In Need of Steeds
The bittersweet smell of a rotting Travers hangs in the air, greeting them as they awake.
QHOR: Yeah. Ok. We need to do something about that.
QARZ: I’m going to cremate him. The Lord of Light needs his taste of flesh.
Qarzdaq douses the body in flames, burning off all the fleshy bits, leaving charred bones behind.
ARAN: Couldn’t you have done that outside?
QARZ: Yeah, I suppose…
ROLAN: So what’s our story with this guy?
ARAN: I think that if we’re asked, we just say he came with us because of his unique set of skills with locks and traps. But in the effort to save everyone from this fire cult, he paid the ultimate price. He is a hero.
ROLAN: Are you suggesting we go and report this or stay away as long as possible.
ARAN: Stay away.
QARZ: Yeah, definitely stay away.
The group discusses their next moves. Check in with the Children of Forest? Go north to find Purple Worms? Go back to the Pit of Light’s Sparks to see what happened with the dragon?
They decide that checking in with Faryn at God’s Eye is the best next step, but they should avoid Gulltown.
QHOR: But we need to get our horses.
ARAN: Ah fuck. They’re back in Gulltown aren’t they.
QARZ: Well shit.
ROLAN: We should try to just get in and out.
They dive into the water in the cavern, swim through the tunnels, and emerge from Fire Lake. It is cooler than they last remember, but luckily the wind isn’t too brisk. They dry off by a fire, then begin their trek towards Strongsong.
Do We Have a Plan?
After 7 days of tough travel, they finally arrive at Strongsong.
ARAN: Wait… maybe we should stay out of the town. We don’t want any attention drawn to us.
ROLAN: True, but the sneakier we try to be, the less believable our story becomes.
QARZ: If we get caught, you mean.
ROLAN: Well, yeah.
ARAN: Why would we get caught?
QHOR: One of us could stay outside of town and you could say that Travers and one of our own were killed. Then if anyone is caught, the one outside town could find a way to free the others.
QARZ: I don’t know, that’s a bit elaborate. We can probably go around this town easily enough without being sneaky though.
ROLAN: Fair enough.
ARAN: If we see travelers on the road, we should definitely get off the road and hide. If they see us first then we’ll play it cool, but let’s try to avoid being seen if possible.
ROLAN: Ok, as long as we don’t seem like we’re hiding, I’m good with that.
Qhortho and Qarzdaq agree.
They circumvent Strongsong and continue towards Gulltown. After about a day’s travel, they hear a traveler along the road ahead. They get off the trail and hide behind some rocky terrain until he passes. There are a few other close encounters along the way, but the Assembly is too experienced to be caught by mere townsfolk and traders.
After another 6 days of travel, the city is finally in sight. It’s not long before noon, but the outskirts of the city aren’t busy. Knowing the stable is at the edge of town, they may be able to get in and out before anyone gets wise of their return.
QHOR: I still think we shouldn’t all go in.
ROLAN: I agree with Qhortho. Maybe he and I should go in and get the horses. Qhortho can handle multiple horses if we have to rush and they get unruly.
QHOR: Yeah. And if we’re asked about Travers, we’ll just say you guys and Travers died to save everyone from the fire cult and a huge red dragon.
ARAN: Try to avoid the explanations, if possible. If needed, keep it brief. If something goes south, we need a way for you to signal us.
QARZ: If I go instead of Rolan, I can send a fire bolt into the air.
ROLAN: Makes sense.
QHOR: And we’ll just say that we lost people too, it wasn’t just Travers.
ARAN: Qhortho, just…
Qarzdaq interrupts.
QARZ: …and if we need to talk, I can do that too.
ARAN: Good. Remember that if we see the signal, we’re coming in to fight, so only use that if that’s what you need.
QARZ: Ok, sounds like a plan. Hide someplace that’s not too far away. I’ll Message you if you need to know something other than coming in to fight.
ARAN: Good idea.
Rolan and Aran find a place about a hundred feet from the city limits where they can keep eyes on the stable without being seen themselves.
QHOR: Alright, let’s do this!
QARZ: Discretion is the name of the game here Qhortho. Just let me lead, ok?
QHOR: Of course! I’m not going to do anything… unless I need to.
Qarzdaq goes to say something else, but he knows there is little use. His point was made and hopefully it overrides Qhortho’s quick temper tendencies.
Stable Genius
The duo calmly walks towards the stable. As they approach, they happen to notice a bulletin board with a Wanted poster.Once they can see the details, Qarzdaq quickly looks around for potential witnesses. Seeing no one, he summons his Mage Hand and has it retrieve the poster. Before stuffing it in his bag, he takes a look at it. It’s uncanny how well they captured the Assembly’s likenesses.
QARZ: Well shit.
QHOR: We should be super stealthy.
