Greenery pt 5
Well, the good news is that you have horrible news for everyone back home.
The bad news is that you're not there yet!
The guide does indeed frown, eyeing the Altiman coinery that was located. "I do not recognize the softskin on iut. What is it?"
Kisaiya stands in front of her backpack with the flap open. She can see the spiders in their jars with their legs up and so she crouches down and holds her arms up to match their poses. "Heya!"
Garak presents the coin. "If my Alexandria lore isn't failing me, I believe this is Altima, the ancient witch queen who once ruled the city," he explains carefully. Suddenly he flinches, as the rush of battle wears off and he feels where he was impaled by the Ankheg's mandibles. Reaching into his satchel he produces a small healing wand. He hesitates and then looks at the others in the party. "Does anyone else need aid?"
Selia says, "Witch. Bad news. Took over a good while back, made a awful mess. Died, came back, died again. Pretty sure is dead for good, but the occasional forgotten minion still pops up now and again. Reckon dis Teacher might be onea dem."
Bors doesn't say anything when asked if healing is needed, though he's pretty quiet in general so maybe that's not an indicator. But he did, by some twist of luck, manage to excape getting mauled in this fight. He looks back and forth at the mention of Altima, but he's very new to Alexandria and has no idea.
"I'm fine," Fazahd says, peering at the collection of you. "I am Fazahd Masterbuilder, Enginebreaker of Reos." He's an inquistor, that's what he is. "And yes, Altima. She's been stabbed a lot. Could stand a lot more, but alas, for the moment, she is beyond dead." The deadest. Dead as disco. "At any rate, I'm here to help you."
Selia waves vaugely. "I ain't tip top, but reckon I'll live. Dis toxin got me shaking 'urts more. My fingers is all numb." And yet the little lutch still flows like water. Sorta depends on what's your 'normal'.
SO THEY SAY.
STABBED by the HEROIC PHALANX FALCIS LEADER AUGUSTUS ALEXANDROS.
...who later went on to become a God.
Or try to, anyway. Common theme with those bad guys.
Anyway, the ankhegs are so so so dead and filled with horrible mossy insides. There's no telling how many more of these things are lurking in this area, given what you've already endured in th area.
The Sith-Makar grimaces. At least, it looiks like a grimace. Of a sort. It could be a snarl.
Kisaiya closes her backpack up now that she's sure that they're still alive and going. She slings it over her shoulder and looks toward the others. "Errr. So wait, what's going on then?" She blinks and stares around in a circle before kicking at one of the creatures near her. Evil things.
GAME: Garak used a Wand of cure light wounds.
GAME: Garak used a Wand of cure light wounds.
GAME: Garak used a Wand of cure light wounds.
GAME: Garak used a Wand of cure light wounds.
GAME: Garak rolls 1d8+1: (7)+1: 8
GAME: Garak rolls 1d8+1: (8)+1: 9
GAME: Garak rolls 1d8+1: (5)+1: 6
GAME: Garak rolls 1d8+1: (8)+1: 9
GAME: Garak used a Wand of cure light wounds.
GAME: Garak used a Wand of cure light wounds.
GAME: Garak rolls 1d8+1: (7)+1: 8
GAME: Garak rolls 1d8+1: (8)+1: 9
Bors is a bit surprised to be the beneficiary of Garak's healing wand, though he doesn't complain at it. He smiles in a disturbing way and gives Garak a thumbs-up, in fact, apparently approving of the process.
"...well. I think we'll need to go to my people. Tell them about this. The rest of you, are you ready for a bit of a sidetrack?" He looks beteen you.
Kisaiya stares at the guide, then gives a thumbs up, "Yep! I'm ready to do that. Especially if it gets us away from these." She kicks the dead bug-creature-thing.
Selia shrugs. "Sorta wnat to git back ta sumplace wot gets a nice layer of snow to kill off all da bugs and plants. But reckon gitten da info out is more important."
Bors nods about being ready to depart.
Garak watches the Sith-Makar, then turns to scan the area around them. "We found these by searching for a trail from the Troglodtye camp," he reasons. "Dare we continue looking?" He nods towards Kisaiya. "I sense we still have an incomplete picture of what is happening here."
"We could continue searching," agrees your guide, "but I'm not sure it's woth the risk." He looks towards Selia, then Garak.
"What is there to gain? We found evidence that links this oddness to the strangeness going on on theo ther side." There's no gardener here, either, Kisa!
Fazahd has connected.
Garak accepts the answer with a nod. "Very well. But I need hardly tell you all to be on your guard." He smiles slightly. "I have a feeling I may have trouble relaxing even when we get back to Alexandria..."
Selia nods. "Could. But better ta make sure half da picture gets known by many dan learnin da whole picture only ta giy dead before can tell anyone."
Kisaiya starts to look about for her swiftclaw. "Ca-caw! Ca-caw!" They're like birds, right?
Bors is a bit surprised to be the beneficiary of Garak's healing wand, though he doesn't complain at it. He smiles in a disturbing way and gives Garak a thumbs-up, in fact, apparently approving of the process.
"...well. I think we'll need to go to my people. Tell them about this. The rest of you, are you ready for a bit of a sidetrack?" He looks beteen you.
"Sure," Adhar says, his brow arched behind his visor. "Right. Lead on, I suppose. I shall support you."
Kisaiya looks left and right, "Hey, where are our swiftclaws? Someone see where they got off to?" She starts walking around the corpse of the bug thing with a frown.
Selia frowns herself. Velacaraptors lurking in the foliage out of sight is not a happy thought, even if they are technically domesticated.
"Back that way," says the Sith guide, and does indeed turn to begin leading the way back to the Swiftclaws.
"There's a larger Sith settlement about two days from here. I'd like us to go there, if none of you mind. From there, I can send a message to the tribes."
Kisaiya follows after the Sith guide humming as she goes and then looks to the left and right. Maybe she can spot another friend spider on her way back to the swiftclaws!
Garak carefully sits atop the swiftclaw he rode here. He's more familiar with horses, of course, but he has his race's obnoxiously natural skill at riding anything. After a moment's consideration he leans down and places a hand on the creature's long neck, murmuring a few spells.
GAME: Garak casts Shield Other. Caster Level: 10 DC: 16
Bors will follow along, remaining alert and eager to stab bad people, yes, yes he is. Heheheheheh. And not in a suspicious or creepy way, how he holds his kukri knives.
GAME: Garak casts Magic Vestment. Caster Level: 10 DC: 17
GAME: Kisaiya rolls perception: (8)+3: 11
GAME: Garak rolls perception: (15)+17: 32
GAME: Selia rolls perception: (20)+9: 29
GAME: Fazahd rolls perception: (18)+9: 27
GAME: Bors rolls perception: (3)+16: 19
"Softskins are strange," muses your guide. The dark grey Sith leads the way, then, and indeed it isn't long before you've tracked down your SWiftclaws. They'd gotten a little spooked by the combat and havem oved on some.
Still, with them back under control, yuou're en route again, this time to the Sith-Makar confederation village. Over the course of the next several hours, you're witness to a looooot of noises of the jungle. Bugs, crashing sounds, bugs, primal animalistic (manly) shrieking, and deep rumbles of great beasts moving elsewhere. The tall canopy does offer some shelter from the sun and the rain (yes, of course it starts raining) but for the most part of this is an enmiserating experience.
Selia keeps an eye on the foliage around her, knowing quite well predators lurk in the shadows, ready to pounce at the first sign of weakness. In that sence, it's almost like being back home in the back alleys. Though those predators tend to just want to rob you, not eat you, or lay eggs in your cooling flesh.
Fazahd does not ride the beasts, but instead he marches - his armor clean, his movement comfortable. Shield on his back, and a very strange sort of hand-cannon in his hands, Fazahd sighs faintly as the squad moves along. "We're being watched," he says, quietly enough to be heard without, you know, broadcasting to the jungle. "Prepare yourselves."
Kisaiya is keeping an eye out as well. And then she spots one that looks like another friend spider. Remember the animalistic manly shrieking? Well, one of those may be Kisa. She flung her arms up to mimic it again, but it ran off as soon as she did. "Damn." She sighs and continues along until prepare...? She pulls out her scythe tentatively.
Bors is riding, though poorly. He's a sailor, not a horseman, and it shows in the way he ... well, fails to do much useful with controlling the mount. He stays up, though this takes much of his concentration. Not that his witty banter was very witty.
Garak nudges his own mount ahead until he's roughly in the center of the formation of mounts and riders. His gleaming lance has appeared in his hand and he peers this way and that, monacle flashing.
...nothing happens. But now that you've been made aware of it, all of you begin to feel it. A steady set of eyes, observing you, no matter how far into the junglke you move.
GAME: Bors rolls survival: (15)+-1: 14
GAME: Kisaiya rolls Survival: (14)+9: 23
GAME: Garak rolls survival: (5)+8: 13
GAME: Selia rolls survival: (5)+3: 8
Selia is a city gal. If this were indead the concrete jungle, she'd know just which predator to talk to and make it through untroubled. But this is the plant jungle, and Kisaiya is mimicing spiders. Which isn't exactly related, but still worth mentioning.
GAME: Fazahd rolls survival: (3)+8: 11
Kisaiya hums softly as she goes back to looking around for spiders now that she has her scythe out. There's a pause and she nods her head in the direction of... well a sort of clearing really. Except it's not really. She frowns and looks back at the party then jerks her head in the direction of the once clearing. "Hey.. So, kinda odd, but this looks like it used to be a clearing." She turns back and pokes at the brush with her scythe, the new vegetation sort of growth.
Selia eyes the indicated area and shrugs. "All looks da same ta me. Take yer word on it."
GAME: Fazahd rolls survival: (3)+8: 11
Bors looks at Kisaiya, looks at the clearing, almost falls off swiftclaw, concentrates on riding.
"Say what now?" A pause.
The grey-scaled Sith can't frown, not really. Not like you softskins with your flexible mouths and lips. Instead, he merely gives the IMPRESSION of frownint.
"...she's right, I think. I was beginning to wonder if we'd gone off path but no. Something is wrong."
Garak turns his swiftclaw to follow Kisaiya. Once they reach the alleged clearing he frowns. "Perhaps we'd best hurry. The settlement may be in danger." Settlements in the midst of wild untamed lands such as these are something to be protected by any true follower of Serriel.
"Well. At least I brought my dissolver." Fazahd flips out a grip from one side of the improbably large pistol's body and takes hold; the mouth of the weapon begins to glow with a poisonous, coruscating green light.
"Your what?" Kisaiya says as she looks over toward Fazahd, seeing it glow she jumps back quickly. "Woh. What in the world?!" She turns her gaze the guide then and nods her head.
"Yeah, strange right? Like the plants grew too fast or something." Oop! Spider! Kisa starts off toward one of the trees with her arms raised up high above her head again.
Selia says, "Hurry is good, but hurry too fast means dead, and that ain't good. So meybe we jus hurry a little."
"Is she always likes this?" asks the grey-scale as she bounds after another spider.
"Wait, you're not thinking of trying to bring those through the portal are you? They might have an issue with that.. Nevermind. WE need to get to the village." And with that, he urges his swift on faster.
"It's a weapon that dissolves," Fazahd explains. "Vegetation, flesh, metal, whatever. Very useful in this situation." Well, at least it isn't Agent Orange.
Fazahd adds, "I call it 'Tarmaker'."
So as people gape or whatnot, Fazahd charges the weapon by pulling back on its side lever - and then, with a keen, bright noise that sounds more like a blade drawn across silver chimes, a ray of green light as thick as a fist slashes through the thicker parts of the foliage. Wherever the light strikes, Simba, things turn into a hissing, bubbling tar - because that's what you've inherited, son, you've inherited a tar field. Stop letting dwarves who aren't dwarves shoot rays around the kingdom.
Clearing the way works well enough.
As the foliage dissolves, something else is revealed anear the camp site.
YOu're walking on a lot of bones.
Scattered bones, poking through the ground. Looks like they belong to humanoids.
'Oh, oh no," says the grey-scale.
"Oh what the hells is this?!" Kisa says as she stares at the spider that's not actually a spider. She frowns and turns toward the bones only to jerk back from it, "WOH!" She calls out. "Better question, what the hlls is /that/?!" She turns to look at the grey-scale with an explain that reaction sort of look.
Selia draws her own blade, the frost of the weapon killing off plants fairly swiftly, but without melting whatever might be underneath. Might be too little too late, but it's an effort.
"To be clear, I only dissolved the vegetation," says Fazahd, before drawing a seal of Reos in the air with one hand and beginning to pray in low, murmured Khazad. You can take the lad out of the priesthood, but you can't take the - oh wait nevermind that was literally done and so this is just habit. But at least it's respectful.
"Wait," Garak urges the swiftclaw he's riding. If it understands it gives no sign. Sighing, Garak pats the side of it's neck and tugs gently. Finally it stops, and Garak slides off, kneeling to examine the bones. Then he goes to the edge of the area scorched by Fazahd's weapon, looking for bones among still-living vegetation.
GAME: Kisaiya rolls Heal+2: (3)+0+2: 5
GAME: Fazahd rolls heal: (9)+10: 19
GAME: Garak rolls heal: (4)+4: 8
GAME: Bors rolls heal: (15)+-1: 14
GAME: Selia rolls heal: (19)+0: 19
Selia puts her blade away, and peers over the bones, careful not to touch, just in case. After a few moments, the tiny dancer frowns. "No breaks. Is all whole bones, like dey died peaceful like. Reckon didn't so sumthing nasty wot don't show on bones. Like poison gas."
Garak says, "Or moss."
Bors looks at the bones as we ride along, mainly focused on not falling off the swiftclaw or losing any fingers. He eyes the bones thoughtfully, nodding in agreement as Selia comments on the undaged bones.
Fazahd marches on, having done his benedictions. Hangs on to the blaster.
"Woh, they're dead!" Kisa says and looks around between them all. She points toward Garak, "Hey! Hey! That's right! Maybe its the moss-stuff. Right? I mean, it's invading and all. Where's that gardener?" She looks around.
The grey-scale is frownig.
"Let's get to that village, yes," and with that, he's back on his way to the village, unless someone stops him.
He did say it wass a couple days out, though, which means that you're going to need to stop for the night.
Adn that didn't seem to save these others...
GAME: Kisaiya rolls survival: (20)+9: 29
GAME: Bors rolls survival: (11)+-1: 10
GAME: Selia rolls survival: (15)+3: 18
GAME: Fazahd rolls survival: (3)+8: 11
GAME: Fazahd rolls survival: (13)+8: 21
Kisaiya's off near the middle of the group as they start along and she's looking up into the trees as she starts humming a song from long ago. A song she remembered hearing when she was just a child. As they continue along she lets out a laugh at seeing some of the creatures and that gives her an idea. She turns her head one way, and then the other, and finally points up into the trees. "Hey, you know what. That looks like it might be a good place to camp. /Up there/. Like, not on the ground where we found the bones and all. I think the boughs are big enough to support us for the night and they looks like they overlap a lot."
Whirlpool has reconnected.
Selia blinks. Blinks again. "...well... yeah." You mean some people -don't- sleep hidden in the rafters or curled up in a small passage between the walls?
Bors nods at what Kisa says. They camped in the trees before, so this is nothing new. Leaving the swiftclaws to their own devices offers the chance that they'll run off or be eaten, though they weren't so lucky last time.
Garak tilts his head back to look at the nearest tree. After a moment he nods. "That seems a wise choice." He dismounts once more and begins to look around, familiarizing himself with the immediate surroundings. Better now than in a sleep-filled daze if they are awakened suddenly by the one on watch.
"It's often safe in the trees, but not always. There are all manner of predators up there too. And monkeys. Why must it always be the monkeys?"
Grey-scale lets out a sigh and then starts to scale a tree,
Selia climbs with a casual familiarity, having spent a fair bit of her life above the street level, if only just. With a small knife, some branches, a bit of string, leaves, and the occasional rag, she fashions a number of crude but effective nests, just large enough for a little lutch to curl up in. And then doesn't use any of them, instead dozing in a fitful sort of slumber in hidden sniper positions with a clear view of the decoys. Just like she usually does.
Bors clambers his way up into the tree and finds a spot to rest between two branches. He lashes himself in place so he doesn't roll over to his death in his sleep, then sleeps.
Garak has reconnected.
Fazahd manages to scale without much trouble, spry bastard that he is - and, finding a place to settle down, seems to...sleep. Maybe. It's hard to tell with the smoked crystal of his visor, but at least he ceases moving, dissolver weapon across his lap.
Kisaiya leaves her swiftclaw with the rest, leaving it to the Sith-makar or the others to really figure out if they should be tied up or what. She's start climbing up soon after, taking it easy as she ascends into the branches to find a more comfortable place to sleep. She'll clear out some leaves and spread out her bedroll on a comfortable looking spot before looking to the others. "I'll take first watch."
Night falls.
Nothing much happens at first. FAzahd is left to take care of most of the watch through the night like the Dad Who Needs Quiet like he is.
Eventually, though, something odd doe happen. He starts hearing this odd, whispery sound. Not a vocalized whisper, really, but rather something similar to it.
GAME: Fazahd refreshes spells.
GAME: Fazahd casts Darkvision. Caster Level: 10 DC: 16
He knows what it is - or at least, he thinks he does. Quietly, the Enginebreaker engages hidden devices within his helmet, biting down on certain rubber-coated contacts to flood the thin space between the layers of his crystal faceplate with an arcane gas, which then is flooded with his own personal mana; instantly, the darkness of the night is made clear to him, and he spots down the tree and all around for what he believes to be vegetable treachery.
GAME: Fazahd rolls perception: (1)+9: 10 (EPIC FAIL)
So, Faz's speculation is probably right. There's this... /wave/ that washes over the ground, renewing it.
The remnants of your passage cease to be. It's like you were /never there/. It's.. .worrisome. A cloud of spores erupts into the air and then settles, faintly glistening in the dim, dim, dim lgiht available to you.
And then all is renwed.
It doesn't seem to reach this high up.