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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jeremy" data-source="post: 9777392" data-attributes="member: 4036"><h3>4/30/22</h3>The party discusses where to go from Yvril in search of the dragonborn clans.  They could head towards Arvenfall in the Southlands, which from what Rho can remember is a town settled around an oasis fed by an underground spring.  They use it to irrigate fields within their walls.  Alternatively the party could head southwest to the larger city of Bleeding Stone.  Prior to heading out, Grath heads to a jeweler.  He tries to find a jeweled horn and a glass eye to augment his Clairvoyance spell.  The jeweler he meets loves to hear the sound of his own voice and cuts off Grath several times as he tries to get a word in edgewise.  Thankfully with enough patience, Grath is able to get what he needs even if he isn't able to speak his mind.Rho has an emerald he had pulled out of the communal funds and he asks if the jeweler has a setting that would suit it.  He does not but he offers to make one, though it will take the entire afternoon.  Rho is happy for the delay and his friends are curious to see where this leads so they set about spending another day in Yvril.  Gribitz searches for a merchant in the market that has come from the south and asks them about the best places to eat in the desert.  He receives recommendations for the Sand Crab.  When Gribitz returns to the party he finds Grath stooped over yet another book, this one with a cover that looks like flesh with a face set in it and appears to him to have blank pages.  The fact that he got it from the unhallowed temple filled with undead does not make matters any better.  Veldra is not concerned and Grath teasingly insists it will make him a better necromancer to the goblin's utter horror.  Eventually when Rho returns with his emerald ring and the party mounts up in Yip's wagon to resume their trek to the desert.Gribitz tries to pester Grath to take a break from the evil pull of books and enjoy the beauty of the countryside they are traveling through but he is unsuccessful.  Gribitz tries instead to ask Rho about his new ring which Kith tries to steal a few times, but both are unsuccessful and Rho regrets anyone finding out about it in the first place.  Veldra is lost in her own thoughts, though she does keep an eye on the horizon.The party falls into a simple rhythm as the days pass and the countryside rolls by.  Gribitz enjoys the Green during the journey.  Grath spends his time in quiet contemplation and meditations on the teachings of Ilmater.  Veldra feels a certain pride in all she has endured along with the party.  Rho feels some trepidation as his homeland comes closer and closer.  On the fourth day a bruised and dirty traveler is encountered; the youth is barefoot, and seemingly in shock.  Gribitz calls out to him to make way and the child steps aside.  Rho pauses the wagon and asks the child if he is headed to Arvenfall but only gets a shrug in response.  A child suffering finally pulls Grath away from his holy tome and he leaps out of the wagon towards him, actually terrifying the child, though he tries to reassure the boy when he realizes the effect of his own enthusiasm.Gribitz asks Veldra with wry cynicism if this is bait or a trap but the soldier is convinced it is worth the risk.  Rho offers the child water by way of Grath.  Gribitz wonders any number of crazy theories aloud while Grath waves them off and sees to the child.  After the boy gets a few swallows from Grath's waterskin he finally manages to speak.  The child claims to be the victim of bandits, but he breaks into tears as he tries to recount what happened to him and his parents a few days past.  His name is Chris.There is some discussion of whether or not to go see about the bandits or continue on.  Chris doesn’t report any family in Yvril or Arvenfall but it is difficult to gently extract information from the boy.  The party decides to continue on.  Grath finishes his initial study of Ilmater’s tome with the disturbing cover, ignoring Chris for twelve hours straight of focus and meditation.  When he finishes he closes the book and experiences a vision.  He is in a temple somewhere, he stands among a multitude of humble monks that nod at him as a respected peer.  In a flash the vision is gone, the face on the cover of the book is now recognizably Grath's face protruding in high relief.During the final day of travel the Green gives way to desert sands.  There is still a faint presence of the Green in the sands; it has a different voice and a power, but it is still there.  That night Chris tries to sneak away but nearly everyone notices and when he bolts Grath runs him down.  The boy hadn’t taken anything, but he’s afraid to answer Grath when he is interrogated.  Given enough time Chris breaks and apologizes.  Grath analyzes him closely and decides the boy is just terrified and running from the extremely odd party.Grath tries to console him as best he can.  Chris eventually relents and seems to accept Grath’s calm and soothing counsel.  Grath takes Gribitz aside and gives him a talking to before arriving in Arvenfall about referring to Grath as a necromancer in front of other people.  When the distracted goblin doesn't react in the way the priest prefers he bodily takes hold of the small creature and forcibly holds his gaze.  The way Grath does it, preventing Gribitz from talking or answering or having any say doesn’t seem to rub Gribitz the right way.  