[Story] Expedition I: Lake Kagamihara

[briar]

Lake Kagamihara Briarheart Hollow "The sunrise at Lake Kagamihara is pretty famous. You see, when the sun hits those glaciers just right...well, guess you should stay up and see for yourself, eh?" -- Overheard from a passerby in Tradewinds

📅 11th Day of Second month in the Summer season.Aiou, 334 After Union / After UnificationA.U. Terrain🌄 Travel & Camping Base TN is 6.Lowland Lakeside Weather🌞 Travel & Camping Modifier is +0Partly Cloudy; 62°F Time of Day⏱ ~ 11:20 PM In-Game TimeLate Morning Locale Info A quiet, out of the way lake famed for its solitude and crystal clear waters, it is overlooked by Mount Seneschal, the tallest and most iconic of the Reigncrown mountain range. Legend has it that the emblem on the Rouge flag was designed after the view of the mountain from this lake. In the Summer and Autumn, it is a common destination for hikers and campers, and features a small lodge where one can rent small boats to venture onto the lake. Environs: Lodge Area, Northern Lakeshore, Southern Lakeshore, Twinspring Grove Locale Info Background Music Gloop 🩸 14/14 Karma for this Locale: 1🍀 Current Stamina: 3/3💪 Khrysa 🩸 14/14 Current Stamina: 3/3💪 Langtree 🩸 20/20 Community for Today: 1❤️ Current Stamina: 2/3💪 Merris 🩸 17/17 Community for Today: 2❤️ Current Stamina: 3/3💪 Rahat 🩸 21/21 Karma for this Locale: 3🍀 Current Stamina: 3/3💪

Langtree & Goop With a twist, a tug, and quite a little bit of oomph, Langtree's struggles are rewarded with a final prize: a sleek, silvery fish, which Goop quickly identifies as a lake trout. It has a long, slender body that is mostly one color except for the brown patch over its face, and it thrashes even after being pulled out of the water. "Wow, you got one! You did really well!" Goop announces.

Storyteller Notes I noticed that you rolled enough to reel the fish in, so I just went ahead and pushed through to that! Hope you don't mind

---

Rahat, Khrysa & Merris Llorn nods emphatically to Rahat, wordlessly acquiescing to her request, but seeming mostly dismissive of her worries. "It is...no trouble. We do things...at the pace...best suited to us. Rest...easy." The treefolk's gaze follows where the centaur points. "Ah...Yes..." Saying this, it extends an arm towards the implement, and the roots and brush that have grown around the axe seem to come alive. They pass the axe up to an overhanging branch, which leans down to take it, then pass it off to something else until eventually, it reaches the wooden hand it is meant for. Once the weapon is returned, Llorn lets out a low sigh and bends their form to the trees that assisted, then looks back to Merris, as well as Khrysa. "It is...my honor... And warmed, I feel, to meet someone of the Oldwood even...so far removed from it... You are...travelers...? I see... I thank you...for your timely rescue... I know not how long I slumbered...but were it not for you...surely I would have done so far longer... I am in your debt...and I will answer what questions you wish to ask... However... It would not be wise to stay here overlong... My journey was interrupted... There is much to do... And also...we must not trespass...on the Queen's domain... She is not...known...for Her patience..."

[Kaigen]

Rahat - Twinspring Grove Rahat accepted Llorn's reassurances impassively. He seemed lucid, and there were not any apparent gaps in his memory aside from falling asleep in the first place. Beyond that, she had no point of comparison, so she had to take his word for it. Crossing an arm over her chest to brace the other as it propped up her chin, Rahat thought about his offer to answer questions. She had no idea how long he had been sleeping, but it must have been quite a while. Ironically, that might make him more capable of answering her questions than someone more connected to current events. "We came here in search of a temple somewhere in the grove. One that has been forgotten in more recent times. Do you know of such a place?"

[Xyza]

Khrysa

Khrysa watched in awe as the vegetation itself here was "alive" and moving, seemingly in coordination with Llorn. Spells could certainly do that, but it seemed like something else was going on here.

