Start Date: September 4, Year of the Badger, morning
Start Status: Wake up call
Start Location: Near Needle Spire
The Turn
It's earlier than anyone wants to be up, but the wind has picked up, an clouds are rolling in. Warm and sticky air swirls around the camp, raising clouds of dust and grit. No one's really asleep. "We may as well get moving," says Durego. "Looks like a big storm brewing. Be better to spend it under some cover."
Everyone grumbles, but agrees. After a hasty breakfast, the party reloads the gear and heads northwest, toward the ruined building and the party's cached food. Half-way there the rain starts. It cuts the dust, but being wet is no fun. By the time the party reaches the trees, everyone is soaked and annoyed. After a brief stop at the spring to refill water barrels, the party continues to the ruin. Using tarps and the ruined walls and poles cut on the last trip, they erect a shelter for the mules in one of the old foundations, and another for themselves. The rain falls harder. The wind blows.
"Looks like supplies are intact. We should probably start using some of these up, before they get too old," says Rawon.
No one much seems to care. After the stresses of dealing with Blackpool, Locky's death, and the newly arrived gnoll threat, sitting around watching the rain seems like a good idea. Some people make a half-hearted effort to improve the camp site, but it's windy, muddy, and wet. Miserable day. "I guess we can do a little exploring tomorrow, after the weather breaks," says Raúguey.
"I wouldn't count on that," says Dagmarten. "This is going to get worse before it gets better. Glad we're on higher ground right now."
"Great. Sitting in the rain is the best," says Maro.
"No bad thing. Rain back at rock place too. Wash away trails. Wash away smells. Gola'ka cannot find where we go," says Mordikarr. He's been most active, roaming around the nearby woods, bringing back handfuls of wild berries and roots from time to time. Suren is also amused by the weather, scampering up and down logs and trees, sniffing and sneezing as he goes. Ava and the kits agree with Maro. They're all hunkered down under shelter. Maro watches over the unconscious Ohwatoo. Both mages tried identify spells as soon as the group had camp set today. [results below]
Rawon and Ingvild try to rouse some interest in trying additional spire combinations, but no one is really interested in another hike down to the spire and back. The party spends the rest of the day under dripping canvas.
Dagmarten's prediction holds true, the rain continues through the night, coming down even harder as day breaks. Before the mages can do their identify, Rawon and Ingvild suggest again that the group try out spire combinations. "At least it's dry inside!" That convinces the others. Leaving the trio of hirelings and Tesso to mind the camp and mules, the party heads back to the spire. Mordikarr brings along the hare he managed to coerce into a sack, hoping to test and see if a living creature can stay inside the spire overnight. Along the way Rawon and Ingvild pick up colorful pebbles they spot along the trail, and Dagmarten and Durego collect small sticks for marking visited sites. It's still early when the group reaches the spire and heads inside. After shaking off the worst of the wet, they begin.
Green sphere, Red cube east
Brown NE - Endless forest of gigantic trees (redwood++)
Brown SE - Endless forest of gigantic trees (redwood++)
Brown SW - Endless forest of gigantic trees (redwood++), lake to the NE
Brown NW - Endless forest of gigantic trees (redwood++)
The trees form a solid canopy overhead. The skies are overcast and it's drizzling, so no way to determine sun position, even when you can see the sky over the lake. No one has heard of any place like this.
Green sphere, Red cube east
Blue NE - Dense tropical rainforest, hot and humid.
Blue SE - Tropical coastline, a small inlet. A volcano rises in the distance.
Blue SW - Tropical coastline, a point of land. Island? Lots of big tracks in the sand.
Blue NW - Dense tropical rainforest, hot and humid.
It's much later in the day here, evening, but the sun is still bright and hot. The air is humid and there's a hint of salt in the air, even when you can't see the ocean. Obviously no place close to home.
Green sphere, Red cube east
White NE - Red sand desert.
White SE - Red, wind-eroded cliffs and canyons.
White SW - Red sand desert, with lots of tall, twisted cactus.
White NW - Red sand, red rocks, and more cactus.
It's night here, with bright, unfamiliar stars in the skies overhead. The ground is warm, but the air is chilly, perhaps indicated the sun has but recently set.
The group marks each visited site with a notched stick and a couple stones. Aside from bugs and a few scurrying, rustling sounds at the wooded sites, there are no obvious creatures of any sort visible at these destinations.
It takes a few hours, with a break for a meal, to do all this, and by the time the group checks outside needle spire, the rain has finally stopped, leaving thick, humid air in its wake. It's early afternoon.
OOC
Identify results Sept 4
Maro potion #2 - diminution
Ohwatoo amulet - vision enhancement, hypnosis (some ritual required for activation)
End Date: September 5, early afternoon
End Status: Oh the places we'll go.
End Location: Needle Spire
"There are slots for the geometric shapes the party found in the vault chamber (where Nissa and Grit died)" Ack, don't remind me.....
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