Kau eyes the abrasive breastplates with a passing interest, then at Jim's behest falls into line... beady eyes burrowing through the dreamy gloom;
Dibbs' for his sins merely reloads his boomstick and hobbles after the langshanks...
"Didn't 'ere me spit hit naught lads... Could be a bottomless pit like... Could be Blackboots'll fall firever!"
"It's a dream, so who knows? Best be c-careful we don't slip."
Corliss groans and gets to his feet. He casts a light spell on the tip of his rapier and looks at his surroundings.
I needs some healin'!
The aching fellow suddenly recalls that he's a priest of Besmara and that he ought to be able to heal himself. Perhaps. He looks around again, like maybe he thinks that someone else is there in the pit with him.
Dingus & Jim
Dingus reaches out and grabs Jim's shoulder stopping him. "Shh! Hold a minute, and let me see if I can understand what they're saying".
Spellcraft
"Ye ain't me sweet Bessie!" Corliss yells, panic and revulsion in his voice. "Hands off!"
"Garn, ye're a grabby one, ain't ye?"
At the all too familiar sound of the jungle Kaul balks... an old memory stirs and he fights the temptation to pick o'er Dibbs' noggin for pests...
"Hur. I ain't sure Dibbs. Reminds me too much o' when Tum an' me were thick as thieves..."
For his part the grubby oracle listens intently, then casts a baleful gaze up at his brutish shipmate;
"Don't ye be invokin' the Nut ye Nugget... Them tides 'ave been sailed. So forgets the coconutter an' follow me!"
With that he hobbles into the mist...
"What exactly be Besmara's mission?" Corliss asks the monstrosity. "A ship I was on lowered the literal boom on me head a while back, an' since that day I've had only the fleetingest o' memories from me past. So I set meself to be a healer o' sorts, to make sure those who pillage the seas--includin' the fine lads I be sailin' with now--survive to do so well into the future."
"Wouldn't call the lads 'lollygaggers,' neither, 'specially not the half-orc. Ol' Kaul's more o' a 'loppy-gagger, iff'n ye gets me meanin'!"
Nutty Dingus
Dingus tilts his head and takes an excited gasp. He notices that Richard's head is up and listening as well. In a quite but excited breathy voice he exclaims.
"Yes! Finally I am called to my destiny! Do you hear Richard...they summon me".
Dingus suddenly bolts past Jim and starts towards the chanting his mind only on thoughts of Glory and Power.
"Aw, feck. Come on, mates! Arses and elbows--Dingus is scarpering!" Jim hustles after the fleeing sorcerer.
Jim is right after the flashing skinny legs under the raised robe/skirt as Dingus dashes down the spiraling stairs. Jim realizes with a start that he is the only one following, no one else can be seen. The stairs end abruptly before a rough opening that Dingus darts through. The mist becomes smoke now with the cloying scent of incense. The hissing chants grow louder and Jim has a bad feeling about what lies ahead.
"R-r-Red Aesha?" Corliss echoes nervously.
Wait a sec.... does that name sound vaguely familiar?
The great floating beast chuckles darkly, "I see by your eyes that you may now recall your sworn duty. For some reason, Besmara had spared you thus far and arranged for a parlay with Her new champions, but they've proved as forgetful as you. She ought to have arranged for you lot to all hang on Chelish crosses. Maybe that will happen yet, for her patience is not infinite and Red Aesha has the Stone of Solesh and is gathering power in the north."
At the sight of the familiar overnut, Kaul mugs a grin and tips the coconutter a nod;
"Hur. Nah Tum... I is the one who is worship'd these days!"
He raises his rust-red claw with a proud stance;
"Hur. Be'old: The Mechaman! Hur-hur..."
For his part Dibb's merely keeps the nasty nut in his line of sight, whilst shooting Kaul a jaundiced look at his equally crazed rant.
Corliss doesn't try to fight the beastie or deny its words; instead, he tries to get as much information out of it as he can, hopefully to weigh the truth in its words at a later date.
"You say the lads accepted Bessie's...er, Besmara's favor? When? The more information I have to confront 'em with will make it that much more difficult for 'em to wiggle off the hook, eh?"
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Dingus
Perhaps blind in his thirst for ultimate power, Dingus didn't realize the sacrifices necessary to achieve it. He feels the draw of the power of ruling the masses deep in his soul... but then he looks at Jim... his friend... the one who had been there for him always. He thought about little stinky Dibbets, Big scarred Kaul, and even the often confused, but caring Corliss and doubt began to nose it's way into his fragile psyche. Then he thought about the others along the way, and his determination took on a new path. Perhaps there is another way
Dingus turned first to the writhing masses hands held high in acknowledgement of his adoring people, He then raised his dagger high, turned to Jim... and winked.
With a hysterical scream Dingus rushed the priestess in an attempt to make her the required sacrifice.
Charge!
Foolish attack with Dagger of Venom
Foolish stab
Diplomacy
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As Tum transmogrifies, Kaul and Dibbs exchange a look. For Dibbs he's looked for an opportunity to blast the coconutter since rolled into the crews skein of fate. For Kaul its a monkey on his back he's got a chance to offload...
"Hur. Let's do this Dibbs!"
The brutish thug meets hairy menace with Lopper and Claw...
For his part Dibbs levels his boom stick as Kaul charges the simiantagonist.
"Roight. Time ye were crack'd ye coconuthin'!'"
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Corliss pretty much stops struggling against Besmara's Beastie; he's been given a lot to ponder...and a flood of returning memories to wade through.
"Thank ye, Blackwarn," the priest says at last. "Me conscience was adrift an' couldn't find its home port. Now I'm beginnin' to see things more clearly. I shall do as our Queen demands."
As the coconutter shows a resilience to boomstick, Dibbs' calls upon Gozreh to balance the fight;
The forked bolt of lightning shoots from the grubby oracle's calloused hand!
Kaul for his part just bellows louder and swings harder!
Hot time in the ole Pit tonight
Will Save
Dingus after his successful strike suddenly finds himself enraptured by the beautiful creature before him, and begins to undulate in time with her movements.
Jim likewise stares, enraptured, at the evil serpent.
Seeing his most potent indifference make no difference gives Dibbs' pause;
"What the feck... Bleedin' coconutter was never this powerful..."
Through more jaundiced eyes he attempts to discern something of Tum's new form, whilst hobbling forward to keep Kaul in the fight...
"Kauly! Somethin' ain't right..."
Kaul reels as Tum Grow-Grow brutally rends him with wicked claws.
As Dibbs plugs the leak of claret, the thug presses on swinging wild at the simiantagonist!
The too-many-tentacled octopoid sneers at Corliss, "Nice to have you back onboard. Better be seeing to your crewmates then." The tentacles pull back to reveal two nightmarish tableaus through the dream-like fog.
In one direction, Kaul struggles with a tall, lanky, red-haired simian monster. The creature's thin rubbery lips stretch across its face in a demonic grin as it tears at the bleeding thug with long nails. Kaul hacks back with Lopper giving as well as he gets. Dibbets attempts to bolster the hatchetman to keep him in the fight.
In the other direction, Jim and Dingus stand rapt beside a stone altar carved with sinuous serpentine shapes on a platform over a huge cavern filled with serpent-headed humanoids. They are all staring at a large gold and green winged serpent with a beautiful golden face that floats above them weaving in a hypnotic pattern.
Corliss gives a nod and half bow to his goddess's mighty minion. Figuring that Kaul can handle himself and that Dibbets is too ornery to submit to death, Corliss attempts to hop into the tableau featuring Jim, Dingus, snakemen, and the naga. Making certain not to look at the enchanting naga, he casts dispel magic (area version) from his medallion to try to snap his friends (and, unfortunately, most likely) the snakemen out of their hypnotized state.
The fascinatin' rhythm of the serpent's swaying is belayed by Corliss' released spell and Jim and Dingus snap out of it to see Corliss among them.
Elsewhere, the abyssal ape slashes Kaul again though it's now bleeding more freely than the reinvigorated thug.
Ashamed at being duped by this false god, Dingus sends forth his most potent Forked Tongue (Lightning Bolt) DC17 REF for half.
Gentle tongue caresses.
"Stop! Do not follow this false prophet. I am your true ruler".
Dingus then presents the dagger...
"See! I am the only one worthy. Help me overthrow this false one".
Richard rises to his full length and adds to the display.
Bluff
Jim grimaces. "Stay out of my head, you ba--" His blade flashes in its own light, trailing sparks.
In a dark corner of the Dreamlands, Dingus sends a forked bolt of lightning at the flying serpent with the golden human face. The electricity dances through the creature and the gathered serpent folk hiss in approval as they are rallied by their self-proclaimed leader.
Jim leaps up high, floating almost weightlessly upward to reach the naga and send more electricity into it from the tip of his sparking rapier.