"Wait, what was that? The Queen?" Khrysa snapped back into focus from her daydreams about a plant-society. "Who is she? And what is her domain?" As far as she remembered, there wasn't a monarch ruling over this region, though her understanding of civics was somewhat spotty and mostly based on anecdotes rather than formal learning. She wondered who this queen could be...another tree-person like Llorn? A bandit queen? A pixie or a fairy or some other mystical being?

Khrysa nodded along as Rahat asked about the temple, almost having forgotten their original goal amidst all the exploring. "Right, the temple! Where is your journey to, Llorn? Maybe we're headed to the same place!"

[morgantha]

Langtree The surface of the water broke, spraying droplets into the morning light. As the fish hit the shore, Langtree smiled smugly. She wasn’t the type for huge displays of emotion, but she was pleased at her catch. She thought it might even be big enough to share with everyone. Speaking of, she wondered what the rest of the group was up to. Perhaps with lunch in the bag, she should try to catch up.

[briar]

Lake Kagamihara Briarheart Hollow "The sunrise at Lake Kagamihara is pretty famous. You see, when the sun hits those glaciers just right...well, guess you should stay up and see for yourself, eh?" -- Overheard from a passerby in Tradewinds

📅 11th Day of Second month in the Summer season.Aiou, 334 After Union / After UnificationA.U. Terrain🌄 Travel & Camping Base TN is 6.Lowland Lakeside Weather🌞 Travel & Camping Modifier is +0Partly Cloudy; 62°F Time of Day⏱ ~ 11:20 PM In-Game TimeLate Morning Locale Info A quiet, out of the way lake famed for its solitude and crystal clear waters, it is overlooked by Mount Seneschal, the tallest and most iconic of the Reigncrown mountain range. Legend has it that the emblem on the Rouge flag was designed after the view of the mountain from this lake. In the Summer and Autumn, it is a common destination for hikers and campers, and features a small lodge where one can rent small boats to venture onto the lake. Environs: Lodge Area, Northern Lakeshore, Southern Lakeshore, Twinspring Grove Locale Info Background Music Gloop 🩸 14/14 Karma for this Locale: 1🍀 Current Stamina: 3/3💪 Khrysa 🩸 14/14 Current Stamina: 3/3💪 Langtree 🩸 20/20 Community for Today: 1❤️ Current Stamina: 2/3💪 Merris 🩸 17/17 Community for Today: 2❤️ Current Stamina: 3/3💪 Rahat 🩸 21/21 Karma for this Locale: 3🍀 Current Stamina: 3/3💪

Langtree & Goop Considering the size of the fish, Langtree suspects that the fish alone if shared by the whole group, would only be enough to be called a snack for everyone. If she wanted it to feed everyone, she'd either need side dishes to go along with it or to make a more elaborate meal with it. Perhaps Khrysa would have ideas for what they could make. Speaking of her companions, it had been a little time since they left, but she suspects that she could probably catch up to them if she started now. Seeing that her friend intends to leave, Goop smiles, nods, and wishes her well. She seems content with just spending the day fishing.

Storyteller Notes The fish alone is large enough to feel probably 2-3 people, but you can make the portion larger by making something with more ingredients. I'm not gonna be super picky about it, though. Since Goop's player is still MIA, I'm fine with Langtree meeting up with the rest of the group. You can go ahead and introduce yourself into the scene with them, and in the interest of getting everyone back together, I won't make you roll the travel check We'll just say Rahat left clues/markers that Langtree can easily follow!