QARZ: I think we should just be super normal. Let’s play this very cool and quick. We want this to be a forgettable encounter for the stable hands, ok?
QHOR: Got it.
They walk up to the rather large stable and find a few apprentice-aged boys grooming the horses. Qarzdaq looks them all over briefly to determine which would be the most pliable. Being a man of the cloth, this is somewhat of a specialty.
Two of the boys seem to be giving care to their work, but the third is half-assing his duties. Yeah, this is the one.
Qarzdaq leads the way and addresses the teen.
QARZ: Pardon me.
BOY: Hi, whatcha need?
QARZ: We have 4 horses stabled here for the past few weeks, but we’re in a bit of a hurry. Is there any chance you could gather our horses quickly? I’ll pay you a tip equal to the fees, if you can do what you can to get us on the road.
BOY: Sounds great! Can you point out which ones? How many days have you been here?
QHOR: It’s those 4 right there.
Qarzdaq avoids shooting a glance at Qhortho, as to not arouse suspicion.
QARZ: About 3 weeks. Just under.
BOY: Alright, seems legit.
QARZ: You know, here’s an extra gold for your trouble.
BOY: Wow! You can take any ones you want as far as I care. You want those 4? No problem.
Qarzdaq gathers the horses and checks the supplies. It looks like everything is in order.
QARZ: Ok, Qhortho, why don’t you take the reins of the other two.
…
QARZ: Qhortho?
Qarzdaq looks around to find Qhortho speaking with one of the other stable boys.
QARZ: Damnit…
He watches Qhortho give a gold coin to the boy and nod. Just as Qarzdaq thinks Qhortho is heading back towards him, he walks to the other stable boy instead. Qarzdaq can overhear Qhortho, just barely: “an extra gold coin for your silence. You saw nothing.”
As Qhortho presses a gold coin into the stable boy’s hand, he responds with a nervous, “ok.”
Qhortho walks towards Qarzdaq, whose mouth is slightly open with incredulity.
QHOR: That should help.
QARZ: I… I… Just get on your horse. Take these other two. Let’s get out of here.
They mount up and trot out of the town with one of the stable boys watching them curiously.
Aran and Rolan see them approaching and run down to the road.
ARAN: A few more people involved than I would have liked, but altogether not bad.
ROLAN: Yeah. Let’s get out of here.
QARZ: Hold up just a sec. Look at this.
Qarzdaq shows the Wanted poster.
ARAN: Well… huh… we certainly can’t follow this road through town. We should avoid running into anyone around the area.
QARZ: I agree.
ROLAN: We should probably just stay off the roads.
The group looks around at the mountainous terrain.
ROLAN: I can find us a path. Just follow where I go. I’ll stay several yards ahead to be sure the ground is stable.
QARZ: Excellent.
Rolan picks up a game trail almost instantly.
ROLAN: This is the way.
They discuss their destination, which is agreed to be God’s Eye to meet up with Faryn, but more specifically, which part of the lake they should approach from.
ARAN: I’m thinking we use the same landing as we’ve used before. It seems to be the quickest route over the water, but it’s also farther away on land from here, so our horses are less likely to be picked up by anyone looking for us.
ROLAN: Makes sense.
ARAN: We should probably cover our tracks too.
Rolan nods. He casts Pass Without Trace to provide them cover. For such rocky terrain, the ride is not that bad following the trail. After a few days, they finally get out of the mountainous terrain and it’s not too many more days before they find the major road that runs north through the Neck and south towards Lord Harroway’s Town.
White Auras
They decide that they should travel this road south, but with haste.
After a half day’s travel, they see a wagon cocked off the side of the road about a hundred feet ahead. There are a few creatures are hunched over gnawing at something, but there are no people or horses in sight. By this point, each of their Rings of Universatility have lost their stones, but none decides it will be worth replacing them at this time.
They approach cautiously. Stopping about 50 feet from the creatures who, thus far, have not noticed the party.
Qarzdaq and Aran dismount and approach cautiously.
The five creatures continue to gnaw on what seem to be the previous owners of the decommissioned wagon. Two of them have bows on their backs; three of them have shields.
Aran and Qarzdaq take a few more steps.
Suddenly, all five of the creatures turn to face them.
Immediately Qarzdaq notices his Amulet begin to glow. Aran prepares to attack as Qarzdaq glances back towards Qhortho and Rolan. He notices the Tear is also glowing.
Rolan and Qhortho are both riding up, Rolan jumps off his horse and sticks the landing; Qhortho continues his charge towards the creatures.
Rolan fires a volley of arrows, striking three of them; one falls, leaving 2 badly wounded.
Qhortho stampedes towards the closest creature, but it dodges the horse’s attack. As if in slow motion, Qhortho can tell exactly where the creature will be and ensures his great sword is there to meet it. The strike is so impactful that it lops off its shoulder and arm. The creature spins with the force of the strike and falls to the ground. Its lifeless body glows with a white aura, which fades quickly.
