After cutting off B'bao's expressions of gratitude for rescuing his son, he explained that they needed to travel to the island. He asked if they had any boats that could take them to the island. "Oh no, it is far too dangerous in the water. There are creatures there that would swallow us whole." Turning to Mary, he continued. "If you wish to return to A'ahollaracha, why don't you just summon your lo'o'ocha'ra and fly there?" When asked what a lo'o'ocha'ra was, he looked puzzled. "Like our Eoihoiri, but with wings." When asked if his people could summon the lo'o'ocha'ra, he shook his head emphatically and pointed at Mary. "Only you can summon the lo'o'ocha'ra." At this point, F'uada stepped forward and presented Mary with a necklace made from the tooth of the giant homosaur the party had slain. He insisted that she put it on, and when she had said, "When you return to your people, you must tell them that the Eohai are friends."
Thoroughly confused, the party announced their intention to depart immediately and then the Tongues spell expired. The villagers escorted them down the valley to the water's edge. Along the way, they saw herds of dinosaurs of various sorts – brontosaurs, stegosaurs, duck-billed hadrosaurs, and others they didn't recognize – grazing on the grassy plains that lined the shore or wading in the shallows. The dinosaurs all kept a wary distance from the Eoihai and their velociraptor mounts. The water itself was salty, apparently a bay of some larger sea. The peak of the island could be seen several miles offshore, rising out of a low fog bank.
Jerry and James cast Fly spells on the largest members of the party, Levitate on the others, and Jerry used Polymorph Self to transform into an osprey, and they set off, the villagers waving them goodbye. For the first few miles, they could see enormous dark shapes gliding through the waters below them, but soon the fog closed in. Just as they were beginning to worry that the spells would not last long enough to make landfall, the island loomed out of the mist before them. The Gatestone still pointed upwards and towards the central peak of the island. Unfortunately, it didn't offer any suggestions about a convenient path to reach there.
After an hour or so of trekking through the jungle, the party heard a voice call out. The language was unknown, but the tone was unmistakable: “HALT!”. Instantly, a dozen women appeared out of the underbrush around the party, armed with slender spears and bows. A screeching sound from above drew their gaze upwards, where half a dozen more women mounted on pterodactyls swooped back and forth just below the leafy canopy, keeping bows trained on the party.
The leader of the group strode confidently up to Mary, apparently oblivious to anyone else in the party. She rattled off something in an unknown language, obviously demanding information of some sort. The guys of the group immediately read the group dynamic, and made no attempt to interject themselves into the conversation. Phil still had a Tongues spell on-line and, kneeling before Mary (nice touch), he began to interpret.
The Amazon woman demanded to know who she was and what she was doing on their island. Mary introduced herself and explained that they had come from far away and needed to go to the volcano in the center of the island. This brought surprised murmurs from many of the women surrounding them, but their leader seemed nonplussed. Gesturing disdainfully at the rest of the party, she asked, "Are these men all yours?" When she said that yes, these men were all with her, even the leader seemed impressed. One of the guards walked boldly up to Ice and grabbed him firmly by the groin. After checking out his package, she turned to the others, waggling her hand back and forth making unimpressed noises - "Meh".
Meanwhile, the leader noticed the necklace Mary was wearing, and asked where she had gotten it. She explained that the little people on the mainland had given it to her after they had killed a group of giant lizard-men and rescued the chief's son. "You killed the beast?" the leader asked with surprise. Mary said yes, and tried to emphasize how much help each of the other party members had been, but the leader simply said, "You killed it all by yourself while defending your harem?" This brought gasps from the women surrounding the party, and the leader looked at Mary with newfound respect.
Mary tried to change the subject, and said again that they only wished to travel on to the volcano. "You wish to go to the Lake of Fire? That place is taboo, and very dangerous. I cannot let you go there without permission from Queen Amal." She would not listen to any pleas from Mary, and with the Tongues spell running out, the party had no choice but to allow themselves to be led at spearpoint to a clearing where another dozen Amazons waited with a large group of pterodactyls. The leader mounted one, and motioned for Mary to climb in front of her before taking off. The others also mounted the flying dinosaurs, and then one by one they swooped down and lifted up the other party members in their powerful claws.
