The Windhovers' Call

"An excellent question," replies Sariel. "Wall of Fire did not allow much evidence from any skeleton or wight. After the battle, I was able to trace their footsteps into the mountains for a short while. Eventually, the terrain became very rocky, and I could no longer determine where they had come from."

Frandal smiles when she speaks of the spell.

”Indeed it doesn’t. I like your style Lady Sariel” 

"Causes me to wonder about Haradal," muses Bharash. 

"Yes, it does," says Kempis in agreement. 

Bharash then explains, "Haradal , if you can believe it, is even older than Kempis." Both men crack smiles at this remark. Bharash continues. "Haradal served as a Windhover many years ago; for over 100 years he carried Talisten's mace. He now lives in a cave in the Corvus Mountains, quietly and reclusively living out the remainder of his days. If indeed these undead creatures descended from somewhere in the mountains, then possibly Haradal may have some knowledge of them and their movements."

"Would he not warn us if he had seen something?"  asks the Chancellor.

"Yes, he would. If he is still alive," adds Sariel. "Haradal has not been seen for many months."

"Talk about undead and fiends is quite frightening indeed." Ozum says after swallowing down a chunk of bread. "Does anyone have an idea of who or what could be wielding such forces, since these events are indeed too suspicious to be a coincidence. Who would benefit from removing the Windhovers. Someone I suspect that has a grander ill intentions for the land they protect. Someone wants Syndaris."

After washing his mouth with a bit of wine and thinking for a moment. "More of a practical question, but how would we get to the Isle of Woe?" 

"You touch upon the riddle that none of us have solved, Ozum," responds Bharash. "Seemingly, our enemy is both faceless and nameless."

Kempis speaks up, saying, "The Windhovers have stood in opposition to many over the years...hostile invasions from foreign lands, organized criminal organizations within Syndaris, unlawful takeovers of the chancellorship, fell beasts that periodically descend from the Corvus Mountains, and decades ago, an assault from the black dragon Orzog. Additionally, we have come to the aid of our allies when they have faced an encroaching evil. I refer specifically to our dear neighbors to the south--Emorin and Nysela."

"In none of those situations, however, do I see anything or anyone capable of the necromancy to raise the cursed and the dead or powerful enough to command their allegiance," says Sariel. 

Bharash, almost at a whisper, says, "Nor do I."

Sariel then answers Ozum's question about traveling to the Isle of Woe. "Regarding your destination--The Keep--we have already made arrangements for the five of you to travel by sea. If you elect to make the journey to the Isle of Woe, you will meet Ardavi at midnight tonight outside the North Gate. He will then lead you northward to meet one of Syndaris' most skilled fishermen and sailors, Dennigan Foss, who will then take you by boat across the Bay of Fyth. Be warned; a journey by keelboat to the The Keep will take nearly fifteen hours. Dennigan will moor his boat while all of you are ashore; he will then return you to the main island of Syndaris, at which point we hope to meet with you again."

Xellos, who has been eyeing at all the grandiose as they entered and ate also gives one or two suspicious glances to the dragonborn during introductions. He does perk up at the mention of Wall of Fire as his slight discomfort passes. However, as Ozum asks the question of what could be behind this activity, Xellos takes a sip of wine and upon hearing "black dragon" his eyes widen and his wine glass with a little bit of wine left in it slips from his grasp and clangs on the table.

A look of uncharacteristic anger takes hold on his face. "A black dragon, you say? Is this *Orzog*, or whatever the scourge calls itself, still around? Have you heard of any red ones as well??"

He seems to snap out of it after a brief moment and puts a cloth on the small amount of wine then picks up his glass. "Sorry... I don't mean to get caught up on that. Well, regardless it sounds as if the most practical solution is to simply go to this island and learn more. And, if given the chance, incinerate any undead we happen upon. I can't speak for all of my friends here, but I am going. Were there any specific organizations or people that have something against the Windhovers that you briefly touched upon? As in would there be a good chance of running into any of them?"

Frandal listen to the others and after eating some vegetables he thinks and proposes.

”I am thinking. Perhaps we could use your prevision and foresight Bharash in our advantage. Once we have learned as much as we can on this attackers, to be as ready as we can for them, perhaps you could disguise me with your appearance, and the rest of you beign close and lure the attackers into attacking you so they reveal themselves...” 

The unexpected clang of Xellos' wine glass upon the table top paused the conversation briefly, but Kempis quickly resumed his summary of the Windhovers' history. 

After Xellos' makes his remarks about Orzog, makes his inquiry about red dragons, and expresses his commitment to traveling to the Isle of Woe, Bharash turns and faces the tiefling. "I am pleased that you have spoken up, Xellos. I wasn't sure what to make of your silence."

