#chwinga chasers

[qualiteadnd]

Into the Ziggurat

— A CHWINGA CHASERS ADVENTURE

With the city of Halarahh trying to reclaim its security in the area, High Priestess Amara requests her saviors assist in the recovery of an ancient relic.

In the days following their rescue of the priestess, Messenger and Sei’ku only saw glimpses of each other in passing around the University. Neither were the sort to seek companionship and so brief nods were all they shared.

( At one point in passing, however, Messenger chucked a small stone at Sei’ku, which the monk caught quickly between his talons. “You can use that better than me,” the warforged explained, leaving him with the clear spindle Ioun stone — a trinket that allowed its wearer to go without food and water when necessary. )

And neither were surprised to see the other after summons from the Netyarch arrived at each of their rooms.

Waiting for them in the hall before the Netyarch and her council was High Priestess Amara and a handsome elven man. “How familiar are you two with the history of this city?” the Netyarch asked once greetings were made.

Though they knew of the city’s recent return from planes unknown, the details of Halarahh’s history were lost on them.

“Yes, when the Spellplague began we feared what would happen. Measures were made to protect the people of Halarahh until it was safe to return. It worked, yes, but now we have the long task of reestablishing ourselves in our own lands. First and foremost, we need to rebuild the protections that once stood around this city.”

Amara turned to them and the elf. “There is a holy relic of ours protected deep in a ziggurat to the west. Scouts have reported activity in the area of the ziggurat and I fear what might have taken up residence there since we’ve been gone. Messenger, Sei’ku, both of you have proven yourselves capable at dealing with unwanted company. Kaireel has shown exemplary magics at the University and has already agreed to escort me into the ziggurat, but I would be amiss to not ask for your assistance.”

Like Messenger and Sei’ku, Kaireel was not native to the area, having traveled to the city to study. And while some of the Netyarch’s council seemed to believe the city’s own spellswords should be accompanying the priestess, Amara trusted Sei’ku, Messenger, and Kaireel as her guard for this mission.

With the warriors readily on board, the party agreed to set out at dawn.

Their travel to the ziggurat was mostly uninterrupted as they followed the eastern coast. A surprise attack by were-jackals in the night was avoided by Messenger’s unerring vigilance and the three fighters dispatched them with ease. While removing the bodies from their camp, Sei’ku asked Amara if she believed these were the same threats that awaited them in the ziggurat.

“No, I don’t think so. Honestly, I’ll be surprised if we find anything inside at all. The ziggurat is supposed to be highly guarded, it’s why our ancestors hid the Scarab down there to begin with. But scouts saw signs of yuan-ti residence there and that… that is concerning. The sooner we return the Scarab to Halarahh the better.”

Half reclaimed by the land around it with foliage clinging to the carved stones, the ziggurat they approached remained an imposing structure even after all these years. Amara explained that to reach the Scarab at the heart of the ancient tomb, they’d need to work their way down. After a brief rest at the foot of the ziggurat, they began the long climb — save for Sei’ku, whose wings allowed him to scout the entry above as they caught up.

Though Amara was prepared to crack the seal on the temple, the door at the top gave way easily, its mechanisms already opened. She sucked in a breath and glanced at the men with her. “That’s what I feared. Be on your guard, everyone.”

With a couple of cantrips cast to illuminate the way, they ventured down into the tomb. It’s abandonment was obvious in the dust and cobwebs they pushed through on the first tier, but they found soon enough they were not alone.

The ziggurat’s long term inhabitants were not happy to be disturbed and so Sei’ku, Messenger, and Kaireel faced off against the tomb’s mummified priests. Luckily, their Dreadful Glare had no effect on Sei’ku and Kaireel was able to use the mummy’s disappointment against them, setting fire to their dry wrappings with a Fire Bolt.

Though Kaireel seemed quite pleased with his quick thinking magic, Sei’ku seemed thoroughly unimpressed and urged them all to stay vigilant as they proceeded past the smoldering remains.

Further mummies and the occasional wayward snake were dealt with in a similar manner. After setting off the first trap by mistake, they took care to watch their step the deeper they went, using their weapons to tap out the floor ahead. Pits were crossed with quick leaps and careful assists were offered to the less nimble among them.

Any interesting looking pot or chest they came across on their descent, however, Messenger thoroughly investigated and looted. Occasionally, he stuck his sword in a pot before sticking his hand in there, but always while disregarding the looks Amara kept shooting his way. “You do know these are my ancestors you’re taking from, right?” she eventually asked.

“...Are they going to need it?”

Muttering “I am not seeing this,” half to herself, she returned to the inscriptions on the walls in an attempt to speed this up.

Deeper into the ziggurat, they encountered their first real sign of pressing danger. Beyond the snakes and the occasional mummy still lingering, there were others in the ziggurat with them. The yuan-ti purebloods they encountered in one of the lower chambers were perhaps even more upset than the mummies about being disturbed. They attacked instantly, leaving them no chance to question their reason for trespassing.

As Messenger pulled Nameless free of one their corpses and Kaireel shook off the last tendrils of the snakefolk’s spellwork, Amara shone her light down another hall. “We need to keep moving, quickly.” As her light fell over the body of another yuan-ti, one less quick in avoiding the ziggurat’s blade traps, she added, “Stay on guard, please.”

Though they were able to make good time with Amara’s help, the ziggurat was still designed to confuse and impede intruders. Beyond the dozens of traps they encountered — pits, bolt walls, and swinging blades among others — they still stumbled into dead ends and found themselves looping in circles. Briefly, they were even trapped in a room with nothing but dozens of snakes.

Each delay worried Amara, but as they found the next dusty staircase down, her anxiety only seemed to increase. They were nearing the final chamber where the Guardian and the Scarab resided.

They moved quietly, though the halls and rooms they twisted through on the higher levels were absent down here. Now they moved through ceremonial chambers and past the detailed carvings of the ancient Halruaans. A yuan-ti stood guard near an archway, but they took him out swiftly and lowered his body quietly before any alarm could be raised.

In what could only be the grand tomb at the end of the ziggurat, they could hear the hissing of another yuan-ti. But with all their lights extinguished, they couldn’t make out what waited up ahead, even with darkvision. Confident it would need to be dealt with regardless, they prepared to attack.

