The Sylvan Realm #17 (#61)

[GM Mad]

Sylvan Realm #17 (#61)

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

The shadows are growing longer as the elves explore the Sunflower. Currently they are all gathered in the stateroom area of the ship comparing notes and findings. Elora and Myev are present as well.

"Hard to know without trying, I suppose," Kylie says, thinking back to her days in Dog Alley. "I remember Master Rat telling me of poisons that paralyzed or had other non-fatal effects. Of course, I don't really know if the spell would be effective against those types of poisons, either."

“That is true,” Elora says in regards to other effects that poisons can have. “Let us hope that we'll never have to find out if that liquid can be neutralized that way.”

“Hi Onas,” Elora adds with a smile upon seeing the armored elf. “What brings you here?”

Thinking for a moment, Kylie turns to Myev. "If I remember your story correctly, Myev, your people are from a different world, and stole a flying ship and flew it from there to this place called Farhaven. There, you switched to this ship and flew it here after stealing it from the humans who had used the ship previously. Did you travel through space again to reach here from Farhaven, or is Farhaven on this world somewhere? You also mentioned finding flight plans created by those other elves that helped you find your way first to Farhaven and then here. Do you believe that you could retrace the route back to Farhaven or even to your original world?"

Myev listens closely to the question Kylie is asking of her. “Farhaven was not on Dreatar. It was far away in the great dark. Not as far as Farhaven to here, but far. It took many days. The journey here took many weeks. I may be able to find the way back. When I looked at the maps, they made sense to me and the trip seemed easy. But other times the maps were gibberish. It was all very confusing.”

Kylie reflects for a moment on what she has learned about flying these ships. "Were you able to fly the ship here entirely by yourself? It seems like it would require at least two mages to travel in space, and there would have been a need to rest. Were there other scro mages in your crew?"

“Yes, by myself,” Myev states, seemingly a bit confused herself. “No one else knew how to cast spells. It took many weeks to come here. I could sense the presence of the Mother Tree and she drew me home.”

“Then perhaps it is time to look.” Lia looks to see where Myev is pointing seeing many books about the desk. “Your Elfish is improving. You are a quick study.” She says evenly with a hint of a smile.

“I am getting more and more practice,” Myev proudly states. “It seems easy to pick up to me. Mother would be proud!”

"That's really the big question to my mind, Mom," Kylie responds quietly as she tries to think through all of the possibilities. "Whether or not any given mage left their spell book on the ship is really hard to know. We can search to the best of our ability, but there may or may not be other books to find, and it's possible that we might fail to find one or more that are here. Definitely still worth searching, though."

“We should search regardless,” Allurien answers, suspicion still playing across her face in regards to Myev. “There may be other things to find.”

[GM Mad]

Another aspect of Myev's story flits through Kylie's mind. "I seem to recall you mentioning that you brought over a bunch of books from the ship that had belonged to the other elves. Any chance any of those were spell books? It might be good to take another look through them."

“They are here,” Myev says gesturing the half dozen tomes among many scrolls that she and Elora were going over. “Help yourself.”

Kylie turns to her mother. "Might as well get started searching that room first." Putting her words into action, Kylie crosses the hall and enters the room. It is clear that someone has already been moving some of the furniture around as requested by Lilia. Kylie will do her best to search the room for any hidden compartments or suspect items. She only has one more use of Detect Magic left for today, so she will refrain from using that until needed.

Many present go to explore the cabin that Argent has been using. The invoker herself is not present in the room right now. The books on top of the desk seem like normal texts just in an unknown language. There is a chest just inside the door, but it sits open and skimpy undergarments seem to be inside it.

Attention then turns to the desk itself. Kylie runs her hands over the front of it and notices something odd. There is a secret drawer among the normal desk drawers! The way to open this hidden compartment is found and inside sits what appears to be another spell book!


Having completed the search of the staterooms the only chambers left to search are the ones near the captains quarters. There are three rooms in that part of the ship. The furniture in these three rooms is of exceptional quality and most likely would be bring a good price from the right buyer.

One of the rooms serves as the officer's mess, while the other seems to be a combination library and study. There are many books where and the few that are sampled are in the same unknown language that you are now getting used to seeing.

Moving on from those chambers, the searchers enter the captains quarters themselves. Laucian is the first to spot something odd this time around. Yet another secret door! This one is in the middle of the wall between the quarters and the rest of the ship. The way to open the door is found and inside is a five foot wide by ten foot long chamber. There are shelves on either side of the hidden chamber and a large strongbox secured with four locks sits on the floor in the back of the chamber!

[GM Mad]

GM Notes:

I moved things along a little bit to keep things going. The captain secret room is part of the dark area in the middle of the deck on the ship map. There are many things to examine in here!

Now what?

[Kylie]

Kylie:

“That is true,” Elora says in regards to other effects that poisons can have. “Let us hope that we'll never have to find out if that liquid can be neutralized that way.”

"Amen," Kylie replies with a smile. Hopefully, once the priests get rid of what they have found, that will be the end of it.

Quite suddenly, Onas finds himself scrutinized by the young half-elven heroine. "Ahh... Onas Brightsword," he replies, not sure exactly how to reply. "At your service, Kylie... ah... Feador. How may I be of assistance?" Onas makes an awkward bow, hoping more than anything that she would stop staring at him that way. Noting that his palms have become sweaty, he attempts to subtly wipe them on his clothes.

Kylie taps her index finger against her lips, thinking. That name seems to ring a bell. "Hmm... I believe I met an Arlen Brightsword? Any relation?"

She appears a bit startled by the name he calls her by. Though, to some extent, it makes sense. "Kylie Lanthorn, actually, though I suppose I am also of Clan Feador." Kylie glances briefly over at her mother. "Lanthorn is my family name from my father's side, and since I grew up in human lands, I generally use that naming convention."

Myev listens closely to the question Kylie is asking of her. “Farhaven was not on Dreatar. It was far away in the great dark. Not as far as Farhaven to here, but far. It took many days. The journey here took many weeks. I may be able to find the way back. When I looked at the maps, they made sense to me and the trip seemed easy. But other times the maps were gibberish. It was all very confusing.”

“Yes, by myself,” Myev states, seemingly a bit confused herself. “No one else knew how to cast spells. It took many weeks to come here. I could sense the presence of the Mother Tree and she drew me home.”

"Wow," Kylie says, clearly both impressed and confounded by the possibility. "You managed to pilot the ship through space while maintaining the life support functions all by yourself. I'm not sure how that is even possible. Perhaps the gods themselves wanted you to arrive here for their own mysterious reasons..."

"Wait. You could sense the Mother Tree from out in space?" Kylie whistles, her mind racing at the possibilities. "Clearly, the gods had a hand in this. If they meant for you to be here, then it is well that you are."

“I found this one in one of those rooms.” He says indicating the room he took it from.

Kylie glances down the hall at the room indicated by Laucian. "Good to know..." she murmurs to herself.

“They are here,” Myev says gesturing the half dozen tomes among many scrolls that she and Elora were going over. “Help yourself.”

“Then perhaps it is time to look.”Lia looks to see where Myev is pointing seeing many books about the desk. “Your Elfish is improving. You are a quick study.” She says evenly with a hint of a smile.

"I'll join you, Lia. 'Two heads are better than one', as they say."

“We should search regardless,” Allurien answers, suspicion still playing across her face in regards to Myev. “There may be other things to find.”

Kylie smiles happily. "No time like the present, as Grandma used to say," Turning, she begins exploring the rooms one by one, starting with the one Lia enters.

There are a number of books piled on the desk in the first room. A quick perusal shows that they are all written in a language that Kylie cannot read. Unfortunately, she also doesn't have any spells memorized that might help. "Elora? Can your glasses make any sense of these?" she asks the scholar.

Since she can make no sense of the books, Kylie focuses on the desk that they are piled upon. She examines it carefully, running her hands across the surfaces to search for hairline cracks the way she was taught. Wait. "Got something here," she calls out to the others. Kylie carefully identifies and checks the hidden section, then slides open a disguised compartment. Tucked carefully inside is another book! A few moments is all it takes to identify it as another spell book. "It's a spell book!" she says excitedly, then extends it toward Allurien. "Here, Mom. Why don't you take this one as well?"

The remaining rooms in this area are searched, with no further treasures found. Moving upstairs, Kylie joins the others in searching the captains area. The first room appears to be the officer's eating area, so Kylie gives it only a cursory search. Next is the captain's library. Kylie is very optimistic about finding something interesting there, but finds that she cannot read any of the books, and neither she nor any of the others find any hidden compartments.

The last room is the captain's quarters. As they walk into the room, Laucian notes a hidden door in the hallway! It is quickly opened, to reveal more shelving, and a chest with multiple locks. A huge grin forms at the sight as she anticipates the secrets that it may hold. "Who wants first crack at those locks?" she asks, looking from her mother to Lia and back again.

[Onas]

Onas Brightsword:

“Hi Onas,” Elora adds with a smile upon seeing the armored elf. “What brings you here?”

"Hello, Elora!" Onas replies cheerfully, happy to see someone he knows and has worked with previously. "I'm just trying to help with setting up obstructions as Queen Lilia requested. What are you doing with all those books." Finding the scholar with a pile of books is no surprise, but he's curious about what she's working on.

Kylie taps her index finger against her lips, thinking. That name seems to ring a bell. "Hmm... I believe I met an Arlen Brightsword? Any relation?"

Onas brightens when Kylie asks him a question he can actually answer. "Yes, my Lady, he is. Arlen is my brother; he led our team into the Rainbow Bridge, after your mother and her team didn't return."

She appears a bit startled by the name he calls her by. Though, to some extent, it makes sense. "Kylie Lanthorn, actually, though I suppose I am also of Clan Feador." Kylie glances briefly over at her mother. "Lanthorn is my family name from my father's side, and since I grew up in human lands, I generally use that naming convention."

