We rehash. Balz stayed with Silas. Silas gets a shiny new wool hat.
Branwen: Lookout
Storr: Hunter
Balz: Guide
Silas: Scout
We make our way downhill. Balz find s a good rout. Silas though tired is able to lead through thickets. Large lake, stony, not particularly deep, lichen, crusted rocks, boulders 50 ft offshore sticking up. Can see across the way, two low hill to the north north east. Off to the east is our best guess where this lake flows out. A rounded hill off to the west, sort of alone. Aroundthe lake is marshy and bushy not a lot of topsail. The western hill appears to have some meadow growth rising up above the tree line.
Lake seems about a mile long. We can see the other side, but not with total clarity. No islands in the water, or in the sky (Balz looks up) Mostly cloudy, patches of sunshine, cool driving wind out of the west.
Silas seems drawn to the western hill. We go.
We make good progress. We get to the edge of tlake. We can see the forest climb the hill and we start hearing something. As we get into the fortst he hear noises that sound like voices. It sounds like wind and grating rock. Branwen thinks we’re hearing the lullabye song (the song that beckoned Bran out of the pyre. Crickets mother would hum it to him. Boatman played it on Mannix’s flute. Kelynnen was singing it while picking herbs.) as we approach the hill.
We’re hearing multiple sounds and voices, one in particular that’s not too far away to the north, one rising and falling.
Would Storr recognize any from the bird island?
The Gale song was a song that one of the bird’s sang, which we do not hear now.
We head up the hill. We emerge from the forest and climb the steep but rounded hill. We can take in the view of the whole island from here. Low hills to the NE. South, the hills we entered over. A little lump to the west. We can see spots of movement at the forest edges, not bustle, but a few shapes coming from a couple directions that just move and stop. An intelligent movement coming from the forest to stand there.
Silas finds the whole hill heaving up and down, and feels a presence. He can trade a mental stat from his bear to a physical point to human, or something. The human gets smarter, the bear gets smarter.
The rest of the party does feel the hill moving. The voices singing are getting stronger.
The beings in the woods don’t seem to respond to the hill moving.
The breathing does not feel panicked.
Branwen wants to play her flute with the song (Cricket’s lullaby). Rolls a 12. Silas feels there is a calming with the added music.
Silas communes with nature. Wants to figure out what’s going on under the ground. If there’s anything alive, intelligent, etc. Whatever is below this mound is sleeping fitfully, and is NOT well. The thing is “exhausted”. It’s powerful, but there are many presences around the hill.
Silas tries to calm the entity, rolls Old Lore (13). He doesn’t help a lot, but maybe something happened.
Some debate about what to do next. Go to the source of the voices, stay on this mound, etc. We suspect we are surrounded by the singers.
We decide to head out to the “head” of the sleeping bear. The hills are meadow, surrounded by forest.
Storr consults Kleghein as they walk - it’s excited and nervous.
Silas casts commune with nature, no new news.
Storr suggest Bw takes out Gale, who seemingly causes a pause, or a ripple in the singing.
LET’S GO GIRLS.
They head down the path. There’s a trampled grass area, and a cave mouth. There’s a stream flowing out of the cave mouth. THERE’S a battle map!!!!
We hear tones, but its not a human voice, it’s a mixture of animal and nature. We identify them as a bat shaped one and one shaped like a giant weasel family kind of thing, these are not animals perse. They’re fur is partially grass and moss. They are creatures that are shaped into forms that are these animals. Their combination is harmonious. It’s old and been around a long time. Reminds us of the stone turtle.
Silas steps forward and tries to entreat with the beings, saying “Hello. I am Silas, What is your name?”
They ignore him, see hi, but don’t acknowledge.
Branwen plays the song they’re singing to try and trip them up. (17, perf, 17, perc). She gets the sense that there’s concern in the song. That there is a certain way they are trying to give a restful sleep to the sleeper. It’s a lullabye in a therapeutic way. She’s able to put that into her playing. We see them relax a little to our presence. We all get the sense that what she is doing is working and they are accepting her melody. Thinking that perhaps that would free them up to speak with us.
Storr casts speak with animals to find out why they’re singing. They ignore her, and she can’t tell.
Silas hops down. The marmot rushes to the cave mouth between silas and the cave. Silas takes out the beechstaff to display it to the creature. Silas bears out, drops the staff. The pinemarten goes to smell silas to check him out. It’s not aggressive and pokes his nose in and knocks Silas around a bit, and trying to figure it out. Then he squints at Silas a little bit. Silas backs up, but the marmot doesn’t follow.
Balz steps forward with the intention of showing them that he is of the same bones of the stone turtle, and perhaps them. He address them from the ledge. “Why do you keep this being asleep?”
It hears you talking and sizes him up, and it looks back toward silas. There’s a certain level of confidence in the posture, but it’s clear that he’s not going to let us go into the cave. Not aggressive, but will defend it if necessary.
Bran’s sense is that the sleep is intended as a healing sleep. The bear seems…. exhausted.