DM themed play-by-post D&D game : STORY THREAD

[beowuuf]

In a way different, in a way the same. One had a sucking quality to it, this one has more the quality of just not really letting anything in or out.

To be more specific, for now it's not there's a huge dark thing in your way, it's just that the way forward seems a little more densely black than it should...like the darkness is only reluctantly pushed away

The ledge was probably a poor choice or words, its more like a river bank I guess...anyway, about 5 - 10 feet.

[raixel]

Petal shivers as the odd feeling intrudes upon her senses. It felt pleasant, and yet wrong. She looks to the odd plant growth, then up at the ceiling. The ceiling was smooth and unbroken, no light shining down. Im assuming, based on the description there is no light leaking down from outside The pixie frowns at this revalation.
She remembers one of many lessons from her mentor, explaining how all the mana of the world intertwines. Plants need both the mana of YA and RA to grow, as well as VI. YA was of course the earth, VI water, and RA was her people's (and perhaps other people's) name for the Light-Bringer. Even down here under the earth, when her senses werent being corrupted by this strange power, she could feel thin tendrils of RA mana soaking into the ground from the light of the sun. But plants needed RA mana to fall upon them directly, carried in the light. So, how were these plants growing? She wishes she could touch them and hear their Song, however the strange energy of this place is overwhelming her magical senses.

When Deephold announces he feels something is wrong, she nods to him. "With Deephold agree, I do," she tells everyone. "The natural Song of this place is drowned out by a different Power. My ability to Listen, being blocked it is. And, plants, they grow not if the mana of RA they have not. Carefully, we should go."
The sorceress turns again to Deephold. "A spell I have," she says quietly to him. "A mana shield it is. Cast it, I could. Perhaps from this odd power it will protect us. However, a chance might be that mana use even a little might the attention of whatever is making this song be brought to us. A good thing, think I not that would be."

After speaking, the pixie closes her eyes and focuses on her own Song. Inside her mind, she tries to use her training and mental discipline to block the strange energy from intruding upon her other senses. It is hard, as the wrong feeling of the power has cut her off from the flow of energy that she has been used to nearly her entire life. It sings to her, and she feels the desire to let it carry her away in its Song. Still, she tries to focus her will, hoping that it will be enough to keep the feeling at bay.
WILL (1d20+6=14)

EDIT: Fixed an error where I typed YA instead of RA twice

[ian_scho]

Looking at the pathetic grak-grak now reminded him about something of his opinions of magicks. The wizard always tired, spent his energies or just wore his surrounding environment out. A good sword arm however would keep swinging - for hours. It was now in it's natural form, and completely unprotected. He could... He cast the thought out of his mind for a moment, as Deephold had perked up.

"It's true, it feels unnaturally dark here. But why would our gnome friend lead us here? For what purpose to serve him?" He first let the others start to sniff around for a minute, guarding both over them while casting a watchful eye over the grak-grak. If there was magic here affecting it, it may also end up controlling it.

OOC - a Perception check (1d20+2=9).

[beowuuf]

Deephold looks up at Haynuus's words, and peers into the middle distance. "The way beyond does seem...gloomier than usual." For a moment the dwarf looks more, and then shakes his head. "Or rather, it is as if my eyes do not wish to look further. Something does not feel right - spiritually, aswell as physically." The dwarf listens to Petal's explanation of her thoughtd, and nods. "That is true. The elementals tended the plants and flowers of the cavern, and there was light that was diverted by those elementals. Here, you would expect the underplants to grow, the fungi alone. Some powerful magic is at work here. Most likely left over by Chaos's work."

Deephold sighed at the reminder of the evil High Lord. "Keep your spell to hand, noble pixie...butfor the moment, perhaps we should explore further."

Ameena was testing the ground and plants with her nose. They smelled like normal plants, perhaps a little earthier and less fragrant than those in bloom, but better than tree roots. The grass - despite its blue cast - smelled like grass she had moved through all her life. However, there was also that strong stink of magic. It wasn't attached to or near the plants, it was coming directly from the plant. It reminded her of the Trolins the original group had first met. The ones that had dissolved in an instant to nothing. Except, those had smelled real, and then had smelled of magic. These plants smelled of both at once. Could a plant feed on magic like it could feed on water or light?

The grak-grak did not seem inclined to move or look, even when Haynuus got closer to observe it. "The gnome may well not know exactly what is beyond," said Deephold, "or perhaps despite appearances the way onwards is safe. Perhaps that which frightens the grak-grak is something holy and pure, and we will be safer than we have been since entering this place."

Deephold does not sound convinced nor convincing - about either the motives of the gnome, or the potential danger beyond.


