chapter 4- back to the wilderness

[coil23]

Silence returns except for the quiet crackling of the lit torches. No further voices are heard in your heads and the rats do not reappear.

The goblin seems uncertain about the removal of his bonds, wondering if this is a good thing or merely prelude to something worse. He stays against the wall, watching the room carefully.

Hennoth stands with eyes squinted, trying to decide what just happened. So.....did the ferret talk too?

[OGRE MAGE]

Travix

Hennoth, dear boy. The rats aren't really rats. The ferret, who was real, didn't know that though, he was just hungry no doubt.

As I assumed from our last visit, these "guardian" rats in here are actually trying to help us. And by doing so, they in turn will also help themselves.

It would seem that our next mission is to find this great oracle, Torisssithiel, that the guardians spoke of. We will need to find more of our map first though it would seem.

I didn't really like the part about this "Sikklining’s children being about, or even Sikklining herself now being loose upon the land". Whoever that is! At least we know that when things get weird out there again, it isn't just our own hallucinations. If we only knew a way to combat the odd effects.

We also need to stem the foothold of this self proclaimed Bone King, whatever that means.

One thing I do know is that we can no longer simply plunder and ransack this place. It has more meaning in all of this than being a simple rundown outpost. The books in the library must stay here. But we should definitely check out the yellow one before we leave this area.

Lets go and see to that library now and then we can take Salty up to the treasure hoard to see what we can actually steal.

With that, the mage moves across the hall and into the room of books and confusion.

[hedgeknight]

Graela moves with Travix, having retrieved her spear. She makes sure the way is safe before they enter the library fully.

[Mant72]

Tip retrieves his arrow and joins the others in the library to investigate the yellow tome.

[Pulpatoon]

Salt Peter's eyes bug out and he turns pale under his nut-brown skin. "Gezooks! Ye don' mean ter lissen ter... ter a bunch of hainted rats, d'ye? Ye wanner go mess about with Bone Kings an' Sirklinkalinks an' what all kinda berdeviled foolishness When ye know perfectly well tha' this 'ere liberry is worth enough gob ter set us all up in ther high life?"

Watching the others proced to the library, he shakes his head and mutters with exasperation to himself, "Damn me stars, if'n I hain't fallen in among adventurers and heroes."

He steps carefully into the room, remembering the intense nausea he experience before. "Wassa yeller book got ter say?"

[coil23]

As you turn the corner at the end of the hall you see the same scene as before. There is a cheery fire burning in the fireplace in the room just ahead. Oddly enough, you all recall Travix snuffing and taking the candles in the wall sconce just outside of the room. And yet there are three candles lit and burning in the sconce just to the right of the entrance to the library.

Crossing the threshold into the library is a dramatic difference. The humidity, the foul smells- all gone. Inside it is cozy, dry, comfortable in temperature. Between the fireplace and the lit candles throughout the room, the room is comfortably lit. Hennoth breathes a sigh of relief and looks around, seemingly quite at ease. The goblin grunts in surprise when crossing into the room, holds his stomach in alarm and then darts from the room. He stands just outside the threshold and watches from there.

[Pulpatoon]

Salt Peter looks green and sick upon entering the room, and quickly steps back out of it. "Thar's a witchy room, an' it don' care fer me hide, not one bit. I'll jus' stay out 'ere an' keep an eye on ther hall, aye? An if'n ye choose ter pass me along a pricey-lookin' book 'r two, I'll remind ye that we 'ave brought donkeys along special fer ther purpose."

[OGRE MAGE]

Travix begins to look a little green in the face as well but, he doesn't let a little upset stomach stop him from having a closer look about.

He searches for the yellow book that the "guardians" spoke of, hoping that this odd and anxious feeling abates soon.

Are the rest of you feeling ok? You don't need to be in here if it upsets you.

[Mant72]

Tip passes over the threshold and immediately steps back into the hall. He does not care to be subject to the witchery of the chamber. "I think I will just stay out here if that is okay with everyone else..." He takes up his bow and guards the party's back.

