Quest #43 “The Next Obelisk?“

[Jernau35]

Wes

Wes moves along with the others. "Tlachtga", he calls to his fellow druid. "If they get any closer I'll use The Shalm's magic to Entangle them. Perhaps you could too. It'd stop plenty of them."

[Rex]

Tlachtga

"A good thought, was hoping we could save our magic but if need be it would be my first option."

[kruk]

Lerrick

The cleric moves with the rest of the group to avoid this potential threat.


Cresty

The fighter waits for the rest of the part to move past before taking his spot at the rear, ready to fire an arrow or two at the large group of bats if the bats attack

[OGRE MAGE]

White Wasteland

Realizing just in time that they can simply leave this sudden oncoming threat behind them, the group decides to take the path leading north, quickly outdistancing any threat from the large bats, who do not follow beyond their domain.

The jungle here seems a bit more quiet, with less natural animal activity noticed. The trail is badly overgrown, but still seems better than bushwhacking. It continues north, with a few ancient bricks periodically exposed by the ever invading tree roots.

After about a mile or so, you are all shocked to see the jungle terrain suddenly end, and I do mean suddenly. The trail stops abruptly at the edge of a sea of white vastness so bright it hurts your eyes to look at it initially. After allowing your eyes to adjust, you stand before a white wasteland that stretches at least a few miles across. It looks as though a volcano erupted towards the center of the island, that sent white lava cascading out towards the sea in a wide swath of destruction. Except, there is no sign of any volcano, and lava isn’t normally pure white in color.

No trees or vegetation of any kind grows inside the white swath of devastation, and any terrain details beyond your near vision are impossible to make out. Anyone following along with the circular diagram estimates that the next obelisk will be found somewhere inside this bright blight.

Actions?

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Wake (C3) AC:3 24/24 4/4 first 3/3 second
Elnaerel (C4) AC:3 30/30 5/5 1st 4/4 2nd
Waesfaren (D6) AC:7 53/53 6/6 1st 5/5 2nd 3/3 3rd 1/1 4th Bullseye Lantern
Princess AC:6 HP 5/5
Yrias AC:5 8/8 3/3 1st RM, CL, DM 1/1 1st
Lerrick: (C5) AC:5 28/28 1st 5/5, 2nd 5/5 3rd 2/2 (Light Stone)
Cresty: (F2) AC:4 17/17
Tlachtga (D5) AC7 35/35 1st 6/6 2nd 5/5 3rd 3/3 (Light Stone)

[kruk]

Lerrick

The cleric stops at the edge of jungle and looks out into the area of...waste land. She sighs. This island never ceases to amaze me.


Cresty

The fighter moves forward and scans the vast area but says nothing.

[Rex]

Tlachtga

"Something to do with magic gone wrong probably."

She will kneel down and feel the white area. Is it sandy? Solid?

[Jernau35]

Wes

"Aye, probably", says Wes. "This is where Chauncey's opinion would be handy".

"This island is a strange place. Maybe this part of it is from a different time in it's history. Or the future. Or perhaps a magical experiment gone wrong"

Wes pauses for a few moments. "Maybe the source of all this," he waves his hand, "is the place we're looking for. I mean, from here it looks like it all came from the center of the island. But what if it started over... there and some went uphill but most flowed downhill? We could look for patterns in the rock to guide us".

Wes shades his eyes against the glare. "We're going to stand out like deer in a duck pond against all this white. Be alert for ambushes. It'll surprise me not at all if there are perfectly camouflaged creatures out there".

[Monsieur Rose]

The Princess

"How odd. Is it rock, or chalk, or something else?" She moves with Tlachtga to examine it closer.

"The next obelisk should be there somewhere, right? Maybe we can even see it." She holds her hand to cover the ground and looks out to see anything sticking up.

[Karaunios]

Elnaerel observes the new area with unease. "This is... unnatural. Yes. It must have been magic, as Tlachtga says. That after being in the wilderness, so full of life, we arrive at a place like this all of a sudden... I've never seen anything like it."

Yrias crouches down to feel the ground that makes up this strange terrain. "The obelisk will probably be visible... What scares me is that we might have to walk a lot in this wasteland before finding it... and that we may get lost."

[OGRE MAGE]

White Wasteland

Again the party is somewhat mesmerized by their findings on this strange and wonderful island. Reaching down to investigate the white destruction, a very fine sand, similar to a dry white powder, is found covering the otherwise rocky wasteland. The sand layer is very thin here at the edge of the jungle, but small wind blown dunes of it can be seen developing all along the white surface as far as the eye can see. These dunes clearly grow in size closer to the center of the destructive swath.

Other details of the terrain are difficult to make out from any distance, since the pure white color blends in so well with the white background of this wasteland. Tracing the slightly curved path they took through the jungle provides the group with an estimation of where the next obelisk should be found, but it is still impossible to make out visually from your current position.

When Wes blows away the fine powder from the rocky surface underneath, it does indeed reveal flow lines, indicating that the molten stone must have flowed away from the central island area and towards the sea, in this area at least. It is agreed upon that magic gone terribly wrong must be to blame for this travesty of nature.

After warnings about ambushes from camouflaged natives and the possibility of getting lost in the vast whiteness, the halfling sized bats you left behind in the jungle are starting to look better and better.

