The monstrous tortoise reared in the desert sands, striking out any one that would come near it.
The party pushed through the sandstorm to try and get themselves in range to attack the giant tortoise as the mysterious, dark-clad nomads were racing along its side, trying to lose arrows into its vulnerable underside.
Movement was slow-going for the party who were suffering movement penalties in Difficult Terrain, and the sandstorm was inflicting a Blinded condition on their characters; luckily it was still early morning and they weren't suffering from heat exhaustion as well.
The party realized that the three archers running along side of the animal were hunting it and trying to take it down for food. That allowed the party to adjust their tactics (as not to fireball the beast into some turtle flambe). They attacked the creature with arrows, axes, and magical force damage, all the while the hunters seemed appreciative of the party's efforts. Quick-thinking, Llew was able to cast Fairie Fire on the animal which negated the sandstorm's effects on their combat. Then, within the height of combat, the turtle started trying to dig itself into the desert sands, gaining partial cover and an AC bonus; then, it fully submerged into the sand. It was easy to follow as a giant mound of displaced sand was moving its way across the desert! The party pursued the beast in the sweltering heat!
Meanwhile, Siegride attempted to help their fallen comrade by getting close enough to cast a healing spell on the figure that had taken damage earlier from the tortoise. Healed, the figure returned to consciousness and sat up in shock; his friend that was helping him fell backward into the sand pointing, yelling, "Tiamat! Tiamat!"
Siegride was running up to them. She cast Tongues so that they might understand her. "No, no, not Tiamat!", she yelled, and immediately, the slender shadow of a man she healed stepped backwards and raised his hands in cautious defense and angrily hissed, "Stay away from me!" in a language that sounded very elegant and flowing, while the healer-type screamed back threw his hands to his head and yelled, "Wha - Oh My God, you can speak English!"
Siegride had no idea what 'English' was. She heard this strange language (which was different from his unappreciative patient in its choppy use of vowels and consonances) and replied, "No, no ... I'm Siegride of Isthmeira. We're from Floreth! It's a long way away-"
"I can't believe it!", the man yelled back. "That's impossible! I thought I was the only one out here!"
All the while, the battle against the tortoise raged on. The party had managed to coax the turtle out of the sand and it tried to attack Gorbash and Tamroohk, and Tolman cast Ray of Frost on the creature that effectively negated its movement to zero. It wasn't long after that the creature succumbed to many blows and was dead in the sand.
The leader of the group approached the party and held his hand high - the others who followed him snapped to attention and listened as he spoke. His eyes were almond-shape, wide, and brilliant emerald in color. His words were being translated by the party's spells to comprehend languages. He said that he appreciated the party's intervention in their hunt; that he would share his water and share his food with the party if they had no other shelter in the desert, but for now, his men must butcher the beast before any other scavengers were to come this way, and, before the sun rises too high in the sky.
Agreeing that staying in the desert probably wasn't the best plan, the party kept watch while the nomadic tribesmen butchered the giant tortoise and created travois out of spears and netting to carry loads of tortoise meat out of the desert. Within an hour or so, the heat was already rising near 90-degrees, and the party and nomads left the tortoise carcass behind to head for the blue hills in the distance.
The party generously helped carrying as much meat as they could. They traveled for five miles, stopping every so often for quick short breaks to take sips of their water from their wine skins. The dwarves were blistering up from all the sun, and the generous strangers offered strips of cloth smeared with a cooling aloe. After a while, the party's spells wore off and they were unable to speak directly with the strangers. They gestured and smiled and indicated things with their hands in order to communicate. Soon though, the heat became oppressive and scaled greater than 100-degrees - the party and the strangers started making exhaustion rolls, slowing to half-speed, as they closed in on some sheer cliffs of the hills.
When the party approached the cliffs, the leader placed his hands against the rock and looked along its surface. The other members of his tribe - save one, the medic - did the same. Suddenly, the light began to dim as shade and shadow fell over the party; a darkness - seemingly called forth by the nomadic strangers - fell upon the party, and kept them from the direct sun. A short rest was had, spells were cast, there was water and some degree of conversation.
In speaking with the leader, Siegride learned that the Dragonborn - called tanin mawlud by these tribesmen - maintained patrols in the desert and that, if one looked closely against the horizon, the glint of their armor and scales could be seen. Sure enough, Siegride caught the glimmer of light in the far distance. He said to him that they should stay low in the desert lest they be seen in the hills; Siegride was sure that their uncanny shadows were protecting them from visibility now, and she headed his warning.
When the party pressed on, they traveled up a steep incline for twenty minutes before arriving against a sheer of rock that revealed an entrance to a cave. Within the cave it was cool and out of the direct sun which was very refreshing, and they started making their way into the cave. The strangers then removed their bandages and scarves from their faces and skin, revealing a smooth jet-black skin, tall pointed ears, and whispy white hair. The PC's didn't know what they were but they were elves. Drow, in fact.
