Participants: Asuba Talmwood, Caiwom Uduambe, Maethillian Farrieth, Orvald Rak, Verdant Sprout Upon the Breeze
Locations: Desert of Rydess, Avis River, the Arbiter Spire
Loose ends: the mysteries of the Great Library; moon-worshipping lycanthropes; a strange tree that oozes a sap-like substance; an enchanted pond with healing waters that the Werewolves use as a religious site
Short summary:
A group of Guild adventurers decided to explore the sea-coast of the Desert of Rydess. Along the way, they encountered a number of interesting sights. Those include the Bugbears of the Pirate Captain Gorgotha; Fire Elementals; a corpse and its buried treasures, a strange tree, and an even stranger pond in the swamps around Avis River; moon-worshipping Werevolves; and finally, the Arbiter Spire (also known as the Great Library) in the desert itself. Inside, they helped with a number of infestations, and were rewarded by an Arbiter named Jure.
Full report: Asuba
A Field Accounting for Eleven Days’ Travel
Guild-Sanctioned Personelle:
- Asuba Talmwood;
- Caiwom Uduambe;
- Maethillian;
- Orvald Rak;
- Verdant Sprout Upon the Breeze.
Initial Destination:
The Northern bounds of explored lands, and pressing on into the desert.
Weather Conditions:
Mostly mild. Spring temperatures and weather patterns have continued to hold. One day of heavy mist during which an anomaly was encountered. [Please refer to Section Anomaly for more information]. No weather-related health concerns were noted or reported. Hopefully, this weather persists for the foreseeable future.
Travelogue:
Anomalies
The 1st - A tent in the mist housed a mysterious being (all identifying characteristics unknown at this time). They spoke only in rhyme. Asuba attempted to engage in similar verse. The attempt at common communications was unsuccessful. The being offered trade for goods. They seemed tempting to the party. It might not have been a coincidence. More evidence is needed. The trade offered was in exchange for our souls. As the Laws forbid it, no trades were made.
The 2nd - A lake, several days south of the Desert. Please consult Guild maps for the exact location. Extreme Caution in travel and interaction recommended. Magic-users reported signs of magical activity within its waters. Verdant Sprout and Cai swam within its waters. No manifestation of residual magic noticeable in either patient. At night, a group of Orcs visited as well. They manifested advanced symptoms of a lycanthropy, although in their state they still exhibited signs of intelligence and minimum levels of decorum. They tempted Orvald, who swam in the lake as well. Orvald now shows signs of the beginning stages of Lycanthropy. Recommend further observation, but no other action at this time.
Full report: Maethillian
From the journals of Maethillian, Disciple of the Pallid One
(Note to all future report writers, do so as you go. Not at the end.)
Our group gathered just outside the gates of First Landing about mid-morn of a rather sunny day. Our destination being that of the lands beyond the Avis River, along the shoreline and potentially all the way to the foot of the Dragon mountains themselves. Our group consisted of myself, the Unknown Asuba - a medic of no small talent, the Tiefling Orvald Rak - an Alchemist found to be handy with an explosive, the Iruxi Cai - an excellent eater of damn near everything, and last but not least the Unknown Verdant Sprout Upon the Breeze, hereafter known as ‘Sprout’ along with their companions.
After a few minutes of proper introduction - along with a varied discussion about the properties and taste of alchemical reagents - we set out across the plains. In good time we made our way to the base of the mountains northwest of the city and began the process of picking a path for the horses as best we were able before the light grew too dark to do much of anything. Numerous times Cai sampled anything she could get her hands on, whether this be soil, or rocks and possibly small animals that ventured to close. This proceeded to an uneventful night and waking to a dreary world of rain and views of the mist shrouded lands below.
The first of our discussions about ideologies formed around the morning's breakfast, and despite differing opinions the group carried on. As we sought a path over the mountains we encountered signs of a recent camp nestled in the mouth of a cave nearby. Asuba, Orvald, and Sprout proceeded to sneak closer to the encampment. Cai and myself chose to remain behind to watch the horses as our skills at stealth were not in a favorable position. This precaution proceeded to be useful as we were soon motioned down to the cave alongside the others. Asuba and Sprout argued for a more measured approach and attempts were made to converse with the occupants - Bugbears.
In summary of the conversation they were likely forward scouts of the Bugbears pirate Gorgotha, our party offered help crossing the mountains and eventually a gift, all of which was declined as ‘Fey magic’ - they do not seem to trust outsiders at all. Not a bad move considering the environment and that the majority of our compliment would have taken their lives if the others had not intervened.
Nothing else of interest occurred and as camp was made Orvald, unwillingly, and Cai, willingly, ingested a number of poisonous fungi. The rest of the group declined sensibly.
