As you contemplate your options, Jinara hears Iris' voice in his mind. "I've made some discoveries. Return to the castle when you have time." Jinara relays this information and you watch as Gaelin scrawls out runes along the ground. Urzok gives a nod to each of you and a firm handshake to Torq while Gaelin works. "Blessings Lightbringers. May Davara's light guide your way." After a minute the runes alight and you each step through disappearing in flashes of arcane light and reappear in the teleportation room of the castle. You exit into the dining hall and make your way up to the tower where Iris sits. Scattered across the large table are a myriad of books and stone tablets. "Oh, that was rapid. I hope I didn't interrupt anything.. I've found a few interesting details for Shaxgan and Theros. For at least a hundred years vessels whose routes passed near the relative locations have been reported missing. While the reports in the northern seas don't specifically mention Shaxgan they all seem to correlate to a specific set of routes that surround the area where most believe Shaxgan used to be. In the case of Theros, many of the trade routes have shifted to avoid the island entirely and added a day or more to the travel time. By my calculations over 80 ships have been recorded as lost during their journey past the island. There are also reports from sailors hearing voices anytime they passed within eyesight of the island during the evening or at night. That's not to say they couldn't have sunk somewhere else along the way but that's far more than any other area's reports with the exception of the northern sea."
She pauses as she unfurls a map that you recognize from before you left. "The area Gaelin circled on the map has accounted for over 200 ships lost. All of their routes passed through this area she says pointing again to the map Gaelin had marked earlier. There's only one report from survivors of an attacked vessel in that area. A group of four men were the only survivors of a 3 ship convoy carrying linen, spices and oils. All four men gave the same account of strange creatures that appeared to be part fish and part man. These creatures slaughtered everyone aboard the three ships skewering many with spears and dragging them below the waves. They claim they survived by hiding under a capsized dingy for a few hours before a rogue wave managed to right the boat. They drifted for a week before landing on one of the smaller Xirin archipelago islands to the south. It may be fairy tales, it could be something to do with Shaxgan, or it could be nothing but I think it's important to know what you might encounter. "
"I'd rather go for the known than the unknown. At least the more known than less known. We know exactly where the island of Theros is. I don't know how far but we can probably fly there from the coast. We could send Kelgos, the twins or even Zinmaer north to gather more information about Shaxgan but that's just me." Gaelin says.
“That’s not a bad idea. The twins would be pretty good at getting information from sailors who’ve been out at sea for longs periods of time. I don’t think Kelgos would be as welcome though he could probably move around the easiest.” Torq says.
"I bet they could too. Theros it is then I guess. How do we get there? Valeera and Cedany, are you both still ready to tag along?" Aryn says then puts a gold coin back in her pocket.
Iris sends a quick message while Valeera and Cedany share a glance and nod with a smile. "We are here to help" Cedany adds. A few minutes go by while you look over the map before the twins enter the already crowded room. "Iris said you needed our help?"
I need a survival check and an intelligence check.
Gaelin will inspire one person and cast guidance on the other. "Now it seems to me some fine things, have been laid upon our table. But we only want the ones that we can't get. Let'sss go find em." Gaelin chimes in in a smooth baritone voice.
Inspiration gets a d12 to add to a roll, guidance gets a d4 to add.
Aryn- after studying the map and checking over Iris' notes you quickly determine the area where the ship sinkings are reported, reducing the search area down to roughly 100 sq miles. You would know that such an area would require a ship to traverse rather than trying to fly on griffons or Valeera as there are no nearby islands to land on for rest. Shaka is the closest large city to the area but Brenn also appears to be no more than a day's distance further. From Iris' notes and your own experience you know the dragonborn are a bit more superstitious than most with the exception of orcs. You might have a harder time trying to convince a ship captain to brave the seas. You then take a few minutes to look at the map around Theros and determine the nearest port is Uralo, the capital city of the Azuven empire southwest of Castle Daybreak. With Jinara and Gaelin's help the distance could be traversed by flight in a day but just barely whereas a ship would take at least two days.
Torq- You are unfamiliar with the layout or terrain of Theros and know of it only from the conflicts between empires over claim to the island.
