Celestial Winter

[Thymin]

Elledan:

Rubbing his chin in his hand, Elledan furrows his brow deep in thought. He begins thinking aloud. "Heart seems right. The same with fire. Life seems on the right track, but I'm not so sure. Do those who do not have life scorn it? What about something like faith. I don't know if trees have faith inside of them though. Maybe love? Same problem. Ugh, I just don't know. I'm so bad at this type of thing. I bet my brother was good at it though." He threw his hands in the air and then a thought occurred to him. "You think an Owl's wisdom would help in this situation?" He asks his comrade.

[Ridai]

Kai frowns. "Hell if I know. Maybe it really is life, he said it's scorned by those who need it, not those who don't have it. Seen enough people who gave up and became bitter, lonely people waiting for the moment their time runs out. No clue what sense heart fire life makes, maybe it's something poetic like 'The heart carries the fire of life within it' or whatever." He sighs and mumbles "That's what they get for sending a stupid guard instead of one of the mages out of eight frickin' people."

[Kaihaku]

Oddly enough, the draconic head begins to grin after Elledan grows silent and its eyes light up, "Excellent, now speak the three together followed by a command to open."

Wisdom DC 12

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The head began to grin after Elledan suggested using an Owl's Wisdom.

[Ridai]

Kai looks confused when he realizes the head started to grin after Owl's Wisdom. After scratching his head, still not really understanding the riddle even though he knows the answer now, he says: "Heart fire wisdom, open the door."

[Kaihaku]

For a few seconds Kai's words hang in the air, then with a resounding creek the door cracks open and swings apart. Golden light shines from the chamber beyond, the shadowy goo hissing and bubbling at its touch.

"Halt!" A voice shouts, a shadow stepping into the doorway, "Who goes there?" The speaker sounds hostile but uncertain.

A second shadow joins the first, blocking entry into the chamber.

The eyes of the group slowly adjust to the bright golden light and they find themselves confronted by two humans wearing the robes of Ernhardur. The first is a middle aged man who holds a staff defensively, cold brown eyes glaring out from above his thick black beard. The second is a wisp of a man, little more than a boy, who holds shakily a staff towards the group, eyes wide with fear.

The chamber beyond them is larger than the one they just left; each wall lined with tomes, relics, and artifact reaching high up to the ceiling above. The tomes are beyond human size, towering volumes the size of cottages. Shimmering stars, moons, and other wonders dance far above. The golden light pours from what looks like a small sun floating above the center of the chamber.

Though all of that is impressive, it pales to the sight at the center of the chamber. There, collapsed atop a raised platform surrounded by floating tomes and orbs, is the Dragon Ernhardur. His head hangs over the platform and droops against the floor, his great maw hung open to reveal a razor sharp tongue and rows of fearsome teeth. His fiery eyes are closed. His mammoth wings hang limp. Most strikingly, his thick hide of golden scales shimmers eerily, the thick sinews and bones beneath showing as it fades from whole to translucent and back again.

Makeshift cots fill one corner of the great chamber, bloodied robed figures lay in them attended to by three more robed servants of Ernhardur. Their magic should have been sufficient to heal any wounds but for whatever reason they seem to be tending to the injuries with herbs and bandages.

A final robed figure, wielding a pulsating silver staff, stands before Ernhardur. His hair is gray but his eyes are sharp as he scowls at the opened door. A fearsome looking hawk rests on his shoulders, glaring with equal ferocity at the newcomers.

Perception

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Spot

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DC 21

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There are faint traces of magical energy arcing across Ernhardur, bursts of magic that resemble lightning.

DC 27

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There is a small obsidian box cast at the side of Ernhardur.

Knowledge(Local)

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DC 10

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The second figure is a young boy from Lonepine named Colby. He was 'sacrificed' to the service of Ernhardur four years ago.

DC 12 + Spot DC 29

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One of the figures tending to the wounded is a young man from Springfed named Jaffe. He was 'sacrificed' to the service of Ernhardur seven years ago.

DC 15 + Spot DC 22

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One of the figures tending to the wounded is a woman from Harvest named Deborah. She was 'sacrificed' to the service of Ernhardur eleven years ago.

DC 19 + Spot DC 20

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One of the figure tending to the wounded is a man from Lonepine named Eskel. He was 'sacrificed' to the service of Ernhardur fifteen years ago.

DC 19

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The first figure is a man from Harvest named Verniere. He was 'sacrificed' to the service of Ernhardur almost twenty years ago. He has occasionally come into the valley to help magical boost the local crops.

DC 42

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The final figure standing guard over Ernhardur is a man from Springfed named Lamas. He was 'sacrificed' to the service of Ernhardur almost fifty years ago and has rarely been seen in the valley since. The elders sometimes talk of him, mentioning his immense magical prowess.

[Ridai]

"Ah, hell." Kai whispers when he sees the dragon and whatever magic courses around him, the young man's sense of duty being stronger than his sense of wonder and awe. He doubts a knocked-out god is of any more help than a knocked-out mortal. Once he stops ignoring the men in front of him: "Lonepine's and Harvest's elders sent us here to ask for help. To make it short, the valley is going to hell right now and Springfed has been wiped out by daemons."

[Thymin]

Elledan:

As his eyes adjusted to the golden light, Elledan heard the whisper of his new friend and felt the same pain. He waited for Kai to finish speaking, and added, "My companion here speaks true. We are here to seek the aid of Erhardur, but it would seem that it is to no avail." Elledan recognized the young man at the door and addressed him directly. "I remember you from Lonepine. Colby right?. I am Elledan Araukalu, do you know where my brother is?"