Bulvi is unable to connect.
Round one: Maka, Selena, Tez and Sakitu.
Tezuzu continues to climb keeping a defensive posture ready as he does so.
Sakitu's shot misses.
Round one: Maka and Selena.
Selena casts a spell and small dark cloud crackling with lightning forms in front of the nearest enemy and moves to intercept it.
Round one: Maka is up.
With a burst of flames Maka sent herself flying to the cliff side. Grabbing on to whatever handhold she could find in the rocky wall, she balanced herself and readied to counter attack.
Maka just manages to keep hold of the rock face. As the remaining wisp faces Selena's spell, it presses its attack against Findurel.
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Round two: Party up.
Though Selena's miniature storm does not seem to impact the wisp, Findurel's arrows convince it to depart.
Tezuzu continues climbing the cliff face as Findurel dispatches the last of the wisps moving a little faster now that the present danger has passed. The wind blowing his robes erratically as he makes his best efforts not to look down.
The party makes it to the platform where a closed door awaits them without any other issues. The sun of the day is only about halfway toward its high point.
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Fin arrives up top, gives a quick glance, and then lets out a long sigh. "Whew...never flew before...the wisps weren't as much trouble as I thought they might be...but their sting is not very pleasant...
"Tez, think I could borrow the healing wand for a second?"
If Tez will agree, Fin will tap himself with it a couple of times...
...and then he'll draw his bow and quietly scout around the area, giving it a good once over to include the closed door, checking for any traps, tracks, and/or hidden foes that may be about. He won't try to open the door, just check to see if it may be trapped or locked...
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As she lands on the platform, Quasit exhales deeply with relief.
"Whew! Normally I don't mind heights too much, but after the first thousand feet or so, I found that it was better not to look down. This is ridiculously high."
"I would guess that those other centaurs had the frost giants climb the cliff and carry them up here. Centaurs have a lot of skills, but I don't think rock climbing is one of them. If they even came up here... I mean, I think we have to assume they did, there's no other reason for them to come to this place, and they weren't down there at the base of the monument."
Quasit comes over to look at the doorway.
"Ah, you see this? Ithildin. It's traced into the rock and illuminates when the moonlight hits it. Maybe there's a special password we need to say to make the doors open. Like, we'd say 'Friend' then enter."
"Nice shots Fin!" Maka shouted before thrusting back off into the air.
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As soon as Bulvi lands, Sakitu climbs out of the oversized back pack. Sill in her vulpine form, she looks like a fox crawling out.
On the platform she looks around. "Wow. This is an amazing view." She steps close to the edge and looks down so far below. "I can't believe that birds and eagles and stuff are always so high. I guess that's why they fly. Once you've had a chance to see things from this high up, it must be really boring being on the ground."
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"Nice shots Fin!" Maka shouted before thrusting back off into the air.
Fin grins at Maka. "I've got a good teacher! Your training exercises are helping my accuracy."
Quasit comes over to look at the doorway.
"Ah, you see this? Ithildin. It's traced into the rock and illuminates when the moonlight hits it. Maybe there's a special password we need to say to make the doors open. Like, we'd say 'Friend' then enter."
Fin nods. "Should we try to enter now, Q? Or should we rest for a spell beforehand?"
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Vertiginous cliffs surround the mesa top on all sides, though a rock wall backing the top of the figure's head rises above the plateau, creating some cover from the cold winds blowing across the mesa. From every direction the view is dizzying, offering a clear panorama of miles and miles of lobarian wilderness. A small copse of bare, weathered trees stands in the shelter of the rock wall, their knotted roots clinging desperately to the cold, hard stone. Dozens of bones litter the ground before the grove, some so ancient that the trees' roots appear to grow right through them. Behind the trees, a shadowy arched opening in the wall leads deep inside the rock.
As Quasit comments focus the attention of the party on the bones, several party members see a gutted carcass of a centaur hanging from one of the trees.
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Fin looks at the archway and nods to Quasit...
"Aye, this place feels like death...let's get on with it then. Prepare to enter the Maiden..."
The Elf, with his bow handy, warily approaches the archway...looking out for hidden dangers...upon spotting the gutted centaur hanging from the tree, he lets out a low of whistle...
"Reeks of death indeed. This appears to be a sacrificial offering...these are not combat wounds...this unfortunate creature was killed and hung deliberately..."
The Elf continues carefully towards the archway, looking for other signs of centaur and frost giant tracks...
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"Prepare to enter the Maiden..."
