| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
“What kind of place is Crux?” Savi asks someone who is not behind a bush. “Do they have things like beer, and beds, and bathtubs, and—” Don’t say ‘bees.’
“—bruncheons?”
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
"and boughs and branches!" Nik replies.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Rinika returns looking refreshed. "Ah, I needed that. Umm...also a Boy. Veridis. Veridis is a boy. You're talking about things in Crux, right?."
Savi flies around the party, willing Prestidigitation to secretly clean bodies and not-so-secretly make clothing warm, as if fresh from the clothesline on a hot summer noon. (At least that’s how Savi hopes it feels.)
In addition to cleaning and warming, Savi also uses her ability to make random objects that begin with B. She says to Helios, “What’s behind your ear? Gasp! A ball that bounces!” After it bounces, she dispels it and does the same for TitaNik, except this time it’s a bottle that breaks. For Jek, a bear in a blue beanie. For Rinika, a Barbie in her birthday suit. For Conor, his clothes are warm and dry but no antics.
The party brings Lunk and Savi through the ruined city with great haste and luckily avoid the Lovelost. You arrive at what appears to be a felled tree but at one end is a shimmering field of light and color. You pass through the color pool and transported to another place...
A small town overwhelmingly constructed with wood. Steep-pitched roofs of heavily thatched wooden shingles rise up from each home and shop. Delicate scrollwork of a master carpenter covers many doors and the trim about the windows and eaves. Its then that Lunk and Savi notice that the ground is made of bark covered wood. Looking around it slowly dawns on the pair that you stand on a giant branch of an unimaginably huge tree and that the town is built where two of these branches meet.
Branches and leaves blot out the sky, but occasionally you spy a clear blue sky but never see a sun or source of daylight. The air is crisp and chill, but not uncomfortable. You garner a few glances as you walk through the burg but no one opposes you.
Lunk starts to sign how he feels about this place, but after several hand gestures are left untranslated, he just gives a thumbs up to whoever happens to be looking at him.
Savi’s eyes are on the other fairy, whose surrounding rainbow arcs make her look especially radiant under this clear blue sky. She finally musters the courage to speak to Bedu.
“Bedu… there’s something I’ve been dying to ask you.” No, dummy, don’t ask THAT. Ask something else. Anything! Anything else— “Are you a healer fairy? My mother says healer fairies are excellent swimmers and…” Nope nope. Stick to the healer subject. It’s not awkward even if it turns out she’s not a healer fairy. “…and of course excellent healers. So I was wonder if maybe… if maybe, maybe I could see you in action?”
She points out Nik’s and Rinika’s wounds. “You can probably ignore the decay that zips around Rinika’s body.”
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Once back in a place where you can walk normally, breath normally and many other normallies, Helios let's go a weird moan in a strange language.
"O mai gad!!!"
Protected by his Endure Elements spell, he follows the lead and walks through the village, smiling at everyone that doesn't look like an undead. He's had enough undead for today.
"Do you guys think we're gonna find more undead here?"
Lunk sees his sign language is getting him nowhere, he decides to cast Prestidigitation to create a sign that says ‘I hope not.’
But as soon as he reaches for his ocarina, a sign already is appearing in the air. It looks like a protest sign.
It reads,
THEY WØN’T SHØW
All of the Ø’s are red, and within each is a badly drawn zombie, helmed skeleton, and ghost (whose surprised expression suggests he is so ‘busted’).
Despite pranking Lunk with that sign, Savi is falling in love with this giant tree. She wants to fly back a bit to get a better look, but later. There might be bees here after all, and the bees might be colossal.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Conor let's out a massive sigh of contentment when they reach Crux, both to be out of those awful places full of cold and undead but also because it appeared the visions didn't come back after their last thrashing.
"An Inn, a bath, booze and maybe a barmaid. I need these things." he rumbles, a smile creasing his face for the first time in a long time.
"Oh, and a priest. Definatley a priest."
“I need a bar maid too. Ever try mage-handing a pina colada through a crowded bar? There’s always that guy who’s like ‘don’t mind if I dooo, YOINK.’ I hate that guy.”
She looks around for an inn. There sure are a lot of wooden buildings here! Are they labeled in a language she knows? Well, these guys were here before so…
“Are we going to an inn right away?”
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
| 4 people marked this as a favorite. |
“I need a bar maid too. Ever try mage-handing a pina colada through a crowded bar? There’s always that guy who’s like ‘don’t mind if I dooo, YOINK.’ I hate that guy.”
"Nothing wrong with helping yourself to an unattended..." Rinika's ears perk up and she glances around. The tree is quiet and still, and she continues. As she does so, her spot migrates over her face, much more lazily now that she's out of the negative energy plane. It passes briefly through her mouth and throat as she speaks and something peculiar happens, although she doesn't seem to notice.
"As I was saying, nothing wrong with helping others in needttended drink if you're thirsty, that's what I say."
"Helping others in need?" Nik asks as they continue through town.
Rinika gives Nik a questioning look. "If they look rich, or it's not too much trouble. I didn't think you were that charitable."
"Just don't try to help yourself to my ale. Might lose a hand that way." Conor rumbles as he walks, smiling at the prospect of food and booze.
Both Niks eye Rinika suspiciously.
"Just don't try to help yourself to my ale. Might lose a hand that way." Conor rumbles as he walks, smiling at the prospect of food and booze.
“This may come as a shock, but if say that to a guy twelve times my height, I’ll get more laughs from the threat than I do from my comedy act.” Smiling slyly, she adds, “Which is not to say I don’t get my revenge for the theft of my drink. It’s just passive-aggressive stuff.
“Like I can will the flavor to change: broccoli, Brussels sprouts, hard-boiled egg, bitter melon, durian… and if I’m really mad I will the beverage to be soiled. Of course, that’s only good for one sip. The far more effective re…”
There’s a story there, and she almost tells it, but…
“Oh, I can’t talk about my revenge pranks. Then if I ever have to perform one on a deserving jerk, it won’t feel fresh to you, the intended audience. Unprofessional of me to even bring it up, like explaining a joke before telling it. I apologize.”
Conor chuckles at Savi, "Fine, surprise revenge sounds fine. I just pray I never end up on the bad end of your revenge pranks. Rest assured I won't steal your drink."
"Helping others in need?" Nik asks as they continue through town.
"Sounds good, but we should talk to Veridis first."
“Oh! The boy?” Savi has an eager, giddy, mischievous glint in the eye. “How young? Lunk and I do puppet shows! Y’know, for kids!”
"Oh, no, he's not like a child. He's older. Like, older than me. Maybe around Conor's age? I have a bit of a hard time telling with hairless creatures. But no, Veridis is important." She says this all with a bit of a dreamy tone.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"Still... he's not too old for a puppet show. I don't think anyone can be. Maybe you can do one to bring him up to speed on our trip?"
"Gotta describe what we found in that nightmare place somehow, a puppet show sounds nice."
A small gasp escapes Savi. “Never too old… yeah.”
She turns to Lunk, “This ain’t gonna be our typical Punk and Socky routine.” Lunk is signing to Savi who responds aloud, “Right. The Lovelost, the visages, the melty guy, the suicide vampire and the TitaNik egg. Awwww, but you do the sound effect so we—well… I think one fart joke is acceptable. Yes, to move the plot or I wouldn’t even…”
She looks to Jek. “How soon do we meet the important grown-up? I gotta design the props. I need at least seven minutes.”
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Listening to the details of the show, Conor offers, "Maybe we should get a drink, I'm thinking whiskey, before we start, eh?"
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
The party decides to return to the Lucky Lam, (the King's Table has too many murders). Auntie Glimmerhoof bids the party farewell, promising to provide restorations tomorrow morning. She does not have the required diamond dust so the party will need to provide it.
