Post by venger on Jun 4, 2012 14:56:11 GMT -5
Paavo: 64804 -6th
Dan: 34475 -6th
Friedrich: 72193 -7th
Mary: 32362 -5th
Trommer: 86037 -6th
Colby: 91151 | 10746 -8th
Bolo: 61440 -6th
Nordel 2694 -2nd
Finnious: 21900 /36930 -6th/5th
Ingrid: 27500 /32269 -5th/6th
Bolo's first priority was freeing the ship. Hidden amongst the amphorae, a surprise stowaway named Holtis had an axe. He proved uncooperative though, so Bolo shot him and took it. Tying himself with a rope, Bolo found the rotting planks of the ghost ship grasping at the party's vessel. He hacked valiantly at them under a deluge of flesh-eating grubs and beetles until Friedrich, a more competent axeman, arrived and took over.
Ingrid poured holy salts over Danakes, consecrating his body and preventing him from rising as the undead.
Meanwhile, below decks...
Johann collapsed, screaming in agony as the magical flames consumed his flesh. Trommer called upon the glowing ring to heal Johann, and, its last spell expended, the ring ceased to glow. Colby shook off the effects of his confusion long enough assist Trommer in dragging Paavo, paralyzed by the claws of the undead creature, and the burnt Johann, lingering at death's door, back up the stairs.
Neither infravision nor continual light could penetrate the gloom in the ship's hold, and no one was keen on battling whatever evil lay below in their current condition.
Mooring the two ships to one another using the grappling hooks and ropes from the skeletal pirates, Trommer and Colby investigated the various cabins.
The scorched and soot-covered cabin on the main deck proved to be the captain's; containing a sea-chest, a bunk, and a desk at which was seated a charred skeleton, dressed in burned finery. The desk disintegrated under Colby's touch, sending up a choking cloud of dust and feculent matter, forcing them out of the room until it settled. A search of the skeleton turned up a bright saber, a strange apparatus with a short handle and a wide muzzle, and a couple rings; a plain gold band and one set with a diamond. The sea-chest, opened with a Knock spell, contained only mouldering clothes. At this point Colby wandered off, drooling to himself, his mind overcome by the horrors of the ship. Friedrich took over the search.
Doors on the mid-deck revealed a marine berth thick with cobwebs, rotting hammocks and restless skeletons who took up arms against Friedrich. They were no match for the dwarven warrior.
The other door opened into a galley full of rusted pots, pans and cutlery which rose into the air to menace the dwarf. Rather than face these unseen poltergeists, Freidrich slammed the door shut.
Many hours of rest would be required to regain spells and recover the party's strength before anyone felt comfortable braving the lower decks. As the party made preprations to rest, Johann admonished them about the danger to their ship in the wake of the larger ship's sinking. After delivering this warning, the pirate, nigh-unto-death, lapsed into a torpor.
Under heavy oar, the Lamia's Kiss left behind the sinking ghost ship. Bolo watched through his spyglass as it slipped beneath the waves.
There was some debate as to the ship's heading, but in the end everyone agreed to continue on toward the Sunset Isles, Friedrich piloting the boat toward the kaleidescopic horizon. For the better part of the next day the clerics alternated between resting and calling upon their healing magicks to restore everyone to a state of wellness, the only thing of interest sighted; a flock of colorful flying fish. Trommer wondered what type of sea predator would disturb the school of flying fish.
His query was soon answered when Bolo spied a great scaled head cresting the water. Sighting the ship, the sea serpent moved toward it with sinuous grace, sinking slowly beneath the waves. Everyone readied themselves for battle, while Colby polymorphed into a winged form and launched himself upwards. The great serpent again surfaced, this time much closer to the ship, where it was met with a barrage of arrows,lightning and magical fire. Roaring its outrage, it answered with a gout of its own fire, scouring the deck of the Lamia's Kiss. Rope and sailcloth smoldered but the ship didn't catch fire. Colby escaped the blast, having attained sufficient altitude. Everyone else was scorched and blasted from their feet, except Trommer who somehow maintained his combat stance. Dan Danbury, Mary Tanner and Finnious emerged onto the deck, readying spells. Sensing victory, the serpent closed for the kill, entwining itself around the length of the ship. Trommer hacked into it with the fey sword. The serpent bit down on Dan Danbury, inflicting minimal injury but disrupting his spell attempt. Colby, Mary and Finnious volleyed magical bolts into the sea monster, blackening its iridescent scales and Trommer chopped off its mighty head.
