"There is wisdom in remaining here," Nenne says, gesturing at the fortifications. "This compound has proven itself a good defense against onslaught. Moreover, whoever attacked would have little reason to return. The poet himself said that we were the first to happen upon him. And if the Yuan-ti did come, the lady mage would give us a significant advantage over the previous party. As for the corpses, I can prevent their decay, or we can dispose of them via cremation or burial, avoiding more wild dogs."
"We know nothing about the dangers near these temples, or if other creatures have taken up residence within," she continues, sober. "They would also likely be in the center of the city, which means there are more places for enemies to hide. Lastly, and this is speaking both as a cleric and a soldier, temples hardly ever survive battles. They are designed to let people in."
A roar echoes throughout the city carrying tinges of dread. Whatever made the sound had to be huge. The birds and monkeys fall silent under the noise, but continue shortly after it goes. There are no signs of any close exposure to whatever made the sound.
"Anything can be explained, Allister, and haven't we had enough extraordinary things happen to us on this journey," Boosey says to the fighter, out of earshot of Orvex. "I am convinced this man, is not who he claims or seems to be. Even if he is, a little caution round him would not go amiss, and he seems very evasive. There are things I need to discuss with the party that would not be wise for Orvex to hear, but I would talk to Nenne first."
He looks around the compound, "I don't know whether staying here now would be the wisest course of action. We may or may not find better. We should find a well hidden spot to set up the hut, we don't want the spell to end only to be surrounded by monsters.!"
Hearing the blood curdling roar he adds, "Sooner rather than later may be wise." He calls to Orvex. "Any idea what that was, sir scribe?"
As Boosey looks to Orvex for an answer, the gnome can clearly see the fear on his face from the roar. The human shakes his head in response to the bard and says, "I don't know, nor do I wish to find out! Keep me away from that thing, thank you very much! I have no wish or love of fighting. I only wish to continue my work investigating these ruins."
After doing some kicking around on the bodies Orvex adds, "I do not see Lady Brix, a red wizard. She could have gotten away, or she could be one of those charred corpses there." He motions to a pile of unrecognizable victims lost to flame. "There are other contingents of red wizards here in Chult mind you. I cannot say if there are more in Omu, but Dyrax and his fellow mages did meet with my commander here when we first arrived two days ago."
Sthara makes a mental note of the two temple locations that Orvex mentions. "What of the other two?"
With the roar resonating through the city and the birds taking flight, clearly in flight from whatever it was that let out the noise, Sthara notes a thought. "Though it would be wise to secure ourselves as quickly as possible, the temples might provide more protection than we know. I cannot speak on behalf of other faiths, but in the temple to Ubtao in Mezro, we had a series of protections and fallbacks in case of attack. Perhaps these gods too have provided some instruction in protecting their sanctuaries?"
Looking at the charred bodies, she adds one more thought once Orvex has finished speaking.
"It is a shame that my spell of mending cannot mend human flesh, strange as it is basically leather in this state. No offense."
"I am neither fond of nor comfortable with abandoning a perfectly serviceable defensive compound on the possibility that a temple in a less secure location might be just as good," Nenne replies frankly. "We can explore the city tomorrow. That was our plan prior to meeting this scribe, anyway."
"I say we look around close by to see if there is anything better than here. I'm not keen on remaining here after," and Boosey motions to the corpses, "that. If we can't find anything then we make camp here." He looks around at the buildings in the compound. "Before we do anything else, we should make sure all of these are clear of any nasty surprises."
"I will gladly spend time investigating this place," Nenne nods approvingly. "Then I will deal with the corpses. I insist that none of us wanders off alone. I am burying enough people today..."
She turns to Orvex. "We can offer you shelter tonight. And when we are safe for the evening, I would hear more about your research. You seem passionate about history. I myself am a student of it, though when you live as long as I have, it's less study and more reminiscing. But I do have a professional interest in religious history, and especially involving Orolunga. When my mission here finishes, how do you recommend I journey there? Where were the ruins? I've only heard rumors."
Turning to Sthara from a distance Orvex answers her question about the other two temples he has visited, "There is one just off the main road north some ways into the city and a second off the road that heads east along the northern bank of the lava pit. I suspect the building on the island in the center of the lava pit is another, but I have no means to test out the theory."
The man brightens when Nenne mentions one of the ruins and he answers excitedly, "Oh, it is tucked into the corner nook of the Mistcliff mountains far north and west. If you follow the foothills, you can't miss it. Oh, how many hot coal beds would I walk through to see that place again..."
„It seems we have reached an agreement, at least for today. If you need help with the bodies, let me know, Nenne. Otherwise I’ll guard the camp and your burial site.“
When Orvex realizes the party's plan to search out the complex he pipes up with some information about the subject, "As I said, we have been here for two days. Two wonderful days, that is until the attack. That wasn't so wonderful. I'm betting we would have fared a lot better if we had employed adventurer mercenaries, but noooo too expensive they said. I suppose it all goes back to the saying, 'you get what you pay for.' Where was I? Oh yes. That building over there is infested with red creeper."
True to his word, the building is covered with the poisonous plant. The rest of the complex takes roughly three hours to explore placing the time around five in the afternoon. The centermost building Orvex identified as a barracks seems to be the most defensible and still in tact building of all the rest. It helps that there are already cots and bedrolls left from Orvex's companions inside. A little tidying up from where they were flipped and searched during the raid places the area in working order.
Moving bodies is grisly work, but after an hour of that they are consolidated to the corner of the yard behind the structure infested with red creeper. With two, maybe three, hours of daylight left depending on how the sun sets in this valley, the party is equipped with a proper campsite from which to set out exploring the city.
„Doesn’t this place like the first proper camp in weeks? Do you think we have enough daylight left to check out a wider perimeter or the nearby temple?“
Funderburk sitting in their new camp away from the human and giving him an occasional glare, looked to his team and said, "Would it be wise to set up a hut magically then I may cast a spell for ourselves to be non detected by any magical means? This way we are able to plan ahead and ensure we are prepared for tomorrow."
Nenne raises an eyebrow at the group. "I must still sanctify the corpses, which will take some time. You all may do as you please, though I ask you not to take any unnecessary risks while I am attending my duties. I will be here when you return, unless one of you wishes to wait with me. I will heed my own advice and not venture out alone."
Allister looks to Orvex. „You care to join me for a short walk? I have some writings to show you, maybe you can help us make sense of them.“ He waits for the scribe to join him, than walks straight to the guard house near the stairs to the city. „Have you any idea what these mean? Do you know the names or have you encounter this ominous frog monster?“
Sthara decides to tag along with Allister and that ropes Funderburk in. As Orvex walks with Allister, Funderburk and Sthara they realize just how bad a shape the man is in. His high spirits are a good mask, but he is clearly exhausted to a great degree reminding the warrior of a time when water became scarce adrift on the ocean so many years back. He doesn't move very fast, but he is still excited to explore. Nodding with a smile Orvex explains what he knows about the writings and etchings, "Ras Nsi, yuan-ti warlord, and terror to Chult. My old companions believed the warlord to still be alive. If that is the case, his tale must be legendary to have lived for so long.
I don't know who Erik or V is. Nor do I recognize what a puzzle cube might be. It does sound exciting though! If we find one, I would very much like to investigate it. I haven't seen any frog monsters. Perhaps that is what made the roar?
Ah, I know this one! Unkh is one of Omu's lost gods. His temple is just off the road heading west to east on the north side of the lava pit.
The King of Feathers...I suspect this is aarocokra related. It only makes sense. Perhaps there is a den....?nest? nearby filled with the creatures and one of them claims dominion over the city.
The snakes are not what they seem! I can attest to that. They take direction quite well from the yuan-ti that attacked the walled compound.
Kubazan is another lost Omuan god. His temple is the one directly behind the walled compound. Given his direct comparison to bravery and the other writings in the same line, I suspect Moa and Shagambi are other gods that I have yet to discover. This is all so very exciting!" He seems overjoyed at even this small amount of exploration. Allister gets the sense that this really is this guy's life's work.
As the other go off to explore for a while, Boosey remains behind with Nenne as she works with the corpses. "It's important to do this sooner than later, I think, now we are in Omu. Funderburk confirmed a suspicion I have had for some time now, that I am under some sort of spell. If I were to guess, I'd say it was some kind of necromancy. These dreams I've had have been so vivid, I can't help but feel they may show the future in some way," he shuffles his feet for a moment. "If they do, while I can't say for certain, they do not bode well."
He sits down on a stone step and thinks for a moment. "My first dream came shortly after Sthara disappeared the for the first time, after we found that carved pipe. Some of my hair was taken that night." He looks Nenne in the eye. "I suspect Valindra, I cannot be totally sure, but the pieces fit together. The most important thing is, if she has my hair, she can find us, and if she can find us," he pauses, "we are in big trouble. If we do find the soulmonger, it may be wise to ensure I do not handle it. The dreams have been coming more regularly now and pose more questions than answers, maybe getting stronger as we approached Omu. As we came down the steps into the city blood fell on the parchment I was using to note down the words of the graffiti. I'm convinced it was real, but seconds later it was gone. No trace. There's little we can do other than be vigilant."
Allister gives his waterskin to Orvex. „Here, have some more. But only small sips, I still remember what is feels like to nearly die of thirst. An thank you for the answers. But now I have a few more questions. How many lost gods are there? And do you think they all have temples here? About Ras Nsi, is he connected to your search for the Ring of Winter? I can’t tell you where it is, but I think we have encountered areas where is the guy had it in his fancy pants. We found two or three places of frost and snow in the jungle, plus a band of very angry frost giants. I have no other explanation for this but your ring. Unless Ras Nsi has power of the elements...“
Nenne listens to the gnome quietly as she lines the bodies with incense and weaves mystical signs in the air. She sings a quiet dirge in her native language and touches one of the dead, which shimmers in a holy light before entering into a magical stasis granted by Kelemvor. Only after her song ends does she look at him.
"The lich has been observing us for some time," she says gravely. "She sent that letter to Worlo long before your lock of hair was stolen. And the pendant we carried was a beacon. I've never doubted for an instant someone knew where we were. After meeting her, I was certain none of our movements would again be private."
The cleric collects her incense and moves on to another corpse to begin setting up for the next ritual. "Whatever magic she placed on you is not a curse, I've told you before." Her voice is calm. Then she sighs, and rays of pewter sparkle in her hair. "But I do share your concern in what will happen should you touch the soulmonger. I also worry about that vision you had of the blood. Tell me, what do you dream of?"
She completes the setup for her ritual and opens her prayer book again. Before she starts reciting, she looks at the bard once more. Concern lines her face. "I do have the capability to dispel evil magics," she divulges. "I've long thought of attempting it on you. The reason I have not, however..." She lowers her prayer book. She looks fearful. "I don't know what it would do to you. Magic like hers is powerful. I am not that skilled a mage. If I try to remove the spell and something goes awry..." She looks away. "I worry it might kill you."
Orvex shakes his head as he replies to the warrior, "Ras Nsi has nothing to do with anything as far as I know. Just another name acquired along the path to enlightenment. Who can know how many gods there are. If we are diligent, perhaps we can discover this." His face is alight with mystery and excitement. "To be honest and quite frank: the Ring of Winter means nothing to me compared to what this city holds. I could spend years here I think. Spots of winter sound worth investigating too though. I love this jungle so much!"
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"There is wisdom in remaining here," Nenne says, gesturing at the fortifications. "This compound has proven itself a good defense against onslaught. Moreover, whoever attacked would have little reason to return. The poet himself said that we were the first to happen upon him. And if the Yuan-ti did come, the lady mage would give us a significant advantage over the previous party. As for the corpses, I can prevent their decay, or we can dispose of them via cremation or burial, avoiding more wild dogs."
"We know nothing about the dangers near these temples, or if other creatures have taken up residence within," she continues, sober. "They would also likely be in the center of the city, which means there are more places for enemies to hide. Lastly, and this is speaking both as a cleric and a soldier, temples hardly ever survive battles. They are designed to let people in."
A roar echoes throughout the city carrying tinges of dread. Whatever made the sound had to be huge. The birds and monkeys fall silent under the noise, but continue shortly after it goes. There are no signs of any close exposure to whatever made the sound.
"Anything can be explained, Allister, and haven't we had enough extraordinary things happen to us on this journey," Boosey says to the fighter, out of earshot of Orvex. "I am convinced this man, is not who he claims or seems to be. Even if he is, a little caution round him would not go amiss, and he seems very evasive. There are things I need to discuss with the party that would not be wise for Orvex to hear, but I would talk to Nenne first."
He looks around the compound, "I don't know whether staying here now would be the wisest course of action. We may or may not find better. We should find a well hidden spot to set up the hut, we don't want the spell to end only to be surrounded by monsters.!"
Hearing the blood curdling roar he adds, "Sooner rather than later may be wise." He calls to Orvex. "Any idea what that was, sir scribe?"
As Boosey looks to Orvex for an answer, the gnome can clearly see the fear on his face from the roar. The human shakes his head in response to the bard and says, "I don't know, nor do I wish to find out! Keep me away from that thing, thank you very much! I have no wish or love of fighting. I only wish to continue my work investigating these ruins."
After doing some kicking around on the bodies Orvex adds, "I do not see Lady Brix, a red wizard. She could have gotten away, or she could be one of those charred corpses there." He motions to a pile of unrecognizable victims lost to flame. "There are other contingents of red wizards here in Chult mind you. I cannot say if there are more in Omu, but Dyrax and his fellow mages did meet with my commander here when we first arrived two days ago."
Sthara makes a mental note of the two temple locations that Orvex mentions. "What of the other two?"
With the roar resonating through the city and the birds taking flight, clearly in flight from whatever it was that let out the noise, Sthara notes a thought. "Though it would be wise to secure ourselves as quickly as possible, the temples might provide more protection than we know. I cannot speak on behalf of other faiths, but in the temple to Ubtao in Mezro, we had a series of protections and fallbacks in case of attack. Perhaps these gods too have provided some instruction in protecting their sanctuaries?"
Looking at the charred bodies, she adds one more thought once Orvex has finished speaking.
"It is a shame that my spell of mending cannot mend human flesh, strange as it is basically leather in this state. No offense."
"I am neither fond of nor comfortable with abandoning a perfectly serviceable defensive compound on the possibility that a temple in a less secure location might be just as good," Nenne replies frankly. "We can explore the city tomorrow. That was our plan prior to meeting this scribe, anyway."
"I say we look around close by to see if there is anything better than here. I'm not keen on remaining here after," and Boosey motions to the corpses, "that. If we can't find anything then we make camp here." He looks around at the buildings in the compound. "Before we do anything else, we should make sure all of these are clear of any nasty surprises."
"I will gladly spend time investigating this place," Nenne nods approvingly. "Then I will deal with the corpses. I insist that none of us wanders off alone. I am burying enough people today..."
She turns to Orvex. "We can offer you shelter tonight. And when we are safe for the evening, I would hear more about your research. You seem passionate about history. I myself am a student of it, though when you live as long as I have, it's less study and more reminiscing. But I do have a professional interest in religious history, and especially involving Orolunga. When my mission here finishes, how do you recommend I journey there? Where were the ruins? I've only heard rumors."
Turning to Sthara from a distance Orvex answers her question about the other two temples he has visited, "There is one just off the main road north some ways into the city and a second off the road that heads east along the northern bank of the lava pit. I suspect the building on the island in the center of the lava pit is another, but I have no means to test out the theory."
The man brightens when Nenne mentions one of the ruins and he answers excitedly, "Oh, it is tucked into the corner nook of the Mistcliff mountains far north and west. If you follow the foothills, you can't miss it. Oh, how many hot coal beds would I walk through to see that place again..."
„It seems we have reached an agreement, at least for today. If you need help with the bodies, let me know, Nenne. Otherwise I’ll guard the camp and your burial site.“
When Orvex realizes the party's plan to search out the complex he pipes up with some information about the subject, "As I said, we have been here for two days. Two wonderful days, that is until the attack. That wasn't so wonderful. I'm betting we would have fared a lot better if we had employed adventurer mercenaries, but noooo too expensive they said. I suppose it all goes back to the saying, 'you get what you pay for.' Where was I? Oh yes. That building over there is infested with red creeper."
True to his word, the building is covered with the poisonous plant. The rest of the complex takes roughly three hours to explore placing the time around five in the afternoon. The centermost building Orvex identified as a barracks seems to be the most defensible and still in tact building of all the rest. It helps that there are already cots and bedrolls left from Orvex's companions inside. A little tidying up from where they were flipped and searched during the raid places the area in working order.
Moving bodies is grisly work, but after an hour of that they are consolidated to the corner of the yard behind the structure infested with red creeper. With two, maybe three, hours of daylight left depending on how the sun sets in this valley, the party is equipped with a proper campsite from which to set out exploring the city.
„Doesn’t this place like the first proper camp in weeks? Do you think we have enough daylight left to check out a wider perimeter or the nearby temple?“
Funderburk sitting in their new camp away from the human and giving him an occasional glare, looked to his team and said, "Would it be wise to set up a hut magically then I may cast a spell for ourselves to be non detected by any magical means? This way we are able to plan ahead and ensure we are prepared for tomorrow."
Made you look.
Nenne raises an eyebrow at the group. "I must still sanctify the corpses, which will take some time. You all may do as you please, though I ask you not to take any unnecessary risks while I am attending my duties. I will be here when you return, unless one of you wishes to wait with me. I will heed my own advice and not venture out alone."
Allister looks to Orvex. „You care to join me for a short walk? I have some writings to show you, maybe you can help us make sense of them.“ He waits for the scribe to join him, than walks straight to the guard house near the stairs to the city. „Have you any idea what these mean? Do you know the names or have you encounter this ominous frog monster?“
Sthara decides to tag along with Allister and that ropes Funderburk in. As Orvex walks with Allister, Funderburk and Sthara they realize just how bad a shape the man is in. His high spirits are a good mask, but he is clearly exhausted to a great degree reminding the warrior of a time when water became scarce adrift on the ocean so many years back. He doesn't move very fast, but he is still excited to explore. Nodding with a smile Orvex explains what he knows about the writings and etchings, "Ras Nsi, yuan-ti warlord, and terror to Chult. My old companions believed the warlord to still be alive. If that is the case, his tale must be legendary to have lived for so long.
