This is a Group 1 Thread.  All groups can now see it, but characters elsewhere do not have this as character knowledge.

In the last harbor you saw across the ocean, a man in a feathered hat handed out documents, each one entitling the bearer to a month of food and lodging (drinks not included) at a place called the Guesthouse at Deluzion Break.

As good a place as any to make a new start in a new land.  Where was that, exactly?

“Montebon” the man with the feathered hat said.

Montebon. A small, up and coming kingdom, known for a few things- rugged terrain, an ambitious and forward looking queen who wants progress for her kingdom, Dwarves, and something called “Chaos Farming”.  It gets mentioned in letters and reports now and then, whatever it is, it sounds lucrative because people talk about how they get more crops than they did back in the old world… or maybe that’s just propaganda.

And Llamas.  Animals as fearless, hard working and durable and often as irascible as the Dwarves.  Montebon has Llamas, you've heard.

You accepted the certificate… which, you later learned, wasn’t handed out to just anyone.  The Man in The Feathered Hat seemed to be selecting.

And now you are on a ship, one of the nimble double hulled Honoan vessels, having spent six weeks crossing the ocean.  Your destination was on the horizon two hours ago.  Now you see it, drawing nearer by the moment.  A great cliff along the sea, stretching for miles.  It has a great gash in it, as if some cosmic ax struck the cliff and broke it, carving a deep gorge from top to bottom.

That, according to the crew, is Deluzion Break.  The boat heads for a stone dock at bottom of the cliff, at the location of the gorge.  It arrives very late in the day.  The crew has no intention of staying, they look worriedly at the sky.
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:33, Sat 22 Aug 2020.

+1 lodging document!

Lehai keeps it together and manages not to immediately jump off the ship to solid ground as soon as the vessel stopped moving. Instead, they calmly open every pouch and pocket to see if all their belongings are still there ... looks like it. Sounds like a green light. If ooooonly the ship would dock faster!

Lehai cannot stand the sea. There are no animals to hunt, no caves to hide in, no interesting landmarks ... the fate of the journey depends entirely on this ship. And having to wait feels like sitting in a cage. But this pet peeve has been carefully hidden from the crew and the other passengers. To them, Lehai is just a gentle human soul without much to say, often staring out sea towards the infinite horizon.

What are they so worried about? Lehai notices how concerned the crew looks. Oh, silly me. It must be the weather. After all, the storms on the sea are a realistic fear.

But then again ... IS IT the weather?! The ranger studies the sky for signs.

18:49, Today: Lehai Quandar rolled 4 using 1d20+2. Nature check: What's the weather gonna be like?

With their destination in sight at last, Qui-Lin had gone below to gather her things and prepare to depart their ocean-going home.  Just as she would in a city, she'd spent the voyage learning the ins-and-outs of the ship - the nooks and crannies, the gangways, the rigging even.

Now she wore the resplendent silk robes she'd arrived onboard with, rather than the brown traveling clothes she'd spent most of the journey wearing.

"They want to be gone before dark," she mused aloud, to herself.

"Aye" The white haired elf answered Qui-Lin's musings as her thoughts reflected his own. His voice wasn't gruff per se but it wasn't filled with the smoothness that most would attribute to his people. Aelar was sitting comfortably with his few belongings on his person and ready to be carried to their destination. His attire hadn't changed once along the entire journey, leather armor beneath his clothes that seemed to be made of mostly nature-found materials.

He held in his hand a smallish fruit that by this time would seem almost common place on his person. A fuzzy-fleshed golden-meaty fruit that he had seemingly an unending supply of along the journey. Any who had asked had been offered a fruit before and would have found it delightfully sweet and fulfilling. They were small enough that you could pop them in the mouth and chew them whole in one bite but large and fuzzy enough to make it not the easiest of tasks. Knowing him there were probably several more where that one came from.


Taking a bite out of that golden kiwifruit he savored it for a moment and watched the stone dock approach, the cliff-side looming over them. "Couldn't imagine why this place would scare anyone off."

OOC: That's my take on a Goodberry ;) something he's had lots of on the ship since it's just one spell slot at the end of the day for ten berries throughout the day.

Atraxus stands at the prow of the ship, a grin on his face. Land is always a welcome sight after a long journey at sea. As the ship nears the coast, he squints and strains his eyes to scour the coast of this new land for details---and perhaps sight of one of those remarkable llamas.

When the ship reaches the dock, Atraxus deftly lifts his pack carrying his belongings. He slips it over his shoulder. He nods to the crew, thanking them for a safe and mercifully uneventful voyage. He gives a sideways glance at the crewmembers looking to leave port, but decides against asking them why. The voyage is over, and they owe him no answers. Instead, he joins the other passengers who have disembarked.

"It's always good to stand on solid ground after a long time at sea," he says to no one in particular. "Especially when the ground belongs to your intended destination."

The cliff before you rises about 400 feet above the ocean, but it’s not a straight, sheer drop.  The lower half is a jumble of broken rock, ledges, clefts, and great plates and spurs of stone jutting out from the mass of the cliff.  A switchback path snakes upwards through it, cutting through some of it, ending in a broad ledge.  From there, you can make out a wooden scaffold built into the split in the rock frames a staircase and a hoistway.  This rises into a structure at the top of the cliff.  Not ON top of the cliff, built along the side of it, right at the split.

Something is up there, built onto ledges and crevices both natural and not, there are six stories of rambling structure- balconies, windows, stairs, catwalks and terraces. The uppermost story rises above the top of the cliff, the rest is built beneath it.  A wooden bridge crosses the gap in the cliff, and there is more structure on the other side.

At the ocean side, there is only the stone dock and a narrow beach.  You can tell by the lines of the algae and barnacles that during high tide, (There's a ranger and a druid present, this sort of thing is obvious to them)  most if not all of the beach is gone, and the water laps against the irregular rise of stone directly.

Just to remove any lingering doubts as to what that odd sprawl at the top of the cliff is, there is a sign at the base of the gap in the cliff, at the end of the dock.   It says “Deluzion Point Guest House” and there are two arrows.  One points to the switchback path.  The other, straight up.

The sign is decorated with painted flowers.. drawn very, very small.

"Wow," Qui-Lin said, shading her eyes and scanning up... and up, till she was almost bent backwards.  "That's impressive." Her eyes scanned all the details and features.  It had a certain charm.

"I like it," she announced with a grin.

