5th Nymm, 999 YK
- Finally, a holiday! In the Eldeen Reaches!
- They make some last minute preperations, "selling" things to free up space, and Runmae acquires some smithing tools to transfer runes on the road.
- Valaari gets a Slow spell scroll, as well.
- Naze gets a bunch of water. Runmae asks, if they need to, they can drink that water? Naze says no, it's for making holy water bombs.
- As they get ready to leave, they are met by Dalkal Mal'fonn and some druids, who perform a ritual to extend Bhaltair's protection to the rest of them. They do this by growing out plant matter from their body, and then weaving it into bracelets for each of them. They don't know how long the protection will last, so they are instructed not to dawdle.
- (They all add "Friendship Bracelet" to their inventory.)
- Valaari asks if they have any estimate on how long? Their best guess is about a week?
- Not long at all then. No dawdling.
- They head out, leaving the Demon Wastes for the first time for some of them!
- The first day of travel is still through mountains, however. They don't actually reach the Reaches today.
- They make camp in the mountain pass, their first sleep outside of the Wastes.
- The insiders are unsure, so they follow Runmae and Bhaltair's guidance.
- Runmae says that the Eldeen Reaches are likely to be just as dangerous as the Wastes, just a different kind of danger.
- Warren says "but there's no demons, right?"
- Right
- They set up so that they have their backs to a wall of the pass, and they maintain their watch schedule as they would in the Wastes.
- The night is loud, there's way more life and noise than they are used to in the Labyrinth. Warren doesn't get much sleep.
6th Nymm, 999 YK
- Runmae savours it.
- Naze sleeps like a baby, with Zaphkiel stood over him.
- Nothing attacks them, but they complain about the noise. It's so loud out here!
- Runmae is confused, that's just normal? She likes it.
- Runmae also comments that they should be concerned if the Reaches go quiet, that means something has scared the other life away.
- Valaari is unfamiliar with non-demonic wildlife.
- Runmae did think the goats in Maruk Dar were weirdly quiet.
- They know the first rule of cave club (it's "shut the fuck up")
- Runmae tells a story about her and Denzel hunting down an Ashbound terrorist at a goat farm, and Denzel got headbutted into a cowpat by a goat.
- Valaari asks if they killed the goat?
- Runmae is shocked, what?
- "It attacked him."
- Runmae explains that they couldn't kill someone's goats, that's their property! As agents of the state, the government would have to reimburse the owner!
- Valaari and Warren aren't really familiar with the idea of a "state".
- Warren comments that this is what the Carrion Tribes are trying to get to? They want to go see the government?
- Warren further explains, "you don't need all that. You just need a guy who you all follow, unless he's a cunt and then you kill em"
- Runmae isn't cool with how casual the rest of them are with killing people. Please don't kill anyone out here.
- Naze is starting to think it was a mistake to let Warren out of the Demon Wastes.
- Warren just wants to see what they're protecting!
- Naze gets distracted by a beetle, it's not even breathing fire! What the fuck!?
- Runmae laments that they won't be able to go as far as Fairhaven, it would really blow their minds.
- Runmae delivers some exposition on Fairhaven, all the touristy stuff. It's where the government lives!
- Warren asks if the government is like, a guy? Runmae explains the idea of a monarchy, and that Aundair is ruled by a triumvirate including Queen Aurala. Runmae explains the idea of bureaucracy. Warren hates that.
- As an example, Runmae fishes out her travel papers and shows the group. You need these to cross borders!
- Oh, yeah, political borders are a thing! That's another concept! A line on the map that you need papers to cross?
- Those are to protect against demons, right?
- No, to stop the movement of people
- ???
- Why would you do that?
- Runmae doesn't really know how to explain, she isn't sure either, the war is over!
- The Ghaash'kala don't have time for all this crap, they have bigger concerns (like demons!). They can't afford this level of division.
- Valaari muses, non-seriously, that maybe if the demons got out it would help unite everyone again. The cost would be too great, though.
