"Dammit, I was hoping we'd get to go back to sleep after the agreement," Bethany whispers to Drazek with a pout.
"Well if we're eating then let's eat," she says to the rest of the assemblage.
Karrin's eyes go big at the sight of the ultra cute little fey. Karrin does her best to avoid picking the little guy up and hugging him and squeezing him and naming him George.
Merle seing Karrins reaction just rolls her eyes. If offerd any food she politely declines
"SO master Twiddleshink, other than the 'god-brain-zombies', what else is there to be wary of in the area?" He asks to start the conversation off.
The diminutive fey shrugs as he gnaws a bit of stew.
"Well, yeh got lots of travellers coming 'round these parts. Can't really trust them. We have problems with the berks out Ironridge way, sometimes. Lots of dwarvish petitioners digging these mountains too. Also, quite a few beholders about."
"And if this wall is accurate, I take it Brandlebones can't expand past five feet. That's a bloody shame, cutter. Chant is it happens to the best of us, though, time to time."
Justin is unable to hold back a shudder at the mention of beholders. (He saw one. Once. Fortunately it wasn't close enough for it's anti-magic eye to cancel the portal he was using to leave that plane. But he still has nightmares about it.)
"Beholders, thanks for the tip mate. Um, these berks out 'Ironridge way', they wouldn't happen to be Khastaa by any chance?" He asks innocently, tucking another bite into his mouth.
Nari listens carefully as she hides in the corner, making a mental note to ask Justin what beholders were later.
Merle heads slightly away from the chatting group and sits down close to where Nari is apparently trying to get some shut eye before morning.
Seph seeing Merle trying to take a catnap decides to leave her be and instead plods over to Karrin and (if allowed) jumps on her shoulder
Karrin is still going a little googly eyed over the spriggin, subconsciously lifts Seph up when he stolls over.
"So Mr Twiddleshink," Karrin asks, "are all spriggins as . . ."
Karrin seems to struggle with the word. She clearly wants to say adorable but seeing that cute little sour look on his face she knows that he might get offended. Karrin briefly muses that he's likely be even cuter if he was angry. Karrin fights off the urge to make him angry.
"Do all spriggins look like you?" 'or are you just the most adorable!' she finishes in her head.
Seph seeing Karrin all strange and googly eyed shrugs not really sure what the big deal is.
Quick update. My life has taken a real bad turn this past week, so I really haven't had the time to figure everything out. I will get back to the game as soon as possible. Thank you for bearing with.
--Patrick (DungeonMonkey)
Np take as long as you need Patrick
By all means take all the time you need, our best wishes and prayers my friend. We'll be here.
"Do all spriggins look like you?" 'or are you just the most adorable!' she finishes in her head.
The small fey looks a bit aggreived.
"I ain't always this small, ducks."
Twiddleshinks suddenly enlarges from a greyish hobbit to slightly undersized Hill Giant range. He is a lot uglier at seven feet. He grins down at Karrin and booms in a deeper voice.
"Still think I'm adorable then?"
Ekuur snorts a little at the spriggan's show of bravado, then goes back to munching on his dinner. Once done, he'll spend a little time meditating with his obsidian symbol.
Swire's hand edges towards his rapier. It may only be bravado, but he hasn't survived this long by letting people boss him around.
Ekuur snorts a little at the spriggan's show of bravado, then goes back to munching on his dinner. Once done, he'll spend a little time meditating with his obsidian symbol.
Swire's hand edges towards his rapier. It may only be bravado, but he hasn't survived this long by letting people boss him around.
The large fey grimaces. He twitches towards his sword, which is now Greatsword rather than dagger size
"Hands off the cutlery berk, less you want to break our truce. I was just showing off."
The large fey gestures and returns to hobbit size
"There, I'm all cuddly again. Now if yeh have no other questions for me, I feel me welcome waning. No peeksies down the tunnel and off on yer way come peaktime."
Twiddleshinks takes a last bite of food and ambles towards the cave mouth, keeping his back to the cave wall as he goes.
The remainder of the night is quiet. The day begins with the sourceless Outlands sunlight washing over the mountains. Despite the height of the pass, it isn't cold, nor is the air particularly thin. The sky is a pale blue with puffy clouds about, including one sporting a rather large white castle in the distance. A trail leads down the other side of the mountain, and several valleys are visible at the foot of the nearby peaks.
Justin is unable to hold back a shudder at the mention of beholders. (He saw one. Once. Fortunately it wasn't close enough for it's anti-magic eye to cancel the portal he was using to leave that plane. But he still has nightmares about it.)
"Beholders, thanks for the tip mate. Um, these berks out 'Ironridge way', they wouldn't happen to be Khastaa by any chance?" He asks innocently, tucking another bite into his mouth.
Twiddleshinks shrugs
"Whassa Khaasta? Issat them lizard folk? We gets them tromping through here every once in a while. I imagine they would head for Ironridge. Most travelers do, it's the only real town fer a long spell, unless you like dwarvish hospitality."
"Hands off the cutlery berk, less you want to break our truce. I was just showing off."
"Don't worry. Only would of broken the agreement if you broke it first. Knight's honor."
***
"Isn't this just sodding scenic. Come on, let's hurray up and reach this burg."
The small fey looks a bit aggreived."I ain't always this small, ducks."
Twiddleshinks suddenly enlarges from a greyish hobbit to slightly undersized Hill Giant range. He is a lot uglier at seven feet. He grins down at Karrin and booms in a deeper voice.
"Still think I'm adorable then?"
Karrin activates her Belt of Giant Growth.
Karrin, now once again looking down on the now largish sized fey, smiles.
