The Planewalkers' Journies

[darkknight61189]

Garick thought about the question posed by Theller, then shook his head. "I have no idea where any of the others from my last mission are, and I'm still relatively new around here. I don't have anyone else I can ask, but I'd be happy to help you out." He pulled out his sword and hammer and hefted them, then smiled at them.

[Idran1701]

Caravan

Looking up from a cart of leaded glassware, Florence follows behind Magpie and Asp, curious about this recent arrival herself. She smiles at the compliment. "Thank you, Magpie. Isn't it? Shawn just gave it to me today." The four pass by carts of young caged shocker lizards, racks of cold fire matches, ice toad blood, bat-shaped glidewings, and other Inner Planar commodities, eventually reaching the small square where Phelan stands with Kongunvir. Florence appraises him with interest, as she tries to discern whatever she can about this being in need of help.

---

Guild Landing

With a nervous smile, the raptoran woman nods to Garick. "Thank you." She turns to Trivale, adding "And you too?" before looking back over the lot of them. "And others? What others? They also help?" She looks out over the tents, her eyes jumping from a bariaur heading up a flight on her own trip, to a trio of humans in fire-resistant gear heading to the kitchen, to an ogre mage studying a mane-skin scroll in the flickering light of a belissan torch. "...Where is this, Theller? What is it? So strange...very different from home."

[Jak Snide]

Kongunvir nodded to the human and the halfling as they approached. It was only when they drew near that he realised that the halfling wasn't what she seemed to be.

"Two more to join our expedition, Magpie?" he asked, involuntarily glancing at Shawn in a bemused fashion before catching himself.

[Spleen]

"The Planewalker's Guild..." Theller thought for a moment, then translated it into Auran for her, turning it into something like "The Planeflyer's Aerie, But On The Ground".

He spoke to her in Auran in explanation. "

Spoiler:

We are a group of adventurers who explore the planes and solve problems we encounter, either out of altruism or the hope of gain. You have found me in a place surrounded by the sort of people with the skills and willingness we need to free our kind. Do not despair.

"

"I should look for my friends Rosalyn, Florence, and Shawn. They were with me when I found the altar in the Outlands, they could certainly help us."

[Besyanteo]

The gray wolf's tail wagged gamely as more people arrived, apparently interested in assisting him. His metal teeth (Steel? Silver? Mithril?) shined brightly as he spoke.

"Hello to you both! My name's Phelan. Are you going to help too?"

[ChristianC]

Magpie nodded happily to Kongunvir and motioned to the two, almost ushering forward to Phelan and the others. "Yes, hopefully. This is Shawn and Florence. I have met them before although we have not spoken much. But I am sure they are nice people, and would like to help you out Phelan."

[Jak Snide]

Kongunvir nodded to each of them in turn, smiling slightly. "Nice is all well and good, but can they fight?" he asked with a touch of incredulity. The woman didn't appear to be armed and the other human, while looking far more the part, struck the dwarf as a touch young for the adventuring profession. Not that he was rude enough to voice such opinions.

[Kelne]

"Well, of course," Asp said, "There wouldn't be much point in asking them to come along if they couldn't; It's not as if we need porters for carting our luggage around. I remember this one knightly type being dreadfully surprised when his loyal servants dropped the luxuries and legged it in the face of draconians. They obviously subscribed to the theory that they only needed to run faster than him."

[Idran1701]

Caravan

Florence can't help but laugh at Kongunvir's comment, smiling. "You know, if you asked that question back home, you'd probably be on the ground by now. And I wouldn't underestimate Shawn either. But can you?" She turns to Phelan, nodding. "I'd be happy to help, if you'll have me. What's the problem?"

---

Guild Landing

She nods, though her surroundings still seem to leave her a little baffled. Though still awaiting a response from Trivale, she looks between them both curiously. "You travel much, Theller says? And help people? Where do you travel? And you said...Garick, your name? And you fight?" Nodding again to herself, she glances to the other willing to help. "And you...Theller said...Trivale? What fighting you do? Or magic instead?"

[Shinigori V2]

"I might be small," Shawn says, "But I can kick your ass."

