[Story] Expedition I: Lake Kagamihara

[Xyza]

Khrysa

Khrysa watched on and held out the torch for light as Rahat put on a serious expression and did...some things with sticks and stones. She couldn't really tell what the centaur was attempting, but it certainly seemed productive and much more practical than her breadcrumb idea.

"I don't know where we are and I don't know where we're going, but I can at least tell where we've been as we explore."

"Ooh!" Khrysa leaned in excitedly as she finally recognized Rahat beginning to draft a new map from scratch. There was something quite exhilarating about starting off a blank parchment in this way, really making her feel she was on an adventure now.

"Welll...if there's no way to tell a difference yet I guess we just pick a path and get going?"

[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 ERROR.??????? Weather🌞 Travel & Camping Modifier is ERRORHeavy Fog; 30°F Time of Day⏱ ERR:OR ?? 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 Khrysa 🩸 14/14 • Current Stamina💪 3/3 Rahat 🩸 21/21 • Karma for this Locale🍀 2 • Current Stamina💪 2/3

Rahat & Khrysa Though the concept of precise direction eludes them, Rahat feels confident enough in this method of exploration. If nothing else, whose to say her version of 'North' is wrong? It certainly didn't seem likely that the Queen would. Coincidentally, choosing the middle of the page to begin their trek served well, considering there were a number of branching paths going in all directions from this location. They needed only to choose one and follow it. Unfortunately, there isn't a great deal of differences between them, and so lacking both cardinal aim or points of reference, they simply had to begin walking. As the duo trudges through the mist along one of these paths, they notice a few things: firstly, the paths themselves are relatively obvious, and are more akin to roads than woodland trails or animal paths. They twist around landforms, but they don't follow the shortest route. Instead, they never rise nor fall, cutting around hills that would otherwise be no difficulty to surmount. It is an intricate sort of afar that seems to value the preservation of the scenery. After some time passes, the two companions begin to hear the trickle of water ahead of their path, and a line where the trees break becomes visible through the mist. Judging from the volume of the noise, it's likely a river, and a relatively fast-moving one at that. However as they soon find out, the path seems to diverge some distance from the river itself, with one continuing forward and to the left, while another road continues directly to the right. No road signs seem to be present, and neither path is particularly more discernable than the other. Perception Check   There is a musty and distinctly fungal-like smell coming from the path that leads right.   Though you almost miss it, you happen to spot a pair of beady eyes staring down at you from the canopy overhead. They appear to belong to some small creature, though all but its stalky, bird-like legs are hidden within the foliage above. Survival Check   Judging solely by the wideness of the path, you suspect that the left path is either the most traveled, or the one meant to look more prominent.   The air here feels heavier, likely due to the presence of water, enough that the mist has begun to coalesce into dew on some of the leaves of the local flora. Some of it has even pooled into larger fronds, and there is evidence that someone or something has cut and taken some of these stalks in the past.

Storyteller Notes Feel free to use whatever method you like to decide which direction to follow. I've provided some check options, alongside various DC levels, to help you discern more about your environment. You're welcome to use Investigation if you want to study any of these results, or any of the other points of interest in the narrative above.

[Kaigen]

Rahat Rahat nodded at Khrysa. "One way is as good as another, for all we can tell." Making a gut decision, Rahat set out, carefully minding her pace and direction. Without a way to check her actual position, all she could rely on to keep some semblance of accuracy was the knowledge of how much ground she covered with each step. The paths were clearly well-kept. Either they were well-traveled by creatures they had yet to see, or they were diligently maintained by the Queen's servants. Possibly both. Either way, Rahat was not going to step off of them unless she had very good reason. The mist gave no sign that it would ever lift, so she might be forced to rely on the twists and turns of the paths themselves to give her a landmark. Every so many steps, Rahat put down another set of stones as a trail marker. Rahat's ears twitched at the sound of running water. That was a threefold blessing. A river was a landmark they could count on, even if they couldn't mark its position from a distance, and rivers meant more plant life, which might supply what they needed for the Queen's tea. And assuming the water was clean enough, it would also give them a chance to slake their thirst and refill their water skins. They might be stuck there for a while, after all. Rahat's nostrils flared as they picked up a musty, fungal scent from the right path. Just as she was about to suggest to Khrysa that they check the right path out, Rahat looked up and locked eyes with a strange creature watching them from the canopy. She put a hand on Khrysa's shoulder to get her attention, hoping she would be able to follow Rahat's eyes without making too much of a fuss.

ooc A perception check yielded a roll of 23.

