As he tries to aim his spell, Wrixx makes the mistake of looking directly into the blindheim's eyes. Just like Anna, his vision is awash with white, and then nothing.
Cruodh lunges forward with his spear, but the creature rolls out of the way of its tip just in time, almost certainly by accident.
Morgan, Era, Anna, and Fal are up.
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"Anna. Does Dar'shyn have a command for moving to the side so that we can see?" Era asks, unaware of her ally's blinded state as she continues to not look directly at the blindheim.
She steps to the side and a little closer to the monstrosity to possibly clear a path for one of the other characters who are more capable at ranged combat, before intoning once more, static energy arcing off of her glove as she drags it through the jagged line motion once more. "Zdruncina"
The little ball of static arcs around Dar'shyn this time to connect with the frog's side, sending a painful jolt through is body and leaving a blackened mark. "Go away!" she yells at it again.
"Ni allaf weld ... Ni allaf weld ..." murmurs Anna, lost, scared, but most of all frustrated. She couldn't help anyone blind. She grits her teeth, her tumultuous feelings spinning around into anger. She blindly gropes around, using her memory of where the creature was previously, the sound of battle, and the aid of her allies to slowly stumble into position, drawing her axe as she does.
Meanwhile, Dar'shyn savagely tears into the fallen blindheim with his teeth, snarling loudly.
"I can't see... I can't see..."
Though she shows no outward signs of it, Fal concentrates on how best to hit the creature without hitting any of her allies. Being used to working alone prior to now, she'd not had to account for the others bobbing and weaving out of her line of attack. Having the creature prone only made the problem worse. Waiting for an opportune moment, and taking advantage of the little bit of flexibility she could muster from the travel her spear, she attacks again.
Round Three
Morgan feels her first claw brush against the blindheim in a near miss, but in her blind frenzy, the rest of her attacks touch only air and stone.
Era struggles to line up a good shot, but in a stroke of good luck, she manages to find it amid the blinding light and vicious melee. Her tiny jolt of lightning dances through the air before striking the thrashing blindheim with a small zap, marking it with a small burn.
Despite being blinded, Anna stumbles over to where she last saw the blindheim - to where it is still desperately fighting for its life. But Dar'Shyn is still in the fray, viciously tearing at the monster's leg and biting out a sizable chunk of flesh. A very faint, gurgling hiss is the only indication of the terrible pain it must be in. Fal attempts to finish it off with a well-aimed toss of her spear, but it strikes the ground instead, only an inch off from finding purchase.
The blindheim finally manages to scramble to its feet. Its eyes abruptly go dim and, turning tail, it fearfully attempts to flee deeper into the dark caverns...
Dar'shyn snaps at the creature's haunches as it attempts to climb to its feet and flee.
Dar'Shyn tears another chunk of rubbery flesh out of the blindheim's flank. Bleeding profusely, the creature takes a single sluggish step before falling flat on its face, its eyes flickering like a dying flame.
Combat Over
Dar'shyn swallows the chunk of flesh in his mouth before trotting over to Anna, tail wagging rapidly. He nuzzles her hand, getting it all bloody, but the barbarian doesn't seem to mind. She scratches his face and head, while fumbling to put away her bow with her other hand. "Bachgen da, Dar'shyn," she says, softly.
"Good boy, Dar'shyn."
She frowns, waving a hand in front of her face. Paling noticeably, she asks the others, "Dynan, Wrixx... d-do you know if I will ever see again?" she asks, voice wavering.
"If what I remember is correct," the ratman says slowly, reaching out with one hand to find a wall to lean against. His paw gropes blindly at the air for a few moments as he stumbles around to find what he seeks. "It should only last an hour or so. But we have little we can do about it now other than wait for our sight to return."
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Morgan growls. "It's shameful to be so crippled by such a pest," she says, spitting down in the general vicinity of the dead blindheim. "I suppose all we can do is sit and wait then, eh?" At that, she just sits down right where she was standing, legs crossed and back straight. "Do any of you have a funny story to tell? I want to be entertained."
"After this, I suggest we focus on staying safe for the time being. The creature has writing on its flank, meaning there may likely be others around looking to take advantage of our weakness now."
