Ro accepts Rum's assistance out of the cavern. Spotting the chest in the room with the trapped door, Ro habitually begins ritual casting Detect Magic. Should the party allow the 10 minutes to pass, the wizard checks the chest for any arcane booby traps.
As the others search around the trap door room Greko remembers he heard bits and pieces of an Auryn message while fighting the queen and her minions.
“Excuse me one moment. I’m sorry. I did not answer the Auryn Luke I normally do and heard only bird and pieces of a message that came through from Jek of the 4th band. Jek has told me that the Childlike Empress is dead by the hand of Lord Vader. The band led Vader right to the empress who then killed her. They brought her to Celestia and are trying to revive her. The Triforce of power is there. If Ganon has one and needs the other two….Do we know where the triforce of wisdom is?”
Rum looks across to Greko as he waits for Ro to finish his ritual.
”That is grave news, friend Greko”, he says, the information provided doing nothing to improve the Tabaxi’s mood.
”First Kora, now The Childlike Empress. It seems we have dallied too long here, we need to get back to our mission”, he adds, the tension in his jaw a visible sign of his anger at the news.
“We know not of the Triforce of Wisdom, but we are close to Hyrule Castle and that is our destination. We could possibly help protect the Temple of Time, if we are not too late?”.
”Friend Greko, please tell the other band of our success in saving The Great Deku Tree. It may be they all need some good news right now, and we should not let our grief take away from our achievement”.
”Then let us be done with this chest with haste. Maybe The Great Deku Tree knows more about the Triforce of Wisdom, and if not to Hyrule Castle with not another wasted moment. May we please hurry, fellow Embers?”, he continues, as he bounces now from foot to foot in impatience.
The situation in the world is declining, the Twilight Embers are needed. As are stories of hope, like what they have done here.
Hearing the news, Ro's face grows pale and his hands tremble as he continues to go through the motions of the ritual. "So the Empress is dead... No wonder I couldn't reach her through the AURYN nor Sending. Similarly, I could not reach Kerwyn from the Dawn Guard. I pray their band has not met the same fate..."
Rum looks around the room at the others for a moment, not seeng any urgency at all. With a shrug he turns and climbs out of the room with the chest in it. He wanders back through the Great Deku Tree until he comes to the exit, and leaves.
He turns and looks up at the Great Deku Tree itself.
"How are you feeling now, Great Tree?", he says respectfully. "Hopefully better. I was wondering if you know anything about the Triforce of Wisdom, maybe it's location?", he says impatient to see if the Tree could help them.
The Great Tree seems to sigh a breath of relief as Rum stands before it. A single leaf lets go from the canopy overhead and floats gently down to the Tabaxi's position. The tree still looks somewhat bare, but the color is better, and it gazes down on Rum with its wooden gaze. The tree looks hopefully...but its voice is reserved as it speaks.
Light begins to peak over the horizon in the east as a new morning is born.
"Your efforts have been well met, Rumble of Hunger." The Great Deku Tree says to Rum. "My life has been extended...though it seems until the Crystal is fixed, the Darknening shall hang on to me. I feel more hail now, though; I may be able to fight it a great while longer. For now though...you have done me a great service, Twilight Embers. The Triforce of Wisdom..."
The tree trails off and takes another sigh, like a sick person who is suddenly able to breathe.
"The Triforce of Wisdom has always been tied closely to the Hyrule Royal Family. Many of their sigils rely on its likeness. If anyone would know who has it or where to find it, it would be them."
Sorry exits the tree shortly after Rum, but she doesn't stop to talk. The enormity of what has happened begins to settle over her, and she wanders over to a fallen log. She sits on it, her back to the tree...and finally the sorrow comes. It floods over her like an avalanche and she is wracked in aching, wretched sobs. Her whole body shudders with grief.
Still deciding what was in that chest! Was just making sure that everyone gets loot, especially those who don't have anything yet.
Lelith felt some trepidation at meeting the royal family and more importantly, the Princess. She had almost forgotten that had been one of their goals now, it had been briefly shelved away when she was faced by the many dangers they had encountered within the Great Deku Tree. It was brought to the forefront now, a reminder of the many things she would have to confront once there. Her kin were content to observe, the initiative was in her hands. The choice was hers. Lelith had enough sense to decide she should not lie to a god.
