The harbor at Lighttree isn’t like the other bustling ports of the world.  The Greenwood Elves didn’t put the market at the harbor.  The harbor is just a place for ships to anchor: walkways and log pilings, ships bobbing, seagulls watching the work being done.  All of the commercial activity that happens dockside elsewhere is at Lighttree’s markets, not here.  It makes boarding and preparing to shove off a little quieter, and a little more obvious.

The younger Mountain Elves know that in the eyes of older Mountain Elves, they are embarking on a fool’s endeavor.

“We weren’t strong enough then, we aren’t strong enough now.  Build a life, and have a big family with many children, the way Humans do, and teach them, and maybe then someday.”  That was the advice Jiri had received, several times, from older family members.

The fact that the Elves were forcibly ejected from the very place Jiri wants to go now gnaws slightly at Lanis, the master of the Irolando, as they set sail.

Something I am wondering… when the Mountain Elf Kingdom was conquered, there was a conquering army, yes?  Goblins and Hobgoblins and their allies and creatures under their control, you’ve said.  How can you be sure we’re not sailing into a hostile fortress?”

“I can’t be sure,” Jiri says.  “I don’t know.  But I have spent years asking questions of mariners, digging up every scrap.  At the entrance to the harbor is a place called Black Vent Watch.  Elves used that place to watch the sea.  In the years since, other ships have sailed that straight, though if they entered the harbor I do not know.  I have talked to mariners, they never said they saw any Goblins on Black Vent Watch.  So the Goblins do not watch the sea.  Maybe they do not watch the harbor at all.”

Lanis scours the map for a “Plan B”, where to land the explorers if the harbor is too hostile.

The little ship bobs out of Lighttree Harbor, headed north towards the last home of the Mountain Elves.

Varis stands on deck watching as the final preparations are made, watching the crew and the Harbor. As they move away from the docks he moves closer to Jiri stopping a few feet away. "Well, it begins. We take the first step, soon we will know more than we did before. I don't know what we will find, but I am sure it will be different than we expect. Still, first step back!"

After storing his supplies Rolen makes his way above decks to the aft of the ship; trying to stay out of the crew's way as the little ship sets sail out of Lighttree harbor.  Looking back at the town Rolen reflects on his time spent there and the memories that go with it; the good, bad, and ugly memories.  May we never regret this choice.  Let this small band of heroes lead future generations towards a new destiny; a new dream. May fortune favor the foolish. He thinks to himself as the lights and buildings of the town and its harbor slowly vanish from sight.

Lipika climbed the gang plank and looked around at the bustle of the sailors.  She tried to stay out of the way as she made her way below decks to stow her pack.  Back on deck she joined the others.  "Well, this is it," she said, nervous and giddy looking back at the harbor as the ship pulled away.

They leave in the morning, a usual thing, to maximize daylight sailing.  Elven fishing boats are scattered around.  The Greenwood Elves may not be fond of the sea as a whole, but in every large group there are exceptions, and of course those exceptions that want to take up ocean fishing end up in Lighttree.  There are dozens of them, thinly scattered, and they stay within sight of the Light Tree.  Closer to shore, there are boats harvesting shellfish.

There is also a large ship from the Rajanates.  It’s going the same way.  Jiri actually considered that ship, but they did not to break from their routine to indulge one peculiar Elf woman.

“Also, the sailors were not friendly or welcoming,” she says.  “But the Irolando is a good ship and crew.”

The Rajanates ship begins to slowly fall behind, not being as quick as the Irolando.  All morning, neither vessel makes great progress, as they are fighting the wind, but by afternoon the wind is behind them and they are making good speed.

By late afternoon they have left the furthest of the Lightree fishing fleet behind, the tree itself is just a point on the horizon.  By sunset they are off the coast of the Flooded Forest, known for mile after mile of cypress trees growing in a dense, wet maze.   It makes a natural barrier to the kingdom of the Greenwood Elves, though they very rarely come that far on hunting expeditions.  This night, they stay far from the dark coast.  The crew takes shifts on the sails, trimming and adjusting as needed.  The Rajanates ship lags further behind.

In the morning they pass another vessel, one of those lean, quick Honoan catamarans, going in the other direction.  They are in the strait that separates the very large Honoan island of Nakai from the mainland.  It’s one of those “gaps in  civilization” so common in the Southlands- people are scattered thinly, and here, 200 miles separates Lighttree from the next oasis of civilization. Matapua.

Another day of travel puts the ship much closer- they are running ahead of schedule and Lanis realizes that if this keeps up they will arrive in darkness, which is something he definitely does not want to do.  Off the Crocodile River, with the lights of the Honoan town of Matapua in the distance, he has the sails partially furled.  The ship catches less wind, now.  Assume things keep up, in the morning, they will be at Mount Keru.

During the voyage Rolen asks the captain for any information he is willing to part with are the waters and area near the Black Vent Watch to get a feel of what to expect once the group makes landfall in the next few days.  He says in conversation, "I had heard that Mt Keru and the surrounding area was created by a volcano in the area if the rumors are true.  Have you had any oppoturnities for commerce in the area, captain?  I would be curious to know what raw materials would be in demand to the settlements in the nearby areas.  Any advice?"

Oda tries to make herself of use to the crew. She will help attend to any illness or injury and even roll up her sleeves and help in the work of maintaining the ship (all those low skill tasks that the crewmembers were less excited about doing).

Varis does his best to stay out of the way of the crew, knowing that interfering with their duties is the surest way to anger the captain. Still he watches what he can, and listes when they talk of their travels, especially anything about their target destination.

As they grow closer he can often be found at the railing near the bow of the ship looking ahead for what awaits them.

The crew appreciates Oda's help!  Quickly, she becomes honorary crew on the Irolando, the "favorite passenger".

But there is little time left to enjoy that status.

The ship enters the waters off the coast of Mount Keru.

It's not well traveled here, not even the captain of the Irolando is familiar with it, and there are good reasons for that.  The waters are treacherous.

Off the coast of Mount Keru, to the ship's right is an island with an active volcano.  You can see the large gash of gray-black, and the wisps of smoke.  The region is volcanic in origin.  Past eruptions have left dangerous shoals of sharp rocks, and off of the mouth of the Kilon River, a less dangerous but still problematic shoal of sand and mud.

The Irolando threads between these, before turning into the harbor.

The large natural harbor features the Black Vent Watch at the mouth.  This is named for another volcanic feature, though one that, as the Elves know, hasn't been of the active lava spewing kind.

But that seems to have changed.  Part of the steep rocky slope of the Watch is covered by a fresh curtain of black stone.  There is a mountain trail cut into part of it, but it vanishes when it meets that black flow.

This is the part Lanis feared the most.  Would they be sailing into a port full of Goblins who would rain arrows down on them?

No sign of them... or anything moving.  Until the approach the inner harbor, and the quay, which is the long stretch of raised embankment alongside which boats would tie up.  There are arches and pergolas of white wood along it, and beyond, Elven buildings scattered along the mountain slope. In the water at the side of the quay, the half sunk remains of a vessel that didn't make it out.

As the Irolando approaches, the party can see movement on the quay.  Then you see them- the local welcome.  It's a troop of monkeys.  Macaques, swarming along the quay, possibly curious about the approaching vessel.  The are not individually very frightening- the larger males are about 30-40 pounds each- but there are dozens of them and they look like they could do some damage if they put their monkey minds to it.

They hoot, and screech, and Lanis asks if the party has a Druid.

Varis shakes his head to Lanis's question. "Not I, my skills are more Arcane in nature, though I have studied the wildlife and ecology of this area."

Looking over the railing and past the water to the docks the sight of the monkey swarms make him both nervous and intrigued. "They look like little threat individually, but together...Let me try and remember what I know."

OOC:10:30, Today: Varis Nailo rolled 19 using 1d20+5.  Nature roll on monkeys.

The Irolando pulls alongside the quay, in an "important" looking area, where there are stairs up to the terraces higher on the slope.  In the middle of the stairs there is a "slideway", a smooth ramp where cargo could be hauled up or down on carts, instead of lugging it over the stairs.

At the bottom, aside from the quay and the pergolas along the length of it, a few buildings that look like they might have been warehouses.  Higher up, a building with a watchtower, and others that were likely residences, taverns, etc.

Further along the quay (off to the right of the map below) there are residences at sea level, and the remains of a long sunk ship in the water.

The sloped ground is a mix of volcanic rock and tropical vegetation.  It is climbable although heavy armor would be a hindrance.  For they monkeys it's nothing, they scurry up and down the rocks with ease.

The monkeys seem excited, but not overly hostile.  They are not charging towards you with fangs out.  They are excited, and approaching cautiously.  The monkeys shown on the map represent the adult males, younger monkeys and female monkeys are behind them.  (Otherwise too many monkeys!)


And we have a map!

 
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:03, Thu 21 Jan 2021.

Oda frowned. She was sure she could scare the little monkeys away but that certainly wasn't the why she wanted to open if there was a better option.

"I think I could scare them-but I would rather not..." The half-orc said as she began to collect her things in preparation for disembarking.

Seeing the monkey's approach and their behavior so far Rolen replies to Varis and Oda, "The best I could do is either put them asleep or distract them with illusions for awhile with magic.  I certainly don't have enough arrows to put them all down if needs be."

He calls forth his owl familiar and sends it up into the sky to scout ahead of the party.  While Whisper, the owl, flies around the buildings and immediate area Rolen follows Oda's lead and gathers his gear to disembark.  "I would rather not create any enemies so early on this trip or cause any undo trouble.  We are planning to be here for several days." With his things collected he is ready to go ashore and reaches out Whisper to get a status report on what the owl has seen and heard inland....

"As best I can tell from my readings, those are Sylvan Macaques. A type of monkey, they live in groups. Not predatory per say, but excitable, and inclined to try and defend when they feel threatened. From the way they are acting, they seem freaked out by the ship, probably don't see many if any."

Looking over the troop of Sylvan Macaques he shrugs. Approaching them or making a display might scare them off, or it might push them over the edge to attack. If they attach the females tend to hang back and protect the young."

Nesterin had stayed mostly to himself during the voyage from Lightree to Keru. Other than his required duties aboard ship he had spent much of the time reading Lanis's grandfathers book.

Currently he was much like the others watching the monkeys as they jumped around on the quay. They were definitely intriguing. His homeland had nothing like them.

Gathering his gear he moved to join the others that appeared to be getting ready to disembark. "I wonder if food would appease them or just make matters worse."

Lipika spent the voyage trying not to be in the way of the sailors, but the sight of land had brought her to the railing.  Her emotions ran the gamut of all kinds of excitement. At first, she was disheartened by the lava, how much damage was done to the city? she wondered.  However, the presence of buildings gave her hope.  The monkeys frightened her.  She spent her time in academic halls, and knew animals from books only. With out people, the place was probably crawling with all manner of beasts.  Panic started to rise in her heart, and she was sure it was going to jump out and swim back to Lighttree on its own.  She took a deep breath to calm herself.  You are am accomplished scolar. You can't let your emotions run wild.  You won't know the truth of the situation before exploring.

She listened Varis's description of the monkeys and nodded.  "They seem calm enough to be curious.  I think if we don't do anything to provoke them, we should be ok.  Lets circle past them without getting closer than we are."  She took out her crystal and spoke the magic formula to summon her mage armor which shimmered into place around her.

Rolen sends his Owl on a brief scouting trip.  It does not want to go far, but all it has to do is soar for a bit and get a good look around.

