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Erkonin (Campaign #2) [Session 45: Rajalmin's Agent]
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<blockquote data-quote="prabe" data-source="post: 8128632" data-attributes="member: 7016699"><p>Session 19: Talking and Walking</p><p></p><p>Dramatis Personae:</p><p></p><p>Aldalómiel - Wood Elf Ranger (Hunter Conclave)</p><p>Elama “Lamie” Galanodel- Wood Elf Cleric (Tempest)</p><p>Vinya Anar - Wood Elf Monk (Way of the Sun Soul)</p><p>Elderon - High Elf Wizard (Loremaster)</p><p>Marxine Deepfoot - Dwarf Fighter (Champion)</p><p></p><p>GM - Everyone Else</p><p></p><p>(Note: This session was held on Discord.)</p><p></p><p></p><p>6 Dorrinin 749 (Campaign day 67)</p><p></p><p>The next morning, Vinya went to a shop and bought some arrows first thing and then we got into the wagon that Mr. Stonebright had rented and headed out on the road toward Torm Brinnom.</p><p></p><p>The road was quiet and not well travelled (this is still winter after all and we’re heading into the mountains). The day passed without incident until we’d started looking for a place to make camp.</p><p></p><p>We found a place with a tumbledown well about a hundred yards away from the road. We went to check it out while Stonebright stayed with the cart near the road and started making camp. There was a piece of wood board leaning against the wall of the well. The board, weathered and old looking had worn painted letters that read “True answers. 1 gold piece.”</p><p></p><p>Vinya shrugged and threw a gold piece in the well.</p><p></p><p>Vinya, quietly to the well: Is Mr. Stonebright a murderer?</p><p></p><p>Voice, whispering only to her: He is a heartbreaker. Not a murderer.</p><p></p><p>Vinya quietly told the others what it had said.</p><p></p><p>She decided to test the well, since we didn’t have any idea if that was actually a true answer. So she threw in a gold piece and asked where she’d started her training as a monk. The gold piece flew back out of the well and hit her in the chest.</p><p></p><p>Voice: You know the answer to that.</p><p>Vinya: I was checking if you do.</p><p>Elderron, throwing in a gold piece: I’ll ask that. Where did Vinya first study?</p><p>Voice: If she hasn’t told you that she studied at the House of Sky and Stone you should ask her why.</p><p></p><p>When Elderron relayed the response, Vinya confirmed that the answer was correct.</p><p></p><p>Elama and Vinya nudged Aldalomiel from opposite sides, urging her toward the well.</p><p></p><p>Vinya: Ask about where your girlfriend is.</p><p>Aldalomiel, throwing in a gold piece: Where is Lothiriel?</p><p>Voice: Castle Dante in the Feywild.</p><p></p><p>Vinya threw in another coin.</p><p></p><p>Vinya: How is it that you do this?</p><p></p><p>The coin shot back out of the well, but didn’t hit her.</p><p></p><p>We went back to Mr. Stonebright and made camp for the night. The night was quiet and relaxed.</p><p></p><p></p><p>7 Dorrinin 749 (Campaign day 68)</p><p></p><p>The next morning, before breaking camp, Vinya and Elama went back to the well. The sign had fallen over face down. Vinya tried to stand it up as it had been again. It tilted slowly then fell face down again.</p><p></p><p>Elama, throwing in a gold coin: Thanks for the info.</p><p></p><p>The coin landed with a thunk. Vinya looked in the well -- it was dry and she could see a glint, as from a single gold piece, at the bottom of the well.</p><p></p><p>They went back to camp and helped load the carts and make ready to head out.</p><p></p><p>Vinya, to Mr. Stonebright: Have you heard of this well that answers questions?</p><p>Stonebright: No, but I was in a hurry when I came through here the first time. I didn’t pay attention to much off the road.</p><p></p><p>Elama: It doesn’t seem to last long.</p><p>Marxine: We as a group got three questions -- ignoring when it got cheeky with Vinya’s test question.</p><p></p><p>We headed out and everything was quiet until lunchtime.</p><p></p><p>Around then, Aldalomiel noticed some large figures in the woods ahead of us and slightly to the side of the road. They weren’t walking or <em>going</em> in any direction -- milling around and then being still.</p><p></p><p>We pulled the cart off the road and found Mr. Stonebright a safe space away from the cart and away from where we thought any battle would be. Aldalomiel cast pass without trace and we snuck up toward them, hoping to ambush whatever it was.</p><p></p><p>We saw four ogres, sitting around a dead and mostly dismembered deer. They clearly hadn’t noticed us and, aside from being ogres, there was nothing that was directly harmful about them.</p><p></p><p>Elama stepped forward into the clearing.</p><p></p><p>Elama: Hey, guys!! What’s up?!</p><p></p><p>The ogres turned to look at her, jaws dropping open.</p><p></p><p>Elama: I didn’t know you were eating. We’re just passing by.</p><p>Ogre: What you want?</p><p>Elama: We just wanted to know if we could go by. Do you need anything?</p><p>Ogre: We good. We killed deer.</p><p>Elama: Excellent. We’ll just go on by then.