The ship sailed on, the clerics praying overtime to restore everyone to full health. On the 6th day out, when the twilight had deepened to a rich purple and glittering stars fell one-by-one from the heavens, Holtis and Friedrich stood watch on the aft-castle. Both of them proved oblivious to a squelching sound against the side of the ship and were mildly surprised when a couple of 8-armed octopus-men hauled themselves up onto the deck. Wearing harnesses of chain and braided seaweed, the cephalo-people were heavily-armed with knives, hand-axes and harthingy-like spears.
"Kill them all, take the ship," one gurgled in a watery, alien voice.
Yelling in alarm, Friedrich drew his axe and chopped deep into rubbery flesh. The battle was fast and furious as six more of the octopus-men clambered aboard and were met with the swords and axes of our heroes. Bristling with armament, the octopus-men were fearsome foes, striking with many weapons at once. Holtis was slain in the ensuing melee. Colby again shifted to gargoyle form and flapped into the sky, Bolo scampered up into the crow's nest to rain arrows onto the marauders. Eventually the octopus-men were repelled, two of them slain trying to retreat into the water. Aside from their copious weapons, they carried nothing of value.
Holtis' body was stacked with Danakes' in the ship's hold.
The sea ahead was mist-shrouded and Johann believed they were entering the Scrags' Teeth, a dangerous area of jagged reefs and treacherous rocky shoals. Amidst some flotsam, the party discovered a water-logged castaway named Nordel, who claimed to be a bowman. Glad to be rescued, he pledged himself to the party's quest.
Navigating the Scrags' Teeth was slow and nerve-wracking. Something about the name nagged at Trommer. An island of protruding rock was spotted in the distance, but no one wanted to investigate. Something stirred, splashing into the water, and shortly after those below decks heard a scraping sound along the bottom of the hull.
Warty, scaled humanoids, glistening with sea slime and covered in crude shell-armor hauled themselves aboard the ship. Finnious turned invisible and Colby retreated below decks. Paavo engaged two of the trolls, his great sword Angvmar dripping liquid light and casting the battle in a hellish red glow. One of the trolls leapt for Bolo in the crow's nest, it's freakishly long arms coming just shy of the halfling's perch. Wanting none of that, Bolo dropped 20' to the deck, tucking and rolling. Bouncing up without injury, he dove into the ship's hold. Dropping their oars, the stronger members of the group emerged from below decks. Trommer, recognizing the creatures as some sort of aquatic troll, wasted no time in attacking. Friedrich was right behind him. Realizing no one was steering the ship amidst these treacherous reefs and sharp, jutting rocks; Colby dashed back to the helm just in time to avert disaster. Stupidly, as trolls are wont to do, the beasts pressed their attack until they were hacked into twitching pieces. Our heroes entertained some creative thoughts as to the ultimate disposition of the trolls, casually discussing the situation as they repeatedly beheaded the beasts, but it was determined that there was no good way to douse them in oil and light them on fire aboard the ship. When tossed overboard, the hacked troll carcasses were met with a frenzy of bubbles and roiling water as they were devoured by their fellows.
Hyper-vigilant, the party navigated the Scrags' Teeth without further incident, having proven themselves against the largest, meanest the sea-trolls had to offer. Once past the dangerous reefs, in open water, the peacock feather fan was again used to bouy the ship's sails. Over the course of the day, a faint roaring sound in the distance grew to near-deafening volume and the sea was filled with chop. The Lamia's Kiss began to pick up speed. Through the spray of the ocean, Bolo sighted a massive whirlpool at least a mile wide. Alarm spread amongst the crew and everyone looked to Johann who himself seemed somewhat stunned by the sight. As far as he knew, there was no "way around" and this was the only way to reach the Sunset Isles. The pirate sounded unconvinced, as if merely repeating what Captain Morgan had told him. Not sure how else to proceed, everyone readied themselves as best they could -- some going so far as to lash themselves to the boat.
