The magic items that the party had found were identified and then the party took a rest. There was never a night phase in the garden, the sky was light all the time. There was no sun either just light from the sky. There was another hour of rain during the rest.
The party did a thorough search of the gazebo. The floor was minutely examined as were the walls and ceiling. The filigree was not of any interest, other than decoration. The table holding the cauldron was unremarkable as was the cauldron. Casia mentioned trying to drop another non magical item in the cauldron to see if anything happened but the party dissuaded her of this approach.
"There are three other buildings, lets search them all once again," Milos suggested.
First was the gardening shed. It had all the mundane garden equipment, sacks of seeds and miscellaneous items. The cupboards, now bare, had no false backs or tops. Everything looked correct so the party moved on to the pump house. The tiny pump house held only the manual water pump. It was still giving out fresh water as Jorgen again used the handle. Nothing was amiss here either.
Lastly the larger building was entered. Casia immediately moved to the far end of the hallway. The walls were all wood here but as she ripped the wood away she found a blank solid stone wall behind. Fanara again searched the south room and found nothing new or interesting. The 25' foot ceilings did not divulge any new trap doors or hiding places. Santrel and Milos were doing a similar search of the north room but all seemed for naught.
Fanara entered and lastly looked at the fireplace and then up the chimney. Inside she found a series of iron rungs climbing up. The rungs were dusty and sooty but Fanara decided to climb them anyway. Casia followed with Amadeo and the rest of the party waiting below.
After a 40' climb Fanara came upon the bottom of a trap door. Gently pushing it upwards she found she was in another fireplace looking out into a square room that appeared to be a cozy wooden cabin. Shelves packed with esoteric knickknacks and strange ingredients lined the walls. Opposite wall the room's only door stood a simple wooden table on which rested a cracked clay bowl. A large blackened cauldron sat in the center of the room.
Fanara cautiously climbed into the chamber looking for magic. She noted several magic items scattered on the shelves and a cloak or coat hanging on a hook by the door. The rest of the party followed into the chamber. Casia noted a brown chicken's egg in the bowl, a familiar sight. The door led to the hut's porch outside, while the room's windows looked out over a snowy, mountainous landscape. There was a trapdoor in a corner of the ceiling.
Fanara began finding the magic items on the shelves. The shelves contained a variety of spell components and mundane alchemical ingredients, in addition to numerous trinkets. Fanara found 6 jars of some kind of magical ointment. Santrel took the cloak or coat and identified it as a Habit of the Winter Explorer, useful for many reasons in cold weather.
Just as the party was continuing to search three ravens suddenly take to the air, cawing loudly as they flew about the room. The ravens only seemed quasi-real as they flew randomly around the chamber. The ravens cried out, "Baba Yaga has gone on, off to see her only son. But a trail she left behind, if the breadcrumbs you can find!" before picking up several objects off the shelves and dropping them in front of the party. First, they took a stuffed two-headed eagle from a shelf, then placed an iron spur and a drinking horn beside it. Next, they took an elephant tusk and a small hand mirror and drop them atop a bearskin rug. The ravens then disappear, repeating their cryptic phrase a final time. "Baba Yaga has gone on, off to see her only son. But a trail she left behind, if the breadcrumbs you can find!"
Santrel picked up the eagle, spur and horn while Milos took the tusk, mirror and fur. None of the items were magic. Santrel surmised that the items represented a clue for the keys that the party needed to move the hut once again.
"I suppose we have to go outside and find them in the surrounding land, wherever we are!" he groaned.
Fanara was still looking for the magic items and she came upon a frost giant's beard, plague doctor's mask, dragon scale, and gold nugget. They all were magic and she recalled that they were the object or keys the party had used to transfer the hut before.
"I wonder if they will work once again?" Amadeo asked.
"I suppose but the last two just brought us here." Fanara replied.
Fanara climbed to the trap door in the ceiling, opened and peered into the attic. A rush of cold air flowed into the chamber revealing a cold loft above the room, empty but for dust and abandoned birds' nests. Fanara noted that there were small holes that might allow birds in and out although none had been here for some time.
Jorgen was ready to head outside and finding no traps or locks on the doors he opened them letting another rush of cold air into the hut. Stepping out on the porch he noted that the sky was dimly lit even though the sun, not much more than a pinprick of light, though still blindingly bright to look at was possibly just past midday and stars were visible in the sky. Fanara found that it was almost freezing out as she followed. Climbing down into the snow she verified the snow was real, and cold. It seemed to be several feet deep at this point. The hut was in a small swale almost surrounded by mountains. There was seemingly no direction to head in so Fanara asked Amadeo to use the owl to scout for a town, people, something to give an idea of where to head.
