Chapter 21: The Razor's Edge

[Brian]

Melethos steps onto the water and shakes his head as he stands as if upon solid ground. The wonders of magic never seem to wear out.

He steps gingerly over to the dinghy and grabs the gunwale near the prow. He will help guide the small boat to shore.

[Dave W.]

Seeing Melethos guiding the boat, Adamant shakes out of his thoughts. He moves to the opposite side and does likewise.

[Jeff]

Kurra is all business now, pushing with the rest of those water-walking among you. Starg, meanwhile, mans one oar and he hands the other to Belarin, not expecting Histra, Sem, or Streko to manage it as well.

The scene unfolding before you as you get closer to shore would be idyllic if it didn't present possible dangerous. The beach, the plants, the mist that hovers around the rocks, and the great cliff rising over it all are breathtaking. These cliffs are not half as tall as those that frame Sharn, the City of Towers, but here in this remote place far from any civilization, it's tall enough. It's ancient, in fact, and the stairs that are carved into the living rock somewhere above you were shaped millennia before humans ever set foot on Khorvaire.

The whole vista makes you feel somewhat exposed, and tiny, as though you are being observed by the land itself. As imposing as the cliffs are, the flora at its base is abundant, and it is teaming with animal life. Glidewings large enough to bear halfling riders (but probably don't, not here) wheel around the mists at the base of the roaring waterfall only a few hundred feet away to the north; possibly they live in cave-eyries around it, but hunt the waters of the Hydra. They take no interest in your little party . . . yet?

A large crenellation of rock juts from the shore like a tiny peninsula, and the shape of it reminds you of a punching fist. Its top is higher than the nearby beach, and plenty of trees and vegetation crown its edge. Mist hovers even among the plants, spill-over from the waterfall. On the low, sandy beach itself you can just spot evidence that others have come this way. Some crates or boxes have washed ashore, and through these crystalline waters you can even see the hulk of a ship that probably wrecked itself here years ago. Is that a cave right there on the beach? Higher up, the rocky terrain hints at another dark patch—a second, larger cave maybe? Hard to tell from through the mist.

"Soon as I'm back on deck, we're going to join the wind-galleon and be on our way," the dwarf says. "We never did see the Cogship. Either it's sailed south, or passed us back downriver during the night. You folks going to be all right from here?" She asks as though unconvinced of the idea.

---

Just for bookkeeping notes: the Lens of Draconic Perception (identified by Histra) and the scroll that was intended for the Green Watcher, Zartaxis, are both now in the Bag of Holding, since they were previously just left in the chest itself, but the chest itself, is still in the Dragonfly's hold. Too large to bring (unless you left behind the barrels).

I know Darren is away for a bit, and I leave tomorrow morning for some all-day driving, so we'll slow down a bit. Some talk/banter in the boat is welcome...

[Dave W.]

"Thank you, Kurra… for everything." Adamant touches the new engraving on his chestplate. "And for teaching my friend here," he nods to Melethos, "some portion of your skill. I'm sure I will be pestering him constantly on the rest of this trip."

He looks out to the Dragonfly, "She really is beautiful, isn't she?"

[Dave B.]

Shorak keeps pace with the soarsled, since Adamant and Melethos are helping with the dinghy. Best to keep an eye on it, in case one of those guidewings get curious. As they get closer to the beach, Shorak takes in the surroundings. He takes the occassional deep breath, inhaling the aromas of this land that was his home. Far from this area, but still home to him. He stays alert for any threats, both on land, in the waters and above them. Shorak will spare a few glances behind them as well, just in case.

[Darren]

Kal grasps Kurra's forearm. "Be safe, Kurra. Take care of the Dragonfly. Thank you for all you have done. I look forward to raising a glass with you when we return." He holds the handshake a moment longer before letting her go and then turns to the beach, moving from water to soft sand. Once everybody is safely on shore, Kal calls everyone over to begin making a plan for moving forward.

_________
I'll wait until we're ready to move forward for more. I'll be out in the mountains all day today, so probably won't be able to post again before tomorrow morning.

