The dim light of Peak arrives much too early for Hamar’s liking. The thin curtains lining the window in the cheap boarding room Belit calls home let in far too much of the watery light. Belit lies beneath a heap of silken covers, snoring gently. Nothing cheap about her bedding, that is certain. Hamar has never slept on such before, what little sleep he got. The sheets almost had a liquid, oily feeling to them which Hamar wasn’t sure he liked or not.
The room is a clutter of clothing, books, a large backpack seemingly fully packed, and a small table with an odd map. A geometric design of colored lines and swirls connect various circles outlined in various hues. Small scribbled notes dot the margins.
Hamar finds a jug full of water and quaffs deeply, slaking his thirst. His rummaging around wakes Belit, who rises and joins him for a deep drink of water. The light glimmers off her naked form as she turns and shrugs on a silken robe with dragons chasing each other along its borders.
“Well barbarian, this has been a splendid night! But I fear I must shoo you off, for I have some business to prepare for this peak. Thank you for the company, and look me up some time “
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Justin spends the next few hours in a flurry of activity,...
Between cursing at supposedly easy shelving, and using a mending charm when his carpentry skills proved less than adequate, Memnon finally declared them and the lab satisfactory.
Although Justin was seriously tempted to test the furniture's resilience with a repeated-impact test. With Memnon's crystal skull. Buuuut he had a lot of other work to do. First.
Between the long and sleepless night laying the groundwork for multiple various items to be enchanted, despite Memnon's 'help', and mixing various potions and alchemical items under the crystal skull's directions, He was tired.
(Turns out that Memnon really DOES know what he's doing when it comes to alchemy. Which makes his ego more understandable, if no less irritating!)
Then he spent the few remaining daylight hours traveling around Sigil to pick up what few odds and ends he needed to complete the enchanting, and spend a LITTLE time with Skyy, he was exhausted.
Skyy accompanied him on his shopping expedition, turned out her combination of Pixie-cuteness and Sailor-foulmouthedness caught even the most seasoned and jaded of Sigil's vendors off-guard. He was able to save enough to buy his eccentric girlfriend a few shinies of her own, and pay for dinner and drinks as well. (Of course THEN he was as broke as usual again. But he was happier than he'd been in a while, so it worked out)
Skyy had been terrified, then delighted to meet Goldenwing, and immediately declared the magical Gryphon her 'pet'. Goldenwing didn't seem to mind. In fact Skyy's squeals of delight during their first flight to the bazaar seemed please the summoned Gryphon immensely.
(Justin, for his part, had given up trying to determine if the Gryphon was merely a cleverly animated statuette, or a real gryphon trapped in a statue. The mage figured that it was currently the closest thing to a familiar he had, and treated the Gryphon with kindness, whether it was magically required to obey him or not.)
There was a tense moment when, holding each other up while stumbling back to Justin's tiny Flat after one (or three) too many drinks, (And not trusting themselves to stay upright on top of Goldenwing) they were surrounded by a small cadre of coney-catchers looking for a supposedly easy score. While Skyy's foul mouth temporarily surprised and then amused the small gang, Justin wrapped his coat around Skyy as if to protect her scantily-clad form from the cold, smiled and waggled his fingers at the distracted gang-bangers, and VERY carefully enunciated the words to his teleport spell.
A few more seconds of surprised cursing later, and Skyy and Justin agreed that was his best spell to date. A couple of more sleepless hours, and an exhausted Justin smiled at the sleeping Skyy then used his amulet to re-cast his Teleport spell and return to the Rose offices, and his lab. Where he was greeted by yet another round of not-nearly-as-adorable cursing from Memnon.
Justin was either too tired, or just in too good a mood, to care. He wrapped Memnon in a leather clad arm, polished the purple crystal skull with a noogie, and topped it off with a kiss on the pate.
Memnon promptly declared Justin to be insufferable when he got lucky.
A few MORE sleepless hours, a lot of work, and a couple gallons of the Copper Cauldron's strongest kafe' later, and Justin stood leaning heavily against the work table, admiring the results of their labor. Even Memnon grudgingly admitted the results to be 'above satisfactory', although he berated Justin for relying FAR to much on 'cheats' (Justin's headband and crafting assistance spells) instead of natural talent. Like himself.
