Four Fates Under the Southern Sun 3.5, Session 36

Start: 6 pm, Foreautumn 27, 401 GA

The party arrives in Gol-Galoon. Dianna asks her companions to accompany her, which they do, except for Ryardynin. Ryardynin excuses himself and investigates a local library.

She leads them to a nomad's market outside the city, and to a well stocked hut, manned by a decrepit, hag-like woman named Vexhelka. After some persuasion by Dianna and the rest of the party, she allows them to accompany her down a flight of steps into a previously hidden basement. The party determines this used to be a guard supply post or watchtower in ages past.

There, the party meets Divinia Zin and Asterion. With their and Dianna's aid, Vexhelka explains how one of the Ashig ancestral artifacts is nearby, they need only retrieve it. She phrases this as a 'test of their abilities', given they acquired the Staff of the Ibis, they found this somewhat unnecessary, but deigned to assist her anyway.

When asked, Vexhelka divulged the precise location of Adriana Vatatzes. She told the party Adriana is held in 'The Sinkhole', where the most dangerous Yoggite prisoners are held, below the imperial castle. She is guarded at all times, but is held in barbaric inhumane conditions. To her, this seemed excessive.

Vexhelka clarified whomever plucked the Staff of the Ibis from its place must be the one who does with the Fang of the Basilisk, the artifact they were sent to retrieve.

The party complied with the request, taking along Asterion as a guide to the oasis where this ancestral artifact allegedly was.

After some collective puzzling, Alasdair retrieved the statue's hand from the pool, after he noticed dangerous magic auras on the ring.

The party agreed to return the hand to the safehouse to obtain further information before they proceeded, because this seemed like a trap.

Upon returning, they were met with a regal Ashig, who introduced herself as Aessa Nix. She thanked and congratulated them for their find, and explained the plan, clarifying her objective. During the eclipse, they plan to use the three Ashig ancestral artifacts to wreak devastation in a coup. It is then she intended to have Dianna assassinate the emperor. Aessa went on to clarify the emperor has difficulty siring offspring, but killing him is not sufficent, he needs to be consumed in a way he cannot be resurrected. She intends to install a state in which all people are free and has no designs of Ashig supremacy.

She seemed sympathetic to the plight of Adriana Vatatzes and agreed it would be more expedient to rescue her during or before the eclipse.

Dianna confessed to Holow she had once again been keeping information from her in what she perceived as her best interest. She knew how to manipulate the Serpent God's black flame, an all consuming power, capable of causing her victims a true death, but she needed the Fang of the Basilisk to properly harness it. Holow accepted her apology.

The party requested Aessa assist in their plan to collect the Fang. Aessa explained the spells will summon the Serpent God's wardens. Holow insisted she would parley with them. Aessa seemed to think this was unlikely to produce the desired outcome, but assented.

They rested. Pan left with Asterion secretly in the night, and came back with him exhausted in the morning.

The party went on their trek to the wilderness, and removed the ring. Holow did the same with these basilisks as she had previously, and managed to convince them of her true intentions. The creatures stood down.


**Duration of Yolrud's holdout on Monolith Isle: 0 weeks, 12 hours, 0 days
Time until the next eclipse: 5 days
XP: 2000
End: 8 am, Foreautumn 28, 401 GA