Of course this gets some shrieking from the monkeys.  You have now all heard the Sylvan Macaque “BIRD OF PREY ALERT!” warning cry.  Whisper is a particularly large or threatening owl but the monkeys are a little edgy to begin with.  They scramble for cover beneath trees or bushes or pergola supports, and for the moment, stop approaching.

The Owl makes a scouting run for its master.



It doesn't seem like the monkeys would interfere with you now.  The sudden appearance of a traditional foe has them watching the sky.

Rolen focuses his mind toward Whisper and commands, Whisper, try to get a closer look at the little green people who are close to us. He physically grabs the ship's railing to steady himself, closes his eyes, and shifts his vision and senses to his familiar. Whisper circles back around as it soars through the sky above the harbor.

Rolen says aloud to the others, "My owl familiar found several little green people who like to argue nearby. I have asked it to take a closer look to help identify their race.
 I just hope it doesn't mean there a goblin settlement nearby.  We have no idea what their intentions are towards us. There are also snakes in the trees with the monkeys and big cats higher up the mountain slopes, so stay alert.  There is also an orchard of fruit trees towards the north, so we should be able to forage for food if we need to."

Whisper makes another pass near the area where it previously saw short green argumentative humanoids.

The monkeys have retreated under tree cover, spooked by the owl.  They might not know what the ship is, but they know what birds of prey are and they know they are supposed to stay under cover when they see one.

It's just one of these you learn when you are a monkey.

The Owl returns.

Being an Owl, there are some things it finds difficult to communicate, even with the close bond of familiar to master.  There are some concepts that just aren't there in the Owl mind.

Not being familiar with Goblins, it cannot be sure the scattered things it saw were Goblins.  Humanoid and short, certainly.  Greenish, a pale green like lichen on rocks.  That it knows.  Carrying weapons.  But it can't pin "Goblin" on these any more than a typical Human can identify "which kind of mouse, exactly"?

It can confirm, though, that they are far, more than a mile, and few.  Just little groups here and there.  Nothing an Owl can't count.  (Whisper can manage up to six.  With larger numbers Whisper can still think in terms of More or Less, but can't give the number.)

Earamin, Jiri's hunter friend, is not willing to wait on the boat for any Goblins to show up.

"If we do have to fight Goblins, it shouldn't be here," he says.  "This ship is our ride home and we  shouldn't put it in any danger.

He hops off, and walks towards the small stairway between the two warehouses.

"Are you coming?  The monkeys can help us.  See how they reacted to Owl?  They'll react to anything, I'm sure they'd shout some kind of alarm if Goblins were coming.  I don't think Goblins would treat the wildlife with any respect.  It would be nice to speak to them.  Jiri, you are the only one I know who could round up a team of adventurers, most Elves, but without a Druid or Ranger."

 

Disengaging his senses from Whisper, opening his eyes, and regaining the faculties of his body Rolen centers himself on the ship and looks around the beach for anything out of the ordinary. "Whisper wasn't able to determine if they were goblins or not; only that they were small green humanoid creates who liked to argue.  There seems to be several small groups of them about a mile away from here, up the mountain."

Pulling the straps of his backpack tighter Rolen follows Earamin onto the beach; moving quickly towards one of the buildings. "I suppose we should begin by searching these buildings first for any threats." Glancing towards Earamin Rolen readies his longbow in his left hand and scans the immediate area for threats.

Whisper continues to fly lazy circular patrols around the harbor; scouting out the terrain and any nearby threats.

Rolen will move to X20 on the map, near Earamin.

Taking a deep breath, and letting it out slowly, Lipika prepared herself for the conflict to come.  She knew it was bound to happen eventually, but she didn't realize it would be as soon as they landed.  She got off the boat, and joined the others, keeping her left hand on the Chrystal that hung about her neck.

Move: to 21w

Nesterin shrugged and made his way off the ship to join the others as they headed toward the buildings. He eye the structure and the surroundings warily, looking for any signs of a possible trap or other danger. Traps were unlikely but if the creatures Rolen's owl had spotted were goblins it was a possibility. The little buggers were notorious for building traps, at least in his homeland.

"Best keep our eyes open. never know what an old building may be hiding."

OOC:
10:28, Today: Nesterin Brightmoon rolled 18 using 1d20+6.  Perception.

Oda keeps her senses about her as she leaves the board.


Moving to U22

Checking into the warehouses along the wharf...

Only one has anything of interest.  The others are empty except for old trash.  Lots of pottery, most of it broken, most of it Elven.  Pottery is heavy, of course, and when it was time to evacuate, most of it wasn't important enough.

But the left most warehouse has a boat.  Not a ship, and not a little two person rowboat either.  In the middle.  It's big enough to be seaworthy, and it might be able to accommodate up to 8 people, and a little bit of cargo, though it has no "below decks" except for small storage places.  It has a mast, and a rolled up sail, and outriggers, similar to how the Honoans make their seagoing canoes.  It's hard to connect it to the Mountain Elves by style, because the Mountain Elves had so few ocean craft that they never developed a style.  They just acquired them from others.  But there do seem to be Elven design elements here, in the artwork painted on the boat's side.

It is disassembled.  It's the only way it could fit in here.  The mast and outrigger have been removed, along with the sail, and stored alongside.

Jiri is puzzled.  "They would have taken all the boats, everyone was trying to leave.  And those that couldn't... they wouldn't have time to do this, they were trying to protect the others, right up to the very end.  It would have been a wreck in the water, like the other pieces we found."

The exploration is interrupted by the screeching of monkeys.  This isn't the sound they made at the sight of the owl.  This sounds much more frantic.  A lot of rustling of leaves, to the point of making some of the taller plants shake.  Whatever is going on, they seem very excited.  But none headed towards you.  They seem to have suddenly vanished.



From his location, Nesterin can just manage glimpses of it.  Kinda sorta like the monkeys, but much larger, with a much fiercer look.  Big teeth, angry expression.  It's moving quickly down the stairs, and the regular monkeys are getting out of the way.  Shorter than a human, but with a strong build like a Dwarf.

 

Looking up and around as the monkees start screeching an alarm trying to determine the cause of the alarm. "Can anyone see want is causing the alarm? The monkees seem to be agitated again! "

Lipika noticed the monkeys running to the right, so what ever spooked them was probably coming from the left.  She didn't want to speak up for fear of alerting what ever was scaring the monkeys.  Instead she vaguely pointed in an arc from the left warehouse further to the left.

Nestrin kept his eyes on the critter as it approached. "Guys, looks like we have a larger cousin to the monkeys headed this way. Really angry looking critter close to the size of a dwarf."

Oda's eyes widened as Nesterin detailed what the commotion might me. She readied her shield and drew her mace holding it high and at the ready position.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 16:52, Fri 29 Jan 2021.

Varis readies his crossbow and makes his way over near Nestrin to he can look and see what the creature looks like and what it is doing. "A larger one you say, interesting. Does it look actively angry or does it just have and angry face like that fellow we got rations from?"

 The monkeys continue to flee.  Forest Elves learn a thing or two about wildlife.  Forest Elves teach the youngsters, if you see the animals fleeing, beware of whatever panicked them.  But the party is mostly Mountain Elf.  Things like that didn't get pounded into them.

Oda, Varis and Nesterin are the first to get a good look at it.  It's like the monkeys- same basic shape, covered in fur, longer, stronger forearms and shorter back legs.  But it is larger and much heavier, and looks much more fierce.  It is displaying its fangs and hooting loudly as it bounds down the stairs.  It moves with the same speed and agility as the monkeys.  In a few more moments it will be here.

The "normal" monkeys have all taken cover.  Some have scurried up palm trees.  The cleverer monkeys climb out onto fronds and branches just strong enough to support them, which means, they obviously won't support this creature, should it try to follow.  They all look frightened.  Even the characters who haven't been around monkeys would recognize it.

The creature does not look frightened.  Enraged might be the word.

One other odd thing... it's wearing a crude necklace.  You can't get a good look at it, since its bouncing on the creature's neck and the creature is bouncing down the stairs.  But it's... little things on a cord dangling from the neck.

"That's not a regular monkey," Jiri says, feeling it her duty to point out the obvious.

Seeing the reactions of the smaller monkeys to their newest visitor and noting the larger monkey's progress through his familiar's eyes Rolen considers its behavior curiously.  Moving closer to Jiro up the beach Rolen replies to her statement, "I suppose it could be a druid or a shapeshifter.  It would explain the necklace on its neck and they may be the owner of the outrigger ship in the warehouse we found. They very well could be defending their property from us stealing it." Rolen puts his longbow away on his backpack to look less threating and gathers his wits and magical energy around himself.

Glancing around at the rest of party and how nervous and fearful at the large monkey's presence Rolen assesses the situation and shapes the energy around him with his will to create a disembodied voice near the large monkey, "We mean you no harm and do not wish to attack you.  Please calm down, so that we may talk."


Rolen moves to U21 near Jiro; regarding the large monkey thoughtfully and readies his magic for an attack if one comes. Using a minor illusion spell Rolen creates a sound illusion as close to the large monkey as possible...

Oda moves to Q22 she uses Thaumaturgy to cause a small harmless tremor.


OOC: Use Thamaturgy cantrip to cause the tremor in conjunction with Rolen's announcement
This message was last edited by the player at 15:45, Sun 31 Jan 2021.

"Whatever it is, it looks very angry, aggressive. If it keeps coming closer and doesn't talk I am going to put a bolt in it. Hopefully it talks."

Varis steadies himself and takes a bead on the large monkee thing aiming for it's midsection. With a mutter under his breath he hums a few arcane words as well.

OOC:
Bonus action place Hexblades Curse on creature giving disadvantage for DEX saves.
Action hold attack with light crossbow, firing when creature closes half the distance to us if it does not respond to Rolen.


10:29, Today: Varis Nailo rolled 8 using 1d20+4.  attack with light crossbow.

Nesterin looks about quickly, "Think I might see about a higher vantage point." as he begins trying to climb to the roof of the warehouse.

OOC:
If needed.
19:27, Today: Nesterin Brightmoon rolled 20 using 1d20+3.  Initiative.
19:26, Today: Nesterin Brightmoon rolled 12 using 1d20+3.  Perception. Should have been +6, so 15.
19:25, Today: Nesterin Brightmoon rolled 11 using 1d20+3.  Athletics.

Nesterin gets to the hip of the warehouse roof.  From here he has a clear view of everything- the party, the creature, the frightened monkeys vanishing into trees.  (And a couple that have scrambled up trees are are now at eye level)

Looking at the rapidly approaching "super monkey" as it takes the steps in leaps and bounds, it occurs to him that it looks at least as agile as the normal monkeys, and a lot stronger, so it could easily get up here on the roof with him if it wanted.

The creature's demeanor seems to be one of pure rage, and as it heads towards the party with no sign of slowing

Jiri hides behind the warehouse.   Earamin uses the corner of the warehouse for cover as he tries to hit it with an arrow.  He misses, as does Varis.

Rolen's sound does have an effect- the creature actually pauses, but clearly not moved by any peaceful words.  Rather, the creature takes several swiped in the air at the sound illusion, possibly thinking there might be something invisible there.

Now that the creature is closer, Oda, Nesterin, and Varis can see the necklace, which looks like teeth and bones strung on a simple knotted cord.  Not the sort of thing Elves are known to make.  On the other hand, monkeys don't make them either.

