Ravenna cries out in pain, instinctively yanking at the barbed thing invading her shoulder. She pulls it free with a spurt of blood but still manages to fire off another shot at the thing which goes wide.
Hubert Hedge runs for cover, curling up in a tight ball within some undergrowth as the fight breaks out.
Nox's projectile damages the barbed filament but doesn't destroy it. Sylva struggles to get to the monster, hurling her blade harmlessly toward it. Batman gets the thing's attention as Ravenna escapes the harpoon. She shoots but does not score a hit.
The tree fisher shifts its focus to Batman. It flicks its tail, and while the barbed harpoon bounces off Batman's shield the first time, the second time it stabs into the nyktera. The barb lodges itself in the sprite's body, then the monster hauls Batman into the air so that he is face to screeching face with the beast!
Sylva goes for it again.
It’s apparently easier without that rapier on her hip. Yes, that’s what it was.
Sylva sees Sir Bat is grabbed. I need a flank partner. She looks at Herb. “Hey, Herb—wanna get in this guy’s face while I stab him repeatedly in the back?”
Sir Batman reacts quickly, blocking the majority of the harpoon!
Squealing like a kid on the Incredible Hulk Rollercoaster, the joyfully screaming bronze-colored sprite giggles when his blue eyes are directly across from his eyes!
Well how are you doing!
The Champion of Mazludeh then Raises his Shield, and begins to boss in his face!
And again!
As Batman struggles to free himself, Sylva moves in to stab the monster, scoring two hits. Ravenna takes aim and fires, her rifle's retort echoing as the bullet hits the beast between its four eyes! The monster topples to the ground, the barbed stinger yanking free of Batman. The champion lands safely atop the monster's furry body.
Riding the bullet lover's carcass down like Keanu Reeves in Point Break, Sir Batman lands, leaps, and bows to the Gunslinger.
Nice shoot'n!
The Champion of Mazludeh then begins Laying on Hands, himself included. He also switches out his damaged shield, unless Ravenna will Repair the damage
Sylva’s knowledge of nature is enough to—
Aw, s~!&. Ahem.
—just enough to heroically extract a real throwing weapon and other useful material!
Hubert Hedge emerges from his hiding spot, looking chagrined. "Sorry, smoothies. I ain't much of a fighter. Besides, I've got enough spikes already! I don't need any more stuck in me!"
After tending to your injuries, you continue through the jungle. After several more minutes, you come across a rushing river that cuts across the jungle, its wide waters red as blood against the jungle’s green. Just upstream, red rock outcroppings squeeze the river into narrow rapids, providing a line of jutting boulders close enough to hop across.
Though the water looks ominous, a closer look reveals that the unusual coloration is merely a result of the presence of iron and other mundane minerals. You carefully leap across the rocks to get to the other side of the river and continue your journey.
Another hour passes. Just ahead looms a short hill covered in grass and low vines. The mound is punctured here and there by mossy boulders and ambitious trees. At the hill’s crest, the largest of the boulders has been carved into the unmistakable likeness of an elven head.
As you approach the boulder, however, you are surprised as two creatures burst out from hiding in the bushes! These small, vaguely feline predators are roughly the size and shape of a bobcat. Their heads are reptilian, sporting large eyes and slender fangs that protrude from their lips. Their fur is a dark greenish brown and is punctuated by patterns of small, bubble-like bladders that protrude from the creatures' skin like transparent boils.
Before you can react, the creatures lope towards you, one from the front and the other from the back. They move up next to Batman and Ravenna, then a brief burst of electricity flashes through their boils, causing them to release explosive gases around them!
In reply to Hubert: “You don’t need to actually fight. A great way to help me is you step in, hold up your claws, then step back like this—“ Sylva strides into Hubert’s personal bubble, feinting as if she’ll fingernail him right in the face, then strides back. “—so you don’t get hurt. And I attack while you fake the enemy out.
“Remember that if we’re in a pinch.”
“We’re in a pinch!”
Sylva moves to Ravenna. While not the flanking partner that Sir Bat would be, the gunslinger craves distance.
Sir Batman smiles as the two cute puppies begin wagging their tails and practically sprinting to lick and hug and....
What the f@!%!
Swirling and twirling around, the Champion of Mazludeh actually evades the majority of the gas!
Bad doggies! Who's been feeding you beans!
Sir Batman Places both hands of his Shield, Strides into a Flank inside a doggies personal space and attempts to Boss him!
