Her sight had returned to normal and she was grateful for it. As the men spoke, she gazed upon each of them with keen and clear turquoise eyes. She wondered if they were good folk. She could not make them out at present.
When they reverted to the Draconic tongue she did not give away that she could understand their words. Bless Amen for teaching me this language. They were attempting to discern whether she and the others were enemy agents. Who is this Marquis they distrust so? Rain kept her stance and posture the same so as to not appear threatening, even with the magical pike in hand.
Rain looked Christopher Ironhorse in the eyes and spoke, "My name is Raina Taneththir and I hale from The Shackles. We were transported to this place, however we do not know where we are nor the identity of your conquering Queen. Your manner of speech sounds Galtan, Master Ironhorse. Are we in Galt? And before we are to go anywhere with you, it would do us well to know where we are exactly and your Queen's name. We mean you no harm unless you give us good cause. And, if an enemy approaches, I cannot in good faith leave in this moment as not all our people have arrived. How close is this threat? We can fight well enough if there is need." Better than you might believe, she mused but did not utter aloud. Better they underestimate our abilities at this time. Where is Flynn? And Variel?
Rain looked Christopher Ironhorse in the eyes and spoke, "My name is Raina Taneththir and I hale from The Shackles. We were transported to this place, however we do not know where we are nor the identity of your conquering Queen. Your manner of speech sounds Galtan, Master Ironhorse. Are we in Galt? And before we are to go anywhere with you, it would do us well to know where we are exactly and your Queen's name. We mean you no harm unless you give us good cause. And, if an enemy approaches, I cannot in good faith leave in this moment as not all our people have arrived. How close is this threat? We can fight well enough if there is need."
At your words of “transported” the men all look at you in surprise; though not quite as surprised as you assumed they might be.
Ironhorse seems to recover faster – he turns to the two humans.
”Robb, head up to the forest there – check for signs of tracks near the tree line… see if you can help our guests,” he says and the one who has not spoken so far. This one then turns his horse and rides to the north.
”Nicolae, make a wide sweep to the south, roughly half a mile – look for any tracks; if there are more of these folk near here, we need to find them.”
When they have left, Christopher turns and speaks quickly to the Half-Elf –
”They spoke of being transported; assuredly this may be through magic as there is no way corsairs could be brought to this field without sign of such transportation... To transport large companies recalls to my mind the magical transport of the refuges from the south who were thus brought north to our land many years ago.. and the others that followed. Mayhap they are kin? If so, we must best report this matter to Lord Tyrell at once…”
The Half-Elf watches you all, then waves his hand and clearly casts a spell; his eyes widen, and then he casts another spell quickly, and he seems to relax somewhat.
You feel no harm in either spells, but he looks greatly relieved. He responds slowly to Ironhorse, as if still thinking as he is talking.
”Verily by the craft of Old Deadeye I know now that they are at least Goodly folk, so I think we need not fear they are in league with the Cheliax scum…”
"Unless my eyes cheat me, it seems that the Sea Elf has some metallic glow from her back, but I cannot discern much about it as she has veiled it with her cloak, yet it has me wondering on her bloodline..."
”Further, if you are right in your musings about their origins then I would deem at least they know the tongue of Dragons… Yet the folk in the south who came to our land with great magic came not from The Shackles, yet hailed from the deep deserts of Osirion, where the golden dragons reign.”
”Do you mark the hair on the quiet one who stands near the Sea Elf? Her hair is also metallic, but golden, even as the ward of Her Grace has metallic silver hair… This mystery is more strange than I deem, but I would venture that at least one of their company knows the tongue of Dragons, therefore it seems to me that the means of our subtlety is likely moot…”
As the Half-Elf finishes his words, he gives Ironhorse a small grin.
Ironhorse winces, then turns to your company.
”Well, at this point let’s just say I got a hunch at least one of your party knows Draconic, so there's no point in trying to hide what we're saying from you,” he says as his eyes glance over you, pausing on Amen-set when he mentions Draconic, then moves on to study you all.
”Meantime; Robb and Nicolae are both good guys, but I’d rather say less in front of them instead of more, and neither of them speaks Draonic… anyhow, it just makes things easier later if they don't spread around what we're talking about as you never know who might be listening in some old tavern...”
He thinks a bit more as the Half-Elf instead turns and studies both Robb and Nicolae in the distance, checking on their status and letting Christopher do the talking.
As they are waiting for the results of the scouts to find whoever else may be traveling with you, and clearly relieved at the results of the Half-Elf’s spells, Christopher seems to relax a bit and be more open with you.
”To answer your question more directly; no, you’re not in Galt, though my folks were from there, and I was born there.”
”This is Daeron Jubannich, he’s a priest of Erastil,” he says with a nod to the Half-Elf, who bows his head in courtesy.
”If you’re from The Shackles you should know that these lands are commonly known as “The River Kingdoms”, but they’re not really a bunch of kingdoms… well, at least not anymore,” he says, clearly relaxing somewhat and speaking more openly.
”At this point they’ve been united under the rule of various lords who have become Barons, though one is technically an Arch-Magi and has formally titled himself "Grand Vizier" to Her Grace… Anyhow, those Barons have sworn allegiance to the most powerful among them and she became Queen of these lands roughly four years ago… As for her name? She is Queen Kane; Sister of Dragons; the Griffon Rider; the Breaker of the Black Stone; Mistress of Wood and Root; Protector of Leaf and Tree; the Orc Bane; and The Slayer of The Red Wyverns.”
”Also, she is the queen, but she's married, but he's not the king. See, she married the Duke Essarian shortly after she claimed the throne, but the reason he’s not formally called "King" is that because she was Queen before marrying him he can’t just marry her and become in charge just because he happened to marry the person who is in charge… Ah hell, it’s kind of hard to explain,” he says, then shrugs.
”Anyhow, that’s kind of enough to go on for now, at least as to where you are, I guess… Sorry for all the suspicion, but we’ve had issues with the Marquis near to here… seems he’s been smuggling in pirate folk from Cheliax somehow to hit more traffic in our rivers, but we don’t know how. So when we saw you folk near lands he claims, and in pirate-looking garb… well…” he trails off and shrugs again, then glances north then south at his men to see the results of the search for your friends.
As he waits, Daeron studies you all thoughtfully.
”Do you speak this tongue?”
Amen-set’s eyes widen, she says nothing, but looks at Rain to see if she should say anything, or just let Rain and Rajah do the talking.
Seeing the look, Daeron says nothing but smiles a bit, then nods his head and addresses you all formally.
”While we wait for the results of our allies, if you do not mind me asking, could you tell us how you came to these lands so quickly but from so far away? This may aid us in aiding you find your missing allies…” Daeron asks you politely.
Rajah thoughtlessly shakes his head at the question in the foreign tongue, "No. I don't."
He then glances over at the others a moment before continuing, "Well, you are not going to believe this, my good fellow, but it was a coin," he simply states, shrugging. Noticing their looks of confusion, "Judging by your expression I can honestly say that we share that very same expression, I assure you. We do not understand it either. Even now. It nearly blinded my fellow shipmates here," he motions to Rain and Seijiro. "I wish I could tell you more about it but we know practically nothing about it ourselves. Except for the 'doorway' it created. And I mean that in the most literal sense. It was literally a door," he nods as a matter of fact.
