"Yeah," Deragor yawns. "I think the rock is supposed to guard the trees, but if you guys want to wait until this druid or wizard or whoever shows up, be my guest. I'm going back to sleep." With that, he rolls over in his bedroll and begins snoring lightly.
Taxidea shrugs again. "Well Rocky, I'm still on watch so I'll guard the trees and keep an eye out for a guy with a pointy hat." He continues his watch...
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"...at worst if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."
Okay. Prim, your watch goes by without incident. In the morning, as the suns begin to rise, Deragor awakens. As he is going about his morning routine, he looks into the sky. "What's that?" he says pointing at something in the air. When you look to where he is pointing, you see several figures flying toward you. You recognize the familiar figure of Kren Braun leading a small herd of hippogriffs and a tall man with a wide-brimmed pointed hat astride a winged horse.
"...at worst if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."
The group of flying creatures circles above you camp then gently lands in a nearby clearing. The tall man in the hat dismounts, and he and Kren walk toward you.
"Sirs, we found out the Hobs are planning to attack using underground tunnels. Where's that map? And they're apparently allied with the gnolls & drow."
"Gnolls, you say?" the tall man in the wide-brimmed hat says with raised eyebrows. "We thought they were only in Salzaria. How did they get here? This is worse than we thought. I must get back to the Coven about this as soon as possible. But first, I need to talk to Orion." He pulls Orion aside.
"I am Zorkamius," he tells Orion, "the leader of the druids and keeper of the earth elemental magic here on Niersala. I need you to be the eyes and ears of the Elemental Coven in this area during this goblin crisis." He hands you two medallions. One is a golden circle with a silver cross splitting it into four quadrants, each with a different colored stone. "This is the symbol of the Elemental Coven. It will protect you and help you in your use of elemental magic." He pins it to the right side of your lapel. "This other is my symbol. It will grant you access to any holy place in the area, including that ancient oak grove," he says pointing to the trees Rocky the galeb duhr is guarding as he pins a triangular, polished brown stone to the left side of your shirt, over your heart. "I suggest you take some time and meditate there before continuing your journey."
Meanwhile, Kren the bird-man approaches the rest of the group. "We thought you would never come out of the Underdark," he smiles. "I was watching your horse when some gnomes came and told me you were coming here. I figured you could use some better mounts here in this rugged terrain; so, I convinced my cousin to grant you the use of some of his hippogriffs. Of course, having Zorkamius show up and insist on it was a big help. Anyway," he says grandly gesturing to the majestic eagle-horse hybrids with a sweep of his arm, "here they are."
Anyone approaching or attempting to mount a hippogriff, please roll an animal handling check.
Orion is gob-smacked by the presents from Zorkamius. He bows deeply, and says, "I . . . I am deeply grateful. I don't know how to thank you. Is there a way I can communicate with you if we are separated? How does the Symbol help in my use of elemental magic? There is so much i don't understand."
Tacidea looks at the hippogriff. “Well, it’s no Thor, but still pretty cool - BUT - how’s someone my size supposed to ride that? Hey Prim - don’t forget to tell him about Rocky!” He then turns towards where Rocky is. “HEY ROCKY! POINTY HAT GUY IS HERE!”
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"...at worst if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."
Yes, the hippogriff lets you scratch its head, Prim.
Zorkamius hands a watch-like leather band with an onyx disc on it to Orion. "It's not much, and you won't get me using it, but if you need anything from the Eternal Elemental Coven or the Frelian Defense Forces, just push this little button on the side and speak into this disc with the tiny holes in it." He demonstrates how to use the wrist communicator.
"And my symbol will grant you the use of any earth elemental spell available to you as a druid of your level without wasting any other spells." (OOC: You get "Meld into Stone" as an extra spell at 5th level and can cast it without using up any spell slots. At 7th level you get "Stone Shape" and "Stoneskin" as extra spells. You get other earth elemental based spells at higher levels as long as you wear the Mountain Pin of Zorkamius.)
