Audrahni seems a bit surprised by Triel joining the dance, but she reaches out to take her hands. The elf moves with greater confidence as she dances with the drow. Her voice rings out with conviction as she invokes Ashava's name and gracefully pirouettes in place. With a final flourish, she completes the ritual. A series of glowing motes of light dance up from the rubble, spiral around the field, and then swoop down to bathe you all in their soothing light. You feel an overwhelming sensation of thanks and forgiveness as the lights glow bright, then fade away.
Audrahni falls to her knees, tears streaming from her eyes. But her expression is one of joyful rapture, and for the first time in a very long time, the elf smiles. "I can feel her presence again. Oh, Ashava! Thank you for taking me back!"
Elanna doesn't know what the significance of the dancing is, but one of her hands steals into Fi's as they watch Audrahni and Triel dance together.
"We should go dancing." She whispers in her sister's ear. "Get dolled up and have some fun before we set out?"
Fioralba squeezes her sister's hand as a smile slowly spreads over her face. "I'm always up for some fun. Besides. It sounds like we're headed to our deaths, so we might as well blow some of this coin we've picked up on a fantastic evening, no?"
Hope was glad to see the freaky spirit fall and then watched as Audrahni and Triel danced. Hope didn't understand the significance and had no talent when it came to perfroming so she simply watched the pair dance. When they finished Hope could see how the weight had lifted off of the elf and she found herself happy for Audrahni.
Hope heard Ela and Fio decide they'd go out dancing together and felt an irrational wash of jealousy. the voice in her mind said to her, She takes what is ours. Hope shuddered and pushed back against the words. She wouldn't be like that, she didn't own people, they did not belong to anyone but themselves, the voice grumbled but went silent as Hope did her best to ignore it.
When the dance concludes, Triel looks on Audrahni with a tilt of her head.
"I'll admit, I've never taken part in this sort of rite before. All is well, now?"
Audrahni wipes the tears from her eyes as she gets back to her feet. ”It is on its way to being well, yes, my friend. I have taken huge strides towards returning to Ashava’s fold, and my faith has been rekindled. Soon, I think, I will have mustered enough resolve to regain my clerical abilities. I cannot thank you enough for your aid. All of you. You have made a lifelong friend in me.”
Screaming Moon smiles and moves to embrace his friend. "Well done, Audrahni. You must tell us if there is some other way we can help you to atone.
We are leaving on a dangerous mission in the morning, but we will assist you when we are next able."
Triel looks at Audrahni as she gets back to her feet and Moon hugs her.
She doesn't say anything, but she does fiddle with something around her neck... a moon-shaped disk with a pair of smirking lips and a seven-pointed crown.
Audrahni returns Screaming Moon's hug. "Thank you. I will pray for your safe return."
***
The next morning, Audrahni bids you luck on your mission. She intends to link up with the local cult of Ashava worshipers to formally renew her station as a cleric of the faith. She promises to meet up with you when you return from Hollow Mountain.
You board Tyalee's Whim and set sail for Rivenrake Island. The journey takes four days, but fortunately, nothing vexes or endangers you during the trip. Soon enough, you draw near your destination. The image of Runelord Alaznist's face peering down imperiously from Hollow Mountain's height is impossible to ignore, overshadowing the otherwise amazing spectacle of the northernmost reaches of the ancient bridge known as the Irespan where it extends from the mountain's middle slope. The mountain's lower slopes are dotted with woodlands and craggy hills, peppered here and there with ancient ruins of what was once Alaznist's capital city, Xin-Bakrakhan.
Tyalee's Whim can't approach more than half a mile from the shore, and Captain Sursha agrees to anchor there and wait for your return, allowing you free use of the ship's longboat to come and go. If you wish to make multiple trips between Magnimar and Rivenrake between expeditions, Sursha is more than willing to sail back and forth. She makes money on each trip, after all, and at no expense to you.
As you row the boat to shore, it's clear that yours is not the first longboat to arrive at Old Man's Launch. A skiff is already pulled up on the shore, bearing a slumped pair of week-old, rotting human corpses, their eyes and mouth wide in horror, red gashes across their throats. The bodies seem to have been sailors, and each has been looted of any valuables.
A large fire pit sits near the high-tide mark a few dozen feet from the skiff. To the west of the skiff, the thick wall of vegetation gives way to a 5-foot-wide footpath that winds up the island's steep slopes into the heavily forested interior.
Shaking his head in disgust at the senseless violence of the previous cultists, Screaming Moon and Ruby Meadow carry the two corpses up above the high tide lime and build a cairn over them.
He says a few traditional words to welcome them back to the earth, then proceeds to begin collecting driftwood enough to build a fire. Ruby Meadow cuts enough green wood to throw on top of the fire to create the smoke they were instructed to use as a signal to Kelhuud.
After the signal is complete, they check their gear and begin up the path.
As he walks up the path, Screaming Moon calls out a few times. "Kelhuud! Are you here? Lady Heidmarch sent us to talk to you."
Tsu-la bounds through the brush to the side of the trail, hoping to pick up the danger's scent.
Hope stayed largely below decks as they sailed to their next destination. When they reached it she was relieved to get off of the ship again even if she was bothered by the two corpses. She went over to look at them out of curiosity before Screaming Moon andRuby Meadow burried them.
As they made their way inland Hope took up her usual position towards teh back of the group. She knew that she could take a hit or two if needed to protect the others, especially Ela, so it didn't bother her. It also kept her out of the wya of those who needed to get closer to the fighting than she did.
There is no response to Screaming Moon's calls. You'll have to try again when you're closer to Kelhuud's camp.
After lighting the smoky signal fire, you start along the trail. The trail from Old Man's Launch winds up into the woods of Rivenrake, switching back several times as it climbs a steep slope. After a 10-minute hike, the sound of a river becomes audible, and soon thereafter you emerge into a clearing where a 10-foot-wide river flows through a ravine. The river and ravine are bridged by a fallen tree, and the trail continues deeper into the woods on the opposite side. It's a 20-foot drop to the river below.
Screaming Moon Walks up to the tree and inspects it to make sure it seems sturdy.
"Looks like we'll need to cross over. It's a long fall, if we lose our balance though. We should tie a rope on either side, as a handhold."
Retrieving rope from her pack, Ruby Meadow braces the rope and holds an end out. "Who wants to go first?"
The log is firmly in place and looks like it will provide a safe bridge over the waters below, provided you don't move too quickly.
Elanna has no intention of going first and shakes her head adamantly, no matter how many pointed glances she gets.
Triel sighs. "I'll do it."
Once Triel is halfway across the log, she hears a faint buzzing sound beneath it. The blurred forms of two human-sized, mosquito-like creatures fly up on either side of the drow! Their long, flexible proboscises end in wicked stingers, and they exude an aura of sluggishness and lethargy.
The creatures lunge at Triel, but her armor protects her!
Everything seems to accelerate unreasonably as Triel sways on the log, buffeted by the force of the insect-creatures' blows.
She swings her scythe!
Hope was surprised when the giant mosquito's showed up and attacked Triel but she wasn't the least bit happy to see them. She quickly pulled in her power and sent a ball of condensed gravity lancing out at the same creature Triel struck.
Ruby Meadow rushes forward onto the bridge to help with the mosquito things, shaking off their droning effect
Having been out of the habit of adventuring, Screaming Moon suddenly realizes that he forgot to form Life Links with the party and now links himself with Triel.
Fi casts a spell and dashes forward, momentarily leaving a multi-hued cascade of images behind her as she runs towards a mosquito. Closing the distance, she swings her scimitar at an enemy threatening to displace Triel.
Elanna debates running out onto the log and then decides that that is far too dangerous, especially since Fi is already there. So she aims at the further mosquito and fires a crossbow bolt instead.
Fio dashes onto the log, ending up next to Triel as she stabs one of the mosquito monsters. Hope blasts the wounded creature, entangling it and making it an easy target for Ruby to finish off with a slice of her greatsword!
The second creature dodges Elanna's crossbow bolt, but Triel manages to slice it with her scythe. It attacks the drow again, driving its proboscis into her chest and attaching itself to her with its legs!
As the log shifts, with so many people on it, Ruby is unable to keep her feet and slips, straddling the log.
Deciding to just stay down, Ruby reaches up with her Greatsword to attack the remaining bug.
Screaming Moon reels as he feels the strength of the bug's attack.
When Ruby goes down the log rotates faster than Fioralba is prepared for. She loses her footing completely and falls down into the river below where she flops about helplessly.
Seeing Fioralba in trouble, Screaming Moon opens a wormhole and transports her to the opposite side of the crevice.
Triel lets out a loud curse as the insect stabs her, almost causing her to lose her footing.
She glares at the thing and barks a single command. "RELEASE!"
Hope lands another powerful blast on the monster attacking Triel. Screaming Moon rescues Fioralba from the river moments before Ruby Meadow slices up with her sword. The blade bisects the insect, which releases Triel as the two halves of its body plummet into the water below.
"...well, that was unpleasant." Triel grimaces as she brushes herself off and turns her attention to Fi.
"You alright down there?"
One moment Fi is about to be in a lot of trouble and the next she finds herself on the opposite side of the crevice. She pats herself down to make sure she's still in one piece and nods "Yeah. I'm not quite sure what just happened there. I was falling, and them I'm here. But I'm okay. Everything alright over there?"
Screaming Moon simply smiles and looks toward Triel.
"Shall we finish crossing and continue?"
On the other side, he uses his Healing Hex to cure ease Triel's wounds.
After the battle, you continue across the ravine. The trail winds deeper into the woods for another half-mile before reaching a T-junction going east and west. A set of stones forms an arrow on the path pointing east. It looks like it was placed here recently.
