Hmm something about a rod? Some keys that make her powerful?
Alyssa takes out the rod that had been with the stuff found. It hadn't been magical but had some symbols scribed on it that she was curious about.... "I wonder if this rod could have something to do with it? It didn't detect as magical or anything."
"I suppose something doesn't have to be magical to function as a kind of key," Tarial suggested. "Maybe it's a clue of some kind." She glanced over the rod, casting Read Magic as she did in case it was a spell or incantation.
She also knew Common, Gnomish, Elven, Orc and Goblin. She might be able to read it anyway.
Curious about this stick that has everyone so interested, Rei wanders over to look at the rod over Tarial's shoulder.
The old elf looks on and when seeing the rod, reaches for it.
"Those are old words, ones that where spoken when the village was founded. When I was a child we used to play in a ring of stones. My gran went with us when I asked her about the words on the stones she said they where placed there when the 1st house was built. Words in the found foundation she said."
She smiles.
"A woman in green who comes at night, and a ring of mysterious stones. This conundrum grows more vexing with each passing moment."
Rei looks at the others with confusion, wishing that she'd been around the village enough to know what the elf was talking about, or that Korliss would use smaller words. "Vexing, is that like hexing? Like a witch does?"
Valerie returned to the group. "I warned the hunters of the woman in green. That way they may not be caught off guard." She explained. "So, what did you all learned?" She asked.
"If this woman in green is connected to a song from Grandma Jill's youth, she may be dangerous fey. Warning the hunters may not be enough. I think we need more information"
She turns back to Jill, "Grandma Jill, do you remember where the first house was built? Where would we find the ring of stones or the first found foundation?"
Old Jill points at Valerie,
"You should ask that young lady there, By her ears she looks to be a Kvalheim. Founding 12 and the ones who got their house up 1st so my grandmother said. She said they used magic to do it. Up overnight it was."
Valerie blinks a couple of times and states. "Yes I am a Kvalheim. Wait, are you all looking for my house?" Valerie asked with a raised eyebrow. "Why are we looking for my house?"
"M-m-maybe we should w-w-wait for the hunters to c-c-come back?" Berold suggests, both concerned and, to be honest, a little afraid. "They will know w-w-what to d-d-do."
"The hunters are busy, and I've never been in Valerie's basement, it sounds like fun! C'mon Val, she said there was some clue in your basement..." Rei pauses, a bit confused "...at least she said 'foundation'. Foundation means basement, right?"
"They said they would keep their eyes open but if it is a fey... then they might need all the help they can get." Valerie muttered.
"No, the basement is not the foundation. The foundation is what was laid first when building the house. But... I don't think there is anything special about ours." Valerie said as she tried to think back to the stories she had been told. "We should ask my father, he might know something."
Valerie began to head home, motioning for the group to follow her. "Come on, the least we can do is try and follow up."
Rei heads off with Valerie, a huge smile on her face at the prospect of even more exploration and adventure.
Jediah has a bad feeling Maybe some of us should warn the hunters.
"Yes, let us discuss this foundation stone circle, and what it truly means. Fey are tricky creatures, and knowledge is crucial to managing such trickery."
Shrugging, Tarial followed along.
Should we turn our clothing inside out? I hear that protects you from fey magic.
"My family has dealt with a lot of odd things in the woods, and they've never told me of this clothing thing...I'm not sure it's really a thing..." She pauses, and then looks a little embarrassed. "Honestly they don't know that much about clothes but Mom did tell me not to take mine off or do anything weird with them when around other people."
As the group gets to Valerie house they found it empty, her family all out doing things for the party to come. Now one in the village has locks on doors as there is no real point.
.
