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<Hey looney, that guy's kind of like you, eh?
Long hair, several marbles short of a bag full..>
Need i remind your 'i-kicked-the-bucket' arse, that it is moi, you are talking to? It's no issue to take a voluntary peek beyond...
<......>
Good boy.
Lilly's mind is bobbling along the man's ranting. On an impulse, she stays behind the boys, and puts on the hat of disguise.
Evil, goat, darkness...
....
She steps from behind the guys and to near the crazy half-orc.
Result
"Hey there, comrade....like this?"
Poe shakes Vingold's body, looking down at him. "Ah gods, I'm no healer. What 'appened tah im?"
"How about you give me a minute to talk to...hmm." Dawn turns and looks at the horned creature, her hand still resting on her falchion.
"You're not Sarxa..." She looks at the creature. "But yeah, that's the right race. Forlarren, you've heard of them? When a Nymph and a fiend love each other very much. Well, love is too strong a word, but their offspring tends to kill the mother and are exiled to live a lonely life."
"This fine gentleman here thinks destroying the undead will stop Rovagug."
With a subtle nod, she hints that the half-orc isn't completely sane.
An expression of inquisitive curiosity, mismatching the face, is seen with Lilly.
"Forlarren? No...i haven't. That is the word for a Fiymph?
What an odd name."
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Dawn can't help but chuckle, despite the situation. "I'm gonna like you, a lot." She sheathes her falchion and calms down. "I'm getting ahead of myself."
"My name is Dawn, and my hometown has close connections to the First World. I haven't been there in a few decades though. Free love gets too boring, and the Foremother wants us to take a look around the world. I want to see everything before I wither away. I don't think I have enough time, though." She grins and flicks her elven ears.
"I heard rumors of a Forlarren in this region, and I came to Davarn to investigate. They said some adventurer types were investigating some kind of tomb, I went to take a look around yadda yadda yadda and I'm here summoning Sparky to fight off a... whatever that was." Dawn does a motion with her hand as she skips the boring parts.
She looks at the dwarf, covered in his own bile and frowns. "That...doesn't look good. I'm also no healer."
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"Stop Rovagug?" The half-orc cocks his head at Dawn, then turns to disguised Lilly and smiles. "Ah, another rust monster? Or what are you?" He examines her curiously, then continues. "Rovagug cannot be stopped. He is all around us, yet at the same time, nowhere at all." You catch a glimpse of what must be an the evil god's holy symbol around the man's neck.
"I was once called Goruk. But I have not heard that name in years. What is a name, anyway, when you have no one to call you by it?" He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a waterskin. "I have provisions, if that is of use. As long as there's conflict, there is help."
"You have a point, friend. Names are silly when you're by yourself." Dawn turns to the rest of the party. "My apologies about your friend here. Once we're done here, let's give him a proper burial."
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The path continues on for about six hours. The walls and ceiling open up from the path to reveal stalactites and stalagmites on both sides of the tunnel. The formations nearly touch one another, like an open mouth of pointed teeth. The sound of a small waterfall comes from behind the pillars.
The waterfall in this cavern collects in a cloudy, wide pool, and eventually drains into a nearly vertical, ten foot wide shaft. The drop down is steep and dangerous, though, according to your map, this shaft connects to the lower level of the Blighted Path that the winding tunnels ahead eventually join. Referring to your map, you estimate you can save at least a day's travel by going down the 800 foot shaft.
"Ah'm not very confident in my about mah climbin' skills." Poe admits, edging closer to the shaft and looking down. "... Nah."
"So, what about the rest of you?" Dawn stifles a yawn as you travel deeper into the cavern. "Scaly. Mistress of Disguise. Uh, Dwarf. What brings you guys here? What's in this cave? How did you guys take care of Sarxa? Did Vingold really think a night with her would end happily?" Dawn is quite interested in hearing about the group and their adventures.
Eventually, you reach the waterfall and Dawn smiles. She looks down the shaft.
