Look out, we have trouble! Terexaltherin 'shouts' to the party. He sends an image of the feline predators and their location. We'll want to be quiet about dealing with them, unless we can make it seem like part of the show.
He flies over near to them, trying to keep high enough to be out of leaping distance. The little dragon picks one of the pair and focuses his telepathy on it. STOP! he commands.
Rollo is in full agreement with the purposed Leander exhibition.
During the break in the performance, Rollo watches the Gate crashing felines with a wide open expression of annoyance.
Are those supposed to be here?
The Sage the cast Dimensional Door to appear within 55' of the two trespassing panthers.
The Sorcerer then Quicken casts Heightened Charm Monster Will DC 25 at the feline not being targeted by Terex.
Rollo successfully charms one panther which breaks cover and bounds up to him like a big friendly dog while the panther Terex targets resists the spell, growls and circles away from Rollo to grab by the neck one of the Blue Star guards stationed at the jungle's edge - there's a general outcry as two other guards charge into the area... It looks like the cat is going to attempt to flee with the (who's still alive) guard in it's mouth and it seems fast enough to evade the advancing guards.
Gift had not moved, she still stood next to the dreamer in conversation. She chose to experience events with the cat through the hive mind. As the big cat seems now to be trying to take the guard away, she stepped in and used Terexaltherin's mind to lash out and try and stun the cat into dropping the poor guard.
::"Can I borrow your mind for a moment Terexa"::
Terexaltherin would have felt a psionic stun polt emanate from him and thrusting out into the mind of the cat.
In preparation for the gig, Azzim had cast a Mirage Arcana on the area turning it into a vision of the most fantastical first world jungle. Most of the foliage glowed a soft blue, there where fireflies the size of your hand dancing in the air. Exotic fruit was ripening on vines, which combined with bountiful glowing jungle flowers to give the air a heady fragrance. All this gave the dance floor a unique look, one he was confident the residents of Gamjee town had never seen before.
Azzim had once visited a dance club in a high tech world and been at once bemused and impressed by the concept of laser light shows and glitter balls. While he didn't have access to that sort of technology, especially not here in the jungle, he'd prepared sever powerful illusion spells and did his best to recreate the light show from Iridium Prime's Mamba Club. The lights needed to move in time with the beat which was taxing but fun.
Laurana had insisted on being transformed to look like a giant walking singing plant thing called a triffid. Azzim had never actually seen a triffid and he was certain Laurana hadn't either, so he let his imagination run wild, giving her the semblance of being a giant walking celery stick with a great big flower on the top. He was sure a creature like this was impossible, yet it looked utterly realistic.
She was dancing along with more enthusiasm than skill, when Terex sent a warning about the big cat over the hive mind. Azzim quickly cast Air Walk and started soaring through the air in the direction the little pseudo-dragon indicated. Noting the unfortunate guard being carried away, he pointed at the big cat and whispered, "Hexus!"
::"Can I borrow your mind for a moment Terexa"::
Terexaltherin's response is wordless acceptance followed by mental reaching, doing his best to shape the perfect conduit for Gift's power.
As the others take care of the panther threat, Toric maintains the grove of Jungle Bloom.
The nearby commotion makes Toric unable to fascinate the crowd, but the crowd goes wild over Toric's prodigious skill on the panpipes. The satyr cycles from dance hits to love ballads to upright bangers!
The strange Panther screeches as the mind thrust hits it and it's movements are wobbly and it fails to conceal itself though it keeps hold of the guard and shrugs-off the curse. At the point it reveals itself, the thing is hit by four crossbow bolts from the various other guards in area and it collapses. Several Blue Star guards advance into the foliage to see the state of their comrade while a couple reds approach Rollo about the Panther that now standing in front of him.
The rest of the show goes off without a hitch and the band again finds a number of well-wishers. Later in the evening, Moon catches up with Gift and says, "Will you be traveling with Leander then? Will I ever see you again? This may be the way of things..."
Finally, that evening, those who sleep notice that the dream-plane is back...
In the morning, a couple of your crew describe the dream also...
Gift joined the others as they started their performance, magic and music mixed and she worked her complex syntheses in tone with the others. Then a lull came and it was her solo time. She nodded at Strandel as all the razzamatazz died down, and he come with her to a simple piano and seat at front of the stage, They sat, and as he started to play so she started to sing, a simple song about war.
At the end, the last note lingered and there was silence for a moment then the whole place exploded. She and Strandel just bowed and went back to the band, to strike up another Banger.
The rest of the show goes off without a hitch and the band again finds a number of well-wishers.
Jungle Bloom exits the stage to thunderous applause. A party atmosphere begins almost immediately. Groupies hand drinks and themselves into the band's awaiting arms. Toric drinks, flirts and discusses music for several hours after the concert, eventually leaving the gathering with a blonde dwarf, a blue-skinned samsaran, and someone who appeared to be an undine.
Strandel's dream were graphic, but his dreamscape did not include a desert plateau.
She did not party with the others but went air born, lifting off and going up in the air, laying back she rested and looked at the stars before entering her refocusing cycle. Hexqill and her other drones around her like blue fireflies, keeping watch and stopping her from drifting off in the breeze.
Gifts whole being was her mind, her body was formed from it, pour psionic force. Keeping it focused took some willpower, and it came as a jolt when the dream plane bumped into her subconscious. She was nearly thrown out of her trance but soon will power made her calm down and see what it wanted this time.
She looked into the great hole and nodded.
Of course, It would be this
She thought to herself. And sort to reach out her mind to the ones below. But there were no minds there. This was an existential psychopathy of a deeper idea.
She turned and went back to the waking
Rollo forstalls the approaching guards immediately.
This one's taken.
The Sage decides to have T'Challa as his pet for this mission.
After their experiences of the evening and the night, the party rises and goes to meet Leander in his out-of-the-way haunt - this time the dreamer is on the shore and smiles as you approach. "I assume you have decided to accept my offer. We can leave in an hours time, I think, once we purchase final supplies. I have no map but I have detailed instructions for the journey which I copied from the dreams the Cucurai gaves. The starting point is different from any other expedition has taken, I believe."[b] He describes the directions, which describe in detail the qualities and windings of paths within the jungle, which forks to take as well as a variety of landmarks. [b]"The way has dangers and we will have to confront them. My intuition you are powerful and can deal with these dangers but naturally we will go cautiously."
The party returns to get final supplies, secure the boat and so-forth. As you are leaving, Eruendo's sprout says that Eruendo will meet the party once you are on the path and Shaky Babby offers to accompany the party on the expedition, although it's clear he probably isn't tough enough for the trip.
Leander's way points:
1) A lookout in hill, showing a wide area, 2 days along
2) The Crystal Forrest, 4 days along
3) Oil Flats, 5 days along
4) A matrix of caves, 8 days along
5) Mornette Flowers, 11 days along
6) Valley of Mists 13 days along
7) The Cucurai's home, 14 days along
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She takes on the hive mind as Hexqil and the other constructs she has will not be with her in the dreaming.
::"We will all be linked by me, the good news is distance means nothing in the dreaming. So as long as you keep linked we can still use the have mind.":::
Terexaltherin transmits a mental sigh as the aberrant pantheroid is brought down. Well, at least the guard is alive, he comments.
After the excitement has died down, he returns to slipping among the crowd, quietly broadcasting his thoughtsong as he moves.
He notes Rollo's decision to 'keep' the panther with concern. Your spell on it is going to fail sooner or later, and I'm... not a big fan of holding something against its will, if I haven't made that clear, he comments. You should let it go out in the jungle somewhere like its old habitat.
Unfortunately, with so much on his mind that night he doesn't keep his focus during the dream that night, and so much of it slips out of his mental grasp. He does, however, ask <Shimmer> in the morning if they detected anything interesting.
The next day, the little dragon listens intently to Leander's directions. While he recognizes the dangers, Terexaltherin can't help but feel a bit excited at the thought of exploring such strange and wondrous-sounding places. We've dealt with many dangers, but caution is still prudent, he responds to Leander. Could we ask what abilities you have for self-defense? Even if we handle the majority of the threats, we should be aware of what you can do if the need arises.
He quietly acknowledges Eruendo, but shakes his head at Shaky Babby's offer. He should stay with the crew. Honestly they should probably go back to their normal trade--if it's two weeks out it might be two weeks back, or we might come back by a different route.
Over breakfast inside the ship, Azzim said, "I had the strangest dream last night. I think I may have been touched by the dream plane..."
When Terex broaches the subject of what the crew should do, Azzim replied, "I can see dangers whatever is decided, but while this town seems peaceful on the surface I think it might be safer for them to be elsewhere when we're not around."
