Book 1: The Seventh Arch
Chapter 2: Thin Air
After a short time to prepare themselves, the party throws open the doors. Kaneepo sits on a throne, a gorga at their side, in a room with a fancy bed, a talking hedgehog in an cage, and some trees. Kaneepo calls on Sammakko to “kill the elves”. Sammakko signals to the group that he wants to use the same tactic as they used against the pods to sneak attack Mr. Slim. Sammakko approaches and Kaneepo fails to read his mind. Sammakko turns the spell back on him with his force his will and learns that Kaneepo is an intellectual equivalent. Shylock tries to trigger Sammakko’s deviant power by using his daze spell but the attempt fails. Kaneepo paralyzes Kalathel and steps behind the throne. Zephrym activates the Sammakko’s Eerie Flicker, causing the throne to bloom and wilt. As the gorga attacks the group, Kaneepo seems to disappear from behind the throne. After Zephrym slew the gorga, Kaneepo, enraged, charged him and slashes with his terrible claws. While Zephrym blocked with his shield, Kaneepo still was able grab his shadow and cause him to be frightened. Despite this, Sammakko and Zephrym’s attacks cause dire wounds. The battle is pitched, each side trading wicked blows but as he stands menacingly over Sammakko, Zephrym annihilates him with a bolt of lightning.
After they free Hubert (the talking hedgehog), he relates that only Kaneepo can open a portal to this world and that the party is trapped. But the Shadewither key is pulling towards the exit of the tree and the group follows. The key takes the party to the shadow land’s version of the 7 arches. The group says farewell to Hubert as they step through the seventh arch.
On the other side, a dense jungle surrounds them with only one arch amongst ruins. The portal flickers out and key stops glowing. Upon investigating their surroundings, they determine that they are unaware of where they could be but that this area is the hunting ground of a dragon. There is a sea to the west, to the north a jagged mountain range, and 5 miles east is the small hills with structures. There are pyramids and there are purple light ropes what seem to be magically carrying things to the pyramids and returning empty. The group decides to go to the nearby hills to the east and make camp along the way.
Along the way, a tree fisher (scorpion monkey) attacks and immobilizes Kalathel. The group makes fast work of the scorpion monkey and find uses for its parts.
The party decides to set up camp and rest up from their travels so far. Sammakko provides food and the party tries some monkey. Yummy yummy. Sammakko likes the brains. Sammakko keeps watch from a tree… which he successfully climbed.
The following day, the party approaches a small hill with boulders, one of which is carved to resemble an elven head. When Shylock approaches, two cat like creatures called Desa-desa attack in ambush from the bushes. After determining that the Desa-desa convert water into component gases which they use to cause fire explosions when struck with electricity, the group attack with safer damage types and kill one and run the other off. Kalathel determines that the statue is part of a larger underground structure. The group ignores the statue and moves on towards the hill.
The hill has a quarry and a tower in the middle connects the arcane gondolas to the city in the mountains. The sides are sloped down to the tower and a gondola awaits at the top of the tower. Two stone constructs excavate rocks from the quarry and carry them to the gondola. After distracting the constructs to draw them away from the entrance, the party attempts to sneak into the tower. Sammakko and Shylock fall as they descend, but Zephrym helps them dust off and run into the tower. Scaling the stairs in stealth, they hide amongst the stacked rocks.
The construct sees Shylock amongst the stones and attacks. Zephrym uses his Titan Blow deviant ability to push the construct off just before the gondola takes off. Shylock tends to the wounded Sammakko on the gondola. The gondola arrives at a city with many telescopes and elves rush the gondola! Shylock greets them and an elven woman shows them Golarian through a telescope!