Sei’ku led them inside, a burst of radiance immediately lighting the aasimar and the chamber up, as well as drawing the attention of the creature within. And creature it was. Rather than the humanoid snakefolk they’d become familiar with, a serpentine abomination turned away from the casket it’d been trying to open and hissed dangerously at them all.

Having done his job a little too well, Sei’ku shouldered most of the initial might of the abomination. Knocked down and out of the air, he staggered back up and focused primarily on defending Amara while Messenger and Kaireel hammered the serpent with steel and spells.

The abomination hit hard, but they hit harder.

It tried to curse them with a final hiss, but Messenger swung Nameless through its neck and watched the snake form fall and crumple. And as light begin to emit from the casket behind them, they realized it had still succeeded in something down here.

The three fighters all readied attacks as something from within pushed the casket open, but Amara ran up and stilled their blades. As a huge and ancient naga emerged from the casket, she whispered, “He’s with us.”

“Who disturbs my sleep?” the naga asked. All four of them glanced towards the pieces of yuan-ti abomination. “Ah. Good riddance. He’s been trying to get into my casket for days.” The naga turned his gold, serpentine gaze to Amara. “It has been some time since a priestess has come to see me. What service do you require?”

Amara, with her serpentine staff in hand, stood up straighter. “I request the Scarab that my ancestors trusted you with, Guardian. Halarahh requires its protection.”

The Guardian considered her for a moment before disappearing into the untold depths of the gilded casket. After a moment, he returned and held out with his tail a beautifully designed scarab of wrought gold and bronze and lapis lazuli inlay. Amara took it with a bow of her head and a thanks as he looked out over the others. “Anything else? Or can I return to my nap?”

“A reward wouldn’t hurt,” Messenger suggested, ignoring the elbow he received from Sei’ku.

The naga looked out around the room they stood in. Without someone trying to kill them and cantrip lights illuminating the space at last, the party could see his chamber also served as the primary vault of the ziggurat. Golden treasures of all kinds lined the walls and spilled across the floor. “Help yourselves, I suppose, I have no need for this.”

“Within reason,” Amara added.

With a tired nod, the Guardian flicked his tail and an unseen door slid open with a puff of stale air and dust. “When you’re done, the door will seal behind you.”

Messenger began to slide coins and strange looking artifacts into his Haversack while Kaireel began to collect his own payment. Sei’ku limited himself to a few decorative gold bands and focused on relieving the abomination of his decorative belt.

Draped over the lip of the casket, the Guardian’s continued yawning and Amara’s foot tapping at the door urged them to speed things up. And as promised, as they stepped through the dusty passage and into fresh air at the base of the ziggurat, the stones slid seamlessly back into place, leaving no trace of the door’s existence.

They made good time on their return and with the Scarab of Protection in hand, Amara seemed more willing to share some of the stories of it and her people over campfires. Their return to the Netyarch was met with warm, thankful greetings, and she promised them continued access to the University and its mages.

Pleased with this, Kaireel mentioned returning to the research that brought him to Halarahh and excused himself from their company.

“You two have proven yourself quite reliable,” Netyarch Kerime said to the warriors who remained. “I look forward to the day you consider Halaraah your homes.”

This time when Messenger took his things down to the mages and enchanters of the University, Sei’ku accompanied him. “Oh hello, sir!” greeted the young enchanter. “Are you back for another upgrade already? Who’s your friend?”

“Depends what you have to offer. But I have some things that need identifying. So does Sei’ku, I think.”

Sei’ku nodded. “If you don’t mind.”

“Certainly, sirs! Let’s see what you have there,” Angus said, patting the desk between them eagerly. There was some twisting and examining of each item they passed to Angus before he could confidently name each piece put before him.

“These look very neat, Mister Messenger. This is an Alchemy Jug, it creates different liquids upon request. This ewer is a little unusual, though. It has a whole lot of transfiguration magic in it, sir — maybe something a little more alchemical? — but I’ve never seen something like it before. If I’m right, and I bet I am, it should be able to create potions from water.”

Messenger considered both items for a moment, nodded, and shoved them back into his Haversack for safe keeping.

Angus then inspected the pieces Sei’ku had laid out for him. “Well, this one is a little spooky, but it doesn’t seem magical,” Angus said, putting the lamia’s keris down gingerly, “but this? This is a Necklace of Fireballs, Mister Sei’ku. If you throw one of the six beads, it casts Fireball.”

“What happens if you throw the whole string?”

“A way big Fireball, sir.” Angus set it back down near the keris and then picked up the beaded belt. “And this is an Onyx Belt, it will let you hit things really good with your bare hands. And I think that’s everything? Unless you wanted to talk enchantments?”

This time, a giant sword and a spear were both placed on the table in front of him. And Angus clapped his hands and got to work.

Kaireel — Sun Elf. Eldritch Knight Fighter. Played by Malfrost.

Continued thanks to Griffin McElroy for the best boy enchanter we have.

[qualiteadnd]

By Sky & By Sea

— A CHWINGA CHASERS ADVENTURE

As their journey aboard the Pride of Halar brings them closer to their quarry, confrontation draws ever near.

The vessel beneath the waves was unlike any magical or inventive marvel the crew of the Pride of Halar had ever seen. Like a great metal snake, it cut through the waves with little concern for the airship — or storm — above.

There was a rumble of thunder in the air, but Felix kept their course true. “Let’s keep those snakes from taking another dive, shall we? To your stations everyone!” As Felix gave the order and two massive harpoons were readied, another cry shattered the air.

Dark shadows flitted through the storm clouds. Indistinguishable at first, another sharp raptor cry pierced the night as two pteranodons swooped towards the ship. They threateningly snapped beaks filled with sharp teeth at the crew before flying back up to the circling flock above.

Lightning lit up the sky for a moment, followed quickly by a thunderous bang and rain began to fall in earnest down on them.

The first mate, a human woman allergic to bullshit, looked between the two threats to their ship. “Captain?”

“We have a mission to see through! Those dastardly dinos will need to get in line! Ready the harpoons!” Felix brought the ship lower just as the metal serpent broke the surface below. “Fire!”