Moving onto more practical issues Azzim suggested, "I gather the jungle is going to be sweltering. I can cast a spell to help us endure the elements, although it would require repeated castings for us all to be included. I can also summon food and water, enough to feed us all. Secure camping can be a problem, I know a number of spells that can help us camp safely."
She tells the others about her dream as well. Simple and short, in fact, she shows them, the odd thing is in her dreams she is as she is now, a being of pure psionic energy, burning electric blue in the darkness of the dream. IMAGE HERE
"Thank you Azzim, I myself do not eat or drink, being a construct I have other means to fulfill my body's needs. That spell, I have a good tolerance for extremes of heat and cold but every bit helps. As for camping, my drones in the waking can keep and eye on us, in the dreaming, well we shall see."
Rollo smiles at Terex.
No worries, my friend. T'Challa will become my friend of his own volition. Time and training will be my tools. He has caught my attention. I feel confidently connected to him.
As you leave the ship, Shaky Babby promises to guide the crew back to their home port...
As the party finishes purchases and preparations for the journey, Eruender appears again and the combined group returns to Leander also introduces himself - Leander looks curious but asks no questions. On Terex' question, Leander says, "Yes, I can guess you all have significant abilities. I can outline mine" and he describes his unique psychic abilities. .
Then Leander leads the group to the point where his directions begin, quite near to the stone pier he frequents and where his small tent has been pitched.
For the journey, those with the most woodland knowledge will in front - Strandal and Eruender, followed by Leander and the other party members with Rollo's Panther taking up rear guard (the creature can easily and silently maneuver through the dense jungle despite it's great bulk).
Eruender comments as you begin "The first day or two will be simple as my influence easily touches the wildlife. After that, it fades, it seems." And so it is. For the first two days, the narrow path widens in just in front of Eruender and closes in again as the party passes. Thus you can estimate your first day's progress as 25 miles and you sleep that night in a natural seeming clearing with a series of straw "bed" for everyone's comfort - you still keep watches but the accommodations are actually nicer than the ships.
Then in the morning, you begin following the path again but after an hour, it seems Eruender's ability to guide vegetation weakens and you begin following the path as you find it. Eruender comments "I think nature itself become aberrant here, strange and beyond my control. This is something for our planar experts I imagine". And so the path winds, sometimes to avoid vegetation and sometimes randomly, it narrows and widens. Leanders' instructions describe certain kinds of colored vines that will mark the various legs of the path and this is what you look for.
So, you continue, going down into a wet valley which comes before the Lookout hill, you go over a soft, muddy valley where the path is winding but not extremely narrow . Cautiously nearing a shallow, muddy stream, from 60 ft away, Strandal, Eruender and other able to sense that some large creature (20-30' long) is waiting in ambush under the mud (your view of it is through tree and bushes).
Gift has her drones out, and staying back sends one of the small flying Crystals to have a look.
It moves soundless in the air and hovers over the site, she pays its findings over the hivemind.
Once in the jungle proper, Strandel (Toric) was happy with his purchase of a leather thong. This kilt would have made his boy's wetter than GIFT looking at a 500 gp shaft of quartz.
The bard sensed the ambush drawing his longsword, ready for the attack.
Anticipating a battle, Azzim offered to bond to everyone willing to provide healing if needed from a distance. He looked at Rollo and asked, "Hmm is positive energy safe for you?"
With a word of power he touched Laurana who promptly vanished, he told her "Go take a look but no heroics."
The invisible Laurana pouted, "Aww, where's the fun in that?!"
Still she knew better than to get close to whatever lay ahead, silently she rose into the air moving ahead to put her in position to observe and to provide healing if anyone up front required it.
Rollo smiles at Terex.
No worries, my friend. T'Challa will become my friend of his own volition. Time and training will be my tools. He has caught my attention. I feel confidently connected to him.
All right... Terexaltherin replies doubtfully.
Terexaltherin flies about to the front and flanks of the party, though he's watchful and wary. Still, he finds this place too fascinating to fully control his curiosity.
Let me ask <Shimmer> if they notice anything, the little dragon replies when Eruender notes the forest growing too strange for his powers. He turns his thoughts to the sapient stone. What kind of planar strangeness do we have going on here, <Shimmer>?
Terexaltherin files up into the canopy when the group notices something waiting in ambush. He hides himself, getting ready for a counter-ambush.
