Session 34 Chasing Shadows—Part 1
The Miasma
Guy, concerned by the limited visibility, orders ahead slow. Arti closes his eyes and reaches out. Though he cannot determine the distance to his heart, his instincts draw him west-south-west. Tuperk, at the helm, brings the Verity onto a matching course. Spiro takes command while Guy, Bantonio and Blythe go below deck to check on Gomruss. Bantonio offers the trembling dragonborn a soothing mug of miso soup. With some encouragement from his peers, Gomruss shakes off his nerves.
“On a scale of one to ten, how do you feel about… the big purple?”
“Twoooooooooo!”
Blythe to Gomruss.
Spiro calls for Captain Brush and the Six of Steel take their stations on deck. An earthmote storm was heading straight for them! Guy takes the helm and spins the wheel in a risky evasive manoeuvre. The crew hold fast as two small earthmotes soar across the stern. Firien spots a third earthmote hurtling towards the hull. They sprint across deck and summon a gust of wind to redirect the earthmote beneath the Verity. Spotting two larger earthmotes ahead, Gomruss plants his staff. A halo of graviturgy draws the two earthmotes together and out of the Verity’s path.
Arti spots a clearing below the Verity and calls out to Guy just as a huge earthmote emerges dead ahead. Captain Brush bears down hard on the wheel and the Verity begins to dive. The crew hurry to secure themselves to the rigging before they slide down the polished deck! The earthmote was coming in too fast. At Guy’s command, the monks spring into action. A globe of radiant light deflects the earthmote upward, snapping the top the of the mast! The Verity levels out at a lower altitude. Guy breathes a sigh of relief when Arti signals the all clear and the crew get to work repairing the mast.
Using Guy’s spyglass, Blythe enters earthmotes of interest into the ship’s log as they pass by. The Verity sails over an expansive earthmote jutting out from the sea. A shore of festering seaweed gives way to tainted grey sand dunes. A radial formation of spiky rocks at the earthmote’s centre housed an ecosystem of cacti and vines. Firien realises a portal to the elemental plane of earth must be buried beneath the sand. It was sustaining the plant life! Further ahead, Bantonio spies another portal under the sea. The glowing whirpool seems to alter the colour of the water as if warding off the Miasma’s pollution.
Up ahead, two huge sandstone earthmotes form a canyon connected by hundreds of rope bridges. The bridges lead to tunnels in the canyon walls, forming a hive-like structure. Arti suggests they anchor the Verity to investigate—Glimback’s expedition might have sought shelter in the hive. Hadley and the Six of Steel trek to the canyon’s edge where they find two abandoned tents. Inside, Gomruss finds a leather-bound diary in a rucksack. The owner recounts how he joined an expedition to search for resources after his home was consumed by the Miasma. Only he and his friend survived. The pair decided to investigate the hive for themselves two years ago. The Six of Steel follow the trail and abseil down the canyon wall.
Thri-kreen Hive
Arti’s lantern repels the shadows as the party explore the hive. The tunnels are smooth and circular in cross section, as if hollowed out by a creature. Alcoves in the walls house candles which Gomruss lights as they proceed. Blythe is spooked by an insectoid chattering noise as the party approach the central chamber, weapons ready. Bantonio spots two bodies on the far side of the chamber. The diarist and his friend were slowly decomposing as miasmatic fungus crept over their skeletons. As Hadley reaches for the skeleton’s rucksack, Firien spots slash marks on its bones. The pair had been attacked.
The chattering grows louder, surrounding the party. Firien looks up. The ceiling shifts as eight psychotic thri-kreen reveal themselves and drop from the ceiling. The first sinks its mandibles into Hadley’s arm! Poison seeps into her wound, staining her skin purple. She quickly retaliates, magically draining the Miasma from her attacker, leaving it pale and lifeless. Bantonio throws a potion to Hadley. She swigs it immediately and the staining around her wound recedes.
Arti climbs up to the ceiling. Hanging by his claws, he summons the radiant energy of his lantern flail and cracks the chameleon-like carapace of the thri-kreen hunter below. The purple tendrils binding the aberration recede and disintegrate. The hunter camouflages itself as it flees. Recognising their vulnerability, Firien follows suit, relieving two thri-kreen of their heads with one swing of their flail. A thri-kreen mystic turns its gaze to Gomruss and unleashes a psychic bolt! Gomruss weathers the hit but loses sight of the mystic as it camouflages itself. Before it can escape, Gomruss sets the area ablaze with his fiery breath! The aberration screams in agony.
Guy slides under the central stone table to unleash a deadly sneak attack. The crack of his pistol shatters his target’s skull and the aberration collapses into a purple ooze. Bantonio likewise finds his quarry’s carapace brittle as he bisects another thri-kreen. Blythe looses three arrows at a charging thri-kreen, causing it to stumble. Despite her efforts, she is unable to avoid its poisonous bite! Her peripheral vision becomes clouded as she watches her blood vessels turn purple.