Tuesday, April 11, 2017
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Characters
- [E]Dra'Klik - Male Jeral Kreen Earth Cleric/Psionicist 3/7
- [D]Tristain - Female Half-Elf Thief/4
- [O]Brother Cloud - Male Human Earth Monk/4
- [J] Chap Hip - Male Halfling Thief/4
- [N]Baqual - Male Dwarf Fighter/Earth Cleric 5/6
- [N]Reveden - Male Elf Ranger/8
- [N]Krad - Male Half-Giant Gladiator/8
- [N]Marar Aratree - Female Half-Elf Psionicist/3
- [N] Aifala - Male Mul Gladiator/4
- [N] K'Ptellik - Male Jeral Kreen Psionicist/4
- [N] Cha'Rek'Cha - Male Jeral Kreen Earth Priest/3
- [N] T'Kkek'ip - Male Jeral Kreen Fighter/2
- [N] T'Rett'k - Female Jeral Kreen Fighter/2
- [N]T'klick'chik - Male Thri-Kreen Druid/6
- [*]Goiter - Male Mul Gladiator - DEAD
The story thus far...
The adventures of Dra'Klik (T'Sal), Baqual, Reveden, Krad, Aifala, Tristain, Brother Cloud, and Chap Hip:
The groups first journey after joining up with the Thri-Kreen Dra'Klik was from the City State of Tyr deep into the wastes to the Northeast. The group had been hired by the Veiled Alliance to track and kill a former member of the VA, a Defiler named Mek'Madius. He was supposedly very powerful and every former attempt by the Veiled Alliance to slay him ended in the complete obliteration of their expeditionary team. Rumored to have turned the Preserver's own spells against them, this group was hired as an assassination unit to finish off this great evil growing in the deep reaches of the desert.
The Veiled Alliance had coordinated with a group of assassins known as the Silent Hand to send 3 skilled assassins with the group. These assassins included Brother Cloud- a Monk of the Earth, Goiter- a Mul who was formerly a gladiator in the Tyrian Arena, and Tristain- a half-elf Thief of noble elven blood. These three had been given specific orders to assist in slaying Mek'Madius by whatever means possible. If the group hired by the Veiled Alliance were overpowered or persuaded not to attack Mek'Madius the assassins were ordered to kill Mek'Madius and then slay Dra'Klik's group hired by the Veiled Alliance.
In the deep desert the group had a run in with an evil Giant hellbent on slaying every last one of them. The Mul Goiter was crushed under the weight of a huge boulder by the giant before the Psionicist Dra'Klik opened a dimensional door through which the rest of the group fled.
Upon reaching a mysterious mesa deep in the desert wastes the group followed clues the Veiled Alliance had given them to find the entrance to Mek'Madius's secret fortress. A beautiful sulpheric acid waterfall was in the caverns below along with many enemies and a forest of gigantic mushrooms. After negotiating this and evading some of the guards the group retreated to gather a plan of action. This is when an old elf friend named Reveden suddenly encountered the friends and attacked with full force. His dual blades whipped around him like a whirlwind, he almost overtook them until the group charged him together and pinned him to the ground. There was a strange stone circlet upon his head which upon removing returned Reveden to his senses. After this the group climbed into the Mesa above which turned out to be the remnants of some ancient hidden fortress. They soon gained access to the top floor where Mek'Madius himself awaited them and gave them the following speech:
MEK'MADIUS'S SPEECH:
Long ago Athas was filled with life giving green plants and many species of animals. Life was easy and people could live off the land without worry of starvation or dehydration. At some point the rulers of various nations began to war. Those who had metal armor and weapons would defeat their enemies swiftly and with almost no effort at all. As the various rulers became aware of this, massive mining operations were undertaken. An arms race began that must have lasted hundreds of years. Coins were minted, armor was hammered out, and weapons also were all crafted out of solid metal. Around this time the green and verdant plains began to dry up and turn to desert. Lakes became ponds, river - streams, and the ocean eventually turned to silt. Around three or four hundred years after the first mine was dug the planet was transformed into a ball of sand, dust, and dirt. Almost no life left upon it's surface.
