As the party hikes up and around the lower slopes of the mountain they achieve a fantastic view of the island, even as the top of the mountain disappears into the clouds above them.
Ashlyn and Elizar look west, gazing back across Talmandor's Bounty. Elizar can even pick out the beach where Koloshkora first met the party.
Sarine and Jenner look northwards. Sarine picks out the forest of red trees near where the group found the mysterious blood red stream. Jenner looks even further afield and his eyes catch a dark patch near a stream - it appears to be a cave of some sort!
Tettia looks east, sketching out an outline of the coast, and sees something odd - near the coastline a building, seemingly crumbling into sea.
Tettia can think of any number of aquatic or semi-aquatic species that build near the shoreline, but this seems more like a human building that was once not in the ocean. An intriguing possibility.
Aurelian spends too much time glancing back at Tettia to make any particularly useful discoveries, although like Sarine he makes note of the red forest.
After a long day of climbing, during which you have still not reached the peak of the mountain, but have travelled nearly three quarters of the way around it, the party pauses to rest in a secluded hollow and make a plan for the following day.
Tettia continues sketching up until there's no more light left to sketch by. She then stows her sketchbook and yawns and stretches.
"Oh, that's right," she says looking around the hollow. "We're going to have to sleep on the ground."
*burrpp*
She glares down at her pouch. She lifts the flap. "No, I didn't think there was going to be an inn," she says, pulling Wallace out and bringing him up to look him in the eye. "I just ... I just didn't take the logical mental step that we would still be out here and so we'd have to use our bedrolls. I do have one, you know. I came prepared."
*burrpp*
Her eyes narrow. "Don't you take that tone with me. I am too prepared." She drops the toad down on the ground. "Go ... eat some bugs," she directs with a wave of her hand.
"Humn, there's a cave over yonder," Jenner says cheerfully. (Trust a dwarf to notice such a thing.) "Damn fine view from up here. It'd be good if we could manage some sort of sentry tower on the mountain in months to come, for the settlement's sake."
Hours later, he is happy to unshoulder his pack. "Aye, yes, open air and bedrolls. Now if sleeping under the starry heavens is new to you you're in for a treat. Assuming the weather holds fair, anyway." Jenner grins briefly, and sets to gathering firewood.
"So. Where is it we want to start, on the morrow, friends?"
"Those trees are an awfully strange color," Sarine comments on the sight downslope. "I've got a bad feeling about that, given the tainted water we saw earlier. We'll probably have to look into that later." She gazes up the mountain grimly. "But we have a lead on where our forebears might have gone to. We have to try to find them first."
As Tettia starts spreading out her bedroll, Sarine walks over and scans the ground nearby. "Hold up, Tettia," she says before pointing out a small bump. "That root will cause you problems all night long." Sarine takes a moment to help Tettia sort out her bedroll with a chuckle.
"You should have seen when I started sleeping outdoors. The militia picked out the worst spot in the area to let me settle in, I think. I probably deserved it. I...wasn't accustomed to working with people that weren't my family's servants at the time."
"Oh, thanks much," Tettia says when Sarine points out her poor choice for sleeping location. "I've never really done this before." There's a noise that sounds suspiciously like a toad's croak from the darkness and the young woman rolls her eyes.
"That was pretty mean of them to give you the worst spot," she says, seemingly happy to make conversation. "Why do people do things like that? In my first year at uni some of the other students ... " Her gaze grows distant. "Well, they weren't very nice to me. My sister said it was jealousy - I was a lot younger than they were. I don't know if that was it or not, but I still don't understand it."
She finishes patting down the rough cloth.
"I would never do something like that." She looks up at the older woman. "So you were in your militia? What was that like? Did you get to see a lot of interesting places?"
"I'm not sure I was ever in a militia. It's more like the local captain was willing to take a chance with a Senator's daughter. He'd have been in no end of trouble if I had gotten myself killed. When my father finally found out what I was doing, we both pretended that I'd lied to the captain. What a charade that was..." Sarine pauses for a moment before continuing.