The screeching howl of metal piercing metal was lost beneath the storm’s thunder, but the airship jerked as the tethered harpoons struck the vessel and held tight. Around the ship, the crystals flared brighter, their magic stabilizing to keep the Pride of Halar from being pulled into the sea.

As they began to ascend once more, dragging their underwater cargo along, a burst of fire shot out of a protruding tube from the vessel below. It struck the airship’s hull, bright sparks scaring away another swooping raptor.

Leaving his first mate at the helm, Felix rushed out to the bow of the ship where Sei’ku, Messenger, and Stonebark surveyed the scene. “Righto. You lads know what we’re after, yes? We’ll keep that ship up as long as we can, but there’s not much time. Reclaim the Scarab,” Felix said, hoisting himself up on the rails, “we’ll handle things up here.”

Before any of them could question the halfling, Felix gave a salute and launched himself off of the ship, onto the back of a passing pteranodon. They watched, dumbstruck, as he tried to steer the creature into its flock and away from his ship. Seemingly unfazed by her captain, the first mate shot another of the creatures with her wand, stuck it in her hair, and went back to keeping the Pride of Halar aloft.

Messenger pulled two potions of water breathing from his bag — just in case — and passed them to his breathing companions before getting up onto the rails as well. “You heard him. Let’s go.” He lept fearlessly, catching the harpoon rope on his descent and Stonebark clumsily followed suit.

Sei’ku took one last look at the sky battle happening in the storm around them before diving after his allies.

From a hatch on the ocean-wet deck of the ship, a yuan-ti sorceress spat a curse at them. Her spell missed, but sparked a rage in Messenger from the second his metal feet slammed on the deck. With Nameless unsheathed and divine and primal magic flaring around them, the three dove into battle.

The yuan-ti sorcerers and malison brutes who had come to investigate the breach were first-line defenders and put up enough of a fight to cost the trio precious moments. With the shaman emboldening himself and the warriors, they were able to push their way through to the hatch.

Within the ship, a horrible discordant alarm warned of the assault. Pausing on the ladder, the warforged put a hand on his head and shook it once.

“Messenger? What is it?”

“Klaxon alarms…”

Sei’ku’s brows furrowed. “What?”

Messenger dropped down the last few feet and withdrew Nameless. “Let’s just get this over with.”

“Which way?” Stonebark asked, peering into the hall.

Before they could decide, a bolt of fire struck Messenger in the shoulder and the barbarian whirled around to face the next challenge. Like the first wave, these yuan-ti proved to be dangerous. The malisons clashed swords with Messenger, trying to get the upper hand as their sorcerers struck from around corners.

The last standing sorcerer backed up, a spell already desperately weaving between his fingers, but Messenger charged him before it could be cast.

Sei’ku crouched down in front of him, ignoring the blood streaking down his own face now. “What are down these halls?” he asked pointing the way the mage had come.

“Dorms… storage…” he rasped. And when Sei’ku pointed down the opposite hall expectantly he answered, looking past the paladin to the barbarian making threats behind him. “The cats…”

Sei’ku used Pharos to stand up. “We don’t have much time.”

Deciding that Messenger would be better fit to break open prison cells and Sei’ku would have more of an eagle eye in storage, they agreed to split up. Stonebark took a look at Sei’ku, who’d been singed by more than a few fire spells already, and decided to go with him towards the back of the ship.

Breaking away on his own, Messenger headed fore towards the prison. A dozen or so tabaxi sat in their cells with heavy collars wrapped around their throats. A few perked up at the sight of Messenger.

He looked them over. “There a key somewhere?”

One of them shook her head. “Captain has it,” she told him, pointing towards the door further down. “He’s… not likely to hand it over.”

Messenger cracked metallic knuckles and stepped up. “We’re going to make our own key then.” Grabbing the door and bracing against the bars, Messenger raged and yanked the door straight off its hinges. The screech of metal had the tabaxis’ ears flat on their skulls, but they quickly brushed past him out of the cage.

Taking the jail door, Messenger turned towards the captain’s door and wedged it in there. “That should keep him busy.” Noticing a couple of the tabaxi touching their collars he asked, “Want me to get that?”

A beige tabaxi shrank back a little. “We’ve tried… They… don’t come off… cleanly,” he said with a wince.

“But they’ll kill you if you keep them on.”

The tabaxi looked Messenger up and down, blood still staining him from the last encounter. “Maybe not if they’re all dead?”

He grunted and gestured the way he’d come. “Let’s go. We’ll make the mages useful later.”

While Messenger freed the prisoners, Sei’ku led Stonebark towards cargo. Already wounded though, an encounter with a sorceress making her way out of the dorms almost proved deadly for Sei’ku. He was able to strike her with Pharos in the narrow hallway, but her spell slammed into his chest, knocking him off his feet.

Focused on his ally rather than the retreating snakefolk, Stonebark pressed one of his last healing spells into the aasimar and helped him up. “Careful there, friend,” he said, steadying him.

“Thank you, Stonebark… but we need to hurry.”

Pushing on, they found cargo an unorganized mess of stolen goods. And with Detect Magic up, Sei’ku saw the glimmer of the arcane across every shelf. “Well…”

“Do you see your bug?”

Making a noise in the negative, Sei’ku grabbed a sack from one of the shelves and began to quickly shove anything that glittered inside. To his relief, the bag neither bulged nor grew heavier and so he began to sweep whole shelves of magical goods inside without looking.

Suddenly, there was a low boom further up and the whole vessel shook.

They shared a worried look about the continued structural sanctity of this underwater vessel. Neither wanted to test the potions on their belts.

Sei’ku drew the bag shut and hooked it over his shoulder. “Let’s find Messenger.”

They returned to their entry point moments after Messenger and the tabaxi arrived. Messenger glanced at Sei’ku’s new bag and the assimar nodded. “Is that everyone?”

“Everyone that’s left,” offered one tabaxi, shooting a glare at the fallen body of one of the malisons in the corridor.

Understanding, Sei’ku looked back at the ladder they’d come down, the rails charred and broken from their previous engagement. Not to be stopped, Stonebark latched his long branch limbs to the hatch and looked down at the smaller catfolk. “Can you climb?”

Not about to question him, they quickly clambered up the treefolk towards freedom. Sei’ku flew up ahead with one good beat of his wings and perched up on the deck, offering each tabaxi a hand up.

