Thurl pulls back the hood of his cloak and says, ”Interesting, the question is, is there a magical means that causes the difference in temperature?”
Thurl looks around and says, “”Now, where were those giants? I guess no one knows Giant. Great, I took the time to learn Infernal but I had no idea we would need giant. I’m regretting learning Orc when I was a child now instead of Giant. Let’s be slow and quiet since we don’t know what we are getting into.” Thurl begins creeping up the platforms, with an eye out for any more surprises.
Brag follows Thurl up the "stairs" and platforms checking for any signs or sensations of evil as they go. He's not sure just how stealthy this group can be considering what they are doing and where they are doing it. But, it doesn't hurt to be cautious.
"Did anyone think to bring along Roccavisk's muddy buddy? I don't see it."
Unfortunately, Roccavisk's muddy buddy only has a range of 30'. She would not have cast it had she known.
The platform is stable, though you feel precarious as you zigzag upwards. The wooden platform begins where the snow and ice stop.
As you get higher and higher, the planks level out and a two story tall simple stone building is built into the cliff. The facade extends a foot from the cliff, and the rest of the building extends back into the rock wall. There are doors into each of these two buildings, though they are shut, and windows in the second floor.
You are approaching in stealth.
Arbaro whispers "To my eyes, this place doesn't usually get this much snow and is collapsing because that SnowBall was creating excess weight of ice and snow. It is also why the warm areas are not broken."
Arbaro scoots up to the closest door and listens for sounds coming from inside.
"I noticed the same thing Arbaro, I would guess that most of this walkway that is still standing is relatively safe."
Though the going is slow, Thurl uses his magical rope to assist in crossing the collapsed portions of the walkway, willing it to tie onto both ends to aid the group.
Lem knocks on the first door after watching the group sneak around for a few minutes , "HELLO?" and knocks once more before moving to the next building and repeating if needed.
The door creaks open. Inside is a sparsely decorated room, with a short table and empty pots against the walls, an incense burner, and nooks into the stone wall for storage, all empty. A ladder at the back leads to the upper story. A dry well sits in the corner.
On the floor, near the ladder, lays a man on a wooden mat. He is extremely thin, his gaunt ribs showing through his clothing. His sunken cheeks and frail limbs show little signs of life until he open his eyes at your entrance. He wears the robe of an Iroran acolyte. He tries to speak but his throat is too dry.
After checking for evil, Brag will either attack if evil, or offer water/food and healing (Lay on Hands) if needed.
Edit: As Brag considers his choices, he remembers that Thurl keeps being blocked from talking to those that we encounter. At that realization, Brag decides that if he is indeed evil and since this person is obviously not 100% and, therefore, not much of a threat, that he will wait and give Thurl an opportunity to talk to the man, if he can speak. Then he can destroy the evil when Thurl is finished. He secretly hopes he isn't evil, but is the droid one they are looking for.
"NO!" Brag yells at Lem and attempts to block the blow from Quaker. "Thurl wants to talk with him. Let me give him water."
Thurl looks to Bragoleb to see how he reacts to the man. Assuming he doesn’t shoot him, Thurl offers him some of his water and say, ”Hello, we are here to see what happened here. Sleepy sent us.”
Arbaro stands in the doorway to cover our backs and exit should this be a trap.
The man dribbles a little water onto his mouth and says, "Thank you. We have not eaten in weeks. There are more of us upstairs, and further up the ramp as well. We are so glad to see you."
His voice is tired and dry, but you can sense genuine joy at your presence.
Brag relaxes as he see that the man is not evil, but truly grateful. He stoops down on one knee to get closer to aid and talk with the man.
"My friend, I have some food and water to share. Take what you need, but go easy or you'll make yourself sick. Why have you not eaten or gone out to seek food? Is something or someone keeping you and the others against your will?"
To the others, "One of you check upstairs for more of them."
Arbaro moves to head up the stairs with his water ready, knowing that his spells will do nothing for starvation and dehydration.
The man says, "We have been stuck up here in Kir Sabal for... 3 months? Whenever the ramp to the mountain broke. A long time without contact with the Swaying Lantern. We waited and waited for assistance, but none came. The Elder was supposed to come, but we never saw him. Our food supplies have run thinner than the air up here."
Up the ladder, Arbaro sees four more priests in robes, lying on dirty beds. They are just as thin as the man below, but their hollow eyes light up when they see Arbaro scale the ladder.
"Food! Rescue! We are saved!" they say, reaching their dirty nails at Arbaro. You see that these four are even dirtier than the man downstairs, as if they had been sleeping in dirt, water too precious to waste on washing.
"So you were just traveling through? Do you know how the ramp broke?"
Lem also provides water and food to the starving people.
"how long has it been since you've eaten?"
Thurl assists in getting the 4 priests down to the lower level and says, "Is there anyone else in the retreat? And...the Elder you say? The Elder never arrived? Has Slymr been here recently?"
Thurl goes aside with Bragoleb and says, "We must focus on saving these people. I assume we don't have enough rations with us to care for them properly here, correct? We need to get them back to down the mountain and to the monastery. Is there anything else we need to do here before we leave?"
"Thurl, we have some choices to make. Do we take these and other back to Sleepy to regain their strength? They may not be able to make the trip. Do we rebuild the climbing path first? Do we find the source of their plight and eliminate that evil first? Do we go for help and supplies? We don't know how long our supplies will last until we find out how many priests and others are here. I think we need more answers from these starving priests."
"No, we live here, but have been unable to leave for 3 months. The ramp broke from the excessive ice and snow by this freak weather phenomenon."
The man takes another sip of water but not the food. "I mustn't hurry myself, lest I devour too much and make my stomach ill at ease with such foreign tastes. We last ate..." his eyes glide over each of you, his mouth moving silently as he tries to recall. "Two weeks ago? Maybe more? Starvation hurts my memory."
After the assistance, the four stand around, leaning against walls or tables, weak and thin. They know nothing of Slymr, but seem to be confused about whether or not the Elder has come; some say yes, others no.
"We are too weak to make the move below until we've regained our strength. Please stay and help us while we recover."
”well, they’ve made the choice. Let’s find the elder and defeat whatever corruption we find. We may not have provisions for extended duration, but surely we can do some good here.
Thurl looks pityingly at the monks and says, "We will do what we can, perhaps we will need to go back to the monastery for building supplies."
Arbaro notices that the monk was lying and that Sleepy's Grandpa is here, among them.
Arbaro attempts to identify him without raising suspicion.
"There are other structures up the cliff that we need to check for other monks in the same condition. Let's finish here and move on. We will check back soon."
To Bragoleb, ”Ah yes, we should check to see if there are more monks farther up.”. Thurl turns to the monks and says , ”How many more people are there farther up the retreat?”
The first monk reaches for you as you try to go and begs, "Please, no, stay with us, share a meal with us. Tho, start some of this fresh water boiling. And Ramadiwadi, cut up this meat these travelers have graciously given us."
The acolytes begin to prepare a meal for you and themselves using the fresh supplies you just brought. You can tell they are hungry for contact with others as much as they are for food.
"We have not seen new faces in so long. The others can wait. There are another dozen or so of us further above. First you must tell us all about yourselves. What spices are your favorites? How often do you bathe? Are any of you runners or dancers?"
Brag whispers secretly to Thurl, "That seems odd, if they are dying from starvation, why aren't they concerned about the other monks? Something isn't right." Brag, begin somewhat suspicious, checks the monks and the rooms for any signs evil. Detect Evil in progress!
"We'll have time to share a meal later, we really should go check on the others. If they are in your condition they should need help."
Seeing the people here having food to eat Lem starts out the door, "You guys coming?"
Thurl agrees with Bragoleb and Lem and begins to leave to check out farther up the retreat.
When the party is out of earshot on the stairs, Arbaro relays what he noticed about the monks.
The monk is definitely a monk. You see not only the robes but his calloused feet (from walking barefoot) and inkstains around his hands (from copying holy texts). He may be lying about the Elder, but not about being a monk. You do not recognize him otherwise. His teeth do seem worn down more than usual, with dirt in his gums.
"Something is not right but I can't put my finger on it. Deadeye guide us."
As we ascend the stairs, Arbaro draws his bow and follows just after Lem, ready for action.
"Brag, watch our backs. I don't fully trust them."
"I've got our backs." Brag readies his bow and brings up the rear of the party.
"Seems like everywhere we go there are people not to trust," Lem keeps walking, [b]"well, lets check the buildings for the other monks." Looking around at all the buildings and the path, "Did anyone ask where the other monks were supposed to be? I wonder why they weren't together."
As you leave the building, the pleading eyes of the monks all fixate on you, but they are not strong enough to keep you from leaving. They moan and plead for you to stay and enjoy a meal with them.
You make your way past two more empty houses before coming to a wooden stair. At the top is a patch of soil, a chunk of the cliff bulging out enough for a tree to be planted here. It is withered and small, not unusual for this altitude, and there are three fruits no larger than Lem's palm hanging from the limbs. The fruit are all different; one large and spiny, one soft and long, the last small as a cherry but bright yellow.
"Well, that is some strange looking fruit. What do you guys make of it? Why did the monks decide not to eat this?"
"Maybe it was rotten."
Lem approches and smells the fruit in effort to tell if that is the case and shares his findings.
"Lets ask the next set of monks what is going on with this tree."
Brag sees the odd tree and says, "Don't touch it, it looks suspicious." After checking it for evil, "The tree is good, but chaotic. I still wouldn't touch something that grows more than one kind of fruit. And, the fact that it detects as good at all makes me wonder about it. Trees aren't normally good or evil, they're just trees. Thurl, what do you know about this strange tree?"
Thurl stops to look at the strange tree. the presence of different kinds of fruit definitely intrigue him and he takes the time to investigate the tree but doesn't really determine anything about it.
"Well, I can't tell anything about it from just looking at it. We can ask about it later if we want...How can a tree be good?" Thurl looks long and the fruit as though considering, but eventually moves on.
In the absence of further understanding, Lem moves to the next building and knocks/ searches.
The fruit smells spicy and potent, each one giving a slightly different scent than the other.
As you take the switchback, you see the monks from below that you just talked with slowly walking their way up the ramp toward you. They have abandoned the food you gave them and shuffle toward you slowly, raising their arms as they meet your gaze, pleadingly.
The next building is build the same as the first three. Inside is a similar display of poverty and dwindling food supplies. You hear conversation from the floor above, and a head pokes out of the window. A monk, thin, haggard, and her eyes light up at the sight of you. "Food!" she says in a weak voice. Down the line of houses ahead of you three more heads pop out of the windows, all with skeletal-thin monks excited at the presence of outsiders and the possibility of food.
Arbaro's internal thoughts while moving to the new location.
I wonder what is with those fruits. Maybe I should pick them and bring them with me. Thrul says the tree is good, so it probably means no harm.
Arbaro decides to pick the fruit. He smells each one and then carefully wraps them individually and puts them in his quiver for safekeeping and easy retrievability.
Then he rejoins the party as they approach the new monks.
”how are you all usually supported, seems to me folks should have a source of food within reach.
Lem looks around, no farmers, no livestock, what kind of life is that?
Lem shakes his head and looks in bafflement at all of the monks, ”how many of you are here?
