"Hold on, Alrinkir!" Chimwemwe shouts over the droning as he moves across the sticky floor to come to his friend's aid. "Akoril, one more lightning bolt!"
He puts his shoulder behind his shield and slams his weight toward the bee menacing the automaton. He swats his shield at the bee again in the hopes of taking it out of the fight for good.
Chimwemwe splats the bee.
You make quick work of the remaining bee.
Before you have time to heal up, you hear Okoro's voice. He sounds anguished.
Keep breathing! Please, I know it's hard. Keep breathing! It's coming from the chamber just to your right.
"Okoro?" Chimwemwe wonders. He quickly surveys Alrinkiri and determines that they are in serviceable enough condition before moving toward the sound of Okoro's voice. "Is that you, Okoro? It's Chimwemwe."
O-over here!
A flickering light reveals a dark tunnel leading west and there you find Tzeniwe and Okoro, leaning over Ignaci's body. Their voices are rising in panic; Okoro has one hand in Ignaci's mouth and the others holds cradles his head. Keep breathing! A dead mining bee lies nearby.
Ignaci's face, tongue, and throat are swollen and turning red. His eyes are wide with panic as he gasps for air, each shallow breath getting more difficult than the last.
Tszeniwe sees you. WISPS! CHIMWEMWE! Help! Ignaci got stung… we think he's allergic and is going into shock!
Repeated failed attempts to help Ignaci may do more harm than good, and if you make a serious mistake it is likely to kill him.
Binji runs and hides.
"Oh no!" Chimwemwe kneels down beside the Ignaci. His finger begin to draw out invisible diagrams as he surveys the thaumaturge. "This is going to be difficult."
He pulls out several tools, vials, and bundles from his bandolier. Quickly, he crushes a selection of leaves in a mortar, mixes in a colorless solution, and then pours it into a strange vial. He caps the vial with a cork pierced through by a sevencoat serpent fang.
He jabs it into Ignaci's thigh and squeezes down the plunger.
Ignaci gasps when the plunger goes into his thigh. His breathing eases a few moments later.
Okoro practically smothers Ignaci with a hug before helping him up. He is better, nbut cannot walk without assistance. We chased off some gremlins playing a sick game by the pond over there, too. I think it's safe to go out, says Tzeniwe. She points to the passage that goes to the pond. And it is not far. adds Okoro. I think we will be able to make it out.
"Quick thinking, Chimwemwe. That is an interesting injection device."
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Chimwemwe sighs with relief when Ignaci begins moving air again. He wipes the sweat off of his brow and then begins picking up his tools. "My father used to make them for my mother with stonefish spines," he says to Alrinkiri. "When we moved to the mainland, he discovered the fangs of sevencoat serpents worked well, even though they're not venomous. Hmm. The magic is in my mother's recipes, though. Hmm. I was afraid I'd remember it wrong."
"Good work, Chimwemwe! Thank you for the help, Okoro, Tzeniwe. We can keep going."
"Do we have a few moments to rest first. I could use some repairs, and Soomdevi may need some attention as well. If we are in a hurry, I recently purchased some magical means, instead."
"Of course, yes!" Chimwemwe says as he moves to inspect the damage done to Alrinkir's body. He pulls out the modified bludwort and begins to work on the automaton. Glancing at the scratch on his own arm, he muses, "I don't think these--mining bees, did Wisps call them?--these bees are venomous. Ignaci's poor luck would give Mariama's a run for its money."
Once he's finished applying the paste and hammering metal plates back into place, Chimwemwe goes to attend to Soomdevi's rather deep wound. "Let me clean this out. I'll have to suture it loosely."
Akoril, not trained in the healing arts keeps watch while Chimwemwe treats wounds and the like.
Chimwemwe is able to get everyone back to full soon enough. Akolil sees another gremlin body in the pool.
Once you are healed up, it is time to pick a direction and continue exploring.
"Binji? Do you know what's behind that gremlin door?" Chimwemwe asks, pointing to the secret door in the east corner of the bee cave that the grimple pointed out.
Binji knows! That is where more bad gremlins sleep. She has to clean in there, too. She scratches her shoulder and several fleas fall out.
While he waits for Alrinkiri to rest, Chimwemwe pulls out a hammer and a muffle to repair his shield.
"Maybe we should let sleeping gremlins lie and try that tunnel?" he suggests to the others, pointing to the tunnel heading east just north of the gremlin door.