Qhortho spurs his horse to move around for another attempt at stampeding them.
Qarzdaq moves a few steps to the side to line up 2 of the creatures. He focuses on his newly granted abilities and directs it towards his foes. His hands glow brightly just before a stout beam as bright as the sun shoots from his hand. The beam passes directly through the creatures, destroying them instantly. The beam disappears a moment later. A white aura fades from around the 2 creatures. Qarzdaq retains a mote of brilliant radiance in his hands, casting sunlight in a 30-foot radius.
Aran trounces up to one of the creatures that hadn’t yet been struck, but missteps at the last moment, causing him to lose his balance. He makes it up quickly, and manages to land a solid strike. Seeing the creature can’t take much more, he gets a second wind and strikes it down.
Aran gets his first view of what the creatures were feasting on: 2 dead travelers, pulled limb from limb, all their parts gnawed.
While the others are looking at the human and non-human corpses, Qhortho is looking across the horizon. Though he’s got an eye out for more of these things, his primary concern is for the horses that were pulling the wagon. It only takes a few seconds for him to spot them across the grasslands.
QHOR: Yah!
The rest of the group looks at him with surprise. Qhortho commands his steed (oh how he missed his steed) across the plains, galloping at full speed.
QARZ: Where the fuck is he going?
Aran and Rolan look at each other and shrug.
After a minute or so, they realize what he’s up to when Qhortho rendezvouses with the loose equines. He arrives soon after with two other horses in tow just as Qarzdaq is preparing to set the pile of corpses ablaze inside the wagon.
QHOR: What are you doing? Pile up the creatures separate from the people and burn them separately.
QARZ: Don’t tell me how to do my cremation!
QHOR: These people do not deserve to be burnt in the same pyre as those who murdered them!
QARZ: How do the Dothraki deal with their dead? And the women the rape when they pillage a village?
QHOR: We burn those that are deserving in a separate fire from the filth. We may just let the filth stay in the sun to decay slowly and ungracefully.
QARZ: Fine. Out of respect for Dothraki customs, I will burn the piles separately. It’s one more fire to light, so I’m happy.
They drag the creatures out into the field off the road and sends a Fire Bolt at each group of dead. As they burn, he looks deeply into the fire, almost mesmerized by the flames, and begins speaking to the group.
QARZ: You know, I’ve been thinking about those white auras. It reminds me of something I learned from my studies at The Temple. There were stories of red auras that would surround the most fanatic of the Lord of Light’s followers. The stories say that this was how the Lord of Light would aid those on the material plane. I wonder if there is something similar here. This clearly isn’t the work of R’hllor though.
The group mounts up. Qhortho is still holding the reins of the 2 horses.
ARAN: What are you planning to do with those? Don’t you think they should just go free?
QHOR: No. These are not wild horses. Plus, we can sell them at the next town for some coin.
They begin towards Lord Harroway’s Town with haste.
Riders on the Horizon
As the town enters their sights, they discuss whether they should go around the town or through it. It is then that something in the distance catches Rolan’s attention.
ROLAN: We may have company fellas.
QHOR: Where?
The group all looks around and gaze to where Rolan is focused.
ROLAN: Out there. It looks to be a group of riders. They’ve got to be at least 5 miles out though.
The group squints.
ARAN: Are you sure?
ROLAN: Yeah. I’m sure.
Their commentary covers the range of “they are entirely unrelated to anything and this is no concern” to “holy shit, they are coming from the Eyrie to toss us from the mountaintops.” Aran adds, “probably not the mountaintops though. I’ve heard of the Eyrie’s Moon Door, where they push the convicted through a door to no room.”
Although this undoubtedly aids the precision of that potential future circumstance, it does little to help the situation at hand.
ROLAN: Well, look, there’s no way they’ve actually seen us yet.
QARZ: Alright, so we go around the town quickly, while trying not to look like we’re going too quickly.
ARAN: Yeah.
QHOR: Even if they do catch up, let’s just see them try to take us.
ARAN: They’re just soldiers doing what they’re told to do.
QHOR: And if they bring a blade to your neck?
QARZ: Qhortho. Yes. We could absolutely destroy them. But should we? Would it not be better to avoid that so we might keep our story intact?
QHOR: Well, yes, of course. But I will not be shackled. Ever. Just saying…
Rolan bows his head and whispers an incantation.
ROLAN: Ok, let’s get a move on, folks.
They begin directly south, their route decided in order to bypass Lord Harroway’s Town. Aran takes a quick look behind them to ensure that none of their horses are leaving tracks in the dirt.
ARAN: That never gets old. We should get off the main road here, to make a larger gap.
They agree. Now with the 4 of them on their horses, and 2 other horses in tow by Qhortho, they gallop southwest for about an hour, just as Rolan’s spell is waring off, before turning due south.