Onas blushes and bows again. "My apologies, Lady Lanthorn. Please forgive my ignorance."

The conversation about the flying boat, and how Myev and the other scro got here, kind of goes over his head. From what he can gather, they actually travelled here from another planet! Onas had never really considered the possibility of other planets being inhabited by sentient people. It's a pretty fascinating concept, though; perhaps he can find an opportunity to ask her about it later.

“I am getting more and more practice,” Myev proudly states. “It seems easy to pick up to me. Mother would be proud!”

"Learning languages isn't easy, or at least it hasn't been for me. I can see why she would be proud." Truthfully, Onas isn't certain whether or not this 'scro' woman becoming fluent in elvish is a good thing or not. Can they really afford to trust her? Despite what Kylie says about the gods bringing her here, he is not so sure. Even if the gods did play a hand in it, they don't know for sure which gods that was.

“I will give you a hand doing so. It will make that much faster.”
Laucian will move off helping to move things into the open area and baring the way for teleporters.

"Thank you, Laucian. I appreciate your help." Onas starts with the rooms that the ladies are not searching, and begins working on creating obstructions with the furniture and rope.

The others have been upstairs for a while by time Onas finishes trapping the rooms on this level. Climbing up the stairs to the captain's quarters, he finds Laucian, Allurien, Kylie, and Lia milling about in the hallway. They appear to be standing in front of an opening, but it doesn't look like the other doorways on board the ship. Looking closer, it reminds him quite a bit of the strange hidden door he found earlier.

"What did you find?" Onas asks, trying to get a peek into the room beyond.

[GM Mad]

Post Continued:

The elves are mostly reunited on the Sunflower and the searching continues.

"Hello, Elora!" Onas replies cheerfully, happy to see someone he knows and has worked with previously. "I'm just trying to help with setting up obstructions as Queen Lilia requested. What are you doing with all those books." Finding the scholar with a pile of books is no surprise, but he's curious about what she's working on.

“The Queen asked me to record the information that Myev here took from elfin ruins on her world,” Elora causally explains. “Just think of it, the last words of a now gone civilization. It is our duty to record what we can of these lost cousins so that we can learn about them.”

Myev herself is pressed from more information about how she managed to pilot from Farhaven to Arret given her marginal magical ability. The scro claims that the Mother Tree herself led the Sunflower to Arret.

"Wow," Kylie says, clearly both impressed and confounded by the possibility. "You managed to pilot the ship through space while maintaining the life support functions all by yourself. I'm not sure how that is even possible. Perhaps the gods themselves wanted you to arrive here for their own mysterious reasons..."

Alluriean's look of suspicion grows, but she adds nothing as her own knowledge of how Spell Engine's work is marginal at best.

"Wait. You could sense the Mother Tree from out in space?" Kylie whistles, her mind racing at the possibilities. "Clearly, the gods had a hand in this. If they meant for you to be here, then it is well that you are."

“But that shouldn't have even been possible!” Elora sputters. “As I understand it the Sunflower arrived months ago. The Mother Tree was restored nine days ago. She was in no condition to aid anyone, especially one that was so far away.”

“This directed me,” Myev pipes up as she reaches into her bag. A moment later she pulls out a large leaf, nearly ten inches wide. “This leaf led us here.”

The elves in the area can immediately sense just what this leaf is. It is a leaf from a Mother Tree! It's just not a leaf from your Mother Tree.

Right after handing over the leaf, Myev seems confused for a few seconds and holds her head a moment before looking around and seeing the large crowd of elves about her.

“What were we talking about again?” Myev asks in confusion, her skill with the elfin tongue having slipped back to the patchwork state that you were familiar with.

[GM Mad]

Those who go over the scrolls and books that Myev has will find that they are written in a older, more formal version of elvish. One that was in use thousands of years ago. Another spell book is found and Myev says it is her book, but the writing in the book has a more elfish style to it than you would suspect an non-elf to possess and seems much older than the young scro.

There are a number of books piled on the desk in the first room. A quick perusal shows that they are all written in a language that Kylie cannot read. Unfortunately, she also doesn't have any spells memorized that might help. "Elora? Can your glasses make any sense of these?" she asks the scholar.

More books are found in the stateroom that Argent is using. The small desk has a hidden drawer in it that held that mage's spellbook. The books laying on the desk are in the unknown human tongue of the original ship owners. When asked, Elora does a causal look at them. The books range in topics from astrology, navigation and cartography. There are also a couple of books that delve into the intricacies of alteration magic, but are not spell books or otherwise magical tomes themselves.

Since she can make no sense of the books, Kylie focuses on the desk that they are piled upon. She examines it carefully, running her hands across the surfaces to search for hairline cracks the way she was taught. Wait. "Got something here," she calls out to the others. Kylie carefully identifies and checks the hidden section, then slides open a disguised compartment. Tucked carefully inside is another book! A few moments is all it takes to identify it as another spell book. "It's a spell book!" she says excitedly, then extends it toward Allurien. "Here, Mom. Why don't you take this one as well?"

“Of course,” Allurien states as she takes the book and places it in one of bags of holding.


Up in the Captain's Cabin, another secret area has been discovered. In the back of the small chamber is a large chest locked with four padlocks.

The last room is the captain's quarters. As they walk into the room, Laucian notes a hidden door in the hallway! It is quickly opened, to reveal more shelving, and a chest with multiple locks. A huge grin forms at the sight as she anticipates the secrets that it may hold. "Who wants first crack at those locks?" she asks, looking from her mother to Lia and back again.

“Indulge yourself,” Allurien will say. “But do check for traps first. If the captain is our third mage, than their belongings could have magical traps on them. No need to rush into this, make a thorough examination for safeties sake.”

Now what?

[Kylie]

Kylie:

"Hello, Elora!" Onas replies cheerfully, happy to see someone he knows and has worked with previously. "I'm just trying to help with setting up obstructions as Queen Lilia requested. What are you doing with all those books." Finding the scholar with a pile of books is no surprise, but he's curious about what she's working on.

Onas brightens when Kylie asks him a question he can actually answer. "Yes, my Lady, he is. Arlen is my brother; he led our team into the Rainbow Bridge, after your mother and her team didn't return."

Kylie notes with interest that Arlen's little brother seems to already know the scholar Elora.

Her left eyebrow arches high when Onas refers to her as 'my Lady'. "I see... Thank you, Onas," she says, trailing off in thought. Memories seep into her brain, and she recalls her meeting with Arlen and his merry band in the orcish fort some while back. Elora was there as well, so she must have been part of that mission team.

Onas blushes and bows again. "My apologies, Lady Lanthorn. Please forgive my ignorance."

"Think nothing of it." Kylie's tone is dry, but not harsh. "And just so you know, I am not of the nobility and have no noble title; I grew up poor on the streets."

“But that shouldn't have even been possible!” Elora sputters. “As I understand it the Sunflower arrived months ago. The Mother Tree was restored nine days ago. She was in no condition to aid anyone, especially one that was so far away.”

“This directed me,” Myev pipes up as she reaches into her bag. A moment later she pulls out a large leaf, nearly ten inches wide. “This leaf led us here.”

While not a full elf, Kylie has some sense of what she's seeing, and is able to logically piece together most of the rest. The leaf looks just like those of the Mother Tree. However, she cannot possibly have obtained it from here. The only possibility is that the other elves - Belcadiz? - had it and Myev found it. That would mean that there are Mother Trees wherever the Belcadiz come from!

"That leaf must have come from the Belcadiz homeworld," Kylie says. "So why would it have brought her here, rather than to the Mother Tree there? Were there not enough elves left to protect that tree?"

Right after handing over the leaf, Myev seems confused for a few seconds and holds her head a moment before looking around and seeing the large crowd of elves about her.

“What were we talking about again?” Myev asks in confusion, her skill with the elfin tongue having slipped back to the patchwork state that you were familiar with.

"Are you okay, Myev?" Kylie asks sympathetically, laying her hand on the scro woman's shoulder.

===

Among the many books that have been found are a couple scholarly texts on alteration magic. These peak Kylie's interest, but she doesn't really have time over the next few days to do anything with them. Still, she would love to read them next time she gets a chance. "Elora, I would really like to read those two at some point when I have time. Can you be sure to hang onto them?"

===

"What did you find?" Onas asks, trying to get a peek into the room beyond.

Kylie glances over at Onas. "Laucian found this hidden room, and there's a locked chest in here. I wonder what's inside..."

“Indulge yourself,” Allurien will say. “But do check for traps first. If the captain is our third mage, than their belongings could have magical traps on them. No need to rush into this, make a thorough examination for safeties sake.”

"Of course, Mom." Kylie turns and kneels down in front of the chest. Remembering their experience with the other chests onboard, she performs a thorough visual inspection, searching for any sign of physical or magical traps. Since she still has one use of Detect Magic left, she employs that next while still not touching the chest.

Her plan is to deal with any traps she finds, getting help from her mother as needed. Once that is complete, she'll start in on the locks, working through them one at a time.

[Onas]

Onas Brightsword:

“The Queen asked me to record the information that Myev here took from elfin ruins on her world,” Elora causally explains. “Just think of it, the last words of a now gone civilization. It is our duty to record what we can of these lost cousins so that we can learn about them.”

Honestly, it sounds kind of boring. His good sense getting the better of him, Onas decides not to say so out loud, however. "Sounds great, Elora."

"Think nothing of it." Kylie's tone is dry, but not harsh. "And just so you know, I am not of the nobility and have no noble title; I grew up poor on the streets."

It takes Onas a moment to realize that Kylie is referring to his reference to her as 'my Lady'. "From a human perspective, that may be true, Lady Kylie, but among elves, you are the daughter of the head of Clan Feador here in the Sylvan Realms. And more importantly, you are one of the saviors of the Mother Tree. While not true royalty, I don't think anyone would dispute that you qualify as elven nobility."

