Session 5: Bunny Hunt

After our encounter with the zombie horde, Eku suggested we head due south. Traveling in a line, she said, will lessen our chances of getting lost. When we return to the fort, we just head in a straight line north to get back. That seemed like a simple enough concept.

Just as dusk approached we came across a small lake. Nuru noticed there was an indentation in the rock behind a water fall. Confodore bravely volunteered to investigate the hollow. He neared the entrance, paused and then shot an arrow into the cave. We prepared for battle for he must have seen something menacing. Perhaps his one shot killed the beast for then he entered alone.

After a brief time he appeared at the entrance and motioned for us to join him. I stopped briefly to lap up some of the water from the water fall. Inside the small cave we two skeletons. One of a tabaxi and the other of a rhinoceros, both long dead. Strapped to the rhino bones was a large barrel. Confodore had went through the tabaxi's belongings and found a small box which he handed to me. In Chultan the box was marked as "medicine" or "health." Sometimes Chultan does no directly translate to the common tongue most of us use now. I opened the box an found four vial which I noticed looked similar to the healing potions we saw vendors selling in Nyanzaru. It was getting late and I noticed a pile of dry wood near the back of the cave. I started a small fire and quickly fell asleep.

The next morning was upon us quickly and we set out early. Eku found some stringy bananas to eat. My stomach growled. More plant food. Just as quickly did despair hit my tummy, but Nuru noticed some movement nearby. He has such great eyesight from beneath that cowl! He pointed in the direction across a small pond. Rabbits! Dire rabbits! Dire rabbits with a single horn protruding from their foreheads. My instincts kicked in and I immediately crouched down and began stalking through the reeds at the edge of the pond. Just as I was about to pounce on the nearest one, I felt Confodore move past me. He can be quite hard to hear at times.

I sprang out at the prey and swiped him to the ground. Confodore struck from his bush and pierced another bunny dead. Just as quickly he vanished back into the brush. By this time Harrp's nostrils kicked in and he wanted to get in on the action. He scouted around the edge of the far side of the pond. The other rabbits began to run away. I took another swipe at my target and rolled around in enjoyment, until I noticed that my prey had stopped moving. I encouraged it to give me a challenge, but alas, it was done ever having fun again. Confodore attacked another rabbit and instantly killed it. Xandala strolled to the edge of the pond and fired a bolt which roasted one to a crisp. I attempted to do the same but I wildly missed my target. I sprinted to the final rabbit's flank. It ran me through with its horn in a desperate attempt to defend itself. Harrp came barreling out of the jungle from the otherside and split the last rabbit before my eyes, literally spraying blood all over my face.

We spent some time eating real food and storing some meat for another day. I licked the blood from my fur and my piercing wound the best that I could. Soon we were on our way again and Nuru's eye caught the tracks of a herd of humanoids heading, well, shambling south. While following these tracks Nuru again notices movement in the leaves ahead of us. Velociraptors! Like from the Executioner's Run in the city, feasting upon something. Confodore snuck into a killing position. I began to also sneak forward but Nuru could not anticipate my move and he stepped on my tail. I instantly let out a large hiss!

The velociraptors stopped their feeding and attacked us. Confodore attacked one as it attempted to move past him. Brick moved forward to block the way of the dinosaur predators. Harrp took the battle to them and charged into the fray. He got isolated just as a fifth enemy made itself known and a giant snake fell from the trees and enveloped Harrp. I moved around a mound of bushes and took the high ground. I looked down at Harrp who looked to be falling unconscious. I let loose a powerful barrage of fire and incinerated the great snake. The rest of the party were killing raptors until there was just one left on a fallen tree trunk near Harrp's body. I snarled at it and flicked a low level fire spell at the side of it's head. The raptor looked at its surroundings and fled into the jungle.