A few days of vigorous travel later, they arrive at the west bank of the God’s Eye lake where their rowboat remains untouched. They hitch their horses as they have a few times before on this spot and begin rowing towards the shadowy green island.
The First Assembly
A mere 8 hours of Qhortho’s rowing later, they arrive on the shore of the Isle of Faces. The smell of dense forest fills their nostrils as they walk through the weirwood trees towards the center of the island.
Just as they get underway, an orange-hued Child of the Forest appears, seemingly from nowhere. You are looking directly at where she appears, but she just fades into existence. She is wearing some form of chain shirt that is silvery green with hints of amber.
Instantly, they all feel a sense of dread upon them. Aran and Qhortho take a few steps backward.
Aran stops himself, thinking back on his training. With a slight tremble, he arms himself.
As Qhortho continues to walk backwards, he grabs at his great sword, almost fumbling it in the process.
QHOR: Guys, get the fuck back!
The Child puts her hands into the air, palms towards the group.
CHILD: Please, do not fear me.
This Child of the Forest looks very familiar, but it wasn’t until she spoke that it became clear: this is Faryn.
Just as quickly as they were overcome with dread, the feeling vanished. The whiplash of emotions makes them all a bit uneasy about her capabilities.
FARYN: It is good to see you, friends. You have done well. Now that Fire has been snuffed, I can feel a strong Air presence. But such powerful Air magic could not exist this far south, which means it must be at its strongest in centuries. It must be stopped to resume balance.
QHOR: We have fought hard and suffered greatly.
QARZ: We lost our friend Travers as a result.
FARYN: I do not know this person.
QARZ: Oh, we picked him up along the way. It was a great loss.
QHOR: It was no easy task, yet we succeeded. And now it seems you are to present us with another long journey. I know you have no coin, but is there anything you can do to help?
FARYN: Yes. I will be coming with you. Let me explain.
Qhortho looks a little annoyed that he won’t be getting some new damage-producing thingy.
FARYN: It is possible that Air has used the battle of Fire and Water to cover itself from detection. But care must be taken. If Air is this powerful, there must be many followers. If you had not discovered this yourselves, this is how the gods get their power in this plane of existence. The more their followers can be reduced, the weaker the source should be upon our inevitable confrontation. We should be expecting strong resistance in our travels.
ARAN: We fought a few creatures on our way here from the Vale. They produced white auras for a moment when they died. Could they have been followers of Air?
FARYN: You saw this more south than the Vale?
QARZ: Yes.
FARYN: This is troubling. What you saw is probably the work of Air magic, yes. If they’ve made it this far south already, we are in for a long road indeed. You will need me by your side as much as I will need you by my side. However we happen to weaken it, we will need more than just our small group to battle this force.
The group looks on as an elite squad looks upon a commander.
FARYN: We will need allies, but I am not the one to treat with the humans. You will need to meet with the King of the North, meet with the Night’s Watch, make allies where you are able and see fit. Do whatever you must, just be sure to forge alliances that will provide ends.
The Assembly looks at each other, glancing to catch reactions to Faryn’s speech.
FARYN: This will not be quick. This will not be easy. This will take time. But the longer it takes, the more powerful Air becomes, so balance your time wisely. This is for EVERYTHING. You might say we will be writing The Song of Void and Existence.
She pauses for a moment for this to sink in. Are they really ready for this?
FARYN: This is why I must join you. With the Root of Knowledge and the artifacts you’ve found, together, we will return the balance.
Rolan and Qarzdaq instinctively look at their artifacts, perhaps with a greater respect than before. These are no mere trinkets.
FARYN: It dawns on me that this will be the first convergence of the four artifacts since the building of The Wall ages ago. The time of the First Unlikely Assembly.
The words hang in the air, catching all of their attention.
QHOR: Wait. The time of the first Unlikely Assembly? Are we not the first?
FARYN: You are not.
ARAN: Was the last group also Busters of Ghosts?
FARYN: It is hard to say. The world was much different then. Much more diverse. Men put the balance into jeopardy, which led to many escalations and many, many bad decisions…
Arts and Crafts
Aran asks about whether the Children of the Forest could make a glaive from a large shard of dragonglass he’d kept since visiting Dragonmont. She tells him that she’s fairly certain that could be done in their camp.
ROLAN: So it seems we’ll have to travel through Purple Worm land. It would be of great use to us to harvest their venom.
FARYN: The followers of Air that were with life before, will also be with life as they follow. But those who follow without life cannot be affected by material poisons. I agree this will be a good aid, but it will not help us as we get closer to those who covet the most power.
ROLAN: Right… so undead… we’re going to be fighting the fucking undead… got it. Well, there’s plenty living between here and there.
ARAN: I’ve only been near the Neck once. There’s a road through the area, but the land is all swamp and it’s hard to tell how deep it is from one step to the next.
