Embers of the Wilds: Episode 12

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==Synopsis==
The party investigate the Choker attack on Trog Canyon and find they also attacked a nearby new draconian watchtower. The draconians have been killing monsters that approach the town from the west, so the townsfolk are comforted despite the uneasy closeness of the tower. One of the attacks the draconians repel is a magmin attack. The party investigate the magmin cave and find it is still flooded, so these magmin came from somewhere else.
Some weeks later a underground lake is discovered in the mine, releasing magic that makes the thin layer of magic over the town even thicker. The party investigate the underground lake and find a water spirit residing there, and the walls having many ore deposits. The party find they are unable to communicate with the spirit that lives in the lake, but the spirit does not want the ores removed near her. At the end of the month the wizard Henrietta returns to Trog Canyon. Henrietta investigates the underground lake and gives the party advice on how to handle it.
==Recap==
===4th August - Choker Attack Aftermath===
The last of the Chokers have been defeated in Trog Canyon early in the morning. The deputies drag the choker bodies away. Deputy reports to Sheriff Kyra had been on watch and said she heard the chokers had come from both up river and down river; both sides of town at the same time.
Everyone decides to start their investigation in the morning when it is light out.
===4th August - The Draconian Watchtower===
The party wake up and begin their investigation. They easily find the tracks at the West end of town along the side of the riverbank and heading from up river.
Half a kilometre outside of town are 6 choker bodies stacked upon one another, with evidence they were slain by draconians. Nearby is a brand new watch tower that has been built.
The party approach the new draconian watchtower. It is 20-foot tall wooden tower with a roof that is still under construction. On top of the tower are a 2 Kapak Draconians (copper archers), while at the base are 2 Baaz Draconians (bronze melee) working as laborers cutting wood for the tower construction. Pearl tries walking with the draconians about the choker attack last night, but none of the draconians here appear to speak common.
While investigating around, Pearl notices some tracks made by a larger draconian than the party have encountered before. Kyra is suspicious of the draconian watchtower being only half a kilometre away from Trog Canyon. Pearl deduces that if the draconians hadn't been here, those 5 chokers would have attacked Trog Canyon with the others. Tristelle suggests the draconians aren't watching the town per se, but something in the area they need to keep an eye on.
The posse return to town. As they near town they encounter a hunting party coming out of Trog Canyon that includes . Pearl warns Lydia and the hunters about the Draconians.
The posse reach Trog Canyon and warn the townsfolk about the developing situation. While the nearby tower is concerning, the draconians taking care of 6 of the chokers last night is somewhat assuring.
===6th August - New Town Project===
The drawbridges are due to be finished at the end of the month. Tristelle suggests the town build a watchtower of their own next, but points out the fear that would make the position of the canyon more visible. Pearl suggests a raising case at the edge of town that is pulled up in the case of emergencies, but they would need to see more examples of portcullis to understand the required engineering of it.
Tristelle then suggests an outdoor stage for performances to occur on, including herself. The carpenter, , says he could start construction in 3 months since he has other projects at the moment. Tristelle agrees and will have plans made.
===10th August - Magmin Flow In===
On the river flow the corpses of several magmin, slain by the draconians up-river. Kyra gathers the posse together to check out the magin cave to see if the situation there has changed since they flooded back in April.
The cave is still flooded, but the nearby river now flows around the cave and not into it.
As the party return to town they see a chimera flying overhead in the sky. It circles in the sky above Trog Canyon for a while before flying away to the west. 
===11th August - Town Self-Defence===
Sherif Kyra suggests to the townsfolk that they be trained with spear or bow for self-defence purposes. Some are willing but most of the townsfolk are not.
The blacksmith and carpenter could make the new arrows and weapons, but are busy with the current projects. They suggest the party venture to Kah-Ella and see if they can obtain the weaponry there. The party don't want to leave town while the wizard is due to arrive in town this month.
===12th August - Martha's Blessing===
3 sets of twins are born into the town unexpectedly during the week. The town cleric, , declares this a blessing from the goddess Martha. A festival is held.
