Session 68 - Across the Desert: Jarul Strikes Again
Three days east across the dunes, and the desert starts to lie — the same rock twice, a straight line that bends back on itself. Then Jaruul feels the pull he can’t refuse, and drags the whole party down into a buried chamber of riddles, gargoyles, and gelatinous death.
9th of Undilar — The First Day
- The first day of travel went well: Korin directed Kailas where to drive, though the weather was extremely hot.
- The party reached one of the resting spots Korin had marked on the maps and found the expected rock formation.
- At Kailas’s suggestion, they decided to sleep in the sand.
- Nyxara cast Tiny Hut around the Sand Witch, and an alarm spell was placed before everyone settled in for the night.
10th of Undilar — The Rock They’d Seen Before
- The next day, Korin again directed Kailas and the journey continued.
- Jaruul felt the same sense of dread from the east — the very direction they were travelling. He grew nauseous but kept his composure.
- After a couple of hours, the party reached another rock formation. Korin remarked he felt as though he had seen this exact rock before, and Dristuul agreed.
- Sneid Arkmos pointed out that they’d been driving in a straight line, making it seem impossible.
- To test the suspicion, the party marked the rock:
- They made camp in the same arrangement as the night before and rested.
11th of Undilar — The Pull
- Under worsening weather, the journey resumed. Jaruul again felt a strong pull toward a distant rock formation — and convinced Kailas that Korin had directed them there.
- They arrived at rocks ringed by broken wooden planks. Sneid Arkmos identified wreckage, horse bones, old armour, and a hidden passage. Korin saw only ordinary debris and disagreed.
- Jaruul felt a dark force and insisted on entering. When the party stopped him, he teleported inside.
The Buried Chamber
- The party followed into an underground chamber with unlit braziers and a gargoyle statue.
- Jaruul conjured a magical barrier, which was dispelled. He was briefly restrained but kept escaping through sheer slipperiness and craft.
- A mysterious voice spoke in riddles:
“I don’t have eyes, but once I did see. I had thoughts, but now white and empty.”
- Dristuul and Nyxara joined the others underground as the voice repeated itself.
- Korin cast Hold Person on Jaruul; Sneid Arkmos bound and gagged him, and Kailas picked him up. Dristuul protested:
“Unhand my client!”
- Sneid discovered the gargoyle’s glowing eyes shared a single magical source and dispelled it. A brazier lit up, doors opened, and sand poured into the chamber. The voice added:
“Wisdom is the offspring of suffering and time.”