FARYN: Yes. Though it is not broken as the Arm of Dorne.
QARZ: Why is that your comparison?
FARYN: It was my ancestors that were responsible for both.
QARZ: How so?
FARYN: When men first came this far west, we stopped them by destroying the land bridge that is now known as the Broken Arm of Dorne. The men found over the sea towards and began to settle in the north. At first, we fought, but were driven south. As they pursued us, they burned the weirwoods. We attempted to slow them by using our powers to break the land again, but we had lost many and many fled farther south. We did not have enough followers on the front lines and we were actively being pursued, breaking our ability to concentrate our focus.
A hint of sadness rings in the air as if these are her own memories.
QARZ: Were you… there?
FARYN: Oh no. How old do you think I am?
She smiles faintly.
FARYN: No, but we can view the past through the eyes of those weirwoods that remain and in areas where there is a strong Child essence. Areas where we were slaughtered are particularly strong sources of this essence. I admit that I have to continue to remind myself that you are not those humans that did this to our race. Though, to be honest, I do still expect you have that in you. I am sure that I will learn of your compassion as well as your resolve as we continue this journey together.
QHOR: I was enslaved as a boy, and I know firsthand that men can do great evil. I have been a victim. But I have also seen men do great things as well.
FARYN: To be fair, I have already seen glimmers of that in the past, and it has been reinforced by all of you. I also sense a strong connection to the earth from you. And also… you.
She motions to Aran.
ARAN: To me? I’m not really a believer, but I do have a pretty cool Book of Trees. It’s helped us out here and there so I guess the earth side of things is alright. It keeps me grounded to say the least.
Although Faryn still speaks with her typical sing-songy voice and intonations, there is definitely something different about her. Something stronger under the surface. Something conveying her battle-readiness. Something brewing that she is masking.
As they start towards the center of the island to fulfill Aran’s request and to rest before their long journey, 3 Greenguards come barreling through the woods, skidding to a stop just in front of her on their giant elks.
One of them speaks to Faryn in a graceful sing-songy language.
GG 1: Votesianash, newval lassonsool avessahom. Newval aderuns.
Qarzdaq is the only one that recognizes the language as “your grace, we are not leaving you with these men alone. We will be aiding you.”
Faryn nods. She faces the Assembly.
FARYN: We will also be aided by a few members of the Greenguard it seems.
Qarzdaq is nodding along before Faryn completes her sentence.
QARZ: I have a question. Maybe this is silly. And this is not to say you shouldn’t come. But people aren’t exactly riding giant elks out there on the roads. Do we have some way to disguise you?
QHOR: We actually have a couple of extra horses. Picking up 2 more shouldn’t be a problem.
The Greengard in front switches to the common tongue and addresses Qhortho.
SHAYLIN: Good day to you. Yes, we can acquire horses. Either on the plains or in a town.
QARZ: Well, maybe we double up on 2 of the horses until we get a little farther north. We’ve had a little trouble in the region, but it’s totally a misunderstanding.
ARAN: Yeah, we accidentally made some enemies that didn’t understand what was happening.
They describe the incident as a minor altercation but in the process of saving many lives. Aran produces the Wanted poster.
FARYN: Why “extremely dangerous”?
QARZ: Well, there’s no denying that we’re extremely dangerous.
ARAN: Someone was trying to stop us in our efforts to complete our quest. We didn’t kill anybody.
QARZ: That’s the real point. In any case, we should just avoid these towns until we get farther north.
FARYN: I get the sense that you are leaving some details out, but perhaps I do not need to know those details. You have defeated those things you’ve set out to defeat. You may have done some harm to men along the way, and I do not blame you for that. You…
She is cut off by Qhortho.
QHOR: That man tried to extort us twice and justice was served.
Qhortho again interjects with additional information that further complicates the narrative. Faryn looks slightly confused about who “that man” was and that now this appears to be retribution than just some accident.
Feeling everyone’s eyes on him, he continues.
QHOR: I just want to be completely honest with you because we are good people. We did no wrong.
ARAN: There were some guards in town that tried to stop us, but we did no harm to them. We removed ourselves from the situation without bloodshed. Admittedly, it did make us look very guilty.
QHOR: We killed no one that was not deserving.
SHAYLIN: So who did you kill? Just for knowledge’s sake.
QHOR: The man was named Travers. He was a corrupt man and a thief that forced people to pay him to stay quiet.
SHAYLIN: I see. This is all we need to know…
Qhortho continues to talk about the man he killed, providing more of Travers’s bad deeds, while Aran attempts to soften Qhortho’s language and provide a rationale beyond vengeance.
Faryn holds up her hand, cutting off Qhortho as he is about to start with yet another reason.
FARYN: I think we have come to understand the situation.
ARAN: Right. So what about this dragonglass?
Over the day and overnight, they get to know the Shaylin and the other 2 Greenguards, Balishna and Zinsueli.
Shaylin is definitely the leader of the 3. He has a stature of heroism and command that makes him seem like a good strategist as well as a tactician. Balishna is a little on the quiet side but seems like he’d be pretty scrappy in a fight. Zinsueli appears to be a great second in command. He follows Shaylin’s lead but clearly has a head on his shoulders. Both Shaylin and Balishna carry glaives, while Zinsueli carries a nicely-crafted shortbow.
Upon arriving at the camp, Faryn calls over a Child of the Forest adorned in various trinkets. She asks Aran to hand over the dragonglass and instructs the Child to begin working on Aran’s glaive. The Child looks genuinely excited to work on something with a clear purpose.
CHILD: This will make a fine glaive! I will begin at once.
They watch as she convenes with a few others, who all run off to get materials.
FARYN: You know, even our metalsmiths are great.
She tells about the process of how she crafted the Children Chain she is wearing, describing that it takes using earth magic during the smithing process.
QARZ: How might we acquire such an item as what you have there?
FARYN: Oh, this is the only one that exists.
QARZ: You only made one? You don’t have one that maybe turned out not quite as good?
Faryn laughs.
FARYN: No, I’m sorry. I crafted this myself and there is nothing else like it.
QHOR: Faryn, I have an idea that might be worth crafting to aid us on our mission. Could you build a platform for my horse that Zinsueli could stand on? That way he could loose arrows while we ride. My steed and I are well-bonded.
Aran nudges Qarzdaq with his elbow a few times.
Qarzdaq chuckles under his breath.
Qhortho is momentarily distracted but re-focuses on Faryn.
FARYN: I think that could be fashioned. It could probably be done while Aran’s glaive is being constructed.
This unleashes a number of other ideas. By the time they head out the next day, they leave with Aran’s weirwood dragonglass glaive, Qarzdaq’s weirwood staff with R’hllor’s Lantern affixed to the tip, Qhortho’s weirwood shortbow (+1), 2 quivers-full of weirwood (+1) arrows, and the platform for Qhortho’s horse.
They are told that they did not have any strap material for attaching the platform to the horse, but they could purchase leather straps or make them by hunting the required animals. They are also told that if they fire a weirwood arrow with a weirwood bow, it is even more powerful (the effects stack).
They leave camp for the coast, which takes another day’s worth of travel, arriving to their little rowboat about mid-morning on the following day.
QHOR: Well… umm… I guess we didn’t think this through… How are we all going to fit in this thing?
Faryn flashes a sly smile.
She reaches for the Root of Knowledge, which is attached to her waist, and bows her head. The Root glows a deep green. Vines emerge from the earth, slightly startling the party. They take a few steps away from the vines as the begin to intertwine forming braids. The braids twist together in complex patterns and bend towards the water. As the continue to grow, they reach across the water, forming a bridge. She steps onto the vines as they continue to extend across the surface.
The Greenguards follow Faryn, and the Assembly follows the Greenguards.
They make it to their horses in about half the time it takes to row. Immediately, they mount up with Shaylin and Zinsueli on one horse and Faryn and Balishna on the other.
Build The Wall
They head directly north for 12 days when they finally reach the Neck. The swampy marshlands certainly make travel more difficult, but the worse aspect is just the general creepiness. The trees are plentiful, but spread out a bit. The result is that it feels like one’s vision is unobstructed, but in actuality, it is quite difficult to see far ahead.
ROLAN: So I guess we’ll just trudge through the swamp until we see a sign of Purple Worm. It may take us a little out of the way, but…
The travelers are suddenly surrounded by the same type of creatures they fought about 2 weeks prior, though this group consists of differently-geared and -abled variants.
Because of his Ioun Stone, Aran gets a sense of their presence just before they appear and readies his weapon quickly. Qhortho, though caught by surprise, enters a rage and immediately commands his horse to stampede the leader who is behind the front line of 6 Hunters with bows.
Faryn suddenly vanishes, she reappears an instant later behind the front line and rushes one of the Hunters from behind.
The others are still surprised by the ambush and are attacked before they realize what has happened.
Qarzdaq runs to the side so he can align the front line. Finding that the line isn’t quite right, he pushes himself to run even faster so he can be in just the right spot. He uses a Quickened Sunbeam and blasts it towards his targets. For an instant just before, the enemies notice the beam. Their eyes burst into flames in their heads, immediately followed by the beam bursting through their bodies, leaving them all with large holes through their chests. Their eye sockets and destroyed midsections smoke before crumbling to the ground. A white aura appears momentarily around each body before dissipating into the air.
Qarzdaq stands catching his breath, but ready with a ball of sunlight in his palm. His gaze falls on the last remaining enemy just in time to see a couple of Rolan’s arrows strike him down. As with the others, a brief white aura appears around the creature’s body.
