Post by isemmens on Mar 17, 2011 14:14:57 GMT
Finding Arthur and the body of Mordred gone, and being informed by the authorities at the port of Sudler that a man matching his description had been asking for ships traveling to Porter. The party resigned themselves to waiting for Tam and the Brotherhood to arrive.
Four days later, the group was reunited and set off with the Brotherhood for Azule territory, on a long sea-faring trip that was said to take three weeks, the duration of which was spent honing their skills and obtaining information from Brody.
Within the final few days of the trip, Rita asked her companions whether visiting her home islands, known as the Sabine Archipelago would be possible. Given that the small cluster of land was in a direct line between them and the Brotherhood's destination, the decision was made to make a stop at Sabine
As they arrived upon Saleen, the island within the Sabine Archipelago which Rita's home community resided, Rita found that the small community had drastically changed within the 18 months she had been gone. The entire island was more or less deserted, the sections that floated with the rising tide falling into severe disrepair. After pining for her lost civilization, the group ended up at the house of Millicent Karros, the Pastor of 'The Harmony' and the only remaining inhabitant of the island.
Karros expanded upon the information that Rita had provided the party earlier, 'The Harmony' was a religion that believed in people living harmoniously and in peace, but that nine years ago a fountain within nearby ruins was visited by a stranger, and the Cascade of Harmony, a spring of water with claimed miraculous healing abilities, had stopped being able to heal. Rita followed up, mentioning that her Father, Pythenius Bangalow, one of the most prominent followers, had left the island days after the Cascade had stopped working, never to be seen again, and that as soon as she was old enough, she set out into the world to try to find an explanation. According to Karros, Rita's leaving had a knock on effect upon 'The Harmony' with the community, the rest taking suit and leaving over the course of the last 18 months, leaving Karros on his own to tend to what he could on Saleen.
With the weight of breaking her community weighing on her shoulders, Rita inquired about the fountains state, Karros replying that the fountain hadn't been seen since the Grove around the ruins had turned monstrous, few dared to go in, and the ones that did, never came back.Deciding that investigation into the state of the Grove, the ruins and the fountain within was a necessary deviation, they headed toward the Grove, setting up a camp to return to when they had finished.
The Grove itself was a dark and foreboding mass of twisted wood, the place differing vastly from the last time Rita had seen it. Making their way through slowly, Tam and Rita stopped inches short of a colossal spider web stretched across the twisted path ahead of them. Alerting the group to be careful, they moved around the large webbed trap, keeping an eye out for any more webs.
Unfortunately for Carl, the trees where not the only place set with a potentially lethal trap. The foliage under foot sprung up as an over sized trapdoor spider popped out of the ground, grabbing his legs and beginning to cover his lower torso in iron hard webbing. Tam and Druss sprung into action, taking the front legs off of the beast before Carl found his resolve and shot the gigantic arachnid in the head. After cutting Carl free, the Party decided that even more care was required.
Making their way to the clearing that the Calcos Ruins ruins stood in without any further mishaps. Rita lead them inside to the Cascade, but instead of a spring of clear running water, the fountain was a spewing mass of black slime. Taking time to investigation, Rita found that the dark sludge seemed to have some reaction to blood, but did nothing other than bubble. After Tam had set up torches in the Cascade's room, the light seemed to be focused upon a single point at the top, Rita reached out at the focused light, feeling something pointed and cold within the stinging black liquid. Pulling on it dislodged a small black crystal shaped like a thorn from the top of the fountain, the black sludge replaced by the flowing and healing sensation of the pure water of the cascade. The slime quickly purifying away as the water removed it from the fountain.
The victory of renewing the cascade was cut short, as the sound of a man yelling was heard. As Rita and Tam made their way outside to Druss, the young man pointed out that Carl had wondered away from the ruins and had been accosted by another spider, with two more circling around. Drawing their weapons, the party tried to defend themselves from the large monstrosities. Rita killed one with a thrown knife charged with Vis, Using his woodsman strength Tam took out another by throwing its spider-kin into it and the final was killed as Druss stabbed into its weak underbelly.
After inspecting and deciding to keep the odd thorn and filling their own water skins with the healing water. The Party headed back to Korras' hut, giving him the information that the Cascade was flowing once again. Korras told them he would take them to the mainland, but asked that they try to get as many of the old community to try to come back to Saleen, in the hope that the islands could once again thrive. With the groups approval, Korras took them to Mornstrum Port, within Azule territory. And where greeted by the alien sight of horse less carriages, brass machinations and more advanced technology their previous destinations had never so much as heard of.
Four days later, the group was reunited and set off with the Brotherhood for Azule territory, on a long sea-faring trip that was said to take three weeks, the duration of which was spent honing their skills and obtaining information from Brody.
Within the final few days of the trip, Rita asked her companions whether visiting her home islands, known as the Sabine Archipelago would be possible. Given that the small cluster of land was in a direct line between them and the Brotherhood's destination, the decision was made to make a stop at Sabine
As they arrived upon Saleen, the island within the Sabine Archipelago which Rita's home community resided, Rita found that the small community had drastically changed within the 18 months she had been gone. The entire island was more or less deserted, the sections that floated with the rising tide falling into severe disrepair. After pining for her lost civilization, the group ended up at the house of Millicent Karros, the Pastor of 'The Harmony' and the only remaining inhabitant of the island.
Karros expanded upon the information that Rita had provided the party earlier, 'The Harmony' was a religion that believed in people living harmoniously and in peace, but that nine years ago a fountain within nearby ruins was visited by a stranger, and the Cascade of Harmony, a spring of water with claimed miraculous healing abilities, had stopped being able to heal. Rita followed up, mentioning that her Father, Pythenius Bangalow, one of the most prominent followers, had left the island days after the Cascade had stopped working, never to be seen again, and that as soon as she was old enough, she set out into the world to try to find an explanation. According to Karros, Rita's leaving had a knock on effect upon 'The Harmony' with the community, the rest taking suit and leaving over the course of the last 18 months, leaving Karros on his own to tend to what he could on Saleen.
With the weight of breaking her community weighing on her shoulders, Rita inquired about the fountains state, Karros replying that the fountain hadn't been seen since the Grove around the ruins had turned monstrous, few dared to go in, and the ones that did, never came back.Deciding that investigation into the state of the Grove, the ruins and the fountain within was a necessary deviation, they headed toward the Grove, setting up a camp to return to when they had finished.
The Grove itself was a dark and foreboding mass of twisted wood, the place differing vastly from the last time Rita had seen it. Making their way through slowly, Tam and Rita stopped inches short of a colossal spider web stretched across the twisted path ahead of them. Alerting the group to be careful, they moved around the large webbed trap, keeping an eye out for any more webs.
Unfortunately for Carl, the trees where not the only place set with a potentially lethal trap. The foliage under foot sprung up as an over sized trapdoor spider popped out of the ground, grabbing his legs and beginning to cover his lower torso in iron hard webbing. Tam and Druss sprung into action, taking the front legs off of the beast before Carl found his resolve and shot the gigantic arachnid in the head. After cutting Carl free, the Party decided that even more care was required.
Making their way to the clearing that the Calcos Ruins ruins stood in without any further mishaps. Rita lead them inside to the Cascade, but instead of a spring of clear running water, the fountain was a spewing mass of black slime. Taking time to investigation, Rita found that the dark sludge seemed to have some reaction to blood, but did nothing other than bubble. After Tam had set up torches in the Cascade's room, the light seemed to be focused upon a single point at the top, Rita reached out at the focused light, feeling something pointed and cold within the stinging black liquid. Pulling on it dislodged a small black crystal shaped like a thorn from the top of the fountain, the black sludge replaced by the flowing and healing sensation of the pure water of the cascade. The slime quickly purifying away as the water removed it from the fountain.
The victory of renewing the cascade was cut short, as the sound of a man yelling was heard. As Rita and Tam made their way outside to Druss, the young man pointed out that Carl had wondered away from the ruins and had been accosted by another spider, with two more circling around. Drawing their weapons, the party tried to defend themselves from the large monstrosities. Rita killed one with a thrown knife charged with Vis, Using his woodsman strength Tam took out another by throwing its spider-kin into it and the final was killed as Druss stabbed into its weak underbelly.
After inspecting and deciding to keep the odd thorn and filling their own water skins with the healing water. The Party headed back to Korras' hut, giving him the information that the Cascade was flowing once again. Korras told them he would take them to the mainland, but asked that they try to get as many of the old community to try to come back to Saleen, in the hope that the islands could once again thrive. With the groups approval, Korras took them to Mornstrum Port, within Azule territory. And where greeted by the alien sight of horse less carriages, brass machinations and more advanced technology their previous destinations had never so much as heard of.