</p><p></p><p>She came back to us and said that they were going to take a moment to put that together. We quickly got the cart and Mr. Stonebright and rode by where the ogres were sitting a hundred or so yards from the road, moving by without stopping.</p><p></p><p>Elama waved as we rode past.</p><p></p><p>The ogres nodded, one waved a little, and they went back to eating their deer. A good minute later, when we were well down the road, they burst out onto the road with their clubs in hand roaring in our direction. When they saw how far away we’d gotten, they looked confused, then shuffled back into the woods.</p><p></p><p>The rest of the day passed without and we made camp in a nice spot. The night was quiet and pleasant, if cold.</p><p></p><p></p><p>8 Dorrinin 749 (Campaign day 69)</p><p></p><p>We headed out in the morning very early and passed into a deep valley where the sunlight had not yet gotten to the bottom of the valley. Riding our cart in the pre-dawn gloom in this valley we saw a waterfall. It took a moment to notice something odd -- the water was flowing UP.</p><p></p><p>Elama: Well, that’s something you don’t see every day…</p><p>Vinya: This looks like wizard stuff. Elderron?</p><p></p><p>Elderron recognized it as a standing magical effect. Vinya didn’t remember seeing it when she travelled this way out of the mountains. About the time that Vinya was wondering why she hadn’t seen it, the sunlight finally reached down into the bottom of the valley.</p><p></p><p>When the light touched the waterfall, it began to flow normally.</p><p></p><p>Vinya: It would be so interesting to put something that floats, like a cork, into this river and see if it just goes back and forth or if the water eventually makes progress out of this field.</p><p></p><p>We continued on our way. A few hours later we noticed a shadow pass over us and looked up to see a dragon-shaped shadow. It waggled its wings at us as it banked around, clearly turning to come back toward us.</p><p></p><p>We got Mr. Stonebright out of the cart and about 100 feet into the forest, in a safe place under a tree with low-hanging branches.</p><p></p><p>After a minute, we heard something coming along the trail.</p><p></p><p>Presumably the dragon: Hello, the wagon!</p><p>Elama: Hi!</p><p>Dragon: What are four elves and two dwarves doing here this time of year?</p><p>Elama: We’re going to Torm Brinnom. Do you live around here?</p><p>Dragon: Yeah. Ish.</p><p>Elama: Is it okay if we pass?</p><p>Dragon: Yeah. I like the dwarves. And not in an eating them way.</p><p>Elama: We can’t see you.</p><p>Dragon: Yeah. I saw you hunkering down and didn’t want to alarm you any more than necessary.</p><p>Elama: Yeah. We saw you flying overhead.</p><p>Dragon: I was backlit.</p><p></p><p>Elama crept forward and saw a young silver dragon curled up in a cat-like pose.</p><p></p><p>Elama: You’re not as big as I thought you were.</p><p>Dragon: Everyone thinks we’re all as big as my grandma. My name is Tultorla.</p><p>Vinya, who crept up herself: How long have you been living around here?</p><p>Tultorla: Just a couple of decades. My grandma said this was a place I could live, and she’d definitely know.</p><p>Vinya: Have you been running into any problems?</p><p>Tultorla: There’s a red dragon south of here. He’s much bigger and more dangerous than I am. I stay clear of him.</p><p>Vinya: Where’s your grandmother?</p><p>Tultorla: Up in the Icerasps. I’m here just enjoying the cold and the mountains.</p><p>Vinya: It’s beautiful up near the House of Sky and Stone.</p><p>Tultorla: Yes.</p><p>Aldalomiel: Do you know anything about a well a couple of days from here that tells the truth?</p><p>Elama: It answers questions for a gold piece.</p><p>Tultorla: Oh, that. I believe that is something one of the Fey is doing out of a sense of whimsy. Maybe the Keeper of Secrets.</p><p>Vinya: If you need us or if there’s something we can do to help you, please let us know.</p><p>Tultorla: I will, thank you. I’m going to go over that way to take off -- because I don’t want to upset your horses.</p><p></p><p>She then went down the trail away from us until she was almost around a curve in the road then she took off with a leap and a huge flap of her wings.</p><p></p><p>We gathered up the cart and Mr. Stonebright, and continued on our way.</p><p></p><p>The rest of the day passed without incident. As we rode along, we talked to Mr. Stonebright about how long this trip was going to be and learned that it’s about a month’s travel from Tuntorla to Torm Brinnom, which is about what Vinya remembered. Though since she and Hragdor, her first teacher, had been going downhill it might have been a bit faster for them.</p><p></p><p></p><p>9 Dorrinin 749 (Campaign day 70)</p><p></p><p>We got on our way in the mid-morning. The road was getting steeper and colder as we went, and we were glad that we’d gotten warm, winter clothes for the trip.</p><p></p><p>In the mid-morning, we saw a clearing a couple hundred feet off the road with a circle of 9 stumps all sawn off at the same height. The circle was close to perfect and the height was exactly the same for all of them. We estimated that they’d been cut off a decade or so ago.</p><p></p><p>Vinya went into the circle and got a feeling like when a thunderstorm is looming and smelled ozone. She looked carefully at the stumps and saw writing on them in Sylvan. It read:</p><p></p><p>Not all roads are laid on the ground</p><p>What you leave behind will take you home</p><p></p><p>Vinya left her shawm in the middle of the circle and stepped out of it. A single note was played on the shawm then it fell silent on the ground. She went in and picked it back up.</p><p></p><p>Elama took her book, with pages that won’t take a mark, and put it down in the circle. It was picked up by invisible hands and the pages were flipped through.</p><p></p><p>Elama went and collected her book.</p><p></p><p>Elama: Vinya, cast see invisibility from the rod of alertness.</p><p>Vinya: Good idea!</p><p></p><p>She did so. She saw the stumps all connected by invisible lines on the ground, both in the circle around and with lines across the inside of the circle connecting each stump to each other stump. She also noticed something on top of every stump -- a circle. None of this was raised -- it was like the lines and circles were painted with invisible paint.</p><p></p><p>Marxine took out the card with her image on it. The last time we saw it, there was an image of her on the causeway in Pelsoreen. This time it showed her in a circle of stumps, holding a card, which had an image on it of Marxine in a circle of stumps, holding a card ....</p><p></p><p>Marxine: Huh.</p><p></p><p>She put the card into the circle. Nothing happened so she retrieved it.</p><p></p><p>Vinya took the letter she’d received that invited her to go to Tashimeet at the Knot for the Feast of Stars and set it down in the circle, staying next to it. She could see letters forming on the paper, but nothing that wrote them. The writing said:</p><p></p><p>P.S. Your path still lies ahead of you.</p><p>P.P.S. It’s good the dwarf joined you.</p><p></p><p>Vinya told the others about this message and we agreed that it was interesting. We also agreed it was good Marxine joined us. But we weren’t sure what to make of it.</p><p></p><p>Vinya, to the circle: Is there something we’re missing or that we should do here?</p><p></p><p>There was no response. So we got back on the cart and continued on our way.</p><p></p><p>During the afternoon, we saw a huge wall across the valley, sized to keep out giants. It was completely collapsed in parts and partly worn down in others. It looked ancient. We continued on our way, riding along as the road passed through one of the collapsed parts of the wall.</p><p></p><p>The rest of the day passed quietly and it was a restful night.</p><p></p><p></p><p>10 Dorrinin 749 (Campaign day 71)</p><p></p><p>The next morning dawned a bit warmer than it had been, a nice respite from winter in the mountains. As we headed out from our camp, we went into a glacial gorge -- a valley with a wide bottom and steep sides. The glacier had long retreated, but we saw that the walls of the valley sparkled so we went to investigate. There were quartz crystals sticking out from the walls of the valley, rounded and smoothed by the action of the glacier.</p><p></p><p>Elderron, to Mr. Stonebright: Are these of value?</p><p>Mr. Stonebright: It is not gem quality, but people in the stronghold will crush them into powder and use them on grinders and polishing cloths. They will pay for them.</p><p></p><p>Elderron, Elama, and Vinya each grabbed a couple of the stones. Vinya grabbed a couple of hand sized ones to sell and another one that fit neatly into her palm, to keep.</p><p></p><p>While we rode along, we talked with Mr. Stonebright about why he needed to get back to Torm Brinnom so urgently that he was making this trip in the winter. Since he clearly had no cargo or goods.</p><p></p><p>He told us that his clan has been feuding with another since he left. The other clan, the Turnstones, were demanding that he, Mr. Stonebright, stand trial for the murder of one of their sons in order for there to be peace. And the leaders of Torm Brinnom just wanted peace between the clans.</p><p></p><p>Mr. Stonebright was returning to stand trial.</p><p></p><p>Vinya: Do you have any evidence or anything that will prove your innocence?</p><p>Stonebright: Only, that I didn’t do it. I admit that I jilted my bethrothed, but I did not kill her brother.</p><p>Vinya: Did he confront you after you jilted her?</p><p>Stonebright: He was there. I left. They say I threw him off the wall of the stronghold.</p><p></p><p>He looked at himself, thin and clearly not nearly as strong as is typical for a dwarf.</p><p></p><p>Stonebright: I’ve never had the physique for that.</p><p></p><p>He looked at the four elves in the party for a moment.