Common Worlds

Speaker for the local followers of the New Pure Red fanatics, Serenjada's powerful speaking voice and vision of a truly Lunar world is thought to be madness by right-thinking folk. With most of her following in the Woodtwine Cities of Darjiin, few among the weeders have any experience with the strange persuasiveness of her "New, Healed or Red Gods only!" arguments.

Only now are her previously small Red Rallies starting to draw the concern of the Satrap's bureaucrats and the Manimat councils.

Ice Fist turned away from the lunars who acted as his "councillors" and the one who is his daughter. He casually trampled a few of the surviving supporters of the councillors, some froze solid as he passed, and several of the goat men got actively stamped into an icy paste as he took out his displeasure on them. The Llama riders, being mounted, generally escaped with better grace than the goat men and the servants to the councillors, though some of Gerendtho's sons used their odd magic to escape successfully.
Members of the Rass hero band were scattered around the chamber, fighting, injured, frozen or worse.

The Heroes watched (and in some ways assisted, whether they knew it or not) as the Councillors to Ice Fist attempted to summon him from the spirit world.

They all gathered at one or another point of the great snowflake-shaped dias at the heart of the Winter Palace. At the center of the dias a misshapen lump of ice sat, the size of a rhinoceros.

As the Heroes answered various questions in the tests, the room shook and everything grew colder.

The Councillor's magic reached a peak, and the hunk of ice shifted in place, then began to rise up on a column of ice. It revealed itself as the fist of Ice Fist, and the column was his arm. Only Garusharp noticed that as the arm rose up, a thin silver chain that has surrounded the lump of ice ended up catching and encircling Ice Fist's bicep.

At the border between the Winter Palace and the Dead Place, since the Dawn or before, Schakkku (whose name is like the sound of ice) has patrolled and guarded his master's (or is it his captive's?) citadel. On the icy ground, his vanquished foes have left their mark, called the Red Slush Line where their blood has mixed with the fallen frost of Schakkku's breath.

Schakkku is the Moaning Ice Wind Guardian, who stands at the entry to the Winter Ruins from the Dead Place. Normally his vigilance and cold, burning winds prevent many from reaching the relative safety of the old Palace.

Here, now, even in the dark, they look different than they have when any of you have passed them. Viewed from the safety and distance of the Praxian plains, the ruins looked grey, cracked and less than whole. They gleamed in the Praxian sun, but seemed broken and, well, ruined.

Before you now is the Winter Palace, huge and ominous in the dark and cold. Viewed in the reddish light of the nearly-full moon, sheer and nearly shear walls of gleaming grey, white and bluish marble rise out of the top of the plateau. The shape is vaguely reminiscent of a earthly 17th century star fort. (Not that the Heroes know what one of those is.)

But the Palace is taller than any ground-hugging star fort, rising over 100 feet into the cold, still air.

The Heroes came to the greatest altar of Eiritha, where they found a ceremony with dozens of priestesses already ongoing. They entered a great cavern with many pillars around its center, each pillar a representation of one of Eiritha's beasts, including ones not seen in the world since the beginning of time.

it seemed that most priestesses present were High Llama tribeswomen. Several different priestesses demanded answers:

Where is the thing you seek?

Which of us is the greatest mother?

Kodat, Oshun and his new badgering spirit waded and swum their way to another beach across and downriver, where the other heroes had washed ashore. Raven still missing, Rasa took the lead in organizing and getting the group moving up an ancient stair.

After a climb, the questers reached a large dias, S'peth's goddess told her that a potential ambush was about. The questers drew out the ambushers, who turned out to be Axe Sisters guarding Eiritha from this entrance to the Land of the Dead. With oaths and demonstrations, the questers showed that they were there to aid Eiritha. Even so, the Axe Sisters were less than convinced, but determined to take the band to the priestesses under guard.

As your ambush breaks into the open around the Flint Leopard, it whirls to face the largest body of you, then stalks back and forth, either looking for a break to escape through, or sizing up who it plans to take a bite of.

It's the size of a horse, though not as tall, and if it were flesh it would probably be 1200 pounds.

Its huge top and bottom fangs are its most prominent feature, large and seemingly razor sharp. Then you see the eyes. Black, remorseless eyes filled with an alien intelligence entirely lacking in human things like mercy or compassion.

This or the previous entry ("Pavis Campaign moving forward") are probably out of order.

Croly the family shaman found a way to communicate with the skull of Korjo Burning Blood. He was a Zorak Zorani shaman who attacked the Rass Manor during the early years of the troll occupation.

"Which troll mothers sent you to attack the Rass keep? Kag mothers.

Where are they? At the center of the Black Cloud.

Provide the name of an underworld guide. Goren Xortor Lord of the Gerketh Zoren. Do not speak that name aloud. 

Asher, his brother Senech Monkey Boy and some guards travel to the Dark Market near the troll break to meet with Asher's merchant contact, Hulok Leadbag. For reasons known only to the trickster, Senech has covered his normally white fur with enough turmeric spice to turn his fur a dirty yellow.  While they wait, Loricek clan troll merchants from a nearby booth show some interest in them. 

When they discover that Asher speaks good Darktounge, they ask "How much for the monkey?" referring to Senech. 
Asher replies "What you do with the monkey is not my concern." This results in a nearly immediate attempt to surround and capture Senech by the trollkin who work for the Loricek merchants.

Finally, Hulok arrives and Asher offers a gift of greenwing beetles.  After pleasantries, Asher shows Hulok a sign that relates to Korjo.  Hulok looks concerned. "You have seen this sign?"  "Yes," dissembles Asher, "in my research."  "This sign has appeared in the dreams of the Mothers. It disturbs them." Hulok looks unhappy.  "What does Korjo mean to your clan?" Asher presses.  "He is one of our ancestors."  Asher continues. "It would help me to know what he was trying to do."  "He is one of our ancestors."
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White Baboon Betrays the Monkey People A story from the Praxian Baboon people, on how the world was broken and why it is all the fault of the White Fur Thief. Red Baboon and White Monkey were brothers. Don't ask how, in those days stranger things could have the same mother and father. They were twin brothers who ruled the Monkey Kingdom, and it was good because Red Baboon had the Ruling Stick that made sure everyone knew what to do and why. White Monkey was the younger brother, and he wanted a way to show he was as good as his older brother, the Red Baboon King.  Senikras was naked, but he was sly.