The Call of the Wild - 17/03/2022 - A Kavel Perspective

Breakfast at The Dragon with Comrades Derthaad and Gerhard

Over spoonfuls of porridge, I told my comrades about my recent alliance with a dragon and why I have a dragon tattoo on my right bicep now. My investigator comrade was updating me on his work, since I last saw him. He’s been very busy learning about hell since the time I helped him with the captive hag, Hecate.

Gerhard did not seem to be paying much attention. He looked as preoccupied as he does when he’s reading his parchments, except this time - there were no pieces of parchment in front of him.

Another of my comrades joined us for breakfast, Tayz, who was rubbing ointment on his wings. Wearing heavy armour, it turns out, is not conducive to comfortable flight - on this day, he was wearing a leather jerkin.

It turned out that another of my friends was staying at the Dragon - comrade Marto joined us.
Last time I saw the halfling, axe-wielding version of myself, he made a deal in the Witching Court to obtain a spellbook from the gift shop. The deal was one spellbook in exchange for Marto’s carpentry knowledge to be taught over a short period. This was an extremely bizarre deal to me. I didn’t understand how Marto would teach the shop owner carpentry in less time than it was taking me to learn carpentry. I was about to ask Marto if he could teach me so fast, but, then it turned out this was a magical deal - Marto actually gave up his memories of carpentry for a temporary time, no teaching.

“Hey Marto, do you remember your carpentry skills now? What’s a dovetail joint?” I asked.

Marto hadn’t thought about carpentry in a bit, but then he remembered what the dovetail joint looks like, and was happy to see he had his carpentry skills back.

Marto asked me how training was going. I mentioned I was in the Witching Court again, and I went to comrade Zola’s house, and met her three mothers. One of them, Ms Pearl, seemed to be a personal trainer, as she offered to help make me stronger. Since Marto had recently made a deal in the Witching Court, I asked him if I should take Ms Pearl on her offer to help me with strength gains.

“No!” Came comrade Derthaad’s response before Marto was able to answer.

Marto suggested I should only consider the deal, if I take someone with me who might understand Fey deals better than me.

Ms Peal, strangely, was introduced to me as ‘Pearl the Feeble’ - this must be one of those funny nicknames like ‘Little John’ when John is actually very tall.

I thought to myself, “Kavel the Weak”. Ha, ha. This was very funny.

I told Marto that his advice was appreciated. Maybe one of my comrades at the table could be my advisor? I asked Gerhard. At that moment, now the centre of attention at that table, Gerhard told us about his dream last night, how real it felt, and how it was troubling him. The dream was related to the time we were in the Witching Court trying to find his lost friend, Henri.

Marto also mentioned that he was having troubling dreams about the time we were in the Angelbark fighting the sexy demon Adyhel. I wondered if he was upset that I dealt the killing blow, instead of him? Adyhel did more to piss off Marto than me, after all.

Gerhard felt a pull from his longbow guiding him to go north, this was his magical silver longbow, which could find the staircase that takes you to other worlds. We couldn’t let him go on an uncertain adventure all on his own, so we all agreed to join him - but only after packing some food for the journey, after all it was uncertain how long we would be gone. Marto, one step ahead, was at the bar arranging a couple of picnic baskets.


Past the Castleside Gate

We walked out of the city.

Gerhard swore he could hear an ethereal humming. No one else could hear humming. I asked him if he had cleaned his ears recently. Gerhard said his ears were fine, at least he hoped so.

We reached a spot northwest of the city where Gerhard felt the humming was located. On Derthard’s advice, Gerhard checked his bow, and said there was an image of a door opening on his silver bow, when the bow was nearest the location of the humming.

Gerhard suspected this must be where the staircase was, but unlike in the Witching Court, the staircase there opened due to an eclipse - Gerhard did not know how to access the staircase himself.

“Tell me where to smash, comrade, and I’ll smash open the portal,” I offered.

Marto told me to keep that plan in reserve, and with some magical analysis on his part, he suggested to Gerhard to loose an arrow from his bow towards the centre of the humming.

