[Group 2] The World's Largest Dungeon - IC

[Simba]

Vlorah reads the letter, then reads it again, all kinds of emotions shaking her. Then she just shakes her head and sinks down in silent prayer.

[Quakes]

Elias reads the letter over Vlorah's shoulder. Hmmph. I guess we're on our own. I wonder how far we are from the sea? Not that I have any idea where the Spray is right now. Hopefully she hasn't run afoul of any more blight ships.

Elias feels lost, and suddenly less powerful, now that they can't just whisk across vast stretches of land at a whim. It seems he was taking Fredric for granted. He sits down next to Vlorah, hoping that the gods would see fit to show her the proper direction for them to take.

Perhaps things will look better over breakfast.

Quietly, so as not to disturb her, Elias sets about making something to eat, determined to be useful in some small fashion.

[Mr. X]

A heavy snow fell overnight, and it is through a thick mat of white that you push about through to find the food bits to cook over the still flickering fire...

As Vlorah sits in silent prayer, you think back to when last you were on the Spray...

Trager was to carry word of the naval attack to Star Spire's port Castle, before returning to Sandy Shoal to help blockade the town against goblin incursion...

If all went according to plan, he should be back by now, and Sandy Shoal is only a few days travel from here... Even if he isn't, from the town's port you should be able to learn where The Spray was last seen to put in.

[Mr. X]

For Vlorah:

Spoiler

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You spend a long time in silent prayer...

... As the blood drips through your finders, Lathander feels close...

... His power flows through you, warming your heart, and lifting your spirit...

... And yet he is silent...

... You receive no guidance... No direction... You feel only the warmth of his mere presence...

... Nothing more.

[Simba]

"Where to now? Shall we go find the Spray at Sandy Shoal?" Vlorah asks as she starts to prepare breakfast. "Ain't it strange to be just the 2 of us? I just can't wrap my mind around it....Not that I mind your company, Elias, but I have to admit I felt safer with those big guys around as well. I feel like one of the 10 little Halflings in that song. You know, the one where...."

Vlorah keeps talking for a while, first relating the story she mentioned, then just talking about everything and nothing until breakfast is done, the dishes are washed and packed away. Then she falls silent again, looking at Elias. "So, shall we start?"

[Quakes]

No time like the present. Though I will miss the others as well, it will certainly be easier to escape notice with just the two of us.

Spoiler

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Survival
(1d20+14)[27]
Spot
(1d20+12)[20]

ooc: How's the weather - should I be casting endure elements? or can I memorize other things?

[Mr. X]

Your course set, you pack away the last of your belongings before setting out, when Vlorah discovers something unexpected...

Carefully hidden in her pack is an ornate golden censer... It's coal still burning dimly, releasing wisps of purplish smoke...

You recognize it immediately...

It belonged to Lathander's High Priestess... Though you only ever saw her a handful of times, it was unmistakable... There was nothing on earth quite like it.

They said that decades ago she had gone on a spiritual journey, and had looked upon the face of the Morninglord in all his glory, and that this was the token that he had given her...

... As you take it in hand, a surge of power runs through you so powerful that you are thrown from your feet, and the Eye opens of it's own accord...

For Vlorah:

Spoiler

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Streaking through the skies, the miles passing meaninglessly beneath you, you sail northward...

Over the Northern Mountains, and to the vast chasm of The Narrows that separates the Norther Marches from the mainland...

Westward down this channel you fly, until you see the impossible stretch of The Ancient's Way that bridges the gulf, and the hulking fortress of Citadel that sits upon it's southern edge...

Arching under the immense bridge, and sailing up over the city, you find it in ruins...

... The Barbarian hordes breached the gate, scaled the walls, and sacked the city...

Now, the city stands all but deserted... Its nobles and guardsmen long since fled or killed, only those too poor or too feeble go anywhere else remain...

... But their days are numbered... Their stores emptied, and winter setting in, it is only a matter of time before they starve...

...

... But then you are flying again...

... Eastward now, over the blazing furnaces and wailing slave pits of Black Harbour... Where the Abyss itself holds no torments that can compare with the suffering the slaves endure each day...

... Where each day hundreds die of exhaustion, abuse, and torture... And hundreds more are born of rape, and sodomy, and horrid experiment...

... Where each day, the single hope and prayer on tens and hundreds of thousands of lips, is that today might be their day to die... And so escape the hell of their existence...

...

...

