"...Oh, she'd better not be drowning," Alwen quips as he drops his bow and ties his rope around his waist. "Smiles, hold this end, would you?" He asks Chumtooth, tossing him the other end before jumping in where the woman had sunk. After all, he doesn't want to drown - that would be embarrassing.
Chumtooth gives and grunt as the rope goes taut, the muscles in his arms and shoulders rippling as he pulls against the weight of his comrades.
Seeing Alwen jump into the goo, and her speed being impeded by it, Satinder decides to move closer to the edge.
"Don't worry about me, Alwen. I'm a better swimmer than you, anyday!" Satinder boasts as she wades through the thick mud.
Bangkha snaps a command at Cat and tries to pull himself up onto the piling.
As Cat nimbly hops from piling to piling across the bog, Bangkha struggles to pull himself free of the muck, finally managing it after several efforts.
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Ayaki grips Alwen almost too tightly as she and the elf are pulled to shore by Chumtooth. After several attempts, Bangkha manages to free himself from the muck and get up onto the piling. Satinder calmly and methodically swims to shore . The four of you are covered in mud and wet sand and your gear and clothing (what little Ayaki has left) are soaked through.
Bangkha gives an appreciative whisper at Ayaki and starts following Cat across.
Eventually he makes it, and stands on the far side, covered in foul-smelling bog mud and smiling.
"This is an excellent way to disguise my scent,"
Chumtooth looks around for some sturdy planks long enough to bridge the distance between a set of piles.
"Tie the rope to you. I..will hold the rope so that if you fall, I can pull y..you out of the mud."
"Or, and I know that this might seem like an absolutely radical idea here - we can go around the bog instead of risk our necks crossing over it," Alwen suggests. "It's not an obstacle we can't avoid right now, you know."
Dantes will try to aid Chumtooth.
"Both are solid ideas. We are in a hurry though, and most of us are soaked anyhow.. I'll swim across with the rope, tie it up. Meanwhile Alwen you can look around, and maybe find a place to go across or around this thing?"
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Well, That was a Hoot.. Sorry for causing any one out there that rescued me some troubles I am disapointed in myself
Moves into Alwen and hugs him tightly and kisses his cheek
Thanks sweetie for rescuing me
moves to Chumtooth and hugs him tightly and kisses his cheek as well
for a job well done rescuing me as well, Now Chum you wouldn't mind caring me across the rest of this little old swamp would you? I have got a lot of gunk in my lungs and I am having trouble walking, But I will try to sing to you while you do it sweetie?
Chumtooth's expression breaks into a large, disturbing smile; rows of pointed teeth prominently displayed.
"So, Ayaki asks a boon of Chumtooth..." he replies with an ominous, rumbling chuckle. "If Chumtooth agrees, Ayaki must then grant a boon to Chumtooth of..his..choosing. Does..she...accept?"
Chumtooth gives a great, growling laugh.
..Y-You...do not understand Kuru ways. Chu..I...will exx-play-nn. If you ask a boon but do not offer a boon in return, the one you ask may choose it. If you refuse, it is bad fortune for both. The Kuru do not like bad fortune. The Kuru kill those who bring it upon the tribe. Now that you understand, do you choose to take back your asking, or do you choose to accept?"
Can Dantes use touch of the sea to swim across?
If not, I think he can take 10 to get through.
Once on the other side, Dantes will use presdigitation to clean himself and his clothes and gear. Once done, he'll will offer to do the same for any of his allies.
Satinder, after reaching the other side, will look around and then gladly accept Dantes' offer to clean her up some.
"...coz if this stays in my hair.. My god!"
She will wait for everyone to finish, and then offer Alwen the opportunity to scout ahead.
Alwen shrugs and sighs, figuring they can't waste time like that, deciding to hop over the pylons casually now that the danger's passed.
Chumtooth cross the piles with relative ease, then lowers Ayaki to her feet once once they are back on firm ground.
"Ayaki's boon has been given. Chu...I...look for-ward to claiming...my...boon," he says with that same unnerving smile.
"Tell me, Chum.. Can boons be traded? Are there different sizes and strengths of boons?
What happens when you have a boon, but have forgotten about it?"
Satinder starts asking questions while walking, trying to learn the Kuru tongue better.
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The group travels on, making their way through the jungle following the old and often, barely visible, trail. Then, quite suddenly, they are in a clearing.
A terrible stench fills the swamp here, a fetid odor of cheap perfume and rotting flesh. A huge tree stands in the middle of a clearing in the swamp, draped with some sort of huge tent. Lurid, painted faces cover both the tree trunk and tent, and both are decorated with rotting humanoid body parts and carpets of squirming insects.
