OK, that's two in favor of heading to Tsarok's homeland, 4 undecided. If there's no more discussion within the next day or so, I'm going to assume you're all going there.
"I agree, let's help Tsarok and his tribe. As much as I'd like to chase this half-elf, he can wait. "
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Don't suffer a bullywug to burble!
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Caspian is ready for a bit of adventure and mischief so long as his friends are with him he does not care which direction the wind blows....
Caspian slips Tasarok a pouch with some coins assorted values (100 gold worth) and takes some time to explain how 1 coin = 1 drink, and how many coins is a nights lodging, and that a night with Cricket is free.
To get to the Altland Moors, the best route is to catch a boat across the lake to Morningswake City. This is easily accomplished, given that Duke Kolvin's seat is at Morningswake, and he owes you guys a favor.
From there, you'll need to travel up the Banshee River as far as it's navigable, which brings you to Fenrift Keep, the so-called "Keep on the Borderlands." Kelgan is extremely familiar with this keep, and with Lord Fenrift himself.
From Fenrift Keep, there are two possibilities. One is to cut north and skirt between the Great Erb Forest and the Estren Highlands -- this is how Tsarok made it to Morningswake. This route exposes you to some danger from the forest, but is a much faster route. Wyvurn is likely to be familiar with the forest, although he's probably never been into the depths. Cricket knows that the Wolf Clan, the Boar Clan, and other savage, hostile wood elves live there, and has been warned that his people, the Tuelvi, have no treaty with them.
The other possibility is to veer away from the forest into the highlands, then descend back down into the moors from there. In the Estren Highlands, the biggest danger is from hill dwarf bandits, who like to kill wood elves, kidnap humans and high elves for ransom, and simply rob anyone else they meet. There are rumors of a linnorm, but you're unlikely to encounter anything that extreme. (Kelgan has some experience with this area as well, given that he's from there.)
"We're likely to save days if we can cross the lake. His Grace might be able to grant us a writ of passage; I can ask his lieutenant about that when I see him - the attack interrupted me, but I'm still planning to go have a chat. The sooner we can set off, the better, so tie up any loose ends you might have here, and meet up at the docks this afternoon. I'll see you all there."
Kelgan leaves the distillery and seeks out Gaston. He'll inquire after the Duke's health and see about getting them free passage to Morningswake.
"Gaston, my leads have run cold in trying to find the mastermind behind the assassination attempt - I'm convinced the forgemaster had accomplices, but I can't pin them down. I'm headed out to the Atland Moors now on a different matter, and don't know when I'll be back this way. If you ever pass me on your travels, I'm always willing to lend my axe and shield to fight the good fight."
Jaegr sees no problem with Kelgan's suggestion on travel. He gathers up what few things he didn't already have and prepares for the trip.
Gaston looks at Kelgan sourly.
Caspian considers the trip and decides that perhaps that local hill dwarf might craft him a masterwork set of bongos.
Though he did recall an interesting combination of armor and music he had seen in an area very far south.....zydeco vest frottoir (rubboard).
Caspian wraps up his business in town collecting even a couple of simple yet useful scrolls for the trip.
He comes out of Burl's wondering if a drunk Cricket can even stay on Wolvie, he quickly decides the goblin has plenty of experience hanging on for dear life whilst in a drunken stupor....
"I'm ready!"
The boat trip across the lake is uneventful, despite the rumors that dragon turtles live in the depths. In fact the boat's pilot is full of rumors. "By edict of Emperor Talvar I, it was a capital offense to kill a dragon turtle, but of course he was deposed a century ago and the edict carries no more weight. Still, I wouldn't want to go fishing for one!"
That night, he brings everyone up on deck to observe the local phenomenon. "Ages ago, several meteorites fell here and deepened the lake," he says, "Which is how it got its nickname. Notice how their images are reflected upwards onto the surface of the lake, along with the images of the stars in the sky being reflected in it! They say that, on a night like this, a person can try and swim down to the fallen stars at the bottom. Most are killed by silver fire, but anyone who survives is said to be able to call upon their power. Then again, 'they' say a lot of things. I've never met anyone who has done so."
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Woah.
Cricket removes his armor, casts bull's strength on himself, mumbles a prayer to Old Mother Tree, takes a deep breath, and dives in.
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Caspain mumbles quietly in a soft voice...to his fellows....
"No wait, stop" Long after Cricket jumps over-board....
There once was a goblin named Cricket
who played with his own and anyones wicket
He jumped in the lake
became dragon turtle bait
chorus
As his worm wiggled through the water
he got a crick in his neck
watching his d ---k
getting himself hot and bothered
we tried not to get sick
Maybe later.....