"This is the perfect opportunity for feather fall...which I don't know yet." You see her pause and perform some mental calculations. "Let's see... 10 feet, maybe twenty times a minute, for six minutes...That's twelve hundred feet. I could make it down, but I can't bring you guys with me. Best to stick together, yeah?"
"Besides, I haven't been that wet since swim class." She grins, clearly recalling a delightful memory. She snaps back to reality moments later. "Long story."
Lilly takes off the hat, and turns back into her blonde self.
"Mistress of disguise...that's a new one, i like it."
Lilly is enjoying the 'nickname of mystery'.
When Dawn asks about being here, Lilly smiles.
"Oh, Callum wanted to see this place.", she points slightly above her shoulder, into nothingness.
"Plus....i like to see new places.
ANd YES!, he -did- try to snuggle her fancy for a night.
That's just crazy...."
"Vingold always was an odd goat." Poe replies. "Ah don't enjoy leavin him behind, but we need to catch up ta the thieves and recover tha weapon."
-Posted with Wayfinder
"Callum, eh? I see- did he wave at me just now?"
I guess everyone's got a quirk. Reminds me of home, frankly...
Dawn feigns surprise like she saw a ghost.
She turns to the dwarf. "We'll give him a proper burial once we return. You have my word." She looks down at the dwarf, sincere in her words.
Yizzik had been quiet after the battle and the passing of his friend. It had seemed as if the gods had trouble seeing this place as he shook his head, knowing they indeed had to press on and return for him later. He had been lost in thought as he begun to consider the absense of anything good down here, the mention of the destroyer god leaving a further bad taste in his mouth. Something had to be done. It was only after that though he heard the elf that had came to their aid address him.
"Huh?! Oh apologies. I had come down here to aid umm..my friend and likewise his that have become mine now as well. You may call me Yizzik," he'd respond, nodding at both sticking together and the fate of poor Vingould. "As much as I don't like leaving him behind, I agree we must press forward. Who knows what horrors could be happening down here."
Seeing the shaft and slowly approaching to see how far it goes, he'd turn to the group. "I can easily manage this, water or not. But I can only carry one of you on my back."
"Well, Yizzik, I have an idea." She turns to Hinata. "Kitty, can you pay your respects to Vingold? See if you can a good place to bury him outside this cave."
"Yizzik, take Poe with you. I'll carry Lilly down the shaft." With a snap of her fingers, you see Dawn's hands and feet grow some webbing, and are a little sticky. "Okay, hold on! No river rides!"
Poe carefully straps Olivia onto his back after removing the tension from her limbs. "Ah don't like this idea... but it's faster ahn safer."
Stuffing his shield away, the reptile would begin removing his armor as well to decrease his weight and encumberance. Now he could move freely as his true self, kneeling to let the dwarf grab hold. "Do not worry. Unlike hair, grabbing onto my scales or any spines won't cause me any pain," he told his ally, confident his natural climbing talent would see them both down safely.
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Callum, eh? I see- did he wave at me just now?"
"Hahaha, you're silly. He's too shy to show himself."
<Blondie, what's the big deal, you're making a fool of me!?>
Lilly puts one hand on her hip, the other pointing into nothingness, with an upset look on her face (the angry upset way) , poking air as if poking someone's chest.
Because you -are- a fool, well -were- technically, but you are.
A fool stuck with me...now if you'd like to converse more and keep moping, maybe a friendly visit to a house of worship at our next chance, mayhaps?
<....alright...no need to get upset there, blondie...>
She turns back, a big relaxed smile on her face, as if nothing had happened.
I'll carry Lilly down the shaft
Lilly's mind suddenly pulls to a stop, across several stops.
"Wait a minute, -she of the rising sun-, i didn't tell you my name.Are you a viewer of secrets?"
She probably means a psychic.
Though the words 'Climbing down the shaft', must have triggered some bad memory, as she claps her temples.
She seems to calm down, then deeply breathes a few times.
"Let's go."
"Oh. Sorry! Um...just playing along." Dawn apologizes. "Sometimes I get carried away. Speaking of which... you ready? Just move the glaive if it gets in the way."
