"We will likely require your flying magic here, Aterro."
Riven bends down and picks up the arrow holding it up.
"It would appear we are on the right track based on the obstacles and that Thratch is attempting to show us the way. I am capable of crossing this chamber using my function to wall across walls. I will convey 1 person across as can Aterro at a time until we reach the other side."
Can the bridge be flown back in place and repaired? Is there a spell for a task like that?
"I do not possess that capability. First passenger step forward and prepare yourself for transport."
The construct glanced above the area seeking any hidden threats.
Vehemence steps forward, Thratch's fallen arrow in his hand.
"Let us not waste a moment."
Riven lifts Vehemence in a undignified manner but makes sure the man is securely locked in place before he begins to cross the chasm using the walls, going counter-clockwise, toward the room he originally was found inside.
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Aterro nods at the suggestion that he shall have to transport many person across. "A solid plan. Clamber up and I shall make transport.
Of note, I have rope in my pack, but it might take even more, I would think another 50 feet, to repair it fully, and such would take some time.
Let us rescue our erstwhile companion, and we might then retreat here and repair it at leisure."
Aterro prepares to again transport others across, silently wondering if Ashlyn will again avail herself of the opportunity.
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Ashlyn swoons, and tightens her grip around Attero's neck at his show of strength. At his whispered inquiry, she draws her lips to his ear, pressing a gentle kiss to his neck as she does.
Once they have landed, she brushes her dress out from where the already high slit has ridden up. A smile spreading over her face upon seeing Thratch's marker. "Clever boy! I should have expected no less. Stay safe Thratch, were coming."
"We should hurry across, even if it means one at a time." she says quickly leaping into Attero's arms trusting him to catch her. As he holds her close she whispers once more to him.
Having landed on the other side, she sends Attero back to the others.
Moq waits for an opportunity to cross.
Tenchi will clamber onto Aterro's back, still holding Wan'di's body.
As you slowly begin to arrive in the sword room again, you see another of Thratch's arrows amidst the rubble from where you found Riven. It feels like it was years ago, though it was only the day before last.
The dead Oku's body is also gone, as is the old king Sanguifluus.
You hear clacking that seems chillingly familiar to most of you, and emerging from the starlit stones room comes a familiar figure, the Curator, seemingly escaped from his imprisonment in the room next door. He scuttles across the floor toward the group.
Avg. 14
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6
"We must impede it and move on. I can use a Word to cause it to stand aside for a moment, but it's a risk. Does anyone have any loftier ideas?"
Vehemence resumes control of his own body as soon as is possible, cleaving from the golem as soon as ground is beneath his feet.
The Curator shrugs off Vehemence's command with little effort.
"Threat assessment: Deadly." Riven would step between the Curator and the less physical of the party, Ashlyn and Vehemence, assuming Aterro, Moq and Tenchi would form up with him.
The golem pulled an scroll from his wrist compartment and began reading arcane words. Glowing blue lines of arcane energy flowed over his body as a sound like a ship's hull under pressure began to build and hum in the air as he attempted to force the magic beyond his current repaired state through his old conduits.
+4
Tenchi draws his blade, which begins to glow with that same pure light, and says "Stand away from those who travel with me, Or I shall be forced to end you creature."
Tenchi will then move next to the creature.
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This is not great, Moq mutters. He slaps his chest with his palms, releasing his rage and the fury of the storm. He races forward to the curator and attempts to pierce the marble with his sword.
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Lighting crackles between Moq and the curator, striking his stone body.
Seeing Thratch's arrow, was a welcome sight unlike the Curator's return. This creature was unbelieveably strong, even with the full force of the weave behind her, they were only able to narrowly escape through the use of one of the mazes' traps. She did not look forward to attempting battle with it again. Even if she were willing, every second wasted, was another that put Thratch's life in danger, so with a heavy sigh, Ashlyn turned to address the stone creature. It showed signs on intelligence before, maybe she could parlay.
"Curator, I humbly ask you parlay with us. We have stolen nothing from the gallery. Yes, we have attacked you before, as you have us. I am willing to put that aside, as we have far more pressing matters to attend to. What would you require of us, to leave us in peace?"
Moq misses with his sword attack, but the lightning hits the Curator and causes small cracks to form on its surface.
Tenchi seems to be waiting for the creature to make a move.
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Aterro groans inwardly. He was more willing than most to enter into glorious combat, but to him it seemed that such a giant as this Curator was a foe best avoided at all costs.
Still, the battle is joined and he'd not leave a brother to combat alone.
"Heresy grows from idleness," he intones, and an invigorating yellow glow suffuses his own form, then stretches out and enwraps Ashlyn and Riven.
The Curator ponders Ashlyn's words for a moment while still smarting from the lightning attack.
It makes a crude "peace" sign at Ashlyn with two fingers and then turns away from the party. It raises a middle finger in Moq's direction and scuttles away toward the starlit stones, where it quickly vanishes.
You notice that the sections of its fingers that were sheared off in the starlit stones room had grown back to almost full size.
A torch on the wall goes out.
"Does anyone know the significance of the lessening lights?"
"Negative. We have avoided combat however and should continue to proceed to track Thratch." Riven looks for any more arrows and pulls a new fuzzball out of the bag of tricks he found earlier throwing it to the ground beside him.
Riven throws the fuzzball to the ground and this time it turns into an owl.
Riven reaches down and picks up the owl places it on his shoulder. "It seems this magical item summons more than just Alpha. I will call you Beta."