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After the momentum of his perfect dive (10! 10! 10! 4.5 says the Soviet Union, 10!) has subsided, Cricket casts summon nature's ally II and gains the services of an alligator gar. Cricket grabs hold of the gar's tail and it plummets straight down. Hopefully, a naked Cricket counts as a light load and, if so, and assuming he isn't eaten by a passing dragon turtle or burned by silver fire, 4 rounds later, Cricket should be rougly 960 feet towards the lake's (what is the name of the lake?) bottom with something like 20 rounds to go until I need to make a Constitution check.
I'm not sure you can cast a spell underwater, but assuming you did so before submerging:
Yes! Cricket's swan dive over the side is a almost as beautiful as the goblin is ugly. Through the darkness, you lose track of him as he pummets into the depths.
Cricket has this covered, however, and the gar comes up as called and carries him deeper, towards the stars lying on the lake bed.
From above, there is nothing but black water with the bright stars seeming to float in it. Then everyone sees a blinding flash, coming from deep within the lake, and the water momentarily seems to boil...
O Great Mother Tree, look down upon us and smile...
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Watching the surface of the waters... eventually a small, charred body floats up, motionless. The great gold, silver, and green-crested head of a magestic dragon turtle breaks the water as well, sniffs the body, decides it doesn't look at all appetizing, and submerges again.
Using boat hooks and lines, the rest of the party is able to recover the goblin's body. It is blasted almost beyond recognition, and quite motionless, but Kelgan, by virtue of listening to his chest, declares that Cricket is somehow alive, albeit comatose.
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It looks inert, and burnt. Also, the damage was electrical, so if I were cruel I'd make you jump-start yourself all the time, like in Crank II, except that that movie sucked.
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"I just wasn't fast enough, curse my slowness...."
Tsarok's earlier assurance to Caspian that he would rather trade away his entire new stash of golden coins for lodging rather than stay for free with Cricket seems doubly wise after the burnt and battered goblin body washes up on the surface.
"The goblin seemed attuned to nature," he comments while shaking his head, "but he is not attuned to sense, it seems."
Wyvurn shakes his head at Cricket lying on the deck.
"I thought about going after him...for about a second."
Wyvurn then walks over to Wolvie and crouches down to rub behind his ears.
"I am sorry that you have such a careless master. When we reach the other side, I wouldn't blame you for leaving."
Ouch!
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"Daft punk. He should have thought harder, better - or been faster and stronger. Ah well. I can't let him die after all that."
Kelgan uses his salves, splints, and bandages, and soon has the goblin daredevil trussed up.
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"I bet it will burn when he pees, I bet not the first time that's happened to him either."
Cricket is still at -3 hp, and that's about all that first aid you can do for him, but at least he's stable and appears to be out of danger for the moment.
Can we force him to take a breather, KPR?
......Kirth pulmonary resuscitation?
Sadly, he's not able to spend actions to take a breather.
At one point, Cricket mumbles in his unconsciousness
Dude, the stars, they're so bright....
before lapsing once again into charred inertness.
Capian rolls the naked goblin up into a blanket and secures him to the ship....
"I am afraid to heal him while we are still in the water as he might go for round 2!"
The rest of the next day passes uneventfully; Cricket eventually regains consciousness, but is still weak and feeble as the group changes ships in Morningswake City, on the northern shore of the lake. This place is a like a great walled stockade town of brick and timber, infinitely more rustic than Kaisersburg. The marks of wood elf sling bullets, flame strike spells, and treant allies' limbs can be easily seen along the outer stockade -- evidently this place has been attacked more than once.
You stay there just long enough to skirt the low falls pouring into the lake, and change over to a small boat that will bring you up the Banshee River to Fenrift Keep. The Banshee River is relatively fast-moving, and it seems unlikely that a boat would be able to move against that current -- but the craft seems to be powered by water elementals rather than sails, and the trip up-river is more smooth than you imagined it would be. It is fall in the Estren Provinces, and the air is noticably cooler as you disembark. All of you are extremely glad to be on dry land again after the long trip, but your relief is short-lived: you are immediately stopped by a group of soldiers attached to the keep, who ask your business. They have drawn bows and ready weapons.
Luckily, one of them recognizes Kelgan and hollers, "Hey, old kettle-belly! I thought your mission was to investigate down south, not collect a managerie for His Lordship!"
Cricket's hair has turned white and his flesh is covered in strangely-patterened burn marks. He has been unable or unwilling to make conversation but occasionally mumbles, the horror, the horror.
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Caspian decides to sing....
"You will be known by the company you keep
it wont be long before your friends decide your a creep...."
Crickets song:
But he's a creep,
He's a weirdo,
What the hell is he doin' here?
