The Sylvan Realm #14 (#58)

[GM Mad]

Sylvan Realm #14 (#58)

December 2nd, CR 571 or Deepnight 24th, 20,519 AP

The day comes to an end as the elves settle in for an evening's rest. Many spend the night on the Sunflower as it hovers next to a griffon landing area at Golden Peak at the top of the Mother Tree. Laucian and Andlin settle in the rooms around the Captain's Cabin. His animal companions join Laucian, onyx and his two cooshees.

One deck below there are six smaller staterooms that were used by the officers of the Sunflower. One of the rooms was decorated in a feminine style and Argent claimed that room. That room was one of two that had there doors bashed in as the scro couldn't gain entry. Myev took the stateroom directly across the hall from Argent's. Lilia arrives with her own cooshee, Lady, and selects one of the other three rooms that have their doors intact. Hours later, Kylie takes yet another room with Dapple, her own cooshee.

In the middle of the night those of you who are light sleepers will hear cries of anguish coming from Argent's room. She's had another nightmare about her long captivity and woke up screaming. Myev is by her side helping calm the Invoker. The rest of the night passes peacefully. The usual nightly rain shower is occurring at the same time.

The sun comes up the next morning and the leaves of the Mother Tree remain green. Alanik Feador, the High Keeper of the Mother Tree, had told you before that on the day the Rainbow Bridge will arrive the leafs of the Mother Tree will take on a rainbow hue. On the day it will appear, the Rainbow Bridge will arrive when the sun is at its highest in the sky. When asked, Alanik will reveal that the bridge will remain open, allowing travel both ways between the Sylvan Realm and the Elfholds, until sunset.

Argent makes breakfast for herself, Myev and anyone else who comes by.

Once Kylie is awake and has eaten, she and Lilia move the Sunflower down to the river that flows past the Mother Tree. The river is nearly half a mile wide in places and is swollen with water from last nights rain. A good place is spotted and Lilia lowers the ship into the water while Kylie flies the vessel. Once down, the anchor is dropped and the Sunflower is now secured on the river. The ship is less than a mile from the Mother Tree.

The Elfin Council convenes with the intent of electing new councilmen for Clan Red Arrow and Clan Long Runner, but there are no applicants. Without those positions filled, a Head of the Clan cannot be elected either. At an impasse for the time being, the Elfin Council adjourns for the day.

Down in the belly of the Sunflower, Kylie, Lia and Talen explore what lies beyond the metal door that Lia dispelled open yesterday. Beyond the door is a ten foot deep and twelve foot wide room. A large wooden desk dominates the center of the room. There is a door to the left and another behind the desk. There is a chest on either side of the door behind the desk.

Talen and Kylie move around the room looking for traps. There are more papers on the desk, but there in a language that no on here can read. Both Kylie and Talen discover a trap on the left hand chest. It is protected by a Glyph of Warding of some type. Neither half-elf can find a trap on the right hand chest.

Moving on to the doors, again both Kylie and Talen find a Glyph of Warding on the door to the left. That door is also locked. And again, they find no traps on the door behind the desk. It is locked as well.

The historian Elora Calauth makes use of her family heirloom, a pair of spectacles that changes foreign languages into something that she can read. However, sometimes the words do not have suitable translations, leaving the reader to try and figure out the meaning of the text.

Elora goes through the papers on the captain's desk and finds that the Sunflower is a vessel of the Talagran Trading Company. The Sunflower's home port is listed as Valoch, but the name is basically meaningless.

Griffon patrols fly around the Mother Tree on watch for any danger. Down on the ground, elves on foot aided by the Silver Maidens are also on guard. No threats are seen so far today.

[GM Mad]

GM Notes:

This should be enough to get things going. No Rainbow Bridge today.

How are you going to proceed in the secured rooms on the lower level of the Sunflower?

I've added the recap for yesterday to the Campaign History section.

Now what?

[Lilia]

Lilia:

Lilia is nearly awake when she can hear the commotion coming from Argent's room. Gathering her robe, Lilia goes out into the hallway to see what is going on. She spots Argent sobbing in the arms of Myev and can guess what happened. Not knowing Argent all that well, Lilia makes her way back to her room and starts to study/pray to replace the spells cast the day before.

Morning comes and once the sun starts to rise, Lilia goes out to see if the Rainbow Bridge will be coming today. Sadly, it is not. Perhaps tomorrow? Until the bridge does arrive, it seems that we are in a holding pattern.

Not long after that Kylie appears. As discussed the day before, we work together to bring the Sunflower down and land it in the river below the Mother Tree. This way we don't have to worry about controlling it or being too far away to control it.

“Have you figured out a way to get Argent home?” Lilia will ask Kylie when they have a moment. “I fear the help she needs she'll only find at home, among her family. Maybe Myev should accompany her. At the very least it might smooth things over here if they are away for a time.”

As agreed the day before, the Elfin Council convenes. Alas, very little is accomplished as no one seems to want to take the vacant seats. Lilia has to remind herself that everyone that came here are adventurers and not necessary politicians or even interested in politics. Without a full council a council leader cannot be elected either. Another holding pattern.

So instead, Lilia will wander around Golden Peak and meet and greet to those who are hear. She's sure that if something happens, someone will let her know about.

[Laucian]

Laucian

Waking up fairly early, Laucian stretches as he moves his feet to the floor feeling the wood beneath his feet. One of the cooshee moves slightly and puts it’s head on his lap. Its brown eyes looking up at him. Giving each cooshee and Onyx an affectionate pet, Laucian stand up stretches and dawns his armor.

Following the smell in the air, Laucian finds Myev and Argent eating breakfast. “Morning. What did you make? It smells delicious.”he says as he looks around the kitchen and stores for some nuts and dried fruit.

Soon enough Laucian feels the ship move and the sound of rushing water soon reaches his hears. Thanking Argent and Myev for the company, Laucian makes his way to the deck and sees indeed they are upon the water.

The Elfin Council convenes with the intent of electing new councilmen for Clan Red Arrow and Clan Long Runner, but there are no applicants. Without those positions filled, a Head of the Clan cannot be elected either. At an impasse for the time being, the Elfin Council adjourns for the day.

Laucian makes his way to the council meeting but alas nothing comes of it as some clans do not have members.

Later on, Laucian checks on Aura and the patrols. Today is a much needed day of rest. Nothing comes to pass as of yet and the rainbow bridge has yet to appear. Interested in the findings of the ship, Laucian makes his way back in the day to find Elora pouring over the countless papers.

“Where does the ship come from? And better yet who owns it? Did you come across the vessels cargo?” Laucian wonders.

[Lia]

Lia

Sleep comes easy enough to Lia as she lays down for the night. Morning comes much to quickly for her liking. She yawns and rubs her eyes, then pulls her hair back into a ponytail. She stretches then dawns her gear strapping her sword to her waist.

As she steps out of her room, Lia smells something that smells good. Following the smell, Lia finds Argent, Myev and Laucian. Lia Says her hellos and partakes in the food offered. Sitting at the table she is relatively quiet. “Have Kylie and Talen woken yet?”she asks everyone. “There is a room that we need to check out that I opened yesterday. “

When the two sleepy heads do come, Lia will be ready to go with them to the metal room door.

Talen and Kylie move around the room looking for traps. There are more papers on the desk, but there in a language that no on here can read. Both Kylie and Talen discover a trap on the left hand chest. It is protected by a Glyph of Warding of some type. Neither half-elf can find a trap on the right hand chest.

Moving on to the doors, again both Kylie and Talen find a Glyph of Warding on the door to the left. That door is also locked. And again, they find no traps on the door behind the desk. It is locked as well.

“Whats a glyph of Warding?” she asks curiously

[Kylie]

Kylie:

Dragging herself groggily out of bed, Kylie makes her way down to the galley with Dapple at her heels. There she finds Argent starting to fix some breakfast. "Good morning, Argent. I hope you slept better than I did," Kylie says, trying in vain to wipe the sleep from her eyes.

"Oh! I talked with Mom last night, and she knows Teleport. She's offered to take us back to Cynalon to visit our friends and families, if you're interested."

Once she and Dapple have eaten, Kylie meets up with Lilia, and they put together a plan to land the ship. It takes a bit of searching, but they manage to find a good place to land, though it is nearly a mile from the Mother Tree. Kylie and Lilia switch off duties, with Kylie piloting and Lilia managing their altitude, so that they each get experience with the other task. Afterwards, Lilia has to run off to a council meeting.

