Vehemence stands his ground against the samurai as his chosen one flies into the next room.
He was only a bit relieved amidst the raging waves of dread ensnaring his brow as the thief gets away. Vehemence rushes after him, intent on banishing the tormentors from his mind.
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Aterro bends a wry smile at Riven. "You are correct. 'Tis illogical...if you knew all the data. Which, as a newcomer, you are bereft of certain details of that which has come before. So too, my actions are at odds with my words, which, also, is an oxymoron.
Suffice to say that in my culture a little fisticuffs to settle dispute is considered acceptable, expected even, but among those two they fight a bit too...vehemently...than would be expected. Hence, to cross the room alone seems the best option."
Aterro continues to wait until all have crossed the protean path so he can follow.
"I do not feel your words accurately describe the situation occurring. Now Thratch has exhibited abnormal behavior similar to Vehemence. Using the data that the one you call Wan'di provided it would seem logical their fear is being manipulated to control their actions. I believe that attempting to force crossing this room is an error without preparation. There may be a more efficient method to avoid subjecting the existence of all to risk. At the moment my concern is they will cause death to themselves by rushing into further dangers."
Riven continues to wait watching the scene as he considers what other tools he has at his disposal and what the party might have. He calls back to Ashlyn, "Have you ascertained the properties of the magical wand that was found? It may be of use in these circumstances."
Wan and Thratch make it past the white room. The room they arrive in is unlit and extremely dark.
You feel the fear begin to subside after endangering Thratch.
Vehemence joins Thratch and Wan in the next room. The room is narrow with multiple turns.
Riven commands the lion to stop taunting the chess pieces. It flops over and rolls on its back, yawning.
"It seems the lion can be commanded. Since I can no longer affect the outcome of the battle with Thratch and Vehemence I will gather information that may be useful to finding a way to reach them. Please shout if you need my assistance."
Riven was finding it hard to relate to these beings. After so long being trapped he hadn't known what to expect when he had come back online but he felt truly out of place, as Aterro said, not having enough data about them all. He was an outsider looking in and his thoughts had been dismissed. Without order could he function among them?
Riven put the thoughts from his mind as he walked to the lion and examined the other room. "Lion I wish you to cross the room here on the left and then return to me once you get to the far door."
As Vehemence begins to chase Thratch, Tenchi will say "Your poor decisions reflect on me as well. I will not allow you to kill an travelling companion."
Thratch goes blindly into the dark room.
Ashlyn watches the battle between Vehemence and Thratch her face a mix of concern and confusion. "I must agree, we should proceed one at a time through that room going forward.
Wan'di casts dancing lights and forms a chain of purple lights along into the darkness.
In answer to Riven's question, Ashlyn produces the wand, searching it for any indication of its nature. Her magic was in her blood, and never required study, but it was possible she may sense it's purpose.
Wan has successfully crossed the white room and is in the next room north, which is completely dark. He casts Dancing Lights to provide some illumination.
Thratch has also successfully crossed, but is afflicted by the frightened condition.
Tenchi is still on the black lines in the White Room. Thus far he has been able to maintain his balance and not stray from the lines. His last action was to strike Vehemence for attacking Thratch.
As Wan and Thratch moved off the line into the next room, the pattern has simplified again, composed only of images from his own and Vehemence’s fears.
Vehemence is near the exit of the room, closer to Wan and Thratch, slowed by Tenchi’s strike. Attacking Thratch and putting his life in danger has successfully caused his fear to lift.
Aterro, Riven and Ashlyn wait on the other side to cross. They have all agreed that it’s prudent to wait and cross alone.
Aterro has cast divine healing on Thratch to address his dagger wounds.
Riven has a lion to look after summoned from what appears to be a Bag of Tricks. He’s curious about the other items found as well.
Ashlyn is examining the wand that Riven found. She’s able to ascertain that it requires attunement to work right and is made for spell-casters.
Wan looks around the room, which appears mostly empty and made of plain stone. The room is composed of narrow, winding halls.
Suddenly, a large insect drops from the ceiling directly onto Wan and bites him!
Edit: Vehemence makes it into the room right as the scarab attacks Wan.
Combat Order: Wan, Thratch (w/Disadv), Scarab, Vehemence.
Vehemence manages to stay on the path and reaches the end of the room.
You walk into the next room and see a giant scarab on Wan's back attacking him.
Thratch ignores the scarab and continues to run from his perceived pursuers, picking doors at random.
fire damage
A burst of flame launches at the scarab after it bites Wan attempting to burn the creature. Wan'di stretches his hand over his staff turning it dark, and then steps away with a few quick steps to provide some distance and head deeper into the maze.
The scarab jumps back and manages to avoid the brunt of the damage from Wan's spell.
You dash blindly and recklessly through a few rooms, not paying attention to where you are. You turn right, then left, then right again, or was it the reverse?
You briefly run past a gigantic stone head that fills the room it's in, and then end up in a room full of censers dangling from the ceiling.