"Great Deku Tree, today a life was lost. A Fairy fought alongside us to help you and she died." Lelith told it of the facts bluntly. This was the first time she spoke to it rather than hide under her hood and behind her companion's back. She did not want to speak of it for fear of exposure, the Great Deku Tree knew of many things thanks to its long life and Lelith liked her secrets well-kept. However, she supposed Kora's life warranted the trouble and risk. "Might you know of ways to bring her back among us? Her life was cut short far too soon."
Lelith glanced at the sobbing Kokiri who resembled a small crying elven child at that moment. She must've heard her words, that would bring her a measure of hope. Or perhaps it could be false hope. False hope was the worst of them all, as reality would inevitably come crashing down. Lelith had no way of making any conversation with the large ancient tree private and safe from the Kokiri's ears, and if the Eladrin were to be honest, it was far too troublesome to try and she did not care to that extent.
Whatever the response of the Great Deku Tree was, Lelith decided to approach the sobbing girl. She sighed at the extreme display of emotions from the Kokiri. It's not that she didn't understand, she understood far better than anyone perhaps even more so than the grieving individual herself. It was in the nature of Eladrin. Lelith brought her into a half-embrace to comfort her, the sooner Sorry was back in shape, the sooner they could move on. “Tears shed for another person are not a sign of weakness, Sorry. They are a sign of a pure heart, you undertook a heavy task that none asked you to merely because it was right. You've paid the price for it but I hope you will find no regrets in yourself. They will tear you apart, but be proud of what was achieved and not besmirch it."
"I understand. Truly I do. I've felt it, when you care so much you feel as though you will bleed to death with the pain of it. There's not much you can do but deal with it, it will heal in time. We will seek to correct this but we make no promise as to its success. I can only hope that brings you any measure of closure.” Lelith knew that word alone were not enough, however, they were a step in the right direction. Even if Sorry was too busy grieving over the loss of Kora to hear them properly, the words were spoken and that was enough. The Kokiri girl could decipher and process them later. Hopefully, she didn't take too long. She doubted the other Twilight Embers would be willing to just move on and let the girl cry herself to death.
"May the Great Dragon speed us on our way to stopping the Darkness and complete your healing", he says as he backs away and turns to watch Lelith talking to Sorry.
Sorry had lost so much, but the Great Deku Tree now had a chance due in part to her actions. He starts to walk over, but decides against it. She needed time and space to grieve.
"It seems all roads lead to Hyrule Castle, and the royal family", he says to his fellow Embers when they all exit the tree. "That is where will are likely to learn more of the Triforce of Wisdom. We should make haste".
He heads over to Herbs and Spice and checks on them and the cart, as well as Gary and Penelope. Making sure they have had their fill of food and drink before the journey they were about to undertake.
Greko had followed Rum up to the tree and stood by quietly. Something was not right. He had heard of teleportation spells from others in his order but never witnessed one first hand. He looked at his arm and saw it start to dematerialize. Then he looked down at his legs and saw them start to disappear as well. He awaited his fate quietly as the others talked to the Great Deku Tree. Different scenarios rush his mind. Where would he be going? Was it his time to leave this plane? Was it someone who needed help and had sought him out? He then had a thought....The Dawn Guard...Could they be summoning him to drive him to madness? Would they be that cruel? Maybe they thought that highly of him that they did need his help. He patiently waited with his eyes closed as the rest of him begins to dematerialize.
What feels like hours pass although they were only moments. He opens his eyes and sees that he is still with his friends. Odd he thinks to himself.
Oten passes along behind Greko. "Is aught amiss, Greko? Are you perhaps weary from today's fighting?" Oten's steel defender scuttles along the ground, climbs his leg, and latches onto his back once more.
Greko smiles at Oten "Yes weary from the battle and worried what has come of Hyrule. Greko us unsure what to do next. Going to Hyrule to check on dear Ro's parents makes sense but then where from there? Do we make haste to defend the last piece of triforce or something else entirely? I would meditate but there's no time for that either"
"One step at a time, Friend Greko", Rum says from over by the animals.