Gerhard nocked an arrow, drew back his bow and let the arrow loose. The arrow disappeared a few feet ahead of him, which resulted in a silvery crack in the air appearing, and tearing itself open, making a crackling noise. The staircase appeared briefly as it gave way to a landscape of rusted metal. Oddly the plane through the portal looked like Thuldanin, the second layer of Archeon, the place where celestials go to battle each other when they die. I remembered tales of the place from when I was little Kavel at school, and told everyone.

Gerhard said he was thinking of the Beastlands when he loosed his arrow. He was surprised at the terrain before us. I asked if his friend Henri was celestial. Gerhard did not believe so.

Comrade Tayz casted the Aid spell on several of us in preparation for entering the portal. Gerhard was worried about forcing anyone to join him through the portal. Marto asked for a show of hands who wanted to go though. Everyones hands went up. With my hand raised, I walked through the portal, and then turned about to face my comrades with my raised hand.

With hands raised, they all stepped through the portal to join me.


Thuldanin

The portal closed behind us as we all set foot on the iron ground.

There was nothing but; rusty metal ground, potholes on the ground, a rust to the sky above, and nothing much on the horizon. I was hoping to see celestials battle, but it wasn’t looking likely in this desolate place. Marto couldn’t find any tracks here, but we did find something silvery on the ground a small ways away from us, and it was the only metal object not rusting. Even our own metal items were beginning to show signs of rust.

The silver object was a silver cane - with a severely decomposed humanoid hand attached to it. The rotted hand looked like a large creature’s hand like a Firbolg or even Goliath. Tayz noted the magical aura emanating from the cane similar to Gerhard’s bow, but weaker. There was talk about a possible curse. I thought they were spending too much time analysing and not enough time actually experimenting. So, I picked up the cane. My head felt like it was set on fire, and I dropped the cane - confirming that there was a curse of some sorts. I explained that I thought I did hear a humming noise when I picked up the cane, but less hum and more scream. Derthaad passed the cane over to Gerhard with his Mage Hand spell. If the cane was another ‘call’ like Gerhard’s silver bow, maybe Gerhard could hold the cane unharmed.

Gerhard confirmed that he could hear a scream with the cane in hand, and he was unharmed. He said the scream was a cry for help. Gerhards silvery arm marking was also shifting around faster than normal, making him feel visibly anxious.

Gerhard slammed the bottom of the cane into the ground causing another crackling, silver tear in the air to appear. A new portal opened up to reveal a plain with a vast forest. We had found a portal to the Beastlands. Gerhard asked if I knew any tales about this place? I did not.

Before we stepped through the portal, the silvery cane in Gerhard’s arm melted painlessly into his forearm and transformed into another silver marking on his arm. The silver had formed into some kind of writing, which Gerhard said appeared to be schematics for upgrading his bow.


Krigala - First Layer of the Beast Plane

As before, the portal closed as we all stepped through.

No more rusting metal equipment. This was a positive. As was the terrain improvement of a vast forest. I would have preferred some mountains, but it was good enough. I was told the sun doesn’t move in this plane, it’s like the opposite of the Witching Court, perhaps?

A herd of deer could be seen a hundred feet away from us. Marto observed that the deers’ tracks started from where we stood. Derthaad found an old green scarf with silver threads running through it, he passed it to Gerhard who recognised it as Henri’s. The scarf was a gift from Gerhard that he bought at a festival. I was unsure whether Gerhard was delighted to be on a confirmed trial of his friend, or worried.

Tayz picked up that something behind us was approaching through the trees and had scared off the deer. Marto used his Message Spell to announce us as friendly.

Thick, tall trees gave way to a gargantuan sized, slate-grey bear. Urson, as he introduced himself to us, said he was just curious about the crackling noise, he had heard it before, about two weeks ago. Going by Gerhard’s description of Henri, Urson confirmed he had seen Henri accompanied by two others heading toward a ruin. Urson was happy to take us there, and he was immense, so we climbed up on his back and he ran us through the forest to a bordering desert where four floating obelisks of increasing size floated in the air, spaced out, encircling something in the sand.

