Maddy stumbled backwards as the tentacle holding Precious lost its grip and she yanked him out of the water. She didn't have time to be relieved as they were still in danger. The closer they were to the water, the greater the chance of someone else being taken.
She vigorously motioned for the others to get as far away from the water as possible. She asked Stool to tell the others, ::Everyone out of the cavern! I will cover our retreat::
With that, Maddy unsheathed Dawn and kept her at the ready. The young woman kept her eyes on the water as she followed the others towards the exit.
The creature rears up, a watery body with a hateful expression, and lashes out a long watery tentacle. Alex fires off a few magical shots, which sink into the creature, making it writhe.
However, you all too far back out of reach. The creature dives back into the water with a mighty splash, and isn't seen again.
I am pretty sure its not a Succubus? Alexandra says somewhat unhelpfully.
”Them’s one o’ those lewd demons?” Precious grunted after he managed to get most of the water from his lungs. ”Yeah, I think ye might have that right.” And no sooner, the creature raised its ugly head from the depths. ”Aye, it takes all kinds, I suppose, an’ one shouldn’t judge, but I don’t think that one’s one o’ ‘em lady demons.”
Technically, Succubi can shapeshift a fair bit, and some do seek to please whatever Master or mistress they have by like, adopting parts of its design into theirs, like, a Succubus who worships the same deity the drow do may be more spidery, perhaps even with extra arms or spinnerets, one who follows the deathwind may have feathery wings rather then batwings, one who follows the lord of minotaurs may have exceedingly large... tracts of land Alexandra points at her breast section and cow horns, but even one pledged to some watery doom in some fashion would look more like an evil mermaid or siren and not like that.
Snapping back into not Succubi land
Lets save Stools friends?
Huet huffed and puffed as the strange muttering continued to wash out all sound. He calmed himself, his spear over his thighs, and tried to think very deliberately.
::Well. One less thing. Is i' time to ge' Stool home now?::
The idea that the muttering might block out his hearing forever came to mind. Every step towards getting Stool home was a step towards complete deafness.
But he tried hard not to think about it.
Not with Stool listening.
Soon you're back in the quiet, dripping silence of the Whorlstone Tunnels. Kalanzar takes you back along your trail, but there comes a point where you would need to shrink to follow the exact route, and you don't have enough mushrooms. The druid follows his gut and takes you a different way, which turns out to be more direct, and you're soon back near the place Stool wanted to go.
The little myconid begins to bounce on Maddy's shoulders, sending the message to hurry, hurry. You come to the edge of the thick fungi forest you shrank down to pass through last time. This time you take the other turning.
The tunnel opens into a natural cave, wherein you see several fungal creatures dancing to a silent tune. Three of them stand five feet tall, while the others are half as tall. One of the small ones stands apart from the rest, its movements not nearly as frantic. hunched nearby are two larger creatures that resemble apes covered with mushroom growths and yellow mold.
Stool becomes still and then in a small mental voice says, ::Myconids don't dance.::
and are pretty hard to effect with anything mindcontrolling yes? S#@#, this is serious. Alex thinks back.
::Aye, doesn’t look promisin’:: Precious sent back, hunkering behind a rock to peer at the strange sight from what he hoped was from as much cover as someone crowned with a set of antlers could manage. ::Anyone know what we be dealin’ with here? Those ape-thingies forcin’ the ‘shroom guys to entertain ‘em or somethin’?::
::Maybe we can find out:: Hue crouched down and pressed into the side of the cave. Then he moved forward at a snail's pace to get as close a look as he dared. He held his breath. It was all making his heart pound. He couldn't even hear how quiet he was being - the damnable muttering.
So he pulled out all the stops and used every ounce of his fear to be subtle ... for Stool.
He got close and gave a good long stare.
:: I have no idea what it is, but it looks very bad... I still have some spells, we can try to start a fight and fight off the one who is not dancing so cheerfully... I assume he's faking it to survive. ::
Maddy is immediately on guard when Stool's demeanour changes and he informs them that the myconids' behaviour wasn't normal.
::Can you communicate with them? Are they being controlled against their will? Or are they not even real myconids? Do they need help or is this a trap?::
She narrows her eyes at the scene before them and tries to remember if any of this seems familiar to her.
