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"Yeah Slavery ain't appreciated in the pact worlds!" Venari replies honestly Captain prefers the term 'press ganged' he finishes silently before looking at the limbs half-hidden away. "We really mean it when we say we mean no ill will towards you, just a phrase from popular fiction - didn't mean to cause no offence."
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Garcon raises his eyebrows at the sight ahead. "Hey um... do you want some... fertilizer for those pretty mushrooms? You uh... really don't need to but gnoll corpses on em. My old bartending instructor used to say he was treated like a mushroom! Kept in the dark and fed bul-"
He pauses as he nearly kicks a mushroom. He backs away slowly and cautiously, making sure nothing gets damaged.
"Erm... where was I... oh right! Fertilizer! So like... if you want help with all of your nice mushrooms, the gnolls are all good at takin care of plants, so maybe instead of gutting them and using them for plant food they could help by providing p- ... erm... nightsoil!"
He gives a wide smile, hoping that somewhere the ghost sees him.
"Use a gnoll for fertilizer and he'll feed your mushrooms for a day, ask a gnoll for fertilizer and he'll feed them for life!"
Out loud he says "Hey, I give rides to my nephlings. That doesn't make me a slave. Just means I like giving them rides."
"In a way, it does make you their slave." Comments silently
"How about you show yourself so that we can talk! Garcon already established that those gnolls didn't die here. If you are a ghost, it is the most unusual that I heard of. " Says Catsial turning around, looking for any signs of an alien
"Very well, you may enter my domain and address me directly. Follow the light." another purple light highlights a path deeper into the area. The path forward is thick with dark thorns that look wickedly sharp.
It doesn't look like there's a safe path at all.
You can navigate a route that looks safe.
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The path forward is thick with dark thorns that look wickedly sharp.
Garcon look around at all of the spikes and considers his 'cocktails.' "Hmm... I don't think I've got anything that can help protect us fr- oh!"
He watches as Omarc leads the party on a clear path. "Even better! Most helpful!"
He follows, considering as he goes what he could possibly serve a ghost. Probably not a ghost cuz I don't think a ghost would grow mushrooms but if it is a ghost I don't have ingredients to make any drinks and I don't wanna be a bad host because that would make a bad impression and I've gotta be ready at- oh. Sorry... am I thinking too loud?
Catsial follows Ohmarc on the path towards the light.
"That is odd to say the least. I am eager to meet this ghost. "
He wonders if it has anything to do with who set up this 'experiment'. Maybe they will get some answers, besides playing in the mud.
Merisiel, Garçon, Ohmarc, and Catsial make it through the path without issue.
Shokil and Venari get caught quite a few times: The path is especially harsh on Venari. Once on the other side, the party takes a moment to tend to the injured Starfinders...
The ghostly voice returns, seeming to whisper into Shokil and Venari's ears, "It appears the land does not like you...
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"Venari, what have you done to yourself? Please exercise caution when treading the path. Let me see what I can do to help."
Ohmarc lays his hands on Venari's wounds and uses his Healing Touch.
"Shokil, did you hurt yourself as well? Please come here."
Ohmarc casts Mystic cure on Shokil to heal his wounds.
The party takes a moment to look around. The crumpled stem of a giant mushroom blocks the path at the north end of this clearing, its faintly glowing cap knocked halfway from its base. Thin, wispy fog blankets the ground, swirling about in curious patterns and eddies. Overhead, the largest mushrooms yet stand sentinel, with occasional bursts of spores lighting the sky like flashes of lightning.
The "ghost" finally makes its presence known; a once magnificent beast which looks like a white horse, but with a goat’s beard and a single long ivory horn on its brow. Now it seems, tired and perhaps even sad.
"You are not dead this moment because you showed kindness to my domain. Nevertheless, I grow tired of the constant infiltration into my territory. Why do you insist on pressing on?"
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Bleeding rather heavily from the vicious thorns, Venari holds off from screaming as the lovely scenery shredded first his coat and then his flesh. As Omarhc takes the time to mend their flesh, Venari takes time to get their breath back and to meld reality to swap their coat out with another .