Returning below-decks, Kylie encounters Lia and Talen just coming out of the galley. "Hi Lia. Hi Talen," she says, trying to sound cheery despite how tired she feels. "Are you ready to explore the 'mystery room'?" If they agree, she will invite Argent and Myev to come along and help with the investigation if they're interested.

Soon they are exploring the previously-Wizard Locked room. Kylie asks Dapple to wait outside the room so that it doens't get too crowded. The room is of moderate size, and contains a desk and two chests. Surprisingly, there are also two doors out of the room. While Lia examines the desk, Kylie teams up with Talen to check each of the doors and chests for any kind of traps. They note some fine tracery, on both the left-hand door and chest.

"Have you seen these before, Talen?" she asks, just as Elora enters the room to join the investigation. "If I remember my training correctly, these are Glyphs of Warding. We should be careful with them."

“Whats a glyph of Warding?” she asks curiously.

Kylie is surprised by the question, seeing as Lia is a priestess. Perhaps she hasn't learned that particular spell yet. "As I understand it, it's a priestly spell that creates a magical trap on something that opens, such as a door as or a container. Rat taught me to be very careful around them as they can be quite dangerous. I believe they can be removed with Dispel Magic, but I haven't had a chance to memorize my spells yet this morning. Have either of you?" Kylie isn't really sure whether there is a priestly version of Dispel Magic or not, but Talen should be skilled enough to cast that spell if he happened to memorize it.

"Just to be safe, we should probably start with the door and chest that are not trapped. Talen, do you want to open the chest or the door?" Kylie will open whichever one he does not choose while Lia examines the Glyphs of Warding and Elora reviews the papers on the desk.

[Argent]

Argent:

Sleep does not come easy. After many weeks in the cold of the ruins of the Elder City, the sudden change to warmth and humidity comes as a shock. Then the horrible dreams that plague her arrive and that ends any serious attempt at sleep. The next thing Argent knows is that Myev is holding her, trying to help calm her down. At least this time I can understand what she is saying. After some time of comforting, Argent tries to go back to sleep with little success. When the light of day arrives, she just gets up instead of trying to sleep.

The mirror in the cabin shows the dark around her eyes from the crying. “Raccoon time again,” Argent notes as she dresses. Thankfully, having short hair makes tolerating these humid conditions a little easier to bear. Argent hits her books to replace her long missing spells.

Myev follows as Argent makes her way back to the galley. She finds something that looks like eggs and some kind of meat that smells okay. She makes fresh bread again and then has scrambled eggs with the meat.

Following the smell in the air, Laucian finds Myev and Argent eating breakfast. “Morning. What did you make? It smells delicious.”he says as he looks around the kitchen and stores for some nuts and dried fruit.

“Oh, just some scrambled eggs, bread and some kind of meat that I never seen before,” Argent answers. “It smelled okay, so I assumed that it was edible.”

As she steps out of her room, Lia smells something that smells good. Following the smell, Lia finds Argent, Myev and Laucian. Lia Says her hellos and partakes in the food offered. Sitting at the table she is relatively quiet. “Have Kylie and Talen woken yet?”she asks everyone. “There is a room that we need to check out that I opened yesterday. “

“Hi Lia,” Argent says in greeting. “I haven't seen them yet.”

Dragging herself groggily out of bed, Kylie makes her way down to the galley with Dapple at her heels. There she finds Argent starting to fix some breakfast. "Good morning, Argent. I hope you slept better than I did," Kylie says, trying in vain to wipe the sleep from her eyes.

“No, probably not,” Argent answers, not looking all that great herself. “I made plenty so dig in.”

“You have one of those things too?” Argent asks upon seeing yet another giant dog. It could be the same one as far as Argent knows. They do look alike! “I'm sure that it eats whatever it wants!”

"Oh! I talked with Mom last night, and she knows Teleport. She's offered to take us back to Cynalon to visit our friends and families, if you're interested."

“That's wonderful!” Argent announces her demeanor noticeably brightening. “When can we go? What arrival points does she have?”


Later on, Argent absentmindedly follows Kylie to the secured room down below. She keeps her distance from the others as she has no skill whatsoever at this sort of thing.

"Have you seen these before, Talen?" she asks, just as Elora enters the room to join the investigation. "If I remember my training correctly, these are Glyphs of Warding. We should be careful with them."

“Whats a glyph of Warding?” she asks curiously.

"As I understand it, it's a priestly spell that creates a magical trap on something that opens, such as a door as or a container. Rat taught me to be very careful around them as they can be quite dangerous. I believe they can be removed with Dispel Magic, but I haven't had a chance to memorize my spells yet this morning. Have either of you?"

“Yes, it's a magical trap,” Argent chimes in. “An Erase spell would also work, but I don't have one in memory. I do have a Dispel Magic. I can try it if you want.”

[Talen]

Talen:

Talen settles in on one of the steps leading to the upper deck of the Sunflower to finish his bread and stew. The bowl gets set aside when emptied and after Talen's eyes start to close. They suddenly open once more as he is startled awake upon realizing that its now pouring rain!

“Oh, man!”, Talen complains as he dashes to a dry place below decks. He makes his way back to the captain's cabin, passing Laucian and Andlin along the way. Seeing the bedroom vacant, Talen removes his wet garments and tries to dry himself off. After a time, he settles into the bed and gets a few hours of sleep.

Talen awakes the next morning to the inviting smell of food. Talen quickly dons his still damp clothes with the intent of making it down to the galley. He's not sure where that is, but figures he can just follow his nose.

Moving around the privacy screen, Talen is shocked to see a lady elf that he is unfamiliar with pouring over the papers on the desk! “Uhm, hi?”, Talen sheepishly offers as he quickly vacates the captain's cabin.

Successfully following his nose, Talen reaches the galley to find almost everyone else already there and eating. Talen quickly helps himself to some food before it is all gone.

“This is great!” Talen compliments. “And to think not that long ago I was starving for more human cooking!”

Returning below-decks, Kylie encounters Lia and Talen just coming out of the galley. "Hi Lia. Hi Talen," she says, trying to sound cheery despite how tired she feels. "Are you ready to explore the 'mystery room'?" If they agree, she will invite Argent and Myev to come along and help with the investigation if they're interested.

“No time like the present,” Talen easily answers.

Soon they are exploring the previously-Wizard Locked room. Kylie asks Dapple to wait outside the room so that it doesn't get too crowded. The room is of moderate size, and contains a desk and two chests. Surprisingly, there are also two doors out of the room. While Lia examines the desk, Kylie teams up with Talen to check each of the doors and chests for any kind of traps. They note some fine tracery, on both the left-hand door and chest.

"Have you seen these before, Talen?" she asks, just as Elora enters the room to join the investigation. "If I remember my training correctly, these are Glyphs of Warding. We should be careful with them."

“I've heard about them, but never seen one before,” Talen offers.

“Whats a Glyph of Warding?” she asks curiously.

"As I understand it, it's a priestly spell that creates a magical trap on something that opens, such as a door as or a container. Rat taught me to be very careful around them as they can be quite dangerous. I believe they can be removed with Dispel Magic, but I haven't had a chance to memorize my spells yet this morning. Have either of you?"

“Yes, it's a magical trap,” Argent chimes in.

"Just to be safe, we should probably start with the door and chest that are not trapped. Talen, do you want to open the chest or the door?" Kylie will open whichever one he does not choose while Lia examines the Glyphs of Warding and Elora reviews the papers on the desk.

“An Erase spell would also work, but I don't have one in memory. I do have a Dispel Magic. I can try it if you want.”

“I know Erase too, but I don't have one prepared,” Talen adds. “I don't know Dispel Magic. I guess I'm not a really good mage. But if Argent here has one ready, maybe we should let her cast it. It might take out the traps few found and perhaps others that we are not aware off. Say, can anyone Detect Magic? Would that not show magical traps like a glyph?”

[Kylie]

Kylie:

“No, probably not,” Argent answers, not looking all that great herself. “I made plenty so dig in.”

Kylie pauses to look at her friend, suddenly noticing the pain behind Argent's eyes. "I'm sorry; anything I can do to help?"

“You have one of those things too?” Argent asks upon seeing yet another giant dog. It could be the same one as far as Argent knows. They do look alike! “I'm sure that it eats whatever it wants!”

