Almost immediately upon arriving at the camp, Shae was checking over Thessandra, the grung, Brax and Bertrand to see how they were doing since her last check in. She was relieved to see everyone. She'd complete her review while the professor, Maxine and Thessandra briefed the group.

"That's a good question Maxine. I don't know..." She'd pause in thought for a moment. "Once we're settled into camp and the stars are out, I will try."

"I'm sorry to keep asking so much of your magic Professor, but..." the warlock will pull out the pearl she found and offer it to Snively. "Can you identify this for me? Please."

While the Professor completed his rituals, Shae would make her way over to Berrus by the fire. "Alright. Let's see what you're hiding over here." She'd lift the dwarfs arms to get a good look at his sides and take a good look over his wounds. "You've been quiet. Like, unusually quiet." She swears she's also seen him in worse condition. "How are you, really?" She'd emphasize, holding a hand over the wounds in his chest. Shae would then whisper some familiar words to try to provide some pain relief.

Casting Cure Wounds: 10

The Professor:

After finishing the Comprehend Languages ritual and sharing the information they found with Gruk, the Professor will attempt to identify the pearl's magical abilities (using a Detect Magic ritual if necessary to aid in the identification).  He will also focus on the stone amulet Gruk wears to see if he can detect any hint of a curse.

"Thank ye kindly lass,  took a bit of a scorching, it just rides me hard when i come against something that i canna fight, defense is only as good as yer offence to keep a balance

The Professor:

Looking up from his work, the Professor smiles at Berrus, saying, “Thank you, Berrus, for keeping me safe.  We were so busy I didn’t think to voice my appreciation until now.”

Shae would nod, sympathizing with what Berrus is saying. She understood, appreciating his sentiment for balance and would sit down beside him. "And working as a team we can achieve that balance."

"Thats generally how it works, no one the glory hound, jus everyone doin their part.  thats how the line stays firm 'gainst the enemy.  to the professer.  tis my pleasure, glad the job got done, but im worried we avent seen the last of that

Shae would nod in agreement, "I think we just opened a whole new can of worms..." she'd glance up to study the sky.

Professor, you have read about this sort of gem, but you have never seen one for yourself and had largely relegated their existence to the realms of myths, until now that is. What Shae has managed to steal is a Heartstone. It is rumoured to cure any disease in the person that touches it, while also being something that allowed a night hag passage between planes. Though unsure if you can recreate the second effect, you have ample evidence of the first by the miraculous cure of Maxine, even if she might not yet be fully aware of it.

As far as the stone amulet is concerned, you expect to find some divination or abjuration magic on it, but instead the stone emanates a strong presence of enchantment magic, and you notice that Gruk is reluctant to hand the artifact back to you, anxiously watching your movements as you try to determine the magic that affects the stone amulet.

Looking at the three figures and the rubbing of the summoning circle, you notice both infernal and abyssal scripts on the diagram, and on the two bound figures. What puzzles you is the sign for earth and water being used within the inner ring of the summoning circle, but with an accent that you can't seem to translate. From what you can determine, the other elements of the diagram are similar to spells and rituals used in conjuration magic, but on a much larger scale. You've read about conjurers in the past trying to summon creatures from other realms, and know of the dangers to the caster and the surrounding elements. Given the  diagram, you are fairly certain that the hag is attempting to pull off something very challenging indeed: trying to summon her two sisters from the infernal and abyssal planes respectively, both with the same ritual.  While itself difficult enough, what confuses you for now is the seemingly missing material component and the tether, necessary to keep her sisters in this realm. Maybe a thorough study of the hag's notes could provide the necessary answers.

Shae, you can sense Kam's presence again, though you can't seem to communicate directly. Whatever you did weakened the hag's hold over you. 

Berrus, as you engage in your discussion about offense and defense, Captain Thasselandra interjects: "I never knew why, but something that we were always recommended to take with us when going on land near or in the jungles here was a silver blade. I always thought it was speculation at best and an old wife's tale at worst, but faced with elemental forces, it might be worth a try. My dagger has a silver edge to it, and I'm sure Brax and Falx have a silvered weapon or two as well. We might even be able to melt down some silver from table ware and jewelry to tip some bolts. I had a hunch that the silver in the cargo bay wasn't just to trade with, particularly given the martial nature of the rest of the gear… A shame we didn't take more of the silver with us."

