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Chapter Four: Enlightenment and the Daughters of Summertime

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Luna heads down the tunnel and peers about the bend. There, keeping head low, she spots a wondrous cavern filled with green and light.

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(Image credit: www.telegraph.co.uk)


This, but with a large 40 foot x 40 foot outcropping of green stone floating in the center. A small, beautiful wooden bridge only 5 feet in length makes the crossing to the outcropping. Note the spelunking fellow in the upper right for scale.


With her fellow Wanderers beside her, Luna sees the kneeling robed figure of Karthas the Master Wizard there in the center of the floating outcropping. He is not the proud and well-dressed figure of the college, but instead, his deep red robes are ratty and in disrepair. He wears a mask under angry eyes. He seems to be very intent on a shining, glassy globe in his left hand. You see no signs of the young women or any cages, ropes, or other bindings. Three armored minotaurs, two of whom are wounded and appear familiar to you, are spread out along the cavern's edge.


Luna throws her Fireball into the heart of the Wellspring of Change. The bright, roaring blast completely envelopes Karthas. The minotaurs shout out surprised curses and look toward the tunnel you are in.


But in the fires upon the outcropping... Karthas stands to his full height. His robes burn but not nearly as brightly as the hate in his eyes. He appears unharmed despite his growing rage. "Is it too damned difficult to perform a simple ceremony without interruption?! You!" He points vengefully into the tunnel at you. "If Grimauldin's own fire cannot kill me, then what chance do you think you stand? Minotaurs! Kill whatever is in that cave!"


"Yes, boss!"


The Bloodland warriors prepare to storm the cavern. One among their number looks a little bigger than the rest in his shining breastplate armor and two-handed sword.


Meanwhile, you all hear the voices of three young women shrieking and crying, but from where?
 
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Otiorin was just pulling up the hood on his cloak, the better to sneak around the corner and into the cavern beyond when Luna marched out and hurled an incandescent orb of fire into the room beyond. He paused, eyes wide and jaw slack, in the afterglow of the fiery expulsion. When Kalthras' voice responded, Otiorin let out a little whimper. As the sound of heavy hooves thundered closer, he turned and started to run back toward where they'd left Powerpaw. He got halfway, before running back and grabbing Bria by the wrist and dragging her behind him.


"And this is why we can't have nice things.", he chided, as he hustled the Ko monk along with him.
 
"That," Wolf began slowly, still processing what had just happened, "May not have been the best possible course of action." He gripped his bow tight in his right hand but it was just reflex. He had no intention of fighting what was starting to look like a lost battle, not after catching sight of Otiorin darting in the direction opposite from danger. In fact, he realized his mind was starting to cough up similar thoughts.


But wait. What about the damsels? The wizard's got them. That's what we came for, right?


The ranger's eyes were drawn to the shiny orb in Karthas' possession. Well that was what they came for, wasn't it... But is it still?


Those lost souls have only you to help them. Are you going to abandon them?


The thought hadn't even as much as crossed Wolf's mind, but that was before. The minotaurs were trouble enough, but not a critical threat. A master wizard, however... Luna's reaction led to believe that man was challenge aplenty on his own. And he was not alone. It was clear now that things had taken a turn for the worse. Luna... Wolf somehow ended up staring at the sorceress in the dark, admiring her features even as the minotaur hoofs thundered towards them.


She's the only one I truly cannot abandon.


"Luna." he said with a sudden realization in his voice. "We have to go." And he reached to take her hand, intending to drag her out if need be.
 
Luna feels the tug on her hand from Wolf as she looks up in anger and confusion at the unharmed wizard. Feeling numb, she lets her fellow Wanderer pull her out, faster and faster towards the entrance of the cave. How could my magic fail me so completely? The Fireball should have done something to him besides make him mad!
 
