Session 36, The Ruins, The Boy, and Loraine
Paldegora
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Session 36 – 2024-03-02
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Summary
The Party was pretty badly beaten. They had just killed Mathias, Yoakum, and Jarah. Earlier they’d killed Sarah and many of her guards. They’d had little time to recover. They all looked at the map on the table and looked through the telescopes to get their bearings. They’d all seen the ruins, the downed airship, and the mountains they were to get through. The ruins were closest while the ship was a little beyond that and mountains, of course, at the limits of their sight. They determined what items they’d found were magical. They had ten items to identify. They will rest the night here and travel north in the morning. They’d have to identify five items at a time, each night, before resting to allow some time for Symon to recover each night before starting out again the next day. They picked places to rest in the temple structure. Eryn squeezed in a bath before resting. Symon questioned George Mary for a while before going to sleep. George Mary described the world, from a pirate’s perspective of course.
The next morning, they stocked up on supplies, packed them on the horses, and left. The terrain was mostly flat with little cover save the constant low-hanging mist. That provided excellent cover. That day’s journey passed uneventfully. That night, before they rested, Symon identified five items. The armor was +4 black chainmail, Cassandra took that. The ring was a ring of protection + 1, Angelique took that. The gauntlets were gauntlets of Ogre Power, Eryn took those. The glasses were spectacles of understanding, Cal took those. The wearer can read any language and understand it. Yoakum's cloak was a cloak of protection + 1, Symon took that. It looked warm.
They rested and Cal saw, or thought he saw, something in the mist. It sort of formed and then dissipated. It was disturbing enough that he woke X'or to help but nothing else happened. Cal woke up everyone just to make sure nothing too weird had happened. Everyone seemed fine. They returned to sleep. X'or woke again for his turn. He had a similar experience. But just watched for anything to happen. Eryn woke and he told her what he’d seen. She checked the horses and made sure everything was okay and the rest of her night was uneventful. They woke and traveled again for another day. And that night, they identified the rest of the items. The mace is a mace +2, +4 against undead. The ring was another ring of protection +1. The wand was a wand of paralyzation with 6 charges, and the other wand, a wand of fear with 6 charges. The potion was a potion of speed. Angelique took the mace. Symon took the wands. The potion went into the general pile to see who needed it later. Cal took the last ring of protection +1.
The night passed without event. They ate a bunch of the apples the next morning as well as gave some to the horses. The apples would start going bad soon. They set out on their path and about midday, they slowed as they heard voices, human voices, ahead. There was shouting and talking. Cal moved forward to check it out while Eryn and X'or spread out and backed him up. The rest pulled off of the path in case it was a group moving up the path. Cal found the ruin and the shouting was coming from there. The woman and boy from the kitchen in the temple behind them were present. The woman was dead, and a man was threatening the boy. This didn’t sit well with Cal. He’d practiced whistling the night before, so he tried that. It wasn’t very loud. Just as the man raised his sword to strike the child, a woman came out of the woods beyond them and attacked. Cal made his move then as the rest moved quickly up to help. The fight lasted several rounds. X'or took the worst of it on their side. Everyone took the worst of it on the other side as they all died.
Loraine Gregory introduced herself. They discussed what had happened. Angelique told her about the demise of her sister Agatha. They told her they had cleared out the structure. They discussed the airship and decided that it wasn’t fixable, at least by them. They discussed the other stations, Grey Station and Fire Station. They discussed the dragon Grizzolo, King Lundor, and Mudock who was sent to get help. They told her how they’d come across him and were unable to save him. How they’d taken up the mission but realizing that they couldn’t make it to Allistar Finch, they moved north to try and help themselves. They showed her the map they’d found in Nordain Hold. She looked at it and explained that they weren’t allowed to enter from the other side because of the guardian. Loraine asked if she could travel with them and they agreed that would be good. George Mary will take the boy and follow the river, coming up, west to the ocean. He invited the boy to join his crew. The boy accepted which made George responsible for him and the boy responsible for George. They are crew and as such, they’ll be there for each other. Symon gave the boy Persephone in a way to make the boy happy, protect the cat, and give them something that Tinkle could locate later if and when needed.
