"I understand you wanting to carry on and see this through," Sam tells Griff. "I just don't want you to feel you must for us. You have done more than we could have expected already..." Plus, hey, Sam is happy to unload the burden of Griff being here for them if something happens to him. Why have more on your conscience than need be!
"Err, flesh nipples?" Sam asks, perplexed. "Do your kind have some other kind... err, no. No. Nevermind. I do not even want to think on it..."
Seeing Vin, and Neferox, approach Sam raises a hand in welcome. "Potions? Really? I had looked but I couldn't find a place at all that looked like it might have..." Sam says. Sam takes the two potions offered him graciously and smiles a muttered "Thanks," to Vin as he inspects the vials.
"Griff is one of us while he is with us," Sam says to Vin with a bit of a look. "I think maybe Griff should have one of these two you gave me, if you don't mind. One for all and all, eh?" And assuming Vin doesn't object, Sam offers Griff his selection of the two potions. Sam figures, if these act how he thinks they act, both could be useful for dealing with the lightning and while the potions will definitely help there'll still be a lot of luck involved...
"I did say I'd found a potion shop, you mustn't have heard me", Vin replies to Sam when he is surprised there was a shop.
When Sam mentions Griff is one of them, he looks sheepish, feeling a little embarrassed. Until he has an epiphany.
"You know, with all the haggling I forgot, I did get us all a potion", he says pulling out another vial. "This one will lengthen your stride, as it were. Make each step go further. I am not sure it will work whilst you are flying Griff, but it will work for you Sam for sure. The other one will make you much faster, but it won't last long, and if you are left in the lightning field when it runs out, that would be really bad".
Griff looks closely at the selection offered and picks up Sam's lightning resistance, "my armour was helping me with reducing the damage from lightning including my own spells, but since it was being left on Gojiin this is... Being useful to me yes."
The mention of Griff's comfort around lightning by vin and Griff's armour mentioned of his own volition, makes Serafina raise a brow, beginning to put things together, but she says nothing of it yet. "Come, if you're done shopping we should move, so we can make camp and rest before we cross the lightning fields... where did Muir and Elthana go?" She asks looking around.
"that's a clerical building, those devout offer help to those who need it, they'll find no harm in there but we should collect them and leave" Serafina says marching on over to the door and opening it gently.
Inside the building, at the ring of the bell in the child's hand another door opens and in comes a kobold cleric clad in plain black robes, they offer a greeting and ask something of Muir and Elthana, but it is in draconic, the small girl looks over to Elthana and Muir and smiles having been helpful, just as the front door opens and Serafina pokes her head in. "Are you ready to leave? Vin has procured potions to help us pass through the lightning fields."
(Potions of Longstriding and Speed added to Sam...)
"Thank you, Vin. I was a bit distracted with this ring Hog sent to me a bit back, I must have missed your call. Perhaps I'll have time to check it out myself after we've secure this load stone," Sam says as he stows the vials.
When Elthana and Muir are mentioned Sam does indeed look around curiously. When Neferox sniffs them out Sam has already picked up his gear and is ready to move. "What would a druid be doing in a cleric building?" Sam asks, confused. "Probably asking questions, eh? Elthana is probably already trying to drag him out..."
As the door is opened and Serafina pokes her head in Sam waits outside but does try to peek in. "That them? We ready to go?"
Vin smiles in response to Sam's thanks, glad it all worked out.
"Yeah, Muir being Muir...hm", he replies, as it dawns on him that he knew what Muir was like. Perhaps his memory of the loxodon was returning after all.
He and Neferox then wait a short distance from the door with the Raven Queen symbol, not wanting to block the other's path as they exit. They are ready to leave as soon as their companions have gathered.
The others walk in to Muir standing there just as they would expect with Elthana next to him. They hear him say "Granngord I presume? My name is Muir and this is Elthana." Hearing Serafina he turns and nods to her before continuing with who he presumes is Granngord "It seems we are being summoned. I thought to stop in to see if this was a place for a weary traveler, or perhaps a repository of history?"
The cleric Granngord gives a weak smile and looks pleadingly to Serafina and Elthana, before Serafina says something to Granngord, in auran and the cleric nods making a blessing gesture with his hands he begins to return Kiara to her bed and then get back to his own. "Come Muir, this may be a good place for such things but maybe mark it on your list of places to visit after your home is saved yes?"
"Nothing to get your trunk stuffed about, she promises time to camp before before the crossing," Sam assures. "Just what were your hoping to get from the Raven Queen anyway?"
As Sam and Muir speak, Vin watches the doorway with the Raven Queen symbol. Wondering if there was something for him to learn inside as well. Some knowledge of why he keeps seeing Dec.
"Don't worry, Muir. I would like to come back here once we are done as well", he says distractedly.
With a place to return to noted in the minds of he group, potions and bucket hats acquired, the group set off descending through the streets of this ancient cracked city and down towards the canter of the shattering.
Outside of the city there is a sheer drop of a cliff face which appears to be completely covered in moss fields, the isle becomes more broken and in smaller pieces further on. Serafina and Griff don't hesitate when they reach the edge of the cliff, easily stepping off the edge and adjusting their gravity to walk down the face of it.
Taking their time the group manage to do the same with varying degrees of success and you begin to walk through the fields, a cloud of land dust and lightning coming into view in the distance, maybe a few hours walk ahead of you.
In these fields you see streams of water running up the cliffs with the winds which are blowing directly in your faces, the mixture of wind and moisture beginning to soak through your clothes and chill your bones. Ahead there are several hafgufa blobs tied to posts in the fields, their gravity facing their tentacles down to ward the big down, as you pass these sideways beasts you see that their undersides are being used like massive bags, capturing the vapor in the vapour streams and allowing the farmers to control how much water is given to what parts of the fields. The hafgufa seem fine with this and you spot one farmer tossing raw meat into the tentacles at one point.
"The spores within the hafgufa provide nutrients to the growth" Serafina explains, "they don't breathe but they do drink, so they are quite comfortable collecting water like this"
Fter another couple of hours the ground beneath you becomes rocky, you're beginning to close in on the center of shattering, hopping over from one shard to another slightly closer serafina takes you into one of the cracks, with your gravity adjusted to the big down and you are shielded from the wind, she gestures around the place as a good spot to camp for a while.
Vin makes the trek mostly in silence, with Neferox by his side, the hound helping him along whenever necessary. He stops briefly to watch the hafgufa, nodding along as Serafina explains their purpose and that they are content.
When they finally enter the crack where they are shielding from the wind, and Serafina suggests they make camp, he and Neferox slump to the floor.
"Finally", he says as he labours a little for breath. "That was a quite a hike".
"How long will it take to get to the lightning field from here? And how far beyond that is Lumithor?", he asks Serafina curiously.
"The lightning fields aren't far, and Lumithor's corpse is in the cave just beyond the fields. Along with the gate his spirit still protects..." As serafina answers there is a flash of light which briefly illuminated the back wall, signalling just how close the group is. "I understand that there is a time difference effecting your bodies, how long will it be until you are fully rested, do you know?"
"How does the water decide which way to flow?" Sam wonders idly. "Perhaps the fishes decide?"
As they hike along Sam takes in the sites and makes a comment here and there but nothing all that important. "That looks kind of like Jaycen's Rock back home, eh?" or "I suppose they'd have to lock their windows back home if burglars could just change their gravity like this, eh?" But mostly Sam is on the quiet side, his hand slipping to his rust colored bag quite often... He is tempted to pull out a ball of fur from it but continues to make himself hold out until the difficult traveling is done.
As camp is made, after a fashion, Sam is more than happy to find a bit of wall to sit against and prepare to doze off. "Elthana? Any update on how long we have from the sack? You know, via the bag?" Sam asks when how long to rest comes up.
Elthana walks along with everyone, not really saying anything. She worries. She worries a lot. She also wishes she knew how to speak Auran.
When they make camp and Sam asks how long they have, she looks grim. "It's not good. Apparently they miscalculated a bit and well, we have about 60 hrs left in this time frame before it hits. And well, for a long rest, we would need 32 hours of that to not gain a level of exhaustion. I don't know if we should chance a rest to be honest with you. Maybe just forge ahead? We do have these potions now. Thanks Vin, I don't think I thanked you properly before, this is invaluable."
"your chances of survival in those fields whilst exhausted are slim" Serafina states pulling out a bedroll, "32 hours is indeed a lot for rest and I don't mean to minimise the rush you are in, but having nearly 28 hours to travel to the other side of the lightning fields and retrieve what you need... It should be more than enough, from here we are looking at maybe two hours to Lumithor's bones, depending on how many injuries we sustain."
Griff shifts uncomfortably at the suggestion, lumithor being so close, the corpse of the dragon that is said to have betrayed the entire realm.
"I understand you wanting to carry on and see this through," Sam tells Griff. "I just don't want you to feel you must for us. You have done more than we could have expected already..." Plus, hey, Sam is happy to unload the burden of Griff being here for them if something happens to him. Why have more on your conscience than need be!
"Err, flesh nipples?" Sam asks, perplexed. "Do your kind have some other kind... err, no. No. Nevermind. I do not even want to think on it..."
