Shortly after everyone takes a seat next to the fallen angel, the sound of footfalls and a walking staff are heard at the top of the inn's stairs. The ebon-skinned emerald robed man comes into view, clutching his serpent-head wooden staff. "Hello there good heroes. Friends, Xavius, I would join you. I feel a stirring in the fates and feel compelled to be here."
Xavius replies, "Yes Littledragon, come. I was just speaking to these adventurers about the meeting earlier today. It seems that there are many loose ends that have led us to a standstill."
Walker is actually not present right now. If someone asks, Xavius says that he is resting in one of the inn's rooms nearby. We can assume that you sought him out. You find his room and find him on his bed, fast asleep. He stirs at your approach and smiles when he recognizes you. "Hello friend."
You begin casting your protection spell upon him but a sudden jolt of energy jumps from Walker to your hand, instantly dispelling your magic before you can complete it.
Walker's eyes go wide and he says "Oh my. You mustn't do that again, good dwarf."
1) What does the holy symbol mean?
2) In their eyes, what's next for this assortment of factions of good?
3) What do they know of the Dragon and its uses for the children?
Does Littledragon detect as evil? ... I want to follow up with Detect Magic.
No evil detected. When you turn your Detect Magic spell toward Littledragon, he smiles and patiently allows your scan. Magic is detected from various items of his including his robes, his staff, several scrolls, a couple of wands, and his holy symbol. All radiate magic of varying degrees and schools.
When you turn your cone toward Xavius, a nearly overwhelming aura of transmutation and enchantment is so palpable that you can nearly taste it. You find it hard to maintain your concentration, in fact.
Miro: "What does the holy symbol mean?"
Littledragon: "Ah this?" He holds forth a talisman which bears the same symbol graven into each of your rings, but with finely crafted silver viper coiled around it. "These three intersecting lines represent a nexus; a point at which three ley lines intersect at the same point. It is the symbol of my deity, one who is new to the pantheon above. I worship him who founded the Jewel of the West, the escort of freedom, the beacon of liberty-- Gengis Battleborn!"
Miro: "In their(your) eyes, what's next for this assortment of factions of good?"
-Xavius and Littledragon share a glance then regurgitate the several options given at the previous meeting. Xavius insists that a strong presence must be maintained here, so that a strike can be made against the nearby ruin of Mylosis where there exists an open gate to hell itself.
-Littledragon says "I'm not certain of what it means, but I have something to show you all, after we have completed our pleasant chat."[/b] He smiles mischievously.
Miro: "What do they(you) know of the Dragon and its uses for the children?"
Xavius and Littledragon look confused at such an odd question. Neither have any satisfactory response.
Gromff shields his eyes from Xavius who radiates some powerful magic. "Ba, should've seen that coming. More proof ye're a fallen or the son o one. Mind explaining the enchantment aura. That schools got magic to help others or control them," he says seriously.
"Gengis Battleborn, hun? I heard the men talking about it. But what about the snake? We've had a weird dream with snakes... What's wrong?"
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"Did Gengis Battleborn used the nexus intersection to raise himself as god? That would explain why use it as symbol… but if that’s true, it only proves that… ahh I see, the demons are using the ley lines to keep the portal open, if we could ‘seal’ those lines… wait, three lines, three harbingers… maybe that’s their purpose? Seal the lines and end with the portal… No that still would leave countless of demons free, legend said they would hold the key to end this war, maybe seal the portal and banish the demons? That would sure take a lot of power… but if somehow we could use the ley lines…" she says without really noticing he had been thinking out loud after the priest words.
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Snapping out of her self-indulged monologue the mages says ”Some months ago, we found a secret room within a cavern. This room looked different for each of us, but one thing was certain, there a 4' tall altar. Atop the altar a fairly long coiled viper, tongue flicking and tasting the air, in the middle of its coil 5 bronze-colored rings.” after saying that, she removes her ring and show it to the Littledragon ”It’s the same symbol.” she looks at Miro and continues ”Later we found him, at the same time we meet a long imprisoned Hound Archon. Things went bad with the angel; it might have taken offence when we did not agree to follow her plans. The curious thing is, Miro has the same ring with the same symbol, found in a different location. Do you know what could this mean?” she says calmly. ”I must be frank and admit that, even tho I see the miracles Gromff is capable with his faith, I’m unable to do the same. Being used by gods is not something I’m happy with.”