They set up a watch and rested, preparing to leave the next morning.
Start the recording!
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Detail
The party was pretty beaten up after the fights they'd encountered since entering this place. They had traveled from the top of the fortress to the bottom of the fortress and back up again. In the end, they'd managed to kill Mathias, Yoakum, Jarah and Sarah. They also killed a large number of the horned fanatics that were guarding this place and also working in the valley beyond. Everyone looked through the telescopes and became familiar with the valley beyond. They noted that the ruins, the downed ship, and the mountains were all north of their location, not in a straight line but in the same general direction. The ruins were closer, the ship a little further, and the mountains of course, the furthest out. They took the three telescopes. Eryn gathered the spectacles they'd seen in Mathias's room, and the room behind the torture chamber where they found Angelique. She added those to the piles of items to be checked to see if they possessed and magical properties. From Sarah's stuff, the wand glowed but nothing else did. Of Mathias stuff, the armor (black chainmail), the mace, the ring, the gauntlets, and his spectacles all glowed. Of Yoakum's stuff, his ring, his cloak, and the wand he had all glow. The other two spectacles they'd found did not glow. They decided to rest, travel and before they turned in for the next night, Symon would identify as many items as her could.
They selected rooms to sleep in. Eryn went to Mathias quarters to sleep in his bed, but first, she filled the tube and took a much needed hot bath. She selected a book to read and read until she was ready for sleep. Everybody but Angelique and X'or went to that sitting room outside the bedroom and selected chairs or floor space to sleep on. Cassandra joined Eryn in Mathias' bed. Symon pulled out his pipe and talked George Mary into telling him about his life as a pirate, what he'd seen, how he'd got into it. George Mary told him how his dad was a sailor and he ended up working as a bosun's mate and how the ship got taken over by pirates and they took him in and raised him in the pirate life. He also told them about all kinds of adventures he'd been on, all over the jeweled seas. He told him there were a lot of strange things in the sea, and strange lands in the sea. There were a couple of areas he didn't like to sail. They were the Blood Bay, not a lot of pickings there. He said you have to watch your ass when going through the Asther Strait, it's a little hairy for pirates. It's guarded by the Sheikhs of Cyix. They see that as their domain and pirates are frowned upon. They don't have any problems cutting off the hands of pirates, or putting their eyes out. The southern part of the Ruby Sea could be profitable although the volcanic activity there was concerning. The Gulf of Fire has a lot of trade that goes on there. The Onxy sea is a kind of rough place with Cyix on one side and Nox on the other. There was a slave trade that went on there in the past. It's just a dark place that no one would like to fool with. That's why the sea there is called the Cape of Despair.
“Some of the best pickings is up around the Amber Gulf. In south Philanaan”, George Mary continued! He told Symon that Bongadar is really wild, there were places where ships could put in to hide. There are some friendly ports where people don't care what you've done. You can always ride a storm out there or spend some time there and stay away from the royal navy's that might be hunting you. The south part of Bongadar, those straits down there re rough. Not many ships survive that passage trying to get from the Amber Ocean over to the Emerald Ocean. On the other side of that is where a lot of the pirates like to hang out. They go up and down the Emerald Coast. Some of the islands were named after them. Dead Shoals, a lot of pirates like to maroon people there and they operate all up that sections there. Seaspire is incredibly rich. They avoid the White Islands because of the white priestesses that run that place. No pirate dares go within a hundred leagues of that place. The paradise of the Emerald Ocean is Taniqua. It is a beautiful island with a lot of trade going on in there. It's kind of a neutral port. Pirates put in there and they don't get bothered. If there is royal navy there from and of Valdornost or any of that, it's an unspoken thing that nobody fights anyone there. It's like a safe zone and everyone enjoys it there. The north sea or the Diamond Sea is cold and desolate with nothing there for anyone to do anything with.