Riven starts his search near the shadow pit room being sure to avoid the pits and looks for the door on the map connecting that room to room 28.
Before his rage ends Moq charges to the door to the gardens.
Moq makes his way to the middle wall . There's a small door that's not locked nor concealed, but easy to miss when you're busy trying not to fall into pits.
He slowly opens the door and peers inside.
The room is a bit warmer than the rest of the Maze thus far, but the air is dry. Everything inside is black.
From the ambient light behind him, Moq sees that the room is filled blackened vines and flowers, covering everything and growing around several black soapstone statues.
He sees some open doorways at the far end of the room.
Moq lights his lantern of revealing and moves in.
The lantern illuminates the room and reveals that the doorway to the northwest is a shed , containing buckets, shears, rakes and other tools for tending a garden.
The next doorway south appears to be filled with green vines, but you can't distinguish anything without getting closer.
Below that, you see a room with what appears to be a lawn and flowerbeds . You'll need to get closer to see more clearly.
"Ashlyn, Vehemence, Tenchi, Aterro. I wish to scout ahead as Moq seems to know where he is going as well. I will warn you if there is a threat ahead."
"Beta, scout ahead and let out an alerting sound if you spot any creatures or any arrows Thratch may have dropped."
Riven sent the Owl ahead trusting the nocturnal creature would do fine in the dim light. Activating his stealth mode he carefully moved through the starlit room into the Garden following Moq. His eyes clicked and darkvision kicked in seeing outward to whatever corners might conceal hidden foes. In particular though he looked for another clue to where their lost companion was taken.
Moq grabs some shears, a bucket, and a shovel and waits as he calms down.
Tenchi will follow, wary for ambushes and keeping an eye on the roof.
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As another torch goes out, Aterro pauses and re-lights it, as he has been doing lately. "I do not understand why the torches are so heavily put upon, but I do not see how having less light in this place would benefit us. I've been keeping them aflame as I can."
At the room-o'-veggies, Aterro does as suggested and follows Tenchi, his lighted-greatsword held before him casting a happy yellow glow.
Vehemence tries to keep in step, to become the middle of the pack. If anything were to happen it was important to him that he were positioned such that he could respond deftly.
As the golem goes ahead Vehemence grumbles darkly;
"Just- make sure he doesn't run face first into the Medusa..."
His sword is ever drawn, blade resting upon his shoulder.
Good you're here, let's go south - I don't see any other exit.
No one is more surprised than Ashlyn herself that her peace offering was accepted. Still, she was grateful. She hurries along after the others, after staring dumbstruck at the fleeing curator.
Moving closer you see the nook due south contains a stone-carved bench built from natural rock. You can't help but think it looks rather romantic.
A door sits on the southern and eastern walls.
You hear faint vile grunting noises to the east, but they almost sound like they're coming from inside your own heads.
Riven sends the owl to look in the next adjoining room .
As seen before, this room contains flower beds and a lawn. You catch a glimpse of a 15' long grey-pink worm coiled in the lower corner and apparently reading a book.
"Hello? Someone there?" you hear asked in an uncomfortably high-pitched voice, and you quickly realize it's the worm.
He looks toward the group and smiles. When you see his face, you feel an extremely disturbing sense of uncanny valley, despite the fact that the worm seems rather friendly.
"Hi there! I was just reading a geopolitical history of some place called Voivoidja that seems to also be ironically written as a game manual."
He then just continues to smile, and you continue to feel uneasy. Though not magically so.
Vehemence is aimed directly at the task at hand, and addresses the literate worm.
"Serpent waifs. Have you come across any of recent? They have stolen one of ours. Voivoidja sounds... familiar."
He has wandered through more than a handful of planes. He was unsure if he had heard of or been to the place the worm is reading of, but hoped that addressing the interest of the being may gain him an audience to the information needed to get Thratch back.
He forces back a nauseous scowl for the sake of etiquette and social edge.
You recall that back when all this madness started (was it really only days ago?), the gnome thief/wizard Quinys had made a vague reference to Voivodja and having encountered other Alices like Lys there. Also something about vampires and a red queen.
Riven's body shifts colors and blends into the wall as he moves to inspect the connecting places nearby seeking clues to where Thratch was taken or where the Chameleon ladies were hiding. His eyes scanned through the darkness focusing on anything that was out of the ordinary near the exits. If nothing presented itself he would attempt to enter room 35 from his memory of the map.
Moq opens the door to the east of the room with the bench quietly.
Tenchi continues to stay with the bulk of the group, wary for danger.
In contrast to the black vines in the adjoining room, here you see lush, green vines. They appear to all have a beautiful woman's face, which looks vaguely similar to Chronia Torn, but different.
As you walk into the room they mingle unnervingly and try to kiss you as you pass.
The room is dark and contains several fallen shelves.
You hear a faint grunting noise in the corner.
"The sorceress wants the cleric to notice her." you hear grunted from the corner.
"Let me out of here and I'll tell you more."
Riven backs away seeing as his camouflage has been seen through and assesses the room from back in Room 28. His cloak fades away as he wills it to do so appearing nearby the others as he moves to catch up to them. He calls to Beta to return and land on his outstretched forearm.
"To the west I explored of the initial garden room. I did not immediately see any sign of Thratch but the plants there were alive and bore a face with resemblance to Chronia Torn. As I attempted to explore they mingled together and came...onto me. Attempts were made to kiss me. This was a situation I had no contingency for and I withdrew."