Hyborean Age - a Conan Exiles story

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The Stygian  army attacked Alfredo's desert outpost while he was away. But Yui arravived just in time to take command of the defense. The enemy managed to beak down the outer gate before taking heavy losses. The Stygian commander challenged Yui and she took him down. The clan lost one thrall and two undead zombie guards in the defense. The dead thrall was replaced by a prisoner released from the Stygian camp. Whatever valuables and resources the Stygians left behind, the victorious clan collected. 

On her next raid, Yui tried out her invisibility spell. It worked well and she could easily infiltrate an enemy camp, but getting away with stealing treasure was much harder without being seen doing it. However, Yui would not go on a raid alone. She would have as many as four companions along. While they kept the enemy at bay, Yui could concentrate on bringing the treasure to one of the clan's bases. 

And in a short time later, Yui became a mother, contributing to the clan's growing mumber of champions with her son.

Rearing for new adventures, Yui was joined by her son and Alfredo on another expedition. This time they met a strange creature welcoming them - a werehyena.

"Come, come to me. You have nothing to fear of me, human. I am simply lonely as I await my return to the misty lands." 

The party were surprised, but there were much stranger things in the world than this.

"Is my appearance repellent to you, human? Your kind find no kinship in the unnatural. My brother, Impisi, summoned me from the misty lands. We are bound by flesh, blood and our kinship with Jhebbal Sag. But Impisi asked of me power that could not be given. He took my silence for disobedience and drove me forth from his camp in a wrath. I simply wish to return to my realm, but Impisi will not allow it because he thinks I am withholding information. If I could simply kill Impisi to secure passage to my realm, I would do it. But the incantations that he spoke bind us as one, tied together by invisible threads. His thoughts are my thoughts; if he is struck, I am bruised. If I am cut, he bleeds." "Interesting sorcery," Yui said. "Do you know of Jhebbal Sag, human? Once all living things worshipped him. When men and animals spoke the same tongue, he would walk among them in any form that he chose. He would mate with females of all races and from those unions would birth half-divine children such as I. Such as Impisi. Most men have forgotten the tongue they shared with the animals. Only some few animals remember. The realm that I come from is volatile: a world of shifting energies and elemental forces. By contrast, I find your world to be... tranquil. But I suspect that my nature makes me more sensitive to the undercurrents that run beneath this strange land. Take this grove, for instance. These trees were once something else. Not human, nor any other creature that I have encountered in this place. And they are screaming. Endlessly screaming."

The werehyena was referring to the Shattered Springs. 

Having imbibed the strange draught they had received from the werehyena, the party soon found themselves in a strange realm belonging to Jhebbal Sag...

There were markers indicating what kind of enemies to expect when choosing a path. The party would have to find and defeat Jhebbal Sag's champions - The Four Brothers - before they would be able to leave this realm. 

The clan's party kept making steady progress and soon they had defeated three of the four champions.

The final champion turned out to be a werewolf.

Once the final champion was defeated Jhebbal Sag spoke to them, they should consume the flesh of the defeated werewolf to gain access to his sacred knowledge.

The path to return to the Exiled Lands was now clear.

And before they knew it, the party was back in Sepermeru. 

Upon return from the realm of Jhebbal Sag, the clan sought a suitable place to erect a shrine. They decided on a place outside their new base location in the north.

Back at the main base Alfredo got to meet his newest daughter, born to a Darfari slave girl. The mother died shortly after giving birth to a strong and healthy girl. Binti, being the Drfari girl's last words, became Alfredo's daughter's name. 

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The first goal was to get a suit of armour and a weapon...

Binti, as her first test of strength, chose to infiltrate the Stygian base at Al'Merayah. She waited until nightfall before scaling the walls and entering the compound. Sneaking around in the dark, Binti staked out the place. 

In the dead of night Binti found a batterimg ram and tested it out on a few doors and gates. A strong person could easily break through in only a few heavy blows. Binti also found a katana that she kept.

Come morning it was time to make an escape, but she would have to chance of getting out without being seen. The dragon powder jars on the back of the heavy wagon would be a great distraction. Carefully avoiding being seen, Binti placed the explosive jars. A patrolling guard surprised her, but Binti reacted immediately. The split second the equally surprised Stygian remained motionless, Binti leapt at the enemy. The bow she used to set off the explosives from a safe distance. Those explosives were a lot less effective as she had thought them to be. Binti had expected an exploding jar would break down a door, but it seemed to hardly leave a scratch. But Binti really didn't have that much time to carefully observe since she was making an escape. A few Sygians got in her way, but one mighty blow from Binti's heavy mace was all it took to silence them. Then she jumped from the ramparts. 

Back at the base, Alfredo and Dalinsia listened to Binti's tale.

Plans were made to attack the Stygians at Al-Merayah...

Alfredo was leading the expedition. With him was Binti, his Darfari daughter. Yui was chosen to carry the battering ram. Cloaked by her sorcery she would remain unnoticed as long as the others were fighting the numerous defenders. Along were also Yui's son and a Cimmerian berserker...

The clan reached the treasure room where they defeated the Stygian commander.

