Days 298-299, Year 437
Rondar again leads, silently, through the wasteland as the party, one higher in number, follows behind. Hours pass before the old man speaks again, his tone direct, and leaving no room for debate.
"We have a day left to march, and then I have taken you as far as I may go. And we must make haste, the sky turns darker by the hour."
Indeed, the sky is a darker red, as if the unseen crimson sun was not setting so much as pulling away from the earth, leaving night to replace it. The feeling is not a pleasant one, as if the darkness magnifies the desolation of the rock.
For another day still you march, and not without its difficulties. Members of the party have not taken well to the lack of sleep and water, but calls to stop are first rebuffed, and then ignored entirely. With time, however, a change to the landscape becomes apparent. The horizon cuts off in the distance, as if it had been planed by a great god shaving the earth itself. It is first now that you notice a slight curvature to the horizon, absent the anomoly ahead of you — a feature never recognized on your home world.
With Rondar's lead, soon the cut horizon's nature becomes apparent — the earth ahead of you terminates at a great chasm, the other side nor the bottom visible even as you reach a mere couple miles from its edge. Rondar, abruptly, stops, the first time for many hours, and looks you over, pausing just slightly before speaking with perhaps a hint of wistfulness.
"The Vine God awaits. Be on your best behavior. A man angered it once and it rended him apart before I could interject. It then doomed his companions to suffering this hell in isolation...
"But, he is your path back to our world."
The old man leads on again, taking a cautious pace as you approach the chasm. Breaking the silence that has overwhelmed the plane for days, a shuffling sound accompanied by the breaking of branches. Rondar drops to a knee, and with a glance indicates you should do the same.
A wall of vines, knotted branches, leafy bushes, brush, and bare wood pours over the edge of the chasm, resting 30' from your feet. Hundreds of feet across, the writhing vines twist lithely, assuming the vague shape of a maiden, with dark amber eyes and hair of thistle. As it speaks, the ground rumbles, and the very sound of its deep baritone voice nearly forces air out your lungs.
"Bothersome men, from the continent! I am Lord of the Leaf, and you have been lead to the end of this world. Describe for me why you have come here." |
Aidyn kneels on the ground and takes his pack off. He rummages through it until he finds his map. He pulls the map out, gets up, and goes over to the maiden figure and shows her. "I'm looking for Solammand'Ra. Do you think YOU could help me!?" |
Kevkul looks over, noting the maiden-like object in the vines. He watches to see its reaction to Aidyn's comments before saying anything. |
Zairyn is too stunned to say anything -- not out of fear, but out of the ridiculousness of a talking tree. Or vine thing. Vine maiden? Whatever the case, Zairyn thinks, I won't entertain this... farce. Although, just in case, Zairyn decides not to anger the vine... woman... thing, lest he never see the real world again. |
"My Lord.. erm.. Lady Tree. I seek the path to justice.." Khonsu lowers his head. "..though, I'm afraid I've been walking in the wrong direction." |
Rondar bows his head, eyes focused on the rock below him, but he speaks with a marked determination and confidence. Between sentences, he glances at you expectantly, almost desperately.
"Your grace, these men humbly ask for right of passage along your untamed stalks. They are not of this world, and wish to return to theirs. Let them travel on, so that they may sing of your mercy to the simple folk below, and spread leaves in their footsteps as you would."
The maiden speaks directly to Rondar, disregarding you entirely.
"I find their disrespect intolerable. Be gone, and let me not see their shapes again, or I will show you true hell. I will not permit their passage." |
"I... I..."
Aidyn puts the map away. He turns around and heads over to Rondar. "Well, that was a nice little walk. I guess it's back to the boat, eh!?" He turns Rondar around and starts dragging him back to the boat. Aidyn leans close to Rondar and whispers: "Do you think it would get mad if I set it on fire!?" |
Kevkul follows Rondar's lead, "Please your grace. Let us return to our original world so we can let everyone from our world know how merciful you are!" Kevkul bows his head respectfully. |
At the mention of the possibility of not returning home, Zairyn decides to take the tree maiden (that seems to be gender-confused) seriously. First, however, he kicks Aidyn after hearing him whisper about setting the damn thing on fire. Before Aidyn can protest, Zairyn silences him with a glare. With that out of the way, he turns to the one hope he has of ever returning back to the plane of Exis. Trying his best to keep his irritation out of his voice, he says, "Please, mila... milord. We've traveled far in this hellish world to reach you. I must beg forgiveness for my meat sh... companions. This landscape has wrecked havoc upon their minds -- all the more reason we must get home quickly. If there is some way to prove our worth, you need only name it and it will be done." With his speech (a rather brilliant one, Zairyn thinks) out of the way, he bows slightly and steps back, notably moving behind Kevkul (an excellent shield in Zairyn's mind). |
Khonsu looks at Zairyn for a moment, and, not knowing what to do, turns and bows at the tree. After a moment, Khonsu raises his head and speaks, moving forward. "To the point, I see. Respectable. Clearly we must earn your grace's approval in order to pass. Tell us what we must do, and it will be done." |
"You have little to offer me, but perhaps there is a matter to which you can see to. A fell cult corrupts my name in the City of Adventure, teaching of controlled growth and agriculture. It must be eradicated. If you swear on an oath to seek its destruction, I will permit your passage." |
Now may be a good time for, as you see fit to try, Knowledge checks, in addition to whatever else you might attempt to do. |
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