"Aye, 'twas a rioght pleasure doin' business wit' ya'."Zyllith grinned back at the shopkeeper as they finished up and started to head out, "Ye can be sure I'll return sum' day fer another round! Wish ye' all tha' success 'till then!"
She then headed outside with the others ready to head out wherever they would want.
Arisa privately says to Belkas, once they are outside “Belkas, you seem a little nervous about something, is there someone you are worried is after you? . Please know I won’t let any harm come to you - if I can help it! Is there someone we should help you watch out for or How can I help?”
Belkas turns to Arisa and says, "I'm not used to cities with so many people and so much movement, and for a while, I just got ... uncomfortable. I'll be fine once we are on the road again."
He glances down at the ground for a moment and then raised his eyes to meet hers, "I was held in the Underdark for a time, and even though I know that it's really, really unlikely that they'd come looking for me, sometimes I can't help feeling that they ... that they're watching and coming for me. And I ... I can't go back to that"
Arisa says “ I grew up in the woods, not far from here, but I don’t like cities either. I’ll help watch for anyone suspicious… You have us to protect you, at least. But let’s get on the road soon.”
Leaving Riautars Weaponry, you find yourself back in the street in the middle of the Dancing Cyclops Quarter during the busy hours of mid morning, amid the hustle and bustle of merchants, traders, street performers, travelers, adventurers, vagrants, stray kids, dogs, and other folk who are conducting business or passing by this busy section of Waterdeep. Elion, who is munching on a fried baked good that he seems to have gotten from one of the nearby vendors, greets you again and asks you if there's anything else you need to pick up for your journey to Goldenfields.
"Indeed we should leave. I am eager to be gone, and the road awaits."
Osmord hefts his shield and smiles down at the skull emblem on its out surface. Raising it upward a sharp caw sounds from above as worm flies down to land upon its rim.
Leaving the weapon shop, you leave this quarter behind as you head north on the High Road as it cuts all the way through the city, past the Castle Ward and through the much more quiet residential North Ward of the city, until you finally reach the North Gate. Passing through the gate, you leave the walled city behind and walk by some of the farms and dwellings that lie north of the city, until you soon find yourselves back out on the open road again. Soon you come to the Northfurrow Trail that splits and heads directly to Goldenfields.
Elion walks with you, sometimes quiet and in his own head, and sometimes making small conversations or reciting impromptu verses that he's made up. Worm flies overhead keeping watch, but here there is not much to see but open road through the lush and fertile open grasslands of the coast. You can still smell the salt in the air and feel the ocean breeze as you travel along, occasionally passing merchants and other travelers. The sun is up today and the air temperature is warm, but comfortable and Rillix the Tressym seems quite content as he follows along on wing and foot, occasionally making quick diversions to hunt and chase small creatures along the side of the road.
From here, you estimate that you should reach Goldenfields on the third day of travel.
Osmord spends the time growing used to the weight of his shield, practising its placement when he casts spells and positioning it to good effect with he retreats into his shell. All in all he is very pleased with the purchase. He spends the early evenings reading by candlelight. He moves between the two books that he took from Nightstone. He searches the local history book for any information on Greenfields.
Zyllith was particularly jovial as they headed back out on the road. After all, they had rested well in a nice inn, ate good food, had a successful haggle with the local shop, and were once again off on an adventure. Sure this seemed like a simple delivery, but as their previous encounters proved, when you're an adventurer there's always the possibility of something wild happening with even the most mundane seeming task.
She slept well the first night out on the road. On the second night, however, the dreams came. Not exactly dreams, but nightmares born out of the twisted memories of her childhood. The terrors that would haunt the night of the tiny hamlet where she was born. She could almost see them in the far distance of the forest of shadows, the monsters everyone so desperately tried to pretend did not exist. It was a nightmare she'd had many times before, not often, but they still come every now and then. And it was always the same, she could do nothing but tremble in the corner of the room, covering herself in the blanket, unable to tear her gaze away from the window.
But this time the dream was no longer the same.