"At the moment, all paths lead to Hyrule Castle, from there the Great Dragon will guide us further. Let us be prepared to leave as soon as friend Ro is done, maybe you can sit in the cart and meditate?", he adds, still preparing the animals.
Detecting nothing dangerous on the chest, Ro collected its contents and followed after his band as the exited the Great Tree. He listened to Lelith's inquiry on if there were any ways to revive Kora. Then he listened in further amazement as Lelith spoke to Sorry. He was caught off guard with the ranger's words of comfort; it wasn't the usual ice queen he had grew accustomed to. Nonetheless, Ro heeded the Great Tree's words as he spoke of the Triforce of Wisdom and the royal family.
With the corruption within the Great Tree dealt with, the band could refocus on their next objective: Hyrule Castle. Ro looked up longingly into the sky, he was still worried about the safety of his family. The elf-dwarf wondered when Prim would return to him. Hopefully his family had received his familiar's message and a message was on its way back. Sensing his friend's uneasiness Kazek spoke, "Ro, you still have your Pearl of Power. The day's task is done and I'll doubt you'll see combat any further today. You can be a little selfish."
Ro smiled and placed a thankful hand on his sentient spellbook, "Thank you, Kazek. But there is work to be done, and your words of comfort are more than enough."
With a sigh, Ro pulls out his Pearl of Power. He looks to the rest of the group, "I can cast Sending one last time today. If we are headed to Hyrule Castle, I can contact someone there and gather some intel. The question is who I contact. I am familiar enough with Princess Zelda and King Hyrule that I can speak to them directly if need be."
The suns climb higher into the sky, and the Twilight Embers find themselves looking to the horizon to see not one, not two, but three stars rising high into the air. The Deku Tree looks as sad as a tree can look as he watches the scene unfolding before him, and then answers Lelith's question.
"I am sorry, but there is nothing I can do for your friend." The Great Deku Tree said. "If I had to make a suggestion, I would say to visit the royal healers of Hyrule. They would be the closest source of help for you, I think. Unless you wish to go west, to Zora's Domain."
Sorry continued to cry, but then gently placed her tiny head against Lelith, her head coming to rest against the other woman as she shuddered her last few hard sobs.
"She was all I had left." Sorry said. It was flat, devastated. "She was all I had left, Lelith. She was all..."
The girl seemed to be on the verge of some sort of emotional break. She didn't even acknowledge that they'd helped the Great Deku Tree. Instead she was hung up on Kora, the only companion she'd had since the Kokiri Village had been shattered; she wasn't handling it at all now that the fighting was over and she had time, for the first time really, to allow her mind to dwell on the loss.
As they stand there, Ro's bird returns...and lands on his shoulder...
The arrival of the third sun and Sorry's wales continued to lay waste to Ro's mental. Though the party managed to cleanse the curse within the Great Deku Tree so much was sacrificed; and it seemed that the dark forces was making faster strides than the three bands could hope to catch up to. All of it made Ro feel weak. There was so little he could do in moments like these. He was too weak. Much too weak. A failure. A fraud. A False Knight.
Ro's hand subconsciously reached into his bag of holding. He needed more power and perhaps there was a way to get it. Before the wizard could find the item he was looking for, a hummingbird perched itself on Ro's shoulder. It was Prim.
His familiar's sudden return was enough to knock Ro out of his stupor. "Welcome back Prim, I'm pleased to see your safe return. How fares Hyrule? Were you able to scout out Ganondorf's forces at all? And do you return with a letter from my family?"
Ro asked these things verbally and allowed Prim time to respond to him via their telepathic connection. All the while, Ro searched Prim for a return letter.
Ro accepts Rum's assistance out of the cavern. Spotting the chest in the room with the trapped door, Ro habitually begins ritual casting Detect Magic. Should the party allow the 10 minutes to pass, the wizard checks the chest for any arcane booby traps.
Ro Aleron (Ro the Red) -> Illithid, Wizard 8 (Chronugist) // AURYN
As the others search around the trap door room Greko remembers he heard bits and pieces of an Auryn message while fighting the queen and her minions.
“Excuse me one moment. I’m sorry. I did not answer the Auryn Luke I normally do and heard only bird and pieces of a message that came through from Jek of the 4th band. Jek has told me that the Childlike Empress is dead by the hand of Lord Vader. The band led Vader right to the empress who then killed her. They brought her to Celestia and are trying to revive her. The Triforce of power is there. If Ganon has one and needs the other two….Do we know where the triforce of wisdom is?”