Near Settar, it is even worse than Cyix. They don't put up with any foolishness. Their whole coast is guarded by a series of forts. There are forts on The Sentinels with fast ships. Every entry point to their land is guarded in some way. They are very serious people, run by men, and there is a king there. They are super merchants though. Lots of luxury goods and goods for all of Paldegora flow out of there. Every pirate would love to be able to raid there but if you do, you will likely not survive. Just because they guard that so well, the Sapphire Sea is a beautiful place to sail. If any of us did get in there, they'd mind their Ps and Qs. Gilpliset is a weird place with a lot of those crazy gnomes. He reminded Symon that he knew the secret pass to get from the Emerald Ocean to the Amber Gulf. Angelique had been studying the song about the way to Tim's Island. She found Port Ahn. From there, it looks like it takes you to The Three Eyes islands. The middle one holds a secret key. From there, you go west beyond Taniqua for five more days to the glassy light which she thought meant the Opal Sea. Symon asked George Mary if he'd every ships that sail in the air? George Mary said he had, “You'd never get me on one of those things!”. Symon then wondered if he thought he'd be able to sail one. George told hum that if it handled like a sea faring vessel, he probably could, but he didn't know how they worked. The Settarians are the ones that developed that technology, and they guard that secret very closely. If you tried to raid their coast, not only do you have to deal with their navy, but you'd also have to deal with their air fleet. He indicated that Settar is generally considered the dominant nation. Where Philanaan is broken into many different and separate kingdoms. Settar holds all of it's territory as one kingdom. Obviously their air ships give them a distinct advantage.
They slept without any incident. Angelique did some more healing in the morning. They checked out the horses and decided that they could help speed up their travel. There was also a lot of cloth in the store rooms. They gathered some of the cloth, especially any thick insulated blankets. They gathered food stuffs, including some fresh vegetables, meats, and breads. They saddled up the horses and set out. There was a path that was obviously used. The horses have been used on those paths so they should be comfortable in the area. George had never ridden one before so Eryn gave him a basic understanding of how to control the animal. She rode next to him for a while and kept an eye on him. They headed out in the direction of the ruins. The land is barren but with the fog and mist, they shouldn't be seen at any distance. The whole area is a wet bog. There was still some snow from time to time. Around midday, Cal checked and decided that they were still on track. The horses seemed calm. They ate a quick lunch and headed out again. That evening, they stopped and set up a camp. They tried to find cover from the elements but there really wasn't much. They did find an area within a cluster of dead trees which seemed like it would offer some cover. They picked out the items to be identified and after eating a quick dinner, Symon identified five items. The gauntlets, cloak, black chainmail armor, spectacles, and Mathias rings. The armor was +4 black chainmail. The ring was a ring of protection + 1. The gauntlets were gauntlets of Ogre Power. The glasses were spectacles of understanding. The wearer can read any language and understand it. Yoakum's cloak was a cloak of protection + 1. Angelique too the ring, Symon took the cloak, Eryn took the gauntlets, Cassandra took the black chainmail and gave her chainmail +2 to Angelique. Cal took the spectacles.
They set up watches, Cal took the first watch. He practiced his whistling when something caught his attention. He glanced up at the mist and could have sworn that he saw something. It was a shape. He moved back to X'or and woke him. He indicated that he thought he saw something. They both watched for a bit but didn't see anything. Cal thought it was a weird shape, like maybe the mist coalesced into something and then dissipated. Cal moved around to make sure everyone else in the party looked to be undisturbed and sleeping comfortably. They looked fine. He woke everyone to make sure they all roused. They did. Everyone went back to sleep. Cal's watched continued uneventfully. X'or took the next watch. He walked around and watched for anything. He had a similar experience to Cal's. He didn't like that so he moved back into light and stayed where it was warm. Eryn took the next watch. He told Eryn to be careful, he thought the fog was alive. She walked around the camp, checked the horses, everything seemed fine. She picked a spot to watch and saw nothing, Everyone woke and began getting ready for the day's trip. X'or asked Cal about what he'd seen. He confirmed that they'd both seen something similar. They did some more healing and set out for the next day.