Rain listened as both leader and his priestly counsel man spoke of the River Kingdoms, the Queen and their troubles with Cheliax. She inclined her head upon introduction to the Erastilan holy man.
When asked if they spoke Draconic, Amen gave herself away and then Rajah flatly told them of the coin. Rain took a deep breath, wondering why he would be so open about the coin with people he had just met. Her eyes firmly set on him for a second before she turned to respond to Ironhorse and Priest Daeron,
"By her title, your Queen sounds very accomplished and in her own right. I've not ventured into the River Kingdoms before this day, but I have heard of them. We are not corsairs or reavers and we are certainly not aligned with Cheliax. Nor are we associated with the Marquis. We are Free Captains in The Shackles." She paused a moment as she waited to see if their scouts had sighted Variel or Flynn.
"I am Pilot of our ship. It is our Captain and Master Gunner who are presently unaccounted for. I am skilled at tracking as is my cat. If your scouts require aid then I shall give it. And aye, there are some among us who speak Draconic. If you require more discretion, then my cat can set up a telepathic link between us and we may communicate in that way. As to how we arrived, as my companion has already stated, a magical portal brought us here. But the magic was not of our doing."
"You mentioned a post you were riding to. Once we know more about our companions' whereabouts we shall come with you to this post. If we do not find them now, then we may cross paths on the road."
Rajah thoughtlessly shakes his head at the question in the foreign tongue, "No. I don't."
He then glances over at the others a moment before continuing, "Well, you are not going to believe this, my good fellow, but it was a coin," he simply states, shrugging. Noticing their looks of confusion, "Judging by your expression I can honestly say that we share that very same expression, I assure you. We do not understand it either. Even now. It nearly blinded my fellow shipmates here," he motions to Rain and Seijiro. "I wish I could tell you more about it but we know practically nothing about it ourselves. Except for the 'doorway' it created. And I mean that in the most literal sense. It was literally a door," he nods as a matter of fact.
Christopher gives Daeron a glance, hoping the Half-Elf might be in a better position to answer; but Daeron shrugs.
”I have no knowledge of such coins, but the power to send you so far is clearly born of some remarkable artifact of power. This may require further study, and in such matters I think you may find more knowledge at where we are stationed…” he says, doing his best to be helpful.
"By her title, your Queen sounds very accomplished and in her own right. I've not ventured into the River Kingdoms before this day, but I have heard of them. We are not corsairs or reavers and we are certainly not aligned with Cheliax. Nor are we associated with the Marquis. We are Free Captains in The Shackles." She paused a moment as she waited to see if their scouts had sighted Variel or Flynn.
The men who are scouting both seem reasonably accomplished at their tasks, but neither of them seems very successful at finding any clues to lead to the location of the others quite yet.
At this Christopher’s friendly enthusiasm seems to be chilled by a bit of wariness.
”Wait, you say you are no corsair yet you are a Free Captain in The Shackles? I’ve not traveled far from these lands, but it’s pretty common knowledge that the Free Captains are literally pirates…” he says slowly, suspicion in his voice.
”Begging your pardon, but can you explain the difference between a pirate and a corsair, then?” he asks.
"I am Pilot of our ship. It is our Captain and Master Gunner who are presently unaccounted for. I am skilled at tracking as is my cat. If your scouts require aid then I shall give it. And aye, there are some among us who speak Draconic. If you require more discretion, then my cat can set up a telepathic link between us and we may communicate in that way. As to how we arrived, as my companion has already stated, a magical portal brought us here. But the magic was not of our doing."
Christopher seems to consider that a moment.
”Fair enough; in that case, do what you can to search. We’ll give you a hand because at this point I’d kind of like to know more – especially from your Captain,” he says.
As you search Amen-set speaks quietly to you.
”Begging your pardon, but I followed my hatey-a' only moments after he left and never saw a sign of him. You followed only moments after me, yet I myself waited nearly two hours alone… Perhaps our allies have been brought far afield, yet arrived at different times, or locations – or have yet to arrive?”
She seems remarkably unfazed by any of this; the fact that neither Variel nor Horatio can be found doesn’t seem to alarm her very much for some reason. On questioning her, she responds.
”Ah! I should fear to see him fall in clean battle, yet not overly much, for that is an honorable end, though I would grieve for his loss. Yet this? Oh my senet, we should fear neither the loss of thy betrothed nor my hatey-a' for they are not lost. Instead, my heart tells me we shall meet them when we are destined to, and not all the searching in the world shall hurry that moment sooner. Instead, let us be patient and trust to the will of the Great Father and know that they will come to us when the moment is right…”
"You mentioned a post you were riding to. Once we know more about our companions' whereabouts we shall come with you to this post. If we do not find them now, then we may cross paths on the road."
Hearing Amen-set’s words, it is Daeron who answers Rain.
”We are indeed traveling to our post, yet we are stationed under the command of Lord Tyrell. He is now a lord who governs Caslte Urion on the western border of our kingdom. Though the town is small, it has many emissaries from nearby lands; including also Rowan’s Rangers - they are griffon riders - they might be able to do more to find your friends, or information, to help you discover more about how to return home then we.”
”As for your return home? I should say, in this matter I would not hold much to mere book learning, were I you – instead, if lord Tyrell will permit it, I would recommend you speak to his wife, for she has the gift of Far Sight and prophecy and may be able to aid you better than we.”
Christopher turns a dour look to Daeron, then moves the conversation forward.
”Yes, well, anyway… In the meantime, no matter what you can do on the high seas, the fact is we’re looking for folk who can help us against Chelaxian river pirates… I kind of figured you’d be up for that at least, and maybe you will be, after you learn more about your friends… But like I said before, we’re out here to either help innocent folk or stop threats. If you don’t want to travel with us back our Post then you can wait here, but I don’t think that’s a good idea, but it’s up to you,” he adds as Daeron gives him a look to help mollify his suspicion on how to respond to all this new information.
”So, that said – what are you going to do?” he asks again, watching you all intently, especially Rajah the Varisian…
Meanwhile Daeron merely studies you thoughtfully, his eyes moving back between Amen-set, the covering that hides Rain’s wings, and then lingering on the Neko, studying Neko for a long moment as if there’s something special to him about cats after discussing things about powerful magic and Osirion.
Seijiro watches and listens, having missed out on all the draconic conversation, and with little to add... but he squirms a bit with an unasked question... When the conversation finally dies down, he asks... "Sorry if this seems a bit of an odd question, but what is the date right now?"
”Begging your pardon, but can you explain the difference between a pirate and a corsair, then?” he asks.
At the young man's question, Rain's dark blue brow rose and she studied Christopher Ironhorse a moment before replying civilly,
"We do not raid and pillage any ship that crosses our path. Those who have fallen under our assault have done so for just cause. I hale from a long line of freebooters and am not ashamed to admit to it. We have a love of the sea and bide by an enduring honour code. There is no bloodshed of innocents."
"...the fact is we’re looking for folk who can help us against Chelaxian river pirates… I kind of figured you’d be up for that at least, and maybe you will be, after you learn more about your friends… But like I said before, we’re out here to either help innocent folk or stop threats."
"I cannot say how long we are to remain here with your people, but we are of like mind when it comes to aiding innocent folk and removing the Chelaxian threat. I will speak with my companions, for the decision must be made by all and not by one. There is time to consider such things as we make our way to your post. It seems our missing companions are not in these woods."
