Varkata feels herself lifting from the deck, cursing herself, Starting to fly in a panick isn't going to help things...
Karethas has Featherfall ready to cast if he see's that he is going to hit a bottom.
The bow dives downward as the ship hits the edge tossing Amir, Karethas and Varkata up toward the misty twilight of winking stars and roiling clouds above. As they reach the zenith of their parabola and begin to fall, Karethas casts a spell to halt your acceleration and you descend at a rate that barely ruffles your clothes. Meanwhile, the ship plummets with the cataract and quickly disappears into the obscuring fog below taking Kzrira with it. The archer is last seen somehow still standing on the deck with bow at the ready and eyes darting about for less obvious threats than being dashed to smithereens somewhere below.
Seeing her companions tossed off the boat, Kzrira is more than a little concerned. Not knowing where they are, she is not really paying attention as the boat begins to appear to slow. When the ship crashes into the strange not-water substance, she holds her bow up, despite being unable to see anything. When the ship, and herself, apparently not dead, she immediately shouts for her companions, hoping that one or more of them somehow survived the fall.
Amir, Karethas, Varkata. Where are you? Are you alive?
As she shouts this, she flips her bow back over her shoulder and grabs her rope hoping against hope that someone else is still with her and will respond.
Kzrira's calls are strangely muffled by the thick blanket of fog that closes around her claustrophobically.
Amir tries to claw at the mist but finds no resistance or a sense of how to move. He lets out a yelp of concern as he struggles...
Kzrira continues to shout to the rest of the party through the unnerving mist.
Karethas struggles against the sticky spray, but it only causes him to sink more quickly. And this is only the beginning of the insanity!
Kzrira will take out her rope, hoping to see any of her companions and be able to help them.
Kzrira continues calling into the fog. She hears no response, but there is a croaking sound behind her and she turns to see Spooky emerge from a battered hatch. The cat looks a bit dazed as he makes his way unsteadily over to the archer then stops meowing and sits staring starboard abeam with his large ears twitching.
Amir struggles but barely manages to reach the surface of the strange material. He surfaces looking about to see if there is anything more than just empty repetition...
Karethas manages to tread mist long enough to cast a spell from his golden ram's skin cloak. As he completes it he sends Gen over to touch Amir and Varkata, they all slowly rise from the mist to stand a few inches above it.
Amir breaks the surface of the weird fluid again just as Karethas pushes free clear up to his shoulders. The quick thinking wizard pulls off the golden fleece and finds the required spell. Reading it off in a moment, all three of the adventurers rise out of the fluid and stand on top.
In the quiet that follows, Amir hears the faintest sound through the thick mist. Beckoning the others forward, they walk until a dark shape looms ahead and he recognizes Kzrira's loudly calling voice. In moments the trio clamber up a knotted rope and onto the ship. As soon as they are aboard, the battered ship lurches. The painted eyes on the prow glow green as it glides forward through the thick fog.
After climbing back onto the ship Karethas shakes his head in disbelief spraying water from his damp head wrap, "That ram's skin has now saved our skins twice! Be prepared, this will certainly only get weirder." He proceeds to pull out his pearls to recall several spells.
Varkata curses, Sure, I'm keeping my head above water now, but I'm not exactly dressed for a long swi-- The thought stops short as she feels herself being pushed up out of the water, and she starts to laugh, "Good thinking, Karethas."
She then scans the horizon, nodding as the others start walking toward the sound of Kzrira's voice, holding back just a slight bit to cover the rear and to check for any injury that might have come from the long fall into the strange waters.
Once aboard the boat, she smiles again, Never thought I'd be so happy to see this stupid thing..., then laughs at Karethas' statement, "I'm thinking you're right.", ...the Drunken Hero's likely watching and laughing already...
Kzrira watches as the others approach, and then tosses them the rope she had prepared, assisting them onto the ship.
Might want to hold on tighter next time. Anyway, welcome back anyone . . . Suddenly the boat begins to move once more, startling the generally distrustful archer.
