IC XIII

[Atlictoatl]

Tev Meren, Fighter

Tev Meren trains his crossbow on the structure, from atop his steed. "Do you fellows have someone who prefers scouting this sort of thing out, or is that my job as your new companion?"

[Wyzard]

Severi Silvertongue, Elf

Severi dismounts and hangs Pepper's reins over a nearby branch. He picks up a fist-sized stone and throws it into the tumbledown structure via a window or hole in the roof.

[thirdkingdom]

Severi tosses a stone in through a narrow window. There is a loud commotion -- squawking and cawing and the flapping of many wings -- followed by a stream of birds evacuating the premises. They swirl above the Mill, calling angrily at being disturbed.

[Wyzard]

Severi Silvertongue

"Probably safe. Let's go."

I figure the people with the most hit points can lead.

[Atlictoatl]

Tev Meren, Fighter

Assuaged by the scattering of the birds, Tev Meren nods and makes ready to leave, keeping his crossbow poised as they progress along the path.

Tev Meren dismounts, securing his horse to a nearby tree and leaning his halberd nearby. He approaches the structure cautiously, crossbow at the ready, until he can put his back to an exterior wall and peek with care into one of the windows.

[thirdkingdom]

The adventurers exercise extreme caution, but in the end determine the building is safe to enter, and do so. The Mill proves to consist of a single large room, with a second-story loft occupying a third of the space. An ancient grindstone lays half canted off its mount; the detritus resulting from years of neglect coats all visible surfaces -- dust, cobwebs, birdshit, the occasional corpse of a small mammal.

The loft was most likely once the living quarters for the miller and his family, but has since been converted into a roost for birds.

Although it is possible there are hidden items of value, they would only be uncovered after a thorough search.

[Wyzard]

"It's a pleasant enough camp-site if we needed one, but I think we could make some more distance before nightfall."

[Alethan]

Rhys takes a few minutes to search for any secret hiding holes inside the mill.

[Atlictoatl]

Tev Meren, Fighter

Tev Meren keeps watch over the grounds surrounding the mill while Rhys looks around. If nothing of interest is discovered, he mounts up and signals he's ready to move on.

[thirdkingdom]

Rhys finds nothing. The group remounts and moves out. Signs of abandoned civilization becomes more prevalent, now. Crumbling rock walls denote old property lines, the occasional foundation or leaning walls of a building can be seen. By mid-afternoon they enter the mountains, and it is early evening when they come across the ruins of what can only be their goal, below them in a small wooded vale.

A rock wall, laid without mortar and in decent shape, surrounds a garden-like space probably one hundred yards or more in diameter. On the far side is a large ruined building -- it has the initial appearance of a temple or church. Made of stone, the back corner is collapsing and the roof is gone. Near the collapsing corner the stone is scorched and blackened. Before the temple bubbles a large fountain; a large stone statue stands in the middle of the pool; it has been so weathered and worn by time and the elements it is impossible to tell what manner of man or woman it was meant to depict.

The overall impression one gets from observing the garden is one of peace. Vines and moss and small saplings grow with abandon. The floor of the garden is blanketed with the little yellow flowers the folks in Threshold call "sundrops". An archway pierces the near side of the wall, and the trail winds toward it.

[Wyzard]

Severi surveys the territory for any signs of occupation or disturbance, and then starts toward the archway.

Severi isn't super into drinking from some random magical fountain, but he'll stand watch and see what happens.

[Atlictoatl]

Tev Meren, Fighter

Tev Meren bristles at the sense of peace emanating from the garden, and wonders why. He's encountered peaceful vistas before; they've been welcome moments on the road. It dawns on him that the difference in this instance is that this peaceful vista has been cultivated, and is man-made. The hunter of men can't help but feel uncomfortable by the lulled experience of the design. It reminds him of the Darokin aphorism, "'ware the diplomat in a garden."

He doesn't say anything, but his body posture does not relax as they approach. If anything, he becomes more alert for ambush, keeping his crossbow at the ready as they move down the trail. When they near the arch, he signals to the party that he'll search ahead. He looks curiously at the archway before crossing its threshold, searching it for any sign of ill intent.

[thirdkingdom]

Oh, come on. A former party member, whom Severi has never met, was told by an itinerant tinker that this fountain conveyed strength upon any who drank from it. What is there not to trust about this?

[thirdkingdom]

Severi sees no sign of recent occupation. He approaches the archway, and passes through. Nothing untoward happens; perhaps it is a trick of the mind, but the quality of light seems to shift, slightly, as he passes within. It becomes more . . . green, somehow, and thicker.

[Wyzard]

Oh, come on. A former party member, whom Severi has never met, was told by an itinerant tinker that this fountain conveyed strength upon any who drank from it. What is there not to trust about this?

For adventurers, the word "sketchy" isn't even in the dictionary.

[Alethan]

Severi sees no sign of recent occupation. He approaches the archway, and passes through. Nothing untoward happens; perhaps it is a trick of the mind, but the quality of light seems to shift, slightly, as he passes within. It becomes more . . . green, somehow, and thicker.

Ah... tornado's comin'.

[Alethan]

Rhys the Traveler

Rhys likewise crosses under the archway. He takes a wide circuit around the fountain, making his way towards the temple-like structure, keeping an eye on the ground as he walks to see if he can spot anything that might appear to be a trap.

Once he makes it to the collapsed corner, he examines it to see if the scorching continues on the inside or if it is just on the outside of the building, indicating it was struck by lightning or some magical spell versus a possible fire inside that worked its way out.

"What do you suppose caused this?" he asks, curiously.

[Wyzard]

Severi Silvertongue, Elf

Severi gives his expert opinion. "It's definitely magic in here."

[Atlictoatl]

Tev Meren, Fighter

Tev Meren releases the bolt in his crossbow and lets the weapon hang at his side from its strap, hefting his shield instead. He walks towards the temple from the opposite vector as Rhys, searching the grounds and eyeballing the structure for anything untoward.

[thirdkingdom]

Sorry about that, Atlicoatl. I missed your post.

Close up, it is apparent the structure suffered a fire of some sort, which destroyed the roof and likely caused the back half to collapse. Close up, many of the stones appear curiously melted, like wax left in the sun.

Any damage appears to have occurred years ago. The only entrance to the temple is a pair of rotted oaken doors that nonetheless still block ingress; these doors are set behind and to the left of the fountain. There are no windows low enough to peer into.

Let me know if anyone approaches the fountain.