Babylon Blog: Against the Witch men of Elam

So our heroes came across a great battle in the mountains of the borders of Elam. A army of the city of Umma had been pursuing gutians when it fell into a ambush from superior Elamites. While the Sumerians of Umma had backward old Sumerian light troops and 2 man chariots with four wheels, the Elamites were better armoured, with modern 4 man chariots with 2 wheels. The heroes poured in through a pass with a group of 18 Gutians they had recruited while Sobek with her javelins and Ariana with her bow climbed the hill and targeted the Elamite charioteers.

The men of Umma were falling back from a line of swordsmen with rear ranks lobbing demoralising curses. The words of our heroes could not sway the bewitched men who fled but they forced them to stop fleeing by physically blocking the pass forcing them to turn and fight defencivley. A Elamite chariot fell and the greatest heroes Kull, his brother, Pek and Toth hacked through the attacking swordsmen, shattering their lines.

Sumerians pushed back and their chariots smashed the Elamite archers sending the surviving Elamite chariots fleeing. Rejoicing from the victors who stacked Elamite severed heads in pyramids to count their dead for the scribes records.

So the prince who led them begged them to come to Umma where his father would reward them. They marched back and got to see distant cities they had not seen before. They had spent little time on this side of the two rivers. Hearth of a city where Dagon was worshipped to north and another city Katulu to south over run with marsh and degenerates. All interested in visiting.

In palace king rewarded them with magic weapons, silver and incense. Spent days in his palace enjoying hospitality, his libraries and sporting with his nobles. The Gutians were offered jobs and wives and Kull's brother too the best of the girls for himself. The king married them all together in a charming ceremony. The heroes were praised in song. Also gave them a chariot and a driver.

One night the king had a dream of evil spirit commanding him to submit. He consulted soothsayers and priests and astrologers and the party decided to help. Ariana consulted the wind omens and sensed a evil wind from the wrong direction in the wasteland. Toth went into a incense trance and dreamt that rebellious forces from the underworld had broken free. They sent message to king who sent them to investigate. Sobek sent a dove ahead and saw a mound had been exposed revealing a ruined temple of the old times. A forgotten Sumerian city.

They parked chariots and left some guards and went in. In a great hall gallu demons attacked. With lion heads and bird feet they fired arrows while ore charged. The heroes beat them back with muscle and magic and even captured one. The dead broke down into putrid filth and bugs then into ash that blew away.

While some first aided th wounded others went upstairs and met a jet black man of darkness, A wicked underworld Djinn of darkness. He engulfed the room in his shade form blinding them all. Most were blindly swinging but several cast second sight and could see the living shadow around them. Sobek fell unconscious and Toth fell from a heart attack. While guards fled one got accidentally got stabbed Kull's brother, another was struck dead by shade and both fell down stairs. One barely alive. Ariana tending to sick found them and saw wall of living night at top of stairs. Eventually the magic weapons killed the shade and all was normal. Found many underworld idols, incense and silver items. Everything dead they returned to Umma the curse was over.

The king rewarded them and asured they were welcome to stay with him.