" Oh my senet, we should fear neither the loss of thy betrothed nor my hatey-a' for they are not lost. Instead, my heart tells me we shall meet them when we are destined to, and not all the searching in the world shall hurry that moment sooner. Instead, let us be patient and trust to the will of the Great Father and know that they will come to us when the moment is right…”
"Aye, little sister. We have searched and they are not here. They are resourceful and so we will trust that they will return to us soon."
”As for your return home? I should say, in this matter I would not hold much to mere book learning, were I you – instead, if lord Tyrell will permit it, I would recommend you speak to his wife, for she has the gift of Far Sight and prophecy and may be able to aid you better than we.”
"Then we shall gain consent and speak with Lady Tyrell."
”So, that said – what are you going to do?” he asks again, watching you all intently...
The sound of thunder rumbled in the distance.
"We will travel with you to your post. Then we can sit down, consider what needs to be done and come to some agreement." And hopefully by then Variel and Flynn will have been found, she mused silently. "Let us be on our way before the storm catches us."
At this point the riders are now back together and they seem eager to press on with the storm coming. However, Christopher and Daeron are still talking to your company and they’re deciding what to do.
"We do not raid and pillage any ship that crosses our path. Those who have fallen under our assault have done so for just cause. I hale from a long line of freebooters and am not ashamed to admit to it. We have a love of the sea and bide by an enduring honour code. There is no bloodshed of innocents."
Ironhorse stares at Rain and his eyes widen.
”I see… so basically you attack and loot ships which aren’t yours, but just not the innocent ships? Okay, so how exactly do you determine who’s innocent and who deserves to be attacked before you decide to attack them and take their goods and ships?” he asks, clearly not satisfied with the answer, but Daeron clears his throat and stares at him.
”Cousin, I think the point is that while we may not understand their motivations, they are still Goodly folk, and they have some sort of standard in their business… they are likely at least trustworthy enough to have some kind of system of law, and by their admission they adhere to the rules of their land. No doubt they’ll adhere to the rules of our land, too, once they know them better. So, beyond that, does it really matter right now?”
Christopher gives Daeron a long look for a moment, rolls his eyes and frowns then shrugs.
”Fine – they’re not folk who would join with our enemies and hurt the farmers, ranchers and fisherman in our kingdom. Alright, that’s fair, and good enough for now,” he agrees, though somewhat sullenly.
"I cannot say how long we are to remain here with your people, but we are of like mind when it comes to aiding innocent folk and removing the Chelaxian threat. I will speak with my companions, for the decision must be made by all and not by one. There is time to consider such things as we make our way to your post. It seems our missing companions are not in these woods."
This seems to mollify Christopher, though Daeron does not look overly surprised.
”Good,” he says, brightening a little.
”When we get home we can do what we can to figure out how you got here, and maybe how get you back. And if we can’t find out the trick of doing it, well – maybe the Lady Tyrell will be able to lend a hand in divining how to do it.”
"Then we shall gain consent and speak with Lady Tyrell."
Christopher nods his head.
”Sounds like a plan! That being the case, we ought to get on the move, I guess. There can be bad storms this time of year, after all.”
Jiro is listening to them and suddenly asks them a question –
"Sorry if this seems a bit of an odd question, but what is the date right now?"
The four of the riders seem a bit surprised, but Christopher answers.
”It’s the twenty-ninth of Neth, and getting to be about eleven o’clock in the morning, I think,” he says.
The question seems to have reminded the four outriders that you are here through the auspices of powerful magic. With that in mind, they seem to remember that it is not likely you are merely some folk wandering the land in search of adventure, or some rogues looking for quick coin – instead, you have been brought to this land for some reason, but it’s clear you aren’t here to join their enemies.
The sound of thunder rumbled in the distance.
"We will travel with you to your post. Then we can sit down, consider what needs to be done and come to some agreement." And hopefully by then Variel and Flynn will have been found, she mused silently. "Let us be on our way before the storm catches us."
Christopher nods at Rain.
But then he looks at the western sky and frowns, drawing his cloak more tightly around him.
”Walking and talking sounds good – and much better than waiting. But we’re still about a day of riding from Castle Urion, longer if we slow our horses to walk, rather than riding hard. If we don’t stop riding then we wouldn’t arrive until midnight tonight; but we had planned on arriving around tomorrow afternoon… though this assumes we aren’t delayed,” he says with a glance at the western sky.
He frowns as he studies the approaching storm, then looks at your gear again.
”Do any of you have food on you? Or warmer clothes to weather what’s coming?” he asks.
”We had hoped to make camp around the western spur of the forest, but we’re still about an hour off from that… We could press forward, but I’m not sure you’re equipped to handle the storm and if that’s the case it might be better to make camp here and now.”
Daeron turns in his saddle and looks at the forest, then back at your company.
”Although it does indeed look like a fairly grim storm, I feel it would likely be safer to move from a place that might have drawn the attention of the Marquis and his men…” Daeron advises.
Christopher glances and Daeron and nods, but then turns back to your company.
”I agree, but I guess that’s up to you all…" Christopher says, clearly worried about your company and your seeming lack of goods and supplies. "If you can handle traveling through bad storms then we can press on now; but if you can't, then we can make camp here... just let us know,” he says, clearly waiting to know if your company can move on through rough weather or if you'd prefer making camp now.
”So, that said – what are you going to do?” he asks again, watching you all intently, especially Rajah the Varisian…
Rajah catching out of the corner of his eye the horseman scrutinizing him, he looks at him with a grin and gives a friendly salute and a nod.
”I agree, but I guess that’s up to you all…" Christopher says, clearly worried about your company and your seeming lack of goods and supplies. "If you can handle traveling through bad storms then we can press on now; but if you can't, then we can make camp here... just let us know,” he says, clearly waiting to know if your company can move on through rough weather or if you'd prefer making camp now.
"I say we press on. I, for one, have no desire to be caught within the storm. And if the weather becomes intolerable, I have a bit of magic that will aid us in that regard."
”I see… so basically you attack and loot ships which aren’t yours, but just not the innocent ships? Okay, so how exactly do you determine who’s innocent and who deserves to be attacked before you decide to attack them and take their goods and ships?” he asks, clearly not satisfied with the answer, but Daeron clears his throat and stares at him.
Rain's turquoise eyes suddenly turned darker like an angry sea. "If you wish our aid in your cause against the Chelaxian pirates then you should stop vilifying us. You are no sailor and thus you do not understand what it means to survive at sea." Rain said no more as it would make no difference to Ironhorse what she said - he would think ill of their calling.
Her eyes remained fixed on Ironhorse even as the holy man Daeron attempted to mollify his kinsman.
”Do any of you have food on you? Or warmer clothes to weather what’s coming?” he asks.
"If you can handle traveling through bad storms then we can press on now; but if you can't, then we can make camp here... just let us know..."
Rain kept her voice steady, even as Rajah answered without consulting the group. The newcomer sailor seemed to want to make himself pleasant to this lot.
"I have some rations and the woollen cloak I am wearing; also a woollen blanket in my pack. The seas are colder than this weather here. My cat and I can hunt if we require food. And aye, let us proceed. We've ridden many a storm out before. Lead on, but remember my people are without horses and will not be able to keep pace with you, unless you mean for us to share the horses with you?"
