The Sultana Marid
- Formosa (Half-Orc Monk) – Lotta
- Gloucester (Human Sorcerer) – Miles
January 18, 2020
The open mouth of the snake-head statue into which Formosa and Gloucester had thrown themselves turned out to be a magic portal. On the other side was a huge cave system fed by underground waterfalls, the portal delivering them onto an island littered with bones at the center of the churning pond.
Stepping stones led away from the Hydra’s lair-island to stairs carved into the cave wall leading up to a door and up they went to avoid the returning monster. Beyond the door they found a sweltering hatchery patrolled by Yuan-Ti snakemen who killed Formosa as she gave Gloucester cover to flee back to the waterfall chamber.
Huddling in the pitch-black cave of roaring waters and looking for options, Gloucester heard a voice in his head. It belonged to the Sultana Marid, a water Genie trapped in the form of one of the waterfalls by a wizard in league with the Yuan-Ti called Tolok. He had tricked the Sultana Marid into leaving her home at the top of The Spire, the lone Aqualith standing in Lake Lunessa, and barred her from returning with powerful wards.
After sharing his story with her, Sultana Marid offered Gloucester a deal: teleport him back to the docks of Bendajee to rejoin his companions in exchange for removing Tolok and his wards from The Spire. The desperate Sorcerer agreed, stepped into the waterfall and found himself coming up for air in the docks of Bendajee, as promised.