When the party begins the second day, Terex consults <Shimmer> about the planar phenomena and <Shimmer> reports the area isn't a stable material plane but something like planar fringe - if you go too far off the path, returning will be difficult and any shortcuts can be dangerous.
Scouting the apparent ambush area, Terex and Laurana come somewhat closer and can deduce the thing resembles gargantuan constrictor snake waiting ambush. Extremely quiet, just below the surface - at the same time, it's clear everything in the area has an aberrant quality.
Gift calls back her drone and it slits into place on her odd clothing.
We'd better be careful about leaving the path here--<Shimmer> says this area isn't really a stable plane, so normal distances and things might not apply, Terexaltherin reports.
He sends the rest of the group an image of the massive snake. It seems like 'giant aberrant animals' is a theme around here, he comments. Given the dangers of leaving the path we probably can't just go around...
He checks with <Shimmer> to see how much 'safe' area they have to work with, particularly vertically. So if we can't bypass it, do we have an alternative to killing it? I suppose if a charm works we could get past it that way...
She waits as the others look about. Taking in the views from their eyes.
::We may not have to fight it, Strandel are you any good at snake charming?"::
She asks without a touch of irony.
::That's a wonderful idea, GIFT!:: Toric smiled through the hivemind. ::I'll give it a try!::
Toric pulls out his panpipes and begins to charm the large snake to go elsewhere, away from the party.
"::I take it things are going to get stranger as we progress in deeper.::" sent Azzim over the link, "::I'm fascinated to see if this gargantuan snake thing can be charmed! Anyway if we need a respite I can summon an extra-dimensional dwelling for the evenings.::
I am not a fan, my good Azzim. Do not over concern yourself. I have wands if need be.
Rollo stays with T'challa during the trek. The Sage talking to him constantly about why eating folks is only done in extreme circumstances.
He looks a bit out of his element.....
At the big snake sighting (insert joke here), Rollo stays with T'challa defending the rear....
<Shimmer> send to Terex that the plane begins to be risky at 100' in all directions, at 200' away, finding your way back to the path would be very hard.
Rollo has learned in the couple days he's been acquainted with the creature he's calling "T'challa", that it is constantly hungry. It hunts and catches a considerable amount at night but still signals it's hunger during the day. If Rollo is attempting to teach it to not eat things, it is doing it's best to teach Rollo the joy of eating everything... It follows Rollo's wishes but clearly thinks of him as a strange and charming kitten whose wishes need to be tolerated despite his strange ideas.
As Strandel begins his piping, the rest of the party stays back or hidden. Initially, you notice very little but slowly the slight undulation of the ground increases, becomes small waves... then suddenly an immense creature - roughly the shape of an enormous snake (60+', 3' thick body) but with gems, areas of glowing embers, steaming dry-ice cold and crackling electricity spread around it's body and with feather covering it's head. It lifts high, maybe 30' into the air, into the air and then comes down to undulate 40' away from Strandel. At this point, Strandel attempts to use his rapport with animals yet to little effect...
Leander send telepathically "A remarkable creature, a pity we cannot study it but that's the least of our worries now". Eruander casually holds a fallen oak trunk he has sharpened into a spear...
The creature seems to have more than animal intelligence and a somewhat strange mind as well. Still, it certainly likes the piping. It's attitudes seems to be that it will listen and follow as long the piping goes on but seems determined to attack once the piping ends...
::Well, he likes the music. So long as I keep playing, he won't attack. So there's that.:: Toric communicates through the mindlink. ::I can't imagine being swallowed feel very good.::
The satyr continues to play his calming melody.
Umm... Terexaltherin somehow sends the telepathic impression of a nervous laugh. That's... impressive, yes. Good thing I'm so small, it probably wouldn't even notice me, much less think I'd make a meal...
So... think we could all get around it while Strandel plays, then lose it somehow? Anyone have a good, strong wall spell? One that can be really really high?
::"Well I can sense its mind and an aberrant mess, I can try and control it, but the 'it' might just be too unstable to control."::
She reaches out to control it.
"::I prepared a wall of thorns today, but I doubt it would do much against something so big... Perhaps we should fly over it?::" suggested Azzim.
The enormous creature sways slowly and rhythmically, pushing mangrove-like trees aside effortlessly as it moves, it's undulating coils now mostly out of the shallows water, it's elemental "tiles" glowing like an evil disco floor....
