Moving on... fire. Everything is fine.

[DM Bob]

Yes. According to your now long gone guide, there were two more pulses to go.

But oddly, after another hour of walking, you begin to see lighter blue and even green flames as the "ground" starts to climb. Some eggs are seen in clutches of 3's & 6. They are crodlu egg sized, and have a dark amber color to them.

There is a good chance that the salamander child was not aware of the speed in which you travel... or there is some fuckery about.

Further in the distance and rising, there is a cool twisting flame - large, the resembles an infinity sign or a sideways figure 8.

[Attilius]

Noticing the "8" flame, The gladiator seems on edge but keeps his cool, as best as he can in this inferno landscape. He continues his visual scan for trouble as they travel on...

[Quila Oris (John M.)]

Does that figure 8 flame form resemble any landscape feature or something else we have experienced on the Hearth so far?
Are there indications it would be more of a landscape element or more of a building or location based upon our previous experiences in pulses flared by?

[Niachi]

"If an 'ever-burning heart' is what we seek, that looping symbol looks like a winner. Or a giant hungry fire-serpent waiting for us. Can we find a defensible spot to rest o and get one of those Naps before too long?"

[Quila Oris (John M.)]

A nap? So soon? We have only been awake again for little over eight hours.

[Umbris (AC 2 | HP 37/37)]

"I like the idea of a nap. I dont like the look of... that." He nods towards the '8'

[DM Bob]

To be fair, it looks incredible. Very little about this visit won't permanently be seared into your dreams, souls & very fiber of your being. This is the first time seeing such figure-8 phenomena though.

It does seem early for a nap.

Your earlier psionic reconnaissance did not show this event at any point either. You hear some sort of faint snorting in the distance, near what looks to be a darker mass beyond a larger flaming egg nest. If you were to hold up a thumb at arm's length sideways, its about that far away if the darker mass were about 20' in width... kind of roundish. The darker mass is the length of the entire thumb, the nest being only the size of your thumbnail from here.

At this point of intense observation however, you notice a red-orange winged hawk of fire swoop towards you and your persons. With an audible scree, it drops a copper colored tube directly before Attilus and Niachi as it then flies quickly out of sight. The fire-kin to your left bob up and down at this, somewhat excitedly. The tube is about the size of a poster tube and has a round cap, similar to a large pepper mill.

[Attilius]

"Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiit.. " the giant says as he watches the rolling tube come to a stop
"That's a summons if I ever saw won..."

[Quila Oris (John M.)]

“Damn is it her?” Quila wonders aloud. “Were we not told that such flying creatures are used by the efreeti?”

This brings her to have an idea, “Do we know of any portal or teleportation spells that would cause such a figure 8 effect? Or protective sigils of a sort?”

[AthasianLaborer]

'Muiko points at the figure 8 while looking at Niachi and Quila "Could one of you ask them what that is?"

[Niachi]

(Retcon: Forgot to click this last night)

Squinting into the heat haze to admire the distant intertwined feature, Niachi snaps back to the task at hand. On second thought, he does feel nicely restored and ready to rumble.

"Ah, Quila I take back my Nap request."

To the group:

"What questions do we have for our flameguard? I'll translate when we have a good grasp of what we need to know... Is that our goal? Are these Salamander eggs guarded and are we breaking laws of this place by being here? What else?"

While questions are pondered, he casts Cat's Grace on himself.
Somatic Concealment for any hidden audience: 2 (success)
CON roll 6 (success)

Cat's Grace: DEX 21
duration 9 hours
+4 reactions, +4 missile AC, -5 Defensive bonus

[Attilius]

Seeing as none of the "readers" of the group move to pick up the golden tube, Attilius picks it up and examines it closely. He looks for any opening mechanism, the top handle and the craftsmanship quality based on his armor and weapon metal smithing skills.

[AthasianLaborer]

"That might be enchanted or trapped!"

'Muiko will cast Detect Magic

[Niachi]

"Indeed!"

Niachi hops back from the copper tube to get 5 feet away, and motions for others to do the same as it's grabbed:

"HOLD UP a minute! Please do not mess with that sir till we know more."

He watches "Miuko Detects Magic, then peers out at the faraway snorting mass beyond the eggs.

"Can we get eyes on that? Bunch of Sallys and their beasts maybe? I'm trying to recall anything that involves a figure-8 like that..."

Spellcraft on figure 8 symbology and spell effects: Rolled 15, need 16.

He waves at the elementals, continuing his subterfuge:
Somatic Concealment: Rolled 15, need 19.
CON roll for Tongues spell: rolled 9, need 14.

He flutters his hands in flamey adoration and asks the leader:

"Is that (pointing at the figure 8 formation) where we need to incinerate our unholy cargo?"

"Is this (the tube in Atillius's hand) from a certain Freeti Lady? Does she travel in those tubes?"

"What approaches in that dark clump yonder?"

Tongues: Duration 9 rounds

[DM Bob]

The coppery bronze tube doesn't radiate of any magics and it doesn't blow up when Attilius touches it (yet).

Those of you that were part of the battle in the Kreen Westlands recall the flaming raptor that Liandrin kept looked quite like this brief visitor.

Niachi has heard of fire drakes on Athas manipulating existing flame into strange shapes and designs, a rare warning that one might be in their hunting grounds. The flame-kin reply a confirmation to this reasoning.

"The drakes spawn here and play among the eggs as they lazily guard their and other cinder babes. See? There is one there," A fire arm gestures to the dark shape beyond the egg nest. "The Dying Heart is near, but not to be seen yet. Onward and upward. Ho hum."