Gewyn picks himself up, bloodied, bruised, and battered, but he does not waste a moment. "Quickly, Muir. These runes have been twisted, and we need to set them right in order to repair the portal. Do you understand Sylvan well enough make the necessary corrections?"Halfway through the sentence though, Gewyn unwittingly shifts into Sylvan himself, a language he had previously claimed no knowledge of.
He pauses, realizing what he's done, but then shakes his head and mutters "No, we can talk through that after. The portal comes first." Turning around, he starts desperately working on a fix for the runes that now make perfect sense to him.
Sam brings him maul up again, ready to strike but pauses... He takes a moment and looks around. Seeing no further physical danger of the fightable kind the steam kind of goes out of him and even as he slowly lowers the maul he shrinks back to normal size. Sam moves up to Elthana and places a hand upon her shoulder. "Looks like you did it... How you feeling?" he asks, gently turning her to face him so he can look for himself to see if the death of the gag has had any effect on the curse plaguing his friend...
Whether it has or not, Sam quickly turns his attention to the had. "Distasteful... But we should check her. Make sure she's actually dead but also who knows what such a creature carries. She could have something that could help us..." Help Elthana, he mainly thinks if there is no change in her condition, but keeps that to himself.
"And the others... Any of them could have a clue." Sam looks down at the had but hesitates before deciding to allow someone else to search her and instead goes to search the other corpses first. First their old travelling companion, the guard Gara. If it is indeed him. If it is he does not expect to find much but he will look over everything carefully - Not knowing about magic he has no idea what could or couldn't matter to their current situation. Then, if nobody else has yet done it, the archer.
Elthana stands over the hag, breathing hard after her flurry of blows took Rynwell down. She looks around her as well, making sure it wasn't another trick, that they truly won this fight. As Sam approaches her, she doesn't flinch as he places a hand on her shoulder and is surprised at his touch when he turns her face. "It's still here. Maybe Shionne can help? I...I can't stay this way, can I?" the pleading in her voice is so unnatural, so not hers it is almost unrecognizable to herself.
As he heads off to check the other bodies, Elthana squats down as best she can, her bad leg sticking straight out at an odd angle as she searches Rynwell for anything.
Rynwell's corpse is now no more than a pile of ash, rot and clothing, as Elthana digs through the mess to find a few items the Hags skull rolls away slightly, perfectly devoid of all flesh or sinew.
Sam trudges spends a few minutes with each of the other corpses, taking a pouch and ring from Gara, noting his weapon and armour too, Sam finds a very well made jacket on the hunter along with the dragonborn's weapons and a few homely items, though the half orc does stop and read a note for a moment.
Sam calmly searches and strips Gara of his armor, his weapon, his coin purse and a ring he wore upon his finger. Sam makes a careful pile of these items a bit away from the corpse, treating them with respect for he had known this man. They had no been friends, perhaps, but they had worked together for a brief time and that demanded a certain dignity and care be shown.
Regarding the archer, Sam was a lot quicker and rougher. From this body, for that is all it is to Sam, he pulls off several items as well and tosses them over towards the pile of Gara's things.
"Whatever happens next, this stuff could be useful. To us or to those we left in town," Sam says once the pile is formed and he stands above it. "Not sure what all this is but...it's stuff."
The pile Sam accumulated is:
Half Plate armor - Gara sized
A Longsword
A heavy-ish looking bag that clinks when nudged - (120 gold, once we have time to count it. Or 167 if Sam counts it. Sam not good at large numbers.)
A Ring of Wishes - Sam wishes. But it is a ring...
A Long Bow
Quiver and Arrows
A bag of... something - It's sticky. (Even Sam isn't tasting it to find out more...)
Some gardening gloves - Sam assumes two. (But again, he's not good at large numbers.)
A hunting jacket. - A bit tattered. A bit stained. (He did get himself deaded...) Still, seems better than the local yocals have.
And a note...
Tongue hanging out the side of his mouth, hand scratching his head while the other holds the note in front of him, Sam squints and reads it. "I thinking our dead archer here was delivering what this calls 'Charm Fruit' to people. This seems to be a note as to where... Do we know an Ogden Kurutz? Seems he was being charged extra?"
"Oh! Dibs on the skull!" Sam calls out when seeing the hag's brain bones rolling away. Dropping the note, the Half Orc runs after it and claims it with a big smile. "Think maybe I could have this turned into a pauldron? Or maybe a belt buckle??"
