Session 60

Heading Toward Not-Oblivion

Date: Tuesday, 7 September, 2021
Attending Players: Ashara, Embra, Ish'Mael, Victalyassa
Time 3.5 Hours (Total: 198 Hours)

Game Time 22nd of Sowmeadow, Noon
To
24th of Sowmeadow, 10 AM
Game Locations:
Valtaska

"By all the Embodied, what was all of that?" the young bard looked down at his hand, the single dart glistening in the sunlight. "At least they only took that silly toy."

Stretching out against the log of the tree he had been propped up against, he sat back and began strumming on his lute. He sang low and soft about sailors braving terrible storms and sirens trying to woo them. After several minutes, he found himself licking his lips, parched at the thought of being stranded at sea. He paused, grabbing his flask and taking a long draw of it. As he swished it around in his mouth, taking slow swallows from the large quantity he took in, his mind flashed with the story the red woman told him.

"Stupid story," he muttered as he finished the drink. He smacked his lips again and took another drink, this time finishing his flask off entirely.

Leaning towards his fire, he rolled the logs around a bit to get the flames higher. A small rumble in the man's stomach told prompted the man to unpack his dinner, perfectly timed with the setting sun. He grabbed his food and began prepping it, pouring a little water in a pot to get it steaming. He watched the vapors rise from the lid over the next hour as he cooked, ate, and enjoyed the fine meal over the sound of crickets and creeping things in the woods.

With his feast finished, he grabbed for a bottle of wine, but was disappointed to find it already emptied. All he had left was his remaining flask.

"The worst to wash down a fine meal, but thirst demands quenching," he shrugged as he drank half the bottle down. As he pulled it from his lips, he smacked them, noting an unusual cotton sensation. He shrugged and polished off the bottle.

The night continued to slowly come as the fire got lower. Playing his lute, the bard only paused to grab his now emptied flasks before setting them back down. When the flames began to turn to bright coals, he began to ready for bed, but a nagging on his tongue stopped him from laying down.

"I think there was a stream near here, yes. I just need to fill my flasks, then I'll go to bed."
-----
The A'Yapi hunter paused by the stream to take a cool sip of water, letting his horse rest before the long trek back. Two full deer was a good haul for his tribe, and he was proud of his skills for taking them so swiftly. When he lifted up, basking in the sun as the cool water ran down his throat, he spotted a slight shadow a small ways downstream.

Grasping his bow, ready to shoot any predator that came to take his bounty, he watched the dark shape for a moment until his eyes fully adjusted and took in the full shape of a man.

Approaching with caution, he saw the person had their head fully submerged in the creek, unmoving and pale in the light. He moved closer, looking over the character, unsure of what to do. No struggle was seen around, but two emptied flasks sat by his body. The A'Yapi hunter moved in, curious to this man's story.

