Haversill III: Return of the Donkey

[dauphinous]

Although our intrepid heroes have not seen Haversill in longer than they fully realize (of course, one of them has never seen it), their fates are still tied to it unfathomable ways. Now on the path of revenge against a dryad for trying to use the druid for more than he thought he bargained for, the band stands contemplating the possibilities on rolling, grassy hills not far from Ciderspring. It is mid-morning, the sky is clear, the day is warm, and crickets, they are a-chirpin'.

We are down to four: Getty, Allard, Tom, and Mallain. Well, five if you count Belle the wolf. Okay, six if you count Heecor the donkey. Seven, if you include Mallain's lute. But definitely only four humanoids.

The previous thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15692)

[mdsoze]

Allard

Allard flexes his right hand.

That hurt. A lot. But sometimes, you've just got to run away. But don't worry Mallain, I won't be hungry like the wolf too often.

So, back to the clearing?

[kariokie]

Getty

Four? One... two... three... four. Huh. Getty looks around, finally realizing the issue -- the small gnome had suddenly vanished. "We are dispossessed of more individuals in that manner than I am entirely comfortable with." She shrugs, feeling no particular need to investigate for some reason.

"Yes, let us defeat your dryadic dragoon, dear Allard!"

[mdsoze]

Allard

Well, at least find out what she's really doing. And then defeat her, should that be required.

[Eratosthenes]

Tom

Something seemed to be missing...but at the same time, nothing was out of place. Ah well.

Tom drawls, "I done thought druids and dryads were like best of buddies? Why's it seem like plum near every stranger we done met wants one of us for some darn right crazy 'ritual', 'ceremony', or other hogwash? When it's not trying to eat us, that is."

Tom kicks absently at leaves while they walk.

[Hzurr]

Mallain

Mallain looks at the Druids arm with wide eyes. Ooh...that...might have been me. Mallain glances up at the sky with a small smile maybe I should rethink this whole "Atheism" thing.

"Wait, so nowwe're burning down the forest? And is it just me, or did our collective height just increase?'

[kariokie]

Getty

"Well, we need not resort to a full-fledged conflagration, however we should leave open the possibility of fighting flagitious with fire. Though it is likely merely molesting the trees-" Hee! "-will be enough to elicit a response."

Getty loads her crossbow and holds it at the ready as they continue on.

[dauphinous]

The moment Allard crosses back into the forest, everything seems a little darker. The place just has a bitter, angry feel to it. Everything is very quiet, and the leaves of the trees that previously provided dappled sunshine now seem to be closed together to only provide a dim sort of gloom. The light breeze that blows outside the forest stops dead at the line of trees, leaving the air heavy and hot.

[Hzurr]

Mallain

"Allard, I realize that you have spent most of your life living in the woods, but are you familiar with the phrase "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned?" Why do I have a sinking feeling that a normal woman's fury will pale in comparison to what this Dryad plans?"

[Eratosthenes]

Tom

"So you seriously chewed off your own arm to get away from this woman? I ain't had any real girlfriends...but if they drive you to do that, I'm not sure I want one!"

Seeing the darkening environs, Tom raises an eyebrow, "We sure we be wantin' to go exact our revenge on this dryad? Maybe we should let her cool off a few days...those steps are lookin' awful temptin' right about now."

[kariokie]

Getty

Getty looks around the darkened wood. Well, I've certainly felt how this forest looks. "I believe Allard relayed she had wanted to employ him in some fashion of plan she had concocted, and thus his need for a speedy escape. We should discover what her purpose is, and if it threatens others."

[mdsoze]

Allard

She said her ritual would be conducted on the summer solstice. Regardless, she's just a dryad. The four of us together should be fine. Let us go.

[Eratosthenes]

Tom

Tom starts counting on his fingers, concentrating very hard before giving up, "Uh...when is that?"

[kariokie]

Getty

"In approximately two month's time, Tom. However, I do agree we should continue forward. This dryad's devious deceptions must be ceased, lest she prey upon another unsuspecting individual without the fortitude to remove his own appendage to facilitate his escape."

[mdsoze]

Allard

I suppose it was fortitude. It wasn't all that bad though. In fact, we taste like chicken.

[Eratosthenes]

Tom

Glancing - with wide-eyes - from Allard to Getty, Tom can only quip, "Between the two of you, I sure am learnin' a whole lotta strange information."

[kariokie]

Getty

She ponders this information. "All pigs taste similar, as do all cows. If we taste similar to chickens, could we be related to them in some manner?" The thought is fascinating until she wonders what physical traits she and avians could share and begins to get sidetracked. Shaking her head to dismiss the idea of her having feathers, Getty looks around cautiously as they proceed. "I will continue to maintain an ocular orb out for our dryadic harlot, however I do theorize she is more adept at hiding here than I am at seeing."

{Spot! (1d20+7=15) (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1021371)
Listen! (1d20+7=22) (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1021373)}

[Hzurr]

Mallain

Mallain scoffs "Maybe you humans taste of chicken. We elves are much more appetizing.

"Err...well, so I've been told. ANYWAY," he says, a bit flustered, "while we might be able to take her on alone, I imagine that a Dryad would have no shortage of aid from the other inhabitants of the forest. Is there any way that Allard or his friend the bird-man could help keep the other creatures in this forest docile?"

[Eratosthenes]

Tom

"So...are we plannin' on just subduin' this tree-lady, or is talkin' with her still an option? 'Cause maybe we can just, I dunno, ask her what the heck she was planning? Maybe she wanted to grow an extra acorn tree or something?"

[Hzurr]

Mallain

Mallain pauses, and starts counting on his hand. "Wait a minute...summer solstice? That's in just under one month, not two."

[mdsoze]

Allard

Allard will look up at the sky, knowing what he knows about the movements of the sun through the seasons, to see what he thinks of the matter.

(Knowledge Nature +8, feel free to roll for me).

[dauphinous]

You have walked only s short way into the wood at this point. perhaps 30 feet or so. As Allard looks up, he hears a small chittering voice overhead.

"Them's the ones!"

A veritable rain of sticks, acorns, small rocks, and similar forest detritus falls upon you all. While none of it causes any actual damage, some of the rocks do hurt, and your assailants seem to have a sizeable quantity of ammunition.

[Eratosthenes]

Tom

"Hey! Ow...wait, what's going on? What the..."

Tom makes for what cover he can find from the barrage.

[kariokie]

Getty

"Mallain, I clearly recollect that the summer solstice is in two mo- ow!" Getty's declaration of her incorrect assumption regarding the fluidity of time between dimensions is interrupted as she is pelted in the head with an acorn. "Qui- Sto- I sai- Dam-" She nimbly avoids some of the incoming armaments, however enough continue to make an impact to quiet her for a few seconds as she seeks cover. Finding none forthcoming, she finally pulls out an alchemist's fire and states loudly, "I am reminded of a statement Zott once made under similarly dire circumstances. Permit me to paraphrase: You know what this forest needs? More fire!'"

Getty waves the incendiary device around in a threatening manner, "Translate for me, Allard. If their hostilities do not cease, I will demonstrate for them several chemical reactions which will terminate in their oxidation, combustion, and what have you!"

There's a wicked gleam in her eyes. It felt good to be playing with fire again.

[Hzurr]

Mallain

Mallain follows Tom in trying to get behind cover, but his eyes widen when he sees Getty pull out the flask. "Um...Getty, shouldn't burning down the entire forest be a little lower on our list of appropriate responce?" He turns to Tom "Has she always had this much of a problem with fire?"

[mdsoze]

Allard

Allard takes cover, and then roars back up at them at first with his loudest wolf growl, and then switches to their language.

Stop. Or we will eat every last one of your babies.

[Eratosthenes]

Tom

Tom turns to Mallain, responding, "Problem? She has a full-blown condition. One I think I'm beginning to develop, if they don't stop their Gods-BotHERED CHITTERING!"

"I hope you done told them to take those furry tails elsewhere, Allard."

[dauphinous]

The barrage ceases with Allard's shouting. There is a deep silence for about 10 seconds. Then one acorn conks Tom on the head and the rain of forest detritus begins anew, with more fervor and gusto. A couple of small birds fly off, deeper into the wood.

[kariokie]

Getty

I cannot burn down the forest. Yet. She considers launching into an angry cheeping fit, but she's pretty sure she knows no words in squirrel vile enough to describe her mood.

Searching around on the ground, Getty grabs a sizable rock, and attempts to chuck it up into the trees as return fire. She misses wildly, barely reaching even the lowest branches. "Allard, I believe we should continue our forward progress despite the barrage of flora from the fauna."

{Attack! (1d20+5=7) (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1025829)}

[Eratosthenes]

Tom

"Hey, ow! That really hurt!" Tom shakes his fist impotently at the tree vermin.

"Yea, let's get out of here before I make that tree get up and shake those grey-furred rodents out of it."

[kariokie]

Getty

Getty's eyes light up. "That I would pay to see."

[Hzurr]

Mallain

"Getty, please by seriou-" Mallain pauses "Actually, I would pay to see that as well."

[kariokie]

Getty

Getty, channeling Zott, begins chanting at Tom as she dodges the acorn bombardment. "Do it, do it, do it!"

[Eratosthenes]

Tom

Grinning from ear to ear, tom touches the tree that he thinks houses the squirrelly squirrels producing the acorn avalanche, attempting to will it into movement...

{
Animate DC 5: 1D20+2 = [9]+2 = 11 (http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=987)
Have the tree animate and flail away at the squirrels, to scare them off.
6/7 SP
}

[mdsoze]

Allard

Allard smiles and laughs.

Now how long will it stay animated?

[dauphinous]

Some of the upper branches of the tree begin to wave around under the influence of Tom's spell. Allard can hear some confused and angry chitters and cheeps as the animals try to deal with the new situation. Six furry lumps fall with six individual thuds to the ground. The barrage does not, however, cease. It does lessen and you can deduce that the animals above are in the branches of more than one different tree.

Within a few moments, though, four tiny arrows come flying out of nowhere. One sticks into Tom's arm, one lands in the tree directly behind Getty, another sinks into the meat of Allard's leg, and the fourth grazes Mallain's neck.

{
Tom: 1 point of damage + Fort save
Allard: 4 points of damage + Fort save
Mallain: 2 points of damage + Fort save
DC is 15. If you fail, you fall to the ground unconscious.
Anyone still up can roll initiative if you want.
}

[mdsoze]

Allard

Fort Save (1d20+3=12) (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1027798)

Allard get hit by the arrow and slumps.

[Eratosthenes]

Tom

Tom grins, as the tree begins waving. "Only a minute or two. Not lo-OW! Hey, who...shot me...with...a...zzzzzz" Tom slumps to the ground, snoring loudly (http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=988).

[Hzurr]

Mallain

"That was awesome! I-"

Mallain cuts short as the arrow slices his neck.

[roll0]

"OW! THAT REALLY HU- oh my... Mallain's eyes glaze over slightly, and a small smile creeps across his face. "Look at all the pretty colors! They're everywhere! They're like little fireflies...." Mallain stumbles to his knees, then falls over

[kariokie]

Getty

"That was astounding, young Tom- my word!" The arrow wings past her. "Cease your projectile barrage forthwith or I will indeed combust this environ!"

