"Because after almost 100 years, I realised the quiet life is not for me. Never too late to chase a dream you know. I think it's wonderful you are bringing your son on this journey. Have you been adventuring with your father before, Angus?" Rosie asks the young man while looking around at the various people assembled at the tables. Once more she wonders why so many and considers that Eduan still has not answered her question regarding that particular matter. Is he hiding something?
Geraine picks up the disassociated grunt of Aju, though his gaze remains focused on on the elf. "Lisana.. Well, it will be an absolute delight to have such fantastic record-keeping accompanying us below! In your travels and studies have you by chance conducted any research on the ancient Netheril Empire? I am a bit of a historophile myself.. Well, particularly when it concerns Netheril and the followings of the Morning lord and Keeper of the Eternal Sun. If so, I would truly love to read your work sometime!"
Torwin seems very nervous and jumps a little in their seat as Bruno suddenly noticed them but the lizardfolk smiles brightly and says "O-Oh! H-hello Bruno. Hello G-g-gerard. Ummm... d-did you say Mallory is from Ca-candlekeep? I'm a sc-scribe from there t-too." Torwin seems very curious about her and tries to get a good view of her to see if he can recognize if he's work with her before. Not many were willing but he tried to be as friendly as possible despite his stutter. "Umm... you might n-n-not know m-me... I w-was... often... below...and... ummm..." The lizardfolk began to explain how they often hid in the lower parts of the keep but couldn't bring themselves to explain why and just trailed off looking embarrassed.
Everywhere he looked the plates were empty. Put in front of the seats, but empty. A more reasonable man would have thought about magic. Food appearing seemingly from nowhere after some words from Klage. The elf was going to, after all, provide them detail, instruction, about their soon to start mission. Radu, however, optimistic as always, start to consider that maybe the plates before the adventurers were reserved for their heads. All part of the ritual, he thought. The worship of fiends and dark gods was known for itsr theatrical rites, after all.
Before his imagination could bring forth thoughts of more elaborate tragedies the dragonborn talked with the blood hunter again. Can I even be considered human at this point? A question he had no time to consider, as the woman in front of him and the halfling by his side introduced themselves, she extended her hand just like Eduan did back at the kitchen.
“Nice to meet all of you.” Radu said taking her hand. This time he had not the space to offer the warrior’s greeting so he shook Emilia’s hand in a more expected way. “Amn.”He said before noticing how little that said.“Athkatla, specifically, but it’s been so long since I’ve been there that I may as well say I’m from the Glimmerwood at this point.”
"I have high hopes that such will be the case! I very much like the idea of writing a memoir." Bruno says to Fifi, looking up at the ceiling, his hand stroking his beard as though fantasizing about the nonexistent book.
Mallory seems surprised at Torwin's mention of being from Candlekeep. "Y-yes, I'm-I am a scholar there. I'm sorry, I c-can't say I've-I have seen you before. I spend most of my time in the li-most of my time r-reading." She speaks as though changing her mind about what she wants to say in the middle of her sentences. Torwin doesn't recall seeing her either.
Emilia's expression perks up at Radu's mention of Athkatla. "Oh yes! My father did some business in Athkatla to prepare for the expedition. Special equipment and such. He hired Sheska and Breda from there as well." She gestures to Klage, who is occupied in conversation with Rosie. Radu immediately notes that Emilia lacks any trace of elven heritage, despite referring to Klage as her "father". "I hear Glimmerwood is nice this time of year."
Lisana is obviously flattered by Geraine's compliments, blushing slightly as she readjusts her spectacles. "As a matter of fact, Netheril is the reason I'm here! I've made some arcanogeographical calculations, compared with historical records of magical phenomena, and put together a theory: this chasm predates the desert of Aunaroch. It was most likely created by Karsus' Folly, causing the region to sink into the chasm that we now see today. If this is the case, whatever's down there may have been saved from the fate of the rest of the Empire. I'm quite excited to find out." She adjusts her spectacles again.
"I can relate to that." Sheska says to Burn, leaning back in her chair. When asked who Angus is talking to, she sits up straight again. "Him? That's Mr. Klage. I suppose you must not have run into him earlier today." She gets up from her seat. "Everyone looks like they're getting impatient. I should tell him we're ready to eat."
Angus looks over at his father with a slightly annoyed expression on his face. "I've been on a few adventures, yes. But Father hasn't allowed me to do anything dangerous until now. I consider this my first real adventure."
Hearing this, Klage chuckles. "What do you mean I haven't allowed any danger, boy? Do you think dissecting an aboleth isn't dangerous?"
"Well, no, but you were still overseeing my every move!" Angus says defensively.
"Ah, a fair point. Well, anyway, you'll see your fair share of danger in this coming adventure. That's why I gathered such a large team! The more, the safer."
Sheska gets up from her seat at the end of the room and makes her way around the tables towards Klage.