Faster and faster the ship sped toward the churning vortex. Clouds raced and a column of water rose up before the ship, drenching everyone on deck.
A great voice rang out, "I AM NAMED NOOZ WANA, WHELMER OF SHIPS AND FROM THE STRAITS OF PONDAR OBED I AM COME, WHEREIN IT IS MY WONT TO VEX THE SEAS!"
Colby yelled something in response, his meager words lost in the roar of wind and waves. And then the ship pitched into the whirlpool... the sounds of splintering wood and their own screams, the last thing anyone remembers before plunging into cold darkness.
Sometime later...
Trommer regained consciousness on a warm sandy beach, above him exotic palm trees swayed in a cool breeze. Festooned with bright, colorful flowers, equally colorful birds darted in and amongst their lush green fronds. In the distance, a dazzling rainbow arced over the jungle.
Friedrich, likewise, picked himself up from the sand to discover Mary, Bolo, Colby and Nordel lying unconscious amongst some driftwood. Of Paavo, Ingrid, Finnious and Johann there was no sign. Wounds were bound and consciousness regained, the only tracks Trommer and Nordel could discover on the beach were those of birds.
Rainbirds, Friedrich speculated, asking Colby to polymorph into an avian form to scout the area. Sighing, Colby explained, somewhat bitterly, that his spellbooks were lost with the ship and he no longer had the spell memorized.
Climbing a nearby tree, Bolo got a better look at the rainbow, which seemed to spring up from somewhere further inland. He also spotted a squat mountain in the center of the island from which issued a plume of violet smoke and an emerald city that seemed a sister to Mariaus, the fae city on the coast of Faerie where the party was denied admittance.
"Well, maybe you could polymorph into something and fly around to check it out," Friedrich said to Colby, smiling disingenuously.
Whirling, Colby made ready with a sharp retort but stopped short when he saw the smirking dwarf. The magic-user grumbled to himself.
Setting off down the beach in a clockwise direction, Trommer and Nordel kept their eyes out for fresh tracks, hoping to find some sign of their missing companions. They found several sandal-clad footprints as well as hoofprints that seemed to vanish into the air, but no clue as to the whereabouts of Ingrid, Paavo, Finnious or Johann. After a while, several bizarre beasts flitted out from the trees. With the forequarters of a serpent, the hind-quarters of a scorpion and the wings of a dragonfly, the creatures were impossibly fast and exceedingly deadly. Before Trommer could raise his sword, he was stung by one of the winged scorpion-snakes and, clutching his heart, pitched over dead as a stone. Mary Tanner was likewise beset, suffering a painful sting and bite. She blinked in surprise, threw a volley of magic missiles that killed one of the creatures and then collapsed herself. Nordel was unable to land an arrow, as they darted about amongst his allies. Friedrich chopped one in half with his axe and Colby launched magic missile after magic missile, felling the last of the poisonous pests.
Disheartened, the party gathered their fallen and continued down the beach. Nordel carried Mary Tanner, Friedrich and Colby hauling Trommer. Bolo called a halt after an hour or so, pointing at a column of smoke rising from beyond the trees. It looked to be a camp or settlement. Before anyone could determine how to proceed, a band of statuesque Amazon warriors wielding shining silver spears and clad in chainmail bikinis, accompanied by two winged unicorns stepped from the trees, much to the surprise of some. Colby called out a greeting, and the Amazons stalked forward. Their leader struck Colby open-handed, the rest leveled their spears demanding the party's unconditional surrender. Outnumbered and unsure as to the strength of these warrior-women, everyone complied; Friedrich, Bolo, Nordel and Colby tossing their weapons to the ground.
"Gag them and bind their hands," the Amazon leader ordered, to the party's consternation. The bodies of Mary and Trommer are loaded onto the winged unicorns and the party is frog-marched through the jungle.