”My apologies - i got caught up with the glorious scenery and wonderful mushrooms to take enough care - hope I didn’t hurt any of your land.” Venari replies to the ominous whisper before reaching the clearing and stopping dead.
Besmara’s Holy...[i] the thought sorings unbidden as they spy the once majestic creature [i]Is that a missile launcher?!. Catching themselves they give the ‘Ghost’ a courtly bow.
”We do apologise for the intrusion but we come with a hope that this can all be over. We are Starfarers and have come to this land as explorers. Since coming here we have forged a peaceful alliance of the others - who merely want to experience fresh mountain air and to tend the land in peace. We would like to help you.”
"You've chosen a poor place to explore. I'll not accept any accord which allows them into my domain. If you think can forge such assurance, I'll let you leave alive. If you return with a promise in your hearts that it is done.... well... then we have accord."
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"My dear, Silvermane." Ohmarc speaks with reverance. "I can assure you that no gnolls or yetis desire to come into this domain. In fact, our entire mission is to ensure that everyone may return home to their own domain. The yetis desire to return to their cool mountain air. The gnolls hope to go back to their gardening. It is our belief that if we can reach agreement and unite all of us, then we will eliminate dominance and achieve oneness. It is this oneness that I believe will free all of us from this vault and from our captors. Is there a home beyond this vault where you hope to return to?"
"Excuse my bluntness but who are you? I've never seen or heard of one like you? Is it a disguise? An illusion?" asks a bit confused Catsial.
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"hmmm" thinks Shokil for a moment.
"The end result you want is that the others do not come into the swamp? Would you be willing to accept the, ahh, 'protection' of the Yeti, in return for them ensuring that the gnolls no longer come to collect fungus from here?"
He looks around the wonderful fungus forest. "Do you know how you got here?" he then adds.
"I am a unicorn! Is it not obvious‽" Merisiel doesn't want to believe it, but it's hard to deny.
Silvermane levels the device on her head at the party. It becomes clear that it's a grenade launcher....
"I just appeared here. I have no memory of a time before, and I suspect the [i]thing]/i] is responsible for that. I'm not going to play any game of dominance. I just want to be left ALONE!"
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"What if the best way to be left alone, was to play their game?" asks Shokil.
"We could help with that... what if we get a piece of paper and write on it that you recognize the Yeti as overlords of the chamber, and they cede control of the swamp and mushroom forest to you?" he asks.
"You put your hoof print on it, and everyone is happy!"
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"My friend, Shokil, speaks truth. Believe me, noble one, we want nothing more than to leave you at peace as well. However, the only way we can see a long lasting peace for you is to resolve the relationships between the three of you. To demonstrate unity to the observers would allow this endless cycle of experimentation to come to an end. I would not ask you this favor if I did not think it would work. I kindly ask you to please just give us a chance to peacefully resolve this."
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Garcon looks at the readout on the bottom of his serving plate.
"Oh yeah! If you say you wanna be a part of the muckfurs then we can tell em you're the muckfur in charge of this mushroom place and no others are allowed here. We can also have them leave their nightsoil and the bodies of their naturally deceased on the threshold to your domain to use as fertilizer! The Gnolls are honorary muckfurs too now, so it'll apply to them too. Then you'll get lotsa fertilizer and be left alone... and if the 'thing' at the middle isn't liking all of this... well... we'll deal with it. You guys all seem cool."
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”I can but echo my friends here Great One!” Venari speaks, trying not to look at the mounted grenade launcher and infact meet the Unicorn’s eye. ”Neither the Gnolls or the Yeti, now the Muckfurs wish to fight but merging in to one faction seems to beat the thing’s goal without bloodshed. We will act as emissaries”
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Thoughts race through Merisiels head. Unicorns come with rocket launchers now? That can't be right! There meant to be magical creatures not some Space age robotocised crazy thing. Come on pull yourself together You can handle this. You are Merisiel. An elven Pathfinder and … and …
THATS NO FROLICKING UNICORN She blurts out
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Venari carefully side steps away from Meriesiel, desperately wanting to put some space between them and the Unicorn’s freaking Grenade Launcher. Eyeing their new found potential ally with interest, they keep a smile on their face, hoping their rapport won’t crash with the odd Elf’s outburst.