“Emilia Klage, then.” He thought out aloud without noticing. Then, after he did, Radu didn’t care very much. It was not that hard to piece things together. Sheska and Breda worked for the organizer of the whole expedition, after all. The strangest thing was the fact that Emilia didn’t see elvish at all. Definitely not pale gray/ash blue or whatever the color her father was. Maybe he is a Drow, the Blood Hunter considered. Would explain the propriety the elf had when speaking about subterranean domains. And how he came across a fiend or dark god. Oh yeah, it’s all coming together, he thought resisting the temptation to look on the direction of the exit door. “Glimmerwood is nice only if you have good shelter, otherwise it’s as much of a ***** as any forest.”Maybe she is adopted. It would be far from the most surprising thing he saw on the last months. Or she is a slave brainwashed to take part on a ritual. “Colder than most. This time of the year or any other.”
Unconsciously, he had avoided talking about Athkatla. A side effect of some of his last memories on the place, no doubt. The start of a long walk and his personal hell. Everything seasoned with a lot of sheer bad luck.
"That is most exciting indeed - perhaps below we may even find the Forested Enclave of the Face of the Sun itself!" Geraine smiles wide in hope and aspiration and clenches his holy symbol tightly in his fist. Looking deeply into the exposed sun peeking through his palm he thinks to himself, almost as if trying to psychically communicate with Amaunator directly. "Even the darkest reaches of the abyss cannot shade the rays of the eternal sun. I shall burn as a beacon of your light on this most holy of pilgrimages."
Looking up from his holy symbol Geraine quotes:
"The seeker wakes from day to day, and sheds a light in credence of the promised time. Unyielding to the lures of forks and threads, the seeker stays the course of journey’s prime. By Keeper’s will, the seeker plots again, with ev’ry break to mark the hour sworn. To steady fast the rule from start to end is Keeper’s gift to all the living born."
He smiles warmly again, looks across the room of many faces and voices and watches Sheska rise and approach the gray-skinned elf.
Torwin seems to be a bit comfortable with the group he is sitting with. Fifi talking of scholarly pursuits, Mallory of familiar places and Bruno seeming to enjoy the topic seems to put Torwin more at ease. They still seem a bit ashamed but they do reply to Mallory, "I-I spent.... ummm... most of my time below the k-keep. It was the only place... umm... i'i'its not impor-important. I feel b-better knowing I'm nnot the only o-one. What did you st-study?" They seem delighted to talk of Candlekeep but they also try to address the others a bit. The lizardfolk seems a bit tongue tied as the address the group in general when they talk of making memiors, "I-I-I hope to make a de-de-detailed account of the environment and creatures we find....ummm.... if I can... I know... ummm... it'll be hard." The lizard folk suddenly turns to Fifi like seeking a way away from what they just said as they ask a question of "Wh-wh-what is Fuchlucan like?"
Rosie watches the conversation between Angus and Klage and cannot help the sad smile that crosses her lips. The memory of her own husband Benny having a very similar conversation with their son, not long before Benny left on his own adventure, one he did not return from. The feeling of needing to protect this boy is almost overwhelming and it takes all her will to bring herself back to the present and recognise Angus is not a boy, but a man seeking his own place in life. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she remains silent and wishes for the food to arrive shortly.
Fifi responds to Torwin, "Oh its a beautiful college located in an elven city. Think forests, fey and the like. It's considered one of the Seven Elder Bardic Colleges, in which each of the seven correspond to an instrument. Fochlucan took after the bandore. A splendid instrument, but I myself fancy the lute. It was a splendid college filled with both knowledge and music alike, a truly ideal place for someone like myself."
Torwin looks down and fidgets a bit as Fifi talks about the college for bards, learning, and music. "It s-sounds wonderful. I-I-I often wish I-I was st-strong enough t-to go t-to pl-places far away. For my kind... I'm not... umm... nevermind." They sadly add "I'd be t-too scared to p-pl-play music anyway." There is a pause as he reflects on what he last said then suddenly Torwin seems to think he might of given offence as he panics a bit and quickly adds "N-n-not that y-y-you don't p-p-play beautiful m-music!" They seem an awkward social mess as they try to make up for an imagined slight they seem to have imagined in their mind. They try to skooch down in their chair as if trying very hard to not be noticed anymore.
The gray old elf rises from his seat. The other expedition members gradually grow quiet.
"My fellow adventurers, seekers of danger and discovery, you may know me as Eduan Klage, the organizer of this expedition. It brings a smile to my face to see new folks in the adventuring profession. I've been at it for centuries, and have seen many like you come and go. I know the potential for greatness when I see it, and each one of you has that potential. However, I wish for you to know that today, you become part of something greater than ourselves. Today, you witness the birth of a new age of adventure. Today, you begin your journey to solve one of this world's last mysteries: What lies at the bottom of the world?"
He gestures to Sheska and Breda, who go around the room, pulling down the hoods of the lanterns, reducing the dining room's cozy yellow light to a dull, ominous orange.
