As they wait and listen, the scraping get more and more distant. The cave bear is roaming around the compound somewhere, likely having wandered in without fresh traps and wards to keep animals away.
Vilus takes his shirt off, having given his cloak away quite some time ago and wraps Gavelin up, whispering "you get to come back out when you learn to hold your damn tongue, you shitbag!"
He then gives the group a nod and keeps quiet watch by the door, Gavelin now hopefully gagged and stuffed in the loops of vilus' pack.
With the threat moving out of the way, Ashley turns back to Samir and Vilus, "Do you think you'd be able to manipulate the map at all? Otherwise we should probably get out of here."
"Let me try." With the threat moving away for now, Samir returns to the map and sets to work, attempting to pull back and see a wider view of the world.
"The question I am worrying about," Joren grumbles, mostly to himself after realizing any imminent danger seems to have passed, "... is that if cave bears are coming up out of those tunnels, what else may be coming out. Things that are possessing much more speed and... menace than a bear."
Vilus looks over to Joten, his eyes wide and his eyebrows raised hoping the man has more sense than to mention the insect abominations in front of the child, luckily Joren indeed does. Turning his attention toward Samir and his musings over the map, Vilus pipes up, "if you can't get it to show you what you want then perhaps I can use it to show me something, this map is used to observe places after all I think if I can meditate upon it's workings I might be able to use it as a catalyst for my magic instead of the other way round. I don't want to boost it and end up exploding the damned thing, you know what this thing in my head can do" he casts a wary glance at Malachi when he says the final part but otherwise leaves samir to his tinkering and leaves the option open.
Samir attempts to draw the view outward on the map, and sees Cambria diminish while surrounding lands come into view. Quiet muffled grunts come from Gav's confinement, complaining of the indignities leveled at the feet of a veritable legend such as itself.
On the map, Samir starts to make out 2 more specs of red in Madurst, and none in Teyra'athal across the Venn Canal from it. When checking for those influenced by the lady, the concentration is similarly lower outside of Cambria. The dots are few enough to count. The view of the ocean expands as well, but When Samir tries pulling out further, the edges of the map begin to blur
Noting the recalitrance of the map to go any further, Samir gives a quiet grunt and sits back on his heels. "I think I've gotten as far as I can with this." Standing, he dusts himself off and looks back over his shoulder at Vilus. "Maybe your... connections can let you get further. I worry that the device itself has reached its limits, however."
"hmmm, I don't wanna juice it anymore, but I'll do what I can" Vilus nods to Joren's echo, taking over the guard position at the door and he moves into the room proper. Vilus takes a seat next to the map portion of the machine, taking note of how far Samir was able to reach, tracing the outline of the reaches of the map in his mind before placing his meaty hand gently upon the glass.
He sits for a moment, eyes closed, focussed, silent. He imagines the outer reaches of the bay from above, and pushes his mind out over the water. Imagining the city of Talmouth slowly disappearing behind him. The wide expanse of ocean before him, his only want, his only need, to observe... and he reaches out. His mind tentatively touches those around him, and he speaks telepathically, though not to anyone in particular. "Where there is life, you observe, you watch, it is your purpose, without it you are nothing, I am nothing... Show me, show me what lives beyond our reach, what exists in the unknown corners of this world. Use the mechanics of this map and show me."
To the eyes of everyone else, nothing changes on the map. But Vilus' eyes flutter and flicker.
The sensation Vilus receives is confusing. He feels the cold glass beneath his hand, but at the same time it feels as though he were standing in the shallow tide. He can feel the water lapping at his hands and feet. In his mind's eye, he sees the map, slowly expanding outwards, but he also feels as though he were being propelled at terrifying speed over the ocean, sea spray hitting his face while the sun beats down on his back as he stands still in a cold dark dungeon. It is like he is seeing double. Feeling double. Smelling double. Hearing double. But is also none of those things.
His stomach ties itself in knots at the barrage of conflicting senses. The map stops expanding, and his speed slows down, reaching both the limits of the tower of the Watcher's range, and the map's range. But then he sees it. He can't tell if he is looking at dots on a map, or ships in the ocean, but there is a huge number of them. At least 50 by his rough count. No, he realizes, he can just tell that it is exactly 50, without counting. That is simply something he knows.
But there is disorder among the, What was a previously tight formation has grown disorganized, and they are clearly changing heading. They are all in the middle of turning toward the north, no longer of a course to reach Cambria.
