With the Lich Crusher in tow, we head toward Ran Module. The second day we overtake the Adventurer’s Guild caravan, and we get a Hero’s welcome.  News is there is a great battle at Ram Module, demon hordes and undead and Sun Lich elite fighting the guild, mercenaries, and a new ally - a lizard tribe – a race of lizards never seen before – and not like Pinroy. The caravan is two days out with much need supplies and medicine, but we go ahead to see if we can stop any more bloodshed.

As we near Ram Module, the air becomes more humid, the ground swampy as if moisture is bubbling through the sand trying tor reclaim this land as jungle once more.  Trees become more frequent, and we begin to hear the familiar sounds of battle.  We arrive in what can only be called a marsh with trees and sandbars.  Log-hewed bridges have been set up over the deeper patches of water and a large encampment of soldiers and adventurers.  Further on a huge pyramid rises out of a lake and we can see the tall masts of ships.  A huge battlefield divides us from the pyramid where men, elves, dwarves and bugbears seem to be fighting the dredges of hell itself.  And in their midst tall bright green lizard folk that stand tall, not hunched like Pinroy.  They are brightly adorning with feathers and leading them seems to the tallest with a large crown of red feathers on her head.  “The red crested beauty,” Pinroy whispers.

She welcomes us in a voice we have all heard before – the whisper in the prison, the voice on the wind in the desert – “Welcome Heroes, I have been waiting.”  She smiles at Pinroy and tells him it is she that he has been praying to all along – not a lobster god – but Atherion – Goddess of the Jungle, his true goddess who has answered his prayers.  Pinroy is overwhelmed and falls to his knees, even I and Oberon bow to her – as she has saved us more times than we can count. 

She tells us that once she had ruled this world.  Once it was lush jungle and her followers, the lizard folk, the keepers.  “You come from the jungle, Pinroy, and with your help, to the jungle you will return. The enemy you seek is in the pyramid.  I can get you there safely, but once inside you will have to destroy the Sun Lich, to gain the staff.” She touches each of us between the shoulder blades and golden wings burst from our backs.  She hands us each an orb – throw it at the enemy as it radiates my light. 

We take our leave of Pinroy’s goddess and fly over the battlefield heading straight to the pyramid.  We fly over ships attacking in a harbor and Wave muses if one of those is the ship that we have the deed to.  One ship is atop a giant crab as it clambers up the side of the pyramid.

We enter the pyramid from the bottom and come into a room with two lizards guarding a statute of a large snack. The two lizards followed Atherion, but they are hunched over, bulkier, their eyes having a sort of madness to them. They aren’t happy to see us. We don’t feel right killing them, but we don’t have a choice.  We dispatch and find a secret compartment in the statute.  There is a piece of paper with writing on it. 

We enter a kitchen, a cage in the corner.  The counters are covered in blood.  A dog runs out of the room.  A human woman is in the cage ad tells us the dog was an old hag who was going to cook her up.  In the next room we find two more lizards – they are female, but hunched and show madness.  They are protecting a clutch of eggs. Pinroy blesses the eggs and the female lizards let us pass.

We head up the stairs to the next level and see a statute of Atherion – this pyramid must have been her temple at one time before the Sun Lich desecrated it.  At the top if the stairs we find a sleeping guard.  I try to sneak up and trip and the guard yells out “Intruders!” There are two sets of armor at the end of the hallway, and they step toward us, great swords drawn.  We are able to dispatch the guard and the suits of armor and are heading down the hall when a priest comes out and demands we give them 500 gold to pass safely.  Scorch throws a fireball into the room and screaming ensues.  The priest looks over his shoulder and throws a key at Scorchy and runs away.

We go through the room the armor was guarding and there is a chapel full of Sun Lich elite around an altar.  The priests weren’t happy to see us, and we weren’t too thrilled to see them.  We sent them back to their god and looted the place.  Scorchy got a nice chalice (20 temp hit points a day); a jade statute. 

We take a bit of a rest as the Sun Lich sister tells us he is close – just up the stairs.  We make our way up and not only is the Sun Lich there holding his staff without the gem, but our old friend Chaos. There is a fire giant working a forge and making a large golden golem.  Sun Lich and Sister scream at each other and we attack.  Chaos watches seemingly amused.  The fire giant is the first to fall and then the Sun Lich seems to pull power from the golden golem who cries out with pain each time he does. The Sun Lich kills his sister, but we are able to bring him down.  As he falls a panel opens in the golem and a man steps out.  He says he is Rory, and he wants the staff to help him find an artifact, a crown.  We managed to grab the staff, and we run, Rory’s screams and Chaos’ laugh following us as we head out of the pyramid, victorious.

When we arrive outside the pyramid the battle is over, and we start the trek back to Pinroy’s goddess.  Already we can see the desert give way to green and the Sun Lich’s hold on the land is broken.