Eochaidh quietly prays while staying alert to any dangers that might appear.
"Deshrit, let's join our shard with the first one I asked to you look at, the one with the woman, the ponds, and the giant tree stump," Alden replies after a few moments of consideration.
"Of course sir." Deshrit speaks, "As you wish." Alden's vision goes black, and he briefly feels dizzy before opening his eyes and seeing the common room of the inn again.
The emerald light intensifies, the shadows cast by Deshrit's facets vanishing as the light becomes blinding. The gem then shoots out of the inn. Flying over to the border of the woods and swamp. It pierces the smoky wall bordering the shard and the black smoke swells around where it had been displaced. The singular emerald light doubles as another shard glows next to Deshrit's light. The two lights in the sky flared brightly, and blended together. The wall of smoke abruptly dispersed before the light shot down over the new horizon. Crashing into the treeline beyond the local woods.
Looking at those with experience in shard-joining Eochaidh asks, "Okay what do we do next?"
"Well...this is pretty much what happened last time. The gem went flying off in the direction of where our shard joined with the new one. Last time, though, the gem was destroyed and we found a different gem, Deshrit, in fact. Anyway, I hope everyone's ready to go exploring."
Alden shoulders his pack and begins settling his gear for the hike. "Are those new weapons ready, or are they still in the works?" he asks. "This would be a good opportunity to field test them, if they're finished."
"Weapons are ready. Everyone take one of these berries; they will keep us full and provide a tiny bit of healing."
Eochaidh distributes the Goodberries among the group.
"Thank you!" Rabbit says earnestly to Eochaidh. "That could come in very handy. The last time we fought was scary and several people almost died."
Rabbit tucks the berry away-- careful to do so NOT in Mr. Whisper's pouch, or the berry would not last very long. He shoulders his rucksack and inexpertly mimics some of Alden's adjustments of gear and straps.
"I hope Deshrit survived," he murmurs quietly. More loudly he says, "So yes, um, let's go looking for where the gem, or gems, landed first? I'm ready."
As I'll ever be.
"Woohoo, high adventure awaits. I wonder if there are little trolls that live under that stump you mentioned?" Kevan muses as he grabs his little pack and checks his rapier and mace. "I'm ready. And thanks for the berry."
Jaxom watches as Alden finishes his choice. He wonders what options were available and what was chosen, but decides not to ask. The immediate task would be trying to track the gem and see what this next shard had to offer.
"Yes, all weapons are completed. Let's get moving. It looked different this time. I don't remember our first shard joining with.... Deshrit? Maybe it was supposed to?"
"Anyway. I think I'm beginning to understand, and the crystal can't be used again for six months. And, it can only be used by whoever, or whatever is in charge of the shard. That was why the goblins thought they needed to kill us. So lets go and find the gem, and find out who lives here! And maybe find more useful supplies. That weird substance that was on Deshrit might be covering the merged gems again. Maybe somebody can find a use for it?"
He tucks the berry into his pouch with a slight frown. "Hmm... Thank you."
Alden draws his old sword and dagger and sets them on the table. "These are good steel. Put them to whatever use that will best benefit the community." He reaches down and picks up the masterwork sword newly crafted for him. He examines the edge and tests the balance. "An exquisite blade. Thank you for this gift. I will use it to the best of may ability." He sheathes it in his scabbard. He then reaches for the shining magical dagger. "I will carry this in trust, to light our way in the darkness." He then sheathes it as well.
He then reaches for one of the goodberries and slips it into his pouch. "Thank you, Eochaidh. This may mean the difference between life and death."
”I don’t mind blazing the trail,” Alden offers. ”I’m pretty sure I remember the way the stone flew.”
Eochaidh helps Alden with finding or making a trail for the group:
But actually doesn't do anything.
He'll also try to help identify any animals or plants they see:
"Lead the way big guy. I'm ready."
Alden leads the group to the local wood, and as you traverse you can't help but notice it was denser. There were new trees in the space, and some of the existing trees seemed to have experienced years of lush growth. In a way it was similar to the last joining of shards, where the shared feature of the road had improved. It had also been a bumper crop...