He don't belong here;
I want you to notice,
When I'm not around,
We say that he's special,
I wish he was special;
But He's a creep,
He's a weirdo,
What the hell is he doin' here?
He don't belong here, ohhhh, ohhhh
He's diving off the boat again,
He's swimming,
He swims down down down...
Swimming...
Cricket enters the morose trance known well by the devoted Radiohead listener.
"Is that you, three-toes? Still putting your foot in your mouth, I see. I've got a cream for that. There's trouble brewing and it's about to boil over, which is why I'm here with these fine fellows."
"We'll be stopping briefly at the Keep, as there's news I need to share with his Grace."
Caspian fears that Kelgans talk of feet, toes, mouths, creams, boils and fellows is going to over-excite Cricket....
He is happy that Cricket appears too enthralled with the music to notice the words of Kelgan....
Continues to play creep, without any singing...
Everyone is invited into the keep, and the gates are closed and locked before dusk, lest you be eaten by leucomorphs. Kelgan has a conference with Count Fenrift, a slim, hard-looking high elf.
He then says, "One other thing, that you need not worry too much about. Evidently one of your companions is a mountain dwarf. Please send him in, on your way out."
Jaegr shakes his head at the outcome of Cricket jumping in the water, "There are no shortcuts in life". He admits to himself, however, that he would like to see what is down there.
When getting to the keep, he chuckles at the term menagerie being used, "I think that if any of us returned to our homeland the same term would be used. Sometimes you cannot predict what life will give you for friends and foes."
Inside the keep Jaegr gets comfortable once again for the few hours of rest they have there. Being above land is bad enough, but river travel was even worse. He feels that a calm moment like he has now will be in short supply coming up in the next few weeks.
Wyvurn takes the opportunity to relax and ease the aches of the journey.
"I do believe the time spent in the city has made me soft. I used to long for the road, but now I dream about the softness of a bed and the warmth of a hearth. I hope we don't linger too long here, I might just find myself settling down to be a farmer."
Kelgan emerges from his conference with the count, and indicates that Jaegr is to go in.
Meanwhile, there is a fracas. A couple of the soldiers at the keep want to string up Tsarok from the rafters, upside-down, and use him for a piñata in revenge -- some savage local lizardfolk ate someone they knew. Caspian desperately tries to distract them with songs and juggling, but they seem to feel that the party would be better if they take care of this first.
At present, there are three or four soldiers who seem fairly gung-ho about it, and the rest are simply watching to see what happens.
I hope we don't linger too long here, I might just find myself settling down to be a farmer.
After seeing the lodgings the place offers, Wyvurn realizes his fears are misplaced -- Fenrift Keep, for all the grandeur of its name and the title given to its ruler, is basically a colonial fort.
@wyvrn
"Farming? Let's get you some cover-all's and a clay jug to blow into and you can help me with music....or heck a banjo."
Then the guards show up......
"This here is a tame one, straight from the zoo, not a wild one. I bet you guys would kill a tame farmers dog to get back at a rabid dire wolf. You want to get even, pack your stuff and come with us.....leave your fort behind."
Caspian digs out his paperwork.....
Wyvurn goes to see what the fuss is about and frowns when he sees the soldiers looking to string up Tsarok.
"I'd be careful with that one. He has a bit of thunder lizard in his blood. You string him up and beat on him and he just might spill out a lightning storm and burn this place to the ground."
Wyvurn says this half-way seriously--take 10 for 20 on a Bluff check.
He then adds a little more threatening--take 10 again to intimidate for a 21,
"An while I enjoy the hospitality, it's been a while since I've had the long pig--and I don't like it well done, so I suggest you break this up now and leave us in peace. We have no quarrel with you."
Jaegr pauses a minute before he replies, "First, I would say if I was an agent from King Balin, you would treat me as well as possible and begin to work out how to ally with him. Second I would tell you that I hold no ill will towards you, I'd even like to help you. I now walk the surface after being thrown into the middle of a number of plots and I go to fight the frog men who have gathered and could threaten this area. Do with me what you will, but know that if we are to be enemies instead of allies, I will not go down without a fight."
Jaegr does not say it as a threat, but merely stating a fact. He stands a stoic and calm as the rocks below the mountain, waiting his response.
This fort is not to Tsarok's liking, and less so that he seems to have attracted the attentions of a bunch of blow-hards to boot. He remains silent, realising that provoking them further is unlikely to result in anything but needless violence, but nevertheless his irritation builds, like gathering storm clouds.
Thankfully, Wyvurn and Caspian are there to help. He continues to remain silent, although at the hobgoblin's words he purposely allows a fraction of his irritation to slip through, resulting in a small crack of electricity that sparks perhaps a little too close to one of the guards for comfort.