Nodding along with Fivin's sentiments about getting himself and the children out and to safety, Nym then sighed at his point that none of them would be safe as long as Duskbringer was around. She had never had to deal with a foe that could fly and the thought that the dragon could simply ruin whatever the elves tried to rebuild with a flap of her wings soured her stomach. But as Silver tried to persuade that the rest of the keep would be safe enough if they could pinpoint where their foe was at the moment, the drow shook her head sharply, white hair whipping about as she explained, "The entire Keep could be collateral damage if anyone were to engage in combat with her. She may be young and perhaps not as large as an adult dragon, but with youth comes recklessness. I don't want to gamble their well being on a hope. Better that we try and help them sneak out to the edge of the forest under the cover of the trees and come back if need be than someone try to scout and possibly wake or antagonize Duskbringer and bring her wrath down on us too early."
Seeing everyone else get very much ready for combat and Lumen and Silver inching their way towards the stairs, the cleric rubbed her forehead. "Let us at least help them get past the broken bridges."Her stomach felt tense, like she swallowed a stone and insects were swarming around it. Her want and duty to protect was pulling her in opposite directions but she knew how to prioritize. Nym accepted Kess' offer with faint smile, "I had nearly forgotten." Grasping the flask, she was about to thumb the cork open when she hesitated and asked, "You said temporary. Do we know how temporary?"Considering she didn't want to rush up to Duskbringer right this second, she wasn't sure if it would be prudent to wait to apply the oil.
As Nym spoke Silver could feel a blush rising, though it would never show through her fur.
"How foolish of me. You are so right Nym. I'm sorry, I hadn't thought of the danger to the rest of the keep - of course there is nothing to keep the dragon from flying away from our confrontation. You are all so much more experienced in these things than me. Truly the safest place for the children is as far from the keep as possible. I will assist you in getting them back down the steps and past the bridges. Unless of course these is another way down?
I fear that taking them all the way through the forest would give the dragon too much time to recover from the injuries you say he has, and who knows what chaos he could cause while we travel. Once they are at ground level I believe we should return to the keep, to drive away or, if necessary, kill Duskbringer. What do you all think?"
"Nym is right; young or not, Duskbringer is a dragon, a species of creatures infamous for their ability to level settlements of thousands and wiping out armies in a single day just by throwing a tantrum. If we engage her carelessly or at all, there is no doubt that the cartographers will be busy concerning this magnificent structure, much less the-." Kess stopped blabbering as she looked over at Fivin and cringed, who was standing with the children near to him. "Sorry... I don't mean to dampen your spirits or frighten the little ones, but I'm trying to be honest about the danger we face. Besides," She continued, looking down now to Syllin and Faen. "The important thing is that you two are safe. You two have been so brave and so smart to survive how you have, and the hardest part of this is almost over. We will do all we can to protect you. I promise."
Listening carefully to Silver's plan, Kess thinks for a moment about all that it entails. "Well... we could attempt that, I suppose, but not without confirming if she's here or not. Ideally, we can get out without drawing her attention at all get Syllin and Faen safely away. And... there was something strange about Duskbringer, too, thinking about it... I just couldn't put my finger on it. Fivin... forgive me if I don't recall in this moment, but are there any defenses such as ballistae within the walls here? That would be helpful with this endeavor."
The two children seem to feel comfortable with the two elves, Nym and Kess, and they also seem quite intrigued by Silver, the very large and furry firbolg, the kind of which neither of them has ever seen before. They're also curious, but at the same time, a little shy of Chrys. Both of them are seem wary of Lumen, having never seen a half orc before, but knowing full well the horrible dangers that regular orcs can cause. However, Faen's concern seems to be tamped down by his interest in the stringed instrument that's slung on Lumen's back. At one point, he tentatively reaches his fingers up to lightly trace the curves of the wood.
Syllin especially seems to have a level of fondness, or at least comfort with Nym and with the style of grace and kindness that she exudes. A couple of times, she moves over to nuzzle closely to the white haired drow.
