*Kelthet listens intensely to Phaern. After the discussion, he nods. "That would make sense - Bones of the Earth is a phrase that just ... makes sense. For the others, I do know them all, somewhat at least - I've worked with each of them over time. They are a competent group, I'll say that. I suspect that if we are meant to find them, they will be in town - if you wish, I can search them out while you check in the library...."
*Kelthet thinks for a moment, then realizes that Phaern meant "Catch up now." "You are just back in town, then? I have been here and there lately, studying the blade and the Sight. I did learn a neat trick, though!" As he remembers his armor song, he gets more animated. Kelthet concentrates for a moment, then sings a gutteral and deep voiced series of notes that last perhaps 5 seconds. The song gives a sense of stability, of ... solidness. As he sings, iron seems to coalesce out of the air, and rise up out of the ground, encasing him in a suit of iron.
*Kelthet then grins at Phaern. "Handy, huh? It's not quite as sturdy as plate mail, but it's infinitely more flexible, and doesn't restrict me at all. If you look right here...."
Phaern likely knows from experience that Kelthet will continue to explain the minutae of the armor if he's not derailed quickly.
"Very nice,", Phaern says as he watches Kelthets wonderous new song. Before he gets too sidetracked Phaern tries to turn the conversation a bit, "I know that we last spoke soon after I had gone through these rather significant changes, you know wings and all. I too have been preparing myself for battle practicing moves aboard the ship and getting used to the added manoeuvrability. Remind me to show you a bit later."
*Getting sidetracked himself, Phaern continues, "Indeed during our passage we were confronted by strange frog-men, while I managed to hold my own I was too slow to save my friend Thom. I will have to tell you his daring story some time."
Feeling the dream tug at the edge of his conciousness again, Phaern is reminded of the reason the two of them have found one another again. He continues, "I guess it would be good to get an early start on this. I agree, I shall go to the library while you have a look around town. We will meet back here at say dinner time, where we can share a few more of our stories."
*Atlas, Ui-Kasora tells you she was visiting the grave of her great, great, grandmother, a woman of uncommon intelligence and wisdom. The girl had need of her ancestor's guidance for a personal matter. She knew that her ancestor had been quite the night owl, and out of respect for that had gone to the cemetary very late. During the conversation it has slowly gotten lighter outside, and dawn will be coming shortly.*
*Phaern, you find your way to the library, while Kelthet goes to scour the city. Your searches of the stacks costs you a mere two deuce for the privilage. A couple hours into it, you find a particularly dusty section of the stacks that looks like it hasn't been touched in months, or maybe years. On the bottom shelf you find a huge tome, three times the height of you. With difficulty you move it off the bottom shelf. Your heart beats with excitement as you realize the covers are made of thin sheets of stone, and the pages from hammered steel.*
*The book is in Draconic, a particularly ancient form of it, written in a dialect lost to the mists of time. It takes you a while to get the hang of it, but eventually you are able to wrest the following information from the book. spoiler
This book was written by a mojh explorer over two hundred years ago by the name of Secaras. Apparently it was seeking great power of magic below the earth, and came across a place in its wanderings that evoked such a sense of awe and wonder that it devoted an entire chapter in the book to describe it. To your frustration, it goes on at length about how the place felt like, looked like, and even smelled like before it even hints at what this place is or how to get there. It calls the place "The Spine of the World."*
*It describes the place as an enormous chamber filled with staggeringly huge rock columns of every type of rock ever known. Secaras describes the place as being particularly beneficial for magic dealing with the earth, even healing magic of the Green. It also says that it saw many unusual phenomona in the chamber, and thought that perhaps very powerful beings either had been there or even continued to live there. Though the directions it gives are annoyingly vague, a few things are clear. Apparently one can begin underground at almost any place to start out going there. Three clear landmarks that indicate that one is on the right path are "The Lair of the Shadow Serpant," the "Twilight Chamber," and "The Sunless City of Grayfolk."*
*But it is the last page in the chapter that holds most of your attention. The last page has an engraving of what the Spine of the World looked like. It is as if your dream/vision has become real upon the page. The recognition is so strong it is almost painful in its intensity.
/spoiler*
*Kelthet, you wander the streets, searching high and low for any of the others in your vision. You go in and out of the various marketplaces, scour the shopping districts, slip through the less savory regions of the city, and go through inn after inn, with no luck. As you're slowly making your way back towards the library, you turn a corner and find yourself eye to eye with a spryte woman. Recognition flares in your mind immediately, and you can see she knows you instantly; she is the memory master from your vision.*
*Leesea, in the early morning you began searching the streets of Ka-Rone, searching for the faces from your dream. Your skill in watching comes in very handy, and after a while you find one man that seems to be familiar. After seeing his face in profile, you're certain; it's the swordsman with the inborn magic talent. It's an easy manner to get ahead of him, and you turn a corner the same moment he does, putting yourself eye to eye. He recognizes you, you can tell right off.*
*Indacalis, when you went into Ra-Toqu, the first inn you entered, in the very early morning, was the Fountain of Beer. The innkeeper, an older human man with a fair share of scars, listens to your list of names in slight bewilderment. Finally he gives his head a shake and speaks, his voice like gravel.*
"Darthallys and Wil, aye, I've seen them. They're staying here, along with Atlas. Haven't seen the giant around much tonight, but the other two... Say, there they are!" he says, nodding his head over to a door at the back of the inn. "Mind you, Darthallys was in a poor mood a bit ago, so I might tread carefully."