After a few moments of vilus just heavy breathing as if he is running a sprint but standing still, he releases his hand from the glass and blinks, screwing up his face trying to organise his thoughts.
"Fifty ships, they're turning away. Heading north. But not to tensmith or anything, away from Cambria all together... We should still bring marigold here. See how many cultist are left in this city and cull the remnants... But after that I don't know what to do.
We could always find and rebuild the watchers tower, it would help us see where the ships have gone... maybe.
With Rasmus' world domination goals, I don't think this just goes away because they're no longer interested in Cambria.
I don't want to guess what their plans may be if they're headed towards the Khorinian empire, but after failing here they must be desperate."
Ashley is about to grab hold of Vilus's arm to try and steady him, but before she gets to him, he seems to have gathered himself and let's them know what he has seen. When he says Khorinian, her eyes immediately go to Joren to see his reaction.
Not taking her eyes off her friend she asks Vilus, "The watchers tower has been destroyed? Did I miss something? So you think this fifty... they are just altering their course because of what we have done?"
"Well... their plan failed, they wanted to dock onto a scorched world and rebuild right? 'The martyrs are prepared for hellfire within while the rest await Razmus without.' That's what a cultist said when I had my spies capture and torture him for information. We stopped their hellfire, you took the heart and now... Well I don't know..." Vilus puts his head in his hands to think, "it doesn't make sense, if they won't dock here because there's still people here, it is because their numbers won't survive the resistance that Talmouth would put forward? If that's the case then they likely wouldn't try anything with the Khorinians... Unless there was some other form of power there? Something akin to the heart of flame, something they could corrupt and end the world with... Joren? I'm just throwing ideas at the wall here until something sticks. Maybe the thing that they are scared of here isn't us, but the blue lady's influence... Maybe something else...
And yes, the tower, sorry, it's odd, I've had visions of the tower before, I think we passed under it when we fought those shadow creatures, but I don't think it is whole, whether it is structurally ruined or is missing some kind of ancient rite that would put power back into it, I don't know, all I do know is that something isn't working with it..."
Joren shifts his weight at the mention of the Khorinians. He looks down and his eyes seem to focus inward.
"Being beyond the Veil, the Khorinian empire. Towering mountains, ice storms that are stripping off skin, howling winds and fog. Only the Khorinian goliaths to the north of it truly know the passes, and when they come, being easier to stop an avalanche than them. Even in my homeland, the Dalmodh Plains, south of the Veil, once conquered and settled by the Khorinians long ago, later having freed ourselves with the help of many goliaths who were staying on and making their home. Like Jean-Lou. Now, we Khirians all grow up, boys, some girls too - knowing our fate is to train at arms. To be marching north when the attacks are coming, as they always do. Into the howling mists of the Veil to face the Khorinians. Watching our friends fight desperately at our side and fall, seeing them through the mist as bloody corpses in the snow and mud alongside the enemy dead. As I have done."
He swallows and his voice becomes quieter as he continues. "As.... as I have done. Yet, wondering, wondering..."
Joren looks up, eyes uncertain. Haunted. Remembering his last and bloodiest battle before exile, at the Dragontail Narrows. Inside the Veil.
"So many dead. So very many. Having thought once I knew why we were all killing each other, but now I am finding that I cannot remember. Being a fearsome enemy, the Khorinian goliaths, yet I would never be wishing Razmus even on them. Having never been north of the Veil, I am not knowing what ports or coastal towns they may be having that the fifty ships could be seeking out. Hard to be asking about geography when fighting for one's life."
Joren speaks of the Khorinian empire to the north, a vast and secretive nation of Goliaths built into the inhospitable mountains beyond the eternally raging storm of the Veil. While the western lands have not nearly as much storied history of conflict with them as the Khirians to the east, the goliaths have made occasional incursions. The most recent in memory being the Battle of the Rose, in which a Paladin of the Order of the Azure Rose defended Leisze Valley with a great feat of magic that left an impassable crater. The crater later became a lake, upon which the order constructed a keep so they could continue to stand vigil over the valley and ward off further invasions.
Mikael coughs again, and says weakly, "So there are no more cultists coming here? Are we safe?"
The map starts to fade, its supply of magic dwindling as the vial runs out of essence.
"First things first," Samir eyes the fading image of the map as it dies out, idly adjusting his glasses. "First things first, we need to get this child back to his home as best we can. Then we can discuss further plans. I'd like to get a good map and transfer the points I sketched onto it. And there is still Marigold to consider."