Amid questioning about her trip to Arret through the vast openness of space, the scro Myev pulls out and shows them a leaf. It takes but a moment for Onas to identify the leaf as coming from a Mother Tree other than the one here.

"That leaf must have come from the Belcadiz homeworld," Kylie says. "So why would it have brought her here, rather than to the Mother Tree there? Were there not enough elves left to protect that tree?"

The young half-elf is already a couple steps ahead of him. "I think that makes sense, Lady Kylie, though I have no answers to your questions." Onas turns to see if any of the others can provide more explanation.

Right after handing over the leaf, Myev seems confused for a few seconds and holds her head a moment before looking around and seeing the large crowd of elves about her.

“What were we talking about again?” Myev asks in confusion, her skill with the elfin tongue having slipped back to the patchwork state that you were familiar with.

Onas pauses, considering the scro woman and her story. 'Something is not right here,' he thinks.

===

Kylie glances over at Onas. "Laucian found this hidden room, and there's a locked chest in here. I wonder what's inside..."

Onas takes a step back in surprise. "Another hidden room? I found one on one of the lower decks just a few minutes ago. That one contained barrels of wine - probably the expensive type."

A few moments later, Kylie goes to work on the chest. While he's curious as well, he remembers well the orders of the Queen. Turning, he starts working on rearranging and roping up the other rooms in the area.

[Laucian]

Laucian

“This directed me,” Myev pipes up as she reaches into her bag. A moment later she pulls out a large leaf, nearly ten inches wide. “This leaf led us here.”

The elves in the area can immediately sense just what this leaf is. It is a leaf from a Mother Tree! It's just not a leaf from your Mother Tree.
“What were we talking about again?” Myev asks in confusion, her skill with the elfin tongue having slipped back to the patchwork state that you were familiar with.

Laucian looks on in interest as Myev explains how she was led here. Laucian hesitates to go for his blade as she said a leaf brought her here. And not only a leaf but a leaf of a mother tree! “Who gave you that?” indicating the leaf as his right hand casually laying upon the pommel of his long sword.

"That leaf must have come from the Belcadiz homeworld," Kylie says. "So why would it have brought her here, rather than to the Mother Tree there? Were there not enough elves left to protect that tree?"

“Was it not said that the scro annihilated the elves there?” he says simply looking at Kylie. “We need to speak to the keepers of the mother tree. I think it maybe best if Myev accompanies us to further explain.
Laucian moves through the ship and a faint draft is felt upon his skin causing him to stop and stair at the wall. Reaching up he traces the wall and pushes. “There is something here.”
As the wall falls away leading to a chest. Laucian takes a step back letting the thieves to their favorite work. “I’ll be going to Lilia and the keepers of the Mother tree. They need to know of this development.”

[Lia]

Lia

But that shouldn't have even been possible!” Elora sputters. “As I understand it the Sunflower arrived months ago. The Mother Tree was restored nine days ago. She was in no condition to aid anyone, especially one that was so far away.”

“This directed me,” Myev pipes up as she reaches into her bag. A moment later she pulls out a large leaf, nearly ten inches wide. “This leaf led us here.”

The elves in the area can immediately sense just what this leaf is. It is a leaf from a Mother Tree! It's just not a leaf from your Mother Tree.

Right after handing over the leaf, Myev seems confused for a few seconds and holds her head a moment before looking around and seeing the large crowd of elves about her.

“What were we talking about again?” Myev asks in confusion, her skill with the elfin tongue having slipped back to the patchwork state that you were familiar with.

Lia takes the leaf gingerly in her hands, knowing full well what it is. Her lavender eyes look around to the other elves present seeing their reactions to the news of another mother tree. More so Myev seems to have lost her ability to speak elfish as well as she did moments before.
“And what were you going to do once you found where you were being led?” she asks slowly in elfish. “Did your people have more of these leaves? She asks curiously.
The others go in search of the last mage, having little interest in the ways of mages, Lia stays back with Myev. “Myev, I must ask you. Who else knew of this leaf?”she asks curiously.”Where did you get it.?”

[GM Mad]

Post Continued:

On the Sunflower, Myev is being question on just how she was able to pilot the ship to Arret. Her story is growing more and more suspicious. The young scro reveals that she was led to Arret by a leaf from another Mother Tree!

"That leaf must have come from the Belcadiz homeworld," Kylie says. "So why would it have brought her here, rather than to the Mother Tree there? Were there not enough elves left to protect that tree?"

“I don't think that this is a leaf from the Belcadiz home world,” Elora suggests. “The Belcadiz come into this story later on. I think that this is a leaf from the Mother Tree on the world where Myev came from. The world where the scro wiped out the elves, but their Mother Tree might still survive.”

Laucian looks on in interest as Myev explains how she was led here. Laucian hesitates to go for his blade as she said a leaf brought her here. And not only a leaf but a leaf of a mother tree! “Who gave you that?” indicating the leaf as his right hand casually laying upon the pommel of his long sword.

“I found it,” Myev explains defensively. “Is it special? What is a Mother Tree?”

The others go in search of the last mage, having little interest in the ways of mages, Lia stays back with Myev. “Myev, I must ask you. Who else knew of this leaf?”she asks curiously.” Where did you get it?”

“It was among the scrolls and books that I found in the elfin ruins,” Myev explains. “Why is a leaf so important? No one else cared about a leaf.”

“Was it not said that the scro annihilated the elves there?” he says simply looking at Kylie. “We need to speak to the keepers of the mother tree. I think it maybe best if Myev accompanies us to further explain.”

“She would not be permitted to travel to the Mother Tree, Laucian,” Elora speaks up. “You know non-elves are forbidden. I do agree that we should take the leaf to the High Keeper of the Mother Tree. Perhaps he would have insight into just what this leaf is and what it means.”

“And what were you going to do once you found where you were being led?” she asks slowly in elfish. “Did your people have more of these leaves?” She asks curiously.

“I--”, Myev starts to say. “I don't know. No one else knew about. They would have how thought that keeping a leaf was a silly thing.”

"Are you okay, Myev?" Kylie asks sympathetically, laying her hand on the scro woman's shoulder.

“I'm confused,” Myev admits. “And a little scared. Why is everyone so upset over a leaf?”

[GM Mad]

More books are found over in Argent's temporary quarters.

Among the many books that have been found are a couple scholarly texts on alteration magic. These peak Kylie's interest, but she doesn't really have time over the next few days to do anything with them. Still, she would love to read them next time she gets a chance. "Elora, I would really like to read those two at some point when I have time. Can you be sure to hang onto them?"

“I can do that,” Elora easily answers. “Do you plan on learning the language that they are written in?”


And up in the Captain's Cabin, a hidden area has been uncovered...

"Of course, Mom." Kylie turns and kneels down in front of the chest. Remembering their experience with the other chests on board, she performs a thorough visual inspection, searching for any sign of physical or magical traps. Since she still has one use of Detect Magic left, she employs that next while still not touching the chest.

The strongbox is solid and well made. The locks are equally of high quality compared to a normal lock. After casting the Detect Magic, all four locks glow with magical energy in Kylie's eyes. As do the locks on a large coffer on a nearby shelf and another smaller chest close to it. All the magical traces radiate abjuraction/evocation energy. Kylie finds traps on four of the six magical locks.

Allurien takes a look at the four locks in question as well. She also finds four of the locks to be trapped. However, its not the same four. The two locks that Kylie found no traps on, Allurien does. In short, it is believed that all six locks are magically trapped.

As the wall falls away leading to a chest. Laucian takes a step back letting the thieves to their favorite work. “I’ll be going to Lilia and the keepers of the Mother tree. They need to know of this development.”

“I'll accompany you,” Elora says. “I have my own report to to turn in to the Queen.”

Now what?

[Kylie]

Kylie:

“I can do that,” Elora easily answers. “Do you plan on learning the language that they are written in?”

Kylie considers for a moment. "I hadn't really considered that, Elora, though I suppose it might be a possibility. I was mostly interested by the subject, since alteration magic is my specialty. I figured I would use spells to do the reading."

It takes Onas a moment to realize that Kylie is referring to his reference to her as 'my Lady'. "From a human perspective, that may be true, Lady Kylie, but among elves, you are the daughter of the head of Clan Feador here in the Sylvan Realms. And more importantly, you are one of the saviors of the Mother Tree. While not true royalty, I don't think anyone would dispute that you qualify as elven nobility."

Kylie stops moving for an instant, startled by this elf's statement. While it seems somehow wrong to her, she cannot see a way to refute it. "Uhh... I hadn't considered that perspective, Onas. You've given me a lot to think about. Thank you."

The young half-elf is already a couple steps ahead of him. "I think that makes sense, Lady Kylie, though I have no answers to your questions." Onas turns to see if any of the others can provide more explanation.

“I don't think that this is a leaf from the Belcadiz home world,” Elora suggests. “The Belcadiz come into this story later on. I think that this is a leaf from the Mother Tree on the world where Myev came from. The world where the scro wiped out the elves, but their Mother Tree might still survive.”

Everyone chimes in with their thoughts regarding the leaf the Myev says lead her here. "Ah, I think you're right, Elora. I got the story confused in my head," Kylie replies, trying to think through the ramifications. "If indeed it came from a world with no more elves, then it makes sense that the Mother Tree there would have wanted to locate other elves and other Mother Trees. Assuming that the leaf did indeed lead Myev here, then that implies that they can sense each other across virtually infinite distances."

“I found it,” Myev explains defensively. “Is it special? What is a Mother Tree?”

“It was among the scrolls and books that I found in the elfin ruins,” Myev explains. “Why is a leaf so important? No one else cared about a leaf.”

Kylie looks carefully at Myev, having noticed that her speech has become less refined. "Myev, you said that this leaf led you here. No ordinary leaf could have done that, so therefore it would have to be special. Right? Mother Tree's are ancient intelligent trees that are closely tied to the history and spirit of the elven people."

