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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Kid Charlemagne" data-source="post: 767" data-attributes="member: 93">Belluin, Ghithor, December 10th, AE 419“Do you know what I really like about Jovah’s Dimensional Folding spell?” Aris asks Jalea.“The way we can be snowed in, in a blizzard in Mahanaim, and be sitting by the beach in Belluin by noon, drinking expensive fruity drinks out of glasses with little paper umbrellas?” Jalea conjectures, doing just that.Aris scowls at his fellow elf.  “No, the way we can accomplish anything we want to without regard for distances, or the time it would take to merely arrive at the source of a problem.  Fruity drinks, indeed.”Jalea shrugs.  “I’m kind of partial to the paper umbrellas, myself.”The weeks after the Battle of Mahanaim have been a blur.  The party convinced Count Graymalkin to let them deliver the news of the victory to The Duke of Belluin and the King of Ghithor, and they folded out of the snowbound city and into the mid-70’s tropical warmth of Belluin.  They have just delivered the news to the Duke, and plan on delivering the news to King Rolan the following day.“Bes’s message service,” Jovah grumbles.  “Not exactly the reason one normally petitions one’s God.”“Cheer up,” Sir Brennen says.  “You could be stuck in Mahanaim for weeks, watching three feet of snow melt.”“You have a point,” Jovah concedes.They fold to Gujo, the capitol, the following day, and are quickly ushered into the King’s Court.  News delivered, they decide to take a breather.  Aris contacts Gerika at the Ralt Gaitherese embassy, and arranges for the party to have dinner with the Ambassador.  He wants to try and dig a little deeper for information about the Egg, now that he has had yet another vision, this one during waking hours. After dinner, Aris asks Gerika and the Ambassador if they know if the Egg had ever been lost at sea.  Perhaps the Egg was stolen once before?“Our knowledge of the Egg begins with the first Emperor placing it in the Monastery of Song-Ling,” Gerika replies.  “As far as I know, it has remained there ever since up until the thief stole it to deliver to Virenzo Staris.  It had been long forgotten.  We have no knowledge of it ever being lost at sea.”Aris is dejected, but thanks them for their help.  The next day the party folds to Fencig.  Everyone goes their separate ways, taking care of individual business.  Jovah is in his office at the Fox Club when an old friend pokes his head in the door to say hello.“Hello, Hildebrecht!” Jovah says.  “What are you up to?  A journey, from the looks of things…”Hildebrecht is a dwarven friend that Jovah made during a short, separate adventure involving a pilgrimage to Karnof, a vampire, and the Caradian secret police.Hildebrecht adjusts the pack slung over his back and nods.“I’m off back home.  Trouble brewing, I hear.  There hasn’t been any word from Kazathun for a couple of months.  There has been a call put out for any dwarves to assemble in Shadow Springs in order to try and find out what has happened.”“Kazathun…” Jovah wracks his memory, trying to recall what he knows of Hildebrecht’s home.  “That’s under the Vokal Mountains, right?  Actually part of Carandor, technically?”“Technically, I suppose,” Hildebrecht answers.  “Carandor controls the only usable access to the Underdark trade route from Kazathun and the rest of the Lake of a Thousand Waterfalls.  We’ve been forced to pay tribute to the Caradinian King for the last two hundred years.  It’s a pretty uncomfortable situation.  Lots of dwarven insurrections, lots of Caradinian reprisals.  We’re fearing the worst.  It could be that, or the Duergar from Druga.”“Well, maybe we can help,” Jovah says.  “None of us are very fond of Carandor, and if we can tweak the King of Carandor’s nose, I think we would.”  And the Church of Reksus, Jovah thinks to himself.“Wait a minute.  Did you say Druga? That’s the place Batista was going to be taken to…”The party decides to see if they can help out.  They stop off in Sylvan Fields to pick up Batista to see if this has anything to do with his disappearance, and for some added frontline fighting skill, and  fold to Oakendell.  The rest of the way, they will have to go on foot, since Jovah is not familiar with any area closer to Shadow Springs.  The dwarven buildup is slow; the encroaching winter weather is slowing travel down considerably.  One of the dwarves in Oakendell suggests a guide for their travels in the Underdark, a dwarf named Vekkoth.  They thank him for the advice.“We should just take the winter off, relax, spend some time in Belluin, maybe hit the casinos,” Jalea offers hopefully, not exactly looking forward to a wintertime expedition into the Vokal Mountains and then under them.“Maybe after this, Jalea,” Brennen says.  “We need to check this out.”Batista is a little nervous about all of this.  “Are we sure this is a good idea?  I’m a bit concerned about going intentionally to a place that my kidnappers were originally going to take me.  Kind of the opposite of what I’d want to do, actually.”Aris trys to reassure the half-elven Ranger.  “You do want to find out more about the Ranger disappearances, don’t you?  This may all be related in some way.”Batista nods.  He knows it’s the thing to do, but that doesn’t make him like it any more.  The party leaves the next day.  They pass through Hawk’s Roost, and within days are making their way up the winding road to Shadow Springs.  The weather is brutally cold, and they are well-bundled up.  As they continue up the road, it occurs to them that they haven’t seen anyone coming down the road the other way.  It is mid-December, but some traffic would be expected from the mining town.“Let’s keep our eyes open,” Reanna says, but everyone is thinking the same thoughts.Finally, after four days, they arrive at the outskirts of Shadow Springs.  A stone wall blocks any view into town, but the vultures circling above do not bode well.  The roofs of some buildings can be seen, a number of them burnt severely.  They listen closely, but can hear nothing.Shadow Springs appears to be a ghost town.</blockquote>

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