- They start musing on which nations would side with or against demons. Runmae is stuck on Zilargo, she has no idea what the gnomes would do.
- Aundair is the only nation that Runmae thinks would traffic with the fiends.
- Most of them lack context for all of it.
- As Runmae is musing, the group spot several upturned wagons ahead of them.
- Valaari's intuition tells them that something is off. They rely on Valaari's wisdom.
- They draw their weapons and investigate.
- The wagons have been destroyed, and there is no sign of the pack animals or people. The only evidence that people were here is a dried brown stain.
- No bones, no supplies. Just the wagons, everything else is gone.
- Runmae ascertains that the crime likely happened over a week ago. Nothing remains, whatever did this took the supplies, pack animals, and the people.
- Runmae combs over the scene and finds claw marks that left deep gouges in the wood, but the marks indicate a creature roughly the size of an orc, maybe a bit bigger.
- They reflect on what they know, and this situation fits Gnolls, who eat all of the dead including the bones. They leave nothing behind, they even eat their own dead.
- That doesn't explain the lack of tracks, though. Gnolls can't fly, can they?
- They range out from the scene and look for tracks, but they can only find the tracks of the convoy.
- Bhaltair asks Runmae to look in the trees, as there is sparse tree cover here. She does actually find claw marks in the trees as well, both gouges that indicate something slid, and also that something jammed their claws into the trunk to create a handhold.
- What the fuck?
- There isn't a species of flying gnoll, is there?
- Is there anything else in the Reaches that could do that? The tree cover is sparse, they weren't jumping from tree to tree, were they?
- Bhaltair can only think of apes, but they don't have claws...
- Bhaltair does a planar rift check. They can feel manifest zones in the region, but not right here.
- They're stuck, how do they track this?
- Naze has a look at the blood, and confirms that it seems to be 8 or 9 days old.
- Runmae and Warren climb some other trees to look for similar markings, but don't find any.
- Runmae, frustrated, asks if they jumped on a bird or something? Did they jump into a bird?
- Warren asks what that means?
- A shapechanger? Some bad boy druids?
- Bhaltair suggests that they continue along the path into the Reaches, and hope they find more clues.
- Towards the end of the day, they reach the trees. This is their first experience with a non-Abyssal forest!
- It is disconcerting, where's the aura of malice?
- Naze is uncomfortable.
- Warren is suspicious but fascinated. He keeps picking up sticks, and dirt, and just rubbing them through his fingers.
- Valaari treats it almost like it's another Khyber demiplane. Be ready for anything.
- Bhaltair is excited, they're back home! They drag the others around to show them berries and flowers and all their favourite plants and bugs.
- Their reverie is broken up by something saying hi! They look around, but don't spot it until it speaks again. It's a magpie!
- Bhaltair is familiar with animals speaking, but the rest of them are not.
- Valaari asks what the magpie is doing, and the magpie asks what they're doing?
- Runmae asks if it's just mimicking them?
- It says no, it's asking!
- Valaari says they're looking for gnolls, or anything that might be attacking caravans. The magpie hasn't seen anything like that, but has seen a Warden trying to coax a giant boar back into a Lamannia manifest zone.
- The magpie introduces themselves as Bangle, they are Oalian's Voice.
- Bhaltair has a conversation with Bangle, and they exchange news. Bangle mentions that there is unrest in the east, with the Ashbound and Eldeen Wolves clashing with Aundair's border forces. Nobody seems to know who the Eldeen Wolves actually are.
- Bangle also warns about unrest in the wood itself, an increase in animal attacks and a seeming loss of fear of people.
- Bhaltair speculates that the Wild Heart may be becoming active again. They tell the story of the Silver Crusade, and how (the records in Flamekeep don't mention) an avatar manifested in the Towering Wood. It was defeated and the overlord contained, but it may be stirring again.
- Bangle will pass the message on, and keep an eye out for anything.
