[Game Thread] II. Adventures "Up the River"

[mountainbound]

As Silas takes in the scene, he realizes almost too late that the vine that's dragging Dan into the tree is also snaking around his own boots. Quickly the ranger kicks the writhing tendrils away and slices down with his weapon. Instantly, the reaching vine falls dead, but he had only severed a distant branch of the main trunk.

Dan can't respond to his friend's call. The young wizard is too busy trying to unwind the kudzu that's choking him. He manages to free himself just enough to gasp and call out a word. His voice cracks with the effort, but the effect is immediate. Amazingly, a bolt of white light streaks from... somewhere... and strikes the vine holding him. The vegetation quivers but refuses to let go.

All around you the ground writhes with the feelers of the plant, dragging Dan's staff and your own packs toward the main trunk to be hoisted up.

Combat Notes Dan is still held about 8' above the forest floor. You will need to make some really fancy shots with your bow, or wade into the clinging vines and hack away at the main trunk with your rapier. (or whatever else you can come up with!) If you choose to go in, make another REF save, DC 12. If you fail, you become Entangled. Enemy Status Vine (main trunk): AC 13, Wounded.

[Krimchee]

"Dan!" Silas yelled. "Hang on!"

Bloody Hell, Silas thought, cringing at the unintented pun.

Silas scanned the area, noting the writhing ground and, particularly, the packs being dragged towards the main vine. Knowing about the Kudzu didn't ease the weirdness of seeing a "plant" move so aggressively. It's bloody unnatural, he thought, even though he knew full well that they were, in fact quite natural. Silas began to curse profusely. Profanities rolled off his tongue in a long line of curses mutterred one after the other in an incessant, and often creative, chain of invective. Oddly, Silas found comfort from this familiar act of grumbling. The wave of panic he'd felt earlier began to ease as he kicked a reaching vine with his leather clad foot with a mumbled "...... cheese mucher", and dashed toward the trunk.

Now that Silas was aware of the Kudzu, he was better prepared to avoid their grasp. In a few quick strides, Silas danced through the feelers and hacked at the main trunk, swinging his rapier with a grunt. The bladed connected, the impact jarring Silas' wrist and envoking a passionate, "Son of a......"

REF Save + Attack REF Save vs Entanglement Dice Roll: 1d20+5 (17)+5 Total = 22 Attack with Rapier Dice Roll: 1d20+3 (14)+3 Total = 17

[mountainbound]

As Silas moves closer to the main vine, Dan is yanked higher up into the tree. He tries to call forth another blast of magical energy, but inexperience gets the best of him and he fumbles the words. A tendril snakes around his neck and he fights to unwind it, but at that moment his arm is caught and yanked violently upward. Silas can hear the shoulder pop as the vine stretches Dan's muscles, pulling and tearing.

To his horror, Silas sees yet another vine begin snaking out of a nearby tree. Assassin vine -- the ranger finally is able to recollect the name of the creature. Common enough that he shouldn't have missed it when he went to investigate. Looking around, Silas can see the whole area is choked with the deadly stuff. With Dan getting pulled apart overhead, and vines writhing toward him from every direction, it doesn't look good for the two friends.

But at that point a strong, steady voice calls loudly from behind. The words are foreign, unrecognizable, yet if vines had ears, this was proof. Instantly the Assassin vine releases Dan and the young wizard lands in a great heap at the bottom of tree. Vines sway and bob around him like snakes, but none resume their attack. Silas turns to see the bare-chested man from the ruins standing not far behind him. It's as though the presence of the man is keeping the vines at bay. Whatever the reason, Dan quickly grabs the packs and his walking stick, and stumbles out of the dangerous area. His face is red and splotchy, his arm black and blue, but at least he's alive. "Th-th-ank you," he splutters to the newcomer, still trying to gasp for air.

