With a wash of healing energy flowing past him, Caiten regains consciousness and sits up in the mud. He barely has time to look around him before Sulee plops herself into his lap. He tries to look through the underbrush, but it is difficult to see anything from nearly ground level. So he stands up, keeping hold of Sulee since she seems to be refusing to be put down for the moment. "Has everyone else left then? Let's finish collecting our equipment and then leave."
"Yes, everyone else has left," says Lisi with a smile.
He looks for something tasty to tempt the elephant with.
When he gets a chance, he will use Wild Empathy to Make An Impression on the little pachyderm to bring it back to camp and safety.
Hezle responds to Caiten, "Yes, your equipment is over in the bunkhouse -- as well as the body of your deceased friend, which I temporarily preserved with some chemicals. All the equipment should be there, except for that of your elf friend, who was taken to Belmazog's fortress. I don't think the cultists you chased away will be back, and any reinforcements from Belmazog wouldn't be here until late morning tomorrow at the earliest. As I was telling Yasami, though, if you intend to go after Belmazog, you will need to destroy the totem down in the pit and any others left in the jungle. But I can tell you about all that at your camp if you prefer."
The elephant immediately responds to Lisi's kindness and gentle words and will follow.
Catalina finishes making her way toward the rest of the group, feeling rather worse for the wear. Before speaking to everyone, she takes her waterskin and rinses the acid off of herself, finally finding some relief from the persistent acid that had coated her during the fight that had just ended.
"Well, let's go get your things," Catalina says when Hezle finishes speaking, looking over at Caiten and Oren. She is quiet for a long moment, feeling hesitant to bring up her next thoughts. The death of a friend and companion is difficult, but having to face the corpse of a friend is a whole different brand of difficult.
"Did...Dario ever speak of how he wanted his body handled if he were to die on these journeys?" She asks quietly, twisting the Hag's Eye ring on her finger anxiously.
Lisi clears his throat.
"Dario is from Alkenstar, adopted into a dwarven clan. I am sure his clan would want to receive him back to place into the earth."
"Hezle, what all is going on in that camp? Giant spiders, strange worms, and a totem...I'm still not sure I understand it. Did Belmazog summon the vrocks, or are there lieutenants that are summoners as well? I think we need to know the extent of the forces we are dealing with, both at that camp, and beyond."
He sighs at the mention of the word "fortress". "And fortifications. If only that angel had stuck around. You'd think we could recruit a metallic dragon to aid us from somewhere."
"Well, let's go get your things," Catalina says when Hezle finishes speaking, looking over at Caiten and Oren.
"Yes. Let's." Caiten clearly looks troubled, but doesn't elaborate further.
He cautiously leaves the forest and heads over to the barracks. He doesn't bother looking for his clothes - he is still wearing not much other than the armor that he got in Hezle's hut. He does immediately grab his whip, his wand, his longbow and arrows, and Sulee's carrying satchel and re-equips all of them.
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The group heads over to the bunkhouse, which is abandoned and in some disarray. All of Caiten and Oren's equipment is there in a jumbled pile, along with all of Dario's equipment.
You search through the belongings of the charau-ka but, with one exception, there is nothing of value -- it is mostly just scraps of clothing, crudely made wooden carvings and jewelry, and half-eaten food. The group does, however, find under the bunks reserved for the butchers 5 moderate elixirs of life.
Back at your camp
Hezle does her best to answer your questions. "The vrock was conjured by Belmazog in an elaborate ritual. I've never seen any other cultist who could do something like that.
We did not bring the spiders here. We just noticed that they had moved into the mudpit at some point. They are mud spiders that we have here in the jungle. They have left us alone, but I knew they would get annoyed if I disturbed their nest.
The floating worms and the creatures in the water just showed up one day. I think they are some kind of side effect of the pillar. I think they must come from some other place because I have never heard of those creatures in the jungle, and they just seemed to appear out of nowhere. The worms have not bothered the workers and the creatures in the water have only shown themselves when the water is disturbed.
And, yes, Belmazog has some kind of fortress several days South of here. I have never been, but that is the word the boggards used to describe it. I do know that the cult’s dragon pillars or totems are somehow protecting the fortress and and that you should make sure you destroy all the pillars before going after Belmazog. I know the locations of all the pillars and can mark them on a map for you."
