Izzy and Mal fly to the top of the mesa, while Natalya and Greta make the arduous climb up the side of the Maiden statue. As they ascend, a pair of glowing will-o'-wisps emerge to pester them, but stern growls from both the barbarian and the wolf scare them away!
Eventually, after twenty minutes or so, they rejoin their companions at the mesa atop the statue. Vertiginous cliffs surround the mesa top on all sides, though a rock wall backing the top of the figure’s head rises above the plateau, creating some cover from the cold winds blowing across the mesa. From every direction the view is dizzying, offering a clear panorama of miles and miles of Iobarian wilderness. A small copse of bare, weathered trees stands in the shelter of the rock wall, their knotted roots clinging desperately to the cold, hard stone. Dozens of bones litter the ground before the grove, some so ancient that the trees’ roots appear to grow right through them. Behind the trees, a shadowy arched opening in the wall leads deep inside the rock.
At the center of the grove stands a sinister tree. Nearly 18 feet tall, the tree appears similar to a willow tree with a trunk in the shape of a nubile young woman. As soon as you enter the grove, the tree addresses you: “All who seek to enter Artrosa must first present me with a sacrifice.”
The tree gestures to a gutted centaur hanging from its branches. "You must prove your worth to pass inside. Offer me something warm, living, and bloody, or I will take a sacrifice myself—one of my choosing. I have stood here for centuries and claimed many sacrifices. Their bones are a testament to their foolishness in thinking they could win their way past me."
Natalya is far too tired and grumpy to pick up on nuance and simply hefts her sword, before looking to Mal and Izzy to say something.
"Well, thats not going to be happening!" Izolda says confidently but looks to her friends with a worried look, her gaze settling on Greta.
Turning back, she casts to detect any magical effects that may be close by.
"This tree's holding out on us. I think there's another way past her," Malkiel says.
"Hmph. There is another way to prove your worth," the tree says begrudgingly. "You must answer this riddle correctly. If you fail, I will take my sacrifice.
Midnight, Morning, Bright Sun—
Spoke thee with but one.
Accursed now you be,
For he befell the wrath
Of two times seven.
Oh tell me, who is he?"
"We met Black Midnight." Natalya says slowly. "Is Queen Elvanna the fourteenth queen? If she was then that's probably the answer."
Izolda turns to Natalya. "Do you mean the black rider?" She asks. "Thats impressive Naty." She says with a smile to her best friend, intrigued by the riddle and impressed by her friend's unusual insight.
"What do you think Mal, Naty? The black rider?"
Mal gives a shrug. When you answer the Black Rider, the tree replies, "Tell me his name!" Foturnately, Izolda is knowledgeable in matters of lore, and she remembers his name was Illarion Matveius. When she gives that name, the tree begrudgingly relents. "Very well. You may enter Artrosa, but do so at your own peril!"
The tree steps aside, revealing an archway leading to a set of stone stairs leading down into darkness..
Malkiel is even more impressed by Natalya's show of intelligence. "WOW. You're clearly holding out with us with that big brain of yours. Well done!."
He then proceeds to walk with Greta, though slightly behind so she can be more in front towards the danger than he is.
The door leads to a long and twisting flight of stone stairs carved into a cramped passage of cold black basalt. Ancient wall carvings on both sides of the passage depict wide fields filled with wildflowers and springing deer. After a final turn, the stairs end 500 feet below in a large, rectangular chamber.
Hewn from the surrounding basalt, the walls of this large chamber have been chiseled into an incredibly intricate display of thousands of wildflowers. In the middle of each of the carvings, a wreath of pinecones encircles a life-sized carving of a young nude woman. On the north wall, the figure washes her hair. On the east wall, the figure sits staring upward at a crescent moon. On the south wall, the figure picks a bouquet of flowers, while to the west, the figure points to a triangular, knot-shaped symbol. An open archway beckons in the southwest corner.
A female giant with two heads keeps watch here. The two heads seem to be arguing with each other in a pidgin language made up of words in Giant, Goblin, and Orc. Both heads turn when they see you though, snarling with anger!