A low growl tells Dan not to come to close -- a mountain lion bares its teeth beside the bearded man. He ignores Dan's gratitude. "What are you two doing in the wilderness?" he asks sharply. "This is no place for boys." The man doesn't appear to be very friendly, or perhaps is none too pleased at having the strange ritual interrupted -- the ritual with the talking fire which Silas was able to glimpse...

DM's Note Don't forget to roll damage when you attack.

[Krimchee]

"Blood and ashes," Silas muttered. He was stunned. He felt relief that Dan was more or less "safe". He felt fear at seeing the man from the talking fire. Silas stared at the vines swaying around Dan, the tips of the leaves trained on him like eyes, or perhaps a snake scenting prey with a flick of its tounge.....bloody hell, he thought, how does he do it? Silas turned to look at the bare chested man. He thought of the talking fire again....and shivered.

Silas practically jumped when the mountain lion growled at Dan. He'd only heard a growl like that once or twice before and his body reacted instinctively to it. Silas looked hard at the lion, expecting it to pounce. The lion had too much intelligence behind its eyes. Silas noticed the way it watched him. Not watched, observed. Silas was more sure than ever that the lion was with him. They must share a bond of some kind. Yet Silas could see no visible command between them, like you would a master and his dog. He didn't command the vines either, yet they obey.

Silas immediately saw the value of such a bond. And the way he could control the vines! How does he do it?

Silas looked at the man again, still afraid, but curiosity was starting to win out.

"Thank you for helping us sir," Silas said at last. "My name is Silas." Silas looked again at the vines swaying in the air. "How did you......." he gestured at the vines, "get them to stop?"

[mountainbound]

The man ignores Silas's question about the vines. Apparently his secrets were on a need-to-know basis only.

A dark purple welt is forming around Dan's neck, and it's now apparent that the wizard was stung many times by the vine. The bare-chested man sees him and grunts, "Stings like that will stop you from moving for a few days if not treated... Follow me while you still can." There is no kindness in his tone -- more annoyance than anything. With that, he turns and walks the small path back to the group of ruins atop the hill. Dan winces with every step and, by the time you're near the buildings, Silas must help his friend to walk.

"Can't feel my feet," Dan moans.

The mountain lion looks on as the two boys finally catch up with the bearded man. He's kneeling by the fire in the center of the blasted group of buildings, as when Silas first saw him. There is no face looming in the flames now -- just a large fire crackling under an overcast afternoon sky. "Set him here," the stranger says to Silas. He gives the young ranger a second glance, as though appraising. Gruffly he says, "Name's Isaiah," and offers nothing else in the way of conversation as he prepares a poultice for Dan. The great cat sniffs at your bags and then settles by his master, flicking long whiskers.

"Here, rub this where you got stung, and don't bellyache about the pain. Believe me, it's better than being paralyzed for the next few days." Dutifully, Dan does as he's told, gritting his teeth. Isaiah then turns to Silas. "I can see traces of black briar on your cloak. You been walking through the fields around these ruins? It's the only place the plant grows for a hundred miles. It's a wonder I didn't know about it. Assassin vine, black briar, and traveller's bane -- those plants were put in this area for a reason, to keep people out. " There was a grudging amount of respect in his voice, but he narrows his brows. "Why are you two in the wilderness? There're bad things afoot, and it's going to get worse before it gets any better -- if it ever does." He stares into the fire, producing a long clay pipe and ripping off a piece of venison jerky. "Here," he says, passing a strip to Silas.

[Krimchee]

Silas took the jerky with a nod of thanks. He took a bite of the jerky, tearing off a chunk with his teeth. Damn, the jerky was good! Tender, not overdone like some did it back in Lehman's Hollow. Overdoing it would allow the meat to keep longer, but it was like chewing bootleather. The jerky was smokey, salty, with a bit of sweetness in the background and a fair amount of heat creeping in at the end. He couldn't identify what was used to give that heat. A pepper of some kind? Silas chewed the jerky slowly to buy some time to consider his answer. How much should I tell?