[Jak Snide]

Kongunvir smiled, satisfied with the responses he'd received, before making a show of pretending to be cowed by Shawn's threat. "I'll be sure to stay out of your way then, little one. As for Phelan here, I believe he has some problems with mechanical monsters terrorising his home. Or something to that effect."

[ChristianC]

Magpie nodded in agreement with Asp, but before it could reply Florence and Shawn defended themselves well enough, so the construct merely nodded and listened to the conversation, wondering why Shawn was so different to the other children in the camp... maybe Shawn wasn't a human at all! That seemed a reasonable alternative!

"Shawn, are you a human?"

[Shinigori V2]

Shawn, to those paying attention, suddenly looked like she had been punched in the stomach, rather unexpectedly at that. "Y..Yes, of course I am, you stupid machine!"

She turned, to make sure noone saw the beginning of tears as she wiped them away.

[ChristianC]

Magpie nodded, it's face looking as puzzled as it could. "I see. I was curious because you seem to behave different than the other human children in the camp."

[Idran1701]

Caravan

Frowning, Florence puts a hand on Shawn's shoulder before looking to Magpie, her irritation at the unintentional callousness blatant even to the warforged. "She's human, Magpie. All children act differently, that's all. Leave the subject alone, all right?"

[Besyanteo]

The awkward and tense moment caused Phelan to stop wagging his tail and look from person to person. After a moment he ventured cautiously:

"Well, if everyone is ready and willing, I can show you the way right now... but you should probably pack warm first. Ice is damned cold, you might have guessed, and we will be spending time in the wilderness there."

[ChristianC]

Magpie nodded to Florence and seemed perhaps even more surprised, but then she smiled and gave another nod, "I do not understand, but I apologize Shawn. I did not intend to cause harm with my question."

As Phelan spoke up, she turned to him and reached out a hand to pat him carefully on the side of his head, scratching very, very gently, like a child with something they treasure deeply. "I hope we can find your friend very quickly, being alone in the cold is not pleasant. Shall I help someone else pack their things?"

[Nakibe]

"I prefer not to fight if it comes to it, but I am a fair hand with a bow or a knife, I'd say," was Trivale's reply. And with luck all this job will need is a keen eye and a quick hand. Right about now I'm not sure if I want to handle much else. In any case, it certainly looked like Trivale wasn't going to be enjoying the comforts of his room for very long. At least it sounds like its for a good cause.

[darkknight61189]

Garick smiled. "Yeah, I'm pretty good at fighting. If you need someone beat or hurt, I'm your man."

[Spleen]

Theller nodded to Trivale. "I remember your archery skill from our visit to Pandemonium," he said. "And your capacity with a blade. I recall you had your share of kills when we were attacked on that jaunt."

He turned to his cousin. "How did you come here?" he asked, in Common as he led her (and Trivale and Garick, if they choose to come) away to find more Guild members to help, keeping an eye out for any familiar faces as he did.

[Idran1701]

Guild Landing

"You said..." Frowning, she trails off before falling back into Auran.

Spoiler:

"You left for Blurophil, so I went there and asked about the Guild. They told me how to get here."

---

Seems like we're ready to move on. Here's how things are looking now:

Helping Phelan:
Phelan
Shawn
Kongunvir
Magpie
Asp

Helping Theller
Theller
Trivale
Garick

I haven't heard from Seethe; hopefully he won't miss things, but I know he's been pretty busy the last couple months, so it's understandable if he does. If anyone wants to end up swapping over, go ahead and let me know. And I might try and stir up some interest in bringing in extra people for Theller's side if not.

Either way, we'll probably be moving on to starting the next pair of adventures in my next post; people can continue posting CI until then or not, and if there's any last minute stuff you need to check with me about, go ahead.

[Idran1701]

Infinite Staircase

Preparation has been made by both groups for their respective expeditions. On one hand, preparations for a trip to the frigid planes of Ice, to help a wolf's missing master. On the other, readying for a trip into the Boundless Blue, to rescue the adult citizens of Theller's home town of Homespire. Eventually, each feels themselves ready for the journey, and the stairs once more find themselves the means of planar transit for members of the Planewalkers' Guild.

