Interhoff shares with you the gossip he knows. The Cult of the Worm's newfound influence partly stems from a powerful hryngar visitor who helped execute the recent theft. However, that hryngar tried to usurp the cult, upsetting the long-standing cult leaders. Opposing factions clashed for control, eventually chasing out the hryngar.
The redcap departs, and you return to the Court of Ether proper. It isn't long after this than a sprite emissarry flitters up to you. The sprite conveys that Queen Frilogarma knows of your search for the Cult of the Worm. You are cordially invited to the palace if you wish the queen's wisdom and favor!
"Oh, should we go? I've never been in a palace before," Brijetta whispers.
"Wait, doesn't the queen hate the cult?" Gig questions. "Maybe seeing her isn't a great idea."
"Oh! You should wear The Dress, Brij. I... might just go as a slurk or something. Easier."
"Oh, I left it safe back home. Oh no! Should we go back and get it?"
She lets someone else answer Gig's question, though she hopes the queen wouldn't think they're trying to join the Cult. Would she?
"I suppose the queen will send someone to fetch us if we don't cooperate, and we don't exactly look like cave worm cultists," Gig admits. "We should go see her. If we survive, it will make an excellent story!"
Queen Frilogarma resides in a palace built around and through the central stalactite of the city. From there, it serves as a useful landmark and reminder to all of their sovereign’s authority. A pair of redcap guards escorts you into the palace, muttering cheerfully that they hope you somehow offend the queen and die horribly for everyone’s amusement.
The throne room’s ceiling sparkles with incandescent stars crisscrossed by scintillating auroras, resembling an arctic night’s sky. Redcap guards snap to attention, gripping polearms with restrained malice. Courtiers ranging from sprites and gremlins to centaurs and elementals converse along either side of the hall, with countless sprites clambering and flitting among the columns. An eerily beautiful nymph sits confidently on the throne. Her skin almost blends into the stone, yet her eyes glow with fierce intensity. She beckons to approach. “Welcome to my Ethereal Court, strangers. I am Frilogarma, Queen of the Endless Gulf. Approach and speak.”
Gig bows deeply to the nymph, trying to avoid making direct contact with her mysterious and beautiful gaze.
"Thank you for welcoming us, your majesty. We are travelers from Highhelm, far above. We are on a peaceful mission of discovery and exploration," he states, in his best impression of a dutiful courier.
"Indeed? And what is it that you wish to discover?" the queen inquires, arching a delicate eyebrow.
"We are looking for details about the history of our great king, Taargick," Gig explains. "It is rumored that there are signs of his passage, and certain related relics in the Darklands from our people's long ago Quest for Sky."
Brijetta does her best not to fidget, fearing she will in fact somehow offend the queen and die horribly for everyone’s amusement. "If only we could talk somewhere more privately..."
"No way! What if she's even more queeny in private!"
Uhe continuously wears his Mean Face while the travel through the gates, streets, alley, byways, highways, bridges and balconies, trails, stairs, tunnels and even that evil little redcap kid that stuck his ugly redcap tongue out at them!
At the palace, the Investigator nods at Gig.
Frilogarma sighs. "I see. And your search for these relics has lead you here to inquire after the Cult of the Cave Worm." The nearby courtiers fall silent, and a wave of muted panic spreads across the hall. The queen leans back, glances at the gathered courtiers, and remarks, "Oh, that pesky cult. Just the thought of them brings a tear to my eye." The courtiers, knowing how infectiously painful a lampad’s weeping can be, need no further encouragement; virtually everyone bows and makes excuses to leave, nearly crushing each other as they flee. Even the guards position themselves as far from the throne as possible.
Filogarma nods mischievously. "There. Now we can speak about the cult without risk of eavesdroppers. So, tell me what you have learned so far about the cult, and what exactly you need from your visit to the Court of Ether."
Gig certainly doesn't want to lie to the queen, but he doesn't want to get anyone in trouble.
"We learned that the Cult was instigated in it's recent attack by the a mysterious hryngar. We are trying to follow the worm because it has some connection to the fallen king. We know that it had swallowed a piece of his armor, at least, so we are trying to find its lair and look for more clues."
Brijetta nods, slightly comforted that the queen also wanted privacy.
Uhe proudly stands before the now amenable Queen. The dwarf only nods, grins, and scratches his behind twice....
