New Initiative Order:
Elorin
Burnsten
Alexis
Rath
Tracant
Abbas
Biter
Stirge 1
Pete
Gregor
Up next: Abbas, Biter, Stirge
If there are any left I will:
wow, how does that happen again...
Round 2
"Calm your nerves Elorin. I'm searching for intellects to our northwest and there's definitely something there. I am trying to hone in on it and what it wants..."
Being as Justin is AFK for the weekend...
Rath will move to keep up with Alexis and remains prepared to launch shuriken at any foes that move within range to attack her.
Biter stays put in his hiding place, waiting for the hidden presence to reveal itself or be revealed.
The stirge attempts to stick Pete again. Pete, currently unarmed, is unable to take an attack of opportunity.
Touch Attack:
The stirge slides its proboscis back into Pete's neck, sucking away another point of constitution.
Up next: Pete, Gregor, new sexy Elorin
Gregor takes a swing at the blood sucking beastie on Pete's back.
Attack:
Damage:
Escape Artist
Pete is unable to wriggle free this time, but Gregor's staff soon swings around and squashes the final insect, again coating both of them with gore. Spots of dwarf blood spray over Abbas' white tabard.
Alexis concentrates further on her spell, which pinpoints that the thinking mind is hovering about five feet in front of her face. As she's about to call out the location, a voice says in Sylvan,
Alexis smiles at the compliment and replies in kind...
** spoiler omitted **
Alexis feels the faint hint of a breeze, and then something lands on her head. A moment later, she sees a colourful scaly tail twitching in front of her face. A tiny dragon with deep-red (with a sheen of purple and lilac) scales and butterfly wings sits in her hair like a nest.
2nd
Alexis smiles at how comical it must looks with a tiny dragon crowning her head. Turning around slowly, she says, "Gentlemen, it would appear that a fey dragon and his village are in need of heroes. While he had a bit of fun with us earlier to gauge if we were friendly or not, the swarm of stirges was not his doing. This, is Quist, and he has invited us to his village to see if we can help!"
The princess then takes a moment to introduce everyone to Quist before asking, "Does anyone have any questions they would like to ask? Quist speaks Sylvan, but I'm not certain what other tongues he knows..."
In Taldane, Quist replies, "Quist speak many languages. Hi" it says to everybody.
Quist is a faerie dragon, as per Alexis' knowledge arcana check.
Gregor tries to wash some of the dwarf blood out of his beard.
"Greetings, Quist."
Biter breaks cover, scratching the huge mark on his neck where he was bit and heads towards Pete. "Is'ing Pete to be alright?"
He looks over at Alexis and the dragon/butterfly/thing, "Shoulding Pack be prepared for more big bugs?"
Rath puts away his shurikens and bows politely to the miniature dragon before addressing Alexis' comment. "No questions, Rajkumari. Just desire to see Quist's village and hear what problems we can help solve."
Pete mutters to himself and glares at the bodies of the dead stirges, stomping them into the ground in a pique of spite. Noticing the faerie dragon, he stops in mid stomp, and stares at it.
After a few seconds he mutters quietly, "Hey, Pete, nice ta meetcha."
Biter breaks cover, scratching the huge mark on his neck where he was bit and heads towards Pete. "Is'ing Pete to be alright?"
He looks over at Alexis and the dragon/butterfly/thing, "Shoulding Pack be prepared for more big bugs?"
"If more, they come by now. They like furry one. Vein-pokers hunt by smell."
BIter's face scrunches up in confusion and he mouths to Friend Rath, 'Furry one?'
"If more, they come by now. They like furry one. Vein-pokers hunt by smell."
Alexis bites her lip and tries her best not to laugh as she sneaks a glance at Pete to see if the comment registered or not.
"Alright, Quist. If you could either point me in the correct direction or lead the way, we would be happy to see what we can do to help."
Biter flags down Alexis and Rath, "Canning Biter to have some words with the group..." his eyes shift to the little animal. "Alone?"
"Please excuse me for just one moment, Quist. My friends need to ask me a private question..."
"If nothing else," she pauses and glances in Burnsten's direction, "should things go badly with the colonial leadership, it would behoove our group and the colonists if we have proven to those already living here that our intentions are noble."
Biter breaks cover, scratching the huge mark on his neck where he was bit and heads towards Pete. "Is'ing Pete to be alright?"
Pete nods to his goblin friend, "Aye, he only winged me."
Fortunately for Alexis, Pete was preoccupied in cleaning up his blood to notice the glances she gave him.
"Yes, agree with Rajkumari. Also, Quist's people may become allies. We need friends here. Can maybe tell us where to scout and where to avoid. Easier to avoid Skraelings if we know where they already are."
I am sure we will have some questions for you after we get to you village little dragon and find out what is wrong.
"Oh good. Good good good. Come. Follow Quist. Quist show you."
With that, Alexis nods to the others and begins to follow Quist (or walk where he says if he remains perched on her head) with Rath by her side.
Biter shrugs and follows along, doing his usual stealthy/scouty thing.
Pete brings up the rear, while muttering various things in Dwarven, probably not complimentary in nature.
Quist leads you through the forest and the deepening gloom, sometimes flying ahead, sometimes while perched on Alexis' head (he tried Rath's head too at one point, but kept slipping off), all the while chatting you up in Taldane about how friendly you are and how thankful his village will be that they're helping.
After twenty minutes of hiking, Quist comes to a stop, announcing, "Here we are. Quist's village."
Looking around, you see nothing but trees.
Pete utters a sigh that seems to emanate from the bottom of his boots. "Lemme guess, some sorta spell, right?" If'n I be lucky...
If it hasn't quite been 3 minutes, Alexis will scan the area with detect thoughts trying to figure out if perhaps the villagers live inside the trees, up in the canopy, or if they are perhaps inside of an illusion.
"Quist," she says, "your village seems to be hidden from our sight. We cannot tell it from the trees. Do your friends live in the trees themselves, or have they masked their homes with illusions?"
If it hasn't quite been 3 minutes, Alexis will scan the area with detect thoughts trying to figure out if perhaps the villagers live inside the trees, up in the canopy, or if they are perhaps inside of an illusion.
"Quist," she says, "your village seems to be hidden from our sight. We cannot tell it from the trees. Do your friends live in the trees themselves, or have they masked their homes with illusions?"
"Village in trees. You can climb up, yes?"
Looking at the smooth trunks of the trees with the nearest branches 15 feet off the ground, it looks like a DC 25 Climb at least.
Looking around and seeing nothing but trees.
"Could you perhaps have some of your villagers come down here to meet us? We lack the wings you have to reach such a height safely."
You look over to see Biter look frustratedly at the trees. He walks over next to one, noting the smooth bark and the huge disparity between his vertical reach and the lowest branch. Then he turns his back to the tree and measures himself against it, shaking his head and stepping away.
"Biter is notting to be able to climb or jump that high. Biter has'ing some rope, though." And he begins fishing for it in his pack.
"Village in trees. You can climb up, yes?"
"How far up is it?" She activates the light on her wayfinder and hands it to Quist. "If you will fly up with this and signal a safe place for me to land, I will fly up after you and then let down a rope for my friends."
She smiles softly and says, "I do need that back though. It belonged to my Father."
If needed, Alexis will cast Fly (swift). On a double-move she can cover up to 120-ft, as a run 240. After landing, she can then take her time in letting down a rope.
A fey tree village, my mother would be jealous...consider yourselves lucky, it is very rare for non-fey and even elves to ever see one of these, you honor use with your trust Quist.
Actually, fly only let's you ascend at half speed, so 30, for a double move of 60. Once you ascend the first 15 feet, there are plenty of branches, needing only DC 10 climb checks, which you can all hopefully do by taking 10.
Quist nods at Alexis, casts a spell, and the Wayfinder begins floating upwards. The faerie dragon village is about a hundred feet up, but Alexis will be able to easily fly up 60 feet, secure the rope, and the rest will be able to climb up with little difficulty.
Once up above, you find several woven platforms connecting many thick branches. Over a hundred faerie dragons of various hues flit about from branch to branch, or lounge on the platforms.
"Pretty elf lady fly well," Quist says. Once you reach the village itself, Quist warns the group not to climb onto the platforms like the faerie dragons do, as they probably won't hold their weight.
Several faerie dragons start bringing you all food in woven bowls: nuts and berries mostly, with a smattering of grubs and insects, still alive and wiggling.
While you're eating, you find yourselves subjected to a myriad of magical pranks. You quickly lose track of the different colours appearing in Pete's and Gregor's beards. The dragons are also fascinated by Rath's bald head, and everything from illusory hair to twigs to worms appear at one time or another to be growing from his scalp. Abbas' turban starts unwinding itself a couple times, and Biter and Burnsten find themselves at the mercy of a barrage of sleep spells. All in all, it makes for a very distracting meal.
Also during the feast, Quist makes himself available to answer any questions you'd like to put to him.
"Pretty elf lady fly well,"
Alexis' face lights up at Quist's praise. "Thank you! I just recently developed that spell and have only used it a few times. That is a gracious compliment coming from as good of a flier as yourself!"
Using magehand rather than touching bugs, Alexis enjoys the nuts and berries, occassionally using a launch spell on a bug to play catch with one of the faeries dragons. As they eat, Alexis asks, "Other than the blood-sucking stirges from the bog, everything seems so peaceful here. What is troubling your village, Quist?"
The faerie dragons think it great sport to catch the launched grubs, though they can't understand why she and others aren't eating them.
At the mention of their troubles, the jovial mood comes to a screeching halt. Quist looks thoughtful for a moment, and then flits off to soon return with another, pinker faerie dragon.
"This is Pupa. We need pretty elf lady and friends to save Pupa."
Alexis reflects on the irony that a tiny dragon is asking a larger princess to save one of its own. Well, she's right here, is she sick perhaps?
"Hello Pupa, I'm Alexis and these are my friends. What sort of help can we provide?"
Biter has a small posse of what seem to be faerie dragon hatchlings who surround him and bring him piles and piles of grubs.
As far as Alexis can see, he/she doesn't seem sick. Pupa doesn't respond, but Quist does.
"Up the river lives evil woman, Griselda. Evil woman make us leave one of us for her to capture and take back to hut. She say she kill everybody if we no leave victim for her. Evil woman put powerful curse on Quist, turn Quist into butterfly when she come close, or when Quist go to her hut. Quist not able to protect people, cannot stop evil woman. If we no stop her, village must move. Very sad. You help Quist?"
Rath also tries the grubs and seems to greatly enjoy being a charter member of the "Hair Club for Men". He admires his latest twiggy afro and suggests to the dragons that perhaps it would look good in a brighter color.
His attention turns to Quist. "What would you like us to do to Griselda? Scare her away? Kill her?"
"Quist not sure. Normally, Quist not like killing, but not sure about Griselda. Many many years ago, Quist leave village to explore world. Quist learn much magic, much more than rest of village. Quist very powerful. Quist could stop Griselda easily, except for curse. Quist know about Griselda for long time. Curse is new. Curse is too powerful for Griselda. Quist not know where Griselda learn curse. Quist think Griselda now too powerful to scare away. Quist wish to kill Griselda, but can't. Please help Quist and Pupa? Pupa to be left at foot of tree at sunset tomorrow. Pupa very brave to volunteer. Four other Quist friends been taken back to evil hut. They in cages, but still live."