Whether it's Shirak's attempt at diplomacy or simply luck, but there is no more movement from the forest of dead branches above you. As time passes you find that nothing much changes in your environment as you press on. The trees are just as black, and the ground is covered in the same thick carpet of leaves. When you stop to rest you can see how your tracks slowly fade away behind you. Even though you think you have travelled quite a bit you do not feel any fatigue (or it fades away if you were fatigued). It's a strange feeling, as if you can run endlessly without stopping to catch your breath. At the same time there is an oppressive influence between the trees that slowly creeps in your thoughts. You start imagining foes behind the trees, or other dangers that you can think of.
A large stone outcropping appears ahead, a lone marker in this endless forest. A dull thumping can be heard from its vicinity, and a smell of stale liquor starts to creep into the air.
At the druids motion, the leafy companion slips behind him and tries to disappear.
"Could we have found a way back so easily?" Daka asks as he steps up behind Shirak, still holding his weapon after all this time.
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Torcet slow and steadily with the help of Daka, gets his footing back to follow the party. In his tiredness he huffs and puffs, and makes no remarks about the encounter, just following the group, hoping not to fall behind.
At the end of the run, he looks around, "Surely that could not be it? Could this really be the tavern we seek? Or an illusion?"
The slow thumping stops at the sound of your voices, but then resumes its rhythm again.
"There's only one way to find out..." Daka starts to make his way around the outcropping in a wide, but tightening, circle "Strange. The rocks appear to be wet somehow"
Wet rocks? Why in the Hells would they be wet? Reyo says, following Daka.
With a rattle and a flick of a twig, Leyafold prepares a seedpod to launch at any approaching enemy.
As you near the outcropping you can now clearly see the water that covers its surface. It is expelled in short bursts from cracks in the stone core and dribbles down, making the rock look yellowish. The thumping can be heard stronger now, and sounds like the hits of a mining pick against the stone. You will see the source of the sound any moment now.
The smell is stronger the closer you get, and you start feeling the alcoholic vapours in the air. At the same time the ground and the dead leaf cover get wet too (even if they do not look like it), the water leaking into your shoes as you continue forward.
Daka gives Torcet a wry smile "I'm not sure we have been safe for several days now..." He is just about to answer Shirak when something catches his eye, causing him to stop "Is that ale spurting from the rocks?" he says, shocked, his voice no longer a whisper. After a moment, he regains his composure and continues on.
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Torcet snickers at Daka's comment about being safe, and nods lightly, a nod of acceptance that there is little they can do against the fate that was brought unto them. He turns over to the rock, "What makes you think that is ale dear friend?" He enquires as he follows Daka slowly behind. Knowing by now never to take chances, he draws his sword as they move and gently waves his hand around. "Be there magic?"
At the sound of Daka's voice the thumping stops again and the sound of someone running aroung the rocks is heard. A man appears, his face red and feet throwing piles of dead leaves and rivulets of liquid aside as he runs towards you. In his hand he has a heavy pewter mug that he has raised as a weapon. About fifteen feet before he reaches Daka he trips and smashes face down into the ground, at the same time as Torcet does the same.
Daka runs to Torcet's side, putting away his weapon as he goes "What's wrong? Let me see!" he waves his hand in front of Torcet's face to see if there is any reaction "I'm sorry but I don't know any healing magic for this..." he looks to the red faced man What luck we have! We find someone else in the gods forsaken place, and he turns out to be a violent drunk and waves his hand towards the prone figure Maybe this will sober him up.
The leafy creature scurries over to Torcet and stands next to him, seedpod still at the ready.
Reyo moves to place herself between the downed Torcet and the recently felled mug-wielding man, alongside Shirak. Her blade hovers steadily near the man's downed frame.
The attacker scrambles up and is met with the downpour of water created by Daka. Its weight is enough to make him trip again and flop of his back. The continued incapacitation drives him crazy and he starts screaming.
"Won' take it, it's mine, I'll kill you, don' go near it, kill you..." The litany continues while he flails around in the slippery puddle created by the liquid on the ground. He seems oblivious to the weapons and your actual appearance. The physical activity and the water seem to have a bad effect on his clothes (a simple shirt and breeches of a nondescript brown color) and they start to fall apart.
A crack from the outcropping draws your attention. A small piece of stone flies off the top of the rocks at Reyo!
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Torcet continues rolling on the ground, hands covering his eyes, unable to react to the surrounding [b]"What's that voice I hear? erghh... There's some sort of strong magic, similar to one that we first met in the woods." As water runs down Torcets face from his eyes, his visibility starts to return, but he makes no effort to get up yet as he can barely make any figures.
Reyo sees the stone fly off the top and nimbly spins around avoiding its trajectory.
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"Magic?" Shirak asks. Looking from Torcet, to the boozy stump, and back. "Have you figured out how to end the effect? Our only lead was at the tavern back there...here? Did we actually leave the tavern?"
Glancing back towards the crazed man with pity, "Sir, how long have you been here?"
'He's certainly not a civy. Seems more like the wild animals I've sworn to protect...'
"Relex Sir, we are not here to take anything from you." Daka says while standing up. He looks at the attacker for the first time, trying to hide a look of disgust as the mans clothes start to fall apart Hmm, perhaps the water was a bad idea... "All we require is a few answers to questions like my friend here just asked." The sound of the stone whooshing past Reyo draws Daka's attention.
Round 1 (map is on slide 5)
The man finally finds his feet and launches himself forward with a cry of desperate rage that is no longer understandable. His target is the closest of the group - Reyo.
At the same time a hail of stones comes off the outcropping, peppering the ground around you! The fragments tear themselves from the surface with audible cracks and fly off, leaving trails of amber liquid in the air.
Initiative:
Stepping to the side, away from Shirak and Torcet, Leyafold launches his seed at the villain.
Shaking out a sharp, pointy branch, he prepares for another attack.
Reyo snarls as the man tries to assault her with his mug. Stepping up, she smoothly thrusts the rapier forward hoping to find purchase. As she does, she spins, avoiding the flying rocks.
Daka curses the crazed man's continued aggression and reaches for his morning star yet again, it snags in his belt loop distracting him for a second as a flying stone cuts his forehead "Damnation!" His mood darkens further as the others point out the hostilities they have faced over the last day or so. "Stop that now!" he yells at the attacker, striding past Reyo in an effort to flank him. He does however, seem quite impressed by the grace of elven treasure hunter as she dodges blows from stones and the drunk.
Leyafold's seed hits the man just as Shirak's bolt of water splashes in his face. He cries out and flinches back, the movement sparing him from being impaled fully on Reyo's rapier. Still, red covers the front of his ragged shirt as he falls blindly forward onto her again.
Managing to dodge the flying debris this time, Leyafold hollers out. "لماذا نريد كل شيء لقتلنا؟ ربما ينبغي أن اتخذنا فرصنا مع القبيلة!"
Charging forward, the leshy attempts to stab the blind drunk with his sharpened stick.
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Torcet flinches as a constant stream of stones hits him, he attempts to shield himself with his arms but they do little to stop the flying stones. "Arrr..." Who is this fool? And what sorcery is this?
In a little bit of a fit of rage after being blinded and stoned, Torcet makes a mad dash towards the man attempting to strike him down.
"Who are you!?"
Seeing her mates move into position around the drunk, she thrusts forward again, seeking a soft spot to slip her blade into.
Daka swings his morningstar at the crazed man's side, failing in his clumsy attempts at dodging the flying stones.
The drunk's mug meets Reyo's head with a dull thud just as she buries her rapier deep into his chest. They sway in place for a second, and then the man falls back into the wet leaves of the forest floor. His eyes are now empty and stare up through the dead branches to the world beyond.
The hail of stones ends immediately and the outcropping that marks the area starts to fall apart with a series of cracks and rumbles that again shake the ground beneath your feet. Several gushes of amber liquid mark the dissolution of the rock as it slowly descends and is covered by the dead leaves.
"Woah!" Daka ducks, shielding his eyes in anticipation of a shower of rocks that never came. Finally he stands up, staring at the spot where the outcropping used to be "Curious! It's as though this place made... arrangements to fulfil his overwhelming thirst for ale..." he turns to look at the body of the drunk "It is a shame! To lose ones mind like that." He bends down and places his hand over the mans eyes, closing them as he recites a prayer.
Afterwards, he walks over to where the rocks once were, examining the ground "So... do we continue walking this direction? There must be a way out of here."
The pile of rocks is still visible, but is actively crumbling down and being overrun by the dead leaf cover. There is no more ale spouting from the cracks now.
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As the drunk falls, and the ale dissipates, Shirak looks around; desperate for clues.
"Curious indeed Daka. Perhaps if we have a crazed need to escape this place one will present itself?"
Closing his eyes tight, and clicking his heals together he mentally screams 'Let us out! Let us out! Let us out!. Opening his eyes a bit to check...
"Well, it was worth a try."
Turning back to the drunkard, the druid searches the remains to see if the man has anything useful on his person.
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Torcet curiousity is again peaked, instead of attempting to search for a means of escape his eyes gaze towards the rock, paying close attention in the details of the liquids that flow from it.
"I'm unsure about the path to be taken forward, but that liquid... what is it?" He asks everyone as he walks slowly towards it. Near, he crouches down and extend his index finger to the liquid, touching it with the tip of the finger.
As he pulls out his finger, he takes a lick of the liquid, attempting to decipher it by taste. Looking funnily as he does.
Shirak's search of the dead man does not turn up anything. Actually the only thing that is not subjected to hasty decomposition is the pewter mug that he used as a weapon. As the druid makes his enquiry the corpse falls apart into what looks suspiciously like the ever present dead leaves. A minute later only the mug remains.
Another shiver goes through the ground and a distant scream is heard. However the acoustics of the forest prevent you from telling its direction and distance.
Daka winces at the sight of Torcet's investigations "Are you sure that's wise Torcet? It could be poisono..." The scream cuts his sentence short, and he looks around in a hopeless attempt to discern the direction he shouts as he draws his weapon again and takes off in a seemingly random direction .
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"At least some aspects of balance are maintained even here" grumbles the druid as the body decays.
Snapping his head up at the sound, he tries to pinpoint it's source.
With an exaggerated sigh, he hollers "Daka! What good is running in a random direction? You could be fleeing that which is in need!"
Reyo watches Daka take off and immediately pursues the cleric.
I can't let him run off alone, two together are better than being apart.
Torcet watches as the two walk away between the trees and turns to Shirak.
"Isn't it better to follow them? This place does not feel right, it changes too much. What is the trees close between us and we are cut off?" With that he makes to follow Daka and Reyo.
As the detective starts walking another scream is heard, this time clearly coming from the left of Daka's chosen direction. It echoes through the trees and makes them shiver in waves! It's as if the dead looking trunks pass on the sound to one another. Three waves pass over you, each one carrying a higher pitch in the sound. After that the scream dies down in multiple echoes - the trees do not want to let it go and echo it for some time.
Daka turns sharply to his left, and gives Shirak a thankful nod as he continues his sprint I don't like the way these trees carry sound! But them again, I don't like anything about this place. "Hello!" he shouts again "Where are you?".