Quasit smirks and gives Findurel a sidelong glance.
"This appears to be a sacrificial offering...these are not combat wounds...this unfortunate creature was killed and hung deliberately..."
This wipes the smirk off Quasit's face and she notices the hanging centaur for the first time.
"You said these guys were demon worshippers, right?" she says. "I wonder if they just bought something." She shakes her head and grimaces.
As Findurel leads the party forward a voice emerges from one of the trees in the middle of the mesa. Nearly 18 feet tall, the tree appears similar to a willow tree with a trunk in the shape of a maiden.
"All who seek to enter Artrosa must first present me with a sacrifice." A hand like branch points toward the centaur's corpse.
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Fin starts a bit as the tree speaks before he regains his composure. Figuring that this sentient tree was somehow responsible for the gruesome killing of the centaur hanging there, not to mention all the bones beneath it, the Elf is very wary...
He bows to the tree, saying, "What kind of sacrifice? Must it be a life? We are searching for Baba Yaga to free her...is there anything else we can do for you to enter this place that doesn't require a living sacrifice?"
Figuring he's at his limit for speaking and best say no more, he looks to the better speakers in the party and steps back...
The maiden like tree responds, "You must prove your worth to pass inside. Offer me something warm, living, and bloody, or I will take a sacrifice myself-one of my choosing. I have stood here for centuries and claimed many sacrifices. Their bones are a testament to their foolishness in thinking they could win their way past me."
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Getting a read on the sentient tree, Fin leans over and lightly whispers in Quasit's ear, "The tree is hiding something...I don't think a sacrifice is the only way to enter...maybe you can coax it out of her. As you mentioned earlier, Baba Yaga might've left a password or such for entry as well; the tree obviously wishes a sacrifice, but mentioned just that we must prove ourselves worthy..."
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As the tree woman makes her demand for a living sacrifice, Quasit's face begins to boil with anger and indignation. She looks like she's getting ready to charge in.
Fortunately, Fin leans over and whispers his observation in her ear. She nods, thinks a moment, then takes a step forward.
"Mighty Guardian, we cannot offer you a sacrifice from our number. Each one of my companions is necessary for our mission, and we come on behalf of Baba Yaga herself, who is the maker of this place and perhaps even the one who tasked you with protecting the entrance here."
"I would not wish us to come to blows unnecessarily, for I think you would find us troublesome foes. Perhaps there is some other way we can prove our worth to you?"
Tezuzu appears crawling up the edge of the cliff face disheveled and out of breath his robes unruly and his plumage a hideous mess battered by the winds while climbing.
He tosses the wand temporarily to Findurel breathing between words "Here...take it...you know how..it..works..just give me a moment to catch my breath."
As he begins to meticulously re-arrange his robes and comb down his feathers he mention "It is getting a bit late in the afternoon and I did just expend most of my powerful magic getting us up here...After the climb I would not mind a rest to be best prepared to deal with whatever lies ahead in this labyrinth. Scouting the entrance seems smart, but I would advise caution in delving too far."
After fiddling with his clothing and appearance for a bit longer than is necessary he will bring up what troubled him on his climb. "Excellent work dispatching those wisps, but from a fair distance away I spied a third before they became invisible....though there was something off about that one. It did not behave like the others and when I tried to sense its essence it gave off an aura that was not of the others. I suspect it might have been something more powerful and devious at play there."
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Upon approaching the tree maiden Tezuzu will stay mostly in the back putting his friends between him and this new obstacle. He eyes the tree creature suspiciously.
The maiden like tree reluctantly responds to Quasit, "You can also prove your worth by answering a riddle. If you are successful you may pass. Otherwise I will take my sacrifice.
Midnight, Morning, Bright Sun -
Spoke thee with but one.
Accursed now you be,
For he befell the wrath
Of two times seven.
Oh tell me, who is he?
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Fin smiles upon hearing the riddle, as he clearly recalls how they were set on this path...
Looking directly at the tree, he answers, "We spoke with one whom called himself Black Midnight...he was the Black Rider of Baba Yaga and, mortally wounded by Queen Elvanna, he sent us here just before he died. He said his name was Illarion Matveius..."
Reasonably confident, but still a little anxious, Fin fidgets as he looks expectantly at the tree, intently awaiting its response...
The maiden like tree responds disappointedly, ""You have told me his name. You may pass."
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Fin breathes a sigh of relief upon hearing the tree's response. Seeing the scattered remains among the tree, he looks to his friends, "This looks like a good haul, whether we decide to use 'em or sell 'em..."