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Nox is shocked by how efficient Ravenna's weapon can be still after watching it in action several times. "I'm very glad that thing isn't turned on us... please don't turn it on us or do if we become evil like kaneepo at least it'll be quick."
"For what it's worth Mr. Hedge i'm also not exactly one who prefers combat, but when times call for it a needs must."
"I don't think those are dogs... they look more like lion-snakes."
Nox ducks under the cloud of explosive gas, though he seems to be out of the range anyway and then he wills any nearby object to strike and frighten the beasts. Much to his obligation one of the smaller rocks dislodges and hucks itself at the snake dog cat.
Ravenna heroically hurls herself away from the explosive gases. She brings her rifle up and shoots the beast in the face, taking it down!
Meanwhile, Batman and Sylva flank the second creature. The champion misses, but the rogue stabs it twice. Nox hits it with a hurled projectile.
With its companion dead, the wounded beast snarls and races away, disappearing down the side of the hill.
Sir Batman looks at the Gunslinger.
Hih.
The Champion then begins to Lay on Hands folk.
Sylva points her rapier at the runner. “Yeah, run you lightning-farting coward! Eat some rice!”
She turns to see who’s hurt, and starts bandaging wounds.
“I’m glad you make bigger holes than the predators do, Ravenna!”
Ravenna nods stoically, satisfied with having dealt swiftly with the beasts. After a few minutes, you are ready to continue.
You move down the other side of the hill and back into the thick jungle. Soon, you come upon a patch of Smshort, rainbow-colored mushrooms that fill the mostly dry streambed ahead, offering a welcome reprieve from the forest undergrowth. You're pretty sure these mushrooms have psychedelic properties...
Eventually, the path takes you up another hill. At the crest of the hill, the trees thin and a broad stone quarry comes into view. The steep sides of the quarry are sheared fifteen feet deep, the walls and floor a mix of naturally broken stone and expertly precise excavation. In the center of the quarry, a shallow pool of water encircles the base of a thirty-foot-tall stone tower. The tower’s flat top is accessible by a ramp on its south side. Atop the tower, two curving, rune-carved pillars crackle with purple lightning and generate the two narrow light beams that lead straight to the pyramid city in the distant mountains.
A gondola is on its way down to the tower along the light beams. It will be there in a few minutes' time...
“The lunatic is on the grass, and staying the hell away from the brain-damaging mushrooms.”
They are pretty and rainbowy, she’ll admit if pressed, but best viewed from an elephantine berth.
The gondola is also a curios sight.
“Civilization! I got to change, I got to reaRrAnGe.” Sylva voice-cracks awkwardly as she considers how filthy she looks (and is).
She focuses on her bloody robe until in changes to something more pastel and less gross.
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Nox stands far away from the mushrooms, "Much too colorful for me these days.."
As they approach the place where the gondola's will come down to greet them he half expected more people to be around this area especially since the place seems active.
"Does anyone see other people? Surely this whole thing isn't magically autonomized?" He finds himself leaning on the Corgi for a bit trying to use it to see a bit higher. "Hello!" the sprite shouts towards the tower.
"Do we.. ride the cart?"
Sylva replies, “YES!
“Is there any reason not to ride the… oop, dumb question I just thought of a… three. But,
“…yes.”
As you move through the quarry of dark mica-like rock, you see a pair of constructs that are tirelessly working to hew stone and load it onto the gondolas for transport Fashioned from the same stone they quarry, the two statues resemble burly elves with androgynous features. Instead of heads, the statues bear metallic sculptures of celestial orbs, each sculpture suspended inside a large vertical ring. One statue’s head is a stylized sun; the other is a crescent moon.
So long as you don’t interfere with their work, the statues ignore you. You climb the tower and wait a few minutes for a gondola to arrive. Each gondola is a wooden platform suspended from the purple light‐line by enchanted steel cables. The platform pauses next to the loading tower for several minutes, like a ship docking at port, then loops around the pillars so it can reverse direction and voyage back toward the distant city.
You board the gondola as the constructs load it up. The jungle drops away as the twenty-foot-square gondola climbs quickly into the sky, its platform rocking gently beneath the line of sizzling, heatless lightning above. Thick tree canopies fill the region for miles all around. To the northwest is the forbidding mountain range and its pyramid city to which you’re headed. It will take several hours to get there...
About eight and a half minutes into the ride, Sylva moans, “Are we there yet?”
Watching the approaching gondola with blue eyes wide with excitement, Sir Batman begins jumping up and down!
Gondolas! This place rocks!
The bronze-colored sprite points at the quarry of dark mica-like rock and winks.
During the ride, the Champion of Mazludeh practices his greeting speech.
Four score and 7 years ago....nope....are you not entertained!....nope....itsy bitsy spider....crap!
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Nox tries to get in a small nap, but is quickly interrupted by Sylva's belly aching, he rubs his eyes and looks over. "Would you rather have walked through the dangerous jungle Sylva? I think perhaps if you wanted to you could still jump out and make the journey that way."
He chuckled, "Dont... don't do that by the way."
Hubert Hedge whistles as he peeks over the foot-high railing that surrounds the gondola. ”I usually prefer to keep my feet on the ground, but you gotta admit, it’s a heckuva view!”
However, the five of you don’t remain alone for long. An hour into their journey, two passing creatures spot you, shrieking with joy at this suspended snack. The colorful reptiles have long beaks and equally long crests that protrude from the backs of their heads, as well as 20-foot wingspans. They swoop towards you!
Sylva takes advantage of having friends that are taller, luminous or shiny. She drops her banjo so it grows to human-banjo size, hides behind it and waits.
While Sylva remains hidden, the beasts swoop down and attack Batman and Ravenna! They both fend off the reptiles’ beaks, and the creature fly a short distance away before circling around to prepare for another pass!
Sylva finds these creatures extremely annoying.
“If they’re going to keep flying, killing them will take too long. Sir Bat, can you grab one so we can murder it together?”
Sylva doesn’t wait for that.
But after watching her projectile sail uselessly past her foe, she readies herself to draw Lemonsbane…
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Nox and his faithful Corgi companion hunker down near the gathered up rocks and points at the flying colorful bird things.
"Why is everything here so pretty and so dangerous?"
One of the smaller rock chunks seems to hear Sylva's orders and is catapulted by the slick oily almost shadow-like substance that hides in the cracks.
The bronze-colored bat Raises his Shield.
Sir Batman winks at Sylva!
Ravenna, Nox, and Sylva all miss with their attacks! As she reloads, Ravenna recognizes the creatures as some variant of a pteranodon, primitive flying creatures that are similar to dinosaurs.
The pteranodons come back in for another pass. As the first one closes, Batman leaps up and wraps his tiny arm around its neck! Somehow, the champion manages to get the much larger reptile in a chokehold and restrain it! The beast flops around in his grasps, managing to escape, but it is now standing on the platform.
The second pteranodon swoops at Ravenna, impaling her with its beak! It tries to fling her off of the platform, but she manages to hold her ground. The reptile flies off again and circles around.
Sylva zips into the creature’s personal bubble and strikes.
Sir Batman continues to giggle! The bronze-colored sprite Raises his Shield, Strides into its space into a Flank, and attempts to Grab it again!
Ravenna's purple eye flashes as the pteranodon's beak strikes home, and for just a moment she just isn't there anymore. Then the creature sails past her, and the barrel of her rifle follows. Instead of a roar of flame, however, there is only a sad puff of smoke.
Ravenna and Nox miss again, but Sylva scores a critical hit, badly wounding the grounded pteranodon. Batman grabs a hold of it again. The beast thrashes and pokes with its beak but doesn't hit anybody. The second reptile swoops at Ravenna but misses again as well!
Sylva sticks to the target that Sir Bat is wrestling with.
“Die already!”
“Thanks for keeping this thing grounded, Sir Batman! And, um, please don’t throw it off the platform just yet.”
Sylva ▶️Hides behind the creature’s corpse so its mate won’t scoop her up in revenge.
Sir Batman releases the dead bird-lizard. He gives the rogue a bronze-colored thumbs-up!
Raising his Shield, He then Readies to Grapple the other one!
Sylva stabs the grounded pteranodon through the neck, slaying it! Nox hurls a rock at the remaining creature, and Ravenna fires an misses.
As the pteranodon swoops down towards Nox, Batman intercepts it, once more proving his strength belies his tiny size as he slams it to the ground and puts it in another headlock! The beast is unable to escape from the nyktera's grasp!
Sylva ▶️pounces from behind the corpse!
“ALSO DIIIIIIE!!”
Her not-so-sneaky sneak attack strikes true!
Sylva brutally slaughters the second pterosaur, her blades spilling its blood all over the floating platform!
Sylva does not pity the predators, but is disappointed in the messiness.
“I just magically changed clothes so the dried blood would flake off, and now I’m all bloody again. Yuck.”
She flicks the blood from each blade before sheathing them.
