Use the true stone on the black stone while there's still time Tamarkorda says

Gilren crawls away from the spirit. turns and casts Shooting Star 2 rune points worth. Pulls her bow and fires.


[Private to Narrator: Shooting Star 1 point
Duration until fired, Range touch, reusable, stackable
This spell must be cast upon an arrow. When that arrow is fired,
it leaves a glowing trail behind it, and acts as a combination
Firearrow and Multimissile 1. Each additional spell stacked onto
the first adds 2 more missiles. All missiles must be targeted
against the same opponent.]

[Private to Narrator: 15:34, Today: Gilren Starseeker rolled 13 using 3d6.  Shooting star 2 damage.

15:34, Today: Gilren Starseeker rolled 16 using 1d20.  shooting star 2 loc.

15:33, Today: Gilren Starseeker rolled 49 using 1d100.  Shooting star 2.

15:33, Today: Gilren Starseeker rolled 5 using 3d6.  damage arrow 1.

15:32, Today: Gilren Starseeker rolled 2 using 1d20.  Hit location 1.

15:32, Today: Gilren Starseeker rolled 51 using 1d100.  Composite bow 95.

15:28, Today: Gilren Starseeker rolled 19 using 1d100.  Shooting Star death 80.]
This message was last edited by the player at 22:35, Tue 27 Aug 2019.

Oligur cries out over the gale. "BINGLING, ARE YOU ALRIGHT? YOU ARE THE STRONGEST. WE CAN WARD OFF THIS FOUL CREATURE'S BLOWS IF YOU WISH TO PUT STONE TO STONE"

In reply to Oligur Jaffez (msg # 368):

Bingling stands up, broken mace in one hand and wiping his mouth with the back of the other. He moans in Tradetalk "Tastes... bad..."

In reply to Bingling Hyxloriz (msg # 369):

Someone grab Gilren! Sanuzi yells.

He leaps toward the True Stone and attempts to grab it. He alters his stance just as he leaps, and whirls to snatch Gilren from out of there...
This message was last edited by the player at 01:02, Thu 29 Aug 2019.

Could everyone weigh in on the plan?

It looks like Sanuzi is going to try to get the stone and Gilren out of the cave.  It sounds like others are going to cover the escape.

As a note, I'm off to my annual pilgrimage to a large Pop Culture convention (DragonCon).  After tomorrow, I don't know what my availability will be like until Monday.

The party defends Sanuzi as he leaps forward to grab the stone.  Supporting Gilren, Tamarkorda takes her back down the hallway.  Oligur, Henetha, and Bingling each help to keep the creature occupied while the others get to the tunnel.  The creature seems bound to this location, and cannot follow.  A howl of rage echos through the cavern.

Getting to the main room, it is obvious that Gilren has been poisoned.  The skin writhes a little, as if there were worms beneath the flesh.

Checking everyone else, you soon discover that Bingling's mouth is bleeding.  Investigating further, it appears that his gums are ulcerated.

[Private to Tamarkorda: You will be able to use your skill to stablize them, but you need more medicines and people with stronger healing magics.  You remember Inkarne had the ability to heal chaos wounds, so she maybe able to help your companions, but speed will be of essence.]

"We need Inkarne to treat this wound, and we need to get back to her fast." Tamarkorda looking up at his companions after inspecting Gilren's injury.

In reply to Tamarkorda (msg # 373):

"May I suggest that the riders among us help get Gilren to Inkarne as quickly as possible, avoiding any conflict along the way?
Those of us on foot can follow along as best as we can, but with time at stake there is no need for the cavalry to have to wait for the grunts.
We also have her..."
Oligur indicates the bronze girl.
"But I suppose she'll be here when we get back, or the footmen can bring her with us.
Say 'Ah', old boy...
Gah! I don't suppose there is room on a horse for Bingling?"
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 02:57, Tue 03 Sept 2019.

In reply to Oligur Jaffez (msg # 374):

"I move fast. Run. March. Run. We go."

I'm going to move Saberak back to Jelmine.  Her antelope will be the fastest on these mountain passes, so she will carry Gilren back to Jelmine.  Other strong horsemen, like Tamarkorda, could travel along with them.

Anyone strong at running (or high endurance) could go with Bingling.

The rest can travel at a slower pace with the bronze body and True Stone.

If there are no objections, I'll move us to the next Interlude.

Saberak sends her owl flying ahead with a message for Desola.  As Saberak rides into town with Gilren, there is a team of women ready to help the wounded warrior from the horse.  The bite on Gilren's abdomen has become purulent, and it still appears as if worms are crawling beneath the skin.[Private to Gilren Starseeker: The pain is intense, as if thousands of red hot needles were moving around your abdomen.]  Hearing of the Chaos creature, Inkarne wastes no time.  She calls upon the divine radiance of Chalana Arroy to heal this wound caused by chaos.