The morning was quiet and the horse path seemed to narrow a little. They stopped midday and ate, rested, and took care of the horses then continued on. They set up camp again for another night. They guessed that they'd make it to the ruins around midday tomorrow. Angelique, prepared a nice stew and some bread. They identified the rest of the items. The potion was a potion of speed. The mace is a mace +2, +4 against undead. The ring was another ring of protection +1. The wand was a wand of paralyzation with 6 charges, and a wand of fear with 6 charges. Angelique took the mace. Symon took the wands. The potion went into the general pile to see who needs it later. Cal took the last ring of protection +1. Cal took first watch again. Nothing happened during his watch. X'or took the second watch. Nothing happens on his watch either. Cassandra took the last watch and nothing happened on her watch either. Angelique took a bunch of apples out of the bag and spread them around to the people and animals to eat. They'll be going bad soon. They set out again. Around midday, they heard the sound of voices, maybe shouting, coming from up head. They couldn't see anything. They determined that the voices were human. Cal got off of his horse and handed the rains off to X'or and snuck forward to see what they was there. Cassandra suggested that the rest of them move off of the road in case whatever they are hearing is traveling this way. X'or and Eryn handed off their horses and snuck forward a little, spread wide around the area and trying to watch out for Cal. Cal disappeared into the mist.
As Cal moved forward, he heard several men. He heard one say, “This is what you get for running off!”. Then he heard the sound of a boy, crying out, “Stop! Leave me alone!”. Cal picked up his pace, he cleared a ridge and looked across to a temple ruins. He saw a bunch of men standing there with a familiar looking boy being forced down onto an alter. Ito the side, he saw the body of the mother. The man raises his sword up and then Cal heard a cry come from the other side of the temple and a young woman came running into the area yelling, “Let the boy go!”. The man was forced to let go of the boy deal with the woman. Everyone drew there swords and a fight ensued. Cal, had been practicing his whistling and so he tried it then to rouse his party. He drew his swords and charged in. The woman was in her early twenties and for the insignia of the wolf on her uniform and very attractive. Eryn and Xor heard the shouting getting louder and metal clashing. They told everyone to move. Cal could tell that the horse around the men were those of Mathias' that were out on patrol. Symon handed off the horses to George Mary. They all set out for the sounds. Cassandra rode up and jumped off the horse when she saw it could go no further and began running forward. Symon ran toward the sounds of battle. He made it up to just beside Cassandra. Eryn ran up as well, but was unable to fire down on this round. Cal made it to the man trying to hurt the boy and attacked him, hitting with both weapons. The man was only barely standing after that. X'or moved up to join Cassandra and the others. The young lady fighter attacked one of the men, severely injuring him. Cal is attacked and missed by everyone, one of them slipping and dropping his sword. Angelique ran up and cast Aid on Eryn.
The next round, Symon fired a magic missile in and hit one of them. Eryn managed to sneak up behind one of the men challenging the young woman back stabbed him for a bunch of damage. Cal was hit. X'or charged in and narrowly avoiding breaking her sword. Cal was hit again. Cassandra took on one of the other men on Cal, getting into his face as she hit him. Cal hit again, cutting down the leader. X'or took a serious hit. Angelique puts one into the rear of the soldier picking up his sword. The young woman hits again. Angelique hit again. The young woman hit again on her second attack, dropping him. The guy on X'or slipped and almost dropped his sword. The next round started with Cal dropping another one. Cassandra moved on to X'or's opponent and missed. Angelique fired on the one on Eryn and hit him. Symon broke out his sling and fired on one and hit him. The young woman pivoted and attacked another opponent and cuts him down. The last one standing attempted to pick up his sword. X'or hit him. Angelique fired on him and hit him. Only one enemy left standing. He took a swipe at X'or and hit him. Eryn moved around behind him and hit him. The young woman jumps up and comes down on the man and cuts him down. Cal checks on the boy. The boys mother was already dead, there was nothing they could do for her.