"As many of you may know," Klage continues, "Beneath our feet, no matter where we go, there is the Underdark: a sprawling labyrinth of natural caverns, stretching down to unknown depths. These caverns are home to only the most twisted of creatures: Fungi that devour the flesh! Abominations that enslave the mind! Colossal behemoths, forgotten by time, dormant for ages! These dangers clash together to form Toril's most hostileecosystem. Even the most hardened of explorers venture into the Underdark only to meet one of three fates: Die a hideous death most unnatural; emerge as raving lunatics, broken by the horrors they'd seen; or remain, trapped in the darkness forever."
The lantern light flickers across Klage's face, revealing an enthusiastic grin.
"No one knows how far down the Underdark continues. No one has ever made it past ten miles deep and returned to share their accounts. Do you remember the renowned adventuring expedition known as Apex Dawn?" There are a few head nods throughout the room. "They were quite the competent crew. Powerful, organized, heroic. They found the canyon a year ago, before anyone else knew about it, and ventured downward to explore it. They have yet to return from their expedition."
Klage pauses as he watches the reactions of the expedition members. He continues.
"The discovery of this chasm has presented an opportunity I've been waiting for for ages: an efficient route of descent into the depths. The cave network beneath the floor of the chasm is a direct route downward. No ups and downs, no long horizontal treks, and no digging. In my reconnaissance trips into the chasm, however, I have found that one obstacle stands above all others: We are not the only ones exploring the chasm. You've seen their encampments. Every day, dozens of adventuring parties scale the walls of the canyon to explore. Not all of them are exactly fond of sharing this new frontier. We may have to fight for it."
He pauses again, as if unsure of whether what he has to say next should be shared. He continues.
"And, there is the barrier. Just over ten miles below the surface, I found a... 'temporary dead end' as I like to call it. There is a ruined city. This city rests atop the gate to the unexplored depths. Once we pass that gate, we will bear witness to a land trulyundisturbed by mortals. However, the city is occupied by an illithid colony. The largest one I've ever seen."
He looks dour for a moment, before looking up and smiling again.
"I'm sure we can work our way around that problem on the way there! Now, tomorrow morning before sunrise, we'll go down the chasm's walls. After all, we need to beat the competition! Breda, our guests are hungry. Bring out the food."
"Yessir." Breda promptly heads to the kitchen. Klage turns back to the adventurers.
Throughout Klage's speech, Burn's eyes remained fixed on the rolling marbles in her hand. She wore no expression and appeared unphased by anything she heard. This remained the case until she heard Klage mention Apex Dawn. At that point, she stopped rolling the marbles and clenched her fist around them. Her posture remained the same but her gaze raised to meet Klage's face.
She waited until Klage had finished before standing up, walking across the room to take the seat between Fifi and Klage. Her intent was not to slight Fifi but without a thought or a word she turned her chair toward Klage and asked in a surprisingly desperate tone, "Sir, what more can you tell me about the Apex Dawn expedition?"
Klage may have been mid-sentence or mid-bite, but Burn was not paying attention. She now had a clue that could lead her to the ultimate goal, to the true reason she was here. Her hands were palm to palm, fingers, slightly trembling, covering her mouth. Her head was tilted slightly downward almost in deference. Anyone who had spent any amount of time with Burn would know that this was an uncommon posture for the usually stoic girl. Her eyes locked on him, she awaited his reply as if no one else was in the room.
Since his so to speak adventure started, Radu paid little attention to pleasantries. As such he met the start of Eduan’s speech with the most honest lack of interest. Instead, his senses were focused on jumping from his seat and dashing through the door, should the dinner truly become a sacrifice ritual. When Sheska and Breda started dimming the lights the Blood Hunter almost thought the elf was opening a portal to the Inferior Planes. Not so poor mister Klage earned more than a few nicknames during that time frame.
Things only changed when the patron mentioned the colony of Ilithids and a gate. The man’s wording also bothered him. Truly undisturbed by mortals. Would that mean they should expect immortals down there? Maybe undead. A lich or an army of reanimated bodies. Or a lich with an army of reanimated bodies.
“You really don’t know a hidden path to circumvent the city?” He asked unconvinced and still every bit ready to escape from a profane ritual. Maybe Eduan was simply trying to avoid his secret knowledge leaking before the trip. Worse case scenario, they would need to think a way to kill a huge colony of Mindflayers. I knew I should have picked the ingredients for poison. “Also, what kind of not-mortals you expect we find disturbing this land?”
Not for the first time since leaving Baldur's Gate, Rosie wonders if she has gotten in over her head. Not too late to back out now, she thinks. Immediately her resolve sets in and she pushes that thought away. Children can smell doubt and Rosie didn't survive motherhood without somewhat being able to push doubt away when she needed to. See, adventuring is not so different to being a mother.
She looks around the group assembled once more, hoping they could all put their egos aside on this one and work together like a team, which might be difficult considering they had all barely just met. She offers a reassuring smile to Angus, noting a touch of either nervousness or excitement in his eyes. When Burn approaches, she just stays quiet and watches her trembling fingers with some concern, then waits for Klage's response.