"Yes, this is Dapple. He adopted me a shortly after we arrived here." Kylie looks down at the cooshee and strokes along his flank. "Dapple, this is my friend Argent. Be nice to her."

“That's wonderful!” Argent announces her demeanor noticeably brightening. “When can we go? What arrival points does she have?”

"Uh, I don't really know," Kylie admits, embarrassed that she didn't think to ask that question. "She could probably make use of the book of teleport destinations that Sherwood gave me, though. One of the destinations in it is the Blushing Maiden Inn in Crossroads, so that would be pretty close to your home, right?"

“No time like the present,” Talen easily answers.

Kylie gives Talen a smile. Good to see that he is feeling better and is ready to explore the mysterious room.

“I've heard about them, but never seen one before,” Talen offers.

"You may want to take careful note of them, then, so that you'll recognize them in the future," Kylie says.

“Yes, it's a magical trap,” Argent chimes in. “An Erase spell would also work, but I don't have one in memory. I do have a Dispel Magic. I can try it if you want.”

“I know Erase too, but I don't have one prepared,” Talen adds. “I don't know Dispel Magic. I guess I'm not a really good mage. But if Argent here has one ready, maybe we should let her cast it. It might take out the traps few found and perhaps others that we are not aware off. Say, can anyone Detect Magic? Would that not show magical traps like a glyph?”

"Don't worry, Talen," Kylie says, placing her hand softly on his shoulder. "You'll learn and improve just like the rest of us.

"That's a good point, though, Talen. I was focused on mechanical traps and didn't consider magical ones" she admits. "I can Detect Magic without needing a spell, so why don't I do that first, and then you can try your Dispel Magic - okay, Argent? You should be able to get most of the room into the area of effect for the spell."

If everyone agrees to that approach, then Kylie will ask everyone to step into the hallway so that their magic items don't confuse her detection. She'll then activate her innate Detect Magic ability and search the room carefully. If there appear to be magical items in the desk or the non-trapped chest, she'll gently take them out and put them on top of the desk for further inspection. Kylie will also attempt to get a reading through each of the walls toward where she thinks the rooms that the other two doors lead into may be.

Once she's done, she'll exit the room to allow Argent to cast her Dispel Magic.

[GM Mad]

Small Update:

December 2nd, CR 571 or Deepnight 24th, 20,519 AP

Moving around the privacy screen, Talen is shocked to see a lady elf that he is unfamiliar with pouring over the papers on the desk! “Uhm, hi?”, Talen sheepishly offers as he quickly vacates the captain's cabin.

“Morning,” the lady elf responds without looking up. She is wearing elfin chain mail and her holy symbol dangles around her neck. It is in the shape of a setting sun. The woman has short black hair. “I wasn't disturbing you, was I?”

“Where does the ship come from? And better yet who owns it? Did you come across the vessels cargo?” Laucian wonders.

Elora looks up from her work as Laucian approaches. “Hello, Laucian,” Elora says in greeting. “According to these papers, the ships home is a place called Valoch and it is owned by the Talagran Trading Company. Ever hear of those places? The captain was under orders to acquire 'special cargo' when able, but I have no idea what this cargo was.”


Down below decks, the examination of the locked rooms continues. Everyone steps out and Kylie casts Detect Magic. She notes that there is magic on both chests in the room, where only a trap on one was noted before. It is invocation magic. The door between the chests has no magic on it. The other door has invocation magic and alteration magic upon.

Now what?

[Argent]

Argent:

Kylie pauses to look at her friend, suddenly noticing the pain behind Argent's eyes. "I'm sorry; anything I can do to help?"

“Apart from getting me home,” Argent answers, “no, probably not much.”

"Yes, this is Dapple. He adopted me a shortly after we arrived here." Kylie looks down at the cooshee and strokes along his flank. "Dapple, this is my friend Argent. Be nice to her."

Argent smiles as she sees Dapple look back to Kylie and than at herself. It's as if the dog understood what she was saying. “He suits you,” Argent says.

"Uh, I don't really know," Kylie admits, embarrassed that she didn't think to ask that question. "She could probably make use of the book of teleport destinations that Sherwood gave me, though. One of the destinations in it is the Blushing Maiden Inn in Crossroads, so that would be pretty close to your home, right?"

“Yes it is,” Argent answers. “I've been to the Blushing Maiden before and the Inn is on the other side of town from home. I probably should report my findings to Lord Sharadin. So Karn's Keep is a fine choice too. Then I can go home.”

Down below decks, the examination of the locked rooms continues. Everyone steps out and Kylie casts Detect Magic. She notes that there is magic on both chests in the room, where only a trap on one was noted before. It is invocation magic. The door between the chests has no magic on it. The other door has invocation magic and alteration magic upon.

“The Glyphs are probably the invocation magic,” Argent surmises. “Damaging spells. Given that the outside door was Wizard Locked, that's probably the Alteration magic. Everyone stay back and I'll cast Dispel Magic. Then Kylie can check for magic again to make sure I got everything.”

[Lia]

Lia

“This is great!” Talen compliments. “And to think not that long ago I was starving for more human cooking!”

Shaking her head at her brother, Lia cant help but chuckle and say,"Your usually starving for any food."

Returning below-decks, Kylie encounters Lia and Talen just coming out of the galley. "Hi Lia. Hi Talen," she says, trying to sound cheery despite how tired she feels. "Are you ready to explore the 'mystery room'?" If they agree, she will invite Argent and Myev to come along and help with the investigation if they're interested.

"Morning. I am." she says as Myev and Argent are invited along
One at the room the others check for traps and find a glyph of Warding.
Lia does not recall what they do is glad she did not open anything and suffer for it. Lia will put the papers into a pile so they are easy to transport to Elora.
Lia steps back as she casts Dispel Magic as she is doing so, "I can dispel magic as well if it is needed."


Argent and Kylie:
“Yes it is,” Argent answers. “I've been to the Blushing Maiden before and the Inn is on the other side of town from home. I probably should report my findings to Lord Sharadin. So Karn's Keep is a fine choice too. Then I can go home.”
"Why not wait for the rainbow bridge and return to the elfholds? I am sure Lilia could grant you passage to there.

[Laucian]

Laucian

Elora looks up from her work as Laucian approaches. “Hello, Laucian,” Elora says in greeting. “According to these papers, the ships home is a place called Valoch and it is owned by the Talagran Trading Company. Ever hear of those places? The captain was under orders to acquire 'special cargo' when able, but I have no idea what this cargo was.”

"No, but given what the scro are from, they are not of this world. We will have to find the cargo manifest and check this ship through out." Laucian thinks to himself, magic items, gold, jewelry....dare to think. "If this ship could travel to other worlds, perhaps its special cargo could be things unique to the land or people it comes across? Even people themselves."

[Kylie]

Kylie:

“Apart from getting me home,” Argent answers, “no, probably not much.”

Having no good words to ease her friend's heart, Kylie gives her a warm hug instead.

Argent smiles as she sees Dapple look back to Kylie and than at herself. It's as if the dog understood what she was saying. “He suits you,” Argent says.

"Yeah, he does," Kylie says with a smile. Looking down at Dapple, she scratches behind his ear for a moment. "See? She likes you too."

“Yes it is,” Argent answers. “I've been to the Blushing Maiden before and the Inn is on the other side of town from home. I probably should report my findings to Lord Sharadin. So Karn's Keep is a fine choice too. Then I can go home.”

"That's in the book as well," Kylie says. "It would be nice if Mom got to meet the rest of the 'family'."

"Why not wait for the rainbow bridge and return to the elfholds? I am sure Lilia could grant you passage to there.

Kylie nods. "That is a possibility as well, though it wouldn't get us that close to where we're going, or give us much control of the timing or destination - especially since we don't even know when it is going to open. Since my Mom knows Teleport, that seems more convenient."

As she finds the different traces of magic, Kylie points them all out to the others as she goes.

“The Glyphs are probably the invocation magic,” Argent surmises. “Damaging spells. Given that the outside door was Wizard Locked, that's probably the Alteration magic. Everyone stay back and I'll cast Dispel Magic. Then Kylie can check for magic again to make sure I got everything.”

"Makes sense," Kylie says with a nod. She slips out into the hallway to give Argent room to cast her spell.

Lia steps back as she casts Dispel Magic as she is doing so, "I can dispel magic as well if it is needed."

That's good to know, Lia," Kylie says to the dark elf. "That may be needed if Argent isn't able to Dispel everything."