"He seems to have a distaste for dragons...at least for the chromatic sort anyway," observes Kempis. "Orzog...," Kempis begins to chuckle slightly after saying the dragon's name, "...Orzog, what an utterly pompous, puffed up beast he was! Xellos, I hope there's a day in the future when I can tell you about him. And, no, there has been no other dragon, of any color, to trouble Syndaris."

'I pray the copper of my scales places me outside the circle of your distrust for dragons," says Bharash to Xellos. 

Sariel takes this as her cue to jump back into the conversation. "Xellos, thank you for your willingness to assist us. The magical  power you wield within you may be vital in the days that lie ahead. You ask of anyone who may be carrying a grudge against the Windhovers. I can think of only one. His name is Arconius, and he was once one of us. Although he was forced to relinquish Findric's staff to Bharash, he did so with tears and a humble admission of his wrongdoing. Do you agree, Bharash?"

"I do, Sariel," answers Bharash."Arconius was rash and reckless. He was impetuous but not malicious. A short history lesson for our guests. Arconius became a Windhover nineteen years ago--he was a powerful sorcerer in whom the Windhovers placed great hope--but after a few years, he was deemed to be unreliable and unpredictable; so he was asked to surrender Findric's staff. As Sariel explained, he did so graciously and without incident. So, no, I do not believe Arconius would level this sort of attack against the people he once served."

 Bharash then turns his attention to Frandal. "An interesting idea, Frandal. Something for me to discuss with Sariel, and, hopefully, Thoradin and Ro Venna. Let us learn more and, then, we may see a clear path for us to follow."

"Any further questions?" asks Sariel. "May I inform Ardavi to prepare himself for meeting all of you at midnight?"

"I will certainly be ready at midnight. One thing that sticks in my head is Thoradin's mention of a 'fiend'. If I recall correctly, the Windovers formed to defeat a cambion named Rahzzur. I know it's a long shot, but what was the ultimate fate of Rahzzur? Could they have come back after all these years, or possibly their progenitor for revenge?"

"Rahzzur could very well have been acting on behalf of someone who outranked him. No record of such an agreement exists, however. The annals of Windhover history make it clear that Rahzzur and his ilk were completely destroyed. The Windhovers' weapons are particularly effective against all fiends," explains Bharash. 

"Let us venture out, smiting our enemies and shielding our allies! We shall be ready."

“We will be ready at midnight then. I understand that secrecy is of the utmost importance.”

Sariel then gives some final instructions. "The guards at the North Gate will be informed of your departure; so you can expect no delay as you leave Talisten. Ardavi will meet you outside the city walls and lead you to Dennigan. In his boat you will find a pack with some items that may be helpful or needful to you. Our plan is to meet with you in four days. This allows you one day to travel to the Isle of Woe, one day to investigate The Keep, and two days to journey from the isle to Findric. We aim to meet you at sundown at the inn called The Mug and Platter. If Bharash and I are delayed, then we will do all we can to send word to Pike, the innkeeper. He can be trusted. In the worst case scenario, if Pike has no news from us, then return to Talisten and find Kempis."

"One last thing," adds Bharash. "The Keep has a secret entrance. It runs a short distance underground from the stables to the wine cellar. Possibly you may have need of it. I do not know." 

"May Solinari give you eyes to see, ears to hear, and strength to stand!" says Kempis as he stands and warmly shakes everyone's hand. 

Frandal nods, takingmental note of everything they say. 

When they mention the wine cellar, he remembers and says in low voice to Xellos. 

“Maybe they know something about that strange wine of the wyrwood cellar... ask them bedore we leave. I am sure that Kempis could have a clue..”

Xellos says to Bahrash, "I will admit, I was slightly skeptical at first. However, judging from your words tonight and the reverence that your friends speak of you, no, I do not doubt you. I think it's best to judge by actions, not by appearance (he points to his Tiefling horns) wouldn't you agree? But, yes, I do have a strong disdain for the chromatic variety."

After hearing Sariel's words about Arconius, "I see. It's possible it could have been a ruse, but you all obviously know him personally and were able to look in his eyes during that moment. If you say he's no threat then I will take it as such."

Once the meeting concludes, he whispers to Frandal, "Ah, yes indeed."

"Sorry, one last question. I happened upon a strange bottle of wine when I first arrived. (He takes it out if his pack) Do any of you know anything about it? I know it is magical and has, erm...certain teleporting abilities to it."

He also takes out the trinket from his arrival and opens it up to show them the tracking ability of the needle and polished stone in their respective halves, "And one more thing if I may... have any of you seen anything like this? So far I've deduced it works as a homing beacon of sorts. One half tracks the location of the other. Do you know about the range or any other capabilities of it? I am a bit of a collector of magical trinkets and it was given to me upon my arrival in town."