(I have no other questions for Klage at this time)
Geraine watches contemptly as the room become anxious and excited after Eduan's announcement. Questions begin to fly as Geraine patiently awaits to hear their conclusion, was well as to see what is on the menu. He would eat quickly, and drink as much water as possible to set up his biological morning call, before retiring early. If he had any choice in the matter he would be awake, done with his morning rituals, and waiting by the door as the rest came down from their rooms the next morning, thinking all the while: "Whatever is really down there, I will most certainly not be late to greet it!"
Fifi listened in excitement as Klage spoke. What better way to start an epic adventure than with a long, motivational speech! As the food rolled out, the satyr filled her plate with everything available. Making sure to grab a piece of everything.
Her party members were asking a lot of questions, so Fifi allowed Klage time to answer them. When the seriousness in the air died down, Fifi asked a lighter question, "Excuse me Mr. Klage, you have a wonderful library! There's a particular book in your collection I think could be incredibly useful during our descent in the canyon. Do you mind if I took it with me?"
It appears that Klage had expected Radu's question. "Sadly, the city (and by extension, the gate), sits atop a solid crust of ice, crystallized salt, and hard-packed dust. It's most likely the remains of a subterranean ocean. I did some experiments and it appears to be at least a mile deep. This frozen ocean covers the entire expanse of the cavern network at that depth, so going around it would require finding a completely different cave network. Alternatively, we can start digging." He smiles at the absurdity of the idea. "I know not what lies beneath the ice layer, and that's where the excitement lies! Where's the adventure if you already know what you're going to see?"
"How will we be scaling the cliff?" asks Gerard, the green-robed dwarf.
"I have acquired special devices from Icewind Dale, used for descents into icy crevices. You'll see tomorrow."
"Do we have any means of contacting the outside world from within the chasm?" asks Lisana, the spectacled elf.
"Only past a certain point. Magical contact becomes impossible at a certain depth, as does teleportation. The faerzress concentration becomes too high."
"How do we plan to turn back when we reach the end?" asks Mat, the armored halfling.
"While normal teleportation magic will fail past a certain depth, we can still tear rifts in the fabric of space. I'll just intersect two pocket dimensions to send us all to the Astral Plane, where we can use teleportation magic as normal."
Mat doesn't seem to understand this answer at all, and doesn't try to.
Klage seemed prepared for all these questions and more, relaying the answers as if they'd been rehearsed.
The dining room door opens, and Breda returns, pushing a large wooden cart of food. Arranged on the cart is a baking sheet of steaming meat pies, the smell of cooked meat and vegetables filling your nostrils. On a platter beside the pies is a large assortment of kebabs, skewered with varying combinations of juicy mushrooms, vegetables, and what appears to be pork (or possibly lamb). On the lower section of the cart is a large bowl containing a spring-mix salad drizzled with a balsamic vinaigrette, mixed thoroughly with tomatoes and mushrooms.
Breda pushes the cart around the tables, stopping to serve each of the guests. She gives each of you, by default, a meat pie, two kebabs, and a bowl of the salad, but listens to custom combinations of the main courses. "Here you are. Eat up." she says with a smile after serving each adventurer, save Radu, for whom she omits the first sentence. (After serving everyone else, she will serve Sheska and herself, before promptly seating herself at the seat next to Burn).
Klage is still waiting on the food cart when Fifi approaches him. "Thank you! It's my own personal collection, so I fear not much may have been of use. I mostly included it in the building purely for recreation before our departure, but I'm glad you found something of use there! You have my permission to take any book you wish." Breda arrives at Klage's seat. "Could I have four kebabs instead of a meat pie, please?"
As Burn approaches Klage, he's in the middle of sliding a mushroom off a kebab with his teeth. "Mmm?" he gets the mushroom off, chews for five seconds, then swallows. "Oh yes, Apex Dawn! They were good friends of mine. Well, Lembar and Eledan at least. I can't say I was as well acquainted with the others. We go way back. Before they officially formed the group. I was Eledan's mentor, I suppose. Well, it might be more accurate to say that I just gave him some tips for excavating a Yuan-Ti tomb. A shame, really, their disappearance. Such accomplished adventurers. It happens to the best of us, I suppose. That's what you get for not knowing your limits. I think I might retire after this trip." He looks at Burn's face and realizes he'd started rambling. Clearing his throat, he continues. "Sorry, I tend to lose myself in conversation. I spoke with them the week before their descent into the chasm. They didn't say much, aside from that they were looking for Netherese ruins. Why do you ask?"
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"Remind yourself that overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer."
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"Because after almost 100 years, I realised the quiet life is not for me. Never too late to chase a dream you know. I think it's wonderful you are bringing your son on this journey. Have you been adventuring with your father before, Angus?" Rosie asks the young man while looking around at the various people assembled at the tables. Once more she wonders why so many and considers that Eduan still has not answered her question regarding that particular matter. Is he hiding something?