Gewyn perks up and turns his head slowly from his work on the runes. "Wait, Elthana, what is that gem you have there?"
He pulls out his pipes, closes his eyes, and starts playing a mystical tune. A gentle breeze blows through the cavern, tousling his silvery hair lightly. He opens his eyes and they have once again taken on that gleam that show he is looking for magical auras. He keeps the tune playing a little longer as he looks at Elthana and the Hag.
The skull sports the burnt and cracked remnants of the Hags antler like branches upon its head, and a few sharpened teeth, apart from being a little more angular and fiendish, Sam finds it to be a regular skull and a fine trophy.
Muir hears Gewyn and then watches him begin messing with the runes. He calls out to the rest "Is there no clue amongst the hag to work the portal? No belongings?"Muir frustrated by it all continues to watch Gewyn
Even before Elthana realizes what she has found Gewyn is asking about the gem and she looks up at him, eyebrow cocked. "How did you know I found a gem? Yeah, it is heart shaped sort of and kind of warm to the touch, here." and she hands it over to him.
"The rest are strange items, this disgusting bag made of flesh, this black leather apron that appears to be perpetually dripping blood and this crystal ball. Any of these items make any sense to anyone?" She places them on the ground for others to come check them out.
She looks for the note Sam drops to look at it more closely, but can't seem to find it. So she grabs the sticky bag to check it out.
Vin watches as the hag finally falls. His heart pounding from the adrenaline and fear he's barely been holding back. He's literally shaking from the experience despite pushing himself through it. He was terrified. It's not until she can no longer hold herself together and dies at the combined blows of Vin and his friends that he finally can feel any sense of tension leave his body. As she dies and whatever spell is pushing forth the dark magic she was conjuring the portal seems to fall back, the mote of green light flares up and pushes back against the tide of infernal energy showing all hope isn't lost. Vin might be imagining it, but the green seems even bigger then when he woke up here. Their cage of twisted and dying tree limbs melts away freeing them and revealing the outside. A barrier of some kind and as this new sight comes to light Gewyn calls Muir over to help with the ruins. Vin can't read sylvan so it's up to them to figure out how to fix it but the young man looks to Nef who comes up beside him worried. Vin seems reassured as he holds her in a hug. There was hope. The green light was proof.
The black hound licks his wounds with care as Vin pets the hound. The pair don't seem interested in loot. Although, Vin's eyes linger on Gara. Dead. Vin doesn't understand why he couldn't survive but he wasn't awake either... a failure of his. He rang the bell... it probably forced Sam and Nef's hand. Vin was guessing they must of been further controlled then the others. For some reason giving them a command they just weren't able to resist as undoubtedly Rynwell turned them into souless. He was sure his friends tried to tell them to leave or lay down or something to stop them though. They wouldn't just kill them without a word. Vin holds Nef close to hide a few tears from the others. He was so dumb to ring that bell. Nef dutifully stands next to him and gives him a moment.
This gives the others time to loot the bodies after which, Vin goes over to gather up the broken pieces of the broom that Rynwell used to fly. Nef following but glancing at Vin worried. At this time Sam mentions the charm fruit and Vin looks over interested. He might of been a failure here and did little more then caused trouble but he can still save those kids with any luck. "Ogden Kurutz... no. Not familiar but might be a lead to help the soulless. We know those fruits were behind part of this at least. Although, I'm hopeful with Rynwell slain that whatever magic she used to put them in that state is broken and they are freed from it." As Sam drops the note Vin picks it up and looks at it himself before joining Muir who asks if there is any clues. "Muir, this seems to be the place the ritual is done but I doubt she kept much for notes here beyond what was on her or the others. She probably has a place she sleeps that is also where she keeps notes and other things. Probably close by." He turns to Nef and asks "Think you can find it Nef? I'm not sure how much the smell of fruits and sulfer is messing with your sense of smell right now."
As Elthana mentions a heart shaped gem Vin looks over curious and asks "Wait, heart shaped? Like this?" He pulls at a necklace chain around his neck and pulls out a pendant that looks like a pair of hands holding a ruby that is shaped similarly to a heart. The entire design giving the sense like they are holding it for protection.
as sam drops the note and rushes past Vin to pick up his skull trophy, Vin goes to pick up the note, but where he saw it fall before sam rushed past it is now missing, in fact it is nowhere to be found at all...
