"Well," Cica grins and holds her arms wide, "I am already wet. What can we do for Neptuna?"
“The challenge of water is hardly difficult. Mostly, it is a test of patience and fortitude. Neptuna requires that you retrieve for her a single black pearl. Head north a bit, out by the crags of the cape. Those shores are filled with oyster beds, and such pearls are not uncommon to those who know where to look. When you get there ask some local divers for tips. I will wait for you here."
Not wanting to get hammered a third time, Cica climbs back into the boat.
With a salute, she says, "Aight. One Black Pearl, coming up.
"Alexandra, you know where he means?"
Darius keeps his mouth shut and arms crossed for most of the discussion with this hermit. When Cica seems to volunteer for this “Challenge of the Water,” he looks up and calls out to the man ”And what of the Challenge of the Wind? What does it entail?”
"One at a time, Paleface," Nkechi says, frowning at Darius.
Alexandra shrugs. "No clue, I know which way north is though!"
Traveling up the coast, the Thirteenth come upon a small village of indigenous pearl divers. They are friendly, and they freely offer pointers to the outsiders. They give the soldiers directions to the rocky reefs where the pearls are most common. The divers advise to be careful about what they touch, as the sharp coral can leave painful wounds. They also warn that although slow, the deceptively strong currents can still disorient divers, and can drag a swimmer out to sea to his death.
After three dives, Cica manages to find a black pearl. She cuts her hand trying to get to it.
Despite being sliced by the sharp coral, she manages to get the black pearl back to the surface!
"Well done, Cica. I'm certain I couldn't have done the swimming you just pulled off," Placidus says as he offers her a hand back up into the boat.
Cica shakes herself off.
"Pretty down there, if you can avoid being bashed into the coral by the waves. Anyone else want a turn?", she grins.
Holding up the two smaller pearls, she muses, "Maybe I can string these and make myself a necklace..."
Nkechi remains perched by the waves, contemplating the crabs as they hunt sea creatures in the tidal pools. When the group returns after a couple of hours with a black pearl, he lets off a mad cackling laugh. "Saltier than you look, that's for sure!"
“The task of wind is a simple one. All Vayu requires is a single complete feather from a humble stormbird. One such magnificent creature, named Chirok, lives but a day’s walk east. There, at the end of a peninsula, you’ll spot a lone promontory known as Vayu’s Crest. The bird nests at the top of the cliff. Return when you have a feather. I will wait for you in my cave, blow the horn.”
Shortly after the Thirteenth set out, the sky darkens and it begins to rain heavily. As per Nkechi’s description, Vayu’s Crest sits at the very edge of the peninsula, an ominously scarred chunk of dark granite worn into a steep, wave-like shape by centuries of wind and rain. Its face catches the ocean, creating a natural wind tunnel that amplifies the wind and creates howling updrafts. These updrafts have become the favored spot of larger seabirds, which ride them high into the sky, where they hover above the sea watching for fish.
The smooth, wind-beaten eastern face is impossible to ascend. Only the western face is jagged enough to allow for solid footing . The storm bird’s nest sits almost at the top of the crest, about 500 feet above sea level, overlooking the water. The driving wind and rain make visibility tricky.
Cica looks up through the rain at the wet, slippery cliffs.
She reaches for the rope and says, "I guess this one's me again, eh?"
Once Cica reaches the top of Vayu’s Crest, the stormbird’s giant nest is clearly visible. The imposing structure is easily 8 feet in diameter, woven from driftwood, seaweed, and other flotsam. Five melon-sized, pale bluish yellow eggs sit within the nest.
Cica must use her skills to locate one of the bird’s feathers somewhere in the nest. The stormbird has woven bits of feathers throughout its nest, but the group needs a whole feather, thus complicating the task.
After three minutes of searching unsuccessfully for a complete feather, Cica hears the boom of wings as a large multicolored bird of prey swoops towards the nest. In the darkness of the storm, the tips of this bird’s feathers and eyes burn with green light. The sight of intruders near her eggs fills Chirok with violent rage and she immediately swoops in to attack, screeching something in a language Cica doesn't understand.
Hearing the bird speak, Darius calls out in its tongue.
Cica has no clue what the stormbird is saying, but it's not hard to guess it's intent.
She puts her hands above her head and backs out of the nest, taking care to avoid the eggs.
Seems like Darius speaks whatever language it's talking. Maybe he can sort this out...?
Hearing the bird speak, Darius calls out in its tongue.
** spoiler omitted **
[dice=Diplomacy]1d20+6
"Tell this b$!+~ to get away from my nest! What do you even want with me?"