*Indacalis, you see a pale, greasy-haired human and a short, muscular, red-furred sibeccai with a viscious-looking blade on his back come out of the door. It's Darthallys and Wil, you would know them anywhere... which is somewhat strange as you didn't know them at all until last night.*
*Darthallys and Wil, having decided to go find Atlas to see if you can figure out what this vision is all about, you realize that it's close to dawn, and the sky is starting to become gray rather than black. As you come out of the bath house and go through the common room, you realize there's a short, lanky sibeccai staring at you both. In each of your minds you suddenly hear a very faint rumbling echo of the voice from the vision, but it's gone almost as soon as you notice it.*
*Given the nature and intensity of the vision, Leesea is hardly surprised to find herself face to face with one of those she'd seen in it. As she can't hover in place, she lands gently on a convenient fence post.*
"Well, well," she says with a cheery smile. "This cannot possibly be a coincidence."
*Darthallys and Wil, having decided to go find Atlas to see if you can figure out what this vision is all about, you realize that it's close to dawn, and the sky is starting to become gray rather than black. As you come out of the bath house and go through the common room, you realize there's a short, lanky sibeccai staring at you both. In each of your minds you suddenly hear a very faint rumbling echo of the voice from the vision, but it's gone almost as soon as you notice it.*
*I indicate the direction of the short, lanky sibeccai.*
Ahhh, blasted voice. Is it warning me? I’m taking no chances.
*I stop. I move in behind Darthallys.*
“Ready yourself,” I say quietly.
*I casually reach into my belt pouch for a coin and try to gauge what the stranger’s interest in us is. I trace my fingers quickly in intricate patterns upon the coin as I glance over Darthallys’ shoulder, looking into the stranger’s eyes. I put on a friendly smile.*
“Hello,” I say to the man. “What a glorious morning it is. Is there anything that we can help you with? We are about to go walk the streets in search of a friend. We can be your guides if this is your first visit to Ra-Toqu. Or do you wonder if this fine establishment is worth your hard earned money by the looks of its patrons?
*Wil glances around.*
“Do we look familiar? Is there someone you are to meet? What is his or her name? I might know who it is you are looking for. My friend here can tell you that the women are exquisite if that is your longing.”
“Hello,” I say to the man. “What a glorious morning it is. Is there anything that we can help you with? We are about to go walk the streets in search of a friend. We can be your guides if this is your first visit to Ra-Toqu. Or do you wonder if this fine establishment is worth your hard earned money by the looks of its patrons?
*Wil glances around.*
“Do we look familiar? Is there someone you are to meet? What is his or her name? I might know who it is you are looking for. My friend here can tell you that the women are exquisite if that is your longing.”
The Siebacci is short and lankey, and seems physically weak as he leans on his staff. His clothes and gear are worn with usage, but his cloak, especially, is of good quality. He pauses for a moment after Wil talks to him, as if digesting his words.
"Yes, you can help me, Wil Restat. The Green needs you. It is calling you, and it has sent me to find you, though I do not know why. You and Darthallys the Razor Tongued are two. There are four others that the Spirits of the Earth named to me that I must find as well. You asked the names of others I was looking for. They are Kelthet, Phaern, Atlas, and Leesea."
He seems uneasy, and glances around the room for a moment before continuing. "You also asked my name. It is Indacalis, though that is not greatly important. I am merely a servant of the Green."
*Atlas, Ui-Kasora tells you she was visiting the grave of her great, great, grandmother, a woman of uncommon intelligence and wisdom. The girl had need of her ancestor's guidance for a personal matter. She knew that her ancestor had been quite the night owl, and out of respect for that had gone to the cemetary very late. During the conversation it has slowly gotten lighter outside, and dawn will be coming shortly.*
Atlas: "What is your problem? If you don't mind my asking." If it has anything to do with the vision, Atlas is most intrigued, if it is anything else he can help her with he will. Otherwise he thanks the man and girl for thier hospitality and returns to the inn to meet up with Darthalys.
*Kelthet smiles. "And so it begins. Lee...Leesi, isn't it? We worked on the Kar-Navor caravan together, I think it was? You had the vision too, didn't you? Phaern is already here."
"Ah what a find, thats it thats the place!" Phaern says quietly to himself. He pulls out his journal and copies the relevant passage into it. He will try to scan the rest of this massive volume for more clues to the location of the Spine. After he finishes searching this massive volume he attempts to maneuver it back onto the shelf to no avail. He tries to weave a little magic to shrink the book down to his size. He pulls out his wand and chants a few words over the tome. Light travels up the wand and illuminates the book. It slowly shrinks until it would fit in his hands. He then slides the book back on the shelf and lets the magic spell fall. [cast appropriate size].