"Yes. No need to court more conflict if we can avoid it."
"Yes, let's go that way."
You mopve through winding caverns; Binji points out another secret door that goes to the gremlins' quarters.
Up ahead is faint light. You hear a familiar voice… the same watery voice you heard directing the gremlins who were kidnapping your fellow students.
Why you no listen to Nuglub? She train you good. With pain. That is how you learn. You remember she hurt you when you no listen. You hear a thwach and short-burst buzz.
Binji runs and hides. That's Nuglub! The meanest worst gremlin! Binji knows, there's a cave ahead.
The chamber up ahead grows quiet. Shhh. Nuglub hears something. Is it a naughty gremlin come to play?
Akoril looks to his allies, getting ready to cast magic weapon if they're going to push forward.
Chimwemwe points to the left--away from the buzzing sound--and makes a looping motion with his hand.
you move around to the lower entrance. The smell of rotten meat assails the senses in this large cavern. A natural pillar in the middle of the room bears several metal hooks with gruesome slabs of meat hanging from each.A small-sized creature with three glowing eyes and the face of an old woman smiles at you. Her black, oily hair covers her twisted body like a cloak. She holds a mining pick in her hand.
Ooh! Come play with Nuglub and her pet! She is mounted atop a horse-sized fly. For a moment the fly seems like it will buck her, but then acquiesces.
She digs crudely-made spurs into the fly's sides, then casts a spell at you. Slime appears at your feet.
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
Nuglub
➤ Akoril
➤ Soomdevi
Fly
Alrinkiri
Wisps
Chimwemwe
DC 26 (crit success), second success by another PC, or DC 18 as second check after first success:
DC 26(crit success), second success by another PC, or DC 18 as second check after first success:
Akoril hustles through the grease, casting magic weapon on their bow.
The fly's wings buzz, it flies forward and tries to stick its proboscis into the nearest target! it hovers in the air, striking down at the inventor.
Chim blocks most of the damage, but the fly manages to wriggle its proboscis past the gap and find some exposed skin. It hungrily sucks some blood.
Also, Chim needs to make a fort save vs disease.
Good. Good! Now Nuglub have fun! Nuglub gazes down at Chimwemwe, taking particular note of his well-made armor.
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
Nuglub
Akoril
Soomdevi
Fly
➤ Alrinkiri
➤ Wisps
➤ Chimwemwe
DC 26 (crit success), second success by another PC, or DC 18 as second check after first success:
DC 26(crit success), second success by another PC, or DC 18 as second check after first success:
Chimwemwe's feet slip out from under him, landing him on his tail bone. "Curses!" He struggles against the fly's probing mouth but ultimately fails.
He climbs laboriously to his feet. Once steady, he traces the astrological pattern on the inside of his shield arm, and his invisible tattoos bloom with white light. The tattoos crackle with tiny arcs of electricity as he raises his shield. "I don't like that pick!" he hastily says to Alrinkiri.
As alrinkiri omves through, Nuglub lashes out with her free hand!
Stay still. Let Nuglub play!
Binji cowers in a corner. EEK! She is so mean!
Alrinkiri scrabbles to their feet, slips and slides around to the far side of the mounted enemy, then slashes at their mount!
Some residual grease causes their foot to slip a few inches just at the moment of attack, completely throwing off their aim and almost causing them to tumble to the ground again!
Wisps tries to figure out more about the nuglub.
Wisps shouts a warning to any of her companions wearing metal armor.
"You will not prevail!"
She fires off an arrow at Nuglub.
Wisps knows that Nuglub is a Nuglub. She probably isn't creative enough to come up with any other name for herself.
She has read that in combat, nuglubs focus on targets wearing metal armor. Some attribute this to envy on the part of the nuglubs, who find it difficult to fit armor on their twisted bodies.
Wisps's arrow narrowly misses, snagging Nuglub's in hair.
☀☀☀
Yes! Shiny armor for Nuglub!
Her hands crackle with electricity as she lughs and reaches out to touch the armor!
and
Hehehe! Who next?
She then spins away from the dying inventor, whose armor still crackles with residual electricity, and attacks Alrinkiri with the pick.
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
Nuglub
➤ Akoril
➤ Soomdevi
Fly
Alrinkiri
Wisps
Chimwemwe
DC 26 (crit success), second success by another PC, or DC 18 as second check after first success:
DC 26(crit success), second success by another PC, or DC 18 as second check after first success:
Akoril moves into the best position he can find, and gathers rocks and debris around his arrow as he takes a moment to aim at Nuglub before firing.