[GM Mad]

Small Update:

December 2nd, CR 571 or Deepnight 24th, 20,519 AP

"No, but given where the scro are from, they are not of this world. We will have to find the cargo manifest and check this ship through out." Laucian thinks to himself, magic items, gold, jewelry....dare to think. "If this ship could travel to other worlds, perhaps its special cargo could be things unique to the land or people it comes across? Even people themselves."

“Slavers?” Elora wonders. “That could be the 'special cargo'. This is the captain's desk, so the papers here mainly focus on deals and destinations. We'll need to find the quartermaster's office to get into cargo specifics. Any idea where that is?”


Several decks below, Kylie, Lia, Talen and Argent are exploring the room behind the locked metal door. Traps and magic were detected on the doors and chests. Argent offers to try and dispel the magic while everyone else moves out of range of the spell. The spell is cast and Kylie comes back in to check for magic once again.

Argent's spell met with only minimal success. The alteration magic on the left hand door is now gone, but all the invocation magic remains. So there are still glyphs on both chests and the left hand door. No traps or magic were found on the door between the chests, but it is locked.

Now what?

[Kylie]

Kylie:

Kylie will inform the others of the results of Argent's attempt to Dispel Magic. Since she's already in the room after her second Detect Magic, and there are no traps or spells on the door between the chests, she will attempt to pick the lock. Perhaps there is a key or something that will help with the Glyphs...

[GM Mad]

Another Small Update:

Seeing that no traps or magic were noted on the door between the chests, Kylie breaks out her tools to pick the lock. Her skill is more than equal to the task and the lock opens with a satisfying click.

The door is pushed open and the room beyond fills out the back of the ship. The chamber is nearly twenty feet wide and deep, but narrows due to the curve of the ship. The room is currently vacant of people or furniture, but its apparent use is crystal clear.

Numerous chains and manacles hang on pegs on the wall. Numerous iron rings are set into the floor that have chains and manacles attached to them. This room was used to store prisoners or perhaps even slaves!

Now what?

[Argent]

Argent:

Having no good words to ease her friend's heart, Kylie gives her a warm hug instead.

Argent returns the hug. Sometimes words are just not needed.

"That's in the book as well," Kylie says. "It would be nice if Mom got to meet the rest of the 'family'."

“What book is this,” Argent wonders.

"Why not wait for the rainbow bridge and return to the Elfholds? I am sure Lilia could grant you passage to there.

Kylie nods. "That is a possibility as well, though it wouldn't get us that close to where we're going, or give us much control of the timing or destination - especially since we don't even know when it is going to open. Since my Mom knows Teleport, that seems more convenient."

“Besides,” Argent adds, “everyone knows that elves don't allow humans into their lands.”

Argent's spell met with only minimal success. The alteration magic on the left hand door is now gone, but all the invocation magic remains. So there are still glyphs on both chests and the left hand door. No traps or magic were found on the door between the chests, but it is locked.

“Wow, that was very ineffective,” Argent notes. “Those spells must have been cast by powerful people.”

Having not much else to do and clearly of no help here, Argent will step away and return to her temporary quarters. She'll start to put up her belongings for the trip to come.

[Talen]

Talen:

"You may want to take careful note of them, then, so that you'll recognize them in the future," Kylie says.

“I will,” Talen vows.

"Don't worry, Talen," Kylie says, placing her hand softly on his shoulder. "You'll learn and improve just like the rest of us.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Talen says but he doesn't give off the impression that he believes it.

"That's a good point, though, Talen. I was focused on mechanical traps and didn't consider magical ones" she admits. "I can Detect Magic without needing a spell, so why don't I do that first, and then you can try your Dispel Magic- okay, Argent? You should be able to get most of the room into the area of effect for the spell."

Talen is pleased that his suggestion had some merit. The spell is cast and several traps that where missed are now discovered!

“Wow, we missed quite a few of these,” Talen notes.

Argent attempts to dispel the magical traps, but only gets one removed.

“I can memorize Erase tomorrow to get rid of those glyphs,” Talen offers. “Assuming that we don't want to intentionally trigger those traps.”

[Kylie]

Kylie:

“What book is this,” Argent wonders.

Kylie winces, realizing that she hadn't told her friend about it. "Before he left, Sherwood gave me a book of Teleport destinations. He said that someone who was able to use that spell, would be able to use the information in it to teleport to the specific described locations. I'm not familiar with all of the locations it describes, but both the Blushing Maiden Inn and Karn's Keep are included - as are the Salavarian Estate near Elcadan and an inn in Pyris." Kylie pauses as a thought occurs to her. "I should probably see if my mom recognizes any of the other destinations..."

“Besides,” Argent adds, “everyone knows that elves don't allow humans into their lands.”

Kylie nods with a bit of a sour expression on her face. 'I should talk with Lilia about trying to get them to open up a bit,' she thinks to herself.

“Yeah, I guess,” Talen says but he doesn't give off the impression that he believes it.

"It's not a guess, Talen, I know," Kylie states emphatically, giving his arm a squeeze. "You have as much capacity to learn as any of us. Believe in yourself and keep striving to improve, and you will."
___

“Wow, we missed quite a few of these,” Talen notes.

"We were too focused on mechanical traps and missed some magical ones as a result," Kylie says evenly. "I should have done this sooner, so that's my fault."

“Wow, that was very ineffective,” Argent notes. “Those spells must have been cast by powerful people.”

"If Lia has no better luck, we may need to see if Lilia or my mother are willing to give it a try," Kylie says. "Or I could give it a shot once I've had a chance to spend some time with my spell-books."

“I can memorize Erase tomorrow to get rid of those glyphs,” Talen offers. “Assuming that we don't want to intentionally trigger those traps.”

"Ah, I had forgotten about Erase, as I rarely use it," Kylie says. "Thank you for reminding me, Talen. That should be very effective on the Glyphs." Kylie begins making a mental list of spells to memorize when she gets the time.
___

The lock on the door pops gives way beneath Kylie's skillful fingers. Opening the door and stepping inside, it quickly becomes apparent what the room was used for. Returning to the hall, she addresses the others. "I opened the door that was not trapped. The room behind was used for transporting prisoners or slaves. Either way, the original owners were not nice people."

"Okay, Lia, I guess it's your turn if you want to give your Dispel Magic a try," Kylie says.

[Lia]

Lia

“Besides,” Argent adds, “everyone knows that elves don't allow humans into their lands.”

“I hadn’t thought of that. But there is no harm in asking Lilia her thoughts. They may surprise you.” She says evenly though aware that the teleport spell maybe easier.

“Wow, that was very ineffective,” Argent notes. “Those spells must have been cast by powerful people.”

“Well, I was able to remove the magic upon the door. Perhaps, I will have the same luck on the glyphs?”

The lock on the door pops gives way beneath Kylie's skillful fingers. Opening the door and stepping inside, it quickly becomes apparent what the room was used for. Returning to the hall, she addresses the others. "I opened the door that was not trapped. The room behind was used for transporting prisoners or slaves. Either way, the original owners were not nice people."

"Okay, Lia, I guess it's your turn if you want to give your Dispel Magic a try," Kylie says.

Lia listens as Kylie tells of the ship being used to transport. In particular slaves or prisoners. “What if they come here?” she asks looking to Kylie, Talen, Myev and Argent.
Lia nods and steps forward, She will cast Dispel Magic as Argent did.

[Laucian]

Laucian

“Slavers?” Elora wonders. “That could be the 'special cargo'. This is the captain's desk, so the papers here mainly focus on deals and destinations. We'll need to find the quartermaster's office to get into cargo specifics. Any idea where that is?”

“It is not hard to imagine albeit a sad notion to behold.” He says back to Elora. “Lilia will need to know this. No Slaver will set foot in the Slyvian realm.” He icily says. “I think I may have an idea. There was a metal door with weapons about it. If you were keeping something of value I would put it there.”
“Care to go for a walk?”
Laucian will make his way to where he saw the Metal door.

[GM Mad]

Post Continued:

Lia steps up and casts Dispel Magic in an attempt to remove the magical traps from the two chests and the one door in the room behind the iron door. After her casting, Kylie comes back in to check for magic before her ability runs out. Much to her surprise, all the glyphs seem to have been dispelled! No magic is detected where there had been before.

The two chests are opened up without incident. One is filled with silver coins of unknown origin. The other chest is filled with electrum pieces. Given how large these chests are, there must be thousands of each coin! Nothing else is noted in either chest from a casual look.