Nodding to Tezuzu, he turns to Quasit. "Q, perhaps we should rest for the night before entering. Tezuzu looks exhausted; he spent most of his spells and had to climb as opposed to flying. Selena and Sakitu could regain their used spells as well. We could make camp just inside the doorway, and head out early in the morning...we should be pretty safe here as I doubt anything will get by that tree to get at us..."
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The maiden like tree responds disappointedly, ""You have told me his name. You may pass."
Quasit had been staring straight ahead while the riddle was given to her, and was still staring straight ahead when Findurel answered and was still staring straight ahead when the tree lady let them pass. She looks at the ranger.
"I was gonna say that." she affirms lightly. "Come, let us ENTER THE MAIDEN."
Once they are inside and moving down the dark stairway, she says "So... she seemed nice. Aside from the whole murder sacrifice thing. Good catch on her holding back on us, Fin. I was sure we were gonna have to chop her down."
And then they reach the room with the maiden forms wreathed in pine cones. Quasit looks at each of them curiously and intently. She seems suddenly distant and strangely moved. She touches the one that sits staring up at the moon.
"It's so strange..." she says quietly, perhaps to herself. "Have you ever had a feeling like you've been somewhere before, even when you know you haven't? Like you remember something from a dream that you had years ago? I get that looking at this carving. Or maybe..."
She stops herself, and then touches her hair, letting her fingers move slowly through its short, roughly cut strands.
"Q, perhaps we should rest for the night before entering."
Quasit looks back at the panting tengu as if awakened from a dream, then looks at Findurel strangely, then nods.
"Sure. Ok. It's not like we need to pay attention to the time of day down in these tunnels, right? Let's rest here for eight hours, then continue on. This seems like a good, quiet, defensible spot."
She goes to offer Tezuzu a drink from her water skin. She pats him on the arm and smiles at him. "You did good, Feathers."
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"Come, let us ENTER THE MAIDEN."
Fin blushes furiously. "It seemed like an ominous moment...slip of the tongue...but yes, not the best choice of words...I'm not so good at that...I'll keep my mouth shut next time..."
Once they are inside and moving down the dark stairway, she says "Good catch on her holding back on us, Fin. I was sure we were gonna have to chop her down."
Fin shrugs. "I thought we might have to as well...but there was something the way she said 'prove your worth' that made me think she might be hiding something. But you were the one who forced her to tell us the truth...you have a gift for speaking and persuasion that I sorely lack..."
"It's so strange..." she says quietly, perhaps to herself. "Have you ever had a feeling like you've been somewhere before, even when you know you haven't? Like you remember something from a dream that you had years ago? I get that looking at this carving. Or maybe..."
She stops herself, and then touches her hair, letting her fingers move slowly through its short, roughly cut strands.
Fin ponders momentarily, then nods. "Aye, a time or two before perhaps...but never from my dreams...they're mostly nightmares reminding me of the past..."
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Sakitu shrinks back behind Bulvi when the tree starts talking and especially when it points to the grisly sacrifice. She breathes a huge sigh of relief when Fin answers the riddle and the whole group marches through the arch.
Following the winding stairs down, Sakitu is immensely curious. Do stairs and tunnels lead all the way down from here to the bottom? Is the inside of the statue all hollow?
"Did you guys say that you wanted to rest now? Down here? Do you think it will be safe?"
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"Come, let us ENTER THE MAIDEN."Fin blushes furiously. "It seemed like an ominous moment...slip of the tongue...but yes, not the best choice of words...I'm not so good at that...I'll keep my mouth shut next time..."
Quasit laughs heartily. "Fin, I'm just teasing you, you lunk!" she says, popping him with a little punch in the arm. "Don't be such an elf."
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"Did you guys say that you wanted to rest now? Down here? Do you think it will be safe?"
"I don't know if I'd say 'safe'. There are still demon worshipping centaurs trotting around down here. Not to mention whatever guardians Baba Yaga has roaming around. But this spot is easy to defend and I think we can afford a short rest after walking all morning and then getting up here. And Tez really blew through a lot of spells helping us get here. We'll keep watch and all that. Let's keep quiet and nobody wander off."
Quasit wags her finger at little Sakitu. "So no back talk young lady! Go to bed this instant, and I'll be by to tuck you in and tell you a story." Then she gives Sakitu a little friendly scritch behind the ears. "If you're naughty, I'll have Honey Rabbit spank you."