“Was it not said that the scro annihilated the elves there?” he says simply looking at Kylie. “We need to speak to the keepers of the mother tree. I think it maybe best if Myev accompanies us to further explain.

“She would not be permitted to travel to the Mother Tree, Laucian,” Elora speaks up. “You know non-elves are forbidden. I do agree that we should take the leaf to the High Keeper of the Mother Tree. Perhaps he would have insight into just what this leaf is and what it means.”

Kylie is a bit taken aback at the undercurrent of menace in Laucian's tone. Fortunately, Elora provides a rational counterpoint, removing the likelihood of Myev being dragged away in chains, or whatever it was that Laucian was planning.

“I'm confused,” Myev admits. “And a little scared. Why is everyone so upset over a leaf?”

More than ever before, Kylie can see Myev's youth in a way that isn't just physical. "Not just any leaf, Myev. A leaf of a Mother Tree that showed you the way across the vastness of space and brought you here. That is no small or ordinary thing, and we must be careful that this does not bring danger to our people here. While you seem to mean well, the fact is that your people completely exterminated the elves on another world. That is no mean feat, and one we must be wary of."

===

With the excitement over the hidden room and locked chest, Kylie hardly notices Laucian's and Elora's departure. Inspection shows that both the chest and the locks are of exceptional quality. Between her scrutiny and that of her mother, Allurien, they determine that all six locks on the chest are magically trapped. Kylie's last innate Detect Magic confirms it, and also shows magic on two other items on the shelves in this hidden alcove.

"Wow, that's a lot of magic," Kylie says, to no one in particular. Whatever it is there to protect, it must be of great value to someone."

While the effect lasts, Kylie examines the coffer and small chest that also show magic in an attempt to determine if the magic is coming from the containers, locks thereupon, or the contents within.

Kylie turns to face Allurien and whomever is still in the hallway. "Does anyone still have any ability to Dispel Magic?"

If anyone is able to remove the magical wards, Kylie will start in on the locks with her picks.

[Onas]

Onas Brightsword:

Onas continues to observe the questioning of Myev in regard to the leaf and her trip to this world. While the others continue to focus on words and actions, Onas ponders the changes in Myev's behavior and speech. Not only did her mastery of the elven language suddenly decrease, but it seemed to be accompanied by her previous confident air being replaced by a level of confusion regarding recent events and her part therein. Is it possible that the leaf led her in a more direct way than they were considering? He has heard tell of cases of people being taken over mentally, or 'possessed' by other consciousnesses.

The more disturbing possibility is that someone, some being, used magic to 'ride along' within her mind, providing direction and magic to fuel the ship's Engines. If so, that being -- at least their mind -- would be here now and may no longer need Myev's assistance. What do they want, and what danger to they present to the Mother Tree and the Sylvan Realm? How would they even detect such a thing?

===

Finishing up with booby-trapping the rooms, Onas finds Laucian and Elora preparing to return to the Queen and council. "I'd like to go with you, if I may." Unless there are objections, he will mount up on the griffin that he rode here and start the trip back.

[GM Mad]

Post Continued:

The exploration of the Sunflower is nearing its end. The focus now is on the scro Myev who while sharing information with Elora has revealed that she was led to Arret by an enchanted leaf. A leaf from another Mother Tree!

Everyone chimes in with their thoughts regarding the leaf the Myev says lead her here. "Ah, I think you're right, Elora. I got the story confused in my head," Kylie replies, trying to think through the ramifications. "If indeed it came from a world with no more elves, then it makes sense that the Mother Tree there would have wanted to locate other elves and other Mother Trees. Assuming that the leaf did indeed lead Myev here, then that implies that they can sense each other across virtually infinite distances."

“While I do not have the full depth and knowledge about the Mother Tree that High Keeper Alanik would have,” Elora adds, “we can safely say that she is a form of divine being. Perhaps less then a god, but certainly more powerful than any mortal. Who can say what the full abilities of the Mother Tree truly are?”

Kylie looks carefully at Myev, having noticed that her speech has become less refined. "Myev, you said that this leaf led you here. No ordinary leaf could have done that, so therefore it would have to be special. Right? Mother Tree's are ancient intelligent trees that are closely tied to the history and spirit of the elven people."

“That is amazing!” Myev announces in genuine awe. “I never read about such a thing in any of these books and scrolls.”

“That is not a surprise,” Elora speaks up. “The Mother Tree is the greatest treasure of the elves. There are no written records in regards to the Mother Tree nor do we ever speak of it to non-elves. Such knowledge is only passed on verbally from elders to the young.”

More than ever before, Kylie can see Myev's youth in a way that isn't just physical. "Not just any leaf, Myev. A leaf of a Mother Tree that showed you the way across the vastness of space and brought you here. That is no small or ordinary thing, and we must be careful that this does not bring danger to our people here. While you seem to mean well, the fact is that your people completely exterminated the elves on another world. That is no mean feat, and one we must be wary of."

“A leaf did that?” Myev seems to be asking. Its as if she isn't even sure of what she said recently. “That is a very impressive leaf.”

[GM Mad]

After speaking with Myev, the search of the Sunflower reaches its final area: The captain's cabin. A hidden room is found and it seems to hold the captains belongings. A large and sturdy chest is found on the floor secured with four locks. Magic is detected on all four locks along with the locks of two other items on the shelves.

Kylie turns to face Allurien and whomever is still in the hallway. "Does anyone still have any ability to Dispel Magic?"

“I'll handle it,” Allurien says easily. “Better move far away so as to not get caught in the area of effect.”

Allurien casts her Dispel Magic once everyone else is far enough away. Once the deed is done, everyone is summoned back. Kylie examines the locks to see if any magical traces remain. Only the last lock on the large chest and the lock on the small chest radiate magic. The other four locks had their magic removed!

“That's not bad,” Allurien responds when being told of the results of her spell. “You can get a good idea just how powerful a mage is by how much magic you can dispel. Since I got four locks out of six, this mage seems to be less skilled compared to me. Sometimes luck does enter into this, that generally holds true.”

If anyone is able to remove the magical wards, Kylie will start in on the locks with her picks.

Kylie starts to work on picking the locks. Allurien will caution her against touching the locks that are still enchanted. Kylie takes her time, remembers what Rat taught her all those years ago, but her attempts end up in frustration! These lock are far better made than any locks Kylie tried to open before. She is only able to open the third lock on the chest and none of the other three!


While Kylie works on the locks, Laucian, Onas, and Elora all return to the Mother Tree on griffon back to report their findings to Queen Lilia. Elora carries the Mother Tree leaf with her.

It takes about ten minutes to fly up to Golden Peak from where the Sunflower is on, anchored on the river below. Lilia is still where she was earlier. In a common area surrounded by other elves conversing about numerous things. Lady sits contentedly beside the Queen.

“You have more news?” Lilia asks upon seeing the three elves return.

[GM Mad]

GM Notes:

The three locks are all master quality items. In short they have a minus to the pick locks rolls due to their high quality. That's why Kylie had such a hard time with them.

I added a second map for the Sylvan Realm in the map area. This one has the lettered locations removed and the important places listed right on the map itself. Its much easier to use than the previous map.

I have Kylie and Allurien in the captains hidden room. Laucian and Onas back with Lilia. Lia was last with Myev. Argent was last in the kitchen and the last time anyone say Talen he was going to get something to eat. Valena is no longer with Queen Lilia. Most likely she is back out on patrol.

Now what?

[Kylie]

Kylie:

“While I do not have the full depth and knowledge about the Mother Tree that High Keeper Alanik would have,” Elora adds, “we can safely say that she is a form of divine being. Perhaps less then a god, but certainly more powerful than any mortal. Who can say what the full abilities of the Mother Tree truly are?”

Kylie looks down thoughtfully, then raises her gaze back to Elora. "I never thought about it that way, but it does make sense. There is so little I know about this side of my heritage."

“That is not a surprise,” Elora speaks up. “The Mother Tree is the greatest treasure of the elves. There are no written records in regards to the Mother Tree nor do we ever speak of it to non-elves. Such knowledge is only passed on verbally from elders to the young.”

"That explains a lot. I probably wasn't old enough to be told much elven lore before my mother left."

“A leaf did that?” Myev seems to be asking. Its as if she isn't even sure of what she said recently. “That is a very impressive leaf.”

Kylie looks at Myev with an unreadable expression. "Myev, don't you remember telling us that?"

===

Kylie moves back out into the hallway when bidden to do so by Allurien. Her mother then casts Dispel Magic, and there is an audible sound as several of the spells die. Kylie then steps forward to inspect the results. "Four out of six, Mom! Good job."

“That's not bad,” Allurien responds when being told of the results of her spell. “You can get a good idea just how powerful a mage is by how much magic you can dispel. Since I got four locks out of six, this mage seems to be less skilled compared to me. Sometimes luck does enter into this, that generally holds true.”

"That's a good point, Mom," Kylie replies. "Though I've never used Dispel Magic on anywhere near this many spells at one time. Still, worth keeping in mind."

That done, Kylie goes to work on the four locks that are no longer warded. Try though she might, using all the skill and tricks that she's learned from Master Rat and her own experience, she is only able to open one of the four locks! Eventually, she sees no point in continuing to work at them. Standing up, she turns to her mother. "I was only able to pick one of them. These are the toughest locks I've ever seen! Do you want to try your hand with them? I'm starting to think we're going to need a Knock spell here."

[Lia]

Lia

"That explains a lot. I probably wasn't old enough to be told much elven lore before my mother left."

Lia remains quiet but thinks to herself if that would include half elves. If non elves were only allowed in certain areas of the elfholds it could be possible.

Myev wrote:“A leaf did that?” Myev seems to be asking. Its as if she isn't even sure of what she said recently. “That is a very impressive leaf.”
Kylie looks at Myev with an unreadable expression. "Myev, don't you remember telling us that?"