"Sort of," She says, "But you do loose a fair bit of your charm at this size."
Justin covers his mouth with his hand as the two showoffs try not to bump their heads on the ceiling. He coughs to cover the snicker. The mage has himself back under control by the time they regain normal sizes.
"Yeah, the lizard-folk. That's them. While I personally have no trouble with dwarvish hospitality, I doubt it's to the Khassta's liking. Thanks."
Justin gives a jaunty wave as the fellow departs, noting his caution despite the truce.
===============================
Justin stares out over the landscape. He purses his lips in appreciation of the size of the distant white Castle.
"Lovely. 'Ironridge' I presume. Shall we go?" He says with a raised eyebrow.
The group packs up and heads along the well-groomed path leading along the side of the mountain. The trail is laid with tight-fitted granite stones, and features a short knee wall by the edge overlooking the mountainside. The path is about two wagons wide.
DC 15 K(Dungeoneering/engineering/stonework):
As the party walks, they see many outcroppings of stone fashioned into statues of dwarves on the various mountainsides. After a long morning of walking, they come to a large stela with several signs engraved on it pointing down several offshoot paths:
Ironridge 3 leagues.
Bedlam 200 leagues
Dwarven Undermountain 25 leagues
Three separate paths lead off, corresponding with the three arrows.
Justin grins wryly at the signposts.
"Well, I get enough 'Bedlam' back in Sigil. And I certainly wouldn't want to walk that far anyway. And I think we've established that it's unlikely they would take refuge with the dwarfs." Justin jests with a smirk.
"Hi-ho, hi-ho, to Iron-ridge we go!" He sings, only slightly off key, in an adaptation of what is commonly known as a popular dwarven working song. (Much to the dismay of the dwarfs, who would never be caught dead singing anything so frivolous!)
Merle winces at Justins off key singing as she falls into step with the group. She keeps an eye on the floating castle as she try's to figure out how it is staying afloat on a cloud
Bethany takes to the sky once out of the cave, winging her way over the landscape and relishing the freedom after the cloistered air of Sigil.
"I wonder who lives in that castle," she says to Drazek idly on one of her returns to the group.
Nari keeps a wary eye on her surroundings like a frightened rabbit, keeping close to Karrin for the most part.
The group heads down the path that indicates Ironridge. As the miles pass under their sore feet, the light begins to take on a yellowish mellow glow. Various terraced farm fields and small hamlets begin to dot the mountainside along with the various dwarvish statues. A few wagons appear on the road, hauled by oxen and drovered by yelling dwarves and humans.
Eventually, a town etched into the side of the mountain appears. A large wall surrounds it, and the party is startled when a large beholder levitates over the wall and zips by them, paying them not the least bit of attention. A large gate is open, and a small line of wagons and travelers waits their turn to enter the town
"Well, here we are cutters. What's say we join the line-up with these here top-shelf cutters and see if we can't find them lizards or any more o' their victims, eh?"
Bethany lands next to Drazek and looks up at the city. "If Dwarves live here then where are all their Airships?" she asks the group, but aims the question at Isaac who seems to be the msot knowledable one of the group.
"Fine with me" Merle joins the que managing to only let out a very quiet "eep" when the beholder passes by them.
Nari's attempts to hide in her own shadow reach an all time high as the beholder passes them.
"And I thought Sigil was scary," she whispered.
"Hell of a place this. Strange as it is their dwarves might live in mushrooms and sing all day. Who knows?"
Bethany lands next to Drazek and looks up at the city. "If Dwarves live here then where are all their Airships?" she asks the group, but aims the question at Isaac who seems to be the msot knowledable one of the group.
"Search me, cutter. I've never heard o' dwarves turning out somethin' like that, though a walking castle here and there ain't too rare in the Outlands. Mayhap they can't make them since the Spire would cancel out all the powerful magics keepin' 'em in the sky?"
Entry into Ironridge is easy enough. The guards ask for a Stinger each and caution you to keep your weapons sheathed. The town itself has an impressive wall, so thick the gate is more like a tunnel.
Just inside the town wall is a bustling market square. The crowd is mainly humans and dwarves, the dwarves having that fanatic look that usually denotes a petitioner. A few beholders are visible zipping about, and a mind flayer stalks by in fancy regalia, attended by a coterie of tattooed hulkish bugbears in studded leather.
As the group is taking in the sights they notice a large scuffle occuring at one end of the bazaar. A few guards are hurrying over to see what the fuss is about
Isaac hurries toward the commotion, trying to see what the scuffle is about.
Perception (w/ favored terrain- urban):
Merle follows closely behind
Perception
"Cozy little burg, eh?" Swire smiles unpleasantly and stalks after the others looking for the commotion, palming a dagger as he goes.
Justin manages not to make any embarrassing noises, but he is visibly paler as the beholder flies over his head. He tries to smile bravely to Nari after it has passed, but he ends up looking more relieved than brave.
He hurries after Isaac and the others down the street, his staff the only thing visible in his hand.
The crowd is in full donnybrook mode, with fists, stones and even a few daggers flying. Several townsfolk lie prone on the square bleeding. The party sees some town guards trying to break the crowd up, but also a few guards joining the scuffle! It is hard to see what is causing the ruckus, but the party attempts to get a glimpse through the throng
DC 15 Perception check:
Seeing the others haeding towards the disturbance, Bethany takes wing flying above the ruckus and tryingto find a good vantage to watch the proceedings.
Perception Check:
Will save:
Issac & Bethany:
As she soars above the crowd, a gleam suddenly appears in her eyes and she dives intot he centre of the throng, trying to grab at a figure.
Grapple to attempt to grab and fly off with someone: