Pizazz's Ravenloft and Beyond

Knowing they have likely overstayed their welcome though, Meepo just sighs as he glances around this wonderful home for things, and then turns to Mordekai and Lionel. "Meepo like place." He says first. With another sigh though he continues. "Meepo think time go." He says to the other two. "Meepo think travel land of three crowns and see what Haven of Red Quill."

"True, these two locations - ruins of Delimbiyran and stairs into "Haven of the Red Quill" is all we have, but I do not like that there is no mentioning how exactly are we supposed to lift the curse?" Nevertheless, he helped to pack all the information and return (Meepo surely watched it to be done!) the rest of the things where they were, before emerging back into the living room. Ulthan wandered away (of course he did) but Ketch could now join guessing games about the next move. Most likely someone around (might be even Laffa) would know where Delimbiyran was and how to get there. "Ever heard of that place?" asked paladin both Ketch and Laffa.

Ketch shares the words that came to him as he prayed upon the matter.  "Not that one should trust Gruumsh or his servants in matters beyond battle, but we seem to be at a point of grasping at the proverbial straws..."  Regarding Delimbiyran, Ketch considered it. 2 (+1 if Arcana, +5 if History) He wasn't sure he had ever heard the name but... If his mind found any connections he would share.

Ketch hasn't any additional information about the place, but the 2nd item found contained information on how he apparently travelled to and from that place, so.....the group seems to have found the information they needed.  Laffa, who sat on the lip of the hole down into the crawlspace the whole time, not really helping, but mostly just....sitting nearby looking bored, seems a bit more 'alive', the information having perked his interest. 

Where to? The other Inn to find a room? Or elsewhere? 

 "Well, if there is a long journey ahead, we might want to rest, but..." he looked at everyone - they were well-rested already, had a good lunch just a couple of hours ago and the curse was progressing by the days. "we do not have much time. If it is possible to get to that plane today, I say we do it."

"Press on until we must rest.  Molo only has so much skin on writing to appear, we need to solve this before he is just a page in the book..."

"Meepo agree." Meepo says with a nod of his scaled head. "Meepo friends find portal crystal tree, then portal to place." He nods again and glances back towards the crawl space. "Meepo need find own crawl space someday. Good place keep lost things and no be lost."

Luckily Ulthan didn't wander too far off staying around the neighborhood so barring anything exciting happening you shortly find each other as you wander away from the house. "hrmpfh know location hrmpfh" he mentions while apparently looking at one of those humanoid squirrels who is far off. "hrmpfh know portal ready to go portal hrmpfh".

You don't see Yvandre as you depart, but Taresson does check on the condition of the crawlspace to ensure you left it well.  He also asks to see what you found, and then insists on spending an hour copying all the details from each fragment. You sit about impatiently while he does so.  Eventually you depart the house with your clues in hand. The sky here has darkened and magical flames light up the streets of Crux. Ulthan is nearby and the group is quick to move on. The myriad of fascinating and interesting places they've simply passed through continues to climb as they focus on saving Meepo and his magic. The group follows the map to the portal to "the crystal tree", which involves walking directly down the trunk of the tree, circling around it, and descending past several branches. The experience of gravity shifting makes you a bit queasy but you push through easily enough.  You eventually find the correct branch and walk along it for about thirty minutes. The path seems rarely used and there is no worn trail in the tree trunk like the portal to the dead world had been. You come upon a vortex of colorful multi-colored light hovering just at branch level. It appears to be the correct place. The portal seems to be always open. Laffa waits for someone else to lead, but eventually the group steps through, once again trusting they won't simply be cast into an endless pit of fire, or disintegrated.....but rather transferred across the multi-verse to a new place entirely...hopefully one that has air. 

You appear standing on a grass field. The portal to the tree sits behind you, large, glowing and multicolored. The sky is lit, it's day here blue and open. The grass is tall, reaching past Meepo's head, and stretches off across rolling hills in all directions. A large block of rock on embedded on the ground has an arrow chiseled into it, and a word... "tree" in several languages. The group heads that direction. The air is temperate and pleasant and smells slightly sweet. The grassy ground is soft. The surrounding plains seem to be empty of creatures. After about an hour you see a groove cut through the hills ahead.....a sparkling blue river within it. At one point along it's path a cluster of stone buildings stand, along with a wide stone bridge that spans the river. In the middle of the wide bridge is what looks like a massive willow tree made of glass. It sparkles and shines, glittering with light under the bright sun. The place seems deserted. 

You move towards it. When you start to get within about half a mile the ground gets lumpy, and soon you see why. You are walking upon the bones...and fragments of some sort of creatures that the grass has grown over and around. However as you near the tree the remnants of remains on the ground surface and soon your walking across a crunchy floor of bones amidst spars grass. The buildings that are here appear to have been in some massive battle. Rock itself seems melted and lumpy in area, or shattered and blasted in others. The buildings are remnants only, left over from some terrific ancient battle. The stone bridge though is clear of debris, remains or anything else. The stone structure seems fully intact and undamaged. The willow tree in its center seems to be actually alive, made of semi-transparent glistening wood. At the ends of its branches, interspersed with flimsy transparent leaves are raindrop shaped balls of crystal. As you look closer, within each one you see shimmering images of a tiny world that shift and change as the light travels through them. 

You look at the notes on the vellum you pulled from the Rillyn house.  "The trees crystals seem to bend to the will of whomever picks them. As we were directed by the angel, we simply thought of our desire to go Tatmarask and pulled a crystal, and then cast it into the river." 

The tree clinks softly like a wind chime in the gentle breeze. 