(On mobile, sorry for lack of formatting)
Geraine picks up the disassociated grunt of Aju, though his gaze remains focused on on the elf. "Lisana.. Well, it will be an absolute delight to have such fantastic record-keeping accompanying us below! In your travels and studies have you by chance conducted any research on the ancient Netheril Empire? I am a bit of a historophile myself.. Well, particularly when it concerns Netheril and the followings of the Morning lord and Keeper of the Eternal Sun. If so, I would truly love to read your work sometime!"
Horkur Beren in Tending the Garden
Geraine Lucineous in Onward Down
"Talking for the sake of talking has never appealed to me," Burn said plainly.
"That doesn't look like idle chit-chat," Burn motions toward Angus. "Who is Angus speaking with?"
Torwin seems very nervous and jumps a little in their seat as Bruno suddenly noticed them but the lizardfolk smiles brightly and says "O-Oh! H-hello Bruno. Hello G-g-gerard. Ummm... d-did you say Mallory is from Ca-candlekeep? I'm a sc-scribe from there t-too." Torwin seems very curious about her and tries to get a good view of her to see if he can recognize if he's work with her before. Not many were willing but he tried to be as friendly as possible despite his stutter. "Umm... you might n-n-not know m-me... I w-was... often... below...and... ummm..." The lizardfolk began to explain how they often hid in the lower parts of the keep but couldn't bring themselves to explain why and just trailed off looking embarrassed.
Everywhere he looked the plates were empty. Put in front of the seats, but empty. A more reasonable man would have thought about magic. Food appearing seemingly from nowhere after some words from Klage. The elf was going to, after all, provide them detail, instruction, about their soon to start mission. Radu, however, optimistic as always, start to consider that maybe the plates before the adventurers were reserved for their heads. All part of the ritual, he thought. The worship of fiends and dark gods was known for itsr theatrical rites, after all.
Before his imagination could bring forth thoughts of more elaborate tragedies the dragonborn talked with the blood hunter again. Can I even be considered human at this point? A question he had no time to consider, as the woman in front of him and the halfling by his side introduced themselves, she extended her hand just like Eduan did back at the kitchen.
“Nice to meet all of you.” Radu said taking her hand. This time he had not the space to offer the warrior’s greeting so he shook Emilia’s hand in a more expected way. “Amn.” He said before noticing how little that said. “Athkatla, specifically, but it’s been so long since I’ve been there that I may as well say I’m from the Glimmerwood at this point.”
"I have high hopes that such will be the case! I very much like the idea of writing a memoir." Bruno says to Fifi, looking up at the ceiling, his hand stroking his beard as though fantasizing about the nonexistent book.
Mallory seems surprised at Torwin's mention of being from Candlekeep. "Y-yes, I'm-I am a scholar there. I'm sorry, I c-can't say I've-I have seen you before. I spend most of my time in the li-most of my time r-reading." She speaks as though changing her mind about what she wants to say in the middle of her sentences. Torwin doesn't recall seeing her either.
Emilia's expression perks up at Radu's mention of Athkatla. "Oh yes! My father did some business in Athkatla to prepare for the expedition. Special equipment and such. He hired Sheska and Breda from there as well." She gestures to Klage, who is occupied in conversation with Rosie. Radu immediately notes that Emilia lacks any trace of elven heritage, despite referring to Klage as her "father". "I hear Glimmerwood is nice this time of year."
Lisana is obviously flattered by Geraine's compliments, blushing slightly as she readjusts her spectacles. "As a matter of fact, Netheril is the reason I'm here! I've made some arcanogeographical calculations, compared with historical records of magical phenomena, and put together a theory: this chasm predates the desert of Aunaroch. It was most likely created by Karsus' Folly, causing the region to sink into the chasm that we now see today. If this is the case, whatever's down there may have been saved from the fate of the rest of the Empire. I'm quite excited to find out." She adjusts her spectacles again.
"I can relate to that." Sheska says to Burn, leaning back in her chair. When asked who Angus is talking to, she sits up straight again. "Him? That's Mr. Klage. I suppose you must not have run into him earlier today." She gets up from her seat. "Everyone looks like they're getting impatient. I should tell him we're ready to eat."
Angus looks over at his father with a slightly annoyed expression on his face. "I've been on a few adventures, yes. But Father hasn't allowed me to do anything dangerous until now. I consider this my first real adventure."
Hearing this, Klage chuckles. "What do you mean I haven't allowed any danger, boy? Do you think dissecting an aboleth isn't dangerous?"
"Well, no, but you were still overseeing my every move!" Angus says defensively.
"Ah, a fair point. Well, anyway, you'll see your fair share of danger in this coming adventure. That's why I gathered such a large team! The more, the safer."
Sheska gets up from her seat at the end of the room and makes her way around the tables towards Klage.
"Sir, I think people are ready to eat."
"Eh? Alright. Very well. In a moment."
"Remind yourself that overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer."
