The Windhovers' Call

Xellos goes through his notes and says, "There were two missing items, one had a plate that was damaged too far to recognize, but there was another item missing, a staff—belonging to Arconius. A Tiefling sorcerer. We also fought a lich at the Keep that was a Tiefling as well."

He ponders his thoughts for a moment, "When we met the other Windhovers I asked if there might be anyone that had grudges or anything against the Windhovers. Sariel and Bharash did mention Arconius was forced to give the staff up and did so without incident. To me, all of this confirms the suspicious from my intuition that I had when they answered my question. I think Arconius and this lich Tiefling are the same person...what do you think of this Oda?"

At the mention of the staff Frandal palms his forehead. 

“Dear Gods! Excuse me!” He says and goes out to his horse for a few seconds. He then returns with a long staff made of bone that he took from the tiefling’s body

”With all the haste and that I totally forgot. I took this from that lich body.”  He extended his hands offering the staff to the rest for inspection. 

*Idiot* he hears on his head.

"A former Windhover becoming a lich? That's hard to swallow, Xellos. Yet...." Oda falls silent for a moment. "Yet Syndaris has suddenly become home to all sorts inexplicable goings on. Sariel encounters undead...Ro Venna and Sindrith Grey have been murdered...Thoradin was ambushed...and I have stumbled into a shadow crossing."

Frandal excuses himself and leaves the room for a moment. Oda stops her musings and casts Fire Bolt into the fireplace where a small pile of wood was already prepared. The room is immediately filled with flickering light and warmth. Frandal then returns with the bone staff that had been wielded by the tiefling lich. Oda gazes at it and nods her head.

"Remarkable. That is indeed his staff. I knew Arconius: witty and highly intelligent, but sometimes made decisions in haste or out of emotion. Seemingly, the loss of Findric's staff planted a seed of resentment rather than repentance. He has chosen a sinister path. Syndaris hasn't seen this much trouble since the days of Rahzzur."

Xellos says, "Well, it certainly appears he's at least connected to growing threat against the Windhovers and the innocent people of the world. I agree that the other Windhovers should be warned, but they're spread out. What would be the quickest way to warn them? I suppose my question is what would you suggest our next course of action? The ruins sound intriguing. I also have a good mind to pay Arconius a visit."

“Can we close this portal to the Shadowfell? “ Frandals asks “If not, I suggest that Oda remains here to watch over it. We came to warn and help her, but you are already uptadet with all the facts M’lady. If nothing can be done with the Shadowcrossing for now, we should go and inform the rest of the Windhovers. We can find at least one of them.” He says.

Xellos casts Minor Illusion to create a...lit candle above his head, "Here's an idea. The magical wine I got from The Sham's Peg can create a Dimension Door from the Shadowfell to Syndaris. That's where four former Windhovers reside and we could potentially repel any attack on them, if we get there first. We could probably get there much quicker that way. It can probably only work once, but now seems like a good time to try it... assuming we can get to the Shadowfell"

Xellos takes it out of his pack and puts it on the table in case Oda wants to examine it.

"How bad is this Shadowfell place? Is it like the Abyss or something? With a portal There in Grimshaw will bad things come pouring out?

 Oda handles the magical bottle of wine that Xellos' purchased from Sham. She scrutinizes the label, translating the Gnomish into Common: "Wyrwood Vineyard... Rusnith Red... Ruins 3."  Oda stares into the fire and narrows her eyes. She repeats the words, "Wyrwood Vineyard. I know that fellow; the old gnome Gimble Timbers. How did he come up with a batch of wine that links Shadowfell to Syndaris?!"

Oda then looks at Xellos and says, "Master sorcerer, your plan may work. Do you know, however, just WHERE in Syndaris you will appear if you drink it? My concern is this: the Shadowfell is a mirror of this world. So, if you were to pass through the shadow crossing on Grimshaw and then drink this wine, you might very well travel through a dimension door that places you back on Grimshaw, which, of course, would not be helpful."

To Kurt, Oda says, "The Shadowfell is a haven for the undead, necromancers, and all who might have business to conduct with such creatures. It is a world of bleakness and desolation. As long as the crossing exists, residents of the Shadowfell may freely walk into Syndaris. These crossings, however, are hard to find. I suspect that those creatures who enter Syndaris are actually being sent here. They're being told precisely where the shadow crossing is, and some dark power is commanding them to enter our realm and do his or her dirty work." 

To Frandal, she responds, "Closing this shadow crossing is of utmost importance. It seems likely, however, that someone or something on the other side of it will do all it can to keep it open. The shadow crossing is merely a symptom. We must find the cause." 

