The Final Spires, Part 1

Log Info

• Title: The Final Spires, Part 1

• GM: Whirlpool

• Characters: Aelwyn, Eztli, NAME UNKNOWN (Fidget), Tlanexhuani

• Place: The Felwood

• Summary: -The confederation of Alexandria and the Mythwood are making a push to activate the final Spires of Linneia before moving onto the center spire. Expect demons and fel monster of all sorts.

Called together to the Mythwood Camp, it is known that a final push for the remaining Spires is beginning to gather steam. The Spires of Linneia, efforts to harvest magic from the days following the Sundering when it was sparse, may be used to weaken the Felwood -- and the cursed woods seems to be working hard to deny the elves access to them.

The camp is bustling, full of the cacophany of labor preparing for a number of possibilities.

And you? You have to wait until it's time to act. Or at least, that's what you're told. It won't be long before they have work for you.

Tlanexhuani is always inclined to help where he can, when he can. A chance to get away from Alessandria for a time is a welcome change of scenery, too. Especially with the penchant for running into wily fey and soul-stealing demons. Hopefully there aren't some out here, too. If there are... well, at least he still gets to help, and that change of scenery.

The waiting is easy for the bluescale, too. He has plenty of bits of materials and hand tools in his pouched apron. Whittling, wiring, or otherwise crafting keeps the claws busy and the mind occupied.

The colourful Gobbo whose name is on the tip of your mind but somehow evades memory seems out of sorts today. She's as chaotic as usual but there's a missing spark of chipper-tude. But when given something to do outside the city and away from her problems, this goblin couldn't wait to go. Plus the opportunity to immolate something evil does sound cathartic.

With everything that was going on around Alexandria and within, the troubles of the Felwood may have felt little distant to some. Yet - burning Felwood was something Aelwyn was ready to make an exception for. Holding up his flaming glaive, the Dragoon stares at the cheerful Gobbo with a long frowning look on his face.

Up until he recognizes Tlanexhuani. "Thunder! One has brought their trade to bear?"

Eztli was one of the people who were called out to deal with... something. Or rather to be told to sit around and wait for something. At the very least they were likely being paid to be on call.

And so the other small makari had a place at the fire where they were poring over a book of some sort. "I don't know why they wanted us to be here this time, usually they just call us over when the tower shows up and we go. They must be getting antsy." They muse to no one in particular.

Tlanexhuani looks up from carving on a piece of wood and return it, and tool, to their pouches. "Peace on your nests," he greets all before looking to Aelwyn. "This one here to help. Maybe trade another time." His eyes then move to the gobber. "Is good see you, purple one." It isn't a proper name, but he hopes it is acceptable as it is identifying.

The purple gobber gets an odd look from oine of the elves. Like they think they know them bvt clearly are unable to say something about it. The elf, a Mythwood warden named Vae, moves on.

Today, you're greeted by a man in the full uniform of the Alexandrian military, all greys and blacks with a green cloak. He's an officer, and fairly ranking too. Late sixties, greying hair. Balding.

He looks ... tired.

He's flanked by a mix of humans and elves as he approaches.

Aelwyn clicks his tongue. "Tch, this one tried. It is as if they do not wish us here," He laments, tilting his hip. "It was good wine, too." Turning towards Eztli, he nods his head. "They do wish to keep us waiting, however." He points out.

When the military group finally approaches, the Dragoon starts to straighten and he bows his head at them. "Is this finally the call?" He asks - to burn down the Felwood, he hoped.

"You too, Tlan." The purple gobbo says with a grin, "I hope they don't have us waiting here for too long, I'm eager to go *do* something, not sit around wasting time."

Then, conveniently, Vae appears to alleviate the wait, "So... what do we got to do this time? We've already done murder trees, and exploding rock...mist...things, so this time it's gotta be, hmm, water-demons? Evil squirrels? Hopefully something that we can blast and/or stab." the goblin suggests, always eager to help.

"Peace on your nest too. Maybe they're just trying to not tell us too far in advance. They probably don't want anyone planning on robbing ancient elven ruins like last time which, I can't blame them, but also you know,one of the people that dragged their sorry butts back here in the first place, you know." Eztli shrugs.

The small makari claps the book she was reading closed, and steps to join the others. "Hey, good one, Aelwyn! You're getting the hang of this." They point out. Eztli too stakes their robes and offers a wide, sweeping curtsy.

"Well met, Irregulars," says the officer. "I'm Captain Mortizam de Wreystone." His myrrish accent is in evidence, thick and heavy, but it's clear he's long since gone native given his position.

"I know all of you have some familiarity with the Spires of Linneia." He points towards the Felwood. "We're beginning to make a push to activate the last of them. Your job is to help cut a path so that our wizards can work towards ancoring them in place, using a method pioneered by our very own irregulars like yourselves. Once they're locked in place, we can activate them. We believe doing so will open the way to the central spire and allow us to activate the whole mechanism."

