Lilika also casts a heal spell on everyone, then follows Wymond's lead.
Frizz's eye flutter open as her head bounces along on Wymond's armor.
Oh! I've never been carried around like this before. Wonder how long he'll carry me...
She stays limp while enjoying the ride.
"GO, GO, GO!" Wymond barks.
So where are you intending to go? I get that you're headed for the Spire, but what then?
You have tokens for the 1st and 6th floors. Which one do you use?
GM practices pinochle.
The token touches the Spire and you dissolve into the emerald depths of the ancient artifact, to be reconstituted from your essences in the same breath, hundreds of feet above! You stand in the ruins of the Azlanti Castle.
Wymond breathes a sigh of relief as they emerge into the familiar darkness of the surface ruin.
"Thank Erastil...THANK ERASTIL WE ALL MADE IT!" he exclaims. "That was too close...lemme tend to yer wounds."
Wymond busies himself with praying and laying on of hands to restore his friends' health.
Remembering that Wymond's healing powers are pretty much inexhaustible given time and patience, Lilika saves her own healing resources, content to wait as long as it took for Wymond to patch the group up.
"Looks like Frizz could use some fresh air."
Once he's done healing the others, Wymond gestures towards the exit.
"Aye, it'll be nice te see the sun again for a bit. Comin' back from the dead and comin' close to being back dead again is makin' me appreciate the little things, y'know?"
Assuming the party obliges, he brings up the rear.
"I'm not partial to it," Lilika remarks with a shrug. "But lead on. I'll try to keep you alive."
She lets the oddly panicked Frizz lead the way back up and out into the sunshine.
"Oh, right...you're more a night-time person," Wymond replies sheepishly. Then he notices Frizz's expression. "That...really rattled ye, didn't it?" he says sadly.
"It did," agrees an oddly sober Frizz. "I think... I think I need a bit of a breather, Wymond. Some time off. Even if it's in Fort Inevitable. Nothing... nothing's going to eat me there, you know?"
Lilika raises an eyebrow, opens her mouth to refute that absurd statement, then closes it again.
This is what she wanted, wasn't it? Frizz and Wymond safely away from the Spire and our of harm's way? Yet, something tugged at her heart, making her feel oddly unsettled.
After another awkwardly long hesitation, Lilika ignores the traitorous feeling, shoving it down, and remarks, "You'll be safe there."
"It did," agrees an oddly sober Frizz. "I think... I think I need a bit of a breather, Wymond. Some time off. Even if it's in Fort Inevitable. Nothing... nothing's going to eat me there, you know?"
Wymond nods.
"Aye...I understand. Could even take ye to the Dwerryhouse farm if'n ye need a place to stay. I'm sure Osbeorn'd be happy to put ye up at least for a few days."
Jharun, Lilika and Wymond are eating at the Juliver Arms in Fort Inevitable, mourning the loss of their friend Frizz when a hellknight stomps in with another man in tow. The hellknight looks around and raises an accusatory finger at Our Heroes.
"That's them," he intones with a growl, whereupon he promptly leaves.
Marcel moves forward carrying his walking stick. He is a dark haired human wearing robes and bearing a holy symbol prominently. If you do not know he will inform you that it is from Nethys. "Good day, I am Marcel DuBouis. I have been granted a vision of a need inside the Emerald Tower and the Hellknightm, who just left there, has informed me that your group plans to re-enter the Spire. If you have room for another, I would like to join your group. I have some skills that might prove useful in such a place."
Lilika raises an eyebrow. "You're not likeable, are you? I hope you're not likeable. I'm tired of getting attached. Everyone dies or leaves or dies and is too stubborn to leave." She gives Wymond a side eyed, pointed LOOK, then looks back at Marcel. "I'm Lilika. You can come with us. We could use another body. You'll probably regret it."
Marcel nods and says, "I will endeavor to not be too likeable then. And I do work to ensure those with me do not die. So, hopefully, you can stop losing those around you."
Wymond looks up at Marcel as he approaches.
"Vision, huh? Sounds a bit familiar. Wymond's the name, Wymond Dwerryhouse."
When Lilika gives him her LOOK, Wymond sheepishly rubs the back of his neck.
"I wouldn't call it bein' stubborn as much as 'holy mandate.' Ol' Deadeye himself sent me a messenger to tell me of a great evil lyin' underneath the Spire, an' he needed me down there to put it down. I'll introduce ye on our way out, the folks in this here inn are nice, but they ain't gonna let Triath indoors. 'Specially now that he's gone all boar-ish. Anyways, welcome to the band, Marcel!"
Having been welcomed in Marcel will sit down and say, "I am glad to have been welcomed in. When do you plan to set out again?"
"As soon as possible, dependin' on how much resupplyin' we gotta do. We got some unfinished business with a snake-man and a man-snake."
"What type of supplies do you need?" Marcel asks.
"I haven't much funds," Lilika admits, "But what I have I'll use to purchase a shield. ...And a backup shield. Mine met an unfortunate fate."
Okay! So if you need cash, please remember that you have an ongoing deal with Abernard Royst to bring him back maps of the structure and you haven't collected in awhile. There's some cash waiting for you there. Do you want to deal with that before we return to the Spire?
Wymonds eyes widen and he smacks his forehead.
"Cor! Forgot about Abernard! Haven't turned in our most recent mappin' efforts to him yet, so we may get some gear money from that!"
Wymond stands up and trundles over to the door.
"Local scholar who's paying us money to map out the Spire's levels for him," he explains as he walks. "We'll introduce ye!"
The elderly scholar welcomes you warmly back to his home. "Ah! I wondered when I'd see you again. Or whether, I must admit. I see you have some new faces with you. Well, come in, come in. I'll just put the kettle on and you can have some tea. I think Marta left me some fresh loaves and honey just yesterday."