With Spring Break finally here, I think I can get things back in gear for real now. Everyone go ahead and post your preparations over the day after Phelan and Eletta's arrivals to the Guild. Go ahead and both groups post that in this thread for now; it'll make it easier than putting this entire post in both threads. For the sake of peoples' convenience, here's some common stuff that might be useful for the trips and is within most everyone's price range:

Alchemist's fire: 20 gold, 1 lb.: 1d6 fire damage/round for two rounds
Cold Weather Outfit: 8 gold, 7 lbs. (1.75 Small): +5 bonus to Fort saves for cold environs
Crampons: 5 gold, 1 lb. (0.25 Small): +2 to Acrobatics checks to keep from slipping on ice, +2 to Climb checks, -10 ft to speed when not walking on snow or ice
Fur clothing (layers of fur worn over clothing): 8 gold, 10 lbs. (2.5 Small): +5 bonus to Fort saves for cold environs, -2 to armor check penalty, stacks with cold weather outfit
Potion of endure elements: 50 gold, 0 lbs.: no harm for natural temperatures down to -50 Fahrenheit for 24 hours
Potion of levitate: 300 gold (one in party treasure), 0 lbs.: move up and down at will for 5 minutes, preventing falls
Ring of four winds: party treasure, 0 lbs. : feather fall or +2 to AC 4/day
Winter blanket: 5 silver, 3 lbs.

Anyone researching either plane, the information on the Wiki on both Ice and Air is easy for anyone to discover; more detailed or specific information can be discovered if you check with me about it.

[ChristianC]

Magpie, thankfully, didn't need to prepare quite as much as the others. Still though, rather uncharacteristically she purchased some furs from the merchants in the caravan, carrying them away to her tent whilst the others made preparations for the journey. A pair of crampons were purchased as well, but the construct remained inside her humble abode for the rest of the day, working away at the furs.

[Idran1701]

Infinite Staircase

With preparations complete, the two parties head out from the Guild landing, soon making their separate ways along the Staircase. Phelan's group heads up for a mere hour before reaching their destination; a landing made of solid ice, and an archway of same, leading out to the hovering city of Tiera Minuut, a burg in the border realm of Precipice, and the only city of any note on the Paraelemental Plane of Ice. The frigid climate of the plane hits them even before they pass through to the far side, a small alcove in back of an ice-sculpting exhibit, showing work of the city's most renown artists. Not the pathway Phelan himself used to reach the Staircase, of course, but a good deal more direct.

Outside the museum, the protective dome glitters both nearby and overhead, the only thing keeping the city at a balmy 40 degrees. Far above, the endless skies of the plane of Air stretch infinitely, while out and past the nearby edge, the glacial plains of Ice reach out for the horizon miles below the floating, frozen disk. Rather than an undifferentiated flat tundra, the land below is marked with innumerous features - mountains of ice miles tall, ridges of frozen waves, and fields of pointed spires resembling upside-down icicles.

Within the city itself, not much activity fills the streets; it seems still early morning here, and most of those out and about seem to be people getting ready for the needs of the coming day. Coal and wood deliveries, people bringing groceries back to their homes, promotional flyers replaced and posted in the windows of the clay and stone storefronts, broadsheets stacked and ready for purchase. The residents appear human for the most part, which is perhaps expected; this isn't exactly a city for locals, after all.

Eletta's group on Air goes here.

[ChristianC]

Magpie returned the next day with a cloak sewn up from the furs she had purchased, the natural patterns of the hairs meticulously matched up to make the entire piece, hood as well, blend together to resemble just one big fur. Brass clasps had been carefully threaden in at the neck to be barely visible. The inside had been lined with pouches, but those weren't clearly visible. The whole thing had been made quite big, and if the construct kept her arms at her side, nearly her entire body was hidden underneath the coat. Clearly she'd prepared, even if she wasn't quite as susceptible to the cold as the others.

Her usual array of weaponry seemed to have been abandoned for now, her blade and shield the only things she'd brought with her, the large drop-shield fastened to her back. Under the shield was her backpack, in which she carried rations, blankets and other things that could be of use.

Despite her change in appearance, Magpie's behavior hadn't changed significantly. She watched with wide-eyed wonder as they traveled to Tiera Minuut. Inside the museum she needed to be almost dragged away as she'd stopped to watch the sculptures, reaching out with one of her armored hands and touching it.

