Heatmonth the 10th, 6:35PM. We thought that we should go back up. The area was just not worth the risk of being discovered. Connal climbed up, lowered the tackle, and then him and Shim pulled themselves up to the top to the 2nd floor. It was squeaking a bit so we oiled it up here. We realized getting the animals up here was going to be difficult. So a reduce animal spell was cast on Lexi, Pantrho, and Jar Jar. A speak with animals helped to explain to them to not freak out. Another cycle went up but at this point, the patrol was coming back.
We hid in the back while the goblins came. They fixed the chalk line, and then dropped a pair of spike strips, partially in the rubble, and again in the hall. But then they hit it with a camouflage spell to have it blend in with the ground – meaning we’ have a difficult time to spot it in the future. Once it was over and they left, Nate attempted to whistle that it was ok to send the tackle down, but the guys at the top did not know what the whistle went. Eventually someone came down and we gave the ok to get everyone out. Total time, 2 hours 15 minutes – that was our window.
We walked the long way back, past the former shadow area, through the narrow dug out tunnel, and then the Cree Negashi. Wilhelm spoke with them again, verifying we were still in good graces with the Wolf Spirit, and by 11:30 PM, had set up an offering of silver and fell asleep.
We awoke the next day, Heatmonth the 11th, a bit later in the morning. We did not heal again while sleeping but did dole out spells and then prayed. We figured to go back to the mushroom chamber where we would take advice from the Cree and maybe align ourselves with some of the spirits down here. We had heard from the patrol that the goblins had encountered 3 in the last 3 months, a bison (Buffalo), a large bird (Raven), and a man who took the brunt of the Hwa’Cha, and then ran on (Hiawatha?). Since we had seen a feather in the Mushroom chamber, we assumed that we would find that area might be important to Raven.
We left the cave, past the Cree, down the slope, beyond the water cave, through the crystals and windows to some other place, and then the mushroom chambers. The south one with the creeper had the plant monster 4 days rotting away, actually spurring on fresh fungal growth. The north one had nothing in it (except the mushrooms), but in the area at the north, we left 6 silver, a drawing of the original Edgar Narrymore, a blue rock, some pine boughs, and a hairbrush.
We then talked about coyote. Where would he be? That’s when we figured on 2 fold, the bear had a cave up to the east that we did not check out, and there was a chamber up there with lots of oversized beetles shells in it, the meat was scraped out and eaten. Coyote might we there, it was too high and cramped for the cave bear. But we would need some meat to entice coyote. That’s when we remembered the Cave Fisher at the bottom of the chasm. We could cut some of the limbs off and bring them with us.
So we went back through the mushroom chamber, the crystal caves, the waterfall room, and then the bridge – all still invisible. We used some rope and lowered Connal to the dead insectoid. We whacked off a large claw limb and then got out of there to avoid the strange single cry that was heard. Nope. Nope. Nope.
Up top we climbed slowly up the large ramp, the stirges unable to see us, getting to the top of the area and to the bottom of the 1st chimney. The block and tackle (the 1st one) was still set up here so we cycled our way up, (again over 2 hours), making it there by 3 PM.
We checked out what will be the lift control area. It was 15’ up, steeply sloped, and 20, 30 oversized beetle shells were here. We wanted to leave an offering for Coyote, so we put together another picture (this time on a shell), more pine boughs, the cave fisher’s arm, colorful stick, 4 3/4 “ nails, 10 pieces of silver, a toothbrush, and a silver fork. While here, a few of us were going to check out the area in the back of the bear cave, north of here. So still invisible, 3 of us made the walk, a light spell held tightly in Nate’s hand to illuminate the way.
The bear itself sounded like it was sleeping, and the rest of us went on to the north and east. The passage slowly narrowed from 20’ tall and wide on down. Ferns, plants, old deer carcasses. It got smaller and smaller. Scratches in the walls, 4 parallel led to something being pressed in here at some point. But at the end, a few very large copper dragon scales, a larger raven’s feather, and an oversized black stone obsidian sword. It was flint napped and very wickedly sharp, but also weighed 5 times what a similar sized sword would weigh. In fact, only Darius had the strength (if not the height) to use the weapon correctly. We took it back with us and Shim cast detect magic on it – and it showed up VERY magical for a split instant – and then it didn’t register at all.
We talked about it and the thought was this might be a Sword of the Unlikely Hero – a specific blade that is used for 1 thing. Maybe for Helen? Who knows, but we decided to take it back with us.
We cycled back down to the 2nd level, and then did the long walk all the way back to the wolf area. The place was still set up well for us and we left another offering for the wolf spirit. We then rested and awoke the next day, Heatmonth the 12th. There was some river trout here and some stew. The animals ate and we were on our way. We figured to go to the mushroom chamber and see if Raven had taken our offering.
It was some doing but by 9:50 we were there. The offerings were all missing, but nothing new here. So Wilhelm decided he would do a dance to honor and entice Raven to emerge. He bounced and bopped and gyrated and everything – it was awkward to watch and painful to contemplate. But at the end of the dance, Raven did come and time stopped for Wilhelm.
Raven shared some stuff with the druid, explaining more of what was going on. 3 plus months ago a rift rippled through the Astral plane, slapping the side of the Happy Hunting grounds and a number of the inhabitants of the native American paradise fell in. Besides the mortal followers, 6 animal spirit aspects slipped in as well, trying to save the denizens who were being rifted. Buffalo, Raven, Coyote, Wolf, Bear, and Owl. Being here was a mess, blocked from their home, they have only a fraction of their power. Bear, wolf, and buffalo all eventually came upon the goblins and engaged them, making the greenskins fight back.
Their leader was referred to as “That Sword Bitch” (Helen?) who not only had some enchantments around her, but was also stealing divine energy from the spirits lords. She had some demonic aspect that made facing her difficult. Buffalo had been slain, and the wolf spirit and bear had killed a number of the greenskins but were forced to flee. She had the goblins bury some of the passages on the 2nd level (that we had dug out), keeping the spirits of wolf and bear away. Wolf has been here on this level, and bear went to the 1st level where Ursa (the great bear spirit), hid its spirit inside the body of an actual cave bear up there.
Owl is hiding, most likely below. Coyote wanders about, slipping here and there, as does Raven. The sword bitch can see the spirits even when invisible and they have to step into the umbra to escape her magics and blade. To get home, there is a gate below, in a big cave. It spins, passing through the elemental planes as well as some others. Coyote swears if he could get it to stop spinning and hit it just right, he can center it on the Happy Hunting Grounds and they can get home. 3 times he had tried and 3 times he was unable to do it. He said there was something at the Pulsar Gate that he referred to as “the Feeder.”
As for the gods? Haztez? Hastel? Thunderbird? None of them came though, too strong and powerful. But some of the heroes? Could Hiawatha have made it, for example? Raven doesn’t know – he suspects he could – but being that he is not a god, if he dies here – he is dead. And will not return to the Happy Hunting Ground since he was already a denizen of it. He would just fade away – it's why none of the heroic figures of myth have stepped out – the risk of oblivion from the sword bitch was too great.
Right now she is holding power but getting riches, magic, and resources from the various elemental planes – and she is working them against each other. Fire vs water, earth vs air. If we want the chance to get through her, we would need to destabilize her control of the area – make the elemental forces no longer work against each other and maybe get some to work on overthrowing the sword bitch.
At this Raven left and time restarted. Wilhelm shared what he had learned and we figured it was time for us to go to the goblin city and engage them – maybe, but we needed to get through it and find the other elemental nodes (we know where water is but don’t think going to Princess Alecta would be helpful now).
Heatmonth 12th, 10:25 AM