Hubert uncurls from his defensive ball and flashes Nox a thumbs up. ”Sure! Never better, smoothie!” he says sarcastically. ”I think I’ve reached my quota on hungry monsters for this trip, though.”
***
Fortunately, the rest of the long journey via gondola is uneventful. The sun begins to set as the platform nears the mountains. Now, what appeared to be a vast pyramid city reveals itself to be only the beginnings of one. While many completed buildings stand atop several-story-tall pyramidal terraces, many more lie in various states of construction, piles of stones and wooden cranes dotting the work sites. The setting sun glints off the glass of telescopes protruding from many of the completed buildings’ roofs, including a huge one in a central domed structure.
Perhaps thanks to these telescopes, your approach has not gone unnoticed. At the gondola’s dock, a crowd of elves has gathered, watching expectantly as your gondola draws near. While the assembled elves seem wary, they look far more curious than threatening. Their clothing appears practical but of no immediately recognizable fashion—loose robes and leather adventuring attire, essentially. Far more distinctive and arresting is their prolific jewelry: a mixture of silver and gold bangles, rings, necklaces, earrings, circlets, and more, all bearing esoteric astrological and astronomical symbols.
As the gondola docks, the elves all begin talking at once, excitedly greeting you in Elven, though they have an unusual accent. When it beomes clear that only Ravenna understands them, the elves try other languages: Draconic, Celestial, and finally settling on Sylvan. "Who are you? What are you? Where are you from?" they ask.
It isn't long, though, before a middle-aged elven woman rushes forward excitedly. She addreses you in Common. "I know you! I know where you're from!" She pulls you over to a nearby telescope, pointing it at bright star low in the darkening sky. Looking through the telescpe, you see a small, bluish dot.
"Golarion!" she says proudly. “The Blue Planet. That’s your world!"
Chapter 3: Memories of the Green
Sylva looks through the telescope and stares and stares.
“That is so cute. And… far.”
She introduces herself, “Oh, Sylva Belle… pleased to meet you, thank you for your hospitality and… umm, please forgive the appearance. Some creatures tried to eat us and… it didn’t work out for them.
“I don’t suppose there’s a place one might clean up, be more presentable?” She’s blushing, but doused in blood so her face gets no redder.
Releasing the dead bird-lizard, Sir Batman Lay on Hands those that may have gotten baked.
Riding the magic carpet ride gondola-style, the Champion of Mazludeh brightens once the elves appear.
Greetings esteemed elves! I am Sir Batman--Champion of Mazludeh--and my friends are Sylva, Ravenna and Nox. He's the sickly fella. We come in piece bearing tidings of...
The bronze-colored sprite stops, turns to face the others and whispers
What the f!*+? Another planet?
He turns to the elves.
Yea....
The elven woman smiles at you. "You are most welcome here, travelers. I am Alleli. I can tell by your puzzled expressions that you are surprised to learn that you are not on your world anymore. This planet is Castrovel, and this city is called Loskialua. We are the Oatia, astronomers and researchers who have chosen to dwell far away from our traditional homeland to peacefully watch the stars and record our observations. Visitors such as yourselves are a rare treat, indeed!
"Yes, come, come! We can provide you lodgings where you can rest and refresh yourselves. And when you are ready, you can meet with our sage, Jenthiel, so you can tell us all about how you came to be here!"
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Nox is surprised pleasantly by the group of elven populace and he begins to think that it won't be too hard to get back to Sevenarches to report their findings. That is until it's revealed that they are on a completely different planet which causes the sprite to start to panic a bit.
He steps over to the Corgi and leans on it once again, "W...we're not.. where how... the magic required to perform such a.." The well-learned sprite struggles to imagine the immense amount of energy required for the spell let alone the precise calculations required to translocate something to a different planet as well as a different plane of existence at the same time. It's clear that he has seen well enough excitement for one day as he feints next to his doggo companion.
Sylva hears Nox freaking out. Pointing in the direction of the telescope, she says, “Our planet’s right over there.” She says it like it’s not a big deal.
She goes to take a bath. If possible, she’ll bathe and wash her robe until the blood is off, then ask for clean water to fully submerge in while her clothing dries. In this case, she’ll let an elven woman know that she likes to sleep underwater, and will point out her gills.
“Don’t mistake me for dead and dump me in the latrine.”
Sir Batman listens to the elf explain their current whereabouts. The bronze-colored bat calmly looks at the fainted Nox. He then saunters over to the comatose sprite, gently nudge him with his boot and whispers
All that sounded important. Are you writing this down?