Lisi clears his throat.
"Dario is from Alkenstar, adopted into a dwarven clan. I am sure his clan would want to receive him back to place into the earth."
"He mentioned that here and there when we talked," Catalina replies, frowning. "We may want to consider cremation," She continues gently. "Maybe a remembrance will help us all." She shrugs, clearly feeling uncomfortable with bringing this up, despite the necessity of the discussion.
"I have a spare blanket to wrap the body in until we know what we are doing."
"Yes. Let's." Caiten clearly looks troubled, but doesn't elaborate further.
He cautiously leaves the forest and heads over to the barracks. He doesn't bother looking for his clothes - he is still wearing not much other than the armor that he got in Hezle's hut. He does immediately grab his whip, his wand, his longbow and arrows, and Sulee's carrying satchel and re-equips all of them.
Catalina accompanies Caiten, looking after the witch and his familiar like a watchdog as they gather their things. Given the past 24 hours, she's loathe to leave any of her companions alone.
In a far back corner of the bunkhouse, you find Dario's corpse lain flat against the back wall. Consistent with Hezle's comments, it does appear to have undergone some chemical preservation.
Lisi ponders the worms. "I assume they were pulled in from some other plane of existence. I have no idea what that implies about the pillars."
"Hezle, thank you for all of your assistance. We seem to be benefiting quite well by the singleminded nature of these cultists--so far they haven't noticed anything as we destroy their pillars. They must not have anticipated it."
As the clearing near the mine quiets down, the sounds of the jungle become more audible. Yasami looks through the trees for any remaining stragglers, then puts the sword back in the scabbard, and walks towards the camp. She remains quiet, still contemplating the bittersweet victory and the events of the last two days.
In the camp, her eyes are focused on the small fire made for warmth, with the dancing flames keeping her mind occupied from the fact that at least two people were permanently lost in the initial attack.
"Thought you were done for." she finally speaks out into the silence as she slowly wipes her cheek either of mud, blood, tears, or a combination of those. She stands up, and gives Caiten and Oren a hearty hug. She clings a little longer than anticipated on each of them, as if to make sure they are actually there. Once she lets go, she looks at Hezle. "Lisi is right. Thank you. You were instrumental in this rescue. It didn't go unnoticed."
She sits down again, and pulls out her medical tools to patch everyone up while they talk.
As she stitches wounds and cleans up blood, her face is emotioneless. But knowing Yasamina, that probably means she is either calculating, or hiding seething anger. She has an okay poker face, and it's hard to read her sometimes.
"We can't leave this mine open. Can't leave the gold here. Otherwise it was all for nothing. There is still one barrel left." Yasami dangles the bag of holding in the air. "Catch the sabosan, take the gold, collapse the entrance, destroy the pillar, kill reinforcements, then go hunt Belmazog?"
She looks at Hezle - "We can reunite you with your people on the way to the fortress. And the elephant calf, too."
Entering the clearing again, Yasami's eyes are focused on the western treeline. Specifically, the place where the sabosan was perching. When they enter the bunkhouse, she looks at Dario's slumped body only to cover her mouth mid yelp. After being paralysed by the sight for several seconds, she kneels down next to Dario. "I'm sorry." she whispers with a shaky voice. "So sorry..." she adds after putting her palm on Dario's scarred face. She remains there for a few seconds, stands up, wipes her face, just as people are talking about funeral rites. "Either in Altaerein, or somehow take him to Dongun Hold. Can we preserve the body? Put it int he bag? I'm not leaving him in this jungle." she adds to the discussion with a surprisingly determined tone. "Either that, or a pyre and some sort of urn."
Oren returns Yasami's hug, grateful to be with his friends again. When they enter the bunkhouse, he is silent for several moments, until Yasami gives her piece about what to do with Dario. "I agree. This jungle is not his home. He should not be buried here. I suggest that we temporarily store his body in the Citadel, until we have the ability to return him to Dongun Hold."
She stands up, and gives Caiten and Oren a hearty hug. She clings a little longer than anticipated on each of them, as if to make sure they are actually there.