</p><p></p><p>Stonebright: It’s so easy for you elves to deal with these things. We dwarves have arranged marriages -- the goal is to have children and rebuild the clans and the strongholds. It’s very important. My clan arranged for me to marry one of the daughters of the Turnstone clan, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. They would have done better to have asked me to marry her brother. That I could have done. After I left, he was found at the base of the wall outside the stronghold.</p><p>Vinya: So someone from his own clan could have done it, if they found out that he was not interested in marrying a woman to build up the clan?</p><p>Stonebright: Perhaps. I do not know.</p><p>Vinya: Or perhaps he could have thrown himself off.</p><p>Stonebright, looking more sad: Perhaps.</p><p>Vinya: When you ask us for help, you get the full service package. At least from me. I will help you however I can. If you didn’t kill him, you shouldn’t be punished.</p><p>Stonebright: Thank you.</p><p></p><p>The day passed while we had this conversation. We made camp and passed a pleasant and uneventful night and evening.</p><p></p><p></p><p>11 Dorrinin 749 (Campaign day 72)</p><p></p><p>The next day we had an uneventful day of travel until it was time to find a place to make camp for the night. We found a clearing where all the grass had been turned to stone. We made camp, with one of Elderron’s tiny huts. The night passed without incident.</p><p></p><p></p><p>12 Dorrinin 749 (Campaign day 73)</p><p></p><p>As we were wheeling the cart to the road the next morning, we were surprised by a 20’ tall grey humanoid stepping out onto the road in front of us.</p><p></p><p>Elama: Hi!! Why do you block the road?</p><p>Giant: <<said something in Giant>></p><p></p><p>Elama cast Tongues then asked the Giant to repeat himself.</p><p></p><p>Giant: What are you doing here this time of year?</p><p>Elama: We’re on the way to Torm Brinnom. Just passing through.</p><p></p><p>The giant looked at the party, focusing on Mr. Stonebright.</p><p></p><p>Giant, to Elama: Ask him if he knows the way.</p><p>Elama, to Stonebright: He wants to know if you know the way.</p><p>Stonebright: Tell him I know the ways both long and short.</p><p>Elama, to Giant: He says he knows the way. The shortcuts too.</p><p>Giant: We would not have you where we live come the Festival of Rain.</p><p>Elama, to us: He wants us not to be in his territory on the Festival.</p><p>Giant: Take the tunnel that is longer than it seems. He knows it.</p><p>Elama, to us: He said something about a tunnel that is longer than it seems.</p><p>Stonebright: I know it. Tell him we’ll be there just before the Festival.</p><p>Elama, to giant: He knows. We’ll be there in time.</p><p>Giant: Good.</p><p></p><p>The giant then slid away into the woods and the rocky crags of the mountains.</p><p></p><p>We continued on our way and got to a valley with petroglyphs carved into the patina on the rock walls of the valley. Giant sized petroglyphs.</p><p></p><p>We stopped for lunch and while we were resting, Vinya started drawing the petroglyphs. Copying them into her sketchbook.</p><p></p><p>Elama and Marxine recognized these and knew that they had deep religious significance, possibly magical significance as well, and copying them might actually cast a spell.</p><p></p><p>Elama, to Vinya: Hey, maybe you shouldn’t do that.</p><p>Elderron: Maybe draw them out of order. Or mess them up a bit.</p><p></p><p>Vinya did that, but drew the most interesting of the figures. She noticed as she did so that some of them looked very old, but as though they were still being maintained. Some of them looked very new. And they covered all the span of time between.</p><p></p><p>The rest of the day and the night passed.</p><p></p><p></p><p>13 Dorrinin 749 (Campaign day 74)</p><p></p><p>The day was notably warmer still than it had been in previous days. It was rainy and slushy and generally crappy out. The grizzly grey, rainy day passed into a grizzly grey evening and we made camp.</p><p></p><p>The night passed without incident.</p><p></p><p></p><p>14 Dorrinin 749 (Campaign day 75)</p><p></p><p>The morning was quite a lot colder, by at least 20 degrees, but at least it wasn’t raining. Vinya dried off the horses and we broke camp.</p><p></p><p>As the day passed, it just got colder and colder. Later in the day it did snow.</p><p></p><p>The cold night passed. With us in a climate-controlled tiny hut.</p><p></p><p></p><p>15 Dorrinin 749 (Campaign day 76)</p><p></p><p>In the morning, as we were breaking camp, a single humanoid figure walked toward us on the road from the direction we were heading in. He was dressed elegantly and expensively, though his clothes didn’t appear to be especially warm. His clothes were blue and black and white and his skin was pale blueish-grey.</p><p></p><p>He stopped well away from the party -- at a non-threatening distance.</p><p></p><p>Him: Hello, travelers!</p><p>Elama: Greetings! Do you come from Torm Brinnom?</p><p>Him: Alas, I do not.</p><p>Elama: I didn’t think anything else was up here.</p><p>Him: I have been sent by my mistress to walk on this road. There are often people who overestimate their abilities or underestimate winter in the mountains. There are deals to be made.