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A Reunion of Many Wonders

Scene details

  • Start date: May 26, 2024, 5:48 p.m.
  • End date: May 26, 2024, 8:38 p.m.
  • Location: Zel'rik Archipelago - Volcanic Cliffs
  • Participants: Reize Seatlan, Ivo Galvan

Setting: Reize and Ivo arrive past the Volcanic Cliffs and decide to look for a way to get past the malevolent maelstrom: The Infernex. Reize comes across a very familiar face and an even more familiar keepsake.

Log



 It's difficult to determine if it's day or night due to the presence of the wind blotting the light.

 The group travel through the lava tunnels now with the toxic elementals cleared. This takes them to an open field that leads to the peaks of Caldera. There is the right set of the peaks and then the left set. The path leading to Caldera has the malevolent feeling of a vortex encircling the surrounding area. It does not feel like it is a good time to explore.

 Upon arrival, Reize grimaces and he looks up towards the path ahead. "... Well, I don't think we'll make it any further through this for not." He frowns, "At least we dealt with that elemental."


 Ivo, emerging from the lava tunnels onto the caldera peak, expects to have to shield his eyes from the sun and raises a gloved hand to do so, only to blink as it proves to be unnecessarily. A pall has fallen over this place, of a violet hue reminiscent of the toxic elementals with which they contended before. He can hear the sound of an ongoing tempest in the form of an unearthly howling that resounds through the volcano caldera, but the sight of it is obscured. Perhaps, considering how it sounds, that is for the best.
 "At least we know what we're dealing with now," he says, trying to seek the silver lining of this noxious cloud. "We could prepare some sort of filtration to make it through to Scirocco's abode and challenge her. Or..."
 He glances in the direction of left set of peaks, where the path along the craggy rocks seems a little clearer, and takes a deep breath, the air also thin at this height.
 "You said that other elemental was named Wuther, right?" Ivo confirms. "Do you think he could help us clear the way? We are offering to deal with his rival, after all. Even if he's given up on the fight, surely he'd lend us a little aid."



  Reize looks back at Ivo when he comments regarding their current situation. "Hmm..." The clearer path is given a glance over, then the youth considers the alternative idea that Ivo recommends.

  "Well, I should be on friendly terms with the old man. We did come to an understanding after our fight." He cracks a grin.

  He looks back at Ivo and he points ahead!



  "Yeah! Let's head over to see him!"

  Leading the way, the two will find that, despite the malevolent vortex's presence, the path on the left side is indeed clearer. This makes a more eased walk for the two.

  Just above, the group can see a few of the vultures pass by, giving out a cry of acknowledgement and hailing them, in which Reize waves back.

 


 "After you, chief."
 Ivo, grinning, follows after Reize, leaving the densest parts of the vile pall behind. It will take more than some evil wind to dampen either of their spirits after all they've been through together.
 "It's a shame, though," he remarks as they pick their way around rocks and tufts of hardy alpine grass. "I'm sure this place is typically beautiful. Once we clear this malaise, let's treat ourselves to a picnic and enjoy the view."
 Now that's a quest reward.
 "Oh...?"
 There is a sort of animal trail that our heroes are able to follow, but it's clear that bipedal creatures do not typically visit this place, and sometimes their progress is simply blocked. They are almost to the peak where Wuther dwells, but a crevice blocks their path, presumably no obstacle to wind elementals who can fly but a problem for most adventurers. There are boulders one could hop across, but it looks rather treacherous. Ivo glances up at their vulture friends.
 "Do you think Volt could help us across?" he asks. "I don't want them to get too close to the malaise, but if we're far enough away right now... that'd help. There's also..." He hesitates a moment, with a slightly worried expression now, as though concerned he is mentioning a lost loved one Too Soon. "...well, how's the Hook Shot EX holding up?"
 It *technically* still works, even after being hit by a Doom Chicken meteor. Sometimes. Occasionally. On a good dice roll.

Reize Seatlan rolls 1d20>=12.
Comment: THE MOMENT OF TRUTH! HOOK. SHOT. EX!
Roll(s): 17. Total result is 17. This is a success (by 5).



  While observing the surroundings, Reize gives a thoughtful look, "Maybe it'd be a good farewell picnic before we head back to Granse." He cracks a grin.

 However, their trip is stopped short as their passage is blocked by a crevice. Reize furrows his eyebrows, realizing that their options are limited. As Ivo dreadfully mentions the hookshot, Reize gives his older companion a frown with a mixture of suffering. He lowers his head to reach from his satchel to procure what looks to be fragments of the hookshot. However, it strangely appears to be kept together despite the damage that it took from the meteor.

 "...I..." He considers, "We can try."

 He looks ahead with determination, then he points the hookshot over towards the crevice. With one push of the trigger...

 ...It successfully launches out and it ensnares over to the other side of the crevice.

 "!!!!!!!!!!" His antenna hair pops up and he shouts, "We can get to the other side!" In his excitement, he reaches for Ivo's hand for a firm grasp and he takes a daring leap to use the hookshot to pull them on the other side.

  "We must take advantage of this success!"

 


 "!!!!!!!!!!"
 Ivo's reaction is, for once, identical to Reize's.
 "Agreed!"
 Reaching out to take his fearless leader's hand, the taller young man is borne on by his younger friend, swept across the crevice with ease by the power and glory of the Hook Shot EX. Its vacuum-aspected aether gem, formed from the very malaise that afflicts this place, adheres to the rocks without fail and draws them over with alacrity.
 "Ha ha ha! Ha ha ha!"
 Laughing in delight, sparkles seeming to trail and background going dreamlike and fuzzy, an angelic chorus replacing the distant sound of raging winds, Ivo enjoys the trip before they both land safely on the other side. The vultures, watching from above, briefly sweatdrop.
 "I get it now," Ivo finally says, at last releasing Reize, but not before an understanding pat on his shoulder. "Hook shots... are really cool."
 Wuther's peak now looms before them. It may take a little searching, but a cavern entrance indicates his actual residence, and rather conspicuously. For it appears that piles of what look like shipwrecked junk or various flotsam are jumbled outside. The wizened elemental whom Reize previously dueled appears to be a collector... or hoarder.



 While the two are gliding down to the other side with the assistance of the hook shot, the boy takes the moment to enjoy the feeling of 'flying' once more, now aided by the tool that he had desired to use for a long time.

  Reize finally has his moment.

 Once they get to the other side, Reize looks over at the looming peak. "Here we are." He closes his eyes, "Here's to hoping that he can help us!" The young explorer journeys forward. As they arrive through the entrance, the cavern appears to have a lot of shipwrecked junk. He can see a nice number of various items around.

 Despite the strange surrounding, the boy cheerfully calls out, "Ooooi! Wuther!"

 


 Ivo, after a curious glance at Reize, cups his hands to his mouth. "Wutheeeer! We've come to visit yoooou!" It would be rude to simply saunter into someone's home, after all. "Are you deceeeeent--"
 One of the piles of junk suddenly seems to erupt, as though a small bomb has gone off within it, and Ivo leaps back in horror.
 "Gaaaahh!" he yells, before double-taking.
 What has emerged from the pile appears to be a very short and balding old man with a white beard almost as long as he is tall, floating in the air, his eyes closed as though perpetually asleep. But he speaks as though entirely alert, if in an exceedingly sour mood, as he floats through the air into the cavern.
 "Yes, yes, I can hear you just fine," Wuther, sapient wind elemental, curtly replies. "I was just organizing my newest treasures." Ivo takes a dubious look at the now even messier pile of junk, but says nothing. "Come on, then. Don't just gad about outside all day."
 "You've got quite a collection," Ivo murmurs. The inside is like a dragon's hoard, if a dragon had no taste whatsoever. Piles of what look to be washed up cargo and random knickknacks, many still entangled with dried kelp or the occasional dead fish, are everywhere. Fortunately, the constant mild breeze emanating from Wuther airs out the cavern and prevents the place from having any bad odor. "Is this... your hobby, then?"
 "Used to be my trade!" Wuther grunts. "Before that churl ruined everything, I'd get visitors." Pirates, presumably. "Got the best of it all through barter."
 "Uh huh," Ivo says, still scanning the area for anything at all that looks valuable. It's going to take a while, no doubt. "Barter. Well, if we find anything that would assist with our battle with Scirocco, perhaps we could take it on credit and later bring you some--"
 "Not a chance," Wuther flatly interrupts.
 "Right."

> The party has unlocked Wuther's Junk Store!
> Unexpected treasures or schematics may be exchangeable for uncommon or rare gatherable or craftable items.



  "Whoa!"

 It looks like Ivo was not the only one taken by surprise from the eruption of the junk. However, it soon reveals to be the old man with the large white beard. As Wuther makes his presence known, the boy has a smile on his face.

 "Well..."

 Ivo's attempts to barter fails, but Reize remains undeterred and he focuses on the task at hand.

 "Well, we were here to see if you had something that could help us get to Scirocco and...." There is a pause.

 There is an unnervingly long pause from Reize mid-sentence. Why?

 The long yellow scarf is in his sights. The one important part of his identity, once missing and a contributing cause to his Sea Madness.

 It is here.

 "THAT'S MY SCARF!"

 


 Ivo elects to gather more information, even if bargaining does not seem to be an option, while Reize focuses on investigating the alleged treasures here. He thus does not notice at first when the boy falls silent.
 "By 'churl', you mean Scirocco, I take it? You see her as a sort of upstart, then?" The Cosmopolitan seems quite interested in the notion of social dynamics between sapient elementals. The party has encountered such situations before, as with the sirens seeking to relocate to Aurita Meloda, but not conflict like this, to his knowledge. "Is there a community of wind elementals here, or...?"
 "Not anymore," Wuther says. It's hard to tell if he is annoyed by the question or just always like this. "Not since Gale left. The churl tried to take his place. But she wouldn't allow mortals here, and then how would I do business?"
 "And Gale is--?"
 "You want anything or not?"
 Ivo opens his mouth to reply, getting the picture that more Lore may be Unlockable if they do some shopping, only for Reize's outburst to interject. His friend's eyes go wide, and then he grins to Reize.
 "Hey, would you look at that! We found it!"
 Ivo seems rather relieved himself at Reize's scarf being found. This might seem to be out of empathy for Reize's concerns. Mostly, it is instead just because he remembers how dangerous Reize's Sad Madness was in the scarf's absence.
 "Wuther, this is actually Reize's scarf," Ivo explains to the elemental, adopting a gentle tone. "If you could kindly return--"
 "Tea."
 "Excuse me?"
 "I'm out of tea," Wuther says, without an ounce of sympathy. "No mortals to bring it to me. Find me tea and I'll trade."
 "Tea?" Ivo says, weakly. "On this island...?"

> A new Side Quest, "Tea? On This Island?", has been added.


 "Whh--"

 There is a pause.

 Tea? Get the old man tea in order to get his scarf back? The young boy places a hand over his chin as thoughts form over the back of his head.

Chibi Reize: *RAAAAWWWRGG!* *picks up old man over his head, back breaks*
Chibi Wuther: MY BRITTLE OLD HIPS!
Chibi Reize: RAAAAAWWWEGGG!!! *beats his chest like a maniac* AAOOOOOUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!

 ...Those thoughts soon fade from his head, as if feeling the remnants of the Sea Madness taking over. No. Don't let those dark thoughts take over.

  "Fine... we'll get you some tea."

  He looks exhausted a moment later, but he offers Ivo a smile, "Maybe we can also get information if we bring him enough tea."
 


 "Never fear, good Wuther," Ivo says, once Reize wearily agrees. The Cosmopolitan gallantly places a hand upon his chest and grins winningly. "The Star Chasers never fail a quest."
 As the old man nods approvingly, Ivo steps over to lean in toward Reize and speak quietly into his ear.
 "Yeah, there's no way we're just going to find domesticated tea growing around here," he murmurs. "Our best bet is to either search the shipwrecks of merchant vessels for some undamaged luxury goods or find a wild plant that's close enough." He then hesitates for a moment. "Actually..."
 Ivo then looks up.
 "What sort of tea do you like best?"
 "Uhh?" Oh, that's how Wuther sounds when he's annoyed.
 "What," Ivo tries again, "do you like best about tea?"
 "The smell," the old man replies, sounding as though he cannot believe what a moron Ivo is. "What else is there?"
 "Right, haha, of course," Ivo replies, before leaning in conspiratorily again. "I don't think he knows he's supposed to *drink* tea," he whispers to Reize. "He's a wind elemental, after all. That might make our job a little easier... maybe if there's a plant that at least *smells* like tea around here... we could potentially use that."



  Reize notices Ivo's approach and he leans over. He gives a thoughtful look with a frown. "I don't know..." He brings a hand to his chin, "Wouldn't Daiby be a good person to reach out to for tea?" He offers a smile. "She may know some ingredients here." After all, they did have tea together!

 He considers Ivo's idea about a plant that smells like tea. "...I suppose finding something with a good fragrance may work." He pauses, "We may have to do this hunt without Rui, though."

 He can already imagine her response. It begins with an 'N' and ends with 'O'.

 


 "Right! Good point!"
 Ivo says this louder than he intends to, and glances over his shoulder at Wuther. But the old man seems to be drifting off, both literally and figuratively, as he floats over to a different pile of junk while looking basically to be sleep-flying. Although it seems like he always looks like that.
 "Let's ask Daiby first," he says. "Maybe she already has some she'd be willing to trade, or she or her snakes have found a local plant that might serve as a good substitute." Remembering that they are typically accompanied by a friendly snake or two thanks to Daiby's passive support trait, Ivo then looks about to see if there is one he could ask now. "Oh..."
 He briefly makes eye contact with a medium-sized green serpent that appears to be in the process of eating one of the dead fish mixed in with some of Wuther's flotsam. They awkwardly side-eye one another for a while.
 "Well, I guess... we can't exactly ask them now, without her help."