He then continues to research the library for more information on the Spine or references to the Shadow Serpent, the Twilight Chamber, the Sunless City, or the Greyfolk. He is particularily interested in maps and directions to those places. He will work until it is sundown.
*Atlas, Ui-Kasora will tell you, a bit embarassed, that she was asking her ancestor for advice in matters of the heart. Thusly informed, you leave the household in the early dawn, with Vi-Herras' profuse thanks and invitation to come back soon. You make it back to the Fountain of Beer, only to find Darthallys and Wil in somewhat tense conversation with another sibeccai. You hear a vague echo of the stone voice in your head for a brief instant.*
*Phaern, you search long and hard, occasionally enlisting the help of a few university students that are working at the university. With their help and a days' worth of tireless searching, you arrive with the following information. spoiler
You find another old book about dangerous beasts, particularly reptiles. This book is called "The Scaled Codex" and has a cover made from some kind of scaled skin, very smooth and fine, with elegant diamond patterns in black and cream. The author was a fellow spryte, Gomaer Grayclaw, with a positively unholy interest in dangerous reptillian beasts. You search for references to the Shadow Serpant and come up with the following passage:
"I have yet to see it in person, and despite all efforts and the deaths of three of my exploratory team, it has all been for naught. I must thus collect the fragmented experiences of this underground city as my information, warning my reader that this is all acquired secondhand, and is thus suspect. The Shadow Serpant apparently cannot be deceived with spells of illusion or invisibility, which may be partially true, as the deaths of two of my team happened when protected by such spells. It is apparently a cunning and intelligent beast, which can apparently appear as a snake or as some terrible beast with fangs and claws which no one has been able to describe to my satisfaction.
"It can force stone to move to its will as it is said, always knows when magic is about, and cannot be trapped. It can also apparently turn stone to mud. While it seems to travel a great deal, some say it is in the form of a human or one of the grayfolk when it does this, it has a lair not far from their largest city. The grayfolk tell me that it loves traps, and those venturing near its supposed lair often fall to one devious trap or another.
"The say the path to the lair can be avoided if one avoids following the purple stone veins. However, since their favored crops of fungi often seem to grow best near them, deaths caused by the Shadow Serpant will contine to happen."
*This reference to the city of the greyfolk sets you searching for anything by Grayclaw's contemporaries or companions. Filed near the Serpant Codex you find a much-tattered journal of the very put-upon oathsworn bodyguard of Grayclaw. The litorian, named Crothar, had been saved by Grayclaw while fulfilling an oath of vengeance and nearly dying in the process. Unfortunetly his rescuer was an amoral explorer, but true to his oath, he protected Grayclaw for many years. You skip past the very unflattering diatribes on Grayclaw's methods and habits, and hunt for directions. Of finding his way underground, he speaks thusly:
"The grayfolk have a curious way of finding their way along a certain 'highway' underground. Though most can see in the dark, they still carry lights around, as they use the colors of the rocks to navigate. They call this highway the 'Spine Road,' for reasons of no interest to me. But navigating it is simple in principle, if difficult in practice. The road goes thusly, follow the rock veins in the following order, from shallowest to deepest, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. If find it quite curious that in a world that never sees daylight and sees things in shades of gray should be so dependent on color.
"The difficulty in navigating comes from the few bits of natural radiance underground. In one enormous chamber, while we were following the yellow veins, it was filled with a strange stone that glowed in a blue radiance. For one reason or another, Grayclaw ordered the torches and glowglobes doused and relied on the radiance for light. He saw the walls appeared green, and began following a passage that he believed would continue us on our way, only to nearly end up in the bellies of some hideous beasts that disguised themselves as stalagmites! The intrepid academian finally engaged his brain enough to realize that the light color had confused him, and we spent another two days testing all of the dozen passages out of this twilight-blue cavern before we found the true green rocks, and only then because one of the grayfolk happened upon us.
"The day I see the walls of that red cave we started out in will be the happiest day of my miserable existance. If it were possible to be to become drunk anymore, I would drown myself in the Fountain of Beer's cheapest rotgut the minute I got out of that cave."
*Between both Grayclaw's Codex and Crothar's journal, you manage to piece together that the grayfolk are a race of people that live underground, often never seeing the light of day. They seem to be faen-sized (Gomaer makes several references to them as 'kin' in the broadest sense), with a keen knowledge of stone, mining, and fungi. Their skins are ashen-gray, and they can see in the dark as easily as the light. They also apparently have many natural enemies, from fierce and hungry predators to other intelligent races with even vaguer descriptions such as "darkfolk" and "stonefolk." It appears the grayfolk were reluctant to speak to Grayclaw, and from Crothar's journal it appeared that he either bribed or forced help from them most of the time, which explains the lack of information.*
*Finding the red cave puts you in an entirely different part of the library, one with books written by greenbonds and other nature-lovers. You learn that there's a cave with red walls not too far outside of Ra-Toqu, a town not a half-day's brisk walk from Ka-Rone. To put the final "Eureka!" into your day, one of your erstwhile research assistants says that he's actually been to the Fountain of Beer before. It's a pleasant tavern in Ra-Toqu.*
