Yet another challenge: to make it worthwhile for the wild tribe, our heroes have to do a task for the tribe. They choose to collect some medicinal herbs; along the way, Agace falls into some quicksand, and is saved by some quick thinking, plus a long heavy rope and a big heavy axe.

With the herbs collected, the Adepts head back, only to be attacked by mudmen on the way. Sine gets covered in living mud, takes lots of damage, and ends up dying. Again. ("I've died in every major province and all I got was this lousy T-shirt!") One last-chance salve later, however, she's just fine.

Within the no-longer-living mud, the group finds six pieces of elemental earth, which get divvied up between everyone. Plus, Agace notices a tree suitable for a canoe, cuts it down, and totes it to the wild tribe.

Once the canoe is made, our heroes are on their way, with two members of the wild tribe along as guides. The Adepts have to leave some valuables back with the tribe (five elemental earth coins from Latke, and several ice-howler feathers from Sine) as bond; they will get the stuff back only if the guides come home alive.

As the journey continues, the jungle around the river grows denser and denser. During the river voyage, Ritha (retroactively) meditates and gains some levels, becoming in the process slightly less pathetic than before. I only mention this because it is quite important to me as Ritha's player.

The guides let our heroes off at a trail leading into the deep, dark jungle. The Adepts follow the trail; along the way, they spot some odd-looking "possessed squirrels" with glowing red eyes. More and more of these monkeylike critters show up and stare balefully at the group, until finally our valorous heroes get bored and kill one just for the heck of it.

At this, the squirrels start chittering, an unnerving sound that gets louder and louder as time passes. More and more squirrels appear. The group feels the air around them get mysteriously warmer. Latke takes some damage from the heat. From the sound of the chittering, it seems as though there are many more squirrels in the distance, and they're coming closer.

The group runs. However, the squirrels keep up, so our heroes pause and attack for a while. On advice from the GM, though, they soon start running again. By now they are taking near-constant fire damage (even after Latke increases everyone's resistance to fire), the chittering is incredibly loud, and the number of squirrels in the area keeps increasing.

Up ahead our heroes see a wall of fire. Behind them are vast hordes of maddened squirrel-thingies, coming closer by the second. The Adepts keep running and make it through the flame-wall alive, breaking through to a clearing in the jungle. The air is shattered by the sound of screaming: thousands of little squirrelly lungs shriek their last, as their owners hit the wall of flame and die.

In the clearing is a large pyramid. Sine and Ritha start climbing up the front steps, going towards the big, obvious entrance. However, Agace, arriving a bit later, notices a smaller door down at the base of the structure; he gets everyone's attention, and they enter the pyramid via Agace's door.

Next: Pyramid Power
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© Megan Jones 2002. This story wouldn't be possible if not for my endlessly entertaining friends, and the Earthdawn RPG originally by FASA.