Noticing her three companions are now asleep, Getty pulls out a flask of acid and gracefully tosses so it lands adjacent to them, splattering them lightly with acid. "Up and run, gentlemen. Ambulate, ambulate!" She then peers around, crossbow at the ready, before running back out of the forest.

{Initiative! (1d20+2=22) (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1027833), so 32.
Throw! (1d20+4=18) (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1027835)
(Tom, Allard and Mallain should take 1 point of damage and hopefully wake up.)
Spot! (1d20+7=12) (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1027838)}

[dauphinous]

The damage does not wake anyone up. Finding herself under the threat of a barrage of arrows, Getty still cannot see her attackers, and the nuts and sticks falling from the trees above aren't helping. All four arrows aimed at her miss, but she can now tell which direction they are coming from, which is deeper into the wood.

[kariokie]

Getty

Getty chucks a smokestick ahead of her, further out of the forest, and then runs into the cloud it generates. "Obfuscation goes both ways, mysterious woodland creatures!" she yells as she runs.

{Throw a smokestick ahead around 25', run into the cloud. They need to guess which square she stopped in, and then still have a 50% chance of missing because of concealment.}

[dauphinous]

It sounds like at least two arrows zip through the cloud, but Getty doesn't actually see them. She cannot hear anything moving in pursuit. The tossing of forest detritus has stopped fully.

Belle, having grabbed a mouthful of Allard's clothes, tries to drag him away, but takes an arrow in the shoulder and slumps over.

{
Belle took 3 damage and failed her Fort save.
}

[kariokie]

Getty

Well. Let me consider my options in a scientific manner.

First, burn down the forest. Pros: The little bastards deserve it. Cons: I happen to be in the forest I plan to combust. Additionally, I have the feeling that would sour any future attempts at negotiation.

Second, run away. Pros: By running away I would be, by definition, away. Cons: I can't leave the boys. Also, I might get shot in the back and that just seems downright unheroic.

Third, outwait them. Pros: At the very minimum, it will be frustrating to them. When you cannot win, sometimes it's fun just to be as irritating as possible before you lose. Cons: It does not actually solve the problem. Pros, part two: Still, irritating.

Option three, then. Getty chucks another smokestick a short ways behind her, so it is adjacent to the cloud she's currently in. Quietly, she moves into that cloud.

{Move Silently! (1d20+8=20) (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1027962)}

[dauphinous]

Getty is fairly certain this time that she heard only two arrows. She is also fairly certain that one shot at the new cloud, while the other shot at the first one. There is a huge cacophany of squawking, chittering, cheeping, and squeaking back where the rest of the team is.

[kariokie]

Getty

Oh, that cannot be good.

Using the smokescreen as a... smokescreen, Getty quietly moves out of the back of the second cloud, trying to keep it between her and the direction the arrows are coming from. She tries to find cover and get a view of what's going on.

{Hide! (1d20+8=22) (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1027989)
Move Silently! (1d20+8=9) (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1027991)
We'll reroll that!
Move Silently! Take two! (1d20+8=14) (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1027992)}

[dauphinous]

Hding behind a largish tree trunk, Getty watches as a quartet of centaurs clop up to where the rest of the group is. One leans down and picks up Mallain, another picks up Allard, and a third picks up Tom, while the fourth holds a longbow with an arrow nocked. He seems to be listening to the animals and looking off generally in the direction Getty went. All the centaurs are male and look to have bows and clubs, but nothing else.

A couple of arrows go whizzing through the smoke cloud.

[kariokie]

Getty

What I would not give for some magic right about now. The odds of freeing her three -- no, four, there was Belle -- companions were astoundingly low. She had an alchemist's fire, a couple of sun rods, and two tinder twigs.

She was outnumbered, and while she was equipped to start a war of attrition, she still felt that resorting to violence would ruin any future negotiations. They were taking her companions alive, meaning they were either needed (so there was a plot she could disrupt) or there was room for negotiation (meaning, well, a chance to negotiate).

Stay hidden, then. Follow them and see what opportunity presents itself. It seemed risky, the animals would be looking for her.

Getty moves further away from the smoke clouds slowly, still remaining hidden.

{She'll move as far as she can off to the side while still watching the centaurs.
Hide! (1d20+8=22) (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1028176)
Move Silently! (1d20+8=23) (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1028179)}

[dauphinous]

The centaurs take the four unconscious forms, slinging them over their shoulders and start trotting away, deeper into the wood. The direction they are heading, providing they do not dramatically change course, should take them straight to the dryad. It is fortunate that this can be ascertained, as they are moving much faster than Getty. Their casual trot sends them out of sight in less than a minute.

Getty can hear a small, quiet voice coming from somewhere not far away as she creeps through the trees. "You should just leave, miss. We don't really want to hurt you."

[kariokie]

Getty

Getty turns slowly in a circle, looking through the trees, trying to spot the source of the voice. She lowers her crossbow to seem less threatening. "Well, I certainly do not wish to be harmed. However, my friends have been taken captive. As to escape his previous incarceration Allard felt the need to gnaw off his own appendage, I do not believe the dryad to have good intentions."

{Spot! (1d20+7=15) (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1028789)}

[dauphinous]

The source of the slightly squeaky voice is not apparent, but it does sound very close. It giggles. "Awww. She doesn't want to hurt'em. She just wants you all to leave. The centaurs'll be dumping them outside the forest. I think she just wanted a lock of hair or something." Another similar voice nearby giggles.

[kariokie]

Getty

"Then she should have requested such. By not making clear her purpose, even to a druid, she causes me to suspect her motive. If she did not intend harm in some fashion, she would have shed illumination on her plot." Getty begins sneaking towards the dryad's grove once again. "I will not be dissuaded from seeking my companions."

{Is Heecor around, or was he taken?}

[dauphinous]

"Oh bollocks. Come on, just turn around, leave the forest, and wait patiently like a good little girl, eh?"

Heecor is there, having been the last the enter the forest and the first to bolt at the merest hint of trouble.

[kariokie]

Getty

"You may have a point." She walks to her donkey on the edge of the forest, seeming like she might indeed intend to leave. Looking as if she is simply replenishing her goods, Getty grabs some items from Heecor. Taking the various alchemical contraptions, she bundles them together, and holds them in her left hand. "I am quite tired of denizens of the forest making demands with little explanation. I have created a... dead man's switch, as it were. If you assault me in any fashion, such as placing me in a state of slumber, the items will drop from my hand. That will cause a conflagration like none you have ever witnessed, burning this forest and all of its inhabitants to cinders."

"I do not wish to cause any of you harm. However I have no reason to accept your word and you are reluctant to give me any such reason. Therefore, I must assume you, and the dryad, are up to nothing good."

Once again Getty sets through the forest towards the dryad's grove, leaving Heecor at the edge of the forest.

{Spot! (1d20+7=23) (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1030038)
Bluff! (1d20+1=17) (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1030047)}

[dauphinous]

"Okay! Okay, fine. Have it your way." The disembodied voice uses that tone one uses when addressing an intractable crazy person. "We'll watch your donkey. Just don't blow us all up. That would, uh, really suck."

"Hey! Don't fall for her crap!" This is a different voice, but still small sounding.

A little quieter:
"Shh! Just let her go. I believe her."
"Me, too."
"Dumbasses, the lot of you."

Incredulous shout:
"What are you doing, Keeyan?!!"

An arrow flies out of nowhere and sinks into Getty's arm.

{
Fort save DC 15, as before
4 damage
}

[kariokie]

Getty

She looks down at the arrow in her arm, more annoyed than anything else. There's some sort of substance coursing through her veins, however she's had enough stiff drinks in her life to shake off its effects.

"That is IT! I didn't want to do this, but you have left me a minimal number of options!" Getty takes her remaining alchemist's fire that is not in the bunch and chucks it in the general direction of the arrows, not trying to hit anyone in particular. "You projectile-happy $%^&s can extinguish that while I ambulate." Getty once again runs through the forest, heading in the direction of the dryad's grove.

{Fort Save! (1d20+3=23) (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1030132), so a 33.
14/18 HPs}

[dauphinous]

"Dummyhead! Now she's running."
"Oh, screw it. Just help with the fire."
"Fat chance of that! Now I'm mad!"

Two arrows come shooting at Getty, one hitting a tree she runs past, and the other sinking into her leg.

{
4 points of damage, Fort save DC 15
}

[kariokie]

Getty

Even as she falls, finally taken down by the second arrow, the lively rogue continues speaking. "I consider this a moral victory, at the minimum, as you have expended far more resources to apprehend me than I have spent to frustrate you." Mathematically, Getty was rather satisfied with this outcome.

{Fort Save! (1d20+3=11) (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1030910)
10/18 HPs}

[dauphinous]

Tom wakes up to find himself hanging upside down, looking at someone's back. The back seems masculine and is bare, and the torso part ends in red-brown hair. A little bit of looking around, and he can see that he has been slung over the shoulder of a centaur. There is something gripping him tightly around the midsection, and his legs are dangling on the other side of the centaur's torso. He is moving at a fair clip. A clippety-clop, actually. Allard and Mallain seem to be in a similar predicament, but both still out cold. A fourth centaur is carrying an unconscious Belle in his arms. They are armed with longbows and longswords.

----

Getty awakens lying on the ground, tied up from her head to her toes with her own rope. She is outside the forest, maybe 60 feet away from the edge, next to Heecor. Her hands are tied together at the wrists, and her feet together at the ankles. Aside from her head and neck, she is otherwise completely bound.

[Eratosthenes]

Tom

Groaning, Tom comes to, but quickly settles down. He tries to feign unconsciousness, while getting his bearings. After identifying his captors, and verifying that they are, in fact, still alive, Tom taps the centaur carrying himon the back, saying, "Um, pardon me...you mind setting me down a moment, sir? This hain't a terribly comfortable position, you know."

[kariokie]

Getty

"Sore loser," she mutters quietly to the fey.

{Take 20 on Escape Artist, so 22. Otherwise, stay put.}

[dauphinous]

The centaur's deep voice rumbles as he continues his trot. "Do you intend to resist if I do not? No lasting harm will come to you. I swear it on my honor."

[Eratosthenes]

Tom

"You must take me for some kind of stupid if you're askin' me that. I hain't gonna be doin' nuthin' foolish." Tom won't resist if he's put down, he'll brush himself off, while stretching a little, and investigating the wound he received from the arrow.

"Now, why the H-E double farmer's crooks did you have to go and shoot us? Oh...and wow, are you a real centaur?! I done heard lots about you folk, in stories."

[dauphinous]

The centaur neither slows down nor stops. And he certainly doesn't put Tom down. "I didn't shoot you. I am transporting you and your companions as a favor to Okleena. What I get in return is none of your business. She wants something from you that will not overly harm you, so she claims, then we will take out of the forest and leave you there. Should she attempt to do anything to any of you that will cause undue harm, we will stop her. Because I didn't sign up to be a party to that."

