While the discussion of planar entities, racial purges, and the timeless 'why are we here' are not totally lost on Findelgwing, having no thoughts of her own on the matter, she eagerly raises a glass in imitation of the others, happy that that at least stops the deluge of words for a bit.
It is a fine spring day in Forestal when Argyl and his sons put the finishing touches on the Mako and begin carving her name into the hull in elaborate swirly elven characters. Fin grins with excitement at the thought of taking their boat out for her maiden voyage. There is a light and steady wind, perfect for filling the sails of their small vessel.
Fin waits anxiously in the pavilion with Straehan and Ushari watching the final construction, drinks in hand. Jayse, performs a whirling martial kata, upside-down, walking lightly on the underside of a roof-beam, his feet sticking to the wood courtesy of the black tabi slippers gifted by Milaflora.
While Jayse has enjoyed the town and townsfolk, he is ready to leave it behind and see a bit more of the island and the world. It therefore creates a tiny frisson of dread when he notes the small, female goblin in a simple dress with a flapping white bandana walking down the shingle towards the pavilion. Rashgari is back in town and her mere presence, not to mention the set look on her face, concerns him. He clears his throat to get his camrades' attention. "We have company... and she doesn't look happy."
Rashgari approaches them quickly and fires off a measured, though rapid-fire, stream of Goblin at Straehan. He waves a palm in her direction, trying to slow her down. Even for Fin, assisted by her circlet, it is a virtual tidal wave of words and creative metaphors to describe something Rashgari barely understands. Straehan's expressive features go from interest to incomprehension. When her monologue winds down, Straehan looks at the team, collecting his thoughts.
"So, it seems they went into the Herald's room and up the staircase. She saw what she calls: a hole in the world." He lets the idea sink in for a moment before adding, "From her description, it sounds like a permanent or semi-permanent planar gate. Apparently, they poked their heads through into an alien but 'safe' environment. Without seeing it first hand, I'd rather not speculate on which plane the gate touches. She wants to know if we care to see it before they seal and bury the room or if they should not bury it."
Duration:
Jayse drops from the ceiling, spinning tightly and efficiently in the air to land lightly in a crouch. He smiles as he stands, giving his shoes a final appraising look.
Straehan's translation dampens his mood slightly, and he scratches his ear as he thinks, sharing a meaningful look with his friends. "A hole in the world, huh? Now that definitely sounds like something we should investigate. I suggest Rashgari have her people stay clear of it but keep it watched until we can get there. I guess our trip to the outlying smaller communities might have to wait a bit. You guys wanna go?"
Ushari relaxes and enjoys the Eel tequila in her hand, savoring the taste of the liquor as it travels down her throat. She realized she was really starting to enjoy this drink a little too much. Oh well, it took her mind off of certain people, especially those with excessive hair on their bodies.
When she hears about the planar gate, she recalls the meeting with the Dweller in her dream earlier. Fighting back the fear and terror she felt, she nods affirmatively at Jayse’ question and speaks up quietly, ”We need to check this out right away. I am afraid the maiden voyage of the Mako will have to wait.”
Turning her attention to Rashgari, she asks the goblin shaman (with the help of Straehan translating) ”Did you sense any creatures or evil presences coming from the gate?”
...especially those with excessive hair on their bodies. ...
Turning her attention to Rashgari, she asks the goblin shaman (with the help of Straehan translating) ”Did you sense any creatures or evil presences coming from the gate?”
"No, I felt no evil. But there were shadowy forms in the air, very big, far away, and I pulled my head back quick. I did not want them to see me. The hole is very high in the sky. I lost one of my people when he fell through."
Straehan's translation dampens his mood slightly, and he scratches his ear as he thinks, sharing a meaningful look with his friends. "A hole in the world, huh? Now that definitely sounds like something we should investigate. I suggest Rashgari have her people stay clear of it but keep it watched until we can get there. I guess our trip to the outlying smaller communities might have to wait a bit. You guys wanna go?"
"I'd like to pop my head through at the very least. Knowing what plane it touches might be helpful in terms of figuring out something about the Shaudran, the Dweller, or both."
"I'd like to pop my head through at the very least. Knowing what plane it touches might be helpful in terms of figuring out something about the Shaudran, the Dweller, or both."
Ushari glances at Straehan, and comments wryly, "Trust me, Straehan, their touch is VASTLY overrated." She sighs, "We need to check it out though."
"Well, then I guess our boat trip will be delayed for a bit, then, huh? You okay with that, Findelgwing?"
Strae chuckles, "Fair enough. Given your experience and Rashgari's comment about big flying beasts, I think we should limit ourselves to just a little reconnaissance. I'd like to visit the libraries of Orfallen with more than just the name 'Dweller' as a point of reference."
"Well, then I guess our boat trip will be delayed for a bit, then, huh? You okay with that, Findelgwing?"
"Well, then I guess our boat trip will be delayed for a bit, then, huh? You okay with that, Findelgwing?"