---

Rahat, Khrysa & Merris It takes a little bit of time for the questions of Rahat and Khrysa to sink into the tree-person's bark, and he appears to contemplate them for some time, even going so far as to prod at the edge of his 'mouth' in thought. "Ah...so you do not know of Her? A shame... Well...I suppose it has been a very...long time. It is...an ancient legend...about a goddess...who was imprisoned in the region...by the other gods. She had...a terrible temper... and Her grudges were thought... to follow travelers... who did not pay their respects... at Her temple... and make an offering... at Her shrine... In the legends...she was known as the Prickly Queen.. though perhaps this...too...was in jest..." He pauses, looking around for a while until his eyes eventually fall on the portly little statue the group discovered earlier. "Ah...that is... one of the markers. We must be close... to Her temple. I have... transgressed on this land... for a very long time. Perhaps it was... the Queen's wrath... that I should have slumbered so long..." He turns back to the group, his body groaning as he does, a sound that almost resembled someone's joints popping, but with an understandably more 'wooden' aspect to the sound. "It... would be wise... to pay her a visit... and make an offering... lest bad fortune... befall you, as well. If I remember...correctly... the statues... points travelers there."

Storyteller Notes Not sure how I got off track, but it is Lhorn, not Llorn xP My bad!

[Xyza]

Khrysa

Khrysa listened to the tree-person's musings with a mixture of fascination, confusion, and concern. "Oh, a legend...so have you not met this Queen?" Of course, having heard many traveler's tales, legends were nothing to dismiss, but her initial assumption had been that Lhorn considered himself to be a subject of her somehow.

"An offering? She sounds scary...yes, we should! What kind of offerings does the Queen like? Money? Food? Should I cook something up?!" Khrysa was eager to implement her expertise, as well as fairly confident that food was indeed used as an offering in some cases. "I think I might be able to use these berries in a pleasant dessert, but I'm having a little trouble picking them..." she looked over to Rahat, who had seemed much more comfortable with doing so. "Um, if I could get some help gathering them...then I need something for a main course...I wonder if the others were able to catch anything? And..." getting lost in thought about an impromptu dinner menu, Khrysa just barely remembered to actually listen to Lhorn's response first about whether this was an appropriate offering. And what he said about the statues leading to the temple they had originally come here for was in the back recesses of her mind by this point...

[Kaigen]

Rahat - Twinspring Grove Rahat nodded gravely at Lhorn's mention of an offering and Khrysa's question of what sort of offering would be appropriate. "We would not wish to give the Queen offense." In the back of her mind, however, there still hovered the image of abandoned temple as abandoned corse. The spirit of the Queen might still have reason to linger, or it may have been replaced by some opportunistic spirit in search of a home. She was stirred from her ruminations as she realized Khrysa's indirect request for help might be directed towards her. "Oh, let me pick some. Hold this bag." Rahat went to work, hands confidently grasping the bushes with a firmness that allowed the thorns no purchase on her toughened skin. Moving the branches this way and that, she picked any berries that seemed to be ripe enough for flavor and not so ripe as to be bursting. One particularly fine specimen she tipped into a vial and sealed. "This may have use for dulling pain," she murmured to herself.

OOC Rahat will spend a point of Karma (taking her from 3 to 2) to gather a supply of berries. As usual when collecting from plants, her Survivalist Secret Art means that she gets a part in perfect condition. EDIT: I forgot that gathering also costs a point of stamina, so that will also drop to 2 from 3.

[briar]

Lake Kagamihara Briarheart Hollow "The sunrise at Lake Kagamihara is pretty famous. You see, when the sun hits those glaciers just right...well, guess you should stay up and see for yourself, eh?" -- Overheard from a passerby in Tradewinds

📅 11th Day of Second month in the Summer season.Aiou, 334 After Union / After UnificationA.U. Terrain🌄 Travel & Camping Base TN is 6.Lowland Lakeside Weather🌞 Travel & Camping Modifier is +0Partly Cloudy; 62°F Time of Day⏱ ~ 11:20 PM In-Game TimeLate Morning Locale Info A quiet, out of the way lake famed for its solitude and crystal clear waters, it is overlooked by Mount Seneschal, the tallest and most iconic of the Reigncrown mountain range. Legend has it that the emblem on the Rouge flag was designed after the view of the mountain from this lake. In the Summer and Autumn, it is a common destination for hikers and campers, and features a small lodge where one can rent small boats to venture onto the lake. Environs: Lodge Area, Northern Lakeshore, Southern Lakeshore, Twinspring Grove Locale Info Background Music Gloop 🩸 14/14 Karma for this Locale: 1🍀 Current Stamina: 3/3💪 Khrysa 🩸 14/14 Current Stamina: 3/3💪 Langtree 🩸 20/20 Community for Today: 1❤️ Current Stamina: 2/3💪 Merris 🩸 17/17 Community for Today: 2❤️ Current Stamina: 3/3💪 Rahat 🩸 21/21 Karma for this Locale: 2🍀 Current Stamina: 2/3💪

