Ruinë groans from the pain throbbing her in head, reaching out with one hand to hold the side of it while she works with the rune on the other.
Grelda reels at the mental wallop from the device nearly overwhelms her senses, but she grits her teeth and leans into the work, managing to disable the final rune!
As it flickers and fades, the runic halos surrounding the soldiers vanish as well. They groan and hold their heads as they come back to their senses.
The dancing blade returns to Tasha's hand and she slips it into her belt. Her own rapier, however, remains drawn and pointed in the direction of the previously enchanted soldiers - just in case.
The soldiers quickly come to order as their commander arrives among them. Most of the garrison members are embarrassed and ashamed at having been caught up in the convergence lattice’s effects. After all, their position here is to guard against danger, and the fact that they all fell prey to this threat is a marked failure in that goal. They are grateful that you were able to destroy the lattice without casualties, and the rangers express their appreciation for your thorough handling of the situation.
Captain Kendley Nathrael is grateful for your assistance, but she doesn’t shirk her responsibilities as leader of the Eagle Garrison fort. She questions you about your business, but she already suspects you're on the trail of the xulgaths and therefore headed to the Verdant Beacon.
Kendley asked the garrison’s giant eagle partners to scout out the route following the xulgaths’ recent passage along that road to a location called the Vale of Aroden. The garrison’s giant eagle allies have tried several times over the years to scout that area, but thick clouds bar a visual assessment from above, and the clouds themselves have a disorienting effect, rerouting the eagles back down the mountain whenever they fly through. The soldiers themselves aren’t equipped for a mountaineering expedition and are reluctant to risk scouting a location that, save for recent xulgath activity, seems abandoned. Kendley also cautions you against using teleportation magic in the mountains. The fort is relatively well-stocked, and you are welcome to rest there before continuing their journey.
As a reward for your efforts, Kendley offers you a box containing two flasks of ambrosia of undying hope, a white wyrm dragon’s breath potion, and 10 platinum trade bars worth 1,000 gp each. She also offers you a shield of the unified legion.
The next morning, you depart the Eagle Garrison and head deeper into the mountains to reach the Vale of Aroden. Since teleportation doesn't work in the Kortos Mounts, you have to follow along the narrow track that leads up into the mountain peaks.
As you pass through one of the last forested portions of the trail, the weather begins to turn remarkably bad. Clouds darken what can be seen of the sky through the evergreen forest boughs, first blocking the sun and then blotting out the remaining light until the forest is draped in a dim twilight. Fat flakes of snow begin to fall, faster and faster, and in only a few moments, the trail is draped in a growing blanket of white. The snowfall dampens all sound, and even the trees just off the trail are hard to make out through the flurry.
"This is most unnatural! Beware!" Grelda shouts, wrapping her butterfly cloak tightly around her to ward off the chill.
Indeed, only a few minutes later, a monstrous creature emerges from the heavy snowfall with a roar! A gargantuan ice linnorm rears up to attack!
Grelda attempts to dominate the linnorm, but it fights off the spell with a supreme effort of willpower!
The linnorm opens its jaws and breathes forth a blast of freezing, viscous ooze!
Unable to dodge the ice, Ruinë's body begins to freeze over. Luckily, she escape before it has a chance to harden and immobilize her.
Looking towards the heavens, she calls forth a burst of sunlight to cut through the icy cold.
Tasha nimbly rolls aside, avoiding the freezing ooze entirely. Not wanting to deal with a creature such as this, she holds her hands out wide away from her weapons as she approaches the dragon-like beast.
"WAIT!" she shouts out in her best crowd-addressing voice. "We are not your enemies, nor do we wish to be! We only wish to pass through and face the evil force that threatens us all! Surely, you in your great strength can show wisdom as well by letting us pass unmolested."
Grelda whirls and spins, gauzy silks streaming behind her, as she completely evades the icy breath!
Ruine appeals to the linnorm to stand down, and the enormous wyrm regards her curiously. "Hmmm," it rumbles. "I know not of this evil force you speak, but I have no quarrel with you. It is the other beings that spur me to attack you, that they might take advantage of the chaos to snatch you away. They come now--beware!"
The linnorm burrows down into the snow once more, but its warning resonates. As Ash swells in size and grips his flaming weapon, Ruine activates her stoneskin while Ruine and Grelda ready spells.