While Alden doesn't lose the path through almost two hours of travel, you pass over the area once with no sight of the gem(s?). Making another pass around he is certain he took you all to the location, and this time the group spots a scorched pile of upturned dirt where the gemstones fell. A few flakes of etherium still sparkle in the dirt. The shards were gone, and nearby a singular clawed footprint was pressed deep into the mossy dirt. It was a few feet long and almost a foot across.
Eochaidh breathes deeply and focuses on his connection to the natural world.
"So, what do we have here, dragon? Lycanthrope? You know, I remember when me and Prof McCaskill ran into a group of crazed Lycanthropes. Prof McCaskill was a mean one with his silver tipped throwing stakes but he ran out. Luckily, before we were overrun, the professor tripped and his packet of dried wolfsbane fell out of his pocket and created a cloud of the stuff in my face. I sneezed like crazy just in time to hit the last three werewolves full in the face with wolfsbane particles. They ran off whimpering like puppies and I just ended up with a little nose bleed." Kevan says after looking at the footprint.
Eochaidh senses no creatures of the type he was keenly aware of. He briefly considers attempting to track whatever made this huge footprint, but a quick scan reveals that this lone track is the only one in the area. It was almost as if the creature had purposely left the single print in the soft soil between the surrounding trees.
Rabbit trots along after the bigfolk-- Alden's pace, when armored, suits his shorter legs well enough-- looking around with wide eyes at all the new terrain. Finally they are near enough to where Deshrit... should be... but...
"Oh dear," Rabbit mutters at the absence of a gem, and the presence of tracks.
He crouches by them, small brow furrowed as he tries to ascertain what creature might have made these-- thinking back to images in Mistress Morus's books...
Jaxom looks at the single clawed footprint, then up into the trees. "Nothing makes a track like that and disappears. It either flew or took to the trees. But to beat us here.... My guess would be it is intelligent and had the shard for this one. When ours flew here, theirs joined it and fell. They were closer and quicker."
There were no broken branches or disturbed nature to indicate the passing of a huge creature. Something hard to believe given the growth all around them. But then, looking at the huge clawed footprint, Rabbit understood there might be a reason for that.
This was a dragon's footprint. A huge one. It was several inches deep in the soft soil.
Jaxom looks at the single clawed footprint, then up into the trees. "Nothing makes a track like that and disappears. It either flew or took to the trees. But to beat us here.... My guess would be it is intelligent and had the shard for this one. When ours flew here, theirs joined it and fell. They were closer and quicker."
"Flew or used magic. This feels intentional almost as if the creature had purposely left the single print in the soft soil between the surrounding trees. But why? Gloat? Get us to follow it?"
"Ominous news friend Rabbit. We can only hope that it's a good dragon and not an evil one. Well, Kevan, it looks like your wish to battle a dragon might come true. My people have an old saying, 'Be careful what you wish for - you might just get it.'"
Rabbit swallows. "Y-yes it's a-- a dragon. Gosh. I can't tell much more than that but it's -- the tracks are distinctive. So yes, it probably flew. Oh gosh. If it's this big and long... um... I'd say the actual dragon would have to be bigger than like-- a bull. Maybe bigger than that. We uh-- we should be really careful, I guess?"
Rabbit runs his fingers through his messy hair, making it messier.
"Maybe it lives in like a cave or something nearby?"
Jaxom curses quietly when he hears 'dragon'. He didn't have any actual knowledge of such creatures other than the stories that kids told each other to scare them. The track, and the depth of it indicate a very heavy, very big creature. Possibly big enough to kill and eat everyone in these joined lands. Definitely not a creature that any of the group should seriously want to meet in combat!
"Careful? Sure. But what do we do when it gets hungry and decides to fly over the new lands, for a snack?" He considers the mention of a cave. "Alden? Didn't you say something about this shard having a really big tree stump, and a tunnel under it? I bet that's the dragon's lair. Do we want to go check it out before or after we scout the rest of the land here? You mentioned a couple of other glens. We might find someone alive here that might know about the dragon."