Caiten returns the hug a bit awkwardly - not entirely certain about the process. But he recognizes the intent and tries to provide comfort and reassurance as best as he can.
"I agree. This jungle is not his home. He should not be buried here. I suggest that we temporarily store his body in the Citadel, until we have the ability to return him to Dongun Hold."
Caiten nods at that. "I am not overly familiar with burial preferences in general. But that seems like a reasonable plan."
-----
"And, yes, Belmazog has some kind of fortress several days South of here. I have never been, but that is the word the boggards used to describe it. I do know that the cult’s dragon pillars or totems are somehow protecting the fortress and and that you should make sure you destroy all the pillars before going after Belmazog. I know the locations of all the pillars and can mark them on a map for you."
"Are you able to mark the location of the fortress as well? That will prevent us from approaching it accidentally before we are prepared."
After speaking to Hezle, Caiten settles down and watches the campfire in silence. Obviously thinking about something.
"Unless we have a way to reliably preserve the body, we may want to build a funeral pyre," Catalina says, her face drawn with exhaustion and sorrow. "Embalming only does so much, but we will get him to Dongun either way." The aasimar kneels down and covers the body with a spare blanket, wrapping the body gently as she whispers a few Dwarven prayers she picked up over her years of travel.
Catalina stays mostly quiet during the planning with Hezle, mostly awaiting the kobold's information.
After the discussion with Hezle, Catalina approaches the pensive witch and settles down next to him. She stays quiet for a few moments, letting the silence hang between them before speaking. "Something is troubling you," She states simply, turning her face to him and studying him with her lightly glowing eyes.
"Catalina, your plan is a good one. That sabosan is an affront to nature," says Lisi.
"...ah...a bag of holding doesn't contain air. It should preserve...the body. Just fine."
He speaks the words with some effort, and nods to Oren. "I agree with you, Oren. We should bring his body to Dongun Hold, as much as we might desire to bring it with us. His memory will stay with us to Altaerin."
He sits down opposite Caiten and Catalina, drawing the wargs and his leshy with a gesture to sit near as well, and quietly waits to see if Caiten will speak.
"Something is troubling you," She states simply, turning her face to him and studying him with her lightly glowing eyes.
Caiten nods. "Several things." He stares into the campfire for a bit longer.
"I have previously encountered ... mean people. And cruel people. Ruthless, greedy, ... abusive. People that I think should be removed from society for the protection of others - and still think so. People that I used to call evil people."
"Perhaps they still deserve that label. But after encountering a Barghest and a Vrock, I am not so sure any more."
"In the last month or two, I have caused - or at least helped cause - the death of many beings. Several of them were intelligent ones. At what point will people start to call me evil? And if they do ... are they right?"
"In the last two days, I have nearly died twice." He pauses for another few seconds. "And Dario did. The things we are fighting against are dangerous - very dangerous. None of us are doing well at battling them. And I don't know what to do about that. It feels like part of the problem of our own survival is that we are too merciful. We want to make sure that the enemies that we meet are actually enemies. Which just gives them time to prepare and coordinate their tactics. It would be more tactically optimal if we just attacked everything that we meet - preferably from a position of advantage. And without ever talking to them or investigating at all." He pauses again. "But by doing that we would end up killing many people that don't deserve death. And we would truly be evil."
"I think I would rather die than engage in such wanton and reckless destruction. But it feels like dying is indeed going to be the result of that moral stand."
With a somber tone, Yasamina chips in. "It was you or them." she points towards Dario. "This is war. Or seems like we're heading for one if we don't stop it. I don't think Dahak will have such thoughts, so I will let you make your own opinion on which is worse - you or Dahak."
"Speaking of..." she looks at Hezle, and beckons Oren to come closer. "Hezle, can you fill my friends on Kyrion?" Yasami pats Oren on the shoulder. "Hear her out. I think you in particular will find it interesting."
She starts wiping blood from her hands with some rags.
Catalina listens to Caiten quietly, laying back on the jungle floor to stare up at the canopy where dim light was streaming through the thick layer of leaves covering them. "Yasami is right, I think," She says, heaving a sigh. "Being the 'good' person is hard, yes? That is just a fact of life. Making the 'right' decisions are never easy. It means we are in more danger than others, but it means we can sleep easily at night knowing we are not murdering people who do not deserve it." Catalina wrinkles her nose with distaste, shifting on the ground.
