April 22, 2006

Hook

Anna is hiring experienced people to act as escorts. Please prepare for a voyage and come to the Stopover Inn.

Plot Synopsis

Each person made their way to the Inn, where they were escorted to Anna’s room by a house guard. The room was one of the up-scale suites on the first floor of the Inn, with rich velvet curtains in the sitting room, lush carpeting, a private garden, and top-notch security.

The knock at the door was answered by Anna’s assistant, Gather. He was dressed simply, with a clean-shaven head and thin, sharp features. As each arrived, Gather introduced himself, and Anna. She was resting on the couch in the sitting room, wet towel on her forehead and darkly-smoked glasses. She was obviously pale, and in some kind of pain.

Some talk happens. Dena offers her ship for travel, and Gather accepts. Gather offers 100sp per day, plus hazard pay if needed, to help find a man named Wade’ on an island to the southwest. The group accepts. Gather assists Anna during the whole trip from the Inn to the docks, and into her cabin on the ship.

Six days of travel to the southwest is uneventful, and the island is reached. Lottie conjures a shadowdrako to ride and scout the terrain. The island is tall and conical, typical of a volcano. There is, however, no evidence of a central channel. It is covered in thick, lush, green foliage, and there are birds and such all around. At the peak of the island are some stone formations that might be ruins, but the trees partially hide it from view.

The group lands, and climbs directly to the peak. Partway up, they encounter a large yellow flower. It’s about three feed across, eight inches deep, and filled with clear liquid. Investigations determine that the fluid smells sweet and citrisy. Dipping a twig into it reveals that it is dangerous: the twig begins to dissolve, the fluid begins to sizzle and steam. The group moves on. Anna leans upon Gather, and he supports her through the arduous task of hiking uphill.

A few yards later, they encounter three human skeletons, animated and determined to bar the way. It takes four seconds for the party to convince them otherwise.

They reach the peak. There are indeed ruins here, and Cal determines that they were originally build hundreds of thousands of years ago. Nothing else of interest is found in the stones.

Tanis offers Dena a blue pill, which she takes. She then rushes off to find Wade’ herself, since she is now convinced that she has the powers of the gods themselves. Partway down, in her headlong rush to reach the beach, she begins to stumble, so she uses her abilities and begins to fly, and so reaches the beach safely. Upon landing, she decides that she needs to perform the Dance of Searching™ in order to find Wade’.

Just as they are discussing the next step to take, dozens of skeletal figures of every shape and species step out of the trees to surround the group. Cal is already flying, Ralse spreads his wings and goes aloft. A lone human figure steps out: a young woman with long brown hair in a single braid to her knees. She demands the group leave. Discussion begins, names are exchanged, and the group questions her authority to make the request for their export. She becomes adamant, and demands again that they leave. In her anger she points to Tanis and others, revealing her deformed hand. It is black, and clawed. Many of the group begin to move back toward the path they had made climbing the mountain, and the skeletons part to allow them passage. A few of the avian skeletons match their pace, hopping from branch to branch.

Dena is having no luck with the Dance of Searching™. She stops dancing, and begins to build a pyrotechnic device to be bright enough to burn away the foliage that hides Wade’. She works expertly at a feverish pace, and builds the device on the beach, and aims it at the peak.

Meanwhile, Cal has witnessed his compatriots being herded off the peak and back toward the ship. He uses the power Anubis’ gave him to compel the woman to lead his group to the man named Wade’. She is unable to resist the force of will behind his voice, and walks out of the clearing.

Dena launches her device into the air. With expert marksmanship, the device explodes at the perfect height in the exact middle of the peak ‘clearing’. Cal and Tanis are not harmed from the blast, nor do they see the brilliant flash, however they are pelted with large quantities of small bits of calcium-based debris. Dena is still unsuccessful in her search.

The woman leads Cal and Tanis to the hidden door underground. Tanis immediately grabs her, and begins working his juju upon her to forcibly take from her the knowledge of her life. She attempts to summon aid in skeletal form, but succumbs to the power Tanis wields and collapses. The rest of the group diverts their path to intercept Cal and Tanis, despite the verbal protests of the skeletal birds following them.

Dena believes that Wade’ is actively thwarting her search. She believes that he sees her efforts, and is actively blocking each effort in an attempt to stay hidden. She sets about building a loom, with which she can weave a Cloak of Ultimate Invisibility™ and avoid his gaze. Only then will she be able to find him. After a time, the effects of the drug wear off, and Dena realizes that she really does need a loom but that it won’t help her find Wade’. She bags up the pieces she’s made so far, and trudges back to find the group. She sees the shouting form of Cal above the trees, and walks to him.

The group enters the cave, and finds a home and laboratory under construction. Wade’ peeks his head out. The group identifies themselves and their mission, and Wade’ agrees to help Anna. Just then, he realizes that his friend Lucinde is not with them, and demands to know where she is. Cal retrieves her unconscious form. Gather sets Anna up in the chair of his device, while he puts Lucinde on a cot off to the side. Everyone else is shooed out of the room.

For the rest of the day, and all that night, Wade’ works with Anna. Cal is able to scry their activities for a short time, but all he can see are Wade’ and Anna staring at each other, while every so often Wade’ will touch a button or move a dial slightly. Very uninteresting.

Just after dawn, the door opens, and Anna strides out with Gather in tow. She states that the mission was successful, and that she now knows what she must do. She strides confidently out of the hole, calling for the party to follow her in a hurry. She must get back to the ship quickly.

Upon arrival at the ship, she states that it is up to the group to get her back safely, that she has much to do and must spend all of her time planning and writing notes.

They get back to Lojem without incident on 3-4-48, and are paid 1300sp each.

Noteworthy Postgame Events