Actions?

Wake (C3) AC:3 24/24 4/4 first 3/3 second
Elnaerel (C4) AC:3 30/30 5/5 1st 4/4 2nd
Waesfaren (D6) AC:7 53/53 6/6 1st 5/5 2nd 3/3 3rd 1/1 4th Bullseye Lantern
Princess AC:6 HP 5/5
Yrias AC:5 8/8 3/3 1st RM, CL, DM 1/1 1st
Lerrick: (C5) AC:5 28/28 1st 5/5, 2nd 5/5 3rd 2/2 (Light Stone)
Cresty: (F2) AC:4 17/17
Tlachtga (D5) AC7 35/35 1st 6/6 2nd 5/5 3rd 3/3 (Light Stone)

[Monsieur Rose]

The Princess

She looks out upon the wasteland and sighs. "I see a few problems. Any ideas on how to solve them?"

"It will be hot. We could help that by moving at night, which would also help to see things with darkvision, but I suspect anything living out there does the same."

"Second, we need a way to not get lost. Maybe we find a elevated position nearby and attach something shiny that we could see."

"And lastly, ambush predators in the sand. If we could tie a rope to an arrow and shoot it ahead of us, that may disturb the sands enough to expose any."

The Princess looks to the druids. "Any ideas on this terrain? A desert?"

[Rex]

Tlachtga

"It is unnatural. But, treating it like a desert is probably the best we can do. Using a shiny object is an interesting idea but limits us to travel during the day. Perhaps getting some elevation like a very tall tree might allow someone to spot the obelisk? We could try that first."

[gurusql]

Wake

"So we are looking for a White Obelisk in the white sand - that should be fun. I recommend that we always aim for the highest dune as we travel."

[Karaunios]

Elnaerel "Well, it will cast a shadow, except at noon. Does anyone have any idea of how should we go about this or we just risk it amd walk into it?"

Yrias keeps staring at the whitish landscape.

[Rex]

Tlachtga

Do we see any high point along the jungle edge or is the dune the highest point?

[Jernau35]

Wes

"Climbing a tree is a fine idea. Though someone less clumsy than me will have to do it." says Wes. "As for navigating out there, we could try building a bonfire".

"We build a big one, out on the sand so it doesn't set the forest on fire. A group this big should be able to collect plenty of dead wood. We can use the smoke as a beacon as we search, at least for a few hours. The problem though, is the fire might well attract attention".

[kruk]

Lerrick

I can climb a tree with relative ease. She looks around to find a the tallest one she can find. Once she spots one she turns to the group. The last two times I attempted to climb a tree I was bit by a snack which caused temporary paralysis and I almost got eating by a large feline. Can one or two of you come to the base of the tree, looking for any possible threats as I climb it? I'd hate to have yet another near death experience.


Cresty

The fighter volunteers to help out the cleric.

[Rex]

Tlachtga

"I am not the best climber but will come to the base of the tree to help if needed."

[gurusql]

Wake

"Based on what we have previously learned, I would expect the obelisk to located at about this point. (I marked the spot with a black O.) I would recommend getting to the east side of the plateau and then heading due north. Following a compass heading should make the travel easier."

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[OGRE MAGE]

White Wasteland

Suggestions ranging from shooting ropes, to shiny objects, to large fires are offered and discussed, but all of them end with the probability of attracting the wrong kind of attention. The kind that usually wants to kill you.

Wake lays out the exact area where he believes the next obelisk should be, but it is impossible to physically see that far from the ground over the scattered distant dunes of white dust.

Lerrick offers to climb a tree, finally choosing one that isn’t occupied by something dangerous. It is almost enjoyable watching the cleric climb using her magic bracers, just as fast and fluent as something that’s lived in the branches its entire life.

When she easily reaches the canopy and pokes her head through, she gets an incredible panoramic view of the surrounding area. A sprawling lake of clear water rests between the vast swampland and the red rock plateau to the south, very likely the same area where the 8:00 obelisk is located. Peering to the east, she finally gets a good look at the towering edifice that sits atop the high black cliff wall in the distance. An enormous black tower glistens there in the sunlight, giving off a slightly ominous vibe.

Looking to the spot Wake pointed out in the white waste, she can definitely see a potential area where a structure or some other anomaly could be, but the intensity of the brightness prevents even a half-elf from making out any significant details. Worse still, is that no discernible trail or path can be seen from above. Fortunately, no obvious nearby dangers are noticed from the aerial vantage point either.

Actions?

Wake (C3) AC:3 24/24 4/4 first 3/3 second
Elnaerel (C4) AC:3 30/30 5/5 1st 4/4 2nd
Waesfaren (D6) AC:7 53/53 6/6 1st 5/5 2nd 3/3 3rd 1/1 4th Bullseye Lantern
Princess AC:6 HP 5/5
Yrias AC:5 8/8 3/3 1st RM, CL, DM 1/1 1st
Lerrick: (C5) AC:5 28/28 1st 5/5, 2nd 5/5 3rd 2/2 (Light Stone)
Cresty: (F2) AC:4 17/17
Tlachtga (D5) AC7 35/35 1st 6/6 2nd 5/5 3rd 3/3 (Light Stone)

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