No Crane, No Gain

## Synopsis

In Season 2, Chapter 34: No Crane, No Gain, Graven spent some time during our rest enjoying the fortified feeling that his new powers afforded him – capabilities that would be of the utmost importance if he ever needed to do battle with another cleric… or resist the will of the divine.

Leaving behind a thankful owlbear who now had the temple to itself, we set out knowing our spellcasters were running on fumes – so it was important to be mindful of any dangerous engagements as we kept progressing east in the hopes of arriving at the isthmus with time to spare.

Fortunately, the next signs of life weren't threats at all – but rather a group of initiates practicing forms within one of the many abandoned dwellings scattered throughout the woods.  Studying the newly-established "Way of the Closed Foot", these monks were of mixed competence but showed bravery by training in such a hostile environment.

Their leader challenged us to a kind of exhibition match to demonstrate the technique, where Erland quickly bested him – imparting some wisdom of his own about readiness and vigilance.  For our efforts we received another spell scroll to add to our growing collection – along with some useful intel about hazards and landmarks in the surrounding area.

Believing we were fast approaching the Sagging Caverns of shit-list fame, we were sidetracked when Safira spotted a curiously dapper owl who seemed to be following us through the forest.  Using some speak with animals magic, she learned that the owl was a former warden of the Acqly Grove – just like the tortoise contained within her wild ordnance weapon.

As a woodland guardian who disapproved of the raiding activity on the peninsula, the hooting Scooter the Astute was loathe to ask humans for help – but he had a problem that he could not solve alone, and the bond of trust between Safira and her spirits was enough to grant her the benefit of the doubt.

In a nearby hollow, brigands had imprisoned an eblis with the intent to bully it into domestication – and it was Scooter's wish that the creature be freed as soon as possible.  To keep the bandits out, the owl had inflicted the tunnels with a curse that required specific gestures in response to sounds, so anyone going inside would have to contend with both hostile magic and an angry seven-foot bird.

As the healthiest among us, Safira and Graven entered the cave while Orba and Erland kept watch – and after nearly disturbing a nest of ice spiders on our way through, we reached a dead end and found the distressed eblis locked in an iron cage. Not knowing we were there to help, the bird squawked and nipped at us repeatedly – causing us to almost miss the calls of warning coming from outside.

Scooter brought our attention to three approaching bandits whose attire suggested they were there to fetch the eblis, meaning we needed to hasten our exit and hope that Erland and Orba would get the drop on them while hiding in the branches overhead.

Orba summoned a cloud of darkness that sent them into a fit of panic – and despite their leading proving to be quite elusive, they'd come unprepared for a fight and were grossly outmatched.  It was only seconds later that they made the decision to abandon their mission, but Graven – emerging from the hollow as escort to the bird – unleashed a potent guiding bolt that ensured one corpse would stay behind as a warning to the others.

Scooter was grateful and so too was the eblis, who lent its broken spirit to Safira's bow. As we said our final farewells, we agreed that taking on the Sagging Caverns today might be biting off more than we could chew and we vowed to do little more than scout ahead before finding a spot to make camp.

## Trivia

* Natural one count: one natural one was rolled in this Chapter, by John.