“Emilia Klage, then.” He thought out aloud without noticing. Then, after he did, Radu didn’t care very much. It was not that hard to piece things together. Sheska and Breda worked for the organizer of the whole expedition, after all. The strangest thing was the fact that Emilia didn’t see elvish at all. Definitely not pale gray/ash blue or whatever the color her father was. Maybe he is a Drow, the Blood Hunter considered. Would explain the propriety the elf had when speaking about subterranean domains. And how he came across a fiend or dark god. Oh yeah, it’s all coming together, he thought resisting the temptation to look on the direction of the exit door. “Glimmerwood is nice only if you have good shelter, otherwise it’s as much of a ***** as any forest.” Maybe she is adopted. It would be far from the most surprising thing he saw on the last months. Or she is a slave brainwashed to take part on a ritual. “Colder than most. This time of the year or any other.”
Unconsciously, he had avoided talking about Athkatla. A side effect of some of his last memories on the place, no doubt. The start of a long walk and his personal hell. Everything seasoned with a lot of sheer bad luck.
(Burn waits. No actions)
"That is most exciting indeed - perhaps below we may even find the Forested Enclave of the Face of the Sun itself!" Geraine smiles wide in hope and aspiration and clenches his holy symbol tightly in his fist. Looking deeply into the exposed sun peeking through his palm he thinks to himself, almost as if trying to psychically communicate with Amaunator directly. "Even the darkest reaches of the abyss cannot shade the rays of the eternal sun. I shall burn as a beacon of your light on this most holy of pilgrimages."
Looking up from his holy symbol Geraine quotes:
"The seeker wakes from day to day, and sheds a light in credence of the promised time.
Unyielding to the lures of forks and threads, the seeker stays the course of journey’s prime.
By Keeper’s will, the seeker plots again, with ev’ry break to mark the hour sworn.
To steady fast the rule from start to end is Keeper’s gift to all the living born."
He smiles warmly again, looks across the room of many faces and voices and watches Sheska rise and approach the gray-skinned elf.
Horkur Beren in Tending the Garden
Geraine Lucineous in Onward Down
Torwin seems to be a bit comfortable with the group he is sitting with. Fifi talking of scholarly pursuits, Mallory of familiar places and Bruno seeming to enjoy the topic seems to put Torwin more at ease. They still seem a bit ashamed but they do reply to Mallory, "I-I spent.... ummm... most of my time below the k-keep. It was the only place... umm... i'i'its not impor-important. I feel b-better knowing I'm nnot the only o-one. What did you st-study?" They seem delighted to talk of Candlekeep but they also try to address the others a bit. The lizardfolk seems a bit tongue tied as the address the group in general when they talk of making memiors, "I-I-I hope to make a de-de-detailed account of the environment and creatures we find....ummm.... if I can... I know... ummm... it'll be hard." The lizard folk suddenly turns to Fifi like seeking a way away from what they just said as they ask a question of "Wh-wh-what is Fuchlucan like?"
Rosie watches the conversation between Angus and Klage and cannot help the sad smile that crosses her lips. The memory of her own husband Benny having a very similar conversation with their son, not long before Benny left on his own adventure, one he did not return from. The feeling of needing to protect this boy is almost overwhelming and it takes all her will to bring herself back to the present and recognise Angus is not a boy, but a man seeking his own place in life. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she remains silent and wishes for the food to arrive shortly.
Fifi responds to Torwin, "Oh its a beautiful college located in an elven city. Think forests, fey and the like. It's considered one of the Seven Elder Bardic Colleges, in which each of the seven correspond to an instrument. Fochlucan took after the bandore. A splendid instrument, but I myself fancy the lute. It was a splendid college filled with both knowledge and music alike, a truly ideal place for someone like myself."
Ro Aleron (Ro the Red) -> Illithid, Wizard 8 (Chronugist) // AURYN
Torwin looks down and fidgets a bit as Fifi talks about the college for bards, learning, and music. "It s-sounds wonderful. I-I-I often wish I-I was st-strong enough t-to go t-to pl-places far away. For my kind... I'm not... umm... nevermind." They sadly add "I'd be t-too scared to p-pl-play music anyway." There is a pause as he reflects on what he last said then suddenly Torwin seems to think he might of given offence as he panics a bit and quickly adds "N-n-not that y-y-you don't p-p-play beautiful m-music!" They seem an awkward social mess as they try to make up for an imagined slight they seem to have imagined in their mind. They try to skooch down in their chair as if trying very hard to not be noticed anymore.
"If I may have your attention, please."
The gray old elf rises from his seat. The other expedition members gradually grow quiet.
"My fellow adventurers, seekers of danger and discovery, you may know me as Eduan Klage, the organizer of this expedition. It brings a smile to my face to see new folks in the adventuring profession. I've been at it for centuries, and have seen many like you come and go. I know the potential for greatness when I see it, and each one of you has that potential. However, I wish for you to know that today, you become part of something greater than ourselves. Today, you witness the birth of a new age of adventure. Today, you begin your journey to solve one of this world's last mysteries: What lies at the bottom of the world?"
