======Seventh session - 29 November 2002 - Chaos in Koko======

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Five of the six players in attendance:

| Chris | [[Roderick]] | Cleric/4 |
| Jim   | [[Roget]]    | Fighter/4 |
| Ken   | [[Vincent]]  | Rogue/3, Ranger/1 |
| Kurt  | [[Dhersion]] | Bard/4 |
| Val   | [[Kesi]]     | Monk/4 |

In the late afternoon of March 11, the main group entered the village of
Koko.  [[Vincent]] had previously convinced the villagers to stand against
the approaching Rain King troops, so the party is expecting some
suspicion and apprehension.  However, the villagers surprise the party
with an almost apathetic welcome.  They are friendly and sympathetic,
but seem to take very lightly the threat of the soldiers.

Meanwhile, [[Dhersion]] is trailing the soldiers as they march northeast.
However, midway through the day, it becomes clear to him that they are
deliberately moving slowly.  He makes the decision to pass them in the
woods and continue along the path alone.  Shortly before dark, he spots
the fires of a village ahead, so he presses on, arrives in Koko, and
hooks up with the rest of the party.

Despite the approaching threat, the party is treated to a nice, friendly
meal.  The chief, Machakw, is a large, but quiet, man with little or no
leadership skills.  The village seems to be run by his warrior, Nootau,
along with the village shaman, a woman named Kakawangwa.

The shaman of Koko is unusual in that she can actually cast spells.  She
uses this skill not only to keep the villagers healthy, but also to
endure the cold weather.  Finally, she is a skilled alchemist and [[Bigby]]
spends much of the evening talking to her about the alchemical
properties of the local fauna.

Late that evening, [[Aramil]] quite suddenly comes down with a nondescript
illness that sends him to bed early.  The next morning, March 12th, he
remains asleep long after the others are up and around.

While the villagers seemed uninspired - or even apathetic - the night
before, they spring to action in the morning and begin preparing for the
arriving soldiers.  However, before the soldiers are even spotted, a
Wyvern swoops down and attacks!  The great dragon is not what the
villagers were expecting, so they scatter, leaving the party alone to
fend off the beast.

The creature inflicts a dreadful poison attack on both [[Roget]] and [[Kesi]].
While [[Kesi]] is spared the debilitating effects of the poison, [[Roget]] is
not as lucky and he lapses into a coma.  Combining a vial of Antitoxin
from [[Dhersion]], the healing spells of [[Roderick]] and Kakawangwa, and the
alchemy of [[Bigby]], a heroic effort manages to keep [[Roget]] alive - but just
barely!

When the Wyvern attacked, [[Vincent]] spotted a strange creature in the
nearby woods.  Once the Wyvern is dispatched, he and [[Dhersion]] scour the
spot, but find only some giant frog-like tracks near a stream.  Plus,
with the Rain King's soldiers still approaching, they are forced to
leave the "blink frog" as an unsolved mystery.

After the Wyvern, with [[Roget]] in a coma, [[Kesi]] wounded and poisoned,
[[Aramil]] sick, and the spell casters drained, the party is clearly in no
shape to deal with a score of skilled soldiers.  [[Dhersion]] and [[Vincent]]
sprint back along the path to meet the soldiers before they arrive.
Their hope is that the woods will afford them enough safety to soften up
the enemy before they reach the village.

As expected, the Rain King's soldiers are encountered only a couple of
miles outside of Koko.  After a brief fight, in which the sorceress
manages to temporarily web [[Dhersion]] and distract [[Vincent]] with an audio
illusion, the leader, Niichaad, surprisingly surrenders!  As it turns
out, the soldiers were merely heading home after the collapse of their
mission in Adoette.  They had even signaled the traditional sign of
surrender - a fir branch held vertically overhead.  But the group had
never seen this sign before and didn't understand it until too late.

[[Dhersion]] and [[Vincent]] negotiate safe passage through Koko for Niichaad
and his men in exchange for information.  Niichaad tells them that the
Rain King will almost certainly pursue them to regain his staff.
However, the king is also threatened from within, so may not be able to
mount as lavish of an expedition the next time.

Back in Koko, with the dangers of the day finally past them, the group
settles down to rest.  Kakawangwa, along with the rest of the villagers,
is impressed with the party's skills and offers to read their futures
for them.  Most agree and sit through a long ceremony involving much
chanting and a handful of hallucinogenic compounds.  
[[voyagersecret07|Each person experiences a vision]] that is at best surreal, 
and at worse disturbing.  Most choose not to talk about what they saw.

XP awarded: 1,500 each, Running Total: 7,500.