Daladain stood on deck as the ship docked, drinking in the salty sea air. He had eventually gotten used to the mom emend of the ship, having spent the first few days retching up everything from his stomach, so much so that he thought he would never survive the trip. But that had passed, and now he quite enjoyed the swell of the sea. It was certainly different to the smell of the streets back home, the smell of dirt, shit and death...

At the dock he said his goodbyes to the crew and disembarked quickly. He sensed that they didn’t want to linger, so he did his best to allow them to depart without delay.

He looked at the signpost. Up the path, or up in the air. An easy choice, he supposed. He looked around at the other travellers stood on the dock. “As I have not yet mastered the ability to fly I will be taking the winding path. Would anyone care to join me?”
This message was last edited by the player at 05:50, Thu 30 July 2020.

Lehai has their eyes tacked on the eastern horizon. Not just any storm ... but a magical one. "How uncanny ..."

But there is no point in scratching your head over a mystery that is a few hundred feet away from being solved. Surely the host at the guest house knows more about such anomalies ... unless this is out of the ordinary and something to worry about. Lehai gets off the ship - ironically being the last person to do so - and wanders up towards the switchback path to the strange building.

Lehai doesn't bother saying goodbye to the crew - a quick nod of "thanks, man" will do - but the other passengers are a different number. They share the same destination and it would be unwise to show them the cold shoulder. Lehai takes a deep breath, slows down and turns around to the others. There used to be a time when socializing wasn't this nerve-wrecking. It can't be that hard to channel the old Lehai Quandar, the same one who like hugs and hot chocolate, rather than the guilt-ridden ranger from shortly after.

"Beaches, am I right? The sand is so coarse and rough and gets everywhere ..."

Dangnabbit.

"I mean", Lehai clears their throat and looks at Daladain, "I would love to."
This message was last edited by the player at 06:15, Thu 30 July 2020.

"The flowers are an interesting touch," Atraxus says as he inspects the sign. "A bit odd that the writing is so small."

When Daladain mentions taking the path, Atraxus nods in agreement. "Might as well. I'd like to see what this town has to offer newcomers."

"Aye." Aelar agreed with Qui-Lin again, a smile cracking his features as well.

"Flying or climbing." Was his response to Daladain. "I know a man who would climb that wall as a monkey... Not me though, not today." And he hiked up his pack and began following the others as well. He looked back at the thin stretch of sand. "Won't be much of a beach once tide comes in. Best we get to the high ground soon as we can. Though I doubt it would reach any part of this path."

To Atraxus he simply said, "I hear they have llamas." As if that was offer enough from any town. Though to be honest he'd never seen one himself.

"I wonder if they've another set of signs like this at the top. One pointing along the path 'To the Docks' and another pointing down 'The Quick Way'."

"I, too, have yet to master the art of flying," Qui-Lin replied to Daladain with a wry smirk.  "So yeah.  Let's get walking."

In reply to Aelar Siannodel (Moonbrook) (msg # 11):

Daladain grinned. “Some people think falling is painful. They are wrong. Falling is easy, it’s the landing that hurts.”

As they began to walk he introduced himself to his fellow travellers. “I am Daladain, but my friends call me Dal.”

Lehai tunes down their speed so as to let the others catch up. This is not the time to get nervous, they remind themselves, this is only scary when you hold yourself up to high standards. Stop feeling like it's important to be liked by these people. The ranger clears their throat to draw some attention.

"I am Lehai Quandar", they say in a cold tone. "My friends call me ... Lehai Quandar."

Ready to advance.

Aelar nodded as he followed them up the cliff-face path, "Dal. Lehai. I am known as Aelar. Anyone care for a fruit?" The one he had been eating was already gone and another produced from his pack.

    The path upwards snakes between outcroppings of rock, some of them jutting out as if to protect the cliff with great jagged stone spikes.  It looks like no familiar rock formation, but despite the fact that some of the stones appear quite sharp, doesn’t look at all unnatural.  Just… odd. Perhaps a Dwarf with some geology training would stop to examine it... but the party just sees it as different.

 Lehai could easily climb between the rock outcroppings but doesn't have to.  The path is here and available.  The rocks are rough and sharp, but the path, though steep, is smooth.  Obviously a lot of work has gone into creating it.  It rises along the cliff face by a series of switchbacks, at two points actually cutting through the cliff in tunnels.  The end of the second tunnel brings you to a great ledge.  The ledge is a natural stone sill, varying greatly in width but in the 5-20 feet range.

This long terrace has an unusually flat, even surface, like someone was trying to create a road along the cliff.    It goes on for miles. The cliff wall above is much steeper, close to sheer, so that the with the exception of the odd fissure or gap, or features such as the stairway in the large gap called Deluzion Break, climbing above is dangerous unless one is a capable climber.

  But the switchback tunnel has brought you to the ledge only a short distance from the scaffold-enclosed stair and hoistway.  There are ropes here, trailing up and out of site, and a small sign near one reads, “Pull Bell Rope For Hoist Service”.

Again, the writing is accompanied by little drawings of flowers.

"Well met," the Half-Orc says, nodding to each person as they make introductions. "I'm Atraxus." He reaches up and pulls the bell rope for the hoist service.

"Qui-Lin," she replied.  Then, "You know that's probably not free, right?" as the Half-Orc rang the bell for a hoist.

"Oops," Atraxus remarks, his face blanching as much as a Half-Orc's complexion can. "That thought didn't occur to me..."

"Just be honest then", says Lehai. "If you explain it was a mistake and don't use the service they might not charge you for it." They look at the stairs and then back at the group. "Personally, a staircase is all the service I need."


"Not me. This is starting to get weird. I'll see you people upstairs." Lehai climbs the stairs, throwing one last glance over their shoulder.
This message was last edited by the player at 09:31, Sat 01 Aug 2020.

Dal accepted the strange looking fruit and inspected it. After a few moments to took a small bite, and quickly wiped his face as sticky juices ran down his chin. The fruit was sweet and tasty, and he took another bite. He smiled at Aelar. “Thanks, it’s good.”

He trudged with the others along the path. When the big half-orc pulled the rope he paused, curious to see what would happen next. While waiting he looked at the sign, wondering why it had been decorated with little flowers. Maybe the work of a child, or just someone who liked pretty things?

_Tk-chnk

Tk-chnk

Tk-chnk!

It was distant at first, but steadily louder and nearer as the group waited for the lift service.  From behind them the bright clack of metal on stone sounded out with a rhythmic tempo, soon paired by soft grunts of exertion before a hand emerged from the edge of the sheer cliff face.  With a groan and a surge for that last bit of effort, a rather dusty looking Half-Elf woman hoisted herself up onto the plateau, rolled over her side to sprawl flat on her back, and simply laid there on the ground.  It took a few seconds of quiet panting to regain her wind before she raised her fists - one still clutching a climbing piton - victoriously to the sky, albeit while still laid out flat for the time being.

"Whoo!  Gods, that feels great after being cooped up on the boat for so long!" Kealoha wheezed, apparently half-exhausted but wholly satisfied.  Sure, she could've followed the others up the zig-zagging catwalks, but where was the thrill in that?  How could she turn aside a challenge set right in front of her the moment she finally put her boots down on a whole new region?  After a moment of panting for breath she arched a bit and cast an upside-down look over at the waiting group.  "Oh... what're y'all hanging out for?  Are we waiting for something?"
This message was last edited by the player at 09:10, Sat 01 Aug 2020.

The all seem to have their preferred means of getting up, it seems...

From the ledge, Lehai Quandar takes the stairs, just as Kealoha has arrived at the ledge by climbing the rocks instead of taking the switchback path.

It's still a long way up.  Lehai Quandar has to go up 20 flights of stairs, which is a serious climb but far from impossible.  For the moment, the others are left behind.

Right now, all they have here are a number of thick ropes.  For a while, nothing happens.  They are the on the verge of thinking that maybe nothing is going to happen when they see the ropes tremble and go taut, and then start to move.  There is a squeaking, rumbling noise from above.

Lehai sees the hoist platform, on its way down, and also, something else, too small to see well, going up.  The hoist platform is like a wagon, minus the wheels and horse.  It descends, passes... Like the sign, it is painted, decorated in a "happy" motif.  Wait.. what was that, riding on it... oh well, too late, it's hidden by the wooden scaffold of the stairwell and hoistway.

Shortly thereafter Lehai is still going up and the hoist platform reaches the bottom.  Lehai will reach the top first, that's certain, but it's so much more effort.

The platform is firmly secured to a framework connected to heavy ropes.  It has a passenger.

Other than the transparent wings on the creature's back, it looks like a small... and smartly dressed.. human or Elf, a young male only a foot tall, with bright yellow-blond hair.

He tips a little green hat.  "I'm Zwiddle.  Welcome to The Guesthouse.  Please get in, it's an easy ride up from here as soon as the buckets fill."

Qui-Lin was content to wait and be hauled up.  She did her best to maintain a dignified posture as the hoist jerkily drew down to them.

"Hello, Zwiddle," she smiled.  "Thank you.  I'm Qui-Lin.  These are my companions."

"Well met, Zwiddle," Atraxus replies. He reaches down to offer a handshake to the man who greets them. "I'm Atraxus.

"I, um..." he adds, a bit embarrassed, "was wondering if this service is paid. I pulled the rope without thinking. I spent the last of my coin preparing for the journey, but am willing to work off whatever debt I owe."

Dal looked at the options. A long, tough climb or riding a wooden platform hoisted by ropes. It was a quick decision.

He lightly stepped onto the wooden platform and tested it out, and it seemed sturdy enough. “Good day to you Zwiddle, I am Daladain. I would like to take up your offer. This contraption seems most ingenious. Thank you.”

He looked around at his travelling companions, wondering who would take up the offer. Part of him secretly hoped that the half-orc would decline and walk up. He had nothing against the fellow but wasn’t sure what the weight capacity was, and Atraxus was awfully big!

"A pleasure Daladain, Atraxus, Qui Lin and Companions.  Hoist Service is an amenity provided to Guests of the Guest House," Zwiddle says.  "Like our pool.  I hope you're going to be guests, because there's a storm on the way and it's going to hit us soon.  I'd hate to be out in it.  That's why you boat left so fast, usually they stay awhile."

The slack goes out of the ropes, the platform rises.

"Please keep your hands and feet and wings if present inside the hoist carriage until it comes to a complete stop," Zwiddle announces.

As it rises, it passes the counterweights- large buckets filled with water.  They are all connected to a rope which can tip them over to empty them, thereby causing the buckets to rise back up and the platform to lower.

Also on the way up, but close to the top, the carriage passes Lehai, still climbing stairs.  The stairs look old and rickety in places, but Lehai has discovered them to be quite solid and more sturdily built than they might appear.

They reach a balcony, half projecting, have built into the wall of the cliff- the Main Entrance Balcony.

This is about forty feet below the top of the cliff.  Several stories of inn go up from here, and a few are below, all accessible from this level, which features a large balcony wrapping around into the Break.  The balcony is a landing for the stairway, and for the hoist, and also features a long ramp to the top, cut into the rock face along one side of the Break.

The balcony is cut back into the cliff, where doors and windows open to the spaces within.  There is the main  entrance facing the sea, and three storefronts around the corner, facing the Break.   On the balcony are chairs, mostly facing the sea, and little tables.
The main door is heavy wood with brass fittings, and a window in a brass frame.  Above each doorway are symbols and runes etched into the stone lintels. Wizardy looking things.

"Welcome to the Guest House at Deluzion Break," Zwiddle says, as Lehai catches up.

It was worth it, rationalizes Lehai, catching for breath. At least now it will feel even better when I rest and I got some extra training out of it. They planned to arrive here before the others - to cement themselves as this physically imposing wilderness warrior who doesn't need to rely on some strange doohicky to get up a cliff - but so much for that ... at least the level of technology here is very impressive.

"The level of technology here is very impressive."

Oh, Lehai, you smooth talker, you.

Zwiddle knocks on the door.  It takes a lot of effort for him to get a substantial sound out, as small as he is.  He is quickly joined by another being similar to him, but not from inside- this one just flew in from another direction.

"Zwiddle, I'll need your help on the bucket rope, to tip them and reset the hoist," the newcomer announces.

Zwiddle gestures towards the party.  The new arrival looks a little embarrassed.

"Bucket ropes and pulleys," Zwiddle says, "if that is the tek know logee then I suppose it is interesting, because it can move a whole horse.  We just call it the hoist.  The Dwarves built it for us years ago.  They're very clever making what's its and thingabobs."

