The Undying Dragons - Campaign Thread

Marrin would chip in on the rock heating, as she can manage that after noting Jan's approach.

She does nod along with Soren,

"With Ava's speed magic we should be able to easily beat them to the Wish. What I am concerned about is that with Ethel on their side, they may try to stage an ambush at the port or along the way."

"It does complicate things with her knowing our route here... I wonder if she will mention the Rotting Man's tower... that sort of dark place is probably of interest to Godrick.", Jan muses. "Hopefully they aren't able to gain the same passage through the forest that we are hoping for."

Avaria gets up and readies her horse.  She just wants to get a move on.  "Well, we won't find out until we get there, may as well get moving."  She looks in the direction the dire wolf was maybe howling and wonders if it was the same one they brought here.  She finds herself hoping to see it again, but not sure why.

Soren pauses before starting out and looks carefully and seriously at the group for a moment.

"There is another option," Soren says. "It was only just recently that I gained enough power to do this, but I can reduce our trip to three or four days instead of closer to two weeks to get to Ironfang Deep."

He looks south and continues looking mostly at Jan and Marrin now. "You've heard of a teleportation circle, yes? I'm pretty sure I can make one work. My mentor I had when I first started out has a school of sorts in Starmantle, down on the Dragon Coast. I know the sigil to access his circle."

Soren pats his horse.

"It would mean leaving the horses, and not going back to the Wish, but we could be only a few days from Ironfang Deep now."

Marrin raises her eyebrows.

"Well that'd be convenient. Suspiciously so."

She gives Jan a look before asking,

"Who is your mentor and what is the name of the school?"

"And what happens if it doesn't work?", Jan chimes in.

Soren nods as Marrin voices her suspicions. "Fair enough. But like some of you, my strength has grown since we left Uthmere. Avaria thinks she can get all of us moving twice as fast as we did getting here."

He raises his hands a little and to the side. "I knew the fundamentals before, but never had the strength to make it work."

Soren turns and looks more seriously at Marrin.

"She's had so many names, but Skald Talis is the one she's used with me. And you of all people should know our schools are far from the formal schools of the academics," Soren says the last nodding towards Geoffroi. "But we do have a meeting place called the Kennings."

To Jan, Soren smiles, "Well, if it doesn't work we'd all be standing inside a ten foot circle looking a bit foolish. Unless, that is, I make a mistake drawing the sigil but it's correct to some other circle and then I guess we'd end up wherever that was." 

"Standing in a circle looking foolish is a much better negative outcome than being cast adrift between the planes for eternity...", Jan chews at her lower lip as she considers Soren's offer, looking around at the others.

Marrin's words dredge up some old suspicions, as well as Soren's comment about ending up at some other circle instead. 

Insight: 19

((What does Jan know of Starmantle, and the ease or route to get to their destination from there? Presumably a place they'd be able to get other horses from to continue the journey? I think her coin purse is too light to buy a new horse at the moment.))

Marrin ponders on the name of Talis.

History: 13

To Soren's comment of knowing bard schools, she gives noncommittal shrug.

"We have to assume that Ethel has told them everything and they will expect us to chase after them. The circle is something new and, potentially, puts us there weeks in advance of the Hargroves."

Jan:

Soren does seem genuine in recent events and an increase in experience has led to him now being able to create a teleportation circle and he does seem relatively sure he can pull it off. He seems truthful about the Kennings but similar to Marrin's feelings about Soren, he's not likely sharing everything he knows.

As for Starmantle, all Jan knows is it's a small town on the southwest coast of the Sea of Fallen Stars. 

But, Hammerdasher is able to add in "If we can get from Starmantle to Cedarsproke we can get help there to ease the way. My clan has had good relations with the druids there for a long time, despite the fact they seem to want to live in an untamed forest full of pine and cedar. What's wrong with stone?"

Hammerdasher is of the opinion that getting from Starmantle to Cedarsproke won't take more than a day of hiking through forest.

Marrin:

Marrin can't say that she's ever heard the name Talis before but the title Skald does ring some bells. She can't say for sure but sounds like the title one group of story telling bards uses for senior members.

She's not familiar with the area along that part of the coast though. Starmantle is small. Cedarsproke is in an untamed forest with druids running the place.

Of all the others in the group, none of Avaria, Solomona, or Vonth have any knowledge of the area around Starmantle, Cedarsproke or Ironfang Deep. They're all foreign names (though Avaria has heard Hammerdasher talk about Ironfang Deep).

Soren does ask everyone to help him clear snow from the ground in a 10' diameter circle. "I need to be able to draw on the actual ground."

He pauses, looking at everyone "Assuming you want to do this."

Soren lets the question hang in the air and continues to clear snow away.

Vonth...

     Options.
     This group had them in abundance.

     Vonth still did not fully understand their quarrel with the Hargroves—or with Godrick and Korda. He was not even certain whether Godrick and Korda were Hargroves, or merely tangled up with them. The details remained unclear.

