Vulūne 23 – Drûr 1, 652 DR: Leaving Eldarkar the group finds the Telàbra Run bridge but are thwarted by the Eylfāe warrior posted at its center. Dammon and Tressta turn back toward Eldarkar. Avahrlyn is reached and Mishara learns of a teacher far into the North. Regrouping in Eldarkar, Dammon leads the party south to Kry Moradem where an ancient trap is found to be in working order.

Continued from Wōd’s Embrace.

Sūdìdor, 23 Vulūne 652

Feet tired from the packed dirt and rock, the group continued up the switchbacking road. Off the road’s side mighty cascades charged through stone channels sending a cool water spray into the autumn air. At the top of the rise the foot of the Tor’n Evalshat could be seen through the trees, the colors of the rolling slopes shifting with each passing day. The road wound upriver, turning in and out of the Silverwood tree line, and then dipping again to the river’s side. Here, as described by Mishara, a long stone bridge spanned the width of the Run Telàbra. It’s length was interrupted by a dozen structures, each built atop a stone pier. Crossing the raging cascades an Eylfāe voice called to the group from the shadows ahead. Mishara answered this “greeting” and spoke with the Nehkrul guardian at length. The guard admitted all passed until Dammon approached. The guard yelled at the magician, attracting the attention of Mishara and Jak who hurried back to see what had transpired. The Eylfāe guard claimed that the magician was “Evil” and would not admit him across the river. Dammon turned back toward Eldarkar, and was soon joined by Tressta so that he needn’t travel alone.

The remainder of the group continued wearily eastward down the wagon road toward Avahrlyn. Toward nightfall they came upon a stone pillar beside the road, but no one could read its Eylfāe words, so the group continued into the approaching dark. With night nearly upon them, howls issued from the dense forest. Expecting Grū attacks, they braced for combat and were not left waiting long. Leaping into the road some distance ahead landed a large ungainly creature, that howled mournfully into the dark. Mishara unleashed a hail of arrows as Alcèrra and Jak set their weapons against a charge. From the leafy forest’s edge another monster charged outward, attacking the priestess with powerful raking claws. Soon the other turned and leaped toward the party. Mishara dropped his bow and pulled a small sword at the creature closed. The battle was short with Grū legs and arms being severed from the creatures. Jak, offering unnatural wisdom, suggested that the group should drag the bodies into the river, which they did. Exhausted, the group continued through the night toward Avahrlyn.

Talídor, 24 Vulūne 652

The town appeared around a bend in the river in the early morning hours, hours before dawn. A few road lanterns glowed from the town streets. More shone from the decks of the masted ships moored in the river harbor. Outside the town, a pale glow emanated from the high roadside grasses. Investigating they found an Yrūn who pleaded in dry whispers. His broken limbs were pinned to the ground by radiant javelins in the high weeds. The group walked by, heeding Mishara’s warnings not to interfere with the ways of the Eylfāe. Not far from the docks they found the inviting “Travelers’ Inn” and settled there for the morning.

During the day, the exhausted group mostly stayed at the inn, except for a few ventures deeper into the town. Mishara visited the Theswur Scaradaril and spoke with two Nehkrul Neylfèrahl who had recently arrived in Avahrlyn, having been summoned to some unknown duty. Mishara spoke to them of his quest to find a master archer, but neither was able to help. They explained, each in their own way, that the Nehkrul preferred to look into the eyes of their victims. Mishara also visited a weapons shop where he attempted to sell a Saránði broadsword, but declined to leave it on consignment. He was told that no armorer existed in Avahrlyn. Meeting with Jakat the Circle, the two took time to talk with the gathered merchants, finally settling on a mug as some token souvenir for Dadra.Mishara later went looking for a bookshop per Jak’s request, and ended up at the Theswur Naral Avahrlyn where a Grūmun was exiting through a smallish door. The creature greeted Mishara and after some small conversation invited it back to the Travelers’ Inn to speak with Jak. The large hirsute figure lumbered along behind the Eylfāe to the inn, causing some disturbance in the Yrūni quarter. Once inside, the Grūmun spoke with Jak at length about the Spinning Ring and the azurite band he’d had since his almost forgotten journey into the Lower Streets. At one point the Grūmun cast a spell into the ring for Jak that he explained would cause a plant to grow, offering further that he felt it was a spell that not even a Yrūn could cause damage with. The Grūmun went on to talk about a vine that might prevent erosion in Jak’s home of Cænden in exchange for the ring. The Grūmun explained that Jak would need to journey to the headwaters of the Run Telàbra and ask the Grūmun for the vine. Jak agreed to this and handed the large creature the translucent blue ring. Thanks and farewells were exchanged and the creature left. Mishara visited the Theswur again and met another warrior who claimed that he had met a master archer in a Nehkrul city far to the north, beyond the reach of the Grim Drūden. He named this archer Illydphryl Nyllyraz.

