Was it a good Urn or a bad Urn?
There's the loud whooshing of winds. Just imagine someone blowing in your ear REALLY HARD and you'll have an idea.
"Okay!" the guide calls out, pointing up the side of the castle, it looks like it's half iced over, "You gotta just climb up there. And at the top you'll find the reliquary in the champer on the WEST wall... THE WEST WALL." She nods her head and plants her hands on her hips.
"OKAY! Go for it adventurers."
"...So the north wall, then?" Kore is staring up at the icy castle wall and then looking around at the rest of the group. She swallows hard and then takes a deep breath. It's held for a few moments as she orients herself on the hcallenge ahead. "Well. I guess I'll needp lenty of- rope." She blinks and then shakes her head. She grips the ring on her left hand rather more tightly than most people would. Then she's pulling out a coil of spidersilk rope. "...Up we go then."
Climbing. The cold. These are things that Talia is not used to in the least. Pursing her lips as she's wrapped up in a thick fur cloak and other clothes made for climbing in the cold, she nosewrinkles and takes a deep breath. "I really hope we dont fall and die."
"Oh is that a possibility?" Kore asks somewhat pensively. "I hadn't noticed."
"WHAT WALL? THE REST WALL? WHY IS THE WALL RESTING?" dubtle can barely hear, but he's /trying/.
He really is.
Xasany stares at the castle wall, that appears to be half iced over. The witch, securely snuggled in warm boots, and a thick, winter cloak, turns to stare at the Guide. "You couldn't have found a secret door or some such to get in, could you?", she complains. A mournful 'Whoooo' can be heard from a muffled lump under the green-haired Gnome's cloak. "West wall, got it." Xasany approaches the wall, and stops fairly close to the base of it She mutters a word, one that drops to the ground and wriggles away, and then she looks up, levitating into the air at a serene pace.
GAME: Xasany rolls Fly: (10)+2: 12
"WEST WALL! WEST WALL!" The guide yells it several times to make sure they all get it. Well, except Talia, Talia seems to get it. UGH! Some people.
She flails her arms and then plants them on her hips again.
GAME: Talia rolls climb: (10)+climb: 10
GAME: Dubtle rolls athletics: (17)+1: 18
GAME: Talia rolls athletics: (10)+1: 11
GAME: Kore rolls athletics: (19)+7: 26
Kore has a rope. There are protrusions on any castle and the first thing she does is tie a loop in her rope then toss it upward to catch one of those protusions. She tests it with her weight by pulling and then pauses.
"Time to go up," the elf murmurs to herself, her voice likely hidden by the wind. She doesn't move.
"I can do this," Kore says louder, her words still lost in the roar. She looks upward and takes a deep breath. "I am a leaf in the wind. I am the flame of a candle in the hands of Vardama.
"They gave me a pass on learning to climb at the Monastery when I was ten!" Predictably, there is silence. Just for a second. Kore colors a faint red to go with her gray complexion.
"I am a leaf in the wind," the Mul mutters as she begins to scale the wall rather nimbly, glowering at the icy stone.
"So up we go?" Dubtle will take the tiome to use his rope, letting his raven zip off in the cold air to see if it can keep an eye out for anything dangerous. Like falling rocks.
Either way, he's gonna climb! TO THE WEST WALL!
There's a rope and there's things to do with that rope to climb on up. Talia does what she can, though she's slow and low considering she's not the most physical of adventurers.
You all start to move up the wall in your own way, unfortunately the way that you're working up... it might be a bit tough to help eachother if you get into a predicament. But, on the upside, if one of you falls it won't drag anyone else down!
Dubtle's raven flies up... and then after a moment it gets buffeted back, flying around, and then it comes back and starts cawing loud in his ear. The sort of YOU LEFT ME! YOU JERK! WHY DID YOU THINK THAT WAS A GOOD IDEA! WHY IS ANY OF THIS A GOOD IDEA?! WHY DIDN'T YOU LEAVE ME SOMEWHERE WARM! His raven has a lot of reservations about this idea.
But you all slowly ascend without too much trouble yet. Of course the winds are only getting worse the higher you go and the ice on the wall starts to get more prevalent.
