Re: LFG: [1st Circle] Tale of Three Brothers: The Hidden (2020-02-07@23:59 GMT)
Posted: Sun Feb 09, 2020 1:39 am
From the journal of Zil.
A few weeks ago, a group of adventurers came back to Throal with some moldy papers they had recovered from a trading post. Some pages proved to be from a journal being kept by an Obsidiman. A group of them had been traveling to Throal at the start of the Scourge, only to learn that the kingdom had, at last, closed its doors. The group was undecided about where to go next, and decided to split up. One, an illusionist, decided to go to the Caves of Koilos. The person doing the research on the papers decided to organize an expedition to the mines.
I did some research on the mines, and found that they were a pre-scourge living crystal mine, abandoned due to the scourge. I tracked down the descendants of the old owners, and found that it had still been producing well when abandoned, and that they were interested in reopening it. It had usually been accessed only by airship as the ground approach was difficult. They would pay good money for a scouting report. They mentioned that the mine had a bound Earth Elemental in it. Before setting out, most of us bought cold weather gear and extra rations.
The travel through the mountains was arduous, but we quickly fell into a routine. We all helped with all tasks, but William Carver, the scout, was in charge of finding the path. Xeviouz (warrior) organized our security and defenses, and Vlolkir (Skyraider) and myself organized the camps and supplies. We did very good at that, living off the land even in the cold mountains. Despite our precautions, we at times nearly fell victim to frostbite.
Just short of the cave, we spotted some Khe'vak birds at the top of a cliff we needed to climb.We felt it likely that they would attack us as we climbed. Carver found some carrion that he carried downwind of them, and we climbed while they feasted upon that.
In the cave, we found a bear hibernating. It seems that living in these crystal mines had changed it bizarrely, for it had growths of crystal infusing its skin (much like a naturally occuring form of living crystal armor). It was actually quite striking to look at. We discussed it and decided to attack it in its sleep, which we accomplished. We found a magic silver amulet, in the form of a flower, that held an element of true earth, stabilized magic. We stayed the night in the relative warmth of the cave, and in the morning our incipit frostbite had cleared up. In the depths of the night watch I heard some faint, far off sounds of mining. In the morning, when we ventured into the deeper parts of the mine we found a small cavern, light by glowing crystal, in which what appeared to be 3 Orks, appeared to go through a pantomime of mining.
At first the figures did not react to our presence. Knowing a very powerful illusionist had passed this way, attempts were made to see through illusions, and it was revealed that the three figures were walking cadavers. The figures continued to ignore us until one of us approached the far exit to the cavern, and then one of the figures told us that we were not allowed to go that way. Vlolkir, not being the sort to take orders from a dead man, immediately attacked the walking dead person. The dead Ork attacked him back, and soon a general melee ensued. The final score was three Orks that were even more deader than before, and three very seriously wounded adventurers. We returned to the bear den where I got out my physicians kit and did some sewing. We then spent two more nights resting.
Upon reaching the next section of the mine, we found a truly beautiful crystal room. Within we saw a large form made of stone, which when it saw us, reformed itself into a statue of a beautiful Orkish woman. We talked to the Elemental, which I had learned in my research, was named Sif. I attempted to Assess its power, but could only determine that it was of higher than Novice level. When I inquired about the Obsidiman Illusionist, she pointed him out, merged into the crystal floor. She said it was his new "Permanent home", but I was unable to judge whether it was because it desired it that way, or if it thought the Obsidiman was no longer physically or mentally able to emerge. I do not have the first idea of how he might possibly be extracted. Some of my companions told me that they once woke up some Obsidimen that were merged by poking them with sharp sticks, but apparently those had been merly buried and merged with each other, not merged deeply into solid crystal. In the future, I will have to talk to an Obsidiman Questor of Garlan to find out if they think that the Illusionist is safely extractable,
The Elemental asked us to destroy the amulet we had found. It offered us a large and valuable lump of living crystal if we would do it. I equivocate by saying I did not know how to destroy True Earth, but it quickly, as easily as I would strip a willow switch, made a rock and a hard place that would smash the amulet (it would do nothing to the True Earth, but would destroy the magical pattern binding a spell). I quickly looked into astral space, and was unsurprised to learn that there was a binding between the amulet and the elemental. I suspected the amulet held the enchantment that holds the spirit bound. We declined to set the spirit free, and returned to Throal with the trinkets we had gathered. The crystal bear skin, the amulet, etc. A furrier gave us top coin for the skin, and the mining heirs were glad to have the control amulet and the maps and charts we had made.