Fivin answers Kess's question. "No... sadly, the keep itself has no defenses like that, we only had ourselves to defend against any invaders. However, the keep's armory lies just across the main hall over there, along the far side of the left wall as you approach the front door. I know not whether those little reptilian beasties have plundered it, but if they have not, then it should be well stocked with fine quality longswords and spears."
"And there is no need to apologize for your comments. I know full well of what you speak. However, as much as I would not like to see what remains of our keep razed by a foul and ill-tempered dragon, my initial concern is to get the children out of here to a safer hiding place."
Meanwhile, Lumen creeps over towards the stairway that leads up to the Raven's Council, staying close to the wall to achieve maximum stealth and doing his best to peer upwards and listen to anything coming from up there.
Lumen
Lumen approaches the stairway, staying very quiet as he makes his way over, he does hear noises up there, and knowing very well how they sound, he's almost certain that there are kobolds up there. He definitely hears at least one talking, maybe a couple of them, but he cannot discern what is being said or understand the language being spoken. He also doesn't see any traps along the stairs.
Lumen returns and quietly conveys his findings to the group. He helps them move to the exit with the kids and has no desire to get into Kobold or dragon fights with kids along.
Silver frowns a little. "I'm sure I could understand them, but I dare not risk their realising we're here. We should make our way back to the great stairs."
She kneels down in front of Syllin. "Would you like to ride on my shoulders? You both may, if you wish?" She adds, directing the last part to Faen.
When Lumen returns from his brief listening mission at the base of the stairs, he returns to the library and gives the "all clear" signal. Then, gathering up the two children, (Syllin shyly prefers to stay nuzzled right up next to Nym, while Faen responds to Silver's offer with a wide smile, and climbs up onto the firbolg's shoulders when she stoops down), you all hurry back across the large entry hall called the Tel'Quesssir, passing over the defaced mosaic on the floor again.
Exiting through the large open, ornately decorated oaken doors, (with Silver ducking quite low to allow herself and her small elven passenger through), you find yourselves on the outside of the keep once more, looking out over the beautifully serene and powerful landscape of this magnificent grassy ledge that lies halfway up the enormous butte.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Kess immediately scans the skyline and timberlines that even remotely looks like a dragon as they exit the keep, feeling hypervigilant in the face of the little lives in the Pie Pals' charge.
It takes a few seconds to adjust your vision from the darker inside ambient light of the keep to the direct sunlight, but once your vision is acclimatized to the much brighter illumination outside, you're able to do a full scan of the sky and the immediate surroundings. Thankfully, you see no signs of the dragon anywhere.
"The bridges in particular are very badly damaged." Silver whispers to the group as they make their way out of the keep and back down to the lower level with the loch. "Is this really the best way to get the children down? I was only able to get up through the use of magic - I wouldn't wish to use much more if we are likely to be confronting the dragon today. Is there any other route down?"
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Lumen makes sure to hide the bodies well, before they leave, as is his wont. He'd rather the other kobolds just wonder where they are, rather than find out quickly they've been killed.
"I don't know of any other way of getting down, unless Fivin's overcome his fear of spiders. It will be hard, but we made some of the crossings easier,"he says. He tries to judge whether one of the children can ride on his back. He's not sure how easily Silver will be able to traverse, though. He tries to explain the methods they used to get up. He tries to guide them back slowly and quietly.
Moving quickly and quietly, Lumen leads you through the sparse rocks, down away from the entrance of the keep, and along the trail that passes by the chapel, the loch and the small assortment of statutes, before heading across the bright green plateau. Fortunately, nothing impedes your short journey across the top of the grassy, rock strewn butte, and you soon find yourselves at the top of the 400-foot drop and the narrow trail that descends along the face of the rocky cliff that you came up earlier.
Looking down, your can see the trail as it drops gently off the edge, before it traverses 50-feet down a series of stone steps to that last bridge, which you repaired using Vesper's Mage Hand magic and a little ingenuity and rope work.
With one quick glance back, you thankfully you see that no-one has emerged from the keep, from either the main doorway, or from inside the damaged hole in the roof.
