Episode 21
General Summary
With Nistaun rid of its hag and ghost problem, the group move on to the issues of one particular spectre - Arthur and his missing boats. The Unlikely Association head to the south western part of town and find Jason's house. The group find Jason living with his wife and son in a less than ideal situation - like most of the town. Atlas disguises himself as a 'settler of accounts' and persuades Jason to follow him to the graveyard. Once there, Arthur returns to berate his nephew for disobeying his orders. Through a heated exchange, it's revealed that Arthur was a bit fast and loose with his coin, and the prized boots he wanted were actually worthless.
The issue is eventually resolved with Atlas giving Jason a large amount of coin to turn his family's life around. Arthur realises that perhaps he is being a little bit selfish and a little bit silly, and thanks the group by allowing them to take his prized gloves - which actually are worth something. With everything laid to rest, Arthur moves on to his afterlife.
The party then head back to the The Horn & Sprite, where Jeanie Gatehouse has gathered a handful of townsfolk to celebrate the party's victory and wish them well. Even Namu Virilly the bartender seems to be in a slightly improved mood.
Having done some timing calculations, the party realise they won't be able to escort Tokira to Kitaun, and so Leah breaks the news to the dark elf. She seems only slightly disappointed, and hopes that she can persuade somebody from Nistaun to escort her with the promise of some coin.
The party head straight on out towards the Erfu Forest, finding a place to rest overnight. During the night, a strange distant storm can be heard rumbling way - lasting for almost the entire night.
The following day, the party find theirselves on the outskirts of the Erfu Forest. The large magical forest is bustling with life, providing a stark contrast to the last forest the group found themselves in.
With no idea on where they need to go, the party travel for some time; led by Leah who discovers some Owlbear tracks. The group eventually find themselves on a small cliff overlooking a river. Down below, a mama Owlbear is teaching her young cub how to hunt for fish. Leah creeps forward to take a closer look, and notices something emerging from the river... several serpentine heads burst from the water, one of them snatching up the young Owlbear.
Before there's time to do anything else, Leah unleashes a lightning bolt at the beast - a Hydra by no mistake - and blasts one of its heads, spraying hydra parts everywhere. The Hydra then attacks the party, snapping with acid-dripping teeth at each of them. With a couple of close calls, the Hydra is eventually defeated and the Owlbears are saved.
As the quiet returns to the forest, Atlas notices a pair of eyes watching them in the treeline... then another, and another, and another. Several elves emerge from hiding spots, headed up by a male elf wielding a longbow crafted from blackened wood. Many more elves flank him, pointing their bows at the party. The lead elf introduces himself as General Rennyn Lhoril. He is impressed by the group's display of combat and compassion for the Owlbears, and confirms that they have been waiting for this group. Even so, he remains cautious and standoffish towards them, and bows are trained on the party at all times as he leads them through the forest.
Rennyn takes the group deeper into the Erfu Forest, and they travel for a few hours. Part of the route seems to repeat itself, winding pointlessly and circling around on occasion. Along the way, the party encounter a party of Centaurs who speak privately to Rennyn, and a Treant casually walking through the trees.
Rennyn eventually brings the group to an enormous fallen tree, at the roots, steps have been carved into the wood so that they can all climb onto the top of the trunk. Walking up to the head of the tree, Rennyn pulls something out from under his collar and mutters a few arcane words. As he does so, a portal appears.
Stepping through the portal, the party find themselves on a high wall, looking down upon the magical city of elves. Bathed in a soft orange light, the city looks to be roughly the size of Kureta City, except whereas only a few buildings in the country's capital are constructed in an ornate style using Kurete; here nearly every building is. Large towers surround the city, pulsing with magical energy that seems to construct large bridges of magic. Smaller such bridges of magic can be seen throughout the city, with elves walking atop them. In the middle of the city sits an enormous tree, haloed in light.
Rennyn brings the party down the outer wall into the city, leading them to the Elven High Council building. Here they are met by Kaylessa Moonsnow, a clerk who works for the High Council. She questions the group on who they are and why they're here, and takes Leah aside to ask some private questions too. Satisfied, she goes to retrieve Vesstan Silverbow - a member of the High Council.
The old elf asks the group for further details on their reason for being in the city, and agrees to take their request to the High Council. The party are instructed to leave their weapons and spell components at the High Council building, and to stay at the Green Sword Tavern for the night. They will be given an answer in the morning.
An escort leads the group to the tavern, where they take an uncomfortable seat - many elven eyes upon them. A female elf enters a short while afterwards, and whispers to the party's table to follow her into a back room...
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