Aryn will relay all that info to the group. "Gaelin, you can teleport us to Uralo right? Alexandria and Juliana, we need you to get us as much info on the northern sea as you can from the sailors in Brenn. We also need you to find a ship owner and crew that is willing to take us there." she says.
“I think once we are far enough from the coast and people you could use your weather spell to give us some wind. What’s the range of that spell? I seemed like it stretched a few miles at least.” Aryn says in response to Jinara.
The twins share a glance and look to Torq for confirmation. After they get the nod Alexandria chimes in, "We'll do it. We will need some coin and a way there but we'll do the best we can. How can we let y'all know when we've found a ship and or more information?" "You can share this ring. We'll have the second here and the third will be with Aryn. That will allow us all to communicate with one another wherever we are. I can also teleport you to Brenn when you are ready." Iris answers quickly as she takes a ring off her finger and passes it to Alexandria. There's a brief pause as you all think of the finalized plans and share glances with one another. Iris once again breaks the silence. "Keep in touch and safe travels Lightbringers. I will continue my research and overwatch of the castle. Herbert or I will alert you of any disturbances."
(Let me know if you want to do anything at the castle before you head to Uralo.)
Torq will take the girls aside and talk to them about the mission and make sure they're really okay with it. Then he'll give each of them 50 gold and 20 silver. "Don't flash around your money. These large cities are full of thieves and people who would like to take it away from you. Of course I'd like to be around to seem someone dumb enough to try." Torq says with mixed concern and humor.
(after that I'm ready to go. Here we come Gilligan's Island.)
(Ha. Can't wait. I guess we have to assign roles now huh. Torq can be the capt, he's the strongest. Jinara can be the professor, Cedany can be Mary Ann, Aryn and I can be the rich people since we're related. Valeera can be the movie star and Mucor can be Gilligan, the heart of the group. Had to humm through the song a few times.)
Gaelin will cast Teleportation circle with Uralo as his target.
You step into the glowing circle, feel your bodies fall a few inches as you vanish in a flash of light, and reappear in a large empty room with a single heavy iron door. You exit and find four mages who give you a single glance and bow. "Welcome Lightbringers. We were not expecting your arrival. How may we be of service." one of the mages asks. You explain your purpose of quitting the city to fly west across the bay and leave it at that. The mage nods and escorts you from the circular room and and takes you to a small glowing pad that itself resembles a teleportation circle. Once every member is standing atop it the mage says, "Lobby" and you feel yourselves teleported to a different room entirely in a flash. In front of you is a large open space bustling with mages and civilians. At the opposite side of the room a large revolving door transfers incoming and outgoing persons. The mage points towards the door and gives a bow, "Safe travels. The docks are to the northwest." he says in a soft voice so as not to draw attention. You exit through the door that almost feels as if it pushes you out and exit into a small courtyard of the huge capital city. Various guards and mages stand guard around the entrance of the tower and courtyard as citizens trot along the paths that cut through the courtyard.
You look around and quickly find your bearings and head in the direction of the docks. As you walk the quarter mile distance you notice many citizens stopping to admire, make respectful bows or even wave. Your notoriety seems to have spread quickly in the Azuven Empire but the people can tell by your expressions that you are on a mission and keep a respectful distance. You stop at the main stairway to the docks and admire the engineering masterpiece before you. A 60ft tall cliff of stone sits guarding the city against the waves while a massive ramp and stairway lead down to a 2000ft long dockyard with 8 long docks and 4 short docks. Valeera points out one of the long docks currently empty and says, "Probably the best place to take off." You make your way down and as you near the dock Valeera says, "Get ready." You watch as she quickly transforms into the shimmering brass dragon and you jump aboard as rapidly as you can. There's a few immediate cries and screams but as you take off into the air the screams shift from fear to cheers and shouts of encouragement as you are recognized. You soar off into the distance climbing higher and higher into the air. You pass over a pair of merchant vessels and see a few more in the distance before you level out and begin your rapid glide towards the island of Theros.
I need a survival check (with advantage if Gaelin is casting Find the Path), a perception check and a d10 roll from Jinara if you're casting Control weather.