Clearing the far end of the tunnel, heedless of the scene beyond, Otiorin pulled Bria to one side and pressed her back against the wall of the cavern. He pressed a finger to her lips and spoke quickly, "I don't know what the outcome of the next few minutes will be, but one thing I want to happen is for you to survive. Do you understand me? Survive. If it looks like Bren and Wolf and Luna and.... well, me.... are going to die, or we're dead, don't hesitate. Pick up your heels and run like you've never run before. Run back to the wagon, get it going to Highwind or Summerset or Elfhaven or anywhere. As long as it's not here. I'm telling you this because I care about you. I kind of think I'm a little bit in love with you. A lot. But that, right now, means nothing unless you survive. Get back and clear of this opening, do what you can to help us, but save your own skin when it comes to it."


He leaned closer, so that only his finger separated their lips.


"Stay. Safe."


Then he pushed her aside and away from the tunnel entrance, even as he started to scale the craggy entrance, handhold over handhold, Moonlit Edge gripped between his teeth.


[dice]5301[/dice]
 
Bria sees Sparkle give Luna one affectionate lick on the cheek before leaping off of her shoulder and vanishing. Then the peaceful monk watches in anticipation as Luna launches one of her most potent spells, a spell Bria has seen blast howling gnolls in great numbers straight to their hells. The tremendous explosion of that scorching ball of flame echoes throughout but then Bria's expression falls as she sees Luna's face.


Something went wrong! Something is wrong!





Your instincts ring out as clearly as they can - Your lives are in mortal danger.


Then three voices shout out from the heart of the wellspring. "Fly, Bright Fire!" "Forget about us!" "Awaken the Old Stone!"


Karthas the Master Wizard roars in a scathing tone, "Silence! I will deal with you later!" In the fire-lit heart of the Wellspring of Change, Luna sees him clearly now, but what she sees now is strange. This is not the Karthas the Master Wizard she had heard of before today. Karthas was a man of many servants, treasures, and finery all within a single snap of his jeweled fingers. This Karthas wears a tattered robe worthy of only beggars. Stranger still, he wears a hood and mask, both blackened yet whole. With gloved fingers he carefully places the tiny glass orb at his feet. Then he turns to the tunnel where Luna stands. "Little fool... Allow me to show you true magic!" He raises his hand in a flourishing dance while his other hand grasps something about his neck. As the trio of minotaurs race at you, the master wizard steps toward you and declares, "You will not stop me! I will be reborn anew!"


His hand glows with an azure hue of arcane energy and aims toward the leader of the Wanderers--


--and Luna is nearly yanked off of her feet!


"Luna," Wolf tells her. "We have to go." Wolf pulls Luna down the tunnel as quickly as he is able. The Wanderers flee down the tunnel, their enchanted footwear bearing them swiftly away, save for Wolf's own feet which are unimpeded when the terrain gets rough.


"What's happening?" Bria stammers as Otiorin hurriedly leads her away and outside the tunnel. Against the wall, Bria looks into Otiorin's serious features and absorbs his every word. When he mentions love, Bria's immediate reaction is to let out a surprised, "What?! Oh my!" Still, she hears out his every word. Then...


"You tell me you might be in love with me, then you stay as if to die? Oh, Otiorin, you're such an inconsiderate beast! Still," she adds with confidence, "you can count on me!" She races off as quickly as her magical boots will carry her, her way lit only by her magical walking stick that bobs hurriedly in the dark. She looks back only once to all of the Wanderers before covering her head with her cloak.


Killaneson! Bren hears Vardadraug's voice loud in his mind, though his blue-gray eyes do not spot the wolf running in the dark. Fly until you reach Skaagenrackner or join Paladin Dayne in death! The rest of the Wanderers hear the Exalted Wolf exclaim - Fly to Skaagenrackner! Do not stop until you reach him or all is lost!


As the Wanderers fly to safety, Otiorin knows for certain the minotaurs are coming too... and their powerful master just behind them...
 
"You hear that?" Wolf asks Luna as they retreat, still holding on to her hand. "This is bigger than we thought. No simple rescue mission at all."