Even with her mask and having remained at range, Fal finds her low-light vision still faded from the brightness. She does her best to scan around, looking for any signs of movement. "I don't think we can risk going any further until your sight returns," she adds.
"I am not good at stories. Would you like aid in moving to somewhere that is more safe?" Era asks as she moves over to investigate the dead frog-creature. Tally, for her part, stays away from the froglight, right back in the tunnel they'd come from.
Inspecting the blindheim, Era finds the word that Fal spoke of, branded on the creature's hide in curvy script: Lince'sa.
"A little help would be appreciated," Wrixx says, sounding rather chagrined.
"Is anyone who is not blind capable of stabilizing the blindheim? Lince'sa. I do believe it is domesticated, and we may be able to work with it and find it a home.". Era suggests. "I can attempt to aid... Maybe.
Era is cautious in aiding the others, only touching them with her gloved hand and preferring to touch clothing, even then. To those who can see, her movements are somewhat stilted, though her face is still mostly impassive, as she attempts to lead them back towards the entrance. "We should be careful. Attempting to swim out or climb down will be dangerous."
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”An hour…alright” Cruodh nods to Wrixx ”Era, Fal, and I can keep watch.”
The small kellid moves to Anna’s side where he props his against the cavern's wall. ”I leave my spear in your company while I help Era.” he explains.
"I can. But, remember, it is a beast, it might not recognize us as allies, and any blood it spills will be on your hands." the gnome solemnly answers to Era.
"Mae ysbrydod o ddŵr, ysbrydion bywyd, yn cywiro'r clwyfau hyn fel y gall yr anifail fyw." he intones, raising a hand over the blindheim. Slowly, some of the wounds close and the bleeding stops.
"Spirits of water, spirits of life, mend these wounds so the beast may live."
Without a second look to the beast, the shaman takes back his longspear and propping against his shoulder, he turn toward the cave to stand guard. After a few seconds, he starts speaking, is voice altered, with more rhythm and gravity than usual.
”Once there was a man named Berog. Great he was, at every of his endeavours. He would craft the sharpest of axe, cook the tastiest of meals, successfully court the beautiful and handsome, hunt the fastest and toughest beast. In war, he would lead his tribe with guile and fury, felling countless foes and guarding his own. In peace, he would negotiate treatise both fair and fruitful. Berog was 16, a star burning bright, the pride of his people.
One day, Berog was called on by the elders to go on the most important of quests. He was to follow in the steps of his ancestors and climb mount Kairin to bring back a star which would be the spirit of his people for 100 years. With humility, he accepted the task.
As Berog climbed mount Kairin, he found a spirit of stone pinned by a landslide and crying for help. Certain of his strength, Berog quickly freed the spirit who pledge his life to him.
Berog and the spirit continued their ascension, days passed and Berog grew hungry. On a cliff, he saw a strange animal. An accomplished climber and hunter, Berog chased the beast, killed and soon ate it.
Alas, Berog arrived at the summit where the earth joined the sky. Upon the very peak of the mountain the starry sphere of the night. All were out of reach, except Ilrich, the star promised to his people. He reached and took it. Yet, he continued gazing onto the sky and saw what only heroes had seen, more stars then he had ever seen. Stars that could not be seen from the land of his people. Stars that whispered, asked to be brought to the people of Berog. How strong would his people be with these stars the hero thought. Feeling strong from the meet of the beast, held up to the heavens by his ally, Berog reached for the many stars. One, five, ten, a hundred, he gathered. But these stars he did not know, they shone with a new light, blinding and burning him. Unable to hold their might, they fell from his hands and rained upon the land of the people. ”
"Satisfactory, Morgan?"
"That creature is a danger to us. If it's truly domesticated, it'll have been trained to attack its masters foes, which is us. There's no guarantee it won't simply blind us all and attack the first chance it gets. Nor is there any guarantee its master isn't around waiting to use it if we resuscitate it. We should put it down immediately," Fal says.