Malachi peers over Vilus’ shoulder at the map. “It’s true then, the ships have turned, we are safe.” He looks between Joren and Vilus “We don’t know they are heading to the Khorinan. We don’t even know for sure what lies to the north. Maybe they are just turning around and going back where they came from. In any case, Samir is right, let’s get Mikael out of here and get the council focused on rebuilding. We have done what we can here.”
Ashley shivers as Joren talks of the North. The idea of going up there? Man... she sure hoped that wasn't in the cards, she isn't sure she could survive and that had nothing to do with the goliaths. She looks to Mal, "Turn around? Nice thought, but I doubt it. They didn't do all they did to just give up. I'm sure they have a plan B.. C.. and who knows how many."
"But yes, let's get Mikael to his home, find out what Marigold knows, bring her down here if that's what you want Vilus.. and I think we should find this tower of yours, see if we can fix it and maybe get more information from it."
"there's a gnome in the rows that may take in Mikael, he was captured here with me, he knows what you've been through lad and he's got a half decent grasp on his own magic, he could teach you things..." Vilus makes sure he's got all his stuff and prepares to leave. Finding no more use in the guesswork behind the why of the ships, he answers Ashley, "we should bring as much of her as we can down here and locate the leftover cultists, I don't want to leave them running around this town if we're leaving."
A look of uncertain hope crosses the boy's face, having not just been rescued from doom, but also offered a place to live. Quietly, the group starts to make their way back to the entrance, hoping to avoid the cave bear.
(Everybody give me your choice of stealth, perception[hearing], or intelligence, to navigate your way out without encountering the bear)
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As they wait and listen, the scraping get more and more distant. The cave bear is roaming around the compound somewhere, likely having wandered in without fresh traps and wards to keep animals away.
Vilus takes his shirt off, having given his cloak away quite some time ago and wraps Gavelin up, whispering "you get to come back out when you learn to hold your damn tongue, you shitbag!"
He then gives the group a nod and keeps quiet watch by the door, Gavelin now hopefully gagged and stuffed in the loops of vilus' pack.
With the threat moving out of the way, Ashley turns back to Samir and Vilus, "Do you think you'd be able to manipulate the map at all? Otherwise we should probably get out of here."
"Let me try." With the threat moving away for now, Samir returns to the map and sets to work, attempting to pull back and see a wider view of the world.
"The question I am worrying about," Joren grumbles, mostly to himself after realizing any imminent danger seems to have passed, "... is that if cave bears are coming up out of those tunnels, what else may be coming out. Things that are possessing much more speed and... menace than a bear."
He does not need to say the word gloazworm.
Tanis(Ranger1): Shiverquill's Tempest City | Xarian(Fighter2): NioNSwiper's Tyranny of Dragons
Dyson/Eleo(TwilightCleric4): Vos' Beyond the Veil | Soren(ShepherdDruid5): Bartjeebus' Ravenloft | Ophelia(WildMagicSorcerer4): Ashen_Age's Risen from the Sands
Joren(EchoKnightFighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Sabetha(MercyMonk3): Bedlymn's Murder Court | Seri(NatureCleric3/DivineSoulSorcerer1): Bartjeebus' Greyhawk
Vilus looks over to Joten, his eyes wide and his eyebrows raised hoping the man has more sense than to mention the insect abominations in front of the child, luckily Joren indeed does. Turning his attention toward Samir and his musings over the map, Vilus pipes up, "if you can't get it to show you what you want then perhaps I can use it to show me something, this map is used to observe places after all I think if I can meditate upon it's workings I might be able to use it as a catalyst for my magic instead of the other way round. I don't want to boost it and end up exploding the damned thing, you know what this thing in my head can do" he casts a wary glance at Malachi when he says the final part but otherwise leaves samir to his tinkering and leaves the option open.
Samir attempts to draw the view outward on the map, and sees Cambria diminish while surrounding lands come into view. Quiet muffled grunts come from Gav's confinement, complaining of the indignities leveled at the feet of a veritable legend such as itself.
On the map, Samir starts to make out 2 more specs of red in Madurst, and none in Teyra'athal across the Venn Canal from it. When checking for those influenced by the lady, the concentration is similarly lower outside of Cambria. The dots are few enough to count. The view of the ocean expands as well, but When Samir tries pulling out further, the edges of the map begin to blur
Noting the recalitrance of the map to go any further, Samir gives a quiet grunt and sits back on his heels. "I think I've gotten as far as I can with this." Standing, he dusts himself off and looks back over his shoulder at Vilus. "Maybe your... connections can let you get further. I worry that the device itself has reached its limits, however."
