Corum says "I want that sword but I don't have all of the gold. Will you take this spear in trade? I have gold enough for the rest?"
Grayston begins writing down a list of ingredients, pauses for a moment and then continues to write. "If you could get all this and deliver it in the bag I requested." He pulls out a coin bag and hands it over. "All the gold should be in there."
Alchemist’s Kindness x25
Smelling Salts x10
Allnight x5
= 150g
Some drugs...
Bag, Handy Haversack 2500
Admixture Vial 5000g
Yes
Zil takes the bags of gold in his enormous blue hands and says;
Well then, if there is nothing else I shall take my leave and begin sourcing the items you have requested. My heart-felt thanks once again, my friends.
With that he grabs a hem of his robe and sweeps it over his head and in an instant the robes fold over into nothingness and the alien is gone.
Plane Shift
Corum hands the spear to the being. He then roots in his pack and produces a decent sized pouch of gold. He slowly counts it out, losing count twice, before restarting his painstakingly slow count. After what seems an age he nods and smiles to himself at his private victory over simple arithmetic. He puts the smallest pile of gold
Into a pouch which he then buries at the bottom of his pack. He pushes the larger pile across the floor to the alien and says "That is for you. If you cross me, I will hunt you down and when I find you it will not go well for you."
He then draws his long sword and hefts it two handed for emphasis.
Zil reaches out to take the spear but then his massive hand hesitates in the space between them. A mixed look of distaste and confusion crosses the bizarre blue face.
Was that necessary? his tone is less jovial now. I am not accustomed to beginning new arrangements with threats. My services are sought out across the cosmos, but I thought to offer them to you out of gratitude.
Grayston takes his sacks and looks in double checking everything inside is as asked for. "Thank you, it's been awhile since we've had a chance to stock up on anything." Moving up to the porch sitting on the lowest step, reaching into his bag he takes out a clear wrapped pouch and pours it into his flask, shaking it slightly and then taking a long drink.
Shuddering for the intense bitterness he waves Corum off."Don't mind him manners arnt something he has the need of so doesn't use them. I'd call him insane but I'm not sure if he would go for me then."
Lucrezzia frowns at first Corum's needless threats and then Greyston's maybe drunken admission. I will having words with the man abou' that before too soon!
Finding a more pleasant chain of thought, Lucrezzia asks Zil, "If we be off our own rock, than may be it you can help us with any ahem diplomatic barriers. Like, can you be finding something that's sure to give us a talent to speak to the natives?"
Keeping silent as Corum threatens their strange companion he merely sighs and hopes that Zil will not take offence.
His thoughts are mostly upon Greyston, the young elf seems to be struggling with their surroundings. They had been through a lot already and now to be so far from home seemed to be taking its toll on him and he was beginning to worry .
Turning back to Zil he says i may have enough coin to afford a more powerful headband if you are willing to take this one in trade he says tapping the slender circlet on his brow
would you have such an item available? he asks
If I sell my headband of intelligence for 2000 ,that leaves me 800 gold short to get a +4 headband.
Is there any more gold due from what we have found recently? Or can I borrow 800 gold from someone?Keeping silent as Corum threatens their strange companion he merely sighs and hopes that Zil will not take offence.
His thoughts are mostly upon Greyston, the young elf seems to be struggling with their surroundings. They had been through a lot already and now to be so far from home seemed to be taking its toll on him and he was beginning to worry .Turning back to Zil he says i may have enough coin to afford a more powerful headband if you are willing to take this one in trade he says tapping the slender circlet on his brow
would you have such an item available? he asks
Zil still frowns at Corum's needless threats but nevertheless this group did free him and he is not one to turn down a lucrative arrangement.
All right then. I shall be gone to begin preparations and will send you a message through the obsidian raven when I have the items you require.
Good luck and good day to you all! he says and, with a swish of his robe, suddenly disappears into a swirling patch of darkness pricked with stars.
Plane Shift
Sapphire smiles at Zil after handing over a chunk of gold for the baldric.
