Schist lets out a sharp grunt of pain as his blood darkens the water, and he swims back a few feet, disengaging from the skum that's leering before him. The Seven crowned sum at the far end of the room catch his attention, however, and a number of options swirl before his mind until he grimaces, deciding on a single spell.
Extending his hand, he barks out a command word, and immediately the far end of the planetarium is engulfed in shimmering sparks of gold that hover in the water, catching the light and flickering beautifully in the gloom.
Blood hangs heavy in the water and on bless Kwesi that overgrown sea beast is on their side now! The nearly blinding fury has found its required bloody outlet. Chuckling as he turns to his new newest victim, "You should have stayed out of my home and we would have stayed out of yours." Pulling his sword up and swinging it at the skum.
The first swing comes down at its shoulder. The second comes back up towards its belly and the last is aimed at its neck.
”What the…aww the bloody hells with this!” Dima seems disoriented and turning this way and that at the skum appearing from all areas he glances at. ”MAGNE!” Dima shouts at his friend and jabs his right hand at the skum just to his right with a quick staccato of clicks, then takes his trident in both hands and stabs twice viciously at the skum right in front of him, looking to drive his weapon through the creature in an impaling thrust.
Magne disengages at the order of his master, leaving the bloodied mess of the skum behind him as he swoops down in a smooth motion back towards the floor of the planetarium, coming right past both Schist and Dima to snap fiercely at the other skum’s face and neck…only to snap water as the skum manages to see him approach and rears back just in time…
__________________________________________
As Shearwater finishes his prayer, a shimmering squaloid creature materialises from the water, seemingly brought into being through a merging of light and saltwater. The shark's skin possesses a gleaming alabaster sheen, and is surrounded by a dim luminosity. Though fearsome in its divine majesty, the native of the Sea of No Shadows is normally a gentle beast. The stench of the foul skums' blood in the water, however, quickly drives it into a righteous frenzy. It rushes towards the crowned villain up in the balcony, snapping at its webbed feet with a predatory vigour.
Noticing that Kwesi is not quite in her right mind, and eyeing him like prey, Shearwater goes on the defensive. He ducks and dodges through the water with the grace of a dolphin, trying to avoid her attacks.
With the tylosaur slicing through the water after the skum, Kwesi cheers - but then suddenly her exultation is cut short. A sudden burst of light floods her vision, and she blinks hard to try and clear the massive dark spot in her view. Images she's tried to forget for years flood back into her mind...a darkness, just like this. A level of fear she'd never known before. A fearsome, wicked grin emerging before her, filled with jagged teeth...
...and then it appears again, just as in the nightmares that have plagued her ever since she earned her scars. The glow of warmth and safety the beast exudes doesn't even register in her panicked mind - not again! Never again! While the pet swims away, the unblinking eyes and toothy grin of the figure next to her don't. Then, worse, the figure begins to weave sinuously through the water, looking for its chance to attack, to complete the transformation that its brethren had started so long ago...
No!!! Water begins to swirl around her hand, encircling her fist in a frothing torrent that extends a yard in each direction to create the impression of a gnarled quarterstaff. Desperately, she lashes out at the monster trying to force her to become a monster too, making its feathers whip wildly in the current. Wait...feathers?
[dice=Kinetic "blade" attack on Shearwater]1d20+8; 3d6+3[/dice]
Schist’s glimmering cloud encompasses the crowned mage, who thrashes for a moment within it, but then cackles gleefully as the spell fails to take hold of him . Mal lashes out expertly with his blade, having long ago perfected the art of under-water combat. His weapon cuts true and deep, and even after the first skum before him floats lifeless toward the floor, he impales the second as it struggles within the great toothed maw of the tylosaurus . Dima similarly displays a practiced hand with his trident, piercing one of the skum’s neck with two neat jabs . Yet while the two men efficiently cut down the enemy, the group’s animal friends have a tougher time. Magne’s bite narrowly misses the nearest skum, while Shearwater’s conjured shark is unable to close on even one of the seven crowned skum to the north .
Shearwater, sensing Kwesi’s misdirected aggression, draws his limbs inward in a defensive gesture. Even so, Kwesi’s mastery of the water allows her to bypass his defenses as she strikes him solidly on the brow .
The tylosaurus, meanwhile, has at last secured a meal. It practically ignores Shear’s shark as it continues to tip and tear greedily at the skum limbs and entrails that now float lazily in the water .
”Fools!” calls the mage as he dives just below the shark . ”Kill that one! The spellcaster!” he screams, pointing at Schist. His sole remaining minion falters, confronted by the snapping Magne, and instead focuses his attacks on the animal. The effort is in vain, for Magne’s thick skin protects him .