”He is trying, majestic one. I beg of your patience. Not all creatures are blessed with the ability to soar the heavens as you do,” Darian asks placatingly.
”We have simply come to collect a single, complete feather from a creature of your grandeur. We felt perhaps one you had shed or lost by accident would be present. Would you be so kind as to grant us this humble request and we will be on our way promptly.”
Ilistra sulks in Alexandra's boat. The hermit started off insulting them, calling them incompetent, and setting them to ridiculous tasks to what purpose? Proving them worthy to him? She was about to suggest they leave and tell the general the man was cracked and be done with it. Besides, she'd lived for most of her life in the jungle with her people. But no, she was likely considered too long outside of the jungle which required them to jump through this madman's hoops.
It was even worse when it involved deep diving -- something that didn't have anything to do with exploring a jungle, though she thought better of pointing that out. She didn't know how to swim, and was glad when Cica managed to accomplish the task.
The next errand, after enduring more insults, was also pointless and unlikely to be useful in a jungle. Climbing, also, was not something Ilistra was good at. Fortunately Cica was as good a climber as she was a swimmer.
The talking bird had her unconsciously heating up the air around her in alarm. She gets ready to throw fire at it, but she waits to see if Darius can get it to give them a feather.
Cica backs the rest of the way to the rope and hops back down, hoping that it aids Darius in whatever negotiation he's trying.
”He is trying, majestic one. I beg of your patience. Not all creatures are blessed with the ability to soar the heavens as you do,” Darian asks placatingly.
”We have simply come to collect a single, complete feather from a creature of your grandeur. We felt perhaps one you had shed or lost by accident would be present. Would you be so kind as to grant us this humble request and we will be on our way promptly.”
"If that will get you glorified monkeys to leave me and my eggs alone, then yes, you may have one of my feathers," it replies to Darius in Auran.
The bird reaches down with its beak, and plucks a long multicolored feather from its wing. "Here. Now please leave me in peace like you promised."
Darius bows graciously as he accepts the feather. ”Thank you, gracious one. Your patience and generosity are a guiding light for all to follow,” he says.
With the feather in hand, he turns to the others and says ”Let us leave this noble creature be,” as he walks past and on back towards the hermits cave.
The stormbird preens and watches from one eye until the soldiers are well away from its nest.
As the soldiers decend from Vayu's Crest a local tribe of Zenj sends a a group of soldiers to confront them. After explaining the purpose of their visit, and how they received a feather from the stormbird, the tribesmen (known as Ijo) are dually impressed and leave the Thirteenth in peace.
Upon returning to Nkechi, the old hermit receives the groups' offering with great skepticism. He retreats into his hermitage for about half an hour, leaving the Guards at his doorstep. Eventually, Nkechi returns with a smile. "Please, come inside."
He asks them to sit in a circular pattern on his floor about a large clay brazier filled with herbs. Nkechi picks up a wooden mortar filled with reddish paste, and proceeds to draw mystic symbols on the soldiers’ faces with the paste as he walks around the circle chanting esoteric words. When finished, he pulls out a pouch filled with some small roots, eats a piece, and holds out the pouch for the group to do the same. "We go to speak with the gods..." he says mysteriously.
Darius follows suit, chewing at his own offered piece without question.
Ilistra sat and waited in a sour mood after completing their pointless tasks and still being met with skepticism. She spent the time playing with a small flame, letting it hop from one finger to the next and back again.
When he finally invited them in, her opinion shifted. She'd heard of seers and vision trips back at her old village, but never thought she'd get to participate in one ever since her exile. She takes a piece and pops it in her mouth.
Cica looks at Darius with what she hopes isn't too much shock at what he managed. "Well done, Darius. I'm grateful that we were able to get what we wished without harming it."
Cica reflexively takes on the aspect of the Wolf as she sniffs it curiously, but then puts it in her mouth and begins chewing.
Placidus looks at Garland, but after a moment of hesitation he takes a piece of root and eats it as well.
"...One moment," Garland murmured as he turned away from the others. After some awkward maneuvering of his mask and bandages, he managed to get a piece of root into his mouth and ate it. "Luna, please don't-"
It was too late; Garland caught the wolf swallowing some the root. Going by how she licked her chops, she actually enjoyed the taste!
The root while tasty for Luna, appears to have no effect on her. Everyone else who ingests the root quickly falls into a dreamlike trance.