"Firefern, at your service," Zwiddle's companion says.  "I'm the leader here and..."

"You most certainly are not," Zwiddle interrupts.

"Well of the fairies," Firefern says.

"Not even that.  We don't have a leader."

"I could be," Firefern grumbles.  "Welcome to the Guest House at Deluzion Break!  You'll have to open the door yourselves, the big folk aren't here just yet... it's quite large and heavy, and as you can see, we are not."

Aside from the main door, there are three smaller doors, each with a sign above it.
They are shops, from the look of it, but it doesn't look like any of them are open.    One is a barber shop, the second says “Goods, Trinkets, Gifts and Confections”, and the third reads “All Manner of Fixes and Repairs Herein”.

"If your friend is occupied, I can help", offers Lehai. "Sounds like a mundane task that someone like me might be better with than a fairy. No offense."

“Hello Firefern, good to meet you too.” He would have said more, but the two creatures began to bicker, and he didn’t want to interrupt. To him it was most amusing, but he didn’t want to offend by making a joke.

Instead he focused on the doors. The alternative options sounded of interesting, but right now he wanted to be inside away from the storm. He stepped forward and tried the main door, intending to open it and step inside.

On the ride up, Qui-Lin was unabashedly in awe.  She'd seen a lot in her short time, but this was marvelous.  And for once she didn't try to hide her reaction.

"Zerfen, nice to meet you as well," she replied to the other little fey.  Looking around at the others, taking in the sights of their destination, she added, "This place is amazing."

Lehai helps pull the bucket rope.  The Fairy is very much impressed by Lehai's quick willingness to help.

"Well, I can see who my favorite new guest is going to be!" Firefern says.  "You saved a lot of work!  We Fairy folk can do a lot, but heavy things... they are not our strong point."

It wasn't that it seems cleverly engineered with pulleys and counterweights.

They enter through the main door, find the common room of the Guest House at Deluzion Break, and find...

More fairies.

There's a half a dozen of them in here, flying around, cleaning, dusting.  A shortage of customers, though, from the look of it.  Just one sleepy looking Dwarf.

One female fairy with bright yellow hair flies up to greet the party.

"Welcome to the Guesthouse at Deluzion Break!” the creature announces in a perky, peppy little voice.  “I am Daisy, your Hostess! You are staying for the night, yes?  Not traveling on in this weather, are you?  We have reasonable and proper prices, and the highest ratings from the Montebon Guild of Guesthouses!"

Daisy points to a plaque on the white plastered wall.  It does seem to confirm her claim- it says that the Masters of the Montebon Guild of Guesthouses have given this establishment  ratings of "Excellent" in Food, Drink, Accommodations, and General Service. It further notes that all dues have been paid.

The main “common room” of the Guesthouse is large.  The front door has coat racks and boot shelves flanking it, and there are big windows overlooking the balcony and the cliff.  To one side, doors leading off to several smaller “niche” dining rooms, other guest rooms, and the guest stairs.  To the other, a large “open air” kitchen and bar, and doors leading off to the pantries, baking kitchen, service stairs, and the service stairs.  The size of the utensils indicates that there is at least one cook of human-or-thereabouts size, who doesn't seem to be present.  Most of the doors are permanently wedged open, as the Fairies who work here don’t interact well with large, heavy, wooden doors.   A few doors, including a very heavy iron bound pair, are closed.

  In the front, doors also open to the three little shops… two of them, actually.  The Goods, Trinkets, Gifts and Confections shop has no interior door, being fully open to the Common Room.

"Eating, rooming, both?" Daisy asks. "We also have a bathing pool. All amenities are included with the cost of rooms."

Though she had been eager to tackle an invigorating challenge in free climbing her way up the cliff right off the boat - in no small part to just enjoy the earth again after being at sea for so long - a second climb wasn't to Kealoha's taste.  Once was refreshing, but two would be exhausting.  She quietly enjoyed the bucket-ride up to the guesthouse and was absolutely delighted by the sight that awaited the group inside.  The facilities, the fairies busy at their tasks, and the promise it all held filled her with a brimming anticipation that showed plainly in the smile on her face.

"Honestly, a stay for the night sounds amazing.  You can't get a home cooked meal and a proper bath taking a ship from the mainland." the Half-Elf managed to pull her attention back to their hostess.  "What're the rates per night?  And do you offer barter?  I can't speak for everyone, but I'm sure not afraid of some labor to knock a few coins off the bill."

That's a lot of fairies. It makes Lehai slightly uncomfortable knowing that these fey creatures are - in a way - the enemy. But the ranger forces themselves to push all that knowledge on how best to hunt, catch, and kill these fey back into their mind. Let's not get swept away here.

"Shouldn't you check our documents first?", they berate Daisy. "I don't know about these people but I was given this" - Lehai pulls out their lodging document - "and I was told this entitles me for one month of service. Am I out of line here?"

The mention of such documentation seemed to spark a realization in Kealoha after a few seconds.  She quickly shuffled around in her satchel, though she had to do quite a bit of digging before she pulled out the same manner of certification Lehai mentioned as well.  "Oh, wow - I'd practically forgotten we even had these.  It was, like, over a month ago!  You've got a good memory." Even if Lehai's tone was curt as it was, it didn't phase the Half-Elf one bit as she fixed the other with a bright smile.  "Even if our room and board is covered by the contracts, these don't handle drinks and probably nothing from the gift shop either.  Those are still gonna be out of our own pockets, and you just can't have a proper meal without some good drinks!"

Daladain greeted Daisy warmly. “A hot bath, hot meal and warm bed would be most welcome, especially after so long at sea. I must smell something terrible.”

He pulled the battered document out of his pocket. “I also have an invite for free lodging.”

He looked around the inside of the guest house. It was certainly different to home, with some many fey creatures flitting about. He smiled. This place is strange, but should be fun!

Atraxus snaps his fingers as Daladin mentions the document.

"I believe I have one as well," he says while fishing around in his backpack. "Ah, here it is." He presents the documents to the group's Fairy host.

Producing her own document that matched the others, Qui-Lin replied, "Yes to both.  And my thanks for your care."

"Oh, yes, those are good here!" Daisy says, flying from document to document and looking at them. "It's what we have to do for our Annual Service.  It's the queen's plan, to get people to come to the north side of Montebon.  Someone must have thought you were the right kind of people to give you these."

