Eremoz relays what he knows about the painting to the group. He pulls out his leather bal and begins fidgeting with it. “We should get Ready to depart the train.”
Drexon listens to Eremos as he details what he knows.
”I think we need to decide what we are going to do. The creature sacrificed itself to warn us about this The-Could-Have-Been-King“, he says with a frown.
“Could the Bast Trench relate to the Gate of Divinity? Could it be where the other Gods and The-Could-Have-Been-King were trapped?“, he postulates.
”I have a very bad feeling about whatever it is that Sego wants to do at Bast Trench. If it is a prison, then breaking that amber wall, or trying to harness it’s power, will leave this world exposed to the forces from my vision”.
He looks at the box they were charged with transporting. “We have been asked to intercept something by a creature I am sure was trying to do the right thing. But the creature didn’t go for our box. Maybe ours is a decoy. And why do they need such a tiny piece back at the Trench when there is apparently a wall of it! Could it be some sort of key? Sego did say they were researching the fragment in the box for a way to open a path through the wall”, he keeps talking, just saying the thoughts he was having.
He turns to the others and shrugs. “I don’t like it”.
Another piece of imagery from his vision is the Red Sun and the White Sun. He looks out the window to see the current state of the sun.
Currently, as you are nearing Erdelun Station, the sun is setting. The sky turns a deep maroon before fading to the darkest black. Oceans of stars start to appear, scattered across the night sky. It is common knowledge, however, that Niskala, the sun of Sabitah, has different color phases throughout the day. At dawn, the sun is as red as blood, lightening in color as the sun reaches its peak and turns white. Niskala begins to darken again in the afternoon, turning more orange at dusk. In your vision, the sun is stark blood red at its peak.
Cob is caught speechless for a moment when Hyrsam actually appears and talks to him. He really hadn't expected that.
"Thank you, Prince Hyrsam," Cob says quickly. "Do you know if there are powerful beings trapped behind some sort of wall in Bast Trench? I'm all for protecting Pancorona from the outsiders but if this power unleashes destruction across the whole world, Pancorona would be in danger too."
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
{{Might be a fair bit late but i will try my luck at a history check. Sorry again for not letting you all know about my absence}}
History: 26
{{As soon as i want to roll a check karm would be good at i get the low numbers. smh}}
The creature is gone but we should keep our guard up. You call it sacrifice, i call it translocative invocation. But in no way do i want to play down what you did, that was wild.
"Here's the thing, sonny," Hyrsam says to Cob. His demeanor turns grim and his posture immediately straightens. This is the first time you have heard him completely sober and serious. "This is the last time you will be seeing me for a long time. When you will see me next, I will not be the same. So, I will be frank. Bast Trench is but a step. What lies within can be dangerous, that's true, but that's not the only thing in there. As I said before, Bast Trench is the key to great change not just for Pancarona, but also for the rest of the world. Your part in it is to keep on keeping on through whatever obstacles that are thrown on your path. Everything will make sense in the end."
You feel your vision becomes hazy and snaps back to clarity. The cabin is once again filled with your companion and Hyrsam is nowhere to be seen. As you move, you feel your backpack becomes a little bit heavier. You look and find a small book. Its cover is green and purple, decorated with pictures of landscapes you have only ever imagined. When you try to open it, it remains locked.
"That's for later, sonny," Hyrsam's voice whispers to your ear, fading with a brief burst of fragrant air.
{{Karm, you know what Eremoz knows, but as you have expertise in history,}} you know that the picture is a depiction of the last day of the Battle of Montecarexpat, especially on the Vorgeris theater of war. On that day, The-Could-Have-Been-King was sealed away by the Braveheart and it was assumed that the army of Meanwhiles that came with him was also sealed away as they all disappeared from the face of Sabitah. You know that The-Could-Have-Been-King was sealed away in a place called the Mirrormere, while the army of Meanwhiles was trapped behind something called the Eye of Harmony. Whether the Mirrormere or the Eye of Harmony are connected to Bast Trench or not, you have no idea. You do know that Bast Trench has appeared on record since the Second Age, so perhaps there is a slim possibility that it can be connected.