He gestures to Sheska and Breda, who go around the room, pulling down the hoods of the lanterns, reducing the dining room's cozy yellow light to a dull, ominous orange.
"As many of you may know," Klage continues, "Beneath our feet, no matter where we go, there is the Underdark: a sprawling labyrinth of natural caverns, stretching down to unknown depths. These caverns are home to only the most twisted of creatures: Fungi that devour the flesh! Abominations that enslave the mind! Colossal behemoths, forgotten by time, dormant for ages! These dangers clash together to form Toril's most hostile ecosystem. Even the most hardened of explorers venture into the Underdark only to meet one of three fates: Die a hideous death most unnatural; emerge as raving lunatics, broken by the horrors they'd seen; or remain, trapped in the darkness forever."
The lantern light flickers across Klage's face, revealing an enthusiastic grin.
"No one knows how far down the Underdark continues. No one has ever made it past ten miles deep and returned to share their accounts. Do you remember the renowned adventuring expedition known as Apex Dawn?" There are a few head nods throughout the room. "They were quite the competent crew. Powerful, organized, heroic. They found the canyon a year ago, before anyone else knew about it, and ventured downward to explore it. They have yet to return from their expedition."
Klage pauses as he watches the reactions of the expedition members. He continues.
"The discovery of this chasm has presented an opportunity I've been waiting for for ages: an efficient route of descent into the depths. The cave network beneath the floor of the chasm is a direct route downward. No ups and downs, no long horizontal treks, and no digging. In my reconnaissance trips into the chasm, however, I have found that one obstacle stands above all others: We are not the only ones exploring the chasm. You've seen their encampments. Every day, dozens of adventuring parties scale the walls of the canyon to explore. Not all of them are exactly fond of sharing this new frontier. We may have to fight for it."
He pauses again, as if unsure of whether what he has to say next should be shared. He continues.
"And, there is the barrier. Just over ten miles below the surface, I found a... 'temporary dead end' as I like to call it. There is a ruined city. This city rests atop the gate to the unexplored depths. Once we pass that gate, we will bear witness to a land truly undisturbed by mortals. However, the city is occupied by an illithid colony. The largest one I've ever seen."
He looks dour for a moment, before looking up and smiling again.
"I'm sure we can work our way around that problem on the way there! Now, tomorrow morning before sunrise, we'll go down the chasm's walls. After all, we need to beat the competition! Breda, our guests are hungry. Bring out the food."
"Yes sir." Breda promptly heads to the kitchen. Klage turns back to the adventurers.
"Any questions?"
"Remind yourself that overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer."
Throughout Klage's speech, Burn's eyes remained fixed on the rolling marbles in her hand. She wore no expression and appeared unphased by anything she heard. This remained the case until she heard Klage mention Apex Dawn. At that point, she stopped rolling the marbles and clenched her fist around them. Her posture remained the same but her gaze raised to meet Klage's face.
She waited until Klage had finished before standing up, walking across the room to take the seat between Fifi and Klage. Her intent was not to slight Fifi but without a thought or a word she turned her chair toward Klage and asked in a surprisingly desperate tone, "Sir, what more can you tell me about the Apex Dawn expedition?"
Klage may have been mid-sentence or mid-bite, but Burn was not paying attention. She now had a clue that could lead her to the ultimate goal, to the true reason she was here. Her hands were palm to palm, fingers, slightly trembling, covering her mouth. Her head was tilted slightly downward almost in deference. Anyone who had spent any amount of time with Burn would know that this was an uncommon posture for the usually stoic girl. Her eyes locked on him, she awaited his reply as if no one else was in the room.
Since his so to speak adventure started, Radu paid little attention to pleasantries. As such he met the start of Eduan’s speech with the most honest lack of interest. Instead, his senses were focused on jumping from his seat and dashing through the door, should the dinner truly become a sacrifice ritual. When Sheska and Breda started dimming the lights the Blood Hunter almost thought the elf was opening a portal to the Inferior Planes. Not so poor mister Klage earned more than a few nicknames during that time frame.
Things only changed when the patron mentioned the colony of Ilithids and a gate. The man’s wording also bothered him. Truly undisturbed by mortals. Would that mean they should expect immortals down there? Maybe undead. A lich or an army of reanimated bodies. Or a lich with an army of reanimated bodies.
“You really don’t know a hidden path to circumvent the city?” He asked unconvinced and still every bit ready to escape from a profane ritual. Maybe Eduan was simply trying to avoid his secret knowledge leaking before the trip. Worse case scenario, they would need to think a way to kill a huge colony of Mindflayers. I knew I should have picked the ingredients for poison. “Also, what kind of not-mortals you expect we find disturbing this land?”
Not for the first time since leaving Baldur's Gate, Rosie wonders if she has gotten in over her head. Not too late to back out now, she thinks. Immediately her resolve sets in and she pushes that thought away. Children can smell doubt and Rosie didn't survive motherhood without somewhat being able to push doubt away when she needed to. See, adventuring is not so different to being a mother.
