Chapter 3: The Enemy Within

[Jeff]

Matheu regards both Kal and Grafth. it is your decision. But the book is your only evidence of his arcane research. That he, or someone, has been studying the boundaries of the planes. If nothing else, perhaps this book can help absolve you of the crimes of which you have been accused. If you destroy the book, what then? Do you have a bargaining tool to use against your human lawmen?

[Darren]

"He raises an interesting point. We are all so aware of and convinced of our innocence in all of this, that we've forgotten how it looks to the outside world. For now, we keep the book in one piece. Let's see if we can find the place in Whispering Woods that the map mentions and discover what mysteries that holds for us."

________
I can't speak for everyone else, but Kal is ready to move on to our arrival at Whispering Woods.

[Jeff]

Let's see if we can find the place in Whispering Woods that the map mentions and discover what mysteries that holds for us."

"I guess that's where I come in," Ralsor says, breaking a hanging silence. He's been standing back, listening to the discussion. "So get some sleep. I think we'll be near the Whisper Woods by morning. We'll follow along its western edge until we find what we're looking for."

There is a pause. "What are we looking for again?" he asks with a smile.

[Jeremy]

Goran perks up at the mention of sleep.

"Perhaps that's why I'm so grumpy...need sleep." He grins at the others.

"Let me crash for a few hours, then I'll take guard until we arrive...though I doubt we need much guard on this fine ship." he nods at Ralsor.

[Darren]

"Goran, can you get the scrap of paper from inside the book? The one with the map on it? I believe it may be of use to Ralsor."

[Jeremy]

Goran looks inside the book for the map. Assuming it's there, he'll hand it to Ralsor.

[Jeff]

Goran slips the scrap of paper out of the book, making it available for all to see:

[Jeremy]

Goran makes the same puzzled look he did before, regarding the text.

Pointing at the black square on the map...

"Would it be premature to hazard a guess? Might this be the 'pillar of shadow'?"

He hands the paper to Kal.

[Darren]

"Well, I'm no cartographer," Kal says, studying the map. "I left that to others on the battlefield. But I would say that this looks like the map of some kind of building. I'd guess that the text tells us how to find the building, and the map shows us what we'll find when we get there." Kalarian smiles. "Too bad there's no 'X' to mark the spot where all the answers lie."

"Pillar of shadow...." Kalarian muses. "Ralsor, have you flown over the Whispering Woods before? Is there some geological feature that might cast a large shadow?"

[Jeff]

"No, I haven't," Ralsor replies. "There's nothing really this far up, unless you're a hunter and want to live off the land. Sometimes House Vadalis comes this far north, since the Whisper Woods hide all kinds of unusual animals. The closest I've been to there before is Stormhome, the House Lyrandar headquarters which is north and east of the Whisper Woods."

""There's a lot of stories told about the Whisper Woods, which makes me wary enough of going there. But I'll tell you more about them in the morning, all right? Get some sleep. Mist is my guard, she'll keep the main watch, but if one or two of you would like to join her when you wake, if you wake early enough, then do so."

With that, Ralsor heads to the wheelhouse one final time before retiring himself.

[Darren]

Unable to sleep, Kal offers to join Mist for the first watch.

___________
Okay, NOW I'm ready to move on.

[Joe]

The rest that Streko got earlier seems to have done nothign for him. He decides to go down to a room and sleep. He will pray for whatever spells he needs to reequip himself with in the morning.

[Josh]

Grafth heads to his shared quarters, letting Kalarian know that he will take the second watch in a few hours.

[Jeff]

The night passes, seemingly uneventfully...


Ralsor stands at the helm for a while longer, making sure the Thunderhead remains on course even after he turns in. You're not sure how he communicates with the air elemental—most of you know that elementals are barely sentient by most standards—but you do know that his dragonmark, the Mark of Storm, and the dragonshard-studded wheel itself are the focus of that means.

Mist remains the Thunderhead's primary security. She patrols the deck, guards Pel's quarters when no one else is, and remains utterly silent. Even when she walks around, her footfalls are whisper-quiet. With her matte black plating and dark gray cloak, she seems to merge with the shadows.

Pel remains quiet and you're doubtful that Malov's spirit has returned. When Pel at last cannot wait, Mist remains with her when she needs to use the privy. Pel eats nothing, seeming to have no appetite, and her pale gray skin somehow looks more ashen still.


Misha remains a ghost in the galley, flitting between there and the captain's quarters. When she crossed paths with anyone but Ralsor, she scowls and moves on without a word. She really seems to dislike all of you.


Lever ambles about the ship, seeming to soak in the new information. He remains friendly, only occassionally uttering something to the effect of, "I wonder if House Cannith will even really notice if I am gone."


Fherina lurks about. She is constantly watching and observing, and you can't help but feel as if she's recording everything she sees and hears. Not in a psychic way*, but rather in the information-hoarding proclivity of all gnomes. Yet she stays friendly, being helpful if she is needed.