Haynuus could not get a reading on the situation at all, and the circlet was of no use - now the thought had been agreed upon by the group, it seemed dormant. As with many things, it seemed that all the thinking in the world did not matter as much as simply blundering about and poking things. Haynuus's practical experience in the world was limited to his time in the mines, his brief journies and briefer dungeon raids. Still, he had picked up many tricks for survival. He was sure that a good source of green vegetation, plenty of water, and a very solid looking floor to walk on were luxuries compared to some places. The group could be venturing along worse areas. The cavern behind them, with its slippery narrow high ledges and nivorous insects sprang to mind!

Ameena did not, at least, get the sense as she had from the strange darkness at the door. The memories were still a little fractured there, but were glued together enough for her to know how it felt being beside it and going through it. Perhaps the biggest difference was the temperature. The cold winds and low temperature of the place was not affecting her. Infact, it was temperate. Her wet fur was already drying out as if gently heated. Still, her nose was starting to water as the smell of magic invaded her delicate nostrils.

Petal's own mental preparations were both good and bad. She was able to reduce the 'noise' in her head to a simple ringing, as if the after-affects of a loud explosion. Unfortunately, the subsiding noise did not allow the background noise to come back any clearer. With a sinking feeling, Petal realised the painful sound was the background noise. The world and magics of this region were being twisted, not drowned out by anything secondary. Petal was confident of not allowing the great power sweeping here to wash her away, but she also felt very disconnected from the world once more. At least this time, the mana still flowed through her and she was still connected to her surroundings.


Anyway, was that helpful? You guys going to take any further precautions, or just advance onwards? Or something else?

[raixel]

Petal focuses mentally on her friend, the one that is both a part of her and a part of Someone Else. She forms an image of the little being in her mind, him standing there looking imperious. With the image firmly in mind, she sends out a mental call to him. "If you are here, I could really use your knowledge and experience" she thinks, not really expecting him to answer so soon after he protected her. So, she changes the call slightly, a simple question, one easily given a yes or no answer.

"Is this twisted place His work?"

[Ameena]

As Ameena sniffs around the area, listening to the talk of her friends, she looks around and up at them with a comment of her own.
"I was wondering that too, about the plants." she says. "I'd always thought they can only grow where there is daylight. But these..." she pauses to sniff at a nearby stem. "These smell of magic - maybe that's what's letting them live, instead of light from the Bright Eye. But I wonder what caused them to start growing in the first place. Maybe someone down here once saw real plants, and decided they wanted to create plants of their own. But whatever's ahead...it might be something that just wanders around eating the plants, though such creatures aren't always friendly. Or it might be some kind of predator that eats the creatures who eat the plants. Or maybe it's whatever creature caused these plants to grow. Or it might be something else..."
She trails off, realising she's not really saying anything her friends will find helpful.
"We could continue onward." she says. "Maybe if a one or two of us cross to the other bank over there, those who are bigger will have more space to move around if...if anything bad turns up."
She eyes the opposite side of the water, wondering. Maybe if she moved over there, or perhaps Deephold...or herself and someone else? Petal, she supposes, doesn't really matter in this regard as she can simply flit about whrever she wants and so be in no-one's way. But Haynuus, she knows, needs space to swing that sword of his. Plus it wouldn't do the group any good if something were to lunge out of the shadows and catch them all off-guard at once. Having someone watching from nearby could prove most helpful. Then again, she herself might possibly be able to simply drop back into the water and move onward by swimming, though that might not prove such a good idea if there's anything unpleasant down there...

OOC - Just to check, which way are we moving? Upstream, wasn't it? And the water, I'm guessing, it's flowing so strongly that Ameena can't swim against it if she decides diving into it is a good idea? I have considered that the "someone on the opposite bank" thing won't work because the two largest members of the group are both wearing armour which wouldn't help them much in getting over there, but Ameena tends to have trouble considering the idea that some creatures can't swim, and can overlook it sometimes .

[ian_scho]

Haynuus casts an eye to the opposite bank of the river. "Hmmm, I think I'll stay ten feet behind you for now Ameena. Walk softly, and I'll be right there next to you in case of danger." He draws his weapon, perhaps useless in a place like this but the sensation of moving wind around him does heighten his readiness for action. "Slowly, and carefully..." he repeats more to himself than the murafu.

Casting looks at the others, he wordlessly indicates that he is ready to move on.

[beowuuf]

Petal looks into her minds eye, willing a form into being. Slowly the image she remembers takes on a three dimensional appearance, and she feels it is not just her imagination powering the vision.

On second thoughts, the following paragraph might be a little spoilery for those like Ameena who want IC information only. So I'll put it in spoiler tags for now. Oh, and sneaky and cool idea to try this Raixel!

Spoiler

The figure looks around in surprise, head darting quickly up and down and left and right, its oversized helm wobbling dangerously on its head. "How did you do that?" it asks shocked. It starts runing around in large circles. "I demand you...telll me...wait..." The figure's bright fiery eyes dim for a moment. It spins on its heel once more, turning its back on Petal with a flurry of shadows and fire. The horned helm is whipped off, and there is an unpleasant wretching sound for a few moments. The figure unstoops, and with a wave of its hand whatever was in the helm steams away to a waft of mana. The helm is seated as firmly as it can be on the figure's head, and then it turns around as if nothing has happened.

"Yes, this place is his - I mean my! - doing. Ahead is a region of reaction. A region where an unguarded whim has festered and grown, magical Chaos wrought more in the spirit of his - I MEAN MY! - being than the too-ordered mind." The diminuative Lord Chaos stood still for a moment. "Ok, I mean his." He sighed and continued after a nother pause. "It should be safe, as safe as swimming a river would be. The surface of the region is fine, and things can live and exist inside it. However, be careful of the eddies and dangerous currents underneath. You can feel it, swirling and twirling and twisting and spinning and undulating and dipping and...wait...I ...don't feel very..."

The figure once more reached for its helm and span around violently. This time, once the swirl of flames and shadows settled, the figure had gone.

Petal came back from her odd vision, to find Deephold watching her strangely. "Pixie, are you alright?" He looked in to the middle distance. "What do you see?"


Petal had obviously missed the discussion based on Ameena's thoughts. Deephold had nodded at the thought. "I agree," he said, distracted but coming back to the point raised by Ameena, "if something is amiss we would be better spread. However, as a group there is nothing we cannot overcome, under Larethian's grace. We should not be so hasty as to split ourselves from the strength of each other."

Haynuus could see better than the rest across to the other side of the bank, thanks to his darksight. The vegetation and walls looked about the same, truth be told. The circlet confirmed Ameena's thoughts on animals possible. Indeed, with vegetation came the vegetation eaters, and then the vegetation eater eaters, and sometimes the eaters of them. And, if you were a lucky half-orc, that meant you had plenty of chances to have a hank of something pleasant and large to cook that night. Assuming you didn't have to run away from it, or assuming the plants themselves didn't turn out to be tricky meat eaters themselves.


Sorry Ameena, meant to include this last update...

Ameena concentrated on the water, and also tested it with her nose aswell as judging its flow with her eyes. The water smelt fresh, and did not have the combined scent of mana too it. Its flow seemed natural enough too. For some reason, it appeared the water was not affected by whatever was affecting the rest of the place. Perhaps the water flowed too fast?

However, it was not flowing fast enough that Ameena did not think she could swim it. Certainly, swimming upstream would be a struggle, but at worst it would be slow going, not impossible.


Obviously, especailly with Petal and Haynuus, I'm throwing a lot of knowledge your way based on your general skill ranks and RP of your characters. Feel free to gamble for some more based on a skill check about something specific - or using a skill I might be forgetting about.

Obviously, Deephold's suggestion to stay together is, as almost always, the NPC's thoughts not your DM's advice. Travelling apart might be a good tactical idea, especially with Ameena and Petal being a little more manoeuverable than the armour-wearing tanks And yes, Ameena can swim the river. A take 10 at swimming will let her move slowly. If you actually roll for it, then Ameena could maintain a normal pace compared to the rest - for a while at least until con checks come in to play. However, a very bad failure might see her get pushed back a little. So that would be the gamble

So, are you guys all going slowly ahead, Ameena taking the lead on land? Or do you have some other action/formation in mind?

[Ameena]

Ameena listens to Deephold's talk of his thoughts on why the party splitting up might be a bad idea. She tilts her head to one side and looks up at him.
"It might be a bad idea to split up, yes." she agrees. "But if we come upon something bad, it might harm us all at once if we stay too close together. We wouldn't be moving too far apart, after all - the opposite bank isn't far..."
She trails off, looking again at Deephold, and glancing at Haynuus as a thought occurs.
"Then again," she adds, "maybe you'd have trouble getting across the water, in all your heavy armour. It seems safe enough to me - I mean, it doesn't seem to smell of Magic. I could swim in it easily enough, or travel on the opposite bank."
She looks up at Petal, unaware of the pixie's recent mental exertions.
"Petal, you could easily just fly off to one side, or something. I'm just not sure it's a good idea for us all to travel so close together, especially since our movement is limited enough - we can only go forward, or back, or into the water."
She looks ahead, into the strange darkness.
"Maybe whatever's out there won't be expecting something to be swimming along in the river. Then again, if I'm down there, I won't be able to scent the ground so easily..."

OOC - Basically, Ameena is suggesting that she's happy to do one of three things - she could dive back into the water and swim alongside the group, or she could swim across the river and keep up with them on the opposite bank, or she can stay on the current bank where she's better placed to use her nose on the ground to detect any posisble signs of the local inhabitants, such as they may be. Meanwhile Petal could flit about wherever she likes and so hopefully be out of range if anything nasty shows up, but as I don't know the results of her little mental communion with her friend (or whatever happened when she called out to Wuuf or whomever it is ), I don't know whether she'll be having other ideas, or will know what's ahead of them.

[raixel]

Had the disappearing post again last night. I'll do as much as I can from memory. Of course the *one* time I dont cntrl-c it...