... And then you hear his voice...

"... These are your people, Vlorah, kindest of my servants, as they are mine... You must save them... Or this world is already lost..."

[Simba]

Vlorah picks up the censer...and her eyes go wide as she experiences the will of the Morninglord.

"We are needed, we need to help them, we...." she stammers, then falls silent for a few seconds as her mind returns from its journey.

She looks at Elias: "The Morninglord has sent me a vision, given us a task."

Then she relates what she has seen in her vision.

[Quakes]

It's almost a relief to have a direction, though I don't know how we're going to stop a full-scale slave operation by ourselves. Though in the light of our other options, it may be the easiest we've attempted in a long while.

Let's find the Spray and then head up the coast to Black Harbour. Perhaps we can intercept a slave ship on the way and imitate its markings so that we can more easily sneak into the city.

Elias helps pack up the gear, and before they leave camp, he prays for a boon for nature. As they leave, the wind blows the snow over their footprints, so that there is no trace of their passing.

Spoiler

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Cast pass without trace - 6hr duration.

[Mr. X]

As a gentle wind blows away your tracks, you pick up your feet and head Eastward.

The sun sends golden rays through the mottled, overcast skies, and despite the heavy snow and the cold air, those spots of sunshine are warm, and you make good progress towards the coast and Sandy Shoal.

It takes you three days of heavy travel to get there, but at length, the snows the with proximity to the ocean, and the town swells into view.

Passing through the streets, despite the battle and bloodshed only a few days march away, life in Sandy Shoal is largely business as usual. Traffic in the streets is thinned somewhat due to the cold, and while most of the beggars and other dregs of society have hidden away from the cold in whatever hovels or holes they have managed, a few still loiter the streets palms outstretched, asking for whatever alms might be afforded them.

For Elias:

Spoiler

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Sandy Shoal was a regular stop for you, when your father was running the eastern coast.

You'd often load up here with grains and meats to take to Fair Isle and Bastion, to return with the furs, bone trinkets, and potent spirits(liquors) of the North and the Gnomish Isles.

As you recall, the Harbor Master kept a daily log of all the ships as they came and went, what their ports of embarkation and destinations were, what headings they took on arrival and departure, and what cargos they were carrying.

If anyone has word on where the Spray is, it will be him.

[Quakes]

Sure is good to smell the salt air again. Let's head to the docks, Vlorah, unless there's anything you would like to do in town. If the Spray isn't here, the Harbor Master will tell us when she last came through.

[Mr. X]

Making your way to the harbor, you pause to give alms to some of the needy... You are on Lathander's mission, after all...

All the poor are wrapped heavily in swaths and rags of whatever they can find to stave off the cold, such that nearly no spot if skin can be seen.

This would not seem unusual, until one child, overreaching towards an offered coin, extends his hand free of his sleeve...

... You note that he has an angry, scaly rash spreading over the back of his hand, and up the flesh of his wrist...

... Realizing suddenly, the boy snatches his hand back shamefully, and runs off, without even taking they coin...

[Simba]

Seeing the need of the people in town, Vlorah gives freely from the money she was planning to give to those in need, anyway.

Seeing the rash on the boy's arm Vlorah tries to identify what it could be as she shouts for the boy to stop: "Stop, please. I think I can help you, let me at least try!"

With a glace at Elias she runs off to follow.

Spoiler

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I guess Vlorah needs a Heal roll to identify the sickness, right? Not her forte...
(1d20+1)[20]
Spot to follow the boy if it come to that: (1d20+22)[26]

[Mr. X]

For Vlorah:

Spoiler

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Your blood turns to ice as you watch the boy run off...

... It was the Blight the he carried...

Spoiler

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You may easily follow the boy if you wish to.

[Simba]

"He has it, Elias. The Blight..." Vlorah whispers as she runs off to follow the boy.

[Quakes]

Elias follows close on Vlorah's heels, trying not to cause too much of a commotion within the town. If possible, he will use his knowledge of the city to head off the boy.

Spoiler: Knowledge Local

Show

(1d20+7)[10]

ooc: welcome back, guys!

[Mr. X]

Taking off after the boy, you are initially unimpressed by his somewhat uncoordinated gait. Even so, he's faster than you would have expected, and continues running well after he ought to have flagged...

... Indeed, even you both are required to expend efforts in keeping up with him through the twisting alleys of the town.