Rum looks across to Greko as he waits for Ro to finish his ritual.
”That is grave news, friend Greko”, he says, the information provided doing nothing to improve the Tabaxi’s mood.
”First Kora, now The Childlike Empress. It seems we have dallied too long here, we need to get back to our mission”, he adds, the tension in his jaw a visible sign of his anger at the news.
“We know not of the Triforce of Wisdom, but we are close to Hyrule Castle and that is our destination. We could possibly help protect the Temple of Time, if we are not too late?”.
”Friend Greko, please tell the other band of our success in saving The Great Deku Tree. It may be they all need some good news right now, and we should not let our grief take away from our achievement”.
”Then let us be done with this chest with haste. Maybe The Great Deku Tree knows more about the Triforce of Wisdom, and if not to Hyrule Castle with not another wasted moment. May we please hurry, fellow Embers?”, he continues, as he bounces now from foot to foot in impatience.
The situation in the world is declining, the Twilight Embers are needed. As are stories of hope, like what they have done here.
Greko nods in agreement and waits for the others
Hearing the news, Ro's face grows pale and his hands tremble as he continues to go through the motions of the ritual. "So the Empress is dead... No wonder I couldn't reach her through the AURYN nor Sending. Similarly, I could not reach Kerwyn from the Dawn Guard. I pray their band has not met the same fate..."
Ro Aleron (Ro the Red) -> Illithid, Wizard 8 (Chronugist) // AURYN
Oten processes for a long moment. "I have failed in my mission to serve the Empress... This is sub-optimal."
Rum looks around the room at the others for a moment, not seeng any urgency at all. With a shrug he turns and climbs out of the room with the chest in it. He wanders back through the Great Deku Tree until he comes to the exit, and leaves.
He turns and looks up at the Great Deku Tree itself.
"How are you feeling now, Great Tree?", he says respectfully. "Hopefully better. I was wondering if you know anything about the Triforce of Wisdom, maybe it's location?", he says impatient to see if the Tree could help them.
The Great Tree seems to sigh a breath of relief as Rum stands before it. A single leaf lets go from the canopy overhead and floats gently down to the Tabaxi's position. The tree still looks somewhat bare, but the color is better, and it gazes down on Rum with its wooden gaze. The tree looks hopefully...but its voice is reserved as it speaks.
Light begins to peak over the horizon in the east as a new morning is born.
"Your efforts have been well met, Rumble of Hunger." The Great Deku Tree says to Rum. "My life has been extended...though it seems until the Crystal is fixed, the Darknening shall hang on to me. I feel more hail now, though; I may be able to fight it a great while longer. For now though...you have done me a great service, Twilight Embers. The Triforce of Wisdom..."
The tree trails off and takes another sigh, like a sick person who is suddenly able to breathe.
"The Triforce of Wisdom has always been tied closely to the Hyrule Royal Family. Many of their sigils rely on its likeness. If anyone would know who has it or where to find it, it would be them."
Sorry exits the tree shortly after Rum, but she doesn't stop to talk. The enormity of what has happened begins to settle over her, and she wanders over to a fallen log. She sits on it, her back to the tree...and finally the sorrow comes. It floods over her like an avalanche and she is wracked in aching, wretched sobs. Her whole body shudders with grief.
Still deciding what was in that chest! Was just making sure that everyone gets loot, especially those who don't have anything yet.
DM of AURYN: The Measure of Devotion - Escape from New York
Lelith felt some trepidation at meeting the royal family and more importantly, the Princess. She had almost forgotten that had been one of their goals now, it had been briefly shelved away when she was faced by the many dangers they had encountered within the Great Deku Tree. It was brought to the forefront now, a reminder of the many things she would have to confront once there. Her kin were content to observe, the initiative was in her hands. The choice was hers. Lelith had enough sense to decide she should not lie to a god.