As you contemplate your options, Jinara hears Iris' voice in his mind. "I've made some discoveries. Return to the castle when you have time." Jinara relays this information and you watch as Gaelin scrawls out runes along the ground. Urzok gives a nod to each of you and a firm handshake to Torq while Gaelin works. "Blessings Lightbringers. May Davara's light guide your way." After a minute the runes alight and you each step through disappearing in flashes of arcane light and reappear in the teleportation room of the castle. You exit into the dining hall and make your way up to the tower where Iris sits. Scattered across the large table are a myriad of books and stone tablets. "Oh, that was rapid. I hope I didn't interrupt anything.. I've found a few interesting details for Shaxgan and Theros. For at least a hundred years vessels whose routes passed near the relative locations have been reported missing. While the reports in the northern seas don't specifically mention Shaxgan they all seem to correlate to a specific set of routes that surround the area where most believe Shaxgan used to be. In the case of Theros, many of the trade routes have shifted to avoid the island entirely and added a day or more to the travel time. By my calculations over 80 ships have been recorded as lost during their journey past the island. There are also reports from sailors hearing voices anytime they passed within eyesight of the island during the evening or at night. That's not to say they couldn't have sunk somewhere else along the way but that's far more than any other area's reports with the exception of the northern sea."
She pauses as she unfurls a map that you recognize from before you left. "The area Gaelin circled on the map has accounted for over 200 ships lost. All of their routes passed through this area she says pointing again to the map Gaelin had marked earlier. There's only one report from survivors of an attacked vessel in that area. A group of four men were the only survivors of a 3 ship convoy carrying linen, spices and oils. All four men gave the same account of strange creatures that appeared to be part fish and part man. These creatures slaughtered everyone aboard the three ships skewering many with spears and dragging them below the waves. They claim they survived by hiding under a capsized dingy for a few hours before a rogue wave managed to right the boat. They drifted for a week before landing on one of the smaller Xirin archipelago islands to the south. It may be fairy tales, it could be something to do with Shaxgan, or it could be nothing but I think it's important to know what you might encounter. "
(Dang that was smooth and thanks xtra. Sorry for causing the confusion everybody.)
“Should I flip a coin to see where we go first?” Aryn asks playfully.
(All good. It may work out for the best. )
"I'd rather go for the known than the unknown. At least the more known than less known. We know exactly where the island of Theros is. I don't know how far but we can probably fly there from the coast. We could send Kelgos, the twins or even Zinmaer north to gather more information about Shaxgan but that's just me." Gaelin says.
“That’s not a bad idea. The twins would be pretty good at getting information from sailors who’ve been out at sea for longs periods of time. I don’t think Kelgos would be as welcome though he could probably move around the easiest.” Torq says.
"I bet they could too. Theros it is then I guess. How do we get there? Valeera and Cedany, are you both still ready to tag along?" Aryn says then puts a gold coin back in her pocket.
Iris sends a quick message while Valeera and Cedany share a glance and nod with a smile. "We are here to help" Cedany adds. A few minutes go by while you look over the map before the twins enter the already crowded room. "Iris said you needed our help?"
I need a survival check and an intelligence check.
Gaelin will inspire one person and cast guidance on the other. "Now it seems to me some fine things, have been laid upon our table. But we only want the ones that we can't get. Let'sss go find em." Gaelin chimes in in a smooth baritone voice.
Inspiration gets a d12 to add to a roll, guidance gets a d4 to add.
Intelligence: 13 Inspiration: 4
Aryn- after studying the map and checking over Iris' notes you quickly determine the area where the ship sinkings are reported, reducing the search area down to roughly 100 sq miles. You would know that such an area would require a ship to traverse rather than trying to fly on griffons or Valeera as there are no nearby islands to land on for rest. Shaka is the closest large city to the area but Brenn also appears to be no more than a day's distance further. From Iris' notes and your own experience you know the dragonborn are a bit more superstitious than most with the exception of orcs. You might have a harder time trying to convince a ship captain to brave the seas. You then take a few minutes to look at the map around Theros and determine the nearest port is Uralo, the capital city of the Azuven empire southwest of Castle Daybreak. With Jinara and Gaelin's help the distance could be traversed by flight in a day but just barely whereas a ship would take at least two days.
Torq- You are unfamiliar with the layout or terrain of Theros and know of it only from the conflicts between empires over claim to the island.