Sounds from behind them catch their attention. Another pack of these creatures moves in to attack.
This variety looks more feral somehow. With no weapons in their hands, they rush forward, claws extended. Behind them is their Pack Lord. This group claws and bites the Assembly and the Greenguards, poisoning them with some of their strikes. Over the course of the fight, Faryn disappears and reappears all over the field of battle, striking down enemy after enemy. They manage to get through the battle with each kill creating a brief white aura.
ARAN: Hey Faryn, what are you doing all the way over there?
Faryn vanishes behind a tree and reappears next to Aran.
FARYN: This better?
She slings the blood from her sword.
SHAYLIN: You do well in battle. I see now why you are considered dangerous.
QARZ: Not just dangerous… Extremely dangerous.
Shaylin nods.
SHAYLIN: I am glad we are on the same side. Perhaps we will have a chance to show our strengths as well.
FARYN: This is the first time in a long while that I’ve seen these auras with my own eyes. I have no doubts that these Gnolls are reinforced by Air. Though we managed to win this battle without much trouble, this is only the beginning. We should maintain caution.
ROLAN: What did you call those things? Gnolls?
FARYN: Yes. They are generally not much of a fight when alone or in small groups, but they can be quite brutal in larger groups or when they’ve got some semblance of leadership.
They find some higher ground in the vicinity and make camp for the night. The next morning, after their normal rituals, they continue on their way.
During their travel, the normal banter back-and-forth is muted.
QARZ: Faryn, if I may ask, what can we expect from creatures with mastery of Air – or perhaps the blessings from a god of Air? What strange abilities might they have?
FARYN: Anything that would impact Life itself, including the ability to breathe or even sapping one’s life essence. But it’s ability can also produce intense cold. Have I told you of how The Wall was built?
QARZ: No. You mean THE Wall?
FARYN: Yes.
QHOR: What is THE wall? You mean like a city?
FARYN: No. The Wall is thousands of miles long…
QHOR: Thousands?
FARYN: …and hundreds of feet tall.
QHOR: What? I don’t believe that.
FARYN: And at least 50 feet thick.
ARAN: You know, I’ve lived in the Reach all my life and have never seen it. I always thought it was more like a mountain range than a wall.
FARYN: It is most definitely a wall, and it was most definitely built. It was a combined effort of the Children and 2 factions of man.
Though the Assembly is listening intently to hear the story, it seems like the Greenguards had heard it a thousand times before.
FARYN: A very long time ago… In fact, several Ages ago, the 4 primary forces of the gods were applied together to build the structure. Any single force would have done wonders, but it would simply not have been enough. You see, this was the time of the First Assembly. Just a year prior to their existence, it would have seemed impossible, but this Assembly was brought together under the most unlikely of circumstances, and was the start of a new age of peace as a result. It was proof that different beings could co-exist, but getting to that point was riddled with bloodshed and enormous losses on both sides. It took an existential threat for the Children and man to bind together.
ARAN: So how did these few people actually build something so big? Especially when undergoing an existential threat, as you say?
FARYN: It is important to understand more details about the threat to understand the story of how The Wall was built. By the time of its construction, there was a field of very powerful magic to the far north that was reanimating the dead. Since the dead to the far north do not decompose, it is thought that a power-hungry wizard or cleric used the power of Air to resurrect many bodies, providing immediate followers of the god, thereby enhancing his own power. After quite some time – how long exactly, no one knows – he marched south, killing many along the way, with each kill further enhancing his power. And since these followers required no sustenance and put up no fight for power, this was quickly becoming an unstoppable force.
FARYN: It wasn’t until they reached the greener areas farther south that this threat was becoming more known. It was always preceded by a devastating cold so brutal that it crippled trade routes, destroyed crops, and collapsed structures due to heavy snow. The followers of Air began invading and destroying entire settlements at once. And since their fallen could be reanimated and the cold prevented decomposition, their army was growing at a frightening rate.
FARYN: It was actually almost too late to act. You see, the rest of the land was in turmoil already due to a long-lasting war between men and Children, but infighting amongst factions of men also fed the distraction. That is, until the First Assembly. The members of the Assembly met in an area to the north where the coastlines were at their closest point, deciding this would be where they stand their ground. This meant surrendering large swaths of land farther north, but there was little choice. Even at this “best” point, it was still thousands of miles across. It seemed an unsurmountable task, but they had no choice but to try and hold back the bitter cold that continued to encroach to the south.
FARYN: Each member of the First Assembly wielded one form of magic. The Children had the Root of Knowledge. One faction of man had the Tear of Life. The other faction of man had the Amulet of Lightbringer. Each faction brought all of their followers to this location. A risky move for each of them, but this effort required full trust. At the first meeting of the Assembly, there were no answers to be had. They each took turns using their artifacts with their followers to fight back the cold, doing nothing more than stopping the spread. This went on for weeks, and they knew they could not do this forever.
