16 - Winds of Fate and Mountains of Yon
| Session 1 | Session 15 | Session 16 | ||
| ◀◀ | ◀ | ▲ | ▶ | ▶▶ |
| Ashira Brolin Frostbite | Ashira Brolin Frostbite | Ashira |
An Omen of Storms and Secrets
The eerie stillness of the forest was soon left behind as the group returned to their tethered balloon, where Clapperclaw waited patiently, his rusted lobster claw clacking with anticipation. "You're back! I was beginning to think you'd left me behind!" he exclaimed, his straw-stuffed limbs flapping excitedly. The balloon swayed in the soft winds, ready for departure.
With a final check of their supplies, the adventurers - Frostbite, Zephyr, Brolin, Dhanell, Ashira, and Maeve - boarded the vessel. "The Queen's Palace lies west," Brolin said. "Hopefully, the wind will favor us."
A Course Gone Awry
At first, the flight was smooth, the balloon gliding effortlessly through the sky. Below them, the landscape of Prismeer unfolded like a dream - a rolling expanse of enchanted forests, winding rivers, and distant forgotten wonders. But then, something was wrong.
“We’re drifting too much to the south,” Frostbite noted, his keen senses picking up the error before the others. "We should be heading more northerly!"
Beneath them, the dark waters of the swamp reappeared. The treetop ruins of a massive stump passed below, and soon they floated above the causeway they had crossed once before.
“How about we just keep flying?” Frostbite mused, watching the slow movement of the world beneath them. “We still have unfinished business in Yon. If the wind is against us, maybe we should go with it instead."
A moment of consideration passed among the party before they all nodded in agreement. The balloon’s course was followed, and soon the looming silhouette of the mountains of Yon grew in the distance. However, as they ascended into the misty peaks, the wind suddenly turned violent. The basket rocked dangerously as fierce gusts threatened to send them spiraling out of control.
The Storm and the Crash
“I can’t find a landing spot!” Clapperclaw called out over the howling storm. The mountains of Yon were cruel, jagged, and covered in strange metal rods, crackling with static energy.
“Just put it down!” Frostbite shouted as the wind screamed around them. But before Clapperclaw could react, a bolt of lightning split the sky, striking the balloon. The fabric ignited in a flash of white-hot fire, and the vessel began to plummet.
Clapperclaw moved with surprising speed, clawing his way up the rigging, trying to regain control. "Don't worry!" Brolin shouted, following him up. "I can land safely!"
Zephyr spread his wings, catching the wild gusts, while Dhanell cast Feather Fall on the rest. The group leapt from the wreckage just as the balloon was torn apart, but Dhanell himself was caught in the ropes, vanishing into the storm along with Clapperclaw.
A Mysterious Encounter
When they landed, the balloon was gone. Lightning flashed, illuminating a foreboding castle perched on the highest peak. Jagged spires of metal dotted the landscape, their purpose unknown.
Ashira was the first to speak. "We need to find the balloon - and Dhanell!"
Frostbite scoffed. "Dhanell, sure. But Clapperclaw? He’s just animated straw."
With no clear direction, they moved up the narrow mountain path, seeking higher ground. The journey led them to a plateau where a lone elven woman stood, a massive honeybee buzzing around her. She wore a crescent moon mask and had no shadow.
“My name is Gleem," she introduced herself. "My sister, Glister, is imprisoned in that castle - Motherhorn. Endalyn, the hag who rules it, fears us because of a prophecy. Together, we are an eclipse."
Gleem explained that the Korreds, creatures of stone and music, could help them. The hag despised them, and they knew hidden paths into the fortress. Though afraid, she agreed to accompany the party.
Secrets of the Mountain
Further up the path, they discovered a second plateau with a throne of stone carved with astrological symbols. Zephyr, ever the curious one, could not resist. The moment he sat, his body went limp, lost in slumber.
Frostbite sighed, picking up the unconscious Zephyr and slinging him over his shoulder. "Let’s go."
The third plateau was different. Stone megaliths surrounded a strange board game set beside a campfire. The wreckage of their balloon was strewn across one of the monoliths, and at its base lay Dhanell - and the broken form of Clapperclaw.
The group rushed to Dhanell, Ashira immediately tending to him. Frostbite, feeling something stir within him, murmured words of gratitude to the mountains and channeled power into his hands. Dhanell's wounds knitted shut. Ashira stared in astonishment. "Since when could you do that?"
Frostbite shrugged. "Didn’t know the mountains were listening."
Meanwhile, Zephyr attempted to mend Clapperclaw, but the animated scarecrow was too far gone.
The Queen of the Korreds
As Brolin examined the board game, he moved a single piece. Two figures stepped from the megaliths - a man and woman. The woman smiled. "Congratulations, you’ve won."
She introduced herself as Yaga, queen of the eight Korred clans. From a pebble, she conjured a sapphire and handed it to Brolin as a prize. She explained that the hag used a powerful device, the Orrery of Tragedies, to foresee and manipulate fate. Lightning fueled its magic. The group listened intently, but the moment was interrupted by the sounds of drumlike sounds on stone. Yaga’s face darkened.
"Briggenox," she spat. "Servants of the hag. If you wish to enter Motherhorn unseen, find their tunnels."
A Farewell and a New Mystery
With the conversation drifting toward Clapperclaw's passing, the Korreds proposed a burial. Their ritual was one of dance and song, a swirling, mesmerizing performance. Maeve played her lute, Zephyr danced, and Frostbite, despite himself, was drawn into the beauty of it. He had never thought he would care for a creature like Clapperclaw, but something about the ceremony touched him deeply.
After the farewell, the group pressed onward into a valley where they found a goblin girl flying a kite. But something was wrong - she was stuck to it. The kite’s face twisted wickedly in the wind, its five blue ribbons glowing ominously.
They tried to pull down the kite, but the curse resisted. Zephyr attempted to fly up, only to be flung back down. Then Brolin noticed something - the kite responded to Feenia’s emotions. Maeve gently soothed the girl with soft words and a calming melody. Slowly, Feenia’s panic faded, and as it did, the kite descended, surrendering to her will.
As they helped her free, the storm rumbled above, and the shadow of Motherhorn loomed ever closer. The path forward was uncertain, but one thing was clear: fate had brought them to Yon.
| Session 1 | Session 15 | Session 16 | ||
| ◀◀ | ◀ | ▲ | ▶ | ▶▶ |
| Ashira Brolin Frostbite | Ashira Brolin Frostbite | Ashira |
Updated on: 20:43
