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Clarification of travel times: Typical day = 12 miles
07 June - Leave Shiriki; Overland across Nita toward first rapids
08 June - Arrive at Tatanka-ptecila rapids (late in day)
(first two days were on good roads - distance = 35 miles)
09 June - Up river
10 June - Nearing Poloma Falls; Fight with Chaos
11 June - stationary for first half; Up above the falls; Fight with Shadow
Estimation of the next several days:
12 June - (New Moon) up river
13 June - reach bend just below Cholontsetseg rapids
14 June - reach rapids
15 June - reach bend just above Cholontsetseg rapids
16 June - in Ogedei territory; fog lifts; rain starts
Weather, as we all know, has provided an important backdrop to this story. The mysterious fog that grew denser and formed into Shadow elementals will remain with the party for the next several days. However, on the 16th, the rising sun will drive it all away and the skies will be clear. That night, though, a rain storm will roll in and the skies will remain cloudy (though not always rainy) for the next several days.
With the fog around, the party will experience unease. Roderick especially will have difficulty sleeping, and will experience spell contamination as in the past. Pick a random spell from his 26 possible spells and replace it using Table 7-24 in the DMG (“Divine Spell Scrolls”):
June 12th: Detect Poison in slot #5 of 0-level spells
June 13th: Cure Light Wounds in slot #2 of 1st level spells
June 14th: Inflict Light Wounds in slot #5 of 1st level spells
June 15th: Shield Other in slot #5 of 2nd level spells
June 16th: Guidance in slot #3 of 0-level spells
Starting June 17th, the spell contamination will be gone (for awhile).
On June 17th, the party will encounter the first natives of Baka. They will be a substantial number of mounted warriors - numbering 88 in all - including many archers. Every man will have a horse. No women will be present. This is a war party - sent to defend the tribes from an expected invasion from Nita.
The army is organized into six squads of 12 men each (2nd level Warriors). Each squad has a captain (4th level Warrior) who reports to the leader (a 6th level Warrior named Mongke). One of the squads is a special magical cadre consisting of spell-casting Adepts instead of Warriors. Of the other five, two are archers. All of these men (79 in all) ride Light Warhorses.
In addition, there are 9 non-combatants - mostly food workers. They do not have horses, but instead ride in the wagons (there are four of these, and each is pulled by two Heavy Horses). Finally, there are two spare warhorses. (This is quite light for an outfit this size - but the wars throughout Baka have limited supplies significantly).
Known only to himself and the Adept captain, Tamaca, Mongke has a secret mission: To capture the party's artifacts and return them to his chief, Chormaguhn. He knows of these artifacts because of the chief's grandmother, a seer named Nomolun. However, he does not know any details and expects to capture the entire party and lead them back intact.
The first action that Mongke will attempt is to surround the party by sending two of his squads to flank (an archer squad to his right and a regular cavalry squad to his left). Because of the lack of trees in this area, and the speed of the horse, the flank maneuver will likely succeed.
Next, two more squads will approach (the second archer squad among them) and demand the party's surrender. If they refuse, then both archer squads will open fire - targeting all persons equally.
Combat stats:
Leader (Mongke)
War/6: CR 5; Size M (5'6“); HD 6d8+6; hp 40; Init +6 (+2 Dex, +4 Improved Initiative); Spd 30'; AC 17 (+2 Dex, +4 Chain shirt, +1 Buckler); Attack +10/+5 melee, or +8/+3 ranged; SV Fort +6, Ref +3, Will +2; AL N; Str 18, Dex 15, Con 13, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 14.
Skills and feats: Balance +4, Craft (Carpentry) +1, Craft (Trapmaking) +3, Decipher Script +0.5, Hide +1, Jump +12, Listen +0, Move Silently +1, Sense Motive +4, Spot +0; Mounted Combat, Mounted Archery, Improved Initiative, Point Blank Shot.
Armor Check Penalty: -3, Carries magical soul gem (see description below).
Longbow (+8/+3, 1d8, Crit:20/x3), Longsword (+10/+5, 1d8+4, Crit:19-20/x2)
Captains (5)
War/4: CR 3; Size M; HD 4d8+4; hp 23; Init +1 (+1 Dex); Spd 30'; AC 15 (+1 Dex, +3 Studded Leather, +1 Buckler); Attack +7 melee, or +4 ranged; SV Fort +5, Ref +1, Will -1; AL N; Str 16, Dex 12, Con 13, Int 11, Wis 7, Cha 16.
Skills and feats: Climb +9, Handle Animal +9, Hide +0, Jump +3, Listen -2, Move Silently +0, Perform (Percussion Instruments) +5, Ride +3, Spot -2; Mounted Combat, Mounted Archery, Weapon Focus (longsword).