GAME: Xasany rolls fly: (10)+2: 12
GAME: Kore rolls athletics: (4)+7: 11
Xasany slowly floats her way upwards, buffeted a bit by winds, and that mournful hooting continues. "If I get up there before you, I'll tie my rope and lower it down!", she calls out to the wall-climbers.
GAME: Talia rolls athletics: (15)+1: 16
GAME: Dubtle rolls Athletics: (7)+1: 8
Kore scrabbles upward. She's primarily hampered by her own jumping at shadows. The wall is holding firm but if a hand slips or the wind blows too hard the diminutive Mul finds herself staring at nothing. It makes the trip long and slow. She does not, however, fall. That's a start.
Talia has connected.
GAME: Talia refreshes spells.
"Ack ack ack!" Dubtle's feet are slipping on the ice and his legs are kicking. He'd be windmilling comically if he wasn't holding a rope.]
GAME: Kore rolls Refle: (20)+8: 28 (CRITICAL SUCCESS)
As the flailing begins reflex kicks in. She lashes out with a leg, as the reach is longer, and hooks it behind the dwarf's legs, pushing him back toward the wall so he can find a new grip. "I've got you! Find a - rock to hold onto or... Something!" It seems disaster helps snap her out of that funk. This is probably a good thing.
Dubtle is lagging a bit behind the group now, hanging onto the rope under Kore now but... he's still on the wall at least. The rest of you make it further up, almost a quarter of the way up already. Hey! Progress is going well!
GAME: Kore rolls Athletics: (9)+7: 16
GAME: Talia rolls athletics: (4)+1: 5
GAME: Dubtle rolls Athletics: (15)+1: 16
GAME: Xasany rolls fly: (18)+2: 20
The wee flying Gnome continues her ascent, though the gusts blow harder the farther up. She risks a look down, but it doesn't appear to be going well down there.
Lagging, yes, but this is normal. Dubtle is not exactly /fast/. Rather, he is now doing better after that assist from Kore, at least.
GAME: Kore rolls reflex: (12)+8: 20
GAME: Dubtle rolls Ref: (13)+4: 17
Flail! Did she accidentally cast grease on her rope? As Talia climbs, she suddenly starts to slip, losing her grip just a bit and she shrieks. "HALP!"
GAME: Talia rolls athletics: (19)+1: 20
GAME: Dubtle rolls Athletics: (6)+1: 7
GAME: Kore rolls athletics: (2)+7: 9
GAME: Xasany rolls Fly: (8)+2: 10
GAME: Talia rolls cmb: (13)+2: 15
"OH SHIiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii" The Gnome flails madly in place as the wind has a laugh with her.
Dubtle, at least, is not falling to his death.
Yet.
And then the gnome is flailing too.
"OH GODS I KNEW THIS WAS A BAD IDEA," he says loudly.
"I have an idea," Kore calls out over the winds. She is clinging to the wall as Talia is hauling her back in to grasp her rope. She takes a deep breath. "I'm going to grow-" She scowls as the wind picks up, drowning her out. "I'm going to try GROWING BIGGER! Just hold on and afterward keep a hand- on me! I'll help you up." Kore is propping herself against the wall now, eyeing her belt. "...I hope this is a good idea."
GAME: Kore rolls climb: (2)+climb: 2
GAME: Kore rolls athletics: (17)+7: 24
"The last time someone said that, things didn't go to well." Talia offers completely deadpan, as she nosewrinkles, doing what she can, having regained her footing and grasping onto the rope, squinting for a few moments.
GAME: Talia rolls athletics: (10)+1: 11
GAME: Xasany rolls fly: (18)+2: 20
Kore looks to be about half way up now, with the ice getting all the more slick around her and Talia is just passed the quarter way up as Dubtle finally gets back up to that point again. UGH! People...
Xasany finds herself fluttering in the breeze and making no headway but... at least she's not flung too far off course that she's free-falling yet. But it's not getting any easier.
GAME: Dubtle rolls Athletics: (8)+1: 9
"Ngggh," is what Duble says.
He looks miserable. "We're supposed to be UNDER mountains, not on them," he whines.
"Or just away from them entirely," Kore adds helpfully.
There's a frown upon hearing the shorter man's words. "It's okay. We will eventually be at our goal and we will look down from the summit and laugh it all off." At least that's what she's telling herself over and over in her head.