Why did this happen? What correlation did the mining of the ore from Athas have on the planet itself? What really caused the climate to change? Is this a natural cycle of the planet? Was it due to mining? Was it due to magic?
Well, I have the answer and it will surprise you.
After many years of testing and research I have determined that there was once a thin layer of ore that spread under the ground like one of many shells around a kank egg. Picture the yolk of an egg- that is the core of Athas, it's life force if you will, the white of the egg is the many layers of various soil and rock. Now picture a thin layer of metal ore spanning the entirety of the sphere, enveloping the underlying layers of white so that although thin, it would wrap the entirety of the egg. Layer more white of the egg upon this, and then the final exterior of the shell. That is the true image of our Athas. Although replace the whites with rock and sand, once dirt- dark life giving soil, underground streams flowing through it- now silt and dust. The core and life force is still there, but every spell we cast weakens the life force, thus draining the weakened life energy reaching the surface. When magical energy is focused and a spell is cast it is common knowledge that this energy is pulled from Athas itself. It is life force, as you cast your spell the ground around you weakens, turns to dust, the flowers wither, the grass turns brown and then gray and nothing is left. Now the question arises "Is it acceptable to pull the life force from the Athas for a simple spell?" I argue "Yes, but only under certain circumstances." The Preservers. Interesting name don't you think? Why would one call themself a "Preserver" if your main focus in life is pursuit of knowledge in the form of arcane experimentation that saps the life force from the Athas?
Definition: Preserver
Definitions of preserve:
The last definition is to "keep undisturbed for personal or private use." A preserver pulls life force from the earth just as a defiler does. The difference is that a preserver takes just enough that the plants do not die. He pulls just enough life force to keep them alive while still powering his spell. What they don't tell you is that most of the plants that grow on Athas cannot withstand losing a whole days supply of water, sun, and energy. As the preserver moves on the land still dies. If they have been preserving for all this time then why are the deserts still desolate? Why has life not regained a foothold anywhere in the Tyr Region except in the rain shadow of Gulg and Nibenay where green plants have always grown? And why does everyone not flock to these places where life exists? Why would the other sorcerer kings not wage war on these cities and gain the greatest wealth on Athas? Does no one ask these questions anymore? Have you not wondered the reason you are who you are, why you grew up where you did, why everything is this way? You know you have a right to something better? Something greater? There are those that know this exists and wish to keep it's knowledge only to themselves. They are the ones who call themselves the "Preservers" and name us the "Defilers". Now, you hear it. I am what they call a Defiler. Now you prepare to kill me as you dare not be seen conversing with scum such as us. We keep to the shadows and sneak around trying to destroy the world we live in along with ourselves! We are so suicidal and self destructive! Well, if we're so evil and hunted down- why are the Sorceror Kings allowed to "Defile" the land, but we are not? I ask all these rhetorical questions obviously in hope that you crave the answers.
I can provide them to you.
Well, some answers I do have. The most important ones. The others are still theories that I need assistance on proving, but will, I'm sure unfold the truth just as I have foreseen.
The greatest question I have always asked and finally answered is the Destruction Myth. Destruction of the planet. Myth because we're all told different stories on why the planet is what it is.
So, let's start with the Destruction. Fact is that Athas was once green and life giving. Myth is the legend that magic was the soul source of it's slow descent.
The layers of metal ore I spoke of earlier were a natural shield to filter the life force of the planet so that beings would harness the life force and weave it into magical spells. Something in the ore would keep the heart of the life force intact which would travel back to the core and rejoin the great force of life gathered there. As the nations of old began to mine the ore it became filled with holes and life force began to escape through these holes. At first the change was not noticeable, but as the destruction caused by the burning of this life force grew the layers of the egg began to rot. Starting deep in the core and moving up to the surface. Eventually, there was almost no life left on this barren surface. The world we call home is destroyed beyond recognition. So as you see magic may have been the eventual agent of destruction upon the Athas, but the mining of the protective layer of metal ore was the catalyst.
