Ekuur, although a bit unhappy with having to extinguish the cleansing flames with a semi-opposed element, realizes this was not the appropriate time or place for them. At the appearance of the stricken man, Ekuur will rush over and begin to check him over. If he still requires any healing, Ekuur will lose a spell or two to cast an appropriate cure.
Roth seems hagrid and skinny after many days in a catatonic state. There are really no actual wounds on him, but a lesser restoration couldn't hurt. A few days of eating wouldn't hurt either
For his part, Quinn merely watches the couple embrace and quietly intones a prayer to Boccob. Most would call this a miracle, but one does not reach his rank in the church by believing without proof...
Quinn:
As mentioned above, Ekuur will thoroughly check F'Tsar over, looking for signs of lingering possession. He will lose a spell or two to cast some cure spells, as needed. He'll also cast lesser restoration if he thinks it will do any good.
heal 1d20+6
Ekuur's restoration makes Roth look better. The various shenanigans make Veridis, the constables, the gulidworkes look kind of bewildered, but they say nothing, possibly figuring that such a powerful party is bound to be somewhat crazy. Finally Roth looks up from Marlus
"Thank you for freeing me from my torture. I thought that I would die there by the hand of that monster."
Marlus, who has been sobbing quietly also speaks up.
"I must also beg your forgiveness. I could have sworn I saw Roth spasm and ..and ..."
She chokes up a bit
"..pass on. I was so insane with grief I lost control of myself. I am not like this normally."
Veridis lays a hand on her shoulder, and helps them to their feet.
"Well, we are dealing with something none of us are prepared for. These fine folks saved you, and they have my gratitude."
He looks the party over.
"If you are interested in mounts, I will be happy to arrange for beetles to be made available for you."
"See, perfect timing for a sleeper hold. It's practically prescribed as a cure for temporary insanity by bar room doctors and barbers everywhere."
Karrin smiles at the offer of mounts, she slaps Isaac on the back, "What do you say o'fearless leader?"
Ekuur is pleased he is able to help the man, but his eyes grow visibly brighter at the prospect of a beetle mount. "Finally! A real animal to ride. I would be very happy at your offer of a beetle, thank you!"
Isaac raises a suspicious eyebrow at Karrin's sudden boisterous support, but doesn't say anything.
"Aye, some mounts would be top-shelf cutter. D'ye happen to know if anyone's makin' the trip teh Sigil any time soon? I'd tumble teh sendin' our boss a message 'fore we give this Warpwood a scan."
If anyone is making the trip, Isaac borrows a pen and parchment from either one of his comrades or a resident of Crux and writes Renkar a message, folding it up and sealing it with a gob of wax. It's a little sloppy and Renkar and Hanali's names are scrawled on the envelope with a clearly unsteady hand. Isaac has had no formal edjumacation and it takes him a little while to write it up.
To ReNKar SHA'HAgmid and HanalI Ha'OiGHT, SilVER RoSE CompANY, SiGIL:
--IsAAc
"Right. I'm ready, Ekuur's ready. You cutters ready teh quit coolin' our heels?"
Nari nods her agreement before shrinking back like she was trying to hide in her own shadow.
Justin smiles and claps a hand on the shoulders of both Marlus and Roth.
"Quite understandable. No need to apologize. I, er, WE aren't the subtlest of groups on a good day. I'm just glad we could help." Justin offers by way of apology.
The mage raises an eyebrow at Ekuur's unexpected enthusiasm for insects mounts. He shakes his head slightly, and turns to Isaac with a smirk.
"Well o fearless leader, I think we've done all the damage we can do here! It's not the Kashtaa tower again, but it'll do." He smirks.
"I suppose I'm ready when you are. It wouldn't do for us to get too comfortable after all, would it?"
Justin also thanks Veridis for his kindness, (considering how differently these people might feel if their mental stunt had NOT worked, he decides that low-key is the better part of valor!) and accepts the offer of a beetle-mount.
"Well, as far as I can tell it's the actual Ser Roth. At least, he thinks he is." Quinn whispers to the others before turning back to the pair when they approach. "Yes, mounts would be most useful. So, do we plan on riding out to the blight and making sure this thing is well and truly destroyed?"
Veridis leads the group out of the Woodworkers Guild and out towards Redhhook's Stables. He mentions that a courier departs to Sigil on a regular basis, since Tiandra had already left this would be the easiest way for Issac to get his letter to Renkar.
The stables is a large building build half into Yggdrasil. A row of large stalls contain smaller versions of the large beetles the party had fought a few days earlier out on the Forlini branch.
A large man directs a small group of grooms. He looks like he's been through the wringer in his life, with a few quite serious scars visible even with heavy leather clothing on. His left hand is gone, replcaed by a large serrated red-colored hook. He looks up as the party comes in.
"Get Hardshell some more feed Brendin, and ... Oh greetins, Veridis. What can I do fer yeh?"
Veridis shakes the man's whole hand and indicates the party.
"These travellers need some beetle mounts to go investigate something for the town. I will assume the cost."
Redhook looks the group over
"Any of yeh have any experience riding beetles?"
"Nope" Merle responds Seph (Back in cat form) gives a shake of the head as well.
Isaac shakes his head.
"Not in this life, cutter. But Ekuur over here has and I'd reckon Rhiannon could pick it up if she tumbled to it. Rest of us will need a lesson."
Isaac shakes his head.
"Not in this life, cutter. But Ekuur over here has and I'd reckon Rhiannon could pick it up if she tumbled to it. Rest of us will need a lesson."
Redhook sighs
"Veridis, I'm gonna need a deposit."
He turns to the party
"Roight. The Giant Yggdrassil Stag Beetle is a mean an' sulky beast. They ain't much in the brain department, and they like to stop an' gnaw wood when they gets hungry. Fortuantely, yeh can get them to do whatchur like with this."
He walks over and picks up a long pole fitted with a fishook-looking end piece.
"This is a beetle goad. Yeh stick it in the juncture between the beetle's head an' its thorax on the opposite side yeh wants it to go. "
He points to a high-backed saddle with a complex strap webbing
"That's a beetle saddle. Yeh have stirrups, and I'll show you the rest."
Redhook takes them out for a quick proving ride with a small beetle in the courtyard
"Dosent look so hard" Merle mumbles to herself as she approaches a beetle
"Dosent look so hard" Merle mumbles to herself as she approaches a beetle
"Only on the outside." Justin says straight-faced.
At Merle's look he busies himself with a suddenly fascinating beetle saddle strap,...
Rhiannon whispers a fer words into to the bracelet at her left wrist, a dense shadowy fog settling upon the area to coalesce into the form of a powerful shadowy grey stallion, smoke wisping off of him as a flowing mane.
Rhiannon whispers a fer words into to the bracelet at her left wrist, a dense shadowy fog settling upon the area to coalesce into the form of a powerful shadowy grey stallion, smoke wisping off of him as a flowing mane.
Redhook steps back in surprise as the shadowy stallion materializes
"Now there's a trig bit o'dazzlery!" He exclaims in a thickening Cager accent.
He fastens up the strapwork on the beetle. A groom holds a bridle tight to keep the beetle's large mandibles off him. The party can see the mandibles are banded together with some strong-looking rope. Redhook unscrews his small hook hand and replaces it with a longer version quite similar to the beetle goad.
"Now, with a riding beetle, yeh've got to keep the reins in hand, but they don't respond well to them. That's where the goad comes in. I'll show yeh."
He deftly jumps up on the beetle and holds the reins in his good hand. He uses his hand goad to hook under the beetle's carapace, leading it around in a tight circle.
"Anyone fancy a go?"
"I know, cutters, I know.", Isaac says preemptively," 'Fearless Leader' and all that screed."
Isaac approaches a beetle with a goad and after double checking with Redhook, mounts up and makes his attempt.
Ride:
Seeing that nothing horrible happened to Isaac, Nari decides to give it a try. After all, better to fail here and learn how to get it right than figure out that she didn't know what she was doing once they were miles away. Her hands shook a bit when she took the goad and her expression was one of utter terror as she climbed on a beetle for the first time.
Rhiannon whispers a fer words into to the bracelet at her left wrist, a dense shadowy fog settling upon the area to coalesce into the form of a powerful shadowy grey stallion, smoke wisping off of him as a flowing mane.
Isaac tries not to gape like a Clueless at the Bazaar.
"Oi! Bet ye save a lot o' jink on stable costs, eh cutter?"He applauds as Nari takes to the beetle riding with seeming ease and turns to the rest of the party.
"Learn somethin' new every day, cutters. Who's next?"
"Never been one for riding, myself, but I can't just turn down an opportunity to learn new skills." Quinn smiles and climbs onto the beetle's back.
And falls right back off. "Somewhat... harder than I expected..."
Seeing Quinn get sent flying Merle approaches her Beetle and when no one is looking Whispers to it "I have no idea if You can understand me but if you can then I just want to be clear you throw me like Quinn there and there wont be enough of your body left to bury."She then procedes to mount the Beetle.
Ride check
Justin, watching everyone intently, nods as if he sees something he's been looking for. He asks a question of the handler, and climbs up onto the beetle. He starts out, and grins.
"Hey, this isn't so haAAAAARD!!" He cries as he either misses the beetle's mouth with the goad, or pokes it too hard in a tender spot, and the beetle shudders and spins swiftly in place, sending Justin flying.
"Pah Wizards" Merle responds to Justins flying lesson before getting a sharp clout on the back of the head from Seph.