Following the marker, you travel for another fifteen minutes or so before coming to a dead-end clearing in the woods. An armored man leans against a tree trunk in a casual pose, but his longsword is drawn, and it crackles with electricity. As you step into view, he calls out, "I have an arrow nocked and you are in my sights, friends. I ask that you not take one step closer or I'll be forced to place my arrow dangerously close to your heart. What is it you wish from me?"
Triel stops, looks upon the armoured man before them and then turns her head in the direction of the voice.
"We do not mean you any harm. If you are Kelhuud, we would speak with you--your knowledge of this island is important to the success of our mission." She says, holding up her hands palm outward.
Good thing I'm wearing my mask--he'd have just shot otherwise.
The man nods. "Yes, I am Kelhuud. I can help you here on Rivenrake Island. I assume you're here to explore the Mountain? I'll warn you that activity on and under Hollow Mountain has increased in the past several weeks. You're walking into a healthy heaping of danger."
"I suspected as such." Triel grimly nods. "I understand there was a previous expedition into Hollow Mountain--we've been sent in to retrieve both them and the artifact they had with them. Could you perhaps provide us with assistance?"
"The Pathfinders have sent several expeditions over the past few years. They've all returned, though, and none of them were carrying any artifacts of note," Kelhuud says, scratching his head.
"There were some savage sorts that arrived here recently, though. I saw their ship approach a week ago, and watched from a tall tree as they debarked just over a half dozen. They seemed to get in an argument, and then the half dozen slaughtered the two sailors before setting off into the forests. I followed them for a time. Their leader was a mutated monster with a tentacle for a back—he'll fit right in here on the isle.
"The man and his barbaric traveling companions were headed toward the Bloodstone Bunker. I decided it was best not to follow a group of murderers led by a monster so far from the safety of my base camp.
"Besides them, a trio of fancy folk arrived recently by means unknown to me. I noticed smoke from their campfire while I was out hunting a few days ago, and upon investigating saw the three camped not far to the west out in front of an old shrine to some sort of fish-person monster. I assume the three were adventurers seeking treasure based on their appearances: a human man with a scimitar and clad in a shiny, bright-blue breastplate, a half-elf woman who carried a lucerne hammer and wore a dress that looked like it was made of peacock feathers, and a human woman with red hair and a fancy leather outfit that looked like it was taken right out of some overwrought opera. I haven't seen them aboveground since then, so I assume they entered Hollow Mountain via the shrine, but I've never entered that structure, so I can't be sure. For all I know, the three adventurers are still inside, or maybe even dead."
"So, the devil bard is here as well. Agents of Wrath and Lust have both beat us here, as we suspected, though it is odd that you did not witness the arrival of the Sihedron Heroes, Kelhuud.
They are powerful, so perhaps they passed by invisibly or came here through means other than a boat."
Screaming Moon considers the information for a moment. "So, the minions of wrath were drawn to this Bloodstone Bunker, and the agents of Lust with to the Fish Shrine.
Going to one or the other of these structures might allow us to deal with the enemies before we go into the Mountain. But, perhaps it would be better to attempt to lure them into a confrontation where they will weaken each other.
Kelhuud, do you know of any other entrances into Hollow Mountain?"
Elanna seems to be the only one who notices the incongruity of a man with a longsword claiming to have an arrow nocked.
This makes her suspicious enough to pick up the tell-tale details that reveal another man in the woods and have her fading back into the trees so that she can take him in the flank if necessary. Just because Triel is talking doesn't mean things will end well.
Screaming Moon is not sure what sort of creature the fish monster might represent. "There are several entrances to Hollow Mountain, but the Bloodstone Bunker is the most direct one. It leads to a region known as the Baleful Repository, a complex that Alaznist once used to store weapons and armor. The Bunker is a 10-mile trek from the campsite, up the mountain's northeastern slope."
Elanna creeps up on the other man in the trees, who doesn't notice her quiet approach. He continues to warily keep his bow trained on her companions. Up close, Elanna can see that he looks exactly the same as Kelhuud. The man could be his twin!
"The most direct means of ingress does not necessarily mean 'the safest'. Kelhuud, how well-defended is this Bloodstone Bunker? What should we expect to encounter there?"
"The Bunker itself is not heavily defended," Kelhuud says. "There are a few magical traps, but that's all. I can't say whether or not those murderers have fortified it any further, though."
Fi stands beside Moon and Triel as they engage Kelhuud in conversation. She listens to their conversation while watching her sister slip off to inspect something. She keeps one eye on her sister while attempting to keep the conversation going to buy Ela time.
"So, what about you? Why did you choose to stay here when your expedition failed? The Society has said you lost your mind, but you look quite sane to me."
Kelhuud shrugs. "I preferred it here," he says simply.
Triel scrutinizes Kelhuud's words.
...does he actually prefer it here or is he just saying that to deflect?
It seems to be a deflection. There's more to Kelhuud than meets the eye...
Still stalling, she pushes further "Can you tell us anything about how your expedition faltered and what happened to your companions that fell? I'm sure the Society would love to hear your side of the story."