The Drow of Xen'drik (part 2)

These posts are copies of the summary emails I write for our DnD group. The current mini-adventure is an Eberron tale, set in the jungles of Xen'drik, where the party are taking the roles of drow (and one dwarf). Whilst I take great effort to follow Eberron canon, there are undoubtedly bits where my story strays or contradicts stuff. I'm aware, this is my story, and we're not playing to create new canon, but to have fun. So, read on and enjoy!

 

Woodland Ambush

After the giant ruins that had claimed so much of Quayanorl and Bel'Tarayne's team, the group had not come across anything else of the lost civilisation for almost a week.  That in itself was rare - though the giant civilisation fell roughly 40,000 years ago when they repelled the Dal Quar invasion, they had been around for many thousands of years beforehand.

The first ruin D'Jhudi'it found was not even of giant origin.  Instead, it was an old statue dedicated to the now largely unknown gods of the feykind.  That in itself was enough to put most drow on edge - though they shared a common ancestry with other fey folk, the drow no longer see themselves that way.  Other elves are weaker, and the fey folk are simple creatures.  The animosity is mutual, and so when the large treant sighted the drow, it was quick to attack.

The two nymphs were not enough to guard the treant; even when an ancient satyr protector was called to help, it only succeeded in withdrawing Kami from the rest of the group.  Ultimately, with those who had called it now dead, the Satyr retreated and left.   Its parting words, later translated from its native tongue, spoke of others that it hoped would provide some sort of "mutual annihilation".  This wish was only half fulfilled.

The Dolgrim Slaughter

Within the marshlands, D'Jhudi'it found two all-but-ruined huts, with an alarming number of voices coming from them.  The voices were mostly from a tribe of Dolgrim warriors (with each of the mutant beasts having two mouths, they accounted for quite a bit of noise!).  Lead by a bugbear, and accompanied by a troll, they would have been quite deadly without the addition of the Sulatar drow, whose fire and lightning kept the critters at bay whilst Ryltar joined D'Jhidi'it, and helped take down the troll.

Curra watched the battle with concern.  When the last of the Khyber-beasts was certain to be dead, she moved in for a closer look.  That spawn had crept out from the realm below was bad enough, but these foulspawn had more than just Khyber magic about them.  As each had died, it had gifted a shadow-like barrier around its brethren, making them more sturdy.  Sure, it had not changed the course of the battle, but the implications were disturbing.  Could there be an active daelkyr in the vicinity?  Was there another plague of foulspawn preparing to rise and ravage their homeland?  The daelkyr had arrived approximately nine thousand years ago, breaking through from Xoriat, the Realm of Madness.  They brought about the destruction of the Dhakaani Empire on the Khorvaire continent, allowing for humans and other humanoid races to take over.  But they had left Xen'drik mostly alone.

Her concerns only briefly shared, Curra retreated to study one of the dead more, to read through her notes on Xoriat, and to send messages to others she thought could help.  There were fouler forces at play than just mutated goblins and other monstrous humanoids.  For now, they simply continued their search.

A Giant Defeat

As the sun began to rise, and their night-vision advantage lessened, the dull thumping of running giants was heard behind them.  Curra stiffened, feeling a presence focusing on her, and then through the trees came four giants, wreathed in flames.  A fifth figure, larger than the others, but bearing no solid form, was attached to the giants by lashes of flame, and through these, guided their stampeding actions.  The fire elemental, now sure its prey was near, caused the giants to howl (in rage, or in pain?) and charge forward.  Kami was quick, drawing the others nearby to envelope them in her protective roots, but the protection was not enough to withstand the area of intense flames that leapt about them.  Four individuals in such close proximity was too tempting an opportunity to look past, and so it was that explosion after explosion erupted about them, as the forgecallers distracted the drow, and the flamedancers moved in for the kill.

At first, the elemental seemed all but invulnerable, but as the giants linked to it fell, so did its resistance.  With Bel becoming immune to the flames himself, the creature was subdued...and as the flames died down, Brenna was found within.  Her body now crumpled on the ground, the thick golden collar she wore clicked open, and released her body from the curse she took upon herself.

The drow rested, dealing with burns and cuts as Brenna was stabilised and cared for.  After the busy night they had experienced, they hoped for a quiet day of rest and recuperation.  They continued to hope, right up until the airship crashed.

Signs in the Sky

Kami was the first to recognise it - after all, she was the only one who had experience with the flying vessels used by House Lyrandar.  The tell-tale fire elemental ring glowed brightly in the dawn sky, but Kami instantly knew there was something wrong.  If that ship had been in the sea, instead of floating through the air, it would be taking on a whole lot  of water.  Before she had time to attempt any explanation, there was an explosion, and the ship dropped behind the distant treetops.  Moments later, a second explosion issued forth through the jungle, as fire leapt high, and smoke poured into the morning sky.  Flocks of birds swarmed and cried out as they flew to escape the noise, but for now, nothing further was seen or heard.