"I think in some ways we have been too merciful. Gerhard could survive our letting him go...and then we have created a powerful enemy. If he does not survive, we will be safe...but we do not know either way." Catalina props herself up on her elbows, finding the jungle floor less-than-comfortable. She finds herself longing for a time when she wasn't slightly damp and too hot.
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"Caiten, this is the conundrum of being a sentient being with a conscience," says Lisi.
"Certain forces in the universe cannot be reasoned with, like the vrock. Evil creatures can redeem themselves, but we have not met any who are interested in that. And by 'evil' I mean planar, cosmic evil, not the mere petty evil that men and elves do. We cannot just rely on instinct and reaction, as an elephant or leopard might. They could be justified in either attacking or fleeing from anything they meet. They have no nation, are not part of some scheme that spans many lands and worlds. We, unfortunately, have that burden, and of course, for most of us--perhaps not you--find ourselves inflamed by a natural response of the blood and glands to attack, or flee, sometimes when we should not. We need to tame ourselves, and many, many humanoids have proven themselves incapable of this task, ignoring both the 'pure' instincts of nature and the 'good' precepts laid down by...Reason, or the Gods of Goodness, or wherever it came from, and thus petty evil and cosmic evil can work hand in hand."
Lisi pats a warg. "What you are doing is exactly what you should be doing--you are questioning yourself. When you observe yourself from a theoretical outside perspective, as part of a network, of a whole greater than yourself, it can lend a new frame of reference for your thoughts. In that way, you can check to see if you are doing the right thing. Gods expect us to muddle, and some forgive us for that. Fiends expect us to muddle, and seek to take advantage of that. I know this much--good people, good gods, and all animals never seek to manipulate us with cruelty. I prefer that side of things than that of the fiends and petty evil people."
He smiles. "I am sure that you do as well."
Caiten nods gratefully at his friends. "Yes. I am thinking, and considering, and analyzing. It is the best that I can do."
"And we should all get some rest. We still have to go back to the quarry tomorrow before reinforcements arrive."
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After answering the group's various questions , Hezle sits quietly, so small and silent that the party almost forgets she is there as they muse around the fire. After the group has gone around with their comments and sit lost in reflection following Lisi's contribution, Hezle speaks up, in accented but articulate common:
"I, for one, am glad you were able to see that, for many of us, evil is something we have done, not something we are. The vrock -- yes -- that is a creature who thirsted for destruction at its very core. Have you noticed how quiet the jungle is near the camp? That is because the vrock killed all the birds. Was it hungry? No, it had plenty to eat. It just loved to kill.
It is different for us kobolds, and even the charau-ka and the boggards. We are born and are raised in certain circumstances, habits, and cultures. Evil gods and their agents work their influences upon us, and it is said the gods themselves whisper to some of our leaders at night, to keep us on their paths. I don't mean to excuse the evil I did -- I knew what Belmazog did was wrong and that whoever is backing her means to bring much evil in the world. But we Thornscales find few opportunities to advance ourselves here in the Mwangi. The Ekujae, for example, don't trust us and most often would kill us on sight if they find us on their lands. And I can't even blame them, given the history of our people.
It is the same for the charau-ka, and they also are plagued with their blood lust, and it is rumored the ancestral touch of a demon running through their veins. It is same for the boggards, and their devotion to Belmazog borders on worship.
Again, I don't mean to make excuses, and Yasami is right that the cultists gave you no choice but to kill them. But it is easy to make bad choices in this world, and for some of us more so than others, and I am grateful that you have given me another chance.
And I ask that you give Kyrion the same chance. As I told Yasami, Kyrion is a young red dragon that Belmazog raised. She somehow got hold of the egg, but I don't know how. I've only met him a couple times -- once at my village and once at the mine. But it was Kyrion's presence with Belmazog that made us Thornscales agree to her mad plan in the first place. Kyrion is majestic and smart and curious and doesn't deserve to be caught up in Belmazog's plans. You know, Belmazog is a bit of a fool, and I'm sure she's way over her head with these foreigners. I'm not even sure she is evil to the core, probably more delusional than anything else. But, I do ask you to give Kyrion a chance to redeem himself when you encounter him at the fortress."