With no more immediate dangers, on not feeling trapped by the trees anymore, Sam begins to feel a bit more relaxed... And oddly more powerful. Still, they all have wounds to lick, even if they are a bit more civilized than Neferox and refrain from licking themselves in front of others...
"Time for a rest," he announces generally. Sam gathers up the piles of stuff and brings it towards the southern wall, about 15 feet from the entryway. There same will sit with his back against the wall and study the stuff to the best of his ability while generally, mostly, just relaxing.
Barring finding out anything is superior (or magical) quality, Sam is looking to:
Pack up the Half Plate. It's not as fancy as his Mithril Splint but that was taken from the WFM...
Strap on the Long Sword if nobody else wants it. He loves his maul but a back up is always handy.
Long Bow, Quivers and Armor - I think I lent Sam's to Elthana? She can have whichever are better but ranged weapon is handy to have.
Sam will fiddle around with the ring... But he doesn't put it on. Rings can be tricky in more ways than one. He'll be cautious for now.
Sam has little to no interest in the hunting jacket or gardening gloves... But he will poke at and sniff the sticky stuff trying to get a clue what it is.
Sam'll leave the stuff Elthana found from the Hag for her to deal with...
* Stuff in Red is stuff Sam didn't write down on his sheet yet. All still up for grabs but at least the rest Sam is taking if nobody else does...
((And if anyone needs any of the above, speak up! Mainly I just figure I would take so as to not leave behind...))
Gewyn looks at the gem now in his hands. Then he looks back at the other loot they had found. "From what I can tell, the ring, hunting jacket, and apron are enchanted. The bag has necromantic energies about it, and there crystal ball has some form of divination within it. This though..."He holds the gem up to the light. "There is an enchantment about it as well, but there is something more. Something alive about it. I know not why it calls to me, but I have a guess."
Gewyn turns away from the runes on the wall, continuing to turn the gem in his hands. "We've come this far together, and I don't see any reason to hold anything back from you, but I would obviously ask you to swear you'll not reveal anything of this to another soul. During our fight, I used the mirror to find Rynwell in the ethereal plane. But while I was there, I touched upon something. A source of power calling out to me through the portal. It revealed something to me, and changed me in the process. Or perhaps it made me closer to what I am supposed to be."
He takes a step forward... and vanishes like smoke in the wind. Mist coalesces by the edge of the portal and forms into Gewyn's shape, looking more otherworldly and fae than ever, with all of his recent scars and wounds on full display. "I saw a vision. Mireah came to our world long ago and with a mortal bore a son. The child was like me. I believe I may be a direct descendant of Mireah, daughter of the spring. And that..." He looks at the gem again, "would make Rynwell family. Whatever this contains, I suspect my bloodline is related to why it was calling to me just now."
Remembering himself, he turns back away from the portal. His scars once again crawl back under his reddening skin, and the bones in his face shift. His horns sprout anew, granting him once more his old appearance of Gewyn the Melodic. "And that is why I feel it is my responsibility right now to repair this portal and save any fae who remain in this world." He returns to the runes on the wall. Then he stops and turns to Vin. "Wait, did you say you have one like it?"
The group gathers loot while Vin checks the bodies of the fallen. He knows they are gone. There isn't any bringing them back. What he is doing has nothing to do with reviving them as he doesn't have that power. Instead he kneels before each of them, one after the other starting with Gara. He just sits there quietly with eyes closed as he mentally says something that seems quite mournful. A clear apology to Gara and the other unknown victim. As he does that Nef seems to say something as Vin looks at his own body and seems surprised. He seems to be examining the knife wound which has left quite a scar. After poking it a bit he seems satisfied and then heads over to the others with the gathered loot.
Sam piles the gear vin asks "Anything that might help Elthana?" When the jacket shows up Vin's eyes light up seeing it. Vin points to it asking "Can... I see that jacket?" Vin examines it and nods in confirmation. "I saw one just like it I was saving up for in Marblestead. He must be from... he must of been one of the other adventurers the Cavalcade sent? Did he have any messages on him too?" Vin checks the pockets of the jacket just in case. Finding a note or not in the pockets Vin will ask "Is it alright if I take this? Also, I can identify a couple magic items if we need but it might be best to save my magic for getting back out or... this..." he gestures to the portal.