"Anyone else see that?" he asks the others. But when he realizes they didn't he covers up his question with a laugh. 'Daydreaming I guess."
He does look at the book that has appeared in his pack, turning it over and running his hands over the cover.
"This is a joke, isn't it?" he whispers to himself. "He knows I don't like to read."
Cob slips the books back into his pack with a sigh then looks around at the others. He pulls out the silver needle from this pocket and places it on the table in front of everyone.
"Just wanted to give it a look in case it would help us if we were attacked again. But it's not something I can use. Bit like a wand to channel whatever power that dwarf had."
Cob takes a deep breath and then continues.
"Well, I don't know what we're going to find at Bast Trench and whatever it is it doesn't sound good. But, I'm still going. So what next? Get to the station, grab a few supplies and find some transportation?"
“Translocative invocation?”, Drexon repeats to Karm. “You don’t think the creature died then?”, he asks. “It would be good to think it did not”.
He looks over at Cob, giving a shrug and shake if his head as he asks if they had seen something.
“Oh, I very much intend to go to Bast Trench, but whether or not I would advise handing over the box is another story. The search for power is littered with bad decisions, and this whole deal sounds a lot like it’s about power”.
After doing praying over the body and consoling the other stewardess, Dvark returns to the cabin.
Shouldering through the door Dvark hears Drexons last statement.
"The amount of power at play within that small amount of the stuff in the box is huge." dropping into the chair across from Drexon he glowers and continues "I agree with Drex. There is something to be said with not returning the box, though bast trench seems like the place to be. I think we need to have some conversations about the next steps for this little box after we reach our destination. We were told they wanted to break the wall so we will have to look into what that could cause before we drop the box at their feet."
"Our benefactor seemed to know that a similar situation led to war in the past and that this box was causing issues in the city. You would think they would want to avoid further issues, but I don't know much about them or their goals."
Drexon points at Karm, “That!”, he says sitting up straighter.
”I got the same vibe. In fact, I got an image of two Sego’s. One with blue hair and one with green, both standing in front of a crystal amber wall”, he explains.
”I tend to think I have good instincts about people, and I don’t trust her one bit”.
"Fate will reveal why we were chosen in due time. As for food I'm sure the kitchen owes atleast Drexon a to go box after his brilliant handling of the spectre." Dvark says with a chuckle
"Now arriving at Erdelun Station," a voice echoes through the carriage.
You see out of the window in your cabin and see that the rolling hills of Northern Vortes have mellowed a little, replaced by verdant plains and the grey wall of the city of Erdelun. You can see a hint of the coast to the north if you squint your eyes a bit.
Before you can press the button for service, you find Bastian just about to knock on the cabin door.
"Ah, sirs, we are arriving at Erdelun Station in less than five minutes," Bastian says. "Gustav would like to see you if that is alright? He is giving away his famous soup to go for all the passengers on the way out."
He takes you to the dining carriage where Gustav has set up a row of three bottles on the counter. Each bottle is filled with cream soup. You can see some chicken and vegetables swirling inside. The content of the bottle is moving ever so slightly as if it is being stirred perpetually. Those of you who are magically adept can see a basic magical seal placed on most store-bought food to extend shelf-life on the bottle cap.
"Here, take this for your journey to wherever you are going next," Gustav says. "It is a family recipe that will be good until next week if it remains in the bottle. Just reheat it and it's good to eat. A bottle can feed six, so you will be fine. I can't quite give you a full travel ration to compensate for the event on the train -- station policy doesn't allow it -- but this is the least I can do."
