You: Priyya approaches the succubi
Me: Whoa, did Alis earn her wings or something? O_O
You: You wish. That was a reference to Lureene and her pet cantaloupes.
Time: 0:15md (midday, 12:15pm)
Quickly you make your way across the trail and back into the jungle, Mal doing his best to obscure the signs of your passage.
However, you are no more than a few minutes past the road when thunder splits the sky and a nearby tree is blasted to ruin! The heavens seemingly split wide open and if not for the canopy above you are certain you would be completely drench. In fact, when you reach the edge of the jungle on the western side, that is exactly what happens. You can barely see 5-feet in front of you and are forced the wait until the storm plays itself out right around noon.
Once it finally does, you find yourselves overlooking another creek atop the gentle hill you just climbed. With barely a second though, Alis takes a running jump and leaps across followed a moment later by Lureene.
Priyya and Talvyra hop over together yet even as Tal comes up short, the rain-slick ground cover botches Priyya's footing and the both of them splash down in the river getting completely soaked. Alis and Mal both tense for a moment as Priyya's robes impede her movements, but with some help from Talvyra, who gently grips the back of robes with her teeth, like a mother lioness carrying a cub, she pulls her out of the rain-swelled currents.
Perception Checks
Stealth Checks
Survival Checks
Acrobatics Checks DC 22
Swim DC 12
Perception Checks
Stealth Checks
Survival Checks
[ REAVER'S SHIV: Map | Position (020) | Overland Rules ]
Lureene maintains a straight face, as she walks over to Priyya and asks with a note of concern ”Are you ok, Priyya? Do you need some help drying off, I can use my magic if you’d like”
Upon seeing that Little Sister has things well in hand, Mal jumps across. He immediately jogs over to where Priyya is and hip-checks Lureene out of the way saying, "Look out El," only after-the-fact. The unsuspecting succubus immediately falls down, covering her entire left side in mud and grass.
"Oh," he says impassively as he catches a look from Alis, "sorry."
Reaching down with one hand, Mal pulls Priyya up from the bank as easily as if she were no more than a small child. Talvyra scrambles up as soon as her 'kitten' is in good hands.
Acrobatics Checks
Sense Motive Checks:
Alis rolls her eyes and lends Lureene a hand, cleaning her up with a prestidigitation of her own.
"Priyya, if you want to get into some dry clothes you can borrow some of mine, just let me know. Talvyra, thank you for jumping in to save Darkmane, that was very brave of you. If you like, Lureene will dry you off with a spell, won't you El?"
Talvyra's shifts her gaze between eyes of blue-violet to blue and back again. With a shake, she sends off a spray of water before she sits back on her haunches and begins preening herself on her own.
The princess looks at Lureene and raises her hands with a shrug as if to say, 'Sorry, I tried.' She takes a deep breath of the humid air and turns to assay the trees to the rest and the grassy sward that borders the river as it continues uphill to the south.
"Sergeant," she says, "which way from here? Back into the cover of the jungle, or do we head south?"
At his mistress' question, Tut's eyes go wide and he begins to screech while pointing to the trees to the southwest.
Talvyra looks up in agitation before her eyes narrow at what the monkey sees. Within the woods, hanging limply between the trees and covered in droplets of moisture are many large spiderwebs.
"Huh, looks like some kind of giant spider must lair in those trees. We'd do better to avoid walking into a trap like that."
Lureene maintains a straight face, as she walks over to Priyya and asks with a note of concern ”Are you ok, Priyya? Do you need some help drying off, I can use my magic if you’d like”
Priyya looks at her for a moment longer than necessary before answering mildly, "No thanks. I don't mind the wet look. I wanted a bath and now I've had one of sorts."
Alis rolls her eyes and lends Lureene a hand, cleaning her up with a prestidigitation of her own.
As Alis proceeds to clean off the buxom blonde enchantress, Lureene starts to respond to Alis with a twinkle in her eye, but suddenly bites her tongue. Instead she looks off to the west, and asks, Are we ready to move on?'
Time: 1:15md (afternoon, 1:15pm)
Alis blanches when Mal points out the webbings and grits her teeth a bit a Lureene's question. "Uugh! As if the regular vermin on this island aren't big enough already. Yes, let's move south instead."