Matheu comes and goes as he pleases, like a street cat that feels entitled to enter anyone's home at any time. He wings off into the night, but inevitably is seen again hours later prowling the railing of the ship or atop the forecastle, commanding the best view.

And thus does the night pass.

___________________________________________

I will post the arrival of morning in my next post, tonight or tomorrow.

* Like oh, say, a certain psionics-using inquisitive human in some book or other.

[Jeff]

Far, the 6th of Rhaan 998 YK

When you wake—at your various times—you find that the Thunderhead is moving slower than usual, and when you emerge from your cabins you can see why. The ship has reached the Whisper Woods and now glides along the treeline, moving westward. Ralsor had risen early and returned to his place in the wheelhouse, now facing the hugging the south and western edge of the great forest, which stretches to the horizon in the north. It is a vast collection of deciduous and evergreen trees.

The day has begun slow and easy. Morning is shrouded with fog, but when the fog begins to clear, it reveals a verdant land below and a blue, nearly cloudless sky above. Looking out over the rail, you see fewer and fewer signs of civilization. No villages dot the landscape below, at least that you can see, though you can see the scars of war: a burned stretch of land that might have once been a battlefield, isolated copses of trees that have been chopped down for supplies. By mostly the land is unbroken trees and lush life.

Breakfast is what remains of yesterday's hunt, which is still a fair amount. What isn't eaten this morning has already been salted and cured by Goran and Grafth for later consumption and should last for another day. But eventually a new food source must be found. The obvious answer is the forest itself.

"They say the Whisper Woods are haunted," Ralsor says as everyone emerged from their cabins after breakfast. "But then, they always say that, don't they?"

"Not haunted," Fherina jumps in. "Bewitched. The wood is named after the Whisper Rock itself....a monolith somewhere in the depths of the forest that murmurs and whispers, strange prescient words. Some seek it out to learn their future. They think it's prophetic, but who knows? But the forest makes it hard to find. Not animals alone live here. Also, there's talk of piles of skulls scattered throughout the place, but no one knows how they got there, or whose skulls they are."

"Right," Ralsor says, "Haunted. So let's not go in if we don't have to.
We're sticking to the forest's edge. We're heading to the 'western cleft' mentioned in your little poem."

(The purple line is the Thunderhead's path so far)

And so the day begins to pass, searching for the landmark mentioned on the scrap of paper.
__________________________

Let me know if there is anything you intend to do to pass the day as the search begins. Otherwise, the day passes by itself.

Streko should choose his spells for the day.

[Darren]

Kalarian stands before the large map on the wall of the wheelhouse, his hands folded behind his back. Turning to Ralsor, he points to the indented area of the forest marked on the map that the ship is approaching. "I would assume this would be the first place for us to look. But Fherina's mention of the Whisper Rock behing a monolith is interesting to me. I wonder if this is the 'pillar of shadow' referred to on the paper?"

[Josh]

"I wouldn't rule it out," says Grafth, "but if someone were to guess that the "Forest of Secrets" is the Whisper Woods, it may be too obvious a clue. Until we reach the wester cleft, we'll merely be guessing."

The shifter stretches his arms high over his head, "If there's nothing our captain would have us do for the moment, I'll spend some time on deck. This ship is quite comfortable, and I feel a bit too relaxed. Some conditioning and exercise will help, I think."

[Darren]

Following Grafth onto the deck, Kalarian says, "I believe I'll join you, shifter. A bit of sparring against a real opponent might not be a bad idea." He gives Grafth a grin as he begins to shed his coat and roll up his sleeves.

[mike]

"I would agree that where Kalarian points is most likely the place to start," says Torhak. "That is where we should land. I suspect we shall have to start exploring the Woods by foot at that point."

The dwarf follows Grafth and Kalarian above decks.

"If you wish true competition, Kalarian, merely say the word," says Torhak. "I always enjoy a good bit of sparring, whether with fists or the blade."

[Jeff]

Left to spar with spear, axe, or sharrash, Grafth, Kal, and Torhak exert themselves upon the upper deck and the fresh northern air. Ralsor applauds them and watches them for a bit, but frequently moves to the starboard railing and scans the treeline for signs of....whatever.

The hours pass swiftly, late summer breezes washing across the Thunderhead and relieving the tension of the last day. The crew, such as it is, seems to adopt some measure of levity, though it is a bit forced. At no point does Pel behave strangely. She broods in near silence, speaking only when she requires food, water, or relief from her bonds. When Mist ceases guarding her, Misha has taken to visiting her and bringing her water. They even exchange quiet words now and again, but Pel's behavior (nor the Karrn's) seems out of the ordinary.

The daylight begins to wane at last, Ralsor nor anyone else having found anything...just yet...