"Spiders?" Silver cocks her head. "Do you think they would listen to me?" Quickly glancing back at the keep she shakes her head, and seems to change her mind. "No, there's no guarantee, and we should make haste. I'm intrigued to see what you have done to the crossings."
She begins to move down the trail towards the first bridge, Faen still bobbing along on her shoulders.
Dropping off the top of the butte, you follow the relatively easy trail down to the first wooden plank rope bridge. When Silver passed by the first time during her ascent a short while ago, this one was dangling freely from one end, and she had to resort to using her magic to leap across the wide gap.
Having heard Lumen tell her how they managed to compete the repairs on two of these damaged bridges, using a combination of Vesper's magic and Chry's ingenuity, deft rope work and impressive climbing skills, she can now see that this one is now fully intact again, with both ends of the bridge are securely attached to the wooden posts at either end.
Even so, at this impressive height on the cliff, it's still a little bit tenuous crossing the swaying wooden planks. The footing is secure enough, and the rope "hand rail" helps ensure that you probably won't fall off, but still... the fact that you're about 400 feet up on the sheer cliff face is a little unnerving, enough so, that Faen decides not to ride on Silver's shoulders they pass, and instead holds stays right in front of her while she keeps one hand securely on him and one on the rope rail.
After a brief, but very exciting crossing, you all find yourselves on the other side as you continue down the stone pathway, which in many areas is wet from the spray of the waterfall. At one point, you actually traversing once again, along the wet ledge that passes behind the waterfalls and briefly enjoying the magnificent, surreal view of the landscape as seen behind the glittering mist and sparkling water droplets that cascade down past you.
Of course, you area fully aware that a fall from this height would mean certain death, but as with your trip up, you find that with even with a bit of concentration and attention, you can safely descend without too much fear of slipping and plunging over the edge.
And, once again, you see the small red finch that flitters around, occasionally perching itself on tiny flakes on the rock wall just to your left, as it hops from one outcrop to another.
It was plain to see on Nym's expression how relieved she was that Silver came around to her way of thinking, grateful for Kess' support and rational thinking, even with children present. As Kess voiced a promise to keep them both safe, she noticed how close Syllin was to her, almost touching and didn't hesitate to draw her left arm around the girl, hand resting on her opposite shoulder in a hopefully comforting gesture as she echoed, "You have my word on that as well."Smiling down with soft reassurance.
As Lumen reported that there were more kobolds above, she couldn't help but suppress a small shiver up her spine. Had they heard them already? Were they lying traps even now as they waited for them to ascend? She just prayed that they wouldn't be shot in the back as they tried to leave. The drow couldn't help but give an amused smile as the elven girl simply pushed closer into her side as she rejected Silver's offer of a shoulder ride. She was going to offer her hand to the girl, but she couldn't even extricate her from her side, she was latched on so tight. If she was small enough, Nym would offer to carry the girl on her hip, like her father had often done for her, but wouldn't press the issue. Glad for the fact that at least she wasn't trying to wander off.
Quickly and quietly the group moved through the Keep and back out into the sunlight, Nym immediately wincing as the light hit her sensitive lavender eyes, using her free right hand to pull her hood back up again and noticing that the light streaks in Syllin's hair weren't blonde but silver. Absently stroking the girl's head she pushed her curious questions to the back of her mind for now and focused on what was ahead of them. Personally glad that they wouldn't be trying to fight through the spiders with the children in tow (or at all), the cleric quietly explained how they got up and how they were going to get back down, hoping that the knowledge would set any of their fears at rest. Things were generally less scary once you knew how they worked, she found. Once starting the process of going down, Nym always had a hand on Syllin and any time the girl would look up, she would make sure to offer a soft smile.
"See, even big things like Silver and small things like...that, can get across, so we can too."Momentarily forgetting the word for 'bird' as 'bat' seemed to come to mind so much easier for her. "It must live here too. We saw this one, or one like it, on our way in." She remarked quietly, simply trying to fill the air with gentle noise. More noticing Kess' gaze on the creature than the finch itself. Catching the other elf's eye with a curious nod as if to silently ask, 'All good?'
