The party regrouped after their encounter with the Rifters. Kit claimed a mysterious scroll that was attatched to the Drows belt, Cuervo examined a strange chain while noticing her skin markings, and Freeya stealthily looted gold from the Rifter corpses. A debate ensued about what to do with the body of the drow among the fallen. Mello and Kit scavenged jewelry from the drow but were unable to decipher the language of the scroll, which bore faint traces of Elvish.
Cuervo took to the skies to scout, observing no immediate Rifter activity and estimating the journey to the volcano to be a day’s travel. Freeya’s panther also searched for signs of Rifters, finding none. The group chose to burn the bodies before heading inland.
As they journeyed, they encountered a wide river of lava blocking their path. Kit suggested following the river for a narrower crossing point. Cuervo’s aerial scouting revealed a narrow five-foot stretch about an hour upstream. Freeya and her panther led the crossing, followed by the rest of the group, with Cuervo flying overhead. Once across, they made camp near the lava river.
Freeya spoke with Mello about crafting a harness to securely ride others in combat or travel. Meanwhile, Kit asked Blossom to watch over him during his meditation. His trance plunged him into a vision where a mysterious figure in the water, accompanied by a kraken, declared he now belonged to the sea and was invincible against his foes. The meditation ended with Kit coughing up water and seaweed, shaken by the realization that the pearl he took had sealed an unwitting pact. He shared his concerns with Blossom, who suggested seeking aid from her god, The Wellspring.
During their watch, Blossom and Kit overheard distant voices arguing about directions and escape. Kit woke the others as Blossom observed two men, dirty and unarmed, stumbling into view. Startled by the group's approach, the men—Ruthos and Stelton—revealed they were escaping a work camp controlled by Rifters. They described two camps om either side of the mountain with about 100 workers. Cuervo entrusted them with a sending stone to contact Captain Hal and sent them off with Mello’s blasting powder for signaling the ship.
On Freeya’s watch, she discovered a nest of sleeping giant salamanders near pools of lava and scouted a safer route to the volcano through the forest. She shared her findings with the group at dawn. Using comprehend languages, Freeya deciphered the scroll, gaining insight into its cryptic script. It was a decree for Links and they were to find the shards of the Star and return them to the Iron Chain.
Porthos and Mello, joined by Kit and Cuervo, approached the salamanders with a bold idea. Speaking to them, they promised a food source in exchange for guidance to the volcano. The salamanders—Steve and Buschemi—agreed, leaving one named Jerry to guard their eggs. Though Freeya was terrified by their hissing, Porthos and Mello communicated with the creatures, learning more about the island's dark history.
The salamanders explained that the lizard-folk, their ancient allies, were driven to extinction during the Second Age when exiled drow invaded the island. Though the drow themselves eventually died out, the arrival of humans two weeks ago had brought fresh destruction.
The group, guided by the salamanders, reached ancient ruins reminiscent of Aztec architecture. Freeya inspected the crumbling shrine's carvings, depicting lizard-folk living alongside salamanders, their tragic downfall at the hands of pointy-eared invaders, and their abandonment by a celestial figure marked with stars.
As the group pondered their next move, they asked the salamanders if they knew a way into the mountain. As the salamanders pondered the question, a voice from within the ruins spoke in Common:
"I do."
Comments
Post a Comment