"I said all along we should have killed that Gnoll," Ciprian fumed. "Now she is still after us in the desert."
"This will be the last we hear from her," Gavril retorted.
"I'm sure she will do nothing when these creatures don't come back for their reward!" Ciprian clapped back.
"It is time to rest, even these nights in the desert are exhausting," Erevel added.
"Does anyone need healing or do you want any of your madnesses reduced?" Ursina queried. As she received no response she was also ready for a rest.
Ciprian cast a new spell, Tiny Hunt, and a sand colored opaque sphere appeared around him. He motioned the rest of the group to join him inside. They could easily pass through the "walls" and found a nice comfortable temperature inside. Ciprian indicated that no one outside could see them inside the hut. It would stay comfortable unless the outside temperature exceeded the maximum, then they would feel more heat. He said that it would provide a safe place to rest but they should probably post a guard.
A well rested night was spent although when the group rose for the night Agna was with them again. She had to be filled in on the events, and where the group was and was heading. After having a meal and memorizing spells the party was off again at close to sunset.
The night went smoothly and Hassad had them stop again as day broke. They set up camp as usual using the Tiny Hut and spent another uneventful day. Gavril awoke screaming and sweating and felt no better as night came upon the group. He felt tired as if he had not slept. After some discussion Ursina used Lesser Restoration to remove his fatigue and the group headed out once more. The night was again passed without incident but as day was breaking the group came upon a narrow pass between twin mesas around eighty feet above the defile. Sighted from the west end there were piles of boulders with a pile of withered brush in the middle.
"We need to make it through this pass before we stop for the night," Hassad announced.
"How far is it to the far end?" Erevel inquired.
"About a 45 minute ride on the camels. It might take an hour, but we should get going before the sun comes out completely," Hassad responded.
"Lets get going but be cautious," the invisible Ciprian suggested.
As Gavril and Erevel headed into the canyon a boulder came flying from the north mesa. It landed short of Erevel and her camel. A large head appeared on the top laughing raucously.
"Kal, they are a small wimpy little party. We will string them up by their balls for those scorpions to terrorize." it stated.
Gavril moved toward the scorpion and found that it had a long reach as he took an attack moving in toward it. His attack landed as Ciprian moved slightly toward the group and began to perform Inspire Greatness on himself, Gavril and Erevel. He then used his bow to fire arrows at the scorpion.
A boulder came flying down from above but it missed Gavril, the giant still laughing at the parties attempts against the scorpion. Armania cast invisibility and dismounted from the camel. Ursina cast Greater Invisibility then moved up next to the humongous scorpion. Erevel, unable to use her great sword, grabbed her rapier and attacked the claw.
The scorpion kept its hold on Erevel and crushed her again, its other claw attacked Gavril and the tail tried to sting him but missed. Agna again fired arrows at the scorpion. The second giant came toward the party and threw a boulder at Gavril and hit. Gavril felt his constitution fall and he became less comely, although what that meant to Gavril was a question.
Gavril attacked with both hands doing significant damage to the scorpion as Ciprian stopped and started his performance and identified the giants as Ash Giants a misshapen creature who's pale flesh was covered in purulent sores and bulbous tumors. Again a boulder came flying down from above but missed Agna. Armania moved to get an angle and fired a lightning bolt at the scorpion and the second giant. Ursina attacked and hit with her book as the creature again crushed Erevel and attacked Gavril who felt the tail sting but fought off the poison. Erevel continued to attacked with her rapier and Agna fired away with her bow.
The second giant now moved up to Gavril and swung his club doing much more damage than the boulder. Gavril responded with a devastating attack against the scorpion who slumped to the sand and released Erevel.
"Pohup they are stronger than we thought. Get down here now!" the giant yelled.
The party, led by Erevel and Gavril killed the giant as he swung his mighty club. Pohup was halfway down the cliff when he was struck by a lightning bolt and Ciprian's Cacophonous Call which left him nauseated.
"I give up I will not fight. You are too strong. Please we were only meant to test your strength. You are mighty warriors." the giant begged.
By this time Erevel and Agna were waiting for the giant to fall to the ground. If he made a move he was dead. Ciprian was ready with spells as the giant puked on the cliff and let go falling to the ground and laying prone.