Armor Check Penalty: -1
Shortbow (+4, 1d6, Crit:20/x3), Longsword (+7, 1d8+3, Crit:19-20/x2)
Soldiers (60)
War/2: CR 1; Size M; HD 2d8+4; hp 15; Init +0; Spd 30'; AC 12 (+2 Leather); Attack +4 melee, or +2 ranged; SV Fort +5, Ref +4, Will +0; AL LN; Str 14, Dex 11, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 11, Cha 13.
Skills and feats: Climb +8, Handle Animal +3, Hide +2, Intimidate +6, Listen +0, Move Silently +2, Perform (Dance) +3, Ride +7, Spot +0; Mounted Combat, either Mounted Archery or Weapon Focus (shortsword).
Shortbow (+4, 1d6, Crit:20/x3), Shortsword (+4, 1d6+2, Crit:19-20/x2)
Adept Captain (Tamaca)
Adp/4: CR 3; Size M (5'8”); HD 4d6; hp 15; Init +2 (+2 Dex); Spd 30 ft.; AC 12 (+2 Dex); Attack +2 melee, or +4 ranged; SV Fort +1, Ref +3, Will +7; AL CN; Str 10, Dex 15, Con 11, Int 16, Wis 16, Cha 14.
Skills and feats: Craft (Bowmaking) +8, Craft (Carpentry) +10, Craft (Pottery) +10, Disable Device +5, Hide +2, Knowledge (Arcana) +10, Knowledge (Nature) +9, Listen +3, Move Silently +2, Profession (Miner) +10, Spot +3; Mounted Combat, Dodge, Skill Focus (Craft (Carpentry)).
Adept Spells Per Day: 3/3/1:
Detect Magic, Guidance, Cure Minor Wounds
Cure Light Wounds, Bless, Detect Chaos
Invisibility
Adept Soldiers (12)
Adp/2: CR 1; Size M; HD 2d6-2; hp 8; Init -1 (-1 Dex); Spd 30 ft.; AC 9 (-1 Dex); Attack +3 melee, or +0 ranged; SV Fort -1, Ref -1, Will +5; AL N; Str 14, Dex 9, Con 9, Int 14, Wis 15, Cha 14.
Skills and feats: Craft (Trapmaking) +7, Heal +4, Hide -1, Knowledge (Nature) +7, Knowledge (Religion) +7, Listen +2, Move Silently -1, Perform (Oratory) +4, Profession (Miner) +7, Spot +2; Mounted Combat, Maximize Spell.
Adept Spells Per Day: 3/2.
Since there are 12 of them, assume the spells will be spread out enough so
that any of the following spells are available as needed:
0-level) Cure Minor Wounds, Detect Magic, Ghost Sound, Light, Mending,
Touch of Fatigue.
1st level) Bless, Burning Hands, Cause Fear, Comprehend Languages, Cure
Light Wounds, Detect Chaos, Obscuring Mist, Protection from Chaos, Sleep.
Light Warhorse:
Large Animal
HD: 3d8+9 (22hp)
Init: +1
Speed: 60'
AC: 14 (-1 Size, +1 Dex, +4 Natural), Touch 10, Flat-footed 13
Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+9
Attack: Hoof +4 melee (1d4+3)
Full Attack: 2 hooves +4 melee (1d4+3) and bite -1 melee (1d3+1)
Space/Reach: 10'/5'
Special Attack: ---
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +6, Ref +4, Will +2
Abilities: Str 16, Dex 13, Con 17, Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 6
Skills: Listen +4, Spot +4
Feats: Endurance, Run
CR: 1
Just when the encounter with Mongke and his men is getting interesting, a Blue Dragon will drop down from the clouds. Among the people in Baka, he goes by the name Ibaqa, and he is a young adult with the following stats:
Large Dragon (Earth)
HD: 13d12+72 (189hp)
Init: +0
Speed: 40', burrow 20', fly 150' (poor)
AC: 26 (-1 Size, +17 Natural), Touch 9, Flat-footed 26
Base Attack/Grapple: +18/+28
Attack: Bite +23 2d6+6
Full Attack: Bite, 2 Claws +21 1d8+3, 2 Wings +21 1d6+3, Tail Slap 1d8+9
Space/Reach: 10'/5' (10' with bite)
Special Attack: many
Special Qualities: many
Saves: Fort +15, Ref +11, Will +13
Abilities: Str 23, Dex 10, Con 19, Int 14, Wis 15, Cha 14
Skills: many
Feats: Multiattack, Alertness, Improved Initiative, Flyby Attack, Snatch
Sorcerer Spells Known (6/6): 0th -- Daze, Light, Mage Hand, Mending,
Open/Close. 1st -- Charm Person, Color Spray, Magic Missile.