The Stygian riches were now the clan's for the taking. 

Following the sacking of the Stygian base their response came quickly - an attack on Alfredo's desert outpost. The clan leader himself was not present but his little Darfari daughter, Binti, was there to lead the defense. In the young woman's own words, the Stygian effort was pitiful, mostly consisting of slaves forced to fight. Most of these slaves quickly cut down and the rest fleeing in panic. The Stygian commander was no match for Binti and the Stygian camp's meagre resources were looted.

Traversing through the desert in the night, Malanal the Shemite was attacked by a werehyena. The beast was carrying a leather pouch containing a map showing a location nearby in the desert. He was intrigued to learn more. From what Malanal could tell, the map was showing the location where he could see the green beam of light shooting into the sky. This was what he meant to investigate when the creature attacked him.

Alfredo's desert outpost was nearby and so it was Malanal's next stop. He was welcomed by the owning clan as one of several patrons. In the local tavern the shemite asked around about the nightly attacks and the green beam of light. Everyone had seen the light, several patrons had been attacked by these werehyenas in the night. But none of them had so far investigated the place.

While praying to Mitra at the outposts local shrine, located on the roof of one of the buildings, Malanal met Binti. He was a tall man and beside him the Darfari woman looked like a dwarf. She had to be an important person though, since she was wearing such good armour. 

Binti approached the hulking Shemite man, eager to learn his strength. She was eager to find a male worthy of her. He seemed strong enough but she knew nothing of Malanal's fighting prowess. So, Binto offered the Shemite a place in the clan if he proved himself in battle. They would go to the Den - the headquarters of the Dogs of the Desert. There Malanal would be given the chance to prove his worth to Binti and to the clan.

Malanal proved himself to Binti with flying colours. While the shemite was carrying the looted treasure back to Alfredo's desert outpost, Binti said she would join him on his quest to unravel the mysery of the nightly attacks and the beam of light. Binti confessed she had been looking for someone to help her with this but no one in the clan, though many of them had been attacked by the werehyenas in the night while out of expeditions, not a single person had shown interest in learning more. This was until Binti and Malanal met. Together they would seek out this place. 

Binti showed Malanal the way to the clan's main base. There the Shemite received his clan armour and a new weapon. He was a full member now. 

Binti followed Mlanal as he went to investigate what was at the green beam of light...

"Another pilgrim enters the savage garden... The hunt is Jhebbal Sag's sacred sacrament. We hunt for His glory. In this time of gathering, we hunt to be his next chosen," the woman said. "How does one properly worship the Lord of Beasts?" Malanal asked. "The scripture of Jhebbal Sag already resides in the meat of your mind. The Lord of Beasts etched it into the minds of your ancestors' ancestors. You may awaken this knowledge by partaking of our sacrament. Eat the Flesh of Rememrance, and the knowledge of our religion will blossom in your skull and ribcage." "What can you tell me of Jhebbal Sag?" "Before the before... Jhebbal Sag reigned over all of the earth, over all beasts, including humankind. All predators and prey worshipped Him and spoke the same language. Even now, separated by ten thousand tongues... Even now, when the corruption of civilization peaks, the god of all beasts walks among us, sometimes as a man, sometimes as an animal, and you will know him by eyes that burn like yellow coals in the dark. The smartest of animals, who remember the beginning of all things, still worship him, as do the men and women who still feel the primal fever, the quickened heart, the blood-soaked drum of the hunt. Animal and human, they are all decendants of Jhebbal >Sag's loins!" she said.

They traded gnarled fangs for a lure and two sets of ritual warpaint...

Malanal and Binti set out to hunt the first of Jhebbal Sag's champions. They brought a small group of clan members as support. At the base of the Black Galleon they found the first spot. Beore setting the lure down on the designated spot, Malanal and Binti stripped out of their armour and clothing.

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From the slain beast they colected a number of gnarled fangs and a token they would need to make the grand champion lure from. Now it was time to return to the base for some rest before taking on the next champion...

After the first successful hunt, the party returned to base. Now Binti had something different in mind. From where she had led Malanal he was getting enthusiastic...

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It was time Binti lost her virginity. This strong Shemite man was perfect for her.

Their next expedotion would tajke several days and led them into the jungle.

They found the second hunt location not far from Buccaneer Bay and Flotsam. 

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They defeated the second champion and now had two ingredients for the grand champion lure. They needed one more...

While in Buccaneer's Bay they decided to engage the Black Hand pirates and seize their treasure...

After conquering Jamilla's Bounty they made off with another golden idol of a Derketo cat. The treasure was brought back to the new base in the north. 

The next location they needed to find was far up in the north. Binti and Malanal asked Ylva to lead their expedition. She picked a Cimmerian woman as one of the group members...

The expedition brought their newly acquired werehyena with them as they taveled north. 

The expedition eventually found the location of the third champion in the vicinity of the Temple of Frost. A few clan members had been to this area and sometimes came to harvest black ice... or search for starmetal on the Frozen Slopes. Having been told where to place their lure, it still took the party some time to pinpoint the location as none of the party members had previously visited the area near the frost giant's headquarters.