So, Silas is hutting with some elders. They’ve been discussing the topic of us staying for some time, recouping, and learning.
Silas has learned some things that he’s going to share…. Now? Now. Now? Yes, now.
He asked many questions and has few answers. The landmarks to the north - the clearing and tower. The clearing, the first we’ll encounter, is surrounded by trees. There are huts in the trees, for safety. It’s a shared location for groups from the region - so not only this tribe. Think of an Ent Moot. It takes a long time to get answers (sounds vaguely familiar). The bears would patrol at night. There is a well in teh clearing. Asked if connected to the other wells, they said the ones we’ve seen are strange and wondrous. It’s sacred and ancient and a form of communication. Maybe not a tunnel we’ve seen.
The Tower is related to the darkness that comes at night. It was used in some capacity that was overstepping the bounds of nature… in a bad way. They drove too deep and greedily. Offensive to nature - like science gone too far… they were so concerned with whether they could they never stopped to think about whether they should! Lot’s of bad ju-ju. It’s not inherently evil but used for those purposes.
The magic in the world… the elders would recognize what we’ve seen as legends/stories but based in some fact. They were part of the world at one point. They’ve been waiting for these things to reemerge. Expected to be living their best lives in the meantime.
They are familiar with both elemental and natural magic. The henge, the one we came across with the spirits and where we laid Mannix to rest (RIP Tim). There are more in the region and though not evil they are respectful of them. They have a sympathy for them… something about a death cult that they were involved in regarding the spirits we saw inside. But these things, the henges themselves, are intrinsically interesting but more related to ancestry. So the elders are more interested in the natural world than ancestral knowledge.
The black lake… the elders have never been but know someone who’s seen’t. A young squirrelly person came across it. There lies a city there and Silas would have known of this city around this lake. They talked about it sitting at the pass of a waterfall where The Black Water emanates from… the city’s name is not known.
They saw we could rest for a long rest! During the 5 days, we rest so but don’t do much. We can learn some things and the people are rather mellow. They hunt, gather food, and keep watch at night. We don’t see anything offensive happen to the village but we hear wolves and the angry bears out in the wild.
Silas looks to a person to help construct a pack that he can wear in both forms. It’s doable - it happens.
Storr learns some things about how to ride a bear. She’s not yet a bear rider but knows some stuff. Balz would have been listening to his horn.
Of note - Silas does not turn into a short faced bear. He’s smaller than a short faced bear but he’s not like a brown or black bear. Just a generic bear. Silas doesn’t know what Arthen is, species wise. We all think he is likely a young giant short faced bear, like what we’ve seen in the village and what’s out in the wilderness.
The talk with Silas gave the elders insight into the ancient bonds of hospitality - they send Corantokwith us as a guide; but not bears. They haven’t a bear to SPEAR (I meant that to be a joke dammit Ryan). They know they came from the continent from which the Sun King resides long, long ago. They’ve stayed in the forest looking for him for a long long time.
The person who came across the city and the black lake is not amongst them.
Balz wanted to share the nature of his broken horn, how he can hear tings back in the other continent. And relays what’s been happening with his pursuers. He tells them they are a folk of ancient power and they need to regroup. Are they aware of this ancient power? They say they are only aware of the bear they serve but are a humble folk, doing what’s right by the bear. Making their way in the world today… takes everything ya got.
The mountains to the west have some communities or two out there beyond where we can currently see. Which is weird because why couldn’t see the things, it’s as if our sight is partially blotted out.
The people’s general knowledge of the area helps to allow us to see with our elf eyes.
We head north to the well/grove. Corantok is willing to show us the way and will be riding a bear. We stay to western side of the river, the same side as the well/grove. We head north in the morning. It’s windy, clear, and cool. We travel and don’t see anything particularly dangerous, but signs of them.