I don't know who Erik or V is. Nor do I recognize what a puzzle cube might be. It does sound exciting though! If we find one, I would very much like to investigate it. I haven't seen any frog monsters. Perhaps that is what made the roar?
Ah, I know this one! Unkh is one of Omu's lost gods. His temple is just off the road heading west to east on the north side of the lava pit.
The King of Feathers...I suspect this is aarocokra related. It only makes sense. Perhaps there is a den....?nest? nearby filled with the creatures and one of them claims dominion over the city.
The snakes are not what they seem! I can attest to that. They take direction quite well from the yuan-ti that attacked the walled compound.
Kubazan is another lost Omuan god. His temple is the one directly behind the walled compound. Given his direct comparison to bravery and the other writings in the same line, I suspect Moa and Shagambi are other gods that I have yet to discover. This is all so very exciting!" He seems overjoyed at even this small amount of exploration. Allister gets the sense that this really is this guy's life's work.
As the other go off to explore for a while, Boosey remains behind with Nenne as she works with the corpses. "It's important to do this sooner than later, I think, now we are in Omu. Funderburk confirmed a suspicion I have had for some time now, that I am under some sort of spell. If I were to guess, I'd say it was some kind of necromancy. These dreams I've had have been so vivid, I can't help but feel they may show the future in some way," he shuffles his feet for a moment. "If they do, while I can't say for certain, they do not bode well."
He sits down on a stone step and thinks for a moment. "My first dream came shortly after Sthara disappeared the for the first time, after we found that carved pipe. Some of my hair was taken that night." He looks Nenne in the eye. "I suspect Valindra, I cannot be totally sure, but the pieces fit together. The most important thing is, if she has my hair, she can find us, and if she can find us," he pauses, "we are in big trouble. If we do find the soulmonger, it may be wise to ensure I do not handle it. The dreams have been coming more regularly now and pose more questions than answers, maybe getting stronger as we approached Omu. As we came down the steps into the city blood fell on the parchment I was using to note down the words of the graffiti. I'm convinced it was real, but seconds later it was gone. No trace. There's little we can do other than be vigilant."
Allister gives his waterskin to Orvex. „Here, have some more. But only small sips, I still remember what is feels like to nearly die of thirst. An thank you for the answers. But now I have a few more questions. How many lost gods are there? And do you think they all have temples here? About Ras Nsi, is he connected to your search for the Ring of Winter? I can’t tell you where it is, but I think we have encountered areas where is the guy had it in his fancy pants. We found two or three places of frost and snow in the jungle, plus a band of very angry frost giants. I have no other explanation for this but your ring. Unless Ras Nsi has power of the elements...“
Nenne listens to the gnome quietly as she lines the bodies with incense and weaves mystical signs in the air. She sings a quiet dirge in her native language and touches one of the dead, which shimmers in a holy light before entering into a magical stasis granted by Kelemvor. Only after her song ends does she look at him.
"The lich has been observing us for some time," she says gravely. "She sent that letter to Worlo long before your lock of hair was stolen. And the pendant we carried was a beacon. I've never doubted for an instant someone knew where we were. After meeting her, I was certain none of our movements would again be private."
The cleric collects her incense and moves on to another corpse to begin setting up for the next ritual. "Whatever magic she placed on you is not a curse, I've told you before." Her voice is calm. Then she sighs, and rays of pewter sparkle in her hair. "But I do share your concern in what will happen should you touch the soulmonger. I also worry about that vision you had of the blood. Tell me, what do you dream of?"
She completes the setup for her ritual and opens her prayer book again. Before she starts reciting, she looks at the bard once more. Concern lines her face. "I do have the capability to dispel evil magics," she divulges. "I've long thought of attempting it on you. The reason I have not, however..." She lowers her prayer book. She looks fearful. "I don't know what it would do to you. Magic like hers is powerful. I am not that skilled a mage. If I try to remove the spell and something goes awry..." She looks away. "I worry it might kill you."
Orvex shakes his head as he replies to the warrior, "Ras Nsi has nothing to do with anything as far as I know. Just another name acquired along the path to enlightenment. Who can know how many gods there are. If we are diligent, perhaps we can discover this." His face is alight with mystery and excitement. "To be honest and quite frank: the Ring of Winter means nothing to me compared to what this city holds. I could spend years here I think. Spots of winter sound worth investigating too though. I love this jungle so much!"