Worm Sign

At the end of the previous session of Strange Aeons Ray had a vision of Earth Fall, the point where civilisation on Golarion was reset. As it turned out, Ray hadn’t had a chance to tell us quite yet of what he’d seen, so we moved ahead with what we say whilst Ray had a front row seat to the destruction of the world.

18th Gozran, Moonday (cont)

Ray was somewhere up ahead in the Snarl, out of site because of the ruined buildings and also due to being invisible. As we headed in the direction we believed he had gone, there was a rumbling behind us which we felt through our feet as well as hearing. Turning what we saw was immense – a worm that towered over even the standing towers of the city, its head swinging around blindly seemingly looking for something to consume. It was a Dhole – miles long and known to consume worlds. Maybe it had come to this world during Earth Fall.

The sight of it towering in the distance was enough to make us considerably concerned, but it burrowed beneath the ground and didn’t return. At least not for now.

Looking back towards the Snarl, we then encountered a bronze skinned man with violet eyes wearing fine but old clothing. He calls himself Aeptolinu, and tells us that it isn’t safe out here – something which doesn’t terribly surprise us.

You shouldn’t have come here. You will only fail, since mankind is such a pitiful failure.

— Aeptolinu, guide to humanity

We is dismissive and condescending, and I had only one response for him – “Fuck off!”

He turns and vanishes, then we noticed that Erasmus was looking a little odd. It turns out he’d used true sight on the fellow, and had seen his true form of a blinded and bloodied man, and recognised him as the extremely lesser godlike being known for being a patron of Azlanti society before Earth fall. Maybe I shouldn’t have been so dismissive of him, but he was really annoying.

It was then that we came across Ray, who told us of the visions that he had seen previously. There were also things up ahead – giant flies and other bad things. Not wanting to turn up at our destination with them behind us and whatever else in front of us, we decided to meet them head on.

After having had problems with swarms of ferocious birds previously, I put up fickle winds of protection around everyone, which turns out to have been a good choice as we are set upon by giant man-sized flies which summon swarms of smaller insects. The swarms are turned aside by the winds, thereby protecting us.

The flies summon more flies, as well as blue skinned women known as Pairaka who try to enchant Sheena. There are explosions of icy fire from Ray, and Catiana wades in swatting flies to the left and right of her. As shadow demons call down darkness, so Erasmus counters it with daylight, and I stand at the back and shoot things ineffectively with my crossbow.

It is not a dangerous fight, and most things in the end either flee or die. Here though is a small shrine, decorated with skulls and candles. Amongst the refuse around it is a large bronze sword which probably belongs to the ghost Upianshe.

Things are quiet, except for a strange coloured rippling wall of force around the corner, behind which sits a fat demon on a throne – most probably the demon Eshimal that the otyugh Hoshbagh warned us about. Do we flee or do we fight?