Callix nods at Letitia's statement, "The hourglass would 'run' -- or, at least, the sands within would. That's.. quite possible." She adds, "Wouldn't the emptiness in the drained chalice be a form of darkness?"
Letitia looks over her shoulder with a smirk at Callix. "I'm sure it would be, for a follower of Cayden Cailean."
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"Oh!" grinned Llewellyn, "An hourglass, now that I like! I think it ticks all the boxes: Marks night's coming, certainly; Marks your end, quite probably, time is an enemy you can't defeat after all; Will not run in fear, indeed an hour glass runs but not in fear; I have not a friend, well they say time is the friend of no man..."
Llewellyn chuckled softly at the riddle before adding, "Of course unless we find an hourglass this is conjecture I suppose. Hmm I wonder if these chalices of wine are what they appear to be? Hope they've not been adulterated."
Feeling some what paranoid about that, he once again tried to divine the nature of any magics that might be present.
as is probably expected the wine and the chalices radiate magical auras. the water around the raised platform is also radiating magic.
each chalice has a rune inscribed on it that can be seen once the party moves close to inspect them.
the runes on the chalices are:
mirror
apple
hourglass
athame
key
when your hand touches a chalice, one of the alcoves lights up in a flash of moonlight, revealing an items in one of the shadow alcoves for a brief few seconds.
the items revealed are (from left to right)
a hand mirror
an apple
an hourglass
a dagger
a key
Samuel also looks for a way to cross to the alcoves. it does not appear to be an easy task, and would involve swimming through the water. in the darkness it is hard to gauge how deep the water may be.
Callix hovers over the chalices, "There's something written on these," she offers, "Letitia, Llwewellyn, can either of you decypher them?"
"I'll check," the witch picks up one of the goblets to inspect closer. "I can't tell-- oh!" she remarks when one of the alcoves is illuminated.
ashling goes over and takes a look
The runes are as follows, mirror, apple, hourglass, athame, key Ashling is careful not to touch anything quite yet, she had never expressed presenting any talent or study of languages, yet here she is.
Callix says, "Well, that's that, then. Seems you were right, Llewellyn." She picks up the chalice that aligns with the hourglass alcove, and raises it, "Salut," before throwing it back.
"Oh, an hourglass then, you are clever my half-orc friend" Samuel smiles, and assuming one alcove lights up when Callix picks up the chalice as it happened when Letitia did, he leaves his musket and powder on the ledge and jumps to swim towards the alcove on light.
Letitia stares at Ashling, her lips pressed together tightly as she translates the runes on the chalices. Her eyes narrow and she glares in the gloom when praise is heaped upon Llewellyn for guessing the riddle's answer even though she was the first to mention the hourglass.
She fumes quietly, deciding not to be that petty, especially as Callix takes the risk of it being an incorrect answer (though she couldn't envision anything else being right).
"Samuel!!" Letitia shrieks when he leaps into the water. "Why take such a risk?? I can fly!!"
Samuel shocks his head as Letitia says she can fly. He stops undressing and holds his musket ready "Hmmm... are you sure you want to risk your body flying there? We need you healthy... but I guess I can do a better job covering you or anyone else that risks to go from here with my musket"
Wisely staying quiet, Llewellyn watched the Jadwiga take to the air with childlike glee. Secretly he thought that looked like a lot of fun but you wouldn't know to look at him.
Whispering to the Taldorian Musketeer he said, "I bet that water's cold... She did you a favour even if she didn't intend to."
"Without proper light in this chamber, we don't even know if that's water," Letitia gestures towards the black liquid. "To say nothing of what might be lurking within it. I'll admit flying is a risk, but far less of one than diving in without a weapon."
With a thought, she activates her magic and floats across the chamber to the hourglass alcove.
when Callix picks up the indicated chalice with an hourglass rune on it, moonlight flares in one of the alcoves revealing a small hourglass sitting inside.
Callix drinks it and for a brief moment nothing happens, and Leitia and Samuel debate the method of going to get the item.
However, seconds later once Callix downs the wine, stepping stones rise up out of the water, each stone giving off a faint illumination. Enough to see it, but not enough to cast much light around themselves. the stepping stones lead directly from the platform with the chalices to the hourglass alcove.
the wine inside the glass was decent, but nothing particularly fine. as you set the drink down you see that it has refilled itself to about the midpoint. just as it was before you drank from it.
Callix says, "So, uh, this cup is refilling itself. I mean, I can keep throwing it back for at least a few minutes, but we've not got an empty cup for the raven."
"I believe the goal is this hourglass," Letitia says as she floats down to the alcove and collects the item. She holds it up triumphantly. "Though I can imagine why you'd think the chalice to be the real treasure."
Letitia wears a sardonic smile as she flies back to the rest of the group, deciding not to test the stone path. "So? Shall we return to the raven, or would you like to put the goblet's refilling magic to the test?"
Samuel laughs in good mood as Callix found an artifact worth of its name "I can see why this room could do for a good an memorable night... enough drink, cool lightning and darkness for the ones needing privacy"
The Taldan nods to Letitia "I guess we have what we came here for. Or let's hope so." then adding to Callix "If you try again that wine, be careful, we have seen how arbitrary the desires of the Crone can sometimes be"
Callix shakes her head at Letitia's offer, "No, now that we have a prize other than an empty cup, I think that'll do. The Drunken Hero gives me all the ale I need, in any case."
She then chuckles at Samuel, "Aye, everything one needs for a romantic evening, no doubt, with the risk of dying if you make one wrong move just that little bit of extra spice."
She says, "Let's go. There's probably at least one more test. All the stories tend to talk about things like this coming in threes."
"Agreed." Leitita nods, eager to move away from the talk of the supposedly romantic environment.
She starts walking back to where they had met the second raven.
Llewellyn nearly choked at the thought of the crone and romance. This was too close to a fear of his, when he'd been tied up it occurred to him that the daughters had to come from somewhere and if the traditional method was employed there was probably a lack of willing partners... Lets just say he was very worried about what was going to happen to him!
Letitia successfully recovers the hourglass and brings it back to the group. it appears to be mundane, but functional.
Letitia is eager to move on and leads the way back to the first room.
The raven hops back and forth between his legs as you approach
very good, very good it squaks, taking the hourglass. you see that it now has an amulet hanging from its neck. it must have grabbed it while you were in the other room, expecting your success.
“You have taken upon yourselves a great burden, for that which you desire, the changeling holds. Know this as well—you will find the Crone only when the moon wanes.”
Callix sighs, "More riddles? Or a portent?"
Letitia tilts her head to the side as she studies the bird. "Changeling?"
She starts pondering the raven's newest riddle, but decides not to ask a bunch of questions that will likely not be answered. Instead, she considers if she knows of any changelings in the stories of Baba Yaga.
Letitia turns to Callix. "Perhaps, but they also sound like instructions."
"Look to the Mother when the moon is full. You will find the Crone only when the moon wanes..." sighed Llewellyn, "I wish it would make its mind up! Anyway it spoke of breadcrumbs and things for her Kettle, perhaps this is somehow a clue for the last of the three. Is there somewhere we've yet to explore?"
Llewellyn was also thinking about the many stories of Baba Yaga and whether there were changelings in any of them.
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Letitia's eyes widen after Llewellyn muses over the ravens' riddles. "Oh! Clever, but obvious in retrospect." She smiles inwardly.
She starts walking back down the hall. "I estimate that the third and final riddle will involve a Maiden and a waxing moon. Now that we have two clues, the third one is obvious: the Mother when the moon is full, and the Crone when the moon is waning. Besides the new moon, the only other phase is when the moon is growing, not diminishing. Think of the pattern. A full moon -- a woman in the fullness of life, a mother. The moon waning, or growing darker -- a woman in advancing years. So what would a moon waxing towards fullness indicate? A young woman, learning and growing. A Maiden."
She wears a triumphant smile as she looks for the third passage.
"Oh!" Llewellyn's mouth formed a perfect O of surprise, "That has the ring of truth to it! I should have thought of that, a trinity is often regarded as auspicious after all and there are three phases to the moon as you say."
Samuel seems confused about the way of thought Llewellyn and Letitia are following, but as the witch comes to something that resounds in his head, he summarizes "Maiden, Mother, Crone" the man rests his musket over his shoulder "I hardly understand what all that means, but I will follow your lead"
The Taldan leverages whatever he knows about changelings.
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Callix nods, "I'm apparently just tipsy enough that it makes sense. Though I don't think that'll help us guess the nature of that third trial, unless there's a connection between the Crone and time -- wait. Bad example. But tusks and boars aren't generally conntected to the Mother, though, are they?"
Letitia rubs the side of her temple with two fingers. "I doubt the ravens' riddles are related to the mystery of the Maiden, Mother, and Crone. But maybe we stay mindful of them regardless."
She keeps walking and looking for the next passage as she talks. "Our goal is Artrosia, a stronghold of Baba Yaga's. Therefore, we should expect many mysteries -- not just one. So far, we know that a Changeling has something we need, a great burden for us. Whether it's simply our task, or something else, we'll learn when we find the changeling.
"We also must find a key to the cauldron in the place where time catches up to us." She looks at the amulet she traded the hourglass for. Remembering the first amulet was magical, she inspects this one as well.
"Once we find the last raven and finish its challenge, we might be able to tell if the puzzles are related to one another."
Define Changeling Ashling asks , we cant be certain if anything is what we believe
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Callix says, "From what mother used to say when I was bad, Changelings are children that are raised by humans -- after hags steal their naughty children to eat them. But, of course, take that with a grain of salt."
Letitia tilts her head at Callix, then shakes her head. "And they say the Jadwiga are cruel," she mutters under her breath.
When Letitia examines the amulet, it is indeed magical. it is an Aegis of Recovery
it also has a rune on it, similar to the first amulet
the rune is "gold"
the group discusses the riddles given by this second raven. it seems obvious to Letitia that the riddles and clues relate to the concept of the Maiden, Mother and Crone, also known by witches as the Threefold Aspect. while not really a focus in the witchcraft studied in Whitethrone, many witches use these three aspects heavily in their rituals, myths and spells.
the concept of a Changeling sparks some discussion. No one in the group can recall an specific stories of changelings in relation to Baba Yaga, and the stories they remember about changelings are somewhat conflicting.
Callix remembers them as children that are swapped for naughty children without anyone knowing the difference, with the offending child taken away to be a snack for a hag.
Llewellyn recalls stories of changelings being half-fey children who are dropped off either on a doorstep or swapped for a child in a crib to be raised by humans. similarly the real human child is taken away to live with the fairies.
Letitia has always been told that a changeling is a child of a Hag and their lover. the child may not know of their ancestry until puberty when a voice in their mind tells them to seek out their history, and in so doing their magical abilities. embracing the magic almost always causes the girl (and they are always female in these stories) to become a hag herself.
in any case, a commonly held idea is that you can tell a person is a changeling if they have abnormally pale skin and eyes of mismatched colors.
Though as Ashling points out, it could potentially be something else entirely.
"Mmm... this word... it was how my mother called 'gold' in her tales when I was a child" Samuel points the amulet to Ariadna.
"Well, there is no child anymore among us, so let's not fear those tales" the Taldan looks around though taking good measure of everyone's eyes and making sure there is no two colors among them.
"Time to go back to the tunnels and keep finding hints, I guess"
"Hmm Gold eh? The other one had a rune on it too, I assume the significance of that will become apparent..." mused Llewellyn.
"Time to go back to the tunnels and keep finding hints, I guess"
"Indeed, let's see if we can find somewhere unexplored."
Letitia hands the amulet to Ashling. This is a powerful defensive ward that will help you throw off persistent effects, like poisons and diseases. It also has a final use when the wearer is injured near unto death. It will magically heal the wearer, likely enough to keep them alive and fighting, but the amulet will crumble into nothingness afterward."[/b]
She thinks on the rune. "Another clue, another mystery. I wonder, if it will help us identify the item the Changeling holds. Something made out of gold? Just as the item where time catches up to us could be related to a dragon?"
Sighing with impatience, she continues the search for the third chamber.
Thank you, i am sure this will come in handy Ashling examines the rune and thinks before putting it on Hmm...I do not recognize this particular rune, apologies.
Callix shudders, "That's a wonderful thought - the whole thing is an elaborate revenge set-up from a clutchmate or, worse, sire of our friend in the tower." She shakes her head, "Nope, too sober for that one," she adds, reaching for her aleskin.
the group decides it is time to move on. the hallways outside the door feels bright after leaving the gloom of the magical darkness behind, though the light is still only dim.
the hallway stretches out in both directions an unkown distance. as you step into the hallway the way you came from lies to your left, while the passage to your right is left to be seen.
Staring down the hallway to the right, Llewellyn said, "Shall we?" before cautiously advancing.
"Indeed. Our next route seems obvious. And we have no reason to delay." She follows Llewellyn down the hall.
Samuel covers his eyes as the contrast in brightness overwhelms him "They really need to install some regular lamps on these passages. Need to fill a complain once we find that grumpy Kikimora."
The Taldan nods and follows the team through the new corridor in order to discover a bit more "I guess we can follow a bit more, no need to rest yet"
Callix takes another pull of the aleskin, and falls into line, "Right. I'm sure they'll take it into account for the next group of heroes who need to liberate the Hut and find the Baba Yaga," she adds with a chuckle.
you continue down the hallway once more. again you go for what feels like a long way but the hall still stretches out as far in front of you as you can see in the dim light.
soon you come upon another doorway. a new rune is carved in it: the symbol resembles an upward facing half-circle resting on a horizontal line. Several arrows point outward from the circle. At the center of the half-circle, a single extended arrow points upward.
[spoiler=Having already decoded the other runes, and with her background Letitia immediately recognizes the Iobarian witch symbol for dawn.
Letitia walks purposefully down the hallway, keeping an eye out for the next and hopefully final door. When they finally reach it, she recognizes the symbol instantly. "Ah. The Iobarian witch symbol for toenail clippings."
She pauses for a beat, and then says, "That was a jest."
Samuel smiles recognizing the strange witch humor after such a long time traveling together "I was convinced it was an eyelash mask application"
The High Sentinel pushes the door open after carefully looking for traps "Dawn means the opening of the day, so let's start by the opening of the door to let our light in."
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"Yes, the pattern continues. Let's meet the next raven." Unless Samuel detects a trap, Letitia enters through the door and calls out, "Good morning! Raven! I am Jadwiga Letitia! My companions and I come as allies of Baba Yaga! We have already met the challenges of strength and wit! We know you will tell us to find the Maiden when the moon waxes! So unless the next test is that of our patience, let's be done with this!"
Callix chuckles, but also takes a step away for Letitia, just in case.
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Letitia notices Callix's slight distancing and rolls her eyes. She takes another step forward, deciding to press further.
"We have slain dragons. We have bested trolls, wolves, fey and witches. We have claimed the Dancing Hut and led it through the streets of Whitethrone. We have openly challenged Queen Elvanna! Baba Yaga is missing, and we aim to find her. There is no one else!"
Her voice lowers, becoming threatening. "Provide us with your token, if you claim to be loyal to Grandmother."
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Flowering vines drape the walls of this chamber. Winding, pebble-strewn pathways weave through a magnificent garden of honeysuckle and lilac. A pale, warm light fills the room, emanating from a stone-lined pool of water in the center. The purple and orange reflection of the early morning sky glitters upon the pool’s surface.
Standing on the rim of the pool is another Raven with an amulet around its neck
Letitia enters the chamber and immediately demands answers.
the raven chuckles, a strange noise from a bird's mouth.
"you have had quite a journey young witch. you have unlocked riddles that few have ever heard. Strength and wit you have proven.
you are not far off on your guess, for I am tasked to test your endurance. Though patience you may lack, you have endured much to reach this point. So be it. Seek now the sisters three who are one: Mother, Maiden, Crone.
the raven drops the amulet at Letitia's feet and takes off. the bird flies right into the pool of water. There is no splash when she touches the surface. Instead, she seems to pass into another world and wings off into a glorious sunrise, her form growing smaller and smaller until it disappears.