Crimson Sands of Time

Sparhawk looks at Bodger, “what type of curse plagues you, and what is this crown?”

Quote from Brian_Avery >>

"What does the inscription say?" and even as he's asking Trisk goes to check for himself.

 Trisk finds a small bronze plaque embedded in a flagstone at the base of the gate. The plaque bears an inscription in Elvish:

"The lion or the hart must wear the crown.

But which one should it weigh down?"

Hearing Trisks translation, the paladin says, “I have heard heavy is the heart that wears the crown and indeed, as a captain, that has been my experience.”

Bodger shakes his furry and furrowed brow as he relates his tale of woe, "I just love fish, is all. Ever since I can remember, since Rowan taught me to speak, I've caught trout from that river. Then, one day, this wet lady just called me the rudest names and yelled that I was 'despoiling her waters' and cursed me. Now, fish tastes of viper root. And not just fish from that stream, all fish.  That's why I've come to bid Zybilna to remove this curse from me."

Lord Eld replies, "As to the inscription, I haven't a clue what it means, but my gut says that crown over there must have something to do with it."

Cha!jil  still doesn't really comprehend what's going on or how she got here but Sparhawk seems to so she stands next to him and nods knowingly occasionally.......she wants to go home.

Koselig appears.  The gnome looks distraught, not disheartened, no.  With a clarity of purpose and a fierce determination he marches toward Sparhawk and the assembly of wish-seekers gathered at the pavilion, fire in his eyes. 

"Hail." he raises a hand in greeting, "No time for tea and scones, I'm afraid.  Lord Eld, could you please tell us how you found your way to Prismeer?"

Caught off guard by this surprise, the noble high elf almost loses his bearing, but instead calmly asserts, "Of course I will be happy to detail my journey to the extent you or anyone else would care to know, however, I must enquire of you something first.  I can see a matter of some urgency has gripped you, clearly, so I won't bother about the formalities of introductions. Rather, I shall speak plainly: who, good sir, are you, exactly?  You seem quite confident you know me, at least by reputation, which has been known to precede me, yet I haven't the faintest with whom I am speaking."

The gnome stares at the elf for a moment, perplexed, impatient, then with understanding, strains to politely respond. "The name's Koselig, and we have met before - right here in this garden, in fact. Don't worry that you can't remember it. It hasn't happened yet, well I suppose now it has, but... it's complicated.  Look, the important thing is my friends and I, we need to get the Verbobonc.  RIggby has passed on, and our friend Tess is a ranking cleric of Boccob, expected to attend to the transition prior to his sojourn to Greyhawk where he is to be interred.  She asked me to bring Cha!jil and Captain Sparhawk the moment they were available." Koselig says, glancing from one face to the other as he speaks their names, his voice faltering slightly,

"That moment is now."

The high elf listens in patient silence before nodding firmly, "Right, well then allow me to show you.  Just beyond the gate you can see the point where a fey crossroad overlaps with my own world.  It is easy enough to find if you know what to look for."

"Sorry for your loss." Majera says, Dictato recording her words, as always. Sumai removes his straw hat, in respect as Obal Obb, the headless dwarf folds his hands and bows slightly. Bodger offers, "You should take some cake to the bereaved."  

Sparhawk unconsciously wags his tail. "Koselig, your arrival here is most welcome and with the news you have, we must reunite our group and continue our mission."
The half-orc/ bugbear? knods to the assembled group, "farewell, I hope that you find what you seek."

The man pauses for a moment, looking over the group like a seasoned military commander.

"I suppose if any of you would like to join us, we are headed to the land of Chult to save it from destruction.

"Cha!jil, Koselig, shall we go?"

Without warning, another figure appears in the garden: Tess Tomescribe. Her pupils dilated, palms sweaty, Tess appears as she was, in the heat of battle. Having just cast a healing spell upon herself, the cleric's minor wounds are closing as she spins around, looking for her enemy and any other tricks or traps as she assesses the situation.  In her hand she holds a long curved pointed object. It appears made of natural material, but shines with a golden hue, not unlike the apples found in the orchard nearby. 

Tess notices about her some small objects and quickly collects them: a book, a walking stick, and a small blue orb.  Then she notices the pavilion with its odd assembly of badgers bears and humanoids, among them stand Cha!jil, Sparhawk, who looks somewhat out of sorts, and Koselig. Apart from them she sees Ethan and Randy, whom she has not previously met formally, but recognizes from the battle in the phylactery vault.  Likewise, the shadar-kai Triskellionl.