You continue your descent on the trail, which is mostly dry stone steps and walkways that have been carved into the cliff face. In some places, where spray from the waterfall cascades over the pathway, you encounter sections of wet rock that's covered in spots with bright green moss. It's a little slippery, but with careful footing, you're able to safely navigate these areas.
Having lived their entire lives at the keep, and up on the plateau, neither Faen nor Syllin have traveled down these stairs. Syllin holds on tightly to Nym, and you can tell that she's quite nervous as you make your way down the side of this massive cliff face. Faen tries his best to put on a brave face, but it's clear that he's at least a little cautious. Both are transfixed when you pass behind the waterfall, and they remark at how beautiful it is.
Soon you arrive at the next bridge that's out. As you did before, you're required to down climb into a twenty-foot deep gully and then back up the other side. The rock is quite textured here, with plenty of hand and footholds, and after you complete the awkward move of lowering yourself down from the edge of the broken bridge, you descend to the bottom of the gully and then climb back up with little trouble.
This is where the ropes come in handy. Lumen and Chrys up a belay to help lower the two children down into he gully, and then, with both Silver and Nym climbing just behind each one, you help them safely ascend to the other side. As you experienced last time, the actual climbing is not very difficult, and as Kess watches the little finch that keeps flittering just ahead of you, she notices that as it hops from flake to flake, it seems to be showing you the best hand holds to grab as you climb back out of the gully.
After passing this obstacle, you arrive at the third bridge, which just like the previous one, is completely out. However, as you discover, it's an easy climb across the lower angle rock face in this location, and you all quickly make it across with no flailing or falling, again, aiding the children by tying them into the rope and using a belay on both sides. Both children show a high degree of agility with their climbing, and the act of moving over the stone with her hands and feet seems to give Syllin an extra boost of confidence that takes her mind away from her fear of heights as you move along the sheer cliff.
Silver kept a close eye on Faen as they made their way across the first bridge. The group had clearly performed some impressive engineering on their way up, as Silver had previously had to employ magic to jump over this same gap. Thank goodness she would not have to do so again - if the dragon appeared she would need whatever reserves she had in order to fight it.
The little red finch flittered briefly around her head before perching on almost invisible footholds in the rock wall beside them. "My little friend! I wondered where you had gone to. Will you watch the skies for us? There is a dragon about."
As they passed behind the waterfall, Silver motioned to the children silently, gesturing towards the glittering curtain. Placing her hand into the water she cast Shape Water, and where it touched her hand the water became tiny ice crystals that shimmered even more brightly. She waved her hand back and forth through the fall, and the ice crystals followed it in a wave. Cupping her hands into a bowl she caught some water, turned towards the children, and blew over it in their direction. As it left her hands the water became snow, which floated gently down over the childrens' heads.
Climbing up and down the gully at the second bridge proved a different experience for Silver than for the others. Her height and reach allowed her to stretch to handholds more easily, but the size of her hands made it more difficult to grip, and her weight was harder to hold. However, with careful movements she followed Faen both down and up the sides of the gully to the next bridge.
After this, Silver pauses with the children as the others make their way across. "You are both extremely skilled climbers, and very brave. I am very impressed. You are a credit to your parents."
Nodding along with Fivin's sentiments about getting himself and the children out and to safety, Nym then sighed at his point that none of them would be safe as long as Duskbringer was around. She had never had to deal with a foe that could fly and the thought that the dragon could simply ruin whatever the elves tried to rebuild with a flap of her wings soured her stomach. But as Silver tried to persuade that the rest of the keep would be safe enough if they could pinpoint where their foe was at the moment, the drow shook her head sharply, white hair whipping about as she explained, "The entire Keep could be collateral damage if anyone were to engage in combat with her. She may be young and perhaps not as large as an adult dragon, but with youth comes recklessness. I don't want to gamble their well being on a hope. Better that we try and help them sneak out to the edge of the forest under the cover of the trees and come back if need be than someone try to scout and possibly wake or antagonize Duskbringer and bring her wrath down on us too early."