The vision fades from Petal's mind as she snaps back to reality with a stomach wrenching *lurch*. The discordant mana immediately assails her senses and the disorientation causes her to plummet to the ground, only being saved from injury by a pixie's natural ability to keep their wings slowly beating even while unconcious or unaware.

As soon as she touches the ground she instantly regrets it, as the earth has provided a direct link to the mana of the area. She shakes her head furiously and takes off again, hearing the murmur of her companions conversation around her as she rises back into the air.

When she opens her eyes, she sees the dwarf and the murafu looking at her curiously. Apparently they are concerned for her welfare.
She smiles and nods at them to show she is alright and says slowly, her tongue feeling thick and uncoordinated within her mouth, "Alright, I am. About this area, I have found. Chaos the mana in this area has been twisted by. Safe is should be, but careful we must be, as currents of twisted mana there appears to be. If a mana pocket we end up in, dangerous it would be. So go carefully we must. If seperate we should travel, wise it would be within sight we should stay. Ameena, recommend I would not to swim within the water, as if danger you run into, swept away or....twisted...you could be if reach you we could not.."

She closes her eyes again, doing her best to block out the discord. A small amount of any sorcerer's training involved learning to recognize, block out, and heal a mana-tainted area. But she did not receive much training in this area, definatly not as much as a wandering sorcerer would receive, as it was expected she would take over her mentor's position in the village when he passed on to his next Cycle. Besides, hse didnt know if she was strong enough to change the mana of one of the High Lords himself. A mortal sorcerer twisting mana she could block and perhaps heal, or a natural area where great pain was. But nothing in her training prepared her for the brokenness of pure Chaos.

As she thinks these thoughts, she stops for a second in horror. She realizes that due to the pain and terror her people experienced at the hands of Chaos' army, her own village might have become shev'nal - a twisted place, the mana of the land tainted and broken, the wandering ghosts of her people thrown so far out of Balance they could not travel to their next Cycle.

As soon as this was over, she would ask her friends if they would be willing to travel with her to where her village once stood.

[ian_scho]

"I'd still say that you are better staying closer with us, Ameena." He then imagines a wall of vegetation enveloping them, and decides that she does have a point in being further apart as well. It was then he notices everyone else around Petal. He listens to her suggestion about what caused the vegetation to grow, or even to twist into being.

Scratching his chin, he finally decides to move over to it and take a look. With both the help of the circlet and his new found dungeoneering experience maybe he could attempt to divine the true nature of this vegetation, it's source or where it finds the energy to grow (nature check) (1d20+1=21).

[beowuuf]

Haynuus hadn't really thought he'd learned all that much from from nature, however the circlet's aid brought many things in to sharp relief. The trial and error with plants and animals (and all the scars and bad memories and well fertilised areas of forests that had created). And also the memories of places that now made more sense when several patient voices reminded him of where he'd been, what he'd seen, and explained what it might have meant.

In this case, Haynuus spotted in microcosm things he would probably have stepped on and squashed otherwise. Roots and leaves, and the areas of earth. Putting his eyes close to them so his nose was practically squashed into it (and so his sensative orcish nose was tickled by strange spicy scents) he finally spotted what, subconsciously, Deephold had realised.

It seemed this twisting of chaos was not something fundamental to the nature of the plants. They were growing as you'd expect. And the landscape was not contorting in to strange shapes. The place looked as you would expect a river deep underground to look, on supposed.

The twisting of chaos was that everything was bleeding in to everything else. Haynuus had seen - he now realised - plants that were petrified. Where dead plants over years and years and years had slowly been replced by the minerals around, so that a perfect replica of the plant or tree stumb was created in rock. This was the same, except it was happening with living plants - plants that apparently did not seem to care and carried on growing, even with a section of stem now cut off from the root by a stone disc.

And weirder still, perhaps what Deephold's fingertips had felt and couldn't communicate to his brian, was that areas of the rock were now becoming plant like. Multch and even miniscule blades of grass actually part of - not gropwing through - the wall.

It seemed that the Chaos was affecting the form, not function, of the things around it. However, the function would still be compromised. Perhaps the innocent looking floor would actually be a soft leavy structure that coudln't hold their weight. Or bplades of grass could be blades of glass! And worse yet, would standing still or interacting with any of these items too long let them bleed in to the champions forms? Was that the strange currents Petal was warning of? Things flowing backwards and forwards in to other things like water flowing together?


Best to move carefully, but keep moving!


While Haynuus was busy, Deephold seemed to re-iterate his feelings upon staying together instead of splitting apart, perhaps feeling alarmed at the danger Petal was circumspectly trying to explain. After all, betetr to remain within arm's reach, not just eyesight, if something were to attack any of them.



It seems like you guys might be able to sneak in a little more RP to do to figure out your plan of attack. Plus maybe some more informational exchange So I'll leave a 'moving you on' update until there's something firmer. While Ameena advocated splitting up, the general feeling still seems to be tending towards staying together. Whether Haynuus's thoughts - if shared - change that will be interesting to see.