He ushers you in and pours tea, but forgets about the bread. "Come!" he says, eagerly rubbing his palms together. "Show me what you've brought me! What have you learned?"
Lilika takes a seat rather uncomfortably, still wary of being aboveground and in such fragile looking buildings . She eyes the tea, waits for everyone else to drink, and a few minutes later—relatively certain she's not about to be poisoned—takes a tentative sip.
As the scholar speaks, she defers to Wymond. Lilika had been absent for a time, and assumes Wymond had the most to share.
Marcel followed along with his new companions as he has nothing better to do until they move on. He looks around the place as they pull out what they have found and waits for their business to be completed.
On the way there, Triath trots up to Marcel as the group exits the in.
"This here's Triath, Erastil's messenger an' me staunchest mate in battle," Wymond explains, introducing the celestial boar. Triath, for his part, circles Marcel and snuffles him a bit before giving him a solemn nod. "Ah, he likes ye! Now I know yer a good fit for this merry band!"
When they reach Royst's house, Wymond spreads out what they've drawn up so far.
"We've found snake-men and man-snakes down 'ere. Whole cult of 'em worshipin' some demon or other. Their high priest drove us off, but we're goin' back down to try again. I'd say we've got Klarkosh's level cleared an' mapped. Was downright cozy once we'd cleared out all the clankies. We can't really map that waterlogged one until later: the fish-folk there REALLY ain't keen on visitors, an' don't want us rovin' around their space until after they've gone home, presumably through them portals there, which we're gonna wanna take a closer look at anyway."
While Wymond speaks, Lilika offers the appropriate maps, notes, and proof. It's a shame Frizz was gone. She would've liked this part...
Abernard pores over the notes and maps, asking many questions.
"There was a secondary way out on the third level, Splinterden. Have you seen any other such exits?"
"And what of the troglodyte tribe? Do you know where they went? Is the God-box still inactive? What prevents it from being reactivated?"
"This Klarkosh was from Numeria, it seems. But it's Azlanti artifacts I'm after. Have you seen any sign of them? It seems that this 'Emerald Spire' is far more than merely the ruin of green glass on the surface, and possibly far older. But what would be far older than the Azlanti? Do you have any clue as to who or what built the Spire? Or why?"
"Anyway, this is splendid work and by the shape of what you have here I can see that you have mapped most of the seventh level, home of these snake-people. I see no reason not to forward you some cash based on your good work so far. Here is 100 gold crowns for the map of the Clockwork Maze and 200 for the map of the Snake Shrine."
__________________________________________________
"Haven't found any new exits, though I 'spect we might be getting too deep for a hole in the wall to lead outside, 'less it was a shaft of some sort," Wymond explains.
"Xulgath tribe," he corrects when the discussion turns to Godhome, before sheepishly nodding to Slaagh. "An' no, couldn't say where they've gone. But this is the River Kingdoms, plenty of space for 'em to start their community anew. Yes, the Skraa-orm Thagh is...still silent last we saw. Don't know what'd waken it short of movin' the door-parts, an' those things were heavy, even with the entire group workin' together..."
Wymond spits when Abernard suggests Klarkosh was from Numeria.
"Technic League, then? Good we stuck him when we did. Bloody-handed slavers all of them, an' 'Slavery Is an Abomination.' Fifth River Freedom," he explains. Then he scratches his head. "I ain't too sure what's Azlanti and what aint', Abernard. That was always more Frizz's thing. What should we be lookin' for...you know...like arkeetexture or stuff so we know we're on the right track? At the moment, we're as much in the dark about the Spire as you are."
He shrugs a bit.
"Thank ye kindly for the advance. We're gonna stock up on supplies, then go back to them snake-men and man-snakes, an' kick their scaly, demon-worshippin' arses back to the Abyss they crawled out of!"
Lilika raises an eyebrow at talk of the Technic League and Numeria. Didn't ring a bell. Not even a faint tickle in her memory. Was that a sign that wasn't her home? Would she even remember the name of her home if she heard it?
More talk. Azlant this, Azlant that. That was a word she knew, but only from Abernard and Frizz. She was bound to the Spire in some way. it had the answers to her lost memories. If it was built by the Azlanti, did she have a connection to them, too?
Lilika gives Abernard a nod in farewell, no closer to answers now than she was when she first awoke outside the city. Still, the scholar's coin always helped.
Once outside, Lilika takes her share of the coins and goes looking for a magic shop. She'd like to pick up a staff of healing, if she can find one in town.
Entirely up to the players.
You can buy any Common item of up to Level 6 without asking. Ask for Uncommon or above level 6.
Lilika looks at their payment, already split three ways. With a shrug, she hands the bag that would've been for Frizz out to Marcel. "You should turn back. But if you're going to come to the Spire, take this. Try not to die."
New staff in hand, she waits for the others to depart.
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Wymond, for his part, purchases two of the strongest healing potions he can afford.
Once he has the potions packed up, he goes to join Lilika.
"We're gonna win this time!" he says, clearly hoping to inspire her.
Lilika raises an eyebrow. Poor fellow was delusional. She'd like to blame it on that whole dying thing, but she knows better. The guy talks to his god through a pig, after all.
"...Suuuuure..." she responds hesitantly, not quite sure how to lie.
The team traipses back through the Echo Wood, noticing the subtle changes in the forest paths before they manage at last to come to the Azlanti castle of green glass. It seems uninhabited by more than a large covey of pigeons.
"Guessin' we'll want to head down to the level before that snake nest, an' take the stairs. Don't wanna walk into an ambush or anythin'," Wymond says as they advance into the dungeon once more.