The spellcaster growls, turning his own attention toward Schist instead. A sort of purr escapes his gills, accompanied by an odd series of clicks and grunts as he clasps his clawed hand into a fist. Schist feels his limbs begin to resist him, his arms and legs locking up into a fixed position, as his entire body becomes still as stone, and the dwarf begins to sink toward the floor.
___________________________
Skum purple: excellent health
Tylosaurus: excellent health
Kuurung: excellent health
pass
fail
babble incoherently
attack nearest creature
miss
miss
miss
"MAL! Mal I...um...Mal...mallllllll...malllaalaahehe! Mally-malala-malaleee-mallaloooooo...lelalelalelaleee-ahhhehehehehehe!" Dima's concern for his friend up above him near the beast turns to guffawing laughter as Dima seems caught up in the sounding of his name, repeating it over and over again across his lips and watching the words bubble though the water in amazement.
Meanwhile, Magne does not hesitate against the skum it is now locked in battle with, darting forward to snap with his powerful jaws twice more at his head and neck, even as he rolls and brings his mighty tail in a sidelong slap against the skum's hip.
__________________________________________
Twisting so that he is looking down when he hears his name. Blinking though through the bloody cloud floating around him. Great Dima is out of this fight.
Glancing at the tylosaurus and feeling rather certain that the creature is content with its current meal. Mal kicks his feet and dives back down. Swimming over towards the skum with the least amount of blood around it. Lets see if we can fix that!
Ducking under the shark and trying to not focus on the bite that will surly come. Focusing on swinging the blade into the skum.
Seeing as trying to dodge water underwater is not doing him any good, Shearwater decides to focus on keeping himself in one piece. Still reeling from the blow, the priest's hand shoots to the driftwood symbol hanging around his neck: a cracked figurine whittled to look roughly like a seagull, it seems to have been painted gold at some point in the distant past. Muttering a word in the heavenly tongue, he raises the symbol towards the oh-so-distant skies, causing a ripple of luminosity to wash over him and his companions, bathing them in healing energy. The iridescent constellations on the ceiling twinkle with holy light.
"Don't you worry about it," Shearwater coos at the clearly distressed Kwesi. "'Twas just a scratch. Everything's going to be alright..."
Meanwhile, the shark continues to harass the spellcasting skum, intent on removing its taint from the world.
Schist suddenly locks up. His every muscle, even his eyes. Deprived of his ability to swim, he begins to sink, canting over to the left and forward, forced to rely on his sense of hearing as his vision is directed at the sandy floor.
Furious, he rails against the prison that his body has become, the iron force that is locking him in place. He can hear his companions fighting - perhaps losing - and knows that all it will take now is for the Tylosaur and the wizard to coordinate their attacks and their chances of surviving this fight will plummet.
No, he cries out in the fastness of his mind. I will not die like this. I will not succumb. Mortal and miserable I may be, but my mind is my fortress, and none shall hold sway over me!
And, with a great mental wrench, Schist finds himself free of the malign oppression. He inhales a deep breath of water, gives himself a shake, and then darts back up to face the seven mages where they float, fending off attacks.
Extending his hand, Schist mutters a complex phrase, and immediately four vortices of air enshrouded with bubbles leap from his finger tips, flying through the water like arrows to strike at four of the mages.
Feathers...feathers, it's important... But try as she might, Kwesi's thoughts refuse to marshal themselves through the haze of her fear - and when the warm burst of light ripples through the water, her fears are confirmed. He was the one who blinded me before! Angrily, she lashes out again at the monster in human form beside her, the staff-like disturbance around her hand lending an incredible amount of power to her blow.
[dice=Kinetic "blade" attack against Shearwater]1d20+8; 3d6+3[/dice]
Mal’s insane giggling fills the chamber, though no one else seems in on the joke. Magne continues his assault on the skum, ripping the last remaining into pieces. Mal propels himself down toward the conjured shark, swinging his blade wildly toward the collection of skum mages. His sword slices clean through the nearest. The creature explodes in a swirling cloud of colors that dissipates in mere moments, but leaves six identical skum floating through the water .
Shearwater’s prayers ignite the chamber as a warm, gentle light ripples outward from the cleric, soothing hurts and healing wounds . The celestial shark spins around and strikes again, eliciting a pained shriek to rise from all six mages as his blood taints the water . Just then, Schists fingers and toes begin to wiggle as he tears himself free of the stone enchantment. The dwarf releases a volley of missiles that fly straight for the injured skum, striking him in succession .