Balz would have been looking for beds in the trees… so we travel some more. At the end of the day we enter the grove! Huzzah! In a day we got there. And there are tree huts. Platforms and there is someone who lives there all the time who helps assist people to get up there. Like a Bellhop I assume. The bear can climb the tree with Corantok. We see the structures up on high. It’s an ancient forest so the trees are large and mature… think Endor and Ewoks. Except bears. This isn’t space vietnam.
It’s late afternoon, dusky. Not musky, so less sexy. Corantok calls out for the tree inn caretaker so we can join him up in the trees and talk to him. It’s not very active, it seems abandoned, not much activity. It’s a place where people come together and no one is there right now. We can get up there and there’s space.
Corantok blows a bison horn, 3 sharp blasts. Then shalt thou blow to three, no more, no less. Three shall be the number thou shalt blow, and the number of the blowing shall be three. Four shalt thou not blow, neither blow thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out.
We meet the caretaker, Logan the hermit. We are invited in. Or up.
He says what’s up? Logan has lived there most of his life. He doesn’t get along with people that much. He stays there with the trees. It’s nice to have someone come by while he’s talking to the forest… it talks back all the time. you can hear whispers on the wind? Silas does his Silas things and thanks him for welcoming us. He doesn’t want to clean up after us, so don’t mess it up.
There’s space for us to rest. Logan wanders off muttering to himself
We call Logan back and ask him about the voices in the forest. They tell him the goings on in the forest, tree fights. Cricket asks about bees, sometimes he here’s about them, like the bees are active again and something is going on.
B describes the tree at the monastery, what he knows about it. He says the trees talk of a mother tree, that sounds a bit like the one you’re speaking of. He doesn’t always understand what they talk about, but the mother tree, the bees and the great bear are all part of one thing.
Silas: What else do you know about the bear?
Logan:The great bear is asleep and has been for a long time. He became reliant on people to keep him away, so when the people moved on he fell asleep. Some of us are listening and trying to find him. If we spread the word will that help? He may just need an audience.
Storr: What do people do here?
Logan: We just get together at the soltices. We feast and we sing to the bear some go down to the well and see if there’s anything coming through.
B: Very curious of the well and its means of communication
L: Don’t know if anyone’s talked through it in a long time or know how it works. It’s a secluded place. When the elders get around, I’m not always welcome. I go down by myself and its very peaceful.
B: Recommend during the day or night night?
L: Not sure. Has its own moods. At night sometimes its peaceful and beautiful, daytime it is too.
B: You don’t speak through the well? Do you receive communication?
L: Hard to say, not sure how it works. A way to talk to something far away. Some see visions. I feel connected when I am near it.
Storr: Can you ride a bear.
L: No, no need. I like to snuggle but you gotta respect ‘em.
Silas: Asks about the darkness the druid folk had been talking about. Does that happen here as well?
L: Animals always run amuck. If you’re clever about it, you can avoid em. I certainly wouldn’t camp on the ground. Darkness was long ago and swept down from the north, and left its mark. Haven’t seen it in my lifetime.
We go to the dwelling that Logan pointed out. We find a cask of beer, some potatoes and lard and WE FEAST.
Storr gets more bear riding lessons from Coriander.
There’s no logs anywhere, as they don’t typically write, but parse runes.
We partake in the beer, pee off the side of the OH cabin. We wake in the morning with varying degrees of headaches.
We tell Logan we’re heading to the well. We ask if we can drink it, no is the answer. He sends us down into a landslip, we’re looking at a gateway with cliffs of ten to 15 feet on either side with water coming out, which winds quickly away. Can’t see far into it. Space is narrow in places. Carantok and the bear can’t fit down in there. Everything is hitting autumn colors.
We get the sense that Carantok considers this sort of a pilgrimage, but doesn’t want to lead. Stream is shallow, 6-8 inches deep. Flowing over gravel and sand.
Walls get taller as we get further in, some sheer. K considers rock climbing. Not a scramble, would be a sheer climb.