Out of the corner of her eye a sparkling mote of light came into view, flying in front of her before making its way to the window on the far side of the room. The sparkling light began to grow in size and take on a more defined form until hovering by the window was a strange but beautiful looking fairy of some kind. Zyllith had no idea what sort of creature this was, only that it clearly did not belong in this dream.
"Oooh scary," The fairy creature said in a strange voice that was surprisingly both adorable and menacing, "I wonder what kinda shadow creature those are out there. Don't suppose you got the chance to find out?"
"Nah' really." Zyllith shrugged, she realized she was now once again her full grown adult self in the same adventuring outfit she had worn that day, rather then the simple trembling child of her dream. "Aye thar' be plenty o' rumors an tha' like, stories passed 'round o' tha' type o' horrors bein' employed, but fer tha' most part 'twas a thin' no soul talked 'bout. Jus' wasnae a thing ye'd do. Kinda got tired o' tha' whole mess which is part o' tha' reason I up an' left."
The fairy creature turned around to face Zyllith, tilting its head curiously for a moment before flying right up to the tiefling, "You seem oddly undisturbed by the invasion of a fey creature into your dream. Most mortals tend to be a bit more upset when I invite myself in."
"Really? Would'nae know anythin' 'bout tha'." Zyllith replied casually. "Cannae say I got any idea of yer' kind. All I know is ye've given me a respite from them nightmares, so fer tha' at least I'm grateful."
The fairy responded with a long sparkling giggle, "Your accent is pretty funny, you know."
"Aye, I've been told." Zyllith agreed.
"It's too bad you never got to find out what those things were, it sounds like it would be a fun story to tell."The fairy said, looking somewhat disappointed.
"Sorry 'bout tha', luv. I reckon if I had fun stories ta' tell of me home, I'd nae have left it in search o' better tales." Zyllith said thoughtfully, "Is tha' why yer in here? Looking fer fun stories and whot'not?"
"Oh yes! Mortals tend to have the wildest stories in their dreams sometimes, you never know what you'll find when you watch them dreaming." The fairy glittered happily.
"Ah, I see. Well since this dream did'nae pan out well for ye' I suppose I can try to tell some made up stories of me own."Zyllith offered with a shrug, "Would'nae say I'm any skilled in tha' art o' storytellin' but figured it's tha' least I could do ta thank ye'. No' like I have anythin' better ta' do here."
"Ooh, telling stories in a funny accent!" the fairy cheered almost childishly, "Sure why not? I wanna hear what you come up with!"
"huh, a'right then." Zyllith said as she settled herself down on the floor, and began to tell whatever made up story came to her mind, "So ... there once was this turtle, whot wanted ta' learn how ta' fly. So she went to her friend tha' eagle to see if he could teach her ta' fly. 'Course she didn't know it then, but tha' eagle 'ad nefarious goals in mind!"
And so the story telling went on for what seemed like hours, but as this was a dream it was impossible to know how long it truly was.
"Haha! that was amazing!"the fairy creature laughed at the end of the last story to be told, "I particularly loved the part with the rabbit. I might try to do that myself someday!" After a pause the fairy looked back at Zyllith and flew in close to her face. "Well I need to be leaving now, and I'm sure you're off to some great adventure. But for now I had fun with your stories. Maybe someday we'll meet and you can tell me more. Until then have this instead." With a cheeky smile the fairy moved forward and placed a quick kiss on Zyllith's nose, then just as quickly fluttered away to the far corner of the room. There the fairy turned and waved goodbye once more before turning around and disappearing in a puffy cloud of sparkles.
This left Zyllith confused for the moment, but in the end she figured it was a fun evening of story telling at the very least. It was at that moment that she looked out the window and noticed the sun was starting to rise.
Zyllith woke up to find herself back at the camp along with the rest of the group, still on the road to Goldenfields. She looked around for a bit to get her bearings but as far as she could see there was nothing out of the ordinary since the night before. Shaking her head she simply assumed the whole thing was nothing more then a weird dream. It was only later, as she prepared for the day of traveling that lay before them, that she noticed that the tree she had laid against last night when she went to sleep had a circle of colorful mushroom that surrounded the small trunk. She hadn't even noticed in the dim light of the evening when they were setting up camp the night before, but in the light of the sun it was more obvious.