"Aye we could melt them, if'n we get a fire hot enough, but ye would also need a mold to shape the heads, silver be a bit more difficult than iron for that, unless ye are just gonna coat them

The Professor:

Alarmed by the magical emanations from the stone amulet and Gruk’s reaction, the Professor focuses his Detect Magic spell on Gruk himself, trying to determine if the grung is under a magic effect himself—such as a curse.

The Professor:

(Overhearing the others talking about silvered weapons, Snively considers if anything he read about the hags may suggest silvered weapons my be required to harm them:  Arcana:  18 )

”Shae, this pearl appears to be a very rare item known as a Heartstone,” Snively responds.  “In addition to being useful to anchor extraplanar beings to the material plane, it can instantly heal diseases by touch.”

"And I am a living - and now healthy too! - proof of that!" Happily exclaimed Maxine. "Just touched it - nothing more - and feel like a new. Amazing find! Would not be surprised if hags is going to hunt us for that thing alone. I wonder, did she use it to keep herself healthy in this jungle, or was it some part of the ritual as well?"

Shae couldn't help but smile from Maxine's burst of energy, extremely happy that she was feeling better. She would retrieve the pearl from the Professor and look to Berrus "See. Can of worms.

Curious to know how limited it's magic is. How do you feel Professor?" She'd walk over to the captain, Brax and Bertrand asking if they'd be interested in letting her touch them with the pearl to see if it helped them feel better.

The Professor:

"I am well enough, if a bit scorched, thank you," replies the Professor.  "We have a problem though--the auras on this stone amulet indicate its function is to enchant the wearer, not protect the tribe.  Apparently the hag gave the amulet to the tribe to try and manipulate them into slaughtering enough creatures in the jungle to qualify for a "blood sacrifice" in an attempt to summon her sisters.  She writes of it being cursed.  I am about to tell Gruk of this, although I am not sure how he will react."

The Professor opens up the hag's journal and shows the picture of the stone amulet and the murdered chieftain to Gruk, translating the Hag's words into Grung for Gruk's benefit.  He adds his own observations of the stone's magic auras and tries to reason with Gruk as best he can.

Berrus watches the Grung intently

Professor, you would know that the ritual to detect magic does not help you to determine if someone were affected by magic, but from having talked to Gruk before, he seems more agitated and aggressive than usual, though that could partly be because he has now been forced to face members of his own tribe in combat twice already. What you deem as positive is that he does, albeit reluctantly,  listen to what you have to say.

As far as you remember, magical and fey creatures have a strong affinity with the moon, something which make silver a powerful weapon against them. While not remembering directly whether you read anything in particular about hags with regards to silver, from Shae you know that the powers of the hag are linked to the moon as well. It stands to reason that silvered weapons would be more effective.

Speaking to Gruk, you see his eyes widen as you lay out the hag's plans. He takes a while to process the information, and you seem to see his eyes clear, and he is visually calmer than he was before. After a while, he begins to speak, slow at first, but then increasingly more desperate, though, to Berrus' delight, he doesn't seem to be posing any threat.

"Gruk know that old chief very wise. Old chief say that stone bad for grung, but prisets tell old chief that old chief wrong. Gruk think old chief try to get rid of amulet and say to tribe that amulet lost or stolen. Priests already charmed, and determined to punish old chief. Koro-arak try to find stone. Koro-arak priest, and know ritual for golden scales. Dangerous ritual. Koro-arak still do ritual. Priests mad, amulet make them sick. Koro-arak sick, think that lizards, that long-knives, that rockeaters steal amulet. Now Koro-arak lead tribe to war against enemies of tribe. All blood collected for Mother of stone, for freeing sisters? Longknives and grung must stop war! If war stopped, no more dead grung, longknives, lizards, or rockeaters. No war, no blood. No blood, no ritual."