[raixel]

Beo (put it in spoiler tags, because its kinda about Petal's mysterious 'companion'):

Spoiler

Not to metagame, but Im curious if by doing any arcana checks/RP if Petal would be able to determine why lil' Chaos was sickened and/or if she could sense that the mana of the area was 'bleeding over' so to speak. Or is it just too wrong and discordant to her? I didnt want to do it without asking first, cuz it might seem to metagamey

Petal notices the half-orc shoving his face nearly into the plants and soil of the twisted land, taking deep lungfuls of air through his orcish nose. She also swears....it couldn't be...that she sees the tip of a pinkish-grey tongue poke out from between the half-orc's lips and gently touch the plant he is staring at so close and intently that his small eyes are crossed. She knuckles her own eyes with her fists, and when she looks again, the tongue is gone. Perhaps it was just a trick of her sight and the brokenness. Or perhaps the half-orc REALLY likes plants.

"Haynuus, anything interesting you have seen?" she asks him, feeling almost bad to break the warriors concentration.

[Ameena]

Ameena watches as Haynuus inspects the plants himself, and wonders what he'll find. Meanwhile, she peers down into the water, wondering what's down there. After all, the water itself doesn't seem to smell too strongly of magic. She then looks toward the grak-grak and wonders what it's going to do. Maybe Soorec's had it lead them here because he wants bad things to happen to them, and is now expecting them to continue without his grak-grak and possibly get killed. Or maybe something about the nature of the magic here means that it interferes with the magic keeping the grak-grak animated - an interesting thought, but not one she's going to share whilst standing so close to it.
Meanwhile, she looks up at Petal.
"Um...do you think you could possibly not mention...that name...quite so often?" she asks. "You know, that one you say does all the twisting of magic. It makes me feel...uncomfortable, because..."
She gives a shudder, and clenches her right forepaw a few times as the leg above it gives a twinge or two.
"Well, he's not really a very pleasant...person." she finishes, staring off into the darkness and trying not to remember a different darkness she's encountered before.

[ian_scho]

"Some of these plants are..." Petrified, the circlet said to him. "...Made of stone. BECOME stone. And weirder still though, the plants are growing into the surrounding rock as well. We must be careful, as stepping on blades of grass may well turn out that they are now sharp daggers of obsidian. Or the cold rock floor that we walk on has changed into nothing more than a collection of moss. Worse still, I'm wondering if the magic can move into us if we hang around here too long, and we would become as cold as the surrounding stone."

He dusted himself down, satisfied that he had read the strange are correctly. "I say we either go for it using our weapons to tap the floor in front or just pop Ameena's nose in the front line." He then thought for a second about walking in a line formation. "We could also string a rope between us, to tie us to one an other in case of someone sinking in a mulch pit."

[beowuuf]

Deephold notices Ameena's comments, but does not say anything. Mostly the dwarf looks horrified at the thought that seems might not be what they seem. "The High Lords placed the rock and the flora and the fauna to stand on their own for a reason. It is against the natural order for it to be so casually mixed this way." Deephold pauses and looks to Haynuus. "Your idea is sound." Deephold looks to Ameena. "Can you tell the difference between natural and unnatural? Can you guide us this way?" )Psst. The mechanical answer is - with a perception roll, modified for how fast you all decide to go. And smiffing the ground and surrounds closer means taking her nose off of checking for the animal smell from earlier. Obviously, narratively you know if Ameena would be confident at all or not think she can.

Deephold continues. "Obviously, appearances being deceptive are dangerous. We already know that our....'friend'," and Deephold cannot even hide his distaste when making an attempted joke, "is awake and trying to influence us. Having a real fear of the dublicity of our surroundings was not a hook we could wish to give him. Remain vigilant and strong internally, as well as externally." Deephold gave Petal a sidelong look as he said this, apparently still recalling the 'friend' she had earlier. Thankfully, he seemed to have missed that she had - once more - sought out that friend's aid.

Through all this, the grak-grak has stayed with his feet in the water, sitting on the gorund. Given Haynuus's comments, it would be tempting to wish or assume the creature had turned to stone.