The queen nods. Her demeanor has softened, seeming to match Gig's own energy. "Some years ago, the Avernal Worm rampaged here," she says. "I chased it away, though not quickly enough for my fickle followers’ liking. That worm inspired an inept resistance movement that I quashed. Even so, this ‘cult of the cave worm’ persists. They recently stole from my palace with outside help, and the success has reinvigorated them to concoct a new wave of hapless plots.
"You are free to investigate further and learn what you will. Yet, perhaps you have greater ambitions: as agents of my vengeance. My desire is that the cult leaders be punished, my property returned, and my curiosity about their activities sated, in that order."
"What did they steal?" Gig asks, curiously.
"Several magical items that could prove quite dangerous in the wrong hands," the queen says.
"Oh, well we should certainly get them back then," Gig agrees. "I'm not big on vengeance, and people just throw the word 'cult' around too much, I think, but it's not good to just go rampaging around with giant worms."
At Gig's statement of ...it's not good to just go rampaging around with giant worms." , the Investigator takes his copy of "Dune" and places into his vest.....
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"We wonder what kind of magic items they are? And if they're in the cult's hands, aren't they already in the wrong hands?"
"I appreciate your assistance. Step forward and receive my favor."
Queen Frilogarma beckons Gig closer. She gently plucks a lock of her lustrous hair and offers it to the bard.
If a nymph queen grants her Inspiration to a bard and the nymph queen is that bard’s muse, the bard gains an additional benefit depending on their muse theme: for lore muse, the bard also gains a +1 status bonus to all Lore checks; for maestro muse, the status bonus to Performance checks increases to +2 for the purpose of determining the effects of compositions; for polymath muse, the bard gains a +4 status bonus to untrained skill checks; and for all other muses, the Will save bonus increases to +2 against fey.
"Now, I have heard tell of a mitflit who has been proclaiming loyalty to the cult. I suggest getting into his good graces and attempting to infiltrate the cult to learn more."
"An excellent idea, your majesty!" Gig sweats as he tucks the favor away. "Is there anything you deme it necessary for us to know about the cult? Before we leave?" There's a note of sadness in his voice, either as a result of accepting a lamprad's charm or at the thought of leaving his new inspiration--it's hard to tell.
"I've told you what I know. It is up to you to take the investigation from here," Frilogarma says with a smile. "I trust you are fully capable of doing so."
Gig blushes but says nothing else, waiting to see if the rest of the group has any questions.
...heard tell of a mitflit who has been proclaiming loyalty to the cult. I suggest getting into his good graces and attempting to infiltrate the cult to learn more."
Uhe vigorously writes his notes.
Brijetta is ready to leave to go find Yakazak and see if he can help them learn more about the cult.
It isn't difficult to locate Yakazak. He’s created his own crimson worm outfit and excitedly parades around the Court of Ether, telling anyone who’ll listen about the cult he knows little about. Almost everyone avoids him, worried that he’s a lightning rod for Queen Frilogarma’s inevitable wrath. The crowds warily part around him, much to his consternation.
Gig approaches the incautious gremlin and greets him, "Wow, you have some interesting ideas. What could you tell us about this impressive worm you mention?"
"What a nice outfit he's wearing!" Brijetta observes.
"Zogototaru is mighty indeed! All glory to the Cave Worm!" Yakzak declares. "Her blessing has made me strong! I am the mightiest mitflit around! And you can be strong like me, too!"
The gremlin continues to make increasingly absurd claims about the cult and its blessings, but its clear that none of them are true. All that seems to be real is that there is an upcoming gathering of the cult that Yakazak has been invited to attend.
However, Yakazak is not one to be discouraged. He wants to show everyone around him how strong he has become, but nobody’s accepted his challenge to prove it (or if they have, he believes they cheated). He wants the your help in arranging a contest, display, or other event that will highlight Yakazak’s newfound power. If you do, he promises to sponsor you as new cultists and bring you to the upcoming gathering.
Drawing a Crowd: Few are willing to stick around Yakazak, so drawing a crowd for any contest takes effort. The PCs might loudly boast of an imminent spectacle, using Deception, Diplomacy, or Performance. They might assemble signs, a tent, or a stage with Crafting to give the event gravitas. Using Society, they could also plan the location and time to maximize the crowd size. Even concealing Yakazak with a Stealth check and revealing him only at the last minute could work.