[Brian]

Melethos bows to Kurra, then gives her a bright smile. "May you have smooth sailing, my lady. I hope we will meet again one day. Imagine the stories we will share."

Once near the shore, Melethos will help move any gear from the dingy onto the beach.

[Joe]

Streko simply takes Kurra's hand at the end of the ride. He lifts it to his lips and gives it a kiss, before gently lowering it back down.

"You have done more for us than I can say. You and your crew are, without doubt, the unsung heroes of this tale. It will be my duty to find a bard of distinction to change that. The crew of The Dragonfly Will be known all across Eberron and you will never want for anything. This I predict."

He grins mischievously. "Just don't forget us little people," he whispers to her.
________________________________________________________

This is how you create a spinoff series!

[Ken]

Belarin does his share of the rowing in relative silence - he's too wrapped up in the emotion of the moment and in the wonder of the gigantic steps.

After the boat reaches shore, he says to Kurra, "Thank you for your help." He looks at Histra as he continues, "I would have lost her without you. This not-so-humble warlock is forever in your debt."

On the shore, he says, "Sem, let's sort out some of the items in that bag. Hey, who wants a potion of healing? Oh, the bug-repelling sticks... I'd forgotten about those!"

_____________________________

From the bag, Belarin takes one potion of healing, one tanglefoot bag, and two bugsticks.

[Joe]

"Allow me to hold onto the potion of healing, Belarin. For no reason other than I am the group's primary healer. And I have pockets."

Streko finds himself feeling jovial, despite the sadness of leaving his shipboard family.

"I suppose we will also have to get used to our 'land legs' again."

[Dave B.]

"Fair weather for the trip back, Kurra." Shorak says to the first mate and most of the crew of the Dragonfly. "I will have to buy you a few drinks, at least, when I get back to Stormreach." He offers her a warm smile and waves goodbye as he turns towards the beach. He assists in dealing with gear once they are on the beach.

When Belarin starts sorting through the items in the bag of holding, Shorak helps out there. "I have one of those healing/fire breath potions, but if there is a spare, I'll gladly take another." He does check out the magical hand crossbow bolts, making sure they are still wrapped securely, but leaves them with the bag. "If I start running low, I'll restock with these." He says to Sem.

Shorak then does a quick scan of the area, already searching for threats. He does offer some initial advice. "Know that there are going to be many dangers in the jungle. But, some of the animals we may encounter shouldn't be to hard to just scare away. The more dangerous animals will not be scared off easily, especially if they are very hungry and desparate."

[Ken]

"We need a way to keep YOU alive, Good Streko," says Belarin. "I'll hold on to this. There's more than one potion in the bag."

[Jeff]

The dinghy reaches the beach.

Belarin doesn't see the actual stairs yet, just the rocky caves that may lead to them. Sem looks up through the thin veil of mist that clings to the bottom. "They're up there, somewhere, hard to spot from afar. I'll find them, once it's safe for us to look around." He looks to Shorak.

Shorak right away sees evidence of some big predators having moved through the area recently. The beach has many footprints, including plenty of humanoid, booted shapes, but they've been swished and stomped over since they were made. Some large, reptilian claws have been here recently. Very large. There is the skeleton of a big reptile already visible in the sand, but whatever's been through here more recently was bigger still.

Morever, there's a cave right here on the beach, little more than a gash in the rock twenty feet wide and about six feet high. Rivers do not typically have high or low tides, but when there is lots of rainfall, the cave would surely be flooded. Some of the clawed prints come and go in that dark space. Shorak even has the sense that the party could be watched right now from something within, if the passage goes deep enough.

Meanwhile, Sem gladly opens the Bag of Holding to allow Belarin, Shorak, or anyone else retrieve anything they wanted. The soarsled now hovers above the shallow water. The skeleton steps down from it and stands ready for combat. Histra looks it over. Starg also studies the rocky terrain. "I will help you find the right path," he says to Sem, as if glad to be useful. "When we can inspect the rocks."

"Whoever came here before you will surely have left evidence behind," Kurra suggests. Then she returns everyone's goodbyes. The artificer holds out one hand in a dwarven gesture. "Hammers high, friends." Then she walks back onto the water, and pulls the boat behind her. "Be careful."