[Pulpatoon]

Salt Peter: "Tain't none of us got the legs fer ther room? How about ther boy? He dinnint seem bothered, last time."

[hedgeknight]

Graela steps into the room with Travix...but as far as she can tell, she feels no ill effects.

Does she?

[coil23]

Hennoth takes a deep breath and looks around, seeming to take stock of his current condition after seeing some of the ill looks of his companions. I feel fine.


The yellow-crazed book binding is spotted on the shelf and you draw it down. It reads as a history of some of the dark figures in history and mythology of the region and of a future coming from the Spine. This future time will be a dark and mysterious emergence from the bowels of the earth, both terrible and wondrous. There will be a sundering of the traditional divisions. Humans, humanoid tribes, dog men, beasts, monsters- kind will fight against kind. Likewise, strange new treaties and cooperation will arise that once were foes.

A section speaks of a twisted power from the south, commonly known as the Bone King. This thing will seek the power in the Spine for itself. The tendrils will be slow and weak at first as answers are sought. Once sure of the target it will surge and race to its goal. Good must act early to stem the evil tide. It twists and rends others to build its power. “As we break the body, so we bend the soul to our will.”

Further on, a chapter speaks of a harbinger of chaos, terrible in the past and thankfully banished long ago but destined to return. Sikklining and her brood will carpet the land, bringing madness and despair.
“First come her children like a seething black tide,
then the harbinger of chaos from every side.
Hear the 13 footsteps then your mind it will snap.
Seeing the yellow lightning thus closes the trap.”

The oracle, Torisssithiel, will be sought to aid in stemming the dark tide. A map of three will guide to her abode. One, where compassion will feed the mind. Two, where fear will feed the body. Three, where greed starves the heart. The trio combined under the right light will show the way.

[Pulpatoon]

Salt Peter groans. "I don' hear no mention o' treasures an' ree-wards fer those as find ther maps and what all, d'ye? An' tha' part about ther maps togedder inna right light—tha's enchantments, right? An' tha' means we need ter get the original map back, which'll cost a pretty copper."

Shaking his head, he says, "This place be a dolorous current, pulling us inter ther mouth o' ther maelstrom. I says we take ter ther oars an' row till our backs crack, an see if'n we can't get inter clear seas agin."

[Mant72]

Feeling no ill effects from the chamber, Tip joins the others as they peruse the yellow tome. He scratches his chin and wonders aloud, "So many riddles, clues and questions... What do you all make of this?"

[OGRE MAGE]

Travix

Salty is correct. We should have kept that piece of the map to ourselves.

This local bizarre phenomenon intrigues me. I don't think we can just run off.

It seems we need to find two more pieces of map to seek out this Torisssithiel.

We found the first piece here, right? Would this be a place "where compassion will feed the mind"?

[hedgeknight]

Graela shakes her head at all of the prophecies and riddles.
"Seems to me this place is about fear > maybe we found the second piece of the map, eh?"
She scratches her head. "Guess we should've kept the map."

[coil23]

Hennoth shrugs, this is a monastery for Deneir so which piece would that make it? And what do we do now? He goes to the fireplace and stares into the flames as he warms his hands.

Flower Mallet watches anxiously from just outside the room, wringing his little hands.

[Mant72]

"Perhaps I'm reading too much into this, but this could very well be 'the place where compassion will feed the mind'," Tip looks over at Flower Mallet, "We should probably treat our friend here with a bit more compassion."

[Pulpatoon]

Salt Peter, feeling antsy from his position outside the witchy room, says, "Be we about done 'ere? Thar's still treasure as ther speerit voice 'as told."

[OGRE MAGE]

Travix

If we have already found the first piece here, which makes sense to me, then we seek a place where fear feeds the body and another where greed starves the heart.

Can anyone think of a place that fits those descriptions? Hennoth? Any of that ring a bell in your quiet little genius mind?

How about you Mallet? What do you think of this prophecy?