Justin just nodded in agreement, patted Memnon on the head, stumbled over to the Cauldron and upstairs to his room, and fell face-first onto the bed fully clothed. He was asleep before his head hit the pillow.
"While finding my way in this maze is impossible, your name I shall never forget Belit.
If you have a memory better than mine for navigating such a labyrinth as this city, look me up when you return. My companions, the Silver Rose Company, stay at a place called the Copper Cauldron. The proprietor is a Renkar Sha'Hagmid".
Hamar takes one more passionate kiss from Belit, slaps her ass, and take his leave back to the Copper Cauldron.
“NO NO NO! YOU NUMBSKULL!”
Memnon zips around the sweating form of Justin as he wields a hammer with less and less enthusiasm as the day wears on
“That dowel goes in the THIRD hole! Did you not read the instruction scroll? How did you ever become a wizard with your shocking lack of attention to detail?”
“NO NO NO! YOU NUMBSKULL!”
Memnon zips around the sweating form of Justin as he wields a hammer with less and less enthusiasm as the day wears on
“That dowel goes in the THIRD hole! Did you not read the instruction scroll? How did you ever become a wizard with your shocking lack of attention to detail?”
Justin stops, looks at the hammer in his hand, and at Memnon zipping around him,... Sighs and puts down the hammer instead.
Justin Wipes his face with a towel while brandishing the a fore-mentioned instruction scroll in the other."I am fluent in over a DOZEN languages, And with magic can understand hundreds more. But THESE. MAKE. NO. SENSE!" The wizard flaps the offending scroll in Memnon's general direction.
He calmly rolls the scroll up, taps both ends to make it neat, and swings it at Memnon. The crystal Mimir easily dodges the half-hearted blow.
"AND you need to work on your aim. It's embarrassing, really. How do you not take out your companions with every Fireball?"
For the next few minutes, Justin suddenly discovered he had enough energy to try and demonstrate to Memnon just how good his aim really was,...
The peak was grey and drizzly as the party assemble in the common room of the Copper Cauldron. Bess and Ramona do their best to keep up with Karrin’s appetite, and still have a bit on hand for the others. Stacks of pancakes and rashers of bacon vie for space with platters of fried eggs, fruit, and toasted bread. Crocks of butter and jam hold lonely vigil on the outskirts of the table.
After a hearty meal the group heads back to the Silver Rose. Justin runs down to his lab to grab up the goodies he has been creating, and he gleefully hands them out. Packs are checked, rope coiled, and weapons greased against the wet.
The party gets dressed and heads towards the Lower Ward and the Dwarvish Gurincraag District. They make good time despite the morning crowds, and the Lady’s Ward falls behind them quickly. They take an unfamiliar road in the Temple District, that leads them past the dread Temple of the Abyss. That foreboding structure is silent in the early peak hours, thankfully. A bored-looking vrock guards the door, puffing an absurdly large cigar.
Gurincraag lies downward of the main Foundry District and Alehouse Row. Unlike most other parts of the Lower Ward, this seems more geared towards dwellings rather than factories. There are smithies aplenty, but all small concerns, not the infernal mills of the Foundry District.
The streets are filled with dwarves. At this hour floods of workers coming off third shift pass their coworkers headed to first shift in the many factories spinward. There are blonde dwarves, ebon-skinned dwarves, dwarves with bat-like ears. Surly duergar trudge along, their grey cloaks and iron mail clinking in the fog.
Down one road named Pitsramp Row, a crowd issues forth from a broad staircase leading into the depths of UnderSigil. The stairs lead to a broad avenue, shaped much like a Dwarvish thoroughfare in one of their deep halls. Shops and side roads line the tunnel’s sides, and the crowd mills about, buying a hot drink or a mushroom omelette before heading off to work.
Working off the directions Justin found in the book, the party descends another large stair way, then another and still yet another. The crowd is much more ... deep dwelling than the surface, with duergar now the majority of dwarves. Derro also begin to pop up, their milky mad eyes tracking the party as they pass.