Fin groans and rolls her eyes a bit giving Jayse a look that says, 'Are you seriously asking me that?'
She gives a longing look at the Mako and shakes her head grumbling something incomprehensible under her breath.
Strae looks at Fin with sympathy. "Come'on, it'll just be for a couple of days. You know, certain wise men have defined patience as the time between desiring something and the second you reach out to touch it. Consider this an exercise to build your patience." He changes to a teasing tone and pokes her in the ribs, "I promise, we'll just take a quick peek at this gate and then come right back here to sail around a bit and kill a whole stack of pirates."
Jayse frowns, "Listen, Findelgwing. You can stay with the boat if you like, but I'm not missing the chance to find out something else about this whole puzzle. Does anyone need to do anything before we leave? I'm guessing we'll need to grab some food, but other than that, I'm read to go."
Ushari looks at Findelgwing, "I agree with Jayse, the Mako will still be here when we get back." She smiles at the elf girl, "I am really looking forward to taking her out when we return, it should be quite an adventure! As for those pirates, I know we can take care of them, I just hope we don't run into any legendary sea monsters, or any strange whirlpools, or undead infested islands. That would not be good!" She laughs heartily.
Fin sighs and says, "'Kay..."
She then heads off to get her traveling cloak and backpack.
Lethality
Looking for an opportunity to visit a real, live goblin camp, Buli volunteers to collect the first shipment of goblin metals and trade them in Colona. Since your group is going to accompany Rashgari to the camp, you all decide to travel together.
After gathering up your few belongings, you set out with Rashgari and Buli in his horse-drawn cart. It is an uneventful trip taking little more than a day and a half of travel in the creaking cart, accompanied mostly by the swish of the horse's tail chasing away the odd fly.
By noon the next day, you are at the goblin camp. The changes are small but noticeable. There are several female goblins along with a handful of children. They eye the strangers curiously but keep their distance. A couple of the goblin warriors you met before greet you with polite nods and what pass for smiles.
Under constant guard, the Herald's chamber awaits. You are quickly ushered through the cavern to the domed candle-lit room. The room retains its cold, alien feel. A quick view up the winding staircase shows it burrowing into the ceiling and vanishing quickly into a blackening gloom.
Not knowing their goblin tongue, Jayse is content to simply smile and wave at the goblin community. Though one group of particularly young goblins are able to get a quick jaunty tune out of him accompanied by a flourishing skip-dance. When he realizes the others are watching, the pipe is hastily put away and an embarrassed, "I just thought… um.. they'd think it was funny…"
He then goes to join the others at the room. "Any spells you guys wanna use before we head up there? Though I guess the goblins have been safe enough in the room itself… it's what's on the other side that concerns me." Never-the-less, you see that Jayse now seems on-point (or at least more-so), his eyes constantly ranging for signs of danger.
Ushari nods uneasily at Jayse, clearly nervous about what the group will find up there. "I...think I am ready for this...I hope."
Straehan can think of nothing better to do than cast Detect Magic as an early warning system before mounting the stairs as soon as everyone is ready.
As Jayse waits for everyone to psych themselves up for the ascent, his blade manifests in his hand, briefly bathing the room in a warm blue light. His eyes lock onto yours before they rise back to the ominous hole in teh ceiling, "Might as well be ready for anything, right?"
Straehan gives him a thumbs-up and a broad smile. "Absolutely! Lacking your weapon skills, I'm preparing several caustic retorts for any fiendish creatures we encounter."
The goblin shaman says decisively, "Grish ka anazcanak bidrutt ekto aazrati seko HAI."
Straehan nods in acknowledgment. "She says we must put as little of our bodies through as possible... I gather there is a gravitic 'tipping point'. If we put too much of our mass through, the gravity on the other side will beat the gravity here and suck us all the way in."
"Rope?" Fin asks pointing to something suitably heavy nearby as an anchor point.
Ushari nods at Fin's suggestion, "A good idea there, we should not take any unecessary chances."
With little effort (and a fair amount of rope) you are able to tie off two safety lines to the block of the Herald's destroyed throne that is still rooted to the floor.
You borrow a few of the everburning candles and, holding loosely to your safety lines, you cautiously mount the circular staircase and continue up to the domed ceiling some thirty feet above...
As you approach the ceiling, the appearance of the staircase changes. The carving becomes more pronounced and thematic. It appears you are walking up the back of a cork-screwing serpent or worm, chewing its way out of the dome which resembles an egg. You reflect on this only briefly as you continue up the stairs into the blackness of the cylindrical hole cut into the ceiling. After another 10 foot ascent, in the claustrophobic tube, you come to a halt. Even the feeble candlelight is enough to reveal the unnaturalness directly above you. The tube, stairs, and all light are cut off - bisected cleanly by an improbably straight, impossibly black, plane of nothingness. Even the sound of your breathing seems to vanish into the black sheet that fills the corridor above you.
Jayse looks at the black, getting close enough to nearly touch it before pulling back, "So, who's first?"
