S09E17 - Steal, Replace, Repeat

The session begins with Avilos knocking on Zalkoré’s dome while the rest of the party waits hiding outside. Carnivore, meanwhile, is tasked with finding a safe hiding spot far from the summer palace in case their plan to steal the orchid succeeds and they need to run.

Zalkoré accepts Avilos’ invitation, and they head to a nearby pond where Avilos plays for her his most seductive song. After several minutes of increasing sexual tension masterfully led by the halfling, Zalkoré removes her veil. Avilos notices the telltale signs of a medusa - writhing snakes in place of hair, but undeterred by the unusual sight, he kisses her, and they spend the next two hours in passionate embrace before falling asleep exhausted.

The rest of the party, no longer hearing Avilos’ signal, his loud moaning, springs into action. Sophi stealthily enters the dome and steals the black orchid with her magic hand. Ellie casts Pass Without Trace on her, approaches the hairy naked halfling entangled with the medusa to wake him up, but fails. The halfling who didn’t wake up when he fell off a tree, isn’t one to be awakened by some pinching. As Ellie retreats, she accidentally wakes Zalkoré, who decides to return to her dome for more comfortable rest. Ellie warns Sophi who quickly returns the black orchid underneath the divan before the medusa gets back.

Aware of the failed attempt by his friends, Avilos seduces Zalkoré again, providing another opportunity for the team. After another hour of diligent and passionate action, they fall asleep once more. Chos casts Sending to wake Avilos telepathically and instructs him to replace the black orchid with an illusory one and leave the room as soon as Sophi takes the real one.

Ellie casts Pass Without Trace again, this time on the team, and Sophi, stealthier than a shadow, successfully steals the orchid. Avilos struggles to see in the darkness but gets the gist of what’s going on and casts Major Illusion to create a black orchid as Zalkoré wakes up. The naked halfling then excuses himself, makes a hasty exit, and joins the rest of the party who flee, as they hear the medusa’s enraged scream behind them and her minions, the eblises, searching for them above the jungle canopy.

After hours of aimless wandering in the jungle, the party realizes that Carnivore has no idea where the hiding spot he found earlier is. They set up camp in a well-camouflaged Tiny Hut of Leomund as the sun starts to rise.

Mid-morning, with the party still asleep, Ellie is standing watch when she notices a nearby fight. Transformed into a crocodile, she investigates and finds a large white wolf with deep injuries and profuse bleeding battling crocodiles and about to be drowned. Ellie enters the fray and, with Sophi’s help, they save the injured wolf who turns out to be Falkor, Ada’s side-kick. Ellie casts Speak with Animals, and the party learns that Falkor reluctantly left an imprisoned Ada when he almost got killed by Valindra on “the bird rock” several moons ago.

The party, which now includes Falkor, makes their way back to Kir Sabal by following the flooded wastelands.

At the monastery, they update Asharra and Salida on their visit to Nangalore and hand her the black orchid. Asharra, now seemingly in a hurry to have them leave, arranges for the ritual to be performed the next morning and organizes a final meal - which the princess mysteriously cannot attend. Chos is somehow involved in all of this.

That night, Chos is again awakened by the princess and the young couple spends three passionate hours together in the privacy of an unoccupied building. Mwaxanaré tells Chos that Asharra learned about their previous encounter and she’s mad about it for some reason. The princess also asks Chos to please clear Omu from the evil snake people in there so that she can reclaim her throne. The princess also proposes marriage after the whole thing is done, but Chos is non-committal about it.

The next morning, after the five am morning meditation, helping with chores, and having breakfast, the party picks up their belongings and prepares for Asharra’s ritual. But as they approach the monastery building, someone spots a dozen gargoyles fast approaching. Asharra is led to safety and five aarakocra warrior monks ask the heroes to fend the gargoyles off for a minute while they prepare a dancing ritual that will counter the threat. The heroes position themselves as the flying stone devils swoop in.