Vorya turns to the villagers, and Lork. He raises a hand in benediction and says, "May the Eternal Rose watch over you and grant you the chance to sing and paint in peace."
Turning to Kilarra he mutters, "I had half a thought you'd keep them anyway."
Kilarra smirks. "I've got four swords. Six might be overdoing it."
Uruelleth scowls at Lork's assertion that the goblins may get another victory today.
He studies the villagers, but ultimately has little to say to them. He is still unsure about Lork or his loyalties should the Mantises press him about their presence on their island.
Kilarra strides over to the crew members. Seeing Jimell unconscious on the ground, she frowns. She steps around him and says to the other three.
"It's time to go."
Talia assesses the remaining crew members who are sick.
"A word of warning. I'm happy using my healing arts to heal the crew, but its a complicated disease, it might require a few tries and their are several people. I'd have to devote a full day's spell list to have a chance to heal one person. I think its worth visiting the Hospice of Serenity anyway, because it might increase the speed of healing, and give ourselves a quicker chance at moving onwards to our mission. Just a thought."
Vorya nods, "Agreed. We also might gain useful information in the city. Urulleth, can you carry that man?" he points at Jimell.
'Let's go. I don't want to have to fight an even larger goblin army with even larger dinosaurs."
Uruelleth gives Vorya a look, then easily tosses the sick fellow over his shoulder.
The meeting is set for tonight. A Red Mantis Assassin reached out to one of my guards that was spreading rumors. The assassins want to meet. The condition is that I must come alone. Would the assassins dare slay a monarch? I have heard rumors that they refuse to do so, but would they attempt to do so in self-defense? I will soon find out.
Mellisar has advised me against going alone, but I must. This may be my only chance to catch one of the assassins. I will bring my personal signet with me so that I can be found with a locate object spell should the need arise.
I must take one of them alive. For Iadara and for Kyonin.
From the journal of Queen Telandia Edasseril of Kyonin,
Dated the 24th of Pharast, 4710 AR
-----
Lork eagerly takes his blades from Kilarra and replies with a simple, “Thank you.”
Then the man gestures toward the villagers then to the south. He turns back to you one last time and says, “Whatever your intentions, I think there may finally be hope for this wretched island. Good luck and good hunting.”
With that, the man and the villagers quickly disappear into the thick jungle. When last you see them, they’re continuing to travel steadily south.
The goblins’ voices continue to grow in volume. With Uruelleth taking care of Jimell, you all head northeast toward Ilizmagorti. The journey is a bit slower with your new arrivals and Jimell’s condition, but you make fairly good time considering. Still, when darkness falls, you find that you remain in thick jungle. On a positive note, the sound of goblins is long behind you.
As night settles in and you stop to camp for the night, Makori walks over to you once you’ve set up camp. She says, “We would have reached Ilizmagorti by nightfall tomorrow, but with our new arrivals, we’ll be lucky to reach the city by midnight if we push it. Did you intend to push it? Also, what’s your plan when you get to the city? And what do you plan to do with all these people now that they don’t have a ship to stay in?”
Thrim coughs as he comes over to join in the conversation. His condition appears to have deteriorated throughout the day. Having caught the tail end of Makori’s words, he says, “Aye, we’ll need a place to stay now. Perhaps that scout the Quintumvirate sent ahead would know where we might could stay? With our ship gone, how did you plan on making contact with him anyway?”
Vorya sighs heavily and stretches out on the ground. Fighting goblins all day and marching all evening was a young man's game. As he massages his sore calves, he listens to Makori and Thrim.
"I don't fancy a long stay in the jungle. It serves us nothing and may end up being more dangerous. I vote we push on, as best we can."
'As for 'all these people', Makori." Vorya says, not liking his insinuation that the sailors are useless, ' Once we heal them that is up to them, I'd think. I'd like them to stay and act as allies, but if not, we can probably buy them safe passage off the island?"
Before Lork departs, Talivar bids him goodbye saying, "Fair thee well Lork. I'm sure eventually they will come asking questions about us. Don't try any heroics, not on our account."
He glances at Kilara, "By the time Lork has got back to the village we'll be well gone..."
Later at the camp Talivar listens to Makori's words, "Those are good questions. Ones I don't have good answers to. I'd like to think we can get them off the island but if not we need to find them somewhere safe to stay. I think we have a bigger problem though, we don't know Ilizmagorti. I'd imagine we'll stick out especially if we start nosing around for a potential cure. Perhaps we should spend a few days getting them back up to full health before we try anything? As for the contact I wonder if they have funny dreams."
