We came upon some ruins in the sand. There was a tower and some pieces of walls visible. We could also see a cave in the side of the hill. The pseudo ranger (Swashbuckler) called a halt to the column as his spider-sense was tingling but it was pretty evident to all of us when grids formed under our feet, we could expect trouble. We decided to roll initiative to avoid talking over each other but that’s a bit problematic when there were no foes on the map. The bat was sent aloft to look for ambushers on the dunes. The Wizards armored up. The Swashbuckler moved forward towards the cave and could see boot-clad footprints going in and out of it but in this desert, it was hard to determine how old they were. Suddenly an ankheg burst forth from the ground and attacked. Ultimately there were 6, I think. The Swashbuckler and Monk got grabbed and several took an acid stream. The Sherpas also took some acid but thankfully the damage roll was low and they survived.
We unleashed some firepower. The Fighter critted 3 times in a row. The Swashbuckler critted also and added smite damage. Our Wizard did a Fireball and a Shatter and the NPC Wizard did a weak Fireball and then a Cone of Cold near the end which about finished them off. (5th level so he’s at least 9th.) No one went out and we used up some daily powers. We searched the cave but found that it was really not much more than a dugout to get out of the heat. There was some confusion when some of us thought this was the final stop and started doing extensive excavations, looking for the dungeon entrance. Andy was perplexed/annoyed as to why so much time was being spent on a random encounter in the middle of nowhere. Eventually, we sorted that out, stopped searching (found nothing) and bedded down for the night.
The next stop on the map was an oasis which thankfully was still there. There were two groups already encamped. Since the heat of the day was approaching, everyone minded their own business and made camp. They eyed us and we eyed them. At sunset, as we prepared to leave, the captain of one group approached and talked to the pseudo bard (Swashbuckler). Both sides tried to get information but neither side revealed much of anything. We did get the impression that they had more experience in the desert so perhaps they were traders and not treasure seekers (or cultist) but we couldn’t be sure. When we realized the other tent didn’t seem to be with them, he and Sorlock went to talk to them. Again, not much was learned. That guy claimed his lady patron was tired and they’d be staying a bit longer. The Paladin can cure disease and maybe poison but it was just exhaustion so no help was wanted.
We left but the keen-sighted spotted that last guy paralleling us from a distance. The Paladin sent his warhorse over to learn what it could. It got beyond his range to communicate with it and did not return. He re-summoned it the next day. Zephyr said that the guy met up with others at the ruined towers at the end of the canyon, about a half a day from our destination. Plans were discussed but ultimately we decided we’d rather face an ambush we knew about than face them in the ruins at the end. However, when we got there, no one was there. More discussions. Row gave us a bit more information. He thought that in the sarcophagi of the Scorpion Prince, was a powerful magic staff that could be used to bring back the evil sultan. So our main goal was to stop that. He felt that only he and his research knew how to open it and had the right gems to do so. So despite their lead, they wouldn’t be able to finish without us. Plus, maybe they could clear out the traps and undead for us. (yeah right) It was mentioned that perhaps bringing the ability to open it to them was a bad idea but it was full speed ahead. Action over inaction.
So we took our rest. We moved up to the last ruins before the last one and left our noncombatants there. We proceeded on foot, with heavy armor on and came upon the ruins. The module Andy was using describe it but didn’t provide a picture. He tried to create one but it was incomplete and he was dissatisfied. Perhaps he’ll have a better one next time. Basically it was your standard ruins but with an enormous stone scorpion built upon the mountains behind it. Just under its mouth was an entrance going down. We could see that gems had been removed from it. We could also see lots of bad guys hiding in the rocks awaiting us. (We assume cultists but they could be treasure hunters or bandits, I suppose.) We stopped there, prior to starting a big fight after 11. This time we’ll have to be economical with our powers as I suspect we’ll have several fights without a long rest in order to save the world this time. Next game would be Friday.