"I told myself at the time that I needed to learn how to fight and that my father would never allow it. Probably if I'd pushed him hard enough he would have hired me a tutor. Something proper that wouldn't cause a scandal, likely."
Tettia smiles at the warrior woman. She looks around as if checking for eavesdroppers. "Yeah, my parents are probably fit for a priestly intervention right now." A frown appears for just a moment at the thought. "My sister was the only one that knew I was coming here. I didn't tell them. I just wrote a letter and ... and I left."
She thinks about it for a moment.
"Maybe that was mean," she finally says. "But if I'd told them ... There's no way they would have let me leave. So ... so really ... they didn't leave me a choice." She sniffs a little and wipes her nose. "But what's done is done."
There's motion in the grass and her toad comes hopping back. She seems glad for the distraction. "So, tummy all full?" she asks and the toad responds with a enigmatic croak. She picks him up and puts him on her knee to bring him to eye level.
"Wallace, this is Sarine. Sarine, this is my best friend, Wallace."
*burrrppp*
"Hello, Wallace," Sarine greets the toad. "I suppose I haven't introduced you to Socks yet. He's...around here somewhere...probably. Cats can be evasive."
Tettia's eyes widen and her hands move protectively around her toad. "C-cat?" She looks around nervously and moves Wallace to the protective confines of her pouch. "S-Sure, I'd be glad to ... to meet him. I'm not so sure about Wallace, though. He's not a fan of cats."
Sarine shrugs. "I'm sure they'll run into each other sooner or later. On the other hand, it's not like Socks would come if I called him. You'll have to meet him later, I suppose."
"What brings you out to this corner of the world, Tettia? I imagine that this place fits your studies, but you don't have to cross an ocean for that."
Tettia wraps her arms around her legs and rests her chin on her knees.
"I needed to do something for me while I still could," she explains. "My parents never approved of me going to uni. In their eyes, a daughter is a bargaining chit for consolidating power." Her sneer is anything but subtle. "They announced Toddy's ... my sister, Taldara's engagement the week before I left. They were going to announce mine ... " Her brow furrows a moment. "Wait, what day is today?" She does a little math in her head. "Yesterday. They would have announced it yesterday. That is, if I had been there."
The blonde-haired girl tips her head sideways, thoughtfully.
"Part of me wonders ... If they didn't believe that I actually left, if they thought I was just looking for attention, they might have still announced it." She chuckled. "Nathan Bigglesby is going to be very embarrassed to find out his purported fiancé is half a world away." She laughs a little louder. "And might miss the wedding."
Her laughter eventually fades away.
"This is my chance to actually get published," she continues, her voice growing serious. "Once I go back, with actual first-hand experience with Azlanti ruins and artifacts. Those old fuddy-duddies at uni will have to take me seriously. They'll have to see me as something other than just a dabbling little nobleman's daughter. They won't be able to dismiss me anymore."
The young woman yawns.
"Yes, you are very lucky to get away from being engaged," Aurelian says gently, overhearing the conversation. "Marriage is important, but you should spend your youth sowing your wild oats, and having fun. Aurelian Fache would never dismiss you. And if you need more comfort, you may share Aurelian Fache's sleeping roll. He would be honored to have you as a student.
His voice sounds completely sincere, less of the carefree humor in it than he generally has.
"But he is sorry it must be a quick lesson. We must continue hiking in the morning to see about this witch and her scaly wags. Then after we have led our people back to Ramona and the colony, there will be a time for a master course, and to explore these things you have all spotted while Aurelian was keeping his eyes on the trail for trouble."
At Aurelian's offer, Tettia blushes furiously. The young woman stammers for a moment, glancing at Sarine as if looking for an answer. She finally clears her throat and responds. "T-Thank you for that ... offer," she says. Her voice is faint at first, but gains strength as she continues. "I will have to decline, though. You are a very handsome man, Aurelian, but I ... I'm not ready for that ... yet."
She gives the man a shy smile and then looks away into the darkness. A moment later, she crawls into her bedroll and pulls the cover over her head.