The door is easily opened and inside is a chamber about the same size as the room with the desk. Four more chests are in this room and each has a padlock on it.


Several decks up, Laucian is speaking with Elora...

“It is not hard to imagine albeit a sad notion to behold.” He says back to Elora. “Lilia will need to know this. No Slaver will set foot in the Sylvan Realm.” He icily says. “I think I may have an idea. There was a metal door with weapons about it. If you were keeping something of value I would put it there.”

“Care to go for a walk?”

“Uhm, Sure,” Elora answers. She stores her reading spectacles away in a case and slides them into a pocket for protection. “Lead the way.”

“So, Laucian, tell me about yourself, “ Elora asks along the way. “How did you become involved in the mission to save the Mother Tree? I wish to record this for posterity.”

Before long the pair reach the iron door in the belly of the Sunflower. They arrive not long after the chests and the door had been opened. Elora looks at the papers on the table.

“This was the office of the Paymaster,” Elora states having put her reading glasses on once more. “There are records of crew payments and other finical matters. Oh, and the special cargo was stored here. It says here that the current going rate for the special cargo is 25,000 gold!”


Now what?

[Laucian]

Laucian

“So, Laucian, tell me about yourself, “ Elora asks along the way. “How did you become involved in the mission to save the Mother Tree? I wish to record this for posterity.”

“Me? What did you want to know?”he asks as he looks back at Elora. “I was an orphan raised by the temple of Ehlonna after my mother died and my father disappeared. I was recruited by Sherwood Elf friend to help with a quest where I worked with the Baron’s son of Pyris.”

“Lilia found me when our adventuring bands were located in the same area, I believe it was Karn’s Keep, though I could be mistaken. She told me of a vision she and others had of saving the elfin way of live. That the Mother tree was dying and needed to be freed from that of an evil mage.”

“After hearing her words, I said my goodbyes to Lord Validar and companions. His hand absently goes to his neck where his mother’s necklace used to reside, now with Lyonessa. He quietly thinks of her for a moment but dismisses it. She could have came if she wished yet she stayed with Validar which he could not blame her.

“We fought many beasts and men to free the medallions that freed the Mother tree. Mookroft planted his evil seed deep. Even enlisting a black dragon to his followers, but we prevailed with the help of our allies. Now the elves are back freed from their rainbow prison.

I can go deeper into detail if you wish but I was never one for story telling. What did you do before the elders sought you to liberate the Mother tree?

“This was the office of the Paymaster,” Elora states having put her reading glasses on once more. “There are records of crew payments and other finical matters. Oh, and the special cargo was stored here. It says here that the current going rate for the special cargo is 25,000 gold!”

“Hi guys,” he says to the others as he watches Elora. “Find anything interesting? So they were collectors of sorts!” he says to the others and Elora. “Has anyone seen any other offices? We are looking for the quartermaster’s room.

[Kylie]

Kylie:

“Well, I was able to remove the magic upon the door. Perhaps, I will have the same luck on the glyphs?”

"I hope so," Kylie says. "Give it a try."

Lia listens as Kylie tells of the ship being used to transport. In particular slaves or prisoners. “What if they come here?” she asks looking to Kylie, Talen, Myev and Argent.

Kylie purses her lips as she considers. "Seems unlikely, unless they have some way to track it. If they do, I guess we'll deal with that when it occurs," Kylie concludes with a shrug.

Lia steps inside as the others file out into the hall, then casts her spell. Kylie rushes back in, knowing that her ability to Detect Magic is quickly running out. Turning this way and that, she can find no magical emanations at all!

"That worked great, Lia!" Kylie exclaims happily. "You got them all! I guess it's time to see what other secrets they had."

Both chests are opened, revealing that they are stuffed full of silver and electrum coins, respectively. Kylie whistles appreciatively. "That's a lot of money." A slightly larcenous grin spreads across her young face.

The remaining door is opened; beyond is a small room with four large chests. Each chest has a solid padlock holding it closed. Kylie moves to one of them and begins searching it for any sign of traps - magical or mundane.

Kylie looks up at the sound of others entering. She sees that Laucian has arrived, and Elora is with him. "Hi Laucian. Hi Elora," she says in greeting.

“This was the office of the Paymaster,” Elora states having put her reading glasses on once more. “There are records of crew payments and other finacial matters. Oh, and the special cargo was stored here. It says here that the current going rate for the special cargo is 25,000 gold!”

"Special cargo," Kylie says, spitting the words out in distaste, "is that what they called it? Check out the room beyond the other door," she says, gesturing toward the door between the two open chests.

“Hi guys,” he says to the others as he watches Elora. “Find anything interesting? So they were collectors of sorts!” he says to the others and Elora. “Has anyone seen any other offices? We are looking for the quartermaster’s room.

Kylie pauses to think back to when they originally searched the ship. It is a fairly large ship, and she wasn't clear on the purpose of all the rooms. "I remember seeing some rooms right above where we are now that seemed to be filled with various supplies. Perhaps that is what you're looking for?"

Kylie continues to search the chests one at a time for traps, trading off as needed with others who are doing the same.

[Lia]

Lia

Kylie purses her lips as she considers. "Seems unlikely, unless they have some way to track it. If they do, I guess we'll deal with that when it occurs," Kylie concludes with a shrug.

“I think we will need to tell Lilia and the council.

Lia steps up and casts Dispel Magic in an attempt to remove the magical traps from the two chests and the one door in the room behind the iron door. After her casting, Kylie comes back in to check for magic before her ability runs out. Much to her surprise, all the glyphs seem to have been dispelled! No magic is detected where there had been before.

The two chests are opened up without incident. One is filled with silver coins of unknown origin. The other chest is filled with electrum pieces. Given how large these chests are, there must be thousands of each coin! Nothing else is noted in either chest from a casual look.

Lia recites the words of power to her Dispel Magic and directs it into the room. She watches eagerly as Kylie rushes forward and checks if her spell worked. And indeed it did!

Both chests are opened, revealing that they are stuffed full of silver and electrum coins, respectively. Kylie whistles appreciatively. "That's a lot of money." A slightly larcenous grin spreads across her young face.

The remaining door is opened; beyond is a small room with four large chests. Each chest has a solid padlock holding it closed. Kylie moves to one of them and begins searching it for any sign of traps - magical or mundane.

Lia let’s out a small whistle as she sees the sight of the silver and electrum before her. She walks over quietly and takes a few coins of both material looking at the images, if there is any. “This is blood money.” She states evenly realizing how the ship probably acquired it. And slowly drops it in the chests and moves to the room that Kylie now resides. As she sees Kylie checks for traps, Lia then moves up with her picks and attempts to unlock one.

“ Hi Laucian. Elora.” she nods hello to the elf. “They sell people or creatures…. That is despicable. “ she says to Laucian and Elora.

[Talen]

Talen:

"It's not a guess, Talen, I know," Kylie states emphatically, giving his arm a squeeze. "You have as much capacity to learn as any of us. Believe in yourself and keep striving to improve, and you will."

“Thanks,” Talen mutters appreciatively. “I guess I needed that.”

"We were too focused on mechanical traps and missed some magical ones as a result," Kylie says evenly. "I should have done this sooner, so that's my fault."

“We can spot magical traps without using magic,” Talen notes. “After all, we did find a few of those glyphs that way. Just not all of them.”

"Ah, I had forgotten about Erase, as I rarely use it," Kylie says. "Thank you for reminding me, Talen. That should be very effective on the Glyphs." Kylie begins making a mental list of spells to memorize when she gets the time.

“It'll make short work of them,” Talen adds.

Kylie purses her lips as she considers. "Seems unlikely, unless they have some way to track it. If they do, I guess we'll deal with that when it occurs," Kylie concludes with a shrug.

“I think we will need to tell Lilia and the council.”

“I agree that we need to tell the others,” Talen states. “If I lost something this grand, I'd try to get it back too.”

"That worked great, Lia!" Kylie exclaims happily. "You got them all! I guess it's time to see what other secrets they had."

“Good job, sis,” Talen says excitedly.

Both chests are opened, revealing that they are stuffed full of silver and electrum coins, respectively. Kylie whistles appreciatively. "That's a lot of money." A slightly larcenous grin spreads across her young face.

