Circus of the Mighty Session Log (2-24-2008)
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[I think this happened on February 24 of 2008. Toby had
returned from his travels in Southeast Asia. The players in
attendance were Ralph (Dwalor and Telwyn), Ian (Hilda), Jerry
(Chingara), Toby (Stirge and Thalin) and Victor (Mandark). This
session ran later than most Toby was the last to leave. Experience
rewards were given out at the end of the session. Basically this
session details the Circus' trip from Boha-Boha to the city of
Shomo, which is about thirdway down the Kalimara River. I'm
back posting this for chronological accuracy.]
After discussing the matter with Nkosazana, Hilda managed to
convince the high priestess of Araku to sell the Circus the two
ghost-touch spears at a third of their value. With these, the
Circus set off on a road out of Boha-boha to follow Amonis’ route
into the Bida. Dwalor’s recently conscripted guide, Mazi, a Ngohe
from a small village in the Western Bida, would help them. The
muddy trade road followed the Kalimara river along the border
between the kingdoms of Taumau-Boha and Mabwe. Along its length was
the Mabwian city of Shomo and it was there that the Circus,
following Amonis’ plan, hope to turn into the Wakyambi lands in the
Bida.
They knew the pride of ndalawo was still out there–assassins
sent to kill them by the Leopard Cult. They knew the shadow cats
would return. But they also didn’t want to draw this threat to the
city of Boha-boha. About three days into the trip, Mandark spotted
some spawn of kyuss waiting in ambush in the dense vegetation
beside the road. Thalin’s fireball made quick work of them and the
rest of the trip was uneventful until 3 weeks later, a 2 days away
from city of Shomo, the ndalawo attacked again.
The Ndalawo Return to Claim a Mortal
Mandark spotted them floating out of the sky and, he, Hilda and
Chingara were able to get a few arrow shots off but, Thalin was
unable to hurl a fireball before they pounced. But perhaps Molna or
Araku was protecting the Circus that day because, the monster’s
strength draining power seemed to be less vicious than it was that
night in Boha-boha. Even so the party was worried and hard
pressed.
Dwalor chanted for Molna’s blessings and drew his ax.
Helga, who had been traveling invisibly for nearly the entire
trip, was unseen by the undead and moved sixty or so feet off to
one side to line up arrow shots. She new that most physical
weapons, even with magical powers, simply passed straight through
these monsters half of the time but, she figured, maybe if she
could line some in a row, the magical arrows that missed one might
have an opportunity to strike adjacent ones. Her theory turned out
to be successful! Mandark, Hilda and Chingara, on elephant back,
then copied her tactics.
The shadow cats surrounded both Stirge and Dwalor, the reminder
surrounded Whirlwind and several broke off to chase down Hilda,
Mandark and Hilda.
Stirge drove himself into the rage of berserks and struck
several with his leaf spear of ghost-touch. Dwalor attempted to
invoke Molna’s power but was struck several times and his spell
failed.
Thalin cast a hastening spell; this affected everyone except
Mandark and Telwyn. Ojo tried to wheel Whirlwind around and put
some distance between the elephant, carrying Thalin, Chingara, Mazi
and himself, and the ghost leopards. Telwyn, aiming things
carefully, cast a fireball at a massed group of ndalawo. They were
not incinerated but scortched nicely!
Facing one opponent each, Hilda, Mandark and Helga, by taking
the risk by using missile weapons in melee, fared better than they
might have. They steadily retreated or shifted positions to line up
shots on groups of ndalawo. Chingara, on Whirlwind, was safe from
immediate danger and followed the same tactics. Together they
brought down several more of the beasts.
Dwalor was not doing well. His ax, which had been drained of
magic in an earlier conflict, was useless against these creatures.
Seeing the trouble that Dwalor was having, Stirge tossed the leaf
spear to the dwarf. Dwalor was able to catch the leaf spear but,
due to the strength he lost, was only able to make some headway.