Strangely, they pass a large pool of water in a side cave. The smell of salt and rotting vegetation reach them as they pass the opening. Several Kuo-toa sport at the edge of the pool.
Finally, they arrive at the passage that leads to the Earthborn neighborhood. A narrow tunnel opens out to a circular cave studded with large crystals. Unlike the murky dark of the neighborhoods they have recently walked through, this place is lit with radiant light emanating from the crystals. A crowd of tall orcs with mahogany skin go about their business. They are all dressed in thick leather garb, and many have goggles hanging from their necks. They eye the party warily, but none approach
Hamar turns to Justin, "Wizard, we are going the right way yes?
There is an entrance to simply walk through here or do we need to meet with a guardian first?"
The barbarian scratches his head and grins sheepishly, "Maybe you told us but I don't remember..."
Memnon zips around Justin’s head.
“Well, dumdum here got his map from an old book so I’m assuming we’ll have to find a new guide. I’ll see what I can do. “
The party waits as the violet crystal skull flies off. He returns an a half an hour , his crystal skull now surmounted with an orange knitted cap
“Well, good news, bad news,OK news, and AWESOME news. The good news is that there is a guide here that will take us to their city. The bad news is that the Earthborn are currently in a dust up with the Xorn collective. The OK news is that the main battles are off in the opposite direction”
The skull pauses for effect
“The awesome news is that I was gifted a cool hat! Look! It even has ear flaps and a string you can tie together to keep it on. Look!”
Hamar grunts, "Your head looks better without that hat Dead Wizard Head..."
Memnon zips around Justin’s head.
“Well, dumdum here got his map from an old book so I’m assuming we’ll have to find a new guide. I’ll see what I can do. “
Justin blinks as Memnon zips off, raisinghis hand as if to say something, then flaps it half-hazardly in resignation.
"Dum-Dum has not had enough sleep to deal with you. Yet. Smart-@$$ comebacks WILL be forthcoming. Once that Kafe' kicks in. Or I get more Kafe',..." Justin mutters sleepily.
The party waits as the violet crystal skull flies off. He returns an a half an hour , his crystal skull now surmounted with an orange knitted cap“Well, good news, bad news,OK news, and AWESOME news. The good news is that there is a guide here that will take us to their city. The bad news is that the Earthborn are currently in a dust up with the Xorn collective. The OK news is that the main battles are off in the opposite direction”
The skull pauses for effect
“The awesome news is that I was gifted a cool hat! Look! It even has ear flaps and a string you can tie together to keep it on. Look!”
Hamar grunts, "Your head looks better without that hat Dead Wizard Head..."
Justin blinks, "Oh, I dunno about that,..." and proceeds to reach out and tie the dangling loose ends of the ear-flap strings together,... IN Memnon's mouth, effectively turning the strings into an impromptu gag. The wizard steps back to admire his handiwork.
"Yep. I think it's growing on me." he admits with a smirk.
Justin groans as Memnon's words penetrate his sleep-deprived brain.
"Great. IF I remember correctly, the Xorn's like crystals and unusual rocks even more than they like precious metals. Figures they'd be fighting the Earthborn over some choice bit of real estate. Well, MAYBE luck will favor us, JUST this once, and the fighting really will be away from where we need to go? Maybe?"
The wizard looks questioningly at Karrin, then sighs and reaches out to untie the strings from the mouth of the fuming Memnon, who had been chewing on them angrily. As teh strings fall away from teh Crystal skull's mouth, you can HEAR the skull take a deep breath to launch into a tirade, (Just HOW he took a breath, exactly, Justin admittedly had NO idea.) But Justin held up a finger and quickly interjected.
"So, Thank you for finding us a guide. Speaking of, WHO, exactly, is this guide that you found? And what, exactly, did you promise as payment?" Justin asks sweetly.