Lia let’s out a small whistle as she sees the sight of the silver and electrum before her. She walks over quietly and takes a few coins of both material looking at the images, if there is any. “This is blood money.” She states evenly realizing how the ship probably acquired it. And slowly drops it in the chests and moves to the room that Kylie now resides. As she sees Kylie checks for traps, Lia then moves up with her picks and attempts to unlock one.

“Regardless how those coins were acquired,” Talen suggests, “they can now be put to a good use. Maybe if the elves don't need it, we can use it to get stuff for our town.”

Laucian and the elf Talen spotted earlier this morning in the Captain's Cabin enter the room. She says that this is the Paymaster's Office and that the special cargo was stored here.

"Special cargo," Kylie says, spitting the words out in distaste, "is that what they called it? Check out the room beyond the other door," she says, gesturing toward the door between the two open chests.

“Hi Laucian. Elora.” she nods hello to the elf. “They sell people or creatures…. That is despicable. “ she says to Laucian and Elora.

“Yeah, the people who used to have this ship were slavers,” Talen notes. “They made money off the misery of others.”

Talen will stand back and let the girls play with the locks for now. If they can't get one open, Talen will try his luck.

[Argent]

Argent:

Kylie winces, realizing that she hadn't told her friend about it. "Before he left, Sherwood gave me a book of Teleport destinations. He said that someone who was able to use that spell, would be able to use the information in it to teleport to the specific described locations. I'm not familiar with all of the locations it describes, but both the Blushing Maiden Inn and Karn's Keep are included - as are the Salvadorian Estate near Elcadan and an inn in Pyris." Kylie pauses as a thought occurs to her. "I should probably see if my mom recognizes any of the other destinations..."

“That's handy,” Argent agrees. “Learning a teleport spell seems so far away to me. I can't imagine wielding spells that powerful yet. Of course I said the same thing about Fireballs and Lightning Bolts at one time too.”

“I hadn’t thought of that. But there is no harm in asking Lilia her thoughts. They may surprise you.” She says evenly though aware that the teleport spell maybe easier.

“I'm not sure that it would matter,” Argent counters. “As I understand it, Lilia is the Queen of the Sylvan Realm, not the Elfholds. But what do I know? Elves have a complicated system of rulership.”

"If Lia has no better luck, we may need to see if Lilia or my mother are willing to give it a try," Kylie says. "Or I could give it a shot once I've had a chance to spend some time with my spell-books."

“Well, I was able to remove the magic upon the door. Perhaps, I will have the same luck on the glyphs?”

“Maybe,” Argent adds.

Lia listens as Kylie tells of the ship being used to transport. In particular slaves or prisoners. “What if they come here?” she asks looking to Kylie, Talen, Myev and Argent.

Kylie purses her lips as she considers. "Seems unlikely, unless they have some way to track it. If they do, I guess we'll deal with that when it occurs," Kylie concludes with a shrug.

“I believe the stateroom I stayed in last night belonged to a female mage,” Argent states. “If she is powerful enough to cast Teleport, then her appearing in her own quarters that she's very familiar with wouldn't be a problem. It wouldn't be any harder than those pictures Sherwood gave you for arrival points.”

Argent departs before Laucian and another lady elf unknown to the Invoker arrives.

[GM Mad]

Post Continued:


Laucian and Elora walk to the lowest level of the Sunflower.

“Me? What did you want to know?” he asks as he looks back at Elora. “I was an orphan raised by the temple of Ehlonna after my mother died and my father disappeared. I was recruited by Sherwood Elf friend to help with a quest where I worked with the Baron’s son of Pyris.”

“Yes, you,” Elora teases. “Laucian, whether you realize it or not, you helped save the Mother Tree, the cornerstone of our culture and civilization. It is a very big deal. Other elves are going to want to know about you and those with you. Your exploits are going to be preserved for posterity!”

“Lilia found me when our adventuring bands were located in the same area, I believe it was Karn’s Keep, though I could be mistaken. She told me of a vision she and others had of saving the elfin way of live. That the Mother tree was dying and needed to be freed from that of an evil mage.”

“Uh-huh,” Elora says as she tries to walk and take notes at the same time.

(Actually it was in the Duke's Fortress in Corunglain where Lilia recruited Laucian.)

“After hearing her words, I said my goodbyes to Lord Validar and companions.”

His hand absently goes to his neck where his mother’s necklace used to reside, now with Lyonessa. He quietly thinks of her for a moment but dismisses it. She could have came if she wished yet she stayed with Validar which he could not blame her.

“We fought many beasts and men to free the medallions that freed the Mother tree. Moorkroft planted his evil seed deep. Even enlisting a black dragon to his followers, but we prevailed with the help of our allies. Now the elves are back freed from their rainbow prison.”

“I can go deeper into detail if you wish but I was never one for story telling. What did you do before the elders sought you to liberate the Mother tree?”

“I would love to go into deeper details with you and all your companions about your mission,” Elora states. “But I need a place where I can make notes properly Another time then.”

“As for myself, Elora continues, “I was picked to go on the fourth mission to save the Mother Tree. I am of Clan Mealidil where we prize the recording of our history and culture for future generations. I also serve Labelas Enoreth the elfin patron of history among other things. I was chosen for my skills and my ability to record such a historic event. While it seems that I will not participate in the restoration of the Mother Tree, I can now record the history of those who did. With the revitalization of the Sylvan Realm, history is being made here, right now. I wish to put that into writing for our future generations. This is a very exciting time!”


By now the pair has reached the Paymaster's Office where Kylie, Lia and Talen are working to remove the locks and protections that secure the chests in the vault. A forth Spell Engine is present, but there is no flame in it right now suggesting that it is a spare.

Kylie works on examining each lock on the four chests for traps. She finds a tiny needle coated with some substance on the third chest.

Meanwhile Elora goes over the papers on and in the Paymaster's desk. There is talk that the 'special cargo' are slaves judging by the chains and manacles in the other locked room.

“Oh my!” Elora calls out in surprise and alarm. “It's even worse then you can imagine! Not only did those who owned this vessel capture and sell slaves, they specifically targeted elves!”

[GM Mad]

GM Notes:

I forgot to mention the 4th Spell Engine in the last post. It's powered down and basically serves as a spare should one of the other three need to be replaced. It is not secured to the deck like the other three are.

At this point Kylie only checked for traps on the four chests. No attempts at picking the locks has been tried yet. Lia does not have the ability to pick locks.

Now what?

[Kylie]

Kylie:

“That's handy,” Argent agrees. “Learning a teleport spell seems so far away to me. I can't imagine wielding spells that powerful yet. Of course I said the same thing about Fireballs and Lightning Bolts at one time too.”

"Funny how the horizon never seems to get any closer, no matter how long you walk toward it," Kylie replies with a chuckle. "Doesn't mean you're not making progress, though."

“We can spot magical traps without using magic,” Talen notes. “After all, we did find a few of those glyphs that way. Just not all of them.”

"True," Kylie says with a nod, "though this is more accurate and reliable."

“I think we will need to tell Lilia and the council."

“I agree that we need to tell the others,” Talen states. “If I lost something this grand, I'd try to get it back too.”

"I can't argue with that," Kylie replies.

“I believe the stateroom I stayed in last night belonged to a female mage,” Argent states. “If she is powerful enough to cast Teleport, then her appearing in her own quarters that she's very familiar with wouldn't be a problem. It wouldn't be any harder than those pictures Sherwood gave you for arrival points.”

"That's a good point, Argent. I hadn't considered that possibility." Kylie is somewhat embarrassed that she hadn't thought of that. Of course, it assumes that the lady mage is skilled enough to cast a spell of that complexity, but they cannot afford to rule it out without knowing for sure.

“Regardless how those coins were acquired,” Talen suggests, “they can now be put to a good use. Maybe if the elves don't need it, we can use it to get stuff for our town.”

"I was having a similar thought myself, Talen," Kylie says. "We can figure those things out once we're sure the ship has been thoroughly cleared."

Kylie puzzles over the Spell Engine sitting in the room with the four chests. It isn't bolted down, and doesn't have a flame, so it cannot really be used in it's current state. Which means... it must be a spare! These people really did think of everything. Alternatively, it might also be cargo. No doubt these things bring a high price when sold. The idea of a small personal air-ship flitters through Kylie's imagination.

“ Hi Laucian. Elora.” she nods hello to the elf. “They sell people or creatures…. That is despicable. “ she says to Laucian and Elora.

