"Well, I suppose one way to find out if it's a trap is to walk right into it," Ryli says.
Seeing as she is outvoted, she says nothing more on the subject. She turns her attention and interest toward Eugeni's flying ship. She sets Kallie down and leads her to the dock to watch the boats.
Eugeni leads the group down to the beach near town where he has instructed Titanicus and the nymphs to guard the ship. They find an enormous golden wyrm guarding a ship which rests upon the sand on four sturdily-built landing struts. Instead of sails, the masts have been refitted with grips for the dragon to hold on to.
Cavorting on the ship are three naked women of exceptional elfin beauty. Eugeni waves to them, and to the massive dragon. "This is Titanicus, our new mascot. He will carry our airship, and I thought he would be a suitable baby sitter for young Kallie while we are busy with our mission. I haven't bothered to name the three nymphs yet, but two of them are for you, Jeevika. They will follow your commands without question."
Titanicus nods a polite greeting to the group, arranging himself so that they can mount him like a stairway to walk on to the ship. "Good morning," he says in common.
"By the Wheel, they're gorgeous," Ryli whispers under her breath. Her cheeks color and her tail swishes excitedly.
She pulls her eyes away from the nymphs with effort, and nods politely to the massive dragon. "Hello," she says as she climbs aboard. Kallie remains wide-eyed throughout the experience, and seems to be delighted in the clomping sound her hooves make on the wooden deck.
Ryli whistles an instruction, and Olympus takes to the air. He climbs high in the sky, circling over the ship in wide, lazy banks.
Until Eugeni mentions the nymphs, Jeevika appears to be busy daydreaming.
"Oh, my commissions are finished? Delightful!" Jeevika chirps as she carefully inspects the nymphs. "Hello there, ladies! Rest assured that you will not be entering any combat. Instead, what I need is your support. It would be wonderful if you could provide your Inspiration to myself and my friend Elthariel. Something tells me that we will need it for our upcoming battles."
Jeevika then turns back to the group and sighs, "It appears that two of our ranks are absolutely adamant about going to Xin-Bakrakhan. In that case, as the group's primary healer, I appear to have no choice but to accompany you to ensure your health and safety! It's what Setsuna would have done."
Jeevika is obviously not the smooth operator that her daughter was. Everyone else present can tell that she has some sort of unmentioned agenda. However, the Holy Vindicator also is very much sincere that she wants to support and protect the other Rangers.
"Thanks, yall. I don't know what exactly to make of this--I totally agree it could be a trap--but it's possible something here can really help us in our quest, or at least making sense of this voice in my head...and I appreciate approaching it with you.
"Now let's check out this amazing boat!"
As she strolls around, marveling at all the boat-y things she doesn't actually know anything about, Zoli thinks to the Voice, ::Well we're on our way. If that's not a show of good faith, I don't know what is. You know I'm still suspicious, I'm honest about that...but how could I not be with you being so closed lipped. You ready to return my good faith with some more information of your own?::
::Excellent work! What else would you like to know in return?::
::Who ARE you, to start. And what is this weapon you speak of? How can you help us to defeat Karzoug?::
::I have no name. Only a title. I am the Blade of Wrath, as you are the Highlady of Wrath, despite what you call yourself. And I don’t know what weapon still remains. But if an ultimate weapon against the Greed-Lord can be found, it would be in Xin Bakrahkhan.::
After having collected all her purchases and upgraded items, she presents a gift to Lorthan. It's a brightly colored patchwork cape that complements the ruddy hue of his scales nicely.
"The salesperson at the shop assured me this will assist in your resistance to all forms of magical and supernatural effects, and those against your mind most of all," she says.
Calling her animal companion down to the deck, she then girds Olympus with his upgraded barding. The great bird doesn't exactly enjoy wearing the armor, but is trained in it and is definitely strong enough to bear it along with a rider. "That's my boy," she says, patting his head. Finally, she loops a belt around the roc, fastening it around where the riding saddle is situated. "This'll make you tougher and stronger. Just what we need to defend this flying contraption. Since apparently the dragon is needed to carry the ship."
