Eric: A couple of minor corrections:
1) Tison is interested in selling his waha shield breaker shield with shield 2 matrix that pachala has been borrowing now that pachala is no longer interested in carrying it. No iron shields
John: Check. Worth 3000L if it is still at 12AP or more, and can sell immediately.
Eric: 2) Tison is working on the trapped tunnel. The jilanti (sp?) does not interest him much. Right now tison only visits the fort once or twice a season, so progress is undoubtedly slow, but he should be able to estimate the amount of work at least.
John: Aha, OK. Assuming you are working on the first part (steep slope down) it will take years at this pace. If you are working beyond the steep slope (e.g. in the spider webs on the slope up, or in the level tunnel above that before the door) there would be danger from poisonous spider swarms.
Eric: Pachala is willing to wait to gather allies before facing the dark, as long as he understands the time table. Any leads on karsh followers or illwraith would need investigation and would interest him greatly. Patrolling and training are important to him and can keep him busy for a season or two. He is interested in doing "city" patrols for chaos if we have targets and can arrange some sort of legal cover. We've found enough ogres and karsh types recently that he is convinced that the new city is a den of chaos.
Tison is very interested in the things listed and would try to convince other to talk to the dragon and do the river quest as soon as possible. Otherwise he is perfectly happy working his studies and talking pavic/river things over with bendrath. He is not to enthusiastic about the dark, but is ready to lend support when the party is ready to go.
*** So my vote is 5eyes, river quest, dark with a season or two training before we hit the dark.
Pachala would tell his tale and also relate the expeditions into the dark. He would state that he feels that both the dark and moria must be dealt with quickly and that in both of these case the interests of the river voices and those of the tribe and cult (to destroy chaos in prax) are in alignment and so he will continue to aid them. He would reinforce his message that as the river voices are sworn to kill river chaos and the river flows through and feeds prax, he feels that they do good work for the cause of the bull. (pachala's extreme dedication to the bull would show here (I.E. be applied)).
This interaction occurred last season (Sea) before the GL island and hence everyone has probably heard the story first or secondhand.
You tell your tale well. Ankubi agrees and ponders your thoughts as you speak. "You serve The Bull valiantly, and I have respect for these River Voices as they can go where my warriors cannot. We must strike the enemy soon while they are feeble and divided. I can help you, and you can help me... the River Voices and the Obsidian Ring have different talents that can help to reach the same goal of suppressing Chaos in our world."
He would talk about his interest in returning to the tien shrine once the dark has been dealt with and destroying the bindings that strengthen moria. He suggests that when he does this he will need aid from someone who has a strong enough shield spell to resist the sever spirit spells and that they should coordinate so that moria is watched and contained once this is done until a force can be raised to confront her.
"Worry not, brave Pachala. I shall lead my Obsidian Ring to this foul shrine next season [i.e. Fire Season, right now] and lay waste to the menace. The shrine of evil Tien will lay in ruins. You have done well in finding this and reporting it to me, Pachala. Soon Muriah will tremble like a sable calf before my might.... oh how I have yearned to spit her corpse on my pike! Focus your attention on this rabbit folk city of Pavis; I will deal with the enemy in the wilds."
"However I have a bold task to ask of you. My warriors and I chased chaos deep into the tunnels of Dyskund but were halted by narrow tunnels and deep, dark flooded passages that none of us could survive. The enemy lurks within there, and is still likely weak [although it has been a year or so]. I ask that the next time your band comes near Dyskund in good health, you probe its depths and eradicate the remaining menace. The River Voices are skilled underwater and can slay whatever lies within, whereas I would lose too many men confronting the challenges of the flooded tunnels. Thus here is an example where the rabbit folk of the river can actually please The Bull."
"The Dyskund foe is clever and knows the tunnels well. I believe it is the ogre Nanni Pola, head of the Pola stead that we razed. He must be a priest of a chaos god, perhaps Pocharngo or Cacodemon. His blasphemous activities below Prax must be ended as he is a source of pollution into the land and water around Dyskund. I would not be surprised if he is in league with Muriah somehow. We fought many gorp, walktapi, dragonsnails, and spirits pursuing him into his lair. If he has not fled then he must be killed before he recovers his strength. If he has fled then the horror of Dyskund is easily cleansed by the River Voices."
He would then ask for advice and aid in these two endeavors. He has never confronted a piece of the devil before and is particularly interested in any advice on that.
"I shall end the curse of Muriah, and any strong warriors that can keep up with me are welcome to join the assault. I secretly planned for this moment long ago and know a tunnel that leads from below the cliffs of Ronegarth into the fortress where Muriah holds sway. If she has not uncovered it, it may allow my band to quietly slip into the fortress and strike at the heart of evil there. We will go at the end of the season once I return from the Tien shrine. You are welcome to come."