Good job Dawn, now she's mad at you. But it was funny.
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With Dawn growing webbed feet and hands, Lilly hops aboard the Dawn Express while Yizzik begins to strap Poe on his back. Just as you're all ready to begin climbing down, a horrible shriek slices through the air and the sound of something impacting the ground echoes throughout the cave.
Poe, Lilly, and Yizzik turn to see the horrible mutant creature leap out of the shadows towards the back of the cavern, opposite the shaft. It has glossy eyespots bulging from its neck and jagged teeth lining the open mouth in its chest.
The creature stumbles forward, and as its awful features become clearer, its terrifying presence invades your mind as nightmare fuel.
Yizzik, Poe, Lilly
Lilly burst into a fit of nervous laughter.
"Yes...okay, something new and ugly...yes, i can cope...hehe."
Lilly backs away towards Yizzik.
"You attack him first."
"Buddy, you need some lotion. You're falling apart at the seams, here."
"Shite!" Poe yammers, stuck to Yizzik's back. "Gods damn it!" he shouts, re-arming Olivia and taking a single shot.
"Fight ah flee?" he shouts, the fear evident in his voice.
Yizzik would curse as well, stuck without his armor now to face the ugly beast. The reptile warrior saw no benefit in trying to face the creature, not with his ally strapped to his back and not as his full capacity, but could he outcrawl the beast? It seemed the choice was his to make in this short amount of time, and in the end chose to fight. He'd draw out his shield, ready to defend his allies to the best of his ability.
"A polite guest knows to spit only when they are outdoors." Dawn draws her falchion. With a brief moment of focus it crackles with electricity and freezes over. The blade bursts into flame as she swings at the beast.
"Ooh, shiny rock!" Dawn is distracted by the way light reflected from the waterfall bounces off a rock at the monster's feet.
In hopes of distracting the creature, Lilly focuses her gaze at it, opening a link between her mind and the awful things unnamed between the dark stars, sending it to the creature.
Her eyes turn pitch black, and in an almost absent voice..
"I would share my visions with you...."
The reptile felt almost nervous about having made poor choice, but would steel himself as he saw glob of saliva heading right for him, dashing to the side. The claws on his feet would grind against the stone as he slid, stopping his motion followed by a mad charge into combat.
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Poe's bolt punches another hole through the monster's face, and though Yizzik resists any negative effects of the tanglespit, the grotesque creature's appearance throws his aim off.
The Narrik opens its mouth to dig its teeth into Dawn, then claws at her mercilessly.
Monster (-36), Dawn (-31), Yizzik, Poe, Lilly
Lilly starts casting summon monster I.
The monster tears into Dawn, and she yelps. "This thing bites like a goblin at an all-you-can-eat buffet. I'd better put this one down quickly." She coughs as some of the poison works through her system. "Ugh, I feel terrible. Was it something he ate?"
Her falchion comes down bursting in a combination of freezing cold, stunning electricity, and a gout of flame erupts as it strikes.
Afterwards she backflips away. "Better luck on that claw-claw-bite business, buster!"
Poe points Olivia at the thing, thrown off by being stuck on Yizzik's back. "What am ah, yer personal ballista?!" he shouts.
Poe continues trying to shoot down the threat.
With his shield at the ready, Yizzik decides to hack at the beast with his battleaxe. No point in getting mauled like that elf did.
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Dawn shanks the creature in the side with a triple elemental falchion attack but takes another bite as she rolls away. Poe lobs another bolt into an eye. Yizzik continues his onslaught, and his attack is enough to cleave the creature's lashing tongue from its body. It slumps over and lets out a hideous sound as it dies.
Then, the creatures body trembles violently, and its internals suddenly explode in a mess of poisonous goop, spraying Yizzik.
"Worse than a drunk wolverine in heat." She grimaces. "Luckily, I have a fresh wand I won in a bet."
The poison takes its toll, dulling Dawn's senses. "Ugh, I don't know if this will help stop the...I'm gonna sit down for a minute."
