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Schnorzel looks down, well more 'across' from where she is seated on her spirit mount and flinches as she notices the brightly colored elf looking at her. I have said thanks, I cannot offer them anything more than my assistance and even that has limits. I-I do not believe I can bring myself to slaughter my sisters, even if I can solidly lay the failures of this at Jakk's feet.
*Crunch*
"What was that?" The Tentacled Midori asks with some concern in goblin. Head turning to see the vial her throat constricts and a low wail of terror comes out of her body as she shakes slightly. Eyes wide as both of her freakish wing ears extend attempt to almost fly fanning out to great lengths on either side of her head
FangsGreenDeathShreikingPainSPIDERSPIDERSSPI-
As Layla causally retrieves the vial of gas Schnorzel jumps straight up from her mount clambering up the wall and then across on legs unnaturally suited to gripping the stone of the chamber. Like a terrified cat she clambers along the walls before finding an appropriate place to hide. Mind you a terrified cat still half holding a bowl full of cursed insect shaped gems and a flaming blue orb in one arm, less out of intent and more out of absent minded terror causing her to forget to drop it.
The goblin states as she clings to her spot and shudders. Ear wings flexing lightly and light intakes of breath before more muttering.
It seems almost like the ceiling beyond the tunnel (which stretches to either side for a needlessly large distance) is on fire in lots of different places, except the fires don't consume anything, aren't spreading, and aren't shedding any heat at all.
It's clearly some sort of magic at work.
Beyond that, as you exit the hallway, you see that the stairs you were following downward effectively form a massive stone column in the middle of an enormous jade pagoda-like structure, with the bottom roof extending over 150 feet - about 75 feet in each direction, from the center. Beyond the Pagoda, there seems to be an absolutely enormous semi-natural cavern, with what looks like, maybe eighty feet away, a large, deep chasm from whence the uneven light flickers nastily.
The pit has an enormous mostly-natural stone column that rises from it. Unnatural and enormous holes - clearly constructed by careful engineering or magic or both in some long-distant era - are evenly spaced around the lower portion of the tower. From the base of the holes pour green mist - slowly and languidly, as always - and water, seemingly a run-off from some sort of major storm.
From the exit of the hallway (where you currently are), you cannot actually see the top of the rising column, nor can you see that part of the cavern ceiling.
"Hey, careful with those black rocks!" Layla calls out to Schnorzel in Goblin.
She then mentals to everyone...
"Speakin' of which, Schnorzel is kind of freaking out back here with the green mist. And she's got all those dangerous black rocks. I was wonderin' if we ought to purposely use those black rocks against Jakk and company, like Shaedo did with Nugglet, or if that would just be too chaotic and unpredictable. Or maybe we could even use the green mist against 'em, if they'll all freak out like Schnorzel. Thoughts?"
Strangely, the rocks never spill anywhere, despite the wild gesticulations and climbing of the horrified ex-goblin clutching it. Weird.
While, in the end, you don't think it could house a shell for an actual beetle or anything like it - the detail is too fine for it - if there were a way to have a creature created from precious metals, this would probably be exactly what it looks like, the level of detail and workmanship is so fine.
It's being exceedingly still for a living creature, though - that doesn't rule out any possibility, but if only you knew enough about beetle anatomy, magical forces, and other such things you could make those kinds of judgement-calls.
Still... something is... peculiar... about it... even if it is quite mesmerizing to look at.
An interesting story, Shaedo, but I think there is a discrepancy in the translation of the key word in the story. World simply means planet. ....
... what happened here is that magic transported us to another world. "Triddum" is not the name of any known planet or moon in our solar system which means that we were sent to another solar system or to another plane. Though we could also have come back in time to when the planets that created the Diaspora were destroyed.
No matter what, this was the work of powerful magic and could hold a great amount of secrets.
Dijiron finished his diatribe feeling pleased with himself until he suddenly hit himself on the head. Oh, I'm sorry, Shaedo. I didn't mean to invalidate your story. I just took issue with a definition. Another word might work better than "World."
"I don't know much about the definitions of words as they are written in books- language for me has always been a living, breathing thing- the meanings of words are as people use them in talk, song, lectures and poetry! The story I told is meant to show that 'World' is a word that truly means lot's of different things- planet is one of them, but it's also the experience or history of an entire people- a place - a family - or even a person!"