Messenger stood guard below deck as they made their escape, watching for any yuan-ti who would try to stop them. But with only a few tabaxi left, the ship shuddered with nearby cannon fire. If the cannons continued and their own ship was damaged, no one would be getting out of here. Shouting “I’ll handle this,” over his shoulder, Messenger ran back up the hall.

Above, the Pride of Halar was struggling to keep airborne between its aggressive, sunken anchor and the storm-brave pteranodons. Sei’ku began to lead the tabaxi to the one remaining harpoon tethering the two ships. Between the thunder and cannons, he had to shout to be heard. “I’ll help you up! But you need to climb!”

Wet, miserable, and ready to be done with this entirely, the beige tabaxi was the first to step up to the rope and climb under Sei’ku’s guidance.

Back inside, even without the downpour, Messenger was feeling the wear of the assault. Using the last of his energy to go into a final rage, he broke down the door barring him from the ship’s weaponry and surprised the two yuan-ti at the arcane cannon within. One crumpled quickly under his attacks, but the other continued to hiss and fight.

It wasn’t until he pulled Nameless from the lifeless body of the defiant mage did he realize his mistake. The yuan-ti had been less defiant than he was distracting. The first mage still lived, breathing in shallow, bloodied breathes on the floor as she shoved the last of her magic into one final spell.

But rather than blast back, Messenger watched a small, glowing, ember red marble roll from her hand. Dread sank into his hollow stomach and Messenger sprinted back into the hall. “Shit.”

The ship trembled again.

Metal crashed up ahead and Messenger looked up to see a hulking, serpentine form slithering out over the broken cell door. Unlike any of the other yuan-ti they’d encountered before, this one was more snake than man. With a serpent’s body and multiple snake heads all focused on Messenger, the anathema captain charged in a rage of his own.

“Shit!”

“Messenger?” Stonebark called. His attempts to step back into the hall were aborted as Messenger booked it around the corner and started to shove him towards the hatch.

“No time! Need to go!”

Beneath the commotion of the storm, everything moved slowly for a moment, rain impeding every effort made. Sei’ku, flying between the two ships, called for Tabbus’s attention to help the freed tabaxi. Felix, returned to his ship, was shouting orders into the storm even as the last remaining pteranodons circled and shrieked. And Messenger and Stonebark pulled themselves up before the anathema could drag them back in.

For a moment, it seemed almost calm. Like despite the hellish night they’d just endured, they would see their mission through.

And then everything exploded in a terrible instant of intensity. An explosion wracked the vessel beneath the waves, lightning struck the balloon keeping the Pride of Halar aloft, and everything turned painfully white.

Stonebark Fallbreeze — Treefolk Warden Shaman. Played by Malfrost.

[qualiteadnd]

The Chase is On

— A CHWINGA CHASERS ADVENTURE

With the city still in danger, Sei’ku and Messenger set sail in the pursuit of the yuan-ti and the stolen treasures of Halarahh.

Finding the city in a state of chaos and panic on their return, Sei’ku and Messenger quickly parted ways with Elmuuth and sought out familiar faces and answers. Though the Netyarch was unavailable immediately, they were able to speak quickly with some of the guards. The yuan-ti, seemingly displeased by the city’s return to the area, launched an attack by sea that caught Halarahh unaware.

The threat, to Messenger’s disappointment, had already retreated to the sea once more, but the city remained shook as some fires continued to blaze along the harbor.

Feeling beholden to the city they’d been calling home, the two of them spent the next tenday aiding however they could. Messenger, strong and tireless as he was by design, assisted in efforts to physically rebuild after the fires were put out. With only so much divine healing at his disposal, Sei’ku worked long hours with the healers of the city, bandaging and soothing the injured through more traditional means.

They accepted little payment for their efforts, focused more on seeing the city emerge from the ashes. And so when the Netyarch reached out once more, they answered her call.

The woman before them was tired, but Netyarch Kerime met them as regally as ever. A bandage wrapped around her hand and the shadows beneath her eyes were the only true signs of what she and her people had been through. “I’ve heard you’ve been helping my city. You have my gratitude, but I have yet another task to ask of you,” she said gravely.

“The artifact you recovered with Amara was taken from us. The yuan-ti came in force with a number of enslaved tabaxi and they raided and burned. I will not allow this to stand. Our mages have been tracking them since their strange vessel disappeared beneath the waves. An airship leaves port tomorrow to pursue them towards Chult — with or without you, but I pray it is with. You have aided us significantly these last few months and I would consider it a personal debt if you were to secure the Scarab. I can’t fathom what they want of it, but if they were this determined, it can be for nothing good.”

After assuring her that they would be on the ship by dawn, they asked after any captured in the attack and her own involvement during it.

She offered them a tense smile. “They were after arcane power, even took my finger to take my ring,” she said, with a gesture to her wrapped hand, “but that is, regrettably, all we know. The slaves we captured… they wore barbaric collars. Once the yuan-ti made their escape, those that did not return to the ship were executed remotely.”

Troubled by that knowledge, but no less determined to see the yuan-ti regret their attack on Halarahh, Sei’ku and Messenger made their exits and prepared for the journey.

Sei’ku was used to visions. It was part of the territory with divinity in the blood. His guide, Ithuriel, was not often talkative, but he communicated through dreams.

The night before leaving for Chult, he found himself standing in a dreamscape field of soft purple grain. The valley stretched on, a sea of amaranth planted between distant mountain peaks, with Sei’ku, insignificant and small, at the heart of it. This was familiar.

The fact that he was not alone in this field, that was new. Kneeling before him was a faceless figure cloaked in shadows. Their eyes, or what counted for them, met and a scream echoed through the valley.

Sei’ku woke in his room with a panicked start to empty silence. Just a dream, but even now Ithuriel’s warning echoed in the rapid beating of his heart: beware.

The Pride of Halar was a grand airship powered by six large crystals and kept aloft by a huge canvas balloon the length of the ship. Luckily, the ship hadn’t been docked during the assault. Captained by an excitable halfling man by the name of Felix of Khatz, it was now in commission of the crown to pursue the yuan-ti with the help of mages on board.

