Silvanesti Reunion

[JadedDM]

Things were not going well for Babushka.

First, Captain Imaran has refused to turn around and go back for the party. As far as he was concerned, the party had broken their word by not only refusing to fight the Dimernesti, but actually running off to help them fight a dragon.

Then, the dolphin that was meant to act as a liaison between the ship and the Dimernesti was unable to keep up with the ship. By the end of the first day, it was completely out of sight.

There was no sign of it on the second day, either, when the ship finally made landfall in Silvanesti. The port town they landed at was called Kurinost. Once, it was a beautiful small town, its buildings formed of crystal that seemed to have been grown from the very ground itself. Towers and homes shone like glittering stone, like a shining jewel in the daylight. Well tended trees and flowerbeds line the paved streets, and fountains sculpted into the shape of elven lovers send water from underground springs sparkling high into the sky.

The sight of the place stirred Babushka's heart, or it would have if not for two factors. The first was her overwhelming worry for her friends. The other was, the place was mostly deserted. There couldn't be more than a hundred elves living here now, at best. Many of the buildings were closed down and boarded up, long ago deserted. Many of the trees were dead or dying, despite it still being summer, when one would expect them to be verdant and flowering. The Silvanesti had removed the nightmare from this immediate area, but the land was still slow to heal.

The party was given a less than cordial welcome, too. The Silvanesti turned up their noses (some of them literally) at the sight of a gnome and three humans. Those that would speak to her at all, only did so with great reluctance and usually only after she greased their palms with a few steel pieces.

Imaran was no help at all. Once his business was concluded in town, he and his shipmates departed. He told her that they will never do business with her and her friends again. It's good fortune he had no idea how much platinum was sitting on Dekker's back. He likely would have confiscated it as 'compensation.'

There was a small inn open, a place called the Morning Dew. Due to its isolation from the rest of Silvanesti (from the nightmare), the place didn't get very many visitors. Babushka got a room for the men, one for Malika (who refused to share with anyone) and one for herself. She used it as a storage for her friends' gear that was left on the ship, as well as a place to sleep. She stabled Dekker and Artemis in the nearby stable. All of this was costly, but she had plenty of money.

The inn was a gorgeous place, though; fancier than any place she had ever stayed before. She didn't spend much time there, though; just to sleep. Most of the day she spent right at the docks, looking out to the horizon, hoping to spot a lone dolphin. Ulster and Thuskar would join her for a few hours, before getting bored and going off to do their own thing. Malika felt it was a waste of time.

On the second day since her arrival in Kurinost (the third day since she last saw her friends), she went out there again in the morning and sat, and waited. It was around Fourth Watch that Ulster came by, carrying a loaf of bread. He snaps it in half and hands one part to her. "Thought you'd like some breakfast," he says.

The two sit in silence, eating, before Ulster finally clears his throat. "Listen, uh...the others and I were talking, and..."

Babushka never heard what came next. She spotted movement in the water, far off, and all of her senses honed in on that. Was it the dolphin? Something was approaching the docks...and fast. No, wait...not one, but multiple creatures.

She barely had time enough to get to her feet before the creatures--sea otters, it would appear--reached the docks and stopped. Each otter had a person clinging to it--it was none other than Locky, Jerrard and Imani!

=========

Babushka has spent 8 steel.

It is now the 9th of Summer Run, Dead Eye, at Fourth Watch (10:00 AM). Note I am using the elven names for days and months while in Silvanesti. It's 77 F (25 C). Although still summer, note that it's much cooler here in temperate climates, so the party need not worry as much about temperature as they did in Khur.

[Jenara]

Locky was loving the ride on the Otter, the water splashing everywhere she was having the time of her life, in the back of her mind she knew there was something she was missing but with all the fun she couldn't remember.

As they came into sight of the Port her smile got wider, People, Land... Her pouches maybe? Grinning she caught sight of Babuskha first, her heart started to sing, that is what she was missing.

[HorizonsDream]

Unlike Locky, Imani wasn't quite enjoying the otter ride so much. As far as she was concerned, this whole ocean adventure couldn't be over fast enough. The salt water was making her feel dirty, and most importantly she wanted to be on dry land. Thankfully, dry land was right in front of her, so she crawled off the sea otter and climbed up on the dock only to lay there for a second to enjoy the feel of solid land beneath her.

[Breila]

"Ulster, I will listen to you later" Babushka says as she's jumping up and running towards her friend. Arms wide open, she waits for the kender to throw herself into her arms. Tears stream down her cheeks, and the lump in her throat makes it impossible to speak. All she can do is altenratingly squeezing Locky and patting her back. It takes a few minutes before they can let go of each other, and Babushka greets Jerrard and Imani as well.
After clearing her throat, she says: "Dekker and Artemis are fine, too. I have found room for all of us, and our gear. Come with us, we'll have more leisure to talk at the inn. Eyes out here are not very friendly."