In the night the goblin has his revenge by carefully tunneling under him and slowly and quietly submerging the priest bit by bit until only his head rests above the sand.When Grath awakens the next morning to his predicament he knows instantly who is at fault and he is deadly calm.  He looks over at Gribitz, and is the bigger man, refusing to play his games.  Grath deliberately digs himself out of the soil and silently cleans the sand out of his clothes before beginning his normal morning rituals.  Grath introduces a new Ilmateri ritual from the Opus of Sacrifice to Rho and Veldra which they awkwardly participate in with the assurance it will grant them additional protections.  They are nervous about his religious rites newly learned from the book from the temple that was overrun with undead and now they begin to share Gribitz's reservations about Grath's tome when they notice that the leather cover of the book is now molded and shaped to look like Grath’s face.In the morning the party beholds Arvenfall, it is a walled city, with gates guarded by soldiers in desert garb.  Gribitz requests that their first stop be the Sand Crab he had heard about.  The guards are initially reticent about the hunched and antlered little green creature but his differences from the local sand goblins and his enthusiasm to try their cuisine wins them over.  They point it out beyond the gates and endorse the inn next to it.  Upon arrival Gribitz sits down and orders one of everything.  There is chatter around the place about normal subjects but also quite a few comments about the very odd appearances of the party from their solemn soldier with the otherworldly appearance, to the towering dark red and purple dragonborn with the bulging (and moving?) satchel, and of course the tiny green antlered creature.  The chatter especially picks up when Gribitz proves he can pay for his expansive order by flashing his money.  It takes quite some time to fill the goblin’s odd order.Many plates are brought out.  Various permutations of sand crab and beef.  Gribitz encourages everyone to eat with gusto, though Grath is overly concerned with his manners and etiquette.  Gribitz confidently and convincingly tells him that eating with reckless enthusiasm is the culture here, but whether the goblin knows of what he speaks or is just a talented liar is unclear.  Gribitz immerses himself fully in the cuisine both enjoying it and learning from the different culture’s dishes.  There are occasionally some local dishes that Rho is familiar with that he comments on to his little ally.The bill is 63 gold, but Gribitz isn't reliable at counting even small amounts so he just dumps all his money out on the table telling the waitress to take what is right.  Grath apologizes and picks out the right amount from among the other various junk in Gribitz's bag.  Gribitz asks to head back to the kitchen and speak to the chef but they tell him he is busy so Gribitz remembers to not ask in future.  Afterwards the party heads next door to the inn to sleep off the extensive and exotic meal.  Grath selects the more modest rooms of those available.  Kith and Gribitz are stowed in the first room (which was probably a terrible idea), Grath and Chris take the second, and Rho and Veldra the third.  In the morning the heat is oppressive, so Gribitz launches out of the window into the river below.  The river is full of crabs of all sizes.  Gribitz spends some time among the crabs learning from them and outsmarts a giant crab which is a first for him, though to be fair the crab was very disoriented by the unfamiliar creature that could speak with crabs.Rho greatly enjoys the heat, Veldra not as much but at least the oasis has some refreshing breezes.  Grath performs his Ilmateri rituals with Veldra and Rho again and they discuss what to do about Chris.  Grath brings Chris to talk with the other adults about what he will do next.  His parents were merchants and lived on the road, and he doesn’t know anyone he can turn to.  Veldra asks if his parents were guild associated.  Chris thinks and remembers meeting a smith in Bleeding Stone that she hopes will give them a starting point in their search for the boy.If nothing else, she believes that someone can be hired to take him.  Grath checks on Kith and Gribitz.  Kith is sleeping soundly.  By the time Gribitz returns he has multiple small crabs on his person.  Grath sees about finding a caravan Chris can travel with to Bleeding Stone.  While checking out, the innkeep advises that there could be a caravan coming from Bleeding Stone in a week or so.  Veldra however prefers the party personally escort the boy so that if the merchant there doesn’t remember Chris or isn’t willing to help he isn’t stranded.  Gribitz heads to the main marketplace, Grath heads to find an apothecary with Rho and the bag of holding in tow.  Veldra accompanies Gribitz to keep an eye on him.  Gribitz sees some dragonborn in the market bringing in goods to trade, and he excitedly approaches a tall strong blue dragonborn. He asks if they can direct him to the desert clans of dragonborn and after some initial confusion he eventually discovers these dragonborn are of the Sand Whisperer tribe that is currently watering at another oasis to the south of Arvenfall.  Apparently they have something called a great shaman that Gribitz is excited to tell Rho about.Grath seeks out an apothecary and stocks up on potions of healing.  There are some questionable wares on offer but neither Grath and Rho are interested in elevating their consciousness via chemical means.</blockquote>

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