A tall wooden fence lashed together with vines surrounded the Amazon encampment. Three guard towers were visible rising above it. Within were 20 or so thatched huts and a larger pavilion at the heart of the compound. Here, two dozen warrior-women trained with spears, attacking in formation. A couple males slaves, wearing only loin-cloths, perform scullery work in a stream. Six more slaves, all male and similarly garbed, occupy wicker cages near the one of the guard towers.
Upon arrival, Trommer's body is thrown into a larger cage with a bunch of wild dogs. Mary's body is delivered to the large pavilion. Colby, Bolo, Nordel and Friedrich are stripped and placed into wicker cages where, miraculously, they are reunited with Paavo and Dan Danbury; both of whom were captured by the Amazons after being washed ashore. They have been treated well enough for slaves and, perhaps of interest, have made the acquaintance of one Xiles Iompta, a self-proclaimed aeronaut and prisoner of the Amazons. Xiles has offered the party passage aboard his airship if they'll help him escape and make the necessary repairs.
Mary is treated with the utmost care, given healing herbs and restoratives. She regains consciousness amid a sea of silken pillows. Inquiring as to what is going on, she is introduced to Felinora, the Queen of the Amazons. They converse at length, Mary expressing gratitude toward the Amazons for saving her life, and at the same time attempting to convince Felinora to return some of her "useless" male slaves: Bolo, Friedrich, Trommer, Nordel and Colby; claiming that she has some sentimental attachment to them. Mary is admonished for allowing her male slaves to bear arms and armor, Queen Felinora suggesting that this is a punishable crime. Mary accidentally lets slip that Colby is a magic-user, and, to Mary's horror, Felinora dispatches someone to remove his tongue! In the end, Mary is able to convince the Queen to release some of the slaves, but not Paavo or Dan Danbury, nor any of the party's equipment. Mary is given guest quarters and allowed the company of two of her slaves, Bolo and Colby, the least threatening of the party's males.
Trommer was not so well-treated, given only a partial antitode, and left at death's door in the kennel. The Amazon healer insists that he cannot be moved until he has had a few days rest.
Dan: 34475 -6th
Friedrich: 72193 -7th
Mary: 32362 -5th
Trommer: 86037 -6th
Colby: 91151 | 10746 -8th
Bolo: 61440 -6th
Nordel 2694 -2nd
Finnious: 21900 /36930 -6th/5th
Ingrid: 27500 /32269 -5th/6th
Bolo's first priority was freeing the ship. Hidden amongst the amphorae, a surprise stowaway named Holtis had an axe. He proved uncooperative though, so Bolo shot him and took it. Tying himself with a rope, Bolo found the rotting planks of the ghost ship grasping at the party's vessel. He hacked valiantly at them under a deluge of flesh-eating grubs and beetles until Friedrich, a more competent axeman, arrived and took over.
Ingrid poured holy salts over Danakes, consecrating his body and preventing him from rising as the undead.
Meanwhile, below decks...
Johann collapsed, screaming in agony as the magical flames consumed his flesh. Trommer called upon the glowing ring to heal Johann, and, its last spell expended, the ring ceased to glow. Colby shook off the effects of his confusion long enough assist Trommer in dragging Paavo, paralyzed by the claws of the undead creature, and the burnt Johann, lingering at death's door, back up the stairs.
Neither infravision nor continual light could penetrate the gloom in the ship's hold, and no one was keen on battling whatever evil lay below in their current condition.
Mooring the two ships to one another using the grappling hooks and ropes from the skeletal pirates, Trommer and Colby investigated the various cabins.
The scorched and soot-covered cabin on the main deck proved to be the captain's; containing a sea-chest, a bunk, and a desk at which was seated a charred skeleton, dressed in burned finery. The desk disintegrated under Colby's touch, sending up a choking cloud of dust and feculent matter, forcing them out of the room until it settled. A search of the skeleton turned up a bright saber, a strange apparatus with a short handle and a wide muzzle, and a couple rings; a plain gold band and one set with a diamond. The sea-chest, opened with a Knock spell, contained only mouldering clothes. At this point Colby wandered off, drooling to himself, his mind overcome by the horrors of the ship. Friedrich took over the search.
