Bounty Hunters - Session 20

Roc Aftermath

• Whip is amped. Amped. Bern seems numb from her own success. Madrin feels resigned to the outcome. The other two betray no particular emotions.
  • Whip immediately sets to work tearing out the roc's heart to prepare over coals and consume it. Madrin takes measurements and various trophies etc. are gathered, but the group doesn't have the time or tools to process the corpse more fully.
  • Best guess is that the roc was from the mountains to the south. A predator this large would almost certainly have gathered a significant hoard in the remains of its feedings, but the area of interest would be several hundred miles of very difficult terrain, so the group defers a decision to pursue that path until after they are out of the desert.
• Some time passes, and they continue onward, leaving the rest as a bounty for scavengers.

Ogre Mesa

• The group is caught up in an ogre ambush in some interesting terrain.
  • There are six of them and they hit hard with their greatclubs and javelins, but the fight is otherwise straightforward.
  • Joana, however, does become a mother: A wild magic surge causes her to retch for a round and vomit forth an egg, red and orange, that she is now caring for as best she can. The party has no idea what might be inside it.
  • Among the ogres' possessions, they find some very, very fancy robes that appear to be Neo-Alexandrian regalia.
  • There is also another chunk of star iron, this one 11lbs, to add to their collection, along with a handful of magical sling bullets.

The New Forest

• Another day passes and the group finds themselves in what appears to be an ancient wood. But it has, by all appearances, sprung from nothing. When Whip climbs a tree to get a view, the edge of the forest itself cleanly transitions from desert into ancient and primordial forest in a perfectly straight line for as far as he can discern. Elian is completely discombobulated and cannot make heads nor tails of the situation.
• They make slow progress: Madrin's easy trail spell that has been so reliable up to this point has no effect here. On the first night, at midnight, Whip and Madrin witness a white elk that is staring at their magic hut. They tell the rest about it, but it has left no sign of its passage and the group thinks they may be going a bit crazy.
• The next night, at dawn, the elk makes another appearance, this time with Joana, Elian and Bern to witness. It is very real, but the plants themselves seem to give way to it in deference.
  • They wake up Madrin, who is stoked. They let Whip sleep.
  • Elian starts a conversation using speak with animals. It goes thusly:

Elian [Elvish]: [Translation] Are you real? [understood by: Elian]

absalom [Elvish]: [Translation] Are you? [understood by: Elian]

Elian [Elvish]: [Translation] I'm pretty sure I am, but it's been a weird couple of days. [understood by: Elian]

absalom [Elvish]: [Translation] The solstice approaches, high weirdness with it. [understood by: Elian]

absalom [Elvish]: [Translation] The planes grow closer, and grow apart, moved by astral tides. [understood by: Elian]

Elian [Elvish]: [Translation] We are simply passing through on our way to the large human city by the bay. Are you responsible for the new forest here? [understood by: Elian]

absalom [Elvish]: [Translation] I serve the mother of this forest. I am caretaker and resident. [understood by: Elian]

Elian (to others in party): They say serve the "mother of this forest"

• • Session ends, dawn of 2nd Day of the Festival of Gramercy. The Solstice is tomorrow.