Mushroom Madness - Round 1 - continued
26 Nyandra
24 Iovia
19 Umbo
18 M'Baba
16 Ntuni
12 Ikto
11 Za Minyahil (20' up a tree)
Iovia calls out to the large walking mushroom-like figure, but it either can't understand her or simply ignores her words. In any event, speaking to the creature rationally seems to have no effect.
Nyandra sense this is going to get violent, and takes out her flute, playing a rousing harvest song, to try to raise the spirits of the group.
She then moves northward about 20' setting up a bit better line of sight on the mushroom thing. Lastly, she takes out her sling and bullet, and as nonchalantly as possible, readies to send a shot at the foe if things come to that.
The monstrous fungus steps forward very aggressively, baring its sharp teeth until its next to M'Baba. Then it squeezes its eyes shut, seeming to push hard internally, then an instant later, a cloud of purple spores emit from it, filling a 10' burst around the mushroom-creature. Everyone in the radius is covered with and breathes in the spores. After sending the purple cloud in the air the creature swings on M'Baba with a large fist, smashing the brave initiate in the face, hard.
hit
Ikto's eyes flash at M'Baba's injuries and their precarious situation. It's not his people's way to choose violence, but diplomacy is clearly failing. He strides closer, then says "Storm, bring down your fist." And the mushroom like figure finds itself struck by a tempest's surge!
Mushroom Madness - Round 1 - continued
26 Nyandra
24 Iovia
19 Umbo
18 M'Baba (8/17hp)
16 Ntuni
12 Ikto
11 Za Minyahil (20' up a tree)
As they are covered in and inhale the purple spores, both Iovia and M'Baba start to feel their minds getting fuzzy, like having had too much to drink perhaps. No immediate effects, but they feel something is definitely not right with them.
M'Baba withdraws from being toe to toe with the mighty mushroom, and takes shelter behind the bole of the large tree.
Ikto calls on the power of nature, and conjures a confined but serious thunderstorm that surrounds the menace, striking it with violent wind and a bolt of lightening. The tempest causes minor damage to Umbo but it avoids any more effects.
success so half damage.
"We are horrible at diplomacy!" Ntuni says, rushing forward as she draws her hammer. She takes care to put himself away from the others, just to make it more difficult for the fungus-thing to cover them all with its spores.
Za Minyahil curses as the group is attacked by what appears to be the parent mushroom, realizing that their battle-magic isn't as effective up in a tree. They pull out a javelin and throw it at the creature.
Mushroom Madness - Round 1 - concluded
Ntuni advances on the spore-spreading monster, walking through the purple cloud. She then hammers Umbo, the maul squelching part of its fungal body. The creature grunts in pain but remains resolute.
From up in the tree, Za Minyahil chucks a javelin down at the mushroom creature. The point hits the monster, but does not penetrate its rubbery outer skin, bouncing off harmlessly.
End of Round 1
Mushroom Madness - Round 2
26 Nyandra
24 Iovia (diseased)
19 Umbo (20hp dmg)
18 M'Baba (8/17hp; diseased)
16 Ntuni (needs Fort save)
12 Ikto
11 Za Minyahil (20' up a tree)
Iovia makes her way out of the cloud and near Ntuni.
She then casts a spell, infusing Ntuni's weapon with the power of Tlehal.
Gasping as she sees M'Baba take a serious hit, Nyandra's brows furrow in anger. She resumes her anthem in song form , having dropped her flute to take out her sling, and takes a shot at the fungus , which goes so wide she worries about hitting someone else. Get it together, girl! Breathe! Finally, she moves closer to M'Baba to offer healing if needed . She shifts her song to one comforting those on the battlefield, a song of resilience and strength in the face of adversity.
Mushroom Madness - Round 2 - continued
26 Nyandra
24 Iovia (diseased)
19 Umbo (20hp dmg)
18 M'Baba (8/17hp; diseased)
16 Ntuni (needs Fort save; magic weapon 10 rounds)
12 Ikto
11 Za Minyahil (20' up a tree)
Iovia moves out of the spore cloud and next to Ntuni, blessing her weapon with divine energy that makes it imbued with magic for a short period of time.
Nyandra keeps her singing going, launches one sling bullet at the fungus thing which misses, and then strides towards the wounded M'baba, hopeful to get him some healing when she gets there.
The spore cloud emitted by Umbo fades, though the effect on this who inhaled it has not really begun yet. It strikes out at Ntuni, who whomped it with a hammer last round. The fungal fist still hurts when it hits Ntuni, bruising her neck and shoulder quite badly. A small puff of purple spores comes at the point of contact, surrounding Ntuni for a brief moment. The spore-emitting creature then turns and points a branch-like finger at M'Baba.
hit
Ntuni sneezes at the spores, but keeps fighting on!
---
Ikto would not normally hurl fire near a tree, but the abundant rain of the area has him less worried about an out of control fire erupting if he misses. Flame gathers in his palm and he throws it at the not so fun guy..
