Session 28: Celestial Rampage of the Arimoanga Report

General Summary

Manticore's Hunt the Lion Knight

There is unease throughout the world as the sky above the world seems to shake and rattle. The Crystal Sphere that contains the solar system of Erathia shudders unexpectedly and stars fall from their place in the firmament. A giant lion romps beyond the dome of heaven and someone must travel beyond the Divine Gate to determine what is happening.

A flight of four manticores assault the Bayani-Sun Casino with a gigantic hexworm. They fly over it screeching commands that the worms seems to be following reluctantly. The manticore's mimic the same speech over and over:

"Slay the Lion Knight! The Arimoanga will follow the Manticore King's might"

They lead the hexworm through the streets where it slides over bystanders that are crushed beneath its weight.

The Patrollers rush out to confront the manticores, release the hexworm, and save the innocent civilians. Zernon, a leonin paladin, realizes that the Lion Knight they want to destroy must be him. He of course rushes out to save the bystanders. They will free the hexworm if they can, but kill it if they have to.

In the fight, they lose two parents who try to save their children. The hexworm swallows Zernon and the lion knight tries to claw his way out, but can't gain purchase. He's slowly being dissolved in the worm's acid stomach.

T-R01D tries to reach in to pull the lion paladin out, but is unsuccessful. The patrol manages to evacuate the remaining bystanders and focuses on killing the manticores.

Now that they have captured the Lion Knight, the manticores attempt to withdraw taking Zernon with them to die in the worm's gullet. The Patrol pursues, eventually killing the manticores and cutting the leonin paladin out of the worm. The wounded worm survives the fight and is turned back over to its handlers from Fez's mother's hex crystal mine.

The Sphinx Who Was Janus

As they recover from the fight, a majestic sphinx appears to them. He reveals himself as Janus, a half-elf and villain from the last heroic era who was the brother of Gemini, Avatar of Naraky. He has reformed since then and become a sphinx to guard the world, the timeline, and the crystal sphere of heaven.

He reveals that the Manticore King has traveled beyond the crystal sphere and has somehow awoken the Arimoanga, the leonine Celestial Eater. Beyond the sky the roars of the manticores lead the Arimoanga to knock stars out of the sky. They used the same roars to control the hexworms that fought the Pit Patrol. If they are not stopped, it will do the same to the sun and moons.

The Arimoanga will only listen to another lion and right now it listens to the Manticore King, Zektioz Suneater. This illrigger leonin comes from the Suneater Tribe and they hail from the Lost Vally of Sollo where Zernon also comes from. Zektioz, the other Z, is an evil worshipper of the Celestial Gluttons and he's encouraging the worst impulses of the Arimoanga.

The Patrol agrees to travel beyond the sky to stop the Arimoanga. Janus tells them that they must attract the Arimoanga's attention with a ritual known as "Nine Lives Parade." It will take them an hour to cast, so he gives them another ritual known as "To Grasp the Sun." Janus links the spells together so that Thirteen can stop the sun and Zernon can use "Nine Lives Parade" to summon an enormous swarm of cats. In that liminal space, they hope Zernon can speak to the Arimoanga, cat to cat, and talk him out of destroying the crystal dome of heaven.

Confrontation Beyond the Sky

Janus sends them beyond the sky to a realm that resembles a sandy beach alongside what looks like a celestial coral reef. They realize that the "water" is actually the crystal sphere containing the solar system. They see the Arimoanga out over the crystal water smashing down onto it and knocking stars out of the sky. The great lion is being herded by manticore knights flying on manticores.

Before they can fly out to confront the Knights, they are ambushed by the Manticore King himself and his five guardian Manticore Knights. Three of them are dragon lion hybrids who can breath fire. Two are leonin illriggers like the Manticore King himself. The guardians ride manticores, but the Manticore King rides an enormous flying tyrannosaurus rex.

They get into a heavy combat, the Manticore King is determined to end the threat of his challenger right then and there. They discover that the Manticore King is a master of illusion as well as a skilled warrior. The knights are illusions and the real knights are invisible and wait in ambush. D'Wat is able to see through the illusions.

They get through the illusions and after a hard fought battle that goes back and forth, they eventually manage to take down the Manticore King and his guardians. They fly out over the reefs and are shocked by the sight that greets them.

The Skeleton of Rampol

The Arimoanga romps and plays over a gigantic angelic skeleton that hundreds of feet tall. By the regalia, the crown, and the immense wings, the Patollers realize that they are looking at the corpse of Rampol, God of the Sun. Before they can process this information, the four Manticore Knights enter combat and goad the Arimoanga into joining them.

The Patrol battles to survive the onslaught of the great winged lion. It breathes fire on them and bats them around at will. The Patrollers are loath to harm the Arimoanga, instead focusing their efforts on the Manticore Knights. The Knights prove themselves to be accomplished mages as well as powerful warriors. They fight powerfully while Zernon approaches the Arimoanga and attempts to convince it to resist the Manticore Knights.

The Arimoanga perceives Zernon and says to him, they are lions, just as you yourself are. They have as much right to speak to me as you do. Why should I listen to you instead of them. At first Zernon fails to convince the Arimoanga and all seems lost. But Thirteen gets close enough to Zernon to reach out and "Grasp the Sun." Time stops around Thirteen, Zernon, and the Arimoanga. The great lion looks down and says, "You have my attention. Now prove yourself."

Zernon completes the ritual known as "Nine Live Parade", a swarm of cats covers the reef and the Arimoanga laughs in delight. "I love all these little kitties! You have made your argument!" The Arimoanga fades back into the pocket dimension that he came from. "Thank you for the amusing diversion Z! But I would see no cats harmed. With a nod of his mane, the Manticore Knights and the body of the Manticore King fade away with the great lion.

The Black Acorn

As they stand above the skeleton of Rampol, the Patrollers wonder how they'l break the news to their missing friend Lucius, the cleric of Rampol. As they look down, D'Wat says, we have this black acorn that can resurrect the dead! We got it from my cousin. What if we put it in the mouth of Rampol? The other Patrollers agree that they should try it.

They put the Black Acorn in the skeletal mouth of the God of the Sun. As they watch in amazement, vines wrap around the skeleton, forming flesh. Bark climbs over the vines, forming skin. Twin suns begin to glow in the eyesockets of the skeletal god. Hair grows out in the form of flowers and leaves. The Patrol awaits to see...