With Glooskap’s information, we knew we had a day (maybe 12 hours) to set up for our interaction with Hiawatha. We paced out the area and if Hiawatha was half the hunter that the Skinwalker indicated he was, we were going to be hard pressed to set up any chance to talk to him. We figured an offering of a pipe to smoke and a sign of peace (hands up?). Shim took to drawing a few things and had a decent thing going.
Wanting to hold it in place, we needed some rocks and Dizzy offered to get as the mushroom chambers had no loose stones (only soil). Heading to the Crystal chambers, he looked around eventually getting 5 of them. At some point though he felt a draw to a set of red crystals and was thinking of touching/taking them but after talking to Eoghan, got it in his head to leave it alone. We got the gist from Jessie that this is a natural weak spot in the prime material plane (which we knew), and that the various planes that brush up against here leave a distilled residue that somehow grows as a crystal outcropping here. Yeah, better off to leave it alone.
Taking time with chisel and hammer, Dizzy was able to split each of the stones in half, making a flat side for each. We set up the area and were hanging out. Shim came across a hallucinogenic mushroom and vialed it for now. Eventually we heard the sound of movement and looking out, there was a 10’ puddle of some grey oozing mess sloshing its way down the corridor. He went back and let us know but going back out there, it was hard to see as it blended in with the hall and walls.
Suspecting it was still there, Wilhelm fired off a Fairie Fire spell, illuminating the ooze. This allowed Shim to magic missile it and send it down the hall towards us. A few tossed things were ignored but the next magic missile spell stopped it and it fell to one place and liquified. Nice. Taking a sample we retreated back to the Mushroom chamber and waited. Wilhelm had a speak with animal moment with Louie, convincing the cat that he had to wait in the crystal chamber and gave a description of Hiawatha as based upon Glooskap’s information. Once then, he would be given a magical message to reveal to the hero and then lead him back here.
An Animal Messenger spell followed and Louie went off to await the Hero. It was a few short hours later that Louie bounded back into the chamber and then a minute or 2 later, Hiawatha arrived. 6 and a half feet tall, skin brown and healthy tanned, thick leather buckskins, a few spears and a bow and arrows at his side, long black hair in a warrior’s braid a few feathers plaited in; and finally wearing the torn off fur skin of a large bear.
Hiawatha was willing to talk, he has been sort of lonely for a very long time, and having a hard time adjusting to being here. When he found out the door was opened and the group entered, his first thought was, Fuck this – let’s go! We had to convince him that the world out there is not his world, and that we needed his help. Somehow he had the impression that we were more powerful than we really were.
We talked for a while, doing what we could to convince him that we needed his help against Jubilex. Glooskap made herself visible at this point and there was much talking . We would need to go on a vision quest to see how to defeat jubilex, then that is what we’d have to do. He has some peyote that he had been growing somewhere on the 3rd level and wanted to go there. He said a vision quest typically included 5 braves or warriors who are the heart of the group quest. The strongest, the fleetest, the most magical, the most spiritual, and the one doomed to die.
We identified Eoghan as that one. The Ranger did not take it well. Hiawatha said that this was not a bad thing since that was also the most noble and self sacrificing – it was his death and hardship that makes sure the rest of the warriors can complete their quest. So it’s a good thing. Ok, but let's try not dying. We talked about the 2 brothers and came back to the idea that we still need to help Wilhelm – that meant going to the Inserrat. Another thing Hiawatha thought was neat regarding us.
We left the chambers and made our way back to the bridge where the hero blocked the water with his spear and body, holding all the water back so we could run across the 50’ span. Then he charged after and the water returned. Wilhelm offered to hang back here and see if Buffalo wanted to talk and we all went down to the end of the area where Hiawatha was impressed that we actually moved the elevator! It wasn’t just a floating floor? It moves?!? Wow!
Buffalo showed and Wilhelm and the plains god had their conversation before we all rejoined and then went down the steps. At the gap Hiawatha watched and helped as we set up a bridge of the door and was like, hmm – neat low energy solution!
At the 3rd floor we went south to the kitchen, replaced the door on the hinges, and took the 2 dead bodies from the oven. We knew we’d have to be in the water to face the Inserrat, but if we could use the bodies of the Ve’Estan as bait, it would be better. So we gathered them up and tied some ropes to their shoulders. Hiawatha said he had a canoe we could use that that was good. As for the pool of water, Glooskap let us know it was a break to the elemental plane of water. Oh. Neat!
We went to the 20’ drop and Hiawatha picked up Knox and then carrying the donkey – JUMPED off the 20’ drop to the water where he put the mule down. One by one we all clambered down, Hiawatha helping where needed. He then took us down the north most passage. There were a number of dorms (old dwarven) on the north wall and some larger ones on the south. It was in one of those that we led the mule and the lynx (that we just learned today the druid named.. Jar Jar. Jar Jar Lynx. Frey help us…) inside. We could see there were some cacti growing in some pots and shelves high up and Hiawatha let us know that we’d come back here and have our vision quest later.
We went back to the main hall and then south. Stairs here were gone and it was 5’ down to the water surface (10’ down to the floor). Hiawatha went into his medicine satchel and took off a carving of a canoe, held it once, and then cast it on the water. And it grew to a large canoe! Enough for everyone. He climbed down and helped everyone on, telling them to stay low for center of gravity. He then stood in the middle, folded his arms, and the canoe was driving as if it was being paddled! It wasn’t very fast but we managed to go and explore these halls.
Some time ago, When the Inserrat came here, the two warrior brothers trapped them down in this part since they are very agile in the water but are terrible climbers. Their deity is Shakak, god of winter. It seems he did not fall here when the dwarves opened the gate to the happy hunting grounds, so their numbers do not replenish or diminish. They do eventually reconstitute if slain, some weeks later though.
We passed by store rooms and work shops, but it was at the end of the hall that the water grew cooler. We looked around and splashed the water but nothing. So we went back down the passage again to the front, turned and went again, jerking and tugging at the Ve’Estan dangling behind. It took a few passes but eventually they came from the bottom and attacked!
Fast – So fast in the water. They were jumping and slashing and biting. We bagged one quick and then bashed it on the walls a few times to get it to stop moving. Then the same again a second time. There were 5..6 of them? They managed to bite the ropes free and took one of the Ve’Estan so we used the 2nd. More back and forth and even Connal running on the water monk style. He got a 3rd one bagged up and jumped up to the landing out of reach of the others while we were shooting spells and giving chase.
We all got up to the landing area Hiawatha got the canoe back to small and back in his medicine satchel, and we were going to decide what to do next. Inserrat or vision quest? It was 12:45 PM on Firemonth the 8th and it was about an hour or 2 before we needed to rest.
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