The Lost Vineyard: Session Four

 

 

Aedric, Josian, and Vraifigi awoke to find a note from Gwimbly telling them he had left to go join a halfling guerilla group. As they discussed their plans for the day, they heard the sound of galloping hooves. Amalia Benedek rode into their camp and tumbled off her horse, who immediately collapsed. She started cursing and kicking it. Josian made a movement to save the horse with the healing power of Mercy, but Aedric pulled her aside. The horse required more divine intervention than the two of them combined could muster and it would be best to stay out of the way of the new heavily armed and armored arrival. Amalia explained that she'd been fighting in the crusades in the Sanctuaries until she and her horse were blown off course by a djinn whirlwind. Completely unaware of her sister's demise, she joined the party to sate her bloodlust. After all, there was a dragon wyvern to kill!

The adventurers checked the skies for wyrmsign, and seeing none, headed for the Grove of Thorns. The group laid out their blankets and rations in preparation for a picnic. They'd brought along the old bottle of wine they'd found in the Megaron to bribe the satyrs with. Josian wiped off the dust and noted it was sealed with a symbol of Oil Lamp and labeled with the mark of Iron Hand. As the two humanocentric "gods of civilization," she surmised that it was warded against non-humans. Before she could ask if anyone had a container to pour it out into, the satyrs emerged from the remains of the vineyards. They begged for a drink with hoarse voices. Amalia passed Josian a tin cup from her ration kit while Aedric tried to organize the satyrs into a line.

One by one, the alcohol restored them to their former selves. They whooped and clapped and jogged around in circles. Vraifigi tried to take advantage of their inattention to steal their valuables, but they had none. Aedric noted that the satyrs weren't fully healed. Some still had black and shriveled hands, hooves, phalluses, and tails. The Liberator, lord of drink, madness, and freedom, was powerful, but so was the Wanax who had cursed the satyrs all those years ago. However, maybe he could finish the job with some more divine intervention.

Aedric cleared his throat and announced that he was a cleric of the Grain Goddess. Before he could get another word out, the satyrs cheered. They loved the Grain Goddess. She was the Liberator's consort! Without her, there would be no wine to drink or food to feast. Plus, she was quite the looker. Aedric was a bit taken aback as they sang and recited poems about the Grain Goddess' shapely bosom and wide hips, but hey, it seemed rooted in respect, and praise is praise. Eventually, amid many interruptions, he was able to explain his offer: convert to the lawful religion of the Grain Goddess and he would cure them of the remainder of the Wanax's curse. 

Ordinarily, there's no way this sort of offer would work. Asking a chaotic creature to convert to a lawful religion? But these satyrs were old, from a time when civilization was less widespread. They were primarily concerned with the wilds, predating the Liberator's cult's shift towards chaos in response to the crushing oppression of Iron Hand and Oil Lamp. Plus, Aedric followed the Grain Goddess, the one lawful deity the Liberator's cult tolerated. In the end, three satyrs converted: one Aedric cured as a demonstration of his power, another he cured after taking a lunch break, and those satyrs' best friend. The rest weren't into it, but everyone was on board with killing the wyvern.

The party returned to the Megaron, planning to catch the wyvern by surprise at dawn. Amalia kept the satyrs entertained by challenging them to a dance battle, last man (or woman) standing wins. The satyrs were better dancers, but that was ultimately their undoing. They tried so hard to outdo the Benedek sister that she was able to simply outlast them all. The noise and the light of the fire also had the advantage of keeping the trolls and nocturnal predators away.

In the morning, Amalia sketched out a battle plan in the dirt. The three humans and the cave elf would enter the tower from the ramp while the satyrs would use their goat-like physique to scamper up the talus pile on the other side. Josian had just learned the spell Web from watching the spiders in the Megaron's cellar. With the advantage of surprise, she could immobilize the wyvern long enough for everyone to get some hits in.

Vraifigi noted that she could stealthily lead a four-man group, but the beastmen were beyond even her capabilities. Amalia told her not to worry, she'd worked with soldiers before. She challenged the satyrs to another contest. Whoever could be the most vulgar and offensive without making a sound wins. That did the trick, and the fight went off without a hitch. The adventurers cut and stabbed while the satyrs kicked and gored with their horns. The wyvern bellowed in pain and anger as it attempted to lash out with its clawed wings. Unfortunately for it, Josian's web spell kept it pinned in place, unable to strike down its foes. When it looked like it was about to break free, Vraifigi clambered up its snout and plunged her rapier into its eye.