Eastern Shadows
"Of Stubbornness & Fatality, Quick! A potion for the Herbalist!"
The battle intensifies as Hobbits, humans, and goblins manage to escape captivity amidst the chaos. Mistress Lulu, in the midst of the combat, unleashes Black Fire upon the massive Shirazz (snake lady), bringing her crashing down, albeit also exposing Ruby to unfriendly fire. As soon as the beast falls, the spiders and the other shaman vanish, leaving only the sleeping shaman behind.
With the battle over, the party moves to free the remaining captives in the river. Just as they’re about to begin, Edwin and Dae spot a shimmering white object descending from the sky at breakneck speed—it's the Chimera, that blasted cursed and stubborn Chimera terrorizing the skies in the Fastness!
The creature crashes down in the middle of the party, immediately targeting Johann with fatal intent, and the Chimera’s intent, and she(?) saw through it. Sonny quickly erects a wall of darkness to shield the group, buying them time. Meanwhile, Mistress Lulu casts Shadow Step, whisking Johann away to safety and carrying him back toward Gugnir's Hope… but something about the execution of her spell seemed odd..
A goblin communicates with the elemental, negotiating for a safe hole to rest in. As tome passers and they feel it's safe enough, they head to the grove, where a grove child greets them and says to Ruby, “The foxes have warned us you were coming.”
The Grove Child proceeded to prepare a spell to divine the whereabouts of Mistress Lulu, pinpointing the desert hotlands where they had been the day before. She gives Ruby a stone that will guide them to Lulu.
“I can give you a tortoise” she says, “and if you place it on the corpse, it will bring the spirit back—but beware, spirits may try to claim him. Wait, the one who died is your herbalist friend? Then I’ll give you a potion”.
The Grove Child, who asks to be called Sue-Lee (for true names hold power), urges the group to bathe and clean their gear in the pond while she casts Strength of Stone on them for added endurance(18 points of endurance on Dae & Sunny, 17 on Ruby 16 on Edwin). She also requests that they gather red and yellow flowers along the way. The stones infused with Strength of Stone are revealed to be rank 18 with Sonny's DA.Before they depart, Sonny casts Shadow Armor on everyone, and Ruby casts Fire Armor to further protect them from the harsh environment they are headed.
As they descend into the well, they are greeted by an intense brightness, and the desert surroundings begin to shift. Edwin notices a herd of gazelles moving west, and to the east, hills surrounded by some sort of mist.
Sonny DA’s, and realizes they find themselves on the Plane of Fire. They try the stone, and it doesn’t work, but remembering the instructions they await until 8 am(ish) and try again, the stone now starts leading them towards the misty hills. On the way, they encounter Mistress Lulu, flying toward them with her shadow wings. They emerge from the well, and the group feeds the resurrection potion to Johann. Dae heals him as best as he can, and they return to the grove.
Ruby asks Sue-Lee for insight into why the Chimera is so obsessed with Johann. Sue-Lee explains "You dealt the killing blow to the creature beneath the water, and the Chimera believes you stole its victory. It now seeks to overcome you, believing that by killing Johann, it will claim the Mantle of the Lake."
Mistress Lulu reminds them that they had planned to gather clay for the earth elemental. Sue-Lee suggests they bathe and clean their gear before heading to the mines to avoid (or reduce chance of) detection by the Minotaurs.
As the group is performing their preparations, Johann crafts an amulet for Sonny, with a flower Sonny had with him.
A dwarf named Roger briefly talks with the group.
A pack of white spiritual wolves is summoned to accompany them on their journey south. After a little over an hour, they arrive at the mines, with their memories of the journey feeling hazy and no signs of fatigue. Mistress Lulu casts Witch Sight on Edwin and Ruby.
Johann discovers strange mushrooms that amplify light and other attributes. The group collects five buckets of magical clay, and after almost getting caught by the minotaurs due to a clumsy Elf whom we shall not name, they end up returning to the Earth Elemental in the river, and they are told that three of the buckets will be needed for trade.
Edwin then loots the body of the fallen shaman. As he handles the shaman's belts, he is stung by something hidden within. The cloak is made of feathers, infused with enchantments likely related to slaying creatures (Cloak, “type of enchantment” “protection”.
A set of suspenders, with apparently a Strength enhancemen.
And the Mask seems to boost Perception.
Lulu also asks the group to gather timenuts from the grass, which they do, collecting a total of 54 in various quantities.
Finally, they head back to Gugnir’s Hope, preparing for the next leg of their journey. The following morning, they are to head south towards the Islands of Adventure.