Building Excitement: It takes time for intrigued fey to gather, and the PCs need to keep the crowd interested while hyping the contest. If the plan involves Yakazak eventually wrestling one of the PCs to submission, that PC needs to show off their own strength with an Athletics check. Alternatively, a PC might boast about Yakazak’s personal transformation with a nonsensical display of jargon (using Medicine or Nature). Likewise, a talented ringmaster could keep the audience entertained with raw charisma and a Performance check.
Featuring Yakazak: At last, it’s time for Yakazak to show off, and he needs a PC’s help to seem suitably mighty. A PC might convince everyone (including Yakazak) of his strength with a Deception or Performance check, or even an Acrobatics check to pretend to be hurled by the mitflit.
"Right, Yakazak. I'm sure that we can figure out something that you are really good at. Any hidden talents?" Gig asks, without much hope. "Come on, everyone, let's put our heads together!"
Uhe stares incredulously at the mitflit. The Investigator rolls up his sleeves, grabs his tools and begins building a mini stage from whatever wood he finds (even if from a fence).
This will take a minute.
Apparently, the dwarf confuses a stage for a mismatched, topsy tervey pile of nailed together wooden fence boards....
"I reckon I could probably give him somethin' fierce lookin' to rassle. But first let's get folk's attention!"
***
"Err, Uhe? What is it exactly we're buildin'?"
Brijetta shakes her head as she watches Uhe and Mal try to build a stage. She'd help, but she's a smith, not a carpenter, and doesn't think she'd be able to do much, honestly.
"I wonder if he will answer Gig's question and tell us what he's good at," she muses.
The stage is shoddy at best, but it will suffice for lack of other options.
"I'm super-strong! I like to kick, punch, and kick! Ha! Hi-yah!" Yakazak says, jabbing at the air.
"Ah, I think I have the perfect thing for you to wrestle! We'll get set up and I'll wrangle a crowd."
Gig hands off some of his puppets to his groupmates to set up or modify, then starts acting as a carnival barker:
"Come one, come all for a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle! Will the Mighty Mitflit be able to vanquish the Slippery Shadows? Find out in mere moments!"
Brijetta looks a little confused with the puppet, but starts trying to make it look more like a fierce creature from Alkenstar. " 'If I just had a f+*!ing gun. Dragonshit!' " she mutters in a deeper, gravelly voice as if she were emulating her favorite uncle.
Mal shifts into the biggest baboon she can manage, flinging herself against various crates and contraptions, and hoisting them into the air with her simian strength!
Uhe meekly puts his apparently broken hammer away, takes out some colorful crayons and Crafts some signs to
Few are willing to stick around Yakazak, so drawing a crowd for any contest takes effort. The PCs might loudly boast of an imminent spectacle, using Deception, Diplomacy, or Performance. They might assemble signs, a tent, or a stage with Crafting to give the event gravitas. Using Society, they could also plan the location and time to maximize the crowd size. Even concealing Yakazak with a Stealth check and revealing him only at the last minute could work.
Despite the shoddy stage, Mal's simian show starts to build excitement among the crowd that has gathered. Now, it's finally time to feature Yakazak!
Brijetta is a fairly straightforward dwarf, with little practice on the stage -- in front of all those people?! -- or anywhere else. Still, she gets into it the best as she can, propelling herself backward on a jet of fire after a "hit" from Yakazak.
"Wow! Witness Yakazak's power! He knocked that dwarf into Orv!"
Mal leaps on Yakazak's back, but doesn't do a great job extending his throw when she's hurled off it, landing with a weighty thund just up the stage...
Uhe ulis seen wearing a bulls outfit. He charges at Yakazak!
The dwarven bull Tumbles Through his space as if tossed aside all willy nilly...
The crowd that has gathered to watch the spectacle seem skeptical of Yakazak's supposed strength. What’s more, two earth elementals watching the show are offended, feeling this was a cheap display of what real strength looks like. They glide forward to belittle Yakazak in Terran, helpfully translated by a bystander. Believing himself super strong, he responds by throwing a dart at one of the elementals! Rather than explode from the force, the elemental raises a fist to obliterate the offending gremlin...
"Oh, the spirits are upset because they think we're mocking them," Brijetta says in Terran. "Oh, but hopefully they realize we're not, and are just trying to help Yakazak and want everyone to have fun."
You just had to skip out on your language lessons to go grub around with Cricket. You didn't learn how to talk to spirits big enough for words, and now your friend's gonna get eaten.