“who— where..”. Tess sputters before collecting her thoughts.  She nods in recognition to those she’s met before.   “What happened?”. A young woman clad in shining armor,  she is injured but seems oblivious to it.   “Unicorn horn..” she says, looking at the object in hand. 

" Chult", the Wild Dwarf said quietly beside Sparhawk.

"If this is the Feywild and you're from Chult... since we're from the Realms... that would make this some sort of crossroads of portals... possibly?"

Trisk looks dubiously at the crown, "Do you think that's a clue to a riddle or something like that... a test perhaps?"

Sparhawk greets Tess, "Tess Tombscribe, I do not know what has happened but we are all now reunited. Koselig has a way for us to get back to our world."

(OOC: I am not sure who is a good fit and what the DM wants to do with the two groups of PC's. Sparhawk and his group I think are headed to a campaign of Caverns of Tsojcanth. As far as I know, that is where his group is headed, so if any active players such as Brian_Avery want to join, I'd like to try to re-establish player chemistry, and at least for myself, a simplified storyline. I've already checked in with the GM so he knows where I'm at.)

(sounds good to me.  Im finally getting back into this after a crazy work/life few months.  Tess can join the lost Caverns Ive heard good things about that one.  Tetrevess the wizard, her brother died but might get better and could join the other campaign.  A summary is good, so much has gone on. - for RP purposes I’ve played the wizard as very befuddled and not sure of his memories from all the time travel and odd magic exposure!) 

OOC: I'll send a summary of Caverns of Tsojcanth group, and if any want to view it, feel free, some of it is from my pc's perspective.

"So, youre the mysterious Koselig. Your friends have the gist that was on the table when we arrived bearing your name." Majera points out. "Why don't you see what's inside?"

Koselig takes the neatly wrapped package and aftwr loosilenimg the bow, carefully lifts the separately wrapped lid to reveal a note within, which he reads aloud: “Many thanks! May fortune smile on you. Yours, Sir Talavar.” with a smirk, Kos removes from the box, a small strip of metal attached by a short length of chain passing through a hole at one end to a fine mallet. "Curios." remarks the gnome.  "Shall we then?"

At the gate, Lord Eld gestures to a region beyond the mists below. A featured kingdom divided by the mysterious mists sprawl before you, separate areas of mountains swamps and forests sit below, but the high elf draws your attention to the wooded region.

"If you follow the road ahead, you'll see a small group of children frolics around a leafy oak tree,  with painted swings handing from the its boughs. In its crown is a ramshackle treehouse. Just to the eight if this tree is the crossing by which I came." Lord Eld directs.

Tess, make a history check.

<This leads directly to the start of Caverns of Tsojcanth. If thats where your headed, your included in the following:>

Following the high elf's directions, you arrive at the designsted spot. a 20-foot-diameter circle of colorful, 6-inch-tall toadstools located in a small clearing protected by the thick forest canopy.singing and dancing inside it. Using body language, these cute, mushroom-like creatures urge the characters to join in their reverie. Any character who does so can make a DC 12 Charisma (Performance) check,  The campestris aren’t clever enough to answer complex questions or offer reliable directions, and they speak by mimicking words they can hear.

The campestris’ love for singing is obvious. Any character who tries to teach them a new song can make a DC 13 Charisma (Performance) check. 

Activating the Fey Crossing. ...

Characters can plumb the depths of their memories and, with a successful DC 20 Intelligence (Arcana) check, recall enough folklore about fairy rings to know what must be done to activate these particular fey crossings.

What do you wish to do?

Sparhawk, with his newfound fey blood, sings with the children will the group tries to figure out how to open the portal

Performance 15

9 history and 7 arcana check for Tess- she’s not thinking very clearly yet!  she watches the performance with wonder. 

The campestris start harmonizing with Sparhawk, soon singing the tune on their own. Ad they adopt the song into their routine, they bestow upon Sparhawk a charm of heroism.

This charm allows you to give yourself the benefit of a potion of heroism as an action. Once you do so, the charm vanishes from you.

Sparhawk thanks the campestris, all in song. Then again in song and still in the same tune, he sings 

"Your help to activate the fey crossing we exalt

My friends and I to Iggwilv's home in Chult"