It is a fortunate thing indeed that Joanna's back is to the giant. When the insane giant mentions breaking some poor woman, Joanna's expression turned into a silent snarl of anger. Her eyes shine like silver for a moment, and Zee can see her fight to get her expression back under control. She stands and without moving her head to see if the others are ready yet.
[dice=Bluff (acting and having the proper expression of a favored pet awaiting her "punishment")]1d20+3[/dice]
"Thank you, my lady," Joanna says quietly, in a tone that made her contrition, and her anticipation, clear. She schools her expression into one that matches her tone. A slight smile on her face and stolen glances at "SorZee" as she takes up a place just behind and to the side of Zee and turns to face the giant.
"You do keep breaking your toys. Well, perhaps next time I'll give you something more sturdy. In the meantime, we shall be going."
Zee turns, meeting her friends' gazes, then gestures to the door with a nod.
Teeth grinding against one another, Shadlah turns from the giant and makes to follow Zee, her hands clenched into hard fists at her sides.
As she follows Zee out, she looks at the others to see if they were following, and notices Halli cowering in the corner of the grand hall, She motions for the wolf to follow before turning to Zee.
"Are we just going to leave that monster behind us," she whispers to the harrower.
With the giant brooding in its throne - Sorshen's words having put the immense and lumbering creature back in its place - the group make their way back to the boats... and so, heading westwards, the group allow the flow of the lake to take them onwards. The lake constricts to a width of thirty feet or so, the cave walls narrowing down to form a tunnel - the ceiling is thirty feet above, while numerous ledges line the walls at varying heights. Several of these ledges contain manacled humanoid bodies; the remains are in advanced stages of decomposition, and in many cases are no more than skeletons.
...and roosting, rather prominently at the apex of the tunnel, two bats - both considerably larger than a man... and both with mottled, decayed flesh of the undead - watch the boats with eyes that smolder with an unholy green glow.
Why shouldn't we leave him, or her, for now? He is no threat for anyone. We aren't murderers.
Zee joins a boat this time, explaining that she isn't quite sure how long she can fly, and that the subterranean lake is larger than she thought.
As the conversation turns to the giant, Zee explains her motives.
"I did not see a reason to endanger ourselves fighting that brute. There did not appear to be any doors leading out of its throne room, so she was not blocking our exploration. And as long as I look like Sorshen, we might as well use that to our advantage. We did learn a few things... The other 'Sorshen' visits that giant periodically, and presents her with 'toys,' like those giant lizards or the 'silver lady.' Is anyone else thinking that the 'silver lady' might have been one of the Gray Maidens?"
"She promised to only eat one of us. Zee, can spells that ensorcel people like that change their personalities so fully," Joanna asks, "and if this 'Sorshen' can do that with giants and demons, who's to say that she can't do the same with the Gray Maidens."
Ever since they'd left the giant behind, she'd been avoiding meeting Zee's eyes, or Briana's eyes for that matter.
I did it again. I took over and ordered everyone around again. And I know that Zee is struggling with what happened and now I've... I've...
She could feel the eyes of the two undead monsters upon her and Halli. She longed to burn them from this world and leave only ash behind, but she couldn't. Not now, not with only a sword and shield.
Zee looks up at the undead bats watching them. "Liliecii ghûl. Skavelings. Strange that they are not attacking us... creatures like that thirst for the blood of the living! But if they are choosing not to pick a fight, perhaps we should not start one now."
I agree. I'm no coward, but there is no need in wasting our time and ressources if we can do otherwise. of course, a part of me, the one which believed in the teaching of Pharasma,see these creatures as abominations to be destroyed... But caution and reason must prevail, we have greater tasks to reach!
Letting the boats continue through to the west whilst the undead bats watch them pass, the friends move into a much larger cavern - here, the ceiling peaks nearly forty feet overhead in this enormous underground lake. Phosphorescent lichen and fungus cling to the stalactites above, reflected by the waters below to make the walls of the cave dance with a pearlescent shimmer.
The lake curves around on itself towards a beach where a pair of rowboats have been dragged from the water... and, moving within the waters of the lake - butting up against the first of the boats, two large eels appear to have taken the expanse as a hunting ground.
...and now, quiet at first yet growing in volume, strangely familiar and somewhat seductive whispers wash out across the lake.
Halli whines and covers her ears with her paws.
"No, we hear them too," Joanna says, looking a little worried as she keeps one eye on the eels and the other on the skavelings.
I hate this place. I hate more every moment we stay here.
Listening to the voice as it flows and washes across the murky water of the subterranean lake, Briana can't really tell where it is coming from... and the longer she listens to it, the more insistent... and the more sensual it becomes...
Joanna keeps rowing, angling for the beach.
"What are they saying," she asks in a soft voice as the skavelings vanish from view and she can focus on the eels and the whispers.
Joanna can hear it too, and understand it, all of the friends hear it... the invitation... the desire... as Joanna, and Shadlah in the other boat, brings the vessel closer to the shore, the urge to yield to lust grow unbearably strong...
Joanna's cheeks burn a dull red. Her shoulders hunch as the tension between her naturally modest inclinations and the invitations of the whispers grows. Her armor feels tight, her skin feels as if she was too close to a fire, and her teeth grind with frustration.
"I hate this place."
unlike Jo, Arsith is no stranger to passion and desire.
But she has no difficulty to master it...this time.
Ziomarra, maybe due to the nature of her new body or just down to her strength of will, drowns out the whispers... but Shadlah, normally stoic and unyielding, suddenly takes on a look of utter supplication. Murmuring beneath her breath, apparently in response to the suggestive voice in her mind, she stands - setting the boat wobbling - and before anyone has the chance to stop her, slides out of her chainshirt and dives into the cold waters of the lake.
...and almost instantly, as if the eels were somehow expecting their prey to fall from the boats, the huge beasts rush, erect dorsal fins cutting the dark surface of the water, towards the shoanti.
"No, Shadlah! It's an enchantment!" But her warning is too late as her friend dives overboard.
Zee then sees the eels approaching her friend in the water. She fixes one with a baleful gaze and makes an odd gesture with her left hand.
As the closest of the eels draws closer, Briana shapes a weapon of naturalistic energies... and smashes it into the water - striking hard, it paints an arc of crimson through the water where it cuts the onrushing predator...
...oblivious to the beasts behind her, Shadlah surfaces and - slowly at first - swims towards the beach. Moving quickly now, the eels cut through the water - silver darts of death bearing down upon the shoanti.
I should really get a bow. And not to put on top on my hair.
Arsith takes the oars, and follows Shadlah.
Jo, could you try to pick her up? If you need some magical strength I can bestow you that spell!
"I don't think we can stop those eels before they're on her!"
Zee closes her eyes a moment and stretches out her hands. She then lifts into the air. She flies toward Shadlah, and tries to lift her out of the water. "Shadlah! Come with me! I'll bring you to the shore!"
Plucking Shadlah from the lake, pulling her away from the eels as they draw ever closer... and from the cold waters that threaten to claim the less than proficient swimmer... Ziomarra barely manages to carry her friend as far as the beach. Setting Shadlah down, Ziomarra turns to see the eels - their prey so cruelly taken from them - dive below the surface... and out of sight.
Large amounts of lichen on this cave’s walls glow with intense vibrancy, providing brilliant illumination to the cave and making the sandy beach along the lakeshore glitter. Two rowboats are already beached on this sandy shore - with Arsith and Joanna bringing their boats in to the shallow water. Two dry tunnels head off to the east... and a complex of caverns head southwards...
Still not in her mind, Shadlah starts to obsess about the cracks in the northern wall of the cave... murmuring beneath her breath, she strokes the wall sensuously...
"Shadlah! What is going on," Joanna asks after she rows the boat to shore and hurries to catch up with the stonesinger.
Joanna turns to the tunnel, her hand going for her sword, but she stops and looks at Briana, her eyes asking her what she should do.
Joanna looks torn between helping her friend and helping whoever it was that Briana heard screaming.
Arsith tries to find a way to help Shallya.
She returns to her favorite weapon: a big long hug and sweet nothings whispered in her ear to confort her
Arsith is positive, it isn't too difficult to tell really, that Shadlah is under a powerful compulsion effect... there is something uncharacteristically lusty about the way that Shadlah is striking the rockface...
"Bri, it doesn't look like Shadlah's in danger and you said that it sounded like someone was in pain," Joanna says, looking very much like someone having to choose between helping a dear family member and a dear friend. "Should we... I mean..."