"Dead-Eye, please don't let me have doomed our neighbors with my choice," Alden says in a tone of genuine concern. "Perhaps fortune will smile upon us, and the beast will simply wish to be left alone. We may be able to negotiate a peace where we stay out of its glens, and it doesn't hunt or kill any of our community. It clearly had enough food to sustain itself within this shard, so it may not be an impossible task." His tone changes to one both speculative and overly hopeful, as if grasping at the one chance that will not result in the death, dismemberment and digestion of Passbog's residents.
"Oh, wow, a dragon. I bet it has a horde. This could be so much fun just like when Master Zehi and I snuck into the yeti warrens of the north. Luckily, they snore as loud as their smell is bad so it wasn't hard to sneak around. I doubt we will be so lucky with the dragon. Any idea what kind it is? Maybe it's a good dragon and we could talk to it. If it's a bad dragon I guess I'll have to slay it but I must admit, I've never fought a dragon before." Kevan says and then drops into musing about fighting dragons.
Jaxom glances at Kevan when he mentions 'fun' about the dragon.... "Rabbit? You know enough to recognize this as a dragon foot print. What can you tell us about dragons in general? I'm sure we've all heard stories, but any real information would be a good thing. And consider the good, the bad, and the really ugly."
Rabbit could tell you the general information about dragons. Armored scales, breath attacks, an arsenal of natural attacks, and a variety of magical powers that varies based on the dragon. They were also very resistant to magic and certain elements.
Jaxom listens, shaking his head more and more as Rabbit adds details. "So definitely not something that we want attacking either of our homes. But we need to know more before we can decide on any sort of plan."
"Let's avoid the big stump if we can and try to scout out the rest of this new area."
"The Stump seems like the most likely place for a dragon, or any other large beast, to lair in this little corner of the world. We should definitely approach it with caution. I think it's a good idea for us to look around the rest of area first, so we have a lay of the land," Alden replies, in agreement with Jaxom's suggestion.
Alden tries to get his bearings from what he remembers of viewing the shard from far above, with the intention of determining the direction of the Stump so that the party can go a different way.
The large pond is the closest point of interest, with the ruined hovel roughly the same depth into the forest but further away. The large tree stump is deep inside the forest near it's heart.
"The large pond is that way," Alden indicates. "And there is the remains of a small cottage in the woods just beyond that. We wouldn't reach the large tree stump unless we continued well past that."
Jaxom shoulders his crossbow for easier carrying not knowing how far they need to go for the pond. "OK. Let's get walking then. Dragon's can probably see just fine in the dark but I need light. And I think we should get back to our homes before dark to warn everybody of what we found...."
"What did you see around the pond and the cottage?"
"It's just general stuff about dragons," Rabbit says after he volunteers his limited and entirely theoretical knowledge. "And unfortunately, from a track, I can't um, tell if it's a-- a nice dragon."
He twists his fingers anxiously together, looking dubiously at Kevan's optimistic statements, then brightens a bit at Jaxom's words. "I can at least make light! If we need it. I know the spell for that."
It's a thin contribution, but Rabbit feels quite overwhelmed by the idea that they might have to fight a creature of Mistress Morus's books. Though he supposes dragons are arguably better than devils.
Eochaidh, remembering his past failure, tries harder to assist Alden:
Eochaidh speaks to Jaxom, "Every dragon is a different creature. In the Arthfell Forest it was well-known there was an ancient and powerful green dragon that, while evil, didn't bother anyone that didn't bother her. It could be the dragon has just as much interest as we do in rejoining the shards."
”I’m starting to think we should go back and warn our neighbors before we do anything else. One thing we know for certain: a dragon is an apex predator, regardless of its individual personality. It will eventually come to town, to hunt, to conquer, or perhaps, if we’re lucky, to negotiate. We need to make sure our friends are not taken by surprise. Once precautions are in place, I think scouting the new terrain would be less risky.”