Ashara sits naked (more or less) in the back of the smithy toward the later half of the day., The Blacksmith walks up to her and presents her very own Smoldering Copper Dragon Leather Armor (SCALD for short). She donned the armor, which magically fit her perfectly regardless of dimensions, and tested her mobility while the Blacksmith explains. She whips out her Katana and tests the mobility of her blade before holding it up to the Blacksmith. "Where are the rest of my scales?" she demands.
The blacksmith pulls out the bag of scales, hesitant for a bit before seeing her blade and deciding to hand over all the scales without further complication. She collects the bag full and begins to walk away, turning for a second only to say, "you work for me now, should I need repairs or anything else, I expect only your best work." Before he could speak, she had already left, the blacksmith rubs his fingers through his hair and wonders how bad of a request that could really be.
Ashara and Ish Ma'el eventually return to the Crazy Boat Inn while the sandstorm begins to die down, uneventfully. They are met by Vic and Embra who explore pleasantries before Vic leaves to explore the town for a bit longer. Ish Ma'el takes some time in the Inn to read through his spellbook. He discovers it to be called the Gi! Dulk, an ancient book written in the language of the guardians, first tongue. It contains ritual spells which cannot be performed quickly nor easily, but offers substantial gifts to the casters. Among the spells, he learns a spell called Spiritual Armory. The spell requires many specific and rare materials and takes about 4 hours to create. When used, he will be able to create a floating, spectral weapon or shield which strengthens allies while harming enemies.
Victalyassa discovers on her journey that Warforged, such as her disconnected head companion Kal, are so extremely rare in books and talks that people believed they never existed. She does find out that Norva or the black markets of Orvadah are very mechanical and may draw any extra information on the Warforged kind. She continues to visit different bars and enjoying the time without any life-threatening events. Several other small sand storms are talked about in the town, but they dissipate before anything can come about. She eventually returns to the Crazy Boat Inn with the rest of the companions to stay the night.
Late at night, the water clock downstairs continues to say seven in the morning, though it is clearly the middle of the night and the clock is clearly broken. The party spent the remainder of the night talking about how they spent the day, commenting on Ashara's armor, Vic's vocal devices, Ish Ma'els wand, and Embras massive amount of potions she has acquired from the A-Pot-To-Carry. Each of them head to bed and the night goes on without any specific events.
Embra is blissfully aware of the world around her as she wakes up from a great night of rest. Victalyassa however notices that the window, previously closed, is cracked open and letting in a light breeze. The note on the dresser next to her bed reads something ominous, but she keeps it to herself for now. The party convenes downstairs and meets in the tavern. Ish Ma'el and Drosko discuss the details of the journey, and Ish Ma'el wishes to hire a party to -. He is immediately cut off by Ashara who demands that the party walks alone to Manlee's stop. The rest of the party agrees, and Embra reminds him that they are not leaving anyone anywhere. A wagon hitched to a single horse, a Valtaskan carriage, is provided to the party to provide rest and daily care to them. Ish Ma'el explains in rich detail how carriages have developed over the course of the last 200 years from a single wagon and horse to a 4-person room carried by 4 horses; he is primarily ignored, and he does not care.
The party decides to make a direct route to the Spire, bypassing Manlee's stop; Ish Ma'el primarily voicing his discontent with the detour. The party agrees, and they take the western path out of town. Heavy rains begin to fall on the party, but Ish Ma'el creates his 20 ft round barrier and keeps the carriage dry, although the roads are muddy ahead of them.
While Ish Ma'el focuses on the rain, thinking about the doldrums, where sailing ships are caught in an area of no wind and crews would get stranded, stuck, and die, the rest of the party notices something interesting. Ashara picks this up immediately, seeing and being able to ascertain the nature of what she is seeing. In the rain, a couple of large, predatory eagles, four-legged eagles... GRIFFONS! Hover outside of Ish Ma'els bubble, watching the party strictly. "Ah, it seems as if these griffons have recently made a kill, there must be a flock nearby eating. Perhaps we should give them their space and walk in another direction. I know that look well," says Ashara. "I don't know anything about these creatures, but if that's what you suggest, then let's keep away," says Vic. Ish Ma'el and Embra agree, and the party moves to the side, beyond the sight of the Griffons. The day continues as the griffons fade out of vision, the party stops in a chilly area near the road to relax and eat before continuing along the King's Road, dreary and long.
The monotony of the situation is interrupted later by Vic and Embra noticing a small orangish hued light in the distance, music emanating from the area. A figure had set up camp, just outside the road, single and with only a nearby mount standing by the created campfire. The party naturally approaches as Vic mentions it to Ashara and Ish Ma'el. Overall, it is decided that the party will meet with the person, concealing their weapons and approaching with a "be cool, be cool" attitude as Embra says. Ashara brazenly throws her weapon into the woods, proving that she will be no threat.
They approach a male elven bard character strumming on their lute by the fireside. As they approach, he gives a wave and says, "Well met traveler, please join me by the fire is you are looking for a rest." As he sits there with one leg kicked high, a large sock or small log can be seen concealed in the front of his shorts. "That's quite a lute you have there…" exclaims Embra.
"I think you mean flute..." snickers Ish Ma'el.
Looking at Ashara, the bard says, "and you on my lap, would me it suits..." he laughs. Ashara stares angrily deep at the bard. "If we are stopping to rhyme, I feel we will not have the time." says Ish Ma'el, perhaps in her defense.
"Very well, I mainly meant to have some time. Where do you come from and where do you go?" says the Bard, putting his hands toward Ashara as if to apologize.
"Well," begins Ashara, "we are here seeking trade, if you have any?"
"- or stories to tell?" adds Vic.
"I do have stories, of course," says the bard, "but I am no merchant. Perhaps I have a few items, though."
"Are you willing to trade story for story?" asks Ish Ma'el. Ashara groans.
"I can, but what kind of story are you looking for?" he asks.
"We are looking for several, and we have several to tell? We have stories that could excite you, stories of gut-wrenching horror, tales of failure, grandeur, revenge..." says Ish Ma'el.
"I haven't heard a good horror story in a while. What do you seek in return?"
