Lonesome Wandering, Session 30

 In which Badger...

• Travels through the Black Peaks Mountains along the ancient stone road leading to the legendary lost valley of Hutaaka, as found on the magical tapestry.
• Flees from some hill giants and gnolls.
• Crosses a narrow chasm when Joe the Free Horse stumbles and falls, and is feasted upon by a displacer beast.
• Pays respects to Joe the Free Horse, tossing some gold down to honor the free horse.
• Shows the magic needle and thread with the tapestry to cross a stone bridge protected by bronze statues of dog headed figures, who kneel before the needle and thread in deference.
• Loots some magic items from corpses found on the stone bridge.
• Avoids some ghouls and wolves that fight in a gnoll burial ground - unknown to him, being followed by a gnoll shaman.
• Forced marches to the sound of drums and the smell of smoke, not realizing it is the shaman's illusion to frighten him.
• Encounters the gnoll shaman Krisgut on a rickety wooden bridge over a 900' chasm, which she sacrificially severs to kill both herself and Badger for desecrating the gnoll burial grounds.
• Grabs a ledge and barely survives as Krisgut falls to her death, before resting to heal up.
• Arrives at another high bridge, waiting out both some griffons and wolves to leave the area before crossing.
• Rappels down  a chasm with no bridge over it, using the Rope of Climb to travel down the sheer cliffs.
• Runs from a giant lizard at the bottom of the chasm, using the Rope of Climb to climb up the cliff face as fast as possible until reaching the top, where the lizard turns back fearful of a large roc nesting above feasting on carcasses.
• Slays a giant rattlesnake that attacks him at the top of the cliff.
• Arrives at the gateway to Hutaaka, using the magic needle and thread to once more bypass 2 giant stone dog headed statues, which once more kneel to the power of the thread.
• Climbs up a cliff face with the Rope of Climb to the gateway to Hutaaka.
• Watches in awe as the needle and thread, inserted into the doorway opens the gateway, whirring ancient stone gears to life the first time in millenia.
• Enters the gateway into the legendary Valley of Hutaaka.

Current Level: Badger 8