"Great Deku Tree, today a life was lost. A Fairy fought alongside us to help you and she died." Lelith told it of the facts bluntly. This was the first time she spoke to it rather than hide under her hood and behind her companion's back. She did not want to speak of it for fear of exposure, the Great Deku Tree knew of many things thanks to its long life and Lelith liked her secrets well-kept. However, she supposed Kora's life warranted the trouble and risk. "Might you know of ways to bring her back among us? Her life was cut short far too soon."
Lelith glanced at the sobbing Kokiri who resembled a small crying elven child at that moment. She must've heard her words, that would bring her a measure of hope. Or perhaps it could be false hope. False hope was the worst of them all, as reality would inevitably come crashing down. Lelith had no way of making any conversation with the large ancient tree private and safe from the Kokiri's ears, and if the Eladrin were to be honest, it was far too troublesome to try and she did not care to that extent.
Whatever the response of the Great Deku Tree was, Lelith decided to approach the sobbing girl. She sighed at the extreme display of emotions from the Kokiri. It's not that she didn't understand, she understood far better than anyone perhaps even more so than the grieving individual herself. It was in the nature of Eladrin. Lelith brought her into a half-embrace to comfort her, the sooner Sorry was back in shape, the sooner they could move on. “Tears shed for another person are not a sign of weakness, Sorry. They are a sign of a pure heart, you undertook a heavy task that none asked you to merely because it was right. You've paid the price for it but I hope you will find no regrets in yourself. They will tear you apart, but be proud of what was achieved and not besmirch it."
"I understand. Truly I do. I've felt it, when you care so much you feel as though you will bleed to death with the pain of it. There's not much you can do but deal with it, it will heal in time. We will seek to correct this but we make no promise as to its success. I can only hope that brings you any measure of closure.” Lelith knew that word alone were not enough, however, they were a step in the right direction. Even if Sorry was too busy grieving over the loss of Kora to hear them properly, the words were spoken and that was enough. The Kokiri girl could decipher and process them later. Hopefully, she didn't take too long. She doubted the other Twilight Embers would be willing to just move on and let the girl cry herself to death.
Rum bows deeply before the Great Deku Tree.
"May the Great Dragon speed us on our way to stopping the Darkness and complete your healing", he says as he backs away and turns to watch Lelith talking to Sorry.
Sorry had lost so much, but the Great Deku Tree now had a chance due in part to her actions. He starts to walk over, but decides against it. She needed time and space to grieve.
"It seems all roads lead to Hyrule Castle, and the royal family", he says to his fellow Embers when they all exit the tree. "That is where will are likely to learn more of the Triforce of Wisdom. We should make haste".
He heads over to Herbs and Spice and checks on them and the cart, as well as Gary and Penelope. Making sure they have had their fill of food and drink before the journey they were about to undertake.
Greko had followed Rum up to the tree and stood by quietly. Something was not right. He had heard of teleportation spells from others in his order but never witnessed one first hand. He looked at his arm and saw it start to dematerialize. Then he looked down at his legs and saw them start to disappear as well. He awaited his fate quietly as the others talked to the Great Deku Tree. Different scenarios rush his mind. Where would he be going? Was it his time to leave this plane? Was it someone who needed help and had sought him out? He then had a thought....The Dawn Guard...Could they be summoning him to drive him to madness? Would they be that cruel? Maybe they thought that highly of him that they did need his help. He patiently waited with his eyes closed as the rest of him begins to dematerialize.
What feels like hours pass although they were only moments. He opens his eyes and sees that he is still with his friends. Odd he thinks to himself.
Oten passes along behind Greko. "Is aught amiss, Greko? Are you perhaps weary from today's fighting?" Oten's steel defender scuttles along the ground, climbs his leg, and latches onto his back once more.
Greko smiles at Oten "Yes weary from the battle and worried what has come of Hyrule. Greko us unsure what to do next. Going to Hyrule to check on dear Ro's parents makes sense but then where from there? Do we make haste to defend the last piece of triforce or something else entirely? I would meditate but there's no time for that either"
"One step at a time, Friend Greko", Rum says from over by the animals.
"At the moment, all paths lead to Hyrule Castle, from there the Great Dragon will guide us further. Let us be prepared to leave as soon as friend Ro is done, maybe you can sit in the cart and meditate?", he adds, still preparing the animals.
