The Colonization of Terenuri (IC)

[Shular]

Throk

Throk takes a bundle to the left, combining the contents to his own belongings. He then goes to the other table, grabs an amulet, and looks at the weapons. With a shrug he grabs a shortsword, but his eyes widen as he holds it in his hands and feels energy in it. Not knowing why he does it, he brings his other hand to the hilt and, with a simple twitch, the one sword becomes two! He grins as he expertly twirls them around, but all he says is "heh."

[Meltheim]

All - [Terenuri Settlement]

Fargem seems slightly distracted as he watches the small boy try to pick up the contents of the cart. "Hal, have you gone on patrol yet today? Might as well take this lot with you, give them a tour of the area. Why don't you take them north up to the coast and then sweep back around south. Grab some lunch from Gertie and you can probably be back here by the afternoon. Lord Teren wants to do some big announcement tonight, so make sure you're all here for it."

[weseldar]

Moloch walks timidly over, and picks up the arrows. After caressing their fine points and feathers, he smiles. Thank you so much sir. These will make hunting...an ease. He returns to his place among the group.

[Tegu8788]

Hallowhiem

Hallowhiem quickly unties the sheathed longsword, tying it to his back. Quick flashes of memory jump through his head, many of those who meet their end by this blade. He readjusts his cloak, but with the sheathe now against his back the fabric doesn't latch properly. He spies a particularly well designed brooch, and uses it to reattach his green cloak. It billows a bit more than before, the sage green matching the underarmor he wore. He bows his head slightly to the dwarf, a honest smile on his face. As he holds it in his hands, he senses that there is more than meets the eye to this gifts. The Eladrin appeared to freeze a puddle with his spear, and the half-orc pulled two blades from one sheathe. The way that Eladrin had wielded that spear, and his reaction to hearing Hallowhiem name his owlbear, that was something to approach later.

"Thank you my friend. This, means quite a deal to me. I will put it to good use, you can be certain of that." Keeping his hand on the pommel of his intricate sword, he appraises his new "team." And interesting batch to be certain. He speaks to both his boss and the assembled group "I've been busy working on the beaches since the crash, so I haven't had a chance to make a patrol yet. I have some solutions for getting one of the 'born barracks open, the details are on my desk, which I can detail when I get back. If you all are assigned to assist me, then it appear we have our first mission. Eh, Moloch was it? If you would be so kind as to join us, I've heard rumors from some other traders about a unqiue animal, that from what the Amythest Lady has told, is quite special. If possible, I'd like to try and capture one, alive if possible, for Lord Teren."

Hallowhiem watched his companion play with the wizard. It was a good sign, not only had his training on "play versus hunt" appeared to work, but Jirus was quite wise, with good insight, and if he liked this wizard, that was a good omen. Or perhaps it was the Eladrin blood using arcane magic, like himself.

[Dimers]

Roman

"What can you tell us about this rare creature we'll be looking for today, Hallowhiem?" asks Roman. He pursues relevant details like build, coloration, diet, footprint, general behavior and so on, focusing his thoughts on this one particular unfamiliar creature out of the dozens he might see today. While listening to the answers, Roman also pays attention to any input from the native hunter, who likely knows the creature better than anyone in the village of Terenuri. Searching for a common language to use, he discovers that they can communicate at least the simpler concepts using a sort of debased Draconic, removing the elaborate modifiers and conjugations.

Then Roman returns his full attention to Hallowhiem. "And perhaps more importantly, sir, what else should we be looking for while on patrol? Survivors washed up from the other half of the Mother's Star, of course, but yon dwarf hinted there might be danger near the settlement."

[Meltheim]

Hallowhiem proceeds to inform the group about the rare, beautiful birds that are sometimes seen in the northern coast. The female of the species is rather nondescript, but the male has bright and decorative plumage that is highly prized by Lady Visenia, also known as the Amethyst Lady, also known as the leader of the Exilarchy of Amethyst.