"We're on our way to Archeebald. We stopped to camp and I saw the tracks going through the ruins. Silas grabbed a bit of his cloak and pulled it round to have a look. Black briar, sure enough. Silas carefully picked it off, holding it in the palm of his hand. Must have picked it up on the mad dash back to get Dan. Silas nodded to Isaiah in awknowledgement, and then causually tossed it into the fire.

"I didn't think anyone lived this far out in the wild. So I was curious." Silas took another bite of jerky, savoring the taste. Damn, but this is good, he thought. Silas chewed thoughtfully for a moment.

"What do you mean about there being bad things afoot?" Silas was thinking about whatever it was that was following them down the river. Could that be what he's talking about?

[mountainbound]

The bearded man lays a piece of the jerky before the cougar -- one didn't toss food at a mountain lion as though tossing tablescraps to a mutt, but instead does so with a measure of respect. The cat flicks a whisker in Isaiah's direction -- perhaps it would eat the offering later. Finally Isaiah says, "Nobody lives out here -- at least I don't. Came here for a reason, to find out something for myself. But the wilderness sure ain't my home. Still, I can get by better out here than most, and that's why I'm talking to you now." The mountain lion growls at the words of her master.

"I guess I'm getting careless if you picked up on my tracks by the water. Careless in my age. You're young, but it seems you know a bit of woodlore too. That's good knowledge to have," he says with some respect. From the knowing tone of his words, Silas feels that the man seated before him by the fire was indeed a true master of the wild. It is only an intuition, but somehow, the young ranger is sure of it.

As to Silas's final question... Isaiah takes some time, chewing his jerky and staring at the fire. Dan continues to wince and grit his teeth as he applies the poultice, but Isaiah gives him little heed. It was as though Dan didn't really count -- the young wizard was just another one of the soft common folk that Isaiah made it a point to ignore. Silas, however, had woodlore, and that was something. "Bad things. Maybe the more civilized towns haven't seem'em yet. But out in the wild..." He is silent for a while longer. "Let me ask you a question. You think we're the first to discover this, so called, New World? No? Well, you're right. We're not the first. There were those who came before us, and maybe those who came before them too. Somebody must have built these ruins that we're sitting in, right?" Obviously, the man had a point that could not be denied. "But where'd they go? What happened to'em?" He takes another contemplative bite of jerky.

"Bad things, that's what. Bad things, crawling out of the holes in the ground, just like so many wurms, centipedes and such. Creatures from the darkness, the ground if full of them. And it won't be long before they pour forth, assulting the newcomers -- us, we newcomers -- with so much trouble that we won't be able to sleep, let alone farm and raise families. If you've ever fought a crawler, you know what I'm talking about. There are thousands, millions of 'em below our feet. And there are far worse things than crawlers out there. Things with Brains," he taps his head. "Things that will mess with you. And once they've seen you, they'll hunt you down. That's why it ain't safe for two boys like yourselves to be out in the wilderness."

[Krimchee]

Silas took in Isaiah's words as he finished his jerky. It reminded him of the red glowing eyes he'd seen at Hermit's rock that night. Was it a coincidence that they'd fought a crawler there? What about the singing? And the voices in the trees. Maybe it wasn't the moss after all. But why was he the one to see and hear them and not Dan? Silas looked at Isaiah, and at his giant cat. Could he trust him? And what about the voice in the fire? He obviously knows I was near here, but does he know all that I heard and saw? Silas didn't think so, and he wasn't sure it'd be wise to share that just yet. Silas made a decision. [B]"There've been a lot of strange things happening to me lately."Silas paused for a minute, breaking a twig he found on the ground into pieces, and flicking each piece into the fire. " There was something following us through the trees on our way here, for example. It spoke, calling my name in a strange voice. I could see it rustling through the treee tops, but couldn't get a good look at it. It definitely didn't sound human, and it was like nothing I've encountered before." Silas paused. "Dan didn't see or hear any of it. He was sleeping, and when I woke him up it'd stopped. Silas looked up at Isaiah, meeting his eyes. "Do you know what it could have been?"