A few moments later, two monsters swop down out of the snowstorm! Each of these large beasts has a rack of vicious antlers and feet that trail off into bloody stumps. Ruine unleashes a sunburst upon the pair, while Grelda fills the air with an unnatural song!
Though the creatures dodges some of the sunburst, they are still badly burned, as they are weak to fire. Grelda's spell renders the monsters blind!
Still, they continue to swoop in to attack. They try to grab Ruine and Grelda with their claws, but both miss!
Ruinë steps up to fire a blast of fire at one of the creatures, attempting to finish it.
Tasha snarls, baring her black teeth as the creatures threaten the half-elf. She then dashes forward, stabbing at the enemy nearest her lady-love.
Grelda effortlessly sustains the unfathomable song as strides through the snow away from the monsters, taking shelter behind her enormous husband. Both creatures are stupefied by the spell! She focuses her powers as she splits her curse of death hex, targeting both foes!
Though Ruine misses with her fire ray, Tasha demoralizes the enemy facing her and then stabs it with her rapier. Ashlion delivers two strikes, one a critical hit that ignites the monster and flenses the flesh from its body! It plunges into the snow, the flames scorching its body melting the ice around it to slush as it thrashes and dies.
The remaining wendigo unleashes a forlorn howl that echoes through the mountains, instilling fear in your hearts!
The tiefling steels herself against the howl that reverberates through her soul. She spins through the snow to take a flanking position to Ashlion and stabs at it.
Ash's howl leaves the monster frightened. He and Tasha move in, landing some powerful blows.
Grelda is shaken by the monster's howl, but she continues her unfathomable song, leaving the creature stupefied.
She targets it with a phantasmal killer spell, and while it doesn't die outright, the terror overwhelms its mind, causing it to flee!
As it turns to run, Ash takes advantage by delivering a critical strike to finish it off!
The larger of the two creatures wears a necklace of trinkets and tokens. Among the mostly worthless detritus are three large, pink topazes worth 2,000 gp each and a dispelling sliver.
Keeping a wary eye out for the linnorm, Tasha gestures in the direction of their goal. "We should keep moving," she says.
You press on through the mountains. As nightfall approaches, you come upon a narrow trail that departs from the main track, leading through a cleft in the stone to a small cave entrance. The area holds several signs of activity, including a series of footprints (recognizable as those of a single halfling), a few neatly cleaned bones stacked to one side of the cave entrance, and faint soot marks along the top of the cave mouth.
The cave itself is only about 20 feet wide and 30 feet deep, with a low ceiling barely 5 feet high. The cave interior is outfitted with simple but cozy furnishings—a bed‐like nest of furs, a fire circle with a tea kettle and an iron pot nearby, a rough table holding a wooden bowl, and the like.
An elderly halfling woman is here, and is quite startled to see you poking your heads into her home! She gasps, but does not speak. Instead, she makes a series of questioning signs with her hands.
The halfling winces a bit at Ashlion's booming voice in the tight environs. However, she manages a smile and nods. She points to you and spreads her arms wide, as if asking, Who are you?
Through a series of signs and writing on the dirt of the cave floor, the halfling communicates that her name is Malba. She retreated into the mountains years ago due to a peculiar curse laid upon her by a vindictive priest of Norgorber: no matter what words she speaks aloud, each creature listening hears their own deepest secrets laid bare. Years of misunderstanding and anger fueled by this curse have driven Malba away from settled areas, and she has made her home here, where speaking creatures are unlikely to stumble across her.
Thoughts run through Tasha's head. What would the woman say about her? What would the King of Thieves consider to be her deepest secret?
The tiefling shakes off such musings and explains to the woman what their destination is and their ultimate goal.
"If there's anything you know that can help us, we'd be most grateful," she says. She glances at Ruinë before continuing. "We also offer a home to those that are ... different. No one should have to spend their life entirely alone."
Malba smirks and writes that she isn't exactly alone. She’s on good terms with the ice linnorm whose territory she shares. She is grateful for the kind invitation, but she does not wish to return to society until her curse can be removed.
She does know that a large group of creatures came by recently, but she wisely stayed out of sight; she doesn’t know what type of creatures they were, although she knows they smelled terrible. Malba has also visited the abandoned way station northeast of her home. She recognized the site as a one-time shrine to Iomedae and has encountered an intelligent rapier that calls itself Piereta there; the sword reacted to her as if it could hear her, but it refused to let the halfling claim or wield the weapon. Reluctant to expose herself to further curses or bad luck, Malba left the rapier alone and hasn’t visited the way station since. She admonishes you to be polite to any swords you come across in your travels.