Rain's turquoise eyes suddenly turned darker like an angry sea. "If you wish our aid in your cause against the Chelaxian pirates then you should stop vilifying us. You are no sailor and thus you do not understand what it means to survive at sea." Rain said no more as it would make no difference to Ironhorse what she said - he would think ill of their calling.
”Yeah, that’s true - I don’t know what it takes to survive at sea. I’m just a guy who’s trying to protect his people, and right now we know pirates are killing our people, so yeah – I’m a little suspicious of strangers dressed like sailors is all.”
Her eyes remained fixed on Ironhorse even as the holy man Daeron attempted to mollify his kinsman.
Seeing the look, Christopher returned her gaze with the same expression.
”Look, right now we don’t know you, or you us, right? So it seems to me that the best bet is for you to be cautious around me, and me cautious around you; and that’s fair. On the other hand, you’re right – I don’t know your ways – so I’ll make you a deal; from here on out I won’t judge you or say nothing hard about you or your folk except what you I actually see you do, and not offer harsh words about tales I’ve been told. Does that sound fair?” he says, doing his best to smooth things over.
Rajah catching out of the corner of his eye the horseman scrutinizing him, he looks at him with a grin and gives a friendly salute and a nod.
Christopher sighs at the salute, but Daeron smiles politely and salutes in return.
When they ask about the storm, Rajah gives his response.
"I say we press on. I, for one, have no desire to be caught within the storm. And if the weather becomes intolerable, I have a bit of magic that will aid us in that regard."
At that, Nicolae snorts in derision.
”Pula mea … Magic to ward storms, magic to fill your belly when you got no food, maybe magic to keep you warm like toast when the freeze bites, and likely magic to do your hard lifting, too… No wonder you sudiștii are always so cheerful – while we fight and freeze and struggle in the north, you got magic to take care of everything,” he says with a dour grunt as he pulls his cloak tighter around him as the wind blows hard.
”Hey Nicolae, cut the crap, alright?” Christopher says to him with a frown and Nicolae grunts, but nods in agreement.
Then he turns to you.
”Sorry about that. He's, uh... he's a little surly,” Christopher says apologetically.
Rain kept her voice steady, even as Rajah answered without consulting the group. The newcomer sailor seemed to want to make himself pleasant to this lot.
"I have some rations and the woollen cloak I am wearing; also a woollen blanket in my pack. The seas are colder than this weather here. My cat and I can hunt if we require food. And aye, let us proceed. We've ridden many a storm out before. Lead on, but remember my people are without horses and will not be able to keep pace with you, unless you mean for us to share the horses with you?"
Daeron and Christopher nod with some relief at that, but Nicolae seems impressed.
”Al naibii de uimitor! I like the Marea Elf, she got guts,” he says with a wide smile and gives Rain a big “thumb’s up”.
Christopher lets out a long sigh and shakes his head, looking like a man who would rather continue without any more comments from the men who serve under him. At this point, he continues to speak...
”Okay, so here’s the deal – we can absolutely ride now, no worries… But, well, we won’t ride ride. I mean, we’ll keep our horses at pace with you guys. After all, you got no idea where to go in this land, nor how to get there. We’d be lousy guides if we didn’t keep pace with you marching, right?”
”The thing is, I just meant if there’s a storm coming we’d probably want to make camp relatively soon, as getting enough dry wood to start a fire might be a problem. But as I see it, we lost a lot of time on the trail looking for your friends, and I kind of want to get home sooner rather than later. I’m not too keen on suffering the storm myself on the trail, but if you guys got a way to get all that sorted out with magic then, yeah – let’s get going” he adds.
The party then kicks their horses into a relatively quick trot, though they are not galloping by any means so that you can keep up with them on foot.
As you continue to move forward you can see that the trees to your north are probably oak, but if so, they’re some of the largest oaks you’ve ever seen. Not so much taller than many oak trees you’ve seen, but they’re far wider somehow – as if they’ve grown so large and so long that many of their trunks look at least twenty feet in width. Also, although the trees are indeed bare of leaves at this time, you see many of the trees are covered by large growths of moss which creeps up their sides and cling to their trunks. The moss sometimes gives you the impression that you’re seeing aged faces with hoary beards stretching down to the roots rather than simple trees.
Peering through the trees to the north as you travel westward you can see small clusters of pine, or possibly holly, you are not sure. You only know that somewhere beyond the ancient, leafless branches you can see dark, grey leaves that are clearly green year round - though in this light you think that they somehow seem almost silver, rather than green.
”We can’t keep this up much longer, the horses are struggling, we’ll have to find some sort of shelter for a bit until it passes,” Christopher calls to you all.
”If you got that magical thing to stop the storm, now’d be a good time to use it,” he says to Rajah.
”On the other hand, you’re right – I don’t know your ways – so I’ll make you a deal; from here on out I won’t judge you or say nothing hard about you or your folk except what I actually see you do, and not offer harsh words about tales I’ve been told. Does that sound fair?” he says, doing his best to smooth things over.
Rain considered the leader's overture and looked quietly at him for a moment before answering, "Tis fair." She inclined her head amiably in acknowledgement.
”Al naibii de uimitor! I like the Marea Elf, she got guts,” he says with a wide smile and gives Rain a big “thumb’s up”.
It seemed her earlier words had pleased the man and at his thumbs up, she responded to his gesture with a small nod of her head.
Rain dared not take to the air and fly at the present time, so she walked beside Neko and the others. When the rain and sleet had become intolerable and Christopher Ironhorse asked to find shelter, she called out to him, "While my companion weaves his magic, I'll see if I can find a cave or a dense crop of trees we can shelter beneath until the worst of the storm has passed."
Looking down at her golden cat, who seemed most unhappy to be walking in the storm, if her sounds were anything to go by, and directed, "Come, Neko. Let us scout this area together."
//I do not like the rain from the sky. But if you insist...// came the disgruntled reply in her mind.
They began to carefully/mindfully scout, looking around the area, through the rain and sleet for a safe place to wait out the storm and any signs of threat. They kept the group in sight as it would not do to lose sight of them by going too far out in the storm. Rain held the magical pike in hand in case of trouble.
Seijiro suffered the hustling speed and the hasty walking in relative silence... with the occasional soft moan.. When the group finally stops, he sits under a tree, leaning against the trunk. "Rain, do you want me to join you... I've got sharp eyes too, though not as sharp as yours, but I could assist you."
"While my companion weaves his magic, I'll see if I can find a cave or a dense crop of trees we can shelter beneath until the worst of the storm has passed."
Christopher barely responds over the sound of the storm, but he waves his arm to you in agreement acknowledging he understood you.
Seijiro suffered the hustling speed and the hasty walking in relative silence... with the occasional soft moan.. When the group finally stops, he sits under a tree, leaning against the trunk. "Rain, do you want me to join you... I've got sharp eyes too, though not as sharp as yours, but I could assist you."
As Rain and Jiro move to explore, Daeron calls out to you both over the storm –
”Be careful of the forest…”
As you move to explore you notice you’re now that the plains stretch north for some time, but with the weather, it’s difficult to see very far in that direction. You only that – for the most part – the forest is to your east. Meanwhile, on your western flank a large river flows south; you can’t see it very well now, but you can hear it churning in the distance.
As you move to explore you can see the trees start to rise upwards as if there was a hill beneath them, or the ground itself rises slowly if you were to head east.