As the party gathers what provisions they need for the morning's patrol, including some wheels of cheese (from some local animal that made Moloch chuckle), a few rounds of bread and some exotic fruit (which resembled flame-colored pears), Hallowhiem continues in describing the local terrain. Referencing the small hand-drawn regional map that was part of the 'welcome kit' you were each given, you can see that there is a small coastal fishing village that has done some trading with Terenuri. The inhabitants (a mix of elves and gnomes) are polite enough, but remain wary of the newcomers even a full year later.

Spoiler

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Is the party ready to head up the coast? It is about 15 miles round trip. You can choose to go by horseback or walk. Horseback will be faster (1.5 hours each way), but will require endurance checks (DC 15) to avoid getting fatigued (loss of healing surge) every hour. Walking will be slower (3 hours each way) but won't require any checks.

[Dimers]

Roman

"Elves and gnomes, you say? From what I was told before the trip, they'll be able to understand the eladrin language, more or less, am I correct?" Roman is clearly distracted by the thought of meeting these people; the set of his face and the polished gleam to his eyes say that he's thinking hard. My first chance to meet an "elf" and we won't be formally introduced. What should I wear? -- no, that's academic, I only own two outfits now. Should I impress them with a prestidigitation show? Perhaps, though the "gnomes" have some such magic themselves. I'll bring my fiddle; music is a universal language -- oh, I can review my linguistics texts for, wait, no I can't, I don't own any anymore ... The cascade of thoughts continues for some time, frequently provoking pacing, finger-tapping and pursing of lips.

[Shular]

Throk

Throk shrugs. What does he care about some silly bird...if it isn't cooked. "You're the boss. Just point me in the right direction and I'll do what I can to keep you alive."

[Ravian]

Rilingfall:
Fascinating, entire displaced groups of fey, living an eintire continent away. I can only imagine what their society would be like. Must remember to record our meeting in the journal.
He ponders for a moment before turning to Hallowheim.
If such an offering would help secure relations with this Amethyst lady, I'm all for it. It would be the perfect opportunity for me to compile information on the Exilarchy for the Society's records.

[weseldar]

My liege..I would be honored. Any mode of transportation.

The thought of an adventure sparks in Moloch's eyes. Having never left the town, nor the nearby forest, it shall be an adventure indeed. a smile appears, as he thinks of the awaiting glories, battles, and tales he can tell on return.

[Tegu8788]

Hallowhiem

"Yes, you are correct. The native Elves lanuage is predominate, and it is very similar to our Elradrin language. Any other questions? No? Alright then all, away we go." Hallowhiem uses his free had to make a slight whirl of his cloak as he turns, enjoying the slight dramatic flourish. He leads the hodgepodge group from the beaches edge, across the colony, and stops by Gertie's for lunch. He waves to various guards he knows as he passes, tipping his head to a couple vendors he has assisted in setting up their wares.

He takes pride, knowing that, despite the odds, he has helped keep the colony clean. So far, there was no black market. Being a military focused group, the first batch made it pretty easy, but now a large number of civilians would make that record harder to maintain. The easiest way to prevent the black market had been to make sure that there was a legal way to get things for people that needed them, or to convince them they didn't need it when he was unable to procure a given item. But civilians en masse expected to be able to have more, and were less disciplined. When he got back, he would have to be alert for any signs. If Lord Teren and Lady Visenia got along, that would bode well the colony, and the incoming supplies from the native people.

This bird would help that. Teren showing an appreciation for the local fauna, and showing a sign of respect to the reigning royalty, even if it was all false, would be good. Between the Exilarchy of Amethyst and the new soldiers, the rebel elves should be able to be fought off. We have fresh mages, and more clerics and paladins, which should help turn the tide. The ability for the natives to manipulate nature was potent, but a wizard's fireball was sure to be a good counter to plant magics. And surely the power of the gods could overpower the power of mortals, even if those mortals will could alter reality. As much as he wanted to learn more about how these people could do it, he recognized the threat they posed to the colony.