The fly turns to Alrinkiri and sucks their blood!
and a fort save
It pulls out the proboscis, drinking blood as it does so.
Then it turns its attack on its rider.
No! Bad fly! Stupid! Pay attention! Nuglub digs her crude spurs into the creature's flank. Nuglub tell you what to do from now on.
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
Nuglub
Akoril
Soomdevi
Fly
➤ Alrinkiri
➤ Wisps
➤ Chimwemwe
DC 26 (crit success), second success by another PC, or DC 18 as second check after first success:
DC 26(crit success), second success by another PC, or DC 18 as second check after first success:
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
Nuglub
Akoril
Soomdevi
Fly
➤ Alrinkiri
➤ Wisps
➤ Chimwemwe
DC 26 (crit success), second success by another PC, or DC 18 as second check after first success:
DC 26(crit success), second success by another PC, or DC 18 as second check after first success:
Chimwemwe and his fate are hidden from view in the prodigious flare of lightning conjured by the nuglub. The flash fades and arcs of white energy dance across twinkling white glyphs while the armor absorbs some of the energy. As the three-eyed witch turns her attention away from him, his eyes glow white behind his mask and he speaks in his native tongue, "Min me ypotimás."
He rises from his knee and slams his shield toward the witch while she is distracted with Alrinkiri. And then again for good measure.
[b]"Oi Lirgéni antéchoun!" he says. He falls back behind his shield, hoping that Curling-Wisps-of-Smoke recognizes his precarious condition despite his bravado and following the maxim that avoiding being struck is the stronger strategy.
He bleeds a little more and then the wound clots. The electroplating he developed with Chizire shields him from the electricity dancing across the plates.
Alrinkiri grunts in pain as first the pick and then the proboscis tear into their constructed body. Still, the damage doesn't prevent them from leaping at the nuglub, slashing at her twice before casting a ward to protect themselves.
Chimwemwe strikes Nuglub twice, but she grins at him. Nuglub can play more!
Alrinkiri has a harder time connecting.
Wisps is up! Also I need a fort vs Disease from Alrinkiri.
"Don't worry, friends. We can outlast her!"
Wisps sends some healing energy to Chimwemwe.
Nuglub pounds on Chimwemwe with her pick.
The inventor's shield breaks, but prevents a fatal blow. The fey creature grins.
Her next attack drops him. She digs her spurs into the fly. Now you listen to Nuglub. Attack one with bow! The fly reacts to this cruelty by bucking her right off its back!
AHHH! Nuglub kill you, stupid fly! She screams as she falls prone. She kill!
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
Nuglub
➤ Akoril
➤ Soomdevi
Fly
Alrinkiri
Wisps
Chimwemwe
DC 26 (crit success), second success by another PC, or DC 18 as second check after first success:
DC 26(crit success), second success by another PC, or DC 18 as second check after first success:
Akoril steps back and draws an arrow seemingly made of pure starlight and fires.
Akoril then follows up with another, much more mundane shot from his bow.
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Alrinkiri begins to feel a bit odd… their muscles feel tired.
Nuglub grins at Soomdevi. You nex— her sentence is never finished, as the rocks clobber her into the Boneyard for judgement.
--
The fly is hungry and angry. It also isn't very smart.
It tries to attack the rogue, but their shield blocks the worst of it.
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
➤ Akoril
➤ Soomdevi
Fly
➤ Alrinkiri
➤ Wisps
➤ Chimwemwe
Akoril steps up and conjures more debris around his arrow as he looses it at the bug.
"Look how close we are to victory! Just take care of the fly!"
Wisps sends another surge of healing energy to Chimwemwe, to get him conscious again.
As Chimwemwe's eyes open and he once again occupies a bit of the fly's attention, Alrinkiri stoically ignores their wounds and slashes at the massive insect in front of them.
Chimwemwe's eyes flutter open to a rush of pain even as the anadi magic weaves vital flesh back together and numbs that same pain. He staggers to his feet with the twisted metal of his shield pulling on his wounded shoulder. The witch lays dead on the ground, but the giant fly continues to menace them all.
"Alrinkiri!" he shouts hoarsely as he reaches over his shoulder to draw his spear. Glowing tattoos crackling with white energy, he drives the point toward the fly.
The crackles of electricity continue to dance across the glyph-scribed plates as the armor absorbs the energy.