Dragon's Egg - Act II

[Legendary Sidekick]

"One way?" Of all the questions, that is the scariest. "I am curious about this structure, but... yeah, it would be nice if someone knows how it works."

I look to Cadell and Darin. "You guys have been around longer than the rest of us... is it as simple as just-step-through? Is magic needed to activate it, or"--I point--"if I stand there, will I end up elsewhere?"

((Note: I'm unclear as to whether Ankari's post means he's in the gate, so I'm not sure if Baldy can see him or not. The GM post makes me think we see a gate and plants. Do the plants come out of a wall, darkness, a glowing light that pulsates and goes wummmmm, wummmmm, wummmmm?))

"If there are plants, they must be getting sufficient nourishment. Hmm..." Damn! I know I want to...!

 

[Steerpike]

((The original description; I forgot it went out by PM:

When you open the door, a warm light greets you, as does an incredible sight - a large cavern is on the other side of the door, and in the middle of this cold, underground cavern, a small grove of trees, flowers, and lush grasses. A marble archway is set up directly in the center of the small grove. The light, which has the character of sunlight, appears to be emanating from the area of the grove itself.

There are no creatures in the room that you can see.

Ankari is in the room waiting when the group arrives, not within the gate itself.))

Darin shrugs at Baldhart's question. "The knowledge of this magic is beyond me. This is elven work, and if we are to make use of this gateway, I deem the elves will be the ones to make it operational."

 

[SeverinR]

"Don't look at me, I was blessed with grace, magic escapes me."
"My grace and by Gods, all five appendages have evaded the punishers axe, six if you count me head." I say with a smile and a pat on my head.
I look around and ad with a shrug, "some whores are freelance, unbeknownst to their husbands."

"Some reason I feel this song is appropriate" Looking at Branwen,
I begin to softly sing:

Land of the Bear and
Land of the Eagle.
Land that gave us birth
And blessing,
Land that pulled us
Ever homeward.
We will go home across the mountains,
We will go home,
We will go ho-me,
We will go home. We will go home singing our song,
We will go home across the mountains,
We will go home
Hear our singing, hear our longing,
We will go home across the mountains.

We Will Go Home Full (Song of Exile) - YouTube

 

[Keitsumah]

I gaze in awe at the lush grasses and plants covering the room, and the gate in the center. But why would there be a gate here of all places?

Batos whines as soon as he steps into the room, backing away, ears flat to his head. I look down in alarm and wrap my arms around his neck, and the rune on his forehead glows, but its the first time that the wolf has ever shown fear of this degree.

"I know it seems pretty and all, but . . ." i mutter, looking towards the gate. A moment of recognition passes over my face as i look at the plants -but i am only remembering their names. "Aren't the best predators the ones that lure their prey in with pretty sights or smells?"

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

I see Ankari is waiting for us... patiently, I think. Hard to read into his expression.

"Ankari, I'll admit you had me worried when you went ahead, but... this is quite a discovery! Anyway, I found some berries, and we've got sixteen good for healing and thirteen that Keit can turn when she's up to it."

I sit in the soft grass, and gesture to Branwen to join me. "Grass," I tell her. It'll take time for her to learn I'm naming things. Doing it regularly will help.

I look at the plants to see if there are more berries ready for picking, though I'll leave what I find on the bush. If we overstock, everything will just end up going bad. We may need a way to organize batches of berries, which I believe last a day at best.

Darin says something about activating. "So... how does an elf activate an elven gate? And if I should be sitting further away, or closer, or inside... um... just tell me where to go when you're ready to activate it. I'll go there whether it means being your guinea pig or staying out of the way."

 

[Ankari]

Everyone moves into the room, burying the serenity of this place in babble and squawks. It is as if a cloud of doubt eclipses their ability to focus and decide. I know better than to voice my observation; my companions would wear pride like glass armor.

Rolling to my feet, I move to the archway and examine the writing. Two names. They must be locations.

"Darin, what was this place called? Is the name different in the elven tongue?"

I nod at his answer and run my fingers along the word Rhuddin. I like that name, though I'm not sure why. After Darin finishes his answer, I asked Cadell, "What do you know of these two locations? Rhuddin and Aelwyd Eirian?"

