Blood & Booze Prologue Part 3

Over the course of the next six weeks, seemingly unaware of each other, the two parties pass by one another going in opposite directions. Our party heading north into the Burned and the other party heading south. Eventually, they make it to the Monastery of Perpetuity, where they are greeted by a man named Lupeux. A tall and wirey Swiftstride Astral Monk, Lupeux is kindhearted and grateful for their arrival. Once the group settles into their lodgings built into the cliffsides of the mesas that dot the area, the monk divulges their purpose in traveling to him.

He presents to them a young Unillum boy with three horns. (Side note about Unillum: I’m not sure if this has been mentioned yet and my apologies if it has. Unillum can present in four different variations. The most common variations are with a single horn on the crown of their head or with two horns or antlers from the top of their head. The rarer variation has no horns, they are often mistaken for smaller Firbolgs. The rarest of them have three horns, usually a combination of the single and two-horned variations, but not always.)

The boy is from further north in the Burned, more precisely from the City of Dragons: Zur Algud. Lupeux informs the party that the boy was smuggled from Zur Algud to the Monastery to protect him from a splinter group of Dragons in the city. Rumor had it that they were looking to perform some kind of ritual sacrifice with him. The party is to transport the boy to the Brimsano Enclave in the most southwestern isles of the Wandering Hills. The party accepts. While they rest and prepare for their journey, the Slash Brothers have a friendly sparring match with Lupeux, and Valen spends some time with the boy to befriend him but with little success. He does learn that he is very intelligent and also non-verbal. Dona and Bob spend their time exploring the Monastery and relaxing.

The quiet only lasts for a short while as during the evening a Dragon and two Wyrmlings descend on the Monastery, an adult Gold Dragon in the lead. Valen, Bob, and Ursus make for the stable and the groups cart with the boy as Dona and Thorak run interference. Dona is not a fan of Dragons and essentially talks a bunch of shit to them. Meanwhile, Ursus tries to convince a very intoxicated Valen to soak a blanket in his stash of whiskey and wrap the boy in it to hide his scent. Valen interprets this idea as dunking the boy in the whiskey. A “boozy baptism”.

During the confrontation, the Dragon shapeshifts into a humanoid form and feeds Dona and Thorak a story about the boy being from the “Royal Family”. Supposedly the child is a rare Amethyst Dragon and part of a prophecy that will unite the city and Dragonkin alike. Dona, having done her research and spent a good amount of time on Sloane, doesn’t buy it. She knows that there is no “Royal Family” and whatever this story is, it’s garbage. But all of this distraction is for nothing when the party realizes their gambit of masking the boy’s scent has failed. Push comes to shove and Dona calls their bluff. The wyrmlings bolt toward where the rest of the party is. Thorak darts toward the Gold Dragon and manages to grapple it before it can join the others.

Valen, remembering a conversation with their ally Sloane, takes the boy and raves toward a tall bleach-white pillar of grass assuming it must be a soft spot. For the monk, and the party at large, saving the boy is the priority. He dashes toward this pillar with the wyrmlings hot on his trail and barely makes it, running full speed directly into it. There is a flash of light and the two are gone. With the child gone, the Dragons leave the party, as their quarry is elsewhere. Dona, done with the entire situation, heads to Valen’s whiskey stash and dunks her head directly into the cask. Meanwhile, Thorak and Ursus decide to head after Valen and are also transported elsewhere in a flash of light. With the rest of the party gone or passed out, Bob goes into his Sentry’s Rest in the cart next to Dona.

Valen – Valen appears on what seems to be a plateau with the sounds of the ocean near him. It’s overcast and slightly colder now than it was previously. He’s unable to see where he came from.

Thorak & Ursus – The two of them appear in a flat and barren landscape, comprised of mostly sand or dirt with a hint of salt in the air. No sign of Valen or the boy anywhere. After crying out for the two using Thaumaturgy and hearing an echo behind them, the Slash Brothers turn to see an onyx obelisk and pyramid glinting in the moonlight.

Valen – Valen lights his torch and begins to explore the plateau. He finds that he and the boy are on an uninhabited island. Eventually, he sets up a bedroll for the boy and pulls out his map of Sloane the party purchased from Loqi. Through the enchantment on the map, he figures out that he is on the Onacola Islet in the northwest corner of the world. Not the most ideal situation.

Thorak & Ursus – The Slash Brothers head to ward the structures and determine that the surrounding area is flat and actually comprised of packed earth. There is something offputting about the structures. Nonetheless, they head toward the pyramid to check things out and seek shelter. It’s massive and has a distinct, low-register hum. Moving inside, they find an open chamber with a strange, smooth, and twisted rock formation at the center. The closer they move toward the stone, their minds are overcome with whispering voices. Using Detect Magic, Thorak determines that the structure is radiating Necromantic magic. Needing shelter for the night, the two stay in the pyramid and trade watches.

Dona & Bob – The pair wake up outside the Monastery to find that the others are still missing. Nursing a hangover, Dona asks the Warforged what happened to the rest of the crew. He gives a ridiculous but accurate recounting of events culminating in the three running through the pillar of grass. She investigates further and she realizes that it must be some kind of portal, but it’s currently inert. Then it dawns on her that this must be a soft spot and probably depends on the moons. The pair head back to the Monastery and consult Lupeux on the situation. He confirms her soft spot theory and that it depends on the full moons. The soft sports seem to teleport those who walk through them to random locations across the plane. They decide to wait for the evening for the portal/soft spot to be active again.

Valen – Sobered up from his vigilant watch, Valen hears a small voice in his head thanking him. This voice, he realizes, belongs to the boy and his name is Soris. The boy asks about their situation and thanks Valen again for saving him. As the two speak, the monk figures out that Soris is magically inclined in some ways, as well as telekinetic. They explore the island while having a lighthearted conversation about Soris’s life and playing pranks.

Thorak & Ursus – They awake at daybreak and Thorak takes a look around the exterior of the pyramid. The landscape is barren and resembles that of a desert. Returning to the structure, he notices strange markings along the interior of the entrance and copies some of them down in his journal for later analysis. Meeting back up with Ursus, they contemplate their next move. They decide to travel across the island during the evening to avoid the blistering heat and search for a way back to the party.

Dona & Bob – After a day of research in the Monastery library, Dona and Bob solidify their understanding of the soft spots. With some preparation, the pair take the cart at dusk and head to the pollar. With a “Yeehaw! Move ‘em out!” from Bob, the pair and the cart head into the pillar in a flash of light. The come out on the other side on the outside of a walled, coastal city. Asking around, they find out that they’re outside of the city of Tradeshore. The two search for lodging and find it at the Second Turtle Inn. Dona, again, gets heavily intoxicated and passes out in the cart, while Bob begins to explore their surroundings. And the fuse continues to burn, nearing its destination…