[Xyza]

Khrysa

Khrysa strode forward along the path with more worry than her usual carefree strolling, but fortunately nothing showed up yet to justify her concern. She continued to hold the torch out ahead of the duo to light the way, while trusting the navigation and marking to Rahat.

Khrysa wasn't able to discern much along the way other than the sound of water and an interesting smell... Ooh, mushrooms?! Khrysa wondered. They weren't the most common ingredient for her but she'd used them before, and got distracted sniffing harder to Nat 20 +1 Investigation!try to determine what type (and taste, if even possible) they could be, until interrupted by Rahat.

"Hm?" She snapped to attention to see the split road, but Rahat's attention seemed to be on something else...what was it? Khrysa followed her gaze upward toward the foliage. It certainly seemed like something must be there, but she 15 Perceptioncouldn't quite tell what...

OOC Rolls

[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 ERROR.??????? Weather🌞 Travel & Camping Modifier is ERRORHeavy Fog; 30°F Time of Day⏱ ERR:OR ?? 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 Khrysa 🩸 14/14 • Current Stamina💪 3/3 Rahat 🩸 21/21 • Karma for this Locale🍀 2 • Current Stamina💪 2/3

Rahat & Khrysa While Rahat decides on which path to take, Khrysa catches a whiff of something mealy and earthen. Judging only by the smell, she would guess that it likely tastes quite good, though it would be improbable to know if it was harmful without being able to see and otherwise inspect the mushrooms themselves. And that is assuming that the fungi in this strange realm even follows the same rules as what she's used to. Eventually, Rahat grabs Khrysa's attention, trying to get her to see something. Though she can't quite make it out at first, with Rahat's help, Khrysa eventually makes out the curious creature in the canopy above, staring down at them with eyes that seem more like beads of light. It gyrates oddly, moving with sudden, quick, but irregular twitches as it observes the two beings beneath it. Once it realizes that its been found out, however, the creature shrieks and scampers away through the treetops, its bird-like legs carrying it with ease from limb to limb. As it flees, a strange, herbal scent seems to carry through the trees behind it, reminiscent of chamomile.

Storyteller Notes The creature has a Speed of 40 ft through the canopy, which Rahat could keep up with, but Khrysa would be quickly outpaced.

[Kaigen]

Rahat Normally Rahat did not go chasing critters on a whim. It was a good way to get in trouble, especially in a place like this where she could easily get lost, and she had little reason to harass the wildlife in any event. She was all set to shrug her shoulders a proceed down the path until the scent of chamomile reached her nostrils. Tea. "Climb up and hold on!" Rahat bodily lifted Khrysa off the ground to help her onto her back—she could not risk getting separated from her—and took off after the creature, hooves, churning the undergrowth as she prayed she didn't find a gopher hole of some sort. With any luck, she'd leave an obvious enough trail that they could retrace their steps if they needed to. She kept one eye on the critter, both to keep from losing track of it and in case it shed enough leaves to make capturing it unnecessary.

[Xyza]

Khrysa

Khrysa was still trying to figure out exactly what the strange creature was when it took off.

"Climb up and hold on!"

"W-what?!" Khrysa faltered in surprise before being picked up by Rahat "Aaaah!" She desperately tried to keep balance atop the centaur's back. She had rarely even ridden horses before...though this was certainly different being carried by a friend.

[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 ERROR.??????? Weather🌞 Travel & Camping Modifier is ERRORHeavy Fog; 30°F Time of Day⏱ ERR:OR ?? 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 Khrysa 🩸 14/14 • Current Stamina💪 3/3 Rahat 🩸 21/21 • Karma for this Locale🍀 2 • Current Stamina💪 2/3

Rahat & Khrysa After practically hurling Khrysa onto her back, Rahat gallops after the strange creature, winding through the woods. At some point, however, they leave the path behind, forced into the thick of the brush by the creature, who doesn't have to contend with such things. Eventually, even this becomes too much even for Rahat to easily run through, and they lose track of the creature, who bounds off ahead. When they finally reach a clearing, the odd thing is gone, but something new presents itself: buildings! Against all odds, Rahat and Khrysa's winding trek seems to have led them to the discovery of a town, or rather, what's left of one. At least a dozen buildings of alabaster stone lie half-buried in the woods, many covered in mossy growth or tangled up in vines and at least one with a large tree growing out of the interior. A little fountain, broken on one side, dominates the center, and all the buildings appear to be arranged in a circle around it. A figure that resembles a tall, slender fairy appears to stand at its center, holding a large jug, though no water appears to be present. Looking deeper into the woods, the duo notices the remains of at least another three buildings, now mostly reclaimed by the land. Two paths spiral out from this alcove, leading further in and rejoining later before winding out of sight at the edge of their vision. There doesn't appear to be any sign of life at first, though that quickly changes when the sound of something metal falls to the ground somewhere within one of the buildings, and the figure of the creature they had been chasing skitters past one of the windows and back into the darkness of the building. If the plan is to catch the creature, they sure have their work cut out for them, as it appears to be a slippery little fiend.

Storyteller Notes You're welcome to Perceive or Investigate the area.

[Kaigen]

Rahat Rahat tore through the underbrush after the creature, bushes scraping at her flanks, ducking under branches. She did her best to shield Khrysa from any of it—the poor woman was probably uncomfortable enough having to deal with the jolting of her hooves' impact against the ground and the prodding of her bones with only the benefit of a simple saddle blanket. The last thing either of them wanted was for that to be compounded by her colliding with a branch and getting knocked off entirely. Between the swiftness of the creature and the thickening undergrowth, Rahat was beginning to fear she had carried them off on a useless chase when they finally broke through into the clearing. She quickly scanned her surroundings. There was no way of knowing if the creature had fled to a nest, a decoy, or a place where it had allies. Those immediate concerns were soon shoved to the side by the sight that waited them in the clearing. An abandoned village, overtaken by the forest. It reminded her of finding Lhorn slumbering in the forest. How long has this place been abandoned, for the forest to have taken over so thoroughly? More importantly, what had driven the people away and kept any from moving in. Rahat's tribe was nomadic, but she knew that building a village was hard work, and even once abandoned it would be enticing to others. Rahat's head snapped around as she heard something metal fall and was rewarded with a glimpse of the creature they had chased. She began to move towards the building, softly clicking her tongue in what she hoped would be a soothing manner. She wished that Merris or even Langtree were here to help convince the critter that they only wanted to borrow a few leaves.

[Xyza]

Khrysa

Khrysa continued to hold on for dear life along the ride, the world turning into just a bunch of colored blurs bouncing around her. When they finally stopped, she half-slid, half-collapsed off Rahat's back, fighting off the dizziness.

"Wh-Where are we?" Khrysa blinked and looked around, thinking for a moment that Rahat had somehow run far enough to escape back to society from the strange place they had been trapped in. It soon became apparent that things were still awry, as the buildings appeared long abandoned. "Errr, and why are we chasing that...thing? Do you think it might have clues?"

Khrysa followed behind Rahat, trying to examine the architecture along the way.

[Kaigen]

Rahat "It smells of chamomile," Rahat says, not taking her eyes off the building. "I think it might have tea." Rahat glanced at Khrysa a moment. "I hope the ride was not too unpleasant. Normally I wouldn't do that, but swiftness was called for." About this time is when she would usually clarify that the other person shouldn't expect that to happen again without good reason, but Khrysa didn't seem the presumptuous type. And "good reason" may well rear its head before they were finished in this strange place.