Well, either we've entered in to a great partnership, or else we've all just been successfully fleeced by an intergalactic conman
she shrugs and smiles
Doesn't really matter either way as we won't find out until tomorrow!
She points at the iron rungs leading upwards
Shall we?
hmm...I will be lessened somewhat until this is replaced but it is worth the wait, I am short on coin. Can anyone spare me £800 gold ? he asks with a sheepish smile.
Corum, tactful as ever grunts and tosses a pouch over towards the others of wizard.
Catching it with a grunt of effort he bows slightly
thank you Corum, I will make sure you get it back. he says as he takes off his headband and hands the circlet and all the gold to Zil
£800 gold ? [/b]
Once Zil has departed, the group decides to press on, led by Sapphire climbing the iron rungs up the chimney in the other storage shed.
She climbs out of a large stone fireplace on the floor above into a strange room that is altogether familiar.
This square room appears to be a cozy wooden cabin. Shelves packed with esoteric knickknacks and strange ingredients line the walls. A stone fireplace with a large mantel takes up the room’s northwest corner out of which Sapphire emerges, while opposite the room’s only door stands a simple wooden table on which rests a cracked clay bowl.
A large blackened cauldron sits in the centre of the room.
The shelves contain a variety of spell components and mundane alchemical ingredients, in addition to numerous other trinkets. Among the trinkets are the keys you have already used to pilot the Hut from one location to the next - namely the frost giant’s beard, plague doctor’s mask and dragon scale.
Grayston places his new bag into his satchel and hauls himself to his feet. Moving along with the others, he focuses as much as he can and moves with Sapphire climbing up behind her.
He looks over the shelves and posts the keys. "Wait the keys... are these the ones we got? Are they just spare after what we went through to get them."
£800 gold ? [/b]
Climing out of the fireplace Elleross looks around the more familiar room and feels a little more at ease.
these "keys " have likely served their purpose as far as we are concerned. Each one has brought us a step closer to our goal he answers Greyston as he looks around the room .
we need to find out what we need to do next, we must fight be the next piece of the puzzle.
As if on cue or in response to Elleros' statement, three ravens suddenly manifest out of thin air. They are ghostly, or somehow quasi-real and flap about your heads in a circle.
Baba Yaga has gone on, off to see her only son. But a trail she left behind, if the breadcrumbs you can find!
They repeat the rhyme over and again until they swoop down and between them begin plucking trinkets from the shelves. First, they take a stuffed two-headed eagle from a shelf, then place an iron spur and a drinking horn beside it. Next, they take an elephant tusk and a small hand mirror and drop them atop a bearskin rug.
The ravens then disappear, repeating their cryptic phrase a final time.
A son? Well I never... mutters Sapphire as she stares helplessly at the objects, then grimaces.
Clear as mud...
she glances up
...so who's for finding the nearest alehouse before we do anything else today? Surely every civilised planet has mead!?
I do not think I have ever heard any stories about Baba Yagas son. She has only daughters as far as I'm aware he says rubbing at his temples , he had developed a slight headache since removing the circlet, his mind was slowly adjusting to its absence.
Moving closer to the objects he kneels down beside them and examine each one in turn.
an ale house sounds like a fine idea Sapphire , however we have no idea what is behind that door, the hut could continue for miles.
Also this planet is a very hostile environment, if we are lucky we may be close to a settlement. I could do with a rest and a glass of wine or two
Corum enters the room and though it is different, it feels familiar. His superstitious nature still feels a deep uneasiness about such powerful magic but his pragmatic mind is able to appreciate the incredible mode of transport the hut is.
He spins around with sword in hand when he hears the ravens but then sheaths it as he realises they pose no threat apart from confusing him with more magic riddle-speak.
He looks to Elleross as the authority on magic here.
"More riddles and more... crap. I really don't care about Baba Yaga or her family right now." He says as he takes a seat stretching his arms into the air and yawning. "I'm more than happy to find a place for some hot food and large drinks."