"Hmm, agile, fast, obviously strong....either smart enough t make that necklace or belongs to someone that put the necklace on it. Interesting."
While he is observing and cataloging the creature, Varis quickly loads and fires again hoping to bamage the creature before it gets into melee range. "I don't recommend wrestling with it."


OOC: action-shoot the monkey

07:11, Today: Varis Nailo rolled 8 using 1d8+2.  crossbow damage.

07:10, Today: Varis Nailo rolled 13 using 1d20+4.  crossbow attack on SuperMonkey.

Lipika felt exposed as the monkey creature approached, and she was a bit frustrated that Jiri took the spot she was going to hide in.  She moved closer to Earamin, and Rolen for protection.  She concentrated on her crystal ready to use her magic for defense if the creature attacked the party, but she wasn't ready to strike first.

OOC note: She activated mage armor back on post 16 so her AC is 16

Move: to w20

Action: held: cast chill touch on the monkey creature if it attacks a party member

11:31, Today: Lipika rolled 21 using 1d20+3.  initiative.

Chill touch 11:31, Today: Lipika rolled 21 using 1d20+5.  attack.

Chill touch damage 11:31, Today: Lipika rolled 3 using 1d8.  damage.

Watching from the rooftop as the monkey rapidly approached Nesterin quickly readied his bow and took aim. It was a pity to have to kill such an animal but it clearly had the intention of doing the same to the party. As it closed he fired hoping to end things quickly.

OOC:
12:23, Today: Nesterin Brightmoon rolled 15 using 2d6+3.  Damage (Critical).

12:20, Today: Nesterin Brightmoon rolled 25 using 1d20+5.  Shortbow Att.

Seeing the actions of the others and how the monkey reacted to his illusion Rolen shakes his head in frustration.  "So, much for talking our way out of this." Gathering his magic to him Rolen forms a large rock out of the ground in front of him; providing cover for everyone hiding between the buildings.  He keeps a wary eye on the enraged monkey as it approaches; still not wanting to harm it...


Rolen casts a minor illusion spell in front of him to provide cover against attack.

Oda puts her holy symbol forth and casts the Bless spell empowering herself, Varis and Nesterin with the blessings of her divine patron.


OOC: Cast Spell: Bless +1d4 Whenever they make an attack roll or
saving throw before the spell ends in 1 minute or when Oda losses
concentration on the spell


This message was last edited by the player at 20:05, Fri 05 Feb 2021.

The monkey creature fixes on Oda, and rushes straight towards her. For a few moments it claws at her and lunges at her ferociously.  Then, it is hit by several attacks almost simultaneously, including a couple of arrows, and Lipika's Chill touch is a coup de grace.


A mass of muscle and fur collapses on the wharf.

For a few moments, there is silence again.  Then, one by one, the monkeys begin to reappear.  They have been scattered, and now they begin to regroup.  They seem more relaxed now.  The sounds are different and sound more relaxed as well.

Oda sighs and steps back from the creature he lays dead at her feet. "By the gods. That creature targeted me, perhaps..." the half-orc took another step back and turned to examined her companions and attempted to collect herself and note the differences.

She was half-orc, yes but what else was there...?

Looking down at the creature, Varis nods at Oda's words. "You were casting, perhaps it was intelligent enough to know you as a threat?"

Pulling out a notebook and quill, Varris makes a sketch of the creature with particulate attention to it's necklace.

"I don't think I have seen anything written or heard anything about such a creature. The necklace worries me, made by the creature to put on it by another? We best stay on our guard."

Lipika was surprised when her spell dropped the creature.  She was trained in combat spells but never used them in actual combat.  She looked at the hand that had cast the spell, but quickly shook herself from her reverie, and focused in the present situation. She cautiously approached the scene of the combat. Looking to Oda she asked, "it didn't hurt you, did it?"

In response to Varis she said, "goblins use magic to bind beasts and monsters to their will.  This may mean the goblins have spell casters among them."

She looked at the necklace to see if it was a spell component, or a control item.

20:30, Today: Lipika rolled 23 using 1d20+5.  arcana.

Oda shook her head, "No, I am unharmed..." Oda said still somewhat distracted by her calculations and the suddenness of the combat.

"Oh, is everyone okay?"
This message was last edited by the player at 13:17, Mon 08 Feb 2021.

Nesterin moved to the edge of the roof, crouching he looked down at the creature and his companions studying the creature. "Wonder if it may ave been left by the owner of the boat as a guard of sorts? Or maybe trained to attack those that were enemies, might explain why it went after Oda. It may ave recognized er Orcish heritage and targeted her as an enemy." Shrugging e stood, "Guess that's a question we can hopefully answer while here." He then moved back to the ridge of the roof and scanned the area watching for possible trouble.

After the large ape falls to the ground Rolen moves near Jiro and asks in the low voice, "Are you alright, Jiro?"

Turning back towards his companions and listening to their speculation as they examine the ape's body Rolen considers.  "If there are no other threats in the area I suggest we unload our supplies from the ship and hide them in these buildings; using this harbor as a base of operations.  I am sure the captain would like to set sail with the next opportunity.  What say you, all?"

Oda nodded. "Sounds good."

"Perhaps someone to serve as a look out? I would hate to have to dance with another one of these things." Oda said while indicating the creature which a flick of her head.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:51, Tue 09 Feb 2021.

Lipika examines the necklace.  It is a simple thing of bones and teeth on a cord, with tiny marks resembling symbols from Infernal script etched into the them.


Jiri is a little surprised Rolen is worried.  She was behind him, well away from the danger.

"Nothing came near me, except the monkeys that ran by," she says.  "Now they're coming back.  They're kind of cute now.  I think the tension is gone out of them. But it also means that unless we very careful, this might be a bad place to put supplies.  We'd have to make sure a building is secure."

But on the other hand, Elves build to last.  The warehouses along the quay look like they are still in good condition, especially the one with the boat in it.

Nesterin, perched up on the roof, scans around.  No more obvious, immediate threats.  Just normal monkeys.  As the Mountain Elves all know, monkeys of several sorts are native to the area, and often came up higher up onto the slopes where the Elves did.  Even the young Mountain Elves know this, because Monkeys are one of those things Elf children like to learn about.

Higher up the slope, they know, is where the important buildings and homes would be.  Mountain Elves did not like the hot, humid air of sea level.  The climate is cooler up above- they remember that inland, the mountains are so high that some have snow on the peaks year round, even though the region is tropical.  Maybe not Mount Keru, though.

There's another reason the Mountain Elves sought higher elevations.  While the Greenwood Elves felt an attachment to their rich forests, the Mountain Elves enjoyed the broad views, the mountain air, the skies, the light, and the stars.  All of this is hidden in the dense canopies of the lowlands.  Up the slope from here, following the stairs and "slideway" (where once cables pulled cargo) there is a terrace, with buildings that would be more for living than the sea level warehouses.  That terrace leads to paths to the right and left- the right path headed towards an area of fruit orchard that has gone untended these 17 years and the left path headed towards the sea.  Higher up he can see another level, with even more town, further away, but most of that is hidden from view.

After examining the necklace she said, "yes, I'm fairly sure this is goblin magic. They use items like this to make their subjects more susceptible to possession."

"It looks like Nesterin is in the best position to stand sentry," she said in response to Oda, then she helped with the supplies.

Oda nodded and began to help move the supplies from the boat and to the dock. She kept an eye on the monkeys as well to see if they were paying attention to their activities.

Listening to Lipika comments about the necklace and its magical origin Rolen asks, "If you remove the necklace from the monkey and it was possessed then would the phyical body revert to its original form?"

He then helps to unload the supplies from the ship. Looking for a good place to hide what supplies the group couldn't carry themselves Rolen tries to pack his backpack with essential supplies as much as he can carry. Once this task is completed Rolen suggested, "Let's make our way to the orchard up the slope and towards the main town to see what we can see."

The monkeys indeed pay attention.  The question is, is the behavior normal for them?  The Mountain Elves lived around monkeys, but the memories of the characters here are the memories of young children.  In the world of stories for Elven youngsters, the monkeys were playful, intelligent thieves and tricksters.

Sort of a Peter Rabbit thing, stealing from Elven farmers.  I

Of course being naturally curious creatures they might run off with something that is casually left out for them.. just to see what it is.  But they don't seem unusually threatening or aggressive now, just interested.

Once the supplies are off the ship and into the warehouse with the boat the party makes a quick check of the warehouse's integrity- it does still look solid.  The doors and windows... not many windows, it was built as storage, not as a home... are still strong.  The hardwoods the Elves took from the forests are very rot resistant and last a long time, even without the magical arts of the Greenwood Elves.

Jiri seconds Rolen's wish to go up to the main town.  The harbor, after all, is just a harbor, and nothing more.  The towns of other peoples might converge on the harbor, with shops crowding the waterfront, but for the Mountain Elves- and even for the Greenwood Elves, to some extent, it's just a functional, necessary thing, there because it is needed.

Jiri notes how the two Elven cultures, Mountain and Greenwood, are both suspicious of the sea but for different reasons.

"The Greenwood Elves aren't comfortable with so much wide open space," she says.  "I think they are all a little bit agoraphobic.  No concealment, nowhere to hide, on the sea.  For us... it is just hot and wet here."

And that is true, it is warm and muggy at the water side.

As the party goes uphill, this begins to change.  At the upper town level of Mount Keru it is, on average cooler by 12 degrees C, 22 F- definitely enough to tame the tropical heat.  Inland, other Mountain Elf settlements are much cooler- the highest are alongside glaciers!  But going up even to the lowest of the terraces is enough to feel a change, as it is exposed to the breezes.

They reach the lowest terrace, with some curious monkeys trailing behind.  This is where there are things that Humans might put at the harbor itself- the watchtower, the inn, some homes.  In one direction, the orchard, and in the other, the trail that went south to the Black Vent Watch.

There are trails that wind up through the orchards towards the main town, but the stairs here continue, offering a more direct route, though one requiring more exertion.

The stairs going up, like the ones that reached here from the harbor, have a flat "slideway" in the middle.  But they also have something else- a great cable drum, set up at the bottom.  But no cable.  If it was left here, it was taken, long ago.

Jiri takes it all in.  She has spent years preparing to come here, expecting... not quite sure what, but it seems more empty than she had thought.  So far, at least.

"The Goblins spent years trying to conquer this place, and they've done nothing with it," she says.  "Why not?  Why waste so many lives for something they obviously didn't even want?"

Re msg #52 "I'm not sure what the effect would be," she told Rolen, "it could just be a mutant monkey.  lets see." she used her staff or a stick to lift the necklace off the monkey.  She was nervous about touching it.

Re msg #53 Later, Lipika nodded in agreement with Jiri about the heat and humidity along the sea.  "and the wind is full of salty sea spray.  I remember standing at the edge of the terraces with the strong cool breezes blowing across the mountain.  It was so refreshing."

Regarding the settlement she said, "at least they didn't burn it all to the ground.  It will be easier to study, and eventually repopulate this way."

The necklace seems okay... No sense of imminent evil or creeping dread.

Still, it's an item designed for just one sinister purpose- to make the wearer susceptible to demonic possession.  Not exactly something that gives people warm and fuzzy feelings.  Just knowing what it does is enough to put most people off.

*** *** *** ***

There are several noteworthy buildings on the lowest terrace level.  The one closest to the stairs is another warehouse, but past it is the most important building on the terrace:  the inn.