The tavern room is empty except for a human barkeep who is wiping down a wooden mug in her hand and 7ft tall 7ft long mantis creature that sips from an awkwardly held mug in its claws.
The barkeep begins to say "What'll ya have?" but then trails off and points to a sign that says Clothing mandatory she gives a pointed look at Cuddles and TitaNik. You wonder how the giant mantis managed to skirt the rules, but then realize she's wearing a skirt.
Savi is glad she didn’t talk Bedu into staying, though she does have an extra pair of sleeves in her size.
Savi steps onto the bar. “Thank you for asking. I’d like a list of your virgin cocktails, ma’am, or if that’s too ‘off menu’—” Savi makes air quotes for emphasis. “—any drink served with a cherry will do nicely.” To show she’s civilized, she adds, “With the stem.” And to show she doesn’t think the bar tender’s dumb she adds, “Obviously, right?”
Conor bids Glimmerhoof a sincere goodbye, having rather enjoyed her company, for a ringer, just fine.
Then.
"Whiskey. And a shot of whiskey, and a whiskey chaser." Conor booms excitedly, eventhough it hadn't been that long since they left civilization, it sure felt like one looong time.
Both Niks, remembering why TitaNik is so comfortable, slap their faces in unison and then step outside.
They soon return, TitaNik wearing a sack that has two holes in the bottom and is bunched up at the top where a hand holds it up.
MaNik gestures at the slightly improved modesty of TitaNik and says "good enough for now?"
TitaNik turns to Cuddles and asks "I have one more sack. Want it?"
After a moment's silence, he remembers that Cuddles doesn't talk.
He looks to Rinika for guidance.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Cuddles tilts its head? to the side as Nik speaks to it. After a moment it takes the sack from TitaNik but in doing so brushes up against one of the pseudopods.
Seeing how TitaNik is wearing the sack Cuddles pull it up under it and holds the sack with two pseudopods while peeking out the top.
With everyone properly clothed the bartender serves you.
Conor laughs at the antics of dressing their newfound menagerie and turns to the barkeep. "Food, hot. Meat if you have it and lots of it. Ale too, and whiskey back. To start." he rumbles, a wide smile on his face at the prospect at warm food and booze, "and a place to stay for the night."
Both Niks order some ale and sit on one side of Conor, soon gulping happily.
Eventually, MaNik opens his mouth to speak, but then closes it.
TitaNik then asks the barkeep directions to the tailor.
Lunk tries signing his order.
Once in the tavern, Helios finally relaxes a bit. He's still hoping all the clients to suddenly become zombies, or the barmaid to drain Nik of his life force, but he shakes off the bad feelings and orders a drink and some snacks.
Putting away his bow, he leans back a bit and sighs. "Okay, so tell me again... Our next step is...?"
Jek orders a large ale and whatever vegetarian option looks good.
"Our next step? Well, we need to bring Veridis up to speed, and it looks like that could even be a puppet show." Jek grins trying to contain some mischievous laughter. "After that it sounds like we'll need to find that other guy the vampire mentioned, but Veridis may know about something we don't. In either case, now's the time to get patched up, unload our bags, and refill them. I'm not sure if we'll swing by Sigil after Veridis, but we probably should."
Savi will ‘translate’ Lunk’s signed food/drink order in the very likely even the bar tender doesn’t know sign language.
Seeing how Jek brought up the puppet show, Savi asks him, “Are there any particular moments that were important? I’m thinking Glyphimwhore is the big-bad, and the vampidrow impaling himself is… well, dramatic. And the birth of TitaNik ends things on a lighter note, which the kids love. Other scenes can be thrown in as filler, but the main ones will have…
“Words.” She pauses, a pensive expression on her face.
I should have worn a beret while saying all that. One hand slowly moves to a magical sleeve. Nope. Too contrived if I do that now.