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"Yeah, yeah, that's the ticket!" Ayla exclaims, scampering along with the group. "But he doesn't like being touched! He'll probably try to punch and kick you and stuff! DILEMMA!" Ayla laughs madly. "Well, best of luck, Koani! Here!" She shoves the elixir of swimming at Koani with a grin. Then she looks at the other tall folk in her group. "Anyone feel like giving me a piggyback ride? I'm not much of a swimmer, myself!"
"Whoa nelly, dinnae go swimmin' without yer floaties little man!" Gamin chortles with amusement as Korivan tries to take a rest on a pile of promising-looking sticks and tumbles into the water.
"Oh yeah, Ah always wondered what he was gonnae do wi' that elixir," the sword continues as Dr. O'mayga quickly suggests a plan to use it and swim the troublesome sleepwalker across. "Too bad ye folks don't have th' time tae build a raft or somethin' - but I guess it'd be nigh impossible tae keep Ol' Kalk in place long enough tae do it!"
And so, unless Baijiu happens to have a nifty trick up her sleeve, it looks as if Koani will get the honors of a moonlight swim with Kalkamedes...
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She looks around, trying to see if there was anything that she could use as a floatie for Kalk...
And unfortunately doesn't find anything. So the next best thing, slap a good ol' Guidance on herself and on Koani, and Drink & Rage to help swim across.
Which doesn't help much, and just tries to get out of the water as soon as possible. She will also stop drinking after not helping much, and after the nausiation passes, refills her gourd.
"Starting.... To get really... *barf* Sick of this rage..."
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"Wow," Ayla remarks to Baijiu. "You're one of the grossest person I've ever met. And I've met a LOT of people!"
She continues to ramble on about the many other gross people she's met and habits she's come across in her decades of adventuring, being sure to point out that Baijiu's constant drinking and vomiting is much worse. "Whoah! Is that a chunk of your stomach lining floating in the water? Wow! You should probably keep that in you, Baijiu."
Since no one's offered her a piggy back ride (and she doesn't really want one from Baijiu), Ayla stretches and limbers herself up for the swim.
"Alright, here we go! I've got this! Once spent two weeks swimming with the Gillmen off Absalom coast, this little marsh is nothing! Whooo! Here we go!"
"Whoo, that water's everywhere! Yup! All up in there. Not fun. Hey, you think they've got leeches in here? Not tiny ones. I mean the big ones that could eat me in one big slurp! That'd be an exciting scene for my novel. Not if it ate ME of course, cause then there'd be NO novel, but if it ate one of you. It'd probably start with the chicken -- for dramatic effect, you understand -- before moving on to someone bigger." She eyes the others, trying to determine who the fictional giant leech would devour next...
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Eyes closed and desperately unhappy about this, Liasna gave herself until the count of three before peering from in between her fingers.
Nope, that swampy mess was definitely still there. Fighting back a whimper, she manages to turn it into a sigh before bundling up her pack carefully, rearranging its contents very briefly so nothing perishable is at the bottom.
Then, she wades in.
Seeing few other options, the group makes sure to firmly secure their belongings and packs as quickly as they can and then Koani takes the Elixir of Swimming, gulping it down. The quiet druid is almost instantly surrounded by an almost transparent magical sheath and then she attempts to take hold of Kalkamedes' arm while Dr. O'mayga continues trying to help wrangle his leash...
....
....
....
...and after a rather exhaustive wrestling match and getting socked in the face twice, she finally manages to get one arm looped around him by the time the pair of them tumble into the waters of the bog. Luckily Koani finds that it takes almost no effort for her to glide through the water, even with her heavy and cumbersome cargo in tow. The bog is calm and largely clear of weeds, branches, and vomit out past the shoreline and so the swim is relatively easy to make, even for Liasna and Ayla and Blargh.
Meanwhile, Dr. O'mayga, Korivan, and Baijiu decide that perhaps it might be easier to take the long way and simply walk around the large bog - which is what they do, with Gamin chattering away the whole time.
"Ah'm pure sorry 'bout Ol' Kalk punchin' on th' lassie like that," he sighs. "He's git a mean left hook, like Ah sure ye saw. But Ah gotta say, th' lassie takes a punch better'n many a man Ah've seen!"
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With Hogo still riding atop his head, thorns entwined in his hair, Doctor O'Mayga stumbles up onto the dry-ish land.
He watches Ayla stroke strongly away from the shore and keep up with Koani. Unfortunate that I couldn't help more. But at least it will be a peaceful and quiet walk around the lake, he thinks just as Gamin begins to chatter on continuously. (Sigh)
When Koani emerges soaked and bruised, he begins to offers his assistance with her healing. Seeing her take care of herself, he instead simply extends his hand in an offer to take the rope back.
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She was.... Again drinking while O'mayga and Koani were swimming over. She was ready to do and offered drinks to her companions, "Very well done, though that sock to the mouth looked bad, Koani. Lets get Kalk to where he wants to go."
She seemed glad that they made it across, but wanted to make sure that Kalk made it to the end, and that they weren't going to get jumped at all.
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As Korivan walks around the water, the purple aura around him becomes more intense. Taking on another point of burn as we get deeper into the marsh.
A loud thud hits the ground as the void chicken makes its re-appearance.
"Cluck. Cluck. Cluck cluck cluck."
Korivan, not expecting the chicken to pop out jumps noticeably and glances at Tim.
"Tim! You're going to be the death of me!"
Korivan shakes his head as he walks down the path behind everyone
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Seeing the others simply walk around the bog causes Liasna to sigh a bit. She could've, she supposes, but...
"You're missing out on the experiences!" she says, wringing out her shirt a bit. "Though I can't say I really blame you." She shivers at the ambient chill that comes with exiting a body of water.
She congratulates Baoju and Koani with a brief, "Nicely done!" before following along after Kalkamedes.
"Hah! Kinna wait tae tell Ol' Kalk about this one later when he wakes up - bein' paddled around in th' water like a wee babe! He'll never live it down!" Gamin chortles as the group finally reunites safely on the other side of the bog. With one more hazard bypassed the group gets underway again, wondering just how much more trouble their sleepwalker will get them into...
...and as it turns out, quite a bit! Not long after crossing the pond, Kalkamedes’s path winds westward into a steep mountain pass that climbs several hundred feet. The surface levels out only to with a precipitous drop into a thirty-foot wide canyon. Baijiu, ranging ahead of the rest of the group, reaches the drop-off first with everyone else 60 feet behind. Peering down, the drunken warrior can see that it's quite a long way down, probably about 100 feet or so. Meanwhile, Kalkamedes continues walking...
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When Baiju reports the approaching cliff Doc O' suddenly drops the rope and immediately sits down, presumably prompting stares and protests from his allies.
"My boots," he begins as he strips them off his very large feet. "Their magic allows me to... fall without... suffering any real harm."
"Please put them on him quickly... He can simply... tumble over the edge. He'll even... land on his feet."
Though I wish Hogo knew that spell to levitate someone. Or even to fly!
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Accustomed to thinking on his feet (heh), Dr. O'mayga calls out a plan as he hurriedly slips his own boots off with the intention of putting them on Kalkamedes. Ayla stands by, ready to slip them on the wily sleepwalker as soon as someone manages to get him on the ground...
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Feeling a little more bold, Korivan tries to wrap himself around one of Kalkamedes' legs but is almost immediately shaken off and left face-down in the dirt. All the while his...ghost...chicken?...clucks with amusement.
"Ooh, that was a good effort laddie, a good effort," Gamin offers, trying to be encouraging. "Hey, th' lass with th' flask! Bye-joo, right? Mebbe you can hold 'im still!"
Baijiu feels a small bit of warmth emanate from Gamin's hilt, granting her guidance. Inspired, she attempts a flying tackle on Kalkamedes who is still slowly but surely making his way toward the cliff...
...and manages to knock him flat! The alcohol-swiggin' woman ends up sitting straddled across the sleepwalker's back as he flails about, unable to get up. Ayla quickly darts up behind the pair and slips Dr. O'mayga's boots onto the man, smooth as butter. Once the boots are in place, Ayla gives the signal and Baijiu quickly rolls off of Kalkamedes. Without missing a beat, the sleepwalking man climbs to his feet and continues on his merry way towards the edge of the cliff.
"Har! Good teamwork there! Ah'm impressed!" Gamin whoops. Then there's a pause. "So, uh...now how're *we* gonna get down th' cliff?"
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Didn't think of that, did you, Blue?
Hogo begins to shake with laughter - again! - when Gamin asks the barefooted samsaran about his plans to get down the cliff.
But they begin to feel a little bad given that he was just trying to help Kalkamedes. They push thoughts of Encouragement to their friend in the hopes that the Doc does indeed have a plan.
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Doc looks at Gamin a little awkwardly at the reminder. He stands in his sock feet watching Baiju and Ayla put *his* magical boots on Kalkamedes for a moment before suddenly snapping his fingers.
"Ah, yes, I have... just the thing!" he says as he reaches into his pack and withdraws a potion vial.
As he steps up to the edge of the cliff, he quaffs the potion, and starts climbing down the incline with an unexpected level of control and agility. Hogo stops laughing atop his head, and the Doc gets the sense of Pride from his small friend.
When they reach the bottom, he makes haste to grab the rope, and uses his wand of curing to patch up Kalkamedes scrapes and bruises.
"I'm going to... want my boots back..., at some point..." he comments to no one in particular.
As Kalkamedes reaches the edge of the cliff and plummets over the side like a rock, Dr. O'mayga quaffs his potion and begins to descend down the surprisingly sheer cliff face after him...but not before Ayla leaps atop his back, wrapping her arms around his neck. With Hogo sitting atop his head, it makes for quite the strange sight but strange or not, it's certainly effective - if a bit heavy!
The rest of the group remains at the top of the cliff, trying to decide the best way to get down in one piece...
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Although Dr. O'mayga, Ayla, and Hogo are able to carefully make their way down the cliff, the rest of you quickly realize that climbing down without the aid of a rope is going to be a very dangerous proposition due to the sheerness of the sides of the cliff.
However, Korivan and Liasna quickly put their heads together and decide to look for an alternate route down that would be more manageable. It takes some time - which leaves Dr. O'mayga and Ayla to try and wrangle Kalkamedes on their own - but after backtracking about halfway down the pass the group had originally ascended the pair finally come across a meandering trail that looks like it might lead into the ravine from a lower point...
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Meanwhile, Dr. O'mayga and Ayla and Hogo reach the bottom just in time to see Kalkamedes on the far side of the 30 ft. wide canyon attempting to climb back up the opposite wall...
...but without making much progress.
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"Oh, dear," Liasna grimaces a bit when they finally find a less difficult path. Granted less difficult isn't exactly the same as manageable or easy, so she'd have to beg the gods' forgiveness for her grumpiness. She touches everyone with a touch of the gods' guidance before patting herself and giving it a go.
"One bit at a time," she mutters to herself under her breath. Before she quite realizes it, she's evidently managed not to kill herself.
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"There's more...?" the Doc says despondently when he realizes they need to get up the other side.
Then he realizes where the party's rope supply is. Tied to Kalkamedes! He runs across the canyon floor and grabs the end of the rope up off the ground. He thrusts it into Ayla's hands as he begins to hurry up the other side of the canyon before the potion wears off.
"Make yourself... useful back there and... drag him up with us."
"And for the record... I'm the brains. Hogo is the... heart, I'd say."
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Hogo regards Ayla with amusement, but is concerned that her presence could slow down the Doc. They stretch out the tip of their tail and tap Ayla providing her some guidance from Pharasma in case she needs it, then does the same for the Doc.
When they start up the other side, Hogo goes full-on action hero. To the extent that a tiny thorn vine can. They climb out of the Doc's hair, and wiggle across Ayla's neck and shoulders and down her arm. They wrap themselves around the rope and smoothly slither down to Kalkamedes. Once there, they bestow on him the guidance of Pharasma to help his climbing.
While the rest of the group is working on descending the not-quite-as-steep drop further up the ravine, Dr. O'mayga, Ayla, and Hogo engage in a desperate gambit to try and get themselves, Kalkamedes, and their rope up the opposite cliff before the good doctor's potion wears off.
The strange-looking trio begin ascending, Hogo latching onto Kalkamedes and granting him a bit of Guidance to help on the climb up...
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Dr. O'mayga practically runs up the cliff as fast as he can possibly go while Ayla keeps one arm wrapped tightly around the doc's neck and the other on the rope tied to Kalkamedes. Hogo clings precariously to the sleepwalker's head, offering what guidance he can, while Kalkamedes alternates between climbing and being practically dragged along the cliff wall...
...and though there are a few tense moments where Kalk fails to make any headway, he thankfully never loses his grip!
Meanwhile, Baijiu and the rest finally make their way down the into the small ravine by way of an alternate path that isn't nearly as steep or sheer. Although they had to backtrack a short distance down the pass before finding a suitable spot to descend from, the rest of the group doesn't have to worry very long about being left behind. When they come around a small bend, the four Pathfinders on the ground are greeted to a very strange sight - the quiet, unassuming doc speeding up the opposite cliff like a lizard with Ayla clinging to his back and half-dragging Kalkamedes along by the rope. They can even see Hogo perched atop Kalk's head like the world's strangest hat.
"Eh...Bye-joo, lass? Are ye sure yer drinkin' ain't affectin' th' rest of us by like, oz-moe-sis or somethin'?" Gamin finally asks. "'Cause Ah do believe that righ' there beats all Ah've ever seen!"
Whether it's real or just a fantasy to the four agents and thae talking sword down at the bottom of the ravine the whole ordeal is quite real for the Doc and Ayla and they can't help but breathe a sigh of relief when they finally reach the top and pull themselves to safety. But their relief doesn't last too long as Kalkamedes, a bit bruised from his earlier drop but otherwise still in one piece, attempts to keep going...
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At the moment that his hand takes hold of a large root right at the top of the cliff, it occurs to the Doc that, indeed, Kalkamedes is simply going to continue onward. Fortunately, there's rope!
"Please alight, Ayla... and if you would...*huff, huff* tie that rope off to something...*pant* quickly." It goes without saying that between his normal slow speech and being winded from the climb, that it ironically takes him forrrrevvvvver to get the word "quickly" out.
Once Kalkamedes is secured and unable to continue, the Doc moves to retrieve his boots before he is forced to continue this night march in his socks.
"Ayla, is there any way... we can... restrain him," he gestures towards Kalkamedes, "so that the rope... could be... utilized for our... colleagues' climb?"
Scanning about, this side of the ravine is dotted here and there with tough, gnarled-looking trees that cling tenaciously to the rocky earth. It proves to be no trouble to tie the rope to one, leashing Kalkamedes to the trunk like an over-sized dog. The sleepwalking man keeps on walking but isn't able to go anywhere; the whole thing would actually look rather funny if the situation wasn't so tenuous.
Getting the Doc's boots back from Kalkamedes proves to be slightly more difficult...
...as he kicks and flails about like an ornery horse when the Doc grabs at his legs but thankfully isn't able to do too much damage before the boots are finally wrestled off of his feet.
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She looks up the cliff and sighs, wondering if anyone has rope. If not... Well only so much she can do. She begins the climb, while making sure to cast Guidance on herself.
She might not make it anywhere at this rate, but that won't stop her from trying!!! She offers a prayer to the Original Drunk, drinks some alcohol for him, pours him some, and will give it another go when she feels like it is the right time.....