Game night March 25 – Chibi-Fanaton and the Well of Gold

Session began with a bit of back-pedaling, to describe the last moments of the battle with Finn MacCool and his band of jocks, the Fialla. Amergin mocked them as the giant elves, living and dead, began to fade as the sun rose and the fey snows melted away to reveal the lush jungle greenery. Before dissappearing back into the fairy realm wince they ride forever along the circuit of the Wild Hunt, Amergin the bard said they fought well, and tossed them a bag of loot, the plunder of the last fools to cross the paths of Finn MacCool and his noble crew. He may also have flipped them the bird – he was known as Ghostraven after all.

So there they stood, in a clearing in the jungle. Heat grew intense, the buzzing of insects loud. They bound their wounds and looked about, trying to et their bearings. They were in a c-shaped clearing in a dense jungle, formed by a rocky outcropping, like three walls of a building, but natural. Within the open space a natural stone-walled pool was fed by a natural spring dribbling down the stones. Moments before it was solid ice, and Hex had to step free of the his fighting platform as it melted. (Its a trap.)

Beyond the rock-walled clearing the jungle closed in on all sides but to the north, where a small narrow field stretched towards the forests edge a hundred or more yards away. The tall trees overhung on all sides, and to them the party prepared to climb in order to ascertain their location, for they were lost – not even sure if they were still on the Isle of Dread – such is common among the survivors of a Wild Hunt. As Poppy prepared to climb a tree, she noticed something or someone watching her out of the corner of her eye. It was a creature about halfling sized, who was covered in fur and had a long prehensile tail. She also noticed it wore a necklace of bead and teeth.

Chibi-chib-chibi-Fanaton!

Back in the clearing, Hex was just noticing the pool. He was the glint of something shiny far down in the pool. (The lure.) He moved forward to give the pool a closer look and noticed a that the pool was crystal clear, and looked bottomless. The walls were of natural but smooth stone, and fifteen feet down a solid gold crown hung from a chunk of stone jutting from the wall. He prepared to dive for the crown. (Trap sprung.)

HOWEVER, just then Felipe stepped up to mention that there was no need to get wet, she had the psychic power of telekinesis, thanks to the burning radiation of Dark Sun, and could lift it out. Hex dipped a single finger-tip into the pool, and was surprised to see the tip of his finger turn to gold and drop down into the darkness of the bottomless pool.

Poppy shouted to the creature from the fields edge. It seemed to startle easily on its perch, a fallen log at forests edge, and when they shouted, it retreated along the log on its sharp toes. As Ria prepared to walk towards it with her hands outspread in a peaceful manner, Felipe left Hex at the pool to come to her side, Felipe sidled up to her, and though she couldnt see anything, her whiskers twitched – she knew it was a trap. (It was.) Eventually she found vines stretched across the jungle floor and some were tied into loops cunningly set. She left Ria to speak with the creature as she returned with Poppy to the well so their combined telekinetic strength could lift the heavy crown of solid gold. It did, and Hex was already gathering objects and tossing them nto the well. Each thin turned to gold and sank to the bottom, or broke off from whatever was partially submerged, just as his now bandaged finger-tip had.

Ria called out in the deep booming tones of primordial in an effort to communicate. The creature replied “Chibi-chib-chibi… Fanaton!” and stood on his two legs, shaking his staff. She saw that he had skin stretched from wrist to ankle, like a flyin squirrel. The thought made her glance to the trees, and it seemed some of the leaves shook in response. Just then the golden crown was pulled blazing from the pool and the chibi fanaton screamed “Chibi-FANATON!” and the ambush of the Fanaton was revealed.

From out of the trees five bolas flew – leather thongs with heavy stones on either end, meant to trip and tie up the opponent. Both Hex and Thokk were dropped by these primitive weapons, but the rest evaded. The fanaton who tried to lure them across the field aimed his staff into the midst of the heroes as they stood around the pool, and a globe o misty green flew forth to explode on the ground at their feet. Misty tendrils of vines wrapped up the heroes like thorny cocoons. Poppy, Hex, Felipe, and Ria were all restrained by the vines. Only Hex was able to teleport free, but the bola still had him knocked to the ground immobile. From that position he slashed at the fanaton druid. Hexes arcane pwoer allowed him to teleport his stricken foe a short distance with each strike, and he sent the chibi fanaton close to the golden well.

Out of the trees, the five other opponents revealed themselves, swooping down on their wings in dive bomber fashion. Halfling sized flying squirrels who grasped a pair of javelins in thei hands and feet. They stabbed with each of the javelins as they descended, Ria, Poppy, and Felipe were hit by the fanaton ambushers, who then either swooped back into the trees or landed to fight on foot with their javelins.

It was at this point some one remarked that they were ill-prepared for a full assault. They were spread out, many of their powers expended from their wild night out, and these little creatures were not so cute and inoffensive as once thought. Earlier I had mentioned that some of the battles were not as challenging as I expected, and that maybe some players thought they were too easy, or that their characters were unkillable. That this encounter was an answer to that call added an edge of tension to the battle, and the big double punch of the fanatons opening move reinforced that idea.

Gizmo gets a golden bath

Hex soon sent the leader sliding towards the pools edge. Twice the fanaton was able to hold on without going in, but the third time he became a golden statue quickly sinking out of sight to the dark bottom. Sharia rushed forward to use her lay on hands healing, and stepped right into on of the snares. She was yanked upwards, but still fought, swinging her sword upside down against the fanaton we came to know as Top-hat.

The battle had a sharp first act, culminating in many of the characters near their breaking point. The chibi fanaton would use their prehensile tails to trip their opponents and them stab into them with their poison tipped javelins. Eventually two more of the fanaton were sent to golden death, and the victory swung into the parties favor. As they last of the fanaton were being beaten down, the heroes began to speak of their new-found wealth, they had found the epicenter of their new empire in is small clearing in the jungle.

They also remembered the bag of loot won from the Wild Hunt. In addition to a well that turns anything dipped into it into solid gold, they also found two potions of vitality, Winged Boots, A magicians ring, bracers of defense, a cloak, some gloves and a strange bag containing “dust of creation.”

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