She looks around the group assembled once more, hoping they could all put their egos aside on this one and work together like a team, which might be difficult considering they had all barely just met. She offers a reassuring smile to Angus, noting a touch of either nervousness or excitement in his eyes. When Burn approaches, she just stays quiet and watches her trembling fingers with some concern, then waits for Klage's response.
(I have no other questions for Klage at this time)
Geraine watches contemptly as the room become anxious and excited after Eduan's announcement. Questions begin to fly as Geraine patiently awaits to hear their conclusion, was well as to see what is on the menu. He would eat quickly, and drink as much water as possible to set up his biological morning call, before retiring early. If he had any choice in the matter he would be awake, done with his morning rituals, and waiting by the door as the rest came down from their rooms the next morning, thinking all the while: "Whatever is really down there, I will most certainly not be late to greet it!"
Horkur Beren in Tending the Garden
Geraine Lucineous in Onward Down
Fifi listened in excitement as Klage spoke. What better way to start an epic adventure than with a long, motivational speech! As the food rolled out, the satyr filled her plate with everything available. Making sure to grab a piece of everything.
Her party members were asking a lot of questions, so Fifi allowed Klage time to answer them. When the seriousness in the air died down, Fifi asked a lighter question, "Excuse me Mr. Klage, you have a wonderful library! There's a particular book in your collection I think could be incredibly useful during our descent in the canyon. Do you mind if I took it with me?"
Ro Aleron (Ro the Red) -> Illithid, Wizard 8 (Chronugist) // AURYN
It appears that Klage had expected Radu's question. "Sadly, the city (and by extension, the gate), sits atop a solid crust of ice, crystallized salt, and hard-packed dust. It's most likely the remains of a subterranean ocean. I did some experiments and it appears to be at least a mile deep. This frozen ocean covers the entire expanse of the cavern network at that depth, so going around it would require finding a completely different cave network. Alternatively, we can start digging." He smiles at the absurdity of the idea. "I know not what lies beneath the ice layer, and that's where the excitement lies! Where's the adventure if you already know what you're going to see?"
"How will we be scaling the cliff?" asks Gerard, the green-robed dwarf.
"I have acquired special devices from Icewind Dale, used for descents into icy crevices. You'll see tomorrow."
"Do we have any means of contacting the outside world from within the chasm?" asks Lisana, the spectacled elf.
"Only past a certain point. Magical contact becomes impossible at a certain depth, as does teleportation. The faerzress concentration becomes too high."
"How do we plan to turn back when we reach the end?" asks Mat, the armored halfling.
"While normal teleportation magic will fail past a certain depth, we can still tear rifts in the fabric of space. I'll just intersect two pocket dimensions to send us all to the Astral Plane, where we can use teleportation magic as normal."
Mat doesn't seem to understand this answer at all, and doesn't try to.
Klage seemed prepared for all these questions and more, relaying the answers as if they'd been rehearsed.
The dining room door opens, and Breda returns, pushing a large wooden cart of food. Arranged on the cart is a baking sheet of steaming meat pies, the smell of cooked meat and vegetables filling your nostrils. On a platter beside the pies is a large assortment of kebabs, skewered with varying combinations of juicy mushrooms, vegetables, and what appears to be pork (or possibly lamb). On the lower section of the cart is a large bowl containing a spring-mix salad drizzled with a balsamic vinaigrette, mixed thoroughly with tomatoes and mushrooms.
Breda pushes the cart around the tables, stopping to serve each of the guests. She gives each of you, by default, a meat pie, two kebabs, and a bowl of the salad, but listens to custom combinations of the main courses. "Here you are. Eat up." she says with a smile after serving each adventurer, save Radu, for whom she omits the first sentence. (After serving everyone else, she will serve Sheska and herself, before promptly seating herself at the seat next to Burn).
Klage is still waiting on the food cart when Fifi approaches him. "Thank you! It's my own personal collection, so I fear not much may have been of use. I mostly included it in the building purely for recreation before our departure, but I'm glad you found something of use there! You have my permission to take any book you wish." Breda arrives at Klage's seat. "Could I have four kebabs instead of a meat pie, please?"
As Burn approaches Klage, he's in the middle of sliding a mushroom off a kebab with his teeth. "Mmm?" he gets the mushroom off, chews for five seconds, then swallows. "Oh yes, Apex Dawn! They were good friends of mine. Well, Lembar and Eledan at least. I can't say I was as well acquainted with the others. We go way back. Before they officially formed the group. I was Eledan's mentor, I suppose. Well, it might be more accurate to say that I just gave him some tips for excavating a Yuan-Ti tomb. A shame, really, their disappearance. Such accomplished adventurers. It happens to the best of us, I suppose. That's what you get for not knowing your limits. I think I might retire after this trip." He looks at Burn's face and realizes he'd started rambling. Clearing his throat, he continues. "Sorry, I tend to lose myself in conversation. I spoke with them the week before their descent into the chasm. They didn't say much, aside from that they were looking for Netherese ruins. Why do you ask?"
"Remind yourself that overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer."