"Hey, you awake yet?" Aldin's voice breaks through Jorasko's deep slumber.

Jorasko looks around and notices the familiar beige fabric walls of his tent, daylight filters through the newly parted doorway and a large lake is glimpsed through the crack as Aldin enters.

 "Yes, how long have I been out?"

 "Just overnight, you must have really pushed yourself back there on the cliff. Mini and I were able to set up camp before it got too dark."

 "I must have, I..." Jorasko grunts, "I can barely feel my arms." 

 "Well, I brought you food," Aldin intercedes and hands him a bowl of steaming hot golden soup.

Jorasko hesitantly sniffs the bowl and smells a rich aroma of poultry and garlic.

 "It's just chicken soup."

Jorasko begins to lick up the broth into his mouth and the warmth covers his body immediately. 

He wasn't sure about Aldin's cooking based on the last time he served him sweetened meat. The thought of it still makes him want to gag but this new dish was very similar to what they served back in Thendulin, so he gratefully ate it with delight.

 "Is Lou okay?" Jorasko remembers, wiping the broth from his beard.

 "She's seen better days, but I'm sure she'll wake up soon." An uneasy look came on Aldin's face before he speaks again, "I um... I just really wanted to thank you." His eyes seem to be sorrowful and intense, "If It weren't for you, I don't know how we would have made it out of there alive. I... I don't know what to say... Just... thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you."

There's a long pause while Jorasko looks on in silence. From his perspective, he was just dangling off a cliff, holding his dying best friend by a rope a few minutes ago. To be greeted with a meal and sincere thanks is a little shocking. 

Aldin chews on his bottom lip awkwardly and nods his head lightly. He uncomfortably turns to leave the tent before Jorasko stops him.

 "Aldin, wait... I think I've made it very clear that I'm not very fond of you. I thought you would not survive out here, much of your kind are not, shall we say, capable. However, I think I judged you too quickly."

 "Bit racist, but I'll take it," Aldin whispers to himself.

 "Aldin, I appreciate your candour and although you still sure as hell owe me one, what you did out there was nothing short of heroic. The way you subdued that beast, it was... inspiring. I can say for certain that if you hadn't been here everyone else would be dead."

There's a long silence while Aldin looks down at his feet and Jorasko intensely stares at him. Jorasko had only seen such bravery a handful of times, he felt regretful of the way he thought about Aldin and wanted to make it right.

 "So no, Aldin HillCarver... I thank you."

Aldin bears a solemn smile for a moment and then accepts his thanks while exiting the tent.

 "Heh, Con-Troll freak..." Jorasko chuckles to himself and then heads back down to bed.

• • •

Later that day, Jorasko emerged from his tent and saw the stunning view before him. 

The wind blew along a glistening emerald lake and whistled through the scattered pine trees around it. A faint splash ripples through the water close by as a school of fish seemingly swim through the area. The trees up here are much different from those below, they have thin white branches and their needles are ocherous with a soft fuzz. 

Across the lake is a white stone mountain that cradles the edge of the water, its peak is obscured by a low hanging cloud that blankets the area with a subtle mist. At its base, by the water's edge, Jorasko notices what looks to be a decorative relief that's hewn from the surrounding stone. It seems like it was carved to resemble an entrance to a large building, stone columns and high arched doorways are plainly visible from across the lake.

 "That must be the ruin that Lou was talking about." Jorasko thinks to himself but then the thought occurs to him, "It's been a few hours, I should check on her."

He walks over to one of the large nearby tents and hears Aldin speaking softly as he approaches.

 "I'm sorry Lou, I... I couldn't fight. I was so gripped with fear, I... This is all my fault," he sighs and sounds close to tears. 

Jorasko peeks inside through the crack in the door.

  § Jorasko: Stealth: 5+7

 "I don't know what I'd do without you," Aldin continues. 

The tent is set up with a large cot where Lou seems to be fast asleep and tightly wrapped up in blankets. On the far side of the room is a large burgundy mass of fur that Jorasko immediately recognizes to be Mini. He seems to be curled up next to her on the floor and probably dozed off, his snore lightly hums in the room. 

By the cot sits Aldin, he touches Lou's forehead and wipes away some leftover blood with a damp cloth. Aldin turns his head to the side and Jorasko delicately listens.

 "When you left, I was heartbroken. I don't think I ever truly recovered from that night. I didn't think... I didn't think I'd ever see you again and the thought of that just tore me down from inside. I just wanted so desperately to go back in time and change what happened, I needed to make things right, I needed to apologize for the things I said, I needed to..." He stops for a moment and seems to be holding himself back from continuing his statement. "Things we're never the same without you. Mom and Dad were never the same when I told them you left. You never even wrote. I guess we all coped in our own ways... Mom with her fabrics, Dad with his masonry, and I..." He sighs, "I threw myself into my study. I thought if I distracted myself enough with books, the thoughts and feelings in my head might finally disappear. I guess I got what I wanted too, I was content to just live my life in that hole and read books until I died... Then you had to ruin it by showing up at my doorstep." He laughs softly but Jorasko can hear a sniffle come from Aldin as he wipes away some tears. "I'm sorry... about all of it."

At this time, Jorasko believes he may have heard a bit too much and to respect Aldin and Lou's privacy, he heads back to his tent. 

Later that day, he grabbed his gear, restrung his bow, and headed off into the area. He knew they only had a few more days of rations left and thought it best if he provided a meal while Lou was recovering.

  § Jorasko: Survival: 6+4

Unfortunately, Jorasko found the nearby forest to be mostly empty. He does manage to find some mountain goat droppings, but it seems the goats themselves are nowhere to be found.

 "Well then, I suppose we could see about fishing," he says to himself.

Attaching some twine to an arrow, he climbs up one of the orange trees that line the lake and waits for his prey.

  § Jorasko: Perception: 10+6

He spots it, a three-foot-long Glittering Snapper that shimmers with a golden hue. 

§ Attack: To hit: 1+7 (Disadvantage/CRITICAL FAIL)

He aims his bow but as he draws the bowstring, Jorasko hears a crack from the wood below him. The branch gives out and sends the cat tumbling, hitting every subsequent branch on his way down. One branch, in particular, hits him square in the crotch leaving him winded, lying flat on his face, and gripping his precious family jewels.

He returns to camp with a scowl.

 "What happened to you?" Aldin asks, seeing his dishevelled fur.

 "I don't want to talk about it," He growls.

While this is happening, Jorasko hears a rustle in one of the nearby tents and a dark-skinned Half-Elf comes wobbling out, gripping the door of the tent for her support.

 "Aldin?" Lou asks in a haze.

She looks like she's about to collapse. Immediately Aldin shoots out of his seat and the two of them quickly run over but just as one of her legs gives out, a large snout appears in the doorway and hooks itself under her arm. 

Mini looks up at her worried, he helps her out of the doorway and onto her feet. She pats him on the head lovingly and begins to take in her surroundings.

 "W-What happened?" Lou asks.

 "You hit your head hard when the Troll attacked you. You've been out for almost a whole day," Aldin informs her and Mini helps her to sit down by the fire.

 "How did we..." She starts speaking but Jorasko begins to explain.

 "Aldin incapacitated the beast, Mini held it at bay, then I was able to pull everyone to safety. The beast is still out there but I doubt it can get above the ridge."

 "Wait, Aldin 'incapacitated' it?"

 "Yes, he began playing his lute and-"

 "Aldin?" She interrupts and turns to the Halfling.

Aldin seems embarrassed and doesn't make eye contact with Lou.

 "Yeah, I don't know what happened. I just... well... it's ridiculous. I'm not sure how I did it exactly."

 "How are you feeling?" Jorasko inquires while Mini snuggles into Lou's arm.

 "I was a little lightheaded but I'm feeling much better now." She turns her attention across the lake. "There it is, the ruins I told you all about. I'm sure there'll be stuff in there worth some gold, we should get going." She begins to stand and doesn't look stable. 

Everyone goes to help her but she swats their hands away and catches herself. 

 "I'm fine!"

 "Maybe we should see how you're feeling tomorrow?" Aldin purposes.

 "I think that's best," Jorasko agrees.

  § Jorasko: Persuasion: 16+0 (Advantage)

 "Yeah, I suppose you're right," Lou begrudgingly accepts, "but first thing tomorrow, we're going."

 "Sure thing, why don't I make you something to eat?" Aldin kindly offers.

 "That sounds nice," Lou replies while she pets Mini, who seems very relieved that she's awake.

• • •

The next day, Jorasko is abruptly awoken by Lou who jumps on top of him in a frenzy.

 "TIME TO GET UP, YOU SLEEPY CAT!" She screams while she pokes and prods him. "We're finally here, and I'm not going to waste it! Get up, get up, get up, get up!" 

 "Get the hell off me!" Jorasko claws at his rude intruder and hisses in annoyance but Lou quickly ducks out of the way and laughs maniacally.

 "Crazy elf," he mutters under his breath. 

Despite his rude awakening, Jorasko is happy to see she's feeling better and back to her usual self. It was hard for him to not be able to help her when she was in pain. He had been feeling worried about her for the last two nights, despite not showing it outwardly.

• • •

After a short hike around the lake, they all arrive at the ancient stone entryway they had viewed previously. Up close, the design of the building was even more intricate than Jorasko had expected. Depictions of winged angels and creatures of the hells being smitten adorn the carved stone. 

The entryway consists of a columned facade with three large open archways. Up top, three carved circular windows are cut into the rock, with a much larger one standing above. Aldin points out that sunbursts are embossed around the windows to make them look like radiant suns.

 "This is amazing! I could only imagine what this would've looked like when It was first constructed." Aldin gasps.

 "Yeah, I came upon it while I was in the military about a year ago. My troop was on deployment to the mountains for a while, we were looking for Orc raiders attempting to enter the country from JoggNothUull and found this ruin up here." Lou informs him, "I remembered you were always talking about ancient ruins holding valuable treasures from long ago and it looked like it was maybe Celestial; your specialty."

 "Indeed it is," Aldin says as he enters into the open archway.

 "Wait, Aldin," Jorasko quickly stops him, "let me check for traps, you could get us all blown up." 

 "Oh... right. Sorry." Aldin apologizes.

  § Jorasko: Perception: 12+6

Jorasko enters into the cold stone room. The ceiling is vaulted and light shines through the carved windows above. What looks to be old benches and stone braziers line the near walls and pieces of rubble have fallen from the ceiling that now lay near the center of the chamber. The ceiling looks like it was once painted with a depiction of some sort of battle but is too old to understand without context. Searching the room, Jorasko finds some ash lying on the floor that might have been from an old campfire from long ago, and on the far side of the room is a massive set of two stone double doors that Lou had told him about in the past. Jorasko gets closer and notices detailed engravings that cover the outside of the door and in the center is a representation of some sort of glyph or symbol.

 "The room seems clear, come on in," Jorasko calls back to the group.

The party walks into the dimly lit room and Jorasko watches as Aldin's jaw hits the floor.

 "This is astounding! To think I could see this with my own two eyes!" 

 "I knew you'd love it. Last time I was here, my squad tried to enter but we couldn't open the door." 

 "Let me take a look."

  § Aldin: Arcana: 10+6

 "It's an archeon lock."

 "So you've seen one before?" Jorasko asks.

 "Well, no. I have read about them though."

 "How do we open it?" Lou interrupts.

 "Well, each archeon lock is different, they were created with simple magic from the Age of Gods. When made by ancient clerics, they would often have something to do with their unique diety. Maybe get some torches and search around the place, let me know if you find anything with symbols on it or a drawing. I'll check out the door." 

A moment later, Aldin snaps his fingers and the two stone braziers next to the door bloom with fire.

Jorasko feels somewhat outside his element, being scholarly was never his strong suit. After a second, he decides to climb up to the ceiling where he can get a good look at the mural he spotted earlier. His claws grip onto the wall with ease and he takes a long view at the somewhat destroyed decoration.

 "Careful up there," Aldin shouts up.

Jorasko just rolls his eyes in response.

From what he can make out, The mural depicts a tall dark-skinned woman with six wings and flowing bright hair. It seemed like there was a colour to it, but the paint has faded with time to a light grey. Dressed in silk, she floats above a multitude of people who all hold their hearts in their hands. Her arms are outstretched upward to another symbol but unfortunately, Jorasko could only make out ten percent of it, as it seems a large piece of the ceiling mural had cracked and fallen to the floor long ago.

 "Mini!" Jorasko yells, "overturn that boulder below."

 "Sure thing."

He walks over to the massive hunk of marble and wraps his arms around it.

  § Mini: Athletics: 15+5

Like a pebble, he lifts the massive stone and throws it upside down over by the corner of the room, It drops with an echoing crash. 

Jorasko hops down to the floor and saunters up to the rock. 

 "What the hell are you guys doing?" Aldin yells in response to the noise.

 "Aldin, come take a look at this."

It's cracked and dirty but Jorasko can barely make out that the symbol is still there.

Aldin walks over to them and squints. 

 "That's interesting, where'd it come from?"

Jorasko simply points to the hole in the ceiling and Aldin now seems to understand. He watches as Aldin pulls out a small rag and gingerly wipes away the compacted dirt on the surface of the stone, revealing a white knotted symbol.

 "That looks like the one on the door," Mini chimes in.

 Aldin looks back and says, "It's similar but not the same."

  § Aldin: Religion: 1+4 [CRITICAL FAIL]

He squints at the symbol for a moment and corrects his glasses, 

 "I don't recognize it. It's not any Celestial symbol I'm familiar with."

  § Lou: Perception: 17-1

 "Aldin," Lou yells by the door, "come over here, I can't believe I didn't see this last time." 

The party walks over to the entryway where Lou is seen wiping away dirt with her hand and unveiling some carved writing above the frame.

 "Any idea what it says?" She asks Aldin.

Aldin responds slowly while he reads aloud, 

 "Et peregrina veniunt, ut. Immortalis semine Uulmoro ponit ante. Intrabit in manum tuam, et cor tuum. locutus est nomen eius." 

 "And that is..." Jorasko asks in annoyance. 

Aldin stares at it for a moment longer and then shakes his head lightly. 

 "S-Sorry, what was that?" Aldin stammers.

 "What does it say... in Common?"

 "Oh right! Sorry, Celestial can be a bit difficult. In this context, it reads, 'The pilgrim may come. The undying seed of Uulmoro lays before you. Enter by the hand and the heart. Speak her name and see.' At least, that's the best I can make out."

 "Undying seed of who?" Lou asks, very confused.

  § Aldin: History: 17+6

 "Uulmoro. I vaguely remember the name," Aldin pulls out a book from his pack and begins flipping through it wildly. "Here, I found it! 'Uulmoro: The Primordial being of the soil. In the ancient legends of the lost Armenite civilizations, Uulmoro was one of three primal beasts and was said to have birthed the soil and land in all its abundance.' That's... that's all it says."

 "I'm confused," Mini announces.

 "Me too buddy," Jorasko agrees, crossing his arms, "all this lore, beasts, and crap, I just don't see how any of it is going to help us get past this door."

 "Well, the inscription said there were pilgrims at one point," Lou interjects.

 "Yes, often people would journey to places of Celestial significance, however, I don't think this place has been visited in quite some time," Aldin says as he looks around at the state of the room before saying to himself softly, "Enter by the hand and the heart".

 "That kind of looks like a heart," Mini exclaims while he points at the symbol on the door.

 "No, I don't think that's..." Lou trails off and looks deep in thought before she puts her hand out and touches the symbol. The carving shifts slightly under her pressure. "Oh! It's a puzzle lock!" She shouts.

  § Aldin: Intelligence: 13+2

Aldin, now coming to his senses, realizes what had been staring him in the face all along. 

 "Mini, you said it looked similar to the one on the boulder, yes?"

Mini nods in agreement and Aldin runs over to the rock.

 "Move the left section inward!"

 "Like this?" Lou asks as the stone shifts on the door and clicks into place.

 "Perfect! Now move the bottom piece and the top piece together."

 "What next?" Jorasko yells back while moving to help Lou.

 "Rotate the bottom and right pieces ninety degrees clockwise!"

There's a definitive click that resonates in the door as the glyph is set correctly in its place. A bright light emanates from the door and blinds Jorasko with its intensity for a few seconds before it fades. 

When Jorasko looks back up, the symbol on the door is glowing with pulsating pink light.

 "Amazing," He gasps.

But as Lou goes to push the door open, it doesn't budge. 

 "Well great, we made the door glow, what a great accomplishment," Jorasko states sarcastically.

 "No, it said by the hand and the heart, that should have done it." Aldin sounds upset and Jorasko watches as he walks over and stares up to the door.

 "Should I hit it?" Mini asks from behind.

 "No!" Aldin yells, "Just give me a second... 'by the hand and the heart'," He whispers.

Aldin gets close to the door and Jorasko sees a questionable look come over him; He looks unsure about something.

  § Aldin: Intelligence: 16+2

But before Jorasko can say anything, he notices Aldin secretly lift his hand from his robe and gently touch the door with his forefinger.

The entrance immediately whirrs to life and begins to open with an uncomfortable grating sound.

 "Now, we're talking!" Lou yells, blatantly unaware that Aldin did anything in particular.

 "How'd you open the door?" Jorasko questions him.

 "Must have just been on a delay," Aldin awkwardly chuckles.

  § Jorasko: Insight: 18+2

Aldin scratches his ear and laughs as Lou quickly wraps her arms tightly around him, picks him up, and throws him in the air repeatedly. There was something not right about what just happened and Jorasko can feel it.

 "Aldin lied... but why?" He thinks to himself.

 "Are you coming, Jor?" Lou yells over to Jorasko. It seems while he was thinking, the group had already begun entering further into the darkened hallway ahead.

 "You idiots! Don't go galavanting ahead, there could be traps!" Jorasko shouts at them as he catches up with the party once again.