Lia looks surprised as Myev does not recall telling them anything before relinquishing hold upon the leaf. “It appears not. Perhaps the leaf encouraged her actions. Almost as if she was possessed?”she says looking to the mage their and then back to Myev.
A few moments later, Lia watches as the others go towards the captain’s room. Myev for several moments as she hears the words to a spell. Several moments later Onas, Laucian and Elora leave for the Elfin Palace. Growing curious, Lia moves to the cabin to find Kylie and her mom looking at a chest.
“Find anything interesting?” she asks curiously.

[Laucian]

Laucian

“I don't think that this is a leaf from the Belcadiz home world,” Elora suggests. “The Belcadiz come into this story later on. I think that this is a leaf from the Mother Tree on the world where Myev came from. The world where the scro wiped out the elves, but their Mother Tree might still survive.”

“I cannot help but wonder if the trees are somehow linked. If the trees can find one another then perhaps they maybe linked in other ways. Similiairly like the mother tree and elfholds in the way of the rainbow bridge.” He states evenly.

“I found it,” Myev explains defensively. “Is it special? What is a Mother Tree?”
“It was among the scrolls and books that I found in the elfin ruins,” Myev explains. “Why is a leaf so important? No one else cared about a leaf.”

Laucian thinks for several moments and makes no hint at answering, unfortunately Kylie soon answers:

More than ever before, Kylie can see Myev's youth in a way that isn't just physical. "Not just any leaf, Myev. A leaf of a Mother Tree that showed you the way across the vastness of space and brought you here. That is no small or ordinary thing, and we be careful that this does not bring danger to our people here. While you seem to mean well, the fact is that your people completely exterminated the elves on another world. That is no mean feat, and one we must be wary of."

Laucian looks to Kylie with a unreadable expression. The Scro is not Elf-friend, nor needs to know of the elven way of life regardless of how good hearted the scro may appear to be. One thing is for certain, if Myev has put his people in danger he would be sure to see it being the last thing she did.

Laucian gathers his things and heads to where Aura settled down. Upon seeing her, Laucian approaches and strokes her neck as she chirps appreciatively. “Time to stretch your wings again, my friend.”looking into her amber eyes.
The flight is relaxing but short, feeling Aura land, Laucian dismounts and pats his mounts side. “Thank you.”
Laucian’s light footfalls carry him quickly to Lilia’s presence:
Lilia is still where she was earlier. In a common area surrounded by other elves conversing about numerous things. Lady sits contentedly beside the Queen.

“You have more news?” Lilia asks upon seeing the three elves return.

Laucian inclines his head for a moment, “Aye my queen. While exploring the ship we found several holds. Kylie and her mother are still trying to discover their secrets.”he says evenly then continues on, “Our ‘friend’ Myev may not all be what she seemed. She had a leaf within her possession. When she revealed it it was part of a mother tree.” He says stoically. “She claimed that this leaf directed her to our tree. I believe we need to speak to the Keeper of the Mother tree to shed more light upon this.” He says as he looks to Elora and Onas.

[Onas]

Onas Brightsword:

Neither Laucian nor Elena express any objections, so Onas selects one of the griffins and mounts up. They look so much alike, that he's not really certain whether it is the same one that he arrived here on or not. The trip is not long, and Onas stops to thank the griffin for the ride and see to its lodging before heading off to meet with Queen Lilia.

Laucian inclines his head for a moment, “Aye my queen. While exploring the ship we found several holds. Kylie and her mother are still trying to discover their secrets.”he says evenly then continues on, “Our ‘friend’ Myev may not all be what she seemed. She had a leaf within her possession. When she revealed it it was part of a mother tree.” He says stoically. “She claimed that this leaf directed her to our tree. I believe we need to speak to the Keeper of the Mother tree to shed more light upon this.” He says as he looks to Elora and Onas.

Taking a cue from Laucian, Onas bows to the queen before speaking. "There was something odd in Myev's behavior when we spoke with her. At first, she spoke knowledgeably and in very fluent Elvish. Then, when she handed over the leaf for Lia to inspect, she suddenly seemed a bit confused and her Elvish was much rougher.

"I have heard stories of people's mind's being taken over or 'possessed', and this reminded me of those stories. It occurs to me that the Mother Tree from that other world may have taken control of her in order to lead her here. Of course, there's also the possibility that it was someone else entirely; who that may have been, though, I have no way of knowing. Whoever or whatever it was, managed to lead her across the depths of space to this land.

"Even stranger, Kylie seemed certain that there is no way that Myev could possibly have piloted the ship all by herself. Thus, she must have had help of some kind, yet there were no other mages among her people that came here."

[GM Mad]

Post Continued:

In Myev's cabin on the Sunflower, the young scro reveals that the leaf of a Mother Tree was what led her to Arret.

“I cannot help but wonder if the trees are somehow linked. If the trees can find one another then perhaps they maybe linked in other ways. Similarly like the mother tree and Elfholds in the way of the rainbow bridge.” He states evenly.

“That could be possible,” Elora suggests. “If we are to take the idea of Mother Tree's and Daughter Tree's to its fullest, than there could be a Grandmother Tree somewhere that is the parent of all of them. They could be linked that way.”

Kylie looks down thoughtfully, then raises her gaze back to Elora. "I never thought about it that way, but it does make sense. There is so little I know about this side of my heritage."

"That explains a lot. I probably wasn't old enough to be told much elven lore before my mother left."

“I would not presume to speak for your mother, Kylie,” Elora quietly adds. “But the general attitude was that even half-eves were not told about the Mother Tree or even allowed in the Elfholds. Given that you were chosen by the All-Father to save the Mother Tree, pretty much renders that notion moot.”

Kylie looks at Myev with an unreadable expression. "Myev, don't you remember telling us that?"

“I was talking to Elora here...” Myev starts to say. “Then the next thing I knew everyone else was here. Is there something wrong?”

Lia looks surprised as Myev does not recall telling them anything before relinquishing hold upon the leaf. “It appears not. Perhaps the leaf encouraged her actions. Almost as if she was possessed?” she says looking to the mage their and then back to Myev.

“I'm not possessed!” Myev objects in confusion. “I just-- I just don't remember doing things. Is there something wrong with me?”

[GM Mad]

After speaking to Myev, Kylie and Allurien work on opening the secured chests in the hidden room in the Captain's Cabin.

That done, Kylie goes to work on the four locks that are no longer warded. Try though she might, using all the skill and tricks that she's learned from Master Rat and her own experience, she is only able to open one of the four locks! Eventually, she sees no point in continuing to work at them. Standing up, she turns to her mother. "I was only able to pick one of them. These are the toughest locks I've ever seen! Do you want to try your hand with them? I'm starting to think we're going to need a Knock spell here."

“I'll take a look at them,” Allurien will say. “Stand back in case I trip something.”

The first thing Allurien does is examine the magically trapped locks. “I'm going to try to remove the magical trap on these locks first,” Allurien states. “Let me know if the magic fades before your spells gives out.”

As Kylie watches, Allurien works on the still trapped lock on the chest. Her efforts pay off and the magic trap is removed from the lock! However the lock on the small chest remains magically trapped.

After that, Allurien moves on to the locks themselves. The first lock on the big chest eludes her touch, but Allurien is able to remove the other two! Lastly, she is able to remove the lock on the small coffer. That leaves just one lock left on the big chest, while the lock on the little chest is still magically trapped.

Allurien opens up the coffer cautiously to reveal what is inside. There are four silk bags inside and within each bag is a fabulous piece of exquisite jewelry! There is a gold and diamond necklace. A pair of diamond earrings and a sapphire brooch. Lastly, there is a diamond ring with a large blue-white stone.

“These are worth a small fortune!” Allurien says in shock. “Everything here is worth thousands of gold!”

By this time Lia has arrived to see what is going on.

[GM Mad]

Laucian, Onas, and Elora have flown back to the Mother Tree to report in to Queen Lilia.

Laucian inclines his head for a moment, “Aye my queen. While exploring the ship we found several holds. Kylie and her mother are still trying to discover their secrets.” he says evenly then continues on, “Our ‘friend’ Myev may not all be what she seemed. She had a leaf within her possession. When she revealed it it was part of a mother tree.” He says stoically. “She claimed that this leaf directed her to our tree. I believe we need to speak to the Keeper of the Mother tree to shed more light upon this.” He says as he looks to Elora and Onas.

On cue, Elora reveals the Mother Tree leaf that Myev had in her possession. “Even stranger, Myev came out and said the Mother Tree led her here,” Elora adds. “If the elves from her world were like us, then there should be no record of the Mother Tree for her to find. She had to learn about it some other way.”

Taking a cue from Laucian, Onas bows to the queen before speaking. "There was something odd in Myev's behavior when we spoke with her. At first, she spoke knowledgeably and in very fluent Elvish. Then, when she handed over the leaf for Lia to inspect, she suddenly seemed a bit confused and her Elvish was much rougher.

"I have heard stories of people's mind's being taken over or 'possessed', and this reminded me of those stories. It occurs to me that the Mother Tree from that other world may have taken control of her in order to lead her here. Of course, there's also the possibility that it was someone else entirely; who that may have been, though, I have no way of knowing. Whoever or whatever it was, managed to lead her across the depths of space to this land.

"Even stranger, Kylie seemed certain that there is no way that Myev could possibly have piloted the ship all by herself. Thus, she must have had help of some kind, yet there were no other mages among her people that came here."

“As Onas said,” Elora adds, “the more Myev spoke with me the stronger her skill with our language became. After she handed over the leaf, that skill faded away and she seemed to not remember our conversation. Clearly, something is influencing her. Perhaps the High Keeper can examine this leaf? It might shed light on this situation.”

Now what?

[Lilia]

Lilia:

Like she has much of this day, Lilia continues to hold court discussing issues of great importance and making plans for the future. Lady sits contentedly beside me and I occasionally scratch her head.

“You have more news?” Lilia asks upon seeing the three elves return.

Laucian inclines his head for a moment, “Aye my queen. While exploring the ship we found several holds. Kylie and her mother are still trying to discover their secrets.” he says evenly then continues on, “Our ‘friend’ Myev may not all be what she seemed. She had a leaf within her possession. When she revealed it it was part of a mother tree.” He says stoically. “She claimed that this leaf directed her to our tree. I believe we need to speak to the Keeper of the Mother tree to shed more light upon this.” He says as he looks to Elora and Onas.

“Another Mother Tree?” Lilia says in surprise. “Myev's tale is a fantastical one that I found hard to believe, but I haven't had the time to really think about it.”

On cue, Elora reveals the Mother Tree leaf that Myev had in her possession. “Even stranger, Myev came out and said the Mother Tree led her here,” Elora adds. “If the elves from her world were like us, then there should be no record of the Mother Tree for her to find. She had to learn about it some other way.”

Lilia rises to her feet when Elora produces the leaf from this other Mother Tree. “Yes, I would tend to agree,” Lilia says in regards to what Elora just said as she touches the leaf. “I also found it hard to believe that she could speak our language from just reading elfin books and scrolls. That didn't seem possible to me.”

Taking a cue from Laucian, Onas bows to the queen before speaking. "There was something odd in Myev's behavior when we spoke with her. At first, she spoke knowledgeably and in very fluent Elvish. Then, when she handed over the leaf for Lia to inspect, she suddenly seemed a bit confused and her Elvish was much rougher.

“Her grasp of our language was poor when we first met,” Lilia agrees. “In fact her dialect was an older version of our tongue.”

"I have heard stories of people's mind's being taken over or 'possessed', and this reminded me of those stories. It occurs to me that the Mother Tree from that other world may have taken control of her in order to lead her here. Of course, there's also the possibility that it was someone else entirely; who that may have been, though, I have no way of knowing. Whoever or whatever it was, managed to lead her across the depths of space to this land.”

“That would explain a great deal,” Lilia notes. “As I said before, I found her story on how she got here hard to believe. But still is a leaf from a Mother Tree powerful enough to guild them this far?”

"Even stranger, Kylie seemed certain that there is no way that Myev could possibly have piloted the ship all by herself. Thus, she must have had help of some kind, yet there were no other mages among her people that came here."

“It should have been impossible for her to pilot the Sunflower all this way with barely any magical skills,” Lilia agrees. “She simply couldn't provide enough power to keep the Spell Engine working for that long. Realistically they never should have made it here.”

“As Onas said,” Elora adds, “the more Myev spoke with me, the stronger her skill with our language became. After she handed over the leaf, that skill faded away and she seemed to not remember our conversation. Clearly, something is influencing her. Perhaps the High Keeper can examine this leaf? It might shed light on this situation.”

“I agree,” Lilia states. “The High Keeper should be at work around the Mother Tree. Shall we pay him a visit?”

With that, Lilia is off to find the High Keeper and to ask him about this leaf.

[Kylie]

Kylie:

“That could be possible,” Elora suggests. “If we are to take the idea of Mother Tree's and Daughter Tree's to its fullest, than there could be a Grandmother Tree somewhere that is the parent of all of them. They could be linked that way.”

A pleased smile spreads across Kylie's face. "That is a fascinating conjecture, Elora. Perhaps we will have the opportunity some day to learn more in that regard."

“I would not presume to speak for your mother, Kylie,” Elora quietly adds. “But the general attitude was that even half-eves were not told about the Mother Tree or even allowed in the Elfholds. Given that you were chosen by the All-Father to save the Mother Tree, pretty much renders that notion moot.”

Just as quickly, the Kylie's smile vanishes, to be replaced by a distant, neutral expression. "I see."

“I was talking to Elora here...” Myev starts to say. “Then the next thing I knew everyone else was here. Is there something wrong?”

Lia looks surprised as Myev does not recall telling them anything before relinquishing hold upon the leaf. “It appears not. Perhaps the leaf encouraged her actions. Almost as if she was possessed?”she says looking to the mage their and then back to Myev.

“I'm not possessed!” Myev objects in confusion. “I just-- I just don't remember doing things. Is there something wrong with me?”

Kylie finds this exchange very illuminating. "Not necessarily wrong, Myev, but there is definitely more going on here than meets the eye. These gaps in your memory are concerning, and some of the things you have stated doing simply would not have been possible for you to do without some kind of assistance. We'll need to gather more information before we can confidently piece together what actually happened."

===

“I'll take a look at them,” Allurien will say. “Stand back in case I trip something.”

The first thing Allurien does is examine the magically trapped locks. “I'm going to try to remove the magical trap on these locks first,” Allurien states. “Let me know if the magic fades before your spells gives out.”

As Kylie watches, Allurien works on the still trapped lock on the chest. Her efforts pay off and the magic trap is removed from the lock! However the lock on the small chest remains magically trapped.

Kylie watches, fascinated, as her mother works to remove the magical wards without the use of magic! She pays careful attention to every detail, as she may have a need to attempt this herself some day. It takes some effort, but one of the wards fades away under Allurien's careful ministrations.

"You got one of them, Mom!" Kylie reports, excitedly. "That was an amazing technique; hopefully I can master that skill some day."

After that, Allurien moves on to the locks themselves. The first lock on the big chest eludes her touch, but Allurien is able to remove the other two! Lastly, she is able to remove the lock on the small coffer. That leaves just one lock left on the big chest, while the lock on the little chest is still magically trapped.

Allurien opens up the coffer cautiously to reveal what is inside. There are four silk bags inside and within each bag is a fabulous piece of exquisite jewelry! There is a gold and diamond necklace. A pair of diamond earrings and a sapphire brooch. Lastly, there is a diamond ring with a large blue-white stone.

“These are worth a small fortune!” Allurien says in shock. “Everything here is worth thousands of gold!”

Allurien is able to remove three more of the locks, and Kylie feels a mixture of pride and amazement at her mother's skill. While they still are not able to open either the large chest or the small one, the coffer relinquishes its contents. Allurien extracts four silk bags, each of which contains a piece of extremely valuable jewelry.

"Those are beautiful, Mom," Kylie murmurs breathlessly. She has never seen such incredible jewelry up close before. Moving closer for a good look, Kylie checks their auras for any signs of magic.

Several moments later Onas, Laucian and Elora leave for the Elfin Palace. Growing curious, Lia moves to the cabin to find Kylie and her mom looking at a chest.
“Find anything interesting?” she asks curiously.

Just then, Lia steps into the room. "Hi Lia," Kylie replies, barely looking up. "Laucian found this hidden room with all these locked and warded containers. We've managed to get one open, and found this fabulous jewelry inside."

Tearing her eyes away, Kylie address Talen's sister directly. "Unfortunately, we have been unsuccessful at removing the ward from the lock on that small chest back there, and we haven't been able to pick the last of the locks on the big one. Maybe you'll have better luck."

[Onas]

Onas Brightsword:

Elora adds her thoughts regarding the evidence put forth before the queen. Lilia confirms that Myev's elven speech had been rough previously, and of a different dialect. Despite her obvious intellect, it should have been nearly impossible to learn the spoken language from books and scrolls.

“It should have been impossible for her to pilot the Sunflower all this way with barely any magical skills,” Lilia agrees. “She simply couldn't provide enough power to keep the Spell Engine working for that long. Realistically they never should have made it here.”

"That aligns with Kylie's thinking, as well, if I understood her objections correctly." Onas hopes that his blurting out in front of the queen will not be received poorly. "She seemed to allude to technical limitations that were beyond my understanding."

“I agree,” Lilia states. “The High Keeper should be at work around the Mother Tree. Shall we pay him a visit?”

With that, Lilia is off to find the High Keeper and to ask him about this leaf.

Onas nods in agreement, then bows to the queen. He turns to follow along in search of High Keeper Alanik.

[Laucian]

Laucian

“Another Mother Tree?” Lilia says in surprise. “Myev's tale is a fantastical one that I found hard to believe, but I haven't had the time to really think about it.”

“It may be time to entertain her story, my queen. It is becoming real enough.”

On cue, Elora reveals the Mother Tree leaf that Myev had in her possession. “Even stranger, Myev came out and said the Mother Tree led her here,” Elora adds. “If the elves from her world were like us, then there should be no record of the Mother Tree for her to find. She had to learn about it some other way.”

Laucian watches silently as Elora unveils the leaf to Lilia. Hearing Elora’s words, Laucian can’t help but wonder if the leaf granted her powers, powers that would allow greater feats building upon what was already there. ‘It would explain her grasp of our language and the sudden loss of it.’ He surmises to himself.

“It should have been impossible for her to pilot the Sunflower all this way with barely any magical skills,” Lilia agrees. “She simply couldn't provide enough power to keep the Spell Engine working for that long. Realistically they never should have made it here.”

“I think we may have to change our views. What if this leaf adapts to the wearer? We have been blessed with many an item by our patrons so that we may better serve them. Is it hard to imagine items allowing more?” he asks rhetorically, though fully expects a response.

“I agree,” Lilia states. “The High Keeper should be at work around the Mother Tree. Shall we pay him a visit?”

“I believe it is time to do so.” Laucian says to his queen. As he follows her he voices a concern. “I cannot help but wonder what this is doing to Myev, how much she has changed, more so what she may revert back too.”

[Lia]

Lia

Just then, Lia steps into the room. "Hi Lia," Kylie replies, barely looking up. "Laucian found this hidden room with all these locked and warded containers. We've managed to get one open, and found this fabulous jewelry inside."

“They are truly beautiful.” She says evenly looking at the jewelry her eyes resting on each for a few moments.

