The Ascent

After defeating the disciple of Mytor we found ourselves no longer on the Material Plane. I can only guess that we are in the Fey Wild. I have read a lot about the different planes of existence, and among my reading the Fey Wild was an area in which I have read about. However it is nothing like what I read about. I now find myself and my companions among a world of decay, and ruin.
 
To my understanding the Fey Wild is where my ancestors come from and it should be a place full of magic, both wild and dangerous. Instead we find the plane in a state of decay and corruption. The creatures and plant life here are being mutated and changed by some unseen force. My only guess is that whatever is affecting the Prime Material Plane is some how bleeding over into this plane.
 
After our encounter with the disciple of Mytor we found ourselves stranded with no way of returning. It was also at this point we noticed that our companion Pythagoras suddenly was gone and come to think of it, my memory of him seems fuzzy at best. I can’t really remember him being there or not. I would like to believe he was but maybe this place is having some sort of affect on me.
 
With no solutions to our problem presenting themselves and my companions and I unable to present a solution to getting home, our best course of action was to journey across this land and seek aid. Acting as our groups self-appointed scout and again not wanting to be caught at unawares I took it upon myself to act as a lookout as we journeyed. Unfortunately I am not use the terrain and all of its obstacles, needless to say I was not as stealthy as I would have liked to be. While I was doing that our very capable Druid was able to communicate with a weird creature. After convincing it that we needed help and it convincing Willow that it could help us we where led to the house of a Warden/Protector.
 
After introducing ourselves and requesting her aid or at the very least shelter for the night we she was kind enough to provide both. In our conversations with her it was made clear she could have left this plane to flee what is affecting it. Fortunately for us she has decided that she would stay and help others who maybe trapped here. In listening to her, I got the sense that while she was telling the truth it wasn’t the whole truth, but I was unable to discern what she was keeping from us. I later talked with Vater about this, and he also seemed suspicious of her. But also I feel like maybe he is wearing off on me, and while being cautious can be a good thing I don’t want to be suspicious of everyone and everything.
 
After passing an uneventful evening in her home we awoke to find a wonderfully prepared breakfast. It was very delicious and as equally kind of her to provide us with such a meal. Before we departed she gave us some directions to a place that we could find a means of returning home but it was not without a warning. Like this plane the cave we needed to find was slowing being corrupted and turned into a mockery of what it was originally. But our need being what it was we still had to try.
 
We journey for some time through the weird landscape, and I again acted as scout without much success. But we did eventually find the cave and Barnabus being determined to get back to the All-mother went in without hesitation. Before we did though Enna cast a spell to communicate with her God and told us that we were on the right path. Were it not for wanting to be caught unawares I have played the role of scout, but I really could have and should have been helping to carry the body of Vater’s Commander through this portion of our journey. So as we entered this cave I lent a helping hand to Vater. Our progress through the cave was slow if only because caves can be dangerous and we had no idea where we had to go.
 
We did eventually come to a point where our path became two different paths. To get an idea of what path we should take Willow, Vater, and myself scouted the path to the left. Unfortunately for us the path came to a dead end of sorts. What I mean by that is that while our path forward came to a stop we still could have continued to move “forward” but that would have meant we had to climb down a hold in the cavern that we found ourselves in. Yet we could not gaugehow far away the bottom was so we tried dropping stones enhanced with the light spell to see if we could find the bottom. My Elven eyes were able to spot that the stone did indeed hit bottom but that there was something else living at the bottom of this hole and my best guess is that it is a spider.
 
Having come to that realization, we decided to take the other path as it seemed like our best option. After continuing for some time we found ourselves, this time, at a three way cross road. But we all went one way rather than scout ahead, which is really what we should had done but hind sight is always 20/20. This path lead us to a sub-terranean lake, how big it was none of us could really guess. Again our decision was made easier by the appearance of some unseen watcher in this lake making its presence known to us.
 