[JadedDM]

"You...you're all alive," Ulster says, his shock readily apparent. "Wait, what happened to the elf guy? And what about the dragon?"

[Jerrard]

"Yes, we are alive." Jerrard replies grasping the Little Gnome in his arms he lifts her above his head, "You have a place? Let us go there now."

"Temeral went his own way, and the Dragon is no more... Imani saw to that." He keeps hold of Babuskha a moment before letting her down, "Shall we go?"

[Jenara]

"Ohhh you should have seen the size of it!" Locky exclaims, losing herself a moment, before grabbing Babuskha again, hugging her close she is barely able to contain her excitement, jumping up and down she smiles so wide. "Its sooo good to see you again!"

"You know it was so fun under the sea, I really enjoyed myself, but I'm glad to be back." Skipping along she walks alongside Babuskha holding her hand tight.

[HorizonsDream]

Imani lays on the dock for a couple more seconds before she finally stands up. "I've never been so happy to see land in my life," she says as she jogs a little to catch up to the others. She glances at Ulster for a moment, but adverts her eyes back to the rest of the group.

[JadedDM]

Ulster looks to Imani with surprise at Jerrard's comment about her 'seeing to' the dragon. When she glances at him, though, he quickly averts his eyes.

The party follow Babushka and Ulster back to the inn, garnering more than a few strange looks from the passerby Silvanesti. The soaking wet humans and kender were no doubt a strange sight indeed.

The common area of the inn was unlike any they had seen before. The building itself was carved from some kind of lightly purple stone. But it felt more like a pleasant glade. The ground was mostly stone, but in the center of the room was a large patch of fertile soil and beautiful green grass. A lone oak tree grew in that dirt, a skylight above in the ceiling allowing sunlight to reach it. A couple of birds tweeted to each other as they hopped from branch to branch.

There was also a stone fountain that spit water straight up into the air, which then fell back down into the saucer. It appeared to be made of the same stone as the building itself.

The inn wasn't very crowded. Thuskar sat at the base of the tree restfully, apparently taking a little nap. He glanced up when the party enters, then takes a double-look and gets to his feet, surprised.

Malika sits at the fountain, idly playing with the water with her hand, and looking more bored than a kender in an empty room. She, too, glances up with surprise when the party enters.

Aside from the bartender, there's one other elven woman sitting at the bar (made of the same strange purple stone). They both cast the party a curious glance, but seem to have little interest in them.

[HorizonsDream]

"I'm going to assume that you thought we were dead," Imani says thoughtfully as she takes in the surprised looks. "I thought we were pretty much dead the whole time we were down there, honestly."

[JadedDM]

Thuskar approaches them. "Well...yeah, actually. We never heard back from you, and with the dragon and all...how did you guys even get here?"

Malika approaches, as well, but then halts and takes a step back. "Ugh, you all reek of fish."

[Jerrard]

"Indeed we do." Jerrard replies with a laugh, "A bath would be good, and change of clothes." He keeps his distance, surveying the inn with interest. "The story is an interesting one. I will leave the telling to Locky, and Imani, as much of the tale is hers." Giving Babuskha another hug he asks. "I trust there is a bath? Money is shall we say not a problem."

"You look very very bored my dear, under the sea would not have been your idea of fun. What happened to your friend the Captain?" He asks Malika, casting a simple cantrip to reduce the smell.

[JadedDM]

"He dropped us off here and then took off when his business with the elves was done," Malika says. "He was pretty angry that you guys didn't honor your deal with him. I'd avoid him in the future, if I were you, especially his first mate."

[Breila]

"Well, since Imani, Locky and Jerrard have killed the dragon, I'd say they have honored the deal with the Captain better than anyone could have expected" Babhushka says. "But I know I will never be able to meke him see it that way, so I'll do my best to avoid him. He does not understand me, nor do I understand him. And his first mate... well I'll certainly avoid anyone who could easily decide to have me or Locky for dinner!" Babushka is almost giddy with relief to see her friends again.

She approaches the bartender. "In a city so rich with water as Silvanesti, surely there are baths, so we can make ourselves a little more presentable? Not that we could ever hope to match the beauty of the town" she asks.

[Jerrard]

"We could return his cargo. " The mage pauses and places a pile of steel on the table. "He left you here? I told him we would return, and voiced no concerns at the time." Stroking his beard he shrugs, "Will call it compensation, although I am loth to take his money."

"All told we gained a substantial horde. That reminds me, we need to find a mage. Have you found anything about this place?"