Tearing her eyes away, Kylie address Talen's sister directly. "Unfortunately, we have been unsuccessful at removing the ward from the lock on that small chest back there, and we haven't been able to pick the last of the locks on the big one. Maybe you'll have better luck."

“Unfortunately, I do not believe I have another Dispel Magic handy. As for the lock itself, Talen could take a look at it. I was never good with locks.” She says evenly.”though,”a thought comes to her as she looks down at her gauntlets. “There is a chance I could break the lock, though I wouldn’t recommend it.”

If she has the third Dispel Magic she will let the others know.
(By May records, Lia should have 3( one granted) Dispel Magic, 2 of which were used in the Metal door room. Please correct me if I’m wrong.)

[Kylie]

Kylie:

“Unfortunately, I do not believe I have another Dispel Magic handy. As for the lock itself, Talen could take a look at it. I was never good with locks.” She says evenly.”though,”a thought comes to her as she looks down at her gauntlets. “There is a chance I could break the lock, though I wouldn’t recommend it.”

Kylie gives Lia a puzzled look, her head tilted to one side. "Oh? How would you break the lock, Lia, and why would you not recommend it?"

[Lia]

Lia

Kylie gives Lia a puzzled look, her head tilted to one side. "Oh? How would you break the lock, Lia, and why would you not recommend it?"

Lia casually looks down at her gauntlets then back up to the thief mage. "With my hands." she says simply. My gauntlets grant the wearer increases strength, I could see if I can pry the chest apart or crush the lock. I never tried it before, it is risky."

[Kylie]

Kylie:

Lia casually looks down at her gauntlets then back up to the thief mage. "With my hands." she says simply. "My gauntlets grant the wearer increased strength, I could see if I can pry the chest apart or crush the lock. I never tried it before, it is risky."

"Those are some pretty amazing gauntlets," Kylie says as she leans forward for a closer look. "What are the risks likely to be? I'm guessing that crushing or tearing off the lock might be preferable to tearing apart the chest.

"Too bad none of us has a Knock spell prepared; that would make quick work of all this."

[GM Mad]

Post Continued:

The talk with Myev in her cabin on the Sunflower is winding down...

A pleased smile spreads across Kylie's face. "That is a fascinating conjecture, Elora. Perhaps we will have the opportunity some day to learn more in that regard."

“Just think of the stories a Grandmother Tree would have to tell!” Elora adds excitedly. “The history of something that ancient would have seen. It would probably take the rest of my life to record such events!”

Just as quickly, the Kylie's smile vanishes, to be replaced by a distant, neutral expression. "I see."

“As I stated, I would not presume to speak for your mother in regards to your heritage,” Elora easily adds. “Half-elves do not feel the presence of the Mother Tree, so even if one got close they would not notice. The best way to keep such an important secret safe is to simply not talk about it. That is the way we elves deal with the Mother Tree.”

Kylie finds this exchange very illuminating. "Not necessarily wrong, Myev, but there is definitely more going on here than meets the eye. These gaps in your memory are concerning, and some of the things you have stated doing simply would not have been possible for you to do without some kind of assistance. We'll need to gather more information before we can confidently piece together what actually happened."

“Now I am scared,” Myev says with a sigh.

After a time only Lia remains with Myev. Not long after Kylie and the others moved on, Argent arrives bearing food for herself and Myev. The Invoker explains that she's been in the kitchen cooking, so there is food to eat for those who wish it.

Lia departs not long after this and makes her way to the Captain's Cabin...

[GM Mad]

In the hidden chamber in the Captain's Cabin, Kylie and her mom are working on the locked chests.

Kylie watches, fascinated, as her mother works to remove the magical wards without the use of magic! She pays careful attention to every detail, as she may have a need to attempt this herself some day. It takes some effort, but one of the wards fades away under Allurien's careful ministrations.

"You got one of them, Mom!" Kylie reports, excitedly. "That was an amazing technique; hopefully I can master that skill some day."

“Removing magical traps is much more difficult than a non-magical traps,” Allurien explains. “It can be done, but you are better off using a Dispel Magic if you have one handy.”

Allurien is able to remove three more of the locks, and Kylie feels a mixture of pride and amazement at her mother's skill. While they still are not able to open either the large chest or the small one, the coffer relinquishes its contents. Allurien extracts four silk bags, each of which contains a piece of extremely valuable jewelry.

"Those are beautiful, Mom," Kylie murmurs breathlessly. She has never seen such incredible jewelry up close before. Moving closer for a good look, Kylie checks their auras for any signs of magic.

“Whoever owned these pieces was either very rich or very important, if not both,” Allurien surmises. “I have a fair eye for appraising such things. I'd estimate that the necklace is worth around 7,500 gold just by itself. These diamond earrings maybe 2,500 each. The brooch about 1,500 gold and the ring around 5,000.”


Not long after that, Lia arrives. The drow maiden casts her last Dispel Magic, but is unable to remove the last enchantment. Discussion than turns to Lia simply using her Gauntlets of Ogre Power to break the lock or into the chest itself.

Lia casually looks down at her gauntlets then back up to the thief mage. "With my hands." she says simply. My gauntlets grant the wearer increases strength, I could see if I can pry the chest apart or crush the lock. I never tried it before, it is risky."

"Those are some pretty amazing gauntlets," Kylie says as she leans forward for a closer look. "What are the risks likely to be? I'm guessing that crushing or tearing off the lock might be preferable to tearing apart the chest.”

“Those gauntlets make one as strong as an ogre,” Allurien adds. “Stronger than one could be otherwise, but it is not that strong. These locks and chests are high quality construction. The damage one would need to do break either one may break the whole chest in the process and potentially what's inside as well. It's better to take your time and remove the locks than try to break them. That's more inline with a dwarf way lock picking anyway.”

"Too bad none of us has a Knock spell prepared; that would make quick work of all this."

“There is always tomorrow,” Allurien adds with a smile.

Right after Allurien says that, a scream is heard from deeper in the ship! It sounds like it came from Argent!

[GM Mad]

Laucian, Onas, and Elora have returned to the Mother Tree and have gone to speak to Lilia about what they've found out about Myev. The scro was in possession of a leaf from the Mother Tree of her world! Between the leaf and Myev's odd behavior, they trio are reporting their findings to Lilia. In turn, Lilia suggests finding the High Keeper of the Mother Tree and seeing what he thinks. And so the group sets off to find the High Keeper. Tagging along are Councilmen Olantius and Triestar along with Arlen Brightsword, Andlin Alastra and Lorelei.

As the group moves along other Keepers are spotted and they will help direct you to the the High Keeper. The search leads you all to the Heart of the Tree, the chamber inside a branch of the Mother Tree where the Chosen healed her.

Greetings are exchanged and the Higher Keeper wonders what he can do for you all. The leaf of the other Mother Tree is revealed and Alanik's eyes go wide.

“I have never seen such a thing before,” Alanik says in astonishment as he tentatively accepts the leaf from Elora. “I believed that there were other Mother Trees elsewhere, but never thought I would actually see one with my own eyes. I am sensing something... The leaf wants me to do join it with the Mother Tree. ”

Carefully, the High Keeper moves the leaf to the small branch that is the metaphysical representation of the Mother Trees heart. Once it is close enough, the leaf's stem extends out and grafts itself onto the branch, making it a part of the Mother Tree. There is a burst of energy and in response the leafy branch grows a little bit larger and several more leafs rapidly emerge.

“Its is a gift and a message,” a new gnarly voice calls out slowly in elfin. “My sister and your cousins need our help.”

Turning around everyone is stunned to see a large pair of eyes and a mouth have appeared behind you in the wall of the Heart of the Tree. Its appearance reminds you very much of a treant. That's when it hits you. The Mother Tree is a gigantic treant!

[GM Mad]

GM Notes:

If she has the third Dispel Magic she will let the others know.
(By May records, Lia should have 3( one granted) Dispel Magic, 2 of which were used in the Metal door room. Please correct me if I’m wrong.)

Lia had one dispel left. The very first dispel she used to open the locked door was done the night before, so she had time to regain that spell.

It is possible to attempt to remove magical traps. Such a thing is done at a 50% minus to the thieves Remove Traps roll.

Yes, the Mother Tree can talk and is essentially a humongous treant! While the legends say that the elves carried the Mother Tree from Evergreen to the Sylvan Realm, she, in fact, actually just walked. Very slowly.

Now what?

[Onas]

Onas Brightsword:

The search for the High Keeper is not a long one, as other Keepers are able to provide clues to his whereabouts. As they walk, Onas exchanges greetings with his brother and Lorelei. Upon reaching the Heart of the Tree, they find Alanik seeing to the Mother Tree's care.

Greetings are exchanged and the Higher Keeper wonders what he can do for you all. The leaf of the other Mother Tree is revealed and Alanik's eyes go wide.

“I have never seen such a thing before,” Alanik says in astonishment as he tentatively accepts the leaf from Elora. “I believed that there were other Mother Trees elsewhere, but never thought I would actually see one with my own eyes. I am sensing something... The leaf wants me to do join it with the Mother Tree. ”

Onas has never met the High Keeper in person before, so being introduced is a great honor for him. Sadly, he is too overwhelmed to do more than offer a few words of greeting.

All attention turns to the leaf as it is handed over to Alanik. Barely does the leaf touch his hands before he senses what to do. 'Join it to the Mother Tree? But how?' Onas wonders. The answer is quick in coming.

Carefully, the High Keeper moves the leaf to the small branch that is the metaphysical representation of the Mother Trees heart. Once it is close enough, the leaf's stem extends out and grafts itself onto the branch, making it a part of the Mother Tree. There is a burst of energy and in response the leafy branch grows a little bit larger and several more leafs rapidly emerge.

“Its is a gift and a message,” a new gnarly voice calls out slowly in elfin. “My sister and your cousins need our help.”