Gift concentrates on the thing's mind and she's right, it's just far too strange... Eruander just nods and looks at the thing....
Leander also looks at it. "I say, maybe we could just walk past it, carefully, let it follow us, figure a way to escape it later, would dancing help?...Or maybe some sort of illusion? I know several"
::"It's beautiful, I would much rather not kill it and rob the vers of such a pretty thing, So lets dance."::
Azzim smiled inwardly, when it came to dancing he had two left feet, but why dance when you could fly?
With a word of power the air underneath his feet solidified and he stared walking up into the canopy as if climbing an invisible staircase.
"::I see no reason to kill it either.::" he replied from far above.
That's what I was thinking, hence asking about the wall idea... maybe we could... no, probably too risky with the planar weirdness here...
Terexaltherin 'talks' while he flies well over the head of the snake. Say... maybe we could hide in my library for a bit when we need to shake it? I doubt it'd eat my rock, and it'd probably get bored and go back to its usual ambush spot after a bit if we suddenly disappear...
::What should I do?:: Toric pleads through the hivemind as he continues to play his panpipe. ::I could cast charm monster but it might have the opposite effect we're looking for. Or I could cast calm emotions? I eagerly want your input:: A tinge of fear creeps through the satyr's mental communications.
Azzim and Terex fly about 80' up, high in the jungle canopy through tall trees resembling rubber, palm and ungurahu (but with odd shades and textures in their bark and leave), well above the creature to the other side of the path, while the rest of the party looks on... In flying, the pair notice the trees ends 90-95' up and a strange, dense fog lies above it.
Leander looks at the enormous beast, it's attention focused on the satyr... ::Hmm, I can understand why you'd be nervous. I imagined we could all dance around the thing, just out of range. But it's reaction might unpredictable to any interruption of the music. I can sense it has a powerful mind, not insurmountable but magic is risky, my guess is still carefully circling would be best, we should be prepared to fight also... He removes a silver amulet and keeps the creature in view...
Eruander sends ::I could maneuver around it or even provide a distraction. It wouldn't find me very palatable to swallow, I think.
Gift moves, her dancing a step and then a 40' port, a spin and a port, a jump and port, a leap and port, a puoet and port, a skip and port, a hand stand and port, each port jumps her 40' each part of the dance 5' in this way she moves around the snake in tune with the music. Never being in more than one place for more than a second.
::"Follow, entertain it and it may not trike"::
Rollo watches the others preparing and discussing the problematic worm.
Perhaps, I can charm it.
The Sage then begins casting spells on himself, prior to floating within 55' of the hypnotized worm.
He then cast Hieghtened Charm Monster Will DC 25
When Leander mentions that it has a powerful mind, Terexaltherin realizes there's something he hasn't tried... talking to it. Cautiously he reaches out with his telepathy to see if he can contact its mind.
With Gift, Terex and Azzim past the huge snake, Eruander transforms into a slithing vine and moves past it as well. Leander remains with Strandel while Rollo floats invisibly above...
When Rollo casts his spell, he feels the thing's mind resist it as well and for a moment, the thing growls and a beam of fire shoot out of it's fire scales toward Rollo's general location but goes wide... then the creature seems to go back to it's dance.
When Terex contacts the thing, it's quite willing to communicate - he can feel it's intelligent, cunning, very hungry yet a bit child-like .... "Oh the song, when this song ends, I will consume you all but I shall wait 'till then, I shall hum this song when you have been consumed and remember such interesting things passing my way...No more magic, do not make this stop too soon... "
::"Ok the idea is simple, feed it!, I will need help with what I am about to try, please lend me what you can in way of magics and skills for this has to go well. I will project a meal for this snake, but it will be real, I have a power that can sustenine life by way of creating food. But this snake needs to want to sea it, So Rollo and Azzim help with the illusion, the setting and what the meal looks like and acts. It has to be the most delectable meal a snake could want. Strandel I need you to sell this as a meal fit for such a snake, it will be fed, just by us working as one. Alright, let's start with a setting. Texe, you must touch the snake for us to feed it through you."::
Gift used the music in the mind of the snake, to project
And something close but unseen the snake can eat.
And the Strandel playing his music,
::"Over to you."::
It's mind certainly is strong. Not certain any Illusions of mine will affect it since it has already resisted my charms.
The Sage does comply by creating an illusion of a herd of yummy gazelles prancing by the worm.
Heightened Minor Image Will DC 25