Seeing Vin, and Neferox, approach Sam raises a hand in welcome. "Potions? Really? I had looked but I couldn't find a place at all that looked like it might have..." Sam says. Sam takes the two potions offered him graciously and smiles a muttered "Thanks," to Vin as he inspects the vials.
"Griff is one of us while he is with us," Sam says to Vin with a bit of a look. "I think maybe Griff should have one of these two you gave me, if you don't mind. One for all and all, eh?" And assuming Vin doesn't object, Sam offers Griff his selection of the two potions. Sam figures, if these act how he thinks they act, both could be useful for dealing with the lightning and while the potions will definitely help there'll still be a lot of luck involved...
"I did say I'd found a potion shop, you mustn't have heard me", Vin replies to Sam when he is surprised there was a shop.
When Sam mentions Griff is one of them, he looks sheepish, feeling a little embarrassed. Until he has an epiphany.
"You know, with all the haggling I forgot, I did get us all a potion", he says pulling out another vial. "This one will lengthen your stride, as it were. Make each step go further. I am not sure it will work whilst you are flying Griff, but it will work for you Sam for sure. The other one will make you much faster, but it won't last long, and if you are left in the lightning field when it runs out, that would be really bad".
Griff looks closely at the selection offered and picks up Sam's lightning resistance, "my armour was helping me with reducing the damage from lightning including my own spells, but since it was being left on Gojiin this is... Being useful to me yes."
The mention of Griff's comfort around lightning by vin and Griff's armour mentioned of his own volition, makes Serafina raise a brow, beginning to put things together, but she says nothing of it yet. "Come, if you're done shopping we should move, so we can make camp and rest before we cross the lightning fields... where did Muir and Elthana go?" She asks looking around.
"In that case, you should have this one as well, Sam", Vin says passing the latest potion to the half orc after Griff makes his choice.
He looks around the market place, and shrugs. "I did not see where they went. Perhaps Neferox can sniff them out if no-one knows".
Something passes between Vin and Neferox, and the hound then starts sniffing at the air.
Without missing a beat, Neferox lopes over to a closed door, over which hangs a sign with the Raven Queen symbol on it. She looks back at Vin.
"It seems both Elthana and Muir are in there, along with a third person she doesn't recognise", he reports back to the others.
"that's a clerical building, those devout offer help to those who need it, they'll find no harm in there but we should collect them and leave" Serafina says marching on over to the door and opening it gently.
Inside the building, at the ring of the bell in the child's hand another door opens and in comes a kobold cleric clad in plain black robes, they offer a greeting and ask something of Muir and Elthana, but it is in draconic, the small girl looks over to Elthana and Muir and smiles having been helpful, just as the front door opens and Serafina pokes her head in. "Are you ready to leave? Vin has procured potions to help us pass through the lightning fields."
(Potions of Longstriding and Speed added to Sam...)
"Thank you, Vin. I was a bit distracted with this ring Hog sent to me a bit back, I must have missed your call. Perhaps I'll have time to check it out myself after we've secure this load stone," Sam says as he stows the vials.
When Elthana and Muir are mentioned Sam does indeed look around curiously. When Neferox sniffs them out Sam has already picked up his gear and is ready to move. "What would a druid be doing in a cleric building?" Sam asks, confused. "Probably asking questions, eh? Elthana is probably already trying to drag him out..."
As the door is opened and Serafina pokes her head in Sam waits outside but does try to peek in. "That them? We ready to go?"
Vin smiles in response to Sam's thanks, glad it all worked out.
"Yeah, Muir being Muir...hm", he replies, as it dawns on him that he knew what Muir was like. Perhaps his memory of the loxodon was returning after all.
He and Neferox then wait a short distance from the door with the Raven Queen symbol, not wanting to block the other's path as they exit. They are ready to leave as soon as their companions have gathered.
The others walk in to Muir standing there just as they would expect with Elthana next to him. They hear him say "Granngord I presume? My name is Muir and this is Elthana." Hearing Serafina he turns and nods to her before continuing with who he presumes is Granngord "It seems we are being summoned. I thought to stop in to see if this was a place for a weary traveler, or perhaps a repository of history?"
The cleric Granngord gives a weak smile and looks pleadingly to Serafina and Elthana, before Serafina says something to Granngord, in auran and the cleric nods making a blessing gesture with his hands he begins to return Kiara to her bed and then get back to his own. "Come Muir, this may be a good place for such things but maybe mark it on your list of places to visit after your home is saved yes?"
Muir nods “ok but we will need a rest soon before exhaustion sets in…we are closing in on being up for several days straight your time”
"Nothing to get your trunk stuffed about, she promises time to camp before before the crossing," Sam assures. "Just what were your hoping to get from the Raven Queen anyway?"