"Boons are pacts. Bargains made. Like trading. Kuru will name the price of a boon, and the one asking will agree or walk away. Like trading goods. If boon price is too high, one does not accept. If it is low, the one who asks for low price hurts only himself."
"Young Kuru ask boons will make forget to name or ask the price. It is a Blind Pact. Chumtooth can ask any price of Ayaki now, but Chumtooth will not ask too much for the boon. Ayaki is still learning Kuru ways."
"Kuru do not let those who owe boons forget them. Would Satinder forget that an Other owed her many gold coins, or would Satinder remind the Other to return the coins?"
"Kuru do not ask boons of Others. Kuru make no pacts with Others. Kuru hunt and kill and eat Others. Chumtooth tries to walk the path between the Kuru and the Others. Chumtooth knows he will not be named as part of either tribe, now."
"PHAW! Rotten Meat!" Chumtooth exclaims, pinching his nostrils closed.
"I don't like this," Bangkha says softly. He clicks his tongue against his teeth. "Heel."
Cat doesn't like the looks of the tree much better, but stays close by Bangkha.
Satinder will put her arm around Chum's shoulder while walking.
"Chum, you're part of mine!"
"Alwen, you're preety quiet yes? You take left, I'll go right.
Chum, get ready to kill.. Whatever lives here..!"
Satinder nods at Banghka and Dantes, not really knowing what she can 'order' them to do.
Chumtooth hefts his harpoon into throwing position above his right shoulder. He holds the attached line loosely in his left, giving it freedom to trail out behind the spear as it flies.
"Hmm. Better plan. See, seems to me that whatever is inside there is probably horrifically disgusting and will be a major bother to fight - so let's just put it to the torch and kill anything that comes out," He tells them, taking out his waterproof case full of tindertwigs. "Because I don't care if there's a gold chest full of gold statues filled with gold coins in there, anything really valuable will probably survive the blaze. Who has lantern oil? Or alcohol?"
"Well, none of that, but how about some alchemist fire?"
Dantes draws a flask from the bandolier across his chest and offers it to Alwen. "Will one do the trick?" There are five more flasks on his bandolier; two seem to be the same type he is offering, but the other three are shaped differently.
"Kuru will use fire to chase Others hiding in the jungle. Others must then choose how to die, burning or fighting Kuru."
"The tree looks big and wet enough to survive a little scorching."
As Dantes offers the fire, he asks "Are we sure our friends aren't held captive below there somehow?"
"Quick thinking, Dantes and Bangkha. There could be a possibility that we are creating more problems by throwing the fire in there.. Alwen, I say we go with silently going around and flanking the tree. If we have more information, we can change the plan to "B", for burning."
She turns to Bangkha and Dantes: "Smart and wise, good skills to have." before checking if ALwen leaves so she can take the other side.
"The tree perhaps, but the tents won't," Alwen says, shrugging his shoulders. "But, you're the boss." He stalks off around the tree, still holding the one alchemist's flask Dantes offered in one hand. He highly doubts that the captives are anywhere near here - this certainly didn't seem like a grindylow nest to him. But you never questioned your captain's orders but once - sometimes not even that if they were prone to anger.
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Satinder has barely entered the tent when her eyes befall a hideous sight. A huge pile of filthy clothes and a vast array of mouldering cushions serve as a makeshift nest. The whole is surrounded by rotting human remains and in the center of the affair lounge three emaciated humanoid creatures with mottled purple flesh, dead eyes, and dressed in decaying silks and vermin-infested dresses. One of the three looks up and says in a raspy voice, "Look, sisters. Someone has come calling!"
With that, all three spring to their feet with startling speed.
Alwen
Chumtooth
Satinder
Dantes
Ayaki
Creature 1
Creature 2
Bangkha
One of the creature springs at Satinder, lashing out with a clawed hand, it's raspy, long tongue hanging hungrily from it's mouth. It narrowly misses her shoulder.
Satinder shouts out as loud as she can.
"Incoming.. Incredibly ugly hags! Burn this place down! Chumtooth, time for back-up! Alwen, take the one in the rear. Ayaki, time to use your magic to guide our strikes!"
She prepares to attack the creature in return, pretending like she is going to run before switching and stabbing low.
>
>
Hearing the unnatural voice from within the tent, and seeing the tent rustle with the sudden movement, Chumtooth drops the harpoon and moves to the entrance, drawing his morningstar as he goes.
He swings at the nearest creature.
Walking, dead meat!" he howls in disgust.
Alwen sighs as they're attacked by undead women, moving to the side and tossing the alchemist's fire at one. "Too late to burn it all down - we're inside already," He quips.