[Eratosthenes]

Tom

"Well, I guess I have ta thank you for that. But why didn't that bonny lass just plumb ask us for whatever favor she was a'wantin'? We're agreeable gents. That slumbering guy had to chew his own arm off, if you can believe it, to escape from her enchantments." Tom squirms and shifts, then continues, "I wasn't wantin' to try to rastle free...but this sure is a poor way to travel. Think there might be a better position, for the both of us? Oh...and we done had a friend of ours - a fiesty young lady - you think you can send someone to make sure she don't do something dumb? She's a right nice lass once you get to know her."

"What's your name, anyhow?"

[dauphinous]

"Okleena only wanted the men. I am Fareltash. And the pixies will watch her." He says this, then they all slow down and stop. He sets Tom down gently on his feet, while the others retain their burdens. The dryad steps into view, looking a little sullen and angry.

"He's awake."

"Yes, he is." Fareltash speaks with clipped words, and he is clearly not altogether pleased about this arrangement. "Very observant. The others will be soon, so you should be quick about this."

She frowns and moves up to Allard first.

---

Getty hears a soft sigh from not far away, but no source fo the voice is apparent. It sounds like one of the voices from before. "Your friends will be here soon. This is really nothing personal, you know. I'm sure we could be fabulous friends. Why, I'll bet you like cake. I like cake, too! Mmmm. Especially honey and walnut cake. That's really the best. Shardaram makes the best honey and walnut cakes."

[Eratosthenes]

Tom

"Thanks Fareltash." Tom stretches, rubbing his midsection. Turning to the dryad, he continues, "Howdy Okleena. Long time. Hey...uh...what in the nine heavens is going on? You know we was done on our way to meet you already - ya didn't need to drug us and all."

Softening his tone, he adds, "If you need help, just ask. We're good at helping. We just need to know what ya got planned."

Tom tries to steal furtive glances for signs that the other two are waking.

[kariokie]

Getty

"Oh, I like cake as well, especially the variety of- Hey! You will not bamboozle me into becoming predisposed to you after your companions attempted to perforate me with projectiles and finally succeeded. My appendages are distressed," she cranes her neck a little to check the bleeding on her bound legs and arms, "and my nose itches."

She lies in silence for a moment, and then adds, "So, what are you? What can you do? Do you fly? Are you always invisible? Do you have a corporeal form at all? How do you construct those arrows if you do not?"

[dauphinous]

"What did you bring the wolf for?" Okleena sounds a little annoyed. She picks up Allard's hand and pricks his finger with a small knife, then smears some of his blood on a leaf. She uses the knife to cut a very small lock of hair and folds that into the leaf.

As she does that, the centaur says, "It was right there with them. We would have brought the woman, too, if she had fallen with the rest of them."

Okleena gives Tom an uplifted eyebrow as she moves to Mallain to do the same thing to him. "He bit off his hand and ran away. He wasn't going to come willingly. And I know what he said. This wood has ears. You were all coming here to kill me."

---

A very short elf, maybe 2 feet tall, appears within Getty's sight. It has gossamer wings sprouting from its back, green eyes, and short blonde hair. "I'm a pixie. My name is Pleshnaril. I'll untie you if you promise to stay here until your friends are brought back." Pleshnaril's gender is not obvious.

[kariokie]

Getty

"Faaaaaaascinating." Getty looks the pixie over with wonder, again craning her neck from her prone position to take in as much as she can. "I am pleased to make your formal acquaintance, Pleshnaril. I am Haroldine Juniper Getty, but you may refer to me by my patronymic, Getty."

"I will indeed stay here until my friends are returned if you release me from my bonds."

[Eratosthenes]

Tom

To no one in particular, Tom sighs, "Why's everyone always gotta be jumpin' to conclusions...?"

"We was most definitely not a'plannin' on comin' to kill you. I'll be cursed on high to live my days as a horney toad, if that were the case. We were just worried you'd some nefarious scheme concocted for ol'Allard here. Seems you didn't exactly fill him in on your plans, fully, before imprisoning him."

"And now you done hired these nice folk," Tom indicates the centaurs, "to shoot us full'o'holes, and drug us into a stupor. Which, by the by, we're plenty durn good enough at doin' ourselves, if you just point us towards a local tavern."

"So why don't you just a'go and let us know what this here highsummer ceremony you done got planned, and maybe we'll a'willingly help? Because fey who go and steal our blood and bits shore do make me a'nervous. I mean, seriously - Fareltash, how'd you like me knockin' you unconscious and pullin' out your tailfeathers? You'd likely be in a right ornery mood. Am I right?"

[dauphinous]

"How about if I stumble into your home and start crashing about?" Though his words are a little harsh, Fareltash is smirking.

"You humans make no sense at all." Okleena, having taken a little blood and a little hair from the elf steps in front of Tom and looks up at him. "How could any man not want to live his days with me?" She shakes her head. "But I don't care anymore. And I don't really need you. Take them away."

----

The pixie, dressed in a bright green shirt and light blue pants, smiles. Its feet have little brown shoes with curly tips. "Nice to meet you, Getty. I'm sorry about all this." He kneels down and starts to work on untying the rope. "We all kind of owe Okleena for some stuff, and she asked, and we have this sort of favor-for-favor kind of system." He works at the rope for only a few moments, then he starts uncoiling the rope from Getty. "She was pretty mad when the one guy ran off. Probably some kind of self-esteem problem, if you ask me."

[Eratosthenes]

Tom

"Oh...oh, that was just right mean, Okleena." Tom returns the centaur's smirk, "Spurned by such a beautiful creature of the forest." Tom feigns heartbreak hanging his head, and steadying himself on the centaur.

Standing back up, Tom feigns a thinking stance, "Hrm...come to think of it, I think that you owe that elf something. You took his blood and body, didn't you? It wasn't in our original deal...I don't mean to quibble, ya know. If you woke him up, you could prolly just give him a smooch or something, and he'd be happy. I just don't want people to think you aren't the fairest creature in these woods, because they'd of course be wrong..."

Tom shrugs.

[kariokie]

Getty

She sits up, rubbing the life back into her arms and legs. "That is an excellent theorization, Pleshnaril, she does appear to have latent insecurities that might drive her to irrational behavior. I do not comprehend her machinations, though. If she needed my companions' assistance, why did she not request it? Our only assumption could be that she plotted to do evil. But you say that is not true?"

Getty crosses her legs, looking towards the small fey. "I do apologize about attempting to combust your forest. However, I am less regretful that I encouraged my compatriot to animate a tree and displace squirrels. Rarely have I met more annoying creatures." She looks around, worried. "I am about to experience the impact of another acorn for that, am I not?"

[dauphinous]

Okleena seems confused. "Our original deal was that you gave me the druid. he broke the deal."

Fareltash crosses his arms and gives Okleena a reproving look. "Well, no wonder they're mad. Daft tree-wench."

Okleena narrows her eyes. "I think everyone should just leave. I have what I want now."

Fareltash uncrosses his arms and shrugs. He looks at Tom. "Would you like to ride back?"

The centaur holding Mallain hisses at Fareltash. "We are not mounts." He spits out the last word like a vile curse.

Fareltash rolls his eyes. "No, but we can do distasteful things when the circumstance calls for it. Grow up."

---

Pleshnaril starts to laugh. The laughter is like a light tinkling of bells and causes it to flutter up into the air about a foot or so. Taking a minute to regain it's composure, the pixie remains grinning as it says, "if they understood you, maybe. Dumb little things. They talk too much, and their little brains are so small that they just do the dumbest things! I doubt they would have even been able to do their part if there hadn't been a rat leading them." The grin dims a little. "I have no idea what she wants with your friends. I know the centaurs won't go along with anything really awful."

[kariokie]

Getty

"I do hope the dryad plans no more than a minor inconvienence." Getty pulls a coin from a pouch and begins flipping it between her fingers. She quickly turns over her right hand, catching the coin in her palm. She closes her hand into a fist, passing her left hand over it. With a grin, she opens up her right hand, which is now empty.

Reaching behind her own ear with her left hand, she pulls out the coin, tosses it once in the air, and catches it.

"Who would have thought that rats were more intelligent than squirrels?"

[Eratosthenes]

Tom

Tom gets a guenuinely boyish smile on his face as he forgets the flippant and fickle dryad, and responds to the centaurs, "Would I?! Wow..." Taking in the other centaur's distasteful tone, Tom adds, "Oh, you're definitely not mounts...you're centaurs! My uncle told us all sorts of stories about you folk - how you protected the forest, and drove off evil creatures, and saved kids who got lost in the woods."

Turning back to Faraltesh, Tom asks, "Are you sure? I mean...I can walk, I don't mind. I'm not much good at riding anything - heck, I fall out of trees."

If Faraltesh truly doesn't mind, Tom will eagerly hop aboard, and head on out of the forest, asking the centaurs what life is like for them.

[dauphinous]

Fareltash nods and gives Tom and hand up, grinning at his enthusiasm. "I am a great deal easier to ride than a horse."

One of the other centaurs shakes his head and sighs heavily, but starts away from the dryad.

"Your brother will laugh in your face for this."

"And your mother with beat you with a branch."

"Only if you tell them. Though I doubt it will stop your sister from letting me mount her."

The four centaurs seem to all find this very funny, laughing. They move quickly through the wood, faster than a normal horse would probably be willing to go through the trees. After another minute or so, Mallain and Allard begin to stir.

----

Pleshnaril watches Getty manipulate the coin with delight written plainly on its face. "Is that a real coin? Because I can do that with an illusion, but a real coin? That is so neat!"

[kariokie]

Getty

She tosses the copper coin to Pleshnaril so he can verify it's indeed real. "It is simplistic in its execution. I could certainly instruct you. Do you have anything of a similar size you might practice with? I believe a coin would be too large for your hands."

"Or we could juggle!" Standing, Getty takes the two sun rods from her belt and a third from Heecor and begins juggling them.

[mdsoze]

Allard

Allard begins to stir. If when he awakes, he sees the dryad, he will transform into a dire wolf and attack.

If he sees other hostile creatures, he will transform and attack.

If he sees no hostile creatures, he will check on Belle.

If Belle is gone, he will look for Belle.

[Eratosthenes]

Tom

As Allard and Mallain stir to consciousness, Tom calls over to them, "Good mornin', boys. Say hello to Faraltesh and...uh...and...the other guys."

[Hzurr]

Mallain

Mallain sits up "Bloody hells..." He looks around quickly. "Well...I see Getty didn't burn down the forest, so does that mean the Dryad beat us like a pair of half-orc stepchildren?

"Faraltesh was it? Nice to meet you." he adds, extending a hand.

[dauphinous]

"Karmlin." The centaur carrying Allard nods his head.

"Laerstel." This is the one carrying Mallain.

"Bar'est." This is the final centaur, which is carrying Belle.

When Mallain squirms, Laerstel chuckles. "Hang on, elf man. We're almost there."

"Nothing particularly bad happened, if that's what you're asking." Fareltash takes a leap over a downed tree and the others follow suit, bounding up and over gracefully. The landing is a little jarring, but certainly less than it would be on a normal horse.

----

Pleshnaril giggles merrily, watching Getty juggle. It applauds and tries very hard to participate. While it is fairly dexterous, the pixie unfortunately does not really have a knack for juggling. It does find this hilarious, though, and is soon rolling in the grass, laughing.

[kariokie]

Getty

Getty throws one of the sun rods she's juggling at Pleshnaril lightly, impacting the pixie as it laughs on the ground. She throws the next sun rod, and then the third. Grinning, she sits down again. "So, I am curious how you fly. Aerodynamically, it does not seem you are as well suited to it as birds. Do you have any theorizations?"

[mdsoze]

Allard

So, why are you taking us to her? What's in it for you?

[dauphinous]

"Heh, poor kid. We're taking you away from her now. You missed the big show." Just a few more strides, and you can see some clear sky through the trees ahead. "In fact, we're almost out."


The pixie sits up and flutters its wings a couple of times. "Ummmmmmm. I don't know. Huh. I mean, I have wings, so I can fly." It shrugs. "My gramps once told me a story about a grig that started to wonder how it was that he could turn invisible. He asked lots of questions, then started doing experiments and stuff. When he was done, he still didn't know, but he was short a leg and both antennae, and he had a demon trying to find him and eat him, and he was cursed so he could only speak in rhyme. Which isn't really so bad for a grig, all things considered. The rhyming part, I mean. The rest of it is still pretty bad."

Just about this time, Getty can hear the sound of four horses crashing through the forest nearby.

[kariokie]

Getty

The pixie's story seems to greatly upset Getty for only one reason, "He never discovered the method he utilized to render himself invisible? That is terrible!" She shakes her head at the shame of the grig's scientific endeavors not resulting in additional knowledge.

"That assists me in recollecting an incident where I was attempting to discover why fire extinguishes itself in an enclosed, sealed container. I created a chamber large enough to host both me and a fire. Apparently, both combustion and I need to breathe, as the fire dimmed, so did I." She grins a little. "That is approximately the moment when I discovered the interior doorknob on my glass chamber did not function as properly as I had designed. Fortunately, I had the presence of mind to utilize acid to aid my escape." Looking at Pleshnaril, she adds, "Unfortunately, the acid first ate through the floor of the chamber, and then the floor of my lab. Which was on the second storey. Above a basement. That apparently had an underground river underneath it, as I discovered during my speedy descent."

Getty turns her head at the crashing sounds. "Either my companions are being returned, or Tom's aggressive tree remains in an animated state and is coming to find more prey." More loudly, she calls out, "Hello! Are you my friends or angry foliage?"

[mdsoze]

Allard

That still didn't answer the real question. Why are you helping her? And do you know what she's doing?

[dauphinous]

"We've helped her because we got something in return. The nature of our deal with her isn't really any of your business. And I don't really care what she's doing, as long as she doesn't destroy the whole forest. Which seems unlikely."

"We are friends," calls Fareltash in response to Getty's query. "Or, at least, we are neither angry foliage nor foes."

Pleshnaril fades into invisibility. "Sounds like my job is done here," the small voice says quietly.

As they come closer and finally step out of the trees, Getty can see that the one Tom is riding is smirking. The other three centaurs, all wearing fairly neutral expressions, gently set their burdens down, and Belle seems to be waking just as she is put on the ground.

[Eratosthenes]

Tom

Hopping down from the centaur's back, Tom's smiling from ear to ear. "Thanks, Faraltesh! And everyone," Tom says, nodding to the other centaurs. "Oh, hey there Getty. No angry foliage here. Ol'pouty tree-lady, she's right done with us, I reckon. These fine gents here done gave us a ride on back." Turning to Allard, "No worries, chief. She didn't do anything too bad to you." Tom smirks.

[kariokie]

Getty

"Goodbye, Pleshnaril. I hope to lay my ocular orbs upon you once again after an indeterminate increment of time!" She picks up the three sun rods and places them on the donkey as she waits for the creatures to make themselves known.

Once she sees Tom is intact, as well as the others, she grins from ear to ear. "It is good to see you still roughly in the condition I left you in, young Tom. My apologies for not becoming kidnapped like the rest of you. It was far more entertaining to make my capture as frustrating as possible." The bleeding on Getty's leg and arm has stopped, and while she's a little pale, in general she seems to be in good spirits.

{10/18 HPs}

[Hzurr]

Mallain

Mallain sits fairly quietly, examining what appear to be burn marks on his clothes. "Huh...after you shot us,why did you throw" he sniffs and examines a burn on his chest "Acid?" He looks at the centaurs. "You sprinkled acid on me?"

[dauphinous]

"Acid? We didn't use acid. None of us actually harmed any of you, we just carried you all around."

[kariokie]

Getty

"I threw a small amount of acid on you in an attempt to rouse you after you proved so simple to apprehend. I am actually shocked -- you claim a high drinking tolerance, yet one of those arrows put you down. It took two for me." Getty smirks. "And they wasted many, many more projectiles just attempting to shoot me in the first place."

[Eratosthenes]

Tom

"Acid? Good thing I bought this leather clothing; I'd hate to ruin my clothes ag-GAH!" Tom exclaims as he notices the raw burn - and more importantly the hole in his leather leggings - from the acid.

[kariokie]

Getty

"It supplements your character, Tom. You do not want to wear pristine leathers. Then you appear an easy mark." Grinning, she adds, "Though I admit it would have been much more pleasurable to mar your previous outfit."

[Eratosthenes]

Tom

Tom opens his mouth, to make some witty rejoinder, when he notices Getty's own bloodstained clothing. "What in tarnation did you do to yourself? Here...let's see if we can't fix you right up..."

Tom tries to will reality to bend, such that Getty's wounds disappear...but something goes horribly wrong, as he finds himself pulled towards a stream not of his choosing...

{
Life Seed DC 9: 1D20+2 = [1]+2 = 3 (http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=1045) So -7...darn 1
5/7 SP
}

[dauphinous]

The stream Tom finds himself sucked into throws the power back in his face, slapping him hard. He is rocked physically as if by a great force. Though he keeps his feet, a long, shallow slash opens on his cheek and starts to drip blood on his leather shirt.

{
1 point of damage for Tom
}

[Eratosthenes]

Tom

Tom staggers back from the mystical assault. Recovering himself, he only says, "Whoa..."

Shaking his head to clear it, he refocuses, "Let's try that again, without the angry reality..."

{
[roll0] Heal DC 9 for 5 points on Getty
4/7 SP, 9/11 HP
}

[mdsoze]

Allard

Allard looks at his clothes, shrugs, and morphs into a dire wolf.

[kariokie]

Getty

She watches him with concern when the spell backfires, but she'd grown used to it with Zott and knew it was likely only a small hurt. When he finally is able to cast the spell, Getty smiles gratefully, "Thank you, young Tom. I was so excited with the presence of the precious precocious pixie Pleshnaril that I did not notice I was so seriously wounded."

{HP: 15/18}

[Hzurr]

Mallain

Mallain, who has been playing his lute quietly, stands up looking rejuvinated. Giving a slight chuckle on Tom's mishap, Mallain "Allard, what about you, can I mend any of your wou..." He pauses as he sees that yet again, Allard has transformed into a dog. "Your dog form is getting progressively larger, and meaner looking. I...commend you?" He trails off, not really sure what to say, then moves over and sings softly over Getty, then Tom.

"So then, what's the plan now? Go after the driad again (which I don't recommend), head back to town, or go explore those stairs we found earlier?"

[roll0] points healed on Mallain
[roll1] points healed on Getty
[roll2] points healed on Tom

--Edit--
Wow...that's some nice rolling.

HP: 10/10
Songs left: er...I think 3. Let me go double check that.

[kariokie]

Getty

"I would appreciate an opportunity to explore those stairs, indeed!" She looks at the centaurs, but also addresses the thin air in her query, "We discovered a stairway leading down, with a trap present. Do any of you individuals have any information regarding its nature?"

[dauphinous]

"I've never been inside." Fareltash shrugs. "Nothing comes out, we don't go in. It's been there longer than I have been alive." The other centaurs nod at this.

Pleshnaril's small voice comes from about where it was standing before it went invisible. "Weird plants down there. There is one bigger than me that snaps when you get near. Kleenast almost lost a wing to it. We don't go in any farther than that. I think it's some sort of old living place, though. Dwarves, maybe. They like being underground. It's been there a really, really long time."

[Hzurr]

Mallain

"Do you think the Dryad would allow us into the woods to investigate?"

[dauphinous]

All four centaurs turn to look at Mallain with blank stares. Then one starts to laugh, and the other three do, too. While they chortle, the pixie's voice, sounding as if it is busy giggling a little, too, rings out. "Um, guys. Okleena can't go very far from her tree. If she wants anyone to kick you out again, she's gonna have to bargain for it. The rats won't let her just tell the squirrels what to do, either. Favor for a favor. That's how it works here."

[Eratosthenes]

Tom

"Well then, I done thinks we gots ourselves an adventure in store. Though I ain't too fond of runnin' into any man-eatin', nor sprite-eatin', plants." Tom shudders a bit recalling the last encounter with a shambling plant creature.

"You all don't mind we crash your home here to poke our ever-lovin' noses into places that don't belong, do ya?" Tom says to the centaurs, with a wry grin.

[dauphinous]

Fareltash stops laughing first and, still grinning, shakes his head. "Go right ahead." With that the four centaurs back up and head into the forest once again.

Pleashnaril looks positively excited. "I can show you the way!"

[kariokie]

Getty

"Fabulous, Pleashnaril! You should certainly accompany us on our subterranean excursion if you so desire, as well." Getty puts away the sun rods, two on her belt and one on Heecor, before replacing the other items she'd used. Grabbing the donkey's lead, she announces cheerfully, "I am prepared!"

[Hzurr]

Mallain

"Eh, I have nothing else pressing to do, so I suppose I'm ready as well."

[dauphinous]

The pixie chirps excitedly and starts zipping through the trees. Pleshnaril stops rather suddenly, realizing you all can't keep up with it as it flies along. Once you all catch up, it moves at a less excitable pace, making sure you all keep up. "So this plant, it's really big, and mean." Pleshnaril's small hands dart out repeatedly in an apparent impersonation of the plant's aggression. "It's all, snap, snap, snap! And whap, whap, whap!" Flying backwards while you all follow, it seems to know where the trees are and avoids them deftly. "So, you're, like, genuine heroes, right? I've seen a hero before, you know. There was this one that had to save his lover from some tragic fate at the hands of a necromancer or something." Pleshnaril frowns. "It was a really good story, but I hardly remember any of it." Then a shrug and the frown evaporates. "But who cares?! You're here, not him. So, have you done anything really heroic recently? Any tragic love stories? Quashing evil foes against unbelievable odds?"

[Eratosthenes]

Tom

If squirrels could talk, they'd probably sound like this guy.

"I don't know about the hero stuff, but we normally just end up gettin' munched on by some exotic and strange fauna."

Thinking on it a bit, Tom adds, "We did rescue a misunderstood vampire jus' the other day."

[kariokie]

Getty

She grins at Tom. He said fauna! Instead of 'critters'!

"We did indeed assist a good vampire. I had no conception that undead could be benign, but sure enough Silas is benevolent!" Getty begins to think of everything else they've done. "We recovered a diminutive human offspring from a hole. Thwarted a wretched spirit with a penchant for licking hapless adventurers in their slumber. Travelled to a dimension of questionable reasonableness. Were captured by an ill-mannered dwarf. Returned the favor and captured the diminutive doorknob of a dwarf, turning her over to the proper authorities. Assisted a ghost in returning to life, though he swiftly met his own demise again. Two dragons plummeted on one of our drinking sessions. Oh, and most recently," she pokes her finger at Pleshnaril, "we were perforated -- some of us repeatedly -- by denizens of the forest." She grins again, letting him know there are no hard feelings.

[dauphinous]

"Wow..." Pleshnaril continues to fly backwards, but smacks straight into a tree. It falls to the forest floor with a grunt, then gets back up on all fours, shakes its head and stands back up. Taking a moment to focus on Getty again, it says, "a real, live vampire?"

[kariokie]

Getty

"He was undeniably a vampire, and indeed tangible. However, I do not believe anyone going by the 'undead' descriptor could indeed also be thought of as 'live'." Getty grins. "It was tremendously exciting. Though meeting a pixie is certainly a highlight of our adventures as well!"

[dauphinous]

Pleshnaril squeals with delight. "This way! It's this way." It starts off again, leading the way, and you are soon standing at the top of the stair again.

[Eratosthenes]

Tom

Once again peering down the stone stairs, Tom gets a bad feeling about all this. The last time they encountered a mobile plant, it almost turned him to fertilizer. Still...fortune favored the brave, or so uncle Clydus always used to say. Wasn't he the one who got killed sneaking into an ogre's cave?

"Wasn't there some sort of contraption on these here stairs?" Tom looks up at the sky, trying to gauge the remaining daylight.

[kariokie]

Getty

"Indeed, young Tom, excellent recollection." Getty checks the third step, to see if it's still wedged in place. "Do not step there," she says, pointing it out once again.

Lighting a sun rod and drawing her short sword, she begins to carefully lead the way down the staircase, looking for additional traps. At the bottom, she stops everyone and peers into the darkness, then tilts her head, trying to hear any sign of life within. Finally, she'll begin leading the way again, still looking for traps.

{Search! (1d20+9=12) (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1065193)
Spot! (1d20+7=27) (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1065196) (37)
Listen! (1d20+7=26) (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1065198)
Search! (1d20+9=14) (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1065202)}

[Hzurr]

Mallain

Mallain falls in line behind the others silently, peering cautiously into the pit, hoping his elven eyes would spot something where others might miss it.

[roll0]
[roll1]

[Eratosthenes]

Tom

Nonchalantly following behind Getty, Tom decides to distract his own disquiet by addressing the pixie-sprite-forest-thing. "So Pleshy, what here was that there thing down in here? And what is this place? Some sort of old dead king's tomb or somethin'?"

[dauphinous]

Pleshnaril flies down behind Getty, feet a couple of inches off the ground the whole time. "Uh, I dunno. Some kind of underground someplace with a mean plant inside. About 30 feet in, I think."

Once the curtain of vines is pulled aside, you can see that there is a passage that seems to be blocked about 30 feet in. The passage is made of blue-gray stones, each about 2 foot square, and is sloped downwards just enough to be noticeable without dwarven blood. It is about 8 feet high and 10 feet wide. The light coming in from outside is just enough to be able to see that the blockage ahead is some sort of vegetable matter. As far as any of you can tell, it is not moving the slightest bit.

Pleshnaril goes invisible and whispers, "Yep, that's the plant. Watch out. It's more animate than it looks."

[kariokie]

Getty

Getty looks at Allard. "Do you possess any elucidation for us on the subject of this botanical beast? Is it possible that these vines are its appendages?" She indicates the curtain of vines with her hand.

[mdsoze]

Allard

Maybe

[roll0]

[Hzurr]

Mallain

As Allard racks his brain, Mallain leans over to Getty "So, any pyromaniacal tendencies saved for this plant, in case it proves to be a problem?"

[Eratosthenes]

Tom

As Allard racks his brain, and Mallain makes conversation, Tom grows impatient.

"Aw, hell with this."

Screwing up his face, Tom concentrates on changing the nature of the passage. He finds it incredibly difficult to concentrate - but his stubborn self keeps trying...until he finally has to stop, completely exhausted...

"Dammit..."

{
The dice, they hate me...
Create Fire DC 10: 1D20+2 = [4]+2 = 6 (http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=1133)
Create Fire DC 10: 1D20+2 = [5]+2 = 7 (http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=1134)
Create Fire DC 10: 1D20+2 = [7]+2 = 9 (http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=1135)
Create Fire DC 10: 1D20+2 = [7]+2 = 9 (http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=1136)

0/7 SP
}

[mdsoze]

Allard

As soon as Tom starts making fire, Allard yells

I GOT IT!!! It's a Nestricher plan. Nasty vine thing. Not intelligent. Responds to stimulus.. Poisonous. Everything you always wanted in your garden.

[Hzurr]

Mallain

Mallain stares at Allard.

What the...?

[kariokie]

Getty

Watching Tom try and fail to cast a spell what seems like a substantial amount of times, thrown off by Allard's loud proclimation of the nature of the plant, is at least a little amusing. However, it doesn't bode well for their next combat. "I do possess some alchemical devices to injure the flora, yes. Not many remain, however -- one fire, one acid."

[dauphinous]

Pleshnaril's slightly dubious voice comes from a couple of feet to the left of Getty. "Is this the heroic plan? Stand here and stare at the rooted plant, shouting at it and imagining it burning?"

[kariokie]

Getty

"Primarily, Pleshnaril, my predisposition is to prematurely part with said plant as Tom seems petered out." Getty pulls her last alchemist's fire from her bag. "However, setting something on fire certainly does hold its appeal."

Getty moves a little into the hallway. She throws her sun rod down. Loading her crossbow, she holds it in her left hand. In her right, she holds the alchemist's fire. Winding up, Getty prepares to throw it down the hall at the plant.

{That should give you people plenty of time to prepare, stop Getty, or run away.}

[mdsoze]

Allard

Allard's learned better than to get between Getty and one of her plans.

[Hzurr]

Mallain

Better to have Getty set it on fire with whatever is in that flask than sit here and watch tom burst a vein trying to do it with magic.

[Eratosthenes]

Tom

"Well, seein' as we can't just plumb sneak on by it, then burnin' it out might be our best bet. Just what kind of stimulus does this here overgrown weed respond to, Allard? Maybe we can just burn it's feelers, like cutting the whiskers off a catfish or somethin'."

Tom steps back from the blocked hallway when Getty throws her fire.

[kariokie]

Getty

After taking a few more steps forward, Getty winds up and throws the alchemist's fire down the hallway. She then takes her crossbow in both her hands and aims it down the hall.

Hey, it's a dumb idea, but it's better than having our characters stand around for five or six days doing nothing but talking in a hallway! Yay fire!

I don't suppose sneak attack works on this thing? No? Damnit.

Alchemist's Fire! (1d20+4=14) (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1077392) (touch attack, actually should be 15, forgot PB)
Damage! (1d6+1=7) (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1077395) (Another 1d6 next round)

[dauphinous]

Getty's flask lands right on the plant, lighting up the corridor with with the flickering orange flames. There is an eerie silence as the fire burns. The plant flails a few oddly shaped tendrils about, but does not seem capable of actually extinguishing the flames. The last foot or so of each tendril splits down the middle, opening and closing over and over again to show rows and rows of inch-long thorns.

Although the fire does seem to have burned it, even shriveling a few of the tendrils, it is far from destroyed. The corridor now smells of burnt plant matter. Pleshnaril sneezes a few times.

[kariokie]

Getty

Dad was always right. Fire is an entertaining and enjoyable problem-solving technique. Getty aims her crossbow at the plant and fires.

{Attack! (1d20+6=11) (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1078044)
Damage! (1d8+1=2) (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1078049)}

[Hzurr]

Mallain

Seeing Getty fire a crossbow, Mallain shrugs, and draws his own bow. "I have no idea if this will work..."

[roll0]
[roll1]

---Edit---
Woohoo! If only plants weren't immune to crits...

[dauphinous]

Getty's bolt flies into the plant, but fails to make a very satisfying noise or cause any splattering of anything. It actually keeps going, and seems to disappear right into it, possibly through it. Mallain's arrow sinks into the plant, also disappearing. It makes a slurpy *shpluck* noise.

At this, a barrage of green spines approximately a foot long each come flying down the corridor. Several miss everyone, but each of you is hit by one spine. Belle seems to have been missed, and there is only a squeal of surprise from Pleshnaril.

{
3 damage for Tom
2 damage for Getty
3 damage for Mallain
5 damage for Allard
And Fort saves for everyone!
}

[Hzurr]

Mallain

"Bloody hells!" Mallain glances at the spine in his arm. "I think shooting might be a bad idea"

[roll0]

HP: 7/10

[kariokie]

Getty

"Yes, it appears to have a reciprocal projectile policy." Getty reaches into her pack and pulls out a vial of acid. "Allow me to escalate the situation. I suggest that if you have no alternate weaponry you withdraw. This might be a situation where we need arcane might when we possess none at this time due to Tom's exhaustion, making this engagement futile." Winding up, Getty chucks the vial down the hallway towards the plant.

{Fort save! (1d20+2=4) (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1083317)
To hit with acid! (Ranged touch.) (1d20+5=25) (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1083320)
Confirm! (1d20+5=12) (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1083325)
Damage! (If not a crit.) (1d6+1=4) (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1083331)
Extra damage if the crit confirms! (1d6+1=3) (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1083335)
HP: 13/18}

[mdsoze]

Allard

[roll0]

Allard will withdraw.

[Eratosthenes]

Tom

Tom yelps in pain as the spine strikes him. Falling backwards, he agrees with Getty's aprisement of the situation, "That there might be the smartest thing you done said all day, miss. And you say quite a lot of smart things."

Tom will throw his own hammer (wildly), before also withdrawing.

{
Fort Save: 1D20+2 = [14]+2 = 16 (http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=1203)
Attack: 1D20+2 = [3]+2 = 5 (http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=1204)
Withdraw as my Move Action

Darn Forum Roller wasn't working for me.
}

[dauphinous]

Tom, Mallain, and Allard run away while Getty fells just a bit clumsier. She tosses in her flask of acid, though, and watches as it hits right on the plant, splashing the whole area with acid. The rocks sizzle and spit minutely, but the plant seems to burn quite badly. The smell of rotting leaves is added to the earthy plant smell down here.

{
Getty takes 2 points of Dex damage
}

[Eratosthenes]

Tom

Tom stops just a short ways up the stairs. Calling back down, "You ok down there, young lady?"

[kariokie]

Getty

She takes a minute to evaluate and appreciate her alchemical work before she responds to Tom. "I will now remind you that I am more than five years your elder, dear Tom. If you continue to refer to me as 'young lady' I will insist on referring to you as 'infant Tom' or 'ootsy cutsey wittle Tommy-boy.'"

Grunting a little, Getty fumbles with the spine stuck in her arm and yanks it out before she continues. "Its reciprocal projectile policy only appears to apply to arrows and bolts, not alchemical devices." She strides back up the stairs where the others stand and begins hunting through Heecor's saddlebags. "I only possess one additional incendiary device. Does anyone possess any lamp oil or similar flammable substances?"