She turns a foxy smile at Dijiron, "I'm not one to say a wizard is wrong about a word... buuuut- what you're saying about where are now kinda supports my point! We have no idea where we are! We may be on another planet, in another plane, or in another time, but we have left everything we know behind! That is the sense in which we are in another world!" Shaedo giggles excitedly, "Ah, what an adventure, it shall make such a sooong!"
Sunny slowly straightens up from where she was hurriedly picking up her shiny-s... "So.. we in't all runnin' away now...?" She looks around...
To herself in Sylvan, "I knew he- she- would be happy! About that at least..."
"I think we can handle the green mist, Sunny. It's the blue we have to worry about."
Layla checks on how unconscious Amita is doing and wonders if she might be waking up anytime soon.
Ceru looks up and down at the stairs, seeing how it forms the column. "This reminds me of a story my cousin Kiku told... a big long stairway that led up to a mystical castle. But the beautiful castle was really a portal to Dis... Not that I think this is a portal to Dis..."
She points in the distance. "This pagoda-like thing has been really exquisitely engineered, but see beyond, it's all rough cave. Interesting, huh? Why would they take so much time to build this but leave everything else uncarved?"
When Layla mentals everyone, Ceru sends back The green mist is coming from down here. I think we can avoid it but you should know.
".... Schnorzel is kind of freaking out back here with the green mist. And she's got all those dangerous black rocks. I was wonderin' if we ought to purposely use those black rocks against Jakk and company, like Shaedo did with Nugglet, or if that would just be too chaotic and unpredictable. Or maybe we could even use the green mist against 'em, if they'll all freak out like Schnorzel. Thoughts?"
Throwing your enemies into chaos is a clever tactic! Tehehehe! It's what we want, yes? What I'm worried about is the rocks affecting us if we try to use them! I was lucky... just one sliver is all takes to do... really weird things!
She thinks a moment, and then thinks to everyone, I say we try to take out Jakk as quick as we possibly can. All of us who trained at Alkenstar have these deadly skills- jus' a shot or jab from one of us, and Jakk will go down, if we can get close enough. I say, the group keeps the rest busy, while one, sneaks up, really quiet like, studies 'em and takes Jakk out when he and his minions are distracted! Hope is... the ritual won't work when the priest is gone, yes??
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"I'm good at distractions! This one time, in a bar in Magnimar, I kept the whole bar mesmerized by twirling my mustache. My companion at the time managed to remove every coin purse in the room without even having to be stealthy!",lies Vitreous.
"I'm good at distractions! This one time, in a bar in Magnimar, I kept the whole bar mesmerized by twirling my mustache. My companion at the time managed to remove every coin purse in the room without even having to be stealthy!",lies Vitreous.
Remind me to have you in the room twirling your mustache the next time I play cards! Not that I cheat, but every distraction from a bluff helps!
The former Husk stiffens slightly in the saddle as Ceru talks to Vitreous, mentally, but, though her eyelids close briefly, she makes no further comment toward Ceru, as every part of her takes on a variety of dark, warm hues - dark red hair, blood-red nails, crimson eyes, and ruddy skin.
A deep breath and her colors slowly fade into less brilliant versions of the same.
As Layla is mentioning Schnorzel's freakout, all see that the thin, small green mist coming down from the upper stores was but a prelude. A very tall, very thick wall of the green mists are slowly and sedately - though inexorably - falling down the stairwell, preceded by the low bank that the vial was within.
Schnorzel leaves. Immediately.
She doesn't stop until she sees the even more green roof.
As Gob Smash One continues the general discussion and kibitzing, the group arrives at the base of the stairs, following Beylinda around the curved hallway.
As first Beylinda, then Ceru, then the rest of Gob Smash One exits from what seems to be a stairwell central to a massive, exquisitely crafted Pagoda - a hundred-fifty feet on one side. The ceiling is lit by what are clearly magical fires on the ceiling in different colors, though most are a pale white.
Beyond the Pagoda, there seems to be an absolutely enormous semi-natural cavern, with what looks like, maybe eighty feet away, a large, deep chasm from whence the uneven light flickers nastily.
The pit has an enormous mostly-natural stone column that rises from it. Unnatural and enormous holes - clearly constructed by careful engineering or magic or both in some long-distant era - are evenly spaced around the lower portion of the tower. From the base of the holes pour green mist - slowly and languidly, as always - and water, seemingly a run-off from some sort of major storm, into the pit that surrounds the rising tower.