For the next hour you move south first along the river then diving into the jungle once more. Although Mal walks in front, he seems distracted as does most everyone else. As such it is Alis who eventually calls a halt realizing that you have very nearly exited the jungle dangerously close to the giant's trails and the river that lookouts have been using.
"Alright, if we're going to approach by sea we need to head west, preferably before anyone notices us."
Stealth Checks
Survival Checks
Sense Motive Checks:
Bluff Checks
[ REAVER'S SHIV: Map | Position (021) | Overland Rules ]
Lureene pauses for a moment, and asks to see the map. After Alis hands it over, she studies it for a moment, and points a manicured finger at their current spot. "According to this map, we are only a mile, maybe two miles, give or take away from where that Tree spirit is supposedly located." She looks up at the others, "Are we certain it will be friendly to us? It's possible it is already aware of us, if it is indeed a spirit. Perhaps we can skirt around its territory..." Her voice trails off, with a note of uncertainty.
"Also, we are near the path, should we check and see if the giants have passed by recently?" She looks up at the sky, "Of course with that rain we had, that might be difficult..."
She looks up at the others, "Are we certain it will be friendly to us?"
Priyya looks mildly surprised. "Are you kidding? This is all calculated risk."
"It's possible it is already aware of us, if it is indeed a spirit. Perhaps we can skirt around its territory..." Her voice trails off, with a note of uncertainty.
"We don't know where the spirit's territory begins. How do you wanna skirt it?"
As you stand around talking, Mal's ears perk up and he holds up his hand for all of you to be quiet and get down.
Just outside the jungle, perhaps only 150 feet away, you hear the heavy footfalls of a great number of giants. It is two groups of giants, one coming from the east along the trail across the river to your south, another exiting the jungle from not too far south of your position. Each group is comprised of 3 of the tough, muscular berserkers led by one of the thinner archers. They stop for a while, exchanging words although from this distance it is difficult to overhear them. Alis and Mal creep forward as far as they dare, but while Mal is just able to hear what they are saying, the fact that he doesn't speak Malatestan does him little good.
At last one of the giants gestures to a large wicker backpack one of the berserkers from the eastern group is wearing. They all give a good laugh and shout out a word in unison that Alis quietly repeats, "Feast..."
With that, they set off at a brisk pace heading back to the south at a full run.
Stealth Checks
Lureene feels a sharp pinch and a squeeze before hearing a familiar giggle. "Hey guys, what are you doing here?"
After a moment realizing that she still has one hand up Lureene's blouse and another covering her mouth she says, "Oops!" and lower the hand on El's mouth to... higher ground.
Lureene stumbles slightly and leans against her as Sash moves her hand to a more pleasant location. She breathes in the other woman’s musky odor, and feels warmth spreading throughout her body. She twists around and returns Sasha’s hug for a long moment, lips brushing against hers.
After the all too brief hug, Lureene gathers her thoughts and focuses on what Sasha was doing here, she whispers back at her ”What are you doing here, Sash? Did the giants find your camp? Are the others OK?” Her heart constricts with fear as she considers what the giants may have already done to them.
Priyya slaps away Sasha's hands from Lureene's rack with a look that says she'd rather use her scimitar for the job. "Save that for later, you... two." Her tone brooks little argument. "Sasha - who is in that basket and is he still alive?"
When Priyya slaps her hand away, Sasha gives a silly grin, and tweaks Lureene one last time before sliding her hands back down her curvaceous form and out of her blouse. "Sorry about that, it was kinda lonely without you guys. 'Rys isn't quite as friendly as you and Ellie your highnessness. Uh, that little gnome friend of yours though... Hate to tell you 'Dre but I don't think he swings your way, I had to truss him up and threaten to use him as crab bait before he'd leave me alone! Course, that's probably why he didn't get away I guess but hey he's only got himself to thank, right?"
She leans forward between Lureene's wings and wraps her arms around the much shorter woman's shoulders resting her chin atop them. "Oh, and I think that old black guy was getting sick too. He kept losing track of things around him and was rubbing his eyes and squinting even more than normal. So yeah, it was pretty much just me doing all the work while he slept, Gelik told jokes. Well, I guess Aerys helped a bit too, she took some of the watches and looked after things when I went hunting."
Sense Motive Checks:
Mal casts a confused look at Priyya and whispers, "The hell does she mean about Gelik not swinging my way?"
Alis ignores Mal's confusion and is not fooled by Sasha's attempt to elude Priyya's question. "Saaasha? who or what was in the pack that giant was carrying?"
The red head laughs nervously and scratches the back of her head. "Oh that? Uh... well you know the other three? Weeell... they sort of got captured while I was out hunting. I did manage to kill a couple of giants but you'd be surprised how fast they can run! I'd been tracking them for a while, but then I head 'Dre's kitty and Sarah making all that noise so I came over here. Oh, and El, your little snake went poof! and disappeared in a puff of blue smoke just after I asked you if your princess had any butter in her big chest. What was up with that, it kind of freaked everyone out."
Lureene waves off the question about Grak, "Sash, I'll explain about Grak later, but we have more important things to worry about, OK?" instead opting to concentrate on the important topic at hand. maybe 'Lis is rubbing off on me. She fires off a series of questions to Sasha, speaking rapidly "So, Sash they all were captured? Could you tell if any of them are still alive? Could you see if they also took their gear as well? You did not see Ieana, did you?"
She pauses and takes a breath, trying to keep her fear under control, Lureene, get a hold of yourself, they will be fine! After a moment she adds softly, "You were not hurt at all were you? How many giants did you kill?"
When she hears about Jask's sickness, she turns to Priyya "I hope you can help him, Priyya. We just need a plan to free them. Can we ambush them before they reach the village, or do you think they are moving too fast for us to catch them?"
"Uh..." Sasha blinks at Lureene's barrage of questions. "Yeah, pretty sure they all got captured. When I saw the big guys dump 'Rys into that basket and didn't see anyone else around, I figured I should probably chase after them instead of sitting around you know? As for their stuff, well I think most of that got gathered up too because I didn't see clothes just laying around everywhere. Oh and they carried off her Alis–isness's chest too I think, but those guys ran a different way after I started putting arrows in them."
She pauses for a moment, eyes looking up towards the sky as if trying to remember something. "Oh, and I did NOT see that wizard woman, but they were complaining about their big chief letting her do whatever she pleased. Apparently he even introduced her to his mother or something not sure why that matters though."
"As for me," she gives a wide grin and lets go of Lureene to twirl around, "check it out, not a scratch! A couple of them tried to get the jump on me when I was out hunting, but even sneaky giants are still a lot louder than a sneaky human. Took out two of them and figured that if they were able to find me then the others were probably in a bad way. That's when I went back."
"Ambushing them?" She shakes her head. "That would mean getting pretty far ahead of them to give us enough time to setup a trap along their path. Best we could try would be maybe to catch them but..."
She looks at the other three women and frowns, "I don't really see that happening. They moved slower when they knew I was trailing them, trying to throw off my trail, but well... I mean you saw them. Those guys can run like gazelle out in the open! Besides, I think we might be getting close to their camp. There's not a whole lot more island left in that direction, you know, and I don't think they're the sort to just run up a tree and wait for a bear or cat to come up after them. I was thinking I'd have to wear 'em down from a distance. Of course, with you guys here, I suppose that will help a bit..."
"Um, so did that answer all your questions, El?"
Lureene smiles at Sasha, "Yes, Sash that was very helpful." She thinks for a moment, and then shrugs ”Hmmm, I think we should try to reconnoiter and possibly sneak into their village when it gets a bit darker. If we can find out where they are holding Aerys and the others, we can free them without too much trouble. I have a new spell I just learned, which makes me more persuasive he he.” Her eyes gleam wickedly, ”What do you think, Mal? Priyya? ‘Lis? Do you like that plan? The only thing I am concerned about is if Ieana also charmed some of the guards, or decides to make an appearance.”
Alis eyes Lureene dubiously. "Well, persuasiveness means having to engage the giants which is pretty much the opposite of remaining unseen. Also, that will only help if the person you persuade has the ability to actually help us. We already learned that Ieana used a fairly powerful charm on at least one of the rangers and seemingly on their chieftain as well."
"I wouldn't count on being able to break one of her spells which means simply charming that Klorak fellow and having him order the rest of the tribe to stand down prooobably won't to work. And yes, if Ieana shows up that could be trouble, although if we could take her out, I suppose there's a chance that would break her spell. Unfortunately, if we kill her straight out then we'll never learn what she was after..."
"They're on their home turf and outnumber us, possibly with at least a mage, their shaman, and one or more charmed enemies. Scouting around after dark sounds like the best plan to me. The only thing is, they only need one person for their sacrifice and if Ieana gave him up then they already had Kovack. Alis, didn't you say you overheard them say the word 'feast' at the end there?"
"Oh yeah," Sasha says, talking right over Alis, "they said it was great that they found extra people because now they didn't need to worry about saving the old scruffy-looking human and could have a feast and a sacrifice for some Red Mountain Devil. Looks like it's an all-day thing for them though so I don't think they're going to eat our friends today."
"Say," she gets a quizzical look on her attractive face, "you don't think Ieana brought us all here because she wanted to have dinner with a bunch of cannibals do you? You'd think she'd have tried keeping more folks alive instead of crashing the ship like she did..."
"Oh yeah," Sasha says, talking right over Alis, "they said it was great that they found extra people because now they didn't need to worry about saving the old scruffy-looking human and could have a feast and a sacrifice for some Red Mountain Devil. Looks like it's an all-day thing for them though so I don't think they're going to eat our friends today."
"I hope you are right about that, Sash. Still, it would be a shame to let them down, let's make sure we disappoint them, shall we?"
"Say," she gets a quizzical look on her attractive face, "you don't think Ieana brought us all here because she wanted to have dinner with a bunch of cannibals do you? You'd think she'd have tried keeping more folks alive instead of crashing the ship like she did..."
Lureene shakes her head "No, Sash she came here for another purpose, we just have not figured out what it is yet. Whatever it is, she thinks she needs the Giants in some way."
After the conversation has died down, she turns to Alis, "So, are we ready to get to the village now, and how will we get there? That trail is bound to be watched. Maybe we should try going through that tree spirit's territory to get to it. What do you think?"
At Lureene's question Alis considers Mal's assessment and Sasha's news. "I think approaching under the cover of darkness to scout things out sounds like the best plan. As for our approach, if the giants are keeping their eyes on the trails and gathering themselves in their village for a feast, I think approaching by sea might be our best course."
As if suddenly struck by an idea she had not previously considered, Alis' eyes grow wide and she snaps her fingers. "Our pins!"
She reaches into her backpack and pulls out the pin that had transformed her into Lisa. "We could use these to turn ourselves into merfolk and swim around the cape with the very waves and surf as cover! I was able to make modifications to Lureenes during the voyage to make it seem like Ellie's pregnancy was progressing so I'm sure with some trial and error I could get it right, same with the collar that Talvyra was wearing!"
Suddenly, an air of calmness seemingly at odds with her excitement, takes hold of the princess. As if hearing a far off voice, she shrugs off her pack, kneels on the jungle floor and removes the Tarot deck from her small backpack. She closes her eyes and takes a number of slow, deep breaths, sliding the cards free and spreading out a cloth in mid-air without resting it on anything. In a soft voice, she says something in a language that only Mal recognizes at first. She repeats the short phrase to herself several times as she shuffles.
Only upon finishing does she split the deck in two and say in Estorian, so you can all understand, "Who is this tree spirit that the giants of this place call evil?"
With that, she turns over the top two cards.
Reality Check: Who is the Tree Spirit?
Lureene shudders at the thought of getting wet. At this point in time, she has reconciled herself to the fact she and large bodies of water will never get along. She preferred long luxurious baths in nearly scalding hot water, with lots of bath salts. All she can hope for now is a prolonged armistice. Still, she conceded it was the best way to sneak up on the giants…they would never expect it.
As ‘Lis reaches into her pack to take out her Tarot cards, a sense of unease slid over her body, creeping close to her heart ”Ummm…’Lis, I am not sure this is the time…” her voice trails off as she realizes the Princess is ignoring her at this point, caught up in her vision.
Something is going on here! She shoots an alarmed glance at Priyya, and Mal and shakes her head slightly. She then studies the Princess to see if she has been enspelled in some way.
Once Alis has finished her reading, she stares at the two cards, the Ten of Discs and the Hierophant. She whispers softly, ”What does that mean?”
Lureene looks upon her friend and patron and she detects an aura of moderate divination coming from Alis — a spell effect far more powerful than any spells that anyone in your group should be capable of casting. She shifts her gaze to the deck of Tarot cards, but they themselves do not even radiate magic at all. The only other auras she is able to detect are the ones that Alis typically has active such as those from her magic items and spells like endure elements.
As near as you can tell, the act of Alis performing a Tarot reading is some sort of a cross between Augury, Divination, and Contact Other Plane spells — a blending of both arcane and divine magic.
Lureene stares at Alis for a few seconds, trying to maintain a mask of calm but not really succeeding. Still, she does have the presence of mind to nod at the results of the reading.
After Alis has finished, she turns to Priyya, saying softly ”Priyya, I am not sure Alis is feeling herself, maybe you should see if she is good to continue onwards.”
Alis opens her eyes and looks at the cards quietly taking in their meaning. However, upon overhearing Lureene and noting her squeamishness, she gives her a sharp look like she just insulted her parents' honor.
"What in the world are you getting so squeamish about, Lureene? No. You know what, nevermind."
Turning to Priyya she says, "The spread I used is called a 'reality check'. The first card expresses our perceptions about the subject, while the second one shows us the reality. That's not to imply that our perceptions are inaccurate, merely to help clarify what's in our our hearts, whether hopes, or fears."
"If you remember from back in Dunwaar, the 10 of Discs came up as the future of our involvement there. It basically showed us moving on and pursing our quest. The fact that it's reversed now would indicate that our perception is that this spirit could be someone or something that upsets our quest. Yet since we really don't know anything about it save that the giants think the spirit is evil, it essentially reflects our fears."
She picks up the hierophant card and holds it up for all of you to see what appears to be a wise old treant seated with a serious expression on their face while they interact with small winged creatures. "The hierophant is basically a wise old man. He listens to your concerns, carefully taking in everything you say before giving his guidance. He is one of the holy men of the Tarot. The fact that he's represented by a treant in my deck seems particularly concise considering that this is a tree spirit I was asking about."
Alis replaces the cards in the stack and gently restores them to their silken pouch before stowing the bundle safely in her knapsack. "I think it might be worth our while to approach this spirit and see what they have to say. If they are as attuned to the natural beings of this island as the reading suggests, then I rather doubt they are too fond of a tribe of degenerate giants from Malatesta residing upon these shores."
Bluff Checks
Sense Motive Checks:
"Yet since we really don't know anything about it save that the giants think the spirit is evil, it essentially reflects our fears."
Priyya places her hands on her hips and gives Alis a saucy smile. "Who's fears? I've been more than a little intrigued by this tree spirit for miles now. I think a visit is quite neighborly of us. If he's wise, maybe he can share some wisdom on the 'devil' and all the rest of this. I'm game to pay him a quick visit before we rescue Aerys and everyone else."
"We could use these to turn ourselves into merfolk and swim around the cape with the very waves and surf as cover!"
The mischievous twinkle returns to Priyya's eye, presaging a truly horrible observation, "Ohhh! Perhaps in Lureene's case she'll look more like a Kapoacinth... with her wings and all."
"Who's fears?"
At Priyya's inquiry, she gives a small smiles and says. "Oh, I think it's well established that nothing frightens you! When I say that something is a reflection of our fears though, it's just a simpler way of saying that it represents our uncertainties aaand any apprehension that our speculation might give rise to."
She gives a slight laugh and looks at Lureene and Sasha, "Don't worry Priyya, Mal, I'd never imply that either of you were wanting for courage."
With that, she slips her arms back thru the straps of her small backpack, and says, "Alright, let's go pay a visit to this mysterious 'evil' tree spirit!"
Sense Motive Checks:
Priyya pokes their blonde leader good-naturedly, " 'it represents our uncertainties aaand any apprehension' Don't get all 'oracle-y' on us now, Alis... ya big chicken; Mal will protect you." She is clearly joking.
"Ohhh! Perhaps in Lureene's case she'll look more like a Kapoacinth... with her wings and all."
Mal gives a loud cough at Priyya's remark, but nods and waves a hand to indicate he's ok when Alis looks at him, a troubled gaze on her lovely face.
"Kap a who now?" Sasha asks scratching her head. "Is that some kind of sea creature or something, I don't think I've ever heard of one of those. You're pretty good with books El, do you have any idea what one of those is El? Hey Sar– uh, Priyya! What's a kapasin, I thought that was like a pepper or one of those wheels you hitch oxen to?"
Bluff Checks
Sense Motive Checks:
"Ha!" Alis smirks at Priyya, "Yes I certainly wouldn't want to go all oracle-y since there's clearly no precedent for such behavior out of this blonde-plumed little chick. Why it might cause others to lose faith in me... although I guess you can't really lose what you never had, right?"
The mischievous twinkle returns to Priyya's eye, presaging a truly horrible observation, "Ohhh! Perhaps in Lureene's case she'll look more like a Kapoacinth... with her wings and all."
Lureene laughs weakly at the jibe, although she has no idea what a Kapoacinth is. She does give Priyya a long look, but she can tell her heart is not in it. tNot willing to start any confrontation, she decides to turn the other cheek...for now.
She gives a slight laugh and looks at Lureene and Sasha, "Don't worry Priyya, Mal, I'd never imply that either of you were wanting for courage."
Lureene feels a sense of shame at the reaction she received from the other ladies. Honestly, she was feeling a little hurt as well. she understood little of divinations, and she had not really adventured with 'Lis long enough to get used to her divinatory abilities. Heck, if someone had suddenly acted that way back on her home plane, she would assume (and in most cased be correct) some sort of possession was involved. When you grew up around fiends, possession was not generally to the host's benefit.
She steps away from the others and thinks for a moment while brushing a few tears from her eyes, Well, I may not understand 'Lis completely, but I don't think she understands where I am coming from either. I hope I can explain it to her later, when we have some privacy.
With that, she slips her arms back thru the straps of her small backpack, and says, "Alright, let's go pay a visit to this mysterious 'evil' tree spirit!"
She then returns to the others, "Yeah, sounds like a plan."
"Why it might cause others to lose faith in me... although I guess you can't really lose what you never had, right?"
Lureene's eyes flash, and she turns to say something, but instead decides to say nothing.
"Hey Sar– uh, Priyya! What's a kapasin, I thought that was like a pepper or one of those wheels you hitch oxen to?"
Seeing that Lureene's heart isn't into sparring, Priyya shifts her focus. She smiles at the woman she idly considered killing for abandoning Aerys and Jask. She sticks closely to the vague truth. "Well, I've never seen one... but it's kind of like an aquatic winged person. So you might think of it as a winged mermaid."
"Ha!" Alis smirks at Priyya, "Yes I certainly wouldn't want to go all oracle-y since there's clearly no precedent for such behavior out of this blonde-plumed little chick. Why it might cause others to lose faith in me... although I guess you can't really lose what you never had, right?"
Priyya looks briefly concerned before speaking in the language of the higher planes.
She says lightly, "Alis, I have implicit faith in you... Otherwise, I'd steal your bodyguard and bathtub and be on my merry way."
"Oh I didn't know they made mermaids with wings. Do you think they still have a fish tail instead of legs, I bet that would something huh?"
Leaving your secret overlook behind, Mal leads your group west thru the dense jungle. While she lowers her voice and seemingly doesn't step on a single branch or rustle a single leaf, Sasha continues to Lureene and Priyya questions about all manner of topics. From how wings would work underwater to how mermaids make love, to whether or not it's possible to use the disguise rings to switch genders and if a woman changed into a man could get a man changed into a woman pregnant or not.
Slogging thru thr jungle while trying to remain stealthy is slow going and Mal does opt to lead you in a round-about path after discovering the bones of an oversized child that appear to have been crushed by a rather large anaconda.
After some time, and some arguing with Sasha, about the fact that you are wending too far to the south, your group begins to head north. The red head's intuition actually proves to be correct, and you soon find yourselves ascending a hill, eyes peeled for spirits and other dangers.
Perception Checks
Stealth Checks
Survival Checks
Perception Checks
Stealth Checks
Survival Checks
Perception Checks
Stealth Checks
Survival Checks
Alis seems almost surprised by Priyya's comment in the angelic tongue.
"I thought maybe she was uncomfortable with it even though she was more than a bit friendly sharing the same bed all the way up until we boarded the White Pearl. But... you saw how she reacted to Sasha, she didn't seem too hesitant about returning her affection."
"What really hurts though is how scared she acted when I performed that reading just now. Did she think that I couldn't hear what was going on around me while I was concentrating? Honestly this isn't even the first time I've done a reading around all of you."
She sighs and shrugs her shoulders.
"Anyway, I don't know about stealing bathtubs and bodyguards. Mal doesn't seem to like that thing too much. Nevermind I think El and Sash would gang-up on you if you tried to– assuming the giants didn't smash or plunder it when they sacked our camp..."
Time: 4:30md (afternoon, 4:30pm)
"Uh guys?" Sasha says, pointing ahead, "I think we might have found the spirit's home..."
Up ahead, near the crown of the hill, grows a single immense banyan tree. It is surrounded by a smaller grove of trees that seem almost like supplicants gathered around a revered elder to bask in the wisdom of the ages.
Stealth Checks
Lureene trudges along, saying little, her thoughts far away. She does get some amusement at some of the questions Sasha kept asking, politely answering her questions with what she hoped were the correct answers, and downright chuckles on her questions concerning the gender changing properties of the disguise rings. When Sasha mentions getting pregnant, her good mood evaporates. For a brief moment, she was intensly envious of the attractive redhead, wishing she was not cursed with her demonic heritage. She sighs, wondering if she would ever be free of these negative thoughts.
Over and over again she could hear the sound of her Mother's mocking laughter...
"Uh guys?" Sasha says, pointing ahead, "I think we might have found the spirit's home..."
Up ahead, near the crown of the hill, grows a single immense banyan tree. It is surrounded by a smaller grove of trees that seem almost like supplicants gathered around a revered elder to bask in the wisdom of the ages.
Lureene stares at the tree, never having seen anything quite like this before. She wondered if the tree itself was alive, and if so, whether it would be friendly. She certainly hoped so.
At your approach, the many thick shoots of the banyan creak and its branches rustle as if from a localized breeze. You look up to see the form of an incredibly beautiful woman with eyes like a tropical sunset and deep, blue-green hair. She slip out from the tree's heart as easily as a person might walk thru the part between two curtains.
Her skin is smooth and tan, yet she has pointed ears much longer than those of any elf. A circlet of living flowers blossoms adorns her head, and her very clothes seem to be comprised of leaves cupping her breasts and a skirt of leafy fronds trailing from her hips.
A gentle smile spreads across her delicate face at the sight of you and she says something in a tongue that only Mal seems to understand. The big man cannot help but blush before her gestures to the rest of you, seemingly in introduction.
Once he has done so, the surreally beautiful woman folds her hand and gives a dainty bow to the rest of you. In a soft, almost breathless voice, she says, "It is very welcome to have guests here in my home. Aycenia, that is my name, but it has been many cycles of the world since I have been fortunate enough to have cause to use it."
She approaches closer and you can smell a sweet aroma like honeysuckle playing about her. She seems fascinated by all of you although she pauses at the sight of Priyya and Alis looking back and forth between them several times. "The two of you are so very different but so very much the same. What is it that brought you to this home of mine?"
Although Sasha seems a bit guarded about this strange and beautiful woman, the rest of you sense only genuine curiosity tinged with hopefulness from her. She takes her time looking at all of you, an expectant look in her eyes.
[ REAVER'S SHIV: Map | Position (022) | Overland Rules ]
Priyya bows politely to the woman. "Thank you, Aycenia, for welcoming us as guests in your home; it is an honor. I am Priyya. We are here for many reasons... as many as our numbers, at least."
Lureene, while not completely comfortable here, still feels comfortable enough to let her guard down. Certainly Alis and Priyya had no issues here with the beautiful spirit woman, and she resolved to be as gracious as they.
She curties deeply to Aycenia, and replies "I am Lureene Ourson, retainer and friend to Alis," She pauses, unsure whether to announce Alis' royal heritage, and decides to leave it up to her. "You do me great honor in welcoming mmy friends and I, and I am grateful for this. As Priyya has indicated, we are here for many reasons."
Priyya frowns.