He stopped in front of Gertie's, and held the door open for the rest of the party to enter. He gave Jirus a look, and with a nod, let the animal know it was ok to run around and play with some of the children nearby. The few that came along on the first ship were used to him by now, but the shock and surprise on the new arrivals' faces when the children ran up, embraced, and rode on the ferocious looking beast made him chuckle every time.

Once everyone was inside, he raised his hand to Gertie, calling out as he takes a seat "Hey Gertie, any chance these poor sobs and I can get something to eat? Fargem wants me to patrol up the beach and be back 'fore Teren starts his big speech!"

[Shular]

Throk

As the group follows the fop, Throk tries to organise his thoughts and understand what is going on around him. He's still a little shaken by the destruction of the ship. "Stupid magic," he thinks, "that's what happens when you depend on it too much."
He looks around at the small settlement, and decides there aren't enough hidden alleys. Not to mention close rooftops to run from house to house on, or usefull sewars good for bypassing checkpoints. On the other hand, there doesn't seem to be much crime here, which means he could possibly be the first to set something up. A place like this is bound to continue growing, so maybe he could get some kind of black market running. People are always willing to buy things tax free, or to get their hands on something that's "illegal" for no good reason.

The people, on the other hand, he doesn't know what to make of. This Moloch, for example, spoke a stange language, and what's with the horns? Looking around again, Throk notices several people with horns on their heads, as well as the occasional short, but definitely non-dwarfish, person, and some who look a bit like eladrin, but with more wildness in their eyes. "Too new", he thinks. He doesn't trust new.

This place, Gertie's, on the other hand, doesn't seem so bad. With the mention of food, Throk realizes he's starving.

[Meltheim]

All – [Terenuri Settlement]

Gertie’s is a nice taste of the familiar for so many who find they are having difficulty adjusting to the new, alien landscape of the settlement. Most of those who came over were used to the large cities with their tall buildings, paved streets and loud merchants, and this quiet frontier life is a little rough for most.

The instant the party walks in to Gertie’s, they are hit with the aroma of roasted meat turning on the spit, the smell of sweat, ale and sawdust on the floor, and the sounds of a dozen conversations all fighting for dominance. Most here are finishing up breakfast, but there is a steady stream of people moving in, out and around the establishment that it is easy to see this is a replacement for “home” for many of the settlers.

An older woman at the bar hands over bundles of salt meat (pork?), loaves of bread, wheels of cheese and waterskins to some of the patrons. By the tools propped against the wall, you can tell that they are likely going out to the forest to fell trees to expand the settlement, and have just stopped in to gather a field lunch. She waves to Hallowhiem as the group walks in. “Hal, my boy! I heard Fargem bellowing about you heading up the coast on patrol this morning. Would you mind trying to gather some of those tasty mushrooms they have up there for me? Gerard just told me that Lord Teren requested some local dishes for tonight’s event and I think those would do just the trick. Just grab as many as you can. I don’t like making Gerard go up the coast if he doesn’t have to.”

She hands several packages of food to Throk, as well as an embroidered leather bag to Hallowhiem, and mentions that it should easily hold however many mushrooms they can find. The bag seems small, but the old woman seems certain that it will do the job. “I need those by this afternoon if they’re going to be ready for tonight, so you best get on the road! Oh, I shouldn’t have to mention this, but make sure you don’t grab any of the poisonous ones. The last thing I need is to cause an incident tonight.” With that, another group of laborers comes through the door and beelines for the bar, taking Gertie’s attention with them.

Spoiler

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Alright, you guys now have a Bag of Holding. You can use this to gather the mushrooms that Gertie has asked for, or anything else you want.

---------------
Bag of Holding

This item appears to be a simple sack of brown canvas.

Property: This bag can hold up to 200 pounds in weight or 20 cubic feet in volume, but it always weighs only 1 pound.

Drawing an item from the bag is a minor action.
---------------

Shall we hit the road?