We thanked Urson, who could travel no further than the forest and bid him good day. Marto gave him one of the picnic baskets, as a thank you.

Gerhard recognised these stones from his dream, but again no excitement was showing. I slapped my hands on his shoulders from behind him, “comrade! Where are we going now? Heh?”

“Forward, I guess,” he responded weakly. Gerhard did not sound motivated as I had hoped he would have, after finding a hot lead. Marto kept an eye on him.

Derthaard used magic to clear away the sand by the base of where the first obelisk hovered, revealing a stone plinth. Gerhard could hear the same upset sounds from earlier, this time originating from the stone plinth.

I looked around the plinth for a door. I found something. At the back, there was space for three fingers that looked like it would open a door. I put my fingers in the holes. Marto suggested Gerhard should try opening it.

“But I am the strongest?” I quite logically and correctly pointed out.

Marto then pointed out that he wasn’t denying the obvious fact, but he remembered I was hurt by psychic magic last time I did anything relating to Gerhard’s staircase magic.

Marto made a very good point.

“Yes. Gerhard task.” I said, as I immediately removed my fingers from the plinth’s holes and walked out of the way with my arms held high, surrendering the task of opening the door to comrade Gerhard.

Gerhard proceeded to try the door, and it opened. It opened with the sound of a horrible, screeching noise. The four obelisks in the air spun around faster and faster and dropped onto and into the plinth one by one, magically disappearing as they did.

The plinth shone brightly, and the staircase appeared once again. But, this time the staircase remained and no other plaine materialised.

Gerhard was particularly worried he could not get us back to Kantas if we joined him through this portal. Marto convinced him that this was our best option to head back.

Before we went in, we made a point to stick together, because we were uncertain about how the staircase worked. We all stepped through, and for the first time ever in our silvery portal journeys, we were actually standing on the staircase.


The Never Ending Staircase

Other than the silvery staircase itself, we were in a white void with random doors of different designs occasionally resting by the side of the staircase at various intervals.

Woah! This was amazing! I thought to myself, and I wondered how high the staircase would go. So, I put thought into action and started climbing the stairs, leaving the others behind.

I couldn’t remember if the others were saying anything. I think it’s possible Gerhard went down the stairs rather than up, like me. The others I presumed were happy to just stand on the staircase. So strange.

I was only a few steps up on my journey to the very top, when I saw a stone framed door. I remember how fascinating I thought it was. So again, I put thought into action and pushed the door open wide and proceeded to take a big step into the river of magma that was about five feet below the entrance…

… fortunately comrade Tayz had followed me up the stairs and was pulling me away from the entrance. Derthaad came to help as well.

Firmly back on the staircase, the stone framed door closed itself and vanished. My mind felt a little clearer, and at that moment, I was far less excited about exploring the staircase.

We could hear noise coming from below. It was Marto and Gerhard. There was a struggle and a familiar sight of teleporting mist.

“He’s gone through on his own!” Marto shouted.

Tayz glided down the stairs as Derthaad and I ran.

As we dove through the door, we could see the plane we were entering was very red. Red rolling hills, a city of metal on the horizon, and parts of the terrain were on fire.


The City of Dis - The Second Layer of Hell

When the portal shut behind us this time, it really felt like we were abandoned in an unwelcoming environment.

My more knowledgeable comrades concluded we were in Hell, the second layer, the City of Dis.

There was someone most of us that day knew that came from the hells. I asked Marto if he was keen to go find Adyhel, so we could kill him here like we did in the Angelbark. I said, “you could be the one to finish him this time.” Marto was not so keen. Like Gerhard, Marto was strangely less motivated than I expected.

A voice came from behind us. We turned around. Gerhard, with the scarf from earlier in hand, spoke to the man a few feet away from us, “think you dropped this,” and Gerhard ran straight toward the man only for his arms to go straight through him, as if the man, Henri, was a ghost. Henri seemed to be speaking more, but we couldn’t hear him.