Felix was a jovial gentleman who welcomed them both warmly to his ship. With a “Tally ho!” the crew wasted little time in setting off with everyone accounted for. Messenger and Sei’ku met briefly with the mages responsible for scrying their quarry, but there was little either could do until the ship caught up. Even though the yuan-ti had a good head start, the mages promised the Pride of Halar would reach them before they made land.

Over the course of their travel, Messenger began to host a fight club of sorts with the crew. Professing enlightenment through challenge, there was a sense of spirituality in the way he looked at combat. Though Sei’ku often watched from his perch in the masts above, he could appreciate Messenger’s battle thirst in a new light. He didn’t agree — and during bouts of inactivity they lightly butted heads — but it was, in a way, enlightening.

Among the various sailors and Halruaan mages on board was a brown tabby tabaxi. While Messenger and Sei’ku had been recruited to hunt down the yuan-ti, Tabbus had volunteered to aid in the rescue of the tabaxi slaves the yuan-ti had taken. Keeping mostly to himself, however, no one knew too much about him.

As Messenger called another sparring circle together, Tabbus pulled himself up with his staff and approached. Accepting his challenge, he surprised Messenger with how quick he truly was. When the barbarian seemed utterly out of his depth, Sei’ku literally swooped in to try and mitigate. Together the two of them could only just keep up with the monk who eventually rolled back away from the fight.

A little fidgety, Tabbus looked between them now —Messenger with his metal fists still clenched and Sei’ku still holding the form of his own monastic traditions — and nodded mostly to himself. “Quite the tag team,” he said, batting a paw over his ear. “Let’s hope it stands up to whatever we face at the end of this journey.”

With the Pride of Halar expertly navigating the route of their quarry beneath the waves, the ship eventually lowered into the sea and anchored in an island cove. After several long days confined to the ship, Messenger and Sei’ku took advantage of the chance to stretch their legs and ventured out with one of the scouting parties.

The island itself was wild and the only signs of civilized life they found were ancient and forgotten ruins, half carved into the cliffs. With a couple of trinkets recovered and some fresh supplies gathered, they began to hear alarms from the ship.

Breaking from the treeline to the shore, they quickly spotted the issue: a dracoturtle had risen from the depths and didn’t seem keen on this ship in its cove.

Though the ship was already gearing to lift off, the crystals still needed time to charge up. But by the jets of steam the dracoturtle was giving off, they still weren’t moving fast enough. While Messenger seemed ready to wrestle a turtle, no one else was keen on engaging the massive creature.

Thinking fast, Sei’ku asked if anyone could speak draconic, to which Tabbus raised his hand. Looking for ‘stop,’ Sei’ku repeated the harsh word back to Tabbus until he had it right and flew up over the ship with Pharos, his spear. Shouting the draconic word with all the divine power of Command, Sei’ku managed to startle the creature with his audacity long enough for the Pride of Halar to lift out of the water.

Messenger glumly returned Nameless to its sheath. “We could have killed the turtle.”

From the partially loaded ballista he had been struggling to ready, Felix was the only one to share those sentiments.

The next days of travel went by without much fanfare. Before they could catch up to the yuan-ti, however, Felix had them anchor once more to allow everyone one last chance to prepare before they engaged. Feeling pretty prepared to fight and retrieve already, Messenger and Sei’ku explored the coast while keeping an eye out for errant turtles.

But they spotted something else out of place first: a maple tree.

Curious, they investigated and found the tree to be an even stranger oddity than they first guessed. After poking around the bright red leaves, they were surprised to get poked back. The tree — or treant as it were — wasn’t sure what to make of the bird-ish looking and metal men staring back at him and they certainly had no idea what to make of him.

Introducing himself as Stonebark Fallbreeze, he asked what had stranded them on his little corner of nowhere. Explaining they’d come by airship and weren’t stranded, they asked if there were more treefolk like him in there area. He seemed a little out of place.

“No, no. Haven’t seen much of anyone around these parts. Came by ship some years ago, but it’s been rather boring here. And a little too green, to be honest with you folks,” he added, prodding at one of the ferns.

With a glance towards Messenger, Sei’ku offered, “Well, we have a ship. We’re in the middle of something, but if you don’t mind joining us, we should be returning to Halruaa soon.”

Intrigued, the treant shook his root-limbs free of the sandy soil. “Sounds more exciting than anything here. You folks seem better company than the lizards at least.”

Before they could ask, there was a bit of a commotion from deeper in the jungle. The trio moved to investigate — Stonebark putting in a little more effort to keep up with his new companions — and quickly found Captain Felix in a tangle with some lizards [read as: dinosaurs]. They took care of the pack of creatures harassing Felix quick enough, but the roar of an even larger lizard [read as: a tyrannosaur] meant they didn’t get to relax for long.

Despite the reptile’s valiant effort to eat the halfling captain, they managed to put the creature down. With some help from their recently acquired shaman’s own summoned beasts, it was easy going.

“As fun as that was,” Felix said, wiping dinosaur saliva from his everything, “high time we set off. Vessel to catch and all that.” Then Felix really took in the nature of their new friend and tilted his head back. “And, ah, who might you be? A new ally in our quest, perhaps? Jolly good!”

To the surprise of no one, Felix was more than accommodating in letting the treant board his ship. And without a draconic beast hastening their departure this time, the Pride of Halar soon returned to the sky.

But as night fell and storm clouds rolled in, Felix and the mages remained on deck and kept all hands at the ready. “Keep sharp, folks!” the captain warned. “We’ll be descending on those slippery snakes momentarily!”

And as their cloud cover parted, the crew could finally see what the mages had been scrying since before the journey began: a massive, metallic underwater ship just beneath the waves.

Stonebark Fallbreeze — Treefolk Warden Shaman. Played by Malfrost.

[qualiteadnd]

Some Dragons & Dungeons

— A CHWINGA CHASERS ADVENTURE

Our warriors respond to a dragon approaching Halarahh, only to fly off with him to handle a greater threat to the city.

It wasn’t until the city alarms were raised a few weeks later that Messenger’s and Sei’ku’s paths really crossed again. With the sight of a dragon flying directly towards the city, the alarms were merited. Pitching himself from the balcony of his tower room, Sei’ku took flight, rushing to meet the the city’s spellswords at the wall and offer aid. Anticipating a fight, Messenger booked it with Nameless to the wall through more traditional means.