Greta growls and rushes forward to bite at the giant. But she misses, and the each of the giant's head proclaims a hex upon the winter wolf. One gives her the evil eye, then the other puts her to sleep!
Natalya doesn't like evil witches, so she marches into the room and aims to trim off a head or two.
Izolda stares at the creature, her eyes a black swirling vortex.
Malkiel turns invisible and moves opposite of Natalya, flanking a creature.
+3 Bleed damage with SA.
+3 Bleed damage with SA.
The two-headed ettin dodges Nat’s attack before she is afflicted by Izolda’s evil eye. She tries to give Nat the evil eye with one head and put her to sleep with the other,
Despite being drained by nightmares Natalya still doesn't want to go to sleep!
Izolda tries turning its trick back upon itself now she knows it is afflicted by her own hex.
The two-headed witch falls to the floor, both heads snoring as she falls asleep!
Natalya proceeds to separate each head from the ettin's body with all the interest a butcher would show in beheading a lamb carcass.
"I don't want to sleep." She says, glowering at the sightless eyes.
"So, let's keep going. You alright Naty? For a moment I thought you were gonna collapse with exhaustion! Least you didn't. I think we need to be expeditious about this, Im worried what happens if we don't get out of this place before the sun rises again."
Crude stone stairs twist through this winding passage. The temperature drops sharply and a rime of hoarfrost settles upon the walls.
After about 100 feet, you come across a locked stone door on the west wall. The stairs continue down past the door.
"One moment, my lovelies. Let me take care of this." Malkiel pulls out his tools and takes a knee at the door, taking his time on it and not working quickly.
Natalya is happy to take a break and let Mal work.
Mal eventually opens the lock, allowing you to explore beyond the door. This natural cavern is warm and humid, and stinks of stagnant water. Wisps of water vapor hover just above the floor, somewhat concealing a swampy morass of fungus. In some areas of the cave, large lumpy piles of fungus rise from the slop like fetid islands, and long, rubbery fungal strands hang from the ceiling and walls.
A fiendish satyr hovers in the air here. He smirks as he raises his pan pipes to his lips...
Natalya marches into the room and swings mightily at the floating satyr.
"What?!" Malkield says, frowning, "You just sit here behind locked doors waiting for people to pick them an enter? How terrible is your life?"
Drawing one of his daggers, he takes aim and throws it up into the air at the Satyr.
+3 Bleed damage with SA.
As Natalya marches into the room, a huge heap of fungal matter rises up to confront her! This plant’s thick trunk is capped by a crown of wide leaves, whipping vines, mushrooms, and a ravenous purple maw. She turns from the fiendish satyr to this new threat, slicing into it with her sword.
Mal, meanwhile, hurls a dagger at the satyr, leaving a bleeding wound as it sinks into his gut.
The satyr doesn't respond to Mal's barbs, instead playing a jaunty tune laced with enchantment to compel the rogue to fight the plant monster. Said monster's wounds begin to regenerate as it attacks Nat, though she is able to dodge away!
Naty, pleased to have something she can kill, sets to work on the gardening.
Izolda rushes to Natalya and casts upon her, knowing she won't object.
"You want me to do what? Attack the plant monster? Are you crazy? I have an enlarged woman wielding a plant-destroying weapon in her hand to do that. No thanks!"
Flipping Sheave into his hand, he balances the blade before throwing it at the Satyr again. "Besides. This is way more fun!"
+3 Bleed damage with SA.
The fungal monster attacks Natalya again while the satyr stops playing his pipes. Snarling in irritation, he blasts Mal with unholy energy!
As Natalya feels her size increase she grins for the first time in days and brings her even larger sword down on the plant monster.
Malkiel screams out in pain when the unholy energy rips through his body making him sick. Looking over at Izolda he says [b]"Hey! Little help here?"[]/b]
He turns back to the pest and tries to throw a regular dagger this time, not wanting to loose his last good one. The weight is off however and it flies far to wide.