With his magic Axe of Compassion and his hastening, Stirge
destroyed two more of the shadows.
The monsters chased after Whirlwind and Ojo lost control.
Chingara was bucked off the panicking elephant. He ran to take
cover in the brush. Thalin, along with Mazi and Ojo, managed to
hang on. Thalin cast slow on the pursuing shadow leopards and then
was thrown off Whirlwind.
Mandark, Hilda and Helga, luckily only facing one ndalawo each,
were losing strength quickly but not as rapidly as Dwalor and
Stirge who faced five a piece. Stirge was additionally protected
given his magically enhanced superhuman strength. Normally Dwalor
himself would be similarly enhanced but not this time.
Chingara, with superhuman speed, ran up to Whirlwind and used
his supernatural rapport with animals to calm the raging elephant.
He then vaulted up to the back of the elephant. Thalin unrolled a
scroll, read from it and hurled a fireball at the slowed ndalawo
hoard that where trying in vain to catch up with Whirlwind. He
incinerated most of them. But one escaped by sinking into the
ground. Incorporeal creatures were really annoying when they did
that! Thalin briefly wondered why the ndalawo did spring up from
the ground when they first attacked, like they did in Boha.
Telwyn magically enlarged Stirge and then fled into the trees to
hide.
Even without a ghost-touched weapon, the enormous, beserk former
orcish pirate was making making steady progress on the ghostly
cats. Combined with arrow fire from Helga, Mandark and Hilda, the
ndalawo where rapidly diminishing in numbers.
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Chingara commanded Whirlwind to return to the others. Thalin
cast flight on himself and with his hastening quickly returned to
the others.
Telwyn turned himself invisible and, from his hiding place in
the brush, worked to fashion a lariette.
The cats attacked and Dwalor was struck down! The shadow
leopards raked Stirge a few times as well but, again, his
superhuman strength, although rapidly diminishing, protected him.
But Stirge was deep in his rage, he was a giant and he was making
progress, even without the ghost-touch weapon. He was whirling
orcish death!
Hovering above the battle, Thalin sparked a lightening bolt
between three of the shades. Hilda, Helga and Mandark, all greatly
weakened by the paw strikes of the cats, turned invisible and fled
into the bush to hide. Thalin’s lightening strike took care of
their pursuers. Telwyn ran out from the brush invisibly and then
used his lasso to distract one of the creatures fighting Stirge.
The remaining creatures converged on Stirge but they were only a
few.
And then something truly horrifying occurred. Only a few moments
after the dwarf was drained of all strength, a wraith-like form
arose from Dwalor’s corpse. A new ndalawo! This creature struck a
few times at Stirge and then disappeared into the ground. Thalin’s
scrying for undead could not detect it.
The two remaining creatures were quickly destroyed.
“A wooden bridge, probaly under frequent repair, outside Shomo.”
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The Road to Shomo
The Circus gathered and assessed their predicament. Dwalor was
dead–worse than dead–for his soul had been taken and reshaped
into a monster. Many in the party, including Whirlwind, were
greatly drained of strength. They knew from their earlier battle
with these creatures that their strength would slowly heal and
recover but, they knew that would take too long. They needed
magical healing. They also needed to consult preists and
priestesses to see if something could be done about Dwalor.
They reformed into a marching order and resume their hike to the
city of Shomo.
That was awesome — a fine description of that harrowing battle…
although we destroyed many of them, Stirge is deeply disturbed by these creatures, and along with his dread of the King of Yellow is plagued by nightmares and superstition regarding the dark origins of the Ndalawo. He wishes he could ask Granma’ Grumpsalot which of the Swamp Shamans near the old Barnacle Sucker Leech Farm where he had grown up could best advise him what to do. He misses the old days in the village, slurping leech soup in the shade of the Zonta trees and singing the River shantees that his uncle Gruzzle Grumpsalot had taught him as a spawnling.