The young woman introduced herself as Loraine Gregory of the Royal Dragonsvale Air Command. She asked about the party. They introduced themselves. She learned that they were called Company Clandestine. She asked if they'd run into these people before, in the temple. She told them that they'd captured her sister and that she is sworn to rescue her. Angelique went to her and gently broke the news of her sisters death. Loraine bowed her head and sat down, shaking. Symon said, “For what it is worth, the tormentors are dead!”. Loraine said, “Then she died honorably!”. Angelique told her that her sister had told her about her sister. She said, She'd had no choice but to try and rescue her. She had tried to follow her original command but was unable to.“. She told everyone how she'd been assigned to her sisters ship, the Dragonfly, for quite a few years. They were coming back from a supply run and a mission when they were attacked over Dragonsvale. She asked, “Have you ever seen a real dragon before?”. They told her they'd been close enough tp feel the effects but hadn't seen it. She told them that they do exist and that one had been terrorizing her people. It attacked their ship in the air and damaged it and downed them in this swamp in this valley. She said that most of the people aboard died in the crash. She, her sister, and one other survived. Agatha commanded them to try to reach back into the vale for help while she stayed with the ship. They didn't get very far before they heard a commotion from behind so they went back to check on her. These bastards had taken her. The final command she'd been given was to return and alert that king and air command what had happened.
She said that she had to fulfil her oath to that but the only way she could get back to the vale was back through Air Station Grey. She explained the Air Stations. They were placed all about where the air ships could travel and keep an eye on their kingdom and monitor things, as well as escort their trade to and from other lands. She attempted to get to Air Station Grey but she couldn't make it. There are things out here in this mist, I lost my other man. She had to turn back. When she got back here and found out they were doing more sacrifices here, she disregarded her orders. She was going to try to reach Air Station Fire but she decided that her sisters life was more important, so she's been giving them as much hell as she can to try and make her way back. She was coming back once again heard this incident and decided to intercede here. She was too late to save the mother but thankfully with the company's help, they were able to save the boy. Symon told her that they new about the air ships as they'd travelled north to render aid. He told her that they didn't know how they could aid them. He wanted to know what they date was. She'd lost track of all time. He told her the date and time as they knew it. She was shocked to find she'd been here a lot longer than she'd realized.
Symon explained how they'd intercepted the message from Air Stations Drake. Lieutenant Murdock who is sadly no longer with us. She said, “Nothing is working for us!”. Symon said Murdock had been captured by Svarts and by the time they'd gotten to him, it was too late. They found the package that he was entrusted with to take to Allistar Finch of the Adventurers Guild of Paldegora in Seaspire. It was King Lundor's request for aid against dragons. She hadn't known what the message was for. Loraine told her that she was with her sister when they dispatched him south. She knew he was going for air. She asked if the guild sent them, the Company Clandestine, to aid them. Symon told her no, that the route to the guild was just about impossible. He said, they'd come northward from Three Points through Munville, to Edenvale, to Frosthaven and the Stonebridge. The towns had been seized by nefarious sources. Travel southward is just about cut off now. To try and get to Allistar would be a journey of combat the entire way. We'd understood from the message that time was short. He pulled out the message and showed it to her. He said, that if they could have made it, by the time they'd reached Allistar, it would have been too late. She read through the message and sat down, looking tired and desperate. Symon told her that an army of drakonians marches south, why and where, they're not sure. They knew that the army was associated with Grizzolo. She told hui that Grizzolo was the one that downed their ship and threatens the vale. She said, he's gotten more aggressive lately. First he was just harassing them but this time, he actually attacked our their ship. He damaged the propulsion pods so they had no way to control it. They went down here.