"I'm always polite to swords," Tasha says with a grin. "The owners sometimes? ... not so much." She bows towards the small woman. "We thank you for your silent assistance and if there's anything that we can do to repay you, don't hesitate to ask."
Bidding Malba farewell, you continue along the path through the mountain peaks. After another day of travel, you reach the way station. The crumbling remains of a simple stone structure poke up from the drifting snow. The roof and doors of the small building are long gone, but engraved sword motifs along the walls remain faintly visible despite their age. A gleam of silver shines from a pedestal at the structure’s center.
Grelda reaches out to stop Ashlion before he gets too close, cocking her head. "Shh! Listen. Do you hear that? It sounds like echoed shouts... I think there is a haunt here."
The witch sits cross-legged in the snow and closes her eyes in concentration as she communes with the spirits.
You can all hear the faint shouts now, and the shadows of four xulgaths appear around Grelda, wailing in terror. They re-enact their gruesome deaths at the hands of the wendigos you fought earlier, their terror washing over you. But Grelda remains calm at the center of it, invoking occult rites to calm the spirits. One by one, they seem to sigh and lay down in the snow before vanishing. The haunt is laid to rest.
With the threat neutralized, you can approach the ruined structure. Laying atop a stone altar engraved with distinctive Iomedaean iconography is a pristine rapier. Although much of the structure is discolored by rain and snow or covered with debris from the collapsed roof, the altar remains supernaturally clean and the rapier gleams as if new.
"Approach," the sword says in a bold, feminine voice. "I am Piereta. I was placed in this shrine when my most recent wielder perished over a century ago, and I have lain here abandoned ever since, waiting for one worthy enough to wield me in battle. Might one of you be worthy?"
"Step forward, then, ringmaster, and tell me of your deeds," says Piereta.
"My deeds would speak for themselves if they had a voice. But since they don't, I will speak for them," Tasha says with a sweeping bow.
She then launches into a narrative of the group's journey and the trials they have faced that have lead them to this point. However, consciously or not, she seems to be downplaying her own part.
At the sideways glances her companions are giving her, Tasha realizes that she hasn't presented her best face.
"Look," she begins again. "Our deeds will lift our names high and place them upon the lips of the mighty and divine. We would consider it an honor to be able to lift you to that place as well, so the influence of Iomedae is spread even further. You gain nothing for your goddess lying dormant upon an altar that no one visits."
"Very well. Though you do not share my faith, your goals are worthy. I will allow you to wield me against these xulgaths and prevent them from enacting their dastardly plans," the blade says. As Tasha claims the sword, she understands all of its abilities.
Piereta directs you to a secret compartment built within the stone altar. Inside is a major healing potion and a runestone containing a +3 armor potency rune. "Take these as well, that they may aid you on your quest."
***
You continue your trek through the mountains, and after another day or so, you reach the entrance to the Vale of Aroden. The entrance appears to be nothing more than a narrow mountain pass about 30 feet wide, albeit one that appears prone to rockslides, given the abundance of loose rock and scree in the area. Deep fog obscures the path after about 50 feet.
You carefully follow a faint path through the fog, which gently descends for about a mile through the narrow, winding mountain pass. As you travel the path, the bitter mountain winds lessen and then cease altogether, and the temperature rises steadily to a cool but comfortable average.
After the long trek, the path suddenly widens. A few steps further, the fog lifts away entirely, revealing a crystal-clear view of a wide, secluded valley. At the southeast of the vale is the deep green of a dense forest, while drier hills rise to the northwest. Between them is a wide, grassy plain, marked with a single worn pathway. Not far along this trail is a small stone plaza marked with standing stones and a tall statue; far beyond it is a lake with waters of a pristine turquoise-blue. At the valley’s far end rises a steep-sided mountain peak, crowned by a simple tower with a rich green hue, visible even at this great distance.
You have finally reached the fabled Vale of Aroden! It is here where you will finally confront the xulgaths and hopefully stop them from enacting the extinction curse...
"Yes, we would just have to get past all the ice, snow, and linorms - easy, peasy," Tasha says with a grin. "What are the odds that we'll be able to trek all the way across this vale to that lovely looking tower without some foul smelling lizard interfering?"
She eyes the valley critically.
"Tempted to just fly over the bloody thing," she offers.
