Weird stuff, and returning a Galatean Princess
We set out on a boat from St. Marie de la Mer towards the Forest of Nemi. Harald, Ailyll, and Gwyn teleport to the Ayesha. There we are told that Therigatha and Pharat have disappeared. Also, Harald's Book of Thoth has been stolen at some point. We scry on Therigatha, and see her suspended over a pit of snakes in a temple filled with lizard statues. Harald and Ailyll prepare for battle/ambush and Teleport after her. To our great surprise we end up in the middle of a blizzard. A structure is dimly visible in the distance, so we go to it. It is the top of a tower, barely sticking up above the deep deep snow. We enter, shivering, and see a very old skeleton with a rusty sword the likes of which we have never seen before. We run into some weird amphibian snow monsters with lots of teeth and chase them off. We explore the tower and attached complex a little, but decide this is something that requires a full team. We "study carefully" the top tower room, then teleport back to the boat. Have we been to lost Kondon? Only time will tell.
Next we tell the thieves to keep a better watch on the maidens, and we take Gwyn, daughter of King Aflaq and teleport to Galatea. Harald dramatically reveals Gwyn and we have a big party. Ailyll gets to meet the big cheese Galatean druids, though they don't seem to trust us entirely. We get some news of various Danger Gang related jive as well. A happy ending, no?
No. On the next day we are rudely awoken by accusations of false maiden returning. Gwyn is gone, and only a bundle of swamp rushes remain in her bed. We are given two days to produce her or else be put to death. Harald sighs as he realizes that there is a pattern emerging whereby he has to resave each maiden after he returns her. Miriam had to be saved from Queen Yodit, Dolores had to be saved from Geryoneo, and now this. Oh well.
Ailyll Communes with Nature to get some info about local bad guys and sources of reeds. It turn out there is a Nucklvie on a nearby island, and Gwyn is on an island right next to his. Some kids are building a bridge of rushes between the two islands, presumably so the maiden can get eaten. The Nucklvie can't cross running water, so the local geniuses have thought fit to leave him be, as he is on an island and all. We prep and head out.
When we get to the island Harald goes after the monster while Ailyll saves the princess. Harald also summons some kelpie to help dismantle the rushes bridge. The Nucklvie shows up and we fight. He does crazy hoof damage and has a breath weapon, and he almost kills Harald. Ailyll saves the day with a Wall of Thorns quickly followed by Heal. We burn the wall, but the jerkface is immune to fire. He tries to run, but we bravely follow and take him out after a tough fight. The kids who were building a rush bridge tell us they were hired by a thief-sounding woman.
Returning with the princess and monster head we are hailed as heroes again. We get the local rangers to do some tracking, and they find that the kidnapper came from the palace. In true detective fashion Harald has all the women in the palace line up and undress while he checks their feet. No one matches. Then he decides to check the foot-holder of the King, and she backstabs Harald for his trouble. She is quickly caught, and gives a nice speech about how she thought she could become Queen if there were no heirs. She is condemned and put to death the next day. We get some boss crowns and a couple of potions. Ailyll and her druidling Gwyn go off to fight some giant weasels and collect their poo. Harald visits the tomb of Cleitus the White and stops by Chrysopolis. The tomb was looted by a guy who looked a lot like Nero. He had to defeat a one-breasted black woman who also wanted to loot the tomb. They summoned their respective gods and did battle: hers were octopuses, his were the regular Roman ones.
Ailyll scries on Harald's book, and sees that it is in the possession of a very fancy looking black clad man who is talking with a cardinal. The fancy guy dispels the scry. We also check on Therigatha again, and learn that is really being held by Jamilla the Beautiful. We Teleport back to the Ayesha and plot.
At some point in all this mess we used Stone Tell to go through Harlad's rock collection. We learned that Harald has the Black Stone of Cybele that Ferrow stole from the Pope. It works like a magical battery, and is very powerful. It was a cornerstone of the Tower of Babel, and the Spindle of the Dao was another such cornerstone. Harald's Luckstone was a piece of the Spindle, and the Rock of the Kabaa was the most magic-having piece of the Spindle. The Black Stone says that a wave of magical energy destroyed the Tower of Babel, and the Tower contained so much power that when it fell it exploded, flinging pieces far and wide. There are probably only two or three big ones left.