[Dimers]

Roman

Roman takes in the smells while people-watching with interest, but doesn't move far from the door. His posture says that he's ready to be on his way. At the mention of poisonous mushrooms, his ears bend a bit. I'll be sure to have Hallowhiem point out the good and the bad as we walk.

Then he reconsiders -- The paladin certainly has a potent personality, to make me forget the talents of my other companions of the moment! -- and asks Moloch in Eladrin, "Expert Of Forests, while we travel will you please show us eating mushrooms and wrong mushrooms? And if you wish it please inform me whether the peoples of this big-land display skill in ... in ... (hmm, how to express 'alchemy' ...) changing small substances into other small substances with more usefulness?"

Roman's brain keeps churning. Being diplomatic is easier in Eladrin than in Draconic; that would come out more like 'It is my will that you give information tribute to my hoard.'

[weseldar]

Moloch understands what he was saying, for the most part. Oh, yes, certainly. The poisonous are quite easy to spot. I'll check, just to be sure, if you would like. And I'm not entirely sure about the alchemy. I am not a great user of magic, and I mainly kept to myself in the forest. I'm sure there are some, however.

Moloch smiles to himself, realize that his skills will be very beneficial. He cannot wait for their true adventure to begin!

[Meltheim]

All - [Road to Ilifar]

With some information about the mushrooms in hand, the party heads north out of town and through the outer pickets. Hallowhiem earns a slight nod from one of the guards as the party leaves the settlement proper. After only a few hundred yards, the road (created simply by other troops patrolling this path over the last several months) curves slightly westward to follow the coast. The ocean breezes greet the party with a mix of salty spray and gull cry, and suddenly the group finds themselves very, very alone in the world.

Time passes slowly as the group heads up the coast. The occasional red-furred animal is seen in the distance and a brightly-plumed bird or two flies overhead, but otherwise the trip is uneventful for the first hour. It is obvious that this first leg of the trip is relatively well traveled by most of the foot patrols, and even wheel ruts can be seen in places where the earth is softer. Past the first few miles, however, the terrain turns decidedly more wild.

In the distance, perhaps a few miles off, Moloch's keen eyes are the first to see Ilifar.

Spoiler

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Feel free to describe any actions you want to take while travelling. It should take you about 1.5 hours total for the trip there. You can pass in silence, in idle chatter, or really whatever you want. Where you are right now is about 2/3 of the way done, with another 30 min or so walking left. It is late morning.

[Ravian]

Rilingfall:
Such an interesting land Rilingfall thinks to himself as he presses a native leaf into his journal.
He turns to look at Moloch, interest in the tiefling evident in his eyes. Slightly tentatively he asks in elven: Tell me, my classes said that most of the Tieflings on Teru...er Ouham...

Who knows which natives might be offended by our term for the land...

...lived in the deserts, how did you come to be so far out?

[Dimers]

Roman

Roman walks a bit erratically, trying to split his concentration between keeping attentive (for mushrooms / brightly-plumed birds / unspecified danger / unspecified wonderfulness) and some sort of game he seems to be playing with a small, weighted net he appropriated in town. You see it vanish from his hand, then his gaze drifts forward and the net reappears a ways down the road, in a small pile as if dropped. Then he picks it up, bundles it, and starts the process again. He's too distracted to talk much.

[Meltheim]

All - [Road to Ilifar]

As the party continues their journey, with Moloch pointing out some of the different plants and animals of Oauhm while Rilingfall tries to jot down as many notes as reasonable, Roman's net snags on something in the distance. Upon examination, it appears that the net has been tangled in a snarl of thorny vines. The net is easily removed with Roman's deft arcane fingers and suffers no apparent damage. However, as Roman's eyes follow the vines to their source some distance down the landscape, he realizes that they have arrived. Ilifar awaits not 500 feet away, blanketed in a soft coastal fog.

The village appears cozy and quiet, with thatch-roofed buildings and, from this distance, the silhouettes of a dozen villagers or so in the square. Also in the distance, small patches of mushrooms can be seen on the side of the road, just outside the well worn pathways that make up the roads of the village. As the party approaches, however, Moloch notices that there is no more birdsong, and that the gentle hum of insects has died away. Only the gentle crashing of the ocean against the bluffs can be heard. No smoke from breakfast cookfires can be seen or smelled, and only the creaking of the party's armor serves to break the silence.