She had no idea what it meant however and simply shrugged it off. In the end she had a surprisingly good rest last night, despite the nightmares that would creep in from time to time. As such she was in a particularly good mood for that morning.
Belkas felt the tension dissolve and flow away from him when they left the city. He chated light-heartedly with his compaignions and even with the young elven poet. However, when they made camp in the evening, he again began to reflect on the fear and helplessness he had experienced in Waterdeep. He wandered away through the trees and sat down near a small brook, finding the soft sound of running water calming. The more he thought about it, the more he knew that he was too weak to face his enemies, too weak to save his friends. He needed more power, whatever it might cost him.
Belkas used his thumb and finger to work the small silver coin out of the hem of his cloak, and he held it in his palm. He could hear the screams almost immediately, and although his stomach clutched and he felt ill, he forced himself to ignore them. He concentrated on remembering the face of Glasya. She was beautiful and terrible, as the morning and the night. Fair as the sea and the sun and the snow upon the mountain. Dreadful as the storm and the lightning. Stronger than the foundations of the earth. He loved her and despaired.
***
Belkas came to consciousness to find himself lying naked in the center of a circle of ash. His clothes and armor were lying off to the side. Pain burned in lines across his shoulder blades and chest, and he could see that the dark tattoos now extended over more of his body. He walked into the brook and washed off the soot that covered him, dressed, and returned to find the others around the fire having dinner.
When Vernon sleeps, he finds the green has faded, the sparks are rising, and a door sits across them. It unlocks, ching, and opens. A glowing fork, a glowing fork, two chirping forks beside each other, but with different calls. The door closes. "The way may be hard fought, but the door opens to smartness, for Flandal fears it naught" The chirping fades, and a dash of pine wafts over. Softly, "Two paths diverge in the green wood, two paths lead down to the darkness, one path above them both rise could."
When he awakes, his first thought is to tell Elion. Noticing that the elf is fully awake already, he tries to spin his new confidence into some extra lines. "I had this dream, but it was odd." He almost apologizes for failing to make it easier to understand in this form, but realizes that would be a betrayal of his new confidence.
Your time traveling along the Northfurrow Trail is relatively uneventful, at least during the first two days. You do pass some merchant carts that are transporting foodstuffs to Waterdeep, but aside from quick waves and cordial greetings, you have little interaction with anyone during this time. Keeping your eyes tuned to the sides of the trail, you don't see any signs of danger either.
During the third morning, you wake after your dreams and begin your last day of travel to Goldenfields. By your estimation, you should arrive sometime in the late afternoon or early evening. The sky is clear and the air warms quickly, and by the noon hour, it's quite hot out. At least the sun is slightly behind you and not in your eyes.
Then suddenly a shadow passes over you on the ground... The size of the shadow indicates that whatever made it is rather large, but the speed and shape tells you that it's not a cloud, but some flying creature overhead. Quickly glancing upwards, you see that it indeed a flying creature... a huge one at that, with giant wings, a long neck and four musical limbs hanging down from its body. The form is unmistakable... it's a dragon, and as of right now, it's about 100 feet overhead, and it appears to be descending!!
"Aye, 'twas a rioght pleasure doin' business wit' ya'." Zyllith grinned back at the shopkeeper as they finished up and started to head out, "Ye can be sure I'll return sum' day fer another round! Wish ye' all tha' success 'till then!"
She then headed outside with the others ready to head out wherever they would want.
Sylnache Ashrain - 7th Sojourn
Vernon will count out 17 gold, bow, pick up the hammer, and walk out. "Thanks for the assist, Zyllith."
Arisa privately says to Belkas, once they are outside “Belkas, you seem a little nervous about something, is there someone you are worried is after you? . Please know I won’t let any harm come to you - if I can help it! Is there someone we should help you watch out for or How can I help?”