Ushari looks at Straehan, ”Well, I know you are well versed in planar studies, yet I also can help you somewhat here. This is your call here, but I suggest we peek in together, to minimize our exposure to the planar environments.” She pauses, and clears her throat of a large lump which just formed there for some reason. "We should tie ourselves off, just to be sure as well."
”What do you think?”
Jayse listens to Ushari, but a thought occurs to him, "Actually, I say Fin and i should hold the ropes while Ushari and Straehan look through. We can each easily hold your weight, and you two seem to have the broadest knowledge base. You have any thoughts on that, Fin?"
Straehan stares at the black wall, insatiably curious and utterly repulsed by it. He almost need not have cast his spell; this couldn't be anything other than magic. But the spell does tell him some interesting facts when paired with the expanded knowledge of magic he gained after the encounter with the Grey Lady.
"Well, I know you are well versed in planar studies, yet I also can help you somewhat here. This is your call here, but I suggest we peek in together, to minimize our exposure to the planar environments."
"That sounds good to me. Let's just pop our heads through for a peek. If we see anything that looks like it might have teeth, duck back quickly."
"Actually, I say Fin and I should hold the ropes while Ushari and Straehan look through."
He looks at Jayse and Fin. "That works. I'm going to keep a hand on you. If I hit you, yank us back and fly down those stairs. Trouble is coming."
Ushari swallows, as she mentally steels herself to plunge into another plane...
Fin nods at her little brother's instructions and holds him tight.
Knowledge: Planes
Firmly held in place by Jayse and Fin, Ushari and Straehan stick their heads through the black sheet into a very different reality. Their hair flows up and away from their heads, pulled by the relative gravity of the alien world. They look 'up' and see a dark forested landscape a few miles above - or below - them. The gravity of the world pulls at their hair and heads, trying to drag them toward the vista a long way below.
Ushari and Straehan are struck by the cold, thin wind scouring their faces. They look around. The world is in a diffuse twilight under a nearly black sky. The land below them is in deep shadow, the colors of the forest and what few buildings can be seen are muted and dull. Even the sound of the wind seems indistinct as if infected with the dulling effect of the odd lighting. Directly below them is a broad swath of threadbare forest, many miles in size. It is punctuated in only two spots. A fair distance away at the edge of the forest, across the shadow dappled landscape, is a sluggish river. On its banks, backed against the forest, are the remains of a small town. Its buildings appear misshapen where they are not rent with huge holes or collapsed entirely.
In the midst of the forest, nearer to the two spellcasters, is a low hill topped by a circular tower. Despite the poor lighting and distance, Ushari sees the tower clearly. The unnatural precision of its construction, especially in this vaguely twisted world, reminds her of the construction of the Hill Tower. She points out the building to the gnome. He nods in acknowledgment.
Scanning the forest, they see no obvious signs of life. At this distance and in the darkness, it comes as no surprise. However, a slightly less muted sound comes from the sky. Ushari and Straehan crane their necks trying to identify the source. After a moment, they see a strange inky black figure with horns flapping through the sky a great distance away. It looks vaguely like a horned bat. They only spy it initially by its glowing red eyes which thankfully are scanning the forest below not the skies around it. Their heads slowly recede back into the gate as far as possible as they observe the strange creature. It becomes clear, the creature is massive - with a wingspan of 80' or more.
With a gasp, Ushari realises what the creature is - a Nightwing! While she can't seem to recall its strengths or weaknesses, she knows it would be far better if they didn't draw the creature's attention.
Jayse begins to hum tunelessly in the dark corridor, idly flipping his blue blade from a fore-hand to a back-hand grip and back again in the hand not holding the rope. Dang! how long does it take to get a quick look?
Ushari stares at the empty landscape before her, feeling the emptiness and barreness almost consuming her soul. When she notices the Nightwing, she stares transfixed at it for several long seconds, almost completely paralysed with terror. Only a gentle nudge from Straehan snaps her out of it.
She yanks hard on the rope, surprising Jayse who returns the favor, yanking her in without hesistation. The look in her eyes is glazed over with remembered terror, and her breaths are shallow. After a few moments, she speaks in a whisper, It was a....dead world we saw."
Seeing Jayse pull Ushari back, Fin does the same with Straehan and looks him in the eyes to ensure that he's OK.
Fin is relieved to see that Straehan looks fine, just a bit surprised at being yanked back when he hadn't signaled. He smiles, "Thanks. Do you want to take a look? The only thing to be wary of is drawing the attention of a massive undead 'bat'."
"It was a....dead world we saw."
Straehan purses his lips, measuring his response. "Weeellllll, it was disconcerting but it isn't a dead world. I'm quite certain that is the Plane of Shadow... but we can discuss that on our way out of this place creepy place. Jayse, do you want to take a look before we go or is curiosity just my weakness?"
Fin holds onto her fancy headband making certain not to drop it into space and pokes her head thru for a look. Upon seeing the Nightwing, she gives a shudder and quickly ducks back to safety.