After motioning to the portal the young man seems to look to Nef who is already laying down and just being generally alert. She seems quite tired. Vin goes over to Gewyn and Muir and says "Nef says they can't understand the runes but they should function to stabilize the portal once it's clear of infernal energy. Is there anything I can do to help or should we just wait for the clerics to show up and maybe they can remove the infernal influence?"
just before Vin shows his amulet, Gewyn reveals bits of his past he's been learning. Vin listens with clear attention. Once done Vin says " When he asks about Vin's gem he pulls out the pendant he has and shows it to him. "I don't know if it's the same kind of gem, as mine is worked into a pendant, but it's heart shaped and helps to keep me alive. I don't know where Nef got it. They just gave it to me one day and told me it's mine." Vin holds it out for Gewyn to compare the two gems.
Quite different to Vin's amulet, Gewyn's gem is smooth and flat on one side the edges sharp and as of it fits into something, the colours are different too, the red in vin's amulet is deep and strong, a vibrant unmistakable red, byt Gewyn's is a subtler rise colour with undertones tinted like golden honey, it is warm to the touch.
Drawing from what Gewyn pointed out, Vin makes mental note of which items he wants to get identified, from the list of magic items;
Magic ring, magic hunting coat, magic apron, magic crystal ball, magic heart shaped gem, and a non magic pouch of sticky stuff that reeks of necrotic energy.
Oddly Gewyn does not point out the Flesh bag that Elthana holds, as magical.
Sam can’t seem to find the note any longer but tells Vin what he remembers of it. Sam listens to the bit about bloodlines but, respectfully?, shrugs. “Seems you go back far enough and everyone is related to everyone. Descendants of royalty. Ain’t never heard one of those psychic types tell someone they come from an unbroken line of nobodies…”
“I think it’s still early yet,” Sam says after a bit. “Still and all, maybe we camp here for now? We all need a rest, eh? I’d hate to press our way home and have more of those spiders (Sam shivers as he says it) get the jump on us…” Sam looks around, checking above and the corners, worried about them now that he’s brought them up…
Elthana listens to Gewyn as he unveils what he knows. She doesn't say anything but gives him her undivided attention.
As they start talking about the magic items, "Why don't we just bring them back to the group, there might be others that can help identify as well and we might need Vin's spells to get us out of here. And yes.. a rest, please."
And unless anyone objects, she finds as comfortable a spot as possible to try and rest in this new accursed body of hers.
"Yes, when we are out of danger will be soon enough," Sam agrees about the items. "Until then, store them securely so they don't get lost." As such, Sam will put the ring on his finger, if it fits, and note that and the rest of the items on his character sheet... err, out them in his backpack. (Someone else note the Rynwell stuff? I actually not been tracking that.)
"For now... We rest. We're all exhausted. Pair up, we need to keep an eye on the entrance as well as the portal. Just in case..."
That said, Sam checks his Bag of Tricks to see if the warm, fuzzy balls have returned or not. If so, Sam pulls two out and tosses them out to see what they become...
If available, a Giant Boar emerges from the first of the fuzzy balls, snorting and stretching and generally being boarish. Next us the familiar companion Órga the Lion! If it's not yet down out in the world that can see the sky, or if the balls have not replenished for some other reason, Sam frowns but keeps his worries to himself...
As Vin and Neferox take the first watch, everyone else is able to settle in, either laying in amongst the smelly 'charm' fruit or using the open space near the portal to bed down and get some sleep, the runes, the portal and identifying items are all left until rest has been completed.
During the first watch Vin seems to be succumbing a little to his exhaustion, the only thing stopping him from falling asleep outright is Neferox who remains on guard and alert, luckily nothing of import happens, the portal, though still corrupted and unstable does not progress any further, the ritual having been stopped and whatever Gewyn's actions in the ethereal plane having stabilised the small mote of green light in the middle.
During the second watch Vin is pleased to be able to let himself slip into a more comfortable state of unconsciousness, as he nestles himself in Neferox's warm fur. Sam and Gewyn take over monitoring the situation and keeping an eye out. Summoning fuzzy balls from his bag of tricks, Sam calls forth the familiar Órga the lion, and a new beast, a giant boar, black haired, pot bellied and with large brutal looking tusks... The boar sniffs around Sam and then lays down lazily. Gewyn takes this chance to fiddle around a little with the heart shaped gem he claimed from Rynwell's corpse. During a moment of investigation Gewyn seems to push the heart shaped gem into a slot in the back of his hand mirror, once it is attached he looks into the mirror and disappears completely, mirror and all...
