As you kneel weeping, you catch the scent once more. Looking up to where you last saw the ribbon, you see it flutter against the branch, then slip further backward to the next branch, deeper in the wood.
Zubien -
The music continues as you follow the brief flashes of red cloth through the trees. You hear songs from your homeland, songs you haven't heard in years, and new songs. You follow for an indiscernible amount of time, the red cloth ever just out of reach. Suddenly the dense wood gives way to another clearing. This one is bathed in sunlight, causing you to cover your eyes 'til they adjust. In the center of the clearing stands a large tree. Its base has a diameter of about sixty feet and the branches hang low, thick with blue-green leaves. The trunk is smooth and off-white. Butterflies with wings as large as your hand flutter about the space and among the branches. No breeze blows through the clearing but the boughs of the tree bounce and sway still, as if something moves unseen within its leaves. As you observe the space something calls out to you from the direction of the tree, "Hello."
Grymar -
You awaken from your slumber and find yourself alone in the glade. All appears as it was when you fell asleep except the distinct lack of any sign of your companions. Rising to your feet and turning about, you still find no sign. It is as if they were never really there at all. Approaching the edge of the clearing you peer into the darkness beyond and see nothing but deep, dark wood. You then hear a sound, an insectile buzz as a large iridescent bee flies lazily past you and into the woods beyond the clearing. It is like no bee you've ever seen before. Looking around, you spy another and another still. Both ambling through the air, past you and into the darkness of the woods. Movement on the ground catches your eyes and at your feet you find a grand march of various fantastical insects passing by and over your feet as they follow the bees.
Zubien stops, looks towards the sound of the voice. He bows and with hand to heart, returns with "Hello, who are you and where am I?"
...is struggling. He moves to stand, stops, squats back down, thinks, wipes tears, goes to stand, and repeats. He wrestles with what he desperately wants—to see Calico again—with what he fears—that this is a trick of his patron that will lead him down the dark path Calico went, and so that he'll be lost forever, unable to achieve his goal of redeeming himself and his wife in the eyes of their friends and neighbors.
He believes the safest, most likely truth is that this is a trick to consume him and he'll lose everything. But there's a very strong part of him that will forever wonder and hate himself if that ribbon really will lead him to Calico, even for a moment.
He remain on his knees, struggling, and cries out in frustration at the empty Fey sky.
His heart beats hard and in a moment he fears he's let the moment slip past him. He looks intently for the ribbon again, and starts to rise to his feet.
A guffaw escapes Grymar, followed by a grin as he jumps up to his feet. He stands up and runs up beside one of the giant bees, convinced this is a dream but not wanting to wake up. He straddles the large bee like a bull rider, jumping on its back and holding on to its chitinous neck for dear life. He waits patiently as it gains speed, he tests his balance, righting himself and getting comfortable on the back of the bee. He points his ethereal bee hand forward, saying “Giddyap!” and holds on for dear life, taking the ride of a century….
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
An androgynous voice responds from somewhere in the boughs of the tree, "Such manners. I am Cthaeh and you are a stone's throw from my tree." The leaves and branches of the tree rustle and shake periodically, as if something is bounding from branch to branch. You see more of the large butterflies flying delicately about. One with iridescent red wings nears the tree and suddenly you hear a sharp crack, and the butterfly wings flutter independently to the ground, "Why have you come to my domain Zubien? I very rarely receive visitors."
Berkarak -
As you near the ribbon, it slips free of the branch it appears stuck on and catches on another one further into the woods. You follow the ribbon for an indiscernible amount of time, the scent of Calico's perfume faint but present. Suddenly the dense wood gives way to another clearing. This one is bathed in sunlight, causing you to cover your eyes 'til they adjust. In the center of the clearing stands a large tree. Its base has a diameter of about sixty feet and the branches hang low, thick with blue-green leaves. The trunk is smooth and off-white. Butterflies with wings as large as your hand flutter about the space and among the branches. No breeze blows through the clearing but the boughs of the tree bounce and sway still, as if something moves unseen within its leaves. As you observe the space something calls out to you from the direction of the tree, "Hello."