The day pprogresses on with a few bumps and bruises, but soon the party gets the rudiments of beetle riding
Ride Check:
"Yehaaaa" Karrin shouts while waving about some imaginary object, perhaps a hat? "This is fun!"
After a morning of quick lessons, Redhook gets a beetle set up for those who need them .
The day has progressed to the afternoon, and Veridis disappeared for a bit during the riding, and returns near the end. He draws Issac aside.
"I talked to Roth, and he says he was near the Warpwood hunting when his problems began. He wrote out a map to the area, here."
Veridis hands Issac a rolled up scrap of parchment.
"This should get you to where you want to go."
The party gets set up . They set off, astride their shiny-carapaced mounts, Despite the exoticness of the ride, the journey goes well, the beetles are a sure-footed mount on the rough skin of Yggdrasil.
After a few hours riding, the sourceless sunlight that illuminates the massive planar tree begins to dim, casting all in long shadows. Issac has led them along several junctures, and they are now several branches away from the main side branch that leads to Crux. They are all rather sore from their long journey, and the beetles are acting rather crabby.
A small area of rotted bark attracts their attention. According to what Redhook told them, the beetles feast on any peeling or damaged wood on Yggdrasil. This would be a good place to camp until the light resumes.
Isaac leads his beetle to the peeling bark and dismounts carefully.
"Oi, good place to call kip. Let's pull up a camp and set our watches, get some tucker in. Humans aughtta stick teh first or third watch, Karrin I need you 'n yer night eyes on middle. We'll divide the rest o' the elves and cats among the three- that's me, Nari, Merle and Seph. Got preferences, cutters?"
Isaac will help anyone else dismount as needed and begin with whatever maintenance Redhook suggested for the beetles.
Handle Animal:
"I'll take the morning watch." Justin volunteers as he stretches his back and muscles unused to riding. Bugs at least.
"I always find it easier to rememorize spells early in the morning. More peaceful." He explains, looking at his bug happily munching rotten bark with a glare usually reserved for cockroaches. (The one creature that seems to be common throughout this insane 'multiverse' he's stumbled into.)
Isaac leads his beetle to the peeling bark and dismounts carefully.
"Oi, good place to call kip. Let's pull up a camp and set our watches, get some tucker in. Humans aughtta stick teh first or third watch, Karrin I need you 'n yer night eyes on middle. We'll divide the rest o' the elves and cats among the three- that's me, Nari, Merle and Seph. Got preferences, cutters?"
"Damn it! I hate this tyranny already!" Karrin shouts, "this is sooooo unfair!"
Bluff
Karrin storms off satisfied that her performance was flawless.
Justin watches Karrin storm off, wide-eyed.
He blinks, and looks to Isaac.
"Oooooookaaaaaaay,..." He says, turning slowly and deliberately back to his own bedroll setup,...
Isaac crosses his arms, looking completely annoyed.
"OI! If I catch ye kipped out on yer watch, Karrin, we'll see if ye tumble teh latrine duty better!"
He nods, as if something's just occurred to him.
"And I'll pull mid shift with ye, then, just teh make sure!"
Isaac finishes getting the beetles sorted out in a huff before laying out his own bedroll and compulsively polishing his weapons. Calmly, in a dangerously even tone he turns to everyone else.
"Are there any other concerns that I should address?"
When Karrin is woken up for her watch she grumbles and complains quietly until she thinks the others have gone to sleep then turns quietly to Isaac:
"Okay I hope I'm not playing my part too strong but because I'm such a fun and likable member coming across as a brat is easier then me being a bully. Plus it's real easy to annoy folks this way. Although after our final confrontation where you straiten me out or whatever I hope you appreciate me uniting everyone to your side. I think I would make a good second in command. I can totally trick folks into doing anything after all."
Nari will take whichever watch she's assigned without comment, but during the time she's supposed to be sleeping seems unusually restless, tossing and turning enough to annoy anyone trying to sleep near her.
Merle herself offers to take the first watch. Whilst Seph volunteers to take the same watch as Nari.
Seph during his watch seems to spend most of it watching Nari for something.
Seph during his watch seems to spend most of it watching Nari for something.
After a few minutes she can't help but notice the attention. She sat down next to Seph, still keeping her eyes on their surroundings just in case.
Feline:"Let me guess. You're worried I might have been infected by the creature. I don't think so, but you're right to be cautious. I appreciate knowing you've got my back."
Feline
Seph watches Nari as he speaks sounding slightly concernd.
She grimaced.
Feline:
"Yeah, I should have guessed you'd notice. My crystal broke when the creature attacked me in the dream space. Both of me are stuck inside my head for a bit. I already told Isaac cause somebody needed to know in case I went completely round the bend. But I'd rather not worry the others unnecessarily."