”I’m starting to think we should go back and warn our neighbors before we do anything else. One thing we know for certain: a dragon is an apex predator, regardless of its individual personality. It will eventually come to town, to hunt, to conquer, or perhaps, if we’re lucky, to negotiate. We need to make sure our friends are not taken by surprise. Once precautions are in place, I think scouting the new terrain would be less risky.”
"If you think they won't panic and do something foolish, I'd agree it's worth the time."
"When I surveyed the shard with Deshrit, I saw a female figure. She might be the dragon's mistress or she might be the dragon in disguise, if it has the magical ability to do so. I would feel better warning everyone to keep an eye out for a stranger, or a dragon, or both. I'd rather they be worried and watchful than be ambushed and slaughtered."
"When I surveyed the shard with Deshrit, I saw a female figure. She might be the dragon's mistress or she might be the dragon in disguise, if it has the magical ability to do so. I would feel better warning everyone to keep an eye out for a stranger, or a dragon, or both. I'd rather they be worried and watchful than be ambushed and slaughtered."
"And please emphasize not to attack a stranger in case it is the dragon in disguise...
"All good points. So back home to warn everyone, then again to scout here. We can talk while we walk."
"What? That's not fun... I guess we need to let the others know but I was hoping to see a dragon or this new lady. I can come poke around tonight. I actually like the dark. I once had to catalogue an enemy fortress for Master Zehi. He had his pet eagle drop me on top of one of the towers at night and I scurried about making a map. Very exciting." Kevan shares.
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”Don’t worry, we’ll come back and explore the area soon enough. We still need to recover the gem, if we are going to heal the world. I just want to make sure we do right by our friends.”
The expedition turns back and returns to the village. There is a general sense of unease from everyone. Martin decides to take his family to the inn. Norian and Bartholemeu also move over to the inn, with the monk promising they would look out for the sheltered populace. To which the tailor looked supremely put out by.
The sorcerer then gets an idea. He starts rummaging through drawers before returning with a package for the group. "Never visit a dragon without a present." he reasons, "If it's metallic you should be fine. If it's black, white, or red run. Green and blue might be reasoned with."
"Especially if it's green..." Bartholemeu adds to the tailor's frustration.
Norian then plucks a scale from the pouch at his side. It was small and emerald colored, and he begin to chant and move his other hand around it. Arcane power drifted off his fingers like mist, glowing first amber and then shifting to green as it suffused the scale. It began to glow brightly and swell in size until it was the size of a large melon. The smooth surface then shifted into dozens of individual scales. Finally, it's form shifted, unraveling into what looked like a cat sized draconic creature.
It has emerald scales and a sharp little stinger on it's tail. It had two finely pointed horns atop it's head and it's teeth were small and needle like. Norian held it out to Jaxom. "Help be their eyes, and look out for Rabbit." he instructed the lithe little creature, and it responded with a light chirp.
"I have no intention to fight a dragon." he continued, "But I can shelter people if there is an attack... assuming the dragon isn't too strong of a caster."
"There was a female humanoid being of some sort in the new area. I saw her before our shard joined with the new one, but wasn't able to discern her race. We did not run into her on our first foray. She might be the dragon's mistress, she might be the dragon's servant, she might be the dragon. We don't know. Be extremely cautious of any stranger that comes calling."
Jaxom accepts the little creature, but it is obvious that he isn't comfortable holding it. "Ah, perhaps someone else should carry this? If we do encounter anything I will probably be changing in to danger. I'm thinking that this little one shouldn't be with me at the time."
"You needn't worry about it." Norian remarked casually, "It's not alive."
Jaxom stares at Norian for a second, then turns to point the creature's head to Rabbit, then points. "That's Rabbit, the one you are to look out for...."
He tries to put the thing on his pack, then turns to leave. "Not many hours left today if we're to reach the pond. Let's go." He heads out hoping that at least some of them are following.
He mutters quietly, "Magic. Hope it can hang on.... I just didn't want to get in trouble for breaking it if it falls!"
"I agree with Jaxom we should leave now and make as much progress as possible before it gets dark. We'll have to camp outside but that's okay."
Eochaidh briefly studies the gift and thinks it might please a dragon to be presented with something that can keep it company.