Rahat, Khrysa & Merris As the discussion goes out, the forest around the trio goes on about its business. Several birds seem to have made themselves comfortable on Lhorn's branches, and watch the proceedings with interest, and other things have begun to skitter about around them. At one point, what sounds like If Langtree wants to join in, this would be a good opportunity.footsteps could also be heard coming from the direction of the main path, but you can't be sure. Lhorn gives what seems to be something akin to a gentle smile at Khrysa's question. "Nay...little one. I am naught but a simple... traveler...in the service of my Lady... I am far too humble...to stand with the likes of gods and sovereigns..." He seems to glaze over for a moment, then takes on an expression of realization. "Ahh, I understand... You think the Lady of the Lark and the Prickly Queen are one? It is not so... My Lady's domain lies far, far to the south, in the deepest reaches of the Great Forest." With this clarified, the tree-creature moves on to the other questions presented. At the question of an offering, Lhorn seems to consider it for some time. "I...am not...sure. In the stories...the Prickly Queen was...difficult to please. However...she held many a fine banquet, of which My Lady was always invited... I believe they were called... what was it again...? Ah, yes...a 'pot luck'." Fortunately for Rahat, and by proxy, Khrysa, the former is no stranger to picking through spikey vegetables, and truth be told, these are far more manageable than a prickly pear and other similar desert edibles. After a little time, she manages to gather up a small amount, likely enough to make a serving or dose of something, and deposits them into a little bag. She imagines they will need to be used within a few days, A Gentle Repose spell would stop them from degrading, otherwise, most plants and/or berries will keep for 3 days. You're always welcome to try other methods too, of course. I'm fairly sure I listed some in another section.lest they spoil.

Storyteller Notes @Morg: I left a little indicator there at the beginning (the footsteps) for if Langtree wants to fast forward and rejoin her companions. If so, feel free to come at any point during the scene.

[morgantha]

Langtree With the fish caught, Langtree looked around the clearing for a moment, puzzling on her next move. Since she was still interested in the temple, and there was no reason to return to town, she decided to take a stroll down the path to see if she could catch up with the group. Further, perhaps one of them would know what in the world to do with a whole fish. She assumed they would have to take the scales off of it... but bring from landlocked Soulstice, that was all she really knew. Langtree bid her bats return to their rattan cage and attached it to one side of her backpack and the fish in a basket to the other. Hoisting the bag on her back, she turned and began wandering down the trail where her companions had disappeared. It wasn't too much of a challenge to trace where they had been, and soon Langtree heard voices around the bend, including one unfamiliar to her. Wordlessly, she trotted up behind her companions and listened with interest to the... large... tree... creature? Langtree's disbelief didn't register on her face, but rather in her stunned silence. Eventually she ventured, "The city manager's office used to throw those. Potlucks, I mean. They were pleasant." She paused, and realizing she had not announced herself adequately added, "Hello, by the way. I caught this." She opened the lid of the basket with the fish in it, and showed it to whoever was closest.

[Kaigen]

Rahat - Twinspring Grove Hearing someone approaching, Rahat turned her head and marked Langtree's arrival with a nod, as though there were nothing at all unusual about sharing company with a giant ambulatory tree. "And what sorts of dishes are popular at a 'potluck' in Soulstice?" Blood puddings, I would assume. She shook her head to dismiss that thought. "More importantly, what sorts of dishes does the Prickly Queen prefer?" She leaned forward slightly to gaze down into Langtree's basket. "And can we put one together out of a fish, snozeberries, and valleyspice lilies?" "Also, what exactly is a potluck?"