Memnon huffs at Hamar
“Dead wizard head? As if! Next you’ll be calling me a lawyer or Serial killer”
He swivels towards Justin and grits his purple teeth
“Do. Not. Touch. The. Hat”
A translucent hand forms and gives Justin the finger
Memnon seems to calm down a bit, using his ghostly hand to readjust his new knitted accessory
“Give me some credit, O Purveyor of Parlour Prestidigitations. I never haggle, that is you meat sacks’ job”
He makes a spitting sound as if clearing stray fibers from his mouth
“The guides over here! Follow me!”
He glides off, the Pom Pom at the top of the hat bobbing
Mel leans into Justin and Hamar as Memnon takes off
“That has to be the ugliest hat I have ever seen” He whispers
Justin sighs as Memnon zips away. Again.
"I knew I should never have taught him that charm." He says ruefully.
Mel leans into Justin and Hamar as Memnon takes off“That has to be the ugliest hat I have ever seen” He whispers.
Justin nods emphatically to Mel as the group realizes that they should be moving if they don't want to lose the small crystal guide-to-their guide.
"Yes. Yes it is. And I went to a wizard's school. I thought WE cornered the market on ugly hats." Justin shudders in mock horror as they hurry after Memnon.
Having gotten her gear together, weapons cleaned and prepped for the day, Blayze walks with her companions through the drizzly streets, the rain rolling off her heavy leather longcoat. Eyes taking in everything around her, assessing potential threats, the paladin meets each pair of eyes that stares at them, holding their gaze for a moment before cooly moving on.
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Blayze feels absurdly tall in the crowds they walk through in Gurincraag. The entire neighborhood is scaled for cutters averaging a meter and a half in height. There are a lot of hard-looking coves in the crowd. They might be small, but dwarves are known to be tough as the granite they tunnel through.
As the party walks into the underground sections, Blayze’s senses sharpen. Tunnels always trigger an instinctive urge for greater situational awareness. Her passive sense of evil gets pinged more often as they travel further downward. The Derro they pass are certainly almost radiating madness and evil as they scurry along on their unfathomable errands.
The Earthborn neighborhood seems much more serene. The gentle crystal radiance is soothing, and the air sings with postive Energy. The feeling seems to emanate from the crystals above.
Memnon leads the group along a narrow road that opens out into a small courtyard. He goes up to one door with a sign swinging by it with the legend:
Rovuk Amethyst, Planeswalker
Interplanar portals found, reliable guide to Paraelemental planes
Memnon forms his ghost hand and taps on the door. An old woman’s voice rings out
“Come in! Come in!”
Memnon looks at the group.
“Well? Can one of you monkeys be kind enough to open the door for me?”
Justin looks at Memnon,
Then looks at the still-visible spectral hand,
Then looks at Memnon, again, with a raised eyebrow.
"WHOM, exactly, are you calling a 'monkey' chromedome?" Justin asks sweetly as he obligingly reaches past the floating skull and pulls the handle.
Justin grandly gestures for Memnon to enter, then smirks behind the mihir's 'back' as he allows the others to precede him.
“If the banana fits”
Memnon zips inside
Inside the house is fairly mundane. There is a large foyer, with stairs leading up to a second floor. A Dwarvish-designed iron stove heats the space , a coal bucket close by. Several couches are positioned around the room. An elderly female Earthborn Orc sits on a couch, knitting needles in hand. A basket of yarn and a box of hats, scarves, and mittens lies next to that. She looks at Memnon with bird-bright eyes
“Ah, Memnon! I see you’ve brought your friends! Please come in everyone! “
The woman rises and shakes everyone’s hand, getting their names
“I am Theslaq, Rovuk’s mother. He’s off on a jaunt, but I expect him home presently. I hear you need to visit our home city?”
“The guide's over here! Follow me!”
He glides off, the Pom Pom at the top of the hat bobbing
Alessia, having been following mutely in the rear of the group for quite some time, picks up the pace slightly, making surprisingly little noise considering the amount of armor she's wearing. She appears suddenly at Justin's side.
"Do the sounds issuing from that object's mouth-hole ever cease?" she asks in a flat voice, not necessarily expecting an answer.
Mel leans into Justin and Hamar as Memnon takes off
“That has to be the ugliest hat I have ever seen” He whispers.