Grymar -
The bee dips amiably and allows you to mount it. It hovers about a foot off the ground, ferrying you further into the woods. You ride for an indiscernible amount of time, bee maintaining its vector the entire time. Suddenly the dense wood gives way to another clearing. This one is bathed in sunlight, causing you to cover your eyes 'til they adjust as the bee lands on the ground, allowing your feet to touch then slipping away through your legs. It flies back into the darkness of the woods behind you. In the center of the clearing stands a large tree. Its base has a diameter of about sixty feet and the branches hang low, thick with blue-green leaves. The trunk is smooth and off-white. Butterflies with wings as large as your hand flutter about the space and among the branches. No breeze blows through the clearing but the boughs of the tree bounce and sway still, as if something moves unseen within its leaves. As you observe the space something calls out to you from the direction of the tree, "Hello."
...squints, glancing around for the ribbon. Is it gone? He wants it. He takes a deep breath through his nose to smell the perfume while he can, fearing that it'll leave soon
Does the voice behind the "Hello" sound like Calico?
You lost sight of the ribbon in the initial glare of sudden daylight when you exited the woods. Glancing around, you don't see it anywhere. Taking a deep breath, you catch the faintest trace of the scent before it is lost amid the lemon-citrus scent of the tree, "I find that among the senses, scent stands out as the most potent for conjuring memories..." As the voice speaks again you notice more of the large butterflies flying delicately about. One with iridescent red wings nears the tree and suddenly you hear a sharp crack, and the butterfly wings flutter independently to the ground, "...would you agree, Berkarak?" The androgynous voice does not sound like Calico.
...again falls to his knees, a look of despair on his face. He was right, her memory was a lure, and here he is, having given in to the Fey magic, about to be corrupted by his patron just as Calico was. He has failed her. He has failed himself. And he so desperately wants to sleep.
He does not respond to the voice. It barely holds his attention as thoughts and feelings race through his mind.
A faint breeze carreses the grass and your clothing as you kneel. You hear another crack and in your peripheral vision you see another pair of butterfly wings pinwheel to the ground, these ones also an iridescent red, "The red ones offend my aesthetic." You hear branches and leaves rustling above you before the voice speaks again, "Tut tut Berkarak. Abject despair? Really? In the face of that which you desire most?" You see something purple dance by in the edge of your vision and turn to find Calico's ribbon, but find only a purple-winged butterfly, "No, no... Not her. We both know the truth of it. You want to know. You desire knowledge."
...looks up at the tree as if seeing it for the first time. He smells deeply one last time, and resolve replaces the despair in his face.
He stands. He pulls the mechanic butterfly wings from his pack. He looks at them (are they red?), then holds them up as if to offer them to the tree, but then just let's them fall to the ground with the others.
"True,"he says in his stern, resolute voice, still subtly lisping his s's. "I do seek knowledge. What have you for me?"He adjusts his spectacles.
As you near the next bundle of cogs, you hear and see another further into the woods. You follow for an indiscernible amount of time, the bundles of cogs tinkling brightly as you approach them. Suddenly the dense wood gives way to another clearing. This one is bathed in sunlight, causing you to cover your eyes 'til they adjust. In the center of the clearing stands a large tree. Its base has a diameter of about sixty feet and the branches hang low, thick with blue-green leaves. The trunk is smooth and off-white. Butterflies with wings as large as your hand flutter about the space and among the branches. No breeze blows through the clearing but the boughs of the tree bounce and sway still, as if something moves unseen within its leaves. As you observe the space something calls out to you from the direction of the tree, "Hello."
Response:
Lehami, hand lightly on her mace turns towards the voice, and responds genially but with caution, "Yes. Hello? Who's there?
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
DM - Classic Adventures Reborn
Rylan - L1 Human Paladin - Barty's "Princes of the Apocalypse"
An androgynous voice responds from somewhere in the boughs of the tree, "Such manners. I am Cthaeh and you are a stone's throw from my tree." The leaves and branches of the tree rustle and shake periodically, as if something is bounding from branch to branch. You see more of the large butterflies flying delicately about. One with iridescent red wings nears the tree and suddenly you hear a sharp crack, and the butterfly wings flutter independently to the ground, "Why have you come to my domain Zubien? I very rarely receive visitors."
Berkarak -
As you near the ribbon, it slips free of the branch it appears stuck on and catches on another one further into the woods. You follow the ribbon for an indiscernible amount of time, the scent of Calico's perfume faint but present. Suddenly the dense wood gives way to another clearing. This one is bathed in sunlight, causing you to cover your eyes 'til they adjust. In the center of the clearing stands a large tree. Its base has a diameter of about sixty feet and the branches hang low, thick with blue-green leaves. The trunk is smooth and off-white. Butterflies with wings as large as your hand flutter about the space and among the branches. No breeze blows through the clearing but the boughs of the tree bounce and sway still, as if something moves unseen within its leaves. As you observe the space something calls out to you from the direction of the tree, "Hello."