     What was clear was this: they were not returning to the prison, and they were not interested in sending him back there.

     For now, that was enough.

     There was talk of pursuing their enemies. That appealed to him. He was a hunter by nature and by training, and the thought of tracking prey—especially prey that had already drawn his blood—sat well with him. Still, he did not offer the suggestion. These were not his decisions to steer. Not yet.

     There were also magical solutions discussed. Speed. Teleportation. Until recently, Vonth would have dismissed such things entirely, leaving them to those who trafficked in words and gestures instead of effort. That distance had narrowed since Morc had found him—or he had found Morc. Understanding, however, remained far off. Perhaps forever.

     So again, he stayed silent.

     He watched. He listened. He marked what stirred his curiosity and what did not.

     Otherwise, he kept to his morning routine, such as it was. The habits he had formed in prison did not fall away just because the bars were gone. Freedom was welcome—but dawn still belonged to Morc, and Vonth honored that with quiet, simple devotion.

_____

While Vonth stays out of the decision making of what next, if the teleportation circle is chosen he will of course assist on clearing the ground - though he'd suggest they get the horses to do the bulk of the work before they point them back towards the prison and slap them on the ass.  Basically suggesting a couple be rigged up with ropes tied to a couple large stones or maybe tree trunks and walked back and forth across the chosen area to kind of scrape the land clear of snow cover and such.  Vonth isn't opposed to doing work himself but this does seem the quicker and more efficient option?

And each morning, upon waking, Vonth does his little rituals to Morc.  During this time he'll also be trying to find (or make) the couple spell components he currently needs - a Yew Leaf and a small parchment with a bit of holy text written on it.  Once obtained they are securely placed in a budding component pouch as they're not consumables...  Part of his morning rituals is Purify Food and Drink unless the morning does not allow the time for the ritual.  Prison food was often questionable so it's become kind of ingrained into his routine.

DM - You want me to update you when I change his spell list after a long rest?  I think I'll mostly stay pretty static but *shrug*  Not changing any time soon either way, I picked what he has figuring they worked in a prison setting even if they didn't actually work (they'd be things useful if they did work) and I don't think he'd be quick to change them...

((Vonth - as long as you update after a long rest, that's fine. I can always check the character sheet. And trees aren't common up on this steppe where the prison was located but perhaps Morc will appreciate the morning ritual or at least be amused by it - Nature roll - D10 and Vonth can find what looks like a dried yew branch under the snow.))

Avaria nods to the suggestion, either unaware of the suspicions going on between Soren and her friends or choosing not to address it, "Let's do the circle.  Then I can help us move quickly with Hammerdasher leading the way.  Sounds to me it is at least worth trying and if we can get there with ample time to plan for when the Hargroves eventually show up, all the better.  Would be fun to meet back up with our treeant friends, but this seems like the smartest plan."

Ava starts helping Soren move away the snow.

Marrin just starts melting snow with prestidigation, gesturing for Jan to help.

"This should only take a minute or so. Would have been nice for your revelation to have come last night before we got frostbite on our extremities Soren. Why can't the horses come?"

She complains/asks mildly as she works.

She looks up as Ava says 'treant friends',

"I am not sure I would have called them friends!"

Travelling fast like an elk... Talking trees... Teleporting across the world... Every suggestion discussed brings a new aura of wonder to Sol's face, and he seems eager for anything magical. On the other hand, the talk of the associated dangers doesn't seem to perturb him at all.

He has little to contribute to the decision, happy to go along with whatever amazing option the group choose. Meanwhile, he proves to be a willing and capable helper with preparing for the ground for the magic portal.

((Thor, how long of a travel would it be for K to fly in raven form (60 ft speed) back to the Wish to inform Bigge and the crew that we've headed elsewhere by other means?))

Jan pitches in clearing snow, using K's tremor sense to direct any of the others joining in the effort on where to best get to a decently suitable surface.

"You fellows agreed to help, but I understand if teleporting across hundreds of miles is more than the ride on horseback you signed up for.", she remarks to Von and Sol.

((If K doesn’t need to stop, should be able to get to the Wish in two days))

Jan will spend some time cross legged communicating with her dusty little companion, letting them know what it is she's asking them to do, and making sure it's not too much. She lets herself sink into K's mind, and through him, deeper into her connection to her patron. 

To the others, it looks as though Jan has frozen as a statue, and a faint trickle of dust dribbles from the cuff of her glove as she stands there, eyes closed and unbreathing. There is a flap of dusty invisible wings as K takes off, spiraling up... and Jan rises in the air, still in a seated position, the dust that had been spilling from her gloved hand surrounding and lifting her. 

She offers assurance that she's fine, but continues to rise, before shooting forward, hundreds of feet. 

Marrin feels a familiar dusty weight on her shoulder, as Jan's voice whispers in her ear. "Does this work? Can you hear me?"