"It is tempting," Grelda agrees, "but we may pass over important information or clues as to the hazards inherent in this place, aside from the xulgaths. Let's proceed along the path."
The trail down from the entrance to the valley passes between a pair of statues, about a hundred feet apart. The statues depict Aroden in two of his 12 common guises. The statue to the east wears a simple tunic and leggings and holds an iconic shepherd’s crook, shielding his eyes as he gazes out across the vale, oblivious to the bird droppings that streak his worn granite. On the opposite side of the road, mossy, water-stained stone takes the shape of the man in tattered rags sitting with his back to the wall, one empty hand extended wearily before him.
Not long after you arrive here, a woman of truly titanic proportions approaches. She stands nearly 50 feet tall, wearing a gleaming mithral breastplate and holding an enormous shepherd's crook. Despite her imposing stature, she smiles down at you. "Greetings," she says, speaking slowly and gravely. "My name is Eilosseh. I am a simple shephered who watches over my flock and this valley. I am here to ask for help, and to help those who ask."
Tasha hides her surprise at the woman's size behind her performance smile. Sprouting her wings, she rises in the air to speak to the shepherd in a more face-to-face manner.
"I am Tasha the Fair and these are my companions, Ruinë the Flame, Ashlion of Vudra, and his wife, Grelda Bonehammer," she says as an introduction. Having quickly mastered the art of bowing while in flight, she doesn't hesitate to put it to good use. "We are humble circus performers who have been placed on the path of heroic deeds that have led us to your beautiful valley."
Returning her hat to her head as she straightens back up - her wings beating quickly to hold her aloft - she continues, "Our travels are enriched by meeting people such as yourself, Eilosseh. What help do you ask for? We are possessed of no small skill in many areas and would be happy to assist if we may."
"She is a titan," Grelda tells Ashlion. "A nearly mythical being created by the gods in ancient times."
“I am a shepherd, but my flock has wandered afield," Eilosseh tells Tasha. "Each time I bring a beast here, it wanders off as I search for the next. Will you return my lost flock to me? In exchange, I will tell you of the trials."
She gestures to the statues. "These are the guises taken by a god as he walked among mortals. Each statue is a trial, to determine whether you are like him, in his estimation. Those unlike the god are barred from his tower. The more of the god’s guises you wear, the more easily you can enter.
"Observe each statue you come upon. What guise does the god wear? What does he do in that guise? How can you do the same?” She then points to the statue of the beggar. “Here, the god is a beggar, asking for aid. In asking me, you have done the same. Go to the statue, and you will see that you are like him already, in this guise at least."
Approaching the beggar statue, you feel a distinctive sense of pride and affirmation in your achievement, as though your work had been praised by a stern parent. A subtle magical energy settles around you as the statue bestows on you the title of beggar. The more titles you achieve, the easier your time will be here in the valley.
"It would seem that by assisting you to gather your flock, we would be taking on the role of the shepherd as well. Does that not seem fitting?" Tasha questions with a smile. "But whether we gain or not, we would still wish to help you. What type of creatures are in your flock and to where have they fled?"
"Yes, that seems quite fitting. My flock consists of rare Elysian sheep. They are quite large, with fluffy, iridescent white wool and golden horns. There are five in all running free across the vale. Return them here and I will reward you," Eilosseh says.
You continue on along the path. It climbs a gentle rise amid the rolling plains to a wide plaza paved with aged, cracked flagstones. A century-old tree stretches over the plaza’s northwestern edge, providing a patch of shade over the stones its roots have disrupted. At the center of the pavilion stands a ten-foot-tall statue of a man in tidy robes, a collection of rolled scrolls tucked under one arm. To the north, south, and east, marble obelisks match the statue’s height, inscribed with lines of archaic text. The western obelisk lies broken along the ground.
Three wiry xulgaths in robes are here, studying the obelisks. Upon spotting you, though, they quickly snarl and prepare to attack!
The xulgaths reach out with their psychic abilities, invading your minds and trying to consume your knowledge!
Success The creature is slowed 1 for 1 round.
Failure The creature is slowed 1 and can take no actions other than basic actions for 1 minute.
Critical Failure As failure, and the thoughtmaw is quickened 1 for 1 minute. It can use this extra action to Stride, Strike, or Cast a Spell if the target had prepared spells or a spell repertoire.
Unable to focus on anything complex, Ruinë just tries to stay close to her allies to help keep them blessed.