The success is short-lived, as Shearwater ducks his head to avoid being clobbered once more by Kwesi’s hydrokinetics .
Meanwhile, the tylosaurus continues to graze among the remains of the battle.
”Foolish landwalkersss” gurgle the mages in unison, ”Kuurung not so easily defeat!” The crowned skum paddle backward down the wall to give themselves space, then twiddle their hands with a flourish as a series of translucent bubbles momentarily shimmer around them.
Kwesi blinks, temporarily returned to her senses.
___________________________
Tylosaurus: excellent health
Kuurung: small wounds and bruises
miss, image destroyed, 5 remain.
hit!
babble incoherently
act normally
Growling at the image that explodes, "What the hell!"
Kicking forward after the skum, "We will see about that. I have not met of your kind and seen them live you bastard."
Even as the blood and pieces from two skum swirl around him, Dima seems completely unconcerned about the events of the unfolding battle. His laughter suddenly stops, and his eyes snap open wide as if suddenly struck with a profound thought. ”Vaek'raedit kaetkuaeko piat aeraerk't t'd' k'r'tt'dit biu'ko?” he asks Magne in what sounds like the Aquan language used to command his pet to action, a mixture of clicks and guttural throaty sounds that echo through the water.
Magne breaks off its onslaught of the skum warrior who had no answer for the vicious assault of the celestial alligator, turning to look at Dima silently. Oddly, as if Dima had received a poignant answer from his animal friend, he continues on speaking to him in a scholarly air as if instructing some group of sages about a new discovery. ”Do 'sraqaeku'kot tk'k'tt'dit karaeq' aer'pi'b torot 'b vatkou'kouu'did kodva. baeraeuid kauuadauid baedrouaet taekiurouirk ratkuid botkuaet r'qoq' taersaet. tkaeraesdaeuid?” Dima nods and gestures with his free hand to Magne as if this is most obvious thing in the world. ”R'l'r douaerk't ot odvkoz 'vta idaedit tob dob'ouaerk qolodorkok 'rtku'daeuid oz tkaedououaek't rat t'kauid 'rrib kaerb'bau taes'kkau baraeo lak aezodiu kaedae piarbaed raeuuaekaediu, b'qozouo t'k qoukou'rk, ku'ratpio aeob'g'kid touqae!”
For Magne’s part, it watches Dima for a while longer until he loses interest and returns to snapping off an exposed skum hand in the water, crunching it up in his sharp teeth while Dima continues to yammer on at him in elaborate but mindless Aquan exposition. ”Rk'k'uo rar gaedir't, 'rkoubid raeraekouu'dit bozkuoq' kaevkiu' ot t'raekit otk't idduouo okkaek 'rk'vat aer'odiu rarro kokoq' oloi karqorit tirk avodit oloi kaekl'rraeku'kot kaedraeraed!”
__________________________________________
Schist casts a wary glance at Dima as the large man begins to babble excitedly toward his crocodile, and then pushes away with a quick flick of his legs. The last warming vestiges of Shearwater's blessing infuse him with strength and power, and he casts a worried look at his friend. Kwesi, however, seems to have regained her wits, so he swims to the far side of the planetarium, undulating and fluid in the depths, and only when he reaches the wall does he stop, touching the crusted interior, and turn to regard the skum magician.
He can't tell what just happened, but the magic missiles worked beautifully last time, so he decides to give them another shot. Once more he raises his hand, and once more do four small vortexes of bubbles shoot forth, each like a miniature cyclone. They speed like hornets toward the mage, honing in with impossible accuracy toward their target.
Noticing that Kwesi has at least momentarily stopped trying to beat him into mush, Shearwater utters another invocation. He mimes the act of pulling back the string on a bow, causing a translucent longbow to materialise in the same manner as the shark had previously. Floating in the water between him and the last remaining skum, it responds to his movements by launching a shimmering projectile as the priest releases his grip on the imaginary bowstring.
The summoned shark keeps snapping at its prey, frustrated by the spellcaster's magical barriers.
Suddenly, as her watery weapon whooshes past the foe at her side, Kwesi blinks hard - and realizes that it's no foe at all! Shearwater - oh, gods, I'm so sorry, I didn't know it was you...I thought you were...the magic...just get away, Shearwater! I don't know if this'll last! Her attention snaps back to the fight, and she gathers another swirl of water around her hands and hurls it through the open planetarium space at the strange skum on the opposite wall. You! she shouts to the tylosaur gorging itself above. Get him!