"I give up!! You killed Kal and our pet. You are very strong."
A negotiation started between Ciprian and Pohup regarding his continued life. If he would help guide them through the desert he might live.
"Our Shatter Smile clan ordered to test and group violently, and to keep up our ongoing battles with the girtablilu." Pohup offered.
"Do you know of a ancient or abandoned city in the desert?" Ciprian inquired.
"I will not speak about the “holy city of death” lest I suffer a great curse."
"Does any of your clan know of the ancient city?"
"Only Mother Grim Moon can speak of such things safely. She has entered the city and knows its secrets. If my Shatter Smile kin learn that I was captured, they’re likely to humiliate me. If you let me go, I will tell my clan that you are very mighty and not worth fighting."
All the while Ursina was attempting to determine the veracity of the giant's statements. He seemed completely sincere so she reported this to Ciprian.
Finally the group determined they would take Pohup along, at least for a few days. They had him collect Kal and then the whole group moved to the far end of the pass and made camp. A meal was had party of the scorpion that Pohup had cut into pieces. Pohup meanwhile buried Kal after the group took the club and hide armor, both too large for any one to use.
The night was spent and the next day the party headed out. Pohup had to hustle to keep up with the mounted crew, even removing his armor. . The giant was familiar with the region and tried to make light of his captivity by pointing out landmarks where he had pulled sundry violent—and sometimes lethal—pranks.
After three more days of traveling listening to Pohup's tales got old after a time. As the group crossed a rocky field studded with weathered stone blocks as if some great building had once stood in the area. The blocks were immense and heavily weathered, though much of their mass lay buried beneath the dry, compacted earth.
"I am the Girtablilu spokeswoman, Ashkar. You have entered territory
claimed by the Ulkori girtablilu tribe. I acknowledge your endurance and persistence in traveling so far
into the Parchlands, but I must insist that you turn back
and return whence you came." the largest said moving closer to Ciprian.
"The girtablilus are unforgiving and not to be trusted" Pohup growled.
"You travel with a treacherous murderer," Ashkar said quietly to Ciprian.
"We travel in peace. We are in search of another traveler who will cause great evil if allowed to get to the ancient city. We want to stop this person." Ciprian answered.
"We offer you enough food and water to retrace your steps out of the desert as a sign of goodwill,"
"What right do you have to turn us away?"
“These lands are sacred to the Ulkori, and it is our duty to protect what lies within. By doing so, we protect the rest of the world. The Ulkori have been and shall always be guardians of this desert.”
At this Pohup snorts with laughter, "The girtablilus arrived only a generation ago."
"This giant lies, we are very serious in our duty."
"Why do you hate the ash giants?" Ciprian continued.
“The giants are reckless and cruel. They care nothing for the history of this land, and they revere neither the past nor life itself. When you depart, leave the giant here. We shall ensure he harms no others.” Ashkar stated as she adjusted her grip on her bow.
Ciprian continued with tales of Lowls’s villainy, his otherworldly allies, and the evil he might unleash. "We respect the forsaken site and have a traveler with us who lived once in the city and defeated the Flying Polyps in the ancient past we know that evil dwells there."
“One of our patrols tried to stop a group such as yours, bound along this same path. The trespassers did not heed our warnings but responded with violence. I found the corpses of my kin scattered across the stones, and we learned their story when our sandspeaker communed with their spirits. The trespassers’ tracks led to the most sacred site where we are forbidden to travel. I hope they perished before they could do greater harm.”
"That may be the man we are after. We hope to catch him before he can call down great evil."
The party had conveyed its sincerity and knowledge of the respect for the past and Ashkar relented but offered one past warning: she had no interest in accompanying them on their mad endeavor.
“I shall tell my people that you are permitted—but not welcome—to travel our lands. Beware the cursed city that lies several days from here. Within it slumbers a terrible evil that we have watched for ages, and it stirs once more. It is best that none wake it entirely, lest it cast its shadow across other lands. Should you emerge from the shattered streets showing signs of its influence, know that I shall personally destroy you so that you do not spread its curse.”
At that Ashkar and her compatriots turned and scurried across the hot sands.
DM's Notes: The party earned 11,200 XP for the night.
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