[mountainbound]

Isaiah mutters darkly at Silas's words. "I don't know for sure. Could be one of a hundred things that's found you. The things that live Below, they've been crawling to the surface in greater numbers. Most of them are dumb beasts, centipedes and such that stick to the woods, but some are smarter, wicked even. It's them that like to take an interest in people. You say it knew your name and spoke in a strange voice? I'd say it's a stalker -- nasty SOBs. Keep your guard up, boy."

The bearded man finally dons a shirt as the afternoon slides toward evening. "It was the folly of the people who came before us that awoke the crawlers. Some say in a hundred years, there'll be so many of them, all the rest of us will be wiped out. Who knows, maybe it'll happen sooner. History is bound to repeat itself. All I know is, I've been seeing more and more of 'em, and they're getting smarter and nastier every time."

He begins to collect his things, and the mountain lion lazily gets to her feet, taking a cue from Isaiah that it was almost time to leave. "Your friend there," he motions to Dan, who hasn't said much and is nursing his wounds, "will be stiff for a day or so, but should be fine by tomorrow. I'd recommend spending the night here -- these old ruins still carry some vestage of the old enchantment that protected those who lived here before us from the crawlers. It'll offer some protection, but there's no guarantee -- especially if a stalker has you singled out." He slings his pack over his shoulder. "But every ruins has its secrets, and I'd advise you not to mess with things you don't understand while you're here."

At that, Dan pipes up: "We got a set of ruins by Lehman's Hollow -- call 'em the Pillars. I was able to read the writing on them. Sounded like a riddle, but I can't remember the exact words of it now."

Isaiah looks with some surprise at the wizard, "You're able to read Ichvaali? Very odd. In any case, yes, riddles are common enough. Each set of ruins was built for a purpose -- it has a job. There is often a simple riddle that can activate their magic. Problem is, very few can decipher Ichvaal, and fewer still would know what to do with Ichvee magic if it was theirs to command. Probably better that you didn't guess the riddle, even if you can decipher Ichvaali."

The wizard frowns at Isaiah, "But what is 'Ichvaal'?"

"The name for the people who once lived here," Isaiah says. "There were two races in those days: the Ichvaal and the Droag. Legend has it that the Droag were the ones who awoke the crawlers beneath the earth, and were quickly wiped out. The Ichvaal lasted longer than the Droag, building strongholds and special refuges -- but they too were finally slaughtered. When there was nobody left, the hordes went back below ground... but judging by all the crawlers I been seeing lately, I'd say they've noticed their land is once again inhabited."

[Krimchee]

"It said, 'Find safety by cradling the Creator of all Life in your radiant Heart.' I couldn't make heads nor tales of it either." Silas looked at Isaiah, "We also fought a crawler there at that site, and killed it. There's a spot there, just outside of the Pillars, where a cave entrance has been barred off with iron. I always assumed it'd been meant to keep people out. But that night, camping there, I saw glowing red eyes behind those bars, looking out into the night. What if those bars weren't meant to keep people out, but rather to keep something in?

"Isaiah, if what you say is true, why isn't anyone doing anything about it? What can be done? Why haven't people been warned?"

[mountainbound]

Hearing Silas recant the riddle of the pillars, Isaiah nods knowingly. "Yes, that sounds about right. The Ichvaal are -- or were -- a race of sun-worshipers. The Creator of all Life would be the Sun, to them. The Droag were more... lunar in nature, and neither they nor the crawlers would willingly invoke the Sun, even if it was to gain access to an Ichvaal stronghold."

The bearded frontiersman pats the mountain lion at his side, as Silas goes on to speak about the eyes at the cave. Isaiah's former aloofness seems to thaw as he recognizes the truth in Silas's story. "Those bars were once scrawled with words of power, but the enchantments have to be renewed. As the Ichvaal died out, there was no one to keep it up. So they're just iron bars now, easy enough for something to slip through."