”You bastard.” Mal’s anger is unleashed in a devastating succession of blows with this sword. One, two of the skum sorcerers burst in a cloud of colors, but still the images remain, ducking their heads in unison as they cower away from the sword . Schist’s vortices furiously eddy through the water, creating a trail of bubbles in their wake, but each strikes harmlessly against Kuurung’s magical shield-bubble, which shimmers beautifully in the dim light . Sheartwater prays again for the gifts of Ylimancha as his shimmering longbow appears within the murky water. It’s arrow slices through the waves, and one of the mages as well, but this one, too, was merely a figment, as it dissolves in an explosion of brightly-colored bubbles . His shark fares even worse, for its teeth are unable to breach the arcane bubble and the mage avoids any harm .
All eyes turn in desperation toward Kwesi to see whether she holds the key to your success. At her command, the Tylosaurus spins, flips, and dives the short distance it needs to seize the little skum, but the creature is fast, and spins out of the way just in time . Kwesi herself also fails to strike him, her water blast sailing harmlessly over his crown and bashing against the far wall .
All the while, Dima gibbers on with Magne, as they two discuss esoteric philosophies of an olden age.
”Treacherousss drysskinsss!” Kuurung hisses, sensing the tide of battle turned against him. He kicks himself away from the wall, sailing through the water at impressive speed. Mal, the celestial shark, and even the Tylosaurus attempt to snag him with their blades and bites, but the little skum is too quick, and speeds quickly through the southern doorway through which you entered .
The mirrored mage escapes out the door and into the waters beyond.
___________________________
Tylosaurus: excellent health
Kuurung: small wounds and bruises
miss, image destroyed, 4 remain
miss, image destroyed, 3 remain
miss, image destroyed, 2 remain
miss
miss
miss
miss
act normally
act normally
Schist curses beneath his breath as his magic missiles are blocked neatly by the skum's shimmering shield. He curses himself, his own ignorance, and as the skum makes his escape, the dwarf turns, places both boots against the wall, bunches his legs then shoves fiercely after the mage.
He spears through the water effortlessly, not bothering to swim, and when momentum does finally fade and leaving him hovering he is before the door with a clear line of sight at the fleeing skum.
Time to roll the die. Time to make one final gamble before their enemy flees into the dark cobalt blue eternities of the ocean. Schist raises his palm and cries out in a fell voice a series of terrible syllables, allowing his anger and frustration to fuel his magic and burst free from his palms as twin bolts of livid crimson fire.
Their presence this far below the surface is a heresy, yet the flaming bolts of raw incarnadine don't immediately explode into a mass of steaming bubbles, but rather persist, trailing an outraged sizzling wake of boiling water as they shoot past Kwesi, one on either side of her head, and emerge, twin shots of fiery light, to slam into the images of the mage that seeks such sweet escape.
Letting out a loud scream of frustration and kicking off with his feet. The need for more blood to be spilled into the sea that has been steadily building has finally reached its peak. Slicing though the water with a greater speed than is normal found. He has to get out of the doorway in time.
Releasing one hand from the great sword and sticking his free hand into his quiver. Grinning as he feels what he wants. Pulling out a javelin that has a thin cord wrapped around it. Once just past the door Mal shifts his position and launches the javelin at the skum.
Dima is right in the midst of relating the secrets of the multiverse to Magne, when he suddenly droops his head and exhales a puff of bubbles. ”AAAAAHHHHHWHATWHAHUH?” Shaking his head back and forth he starts to hit the palm of his free hand to his forehead several times in frustration, then whips around to look at the doorway. ”OH THAT LITTLE…WHEREDIDHEGO…MAGNE! GET ‘EM!”
Dima points his trident in the direction of the fleeing multiple scum magi just out the doorway, and in a flash both he and Magne are in full pursuit, empowered by Schist’s magic to nearly fly through the water. The skum leader may be a natural in the water, but even he cannot outpace the swirling mass of jaws and teeth that come tearing at him at full speed, the gator ducking right under Malorrem as he comes rushing in.
A moment later after zooming past Kwesi at the doorway, Dima angles around towards the skum sorcerer’s other side and attempts to run him completely through with his trident, hoping Magne provides enough of a distraction to not evade both of them.
__________________________________________
Still buzzing with anger, Kwesi channels it into a swirling burst of energy, and a faintly glowing current rushes from her hand and through the water toward the skum mage. You! Get - she begins shouting at the tylosaurus, before realizing that the creature is in fact wider than the door itself. But it had to get in somehow...it's worth a shot... Out! Get him! she finishes, using the glow of her watery blast to draw the beast's attention toward the outside expanse.