The larger people of Deluzion Break begin to show up, an elderly man and woman.  The introduce themselves as Arcto and Cornelia, the owners of the Guesthouse.

"There are more of us," Arcto says, "but we had to get some work done in the fields.  Very hasty stuff, when the storm comes in, keeps everyone busy.  Welcome to the Guesthouse at Deluzion Break."

"I said that," Daisy says.

"Of course," Arcto continues.  "Daisy is legendary among hostesses.  We're the only Guesthouse in the guild with a fairy staff.  Well... since you have been made welcome, and you are guests of our Queen Helena, there's no sense keeping you standing around and waiting for us, we have rooms for you... we are, in fact, mostly empty at the moment... we have our pool, and of course, we have food, which will not take us long to prepare.  Our menu is... well its a very changeable thing, always what's available and never what's not..."

"Peculiar, it's been called," a fairy says.

"I don't know why," Zwiddle says.

Daisy directs your attention to the large slate menu board, which judging by the smears, is been erased and rewritten frequently.  The writing is small, and decorated with little flowers.

Dried Pork and Yam Stew Served with Tankard of Stout (10 cp)
Yam Stew, Mug of Stout (4 cp)
Baked Spiced Yams and Mug of Stout (4 cp)
Pickled Fish and Diced Melon, Yams, Tankard of Stout (11 cp)
Yam Biscuits (2 cp)
Bowl of Melon, Cut Into Fancy Shapes (3 cp)
Pickled Fish and Dwarven Biscuits, absolutely NO Yams, Tankard of Stout (11 cp)

"Three meals a day on the house for guests of the Queen," Daisy says.

Though she was never one to turn down local cuisine since that was half the fun of visiting new places, the menu-as-listed has the enthusiastic Half-Elf's shoulders slowly slumping the more she read.  There was certainly a theme to say the least...

"Uh... I don't want to sound ungrateful or anything, but do you ever serve fowl or fresh meat?  Spirits besides just stout?" she had to ask, though she already feared the answer.  Being at sea for so long demanded food rations be stable for such a trip, so she'd had enough dried meat, fish, and beer over the last few weeks to last a lifetime.

Atraxus' face twists into a puzzled expression as he looks over the menu. The thought of pickled fish coupled with melon is enough to make even the hardy Half-Orc turn a tiny shade of green. Fortunately, the other offerings seem much more palatable.

"I'll have the pork and yam stew meal," Atraxus says after introducing himself to the new arrivals.

"Well, now that we are here, do you have any jobs or tasks you need fulfilled?" Atraxus asks the groups' hosts. "I feel a bit odd enjoying the benefits of the Queen's invitation before doing some of the work it certainly includes. Also, it would be nice to feel as if I am contributing after sitting idly during the ship ride over here."

Dal read through the menu and grinned. “What happens if you don’t like yam?” he joked quietly under his breath to nobody in particular.

He turned to the hosts, Arcto and Cornelia, and greeted them warmly. “The menu looks... interesting. I will try the baked spiced yams please. If nothing else they should warm my bones! And a bowl of melon pieces to follow would be good too, it would be nice to have some fresh fruit after a long sea journey.”

Lehai leans in and whispers back: "You take the pickled fish without the yam." They are dead serious. Not even a hint of irony or humor.

"A warm meal sounds like a good start", they say to Daisy. "I'd like the baked spiced yams then. I love spicy food and it's hard to come around."

"I'll take the pickled fish," Qui-Lin announced, smiling at the joke running between Dladin and Lehal.  "Not that I don't like yams, mind you... I'm sure I'll have that for breakfast."

"We'll make yam waffles for breakfast!" Daisy says cheerily as she collects the orders.

As she does so, another of the Guesthouse's crew arrives, looking a little out of breath.

She is an old human woman, and looks large and well fed.  Perhaps a bit too well fed.  She looks at the newcomers in the common room, then wanders over to where the "gift shop" opens into the common room, and quickly positions a sign that reads "Open".  Then she takes a seat in common room, letting out a heavy huff.  Like the others, she looks a little tired.

"Daisy, something with yams, please, surprise me," she says, before talking to the party.

"I'm Zynobia.  I see the queen's efforts to make this a place and not merely a place to pass by in a hurry has borne some fruit.  The Breaks have a lot of potential... raw magic to tap into, who could be against that?  But sailors don't like the straight, they tend to run right through as fast as they can to get to Montebon City.  Or they turn west and head up into Changeable Bay towards Sanzi.  So... we have us.  A few villages, and the Guesthouse, the center of our odd little world.  We were getting the farms ready, because when the chaos storm hits the farms have to ready for it, fast and heavy work... I mostly supervise.  But the fairies are pretty good at keeping things going when no one's here.

"It looks like you've picked a good time.  There's going to be a Chaos Storm.  It will hit in the evening, I'm sure.  A good way to get introduced to life here."
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:14, Sat 08 Aug 2020.

"What exactly is the difference between a Chaos Storm and a regular storm?" Lehai loves storms - as long as they stay outside. In the past they were usually right in it so it will be nice to watch it blow by.

“A chaos storm? That sounds... interesting. I think I would like to see that.”

"I think I will give that question to Arcto," Zynobia says.  "He's always been scholar of the group.  Arcto?  Chaos storms, what say you?"

Daisy and a few other Fairies begin to show up with food.  One is wearing a dress that appears to be made of flowers, and is using some kind of levitation magic to move plates around.  The other Fairies call her "Petunia" and her role seems to be "big thing handler".

Artco walks over.

"Chaos Storms are what make this place special," he says.  "Since you've got the Queen's certificates you are new arrivals.  There's a lot about the Southlands that's different.  The land itself is magical in ways it wasn't where you came from.  In some places, that magic is very strong, and it always seems attuned to a fundamental force of nature.  For us, that place is the island on the east side of the channel across from Deluzion Break.  You can see it, barely, on the horizon on a clear day.  And the fundamental force is chaos.  That island is thick with the force of chaos.  Things you see one day, even mountains, might be gone the next.  Bizarre creatures live there.  It used to attract adventurers, and this was a popular starting point, but they began to realize that magic and bizarre creatures does not mean treasure and reward.  When they didn't come back with chests of gold and magic swords, they stopped going.

"But then we have the storms that blow off the island and hit us, every now and then.  Chaos is the magic of change.  When it hits, it brings change.  To the land, to the plants and animals, and on very rare case to the people.  It also brings the other forces of nature with it- a chaos storm can rain fire or ice, or just water.  Or air.  It does have some very peculiar side effects, and one is the Chaos Farm.