 

[SeverinR]

"how does an elf activate an elven gate? Simple..." I laugh, "Come, pull my finger."
"Ok, Seriously, Ankari, Have you figured out how it works?"

"Hey, Dwar...Darin, I'd say this is proof our ancestors, at least got along, with each other. It makes...traveling with you easier, knowing there must have been some good Dwarfs in the world, so far, I believe there might be at least one... currently."

Looking at the wolf, my smile fades.
"From what I know of people, I think I trust the dog more, and maybe cute bird-elves." I wink at Branwen.
Maybe the wolf just doesn't like the energy, not knowing elven energy from taint. But if anyone is uneasy, I am not one to discredit it quickly.

I stand and while they check the gate, I do an indepth walk around looking for signs of any other footprints or hidden items(Doors, buried items, or concealed items.). Once the floor check is done, I will scan the walls for anything of notice that might be hidden.

I stop suddenly,
"Ranger! Did you check th entrance of the gate for traps! The lizards do not like it, they avoid it, maybe they trapped it. "Being this could be a way for an invasion, I bet the trap would not be a comfortable live trap."

Aliron: 1D20+1 => 7 #check for traps +1 level

[[[traps is not a strong ability either-int based]]]
I return to checking room after I did my check of the gate.

{{clarifying no other doors? The one we entered and the elven gate?}}

 

[Nihal]

As the others debate I walk around the grove quietly, greeting the light's warmth on my skin. In truth, I'm not sure if the grove is really emanating any warmth together with the fake sunlight, probably I am only imagining the sensation. I run the tip of my fingers over the leaves and some trunks, inspecting them, sniffing and listening.

They have no clue of how use the gate.

"If this place is a sign of friendship the chances of the gate working both ways is high, this if there is not another way on the other side to travel back. It is worthy a try."

I glance at Baldhart, who was going to reprehend the ranger for his little secret walk but didn't. They get so easily distracted by apparent benefits; like with the cleric, it only took his healing potential to eclipse his attitude. There is no better time to try it, there is?

"Though you made quite a discovery, please, do not go away without a warning like this again—" I hesitate a little before finishing, "—Ankari. It is not only yourself you endanger by doing this; but the whole group." I study his reaction, looking for signs of that vicious glistening in his eyes. Turning my back to him after some seconds, I seek a quiet place to resume my reading.

 

[Steerpike]

Darin frowns at Ankari's question. "I do not know what this place was. An old dwarven temple, certainly, but lost to the knowledge of my people. Or at least to my own. I cannot read Elven script. What does it say?"

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

I hear Mauve echoing what we discussed earlier. I guess there isn't a time that this conversation will be welcome, so it's best to get it over with. Mauve was polite, so I don't see this turning into a shouting match. I'll certainly watch my tone.

"Mauve's right, Ankari. When you left, the rest of us had no idea of your intentions. You had us not only worried you'd get overwhelmed by more lizards than you could handle, but there was question of what to do about it. Fortunately, we guessed correctly that you were scouting—at least I think that's correct—and came to the conclusion that only Aliron was stealthy enough to follow you without endangering you.

"But please communicate with us. It not only creates less trouble for us, but less for you as well. If the decision had gone the other way, I don't think you would have appreciated our loud footsteps and clanging scale mail while you're trying to sneak around."

 

[Ireth]

I look in awe at the grove of trees and the stone archway -- the Gaita Ellyllen. The life energy emanating from it fills me with warmth that is all too welcome in these chilly, damp tunnels. The others look to me for knowledge; I look up at the names written on the arch, and find that I can read them. I point them out, moving from left to right over the arch.

"Aelwyd Eirian is my home forest in the south. Nordrimm, I gather, is where we are now. Rhuddin is another elven forest, a very ancient one -- older even than my own."

I breathe in the warm scents of the grass, flowers and trees, and a sudden pang of longing wrenches my heart. Here I am, standing before a way to go home again. I could return to Caer Celynnen, see Líadan again, perhaps even tell Queen Brígh of everything I have learned and seen here. I hope I have pleased her thus far.

((Sooo, Steerpike... how DO we open the Gaita?))

 

[SeverinR]

[if I don't find anything I move over to Branwen and kneel beside her.]

