Dravago, 1000 YK
- Having negotiated the payment for the Clifftop job up, the party embark towards Rhukaan Draal to meet Tantuul.
- They walk from Avrahk Mbar'ost to Sterngate, through Marguul Pass and onwards to Rhukaan Draal.
- They go to the Staggering Tribex and meet up with their guide, Tantuul. Tantuul gets the little details (like their handlers name!) wrong but has the gist of the mission.
- He leads them to the Bloody Market, where an elderly goblin is preaching about the Mockery, Shadow and Keeper.
- The party's attention is drawn to a stall where two hobgoblins are arguing, and weapons are drawn. A small goblin intervenes and declares the price should be lower, but he should be paid the difference for mediating.
- Warden buys some bananas from the Bloody Market, and pays 2gp for them. He notices a poster with his face on it (a generic warforged face) with the words "chump" written under it in goblin.
- Lozaal convinces Leonus to try and buy some bananas. Hilarity ensues.
- Leonus goes up to the stall, but he doesn't speak goblin. Dax comes over to help, and they are offered the low low price of 10 gold per bunch.
- Dax is able to intimidate the goblin down to 8gp. Leonus is still confused.
- Lozaal comes over to assist, and gets the price down to 2 gp. He uses his runic magic to be even scarier, and gets it down to 1 sp.
- Lozaal hands Leonus the bananas and storms off.
- Leonus has never had bananas before, he rips one in half to eat it.
- Leonus comments on the banana being really spicy. Ah, he's allergic to bananas.
- Kal also comments that all of the food is really spicy. "Even the fruit? wow"
- Despite the fact bananas should not be spicy, Leonus keeps eating them.
- Tantuul leads them out of the city, and tells his version of the tale of Mur'taal. Lozaal almost has an aneurysm at the historical inaccuracies.
- Tantuul leads them to the entrance to the vale, and then leads them here.
- After leaving Tantuul behind, Lozaal tells his version of The Tale of Mur'taal, and mentions that stories are important in Thelanis.
- As they go into the vale, Dax, Kal and Zedd start to see ghostly figures in the mist. Zedd is freaked out.
- A harsh voice cuts through the fog, and a heavily armoured hobgoblin calls out to them and calls them chaat'oor. The hobgoblin demands they leave, they don't belong here.
- Leonus continues to walk forward, not understanding goblin, and Lozaal calls him back.
- Lozaal tries to talk to the hobgoblins. The duur'kala hails him and asks for his affiliation. Lozaal is honest, and the hobgoblin laughs at him.
- "Volaar? You're too late, Wordbearer. The Kech Shaarat have laid claim to the Chains of Mur'taal."
- Lozaal challenges Ulaash Rhushaarat to single combat, with the loser leaving. Ulaash cannot refuse.
- Lozaal just about wins the fight, but it's close. Ulaash concedes, and though his underlings still try to fight, he chastens them. The Shaarat leave.
- They continue on, with Lozaal providing some more context on the relationship between the Kech Volaar and the Kech Shaarat.
- They come to a cavern entrance, with the words "Courage. Action. Caution. Boldness" carved into the stone above in archaic goblin.
- Leonus can't read the text, but thinks it says "Curry Snacks". Sick, maybe there's more spicy bananas in there.
- Lozaal asks Leonus what the funeral rites are in Karrnath, for no particular reason.
- They all discuss their respective burial rites. Lozaal wants returning to his people, Dax wants to be used in any way they can, be it food or repurposing her bones. Leonus also requests returning to Karrnath so he can be reanimated. Warden is fine with them using his...bits for whatever, Dax suggests turning his foot into a vase and Leonus wants his knees. Kal wants returning to Adar if possible.
- Kalshana says she has not enjoyed this conversation.
- They enter the first trial, the test of courage. They're presented with a bridge towards a circular platform, with spikes raising and lowering, and pendulums swinging across the second half.
- Lozaal just goes for it, and crosses unharmed. Leonus is less lucky, getting skewered on the spikes, but he makes the rest of his way across unharmed. Warden also runs for it.
- Dax takes it more slowly, timing her movement with the traps, and gets across. Kal then closes her eyes and sprints.
- From the center, they can see an exit but no way to it. They can hear running water though.
- Lozaal walks off the platform into the water, and is carried to the exit. The others can't see this. Leonus jumps in after him.
- Kal sends a Sending to Lozaal to check he's still alive. He blows the Horn of Silent Alarm.
- The other three hold hands and jump into the water together. Cute.
- Warden is confused that he floats as well as the others do. Huh.
- They find themselves in an open field with a path, and tall grass on either side.
- Warden tries to identify the biome, but doesn't recognise the grass.
- They follow the path, and it comes to a split with a sign. "Wisdom. Perseverence. Reliance."
- One way goes into a dark forest, and the other a field of beautiful flowers.
- Most of them go into the forest, Kal goes the flower route.
- Kal finds herself in a barren wasteland, hungry and alone, walking for what feels like days.
- The others wander through the forest for hours, and they get hungry. The trees begin to grow fruit. Lozaal ignores the fruit, Dax eats some. Warden experiences hunger for the first time.
- Lozaal notices Kalshana is missing.
- Warden is struggling with feeling hungry, he wants to eat! Lozaal is saying no, though. :(
- Lozaal doesn't think they can backtrack, perserverence is part of the test, so they have to continue.
- Dax wants to go back and look for Kal. Lozaal convinces her to proceed.
- They emerge from the forest, where the paths converge back into a field of long grass. A crestfallen Kal meets them there, and has visibly lost weight.
- Kal is starving and asks for food. Wardens offers a mushroom, Dax bursts in with a ration. Leonus requests they hold up and confirm this is a Kal and not a tricksy fey.
- They test Kal. Lozaal says "we all know you're Riedran" and Kal takes offense.
- Kal mind links with them, proving her identity.
- Lozaal has a talk with Kal, asking where she went.
- "The flowers"
"Why?"
"They were pretty"
"Do you remember last time we had this conversation?" - Kal is very sorry.
- Warden comments that it wasn't very wise. Lozaal says that may be so, but more so was that she didn't tell the rest of them what she was doing.
- They proceed and come across a pair of goblins on the road. They approach, and the goblins introduce themselves as Cho and Mazo. They're afraid and ask if they can travel with the group.
- There's a little bit of discussion, but Lozaal says yes to the goblins. The group then experiences the most mind-bending event so far, as the "camera" peels back and they view a travel montage of themselves traveling with the goblins, exchanging stories of their lives in the empire. Cho is a crafter, Mazo is a scout. The goblins share food and supplies, and the several days long journey seems to take minutes.
- At the end of their journey, they come a free-standing adamantine door in the field. The door has a scene etched into it, depicting a hobgoblin with a spiked chain fighting aberrations and elves. Emblazoned above the scene is a single word: Atcha.