"In some places, where the Chaos meets just the right amount of the Force of Order, which is nature's counter to Chaos, the strangest things occur.   When the chaos storm blows across a farm that is ready and prepared and tilled for it, and there's just enough Order around, somehow the storm knows that this piece of ground should be a farm, and it makes one.  Only, you don't know what it's going to grow.  Could be anything."

"Last time it was yams!" Daisy announces, in case anyone missed the obvious.

"Lots of yams," Arcto confirms.  "The magic is powerful, and the fields are very productive.  And since they produce novel and unusual things, often very lucrative.  Not always.  We have the most splendid crop of thick, lush grass, once.  Chaos does what it wishes."

"Tell them about the llamas," Daisy says eagerly.

"Ah, yes, well... as I was pointing out, order resists chaos,"Arctos says.  "Naturally.  So with the right energies, we can survive here.  Things like certain magic artifacts and rituals, carvings and monuments, and for some reason llamas.  The will of a llama seems to be strong enough to counter the effects of raw elemental chaos- they never get lost or frightened, they are never changed or hurt, and those with them are usually protected. I have no idea why.  But we have ten of them.  The Dwarves at Chromic Notch have some, and the people at Stonebell breed them."

Various yam related dishes have appeared on the table, largely thanks to Petunia's magic.

Other humans have appeared, a gaggle of teenagers.  They seem to be the grandchildren of Arcto and his wife Cornelia.  They take over the job of "moving stuff" from Petunia, who seems a little tired from her efforts.

Qui-Lin frowned and pursed her lips, appearing to be trying to do mental math in her head.

Leaning over to Daladain - who she suspected had the same basic roots she did - she asked, "Does that make sense to you?"

"These llamas must be some majestic and fearsome beasts", comments Lehai who had never seen a llama before. "But if all it takes to not get messed with by the storm is a strong will, I won't be in danger either."

And with that, Lehai Quandar starts eating.

Dal pondered what was said for a moment, trying to make sense of these storms. “You said ‘usually protected’. What happens to people if they aren’t protected? Are they changed somehow? Harmed? Transformed into strange beasts?”

Dal understood something of the randomness of magic, and had seen first hand what happens when it is left unchecked. “The other question is, is this chaos truly a natural occurrence, or is there really some strange entity behind it, controlling it all somehow? I’ve heard tales of strange practitioners and powerful beings that can manipulate the forces of life and death.”

"The question of great powers controlling everything is for clerics," Arcto says.  "We can only study the things in front of us.  If there is some mortal being behind this, it's not someone I want as an enemy.  Now, mind you, here in the Southlands you run across things like this.  This isn't the only wonder of the world, it's just chaos's wonder.  If you want to walk on a cloud, you can find that too.

"But we're living with this, and I would even say people prosper from it.  A chaos farm can make you wealthy, because it brings novelty and unusual things, and people will pay more for that they would pay for another bushel of whatever the local farms always grow anyway.  You just have to learn to live with the danger- but that's true for sailors and miners and many people, now?  Look at Alchemists, they've been tossed out of three cities and have blown up at least five of their guild halls."

"You should know about the dangers, but don't be overly frightened.  Over the years, a few people have been lost entirely.  A pair of prospectors with no llamas, a few folk from Stonebell."

One of the Fairies supplies a helpful reminder:  "If you are exploring and there's a storm you need a llama."

Arcto continues.  "A single event or two can become a legend, and even if it happened only once or twice it becomes something Everyone Knows Happens.  Stonebell is old.  It doesn’t happen often, but often enough to add up over the years.  A few lost, here and there.

"Then, there are a few who were changed, and survived. Occasionally a passing wizard will help out by changing someone back, and a few times it seems to have passed on its own. Sormel the Dwarf is still a four foot tall hedgehog.  And that poor fellow from Sanzi is a coach.

"Not the kind that advises athletes.

"The kind with wheels and seats."

Another Fairy interruption:  "But the creatures!"

"Yes," Arto says.  "A more common danger is unworldly creatures, and the changing land forms. The two roads always stay where they are, but past that, things change.  Rocks move.  Caves appear and disappear.  Never go into a natural cave when the storm comes, because that cave might not be there when its over.  Or the cave might turn out to be a tunnel opening into someplace else.  Dwarf made tunnels are safe."

The Fairy Staff brings out another menu, since there were requests.  Though smaller, it also looks like its been updated many, many times.

It is the Wine and Spirits menu, for those wanting more than the Stonebell Stout that comes with the meals.

Arcto's wife Cornelia explains one key point:  "The Fairies engage in their own distilling," she says, "and they are quite... experimental... since we have an unpredictable crop here."

"Brewing drinks from nature's bounty is old Fairy tradition," Firefern says.  "Most Fairies won't make quite so much at one time as we do.  A few cups will do it for a whole Fairy tribe, but barely get a Dwarf tipsy."


___________________________________________________________________

By the Glass
Yam Cordial          5 cp
Celery Root Liqueur  5 cp
Wildberry Brandy     1 sp
Homemade Watermelon Wine   2 cp
Honoan Rum.  Strong, Sweet, distilled from sugarcane and coconut.  2 sp


Tankards
Myrtle Elven White Wine.  Light, sweet, slightly floral  3 sp
Honoan Rum.  Strong, Sweet, distilled from sugarcane and coconut.  1 gp
Belande Midsummer Red   a standard   3 SP
Prozhian Dry White   3 SP  Stiffer, stronger than Elven wine


Imported, by the tankard
Ullandian Port   25 GP
Marvoni Wine     12 GP  A smooth classic from renowned vineyards across the sea.

Mixed Drinks 1 SP each.
Honoan Sunrise.  Rum, fruit juice, clove
Purple Dragon    Brandy, various berry juices, mint, spices
Rainbow Fairywhacker  (House special, the fairies won't tell anyone what's in it)
Rainbow Fairytickler (The fairywhacker, blended with fruit juice)

Dal shrugged, that made sense he supposed. Most people took risks in their work all the time, but because they were boring and mundane nobody else ever gave it a second thought.

He perused the menu, but decided to stick with his stout for today, thinking that maybe he would try the wine tomorrow.