Rain’s survival skills instantly recognize that if the ground does rise it would mean that the water would likely sluice downwards to the plain and the river to your west, but by going to higher ground, you’d likely avoid low-lying pools of water which may collect. As she studies the trees intently, she thinks she can vaguely see a small clearing where no trees seem to be, an odd thing given that the forest seems so old and untouched.
She points the clearly out to Jiro and thanks to his keen eyes aiding her, the two – and Neko – are able to see in a sudden flash of lighting, that there seems to be some sort of stone structure poking through the trees itself, though it looks oddly built and makes you wonder if it is now nothing but a ruin.
Both Rain and Jiro recall the warnings of the outriders of someone called “The Marquis” in this forest, but you are now miles from that spot. Further, even if there are any errant rogues about who may decide to track you, it’s not likely anyone could find your tracks during the storm. And, if there are enemies using those ruins for some sort of hideout then it’s likely you’d be the ones surprising them.
"Rain, do you want me to join you... I've got sharp eyes too, though not as sharp as yours, but I could assist you."
Looking to Jiro, Rain nodded as the raindrops pelted her tricorne, "I'd be glad for your help, Jiro. Another set of eyes never hurts!"
As she studies the trees intently, she thinks she can vaguely see a small clearing where no trees seem to be, an odd thing given that the forest seems so old and untouched.
She points the clearly out to Jiro and thanks to his keen eyes aiding her, the two – and Neko – are able to see in a sudden flash of lighting, that there seems to be some sort of stone structure poking through the trees itself, though it looks oddly built and makes you wonder if it is now nothing but a ruin.
Turning to Jiro and Neko, Rain called over the storm, "Better we inform the others of this stone ruin so they may come here. Together we'll enter."
Looking down at Neko, "Return to the others, Neko, and let them know what we've found. Bring them all here as quick as you can."
A soft growl echoed in Rain's mind before the golden cat nodded and moved quickly back to the scouts, Amen-set and Rajah.
Neko shook the raindrops from her golden fur. Linking them all, via her telepathic ability, she relayed her mistress' message ,
//"We found a stone structure, a ruin, two hundred feet from the edge of the forest. Follow me and I will take you to my mistress and the quartermaster. We must hurry."//
Once the message was delivered, Neko gazed upon them with her large emerald eyes and then turned and began to run back to Rain, hoping they would follow and not stand idle in the storm.
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As he watches his betrothed and companions walk into the portal, or in the case of Rajah and Amen and Horatio jump in, Variel shakes his head at the risky notion. Still it wasn't like they hadn't done risky stuff before. Checking his gear to make sure he had everything he needed Variel returned to his cabin to grab his pack, restock his spell component pouch and gather all of his traveling supplies. Returning to the portal Variel issues a few orders to the crew to tide them over till they are back. Drawing his cutlass and breathing a sigh Variel plunges into the portal.
”If you got that magical thing to stop the storm, now’d be a good time to use it,” he says to Rajah.
"Well, I can't actually stop the storm. What I can do is keep us all protected from the cold. But that is it, I'm afraid," he says, shrugging. Barring any objections, Rajah will use his magic to make it to where the cold is far more tolerable.
Can Rain fly there over without much trouble?
Meanwhile, when they’re gone, Rajah answers Christopher –
"Well, I can't actually stop the storm. What I can do is keep us all protected from the cold. But that is it, I'm afraid," he says, shrugging. Barring any objections, Rajah will use his magic to make it to where the cold is far more tolerable.
Christopher nods to Rajah as the deluge pours off of him.
”We’d be obliged if you could help us, but – if you’re able – my main concern is the horses. We got spare kits and gear for ourselves, but we didn’t plan for this much of an early frost when we brought them with us.”
As the others do what they can to tie off their horses and try to get them under shelter, Neko moves up to them and sends them a message…
//"We found a stone structure, a ruin, two hundred feet from the edge of the forest. Follow me and I will take...
The party is all aware of the message, but the outriders look generally concerned over it.
”What the hell? More of that blasted Fey trickery?” Christopher calls out in anger and draws one of his pistols.
”Nay – ‘tis my friend, the cat Neko, companion to my senet,” Amen-set says, doing her best to explain to the outriders what is going on, concerned at their reaction.
”She is sending us the message with magic; do not fear her, for Neko is no Fey, and she is trusty and noble, besides!” Amen-set adds defensively.
Christopher looks at Amen-set with relief, clearly pleased to know it's not what he calls "Fey trickery"...
”Well that's a relief! Sorry about that... Yeah, we can come lend you a hand, but we can’t get the horses too deep into the woods near here so someone needs to stay by them to make sure they don’t bolt,” he says, then turns to Robb and Nicolae – ”you two hang back; if I don’t miss my guess, these guys probably found some of the old ruins. It could be empty, and if so, we’ll do what we can to move the horses there for shelter, if possible… If it’s not, well – listen for the sound of gunshots and if things get messy, come find us!” he adds.
With that, the Christopher and Daeron move to follow Neko and Amen-set.
Pushing through the trees, Christopher sees where Rain is headed.
”Yeah, we could go there – but I think maybe that’s not really a great plan. I mean, I now those ruins... and yeah, they may be dry, but there’s been issues with animals disappearing near here, or so we’ve heard. We think it’s likely to be some of those damned spiders… but you never know with these woods.”
”Still, if you want to check it out, we can – but we got to be careful is all I’m saying…” he adds, then looks at everyone who intended to go to the tower and see what you decide.
Drawing his cutlass and breathing a sigh Variel plunges into the portal.
As you move through the portal you also feel the strange feelings of movement and timelessness that the others had when traveling. Yet when you follow the light and move into a place of reality, you instantly notice you’re in a cold, dusty, dimly lit room. While you feel completely healthy (indeed, you also feel fully rested; as if your entire spell list has been refreshed as well as if you had a full eight hours of sleep), you are somewhat disorientated by your position and location.
The room is mostly dark, but there is a beam of dull, gray light shining across the floor. It takes you a moment to realize that the light is – in fact – a ray of sunlight that is shining from a crack in a stone ceiling. You then realize that the light is gray because outside it must be very dark, and as you consider this, you realize the strange sound you hear is actually heavy rain battering on the stone itself.
Looking around, you notice the room itself is circular with what seems to be a thirty foot radius. Across from you there is a stairway which may have once led up, but it is broken. Looking closer, you can see it also leads downward.
With little other recourse, you head slowly down the stairs even as the sound of thunder outside echoes through the stone room. At this point you’re aware of the damp, which you’re used to, but the chill is far worse, making you wonder what time of year it is – especially given how cold it feels.
As you descend you think you’ve gone down nearly twenty feet when you come to a doorway; inside the doorway you can see a wide, open room with a high ceiling. The room itself looks to be about sixty feet wide and perhaps fifty feet long. The opposite side of the room is an open place where they may have once been large windows, but now there no glass, only a wide space open to the sky.
As you peer through the darkness to get a sense of what may be outside you pause and catch your breath…
The open break in the wall has long, silvery strands criss-crossing it and nestled in the corner of the strands near the ceiling is what seems like a very large spider… You are not sure how large it is, but the maniples near its ugly maw look as large as short swords.
