Previous: Drondar
Session 3: Communion
After reporting the orc movements to Cey Hecron, the companions decided it was time to follow their information to Ash-Melin to find out more about Astaria. They took a day to gather the necessary supplies and decided to take the shorter, but more dangerous, route through the foothills of the Ronsym Mountains. The trip would take just under a month via the Rocky Road.
The companions set off on the Rocky Road, and were able to travel for ten days uneventfully.
On the 11th day, as they were cresting a hill, they heard a terrible screech, followed by a cacophony of squawks. Bannor ran up the hill figuring that someone may have been in trouble. When he reached the top he realized that he had made a mistake. There were five large flightless birds ringing a carcass, feasting on the flesh. When he recklessly charged to the area, the 8 foot tall birds turned their sharp beaks toward him and charged looking for more meat to add to their meal. The terror birds fell upon Bannor before the rest of the group arrived. Bannor was in bad shape when Chiranjeev and Astaria crashed in to aid their companion. Carkain cast a couple of damaging spells on the birds, causing a couple to break off from the main melee to attack her. Seeing the danger, she cast mirror image to protect her until her friends could aid. Astaria cast a couple of healing spells on Bannor so he could continue. One the group was able to regroup, the terror birds didn't have a chance. The remainder of the battle was quick and bloody.
Three days later, the party caught a reflection from just north of the road. Deciding that it was worth checking out, they moved to the north along a path toward the reflection for an hour before they spotted a building. Without the reflection, they never would have noticed the structure.
The structure was actually a small cluster of buildings surrounded by a wall. The largest building in the center of the cluster was topped with an old, green copper roof. All of the buildings were built from the local stone and covered with some sort of moss. This caused an effect which camouflaged the settlement from anyone who didn't know what they were looking for. As they approached the buildings a group of men dressed in gray robes filed from the gate, hailing the companions. As the robed men approached the party called out explaining that they were just travelers, the robed men invited them to stay in their monastery.
When the monks saw the companions, they were obviously taken aback by the group's appearance. The party explained the predicament which caused them to appear as they currently do. The monks began chattering excitedly when they heard the strange story. The monk that had been talking to the group explained that they revere the Gray Lady, a little-known goddess concerned with mystical secrets. The group's fortuitous arrival must be her work.
As the companions entered the monastery, they passed groups of similarly robed men working through martial movements similar to Bannor's fighting style. Their guide brought them to a room with four cots and asked them to wait there so he could notify Grandmaster Fenn of their arrival.
The monk that guided them to the building returned quickly and asked the group to follow him to meet the Grandmaster. As they walked through the halls of the monastery, they noticed that opposed to when they entered, the halls were devoid of monks. They walked to a large set of double doors, when their guide opened the door the party understood why none of the other monks were wandering the halls. They were all lined up in rows on either side of a path leading to an ancient man seated on a large cushion directly opposite the door.
As they approached the Grandmaster, he rose, smiled, and greeted the companions warmly. He offered them a seat and once they were seated he dismissed the rest of the monks and asked the party to explain their story from the beginning. After they told him their story, he told them that he would meditate on their problem and commune with the Gray Lady to see if he could give them and information to aid their quest. Warning them that the Lady was often fickle and cryptic with communications with her servants, he told them that he would have their information first thing in the morning. He told them they could freely wander the monastery, they were his guests.
After leaving the meeting with the Grandmaster, the monastery had returned to normal, monks wandering the halls, groups practicing their martial arts. Bannor went into the courtyard to watch the monks, hoping to pick up a new move or two. The rest of the group went to the cafeteria to eat a meal.
Bannor approached the practicing monks when the teacher approached and asked if he wanted to join them in their exercises. The teacher introduced himself as Master Jeen. Bannor practiced with the monks for a while until they broke for their afternoon meal. Bannor doesn't eat so he continued practicing.
The following morning, the group awoke and went to see Grandmaster Fenn. The Grandmaster said that during his communion he had written the following:
Men, women, and children of all races, in all lands, fear the unknown.
Any who choose to dwell in the domain of shadow-cloaked wisdom
suffer society's contempt. Have you the fortitude without (and the
wisdom within) to persevere when those who possess what you desire
conspire to confound your best efforts? Or will you, like so many others,
crumble under the weight of a challenge not surmountable with a sword
alone? Use all of your gifts. Knowledge is the weapon that can not be
separated from its wielder by quicker hands or a stronger arm.
Taking the parchment with them, the companions bid the monks farewell and continued on their way.
About a week later the group had an encounter with two dire wolverines. The party defeated the dire wolverines with little or no injury. The rest of the journey was uneventful.
The companions crested a rise and spied the lights of Ash-Melin in the distance.