Any questions?
My choice to become a Defiler is due to the fact that I have found a way to drain the maximum amount of energy from Athas without taking it's life force. This is not something which has come easy and without a price as I am now an outcast and the Veiled Alliance obviously wants me dead.
If you think I would share my secrets with you, you must think I am a fool or I jest about these things. If that is the case either leave or die swiftly by the great power wielded through me from Athas itself.
I learned about this through years and years of research, exploration, experimentation, tests, and spying on the Veiled Alliance.
Why do they where a "Veil" and who is this "Alliance"?
Why is it so impossible for "Defilers" to set up such an Alliance of their own? Strange how the Sorcerer Kings who do not allow the practice of magic within their ruled environs and are so quick to deal death to those who do, allow a rag tag group of magic wielding brigands known as the Veiled Alliance to not only operate within their borders, but set up shop in the very cities that these powerful magic wielding kings keep throne.
Have you ever considered the idea that the Veiled Alliance is yet another arm of the corrupt administration that rules each City State?
The moment I brought all of this to the attention of the Veiled Alliance I was declared a Defiler and imprisoned, bound for death until I escaped.
Greed drives all upon this sphere of dust, tumbling through Athas Space. Each generation wants something more than the last. Unfortunately, we have run out of anything good to pass on to our children. Only the few most powerful grip the last remnants of that which was naturally shared with all living beings. If the Sorcerer Kings and the Veiled Alliance know the correlation between the mines, life force, and magic, why do they continue to operate these mines? Is it for metal weapons and armor to protect and battle against each other? If so, then why have no major wars been waged in hundreds of years?
This last question I have no answer to, which is why I exist here. I seek to ask questions and share this knowledge with the other children of Athas. I need others to ask these questions and seek answers with me as this is a life quest I cannot fulfill alone. Although I am powerful and growing in power with each passing day, I would be naive to think that my power alone would be enough to uncover the secrets of not only those in power, but the ancients who saw the destruction happen firsthand.
Even the latest upstart of slaves in Tyr, slaying Sorcerer King Kalak and obtaining their freedom was a play for power by the Veiled Alliance. Now the other Sorcerer Kings grow wary of their alliance with the Veil, or they were actually a part of the plot to slay Kalak, seeking to weaken Tyr in hopes of waging a war which would bring Tyr to it's knees and open up the Iron Mines to the strongest City State to take power. Either of these scenarios could be possible. I need to do more investigating to know for sure.
The group chose not to attack Mek'Madius, but also chose not to join him either. (Even the assassins who were still alive chose not to attack Mek'Madius OR Dra'Klik and his team. This was disobeying a direct order but they felt it was the correct decision.) Mek'Madius warned them that the only man who had chosen to betray him once freed from slavery was Lerdennus "Kreen-Slayer", an elf dedicated to ridding Athas of all Thri-Kreen. Mek'Madius claimed that he had slayed all of Dra'Klik's tribe and was last seen at the Waking Fist Wine shop in Tyr. The group wished to see if this was the truth or if Mek'Madius was using this as a power play to bring them over to his side. They wanted to journey to Tyr or find Dra'Klik's tribe and see how much truth there was to this statement first hand. Mek'Madius agreed to give them supplies for their journey into the desert and threw in a few magical items to assist them in their travels. A halfling by the name of Chap Hip who was in service to Mek'Madius decided to take this opportunity to join the group for protection and make his way through the desert back towards civilization. The group adopted him although remained somewhat wary of his intentions.
CHAP HIP BACK STORY:
Chap Hip was originally from Forest Ridge, far over the Ringing Mountains. He had been captured years ago by slavers from Tyr in the days prior to King Kalak's assassination. For years he toiled working in the Iron Mines of Tyr until King Kalak was killed and the slaves freed. A preserver named Gond who was working for the Veiled Alliance confronted Chap Hip after working with him during this time in the Iron Mines of Tyr. He requested that Chap Hip accompany a group of preservers and clerics to an evil defiler's fortress deep in the desert. Chap Hip didn't think this sounded like fun at all, but when offered a considerable sum of money and an iron blade he said yes. The group travelled to Mek'Madius's fortress and confronted the defiler. The defiler weilded great power and turned all of the preservers spells back against them. Everyone save Chap Hip was completely destroyed. Mek'Madius captured Chap Hip and placed a magical psionic stone circlet upon his head with which he controlled his every thought and physical action. After two weeks of slavery, Mek'Madius removed the circlet and offered Chap Hip a sizeable weekly pay along with food and board. Chap Hip knew he could not survive the journey into the desert to get home to Forest Ridge alone and thus accepted the offer. Now that Chap Hip had the opportunity to travel with a fairly powerful group of heroes he has joined up and clings to them in hopes to get close enough to Forest Ridge to find his home and return there to his hot halfling girlfriend Yuyiu and his best friend Battackak whom Chap Hip had grown up with and become like brothers.
CONTINUATION OF THE STORY...
The group left the fortress only to be ambushed by the Giant who had killed Goiter and followed them all this way. The Giant had waited outside to ambush them the entire time they dwelt in Mek'Madius's fortress. After a harrowing battle the group slayed the Giant. No one died in the battle although there were many wounded. After the battle the group camped to recuperate, meditate, and pray for spells. While roaming the desert with a bush tied to his back the new halfling adventurer Chap Hip spotted 4 Thri-Kreen approaching from the Northwest. T'Klick'Chik the druidic Kreen and Dra'Klik the Psionicist parlayed with the Kreen and found them to be former members of the Ai'Shin tribe, Dra'Klik's tribe. They claimed that an army of Gith led by an evil elf slayed the entire tribe and that they were the sole survivors of this massacre. Apparently the Ai'Shin killed all of the Gith but could not contend with the evil elf Kreen-Slayer's magical armor and weapons and were caught off guard. These Kreen barely escaped with their lives to try and keep the Ai'Shin tribe alive. Now they wished to host a ceremony to indoctrinate Dra'Klik as the leader of the new tribe. The group took these Kreen with them and proceeded towards Tyr.
Skirting the edge of a deep cliff a horde of Elf raiders could be seen on the horizon moving quickly towards the group. At the bottom of the large canyon were gigantic worm like creatures which were far too powerful for the group to contend with. While brainstorming a way out of this horrible situation a group of Aarakocra swooped down to save them. They had to leave their Kanks and food and water behind during the escape. The Aarakocra took them to their cliff-side cave homes where they asked for help with a debilitating disease which was spreading rapidly in their kind. Baqual and Dra'Klik began healing the wounded and curing the disease while Tristain the Elf Thief and Chap Hip, the Halfling Thief descended into some deep caves tied to the back of the residential caverns. They found that a strange lizard like creature had died in a pond and hot air rushing in through a small hole in the cave wall was carrying a mist of disease up to the Aaro's homes. After pulling the creature from the pond and disposing of it, they sealed the hole with a rock. This prevented the disease from spreading further. The Aarakocra's gave them many gifts and flew them back to T'Klick'Chik's oasis where her and Dra'Klik mated. T'Klick'Chik stayed with her Oasis and the Aaro's flew the group back to the Giants cave where they searched and found some gold pieces after hours of digging through bones.
The Aaro's wait outside to fly the group near the Dwarven village of Kled where they will leave for good with a fond farewell for saving their brothers and sisters in the cliff-side cavern homes.