Caiten thinks about Hezle's words for a couple of minutes.
"You are not the first Kobold that we have met. The rest of your tribe is not even the first that we have met. Perhaps we have only met exceptional ones, but I haven't found any who seemed any more inherently evil than other ancestries."
"But for now, I think Sulee is right. It is time for some rest."
"I think if we are presented with the chance, we will talk to Kyrion." Catalina says, careful to make no promises.
"Rest is...a good idea. Caiten, Oren, Sulee...I'm glad you all are alive." She looks uncomfortable for a moment, fidgeting with her jewelry before offering a small smile at all of them. "We'll make sure to keep it that way."
Lisi clears his throat.
"Hezle, what all is going on in that camp? Giant spiders, strange worms, and a totem...I'm still not sure I understand it. Did Belmazog summon the vrocks, or are there lieutenants that are summoners as well? I think we need to know the extent of the forces we are dealing with, both at that camp, and beyond."
He sighs at the mention of the word "fortress". "And fortifications. If only that angel had stuck around. You'd think we could recruit a metallic dragon to aid us from somewhere."
As the conversation moves from the philosophical to the practical, Hezle tries to answer the group's questions.
"Yes, Belmazog summoned the vrock. I've never seen any other cultist who had the power to do anything like that. The only other magic users I've seen have been the boggards with the staffs, and you saw that they didn't do anything too impressive.
"If you avoid disturbing the spiders, I believe the only threats left at the mine are the worms floating around the pillar and whatever creatures are in the water. As I mentioned to Yasami, the dragon pillars are somehow creating a magic that protects the fortress, so you really should not approach the fortress without first destroying the pillars. I can show you on a map where all of the pillars are -- I gather you have destroyed a few already. All of the pillars are protected by different creatures Belmazog recruited, although I don't know what creatures. I do know one is protected by sabosan. I'm not sure which, but I suspect the sabosan who fled went to join its kin.
In terms of what Belmazog was up to with this mining operation... As you probably know, the evil dragon god Dahak manifested in these lands eons ago, and was fought back by the Ekujae. Since that time, innumerable cults have risen and built monuments to Dahak, only to be found and wiped out by the Ekujae. Belmazog is the most recent cult leader -- have I mentioned she looks to be half-dragon, half-boggard? Between her odd nature and having Kyrion with her, she has been more successful than most.
Belmazog is obsessed with restoring Dahak's influence over these lands. In fact, I think she even thinks she can cause another manifestation, but I think that's just a folly. Although she managed to build a following -- the Cinderclaws -- her success was limited by the continued threat from the Ekujae.
But at some more recent point, she received assistance from a group of foreigners... they were called the Scarlet Triangle or something like that. I never had any dealings with them. But I know they helped Belmazog with the rituals to erect the pillars that keep the Ekujae away. After that, Belmazog started this gold mining operation. She said the Scarlet folks told Belmazog the Ekujae's gold had resonance with Dahak's ancient draconic magic. She recruited me to test the gold to isolate the gold of greatest “divine purity” to send to the fortress and then eventually off to these foreigners. I don't know much about religious stuff, but I was able to figure out a test to sort the gold the way Belmazog wanted and that's what we've been doing.
I think that's what I know. Any other questions for me?"
"I have many questions still, but most I will likely have to answer on my own. I am curious what distinction between gold purities Belmazog is needing. But that would be best answered by inspecting a sample or two. Not likely something that could be done this evening."
"In the morning, we should destroy that pillar before leaving. Then we will likely need to track and find that missing elephant. Then I suppose we should take them back to their encampment. Trekking through the jungle with elephants is not ideal for our long term goals."
The next morning, Sulee wakes Caiten up. "News for you. Our patron gave us a bit more spellcasting power. Also, can I wear my feather cape again today?"
"I can likely adapt it to fit." Caiten looks questioningly at Sulee. "I would have expected that our patron would be rather unimpressed with my effectiveness over the last couple of days. I nearly died twice."
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Sulee shakes her head. "Caiten, you have no idea. Whether you die or not isn't the point. You will die eventually anyway - even with your rather long lifespan. The point is that you are still trying. Even after you know what you are up against."