Aryn will relay all that info to the group. "Gaelin, you can teleport us to Uralo right? Alexandria and Juliana, we need you to get us as much info on the northern sea as you can from the sailors in Brenn. We also need you to find a ship owner and crew that is willing to take us there." she says.
“Yep. I can also take us to Brenn when we need to.” Gaelin replies.
"Let me know how I can help expedite our trip." Jinara adds.
“I think once we are far enough from the coast and people you could use your weather spell to give us some wind. What’s the range of that spell? I seemed like it stretched a few miles at least.” Aryn says in response to Jinara.
The twins share a glance and look to Torq for confirmation. After they get the nod Alexandria chimes in, "We'll do it. We will need some coin and a way there but we'll do the best we can. How can we let y'all know when we've found a ship and or more information?" "You can share this ring. We'll have the second here and the third will be with Aryn. That will allow us all to communicate with one another wherever we are. I can also teleport you to Brenn when you are ready." Iris answers quickly as she takes a ring off her finger and passes it to Alexandria. There's a brief pause as you all think of the finalized plans and share glances with one another. Iris once again breaks the silence. "Keep in touch and safe travels Lightbringers. I will continue my research and overwatch of the castle. Herbert or I will alert you of any disturbances."
(Let me know if you want to do anything at the castle before you head to Uralo.)
Torq will take the girls aside and talk to them about the mission and make sure they're really okay with it. Then he'll give each of them 50 gold and 20 silver. "Don't flash around your money. These large cities are full of thieves and people who would like to take it away from you. Of course I'd like to be around to seem someone dumb enough to try." Torq says with mixed concern and humor.
(after that I'm ready to go. Here we come Gilligan's Island.)
(I'm ready to ruin the 3 hour tour with my weather! hahaha)
(Ha. Can't wait. I guess we have to assign roles now huh. Torq can be the capt, he's the strongest. Jinara can be the professor, Cedany can be Mary Ann, Aryn and I can be the rich people since we're related. Valeera can be the movie star and Mucor can be Gilligan, the heart of the group. Had to humm through the song a few times.)
Gaelin will cast Teleportation circle with Uralo as his target.
(Lol)
You step into the glowing circle, feel your bodies fall a few inches as you vanish in a flash of light, and reappear in a large empty room with a single heavy iron door. You exit and find four mages who give you a single glance and bow. "Welcome Lightbringers. We were not expecting your arrival. How may we be of service." one of the mages asks. You explain your purpose of quitting the city to fly west across the bay and leave it at that. The mage nods and escorts you from the circular room and and takes you to a small glowing pad that itself resembles a teleportation circle. Once every member is standing atop it the mage says, "Lobby" and you feel yourselves teleported to a different room entirely in a flash. In front of you is a large open space bustling with mages and civilians. At the opposite side of the room a large revolving door transfers incoming and outgoing persons. The mage points towards the door and gives a bow, "Safe travels. The docks are to the northwest." he says in a soft voice so as not to draw attention. You exit through the door that almost feels as if it pushes you out and exit into a small courtyard of the huge capital city. Various guards and mages stand guard around the entrance of the tower and courtyard as citizens trot along the paths that cut through the courtyard.
You look around and quickly find your bearings and head in the direction of the docks. As you walk the quarter mile distance you notice many citizens stopping to admire, make respectful bows or even wave. Your notoriety seems to have spread quickly in the Azuven Empire but the people can tell by your expressions that you are on a mission and keep a respectful distance. You stop at the main stairway to the docks and admire the engineering masterpiece before you. A 60ft tall cliff of stone sits guarding the city against the waves while a massive ramp and stairway lead down to a 2000ft long dockyard with 8 long docks and 4 short docks. Valeera points out one of the long docks currently empty and says, "Probably the best place to take off." You make your way down and as you near the dock Valeera says, "Get ready." You watch as she quickly transforms into the shimmering brass dragon and you jump aboard as rapidly as you can. There's a few immediate cries and screams but as you take off into the air the screams shift from fear to cheers and shouts of encouragement as you are recognized. You soar off into the distance climbing higher and higher into the air. You pass over a pair of merchant vessels and see a few more in the distance before you level out and begin your rapid glide towards the island of Theros.
I need a survival check (with advantage if Gaelin is casting Find the Path), a perception check and a d10 roll from Jinara if you're casting Control weather.
Perception: 31