Belkas turns to Arisa and says, "I'm not used to cities with so many people and so much movement, and for a while, I just got ... uncomfortable. I'll be fine once we are on the road again."
He glances down at the ground for a moment and then raised his eyes to meet hers, "I was held in the Underdark for a time, and even though I know that it's really, really unlikely that they'd come looking for me, sometimes I can't help feeling that they ... that they're watching and coming for me. And I ... I can't go back to that"
Belkas looks away.
Arisa says “ I grew up in the woods, not far from here, but I don’t like cities either. I’ll help watch for anyone suspicious… You have us to protect you, at least. But let’s get on the road soon.”
Leaving Riautars Weaponry, you find yourself back in the street in the middle of the Dancing Cyclops Quarter during the busy hours of mid morning, amid the hustle and bustle of merchants, traders, street performers, travelers, adventurers, vagrants, stray kids, dogs, and other folk who are conducting business or passing by this busy section of Waterdeep. Elion, who is munching on a fried baked good that he seems to have gotten from one of the nearby vendors, greets you again and asks you if there's anything else you need to pick up for your journey to Goldenfields.
Vernon admires the hammer, his bannered lance upright again. "I'm good for now, thank you."
Arisa says “nothing I need, I hope! Let’s get going soon!” And smiles.
"I am ready to go."
"Aye, been waitin' fer ye' lot." Zyllith grinned.
Sylnache Ashrain - 7th Sojourn
"Indeed we should leave. I am eager to be gone, and the road awaits."
Osmord hefts his shield and smiles down at the skull emblem on its out surface. Raising it upward a sharp caw sounds from above as worm flies down to land upon its rim.
DM - Warlock of Firetop Mountain
Leaving the weapon shop, you leave this quarter behind as you head north on the High Road as it cuts all the way through the city, past the Castle Ward and through the much more quiet residential North Ward of the city, until you finally reach the North Gate. Passing through the gate, you leave the walled city behind and walk by some of the farms and dwellings that lie north of the city, until you soon find yourselves back out on the open road again. Soon you come to the Northfurrow Trail that splits and heads directly to Goldenfields.
Elion walks with you, sometimes quiet and in his own head, and sometimes making small conversations or reciting impromptu verses that he's made up. Worm flies overhead keeping watch, but here there is not much to see but open road through the lush and fertile open grasslands of the coast. You can still smell the salt in the air and feel the ocean breeze as you travel along, occasionally passing merchants and other travelers. The sun is up today and the air temperature is warm, but comfortable and Rillix the Tressym seems quite content as he follows along on wing and foot, occasionally making quick diversions to hunt and chase small creatures along the side of the road.
From here, you estimate that you should reach Goldenfields on the third day of travel.
Also, you can all jump to Level 4 now.
(Level 4 😀)
Vernon can feel his confidence rising. Buying that hammer must have been a good investment, even if it wasn't at maximum quoted price.
Arisa seems to be happy to get out of the city and back on the road. She enjoys playing with the Tressym, and, like Vernon, seems more confident.
(WooT level Up!)
Osmord spends the time growing used to the weight of his shield, practising its placement when he casts spells and positioning it to good effect with he retreats into his shell. All in all he is very pleased with the purchase. He spends the early evenings reading by candlelight. He moves between the two books that he took from Nightstone. He searches the local history book for any information on Greenfields.
DM - Warlock of Firetop Mountain
Zyllith was particularly jovial as they headed back out on the road. After all, they had rested well in a nice inn, ate good food, had a successful haggle with the local shop, and were once again off on an adventure. Sure this seemed like a simple delivery, but as their previous encounters proved, when you're an adventurer there's always the possibility of something wild happening with even the most mundane seeming task.
She slept well the first night out on the road. On the second night, however, the dreams came. Not exactly dreams, but nightmares born out of the twisted memories of her childhood. The terrors that would haunt the night of the tiny hamlet where she was born. She could almost see them in the far distance of the forest of shadows, the monsters everyone so desperately tried to pretend did not exist. It was a nightmare she'd had many times before, not often, but they still come every now and then. And it was always the same, she could do nothing but tremble in the corner of the room, covering herself in the blanket, unable to tear her gaze away from the window.