Stool scrambled down from Maddy's shoulder and approaches cautiously. ::The big ones are adults, the little ones are sprouts like me. I could try to talk to them. What should I say?::
Maddy instinctively tried to stop Stool from getting away from her. ::Stool, no! Don't go to them. You might get caught up in what is happening to them::
She was unsure of what may happen once the others were alerted to their presence so she kept Dawn at the ready. This meant that Maddy constantly had to ask her to be as dark as possible and not shine too brightly. ::Just mentally ask them if they are ok or if they need help::
::They look like deepbears, ummm, whachacallem, Quaggoth. The big ones I mean, over by the myconoid that isn't dancing so hard. The growth on them isn't right. Can't put my finger on it. The fungi looks ... shifty::
Stool stood holding Maddy hands, as close as he dared to get to the dancing myconids. ::He...hello...?::
Immediately, an adult looks up and notices you. It leaves the circle of dancing, and walks slowly over to you. You see a small cloud of spores puff out of its cap, similar to what Stool does every day so you can speak with him.
A moment later, you feel the rapport begin. It's a strange, heady feeling, quite different from what you share with Stool. Perhaps because this is an adult.
::Greetings! Welcome! The Lady's blessings upon you! I am Voosbur.::
Hue watched the spores of the mycanoid with great interest as they puffed out. He was now very comfortable around Stool, but he'd had good mushrooms and he'd had bad mushrooms and he'd had moments after eating that'd made him wish he were dead. He'd had strange growths between his toes, white coatings on the back of his throat, and exposure to a fine miasma that made his shadow say mean things to him. He was warry about his breathing and watched out for what he touched. His gut (both figurative and literal) taught him never to trust a fungus.
: Blessed be the Ladies, may thy find succor and joy in their embrace :
Alex espers back via Stool
: I am Alexandra, I greet thee in the name of the Lady of shadows and dance and moonlight :
: I have not known for your kind to dance, nor to dance... with a degree of skill that is unexpected to my prejudiced surfacer eyes, how did this change came about?:
Alexandra ESPs, also projecting images of various different dances on the surface or... elsewhere, that she is aware of.
A couple of the images Alexandra is projecting in return are... strongly implying that she know at least one Succubus. Particularly when she esps a scene of 2 dancers dancing while flying.
I do not know what the kn. checks for Voosbur would be to recognice this.
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He had been expecting a mental touch, but the feeling of this one still caused Precious to start – strange and alien in a way Stool’s telepathic communication no longer felt. Come to think of it, he still had no idea how deep into his mind the little myconid could reach. Had it been rummaging in his mind uninvites, not meaning harm but reading his thoughts like he might read the expression on the face of another person? And even if it hadn’t, what about this adult specimen of its species, one who seemed to act in a way that unnerved even Stool.
Just what was going on here, and whose will was moving whom? Were the myconids in charge, or these quaggoth Hue had identified? Or was there some other party in play, as the halfling had confirmed the fungal growths on the apelike beasts did not belong? Well, adding new voices to the conversation might not help, and he didn’t feel comfortable attempting to send thoughts via Stool to only the others in his party, without the adult myconid noticing and “hearing”.
Voosbur grins widely at Alex's greeting. Nodding enthusiastically, he says, ::Yes, yes! Not all of my kind are as enlightened as this troupe. We followed the Lady's dream, and she led us here! These tunnels have many special mushrooms, and we are very happy here.::
His eyes widen as he watches Alex's projections. ::The Lady has led you here as well! Would you like to share in the Lady's gift? Then you can travel through her dream, as we do.::
Maddy remained cautious. Between Hue voicing that he thought the fungi look shifty and Stool saying myconids didn't dance, she couldn't help but be on guard. Were they being coerced or were they doing the coercing? Either way, she didn't want to be covered in fungi and cursed to dance forever in the dark.
She looked at Stool wondering if her little friend felt comfortable with these myconids. Even though she wanted him to be happy, she hoped he would want to stay with them until she could actually get him to his home. She wouldn't feel comfortable leaving him here.
:: Please tell us more about your Lady. Perhaps it was really She who brought our paths together here... :: Drow is obviously wary, but a spark of hope flashes through his mind...
Voosbur's expression becomes loving and dreamy. "The Lady is wise and powerful! She loves all myconids, and those who worship her. She has led us here, and we can travel with her, back to our home. We have been enjoying our time here, but soon she will take us away, back to our homes." Looking earnestly at them, he says, "The Lady will care for you, if you allow her to."
Maddy was still wary and was ready to excuse themselves and return to the tavern. But she also didn't want to drag Stool away against his will. She focused just on Stool and tried to send her thoughts directly to him. ::Stool, are you wanting to stay with these myconids? Personally I'd rather take you back to your home rather than leaving you with them. But it's your choice. You seemed to really want to find them when you first heard them::
Kalanzar, unaware of Maddy's question, makes the only right decision from his point of view - to retreat from here as soon as possible. :: We're leaving. It's dangerous. :: This thought sounds in the head of each of you.
Stool's hand squeezed Maddy's tightly. ::They said they could take us home. Do they mean Neverlight Grove? I've never heard of the Lady. Why are they dancing?::
Maddy agreed with Kalanzar but thought if they left too abruptly that Stool would get upset. Knowing that they were able to speak with the myconid leader she asked Voosbur inside her head, ::Where is home for you? Is it Neverlight Grove? Is that where the Lady is taking you?::
The adult myconid nodded vigorously, releasing more spores as he did so. "Yes, yes! We've been away such a long time. But this place is so lovely, we just had to stay a while an enjoy it. But the sprouts are getting tired, and it will soon be time to go." He nods towards the little one who is not dancing enthusiastically.
The Lady, eh? Not much to made deductions on, and besides, this entity might well be some Underdark power he hadn’t even heard of before, Precious thought as he listened to the conversation, still keeping one eye on the ape-like creatures. Anyway, all of this had an uncomfortable bizarre feel to it, and he heartily agreed with Kalanzar’s suggestion to leave.
”Aye, this be weird ‘nuff that there gotta be somethin’ goin’ on here that doesn’t meet the eye,” Precious muttered, still not willing to trust himself to send thoughts to only their own group.
Hue squinted one eye and looked this tall mycanoid, Voosbur, over. Then he walked through and past the dancing group, holding his breath as he did. He put on the pretense of dancing a bit as he tried to pass. He looked at the cave floor and risked a sniff at the air. He was too tired for this and his vision burred as he tried to focus.
::Wha's this lady look like?::
"Well! We've never seen her in the flesh, of course!" Voosbur says with a blush. "We see her in our dreams. She is beautiful, the colour of Zurkwood before you cut it down, with head tendrils like trillimac, and eyes like fire lichen." Caught up in the rapture of the memory, he begins to sway again. Eyes closed, he offers, "We will leave soon. Will you come?" He sways back towards the others.
Stool whimpers, wanting to go with them, but not willing to leave the party.
Hue looked at his companions and shook his head to indicate he found no tracks. ::As my old teacher used to say, 'Never put wooden nails before an idle hammer'. This lady isn't coming. I think they've been touched by 'dreamer's mushrooms'. Stool, I'm so sorry. I'm so very sorry. I don't think this is the way home. Also, I think they are in danger of starving or exhaustion. I'm not certain but I have a strong feeling. Also, I don't think we should touch them::
The myconids dance a few more moments, then, still swaying, they move towards a thick mushroom patch. The quaggoths finally stir, and follow the myconids. A portal opens up the fungus, and the myconids hurry through it. The quaggoth enter last, and then the portal closes. You are once again alone in the Whorlstone Tunnels.
Hue's face froze.
::???::
Kalanzar nods. That's even better. It remains to find a way not to spend the next few hundred years enslaved by the duergar. Well... Let's go!
Pretty sure that wasnt our Lady Kalanzar. I felt something... dangerous, which our Lady also is, but I did not wish to judge.
Alex opines
”Not gonna lie, that wasn’t how I thought things woulda end up, but this sure beats some o’ me worst guesses,” Precious said, scratching his head as he stared at the now-empty chamber. ”Perhaps we coulda take a few minutes to rest our feet ‘fore we troop right back to yon city?”
Stool slumps, then drops to the ground. He doesn't mentally project anything, but he radiates abject misery.
"That was beyond weird," Maddy murmured.
Sensing Stool's anguish, Maddy took a moment to sit beside the small myconid to try to comfort him. She put her arm around him and gave him a gentle squeeze. She just sat beside him for a few minutes before she caught a glimpse of the others. They all looked exhausted. Maybe she could find something to help everyone. ::I'll get you home, Stool. And keep you safe until then::
She got to her feet. ::I'll see what I can find to eat or drink to give everyone the energy they need to get back to the city::
She got to her feet. ::I'll see what I can find to eat or drink to give everyone the energy they need to get back to the city::
::I'll help,:: Precious sent back, following Maddy deeper in the chamber. ::Some good grub to be found in these parts, if ye know where to look.::
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The foraging is good here, and in no time Maddy and Precious had come back with quite the haul.
The hour passes quietly and uneventfully.
EDIT: descriptions of all the mushrooms have been added to the slide deck.
A website with some photos of the various mushrooms. I'll add them to the slide deck when I have some time.
::I'll get you home, Stool. And keep you safe until then::
::WE will. We WILL get you home:: Hue thought out as he rummaged through the plenty of the cave.
::Well, what next? Back to report and see if we've satisfied the commander? An a proper sleep??::
In most cases, Kalanzar would have joined the search for mushrooms, but now he is too tired. At first, he just sits with his head against the wall, as if he's dead. But then he gets ready anyway, and after offering a short prayer to the guides in the night, he sits down in a meditation position and imagines himself traveling among the starry sky... No, he doesn't even imagine - his spirit is there, in the midst of the cozy darkness of the space between the stars and the radiance of these beloved stars. The star-scars on his body at this time glow barely noticeably.
::Could use the rest, particularly if we are to keep followin’ on Droki’s footsteps an’ see about those cultist friends o’ ‘is,:: Precious sent back, frowning suspiciously at the mushrooms and… other things he and Maddy had found. His gifted knowledge claimed him they were safe and nutritious, but then again, that knowledge came from a very suspect source, and he could very easily see that Fae minx urging him to try out something that was hilariously poisonous, or just tasted like a goblin’s rear end. So in an ideal world, someone else should be the one to brave the first bite.
::An’ if we go back to the city, I think it’d be good fer our health to offer a report to the Captain, lest she be thinkin’ we be tryin’ to keep secrets or hide a failure,:: he went on. ::’sides, we do have plenty to tell. Droki peddlin’ magical ‘shrooms to an alchemist, one we took out while detainin’ Droki, we found these tunnels, ways to the city I doubt the guards know ‘bout. An’ then there’s those cultists, up to no good no doubt, even though we ain’t exactly sure what. Should satisfy her fer the moment, at least – might even decide she wants more reliable folks to take it from here,:: he shrugged.
Maddy was quite proud of the haul that she had managed to find with Precious' help. It would help them stay hydrated and satiated even if many of them lacked much flavour.
She was tired but felt she was in better shape than the others. A few of them looked dead on their feet and the shepherdess couldn't help but wonder if they'd even make it back if they didn't have a proper rest.
::This seems like a safe enough place to rest. I can keep watch if some of you need to sleep before we return. Being down here messes with my sense of time and distance but I think we still have a long trek back::
I am a bit exhausted, but I can basically blast things with eldritch blasts all day. Alexandra opines.
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Seeing Prescious circumspection. Hue spent some time looking over the mushrooms and tried to identify the ones rich in iron from the ones that provided more protection from illness from the ones that might set up a home in your intestinal tract and start selling lots.
He blathered on in his head as he did so, but in a way that was easy to half block-out and hard to listen to clearly, ::Technically, I'm a student of the-world-of-fungi, but (slight yawn) my REAL passion lies in the spore bearing fruiting-body of fungus, or the myriad variety of mushroom known ...
... and, well, unknown. It has always been a dream of mine to discover new varieties. I don't know, it's like adding to the world when you discover something new.
It wasn't, and then suddenly, now it is!
Or as my half-brother's uncle was fond of saying, 'Better claim it before someone smart figures it out on their own.' To date, I think I may have discovered seven new kinds of mushroom, and not all conforming to the regular morphology.
I found mushroom from each of the five basic categories: plant partners like your basic chanterelles and truffles, helping other plants collect water and fight off disease, all for a little bit of sugar.
There's 'bandit mushrooms' that get greedy with the sugars, like lion's head, or changa, and eat the other plant up.
There's your 'decay-lovers' like the basic button and gnome's cap.
There's your 'far raiders' that have 'partner' and 'bandit' qualities. They're pretty rare.
And, lastly, 'phasing'. My guess is white dungensia minisculius hueorum and the red dungensia rebiglius maddylii are of this variety.
... so that's two barrelstalks, seven bluecaps, and two waterorbs. Shame, the waterorbs are healthsome bladders of moisture ...
One thing that these types all have in common is a really short fossil record. You just can't find evidence of these 'shrooms very far back. You see there's a lady by the name of Permiana Whishus thinks that mushrooms came to us on the back of a falling star.
There's a whole variety of 'shroom, generally called 'dreamer mushrooms, that can give people lucid dreams, little 'trips'. Some use them to find hidden wisdom. Some people just like tripping. Anyway, guy named Zaurellius ... something ... has been studying where people go when they, well, trip.