Padídor, 25 Vulūne 652

The next morning, after picking up mugs from the potter’s, the three left the Town of Avahrlyn back along the Run Telàbra, making sure to end the day’s travel at the wayside marked by the stone pillar. A few hundred feet from the river road, they came to a communal hill shelter where three painted wagons and their teams were parked for the night. Inside, they met with merchants from Mistvale, a town much further up the Run Telàbra, who were making one of the year’s last journey to Avahrlyn before the snows. Also staying at the shelter was a crippled woman named Talorya who had her foot gnawed away by danatre in the sewer lines of Avahrlyn.

Bærídor, 26 Vulūne 652

The next morning Alcèrra, Jak, and Mishara continued along the Run Telàbra Road toward the Eylfāe bridge, and then retraced their footsteps back toward the Village of Eldarkar. In the small Silverwood village they found Dammon and Tressta, both well-rested and ready to leave. The magician explained that Iahn Argentale had made him a map so that they could return to Oð without losing their remaining horses to the Shūl.

Virídor, 27 Vulūne 652

The following morning they departed south along a small woodland road, winding between the Morén Burdrul and the Nar Drūden. Other then avoiding of a migration of giant insects, the day’s travel was uneventful. That evening they camped alongside the road. From their site, they could see the outline of a ruined keep through the trees, one of many that dotted the hilly landscape. Referencing Iahn’s directions, Dammon identified the ruin as Kry Moradem, a Dwürden ruin of great age. That night, Mishara noticed a lantern’s light glowing from the keep’s ruined tower.

Palídor, 28 Vulūne 652

After a small breakfast Dammon, Jak, Mishara, and Tressta decided to look around the ruins and investigate the light that the archer had seen. Inside a cracked doorway that opened into the outer wall’s interior, Jak was repulsed by the foul odor that hung in the entrance. The floor to the courtyard was covered in muddy offal. Dammon noted that the ceiling was covered with large bat-like creatures. They motionless creatures hung upside-down with their membranous gray wings folded about them. Another entrance was sought and found through the crumbling curtain wall.

The courtyard of the circular keep was found to be littered with a vast tangle of bones. Jak and Mishara carefully picked their way across the courtyard to the main door of the central building. On the door was burnt a strange glyph. Calling for Dammon, the reluctant magician walked across the eerie courtyard and identified the glyph as a mark of Phlōgòstrū. Dammon explained that the door was dangerous and quickly fled the courtyard. Undeterred, Jak and Mishara tied a rope to the door and stood back to open it. With a mighty pull the courtyard was inundated with gouts of flame, gushing from holes in the surrounding courtyard walls. Their howls of pain and surprise summoned even Alcèrra from their camp down the hillside. Mishara checked the interior briefly before returning to the crumbled wall and seeking help from the priestess. Alcèrra climbed down the fallen stones to the bone littered courtyard and with her trident in hand commanded a skeleton to rise. With simple commands the priestess ordered the thing to enter the building and open an interior door. The thing did so with mindless obedience. In a deeper room they found a chapel to Ættràkar the Artificer, now ruined and scrawled with burnt glyphs like the one on the outer door. Mishara took a moment to climb a flight of stairs and found a study covered in the same smelly guano as the outer wall’s interior. He made out the shapes of a desk and chair and the barest outline of more winged shapes hanging from the ceiling before exiting the dark chamber. Uncertain of what had befallen this ancient structure, the group re-assembled and left it behind. Or at least, that’s what they believed.

Content with their wounds and findings, the group returned to their campsite. After a hearty lunch they continued along the woodland road. Finding a pleasing site, they stopped in the early evening and set-up camp. The evening passed without incident.

Alídor, 1 Drûr 652

At nightsdeep however, something stirred under the full moon.

Continued in Wings of Kelzerak.

Characters

• Alcèrra Nàdrelan
• Dammon Shroudson
• Jak of Cænden
• Mishara Mythdaras
• Tressta Drynsval
• Amyrathylya
• Attus
• Borad Norswel
• Charis
• Dadra Rumm
• Familiar
• Gurad
• Hoklorn
• Iahn Argentale
• Illydphryl Nyllyraz
• Murn Yellor Talorya
• Tamlor Diazanand
• Trellim
• Tuklun

08 Aug 1998