Gazing at the objects yields no fruitful answers, after several minutes he curses silently as he has gained no new understanding of this latest riddle.
struggling to stand again, his damaged knee sends a jolt of pain up his leg and he grunts
I am inclined to agree with you Greyston, the meaning of this is beyond me for the moment. he says with more than a little frustration as he rubs at his temple once more as his headache builds.
we should check the door and see what lays beyond and then consider getting some rest, I am hungry and weary.
Sapphire shadows Elleross as he moves to investigate the room. As he glances at her questioningly she simply states
Just in case evil magic, or traps... or evil magic traps...
She keeps a weary but wary eye out for trouble.
I could do with avoiding any more traps. Those damn plants were enough for one day he says smiling as Sapphire accompanies him.
it would seem we are somewhere on the frozen side of this planet. The conditions outside are going to be tough. Much worse than the frozen landscapes we faced in irrisien, we should perhaps rest here and set off tomorrow, I have only a couple of spells left
Corum squints out through the glass and nods agreement. "Looks bad. Eat and sleep then we go."
Lucrezzia is a bit overwhelmed by the vastness of the Hut. She examines every element of the room and runs over the Ravens' new riddle in her mind. Baba Yaga's son? Like a child, or the star she was born under? We are on a different world, so anything is possible...
Corum drops his pack on the floor and undoes his sword belt. He carefully places it next to his kit and stretches. "Well, I don't know about you but I'm hungry."
He roots around in his pack and gathers what he needs to make a small fire for cooking over. In hardly any time he has a pot of water boiling to which he adds some dry power, veg he has foraged from the garden, dried lentils and cured meat. He makes a soe dough and rolls it into balls which he drops into the spicy stew.
The pit summers for a while filling the room with a mouthwatering smell. Corum tastes and seasons before finally announcing "Something I picked up on my travels. The dough makes a kind of dumpling that soaks up the juices. It's goood. Try some."
He takes his own wooden bowl and spoon out of his pack, fills it and sits back against the wall to fill his belly.
it smells very good Corum, thank you.
Helping himself to a bowl of stew he takes an extra one for Greyston and carries it over to him.
Sitting beside the young elf he hands him the bowl
here, if it tastes half as good as it smells then Corum has done well. he says as he tucks into his own stew and it is good.
it seems we are cast adrift in another strange land, I am growing a little weary of this hunt. If the old crone wants to be found she should make it easier! he says with a snort
how many more places will we have to risk our lives? I hope this is the last. How are you bearing up my friend? You seem a little on edge he says as he eats, trying to engage Greyston in conversation.
Grayston shrugs moving into the hut he slumps down in his usual place but this time he doesn't move to make his normal tea he instead takes out his mortar and pestle. Then begins to mix up a few flowers and dropping it into the new flask he just acquired. Mixing it with a dark liquid and then drinking it down in one. His muscles convulse and tighten up for a moment but then nothing almost instantly.
Laying back aginst his bag and coat he flips through his formula book."Are we heading out in that? Do we know there's something out there? This could just be a plane of winter." He says finding it hard to keep his eye's open.
Lucrezzia takes a small portion of the stew. She blows to cool it and then sips, quietly at first then with greater gusto as she eats. "Have you considered moon radishes, Corum? A kind of slow spicy that would work well in this!" Then she gets a second bowl. "But to this winter here. Dinnae Elleros say it's a weird planet, summer for half and winter the other?"
Corum shrugs and says to Lucrezzia "I don't know about that but it's better with fresh meat. We need to find some game."
He's finishes his bowl and takes a second. After eating he sharpens his sword and oils his armour then pulls his pack under his head and within moments he is asleep.
Meat or spice, neither is here and now, let us sleep and then we can sojourn when we are rested
She stares at Greyston as he prepares his concoction, biting her lip but unwilling to confront the alchemist as yet. Thoughts of the sadness he seems to carry and need to drown with drugs haunt her as she tries to sleep.
The night is actually extremely comfortable. While there are no beds in this room and the group has to make do with the hard wooden floor, the fire in the place keeps it cosy all night through while wind howls just outside the door.
At some point during the night you hear the noise of large wings flapping. They seem to swoop close to the hut, move away and come back again before once again leaving.
You are not disturbed again in the night.