His thoughts turned to the invitation. “So, we have all been invited to this land, with free board and lodging for a month. What does your queen want with us, about from our sparkling wit? She must have some grand plan to go with the expense of our travel and upkeep?”

"A fair question," Arcto says as Fairies check for drink orders.  "But one our queen has not provided a clear answer to, and I hesitate to presume on her behalf."

 

"So I'll presume instead," Zynobia says.

The old woman clears her throat, and takes a drink from her mug of stout.   "You see, Montebon is a small kingdom, less than 300 miles here to Kotvi, as the Dragon flies.  Small, but it's got some very fine points and good opportunity.  But, it's got all these mountains... the easternmost snow capped peak on the whole continent, and of course the Chaos Storms.  Also, Montebon isn't the wealthiest kingdom on the continent.  It's backers back across the sea aren't very wealthy, either.  So Queen Helena can't afford to hire a great army or the world's mightiest heroes to tame this place.  So invites have gone out, to people looking to settle in the Southlands, having us.. right there in the very strategically located Deluzion Break... host some people in lieu of being assessed taxes this year.

"Now  I can't help noticing that you are interesting immigrants.  None of you brought families.  None of you are my age with old clompy legs that don't go very fast anymore.  None of you are related. A few of you are fairly well armed, but no one has farming or mining tools.  Yet you have the air of decent folk, not a gang of thieves.  Now, of course there are no obligations to those certificates.  You might all leave tomorrow.  But just maybe one or more of you might stay a while, and in that while, I'm betting that the Queen is thinking you'll be good for us.  Maybe make life a little easier and better for the people here, maybe help us be more prosperous.  When word of that gets around, more of the settlers with families and tools show up, and then things really start moving around here.

"All just my speculation, of course."

Qui-Lin listened with interest, avoiding interrupting as Zynobia spoke. She'd ordered no additional drink, sticking with the stout that came with her fish.

"I'm no farmer," she admitted.  "And I have my own reasons for venturing this far.  But I've always been a sucker for the underdog.  Comes from being one, for a long time."

Dal nodded. “That makes sense. Why pay someone to clear the land when you can get adventurers to clear it for you for free. And if they find anything juicy like a seam of gold you can tax it at a later date.”

Lehai was just eating their food in peace and quiet but now they dare to speak up. "If the queen wanted something specific from us, she would have told us before coming here. It's frankly insane to hire people without telling them what they are hired for. So I assume the guy handing out the lodging documents was simply told to look out for strong looking adventurers. To clean up the place."

They take a long sip from the mug before slamming it on the table. "Fairies! As soon as you hear anything about beasts or monsters, tell me first. I am not good for anything but killing ... that's my job. That and leading people through the wilderness, I guess."
This message was last edited by the player at 14:15, Wed 12 Aug 2020.

"Patrol and protect? I can do that," Atraxus says in response to Zynobia. "I was a tracker and a guide back home, and was looking to do something similar here.

"Of course," he adds with a grin, "I'm not above helping farm if that's something you need."

Here, we skip a little bit of time.

The adventurers settle in for the evening, and even get their rooms- as uncrowded as the Guesthouse currently is, everyone has a room!  And since the rooms are cut into the solid rock of the cliff, you can hardly hear the snoring of that Dwarf.

Or perhaps that's the sound of the storm.

The rooms are spacious, comfortable, with plenty of extra room- one of the Fairies says that sometimes merchants will come, like the Dwarves of Chromic Notch, or wool traders and other Chaos Farmers from Stone Bell and even further, and they like having the storage space for their goods... although the Llamas have to stay in their shed.

They tell you will probably hear the bell at Stonebell in the morning.

"It's a big.  Stone.  Bell."  Petunia explains.  "Sometimes people are not the most creative with naming places.  But they strike the bell always right on time.  They say that keeping some very regular schedules helps lessen the impacts of chaos.  I don't know about that, but every morning they sound the bell, and we can hear it here, even though it's miles away.  So don't let it scare you."

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

By morning, the storm is raging, though it seems more wind than water, there is a lot of wind.   It howls outside through the gap of Deluzion Break, where the tight stone channel squeezes all sorts of sounds out of the wind.  It does sound somewhat… odd.  But the Fairies say it is just the wind in the gorge.  It does that a lot.

  But there’s nothing unusual inside the Guesthouse, where, one by one, everyone arrives in the Common Room for breakfast and morning chitchat.  Fairies serve hot tea and biscuits.

In the distance, there is a low gong sound, repeated at precise intervals.  Stonebell, Zwiddle says.

In the Guesthouse, scarcely a window rattles.  Everything seems sound and secure.  There are more people than there were the evening before- the rest of Arcto's family, which seems to be incomplete, as there are gaps- he has grandchildren and a daughter, no son in law, for example, and where does Zynobia fit in, as she and Arcto seem to go way back?  There aren't any more guests, though.  Zynobia mentions that this is normal, no one heads out when they think a storm is coming.

Fairies stare out of the window, looking out to see, commenting on the colors and swirls of light in the clouds.

"Oooh, purple!"

Taking a sip of her tea as she gingerly ate her bisquits, Qui-Lin gave the impression of someone who was working hard on her poise, rather than having it come naturally.

Even so, she carefully put the tea down and asked, "That bell is keeping the chaos at bay?"

"If you ask the Dwarves, they'd say any kind of Order helps keep Chaos at bay," Zynobia says.  "The more, the better, the bigger the better.  That's why they built the streets in Sanzi in a perfect grid.  And the people in Stonebell- Humans, not Dwarves- they agree, because they make it a point to sound that bell on exact schedules.  This place has its own protections, old spells, and that statue out front on the top side... ah, I guess you haven't seen that yet, with the storm going."

Fairies do seem a little fond of some Chaos, especially when its safely in the distance.  There's at least one looking out of the window, all the time.

It does look a lot like a normal storm, aside from the strange splotches of light and color.

It passes its peak, though, and is soon getting lighter.  The sound of the wind begins to die down.

Petunia is watching through the window, taking in the last acts of the natural show, when she suddenly squeaks up:

"Holy Hopping Wallabies Would You Look At THAT!"

Lehai tries to get comfortable as all of this is going on. Storms ... storms are nice and this one might be entertaining, too.


They look to see what is going on.

Just gonna stay silent for a while and watch the show until the storm does something wild that warrants action.

Dal settled in nicely. He enjoyed the comforts of a warm bath, his first in a long, long time and washed his body and hair thoroughly. After that he slept well in his big, soft bed.