The groups first journey after joining up with the Thri-Kreen Dra'Klik was from the City State of Tyr deep into the wastes to the Northeast. The group had been hired by the Veiled Alliance to track and kill a former member of the VA, a Defiler named Mek'Madius. He was supposedly very powerful and every former attempt by the Veiled Alliance to slay him ended in the complete obliteration of their expeditionary team. Rumored to have turned the Preserver's own spells against them, this group was hired as an assassination unit to finish off this great evil growing in the deep reaches of the desert.
The Veiled Alliance had coordinated with a group of assassins known as the Silent Hand to send 3 skilled assassins with the group. These assassins included Brother Cloud- a Monk of the Earth, Goiter- a Mul who was formerly a gladiator in the Tyrian Arena, and Tristain- a half-elf Thief of noble elven blood. These three had been given specific orders to assist in slaying Mek'Madius by whatever means possible. If the group hired by the Veiled Alliance were overpowered or persuaded not to attack Mek'Madius the assassins were ordered to kill Mek'Madius and then slay Dra'Klik's group hired by the Veiled Alliance.
In the deep desert the group had a run in with an evil Giant hellbent on slaying every last one of them. The Mul Goiter was crushed under the weight of a huge boulder by the giant before the Psionicist Dra'Klik opened a dimensional door through which the rest of the group fled.
Upon reaching a mysterious mesa deep in the desert wastes the group followed clues the Veiled Alliance had given them to find the entrance to Mek'Madius's secret fortress. A beautiful sulpheric acid waterfall was in the caverns below along with many enemies and a forest of gigantic mushrooms. After negotiating this and evading some of the guards the group retreated to gather a plan of action. This is when an old elf friend named Reveden suddenly encountered the friends and attacked with full force. His dual blades whipped around him like a whirlwind, he almost overtook them until the group charged him together and pinned him to the ground. There was a strange stone circlet upon his head which upon removing returned Reveden to his senses. After this the group climbed into the Mesa above which turned out to be the remnants of some ancient hidden fortress. They soon gained access to the top floor where Mek'Madius himself awaited them and gave them the following speech:
MEK'MADIUS'S SPEECH:
Long ago Athas was filled with life giving green plants and many species of animals. Life was easy and people could live off the land without worry of starvation or dehydration. At some point the rulers of various nations began to war. Those who had metal armor and weapons would defeat their enemies swiftly and with almost no effort at all. As the various rulers became aware of this, massive mining operations were undertaken. An arms race began that must have lasted hundreds of years. Coins were minted, armor was hammered out, and weapons also were all crafted out of solid metal. Around this time the green and verdant plains began to dry up and turn to desert. Lakes became ponds, river - streams, and the ocean eventually turned to silt. Around three or four hundred years after the first mine was dug the planet was transformed into a ball of sand, dust, and dirt. Almost no life left upon it's surface.
Why did this happen? What correlation did the mining of the ore from Athas have on the planet itself? What really caused the climate to change? Is this a natural cycle of the planet? Was it due to mining? Was it due to magic?
Well, I have the answer and it will surprise you.
After many years of testing and research I have determined that there was once a thin layer of ore that spread under the ground like one of many shells around a kank egg. Picture the yolk of an egg- that is the core of Athas, it's life force if you will, the white of the egg is the many layers of various soil and rock. Now picture a thin layer of metal ore spanning the entirety of the sphere, enveloping the underlying layers of white so that although thin, it would wrap the entirety of the egg. Layer more white of the egg upon this, and then the final exterior of the shell. That is the true image of our Athas. Although replace the whites with rock and sand, once dirt- dark life giving soil, underground streams flowing through it- now silt and dust. The core and life force is still there, but every spell we cast weakens the life force, thus draining the weakened life energy reaching the surface. When magical energy is focused and a spell is cast it is common knowledge that this energy is pulled from Athas itself. It is life force, as you cast your spell the ground around you weakens, turns to dust, the flowers wither, the grass turns brown and then gray and nothing is left. Now the question arises "Is it acceptable to pull the life force from the Athas for a simple spell?" I argue "Yes, but only under certain circumstances." The Preservers. Interesting name don't you think? Why would one call themself a "Preserver" if your main focus in life is pursuit of knowledge in the form of arcane experimentation that saps the life force from the Athas?
