Journal of Miyara Kyosuke (82)

   At a lull in conversation, Slurk speaks up. He says that it sounds like we are interested in information, and perhaps if we told him what information we sought, he might help. Miyara tells him he should be on his task and not inquire into our matters.
    Overnight we set watches. The night passes uneventfully.
    When the sun comes up, Slurk is nowhere to be found. We hope he is on his way to the Cold Fire Knights.
    We ourselves set off for the druidess. We expect the trip to take just over a week.

    As we head for the road, we notice the sound of two people arguing in hushed tones to our right. Hosei signals us to be quiet, and we do. We hear the arguing in hushed tones.
    I sneak over there, and see Slurk, who is arguing with himself. I sneak back and tell them what I found. While we're arguing over whether to kill him or not. While we're arguing, Slurk arrives and apologizes for not completing his task. He says he sat down for a short break. He runs off.
    We go back to discussing his life. Baraku sets up non-lethal traps for him in case he follows us.
    Hosei has Ashu work on a heavy hardwood scroll case to protect Rabena's maps and any other important papers from our frequent fire incidents.
    From the road, it becomes clearer that the pattern of the storm is that there is a swirling sense to the clouds. The size of the swirl is much bigger than the Yetsin Valley, but it does seem to be centered just a little south of us. I suggest -- and it seems likely -- that it is centered on the waterfall complex. Rabena says that the forecast is stormy, getting worse and worse as long as she can see.
    Hosei suggests that we should go past quickly. I say we should fix it, and Baraku agrees with me.
    Once we reach the road, I circle around at night to make sure Slurk is not following us. There is no sign of him or anyone else.

    The next day, late morning, we reach the bridge which had been washed out by the river. The river is back to normal, but if we look up, 1500-2000 feet up, a cloud layer circling around a dark spot in the sky. Goru says that is the hole. Of course, hole in his and Rabena's vision where there was the hole in the top of the mountain to throw the stone through. We discuss what to do.
    I announce I am going up to visit Fallingwater. There is a thick layer of snow on the ground, but we work our way up there. I start to climb up, but it is very hard and slippery. Eventually I get to the top. No-one else is particularly keen to come up too, so I go on in.
    It's much as we left it, except washed out (including the bridge). I walk around to the spot where the crystal joined, but it too is empty. I search the whole place.
    Towards the very back of the cave is the room where some mage made his last stand and held the orcs out of the room, and this is the only one that was not filled with water. The rest of the place is washed out.
    I go back to where the stones were joined. I call upon the power of the stones, all the elements to close the hole. Nothing seems to happen. I focus hard and put all my energy into it. Nothing happens.
    I return to the entrance and step outside.

    ((all was quiet and boring for a while. Then, out of the stormy sky, suddenly there was a massive increase in energy and the whole sky lit up with lightning, the most amazing thunderstorm. It hailed hard, painfully on those without clothing. The group would swear the hole is bigger than it was.))

    The weather got worse when I was in there. I tell them it's all washed out. Goru tells me that it got worse when I was in there. He asks if I did anything with the stones while I was in there. I tell them what I did. Goru tells me that the hole is worse than the visions, except reality hasn't started sucking up into it.
    I say I'm supposed to be drunk, and I wonder if the hole is where I should go. I say we need to find the man who is supposed to drink me.

    Goru tells us he had a vision, showing Slurk again begging us to give him a task to perform.

    Hosei shouts something (("Slurk, if you're here, come here!"))
    Goru tries to make his voice carry using the stones, calling like Hosei. There is a sharp crackle of lightning all around the party. Then he moves, his chainmail which had frozen crumbles and falls off, as if frozen so hard it became brittle.
    A moment later the trees around us crumble the same way, and the effect washes out about fifty yards and fades.

    We could get an air elemental to carry the sogin roku up into the hole, of course. Hosei is insistent we should get the rock into there, but I want to know more first. Hosei says he could fly it up there. I could with an air elemental, and I am supposed to be drunk.
    I insist we need to know more, the druidess and Hosei's temple. Hosei suggests getting the blue box, and I say we should get something from inside Fallingwater so that we can come back in the place rather than having to climb up.
    I go in and try to find something in the mage's room, but there's nothing here. I go back to the stone bonding place, and call an earth elemental to make me a pebble. There is an earthquake and rocks begin falling from the ceiling. I grab a rock and dive into the stream to escape. As the waterfall cave begins to crumble, the earth shakes, and I sweep out of the place out of the water, over the waterfall, and come up out of the water. I give Hosei the rock.
    "That didn't go badly," I say. I am still cold. On to the druidess.
    Hosei points out this big hole of chaos, and that the Knights of the Cold Fire will be coming here.

    We continue on the road, spend the night, and the next morning still has bad weather but isn't getting worse. We go on our way.
    During the second day from the waterfall, I see way off in the distance a very large bird, very large, following the trail around the base of the mountains, riding the draft. It's coming towards us.
    We stay in the open to see what it does. It's a large eagle. It comes in and lands on the road in front of us.
    This looks like a messenger for Ashu, who hears birds. It says that we should not take the rock to the druidess.
    I sigh and say that we should go back and throw it in the hole. Hosei agrees loudly.
    We walk away from the eagle. The eagle is still sitting there.
    I go back to the eagle. Hosei shouts and me to get feathers.
    "Excuse me, sir eagle, was there something else you wished to tell us?"
    The bird looks at me.
    I bow.
    It continues to look at me.
    I bow again. I look back and call Ashu to join me. I tell him that the bird clearly hasn't finished, and that it has more to say if you ask the right thing. He looks at me with a blank stare.
    I bow, "Please, could you tell Ashu what else there is to tell?" and I bow again.
    The bird continues to look at us. It shuffles back and forth, shakes out its wings, and settles back down.
    Ashu says something in barbarian to me. I point to the bird, and he shakes his head. I say loudly and slowly, "Talk to the bird."
    Finally Ashu turns to the bird and says something. He asks the bird if there's anything else, and it just repeats the message, "Don't take the rock to the druidess." He says something else, and walks away.
    I bow to the bird, and go with Ashu. When we get to the group, I can find out what he's learned.
    He learned nothing new. I look back and the bird is still there. I am sure the bird bowed. I bow back. We continue on our path.