Noting Lauren attempting to cast a Life Bubble spell while struggling with her illness, Entiren will move over to be beside her. "Lauren, I can cast the spell for today, so don't worry about that. You've got enough to deal with as it is, so don't put yourself thorough too much stress." Entiren will then cast a Life Bubble on her as well as three others of the group.
The Starfinders trudge slowly yet steadfastly onward. The terrain has become hillier as the days have done by, but now Irhok'zatha and Entiren need to lead the group around rocky bluffs and through narrow ravines, jagged features managing to cut through the weighted blanket of trees and fungi.
"Irhokzath thinks the expedition is approaching the halfway point. Things are looking up!" the formian trods along, stuffed with renkroda beef.
Miraj is encouraged that he and the other diseased allies have stabilized and he keeps focused on making as good time as he can. He checks on Lauren and Ralkawi every time the group takes a break. He tries to keep in mind that the broken terrain provides plenty of opportunities for ambush and watches the way ahead with that in mind.
Come evening, he cleans his guns, checks on the sick, and hopes for a quiet night.
for Lauren
for Ralkawi
Before he goes to bed, he reminds Lauren, "အကောင်းမြင်သဘောထား!"
Diedre makes a circuit of the team as well when she takes a break from pulling Ralkawi. Her attentions are less medical and more her trying to keep the moral lifted. An encouraging word and a friendly touch to encourage the group to keep their focus on the goal that they're getting closer to.
"Can I ask a favor of you, Miraj?" Diedre asks as they settle on their sleeping pads for the night. "I think you're someone that understands when things are simple and when they're not." She fingers the rainbow pendent hanging at her neck. "It may seem strange, but faiths come in many shapes and forms. A lot of people don't understand my faith, but they don't mind how it's expressed. You see, part of my obeisance to the Spirit of Abandon is to achieve ... release. I've been avoiding that because I don't feel comfortable being alone out in the jungle. I also don't want you to feel that you're an intruder here."
She smiles at the ryphorian. "It's a simple thing and I just don't want you to think that it means more or less than what it does. I'd like to worship. If it would make you uncomfortable, I can put it off. But what I'm saying is that it doesn't bother me if you're here. You can even watch if you'd like, that can make it even more ... meaningful for me."
She gives her companion a sideways look with a bit of a smirk.
When Miraj says good night, Lauren responds, "Ah I is understands, အကောင်းမြင်သဘောထား! ဟုတ်ကဲ့၊ ဆရာဝန်။ ငါအကောင်းဆုံးကျေးဇူးတင်ပါတယ်။"
As the sun begins to dip towards to horizon, the Starfinders crest a saddlepoint between two valleys. Ahead lies dense jungle woven between weathered outcroppings of bare rock. In the distance, the looming peaks of the Singing Range cast deep shadows, throwing much of the foothills into premature twilight.
From this slightly elevated position, the breeze is a little stronger and a little less humid that what it's been the past eight days. It's pleasant.
"Irhok'zath can see some ruins ahead! More discoveries for you to make, isn't it great? No researcher back in Turhalu point knew there so many carved rocks in this direction! This must be a great day for rock collectors!" The formian is feeling like a million credits after killing a renkroda.
Enjoying the relieving breeze, Diedre shades her eyes and gazes out at what Irhok'zath indicates.
"Hopefully that what's our 'famous explorer' called the 'Plague Warden'," she says.
Miraj pauses, sighs, and continues. "He would be very disappointed in zee answer I have to give, which is zat your acts of ... faith will not offend me, but I will be more comfortable standing watch outside zee tent until I feel better. Perhaps after zhat, if you are practicing your faith and you get tired and need a ... hand or ... something, you can let me know."
He flicks on his comm unit light so Diedre can see by his face that he is smiling but also slightly pained as he gets up and takes Alice outside the tent until he observes no more faith experiences. Then he returns and sleeps.
Squinting, Miraj can just make out the distant shapes that might be ruins.
Miraj checks his vital signs and nods with relief. "I think zee infection is no longer," he tells the others, a smile on his face. "I think I will be back to normal soon." He checks on Lauren and Rawlkawi next.
Feeling slightly better Lauren does a little happy dance with her ambulatory tentacles before she gets woozy and sits back down. "May bees I am nots fully better yet." She adds, before casting life bubble on the next people in line for the spell.
She heads out with the others watching the jungle as she goes and helping out with Rawls as much as she can.
"Oh! I do nots see it."
Entiren looks towards the far end of the valley, looking for the structures the others have pointed out. "I think I can see the structures as well. And hopefully you are right Diedre."
The dawn brings definite improvement in the Starfinders' physical conditions. Ralkawi, while still incredibly sick, seems to have also improved. As the morning's hike commences and the Starfinders descend into the valley, the cultist sticks to Diedre like glue, seemingly unwilling to be parted from the half-elf for long.
Now that Rawlkawi is recovering, Miraj keeps an eye on her. He watches for signs that she is doing anything that might suggest she is angling for a chance to grab a weapon, but he suspects that she may be discovering the concept of friendship after only ever being treated as a means to an end. Still, the cult's message may have a stronger sway with her mind than a new-found friendship, so he watched her, generally trailing behind her and Diedre so he could keep them always in sight.
He reminds Lauren about thinking positive thoughts.
Once under way, however, his mind begins to turn to speculation about what lies ahead. "Plague Warden" seems an odd designation for a ruin, one that, given the group's recent dealing with infection, makes him uneasy.
"The cult may have left some of zheir group behind to attack us when we get to zhis next tourist attraction," Miraj reminds the group. "Watch for ambush. Whoever is taking point, check for footprints or other signs zhey came zhis way."
As the ryphorian is leaving the tent, Diedre begins setting up her comm unit at the side of her bedroll. He can hear her voice as the tent flap closes and seals.
"Hey fans, ..."
~~~~~
As Ralkawi and the others' health improves, so does Diedre's mood. She's quite happy to chat with the 'prisoner' about anything and everything.
"I don't expect you to take up arms against your comrades if things devolve to violence," she says at one point, bringing up the elephant in the room. "However, I would hope that you, at least, won't hinder us in defending ourselves." She doesn't press for a response, leaving it at that.
Irhok'zath moves ahead, humming her favorite theme songs.
Recognizing one of the tunes Irhok'zath is humming, Diedre joins in softly at first, singing a wordless counterpoint to the well-known melody.
Lauren follows, unable to follow the tune but grateful that she is no longer vomiting every time she does anything more than hobble forward.
When the singing breaks out, Miraj calls out, "Hate to dampen the spirit, but there may be enemies ahead. Best keep it stealthy!"
Diedre's singing stops and she nods as a blush covers her face.
"Don't worry, Irhok'zath will protect you! There's nothing she can't kill and eat in Ukulam!" the formian starts spinning her pike around, jabbing at imaginary enemies, though some random insects probably fall prey to her mighty blows.
"...undefeated champion of the renkroda bowl, destroyer of beasts small and large, the one, the only, Irhok'zath of Queensrock!... Irhok’zath would like to dedicate this trophy to the most beautiful, intelligent and merciful queen there is, Morgebard of the Thousand Spines, may her love envelop the entire hive and keep everyone safe! Even the ones away from home...” she mumbles to herself, hiding away in her imagination while moving ahead, a bit distant from the party.
"I don't expect you to take up arms against your comrades if things devolve to violence," she says at one point, bringing up the elephant in the room. "However, I would hope that you, at least, won't hinder us in defending ourselves." She doesn't press for a response, leaving it at that.
Ralkawi gives a halfhearted chuckle that rapidly devolves into a fit of coughing and hacking. Once she has control of her lungs again, the lashunta woman gives Diedre a wry look. "I couldn't hinder a f+*@ing drunk-ass squonx. I don't think you got much to worry about, doll-face."
---------------
Out ahead of the party, Irhok'zath is the first to see their objective emerge from the jungle. Ahead, the trees thin to form a board clearing centered on an immense stone statue of a recling elf whose skin bears doezens of raised markings like painful welts. The figure rests on one partially buried elbow while extending its other hand toward the sky. The elf’s simple robe and hair are both sculpted of heavily weathered metal that has corroded entirely in places. Numerous crumbling outbuildings ring the clearing, where only mosses and a few stubborn, stunted trees grow.
Irhok'zath makes a welcoming pose, while turning back towards the party. "Your guide Irhok'zath presents to you: the biggest rock yet! Which side would you like to discover first? Foot, head, front or back?" she takes her rope out of the backpack and puts it across her shoulder blades.
Diedre takes in the open clearing and the elf-shaped structure. In particular, she eyes the size of it and the upraised hand.
"If I were planning an ambush, where would the most advantageous place?" she asks the group rhetorically, eyeing the hand 60' in the air. "We already know that they like snipers. Everyone stay behind cover until we can get a better idea whether anything or anyone is up there," she instructs. While following her own advice, the half-elf attempts to approach closer while focusing her attention on the high point.
While following her own advice, the half-elf attempts to approach closer while focusing her attention on the high point.
The half-elf moves from broken stone wall to broken stone wall as she attempts to get closer to the structure. One of the broken walls, however, isn't as stable as it first appeared and tumbles over with a clatter of broken stone when she moves up against it.
Miraj passes his binoculars to Diedre to aid her study of the terrain.