"Yes. Yes it is. And I went to a wizard's school. I thought WE cornered the market on ugly hats." Justin shudders in mock horror as they hurry after Memnon.
"That was a hat?"
The Earthborn neighborhood seems much more serene. The gentle crystal radiance is soothing, and the air sings with postive Energy. The feeling seems to emanate from the crystals above.
Though most of the group finds the area's energy to be peaceful and soothing, Alessia hisses with discomfort. However, she says nothing.
“The guide's over here! Follow me!”
He glides off, the Pom Pom at the top of the hat bobbing
Alessia, having been following mutely in the rear of the group for quite some time, picks up the pace slightly, making surprisingly little noise considering the amount of armor she's wearing. She appears suddenly at Justin's side.
"Do the sounds issuing from that object's mouth-hole ever cease?" she asks in a flat voice, not necessarily expecting an answer.
"Um,... No. Not that I've noticed. At least not for any length of time." Justin admits.
"That was a hat?"Mel leans into Justin and Hamar as Memnon takes off
“That has to be the ugliest hat I have ever seen” He whispers.
"Yes. Yes it is. And I went to a wizard's school. I thought WE cornered the market on ugly hats." Justin shudders in mock horror as they hurry after Memnon.
"Well,... IF you squint, really tightly, and the lighting is really bad,... Yeah, still only in the loosest possible definition of the term."
The Earthborn neighborhood seems much more serene. The gentle crystal radiance is soothing, and the air sings with postive Energy. The feeling seems to emanate from the crystals above.Though most of the group finds the area's energy to be peaceful and soothing, Alessia hisses with discomfort. However, she says nothing.
Noting Alessia's discomfort, (and her stoic silence on the matter) Justin wisely refrains from commenting on it. But adds 'Protection from Positive Energy Ioun Stones' or something similar to his future shopping/creation list.
“If the banana fits”
Memnon zips inside
Justin's hands briefly rise together, forming a circle as if holding, or choking, something.
He takes a breath, and follows the rest of the party inside, closing the door behind him.
Inside the house is fairly mundane. There is a large foyer, with stairs leading up to a second floor. A Dwarvish-designed iron stove heats the space , a coal bucket close by. Several couches are positioned around the room. An elderly female Earthborn Orc sits on a couch, knitting needles in hand. A basket of yarn and a box of hats, scarves, and mittens lies next to that. She looks at Memnon with bird-bright eyes
“Ah, Memnon! I see you’ve brought your friends! Please come in everyone! “
The woman rises and shakes everyone’s hand, getting their names
“I am Theslaq, Rovuk’s mother. He’s off on a jaunt, but I expect him home presently. I hear you need to visit our home city?”
Justin looks around the simple but surprisingly comfortable-looking home. He raises an eyebrow at the sight of the knitting needles in Theslaq's hands. The mystery of where Memnon got his new 'hat' was solved at least.
Justin shakes her hand when his turn comes. He glances at Karrin for a split second, then smiles at Theslaq.
"Thank you for seeing us. Yes, we were hoping to be able to do a brief visit there. I've heard that some of the crystal formations there are rare and exquisite, even for the Plane of Earth."
Justin raises an inquisitive eyebrow.
"I hear some of them are even talkative." He smiles.
Theslaq smiles. The party notices her tusks are not bone, but seem to be ...crystal? Diamond?
“There are many strange things to see near Crystalholm. My Borik loved to explore the Radiant Marshes. My son Rovuk has inherited his father’s wandering foot. “
She bustles off to another room and returns with a tray of tea and scones.
“Is anyone hungry? I baked these this morning!”
A small child runs in, followed by what looks to be an animate pile of rocks shaped roughly into a quadruped shape the size of a small dog.
“Karja!” The boy cries “Can I have a scone?”
The boy halts suddenly, seeing the party and darts behind Theslaq
Theslaq serves the party tea and scones. The young child seems to be her grandson, and soon runs off with his stony pet. The old woman makes small talk until a middle-aged Orc man comes into the house
“Greetings. I am Rovuk. You are looking for me?”