"Do not worry, pretty lady. You should never do anything you do not want to do. If anyone ever forces you ..." his face turns dark, "You come tell Aurelian Fache. He will make sure that never happens again."
After a few moments, he returns to his usual joviality, as he begins setting up his own sleeping area.
"And what of you, lovely Ashlyn, or Sarine? Do either of you wish to make our stay here this night more comfortable?"
Ashlyn's eyes widen as she blushes brightly. "Oh, no. I'm... uh...."
But before she can even finish Elizar interposes himself between Ashlyn and Aurelian, blocking the stammering woman from view. He wails and growls at Aurelian angrily.
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"No, Aurelian Fache does not wish to sleep with you, cold fish," he informs Elizar. "You will not keep him warm. You do not keep Ashlyn warm when you are inside her, as Aurelian Fache would..."
Jenner clears his throat. "That's all as may be, but in the interests of us not having a bit of a scrum tonight, and also because I generally prefer to not have to overhear other folks', ah, companionable activities, leeeet's just leave it at everyone sleeping in their own bedrolls tonight in a solitary fashion, shall we? We've got a long day ahead of us and folk are going to need all the rest they can get.
"As Sarine says, we've got to see if we can find any further sign of the first wave. I say top of the mountain, follow up on that lead, and note what intel we can gather from the view while we're up there."
The night passes uneventfully with everyone in their own bedrolls and the next morning the group presses on up the mountain. Taking the straight route to the summit is much harder and by the time the group arrives as the summit it is midday and extremely warm.
Arriving at the edge of the mountain it suddenly falls away into a huge volcanic caldera, filled with water, making a rather beautiful and extremely large lake. In the middle of the lake is a tower, of what you are all coming to recognise as Azlanti structure, although it has strange variations from the ones you've previously seen.
Down by the shore of the lake lies a single boat and a bored looking over-sized humanoid, apparently picking his teeth with something.
"That is one of the skrags, yes?" Aurelian asks. "Shall we try to talk to it, or does Aurelian Fache need to simply dispatch it?"
Jenner clears his throat. "That's all as may be, but in the interests of us not having a bit of a scrum tonight, and also because I generally prefer to not have to overhear other folks', ah, companionable activities, leeeet's just leave it at everyone sleeping in their own bedrolls tonight in a solitary fashion, shall we? We've got a long day ahead of us and folk are going to need all the rest they can get.
There's a muffled, "Yes, please," from within Tettia's bedroll.
~~~~
Tettia looks over the distant tower and quickly pulls out her sketchpad. After just a moment of furious sketching and squinting, she tips her head.
"That tower has some cyclopean touches," she says. "Notice the butresses? Those are really big with the giant-folk." The girl blushes heavily and tries to hide a smile at the pun she thought was rather clever.
"That is one of the skrags, yes?" Aurelian asks. "Shall we try to talk to it, or does Aurelian Fache need to simply dispatch it?"
"Surely it wouldn't try to fight us? There are five ... " She glances at Elizar. "Six of us. It's heavily outnumbered. Wouldn't the prudent thing be for it to talk first and then if we show force, it would surrender?"
Ashlyn considers this. "I'm not sure if it's good tactics, but that is good math." Ashlyn nods. "Alright. Let's try talking with it, shall we?"
Elizar wails, gesturing at Aurelian.
Ashlyn smiles. "What a great idea, Elizar." Walking up to Aurelian she asks, "Would you like to go first, Aurelian? You are rather charming." Ashlyn blushes.
Judging by Elizar's sudden wailing and scowls, this is not quite what he had in mind.
"I'll just point out that just because we can only SEE one doesn't mean there's only one there," Jenner says. "And even if he is just one, he's a big one. If we go, we go together, and keep eyes peeled."
Ashlyn uses her wand of goodberry on some berries she plucked on the walk.
She also uses her wand of mage armour on Elizar.
"Yes, Aurelian Fache will go first. He must keep you and Tettia safe, after all ... and is indeed very charming," he says, with a charming smile.