As she chants her prayer, the crawling of the worms slows, then ceases.  With a towel, she wipes away the pus revealing freshly knitted skin.  [Private to Gilren Starseeker: The poison has left you weakened.  You are down 1/2 your CON score, but you will regain the CON 1 pt/day (you have time to fully recover).]

Bingling is the next to arrive.  Kora, Priestss of Xiola Umbra, comes to tend to Bingling, assisted by Inkarne.  With a knife, Kora carves open Bingling's gums, and pulls out a thin sliver of the black stone that was embedded between tooth and gum.  The application of herbs and magic quickly restores Bingling's jaw.  [Private to Bingling Hyxloriz: You used your last bit of strength in running back to town.  You are tired, sore, and just plain exhausted.]  Bingling falls unconscious from the effort of his journey and his wound.

The rest of the party arrives, and people gather around the adventurers to hear their tales.
(OOC:  The body and the stone are both wrapped and protected; you'll need to explain how you reveal those to the town).

In reply to Narrator (msg # 377):

OOC: somebody should save that sliver of black stone, as a souvenir for Bingling and/or for the brainier among us to study for an advantage!

Henetha asks for Desola.

((OOC: She wants to present the bronze woman to her.))

As people are asking for stories of what happened, Danbal arrives and says, "we feared the worst when the Lunar Antelope rider came back with a woman unknown to us.  Then came the Uz who left with you.  Both the woman and the Uz had strange wounds.  It is good to see that the rest of you are well."  He looks to Oligur, specifically the armor melted around his abdomen.  "You must have come across something vile in the Mountain.  Was it a trace of the demon?"

Before telling the stories, Henetha asks for Desola.  Danbal replies, "she has been in prayer since the patrols went out.  You are correct that she should hear this as well, for it seems we are beset by creatures from the hollow."

Desola comes with Eldresa and Kalisla toward the gathered people.  "Thanks be to Ernalda that you have returned to us safely."

Danbal to Desola that Henetha had asked specifically for Desola to be present.

"Daughter, what news have you brought us?," asks Desola.

(OOC:  I'm not sure if anyone wanted to say something to her first; you can add that as we go.  I'm going to move to the reveal of the body).

When the bronze body is revealed, Desola drops to her knees, and cries out, "Alia!"  Eldresa, Kalisla, and Inkarne all gather around Desola.  After a few moments of sobbing, Desola says, "I had feared something had happened to you dear Alia.  You were supposed to come to us during Earth Season."  She reaches out and touches the forehead of the bronze girl, "rest now in our Mother's embrace."

It is clear that Desola's reaction was completely unexpected and that no one knows the girl.  You can hear whispers of people asking "who is Alia?"

"Who is Alia?" Tamarkorda asks Desola. [Private to GM: He looks to see if Sandien is present.]

(OOC-in parallel to Tamarkorda's question)

Oligur responds to Danbal, pulling his cloak around the ruined linothorax a bit self consciously.
"We found a creature of chaos--untamed and malevolent, full of hate. It dwells in a cavern that is only in part connected to our world--or so I understood from Sanuzi and Tamarkorda. We were able to harm it, at least temporarily, and it was especially affected by the stone we found. Gilren--the woman that was poisoned--she struck it with the stone and it did not like that. It did us more harm than we did it, though.
The creature was itself positioned on a large black stone that seemed nearly indestructible--a blow from Bingling's mace shattered the weapon, without leaving a mark on the stone. Only his teeth were able to do that, but it was at a cost.I think we must return, better equipped, to finish it once and for all. We can find the physical cave again, whether we return now or after we rest a season. To find the spirit and defeat it may take further preparation."
He looks hopefully to his comrades to fill in what he missed.

Danbal looks to Oligur, and says, "you have done well to survive this and bring back word of this creature.  Do you think it is related to the demon that has taken an interest in our town?  Does this creature pose a threat to Jelmine right now?  Sacred Time is almost upon us, if this creature is not pressing an attack against us, then we can use the Sacred Time to prepare for its defeat."

Meanwhile, Desola looks between Henetha and Tamarokorda.  "You must tell me where you found her, and any other thing that would help me to understand her fate."

Looking specifically to Tamarokorda, Desola adds, "Ernalda chose Alia to be my successor."

Eldresa and Kalisla are both shocked by this confession, Eldresa asks, "is that why you delayed the ritual of elevation?"

"Yes," says Desola.

"But why?" asks Kalisla.