{{If one of you would like to add a custom item or a note on their inventory for Gustav's Mystery Soup, please do so. The group gets one bottle.}}
{{If there is nothing else that you want to request or ask, the train has arrived at Erdelun.}}
You exit the station without much fanfare and are faced with the sight of the towering wall and gate to the city of Erdelun. It is not quite as big a city as Vortesso, but it makes up for the difference with its high wall that reached 20 to 30 feet in height and the two superstructures that can be seen dwarfing the high wall. One of the superstructures has a broken windmill at the very top, and after consulting with the map you have been given, you can surmise that this is the Queen's Mills. Another superstructure is located slightly to the southern side of the city, still under construction with its dome-like structure missing its top. From the information given by Gustav, you can guess that this is probably the newly constructed theater.
Outside the gate of the city, surrounding the Erdelun Station is a place called Ravenhills on the map you have been given. You find all manners of people milling around the area, most of them sitting or standing around a kiosk that sells souvenirs and a few other odds and ends.
{{What do you want to do? Are you going to the inn? Or are you walking around the city wall to get to the Northern Trench Pass and camp out?}}
I personally am no fan of staying in the city if we dont have to, says karm while streching back and shoulders after disembarking the train Do we even know how long it will take us to reach bast trench?
Drexon surveys the large wall around the city. “Sego said a day by foot or carriage. Odd that the time is the same, but in our favour I think, because it means we don’t necessarily need the carriage”.
”So, other than a couple have mentioned their desire not to go into the city and give up their weaponry and magic, it would also be more discreet to circumvent the city and head out on foot. Those of us able to hunt can then do that as well”, he says referencing Eremoz’s idea.
”I have no great preference myself, but am happy to draw cards for it if we cannot decide”, he says with a grin whilst getting his deck of cards out.
Eremoz relays what he knows about the painting to the group. He pulls out his leather bal and begins fidgeting with it. “We should get Ready to depart the train.”
Drexon listens to Eremos as he details what he knows.
”I think we need to decide what we are going to do. The creature sacrificed itself to warn us about this The-Could-Have-Been-King“, he says with a frown.
“Could the Bast Trench relate to the Gate of Divinity? Could it be where the other Gods and The-Could-Have-Been-King were trapped?“, he postulates.
”I have a very bad feeling about whatever it is that Sego wants to do at Bast Trench. If it is a prison, then breaking that amber wall, or trying to harness it’s power, will leave this world exposed to the forces from my vision”.
He looks at the box they were charged with transporting. “We have been asked to intercept something by a creature I am sure was trying to do the right thing. But the creature didn’t go for our box. Maybe ours is a decoy. And why do they need such a tiny piece back at the Trench when there is apparently a wall of it! Could it be some sort of key? Sego did say they were researching the fragment in the box for a way to open a path through the wall”, he keeps talking, just saying the thoughts he was having.
He turns to the others and shrugs. “I don’t like it”.
Another piece of imagery from his vision is the Red Sun and the White Sun. He looks out the window to see the current state of the sun.
Currently, as you are nearing Erdelun Station, the sun is setting. The sky turns a deep maroon before fading to the darkest black. Oceans of stars start to appear, scattered across the night sky. It is common knowledge, however, that Niskala, the sun of Sabitah, has different color phases throughout the day. At dawn, the sun is as red as blood, lightening in color as the sun reaches its peak and turns white. Niskala begins to darken again in the afternoon, turning more orange at dusk. In your vision, the sun is stark blood red at its peak.
Cob is caught speechless for a moment when Hyrsam actually appears and talks to him. He really hadn't expected that.
"Thank you, Prince Hyrsam," Cob says quickly. "Do you know if there are powerful beings trapped behind some sort of wall in Bast Trench? I'm all for protecting Pancorona from the outsiders but if this power unleashes destruction across the whole world, Pancorona would be in danger too."
{{Might be a fair bit late but i will try my luck at a history check. Sorry again for not letting you all know about my absence}}
History: 26
{{As soon as i want to roll a check karm would be good at i get the low numbers. smh}}
The creature is gone but we should keep our guard up. You call it sacrifice, i call it translocative invocation.
But in no way do i want to play down what you did, that was wild.
