Session 72 - Jaruul’s Dilemma
The Wand of Orcus is buried beneath the desert. Jaruul wakes with a choice, Primus speaks in riddles, and the party leaves the crypt — and the shard — behind them forever. Sneid fixes a gun. Dravenmere waits.
Burying the Chamber
- The party grabbed Jaruul’s belongings from the ground and made for the exit.
- Using the same path they came in through, they managed to slowly make their way back to the entrance.
- Sneid Arkmos investigated the gargoyle that had caused the sand to start drizzling inside the sunken temple, and figured out a way — with time — to retrigger it, intending to bury the entire place, along with the Wand of Orcus.
- Dristuul started to count the grains of sand in the desert.
- Sneid Arkmos fixed the mechanism, and used his Mage Hand to socket the last crystal needed. Then he ran like hell.
Jaruul’s Awakening
- At the same time, Jaruul woke up.
- Jaruul explained to the party that they were making a mistake and that the Wand of Orcus, in his hands, could save the Plane of Mechanus. He explained that he was special, and no one else could touch the wand safely. The possession and the attempt to kill the party were simply a side effect — proximity to the other shards of the wand made him lose control of himself.
- The party, while believing Jaruul, also noticed something was amiss with his arguments and remained skeptical.
Contacting Primus
- After a long conversation with the skeptical party, Jaruul urged them to gather around and prepared an improvised ritual to contact Primus.
- After a failed first try, the second succeeded.
- Primus, while speaking in riddles, somewhat confirmed what Jaruul had told the party — that he was special, and his decision could change the fate of the Planes. Primus also mentioned that he wasn’t urging Jaruul in any way, and the decision should be his own. No decision is right or wrong.
- The party had a long discussion with Jaruul about his choice, about them supporting his decision, but also about them enforcing the consequences of said decision.
Kylas’s Offer
- After leaving the realm of Mechanus, Kailas (Kylas) pulled Jaruul aside for a short talk. He mentioned that if ever Jaruul was close to losing control, he could help.
The Decision
- The day was already very long, and the party decided a long respite was deserved.
- After waking up, Jaruul’s decision was made — to leave behind the Wand of Orcus.
Contacting Ishanah
- Nyxara and Korin decided to contact Ishanah — through Sending — to inform her of the situation.
- She offered help, and mentioned her colleagues were at The Academy.
The Road to Dravenmere
- With the Wand of Orcus behind them, the adventurers decided to once again hit the road.
- Using the same setup as next time, they traveled through the Sand Witch from the desert to Dravenmere.
- During the travel, Sneid Arkmos managed to fix Rurik Drenn’s broken Gun.
- With Dravenmere in their sights, the party looked forward to the next step of their adventures.