The Mountain Elves did not have a lot of inns.  This is because they did not have a lot of travelers.  By their own choice, their kingdom was remote and difficult to reach, except for this one harbor.  So here, on their mountain by the sea, is the biggest concentration of inns in the Mountain Elf Kingdom, including one large grand inn, with terraces of its own on several levels, all overlooking the sea.  The Keru Oceanside was a luxury palace for travelers, a way for the Mountain Elves to showcase the splendor of their kingdom, and the most famous inn in the kingdom.

The family that managed it is somewhere in the Honoan islands, now, with a new place, they say...

It is white wood with tall, soaring windows.  The windows and ceiling tiles were made from a unique Mountain Elf product:  air.  Somehow, the mages of the kingdom were able to work things as insubstantial as light and air into solid materials.  Solidified air is light and essentially invisible, though not stronger than wood.  When it was used it large amounts such as here at the Keru Oceanside, it gave the appearance of a building made of crystal.

Pieces are missing, though, and some is damaged and worn.  It's hard to tell whether it was from the invasion, or afterwards.  Clearly, no one has paid attention to maintenance in seventeen years.

Oda begins loading the log term supplies into the warehouse. It looked serviceable enough to provide enough of a barrier that the monkeys would lose interest for easier food if their curiosity compelled them to explore.

"Alright, if everyone is okay. How about we set out-This mountain isn't going to "re-claim" itself." Oda said with a faint smile managed around the difficultness of his tusks.

Nesterin stood watch as the extra supplies were stored away in the warehouse. As he watched he also studied the buildings he could see, admiring the architecture and assessing which were more apt to have items left intact inside.

As they made their way up the mountain he would stop at certain buildings to do a quick investigation, before moving on. "Looks like, overall, that the buildings have fared quite well."

They don't stop for in depth house by house searches.  Quick checks... but the top of Mount Keru beckons, and as the Mountain Elves know, the top is where the important things always are.

Elves of both mountain and forest spend their lives in a very three dimensional enviornment.  Whether its slope or tree trunk, there is a lot of going up and down.  Having the lean, light Elven body helps, and Elves get used to it.  Though, carrying a burden is difficult going up a long slope.

For this, the Mountain Elves had their carts, pulled by cables, that traveled up the "slideway" built into the stairs.

The party found the cable reel... but sadly no cable... and in a quickly checked warehouse near the stairs they find a few of the carts, sitting long unused.

In the days of the Mountain Elf Kingdom, some Elves, and visitors, chose to ascend the mountain in more comfort.  There are wagons with seats.  All of these are very similar to normal carts and wagons, except that the bed is angled so as to be level while going up the mountain.

Most of the other buildings on the lower terrace were hastily but systematically evacuated in the final days and hours of the Mountain Elves here. The stories are well known- Mount Keru's population had swollen to three times its normal number as Mountain Elves sought an escape.  Of the Mountain Elves that came here, nine in ten did escape, a testament to the bravery and effort of those that did not.

What they left behind at the lower terrace isn't much, except at the inn- the grand magnificent furnishings were too large to take.  No bed or dining room table, however beautifully made, were worth the effort and the limited space on the boats.  If the Goblins found them... they apparently didn't know what to do with them either.  Nesterin discovers that the inn has some spectacular furniture remaining inside.

On their way up the stairs from there, though, the first sign of something odd.
They are on the eastern slope of the mountain.  As the light from the sun shifts, the town visible at the mountain top above goes into shadow with the sun in the west.

There are things visible in those shadows.  Twinkles of light.  Tiny sparks of color, like lost pieces of rainbow.  They appear and then vanish, only to appear later, often in a different place.

Rolen's Owl shrugs and ruffles its feathers.

Taking in the sights as the group progresses up the mountain Rolen keeps a wary eye on their surroundings. He sends his owl familiar scouting ahead and around the party; searching for any threats that may be lurking in wait for them.

As he enters the lower terrace of buildings Rolen looks for a good place to camp for the night. The group quickly search the village streets for anything of interest.

With sunset approaching and the presence of something lurking in the shadows up ahead Rolen says, "Everyone see those rainbow colored lights up ahead?  With the sunset setting soon here we may want to take shelter in that inn in the lower terrace for the night.  What say you all?"

Oda nods as she slowly moves up the mountain side. "An inn seems nices, maybe even too nice." the half-orc said as she looked to the horizon to see if she noticed the rainbow lights that Rolen mentioned.

"Yea, I see them now. What do you think they are?" Oda said after placing her hand over her eyes to filter out a little big of the radiate colors of the dying sunlight.

Lipika gazed longingly up the slope.  The air crystal structures sparkling in the shifting light summoned her like a beacon.  She was so giddy with excitement that she didn't realize the time, when Rolen suggested taking shelter for the night she snapped back to the moment. "Oh! Yes! Of course."  She looked back up at the shimmering city above them, now with a touch of melancholy. "I'll take first watch if that's alright.  I'm too excited to sleep just yet."

Nesterin had also spotted the multicolored lights that moved randomly along the upper terrace. He would ave loved to scout ahead and see what the phenomenon was but as Rolen had said it was late and they best make a camp.

"The Inn appears to be completely intact and amazingly all the furnishings are still there. Might want to use some of the interior rooms that are more defensible and out of sight though."

As the group discussed there options he again scanned the upper terrace watching the lights and wondering.

They move into the Keru Oceanside Inn, and at the same time, keep an eye on the twinkling lights seen around the mountain top town.

If anything, the inn offers excellent places from which to do that.  The architecture is soaring, with high arches and long spiral staircases.  The inns four floors take the vertical height that six would in typical Human construction.  Mountain Elves, used to going up and down all their lives, don't get concerned over stairs.  The upper floors have very clear views up the mountain.

One does not normally get such lavish quarters while exploring.  The Oceanside's interior is dazzling.  No gold ornamentation, and the chandeliers appear to have been removed (by the fleeing owners, or simply looted, you cannot tell) but all the parts too big to move are still here.  The great windows made of air, the precisely carved and finished wood furnishings, even the translucent floor tiles that have a hint of pale light.

Most of the rooms still have their furnishings, some still have linens, though its dusty after all this time.  Most of the guest areas face the water- some cheaper rooms face the slope.  In the back of the inn, there is also a small mountain stream that serves as water source for the inn, and it's still active... well, naturally, rain fed, it will be until something interferes with it.

As the sun gets lower the shadows get deeper- being on an east facing slope, the harbor and then the Oceanside is in shadow early.  As the forest below gets darker, you can hear them from here: nocturnal animals are getting up and announcing their presence.  Bears, and panthers and large lizards and snakes are known to prowl the damp, warm forests.

Up above, those strange patterns of lights become easier to see.  Definitely not a trick.  There are lights, and they are moving around, as if glowing or illuminated people were walking around the town.  At this distance, only points of light are visible, though- they are reminiscent of fireflies, even the way they wink on and off... though that might merely be them passing behind a building.

Looking out in the shadows, you can also see non-illuminated figures, and these seem much more recognizable.  They are moving along the terrace, coming from the Orchard, and they will pass by the Oceanside soon.  Three Goblins.  They are not in a hurry- they seem to be looking and moving carefully as they go.  Perhaps the noise of the monkey business earlier is being investigated.

The presence of the three goblins doesn't surprise Rolen.  "It would seem we have company.  Three goblins in the immediate area; possibly scouting. I guess we need to decide whether to convince them to become allies with us or not. They may have information of this area we could use to help our mission. We will have to decide quickly." He tells everyone this and makes his way into the Oceanside Inn.  "Nesterin, did you find a good defenseable area in the inn if we need to find?" Rolen then starts looking around the inn quickly for a good place to rest for the night or defensible if I fight breaks out to night.

Rolen sends his owl familiar to one of the open window or balcony areas to keep watch.  Whisper soars to the one of the upper rafters of the roof to get a good vantage point of the area.

To Rolen she said softly, "I don't speak goblin.  I think keeping out of sight at this point is our best option.  We don't want our presence known until we're in a more advantageous position."

With all of the windows and lack of drapery, the inn seemed too exposed to the approaching goblins.  Lipika chuckled silently to herself, and supposed the Greenwood was rubbing off on her.  She looked for an interior space where the party could rest for the night, but close enough to the windows from which they could view the surrounding territory and potential dangers.

The upper stories of the inn offer the best views, of the harbor and bay to the front, of the mountain to the rear, and from the side and below... approaching Goblins.

They don't look that cautious.  They look bored.  Like they've done this a lot, they don't expect to find anything, and they consider this more of an annoyance than anything else.

As they walk down the street, they give each building a check.  But it looks like a quick check- poke head in, look around, keep moving.

On the one hand, if they did more it would take them a long time.  Maybe they don't have that time or don't want to commit it.

On the other hand most of the other buildings are smaller than the Oceanside, and simpler.  Only the inn has multiple floors with multiple rooms spread out along hallways, so maybe they'd give it more time.

As they get closer it's clear they are ready to fight.  Two have bows, with arrows at the ready.  The one in front has an ax and a shield.

The party can try to just stay quiet and hidden in the inn and hope they pass by, or attack them if they get near, or try to talk to them.

Nesterin nodded, "I agree with Lipika. We should stay out of sight and just let them pass."

He then quietly as possible moved to a spot hopefully out of the goblins sight.

Oda nodded and crept forward to a space which looked as if it might be out of sight of the goblin's lazy search methods. The half-orc knelt on a knee while peeking over a corner top.

The Goblins reach the Oceanside Inn.  They look at it suspiciously.

For a tense moment, it seems they might have some special interest in this place.   They open the front door- one Goblin in front and the two with bows behind.

"If I go to my reward..."  the lead Goblin says as he opens the door.  Lead Goblins know their life expectancies are short.  They all hope to last long enough to be not the lead Goblin.  Get some other expendable yint to go first.  But the backup plan, should that fail, is to hope that whatever powers of the great beyond cheer for Goblins will look upon the lead Goblin as a brave hero worthy of respect and reward in the afterlife.

At least that's how they hope it works.  Goblin clerics tell them its true, the Powers reward courage in battle, especially pure senseless courage... but then, why do the war leaders who survived by being behind a lot of other Goblins seem to get all the praise?  Shouldn't it be the poor sots who charged and absorbed the first volley of Elven arrows?

The Goblin peaks in and sees exactly what is, at this moment, most hoped for.

"Nope, nuffin.  Nuffin here!  Come on, we still gotta lot to check.  Stupid monkeys.  Pro'lly shreikin fer nuffin."

The Goblins leave, and next visit the warehouse with the carriages.  That too gets a quick check.  And then, they are at the stairway.  They seem unsure of which way to go next, down to the harbor or continue along the terrace level.

Whisper perches outside on the roof of the inn; watching the three goblins go about their patrol. Rolen periodically shifts his senses to see through the owl's eyes and watch the area for any other threats....

Lipika held her breath as the goblins searched.  She was sure they would hear the pounding of her heart, but eventually they moved on, and she let out a sigh of relief.

She found a spot upstairs where she could see out but also stay hidden for her watch.

Oda crept forward and watched the goblin retreat. She was concerned that the group might still need to attack the goblins if they turned and went to the harbor, less they discover their supplies.

The half-orc watched the goblins with interest, not yet aware that her breath had caught in her throat as the goblins moved further away.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:18, Thu 04 Mar 2021.

After some debate, the Goblins head down the stairs towards the harbor.

They are still searching, but soon move out of easy sight from the Inn.  Every now and then, you can see one or two from one of the upper floors, but it's a fleeting glimpse as they pass between buildings.

