S06E03 – The Desolation Desert

The group aboard the Gerico arrives to Zoqoi, a town ruled by slavers. Gravel and Brook get off the Gerico and Cathreen, an angry female elf that turns out to be Geri’s fiancee, gets on board. Before leaving the city a belligerent group of slavers approaches the Gerico and threatens to sink it because they were waiting for the peasants family that got off at the previous stop, Malel. The group convinces them to not sink the boat by paying them a considerable amount of money and by making Geri promise them that the slavers will get 3 more slaves when the Gerico gets back to Zoqoi.

When the Gerico finally arrives to Barkinon, a city at the edge of civilization, the group, worried about Caelynna’s suicidal tendencies, convinces her to join their adventuring group in search of the Wand of Koyss. While the group is trying to gather information about The Clockwork Head they meet an unfriendly dragonborn squad that is also interested in the tower and warns the group to stay away.

After resupplying and exchanging their ponies for camels the group enters the Desolation Desert. Rupert, the little warforged they acquired at Malel, is being pulled by the distant Clockwork Head acting as a compass. On their way through the desert the group finds the remnants of an ancient temple with an eerie statue depicting a crucified creature. They also find an oasis occupied by cheery treasure hunters but the group’s suspicions makes them take a big detour around it precluding any interaction.

After a few days of travel a sandstorm forms and blocks the group. Unable to go through it or skirt it the group returns to the oasis where the inviting treasure hunters turn out to be ravenous zombies. During the fight Ada gets seriously injured but the group eventually puts all the zombies to rest. While they ransack the oasis they find a half eaten dragonborn at the bottom of the water pond.