This catches Dan's attention. "Enchantments? Were the Ichvaal... wizardly?"

Isaiah frowns. He didn't want to fuel Dan's imagination, but after a pause, says: "The Ichvaal had magic of a kind. Or rather, they had some inner power that people don't seem to have these days. Like another set of senses. Women today use magic, but the Ichvaal had something else. I don't rightly know what it was. Ach, don't worry yourselves about it. You won't be meeting an Ichvaal anyway."

When Silas pursues the most pressing question of what can be done, Isaiah shrugs. "Oh, we've done plenty about it. I personally spoke with Bob Mellowski -- the old mayor of Lehman's Hollow -- years back. Me and others who Know gave lots of warnings. But Bob and I never saw eye to eye, and he wasn't very comfortable with the source of my information. Well, I don't mix well with politicians in general. The mayor seemed to think that a rickety wooden wall would be sufficient to keep out whatever might be lurking in the woods." Isaiah shakes his head.

"Most peeople feel that if there was something sinister below the ground, we would have seen more evidence of it over the past 40 years that we've been colonizing this new land. They don't seem to consider the thousands of deserted ruins as good enough reason for concern. What they don't understand is that the crawlers are patient, and smart. They know we're here, and they know we're defenseless. There's no rush to finish us off, but they will, sooner or later."

He picks up a walking stick and places a wide-brimmed hat on his head. "Well boys, I must get moving. The afternoon is drawing on, and we," you take him to mean himself and his mountain lion, "still have a lot of ground to cover. Be wary, and don't mess about here in this place. It was once sacred to the Ichvaal, and it won't take kindly to having its secrets probed."

DM's Note Feel free to ask any last minute questions of Isaiah. Otherwise, he will depart and leave Silas and Dan to camp among the ruins. Dan is in pain, and is stiff from the Assassin vine; but can slowly amble about.

[Krimchee]

"Hmm....that sounds like Bob. Is there anything we can do to help?"

And what about the stalker? What can you tell me about them? I've never encountered the like before. If there really is one following us, I don't want to get caught with my pants down."

[mountainbound]

The grizzled mountain man gives a wry smile. "I doubt there's much that anyone can do to sway the mind of a politician, except maybe bringing solid proof of the problem. Mellowski and his ilk need to be scared before they'll ever take action, and I'm not talking about showing them a bunch of centipede scales, which, indecently, I can smell you have among your bags."

He knocks out his pipe bowl as Silas asks about the Stalker. "Yeah, I've been trailed by 'em before. They ain't from our world. Don't know what you'd call 'em... boogies, imps, devils? They come in as many shapes and forms as you can imagine. All of 'em are different, but they all have something in common: they hate us who walk in the sun. And once they peg a person, they won't stop until they've got you." He looks hard at Silas, and you can't tell if it's pity or a grim affirmation that you see in his features.

"Let me give it to you straight: it's seen something it likes about you, and it wants your brain. It'll crack your head open and eat it warm... and after it does, it'll be you. Then your friends, your family, everyone who ever trusted you will be in danger... and the process will just spiral down from there. Your best bet is to seek it out and attack it before it gets you. But that's not something I can help you with. Your friend there," he gestures to Dan, who is still by the fire, not able to move easily, "he seems soft, but if he can read Ichvaali, he must have some smarts at least. He's in as much danger as you, so the two of you will need to figure this out on your own. And don't think for a second that the sheep-fence that passes for a wall around the Hollow will keep out a Stalker."

With that, he extends a hand. You are somewhat surprised at the gesture. This master woodsman seems to be regarding you -- barely older than a boy, and a murderer to boot -- as an equal. It was something the elders of Lehman's Hollow would never do. Shaking hands with you he says, "Take care of yourself Silas Mota. You have potential, maybe we'll meet again. C'mon Goldie." The mountain lion, presumably Goldie, lopes past you without a glance, and then follows her master into the thicket.