- Valaari asks Bhaltair if Oalian has many talking animals?
- Yeah, he does. They act as messengers! and some of them are cops!
- There's so many sources of talking animals in the Reaches though, it's a toss up.
- Valaari thinks the existence of talking animals is a bigger deal than it's made out to be?
- Bhaltair is reminded of everyone's reaction to the talking wolves in the Pinnacles Sublime.
- It's getting dark now, so they look for a suitable place to camp.
- Bhaltair suggests finding a hollow of a tree or a burough to camp in?
- Runmae says that's a stereotype and she won't play a part in it.
- Runmae suggests climbing a tree, but Bhaltair says it's pretty dangerous to sleep in a tree. They can fall, and it's hard to make sure you don't when you're asleep.
- Bhaltair thinks it'd be safer to find a hollow, or perhaps a grove.
- Between them, they are able to find a small grove, with druidic markings on the trees and rocks that designate it as a place of safety.
- They spend the night here, after making shelters.
- Bhaltair asks Valaari if they think they should warn Vaanka Dar about what's happening in the Reaches? They can send their familiar to do it.
- Valaari is okay with that.
- Bhaltair gives their familiar the ability to speak, and sends it to warn the Vaanka. They instruct the Mask to introduce itself as the Voice of Bhaltair.
- Warren does not sleep well, again. He wanders, looking at all the stuff! He's very amused by moss. He keeps putting sticks in his backpack.
- Bhaltair keeps showing Naze bugs.
7th Nymm, 999 YK
- The party are awoken by a visibly distressed Bangle, who informs them that a nearby village is just gone. All the people, gone. She tells them where it is, and they decide to check it out.
- Bangle flies on ahead to scout it out.
- Several hours later, Bangle returns and reroutes them towards a commotion.
- Bhaltair, suspicious of the behaviour change, thinks she might be being influenced by something.
- Bangle is panicked, and is making a fair amount of noise. Bhaltair is concerned about this, she's taking them off course and is making a lot of noise.
- Bhaltair stops and asks Bangle what's going on. She exclaims that two people are being attacked! They need help!
- They follow, and see two people being attacked by gnolls. They are a shifter and a gnoll.
- The gnoll is shouting at the other gnolls in both Gnoll and Diabolic, demanding to know why they fight, and that this isn't their only choice!
- The shifter punches a gnoll in the face! and then gets it into a headlock!
- Bhaltair begins playing a rallying anthem, and quickens everyone.
- Zekko begins to panic in Naze's robe, and trying to flee. Naze tells the group, whilst trying to keep things under control.
- He then cooks up some holy water (the soda stream is back, bois).
- Naze then tells the others that the armoured gnoll is trying to get the other gnolls to stop.
- Naze looks around, trying to find why Zekko is panicking. He can't see any creatures, but there is fog rolling in above them?
- That's not how fog works!
- Naze tries not to freak out like his snake is, and warns the others about it.
- He also uses Message to warn the gnoll about it. "Look up! Danger! Smoke!"
- A second later, the fog coalesces into a white-furred gnoll, who stands to their full 9-foot height and just stares at them menacingly.
- Bhaltair suddenly becomes aware of a heartbeat they don't have.
- Runmae charges towards it, and also suddenly experiences a hyperawareness of her heartbeat, but she pushes it down and charges anyway. She hits the gnoll twice, but neither attack is particularly effective. Now, she's scared.
- Valaari runs forward and experiences a sudden panic attack when they get close to the gnoll. They don't know what it is, but they recognise somehow that it has a weakness to silver! They also identify that it is fiendish in nature.
- Valaari throws their spear at the weird gnoll, which is way more effective than Runmae's weapon attacks were. The gnoll actually staggers, clutching the spear and giving Valaari a toothy grin as the spear returns to Valaari.
- Stormclaw thrashes the gnoll he has grappled around, and maintains his grapple.
- We end the session there, as we don't have time to finish the combat.