Bharash's intrigue with the trinket is obvious. "Simultaneously simple and brilliant...it shows direction but not distance..." He narrows his eyes and looks very closely at the polished stone. "I've not seen anything like this, nor do I recall having ever read about it."  He pauses and appears to be deep in thought. "Xellos, I've just had a funny thought, but please tell me if you don't like this idea. Sariel and I can keep this small spherical stone with us, while you and your party members maintain possession of the needle. Over the course of the next few days the stone and needle will be over fifty miles distant from each other. We can test the trinket's range and accuracy in this way. If it works as you believe it does, your needle should lead you right to The Mug and Platter where Sariel and I should be waiting."

Regarding the bottle of wine, Sariel says, "Wyrwood Cellars lies between the banks of the Wyr and some old ruins on the other side of the Corvus Mountains, but it has become a thing of the past unfortunately. The grapevines now grow wild, unchecked, and unharvested. Any bottle of wine from there must be at least twenty years old. The old gnome Gimble Timbers, inexplicably, stopped making wine and forsook tending his vineyard. He has become increasingly more eccentric over the years, but he would be the one to ask about the contents of your bottle, Xellos."

Kempis then comments, "You say the wine is magical, eh? Drink enough of it and any wine is magical, I say."

Sariel's face shows a tiny smile in response to Kempis' remark. She then becomes somber. "Be cautious with such a liquid. There's no telling if each sip will bring about the same result." 

Xellos ponders what Brarash said, "Hmm... it's probably a good idea. If anything happens to Sariel and yourself then I'll be able to track your location, assuming it has a long range and if you still have it. If all goes well then I can figure out the tracking ability of it while you wait for us at the Inn. Very well." He gives him the stone.

Xellos gives a chuckle at Kempis' comment then says, "Thank you for the information. It'll be kept safe. Thank you all for the pleasant evening. Perhaps once this is all sorted we can enjoy a bottle of the classic variety." He puts the wine and the needle part of the trinket in his pack.

DAY FOUR: 

Arissa, Kurt, Ozum, Xellos, and Frandal:

The five of you part ways with Hadrus, Bharash, Sariel, and Kempis and return to your respective inns. You square up the bill, pack up all of your belongings, and, eventually, you are walking the very quiet, dark streets of Talisten toward the North Gate. The rain has let up; you feel only a light mist on your face as you exit the city's gate at midnight. You can't help but compare how things have changed since entering Talisten a few days. 

As expected, Ardavi greets you, but he is subdued and serious as he does so. You walk along the road, heading straight north for approximately fifteen minutes. You hear only the sound of your footfalls on the wet road beneath your feet and the the distant crashing of the waves on the shore to your right. You soon see some torchlight; then Ardavi leads you off the road and toward the sound of the sea. The torchlight, you realize is Dennigan's. The fishermen shakes your hands before leading you to a small, outcropping from which you can see the 30' keelboat that will take you to the Isle of Woe. With a small jump, you make it from the outcropping to the boat. Ardavi says, "Thank you, friends of Syndaris. I look forward to seeing you again." He then disappears into the night. 

Dennigan poles away from the shore, set out the lone sail, and your long journey across the bay begins. He says just a few things. "You're welcome to sleep, friends, if you wish. We're stocked with food and water..." (he points to a basket and a few waterskins), "and Sariel wants you to have the contents of that sack there (he points to a small canvas sack in the boat's stern). "The weather is just fine for us now, and if it remains so, we will make the Isle of Woe as the sun goes down this evening."

 The first hours of your trip are quiet and without incident. You're able to wrap up in wool blankets and protect yourselves from the cold and light mist. By dawn, however, the rain returns and continues for the remainder of the journey to the Isle of Woe. As the sun is dipping behind Syndaris (which is behind you), the Isle of Woe looms up large before you. You can see a small dock and boathouse at the bottom of a rugged cliff. Dennigan moors up his keelboat at this dock, and you immediately notice another finely-crafted keelboat is moored up there as well. Dennigan offers a brief explanation. "That boat belongs to Ro Venna, the Lady of the Keep."

You disembark and gaze at the rather treacherous-looking path that leads up the cliff from the dock. "That path leads to the top of the cliff. From there, you will see The Keep. I've been instructed to wait a full day for you here, friends. If I have no word of you before dusk tomorrow, I am to sail back to Syndaris. Be safe!" says Dennigan. 

"I worried what we might find on this island. We should be prepared for a fight to defend the city"

Frandal thanks Dennigan for bringingbthem safe to the island. He turns to the eagle perched on his shoulders and says.

”Go strech your wings my friend. I will see through your eyes.” 

The eagle lifts with a schreech of joy as she goes up in the sky. Frandal sits on a nearby rock and concentrates. The rest can see that his eyes turn from silver to complete white while he concentrates.

Celebquesse will gain height and will scout ahead.