The group, on board their ship, brace themselves as Titanicus flaps his gigantic wings a few times. The sheer power of the wind being pushed by them causes the sand on the beach to churn up in turmoil, and nearly knocks several of you over. However, the ship begins to lift creakily into the air, and before long you are truly airborne aboard this sea vessel. The people of Sandpoint stand gawking at the sight as you fly off to the southwest towards the islands likely to hold the ancient City of Wrath.
A couple days travel brings the island a in sight. Instead of massive ruins you see a densely forested mountain island. From this height and the thickness of the canopy, no signs of a Thassilonian civilization are visible.
For someone quite accustomed to flying, Ryli found herself quite nervous about being in the soaring boat. It wasn't her own safety she felt, though, but Kallie's.
She drew off her own ring of feather falling and put it on her filly (threading her tail through the ring and tying it off once it became clear the toddler couldn't be trusted to wear it on her finger). That made her feel a bit more comfortable.
Also, for several hours each day, she would call up a ring of mushrooms to grow on deck to give Kallie a meadow in which to run.
At other times, while the foal was napping, she would shift to a smaller humanoid and soar alongside the dragon on the back of Olympus.
Before setting off on the journey, Jeevika casts Ant Haul on Titanicus to make carrying his load easier on him. She does this every single day.
"That's it?!" says Jeevika with disappointment as she finally looks up from a series of elaborate schemes for how she plans to use Alaznist's treasury to fund the war against Karzoug. "...Wait, I bet it's underground. I guess we'll need to take a closer look."
"Underground, or under water. I agree, a closer look is what we need. How about we have Titanicus circle the island a couple times in the air, to give us some idea of the geography. Then we can set the ship down in a cove if there's one, and we can better explore from there?"
She turns to the Highlady of Wrath/Righteous Anger. "Any new information from your 'friend'?"
"Ask them for what part of the island we should start searching," Jeevika advises.
The dragon circles the island a couple of times, finding a small cove suitable to set the ship down in during the first pass. It is a large island that is dominated by a single large mountain. The east side of the mountain has a strangely smooth and oval shaped section. It isn't a natural formation of any mountain you've ever heard of, but it's current purpose or what it was formerly is unclear due to the extreme effects of erosion it has endured over the centuries.
The treeline begins three quarters of the way up the mountain, and from there on down, the view of the island is blocked with the tree canopy for its majority. The east edge of the island is predominantly rocky cliffs, the north is stony shoals, the south is mostly blocked by a shallow reef system, and the west side is mostly beaches, including the small cove Titanicus pointed out earlier.
He descends and sets the ship down on the beach of the cove, himself landing with an earth shaking thud. He stretches his exhausted wings before stretching out in the sand. The nymphs follow suit, moving down to the soft sand and stretching out, letting the sun soak into their skin.
As they circle, Zoli thinks to her mental companion, ::Have you been here before? What exactly are we looking for?::
::You are under the impression that I have been here before? You are mistaken. I don’t know what could be found here, just that this is the most likely place to find something to stop Karzoug.::
Ryli disembarks with Kallie and leads her over to where the massive dragon rests. She lets her foal frolic in the sand underneath the watchful eye of the great gold dragon while she moves much closer to the treeline.
Voicing the necessary incantations, she chants and moves her hands in complex gestures for ten minutes. When she finally completes her spell, she is attuned to the island itself, gaining an understanding of the land.
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Before the group departs, Jeevika casts Moment of Prescience on herself, Magic Vestment on her buckler and armor, and Greater Magic Weapon on her Falcata. The Holy Vindicator also casts Magic Vestment on Zoli's buckler and armor and Greater Magic Weapon on Baern's Breath. Finally, she shares some Extended Tears to Wine among the group.
. . 8th—
. . 7th—spell turning[D], open, open
. . 6th—mislead[D] (DC 20), word of recall (Magnimar Embassy), heal, heal, heal
. . 5th—break enchantment[D], communal air walk, communal air walk, open, open, open
. . 4th—freedom of movement[D], freedom of movement, good hope, good hope,
. . 3rd—borrow fortune[D],
. . 2nd—augury[D], lesser restoration, lesser restoration,
. . 1st—true strike[D],
. . 0 (at will)—create water, detect magic, detect poison, stabilize
Before the group departs, Jeevika approaches Ryli.