[Darren]

"I'm not sure how far we should go in the dark, Ralsor. Despite not knowing what we're looking for, it seems more likely we might miss something by travelling in the dark." Kalarian watches Lever for a moment. "Unless the 'forged there has some trick to shed some focused light down there...."

[Jeff]

This conversation is taking place while most are gathered on the upper deck. The Thunderhead has by this point already begun to head northwest, approaching what Ralsor believes is the lip of the "cleft" of the wood's western edge.

"True," Ralsor concedes to Kal's words. I don't want to miss anything. "Just a few more minutes, then, while we have a little daylight left."

Mist strides over. "I see something unusual. Come and see."

She walks back over to the railing near the starboard bow and points. You peer through the twilight to see. And there, in the distance, a short distance out from the treeline, is a cluster of bushes and rocks.

Most prominent is what appears to be a standing stone of some kind, though its dark surface makes it little more than silhouette from this distance. Thirty feet high, it is a bit too obelisk-like to be a mere rock formation. A short distance from the stone is the tiny yellow spark of a campfire. There is a small gathering of people there.

[Josh]

"Hmm," the shifter muses, leaning to see what Mist has identified, "well, I'm not sure whether we'd be able to detect the path that is "marked by a pillar of shadow" in the dark.. but that certainly does look like it could be a pillar of shadow."

[mike]

"It would also seem that others have interest in the pillar," Torhak says, pointing at the distant flickering of the fire. "It may be in our interest to learn who these strangers are as soon as possible. If we wait until daybreak, they may have us at a disadvantage, if they have hostile intentions."

"I propose that we go scout the area now."

[Jeremy]

The half-elf has once again arrived on deck at a fortuitous moment...though unintentionally. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he spies the gathering on the hilltop.

"Anyone know what we're looking at?" he says, trying not to sound sleepy. In fact, the half-elf feels sleepier than he has for a long while, though he can't guess why.

"I'm ready to head down into the woods whenever everyone else is." the prospect of being among the trees once more is refreshing, at least.

Goran begins to think of tea.

[Darren]

"Yes," muses Kalarian, "that can't be mere coincidence, can it?" He turns to Ralsor. "Do you think they've spotted us, yet? Would it be possible for us to get down there, sneak in close to their camp and see what they're doing?"

[Joe]

Streko takes in the beauty around him and stretches the kinks out of his body. He has meditated and prayed to blessed Olladra and felt her touch upon his spirit. He feels better than he has in days, but it still quite cognizant of what has recently transpired, thus making him more weary than he might once have been.

He goes to the railing and glances over the lip.

"I am too short, and this vessell to high in the air, for me to see whatever you might be looking at, so I'll take your word that it is a campfire.

"Goran, my friend, are you well?"

[Jeremy]

The half-elf claps Streko on the back and smiles.

"My friend, I might've asked the same of you, by the color under your eyes. How are you holding up?"

[Jeff]

"We think we've found the 'pillar of shadow,'" Fherina says to Goran and Streko both, climbing partially atop the railing herself and pointing at the standing stone some ten yards or more out from the tree line of the Whisper Woods. "And there's people there, too."

"Do you think they've spotted us, yet? Would it be possible for us to get down there, sneak in close to their camp and see what they're doing?"

"Not a chance," Ralsor replies, then runs up to the wheelhouse, steering the ship toward the black standing stone and increasing its speed. The Lyrandar captain calls out, "They're going to see us...likely already haven't. No way to avoid that." Indeed, the shimmering white-blue ring of the air elemental as it swirls around the ship probably makes it easy to spot from this distance. But just as the Thunderhead draws nearer, you see an event unfolding from a distance.

There seem to be two distinct groups amidst the small camp: The first is a knot of four or five people off to one side, at least two of them are armored like warriors. The second is a cluster of eight or nine people—non-warriors, by their clothing—standing together near the campfire. They are close together as if talking amongst themselves. Then a sudden burst of fire blossoms appears amidst these non-warriors—without a doubt, it is a mage's fireball hurled into their midst. The explosion is fast, lighting up the vicinity for a brief moment and standing out lividly against the gloom of twilight.

The people standing in that cluster drop to the ground like scorched flies. Blackened bodies drop to the grass. The smaller group of armored figures break into battle, though from this distance it's impossible to tell who is fighting who.

A moment of shocked silence follows, the only sound the whistling wind.

"Khyber, they're killing each other down there. Are we going in?" Ralsor calls out.

[Jeremy]

Goran lurches to the rail, his eyes bulging.

"Steer down there, Ralsor! Quickly!" He turns to the others. "I will be joining this fight, anyway!"

Goran will load his bow as soon as he is within good shouting distance and bowshot. If they get close enough, he cries out:

"You there! What in blazes is going on?! STAND FAST! I'LL PUT YOUR EYE OUT FROM HERE!"