Gewyn picks himself up, bloodied, bruised, and battered, but he does not waste a moment. "Quickly, Muir. These runes have been twisted, and we need to set them right in order to repair the portal. Do you understand Sylvan well enough make the necessary corrections?" Halfway through the sentence though, Gewyn unwittingly shifts into Sylvan himself, a language he had previously claimed no knowledge of.
He pauses, realizing what he's done, but then shakes his head and mutters "No, we can talk through that after. The portal comes first." Turning around, he starts desperately working on a fix for the runes that now make perfect sense to him.
Sam brings him maul up again, ready to strike but pauses... He takes a moment and looks around. Seeing no further physical danger of the fightable kind the steam kind of goes out of him and even as he slowly lowers the maul he shrinks back to normal size. Sam moves up to Elthana and places a hand upon her shoulder. "Looks like you did it... How you feeling?" he asks, gently turning her to face him so he can look for himself to see if the death of the gag has had any effect on the curse plaguing his friend...
Whether it has or not, Sam quickly turns his attention to the had. "Distasteful... But we should check her. Make sure she's actually dead but also who knows what such a creature carries. She could have something that could help us..." Help Elthana, he mainly thinks if there is no change in her condition, but keeps that to himself.
"And the others... Any of them could have a clue." Sam looks down at the had but hesitates before deciding to allow someone else to search her and instead goes to search the other corpses first. First their old travelling companion, the guard Gara. If it is indeed him. If it is he does not expect to find much but he will look over everything carefully - Not knowing about magic he has no idea what could or couldn't matter to their current situation. Then, if nobody else has yet done it, the archer.
Elthana stands over the hag, breathing hard after her flurry of blows took Rynwell down. She looks around her as well, making sure it wasn't another trick, that they truly won this fight. As Sam approaches her, she doesn't flinch as he places a hand on her shoulder and is surprised at his touch when he turns her face. "It's still here. Maybe Shionne can help? I...I can't stay this way, can I?" the pleading in her voice is so unnatural, so not hers it is almost unrecognizable to herself.
As he heads off to check the other bodies, Elthana squats down as best she can, her bad leg sticking straight out at an odd angle as she searches Rynwell for anything.
Rynwell's corpse is now no more than a pile of ash, rot and clothing, as Elthana digs through the mess to find a few items the Hags skull rolls away slightly, perfectly devoid of all flesh or sinew.
Sam trudges spends a few minutes with each of the other corpses, taking a pouch and ring from Gara, noting his weapon and armour too, Sam finds a very well made jacket on the hunter along with the dragonborn's weapons and a few homely items, though the half orc does stop and read a note for a moment.
Sam calmly searches and strips Gara of his armor, his weapon, his coin purse and a ring he wore upon his finger. Sam makes a careful pile of these items a bit away from the corpse, treating them with respect for he had known this man. They had no been friends, perhaps, but they had worked together for a brief time and that demanded a certain dignity and care be shown.
Regarding the archer, Sam was a lot quicker and rougher. From this body, for that is all it is to Sam, he pulls off several items as well and tosses them over towards the pile of Gara's things.
"Whatever happens next, this stuff could be useful. To us or to those we left in town," Sam says once the pile is formed and he stands above it. "Not sure what all this is but...it's stuff."
The pile Sam accumulated is:
Tongue hanging out the side of his mouth, hand scratching his head while the other holds the note in front of him, Sam squints and reads it. "I thinking our dead archer here was delivering what this calls 'Charm Fruit' to people. This seems to be a note as to where... Do we know an Ogden Kurutz? Seems he was being charged extra?"
"Oh! Dibs on the skull!" Sam calls out when seeing the hag's brain bones rolling away. Dropping the note, the Half Orc runs after it and claims it with a big smile. "Think maybe I could have this turned into a pauldron? Or maybe a belt buckle??"
Gewyn perks up and turns his head slowly from his work on the runes. "Wait, Elthana, what is that gem you have there?"
He pulls out his pipes, closes his eyes, and starts playing a mystical tune. A gentle breeze blows through the cavern, tousling his silvery hair lightly. He opens his eyes and they have once again taken on that gleam that show he is looking for magical auras. He keeps the tune playing a little longer as he looks at Elthana and the Hag.
The skull sports the burnt and cracked remnants of the Hags antler like branches upon its head, and a few sharpened teeth, apart from being a little more angular and fiendish, Sam finds it to be a regular skull and a fine trophy.
Muir hears Gewyn and then watches him begin messing with the runes. He calls out to the rest "Is there no clue amongst the hag to work the portal? No belongings?" Muir frustrated by it all continues to watch Gewyn
Even before Elthana realizes what she has found Gewyn is asking about the gem and she looks up at him, eyebrow cocked. "How did you know I found a gem? Yeah, it is heart shaped sort of and kind of warm to the touch, here." and she hands it over to him.
"The rest are strange items, this disgusting bag made of flesh, this black leather apron that appears to be perpetually dripping blood and this crystal ball. Any of these items make any sense to anyone?" She places them on the ground for others to come check them out.
She looks for the note Sam drops to look at it more closely, but can't seem to find it. So she grabs the sticky bag to check it out.
Vin watches as the hag finally falls. His heart pounding from the adrenaline and fear he's barely been holding back. He's literally shaking from the experience despite pushing himself through it. He was terrified. It's not until she can no longer hold herself together and dies at the combined blows of Vin and his friends that he finally can feel any sense of tension leave his body. As she dies and whatever spell is pushing forth the dark magic she was conjuring the portal seems to fall back, the mote of green light flares up and pushes back against the tide of infernal energy showing all hope isn't lost. Vin might be imagining it, but the green seems even bigger then when he woke up here. Their cage of twisted and dying tree limbs melts away freeing them and revealing the outside. A barrier of some kind and as this new sight comes to light Gewyn calls Muir over to help with the ruins. Vin can't read sylvan so it's up to them to figure out how to fix it but the young man looks to Nef who comes up beside him worried. Vin seems reassured as he holds her in a hug. There was hope. The green light was proof.
The black hound licks his wounds with care as Vin pets the hound. The pair don't seem interested in loot. Although, Vin's eyes linger on Gara. Dead. Vin doesn't understand why he couldn't survive but he wasn't awake either... a failure of his. He rang the bell... it probably forced Sam and Nef's hand. Vin was guessing they must of been further controlled then the others. For some reason giving them a command they just weren't able to resist as undoubtedly Rynwell turned them into souless. He was sure his friends tried to tell them to leave or lay down or something to stop them though. They wouldn't just kill them without a word. Vin holds Nef close to hide a few tears from the others. He was so dumb to ring that bell. Nef dutifully stands next to him and gives him a moment.
This gives the others time to loot the bodies after which, Vin goes over to gather up the broken pieces of the broom that Rynwell used to fly. Nef following but glancing at Vin worried. At this time Sam mentions the charm fruit and Vin looks over interested. He might of been a failure here and did little more then caused trouble but he can still save those kids with any luck. "Ogden Kurutz... no. Not familiar but might be a lead to help the soulless. We know those fruits were behind part of this at least. Although, I'm hopeful with Rynwell slain that whatever magic she used to put them in that state is broken and they are freed from it." As Sam drops the note Vin picks it up and looks at it himself before joining Muir who asks if there is any clues. "Muir, this seems to be the place the ritual is done but I doubt she kept much for notes here beyond what was on her or the others. She probably has a place she sleeps that is also where she keeps notes and other things. Probably close by." He turns to Nef and asks "Think you can find it Nef? I'm not sure how much the smell of fruits and sulfer is messing with your sense of smell right now."
As Elthana mentions a heart shaped gem Vin looks over curious and asks "Wait, heart shaped? Like this?" He pulls at a necklace chain around his neck and pulls out a pendant that looks like a pair of hands holding a ruby that is shaped similarly to a heart. The entire design giving the sense like they are holding it for protection.
as sam drops the note and rushes past Vin to pick up his skull trophy, Vin goes to pick up the note, but where he saw it fall before sam rushed past it is now missing, in fact it is nowhere to be found at all...
With no more immediate dangers, on not feeling trapped by the trees anymore, Sam begins to feel a bit more relaxed... And oddly more powerful. Still, they all have wounds to lick, even if they are a bit more civilized than Neferox and refrain from licking themselves in front of others...