</p><p>Elama: What kinds of deals?</p><p>Him: The deals are not to my benefit, but to my lady’s and to the people who make them. If they keep them.</p><p>Vinya: Why does everyone keep being surprised that we’re traveling this road?</p><p>Him: There’s very little travel in the winter. But there are always some people who will try.</p><p>Vinya: Do you make it colder around you?</p><p>Him: No.</p><p>Elama: I think we’ll be fine.</p><p>Him: Very well.</p><p></p><p>He left, continuing down the mountain.</p><p></p><p>We broke camp and started out. As we did so, Elderron thought about it for a bit then decided that he might have been an agent of the Tundra Queen. Vinya remembered the lore in her village (on the other side of these same mountains) warning people not to make deals with blue-skinned strangers, but she didn’t know about the Tundra Queen. Elderron told us that the Tundra Queen is a Fey noble mostly active quite a ways north of Embernook. This seemed to him to be very far south for her.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="prabe, post: 8128632, member: 7016699"] Session 19: Talking and Walking Dramatis Personae: Aldalómiel - Wood Elf Ranger (Hunter Conclave) Elama “Lamie” Galanodel- Wood Elf Cleric (Tempest) Vinya Anar - Wood Elf Monk (Way of the Sun Soul) Elderon - High Elf Wizard (Loremaster) Marxine Deepfoot - Dwarf Fighter (Champion) GM - Everyone Else (Note: This session was held on Discord.) 6 Dorrinin 749 (Campaign day 67) The next morning, Vinya went to a shop and bought some arrows first thing and then we got into the wagon that Mr. Stonebright had rented and headed out on the road toward Torm Brinnom. The road was quiet and not well travelled (this is still winter after all and we’re heading into the mountains). The day passed without incident until we’d started looking for a place to make camp. We found a place with a tumbledown well about a hundred yards away from the road. We went to check it out while Stonebright stayed with the cart near the road and started making camp. There was a piece of wood board leaning against the wall of the well. The board, weathered and old looking had worn painted letters that read “True answers. 1 gold piece.” Vinya shrugged and threw a gold piece in the well. Vinya, quietly to the well: Is Mr. Stonebright a murderer? Voice, whispering only to her: He is a heartbreaker. Not a murderer. Vinya quietly told the others what it had said. She decided to test the well, since we didn’t have any idea if that was actually a true answer. So she threw in a gold piece and asked where she’d started her training as a monk. The gold piece flew back out of the well and hit her in the chest. Voice: You know the answer to that. Vinya: I was checking if you do. Elderron, throwing in a gold piece: I’ll ask that. Where did Vinya first study? Voice: If she hasn’t told you that she studied at the House of Sky and Stone you should ask her why. When Elderron relayed the response, Vinya confirmed that the answer was correct. Elama and Vinya nudged Aldalomiel from opposite sides, urging her toward the well. Vinya: Ask about where your girlfriend is. Aldalomiel, throwing in a gold piece: Where is Lothiriel? Voice: Castle Dante in the Feywild. Vinya threw in another coin. Vinya: How is it that you do this? The coin shot back out of the well, but didn’t hit her. We went back to Mr. Stonebright and made camp for the night. The night was quiet and relaxed. 7 Dorrinin 749 (Campaign day 68) The next morning, before breaking camp, Vinya and Elama went back to the well. The sign had fallen over face down. Vinya tried to stand it up as it had been again. It tilted slowly then fell face down again. Elama, throwing in a gold coin: Thanks for the info. The coin landed with a thunk. Vinya looked in the well -- it was dry and she could see a glint, as from a single gold piece, at the bottom of the well. They went back to camp and helped load the carts and make ready to head out. Vinya, to Mr. Stonebright: Have you heard of this well that answers questions? Stonebright: No, but I was in a hurry when I came through here the first time. I didn’t pay attention to much off the road. Elama: It doesn’t seem to last long. Marxine: We as a group got three questions -- ignoring when it got cheeky with Vinya’s test question. We headed out and everything was quiet until lunchtime. Around then, Aldalomiel noticed some large figures in the woods ahead of us and slightly to the side of the road. They weren’t walking or [I]going[/I] in any direction -- milling around and then being still. We pulled the cart off the road and found Mr. Stonebright a safe space away from the cart and away from where we thought any battle would be. Aldalomiel cast pass without trace and we snuck up toward them, hoping to ambush whatever it was. We saw four ogres, sitting around a dead and mostly dismembered deer. They clearly hadn’t noticed us and, aside from being ogres, there was nothing that was directly harmful about them. Elama stepped forward into the clearing. Elama: Hey, guys!! What’s up?! The ogres turned to look at her, jaws dropping open. Elama: I didn’t know you were eating. We’re just passing by. Ogre: What you want? Elama: We just wanted to know if we could go by. Do you need anything? Ogre: We good. We killed deer. Elama: Excellent. We’ll just go on by then. She came back to us and said that they were going to take a moment to put that together. We quickly got the cart and Mr. Stonebright and rode by where the ogres were sitting a hundred or so yards from the road, moving by without stopping. Elama waved as we rode past. The ogres nodded, one waved a little, and they went back to eating their deer. A good minute later, when we were well down the road, they burst out onto the road with their clubs in hand roaring in our direction. When they saw how far away we’d gotten, they looked confused, then shuffled back into the woods. The rest of the day passed without and we made camp in a nice spot. The night was quiet and pleasant, if cold. 8 Dorrinin 749 (Campaign day 69) We headed out in the morning very early and passed into a deep valley where the sunlight had not yet gotten to the bottom of the valley. Riding our cart in the pre-dawn gloom in this valley we saw a waterfall. It took a moment to notice something odd -- the water was flowing UP. Elama: Well, that’s something you don’t see every day… Vinya: This looks like wizard stuff. Elderron? Elderron recognized it as a standing magical effect. Vinya didn’t remember seeing it when she travelled this way out of the mountains. About the time that Vinya was wondering why she hadn’t seen it, the sunlight finally reached down into the bottom of the valley. When the light touched the waterfall, it began to flow normally. Vinya: It would be so interesting to put something that floats, like a cork, into this river and see if it just goes back and forth or if the water eventually makes progress out of this field. We continued on our way. A few hours later we noticed a shadow pass over us and looked up to see a dragon-shaped shadow. It waggled its wings at us as it banked around, clearly turning to come back toward us. We got Mr. Stonebright out of the cart and about 100 feet into the forest, in a safe place under a tree with low-hanging branches. After a minute, we heard something coming along the trail. Presumably the dragon: Hello, the wagon! Elama: Hi! Dragon: What are four elves and two dwarves doing here this time of year? Elama: We’re going to Torm Brinnom. Do you live around here? Dragon: Yeah. Ish. Elama: Is it okay if we pass? Dragon: Yeah. I like the dwarves. And not in an eating them way. Elama: We can’t see you. Dragon: Yeah. I saw you hunkering down and didn’t want to alarm you any more than necessary. Elama: Yeah. We saw you flying overhead. Dragon: I was backlit. Elama crept forward and saw a young silver dragon curled up in a cat-like pose. Elama: You’re not as big as I thought you were. Dragon: Everyone thinks we’re all as big as my grandma. My name is Tultorla. Vinya, who crept up herself: How long have you been living around here? Tultorla: Just a couple of decades. My grandma said this was a place I could live, and she’d definitely know. Vinya: Have you been running into any problems? Tultorla: There’s a red dragon south of here. He’s much bigger and more dangerous than I am. I stay clear of him. Vinya: Where’s your grandmother? Tultorla: Up in the Icerasps. I’m here just enjoying the cold and the mountains. Vinya: It’s beautiful up near the House of Sky and Stone. Tultorla: Yes. Aldalomiel: Do you know anything about a well a couple of days from here that tells the truth? Elama: It answers questions for a gold piece. Tultorla: Oh, that. I believe that is something one of the Fey is doing out of a sense of whimsy. Maybe the Keeper of Secrets. Vinya: If you need us or if there’s something we can do to help you, please let us know. Tultorla: I will, thank you. I’m going to go over that way to take off -- because I don’t want to upset your horses. She then went down the trail away from us until she was almost around a curve in the road then she took off with a leap and a huge flap of her wings. We gathered up the cart and Mr. Stonebright, and continued on our way. The rest of the day passed without incident. As we rode along, we talked to Mr. Stonebright about how long this trip was going to be and learned that it’s about a month’s travel from Tuntorla to Torm Brinnom, which is about what Vinya remembered. Though since she and Hragdor, her first teacher, had been going downhill it might have been a bit faster for them. 9 Dorrinin 749 (Campaign day 70) We got on our way in the mid-morning. The road was getting steeper and colder as we went, and we were glad that we’d gotten warm, winter clothes for the trip. In the mid-morning, we saw a clearing a couple hundred feet off the road with a circle of 9 stumps all sawn off at the same height. The circle was close to perfect and the height was exactly the same for all of them. We estimated that they’d been cut off a decade or so ago. Vinya went