Session 2
Date: Sunday, July 22nd, 2007
Synopsis
After a long night of celebration, Caylix awoke late with the consequences of the previous night's revel. He was greeted by Epinora, who summoned him to the Temple of Varuna|Temple of Varuna] to learn about the Fire Orb he now possessed.
The party gathered at the temple, where they were welcomed by Malchor, the high priest. He explained that accepting the fire orb had granted Caylix great power...and great responsibility.
He spoke of the Islander legend of The Great Cycle, wherein heroes would rise to combat the gods of destruction in an epic battle for all humanity. The heroes would court the favor of The Elder Gods, and would nurture the spiritual manifestations of those gods until they grew powerful enough to combat the gods of destruction.
He posited that the Drakkar clan had come to seek the orb's power for themselves, and likely was seeking the other 5 as well. While he could not say for certain what of the other 5, it was clear that Atar, the fire god, had chosen Caylix to be the guardian of the Fire Orb.
He bade Caylix to ascend Mt. Otemba and seek the Kanalar Monolith. The magic of the monolith would impart upon him knowledge of the orb's power, as well as the wisdom he would need to be its guardian. He asked the party to accompany him, for he would likely face danger on the way.
And so, the party began their trek up the mountainside. A pack of raptors nearly killed Epinora, leading the party to wonder why the creatures would have taken on the whole party.
On the Elder Ridge, a plateau at the base of the mountain, they made camp for the night. On Medine's watch, they were attacked by two poison dusk lizardfolk rangers. They prevailed after a long and grueling battle, mostly with the entangling plants summoned by both sides. They captured one of the lizardfolk, but he said little of consequence, and was left tied to a tree.
The party ascended the mountain and arrived at the ruins of the ancient city of Kuresan. A thorough search of the stone foundations that linger in the ruins revealed an inscription in an unknown language, which they copied down for future reference.
While they walked through the city, a strange, gray mist gathered, blocking the sunlight and limiting their version. Ghostly visions of the city as it once was began to appear at the fringe of vision. The party found themselves trapped by a phantom fence on the grounds of a temple, and was attacked by undead.
When the skeletal warlocks were defeated, the illusion faded; however, the party scarcely had time to recover before they were set upon by a raptoran raiding party.
After an ultimatum delivered in the raptoran tongue, which none in the party could speak, the fight began. The two sides were well matched, and bloody blows were exchanged before the raptorans decided to retreat, having lost two of their number. They were content to defend their perches on the ridge while the party continued.
At the Kanalar Monolith, Epinora instructed Caylix to enter it. Upon touching it, it became a portal into the Spirit World. The party followed.
In the Spirit World, they saw Onaona as it once was, in an ancient age; the land was higher, and many islands that are now separate were joined. Mt. Otemba rose much higher, and the city of Kuresan was complete.
Wisps of prismatic light abounded in the epic landscape of the Spirit World; several of these wisps merged to form a silhouette of a feminine form, comprised only of prismatic light and eyes that were as portals into the deepest night sky, who spoke to the party through a voice in their minds.
She explained that the Fire God had chosen Caylix, just as she had chosen all the party to be the guardians of the orbs. She taught Caylix how to use the Fire Orb's power, and told him that his ability to sense his antithesis would lead him to the next orb. She bade them to find and guard the orbs, and to combat those who would take them for themselves, and lead the world into chaos and ruin.
When the party returned to the temporal world, they were met by a man in a black cloak bearing the red talon mark of the Drakkar. He was clearly a draconian, with red scales and horned crests on his bald head. He said simply, "and now I know your face." He spread his wings and flew toward the town below, prompting the party to rush after him.
They arrived hours later to find a mutant warthog ravaging the town. With the help of Murta and Malchor, they defeated the unnatural beast, and the town was saved. They saw no sign of the mysterious draconian.