"That leaves this scratch on my shoulder. Not as bad as the rose patch I fell into once. Uncle Gill was really mad at me for playing around there." She stands up.
Yizzik gagged and coughed as the disgusting beast exploded before him, unable to move before it covered him in his entrails, nor able to resist the disgusting taste and aroma it conjured. His head felt dizzy as he stumbled back, though he was thankful his form had covered Poe still strapped on his back, and a harsh shake of his head soon cleared his thoughts.
"That thing was disgusting, whatever it was." Dawn tries to put her thoughts together. "Do you have potions to counter this kind of stuff? Lesser Restoration?"
"Hey Hinata. Lemme borrow yours. I'll bring it right baaaack" She chugs it down as soon as she gets the chance.
"Okay, now I'm at the level of too much elven wine. It will have to do. Don't drink and drive. Hey Yizzik, do you want the other one? It's only fair."
"Elven wine? Elves are often so serious, i've not yet seen elves whine..."
*
"Oh, -that sort- of wine, ah it makes perfect sense now."
"Oh, we whine. If you ever see our mouth curl like this," she pouts and puts on a posh accent. "It means we are ever so upset by your behavior, but we won't openly complain about it. We'll just make a mental note to leave you high and dry in a few decades."
"Clearly I need to work on my accent." She chuckles. "Okay, let's go down the waterfall shaft before my hands return to normal and climbing gets difficult again."
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Yizzik dumps a potion down his throat and heals his ailment while Dawn reduces her lack of wisdom at least a little.
Poe jumps back on Yizzik and Lilly hitches a ride with Dawn. You grab a firm hold onto the sides of the drain and slowly climb down the precarious cliff, your hair thoroughly soaked as water descends with you.
Finally, you reach the bottom of the cliff and continue traversing the Blighted Path. The shortcut likely saved you plenty of time, and you come to an acid-trip of a chamber. A dazzling array of color blooms throughout the room. Mushrooms, molds, and even small plants crowd into the glow of luminous fungus clinging to the cavern walls and ceiling, lending the massive cave the appearance of a spring day. A cobblestone road winds through the verdant terrain, leading down several side tunnels.
The shortcut likely saved you plenty of time, and you come to an acid-trip of a chamber
Lilly lets go of Dawn when they arrive.
"Thank you very much."
She looks curious, as the scene is quite colorful.
"Wow! It's like a Rainbow, or..or....a birthday cake's color sparkles!"
Poe is grumbling and more than a little grouchy, but he keeps his eyes alert.
"Oh wow, beautiful..." Lilly stares at the different fungi. "I wonder if those are edible? You think these are hallucinogenic?"
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The rainbow garden, while being quite lush and beautiful, appears to be home to a few spritely fey creatures who tend to the mushrooms closely. In the back of the chamber is a wheelbarrow filled with colorful plants and grooves where the wheelbarrow had traveled. Next to it is a brown satchel among a pile of gold. It appears the garden may be used for profit. In the center of it all is a large maggotlike creature with a distressingly humanoid face and stubby arms.
One of the fey notice you just as you notice her, and she flutters into the air with her tiny short sword. "Sisters, one of them looks like she could be fey, but the others are clearly not. She must an imposter. Protect the garden!" She leads the charge through the glowing cave, pointing at Yizzik. The red-winged one follows closely behind her and cackles at Dawn.
Yizzik, Poe, Lilly, Yellow, Dawn
"Me? Well, Foremother is of the First World- hey! Stop that!" Dawn coughs as something interrupts her initiative, giving the enemy the chance to get the drop on her!
If yes, Lilly heads SE, unleashing Gift of Madness on the Caterpillar.
If no, she heads for the pillar, and activates cloak of shadows again.
"Ugh...g-get out of my mind!" he growled, shaking his head free of the spells attempting to cloud his mind. Unlike before, the reptile was armored once more and ready for combat, coming in hard on his enemies to defend his friends.
Poe trundles forward and gawks at the maggot with a face. "I dun' care if it kin talk, I'ma shoot'n it." he decides, raising Olivia.