Hanging from the strands are bundles of webbing; some of them look to be the size of large birds, and one of them twitches and the spider moves ponderously over its web to the place the twitching started and wraps its maniples around the cocoon and begins to feed even as a bolt of lightning outside the room highlights the scene with cruel shadows as the icy rain continues to pour down.
Without waiting further you hurry quietly down the stairs even as the rain continues.
Soon you descend another twenty feet and you’re now near an open doorway. The door itself is long eroded, and there are large chunks of stone which look like they’ve been placed in front of the stair case to block off anything from coming down the stairs.
You consider the stones and suspect you could move them aside with a bit of magic… or you could return up the stairs and attempt to challenge the spider above you.
As you ponder this you can peer through the rocks and see the room beyond looks fairly dry, though dark. Yet your Elven eyes are able to see relatively well through the gloom. Surprisingly in all this ruinous wreckage you can make out what looks like some wooden chairs, casks, and a table – yet no one is inside.
As Christopher Ironhorse and Daeron walked toward them, Neko and Amen-set leading them, Rain waS relieved that nothing had befallen her golden cat on her return to the party.
”Yeah, we could go there – but I think maybe that’s not really a great plan. I mean, I now those ruins... and yeah, they may be dry, but there’s been issues with animals disappearing near here, or so we’ve heard. We think it’s likely to be some of those damned spiders… but you never know with these woods.”
”Still, if you want to check it out, we can – but we got to be careful is all I’m saying…” he adds...
Rain considered the threat of some spiders or other woodland creatures and looked to Ironhorse, "I am not saying we should move deep into the ruin and explore it. Just wait inside the covered entrance until the worst of the storm has passed and then resume our travel to Castle Urion. If you think we do not require shelter, then let us proceed to your post. But you were the one who said we couldn't continue in the current conditions and needed to find shelter for a time. Since you know these lands better than I or my companions, perhaps you can suggest some other place to wait and rest?" She gritted down hard on the ire that suddenly flared behind her eyes. It was not her duty to locate shelter in a foreign land and she had tried to help. Was this path to their post not a familiar one? If so, then they should know the best places to take shelter.
Dhaavan appears or not, in this strange place, either under the effect of a hastily cast Vanish, or immediately casting a readied Vanish, not sure what he'll find, prefering to face a new situation invisible.
"I am not saying we should move deep into the ruin and explore it. Just wait inside the covered entrance until the worst of the storm has passed and then resume our travel to Castle Urion. If you think we do not require shelter, then let us proceed to your post. But you were the one who said we couldn't continue in the current conditions and needed to find shelter for a time. Since you know these lands better than I or my companions, perhaps you can suggest some other place to wait and rest?"
Christopher nods his head.
"No, no - I totally get it. It's just I'm saying we need to be careful is all. We know there're ruins about, and I think I know the one you're talking about, but it's just don't normally venture near there and the last time we did we had some issues with spiders."
"Meantime, I got to take back my harsh words before, you're being a real stand-up lady with helping us out and all. Just want to say, I appreciate that," he adds over the downpour.
Dhaavan appears or not, in this strange place, either under the effect of a hastily cast Vanish, or immediately casting a readied Vanish, not sure what he'll find, prefering to face a new situation invisible.
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know nature check on the spider for venomous
Consulting his vast experience and knowledge that Rain has imparted upon him Variel studies the spider quickly to decide just how deadly the thing may be. Regardless of what he can recall Variel is concerned about his missing fiancé and friends. At least the bundled up cocooned creatures were too small to by those he was missing.
Leaving the spider be for the moment Variel continues exploring the area until he finds the walled up entrance. It seems the options were limited, either take on the spider or bust through this wall and stumble upon what is on the other side. Testing his luck Variel treis to move some of the larger piece of rock to clear an opening just large enough for him to squeeze through if needs be. The idea is to create a speace that Variel can retreat to if the attack on the spider goes poorly.
str check
Once a suitable hole has been made Variel returns to the room with the spider ready to do combat...
Christopher nods to Rajah as the deluge pours off of him.
”We’d be obliged if you could help us, but – if you’re able – my main concern is the horses. We got spare kits and gear for ourselves, but we didn’t plan for this much of an early frost when we brought them with us.”
Nodding, "Consider it done, my good man!" Rajah then proceeds with the process of using magic to protect the others - including the horses - from the cold temperatures.
Once done, he follows the others to the Ruin.
Dhaavan is nowhwew to be seen.
Rajah's eyebrow shoots up in curiosity at the sound of the familiar voice. Looking around and seeing no one though, he follows along with the given plan, "Friend, my good man," he says, nonchalantly looking to and fro to see what may happen next.
Nodding, "Consider it done, my good man!" Rajah then proceeds with the process of using magic to protect the others - including the horses - from the cold temperatures.
Once done, he follows the others to the Ruin.
Nicolae and Robb watch you leave into the forest, but they say nothing, being more concerned at keeping the horses calm the storm. Even though the horses are better able to endure the elements, they are still clearly agitated by the rain and thunder and if the horses decide to bolt, that could be problematic.
As you make your way through the forest, you are amazed to see that the area you thought your companions seems to be almost non-existent.
Clearly you're not far beyond them, but when you walk in the basic direction they traveled you're struck with the idea that the only way it could be harder to find follow friends is if someone literally moved the trees and the branches to create a barrier of bark and root between you and the others.
Naturally, as you're not a woodsmen, it's clear such suppositions are nothing more than bad coincidences and so you continue to struggle climb over wet wood, nearly tripping on a strange root which almost caught your ankle and nearly tripped you even as your clothes are nearly from you as when what could only be the wind makes branches seem to sweep right into you as you passed.
About three minutes later you arrive in a strange, circular clearing to find Rain, Jiro, Amen-set and Neko looking at a fifty foot tall tower which looks to be about sixty feet in diameter; the top of looks like it had broken off quite a long time ago.
At the base of the tower you see a strong, well-made, wooden double door which covers a doorway roughly eight feet wide but only about seven feet in height.
Something about the structure seems familiar to you for some reason, but you can't put your finger on it.
Ahoy! Rajah, my friend? Is that you? Where are the others? And who are your friends? Dhaavan calls by way of introduction.
Ever magnanamous, he approaches the riders, Ah, I forget myself. If you are friends of Rajah, you must be on the level, so allow me to introduce myself, I am called Dhaavan, Lord of Tidewater Rock, and Second in Command among our crew.
He bows with grace, aiming to make a good impression
At the base of the tower you see a strong, well-made, wooden double door which covers a doorway roughly eight feet wide but only about seven feet in height.
Something about the structure seems familiar to you for some reason, but you can't put your finger on it.
Rain wiped the droplets from her eyes, grateful for her tricorne and scarf which saved her from most of the steady downpour. She gazed at the doors and turned to Jiro, "I will attempt to detect any magic if you can determine if these solid doors are trapped."
Rain then began to cast, using the celestial tongue in the endeavour, wondering if the ruins held any magic, whether new or lingering. She was silent as she concentrated on the entrance to the tower ruins.
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Variel will continue with his plan of opening the doorway blocked by stones until he can fit through it. Does his str check do anything to move the stones. If none of the stones can be moved then Variel plans on attacking the spider from range and not heading into the webbing to avoid the trap.
** spoiler omitted **
If you stand in the stairway you can see that the room is nearly 50 feet to the other side where the broken window is. The spider is inside the room, resting nearly 50 feet from you (though much closer, as its a fairly large spider). Past the spider where the broken window is are the spider threads/strands to catch creatures who might fly in the broken window.
