Curse of the Crimson Throne Recap # 51 [RPG]

[Wealday, 8 Erastus 4708 A.R. continued]

 

The final stretch in the Trial of the Totems has begun!  Having endured 36 consecutive hours of keeping their totems upright, plus a sudden assault against a pack of hungry bulettes, the Harrowed Heroes know only a single night separates them from success.  With cloud cover keeping even moonlight from reaching them, the lonely mesa is plunged into almost total darkness but for Goldcape’s light spells.  The hours pass slowly, with both Goldcape and Anorak losing leverage over their totems at different points.  Giddy with exhaustion, The Reckoner improvises a song with lyrics about how boring the test is compared to slaying a purple worm.  It’s not much, but may be just enough to keep his allies’ flagging spirits going.

 

[Oathday, 9 Erastus 4708 A.R.]

 

As dawn breaks, the Sun Shaman leads the entire tribe to Bolt Rock.  He inspects each of the totems carefully, looking for signs of damage or trickery.  With a quick nod, he accepts The Reckoner’s totem.  He lingers longer at Anorak’s, and traces his fingers along the multiple cracks, but nods as well.  At Goldcape’s, he pauses for what seems like minutes.  The totem has deep cracks throughout, and is only barely in one piece.  At last, with a sigh, the Sun Shaman nods.  The Sklar-Quah erupt in cheers, as all three have passed the Trial of the Totems!  Before the jubilation gets out of hand, the Sun Shaman holds his hands up for silence.  He states formally that the three petitioners are tshamek no more, and welcomes them as allies to the Sklar-Quah with full permission to traverse and reside in the lands of the people.  Yet with a subtle acknowledgement of Krojun, the Sun Shaman continues.  He says the tribe’s new allies have not yet proven themselves worthy of the knowledge passed down from shaman to shaman from time out of mind.  One final test remains: they must prove they can survive travelling through the harshness of the Cinderlands on their own, without the aid of the Boneslayers or other Shoanti help.  And their judge will be Krojun!

Having passed one test only to learn of another, Goldcape, The Reckoner, and Anorak trudge back to Flameford and spend the day recovering from their ordeal in a guest yurt.  When they wake in the late afternoon, Goldcape dispatches a boy from the camp to deliver a message to the Boneslayers: with gratitude for their aid, they can return to the Kallow Mounds.  The trio discuss what to do for their final test—return to the House of the Moon to enlist the support of a Truthspeaker, follow the Harrower’s seeming direction to have Goldcape be swallowed by Cindermaw, or slay more enemies of the Sklar-Quah.  With Cressida Kroft’s mysterious resistance operation planned in just five days’ time, the trio decide to gamble on a short trip to the south, where they fought purple worms on their way into the Cinderlands, in the hopes they can quickly prove to Krojun their ability to survive in the wilderness and then return to Flameford for the Sun Shaman’s information about the source of Ileosa’s invincibility.

Still unable to endure the full rigors of the heat of the Cinderlands, the trio decide to leave immediately and travel at night.  The Reckoner removes the bulging saddlebags from their horses and leaves them safely in the yurt.  Krojun is waiting for them near one of the near-invisible paths through the spike stones that surround Flameford.  Arms crossed over his chest, he looks at the three with scepticism, and says he will provide no advice or assistance, even should their lives be in danger.  With Goldcape flying on Rocky’s back, Anorak and the Reckoner riding unencumbered mounts, and Krojun trying to keep pace on his own horse, the group set off in a generally southerly direction.

 

It’s a dark night, and soon it becomes obvious how futile it is to try to find purple worms tracks at night.  After hours of searching, Goldcape at least finds a rocky overhang that will provide them some shade against the day’s heat.  The Reckoner continues to tease Krojun, but he replies dismissively that they travel like Moon Maidens.

 

[Fireday, 10 Erastus 4708 A.R.]

 

After sleeping most of the day, the group continue moving slowly southward so Goldcape can try to find the signs of purple worms.  Just before dusk, she notices a wide, smooth line in the reddish sand and follows it to a pit.  Remembering how their Boneslayer escorts previously fell into just such a pit, the trio surmise it must lead to underground tunnels formed by the massive burrowing creatures.  Using a grappling hook, The Reckoner makes it easy for everyone to climb down—though they have to leave their horses at the top.  Knowing that purple worms can sense vibrations in the ground, the trio then start making lots of noise (and light) as they explore the labyrinthine tunnels.  Krojun rolls his eyes, but follows at a distance.

But in their attempt to lure a purple worm, the trio unwittingly stumble into an ambush by cave giants!  With bestial tusks jutting from their jaws and armor patched together from the bones and hides of previous victims, six of the hunched-over monsters appear from multiple side tunnels.  Anorak reacts quickly and conjures a magical doorway before grabbing The Reckoner’s arm and pulling him through—both reappear behind two of the startled giants!  But that leaves four for Goldcape and Rocky, as Krojun keeps his promise and stays out of the fighting.  Goldcape shouts in concern, but she’s far from helpless, conjuring ice spear after ice spear to devastate the giants!  She and Rocky then retreat, leaving no one in between the giants and Krojun.  Forced to fight (only somewhat reluctantly) he drops one of the giants with thundering smashes from his earthbreaker.  Once the giants closest to him are dispatched, The Reckoner rushes to fight the others, tumbling through a clumsy giant’s legs to attack it from behind.  In a matter of seconds, the battle is over, with Anorak stating giants aren’t nearly as tough as he expected.  The three tease Krojun about how the “observer” was forced to fight after all.

Exploration of the subterranean passages continues, with Anorak cleverly leaving magical marks behind so the group can find their way back.  Goldcape finds fresh markings and loose scales, and leads the group to a well-travelled section of the tunnel where multiple branches converge in a sort of crossroads.  The group decide to stay put and again make noise to try to draw out a purple worm, and this time they’re successful—but in drawing out two!  The Reckoner makes the smart tactical move of having the group retreat down one of the tunnels so only one of the worms can attack at a time.  As the first one surges down the tunnel, The Reckoner hammers away, killing it with startling ease.  However, Goldcape is scratched by the worm’s tail stinger, and feels her muscles weakening just as the sound of the second purple worm draws closer and closer!

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GM Commentary

This session was pretty much all improv by me.  I think maybe the PCs hadn't gained enough Respect Points to get the Sun Shaman's information yet, and thus the additional test to see if they could survive the Cinderlands on their own.  It also gave them some more opportunity to interact with Krojun.  Able to take on multiple cave giants and purple worms, the group is certainly not underpowered when it comes to combat!