[Ravian]

Rilingfall:
slightly unnerved by the silence, Rilingfall draws his spear, holding it like a walking stick to avoid looking threatening but still prepared.
Strange... he mutters to himself, watching the figures in the fog.

[Shular]

Throk

Throk doesn't really like the wilderness. Too many trees and strange creatures. Who knows how they'll react? Give him a nice backstreet alley any day. Rats are predictable, beggers even more so. Still, he tries to keep his eyes open as much as possible.

Seeing Moloch and Rilingfall both becoming more wary, Throk draws his swords and moves up. "Trouble?" he asks.

[Meltheim]

All - [Ilifar]

The silhouettes in the fog begin to resolve into more clear pictures as the party gets closer to the village. Even then, all that any of them seem to see are short squatty figures with wide brimmed hats, standing completely still.

Moving closer still, it becomes clear that the small patch of mushrooms has turned into a small field, blanketing the ground before them. Small pathways are visible among the clusters of fungi, but the mushrooms even appear on the sides of buildings and anywhere the smallest semblance of shade and moisture are present.

The figures finally are revealed to simply be larger mushrooms, some standing nearly 4 foot tall with wide caps a yard across. The crashing of the waves continues to be the only sound, though the overwhelming smell of decaying plant matter permeates the air.

[Dimers]

Roman

"Very unusual. I recommend caution, my good fellows. Perhaps I should animate some object and send it ahead of us, in an attempt to flush out any hostile sentience?" The wizard is now much more focused and in-the-moment. He peers around, listening carefully and even sniffing the air. Then, realizing that spores might be a problem here, he adds, "And it might also be wise to put cloths over our faces, regardless. We don't want to breathe in rapidly expanding fungal growths."

Spoiler

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Active Perception check: (d20+4)[15]

[Shular]

Throk

Throk pulls his light scarf up up over his nose and mouth. It's not the first time he's masked his lower face this way, though the previous reasons may have been a bit more nefarious in nature. However, he's still rather confused. "Wait," he asks, "are these the poison mushrooms we were warned about? They can't be the good ones, cause we would have needed a bigger basket, right?"

[Tegu8788]

Hallowhiem

Hallowhiem walks in the front of the group, guiding them along the road, pointing out things here and there that he's learned, whether or not the group is interested in hearing it. He watches as Jirus walks ahead, roaming on and off the path, sniffing everything he finds. It had been a while since Hallowhiem had been able to really let Jirus run around, and it was nice to see him relax.

However, coming around a bend he sees Jirus sitting in the middle of the road, head cocked, listening to something. Taking note, Hallowhiem also tries to figure out what has disturbed his companion.

Spoiler

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Nature on the forest surroundings (1d20+7)[13]

Once he catches up to Jirus, Hallowhiem pats him on his broad shoulders, and instructs him to come along. Jirus walks by his side as they continue down the road, but still somewhat un-at-ease. He can tell his comrades are also unnerved, and when the half-orc askes about the condition of the forest, hands on his weapons, Hallowhiem replies "I am unsure, but something does appear to be off in these woods. I do not recall so much fog on my previous trips. It may be prudent to keep an eye out. There has been some trouble with some of the natives, mostly Elven raiders. No need to draw your weapons yet, but I'd keep your wits about you, and your hands ready."

Has he peers through the mist, he listens for anything to alert him to danger. The woods are very quite, something was quite awry here. He spies a clearing, filled with mushrooms of various sizes. Seeing how large some have grown, he taps the embroidered leather bag Gertie have him, wondering how he could possibly fit those fungi insight. Rubbing it between his fingers, he tries to discover the secrets it may hold.