FARYN: They decided it was time to try having two forces active, while having the third rest. It turns out that enhanced the power by quite a bit. They were able to make progress, successfully pushing the cold back somewhat. It was painfully slow and was not something that could be done indefinitely.
FARYN: What happened next was a stroke of brilliance. Each of the factions believes it was their side that came up with the idea, but what matters is that one of them had the idea to encompass the Air magic that was already flooding the area along with all three other forces — and to build a structure that would remain in place without constant feeding. They traveled to the eastern shoreline to try this radical idea.
FARYN: The Children of the Forest banded together and focused their combined energy to empower the Root, raising the rocky earth to form the first basis for the wall. The cold continued to flow into it, breaking large chunks of rock from the structure. The Children continued to keep the rocky wall segment intact while Fire called upon their dragons to heat the rock to a glowing red. With Earth and Fire both active, the wall remained intact and began to shimmer as Air flowed across the surface. The Water faction then used their ability to control the ocean at the shore, forming large spouts to coat the heated wall with liquid. Then each of them lessened their power in unison to allow Air to cool the wall, creating a magic structure that contained roughly equal parts of all four forces.
FARYN: They tested the structure and were satisfied that no single force would be able to destroy it. Over the following weeks, they managed to build this enormous structure, saving Life itself from the abyss. A period of peace followed where there was a general cohesion amongst the living. Of course, with the great threat removed, this peace would not last forever. Such is life. However, in this Age, I am glad to play my role in this Unlikely Assembly.
QHOR: Well, you ride with us, so you are now.
As if permission needs to be granted to an artifact-holder with this purpose and information.
Faryn simply nods once with a short sound that conveys, “right.”
Though Qarzdaq and Rolan did not take the artifacts lightly, there is now a sense of intense responsibility with being artifact-holders. Are they worthy? Do they even want it?
Faryn?
ROLAN: Out there!
The rest of the group looks towards where Rolan is pointing.
ROLAN: That has to be a Purple Worm.
In the far distance, the sight of an enormous snake-like creature launches into the air from ground-level. It must be at least 60 feet long. As they walk in that general direction, the soft ground gives way a bit too much for comfort, so the group makes their way back on the road. They figure they can get off the road when they are farther along.
Another 3 more days of travel north, and a couple more worm sightings later, they find an area that looks more traversable towards the worm sightings. They begin to trudge through the swamp again, moving as quickly as they are able.
And again, they are ambushed by a pack of Gnolls. This time, the pack consists of the feral type Fangs, a Pack Lord, and a few Gnoll Witherlings, which are more skeleton than flesh.
They manage to destroy most of the enemies before more appear from behind them. This time they are not all Gnolls. There are 4 more Witherlings, a Flind, and 3 grotesque humanoid Hags.
Faryn disappears and reappears behind a Witherling and kills it with a single strike. She disappears again and reappears near the Hags. She slashes into it deeply, but it remains alive.
The 3 Hags focus on her immediately. She levitates into the air, completely paralyzed. Qhortho sees Faryn in trouble and commands his horse to dash through the swamp towards her. He runs past a Witherling, slashing it in half as he continues towards Faryn.
The nearby Flind attacks with its flail 3 times, each with a different effect. Qhortho manages to avoid the worst of effects of each flail attack, nearly succumbing to madness and paralysis. However, he takes tremendous damage in the process.
Qarzdaq dashes through the swamp towards Qhortho to cast a Quickened Haste on him.The Hags continuing to focus on Faryn suddenly disappear with Faryn.
Shaylin immediately calls out directions to the Assembly and Greenguards, providing an Advantage for each of their next attacks.
Balishna moves in on one of the Witherlings and strikes it with his glaive. Vines come out of the swamp and hold it in place. The creature falls apart into the swamp releasing its aura.
Zinsueli looses an arrow at another Witherling, killing it with a single strike.
They finish off the enemies, realizing after the fact that the Flind was way more powerful than they gave it credit for.
QHOR: Where the fuck did Faryn go?!
SHAYLIN: Not sure, but we need to find her immediately! Balishna, can you track them?
BALISHNA: If it’s possible at all, yeah… I knew this was a bad idea… We should go back to get more support than these men can provide…
SHAYLIN: That will take too much time. We need to find her now.
ZINSUELI: Shaylin’s right. Let’s see if we can find any clues as to where she has gone.
Balishna shoots a look at Zinsueli as if to say, “fuck off…” He runs over to where the hags were and looks around finding nothing of any help.
SHAYLIN: In the absence of any information, we must continue north. We must find her… and the Root…
With the sun low in the sky on Day 586, their mission in turmoil, what happens next?
At this time, the Assembly gained 2,500XP each and now sits at 95kXP with their next abilities unlocked at 100kXP.