Turning around everyone is stunned to see a large pair of eyes and a mouth have appeared behind you in the wall of the Heart of the Tree. Its appearance reminds you very much of a treant. That's when it hits you. The Mother Tree is a gigantic treant!

Onas watches in rapt fascination as the leaf seems to grow out toward the branch and quickly assimilate itself into the larger tree!

Suddenly, a new, strange yet soothing voice is heard! Onas' eyes dart about the small chamber trying to ascertain the source of the voice. Behind him, a face appears in the wall of the chamber! Onas has only once before seen a treant, and the similarity is unmistakable. Could the Mother Tree really be so closely related to the treants? The thought is staggering, and Onas drops to one knee. "On my life, I will give such help as I am able," he vows.

[Lilia]

Lilia:

The situation with Myev and the leaf from her world's Mother Tree has caused Lilia and those with her to seek out the Higher Keeper.

“It may be time to entertain her story, my queen. It is becoming real enough.”

“So it seems,” Lilia agrees. “I do wonder if her close proximity to the Mother Tree has anything to do with this? Maybe bringing her with us was a mistake.”

Laucian watches silently as Elora unveils the leaf to Lilia. Hearing Elora’s words, Laucian can’t help but wonder if the leaf granted her powers, powers that would allow greater feats building upon what was already there. ‘It would explain her grasp of our language and the sudden loss of it.’ He surmises to himself.

“You think that her knowledge of elves comes from the leaf instead of her studies?” Lilia states. “It as good a reason as any right now. Perhaps the High Keeper can explain further.”

"That aligns with Kylie's thinking, as well, if I understood her objections correctly." Onas hopes that his blurting out in front of the queen will not be received poorly. "She seemed to allude to technical limitations that were beyond my understanding."

“At its core its not that complicated,” Lilia easily says to Onas. “The more powerful spells one can cast, the more energy you provide the Spell Engine. The more energy a Spell Engine has the more you can do with it, but it will drain away at a steady rate. Unless you have enough spells to keep the engine powered, it will run out of energy and cease to function. Myev claims to know only the most basic of spells and therefore shouldn't have had enough energy to keep the Sunflower going for very long.”

“I think we may have to change our views. What if this leaf adapts to the wearer? We have been blessed with many an item by our patrons so that we may better serve them. Is it hard to imagine items allowing more?” he asks rhetorically, though fully expects a response.

“You could be right, Laucian,” Lilia says. “Perhaps this leaf is the only reason the scro made it here at all. Still I have to wonder, why did this other Mother Tree feel the need to make this long journey?”

“I believe it is time to do so.” Laucian says to his queen. As he follows her he voices a concern. “I cannot help but wonder what this is doing to Myev, how much she has changed, more so what she may revert back too.”

“Hard to say,” is Lilia's thoughts on the matter. “We will continue to keep an eye on her to make sure she is not a danger to us or even herself.”

Directions are soon provided and the High Keeper is located in the Heart of the Tree. Lilia remembers this place well as it was where the god given energy to restore the Mother Tree was released. Even the High Keeper is surprised by what we bring him.

“I have never seen such a thing before,” Alanik says in astonishment as he tentatively accepts the leaf from Elora. “I believed that there were other Mother Trees elsewhere, but never thought I would actually see one with my own eyes. I am sensing something... The leaf wants me to do join it with the Mother Tree. ”

Given that he is the High Keeper, perhaps Alanik is more sensitive to such things, being able to understand the leaf's wants and desires better than anyone else. In short order the leaf grafts itself to the Mother Tree and there seems to be a burst of energy that triggers more rapid growth. In Lilia's mind it seems much like when the Mother Tree was restored, just not on such a grand scale. Just what is this leaf?

“Its is a gift and a message,” a new gnarly voice calls out slowly in elfin. “My sister and your cousins need our help.”

Suddenly, a new, strange yet soothing voice is heard! Onas' eyes dart about the small chamber trying to ascertain the source of the voice. Behind him, a face appears in the wall of the chamber! Onas has only once before seen a treant, and the similarity is unmistakable. Could the Mother Tree really be so closely related to the treants? The thought is staggering, and Onas drops to one knee. "On my life, I will give such help as I am able," he vows.

Lilia is equally startled with the Mother Tree show her face! She supposes that it makes sense that the Mother Tree is somewhat similar to the a treant, but such a thought had never occurred to her before. Onas quickly vows to aid the Mother Tree.

“As would us all,” Lilia quickly adds. “What would you have us do? What is this gift and message of which you speak?”

[Kylie]

Kylie:

“Just think of the stories a Grandmother Tree would have to tell!” Elora adds excitedly. “The history of something that ancient would have seen. It would probably take the rest of my life to record such events!”

Kylie chuckles, infected by Elora's enthusiam. "Indeed, and many of my lifetimes."

“As I stated, I would not presume to speak for your mother in regards to your heritage,” Elora easily adds. “Half-elves do not feel the presence of the Mother Tree, so even if one got close they would not notice. The best way to keep such an important secret safe is to simply not talk about it. That is the way we elves deal with the Mother Tree.”

Kylie decides to let the topic lapse, as she suspects it would not lead anywhere good. 'Still, I may want to bring it up with Mom...'

“Now I am scared,” Myev says with a sigh.

"Don't be," Kylie replies, giving her friend's arm a squeeze. "It will be okay; just be patient." The words, 'I hope' float through her mind, but she does not utter them aloud.

===

“Removing magical traps is much more difficult than a non-magical traps,” Allurien explains. “It can be done, but you are better off using a Dispel Magic if you have one handy.”

"I watched you carefully, and I think I grasp the basic technique," Kylie replies. "I can tell that I'll need a lot of practice to feel at all confident about it, though."

“Whoever owned these pieces was either very rich or very important, if not both,” Allurien surmises. “I have a fair eye for appraising such things. I'd estimate that the necklace is worth around 7,500 gold just by itself. These diamond earrings maybe 2,500 each. The brooch about 1,500 gold and the ring around 5,000.”

The jewelry is beautiful indeed. For a second, Kylie imagines wearing them along with her enchanted dress; she feels elegant just thinking about it. "You could buy most of Dog Alley for less than that, I suspect."

“Those gauntlets make one as strong as an ogre,” Allurien adds. “Stronger than one could be otherwise, but it is not that strong. These locks and chests are high quality construction. The damage one would need to do break either one may break the whole chest in the process and potentially what's inside as well. It's better to take your time and remove the locks than try to break them. That's more inline with a dwarf way lock picking anyway.”

"That's good to know, Mom. We certainly don't want that." They seem to be out of options, for the moment anyway.

“There is always tomorrow,” Allurien adds with a smile.

"And we won't be here to see it." Kylie turns back to Lia. "If you prepare a Knock or two tomorrow, you'll have no problem finish--."

A scream rips through the air. Instinctively recognizing the voice as her friend Argent, Kylie spins and races off in the direction it came from. "Argent!"

[Lia]

Lia

“Those gauntlets make one as strong as an ogre,” Allurien adds. “Stronger than one could be otherwise, but it is not that strong. These locks and chests are high quality construction. The damage one would need to do break either one may break the whole chest in the process and potentially what's inside as well. It's better to take your time and remove the locks than try to break them. That's more inline with a dwarf way lock picking anyway.”

“As I told your daughter. I would not recommend it.” She says evenly.

"And we won't be here to see it." Kylie turns back to Lia. "If you prepare a Knock or two tomorrow, you'll have no problem finish--."

“Me? You must have me confused with Talen…. I know we look alike and all but I’m not the mage.” She says in jest.

A scream rips through the air. Instinctively recognizing the voice as her friend Argent, Kylie spins and races off in the direction it came from. "Argent!"

Lia hears the scream and watches as Kylie chases after it’s owner. “Kylie! You do no good rushing…. Oh forget it.”she says calling after the mage and goes to follow while drawing her blade.

[Laucian]

Laucian

“So it seems,” Lilia agrees. “I do wonder if her close proximity to the Mother Tree has anything to do with this? Maybe bringing her with us was a mistake.”

“Perhaps.” The cleric of Ehlonna says eveny, “Time will tell.”

“You think that her knowledge of elves comes from the leaf instead of her studies?” Lilia states. “It as good a reason as any right now. Perhaps the High Keeper can explain further.”

“I don’t know what to think fully, My queen. All I know is I do not trust her as far as I can shoot her.” He says thoughtfully.

“Hard to say,” is Lilia's thoughts on the matter. “We will continue to keep an eye on her to make sure she is not a danger to us or even herself.”

If the scro mage is a danger to us, by bow or blade it would be no more. He thinks to himself as he mentally kicks himself.
Greetings are exchanged and the Higher Keeper wonders what he can do for you all. The leaf of the other Mother Tree is revealed and Alanik's eyes go wide.

“I have never seen such a thing before,” Alanik says in astonishment as he tentatively accepts the leaf from Elora. “I believed that there were other Mother Trees elsewhere, but never thought I would actually see one with my own eyes. I am sensing something... The leaf wants me to do join it with the Mother Tree. ”

Laucian greets Alanik kindly and watches in stoicly in silence his eyes resting on the leaf and then to the Higher keeper. In mere moments Ananik steps forward to the tree and it begins to bind with the mother tree!

A confused look comes over his face as he takes a hesitant step forward.

“Its is a gift and a message,” a new gnarly voice calls out slowly in elfin. “My sister and your cousins need our help.

Laucian turns his head as the gnarly voice calls out in elfin. His eyes grow wide as he sees that the voice is coming from the tree itself. Saying a silent prayer to Ehlonna as Onas goes down to his feet pledging himself.

“As would us all,” Lilia quickly adds. “What would you have us do? What is this gift and message of which you speak?”

“Welcome, Forest Elder. Which cousins do you speak of? Your sister?” Laucian can’t help but wonder. While not so quick to bend the knee, Laucian awaits to hear the words of this Elder tree.

[GM Mad]

Post Closed