Uruelleth spits on the ground when Makori brings up the Quintumvirate. "Why should we trust that Elf-Queen's plans any further? The Mantis knew her plan. If her advance scout isn't dead already, it's because he's one of them."
Using his low-light vision, he looks around the area in the dimming light of the evening.
"I say, we make camp in the jungle. Someplace secret, but near Ilizmagorti. We send people into the city to try to find the medicines if Talia cannot cure them, but if she can, we should rely on ourselves to heal our sick. If Lork betrays us, he'll tell them about the poisons the goblins used, and the Mantis will know where to look for us in the city."
"Paranoid, Uruelleth." Vorya remarks but nods, "But you are right, the entire original plan has been hopelessly compromised. I doubt Lork is a Red Mantis agent, but it is possible he might be turned."
Vorya rubs the stubble on his chin, "However, if we don't contact the advance scout, what do we do next? Do we really have a plan or even an idea to go?"
Makori and Thrim both look at Uruelleth with confused expressions.
The navigator is the first one to speak, “Perhaps because she’s your Queen? Or did you forget you’re an elf? And you might want to at least take her plans into consideration because, like it or not, she’s your benefactor. And, unless you really think you’ll figure out how to kill Achaekek, she’s the one who’ll be paying you at the end of this quest.”
Thrim chimes in and says, “As for the advance scout, Rix is Queen Galfrey’s man. He fought with her at the Worldwound. I find it very hard to believe the man is a Mantis. And I have no intention of leaving till this mission has been completed. If Jimell could speak, I think he would say the same. I don’t know about the other two.”
Makori shakes her head and sighs before saying, “You may not know Ilizmagorti, but I know it pretty well. And I’m not likely to see a copper penny if you lot get shanked walking down the wrong alley. If this advance scout of yours turns out to be a bust, I can offer you a few pointers. And lest you forget, the Mantis have spies everywhere. If they see some of you sneaking back and forth from the jungle to the city, they’re not just going to turn a blind eye. When last I was in Ilizmagorti, it was much easier to avoid notice by hiding in plain sight. But decide for yourselves. I’m just the navigator, after all.”
Uruelleth doesn’t spot anything out of place, just the various tracks you’ve all made on your way to your campsite and tracks from a few small mammals.
While the others talk, Kilarra spends some time hunting for food to feed all these people.
When she gets back to camp she hands it out/cooks it .
Overhearing the others, Kilarra scoffs. With a smirk she remarks, "Of course the plan is compromised. We're going against the Red Mantis. Did you honestly think they wouldn't know about the monarch's plotting and machinations from the start?" She laughs at the absurdity of the idea.
"We're here, and we're going to Ilizmagorti. We'll find rooms and live like any other low-life sailor or labourer in this death-trap, until we know enough to take our next step," she nods at Makori, clearly agreeing that blending in is the best way to get by for now.
"We can find the church to heal the sick, and look around for Rix, but if we don't find him, he's likely dead. If Makori's got alternative contacts, we can use them."
"Whatever the case, the Mantis have always known we were coming, and they've always known our plan. Don't hope for less. Expect it." With a final laugh she adds, "Oh, and try not to get killed."
With a gesture to dinner, she remarks, "Eat up while you can."
Ruel's eyes narrow at Makori, but he doesn't say anything. He frowns, then takes some of the tropical fruit that Kilarra found and bites into it messily.
He considers going into the seedy pirate-town of Ilizmagorti, and suddenly regrets not taking the clothes of the dead sailors with him. He takes a look at the attire of the surviving sailors and wonders if he could piecemeal some of their clothing with the others to effect a disguise for the group.
Ruel finds an excellent place to camp for the night. It’s clear of most debris, but still offers plenty of vision into the surrounding area.
Thrim spits off to the side at Kilarra’s words. “Them Mantis bastards think they’re always one step ahead of us. Well, we made it onto their damned island, so there’s one thing they already didn’t account for. I expect you all have more surprises in store for them.”
Makori shrugs, “Whatever happens, happens. Sometimes it’s best not to have a plan, then they have nothing to prepare for.”
While the group converses, Ruel assesses the state of everyone’s clothes. He’s confident he can provide everyone with disguises that will allow them to go unnoticed by the general populace in Ilizmagorti. However, since he’s never been to Ilizmagorti, he’ll have to work with Makori to make sure the disguises are accurate.
