Rilee looks up from where she had been studying the magicked staff with an odd expression on her face. She blinks back to the present and glances around for Whistler. "Oh, it looks like he's returned to the Plane of Air. But he's only here for a short time, Zoli. I can turn into one as well, and do the same trick. I can't go as big as Whistler is, but that shouldn't matter for these little guys."
Once a significant portion of the carpet of spiders and insects have been purged, Rilee resolidifies. After staggering dizzily around for a moment, she returns to study the dessicated corpses that she cleared off.
She turns over one web-coated corpse and pulls apart its cocoon. She gasps after she uncovers a smooth stone with a hole in it, through which a rotting leather cord has been run. "Grovemother Vayren!" she exclaims, horrified. She runs over and picks up the spellstaff reverently, running her fingers over it. Then she compares it to the staff of heaven and earth and nods, tears welling up in her eyes.
She hugs the two staves to her closely while gripping the stone tight as she sinks to the floor.
While also picking up and carrying Zoli without really realizing it, Setsuna moves over to Rilee and hugs her great grandparent with her free arm.
"...I take it you were close to Grovemother Vayren? ...Who was she?" the Oracle asks carefully.
After a moment of quiet grief where Rilee sinks into Setsuna's embrace, she lifts her head and holds up the stone. "She was a druid. More than that, she was an elder of the Green Faith, incredibly wise. Tobias introduced me to her when he realized my... unique condition. She helped me see the Wheel. To recognize it when it turns for others, and how it would spin for me."
Zoli blinks. "OOOooooh, we should write a play about her! Or a sonnet!
"If she's like you though, surely she's been reborn? Right?"
Rilee frowns in thought. "I hope so. I don't know if she was really like me in that way, but she knew so much about the Wheel that she may have been. Though I'm not sure why she wouldn't have returned for her things. I can usually sense my old body when I'm reborn."
Then she looks around at the other dessicated bodies. "Then again, perhaps it would have been too painful." She studies Zoli, Eugeni and Setsuna with a loving smile. "Sometimes it's easier to move on."
Standing back up, she hands the smooth stone to Zoli. "I agree we should wait. These two fights were brutal, and if this passage that Setsu found leads to beneath the keep, we may be encountering Mokmurian sooner rather than later. Plus, I'd like to take Olympus with us, but I'll need a different spell to shrink his size."
Zoli figits as though having a hard time controlling her curiosity. ”Sure, we don’t want to go all the way to Mokmurian today, but just a little more? I mean, it’s a How can you not want to know what’s just beyond? And anyway, it’s not like I’m going to sleep in this spiderhole.”
Sensing she’s outvoted, she changes tactics, ”Maybe I can just scout ahead a bit. I could even wear Setsu’s ring, if she doesn’t mind. Then I’ll be totally safe and I can see what’s out there.” Thinking for a moment, she continues with sudden hesitation, ”Unless I, uh, get stuck in some spiderweb out there.” She shudders.
”OK, fine. I’ll rest too.”
She spends some time practicing with Baern’s Breath but eventually tires of it.
”Hmmmm” she mutters, ”Maybe I’ll start work on that sonnet about Gravemother Vayren.” She takes out a few leaves of parchment and starts to write...and then cross out and start over...over and over for more than an hour.
Finally she pops back over Rilee’s shoulder. ”OK. Clearly Tanitus is the writer in our weird family. I couldn’t get the whole sonnet thing to work out but I came up with a limerick! Tell me what you think?
“Oh Grovemother Vayren was wise
She be-friended beasts of each size
. . But the spiders weren't grateful
. . Saw her as a plate full
And sucked the blood out of her eyes”
As soon as it’s finished she sees the looks on her companions’ faces and says, ”Oy oy oy, that came out really really wrong. Let me try again.”
"Hahahaha! I like it!"
Rilee stares wide-eyed at Zoli, her mouth twisted in an expression of shock, disgust, and motherly support despite her child's gaffe. She clears her throat and coughs. "Yes, well, a little grim for my taste. Especially since she was like a mother to me."
Looking to change the subject, she turns to Eugeni. "Should we talk about setting watches? My powers reset at dawn, so I can take the last watch and wake everyone before that time. We can finish our preparations and be off at the earliest. If you want to go before that, we'll have to leave Olympus behind."
"I feel pretty much fresh to be honest. I can take the first two shifts."
When her soul sister makes her gaffe, Setsuna winces noticeably and barely stops herself from facepalming.
"If we can take Olympus with us, then I say we go for it. I can handle any later watch. If I don't 'cheat' via my ring, I need eight hours of minimal activity, usually sleep, to draw power from my patron deities and then about fifteen minutes of concentration to properly focus it," Setsuna says after she recovers.
Zoli grins at Eugeni but then she sees the expression on Rilee’s face. ”Hmmm. Oy. Sorry, let me try again.”
Zoli squats down again, scribbling, and after a couple minutes says, ”OK, how's this one?
“Oh Grovemother Vayren was bright
Her lightning could light up the night
. . When spiders came crawling
. . She heard the Wheel calling
But I think now she's probably all right”
Before she retires for the day, Setsuna heals Zoli and Rilee of their lingering poison damage.
The Oracle again chooses not to learn any Dreamed Secrets from Azathoth. In the morning, Setsuna only casts Endure Elements on herself. In hindsight, Magic Vestment was not worth the spell slot. When the group makes their way back to the secret tunnel, before entering, Setsuna spawns her Shadow Cloak and activates her Ring of Invisibility.
As they wake in the early morning, Zoli goes and stares off into the pre-dawn sky.
After a few minutes she says, quietly, "I was kind of thinking Morythine would fly back to us this morning. I dreamt about him. I don't see him though. Do you...do you think he's really not coming back?
"I bet he would've really liked that first limerick I wrote, the, um, gruesome one." she adds, with a sad smile.
Rilee conducted her obediences near the rushing water, hands dug into the sandy bank. She finishes and returns to the group with a new selection of spells that factors in her ability to rely on the staff of heaven and earth to cast her usual repertoire.
Holding the staff in one hand and the spellstaff slung on her back in case it comes in useful, she places her other hand on Zoli's shoulder to comfort her. "Mory's free and soaring in his new life. Anything could happen, but I don't expect him to return." She smiles. "You're right, he would have liked the first one, but I much preferred your second."
After giving Zoli's shoulder a squeeze, she turns to Olympus, preening himself in the morning light. He lifts his massive head up and gives it a shake. Rilee scratches his cheek and touches her forehead to his beak. "I dislike this spell, Olympus, but it's the best way to bring you along. I'll turn you back as soon as you have some room to maneuver. Good news is, the giants probably will have big halls for you."
Then she casts her spell and the great raptor is reduced to a small statue which she gently picks up and places in a small pouch at her waist.
"All right. Lead the way."
Once your preparations are made, you head into the narrow tunnel. It leads into a much larger network of more narrow passages, branching left and right, up and down, creating a web-like network of tangled passages that are difficult to navigate, both for their complexity, as well as their small size. It soon becomes clear that traversing this maze of tunnels is going to be a difficult affair.
Suddenly, five men the size of Zoli leap out from side passages and attack! They look like cantankerous old men, with strange metal boots and blood red wool caps. They carry scythes that look too large for them to use, though they seem to handle them with ease. Zoli and Eugeni quickly find themselves face to face with two of them each, while one lunges at Rilee to no avail. Zoli and Eugeni, however, each take nasty cuts from their scythes!
"Redcaps! Use cold iron if you have it! Or steal their hats -- that will weaken them!"
Rilee sidesteps to be next to Eugeni as a bloom of fire erupts in her hand. She reaches out and touches the redcap in front of him.
After taking a five foot step forward to looking for better positioning, Setsuna starts to summon a celestial ankylosaurus.
Eugeni tries to snatch the hat off the redcap in front of him.
Rilee looks in amazement at Eugeni. "Do you not have any cold iron arrows!?!"
The redcap manages to dodge Rilee's burning hand, and Eugeni fails to snag the creature's hat.
The two near Zoli maneuver to flank her and attack, but fail to connect with the nimble halfling, even with kicks.
The two near Eugeni also maneuver and attack, one managing to bury the blade of his scythe into Eugeni's side, cackling with glee as he does so.
The last one pursues Rilee, and also opens a deep cut along her back!
After taking a five foot step forward to looking for better positioning, Setsuna starts to summon a celestial ankylosaurus.
Wincing through the pain of the burning gash on her back, Rilee realizes that the redcaps' ambush could be fatal to one or more of them.
"Fall back! We're surrounded! Head to the big chamber!" she calls out, then cautiously summons a cloudlike mist around her. In the obscuring fog, she then moves in the direction she told everyone to go.
Zoli attempts to tumble safely away from her two assailants, once she gets somewhere more defensible, she concentrates on snuffing her Light.
_____________
Should anyone try to attack Zoli, the ermine on her shoulder gives her a guiding chitter and nudge, helping her to avoid getting squashed.
"Douse the light!" Rilee yells after a moment of inspiration as her own fire is snuffed out and replaced by the billowing conjured mist. "They're fey; they need it to see!"
She then gets ready to move once the light goes out and her darkvision takes over.
Rilee looks in amazement at Eugeni. "Do you not have any cold iron arrows!?!"
"No, why would I have those? We were supposed to be fighting giants, not midgets!"
Eugeni steps back and fires arrows at one of the redcaps.
Eugeni fires several shots at a nearby Redcap, most of which miss. However, one does pierce the little bearded thing in the shoulder, causing it to yowl in pain a moment before redoubling its efforts to kill!
Two of the Redcaps charge at Zoli, one of the only things bathed in light at the moment. She manages to deflect and counter-attack one, but also avoids the others powerful swipe. The one that had already been near her swings wide before stepping up into a flank and slices, but she evades that attack as well!
A fourth Redcap charges towards Zoli through the inky blackness. Eugeni can see him clearly, however, thanks to his orcish eyes. He fires off two arrows at the murderous fey as it runs past, eliciting several likely curses thrown back at him into the blackness as they cut through the Redcap's flesh, but it doesn't slow his advance. He, too, lashes out at Zoli with his scythe, but the nimble halfling proves too elusive once again!
The last Redcap, unable to see anything but the vague shape of Eugeni, steps up behind the archer and swings wildly! He just barely misses Eugeni's skull with the scythe, the loud CLANG created by the metal's impact with the wall rings in his ears as a stalwart reminder that there is yet another one among them!
Just then, the room is shadowed as a huge ankylosaurus appears from within a heavenly portal between the lighted stone and the group!
__________
The invisible Setsuna is torn between helping the uninjured but totally surrounded Zoli or the heavily wounded but much less endangered Eugeni. As her summon stumbles into the larger cavern to the north, the Oracle quickly realizes that she can help both. She carefully shuffles into the middle of the room and calls forth a Blessing of Fervor from Desna.
The empowered celestial dinosaur calls forth his divine power and brings his massive tail club crashing down twice on the head of the nearest redcap.
Zoli calls out "Uh oh!" as she finds that the redcaps can still see her, while she can't see them.
"Uh guys, I'm totally blind now. What can you see? Did Rilee get to safety? Is it safe for someone else to light a light now so that I can see too?"
"Zoli, take cover, you're completely surrounded!" Eugeni shouts to his friend, sounding worried. Eugeni pivots, stepping away from the evil fey in front of him. He focuses, calling on Setsu's blessing for extra speed. Six arrows fly from the archer's bow in as many seconds, several striking with deadly accuracy.
Crit, 34 to confirm for 47
18 for 15
Miss
30 for 19
23 for 18
16 for 17
As the light is tossed aside, the Redcaps are thrown into disarray! The bulk of them fumble through the fog towards the light as best they can. One manages to find a clear path out of the fog and sprints straight for the glowing pebble, cackling with glee as it leans over and picks it up. It turns back towards the fight and prepares to run back in!
Another stumbles through the fog and directly beside a blinded Zoli! He drives his scythe deep into the halfling's shield arm, totally obliterating the protective layer generated by her lucky medallion, and causing her a grievous wound as well!
Once the dinosaur appears, it lets out an aggressive bleat and slams it's tail down twice into the nearest Redcap, turning it into a pile of mush!
Eugeni's arrows drive deep in a well-aimed cluster into the only Redcap he can see thanks to the heavy fog. The fey gasps for breath painfully, the arrows piercing through his left lung! Frothy blood bubbles from the wound.
Rilee tries to steal the cap off the head of the closest redcap, then moves to help Zoli as best she can.
"OOOOooow!!" Zoli shouts, looking around vainly in the darkness when a blade slashes her arm open.
To the snow-white ermine she feels on her shoulder, Zoli asks, "Grettela, is there a safe path toward that light?"
Following the ermine's chittered directions, Zoli says "Hold on tight, Grettela--and Chaldira, keep an eye on me!" and then tumbles through the darkness to a place where she'll at least be able to see her attackers.
___________
Should anyone try to attack Zoli, the ermine on her shoulder gives her a guiding chitter and nudge, helping her to avoid getting squashed.
AC 31 vs first 3 attacks, thanks to BoF & Grettela’s ermine insight, then 29 AC
HP 44/67
Luck 16/20
Panache 4/4
Charmed Life 4/4
Luck o’ the Scene 1/1
Lessons of Chaldira 1/1
False Life 0/1
Buffs
Blessing of Fervor
The Redcap with the light comes charging back at Zoli, and nearly buries his own scythe into her, but she manages to swat it aside at the last second and counter attack!
Another slashes his scythe across the underbelly of the dinosaur and even tries to kick it in the shin with it's metal boot, while a third unsuccessfully throws a kick and slash at Rilee.
From within the roiling fog of the magical mist, you can all hear a pained cry from Eugeni, as the final Redcap near him opens another gash in the orc's torso!
__________
Filled with Setsuna's fervor, Zoli makes three quick swipes, managing to land two solid blows. She can feel that they don't cause as much damage as they look like they would, due to the fey's enchanted nature, but they nonetheless seem to weaken it.
"You OK Eugeni?" she calls out as she readies to parry the redcap before her.
____________
Should anyone try to attack Zoli, the ermine on her shoulder gives her a guiding chitter and nudge, helping her to avoid getting squashed.
AC 29 vs first 3 attacks, thanks to Grettela’s ermine insight, then 27 AC
HP 44/67
Luck 16/20
Panache 5/5 (-1 from parry, +1 from crit)
Charmed Life 4/4
Luck o’ the Scene 1/1
Lessons of Chaldira 1/1
False Life 0/1
Buffs
Blessing of Fervor
Upon hearing her boyfriend's pain, Setsuna impulsively uses her Fervored wings to propel herself forward and hastily flies back into the dark mist. Thanks to her massive flight speed and a general idea of his location, she is able to cover a lot of ground quickly and eventually (and literally) stumbles into him. The Oracle immediately heals the Archer with a powerful healing spell.
The scythe meets some resistance when it slashes across the ankylosaurus' tough celestial hide.
The divine dinosaur takes two powerful swings at the redcap who attacked him.
Rilee withdraws from the redcap on her, and moves deeper into the cave and her mists. She hopes that Eugeni has finished off the earlier redcap and the one on her will be enticed to follow her into the darkness.
With another volley of well aimed shots, Eugeni finishes off the nearest fey.
The Redcap that had assailed Rilee follows her through the mist, squinting his eyes to try and find her. He finds Eugeni's back first, and opens a nasty gash with his scythe across his spinal musculature.
The Redcap near the dinosaur shakes his head to clear it, while the one locked in combat with Zoli yells at her furiously and drives the point of his scythe just beneath her rib cage misses just barely.
__________
As the redcap follows her inside the cloud but attacks a different target, Rilee turns around and again makes a move for the redcap's toboggan, even though the faint light filtering through the mists lets the evil fey strike at her.
With cap in hand, she steps backward, disappearing into the mists.
Setsuna continues to heal Eugeni. However, upon seeing a redcap right next to her, the Oracle takes a quick hop away and tries to hide her exact location.
The celestial ankylosaurus swats twice at his dazed foe with his heavy tail club and proceeds to beat the vicious little man's head like a drum.
Eugeni stops using his bow, seeing his arrows are totally uneffective and starts using his ki hardened fists and feet.
18 to hit
15 to hit
14 to hit
26 to hit
16 to hit
8 to hit
Zoli sees a scythe about to tear into her clavical when Grettela jumps onto the haft of the weapon and back onto Zoli's shoulder, throwing the swing off just enough for her to get out of it's way.
The Swashbuckaeologist counter attacks, but is shaken by the near miss and badly overshoots the first blow, managing only to hit with one of three swings.
Zoli hold up Baern's Breath in front of her, ready to bat aside the Redcap's next swing.
__________________
Should anyone try to attack Zoli, the ermine on her shoulder gives her a guiding chitter and nudge, helping her to avoid getting squashed.
AC 29 vs first 3 attacks, thanks to Grettela’s ermine insight, then 27 AC
HP 44/67
Luck 16/20
Panache 4/5 (-1 more if has chance to parry)
Charmed Life 4/4
Luck o’ the Scene 1/1
Lessons of Chaldira 1/1
False Life 0/1
Buffs
Blessing of Fervor
Now alone, the final Redcap is easily able to be overpowered and defeated.
Aside from the heavy breathing of the party post fight and the stomping about of the dinosaur, which is growing ever more nervous in the cramped conditions, there is now silence once again in the tunnels.
"Uuuggghh, those fellas were beastly." Zoli says (with perhaps a bit of pride in her voice for the toughness of small folk).
She picks up the glowing pebble and starts to look around, investigating the bodies of the fallen fey and their tunnels.
As she looks at their caps and realizes they really are died with blood, she grimaces and then shakes her head, saying, "You know, I bet Mory would've really been into these. Maybe we should take one for him, in case he really ever does come back..."
Setsuna takes a deep breath and dismisses her poor, confused summon.
He did very well. Shame I had to waste such power on these little...
The Oracle grits her teeth.
I wonder how many giants he could have killed. How many innocent people he would have saved if not for this meaningless delay.
Setsuna takes a deep breath and pulls out Marcello's old Wand of Infernal Healing.
"...Who needs healing?" Setsuna asks stoically.
"Creaduriaid budr..." Rilee spits as she pulls out her own wand of healing. "I have my own," she says.
"Foul creatures..."
She taps herself with the wand twice and sees who else may need it.