Roused from his much earned rest Elleross sits up and looks around the dark hut, the fire still burned merrily in the hearth despite them not adding anymore fuel to it and he shrugged mentally, it was not the strangest thing they had seen in this place. Indeed it seemed quite normal.
Rubbing at his eyes he tried to work out what had roused him when the sound came again.
The sound of some large creature flying around the hut.
it would seem our arrival here has not gone unnoticed he thinks to himself, there was little point in waking the others, the hut was secure enough. Or so he hoped.
Lying back down he tried to get some more rest, he knew their journey into this frozen world was going to be tough.
..............
RisIng early he stretches wearily and reaches for his spell book, before many of the others had woken he prepared himself for the day ahead
When the others were up he lit his pipe and smoked steadily drawing in the sweet tobacco and moved to join them for breakfast.
did anyone else hear the sound of something flying around the hut last night? It was loins enough to wake me, the creature must have been quite large. he says blowing out a steady stream of smoke
it seems the hut has not gone unnoticed, we should be careful when we venture out
Deep in sleep, Grayston barely moves as the whatever is happening outside the hut.
---
"I didnt hear anything." He stretches on the floor yawning deeply, wincing from the pain in his head and back. "Maybe there is something out there then, but are we heading out after whatever this large thing was?" He finally sits up reaching for his flask he takes a large swig.
After some fairly consistent drinking yesterday, you are sickened
"Aye, Elleross, I heard the mighty flappin' over the hut last night. Was it some predator, or some scout? I think I be more worried about a scout."
In light of her worries she takes care to make some different preparations for the day.
At least we've woken up with the room the same as it was when we went to sleep, one must be thankful for the small things.
Her gaze passes over the spot where the ravens left their gifts.
I suppose these breadcrumbs Baba Yaga has left are not going to follow themselves, the sooner we get going the sooner we...
She trails off and just shrugs, strapping on the rest of her gear and making ready. As she waits for the others she stands and stares through the frosted glass, shivering in anticipation of the weather outside.
Sapphire braces herself, and opens the door.
Exiting the Dancing Hut brings the grop into a wintry region of snow-covered mountains. The sun shines but the light is watery and strange, as though it were shining through a veil.
In fact, the light is dim enough that you can even look directly at the sun which, remarkably, you see is nothing more than a pinprick in the grey sky. You can even see a blanket of stars across the sky eventhough it is early in the morning.
A mighty mountain range climbs out of the frozen ground to the east, with several enormous peaks that would rival any of the greatest you have seen in your life.
There is precious little vegetation in the immediate area as you see you have stepped out into a great rocky field spotted with ice and snow in shadier areas. There is the occasional tree which you would normally think would be pine, but these trees have grown in weird, globe-like structures and instead of thin pine needles they have broad, tough leaves roughly in the shape of daggers.
As Sapphire opens the door the frigid wind swirls into the room, "Oh, no that's a feeling I never gon' be used to feelin'." Lucrezzia mutters a few words, and protects herself and Mister Magee against the uncivilized cold. "Now, donnae forget the wings we heard last night. Keep your eyes up as well as ahead."
Following the group, the dusky woman steps into the weak light and winter of Triax.
Wrapping her yeti fur cloak around her shoulders, Sapphire strides forward through the snow.
It isn't exactly bright out, but the sky sure is beautiful
she admires the stars.
So with no clear destination, should we just start walking?
As the group begins trudging out into the dim light of day, they get no more than a hundred feet from the Hut before there is a WHOOSH! of wings from behind them.
At an altitude of around 50 feet, a great lizard-like creature, with gleaming red scales and wide, thick wings surges from over the roof of the Hut. On it's back are two humanoid figures dressed in dull grey armour. Between the distance and their helms you cannot make out any features.
The lead rider seems to guide the lizard mount though it wears no harness and it circles around you at height as if they are trying to determine what to do with or about you.
The lizard looks at first glance like a red dragon, evil and scheming creatures. But it's chest and fore legs are thickly muscled and in fact they look more like arms ending in hand-like claws rather than legs. You've never seen a creature quite like it