Litrix responds in draconic "I am surprised, not many speak the language of Supreme Beings. I am Litrix Maekrix, investigator for The Balance. Do you know of the Evil Temple(tm) behind the barrier?"
Remaining diplomatically silent until introductions, the 'human knight' speaks simply and plainly, "I am Quinn, knight of the strandlands. I am wielder of CRUEL JUSTICE, husband and protector to Qi. I and my fellows," he gesturs to all those at the oasis, "are honored to meet you."
Maur stashes away his war implement. "I apologize for disturbing your rest. You startled me and these are dangerous lands. It is hard to be quiet with all this metal on. My name is Maur Deepdelver of the Sonnthord."
He squints his eyes, even through the goggles darkening his vision. In this desert, everything was so bright! "Bastiaan. Nice to meet you. And you can tell us what you saw in the skies. We've seen some pretty wild sh...stuff out there."
At first, Bastiaan looks at Maur quizzically and then glances up. He shakes his head and laughs. "No, no, nothing in the sky. I was just... admiring it and... thinking about how long it has been sine I've had visitors here."
Bastiaan glances back at the sky and smiles. He is like a great winged cat basking in the heat of the sun. He laughs again and smiles at Maur. "You are right that these lands can be dangerous, but the desert can also be very beautiful. Well, in the places that haven't been corrupted."
"Well met, Bastiaan. I apologize if we come across as nervous - we have been on a dangerous journey. We have travelled from Carnell after defending it from demons and undead. We are tracking someone who escaped and may have come this way. Have you seen anyone?"
Phar makes himself at home by the oasis sharing his magical shade with their new acquaintance.
The great beast listens to Phar intently. His visage becomes more somber when the paragon elf mentions 'demons and undead'. He raises a furry eyebrow when Phar asks him if he's seen anyone.
"I have not seen anyone else stop here," Bastiaan replies. "I did overhear that you are hunting a fugitive and Miss Aureus here did mention something about a zelekhut." He shifts awkwardly while mentioning the powerful lawful creature. "I have not seen this Eike or your servant of law." Bastiaan glances towards Maur as he says servant of law.
Phar is certain that Bastiaan is an androsphinx. He can't tell if the magical beast is more powerful than a typical androsphinx, but the paragon elf knows that Bastiaan can let out a great roar that can cause fear in those who hear it. The creature can also cast divine spells. Androsphixes tend towards chaos and good.
Litrix responds in draconic "I am surprised, not many speak the language of Supreme Beings. I am Litrix Maekrix, investigator for The Balance. Do you know of the Evil Temple(tm) behind the barrier?"
"My kind speaks the language of dragons naturally. I do have my own language, of course, but my kind rarely speak it to non-sphinxes," Bastiaan replies to Litrix. He looks to Phar. "Is not Draconic the language of magic among humanoids? Has it fallen out of favour in the civilized lands of elves and humans?" He shakes his head. "That seems surprising."
"But, let us speak in Harqualian," Bastiaan suggests. "That way, we can all understand each other." He looks back to Litrix. "And, yes, I know of that dark place, although I never go past the barrier that leads into that evil demiplane. It is a horrid place that is full of corruption. The Temple of Utter Evil. That is what the local tribes call it." You can tell that even mentioning the temple's name makes him nervous. "You are either very brave or have no idea what you will face in that evil place."
Bastiaan's words confirm to Litrix that he is addressing an androsphinx.
"We must go," Caerth says. "We made a promise to retrieve an item that this fugitive, Eike, stole from a young man after killing him."
"Hmm, so it is a matter of not only justice, but also honour."
Remaining diplomatically silent until introductions, the 'human knight' speaks simply and plainly, "I am Quinn, knight of the Strandlands. I am wielder of CRUEL JUSTICE, husband and protector to Qi. I and my fellows," he gestures to all those at the oasis, "are honored to meet you."
"A knight of the Strandlands," Bastiaan replies. "So, you are one of that land's Guardians, are you?" Bastiaan looks at Quinn's sash. "Hmm, it appears so. I have heard good things about your order. Fair and honest... well, that's what I've heard."
"Hmm, Carnell. I'm not sure I've ever heard of that city. Is it far to the west? Near the Thunder Mountains?" Bastiaan lays his head down on his paws. He is becoming quite relaxed in your presence.
He yawns and stretches. "As for the temple, I hope you are prepared to face the undead that haunt the lands around it. Roaming skeletons and zombies, well, mainly at night. Of course, the sun is said to be muted in that horrible place. And the temple sits in the centre of a cursed land full of blighted hills and mountains, as well as dead forests and boggy swamps. The hills surrounding the temple are said to be covered in bones. The bones of restless undead that rise to walk the lands in the hundreds at night."
"That sounds really dangerous," Aureus replies quietly. Doubt crosses her mind and face.