[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 ERROR.??????? Weather🌞 Travel & Camping Modifier is ERRORHeavy Fog; 30°F Time of Day⏱ ERR:OR ?? 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 Khrysa 🩸 14/14 • Current Stamina💪 3/3 Rahat 🩸 21/21 • Karma for this Locale🍀 2 • Current Stamina💪 2/3

Rahat & Khrysa Khrysa's investigations of the general architecture in the area suggests it is quite old, and seems to be mostly made of stone structures, incorporating very little in terms of wooden fixtures. As such, the buildings themselves are rather simplistic, and lack the definitions and detail that a modern artisan might include, but the stone itself appears to be finely chiseled and embellished with a number of engravings that remind her a little of runes, though they're more like shapes. Judging by the set-up, this town wouldn't have been very large. Maybe a few dozen families at most. She also notices among the buildings in the background there appears to be one that is predominantly larger than the others, though it seems to be one of the most-ruined. It has a shape distinct from the others, looking more like a government building or temple than a domicile. Rahat, meanwhile, keeps her focus on the strange creature that the two chased here, and while she has been able to keep up with it thus far, its very clear to her that this is its turf, and it knows exactly where each short cut and escape route is. Catching it will be no small feat, and doing so by hand will likely prove near impossible if spooked. For the moment, however, it seems to have chosen one of the houses to hide in, peering out the window with its big, pearlescent eyes. It doesn't seem to respond to Rahat's clicking, but she can hear it making low, drawn out woops from within. The building itself is, like the rest, a simple structure made of marbled stone, and whatever its roof was made of has long since rotted away, replaced now with the canopy of a tree that seems to be growing out of it. Oddly enough, she can't place the genus of the tree.

Storyteller Notes ---------------------

[Xyza]

Khrysa

Khrysa observed the designs of the buildings. "I wonder when..and where? these are from..." she pondered aloud. Seeing the engravings, the sorceress paused for a moment, then muttered an Comprehend Languages - Level 1, last 1 hour on selfincantation. She ran her hands over the stone surface, wondering if these shapes were indeed words at all.

"I hope the ride was not too unpleasant. Normally I wouldn't do that, but swiftness was called for."

"Oh no, it's fine! It was a little unexpected, but almost fun!...in a way." Khrysa had managed to almost completely shake off the motion sickness by now.

"It smells of chamomile. I think it might have tea."

"Oh right, tea!" Amidst all the commotion and mystery, Khrysa had almost forgotten the original objective of this pursuit. "Hmm, well to catch it...I could Minor Illusionmake a sound in the opposite direction so it comes toward us instead?" The technique had sometimes worked while out hunting for ingredients for the inn.

[Kaigen]

Rahat Rahat looked around and scrutinized the building. "It chose to go to ground here, so it likely knows the place well. If we spook it, it may flee a third way instead of towards us." At the same time, she didn't like their odds for going in after it. "Could you mimic the noises it's making? That might get it to calm down and lower its guard."

[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 ERROR.??????? Weather🌞 Travel & Camping Modifier is ERRORHeavy Fog; 30°F Time of Day⏱ ERR:OR ?? 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 Khrysa 🩸 14/14 • Current Stamina💪 3/3 Rahat 🩸 21/21 • Karma for this Locale🍀 2 • Current Stamina💪 2/3

Rahat & Khrysa Khrysa's examination bears some fruit in the form of deciphering the inscription, and though she understands the words themselves, they appear to be disjointed, and lacking any particular meaning. They are simply a string of descriptive adjectives, and they seem related to where on the structure they are inscribed. For instance, the words inscribed near the foundations include things like 'Strong', 'Stable', and 'Resistant', while words inscribed on a chimney include 'Warm', 'Air', and 'Clean'. The words themselves don't appear to have a magical effect tied to them, they're simply very ornately drawn impressions. Meanwhile, Rahat gives the building in front of them a once-over. It is a fairly simple, T-shaped structure, with the main door facing the pavillion and one back door facing the forest. Each side has at least one window in varying states, and the roof has given way to the canopy of a large tree which seems to be growing from somewhere within. The building itself is not terribly tall, suggesting whoever dwelt within was probably Khrysa-sized or small. Rahat could still squeeze through if she wanted to, though it would be a bit of a tight fit and she would need to lean down uncomfortably to proceed. Within the windows, she can see signs that suggest someone once lived here, including the remains of a long-since shattered countertop, as well as an old stone cookpit. However there don't appear to be any belongings within, and the acrid scent here is that of old growth mixed with ancient decay.

Storyteller Notes ---------------------