"I don't think a signed contract is the solution you're looking for. The .... actual master of this domain just wants a "winner." I suggest talking to the yeti. If they promise to stay out of my swamp, then I'd be willing to wager that YOU can enter the temple."
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"Okay... lets try that!" smiles Shokil.
Anything to avoid having a rocket launcher pointed at me!
"Let's tell the Yeti we met the 'ghost' who wants only to haunt the swamp. If they stay clear, then they have naught to fear! Ohh, poetry!"
He thinks. "Any chance we could take some mushrooms with us, as a gift of friendship?"
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Ohmarc gives Shokil a glance and then uses his telepathic message to share his feelings.
"I think the unicorn likes his mushrooms where they are! I don't think we should impose on his generosity any more than we need to."
"Noble one, we will bring back your request to the yetis and the gnolls. I am certain that we can get their cooperation. I wish you well in your domain and with your gardening."
Catsial observes Merisiel and her attempts to communicate with the unicorn.
"By the way, why are you protecting the temple? Is it that the temple is within the swamp, and you don't want anyone to trample your mushrooms? Do you grow anything else?" asks interested kasatha
"I don't know anything more. I just know that a machine which controls the exit is the true master here. I've grown.... comfortable here. I have no designs on the temple itself. It just happens to be in my domain. Honestly, I'd just prefer to be left alone. I enjoy my solitude. Right now, it's just the fungi. If my whims change, I'll grow something else. It is the horticulture itself which draws me, not the specific crop."
Once away a bit, the party is free to talk among themselves without fear of upsetting the unicorn. Garçon notes that this does, in fact, seem to be a genuine unicorn, though the normal grace and majesty one would expect seems to have... deteriorated.
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Away from the Swamp and the terrifying Unicorn, Venari lets out a low whistle. "Well well... That was... terrifying! Nice going there, despite the hiccup in dialogue. I might have only just passed my commencement, but a Unicorn with a Grenade Launcher? Now I've seen everything!" The Diasporan Free Captain shudders at the possibilities of everything that could have gone wrong. "So The Unicorn joins the Muckfurs as the Swamp's guardian - we enter the 'temple' kick the butt of the sick individual making cool folk kill each other for an experiment and leave it to the Captain to rehome everyone!"
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"Agreed, my friend." Ohmarc replies. "I don't think I've ever tested my own skills as a negotiator quite so much as this Duskmire Vault. I think we are all very lucky to be alive. I suspect that creature is far more powerful than he looks, and that is saying a lot. So, before we go to the temple, I think we need to return to Gnolls and the Yetis and let them know of our plan. Hopefully they are still getting along fine. Afterwards, I do look forward to meeting with the 'masters' controlling the door."
Catsial nods to that, he also feels the adrenaline lowering as he no longer speaks with a unicorn with a grenade launcher on its head.
"That was the most unusual meeting that I had in my life. How does it load the launcher?"
"Do you have one of yours expressos, Garcon?" asks hoping to drink it on their way back.
Turning to Shokil he suggests
"Maybe Master of Puppets la gran final? "
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Venari turns to Castial and claps, a bright smile on their face. "Ooh indeed! And what an ending to Shokil's latest book! A mysterious Island where group are transported in without their knowledge - forced to fight one another for a puppet Master! Only freed from their eternal torment when a gang of fearless detectives unite them and bring down the Overlord!"
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”Mystery or adventure, there are still some unanswered questions that we need to get to the bottom of. Mainly, who would do this to these poor creatures and why? I cannot believe this is scientific research as much as their twisted pleasure. Imagine if they were betting on the outcome of this dominance game. One thing the unicorn got right, the ones in charge of keeping everyone in here is the one dominating the rest.”
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Turning to Shokil he suggests "Maybe Master of Puppets la gran final? "
The Muckfurs clearly think that you're out of your gourds. But you're members of the tribe, even if you're soft in the head. Inix gives a hearty laugh, "Somehow if we tell you that we won't step on mushrooms, this is all over? Outstanding! HAHAHAH!"
After his laughter dies down, a singular beep sounds throughout the vault...