Fortunately, both Gerhard and Derthaad could read lips. They understood, and told us some of what Henri was saying. Henri had been travelling the staircase, having a great time and had met someone.

We were interrupted by a new voice.

“Aren’t you a smart one. And you as well.”

There was a new person standing next to Henri. The male figure was dressed elegantly and had a familiar dark complexion, blackened fingers and wisps of black mist exuding from his body. This man, very similar to Adyhel, introduced himself as Mister.

Mister claimed that Henri was with him. Gerhard tried to punch Mister, but his hand went through Mister like it did when he tried to hug Henri.

Mister also made the claim that he is part of the staircase, and he didn’t kidnap Henri, he invites people to join him; they are free to leave if they wish.

Marto asked, and Mister, with a mere flick of his fingers, released the magic that made it so Henri could not converse with us. Gerhard tried to convince Henri to come with us. But, Henri seemed happy where he was.

I asked, and Mister, with a mere flick of his fingers, released the magic that made Henri incorporeal. Gerhard was able to hug Henri, and up close could see veins of silver around Henri’s iris.

Tayz felt that medically Henri was fine.

Derthaad could not detect any enchantment magic, but did note that Henri seemed more fanatical about the staircase than the pit fiend and water genasi we met on the moon.

Tayz attempted a high level spell that could remove magical curses, but Mister pushed him back with magical force and interrupted the spell. Mister had earlier countered Derthaad’s often well timed Counterspell. Mister was clearly very powerful in magic.

My poor comrade Gerhard had tears rolling down his eyes. He was so close to getting his friend, who he thought had died, back. Henri himself did not seem to want to leave. It appeared magic was involved, and yet my comrades had failed to truly establish this, and it was becoming clearer that we had no negotiable position with Mister, nor were we perceived as a threat by Mister.

There was, unfortunately, nothing we could do.

Marto consoled Gerhard that maybe we could come back with a plan, “there has to be another way,” he said. I myself suggested that maybe this is something the head cleric at the temple of Selune could deal with, like he did for Kruger - Gerhard was there, when Rohlar removed the lycanthropy curse from Kruger.

Mister, who was looking between Henri and Gerhard, seemed to become fascinated in Gerhard’s arm where the new silver schematic had appeared.

In their last moment together, Henri asked Gerhard to join him. But, Gerhard felt he would disappoint us, if he stayed. So, comrade Gerhard had to watch as Mister put his hand on Henri’s shoulder, and they both faded away. In their place, an ornate double door appeared, swung open and revealed a familiar view through the portal doors - it was the road towards Daring Height, the Castleside road.

My friend Gerhard was defeated. He was unable to retrieve his friend, and now it seemed that taking a step through the portal back to Kantas was going to feel like further failure, and so he just stood there.

Marto offered comfort to our friend, he tried to help Gerhard see this as not abandonment, or giving up. I offered that we at least now know that Henri is alive, and also where to find him.

With some reluctance, Gerhard joined us as we stepped through the double door portal, and stepped foot back in Kantas.


Picnic Outside The City

We stopped before re-entering the city to sit down on a field and just let the events that happened sink in, and fade to the background of our minds, as much as they could. Defeat is not easy to deal with.

I went back to the Dragon to pick up a replacement picnic basket for the one we gave Urson, and I got a casket of beer. I brought it back to my comrades at our picnic area.

We managed to get some chat out of Gerhard while we consumed the contents of the picnic baskets and drank. Gerhard mentioned his recent travel to Arva, north of the Angelbark where there were tribes of centaurs, who valued survival and strength above all else. Naturally the strength part was interesting to me.

Derthaad had to update the watch, and Marto and I had to return to Fort Ettin. We left Tayz to stay with Gerhard back at the Dragon.

I will have to check in on Comrade Gerhard whenever I can. With any luck, the key to helping his friend Henri can be found in the schematics on Gerhard’s arm. Whenever he makes his weapon upgrade, I’ll be ready to join him on another journey on the staircase.