Doors on the mid-deck revealed a marine berth thick with cobwebs, rotting hammocks and restless skeletons who took up arms against Friedrich. They were no match for the dwarven warrior.
The other door opened into a galley full of rusted pots, pans and cutlery which rose into the air to menace the dwarf. Rather than face these unseen poltergeists, Freidrich slammed the door shut.
Many hours of rest would be required to regain spells and recover the party's strength before anyone felt comfortable braving the lower decks. As the party made preprations to rest, Johann admonished them about the danger to their ship in the wake of the larger ship's sinking. After delivering this warning, the pirate, nigh-unto-death, lapsed into a torpor.
Under heavy oar, the Lamia's Kiss left behind the sinking ghost ship. Bolo watched through his spyglass as it slipped beneath the waves.
There was some debate as to the ship's heading, but in the end everyone agreed to continue on toward the Sunset Isles, Friedrich piloting the boat toward the kaleidescopic horizon. For the better part of the next day the clerics alternated between resting and calling upon their healing magicks to restore everyone to a state of wellness, the only thing of interest sighted; a flock of colorful flying fish. Trommer wondered what type of sea predator would disturb the school of flying fish.
His query was soon answered when Bolo spied a great scaled head cresting the water. Sighting the ship, the sea serpent moved toward it with sinuous grace, sinking slowly beneath the waves. Everyone readied themselves for battle, while Colby polymorphed into a winged form and launched himself upwards. The great serpent again surfaced, this time much closer to the ship, where it was met with a barrage of arrows,lightning and magical fire. Roaring its outrage, it answered with a gout of its own fire, scouring the deck of the Lamia's Kiss. Rope and sailcloth smoldered but the ship didn't catch fire. Colby escaped the blast, having attained sufficient altitude. Everyone else was scorched and blasted from their feet, except Trommer who somehow maintained his combat stance. Dan Danbury, Mary Tanner and Finnious emerged onto the deck, readying spells. Sensing victory, the serpent closed for the kill, entwining itself around the length of the ship. Trommer hacked into it with the fey sword. The serpent bit down on Dan Danbury, inflicting minimal injury but disrupting his spell attempt. Colby, Mary and Finnious volleyed magical bolts into the sea monster, blackening its iridescent scales and Trommer chopped off its mighty head.
The ship sailed on, the clerics praying overtime to restore everyone to full health. On the 6th day out, when the twilight had deepened to a rich purple and glittering stars fell one-by-one from the heavens, Holtis and Friedrich stood watch on the aft-castle. Both of them proved oblivious to a squelching sound against the side of the ship and were mildly surprised when a couple of 8-armed octopus-men hauled themselves up onto the deck. Wearing harnesses of chain and braided seaweed, the cephalo-people were heavily-armed with knives, hand-axes and harthingy-like spears.
"Kill them all, take the ship," one gurgled in a watery, alien voice.
Yelling in alarm, Friedrich drew his axe and chopped deep into rubbery flesh. The battle was fast and furious as six more of the octopus-men clambered aboard and were met with the swords and axes of our heroes. Bristling with armament, the octopus-men were fearsome foes, striking with many weapons at once. Holtis was slain in the ensuing melee. Colby again shifted to gargoyle form and flapped into the sky, Bolo scampered up into the crow's nest to rain arrows onto the marauders. Eventually the octopus-men were repelled, two of them slain trying to retreat into the water. Aside from their copious weapons, they carried nothing of value.
Holtis' body was stacked with Danakes' in the ship's hold.
The sea ahead was mist-shrouded and Johann believed they were entering the Scrags' Teeth, a dangerous area of jagged reefs and treacherous rocky shoals. Amidst some flotsam, the party discovered a water-logged castaway named Nordel, who claimed to be a bowman. Glad to be rescued, he pledged himself to the party's quest.
Navigating the Scrags' Teeth was slow and nerve-wracking. Something about the name nagged at Trommer. An island of protruding rock was spotted in the distance, but no one wanted to investigate. Something stirred, splashing into the water, and shortly after those below decks heard a scraping sound along the bottom of the hull.