“Yeah, the people who used to have this ship were slavers,” Talen notes. “They made money off the misery of others.”

“Oh my!” Elora calls out in surprise and alarm. “It's even worse then you can imagine! Not only did those who owned this vessel capture and sell slaves, they specifically targeted elves!”

Kylie groans at this latest news. "Elves? Which implies that there is a higher demand for elves than for other races wherever they do their business. We'll definitely need to let Lilia know about this."

Kylie spots a needle trap on the third chest she comes to. "Trap here," she says to no one in particular - a habit she picked up during her training with Rat. She then notes Talen standing off to the side. "Talen, can you double-check these other chests to make sure I didn't miss any traps? I just found a nasty one, and I want to make sure there aren't any others." With that, she turns her attention back to the chest before her. Working carefully, she tries to disarm the trap so that no one will be hurt when they open it.

[Talen]

Talen:

"True," Kylie says with a nod, "though this is more accurate and reliable."

“I'm an idiot,” Talen states out of the blue. “I forgot about those innate abilities the Mother Tree gave me. I can cast Detect Magic too.”

Kylie groans at this latest news. "Elves? Which implies that there is a higher demand for elves than for other races wherever they do their business. We'll definitely need to let Lilia know about this."

“Oh great,” Talen laments. “Those scro stole a ship from people who capture elfin slaves? Given our luck, they are definitely coming to find their ship now!”

Kylie spots a needle trap on the third chest she comes to. "Trap here," she says to no one in particular - a habit she picked up during her training with Rat. She then notes Talen standing off to the side. "Talen, can you double-check these other chests to make sure I didn't miss any traps? I just found a nasty one, and I want to make sure there aren't any others." With that, she turns her attention back to the chest before her. Working carefully, she tries to disarm the trap so that no one will be hurt when they open it.

“Uhm, yeah, sure thing,” Talen says. He had been simply trying to be out of the way. Talen will examine the other three chests to see if they are trap or not.

“I do have a Knock spell in memory,” Talen adds while he works. “It should open all these locks and bypass that trap you found.”

[GM Mad]

Tiny Update:

Talen finds that each of the other three chests are also trapped! Kylie is unable to remove the trap she found.

Now what?

[Kylie]

Kylie:

“I'm an idiot,” Talen states out of the blue. “I forgot about those innate abilities the Mother Tree gave me. I can cast Detect Magic too.”

Kylie's face brightens considerably. "That's great, Talen! I only have one use left of mine, and we may need more before we're done here."

“Oh great,” Talen laments. “Those scro stole a ship from people who capture elfin slaves? Given our luck, they are definitely coming to find their ship now!”

Kylie nods in agreement. The likelihood of these slavers appearing seems to be growing by the second...

Talen sets to work on the other chests, as Kylie fiddles with the one that she found a trap on. Try as she might, she cannot seem to disarm this blasted thing. She turns to see how Talen is faring, only to learn that he has found traps on all three of the other chests!

"Augh!" she exclaims in frustration. "I only found one of four traps, and I cannot even pick this one! My skills have really deteriorated. I used to be pretty good at this stuff. I need to practice more; been relying on magic too much lately."

“I do have a Knock spell in memory,” Talen adds while he works. “It should open all these locks and bypass that trap you found.”

Kylie's frustration wanes dramatically. "Talen to the rescue again! I don't recall anything about it bypassing traps, but I'm pretty sure you don't have to be in sight of the area of the spell. I think we can just close the door and let the traps go off when you cast the spell.

"Okay, how about this? I'll cast my last use of Detect Magic to make sure there are no spell traps that we missed. Then, we'll close the door and step out into the hall so that you can cast your Knock safely. Okay?"
________________________________________________________
Wow, Kylie's really been rolling poorly lately! Which is kind of appropriate, since I frequently roll badly in FtF games.

[Laucian]

Laucian

“I would love to go into deeper details with you and all your companions about your mission,” Elora states. “But I need a place where I can make notes properly. Another time then.”

“I look forward to it.”he says with an easiness. “I must admit, I did not think much of retelling our tale, but I can see the value now not only to us but our way of life.”

“As for myself, Elora continues, “I was picked to go on the fourth mission to save the Mother Tree. I am of Clan Mealidil where we prize the recording of our history and culture for future generations. I also serve Labelas Enoreth the elfin patron of history among other things. I was chosen for my skills and my ability to record such a historic event. While it seems that I will not participate in the restoration of the Mother Tree, I can now record the history of those who did. With the revitalization of the Sylvan Realm, history is being made here, right now. I wish to put that into writing for our future generations. This is a very exciting time!”

“Indeed, I must say I admire your passion of what happened here and to pass it on to our kin. Sadly I do not know much of your Patron. Perhaps we could speak of it as well?

By now the pair has reached the Paymaster's Office where Kylie, Lia and Talen are working to remove the locks and protections that secure the chests in the vault. A forth Spell Engine is present, but there is no flame in it right now suggesting that it is a spare.

Laucian sees the treasure and smiles slightly seeing the value of such treasure. Though the treasure was made from slavery it could be made to serve a much better use.

“Oh my!” Elora calls out in surprise and alarm. “It's even worse then you can imagine! Not only did those who owned this vessel capture and sell slaves, they specifically targeted elves!”

Kylie groans at this latest news. "Elves? Which implies that there is a higher demand for elves than for other races wherever they do their business. We'll definitely need to let Lilia know about this."

“Oh great,” Talen laments. “Those scro stole a ship from people who capture elfin slaves? Given our luck, they are definitely coming to find their ship now!”

Laucian looks back at Elora as she reads the parchment before her, “What is it?”as she calls out that whomever operated the ship targeted elves. “Lilia will have to know this at once. This ship is not safe here. It needs to be destroyed… We will need to here about removing the spell engines and anything of value.”

“I will not allow slavers to desecrate my ancestral home. Is there a chance that this ship can be viewed from afar? Divination or Traced or Scryed upon?”

After saying his peace, Laucian will excuse himself and seek Lilia out.

[Lia]

Lia

“I'm an idiot,” Talen states out of the blue. “I forgot about those innate abilities the Mother Tree gave me. I can cast Detect Magic too.”

“Atleast you didn’t try something you cannot do.” She says sheeplishly.

“Oh great,” Talen laments. “Those scro stole a ship from people who capture elfin slaves? Given our luck, they are definitely coming to find their ship now!”

“Then we shall meet them in force! We will give them a fight they dare not forget.” She says determinedly. “I just hope the Bridge is open so that all our people can face this together and not walk into their clutches blindly.”

Lia will hold her action till after Talen works his magic.

[GM Mad]

Post Continued:

On board the Sunflower, Laucian and the Priestess Elora walk towards the ships vault.

“I look forward to it.”he says with an easiness. “I must admit, I did not think much of retelling our tale, but I can see the value now not only to us but our way of life.”

“We must record our past,” Elora stresses, “so that future generations can learn of the deeds of their ancestors and avoid the mistakes that they made.”

“Indeed, I must say I admire your passion of what happened here and to pass it on to our kin. Sadly I do not know much of your Patron. Perhaps we could speak of it as well?”

“Labelas Enoreth is the Life Giver,” Elora states, “the Lord of the Continuum. The One-Eyed God. The Philosopher. It is from him that we elves have our long live spans. He sacrificed one of his eyes so that he could see through time itself. Labelas can see the past and the future. He confers the wisdom and the teachings of the past to those in the future.”

While going through the papers on the Paymaster's desk, Elora discovers that the Talagran Trading Company deals in elfin slaves!

Laucian looks back at Elora as she reads the parchment before her, “What is it?”as she calls out that whomever operated the ship targeted elves. “Lilia will have to know this at once. This ship is not safe here. It needs to be destroyed… We will need to here about removing the spell engines and anything of value.”

“Let's not be hasty here,” Elora suggests. “We are dealing with something unknown. We do not know if this 'trading company' even knows where this ship is at and if they already do, then destroying it accomplishes nothing. We must ask the Seeress, Sheryl Soulsearcher to perform divinations to determine if and when they are coming.”

“I will not allow slavers to desecrate my ancestral home. Is there a chance that this ship can be viewed from afar? Divination or Traced or Scryed upon?”

“All things are possible,” Elora notes. “No one else where would allow slavers into the Sylvan Realm either. We have a small army of skilled elves here. I am confident that we can overpower a crew of slavers. Especially if we know they are coming.”