[Hzurr]

Mallain

Mallain chuckles as he listens to Getty chide Tom. "Do not forget, my dear human, that I most likely am a hundred years older than any of you. Arguing about age amoung humans is like arguing about..." Mallain pauses mid-sentence "Actually, given present company, I really shouldn't finish that saying. But to answer your question, he turns to Getty "No, I don't have anything we could use."

[mdsoze]

Allard

Me neither. You know, perhaps it would be best for us to find something else. That hurt, and I'd like not to die today. Or even lose an appendage again.

[kariokie]

Getty

Getty sighs, knowing that if Tom had any lamp oil, he would have offered it up by now. "Let's return tomorrow, then. I'll create some incendiary devices for our utilization, and Tom will be rested." She looks to the thin air where she thinks Pleshnaril is. "My apologies that this was not as exciting as you had hoped. You are welcome to accompany us, or rejoin us tomorrow when we attempt entrance again."

[dauphinous]

"Oh, okay. Um, I'll just stay in the forest. I don't really want to see the town. Especially after that incident with the- Heh. Uh, never mind about that. Good luck, then. Maybe I'll see you tomorrow." Although Pleshnaril remains invisible, you get the sense that the pixie leaves after saying this.


The walk back to town is uneventful, and you stand back in the streets of Ciderspring just after noon. It seems that nothing exciting has happened in your absence.

[mdsoze]

Allard

Allard is going to stay outside the village, change into wolf form and change back once to repair half of his damage, and then enter the village and see what is going on.

[kariokie]

Getty

"I will encounter you in the morning for repast before we once again attempt to fell the fatal flora."

Getty will get herself a room, purchase some supplies, and begin working on some alchemical contraptions for the next day.

[Hzurr]

Mallain

Mallain finishes the pixie's sentence. "Ah yes, after the kobalds. They were terrible, weren't they?"

Once they arrive back in town, Mallain turns to the others "Well, I will see the rest of you tomorrow. I've got a mirror girl to woo..."

[dauphinous]

Getty is able to locate the supplies she needs without issue, and rooms are available at this time of day.

{standard prices is fine}
---

Mallain finds that Calla is working right now. His luck has possibly taken a good turn, as she seems to be there, though she is working. She looks up when the little bell on the door announces Mallain's arrival and smiles cheerfully at him. She seems to be in the final stages of a transaction with a dwarven customer. Mallain can't see anyone else in the shop aside from Calla and the dwarf she is helping.

---

As far as Allard can tell, the town is back to business as usual. The inn that was smashed by the dragon, the Ciderspring Inn, has a sign hanging on the door announcing that it will re-open tonight. All the businesses around it are open today.

{Eratosthenes is on vacation}

[kariokie]

Getty

Crap in a beaker, I forgot something! Standing up from the table she’s arranged in her room with alchemical supplies, Getty grabs her bag and heads out the door, locking it behind her. On her way back from the shop, she runs into Allard. Reaching into her pocket, she pulls out the acorn the dryad gave her, handing it to him. "I am not convinced that it would be the most prudent course of action to-" Getty begins to giggle a little for some unknown reason "-plant-" the giggling turns into a snort "-this seed" it takes a few seconds for her to regain anything even approaching composure, then she continues, "-considering what occurred last occasion you attempted to plant your seed." She grins proudly, "’Cos, seed, you know. Seed. Hee! And the dryad!"

[mdsoze]

Allard

Yes. I agree. I don't trust her either.

[Eratosthenes]

Tom

On the walk back to town, Tom is quiet and sullen. He marches straight away to the inn, throws some coin down for his room, and crashes onto the bed. His head was pounding, and he was frustrated...about his magic, and that plant, and, well, just...everything. Things had been going pretty well, but why were they stuck in this two-bit town? He was suddenly sick of apples. He wanted something new.

And his leather was hot and itchy. Tearing at his clothing, Tom strips it off haphazardly and quickly, before returning to sulk in his bed.

He falls into a restless sleep, drifting in and out of consciousness.

[kariokie]

Getty

Allard’s lack of appreciation of her clever wit doesn’t even phase Getty. She continues smirking, giggling and snorting for a full minute before she finally composes herself enough to nod. Getty then heads back to her room, giggling the entire way.

[mdsoze]

Allard

Allard leaves town and sleeps under the stars.

[Hzurr]

Mallain

*sigh* Do I really want to go through the trouble? There might be an angry father, and I'll probably need to get up early..."

He looks at Calla.

But then again, I did get stood up by the dryad, and I need to stay in shape...

Once the dwarf leaves, Mallain approaches Calla

[OOC: rather than make y'all suffer through me roleplaying my way into her pants, can I just do a diplomacy roll and call it good?

[roll0]

/OOC]

[dauphinous]

Mallain gets lucky. And unlucky. Just as he finishes deciding how exactly to part company with Calla, there is a knock on the door and a masculine voice calls inquiringly, "Calla, I thought I heard a funny noise. Are you okay?"

Calla whispers urgently, "That's my dad. Go out the window!" Then she calls out, "Just a minute, Dad! I'm not dressed." She opens the window, sheet wrapped around herself, while Mallain struggles into his clothing and shuts it behind him once he makes it out.

Which is why Mallain is hanging from the tiny ledge outside a third floor window just after midnight wearing only a pair of pants and one boot.

[Hzurr]

Mallain

Mallain hangs there, outside of the window a little confused.

Well, At least I have both my arms...

Mallain glances down, sighs, and continues holding onto the ledge I guess I'll just wait here til she opens the window again, or just wait til I fall. I'd prefer not to lose that boot. Either way, I think I may be done here...

[dauphinous]

Before long, Mallain can hear muffled shouting through the window, though he can't quite make out what is being said. It's quite clear that Calla's father (if that's who it really is) is a little piqued about something, but exactly what? Who knows. Calla's voice can be heard in a pleading sort of tone, trying to interject. There are also lots of sounds like someone tossing things about maybe.

{You can make your own Listen checks if you want, or continue to rely upon me making them, but my dice hate PCs}

---

Allard is awakened in the darkness by Belle howling. "I'm in this direction! The grass is comfy here, come on over!"

[mdsoze]

Allard

Not again. Too many times Allard had been encouraged to go somewhere or do something lately, and it never had ended well. This time, he was gonna be prepared.

Allard changes into a dire wolf, and then goes over by Belle, curling up around her if in fact the situation is normal.

[dauphinous]

Mallain can definitely hear the male voice saying angrily, "Well, where the hell is he?" This is followed by Calla's voice, though the actual words are indistinct, as she seems to be speaking much more quietly. Then footfalls that lead straight to the window.

---

A wolf lumbers into view near Allard and Belle. It stops about 30 feet away and yips a couple of times. "Hi. Can I share the spot? Dangerous alone tonight."

Belle responds immediately. "Sure, come on over."

The other wolf pads closer up, but stops again, about 15 feet away, looking at Allard.

[mdsoze]

Allard

Allard lets out a low growl, but barks in reply.

Stay with us, but you lie over there. And behave.

[dauphinous]

The window is suddenly shoved open and Mallain's fingers are scraped painfully off the ledge. The secondary effect of his fingers being forcibly removed from their perch is that he falls to the ground, some 20 feet below. He flails a bit as his body hurtles towards the ground, managing to alter his trajectory slightly. As he nears the end of his fall, he can see a middle-aged man lean out of the window with anger plain on his face. The expression changes to shock as Mallain hits a nearly full rain barrel, crunching through it with a wet crunch and thud.

{Mallain took 10 damage from the fall, and is now lying atop a pile of smashed barrel pieces. He is also soaking wet.}

---

"Yessir," is all the wolf says, then he settles down in the grass 15 feet away.

[Hzurr]

[OOC: err...that makes me unconscious

Sorry for the huge posting delay. I have an uncanny ability to destroy wireless networks simply by looking at a router, and my internet access has been pretty...nonexistant lately

/OOC]

65421348546

[dauphinous]

As Mallain lies there in pain, he can hear Calla's gasp from the window above. He can't see her because he landed face-first, but he recognizes the gasp easily enough. About a minute passes before feet approach. "Dammit," the male voice from Calla's room says, "now how am I supposed to be righteously angry at a man lying on the ground after a fall like that? Come on." The man, who Mallain can now see is a middle aged and has a slight resemblance to Calla, helps Mallain up and brings him inside. There is a bit of fussing and such between Calla, a woman who is presumably her mother, and the man who is likely her father. He is installed on a couch for the night, and Calla sits with him, at least until he falls asleep.

---

In the morning, Allard finds that the wolf inched over some through the night and is much more like 5 feet away, though thoroughly asleep at dawn.

When he wakes up, Mallain finds that Calla is sitting nearby, dressed for the day, reading a book.

Tom and Getty each awaken to find their rooms as expected, with nothing disturbed.

[Hzurr]

Mallain

Mallain looks at Calla sheepishly. "Err...hi."

Glancing around to make sure they're alone, he asks quietly "So what's the quickest way out before your father returns?"

[dauphinous]

Calla smiles warmly at first. "Good morning. I'm glad you're okay." Then her face falls. "What do you mean? Don't you want to meet him properly?"

[kariokie]

Getty
Getty rises early, finishing work on her last Alchemist’s Fire before heading downstairs to breakfast. She eats quickly, downing several cups of coffee at a speed that should worry anyone, and waits for Tom to make his appearance. After this, we need to get to a city. She considers that thought, keeping in mind the past few days. If towns are this exciting, I can hardly imagine what a city must be like! It’d have to be on fire! And filled with dragons dropping from the sky. And every barkeep is a vampire with a heart of gold. And every hole in the ground leads somewhere exciting and deadly.

I can’t wait!

[Hzurr]

Mallain

Mallain gives Calla a grin as his mind races.

"Ah, of course I do. He just seemed to be rather upset with me last night, and I assumed I should give him a chance to calm down before I meet him."

[dauphinous]

Brightening back up, Calla nods and sets her book down. "Yes, he was, I guess. He saw your boot." She picks up the offending boot from where it apparently sat on the floor and hands it to Mallain. "I'm really sorry I shoved you out the window. If he was going to find you anyway, it probably would have been better to put you in the closet."

[Hzurr]

Mallain

Mallain gives her a smile "Don't worry about it." He bends down to put on his boot "However, my companions and I are in the process of exploring a dangerous cavern in the forest, and I can't let them go alone. May I call on you again in a few days, where I can meet your family?"

Mallain gives her a smile. I am never coming back to this town again...

[dauphinous]

Calla's eyes go wide with wonder. "Oh, that's sounds so exciting! I wish I could do something like that." She nods then. "Of course. You should help your friends. I'll see you when you come back, full of even more heroic tales." There are some sounds from another part of the house, like footfalls and pans clanging. "You'd better go. I've got your things here." She indicates the rest of Mallain's belongings, currently lying on the floor nearby. He knows exactly where the front door is and should be able to escape without issue. Calla seems to be looking at him expectantly, though.

[Hzurr]

Mallain

Mallain gathers up his things, but before he leaves gives Calla a kiss so passionate it makes her toes curl, then winks at her and makes his way back to the others.

