"YOU THERE! WHO DARES TRESPASS IN KING ASICLASSUS' DOMAIN SO CASUALLY!? YOU WILL NOT PASS!" It speaks with authority, yet its voice is as tiny as its body.
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Uesugi observes the large sluglike creature drop down the silk strand. He moves to draw his katana when the slug actually speaks, but holds his hand mindful that the world about is full of many mysteries.
"We do not mean to trespass guardian. We look to find a tribe of goblins. Have they come through these lands?"
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"Greetings, King Assiclassus!" Cup curtseys to the caterpillar. "Forgive us our trespass, but we are traveling on a most important mission. The life of a young girl hangs in the balance."
"We are seeking other trespassers in your realm, a group of most inconsiderate goblins and hobgoblins. May we have your permission to travel through your lands and bring these rapscallions to justice?"
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Mr. Peppers doesn't recognize the creature from any book he's read or creature he's seen before, but Cup is able to determine that it's a katroome - a little caterpillar-like creature with a big ego. Katroomes are rare and mostly live within deep forests. Although they look fey, they're magical beasts, and they're enamored of magic, especially wondrous items.
The creature twists his body and descends to meet Cup's eyes. "Now, here's a respectable gnome if I've ever seen one! The bald guy who got straight to the point could learn a thing or two from you about respecting monarchy!" Assiclassus shifts its head so its intimidating eyespots are pointed in Uesugi's direction.
"Those goblins are a rude bunch. They don't even stop, they just come rummaging through here as if they own the place! What's a king gotta do to get some RESPECT?!" The caterpillar swings his flamboyantly colored body from side to side along the silk thread as he emphasizes his words. "This girl you speak of... Was she human?"
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Gallix stops abruptly as the small voice rings out in fury and proclaims its sovereignty over the forest. He is just about to laugh aloud when the others begins schmoozing with the tiny king. Huh. Guess I better play along. Might be for the best, eh?
Gallix places a fist over his heart and bows to Asiclassus. In his most genteel tone, the brawler appeals to the would-be king, "Mighty Asiclassus, ruler of the wood, speak your wisdom to us and lead us to the girl we seek, that we might bring your wrath upon those who desecrate your lands and restore harmony to the simple folk whose lands abut your own."
Sirettis doesn't recall any mention of the name Asiclassus in anything she's read or heard.
"Well, you're in luck, because I saw 'em. Goblins, hobgoblins, you name it. They settled up near the mountains a few weeks ago. Strangely, this ugly hairy bear-like creature seemed to be their defacto leader. The big guy said he'd eat me if I got in his way! Now I'm sure a king being killed by ingestion would make a great story for the history books, but I'm not ready to give up these lands just yet."
Assiclassus retracts the silk into his body and climbs up on a branch. "Oh, and when they passed through here, they were carrying a human girl in the direction of their camp. I can point you along the right path, but it's pretty much a straight shot from here."
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"Very interesting, you assistance is most helpful King. Don't mind me while I take some notes for future reference." As he retrieves his journal and ink pen then takes a seat on a handy log/stump/rock nearby. "Would you be so kind as to describe this bear like creature some more? Was it much larger than the hobgoblins? Also, did you notice if anyone wielded any magic in your presence?"
After jotting down any and all answers he comes back with yet another question "How much further would you say their camp is down this trail?"
He points at Uesugi when he asks his questions "Very good questions! Uesugi here is a man of great honor, he means what he says King."
"Oh, I don't know, perhaps a dozen? Luckily, I'm able to do this, or else I'd be in big trouble if one of those smelly green things saw me!" The caterpillar shakes wildly and moves its body in a three erratic and distinct motions, and before long, it disappears.
"Not bad, eh?! The bear creature was ferocious, easily bigger than the goblins, yes. And it had some kinda purple goopy stuff on its face. I'd never seen the stuff before. In fact, a lot of the goblins acted strange, randomly cutting down branches of my humble kingdom and punching each other in their faces! You'd do everyone well to rid this forest of them."
"I'd say it's about another two day's walk from here to the edge of the mountain." The katroome cancels its spell and shimmers back into visible light.
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"A powerful spell indeed King. One that should help your reign continue long into the future." Mr Peppers writes out a few more notes as he continues. Weird creature can cast invisibility, finally some magic in this place...
"We're familiar with this purple goop, its called Demon Bile. Don't consume it or anything tainted with it. Have you seen it anywhere else in the forest here other than on the goblinoids?"
"Demon Bile, you say? I haven't seen the purple goo plaguing my land. Does it spread? Should I be worried? Should any harm come to my land, it will be met with swift justice, or my name isn't King Asiclassus," he determinedly says, the small leaves in front of him gently quivering as the words leave his tiny mouth.
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"Let us leave then. King Asiclassus we shall remove these beasts from your land." Uesugi begins to slowly direct Yurei in the direction given by the crazy slug.
'The mysteries of this world are limitless. A talking slug.' he chuckles in his mind maintaining the stoic face he has long learned to wear.
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Cup curtseys again. "Thank you, King. The bile can spread, however, once we clear these goblins, and their bearlike leader, we can try to help you clear the taint. Do you have a priest amongst your followers, King? If you can have one that can channel, positive energy will clear it in no time."
Cup summons her invisible servant. "Pathfinder Chronicle 61 please..." The servant brings her the book. Cup pulls out her wand of Kreighton's Perusal, casts, and then skims the book quickly, landing with seconds on the correct page.
She shows the page to the King. "Your Majesty, did the bear creature look like this?"
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Asiclassus sticks his head deep into the book and examines the drawing.
"There's no mistaking it. It looked exactly like this thing! Just as hairy and ugly, although this one appears to be free of that Demon Bile stuff." When told to not eat the bile, the katroome chuckles. "Not to worry, my diet consists only of the best tasting plant nectar in all the land, and that bile seems like it would only serve to ruin my meal!"
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Asiclassus ascends back up the tree and into his "throne room," and you make haste along the trail he had indicated towards Nixa and the goblin camp. Before long, you come across a rotting corpse of a goblin in the center of a small glade. Its eyes and face are missing, as if they were chewed or pecked off by wild animals, and its corpse is covered in purplish, festering goo that seems to be liquefying the body.
A stocky, muscular mammal stands above the corpse, feeding on the remains of body and bile. It turns as you approach, snarling at you and displaying its threatening yellow teeth.
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Gallix rushes forward, but he moves straight past the feasting beastie. In confusion at the speeding human, the creature turns its head to follow as Gallix suddenly stops and steps sideways to stand behind it. The brawler spins and stoops down to grab a handful of dirt and detritus from the forest path. He tosses the loose materials into the creatures eyes in an attempt to rob it of its vision.
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Mr Peppers pauses for a moment as he tries to remember where he's seen this animal before... "Ummmmm" He embarrassingly looks to Sirettis and Cup for some inspiration... but mostly Sirettis.
He draws out his pew pew wand and readies a shot for if it attacks someone. "Its a shame to have to kill simple minded animals this bile has infected, but no way I'm getting close enough for those teeth and claws to try out Elf." I wonder if they eat Gnomes... ick!
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♫ Hey, Mr. Wolverine, you ate a gob for me
Now you're creepy and there ain't no way of savin' you
Hey, Mr. Wolverine, don't get bile on me
In the jingle jangle morning we'll come following you.
Though I know that dark magic now lays heavy on the land
Cure's vanished from my hand
Left me blindly here to stand and I've run fresh out of scheming
Our stubbornness amazes me, we're Pathfinders for hire
Time's down to the wire
Fighting monsters who resist fire in a land that needs redeeming
Hey Mr. Wolverine, you ate a gob for me
Now you're creepy, and rage is what you're gonna do
Hey Mr. Wolverine, don't get bile on me
In the jingle jangle morning we'll come to take care of you.♫
She sings, inspiring courage. +1 to attack and damage. If you allow the planes for a bile-infected creature, she shares what she's learned.
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You watch on as the wolverine slumps over and falls asleep, and D single-handedly destroys the blighted animal with a fatal blast of sand. Yurei takes a chomp out of the corpse and Uesugi slices its head off for good measure. Oh, and Gallix kicks some sand in its face just to thoroughly humiliate the creature.
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Mr Peppers twirls then reholsters his wand and walks over to take a look at the carnage. "Geez D, I think you've figured out how to increase the power of those bits of sand pretty dramatically. It looks like you shot a ballista through that thing's head."
Mr Peppers casts detect magic and begins checking out the area, along with the corpses... from afar that is. If needed he'll hunt up a stick to investigate closer. Afterwards he pulls out the journal for notes. "Does anyone even know what kind of animal that is? I'd hate to have to write 'unknown' in my notes. Makes us seem like uneducated fools. Valsin is so damn picky on his reports, I can't seem to get one small mistake past him!"
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Gallix shrugs, "I dunno. Looks like a bear to me. Besides, I doubt Valsin is gonna care to know about every single woodland creature we come across, Peppers. Come on, let's move. We got a ways to go before we reach the goblins' camp and we're losing daylight." He turns away from the dead creature before pausing for a moment. "We might want to purify it and the goblin here, though. Don't want anything else eating this corrupted stuff." He pulls his own healing wand from his cloak and offers it to whichever of the ladies feels like dealing with the beast.
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Uesugi quickly dismounts and looks at Yurei's mouth to ensure none of the blight has been left on her.
"Yurei would not eat another animal barbarian she eats plants. But thank you for the concern. Whatever that animal was it is now at peace that is all that matters right now. Maybe it is time we start looking for a place to camp?" Uesugi looks beyond the canopy branches and leaves to see the sun will set in a few hours. "The closer we draw to the home of these goblins the more likely we will encounter bile tainted creatures and likely be able to get much rest."
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Mr Peppers scowls at Gallix "You aren't the one screwing up these reports and wasting time and effort. Getting into the good graces of Captain Valsin and the Grand Lodge is an important step in professional development. I don't know about you but I don't want to end up being sent to the Frozen North for a month because I can't remember the name of a stupid animal!"
He snatches the wand from Gallix and points it to the corpses spewing forth some healing energy. He then tosses it back at his feet and repacks his journal to continue on. Not everyone wants to go through life as a bar bouncer and hired thug...
"The King said we had two days travel. Hopefully it wasn't at his speed. I'll trust in Uesugi's judgement on this, he's got the most experience of all of us out in the wilds."
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Mr Peppers' scowl softens a bit at the apology from Gallix "Don't worry about it, I guess I'm just holding in too much angst lately on some personal failings and that animal and your comment caused me to boil over. All of this travel and sleeping in foreign beds and not to mention on the ground has my nerves a bit frayed. I'm a city Elf, these missions outside the walls take some getting used to."
He casts a spell on his waterskin then takes a cool drink, ready to continue the trip.
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Gallix brushes the dirt from his hands as Sir D's sand bullet causes the savage animal's head to explode
Geez D, I think you've figured out how to increase the power of those bits of sand pretty dramatically. It looks like you shot a ballista through that thing's head."
"Yes, well. It -is- convenient that ability has developed, but it's not the end of the road, for me, to get a deeper understanding of it, and increase my mastery of it."
"You say you need getting used to outdoor missions?"
D. 's left corner of his mouth arcs slightly up.
"Take a look at Uesugi-san, his kind harden through those sort of ordeals, usually getting stronger from them.
Tian-Xia is full of open plains and forests, rich in color and wildlife.
The outdoors can be quite a place...."
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Uesugi turns his head at the mention of name. "I had thought that your long-lived race would always favour the trees to the cities, Mr. Peppers.
Tian-Xia is also full of cities that make Absalom appear small yet but D. is correct our homeland is full of plains and forests. Many wonders that even one with as many years as yourself would find great beauty in."
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"Most Elves prefer the quiet and calmness of nature, surrounded by plants and animals. This Elf, like some others, prefer the quiet and calmness of a library and study to learn and devote to their craft. Just like some train from their early years with a longbow and longsword, while I preferred to focus my time and study as my father before me did, with wizard teachers."