"Gah!" Brujo screams as the blast rattles him to his core.
Brujo spits a glob of blood from his mouth "Doesn't matter how bad I'm beaten I can finish this one". Brujo swings the tiny blade letting out an arc of blue warping flame at the bug.
Blue fire wraps itself around the unfortunate beetle which scurries, rather slowly, away from the companions.
B2, less encumbered, makes a successful getaway.
Kelgan's gaze turns to the beetle as it scurries away from the fight. "Where are you going, little bug. We're not done yet!". he yells as he barrels across the battlefield and swings at the insect.
With a mighty squelch, the beetle subsides into a pool of chitinous mush.
Ceara cleans her scimitar off and puts it away. "That was fun! So, were these things from your 'Far Realm' too, or do they just wander around to liven up peoples day?" she asks Hobbes.
Nature DC12
"Nope, not the Far Realms. These were either from the Feywild or just grown here on the material plane. Wolves are very common in the forests of Faerun. I am not sure where these wolves came from. They might be from the Feywild since that plane is more primal and wild then our world. So sometimes Feywild beasts are stronger and bigger than normal creatures. But they could just be from the wilds of our plane. Worgs like that big one are sometimes found deep in the forest. I am surprised you didn't know that. Where exactly are you from?" Hobbes moves closer to her as he talks.
Pulling himself from the goo Brujo takes a moment to tend to his injuries.
"I think this place ranks on my 'Strangest Places Seen" list".
"The Underdark." Ceara replies, casually. "The surface world is amusing thus far. That was a fun little fight. Will more of these 'wolves' come around to amuse us?"
"The Underdark? I didn't know humans had colonies down there." Hobbes thumbs his chin for a minute. "That at least makes some sense as to your attitudes. How did you come to join us here on the surface?"
"I never said I was human. In fact, until the monks found me, I'd never been human before. I'm not sure how much I like it, but it helps me fit in." Ceara walks away from Hobbes as she says that, then turns and walks back.
"I much prefer to be drow. They're more interesting than humans are." As she walks, she changes, each step altering herself more, until, when she gets back to Hobbes she is a drow - sleek and lithe, pointed ears, midnight black skin, lavender eyes. And shocking pink hair!
Her hands rest lightly on his shoulders. "I escaped." she says, answering his question. "My Mistress had grown careless, and the Spider Queen doesn't like that. So, I negated her, killed one of her daughters and some of the house guards, and left. I suspect she wasn't happy the next day."
Erik sits nearby and begins to clean his songblade, which hums contentedly and emanates waves of soothing magic to aid the bard's weary allies.
Eriks' eyebrows raise a bit at the sight of the shapeshifting Ceara with some concern. He smiles eventually, though, and thinks how great that's going to sound in the story. He'll hardly have to change a thing.
"That is sooo cool, you can be a different person every day and someone special on holidays. Can you teach someone to do that is it a spell or were just born that way?"
Kel spends a healing surge.
Kelgan walks back to the group, sheathing his bastard sword as he goes. "Kel, why would you want to do that? You're fine the way you are." Kelgan seems to have calmed down from the combat.
"So THAT's what it was. I knew there was something different about you, Ceara. And now I know. And as far as I am concerned, you can be anybody you want to be.... as long as it isn't one of us."
He touches her hands on his shoulders and looks her directly in the eye.
"I've never known a shapechanger before, so I can't rightly say what one is like. But I have heard some stories about shapechangers who kill people and then take their place in order to betray their friends and kill them. Now, you don't SEEM like that type, but I'll warn you anyway. DON'T. Seriously, don't. Trust is an important commodity, that once spent is very hard to earn back." He gives her a warm smile.
"Besides that, be whatever suits your fancy." He playfully taps her on the nose. "Just let us know you're you and we'll get along great."
"I like the dark skin and the eyes." He smiles playfully and runs his hand through her hair. "But I am not sure about the pink hair." He holds a few strands out as if to draw attention to them. "Whatever you like is fine with me."
Then he grows serious for a minute.
"As I am sure you are aware, the drow do not have a very good reputation here on the surface. Among us, this form is fine, but you would do well to find another to wear socially. An elf or eladrin, perhaps?"
Ceara looks over at Kel. "I've always been able to do this. My Mistress found it to be a useful talent, once I was trained, to negate rivals who had lost the Dark Lady's blessing."
She then banters with Hobbes. "Oh, my pink hair in my drow form is my signature. I'd leave some on my victims so they knew who killed them. But, you don't need to worry, killing someone and becoming them to kill someone else is too risky. It's much better to become something they expect to see, and will ignore."
"Besides, I wouldn't have to go to such measure if I had been sent to stop one of you. I'm not sure how I would plan for most of our little group, but you, dear Mister Hobbes, you would be an easy mark."
She might be teasing, but it's hard to tell as she shifts back into her human form.
As the party make further discoveries about each other, you have a first hand opportunity to see why the earthmote is populated in this seemingly eccentric way.
A thick tendril of mist flows high above you, studded with seeking lightning and then abruptly stabs downwards, briefly shrouding you all.
When you can see again, the landscape has changed. Next to a clump of wild palm trees there is now a neatly tended cluster of peach trees. It seems as if the earthmote is grabbing at living matter as it travels. The wall beside you thrums slightly. More disturbingly perhaps, the scream of a frightened animal sounds behind you and is abruptly cut off and the trees nearest to Brujo wither with alarming speed. Not only is the earthmote capturing living matter, it is absorbing it as well.
Looking up the path, you can just make out the shadowy bulk of a building at the end of the path. Squat and unappetising at this distance, it is hard to make out details with the constant addition of plant and animal life.
"GREAT", Brujo repies seeing the withering plant life, "it wants to eat us too. This just gets better and better"
"You might be surprised." Hobbes says to Ceara quietly. "Hopefully, Sune willing, it won't come to that." He says as he disengages from Ceara.
He looks over and Brujo and says, "I don't think so. Those vines are not eating as much as transporting biological matter here from the ground. That's why it is so strange. It is a hodge-podge of various plants and animals. I think we should head for that building before something else gets transported here." Hobbes grimly smiles. "Like a dragon."
Hobbes starts to move towards the building.
The ground in front of you looks strange in some way that nags at the edge of your mind.
Ceara does follow Hobbes, but first she becomes shadow.
Kelgan follows behind Hobbes, his sword in his hand.
Hobbes
As the party draw nearer to the building, you see that it is a single storey only, with a wide central door and two low towers at either end. There are no obvious signs of life, but the steady introduction of more flora and fauna is definitely more active here - very much as if the building (or its contents) were the focus of the disruption.
"Watch out," Hobbes tells his comrades. "There appears to be some kind of acidic mud there and there." And he points it out for his friends to avoid.
"Knock first?" Hobbes asks to no one in particular. He pauses as if he is listening to something. "Well, yes, Cassie, that is the polite thing to do."
As Hobbes moves to the door, Ceara, still in shadow form, slides behind one of the towers, using it as cover.
Hobbes catches the movement out of the counter of his eye. "Yeah, I know, I know, Cassie. I'll watch myself. Can you believe her? She thinks I would be easy to kill. Me!" He pauses for a second. "Well, I guess if she did that first, maybe. Do you think that is what she was talking about?" He nods a couple of times. "Well, I'll just keep an eye on her, just in case."
Erik is unsure what to make of everything, and he can't help but grin in spite of himself. He's obviously enjoying this immensely.
"You could certainly try knocking Master Hobbes, but perhaps we should do so together? I've made myself welcome many times when I was not. Just ask the Reverend Mother when we return," says Erik with a smile.
Erik sheaths his songblade and stows his shield before walking up beside Hobbes.
"After you, sir."
"Maybe I am still confused over Ceara's 'revelations'" Hobbes says as he looks at Erik and raises his eyebrows, signifying that he is talking about something other than what he said. "But I think I misunderstood you. The Reverand Mother? Really?" He pauses and listens again. "Oh, Cassie tells me I was wrong about that. Sorry." He smiles sheepishly.
Then his voice regains its usual brashness.
"The others will be right behind us. SOMEONE has to take the lead. Besides, we hang around here for too long and there is no telling what we may encounter. At we can take shelter in this building."
With that, he walks up and knocks on the door.
"Hello? Is anyone there? Hello?"
Hobbes gets no answer, but notices an unpleasant smell from behind the door. A smell all too familiar to anyone acquainted with the aftermath of battle.
Watching as the others make their way to the building and begin their investigation.
"Maybe it's everything we've been through lately. Maybe even something else, but our new comrades seem way to eager to get themselves into trouble." he smiles at Perigia as he walks after the others to keep an eye on them.
"That had better not be what I think it is." Hobbes says to the others. He tries the door.
Put Kel at E21 checking the door for traps or locks.
"Hobbs how many times do I have to tell you let me check any suspicious doors or chests before you start playing with them?"
Thievery check =
Under Kel's tender ministrations, the door unlocks sweetly, barely making a sound. The elf notes with interest that he was right to be cautious. Had it been opened abruptly, spikes were set to fall on the reckless party member first through the door.
"Ya see Hobbs a spike trap, it's allways easier to disable something like this before they're in your head."
Watching as the others make their way to the building and begin their investigation.
"Maybe it's everything we've been through lately. Maybe even something else, but our new comrades seem way to eager to get themselves into trouble." he smiles at Perigia as he walks after the others to keep an eye on them.
"They certainly do," Perigia says. "I can't wait for all of this to be over so that I can settle down and leave this to those better suited for it."
"Many thanks Master Keledilinthir. I am immensely glad you decided to join us now," says Erik with a nod of thanks.
After that, he pulls a sunrod from his bag and acivates it on the nearby doorway. Pointing it ahead, he studies the inside of the room.
Hobbes pats Kel on the back. "Whew! That was close. Thanks for catching that, Kel. In my defense, who would've thought a strange building on an ever-changing earthmote hundreds of miles in the air would be trapped? Seriously, how often does that happen?" Hobbes says with a smile. He knows he messed up and he is using humor to deflate the situation. "Maybe....you should go first, Kel. I'll be right behind you." Hobbes pulls out his everburning torch and unwraps it. The light matches Erik's sunrod and makes the area around the building look like a sunny day. Hobbes looks to Kel and nods, "Go ahead."
Kel will open the door and take a look inside with Eric.
Kelgan stands near-by, ready to draw his sword if things take a turn for the worse.