They were carried over the jungle to a large cave opening in the face of a sheer cliff in the mountainside. A large village of mud-brick buildings could be seen inside the cavern. They were dropped just inside the opening, where a large crowd had gathered. The women were all like the ones escorting the party: tall, statuesque, muscular, and extraordinarily beautiful. The men, on the other hand, were uniformly thin and scrawny. They had no facial hair, weak chins, and concave chests. They could be seen preparing food, scraping hides to make leather, or caring for children. They were as scantily clad as their female counterparts, wearing nothing but odd strips of leather wound around their waist and groin that appeared to have codpieces in them.
A delegation made its way through the crowd of curious villagers. They were led by a middle-aged woman who, despite the flecks of gray in her hair, was still clearly in incredible shape and stunningly beautiful, despite a number of scars that marred her otherwise flawless skin. She wore bracers of gold on her wrists and a necklace of emeralds. She was flanked by a pair of older women carrying metal spears. The leader of the group that captured the party knelt respectfully before her and spoke rapidly in their language. The queen listened impassively, her gaze fixed on Mary without expression. When the guard captain finished, the queen stepped forward and examined Mary's necklace. Then she turned to the crowd, raised both arms, and made some sort of proclamation in a loud voice. Whatever she said was greeted with cheers from the crowd.
The party soon found themselves guests at yet another celebratory banquet. At least, Mary was a guest. The men of the party were separated from her and taken to another room, where they were decorated with garlands of flowers and given bowls of food and drink that it was clear they were supposed to serve to Mary. In the banquet hall, Mary was given a seat of honor next to the queen. As the evening wore on, the party noticed that each woman had a particular man waiting on her. From the familiar way they interacted, as well as the loving touches and looks, it appeared the men serving them were their husbands. Some of the women sitting near the queen had two men serving them, while the queen herself had three. The fact that Mary had six men serving her brought open looks of amazement from many of the women in the room. Ice also attracted a number of open looks, but these were more of anger or disgust, and most of the men were very careful to keep their distance from him. (Apparently, Ice was far too "effeminate" for comfort.)
After an evening of feasting and much wine, the couples (and threesomes) began to filter happily out of the banquet hall. Queen Amal stood up and indicated to Mary that she should do likewise. She then motioned for the youngest of her three husbands. He smiled shyly, looking at the floor. The queen took his hand, and placed it in Mary’s, saying a few words. She then waited expectantly, looking from Mary to the rest of the party, particularly at Phil (who, in this culture at least, was seemingly the most masculine of Mary's harem). Agreeing not so reluctantly to take one for the team, Phil accompanied the Queen to her bower, while Mary and the queen's mate went off to a bedroom of their own. The rest of the men were taken to a dormitory for young men who had passed puberty but not yet married. As the natives prepared for bed, the rest of the group realized with a shock that those were not codpieces beneath the Amazon men's loincloths. A short time later, they heard singing coming from the direction of Mary's bedroom ("Sweet mystery of life, at last I've found you!").
After a restful night (Mary slept particularly well), the party repeated the scene from the night before over breakfast. This time, Phil was able to use a Tongues spell to allow Mary to speak with the Queen. She explained again that they needed to travel to the volcano, drawing a dark look from the Queen. "That place is forbidden to our people, and very dangerous. We must speak to the oracle and seek his advice on this."
They were led to a narrow crevice near the back of the cave, guarded by a pair of Amazons, which led to a winding tunnel. It finally opened into a small natural cave, devoid of any light. Inside, a wizened old man sat cross-legged on the floor. His milky eyes betrayed his blindness, but he greeted the queen by name. She bowed solemnly, then knelt before him, pressing her forehead to the stone floor. She spoke quietly, and as he listened, his sightless eyes fell unerringly on Mary. When the queen finished, he motioned for Mary to come to him. He began to run his fingers lightly over her face, and his eyes rolled back into his head and he appeared to go into some kind of trance, chanting softly in a low voice. Suddenly, his head snapped forward, and he asked the queen, "Did they bring a great gem?" Guessing that he meant the Gatestone, the party passed it to him, and he held it for some time in his hands. Growing visibly pale, he thrust the Gatestone back to Mary, and proclaimed in a wavering voice, "A great doom follows Queen Ma'ri'i and her harem. They must be taken across the Lake of Fire to the Fortress of Glass, so that the Web of Fate might remain unbroken."