When he finally does stop, it is to duck into the basement door of a Mid-Wifery... Such organizations are typically temple supported, though not specifically ordained, and house the nurses, herbalists, and alchemists who devote their efforts to aiding women through the trials of childbirth.

Pulling up around the corner form where you see him duck in, you hold off to assess the situation.

(Actions?)

[Quakes]

We need to know more, Vlorah. Perhaps he is living here, and others may be under the Blight's effects. Hopefully though, the nurses inside know something of the treatment, or at least how to hold off the disease.

Elias strides up to the door and knocks politely, waiting for an answer from within.

[Mr. X]

Knocking on the main door, a woman's voice calls from within, saying

"Just a moment!"

A short while later, the door opens, and you are greeted by a pretty young woman, garbed in the heavy robes of her station. Her hands are gloved, and her neck bound in a heavy scarf against the cold. She looks at Vlorah, and then up at Elias, and she gives you a warm smile.

"Oh come in, come in out of the cold!"

She steps back, ushering you into the plainly adorned receiving room.

"Please, sit, and make yourselves comfortable."

She gives a knowing look to Vlorah,

"Ye're wise te come 'ere, lass, and I might say that it's so fine te see a couple like yerselves.

So tell me, how long've ye been expecting?"

[Quakes]

Elias looks down at his hands as he speaks with the woman. Greetings, mother. It has not been long. And that is why we are here. It is not a good time to be bringing a little one into the world, what with all the battles and plague that are going around. We were hoping that you could help us with that, safely and surely. Unless you know of some way to combat the disease that seems to be traveling the continent right now?

Have you encountered the Blight here? He whispers this last sentence, so as not to scare anyone who may be within earshot, and also to not alert anyone else that they may know something of what's going on.

[Mr. X]

The woman nods knowingly.

"Aye, these are dark times indeed, what with the fall of the Holy City, an the great kings all marchin' te war on the demons, and sickness is always common during the heavy winters, even without the wars.

Ye needn't worry yerselves so, though. Sandy Shoal is far from the woes that beset the lands further north, and there ain't been no serious disease here fer years."

He looks warmly over to Vlorah,
"Even so, yer fears aren't wholly unfounded. Any illness, and even the mere cold of winter, can be harmful to yer growin' child.

But, as luck would have it, even as the holy city fell, the gods granted us a wond'rous blessin'... Just recently the alchemists discovered a new line of, dare I say, miraculous healing qualities held within some of the common local flora.

Here, let me get ye some."

She stands, goes over to a cupboard, and takes from it a small wooden box, a spoon, and a cloth pouch.

Returning, she opens the box to show you the contents. Within is a brownish powder of dried and finely ground plant(? You would presume) material.

"We've prepared it as a tincture. You'll wish to put a spoonful into a cup of warm water, and drink it down twice a day. Best done with breakfast, an' just before bed.

It'll take a week or so before ye start te notice the effects, but I can promise ye, I been taken it me'self every day since they started makin' it, an I feel years younger!

We're tryin' te get it out to everyone who needs it, so it'll only cost ye 3 coppers per spoonful, or 2 silver bits fer ten."

[Quakes]

What kind of plant is this? I may be able to gather some for you, if it's so effective medicinally.

Spoiler: Knowledge Nature

Show

to identify plant
(1d20+10)[17]

[Mr. X]

"Oh, I'm afraid I don't know sir. The alchemists are always very hush hush with their formulas, an I'm sure I wouldn't make sense o' then anyway, even if I knew what was in 'em."

She laughs,

"Anyhow, the alchemists we have here alway go on about 'It's how ye treat the sub-stance' that brings out its healin' qualities. Most times, just chewin' on the herbs won't do ye any more good than eatin' a salad would.

Though ye should always be sure to be eatin' enough fresh greens. The vitamins'll keep ye as heathy as any alchemist's tincture, an the two together, so much more so."

Spoiler

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For Elias:

The contents of the powder are unrecognizable at a glance, and even the smell (though you detect the aromas of a variety of herbs), defies direct labeling.

It's sort of like looking at a multi-vitamin. If you had a list of ingredients, you might recognize a number of them, but in its usable form, it's anyone's guess as to what might be contained within.

[Mr. X]

[Owing to the extended length of this thread, please move to 'The Heart of the Matter' to continue.]

[LibraryOgre]

The Mod Wonder: Closed for Length. Restart if you haven't already. I suggest copy/pasting this threads location for reference.