Keeping aloft near the guards after passing the barbarian overhead, Sei’ku kept his spear in hand as the dragon drew ever closer. In the bright Halruaan sun, the metallic shine of his scales were blinding. While that was enough to keep the spellswords from firing on sight, it didn’t keep them from readying attacks.

The dragon slowed as it approached. “In peace,” the brass dragon said, landing gently down on the wall. “I come as a friend with news from the plains.”

“What kind of news?” the captain asked.

This close, they could tell the creature was young, not yet an adult by dragon standards, but still not something to be trifled with. A dragon’s ire, even a brass one, was not something the city wanted to incur while the priestess worked with the Scarab.

“There is a blue dragon moving in on my lands north of here. He is a disagreeable sort and not the kind of neighbor a city like yours would want.”

“Done,” said Messenger.

Sei’ku glanced over, but said nothing, looking back towards the proper guards of the city first.

The half-elf captain shook her head. “We can’t spare the manpower for something like that, not until our own fortifications are complete. A blue dragon is all the more reason to hasten our efforts here.” She looked back at Messenger and Sei’ku. “Do what you like with the brass, but the guard will focus on matters closer to home.”

The dragon seemed disappointed by the refusal, but turned his gaze on the other metallic and winged ones. “What of you two then? You look as though you’re considering my words. If you help, I will gladly return the favor.”

“Done,” Messenger repeated. He glanced over at Sei’ku who, so far, had proven himself to be reliable in battle. “Want to go kill a dragon?” A snort from the brass dragon sent his cloak fluttering. “A blue dragon?”

“Introductions first, perhaps?”

“Ah, forgetting my manners. It’s been awhile. I am Elmuuth.” After receiving both their names, he relaxed his wings, creating space for them to reach his back. “Now if you don’t mind, there is a blue I would like out of my lair before he wrecks the place, quickly now, gentlemen.”

Clambering onto his back, they prepared to leave with little else but their weapons. Sei’ku asked the guard to tell the Netyarch they were dealing with draconic matters and would return when they could. Then, Elmuuth took to the skies once more and Halarahh quickly fell away behind them.

Elmuuth was endearingly chatty on their flight, asking after all sorts of matters from beyond the plains of Halruaa. They spoke a little of the city and their recent prowess in battle, but neither volunteered much about their homes. Elmuuth was happy to listen regardless and told them more about the blue who had begun encroaching on his lands.

“Once that upstart started playing dirty, well, reinforcements seemed in order.”

They flew on for the rest of day, Elmuuth’s wings carrying them farther than they could have ever reached on foot in that time. When the conversation lulled, Sei’ku would take flight himself alongside Elmuuth. He received a few rumbling chuckles from the dragon when he slowed to allow the aasimar to catch up.

As night began to descend, however, so did Elmuuth. The unlikely trio landed among some shadowed ruins in the plains and set up camp.

What Elmuuth hadn’t realized when he’d landed ( or if he had, he kept it to himself ), was that the ruins were home to a small thieving crew. Unfortunately for the crew, Sei’ku and Messenger alone would have been enough to handle them. Sei’ku, Messenger, and a dragon made their attempted banditry suicidal at best. “Well,” Elmuuth, huffed as the line of fire still smoldered, “that was rather rude.”

The next morning they set off early enough to reach Elmuuth’s lair by midday. Rather than fly them to the front door, he took them a small entrance that he helped widen with his claws. “If that interloper catches wind of me it will spell trouble. Get the drop on him alone and I shall aid you when I can.”

While that was less than encouraging, they agreed and made their way inside. Before Sei’ku could offer to light Nameless as usual, Messenger spoke a command that illuminated the huge blade — Angus’s enchantments paid off. Together they navigated the lair, eradicating strange blue kobolds and draconic monstrosities in their path.

As they pushed deeper into the caverns, however, they began to come across various bits of gold and gems that Messenger subsequently looted. Sei’ku ruffled his feathers in annoyance. “You know this probably belongs to Elmuuth. These are his caves.”

“But what if the other one brought it to redecorate? Finders keepers then.”

This argument puttered on and off the further they went, until they found the heart of the lair, seemingly empty of anything but treasure. While small piles of gold and treasures lined the walls, a mountain of coins and trinkets dominated the center of the cavern.

When Messenger veered towards one of the few chests near the entry to try and open it, Sei’ku attempted to cut him off. “We do not have time for this,” he hissed. “There are bigger things to worry about.”

Neither noticed as the gold behind them began to shift and spill, revealing blue scales hidden beneath. But the once slumbering blue dragon had certainly noticed them.

A line of white hot lightning lit up the cavern as it streaked towards them both. While Messenger was able to dodge most of the attack, Sei’ku took the full brunt of it and collapsed in a pile of singed feathers.

“Alright. Bigger problems.” After half forcing a healing potion down Sei’ku’s throat, Messenger turned and roared at the dragon, going into a rage.

Even once Sei’ku had managed to shake off the static and pick himself back up, dealing with a young dragon was a challenge. He took to the air, moving to flank the beast with Messenger, but they were still just two men against a pissed off dragon.

It swiped and growled at them, threatening to make meals of them both, and for a moment seemed ready to make good on its threats.

But as the blue dragon readied another devastating breath, the wall of the cavern collapsed in a cloud of smoke and a streak of orange flames illuminated the room. Snorting smoke and embers, Elmuuth pushed his way into his lair and let out a deep roar.

Together, the three of them pushed the blue into a corner and Messenger pierced Nameless through the scales of its chest. It fell with a heavy thud, lightning dying in its maw.

On withdrawing the sword, a strange streak of blue appeared beneath the blood, running down the center of the metal. Messenger examined it as the dragon’s blood slicked off, then wordlessly slid Nameless into its sheath.

“Well,” Elmuuth huffed, looking down disdainfully at the other dragon. “Thank you for that. I take it you cleared out the rest of the interlopers? They would have no doubt come running otherwise.”

“We did,” Sei’ku said as he quietly slapped divine healing into himself and Messenger. “We caught them off guard.”