Definition: Preserver
Definitions of preserve:
* continue: keep or maintain in unaltered condition; cause to remain or last; "preserve the peace in the family"; "continue the family tradition ...
* conserve: keep in safety and protect from harm, decay, loss, or destruction; "We preserve these archeological findings"; "The old lady could not keep up the building"; "children must be taught to conserve our heritage"; "The templar conserved the ancient manuscripts"
* save: to keep up and reserve for personal or special use; "She saved the old family relics in a drawer"
* prevent (food) from rotting; "preserved meats"; "keep kank eggs fresh"
* a domain that seems to be specially reserved for someone; "medicine is no longer a male preserve"
* keep: maintain in safety from injury, harm, or danger; "May Athas keep you"
* a reservation where beasts are protected
* keep undisturbed for personal or private use.; "preserve the nature."
* conserve: keep in safety and protect from harm, decay, loss, or destruction; "We preserve these archeological findings"; "The old lady could not keep up the building"; "children must be taught to conserve our heritage"; "The templar conserved the ancient manuscripts"
* save: to keep up and reserve for personal or special use; "She saved the old family relics in a drawer"
* prevent (food) from rotting; "preserved meats"; "keep kank eggs fresh"
* a domain that seems to be specially reserved for someone; "medicine is no longer a male preserve"
* keep: maintain in safety from injury, harm, or danger; "May Athas keep you"
* a reservation where beasts are protected
* keep undisturbed for personal or private use.; "preserve the nature."
The last definition is to "keep undisturbed for personal or private use." A preserver pulls life force from the earth just as a defiler does. The difference is that a preserver takes just enough that the plants do not die. He pulls just enough life force to keep them alive while still powering his spell. What they don't tell you is that most of the plants that grow on Athas cannot withstand losing a whole days supply of water, sun, and energy. As the preserver moves on the land still dies. If they have been preserving for all this time then why are the deserts still desolate? Why has life not regained a foothold anywhere in the Tyr Region except in the rain shadow of Gulg and Nibenay where green plants have always grown? And why does everyone not flock to these places where life exists? Why would the other sorcerer kings not wage war on these cities and gain the greatest wealth on Athas? Does no one ask these questions anymore? Have you not wondered the reason you are who you are, why you grew up where you did, why everything is this way? You know you have a right to something better? Something greater? There are those that know this exists and wish to keep it's knowledge only to themselves. They are the ones who call themselves the "Preservers" and name us the "Defilers". Now, you hear it. I am what they call a Defiler. Now you prepare to kill me as you dare not be seen conversing with scum such as us. We keep to the shadows and sneak around trying to destroy the world we live in along with ourselves! We are so suicidal and self destructive! Well, if we're so evil and hunted down- why are the Sorceror Kings allowed to "Defile" the land, but we are not? I ask all these rhetorical questions obviously in hope that you crave the answers.
I can provide them to you.
Well, some answers I do have. The most important ones. The others are still theories that I need assistance on proving, but will, I'm sure unfold the truth just as I have foreseen.
The greatest question I have always asked and finally answered is the Destruction Myth. Destruction of the planet. Myth because we're all told different stories on why the planet is what it is.
So, let's start with the Destruction. Fact is that Athas was once green and life giving. Myth is the legend that magic was the soul source of it's slow descent.
