This session's cast:
-Drael, the (still) blue, apex seeking, goliath barbarian and his faithful(?), always hungry, red saber-tooth tiger companion. (Player absent)
-Rolin, the elven yellow assassin, and secret priest of Mephala, lord of the eight shadows of murder.
-Vyn, the dark elf and red, gold dragon (retconned) sorcerer.
-Theren Galaodel, the straight shootin' pious fighter
-Percival "Percy" VelJohnson the orphaned, nosy, yet private half-elven bard
Our bloodied party triumphantly paraded down the now sunbathed streets crying that the lord was dead and declared freedom to the Tangari slaves. Emaciated, wheezing jackals lay where smiling beggars once sat. Cheering Tangari flooded the streets, crushing the jackals beneath them. Drael gave a rousing speech, declaring the Tangari free and claiming most of the credit for the deed. Vyn attempted to rebuttal this claim but was drowned out by the cheering crowds.
The two hundred or so Tangari began to gather supplies for the trek back to Sonsari's tribe. While the Tangari spent a couple days preparing, the party looked to the ziggurat, hoping to also recover Yaga's Book of the Dead for Lupus Loricatus back in Perrol. Sonsari cautioned that even the lord and his jackalweres avoided the place, except for a few sporadic excursions were few returned, if they returned at all. Luckily, some Tangari knew where the spoils of these trips had been kept, and Yaga's Book of the Dead was among the loot!
A couple days journey brought the freed Tangari to Sonsari's tribe where they were greeted with open arms by her father, Chief Darok. Sonsari immediately told the tale, and Darok expressed his gratitude for returning his daughter to him. But more importantly, a great curse on their people was now lifted and it was time for celebration. A week long festival was conducted, and the party was named living heroes and saints of the Tangari and immortalized in song by Darok's resident bard, Percy. Percy impressed with their deeds, asked to accompany them to be part of their tale.
Rolin showed Sonsari his golden apple pendant and asked her what she knew of it. She said that was the symbol of the secret god, knowledge passed down orally only to certain bloodlines in the Tangari, which had been given to her from her mother. He revealed that he was the new mouth for Mephala on this world. Sonsari said she would spread the word among her kinsmen.
Darok granted the party the right to take the mark of a member of the tribe, a tattoo, and named them heroes forever. He also awarded them with a chest full of magical supplies which happened to have a shipment label for the Purple Moth Magic Shop. Some of the grateful people who had been freed or their families offered themselves as servants to Drael, Rolin, Vyn and Theren. Each found themselves with four willing men and women ready for service. Rolin with those of the bloodline loyal to Mephala. Vyn, interested in the resettlement of Sancre Tor and its history spent time researching it. He learned there was certainly interest in rebuilding the sacred city and reliving the former greatness of the Tangari before the Endless Empire came and conquered them. Little was known about the ziggurat, other than that it was there even before the Tangari first settled the badlands.
Drael decided to stay with the Tangari for the time being. Vyn sent his people in all four cardinal directions with a month's worth of expenses to search for information about gold dragons. Theren sent his to his monastery to do research on the blade they recovered known as "the gift". And Rolin left his to spread the word that the secret god speaks again, but took Sonsari with him back to Perrol. On their way back to Perrol, Sonsari disturbed a giant wasp's nest and the undead corpse of a minotaur, but survived despite herself.
Once they had settled at the inn upon arriving in Perrol, they decided to present Yaga's Book of the Dead to Lupus Loricatus. The butler told them he was currently at town council but that he would summon them when he had time to see them. So they left their calling card, and wandered over to the Purple Moth magic shop. The proprietor there was ecstatic to recover his lost shipment and promised to make them the promised remove curse potions, only saying it would take a few weeks. He also passed to them a crystal ball said to show you truths about your past, present and future, but only once. Since he had already used it, he figured they could have it. They willingly accepted it for a later time. The party decided to do some shopping. Rolin sought a master instrument craftsman, with the help of Percy, to make him a flute that doubled as a blowgun. Vyn commissioned a metal mask to hide his dark elven appearance.
That night at the inn, the party took turns looking into the crystal ball. All participated, except for Drael, who was absent, and Theren, who refused. None but the user could behold the vision.
Vyn saw visions of his ancestors going all the way back before the elvish races split. He saw his golden dragon ancestor living among the elves. He then saw a man whose face was obscured by a bright golden glow at the right hand of the emperor. And then he saw himself, uncovered, with golden skin and openly speaking with a great golden dragon.
Rolin saw a girl murder a man on a barren mountain top, and tear a golden apple from his dead grasp. He also saw the emperor sitting on his throne. Beside him was a man whose face was obscured because of an bright golden glow around it, but behind the throne stood Mephala herself. Finally he saw a modest stone manor on a hill within the city, with Tangari secretly coming in and out.
Percy saw the battle where his father died. His mother told him the story over and over growing up, and he knew every detail by heart, or so he thought. One detail stuck out as vastly different then how his mother had told it, but it was not immediately obvious why such a detail would be obscured. Next he saw his brother, miserable and carrying a heavy burden through an endless mire. Finally he saw himself and his brother as part of a royal entourage, happy and full of honor and accolades. In turns delighted, bewildered, and heartened the party silently went to their own rooms to ponder alone the meaning of their visions and how they would rise to their destiny and face their past.
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