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.