Seeing everyone else get very much ready for combat and Lumen and Silver inching their way towards the stairs, the cleric rubbed her forehead. "Let us at least help them get past the broken bridges." Her stomach felt tense, like she swallowed a stone and insects were swarming around it. Her want and duty to protect was pulling her in opposite directions but she knew how to prioritize. Nym accepted Kess' offer with faint smile, "I had nearly forgotten." Grasping the flask, she was about to thumb the cork open when she hesitated and asked, "You said temporary. Do we know how temporary?" Considering she didn't want to rush up to Duskbringer right this second, she wasn't sure if it would be prudent to wait to apply the oil.
Nym Durnodel - Aspiring Heroes of Faerûn // Danica Amastacia - Red Dead Annihilation
As Nym spoke Silver could feel a blush rising, though it would never show through her fur.
"How foolish of me. You are so right Nym. I'm sorry, I hadn't thought of the danger to the rest of the keep - of course there is nothing to keep the dragon from flying away from our confrontation. You are all so much more experienced in these things than me. Truly the safest place for the children is as far from the keep as possible. I will assist you in getting them back down the steps and past the bridges. Unless of course these is another way down?
I fear that taking them all the way through the forest would give the dragon too much time to recover from the injuries you say he has, and who knows what chaos he could cause while we travel. Once they are at ground level I believe we should return to the keep, to drive away or, if necessary, kill Duskbringer. What do you all think?"
DM - Storm King's Thunder
DM - Torosevia (WIP homebrew world)
Kelytha Meliamne - Matti Silverstorm - Silver - Star-Setting-In-The-East - Tor Baltos
"Nym is right; young or not, Duskbringer is a dragon, a species of creatures infamous for their ability to level settlements of thousands and wiping out armies in a single day just by throwing a tantrum. If we engage her carelessly or at all, there is no doubt that the cartographers will be busy concerning this magnificent structure, much less the-." Kess stopped blabbering as she looked over at Fivin and cringed, who was standing with the children near to him. "Sorry... I don't mean to dampen your spirits or frighten the little ones, but I'm trying to be honest about the danger we face. Besides," She continued, looking down now to Syllin and Faen. "The important thing is that you two are safe. You two have been so brave and so smart to survive how you have, and the hardest part of this is almost over. We will do all we can to protect you. I promise."
Listening carefully to Silver's plan, Kess thinks for a moment about all that it entails. "Well... we could attempt that, I suppose, but not without confirming if she's here or not. Ideally, we can get out without drawing her attention at all get Syllin and Faen safely away. And... there was something strange about Duskbringer, too, thinking about it... I just couldn't put my finger on it. Fivin... forgive me if I don't recall in this moment, but are there any defenses such as ballistae within the walls here? That would be helpful with this endeavor."
The two children seem to feel comfortable with the two elves, Nym and Kess, and they also seem quite intrigued by Silver, the very large and furry firbolg, the kind of which neither of them has ever seen before. They're also curious, but at the same time, a little shy of Chrys. Both of them are seem wary of Lumen, having never seen a half orc before, but knowing full well the horrible dangers that regular orcs can cause. However, Faen's concern seems to be tamped down by his interest in the stringed instrument that's slung on Lumen's back. At one point, he tentatively reaches his fingers up to lightly trace the curves of the wood.
Syllin especially seems to have a level of fondness, or at least comfort with Nym and with the style of grace and kindness that she exudes. A couple of times, she moves over to nuzzle closely to the white haired drow.
Fivin answers Kess's question. "No... sadly, the keep itself has no defenses like that, we only had ourselves to defend against any invaders. However, the keep's armory lies just across the main hall over there, along the far side of the left wall as you approach the front door. I know not whether those little reptilian beasties have plundered it, but if they have not, then it should be well stocked with fine quality longswords and spears."
"And there is no need to apologize for your comments. I know full well of what you speak. However, as much as I would not like to see what remains of our keep razed by a foul and ill-tempered dragon, my initial concern is to get the children out of here to a safer hiding place."
Meanwhile, Lumen creeps over towards the stairway that leads up to the Raven's Council, staying close to the wall to achieve maximum stealth and doing his best to peer upwards and listen to anything coming from up there.
Lumen
Lumen approaches the stairway, staying very quiet as he makes his way over, he does hear noises up there, and knowing very well how they sound, he's almost certain that there are kobolds up there. He definitely hears at least one talking, maybe a couple of them, but he cannot discern what is being said or understand the language being spoken. He also doesn't see any traps along the stairs.
Lumen returns and quietly conveys his findings to the group. He helps them move to the exit with the kids and has no desire to get into Kobold or dragon fights with kids along.
Silver frowns a little. "I'm sure I could understand them, but I dare not risk their realising we're here. We should make our way back to the great stairs."
She kneels down in front of Syllin. "Would you like to ride on my shoulders? You both may, if you wish?" She adds, directing the last part to Faen.
DM - Storm King's Thunder
DM - Torosevia (WIP homebrew world)
Kelytha Meliamne - Matti Silverstorm - Silver - Star-Setting-In-The-East - Tor Baltos
When Lumen returns from his brief listening mission at the base of the stairs, he returns to the library and gives the "all clear" signal. Then, gathering up the two children, (Syllin shyly prefers to stay nuzzled right up next to Nym, while Faen responds to Silver's offer with a wide smile, and climbs up onto the firbolg's shoulders when she stoops down), you all hurry back across the large entry hall called the Tel'Quesssir, passing over the defaced mosaic on the floor again.
Exiting through the large open, ornately decorated oaken doors, (with Silver ducking quite low to allow herself and her small elven passenger through), you find yourselves on the outside of the keep once more, looking out over the beautifully serene and powerful landscape of this magnificent grassy ledge that lies halfway up the enormous butte.
Kess immediately scans the skyline and timberlines that even remotely looks like a dragon as they exit the keep, feeling hypervigilant in the face of the little lives in the Pie Pals' charge.
Perception: 11
It takes a few seconds to adjust your vision from the darker inside ambient light of the keep to the direct sunlight, but once your vision is acclimatized to the much brighter illumination outside, you're able to do a full scan of the sky and the immediate surroundings. Thankfully, you see no signs of the dragon anywhere.
"The bridges in particular are very badly damaged." Silver whispers to the group as they make their way out of the keep and back down to the lower level with the loch. "Is this really the best way to get the children down? I was only able to get up through the use of magic - I wouldn't wish to use much more if we are likely to be confronting the dragon today. Is there any other route down?"
DM - Storm King's Thunder
DM - Torosevia (WIP homebrew world)
Kelytha Meliamne - Matti Silverstorm - Silver - Star-Setting-In-The-East - Tor Baltos
Lumen makes sure to hide the bodies well, before they leave, as is his wont. He'd rather the other kobolds just wonder where they are, rather than find out quickly they've been killed.
"I don't know of any other way of getting down, unless Fivin's overcome his fear of spiders. It will be hard, but we made some of the crossings easier," he says. He tries to judge whether one of the children can ride on his back. He's not sure how easily Silver will be able to traverse, though. He tries to explain the methods they used to get up. He tries to guide them back slowly and quietly.
Stealth: 13
Moving quickly and quietly, Lumen leads you through the sparse rocks, down away from the entrance of the keep, and along the trail that passes by the chapel, the loch and the small assortment of statutes, before heading across the bright green plateau. Fortunately, nothing impedes your short journey across the top of the grassy, rock strewn butte, and you soon find yourselves at the top of the 400-foot drop and the narrow trail that descends along the face of the rocky cliff that you came up earlier.
Looking down, your can see the trail as it drops gently off the edge, before it traverses 50-feet down a series of stone steps to that last bridge, which you repaired using Vesper's Mage Hand magic and a little ingenuity and rope work.
With one quick glance back, you thankfully you see that no-one has emerged from the keep, from either the main doorway, or from inside the damaged hole in the roof.
"Spiders?" Silver cocks her head. "Do you think they would listen to me?" Quickly glancing back at the keep she shakes her head, and seems to change her mind. "No, there's no guarantee, and we should make haste. I'm intrigued to see what you have done to the crossings."