"There are rumours of worst things in those lands. Cursed humanoids of all kinds that eat the flesh of their victims, deadly plants that drink blood, and even some sort of fiendish giant lizard."
"What about Ralix's Cross," Caerth asks. "Should we avoid it?"
"The easiest way from here through the hills will take you past that sacrificial altar," Bastiaan notes. "It is easy enough to avoid while flying and it lies outside the evil goddess's barrier. I will not speak her name and I suggest you do not speak it either once within the demiplane."
4th [5+1] (DC 23) []Wall of FIre [] polymorph [] []Summon Monster IV []Haste [] Cacophonic Burst
5th(4+1) (DC24) [] []Dismissal ; [] Wall of Force; []Break Enchantment; []Cacophonic Burst
6th (2+1)[DC25] [] [] Disintegrate; []Cacophonic Burst
"I cannot say if we are guardians of the Strahdlands but we cannot allow evil to roam the lands unchecked. It seems, too, that we are fated to continue the work of those who were known as The Boots.
We were hoping to avoid Ralix's Cross lest there were spies who would report our arrival. We do not have the ability to easily fly. Is there a path that we may pass by it unseen? Is it still used? Perhaps its high perch would afford us some advantageous lookout over the lands?"
"I cannot say if we are guardians of the Strandlands but we cannot allow evil to roam the lands unchecked. It seems, too, that we are fated to continue the work of those who were known as The Boots.
Bastiaan listens intently. He makes no acknowledgement of knowing who The Boots were.
TaranTheWanderer said:
We were hoping to avoid Ralix's Cross lest there were spies who would report our arrival. We do not have the ability to easily fly. Is there a path that we may pass by it unseen? Is it still used? Perhaps its high perch would afford us some advantageous lookout over the lands?"
"Oh yes, I always forget that you two-footed folk rarely fly without magical aid," the androsphinix replies with a grin. "My apologies." He nods. "Yes, the cross is still used. The local tribes use it all the time to punish those that trespass in what they believe are their lands. These interlopers are staked out to die in the sun or chained to the large broken shards of the destroyed rocky 'X' shape that once reached into the sky."
He sighs and shakes his head. "The worst of them use what is left of the cross for blood sacrifices as well."
"As for a different route past it, you should be fine to find one without too much difficulty. The path that leads through the lower part of the cross is simply the easiest way on foot from here to the barrier. If you take a wider course, it will take you more time. And, the hills are full of dangerous creatures, of course, but that's just as true near the cross."
Bastiaan looks Phar square in the eye. "If you climb up on what remains of the cross, the locals will know. They are always watching. Ralix was said to have been a massive hill giant chieftain that once lorded over these lands. While he was killed hundreds of years ago, the giants and ogres of the region consider the cross to be sacred. They turn a blind eye to the tribes' activities because the sacrifices left often include things they can take and eat."
"If you go up there without any reverence, and they find out, they will hunt you mercilessly. It is probably best to avoid it. Unless you think you can handle fighting five to ten giants at once."
"I've heard rumours of others trying to destroy the shrine. From what I've heard, in that place, the dead begin to rise the closer one gets to it. For those that follow one of the shrine's deities, these undead are not a problem, usually. For others it can be their death. There is an old story about the shrine and a warrior who wished to destroy it and the entire demiplane with it."
"Let's see if I can remember how it goes." Bastiaan clears his throat and raises his head to the sky...
"In a time long forgotten, there was once a man, a humanoid of great conviction, who worshipped the Interloper known as Colvian, Lord of War." The androsphinix pauses and tilts his head. "I cannot remember his name." He continues. "This... nameless knight came to these cursed lands when the barrier of... the goddess I will not name... was newly formed. He came from the west. A place of magic and metal."
"He rode into the Grave Shores with his squire and men-at-arms and defeated many foes that chose to come between him and his goal. Powerful was this knight of law, and he was said to be a brilliant tactician who never lost a fight. He and his followers defeated over a dozen cursed tribes and a horde of ogres... well, that's the legend. He came at the shrine from the south and passed through the barrier into the Wicked Hills. There, the sun's light was muted and evil arose to try to strike him and his followers down. He defeated them, but his squire fell, corrupted by evil."
Bastiaan turns his head from the sky to Litrix. "This knight refused to turn back from his goal and led his men to the shrine. Undead plagued them as they approached. Skeletons and other restless dead creatures rising from the fields of bone that surround the shrine. While he was a knight, he was no holy warrior, and the clerics who followed him were not strong enough to keep the undead from overwhelming them all. All died."
Bastiaan shrugs his shoulders after he is finished. "That's one version of the story. In another version, the warrior destroys the shrine but is plagued by huge beasts of chaos and evil that hunt him to his homeland in the west. And the shrine was rebuilt by the goddess's followers soon after." He nods to the dragontouched knight. "Should you raze it to the ground? Probably. Can you destroy it... and the demiplane's link to these lands. Only you know what you are capable of achieving."
