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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Silver Moon" data-source="post: 1129531" data-attributes="member: 8530">Chapter 3, “Audience with the Lordholder,” September 12th, 1019, 1:15 P.M. Mojo charges up towards the monks, balling up his fists.   Narg very quickly charges forward, inserting himself between them.  Narg tells the monks, “We don’t do a whole lot of  ‘prancing’ anymore.   Look, it is really important that we see your Lordholder right away.  The Queen sent us here to stop a giant monster.”   They are brought in to a lobby room, and told to wait a very short while.  One monk leaves, and returns shortly thereafter stating, “Please follow me.”   They are led down a number of small stone corridors lit by candles, until they finally reach a large hall.    There are around two-dozen monks in the room, and it appears that some sort of meditation ceremony has just ended.   Most of the monks depart, and Purge leads his party forward.   Cassie, Mojo and Narg recognize the monk leader, having seen him most recently at the Queen’s Coronation in January.   Alton barely remembers any details of his prior visit to this monastery nine years earlier, and does not remember this man at all.   The monk welcomes the party, addressing each of them by name including Mark who he has never met before, and thanks them for coming to the assistance of the Kralt Lordholding.   “You know why we’re here?” Mojo asks.    The monk replies, “Yes.  We have heard about this giant creature that has devastated three communities in our land.”    Cassie asks the man to tell them everything he knows about it.   The monk tells them “It is said to be some type of large gray scaled reptile, a hundred feet high and perhaps five-hundred feet long.   It apparently has some type of occupied castle strapped onto its back.”   “Occupied, by who or what?” Cassie interjects.    “An army of hairy monsters,” is the monk’s reply.   “But what type?  That description could fit a lot of creatures?” she answers.  “Or even some of us,” Narg comments, staring at Alton.  The monk apologizes saying, “I am sorry but I do not have those details.    All that we know about this we received yesterday through messages sent by distant signal mirrors.   I wish I could have found out more, but I only had one mage at my disposal who could teleport, and I sent him to contact the Queen.”   “Which is why we are here,” Mojo interjects, adding “But I wish we had a better description.  It sounds like we’re after a group of Muppets riding on a giant armadillo.”  The monk says, “You are the second team who she has sent.  The Dragon Stalkers were here yesterday, and headed south to fight the creature.”  “And those losers got their butts kicked,” Narg states.    Cassie asks, “Could you give us a better idea of where this creature might be?”   The monk leads them into another chamber of the monastery, where a large tapestry depicting the Kralt Lordholding is affixed to the wall.    The tapestry’s vibrant colors are a sharp contrast to the plain earth tone colors of the monks’ attire and the remainder of the building.  Alton stares at the tapestry and comments “Wow!  That’s impressive.”   The monk fidgets and appears to be somewhat embarrassed by Alton’s comment.   He replies, “This woven wool map was found in the castle of the previous Lordholder.  It really is far too opulent for this location, but I have yet to find a better map of the land that I have been led to rule, so I keep it here for reference.”      He points to an area this is not even depicted on the tapestry, but is marked by a pointed needle has been carefully inserted into it.  He states, “The Monastery is located here.”    His finger then travels forty miles southwesterly on the map to a town depicted along an east-west roadway.   “This is the town of Gheldaylin.  It is a fortified trading town at a crossroad between the main road depicted here, and a north-south road not on the tapestry that goes north of Gheldaylin to here, and south from that town to the East Lordholding land of Northumberland.   He next points to a large mountain range east of the town.  The mountains are depicted as running approximately ten miles east-to-west, and through the entire length of the Lordholding north-to-south.  The Lordholder tells the party “The settlements that the monster destroyed were to the east of the mountains, and we believe that the monster still is on that side of the mountain range.    We have no evidence that it plans to cross the mountains to head towards Gheldaylin, but since that is the largest community in the immediate vicinity of the creature we have decided to assume the worst case scenario.”The party debates if the best course of action would be to now travel southwest to Gheldaylin, south to the mountains, or southeast to where the monster was last seen.    The tapestry depicts an east-to-west road through the mountains located around thirty miles south of the monastery.   Alton suggests that they start there, and check the mountain pass for the monster tracks.   He adds, “From the higher vantage point of the mountains we should also be able to spot the monster.”  The group decides that it is a good idea, and Narg comments “Incredible.  Alton actually came up with a plan and it doesn’t involve smoking anything.”  Mojo adds, “Well, we all must have been smoking something if we’ve agreed to it.”Cassie comments, “I believe that there is no immediate need to go to Gheldaylin until we know the monster is actually heading there.”  Mark says, “Right, plus the Dragon Stalkers are already handling there, so they can warn the people.”   The Lordholder adds, “Well, they certainly have the incentive to.   That team’s leader, Gellyath, was originally from the town of Gheldaylin, and his family still resides there.”    Mojo comments, “That explains it!  I was wondering why those losers would have risked their necks on this mission.  That type of bravery is uncharacteristic of them.”  The party thanks the Lordholder for the information, and head outside.    The Helm of Teleportation cannot be used again until the following day, so they discuss ways to get there.    Cassie suggests that one of them use her Belt of Shape Change to polymorph into a flying creature, or that Alton could do so using his druidic transformation ability.    Mojo says, “I say that Alton should.  That way we won’t have to share the Bag of Holding with him again.”    Narg interjects, “You’re going to trust him to get us to the right place?”   “Good point.  Somebody should go with him,” Mojo adds. Cassie suggests, “I am experienced with riding a wyvern.  If Alton uses his reptilian transformation to become one then I could ride on his back.   “Cool, That form also can talk,” Alton adds.    “What if you fall off?” Narg asks.  She replies, “Then I use the Belt to become a flying creature.”   “Sounds like a plan,” Narg says.   The three fighters and Purge climb into the Bag of Holding.   Cassie takes the bag as Alton begins his transformation.  He models himself from memory of Cassie’s pet wyvern, so that his size will be comparable to what she is used to riding.   She climbs onboard, and is thankful that as part of the transformation he included ridges simulating a saddle, footholds and handholds.   They take to the sky and head south, soon seeing the mountain range.</blockquote>

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