into the circle and got a feeling like when a thunderstorm is looming and smelled ozone. She looked carefully at the stumps and saw writing on them in Sylvan. It read: Not all roads are laid on the ground What you leave behind will take you home Vinya left her shawm in the middle of the circle and stepped out of it. A single note was played on the shawm then it fell silent on the ground. She went in and picked it back up. Elama took her book, with pages that won’t take a mark, and put it down in the circle. It was picked up by invisible hands and the pages were flipped through. Elama went and collected her book. Elama: Vinya, cast see invisibility from the rod of alertness. Vinya: Good idea! She did so. She saw the stumps all connected by invisible lines on the ground, both in the circle around and with lines across the inside of the circle connecting each stump to each other stump. She also noticed something on top of every stump -- a circle. None of this was raised -- it was like the lines and circles were painted with invisible paint. Marxine took out the card with her image on it. The last time we saw it, there was an image of her on the causeway in Pelsoreen. This time it showed her in a circle of stumps, holding a card, which had an image on it of Marxine in a circle of stumps, holding a card .... Marxine: Huh. She put the card into the circle. Nothing happened so she retrieved it. Vinya took the letter she’d received that invited her to go to Tashimeet at the Knot for the Feast of Stars and set it down in the circle, staying next to it. She could see letters forming on the paper, but nothing that wrote them. The writing said: P.S. Your path still lies ahead of you. P.P.S. It’s good the dwarf joined you. Vinya told the others about this message and we agreed that it was interesting. We also agreed it was good Marxine joined us. But we weren’t sure what to make of it. Vinya, to the circle: Is there something we’re missing or that we should do here? There was no response. So we got back on the cart and continued on our way. During the afternoon, we saw a huge wall across the valley, sized to keep out giants. It was completely collapsed in parts and partly worn down in others. It looked ancient. We continued on our way, riding along as the road passed through one of the collapsed parts of the wall. The rest of the day passed quietly and it was a restful night. 10 Dorrinin 749 (Campaign day 71) The next morning dawned a bit warmer than it had been, a nice respite from winter in the mountains. As we headed out from our camp, we went into a glacial gorge -- a valley with a wide bottom and steep sides. The glacier had long retreated, but we saw that the walls of the valley sparkled so we went to investigate. There were quartz crystals sticking out from the walls of the valley, rounded and smoothed by the action of the glacier. Elderron, to Mr. Stonebright: Are these of value? Mr. Stonebright: It is not gem quality, but people in the stronghold will crush them into powder and use them on grinders and polishing cloths. They will pay for them. Elderron, Elama, and Vinya each grabbed a couple of the stones. Vinya grabbed a couple of hand sized ones to sell and another one that fit neatly into her palm, to keep. While we rode along, we talked with Mr. Stonebright about why he needed to get back to Torm Brinnom so urgently that he was making this trip in the winter. Since he clearly had no cargo or goods. He told us that his clan has been feuding with another since he left. The other clan, the Turnstones, were demanding that he, Mr. Stonebright, stand trial for the murder of one of their sons in order for there to be peace. And the leaders of Torm Brinnom just wanted peace between the clans. Mr. Stonebright was returning to stand trial. Vinya: Do you have any evidence or anything that will prove your innocence? Stonebright: Only, that I didn’t do it. I admit that I jilted my bethrothed, but I did not kill her brother. Vinya: Did he confront you after you jilted her? Stonebright: He was there. I left. They say I threw him off the wall of the stronghold. He looked at himself, thin and clearly not nearly as strong as is typical for a dwarf. Stonebright: I’ve never had the physique for that. He looked at the four elves in the party for a moment. Stonebright: It’s so easy for you elves to deal with these things. We dwarves have arranged marriages -- the goal is to have children and rebuild the clans and the strongholds. It’s very important. My clan arranged for me to marry one of the daughters of the Turnstone clan, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. They would have done better to have asked me to marry her brother. That I could have done. After I left, he was found at the base of the wall outside the stronghold. Vinya: So someone from his own clan could have done it, if they found out that he was not interested in marrying a woman to build up the clan? Stonebright: Perhaps. I do not know. Vinya: Or perhaps he could have thrown himself off. Stonebright, looking more sad: Perhaps. Vinya: When you ask us for help, you get the full service package. At least from me. I will help you however I can. If you didn’t kill him, you shouldn’t be punished. Stonebright: Thank you. The day passed while we had this conversation. We made camp and passed a pleasant and uneventful night and evening. 