Only after he's gone do you realize that you're holding something -- a crude arrowhead made from some kind of sharp, flat riverstone. People haven't used these primitive things for a long time. You can only wonder at its significance, and why Isaiah might have given it to you.

[Krimchee]

Silas just stood for a moment, staring at the arrowhead, thinking. Silas rolled the arrowead over and over in the palm of his calloused hand, hoping for a clue of some kind to show itself. When no answer came, he wrapped the arrowhead carefully in a bit of cloth bandage that was in with the first aid supplies. Silas felt quite sure that it was not a random act on the part of Isaiah, so he carefully stowed it in his pack to ponder at a later time. Right now there was work to do.

Silas began the work of setting up camp for the night. He was worried about Dan, and wondered how long they'd have to stay here before he was well enough to travel. He was worried too about the stalkers. He liked Isaiah's suggestion about hunting it rather than waiting around to become prey himself. But he still didn't know much of what to expect from them, or how to go about it. Yet. Silas hated mysteries and was determined to learn as much as he could.

Once Silas was reasonably satisfied with the state of the campsite, he began looking around the ruins in the immediate vicinity of their campsite. He was determined not to leave Dan alone tonight, especially given his current weakened state, so he doesn't wander far. Isaiah said not to monkey around with the Ichavaal or whatever they were. But learning about them was not the same as meddling in Silas' mind. Maybe there would be markings that Dan could decipher for them.

Perception check Perception check Dice Roll: 1d20+6 (2)+6 Total = 8

[mountainbound]

Dan seems lost in dark thoughts, saying little as Silas goes through the tasks of getting a campsite in order. At one point Dan beats on his legs, trying to get the feeling to return, and mutters something about how much better it'd be if they had some of Dad's Wine to help with the discomfort. "But nooooooo, old Silas won't have any of that business..." he grumbles. For the next few minutes he rubs the black and blue marks around his neck where the vine had him, glaring all the while at his more-cautious friend.

It's heading toward twilight when Silas moves to get a better feel for the ruins -- and only then that Dan snaps out of his funk. Seeing his friend walking toward some of the fallen-in stone structures, the wizard yells, "Wait up, damnit, you're not leaving me alone again!" With no small amount of difficulty, Dan raises himself up by his staff, and then places most of his weight on the weapon, numbly stumbling past the fire to join Silas.

There were about a half dozen crumbling buildings at the top of the hill where they camped, with several undefinable, large stone dolmans scattered all around. Most of the ruins were covered with ivy and plants -- long ago abandoned to the slow creep of the forest. "So you want to look around? Me too. Might be good to get some blood back in my legs. They feel like ice, but at least I can move them a little."

Slowly, the boys do a circuit of the ruins, peering in alcoves and between still-standing columns, until they come to one with carvings on it. As Silas peels the vines from it, Dan prepares his mind, and then takes a look. "It says... 'To speak upon the light, remember the Creator of Life when you look upon the sun in darkness.' These bloody Ichvaal have a wonderful sense of humor, don't they?" he says sarcastically.

Without a clue as to what that might mean, they continue on, finally making their way to the building behind which Silas first saw Isaiah and his uncanny fire. It has the aspect of a church, with soaring columns supporting no roof, and expansive windows sporting no glass. Dan hobbles over to peer in one of the openings, spying a nasty tangle of vines -- but also something else. "Look there Silas! There are stairs leading down below this building, just on the other side of this window. Help me through and let's take a look!"

The sun is setting quickly, and soon it wouldn't matter whether you were inside or out -- it'd be too dark to see anything without a light. As if reading his friend's mind, Dan grins, saying: "I have a new spell... never showed it to you before, but it's like a magic torch. You gotta see it! And this would be the perfect time for it too. Come on dude! Or are you chicken?" The young wizard smiles defiantly, perhaps trying to win back some pride after almost being killed by a plant.

DM's Note Perception roll of 8: Silas pays more attention to the selection of plants growing in the area, and is able to help Dan avoid brushing against one or two nasty species as they walk around. Nothing else of interest turns up.