"And being unimpressed with your effectiveness is just more reason that I was taught a couple more spells last night. So let's give them a go for today."
▸ Speech
▸ Scent
▸ Manual Dexterity
▸ Restorative
▸ Flier
▸ Independent
Focus Points (max 3): 3
Hexes
◆ Stoke the Heart
↺ Phase Familiar
◆ Needle of Vengeance
Focus
↺ Delay Consequence
Innate
◆ Time Sense
Cantrips
◆ Shield
◆◆ Detect Magic
◆◆ Stabilize
◆◆ Light
◆◆ Divine Lance
1st
◆◆ Command
◆◆ Fear
◆◆ Command
2nd
◆◆ Heal H+1
◆◆ Spiritual Weapon
◆◆ Resist Energy
3rd
◆◆ Heal H+2
◆◆ Phantom Pain H+2
◆◆ Vampiric Touch
4th
◆◆ Enervation
◆◆ Bloodspray Curse
"What do we think is the safest way to destroy those pillars? Do they all have the capacity to petrify from close by? I hate to use a bunch of Fireball spells. Well, not hate, exactly."
Lisi gives a wink. He seems to be more Gozreh-esque these days.
Caiten thinks back to the previous totem pillars. "Only the one caused petrification. The other did some sort of beam damage. Acid or poison. Yasami would probably remember better which."
"Dangerous at range, at least. Didn't Dario shoot at one?"
"I believe he did, yes. And Hezle, what color is this pillar? And what can you tell us about the worms floating around it?
"They're voidworms, though I have no idea what is their deal. Dario mentioned it when we made the initial search." Yasami lowers her head when mentioning the late gunslinger.
"I don't know what the pillar itself does. I'd rather not approach it in the current state of the thing. Meaning, probably active and dangerous. We could throw a rope around it and try to pull it down or something. Then approach and burn it."
She sighs as she opens her notes. "The Scarlet Triad. We might want to ask Voz about that when we get back to Irrisen. IF we get back." she seems low on spirit, but perks up suddenly. "Burn it all, I say. For Dario. And we should find out what happened to Cev, too. I fear the worst, but we can hope."
"Does the pillar have some kind of gem on it?" Catalina pipes up, coming over after finishing her morning ablutions. The aasimar's entire body is enveloped in a strong glow, the shine further emphasizing the silvery sheen to her skin.
"Shooting that seemed to disable it last time," she continues, checking over her pistol. "Burning it all seems like a good plan."
Hezle: "The eyes of the dragon head on the pillar are violet, but I don't know what they do because I have never seen them activated. The worms just appeared sometime after the pillar was erected -- I don't think Belmazog summoned them, and I don't know what they are."
"I agree with shooting it, especially since we don't know what it does and I'm not in any rush to find out what it does." Oren humphs. "It was easy when they had the pillars be the same colors as the dragons, but I've never seen or heard of a purple dragon before."
"Well," Caiten says while looking around at the rest of the group, "are we ready to go then? Perhaps see what happens when we shoot at the pillar from the top of the path leading into the quarry itself."
"Worth a shot," Catalina says, checking her pistol one more time and chuckling softly to herself at the pun. Unintentional, but one she would own.
"As long as it's within about 60 feet or so...my pistol can probably hit it." She straightens out, smoothing her dress and adjusting her pouches. "Ready when you all are."
"That is probably as much preparations as we can get without a closer look and more information." Caiten checks over his equipment again and walks purposefully into the jungle towards the quarry once again.
Lisi stands up and gathers his furry and leafy minions.
"Let's shoot it and then burn it. Those bullets don't contain lead, do they? That's somewhat toxic to the environment..."
He strolls along after Caiten, gripping his staff.
"I think they do, but it's small potatoes compared to the toxicity of the pillars, no?" Catalina shrugs as she replies to Lisi, gathering up her things to move along. She seems oblivious to her body's new glowing state. "I'll do my best to keep it to a shot or two. Cut down on the impact."