Warty, scaled humanoids, glistening with sea slime and covered in crude shell-armor hauled themselves aboard the ship. Finnious turned invisible and Colby retreated below decks. Paavo engaged two of the trolls, his great sword Angvmar dripping liquid light and casting the battle in a hellish red glow. One of the trolls leapt for Bolo in the crow's nest, it's freakishly long arms coming just shy of the halfling's perch. Wanting none of that, Bolo dropped 20' to the deck, tucking and rolling. Bouncing up without injury, he dove into the ship's hold. Dropping their oars, the stronger members of the group emerged from below decks. Trommer, recognizing the creatures as some sort of aquatic troll, wasted no time in attacking. Friedrich was right behind him. Realizing no one was steering the ship amidst these treacherous reefs and sharp, jutting rocks; Colby dashed back to the helm just in time to avert disaster. Stupidly, as trolls are wont to do, the beasts pressed their attack until they were hacked into twitching pieces. Our heroes entertained some creative thoughts as to the ultimate disposition of the trolls, casually discussing the situation as they repeatedly beheaded the beasts, but it was determined that there was no good way to douse them in oil and light them on fire aboard the ship. When tossed overboard, the hacked troll carcasses were met with a frenzy of bubbles and roiling water as they were devoured by their fellows.
Hyper-vigilant, the party navigated the Scrags' Teeth without further incident, having proven themselves against the largest, meanest the sea-trolls had to offer. Once past the dangerous reefs, in open water, the peacock feather fan was again used to bouy the ship's sails. Over the course of the day, a faint roaring sound in the distance grew to near-deafening volume and the sea was filled with chop. The Lamia's Kiss began to pick up speed. Through the spray of the ocean, Bolo sighted a massive whirlpool at least a mile wide. Alarm spread amongst the crew and everyone looked to Johann who himself seemed somewhat stunned by the sight. As far as he knew, there was no "way around" and this was the only way to reach the Sunset Isles. The pirate sounded unconvinced, as if merely repeating what Captain Morgan had told him. Not sure how else to proceed, everyone readied themselves as best they could -- some going so far as to lash themselves to the boat.
Faster and faster the ship sped toward the churning vortex. Clouds raced and a column of water rose up before the ship, drenching everyone on deck.
A great voice rang out, "I AM NAMED NOOZ WANA, WHELMER OF SHIPS AND FROM THE STRAITS OF PONDAR OBED I AM COME, WHEREIN IT IS MY WONT TO VEX THE SEAS!"
Colby yelled something in response, his meager words lost in the roar of wind and waves. And then the ship pitched into the whirlpool... the sounds of splintering wood and their own screams, the last thing anyone remembers before plunging into cold darkness.
Sometime later...
Trommer regained consciousness on a warm sandy beach, above him exotic palm trees swayed in a cool breeze. Festooned with bright, colorful flowers, equally colorful birds darted in and amongst their lush green fronds. In the distance, a dazzling rainbow arced over the jungle.
Friedrich, likewise, picked himself up from the sand to discover Mary, Bolo, Colby and Nordel lying unconscious amongst some driftwood. Of Paavo, Ingrid, Finnious and Johann there was no sign. Wounds were bound and consciousness regained, the only tracks Trommer and Nordel could discover on the beach were those of birds.
Rainbirds, Friedrich speculated, asking Colby to polymorph into an avian form to scout the area. Sighing, Colby explained, somewhat bitterly, that his spellbooks were lost with the ship and he no longer had the spell memorized.
Climbing a nearby tree, Bolo got a better look at the rainbow, which seemed to spring up from somewhere further inland. He also spotted a squat mountain in the center of the island from which issued a plume of violet smoke and an emerald city that seemed a sister to Mariaus, the fae city on the coast of Faerie where the party was denied admittance.
"Well, maybe you could polymorph into something and fly around to check it out," Friedrich said to Colby, smiling disingenuously.