The ranger slows down a bit in order to replace the bow to his back and take out the dagger once again, but doesn't stop moving for a second. He activates it, willing it to burn as bright as any torch, and treads much more confidently now that the ground is lit by enchanted light. "Little use for hiding at this point, right?" he grins, or tries to, because seeing Luna's demoralized expression makes him rethink his tactics. He stops both of them still in the tunnel, risking a few precious seconds to meet her gaze. The hand he had closed around hers is now brought up so that both of their joined fists rest against his heart.


"Allay your doubts, love!" he says with the faintest of smiles. "I will do everything in my power to protect you, but I need you focused. We can speak our regrets when we're safe back at the wagon."


A couple seconds more and he'd continue dragging her out. They had to reunite with Powerpaw, and then if he could reach the outside Pecker would be their best and fastest way to contact Skaagenrackner.
 
Bren makes ready to follow Luna's plan, but before he quite realizes it, she has run up to peer around the bend. Rather futilely, he whispers after her, "A moment, wait..." He has time only to take a bare couple of steps before the ball of fire flies from her hands and out of his sight. Eyes narrowing as combat is instantly joined, he sets himself to run forward to see what the situation now is, but is stopped in his tracks by the sound of the evil wizard's reply. Grimauldin? This one has survived an encounter - a fight! - with that justly-feared wyrm? Hastily he turns over the remains of their plan in his head, finding it inadequate in the face of this new information - especially in light of the presumably incoming minotaurs, not to mention the very vulnerable position of the party's most fragile yet heaviest hitter.


Instincts screaming in a way he knows he'd be a fool to ignore, he turns to Bria, intending to send her far ahead. "Bria, all of you, run! This is surely beyond us!" Seeing the rest of the party already pairing up and taking off, he suits action to his own words and follows, slowing only enough to keep Wolf ahead of him so that he, as the best in melee, could remain as rearguard. Though he keeps his eyes on the way ahead, particularly on the one person he knew before this morning (Bria), the greater part of his attention (and hearing) is directed behind them, trying to determine how much of a lead they're able to maintain ahead of the pursuit.


That changes with two things - the sight of Otiorin speaking closely with Bria before starting to climb the wall of the cavern, and the "voice" of a friend far dearer and no less trusted than Bria in his mind. With more urgency than gentleness, he puts a big hand on Wolf's and Luna's shoulders to impel them onward. "Later! They are too close behind! Noro lim, Otiorin, we cannot pause here!" He continues to remain at the rear of the party, but hard upon their heels, the heavy sounds of minotaur hooves on his mind and in his ears.
 
It is in this moment, that Otiorin and Wolf both notice...


...you no longer sense Vardadraug among you.





Whether the little fellow ran away with Bria or not, none can say, but your eyes and ears detect him not.
 
"I...", Otiorin started to reply to this Bren, but the man's use of his mother tongue cut him off. With a suppressed curse, he hopped down and swapped his short sword for his bow. His lips hissed the words of the spell and he felt the familiar magics take hold of the weapon. His shortbow now possessed the power of a greater weapon and he felt bolstered by it, drawing up slightly back and to one side of Bren, he too retreated, arrow nocked and ready.

2/5 spells cast


Gravity Bow active


Ring of Force Shield active


Ring of Mind Shielding active
 
I think Bronze would ask questions like, "Can the ore be smelted, refined, and cast? Or is forging the way to go? And if it can, how do I do that? Can it be alloyed?". After getting those questions answered I think he'll all so ask the hobbits for a bit of assistance to take apart the "Prison" part of the second wagon and turn it into a nice storage and supply wagon. Bronze would also take some time to forge and make some sale items, like nails, horseshoes, "Silverware", and so on, then also some serious stuff like daggers, swords, armor, and the like. (OOC: Making armor takes much longer than making weapons, so armor will go last, and be made per set as possible.) While working, Bronze also tries to make in inventory in his mind of the supplies gained.
 