Ulthan looks at the group, the tree then around looking at what caused these bones. He's pretty sure it's the tree, so he eyes it suspiciously, those shards look like they could easily pierce armor better than any arrow he's got.

Meepo nods to the others around him. "Meepo say pick crystal, think of place go, toss crystal in river." He looks to the group. "Want Meepo pick?" as he walks though he glances down at the bones under his feet. He wonders if he could raise skeletons from the bones or if they were too damaged for that.

That was not how Lionel imagined "The Crystal Tree". Actually, he did not imagine it anyhow, it was just the place with some tree, the word "crystal" could be a poetic description of seeds, sap or something growing on the plant, and yet here it was - impossible vegetation made of glass. Despite the ordeals of the late, Lionel was still capable to appreciate the world's wonders and that tree was surely one of them. If only it was not surrounded by the bones...

"Do you think that skeletons belong to those trying to take a crystal from the tree? Probably not, but would be nice to be sure. So, one has to think about the destination pulling the crystal? Meepo, you are the one who had the vision and probably you are the one who has to pick the crystal. I'll go with you to the tree." While they were walking closer to the magnificent portal, Lionel tried to remember why the name "Delimbiyran" sounded so familiar. Something from ancient history, yet, the history of their realm. Must be a coincidence, after all the plane they were about to shift in was called Tatmarask.

“Does one pick a crystal or each of us?” Ketch wonders aloud.  “There seems to have been a battle but it does not seem to center around the tree?  Though I could be mistaken.  We could always have the sad wizard pluck a crystal first, he is expendable…”

"hrmpfh whoever knows tell us and go first either all or none there hrmpfh" either way, Ulthan hugs Utazo to make sure cat gets dragged along.

"The notes talk of "we", and pulling a single crystal, so it would indeed seem that one person pulls a single crystal for the group? We know the name of our destination, but I'd have much more confidence in Meepo being the one pulling the crystal, given his vision. Do we know the vision was of the same realm?"

Mordekai utters a few choice words of encouragement to Meepo. Not one of his long speeches, but a very short, abbreviated version, talking of hope in the midst of adversity, and now facing that adversity with a singular clarity of purpose: to get to Tatmarask. Mordekai gives Meepo a d8 Bardic Inspiration (to be added to an ability check, saving throw, or attack roll within the next 10 minutes).

In fact, Ketch observes that the bridge and the tree are the only thing free and clear of bones and debris. It's as if a war raged around the bridge but not on the bridge itself.  Meepo looks at the bones. In fact this is the ideal place to raise skeletons. There is an ample supply of bones. He could raise a veritable army here. Though he does notice that they don't seem to be exclusively human bones. There are bones of all types, and sizes, as well as a great deal of other stuff that looks like crab shells he'd seen left on the beach. Chitin of some sort of exoskeleton style creature. 

The disquieting surroundings aside, the group stands back, letting Meepo approach the tree. He grabs the a crystal, imaging the name Tamarask....the place he envisioned in his dream..hoping the two are the same.  He plucks the crystal. It feels smooth and cold in his hand. Looking at it, tiny visions of some sort of world sparkle within it, but they're too small and generic for him to know if they're right. Then he walks to the edge of the bridge, and clambers up onto the wide stone bannister. He tosses the crystal down. As the crystal drops into the water, it immediately opens up into a plume of sparkling energy, the water whipping up into a spiral surrounding the shimmering portal.  The rushing sound of water fills the air as misty water floats on the wind. It would seem the only way in is to drop down from the middle of the bridge. 

Meepo shrugs and jumps in, figuring the others will follow.

Lionel did (follow). In the worst case he hoped to get everyone back with the helmet.

And so once more the group lets fate take hold, as they very literally 'take the leap' and jump off the bridge, vanishing through the portal below one by one. 

Feeling like you've been firmly shoved, you each one by one come stumbling out of a rift in space and out into a wooded landscape. A grey sky stretches above, thin amounts of dirty, crusty snow cover patches of the ground. It must be early spring here. The air is cold and comes out in puffs, but is at least a few degrees above freezing. You seem to be at a cross roads. In common the crossroad sign is labeled. "Dage's Ford" is to the south, "DeepPort" is to the north, and to the west a small hiking trail leads away, apparently to "Delimbiyran". 

The portal you emerged from vanishes about thirty seconds later, and a crystal drops to the ground with a thunk. According to the notes on the map, whenever you smash this, it will open a return portal to the lands surrounding the crystal tree. 

One of you (let me know) picks it up and pockets it. This place could be on Faerun for all you know...the flora and fauna match what is familiar to all of you. You're just about to consider your path forward when Meepo feels a sharp pain in his legs. Its as if someone were trying to pull his skin off.  With little other warning black shimmering portals open around you and several creatures emerge. 

Four massive giants with disfigured faces, hunched backs and wearing little more than fabric loin clothes and clutches clubs emerge. They have black skin and hair and pitch black eyes. Strapped to their backs are makeshift howda's, each containing a wood elf, but wood elves with pale skin and dark hair.   As they each emerge from their own portal of darkness, they look at you with evil intent. One points towards Meepo, "Secure the marked one, kill the rest!" 

Roll init (if you want, you don't NEED to...) 

Giant/elf 1 : 18

Giant/elf 2 : 18

Giant/elf 3 : 13

Giant/elf 4 : 9

I'll setup a map once we have init set. 

Lionel Initiative: 4

"Not very welcoming, are we?" Oh, well. He was thinking to get his winter cloak from the backpack, but this is a good enough way to warm up too.