Schist's fiery plumes bombard Kuurung and elicit a cry of pain. That his reflections do not disappear suggests that the sorcerer's aim was true. Mal closes in, launching a javelin through the water. Despite the seeming impossibility of throwing such a weapon effectively in these circumstances, the brute force behind the throw, combined with the short distance the weapon need swim, results in its pointed tip impaling Kuurung's back. Dima flies into the open waters, also piercing him with his trident. As he falters in the water, Kwesi's channeled water blast surges through the melee, knocking him unconscious. Whatever hope was left for Kuurung is lost as the enormous tylosaurus crashes against the doors of the planterium, pushing and squeezing until it has escaped into the open waters. It thrashes the body into pieces, as Shearwater's summoned shark, drawn to the scent of fresh blood, scavenges for the remaining bits.
The confusion overcoming Dima and Kwesi fades after mere moments, around the time the celestial shark twinkles out of existence. After a time, the tylosaurus, now well-found, glides away into the darkness.
Letting out a scream of anger as his kill is stolen. That is not right! Not how things work. Rotten thieves! Gripping the great sword in his hand and moving towards the thieves before shaking his head. Allies.. The storm in his head is receding. Leaving a foggy kind of dissenting clarity in its place. "Damn it!"
Needing a goal, something to focus on, Mal turns and leaving the beasts to their meager feast and swimming back though the door to retrieve his discarded weapon. Moving past his companions without a glance.
His limps feel heavier than normal though the wonderfully energizing magic mitigates much of his normal fatigue. Smiling tiredly as Mal spots his ransur, which goes back into the quiver. Putting his greatsword up as well.
Without an intimidate goal, something to focus on the fury, largely unspent, still scream in his head. Still demands blood and death. Standing on the floor this sunken building and clinching his hands tightly. Closing his sea colored eyes and forcing muscles to cease their twitching.
"Eck...now that just was...I didn't like whatever that was at ALL!" Shaking off the remainder of the confusion as well as the tremendous advantages of Schist's enchanted speed, Dima calls for Magne to follow him back inside the ruined planetarium. He swims towards the area near where the great beast first emerged, only to find his divinely-enhanced finned feet and webbed hands return back to normal. "Awwww..." Dima exclaims as his protest dims to unclear muttering, swimming slower now towards a enclosed doorway that may have something worthy to view.
Back within the “safety” of the planetarium, the group investigates a bit. In the southeastern chamber, worn placards hang from the walls of a stone stairwell, each bearing a list of names elegantly engraved in brass . Filthy bedrolls and rotten furniture clutter the darkened space beneath the stairs.
In the northern chamber from which Kuurung emerged, you find a marble staircase that ascends upward. Etchings of constellations once decorated this chamber’s walls, but someone has more recently scratched a complex series of runes into the walls, defacing the original decor.
Shearwater’s sharp eyes can’t help but notice a loose stone in the southeastern corner. Pulling it up, he finds a hollow in which the skum must have kept their treasure horde! There is a pile of gold sails, some sort of potion, a fancy-looking stick, and, most significant of all, an elegant, coral-handled kukri that pulses with energy. As Shearwater’s fingers curl around the ornate handle, he audibly gasps.
Kuurung's end is fittingly ghastly. All the forces he had been resisting seem to collapse upon him all at once, so that within moments little is left of the skum wizard but chum in the water.
Schist, despite himself, is impressed; he remains floating in the planetarium for a few beats, watching Shearwater's shark feeding on the few remaining chunks of blood wreathed flesh, and then he swims over to his friend.
"Thank you," he says, albeit a little stiffly. "For the healing, that is." He waits a moment, clearly unsure as to how to make his appreciation appropriately felt, and then simply gives a stiff nod and swims over to where the wizard's items are settling on the seaweed strewn floor. Plucking forth a wand, he examines it with interest before his eyes widen in appreciation and he tucks it into his belt.
That done, he swims slowly back into the planetarium, eyeing his new companions with a mixture of admiration and doubt; there can be no denying that they all contributed to crushing the skum's resistance, but something in the wildness of Mal's eyes keeps Schist on edge.
Not one for speeches or rousing the team, he simply gives a curt nod to anyone who meets his gaze, and points in the direction the tylosaur swam when he swims by Kwesi, and mutters, "Impressive."
In the next room, he watches, apprehensive, as Shearwater reveals the cache of treasure, and then peers with curiosity at the coral-handed kukri. A cold avarice stirs in his heart, and his recessed eyes glitter as he stares at the beautiful blade.