"However, if you wish to lead warriors to Dyskund and strike there, or head into the Devil's Playground again soon, I suggest that you save your strength for those battles. This battle will require well rested warriors at their peak of ability. I can handle Muriah and her minions... I earned the honor name Broostalker for my skills at slaying her kind."
"As for the piece of Wakboth, I can say little except what I saw when I earned my khanhood in the Devil's Swamp at the Block. A Hand of Wakboth slew five strong braves before I and a few others could hack it apart. The hand could fly, cast great chaos magics, restitch its wounds, and had great strength to crush its foes. One of the fiercest and unpredictable Chaos enemies I have battled."
"Expect the eye to be just as strong or stronger. If you confront it, expect it to fight mightily and send many brave warriors to their glorious deaths. It will be deep in a crowd of chaos because the devil spawns itself with unholy fertility, and that crowd of slithering ooze will be no trivial foe either."
So, sounds like Ankubi is heading to defile the Tien shrine now, which is good because his ring can survive the heat of Vulture Country this season, saving you the trip. Then he plans to kill Muriah right away. He doesn't seem to need any of you for these tasks and seems to be pushing you to take on the responsibility of first destroying Dyskund and then The Eye. Trying to take on everything would stretch all of you too thin and take too long. You could argue with him if you disagree.
Less publicly, is their any skill or magic he can acquire to reduce the effect of disease? All this rotting is getting frustrating.
Vigor (higher CON) would help you if you had it active before getting infected. Treat Disease is taught by Chalana Arroy to her initiates as a skill but only acts on a diseased person. Healing spirits drive out disease, as you know. Those anti-disease herbs also help.
Arcus is not very excited to see 5 eyes, he fears that he will learn that the dragon is irrevocably committed to harming Sun County. However, he feels that he must go soon to see if there is some way to placate the dragon. He probably wants to go on the river heroquest after that, then when enough time has passed, he know he must go back to the into the Dark.
John and Sami -- I want to devote Arcus' time for the season to some sort policing activity that will give him Search and/or Listen checks. If we can work this into Tarranyr's activities in tracing down the Krarsht cultists or Illwraith, so much the better. Perhaps Tarranyr can let Arcus know about a lead that takes place in the Sun Quarter, which would require the help of a templar.
Arcus will tell Haloric about any policing sort of activities he goes on, though if there is not enough time he will act first, then report. When he talks to Haloric, he will ask his cousin what his chances are for becoming light son, and what advice Haloric can offer.
"Arcus, my good cousin, I have known that you were meant to become a Light Son since I first joined the cult. We have grown up together and although I am the elder I respect you. I will not stand in the way of the Will of Yelmalio, and I see no other that would. The Temple is in dire need of good warriors to seek out chaos, and although I have done my job in this city and county, Yelmalio could use you to plumb the depths of the land and seek out that which lies below. I fear that these lands and the lands of Sun County hide yet more evil mysteries that only the Light of Purity can reveal. Your skills with the river people will be of use in this endeavor. Indeed, the cult would be foolish to deny your acceptance as a Light Son. Count Solanthos has his eye on you, too, and so it is certain that once Yelmalio chooses you, you will move up in the ranks."
Arcus also tries to spend as much time with Taleo as possible, he sees the priest as a grandfatherly figure who should be revered. He will bring his hawk, Vrim, to live at the fort and hopefully Taleo will take care of him.
Taleo treats you like a grandson and lavishes you with attention. Actually he's clearly lonely and depressed. Vrim has lifted his spirits somewhat and keeps Taleo company up on top of Wyrmsjaw. Taleo keeps asking when you will return to the Black. Unfinished business there that keeps haunting him. Taleo's spirit will not rest until he is sure that the evil is destroyed. He also asks to be brought on any missions that involve slaying chaos in darkness. He's bored of sitting around.
If possible, Arcus will gently probe Taleo for more information about what he remembers of his time in the Dark, and maybe more so about the Oakly beggar guy. I looked through the old email I have, I don't have much from the synopsis of the first or second adventure into the Dark, but there was a reference to a riddle Oakly gave us to tell Taleo, something about the Eye of Wakboth. What was it again?
You don't learn more; he seems to have told you everything. Oakley Gauntest was an Orlanthi cultist who was illuminated by Lunars and went insane. Taleo dismisses him as a lunatic and coward. The riddle was something like, "what lies below... [I have this at home and can repeat it Saturday]" and really was just a message from Oakley to Taleo that he knew that the Eye of Wakboth was down there.