Several locked and trapped chests are found inside the Sunflower's vault. Everyone moves out of the room and Talen casts his Knock spell. In response the locks on all the chests pop open! Kylie comes in and declares the area clear of magical effects. The locks are carefully remove from the hasp on the chests, avoiding their poisoned needle traps, and set aside.

The first chest is much like the ones found outside. It holds many gold coins, thousands of them from the looks of it! The second chest holds platinum coins, but nowhere near as many as in the other chests. Maybe a thousand or so from the looks of it. Mixed in with the coins are many small deep purple gems. Amethysts from the looks of them.

The third chest is filled with various forms of gold jewelry. Some are stored in boxes or bags while a few are laying loose. Some of the gold jewelry is set with gems and the whole collection has to be worth many thousands of gold.

The final chest is a bit of a let down after the other tree. Inside it stored in cases are many vials of a greenish looking liquid. You can see that there was room for more vials, but they are now gone.

“Now that needs to be destroyed!” Elora states in an irritated voice. “From what I read, they call it 'vidate'. A 'medicine' that they 'condition' elves into being docile servants! It strips them of their memories and knowledge of their former lives! Monstrous!”

Now what?

[Argent]

Argent:

"Funny how the horizon never seems to get any closer, no matter how long you walk toward it," Kylie replies with a chuckle. "Doesn't mean you're not making progress, though."

“I suppose,” Argent agrees. “Maybe I'll finally start to make some more progress now. I'm not sure what I want to do once I get back home.”

"That's a good point, Argent. I hadn't considered that possibility." Kylie is somewhat embarrassed that she hadn't thought of that. Of course, it assumes that the lady mage is skilled enough to cast a spell of that complexity, but they cannot afford to rule it out without knowing for sure.

“Well, if there are three of these Spell Engines and you need a different mage to control each one than logically there was at least three mages among the crew,” Argent deduces. “Having at least one of them being powerful enough to teleport is not that big of a leap.”

Once back at her temporary quarters, Argent will pack her belongings for the trip to come.

[Talen]

Talen:

Kylie's face brightens considerably. "That's great, Talen! I only have one use left of mine, and we may need more before we're done here."

“Okay,” Talen agrees. (It also helped that I looked at my character sheet!)

“At least you didn’t try something you cannot do.” She says sheepishly.

“You're being too hard on yourself,” Talen implies. “You trained more for stealth than for stealing.”

"Augh!" she exclaims in frustration. "I only found one of four traps, and I cannot even pick this one! My skills have really deteriorated. I used to be pretty good at this stuff. I need to practice more; been relying on magic too much lately."

“Dumb luck on my part?” Talen suggests with a shrug. “I didn't know I was that good at this.”

Kylie's frustration wanes dramatically. "Talen to the rescue again! I don't recall anything about it bypassing traps, but I'm pretty sure you don't have to be in sight of the area of the spell. I think we can just close the door and let the traps go off when you cast the spell.”

“I don't think it will remove the traps,” Talen surmises, “rather that the traps are set to go off when some one tries to open the lock. If the lock is magically opened, then you can pick it up away from the trap and set it aside. Basically it just avoids the trap.”

"Okay, how about this? I'll cast my last use of Detect Magic to make sure there are no spell traps that we missed. Then, we'll close the door and step out into the hall so that you can cast your Knock safely. Okay?"

“Okay,” Talen answers. When the time comes, Talen casts his knock spell and all four locks pop open! “I did it! I got then all to open!”

More treasure is found in the first three chests. Gold, platinum, gems and then gold jewelry!

“This is a fortune!” Talen whistles. “I never imagined seeing this much money before!”

Another conversation is going on outside the treasure vault. The lady priestess discovers that the original owners of the ship were slavers who targeted elves! They then used some sort of potion on the elves to control them!

“That is horrible!” Talen agrees. “But I guess it makes sense in a twisted sort of way. Imagine a docile servant that will live for hundreds of years. There's some sick people out there!”

Laucian suggests the ship be destroyed, while Lia is ready for battle. Elora has a more reasoned approach the problem. Talen himself has nothing to add. This is far beyond his experiences. Better to let those in charge deal with it.

“Okay, treasure vault opened,” Talen states. “What next on our list of things to do?”

[Kylie]

Kylie:

“I suppose,” Argent agrees. “Maybe I'll finally start to make some more progress now. I'm not sure what I want to do once I get back home.”

Kylie is somewhat concerned for her friend due to the listless tone of her voice. She was always so driven before. Hopefully, she'll find her motivation once she's had a chance to relax and talk with her family and mentors. "Okay, we'll take it one step at a time, starting with Karn's Keep. I'll let Mom know that will be our first destination."

“Well, if there are three of these Spell Engines and you need a different mage to control each one than logically there was at least three mages among the crew,” Argent deduces. “Having at least one of them being powerful enough to teleport is not that big of a leap.”

Listening to her friend, Kylie is pleased that she is still as sharp as ever. Whatever the damage to her spirit, her intellect is still whole.
___

“You're being too hard on yourself,” Talen implies. “You trained more for stealth than for stealing.”

"Talen's right, Lia," Kylie says in agreement. "It's too easy to see them as being the same thing, but they're not."

“Dumb luck on my part?” Talen suggests with a shrug. “I didn't know I was that good at this.”

Kylie gives a silly smile. "Celebrate your victories!"

“I don't think it will remove the traps,” Talen surmises, “rather that the traps are set to go off when some one tries to open the lock. If the lock is magically opened, then you can pick it up away from the trap and set it aside. Basically it just avoids the trap.”

Kylie had been under the impression that the traps would automatically go off when the lock was opened, but Talen provides a different perspective. She decides that she needs to do some more research on it at some point.

Talen's spell does the trick, and all four of the locks spring open! The chests are opened carefully after verifying the lack of magic on them, and even more treasure is unveiled. The amount of wealth that these slavers amassed is staggering! Kylie is determined that it will be used to do something good.

Since her Detect Magic ability is still active from before Talen's casting, Kylie checks the contents of the four chest for any sign of magic - particularly the jewelry and potion chests. If that is completed before the effect fades, she will stride over to the prisoner storage area to see if there is any magic present in that room.

“Now that needs to be destroyed!” Elora states in an irritated voice. “From what I read, they call it 'vidate'. A 'medicine' that they 'condition' elves into being docile servants! It strips them of their memories and knowledge of their former lives! Monstrous!”

“That is horrible!” Talen agrees. “But I guess it makes sense in a twisted sort of way. Imagine a docile servant that will live for hundreds of years. There's some sick people out there!”

Kylie nods solemnly. It is hard - and yet not hard at all - to fathom what motivates people to do such things to others. One thing she learned growing up is that there are far more people actively looking to mistreat or take advantage of others than there are those who opt for kindness.

“Okay, treasure vault opened,” Talen states. “What next on our list of things to do?”

"Hmm..." Kylie murmurs under her breath, thinking. She gestures toward the flasks in the fourth chest. "Figuring out how to dispose of this... liquid... might be a good start."

She turns to Elora. "We're sitting on a fairly large river. Do you think opening the bottles and dumping the contents into the water would do the trick? That should dilute it pretty effectively, I would think."

[Laucian]

Laucian

“Let's not be hasty here,” Elora suggests. “We are dealing with something unknown. We do not know if this 'trading company' even knows where this ship is at and if they already do, then destroying it accomplishes nothing. We must ask the Seeress, Sheryl Soulsearcher to perform divinations to determine if and when they are coming.”

“I will seek the Seeress out as well as Lilia.” Realizing the others are not so vigilant Laucian rescinds his burning statement. “Perhaps we should entertain the thought of moving the ship further from the Mother Tree. I do not like the idea of having this so close to something that means the world to our people.“

“All things are possible,” Elora notes. “No one else where would allow slavers into the Sylvan Realm either. We have a small army of skilled elves here. I am confident that we can overpower a crew of slavers. Especially if we know they are coming.”

“I do not doubt our kins’ skill. I just do not like the fact of not knowing how many they may come. As you said 25,000 is a large sum for one elf. If they learn of how many elves are here it will be like maggots on a rotting corpse.”

Upon learning of the drug, Laucian gives his two cents. "I would not put it in the water supply. We do not know how it would effect others here. It might be best to burn or break them perhaps as the fort we burnt?"
Laucian will excuse himself from the others, and go looking for Lilia and the Seeress.

[GM Mad]

Post Closed