Time passes...

In the dark of the night the Goblin patrol wakes up the monkey tribe that lives near the harbor, and you hear the familiar hoots of monkeys... a little on the fearful side, apparently monkeys and Goblins are not the best of friends.  Not a long period of hooting, just some announcements of annoyance as the Goblins pass their area.

Time passes...

In the wee hours of the morning the Goblins are on the move again, coming back.  This time, they seem a lot more in a hurry, headed up the stairs as fast as they can go.

This isn't that fast.  This time, they are not checking buildings anymore.  As soon as they head the lower terrace level they turn off towards the right, the route towards the orchard.  Very much in a hurry.

"I they may have discovered our supplies." Oda says as she draws her weapon and prepares her shield. "Allow them to return with this knowledge or attack them and dispose of their bodies. It seems our presence on the mountain will be soon uncovered."
This message was last edited by the player at 13:38, Sat 06 Mar 2021.

The Goblins' route will take them past the Oceanside Inn again.  But from the look of things, this time they will not stop to look.  They are just moving... so there isn't much time to decide what to do.

Lipika had been making her preparations for the days journey when a thought crossed her mind.  "The mutant monkey!  Did we dispose of it?!  I'd bet that's what alerted the goblins! We better move quickly or the whole army will be alerted!"  She touched her crystal while making gesture and speaking an incantation.  A shimmer of arcane energy enveloped her in her mage armor. Then she grabber her gear and moved to a position from which to ambush the goblins.

action: cast mage armor

Oda moves to an area where she can view the goblins and prepares her light crossbow to attack the small patrol.

"Ready your ranged weapons, I will try to bless you with the grace of the Tree of Light. Hopefully this will help your shots to fly straight and true."

With all the goblin movement in the area throughout the night and dawn Rolen sends Whisper to scout and follow the group of goblins into the orchard. "Follow them Whisper and report back what you find.  Stay safe, old friend."

The Goblins come to the Oceanside Inn...and this time they are passing it by.  They are passing ALL the buildings.

The characters are on the terraces (with lovely views of the harbor and bay below!) where they can see the Goblins easily- but you would have a chance to relocate elsewhere if you wish, as you saw them coming from a distance.

 

It looks like there is a border on the terraces.  Is that a partial wall that can provide cover, or is it something else?

Saying the goblin patrol outside the inn Rolen focuses his magical energy and imagines a illusion blind to hide behind....

"Rolen casts a minor illusion spell between himself and the goblins to provide cover for him like a two way mirror, so he can see them, but they can't see him.

What does my owl familiar report on the goblin movements in the orchard?

The terraces have a railing- the cover is minimal.  The inn wasn't built as a defensive stronghold (that's a Dwarvish thing!).  But they do offer excellent views.  On the other hand, the floor of the terrace would offer partial cover against attacks from below- one could easily move back so as be only partially exposed.

On the third hand, one could move back into the building, but then the view would be restricted, and it would be easy to lose sight of the Goblins.

At this point the Owl has not returned yet.

Lipika wasn't much of a strategist, so instead of planning with the team, she waited until the goblins were withing sixty feet, and she started firing spells at the closest one.  She spoke an incantation, and made a mystic gesture, and smokey wisps of arcane energy flew from her fingers to wrapped around the goblin like a choking hand.

01:36, Today: Lipika rolled 7 using 1d20+3.  initiative.

01:37, Today: Lipika rolled 24 using 1d20+5.  attack. chill touch

01:42, Today: Lipika rolled 3 using 1d8.  damage.

Oda gets ready to attack the goblins. She first casts the Bless spell. Targeting herself, Lipka and Nesterin Brightmoon

---

OOC:
You bless up to three creatures of your choice within range. Whenever a target makes an Attack roll or a saving throw before the spell ends, the target can roll a d4 and add the number rolled to the Attack roll or saving throw.

Nesterin shrugged, "Guess it's time to murder some goblins." Rising slightly he fired on the farthest goblin. Unfortunately his aim was a bit off as the arrow flew wide.

OOC:
11:29, Today: Nesterin Brightmoon rolled 9 using 1d20+5.  Shortbow attack.
Will save the bless, doubtful it will help with that roll.

Perhaps some of them are reluctant... but they attack the Goblins.

Jiri and Earamin move to help.  Jiri is most definitely not reluctant, she sees the Goblins only as the hideous little creatures that drove her people out of their mountain homes.  Earamin largely sees things her way, having known Jiri for a long time.

The Goblins are caught off guard, having not anticipated being attacked on a route they had already checked.  Sort of checked.

The party launches a surprise attack on three unprepared Goblins.  In moments, there are just two Goblins, and one is hurting from the Chill Touch attack.  The Goblins are shocked to discover... Elves!

There is some cursing and quick chatter in squealing, squawking Goblinish.  The injured Goblin takes cover behind a bush, while the other Goblin leaves to run for the Orchard.

At the same time, Rolen's Owl is flying back with the Orchard Report.  (Getting the Owl to recognize "Orchard" was the first trick- from the Owl's point of view, it is "short trees in straight lines".)


 

Oda manuevered to shoot at the goblin which was making a run for the orchard.


OOC:
08:08, Today: Oda rolled 2 using 1d8.  crossbow damage.
08:08, Today: Oda rolled 18 using 1d20+3.  Light crossbow at goblin 10-A1.

Lipika cried, "he's getting away!" and she frantically cast chill touch at the goblin who was running.  They couldn't let the goblin get back to alert the others.  Again smokey tendrils flew from her hand, but did they strike true?

17:29, Today: Lipika rolled 13 using 1d20+5.  attack.


17:29, Today: Lipika rolled 8 using 1d8.  damage.

Rolen shakes his head a little in concern at the actions of his companions.  He mumbles under his breathe as the others attack the goblins in front of the inn.  "So much for keeping our presence a secret."  Focusing his will towards the goblin running away towards the orchard Rolen sends three magical bolts of energy at the goblin.  Lipka is correct.  That goblin can not be allowed to alert the others of their presence here. Otherwise, we may not survive the coming conflict. He thinks to himself.

Rolen then turns his attention towards the remain goblin archer near the front door of the inn....

Rolen casts a magic missle spell at the goblin running away from the inn.

17:52, Today: Rolen rolled 13 using 3d4+3 with rolls of 4,3,3.  magic missile  spell damage.

Once the party gets a roll, it seems, dispatching a pair of Goblins is easy.  It didn't take long, and they didn't have time to shout out any alerts.

There are soon three ex-Goblins.  No one has been hurt, but with the night interrupted like that, though no one feels it in the excitement of the moment, sooner or later it will catch up.

Rolen's owl returns.  Owls are not great counters, but after some brief fumbled interpretation it becomes clear that the Goblin population in the Orchard exceeds the number of talons on both feet.  Good news, though:  they seem to be completely unaware of what's going on.  They aren't organized in any way- just small groups hanging around, resting, play-fighting, watching beetle-battles, and checking each other for ticks.

"I know we're tired, but we should go further up while we can," Jiri suggests.  "Goblins see in the dark, but no better and no further than we can.  They won't see us going up those stairs in the dark.  But in the day, we'd be visible."

"We should hide the bodies in case there are any more patrols."  She went to the corps of the runner, and made sure there wouldn't be a blood trail by casting prestidigitation, and possibly mending to close his wounds.  Then she half carried half dragged him to the building next to the inn.  Hopefully there was a place to stash a corps.  Fortunately, the goblin was small, but one could tell that she struggled moving him.  When she was done she went back to take care of the next body.  "we should probably go back and stash the monkey too."

Edit: She also looted the body as she did all this.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:05, Mon 22 Mar 2021.

Shaking his head in disgust Rolen helps Lipika stash the goblin bodies in on the nearby buildings.  In response to Lipka's comment about stashing the monkey's b"It's probably too late for that now."  In short order the work is done and with Lipika's magic assistance Rolen and she clean up any trace of the goblins from the area.

"Agreed, I missing patrol is a missing patrol. Soon there will be more." Oda said.

"Could your creature surveil the area to discern what they might have discovered that had them so excited?" Oda said to Rolen.

Consensus seems to be to hurry up and get up the hill, but Rolen does send the owl out for another sweep as they do.  They do have time to conceal the three Goblins here- it's close and there are plenty of available hiding places.

They work their way up the stairs- it's a long climb in the dark, but Mountain Elves take to this well.

When the Owl returns it reports to Rolen.


Meanwhile, they are much closer to the summit, nearing the town and the strange lights they saw before.

They can see a long way from here- the ocean, past the harbor and the old and half crumbled Watch, is still dark but there are ripples of moonlight on it.  In the east, over the rough and jungle covered peninsula, the sky is lightening.  Perhaps somewhere on the easternmost islands of Honoa, it is already dawn.  High up on a mountain, sunrise comes early and sunset is late, provided you are on the correct side of the mountain.  The stairway up is on the east, and so it will be brightly lit when the sun rises.

You can see the twinkles of colorful light again.  Closer now, you have a little more detail.  The way they move seems humanoid.  As if they were people wearing lights... or glowing, possibly.  They aren't glowing very brightly, though.  Already, with the sky lightening, they are becoming fainter.  Like stars, they might be impossible to see in the daylight.

Oda helped conceal the bodies of the goblins before they continued their climb.

The lights began to take on a more ethereal beauty as Oda climbed up the mountain. Perhaps it was the air, or maybe it was the possibility that had ignited within her, but the half-orc felt light. Stair after stair, the ascent almost felt so much more than physical labor and more akin to something spiritual.

Now, much closer to the town and its lights, Oda focused. She tried to order her thoughts and tried to resist the compelling call and rippling beauty of moonlight that cascaded across the landscape.

Oda shook her head.

"I do not understand what I am seeing., what are those lights?"

Rolen continues to move quickly up the mountain path towards the lights; hoping against hope this was not a mistake and keeping his bow at the ready.  "I hope they are just faerie lights or some sort of illusion and not shades, spirits of the deceased, or ghosts."

Searching the sky for his owl Rolen reaches out to his familiar with his mind. The group was badly in need of intelligence concerning the goblins they left behind in the orchard and lower village area.  Listening to Whisper's report Rolen's facial expression turns grim.  He relays to the others, "It would seem we have a problem.  There is a large group of goblins moving through the lower village areas.  Unsure if they are alerted to our presence yet, but the goblins in the orchard still seem unaware of us.  They have made no move to intercept us and their activities haven't changed.  That giant ape we killed on the beach is still there in the open though.  It's bound to get noticed eventually.

Whisper continues to scout the immediate area for any pursuers or threats.

How far is the upper village area and the humanoid lights from our current position on the trail?

Whisper will start scouting the area ahead of the party as they make their way up the mountain trail towards the lights and Rolen will try using the owl's senses to identify what is causing the lights ahead of the party.

Memories of the escape filled Lipika's mind.  The screeching cries of the hoard seemed to come from every side.  The calls from the guards of a breach in the wall to the west, then a breach to the north.  She remembered the panic as she was swept up in the crowd of refugees.  She breathed and calmed herself.  "Large numbers are the goblins' strength." she said at last, "we should definitely avoid the large group.  The lights are an unknown, but we'll need more than just the few of us to take on a large force.  If we're lucky, we could find allies; if we aren't it could still be easier enemies.  We need to weaken the goblins as much as possible before the real fight." She followed Jiri up the stairs.