“Indeed. I doubt they knew of that entrance, but it is my lair.” They glanced at the hole in said lair he’d tunneled his way through. Elmuuth sighed. “I shall have to fix that.”

After collecting a few trophies from the blue dragon ( and trying not to disturb their brass companion too much ), Messenger once again began to examine the treasures in Elmuuth’s lair a little too closely.

“That is mine,” Elmuuth said, eyeing him. “While I might be willing to part with… some of my collection as a show of gratitude, there is something else I would rather like to show you. Follow me.” The dragon turned around like a large brass cat and led them down a far tunnel.

With a shared glance, Messenger and Sei’ku followed.

He led them deeper into his lair and into what seemed like an ancient temple. Carved into the sandstone were aged pillars with unrecognizable iconography that Elmuuth deftly wove his way between. And at the very back of the cavernous temple sat a pool. The brass dragon settled down beside it with a fanged grin. “I’ve brought some people for you to meet.”

Before either could question who they were meeting, a voice spoke and filled the very air around them. “It’s been a long time since I met anyone new.” The voice, they realized, was the pool itself.

With awkward introductions made, the pool admitted to not quite knowing what it was, just that it had been here as long as these caves. It was divine in some way, or possibly just divine adjacent. And once, people use to visit. But then they stopped and what felt like eons of loneliness had passed before Elmuuth had discovered it. It had forgotten so much in that time.

( Several insight checks proved it seemed honest enough. )

But despite not knowing its own origins, it knew it wanted to — and could — help Messenger and Sei’ku in some way. “If you drink from the pool and promise to take part of me with you when you leave, I’ll grant you each a boon. I’d really love to see beyond this cave.”

Messenger and Sei’ku had vastly different curiosities about the pool.

“What kind of boon?”

“Are you… safe to drink?”

To both questions they got the mental equivalent of a shrug. “Not sure. But it’ll be neat to find out.”

After some debate, the two dipped their hands into the pool. With one last glance at Elmuuth, who seemed just as curious about this as the pool did, the aasimar and the warforged and drank.

Several hours later, they woke up on the sandy floor, still beside the pool.

“What happened?” Sei’ku asked, sitting up.

“Seems the pool has a little bit of a kick,” Elmuuth chuckled, his head resting on his claws from where he watched them. “But you two look alright.”

And they were. Sei’ku felt a little heartier after drinking from the pool, while Messenger had the strange sense that should he ever need aid, he had the divine power to call it to him.

After granting their boons, the pool seemed a bit sleepy and asked again that they keep some of its waters with them on their journey. They cleaned out empty potion bottles, filling them with the pool’s water. It looked no different from any other bottle of water, but they each secured them safely in their bags.

With that settled and some trinkets exchanged — namely Sei’ku’s strange keris and some oddly ancient looking coins — Elmuuth led them back out to the plains. Wanting to repair his lair as soon as possible, he wasted no time in flying them back to Halarahh. It was still a good day’s journey, but before they even reached the city they knew something was wrong.

Halarahh was ablaze.

[qualiteadnd]

The Princess is in Another Cave

— A CHWINGA CHASERS ADVENTURE

When the high priestess of Halarahh is stolen away in the night, two unlikely warriors are hired to return her safely.

When the Spellplague hit, those that could fled. The wizards of Halarahh fled further than most, however, transporting their entire city to another plane. But in their absence over the years, a myriad of peoples and creatures moved into the southern plains they had called home, making their fairly recent return a little jarring to some. But the city, with its incredible mastery of the arcane, was still flourishing and drawing the attention of travelers to its harbors once more.

A young warrior looking to test his strength, Sei’ku had been traveling east from Chult, following the wisdom of his angelic guide. Unlike the rest of his kind, the young aasimar’s golden wings were flesh and bone, gifting him with flight, but making it impossible to blend in. The arcane city of Halarahh with its tall towers and sky ships was a pleasant surprise after the flat lands of his travel. He’d spent more than a few days at a small inn, taking up small adventuring jobs around the area, and exploring the high reaches of the city.

Winged and armed with both his talons and a shining, curved spear, it was only a matter of time before he caught someone of importance’s eye. On his tenth day in the city, he was asked to meet with the wizard queen, Netyarch Kerime, in the palace and the paladin readily accepted.

As he entered the chamber hall, he was met with not only the Netyarch and her council, but with a very large warforged wielding an even larger sword. Messenger and Sei’ku gave each other appraising looks, but were called to attention by Netyarch Kerime.

She informed them that word of their prowess had made its way through the city and back to her. With Halarahh still in a delicate position in the region, she had use for two fighters such as themselves, as she could not afford to spare anymore of her own spellswords on the task when the city still needed their protection. Two visiting warriors, making names for themselves with their might, were exactly what she needed.

“Several nights ago,” she told them, “our high priestess was taken from within the city. Those we sent after her have yet to return and I grow increasingly worried. You are not from Halarahh, you are strangers and not beholden to me, but I ask that you do me this favor and know I will return it kindly should you return my daughter to me.”

Sei’ku bowed his head and swore he would do what he could to see her safely returned. Messenger, encouraged by the prospects of both a fight and a reward, agreed as well.

A gentleman stepped forward and introduced himself as Gideon, an archwizard of the University within the city. He informed the two warriors that their scrying magic had led to a cave to the north, a two days journey from the city. Last they had seen, High Priestess Amara was still alive, but they worried for how long if something was not done.

With this information, Sei’ku and Messenger headed out of the city gates, neither doing more to prepare for the journey ahead of them than grab their weapons and go. Their journey north was a quiet one, both in terms of safety and socializing. Neither was the chatty sort and so despite their many differences and only recent acquaintance, they fell into an easy companionship.

Messenger didn’t ask about the wings. Sei’ku didn’t ask about the giant mecho-arcane thing. And they focused on the road ahead of them.

After a two day journey, with Sei’ku scouting from the skies and Messenger watching guard through the nights, they came across a cave entrance that matched the descriptions Gideon had given them. After descending into the subterranean darkness of the cavern, Sei’ku touched his hand to Messenger’s giant blade and cast Light, turning the massive sword into a beacon.

A short way into the cave, they found the looted bodies of two Halarahhan spellswords who’d come after Amara and they knew they were on the right path. Sei’ku said a short prayer for them and they pressed on, ready and alert.

Things weren’t quiet for long, however, and the two quickly came across a trio of thri-keen, humanoid insects that coordinated their attack in a chittering language. Ready for a fight, Messenger swung his massive blade, Nameless, at the nearest one and dove in. Sei’ku took to what heights the cavern allowed him and struck the bugs from above.

In this manner, they fought off a number of the thri-keen as they progressed through the cavern. And Sei’ku quickly learned his companion was something of a hoarder as he rage-looted every corpse after each fight. Sei’ku himself was not terribly interested in picking the dead clean and simply stood back, offering what healing was needed.

Though Sei’ku was more deliberate and careful while Messenger wanted to hit things hard until they died, the two found respect for each other’s skill with their weapons. After a quick rest, the two proceeded deeper into the caverns, leaving a trail of insect corpses in their wake.

After finding some glittering stones in one of the stalagmites, Messenger moved to pry them free of the rock. “We have more important matters to attend, Messenger,” Sei’ku reminded him, but his words fell on mostly deaf ears. Sei’ku stood on reluctant guard, feathers ruffled, as Messenger filled his bag with the precious stones.

In combat, they made a good pair. Out of combat, it was already clear their priorities were not exactly aligned.

The deeper they proceeded in the cavern, the warier they became, still unsure what it was that had stolen the priestess from the city. The thri-keen were annoying, but not particularly clever or subtle enough to whisk her away in the night.

In one of the caverns they explored, they came across a deep, dark pit and a large crack in the stone wall. The beacon of Messenger’s blade and their not exactly stealthy presence summoned two fire newts and a large salamander from the darkness.

To their relief, the salamander was already wounded heavily and, though it was still not an easy fight for them, that gave them the long term advantage. The body of another spellsword, with warped and melted armor, and the charred remains of a camp told them not all had been so lucky against the beasts.

But still there was no sign of the priestess. Wanting to nurse their burns and rest before going further, they made their own camp near the slain nest. Messenger sat watching the pit through the night, but nothing else climbed out.

Come morning, they scavenged what they could from the camp and nest, including a broken necklace, and then pushed on. Through the day and with a few more thri-keen encounters, Sei’ku continued to mutter over Messenger’s pack rat tendencies with shiny stones. But at the sight of blood staining the sandstone ahead, they readied their blades together.

A pile of bloodied bones from all manner of creatures, ranging from ancient to uncomfortably fresh, sat in the center of a high cavern. And though their alarms were raised, the sight of a young woman laying prone before it urged them quickly forward.

Dressed in red robes, with a serpentine staff dropped beside her, the high priestess did not move as they neared. Without hesitation, the familiar glow of Sei’ku’s healing magic began to radiate at his talons when another figure staggered from the shadows.

“Don’t get near her!” cried a second Amara.

Before they could consider heeding her warning, the prone priestess’s eyes flashed open, revealing her monstrous nature. The false Amara’s form shifted into that of a lamia as she struck out at the paladin who’d come to her aid.

Struck across the chest with her dagger, Sei’ku recoiled and Messenger rushed in.

“My staff! She stole my staff!” the true Amara shouted as the fight broke out. Sei’ku managed to slide past the clashing warforged and distracted monstrosity long enough to throw it to the priestess. Armed again, Amara blessed the two warriors and supported them through the battle from afar.

Outnumbered but still formidable, the lamia tried to curse, charm, and cut any who neared her in the fight and gave back as good as she got. There was, however, nothing she could do to stop Nameless from eventually piercing her through. She collapsed into a heap before the pile of bones.

“That horrible monster,” Amara said, “dragged me out here. I just… I want to be home,” she sighed, leaning heavily on the staff in her hands. “Did the Netyarch send you?”

“Your mother is worried,” Sei’ku told her, spending a small bit of his depleted healing magic on her with a careful touch.

She nodded and looked between her two saviors. “I don’t know how well I can keep up, but I am… so done with this cave.”

Raiding the lamia’s corpse and lair, they found a number of more stones, some of which appearing less natural than the others. Messenger forced the majority of it into his bag as Amara watched, bemused and bewildered, from where she rested. Sei’ku picked up the twisted keris that the lamia had used against him and slid it into his belt before pocketing a few tiger eye stones that had caught his attention in Messenger’s looting.

And with that, they made their slow way through the caves, back to the surface. Taking a quick rest in the fresh air, Sei’ku shared his rations with Amara before they made the slow trip back to Halarahh. Though there was slightly more conversation with Amara among them, the silence that persisted was mostly comfortable.

Netyarch Kerime immediately took their audience on their return to the city, grateful to see her daughter safe and sound. Though she attempted to maintain her nobility and decorum, her relief in seeing Amara, scraped and bruised but alive, was unfettered.

“I promised to return this favor in kind,” Kerime said, as Amara excused herself to her chambers. “You have been guests of Halarahh and now you will be guests of mine. I will arrange rooms with the University for you both, even one in the towers should that interest you, Sei’ku. They will be yours as long as you see fit to stay in Halarahh.”

The idea of a room above the city sat incredibly well with the paladin, in fact, and he bowed deeply, wings flaring out, as he expressed his thanks.

With another look over at the barbarian and his bulging bag of loot the Netyarch added, “And perhaps we can do something about that bag of yours, Messenger. There is an enchanter with the University, I’ll send word to expect a visit from you.”

Polite bows and gratitude were exchanged once more and the two adventurers exited the palace hall. With neither being creatures of many words, they nodded to each other and parted ways; with Messenger on his way to meet the enchanter and Sei’ku off to see what lodgings the University had to offer.

While Messenger might have expected to be meeting with someone like Gideon again, instead he met a young mage, visiting the from afar, by the name of Angus. Eager to help, the wizard identified some of Messenger’s finds — a few Ioun stones hidden in his haul — and expanded the limits of his bag by replacing it with a Haversack.

“You’re good with enchantments?” he asked the boy.

“Well, I do try, sir,” said Angus.

Messenger nodded and removed the massive blade from his back, making the desk between them rattle as he dropped it on top. “Let’s talk enchantments then.”

Thank you Griffin McElroy for inspiring our DM, more than a few parts of this campaign, and, of course, Angus McDonald.