"Stop getting in harm's way then!" Izolda scolds, as she moves to Mal.
Natalya cuts down the fungus creature with two mighty blows. The satyr dodges Mal’s dagger before casting a spell. His hand bubbles with poisonous vapors as he swoops down at the rogue.
Izolda turns her attentions to the satyr, willing it to fall unconscious.
Natalya's sword whistles over Mal's head to cut deep into flying satyr flesh.
Malkiel moves as the Satyr drops at his feet. He kicks it once for good measure before retrieving both of his knives from its body. He wipes the blood off of them and puts them away before nodding once.
"Either I get hit so you don't have to or I let you get injured and then I get to make remarks about you not getting hit. Which do you prefer, Izzy?."
Indeed, Natalya’s blade makes swift work of the satyr. Greta, who had been standing protectively beside Mal and growling at the fiend who was out of reach, now licks the aasimar’s wounds. ”Are you alright, my mate? Next time I will ensure no harm befalls you.”
A passage continues to the west when you are ready to proceed.
Izy groans at Malkiel before leaving him to the attentions of Greta, knowing that they will be enough punishment for now.
"Let's go." The very large barbarian says, catching Izzy's eye. Neither of them need to hear Grelda fawning over Mal.
A series of head-high partitions fashioned from intricately brocaded cloth panels stretched over wooden frames take up the center of the next cavern, forming a large enclosed area in the center of the chamber.
In the southern portion of the chamber, a wall of unmortared fieldstone covers the natural cavern. A locked stone door carved with the image of a young maiden walking with a deer in a wood stands in the center of the wall. Arches in the southwest and northeast corners lead to additional corridors.
One of the partitions opens and a barefoot young human woman steps out. She is beautiful, with long, dark hair, and she wears a simple homespun dress. ”At last! Somebody has come to save me!” she says excitedly.
Natalya is immediately suspicious of the woman!
"Save you from....?" Izolda says, letting the sentence drift off, not trusting the woman to talk much further.
"The warden of Artrosa!" the woman says. "She is a malicious monster who wears a false human guise. She has imprisoned me here, under the watch of her fiendish guardians, and she performs all manner of atrocities on me and the others who inhabit this place."
She focuses her pleading gaze on Mal. "Oh, please! You must protect me and kill the wicked warden! Only then can I escape to freedom!"
Greta bares her teeth and stands protectively in front of Mal. Neither Natalya nor Izolda sense any falsehood from the woman.
Malkiel pats Grelda's back softly twice and tries to keep his tongue from falling out of his mouth. He declares, "Fear not young maiden, we will slay this wicken warden and free you from this false imprisonment."
Stepping forward with a broad smile he says "I'm Malkiel and it would be my pleasure to help set you free."
"Oh, thank you, brave warrior! My name is Caigreal." The woman flashes a dazzling smile. "I beg you, do not leave me here alone. Allow me to accompany you as you seek out the warden of this place to slay her!"
Mal furrows his brow and holds his hand to stay the woman, "I think it would be safer should you stay here a short while longer. Nothing good will come of you accompanying us other than danger to yourself. I know you want to be free, and you have my word you will, but please remain here until we return to free you."
Caigreal seems reluctant to be left alone, but she relents. "Very well. You are capable warriors, yes? You will be able to defeat the warden? She is very powerful and wields dangerous magic!"
Natalya can't help but feel that this is a trick - the woman is acting exactly like the heroine of a romance novel that she's definitely never read(!). Surely any real person wouldn't be so dramatic? But she's really tired and its hard to think straight through that...
Malkiel scoffs, "We slay dragons, my dear maiden, surely a warden will be no match for our might."
Izolda looks at Greta, worried as to how she will react to this new interest of Mal's. Feeling a little sorry for her, and a little brave, Izolda walks over to the wolf with an apprehensive smile. "He's just being friendly you know, its because he is a kind man."
The second part of the sentence sounded a little forced, but this was also her attempt to avoid much more confrontation and she knew it was worth a shot.