"...it is cold..." she mused before following the others.

[Jak Snide]

Kongunvir had done little to prepare besides buy a layer of furs to drape over his armour. He asked a few off the cuff questions about Ice to those he talked with but made no real inquiry into the plane. His shock was apparent as soon as he stepped through the archway, gasping an oath as the temperature drop hit him. The sculptures on display proved a welcome distraction, the warrior occasionally nodding at one in a respectful fashion when he deemed it particularly noteworthy. His reaction to his discovery that the city was floating was far less reserved.

"What kind of sorcery keeps an entire town suspended in mid-air?" he asked his companions in disbelief.

[Besyanteo]

Phelan had been living in Ice for a while, and was well prepared for the ordeal before he sought aid for his friend to begin with. He shook his head when Kogunvir asked his question.

"I'm not familiar with such things... Magic has always seemed a little weird to me."

He looked around, trying to get his bearings. He wanted to get these people to the source of the problem as quickly as he could.

[Idran1701]

Tiera Minuut

After a moment to orient himself, Phelan pinpoints just where he is. The balloonist whose services he used the first time around is fairly close by, and he knows just how to get from their station below back to the small village where he and his friend were staying before his disappearance.

While Phelan gets himself places, Florence looks out towards the furthest horizons, smiling. "Exciting, isn't it? Walking around on a giant freezing chunk of stone, with no idea why you aren't plummeting to the ground. Experiences like this are a big part of why I stay with the Guild. From all I've heard, there's plenty of them here, too. Have you ever heard the tales of the Sleeping Ones, the old kuo-toa legends?"

Anyone that thinks they might have reason to know it, go ahead and make a K:History or K:Planes check to me in IM or PM before posting, I'll shoot you the results back.

[Jak Snide]

Kongunvir harrumphed at the mention of kuo-toa. "Some ancient race that lived among the stars, or so the fishmen would have you believe. A load of rot, most likely, only good for encouraging them to form cults and start abducting people."

[ChristianC]

Magpie at first hadn't seemed to notice the fact that the city was afloat, mid-sky, with no obvious explanation, but seemed to take it a bit more stoically than Kongunvir and Florence. She remained in quiet contemplation, a look of some mild interest on her face as she touched more of the cold, wet stuff... then someone spoke of something exciting, and boy howdy, that caught her attention!

"Kuo-toa? I have not heard of them, who are they?"

[Kelne]

"Oh, I don't know," Asp said, "A lot of the ancient sleeping god impersonators really do want sacrifices. A thousand high priests can't all be wrong." His mind was only partly on the topic at hand, being diverted by the town as a whole and its amazing floating nature. "I wonder if they're using spells to keep the place aloft," he remarked, "they'd come in really handy for the floating tower project."

Asp had packed a good amount of wam clothing, as a backup if his magic should somehow fail him. For now, the clothing was stored in his pack, with him wearing his usual traveling outfit, which left him looking a tad underdressed for the conditions outside.

[Jak Snide]

After casting a sidelong glance at Asp, disturbed by the notion that such cults were widespread enough to be talked of in such a fashion, Kongunvir looked up at Magpie. "As I said, fishmen. They'd be what you'd get if some mad god or foolish wizard crossed a human with a fish. They live deep below the surface, far beyond the depths of any decent hold, and are as evil as everything else from that blighted realm." After a moment of consideration he added "That's how it is where I come from."

[Idran1701]

Tiera Minuut

"Just about. Not easy to get along with, either. Never had the pleasure of running into one myself, but I've heard plenty of stories." Florence laughs a bit, moving closer to the edge of the disk. "And in some of those stories, they say it's here that the Sleeping Ones went to lock themselves away. And you know, there are more than a few tales of Planewalkers spying shadowy figures buried in the ice here, figures that stretch on for miles. Too deep to make out details, of course, but from what they say about the Sleeping Ones, that's probably for the best." Turning, she grins to the party. "See what I mean? These trips always have plenty of potential for excitement."

[ChristianC]

Magpie looked... perplexed by this description, clearly she hadn't heard of old, sleeping gods either before, but she nodded and hmm'ed, looking down at the ice they were standing on.