===18th August - Heat Wave===
There is a heatwave and Mayor warns everyone to be safe with fires. Pearl feels singled by Barnaby out since she caused a fire with magic in town when she was much younger. Barnaby tries to assure Pearl that he is talking with everyone, not just her.
===25th August - The Glory Hole===
While working at the mine, manages to break down a wall to reveal a large underground chamber. The chamber drops down 110 feet into water, and extends 50 feet left and right, with an unknown depth.
Tristelle casts and finds the air is thicker with magic than the usual thin layer of magic everywhere. The party discuses how to get down to the water and to some visible land below. Tristelle casts to give herself Cat's Grace and climbs down a rope ladder to the water, and leaps over to the muddy land. Pearl tosses down 4 lit torches into the mud. The light shows that this water is an underwater lake that extends to the north. Kyra heads down the ladder with her armor off. Pearl stays above in the mine.
Tristelle casts on herself and Kyra. The 2 then walk along the lake edge and after 200-feet they find the lake connects to a body of water that goes along a underground canyon. Tristelle casts again and detects a magical source coming from the water that is moderate conjuration magic, as well as the ambient magic in the air. The walls of the cavern are also littered with ore veins of silver, iron, and little bits of gold.
A longer rope ladder is lowered and fastened to allow easier climbing down between the mine above and the edge of the lake below. Gloria insists on coming down the rope ladder to see her discovery. After collecting some gold from the wall, Gloria goes back up the ladder to show the other miners. Pearl climbs down to where Kyra and Tristelle are.
The party call out to the water where Tristelle had detected the magic. Something begins to rise out. The party climb up the ladder and keep calling out. The swelling stops and the lake goes still again.
Tristelle skips a copper coin across the surface of the water. After 2 skips a wave rises out of the water, catches the coin, and lowers back into the water. Then a water spirit of some kind rises out of the water (semi-long non-elven ears, thin hair, with a long face, wide eyes, appearing female (Maybe a Nereid?) ). Tristelle and Kyra are still invisible, so the spirit doesn't see them, and goes back into the water.
Pearls explains the situation to , the mine foreman. He wants the gold deposits so calls out from up the top of the ladder loudly, asking permission to enter the cavern and mine the deposits. Chester then gives an offering of water from a bucket. The spirit does not emerge.
Pearl uses her to make an ice cube from water in a bucket then puts the cube into the lake below. The water sprit emerges again. The humanoid water spirit stands on top of the water, its body seems to be made entirely of water. In the hand of the water spirit is the ice cube. The spirit looks around, sees no one around, and then starts to throw water at the lit torches, putting them out. Pearl calls out to the spirit, and the sprit stops and looks around but can't find Pearl from her spot 110 feet above, up the rope ladder. Kyra breaks invisibility by slapping herself, allowing the spirit to find her.
The water spirit speaks, but it's language sounds like flowing water. It appears not to be able to speak common. Tristelle breaks her own invisibility spell by casting . The illusion is of a large smiling face made of bioluminescence. The water spirit aborbs the illusion and then goes back underwater.
The party conclude the spirit doesn't like fire but was fine with light. Tristelle begins to play a smoothing song. The lake reacts to the music, rippling in response to each type of note. Kyra puts her hand in the water and finds a hand holding her hand under the water. The spirit tries to gently pull Kyra into the water, but she resists, so the elemental stops pulling.
Pearl tries to make Gloria feel involved since she found the cavern and gives Gloria the option of naming the hole. Gloria calls it the Glory Holy, to the amusement of the other miners.
Kyra tries to use a pickaxe on some of the nearby ore, the sound of which seems to anger the water spirit so Kyra stops. Tristelle soothes the spirit with another song.
The party tell Chester and the other miners that the Water Spirit won't allow them to mine the walls of the underground lake. Tristelle assures the miners they will try to find other means to communicate with the spirit. Foreman Chester and the miners accept the situation since the minerals aren't going anywhere. The miners seal off the chamber with a leather-made seal. 
The party feel they have exhausted their investigation powers, so will wait for Henrietta to arrive who may be able to help more. If Tristelle had a pearl she could cast to understand more. 