She begins to move down the trail towards the first bridge, Faen still bobbing along on her shoulders.
DM - Storm King's Thunder
DM - Torosevia (WIP homebrew world)
Kelytha Meliamne - Matti Silverstorm - Silver - Star-Setting-In-The-East - Tor Baltos
Dropping off the top of the butte, you follow the relatively easy trail down to the first wooden plank rope bridge. When Silver passed by the first time during her ascent a short while ago, this one was dangling freely from one end, and she had to resort to using her magic to leap across the wide gap.
Having heard Lumen tell her how they managed to compete the repairs on two of these damaged bridges, using a combination of Vesper's magic and Chry's ingenuity, deft rope work and impressive climbing skills, she can now see that this one is now fully intact again, with both ends of the bridge are securely attached to the wooden posts at either end.
Even so, at this impressive height on the cliff, it's still a little bit tenuous crossing the swaying wooden planks. The footing is secure enough, and the rope "hand rail" helps ensure that you probably won't fall off, but still... the fact that you're about 400 feet up on the sheer cliff face is a little unnerving, enough so, that Faen decides not to ride on Silver's shoulders they pass, and instead holds stays right in front of her while she keeps one hand securely on him and one on the rope rail.
After a brief, but very exciting crossing, you all find yourselves on the other side as you continue down the stone pathway, which in many areas is wet from the spray of the waterfall. At one point, you actually traversing once again, along the wet ledge that passes behind the waterfalls and briefly enjoying the magnificent, surreal view of the landscape as seen behind the glittering mist and sparkling water droplets that cascade down past you.
Of course, you area fully aware that a fall from this height would mean certain death, but as with your trip up, you find that with even with a bit of concentration and attention, you can safely descend without too much fear of slipping and plunging over the edge.
And, once again, you see the small red finch that flitters around, occasionally perching itself on tiny flakes on the rock wall just to your left, as it hops from one outcrop to another.
Kess watches the finch as the party descends, mildly curious as to what this little bird is doing.
It was plain to see on Nym's expression how relieved she was that Silver came around to her way of thinking, grateful for Kess' support and rational thinking, even with children present. As Kess voiced a promise to keep them both safe, she noticed how close Syllin was to her, almost touching and didn't hesitate to draw her left arm around the girl, hand resting on her opposite shoulder in a hopefully comforting gesture as she echoed, "You have my word on that as well." Smiling down with soft reassurance.
As Lumen reported that there were more kobolds above, she couldn't help but suppress a small shiver up her spine. Had they heard them already? Were they lying traps even now as they waited for them to ascend? She just prayed that they wouldn't be shot in the back as they tried to leave. The drow couldn't help but give an amused smile as the elven girl simply pushed closer into her side as she rejected Silver's offer of a shoulder ride. She was going to offer her hand to the girl, but she couldn't even extricate her from her side, she was latched on so tight. If she was small enough, Nym would offer to carry the girl on her hip, like her father had often done for her, but wouldn't press the issue. Glad for the fact that at least she wasn't trying to wander off.
Quickly and quietly the group moved through the Keep and back out into the sunlight, Nym immediately wincing as the light hit her sensitive lavender eyes, using her free right hand to pull her hood back up again and noticing that the light streaks in Syllin's hair weren't blonde but silver. Absently stroking the girl's head she pushed her curious questions to the back of her mind for now and focused on what was ahead of them. Personally glad that they wouldn't be trying to fight through the spiders with the children in tow (or at all), the cleric quietly explained how they got up and how they were going to get back down, hoping that the knowledge would set any of their fears at rest. Things were generally less scary once you knew how they worked, she found. Once starting the process of going down, Nym always had a hand on Syllin and any time the girl would look up, she would make sure to offer a soft smile.
"See, even big things like Silver and small things like...that, can get across, so we can too." Momentarily forgetting the word for 'bird' as 'bat' seemed to come to mind so much easier for her. "It must live here too. We saw this one, or one like it, on our way in." She remarked quietly, simply trying to fill the air with gentle noise. More noticing Kess' gaze on the creature than the finch itself. Catching the other elf's eye with a curious nod as if to silently ask, 'All good?'