Still working with Owl Reconnaisance... Rolen realizes that he can connect with his familiar's senses but it's a short ranged thing, the Owl has to be within 100'.  Still, at least nearby he can have an incredible top down view.  Owl vision is amazing.  He can see the party and their immediate surroundings in vivid detail at night... he can even see small nocturnal rodents, which make the Owl hungry.

Further away, he must rely on the pattern of sending the owl out and having it return with a report.

As they get closer to the top, they can see that time and war have dulled but not erased the magnificence of Mount Keru.  The stairs end in a broad terrace, bigger than the one below, with buildings along it.  They gleam like crystal in the dark.

The whole distance from the lower harbor to the upper town is about four miles.  It would be a simple thing, at most an hour and a half of walking, were it not for the fact that you are also going about a mile up.  It turns a simple walk into a laborious trip even for Mountain Elves, taking twice the time of a level hike.

As you go up, you pass the farms, built on level after level of terraces cut into the mountain- like the stairs, but on a grander scale.  Also, at strategic points, rest areas for those who did want to take the hike in one piece.  One has the remains of what might have been a food stand, but it has collapsed.

The buildings ahead, though damaged, have not.

As you approach the first light of dawn is reaching the higher spires, which glitter and reflect like cut gems, throwing out rays of prismatic light.   Most of the glowing "light people" are gone, but you spot a last few, in a shadow on the side of a wall.  Now it is clear, they do look humanoid, but glowing.  They say nothing, but they are beckoning you forward with gestures.

Nesterin had all but forgotten the goblins during the climb. More focused on the destination and the apparitions, ghosts or whatever they may be. There was so much here he would love to explore, but with the ghosts beckoning to them he paused to look around at the others, "So do we go see what the wish to show us?"

Rolen continues running up the trail to meet with one of the humanoids of light.  "We have no choice Nesterin.  We can not remain out in the open like this for much longer or the goblins will notice us and start pursuit."

Rolen nears one of the buildings and scans the area quickly for any threats.

Oda nodded her head in silent consent as she hurried up the stairs not far behind Rolan.

The party follows where the luminous beings beckon- as they get closer, they can confirm, these are definitely humanoid, glowing with pulsing color.

Even closer and.. pointed ears???

The glowing beings are fuzzy and indistinct, but there is enough detail to observe, at close range, an Elven build.  And when you can see ears clearly, the iconic Elven points!

The building they are summoning you is definitely unlike the rest.  All of Mountain Elf architecture is designed to be graceful and airy, and admit as much light as possible into the interior.  This one is different.  While it is still clearly a Mountain Elf structure, and shares most of the common design elements, it is almost entirely opaque, and has only a few windows.

There are colorful decorations on the slender pilasters surrounding the front door, which is open.  Cornucopias.  Here, as in the lands of other cultures, it is the common symbol for agriculture, and by extension the goddess of agriculture.  But this is no temple.

Inside, it is dimly lit- the dawn's light is still weak, and not yet enough to spread much light through the doorway and narrow windows.

In the darkness inside, the beings are more clearly seen, and they certainly do seem like Elves.  They are made of light, glowing and transparent.  There is nothing solid to them.
 Shape without substance, they could be the opposite of shadows.

It is only there that you hear them speak, in Elven.  Their voices are strange.  A being- it has the shape of an adult male Elf makes a graceful twirl, like a dance move unaccompanied by music, and the voice seems to come from the air in front of it, a projected sound.
But only a quiet whisper.

"Have you come for us?  Are there more of you?"  it asks.
Another, behind, "speaks" in the same way, invoking sound from the air with arcane gesture and movement.
"It has been long, and we grow weaker.  Please say you bring good news."

Lipika was fascinated but a bit nervous about these figures. She examined their arcane gestures.  It seemed they were casting spells to communicate.  Were they spirits or illusions themselves?  She wanted to know more before giving away too much, but she wanted to appear friendly.  So, she spoke to them in elvish, "uhm, hello. We are a scouting group.  How long have you been here? How may we assistance you?"

11:17, Today: Lipika rolled 9 using 1d20+5.  arcane.

Oda looked over the spirits, she was *most* curious. She had only just begun to understand the pulse of life and how the divine magics connected with her own faith so this might have been beyond her. She attempted to recall the stories of her elven "mother" to discern if there was any information of relevance-even in myths.

---

Oda rolled 23 using 1d20+3.  Knowledge: Religion

Rolen follows the two light figures into the building they becone us to and cautiously enters the room.  I hope this is a building dedicated to a god of agriculture. He thinks to himself and starts scanning for any details as to what or who these two figures are.  Seeing the figures using arcane hand gestures to do magic Rolen wonders what form of magic they are using....



18:34, Today: Rolen rolled 17 using 1d20+3 with rolls of 14.  perception check.

18:34, Today: Rolen rolled 22 using 1d20+5 with rolls of 17.  arcana check.

18:33, Today: Rolen rolled 25 using 1d20+5 with rolls of 20.  insight check.

18:33, Today: Rolen rolled 8 using 1d20+5 with rolls of 3.  investigation check.

The light-beings have to respond using their peculiar magical way of speaking, creating sound in the air. They seem unable to produce any on their own.

"All our lives.  We are Elves, like you."

They also have to be stingy with their words. Unlike the more corporeal party, they cannot go around spending words freely- when the spells are spent, that is it.  So they are careful.  Still, they are able to explain in brief what has happened here.

Many Elves were trapped.  Not only here, but at isolated pockets throughout the Mountain Elf kingdom.  Unable to get to the evacuate, they realized that the choices were rapidly narrowing to slavery or death.

Until a creative temple mage-priest, who was a devoted servant of the god of sun and light, hit on a bizarre solution:  the "Plane of Light"



The beings here speak of the Plane of Radiance, and doorways opened into Radiance at the temples.  Oda knows a few things about those temples...


The beings here explain that the surviving Elves used the Plane of Radiance as an escape route.  They were turned into beings of light, but they found they were still bound to this world.. much like Shadows are bound to the world.  They cannot leave.  They could return, and become Elves again, but... not with the temples, where the portals were made, still in the hands of Hobgoblins.

Those are the toughest, smartest of the Goblins.

"The Goblins sought at first to rule this land, but soon their society fell apart.  Without the cause of destroying us, they had no unity.  Now they are just scattered bands and tribes, each jealous and fearful of the others.  Some have changed their ways.  Some have not."

Oda looked at the starlight beings in wonder and awe as a memory of story floated to the fore of her mind. "There are beings, spiritual entities who are associated with the Plane of Light, but... these don't seem to be them.  Those beings wouldn't be worried about daylight, nor would they seek the darkness." Oda said as her fascination grew.

"The temples, the Elven temples are scattered across the kingdom..." Oda began pulling herself from her thoughts.

"They worshipped a number of deities, like most races, but for the elves many of their mountains were named for them.  The main temple of their faith was located in this kindgom but not on this mountain. There is however a temple of Correlon, god of light and sunshine.  I do not know where it is  but it should look like shining tower of glass.

Nesterin Was so curious about the building, the Elves and the history. He listened closely to everything that was said. Making mental notes as he examined the building they were in.

Lipika listened to Oda, and thought on what they had learned, "At least the goblins aren't unified, but even so, there are large groups of them."  She asked the light elves,  "can you tell us where the temple is that we need to liberate? and do you know how large the force guarding it is?"

" and a map would be helpful too."Rolen interjects while listening to Lipka question the "light" elf.

The "Light Elves" don't make any noise, but it almost looks like Rolen got them to laugh when he mentioned a map.

"Finding the temple is not the problem," the being that has been doing most of the talking says, again using magic to make the air speak.  (It didn't seem to take much effort this time, apparently one spell lasts them a while).

"The problem is traps the Goblins have left behind.  They loot our buildings, for any treasure they can find, for pieces of the solidified sky and light we use, for any leftover valuables.  And they make traps, and leave guardians.  Most of the time, the traps and guardians are there to protect against other bands of looters.  Each of the different groups is in conflict with the others, now.  None of them want to live there, they prefer the gloom and shadows of the forest.  But they want riches, and they want to be the only ones.  So they have patrols and traps and guardians.  I think you met one.

"The traps do not affect us.  We are not solid and pass right through.  But we also cannot move things, at least, not easily.  It is costly."

"The Temple of Correlon is a place of strength for us, and it is where we can get a message to the Glimmerfolk who are Correlon's messengers and guides.  But during the daylight, now, we are too weak.  The light of the sun causes us to fade and spread, join with the light, and we do not reform until sunset if this happens to us.  We cannot go with you unless you wait for dark."

"Well, I for one can wait until dark.  We didn't get much rest last night." Rolen addresses the rest of the group.

Oda nodded, it sounds like the group would wait and she was okay with that idea. She thought about the elves and light and wondered how long could their light endure...

...not long by the look of things.

Rolen nods his head and finds a quiet corner of the building to hunker down and rest until nightfall, so the light elves can accompany them on their journey.  "We only have two more days before the ship expects us on the beach.  I hope we can solve this mystery up here quickly."  Whisper finds a safe hidden spot outside the building to be aware and alert of any threats enter their area and buildings.  Rolen will periodically reach out to Whisper and use the owl's senses to examine the area outside....

It's dawn and the owl is a little skeptical about doing a patrol again.  It's been a long night, and of course being an owl its natural inclination is to rest during the day.  It's an owl thing.  It will of course, if Rolen insists, but it will limit its patrols to nearby. And it will take some time to do some hunting.

The light beings retreat into the dimmest, most shaded portions of the building.  There aren't many places the Mountain Elves designed for darkness, but since sunlight hastens the spoilage of food, food storage buildings are the largest among the rare exceptions.

They explain what happens if they do get caught in bright sunlight.  It's not as if the sunlight destroys them.  They are light.  Light would seem to be their natural element.  But for them it is like being lost in an endless raging sea, and they "lose their being".  This was not their original form, of course, so they have had to learn through trial and error.

"Early on we did not fear daylight.  But as our own glows weaken, to be caught out by the sun is like to be lost in a great flood of water that you know, at your full strength, you could swim with easily."

They know the party is under no such restriction.

"You do not have to remain here with us during the day.  Mount Keru is yours to explore.  We can advise you, but we cannot go with you.  Still, you are not required to stay here."

In the morning Rolen gets his first Owl report:  the Goblins are patrolling the lower terrace area in greater numbers, but have not made the journey up the mountain.  They look at it, but they seem afraid to go up.

Turning towards the rest of the party Rolen asks, "Ok, everyone.  What would you like to do now? Wait here until nightfall to go with the light elves or continue exploring for awhile around the upper mountain side village? So far the goblins are not willing to travel up the mountain to our location, but are patrol in larger numbers in the lower village areas."

"We will need to take a rest at some point, but we could do some scouting if that's what the group wants to do."

I'm thinking we've probably been awake for a long time by now.

The "light elves" are more than happy to share their refuge for resting, and given the exertions of the night, and the long climb up the hill...

"You do look like you can use a rest," one says.  "Once the skylifts were working and it was easier to come and go."

The light beings look like Elven adults, although their features are blurred and indistinct, softly glowing.  There is an exception- one looks like younger, like an Elven teenager.  Elves age only a little slower than Humans before reaching maturity, but a teenager is still considered a child.

There's only one.  Elves are known to treasure their children, which make up a much smaller portion of the population than they do among Humans.  From the stories the Mountain Elves have, the Mountain Elves put every effort into making sure children were among the first evacuated- a fact that explains why there is a whole generation of young Mountain Elves now.  It seems unexpected to see one was left behind.