Once everyone is ready, he leads the way down, walking with hands empty toward the scrag. When he gets about 30 feet away , he stops.
"Hello," he calls out. "We have come to let the witch on the mountain meet Aurelian Fache and the rest of her new neighbors."
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Sarine accompanies Aurelian as he approaches the skrag, as he has a history of being gored into oblivion when he goes alone.
Jenner is close behind, shaking his head slightly...
As Aurelian approaches the skrag stands, and reaches into the boat to pull out a very large hammer that looks rather like a meat tenderiser...
"Ah, we do not wish to fight you," Aurelian says, "but that does not mean we won't."
If the skrag won't put the thing down, he turns to Sarine with a shrug.
"It looks like we shall have to make our point differently ..." he suggests, patting his sword's hilt.
"Well. Aye. Something like that," Jenner adds 'helpfully', through a jaundiced look at the big beast. Call it dwarven biases, but he places low odds on this ugly being willing to talk. He mutters a protective blessing as he waits to see the result of Aurelian's... speech.
"Sure looks that way," Sarine steps forward and casts a Shield spell, much in agreement with Jenner.
The creature steps forward and whirls its hammer around, attempting to pound Aurelian into jelly!
Fortunately Aurelian Fache is much too quick for the creature and easily sidesteps the heavy blow!
HP 37/37; Hero Points 1/2
AC 21, touch 14, flat-footed 17
Fort +2, Ref +7, Will -1 (0/1 set mind; 0/3 charmed life)
CMD 16 (18 vs. disarm)
Panache: 4/4 (0/1 deed reroll);
Effects:
"Ah, then Aurelian Fache will make his point differently!" Aurelian says, circling around to put himself between the troll and the boat and jabbing with his rapier before being ready to deflect any response.
Aurelian's rapier lances out with perfect aim, piercing the creature's great paw and causing it to drop the hammer with a roar of pain.
"I guess this thing doesn't know how to count, Tettia," Sarine says as she steps forward.
"Figured..."
Jenner hoists his shield defensively and hurries up, axe drawn, coming in to flank with either Sarine or Aurelian.
"But that doesn't make any sense!" Tettia mutters in frustration to herself. "We're clearly the larger force and the only reasonable thing to do would be to negotiate."
She seems quite annoyed that the creature didn't follow the dictates of common sense.
"I guess stupidity gets rewarded in the most direct way," she says after a moment and sends two bolts of force thudding into the skrag.
Still in pain from Aurelian's blow the scrag is too slow to take advantage of Jenner leaving an opening. Tettia then slams two missiles into the creature just as Sarine cuts a huge chunk out of its leg.
The creature seems surprised that it has been hurt so badly.
Elizar looks 'oddly' disappointed that Aurelian it not squished by the skrag.
With a howl he flies into the battle, slamming into the form of the creature.
Ashlyn steps forward, holds out a hand and focuses really hard... After a few second the mallet rises from the ground and flings itself at the skrag.
But her aim is thrown off by all her friends in the middle of the fight."Oh, shoot."
The scrag, outnumbered and badly hurt, retreats - hands flailing in an attempt to prevent anyone taking advantage. It retreats until it is thigh deep in the water and it is plain to see that it is regenerating now it is contact with the water.
HP 37/37; Hero Points 1/2
AC 21, touch 14, flat-footed 17
Fort +2, Ref +7, Will -1 (0/1 set mind; 0/3 charmed life)
CMD 16 (18 vs. disarm)
Panache: 4/4 (0/1 deed reroll);
Effects:
"No, creature, you can not escape Aurelian Fache this way!" the swordsman says, leaping into the water to attack, hoping to quickly dispatch the troll before it can fully regenerate.
A battle to cause more cuts than it can heal? That is yet another battle Aurelian Fache knows he will win.
Aurelian skewers the troll as it retreats and then leaps after the creature, dispatching it with a pinpoint thrust! It collapses backwards into the water but Aurelian can see that it is still healing under the surface of the lake!