
Session #24 · And Miles to Go before I Sleep
Ascending to God's Plateau
26. 5. 868.Played 4 May 20245 chapters★ 9.5 · 2 ratings
Synopsis
The party ascends the Thur mountains towards God's Plateau and is faces with a trial of their own choosing.
Ch. 1
Cold Open
We witness Kilijan during his training with herbs and alchemy by Ratt the Mixer during his captivity in Garresh's hideout.
Ratt teaches Kilijan about the herbs for tinctures and they are interrupted by Ferren and Antja Lio. Kilijan strides away a bit deeper into the woods and notices that his ankle shackles start to tighten as deeper as he goes into the woods. He witnesses an argument between Ferren and Antja before being spotted and brought back to Rat.
Ratt, however, is nowhere to be found. Kilijan notices a trail of blood leading a bit to the off-side of their improvised alchemy station. He follows it and finds Rat hung by the neck on a tree. Kilijan opens Ratt's fist and finds a note in it, where the slogan he often repeated to Kilijan is written: "Names are not important if you know the essence of the thing."
Ch. 2
Part 1
The party travels towards God's Plateau and finds two dead arracocra bodies on their way. They see all of Thur Valley underneath them and arrive at a mountain bridge covered in white clouds.
Dragon medallion
Lorkhan decides to enter the clouds and secures himself with a silk rope to the mountain side. As soon as he, however, steps onto the bridge into the cloud fog, a beast attacks him and pushes him off the bridge, leaving him dangling on the silk rope.
The rest of the party readies their arms as they see the wings of the dragon on the bridge taking flight. The dragon asks for a toll to be paid, and Weneon immediately hands him the Medallion of Records.
The dragon, sensing the magical powers of the item, is satisfied with the exchange and leaves.
Ch. 3
Part 2
Wolves in Thur mountains
The party continues upwards and makes camp at an abondend campsite. They find tents inhabited by dead arracocras and decide to rest. Lorkhan makes friends with an Ox whom he names Malcer.
The others try their luck with climbing the mountain side in order to get to the plateau faster. Weneon and Mycha succeed, while the rest takes the longer way up.
Weneon notices a cave in which the dragon might have made a lair for himself. Mycha and Weneon wait for the rest of the party.
Ch. 4
Part 3
Kilijan, Lorkhan, and Manasa arrive at a passage way on the mountain's far eastern side. They are, however, greeted by a squad of arracocra soldiers, warning them to turn back from where they came.
Arracocra thur
Manasa and Lorkhan try to argue with the arracocra, but in the end they decide to leave.
Kilijan convinces the leader to talk to him, and convinces him to let them pass to God's Plateau. The guard, impressed by Kilijan's resolve, decides to let faith decide if they are worthy of reaching the plateau. When Kilijan introduces himself to the leader, the leader tells him: "Good to know you, but names are, in my experience, the least important things to know about someone."
Ch. 5
Part 4
The party rejoins and together they reach God's Plateau, a floating piece of land in the midst of Thur mountains.
A statue of Lena is erected at the far end of the plateau. Behind the statue, three trees: a maple tree, an oak tree, and a beech tree.
Lena's voice is heard as the statue's eyes start glowing: "Choose your trial: Maple for how much you are willing to sacrifice, oak for how much you can endure, and beech, for how much you can inflict."