But this time the dream was no longer the same.
Out of the corner of her eye a sparkling mote of light came into view, flying in front of her before making its way to the window on the far side of the room. The sparkling light began to grow in size and take on a more defined form until hovering by the window was a strange but beautiful looking fairy of some kind. Zyllith had no idea what sort of creature this was, only that it clearly did not belong in this dream.
"Oooh scary," The fairy creature said in a strange voice that was surprisingly both adorable and menacing, "I wonder what kinda shadow creature those are out there. Don't suppose you got the chance to find out?"
"Nah' really." Zyllith shrugged, she realized she was now once again her full grown adult self in the same adventuring outfit she had worn that day, rather then the simple trembling child of her dream. "Aye thar' be plenty o' rumors an tha' like, stories passed 'round o' tha' type o' horrors bein' employed, but fer tha' most part 'twas a thin' no soul talked 'bout. Jus' wasnae a thing ye'd do. Kinda got tired o' tha' whole mess which is part o' tha' reason I up an' left."
The fairy creature turned around to face Zyllith, tilting its head curiously for a moment before flying right up to the tiefling, "You seem oddly undisturbed by the invasion of a fey creature into your dream. Most mortals tend to be a bit more upset when I invite myself in."
"Really? Would'nae know anythin' 'bout tha'." Zyllith replied casually. "Cannae say I got any idea of yer' kind. All I know is ye've given me a respite from them nightmares, so fer tha' at least I'm grateful."
The fairy responded with a long sparkling giggle, "Your accent is pretty funny, you know."
"Aye, I've been told." Zyllith agreed.
"It's too bad you never got to find out what those things were, it sounds like it would be a fun story to tell." The fairy said, looking somewhat disappointed.
"Sorry 'bout tha', luv. I reckon if I had fun stories ta' tell of me home, I'd nae have left it in search o' better tales." Zyllith said thoughtfully, "Is tha' why yer in here? Looking fer fun stories and whot'not?"
"Oh yes! Mortals tend to have the wildest stories in their dreams sometimes, you never know what you'll find when you watch them dreaming." The fairy glittered happily.
"Ah, I see. Well since this dream did'nae pan out well for ye' I suppose I can try to tell some made up stories of me own." Zyllith offered with a shrug, "Would'nae say I'm any skilled in tha' art o' storytellin' but figured it's tha' least I could do ta thank ye'. No' like I have anythin' better ta' do here."
"Ooh, telling stories in a funny accent!" the fairy cheered almost childishly, "Sure why not? I wanna hear what you come up with!"
"huh, a'right then." Zyllith said as she settled herself down on the floor, and began to tell whatever made up story came to her mind, "So ... there once was this turtle, whot wanted ta' learn how ta' fly. So she went to her friend tha' eagle to see if he could teach her ta' fly. 'Course she didn't know it then, but tha' eagle 'ad nefarious goals in mind!"
And so the story telling went on for what seemed like hours, but as this was a dream it was impossible to know how long it truly was.
"Haha! that was amazing!" the fairy creature laughed at the end of the last story to be told, "I particularly loved the part with the rabbit. I might try to do that myself someday!" After a pause the fairy looked back at Zyllith and flew in close to her face. "Well I need to be leaving now, and I'm sure you're off to some great adventure. But for now I had fun with your stories. Maybe someday we'll meet and you can tell me more. Until then have this instead." With a cheeky smile the fairy moved forward and placed a quick kiss on Zyllith's nose, then just as quickly fluttered away to the far corner of the room. There the fairy turned and waved goodbye once more before turning around and disappearing in a puffy cloud of sparkles.
This left Zyllith confused for the moment, but in the end she figured it was a fun evening of story telling at the very least. It was at that moment that she looked out the window and noticed the sun was starting to rise.
