"More like the blasted thing will get stuck on my finger if I leave it on all night," Mindartis grunts, taking not of the Archfey's name again. "Seryathylle Skyweaver huh... wonder when the next eclipse is..."

"I'm sure we can figure that out. But on the bright side if we now know the location of any teleportation circle I can teleport us around, kind of. I'll need more supplies for it and I can only do it once a day." Quentin looks at Zanderfell as he asks, "You don't have a teleportation circle here do you?"

Elwin soon came back with his mount in tow. (( He'll go ahead and find whoever is carrying the tapestry to set Oroman in there. ))

Once the group is ready to head out Raven will pull them aside, away from anyone else.

"There is one item we need to discuss." She says finally. "It may change your feelings about me, and I regret that, but I kept the secret for too long already." She meets everyone's eyes with a firm look. "A few years ago I was out in a training exercise with my father. I got lost and found myself wandering in the woods." Her eyes take on a far-off look as she speaks. "Shortly after getting lost I came across some creature I have not seen before or since. It struck me with something, and I felt... wrong... After that I wandered for some time, then found myself confronted by a bear. I had no idea what it was, so I attacked. In the battle it bit me, and I thought I was done for." She sighs as she glances back to the group. "The bear was no common bear, but one of the guardians of the forest, a werebear. After it bit me it took me back to its place, and nursed me back to health. Whatever that first creature was, the bear told me later, it had infected me with some sort of sickness. The bear had followed me for some time, and knew that I would die of it if I were not given his gift." She pauses then and glances to each of the group once more. "I am a werebear now, and wish to gain better control over my... gift..." She says the last with a sour look on her face. "I have learned that a moonblade might allow me to change my shape at my will. There is one not too far from here, placed in a stone. I would like to travel there, and then head on to Slate City, if you are willing."

Gonna say no Del replies, leaving just a beat No change in feelings Sister. taking in all the info on travel and moonblades etc Given that Mr Fiskin's innumerable kin can get us to the Essee so much quicker than I was expecting, it seems worth the side quest. Lets ride on the ground first and make sure the owl-hour takes us over the river

Elwin was quiet as Raven shared her story. He had heard of were-creatures, but had never encountered one, and truthfully, was neither inclined to approve or disapprove of them. But it sounded like something important to Raven. And honestly, if a were-bear were even half as strong as a real one....

"That's quite the secret," came the response, along with a smile. "Glad that it spells good news for us... even if it meant some pain for you. I've no problems helping with this--it'll only make us stronger, after all!"

Zanderfell smiles at Quentin's question. "A what? No, I'm afraid I don't encourage visitors," he says. "But now that you have been here, as long as you have the key, you will be able to return to the tree. I know of your quest, and if you are to defeat the hags' foul plot, you will want to root out every arm of their organization, to weaken them as much as possible before striking at the heart. When the time comes that you wish to travel to the Feywild, come to me, and I can send you there. I have friends there who keep me informed of their operations."

Thank you, Eldest, for the advice and the help. And for saving Ziia. And thank Rambleoake for us as well

After we've gone and agreed to hunt Excalibur for R and all the other information shared Do you know how the moonblade will judge you worthy, Sister? We know you are, but I don't imagine it takes testimonials

"There is no way to know until I try it."  Raven says with a shrug.  "This is why I felt it was important to make this side trip now, so we could try this one.  If it doesn't accept me, then I will have to look for one of the others."

Del agrees with Raven Since we are here, and the Red Sails business is not exactly hot pursuit, definitely worth the trip. Also Del takes a moment to read the thread think about the past few days Tagrec said Hill Giants were heading from the Bolgen Hills, and the late unlamented hags mentioned them - another shot maybe to weaken the allies of Bracken / Indri'in as Master Z advises

If no objections we can get on our way to the blade in the rock, going ride - fly - ride however is best given the river and terrain. Young Sir E and Del can take the opportunity to add a training session to BLT Animal Handling 22

((not trying to rush anyone, obv time for talk, minor errands, whatever before and during the travel montage

checking - is Flitterbug coming with - and if so might she get to gain levels to so she is not snuffed by the least little accident? and does a sheet or statblock exist for Sir Ethen? happy to manage, even tho he's R's squire, if that relieves the burden on anyone ))

Mindartis shrugs at the discussion, clearly not terribly worried over the party's next destination.  After he manages to pry the ring off his finger, Flitterbug tries it on as a crown, and his next task is to remove it from her head without damaging the tiny pixie.

Zanderfell draws you out a map to a valley where he believes the sword can be found, and wishes you the best of luck.  You take an owl's flight for an hour, that gets you over the Arasrok,  and when you have landed, you continue on horseback, Sirt Ethan on Bongo and Skizzix on his mastiff behind, clearly happy to be riding in the open for a change instead of cooped up in the tapestry cleaning stables. In time, you leave the road that you were following ans strike out across the wilderness.

As the day goes on, you come to the edge of the Westwoods.  The trees grow more sparse and straggly, and the ground is rocky and rises in hills and bluffs. The going is rough for the horses, and you have to dismount frequently nd lead them through difficult areas.

In time, you approach the spot Zanderfell specified as the location of the sword. You can hear loud voices shouting in an unknown language.  You might be able to sneak up to the top of a ridge and have a look at what's happening in the valley below...

16

"Wait here..."  Raven says and slips off of her horse. She sneaks up to the top of the hill...

Stealth: 28

Perception: 26

Raven sneaks to peek out from some rocks.  In the valley below, she sees an ogre village. In the center of the clearing, an old ogre matriarch sits on a pile of skulls as ogres wave their arms and weapons, and shout at each other.  Some sort of big argument seems to be taking place.

When Mindartis manages to get the ring off of Flitterbug, he tucks the ring into his pocket and spends the rest of the trip in thought. He nods when Raven goes to scout.

Hello. I am new to the world of Dungeons and Dragons and I would like to know if you can play online here for free?

((I'd reccomend checking out the pbp forums to see if any are recruiting, this is an active game thread))

While waiting for Raven, Mindartis finally asks, "Flitterbug... where are you parents? Are they still in the Feywild?"

"Not in the Feywild," Flitterbug answers. "We used to live in the Pixie Tree. But then the gnolls burned it. And Mama and Papa were really, really sad, all the time. And then we joined the Fools, and Mama and Papa spent all their time trying to be happy again. They danced and played jokes and drank lots of wine. I was glad they weren't so sad any more, but they were too busy trying not to be sad to spend much time with me. So I went looking for some friends. And I found you. It worked out pretty good."

raven returns to the others. She quickly fills them in on what she saw in the ogre encampment.

Can we get around? No need to get into the middle of an ogre encampment argument, unless what you seek is down there