"We need to discuss something."
Jeevika leans over and whispers something in Ryli's ear in Auran.
Ryli arches an eyebrow.
"That spell exerts a control over the Wheel I'm not entirely comfortable with. I'll do as you wish, but try not to die? There's been too much of it lately."
Powerful/Unnatural Creatures: There are several undead creatures up on the mountain of great power.
General State: Most of the island is lush and full of life, but nothing survives beyond the tree line on the mountain.
Jeevika makes a suggestion.
"I believe that our best bet would be to investigate that strangely smooth and oval shaped section of the mountain. Before erosion set in, it could have been part of Alaznist's palace or something similar."
Ryli stands up slowly after her meditation that allowed her to become one with nature.
She blinks, looks up toward the peak of the mountain, and shudders.
"Undead lurk within the mountain peak. Powerful, powerful undead."
Eugeni wakes up in the morning and memorizes a new set of spells, before casting his daily enhancements.
He commands Titanicus and the nymphs to guard Kallie and the airship. He works a spell, and a huge illusion springs up around the Rangers' ship, which makes it look like a swirling magical cloud ship.
He then joins the others for their survey. After listening to Ryli, Eugeni sighs. "Of course there are."
"Dare I suppose you have spells against the undead?" Eugeni asks Jeevika.
Jeevika nods affirmatively at Eugeni's question.
"Several. Greater Hide from Undead. Death Ward. Undeath Ward. Disrupting Weapon. Smite Abomination. I can prepare them before we leave."
"I could do a few castings of stoneskin with blood money if you prepare lesser restoration to recover my strength afterwards," Eugeni suggests.
"Certainly," Jeevika says with a smile. "To maximize their duration, we should probably wait until we clear the forest first. Grandmother's spell detected nothing truly threatening in that area. Could you cover half the group with Life Bubble? Given our numbers, I do not think that a single casting will sufficiently protect anyone for particularly long. I can handle the other half."
After Jeeves prepares a bunch of anti-undead spells and Life Bubble, she is ready to go.
"Elthariel can navigate us through the forest and mountains. Those areas appear to be her specialties. Given its unnatural stonework, we will want to investigate the eastern side first."
. . 8th—
. . 7th—spell turning[D], life bubble, open
. . 6th—mislead[D] (DC 20), word of recall (Magnimar Embassy), heal, heal, heal
. . 5th—break enchantment[D], communal air walk, communal air walk, death ward, undeath ward, undeath ward
. . 4th—freedom of movement[D], freedom of movement, good hope, good hope,
. . 3rd—borrow fortune[D],
. . 2nd—augury[D], lesser restoration, lesser restoration,
. . 1st—true strike[D],
. . 0 (at will)—create water, detect magic, detect poison, stabilize
The first hour of travel through the forests are fairly uneventful. The area is rich in life, surprisingly though, very few apex predators seem to exist. Eventually, though, you do come across a somewhat startling sight.
The exoskeleton of a massive scorpion, larger than any of its kind any of you have ever heard of, lies on the forest floor beneath the thick canopy above. It is easily 75 feet long and half as wide. It's pincers are the size of elephants, and it's stinger large enough to skewer one with ease. It has long been dead, evident by the state of decay it is in, but enough remains to make it evident as to what this was and how truly massive it was in life.
After another hour or so of travel through the forest, you reach edge of the forest on the eastern edge of the mountain. Just a few hundred feet away, you can see the strange shape on the side of the mountain you saw from the ship. However, from here, you can see that whatever it was in ages past has been eroded away by time and the elements. There appears to be no cave, doorway, or entrance to the mountain at this location.
"I have just the spell for this," Ryli says. "Please give me a few minutes."
Wielding her holly and mistletoe band, she chants and gestures over the course of ten minutes. When she finishes, she moves up to the stone and begins to talk with it.
"Hello, great stone of the mountain! Can you tell me what lies within you? Are there entrances nearby to go into the lightless spaces beneath?"
The stone replies to Ryli:
::Earth and stone lie within me. Deep within is liquid stone, as well as the ancient workings of man. Nothing living has set foot within in hundreds of years.::
Ryli translates for the others.
Thank you. You may sleep now," she tells the rock. "This one doesn't know of any entrances. But my spell will last for a quarter-hour. I'm going to move fast and speak with other sections of the mountain."
She spins around and becomes a whirling form of air, then rushes off to other places around the big stone mountain, asking it of entrances to go inside or underneath the mountain.
"Sixteen minutes," Jeevika corrects, pointing to the Orange Prism Ioun Stone floating around Ryli's head. "And it looks like you just read my mind; I was gonna suggest that you take a literal whirl around the mountain and see what the local rocks know."
Ryli keeps moving and asking the stones until the spell wears off. Then she flies back straight to the others. Still in her air elemental form, she says in her airy voice, "I think I've got an entrance. It's this way. Elthariel, you're welcome to ride Olympus with Zoli. I'm sure he's strong enough to carry the both of you. Lorthan, you're good to fly on your own. Jeevika, I can carry you no problem, unless you're flying on your own."
Eugeni nods and flies after Ryli.
Fenrir whines when he's seemingly forgotten.
"...Elthariel and I will follow on Fenrir," says Jeevika. "Just stay within sight, and we should be fine."
After the two elves are secure on the dire wolf's saddle, Elthariel splits Longstrider on herself and Fenrir via Improved Share Spells. She then has him tail the fliers.
The group makes the trek around the mountain with relative ease, eventually reaching the cave entrance Ryli learned of from the stone. It is accidentally well hidden from the air, rock outcroppings and fallen stones obscuring it’s view.
The group is gathered at the entrance.
Ryli casts echolocation to enhance her senses. She moves closer to the entrance to examine it.
It winds and turns, and narrows somewhat just out of sight, but the general path of the tunnel leads downward into the mountain at a gentle slope.
Ryli stays in her elemental form as long as the tunnel is large enough to accommodate her. She stays towards the front, if not in the lead, due to her senses and the immunities her elemental body affords her.
"Mr. Silva, if you still wish to cast Stoneskin, now seems like the optimal time; as agreed, I will fix the damage with Lesser Restoration. Additionally, if you could provide some Light, that would be much appreciated. I believe that a few of us cannot see in the dark," Jeevika says before sharing a second batch of Extended Tears to Wine. Just before the group enters, she also downs her renewable potions of Ward the Faithful and Barkskin.
Jeevika stays in the front with Ryli; Elthariel and Fenrir stay in the back.
You descend down into the cavern cautiously. After about 30 minutes of spelunking, you can feel heat as if you were approaching a furnace. Also, the rough hewn rock begins to give way to worked stone of Thassilonian architectural style, though none of the typical runic iconography is present. Instead, it is replaced with a very primitive pictographic language of sorts, depicting tribes of people seeming to pray, serve, and make sacrifices to a scorpion god.
It would appear this once was a maze-like hall network at one time, but all the side passages have been walled off by rubble and stone. Eventually, you come to a set of stairs descending further down, and the air feels much warmer from there destination.
"I am suddenly inclined to think that 'liquid stone' means magma," remarks Jeevika. "Thankfully, our Life Bubbles should protect us from anything short of direct contact; for those unfamiliar with the spell, it essentially creates an pocket of ideal atmosphere around each of us."
"I can cast a spell to ward someone from the heat. How big is your life bubble? I can always turn into a fire elemental to resist the heat, and I'd also like to make sure Olympus isn't burned."
"Each Life Bubble is localized individually, and a single casting can cover multiple targets. For the duration of the magic, regardless of the targeted creature's size, the shell itself is constantly centered around the subject, and it reaches out one inch. Eugeni covered us all this morning with an Extended version, so we should still be covered for the next four or so hours," explains Jeevika. "The spell protects from heat about as well as Endure Elements. Even whatever toxic gases and vapors would be in that room cannot breach the shell. As I said, I think that we should be fine as long as we don't get too close to the magma."