Tlanexhuani rises to his feet, if still hunched leaning on his walking spear, to listen. Afterwards, he takes a moment to process the words before sharing them back to confirm. "We find path. Then protect others on path. Ssa? What do when openend?"

Aelwyn makes a sound of disappointment. "Tch, this one hoped more fire would be involved." He turns towards Eztli and makes a face. "What, is she insinuating this one wasn't already good at this?" He protests with a flick of his tail.

Eventually, his eyes returns towards the officer. "As the Irregulars - shall we be informed of what is ahead of us like..." He looks at Nameless. Clicks his tongue. "... our companion hinted at?"

"Sure, sure. Just point us in the right direction and let the tag-alongs know to stay behind us. Wait, did you say Wizards? Those could be useful if they know the right spells." The gobbo glances around Vae to judge some wizards, "Some of them might. The others should study up on the way there." She laughs briefly, "If you can read the handwriting, anyways."

"Weren't we _just_ having a discussion not long ago about how you really shouldn't be wearing a loincloth in front of nobility?" Eztli chuckles. "I wasn't insuinating, I was just stating my surprise. Think I could get away with bowing? Way easier, and I doubt they can tell any difference anyways. Anyways, well, yeah, you won't find a less regular sort in Alexandria, so we're here to help. Sounds like an easy enough job, until it suddenly isn't, but what exactly are you planning on doing to the towers? Who's methodology are we following, anyways?"

"As we've said before," replies Captain Wreystone, "the spires harvest ambient magic, mostly through reflection of Eluna's light," He gestures up at the sky. "The thought was at the time that they would be able to provide ambient mana to use more potent magics than were otherwise available at the time. Think of them as a sort of artificial magus point, a network of harvesters that are linked together through a central unit. We plan on using them to purge the corruption out of the Felwood, if we can. It won't get rid of the entire Felwood, but it will open the way. It's believed that the central spire also houses a Temple to Eluna, but we won't know for sure until we're in."

He lets oiut a b reath, then continues, "The Dimensional Anchoring of these places was pioneered as being succesful by one 'Harkashan', an irregular like yourtselves, and a claeric to Vardama."

Tlanexhuani is attentive, again, to the explanation of intent and purpose. The spires are a bit above an old bluescale's understanding of mana, but he can follow along with the general plan enough. "This one prefer trees quiet, peaceful. Help make so again. This one prepared." Their task seems simple enough to understand. Whether it will be to execute... well, they will find out, won't they?

Aelwyn looks at Eztli - then at the Captain. Finally, he turns his head towards Eztli and gestures towards the poor man. "A loincloth is _completely_ noble apparel." He protests. "One of full of pride, even."

The clothing question aside, he turns to look towards Captain again. "Ah, Lava." His expression darkens. "This one remembers that time." Rumbling, he flicks his tail about. "Let us be on our way then, less there is more to say?"

"Oh, a cleric of Vardama? We're trusting a death cleric with a horribly cursed forest? Well that's great, love that guy, I'd trust him with my life and this. I think I remember something about that, too." Eztli snorts. "Well, let's not rush things, but I'll be happier if this place is a bit less hostile in my lifetime. Be pretty cool to see an ancient temple, wouldn't it?"

"It might be noble attire, if it was a little more involved. More layers, more colours, maybe some pockets?" The goblin suggests, waving a purple arm at the loincloth, "I could maybe help you with that." Then she nods in agreement, "Yeah, let's head out."

By now, you've all been here often enough that the quiet is something you should be used to. The pervasive quiet. The mist that coils around your feet. The darkness, even as you approach during the day. In the distance, you can see your destination in due time -- a silvery spire that stretches into the sky just above the treeline -- but it doesn't seem to be in the same place whenever you notice it.

Instead, you're able to sort of just guess your way there, clearing the path, leaving a trail for those behind you.

So far so good. Nothing has leapt out of the woods at you, and nothing bad has happened.

That's perhaps the most ominous thing of all.

Tlanexhuani walks with aid of his spear, so he is in no hurry. All the better to watch for things that might leap out at them from the woods or see warnings of other bad things that might happen. None of which do. On one claw, this is good. On the other, it doesn't stop the worry that these things could still happen. "Does tower always move?" he isn't sure if it is just him and old eyes. "See anything? Hear anything?" His ear-frills are old, too.

Aelwyn turns to look towards Tlanexhuani. "The tower moves, yes. We shall trap it by our... movement." He makes distasteful expression on his face. "Be careful where one steps - it is not only the woods, but everything in here, that is working against us." He in particular, was sweeping at the ground in front of him, making sure to avoid any and all life, animal plant, alike.