The owl returned after 15 minutes of flying around and related that any area and any direction shed could see was covered with snow and mountains. No evidence of a town, village or city was apparent. The rodents seemed a little strange though. Jorgen was spending some time looking at the meager flora. The plants were similar but were of strange coloration and form. Fanara thought back and determined that the group seemed to be on a different planet than Golarion, though which one she was not sure.
Fanara and Santrel discussed idea of trying to control the hut with the egg and bowl. They herded everyone inside with the lure of having the hut move or maybe fight for the party. Fanara tried moving the egg around in the bowl while attempting some minor commands like stand up, move in a direction, continue till it can't. At first the hut stood up and moved from foot to foot. The hut shook as it tried to obey the commands.
Fanara said to move to the southeast as far as the hut could. The hut moved, unsteadily at first, in the indicated direction. After around 10 minutes it stopped and looking outside Milos noted that they seemed to be in a cul-de-sac with steep mountains on all sides. Given that the hut could not move further Fanara asked the hut to move in the opposite direction. This time the hut moved for a longer period of time but again stopped at a rock strewn downward slope. The whole party eventually left the hut to examine the landscape and determine their next move.
As the rider approached the party tensed as she stopped a distance away and hailed them in an unknown language. Fanara responded in Common but the rider shook her head wonderingly. She then spoke in Draconic, although with a strange accent and word order. Santrel understood and responded that the party was from a different world and wondered where they had landed.
"I am Bescaylie and my dragonkin is Efrixes. Who would you be?" the rider answered.
Bescaylie and Efrixes have just returned from another Dragon Legion stronghold, where they delivered word of the Drakelands incursion and the siege of Spurhorn. They are scouts from the Dragon Legion aerie of Spurhorn who escaped the siege to seek allies and observe enemy movements.
"Did you say Spurhorn?" Santrel inquired.
"The Dragon Legion aerie of Spurhorn is an imposing fortress perched high atop a large rocky crag in the Parapet Mountains on the western edge of the Skyfire Mandate.."
"Skyfire Mandate?"
Bescaylie continued with a short description of the history of the Drakelands and the Skyfire Mandate. From their appearance in the heart of the continent now known as the Drakelands, the true dragons warred with each other, established nations, mustered armies-and began to spread.
Thus began the War of Heroes. For generations, the humanoid races of Triaxus not already enslaved by the draconic conquerors banded together to halt the spreading destruction. Joining them in this fight were those dragonkin who resented enslavement and subjugation, as well as the good-natured metallic dragons who sought to oppose their conquest-minded brethren. It was this first great alliance that eventually halted the dragons' advance, ceding them a single continent for their territorial disputes and establishing the Skyfire Mandate to guard against further growth.
Today, the Drakelands are a squabbling, chaotic mess of independent fiefdoms. The political geography of the Drakelands is always changing, with nations falling or expanding as the dragons vie for power. In the rise ofthe true dragons, many Triaxians saw not only enslavement, but the potential extinction of their race. It was only through an alliance of Triaxian men and women, dragonkin, and metallic dragons-an army the likes of which has never been seen before or since-that the menace was halted. Huge sacrifices were made, including the lives of most of the humanoids' true dragon allies, yet the spirit of their alliance continues to live on today in the form of the Skyfire Mandate.
The governmental structure of the Skyfire Mandate is a loose one. Commanders of the various holdings must be chosen by the acclaim of their soldiers and sponsored by two existing commanders from other units. Once instated, only a vote of no confidence from the men and women under their direction can remove commanders from power. Policy and overarching strategy for the legion as a whole is set in meetings of the Tribunal-13 of the most seasoned and respected commanders in the service-but beyond
this, commanders have complete authority within their holdings.
"We have been sent on a mission by Baba Yaga, do you know of her?" Santrel inquired warily.
"I have not heard of this Baba Yaga."
"We are looking for a two-headed eagle."
"Commander Pharamol, Spurhorn's commanding officer, has such a rare bird as a pet."
"Can we go to Spurhorn?"
"Currently, the fortress is under siege by an army from the Drakelands, sent by the dragon warlord Yrax, Lord of the Howling Storm. Perhaps you could join us in defense of the fortress?"
"How far away is the fortress and how would we get there?" Fanara asked.
"Spurnhorn is around 8 miles away to the southwest. I can give directions to a good vantage point where you can view the siege for yourselves and work out a way to get past the attackers and into the fortress."
"Would you be willing to help us into the fortress if we could fly?" Santrel asked.
"If you decide you wish to join us, then I would be able to help get you past the Crossbowmen."
DM's Notes: No XP was earned from the session but a new relationship seemed to be forged.
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