"If you are ever in desparate need of help," he continues, "you need only to hold out the Holy Symbol of the Coven and make a wish. Be very careful with it and use it only sparingly. That kind of power can be dangerous and wishes can be easily misinterpreted. Joe Smith was the last person to use this symbol to defeat the Ice Dragon. I'm not sure how much power is left. You may not be able to use it more than once."
"Oh," Zorkamius says, "Is Primrose Perianth here? I have one of these wrist-comm thingies for her, too, and a message from Prince Filip. Ah, there she is," he says upon seeing Miss Perianth with Kren and the hippogriffs and walks over to speak to her.
Upon hearing Taxidea's shout, Rocky stands up and greets the new arrivals.
"Thank you...sir?..Zorkamius." Prim greets him giving a proper bow. "Would you like to step aside for privacy? And do you have any advice on how to steal the goblin orbs?"
Zorkamius nonchalantly rubs the beak of the hippogriff Prim is petting. "This is private enough," he says, admiring the animal. "Prince Filip wanted me to congratulate you on rescuing your friends but wants to remind you that it is imperative that we get at least one of those orbs. As for stealing them from the hobgoblins, all I can suggest is that you be as stealthy and surgical in your approach as possible. Perhaps use some sort of disguise to infiltrate the hobgoblins ranks." He winks knowingly. "These magnificent creatures will get you to Fort Kill easily enough," he continues while stroking the hippogriff's head, "but do not fly too close or you may be seen by the guards on the battlements.
"Oh, and he also told me to tell you to be wary of the denizens of the Underdark beneath Frelia. Few of them are friendly and even fewer support the cause of the Eternal Elemental Coven. The pigeni are sometimes hunted by the Frelian Defense Forces for causing trouble in Gilainack and Freeport. Several drolefi are on their "Most Wanted" list, as well as a couple of boveni. And the nibleni gnomes rarely have anything to do with surface dwellers, as they call us."
He then turns away from his petting of the hippogriff. "Do you have everything you need? Oh, yes," he exclaims. "I almost forgot to give you this." Zorkamius hands you a wrist-comm like the one he gave Orion. "You can contact Filip yourself with this. You just press this button on the side and talk into the perforated disc, like this." He pushes the button and demonstrates the device for you. "Testing, testing. 1-2-3," he says. You hear his voice coming faintly from the Orion's direction. (Orion, you hear Zorkamius' voice coming from your wrist.)
"Yes," a rough-sounding voice comes from the wristbands. "This is the Frelian Defense Forces. This is a secure channel. Who is speaking?"
"This is Zorkamius of the Eternal Coven," the archdruid replies. "Just making sure these confounded things are working."
"Uh, yessir," come the hesitant reply. "We have you five-by-five here, sir."
"I assume that is good?" Zorkamius asks.
"Yessir, very good."
"Okay, then, here you go," he says as he straps the wrist-comm on Prim's arm. "You can have this. I never use the crazy things. All this technological nonsense from the Technarch and Filip makes my head spin. It's bad enough they introduced gunpowder to the nomeni, but now they have started messing with things that used to be only available to the most advanced magic-users."
"Thank you for helping us Zorkamius", Prim says. "I'm guessing you wouldn't have an Invisibility spell I could learn before you go? It would help infiltrate. The Hippogrifs eat meat, right? Or is that a question for Kren?"
(To the party: "Where's that map? Guys, I think we should give them the underground map so they can coordinate defense. If no objection, we give the map)
(These questions will go to Kren if directed) "How often & how much do they get fed? Do they catch their own food? Command words? Up, down, left, right, land? Or pull the reins like a horse? Any other tips for care?" )
"Thanks Kren."
(I didn't see mention of tack & harness. If the 'Griffs lack them, she'll ask if they have any)
(Kren said "I was watching your horse when some gnomes came and told me you were coming here...." Does that mean the FDF took the horses from the Nibleni back to Freeport? She'll ask to clarify. If not, she'll ask for a copy of the map to pick up the horses)
"Yeah," Deragor yawns. "I think the rock is supposed to guard the trees, but if you guys want to wait until this druid or wizard or whoever shows up, be my guest. I'm going back to sleep." With that, he rolls over in his bedroll and begins snoring lightly.
Orion resumes his rest.
Taxidea shrugs again. "Well Rocky, I'm still on watch so I'll guard the trees and keep an eye out for a guy with a pointy hat." He continues his watch...
"...at worst if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."
The rest of the watch goes without incident. Who has the third watch?
Prim has last watch
Okay. Prim, your watch goes by without incident. In the morning, as the suns begin to rise, Deragor awakens. As he is going about his morning routine, he looks into the sky. "What's that?" he says pointing at something in the air. When you look to where he is pointing, you see several figures flying toward you. You recognize the familiar figure of Kren Braun leading a small herd of hippogriffs and a tall man with a wide-brimmed pointed hat astride a winged horse.
"Hey Rocky - I think pointy-hat guy is here!"
"...at worst if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."
Prim waves at the flying figures crossing her arms semaphor style.
"URGENT NEWS SIRS" she yells..
Orion jolts awake at Prim's yelling. He is confused and string at the flying figures.
The group of flying creatures circles above you camp then gently lands in a nearby clearing. The tall man in the hat dismounts, and he and Kren walk toward you.
We (I assume) walk to meet them.
"Sirs, we found out the Hobs are planning to attack using underground tunnels. Where's that map? And they're apparently allied with the gnolls & drow."
"Gnolls, you say?" the tall man in the wide-brimmed hat says with raised eyebrows. "We thought they were only in Salzaria. How did they get here? This is worse than we thought. I must get back to the Coven about this as soon as possible. But first, I need to talk to Orion." He pulls Orion aside.
"I am Zorkamius," he tells Orion, "the leader of the druids and keeper of the earth elemental magic here on Niersala. I need you to be the eyes and ears of the Elemental Coven in this area during this goblin crisis." He hands you two medallions. One is a golden circle with a silver cross splitting it into four quadrants, each with a different colored stone. "This is the symbol of the Elemental Coven. It will protect you and help you in your use of elemental magic." He pins it to the right side of your lapel. "This other is my symbol. It will grant you access to any holy place in the area, including that ancient oak grove," he says pointing to the trees Rocky the galeb duhr is guarding as he pins a triangular, polished brown stone to the left side of your shirt, over your heart. "I suggest you take some time and meditate there before continuing your journey."
Meanwhile, Kren the bird-man approaches the rest of the group. "We thought you would never come out of the Underdark," he smiles. "I was watching your horse when some gnomes came and told me you were coming here. I figured you could use some better mounts here in this rugged terrain; so, I convinced my cousin to grant you the use of some of his hippogriffs. Of course, having Zorkamius show up and insist on it was a big help. Anyway," he says grandly gesturing to the majestic eagle-horse hybrids with a sweep of his arm, "here they are."
Anyone approaching or attempting to mount a hippogriff, please roll an animal handling check.
Prim observes the hippogriffs & picks the one that looks calmest.
"Nice...horsey?" She says, extending a hand.
Animal handling 19 on char. Sheet
She scratches it's head if it lets her.
Orion is gob-smacked by the presents from Zorkamius. He bows deeply, and says, "I . . . I am deeply grateful. I don't know how to thank you. Is there a way I can communicate with you if we are separated? How does the Symbol help in my use of elemental magic? There is so much i don't understand."
Tacidea looks at the hippogriff. “Well, it’s no Thor, but still pretty cool - BUT - how’s someone my size supposed to ride that? Hey Prim - don’t forget to tell him about Rocky!” He then turns towards where Rocky is. “HEY ROCKY! POINTY HAT GUY IS HERE!”
"...at worst if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."
Yes, the hippogriff lets you scratch its head, Prim.
Zorkamius hands a watch-like leather band with an onyx disc on it to Orion. "It's not much, and you won't get me using it, but if you need anything from the Eternal Elemental Coven or the Frelian Defense Forces, just push this little button on the side and speak into this disc with the tiny holes in it." He demonstrates how to use the wrist communicator.
"And my symbol will grant you the use of any earth elemental spell available to you as a druid of your level without wasting any other spells." (OOC: You get "Meld into Stone" as an extra spell at 5th level and can cast it without using up any spell slots. At 7th level you get "Stone Shape" and "Stoneskin" as extra spells. You get other earth elemental based spells at higher levels as long as you wear the Mountain Pin of Zorkamius.)