"This isn't surprising, father must be out dealing with people for the festival to come." Valerie said as she opened the door and waved for everyone to come in. The main area of the house was wide and open, carpets covered the floors and tapestries of everything from hunting, farming, and creatures of legends adorned the walls collected and made by past Kvalheims through the years. On the far right side of the wall was the fireplace encircled by a sitting area with chairs and couches that had cushions upon them. This was likely the place that Valerie's father held meetings with those who rented his fishing boats and with Jeanuel's pants over their upkeep and the rare possibility of making new ones. On the left was the dinning area and entrance to the kitchen, the table was likely larger than most of the other people in town and draped in a pale blue cloth, as the Kvalheim did have people over for dinner from time to time outside of their own family. To the left of the table against the wall with the main door, set a large shelf. Half of a dresser and half a bookshelf. Though there were few books to speak of, most of it was lined with beautiful if simple ceramic mugs, plates, bowls, and the like.
On the far back of the wall right across from them was the stairs that lead up to the second story and flanking it on the posts sat two candle holders with unlit candles in them. "The entrance to the basement is over here." Valerie said as she walked to the stairs leading up and knelt down beside a rug that was longer than it was wide, pulling at the bottom of it she rolled it up to reveal a door in the floor. "It is mostly use to keep things for the winter." She explained before she opened the door, leaning it against the back wall. Then she moved to shelf and pulled out a tinder box, bringing it back over and striking a match to light a candle. She placed the tinder box on the table before she twisted the candle holder slightly and pulled it off so that they would have light down below. "Careful on the stairs going down. They're a little steep." Valerie warned before she made her way down first.
Down under the Kvalheim house sat their basement. Cooler than the room area above, it was far darker as well. However upon reaching the bottom of the stairs Valerie started lighting more candles that hung on the walls, giving the group enough light to see. Under that stairs sat stacks of sacks, likely filled with grain, and on the wall behind the stairs set barrels possibly filled with ales, salted meat, and pickled vegetables. The wall across from that, which would be the first one seen by anyone going down the stairs, had shelves built into the wall, holding various sorts of things that were not needed this season. But one thing was the same all around, the basement was composed of stone. "So, what is it we're looking for?" Valerie asked, though she felt a bit uneasy. Her father hadn't allowed her down here often, and those few times she was he had always been with her.
Alyssa casts a cantrip to create some floating lights and moves over to the wall. "Words. Words on the stones. Words in the stones of the foundation, the circle of stones.... I don't know."
Tarial began to poke around at knee height. The others could spot things better in high places, obviously. Sadly she had already used her Dancing Lights today, or she'd have added them in too.
Jediah hunches down to look at the stones
As the light moves about and the group looks Tarials keen Gnome eyes spot something flow down at ground level, behind a set of drying shaves a stone on the foundation larger than the others. Its surface is uneven as if something was chiselled into the stone. The group moves away the selves and has access to the stone.
You can see odd writing on it.
===============
Looking at the rod and the stone you see its the same kind of writing.
Perception Check DC 18
Is as if the words carry on the sentence and if the words on the stone end and the words on the rod carry it on. You don't know how you know this you just so.
===============
The worlds are not magic but
Spell scraft roll DC 20
Its past of a spell, but some of it is missing.
================
The stone is magic, but the words are not fully.
Spell scraft roll DC 20
The stone is linked to something, as if its part of a magic circuit, you can feel the throb of power going in and out of it. Its protective magic of some kind. But its weak and getting weaker.
Distracted by so much wealth and opulence, Berold pays little attention to the investigation. He had always been curious to visit the Kvalheim home, but until now had never been invited inside, for obvious reasons. So much food! So many candles!
He cannot but think it a little unfair that, while his family goes hungry and sleeps by the fire to find refuge from the darkness and the cold in the dead of winter, these rich folks eat their fill and sleep in warm and cozy beds.
Embarrassed by his oafish appearance and countenance, the giant of a young man remains quiet and stands discreetly out of the way...
The writing on the stone and rod look to be the same.
Alyssa holds the rod close to the writing on the foundation and nods. "I don't have read magic or detect magic prepared, but yeah they do look similar."
Tarial moved over, casting both spells. "The stone is magic but the writing isn't." Unfortunately her magical training didn't allow her to learn much more about them.
"I think the words on the stone and the rod are part of the same phrase," she muttered after a minute. "They start on the stone and continue on the rod, but I don't know if there's another part to this."
Korliss casts light as they enter the basement, looking around at the preserved foods and stored goods.
"Hmph, quite the store here. You are most ready for a harsh winter."
perception
"A series of magical writings? Like one might find on a holh tablet, or a scroll? Does anyone have magical knowledge skills?"
"My father has always been the kind to be prepared for anything..." Valerie said with a small shrug.
Following after her friends Valerie looked at the writing in the stone. "Why would this be here?" Valerie asked aloud. Slowly the youngest Kvalheim began to pace around the basement, muttering to herself. Then she stopped and looked to Alyssa. "You mentioned that Grandma Jill sang a song? What was the song?" She asked.
in the twilight before dead of night when all can be seen, she comes in green.
Many a young heart lost from sight into the night from green kisses blight.
In the twilight before dead of night when all can be seen, she comes in green.
They worked in day but at night they hid away, lease she stay.
In the twilight before dead of night when all can be seen, she comes in green.
Then came ones, whose souls where clean, could see between, to find her keys announced the trees.
In the twilight before dead of night when all can be seen, she comes in green.
Then on the hour ripped out her power, locked away rod to say, until the day.
In the twilight before dead of night when all can be seen, she comes in green.
Thouse who would stop her must undo humm darr humm darrr.
Valerie paused. In the low light of the candles few could see her eyes darting left to right as she mutter to herself. The glow lit up parts of her face, but her green eyes seemed to flicker. "Coldfyre..." Valerie finally began "my family blade is a cold iron longsword. The story with it has long been it got the name because of the metal it was made out of and its properties that made it useful against Fey creatures. I've often wondered why a cold iron weapon? Fey are troublesome true, but we've never had the worst from them. So it had to be made for a reason. What if this was the reason?" Valerie asked the group. "The song says they sealed her power away...into a rod." She said as she motioned for the one who carried the red to hand it to her. "The founding families... if something like this could have been done they would have needed to hold her somewhere.... what if this was the place they held her? Then removed and sealed her power into this rod?"
"W-w-which are the f-f-founding families?" Berold asks, embarrassed by his lack of education...
The founding familys
The Kvalheim, the Kiruns The Tilira and the fox clan? what this means is lost in time.
"Outside of the Kvalheim family, there are the Kiruns, Tilira, and the Fox clan. We just know that those are the oldest ones in the area... as the real founding of our home is obviously not complete." Valerie point out.
"If this green lady Fey is sealed away by the rod, we should work to keep her locked up. She nearly tricked someone into being eaten by a monster tree, there's no telling what she could've done with her power unshackled."
Despite her initial excitement at all of the fancy things in Valerie's houme, Rei seems confused and a little nervous, as she does not fully understand what is going on.
"The fox clan? That is an odd name for a family here."
I do not want them investigating foxes...I hope that it is just a strange nickname for one of the biped families in town.
Do the Kiruns and the Tilira still exist?
Just then there are shouts from outside the house, something had the villagers upset.
A fray! Jediah hurries outside.
Tarial tried to remember if there were any 'surprises' she'd set up that might be the cause of such a commotion, but she couldn't remember any. That didn't mean it wasn't an old one she'd forgotten, but...
"Best go see what's happening." She headed upstairs and out.
As you come out of the house you see a small group gathered around two of the hunters who went out to cut down the tree.
One is helping the other to talk. Robbet and Julus, is clear as you get close that Julus is not looking well. His skin as an odd green shade to it.
"What happened to Julus? Was he poisoned or envenomated?"
Korliss moves over to the green-hued man, drawing out a handful of berries as he goes.
Maybe the evil tree did something to him!