GAME: Nameless casts Mage Armor. Caster Level: 8 DC: 18

GAME: Eztli casts Mage Armor. Caster Level: 10 DC: 16

The goblin is fairly quiet on the journey here, remembering to cast her magical defenses as they near the now-familiar destination. She does take a little time to quiz the wizards they're travelling with if they've prepared appropriate spells - notably some offensive and defensive spells, and not just Harkashan's dimensional shenanigans. She even offers to lend her spellbook to any who need to copy a useful spell on the journey. Should only take a couple hours.

Once they're in the forest, she disagrees, "The tower doesn't move, so much as it's in a non-deterministic location." Then, as they start to venture forward, she casts a spell to keep an eye out for any magical threats.

GAME: Nameless casts Detect Magic. Caster Level: 8 DC: 17

GAME: Nameless rolls spellcraft: (1)+20: 21 (EPIC FAIL)

"It's weird, it's probably not physically there, yet. If that makes sense." Eztli suggest, seeming not too certain herself at the moment. "It'll be there when we actually get there, I hope. Then we'll be able to actually do something about it, confusing as that might be."

"Aelwyn is right. Don't trust anything you see in here, don't touch any plants or pick up any stones. We're here to do a job and if you see anyone trying to stop and touch anything, you stop them immediately and lets us know at the same time, alright? Because things here can entice folks to grab things against their will."

GAME: Aelwyn rolls perception: (11)+1: 12

GAME: Nameless rolls perception: (18)+11: 29

GAME: Tlanexhuani rolls perception: (5)+12: 17

GAME: Eztli rolls perception: (20)+5: 25

Tlanexhuani blinks slowly at all this information. Things aren't really there until someone gets there to where it is? Not the most sensical thing, but... He blinks again at the warnings and looks to Aelwyn. "Not touch easy. Not trust eyes not easy. This one see big demon attack, will think is very big demon attack."

Aelwyn turns his head towards the... the... goblin, and then replies, "It still moves. There." He points, then looks over, then points a bit to the other side. "Either way, we do not arrive there until we arrive." That was good enough for him. At Tlanexhuani's concern, he walks over the thunder lizard and slaps them on the back. "This is why we shall burn this forest. To not ask these questions, Thunder."

Examining the area with her magic senses, the goblin relays "The spires seem to be working, the place's magic is less wrong than it used to be. Though I wonder if just one more spire will be enough." She frowns, "Yeah, it'll be there, sort of, when we arrive. But it'll really be there when they drop the Dimensional Anchor on it. At least for a while." A shiver runs down the goblin's spine as they travel, and she wraps her arms around her chest as a shield against the creeping chill as they go deeper.

"It's going to keep moving for some time, but we need to be there when it's actually solid. Don't have that much time when it does arrive." Eztli adds. "If things go all to plan, this forest won't need to be burnt, and I'm holding out hope for that."

Eztli pauses, and sniffs the air a few times. "It's the middle of summer, feels cold, doesn't it? Or, you know, feels like I should be cold. The other spires weren't like this, not from what I remember."

If only the Elves could hear Aelwyn right now. Good thing they can't! They probably don't approve of burning their forest!

... okay, they've probably thouight about it themselves. And it does start to feel ... colder.

Just a distinct chill in the air, following Eztli's statement. it feels noticable. The mist curls around your feet ever more tightly.

"This one not like cold," Tlanexhuani mentions as he continues to move. Now his head is moving as much or more than his legs as he looks around with increasing concern. Not that he can see or hear cold. "What is it?" he asks no one in particular.

Aelwyn was feeling the chill now that _it was mentioned_. Gritting his teeth, he pulls the glaive closer towards himself, letting the flames of it lick the air near him. "Tch. It is the forest." The real cause for winter. "We should prepare - for the mimics are coming." Most likely. He glances towards... that name, and then Eztli. "Should we fireball the forest ahead of us?"

GAME: Nameless casts Prestidigitation. Caster Level: 8 DC: 17

"Don't tempt me, I'll do it." the goblin says, doing a little magic to make a flicker of fire appear at her fingertips, and then realizes she might be able to do a little something about the chill, with a couple of words and a gesture, and Tlan's clothes, scant as they are, warm up a bit against the chill, "But maybe that'll help a bit in the short term. Until we can distract the elves long enough to start a forest fire."

"I like the cold a lot, but this is just weird, and Aelwyn gets real pouty when it's cold for some reason." Eztli snorts. "But this is unnatural cold, and I'm a bit worried something is different with this spire. Especially if this forest is against us. As much as I'd like to fireball something right now, I'd rather not draw more attention to us than necessary."

"Sometimes I wonder if I'm the only person who likes the cold."

Warming is good.

My, the dimming light through the trees is making all your shadows lengthen. It's just how it is here. Plenty of those.

... which is when the nameless goblin's shadow peels itself off the ground and tree it's up against and begins to advance on her.

The same is true of Tlanex, whose shadow begins to move towards him too.. .and then Aelwyn's, and Eztli's as well.

Great. Living shadows. Your shadows, it seems like.