We’re guessing that its flat above us and we’re in sort of a crack in the earth. We continue. The water comes out of a slim passage to the west. Cricket looks through a passage further south and moves through while we’re further north. He pauses at the next opening.
There’s a space there and shaded from above, no dead body.
We continue through. And emerge in the clearing. Krambler makes it up the wall. There’s an alcove to the north with the sound of falling water. We can see the well a little and we walk in to a BEAUTIFUL image of a well. Water falls down from a great height into this well and falls over the lip of the bowl into the stream. You could sit and place things around the edges. Runes go around the edge.
We see that Carantok feels the sacredness of the space, he’s in awe. You could imagine having a conversation around here and being in tune with the natural world.
B asks Carantok about the well.
C: This is ancient. There were people that know things that we no longer know. We understood this to be as a means of communication. We don’t know how to speak through the water as folk once did.
B Does anyone come to listen
C some do, but the message is never clear. Not sure if its real if they just think they’re doing something
B: Do you recognize the runes.
C: He doesn’t, not someone who would
We also don’t recognize the runes. B takes a sample of the water before and after the bowl and from the bowl itself.
We each in turn look into the well and, aside from Koweth, see the sea, storm and crone. Koweth sees a reflection in the water, but dark.
Silas has Arhten come over and looks but he can’t tell us.Silas speaks with Arthen and he seesthe mouth of a cave, supported by tree root and tempted to enter cave.
Carantok sees stars and the night sky.
Storr touches the water. The faces are obscured and then return.
Krambler displays the hammer, the crone seems to point at him and says something to the other two. We don’t see the same movement that he does
B attempts to use the thieves cant to communicate. Who are you? We are sea, storm and stone. B hears them in his head.
B asks if they know where we are. We are at one of the ancient “round tables” but he location of each is irrelevant, only that we’re at one.
S asks how he can wake the great bear. The ask: Are you looking for the child?
B: We are. Who is this child?
Women: We brought the two of them forth long ago, they have disappeared form my sight long ago, but we still hear them.
B: Who is them?
Women: Our son and daughter.
B: Is the bear the son and the missing child is the daughter?
Women: They can’t won’t clarify.
Krambler: traces the edge of the bowl in an attempt to make it sing.
The women close their eyes and lean their heads back and listen to the music he’s creating and seem to be enjoying satisfaction from the music he’s creating.
Cricket: Why didn’t they tell us about the child and the bear before? Why the new information through the bowl?
Koweth jumps in. The reflections dissipate. He cleans his feathers and splashes about.
Krambler spelunks up the waterfall and finds nothing out of the ordinary.
Silas examines the crone and her cloak. She looks gray, an unnatural palor. The cloak is weave and fabric. All gray.
Channeling Mannix, Krambler tries to cannonball into the well. He smashes the bottom; he doesn’t float back up, but sees the three women looking down at him. Their expressions are questioning, intrigued, but not convinced. Carantok is impressed by K’s gusto. Does not feel like K is being disrespectful. He swims up to the surface, the three women reach down and touch him and pull him up. He submerges himself, they are still there and they are still holding him. They are in control.
K’s impression: That was weird. Seemed like it didn’t seem like it was his time. They were preventing him from progressing to another location.
Silas goes in. He sees the same thing. Looking up through the surface and sees the women. The water tastes like the abbotts water. Cool, pure, natural spring water. Try to go up to the surface, similar thing to K, but they direct me back to the surface.
B asks: Why are they turning us away?
Women: We told you that the pathway was shut.
B: What question should we be asking of you to receive knowledge about what we’re seeking?>
W: We’re not concerned with you. We have larger concerns.
They’re interested that we’re looking for the child, it’s intriguing as a concept, considering us to be small and that the child is quite a bit larger than us.
Storr: How do we open the passageway?
W: We have seen no reason to reopen it.
Storr: Do they control it?
W: