The party began their journey in Sirena's lair, finding themselves headed north in the desert. They continued onward for some time, finding themselves eventually within viewing distance of the nearest settlement, Forgotten Springs. The sun beat down on them from above, baking their bodies and scorching their spirits, but onward they progressed.
The party came upon an Amalj'aa warrior, already in fierce combat with a couple of Sand Orobons, and assisted him in killing the pair of delicious, gritty fish. The party expected reward, but instead were questioned - why were they poaching on sacred Brotherhood hunting grounds? The Amalj'aa, as he explained, was a member of the Brotherhood of Ash, and the Brotherhood did not welcome poachers on their lands. He challenged the party to battle, and the party nominated their mightiest warrior, Lulu, to face their foe. Lulu prevailed, and the warrior respected the party's strength and right to hunt on Brotherhood lands. He allowed the party passage, and gave them a small wand for their effort.
Eventually the party continued north, reaching viewing distance of the U tribe's camp, the only known way around Zan'rak. They soon found an abandoned cart in the desert, and as adventurers are wont to do, they searched it. Soon, a rumbling came from beneath the sand. An entire colony of sandworms, vicious beasts known to the settlers in the desert, emerged from the sands below. The party fought valiantly, and with the help of a few adventurers from the U tribe itself, managed to dispatch the beasts. The U tribe members were not pleased with the party's intrusion upon their hunt, but offered to escort them back to their tribe and tend to them for now.
U'odh Nuhn, leader of the U tribe, met with the party after healing the wounds of Mikey. He explained that the U tribe values strength above all else. The party proved itself weak by needing assistance to dispatch the sandworms, and so they offer little of value to him. Still, he offers them a chance to repay their debt and earn the favor of the Drakes - a small clan of young hunters recently went missing, far to the east, and he would like to hear of their fate. The group was hunting an antlion in the area, but should have already returned. He does not care if they are alive or dead, but knowing if they were killed by their quarry or by others is his concern. One of U'odh's many lovers approached the party as they left, explaining that the antlion the young hunters were seeking carries a powerful toxin that the U tribe needs to create medicine. Retrieving it in addition to finding the news of the young hunters would place the party in a place of much more respect.
The party headed east uneventfully. Eventually, they came upon a large ruin, finding a single Amalj'aa and the hunters. The Amalj'aa, however, merely laughed at the party's foolishness - he was truly a Voidsent, sent to retrieve what Sirena could not - the tome that was left behind at Woad Whisper Canyon. After a short encounter, the party dispatched the fiend, sending him back to whatever hell he came from. The hunters, unfortunately, were truly tempered, and as quickly as possible, the party granted them the only release they could: death.
Now, the party knew that the Void was coming for them. Still, they had a goal: finding the antlion and harvesting its venom.
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