11 Dorrinin 749 (Campaign day 72) The next day we had an uneventful day of travel until it was time to find a place to make camp for the night. We found a clearing where all the grass had been turned to stone. We made camp, with one of Elderron’s tiny huts. The night passed without incident. 12 Dorrinin 749 (Campaign day 73) As we were wheeling the cart to the road the next morning, we were surprised by a 20’ tall grey humanoid stepping out onto the road in front of us. Elama: Hi!! Why do you block the road? Giant: <<said something in Giant>> Elama cast Tongues then asked the Giant to repeat himself. Giant: What are you doing here this time of year? Elama: We’re on the way to Torm Brinnom. Just passing through. The giant looked at the party, focusing on Mr. Stonebright. Giant, to Elama: Ask him if he knows the way. Elama, to Stonebright: He wants to know if you know the way. Stonebright: Tell him I know the ways both long and short. Elama, to Giant: He says he knows the way. The shortcuts too. Giant: We would not have you where we live come the Festival of Rain. Elama, to us: He wants us not to be in his territory on the Festival. Giant: Take the tunnel that is longer than it seems. He knows it. Elama, to us: He said something about a tunnel that is longer than it seems. Stonebright: I know it. Tell him we’ll be there just before the Festival. Elama, to giant: He knows. We’ll be there in time. Giant: Good. The giant then slid away into the woods and the rocky crags of the mountains. We continued on our way and got to a valley with petroglyphs carved into the patina on the rock walls of the valley. Giant sized petroglyphs. We stopped for lunch and while we were resting, Vinya started drawing the petroglyphs. Copying them into her sketchbook. Elama and Marxine recognized these and knew that they had deep religious significance, possibly magical significance as well, and copying them might actually cast a spell. Elama, to Vinya: Hey, maybe you shouldn’t do that. Elderron: Maybe draw them out of order. Or mess them up a bit. Vinya did that, but drew the most interesting of the figures. She noticed as she did so that some of them looked very old, but as though they were still being maintained. Some of them looked very new. And they covered all the span of time between. The rest of the day and the night passed. 13 Dorrinin 749 (Campaign day 74) The day was notably warmer still than it had been in previous days. It was rainy and slushy and generally crappy out. The grizzly grey, rainy day passed into a grizzly grey evening and we made camp. The night passed without incident. 14 Dorrinin 749 (Campaign day 75) The morning was quite a lot colder, by at least 20 degrees, but at least it wasn’t raining. Vinya dried off the horses and we broke camp. As the day passed, it just got colder and colder. Later in the day it did snow. The cold night passed. With us in a climate-controlled tiny hut. 15 Dorrinin 749 (Campaign day 76) In the morning, as we were breaking camp, a single humanoid figure walked toward us on the road from the direction we were heading in. He was dressed elegantly and expensively, though his clothes didn’t appear to be especially warm. His clothes were blue and black and white and his skin was pale blueish-grey. He stopped well away from the party -- at a non-threatening distance. Him: Hello, travelers! Elama: Greetings! Do you come from Torm Brinnom? Him: Alas, I do not. Elama: I didn’t think anything else was up here. Him: I have been sent by my mistress to walk on this road. There are often people who overestimate their abilities or underestimate winter in the mountains. There are deals to be made. Elama: What kinds of deals? Him: The deals are not to my benefit, but to my lady’s and to the people who make them. If they keep them. Vinya: Why does everyone keep being surprised that we’re traveling this road? Him: There’s very little travel in the winter. But there are always some people who will try. Vinya: Do you make it colder around you? Him: No. Elama: I think we’ll be fine. Him: Very well. He left, continuing down the mountain. We broke camp and started out. As we did so, Elderron thought about it for a bit then decided that he might have been an agent of the Tundra Queen. Vinya remembered the lore in her village (on the other side of these same mountains) warning people not to make deals with blue-skinned strangers, but she didn’t know about the Tundra Queen. Elderron told us that the Tundra Queen is a Fey noble mostly active quite a ways north of Embernook. This seemed to him to be very far south for her. [/QUOTE]
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Erkonin (Campaign #2) [Session 45: Rajalmin's Agent]
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