Za Minyahil glares as their javelin proves useless and chants another spell, conjuring a humming spar of copper and lashing it down at the creature.
Mushroom Madness - Round 2 - concluded
Ntuni fights off the spores from the mushroom monster the first time she is exposed, but the second exposure from the punch, causes her to inhale them as well.
M'Baba, already pretty badly hurt, cannot summon the force of will to fight off the invasive mental domination by the fungus monster, and drops his weapon, standing stock still, and not making any offensive moves for now. "I think Umbo is really nice. You should all stop attacking him," says M'Baba in a slightly dreamy voice.
Even with a lungful of purple spores, Ntuni is able to swing a heavy hammer against the fungal menace. The pair of heavy blows are enough to do in the myceloid, and it falls dead near the base of the tree.
End of Combat
With the threat neutralized for now, Za Minyahil is able to recover a large amount of scarlet cap mushrooms from the bole of the tree. While up there, he notices what appears to be basket or container of some kind that is seemingly woven from the leaves of the tree. It is perhaps the size of small bucket, but only has a small hole at the top to see or reach inside. The magus has to shift away from the trunk of the tree ot reach the basket, if he wishes to retrieve it.
While the ghoran is picking the mushrooms and investigating the basket, those exposed to the purple spores (M'baba, Iovia, and Ntuni) start to feel very ill. Painful purple pustules appear around your nose, mouth, and other mucous membranes, and breathing becomes painful. Worse, your mind seems to swim, and its very hard to concentrate or think clearly.
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M'baba is sad to see the mushroom die. He is then brought back to his senses as the others investigate the tree trunk. He shakes his head to wake himself up, but then starts to feel dizzy and everything in the world is happening too fast for him to understand. He says "I need to sit down for a moment", without realizing he is putting his hands on his face due to painful pustules.
Realizing he is about to be a nuisance to the group instead of helpful, he starts taking care of his own wounds.
Za Minyahil, mushrooms secured, climbs towards the basket to investigate the basket.
Iovia also starts to feel sick, and she leans against the tree for a moment, then pushes off it, and gets closer to those that were exposed to the spores.
She then tries to focus enough to call upon the power of Tlehal.
However, the spell fails to cast, as she cannot stay focused. "We may have been infected by those spores. We need to get back to campus for proper medical attention, and the rest of you may have to finish this task without us."
Ikto sees the others struggle with healing, and centers himself to tend them before another surge of the condition kills them entirely.
However, the spell fails to cast, as she cannot stay focused. "We may have been infected by those spores. We need to get back to campus for proper medical attention, and the rest of you may have to finish this task without us."
"As powerful as those spores were, you may not make it that long." A swirling healing mist forms around him engulfing them.
While it certainly has a vital effect, there is no time to count on that. Taking out his new healing kit Ikto gets to work tending to each one in order of most injured to least.
FAILED
(Maybe a critical?)
"M'Baba is very badly off," Ikto says with alarm
Taking a breath and a moment to assess things as the battle ends, Nyandra rests a hand on M'Baba and whispers some comforting words.
She fetches her flute and stows it along with her sling. Looking at the rest of the group, concern clear on her face with a wavering frown, she concurs with Iovia. "I agree that those who are feeling poorly should get back to the infirmary right away. I'd like to come with you just to make sure you all make it back safely." A beat as she makes pensive eye contact with the group. Then, specifically looking at Za Minyahil, "We're the only ones lucky enough to not be affected by the spores. I don't want to send you off by yourself. The show must go on, but you didn't sign up for a solo! I'd suggest we both accompany the rest of the group back. What do you think? Regardless of what we were asked to do, everyone's health is by far more important."
Ntuni takes a couple steps back, shaking her head. "I'm totally fine. Thanks Ikto. I reckon we two can continue."
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M'baba takes note that everyone is trying to help him. He says "Thanks. Thanks for the effort and I'm sorry for the trouble. But the cascade bearers is the group I'm interested in. I'll power through. I can rest tomorrow... For whatever house we're doing a task."
He makes an effort to stand and recompose himself. He takes a big gulp of water and bites into some food he finds in one of his pockets. Then he says "Ok, ready to go. Let's find some bones and caterpillars, eh?"
"You're welcome, Ntuni." Ikto inclines his head "That individual seemed insane."
Sosiel Vaenic
M'baba takes note that everyone is trying to help him. He says "Thanks. Thanks for the effort and I'm sorry for the trouble. But the cascade bearers is the group I'm interested in. I'll power through. I can rest tomorrow... For whatever house we're doing a task."
He makes an effort to stand and recompose himself. He takes a big gulp of water and bites into some food he finds in one of his pockets. Then he says "Ok, ready to go. Let's find some bones and caterpillars, eh?"
"Brave man," He approves "If it looks like more violence is coming, don't be ashamed to fight from range if you can."
"In a moment, that thing stowed a basket up here!" Za Minyahil calls down. "Who knows, maybe it'll have something to help with that fungal infection!"
M'baba is sad to see the mushroom die. He is then brought back to his senses as the others investigate the tree trunk. He shakes his head to wake himself up, but then starts to feel dizzy and everything in the world is happening too fast for him to understand. He says "I need to sit down for a moment", without realizing he is putting his hands on his face due to painful pustules.
Realizing he is about to be a nuisance to the group instead of helpful, he starts taking care of his own wounds.
[dice=Medicine on self, stupefied]1d20+3-1
Za Minyahil is able to just stretch out an arm(?) and grasp the woven basket. It has a small opening at the top which allows them to see inside. There is dried leaves or grass or other material lining the basket, and inside are several shiny stones, a particularly well-polished bone of some kind, and three other items. One appears to be a canine tooth of some kind, another is a bright red bird feather about a foot long, and the last is a fine black silk glove with tiny silver hooks decorating it.
Iovia tries to cast a healing spell, but the fog in her mind from the purple infection causes the spell to fizzle without impact.
Ikto sees the others struggle with disease and attempts at healing, and brings out his healer's kit, spending 10 minutes each attending to the wounds of those most in need. He is able to give some relief to Iovia and Ntuni, restoring all their wounds -- but not curing the infection they are dealing with. His ministrations do not seem to help M'baba, who is perhaps the most wounded of the lot. He also casts a group healing spell that brings back some of the damage dealt that wasn't already healed.
Seeing nothing else helping M'Baba, Nyandra holds his hand and whispers magic words gently to him, soothing the rest of his away in the process. She cannot make a dent in the virulent illness M'baba is contracted however.
It takes 10 minutes more time for M'Baba to look at one of the items brought down from the tree top by Za Minyahil. He takes the canine tooth, turning it over in his hand and trying hard to focus through the fog in his brain. After a few moments, he realizes this is a magical talisman, h has seen them before in his village. This particular talisman is called wolf fang.
Once Za Minyahil has the mushroom man's loot in hand, they descend the tree to join the others.
"I suggest we begin making our way back to the Magaambya to get you looked at. Hunting caterpillars will be difficult if your senses are clouded with spores."
"Maybe there is some sort of butcher shop or some such on the way?" He says "For the Bones?"
Iovia is pretty quiet while the others do first aid and other things. "There is no need to act as if we are incapacitated. The spores do make it a little challenging to focus, but we are still functional. Whatever it is seems to be slow-acting, or we'd be showing more symptoms by now. On our way back, we can still stay on task, and examine the items in the basket more later."
"Completely agree. We still have a job to do."
Letting out a quiet sigh with a shrug, Nyandra relents and decides to follow the group. I guess if we're going to do this then it makes sense we act as a group. I do wish folks would take their health more seriously, though... they may be laid up for a while. So many memories of performers pushing themselves too far, only to give their spots to their understudies...
None of this leaves her mouth, though, as it doesn't even take bard college training to know that silence is the best option.
"If we're going to press on, I'll support all of you however I can. Just please speak up if you begin to feel worse, and do have some water!"
It takes about 30 minutes of walking back to find the spot that Anchor Root indicated the fuzzy caterpillars would be. None are immediately obvious, but you can begin searching for them if you wish.
Ntuni looks around the spot, a bit under the weather, but whatever, she still had a job to do. "Let's spread around a bit, uh? Keep your eyes open for other unpleasant surprises as well."
Remembering what was said about gloves and such, Ikto makes sure they are ready in case they do find some and need to be handled. He nods to Ntuni and starts his search a bit spaced out from the others.
"Very well...but be careful," Za Minyahil cautions. They join in the search nonetheless, drawing their sickle and using it to gently move the brush aside as they look. Now was not the time to hack and slash.
The rain starts and stops during the hour or so the team of initiates spends looking for caterpillars. Za Minyahil combs through tall grass carefully, but finds none of the right kind of bug. Still feeling the effects of the purple spores, M'baba finds it too hard to concentrate to spend much valuable time looking, and instead holds his pounding head more than he searches.
Also feeling ill, Ntuni fights through it, rolling over a partially rotted fallen tree trunk, and under there, she finds about a half-dozen of the fuzzy caterpillars shown by Anchor Root. They are fat, slow-moving larvae and seem to be easy enough to pick up, if that's what you want to do.
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M'baba is happy to have helped Ntuni with the caterpillars. He has no energy to shout, but he just says a mumbled "Success!" He drinks some more water.
After, he says "We only have bones to find now. We did find a few with the mushrooms, but I imagine they won't be enough. Now, in our welcome event at Magaambya, we got a task to soothe a bone. I wonder if the bones we need to find are similar in spiritual energy."
He is a bit too tired to think of ways to find bones. Other than the stashed one before, he couldn't think of a way to find bones, but someone suggested to go to a butcher's shop in town. He says "Going to some farms would also help us find some bones. We could also stop for lunch and order chicken legs..." He has no idea if he would be proposing these things if his mental state were different, but he doesn't stop himself from talking.
While working to transfer the caterpillars to the jars, Ntuni adds. "I think the butchers are our best idea."