The trippers perceive themselves exiting their bodies and drifting as smoke through the night sky. These individuals sense, but do not see, the others. As they travel, they see all of the Serpent's Grave below them. Slowly, the sky turns red and they reform as strange spirit animals in pale translucent colors.
Darius appears as a spider, Ilistra as a jackal, Placidus as a porcupine, Garland as a weasel and Cica as an antelope. Nkechi manifests as a giant crab.
"Hmmm, I see the unveiling of ancient ruins from our folklore," Nkechi says, as fiery sparks burn from the coast inland through the jungle, foreshadowing the route to Saventh Yhi. "Many rivals seek the city. It is unclear who will enter first. Unclear who will claim its prizes."
The sparks are overshadowed by darkness. "A great shadow lurks there, in the ruins." As he prophecies dark storm clouds gather at the horizon. Suddenly a massive snake appears in the visonscape, bearing the same markings as the serpenfolk priestess Yarzoth did in the temple of Zura!
(+2 in jungle)
Yarzoth 24
Nkechi 22
Group 13.8
The snake lashes out at Garland, trying to sink its fangs into the weasel warrior.
The snake bites down hard on little Garland, wounding him.
Nkechi skuttles forward and snaps his claws at the snake.
Placidus slaps the snake with his spikey tail, wreathing it in flame!
This is strange, Ilistra thinks as she floats in the vision and suddenly finds herself on all fours as the world comes alive with scents.
She pays attention to the vision, though most of the information they had already surmised. The other animals around her were distracting, as she couldn't help but wonder if some of them were prey.
When the snake appears, all other thoughts go away and she lets a growl escape her throat. She circles around, letting her instincts find a good spot to attack. She darts in, snapping her jaws at the snake.
The spider skitters around behind the serpent and lunges onto its back, trying to sink its fangs into it from behind as it’s legs take hold!
Realizing that he was most likely the snake's priority target, our heroic weasel engaged in Total Defense!
Cica gasps as her spirit takes the form of a glowing antelope. She delights in her newfound form, leaping through the spirit-realm.
When the serpent appears, she instinctively charges.
The snake whirls to bite at the porcupine with the flaming tail that gave it such a nasty whack.
The spider continues sinking its fangs into the serpent.
Ilistra's nose turns up at the snake's musky scent, but she continues to nip at its coiled body.
The spectral antelope gives the snake another jab. As she does, she thinks to herself,
I wonder if Ilistra can use her flames here?--and then--I wonder if I can talk here?
She opens her mouth and attempts to say, "Ilistra..."...wondering if it'll work.
Garland viciously bit his serpentine foe!
The spirit animals cut down the snake with their overwhelming numbers. The last blow against it severs its head. The decapitated serpentine body thrashes and writhes violently before gradually fading away.
Once the group defeats the spirit, Nkechi and the Thirteenth exit the trance. When they awake, the soldiers discover that any damage they took while in dream form is only nonlethal damage.
When the trance ends, Nkechi insists on accompanying the group as their guide. "Whatever you are facing is a danger to the gods. They want me to aid you."
Cica shakes her head in wonder as the trance ends.
She clasps Nkechi's hand. "Thank you. While I grew up in the jungles of Southern Terra, I know little of where we're going. I know I will learn much from you."
"I look forward to working with you, Nkechi," Garland affirmed.
Seeing Cica on the verge of some religious revelation, our hero offered his many insights on the matter!
Cica puts pieces together, with some help from Garland. "Good point, Garland, that trance-serpent did have the same markings as the serpenfolk priestess Yarzoth did in the temple of Zura. I don't know how things work in the dreamtime, but the way it died seemed just like the stories I've heard about the decapitation of Ydersius.
"But Ydersius died many ages ago, right? Why is hiss story important to all of this?"
"Didn't Yarzoth's notes say she thinks that Saventh-Yhi was the location of Ydersius's decapitation? I think that's why finding the city was so important to her. Which means us finding it before her would probably be good, if only to stop whatever she wants."
Ilistra blinks as the vision fades. She checks her extremities, making sure she was back in her own body, and runs her tongue across her teeth to test them for sharpness.
She rises to her feet, still a little annoyed that the man who assumed them "blissful incompetents" would now be guiding them through the jungle.
Darius stood and thanked the man for his readiness to now join their company. He notes Ilistra’s frustration and gives her a subtle smirk and nod in understanding and agreement.
"Nkechi, do you have preparations to make? We leave in three days, but you're welcome to come with us now, if you're ready."
"I am ready now. Let us go."
During the final few days of preparation, Garland secured some last minute supplies and attempted to iron out the terms of Alexandra's employment.