The youngster finds his way over towards the party.  He has a different way to communicate- with his finger, he traces letters in the air.  The glow lasts long enough to read.

"Tilidi Cloudhawk," he writes.  "I was studying at the temple.  I stayed, they told me not to, I thought it was my duty to warn the priests.  The priests are on the Plane of Radiance now, I think.  To do what they had to do, they crossed.  We're going to need new priests now, to open the portals again.  I don't think they can do it from their side.  Are you going to the temple?  I know it well.  Better than the others, because I was a novice there.  They might not want me to help you, they might say its dangerous.  What danger can I get into now?"

Oda nodded "There is always more danger that we can find ourselves in. I respect your bravery, and your rationality but maybe they have a point about how dangerous this might be for you."

Oda said as she looked over the elf.

"Sounds like a decisions been made then.  Let's reset for now and gather our strength for later.  I am pretty tired at the moment." Rolen finds a safe, quiet corner to rest in for now.

Lipika smiled to Tildi, "I appreciate your assistance. Perhaps you can tell us what you know about the temple area, that information would be most helpful." She took a piece of paper and pen from her pack to take notes.  After, she too out her grandmother's letter and showed it to the light elves. "When the goblins attacked, my grandmother was involved in securing some of our treasured books in a hidden vault.  She left a description of the area, but I don't know what city it's in.  That part was lost.  Do any of the landmarks seem familiar to you?"

After talking a while with the elves, she'd take a long rest.

OOC: I'm not expecting anything on the letter.  It's part of her backstory, and if it plays into the game at some point that would be great, but it's not necessary

The Mountain Elves had several libraries.  They revered books and knowledge.  Books are bulky things, though, and no one is certain how much of their collections was saved.

Or perhaps, hidden away.

But the Elves here do know of libraries.  Mount Keru did not have one, as it was on the very edge of the kingdom.  The preferential locations for libraries was central, so that more Elves could travel there.

A place called Mount Merinine has the nearest one, and it is that one that matches Lipika's description.

But it is west of here, and it would take about two weeks to get there... or maybe more, if there is trouble in the way.

A second, longer expedition could reach it, but it is beyond the scope of this one.

**** **** **** ****

Tildi describes the temple area.  The good news:  it was built using a lot of clear building materials: glass, and magically created substances. That means there isn't much area in and around the building where dangerous things can hide.  Goblins hesitate to go there.  Apparently, Goblins, being native to craggy, subterranean places, are naturally somewhat agoraphobic.  They especially avoid it in the bright light of day, and the mountain top location gets a lot of light.

The bad news, there are some other dangers.  The normal regional pests that the Elves used to keep in check are no longer.. in check.  There are Griffons of several sorts, including small and cute ones and large and very dangerous ones.   There are beetles with silvery mirror like shells.  Those were brought here and unleashed by the enemies of Elves, because those mirror shells deflect many kinds of magic, including light based magic.

And  if that wasn't enough... the Goblins had allies, and these allies include the jungle Slug Folk.  The Slug Folk are far too soft and slow to match Elves in a battle, but they had magic of their own, including necromantic magic, and animated some skeletons of fallen Goblins.  The Goblins did not like this, but accepted it as they needed the help from the Slugs.

There are a few of those skeletons still up there.  The presence of Elves will cause them to rise.  The skeletons are totally unable to hurt the "Light Elves" but neither can the Light Elves do anything to them, although, the skeletons do react to their presence.

All this, the party learns while resting, recuperating, eating, and preparing for the next phase.

After poking around the building for a bit Nesterin found himself a comfortable place to rest. One close enough to the conversation to easily take it all in. He made mental note of several things during the discussion.

"Sounds like this temple will be an interesting exploration."

Lipika was delighted to hear what the elves know about the libraries, "Mount Merinine! I'm glad to narrow it down that much.  Now I have a destination!  Thank you so much!"

The description of hazards around the temple was sobering however. "I have magic that can be useful against griffons and skeletons, but I'm weak against creatures that are resistant to magic.  Is there an armory or somewhere I could get a bow?  We're still trained in bows as a back up weapon."

Rolen let the words of the others roll over him as he listened.  He continues to rest and recover his strength for the night to come....

Oda turned to Lipika.

"Here, try this?" Oda said as she offered Lipika her light crossbow.

"It is light and pretty simple to use." Oda continued as she held it out to Lipika.

"I don't think I like the sound of anything of this, mirror battles, slugmen and undead? But-I think it is time for the Mountain Elves to return to their homes. Surely the gods will favor us in the battles to come."

Lipika took the crossbow.  "Thank you, but isn't it going to leave you vulnerable?"

Oda smirks "I oft times find the Sacred Flame I can call upon to be more reliable than the my own aim. Its only temporary-I think I will be fine."

"Do not worry about the slugs up here," the young elf-glow tells Oda.  "They like warm and humid air.  They have an even harder time with the mountains than the Goblins do!"

Alas, the Elves remaining here in their odd condition have no armory they can open for the characters.  It was a time of war, and few weapons were left unused.  Those that were, the Goblins found long ago.  They didn't appreciate most of the things the Elves had made, but some found Elven weapons useful... and they could always be sold in marketplaces far away.

*** *** *** ***

One of the advantages of living... and adventuring... in the clear and open expanses of the  mountain tops is that things are visible from a great distance.  The glowing Elves dare not go outside in the daylight; they believe it would fade them to the point of no return, but the characters are under no such restriction.  It is a simple matter for the survivors to give the characters directions to a nearby place with a good view.

The Temple of Correlon occupies a high point, and its most obvious feature, easily visible from here, is the spire of glass rising into the air.  It is a few hundred yards away, and most of the way is a narrow paved mountain path with a scattered homes- Elves do not build dense, clustered cities and this is especially true of the Mountain Elves.  The path curves and winds through the mountain terrain, so perhaps "as the path goes" is longer than the direct, straight, birds flight distance.

Speaking of which... there are a few large eagles soaring around.  Normal, for daytime up here in the mountains.   They are not considered a threat, unless you are quite small.  Nothing else is visible in the mountain skies.

She smiled to Oda, "Thank you again, and not just for the crossbow, but for helping my people."

She said to the group, "I guess we should go ahead to the temple and make sure it's clear, then, hopefully, when it's dark enough, the people here can meet up with us there, and we can try to bring them back."

I'm assuming it's early afternoon after a long rest?

The party has rested, and it is early afternoon.

After having a long rest to recover his energy, Rolen gets up and gets ready to head out again.  "Any idea where this temple is located?"

Lipica summoned protective magic which shimmered about her as mage armor.  Turning to Rolen she offered, "I have a second spell, if you need it, I can give you mage armor."

In answer to Rolen's question she said, "the temple would be on the high point of the acropolis, and dominated by a tall spire, so we should probably go to the tallest spire we can see."

action: cast mage armor

Oda nodded in agreement about the temple's most likely location as she completed her mediations.

"Shall we be on our way?"

At Lipika's offer Rolen graciously replies, "If you can spare the magic then yes.  I would be honored to accept your assistance."  He then gathers up his gear and prepares to exit the building.  Replying to Oda he says, "Yes.  we should go before anything else crawls out of the woodwork.  Let's find this temple and see what we can find."

Rolen makes his way outside into the street and begins searching for the temple.  He sends his owl familiar aloft to start a search pattern to find it and any other threats.

She clutched her crystal with one hand while making an arcane symbol with the other, and speaking the incantation.  She touched Rolen on the shoulder, and similar shimmer to her own magic covered him.  Then she followed him out.

When he sent his owl to scout she warned, "I wouldn't let him fly too high, and keep to covered areas.  The eagles might see him as prey."

Action: cast mage armor on Rolen

The nice thing about the mountain territory is that its fairly hard to be caught by surprise by things.  There are very long views.  Every now and then, a fold in terrain conceals something, and there are outcroppings where things might hide, but otherwise you can see for miles.

The ground is rarely even, though.  Most of it is slope, and the slope is often loose soil and gravel, or very weathered, cracked stone.

To make like easier, the Elves created paths.  Not as wide as the roads in Human or Dwarven cities, as they had no wheeled vehicles to move around, they are typically 6 feet across, and paved with flat stone or gravel.  Sometimes they are wider and quite elegantly paved with cut, shaped stone, especially on the approaches to very important places.  The paths have stone stairs frequently, but otherwise the Elves tried to keep them fairly level, following the natural contours of the land.

One of the larger paths is the one leading to the temple of Correlon, which is in view as a tall glassy spire with a round base.  The trail allows a wonderful view of the lowlands off to the north and east- you are above the tree line here but down there is thick jungle.  The Mountain Elf kingdom, in many ways, was like a chain of islands rising from a green sea.

The path you are on comes to an end about fifty feet ahead, with a curved terrace seating area extending over mountainside to one side, and stairs rising towards the temple in the other.  While there are no trees, there is scruffy, tough mountain vegetation, and around the seating area, the surviving remnants of ornamental plants.  A few bright purple and blue flowers remain.  This was a social place once, Elves could pause here before going up the last set of stairs to the temple.

The ground becomes rockier higher up, although there are many patches of loose rock and gravel.

From the path, even before you get to the seating area, you can see that at the top of the stairs, there is a plateau terrace in front of the temple.  The stairs don't lead straight to the doors.

From somewhere, you hear the sound of stones being dislodged and sliding across across other stones.  Not boulders, stones- like someone kicked a few down the mountain. But it didn't come from nearby.

Nesterin had quietly gathered his gear and made ready, so when the time came he was not delaying the group. He spent a lot of the walk taking in the sight of it all. The mountain elves buildings and trails were different than those of his woodland homeland, but if one looked close there were similarities also.

At the sound of the stones he paused and looked around. "Hopefully it was just local wildlife." Though as he continued he kept an eye out for any possible traps or ambushes.

Oda closed her eyes for a moment and prayed that she be gifted with the silence of the wind as she crept forward with the rest of the group.


Guidance.

Lipika looked about as they walked the paths, partly to watch out for danger, but she was also taken in by the view.  She tried to stick to the paving stones where she could, fearing the loose gravel might make to much noise.  It was on a gravel patch when she heard the falling stones, she stopped dead in her tracks, and looked to the others.  She nodded at Nesterin's suggestion, and continued on cautiously.

"One can always hope." As Rolen replies to Nesterin he reaches out to his owl to check if it's spotted whatever caused the noise....

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, an encounter map appears!

For hungry creatures of the high mountain area, food tends to be very dispersed.  Sitting around waiting for it to come to you is useless.  The best way to catch it is to take to the air, and so the mountains are home to a variety of Griffons.

Some creatures have other strategies, especially since the sky is the province of Griffons.

The burrowing beetles tunnel, and poke eyestalks and antennae above the ground.  They watch for Griffons, but they also feel in the ground for the vibrations of passing animals.

When something pokes their interest, they emerge.

These creatures aren't known to the Elves, though.  In their time, giant beetles were not present here.  Nevertheless, there are a couple of them now, and they have detected the party and have crawled up out of their burrows.  They begin a purposeful march over the rocky terrain.  They are easy to see, their shells are very shiny and practically glitter in the bright sunshine.

Terrain shading is to indicate elevation, darkest is lowest.
 
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:53, Thu 27 May 2021.

Lipika saw the beetles and thought back to her natural philosophy studies at the university.  Insects weren't a subject of primary interest for her, but she tried to remember what the professor said.  Were these dangerous animals? and how was it best to deal with them?