At the bottom of the stairs, you are indeed struggling with the rocks; they're not easy to move - you could do it with some pretty big strength checks, or you could even cast a spell to Enlarge yourself for a bonus. However, given your Strength modifier, if you want to "Take 20" on your checks, you'll be able to move enough of the rocks for you to crawl through using no magic; but it will take you roughly 6 Minutes to move them via 3 Rocks and Taking 20 for each.
Meanwhile, once you get past the rocks you find you're in a room roughly the same size as the one above you. It's still dark, but again - you were able to notice (barely) some wooden tables, barrels, and casks. More than that will require a Light Spell to discern via finer details. Also, you believe there is a door on the wall roughly 10 Feet from the bottom of the stairs.
What do you want to do?
Ahoy! Rajah, my friend? Is that you? Where are the others? And who are your friends? Dhaavan calls by way of introduction.
Ever magnanamous, he approaches the riders, Ah, I forget myself. If you are friends of Rajah, you must be on the level, so allow me to introduce myself, I am called Dhaavan, Lord of Tidewater Rock, and Second in Command among our crew.
He bows with grace, aiming to make a good impression [dice=diplomacy]1d20+21
The men seem almost terrified at first to see you magically step out of the woods before them, but they recover almost instantly - you'd guess they were startled by your appearance, but they are also clearly surprised to see someone appear from the overhang of the forest itself.
They look at each and seem completely prepared to take strong action against you - a possible threat - but, luckily, your wit and charisma have mellowed their concerns and they instead greet you with loud voices as they are yelling over the rainstorm.
"The rest of your pals went under the trees. If you hurry, you can catch them - or you can stick around and give us a hand with the horses," one of the men says as he and his companion do what they can to make sure the horses are still steady.
Rain wiped the droplets from her eyes, grateful for her tricorne and scarf which saved her from most of the steady downpour. She gazed at the doors and turned to Jiro, "I will attempt to detect any magic if you can determine if these solid doors are trapped."
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Variel will indeed take his time (take 20) to remove the 3 rocks needed. On the other side of rocks Variel will take off his gloves to allow his daylight spell to illuminate the room. Not the best at searching for clues Variel will still give the room a search (take 20 again) to see if there is anything of note before he presses on to the door and examine that.
Seijiro casts detect magic, and examines the doors, then looks for traps, mundane or magical.
Noting the magical auras, she quickly and quietly relayed the revelation to the others, "Hold. There are two magical auras upon the doors. One containing a hidden message and the other is a powerful Evocation spell. I need to think what it could be. Jiro, Amen-set, can you tell what this spell is?"
Ahoy! Rajah, my friend? Is that you? Where are the others? And who are your friends? Dhaavan calls by way of introduction.
Ever magnanamous, he approaches the riders, Ah, I forget myself. If you are friends of Rajah, you must be on the level, so allow me to introduce myself, I am called Dhaavan, Lord of Tidewater Rock, and Second in Command among our crew.
He bows with grace, aiming to make a good impression
"Dhaavan! There you are, my good man! I was wondering if you were going to make it." Turning to the horsemen as Dhaavan finishes introducing himself, "He speaks true," he says as a matter of fact. Turning back to Dhaavan, "And I shall lead you to the others when ready. They are not far. Just this way, I believe, although, it feels as if this forest is attempting to dissuade me from following."
Noting the magical auras, she quickly and quietly relayed the revelation to the others, "Hold. There are two magical auras upon the doors. One containing a hidden message and the other is a powerful Evocation spell. I need to think what it could be. Jiro, Amen-set, can you tell what this spell is?"
Amen-set moves to aid Rain in the study of the magic.
As she too studies the door, Rain is able to aid her and her eyes widen in shock as she discerns the nature of the spell.
"Oh my senet; the words writ upon the door are a language which I cannot fathom, yet my heart tells me that my Imi-ib may know, for he knows many dark and uncouth tongues, and I see that even the writing of these words are foul and reek of hellfire..."
"As for the trap itself?" she turns to Rain with a very concerned look on her face.
"It was wise of you to dissuade the others with words of caution. The trap is rendered thus in the Common Tongue... Heightened Fire Snake... I do not know who crafted this trap; but they were skilled in their art."
A loud clap of thunder crashes through the sky.
"What, then, is thy council in this matter?" she asks.
The room flashes with bright light and you have time to take in quite a bit of information.
There are two bunk beds which allow four men to sleep. The bunks themselves have rope cords tied between the beams which function as crude “mattresses”, but there are no linens on them.
There is a small table with four chairs around it near the bunk beds.
There are four sacks which look about 50 pounds in size each. Peering closer you can see small amounts of grain laying near them. Above the sacks is a shelf fastened to the wall; it has strips of dried venison dangling from it; each strip about 2 pounds with a total of six strips. You find a pile of blankets folded near the bunks; the blankets are worn and rough, and they have stains on them, but they look warm enough and someone at least folded them.
You see a small stove in the corner, with a pot and pan hanging from a hook near it, and a small kettle on the stove. The stove looks like the sort of stoves used on ships to prepare food (think of it like a “Franklin Stove”). You do not see any wood for it, and indeed; you do not even see a place to put wood inside it to burn; you wonder if it uses oil to burn, but as you see no oil, you then wonder if the stove is warmed by by magic – if so, that would mean it would grow hot, but give off no smoke…
There are two kegs of water (each roughly 20 Gallons) and one keg of something which you believe to be Mead, but you do not drink or eat anything at this time.
Peering around you a rack of gear in which there are six quivers of arrows for long-bows (each quiver having 20 arrows in them); four suits of well-tended Chain Mail; six short swords and eight long spears.
You also notice a strange rope dangling from the ceiling with an odd set of crystal frames hanging from it like a lantern. You cannot determine what it is, or what is for – on studying it closer you can see that the crystal is cut and there is a smaller crystal inside.
On a hunch, you cast on the crystal inside… The light instantly reflects of the larger crystal frames around it and the effect causes the entire room to be bathed with light almost as bright as your Daylight spell.
At this time you notice there is a series of screens set up on the far side of the room, opposite of the bunks. Moving to them you can see beyond them is a single bunk; this one has a mattress on it as well as folded linens at the foot of the bed. There is another table and chair there. You also see a small chest on the floor next to the table with a lock on it. Finally, you see various writing utensils on the desk, but nothing of note except what you believe may be a map.
Moving toward it, you discern that the map is of a large woods with various points marked on it. There seems to be some writing on it. Though you cannot read it, you recognize the alphabet and deem it is Infernal.
At the base of the map there is a wax seal; you cannot make much of it out, but the symbol looks like a Wyvern.
At this time you think you can hear noises near the door in the tower. Moving toward it you can see that there is a small spyhole – peering carefully in it you can make out little more than heavy rain, but you see folk about twenty feet away studying the door. You’re not sure who they are, but you suspect that at least one of them may be your betrothed…
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Upon hearing of the magical trap on the entrance doors, Rain turned to Jiro and asked, "Are you able to disable such a magical trap?"
She had heard the thunder overhead and looked to Amen, "I will attempt to fly to the top of the tower and look in through the ruined roof. Mayhap we will find another way in if the trap cannot be disabled without harm to any person here."