“A place to rest and some more history of what’s happened. One can never be too prepared”
As Sam and Muir speak, Vin watches the doorway with the Raven Queen symbol. Wondering if there was something for him to learn inside as well. Some knowledge of why he keeps seeing Dec.
"Don't worry, Muir. I would like to come back here once we are done as well", he says distractedly.
With a place to return to noted in the minds of he group, potions and bucket hats acquired, the group set off descending through the streets of this ancient cracked city and down towards the canter of the shattering.
Outside of the city there is a sheer drop of a cliff face which appears to be completely covered in moss fields, the isle becomes more broken and in smaller pieces further on. Serafina and Griff don't hesitate when they reach the edge of the cliff, easily stepping off the edge and adjusting their gravity to walk down the face of it.
Taking their time the group manage to do the same with varying degrees of success and you begin to walk through the fields, a cloud of land dust and lightning coming into view in the distance, maybe a few hours walk ahead of you.
In these fields you see streams of water running up the cliffs with the winds which are blowing directly in your faces, the mixture of wind and moisture beginning to soak through your clothes and chill your bones. Ahead there are several hafgufa blobs tied to posts in the fields, their gravity facing their tentacles down to ward the big down, as you pass these sideways beasts you see that their undersides are being used like massive bags, capturing the vapor in the vapour streams and allowing the farmers to control how much water is given to what parts of the fields. The hafgufa seem fine with this and you spot one farmer tossing raw meat into the tentacles at one point.
"The spores within the hafgufa provide nutrients to the growth" Serafina explains, "they don't breathe but they do drink, so they are quite comfortable collecting water like this"
Fter another couple of hours the ground beneath you becomes rocky, you're beginning to close in on the center of shattering, hopping over from one shard to another slightly closer serafina takes you into one of the cracks, with your gravity adjusted to the big down and you are shielded from the wind, she gestures around the place as a good spot to camp for a while.
Before they leave the marketplace, Vin hands Elthana and Muir a potion to protect them against lightning.
Vin makes the trek mostly in silence, with Neferox by his side, the hound helping him along whenever necessary. He stops briefly to watch the hafgufa, nodding along as Serafina explains their purpose and that they are content.
When they finally enter the crack where they are shielding from the wind, and Serafina suggests they make camp, he and Neferox slump to the floor.
"Finally", he says as he labours a little for breath. "That was a quite a hike".
"How long will it take to get to the lightning field from here? And how far beyond that is Lumithor?", he asks Serafina curiously.
"The lightning fields aren't far, and Lumithor's corpse is in the cave just beyond the fields. Along with the gate his spirit still protects..." As serafina answers there is a flash of light which briefly illuminated the back wall, signalling just how close the group is. "I understand that there is a time difference effecting your bodies, how long will it be until you are fully rested, do you know?"
"How does the water decide which way to flow?" Sam wonders idly. "Perhaps the fishes decide?"
As they hike along Sam takes in the sites and makes a comment here and there but nothing all that important. "That looks kind of like Jaycen's Rock back home, eh?" or "I suppose they'd have to lock their windows back home if burglars could just change their gravity like this, eh?" But mostly Sam is on the quiet side, his hand slipping to his rust colored bag quite often... He is tempted to pull out a ball of fur from it but continues to make himself hold out until the difficult traveling is done.
As camp is made, after a fashion, Sam is more than happy to find a bit of wall to sit against and prepare to doze off. "Elthana? Any update on how long we have from the sack? You know, via the bag?" Sam asks when how long to rest comes up.
Elthana walks along with everyone, not really saying anything. She worries. She worries a lot. She also wishes she knew how to speak Auran.
When they make camp and Sam asks how long they have, she looks grim. "It's not good. Apparently they miscalculated a bit and well, we have about 60 hrs left in this time frame before it hits. And well, for a long rest, we would need 32 hours of that to not gain a level of exhaustion. I don't know if we should chance a rest to be honest with you. Maybe just forge ahead? We do have these potions now. Thanks Vin, I don't think I thanked you properly before, this is invaluable."
"your chances of survival in those fields whilst exhausted are slim" Serafina states pulling out a bedroll, "32 hours is indeed a lot for rest and I don't mean to minimise the rush you are in, but having nearly 28 hours to travel to the other side of the lightning fields and retrieve what you need... It should be more than enough, from here we are looking at maybe two hours to Lumithor's bones, depending on how many injuries we sustain."
Griff shifts uncomfortably at the suggestion, lumithor being so close, the corpse of the dragon that is said to have betrayed the entire realm.