A few weeks ago, a group of adventurers came back to Throal with some moldy papers they had recovered from a trading post. Some pages proved to be from a journal being kept by an Obsidiman. A group of them had been traveling to Throal at the start of the Scourge, only to learn that the kingdom had, at last, closed its doors. The group was undecided about where to go next, and decided to split up. One, an illusionist, decided to go to the Caves of Koilos. The person doing the research on the papers decided to organize an expedition to the mines.
I did some research on the mines, and found that they were a pre-scourge living crystal mine, abandoned due to the scourge. I tracked down the descendants of the old owners, and found that it had still been producing well when abandoned, and that they were interested in reopening it. It had usually been accessed only by airship as the ground approach was difficult. They would pay good money for a scouting report. They mentioned that the mine had a bound Earth Elemental in it. Before setting out, most of us bought cold weather gear and extra rations.
The travel through the mountains was arduous, but we quickly fell into a routine. We all helped with all tasks, but William Carver, the scout, was in charge of finding the path. Xeviouz (warrior) organized our security and defenses, and Vlolkir (Skyraider) and myself organized the camps and supplies. We did very good at that, living off the land even in the cold mountains. Despite our precautions, we at times nearly fell victim to frostbite.
Just short of the cave, we spotted some Khe'vak birds at the top of a cliff we needed to climb.We felt it likely that they would attack us as we climbed. Carver found some carrion that he carried downwind of them, and we climbed while they feasted upon that.
In the cave, we found a bear hibernating. It seems that living in these crystal mines had changed it bizarrely, for it had growths of crystal infusing its skin (much like a naturally occuring form of living crystal armor). It was actually quite striking to look at. We discussed it and decided to attack it in its sleep, which we accomplished. We found a magic silver amulet, in the form of a flower, that held an element of true earth, stabilized magic. We stayed the night in the relative warmth of the cave, and in the morning our incipit frostbite had cleared up. In the depths of the night watch I heard some faint, far off sounds of mining. In the morning, when we ventured into the deeper parts of the mine we found a small cavern, light by glowing crystal, in which what appeared to be 3 Orks, appeared to go through a pantomime of mining.
At first the figures did not react to our presence. Knowing a very powerful illusionist had passed this way, attempts were made to see through illusions, and it was revealed that the three figures were walking cadavers. The figures continued to ignore us until one of us approached the far exit to the cavern, and then one of the figures told us that we were not allowed to go that way. Vlolkir, not being the sort to take orders from a dead man, immediately attacked the walking dead person. The dead Ork attacked him back, and soon a general melee ensued. The final score was three Orks that were even more deader than before, and three very seriously wounded adventurers. We returned to the bear den where I got out my physicians kit and did some sewing. We then spent two more nights resting.
Upon reaching the next section of the mine, we found a truly beautiful crystal room. Within we saw a large form made of stone, which when it saw us, reformed itself into a statue of a beautiful Orkish woman. We talked to the Elemental, which I had learned in my research, was named Sif. I attempted to Assess its power, but could only determine that it was of higher than Novice level. When I inquired about the Obsidiman Illusionist, she pointed him out, merged into the crystal floor. She said it was his new "Permanent home", but I was unable to judge whether it was because it desired it that way, or if it thought the Obsidiman was no longer physically or mentally able to emerge. I do not have the first idea of how he might possibly be extracted. Some of my companions told me that they once woke up some Obsidimen that were merged by poking them with sharp sticks, but apparently those had been merly buried and merged with each other, not merged deeply into solid crystal. In the future, I will have to talk to an Obsidiman Questor of Garlan to find out if they think that the Illusionist is safely extractable,
The Elemental asked us to destroy the amulet we had found. It offered us a large and valuable lump of living crystal if we would do it. I equivocate by saying I did not know how to destroy True Earth, but it quickly, as easily as I would strip a willow switch, made a rock and a hard place that would smash the amulet (it would do nothing to the True Earth, but would destroy the magical pattern binding a spell). I quickly looked into astral space, and was unsurprised to learn that there was a binding between the amulet and the elemental. I suspected the amulet held the enchantment that holds the spirit bound. We declined to set the spirit free, and returned to Throal with the trinkets we had gathered. The crystal bear skin, the amulet, etc. A furrier gave us top coin for the skin, and the mining heirs were glad to have the control amulet and the maps and charts we had made.