session 26

Sandtrap!¶

We found ourselves face-to-face with a colossal Sandwyrm, its jagged, bone-like spines snapping shut around Gloopwing. Ryalith attempted to vault to the top of the great wyrm, but it nearly shook her off instead, leaving her dangling precariously on its side. Gloopwing would not be stopped for long though, and broke her way free of the wyrm’s trap. Gwen bought us precious time by casting a Slow spell on the wyrm. Meanwhile Stigs utilized the Rope Trick spell to create a safe haven for us and the Sil tweens, cleverly evading the Sandwyrm’s deadly strikes. It took a bit longer than expected though to convince everyone else to join him!

During the battle, two giant carrion beetles emerged from the sands, drawn by the commotion. Though the beetles initially seemed to be an additional threat, we soon realized they were merely scavengers, uninterested in the fight while the wyrm dominated the battlefield. Gwen’s attempt to use invisibility to hide proved futile against the creatures’ tremorsense, forcing her to employ more creative tactics, like casting Fly to escape to safety.

Once everyone was safely inside the the Rope Trick’s pocket dimension the Sandwyrm lost interest and retreated into the sands. We took the opportunity regroup and rest, spending time playing a dice poker game and tending to our wounds. The two Sil adolescents, Grexyl and Vorjha, who had been traveling with us, guided us through the hazardous desert terrain to the Yszara scale, a journey filled with snarky remarks and cautionary tales about the desert’s many dangers.

Upon reaching the Yszara scale, we were welcomed by the scale’s leader, Ssyla. Despite our initial exhaustion and a few missteps, we managed to learn about the militant nature of the Shatha scale under Sarath’s leadership and rumors of travel and trade in the caverns beneath the desert sands. The Yszara elders spoke of hidden caverns and the underdesert, where countless explorers had vanished without a trace. These caverns, they warned, were said to stretch to the very ends of the world, filled with unspeakable horrors and ancient mysteries.

We thus prepared for a journey into the underdesert, riding on enormous Steeders to navigate the treacherous depths. Gwen was excited at the prospect of action and opportunities for “heroism”, while the rest of us were more concerned with just staying alive. With tensions high and the stakes even higher, we steeled ourselves for whatever dangers and secrets lay ahead, determined to uncover the truth behind the cultists’ machinations concerning the mysterious Hodos.