"Blighted realms? ...you must tell me more of your homelands, master Kongunvir. I fear these are things I know very little of and... if these sleeping gods are where we are, the more I would know, the better...?"

[Shinigori V2]

Shawn shifted from her sitting place, riding atop one of Magpie's shoulders (Her left, to be exact.) She frowned, and spat behind her, careful not to hit Magpie. "Don't worry about it. They're just stories told to scare kids. Trust me, I know."

[Jak Snide]

Kongunvir nodded, agreeing with Shawn without giving voice to the concern that she was wrong. It had certainly spread a long way for something that was just made up. Then again, he told himself, so had the tongue they were now speaking.

"There's more than enough out there to frighten a child with, though I dare say that some people prefer telling tall tales to that effect instead of giving thought to actual threats. Speaking of which, aren't there some mechanical monsters to deal with?"

[Besyanteo]

Phelan nodded vigourously, which looked a bit odd as the motion forced his tail to move in opposition to keep balance. "Yes, this way! I know where I am now! Come on."

He padded quickly towards the balloonist, glad they were off to such a brisk start.

[Kelne]

"Darn," Asp said, looking mildly disappointed at something that had been said. He soon perked up at Phelan's words however, falling in behind the wolf and casting an endure elements spell in preparation for venturing outside the town.

[Idran1701]

Tiera Minuut

After a quick jaunt across the rim of the disk, Phelan leads the party to a small building right up against the edge, on the near side of a short dock past the magical shield. Past it, a fairly large hot air balloon stands docked, swaying slightly back and forth on its tether. The dockmaster greets Phelan, surprised to see him back so quickly, and after taking the ferry cost from each (3 silver apiece, 1 for Shawn), leads them into the balloon's gondola where the pilot awaits. Hanging free from the balloon, it's nothing more than an open air basket close to 15 feet across and with walls of about three feet, seemingly made of nothing more than tightly-woven wicker. Small spots of light gleam through the floor, but the pilot and dockmaster assure the party that there's no chance of ripping, even with Magpie's weight. Still, the way it bows even slightly under her feet is likely unsettling for some. There's no protection against the weather here either, and beyond the city's protective field, the frigid air here chills them all; it must be below freezing, from the way the frost gathers on the dock and even the basket.

The door is tied shut and the balloon let loose. Freed from its moorings, the gondola swings back and forth, and the pilot begins easing them down, a strong breeze weaving around the party as they descend. They can soon see the underside of the city; rather than ice, they can see now it's located upon a massive island of rock, a sight perhaps even more unsettling to see than if it were a simple disk of ice. Here and there, they can see various other means of travel being used to ascend or descend the heights: other balloons, massive winged mounts, and even some freely flying under their own power, winged or otherwise.

---

Precipice

The balloon continues to sink, with the occasional winter bird or ribbon of living ice flitting around the basket in curiosity. After close to an hour of slow descent, the landing site can be seen below by those inclined to peer over the edge, merely a dot at first but quickly growing into a small building, the mirror of the one above. The city can just be seen now, nothing but a small dark circle in the sky now. The balloon pilot opens the door, seeing them out with a smile and offering the inside of the ground dock to them for a short rest, promising coffee and tea within should they wish a warm beverage before setting out. The air is still this close to the ground, and their breath hangs in clouds before their faces. The village is about a day and a half's walk away; they're sure to need at least one night camped out in the cold before they can reach the site of the attack.

Florence shivers, even more grateful for Shawn's gift now. "It's been a while since I've been in weather like this. What do the rest of you think we should do, start off right away or ease into things?"

[Jak Snide]

Kongunvir didn't seem much bothered by the freezing cold. The nature of their descent was another matter entirely, his expression being what he hoped was one of complete indifference despite the constant fear of the too-flexible floor giving out beneath him and the knowledge that there was nothing he could do about it. His mood drastically improved the instant he set foot on solid ground, the prospect of a day and a half hike through extreme weather seeming preferable to another minute in the flying contraption.

"Nothing like a hot drink to ward off the cold," he responded, "and I've been meaning to get my hands on a cup of coffee for a while now."