"Even the harpys know..." I sigh, "Music goes to the soul."

I look away and add,
"The true power of a bard is to draw energy from a crowd, returning it back them in an emotional and meaningful way. A friend told me that once."

"The harpys find a way to the soul and exploit the power, bards do the same thing, although most don't actually try to rip your heart out and devour it, even though some make it feel like they do. Bards and Wenches I guess..." I admit.

 

[Steerpike]

((Some of the elven PCs may know how the Gate works, other may only know stories from days when they were in greater use. There is an incantation in elven that can be used to activate it. You can make a knowledge (INT) check if you're an elf, to see if you might know it. Many elves do. If not, maybe there is a written record around the temple somewhere. The incantation can be recited by any elf while physically touching the Gate, and the Gate will become active. The same incantation is used to deactivate the Gate.

Just so it doesn't hold up the action, I'll set the difficulty for being able to recall the incantation at 3. Thus, any elf with INT as prime needs a 15 or more to recall the incantation through memory alone. If INT is non-prime, you need a 21)).

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Hmm... I can't possibly activate an elven gate. I'm so useless now.

Well, you do have a brain in your head. Use it.

Okay. Maybe I can look around the room and see if there's some kind of tool or instructions?

((Well, if a search can work at a difficulty of 1 and there's something to find here... eureka!))

 

[Ankari]

The wizard strings meaningless words like a cur barking at a distant pack of wolves from the safety of the city. Once, her grating presence would have earned a retort. No longer. She is burdened under the weight of her own doubt and frailty.

Baldhart's concerns deserve a reply. "I would do as you suggest had this party consisted of warriors focused on the task ahead. Instead, you gather at every moment and play dolls with the toys you find. Look to the harpy-child to see the truth of my words. Had I not asked Aliron to lead you here, you would still be resting, thus removing any fear of blowing my stealthy scouting.

This party needs to find focus. Summon your pixie and ask her to tell you a story of the grand women who died to earn feathers. Ask her if the crawled through the tunnels like slugs. Ask her if they played dress up with a child while the enemy lay about. Ask her if they moped about like broken dogs mourning the loss of a cut tail. Maybe they spread dissent through the party, twisted words and made themselves look weak to earn the sympathy of members while sliding a dagger between the ribs of each unsuspecting member. Maybe she will tell you of a story where one earned wings that blocked out the horizon because she chose the side of gender rather than the side of reason."

I spit to clear the rest of the words from my tongue. No use talking to children. They only responded to a wooden spoon wielded by an angry mother. "If none of you know how to use this thing, then rest here as long as you need. Maybe you can mix some petals with some water and create perfume. You could mask the corruption wafting from the hag and summon your pixie. Cut some ribbons and force the wolf to be a second doll. The lot of you will have a grand time."

I turn away from the arch and return to the door. "If it would please you, I head further along this trail. I intend to remember we are in an enemy lair. Aliron, I could use your skill." I step out of the room and wait for a few heartbeats.

 

[SeverinR]

"1D20+1 => 12 #Int and Dex are prime"
--Ignore second role, it rolled while I was trying to get copy and paste to work.--

"Just some beautiful symbols to me, I get nothing from them.
I guess we're scouting ahead. I won't be going too far." I announce to the group and follow Ankari to the door.

 

[Nihal]

Rolling the parchment, I stuff it inside my pouch and follow him calmly. The ranger bared his fangs again, he's exactly the same bastard from before. I knew it.

And who better to receive his rage than me? Lately I've been seeing my all failures at approaching and pacifying them from a new angle. I couldn't have done a single thing different, most of the times I took the right action. But I still incite rage so easily, willingly or by accident; even that harpy died glaring at me, not at the person slaying her.

It must be a gift or something.

Chuckling, I talk to the ranger, "Compassion is precious too. If everyone in the world were as vicious as you it would have become a barren wasteland eons ago.

"You strayed away from the path you are claiming to follow... Ankari. Your arrows aren't truer than my magic after all." I smirk. "You know that's true, all of us witnessed this in the last fight—you are welcome by the way. Let me put this in a simple way for you:

"You need us and we need you. I do not like it any better than you do. Nobody forgot what we came to do there, but you seem so blinded by your wrath you are forgetting. You know you can not do this alone and you need us, but you seem to be putting a special effort to drive us away. If you were truly focused in completing the task you would seek our help. Hey, what happened to the... how did you say it?" I frown and repeat the words, faking his voice, "'Go back to the temple and serve out your time', uh? Now you have it, or something similar to it, you are still not satisfied.