Olloray Dim - Limbo's Pit
Gunther Korroden - Nightmares in the Mist
"Here's the thing, sonny," Hyrsam says to Cob. His demeanor turns grim and his posture immediately straightens. This is the first time you have heard him completely sober and serious. "This is the last time you will be seeing me for a long time. When you will see me next, I will not be the same. So, I will be frank. Bast Trench is but a step. What lies within can be dangerous, that's true, but that's not the only thing in there. As I said before, Bast Trench is the key to great change not just for Pancarona, but also for the rest of the world. Your part in it is to keep on keeping on through whatever obstacles that are thrown on your path. Everything will make sense in the end."
You feel your vision becomes hazy and snaps back to clarity. The cabin is once again filled with your companion and Hyrsam is nowhere to be seen. As you move, you feel your backpack becomes a little bit heavier. You look and find a small book. Its cover is green and purple, decorated with pictures of landscapes you have only ever imagined. When you try to open it, it remains locked.
"That's for later, sonny," Hyrsam's voice whispers to your ear, fading with a brief burst of fragrant air.
{{Karm, you know what Eremoz knows, but as you have expertise in history,}} you know that the picture is a depiction of the last day of the Battle of Montecarexpat, especially on the Vorgeris theater of war. On that day, The-Could-Have-Been-King was sealed away by the Braveheart and it was assumed that the army of Meanwhiles that came with him was also sealed away as they all disappeared from the face of Sabitah. You know that The-Could-Have-Been-King was sealed away in a place called the Mirrormere, while the army of Meanwhiles was trapped behind something called the Eye of Harmony. Whether the Mirrormere or the Eye of Harmony are connected to Bast Trench or not, you have no idea. You do know that Bast Trench has appeared on record since the Second Age, so perhaps there is a slim possibility that it can be connected.
Cob looks around once his vision clears.
"Anyone else see that?" he asks the others. But when he realizes they didn't he covers up his question with a laugh. 'Daydreaming I guess."
He does look at the book that has appeared in his pack, turning it over and running his hands over the cover.
"This is a joke, isn't it?" he whispers to himself. "He knows I don't like to read."
Cob slips the books back into his pack with a sigh then looks around at the others. He pulls out the silver needle from this pocket and places it on the table in front of everyone.
"Just wanted to give it a look in case it would help us if we were attacked again. But it's not something I can use. Bit like a wand to channel whatever power that dwarf had."
Cob takes a deep breath and then continues.
"Well, I don't know what we're going to find at Bast Trench and whatever it is it doesn't sound good. But, I'm still going. So what next? Get to the station, grab a few supplies and find some transportation?"
“Translocative invocation?”, Drexon repeats to Karm. “You don’t think the creature died then?”, he asks. “It would be good to think it did not”.
He looks over at Cob, giving a shrug and shake if his head as he asks if they had seen something.
“Oh, I very much intend to go to Bast Trench, but whether or not I would advise handing over the box is another story. The search for power is littered with bad decisions, and this whole deal sounds a lot like it’s about power”.
After doing praying over the body and consoling the other stewardess, Dvark returns to the cabin.
Shouldering through the door Dvark hears Drexons last statement.
"The amount of power at play within that small amount of the stuff in the box is huge." dropping into the chair across from Drexon he glowers and continues "I agree with Drex. There is something to be said with not returning the box, though bast trench seems like the place to be. I think we need to have some conversations about the next steps for this little box after we reach our destination. We were told they wanted to break the wall so we will have to look into what that could cause before we drop the box at their feet."
"Our benefactor seemed to know that a similar situation led to war in the past and that this box was causing issues in the city. You would think they would want to avoid further issues, but I don't know much about them or their goals."
Also some of you might have caught it but Sego was not who we thought she was. I could catch a glimpse of blue through the illusion that masked her
Olloray Dim - Limbo's Pit
Gunther Korroden - Nightmares in the Mist
Drexon points at Karm, “That!”, he says sitting up straighter.
”I got the same vibe. In fact, I got an image of two Sego’s. One with blue hair and one with green, both standing in front of a crystal amber wall”, he explains.