"hmmm, I don't wanna juice it anymore, but I'll do what I can" Vilus nods to Joren's echo, taking over the guard position at the door and he moves into the room proper. Vilus takes a seat next to the map portion of the machine, taking note of how far Samir was able to reach, tracing the outline of the reaches of the map in his mind before placing his meaty hand gently upon the glass.
He sits for a moment, eyes closed, focussed, silent. He imagines the outer reaches of the bay from above, and pushes his mind out over the water. Imagining the city of Talmouth slowly disappearing behind him. The wide expanse of ocean before him, his only want, his only need, to observe... and he reaches out. His mind tentatively touches those around him, and he speaks telepathically, though not to anyone in particular. "Where there is life, you observe, you watch, it is your purpose, without it you are nothing, I am nothing... Show me, show me what lives beyond our reach, what exists in the unknown corners of this world. Use the mechanics of this map and show me."
To the eyes of everyone else, nothing changes on the map. But Vilus' eyes flutter and flicker.
The sensation Vilus receives is confusing. He feels the cold glass beneath his hand, but at the same time it feels as though he were standing in the shallow tide. He can feel the water lapping at his hands and feet. In his mind's eye, he sees the map, slowly expanding outwards, but he also feels as though he were being propelled at terrifying speed over the ocean, sea spray hitting his face while the sun beats down on his back as he stands still in a cold dark dungeon. It is like he is seeing double. Feeling double. Smelling double. Hearing double. But is also none of those things.
His stomach ties itself in knots at the barrage of conflicting senses. The map stops expanding, and his speed slows down, reaching both the limits of the tower of the Watcher's range, and the map's range. But then he sees it. He can't tell if he is looking at dots on a map, or ships in the ocean, but there is a huge number of them. At least 50 by his rough count. No, he realizes, he can just tell that it is exactly 50, without counting. That is simply something he knows.
But there is disorder among the, What was a previously tight formation has grown disorganized, and they are clearly changing heading. They are all in the middle of turning toward the north, no longer of a course to reach Cambria.
(Con Save 12)
After a few moments of vilus just heavy breathing as if he is running a sprint but standing still, he releases his hand from the glass and blinks, screwing up his face trying to organise his thoughts.
"Fifty ships, they're turning away. Heading north. But not to tensmith or anything, away from Cambria all together... We should still bring marigold here. See how many cultist are left in this city and cull the remnants... But after that I don't know what to do.
We could always find and rebuild the watchers tower, it would help us see where the ships have gone... maybe.
With Rasmus' world domination goals, I don't think this just goes away because they're no longer interested in Cambria.
I don't want to guess what their plans may be if they're headed towards the Khorinian empire, but after failing here they must be desperate."
Ashley is about to grab hold of Vilus's arm to try and steady him, but before she gets to him, he seems to have gathered himself and let's them know what he has seen. When he says Khorinian, her eyes immediately go to Joren to see his reaction.
Not taking her eyes off her friend she asks Vilus, "The watchers tower has been destroyed? Did I miss something? So you think this fifty... they are just altering their course because of what we have done?"
"Well... their plan failed, they wanted to dock onto a scorched world and rebuild right? 'The martyrs are prepared for hellfire within while the rest await Razmus without.' That's what a cultist said when I had my spies capture and torture him for information. We stopped their hellfire, you took the heart and now... Well I don't know..." Vilus puts his head in his hands to think, "it doesn't make sense, if they won't dock here because there's still people here, it is because their numbers won't survive the resistance that Talmouth would put forward? If that's the case then they likely wouldn't try anything with the Khorinians... Unless there was some other form of power there? Something akin to the heart of flame, something they could corrupt and end the world with... Joren? I'm just throwing ideas at the wall here until something sticks. Maybe the thing that they are scared of here isn't us, but the blue lady's influence... Maybe something else...
And yes, the tower, sorry, it's odd, I've had visions of the tower before, I think we passed under it when we fought those shadow creatures, but I don't think it is whole, whether it is structurally ruined or is missing some kind of ancient rite that would put power back into it, I don't know, all I do know is that something isn't working with it..."
Joren shifts his weight at the mention of the Khorinians. He looks down and his eyes seem to focus inward.