Shae, you meanwhile seem to be pretty sure that while the heartstone is capable of curing disease, it is not capable of healing wounds.

Professor, you would know that the ritual to detect magic does not help you to determine if someone were affected by magic, but from having talked to Gruk before, he seems more agitated and aggressive than usual, though that could partly be because he has now been forced to face members of his own tribe in combat twice already. What you deem as positive is that he does, albeit reluctantly,  listen to what you have to say.

As far as you remember, magical and fey creatures have a strong affinity with the moon, something which make silver a powerful weapon against them. While not remembering directly whether you read anything in particular about hags with regards to silver, from Shae you know that the powers of the hag are linked to the moon as well. It stands to reason that silvered weapons would be more effective.

Speaking to Gruk, you see his eyes widen as you lay out the hag's plans. He takes a while to process the information, and you seem to see his eyes clear, and he is visually calmer than he was before. After a while, he begins to speak, slow at first, but then increasingly more desperate, though, to Berrus' delight, he doesn't seem to be posing any threat.

"Gruk know that old chief very wise. Old chief say that stone bad for grung, but prisets tell old chief that old chief wrong. Gruk think old chief try to get rid of amulet and say to tribe that amulet lost or stolen. Priests already charmed, and determined to punish old chief. Koro-arak try to find stone. Koro-arak priest, and know ritual for golden scales. Dangerous ritual. Koro-arak still do ritual. Priests mad, amulet make them sick. Koro-arak sick, think that lizards, that long-knives, that rockeaters steal amulet. Now Koro-arak lead tribe to war against enemies of tribe. All blood collected for Mother of stone, for freeing sisters? Longknives and grung must stop war! If war stopped, no more dead grung, longknives, lizards, or rockeaters. No war, no blood. No blood, no ritual."

Shae, you meanwhile seem to be pretty sure that while the heartstone is capable of curing disease, it is not capable of healing wounds.

The Professor:

Standing up and bowing formally to Gruk in profound respect, the Professor hands the amulet back to the grung.  Speaking in a quiet but impassioned tone, Snively says, “Your old chieftain was wise, the stone amulet causes this sickness.  You also are wise enough to realize this, and strong enough to fight off its sickness.  The tribe will indeed be fortunate to have you as their new chieftain. Please, take the amulet and destroy it, that it’s evil may no longer enslave the will of the grung.”

Overhearing the conversation between Berrus and the captain, the Professor offers, “I can enhance fire enough to melt silver, and I can also conjure a mold for arrowheads or blades, if you like.  Silver will likely be needed to damage any fey creatures linked to the cycles of the moon.”

Shae would feel relieved seeing the Professor bowing to Gruk. It looked as though the conversation went well.

"It wouldn't be worth going back to the ship for the silver now would it? Are there any silver mines around? I have a dagger that can be tipped for others to use. Would darts be worth making?" She'd catch herself thinking out loud in response to the others discussion. Usually she'd have Kam for that. "However I can help with the silvering I will..."

Shae would pull the hags bag onto her lap and take a closer look at it. "Well, we know she's going to be after this pearl. I found it in this bag with the journal. I kept it for a 'decoy bag' should she come looking for it." She pulls out the rock and scrap notes she stuffed in it, taking another look inside before putting the decoy stuff back in it. "I keep the pearl on myself, close to the bag, in case she can sense it." It was information she figured Berrus and the others should know for tactical reasons. She also wondered if there was anything special about the bag itself.

"Not sure we can even find the ship now. At least I can not, that's for sure. Not to mention all the monsters we had to get through to be here." Maxine did not really think someone is seriously considering going back but had to make sure. "So... Diseases... That rock, I mean, heartstone, looks more precious by the minute! Hags would have to pry it from my cold body if they want it back."

Silver-coating Maxine was familiar with included several chemicals her father's smithy was buying in bulk and not really obtainable here, so, she would not be able to help Berrus. But still fascinated with the heartstone, she suggested to touch every wounded in the camp - just in case the wounds got infected.