”I tend to think I have good instincts about people, and I don’t trust her one bit”.
Cob settles back into one of the chairs in their cabin, resting until they get to the station, his mind still wondering about the book in his pack.
"Still wondering why us?" Cob asks. "I guess we got this far so she had that part right, but are we the only group to interact with these creatures?"
He nods his head a couple of times then continues.
"Well, we've no more answers here. We might as well just keep going and see what we see."
Then he thinks about the need for food for the journey.
"Wonder if the kitchen on the train could just pack us a few things? We could skip the market if they could."
"Fate will reveal why we were chosen in due time. As for food I'm sure the kitchen owes atleast Drexon a to go box after his brilliant handling of the spectre." Dvark says with a chuckle
"We could always try hunting along the way, if needed." Eremoz presses the button for service.
"Now arriving at Erdelun Station," a voice echoes through the carriage.
You see out of the window in your cabin and see that the rolling hills of Northern Vortes have mellowed a little, replaced by verdant plains and the grey wall of the city of Erdelun. You can see a hint of the coast to the north if you squint your eyes a bit.
Before you can press the button for service, you find Bastian just about to knock on the cabin door.
"Ah, sirs, we are arriving at Erdelun Station in less than five minutes," Bastian says. "Gustav would like to see you if that is alright? He is giving away his famous soup to go for all the passengers on the way out."
He takes you to the dining carriage where Gustav has set up a row of three bottles on the counter. Each bottle is filled with cream soup. You can see some chicken and vegetables swirling inside. The content of the bottle is moving ever so slightly as if it is being stirred perpetually. Those of you who are magically adept can see a basic magical seal placed on most store-bought food to extend shelf-life on the bottle cap.
"Here, take this for your journey to wherever you are going next," Gustav says. "It is a family recipe that will be good until next week if it remains in the bottle. Just reheat it and it's good to eat. A bottle can feed six, so you will be fine. I can't quite give you a full travel ration to compensate for the event on the train -- station policy doesn't allow it -- but this is the least I can do."
{{If one of you would like to add a custom item or a note on their inventory for Gustav's Mystery Soup, please do so. The group gets one bottle.}}
{{If there is nothing else that you want to request or ask, the train has arrived at Erdelun.}}
You exit the station without much fanfare and are faced with the sight of the towering wall and gate to the city of Erdelun. It is not quite as big a city as Vortesso, but it makes up for the difference with its high wall that reached 20 to 30 feet in height and the two superstructures that can be seen dwarfing the high wall. One of the superstructures has a broken windmill at the very top, and after consulting with the map you have been given, you can surmise that this is the Queen's Mills. Another superstructure is located slightly to the southern side of the city, still under construction with its dome-like structure missing its top. From the information given by Gustav, you can guess that this is probably the newly constructed theater.
Outside the gate of the city, surrounding the Erdelun Station is a place called Ravenhills on the map you have been given. You find all manners of people milling around the area, most of them sitting or standing around a kiosk that sells souvenirs and a few other odds and ends.
{{What do you want to do? Are you going to the inn? Or are you walking around the city wall to get to the Northern Trench Pass and camp out?}}
I personally am no fan of staying in the city if we dont have to, says karm while streching back and shoulders after disembarking the train
Do we even know how long it will take us to reach bast trench?
Olloray Dim - Limbo's Pit
Gunther Korroden - Nightmares in the Mist
Drexon surveys the large wall around the city. “Sego said a day by foot or carriage. Odd that the time is the same, but in our favour I think, because it means we don’t necessarily need the carriage”.
”So, other than a couple have mentioned their desire not to go into the city and give up their weaponry and magic, it would also be more discreet to circumvent the city and head out on foot. Those of us able to hunt can then do that as well”, he says referencing Eremoz’s idea.
”I have no great preference myself, but am happy to draw cards for it if we cannot decide”, he says with a grin whilst getting his deck of cards out.
{{As a reminder, 'a day by foot or carriage' means around 8 hours of travel time. Just keep that in mind.}}