Chapter 17 - Back in Time
Days 36-39
The Great Highway stretched out in both directions, its flagstone surface polished to a shine by the constant passage of human and vehicle traffic. To either side, the vegetation was mown short for the distance of an arrow's flight by flocks of sheep. Even at this early hour, travellers could be seen making their way in either direction.
The party decided to continue their travel westward as they tried to figure out this strange situation that they found themselves in. They quickly surmised that they must somehow have been transported to another time, but the few travellers that they spoke with seemed to use a different dating system. What was clear was that they were in lands controlled by the Magocracy of Gena, the predecessors of the Genasi they had been fighting this past month. Things became a little clearer when Aldus stopped a traveling elf and asked for the date by the elven calendar. The answer informed him that they were 117 years in the past, in the days before the Gena Disaster forever changed these lands. A day's travel revealed that these lands were much more densely inhabited in this time. Villages dotted the landscape, fields carved from the surrounding forests. The keeps located at regular intervals along the highway, which were tumbled ruins in the present, in this time were well-maintained and garrisoned.
At the end of the day's travels, the party stopped at a small village, much like all of the others they had passed by during the day. Procuring a room at the local inn, they settled themselves in the common room to listen for rumours. While most of the conversation tended to be of peasant concerns such as their crops and livestock, Neela overheard some merchants discussing the possibility of an imminent war with House Telkar, whose forces were rumoured to be moving towards Genasi lands. Telkar overheard some other customers discussing the fearsome goblinoid mercenaries that were rumoured to be in the employ of the Telkars.
While the others enjoyed the warmth of the common room, Leandrie set out to explore the village, looking for the local temple. When he finally found it, it revealed itself to be a small building that was in poor repair, showing little evidence of recent use.
During the day's travels, Neela and Trykaar had been complaining of feeling ill. Despite a good night's rest in a clean bed, the condition of both seemed little improved the next morning. Choosing to err on the side of caution, the party decided to rest at the inn for half a day before resuming their travels, so that Leandrie could minister to them, focusing his attentions on Trykaar. When neither had improved by mid-day, they decided to continue their travels and search for healers as they went. That day went much as the previous, except that the lands they passed through seemed to be more densely-inhabited, and the highway seemed even busier. Once again, the party stopped in a village for the night. As the night passed, Neela's fever finally broke, and she found herself once again in good health come the morning. Unfortunately, Trykaar's still persisted.
From their inquiries, the party knew that their third day of travel in this past time would bring them to the city of Ralyahid, a city that was rumoured to be a lost ruin in their own time. As they approached, it revealed itself to be a city of mighty stone walls and soaring towers, larger than any settlement that the adventurers had experienced in their lives. On the opposite side of the city, a white stone bridge, seemingly supported by impossibly delicate stonework, stretched in a high arch across the Folyoba River.
Entering the city, the party first sought out affordable accommodations, then went their separate ways. Seeing a considerable number of elves in the city, Aldur sought out one of his kindred from House Taramandil. Most of the elves were of the Tarminvatur and Tarminastir families, but he finally came across a distant relative minding a market stall. Telemnar Taramandil was a distant cousin who looked much as Aldur remembered him, but while Telemnar knew Aldur's parents, he also knew that they were childless. After some discussion, Aldur was able to convince him of his travels through time itself. Telemnar was able to bring Aldur up to date on local happenings, including the great influence wielded by Tarminvatur, and to a lesser extent by Tarminastir, in guiding the growth of the Magocracy. Many of the Gena were turning away from human traditions and following the ways of the elves, who had even established great academies of learning in the temples of Ralyahid, evicting the religious orders. Thanking Telemnar for his information, Aldur sent him with a warning for his kinsmen of the impending Gena Disaster.
While Aldur was visiting with his kinsman, Jrak and Neela also found themselves in the market, but theirs was a more mundane quest. Seeing the great variety of wares available for sale, Neela hoped to find a merchant selling some of the exotic weapons that she had trained with as a monk. She did not find any for sale, but did find a merchant who thought he could procure some if she returned the next day. Jrak also sought unique weapons, in his case ones that had been crafted for a being of his size. He did find several mundane weapons, but none were to his liking.