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Diedre holds her breath as the stonework tumbles, but no hordes of cultists come charging out of the ruins. Cautiously peeking around a mossy wall, she points the binoculars at the statue. Scanning the weathered stone and rusted metal, Diedre sees no snipers hiding in the lifted hand, but she does catch a glint of movement through a window in the statue's head! She eagerly focuses the magnification on the binoculars and
Diedre grunts as she hits the spongy soil, feeling like she's been struck with a pillowcase full of gelatin. Looking down, she's surprised to find her left arm, torso, and leg covered in a web of a fibrous, gooey material that tapers to a translucent filament almost as thick as her thigh. As she stares in confusion, the filament snaps taunt, and Diedre is dragged across the ground and into the air!
DC 18 Survival check (reduce DC by 5 if you succeeded at the Perception check)
DC 23 Life Science check (reduce DC by 5 if you succeeded at the Perception check; this stacks with the bonus for being a Castrovellian native)
"What? Irhok'zath had no idea the captain could fly!"
"And here I said I wouldn't do any more roles like this without a good safe-word protocol in place," she grumbles to herself.
{"Don't worry about me!"} Diedre 'paths to the others as she bobs in her snare. {"Deal with that sniper!"}
"F------g drunk-ass squonx?" Lauren mumbles to herself, as she pulls out her comm unit to look up the meanings of all of those words.
Whether because she fails to hear or because she's choosing to ignore the captain, the sudden snap of the captain into the air forces Lauren to reflexively look up and after whatever has the captain.
Unable to see anything, she moves forward out of the jungle and toward the captain.
Entiren quickly looks towards the statue as Diedre is pulled into the air by something, guessing that if there is a sniper there they might use this opportunity to try and take out members of the group.
Just spotting someone, he says to those who are within earshot "There is someone in the statue's head. If they are a sniper, they will be able to hit us no matter how we approach."
As Lauren rushes forward, a CRACK rings out and the scyphozoan stumbles as a bullet grazes one of her ambulatory tentacles. Meanwhile, Diedre continues to dangle from a gooey filament that seems to disappear into the sky.
Diedre , Entiren, Irhok'zath, Johnny, Miraj
???
Lauren
Mystery sniper
"Oh give me a fricking break!" Diedre growls as she struggles in vain to free herself from her sticky bondage.
Irhok'zath double moves, avoiding the difficult terrain.
Entiren runs up towards the crumbling wall that Diedre and Lauren are near, not quite getting up to it. As he goes, he pulls out his laser rifle and attempts to return fire at the sniper.
Johnny's not sure where the attacker(s) is/are, but he doesn't seem overly bothered by that. With a moment's thought, he forms a cloud of defensive entropy around himself before hustling after Irhok'zath.
Miraj crouched behind a relatively intact building for the cover it provided. Glancing at Diedre and seeing several others about to help her, he readies his sniper rifle, scanning through the odd scope to try and spot the enemy in the statue.
Spotting movement in the head of the statue, he spots a figure, aims, and fires.
Diedre continues to swing ineffectually, suspended by a viscous goo. As Irhok'zath and Johnny rush into position, Entiren and Miraj return fire at range. Both the nuar and ryphorian spot the sniper hiding in the ancient ruins, but only Entiren is able to thread a shot through the small window to strike his target. The sniper does not immediately return fire.
Meanwhile, Lauren runs up to the captain, only to succumb to the same fate! A second gooey filiment, nearly invisible against the sky, flies down from the heavens, trapping the scyphozoan!
Diedre , Entiren, Irhok'zath, Johnny, Miraj
???
Lauren
Mystery sniper
Diedre finally twists free of the binding material and drops to the ground. She shifts her designer rifle to her shoulder and takes a bead on the sniper.
Irhok'zath runs towards the statue.
With the sniper perhaps thinking better of firing at us once he or she knows we know where it is and can return fire in kind, Miraj reloads his rifle and looks above the dangling teammates to see what manner of creature or trap is responsible.
With the sniper perhaps thinking better of firing at us once he or she knows we know where it is and can return fire in kind, Miraj reloads his rifle and looks above the dangling teammates to see what manner of creature or trap is responsible.
Miraj squints against the sun, but the translucent filaments plaguing his fellow Starfinders seem to fade into the bright blue of the sky, apparently attached to nothing.
Entiren sticks in place, taking another shot at the sniper from where he is.
He then tries to look up in the sky, trying to see if he can spot whatever may have attacked Diedre and Lauren. If possible, he tries to think of what this creature might be.
Johnny weaves between the broken stones, amassing energy about his person.
Miraj continues to try to spot something he can attack but for the short term, he tries to hit the filament holding Diedre up.
Range = 70 (250 with aim during move action)