[mdsoze]

Allard smiles, shifts back into human form, and then wakes Belle before heading to the edge of town to find the group.

[Eratosthenes]

Tom

Tom awakes, his head still throbbing slightly over his left eye. Looking at his rumpled clothes scattered about the floor, he begins the tedious process of getting dressed to face the day. He heads to the tavern to grab a piece of bread to eat on the way.

When he meets up with the others, he greets them with a grunt.

[kariokie]

Getty

Getty finishes her breakfast and heads out to the edge of town to meet the others. "Greetings!" She's way too chipper for this time of the morning. "Shall we investigate the stupendous staircase?"

[Eratosthenes]

Tom

"Urrh," is all Tom vocalizes. Looking over Mallain, he merely asks, "What in tarnation did you get up to?"

[Hzurr]

Mallain

Mallain says curtly "I fell out of a window. So, are we ready to go?"

[kariokie]

Getty

Getty nods, as if Mallain's response was completely reasonable. She looks at her rather annoyed companions and inquires, "Do any of you individuals actually desire to scuffle with this spiteful seedling?" Getty was dying to see what was down the stairs, but this town had been little but ill fortune for them -- two companions dead, a dragon falling from the sky, a dryad kidnapping them, Allard chewing his own hand off, a friend disappearing into nothingness... actually, Getty couldn't exactly remember that last part.

Anyhow, maybe it was time to move on.

[Eratosthenes]

Tom

Tom just shrugs at Getty's query, "Yea, sure. Let's go burn something."

Hefting his pack, he starts walking in the direction of the underground flora.

[dauphinous]

Getty, Tom, and Mallain meet up with Allard just outside of town, Belle at his side, but watching a different wolf sitting about 20 feet away from them. The other wolf is sitting calmly, just watching everything around passively.

[Eratosthenes]

Tom

Now what?

Tom huffs, looking at Allard. "So? What's he want?"

[kariokie]

Getty

Getty looks at the young farm lad. He obviously had something eating him. Cutting to the chase, she says, "Who pissed in your oatmeal, Tom?"

[Eratosthenes]

Tom

Tom scowls at Getty briefly, before turning away. Staring at the ground, and kicking idly at the dirt, he mutters, "Nuthin'."

Looking up, he starts to speak, changes his mind, then rethinks it, "I've just got a headache. And," quietly, "I guess I just miss home."

[kariokie]

Getty

She nods, understanding. Getty didn't precisely miss home -- well, the charred bits of rubble that were now her home -- but sometimes she had wistful moments. Then she remembered how cursedly boring her town was compared to adventuring and got over it. However, had she hit the road at sixteen, it's likely she would had felt a lot more wistful and a lot less resentful about her home town.

"Tom, would you prefer we depart now to ambulate to Haversill, rather than investigate the flora with a penchant for fracases? We had previously discussed making our way there before we were sidetracked by the dryad of dubious intentions."

[Eratosthenes]

Tom

Tom cogitates for a moment, before looking first at Getty, then at the path before them, "Naw. We're here, we may as well figure out what's done past that overgrown weed. 'Sides, I reckon I owe them plants a thing or two for the last time a shoulda-been salad tried to have me for dinner. Let's get're done."

[Hzurr]

Mallain

Mallain gives Tom a brief smile of sympathy, but turns his attention to Allard "So...one dog wasn't enough for you? What exactly is that thing doing?" he says, motioning to the new wolf.

[dauphinous]

The wolf follows off to the side as you all walk back to the stairs. You are unmolested by anything in the forest as you walk. The way is still blocked by the plant, though now the stone in front of it has some scorch marks and acid scoring. The new wolf stays at the top of the stairs, but does seem quite interested in watching where Belle goes.

[Eratosthenes]

Tom

His mood improving somewhat, Tom observes, "It done looks like Belle's made herself a friend. You gonna be a granddad soon, Allard?" Tom smirks.

Once they reach the stairs, Tom carefully moves down, peering into the room with the plant, avoiding the tendrils. "So we still a'thinkin' we should burn it out?"

[Hzurr]

Mallain

"Well, since it has a tendency to throw spines through us if we don't, I can't see why we shouldn't." Turning to Getty, he grins and gives a bow "M'lady, if you would."

[kariokie]

Getty

"It will be a less risky process if all of us contribute to the conflagration." She hands Mallain an Alchemist's Fire, and prepares one herself. After looking to make sure Tom is ready to attack as well, she lights and throws the incendiary device.

{Attack! (1d20+5=15) (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1129235) (ranged touch)
Damage! (1d6+1=6) (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1129237)
1d6 fire damage next round as well.}

[Hzurr]

Mallain

Mallain nods, and tosses a flask as well


[roll=damage]1d6+1

[dauphinous]

Both Getty and Mallain chuck flasks into the plant, staying far enough away to not be affected by it themselves. Mallain's throw is a bit off, but still has the desired effect. There is still a sizable portion of the plant left after the burning subsides, but there is enough now burnt away that all of you can get past it with a little effort. It is impossible to tell if it yet lives until someone approaches it. Or, presumably, shoots it.

[kariokie]

Getty

"Before we approach I theorize we should test to determine if the plant's reciprocal projectile policy is still intact." Waving the others back up the stairs, Getty loads a crossbow bolt. She goes as far up the stairs as she can while still seeing the plant, and fires. Then, in a half-hearted attempt to defend herself from the plant's possible counter-attack, she covers her eyes and ducks.

{Attack! (1d20+5=17) (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1132016), an extra +1 if it's within 30 feet
Damage! (1d8=1) (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1132018) an extra +1 if it's within 30 feet}

[dauphinous]

Getty's bolt flies true and smacks into the plant. A volley of spiny thorns fly down the hallway and clatter against the floor and steps.

[kariokie]

Getty

Getty pulls out her last Alchemist’s Fire and lobs it clumsily down the hallway. Again she retreats to the stairs and fires once at the plant, trying to determine if it still lives. ”Are you planning on assisting in this endeavor, Tom, or do you find being a spectator far too amusing?”

{Attack! (1d20+5=8) (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1133234)
Damage Round 1! (1d6+1=3) (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1133235)
Damage Round 2! (1d6=5) (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1133237)
Attack with Crossbow! (1d20+5=24) (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1133239)
Damage with Crossbow! (1d8=8) (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1133243)}

[Eratosthenes]

Tom

"Huh? Oh...right. I just reckoned I'd let you folk play with your fancy toys first."

Tom grins a sadistic grin, and furrows his brow.

{
Create Seed, Fire, burns for 2 rounds, 50 square foot sheet in the room beyond.
DC 10 Create Fire: 1D20+2 = [10]+2 = 12 (http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=1538)
}

[dauphinous]

With a *whoomphf* noise, Tom's fire lights up the corridor and it stays lit up. This happens before Getty fires her bolt. When you look down into the corridor after the fire dies, there seems to be little left of the plant aside from some small piles of still burning vegetable matter and a smell akin to ozone.

A voice from behind you all says, "Wow. That. Was. Cool."

[Hzurr]

Mallain

"Wow...it really was," Mallain says with a smile.

Pausing, he frowns, and turns to see who he just agreed with.

[kariokie]

Getty

"Greetings, Pleshnaril," she says without turning around. Getty strikes a sun rod and carefully proceeds towards the plant, her crossbow loaded and ready in her other.

[dauphinous]

The pixie is hovering, now visibly, at the top of the stairs, wings beating madly. "Hi." Pleshnaril waves cheerfully. "Are we going to tackle the unknown? Wrestle with danger? Light some darkness? Smite some wickedness?" The pixie has added a little shortbow in one hand, and a little quiver of little arrows slung across its shoulder to its ensemble.

[Eratosthenes]

Tom

Tom admires his own handiwork for a moment, before responding to the pixie, "Hey there, Plesh. I reckon you stick with us, some or all of that might jus'be a'happenin'."

To the others, he says, "So we gunna stand around like bumps on a log, or we gonna plumb these here depths?"

[Hzurr]

Mallain

Mallain motions to Getty walking off "It looks like some people are way ahead of you, Tom.", and begins jogging to catch up with Getty.

[dauphinous]

Getty, Tom, Mallain, and Pleshnaril start down the tunnel, intent on seeing where it leads. The sunrod shows that this tunnel continues for some distance. As you step past the still smoking remains of the plant, Pleshnaril reaches out a foot and nudges a lump of it briefly. Then the pixie floats quickly to catch up, looking all around, wide-eyed. "Boldly going where no pixie has gone before. The intrepid adventurers push into the passage, not knowing where it will lead. They know only that it will lead somewhere, even if it's to a blank wall 100 feet away."

Ninety feet away, the tunnel changes abruptly from careful stonework to a natural-looking passage through rock. It slopes downwards enough that it is noticeable, but not so much that it causes any sort of problem with footing. The passage is no longer a straight line, twisting and turning every so often rather haphazardly. Now that you are away from the site of the burnt plant, the air is cool and musty.

After another 150 feet or so, you come to a fork in the road. Not an actual, literal fork, but a choice of two passages to take. They are each similar in size, about 5 feet wide and 7 feet high. The left passage seems to level out, while the right continues to descend. The air, so far as you can tell from here, seems the same in both.

{
A marching order would be peachy right about now.
}

[Eratosthenes]

Tom

"And here I thought Mallain was our bard. Looks like you got a spot of competition for that role, here, with Plesh, Mallain." Tom ambles carelessly down the hall, behind the others, stooping slightly with the low ceiling.

Preferring apples over peaches, Tom will lazily take up a spot in the order somewhere to the back of the middle.

[kariokie]

Getty

"If we could all refrain from the desire to communicate for a short interim, I will attempt to determine if any hullabaloo emerges from either passageway." If Getty hears no sound from either, she will lead them down the descending passageway, looking for traps as she does.

{Listen! (1d20+7=20) (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1138085)
Search! (1d20+9=29) (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1138090) (39)

Getty
Allard / Belle
Mallain / Tom
Pleshnaril}

[dauphinous]

Pleshnaril moves up beside Tom's ear and whispers, "That means 'shut up', right?"

Getty hears the gentle buzzing of Pleshnaril's wings, a faint, slow drip sound, as of water, coming from the descending tunnel, and a few far-off mouse squeaks from the level passage.

As she begins to poke around, Getty notes that the area of the fork has markings on the wall near the floor. It looks like small hash marks that count in fives, and the count is at 37. There is nothing else of note right here.

[kariokie]

Getty

"f we descend, we encounter an aquatic substance. If we continue at the current elevation, it sounds as if there are rodents. I do not have knowledge at this point if they are of unusual admeasurement or no." Getty looks closely at the has marks in the wall. "Thirty-seven. Someone recollect that should I be unable to."

If no one objects, she leads the way down the descending hall.

[Eratosthenes]

Tom

"A'yup, it does," is all Tom says to the spritely sprite. When Getty starts for the descending hall, Tom looks down at his leather outfit, sighs quietly, then follows suit.

[dauphinous]

Just a few steps into the descending tunnel, the light of the sunrod illuminates something shiny. Whatever it may actually be, it is smaller than a rat and about 60 feet away.

[kariokie]

Getty

She whispers quietly back, "Pleshnaril, as your natural state seems to be one of invisibility, you would make an ideal scout. Could you venture ahead and investigate that metallic glint?"

[dauphinous]

"Sure." Pleshnaril disappears. The light buzzing of its wings, which it is not currently making any attempt to quiet, can be heard moving down the passage for a little bit. The sound fades quickly. Then a shout back to you, "It's a gold piece!"

[kariokie]

Getty

"It is comforting to witness that it is not just us my companions who are incapable of subtly, but also miscellaneous fey creatures as well." Getty heads down the hallway warily towards the shining coin, looking for trouble.

[Eratosthenes]

Tom

Tom chuckles. "Wow, a whole gold piece? Let's plunder these here great riches."

Tom ambles along after Getty as they head down the hall.

[dauphinous]

Nothing jumps out at any of you. There are no new noises, and it does appear to just be a simple gold coin lying on the ground. It disappears as Getty and Tom walk up.

[Hzurr]

Mallain

Mallain chortles. "A gold piece that disappears as soon as it's near Tom. Not excedingly a-typical."

He gives Tom a good natured slap on the shoulder, but looks around uncomfortably

[kariokie]

Getty

As Getty approaches the mysterious coin, she cannot help but theorize on the nature of storytelling. "You see, young Tom, should I ambulate quickly towards Pleshnaril, insisting he cease and desist any attempt to acquire the metallic instrument of commerce, it will be nothing but a harmless gold coin. However, should I not do so, it will, of course, turn out to be deadly."

"It is much like trapping a cat in a box with a goblin. Until you open it, you are unsure whether the cat lives or not. Theoretically, until you uncover the state of the contents of the box, the cat is half alive and half eaten by the gobli-" The coin disappearing catches Getty off-guard. "Or, okay, THAT could happen."

[dauphinous]

"You mean I wasn't supposed to pick it up?"

[kariokie]

Getty

"Aha! The functioning of the invisibility enspellment has been one I have long pondered over. Can you see yourself, Pleshnaril?" Getty continues to lead the way down the hallway, looking for any signs of traps or trouble.

{Search! (1d20+9=25) (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1142924)}

[Eratosthenes]

Tom

"Why that sneaky...nice one, there, Plesh." Tom follows Getty and the crowd at a leisurely pace. "Now, what exactly do you fey folk do with all your gold?"

[dauphinous]

The gold coin reappears, floating in midair. "Do with it? Oh, you know, the usual: leave it in small, trapped piles for wandering adventurers, trade it to centaurs for stuff, melt it into jewelry." The coin moves a little, then flips through the air, taking a looping arc that flies at Tom, who can catch it without issue. "Yeah, I can see myself. I'm like a gauzy half-image of me, though."

As Getty brings the sunrod a few feet past where the gold coin was, there is another small glittering thing just at the edge of the light. She doesn't see anything else.

[Eratosthenes]

Tom

Biting into the coin, Tom checks to see if it's real gold or fool's gold. Assuming it doesn't bite him back, tries flipping it off his thumb and catching it.

"I wonder how this coin got down here. Ya know - did someone have a hole in their pocket?" Tom muses to himself while Getty explores ahead.

[kariokie]

Getty

"It is akin to a trail of degenerated baked goods, beckoning us to delve deeper into danger." She looks towards the next gold piece thoughtfully.

"Let's follow it!" Getty says, excitedly, entirely missing the point of multiple cautionary tales.

[dauphinous]

As the next gold piece on the floor is reached, a shimmer on the edge of the sunrod's light announces the presence of another one.

[Eratosthenes]

Tom

As they follow the trail of coins, Tom merely quips, "Either someone's purposefully leading us on, or they were all out of breadcrumbs."

[kariokie]

Getty

Getty continues to lead them down the corridor, looking for trouble. "Out of sheer stubbornness I almost desire to go down the other passageway." She grins, "However, I am dying to know what creature would think they could entice us with mere gold coins. I am actually slightly indignant, come to think of it, and once I encounter said creature, I will certainly inform them that we are traversing this passageway out of curiosity, and not because they have left a sparse trail of a paltry sum of money."

{Search! (1d20+9=21) (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1145082) Whoops, put it under Shae's name, heh.}

[Hzurr]

Mallain

With a grin at Getty's stubborn nature, Mallain pulls out his lute and starts strumming along as he follows the others down the corridor

[dauphinous]

As she examines the fourth gold piece in the 'trail', Getty notes that is has no minting mark, which is a little odd. As she looks a bit closer, it seems that this one has a wire of some kind coming out of it.

[kariokie]

Getty

"Faaaaaaaaascinating." Getty looks closer at the coin with the wire sticking out, trying to understand. She pokes at the coin, then tugs the wire, then tries to wriggle it back and forth. "May I lay my ocular orbs on the previous coinage?" She holds out her hand expectantly, palm-up.

{She has, uh, Craft: Trapmaking and Craft: Weaponsmithing and Craft: Alchemy and Appraisal and Disable Device. Pick one!}

[Eratosthenes]

Tom

Tom holds out the coin Pleshnaril tossed him. "Easy come, easy go, I reckon. Whatcha find? Another coin?"

[dauphinous]

Just a slight tug on Getty's part is all it takes for her to grasp that this has been rigged so that when it is picked up, the line, which seems to disappear into a tiny hole in the ground, triggers something. Probably just cutting the wire would enable you to take the coin.

[kariokie]

Getty

Getty cuts the wire going to the coin and picks it up. "It appears this coin was affixed to something." She takes a closer look at the coin, comparing it to the other two. "I suppose our mysterious mortal has a malevolent streak and was attempting to lull us into a sense of complacency before harming us."

{Disable Device! (1d20+11=29) (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1147960)}

[dauphinous]

Getty has no problem getting the coin without anything unexpected happening. Well, almost. There is a *pop* noise and a blond haired, blue eyed male human falls from nowhere to the ground, landing on his behind with a thump. The impact causes something to make a snapping sound, and Getty, Tom, and the newcomer all find the floor dropping from beneath their feet, swinging down to one side, possibly on a hinge. Pleshnaril does, too, but as he's flying, it's not really an issue. Mallain, having wisely chosen to stay back from Getty while she works with the coin, stands a few feet from the edge of a 15 long gap in the floor. About 20 feet down or so, there is water.

{
Getty, Tom, and Jlant may attempt a Ref save DC 15 to grab the side and avoid falling in. If he wants to, Pleshnaril can also make a Ref save to grab one person before they fall in.
}

[kariokie]

Getty

With blinding speed, Getty whips an arm out and catches hold of the side of the pit with her hand. Swinging her body slightly, she grasps the side with her other hand as well, and begins pulling herself up, however the rail-thin woman doesn't seem to manage yet.

{Reflex Save! (1d20+5=23) (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1148096)
Climb! (1d20=6) (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1148100)}

[North]

Plesh

CRIVENS!!

Pleshnaril manages to grab Tom on his way into the depths below.

Achh Ye's a heavy bigjob arent you! *grunt*ugh*wheeze*


Plesh tries to take Tom to the side of the trap.Did you eat a whole bear? *erg*ugh* Plesh does not as much carry Tom but slow his descent downwards.

{Reflex Catch (1d20+7=23) (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1148240)}

[MOD]

J'Lant

"What the 'ell?"


[roll0] Reflex Save

Without prayer to grab hold of the wall J'Lant does the next best thing and plummets. Getting quite soaked as would seem.

" 'elp! 'elp! I've fallen and it seems 'ighly likely that I can't get up," J'Lant says in his high cockney accent.

[Eratosthenes]

Tom

With the spritely fey slowing his descent, Tom has no difficulty gaining a handhold. Instead, he tries to help the strange newcomer so keen on falling to the drink.

"I ain't one to scrimp on a hearty breakfast here. I think I'm awright, though. Y'ant to help that there fella out?"

{
Reflex DC 15: 1D20+3 = [14]+3 = 17 (http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=1632)

Can I act, i.e. attempt a spell? If so...
I'm at a loss on the spell:

Basically attempt to have a section of the wall animate, and reach out and grab him (if there is no Feather Fall - like Seed option). Combined Spell, or just straight Animate Seed? Is there a Feather-Fall effect?

Caster Check Falling Stranger: 1D20+3 = [2]+3 = 5 (http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=1633)
Grab the stranger: 1D20 = [12] = 12 (http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=1634)
}

[dauphinous]

Fortuantely for J'Lant, the bottom has just enough water to cushion the blow from the 23 foot fall, yet not enough that he need fear drowning while standing up. The sides are a little slippery, but could possibly be climbed with some luck and effort. A rope would help a lot.

{I'm pretty sure that whatever Tom wants to do, that check won't make it happen.}

[North]

Ack! Carry him up here Id sprain a wing! You humans need to grow smaller! Like to see you try and carry a giant on your back and fly grmble

[kariokie]

Getty

"If someone could assist me in gaining elevation so I might exit my current predicament, I possess twined strands of larvae offal that I might use to assist-" Getty yells down into the pit, "What's your name, wet guy?"

{If she can't take 10 to pull herself back to the floor, I'll roll again: Climb! (1d20=7) (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1148641)}

[North]

Plesh

Ummm I dont know how to do that... But I can try and help you up

Plesh flies behind Getty and tries to boost her. hhnhnhnnhn.*pant*pant*




Aid climb(1d20=7) (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1148716)}

[Eratosthenes]

Tom

Tom pulls himself up over the ledge, before peering his head back over the lip, trying to get a good look at this newcomer. Peering into his pack, he pulls out a few random items, including a tin pan, "Don't reckon this'll get you up on here, will it?"

[MOD]

"Oi, my names J'Lant," standing half soaked in the pool of water, "Yes, some larvae offal would be most appreciated. I did 'ave a sizable quantity of larvae offal with Muffin, but she doesn't appear to be around."

"I am a bit confused," J'Lant mumbles, "What just 'appened?"

Hmm I wonder whats down here?

[roll0] Search

[dauphinous]

Just now, there is a whinny of a quite confused horse from perhaps 15 feet behind Mallain.

There does not seem to be anything in the water aside from a wet human.

[North]

Wow being around you Humans sure is exciting. Floors dissapear. Humans and horses appear out of thin air. But I can do that too!

At this Plesh starts to appear and dissapear at random. Appearing over the hole, on the otherside, finally landing on J'Lants head.

Your new! Why are you here? Did you go and make a witch really angry??? Do you have any jam?Then charges towards Gettys bottom to try and get a flying start to the boost.

Charging Boost!!!(1d20=20!) (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1149068)}

[kariokie]

Getty

Getty is propelled off of the edge of the pit and onto the floor beyond with great speed. "Many thanks, Pleshnaril, though now I feel you owe me a drink." She takes a length of silk rope from her pack. Holding on to it, she drops the other length into the pit. "Assist me in retrieving our mysterious individual?" She anchors the rope, and waits for the others to help her hold it steady and/or pull J'Lant from the pit.

[North]

Pleshnaril the Pixie Rocket

I help you get up and I owe you drink? Silly human customs. Maybe the centaurs understand that one? Plesh thought to himself as he used all of his lean two foot build to help stabilize the rope. Sure it helped. Maybe? Just a little bit?

But what if hes a evil demon....ARE YOU A EVIL DEMON????