Forests and Festivals

The Boiling Isle

Upon seeing his ship sink beneath the waves, Darien and Smithy set about making repairs to the clockwork vessel. Smithy soon realized that the ship's engine required biomatter to burn, and after resting to recover from the fight the two survivors rowed to the shore of Ternion Isle to harvest wood for the ship. While Smithy buried Gimble's body on the beach, Darien attempted to cut down a tree on the outskirts of the island's jungle only to be met with a spray of acidic sap. The two began investigating nearby trees in an attempt to find one safe to cut down. Soon, Darien noticed a small white and gold capuchin monkey in the jungle canopy that appeared to be trying to get his attention. It led them to a copse of trees in the jungle, seeming to point out one specific tree. Darien began cutting it down and found it to be safe.
As the two chopped down the tree, they heard a rustling in the nearby brush and realized the noise had attracted a strange muscular, gorilla-like creature with the face of a bear, green fur, and long claws. As it charged them Smithy attempted to injure it with sacred flame, only to witness the spell have no effect. Darien, having re-summoned his steed Kerrygold, darted out of the beast's range after taking a heavy hit from it. Smithy attempted to heal Darien, only for the creature to let loose a strange howl that not only nullified the restorative energy from Smithy's spell but caused searing pain. Smithy, now facing the beast headon, attempted to shield himself and managed to stand his ground long enough for Darien to come up from behind and fully slay the beast. In the aftermath of the battle, the two found a nearby cave to take shelter in and recover before finishing their harvest operation and returning to the ship. Soon, the ship's engines were functional and the vessel began sailing to the island of Kassoth, making shockingly fast time. Upon learning that the ship was not given a name, Darien dubs it the Holy Diver.

Up the Irons

As they approached Kassoth, Darien and Smithy elected to hide the ship in a small cove so as not to draw attention to its strange design. After mooring in an abandoned jetty, they entered Kesh on foot and found the city in the midst of a celebration called the Feast of Irons. The two attempted to make contact with Burton Weller but were sternly rejected by his manservant, a full-blooded troll who told them to return the next day. With time to kill, the two elected to participate in the festivities, during which Smithy took first place in the crafting competition by forging an intricate sword and shield.
During the festival, Darien was approached on multiple occasions by individuals with golden hair wearing white clothing. While speaking to one of these, a small child, he realized that Smithy could not see or hear who he was speaking to. This behavior drew the attention of an elven woman in the crowd, who soon confronted Darien in a side alley. She introduced herself as Ciana, and seemed stunned that Darien was able to converse with these individuals as up until now she had believed she was the only one who could see them. She gave Darien a bag of 50 gold, telling he and Smithy to stay at a nearby tavern named Port of Call, and said she would return to discuss the matter in the morning. As the day's festivities wound down, they booked a room for the night and went to sleep.

Chapter Two

"Forests and Festivals"

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Previous Chapter: Like Clockwork

Next Chapter: Mysteries Abound

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Ingame Date: 11-13^th of High Sun, 1855
Real-Life Date: March 27, 2022
Protagonists:

• Darien Lothar
• Smithy

Featured NPCs:

• Xaroxes Oldcedar
• Ciana

Locations:

• Ternion Isle
• Kesh