Still in other bodies in Valachan, the party met a wounded warrior who carried the soul of Taban, and Vogal killed him when Chakuna demanded blood. The next day the party met plague-ridden zombies and was driven into a field of spike traps, where every one of them died in a battle with a Noble Mage and rival warriors, and the child Patux with them. They awoke back in Chult.
Recap
The stalker
Taenae is in the body of Selene, an acolyte of Lathander; Vogal in that of Mazati, an apprentice; Takhesis Calva in that of Jarek, a native thief and brother to Lira; Vonara Silverstream in that of Lira, a native thief and sister to Jarek; and Glade in that of Atzi, a squire of Lathander.
While foraging near the Heart Tree, Vogal realizes that the group is being hunted. They retreat to the camp.
Taban
A wounded warrior emerges, chased by four displacer beasts. Vogal recognizes the warrior’s soul: it is Taban, his shield-brother from Chult.
Chakuna appears and demands blood to satisfy the rules. Realizing that there is no other choice, Vogal fights Taban. He lays Taban to rest with a crushing blow from his staff. Chakuna is appeased and leaves. Vogal falls into a deep, unresponsive depression.
The plague
The next day the party encounters plague-ridden zombies. Vogal recognizes the smell, which matches the salve he used earlier. He realizes that he is infected and slowly turning.
The clearing
The party reaches a clearing, which they identify as a trap field. Rival competitors box them in and force them forward.
The massacre
A chaotic battle follows among the spike traps, against a Noble Mage and rival warriors.
Vogal goes down. Takhesis Calva rushes to help him but accidentally knocks Vonara into a spike pit, and she dies instantly. Broken by the guilt of killing his “sister,” Takhesis Calva cuts his own throat and dies.
Taenae knocks the child Patux into a pit during a panicked rush.
The Noble Mage incinerates Glade and Vogal simultaneously with a fireball.
Taenae kills the mage in a fit of rage. She turns to face Chakuna and refuses to scream as she is torn apart by displacer beasts.
The awakening
The party has died in the dream. They awake back in Chult, bearing the psychic scars of their demise.
The massacre falls on the party’s second day in Valachan, the thirty-third day of the expedition, in 1492 DR.
Aftermath
- Taban died in another body, as the party did, and his soul returned to Chult with theirs.
- Patux was dead.
- Chakuna was the victor. She had hunted the party down.
- The party awoke in Chult bearing the psychic scars of their deaths.
Appendix
Present
Taenae · Vogal · Takhesis Calva · Vonara · Glade, each in the body of another. Patux was present as a companion.