pneumatik's WotBS 2 - The Indomitable Fire Forest of Innenotdar

[pneumatik]

The party leaves the tower together and finishes crossing the White River. Back on land and surrounded by the Fire Forest its heat exerts a tangible pressure on you. Whether it's Torrent's potions or Indomitability, though, you barely break a sweat.

There is little left of the village you enter. The gently curving streets are lined with burned-out houses and stores. These buildings, once beautiful and natural-looking additions to the land and trees, are now negative space punctuating the losses from the fire. The village park is full of tree stumps and strips of ash from where the cut-down trees burned away.

In the center of the village is a low hill. Topping the hill is a beautiful fountain in the shape of a grand willow tree with drooping branches, which once rained soothing water upon a wide pool surrounded by a ring of seventeen old oak trees. A walkway of stepping stones led to a small “island” in front of the stone willow tree. Now the water has boiled away and only the trees remain, occasionally raining fiery debris. The stone willow tree is covered with ash. Carved in a circle around its trunk in elvish is, "A N Y A R I E L".

 

[Arkhandus]

Liiros Tivaniel

"Hmmm...... I wonder if Anyariel is the name of this stone willow, or something else? It certainly seemed important to Bhurisrava. Let's check the fountain and the rest of the village carefully....." Liiros says while examining the old fountain up-close. He checks all around the fountain, poking and prodding and pushing and tugging on various parts to see if any might hold a secret lever or compartment.

[sblock=ooc]Taking 20 for a 24 total to Search the fountain and its base.[/sblock]

 

[HolyMan]

While Liiros starts poking and proding Shaylir climbs up onto the fountains rim. She starts walking around it her arms held out for balance.

A few times she wobbles as if she were going to fall but she catches herself and continues walking around the rim Fritz dogging her heels playfully.

"So your saying Anyariel is ... I mean was a tree?" she asks still walking her curcuit.

 

[Arkhandus]

"Who knows? Perhaps some kind of sacred tree, or a treant. Or just the name of the village, though I doubt that, or some heroine or prophetess whom the fountain and village were made in dedication to? I don't know any elven goddesses by the name Anyariel, or any famous elves bearing that name. Though my studies, of course, generally concerned Shahalesti itself, our own history, and our own religious practices," Liiros replies.

"Say, could you climb the fountain and check around the top and branches?" he asks.

 

[HolyMan]

"Sure," the halfling replies with a smile.

Noticing the dirt and ash Shaylir tries to pick her way carefully up the branches, searching as she climbs. Still before she is finished her clothes are almost black from the climb.

[sblock=OOC] Will take ten on climb and take ten on searching the branches of the statue tree.
EDIT: hmm just checked her skills and not as good as a halfling rogue LOL
Climb +2
Search +0[/sblock]

 

[Antithetist]

Arshen paces about the fountain, peering without much interest at this or that detail of the scene. He watches with a deep frown as Shaylir begins her unpracticed attempts to clamber up the statue.

"Is there truly some reason for this ridiculous capering?" he growls. "If one of us must scale this preposterous thing then please, allow, me. I grow tired merely watching thy efforts."

[sblock=OOC]Arshen has a +8 to climb, but a -1 to Search. If Shaylir can't make it up the side of the fountain then he'll have a go, taking 10 for a result of 18.[/sblock]

 

[Rhun]

While the others search around the fountain, Hollister wracks his brain for some memory of the name "Anyariel."


[sblock=For pneumatik]Has Hollister heard that name before? I can't find any record of it, but it sounds way, way familiar. Now, it may just be that I'm also playing a female Jedi in a SW game whose name is "Anariel," but "Anyariel" sounds way familiar.[/sblock]

 

[HolyMan]

"Hey you want to climb the dirty tree then please go righ... righ... ah-choo!" Shaylir starts to say and ends up sneezing as the ash and dust fill her nose.

Wiping it with her sleeve the halfling looks over at the others and they notice the black dot that use to be her cute little button of a nose. "See I am allergic to this stone tree anyway." she says walking off her smudged face in a pout.

 

[pneumatik]

Liiros begins carefully searching around the stone willow tree. Torrent joins in.

Shaylir attempts to climb the tree but finds it too difficult in her initial attempt. Her attempt gives her a very close view of the stone tree, though. She based on fine tool and polishing marks she determines that it was definitely not once a live tree that was turned to stone.

After seeing Shaylir's failed attempt to climb the tree, Arshen decides to take matters into his own hands. He easily climbs up into the tree branches. The higher branches are more challenging to climb than if the tree were alive because the rigid stone leaves and twigs can't be pushed out of the way. Up in the top branches he finds two dead, desiccated bodies, a man and a woman, both elves. The bodies are tangled up in the branches and have nooses of dry-rotted rope around their necks. There are also two branches above them with dry-rotted rope tied to them. It looks like the bodies were hanged years ago. Later when the rope dried and fell apart the stone branches kept the bodies from hitting the ground.

While the party is busy, Hollister is lost in thought. He wracks his brain for anything he can recall about Anyariel. As he walks, lost in thought, he notices a flash of metal on the ground. Inspecting it he sees it's a silver ring with dancing flames on both the outside and inside. He picks up the ring and finds that it's noticeably warm to the touch.

Eventually he pieces together stories he's heard that originated refugees who left Innenotdar about when the Ragesian Scourge first came to forest. In addition to what he's already recalled he remembers that Anyariel wielded a greatsword carved of wood. With it she defeated many monsters, including a blackguard from Ragesia and a rampaging golem of white clay. The last foe she faced was a great stag that would not die, no matter how many wounds she dealt to it. She pinned the creature to the bottom of a lake with her sword so its rampage would end.

Hollister returns to the group to share what he remembered as Arshen descends the tree. Before either of those two can talk, Liiros shouts, "Aha! Look, there's a door here."

Torrent examines the tree where Liiros is point. "Yeah, but how do we open it? There's no latch or lock or anything." More searching does not reveal any opening mechanisms.


[sblock=Rhun]I don't think the name Anyariel has come up earlier. The only place I could think it might have shown up (and I don't know this for certain) is in the player's guide. If it's not there I think you're being confused by your Jedi. You must be a weak-minded fool.[/sblock]

 

[Rhun]

Hollister calls upon his ability to detect magic, directing his vision first at the ring he holds in his hand, and then to the door that Liiros has found. After that, he scans the plaza, hoping to find something that ordinary sight may have missed.


OOC: Cast detect magic...Hollister will spend the requisite 3 rounds examining any sources of magic to learn school and strength.