"Make sure no one tries to open the doors until Jiro says it is safe to do so. You and Neko should move back, away from harm. Jiro, too, if he isn't working on the trap. Warn the others when they arrive."
Neko started moving back from the wooden doors (70 ft).
Rain activated her animal focus (Tiger: gains a +2 enhancement bonus to Dexterity, swift action, lasts 4 mins or until she changes her animal focus). then gave a nod and unfurled her silver dragon wings from within the cloak. Gauging the wind speed and direction, Rain lifted into the air, flying carefully/mindfully up to the top of the tower, watching keenly for trouble.
Once at the top, Rain hovered in the air and peered down into the open/exposed tower, looking for other access points and threats.
pounds good, mate! Let's go join the others! Dhaavan calls, and as they head into the trees he adds and You can tell me what's going on here, now that we're in private once they are out of earshot from the strangers
"Most sorry, Rain, but magic traps are beyond my training... do we have anyone with us who can dispel the magic maybe?"
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As Variel's light hits the crystals and illuminates the area he also responds with a detect magic to see if there is anything that he notices. If there is nothing magical he leaves the gear where is is and moves on to the door. As soon as he looks out of the peephole and sees Rain Variel will try to open the door to let her and the rest in.
As Rajah moves into the forest, he hears the voice of Dhaavan and responds –
"And I shall lead you to the others when ready. They are not far. Just this way, I believe, although, it feels as if this forest is attempting to dissuade me from following."
Dhaavan considers this and responds –
Sounds good, mate! Let's go join the others! Dhaavan calls, and as they head into the trees he adds and You can tell me what's going on here, now that we're in private once they are out of earshot from the strangers
Upon hearing of the magical trap on the entrance doors, Rain turned to Jiro and asked, "Are you able to disable such a magical trap?"
Jiro looked at Rain with a sad face.
"Most sorry, Rain, but magic traps are beyond my training... do we have anyone with us who can dispel the magic maybe?"
The party looks at each other, but no one seems to have those skills at this time.
She had heard the thunder overhead and looked to Amen, "I will attempt to fly to the top of the tower and look in through the ruined roof. Mayhap we will find another way in if the trap cannot be disabled without harm to any person here."
Amen-set looks at Rain and watches her unfurl her wings to the shock and awe of the other two outriders.
Daeron watches her in awe, then drops to his knee in respect, and Christopher, seeing his action, follows in suit – both of them seem to ignore the elements as they lower their eyes before her.
"Make sure no one tries to open the doors until Jiro says it is safe to do so. You and Neko should move back, away from harm. Jiro, too, if he isn't working on the trap. Warn the others when they arrive."
Amen-set bows her head and then moves back with Neko, trusting Jiro will act soon.
Rain then leaps into the air and flies off to explore the tower.
At this, Christopher and Daeron stand then follow Amen-set quickly.
As Amen-set moves to the edge of the tree line she notices Dhaavan and Rajah emerge.
”Rajah,” she says as she sees him emerge.
”Imi-ib!” she suddenly exclaims over the storm, then rushes to embrace Dhaavan in a rare show of emotion.
After a moment she composes herself and quickly explains what has been discovered.
”… The trap is indeed powerful, yet methinks there may be a clue to elude it written on the door itself. For assuredly there is a message which shall reveal itself, yet even so – the language is foul and dark and I cannot decipher it. Yet it may be that my Imi-ib can read it and so discover how to bypass the trap?” she says with nod to Dhaavan.
Meanwhile…
Before you elect to open the door, you step back and cast “Detect Magic” on the door itself. You are at once struck with two types of magic. One is minor and can easily be determined without even trying a Spellcraft roll – you believe the outer door has a form of a Magic Message cast on it; the message is invisible until a command word is spoken, but then it will reveal what the message says.
You are confident enough to know it would not be wise to open the door until the Spell has been identified, though…
Rain flies up the side of the tower, no more than fifteen to twenty feet from the stony wall. As she circles around, she notices that the top of the tower has been crushed by the elements, but the tallest room to the tower still seems relatively intact.
Making a wide sweep around the tower she discovers that the north side of this tower must have had – at one time – a beautiful, or at least, a fairly large set of double windows which may have been opened to the entire north side of the tower. Though the glass for the window is now long gone, it’s clear that the open window frames are certainly the height of the floor, stretching nearly twenty feet, meaning that the room inside is also at least twenty feet in height; they also seem to be roughly 30-35 feet in width, but it is difficult to ascertain the precise width, given the curvature of the tower.
Something about this structure seems familiar somehow, but you’re not sure what. All you know for a fact is that it’s a ruin. But more than that? You think a moment…
As you move around you’re surprised to see a thick mass of silvery strands criss-crossing the open area where the window once was.
You also notice that there are various bundles dangling from the ceiling, as if things have been tied in cords and are hanging. Before you can fully determine what this is, part of the shadows move and you realize in shock it’s very, very large spider…
After you make your Detect Magic and Spellcraft check you ponder it’s meaning.
The Detect Magic also reveals that the chest by the more private bunk is clearly magical, or at least the lock on it is….
[ooc]You have absolutely enough time for this stuff, and you can make the above knowledge checks as you ponder the room, too
Then you suddenly hear a commotion in the chamber above; a commotion which sounds more aggressive than a mere bird caught in a web.
You peer out the spyhole again and realize your companions are now missing.
What do you do?
She had heard Jiro's reply to disabling the traps at the entrance and she nodded unhappily, "I had forgotten that. My apologies, Jiro. We'll find some way to get inside. For now, be mindful, and, do not allow anyone to open those doors unless they can dispel the magic upon them first."
Daeron watches her in awe, then drops to his knee in respect, and Christopher, seeing his action, follows in suit – both of them seem to ignore the elements as they lower their eyes before her.
Rain briefly noted the males' reaction to the unfurling of her dragon wings and wondered at their sudden deference, but the rain was coming down hard and she did not question it too long, instead setting herself to the task at hand. As she flew upward, a memory came to mind, Queen Kane is the Sister of Dragons.
------------------------
As Rain hovered in the air, peering through the window opening, she noted the silvery strands across its threshold. Then in the shadows, among the tied bundles, she saw it, an enormous spider. She held the magical pike more firmly in hand as she held her place for a moment and gauged what kind of spider it was. She did not take her eyes from it as she contemplated her next move.
Rain, as you stare at the creature you are at once struck by the twisted malevolence in its multifaceted eyes; the look seems far from bestial and you’d swear it possesses an almost human intelligence, if that were possible...
As you move before it you can also see its bulk seems nearly squashed in the tight space between the floors of the building yet the creature seems unharmed by the tight quarters; as if, at any moment, it shall force itself from the narrow confines of its darkened lair with shocking speed and no difficulty.
While Rain has moved to the northern side the rest of you wait patiently on the south western side, confident that if there's anything of interest that you'll be included in due time, too...
Of course, given that the tower is 60 feet wide, and that you're 20 feet south of the tower base, and Rain is 20 feet north of the tower, and roughly 60 feet off the ground (116.6 feet, roughly) coupled with the sounds from the horrible storm it may be hard for you to hear much without a Perception Check.
Ah, Amen-set He says as she approaches. Pausing a moment to glance at the others, he softens his tensed posture and returns her embrace, letting his hand linger in her shoulder a moment before releasing her, in an even more rare show of affection for the girl.
trap? What tr- oh, well lookit that!