimmering blue force field. The field is warm to the touch and appears to block all attacks and penetration by Cillian’s vision. As the PC look around the tower they see a ghostly figure of a Cougar Kin with half of his flesh eaten away emerge on the inside of the force field! The visage screams with a horrific yell that chills the PC to the bone and has Bilby plugging his ears in pain. After screaming incoherently for a few moments it vanishes into the tower. The PC assume that the spectre must be Soza. The PC talk for a bit about the tower. They wonder why anyone would build a tower in the middle of a swamp. They also wonder about the origins of the keep as the tower was probably not initially set into the middle of the keep. Finding no immediate access to the force field the PC start to search the grounds.

Coming from one corner of the keep is a smell of rotting meat. The smell appears to be coming from a sinkhole in one corner of the keep. Carefully Oren repels down the sinkhole while Bilby and Po hover down with him. The trio finds a natural cavern full of huge mushrooms. Kanga then jumps down and Cillian quickly follows down the rope. After some searching the PC see some of the mushrooms part. From between them a huge centipede like creature with large pincers and acid oozing from it’s back appears! Oren realizes that this creature is the source of the stench. It quickly rushes the PC to attack. Kanga fires first sending a deadly bolt into one of the creature’s multifaceted eyes! As it attempts to recover from the deadly shot Bilby and Oren strike home felling the beast. Kanga pleads with the PC to try and keep it alive but eventually Oren squishes it because they do not want it behind them. Po takes some of the acid in a small jar.

What dangers lurk in these mysterious ruins and will the PC be able to find a way to access to the tower???

Date At End Of Game: 1/13/207