"Being beyond the Veil, the Khorinian empire. Towering mountains, ice storms that are stripping off skin, howling winds and fog. Only the Khorinian goliaths to the north of it truly know the passes, and when they come, being easier to stop an avalanche than them. Even in my homeland, the Dalmodh Plains, south of the Veil, once conquered and settled by the Khorinians long ago, later having freed ourselves with the help of many goliaths who were staying on and making their home. Like Jean-Lou. Now, we Khirians all grow up, boys, some girls too - knowing our fate is to train at arms. To be marching north when the attacks are coming, as they always do. Into the howling mists of the Veil to face the Khorinians. Watching our friends fight desperately at our side and fall, seeing them through the mist as bloody corpses in the snow and mud alongside the enemy dead. As I have done."
He swallows and his voice becomes quieter as he continues. "As.... as I have done. Yet, wondering, wondering..."
Joren looks up, eyes uncertain. Haunted. Remembering his last and bloodiest battle before exile, at the Dragontail Narrows. Inside the Veil.
"So many dead. So very many. Having thought once I knew why we were all killing each other, but now I am finding that I cannot remember. Being a fearsome enemy, the Khorinian goliaths, yet I would never be wishing Razmus even on them. Having never been north of the Veil, I am not knowing what ports or coastal towns they may be having that the fifty ships could be seeking out. Hard to be asking about geography when fighting for one's life."
Tanis(Ranger1): Shiverquill's Tempest City | Xarian(Fighter2): NioNSwiper's Tyranny of Dragons
Dyson/Eleo(TwilightCleric4): Vos' Beyond the Veil | Soren(ShepherdDruid5): Bartjeebus' Ravenloft | Ophelia(WildMagicSorcerer4): Ashen_Age's Risen from the Sands
Joren(EchoKnightFighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Sabetha(MercyMonk3): Bedlymn's Murder Court | Seri(NatureCleric3/DivineSoulSorcerer1): Bartjeebus' Greyhawk
Joren speaks of the Khorinian empire to the north, a vast and secretive nation of Goliaths built into the inhospitable mountains beyond the eternally raging storm of the Veil. While the western lands have not nearly as much storied history of conflict with them as the Khirians to the east, the goliaths have made occasional incursions. The most recent in memory being the Battle of the Rose, in which a Paladin of the Order of the Azure Rose defended Leisze Valley with a great feat of magic that left an impassable crater. The crater later became a lake, upon which the order constructed a keep so they could continue to stand vigil over the valley and ward off further invasions.
Mikael coughs again, and says weakly, "So there are no more cultists coming here? Are we safe?"
The map starts to fade, its supply of magic dwindling as the vial runs out of essence.
"First things first," Samir eyes the fading image of the map as it dies out, idly adjusting his glasses. "First things first, we need to get this child back to his home as best we can. Then we can discuss further plans. I'd like to get a good map and transfer the points I sketched onto it. And there is still Marigold to consider."
Malachi peers over Vilus’ shoulder at the map. “It’s true then, the ships have turned, we are safe.” He looks between Joren and Vilus “We don’t know they are heading to the Khorinan. We don’t even know for sure what lies to the north. Maybe they are just turning around and going back where they came from. In any case, Samir is right, let’s get Mikael out of here and get the council focused on rebuilding. We have done what we can here.”
Ashley shivers as Joren talks of the North. The idea of going up there? Man... she sure hoped that wasn't in the cards, she isn't sure she could survive and that had nothing to do with the goliaths. She looks to Mal, "Turn around? Nice thought, but I doubt it. They didn't do all they did to just give up. I'm sure they have a plan B.. C.. and who knows how many."
"But yes, let's get Mikael to his home, find out what Marigold knows, bring her down here if that's what you want Vilus.. and I think we should find this tower of yours, see if we can fix it and maybe get more information from it."
"there's a gnome in the rows that may take in Mikael, he was captured here with me, he knows what you've been through lad and he's got a half decent grasp on his own magic, he could teach you things..." Vilus makes sure he's got all his stuff and prepares to leave. Finding no more use in the guesswork behind the why of the ships, he answers Ashley, "we should bring as much of her as we can down here and locate the leftover cultists, I don't want to leave them running around this town if we're leaving."
A look of uncertain hope crosses the boy's face, having not just been rescued from doom, but also offered a place to live. Quietly, the group starts to make their way back to the entrance, hoping to avoid the cave bear.
(Everybody give me your choice of stealth, perception[hearing], or intelligence, to navigate your way out without encountering the bear)