"If you are ever in desparate need of help," he continues, "you need only to hold out the Holy Symbol of the Coven and make a wish. Be very careful with it and use it only sparingly. That kind of power can be dangerous and wishes can be easily misinterpreted. Joe Smith was the last person to use this symbol to defeat the Ice Dragon. I'm not sure how much power is left. You may not be able to use it more than once."
"Oh," Zorkamius says, "Is Primrose Perianth here? I have one of these wrist-comm thingies for her, too, and a message from Prince Filip. Ah, there she is," he says upon seeing Miss Perianth with Kren and the hippogriffs and walks over to speak to her.
Upon hearing Taxidea's shout, Rocky stands up and greets the new arrivals.
"Thank you...sir?..Zorkamius." Prim greets him giving a proper bow. "Would you like to step aside for privacy? And do you have any advice on how to steal the goblin orbs?"
Zorkamius nonchalantly rubs the beak of the hippogriff Prim is petting. "This is private enough," he says, admiring the animal. "Prince Filip wanted me to congratulate you on rescuing your friends but wants to remind you that it is imperative that we get at least one of those orbs. As for stealing them from the hobgoblins, all I can suggest is that you be as stealthy and surgical in your approach as possible. Perhaps use some sort of disguise to infiltrate the hobgoblins ranks." He winks knowingly. "These magnificent creatures will get you to Fort Kill easily enough," he continues while stroking the hippogriff's head, "but do not fly too close or you may be seen by the guards on the battlements.
"Oh, and he also told me to tell you to be wary of the denizens of the Underdark beneath Frelia. Few of them are friendly and even fewer support the cause of the Eternal Elemental Coven. The pigeni are sometimes hunted by the Frelian Defense Forces for causing trouble in Gilainack and Freeport. Several drolefi are on their "Most Wanted" list, as well as a couple of boveni. And the nibleni gnomes rarely have anything to do with surface dwellers, as they call us."
He then turns away from his petting of the hippogriff. "Do you have everything you need? Oh, yes," he exclaims. "I almost forgot to give you this." Zorkamius hands you a wrist-comm like the one he gave Orion. "You can contact Filip yourself with this. You just press this button on the side and talk into the perforated disc, like this." He pushes the button and demonstrates the device for you. "Testing, testing. 1-2-3," he says. You hear his voice coming faintly from the Orion's direction. (Orion, you hear Zorkamius' voice coming from your wrist.)
"Yes," a rough-sounding voice comes from the wristbands. "This is the Frelian Defense Forces. This is a secure channel. Who is speaking?"
"This is Zorkamius of the Eternal Coven," the archdruid replies. "Just making sure these confounded things are working."
"Uh, yessir," come the hesitant reply. "We have you five-by-five here, sir."
"I assume that is good?" Zorkamius asks.
"Yessir, very good."
"Okay, then, here you go," he says as he straps the wrist-comm on Prim's arm. "You can have this. I never use the crazy things. All this technological nonsense from the Technarch and Filip makes my head spin. It's bad enough they introduced gunpowder to the nomeni, but now they have started messing with things that used to be only available to the most advanced magic-users."
Orion says, "So, on to Fort Kill? Does anyone need to complete a rest before we set out?"
"Thank you for helping us Zorkamius", Prim says. "I'm guessing you wouldn't have an Invisibility spell I could learn before you go? It would help infiltrate. The Hippogrifs eat meat, right? Or is that a question for Kren?"
(To the party: "Where's that map? Guys, I think we should give them the underground map so they can coordinate defense. If no objection, we give the map)
(These questions will go to Kren if directed) "How often & how much do they get fed? Do they catch their own food? Command words? Up, down, left, right, land? Or pull the reins like a horse? Any other tips for care?" )
"Thanks Kren."
(I didn't see mention of tack & harness. If the 'Griffs lack them, she'll ask if they have any)
(Kren said "I was watching your horse when some gnomes came and told me you were coming here...." Does that mean the FDF took the horses from the Nibleni back to Freeport? She'll ask to clarify. If not, she'll ask for a copy of the map to pick up the horses)