Leandrie and Trykaar went in search of the local temple of Isten, eventually finding it in a rundown building near the river docks. Their hope was to find a cleric able to cast a curative spell on Trykaar. A lone, forlorn-looking priest tended to the decrepit building, bemoaning the temple's current circumstances. Approached by Leandrie, who appealed to him with a flowery tongue as a cleric of Isten, he finally was convinced to render aid. Unable to do so himself, he promised to seek out someone who could, and instructed Trykaar to return to the inn and wait. That evening, a mysterious stranger clad in brightly polished armour strode into the inn, asking for Trykaar and telling that he had been sent by the priest. At his insistance, they retired to Trykaar's room, where the man laid his hands on Trykaar's chest and a warm glow seemed to suffuse his soul. As the warmth faded, so too did Trykaar's sickness. Turning, the man left as purposefully as he had arrived, not having revealed his identity.
That night, the party retired to their room, but their sleep was not to be restful. In the middle of the night, the inn suddenly dissolved around them, and they found themselves tumbling to the ground a dozen feet below. Looking around in surprise, they found themselves in the midst of a broken, rocky landscape. Scouting around, they found no sign of immediate threat, and made camp in a low hollow for what remained of the night. The morning revealed that the stony landscape was in fact a vast ruin. To the west, the ruins of a white stone bridge stretched across the river, confirming that they were returned to the future/present Ralyahid, now a vast field of ruins. Making their way back to the gate by which they had entered the city, they found that the Great Highway now ended at the ruins and a dirt track led off around the walls to the south. Aldur searched the path for signs of the passage of the wagone of children. He was able to find traces that a wagon had passed within the last few days, but could not confirm that it was the one they sought.
Following this path, the party circled around the city, arriving at the river. Across the river stretched a rope, and on the other side of the river was a large raft which appeared to serve as a ferry. Clustered around the raft were a number of small figures and a single man-sized one. Seeing the party, the small figures hurried to the ferry and began to pull it across the river along the rope. As it approached within shouting distance, the figures revealed themselves to be gnomes. The party was informed that a river crossing would cost five gold pieces. This displeased them greatly and they attempted to haggle a better price from the gnomes, but the creatures were insistant that they were not allowed to negotiate the cost. Reluctantly, the party agreed to pay the toll and were transported to the other bank where they encountered an elf who was apparently supervising the gnomes. The elf, of the Tarminastir family, was displeased to hear that Aldur had misrepresented himself to the gnomes as being of that same family, and warned Aldur that doing so in the future might earn him a challenge to a duel from any elf who took such things more seriously (of which there are many).
Continuing on their way, the path soon rejoined the Great Highway. Aldur once again sought out clues from their quarry, but with little success. This slowed the party as they continued westward. As the afternoon passed, they finally encountered another traveler, an elderly lady seated at the side of the road. Approaching her, they discovered that she was in tears. When they inquired as to the cause of her distress, she told them of being mugged by a pair of ogres who stole her donkey named Danny, and a harvest of turnips that the donkey was transporting to a nearby fey market. This had happened a couple of miles to the west, and she implored the party to seek out and retrieve her donkey and turnips for her.
Eager to do a good deed for this old lady, the party set out in search of the ogres, finding them near where the woman had last seen them. They were settled around a roaring campfire, roasting turnips while the morose donkey looked on. The party demanded the return of the donkey and turnips, but the ogres were not willing to part with their ill-gotten goods. When word turned to threats, one of the ogres grew angry and flew into a rage, charging at the party, and a general melee ensued. Their mighty weapons inflicted grievous blows on anyone who got in their way, but they were soon overpowered, the berserker laying dead while the other was unconscious. Searching their belongings, the party discovered a sealed message, which when opened was found to be written in ogrish. Jrak was able to read the message: Lietvev is secure. We march on the capital.
The party returned the donkey and turnips to the old woman, who was very grateful. In her gratitude, she happily told the party of seeing the wagon of children they sought. She had seen it two days before, in her travel from the west. She said that it had turned northward into the forest known as the Dryad Woods. Despite receiving this helpful information, the party was unsettled by her mannerisms. She seemed to fawn over the turnips with a disturbing affection, and showed an unhealthy interest in discussion of children. When questioned, she revealed memories of Ralyahid in its glory, despite the fact that the city had lain in ruin for more than a century. Acting on an impulse, Neela moved to more closely inspect the donkey's load of turnips.
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