AD&D Session 66 - Sands of Affliction
25th of Cuersaar, 835 PD
The party faced a brutal ambush as their sled caravan sank into shifting crystal desert sands, triggering an assault by a fierce warband of orcs and gnolls. The skirmish proved intense, leaving Koro stricken with debilitating muscle spasms and a rising fever. Reeves swiftly carried Koro to the care of Bibi, whose quick intervention helped stabilize her condition temporarily. Observing alarming signs of further danger—sinister movements beneath the sands—Reeves urged an immediate retreat, pressing the sled dogs hard toward safety. By nightfall, the weary travelers reached a dwarven guardpost at the mountain's base, gratefully sheltering there to rest and recuperate.
26th of Cuersaar, 835 PD
The following day saw Koro awake yet unable to dispel the mysterious ailment afflicting her. Determined to find aid, the group ascended the mountain pass toward Uthodurn, where local temple priests revealed the nature of Koro's affliction as a potent curse requiring both advanced spellcasting and a rare tincture derived from a local sandworm. Faced with a steep monetary cost for treatment, the party resolved that Koro would first attempt to lift the curse herself at dawn before considering alternative measures, such as purchasing or obtaining the sandworm's component directly. With this plan set, they settled into a local inn, with Koro remaining at the temple under observation, to rest and prepare for the challenges that awaited them with the coming day.