"Ancient craftsmanship," he says to no-one in particular. "A beautiful, most beautiful piece. Old Hyrantum, I'd reckon."
With the loot sorted out, Schist moves on, trying to orient himself within the planetarium so that he can lead the group toward where their unconscious target lay.
Kwesi hardly even hears Schist's analysis of the weapon - she seems transfixed by the kukri, fascinated by the gentle curve of the blade and the ornamentation of the handle. The look on her face is one of...satisfaction. Pride, even, like a painter beholding their master work. Vaguely, something niggles at the edge of her mind...and then, she realizes what it is. The strange priest had reacted to it, too.
You...you've seen this before, too, haven't you, Shearwater? I mean, not the knife itself...but I...you said you were having strange dreams, right? Nervously, she glances at Dima and Mal before answering. I've been having them, too, just like the others - and this knife was in one. I don't remember much - it's more like deja vu than anything, just a feeling I've seen it before.There was a forge, and I remember hands...mine, in the dream, soaked in sweat, and there was a burn on the thumb... Subconsciously, one of her hands goes to the others, as if she's rubbing at an irritated spot - but the water swirling over her hands is a far cry from the heat of a forge. I...I wish I could remember...
"Hey now, look at this fancy stick...err...wand I mean!" Even though submerged under the sea, Dima's voice disrupts Kwesi's earnest talk of remembrance, though it's clear the interruption is due to the fact that he's just not paying attention to what she's saying.
Dima shakes the wand vigorously three times in the water and then looks at it while pointing it towards his eye, then shrugs and swishes it about some more. "Feels right though...bet a holy man made it...or holy woman...saaaaaaay didn't you both spy out that Mparu from the roof or somethin? Could be some of this stuff is hers."
"Thank you," he says, albeit a little stiffly. "For the healing, that is." He waits a moment, clearly unsure as to how to make his appreciation appropriately felt, and then simply gives a stiff nod and swims over to where the wizard's items are settling on the seaweed strewn floor.
Shearwater grins widely and gives Schist the thumbs up, quickly erasing any awkwardness from the situation. "Don't mention it! Just remember to thank Her, too..."
You...you've seen this before, too, haven't you, Shearwater? I mean, not the knife itself...but I...you said you were having strange dreams, right? Nervously, she glances at Dima and Mal before answering. I've been having them, too, just like the others - and this knife was in one. I don't remember much - it's more like deja vu than anything, just a feeling I've seen it before.There was a forge, and I remember hands...mine, in the dream, soaked in sweat, and there was a burn on the thumb... Subconsciously, one of her hands goes to the others, as if she's rubbing at an irritated spot - but the water swirling over her hands is a far cry from the heat of a forge. I...I wish I could remember...
Shearwater nods solemnly at Kwesi, never letting his gaze off the kukri. He turns it around in his hands, feeling the oddly familiar coral formations on its hilt and running his fingers along the grooves on its blade. "Yes, I remember. I remember wielding this weapon, yet I don't think I've ever held anything like it in my life. That's a mystery and a half, ain't it? Like some sort of a riddle..."
The priest makes a couple of clumsy swings, clearly not used to the chopping motions required to properly utilise the weapon's top-heavy blade—not to mention doing so underwater. He then hands it over to Kwesi, guessing that she is eager to try it out as well.
The group now swims up toward the star-laden dome of the planetarium and the balcony that circles just beneath. It looks down upon the building’s main hall. Large metal panels, crusted with barnacles, line the ceiling. Between the obstructions, glimpses of luminescent tiles once served to duplicate the view of a night sky.
To the north a chamber’s door sits ajar. Within, four-foot-high stone walls give way to massive glass panels that form the ceiling and walls, tapering to a point above the room’s center. The room enjoys a view of the entire northern border. A rotten, shell-encrusted mahogany desk and three file cabinets stand against the north and west walls.
A search of the ancient desk and cabinets reveals thirty-two small silver badges of ancient construction with astronomical etchings on them. Even more exciting, there is a gold-and-mithral spyglass, its sides etched with images of comets and spiraling galaxies. After examining the exquisite kukri from the lower chambers, it’s clear to everyone that this spyglass is also a relic of Old Hyrantam.
Heaped out of sight from the entrance on the far side of the desk are a few more items of interest. Some of you recognize this as Mparu’s belongings. There is a waterlogged blue-and-green suit of leather, a fine trident, a carefully carved stick, and a coral holy symbol of Gozreh.