"This is a good spot--" Uruelleth says, pointing out the campsite he identified. But as everyone else decides to press ahead, he rolls his eyes and picks up Jimell one more time. He follows everyone else in their rush toward Ilizmagorti.
Since he would be expected to carry one or more of the sick tomorrow in their press to reach the city, Uruelleth finds a comfortable spot in the area he identified as a good campsite and settles down for a restful sleep.
All of you settle in for the night at the campsite Uruelleth located. Jimell remains unconscious, but his breathing is steady. Thrim and the other two also bed down for the night. Their sickness is more apparent than when you first rescued them.
As you sleep, you all have another dream. This time it is of Queen Galfrey. She looks troubled and sends you a message broken up into three parts. “Telandia was gracious and let me deliver this message. We realized Rix cannot contact you as originally intended. After communicating with him, we know you... will find him in an abandoned warehouse near the edge of Ilizmagorti in the Medina district. He assures me he has many things to discuss... Please tell us what happened since we last communicated, but know I will not be able to reply at this time. Stay strong, our chosen.”
After her message ends, she sends an image of an old wooden building. It appears to be in bad shape and boards are missing in several places. The windows are mostly busted and the building’s pair of barn-style doors appear to be be on the verge of collapsing. The structure seems to fit the description of the ‘abandoned warehouse’ Queen Galfrey mentioned.
Vorya shifts in his sleep, trying to send a message back, "Rescued the sailors. Goblins, drums in the jungle. Going to Ilizmagorti to heal the sailors. Will look for Rix at warehouse. May the Gods watch us..."
That night Talivar's dreams are fae and strange, in his mind's eye he relives the battle but from above as if here where a god looking down from heaven. Then he witnesses the parting of ways, where Lork lead the freed villagers home. He was sure this last one, was the image the Queen saw.
As Kilarra's dreams are invaded by Queen Galfrey, she groans.
"We saved some survivors from goblins, but they're dying. Some kind of poison. I don't know, sounds serious. We're heading to Ilizmagorti with Makori to..."
As she runs out of time and the vision fades, Kilarra growls.
Damned magic.
Stay out of my head.
Everyone stay out of my head.
Uruelleth's dreams of battle are interrupted. He bitterly responds, Plan has gone to hell. Not much more to say, unless you want to send more help who may be spies, so no thanks.
Talia isn't particularly thrilled with the dream. While it was fine keeping in touch, she wasn't happy about the queens inability to respond - therefore making the dream not useful for them personally.
"Crew Rescued. Healing Poison. Infiltrating Ilizmagorti. Reconnaissance First. Will make contact with Rix as per your suggestion. Send aid if appropriate. Would be welcome. Thanks"
The dream fades after all of you have replied and, as the Queen said, you get no reply.
The rest of the night passes uneventfully and you awaken the next day.
The female human named Yinora seems to have avoided the poison’s effects, for today, at least. Jimell, Thrim, and the male elf, Lindis, all look worse for wear, but Thrim and Lindis are still able to walk as is Yinora.
Uruelleth picks up Jimell’s still unconscious form and you head out once again toward Ilizmagorti.
It’s slow going, trekking through the thick jungle, but you continue travelling throughout the day. Jimell doesn’t stir throughout that time and only his shallow breathing betrays the fact that he’s still alive.
Night falls, but still you press on. Eventually the jungle thins a bit and you come upon a wide river which Makori informs you is simply known as the Red River. It flows down from Mediogalti Island’s mountains and provides the main source of fresh water to the island’s residents.
Wealday, the 25th of Lamashan, 4717 AR
Shortly after midnight on Wealday, the jungle ends and you almost immediately find yourselves staring at the outlying settlements of Ilizmagorti. Makori once again informs you that these outlying districts are collectively known as The Green. You’re currently looking at the Rivergreen section. The Green’s residents are mostly hunters or woodsmen who make their living from the jungle, as well as farmers who help supply the city with food from small fields cleared from the surrounding jungle.
The streets of Rivergreen are completely empty at this hour and almost no lights can be seen from within the various residents. To get into the city proper, and to do so legally, you’ll have to pass through one of five gateways. Makori gets you to with a few hundred feet of the gate located just below the Red River. She crouches beside the roadway in an alley and beckons you to do the same.
She whispers, “The Greens may be asleep at this hour, but the Mantis never sleep. The city’s gates are always guarded. They hire local muscle and ex-pirates to guard the entrances… on the ground. There’s always at least one Red Mantis stationed at each gate, usually watching the surrounding area from on top of the city’s wall. Approach this however you like, but, unless you get particularly creative, we’ll have to pass through one of these gates to get to the Hospice. And no, it's not normal for people to be out and about this late at night.”
Above the gateway, on top of the wall, you catch a glimpse of a Red Mantis assassin in their traditional armor. His Mantis-helmed head swivels back and forth as he surveys the area surrounding the gate.
"So, what's the plan?" Vorya asks, staring up at the wall.
"Are we pretending to be sailors? Normally that might work, but I doubt a group of ship-wreaked people will pass unnoticed. Surely they will be looking for us by now. But I doubt we can pass as foresters or farmers? At least, not as a group."
He can't see any Red Mantis so he asks, "Maybe if we fool the regular guards well enough, a real Mantis won't be troubled to investigate? The regular low-lifes can probably be bribed or fooled rather easily."
"Sailors coming out of the jungle?" He shakes his head bitterly. "If we can't get in without notice, we shouldn't go in at all."
Before he approached the town, Talivar took his special crystal out of its pouch and concentrated on it. The spell contained within its lattice focused his senses, and concentrated his mind. He then whispered another spell and for a moment the ghostly outline of plate armor appeared around him before vanishing.
Catching a glimpse of red insectoid Armour, Talivar stiffens. Quietly he whispers, "Don't look, but there's one of them above the gate. We need to find another way in, or a very good ploy. I wonder, would we be less suspicious if we arrived in a row boat? Assuming we can find one of course. Or maybe there's another way in from the sea..." It seemed unlikely but Talivar asked anyway, "Is there a sewer in this town Makori?"
Makori shakes her head at Talivar's question and says, "No, the city just dumps its refuse in the ocean as the need arises."
Vorya grunts when Talivar says he spots a Red Mantis above the gate. That made things harder. Much.
Still, "Makori, what if we broken the group up into twos and threes? If I could convince the guards to look the other way, and we dribble in, would that be enough to make the Red Mantis come down and investigate?"
Makori shrugs. "It's hard to say with the Mantis. It would certainly be less suspicious, but that many people coming in this late, even in multiple groups, would still be highly unusual. And the guards might be convinced to look the other way, but you also have that one to deal with."
The navigator points toward Jimell's unconscious form, indicating that he could be a problem to explain.
Talivar glanced at Jimell, this was going to be difficult. "Is there much agriculture here? I assume there must some be to feed everyone, if so I wonder if we can sneak him past in a haycart."
Makori nods, "There's a fair bit of agriculture used to support the city. No hay, though. But you won't find carts of any kind going into the city at this hour."
"Then, without a convincing story, we shouldn't try. What about the river? Can these sailors hold their breath?"
Makori shrugs again and says, "Like I said, it's up to you."
Thrim adds, "Any sailor worth his weight knows how to swim and hold his breath for a bit."
Noticing the Rad Mantis on the walls, Kilarra glares at him and stews in silence for a while.
Eventually she remarks. "If we want to get in, we'll need to go now. Otherwise these people will die."
"Let's hide most of our expensive gear in our bags. We can carry the sick in and play up our wounds. We'll tell them we escaped from and that goblins attacked it. Some of us were poisoned by them so we came to Ilizmagorti seeking aid."
Remembering that none of them were currently wounded, Kilarra admits, "We might need to actually have some wounds before heading in though. But we know the names of some of the villagers. We should be able to convince them we come from there if we have to."
Uruelleth shrugs. "Maybe. It draws the Mantis's attention to the coastline where we washed ashore. But we might be able to stay ahead of them, since it will hopefully take time for them to investigate."
He folds his arms while he thinks a bit. "Once we're inside the walls, we need to change our clothes around. To look like pirates of Ilizmagorti. As soon as we can."
He looks at Kilarra's sawtooth blades. "Will those be a problem?"
"I'll put them in my backpack. I've got less flashy swords."
Vorya rubs his chin, "Do we go as a big group then? All at once? I'm worried that might engender an instant visit from the watcher upstairs."
"Better a big group against him than a small one, if it comes to that." Uruelleth puts his hand on the hilt of his falchion.
Vorya shakes his head firmly, 'We can't fight our way in. That would end up with lots of dead bodies and us running for our lives back into the jungle. We do not need a massive disturbance and dead Red Mantis watchers. They'll put their guard up and we'll never get anywhere. We have to remain inconspicuous."
Kilarra shrugs as she stows her sawtooth sabres in her magical backpack. She pulls out a machete and a longsword instead.
"If we're refugees, there's no reason we can't go in a big group."