Oda concludes by saying, "There's no obvious path before us, is there?  I will offer a few ideas, and hopefully they may be of some use to you. First, I'm hesitant to use the teleportation wine at this point. Visiting the ruins near Wyrwood Vineyard or finding old Gimble may be helpful in learning the true nature of the wine. Second, I believe the meeting in Findric in three days with Bharash and Sariel must be kept. It is crucial that they learn all you have seen and heard. Third, I would like to remain in this part of Syndaris and monitor the shadow crossing on Grimshaw." 

Oda then hops up and says, "I have something that may be quite helpful." She hurries into a back room of the cottage and returns, holding out two small identical stones. She then explains that they are Sending Stones. "I will keep one; the five of you will possess the other. We can, once per day, send a message. This will allow me to inform you about happenings on Grimshaw. Additionally, you can pass on anything the Windhovers may want me to know."

“That’s very helpful indeed.” Says Frandal accepting the Sending Stone from Oda. “Thank you.”

 “I think that the plan Oda’s proposes “ he says to his companions “ Could be a good one. I believe is no mere coincidence that this wine and our current problems are linked to the Shadowfell. Would we have the time to travel from this vineyards to Findric to our meeting?” 

The candle above his head fizzles away then Xellos says to Oda, "No, I can't say for sure where where we would end up if we drank it. I thought perhaps time flowed slower in the Shadowfell and we could basically use it as a time travelling device. Travel to where we want to end up back in Syndaris within the Shadowfell, drink, and pop into this reality in the corresponding spot with minimal loss of time. Probably too risky though, and dangerous to travel within the Shadowfell by the sounds of it. You are right though, meeting up with Sariel and Bharash in Findric is a priority."

He pauses for a moment, "Since you're going to remain here to watch the shadow crossing, would it be a good idea for you to keep a small flask of the wine in case the worst happens and you end up in the Shadowfell with no way back? There's enough for roughly 12 uses I think, so I'm happy to give you one of those if you think you need it."

To Frandal he says, "If the vineyard is on the way to Findric then it is probably worth getting more information. Assuming it doesn't compromise our meeting in Findric.""

Oda grabs a rolled up piece of parchment from one of the small bookshelves in her cottage. As she unrolls it on the able before you, she says, "Here is the realm of Syndaris. And here (she points to a specific spot on the map) is where that wine would have been bottled. Right next to these old ruins."  (See circled area on map below).

"The old vineyard is roughly ten miles southwest of Findric; I don't think it's too far-fetched for all of you to visit it before meeting the Windhovers," continues Oda. "Xellos, you are very generous with a very special bit of magic. I shall take you up on your offer. You can pour just a bit in this empty potion bottle. Hopefully, at the end of this little mess, I shall return this bottle to you with every drop still within it!"

Oda hands the little bottle to Xellos and, as he fills it with a small amount of wine, Oda says, "Your horses can't possibly turn around tonight and make the return trip to Findric or the vineyard. If you're willing, I can persuade someone to trade horses with you, straight across."

NOTE to all:

"I know things are hectic, but maybe rent a room and rest, I am not sure how helpful we could be to the Windhovers to exhaust ourselves with no immediate danger right now"

(In post #832, I incorrectly stated that the party had only two days remaining before the meeting with Bharash and Sariel. You actually have three days. I edited that post to reflect this).

Xellos says, "Oda, is there anyone nearby that can rent us a stagecoach or...hearse, anything big enough to sleep in, and that can be pulled by horses until we get to the vineyard or even for a night if there's small outpost near the hills West of here? We could sleep and travel at the same time."

Oda explains that she can procure a small cart from one of the nearby farms. "We can fetch a cart and harness from farmer Bly; you would have passed his place on your way into Ansora. With a small cart, you can sleep in shifts, two at a time I would think. You can rotate your four horses during the journey as well."

“If you allow me to meditate on my horse for some time I could then lead the cart and your horses for the rest of the night my friends.” Offers Frandal.

"Oda, before we go, are there any other former Windhovers alive that may not know about the danger they are in? If you would have anyway to warn them that Windhovers are being hunted, that should be a top priority."

"Ozum, now that Sindrith Grey has died, there are six former Windhovers: 

• Kempis the Ironfisted, whom you met in Talisten (according to Bharash's letter, Bharash is returning to Talisten to warn him)
• Tobi Trailfinder, who lives near Everal (according to Bharash's letter, Sariel is going to warn him)
• Haradal the Hardy, who lives remotely in the Corvus Mountains and has not been seen for a few months 
• Umari Eldenfrost, who no longer lives in Syndaris but visits the Festival a few times each decade
• Arconius
• And, lastly, of course, Old Oda!

If we knew the location of Haradal's cave, then we might send someone to warn him. But, weeks could be lost in such a search. Possibly Bharash or Sariel will have some ideas about how to find and alert him of the current dangers."

"Well then, let's go get that cart!"

"OK the lets get moving then"