And finally, you approach the room in which Schist had spied the unconscious woman. Surprisingly, it is unlocked. Within, two large cabinets hold telescope housings, miniature orreries, lenses, and astronomical instruments, all encrusted with silt, rust, and barnacles. An enormous telescope points toward the massive glass panels that make up the ceiling. It was here that Schist’s head must have appeared only a few minutes before.
The assorted instruments, despite their rusted appearance, have held up quite well.
Lying on the floor, bound with thick coils of tough seaweed, is the Lirgeni enclave’s healer, Mparu. She is conscious now, of course, awakened by the sounds of battle below. She appears weak, exhausted.
”Wh-who’s there?” she gasps. ”Kwesi! Mal! Dima! Thank Gozreh!”
Sucking in breath as Kwesi's voice drifts in to Mal's head. Flexing his hands and staring at the ground, "Just make sure no one at home hears that, ok."
Turning and looking over at the others and their looting. Get a hold of yourself Mal. This is your second favorite part. Forcing himself to wonder over a look though the things found. Scooping up a ring and glancing around, "This won't make me lose my mind will it?"
Once everyone is done with their looting Mal moves to follow Schist deeper into the planetarium. Grinning at the spyglass. That will be worth a fair bit.
Finally reaching the treasure that they originally sought. Rushing forward and starting to remove the seaweed wrapped around Mparu. "You need to be more careful Priestess. Are you inured?"
Kwesi's head begins to swim as she looks over the collection of astronomical instruments, and a panoply of images washes over her, completely alien and yet as familiar to her as breathing. She'd hardly even noticed the stars before the dreams began, yet as she gazes around constellations she can't even place names to dance in an elegant promenade across the dome. But as her eyes continue traveling across the room, one sight more familiar yet breaks through her reverie.
Nana! At the sight of her mentor, Kwesi rushes through the room, water swirling in eddies at her wake. I was...I was afraid... As her stammered concern lapses into an embarrassed silence, she immediately begins to look Mparu over for any signs of injury or ill health, going through the pattern the elderess herself had taught Kwesi years before. The familiar motions and questions seem to calm her nerves some, though she still looks upon the old woman with a mix of awe, relief, and affection.
"The skum...Kuurung...Storm Readers...I--" Mparu lapses into unconsciousness.
It's clear the old woman has been through an ordeal and, while she appears to be enchanted with a water breathing spell, you're quite aware that such magic won't last forever. It's probably quite important that she be taken back to the sanctuary of the enclave at once!
Entranced as he is by the peculiar familiarity he has with his surroundings, Shearwater quickly prioritises the care of their rescuee. The planetarium was not going anywhere anytime soon, in any case...
"We should get her back home," he says gently but urgently. "She needs food and rest, and whatever magic is keeping her from drowning will run out sooner or later."
You're right, Shearwater - she's had a rough time of things. She needs to be looked at by someone better than me, and whatever's keeping her breathing isn't going to last forever. I'll take Mparu back to the surface and get her into a boat, at least, if the rest of you want to see what we can find out about what those skum were doing here. Kwesi runs her hands through the water immediately surrounding Mparu; those nearby notice that the water has warmed considerably for several inches around the elder. I'd like answers if we can get them, and it'd be nice to save another trip, but her safety's most important.
Schist has hung back during this reunion, expression inscrutable, but as the others speak of the urgency of getting the old woman to the surface, he drifts toward the far door.
"Leave no stone unturned, leave no enemy at your back," he says quietly. "I'll take a quick look within, see if there's aught here that might explain these strange activities."
That said, he listens at the door, then unless anyone prevents him from doing so, cracks it open to peer inside.
"Sure, sure..." agrees Dima good-naturedly to both Shearwater and Kwesi, though he keeps looking over at where Schist is heading off to. "That's strange though that Mparu couldn't get out of mere seaweed bonds. I mean, given Gozreh can affect storms and plants and trees and all kinds of nature, so you'd think it would be like bending wood for her, only easier."
He shrugs and starts saying to Mal in an offhand manner, "You know my mates and I met a couple of ravishing nixies that were only dressed in seaweed. On a small sandbar not too far from Widowmaker's Isle. Of course, we didn't mind that one bit! Nosir! They invited us to stay and we...um...well our Besmaran priest said it'd be a good time for us until they strangled you in your sleep with it, and as I recall we had to get going with the tide before sundown anyway." Dima snaps his fingers in remembrance. "Say now, that nasty kelpie that I ran my trident through her face also liked wearing seaweed! The one off and under Bleachbones Reef, hoarding the treasure I was after. Now she was UGLY! Oh my, yes she was! Had a face like a horse and all sickly looking like recovering from some sweats of the pox, so even without the seaweed wrappings it wasn't much you'd want to look at..."