This brought gasps from the queen's guards, but she simply nodded grimly, and led the party back out to the main cavern. One of her advisors led the party to their rooms, where she made it clear that they should quickly gather their belongings. Then they were led back to the mouth of the cavern. After a short wait, Queen Amal joined them, leading a small band of Amazons, including the leader of the group that originally captured the party. Her expression was grim, and she and the others appeared to be dressed for a very kinky war. They wore lacquered leather bustiers, and their biceps and thighs were wrapped in leather bands, while their forearms were sheathed in metal bracers. Their flowing hair was tucked up into peaked leather helmets. The queen carried a long, steel spear, and the others were armed with spears and bows.
Standing at the lip of the cliff, the queen gave a long whistle. Each of the Amazons with her did the same, and presently seven pterodactyls glided to a landing beside them. They were led by an enormous beast with a tall red crest atop its bony head. The queen mounted it with a leap, and motioned for Mary to climb up onto its neck in front of her. Each of the other Amazons did likewise, inviting a party member to ride with them. Once everyone was aboard, the giant reptiles leapt off the sheer cliff and plummeted downwards, until at last they extended their wings and swooped upwards into the sky.
Meanwhile, the leader noticed the necklace Mary was wearing, and asked where she had gotten it. She explained that the little people on the mainland had given it to her after they had killed a group of giant lizard-men and rescued the chief's son. "You killed the beast?" the leader asked with surprise. Mary said yes, and tried to emphasize how much help each of the other party members had been, but the leader simply said, "You killed it all by yourself while defending your harem?" This brought gasps from the women surrounding the party, and the leader looked at Mary with newfound respect.
Mary tried to change the subject, and said again that they only wished to travel on to the volcano. "You wish to go to the Lake of Fire? That place is taboo, and very dangerous. I cannot let you go there without permission from Queen Amal." She would not listen to any pleas from Mary, and with the Tongues spell running out, the party had no choice but to allow themselves to be led at spearpoint to a clearing where another dozen Amazons waited with a large group of pterodactyls. The leader mounted one, and motioned for Mary to climb in front of her before taking off. The others also mounted the flying dinosaurs, and then one by one they swooped down and lifted up the other party members in their powerful claws.
They were carried over the jungle to a large cave opening in the face of a sheer cliff in the mountainside. A large village of mud-brick buildings could be seen inside the cavern. They were dropped just inside the opening, where a large crowd had gathered. The women were all like the ones escorting the party: tall, statuesque, muscular, and extraordinarily beautiful. The men, on the other hand, were uniformly thin and scrawny. They had no facial hair, weak chins, and concave chests. They could be seen preparing food, scraping hides to make leather, or caring for children. They were as scantily clad as their female counterparts, wearing nothing but odd strips of leather wound around their waist and groin that appeared to have codpieces in them.
A delegation made its way through the crowd of curious villagers. They were led by a middle-aged woman who, despite the flecks of gray in her hair, was still clearly in incredible shape and stunningly beautiful, despite a number of scars that marred her otherwise flawless skin. She wore bracers of gold on her wrists and a necklace of emeralds. She was flanked by a pair of older women carrying metal spears. The leader of the group that captured the party knelt respectfully before her and spoke rapidly in their language. The queen listened impassively, her gaze fixed on Mary without expression. When the guard captain finished, the queen stepped forward and examined Mary's necklace. Then she turned to the crowd, raised both arms, and made some sort of proclamation in a loud voice. Whatever she said was greeted with cheers from the crowd.
The party soon found themselves guests at yet another celebratory banquet. At least, Mary was a guest. The men of the party were separated from her and taken to another room, where they were decorated with garlands of flowers and given bowls of food and drink that it was clear they were supposed to serve to Mary. In the banquet hall, Mary was given a seat of honor next to the queen. As the evening wore on, the party noticed that each woman had a particular man waiting on her. From the familiar way they interacted, as well as the loving touches and looks, it appeared the men serving them were their husbands. Some of the women sitting near the queen had two men serving them, while the queen herself had three. The fact that Mary had six men serving her brought open looks of amazement from many of the women in the room. Ice also attracted a number of open looks, but these were more of anger or disgust, and most of the men were very careful to keep their distance from him. (Apparently, Ice was far too "effeminate" for comfort.)