"Well, if the Devils and Demons are coming in through a single portal, that would mean that shutting it down is the first step to winning the war. The rest would eventually die. I mean, look at what we did in Sojourn. We would have freed the city, if they didn't have backup."
Gromff,
Your previous knowledge rolls about Fallen Angels indicated to you that they are stripped of power, form (transmutation) and of much of their memory. (you can assume this portion of their "fall" accounts for the divine-strength enchantment aura)
To Roland,
Littledragon says "The snake? Yes, the viper was Battleborn's lifelong companion. It was his arcane familiar. His reputation as a dragonslayer combined with his love of snakes became his city's standard heraldry."
"You dreamed of snakes? How interesting. Truly my Lord has taken a great interest in you!"
To Catcher,
Littledragon says "The details of his ascension are beyond my comprehension. I would assume that the nexus has been harnessed by the fiend Ultruu for this purpose, but as to my Lord I cannot say. I believe he is still what one might call a demi-god, akin to Ultruu. That is a very interesting theory about the three lines/three harbingers. There may be something to that..." He stares off, contemplating.
When the rings are displayed, the priest of Battleborn gasps. "Marvelous! By the gods, this is...I...you were given these rings? A divine gift is a rare and wonderful thing. When the gods recruit you to their cause, it is because of their faith in you, not the other way around. Do not feel used, my dear. You should feel honored. And this angel, I wonder what role she is meant to play..." Again, his gaze wanders.
Gromff watches the conversations with a serious look, as if gauging every word spoken. Though he doesn't show it he is impressed by Catcher's subtle manipulation of Arsensi earlier and the way she has touched on the subject without drawing attention to them. Xavius seems Eager to redeem himself and Littledragon appears to be devout in his faith. He also bares the same symbol as they do and his own god approved the gift. Unfortunately Dwarven stubbornness gets in the way and prevents him form full disclosure. Too many what if and the Silvermane, slinking about bothered him.
"Not sure about the angel but the Harbinger's do play a role as the lass said. Can ye do another o that spell to prevent evesdroppers," he asks Catcher, "or is this a quiet enough place to talk?" this time addressing the two before them.
Miro listens intently as the conversation continues around him. "This ring has saved my life at least once, if not more...it is truly a valuable gift and boon from this god of yours." Not really sure of all this talk of demi-gods and a new player in the game, he continues to listen.
The barbarian takes a meaningless look at the ring, as if so far he did not see any difference while using it, but whatever. He turns back to mr. ebony. "Whatever. Tell me something, are those Silvermane trustable? I mean, from what I heard, they tried to undermine Mylosis every time they could, right?"
At Roland's mention of the Silvermane, Miro's curiosity is piqued, considering their earlier stealthy encounter. He listens attentively for a response.
"Whatever. Tell me something, are those Silvermane trustable? I mean, from what I heard, they tried to undermine Mylosis every time they could, right?"
Xavius gets a strained smile and harrumphs. Littledragon raises an eyebrow and replies, "The Silvermane have been enemies of my Lord for generations. They abhor the arcane and believe that no good can come from it. Can they be trusted? Not a chance. Do we need their strength for this war? Yes, I reluctantly admit that we probably do. They remain the strongest intact bastion of mankind in the western realm."
"Not sure about the angel but the Harbinger's do play a role as the lass said. Can ye do another o that spell to prevent evesdroppers," he asks Catcher, "or is this a quiet enough place to talk?" this time addressing the two before them.
Littledragon says "This inn is nearly deserted, but you never know, do you? I know a place that I'm certain will be eavesdrop-free. Come."
With that, he gets up from the table at the lonely inn and opens the front door. He holds it open, awaiting you all.
Miro, eager to hear all, hurries to the door, struggling to keep a ridiculous child-like grin off his face. He was enjoying all the intrigue and plotting too much.
Xavius rises from his seat wearing a look of curiosity. He falls in line behind you all as you follow Littledragon out of the inn, past the great hall, and all the way to the ancient keep on the mountain edge. Channels of blood have accumulated and run down mountainside into the lane leading back to the inn.