"It is only dangerous if something else is capable of healing it. If we place it into a cage of some sort, then we can attempt communication with it. If it is a pet, it will likely respond well to kindness and food. Would you kill Tally if I died? Or Dar'shyn if Anna died? Or would you attempt to care for them? I do not believe the death of caretakers, even poor ones, should mean the death of a creature." Era responds with a tinge of conviction, though she doesn't look to Fal, instead holding Cruodh's spear for him, and watching his empty strap - which was designed for holding spears - with curiosity.
Anna accepts Era's hand and allows her to guide her back to where it is safer. She was certainly not too proud to accept help. She feels her small hand tug on her wrist, clasped around her bracer. Her hand feels small and weak, but she thought the wizard possessed a strength of spirit and a passionate heart to rival any kellid warrior. She strongly disagreed with her ideas of the metallic monster at Val's home, but she remembers what she told Fal - about the spirits in metals - and how they sing to her, yearning to be reborn in new forms. It was a concept that resonated with her. She would have to ask Cruodh later what he thought of that.
She doesn't speak when Crudoh decides to stabilize the blindheim. If that was what the shaman wished to do, so be it. "If you are going to save it, I believe we should leave it behind. I do not think we should be here when it awakens. Then everyone will go blind. If we are all blind, we will likely die," she says, matter-of-factly.
When Era and Fal start to argue, she shrugs. "Should my enemies best me in combat, they should also kill Dar'shyn. He would not suffer my killers to live, and nor would I, in his place. That is the way of the world, Era. Kill or be killed."
Once they arrive at the location they intend to wait, she plops down on the ground, leaning against a stalactite. Despite the fact that she cannot see, she still holds her axe at the ready, the blade resting flat on the ground. "Dar'shyn, chwiliwch" she says, and wolf stands at attention, listening and smelling for anything that would come near. She then listens to Cruodh's story. She was familiar with the story he told, of course, but it does not make her smile. She did not believe that the Rain of Stars was a blessing to her people. A curse, more like.
"Dar'shyn, seek."
"You are a good storyteller, dynan," she says truthfully.
"Is that the origin story your people tell of the sky metals?" Wrixx asks, sounding legitimately curious. His head cocked toward the sound of the gnome's voice as he focused on the words and not the fact that he was still blind.
The party backtracks through the stalagmite forest and waits for the blindness afflicting Anna, Morgan, and Wrixx to wear off. Over the course of the next hour, their darkened vision gradually transitions to an incredibly blurry view of reality that slowly but surely gains more clarity as time passes by. Those that still have their sight stand guard, anticipating an attack from the cave's other denizens.
About half an hour passes before you notice it: behind one of the stalagmites at the opposite end of the cave hides a bald female humanoid. She has an odd, gray complexion that blends with the stone walls of the cave almost perfectly, but her ragged clothing gives her away. She does not move, apparently content to remain a silent observer.
Era waits patiently, drawing the frog's brand on the ground in her cold iron dagger, before slowly adding more and more to the symbol turning it into an awkward, doodled form of art. She occasionally looks up from what she's doing, but nothing catches her attention.
"Why do you wear no shirt, Wrixx?" she asks after quite too much time has passed for the question to be spontaneous.
The ratfolk's head turns vaguely in her direction. "Ah. Well, I'm not all that strong really. So I try to keep myself as light as possible, especially since I usually work on a boat. It's much easier to shrug off a coat if I need to shed a little waterlogged clothing than it is to drag a shirt off over my head or unbutton one. And it's nice to feel with wind on my fur when we're sailing down river."
"Era, Tally isn't capable of killing," she replies as they head back towards the entrance to rest. "And if I had been attacking Anna, and killed her, Dar'shyn would likely fight to the death as she says. If this is a pet, its master might be responsible for the deaths of those who were sent to investigate the caves. Perhaps even Khonnir's, if he didn't make it."
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"Yes, small one," says Morgan, after having quietly and politely listened to his story. "That was much nicer than the myths of my people."
"For the record - I agree with the others. We should not suffer an enemy to live. It would have killed us all had we given it the chance. Why should we reward those efforts with mercy?"
"If you show mercy to those who would do harm unto you, it shows that you are weak. You will be taken advantage of, for everyone will see that you do not defend yourself and those under your wing."
