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On the 17th of March, a strange, frog-headed beast was seen on the edge of the village of Ulan. Before anybody could react, eight Ogres appeared by magic in the village center and began killing people and smashing homes. Two of the monsters were slain by the villagers, but the chief, Yowditbul, his champion, Ogin (a female), and the newly-arrived runner from Koko were killed. Once they fell, the rest fled.
Of the remaining six Ogres, three stayed in Ulan, and three wandered off. The three that stayed were killed by the party on March 24th.
Once the Ogres were killed, the villagers of Ulan began to slowly return. Since it's been a week, many of them have wandered far - so it will take at least another week for them to return. In fact, some fled across the river, meaning their return will be all the more difficult.
Since the runner from Koko was killed before he could relay his message, the party will have to fill in the details - if they are so inclined. Additionally, since the chief was killed, his wife, Takala, will stand in his place. However, she will not return until mid-day on the 25th.
On the first evening, the party will learn the basics of the Ogre assault from Mausi, a young outspoken woman who will be one of the first to return. She will defer to the arrival of Takala if the party tries to negotiate anything with her. In addition, Mausi is not well-versed in the road ahead.
On the first night in Ulan, Roget will have a disturbing (and perhaps prophetic?) dream (see the secret notes section at the end of this document).
When Takala arrives, she will be able to tell the party the following:
The state of the villages ahead (see sections II and III).
That there is an evil storm over Abira (see section IV).
That there is a "very powerful" and "very rich" wizard who lives
in the mountain pass.
The next village beyond Ulan is Laka - and it is only about twelve miles away. Many of the Ulan refugees came here - and many will be returning along the same path. The party will have a near constant stream of “encounters” on this road.
In addition, there have been a steady stream of refugees from Kitchi and Fala that have settled for the time being in Laka and Netis. Since it is closer to the chaos, Netis has seen more of the refugees and is less sympathetic to their plight. Far more refugees have gone to Doba, however. (See III below)
Since Netis is another twelve miles beyond Laka, the party will likely not make it from Ulan to Netis in one day. Also, there will be many people in need of healing and other assistance - which might make Roderick reluctant to pass through quickly.
Somewhere on the road between Ulan and Netis, the party will encounter a Blue Slaad - the same one that summoned the Wyvern in Koko. It will be on the ethereal plane observing the party for a minute or two. During this time, anyone who can see ethereal creatures may spot him. In addition, Kesi will notice one of the runes on her staff begin to glow (see the secret notes section at the end of this document).
After surveying the party, the Slaad will select a person at random (Vincent in this case), phase into the material plane, and attack him with a confusion attack during the surprise round. This Confusion is as the spell of the same name - and will last ten rounds (save: Will vs. DC 20).
The Slaad will also summon a pack of 13 Dire Rats (hp 5 each). These critters are clearly not a significant threat - and serve as another example of just how chaotic (some would say “stupid”) the Slaad really are.
After hitting Vincent with the confusion and bringing the rats in, the Slaad will vanish to the ethereal plane. It is highly unlikely that anyone will even be able to launch an attack against the creature - let alone damage it!
About 14 miles beyond Netis, the North-South road crosses an East-West road. To the left is the abandoned village of Kitchi. To the right is the village of Doba - still occupied, but inundated with refugees from Kitchi and Fala.
It is unlikely the party will travel to either of these villages - since Doba is out of the way, and Kitchi is on the edge of a dense forest. The road to Fala is the most efficient way to reach Abira.
Fala is 15 miles beyond the crossroads - and is every bit a ghost town. In fact, there are corpses strewn about - not a lot, but enough to make the place seem cursed. Close inspection will reveal that these corpses vary in “freshness” - and some seem to have been dead *far* longer than a month! This is because they are all destroyed undead that came down from Abira at night, and were caught in sunlight the next morning.
Even though Abira is 24 miles from Fala (as the crow flies), the storm cloud is just visible. At this distance, though, it looks like nothing more than a thunderstorm in the mountain pass.
The real risk at this point is that after sunset, undead will be trekking down from Abira - since they do not need the cloud's protection at night!