Grymar -
The bee dips amiably and allows you to mount it. It hovers about a foot off the ground, ferrying you further into the woods. You ride for an indiscernible amount of time, bee maintaining its vector the entire time. Suddenly the dense wood gives way to another clearing. This one is bathed in sunlight, causing you to cover your eyes 'til they adjust as the bee lands on the ground, allowing your feet to touch then slipping away through your legs. It flies back into the darkness of the woods behind you. In the center of the clearing stands a large tree. Its base has a diameter of about sixty feet and the branches hang low, thick with blue-green leaves. The trunk is smooth and off-white. Butterflies with wings as large as your hand flutter about the space and among the branches. No breeze blows through the clearing but the boughs of the tree bounce and sway still, as if something moves unseen within its leaves. As you observe the space something calls out to you from the direction of the tree, "Hello."
Bowing to the voice, both hands palms down to his chest, "It was not my intent to intrude and trespass into your peaceful sanctum. I do regret if I have caused any transgressions, but I have no idea how I entered your realm. After our long action in the mines, I meditated to focus myself, then I fell asleep and when I awoke, I found myself here. I apologize, for I still do not know where I am Cthaeh, though I do have to admit, I find your realm of peace and harmony a better place to rest my weary soul."
Grymar walks closer to the tree, his curiosity getting the best of him. He feels like he is floating, like there is something deep and right about everything that is happening. Like the stuff that dreams are made of, it all seems right in his world. He has no fear at all, he looks at the butterflies and a grin from ear to ear covers his face. He hears the voice and looks for the bole of the tree, wondering if there was someone inside of it, speaking to him. He peers and looks, looking all around it. He answers back, “Hello to you! Where are you? What are you? This is so, so .. beautiful! Please, tell me -“
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Kalhala rubbing his shoulders from being stuck in the jamb, is dumbstruck when the being comes and talks to them. It takes him several moments to find his tongue once he is gone and relief finally finds its way to him.
Shuddering a couple of times, he also grabs a few fruits from the tree and rests against another tree's trunk. Staring into the pool in front of them and eating the fruit. Sleep doesn't find it's way right away and he thinks about how close they were to succumbing to mushroom food.
Grymar, Lehmani, & Zubien - You wander back to the clearing with the pool to find Berkarak seemingly having a heated conversation with the fey being that brought you here and Kalhala rousing from a nap.
Lehmani approaches... If she senses the tone is sharp enough to indicate a potential for violence, she will put her hand on the hilt of her mace, prepared to draw. If it seems like a less combustible dispute, she'll simply step forward to observe and listen.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
DM - Classic Adventures Reborn
Rylan - L1 Human Paladin - Barty's "Princes of the Apocalypse"
Lehmani - The fey being relaxes when you step into view, the blades disappearing as quickly as they appeared. Berkarak and the being finish their conversation on a calmer note despite the obvious tension before your approach.
Lehmani does her best to read the situation, still ready for a quick response if needed. Wary, she continues, "Refreshed, yes. But I can't say I'm overly fond of this place. How do we return? And how do we do so in a way that ensures we won't find ourselves stuck in the same death trap we fell into?"
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
DM - Classic Adventures Reborn
Rylan - L1 Human Paladin - Barty's "Princes of the Apocalypse"
All - The fey being leads you away from the glade and into the woods. After a bit you come to another door that looks pretty much the same as the one you came through before only this one is of normal proportions and not actively shrinking. When the door opens, instead of more darkened woodland beyond you instead see a corridor of worked stone. The being ushers you all through and closes the door behind you. The corridor turns to the left and leads to a set of stone stairs. The stairs end at the entrance to an octagonal chamber. The floor is inlaid with cracked, dusty blue tiles, and the walls are dressed with polished marble. Large doors of iron-bound oak exit to the northwest and northeast.
Three cast bronze statues, almost ten feet tall, stand by the west, north, and east walls. Each depicts an armed dwarf. The eastern and western ones carry axes and shields. The center statue is armed with two axes. The ceiling rises in a dome almost thirty feet above the floor.
From somewhere in the distance, you can hear the faint ringing of hammer on anvil.
Zubien stops, looks towards the sound of the voice. He bows and with hand to heart, returns with "Hello, who are you and where am I?"
Berkarak...