”We the Kellids do not record history as the southfolk do. We do not write intricate books because the truth of the past does not lie with details but with the spirit of the story. But no, this is not a story about the Rain of Stars. if you think about it carefully, you’ll see that the Rain of Stars is just a small part of the story, the result of an act…. This is the story of Berog the Kellid above all else. The spirit of the story is meant to teach lessons to the young ones of a tribe. Cruodh responds to the others.
”As far as the blinheim goes, it is now your responsibility Era. You saved it, you are now its guardian… and maybe Berog’s story will help you in this… maybe.”
"I don't know Morgan, my people say that mercy is a funny thing, it can bind someone to you forever or be your downfall… If Era is strong, then I believe we will benefit from this. If not… we will see…."
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Era continues with her drawing, not really responding to the statements, clearly lost in thought.
They would kill a robot that belonged to no one, or a blindheim because it possibly belonged to a killer. They would kill a wolf that belonged to the enemy if they fought with it. Would they kill the horse a thief rode into camp? What if a noble man rode the horse and the horse bit a child? They would let Tally live, because they felt her no danger.
Would they also melt down the weapons of their foes when they came into contact with them? Or would they hope to rehabilitate the axes that had wounded them only moments before? As always, people were machines that Era did not fully understand. Their rules were not binary.
"Morgan speaks true," Anna agrees. "If someone hurts you, or someone you care for, that is a wrong that must be righted."
She taps her finger on her axe. "My father can tame many wild beasts. Once he even tamed a bear, in his youth. But he told me that even he cannot tame all beasts. Some are too wild, or have grown to savor man-flesh. Others, corrupted, by spirits or other influences. If you wish to try to tame that creature I will not stop you. But if it attacks us, know that I will kill it without hesitation."
The wait is tense, but the rest of the hour passes without incident. By the end of that time, Anna, Morgan, and Wrixx find that their vision has returned to normal.
Anna stands back up abruptly. "Well, my sight seems to have returned," she says, sounding grateful. "Wrixx, Morgan, is the same true for you?" she asks.
Cruodh moves away from Anna, reaching his spear he looks around for signs of dangers. Relaxing, he puts his spear aside.
"I am glad you sight did recover. The passage to the south would be a good idea."
Cruodh does his best to climb the small mound leading into the tunnel. It takes him a short while, but in the end he succeeds. Atop the mound, he helps the others to climb up before falling in line.
Era glances down to the doomfrog's shallow breathing. "Be safe, Lince'sa."
Her face, as usual, betrays little emotion as her eyes refocus on the path ahead. "Is anyone else capable of casting light magic?" she asks, as she makes her way forward. "I believe it would be in our best interest to grant light to Anna's form as well, so that she does not have to descend into darkness to fight our foes. I have misgivings towards using mine elsewhere." she says, refreshing her magic with another intoned "Lumină."
Wrixx blinks a few times as his sight starts to return and he can finally see again. "Yes, I believe so. Much better." Wrixx chuckles awkwardly at Era's question. "Well, I can see in the dark, so I never really learned."
"I have torches," Anna offers. "They have served me well thus far on star-less nights."
"It's good that sight has returned to all of you."
"We should continue quickly, else we will need to swim back out without the aid of water breathing," she says to the others as they get up to go.
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"Ysbryd yr haul, sydd bellach wedi'i chuddio gan y ddaear, dod o hyd i'ch ffordd i echel y rhyfelwr hwn a goleuo ei ffordd." Cruodh starts intoning at Era’s suggestion.
Small wisps of light slowly start to form, swirling around Era’s axe and infusing it with their light.
”I will need to call on spirits favor every so often to keep it up, but it should be okay.” the gnome says looking at Anna.
”Spirit of the sun, now obscured by the earth, find your way to this warrior’s axe and light her way.”
Anna nods with approval when Cruodh blesses her axe. "Diolch, dynan," she says.
With everyone's blindness having worn off, you head back into the cave where you fought the blindheim, intending to proceed south from there. When Era checks the spot where you all left the unconscious creature however, she finds only a blood-soaked patch of sooty earth.
Peering down the southern passage, you find a long tunnel that stretches on beyond the reach of your darkvision and light sources.