The Summit Road Campaign Thread

Now fully awake, Kaori sets about donning her armour, opting to keep watch around them as well as keep a close eye on Khova for the rest of the night.

The next day's travel is relatively uneventful, with the natural exception of having to carry the bound 8925, who glares absolute daggers at you all the entire time.

As you're setting up camp for the night, everybody decide how actively you're watching her. If you are devoting a large portion of focus to her, roll Insight. If you are focused on something else, give me your passive Insight.

OOC: This is a pretty nebulous boundary, I know. I'm trusting it to you guys's judgement to decide whether you think you're paying enough attention to roll Insight, without metagaming of "I'd rather just take the passive/my passive is shit, I want to roll". What would your character be doing?

Taran would be focused on keeping an eye on her while in the camp. He'd would still try and set up like he normally does and take time for his his training though.

10

Akuma would keep a loose eye on 8925, knowing the others would warn if there was any trouble. She seemed relatively indifferent to everything and would occupy her time doing some training excersizes while they traveled.

(Passive Insight 13)

Caelius’s focus is not on 8925, it’s on Vishal and Druhdaar and their actions. He watches the two men’s interactions, looking for irritants and frustrations.

Insight on Vishal and Druhdaar: 5

Passive Insight: 14

“I’m going to head in and try and help her. I’ll back out if things look dicey. But I’m the best for this and probably only strong enough to put myself in. I’ll be back in a minute.” He tells the group before attempting to create a mindscape with 8925, having been acting normal even around Druhdaar, just not butt touches. 

Ever since his run-in with Vishal earlier, the druid seems to have retracted into himself and grown even more surly. He spends most of the day either trailing behind the rest of the crew, or circling around the small traveling column in his direwolf shape. After the team sets up camp, he uses his last transformation to once again slip away from the group, using his animal alter-ego both as a welcome relief from the others' attentions, as well as a refreshing dive into the simpler realities of the surrounding wilderness.

** Druhdaar will use all his wolf senses to sniff out eventual spies or pursuers Perception 18 before applying Mold Earth to dig himself a sleeping den a little ways away from camp, once back in his human form. Whenever in or near camp, he'll give a passing glance to the Elan, but will trust the others to keep her subdued (Passive Perception = 14). He'll try to bring back a rabbit or some other small prey to add to the supper if he can find it by hunting as a wolf Survival 21 , but otherwise will keep to himself as much as possible. **

Kaori stands beside Vishal and 8925, watching the bound woman like a... well, like a raven while Vishal dives into her mind.

Insight: 18

A few moments after Vishal goes into her mindscape, 8925's eyes abruptly roll up in her head, and she goes limp for a moment before stirring, letting out what sounds like a resigned sigh.

River:

“She’s in control now. They were dueling it out. Said that we should keep her tied up though but she’ll be able to walk on her own. It was quite a struggle and I was just there to offer some healing assistance.” Vishal replies as his eyes stop glowing and he’s back on the material plain. 

Taran nods, "I-I-I'm gl-glad." He looks around the camp, fixing a few of the knots he had done sloppily while distracted.

"I-I-I'll t-t-t-take the opp-opportunity to tr-train m-more then." Taran says heading off a distance with his crossbow to set up a copper piece sized target to fire at.

"Are you ... hurt?" Kaori coos at Vishal, lowering her guard ever so slightly and watching Vishal's response closely.

"Me. Not at all. But thank you for the concern Kaori." Vishal smiles and ruffles her head if he can get to it, "I'm not as strong as you but I have a few tricks up my sleeve still." 

Once her gag is removed, Khova leans back against the ground with a faint groan. "I hate dream pains," she mutters under her breath before adding, "Thank you all for subduing her before she did any damage." The elan then rolls over and goes to sleep.

The next day's travel is quiet and uneventful. By midafternoon, you arrive through the Shroud to Adar, and Khova lets out an audible sigh. "That's...better."

Taran is still scouting ahead, but having reached Adar's lands, he relaxes by a small amount. Still keeping an eye out for roving patrols though

Vishal smiles and says, "It shouldn't be too much longer now. And you definitely should have it at least a little easier with the Shroud. Though I guess she can still take you over though if you're not careful." 

"Yes, but now Nirdaya can't help her," Khova explains. "Without having to worry about her tracking me down, I can deepen my connection to Dal Quor a little and have a much better time keeping 8925 under control."

You all head to the hidden portal and take a few portals to a spot hardly an hour from the Haztaratain Monastery. Here, it's gotten cold enough that large snowdrifts are visible here and there, and as you come into sight of the monastery, a small snowstorm starts up. The monastery itself is a stunning view. Built into the side of a snow-covered mountain, its most striking and obvious feature is the glowing blue pool of psionic power in the side of the mountain, surrounded by an intricately carved matrix of lines that's a mix of a symbol of the Path of Light and an arcane sigil that channels the power. This pool of power is a carefully controlled and bound portal to Dal Quor, created with the creation of the kalashtar race.

Lore: The Haztaratain Monastery is where the original 67 kalashtar were created. It's the monastery where Hazgaal lived and where Taratai and her rebel quori fled and bonded to the monks of the monastery. Now, it's a holy site of the Path of Light. The portal to Dal Quor was originally far smaller, but when 67 quori, many of them powerful, came through it, it expanded. Through extensive use of psionic power and careful ritual, the power of the portal has been turned to be used for the good of the monastery, from providing energy to shielding the monastery from visual detection by Riedra, whose coast is barely 50 miles from the monastery, although Riedrans avoid the area due to its frequent storms and proximity to Adar.

The rest of the monastery is barely visible, other than a couple building edges protruding from the mountain and two rocky spires halfway up the mountain marking the start of the monastery. Though the area around you seems empty, you all have a strong sense of being watched.

Taran would continue scouting ahead, seeing if he can locate the lookouts who are observing them. Even though we are definitely in friendly territory, there is no telling what might go wrong until we are actually met by the guards and given our debrief.

Stealth: 14

Perception: 20

Vishal wraps his clothes more tightly around him to stave off the cold saying, “We’re here. The holy sight.” Closing his eyes Vishal gives a silent prayer before the temple.