Left with two choices, and with what information we had after looking for any sign of life, we took the path made by hoofs. This is where things got a little weird. After seeing some markings on the wall, Vater went to inspect it and ended up licking the wall… I am not entirely sure what he hoped to gain out of that but he seem convinced that it wasn’t what he thought. I have seen odd things in my travels across Fabel, but this is right up near the top of that list.
 
Pushing deeper and deeper into the cave we cam about a tower, which I can only assume is the place where we will find a means to get home by. We knocked on the front door and the doors opened of their own accord, which was kind of creepy. But to my utter amazement I found myself in a wonderous library. Fortunately all of the books are written in Sylvan but unfortunately the books are in utter ruin. Knowledge is a thing to be preserved and passed on and who knows what information was in these books that is now lost to the world. It is a shame.
 
In our search for clues or for someone to help us we ran across these weird goat people. Which at this point I can only assume that were at one point in time some of the care takers of this library. After doing battle with these creatures we noticed that their was a weird clock design in the floor with symbols. Each marking a discipline of the warrior. I believe that I was able to interpret the correct symbol for the discipline to which I have dedicated my life.
 
The next level was as equally as impressive as the one below. But like the one below, there was nothing that could help truly help us. On this level was the enormous skeleton of a creature that I have no clue as to what it was. However Willow got the sense that we shouldn’t touch anything, and we did not. So we kept climbing.

Finding no clues there we continued our journey up this tower. The next level looked to be a museum of some sort. There were bones of many animals I know of and some I’ve never seen. There was a bluish sphere imbedded in the bone of a creature, which caught Vater and my attention, but for fear of touching something we should we left it alone. So our journey continued upward.
Upon reaching the next level we were confronted by two more humanoid figures. To my horror it appeared that these two creatures were the ones responsible for destroying the books. Words cannot express how devasted I was to see that. They somehow knew we were the ones causing the commotion on the lower levels of the tower but failed to provide an explanation of how they knew that. Hoping to garner some information from them we asked them questions but got nothing out of them really. Except what we were seeking was on the next level up.
 
Seizing on the opportunity to get the help we were looking for I followed the one creature to the door way to the next level, and Vater was willing to accompany me. I figured it might be a trap but I was hoping to foil it and get some help for everyone. Once in the stairwell the creature slammed the doors shut and locked us in leaving us with but one option, to head up the stairs. What we found was what appeared to be a bottom less pit, which shouldn’t exist where it was, lined with books. It was also surrounded by pillars that come up to waist height.
 
Vater and I searched for anything we could find as means for getting home, with no success. Not too long after starting our search the others joined us at the top of the tower, where I learned that they killed the two creatures. I feel bad about abandoning my friends but I honestly thought there might be a way to avoid fighting them and find a way home. Luckily for me I have very capable friends. I am glad that I have met them and honored to journey alongside of them.
 
After searching as a group for anything that might help us, I believe that it was Vater or Barnabus who found that on top of the pillars where invisible books. Thinking back to the floor on the second level of this tower, I did my best to go to the pillar I thought represented my lifes discipline. I was able to find a book there with a face on it, but not able to read anything in the book, unfortunately. I believe out of curiosity and frustration Vater threw his book down into the pit, and the wind to start sucking things into the pit. I was fortunate to be able to grab on to a pillar before I was sucked in the pit, as was Barnabus, but Vater, Enna, and Willow were not so lucky.
 
Using their abilities the three of them didn’t go to far down the pit, yet far enough that we had to use a rope. After a few minutes the three of them were able to make their way up to the top where Barnabus and I were. The wind had died down at this point so we were able to stand there with out fear of going in. I do not know how were are going to find out way out of this predicament as I can think of no solutions right now. There has to be something we are over looking that when we find it, it will seem very obvious that its what we should have done in the first place.
I am curious to see what the book I now have is, as I cannot read it. It intrigues me to find out more about it. I just hope that I can keep this book and it isn’t part of the solution to getting out of here. But if it is, then I will have to live with that.