Any undead encounters at this point will be Skeletons and Zombies - most of which will be Medium-sized, and the rest will be Small (former children).
Abira is a fortress about eight miles into a deep valley carved by the Lise river. The entrance to the valley is almost 20 miles from Fala. While the party could approach the pass from the south side of Awanita (a hill overlooking Abira), the journey would be much more difficult. It would involve going to Kitchi, then through the Goe-a-lits-ah forest, up into the rocky hills, then many miles across terrain without trails. Although considering the current occupants of Abira, this might be safer!
About a month ago, Abira became the focal point of a violent storm battle between shadow and mist elementals. This same storm was seen by the party on February 27th in a village far south of here. Since then, the forces of shadow have prevailed over mist - and the elemental energies have grown immensely. Now, the cloud covers the entire valley (preferring to settle just below the level of the Ata'halne' falls). Under this cloud, no sunlight shines - and a great evil has sprouted!
Infesting the fortress at Abira are well over 100 undead! The majority are skeletons from a nearby burial site - but there are also quite a few Zombies and at least one Wight! (???)
Roget,
A “wet” dream…
You are having sex with the Rain Queen. You are on your back on an uncomfortable bedroll - much like the one you were stuck with back in the village of Koko. She is completely naked as she straddles you - and her golden skin is perfect! Despite the discomfort from your position, you realize that this is a tremendous lay. She know *precisely* what to do and when to do it - and augments her motions with an immensely pleasing moan that borders on a laugh.
Her skin is wet - more so than it was the last time you “met” her. In fact, the water seems to flow down her body in sheets, some of it dripping off her breasts - those perfect breasts - onto your chest.
As you near climax, she slows down and leans closer to you. Somehow, she is holding you from an orgasm. You want to come - but can't. The anticipation and the glorious discomfort have turned your brain to mush. With a smile that borders on frightening, she asks, “What is my name?”
A panic strikes! Your heart seems to have forgotten how to beat…
But worse… You can't remember her name!
It was one of those damn hard-to-pronounce ones that the savages here are so fond of… You think it might start with “M”…
She slows her rythm down to a crawl. Your body (or at least the important bits) do not seem to be under your control. The sensation is both bad and good. She leans closer - her lips nearly touching yours. Drops of pure water drip onto your face. “WHAT IS MY NAME?” she asks, more insistently.
You can't speak. You don't know the answer - and you suddenly fear that a wrong answer could mean your life.
She makes an adjustment - almost imperceptible - and your orgasm comes with a vengeance. When your senses return - did you black out? - the world around you has changed. She is gone. You are clothed. The sensation of pleasure that seconds before rippled through your body has been replaced by the nausea and pain that have become a familiar reminder of the Wyvern's sting. The light is gone - and the water that covers you is cold - nearly ice. You are in the camp where you've been all along. The night sky seems to have opened and the lean-to that was above you is now gone. You are drenched.
In a whisper from the darkness, you hear her voice. “Matchitisiw. Don't forget it again.” She doesn't seem as angry as you might expect.
After a few minutes of silence, you fully realize (or is that remember?) where you are and who you are. You have a need to change your clothes (and not just because they are wet). When you get up, you realize that the others are still relatively dry - and that the rain seems to be no more than a misty drizzle.
Matchitisiw! (“mat CHEET eh soo”). Of course you knew that! Kesi,
During a lull in activities, you spot something unusual on your staff. As you pull it out, you see that one of the runes carved into the wood is illuminated with a soft blue glow. This is something you've never seen before! You have always assumed that the runes were ornamental or symbolic, but it now appears they might serve some other purpose.
There are sixteen different runes on each end of the staff (four rows of four, equally spaced around the diameter of the shaft). The two ends are identical - and when you examine the other end, you see that the same rune on that end is glowing the same light blue color.
You are not familiar with the meaning of any of the runes - as they are not the same ones used by your written language. Instead, these runes are simpler - perhaps closer to Dwarven than any other script.
As you are puzzling the meaning of this phenomena, the rune suddenly shifts from a pale glow to a bright light - and you hear a yelp from Vincent…