"Should we look into those boxes...?"

---

Inventories adjusted. But is Shorak taking a healing potion or just verbally suggesting he might? I'm not sure.

I can't actually update the map right now, but you know where you are...

[Ken]

"Give me a few seconds...." says Belarin. He walks over to the boxes. His eyes flash green for a moment, and he begins looking for arcane auras.

_________________________________

Belarin checks out the boxes with Eldritch Sight.

[Dave W.]

Adamant, after having said goodbye to Kurra, stands statue-like but tall... straight-backed... almost as a soldier at attention. Blue-eye gems shine brightly, drinking in the Dragonfly. He is absent from any of the conversation or activity around him. He watches as Kurra returns in the dinghy.

[Dave B.]

Seeing that nobody else is taking a healing potion, Shorak shrugs and takes one of them to carry. "You can never have too much magical healing." Shorak says to Sem with a smirk.

[Jeff]

Belarin walks over toward the first crate which sits in the shallow water, waves lapping at it. While on the dinghy, he and everyone else spotted a second box that would be some twenty or thirty feet further away in the water from this one, but he can't set eyes on that one from where he's standing. But he pauses before he gets too close to this first crate, as there is an enormous clam sitting half submerged in the sand, its very tip jutting out of the shallow water. Its lid is only slightly open. It is unmoving, but the sheer size of it, the size of a large chest, is unnerving. He can't tell: is it a living mollusc, or just the shell? With all the animal life around here, surely it would have been picked clean by now? But then, its size . . .

Still, standing ten feet from the clam still puts him within range for his detection. He eyes the crate and sees a clear aura of conjuration about it. But he also sees that there is some faded writing on the lid of the crate. He can't read it from here, but it doesn't look like it was meant to be hidden, not like a subtle glyph meant to be overlooked.

Belarin shares this information.

Everyone can see both the crate and the clam.

Just more info: The rock around the beach cave is 25 ft. high (though the cave itself is like 6 feet high and 20 feet wide). But there is is an easily navigable path up the rocks that connects the sandy beach with the next rise in the land above the first cave.

I can't place PCs on the map just now (since I'm working with Paint, not Photoshop, while away from home), hence the crude labels for now.

Shorak now has a potion of healing in his inventory.

[Brian]

Wet and dripping, Melethos works to off load their gear. He places packs and rolls on the beach, out of reach of the water. He notices the cave and keeps an eye on it for signs of danger.

When they have finished bringing everything ashore, as Belarin examines one of the crates, Melethos motions to Shorak.

"What say you and I check out that cave? I don't like leaving unsecured a place where enemies can hide."

[Dave B.]

Shorak looks at Melethos with a raised eyebrow. "What if that 'enemy' is juat an animal in its lair? We may be looking for trouble that we don't have to. But, if you want to take a look, I'll go with you. If there is something there that belongs where it is, we should just leave it alone." Shorak checks his gear and follows Melethos towards the cave. He will keep an eye out for any evidence of anything possibly making the cave its home.

[Brian]

Melethos draws his sword. "Right, the gophers and hares can stay." He lowers his voice. "I assumed we'd leave the natural denizens alone, you know."

With a grin, he motions Shorak to follow him. Using the telepathy ring, he sends to Kal: Shorak and I are going to make sure the cave isn't hiding any bad guys. I'll keep you updated.

As he approaches the cave, he slows and peers into the darkness.

[Dave B.]

Shorak follows Melethos and draws his boomerang, still keeping alert for anything out of the ordinary. "I know. It's just that trouble always seems to keep finding us and I am loathe to seek it out myself. Don't go poking the sleeping basilisk, so to speak." He says with a smile and a wink.

[Joe]

Streko watches as Shroak and Melethos make their way toward a cave. "Take care, my friends! Our journey is just beginning. No need to pester a hornet's nest without cause...and even then..."

He waves jovially, while praying under his breath.

"Olladra, I ask that you keep an eye on my friends, just in case there's a bugbear of four holed up in that cave."

He turns to Kal. "So, what do we do? Camp here and start fresh tomorrow, or begin the climb now?"

[Darren]

A quick reconaissance, Melethos, that's all. I want to be on our way momentarily. There's not a moment to spare.

Looking around the beach, Kal spots Belarin and the giant clam. "Don't get too close to that," he says. "More than likely, it's a trap. Whether it was left behind by whoever came through before us or it was dropped there when someone else was eaten by some monster, I don't need us to spring it, and if there's anything in there, we don't need it that badly." Kal begins to look through their inventory and retrieves the bags of caltrops that Sem has in the Bag of Holding. He looks at the path leading up. "As soon as Melethos and Shorak get back, we're on the move." He holds up the caltrops and grins. "And we're going to leave these to slow down those tieflings behind us."

[Dave W.]

Adamant takes one last moment, “Host protect you on your travles,” he prays.

Turning he looks at the crates and asks Belarin, “Do you want me to get one of those crates? I think I can still walk on water a while yet.”

---

I think walk on water is an hour… it hasn’t been that long yet, right?

[Ken]

"Be my guest!" says Belarin. "I don't feel like being that giant clam's snuggle friend. Be careful. "

[Jeff]

Jun 27, 2021 23:58:33 GMT -4 Joe said:

He turns to Kal. "So, what do we do? Camp here and start fresh tomorrow, or begin the climb now?"

Sem pipes up first. "Well, unless we want to meet up with Clan Tiefling, we should be moving on soon, I think. It's still morning, Streko." But the gnome looks between Melethos and Shorak by the cave and Adamant and Belarin by the cram and crate. "Are we really poking separate nests here?" he says nervously.

Melethos and Shorak stand at the mouth of the cave. It hangs low enough to keep too much daylight seeping far in, but tiefling eyes penetrate the dark and discern that the cave roof descends gradually and that the stone tunnel curves away to the north after only about fifteen feet. Shorak stands behind Melethos, ready.

Then both men hear a reptilian hiss from somewhere within. Both tiefling and halfdrow hear in it the warning of whatever beast lives here, and whatever it is, it cannot be too small.

Meanwhile Adamant and Belarin stand closer to the giant clam. It certainly doesn't move. Histra walks up to where Belarin stands. "Is it curiosity or need that has us investigating this?" she asks him.

---

Water Walk is still in effect, yes. A solid 40 minutes to go.

[Brian]

Jun 29, 2021 8:13:21 GMT -4 Jeff said:

Melethos and Shorak stand at the mouth of the cave. It hangs low enough to keep too much daylight seeping far in, but tiefling eyes penetrate the dark and discern that the cave roof descends gradually and that the stone tunnel curves away to the north after only about fifteen feet. Shorak stands behind Melethos, ready.

Then both men hear a reptilian hiss from somewhere within. Both tiefling and halfdrow hear in it the warning of whatever beast lives here, and whatever it is, it cannot be too small.

At the sound of the warning hiss, Melethos backs up. He gives Shorak a shrug which could have been an apology.

"At least we know what's in there," the tiefling says. "That's more than we had moments ago."

Leading his friend back to the beach, he informs the others of what he and Shorak learned.

"The lizard wasn't small," Melethos adds. "We should still be careful around that cave."

[Dave W.]

"Admittedly it is not need... other than my desire to be useful I suppose."

"What are Melethos and Shorak up to?" Adamant seems to notice them for the first time. "Perhaps we should focus on one thing... cave, crate, or stairs..."

[Dave B.]

Shorak nods, not saying anything. But Melethos can sense him holding back an 'I told you so.' Shorak just follows Melethos back to the group. "We should probably get moving." He says. When Melethos informs everyone what the cave probably holds, he adds. "True. Those bringing up the rear should watch our backs. In case the lizard is hungry. Maybe those coming behind us will keep it occuppied for us." Shorak shrugs, adjusts his gear and waits to start on the next leg of their journey.

[Ken]

"Curiosity, of course," replies Belarin to Histra. "But... point taken." He says to Adamant and Kal, "If I were a sneaky person who came to this point before several groups of rivals, I might leave surprises behind. Perhaps we should leave such surprises for the tiefling crew."

He looks at Histra and smiles. "My curiosity is always in conflict with my paranoia."