"Time for a rest," he announces generally. Sam gathers up the piles of stuff and brings it towards the southern wall, about 15 feet from the entryway. There same will sit with his back against the wall and study the stuff to the best of his ability while generally, mostly, just relaxing.
Barring finding out anything is superior (or magical) quality, Sam is looking to:
Pack up the Half Plate. It's not as fancy as his Mithril Splint but that was taken from the WFM...
Strap on the Long Sword if nobody else wants it. He loves his maul but a back up is always handy.
Long Bow, Quivers and Armor - I think I lent Sam's to Elthana? She can have whichever are better but ranged weapon is handy to have.
Sam will fiddle around with the ring... But he doesn't put it on. Rings can be tricky in more ways than one. He'll be cautious for now.
Sam has little to no interest in the hunting jacket or gardening gloves... But he will poke at and sniff the sticky stuff trying to get a clue what it is.
Sam'll leave the stuff Elthana found from the Hag for her to deal with...
* Stuff in Red is stuff Sam didn't write down on his sheet yet. All still up for grabs but at least the rest Sam is taking if nobody else does...
((And if anyone needs any of the above, speak up! Mainly I just figure I would take so as to not leave behind...))
Muir helps Gewyn with the runes and speaks for the gardening gloves. “If I ever get back to my woods, these gardening gloves will come in handy”
Gewyn looks at the gem now in his hands. Then he looks back at the other loot they had found. "From what I can tell, the ring, hunting jacket, and apron are enchanted. The bag has necromantic energies about it, and there crystal ball has some form of divination within it. This though..." He holds the gem up to the light. "There is an enchantment about it as well, but there is something more. Something alive about it. I know not why it calls to me, but I have a guess."
Gewyn turns away from the runes on the wall, continuing to turn the gem in his hands. "We've come this far together, and I don't see any reason to hold anything back from you, but I would obviously ask you to swear you'll not reveal anything of this to another soul. During our fight, I used the mirror to find Rynwell in the ethereal plane. But while I was there, I touched upon something. A source of power calling out to me through the portal. It revealed something to me, and changed me in the process. Or perhaps it made me closer to what I am supposed to be."
He takes a step forward... and vanishes like smoke in the wind. Mist coalesces by the edge of the portal and forms into Gewyn's shape, looking more otherworldly and fae than ever, with all of his recent scars and wounds on full display. "I saw a vision. Mireah came to our world long ago and with a mortal bore a son. The child was like me. I believe I may be a direct descendant of Mireah, daughter of the spring. And that..." He looks at the gem again, "would make Rynwell family. Whatever this contains, I suspect my bloodline is related to why it was calling to me just now."
Remembering himself, he turns back away from the portal. His scars once again crawl back under his reddening skin, and the bones in his face shift. His horns sprout anew, granting him once more his old appearance of Gewyn the Melodic. "And that is why I feel it is my responsibility right now to repair this portal and save any fae who remain in this world." He returns to the runes on the wall. Then he stops and turns to Vin. "Wait, did you say you have one like it?"
The group gathers loot while Vin checks the bodies of the fallen. He knows they are gone. There isn't any bringing them back. What he is doing has nothing to do with reviving them as he doesn't have that power. Instead he kneels before each of them, one after the other starting with Gara. He just sits there quietly with eyes closed as he mentally says something that seems quite mournful. A clear apology to Gara and the other unknown victim. As he does that Nef seems to say something as Vin looks at his own body and seems surprised. He seems to be examining the knife wound which has left quite a scar. After poking it a bit he seems satisfied and then heads over to the others with the gathered loot.
Sam piles the gear vin asks "Anything that might help Elthana?" When the jacket shows up Vin's eyes light up seeing it. Vin points to it asking "Can... I see that jacket?" Vin examines it and nods in confirmation. "I saw one just like it I was saving up for in Marblestead. He must be from... he must of been one of the other adventurers the Cavalcade sent? Did he have any messages on him too?" Vin checks the pockets of the jacket just in case. Finding a note or not in the pockets Vin will ask "Is it alright if I take this? Also, I can identify a couple magic items if we need but it might be best to save my magic for getting back out or... this..." he gestures to the portal.