The layers of metal ore I spoke of earlier were a natural shield to filter the life force of the planet so that beings would harness the life force and weave it into magical spells. Something in the ore would keep the heart of the life force intact which would travel back to the core and rejoin the great force of life gathered there. As the nations of old began to mine the ore it became filled with holes and life force began to escape through these holes. At first the change was not noticeable, but as the destruction caused by the burning of this life force grew the layers of the egg began to rot. Starting deep in the core and moving up to the surface. Eventually, there was almost no life left on this barren surface. The world we call home is destroyed beyond recognition. So as you see magic may have been the eventual agent of destruction upon the Athas, but the mining of the protective layer of metal ore was the catalyst.
Any questions?
My choice to become a Defiler is due to the fact that I have found a way to drain the maximum amount of energy from Athas without taking it's life force. This is not something which has come easy and without a price as I am now an outcast and the Veiled Alliance obviously wants me dead.
If you think I would share my secrets with you, you must think I am a fool or I jest about these things. If that is the case either leave or die swiftly by the great power wielded through me from Athas itself.
I learned about this through years and years of research, exploration, experimentation, tests, and spying on the Veiled Alliance.
Why do they where a "Veil" and who is this "Alliance"?
Why is it so impossible for "Defilers" to set up such an Alliance of their own? Strange how the Sorcerer Kings who do not allow the practice of magic within their ruled environs and are so quick to deal death to those who do, allow a rag tag group of magic wielding brigands known as the Veiled Alliance to not only operate within their borders, but set up shop in the very cities that these powerful magic wielding kings keep throne.
Have you ever considered the idea that the Veiled Alliance is yet another arm of the corrupt administration that rules each City State?
The moment I brought all of this to the attention of the Veiled Alliance I was declared a Defiler and imprisoned, bound for death until I escaped.
Greed drives all upon this sphere of dust, tumbling through Athas Space. Each generation wants something more than the last. Unfortunately, we have run out of anything good to pass on to our children. Only the few most powerful grip the last remnants of that which was naturally shared with all living beings. If the Sorcerer Kings and the Veiled Alliance know the correlation between the mines, life force, and magic, why do they continue to operate these mines? Is it for metal weapons and armor to protect and battle against each other? If so, then why have no major wars been waged in hundreds of years?
This last question I have no answer to, which is why I exist here. I seek to ask questions and share this knowledge with the other children of Athas. I need others to ask these questions and seek answers with me as this is a life quest I cannot fulfill alone. Although I am powerful and growing in power with each passing day, I would be naive to think that my power alone would be enough to uncover the secrets of not only those in power, but the ancients who saw the destruction happen firsthand.
Even the latest upstart of slaves in Tyr, slaying Sorcerer King Kalak and obtaining their freedom was a play for power by the Veiled Alliance. Now the other Sorcerer Kings grow wary of their alliance with the Veil, or they were actually a part of the plot to slay Kalak, seeking to weaken Tyr in hopes of waging a war which would bring Tyr to it's knees and open up the Iron Mines to the strongest City State to take power. Either of these scenarios could be possible. I need to do more investigating to know for sure.
The group chose not to attack Mek'Madius, but also chose not to join him either. (Even the assassins who were still alive chose not to attack Mek'Madius OR Dra'Klik and his team. This was disobeying a direct order but they felt it was the correct decision.) Mek'Madius warned them that the only man who had chosen to betray him once freed from slavery was Lerdennus "Kreen-Slayer", an elf dedicated to ridding Athas of all Thri-Kreen. Mek'Madius claimed that he had slayed all of Dra'Klik's tribe and was last seen at the Waking Fist Wine shop in Tyr. The group wished to see if this was the truth or if Mek'Madius was using this as a power play to bring them over to his side. They wanted to journey to Tyr or find Dra'Klik's tribe and see how much truth there was to this statement first hand. Mek'Madius agreed to give them supplies for their journey into the desert and threw in a few magical items to assist them in their travels. A halfling by the name of Chap Hip who was in service to Mek'Madius decided to take this opportunity to join the group for protection and make his way through the desert back towards civilization. The group adopted him although remained somewhat wary of his intentions.