16:22, Today: Lipika rolled 22 using 1d20+5.  nature.

As he rests at the sitting area near the temple Rolen notices the two beetles moving this way.  With a frown on his face Rolen moves up the stairs towards the main temple door.  He has his owl continue searching for other threats in the area...

Rolen moves to J21; towards the temple main doors.  He readies his magic if the beetles get any closer.  Currently, his spells are out of range.

Nesterin frowns as the beetle emerge. He knew of such creatures, they were fairly common in his homeland especially in the caves and tombs he had explored. Readying his bow he continued up the stairs, keeping a close eye on the beetles.

OOC: Move to K18.

Lipika remembers these creatures...

Jiri hurries up the stairs after Nesterin, eager to get to the Temple of Correlon.

The group watches the beetles, the beetles make steady progress towards you.  Not charging but walking antennae waving, as if trying to size up the party.

Giant beetles aren't exactly unknown creatures, though they tend to be found in less civilized places.  They aren't known for anything more than rudimentary intelligence.  Planning isn't their thing.


 

"I'm not sure of this exact species, but beetles tend to be carnivorous.  I don't know if we'd be on the menu, but I don't want to find out." Lipika said as she climbed the stairs readying the crossbow to shoot if the bugs became aggressive.

Action:ready crossbow to attack if the beetles attack

Move: to J20 to J21

Edit: I read the map wrong, Lipika could only get to J21 because there's already someone at J20
This message was last edited by the player at 14:46, Sun 13 June 2021.

Oda closes her eyes. She attempts to use Thaumaturgy to create minor tremors to confuse the creatures senses.

Rolen continues running towards the temple door.  His hands glowing with magical energy he focuses a 3 bolts energy across the space to where the beetles stand.

Rolen casts a magic missile spell at the beetle at W3 and moves far as he can near N14.

23:55, Today: Rolen rolled 5 using 1d4+1 with rolls of 4.  magic missile  spell damage.

23:55, Today: Rolen rolled 3 using 1d4+1 with rolls of 2.  magic missile  spell damage.

23:55, Today: Rolen rolled 3 using 1d4+1 with rolls of 2.  magic missile  spell damage.



This message was last edited by the player at 05:01, Sun 13 June 2021.

While Rolen manages to shoot and damage a beetle, causing it to decide to seek food in a different direction, Oda's sensory attack on the beetles is very effective.  They are basically instinctive creatures, they do not analyze or consider alternate possibilities.  Non localized tremors mean, to them, only a vague, unspecified danger, and the only thing they can do in such a situation is make a hasty dash back for their holes.

The beetles retreat.

This leaves the crew unperturbed for the rest of the trip to the great temple.

The walls of the temple are glass, or as the Elves know, material enchanted to be as transparent as glass, but strong enough to build with.  They travelled here in the evening, with the sun down after a good day's rest, and the outside reflects starlight.

The doors are large, made of silvery metal, and inscribed with Elven holy symbols.

Closed- which is perhaps a surprise given that so much time has passed with no one hear who could close them.  Supposedly.

Reflected and scattered by the glass walls there are echoes of moving light from the halls within.

Nesterin studies the doors, being closed after so many years is a bit odd. Especially with all the goblins wandering around. It was entirely possible they just avoided the temple due to superstition or something. But it would only take a moment to check it for any traps.

OOC: 08:54, Today: Nesterin Brightmoon rolled 26 using 1d20+6.  Perception.
08:54, Today: Nesterin Brightmoon rolled 22 using 1d20+3.  Investigation.

Oda follows Nesterin to watch him work but she gives the other space. She walks with an almost comical effort to place each foot down as lightly as possible.

"Any luck?"

Oda inquires after a moment.

Lipika exhaled in relief as the beetles scurried off.  Good, at least they weren't too aggressive.

While Nesterin examined the door, she took out her pen and paper, and made a quick sketch of the beetles with notes on the size and shiny carapace, and "They fled to their burrows when attacked."  The sketch could be determined to be some kind of bug, but it wasn't very good.  Then she tucked her note supplies away, and took up her crossbow.

Nesterin investigates the door.

One nice thing about being an Elf here:  though it's been abandoned for seventeen years- hardly any time at all from the longer view of older Elves- the design and look of many things here are familiar.  Nesterin has never been here, but cultures have a certain sense about them, and these feels Elven.

If something was strange about it, it would be easier to spot.

The great doors are metal, not wood, though.  That's an approach more in the style of the mountain Elves. Their cousins to the south would make most things out of wood.

There's no sign of a locking mechanism anywhere.  No bolt, no keyholes.  If the Elves did manage to lock up before they left, it was in a manner invisible from the outside.

Nestrin smiled, "Well thankfully we don't have to worry about it being locked and as far as I can tell no traps."

"It's incredibly well made and balanced to slowly close itself." Remaining crouched he pushed the door open slightly alert for any living threats that may be residing inside.

Rolen looks around the temple grounds to see if there are any other openings or entryways.  His owl familiar helps inspect the higher parts of the temple.....

Oda stepped forward and touched her hand to Nesterin as she offered a prayer of Guidance to her patron of Light and life.


OOC:
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Touch
Components: V S
Duration: Up to 1 minute
Classes: Cleric, Druid
You touch one willing creature. Once before the spell ends, the target can roll a d4 and add the number rolled to one ability check of its choice. It can roll the die before or after making the ability check. The spell then ends.

Nesterin tries the door.

There is a fluttering of light within.  No sound, just a sudden change in illumination, like a fleeting cloud passing beneath a bright sun.

There is a universal element in basic plan of temples everywhere:  a sacred space where attention is centered, a gathering place for the attendees, and when possible a transitional space from outside to inside, serving to allow a change in mental focus.  For Humans the transition is often in the form of massive and exquisitely carved temple doors.  For the Elves, the ascent up the mountain to the terrace before the temple provides the transition, and the doors are merely the point of entry.

Inside it is dark.. much as it is outside as the party rested through the day.  But there is a soft light, as if the building caught some of the sunset, saved it, and is carefully rationing it to make it last through the evening.

Perhaps this is exactly the case.

Elves never went in for glorious monuments and detailed decoration in their temples.  Their monuments were always the natural world itself, and the temples merely places for communal reflection.  There are no benches.  There are cushioned mats, many of which are now hung on pegs on the wall.  Many Elves had their own personal mats, and some of them were family heirlooms.  Some of the Elves who escaped brought their mats along and now they decorate the homes of the Mountain Elf diaspora.  But many were left here, it seems, by Elves who didn't leave, or perhaps couldn't spare the time or the space.  There must be dozens of them, of many different styles and designs, thin, thick, simple, deeply ornate.

The lower floor was the public area.  The upper floors of the temple were the private areas, used for special ceremonies, and as study areas by the priests. They are accessed by a staircase that winds up along one side. The staircase, other than the columns supporting it, is transparent.  But it seems damaged.

There is flicker of light again, from above.

Meanwhile, the Owl goes higher, on the outside.

There are no windows higher up.  This is to be expected, so much of the building is made of transparent material that having an actual window would be redundant.  But there are vents, small slots in the walls, high up, that allow for ventilation.  And three terraces with doors.  Those are all set on the same level, at a band of non-transparent white stonework.  The terraces are arranged symmetrically around the temple, eighty feet above the ground.  The views must be impressive, as the temple already occupies a high point on Mount Keru.  (not the highest point, that's actually unstable, not far away, but not a good place for construction!)

The owl, too, can see flickers of light from within (probably better than anyone else, considering the amazing night vision of owls).  But it is afraid to go inside on its own.  It merely circles the spire from the outside.  Oh look, mountain voles.  Furry and tasty.

Oda smiled as she entered the temple and looked over the wonder which was his construction. Her eyes were draw to the mats and she went to observe them, as if they where ethereal wisps of another time (a better time) she dared not touch them even though her hand raised unbidden.

Lipika was amazed by the grand temple; the red light of sunset gave it both a sacred aura, and the homey warm glow of a hearth.  her feet moved unbidden, following the others in.  She could wander about dumbstruck in such a beautiful place, but her reason called her back to the present.  They needed to find the ritual that would bring the others back from the realm of light.  "There's probably a ritual space where we can find out how they crossed the people over," she said, but her voice still held the dreamy quality of wonder that she felt,  "let's try upstairs."   She moved to the stairs keeping an eye out for danger.

Something approaches Lipika as it she nears the stairs.

It glows, and it's small, and it moves like a hummingbird made of light.  It wasn't there a moment ago... it just seems to have "gathered", as if the dim light in the room pulled itself together into a compact little shape.

The little wisp of light flutters around her for a moment, and then starts up the stairs.

It heads up... and pauses.  It's met by another little piece of light, coming down the stairs, and the two merge.  They become a bigger, clearer version of itself.  Still small, but now it really does look like a hummingbird.  It seems to be leading the way up the stairs- if anyone approaches it moves ahead, but it pauses if no one does.

Nesterin moved into the room, looking around at the splendid craftsmanship of the building. He could have spent a month here just examining the building and it layout. Along with it's possible hidden secrets, temples almost always had hidden places to investigate.

As Lipika moved farther into the building and the wisp of light showed itself he arched an eyebrow but moved forward to stand beside Lipika. In a voice just loud enough to be heard by everyone. "Well it appears we have been greeted and have a possible guide shall we follow. I can go first unless someone else wishes to lead."

Having entered the temple and making his way through the main room Rolen takes in the details around him.  As the lights start appearing on the staircase he begins to follow the lights upwards.  "If they wanted to kill us they could have done so by now."

Lipika met the wisp with a combination of surprise, caution, and wonder, but wonder won out.  She nodded in agreement with Nesterin, and Rolen, and followed up the stairs.

Oda begins to follow the others up the stairs after turning away from her study of the matts.

Rolen continues following the glowing hummingbird up the staircase; keeping it in sight as he proceeds.  He continues to glance around and take in the details of the building's interior; looking for any clues or the light elf from the previous encounter....

Up the stairs...

Once upon a time, it might have been presumptuous for the uninvited to go into the spire of the Temple of Corralon uninvited.  But, things are very different now.  And maybe, with that odd wisp of light ahead, the party isn't uninvited.

At least the temple seems welcoming.  As they go up, the stairs illuminate softly.  Not bringing good reading light into the temple, but enough for Elven vision to clearly see the steps, railings and walls.

Yes there are railings.  Long winding staircases and catwalks without railings are for Goblins.  Elves are more safety conscious.

As they go up, the temple gets narrower- quickly at first, as the structure as a whole has a profile like an inverted funnel.  And the first floor is a tall one, to create a high space for the great hall.  By the time they get to the "mezzanine" the temple is only about half as wide as it was on the ground floor.

This level is a ring, a walkway overlooking the hallway below.  It doesn't do much other than provide a useful observation level  (there are tall windows to the outside), some storage, and structural support, and the flickering light ignores it, beckoning the group higher.

To the shrine level, the next landing up.

Here, the temple is divided into smaller special private chambers once used by the priests for their own personal meditations.  Wizards have their laboratories, for clerics, this is where the serious stuff happens.

The doorway to one of the three chambers is open, and there is an aura of rainbow light from within.

Oda wonders around the area looking at the glory of elven craft, overlaid with other craftmanship of goblin make. She crept along as silently has she was able but was simply stricken with awe by the grandeur.

Oda peeks into the doorway of the chamber that the rainbow light is spilling out of.

Lipika followed oda standing back a bit behind her but looking in the door with the rainbow light.