Dima continues to chat away even as he moves closer to the door where Schist is at, clearly not interested in actually heading back to the surface any time soon.
Thwack!
As Schist begins to open the door, the ambient light spilling into the chamber beyond, the force of something slamming into the door causes him to jump back, startled.
Beyond the door, piles of broken masonry covered with seaweed and barnacles make up half of the walls. A stone staircase in the northwest cornwer leads up to nowhere, its destination lost among the rubble filling the southern half of this room, while above, a crack in the roof allows access into the waters beyond for creatures small or agile enough to squeeze through.
But clinging to the walls are three sizeable urchins. Thousands of bright purple spines darken to ominous black tips over their spherical bodies. They quiver and bristle at the intrusion and slowly, ever so slowly, begin to crawl along the wall toward the door. Embedded within the door is one of the spines, apparently flung with great force across the room.
Dima hefts his trident with one hand even as he pats the meaty part of his chest and shoulder with the other, tapping on his tattoo to Kurgess for strength and luck. It's at that moment he realizes something about Mparu and the coral symbol they found next to her armor.
"Oh...um...right." Shrugging off any lingering thoughts, he grins at the prospect of giant sea urchins and gives a friendly but hard clasp on Schist's shoulder. "You know urchins and clams always gather atop shiny things like treasure, friend Schist! Whattya say we go n' get it!"
"We... can come back for those later," says Schist, closing the door gently. "No need to kill those beasties just yet."
Turning, he nods to the others, indicating that he's ready to ascend.
As Kwesi begins a slow backstroke, keeping her arms around Mparu's chest with the older woman pulled close to her own torso to ease swimming, she hears the resounding thud of the spike above. Well, at least it was a door, instead of a person...although knowing Dima, his thick head probably would make a sound like that when it's hit... Cautiously, she makes her way out through the doors downstairs, pausing for a moment to ring her small bell once she's clear of the building. The narwhal she's trained comes streaking through the water; slightly out of breath, she strokes his horn in greeting, then sets himto guarding her as she makes her slow way to the surface.
Scowling as he watches Kwesi leave with Mparu. Please let nothing happen... What did he say? Turning to look at Dima quiet confused but not bothering to question it. The storm still sings in his veins, practically begging for more blood.
Half listening to Dima babble about the bed-companions that he has had. Tightening his grip on his blade and kicking off to move near Schist at the loud noise. Heart beat thudding in his ears. Nothing of note is there though. Only those urchins and their damn spines. "Lets go. We can come back and purge this whole place when Mparu is safe home." Turning and kicking off the ground again and beginning his ascent.
"Well...alright..." says Dima resignedly as the others head out. He glances at the door and the possibility of a mound of golden treasure sitting under the largest urchin, then shakes his head and turns to leave out of the ruins with he and Magne forming the slower rearguard during the ascent.
Outside the planetarium, Kwesi struggles to haul Mparu beside her up toward the surface. Without air in their lungs they have no buoyancy, and so the swim is taxing, especially after the combat against the skum.
You’ve barely cleared the doors of the planetarium when Dima notices a large fish closing in from the depths. Quickly it becomes clear that this is no fish at all, but a young woman, clad only in seafoam and her long hair, the color of a stormy sky, that cascades down about her body. Despite her demure appearance, her face is twisted in fury. Closing to a distance of 50 feet, she halts and points a webbed finger before she screams: "Usurpers of the sanctity of the sea's breath! Curse you! Curse you all! Leave now, and cease your torture of these waters, lest you suffer the wrath of Eryssala!” She continues shrieking curses as her hands begin to glow a pale blue and her long hair billows about her, the tidings of an inevitable tempest.
She is casting a spell.
Still overburdened with her precious cargo, Kwesi struggles toward the surface. I am leaving! she shouts over her shoulder, her words slightly distorted by the current churning around her. Leaving's exactly what we want to do - let us pass! Hoping to demonstrate her lack of ill-will, she orders Adofo to stay close; though he eyes the oceanid warily, he sticks tight to the struggling pair, keeping himself between Kwesi and the fey.
Schist startles at the appearance of the young woman, losing him momentum towards the surface and simply floating in place, eyes wide as he takes in both her magic casting and fury.
Not trusting himself to calm her emotions, he instead summons in his inner reserves preparing himself for more combat, even as he subtly positions himself between Kwesi and her precious charge and their visitor.
He raises his hands in the universal gesture of desisting and offering no harm, and begins to ascend as he keeps pace with Kwesi.