[Xyza]

Khrysa

"Thanks Rahat!" Khrysa smiled as her friend gathered the berries on her behalf. She didn't know what she might use them for yet, but it never hurt to be stocked up on a variety of ingredients. The sorcerer utilized a trick passed down through her family, freezing the container Rahat was using to store the berries with Ray of Frost - probably not as effective as Gentle Repose but hopefully will preserve it for a decent time at least. It's a cantrip, so Khrysa might also re-apply it during downtimea beam of ice.

Her attention turns back to the gravitas of Lhorn. "Nay...little one. I am naught but a simple... traveler...in the service of my Lady...Ahh, I understand... You think the Lady of the Lark and the Prickly Queen are one? It is not so... My Lady's domain lies far, far to the south, in the deepest reaches of the Great Forest."

"Ohh, that makes sense! Though...do you plan to return home from this far away?" Khrysa was a good way from home too so she sympathized, though she wasn't sure about the movement capabilities of the tree-person.

Her attention is piqued at the mention of banquets and potlucks. "Oohh! That's fantastic!" she gushed. She'd been enjoying this adventuring on the road, but she still felt the desire to cook for a big organized meal deep in her bones.

"The city manager's office used to throw those. Potlucks, I mean. They were pleasant."

"Ahh, hi Langtree!" Khrysa took the surprise appearance in stride, too excited now by the culinary talk. "Yeah, they're so fun! I've only been able to go to a few, but it's so great seeing what everyone's put together for the feast and everything!"

"And what sorts of dishes are popular at a 'potluck' in Soulstice?...Also, what exactly is a potluck?"

Khrysa gasped. "You've never been to a potluck? They're the best! It's like...everyone brings different food and has a good time!" her explanation perhaps glossed over some details.

"Hello, by the way. I caught this."

"Hmm, nice...if we had seafood...I still have some spices and such on hand...and if we could find something else along the way...oh no!" she broke out of her deep musing, flailing around as if she'd forgotten to get dressed in the morning. "I left most of my cooking tools back at camp! Well...I'm sure we could still make do..." she drifted off back into menu planning until interrupted by someone.

[Kaigen]

Rahat - Twinspring Grove Originally Posted by Xyza Khrysa gasped. "You've never been to a potluck? They're the best! It's like...everyone brings different food and has a good time!" her explanation perhaps glossed over some details. Rahat's brow furrowed as she tilted her head at Khrysa. "And...how is that different from a normal meal?" Meals around a desert campfire in Anhketakhnas involved everyone gathering around and sharing from their supplies as a matter of course, and often had a jovial atmosphere depending on the mood of the camp. The bulk of her meals since going on her journey had either been solitary or in taverns, or else people bringing her something to eat as she remained near the sick or wounded. Rahat wasn't sure if she was misunderstanding Khrysa's explanation or if she was just now seeing some cultural foible that she had been blind to thus far.

[morgantha]

Langtree "And what sorts of dishes are popular at a 'potluck' in Soulstice?" "Oh, lots of things. Dolmas, paprikash, fruits and cheese," Langtree answered. As she thought of all the foods, her mouth began to water. "There was this lich in accounting who owned a sheep farm outside the city. He'd had it for over a hundred years, and he would make this blood sausage to bring that was... I can't even describe... So amazing... Imagine, over a hundred years to perfect the spice blend. He told me once that his secret was in the diet of the sheep..." Langtree trailed off, daydreaming of sausages.

[briar]

Lake Kagamihara Briarheart Hollow "The sunrise at Lake Kagamihara is pretty famous. You see, when the sun hits those glaciers just right...well, guess you should stay up and see for yourself, eh?" -- Overheard from a passerby in Tradewinds