Ian's plan sounds good, if you guys are up for it? Also, feel free to poke the grak-grak, I could do with a laugh! Otherwise, your choice to ignore it and move on, or try to engage it. Even if you ignore it, might be a good idea to note any OOC contingencies to do with it, just in case

[Ameena]

"Well, I can go ahead." says Ameena. "I can sniff the way, and whiskertouch things to see whether they seem to change feel. And I can keep my ears out for...whatever's up ahead."
She casts a wary eye at the grak-grak, which doesn't seem to be paying her...or anything else...any attention. She decides to play it safe, and since everyone else seems ready enough to move on, she starts to move past the undead creature, but for the moment doesn't turn her back on it - she slinks herself around, moving carefully and ready to dart aside if it tries to grab her - Soorec might not want his precious creature to continue onward, and though it seems he doesn't feel the same way about Ameena and her friends, she doesn't want to take any chances. But why would he have the grak-grak lead them all the way to this place if he simply wanted something bad to happen to them? There are plenty of other places, she's sure, where things can try to harm them. She hopes they're continuing to move away from the territory of...that other person...because she's quite sure the group will have problems enough without things getting inside their heads.
Still, she tries to turn her attention toward the matters at hand - toward moving onward through this place. She hopes the group will reunite with Westian and Aurek soon, and wonders what they've found in their travels. She knows she should tell her friends about what she knows of this place, and decides she should probably do so very soon...but not with the grak-grak so close. Not with Soorec listening.

OOC - Ameena moves pas tthe grak-grak, staying on all-fours - if it tries to grab, attack, or otherwise make a move toward her, she'll jump back out of the way as long as that doesn't involve jumping onto anything dodgy-looking. If it tries to go for anyone else, she'll most likely freeze and watch, ready to enter combat mode if necessary. Otherwise, once she's well out of reach of said undead nasty thing, here's a Perception check for sniffing the ground, whiskertouching the ground and anything within range, and looking and listening for anything that she might want to pay attention to...26 (15+11).

[ian_scho]

The half orc watches Ameena carefully move off, then casts a glance back to the grak-grak. "Can we have your rope, Petal? At least Deephold and I can tie ourselves together. I'm not sure you really need one." and with that he offers her a dirty toothed grin. He didn't envy the Pixie for her wings - they looked so fragile. However, he did think that they were an excellent accessory for a little person.

"Do you want to go next Deephold? I can move up behind you at the rear. I'll keep checking on our deceased friend and anything from behind (Perception) (1d20+2=16)". He just wasn't sure what was going on with the grak-grak. Whether the magic here interfered with his, or if it had just completed it's mission and was simply discarded. He shivered and moved on.

[raixel]

The pixie ignores Deephold's sidelong glance. Personally, she thinks that Chaos' magic would be too strong for a mortal magic-user to interfere with. She keeps this thought to herself, however, partially out of not wanting to annoy Deephold further, and partially out of respect for Ameena's fear of naming Chaos. Petal wonders about that. Maybe it is a murafu culture thing. She had heard of some cultures where to name an evil is to invite it towards you. In her culture it is the fear of something that draws it towards you. So, the more you fear something, and do things like not name it for fear of it noticing, the greater the evil grows. Well, the pixie could respect murafu beliefs, as she didnt want to trample on someone else's culture. She hopes Ameena can forgive her if she needs to say Chaos' name for a valid reason, though.

The pixie flits over to the grak-grak, keeping a few arm lengths away from it. Its arm, not hers. She peers at it, waiting for any reaction on its part.

[ian_scho]

Haynuus spots Petal examining the grak-grak and mutters to himself. "Some things are best left deceased."

[beowuuf]

Petal didn't react to Haynuus's request for her harness as a rope to tie the group together. I'll give you a chance to decide if you retcon that before Haynuus and Dehpold move out, or if Petal is dedicated to chcking on the grak-grak first, in which case Deephold will start moving on and so the half-orc and dwarf will remain untied.


Deephold nodded at the question of going first, moving to ensure Ameena was not alone, while giving her all due room ahead to work. Deephold showed just as much paranoia and care with the grak-grak, gripping his mace tightly and only looking back ahead when it was clear the creature was not moving. Only as he kept moving forward, not letting go of the mace, was it clear that Deephold was just as uncomfortable with their surrpundings. Even though, on a surface level, the place looked far more pleasant than the many dank areas they had been forced to traverse.

Ameena found she was partially getting used to the magic smell, even though getting closer was much less pleasant. At least she could start detecting the odours of the things around now. She was sure she could spot the difference between something that was a floor yet not, or a plant yet not. Subtle differences were still lost on her, however she was close to the ground and so could hopefully spot more subtle wrongness as the group walked onwards.


Haynuus eventually moved off as Deephold moved on, reluctantly given the grak-grak behind and the dawdling pixie. He kept looking back every few seconds, looking forward just enough to ensure the dwarf and murafu were still where he left them. It did not help both were so short, and every time he had a second's worth of shock before his eyes darted downwards after chiding from the circlet.

Sorry, couldn't resist

The grak-grak did not seem to look around when Petal first moved closely. Since the creature did not need to breath, it was very hard to tell if the thing was even alive - well, animated - anymore.

However, the clanking departure of the two suited warriors seems to penetrate the creature's consciousness, and it looks around realising the group are moving away and not just moving around.

Only Petal sees the odd hesitation in the grak-grak, as it tries to look away, and then look around. Its mouth makes a small snicking sound, and it bares its circular teeth in the direction of the departing Haynuus like a snarl.

Haynuus turns back around, and spots the creature finally reacting. There is no real time to do much more though, before the creature is moving. There is no swift grace in its movements, lethargy is still apparent. Petal, being so close, notices with probably disgust that some grey skin of the creature comes away as it stands. It is easy for the imagination to suppose the grass is actively holding on to and assimilating that part, and indeed looks blacker than the rest.

The grak-grak convulses a few times, and seems to retch. However, the features twist and contort and then resolve in to the face of Haynuus. Unlike the previous times the grak-grak has been someone else, looking smug and superior, this false Haynuus looks a mixture of angry and ashamed.

With reluctant footsteps - and still not regarding Petal - the thing shifts forwards. The body language is very hangdog, and for once it tries to slot in behind the group instead of leading them. Its head moves backwards and forwards to the walls and fauna around. It bares Haynuus's yellowed and crooked teeth, nashing the pointed dentures each time and emitted more croaking clicks.

It certainly says something about the area they are moving through, if even a grak-grak that is composed of several deceased parts thinks this place is fundamentally wrong.


And we shall leave it there. Will Petal and Haynuus react to the grak-grak following them in Haynuus's form, or will they accept it and carry on?

[raixel]

Oops Sorry. I meant to put that in, and then got a phone call

Petal unwinds the rope she has carried for so long from around her torso and flies over to Haynuus after looking at the grak grak. She hands him the rope and whispers "The grak-grak, sat it did, stuck it got. End of rope, you take, Fly I will the rest to Ameena and Deephold. Yourself you should tie." She looks back, still keeping an eye on the undead being,which is now shifting into the form of the half orc. "Oh no! Haynuus, your form it has taken. Go tell Deephold and Ameena, I will, then back i will come." She nods to the half orc and flies up to Deephold and Ameena, trailing a length of rope that she is desperatly trying to keep from touching anything. When she reaches them, she hands Deephold the rope and says "Tie yourselves you should. Also, the grak grak we saw the form of Haynuus it took." She nods at them and says "Flying by the back, I will be." and flits back to where the half-orc walks with the stumbling grak-grak shambling along behind him. As the group continues on, she hovers near Haynuus, ready to act if the grak-grak tries anything funny.

[Ameena]

Ameena hears Petal approach, and momentarily pauses, looking around warily at the pixie's words - she eyes the grak-grak for a few moments, then decides that it doesn't seem to be posing too much of a threat for the moment, and that her attention is best kept on the area in front of her.

[ian_scho]

"Stuck?" Haynuus was a little confused but then realised that maybe Petal had meant that it had sat for so long maybe it'd been absorbed into the rock - and vice versa. "Yikes, KEEP MOVING!" he hissed. "Just don't stop here long or your shoes could become as the rock they stand on." He became visible agitated at the thought of once more magic could consume a creature without any defence. It was one of those things about magic that just wasn't fair.

He ties the end of rope to himself, but most certainly wasn't going to offer even a strand to the grak-grak now in his form. His greatest weapon against it could well be drinking a VI potion or hey... Just the idea of throwing himself off a cliff seemed like a pleasant offering to it.

He continued behind Deephold, enjoying a fantastic view over the top of him.

[beowuuf]

It was an interesting alteration, having Petal act as some form of guard over Haynuus. Of course, she did not realise the sneaky thoughts the half-orc was harbouring. Some might hasve been worried about beign the target of the grak-grak's attention, enough to be immitated. Haynuus happily saw it as an opportunity if needed.

Petal herself recalls her earlier words regarding use of shielding. It is possible that shield against magic could protect the group. The only issue would be its range - the group would need to verty close together - and also the drain on her resources of mana. This tainted area is perhaps not the best one to draw strength from.

Meanwhile, Deephold acted as Ameena's bodyguard, fussing over her journey if she appeared to stop for any reason. He also fussed about the rope around his waist, even though it was clearly a good idea to protect the pair from surprises.

Ameena moves around easily. For all the warnings, for all the strangeness, and for all the unpleasantly potent magic, the usually soft grass growing form the rocks and the trees to each side are once again a pleasant strangeness. Like the underground cavern, nature has managed to introde on this harsh landscape, making it more welcoming.

Ameena stops a strangely cold and unyielding patch of nobbly grass, but the group can easily skirt around it. Stranger still is the tree that grows from the side of the wall as if the wall were merely an illusion it pokes from. The tree's branches seem normal, but the fruit looks distended and too purple. A moment later one falls with a solid thump to the ground, like a lead wait. Taht tree is also easy to give a wide birth too.

One of the more interesting sights is a section of the wall that sparkles in the torchlight of the passing party. It has hues of greem and a translucent viennd quality like polished jade. Looking closer, the green glassy surface appears to spread out in a splintered pattern, like giant fir leaves trapped.

The sight does not seem to impress the grak-grak at all, and it still seems a retched and pathetic version of Haynuus that stalks the group.