Kitrin happily dismantles anything Bronze points out, though she may need a little reining-in when she gets too enthusiastic. She's also more than willing to be unskilled labor as far as putting things back together again, if Bronze asks her to. (Possibly her one rank in engineering may be of assistance, but she doesn't have any other craft-related skills to bring to the table.) Moreover, she's also willing to offer advice on weapons and armor, unrequested. ( :P )
 



  • As the Wanderers continue to race to safety, they hear the lashing jeers from the minotaurs not far behind them. Otiorin and Brendoran in the rear can hear them most clearly.


    "Why are you running? Not man-enough to face me? Why can't you turn around and face me?"


    "Yeah! A real man would stop and fight!"


    "Cowards! Come back here!"


    Behind them, the Master Wizard follows. The walls of the cavern echo with his terrible incantations. "Thala sul moruk! Infernasta gre! Ankhor!"


    If the Wanderers keep their swift pace, they should soon reach the cavern where they last saw Powerpaw and his terrible foe. Yet far ahead of the main group there is but one light fleeing at a nearly-reckless pace.


    It is Bria.


 
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As they run, Luna feels her breath come in ragged gasps as she tries to take in the strange monstrosity that is their new foe. What the hell did he do to himself? What does it mean? Then she hears the incantations being spoken, and while she does not have that particular spell set in her book, she has heard and seen enough castings to know what spell is in the works. "We have more company coming! He's summoning a monster of some kind to fight on his behalf! I don't know what's coming, but I hazard a guess that it won't be friendly! We've got to get out of here!"
 
"Kitrin, where should we start? Armor takes a while to make, weapons not that long, I can make a High Quality Sword in a day if the materials are available." Ponders a moment, "Could always make Adjustable armor... that would make it easy to make depending on sizes. Mr. and Misses Meadowsweets do you have any ideas?" Starts the process of smelting for the Ore (Unless he doesn't know how to do it yet)
 



  • At the First Checkpoint on the Road of Kings, Schermitt nods and makes to leave. "You seem quite content with this wagon, my boy. Meanwhile, the lands south of us call! Fare you well and may you find your answers!" Then he adds to Stewart, "And thanks once again for the shave! Heh, heh!" Stewart can only smile in reply, but that smile is dearly felt.


    The rest of Travis's Trainers bid you all kindly farewell as Bronze, Stewart, and the hobbits continue to see to the dismantling of the steely prison inside the wagon.


    Whittle thinks for long moments to Bronze's question and after much silence replies, "I know! Weren't you not trying to make yourself some masterwork artisan's tools? Why not use this to try again? And what about that safe you were talking about? You'll have to have a lock on it, of course. Thanks be that we've a fine burglar to depend on - Otiorin can give you tips, I imagine!"


    Bonny tugs at a stubborn nail with a claw hammer. "We'll have to *ungh* rename this wagon, you know!"


    "What should we call it, love?"


    "Search me!"


    "That's a horrible name for a wagon, dear!" Bonny pauses and looks at his wife to see if she is serious. Her expression is anything but. And to this, the air is filled once again with merry sounds as the Meadowsweets laugh the wonderful laughter of hobbits.


 
Feeling as if she has been punched in the gut, Luna once more faces the giant rock guardian of the forest. "Great Skaagenrackner, I fear we had to flee or be overrun. There are three minotaurs in the Wellspring of Change. If that were all we had to face, we probably would have been able to succeed in our mission. But, there is a Master Wizard leading them, a fellow member of my own Order of Mages. There was also an ettin guarding the cave, but he was defeated. But the Wizard Kalthas, he has changed somehow, in a way that I find difficult to put into words. I tried striking at him with a Fireball spell, but somehow he was able to shrug off its effects, either through a spell or some other means at his disposal. My spells are nearly depleted, our healer is also nearly out of her own mystic powers. If the Wizard Kalthas is still there with his followers, we can make another attempt once we have replenished our strength."
 
Skaagenrackner's craggy expression is a mixture of shock and dismay as he listens to Luna's telling. His eyes become wide with worry as he looks off in the direction of the powerful wellspring, his immense form as still as stone. There is no hint of anger toward the Wanderers when he asks in a trembling voice, "And... what of the three young girls held there?"
 