Zyllith woke up to find herself back at the camp along with the rest of the group, still on the road to Goldenfields. She looked around for a bit to get her bearings but as far as she could see there was nothing out of the ordinary since the night before. Shaking her head she simply assumed the whole thing was nothing more then a weird dream. It was only later, as she prepared for the day of traveling that lay before them, that she noticed that the tree she had laid against last night when she went to sleep had a circle of colorful mushroom that surrounded the small trunk. She hadn't even noticed in the dim light of the evening when they were setting up camp the night before, but in the light of the sun it was more obvious.
She had no idea what it meant however and simply shrugged it off. In the end she had a surprisingly good rest last night, despite the nightmares that would creep in from time to time. As such she was in a particularly good mood for that morning.
Sylnache Ashrain - 7th Sojourn
Belkas felt the tension dissolve and flow away from him when they left the city. He chated light-heartedly with his compaignions and even with the young elven poet. However, when they made camp in the evening, he again began to reflect on the fear and helplessness he had experienced in Waterdeep. He wandered away through the trees and sat down near a small brook, finding the soft sound of running water calming. The more he thought about it, the more he knew that he was too weak to face his enemies, too weak to save his friends. He needed more power, whatever it might cost him.
Belkas used his thumb and finger to work the small silver coin out of the hem of his cloak, and he held it in his palm. He could hear the screams almost immediately, and although his stomach clutched and he felt ill, he forced himself to ignore them. He concentrated on remembering the face of Glasya. She was beautiful and terrible, as the morning and the night. Fair as the sea and the sun and the snow upon the mountain. Dreadful as the storm and the lightning. Stronger than the foundations of the earth. He loved her and despaired.
***
Belkas came to consciousness to find himself lying naked in the center of a circle of ash. His clothes and armor were lying off to the side. Pain burned in lines across his shoulder blades and chest, and he could see that the dark tattoos now extended over more of his body. He walked into the brook and washed off the soot that covered him, dressed, and returned to find the others around the fire having dinner.
When Vernon sleeps, he finds the green has faded, the sparks are rising, and a door sits across them. It unlocks, ching, and opens. A glowing fork, a glowing fork, two chirping forks beside each other, but with different calls. The door closes. "The way may be hard fought, but the door opens to smartness, for Flandal fears it naught" The chirping fades, and a dash of pine wafts over. Softly, "Two paths diverge in the green wood, two paths lead down to the darkness, one path above them both rise could."
When he awakes, his first thought is to tell Elion. Noticing that the elf is fully awake already, he tries to spin his new confidence into some extra lines. "I had this dream, but it was odd." He almost apologizes for failing to make it easier to understand in this form, but realizes that would be a betrayal of his new confidence.
"When green around doth fade,
The ground with sparks arrayed,
The way may be hard fought,
But the door opens to smartness,
For Flandal fears it naught!"
"The forks are glowing, nay chirping,
But wafts of pine overtaking,
Two paths diverge in the green wood,
Two paths lead down to darkness,
One path above them both rise could."
Your time traveling along the Northfurrow Trail is relatively uneventful, at least during the first two days. You do pass some merchant carts that are transporting foodstuffs to Waterdeep, but aside from quick waves and cordial greetings, you have little interaction with anyone during this time. Keeping your eyes tuned to the sides of the trail, you don't see any signs of danger either.
During the third morning, you wake after your dreams and begin your last day of travel to Goldenfields. By your estimation, you should arrive sometime in the late afternoon or early evening. The sky is clear and the air warms quickly, and by the noon hour, it's quite hot out. At least the sun is slightly behind you and not in your eyes.
Then suddenly a shadow passes over you on the ground... The size of the shadow indicates that whatever made it is rather large, but the speed and shape tells you that it's not a cloud, but some flying creature overhead. Quickly glancing upwards, you see that it indeed a flying creature... a huge one at that, with giant wings, a long neck and four musical limbs hanging down from its body. The form is unmistakable... it's a dragon, and as of right now, it's about 100 feet overhead, and it appears to be descending!!