"What is that?" asks Deephold suddenly. He does not look to where Ameena is walking, but beyond her and out to the water. Ameena's noise only picks up on the scent when it is free of the ground. It is the animal scent again. There is somethign strange about it, but she cannot tell what it is.


Feel free to roll a basic intelligence check to figure it out quickly.

The low light sighted group at the back spot the disturbance in the river at the same time as Ameena does at the front. There seems to be an odd 'V' shape that isn't natural. The shadows above it resolve themselves into a shape at about the same time as Deephold warns, "there's another on the bank, look!"

Drifting on the water is something that looks - at first glance - like a dark swan, only larger. However, the long serpentine neck really does look snake-like, for there seems to be a scaly quality to it.

Walking on two squat lizard-like legs is a twin of the water creature. It waddles gracelessly, its fat body rolling side to side as it moves. Its long neck is extended out towards the water sideways, and it twists its head backwards and forwards in a strange dance. Extended, the neck appears to be fully two arm-lengths, while the body is about the size of Deephold.

For the moment, the two creatures did not appear to have noticed the party, and the land-bound creature is close to the bank.

Thankfully too, the grak-grak seemed more concerned with a set of undulating roots and a mossy wall than with anything infront of it. Fopr the moment, it was not reacting to the creatures blocking the path ahead.


And we shall leave it there I think.

[Ameena]

Ameena moves carefully, eyeing the strange plant/rock combinations with curiosity, but at the same time knowing that keeping still for too long probably isn't a good idea. After a while, though, she detects the animal scent from before, and her attention is directed by Deephold to...something...out in the water. She wonders what it is and pauses, glancing at Deephold (or rather, at his nearby shins) and then toward the back of the group, knowing that Haynuus, at least, has better vision than she does in darkness.
She raises herself upright, so as to move her nose further from the ground and its mixed scents, and also in order to bring her head closer to that of her companions.
"What's out there?" she asks Deephold, quietly, while at the same time sniffing the air to try and work out the answer for herself.

OOC - Firstly, just to clarify, I presume the walking creature is on the near bank, not the far bank? They sound like a cross between a snake and a swan right now, lol - a swan-shaped body but with scales instead of feathers and possibly a reptilian head. Well, we'll see, I suppose. And then maybe run away pretty fast, or die or something . Anyway, as requested, a straight Int check = 2 (1+1) lol d'oh . Can I make another Perception for gaining more immediate info, as Ameena doesn't have any kind of darksight and so has to rely on what she can see in the torchlight cast from behind, I suppose, plus her sense of smell...lol and that one was a crit (yes yes I know you can't crit outside of combat but meh)...so that's a 31 (20+11). Damn, I'd've been happy if those rolls had come the other way round, lol. Oh well.

[ian_scho]

Haynuus perks up at Deephold's alarm. He'd been more interested in what the grak-grak was doing behind them. When Ameena asks what it was, he combined his new-found knowledge of nature and superior dark vision to check out the creatures (INT Check) (1d20=19). "Just keeeep moving" he whispered down to Deephold. He really didn't want to stop on this magic area, and would be more than happy to club and punch his way out into the safer depths of the lake, as far as he was concerned. The magic surrounding him really made him feel quite helpless and pathetic.

He then proceeded to relate what he saw to the rest. He'd probably seen stranger creatures recently, but the creepiest was still just behind him!

[raixel]

Petal nods as the half-orc makes his observations. "Exactly so," she replies. "For me, not bad it is, since touch the ground I do not. But for you land-bounds, worried I am."

She stops for a second as she thinks on how to explain her magic shield spell to the simple half orc, and the danger involved in using magic in this place.

"A spell I have, that is a magic shield. Perhaps use it to protect us I can. However, sorcerer magic comes from the energy of all things around us. So, a chance there is, that the taintedness of this area my magic does affect. Dangerous, fatal even, it could be to me or anyone. Of this because, not cast a spell, i will, unless the need outweighed is by the danger." she explains to Haynuus.

Petal goes to say more, but then stops as she sees the movement of two odd creatures ahead of them. She begins to hold out her hand to stop Haynuus, but notices that he has seen the creatures. The line goes slack as Ameena and Deephold stop to eye the creatures as well, and Petal swoops down to pick up the rope so that it doesnt touch the ground and potentially 'bleed in' to the surrounding area.

"Those things are what?" she asks to Haynuus quietly. "Never have seen I a thing such as them."

Petal stares at the creatures, racking her brain for any mention of them in any of the books she has read or training she has received. INT (1d20=12)

[ian_scho]

After the briefest of head scratching Haynuus replied "Only cast it if we have to stop and fight over this accursed place. That is my suggestion."

Spells on top of spells, sorcery over enchantments, he was feeling queasy just thinking about it. It was then he looked at his new OH sword... Hey, maybe things could be worse. He was now subconsciously pacing from one foot to the next, always moving, never stalling. Nervous yet muscles tense and ready.

[beowuuf]

Sorry for lack of posting yesterday/this morning. Will get to it asap this evening!