"Oh! Do you remember I can cut through to other planes? You have to slice just right though!" This chipper male voice comes from the axe that Qizzlvutz scavenged from Heap.
"Ah! Well it seems that we will be sorted then. The rocks are my friends after all, we understand each other." Abnaki starts when the axe begins to speak. "Krz! I wasn't sure if you were... well alive doesn't seem to be the right word, but 'with us' works fine. I'm quite pleased to hear from you. My half has been quite quiet for a very long time. Are you holding up well? Any strange changes to report?"
Actually, "all of us is with me". Hee hee. There's only one Krzysztoff now! Don't you remember, you silly vine-head story el? I like music stories now, but before I only liked one. You-me liked stories, and Kallik-me liked music."
Trying to make their face pointed like Éan Aisling's but it doesn't work. Making a to large smile on thier face to be friendly. Pointing to themsleves and buddling out, "Mycos."
Moving to Éan Aisling's side and pointing at their arms, "different?"
A stream of high-pitched bubbles stream upwards when Krz speaks. Not a word of a noise of suprise that ends in a contented hum. Pulling the axe out and staring at the blade. Voice still? Krz speaks though the axe.'
Looking around then back to the Krz ace, Shh..slice? hmmm, other plane?"
The feathered head nods in agreement, as their arms slowly morph back into huge wings. "Different." While the being speaks, sparks of blue and brown myconian meaning flicker in their eyes. Qizzlvutz recognizes this as a strong, magical creature (like Heap) who goes beyond the idea of speaking just one language.
"(Ask) one question, then you must (awake)." You feel the buffeting wind of the ings upon your face, the cold air bringing tears to your eyes.
[ooc]Asking this mostly because Qizz the character is out their element. Being on the surface and not knowing or having ties to the party beyond Kallik and they want to help.
Using phone to format on paizo is very annoying, will be away from computer for rest of day. DM please roll with +20 please
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Taken by creative inspiration, Abnaki starts telling a wild tale of a Fey none of you have heard of before - the Flamingo Princess. A ridiculous-sounding bird (which most of you are fairly certain does not exist) manages to, according to the story, catch a fairy in a pond and wishes to becomes a princess.
The meandering nature of the story is already making the scenery around you hazy and indistinct; Qizzlvutz swipes down and across with the axe, guided by Kallik's insubstantial hand; and down and across again. The tear is already opening...
Samen nudges the arcane energies in the right direction, getting the whole messy process to merge together nicely. All with more subtlety than old Samen would have given himself credit for. The plane of Great Fiiesr awaits.
You step through the flapping edges of reality, feeling a warm breeze upon your skin as you do so. Strong forest smells of soil and pine needles permeate the air. The air tastes faintly of blueberries.
As you view your surroundings, you experience a strong wave of vertigo - it feels as if you have suddenly shrunk. Huge trees soar into the cloudbanks above; a bear-sized squirrel skitters past; elen-sized acorns litter the ground.
As a worm as big as Samen pops its blind head out of the ground, you notice the forest floor is littered with old bones.
Unexpectedly, Wamblee steps through last, as the portal closes behind you. He breathes deeply, and sighs.
"That is refreshing. We shall do good here."
Looking around with their eyes as wide as they can get. Already used to feeling smaller than most around them that feeling is magnified. Bubbling out quietly, Pretty!
Qizzlvutz, using the many light sensitive patches that shift around its skin, quickly gets a feel for this new area.
Immediately, you sense a presence, hiding in the thick branches sixty feet above you. It is another very interesting bird, and this one is large enough to crunch the bear-squirrel in its beak in one swoop. Your instinct is to stay still for several minutes until it finds different prey.
"Perhaps it would be best if we consulted with a native as it were? It will take an hour of lucid dreaming, but I could probably learn quite a lot about this place after it."
"You are certain your dreams won't come alive in this place?" Wamblee arches an eyebrow as a small cloud of dandelion puffs blow past in the breeze, singing and humming in tiny Fey voices.
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"Wamblee my friend," Abnaki laughs joyously, "My mind is like pumice. Ever since moonfall, I've been living one of my nightmares."
He looks a little bit puzzled. "Hm. Not entirely sure why I said that. But regarding dreams coming alive, I'm counting on it."
After the gargantuan bird has flown elsewhere (on alarmingly silent wings), Gabe smiles and says softly "I'm used to finding hidden paths." He thinks about his scouting days in the Happy Swords, but the thought of all those absent friends kills the smile. "Come on." He trudges forward, marking a way through the brush with one of his blades.
Everything is so green and alive. Huge fern leaves billow about you like sails in the wine-scented wind. The grass dances away from your clumsy feet. The long, low whistle of some lakeshore bird repeats among the chittering of insects and rustle-snap of the brush.
The rest of you find it hard to follow Gabe's footsteps - the landscape seems to be changing ever so slightly as you walk through it, leaving you stumbling over rises that were flat but a moment ago. Nonetheless, Gabe leads you on, stopping now and then to allow you to catch up. You seem to be making progress - the trees wildlife slowly become more reasonably-sized after two or three candles of travel.
Looking around, up and down, and more than once having to run to catch back up. Everything is so different. [i[Qizzlvutz not grow..[/i] Grow? Told bird Qizzlvutz grow.. I think its just where we are. Nodding to themselves while touching the massive fern.
It takes them a bit to figure out the words but after walking for sometime they bubble out, "Correct plane?"
Wamblee looks down at the little creature. It was easy to overlook, so small and childlike...yet it was this small one who brought us here.
"Yes, this is certainly the home plane of Great Forest, and also the Fey. Thank you for your help. Kissel? Is that your name?"
You leave the close, humid air behind, relieved to see a normal-sized squirrel scamper up an oak. For a peaceful moment, you could pretend you are in a normal forest back on the equal plane.
Over the next rise, the illusion is quickly shattered: arrayed in neat rows, grave-trees dot the landscape. No two are the same - you see a bewildering variety of species, some in full spring bloom, others in autumn splendor, and still others in winter's slumber. You even see a cactus.
You are unsure what this place signifies. A resting place of Fey? A place that stores dead oreads that arrive in Great Forest's home? Something else entirely?
Abnaki, you feel a tug of intuition upon your scattered brain. This would be a fine place to breathe in ghosts and exhale a grand story.
The Great Forest is intriguing in all its aspects to Samen. He takes notes about the smell of the air, the feel of the ground, the health of the trees, and the size and temperament of the beasts they encounter.
Of particular note, he longs to strain his vision beyond the tops of the trees. Home is shrouded in darkness, but this place may not be so. If Sky or Sun have any life here, he would wish to know more of it.
"So really quickly," Abnaki says, sidling up next to Samen. "What exactly are we doing here? What exactly do we hope to accomplish? Because don't get me wrong, plane-shifting some place using words, weapons and knowledge is exactly the type of thing that heroes do, but what is the end goal here?"
"Good question. Something is definitely off here. I just wish I knew what the baseline was. If I had to guess, there will be gem related occupying forces that are unwelcome at an important location here. Our job is to remove that intrusion to restore balance to this realm."
...
"I think."
"Would not that be a perfect question to ask these...dreams? spirits? that you intend to summon? Could we ask them what is wrong, and seek guidance?"
"Thank you Samen. And an excellent point Wamblee." Abnaki sits down on the ground, and begins to dream with his eyes wide open. Most people think you need to be asleep to dream. Abnaki knew better now. Sleep was just to make it safer for you, to protect your physical form, and keep the madness at bay. But Abnaki had lost most of his original form, and madness had already made it's home in him, so instead of sending his sleeping mind to where the dreams were, he brought the waking dream to him.
A pumpkin, a skull, a flower, and a mushroom all grow out of the ground in front of you. Despite their abrupt appearance, they are all plain-looking.
A genderless voice from the air calls dreamily, "Choose.
Gabriel watches quietly
Smiling up at Wamblee, "New." Making a face of clearly deep thinking before slowly bubble out, "QUIZZ-UHL-FUTS."
Abnaki seems immediately drawn to the pumpkin, touching its orange surface with his fey-warped hands. A scowling carved face appears upon the gourd, like an autumn specter. The voice, however, is jovial, belching smoke in a fiery voice.
"Alright, story weaver, the rules are THIS! You SIT down and you LOOK at me, and nothin' BUT me. Break the rules and I'm gone. And yes, you can blink at least. Ask yer questions, hoho!"
"Seems fair. I'm a newcomer to these lands. Tell me not what I want to know, but what I need to know." Abnaki says, remaining in his seating position, and looking at the friendly pumpkin.
Samen quietly interrupts the proceedings. "Don't be alarmed, Abnaki, but we will likely be engaging in combat while you engage in information gathering. Stay focused, trust us, and we'll protect you."
The elen-shaped beings all walk slowly toward you, still half a brutbreve field away. They are vaguely sylphan in nature, but their faces are obscured by lank brown hair for the moment. The movement of their pale arms and legs is calm, dream-like.
"You need to know that I'll waste yer time on vague questions like that! You've got yer dream fluids leaking all over the landscape, so hurry up and get to the point!" The pumpkin seems like a slightly inebriated grandparent - willing to help, but mostly rambling.
"Where are we? Who rules these lands? Where is the Gem incursion? That'll do for a start." Abnaki says, maintaining intense eye contact with the gourd.
At Samen's prompting, he nods. "I don't suppose you'd mind if I orated our discussion, would you Mr...?"
"Pumpkin. What the hell else would you think my name is?"
***
"Let's see if magic works the same here as it does back home."
Samen conjures a chain of thought into being, each linked by rational cause and effect and sends it to trip up the closest foe.