After investigating the bodies that the raptors were chewing upon, we deduced they were a party of adventurers that must have ran into the horde of undead that we were tracking. I recognized a halfing corpse, it was Gondalo. He had offered to be our guide just days earlier. His partner, Faroul, was not to be found here. Nuru noticed one set of footprints seemed to be also bleeding and the tracks were very fresh. Confodore suggested that we hurry if we were going to have a chance to save Faroul. But first we took a short rest so as Nuru could bring Harrp to a healthier state of being.

Too bad for Faroul! For when we found him, he was being devoured by hideous creatures like the ones we had fought in Malar's Throat. These guys were fast as they charged us before we could get into position. Confodore was hit before he could stealth into a hiding position. One came after me and just as its jaws began to sink into my flesh, my fur flexed and expelled the attack. I hope that was not one of my valuable nine remaining lives! Another bit Harrp as he gallantly joined the front lines in his weakened form. Harrp's body began to seize up but I encouraged him to keep fighting, which he did!

Then we noticed the tide of battle was about to turn as reinforcements began to emerge from the jungle. The full undead horde was collecting against us! Something seemed to come over Xandala as she walked up a hill and blasted the fresh group of undead warriors with an enormous explosion. Only one of them remained after the attack, smoldering while it made it's way toward us. This greatly lifted our spirits and we made short work of the remaining ghouls. When the fighting ceased, I asked Xandala how powerful she really was. She looked blankly at me and then seemed to come out of a trance. She would not explain what she had just done.

Nuru disposed of the remaining undead after we had collected the ghoul heads. I looked at poor Faroul's body and noticed his last action on this mortal coil was to clutch a parchment. It was a map to the Needle's Bones. A location they wanted us to journey with them. Their party must have been heading due east just as we were heading due south. Poor timing for them to meet this horde.
We had our trophies and began to head back to the fort. A light rain fell onto our heads and then a most strange sight was before us. Ice! Frozen trees and frosty grounds lay upon our eyes. Upon some rocks in this most unlikely landscapes were two shattered ice humanoids with wings. Xandala excited ran forward to have a better look.

Then loud screeching and the flapping of wings from above filled our ears. Eku looked up and yelled, "Trr..or folk!" I asked her to clarify for posterity's sake. "Did you say terra-folk or terror folk?" I ask. She frowned and said, "A bit of both!"

Two huge dinosaur people came out of the sky and attacked. I don't remember much other than getting a mighty blow to the head as I tried to get past one of the winged ones. I noticed Xandala running into the jungle alone. There was a great white light and one of the creature fell.

I took the opportunity to sprint after Xandala. When I got close to her I yelled for her to stop. That the fighting was ending and that she was safe. But she ignored me. She was talking to a bearded man. I heard her say, "Father, give me your ring," as she motioned her hands in a deliberate way. I recognized what she was doing. It was said that sorcerers could manipulate their magics to change their powers which was what she was doing. She was hastening her spell. Her father seemed emotionless as he removed his ring and handed it to her. Xandala held up a bird feather and she began to fly away.

I ran to her father and asked what was going on? This really wasn't like our innocent Xandala. He stared at me for a moment and then it seemed like he returned to his senses. He looked at his hand and then yelled at me. I said that she was his daughter and had spent great time and fortune trying to find him. He said that she had duped us and she now has the ring. I tried one last time to convince Xandala to return, apologized and then tried to stun her out of the air. I missed. Before I could ask more questions he whistled and then yelled, "Dragonbait!" A strange dragon like creature came running with my friends in toe. The two joined up and the father confirms that he is in fact Artis Simber but that he has no daughter. They then took off into the jungle.

When my friends reached me, Mr. Summerwise asked me where Xandala was. I explained that she had taken her father's rind and flew away. The little dragon laughed and says, "She finally has done it." Apparently she had been planning on stealing Mr. Simber's ring for some time. Mr. Summerwise says she now has an ancient artifact called the Ring of Winter. Legends say that among the powers it grants the wearer is the power to cease aging. I ask if Mr. Summerwise would like to join me, also a sorcerer of draconic decent, on adventurering in Chult. He thought for a moment and then agreed! I have my very own dragon for a pet... Companion!

429 xp