After an evening of feasting and much wine, the couples (and threesomes) began to filter happily out of the banquet hall. Queen Amal stood up and indicated to Mary that she should do likewise. She then motioned for the youngest of her three husbands. He smiled shyly, looking at the floor. The queen took his hand, and placed it in Mary’s, saying a few words. She then waited expectantly, looking from Mary to the rest of the party, particularly at Phil (who, in this culture at least, was seemingly the most masculine of Mary's harem). Agreeing not so reluctantly to take one for the team, Phil accompanied the Queen to her bower, while Mary and the queen's mate went off to a bedroom of their own. The rest of the men were taken to a dormitory for young men who had passed puberty but not yet married. As the natives prepared for bed, the rest of the group realized with a shock that those were not codpieces beneath the Amazon men's loincloths. A short time later, they heard singing coming from the direction of Mary's bedroom ("Sweet mystery of life, at last I've found you!").
After a restful night (Mary slept particularly well), the party repeated the scene from the night before over breakfast. This time, Phil was able to use a Tongues spell to allow Mary to speak with the Queen. She explained again that they needed to travel to the volcano, drawing a dark look from the Queen. "That place is forbidden to our people, and very dangerous. We must speak to the oracle and seek his advice on this."
They were led to a narrow crevice near the back of the cave, guarded by a pair of Amazons, which led to a winding tunnel. It finally opened into a small natural cave, devoid of any light. Inside, a wizened old man sat cross-legged on the floor. His milky eyes betrayed his blindness, but he greeted the queen by name. She bowed solemnly, then knelt before him, pressing her forehead to the stone floor. She spoke quietly, and as he listened, his sightless eyes fell unerringly on Mary. When the queen finished, he motioned for Mary to come to him. He began to run his fingers lightly over her face, and his eyes rolled back into his head and he appeared to go into some kind of trance, chanting softly in a low voice. Suddenly, his head snapped forward, and he asked the queen, "Did they bring a great gem?" Guessing that he meant the Gatestone, the party passed it to him, and he held it for some time in his hands. Growing visibly pale, he thrust the Gatestone back to Mary, and proclaimed in a wavering voice, "A great doom follows Queen Ma'ri'i and her harem. They must be taken across the Lake of Fire to the Fortress of Glass, so that the Web of Fate might remain unbroken."
This brought gasps from the queen's guards, but she simply nodded grimly, and led the party back out to the main cavern. One of her advisors led the party to their rooms, where she made it clear that they should quickly gather their belongings. Then they were led back to the mouth of the cavern. After a short wait, Queen Amal joined them, leading a small band of Amazons, including the leader of the group that originally captured the party. Her expression was grim, and she and the others appeared to be dressed for a very kinky war. They wore lacquered leather bustiers, and their biceps and thighs were wrapped in leather bands, while their forearms were sheathed in metal bracers. Their flowing hair was tucked up into peaked leather helmets. The queen carried a long, steel spear, and the others were armed with spears and bows.
Standing at the lip of the cliff, the queen gave a long whistle. Each of the Amazons with her did the same, and presently seven pterodactyls glided to a landing beside them. They were led by an enormous beast with a tall red crest atop its bony head. The queen mounted it with a leap, and motioned for Mary to climb up onto its neck in front of her. Each of the other Amazons did likewise, inviting a party member to ride with them. Once everyone was aboard, the giant reptiles leapt off the sheer cliff and plummeted downwards, until at last they extended their wings and swooped upwards into the sky.
The pterodactyls carried the party in swooping circles ever higher up the mountainside. As they neared the peak, the lush jungle gave way to barren black lava flows and eroded basalt, and a thin stream of smoke could be seen rising from the cone above them. As they crossed the lip of the cone, they were hit by a wave of heat rising from below, as though someone had opened the door of a furnace, and the flying dinosaurs immediately soared upwards 50’ or more in the updraft. Below them, filling the crater, was a lake of seething lava. Bubbles of molten rock formed and burst in slow motion, while swirling currents carried chunks of unmelted slag in lazy circles. The stench of sulfur filled the air.
Rising from the center of the sea of magma was an island of black rock. Seeming to grow out of the rock itself was a tower of black obsidian. Its walls were covered with dripping flows of glass, as though it had melted and reformed countless times. Pointing her spear at the tower, Queen Amal shouted a command and, as one, the flight of pterodactyls banked and began to descend into the crater.
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