Spoiler

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Arcana on the Bag of Holding (1d20+9)[15]

Edit: Responding to the wizard, he shifts his cloak to cover his own mouth, but watches Jirus for his reaction. He was born in these woods, and had evolved to live here. If the mushrooms weren't what was bothering him, then it was something else, as yet unseen. "I agree Roman, this clearing has, something, off about it. If you have something we can use, I would be glad to assist you in it's preparations. My companion seems concerned, and I've found that his senses are often better than my own out here."

[Meltheim]

All - [Ilifar]

The party's journey through the forest comes to an end, as they reach the edges of the village. From here all can see that the village opens up to a large square, and it is in the square that the larger mushrooms dominate the view. Small dense patches cover the ground in places as well, but it is possible to make one's way through without too much difficulty. Despite the ocean breezes, the air here is thick.

After tugging on the edges of the bag and shaking it out, Hallowhiem is able to *somehow* open it up to the size of a large sack, easily 3 feet across and just as deep. The embroidery around the opening appears to shimmer slightly as he does this, but there is no other indication that anything has happened to the sack.

A fountain at the center of the square is full of cloudly, brackish water, while houses and shops line the perimeter of the square. On the far side of the fountain an incredible bird, about 5 feet long with a gigantic fan of a tail, extends its long neck and sips lightly from the fountain. It's rainbow-hued plumage tells you that this is likely the bird you were after. It does not give any indication that it has seen or heard you.

Spoiler

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Feel free to make whatever checks you want, go into any shops and investigate, harvest mushrooms, etc.

edit: Sorry, it looks like we crossposted a bit, and I assumed you all were at the entrance to the village.

[Dimers]

Roman

After sending a handy log galumphing loudly ahead of the party, Roman enters a quick mystic trance to scan the surroundings for magic. When that, too, fails to return any useful information, he stands by the fountain and tries again. Then he sets down his pack on a relatively mold-free area and pulls some tools from it -- a charcoal stick with a sort of iridescent gleam, and a large sheet of paper that seems bleached white in the middle. Incanting a short ritual, he causes the tools to draw a remarkably life-like representation of the area near the fountain, including in the picture the fountain itself, a few tall mushrooms, and one of the clear pathways.

Spoiler

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Simple Animation used for this encounter, and if it doesn't provoke a response, I'm not maintaining it.
I can detect magic at 7 squares distance. The roll to detect while outside the village square (1 minute): (d20+14)[33]
The detection standing in the village square (1 minute): (d20+14)[23]
And the Arcana check for the ritual (also 1 minute): (d20+14)[22]

The resulting picture isn't perfectly clear thanks to wisps of fog, and the iridescent charcoal doesn't put down much color, but it's otherwise quite accurate. The area included is about 20 feet on a side.

[Meltheim]

All - [Ilifar]

Spoiler

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(Dimers - reread my post above. I forgot to add the damn bird in my original post )

Despite his best efforts, Roman's efforts at locating arcane energies at work in the immediate area only serve to remind him that he and his companions have the only arcane devices.

However, his charcoal goes to work, creating a rough approximation of the immediate area. Buildings in the perimeter, dense patches of mushrooms throughout, and large stalks interspersed between. crude figures representing his companions even appear near the bottom edge of the map, along with what appears to be a large bird near the fountain.

Spoiler

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check the battle map link in my signature for details

[Tegu8788]

Hallowhiem

Hallowhiem watches the arcane ritual takes place, and following the basics of it, does his best to channel his mystical prowess into the eladrin, giving him more energy to work with, and a better chance to succeed.

Jirus walks around the village, sniffing the various mushrooms, trying to see which ones are good for eating.

Spoiler

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Arcana +2 check (1d20+9)[26]
Nature check on mushrooms (1d20+7)[22]

[Meltheim]

All - [Ilifar]

Jirus seems to have found a few mushrooms that he's interested in eating, but he restrains himself for the time being. Moloch is able to confirm that they don't appear to be poisonous, but obviously nobody will know until they eat one.

Hallowhiem also is the first to notice the rather large bird on the edge of the fountain, sipping water.