"If you fall from high enough, you WILL be under the mountain.", the Gnome yells.
GAME: Kore rolls athletics+1: (2)+7+1: 10
GAME: Talia rolls athletics: (1)+1: 2 (EPIC FAIL)
GAME: Xasany rolls fly: (3)+2: 5
GAME: Dubtle rolls Athletics: (17)+1: 18
GAME: Xasany rolls fly: (19)+2: 21
GAME: Dubtle rolls ref: (14)+4: 18
GAME: Bolide rolls 1d6: (6): 6
There's a reason why she went before Dubtle. Talia starts to slip, letting out another shriek, but thank goodness she's caught! Huzzah!
Nearby the struggling climbers, the struggling flyer takes a moment to rest suddenly against the castle wall. With a thump. She squeaks noisily and groans after. (re)
With a shriek, Dubtle manages to catch her.
"AHHHH," he yells. Hsi shoulder hurts. OH GOD HIS SHOULKDWE FEELS LIKE IT IS ON FIRE.
The Gnome looks pretty banged up from that smack into the wall, but otherwise it's all about keeping aloft. Phew.
The rest of the party has a mixed bag of results, Dubtle and Talia, have - in essence - switched places. Now Dubtle is half way up and Talia is under him with Kore still out in front but her footing looks less than secure.
GAME: Kore rolls athletics+1: (13)+7+1: 21
GAME: Talia rolls athletics: (13)+1: 14
GAME: Dubtle rolls Athletics: (20)+1: 21
GAME: Xasany rolls fly: (10)+2: 12
Xasany rubs at her face. "Oh, I think I broke my nose.", she whines. "Hoooo.", says her owl, reproachfully. She looks to see how the others are doing, her own progress just as messy as theirs, it seems.
Giant Kore continues to scale nimbly up the castle wall. She's almost there. All she has to do is pull herself up and over the top of the castle wall...
"Ngggh..."
Dubtle is /miserable/. Miserable about this. He's still climbing. And he looks like he wants to cry.
"It's alright. We will make it up soon." Talia offers as comforting words, doing what she can to climb slowly, but surely. At least they haven't died as of yet.
GAME: Xasany rolls fly: (2)+2: 4
GAME: Talia rolls athletics: (19)+1: 20
GAME: Kore rolls dexterity+-1: (1)+4++-1: 4 (EPIC FAIL)
GAME: Xasany rolls fly: (16)+2: 18
GAME: Bolide rolls 1d6: (3): 3
GAME: Bolide rolls 1d6: (6): 6
Xasany takes another brief break, thumping into the wall with another squeak, and a longer groan. "We're not getting paid enough for this.", she shouts angrily.
GAME: Bolide makes Dubtle roll Athletics:(12)+1: 13
GAME: Dubtle rolls Athletics: (3)+1: 4
Kore yelps loudly and swings out on the rope. There's crimson running down her left hand. She grits her teeth and grimaces,, using her body weight to swing back to the wall so that she can climb.
Dubtle has that look on his face. The look of someone who just is traumtiized by the exertion they've signed up for and wishing thery were back home in bed.
His raven flies up evey now and again to essentially mock him by ding this easily.
Dubtle isn't the only one with a little birdy. There's an encouraging screech from a hawk that has been watching and surrounding Talia the entire time. Not mocking, but more encouraging.
Talia does what she can to simply be climbing, hopefully not slipping again. "We can do it!" she repeats as an affirmation of not dying.
GAME: Kore rolls climb+1: (8)+climb+1: 9
GAME: Kore rolls athletics+1: (2)+7+1: 10
GAME: Kore rolls strength+1: (14)+2+1: 17
GAME: Xasany rolls fly: (13)+2: 15
GAME: Kore rolls Strength+1: (5)+2+1: 8
GAME: Dubtle rolls Athletics: (19)+1: 20
GAME: Talia rolls athletics: (14)+1: 15
GAME: Dubtle rolls Strength: (15)+1: 16
Huff. Puff. It takes a lot of effort, but eventually Talia pulls herself up the rope to the top of the wall. "I'm queen of the world!" she proclaims happily.
Flop.
With a final heave, Dubtle is there and up the rope. He's tipped over and panting. "Nggggggggggggggggggh."
