"Thanks - wasn't exactly as I planned, but...," Kellen replies to the dwarf with grin. Glancing over at Lym and noticing Thordak's "eggie" trepidation, he gives a nudge on the shoulder and whispers to him:"Courage, friend - this too shall pass." A smirk on his face follows his commentary.
Rhianni is dumbfounded by the magic that takes hold of Kellen, then the devil. She watches on, eyes wide and unblinking wondering how Kellen can survive....
The ever-present rain is, well, present as you trudge back across the dam towards the ettin cave and down. The flood gates of Skull's Crossing are in full operation, dumping the waters of the Storval Deep in a controlled flow into the small lake 300' below. Already the level of the Deep is noticeably lower than it was when you first crossed. You take a moment to pause and wonder at the sight. Despite all of the skulls, the corpses of the slain trolls and ogres, and the present dangers, it's a pretty damn impressive sight. If this is what the engineering of ancient Thassilon looks like after 10,000 years, it must have been awe-inspiring at the height of it's power.
Eventually you work your way down and pick up the road towards Turtleback Ferry. Aside from the patter of the rain on the muddy road, the only sounds you hear are the splotching of your horse's hooves in the mud. You pass the road to Fort Rannick, and the spot where you first turned off and encountered the Grauls. It's been a busy few days.
It's after dusk by the time you reach the village. The rains continue to fall, but the lights are on at the Turtle's Parlor. Scraping the mud from your boots and sitting down at a table in front of the roaring fire, a familiar face greets you with a handful of foaming mugs.
"Sooo...how'd it go?"
Waterlogged and bedraggled, a pale Kellen approaches the elf with arms wide (as if to embrace her) and utters: "Well hello, beautiful." Instead approaching her, this followed by a quick grab of one of the mugs and deep gulping of the drink.
Once it is quaffed, he gives Shalelu a grin and points to the empty mug as an answer to her question: "Been that kind of a day, Miss Shalelu."
Grabbing a mug of his own, "Ta be honest... it could've gone better. But, all in all, we're still alive so that's good," he says with a wink and a grin as he raises his mug in a toast before drinking it down.
"Have a seat. Join us." Tomaru offers.
"Finally. Civilization!" the paladin of Erastil says as he puts his feet up and draws deeply on his ale mug.
"There is some pretty twisted stuff out there in the wilderness."
The half-elf ranger nods knowingly at your comments. "Things are...difficult...up at the Fort. Jakrdros is coming along, but the effort of the clean up is pretty grim, and he holds himself responsible for the carnage. Even though Vale and I keep working to remind him that it was Kaven's betrayal that brought the Order down, he can't get past the fact he was leading the patrol that was away on that bloody night." She sighs, kicking her boots up on the table.
"Burning the bodies of your comrades for two straight days doesn't help. He keeps hoping that the Captain will show up again. We haven't found his body or his...parts...in all of that mess, so Jakardros is holding on to that hope. I know you've been busy, but it's imperative you check out the swamp. I have no idea what you'll find, if you find anything."
Kellen examines the items found hidden in the commanders wine cabinet. The coffer contains dozens and dozens of parchment sheets, all containing beautifully-written love sonnets to someone named “Myriana,” who (if the sonnets are to be believed) is so beautiful that the moon itself was “blinded when it spied her dancing on the tarn,” and who is “the truest grace to know Whitewillow’s soft embrace.”
Kn: Geography/Local DC 30:
“Whitewillow” is a section of the Shimmerglens said to be particularly close to one of the portals to the First World. Check the region map
The jewelry box contains a silver locket on a chain; inside the locket is a lock of silky golden hair.
Kn: Nature DC 22:
The golden locks belong to a nymph
"Of course. We'll leave tomorrow. It was our plan anyway."
Kellen looks up from his second mug, a little droopy, but nods as Shalelu updates them. "You think finding anything of the Captain, even a corpse, will lift his spirits, maybe?"
Kellen also nods at Tomaru's words. "I think after facing a trolls, ogres, and a devil, we just needed a break before moving onto the swamps."
"Finding what happened to him is the last bit of this business. If nothing else, it will give a sense of closure."
Kellen looks up from his second mug, a little droopy, but nods as Shalelu updates them. "You think finding anything of the Captain, even a corpse, will lift his spirits, maybe?"
Kellen also nods at Tomaru's words. "I think after facing a trolls, ogres, and a devil, we just needed a break before moving onto the swamps."
"I understand, it's been a rough couple of days. To be honest i don't know what finding the Captain will do for Jakardros. Part of me thinks he just wants to find the Captain so he can be absolved of the responsibility. I sympathize: 40 years of his life was wiped out in a single night of blood and fire. The other part of me feels he wants to rebuild, restart the Order. I think he believes I will help him with that."
"You'll want to speak to the mayor, too," Lym says. "For that horrible device in the dam."
The Wizard lets the words fall.
"Unless the people get out of here, move their town, they'll be needing to either conjure creatures or else appoint people to step in there on a regular basis and sacrifice part of their life," she says, grimly.
If no one else has explained things to Shalelu, Lym does in merciless detail.
"What it boils down to is this: this village owes its chance to exist to that skull-splattered piece of Thassalonian horror, looming on the horizon. It's not going to stop hungering for life to do its work. I feel for your Da, I truly do, and I'll be glad to go look, if only to forget about the wretched dam. But we need to deal with the other problem, too."
"Perhaps a team of engineers could figure out a way to operate the dam manually."
Rhianni looks at the locket and the golden hair, "To feel such love, after all the death and blood that bards will tell in our glory, is a glimmer of light in this otherwise black journey. I only hope that we will find the warmth of friendship for once, maybe another like Shalelu to bring a welcome alliance to our merry troop." Rhianni wipes her long auburn hair from her face, tucking it into her scarf, as she smiles.
"One more night of comfort, before the bare earth beckons again" she sighs light heartedly, "then off to such nice sounding swamp. Oh well." she winks at Kellen. "Best get Thordak some stilts, to save being waterlogged as we go on." She looks to see if Thordak, has heard, smiling to herself.
She turns to hear Lym talk of the dam and of business for the day, and her face takes on a more serious look.
"The dam does what??? That is the most horrible thing I've heard in all this, and that's saying something. I suppose it being devils that powered the mechanism is something, anyway. Good riddance to them."
She swings her long legs off of the table, boots hitting the wooden floor of the inn with a thump.
"I'm off to the fort. Will see you all when you get back." And with a nod and a wink, she's out the door.
At Lym's observation's on the dam, fire comes into Kellen's voice. "By all means, let's let Shreed know what's going on. But have him get that fat-sack of Lord-Mayor in Magnimar do something about it - this place is supposed to be under their protection and right time they did something about it. I won't be somebody's errand boy just have them do squat about the problem."
Then he adds: "But let's be honest, the dam problems aside, there's something else going on around here. Lucrecia and the Kreegs were working for someone named Barl - I heard them when I was out of sight. The rune on everybody; the damage to the dam; and the sudden flooding...something else is brewing up in those mountains. I'm thinking this town and the Black Arrows are going to need more help than just fixing a dam."
Tomaru has no particular plans.
The town doesn't happen to have any diamond dust for sale would it?
The town doesn't happen to have any diamond dust for sale would it?
Well then Tomaru will try to find some companionship for the night and be ready to go in the morning.
The morning comes early - too early. The Mayor has sent for you at dawn. It would seem that he hasn't slept at all. Working through the night to help and heal his townsfolk, and organize the rebuild from the flood and Black Magga's rampage.
Worn and haggard, Mayor Shreed listens to your story about the dam. He nods at the right times, but clearly he is exhausted. It is with an effort of will that remains upright at all.
"We haven't seen any more of that monster, thank Erastil. The river did start to rise quite high at some point, now I understand why." He sighs. "The puzzle about what to do with the dam will have to wait. That's beyond my authority. I've sent a message to Magnimar about the fort, we'll see what comes of it. Where are you off to now?"
As Thordak drags himself out of bed, he feels the pain from the previous day. "I'm gettin' too old for this." Working the kinks out, he gathers his things and proceeds to the meeting with the mayor.
Thordak strokes his beard a moment before, "I'm thinkin' north," he says, nodding assuredly.
"Actually, we have one more bit of business concerning the Black Arrows that takes us to a nearby marsh."
"Hmm, that is strange. I've never known the Captain to be a man of words like that." the Mayor says in light of the love sonnets you have. "The marsh itself is across the lake, you can go around the north end where there is a crossing over the Willow River. That will lead you to the Wicker Walk, but then you'd have to cut south to reach WhiteWillow. You could take a ferry from here, but I'd doubt anyone will take you with that monster in the lake. Plus, you'd be tryin g to enter WhiteWillow from the water side, and that's treacherous at best, lethal at worst."
"Thank you Mayor" Rhianni says in her most soothing voice, "Your advice is most welcome, I'm sure we'll pay heed and travel by the safest route in these most treacherous of times." Opening her eyes and smiling she looks into the mayor's eyes and asks "May I have a keepsake of you mayor, to keep the village and you in my mind as we face whatever evil lurks out there, maybe a lock of your hair?"
"Given the presence of lamias, we may have to consider the possibility that the captain was charmed or otherwise ensorcelled," Lym says, grimly. "Wonderful. The Wicker Walk sounds the safer option; I've no desire to spar with Black Magga again so soon."
Thordak nods. "I'm thinkin' the way of the Wicker Walk," he tells the mayor. "Word is it's safer," he says with a shrug. "And we're not havin' ta deal with that overgrown snake, so that's a plus." He then concentrates a moment as if in thought about something before finally, "What in the Nine Hells is a 'Wicker Walk'?"
In response to Thordak, Mayor Shreed explains:
"The Shimmerglens have long been shrouded in mystery, for these trackless swamps are said to lie quite close to the First World, particularly where they border Sanos Forest. Capricious and sometimes malicious creatures are known to harass travelers in this domain. The Wicker Walk between Sanos Forest and the hamlet of Bitter Hollow was built expressly to offer travelers a way to cross through the swamps without annoying the area’s denizens, but stories still abound of nixies laying traps to confuse and baffle travelers, of nymphs seducing men and women and leaving them besotted and lost in the marsh, and of sprites stealing supplies and replacing them with rotten fish, poison mushrooms, or disturbing little dolls made of clay and string."
"Try not to do anything...offensive."
"So you are telling us to subdue pesky Fey, rather than kill them? ... Have you any cold iron for sale in Turtleback Ferry?"
"I telling you not to do anything offensive. If you feel that's better, than that's up to you. But I don't think they'll see it that way."
"Hm. Nothin' offensive. Sounds easy enough. Hopefully we won't run into a single one and we can just get where we goin' without any trouble. 'Cause I'm thinkin' the Mayor is right, lass," he tells Lym. "If we do happen ta run into one and manage ta kill it, we may invite a whole army of 'em at us. And that's really the last thing we need," he states as a matter of fact.
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"I'm sure that, just like the rest of our travels, it will be completely free of incident," Praxim says with artificial glee.
It's let morning when you set out north along the road that follows the Willow River. The rains are lighter, but still persistent. It takes you three hours to walk to Bitter Hollow.
Lym shares all she knows of the area with the others.
"All in all, it seems best to keep our eyes and ears open, our own business private and not to enquire after anyone else's personal affairs."