Symon told her that on b the good side, they'd reeked damage of their own on the people of the hideout here on the side of the mountain. They'd cleared it. She said that was good to here. Murdock hadn't informed them of the group here. Symon also told her that these people had also had a run in with something in Grimbog Vale. Loraine told him that she had tried to go that way to Air Station Grey but no, she didn't know what evil was brewing there but it was beyond her capability to deal with. They didn't mention Sir Charles or Angelique's story but laid out what they'd found and had explained that these guys were openly following Sahn. As near as they could tell, they were still trying to find out how to get to Dragonvale. Symon told her, he didn't think they'd found out where it was. Loraine said, “That is good news! Our King has ordered us to stay hidden in the vale. Very few outside the vale know of their existence. Obviously now, Company Clandestine is one of them.”. She asked if they'd decided to take up the challenge that was meant for Allistar and the guild to assist them. Symon told her that, “Yes, cause we know this threat is a threat to everyone.”. He told her that they'd tried to convince these people of it but they are so fanatically devoted to Sahn that they didn't care. Angelique pulled out the wolf patch they'd taken from Agatha's uniform and presented it to Loraine. She welled up again, holding the patch close. She placed it in her pack and took a deep breath and sat down. “Now I have to decide what to do now!”, she said.
Cassandra asked where Air Station Grey was. Loraine told her that it was in the Grey Mist Mountains to the west. It was the main jumping off point before you got to the vale by air. Symon asked he her Air Ship could be returned to service. She didn't know enough about how they worked but she didn't think it could be made to sale again. One of the pods had been damaged, without the pods, it crashed violently. That would be the best way to get home but it probably can't be repaired. Eryn asked, “What's the second bet way to get to the Vale. We have horses!”. She knew there was a way through the mountains to get there as that's how her people got there in the first pace, but she didn't know where that was. She new the path was guarded by something but she didn't know by what. They normally fly in and out. Angelique asked the Kings name to which Loraine answered ,”King Lundor Nordain.“. She said he is old now and Grizzolo had captured his only daughter and was holding her. They are running out of options. Symon asked what Grizzolo's end game was. She said she didn't know for sure but he was trying to force them all out of the Vale. He's threatening to bring all of the dragon spawn left in the world against them She said that once they fell, there'd be nothing to stop them from going south. He does need all of the dragon gold and treasure that the King took at the end of the war and hid. It is the payroll he needs to bring all of the other dragons to his side.
Loraine tried to explain the dragons. They are different colors and they don't see eye to eye on things. They all have one thing in common, they all love gold. Symon told her that they'd come through Nordain Hold and Coldspire coming here and that Grizzolo had hordes of goblins digging for treasure. Symon asked, “Are their no good dragons?”. Loraine said she didn't know. She's only known of Grizzolo. If anyone knows dragons, King Lundor does. Eryn mentioned the map that they had that was supposed to help them reach the Vale. Loraine asked where they'd found a map that showed them how to enter the Vale. Eryn told them about the hidden compartment in Nordain Hold where they'd been told it would be in the letter that Murdock had on him. Angelique showed her the map. She understood where the exit was on the Vale side, but she never new the route to the entrance on this side. She asked if they were going there and if she could join them. They told her yes, they would be happy for her to join them. They mentioned that it's been said that there is a guardian. He asked if she knew what it was, she didn't know. Only that it was forbidden for anyone to enter the cave that leads back to this side. Cassandra and Eryn went to collect George Mary and the horses and bring them up.