Nym Durnodel - Aspiring Heroes of Faerûn // Danica Amastacia - Red Dead Annihilation
Lumen tries to stay quiet, though he's obviously drinking in the sights and the sounds of the scenery to inspire his next creation.
He tries to collect rope and offers to tie the party together by the waist or wrist, to give everyone a backup plan if a foot goes wrong.
You continue your descent on the trail, which is mostly dry stone steps and walkways that have been carved into the cliff face. In some places, where spray from the waterfall cascades over the pathway, you encounter sections of wet rock that's covered in spots with bright green moss. It's a little slippery, but with careful footing, you're able to safely navigate these areas.
Having lived their entire lives at the keep, and up on the plateau, neither Faen nor Syllin have traveled down these stairs. Syllin holds on tightly to Nym, and you can tell that she's quite nervous as you make your way down the side of this massive cliff face. Faen tries his best to put on a brave face, but it's clear that he's at least a little cautious. Both are transfixed when you pass behind the waterfall, and they remark at how beautiful it is.
Soon you arrive at the next bridge that's out. As you did before, you're required to down climb into a twenty-foot deep gully and then back up the other side. The rock is quite textured here, with plenty of hand and footholds, and after you complete the awkward move of lowering yourself down from the edge of the broken bridge, you descend to the bottom of the gully and then climb back up with little trouble.
This is where the ropes come in handy. Lumen and Chrys up a belay to help lower the two children down into he gully, and then, with both Silver and Nym climbing just behind each one, you help them safely ascend to the other side. As you experienced last time, the actual climbing is not very difficult, and as Kess watches the little finch that keeps flittering just ahead of you, she notices that as it hops from flake to flake, it seems to be showing you the best hand holds to grab as you climb back out of the gully.
After passing this obstacle, you arrive at the third bridge, which just like the previous one, is completely out. However, as you discover, it's an easy climb across the lower angle rock face in this location, and you all quickly make it across with no flailing or falling, again, aiding the children by tying them into the rope and using a belay on both sides. Both children show a high degree of agility with their climbing, and the act of moving over the stone with her hands and feet seems to give Syllin an extra boost of confidence that takes her mind away from her fear of heights as you move along the sheer cliff.
Kess keeps vigil the whole time, hoping to hear nothing leathery beating the air in the sound of a dragon's wings.
Perception: 6
Silver kept a close eye on Faen as they made their way across the first bridge. The group had clearly performed some impressive engineering on their way up, as Silver had previously had to employ magic to jump over this same gap. Thank goodness she would not have to do so again - if the dragon appeared she would need whatever reserves she had in order to fight it.
The little red finch flittered briefly around her head before perching on almost invisible footholds in the rock wall beside them. "My little friend! I wondered where you had gone to. Will you watch the skies for us? There is a dragon about."
As they passed behind the waterfall, Silver motioned to the children silently, gesturing towards the glittering curtain. Placing her hand into the water she cast Shape Water, and where it touched her hand the water became tiny ice crystals that shimmered even more brightly. She waved her hand back and forth through the fall, and the ice crystals followed it in a wave. Cupping her hands into a bowl she caught some water, turned towards the children, and blew over it in their direction. As it left her hands the water became snow, which floated gently down over the childrens' heads.
Climbing up and down the gully at the second bridge proved a different experience for Silver than for the others. Her height and reach allowed her to stretch to handholds more easily, but the size of her hands made it more difficult to grip, and her weight was harder to hold. However, with careful movements she followed Faen both down and up the sides of the gully to the next bridge.
After this, Silver pauses with the children as the others make their way across. "You are both extremely skilled climbers, and very brave. I am very impressed. You are a credit to your parents."
DM - Storm King's Thunder
DM - Torosevia (WIP homebrew world)
Kelytha Meliamne - Matti Silverstorm - Silver - Star-Setting-In-The-East - Tor Baltos