"هناك ، هناك طفل ، سأريحك ، الأم ترشدك وتحميك لأنك طفلها وأنا ، خادمها ، يجب أن تتأكد من سلامتك"
"هناك ، هناك طفل ، سأريحك ، الأم ترشدك وتحميك لأنك طفلها وأنا ، خادمها ، يجب أن تتأكد من سلامتك"
** spoiler omitted **
شكرا لك يا أم جيدة.
The maiden shudders and smiles at Mwikali.
"Well its good that you can speak to Marijani here. No can we move on?"
He zips into the air.
Alphonse frowns.
"Surely you're not asking him to dispatch her to the same realm as he's sent all of those monsters he has a soft spot for? This woman has already been kidnapped from her home once, you'd truly aim to do it again?"
Zips around.
"The land of the fey, is no place for a mortal Master Kalgeboren. So I must decline sending the wee lass there, but I can offer refuge in dreams for a short while."
He moves his hands for a while, and a door comes into .beingMindscape door
"We could send her to the Waterfall and pools and wait for us. I am sure the Spirits there will take care of her and protect her for us." She says offering a different solution. One that doesn't expend much energy or resources.
Zips around.
"The land of the fey, is no place for a mortal Master Kalgeboren. So I must decline sending the wee lass there, but I can offer refuge in dreams for a short while."He moves his hands for a while, and a door comes into .beingMindscape door
The Fox agrees with Mwikali. "Let's deliver her safely to the water spirits. She can rest easy there, and when we are ready to leave the Mines, we can help her get home."
Ihrin stays quiet as she stands stoically her hands crossed as she cleans under her nails with a dagger.
"We should take her and then continue on. Lingering here doesn't seem right, be it the statue of...well..I assume evil and the Derro, I believe there may be more coming to this chamber."
"هل تستطيع الدفاع عن نفسك؟ إذا كان الأمر كذلك خذ هذه!"Ihrin says looking at the woman.
Irhin will hand over a Quarterstaff,a dagger, a ring and a pair of bracers to the woman.
The door vanishes
"The pool seems good as well."
he says zipping about..
"هل تستطيع الدفاع عن نفسك؟ إذا كان الأمر كذلك خذ هذه!"Ihrin says looking at the woman.** spoiler omitted **
Irhin will hand over a Quarterstaff,a dagger, a ring and a pair of bracers to the woman.
The maiden nods, thanking Lady Ihrin, and accepting the offered arms and defensive items, donning them with a look of gratitude mixed with wonder; these are probably the first magic items the girl has ever handled, maybe even the first weapons and fine jewelry, magical or mundane...
The heroes escort Marijani back up the spiral stairs to the eastbound tunnel that splits into three separate tunnels, and on to the waterfall grotto, where they are once again greeted by the marid and trio of nixies. Explaining the maiden's plight to the water spirits, the heroes are given solemn assurance by the marid and nixies that they will guard the young woman and provide for her nourishment and other needs until the heroes return.
Fear not, my friends, assures Bathsheba the Marid Matron of the Waterfalls, she will be well cared for until you return for her.
"أنت بخير يا ماريجاني. سوف نتأكد من استعادتك في طريقنا إلى الخارج ، والبقاء مع المريد والتاسيس الذين سيعتنون بك"Ihrin says as she smiles her hand resting on the woman. She felt right about helping the woman.
"I say we head down another tier." She says looking at Johann. She smiles and shifts resting on her hips as her hands rest on the hilts of her blades.
"Yes yes lets keep going"
He seems happy now his strength is back
Confident that they are leaving Marijani in good hands with Bathsheba and the nixies, the Champions descend the great spiral stair down the seemingly bottomless central mine shaft to deeper tiers below.
Coming upon an as yet unexplored tunnel, they proceed to explore it, following what has become a standard protocol: Johann, Lady Ihrin and Lord Perpireen stealthily scouting ahead, with Ogon Fox, Mwikali and Sir Alphonse waiting for the scouts to report back at the mouth of the tunnel.
The scouts come to a fork in the tunnel, with one branch continuing more or less westward, and a side tunnel descending south-westward at a steep but manageable grade or slope.
Ihrin keeps pace hands ready as she looks about
Both Dire Bear Johann and Lady Ihrin smell a trap at the junction of the tunnels, where an alchemical scent as of the reagents comprising a magical trap reach their sensitive noses...
Ihrin stops Johann and pulls out her tools to get ready to attempt in disabling the device
Ihrin stops Johann and pulls out her tools to get ready to attempt in disabling the device
[dice=Disable Device]1d20+24
Ihrin disables the trap by compromising hidden sigils graven in the floor and walls right before the trigger area...
Flying fast he did not spot the trap until the others stopped, On coming back he could see what it was. But waited for the deft Fox to unpick its evils.
Once done, he moves on looking ahead for the others.
With the trap disarmed, the scouts proceed to check both tunnels.
From the westbound tunnel can be seen a faint flickering of lurid reddish light, as of a firelight from around a corner, and a muffled din of murmuring, chattering, and mad gibberish... To Dire Bear Johann's keen nose comes the scent of more derro...
From the side tunnel sloping down and southwest-ward, nothing but dark silence, occasionally broken by the drop of water into a pool... *DRIP*...*DRIP*...*DRIP*...
Flying fast he did not spot the trap until the others stopped, On coming back he could see what it was. But waited for the deft Fox to unpick its evils.
Once done, he moves on looking ahead for the others.
The invisible Lord Perpireen quickly ascertains that the cave straight to the west contains more of the insane demon-worshipping derro, 12 more to be exact, huddled around a fire pit, over which they are roasting the remains of some hapless desert nomad on a spit slowly turnt by two of the derro...
In the other cave , drops of water from the stalactite-hung ceiling above fall into a small underground pond of placid water. The walls, floor, and ceiling are covered with green moss-like algae, and guano on the floor alerts the little fey lord to the swarms of bats, currently peaceful dozing where they roost on the ceiling amid the wet stalactites...
Comes back and tells the others what he has seen.
"Why Bats, a hate Bats"
He says with a sudder.
Comes back and tells the others what he has seen.
"Why Bats, a hate Bats"
He says with a sudder.
Alphonse frowns.
"Bats do no one harm, just as they are. But these Derro are a scourge. It is clear their kidnappings are common, and must be the cause of many innocent lives lost in this region. They must be wiped out."
"Hopefully they are largely confined to these mines. Searching miles of tunnels for the rest of their ilk could cost us time we may not be able to afford."
Mwikali looks at the others."We could always seal the entrance to this place and bury it deep in the earth. I can talk to Mother Africa and see if she would be kind enough to oblige us in this endeavor and help keep her children safe."
Perks up
"Yes yes seal the Bats away forever!"
Stone shape ought do it...
"I was talking about when we leave. The Bats are fine. In fact, their guano makes for a pretty powerful spell component!"
Johann frowns. "Or we can rile up the bats and lead them at the derro. That could be interesting."
The Santuary of Nero Antichrist, the present moment:
Let us see if our favorite fools have found it for us... The Bear, yes, his will must be the weakest among them... Not the fairy, no... nor the clever Fox... nor the Heathen Witch, the Vampire's Princess, the Cardinal Inquisitor, or that hateful Paladin Veritas...
Nero Antichrist gazes with orbs of unholy fire in sunken sockets into the crystal ball clutched by a demon's claw wrought of gold at the top of his jeweled crozier.
[dice=will save]d20+8+5
In his crystal ball forms the image of Johann, the shapeshifting woodsman of the Black Forest, the Schwartzwalder... He is in the depths of King Solomon's Mines, and the others are there, too, around him... No sign of The Heart of King Solomon Diamond, but of course, if they had it, they'd keep it tucked away... That was enough diamond to resurrect his Hounds of Hell and free them from the torment of eternal hellfire...
Mayhaps they'll speak of it, what they might do with such a treasure... Must listen for such talk...
Lady Dracula is still with them, aye... Her inherent bloodthirsty nature has not surfaced enough to drive her from them, or bring her into conflict with them... yet... The wolf still sleeps inside her, mayhaps... but soon, the wolf must have blood... She will make a splendid vampire Lord under my command, just like her father... Perhaps even as monstrous and bloodthirsty as her little brother shall one day be...
Nero scowls at the image of Sir Alphonse in his crystal ball, chiding the Bear for suggesting a course of action that would be so repugnant to their little friend Lord Perpireen... How he hated this particular foe, who had been killing his minions and thwarting his evil plots for six years now, first as one of those damned Lusty Fools, and now as one of the damned Crusaders and Jackals...
Youuuu... growls the cadaverous lich, YOU!!... First, I shall use you and manipulate you, make you think you are doing the right thing when all along you are doing my bidding... Then, I will reveal that fact to you, causing you to fall from grace, to lose faith... Then, I will kill you with slow and excruciating torture, and raise your ruined carcass as a graveknight. You will be the commander of my legion of undead warriors, you righteous, insufferable, perfect-hair-having...
Looking around to be certain that none of his evil minions heard that last rant, His Malevolence spies an invisible imp named Thornfester stifling giggles in amid the stalactites above, and, snarling with alarm and embarrassment, disintegrates the little devil with a green blast from his ring of spell storing!
SHUT UP!!
Looking at Mwikali in the crystal ball, he smiles evilly...
I know how to corrupt beautiful young witches... My father Lucifer taught me well, my dusky gem... I shall make you my concubine, but only after I force you to watch your beloved Africa enslaved and raped by European beasts!
Turning his eyes to the Fox, he pouts.
With you, I'm not quite sure what to do. You and the Bear are becoming very mighty beasts indeed. Some day you shall both grow too big for cages or chains... You will likely have to be destroyed. Can't trust a Fox, as your big friend has been known to remind you...
Grinning cruelly at Johann, the sunken orbs crackling with evil glee as the cadaverous face draws closer to the convex crystal...
Ah, Johann the Bear! My big, furry, foolish beast! I know exactly how to destroy you. After Wormwood has burnt the Black Forest to ashes, toppled Rapunzel's Tower, and devoured the fair lady, all before your eyes, your big heart shall break, and I shall laugh long and hard at your despair!
Looking finally at Lord Perpireen, the Antichrist shivers with disgust.
[i]And YOU! Perpireen McGibel, my old foe... I will squash you under my heel like the annoying, trick-playing, deceitful little bug that you are! You think this is a fine game we're playing, you and I, don't You? You've played me the fool too many times over the centuries... I will have my revenge, you accursed little sprite!
Ignorant to all the evil scheming by the Lord of Darkness, Johann has a new idea... "Want me to go talk to the bats? Maybe they'll be willing to help us out on their own accord."
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Taking everyone's two second moment of silence as permission, Johann turns into a bat and flies into the bat cave.
Once there, he starts to try to communicate with cheeps and sonar images.
"<Monsters in near cave><Have much better cave><Wish I was in their cave><Much insects><Much good hanging rocks><Very dark and moist><Is very nice cave>."
Ignorant to all the evil scheming by the Lord of Darkness, Johann has a new idea... "Want me to go talk to the bats? Maybe they'll be willing to help us out on their own accord."
Ignorant to all the evil scheming by the Lord of Darkness, Johann has a new idea... "Want me to go talk to the bats? Maybe they'll be willing to help us out on their own accord."
Something about Lady Ihrin's image in the crystal ball suddenly seizes all of the Antichrist's attention. He is frozen, transfixed, spellbound by a strikingly familiar expression on the Lady Dracul's face, followed by an unmistakable tilt of her head and the slight limp...
He remembers something from very long ago... Something from when he was a living mortal, and the arrogant young Emperor of Rome...
Agrippina!
He hadn't thought of his sister for centuries...
Hellish orbs locked intently on her image in the crystal ball now, he shudders momentarily, feels something in his decaying ribcage he'd thought was dead and rotten, and grimaced horrifically at the unwelcome sensation of filial affection...
No... You only bear a passing resemblance to my little sister Agrippina, Lady Dracul... Or it is some trace of senility undeath has failed to quell...
He dismisses the image, suddenly enervated and overcome with torpor from the strain of processing the scrying visions.