From the exit of the hallway (where you currently are), you cannot actually see the top of the rising column, nor can you see that part of the cavern ceiling.
Vitreous comments to the group, and Ceru responds without looking...
The bank of green mist seems to be reinforced by that which is coming from the holes in the tower, but it's clearly not enough. Not only is the lightning destroying - almost devouring - the green mist more rapidly than it's replaced, the lightning is is growing greater... rapidly.
Unlike at the top of tower, there is no cage that catches the lightning and turns it into green mist... making this horrifyingly dangerous to get too close to.
There is a separate, unconnected set of mists coming down from the stairway behind you, it seems.
... as Vitreous suddenly transforms!
An enormous winged serpent suddenly appears, filling up the hallway, pushing all those at the edge of the hallway out beyond as it rapidly expands, and then, itself is pushed beyond and out of the hallway, drawing some of Gob Smash One along with it!
In fact, everyone except Sunny and the Water Elemental!
The winged serpent has an enormous mustache!
Ceru takes note of Husk's red color and what it probably means, but just continues down, figuring saying anything else might only make matters worse. She reminds herself just as Shaedo is Shaedo whether she's a fox or a girl or a fox-girl, Husk is Husk whether she's a creepy undead spider or a prismatic lady. And Husk is ancient and powerful. She might have triggered something unfortunate--oh, the traps one wanders into when one doesn't pay attention! But hopes if there are any consequences, she bears them alone and not at the expense of the rest of her teammates.
Ceru is trying to analyze all that she is observing when she is swept out of the hall by a giant mustachioed serpent and, yawping with shock, just gives up trying to think about anything.
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SSSSSSsssss!"
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o_O
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(O_o)
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"Omph! Wa-huh????"
(o_O)
"You asked for a distraction! I think a huge flying snake should work rather well for this purpose?!" Vitreous says over the mind link.
Outloud in snake,"SSSsssSSssssss!"
"Much more effective than I'd hoped!"
For a moment, Shaedo remains transfixed by this sudden- shift of things. Her ears or lowered, her tails wrapped around her, one or two between her legs. "Eeyp." Is all she can say in response- at first.
Then, at the word 'distraction', her ears perk up. Her eyes open up, her tails relax. Distraction. Trick! She begins rubbing devious, silver little paws together in her pondering. It's only fair we get a big flying thing of our-
Shaedo freezes. She gasps.
"Oh. OH!" She says, and then she begins giggling quite wickedly. We can take this much further than a distraction! She can barely hold the wand for her excitement. She manages to aim it at Vitreous.
Vitreous-hold still- I'm going to give you a mask!
Shaedo mentals, wearing a foxy grin that borders on malevolent in its deviousness.
Using the magic of her wand, she creates the illusion that makes the face of the giant snake Vitreous have the giant bloated eyes of a fly. The mustache a pair of fly suckers. The look is complete with antennae and black glossy fly hairs, though still with the toothy maw of the huge snake.
Ladies and Gentlemen! Shaedo announces over the telepathic link. I give you Vitreous, the Bloat Fly! I say we end their ritual a little early. A ritual, after all, is much like a performance- their evil god waiting in the wings! I say we bring out the understudy and cut it short! Sheado twirls her wand in her hand with deft style and sheaths it.
And now for one last thing- to get you to appear out of thin air- or a portal that mayhaps appear soon enough! With a twirl and bow, Shaedo leaps into the air and lands on Vitreous' back. And then..... Shaedo vanishes.... and possibly, one more as well.
O_o
(_o)
Layla tries to somehow take everything in stride, and looks around for the next practical step to take.
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Layla speaks to the gift-wrapped gob in Goblin:
"Hey, you! How'd you get mixed up in all this? Why'd you go to the tower? Do you worship the big evil fly goddess thingie? Speak up, or else!"
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Cantrips: Summon Frosty, Detect Magic, Prestidigitation, Dancing Lights
Lvl 1: Color Spray, Ray of Sickening, Obscuring Mist, (abj.) Protection from Evil
Lvl 2: Sorching Ray x2, Protection from Arrows (abj.)