Seems a lot of these people find themselves floating through space feeling like they're communicating with space people. Couple that with Miss Whishus' ideas ...
... and this led Zaurellius to the belief that mushrooms were actually messaging capsules from outer space ...
... I find that a tad off. If the dreamer's mushroom is communicating anything to the dreamer it's the space inside their own head. Really, I think that's just big city talk.
... three nightlights, four Nilhogg's noses ... hmmm, nilhogg is almost goblin backwards ... four ripplebark, oooooh, and a tinmask...
When i' comes to mushrooms their's two types of city talk:
There's wide-eyed talk of space mushrooms and how fungus can bring skeletons back from the dead.
And there's narrow-minded farming talk that will try to convince you the corner store only carries portabello, cremini, oyster, and shiitake because those are the only mushrooms that ever existed. Don't make me laugh! They aren't even the only edible ones. What about Lion's Mane, or elf-ear, bearded hedgehog, golden needle, snow fungus, baby-bella, fairy-sadle, and mortician's button???
Why, there are four distinct spiecies of gnome's cap mushrooms alone! There's mustard, glower-blues, rustic-brown, and speckled (though you really shouldn't eat the speckled gnome's cap. I swear I won't do that a third time).
Actually, heha ha ha, funny story, gnome's cap mushrooms are kind of why I'm down here.
You see, I was top side making maps of popular cave sites when a group of persons came by with a party of others saying they're looking for a dwarven person of the female persuasion and did I see any of the like. They said this woman just wandered off without a word and they wanted to find this same person.
I tell you, I found this quite a sad story, especially seeing that the head of the search party, fellow named Aspaz, was having a birthday that very day. So I asked if I could see the missing missus things. You know, get a feel for who they were and the fellow said there was no harm as long as I didn't get into their private stuff.
... four torchstalks, six (no less) tongues of madness, and four trillimacs ...
You know what I found!? A recipe for risotto. What was one of the ingredients?! Gnome's cap. So I trudged off to half-a-dozen of the dankest caves thereabout's. Gnome's cap loves it dank with a bit of topside air. In the sixth cave I found evidence of a cave-in and some scuffed stone from what I took to be evidence of someone's gnome's cap collecting.
So I rushed over and didn't the floor give way. Well, yes it did! I was falling bonnet before boot 'til I found some ridiculously cold water. After was the drow, my escape, a lot of rowing with that crappy oar, then my finding you fine people ...
... and, finally, eleven bigwigs and seven pygmyworts ...
... and I never found tha' dwarf. I think I've finally come to the asiggnation that I probably never will::
::This seems like a safe enough place to rest. I can keep watch if some of you need to sleep before we return. Being down here messes with my sense of time and distance but I think we still have a long trek back::
::I'd do with the rest if no one minds. I can barely tell nightlight from torchstalk:: He passed the spear of warning to Maddy. Once the 'shrooms were sorted he made a bed of lesser lichen and slept as long as anyone let him.
As precious begins talking, Alexandra interjects, although in a strangely formal and precise tone.
I deem it likely that the 2 different dungensia species you perceived may as a matter of fact be the same species of mushrooms at different stages of its life cycle.
Did you know that there were, albeit unsuccesful, attempts to utilize the capabilities of these mushrooms with a view towards combating phase spiders in a more effective way by mimicking their abilities? I would not recommend doing such things, as phaseing after a phase spider results in you having to fight them on their turf, which is not advisable.
At the last parts she offhandedly touches a completely healthy part of her throat, as if there was a scar but there isnt.
Now, by my reckoning at least 2 of these mushrooms are relatively potent wards against disease, you would certainly know which ones Mr. Hue? Alexandra almost teases
Also, please dont let Alexandra snort tounges of madness, ever. And ideally dont do that yourself either. There is no vaccination procedure against madness.
"Alexandra" teases a bit more until she assumes her more normal posture
So, you like shrooms? She asks looking a bit confused
A watch rotation is settled on, and everybody gets cozy. The faerzress drifting through the mushrooms thicket is mesmerizing in a peaceful sort of way, and soon those not on watch are asleep.
Your dreams are full of swirling patterns. The faerzress swirls through your sleeping mind, taking your dreams and running a wet paintbrush through them. Familiar faces twist and morph, turning into strangers, and then into dark and twisted things. The dreams last and last, getting stranger and more haunting. Finally you all find yourself awake, covered in a cold sweat, and not sure if what you see before you is real.
At least you have enough to eat, and nothing attacked you while you slept.