"I hate you and you hate me, and I could not give a shit about it. As long you keep your claws away from my throat feel free to hate me as much as you wish—but you must trust someone. You are so out of synchrony with everyone else that it will end getting you killed during a fight. You are about to take a utterly useless risk now just out of spite, and you know what? I will be the hateful annoying witch you think I am and I will follow you around until you decide to return." I grin. "Because now you are just being stupid and taking a stupid risk."

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

"Ankari, I am focused. Darin needs to heal. As for Nissa, she told me of small goups such as ours who met avoidable deaths because they failed to act as a team.

"In our last battle, you said 'grab them.' Those two words were more helpful than you may realize. Had you gone ahead without a word, I would not have known that you expected me to stop the charmed from entering the room. I can only be as strong as I am if I act on instinct, and without doubt. Getting Mauve in that fight was the reason the siren song ended in time for Rydh to save Darin. You can't deny the integral role her magic played in that battle. Her magic is also the reason that Alin was able to back you up."

I stick to my vow, maintaining a respectful tone.

"You're too quick to judge us. Of course I haven't forgotten the enemy. Have you? The shaman almost defeated us because we rushed into battle. Rydh had no magic to aid us, and I am among those guilty of poor communication, to put it mildly. I'm sorry I ripped the prisoner from your arms. It was the danger to Burnbright that enraged me, but it's no excuse. Because of what I did, I made a vow to Brynhild never to treat an ally with such disrespect."

That he's implying I simply side with Mauve because she's a woman is not lost on me. I won't be baited by the implications about me either.

"When the temple was burning; when Darin and his party were chased in our direction... those were times for immediate action. This is not such a time.

"The priestess we face is more powerful than the shaman, and--remember the two big bodyguards who did not fall so easily? Expect more than two with the priestess. If they come to us, whoever is on watch wakes the party and we fight here. But if they're going to wait for us deep in their lair, there's no tactical reason to move now when we can be at full strength in a matter of hours. There's no element of surprise. There's no one awaiting a rescue that we know of. We would be taking an unnecessary risk to have a wounded man and drained magic users knowing we can opt not to.

"After you left, I risked killing myself in a hundred-foot climb just to see if I could find a closer healing source. Do you think I was playing? Do you really think I wanted to go skinny-dipping when I swam for the boat? Do I look like a little girl who loves to pick berries in the forest?"

Actually, Baldy, you seemed to enjoy all of that.

Yeah, but...

"I was gathering a source of healing. I'm preparing for battle because the enemy did not attack yet. If the enemy continues to give us time--whether out of cowardice, necessity, or because they set a trap--I strongly suggest we take every advantage we can get."

 

[SeverinR]

My bow in hand, arrow noched, I wink at Branwen, I follow Ankari out the door. Still grinning from the words spoken.

The words are true, but I am not one to judge someones actions. I will not let him get me killed, but I will scout out the area to make it safe for the group. Maybe more treasure to be found.
I do hope my blade or arrows connect better with the next fight, then with the Harpy momma's.

 

[Keitsumah]

I listen to everyone silently, and Batos has calmed down enough to sit my me idly, his ice-blue eyes flicking around the room; on guard. When the bodyguards are mentioned, along with the priestess, my gaze turns thoughtful.

"How large exactly were they? What weapons and armor did they wear?" I ask, keeping my voice calm, as everyone seems a bit on edge. An idea is forming in my head, and we might be able to take advantage of it like Baldart said.

"Also . . . what sort of powers did the shaman have? We may be able to prepare against those sort of things with the priestess." Standing up, i walk over to the Gate and press my palm into the cold stone. I feel power crackling all around me. The room -all the life within it is sustained by magic. "And if they avoid this place . . . is it because elven life magic hurts them even if it is passive? What if we used active life magic against them?"

"I know I'm asking a lot of questions, but think about it. What weaknesses can we exploit in all of our enemies?"