Detecting nothing dangerous on the chest, Ro collected its contents and followed after his band as the exited the Great Tree. He listened to Lelith's inquiry on if there were any ways to revive Kora. Then he listened in further amazement as Lelith spoke to Sorry. He was caught off guard with the ranger's words of comfort; it wasn't the usual ice queen he had grew accustomed to. Nonetheless, Ro heeded the Great Tree's words as he spoke of the Triforce of Wisdom and the royal family.
With the corruption within the Great Tree dealt with, the band could refocus on their next objective: Hyrule Castle. Ro looked up longingly into the sky, he was still worried about the safety of his family. The elf-dwarf wondered when Prim would return to him. Hopefully his family had received his familiar's message and a message was on its way back. Sensing his friend's uneasiness Kazek spoke, "Ro, you still have your Pearl of Power. The day's task is done and I'll doubt you'll see combat any further today. You can be a little selfish."
Ro smiled and placed a thankful hand on his sentient spellbook, "Thank you, Kazek. But there is work to be done, and your words of comfort are more than enough."
With a sigh, Ro pulls out his Pearl of Power. He looks to the rest of the group, "I can cast Sending one last time today. If we are headed to Hyrule Castle, I can contact someone there and gather some intel. The question is who I contact. I am familiar enough with Princess Zelda and King Hyrule that I can speak to them directly if need be."
Ro Aleron (Ro the Red) -> Illithid, Wizard 8 (Chronugist) // AURYN
Greko nods and heads to the cart to meditate. While sitting he realizes he has not sent a message in return to the other groups.
Rum shrugs, “I do not know these folk you speak of, friend Ro. Whoever you think will provide us with knowledge will suffice”.
He looks about for Tuto, “Are we all here? We are far behind our quarry, we should try and make ground”.
He looks across at Sorry, his heart going out to her, but he knows that they were headed into more danger tthat he is not comfortable exposing her to.
Ro nods in acknowledgement of Rum's input. He looks to the others to see if they have any suggestions or comments.
Ro Aleron (Ro the Red) -> Illithid, Wizard 8 (Chronugist) // AURYN
The suns climb higher into the sky, and the Twilight Embers find themselves looking to the horizon to see not one, not two, but three stars rising high into the air. The Deku Tree looks as sad as a tree can look as he watches the scene unfolding before him, and then answers Lelith's question.
"I am sorry, but there is nothing I can do for your friend." The Great Deku Tree said. "If I had to make a suggestion, I would say to visit the royal healers of Hyrule. They would be the closest source of help for you, I think. Unless you wish to go west, to Zora's Domain."
Sorry continued to cry, but then gently placed her tiny head against Lelith, her head coming to rest against the other woman as she shuddered her last few hard sobs.
"She was all I had left." Sorry said. It was flat, devastated. "She was all I had left, Lelith. She was all..."
The girl seemed to be on the verge of some sort of emotional break. She didn't even acknowledge that they'd helped the Great Deku Tree. Instead she was hung up on Kora, the only companion she'd had since the Kokiri Village had been shattered; she wasn't handling it at all now that the fighting was over and she had time, for the first time really, to allow her mind to dwell on the loss.
As they stand there, Ro's bird returns...and lands on his shoulder...
DM of AURYN: The Measure of Devotion - Escape from New York
The arrival of the third sun and Sorry's wales continued to lay waste to Ro's mental. Though the party managed to cleanse the curse within the Great Deku Tree so much was sacrificed; and it seemed that the dark forces was making faster strides than the three bands could hope to catch up to. All of it made Ro feel weak. There was so little he could do in moments like these. He was too weak. Much too weak. A failure. A fraud. A False Knight.
Ro's hand subconsciously reached into his bag of holding. He needed more power and perhaps there was a way to get it. Before the wizard could find the item he was looking for, a hummingbird perched itself on Ro's shoulder. It was Prim.
His familiar's sudden return was enough to knock Ro out of his stupor. "Welcome back Prim, I'm pleased to see your safe return. How fares Hyrule? Were you able to scout out Ganondorf's forces at all? And do you return with a letter from my family?"
Ro asked these things verbally and allowed Prim time to respond to him via their telepathic connection. All the while, Ro searched Prim for a return letter.
Ro Aleron (Ro the Red) -> Illithid, Wizard 8 (Chronugist) // AURYN