"Stories of the spire is what we desire," says Ish Ma'el.
The bard tells the story of the world slowly fading away as the desert encroaches. Tanaviak and all of Rimvaltask are the last bastion of civilization. Rumors that the gods will war on the world. Sandstorms that are menacingly dark and deadly, skinning people alive. Villages which become deserted soon after and dark chants of howling demons that circle around the areas endlessly. Signs and symbols of the end of the cycle. Only a true savior like Alexor of all men could stop the cycle from ending once again... After 20 minutes, the bard ends the tale on a high note, talking about hope and saviors yet to be found.
Embra looks at her nails, not really reacting. She was clearly bored and decides that she doesn't want to pay for such a tale. She thinks back to some of the tales that she was told as a young noble, her parents paying for tales of grandeur that inspired her, instead of depressing her as this one. "What is it you want to know?" she asks. Victalyassa mentions that is sounds like the stories of their lives at this point. Ashara says she will tell the tale of the Dry Man that haunts the area:
"Long ago in cycles past, there was a drunkard that wandered the land looking for his next watering hole. Hearing of this, a local lawman locked up the drunkard, when he arrived, and taunted the drunk with water and food that the drunk could not reach. This went on for weeks as the drunkard began to fade away, and eventually the local lawman sat with the drunk and a large barrel of water to drink in front of him. The drunk eventually stopped begging and began describing the feeling of being so dry, the hoarseness of the scratching feeling in the back of the throat and the agony of the muscle rubbing against the nerves. The lawman began taking larger and larger sips of water from the barrel until he eventually dipped his entire head into the barrel and drowned himself taking larger swigs than he could handle, refusing to take his head out of the water around him. A day later, another lawmen found the local lawman dead with his head in the barrel and the dry man in the cell sitting patiently. Unable to hold the dry man on any charges as he could not have possibly killed the local lawman, he allowed the drunkard to be released. The dry man wandered the land and told the story to as many people that would listen, leaving corpses in his wake and disciples to tell the tale. Only those that can resist the urge can live to tell the tale, or can listen to it and not lose their minds. Thirsty now?"
The bard had stopped strumming during her tale, as she finishes he smacks his lips a little and gabs at his water skin. He explains he hasn't heard the tale, but seems obviously overwhelmed by the story. "Please feel free to stay if you wish, there is plenty of room," he says.
"And plenty of water I hope," says Ashara staring deep into the bards eyes.
"She doesn't take well to compliments," laughs Vic, "but perhaps we should leave, I still have plenty of walking left in myself."
"Do you have anything to trade? Or is it just stories? I am quite ready to move on myself too." says Embra. The bard shows off some of his miscellaneous trinkets, like his bracelet (of meld earth) which can move the earth into small dirt snowmen, and healing potions. He also pulls out a double-sided monocle that has a small black fur that looks like a man's mustache. "This doesn't work very often, but when it does, it let me take the shape of some of the characters I wish it to." says the bard.
Ashara pulls out a dart and explains that she is giving him the dart that can potentially save him, kill another, or even kill himself. The bard tried to deny the trade, but Ashara denies that a trade is happening and leans in, giving him the dart and simultaneously taking the bracelet from his wrist. The bard wriggles back, intimidated by Ashara, and asks for everyone to leave, saying the camp has gotten too crowded. Vic and Embra make comments on the rudeness and ugliness of the bard before they depart their own way.
The party continues down the road for a few hours before stopping to set their camp. Ish Ma'el works on defenses, Embra on the camp concealment, Vic on the cooking, and Ashara on the foraging. Using her alchemy supply and the picture of her Nihill flower, she is only able to find 1 ration to bring back to Victalyassa. She tells the story of a diseased zombified beast which she slaughtered and found the one slice of meat that could be salvaged. Eventually she concedes that it was a rabbit she accidentally crushed the head of and cut around the broken bone, having not found her precious flower. Vic takes what she gets from Ashara and adds 2 of her own dry rations to cook it together. With her cooking supplies, she is an expert in this and, despite the poor foraging of Ashara, she creates some very good food with the dried berries and jerky. Embra expertly conceals the camp with twine and hanging fronds to make the camp look like a giant bush. Ish Ma'el created wood chimes on a hempen rope which would alert the heroes to any creeping danger as they crossed the line. Together, the party enjoys their nice little meal and rest, sitting around the fire.
Embra takes the opportunity to explain the story of when her family visited the playhouse as a young woman. They would have grand hor'dourves and figgy pudding as they watched plays. Her favorite being the mutant phantom ghost, which lived in the playhouse and falls in love with the most beautiful girl and beautiful voice. The mutant phantom ghost falls madly in love and madly in jealousy of the girl's lover, leading to quite the dramatic situations. The Broadstone playhouse still shows the play, and she recalls fondly the beautiful men which graced her with their colognes and strong muscles. Inspired by her tale, the rest of the party comfortably enjoys the story before heading to bed; Vic being the only one to stay up and provide watch for the night.
While the party is sleeping, Vic washes the mud out of her clothes and asks Kal about any stories that he may have to tell. He regails her with stories of his past life as a naval officer of the Enrith ships when the Empire was glorious. They nearly lull her into a sleep with some things that Vic can't even imagine of a civilization that doesn't exist anymore. Ashara, in secret, lays next to her eggs and is a bit disappointed that she never found that flower. She looks deep into the layers of the eggs and wonders what could lay inside, hoping that whatever it is cares about her as deeply as she has cared about them during this journey. Hoping to be a mother herself, perhaps like that she never had.
In the morning, the party packs up camp and continues along into the forest, making a direct path to the marker on their map where the spire should be. As the party is walking in the woods, a branch suddenly falls toward Ashara, who instinctively moves out of the way. She looks up, along with the party, to see a giant Awakened Tree which has initiated combat with the heroes. Extra rustles from the trees around can be heard as Ish Ma'el and Ashara can even hear something plowing from the ground nearby.