You enter the ancient keep under a great natural arch which leads into a courtyard. The keep's walls were built right up against the natural rock in an attempt to make a seamless obstruction from those seeking entry to the mountain pass. Chunks of old rotten wood and rusted iron plates lay under the archway, the last remnants of what used to be great 15' doors. You see a few dozen miserable looking armed soldiers manning the walls, dripping wet and cold. Most of these sentries seem to guard the wall facing west, up the mountain pass, toward the ruin of Mylosis. Waving to a pair of guards, Littledragon escorts you through a modern wooden door leading into the base of a turret. After everyone enters he closes the door behind you all, ensuring privacy.
Underneath a spiral staircase that leads up to the tower's heights, he pushes a swiveling wall revealing a dark passageway. "I discovered this quite by accident...or by design... one can never know." He smiles widely, revealing pearly white clean teeth that contrast oddly with his skin. It is a pleasant smile, nevertheless.
He casts a light spell on the serpent head of his staff and enters the darkness. Waiting for everyone to enter he closes the swiveling secret door and casts a spell upon it.
"Hehehe" Littledragon giggles a self-satisfied giggle, awaiting praise.
"And how do ye suppose we get over there if we even wanted to? Why did we come this far?"
Aersensi, normally happy-go-lucky and ready for adventure, says "I don't like this place. It makes me sad."
"And how do ye suppose we get over there if we even wanted to? Why did we come this far?"
Littledragon rekindles his light spell onto his staff, causing the mysterious island to disappear from view. With everyone illuminated again he replies, "I discovered this place and kept it to myself--" Xavius' expression seems irritated, and he looks to the ebon priest as if to say I was wondering the same thing as the dwarf.
Littledragon continues, "I kept it to myself for reasons I can't explain. Intuition, you know? It was only when we spoke at the inn did I get the urge to share this. When the young mage mentioned three harbingers, and three ley lines-- the image of those three obelisks flashed in my mind. I believe there is significance here.""How do we reach it? I'm not sure yet but we'll think of something."
Roland seems to be keeping his tongue, for now. He looks at the little child, thinking about the obvious reasons why this place would make her sad. "Nice place. Weirdest as anything I've ever seen. Can anyone fly?"
Catcher,
You can feel the blue gem humming. You're not quite sure if it is actually humming in a physical sense. It is definitely reacting to something.
"Well I can't fly, can ye? The lad could probably throw ye."
He raises his shoulders. "Well, if that's our only option, what can we do right? Come here Catcher!"
Miro's expression drifts from curious, to confused, to irritated, and finally to alarmed. His eyes widen, and he holds his hand out in front of the barbarian, just in case. "Let's not be too hasty...let take a look around." The halfling gathers some dust, walking along the edge of the cliff, sprinkling it between his fingers. He walks the perimeter, looking for the telltale signs of a disguised bridge of some sort.
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”Gengis is a demi-god.” she says to no one in particular ”What if the harbingers legend is nothing more than a carefully constructed ploy?” she continues slowly ”Sure, converging the power of the nexus to this place, would probably give whoever manipulate it, power to end this war, and thus the ‘legend’ would be true.” she looks around pick up the elf girl still hugging her ”But what if the real intention was something else? Maybe let’s say, a demi-god ploy to ascend as true god, and thus ending a bitter war, disposing of a potential rival and winning the masses as ‘the god that saved the world…’ ”
She turns her back to everyone else as she admits in a bitter voice ”Do as you please, I’ll be outside.” then just before leaving she says to Gromff ”The blue one reacts to this place.” and with that she climbs back the spiral, escaping the dark cave.
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Roland looks disappointed. "Oh, damn. I was kinda hoping that would work. We just don't know a thing about what's going on. And if the knowledge split between some parts around the world, we will never get anywhere..." He watches Miro trying something that he does understand, cause he didn't watch Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and is getting a little anxious about this. He whispers to Gromff and Tess while the others are paying attention to Miro. "Common let's freaking tell them!"
He watches Miro trying something that he does understand, cause he didn't watch Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and is getting a little anxious about this...
"Hmmm. I suppose we can return at another time." Littledragon looked a bit uncomfortable, maybe a little hurt. "Come, the young mage might not be able to get past my enchantment on the door."
Littledragon and Xavius make their way back up the sloping cave passage, back up to the swiveling magically-sealed door. The Hold Portal is dispelled, leaving the way clear for anyone/everyone to leave. As you leave the castle turret and enter the open air, you see that the blood rain has ceased, though dark clouds still block most of the daylight from warming the chill air.
When everyone departs the ancient Archdale keep, three large winged creatures can be seen landing in the distance, in the muddy lane in front of the Greenshingles Inn. They appear to have mounted riders atop them.
"Gryphons. There are dwarves riding them, it seems. I've never seen a dwarf flying, I think..."
Before Catcher can leave Gromff grabs her arm a serious look on his face. "No changing the subject, let's see if the wizard can fly." He then begins to drag her to the edge of the cliff. While doing so he whispers. "Play along. Tell me if the stone reacts more. We need to know if this is the door."
A dwarven gauntleted hand tugs Catcher toward the cliff edge, though she exhibits considerable strength for one of her stature. As she draws closer to the ledge, the air sizzles and a translucent blue bridge comes into being. Wisps of bluish smoke waft off of the suddenly-conjured bridge. It doesn't reach more than about 10 feet from the ledge you stand upon, falling far short of the plateau to which it reaches toward. This magical bridge is quite narrow (1 foot) and looks treacherous to traverse due to the deep dark void below.
Putting a foot gingerly onto this phenomenon to test its veracity, you find that it does have substance and seems to support weight. The edge of the bridge seems to grow and shrink, proportionally changing with Catcher's proximity to the ledge.
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"Don't drag me around! I'm the one that do the dragging!" she complains but don't try (too much) to resist Gromff.
When the bridge appears, she curses silently "Oh damn..." as she take a deep breath and says to the others "Look out for her." she gives Aerseni into Gromff custody "Better now tell then the whole history, right?" she says as she turn towards the darkness.
With a small effort of will, she replicate a spell like the one Littledragon used, this time using a coin as source. "I'll go ahead take a look at the place, while you share information."
With careful steps, Catcher walks toward the three obelisks.
"Aye," is all he can say, marveling at the effect. He then turns to fallen angel and robed man. "As ye can see, thar definitely be significance here. By me guess this is the place the Harbingers are supposed offer themselves up ta open the door as the legends go. And obviously we found one o the stones. And possibly a lead on the Harbingers too," he says without actually mentioning or looking at Aersensai. "We think the dragon near Sweetwaters might have one though we got no proof. That and they can't be found by magic or most other means. Only thing that seems to work is Walker. And only one that seems to get him ta talk is the girl. I think this proves the Harbingers are at least an option. So we need what supplies you can give us, Walker, and ta keep the Silvermane off our back. One o them heard as much when we was talking in our tent and got away. So we need ta leave soon and if we make it back, we need into this keep. So this place has to stand. For as long as possible."
"Right, right. Tylz said Walker sometimes talked about The Three Harbingers and believed each of them had a key. The key's are large magical gems: red, yellow, and blue. And the keys don't work less the spirit o the right Harbinger fills it. Or something like that."
As the powerful revelations unfold, the very air around you seems to resonate with the truth of Gromff's words. Goosebumps erupt along your necks and backs. Xavius and Littledragon both nod, wide eyed and attentive. You have my word that I will keep this place a secret and protected," said the ebon priest.
The pale angel's eyes seem to flash brighter in the dim light. "And I will try to be the glue that holds this consortium together while you all complete your quest," says Xavius.
"Catcher, don't go." Aersensi says this to her friend in a whine, sounding as a child should when they don't get their way. Without another word, Catcher tiptoes slowly along the magical bridgeway. The presence of the blue gem somehow illuminates and brings into being the invisible bridge within a radius of 10 feet. After a few tense moments Catcher is seemingly suspended in mid air, standing upon a glowing bridge made of mist and light, anchored to nothing. Step by step, placing each foot as tenderly as a mother sets down a babe to sleep, the young mage makes her way across the 1 foot wide bridge and safely stands upon the island. A collective sigh of relief is heard from the ledge.
On the plateau island are three identical crude obelisks along the perimeter, each with an inward-facing slot that looks to be the size and shape of the blue gem. A perfect layer of dust on the ground is interrupted by the presence of the mages shoeprints, like a trail through fresh fallen snow. Clearly no one has been here in a long, long time. Using a cantrip she clears away much of the dust revealing a perfect circle in the center of the platform. The circle is made of brass colored metal and is lined with runes. Every third rune glows with a pale blue light, also reacting to the presence of the gem. A Read Magic spell reveals the runes to say:
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I need to know. she thinks, her heart aching as the elf child calls her back If I'm to save her from this terrible fate, I need to know how all of this works... she continues walking, each step heavier than the last even tho I know I mustn't… she begins to cry silently but what choice do I have? What right do I have?
Upon reaching the platform, she observes and try to understand. I must know… she thinks again and steeling herself, open her mind and magical power, taking everything in, trying to understand how it works.
Roland gets closer to the ledge, and seems worried with the sudden act of stupidity. "Be careful, Kid. If something happens to you right now, we have nothing to do about it. We don't know how that thing works." He takes his Longbow out, just in case.
He resumes the "But of course, aside from that we have no idea where the other two harbingers could be, do you? I mean, if they are immune to magic, how do we find them?"
Miro watches Catcher with interest, noticing her studying the obelisks. He turns to their 'hosts'. "You have our thanks for showing us this place, and for trying to hold things together while we procure that which we need to win this war."
I wonder...if the girl is a Harbinger, would just the 'Harbinger' part of her go into the gem, while her 'regular' psyche be untouched?
Catcher,
Through knowledge, inspiration, and intuition--all seemingly colliding in this place-- you learn a bit more about these keys.
Each key, being tied to a Harbinger, also grants the possessor of the gem certain insight and power over the corresponding Harbinger. You believe now that this blue gem you hold in you hand is not linked to Aersensi, but to another. You believe that when and if you held Aersensi's gem in your hand, and were in any relatively close proximity to the child, that the possessor would know the connection straightaway.
You also believe that the way in which the Harbinger enters the gem is variable. The gem might be able to be used as some sort of leverage or weapon, but the Harbinger also can voluntarily sacrifice their life to fulfill the prophecy.
You now know that these obelisks are where the filled-gems are meant to be placed. As to what happens then, you can only speculate. As to what "the last drop of Essence" is, you haven't the foggiest.
Reaching the other side, Catcher says "Let's move out. There's nothing for us here right now." as she offers to carry the girl.
Littledragon looks to the dark passage which led you here. "Come, the young mage might not be able to get past my enchantment on the door."
The priest and fallen angel make their way back up the sloping cave passage, back up to the swiveling magically-sealed door. The Hold Portal is then dispelled, leaving the way clear for anyone/everyone to leave. As you leave the castle turret and enter the open air, you see that the blood rain has ceased, though dark clouds still block most of the daylight from warming the chill air.
When everyone departs the ancient Archdale keep, three large winged creatures can be seen landing in the distance, in the muddy lane in front of the Greenshingles Inn. They appear to have mounted riders atop them.
Roland's sharp eyes pick out that the riders are dwarven.
After your walk back you see three well-trained griffons sitting calmly in the street. They eye you as you approach but make no hostile action.
Gromff, you immediately insignia of your clan.
Muddy dwarf footprints lead from the griffons, up the short flight of stairs on the inn's porch, and into the inn proper.
Gromff eyes the griffons with surprise. He expected the dwarves from his home to stay holed up in the mountain until everyone starved or someone else won the war. Last he checked he was one of the few to reach out for aid. Something must have changed. "If we're done, ye go on ahead," he says absently to the others. He then follows the tracks towards the Greenshingles Inn. He nods respectfully to the griffons as he passes them and heads in to find their riders. Upon locating the dwarfs he smiles and loudly asks, "What news from home Clan Hammerhand?"
Miro nods to Gromff, respecting his need to privately address his kinfolk. They had a lot of planning to do, anyway.
Once they are secluded again, he turns to the others. "So where to now, friends? Shall we seek out this dragon?"