After motioning to the portal the young man seems to look to Nef who is already laying down and just being generally alert. She seems quite tired. Vin goes over to Gewyn and Muir and says "Nef says they can't understand the runes but they should function to stabilize the portal once it's clear of infernal energy. Is there anything I can do to help or should we just wait for the clerics to show up and maybe they can remove the infernal influence?"
just before Vin shows his amulet, Gewyn reveals bits of his past he's been learning. Vin listens with clear attention. Once done Vin says " When he asks about Vin's gem he pulls out the pendant he has and shows it to him. "I don't know if it's the same kind of gem, as mine is worked into a pendant, but it's heart shaped and helps to keep me alive. I don't know where Nef got it. They just gave it to me one day and told me it's mine." Vin holds it out for Gewyn to compare the two gems.
Quite different to Vin's amulet, Gewyn's gem is smooth and flat on one side the edges sharp and as of it fits into something, the colours are different too, the red in vin's amulet is deep and strong, a vibrant unmistakable red, byt Gewyn's is a subtler rise colour with undertones tinted like golden honey, it is warm to the touch.
Drawing from what Gewyn pointed out, Vin makes mental note of which items he wants to get identified, from the list of magic items;
Magic ring, magic hunting coat, magic apron, magic crystal ball, magic heart shaped gem, and a non magic pouch of sticky stuff that reeks of necrotic energy.
Oddly Gewyn does not point out the Flesh bag that Elthana holds, as magical.
Sam can’t seem to find the note any longer but tells Vin what he remembers of it.
Sam listens to the bit about bloodlines but, respectfully?, shrugs. “Seems you go back far enough and everyone is related to everyone. Descendants of royalty. Ain’t never heard one of those psychic types tell someone they come from an unbroken line of nobodies…”
“I think it’s still early yet,” Sam says after a bit. “Still and all, maybe we camp here for now? We all need a rest, eh? I’d hate to press our way home and have more of those spiders (Sam shivers as he says it) get the jump on us…” Sam looks around, checking above and the corners, worried about them now that he’s brought them up…
Elthana listens to Gewyn as he unveils what he knows. She doesn't say anything but gives him her undivided attention.
As they start talking about the magic items, "Why don't we just bring them back to the group, there might be others that can help identify as well and we might need Vin's spells to get us out of here. And yes.. a rest, please."
And unless anyone objects, she finds as comfortable a spot as possible to try and rest in this new accursed body of hers.
"Yes, when we are out of danger will be soon enough," Sam agrees about the items. "Until then, store them securely so they don't get lost." As such, Sam will put the ring on his finger, if it fits, and note that and the rest of the items on his character sheet... err, out them in his backpack. (Someone else note the Rynwell stuff? I actually not been tracking that.)
"For now... We rest. We're all exhausted. Pair up, we need to keep an eye on the entrance as well as the portal. Just in case..."
That said, Sam checks his Bag of Tricks to see if the warm, fuzzy balls have returned or not. If so, Sam pulls two out and tosses them out to see what they become...
If available, a Giant Boar emerges from the first of the fuzzy balls, snorting and stretching and generally being boarish. Next us the familiar companion Órga the Lion! If it's not yet down out in the world that can see the sky, or if the balls have not replenished for some other reason, Sam frowns but keeps his worries to himself...
As Vin and Neferox take the first watch, everyone else is able to settle in, either laying in amongst the smelly 'charm' fruit or using the open space near the portal to bed down and get some sleep, the runes, the portal and identifying items are all left until rest has been completed.
During the first watch Vin seems to be succumbing a little to his exhaustion, the only thing stopping him from falling asleep outright is Neferox who remains on guard and alert, luckily nothing of import happens, the portal, though still corrupted and unstable does not progress any further, the ritual having been stopped and whatever Gewyn's actions in the ethereal plane having stabilised the small mote of green light in the middle.
During the second watch Vin is pleased to be able to let himself slip into a more comfortable state of unconsciousness, as he nestles himself in Neferox's warm fur. Sam and Gewyn take over monitoring the situation and keeping an eye out. Summoning fuzzy balls from his bag of tricks, Sam calls forth the familiar Órga the lion, and a new beast, a giant boar, black haired, pot bellied and with large brutal looking tusks... The boar sniffs around Sam and then lays down lazily. Gewyn takes this chance to fiddle around a little with the heart shaped gem he claimed from Rynwell's corpse. During a moment of investigation Gewyn seems to push the heart shaped gem into a slot in the back of his hand mirror, once it is attached he looks into the mirror and disappears completely, mirror and all...