"S'up Rovuk," Karrin says extending her non mitt clad hand, "Name's Karrin and this is our rag tag group of explorers. We were looking for a guide and stuff and we hear you really know your way around and so we were hoping to hire you to head out onto the elemental plain, near the border, where it meets another plain? Too dangerous for us to attempt to reach on our own, which is why we need a guide, our wizard wants to do experiments and stuff, he tried to explain it to us a few times now but we're mostly in the chop and stab business and quantum thermal fractures of multidimensional faces across crystalline formations contained within super hard diamonds or whatever . . . I'm not even sure I got the words in the right order never mind what it means, but we pay you to get us there, we keep you and our super squishy wizard safe, and then you get us back. Seems pretty easy. I'd think . . . unless you know something our wizard hasn't been telling us."
Theslaq serves the party tea and scones. The young child seems to be her grandson, and soon runs off with his stony pet. The old woman makes small talk until a middle-aged Orc man comes into the house
Justin nods to the youngster hiding behind Theslaq. When the child comes out of hiding he makes polite noises about the ,... Pet? Until both the boy and the stony pooch vanish again, as youngsters are wont to do.
"S'up Rovuk,",....(A lot of Karrin Stuff)
Justin smiles from behind Karrin.
"Yeah,... What Karrin said. More or less. Mostly less."
The wizard shrugs, mentally adding 'quantum thermal fractures of multidimensional faces across crystalline formations contained within super hard diamonds' to his research list. And wondering why HE hadn't thought of that already,...
Justin gently clears his throat.
"As Karrin said, we're really just interested in seeing one particular area. At least for this trip. But we understand that there is currently a conflict with the Xorn? I'm really hoping to avoid becoming entangled in any conflicts."
"At least this ONCE." Justin mutters sotto voice to Merle and Seph standing next to him.
"That's our Wizard," Karrin says, "In case you haven't guessed, his name is Justin."
Rovuk shakes Karrin’s proffered palm
“I can take you a lot of places on the Inner Planes. Can you maybe narrow it down a bit? A lot of different planes have borderlands with each other.”
Justin shakes his head ruefully. He steps forward and holds out his hand as well.
"Sorry. Silly me. Distracted. Occupational hazard." Justin explains with his usual smirk.
"Name's Case, Justin Case. As Karrin mentioned I'm the group's 'Squishy-Finger-Waggler-Extraordenaire'." Justin smiles.
"We'd like to take a day-trip to where the planes of Mineral and Radiance meet. We're looking for a particular formation. A sort of Crystal Forest. In a large cave I think. Maybe a sort of a Giant Geode? Does that sound familiar?"
Enjoying the serenity emanating from all around, Blayze simply observes the interaction, letting the team's clear leaders handle any required negotiations.
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Hamar shudders at the idea of being a "lawyer" and proceeds.
As the negotiations begin he stays quiet and observes. He will be interested to watch this guide in action after all, scouting is what the Barbarian specializes in.
Rovuk nods
“You seek the Radiant Sea, and the crystal entity known as Pando. I have been there, but they way is hard. I can lead you there for 2,500 Ladies. Half up front, half upon completion of your journey. “
Justin blinks, at glances at Karrin, the amused shock clear on his face.
"Well. You DO know your way around. I've only found ONE book that even mentioned 'Pando'. And it was a very brief and vague entry." Justin compliments Rovuk with a bow of his head.
Justin looks at the others, nodding as if Rovuk had passed a test. (Which, he sort of had, even if Justin hadn't actually intended it to be a test,...)
"You mentioned the way is difficult. Is that normal? Or complicated due to the dispute with the Xorns?" Justin asks, taking another sip of his tea.
Justin asks a few other questions, regarding what Rovuk suggests for them to be 'properly prepared' (like heavy duty clothing/gloves, etc), what to expect on the trip, and if the guide knows enough about Pando to give any advice for meeting or dealing with the crystal entity.
At one point he speaks aside to Karrin, "We need to speak to Renkar, see if the Rose can cover this trip, or if he can cover it and we can pay it back out of our next payday."