Resistance: Fire 5
Protective Ward x7
Dijiron fell into a stupor when Vitreous suddenly became a giant snake. In all the stories I've ever read, I feel like turning into a giant snake is something that only villains do and only when they are about to lose. And yet, it never helps. I've never even heard a story when the Evil Vizier turns into a giant snake and then wins. I know the hero has to win in the end but then again heroes don't turn into giant snakes either. Oh gods, will those two women still be fawning over him now? I'm going to need copious amounts of alcohol. Either that or a new spell that lets me scrub my mind.
By the time he regained his composure, Shaedo had already turned him into the BotSnakeFly(tm). I think I have the perfect spell to aid in Vitreousnake's first appearance. I can summon a spooky mist that will give him an air of mystery.
"Hey, you! How'd you get mixed up in all this? Why'd you go to the tower? Do you worship the big evil fly goddess thingie? Speak up, or else!"
It is then that she realizes that it's Ooze that's shaking his head groggily. The other goblin just landed on top of him, so Ooze manipulated him like a puppet. Weird illusion that.
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Layla shifts her tone somewhat when she realizes it's Ooze waking up, and she speaks in Common (and mentals),
"Oh, hey, Ooze, you okay? What happened to you guys? The donkeys brought you and Stone through the door/portal thingie to join us here. We're in another world or somethin' and we're tryin' to stop an evil ritual that will destroy the worlds. Oh, and the big snake is Vitreous."
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Ooze shakes his head and smiles a toothy grin at Layla. "Ooze ok. Not knowing what happened." Ooze looked on at the snake and his eyes widened in fright for a moment.
Deciding that it wasn't a threat after reconsidering Layla's words, he jumped up.
"Stop evil ritual! Get lots of food?"
.
.
"Summoned" from what amounts to the West of the mountain - a range of hills (of various sizes), small valleys, sharp crevices, deep but small chasms, and small mountains - it arrived on the Western side of the largest mountain by far, a pale mass of stone and fissures, itself riddled with anarchy magic, necromancy, and all sorts of strange things.
Survival achieved by scurrying through the curves and the cracks, barely managing to escape the storm into the deep fissures... that the storm promptly sealed behind.
Prior to the storm, it was on and around that mountain most of the goblins (the Midori, with their Ao or Buri members seemingly set apart or more important), seemingly from different tribes of all sorts camped everywhere... waiting for... something.
With little choice, after the storm sealed the way out, the fissures were explored and stone walls hacked to other minor tunnels (along with several narrowly escaped collapses behind). Generally it's been a rough day.
Arrival has finally happened: a chasm that stretches deep below... and a recent cave-in ensures no where to return.
To the left, an enormous holy place made with sacred Jade rooftops. A tower extends from the top of the holy place into the ceiling, suggesting a stairway or other passage within. From under the roof of this enormous place, a number of people and creatures suddenly erupt, pushed forth by a massive, confused-looking winged snake, with a phenomenally lovely mustache. They seem to be regathering themselves. There appear to be goblins among them... but these goblins are neither Midori (well, not exactly, anyway) nor Biru (though there are both green and blue ones respectively). Certainly no Aos.
Besides the sacred Jade roof, an enormous pool, 50 feet in diameter, of what is certainly blood - an amount to cause terrible shudders and rising bile, considering the number dead that would be necessary to collect so much. Impossibly, it churns and swirls, as if it were fresh.
At the base of the Mesa is a deep chasm, about eighty feet lower than the floor where the sacred Jade pagoda and pool of blood are built. Within this chasm, huge numbers of Midori, Biru, and Ao sit in postures of meditation and focus, in water that slowly pours from great holes in the side of the mesa onto them - water that drains through the stalactites and stalagmites that connect the roof to the Mesa. A being who broke through about the wrong part of the ceiling would have broken into rushing water, which would have swept it right over the edge and to its death slightly less than two-hundred feet below.
The goblins below are also surrounded by a green mist that, much like the water, is part of the drainage flow... mist that's tinting, tainting, and altering them, slowly.
The mist's process, however, is far too slow: sickeningly yellow necromantic, eldritch, and terrible energy radiates across the top of the mist, eating it away, almost as if devouring it. It seems to be radiating from the Mesa itself, and its burning away the barrier to the Midori very rapidly... a fact to which all of them seem entirely oblivious. They will not survive contact with the yellow lightning-like energy.
The sheer number of Midori and Biru gathered around this Mesa is staggering. There is literal sitting-room-only... they only don't wash away due to the sheer numbers clogging the chasm. Fortunately for them, the water drains faster than it accrues around their meditating bodies.
The yellow lightning itself is arcing black lighting to the enormous pool of blood, over to the side of the sacred temple.
The eldritch energy, rushing water channeled through reinforced stone, and chanting filling the top of the Mesa make it practically impossible to hear anything.
Layla considers Ooze's question.
"Um...sure!"
Layla figures they will ultimately eat lots more food if they are alive than if they are dead, which is what they will be if they don't stop this ritual.
"Ah yes 'Ooze,' said Dijiron. "How good of you to join us. Fancy sticking around for the next fight?"
"Rise an' shine Ooze!" Shaedo cries from her unseen post, "I think at the moment, we are trying to avoid becoming food ourselves.. Afterwards though, yeah, it'd be good for us to eat. I could eat- and probably have a drink, and surely sing for joy as well!"
"ssSSSsSsSsSsss"
Then remembering he doesn't actually speak snake, "I'm really hungry, I don't remember the last time we had anything to eat... let's get this battle done with, so we can tell Ooze of our grand adventures while we chow down. I wonder what evil goblin priests taste like?"
Layla is ready for action. She will accept whatever transport is offered, and go along with any of the magical tricks that have been proposed. She's happy to be an invisible assailant, if someone with magic can do that for her.
"Don't forget, we also have the black rocks and some green mist vials that might be helpful.
Did anyone figure out what the burning gem and the eerily life-like platinum beatle and the big throne do?
How long have we got the water spirit helping us?
And, hey, Schnorzel, are you okay? ... Oh, right..."
Layla switches to Goblin,
"Schnorzel, you okay? You gonna help us in this fight?
How long does your water spirit last? Will it fight with us?
And, we might wanna use those black rocks you've got..."
Scampering about, both to collect her big, shiny metal bug... thing. Sunny does her best to secure what she can to...um.. Mister Big-snake.
Maneuvering around to Schnorzel Sunny frowns at something, possibly the way Layla and such are talking. With a bright laugh Sunny simply takes her blue, glowy gem off and. with a deft lick to the back of it, sticks it to Schnorzel's forehead.
"There ya go!" (^_^)
Stone felt... Something. Stone felt stone. Hard cold stone and scally dragonflesh.
Fully coming too, he pushes hard against Vitimus-the-snake with a snarky Hey! Watch it there! You are squishing this Knightly Dwarven Paladin! By decree of her lordship, Queen Elisibe.., wait, High Command, Emergency-General Amita Narahari, i order you to MOVE!
With tgat last bit of effort, stone gives a heave and frees himself from the clutches of stone and scale.
[i]Theres a dragon here. Yup, perfectly normal. Wait, did the party grow bigger? Nope! I am abdolutely sure that we had exactly the same amount of people as we left with. And a dragon. Perfectly well-to-do.
Oh, plus 1.[/b]
As he looks over and spots the unconcous goblin beside him.
Then, as he leans against the "snake-dragon" for support
[i]something seems amiss here... I cant quite put my finger on it... NOPE! Everythings perfectly normal! No sharp claws or needles or... Or... Squirrels! We were heading to the tower of lovely fluffy squirrels :)[i]
Then outloud, Yup. Everything is good and in order!
Not that any of you guys would understand the meaning of the statement...
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"Hey, Stone, glad you're okay!
Do you know what happened to you guys? How'd you get knocked out?
You stayed behind in the tower to guard everything, but then suddenly the donkeys brought you and Ooze unconscious through the door/portal thingie to join us here.
We're in another world or somethin' and we're tryin' to stop an evil ritual that will destroy the worlds.
The high priest of the evil fly goddess that's doin' the ritual and that we're tryin' to kill is named Jakk. He's probably up on that big plateau there.
This big flying snake here is our ally Vitreous, transformed.
We also have a black gnome lady and a rainbow lady who have joined us, and Schnorzel, who's the blue gob we found starving in the tower, and also that unconscious goblin over there that we also found in the tower. . . and a water spirit that Schnorzel summoned to help loot the place. ... and, of course, unconscious Amita Narahari, who turned into a dragon and saved us from a fly monster before becoming human again and dropping unconscious. Remember?