📅 11th Day of Second month in the Summer season.Aiou, 334 After Union / After UnificationA.U. Terrain🌄 Travel & Camping Base TN is 6.Lowland Lakeside Weather🌞 Travel & Camping Modifier is +0Partly Cloudy; 62°F Time of Day⏱ ~ 11:20 PM In-Game TimeLate Morning Locale Info A quiet, out of the way lake famed for its solitude and crystal clear waters, it is overlooked by Mount Seneschal, the tallest and most iconic of the Reigncrown mountain range. Legend has it that the emblem on the Rouge flag was designed after the view of the mountain from this lake. In the Summer and Autumn, it is a common destination for hikers and campers, and features a small lodge where one can rent small boats to venture onto the lake. Environs: Lodge Area, Northern Lakeshore, Southern Lakeshore, Twinspring Grove Locale Info Background Music Gloop 🩸 14/14 Karma for this Locale: 1🍀 Current Stamina: 3/3💪 Khrysa 🩸 14/14 Current Stamina: 3/3💪 Langtree 🩸 20/20 Community for Today: 1❤️ Current Stamina: 2/3💪 Merris 🩸 17/17 Community for Today: 2❤️ Current Stamina: 3/3💪 Rahat 🩸 21/21 Karma for this Locale: 2🍀 Current Stamina: 2/3💪

Rahat, Khrysa & Merris At Langtree's appearance, the large forestdweller pauses and observes her thoughtfully, and though there are no irises in the yellow glow where Lhorn's eyes seemed to be, his gaze nevertheless seems to meet her's. But if he thinks anything about her appearance, he does not voice it. That the other members of her entourage seem to register her as their companion seems enough for him, and he returns his attention to the discussion. At the question of the Prickly Queen's taste preference, however, he shakes his head, the leaves of his branches rustling with even just this subtle movement. "I...do not...know... When my Lady...attended her parties...she went alone... I am...but a lowly Pathfinder... And all of my knowledge...is second hand..." After a moment of thought, however, he does return a more favorable suggestion, if only just. "Perhaps...you may find clues...at her temple...?" When Khrysa asks of his plans, he let's out a dull "Hmmmmm...", scratching the 'beard' of leaves and branches around what likely passes for his chin. "I will...in time. It is...a long journey...and we are a...patient people... There are...many in the Great Forest...that I must speak with... But I will...surely carry word...of your deeds with me... If you would...find yourselves...in the Arkenwood... You will...be welcome...as my guest..." Sensing his role in this conversation coming to an end, and seeming eager to return to his own task, Lhorn hefts his axe, and it lands with a loud 'thunk!' against his barky shoulder. "You...have my deepest...thanks...for rousing me from that slumber... I have...little to offer in recompense...but...perhaps these will...aid you...in your...culinary trials..." In what is likely the most movement at once the group has seen him perform up until this point, Lhorn plants his stumpy legs into the earth and shakes back and forth furiously. As he does, several small objects begin dropping all around his body. They appear to be...acorns? About a basket's worth, and the hue of their shells are a vibrant yellow, almost golden color.

Storyteller Notes The acorns are considered a High Quality ingredient. In this case, a 'basket's worth' is about 2 servings.

[Xyza]

Khrysa

"And...how is that different from a normal meal?"

Khrysa tilted her head back in return at Rahat. "But for most normal meals you don't...or hmm, maybe you do? But back in my district, people usually either just ate alone in their homes or went out to a place like ours for a meal. Potlucks were usually only for holidays!"

"Dolmas, paprikash, fruits and cheese...this blood sausage to bring that was... I can't even describe... So amazing... Imagine, over a hundred years to perfect the spice blend. He told me once that his secret was in the diet of the sheep..."

"Whoaa...I have to try that someday!" Langtree's culinary description had Khrysa briefly drifting off into reverie as well.

"Perhaps...you may find clues...at her temple...?...But I will...surely carry word...of your deeds with me... If you would...find yourselves...in the Arkenwood... You will...be welcome...as my guest..."

"Oh, that sounds great! We'll head on over to the temple then, I hope you have safe and pleasant travels, Lhorn!" Khrysa bid farewell with a bow.

"You...have my deepest...thanks...for rousing me from that slumber... I have...little to offer in recompense...but...perhaps these will...aid you...in your...culinary trials..."

"Oohh!" Khrysa barely managed another bow of thanks before dashing on over to take a good look at the almost-golden acorns.