The cave began to descend, down into the darkness, and the party encountered something that they recall seeing in the mines: living trees. Trees whose trunks jutted out of the solid rock; with leaves of black; with a bark that - if sucked on - had a refreshing sweet and saltiness about it; an entire forest, underground, thriving. The party made their way deep into the underground forest until they came to a resting place. At the resting place, the nomads began to break out the foodstuffs and start curing their meat, breaking it into smaller pieces for travel. And the party helped! It took five hours or so before they all came together for a meal to relax.
The elves called this place the Underdark. According to their myths, it spread around the world. The party recalled seeing something like this except with sickly and diseased trees in the Mines of York and Barrelborn. These trees and this forest under the earth was thriving and healthy. It was their home, but it was also an untamed wild, and that at no time should the party leave without the drow unless it is to return to the surface, to go "back up".
The party spoke primarily with the medic who introduced himself as Jake Ross. Jake was human, but he was called eabd, or, "slave" in the language of the elves. Jake explained that all humans were eabd, that, all the elves understood was that all humans were slaves, and that the name didn't necessarily reflect his relationship to the elves; he wasn't their captive. Jake's language was funny and odd. Jake said that he was from a place called "Seattle" and spun a fantastical story involving searching for a place called "Shangrala" at an event where a man was burned in a far away desert, the playa ; Siegride thought that his story sounded similar to other stories of Tanelorn that they'd heard about over the last year. Jake said that he was "a paramedic" where he came from, and that he'd been here for well over ten years after being found near death by Khal'd'fae.
Khal'd'fae was the 5'9", emerald-green eyed leader. Jake explained that Khal'd'fae was fair and honest, and taught him their language, and let Jake hunt with them in the desert.
Jeu'd'fae was Khal's right-hand-man; Jake called Jeu'd'fae "a Wormtail to Khal's Voldemort", whatever that meant. Jeu had bright silver eyes like liquid mercury. He was sneaky-looking, suspicious of the party and their intentions, and seemed fearful of Siegride who expressed clerical abilities (inasmuch that the party could tell, the dark elves had never encountered any other form of cleric before aside from the Clerics of Tahkesis).
Abja'fae was a bright, pink-eyed archer who took a fun interest in Gorbash and all of his weapons and bravery and valor in combat; Qazan'Fae, his twin brother, seemed to take a liking for Tamrhook and the healing arts.
Jake took the time to draw a map in the sand with sticks and rocks to explain to the party where they were. He said they were in Aljahim Alssahra, a land that translated into "a blazing hot desert on the edge of Hell". He showed the party where the four Citadels of the tanin mawlud were and from where they arrived; he explained that the land was desolated, ruled by tyrants, monsters, and fiends of all sorts; "You've never heard of the Slavers? The Efreteti and his three sons? The Winged Men? The Risen? Oh man, you guys are a bunch of noobs, just like me!"
Khal'd'fae eventually spoke with Ma'yah, explaining how he had lookouts and camps with men along various areas that he needed to deliver this food and water to. He explained the history of his people and the tanin mawlud (the Dragonborn), the Emirates, how the Theocracy of Tiamat brought them all together instead of fighting amongst each other, and the fight for resources that had come to harm his people. Khal even invited the party to come along and he would eventually take them to Zalam Medina - his home - to others who could explain the Theocracy much better than he could.
Spiteful and angry, Jeu'd'fae complained that Khal was being far to lienient and accepting of the strangers and that they should never take them back to their home, and they should never trust "women of Tiamat".
Khal'd'fae looked side-eyed to his companion then, in an enormous fit of strength, turned, picked Jeu'd'fae up, and slammed him against the side of a cave wall! He then pried open Jeu's eyes and turned his jaw to face Siegride. Jeu'd'fae struggled but Khal held him firmly in place. "What is it? Is there sand in your eyes, Jeu? What is it that I am not seeing? Do you see it? Do you see the aspect? Is her hair ... green, or red, or blue, or white, or black? Is her tongue forked? Is her skin as scales? Do you see something that I do not?!"Jeu struggled to answer saying, "No! No ... I ... I don't ..."
Khal held Jeu in position against the rock and pointed at Siegride. "NOT ... Tiamat. Other...!" And then he released his friend. "It's other! Accept it! They hunted your food, they shared their water, they helped you. Accept that the world is bigger than sand and desert! That there is more ... other ... than Tiamat!"
Jeu rubbed his face and his neck and scowled at the party, humiliated, and in private, Khal'd'fae revealed that there would be many like him - Drow that don't see possibilities, who're younger and more fearful, and that the party should be careful, especially in performing "miracles" (casting clerical-like spells) in front of those like Jeu. But Khal also asked Ma'yah, "But try to understand him. His fear."
That evening as the party camped in the Underdark they learned that these elves didn't sleep, but meditated and rested their minds and thoughts. When "morning" came (a maddening 2am awakening), the party pushed on into the darkness with the drow. They agreed to travel with the drow to distribute the food to Khal's men in the foothills. Traveling in the Underdark, it was just like traveling in a regular forest above ground, and Elan felt oddly at home. That is, until they were attacked by a pack of displacer beasts!
And that's where we left off! More to come ... the party travels in the Underdark to distribute needed food and water to Khal'd'fae's men, but who knows what horrors lurk in these woods?
R
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