Whirling, Colby made ready with a sharp retort but stopped short when he saw the smirking dwarf. The magic-user grumbled to himself.
Setting off down the beach in a clockwise direction, Trommer and Nordel kept their eyes out for fresh tracks, hoping to find some sign of their missing companions. They found several sandal-clad footprints as well as hoofprints that seemed to vanish into the air, but no clue as to the whereabouts of Ingrid, Paavo, Finnious or Johann. After a while, several bizarre beasts flitted out from the trees. With the forequarters of a serpent, the hind-quarters of a scorpion and the wings of a dragonfly, the creatures were impossibly fast and exceedingly deadly. Before Trommer could raise his sword, he was stung by one of the winged scorpion-snakes and, clutching his heart, pitched over dead as a stone. Mary Tanner was likewise beset, suffering a painful sting and bite. She blinked in surprise, threw a volley of magic missiles that killed one of the creatures and then collapsed herself. Nordel was unable to land an arrow, as they darted about amongst his allies. Friedrich chopped one in half with his axe and Colby launched magic missile after magic missile, felling the last of the poisonous pests.
Disheartened, the party gathered their fallen and continued down the beach. Nordel carried Mary Tanner, Friedrich and Colby hauling Trommer. Bolo called a halt after an hour or so, pointing at a column of smoke rising from beyond the trees. It looked to be a camp or settlement. Before anyone could determine how to proceed, a band of statuesque Amazon warriors wielding shining silver spears and clad in chainmail bikinis, accompanied by two winged unicorns stepped from the trees, much to the surprise of some. Colby called out a greeting, and the Amazons stalked forward. Their leader struck Colby open-handed, the rest leveled their spears demanding the party's unconditional surrender. Outnumbered and unsure as to the strength of these warrior-women, everyone complied; Friedrich, Bolo, Nordel and Colby tossing their weapons to the ground.
"Gag them and bind their hands," the Amazon leader ordered, to the party's consternation. The bodies of Mary and Trommer are loaded onto the winged unicorns and the party is frog-marched through the jungle.
A tall wooden fence lashed together with vines surrounded the Amazon encampment. Three guard towers were visible rising above it. Within were 20 or so thatched huts and a larger pavilion at the heart of the compound. Here, two dozen warrior-women trained with spears, attacking in formation. A couple males slaves, wearing only loin-cloths, perform scullery work in a stream. Six more slaves, all male and similarly garbed, occupy wicker cages near the one of the guard towers.
Upon arrival, Trommer's body is thrown into a larger cage with a bunch of wild dogs. Mary's body is delivered to the large pavilion. Colby, Bolo, Nordel and Friedrich are stripped and placed into wicker cages where, miraculously, they are reunited with Paavo and Dan Danbury; both of whom were captured by the Amazons after being washed ashore. They have been treated well enough for slaves and, perhaps of interest, have made the acquaintance of one Xiles Iompta, a self-proclaimed aeronaut and prisoner of the Amazons. Xiles has offered the party passage aboard his airship if they'll help him escape and make the necessary repairs.
Mary is treated with the utmost care, given healing herbs and restoratives. She regains consciousness amid a sea of silken pillows. Inquiring as to what is going on, she is introduced to Felinora, the Queen of the Amazons. They converse at length, Mary expressing gratitude toward the Amazons for saving her life, and at the same time attempting to convince Felinora to return some of her "useless" male slaves: Bolo, Friedrich, Trommer, Nordel and Colby; claiming that she has some sentimental attachment to them. Mary is admonished for allowing her male slaves to bear arms and armor, Queen Felinora suggesting that this is a punishable crime. Mary accidentally lets slip that Colby is a magic-user, and, to Mary's horror, Felinora dispatches someone to remove his tongue! In the end, Mary is able to convince the Queen to release some of the slaves, but not Paavo or Dan Danbury, nor any of the party's equipment. Mary is given guest quarters and allowed the company of two of her slaves, Bolo and Colby, the least threatening of the party's males.
Trommer was not so well-treated, given only a partial antitode, and left at death's door in the kennel. The Amazon healer insists that he cannot be moved until he has had a few days rest.