Symon noted that Loraine looked like she'd been in a few fights but all and all she looked to be in good shape. Cal offered her a potion and that helped her to feel better. Angelique introduces Cal-El. Loraine commented on his skill with the sword. She was impressed. Angelique explained that he doesn't speak to which Loraine commented, “Sounds like the perfect male.”, as she laughed. Eryn and Cassandra introduced themselves and introduced George Mary. She gave him a look like he doesn't really look like he belongs to this group. George Mary offered to look after the boy. He turned to the boy and said, “Lad, how would you like to learn how to manage a ship at sea. I can teach you much about it.”. Symon gave the boy a wink, indicating that George Mary was cool. The boy finally smiles and seems comfortable with it. George Mary said, “That's great! I'll make a sailor out of you! You'll get to see the world!”. Angelique offers to assist with a burial for his mother. He was pleased with that. They cleaned her up and buried her. George pulled Symon aside and suggested that he is not into the sort of adventure they are headed into. He said that on the map, he noted there was a river very near here. He thinks he should take the boy on horseback and head west to the coast. He said that once he reached the coast, he could go south. Symon agreed that he didn't want to take the boy into harms way. George still did his little ducking motion from time to time. He was beaten but not broken. Symon asked a what if question, “What if what you knew could save the world, would you tell then? You could be a hero George Mary, perhaps one of the greatest!”. He reminded Symon that he could never betray his captain. Symon asked if his captain was still alive. George Mary told them that as far as he knew, yes. And he knew how to find him, “I know all of the spots!”.
Symon began thinking about a way to give something to George Mary that maybe Tinkle could use to find him when they need him. Eryn also suggested that they could get the name of a place and person where they could go to find someone that could tell them where he is. There was a brief question about his intentions with the boy's safety in mind. George Mary asked the Boy if he'd like to join the crew of Jesse Jack Johnson. The boy indicated yes. With that George said, That's it, you are now a member of the crew of the Blade. It is a bond that is not broken. That seemed to settle the question. Cal understood the pirate code. Once you are part of the crew, you are part of the crew. The crew is your family and that bond is everything. It was getting late so they set up camp there for the night. Symon asked if there were more out here. Loraine didn't know. Symon asked how'd they bring the ship down. Loraine told him the dragon did that with his breath. He took out one of the pods that keeps the ship up. It through the ship out of balance and caused it to crash. She wasn't sure why he didn't swoop down and finish the job. She did say it was odd. Even more odd is that he'd gone out of his way not to kill people. Symon pointed out that he didn't seem to have a problem torturing and killing goblins. Loraine said, “See that doesn't make sense. Why didn't he kill us off then?”. Eryn suggested that he may be trying to remove the airships so they can't go over the mountains for help.
Symon asked Loraine if she knew what was going on in Grimbog Vale. She didn't know. She was headed to Air Station Grey and these things in the mist attacked them. Symon told her that people like the ones from the temple behind them were sent out to deal with something there. He described what Murdock had written about the event. That many were sent out and were slaughtered. That they'd determined that the number of people in the temple had greatly dropped recently. Apparently, whatever is going on in the vale, Sahn was their enemy. He said there was a necromancers involved. Not sure what they are raising or have raised out there. Lorine said she'd heard Lieutenant Murdock talking with her sister about that but she didn't hear all of it, just bits and pieces. She didn't know what they were trying to accomplish in the bog. Symon wondered if that was something that Grizzolo would have something to do with. Loraine seemed to think no. That seems counter to what he is trying to accomplish. They discussed how the necromancers were trying to raise a black dragon. To what purpose, he was not sure. She said what she knows is that Dragonvale is real. That her king is there. That he has spent his life protecting it, keeping it a myth. But it seems like the world is finding out about it. Grizzolo and everybody wants it. Perhaps if they ever saw it, they'd know why. She described it as spring time there every day, even though it is in the cold north. They are losing though. Losing airships and people. Our biggest command is the air command. We don't have a great need for ground soldiers. Apparently allies are few and far between. They'd only come across a little support. Eryn pointed out that they are only six people, hardly an army to help.
Symon pulled out Persephone. He presented the cat to the boy. He presented it as a very special cat. The boy accepts her and thanks him for this very special gift. It was suggested that they rest and prepare to leave in the morning.
They stopped here.
Start the recorder.