Anyone, she is clearly looking at Karethas have a clue where we are going now?
Anyone, she is clearly looking at Karethas have a clue where we are going now?
That would likely be a hard question to answer even for the brilliant young wizard. You do not have to wait long though. The blinding fog thins ahead of you as the three yellow-green lights come into clear view. A strange crescent-shaped anchorage just large enough to snugly secure your vessel comes into view, each of its crescent quays tipped by a small stonework tower like a small lighthouse, each surmounted by a bright-glowing yellow-green lantern. The harbor seems to abut the base of a large hill, with a third lantern at the center of the crescent, mounted over an archway leading into the hillside along a dimly lit cobblestone avenue.
As the damaged galley finally grinds into the harbor, there is a wavering of reality and the weird light fades from the craft. It fades becoming transparent and then vanishes beneath your feet leaving you momentarily suspended over the the strange sea.
Ami gasps despite feeling as though precious little would surprise him. He attempts to move himself to anything resembling sure footing not anxious to "swim" again...
The ship flashes away becoming insubstantial and leaving you nothing to hold onto, but thin mist. Fortunately, the spell from the fleece is still in effect and those under its effect harmlessly drop onto the soft surface of the silvery ooze. You manage to help Kzrira get on to the more substantive surface uninjured other than some deep scratches from Spooky's frenzied attempt to hold onto her though the fall and dip in the custard-like sea.
The cobblestones beneath your feet seem firm enough and the fog is dispersed enough that the small lighthouse near you clearly illuminates the stairs that lead onward into the apparent hillside.
Kzrira looks about again, reaching up to make sure that the cat is secure, now on her shoulder:
What the heck was that? What happened to the boat?
She then looks up at the strange lighthouse.
And, what is that? Pointing. I would advise sneaking up, but for some reason I rather doubt that whatever is in there would be surprised since I am sure it is bringing us here.
Amir shrugs and wordlessly starts making his way to and up the stairs...
Karethas sighs and rolls his eyes as Kzrira questions what is happening again. "We have entered an area controlled by creatures that are the embodiment of chaos. All rules of the natural world do not apply here and everything around us is subject to their whims. Anything can and will happen until we leave this place. We should just go with it and follow along with where they are clearly leading us. "
Shrugging at the response from team grumpy, Kzrira follows the old thief up the steps, cat on one shoulder and bow held in the other.
None too happy with the unending slings and arrows of outrageous fortune that continue to bombard the old rogue, Amir leads the way up the steps and into the shadowy hill.
Inside, what at first you mistake for torchlight is in fact the walls themselves slowly palpitating with whorls and slow-moving streams of dim multi-hued radiance from deep within the pale, near-colorless walls, sometimes seeming to respond as you draw nearer or farther from the wall as if it can sense your presence. Even without the colored light, the passage would be disorienting, as its width and height and direction seem to vary without rhyme or reason, and even shift almost imperceptibly as you watch. No straight line interrupts the organic flow, and you feel almost as though you are perpetually falling into a moving stream. The effect is stomach churning to say the least.
An echoing female voice is heard saying, “Welcome, my guests. Come forward so that we may speak."
Fort:
Despite her usually strong constitution, the strange shifting walls cause the ever suspicious archer to begin to feel her stomach churn.
Amir pauses and closes his eyes, irritation threatening to creep into his voice as takes a moment to try and steady himself, I understand the nature of beings you are but this place is hard to be in. No offense.
Varkata steps forward, as directed, her voice even, "Certainly. Thank you for allowing us this visit."
Prepared for the probability of incomprehensible sights, Karethas manages to keep his composure and moves forward confidently.
Perhaps it is a side effect of wielding magic, but the two casters seem better adapted to the strange shifts in reality than their companions. Amir and Kzrira look a bit paler as you continue through the strange passage. The cat perched on Kzrira's shoulder makes a coughing sound, but fortunately doesn't produce anything unpleasant to splash down her vest. Instead, Spooky's hair falls out in a cascade and the next instant, the cat is replaced with a scaly iguana of equal size and weight.
Kzrira can barely open her mouth without the bile rising so there is nothing to do but continue on down the passage which now turns pink and glistening like the throat of some immense creature. An almost sphincter-like opening in the wall of the corridor appears on the left. It is too small to pass through, but within, you see a long, irregular chamber with walls, floor, and ceiling studded in large cysts and buds, though they appear somewhat dried and withered. Most of the floor is covered with a pool of faintly glowing greenish liquid.
Finally, the passage ends in a large domed chamber. Its walls, ceiling, and floor studded with healthier looking cysts and buds. Most of its floor is covered by a wide pool of faintly glowing green liquid, but for a narrow pathway leading around it to an opening on the far side, near a sumptuous-appearing divan, canopied bed, and table surrounded with chairs.
Standing near the entrance to the chamber is a strange, pale-skinned elven man dressed in fine leathers and armed with a curved blade at his side. He eyes you warily, but makes no move and offers no greeting. Instead, another elf seated on the divan, this one female and strikingly beautiful beckons to you in a melodious voice. “I greet you, heroes from outside this reality. I have many names, but you may call me Lahapraset. I am a spirit of creation, and I wish you to be my champions. Do not mind Chinoy; he is not much for conversation but watches over my safety. Come, let us sit together. We have so much to discuss.”
Amir stops for a moment and looks over the room, his stomach threatening to make a scene. Nodding at the elven woman Amir lurches to a chair and does his best to settle himself without causing a disruption. Amir...a...*hrch*...a pleasure.
Karethas moves past Chinoy and gives a slight bow to Lahapraset, "I am Karethas ibn Faradin of Katepesh and lately Kelmarane, and my companions are Kzrira Maiwith of the Bow, Varkata Steeleye priest of the Accidental God, and Amir Awad Hajjir merchant, warrior, and a member of the city council of Kelmarane. Thank you for your hospitality, we will gladly sit with you."
Karethas sits and settles his robes about himself. He shifts his head a little and glances at Chinoy with a thoughtful look. He turns back to Lahapraset, "You wish us to be your champions? State your case."
Kzrira's eyes narrow when the strange chaos entity references the party as being her? champions.
Strange. As thought this place was not strange and distrustful before, now yet another appears to be requesting our assistance.
Kzrira is startled as Spooky, now in the form of an iquana speaks her thoughts aloud, "Strange. As though this place was not strange and distrustful before, now yet another appears to be requesting our assistance."
Lahapraset laughs in beautiful chiming tones. Her voice is as soothing as liquid amber. "Our goals are one and the same, My Champions. We are both held prisoner by the foolish shaitan. Obherask has bound us by cruel contracts and even gone so far as to hold one of our remaining number, Maagiyawara, hostage in his stronghold. With Obherask defeated and our sibling released, the scroll and our bonds will be dissolved. You will be returned to your plane."
Karethas nods, "We have heard this tale from both Dilix and Obherak. Each promises that if we support their cause, we will be returned to our plane. Yet, none offer us assurances that satisfy us." He turns to his friends and sighs, "I am not willing to see my friends fall and fail return to home; to see them stranded forever in this realm or in chaos." He ponders his situation for a moment and finally states, "I pledge myself and my friends to your cause on one condition. You must give us your true name and Chinoy must give us his true name as well. Upon your names, you must promise that you will return us safely to Katapesh if we free your brother Maagiyawalla and that you will not observe us through any means magical or otherwise. If you do so, then we will pledge that we will not share your true name with any other creature and that we will not use it to compel your service in any manner once we return to our realm. Know this however, if you betray our agreement, then I will have measures in place to ensure your and Chinoy's name will be shared with your enemies. I know not what effect your true name may have on you as a creature of chaos, but I trust you do not wish it in your enemies' hands."
Kzrira turns and glares at the iguana-cat.
If you keep speaking for me, I am going to stop scratching your chin.
The powerful Protean laughs again and this time the sound is more akin to the barking of dogs. Her tone now makes your skin prickle. "The shaitan have nothing to offer but promises. Kakishon is our creation and only we have the power to make and unmake it. Mortal child, you would not know what to do with a True Name. If you are as wise as you are clever, you will know that you have all the assurance you need in our very nature which is more than you would have with my True Name. Once freed from the onerous genie contract, we will unmake what we have made in bondage and all not of our making will be expelled."
"We have dwelt here millenia and though this fixed form chafes, we can endure it further. You mortals are not so lucky. Your meager years will be stretched here, but all you know will be reduced to dust in your home realm in the interim. Our generative power is all that sustains Kakishon for the fate of all is eventually dust. The great liar Nex trapped us here to fend off the inevitable decay. Such is the ubiquitous hope of mortals and their tragic flaw. Free us and free yourself, but do not seek to haggle too long."
Karethas chuckles, "Our mortality works for you as much as it works against you. You can wait for us to die, for who else MAY trap themselves in this realm to be your playthings? The shaitan can wait just as long as you as they are also immortal. Our mortality is what makes us a valuable opportunity, for you may all wait for us to dither between you. If we choose a side though, then you all must beware, for then you are in danger. You stated that you want us for your champions! Do not pretend that our choice does not matter! I do not seek power over you, just reassurance that we will get our due if we choose your side. Just because this realm ends, that does not mean we end up back in our own. Agree to my conditions, then I will agree to do as you wish."
As simple as that? Unbound you unmake it all and we are sent home?
Kzrira listens to the proteans and Karethas negotiate and it causes her head to spin. Deciding that perhaps Spooky is a better conversationalist anyway, she turns to him.
You have any thoughts on this? You have been here much longer than us, and clearly are easier to get along with, and probably smarter, than the shaitan.
The elf-like outsider's violet eyes flick to Amir and then darken as they return to the Karethas. "Yes, it is truly as simple as that. Perhaps you are wiser than your companion who gravely overestimates both his power and leverage. The fact that you are here at all implies that the scroll is again accessible and someone else will surely figure out its secret as you have. Hopefully, they will have more common sense. In the meantime, perhaps you would like to wait for that eventuality on the island of Aliskiren where you can discuss True Names with the hungry remorhazes and other frozen horrors?"
The iguana rotates its head from the Proteans and back to Kzrira as if in consideration. "Meow?"
Kzrira smiles back at the iguana-cat and then reaches up to scratch its chin:
Yup, you definitely make more sense than either my companions or these proteans.
Karerhas brows narrow, "I did not find my way here due some mishap. I am here because some fool activated the scroll and I was in it's area of effect. Do not mistake my friend's attempt at levity as a sign of weakness. We have defeated great foes and overcome great challenges to end up here. You do not seek us as champions because you doubt our abilities. Do not seek to intimidate us if you want us to challenge your enemies. Let us treat on equal grounds if you truly wish to treat with us. I am sure that what I ask is equivalent to what you seek from us."
The woman's hair blows about her face as if by a wind that you do not feel. Her voice rings with the menace of bared steel. "Indeed, you have proven your bravery and ability. To ask my True Name is the highest insult however, and you can understand that Nex used the same to trap me here in the first place. You ask too much. If we are at an impasse, then you may step into the pool and be gone from The Isles of Not. It will deliver you wherever you wish in Kakishon so that you may treat with the vile shaitan until the end of your days."
Karethas shakes his head in denial, "I do not seek your True Name in order to control you as Nex did. That was his dream, not mine. It is not an insult, but merely an acknowledgement of your nature. I must know my friends will escape this place, and you must provide some assurance that they will. Otherwise can you wait until some other group that is powerful enough to destroy your enemies, but not powerful enough to escape this place on their own, arrives? Every since Dilix first offered us escape from this place I have sought a way to ensure we can leave. Only now, that we can come to this understanding, can I feel confident that we have a fighting chance to escape.