We left Lulu and Pix with you, but we think they wandered off. We don't know where they are now.
You feelin' okay?"
I'm mulling over a conjecture that this tower or the strange magic of the Wastes can temporarily strike people into a malaise. 'Ooze' and now Stone have recovered. We can only hope that we can stay focused now without our members nodding off again, said Dijiron with a pointed glance towards Stone then Ooze.
I think I'll need to write down the events of our sojourn into the tower and now this world in order to turn it into a hypothesis. It amazes me that we haven't had a second to truly rest and no I'm not counting the shared dream with the mirrors.
I'm glad our comrades have recovered. You're right, Dijiron, there might be some kind of illness it causes--we need to be careful.
Ceru looks out beyond Vitreous's giant snakey head, to get a better sense of where they are and where they're going.
Schnorzel, who had been contemplating such important things as what is life, Can I murder my kin, where does the inside of a doughnut go, potato soup ladel llama, Who shall I be today and what does the inside of my eyelid taste like. She blinks half from confusion and half from the massive run-on sentence that just barreled through her mind.
The rather fragmented goblin pats her forehead feeling something there.
"What?" She states flatly, a look of confusion on her face as she finds the new object on her head. Turning to the 'Layla' creature she knows is able to speak the pidgin proto language of their worlds stunted midori. "This is a good thing? I.. I will admit I am unaware of any rituals that involve sticking objects to someone by means of saliva."
The goblin asks gesturing to the gem.
She asked me some questions a moment ago...
"But, before you respond you asked me some questions.
I believe that I am much better than I was a moment ago, I am unsure why but focus is now with me. I will help you in your quest, but while I am undeserving of such I would ask you to relay a request to all your warriors. I would very much prefer to keep the fighting we must do to a small number, I have seen many things but on this day I have no desire to slaughter my entire clan. If you we can defeat Jakk then I can attempt to placate the other Midori. I will understand if your wish is to kill them though, as is your right."
The goblin states, clearly not very pleased with the idea.
As to the rest, I am unsure how long the spirit will last. It has followed my requests so far, so I believe it would give me aid in a fight. If your desire is to use them then use the Hitam Rupees as such, though I have never worked with such relics before so I am unable to tell you the stories associated with the bloatfly. Unfortunately they are few in comparison to other stories of my people due to the *I-g-o-b being a recent addition comparatively."
With a flutter of thought, Schnorzel scans the pagoda roof attempting to ignore the new arrivals and the fact that there was now a giant snake. She sets her gaze on the Obsidian woman, her recent state still throwing the tentacled Midori for a loop.
She speaks to the former goblin in a respectful tone of Midori.
Schnorel has suspicions that Jakk is not actually a Midori, he is a goblin from the lands of these strange people who have infiltrated.
It would explain his unique powers, the fact that this new group has had no trouble grasping the idea of Í-g-o-b' which would indicate a similar structure existing in their world. In addition it would explain the level of knowledge needed for the goblin to pull a trick on Husk in spider form.
Layla frowns in thought, then responds to Schnorzel out loud in Goblin,
"Sunny just gave you her telepathy thingie...so you can hear and understand and respond when we talk to each other's minds, like this..."
Layla then mentals the group,
"See? Can you hear me now, Schnorzel?
Say hi to Schnozel now, guys.
Try sayin' hi back, Schnorzel.
Kinda think it at us."
Layla then speaks both out loud in Common (presuming they're still a great distance from the ritual) and mentally to the group,
"Sunny, you gave Schnorzel your telepathy thingie, but now you won't be able to hear our mental talk... which might be important if we're stealthin'. Hmmm...
Anyway, Schnorzel says she'll help us, but that she doesn't want her blue gob people killed if we can just kill the leader Jakk and stop the ritual. She thinks they'll listen to her if Jakk's dead. Personally, I have my doubts...
But, also, Schnorzel, you said the black rock things are called Hitam Rupees and you don't know too much about 'em... but you seem to know at least somethin' about 'em... What are they and what are they supposta do?"
