Ragnorra Session 36

Start: 8 am, Thursday, Flamerule (July) 22, 1396

Ash and Vix returned to the Wheel and Deal.

The party discussed what they would do next, and came to the conclusion the first step would be to return Shevarra, Shaumar, Thorold, and Alaric to where they wanted to go. After some conversation, Alaric changed his mind and decided Immilmar was a good place to set off instead of Waterdeep.

Vix and Ash decided to visit Jaleel Boku once more.

To their surprise, Jaleel reacted very oddly to Ash. He seemed reverent, surprised, and quickly excused himself.

When he returned, he carried with him a large chest stuffed to the brim with goods. Vix quickly realized the bat is one of Ubtao's holy animals, and Jaleel seemed to interpret Ash as an emissary, herald, or minor manifestation of his deity.

Ash seemed delighted to receive this gift. Jaleel bowed and excused himself, mentioning once again what an honor it was to host his guests. Ash got himself equipped.

Lilly spoke with Vix a bit, complaining about Aziza's eccentricities. Vix found this amusing. Ash and Vix collected Zira, Njala, Aziza, and Lilly, and returned to the Wheel and Deal.

Ash decided to wild shape into a Will o' Wisp to better observe.

With little more ado, they decided to join hands and teleport to Immilmar.

Alaric departed first, then Shaumar, and Thorold. Cassius spoke with Shevarra, and reminded her to keep a lookout for the prophets she mentioned, and to keep in contact if she finds out any more relevant information. She agreed, and reassured him the Hathrans had the situations handled for the time, but impressed upon him that might not be the case forever.

Satisfied with that turn of events, the crew headed to a Jhuild brewhouse, and purchased thirteen bottles of Jhuild quite cheaply.

Moving on, Ronja questioned Aziza about her home. She described it rather poorly, and they found themselves teleporting into the ocean nearby Huzuz.

Annoyed but accepting the situation, the party swam to shore and made their way through the city with Aziza's direction. The guards to an apparent royal or noble quarter of sorts treated her with an odd sort of respect. They allowed the whole group through with no issue.

Aziza directed them to a manorial house near the palace. They were greeted by a nervous looking servant named Mehmet.

Mehmet displayed surprised at Aziza's return and directed the party through the house in Aziza's wake to her father, Faris Hasan.

Cassius took initiative, describing the situation they found themselves in, and described the location and nature of the cult. He described the treatment for the ailments the cult inflict, and questioned Hasan on any cult presence nearby. Hasan had barely heard of Cormyr. In his reality, it was a far-off land only mentioned in books. He took them seriously, however, and gave them a treasure of the Grand Caliph's armor, a jambiya called "Dao Haboob". He seemed regretful to part with such an item, but one could guess culture and custom impelled the offering. Cassius further questioned Hasan about Aziza, and anything that set her apart, or a reason why the cult might capture her.

Ash made himself known to Hasan. Hasan inferred he must be a creature known to him as a Djinn. He seemed to take this as a good omen.

Hasan described how the priests of Hajama, the Zakharan god of bravery, described Aziza as "being born under a black star". Her mother died in childbirth, and she was born with a caul and the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck. This is a specific bad omen mentioned in Hajaman scripture. The party thanked him and departed.

Right as the party were leaving, Ash whispered to Hasan "The red wizards must die". Hasan took this very seriously and seemed to take this as a message from the divine.

They headed to the temple of Hajama and spoke with a priest. They inquired about what it meant to be born under a black star. Immediately, the elderly priest knew who they spoke of, as he was present when Aziza was delivered, and such a rare set of circumstances occurs "once in an age". He went on to describe how legend dictates one born under such circumstances can bring no light to the world, and can only cast misery, illness, and discord in their wake. The party left, a bit confused.

They proceeded to attempt to return Njala home.

Njala described her home, and the party teleported off. They found the village she described utterly ruined, and hastily so. They asked Njala if there were any circumstances where this has happened before, or could happen. She did not seem to think so, and her tribe had very few enemies given how isolated it is, apart from some arctic orcs.

Ash explored the cave. He found a tunnel snaking downwards, and an elder fire elemental at the very bottom, with some burnt offerings. He relayed this message back to the rest of the party, and they questioned Njala on this. She described this as their god, a creature she misidentifies as a "spirit of the ancestral Jotunn".

Ronja scouted the exit of the cave, but a brutal blizzard over the sheer top of a glacier blocked her path.

Omen and Montgomery must feed in 68 hours.

XP: 400

End: Noon, Thursday, Flamerule (July) 22, 1396