As you run through the room, you bump one of the censers and inhale the smoke coming from it.
In addition to your fear, you feel an overwhelming urge to dance with the most attractive person you see.
Just then, you hear a voice call out from the opposite end of the room. You recognize it as Yarrow the Oku, and he's accompanied by the 6 other Oku he left with.
"Hey, little guy! You're with the group we met earlier today, right?. Did you get lost or something? What are you running from?
Thratch will then start dancing around which ever of the bird costumes is the most attractive.
As he danced, he'll say, You know, you're not really birds. You're just a bunch of guys wearing bird masks. He doesn't mean it, but the fear causes him to place himself in danger by directly confronting the sanity of someone who could help. If they deny it, he'll even press the issue by trying to remove one of the masks.
Riven waits for the Lion to finish his command before he does anything more with the party waiting on the right side of the room.
The maelstrom recedes back from his mind and onto the floor surrounding. The furnace king is displeased with himself to a degree, but before that is simply predominantly shaken by the fact that simple magics can have such a warping power over him in his current state.
Psathyrella will taste my vengeance. Steal my dignity... Mock my regency... You and Remorse together, married at the end of my blade.
Fuming, physically heaving his chest as he breathes, the samurai's connects with his back. Vehemence is frozen for a moment, but out of respect for Thratch and remorse for his current blunder, he relents from striking back. He does however, bore a single demonic eye back at the stoic one before he regains control over limbs, and skirts across the black line into the next room.
Dagger in hand, Vehemence witnesses the bug attack the ebony wanderer, and the subsequent flames which follow.
From a heart marred with remorse for his recent betrayal, he feels as if he owes assurance of protection to his comrades.
"RELENT, BEAST!"
As he is able, Vehemence summons from himself a jolt of eldritch power, and moves to smite the insect from afar.
The scarab, undeterred by Wan's rebuke, attacks him again.
The scarab latches onto Wan's back and starts digging at his gear. It looks like it's going for paper, specifically Wan's book of Shadows and his scrolls.
Vehemence's Eldritch Blast hits the scarab and does damage to it, but it keeps at the papers.
One of the other Oku chirps and says to Yarrow,
"I guess this trap we set works pretty well. Shame the little guy got caught in it though. That incense the witch cooked up for us is some crazy stuff!"
Wan falls to the ground wounded.
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"So, are you no longer going to dishonor yourself by attacking the small man?" asks Tenchi of Vehemence.
You hear the sound of an insect chirping repeatedly, mixed with sounds of combat and Vehemence shouting in the room past the white room. It is completely dark if you look through the doorway.
You hear Wan'di call out and the sound of someone hitting the floor.
Tenchi will focus his eyes, using a trick that he learned a long time ago, then enter the darkened room.
You can see just past a wall that Wan is down, and some kind of large insect is on his back.
Vehemence shows to the bushi an honest vulnerability within his aura of upset.
"No. I mean to regain my trust."
Vehemence sees his wanderer friend fall to the floor, and is rattled. The beast before them is not a phantasm but a very real threat. Against his prior wishfulness to protect his companions the furnace king finds himself facing his powerlessness yet again, and this only serves to stoke his insecure flame.
"NO! Fight ME, VERMIN!"
With his gasping bark his hand flourishes as he hexes the scourge before him, trying to sap its' strength away.
But the damage has already been dealt.
You succeed on the second try and pull the mask off one of the Oku .
Needless to say, the Oku freaks out completely.
"HE STOLE MY FACE!!! GIVE IT BACK YOU MUNCHKIN!!!"
The other Oku hoot and holler in astonishment.
Kidney Vetch as a reaction draws his short sword and stabs you with it.
"YOU LITTLE F*****!!!"
One of the other Oku says, "I warned you we couldn't trust them!" and hits you with a Magic Missile spell.
And you feel the fear subside, but not the urge to dance. And you're surrounded by some hacked-off crazy bird people.
Tenchi's resolve and balance hold and he reaches the next room. He sees the giant bug on Wan, who looks nonresponsive. The bug is trying to root through his pack going after paper items, particularly his spellbooks.
Vehemence casts a spell at the scarab, and he appears recovered from his fearful condition and is trying to fight alongside Wan. Thratch has disappeared.
The scarab has felled Wan but continues to try to get at his books. Vehemence casts Hex and curses the creature as a reaction, weakening it.
Revised combat order: Wan, Scarab, Vehemence, Tenchi
The scarab seems disinterested now in the others as it tries to get at Wan's books.
Riven commands the lion to walk into the white room and back. The lion seems able to cross without any adverse effect, indicating the line may only respond to intelligent creatures.
You see that Tenchi has crossed and moved to the dark room, leaving the three of you to cross somehow.
Death hung in the air. Feeling as the penultimate failure, his penitent anguish commands him to light up that air.
In stewing silence he strides towards the insect and the corpse.
Vehemence casts scorching ray upon the cursed scarab. It takes considerable damage, and is dislodged from Wan, but still it twitches.