Faithful to the Point of Death

Janus and Janella trekked across the flat desert sands, eastward towards the Wilds. They saw a dark lump on the horizon. As they approached the different feature in the monotonous landscape, they made out that it was a green dragon, the green dragon Oka of Janus's hometown. Where Oka was lying stretched out across a scattering of purple sand, his claws and snout were gray and shriveled. The ground was torn up as from a huge fight, and bloody giant footprints led off to the northeast, the direction of the tomb.

They could hear a munching coming from the other side of the fallen protector. A huge carrion-feeding worm slithered around at the sound of fresh meat. It hit them with sticky tentacles, freezing one or the other of them in place; it started to nibble on Janella but thankfully Murphy their mount provoked it again, and they were able to finish it off.

They stepped onto the purple sands of the Wild Strip. A leonine dwarf appeared on a set of stairs, only to fade away when they got near. A giant squid lay in the purple sand near a tiny lake of pixies. The ground grew up and shrank down. Janus paused to analyze the landscape; it was indeed the Wilds. Meanwhile, Janella could feel a touch of lunacy at the back of her mind where she drew her magic from. She was unable to shake the odd feeling.

They approached another lake which did not fade upon closer inspection. Far on the other side of the lake they could see a figure moving, most likely the giant. Hurrying past the lake, Pearl tried to tug out of the scabbard, but Janus hurried on.

The giant turned to look at them. Bloody and exhausted from its fight with the giant; it had still cleared most of the rubble from the entrance of a white marble tomb and was starting in on the tomb itself. "What are you doing here?" Janus and Janella told him that they were trying to consecrate the tomb. The giant informed them that it was an evil place, and under the direct orders of their lord Callido to destroy. It gestured towards the tomb, which was marked with evil symbols. The giant told them to leave. Janus refused, citing his quest and his desire to avenge the dead protector of his village. The giant moved to heave a rock at them.

Janella sat back on Murphy and cheered Janus on. Janus charged the giant and struck two mighty blows before being knocked unconscious by a boulder. Janella got him on his feet again, but was now close to the giant herself. Both landed small blows on the giant before he crushed Janus's head in with another rock. Janella, afraid but bold, took Pearl herself and struck another blow before she, too, fell, to the giant who was nearly dead but still dangerous.

The next thing they knew, the two woke up in a white building. A gnomish priestess was running out of the room, claiming she has seen a vision of the goddess Nassenac. As far as they could tell, they were not dead. The priestess explained to them the vision she had seen: she saw a white but befouled tomb, like to the tomb of the heroine Lelynne Viconte. Before the tomb were a giant and the two of them. They wounded the giant grievously but were struck down by it. After Janella fell, Pearl fought on alone and felled the giant. She flew into the hand of the ghost seated by the stone coffin, and began to spray Holy Water, cleansing the tomb. A light shone, and the goddess Nassenac herself appeared and gathered up the fallen gnome and half-elf. And then the two of them had appeared here.

Here was the planet of Herohaven.

Experience:

Carrion Crawler: 450

Janella - Overcome Wild Magic: (failed)
Janus - Overcome Pearl's Will: 50

Hill Giant Guardian: (partial) 450

Quest Completion Bonus: 1000