"We only heard their voices; we never did see where they were being held. I cannot say what has happened to them."
 
  • Kitrin giggles at the Meadowsweets as she helps with the dismantling. Given her greater strength, she's left nails and such to the non-adventuring hobbits whilst focusing her own efforts on prying out the bars of the cage. "Armor is good! But - oo, tools! Better tools make for better gear, right? An' then you can make a really good safe!" In her distraction, the little fighter's hold on the cage bar slips and she suddenly flies backwards, landing on her hobbity backside. "Oof! Hehehehe!"
 
As you stand upon the hill overlooking the Adventurers' Wagon, Skaagenrackner sighs deeply, his hands helplessly at his rocky sides. He glances down to the Wanderers, Luna especially. His voice is unusually quiet. "You risk much to return to my side with such news as my anger is legendary. Yet, knowing this, you flock to me instead of flying away. Your honesty and sense of duty are most commendable." The Elder Earth Elemental peers down at your group, the sun shining over his worried features. "What now is your plan? Vardadraug? Is there perhaps some other way in?"


The great guardian's peering becomes all-the-more concerned as he seeks out his little canine friend among your number.... and does not find him.


"Vardadraug?"
 
Luna looks up at the giant rock and says simply, "I gave you my word. That means much to me." She looks around, puzzled. "Yes, where is Vardadraug? I don't believe I have seen him since the cave. Wolf? Do you know where he is?"
 
In that moment, a sound appears in everyone's mind (unless they choose to block it). It is the unmistakable sound of happy wolf panting.


Luna then receives a telepathic message from Sparkle - one that is heard by all of the Wanderers. Luna has never before heard her dear familiar's inner voice in such a heavy state of exhaustion. Gone is the lady dragon's patience. Gone is her sense of humor. Nor does "crabby" adequately describe. The old pseudo-dragon's mood has reduced to a that of a cantankerous, delirious, overworked witch, yet under it shines blazing elation.


Pyri! Dearest Pyri, *wheeze* are you up there?! Get down here this instant *pant pant* and help us!


Furthermore, I desire! I desire... *gasp* ...a grand steak dinner! *wheeze again* In fact, I deserve the best steak dinner *oof* ever! And Varda*blargh* too! And I desire fine compliments... and a warm bath... and petting! Yes! Lots and lots of affectionate and shameless coddling! *pant* Does everyone hear me up there?!


Vardadraug's equally-fatigued mental voice joins in and is also heard by every Wanderer. Unlike Sparkle, the Exalted Wolf sounds as if his own drunken state is overshadowed only by his euphoric joy. Praise the Forest Mother! We *grff!* made it! *huff huff* Oh, happy day!


Sparkle says, Yes, we did! Now think *oof* like a dragon for once demand something! Or else I will *urgh* take your share!


But what we have done *rowrrrff!* is reward enough for me! *oof* Um, you may have my share?


Bahamut's scales, you twit! *Urgh* I demand that you demand a reward! !


Oh boy! Hear that everyone? *wheeze* I am a twit! However, fatigue hath cruelly stolen any sense I once had. *pant pant* What, pray tell, is a twit again?


GRRRR!!


All right, I give! Steak it is! *huff* And mayhap a big bone to play with? Oh boy!!


Luna knows for certain that Sparkle's telepathic ability to others is far shorter than her range to Luna. In fact, compared to the private mile they enjoy under most conditions, Sparkle's area telepathy's range is mere 60 feet...


You look down the hill you are all standing on and your curiosity is rewarded by the sound of crackling movement through the crunching leaves. There you see an old and weary pseudo-dragon and a dog-tired little wolf pup together struggling to slowly push a shining glass globe up this hill you are on.


On top of this, each of you can swear you can hear the sweet voices of three young girls cheering from inside the globe...
 
Luna looks over with delight on her face. "Sparkle! I was so worried about you! Don't scare me like that again!" She rushes to the side of the two weary adventurers and kneels down, one hand on the back of each one, ruffling fur on one and rubbing scales on the other. "What prize do you have here?"
 
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