Hitam Rupees are, simply, rupees - a kind of generically valuable gem - that are black. They are generally considered unlucky by all races except the Midori - those other races generally consider it a sacred duty to destroy it, or, at the least, bury it far away from where any might find it (though, oft enough, they'll just fling it somewhere remote). The Midori often view them as sacred, and use them in all sorts of rituals, usually resulting in the destruction or loss of the thing anyway, but that's not the point: the point is that they're sacred and do sacred things; in many cases, they are gathered and placed at sites of great importance, though they're rare enough (due to the stupid other races purposefully destroying them) that rarely are so many gathered.
Despite being 'sacred', in the end, really, the Hitam Rupees aren't that important. If they're destroyed, it's not exactly an outrage. The reason for their status is something of a secret to all but the Ao (the most elite Biru descended from two Biru - like Schnorzel was - they're mostly sacred because of their (rather vague) "value" to "spirits" (mostly the non-benevolent kind), and are thus used as bribes. Hence, the rituals.
It just doesn't hurt to have something to get the Midori to raid the stupid Midori-killing other races, though.
Lately, they've been rather obsessively horded by the Coccam, who were rumored to have rituals involving ingesting one. Although the rumors indicated some minor weird things happened to those who ingested them (like spontaneous metal beards, hallucinations, intense hunger, or temporary sleep), nothing like complete transformation into a different creature altogether, and certainly nothing happened when they were touched.
Of course, they weren't on fire.
Of course, Midori, being what they are, tried to light them on fire in the past, and nothing happened.
Of course... the cult of culinary courtesy and masticular mastery has clearly done something to them...
Rainbow smiles a little sadly, looking out.
She nods, briefly, as if confirming something to herself. She looks at Eris, who nods, slowly and steadily, and breathes a long, steadying breath. She then steps forward, and places her hand to her forehead in a commanding gesture. You hear her voice resound, quietly, though thoroughly, through your minds and in your ears (except for Sunny, who only hears with her ears).
"Listen well, Gob Smash One. I have a personal... private mission... that I need to go on." she nods and locks eyes with them. Even the massive Snaktrious. "Fa- er, Mother Rainbow and I will go together." she shudders a bit, but continues.
"Layla, come here." she gestures to the Halfling. Kneeling down and placing a hand on her shoulder she says, "You have shown excellent leadership qualities, my dear. As Assistant Leader, you will be taking over my duties while I am..." she pauses, looking at Rainbow, "... gone. Trust Vitreous - his uncle's military genius clearly runs in the family -" she says, gesturing to the massive snake, "and listen to Dijiron, a more sagacious rodent I've never seen. Beware of Ceru - cooks are dangerous, naturally - and keep the squad well and... alive." She helps Layla get back up on Vitreous' back with the others.
She swallows, nods, stands, and turns to face Stone where he sits, now mounted on a snake. "Lieutenant Stone!" she says in a commanding tone, giving him a rank, apparently, right now. "Your job, in addition to protecting her High Command, is to guard Commander Layla! She is new Squad Commander!" she declares with military precision. "I expect you all to treat her with the same respect you treated me! And respect and care for each other like family!"
She nods, firmly, and walks over to where the invisible kitsune sits.
"Shaedo, take... take care... of Kalisti... for me." she sniff. "While I'm gone, I mean. Which won't be long." she adds, perhaps a bit too quickly. She hands Kalisti over to Shaedo. "And make sure the little rascal doesn't eat too many apples!" she adds.
She breathes, nods, and slaps Vitreous on the backside. "To the sky, Snaktreous! Fly for Victory, Gob Smash One, and the W.D.G.F.F.!" she cries with a shout, like a rider sending a horse off to the sunset.
(A shout that wouldn't be able to be heard very far beyond the group itself.)
With that, Vitreous launches himself into the sky, carrying everyone - Schnorzel, Nuglet, Gob Smash One (minus Eris), the water elemental, a throne, and the beetle secured by Sunny - except Eris and Rainbow into the heights of the cave toward the top of the mesa.
It's fast.
Rainbow stands next to Eris on the ground below, a mechanical arm on the human's shoulder.
Layla is surprised to be suddenly made commander... She'd better figure out what they're all doing here exactly! ... and she feels a sudden emptiness at the (hopefully temporary) loss of their leader Eris and of the knowledgeable Mother Rainbow.
However, before (or perhaps as) Vitreous takes off, Layla shouts and mentals,
"Wait! Do you still want your telepathy thingie, Eris, or should Sunny be usin' it?"
She gestures to Layla's hand, where the Halfing is surprised to find it painlessly in place.