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While others debate and contemplate the toxicity levels of Catalina's bullets, Yasami spends most of the evening in silence, standing near the camp. With her dagger on her belt, she practices throwing the blade at a nearby tree with a single rapid movement of the wrist. With a quick flick, she pulls the dagger from her belt and throws it at a nearby tree. Her fingers nimbly grasp the weapon and she extends her arm in the direction of the target. After a few hours of attempts, the strike is barely visible. The dagger impacts the bark and remains firmly lodged in the trunk.
Yasmai keeps walking back and forth between her throws, and her boots are soiled with mud after forming a path of trampled undergrowth. Unfortunately, the hilt is destroyed by dozens of failed attempts. As she pulls to remove the weapon from the wood, the grip stays in her hand, but the blade remains stuck. "Welp." she mutters to nobody in particular, and attempts to pull the thing out again. "Damn! This stays here, I guess..."
She notices several holes cut in the hilt section of the blade, and promptly pulls out a length of rope, and threads it through the hole in the metal. She coils the rope around her wrist, puts one leg on the trunk, and pulls. Nothing. The thing is stuck. A minute passes by, and both Yasami's legs are now on the tree, with her pulling with both her legs and back...
And just like that - she finds herself in the mud, her right arm ridden with rope burns. With her back still on the jungle floor, she exhales, and pulls the loose end of the rope towards her to grab the blade and look at it. She keeps looking at the destroyed weapon for a few moments with a curious brow. A blade tied to a piece of rope by a circular opening in the handle. "Hey, Caiten!" she suddenly has a realisation and kips up. "CAITEN!"
She runs to the rest of the camp. Yasami runs into the camp exhilarated, sweaty, and with mud all over her back, "Caiten! I destroyed my dagger! Look!" she presents her 'creation' to the witch.
Caiten inspects the dagger-on-a-rope contraption. "The blade is intact. It may be difficult to hold and use like a normal dagger. But normal daggers are not in short supply." He hands the weapon back. "I am interested to see it in battle."
"Doubt I can use this, honestly. Maybe as a noose." Yasamina smirks a little. "The rope is too heavy. Relatively to the blade, that is. There is also a balance issue, since the hilt is not there. But it -did- give me an idea. I was wondering if you could yelp me with that when we have a little time? Adjust the rope a bit, file down whis section to fix the weight, maybe a little serration on the blade edge here?" she asks as she point towards the hiltless dagger. Althought some hesitation is present in the undertones. "I know times are difficult. We can put a pin in it if you have other projects you're working on."
"I used to fool around with something similar... Well, we-" she instinctively stops herself for a second. "I can make it work. Let me know, okay? I'll go clean off this mud." she gives Caiten a courtesy nod and turns around to go find a pool of water - other than the one with the voidworms inside - to get rid of the mud in her hair.
After sufficient time for rest and an opportunity for planning, the group gathers in the morning and moves through the misty jungle to return to the mining camp. Lisi notices with satisfaction the tentative return of a few songbirds and rodents -- now safe from the savagery of the vrock -- and he marvels for the millionth time at the resiliency of nature.
The mining camp itself appears quiet, with no signs of activity or return of the cultists. The group quietly approaches the edge of the pit and peers down. The mine is 50 feet deep, with a long spiraling ramp leading down into the quarry. The walls are a sheer drop, and seem to be made of soaked mud.
At the bottom, you see another of the dragon-headed pillars, this one purple in coloration. The eerie voidworms -- 6 of them -- continue to floating silently around it. There is no other sign of movement below, and the water in the large murky pool is still.
"Close enough for me to shoot," Catalina remarks quietly, pulling out her implements to inspect them before the inevitable fight gets underway. It's at that moment that the aasimar notices her hand is glowing slightly, and she pauses a moment to inspect herself with bewilderment. After a moment of thought, Catalina screws up her face in concentration, and the halo surrounding her dims. She raises the pistol and looks down the sights at the pillar, humming with satisfaction before turning back to the party. "What do you all think?"
"I think fair fights are overrated," Caiten says while pulling out his longbow. "If we need to charge down there for some reason, we will have a long way to go. But if not, fighting from here will certainly be safer. Lisi, are you within spellcasting range? If so, give me a moment to prepare and then we can open fire."
"Once everyone is ready..." Catalina mutters, aiming her pistol at the gem on the pillar, hoping for a bit of luck.