Preparing to travel to Oaerda
From Enlil
| The following information comes from Aaron Monsanto. |
| Aaron has a way of seeing things that others look past, and his insights should not be disregarded lightly. |
After our quest in the Bulger Wood was completed we spent an evening with Rhys Gilliander decided that since we didn't know the fate of our companion Tok'Mar we should have a moment of silence for him, as well as a toast. To my surprise even Liesl who is usually a teetotaler joined in our toast, though as a non-drinker a few swigs was enough for her. It seemed a fitting tribute to our fallen companion. The next day we set off for Jarrowby. Upon our arrival we sought out our various resources in the city (the Church of Enlil, and Mr. Poe) to try to determine if there was a way to find out the fate of Tok'Mar, as well as to begin preparations for our likely trip to Oaerda. Unfortunately, though many of the people we dealt with were very interested in what we had to tell them (especially a church investigator known as Paxton Addison), and all promised to do what they could to find out his fate, none could really tell us what had happened to him and if he was likely to still be alive.
However, our passage to Oaerda was secured by Mr. Poe with provisions for a brief stopover in Kadaras to see Asterith who has actually made a trip to Oaerda. We also sent a messenger ahead to alert Asterith to our impending visit.
Our trip to Kadaras was uneventful, and we quickly set off into the mountains to find our way to Astherith's Tower. The trip was mostly uneventful, until we were nearing the Tower. At one point I noticed some movement up a head, but after we spent some time looking we determined it was nothing. Unfortunately we were wrong. When we got closer to the area where the movement occurred we realized we were quite near a group of Ogres, sitting around a campsite. They took notice of us and began to attack. At first we were quite lucky and found ourselves handling a group of Ogres without too much trouble (I think back just a short time ago to our trepidation about a single Ogre guard at the southern gate in Serriyam, and marvel at how we continue to learn to work together better and better as a group.). Unfortunately soon after battle was enjoined one of the Ogres blew a horn of some sort and some sort of large creature virtually fell out of the sky near our horses and poor Solomon.
This creature had three heads, one of which was that of a lion. I'm not sure why but that particular head really got to me, and I made it my goal to see it destroyed. The battle was intense, and I think that most of us were dearly tested by this creature combined with the Ogres. But once we emerged victorious, we noticed some other Ogres cowering in the woods. Clearly they were intimidated by our martial prowess, and gave us no more trouble on our way to the Tower. Shortly after searching the bodies for any valuables (they seemed to be surprisingly well financed) we set off for the Tower (now visible in the distance.) However as I looked up briefly I noticed the silhouette of some sort of Dragon in the sky. Luckily it didn't seem to be there to menace us. Never the less we hastened our pace to the Tower. Unfortunately several of our horses were killed during the exchange with the three headed creature, so the pace was dictated by my walking ability, though I do like to think of myself as a rather quick footed fellow when I need to be (even more so after recent developments!).
Upon reaching the Tower, they were somewhat surprised to see us, but it wasn't long before we were led inside to meet with Asterith. Once inside the Tower we were led into a room that seemed to be a large pleasant sunny field. Re'el munched happily on the grasses there as we waited for our host to arrive.
When he did he appeared to be surprised though happy to see us. (It seems that he's been having some trouble with some of his draconic neighbors, and the Ogres and such we encountered were likely stirred up a bit by one of them. This would also likely explain why our messenger never arrived.)
Anyway! Our first order of business was to tell him what happened to Tok'Mar, but to our surprise he already knew! Not only that, but he has been in contact with him! It seems that he had given Tok'Mar a scrying single of some sort, and the last time he tried to contact him found him to be in some sort of afterlife plane called The Veil that had been overrun by devils. He has died and been resurrected several times there, and has allied himself with a number of the "natives" there. The plane seems quite interesting. It is mostly overseen by Danal though the main city, Morin which is currently overrun with Devils, and is the only way in and out of the plane, is overseen by Lohmot, which makes sense, as he's the god of portals and gateways.
Unfortunately Astrith isn't sure if there is a way to return Tok'Mar to this plane, but he is investigating. Regardless, it is good to know that Tok'Mar is alive in some form and is fighting a good fight.
Our conversation with Asterith in his tower continued for some time, in which he told us about what he knew of Oerda and gave us some advice on what we should do while there to avoid standing out too much, as well as his experiences with the Hidden Houses of Talaron.
The biggest surprise for me though came when he revealed he knew I was a Psion!
It seems that after his trip to Oerda, and seeing what happened to a number of other scholars who had encountered the Talorians, he decided he needed to try to find some way to protect himself from the Talorians. So he used what he had seen in Oerda, and what little he was able to learn about the devices and artifacts he brought back with him to set up his Tower (which it seems is intelligent in some way or another!) to warn him if any Psionic individuals entered. Apparently it worked!
After a bit more conversation on this topic, Leisl decided to retire. I offered to demonstrate some of my powers and abilities to Asterith, and Solomon if they were interested. They most definitely were! We moved into another room and Asterith directed Solomon in setting up a circle of candles and such so they could gather as much information as possible about my abilities. I entered a state of psionic focus, and explained what that state meant to me, which both Solomon and Asterith seemed very interested in. I then demonstrated my various abilities, all of which seemed quite fascinating to both Asterith and Solomon. Asterith said he would try to figure out a way to help me mask my psionic nature, so that those of house Sotare would not recognize me as a member of another house. And true to his word the following day he produced for me a magical feather which he said should mask my nature as long as I keep it on my person, and don't enter a state of psionic focus. (He also warned me against connecting it with other magical devices, as the interactions could cause it to work improperly).
He also seemed to help Leisl and Re'el figure out some of the things they could do with their link and their divine abilities, and he helped Solomon with a few other things, but I'll let them explain their interactions with Asterith.
After getting a very rough map from Asterith, and taking a brief moment to look at magical items (I was sorely tempted by a magical fire-rapier) we set off with an escort to make our way to Oerda. We stopped breifly in the port town for some more supplies, and I was able to find a standard enchanted Rapier for myself, though I did have to go into debt to my companions to do it. I'm never quite comfortable being the one in debt (I prefer to have others in debt to me!) so I'll be working to pay off that debt as soon as possible!
Anyway, onward to Oerda!
| The following information comes from Liesl Thistledown. |
| Liesl's inquisitive mind and earnest approach to situations makes her an excellent observer. |
It is probably useful to note that, at this point in my career, I was sorely taxed by a battle with three Ogres, even assisted as I was by Re'el. I must make a note to perhaps pick my battles more carefully in the future. Still! Evil must be vanquished, and rarely leaves those who follow the path of righteousness any choice of the time and place of said vanquishing.
My connection with Re'el continues to grow, to my surprise. At times I can feel his presence in a corner of my mind. Asterith informs us that Re'el and I now share a divine link bestowed upon us from our gods, and that with practice, I will gain control of further manifestations of this link.
Also, I picked up a lance. I have plans.
| Last session | This session | Next session |
|---|---|---|
| Setting Things Right In The Bulger Wood | Preparing to travel to Oaerda | Travel to Oaerda |