...is struggling. He moves to stand, stops, squats back down, thinks, wipes tears, goes to stand, and repeats. He wrestles with what he desperately wants—to see Calico again—with what he fears—that this is a trick of his patron that will lead him down the dark path Calico went, and so that he'll be lost forever, unable to achieve his goal of redeeming himself and his wife in the eyes of their friends and neighbors.
He believes the safest, most likely truth is that this is a trick to consume him and he'll lose everything. But there's a very strong part of him that will forever wonder and hate himself if that ribbon really will lead him to Calico, even for a moment.
He remain on his knees, struggling, and cries out in frustration at the empty Fey sky.
His heart beats hard and in a moment he fears he's let the moment slip past him. He looks intently for the ribbon again, and starts to rise to his feet.
A guffaw escapes Grymar, followed by a grin as he jumps up to his feet. He stands up and runs up beside one of the giant bees, convinced this is a dream but not wanting to wake up. He straddles the large bee like a bull rider, jumping on its back and holding on to its chitinous neck for dear life. He waits patiently as it gains speed, he tests his balance, righting himself and getting comfortable on the back of the bee. He points his ethereal bee hand forward, saying “Giddyap!” and holds on for dear life, taking the ride of a century….
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Zubien -
An androgynous voice responds from somewhere in the boughs of the tree, "Such manners. I am Cthaeh and you are a stone's throw from my tree." The leaves and branches of the tree rustle and shake periodically, as if something is bounding from branch to branch. You see more of the large butterflies flying delicately about. One with iridescent red wings nears the tree and suddenly you hear a sharp crack, and the butterfly wings flutter independently to the ground, "Why have you come to my domain Zubien? I very rarely receive visitors."
Berkarak -
As you near the ribbon, it slips free of the branch it appears stuck on and catches on another one further into the woods. You follow the ribbon for an indiscernible amount of time, the scent of Calico's perfume faint but present. Suddenly the dense wood gives way to another clearing. This one is bathed in sunlight, causing you to cover your eyes 'til they adjust. In the center of the clearing stands a large tree. Its base has a diameter of about sixty feet and the branches hang low, thick with blue-green leaves. The trunk is smooth and off-white. Butterflies with wings as large as your hand flutter about the space and among the branches. No breeze blows through the clearing but the boughs of the tree bounce and sway still, as if something moves unseen within its leaves. As you observe the space something calls out to you from the direction of the tree, "Hello."
Grymar -
The bee dips amiably and allows you to mount it. It hovers about a foot off the ground, ferrying you further into the woods. You ride for an indiscernible amount of time, bee maintaining its vector the entire time. Suddenly the dense wood gives way to another clearing. This one is bathed in sunlight, causing you to cover your eyes 'til they adjust as the bee lands on the ground, allowing your feet to touch then slipping away through your legs. It flies back into the darkness of the woods behind you. In the center of the clearing stands a large tree. Its base has a diameter of about sixty feet and the branches hang low, thick with blue-green leaves. The trunk is smooth and off-white. Butterflies with wings as large as your hand flutter about the space and among the branches. No breeze blows through the clearing but the boughs of the tree bounce and sway still, as if something moves unseen within its leaves. As you observe the space something calls out to you from the direction of the tree, "Hello."
Berkarak...
...squints, glancing around for the ribbon. Is it gone? He wants it. He takes a deep breath through his nose to smell the perfume while he can, fearing that it'll leave soon
Does the voice behind the "Hello" sound like Calico?
Berkarak -
You lost sight of the ribbon in the initial glare of sudden daylight when you exited the woods. Glancing around, you don't see it anywhere. Taking a deep breath, you catch the faintest trace of the scent before it is lost amid the lemon-citrus scent of the tree, "I find that among the senses, scent stands out as the most potent for conjuring memories..." As the voice speaks again you notice more of the large butterflies flying delicately about. One with iridescent red wings nears the tree and suddenly you hear a sharp crack, and the butterfly wings flutter independently to the ground, "...would you agree, Berkarak?" The androgynous voice does not sound like Calico.
Berkarak...
...again falls to his knees, a look of despair on his face. He was right, her memory was a lure, and here he is, having given in to the Fey magic, about to be corrupted by his patron just as Calico was. He has failed her. He has failed himself. And he so desperately wants to sleep.
He does not respond to the voice. It barely holds his attention as thoughts and feelings race through his mind.