CR: 11
Dragons are a common site in Baka and the people have learned not to flee at the first sight. Instead, they watch warily and only flee if the dragon decides to descend. As a result, people from Baka (including the party's guide, Sahale) have a natural +1 to their roll against the dragon fear presence.
Ibaqa does not intend to kill the party - though he holds no compunction against it. Rather, he wishes to find out who the party is, where they are going, and why they are here. He has been seeing signs and omens and hearing stories that something BIG is happening and he wants to make sure that if there's POWER at play, that he gets his piece.
Note that Ibaqa has no interest in negotiation. The party can offer him nothing that he values - other than perhaps the artifacts - and he can easily kill them all. He will therefore be overconfident - but rightfully so.
Language will be a difficult problem to solve in this case. Ibaqa speaks a number of languages - but he will assume initially that the party speaks Baka. Eventually, he will probably settle on Etenai - though the elvish and dwarven tongues might suffice for some of the party.
When he is satisfied as to the truth of the party's story, he will leave them to go free. However, he will likely take either the party's mule or one of the Ogedei horses with him.
Roderick,
The shadowy fog that followed you these past two days lingers - even after the elementals it produced have been destroyed.
Though the fog is not as dense as it was, and you can sometimes catch a glimpse of stars through it, you still sense a menace. A subdued dread keeps you awake long into the night and you find yourself once again awake while most of the others sleep peacefully around you.
You feel (or imagine) the sensation of shadow - that warm and cold tingle you first felt back in the dead village of Gressa - where you first met the young woman who you later realized was the goddess Matchitisiu.
The stars peek through a hole that appears above as the mist moves - without wind. The moon is almost new, so it set shortly after the sun tonight. You are reminded of the full moon - only two weeks ago - when you lay in the cold desert and felt the wicked and fickle power of an immortal.
It is not as cold now. In fact, the temperature is quite pleasant. But the memory of that encounter and the tingle and menace from the fog around you makes you shiver anyway.
“I can bring you a blanket,” a voice startles you from your reverie.
She stands over you again - just like in the desert. Your heart races and a panic floods your body. Your limbs are numb and refuse your mind's command to flee.
“Have you always been a coward, Roderick?” She seems to sneer down at you.
There is no moonlight this time, so her form is almost entirely dark. You are forced to imagine her as she was the last time.
But then you notice something.
Where her eyes should be, there is a soft glow that produces a mild sense of confusion when you look closer. It is the same effect as with the giants that invaded Ohanzee - and with the Chaos minion you captured the other day.
There is something not right here. Your hand brushes against one of your sacks and you realize it contains a continual flame stone. Carefully and slowly, you open it and get your fingers around the stone. She doesn't seem to notice.
“Imhotep is tired of you. He calls you a fool behind your back.”
Her taunts melt in your ears. You know she is babbling lies. You grab the flame stone and pull it from its sack as quickly as you can. In the flash of light, she recoils as if in surprise. (Can goddesses be surprised?) Then, with a gesture so fast you almost don't see it, the flame is extinguished.
And as quickly as the darkness returns, she is gone.
But in that instant of light, you saw something horrible. Where you expected a beautiful woman with golden skin, you saw instead a misshapen and indistinct hulk. Its form was so unreal that even now the details are fading from your mind.
Off in the distance, you hear what sounds like a wind whistling through trees.
Beyond that, your mind races - as if untethered from your body. Past an army of horsemen. Past streaming refugees fleeing burned villages. To the shores of a vast, dark lake. Lashmere stands in front of you looking out across the water. There is a misty bank of clouds on the horizon. He turns and extends a hand. “Come with me, sir. I can get you across.”
And then you wake with a jolt. Was it a dream?
The sun is up and the camp is stirring with the normal morning routine. Next to your bed lies your sack. Next to it lies a small, dark stone that once had a continual flame cast on it.
Roget,
It is the night after the battle with the shadow elementals. You are on guard. The fog never quite dissipated after the battle - and a dread permeates the camp.
Suddenly, you see a bright light - just for an instant - in the center of the sleeping area. Accompanying it is a brief yelp from Roderick.
You move closer to investigate. The moon is nearly new, so it set long ago. In the darkness, you find Roderick. He is sound asleep - so much so that he doesn't wake when you prod him.
Instead, he snores deeply.
The camp is quiet again (or has it always been so?). You begin to wonder if you even saw the light. Perhaps it was a trick of the fog.
By the time you return to your station, you are convinced that (at the very least) it can wait until morning.