ARCADIA CAMPAIGN LOG- PART 10
(Part 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10)
As
the crew sail towards Bone Hill, Cap'n reveals a special treasure to
the crew- the Crown fragment his uncle Gieuseppe took from the tomb 57
years ago.
Unfortunately, as Cap'n tries to get some rest, the ship hits
a bump, knocking the Amphorica off the shelf and sucking Cap'n
inside! Tara emerges, wondering what is going on.
The crew arrive at Bone Hill ahead of the eclipse, but a scouting party of Beastmasters has beat them there!
The crew hide and plan their next move, while Griff tries to outflank the beasts.
Suddenly, Centaurs appear and attack the trespassing
Beastmasters, knocking one down on top of Griff! Griff realizes the Centaurs are the ones from his vision.
The Eclipse begins! Beasts scatter and flee from the
Centaur attacks, and the crew use the chaos to scurry forward into the
shadows where Dr. Ossuary believes the entrance to be.
Meanwhile, Squalor takes the high road, until the ground beneath him gives way...
...and he falls down inside the Tomb!
Ossuary and Purket enter the tomb through the blast
hole left by the former 4A explorers 57 years ago. Debris and
treasure are scattered everywhere.
The crew soon follow, and scoop up pocketfuls of gold before pressing on.
Griff finds the Echo Gallery, but manages not to make any
noise that would reverberate and destroy his hearing. The Dwarven
chronicles of Jack and Drill still remain.
The others push ahead to the Orrery room, when suddenly a
looming figure appears ahead! Is it the guardian of the
tomb? No, it's just Squalor - what a relief.
But then, from behind Squalor, a battered Glint body
appears! It still holds Pallor, who has been trapped here for 57
years. Pallor screams and lunges for Griff, but Squalor manages
to block the attack.
Tara immobilizes Pallor with magic. Griff tries to
lasso the brute, but nearly gets pulled off his feet. Dr. Ossuary
casts a sinister Blood Boiling spell, and the oil in Pallor's borrowed
body bursts into flame!
Thinking fast, Cali activates the Magnet Trap, and the burning brute is sucked down the corridor, crashing at the far end.
Meanwhile, Purket has slipped past the fight. Squalor
follows behind, and warns Purket about traps ahead... as if he'd been
here before?
Everyone reaches Jack's tomb, and Squalor feels an
inexplicable pang of sadness. Purket takes out the Crown fragment
that Cap'n had inherited from his uncle Gieuseppe- and it fits
perfectly. Once restored, the tomb shakes and lowers into the
floor. Whirring noises can be heard from the Orrery room...
The crew realize that the Orrery needs to be repositioned on
its plinth, and reverse the Magnet trap to summon the giant rolling
Orrery, diving out of the way to avoid being crushed as it rolls into
place!
After reattaching the Orrery, the mechanism rises up and a
portal in the cieling opens, revealing the eclipse-darkened sky above.
The crew ride up with the Orrery and find themselves outside,
on top of a mesa. Purket can't help but fiddle with the
mechanisms in the Orrery...
In the distance, four Centaur-like Promaxis Panzers stand at attention... but are they friend or foe? The
light of the sun fast approaches... If the Eclipse ends, will the
Promaxis disappear? Purket pulls on something that grinds
the Orrery to a halt... and the moon above STOPS dead in the sky!
The Eclipse remains locked in place... for now.
As the crew stare at the terrifying and majestic forms of the Promaxis
Panzers, everyone can hear each other's thoughts. Dark secrets
can be heard... Cali babbles in her head. "Hey can you hear
this? La la la! Echo!" "Be quiet, Cali!" Ossuary
hisses. The Promaxis now know the crew's true intentions - to
stop Gora and the Swindon empire. And they consent to help!
Squalor, Purket, Griff, and Tara are able to merge with the Promaxis-
and are now ready to take on their greatest enemies! Traveling
together under the shadow of the eclipse, they head back towards the
Stormstalker.
Meanwhile, strong winds shake the Stormstalker and knock over the
Amphorica inside, releasing Cap'n. Wondering what he's missed, he
heads up on deck...
... and sees four deadly Panzers charging towards the
ship! In front of them he spots Cali, desperately trying to
outrun the machines, with Squalor's unconscious form in tow!
Before Cali can shout an explanation, Cap'n orders the crew
to open fire on the attackers! Fortunately, Purket's Promaxis
panzer dodges the shot. Cali finally fires a screaming arrow into
the ship that tells Cap'n they are friendly.
Purket tries to climb aboard, but the ship clearly can't
handle the load of all four panzers. Hunter suggests the Panzers
cut through the Dragon's Maw caverns, a shortcut to the Howling Gate
where the crew intend to face the Swindon Army and Gora's panzer
forces. The Stormstalker can sail around the long way and
meet them there.
Cali and Hunter ride on the backs of the Promaxis panzers as Purket,
Tara, Griff and Squalor pilot the four centaur-like mechanical
beasts. They enter the ominous gaping mouth of the Dragon's
Maw caverns.
Leaping across a chasm in the caverns, Tara misses his footing and
almost falls in! Squalor manages to catch Tara and pull him out
with his lance.
Curious what lies below, Tara fires a flame jet from his panzer's
chest, down into the chasm. A distant roar of flame answers...
Griff is suddenly gripped with a vision of an actual Dragon, close
enough to eat him in one bite. The vision passes... was it
a glimpse of the future, the past, a myth, or what lies beneath?
The crew venture on through the caverns and Griff catches movement out of the corner of his eye. What was it?
Creatures crawl from the shadows, over the rocks and on the ceiling!
Griff lets loose a blast of flame just in time, incinerating the
giant cave scorpions before they can attack.
Not sure which way to go, Cali follows strange tracks in the dirt that lead to...
...a grove of giant mushrooms. Wait, did one of those mushrooms
move? Some of them are alive! Tara uses his Polyglot
skills to translate their strange whistling squeaking language.
"Welcome! Please don't trample us! Follow the wind to the
exit." As the crew depart, the smallest fungus chirps "Thanks for
visiting, and watch out for Biteys." Tara wonders- "Biteys?"
As Cali follows the wind through the maze of tunnels, two giant cave
dinosaurs lunge out of the darkness! One takes a savage bite out of
Purket's Panzer.
Purket manages to retaliate, while Hunter leaps off Tara's Panzer and sinks his axes into the attacker's back.
Squalor brutally lances and then headbutts the other Dinosaur, dispatching it before it can do any more damage.
The crew see the dim light of day ahead, and exit the Dragon's
Maw. Before them lies the rocky edifice of the Howling Gate...
TO BE CONTINUED.
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