Berkarak -
A faint breeze carreses the grass and your clothing as you kneel. You hear another crack and in your peripheral vision you see another pair of butterfly wings pinwheel to the ground, these ones also an iridescent red, "The red ones offend my aesthetic." You hear branches and leaves rustling above you before the voice speaks again, "Tut tut Berkarak. Abject despair? Really? In the face of that which you desire most?" You see something purple dance by in the edge of your vision and turn to find Calico's ribbon, but find only a purple-winged butterfly, "No, no... Not her. We both know the truth of it. You want to know. You desire knowledge."
Berkarak...
...looks up at the tree as if seeing it for the first time. He smells deeply one last time, and resolve replaces the despair in his face.
He stands. He pulls the mechanic butterfly wings from his pack. He looks at them (are they red?), then holds them up as if to offer them to the tree, but then just let's them fall to the ground with the others.
"True," he says in his stern, resolute voice, still subtly lisping his s's. "I do seek knowledge. What have you for me?" He adjusts his spectacles.
Response:
Lehami, hand lightly on her mace turns towards the voice, and responds genially but with caution, "Yes. Hello? Who's there?
DM - Classic Adventures Reborn
Rylan - L1 Human Paladin - Barty's "Princes of the Apocalypse"
Bowing to the voice, both hands palms down to his chest, "It was not my intent to intrude and trespass into your peaceful sanctum. I do regret if I have caused any transgressions, but I have no idea how I entered your realm. After our long action in the mines, I meditated to focus myself, then I fell asleep and when I awoke, I found myself here. I apologize, for I still do not know where I am Cthaeh, though I do have to admit, I find your realm of peace and harmony a better place to rest my weary soul."
Grymar walks closer to the tree, his curiosity getting the best of him. He feels like he is floating, like there is something deep and right about everything that is happening. Like the stuff that dreams are made of, it all seems right in his world. He has no fear at all, he looks at the butterflies and a grin from ear to ear covers his face. He hears the voice and looks for the bole of the tree, wondering if there was someone inside of it, speaking to him. He peers and looks, looking all around it. He answers back, “Hello to you! Where are you? What are you? This is so, so .. beautiful! Please, tell me - “
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Kalhala rubbing his shoulders from being stuck in the jamb, is dumbstruck when the being comes and talks to them. It takes him several moments to find his tongue once he is gone and relief finally finds its way to him.
Shuddering a couple of times, he also grabs a few fruits from the tree and rests against another tree's trunk. Staring into the pool in front of them and eating the fruit. Sleep doesn't find it's way right away and he thinks about how close they were to succumbing to mushroom food.
Grymar, Lehmani, & Zubien - You wander back to the clearing with the pool to find Berkarak seemingly having a heated conversation with the fey being that brought you here and Kalhala rousing from a nap.
All - What would you like to do?
Lehmani approaches... If she senses the tone is sharp enough to indicate a potential for violence, she will put her hand on the hilt of her mace, prepared to draw. If it seems like a less combustible dispute, she'll simply step forward to observe and listen.
DM - Classic Adventures Reborn
Rylan - L1 Human Paladin - Barty's "Princes of the Apocalypse"
Berkarak looks past Azzanar and forces a smile at his friends. "Is everyone okay? It was dangerous out there, but I do feel refreshed."
Lehmani - The fey being relaxes when you step into view, the blades disappearing as quickly as they appeared. Berkarak and the being finish their conversation on a calmer note despite the obvious tension before your approach.
Lehmani does her best to read the situation, still ready for a quick response if needed. Wary, she continues, "Refreshed, yes. But I can't say I'm overly fond of this place. How do we return? And how do we do so in a way that ensures we won't find ourselves stuck in the same death trap we fell into?"
DM - Classic Adventures Reborn
Rylan - L1 Human Paladin - Barty's "Princes of the Apocalypse"
All - The fey being leads you away from the glade and into the woods. After a bit you come to another door that looks pretty much the same as the one you came through before only this one is of normal proportions and not actively shrinking. When the door opens, instead of more darkened woodland beyond you instead see a corridor of worked stone. The being ushers you all through and closes the door behind you. The corridor turns to the left and leads to a set of stone stairs. The stairs end at the entrance to an octagonal chamber. The floor is inlaid with cracked, dusty blue tiles, and the walls are dressed with polished marble. Large doors of iron-bound oak exit to the northwest and northeast.
Three cast bronze statues, almost ten feet tall, stand by the west, north, and east walls. Each depicts an armed dwarf. The eastern and western ones carry axes and shields. The center statue is armed with two axes. The ceiling rises in a dome almost thirty feet above the floor.
From somewhere in the distance, you can hear the faint ringing of hammer on anvil.
Side note-I will be away until July 1st, run Zubien as you see fit