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Quasit laughs heartily. "Fin, I'm just teasing you, you lunk!" she says, popping him with a little punch in the arm. "Don't be such an elf."
Fin's redness in his cheeks slowly diminishes, as he grins sheepishly when he's punched. "I figured you were, Q...my words sometimes don't come across like I mean 'em to...and occasionally in embarrassing fashion, like this time..."
A smile escapes Fin's lips when he sees Quasit comfort Sakitu. "Aye Saki, we'll be safe enough for a rest. We won't have to worry about anything coming behind us, as the tree will make sure of that...we just have to guard one way now...and I think the evil centaurs/frost giants will be too busy moving ahead to worry about what's behind..."
Looking to all of his friends, he says, "If one of you can gimme a couple hours of sleep, I'll keep watch the rest of the night..."
Just before leaving earshot of the tree, Selena asks it a question "How did you know we had met the black rider?"
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Just before leaving earshot of the tree, Selena asks it a question "How did you know we had met the black rider?"
Quasit looks at Selena in amazement.
"Um... you're kidding right? You were there. You don't remember the dying guy on the horse suddenly appearing through the winter portal and spilling his guts both literally and figuratively on us? And sending on this crazy quest in the first place? He told us exactly who he was."
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Just before leaving earshot of the tree, Selena asks it a question "How did you know we had met the black rider?"
Fin looks a bit surprised at the question. "Selena, you're a white witch...as powerful as Baba Yaga is, doesn't she have the power to commune with those bound to her? I just assumed that the Black Rider was able to let her know what happened before he died...or perhaps Baba Yaga can commune with the dead. Either way, I'd guess she could've magically relayed said information to the tree guard since she knew we would ultimately be coming here...
"But you know arcane magic far better than I, so perhaps I've got it wrong..."
"First, Baba Yaga is unlikely to have told anything to the tree. If she could do that, then she could communicate with many other forces that would be moving against her highness and to free Baba Yaga, and we would hardly be worth her time, and if she did to give thought and support to our efforts, it likely involve communicating with us. Further, while it possible, the ways and methods are not only of interest to me as a point of study and contemplation, but also difficult enough without prearranged setup, that it is suspicious that she not only knew that information, but she knew it related to us specifically without our introductions and had time to turn it into a 'riddle.'"
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Fin shrugs. ”If Tez can send messages to Saki’s aunt and Maka’s father, I see no reason why Baba Yaga couldn’t do the same, whether she’s imprisoned or not. As for why she wouldn’t alert others, maybe she doesn’t know who to trust, other than her riders and her guards and perhaps servants like Zorka...she damn sure can’t trust her daughter the Queen...
“It seems logical to a layman like me that the tree didn’t just come up with that riddle for us but was instructed to ask everyone who tries to enter that same riddle. Might mean that Baba Yaga knows about us, wants us to find her...and she can only know that if she could somehow communicate with the Black Rider and the tree guard. Perhaps she instructed the Black Rider to charge someone with the task before he died and set up the riddle before she disappeared...
“But like I said, I know little of the arcane so maybe I’m way off here...”
"This is less about arcane matters. If you were imprisoned somewhere and had the ability to send such messages, what would you do with it? Manipulate a bunch of patsies whose reliability is largely unknown and loyalty is definitely not towards you? Or would you be reaching out to those you know and are willing to do as you ask? If you did get someone else, wouldn't you make sure you could communicate with them so you could maximize their chances of successfully freeing you and also allay any fears about releasing you?"
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Fin sighs. ”Here’s my hypothesis. Elvanna makes a power move to get rid of her mother and/or her influence; starts by killing two of her mother’s riders, and mortally wounds the third. The Black rider lets Baba Yaga know what happened; with her riders gone or dying, knowing anywhere in Irrisen is not feasible as Elvanna has control there, she sends him through a portal to another place far away telling him to charge some folk to rescue her and send them back through the portal. Knowing she will either be imprisoned, captured, or in exile soon, she communicates with her tree guard giving her a riddle...and perhaps left us other breadcrumbs, just before she’s captured, imprisoned, exiled, etc.
“This would explain why she doesn’t know who we are but she knows we’ve talked with her dying Black Rider...and knows we’d be coming for her...”
"Fin, I'm not asking about possibilities or what-ifs. I'm asking her what the actual case is. I'm not one for making assumptions and just blindly accepting conclusions." Selena replies a bit confused by everyone's sudden retorts about personal theories instead of listening to what the tree might have to say about it.