Desola looks to them with tears in her eyes.  She looks older and tired.  "You are both good women and worthy wives, but", Desola hesitates for a moment to stand, "neither of you are strong enough to bear the burden that the High Priestess must bear."

Both Eldresa and Kalisla looked shocked, as do their husbands.  "The High Priestess of this shrine has always been chosen by our Mother.  As occurred with my predecessor, Ernalda began to speak to me in dreams.  She introduced me to Alia, as I was once introduced to my High Priestess.  Within these dreams the Earth Tribe helped to educate her so that she could take my place one day.  Then the world shook, and the shadow of the dragon covered the lands.  Since that day the dreams have stopped, and I will continue on until Ernalda has chosen a successor."  Desola looks to Eldresa, Kalisla, and Inkarne, "please take her to the temple.  We shall bless her and place her body in the sacred chamber."

"We found her in a room behind a cave". Tamarrkorda replies. He looks uneasy, his gaze flicking around among the crowd surrounding the priestesses and Alia. "We had to fight some corpse fiends to reach her. The chaos thing was in one more room of that same cave." He fidgets, rubbing his arms and shaking his head. "Henetha can tell you more of that place and what it had been. Gilren the Starcaller was hurt, but she gained some sense of Alia's fate first.". He stamps his left foot, and saying "What is wrong?" to no one in particular; he wheels and weaves his way trough the crowd before beginning to jog up the hill.
[Private to GM: He is heading towards Sandien's hut and does not want to be delayed or restrained]

"She was praying to the Earth Mother when she died.  She was holding a small idol of the Earth Mother in her hands. The cave was a home, including a tunnel used by the family matron as a sacred site for Ernalda."

Bingling waits until the explaining and uproar over Alia die down.

Then he fishes out the pieces of his Strength-matrix mace, and whispers.
"Broken. Failed my charges."

Oligur replies to Danbal, "Sanuzi knows the most about the path that led us to it and, perhaps, its relationship with the attacks on Jelmine. I did not sense from the creature that it was expanding its attacks outside of the cavern; indeed once we fled it gave no pursuit. As we gather our strength, I am sure it will do likewise, but we now know better what it is we face."

 Gilren tells the priests about her experience when she tried to atune the crystal.

An image comes to your mind.  A family gripped by hunger; the wailing as children and the elderly die of starvation.  An endless winter, and then dark salvation.  You see through the eyes of another, a young woman, sneaking into the longhouse where your father is conducting dark sacraments.  You take the family's idols of Ernalda and Orlanth knowing that your father will soon sacrifice these to his new dark god.  You run into the caves, seeking to hide the idols.  You recognize the father in the "undead shaman" your band recently slew.

The impression I hold is.
 "My mind is cluttered from trying to join the stone. I felt shocks as I tried to connect. Then in my mind's eye, I saw the young woman lying dead on the floor gutted. Over her was a shadow holding a bloody sword. Then the vision ended. I do not think anyone can connect to the stone without extreme measures. There appears to be something missing."

Maybe the strength of the Sacred Times will allow me to connect this time. I will make sacrifice Gilren completes her try she sits down abruptly. "My mind is cluttered from trying to join the stone. I felt shocks as I tried to connect. Then in my mind's eye, I saw the young woman lying dead on the floor gutted. Over Her was a shadow holding a bloody sword. Then the vision ended. I do not think anyone can connect to the stone without extreme measures. There appears to be something missing."

I will make a sacrifice and meditate for 2 days before attempting to commune with the stone again. I will sanctify a place for my god and worship her. Then I will Sing and Dance before the night maiden. The secrets will be revealled. Any aid would be welcome. I have traveled part of the way before.

The Elders listen to your explanations, but Desola seems distracted.  She only really focuses when Henetha when she talks about the tunnel.  Danbal leans over to his wife and whispers something. She goes over and helps Desola to stand.  She then leads Desola back toward the temple.  Inkarne indicates that she will take care of the body.  Desola motions Henetha to help Inkarne.[Private to Henetha Hofaktsdottir: Inkarne says, "help me to return her to the temple.  Since you were the one who discovered her, I believe Desola would like you to help with the preparations."]

Danbal then says to the remaining party members, "you need rest.  We will gather you together tomorrow and talk about our next steps."

---

As Tamarkorda goes over to Sandien's house, he is approached by Heortan.  "If you're looking for Sandien, you won't find her there.  She has been over at the Lunar Fort all day."

Tamarkorda takes a deep breath and shakes his head at Heotan's news. My thanks once more, Heortan. May the gods of the forge and hearth fires smile on you. How is Mother? She was not so good when we left.[Private to GM: If mother does not need anything then Tamarkorda will go back down to the Murval hose and check that Dorgoz and Gilren's mount have been stabled and fed.]