===30th August - Henrietta's Return===
The day before the new drawbridges are due to be finished, Henrietta arrives in town on foot. Sheriff Kyra greets Henrietta. Henrietta observes the layer of magic over the town is now thicker. Kyra explains about the underground lake and the water spirit.
Pearl arrives and she brings up that told her the tabaxi live north in the jungles. Henrietta says she just came from Fairport and spoke with Silvanothernis recently. It is the first dragon Henrietta has seen since the war 20 years ago. Pearl shows off her spell in making ice cubes, using water from the river.
The party gather Tristelle and go back into the mine with Henrietta and show her the Glory Hole. Pearl reattaches the base of the rope ladder (using a Tides of Chaos for advantage on the climb check). Henrietta casts and finds what Tristelle had detected last time. Pearl points out the water spirit responded positively to Tristelle's music. 
Henrietta explains to the party that the world they live on is in the Prime Material Plane and water elementals come from the Plan of Water, one of the 4 elemental planes that are used to make the Prime Material Plane. Henrietta explains that elementals largely don't like being away from their home plane and typically just want to go home, but this elemental responding positively to the music is a good sign. The elemental doesn't have a way home, and would need something like a Minor Gateway spell in order to get home, but Henrietta does not have this spell.
Henrietta explains that water spirits have a lifeforce and depending on the size of it, it can control and inhabit that amount of water.
Pearl make an ice cube with on some of the water from the underground lake. The water spirit takes the ice cube in a watery hand and is dragged under. Henrietta casts a spell, illuminating the cavern. After walking around they see the same underground canyon the party saw before. 
Henrietta commends the party on not slaying the elemental for the minerals. Kyra keeps to herself that she was unsure they could even take the elemental in a fight.
The party discuss taking a canoe down the underground canyon. The danger is there is no shoreline to go on if something goes wrong in the canoe. During winter (when the world is more overlapped with the elemental plane of water) may change things. Tristelle suggests moving the water elemental from this underground lake to someplace safer. Henrietta says these are good plans, but she doesn't know what the coutcome would be.
The party leave the glory hole and discuss the nearby region. Henrietta explains about the lawlessness in the land and that Fairport is feeding criminals to the dragon as a way of deterrent to pirates and raiders. Also that the ruined town of Ipsum is overrun by the dinosaurs that were once kept under control by the missing prince. Kah-Ella is a twin city on the river that still stands.
North of the mountains north of Fairport and Ipsum, towns have been raided from the sea. Rumour has it that preceding the attacks a lone person washes up on shore in the town and is nursed back to health. Days or weeks later the pirates arrive. =
Tristelle buys a pearl off Henrietta for 140 gold (paid all in Silver Coins) 
===31st August - Drawbridge Completed===
The drawbridges are completed. Now all the stairs down the canyon can be raised. The plan is for the stairs to be raised at night by default, and pulled up as needed at other times.
Pearl visits with Henrietta who is staying at the same inn as Tristelle ('s inn). Pearl brings up the chimera to Henrietta they saw a few weeks ago. Henrietta explains just how dangerous a chimera is to Pearl.
Pearl then reveals about Greg the Golem which Henrietta wants to see right away. Along the way to the temple where the Golem is kept they encounter Tristelle who is with 4 of her suiters trying to give her roses, each a different color (White, Orange, Blue, Pink). The four suitors have argued all week over who knows Tristelle the best in choosing their roses. Tristelle politely accepts all four roses but reveals red roses are actually her favourite to the dismay of her suitors.
The party is joined by Jesse and Kyra along the way to the temple. Annabelle is concerned with telling Henrietta the secrets of the town. Pearl tells Henrietta this might be the only way to find out how to repair the golem. Henrietta asks many questions on how Greg the Golem works. Henrietta wishes to buy the golem. Kyra says the only price is for Henrietta to take up permanent residence in Trog Canyon. Henrietta says she can't do that, but she will seek out something that Trog Canyon would want more than the golem one day and trade it in the future. Henrietta says she knows no way of repairing the golem.
Kyra says there is an active golem in Northridge that they do not know how to control. Henrietta decides she will leave town today and head to Northridge next for the golem there. 
==Experience==
No experience given this episode
Category:Embers of the Wilds Episodes