CHAP HIP BACK STORY:
Chap Hip was originally from Forest Ridge, far over the Ringing Mountains. He had been captured years ago by slavers from Tyr in the days prior to King Kalak's assassination. For years he toiled working in the Iron Mines of Tyr until King Kalak was killed and the slaves freed. A preserver named Gond who was working for the Veiled Alliance confronted Chap Hip after working with him during this time in the Iron Mines of Tyr. He requested that Chap Hip accompany a group of preservers and clerics to an evil defiler's fortress deep in the desert. Chap Hip didn't think this sounded like fun at all, but when offered a considerable sum of money and an iron blade he said yes. The group travelled to Mek'Madius's fortress and confronted the defiler. The defiler weilded great power and turned all of the preservers spells back against them. Everyone save Chap Hip was completely destroyed. Mek'Madius captured Chap Hip and placed a magical psionic stone circlet upon his head with which he controlled his every thought and physical action. After two weeks of slavery, Mek'Madius removed the circlet and offered Chap Hip a sizeable weekly pay along with food and board. Chap Hip knew he could not survive the journey into the desert to get home to Forest Ridge alone and thus accepted the offer. Now that Chap Hip had the opportunity to travel with a fairly powerful group of heroes he has joined up and clings to them in hopes to get close enough to Forest Ridge to find his home and return there to his hot halfling girlfriend Yuyiu and his best friend Battackak whom Chap Hip had grown up with and become like brothers.
CONTINUATION OF THE STORY...
The group left the fortress only to be ambushed by the Giant who had killed Goiter and followed them all this way. The Giant had waited outside to ambush them the entire time they dwelt in Mek'Madius's fortress. After a harrowing battle the group slayed the Giant. No one died in the battle although there were many wounded. After the battle the group camped to recuperate, meditate, and pray for spells. While roaming the desert with a bush tied to his back the new halfling adventurer Chap Hip spotted 4 Thri-Kreen approaching from the Northwest. T'Klick'Chik the druidic Kreen and Dra'Klik the Psionicist parlayed with the Kreen and found them to be former members of the Ai'Shin tribe, Dra'Klik's tribe. They claimed that an army of Gith led by an evil elf slayed the entire tribe and that they were the sole survivors of this massacre. Apparently the Ai'Shin killed all of the Gith but could not contend with the evil elf Kreen-Slayer's magical armor and weapons and were caught off guard. These Kreen barely escaped with their lives to try and keep the Ai'Shin tribe alive. Now they wished to host a ceremony to indoctrinate Dra'Klik as the leader of the new tribe. The group took these Kreen with them and proceeded towards Tyr.
Skirting the edge of a deep cliff a horde of Elf raiders could be seen on the horizon moving quickly towards the group. At the bottom of the large canyon were gigantic worm like creatures which were far too powerful for the group to contend with. While brainstorming a way out of this horrible situation a group of Aarakocra swooped down to save them. They had to leave their Kanks and food and water behind during the escape. The Aarakocra took them to their cliff-side cave homes where they asked for help with a debilitating disease which was spreading rapidly in their kind. Baqual and Dra'Klik began healing the wounded and curing the disease while Tristain the Elf Thief and Chap Hip, the Halfling Thief descended into some deep caves tied to the back of the residential caverns. They found that a strange lizard like creature had died in a pond and hot air rushing in through a small hole in the cave wall was carrying a mist of disease up to the Aaro's homes. After pulling the creature from the pond and disposing of it, they sealed the hole with a rock. This prevented the disease from spreading further. The Aarakocra's gave them many gifts and flew them back to T'Klick'Chik's oasis where her and Dra'Klik mated. T'Klick'Chik stayed with her Oasis and the Aaro's flew the group back to the Giants cave where they searched and found some gold pieces after hours of digging through bones.
The Aaro's wait outside to fly the group near the Dwarven village of Kled where they will leave for good with a fond farewell for saving their brothers and sisters in the cliff-side cavern homes.
This is where the game last left off.
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