He rose early and came down to break his fast, eating a combination of fresh melon and dwarf biscuits. Then he stood on the porch, silently watching the storm. His eyes shone above a broad smile. This was his kind of place! His sipped at his tea, hot and sweet, and silently watched, feeling the energy from the storm.

To no one in particular he said. “Humans like order, Dwarves even more so. We like to have things in the right place at the right time. We like routine, constants. We like the boredom of knowing what will happen next.” He sipped his tea again. “Well, other humans do.”

"Well, this is certainly different," Atraxus says as he watches the chaos storm unfold from the safety of the inn. He stands near one of the windows, close enough to have a clear view but far enough away to duck into cover should things go awry.

When Petunia makes her exclamation, the Half-Orc tries to spot whatever it is that caused her reaction.

It doesn't take a lot to get a Fairy excited, but Petunia’s frantic squeak cut through the Common Roof and there is silence as all eyes turn to the Fairy, pressed against a window on the cliff side of the common room, staring intently out into the chaos beyond the cliff.

Others start rushing to the window.

They see, amidst the still roiling winds of the dying storm, a ship.  Some kind of ship, long and wooden, though without any oars.  No sails, either, though where the sails would be the ship has a gigantic cloth bag, longer and wider than the ship itself.   The ship appears to be hanging from the bag, which is fully inflated.

Very quickly, those watching realize that this bizarre flying ship is headed straight for the Guesthouse.  It cannot possibly be sheer luck as there is nothing else of interest around for miles on either side.  For a few moments it seems as if it might be trying to land on top of the cliff near the Guesthouse, but then it becomes frightfully clear that it will not make it.  It is much too low, and still headed right towards Deluzion Break.

Is it trying to fly into the break?

It looks like everyone will know, all too soon.

"Uh-oh." Lehai stares intently at the flying ship heading towards them. "We might want to evacuate. Or at least retreat further into the mountain."

They try to estimate not with their head but with their intuition, wink wink if the ship might succeed in flying through the crack or, if it won't, which part of the guesthouse it will crush the most likely into.

16:33, Today: Lehai Quandar rolled 12 using 1d20+3. Estimating course of the ship.

"But I wasn't done with my tea yet," Qui-Lin deadpanned.

She rose and glanced out the window.  If the impact did seem imminent, she dashed to her room.

Lehai does some quick internal head math.

It's not going to hit the Guesthouse, even though it looks like it is trying to get to the Guesthouse.  It is too low, and losing altitude.  As it draws nearer, they can see the top of it- just a huge inflated bag of some kind, restrained by ropes.  The rest of the ship becomes hidden underneath.

Fairies crowd around the "big folk" at the window.

"They have to stop," Petunia says.  "If they do not stop they cannot get up over the cliff, and it is too big to fit into the Break."

Deluzion Break itself is a narrow canyon in the cliff.  It is actually a little wider (in most places) than the ship, but the sides are not straight, it would be impossible for the ship to wriggle into it.

"They must be trying to escape the storm," Firefern says, "but the storm is getting lighter.  If they can just hold on..."

 If that is what they are trying to do, they do not succeed.  It hits the cliff wall right at the Break, but well below the Guesthouse.  The impact can be seen but not heard inside the Guesthouse.  The wind, and the walls and windows muffle and obscure the sound from outside, and the impact of a giant air filled bag isn't a very noisy thing to begin with.

From above, all they can see is the great bag passing beneath, but then the balcony obscures the view.  They can see ripples race across the inflated bag, and then they see it bounce back.  The great inflated bag is rippling and sagging, but they cannot see whatever is beneath it.

Atraxus cannot help but flinch as the ship strikes the wall of the Break.

"Is there anything we can do to help them?" the Half-Orc manages to ask through a strained grimace. "Any llamas available, or is the storm too dangerous to brave?"

"I am available", replies Lehai snottily while gathering their stuff (they only take two shortswords and the traveler's clothes with them).

Lehai heads out into the storm outside to bring whoever has survived the impact inside the guesthouse. "Give me a minute."

Dal watched with morbid fascination as the strange ship struggled with the storm. While he wanted them to be safe, part of him couldn’t help wonder what would happen if they crashed violently...

Then it did crash, or at least collide with the cliff wall. Any sound was muffled by the storm, but he could imagine the noise made by ripping cloth and rending wood. He felt a strange compulsion to help. Grabbing his cloak and wrapping it around his slender frame he headed out with Lehai, to do whatever could be done.

Dashing to her room, Qui-Lin grabbed her rope.  Then, she rushed back out.

"We have to help," she explained.  "Anchor me." She handed one end of the rope to a friend, then tied the other around her waist.

"You don't need the rope just yet, we don't know where you'll be climbing to," Zynobia says.  "The cliff is four hundred feet high.  That's why we have the stairs and the lift.  Keep the rope handy, though..."

"I want to go to," Petunia declares.  "Tie ME down!"

"With what, string?" Zwiddle asks.

As if to underscore the point, the wind just from the opening of the door blows the Fairies six feet back from it.  The storm is ebbing, but there is still more than enough wind to hurl Fairies about like leaves.

"No weather for Fairies," Zwiddle says.  "I imagine even an Elf would have problems.  Well, a petite one.  Not weighted down.  Don't worry, Petunia, these folks will know what to do.  That one climbed up instead of using the stairs.


At this point we move to a new thread, The Airship.  I'm going to make the old threads public as we move along to the new ones, so everyone can read each other's past adventures!

"Damn straight, I did!  This Elf's got more meat on her bones!"

Kealoha had been rather quiet, all things considered.  She'd sat aside in silent introspection both the night before and that morning while others talked and elaborated on affairs of why the group had been summoned, what their goals were to be, and so forth.  The idea that there was no real plan apparent didn't bother her - she had her own destination in mind, after all.  It didn't seem like she'd have any trouble getting to it either - nobody had really seemed to notice when she'd absconded away to her room earlier, only to be drawn back out by the subdued clamor of the crashing airship.

It was timely enough for her to reappear at the top of the stairs, already decked out in her climbing gear with a battered steel piton in hand when she was mentioned.  Like a summoning spell to conjure a grinning adrenaline junkie, the Half-Elf had returned!  And promptly hauled ass out the front door to do what she could to help; threat of storm and gravity be damned.

>> To the Airship! >>