Shadlah blinks, as the warmth beneath her fingers returns to cold stone, the familiar cold tones of the earth's depth. She blinks slowly, then more rapidly. "I... I am fine," she says slowly, taking a step back from the rockface and staring at her hands, making no motion to push Arsith away.
After a moment, she seems to notice her lack of armour, dressed in little more than her tunic, sandals, and straps, water still dripping off her skin and shaved head. "Where is my armour?" she asks in a tone of mingled annoyance and embarrassment.
Zee tries to snap Shadlah out of the enchantment...
"Shadlah... look at me. You are under an enchantment. I know you can fight it..."
Zee suddenly looks around... She is about to say something when Brianna breaks the silence. "I hear it, too," she whispers. She points toward the southern passage. She then wrinkles her nose. "And something down that passage smells terrible," indicating the tunnel to the east.
…and the echoes of familiar voices approaching from a nearby tunnel.
Giving Shadlah - apparently suffering no ill effects from the temporary compulsions she experience - a few moments to don her armour once more, the group race towards the sound of the scream… along a tunnel to the south and into a large cavern. Water fills the majority of this cavern, although an oval rock island protrudes from the middle of the water – a single stone post extends from the middle of the island, while watery tunnels lead east and west. The island bears the first of the horrors within this cavern - a woman with a scarred face and wearing nothing but her undergarments bound to the post on the island by lengths of seaweed. Numerous fresh wounds bleed on her unconscious body, while looming over her, poking at her body with the butt of a spear, is a hunch-backed humanoid woman with wet green skin, dripping white hair, and bulging orange eyes. Four strange creatures caper and dance at her feet — wolf-headed, lobster-clawed little men.
”Oh, oh! New playmates here for Daefu to toy with! Sorshen is good to Daefu! Sorshen loves Daefu as Daefu loves her! One? Two? Three? How many more playmates come to Daefu? More sweet, pink flesh to poke and prod, more mouths to sing songs of agony, all because Daefu is loved by Sorshen. She sent you to me, yes? Sorshen loves Daefu because Daefu is loyal and Daefu is cruel and Daefu does her will eagerly. Who starts this? Who wants the first kiss from Daefu? Be patient, new flesh, all will get a turn!”
Whilst, securely bound on the western wall of the cavern, there is the sorry sight of Teldon in chains... Physically unharmed as far as it is possible to tell, he is regaining consciousness.
Bleary and barely opened, Teldon's eyes lock on to Briana as though she were an angel stepping out of the clouds. A smile begins to creep across across his face, until he notices who is with her...
no. no, no, no... how did she find Briana? and the others... where's Zee... has she killed Zee? this is the most aware I've been since they took me... it must be because she was too distracted capturing them to renew the enchantments on me... I have to do something... I have to get out of this...
Gritting his teeth against the pain, the normally staid academic jams his pinky finger into the keyhole of the lock that binds his chains and attempts to trip the tumblers with its tattered tip...
Joanna looks at the two prisoners, barely hearing Daefu as she sees the battered woman and Teldon awaiting the same fate. Her jaw is slack as she takes in the scene with horror widened eyes. Her gray eyes narrow and her lips twist into a snarl as her focus narrows on Daefu. White and silver flames form a halo above her head and cascade down her long brown hair turning it a shining silver. Her eyes blaze with holy fire as she takes her sword in both hands and celestial runes begin to glow on its blade and her armor. Fury and rage course through her veins as she charges at the monstrous woman. There are no words. There is no call for surrender or parley. There is only the singing of shining steel as Joanna puts Teldon’s gift to work on his captor.
A look of abject horror crosses "Sorshen's" face. I cannot play this role now... this must end!"
"No, hag. You do not please me. Not at all. This ends now."
She then hears Teldon awaken and shout at her, followed by Brianna's cry.
"Teldon! Thank the Starsong! I'm not what I appear to be... we'll get you out of here!"
Zee fans her Harrow deck and casts a spell. She draws one card and tosses it in the air. The card grows in size, the image of The Cyclone emerges, causing wind to blow through the cavern. The animated image of the cyclone draws back its arm and a bolt of lightning appears in it. It throws the lightning bolt at the hag.