Rovuk goes into a detailed discussion about the Radiant Sea. Unlike most of the Mineral plane, the area known as the Radiant Sea is riddled with caves, and there is usually breathable air. However, the connections between the caves can be difficult and narrow. Also, the crystals can cut easily, so leather gloves and clothing is the norm for humanoids. Certain areas are awash with radiant energy, and so are dangerous. Goggles are recommended.
“You’re going to be ported in to our home city, Crystalholm. From there I can asses the current danger levels. The Xorn are alien, and often act in bizarre ways. They will demand metal and gems, even when they are surrounded by massive collections of them. They also get homicidally upset by miners who excavate without permission, so beware of that. I expect a week’s journey, as long as planequakes haven’t shifted the routes. I assume you are searching for knowledge from Pando. It is a benign entity, but be aware that it is alien to our worldview. It may not react in ways you would expect. “
Merle keeps herself quiet for the most part only mumbling a quick "and now it's bound to happen." to Justins just this once comment.
“The Xorn are alien, and often act in bizarre ways. They will demand metal and gems, even when they are surrounded by massive collections of them. They also get homicidally upset by miners who excavate without permission, so beware of that. I expect a week’s journey, as long as planequakes haven’t shifted the routes. I assume you are searching for knowledge from Pando. It is a benign entity, but be aware that it is alien to our worldview. It may not react in ways you would expect.“
Alessia leans in, whispering to Hamar from behind.
"I am beginning to think we will need to follow my plan after all."
Hamar nods to Alessia, "The good news is that we always seem to be ready for such a plan".
Hamar nods to Alessia, "The good news is that we always seem to be ready for such a plan".
"Indeed we do."
Rovuk goes into a detailed discussion about the Radiant Sea. Unlike most of the Mineral plane, the area known as the Radiant Sea is riddled with caves, and there is usually breathable air. However, the connections between the caves can be difficult and narrow. Also, the crystals can cut easily, so leather gloves and clothing is the norm for humanoids. Certain areas are awash with radiant energy, and so are dangerous. Goggles are recommended.
“You’re going to be ported in to our home city, Crystalholm. From there I can asses the current danger levels. The Xorn are alien, and often act in bizarre ways. They will demand metal and gems, even when they are surrounded by massive collections of them. They also get homicidally upset by miners who excavate without permission, so beware of that. I expect a week’s journey, as long as planequakes haven’t shifted the routes. I assume you are searching for knowledge from Pando. It is a benign entity, but be aware that it is alien to our worldview. It may not react in ways you would expect. “
Justin nods, making notes both on parchment and mental.
"Thank you Rovuk. We appreciate the information as well as the guide. Ing." Justin shrugs with a grin.
"We just need to arrange for your payment and pack our backpacks with a couple of weeks rations. Unless, I didn't forget anything did I Karrin? Anyone?" Justin looks around at the group with a raised eyebrow.
The group agrees to meet up with Rovuk in two peaks time. They return without incident to the surface of Gurincraag, and they make their way back to the Silver Rose. The next two peaks they spend getting the last bits of gear. Renkar agreed to loan them the money, but since this is a superfluous side quest he makes it plain he expects repayment. However he charges no interest, so there’s that. A Taker moneylender would want at least a 10% vig on the loan per cycle.
At the end of two peaks time, the group arrives back at the Earthborn neighborhood (simply nicknamed ‘little Crystalholm’ ) , and meet with Rovuk. He brings them to an arch made of smoky quartz. He fiddled with something in his hand and a swirling sparkly gate opens. He steps through
Karrin scratches her chin, as if in deep thought, then she shrugs, "I don't know, you're the boss, but don't worry if you do forget anything we'll be sure to remind you constantly once we realize it."
Karrin scratches her chin, as if in deep thought, then she shrugs, "I don't know, you're the boss, but don't worry if you do forget anything we'll be sure to remind you constantly once we realize it."
Justin grins at Karrin, then turns back to Renkar.
Justin stops, eyes wide, and SLOWLY turns his head back to Karrin."Waitaminute. Just WHEN did I get DEmoted?!?" Justin asks with an arched eyebrow.
Merle just gives Justin a grin and a bit of a shrug.
Blayze merely smiles at the banter. "So, we heading through?"