Our second night in the mountains was interrupted by the spotting of a nearby fire, or at least the smoke that stretched up into the sky. Asuba snuck off to scout the situation as Cai woke the rest of the party. Assembling our gear we followed suit, soon catching up to the returning Asuba. It seemed we were dealing with Unknown rats, just big rats, made of burning embers that were burning a pile of trash. Sprout elected to remain behind while the rest of the party investigated the rats to collect information for this report. As we approached it turned out that the pile of garbage was in fact a living piling of burning garbage. After a brief scuffle the battle was over. They were not particularly dangerous opponents but it must be noted that the rats were capable of exuding vast smoke clouds that obscure vision, and the living trash heap was capable of sending out a shrapnel of heated metal.
The third day of our expedition we cleared the mountain barrier and made our way into the marshlands around the Avis river only to be beset by fog - another of those tents with their strange occupants. I elected to remain with the steeds while the others spent too much energy on the hawkers. Eventually we set forth again although the fog persisted for several hours, Sprout proved to be an accomplished wayfinder, making our journey relatively painless. The day ended and we settled in, experiencing the second of our ideological discussions.
The fourth day was spent searching the marshlands for anything of interest, of which we were fortunate to find three. We first encountered a large tree that exuded a sap-like substance but we were unable to get close enough to investigate properly - a multitude of swarming insects converged on the tree and made it all but impossible.
The second discovery was of a corpse, bound and hanging from a tree. It had withered away into a skeleton. Magic was detected in the area and through a rather exhaustive process taking the better part of an hour we were able to discover several objects buried near the base of the tree, of which a book radiated the unknown magic - the box they were contained within was trapped however. Asuba took a needle in the paw as she attempted to open the locks. The rest of the group retrieved the corpse and after the examination was complete put it to its final rest.
The final discovery of the day was a pond of clear water that radiated magic. It was quickly discovered that the pool held healing properties - also entrancing ones, though not everyone who entered was affected, only Sprout. The site held the embellishments of ritual significance, seeming to indicate the moon as playing an important role of some kind and the area hear was heavily enchanted to keep out the swamp that surrounds it. This location merits further investigation, however Unknown came upon us in the night - information gleaned from after the fact indicates the werewolves revere this place as holy ground. A deal was made with the werewolves that I was not privy to the specifics to but it did involve a hunt with them. Sprout and myself elected not to hunt but to remain and watch the camp. This may have been a good thing that Sprout was not there as the things being hunted were the Bugbears we encountered earlier...
The next several days passed without anything of note, up along the coast and past the Silent Forest. A brief discussion was had about entering the woods, but it was decided that we were not equipped to handle such things, and I am unable to control all of the Unknown that may harass us at its borders.
The terrains change from plain to desert came on quite quickly, more so then what might occur naturally as the sand seems to occur at a border point of sorts. A day into our trek along the deserts edge we came upon a strange tower, stretching up high into the clouds it appears to be made of a metallic or crystalline substance. Made of impressive curves the tower spins slowly in place and one must ‘hop’ onto the threshold as it were.
The interior of the structure appears old and has succumbed to time, most of the furniture and coverings being ragged or about to fall to dust. From behind the desk rose a metal ball, seemingly made of brass. Orvald identifies this as “Arbiter,” one of the Inevitables that govern the concepts of law and order. We got along famously - I called it a broken machine and it proposed that I was a threat to existence as we know it - t'was fabulous. The servitor, evidently named ‘Jure’, seemed to speak Common thankfully and so conversation was relatively straightforward; however it made reference to things we are not used to. It insisted upon “Identification Cards” before we would be able to progress further inside the structure. Luckily it seems to be able to produce these cards if you allow it to scan you and provide it with a list of the specifics it requires. It also seems to be able to tell if you are lying, possibly through an innate usage of Discern Lies and it quite detests those that follow their own judgements. (Chaotic Evil players may have to answer additional questions.)
Once we were all scanned we were permitted access to the next section of the structure, namely a library that we asked for. It seems the structure can realign itself to match what the seekers desire. Upon our entry to the library we encountered Aberrations, identified as Sinspawn that were infesting the library. After a harrowing battle we managed to eliminate the infestation and were rewarded by the tower's servitors. After our look around we returned to the lobby entrance, only to discover that Jure had been damaged at some point - by who or what we cannot say. Unable to repair the outsider ourselves, it appeared to correct its issues without our assistance, and offered a substantial reward if we were able to provide further infestation elimination services. After the previous battle we were ill-equipped for another encounter and elected to spend a night in the tower to rest and recover. I elected to remain outside with the mounts and my own company.
The next morning we advanced into the newly opened section and were met with a number of fire Elementals - both the smaller Mephits and the larger living fires. It seems the tower is host to strange anomalies that should be explored further by upcoming adventuring parties. It is unclear how the fire Elementals or Aberrations entered the building, but one must be wary of what else is lurking in its curving halls.
After our encounters we decided that enough had been discovered for one trip and we recalled to the city. We are electing to call this strange edifice the Arbiter Spire.
- Maethillian