Penny the Wise's page

Penny stands with her mouth hanging wide open. After a pause of a few moments, she closes her eyes and shakes her head, and says
No, that isn’t me. I will never do those things. Why would I do those things? I just want to protect my friends and my family from the Gnolls and Kobolds. I will never command an army of, of, the dead.

I don’t know what he’s talking about!

And then she tips her head down and begins to cry, All I wanted was…

But, I don’t understand, Penny says at last. Is this the pool of all the right words we’ve been looking for or not? Is it somewhere else? What am I supposed to do now?

She begins to grow agitated, leaning forward and raising her voice.

I’ve followed you heroes through one sort of nonsense after another and all because our village respects your chief’s authority in the region. Instead of sending warriors to remove the gnolls and kobolds, they sent me with you. To find the right words, whatever that was supposed to mean, and I’ve been tagging along all this time waiting for you to do something, anything that is supposed to help my family, my friends, my home! WELL! WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO NOW!

Oh my god. What have we been doing? We are going the wrong way! I just remembered that Axellexa told us that her tomb is not in the Mysterious Dungeon at all, but is hidden behind the Tumble of the White, the great waterfall to the south. We were supposed to go there!

She jumps down from the Dragwombatasaur and starts kicking the ground and swearing.

After a few moments she calms down, and then squares her shoulders.

There is something all of you need to know. Something I’ve been keeping secret ever since Axellexa told us where to go to find the Pool of All the Right Words. See, she mentioned something, something about how this terrible situation came to be. She mentioned that it happened because of the things done by a person named It’Dupree.

Penny lowers her head, closes her eyes, and then looks up at each of you one at a time.

Finally she says

My full name is Penelope Amber It’Dupree. I think she was talking about me. Something that I will do in my future caused all this, and maybe it is because of what we are doing now. I could be wrong. Maybe this It’Dupree is a descendent of mine, a distant cousin, or something. But I feel that it is me. I asked for your help in destroying the Kobolds and Gnolls who are taking over the ruins near our village and I was prepared to do anything to make that happen, so it seems reasonable that in my future I might do even more things to protect my friends and family from a different kind of invasion, though I honestly do not know where this place called Du’Orbna is. I’ve never heard of it.

I’m sorry I didn’t tell you all sooner. I had to think about it for a while, before I realized it was something that needed to be said. Now if you do not want to help me, I understand. We can find the tomb of Axellexa and return to our homes without the right words, if, if you think that this thing I am trying to do will set me on a course that leads to this, to the end of everything that your kind holds dear. I understand if you want to abandon the quest, and just go home, maybe, maybe even leave me here in the hope that that might set things right. But, I don’t understand how these things work. I don’t know how I can be sure if I’m the reason all this happens and if there is any way I can make it not happen after all.

Should we try to out run them and look for another way across the river?

I’m not sure I can do this. I’m scared. What are we going to find up there?

Oh, I think my role here will be to yell from the sides as loudly as I can, to help you all feel driven to win

Maybe we can kill two birds with one stone, Penny suggests. We can split up into small groups, I’ll go with Ehs, Fluuk and Tabaac can go off that way, Gemdar and Gobzilla can go that way. Each of us will look for anyone who might be Ivvinne, and meet back here at this table after we’ve all picked something to eat. We’ll compare notes, and then if we have a lead on Ivvinne we’ll go after her, otherwise we’ll head to that store. Okay?

I've never even heard of magic like this. When I look directly at all of you, you look normal, but when I look at your reflection I see humans. My village, I guess, is a little like this, you know we build out places along straight lines, streets and such, not like the goblins who build in harmony with nature. I never understood why we are different in that way, only this place looks like it is in another universe, I don't understand it. Where are the houses? I don't know what to expect as far as Ivvinne is concerned. I don't know what she looks like at all. According to the map, the food is to the left, just past where that Afterwords place is supposed to be. So let's head that way. I'm kind of hungry myself and I wonder what "Hibachi" is and if it tastes good.

Well, we are in luck. This strange world's words are either in our own language, or the magic that is at work is making it possible for us to read. See here, look.

Penny places her finger on a list of names on the bottom of the map. next to each name is a number and the same numbers appear in boxes on the map. penny begins reading off the names

Hmmm,She says after a whileI don't see anything that mentions the After, or a door to the after, just a lot of weird names, and, wait...

She pauses after almost going through the entire list

Under a description called "Alternative Books and Games" is the name "Afterwords" maybe that's where we need to start. The map says its, um,She turns around and looks to her right, at a large sign that says "Stacy's" then she turns back to the map, puts her finger on a large box with the number 2 on it, and finds the name Stacy's on the list, and then she says, Okay, if we are Here, and that is Stacy's, then Afterwords is down that way, to the left.

Penny falls on her stomach and shrieks as she begins to slide down the tunnel, after a moment you hear her laughing jubilantly.

Ah, oh, hehe, haha, wooo woooo, hahahahahaha

No, I don't think that was the right pool. The one in the picture surely has something in it to challenge us. We should keep looking for another pool, probably a deeper one. Maybe

But I don't remember us using a key to get in here, and that door back there did have an image of a key above a door at the bottom of a pool. Maybe we haven't found the "here" yet?

What was it that the Good Chief was saying at the party, Penny starts talking to Gemdar, who is walking near her at the back of the group, Something about exploring the “Here” and the “After.” I wonder what that means.

Well, Penny says at last, I think we could explore this chamber more thoroughly, but I don’t think the next door is here. This pool seems too shallow to conceal any doors at its bottom, unless I am wrong, we should probably press on deeper into the dungeon and keep looking for that door, and if we need to get that scepter we can come back here and figure out how dangerous that might be.

You’re the best friends anybody ever had

The doors have shut and I can’t open them!

We are merely glad that one of you remembered to come back to the cave and tell us the way is safe now, Penny says.

Ehsmaralduh, hurry lets join the others. Party on Ehs

If we can get the Dragwombatasaur males to come toward those other spiny dinosaurs, will they fight?

It's a good thing Hippo's don't eat Pennies

What are those large animals hiding with their heads barely above the water, Tabaaac?

Thank you, Good Chiefs, and brave heroes, our village is indebted to you. I only hope that when we reach the Pool of All the Right Words, that we discover something that will help us in our struggles with the monsters who have taken over the castle ruin. I hope I can help in the search, and more than anything else, I hope you like the pies.