A what now?
first a giant lizard and now a living tree. I'm already loving this adventure. I call dips on a new staff from the heart of a Treant
I will put away my bow as if I'm more relaxed now that its a "friend" but keep my hand close to my cutlass.
What are you guys worried about? It's a talking tree. What's it doing to do? Pollinate us? Provide us with shade the acorn us to death? This mustn't be much cursed area if a gloried shrub is set to lecture travelers.
well, be away travellers. be safe and go, urges the treant once more, seeming confused that you wouldn't take his warning seriously, as you sit there whispering to eachother over the Message spell, but to him, mostly look like you're sitting their struck dumb.
Fear not, I am its sacred guardian, charged by the Victor to stand guard. Be on your way, you have naught to fear from me. Good bye, gentle, simple folk.
Victor enabled this, this, THING to talk (Referring to Victor Moreau)? Well that explains everything then.
Speaking loudly and simply, hands circling as I talk. Again assuming this is a Victor Moreau creation:
Oh tree thing, we are friends of "the Victor" who charged you with this task. Tell us of the dangers you guard. Tell us your history, so that we may learn. We are champions of good on a divine mission to cleans this land of Evils, myself a warrior who is not versed in conversing with talking Walnuts, or Oaks or whatever you are.
we fear too, that there may be forces of darkness coming to free the darkness within, and we have been charged to come here and protect it. Your aid in this would be appreciated, the more we know the better we can fend off darkness.
The evil i guard was defeated long ago. But i watch, and safeguard. Even now things inhabit its lower regions. If you truyly champion the cause of good and know The Victor, I could use your help rooting out the boggards that have infested the lower caves. There are too many for me to uproot alone.
Of course, fine Treant, any assistance we can provide would be given freely for the cause of Good. Show us the way and we shall excise the evil deep in this place
Facepalms...
Oh great tree guardian, yes, The Victor charged all good citizens of Mitra with the defense of this land, and as my friend has said, darkness is growing and we believe that agents of evil are trying to get past you. We found this map that we think belonged to a scout for these evil forces. It led us here. We feared that this minion of malebolge had succeeded in their goal and so rushed to intercept them. But we are overjoyed to see the holy guardian is still here.
It seems he failed, but as he was only a scout, we fear greater forces are at work here. How can we help here?
+2 f/ Saio, so 32!
He leads you to the cave entrance.
Whispers...
So is no one going to ask how Victor set this one up? I thought he was kind of a boob, but I have to admit, this walking cherry tree is impressive
Tempy decides to get in on this one...
Victor talked about how he used to walk the earth and plant apple seeds. Maybe this was one of them? If so, he had much more latent magical ability than he realized. If the seeds he planted grew into tress, can you imagine what would happen to his physical form now that he's died?
Eyes widen a this revelation of a gargantuan Babe-and-his-Blue-Ox/Tree-monster Victor and I stare off at this potential future.
I look forward to challenging and bringing such a creature to heel.
-Posted with Wayfinder
I'd rather find one of those great lizards to tame. I wonder if we'll have time to find its nest.
I don't mind taking the lead with dark vision and a decent perception
I'll go near the front so I have decent charging viability. If we are in two columns I'll take one side.
Hammer out, tap of mage armor, a casting of shield and total defense.
This broad open cave has many stalactites, stalagmites, and colums of wet living stone that resemble nothing so much as fangs contained inside a large loathsome grin. The cave is covered by countless pools of standing fetid water and ubiquitous slicks of mud that make the entire surface of the maw very slippery and hard to walk on until further into the cave
you can see some darker areas further in indicating deeper caves and tunnels
I can cast dancing light ahead for those that may need it. Did the Apple Tree explain anything more about the boggards or how low they were?
I'll move up ahead and take a look. No need to try stealth with all the lights flying about
move up and perceive
oh... then I'll try to stealth. I'm really bad though
oww! g#$$~&n rock...
Smooth. I think you should leave the sneaking to Ash and I new kid.
up ahead you see three smaller caves off to the right, and one large cave straight ahead. The ground looks a little more stable up ahead
Edwin rushes ahead brashly. but doesn't see anything up ahead
I'll stop stealthing, it was more instructional/me being a b&$+& than anything else. I don't have the patience for that (lack of) noise. Plus there are two people in plate behind me, I'm guessing in a cave, no matter how sneaky we are they echo chain-mail all over the place.
Do I know anything about the of these caves or these ?
Unless I know something about these caves, I nominate we start left.
Assuming I do know about Boggards, I will summon a fiendish Giant Frog next to me. Then back to full D.
I say we check to the left first then worry about the three the other way
Hey, I was being quiet
Boggards are odd little frog like men, they have a sticky tongue, and thrive in swampy areas like the insides of most of these caves probably. able to hold their breath and step in marsh as easily as you or I would walk on land, and have a croak that has been known to strike fear into men and make them quiver.
You head left, figuring you're being loud no matter what.
The tunnel to the left has a hard rocky floor, it branches into three tunnels.
Cave E.:
another wet cavern, the light for Piety and Temperance's light glimmers off the surface. you have a look, there's a faint glow to the water, and the pool is surprisingly clear. you notice weird pale blue cave fish with delicate thread like spines on their fins swimming in the pool
Cave F.:
Yet another wet, empty cavern. the cavern splits off to the left and the right. the left is notable only for its blue slime covering the western wall. the right is an empty wet cavern. You oddly find yourself thinking that this would make a fine place to put some beasts, if you wanted to guard these caverns for some reason. Your momentary Martha Stewart flash is gone as quickly as it occurs to you.
Cave G.:
This large wet cavern is dominated by two murky pools on either side of a wet walkway. Muck and slime coat the floor making the entire chamber look treacherous and slippery. There is a particularly beautiful crystal formation rising out of a small pace of land in the northern side of the pool.
I think I may be the only one with Dungeoneering?
What a pretty fish. I'm mostly certain they are a delicacy in your region Saio. You bastards will eat anything.
Theses crystals can be ground up as a fine narcotic. Or was it a suppository? I forget.
I do know that if you see any Boggards you should jam some cotton in your ears so you don't hear them. They're croaks are super spooky down here.
Reaches into the backpack, tears off two ear sized plugs from a bandage.
Regarding [F], do we see any tracks?
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We do not eat fish such as those, although they would likely be nice, thinly sliced paired with fermented roe. That is beside the point. This cave [G] looks as you described the Boggard would live.
Pointing
Yucky floor, yucky pools, yucky frog monsters. Looks like a boy's gym locker room. I know what happens in there. shivers
Also creates ear plugs and readies them for baddies.
Perhaps you are correct Saio.
Duke Toadsworth III, Esq., go check out that cave. Wait, what happened to your top hat and monocle? Never mind, never mind, we'll talk about that later, just check out that cave for baddies.
Smacking the toad's fat, warty ass as it hops slappingly away into G.
Croak once for baddies, two for all clear and three for tea.
visual/scent
There look to be several large frog like footprints in the muck, you're not really sure enough to say how old they are. the muck easily holds impressions
I will make up some ear plugs as best I can and put them in
I will follow behind the toad, and see what might be there
You most certainly are not. But I have no idea what those fish are. They weren't in my textbooks and they aren't Tien. We should probably leave them alone.
You can use them as a narcotic, but you actually hold them in your mouth in the whole form. If they slice your cheeks a little that only elevates the experience. You should try that Neji.
Forgetting she's on message, she says under her breath:
Idiot.
Piety probably also knows about their croak, and so also makes earplugs.
Seeing everyone else put in earplugs, Tempy follows suit. She doesn't know anything about boggards but she knows when it's probably smart to follow the herd.
Cave H:
checking the area, and walking along, the light in the back of the group with the nightsighted among you, you try and make as little noise as you can, but the click and clatter of metal echoes on walls
on the right, a wet cavern is visible that's full of bones.
Forsythe eyeballs it, and estimates there are animal and humanoid bones, some pretty old, some more recent. she estimates there could be 100+ bodies in there.
the cavern passages continue
Assuming H is nothing but bones...I'll send Duke Toadsworth III, Esq. down J, and look down I myself. I will not go beyond visual range of the group; I'm just expanding the map.
everything appears dead in there. no undeath. no life.
From what I remember, my guess is the previous pools are perhaps their breeding ponds and this (referring to H) is where the young perform their rights to adulthood.
Seeing an intersection ahead, I'll send Duke Toadsworth III, Esq. to the section between K & L, and I'll go to I & N.
I assume the group is keeping pace and that an Ash or Edwin may be stealthing ahead of me.
Saio Misogi
Ash Ketchum
Seraphimpunk
Alan Giorgi