When Karrin is woken up for her watch she grumbles and complains quietly until she thinks the others have gone to sleep then turns quietly to Isaac:
"Okay I hope I'm not playing my part too strong but because I'm such a fun and likable member coming across as a brat is easier then me being a bully. Plus it's real easy to annoy folks this way. Although after our final confrontation where you straiten me out or whatever I hope you appreciate me uniting everyone to your side. I think I would make a good second in command. I can totally trick folks into doing anything after all."
Isaac looks more than a little surprised.
"So... so ye were havin' us on before? Oi, someone must've written 'berk' on my forehead when I weren't lookin' and I took it teh heart...""I appreciate it, Karrin, I do. I just don't know if it's necessary. I mean, it didn't seem like anyone else tumbled teh takin' the post. I figured you or Merle would've wanted teh take the reins, since yeh both ran under the Rose's colors longer'n I have."
He arches an eyebrow.
"Yer not fixin' teh be the power behind the Factol are ye?"
The preparations for the night's rest goes fairly innocuously. The rotted wood keeps the beetles occupied. Although starting a fire is a bad idea on Yggdrasil, the weather is clement, and there are plently of magical rations that Karrin and Ekuur can provide .
After a meal and the first watch, the second watch is roused. They set to their duties under the dark canopy of the planar tree.
Perception:
Perception: 1d20+15
Issac:
Isaac leans in and whispers to Karrin.
"Footsteps toward the side branches, few hundred meters off. I'll take Merle and Quinn, we sneak over and give it a scan. Yer the Guvnor 'till we get back- give us a few minutes, then wake the rest of the team."
Isaac rouses Quinn and Merle.
"Showtime, cutters. Caught wind o' something out on the other branches. Three of us are gonna sneak over and take a scan. Tumble teh that?"
ride from earlier
Despite his issues, Ekuur still enjoys the ride on the beetle, thinking it a more proper beast of burden than these things called 'horses' he has seen.
After providing the rations for the evening, he sleeps very soundly, and is snoring while Isaac rouses Merle and Quinn.
Isaac looks more than a little surprised.
"So... so ye were havin' us on before? Oi, someone must've written 'berk' on my forehead when I weren't lookin' and I took it teh heart...""I appreciate it, Karrin, I do. I just don't know if it's necessary. I mean, it didn't seem like anyone else tumbled teh takin' the post. I figured you or Merle would've wanted teh take the reins, since yeh both ran under the Rose's colors longer'n I have."
He arches an eyebrow.
"Yer not fixin' teh be the power behind the Factol are ye?"
"You're a good man Isaac," Karrin says, "and my first pick to be the new leader, but you appointed yourself and unless everyone accepts you something like that will come back and bite you. You should have allowed us to force you into the position, I mean that would have been the smart thing, cuz after that you could always say "I didn't see you stepping up to take the reigns bert!"" Karrin says in what must be her imitation of Isaac, "but what's done is done, so now you're going to have to prove to the others that you're capable of dealing with difficult situations . . . namely me! I can be very difficult. So anyways ya, I'm looking out for you no matter what I say during the day, but I think I'll need to lay it on thick to convince Merle and Justin that being leader just isn't worth it. Nothing wrong with those two, but I don't think they have the experience or the personalities to be solid leaders. I mean they'd do, they're both pretty smart and charismatic and stuff, but I doubt they could deal with me for example if I got pissed for real, or soft enough to handle someone like Nari, or wise enough to appeal to Ekuur. I know I wouldn't be good at the job, too much organization stuff, you need to plan stuff ahead and I tend to live in the moment. I am good at advising though. And I would make a good power behind the factol or whatever, but only if I found the right factol, I mean you and Renkar are good men, and I'd gladly go toe to toe with anyone, or bleed my own blood for you guys, but I wouldn't do that for anyone. If I'm gonna prop someone up they'd better be able to sit upright when I'm not around otherwise I'm wasting my time. So Ya I'm making my own power grab here, cuz I am selfish and all, it's in my blood you see, but I'm making sure you know about it and that you understand. I want us to work together cuz that's the only way it works . . . and . . . stuff"
Karrin blushes for some reason as she finishes her spiel. It wouldn't take a master manipulator to figure out why:
Sense Motive DC 10:
Merle nods creeping silently towards were Isaac mentioned
Stealth
If possible she uses her wand of mage armour on herself.
She grimaced.
Feline:** spoiler omitted **
Feline
She grimaced.
Feline:** spoiler omitted **
Feline
** spoiler omitted **
She smiled.
Feline:"That's an incredibly sweet offer, Seph. But I'm afraid this is a little different. I need a proper stone to concentrate the psychic energy needed to make a place for one of me to occupy. I may get a little erratic over the next couple of days, but I think I can hang in there until we get back to Sigil,: she added a little doubtfully.