Kore clambers over th e top of the wall, bleeding into the snow. Once she is done the elf turns and begins to haul on the rope, dragging it upward otward herself. "Tie yourselves off ot the rope so you can't fall! I'll anchor it!" And then people are being dragged up over the top.
Xasany reaches out for the rope, and allows herself to be pulled up. She weighs hardly anything, and the fact that she is essentially hovering probably helps. The Gnome reaches the top with a bit more aplomb... but sprawls out on her back once up there. "I'm done.", she mutters. "Is anyone else injured?"
Dubtle says nothing. He's too busy hating life.
"Not significantly," Kore manages with a groan.
The wind still howls at the top, but the tower near by and the crenellations make for a nice windbreak as you all take your time to catch your breath.
The moments tick by and soon you're all back on your feet and heading along toward the west wall. Carefully, cautiously, but it looms up in front of you all the same. The tower on the western wall - the wall pressed up against the side of the mountain. Picking your way across the stone you enter in with the sound of the wind dying off now that you're inside a structure of some sort.
Near the back wall you see what you were looking for, an urn with an inscription running around its middle and several arcane seals running about its width.
GAME: Kore casts Read Magic. Caster Level: 4 DC: 14
"Did the guide describe it in any more detail than it being a reliquary in the chamber on the west wall?" The Gnome sits down on the floor just inside the door, and rubs at her swollen nose. "I mean, her instructions were clear but..." She gestures with a hand.
"Right, then. Let's be careful here. THat looks dangerous," says Dubtle, eyeing the reliquary. He pinches the bridfge of his nose, thenb, and continues to look incrediblty miserabole.
After all, they hve to climb backj down.
"I don't recall." Talia offers as she shrugs and nosewrinkles, getting used to the dry cold air. Wrapping herself tighter in her fur cloak, she bites on her bottom lip, staring at the arcane seals, wracking her brain to try to make sense of it.
GAME: Talia rolls knowledge/arcana: (6)+8: 14
GAME: Xasany rolls knowledge/arcana: (4)+9: 13
"That's a containment spell!" Talia squeaks. "Be careful. It's meant to keep whatever it's holding inside."
Xasany crawls over to the object in question. "No, silly, that says 'free candy'." She pauses to blow some dust off. "Oh. Nevermind, she's right!"
"Here within is the Defoliator, Tirneldes. Mother of... Tauril, of the Llyranessi Council. May her name be stricken from the record. For all time she will be held within to pay for the d-damage she has caused to ea..." Kore steps forward then, lifting a hand. It moves to the silver harp she wears and she holds it up to the urn.
"We shouldn't be moving this," Kore announces abruptly. "No one should be- moving this. WHy do they want it?"
"...then how do we acquire it?" asks Dublte. "I mean, I could /try/ to dispel it but that seems to be awsking for trouble. THat's a good question. All they said was that they needed it. The guild typically checks these sorts of things." He closes hsi eyes for a moment to focus.
GAME: Dubtle rolls Knowledge/History: (10)+12: 22
GAME: Kore rolls Knowledge/History: Trained Use Only: 0
GAME: Kore rolls Knowledge/Nature: (4)+6: 10
GAME: Xasany rolls knowledge/history: (18)+9: 27
GAME: Xasany casts Detect Magic. Caster Level: 3 DC: 14
GAME: Talia casts Detect Magic. Caster Level: 3 DC: 14
Xasany rubs at her face and slowly stands. "I don't know, I don't think we should move it until we find out more information. I mean, the guild seems to do its research, but there's always a chance someone made a mistake. Or perhaps someone thinks they can handle this object, whatever it is." She takes a breath. "Is anyone hurt? I could do a little healing."
"Well, it's definitely a Lyyranessi stronghold. You can tell becasue it's floofy." It's not floofy.
"But they mde it with the assistance of the Khazad. You can tell becasue that wall was /awful/," her adds. Elves don't make good walls. It's true. Dunbtle nods.
"Don't know anything about the reliquary, though, unfortunately."
Facepalming for a few moments, Talia remains pensive for a few moments. Nosewrinkling once more, she stares at the reliquary for a few moments. "We were paid and risked our lives to bring it back. If that's what the guild wants, maybe what's inside is... dead?" she says, sounding hopeful, but skeptical at the same time. "Or maybe they simply want her released."
"That is exactly what bothers me," Kore replies with a grimace. She glances around the room, still holding up her holy symbol.
"I'm all for fulfilling our end of the bargain, but I don't want to release something that was meant to be held." The Gnome mumbles a few words, and her hand glows, which she presses to her face.
GAME: Xasany casts Cure Moderate Wounds. Caster Level: 3 DC: 16
"Pfft," says Dubtle with a trace of amusemnet. "We're working for the Guild. ACcidentally unleashing a terrible evil which we must them immediately defeat so we can return this item to the Guild is like... part of the job, right?" Humor. HUMOR.
GAME: Xasany rolls 2d8+3: (10)+3: 13
"She's a servant of Gunahkar," Kore adds quietly. "The Destroyer. If she gets free it could be the end of everyone here." After a beat she adds, "Maybe they want to protect it? We could ask... But I'm not handing this over to anyone I don't trust. I can't."
Xasany peers at Kore and nods. "Tirneldes... Tauril has a daughter somewhere. And the Elves don't want the name Tirneldes remember. She ... she made a wound upon the world that has not yet been healed. Perhaps Tirneldes did what Gunahkar did to the Tree?" She rubs at her face, looking a bit better. "The Guild may wish to move this to a more protected place. Perhaps they have word that the daughter is coming to ... use this reliquary?"
"I trust your judgement, Kore," replies Dubtle with a nod to her, glancing towards the otehrs. "I assume we're all in agremenet, then?" A nod towards Xasany.
"That seems possible. While the Guild has occasionally been used as a cat'
"I trust your judgement, Kore," replies Dubtle with a nod to her, glancing towards the otehrs. "I assume we're all in agremenet, then?" A nod towards Xasany.
"That seems possible. While the Guild has occasionally been used as a cat's paw, for the most part... We'll set any irresponsible parties on fire or lightning them or something."
"Aye. We're in agreement, but we should send a message to the guild?" Talia offers, "We might need to guard this place and I do not want to repeat the climb if we do have to move it once we get some clarification."
"Can the raven do it?" Kore asks.
"If not, I do have an owl familiar. He's decent at following instructions.", the Gnome offers, reaching into her cloak to carefully pull free a small grey owl. Who's wearing a tiny scarf. "Woooo.", he offers.
"I can send my raven," points out Dublte. "He can talk."
The raven says, "CAN NOT!"
The four of you make the decision to take the urn but to not hand it over until you're sure exactly it's going to someone you can trust. A very sensible option. As luck would have it, going down was far easier than going up, and you all manage to work through it without getting further injuries (even with the urn)! Reaching the bottom you find your guide who - looks at you - and then steps wa-a-a-ay back. "Don't you be gettin' that thing near me, I tell you what." She grumbles and pulls up her scarf before carefully leading the way back down off the mountain and back toward Alexandria.
Getting back went smooth, and then the moment of truth came.
A young Llyranesi woman awaits for your return. She wasn't there when you left, but it was a rather prompt send-off so that's no surprise. She stands in front of you all, wearing an ushanka in the slightly cooler than average weather. Looking between the four of you, her white hair tied back and pushed behind an ear, her mouth pulls off to one side and she stares at the urn.
The one odd thing is she wears a single gauntlet that looks to be composed of gray shale and bits of rock. The gauntlet has claws for the fingers and she hovers a few inches off the ground. Pulling out a parchment she holds it out and reads it.
"On behalf of the Llyranesi council in Llyranost,-"
"We would like to thank you fine adventurers in recovering an artifact that we had nearly lost in our haste to forget. This object is one that you should not speak of, for we do not ever wish to give them the power they sought in life through their memory now.-" She looks up to you all for a moment, then back down.
"We have prepared for your return by crafting a vault in which to transport this artifact the rest of the way to a place of secrecy so that it may never see the light of day again. Though a place this time under the great tree, sealed where only we may tread." She gestures toward the metal box off to her side inscribed with many runes and sigils.
"You have our thanks, and - while we would hope to throw a celebration in your honor for this task - even that would be granting her too much respect. Sincerely, the Council of Llyranost."