Gnome's OOTA Story Thread [CLOSED]

Horkas won't miss this opportunity to examine and take samples from the giant worm! Does it have poison glands that he can remove? If not, can he get some of the poison into an empty potion bottle? Can he remove one of its many teeth - perhaps several? They would make nice enhancements for Skitter...Ooohh - and the stinger tail! Check that for poison sacs, too!

Realizing what the ingenious gnome is up to, the noble drow quickly offers to assist in harvesting the extremely deadly poison from the tail stinger. :-D

Khessa congratulates everyone once again for the victory against the mammoth enemy, patting everyone enthusiastically on the shoulders.

To Zhora's thanks, the blonde arcane warrior replies: "It was the right thing to do, Zhora; it was a pleasure to be able to help your daughter. She is brave, intelligent and resourceful - not many little girls would have survived long enough to meet us in the Wormwrithings! I'm sure she will make you always proud of her".

Then, while Traydark talks to the drow mother, the tall adventuress takes the opportunity to take out her armored spellbook, open it to a page well known to her, and copy it onto a common sheet of paper... As soon as she does she hands it over, smiling , to Hanne: "There! I didn't have time to teach you the Feather Fall spell myself, but I copied it for you here! It's plain paper, you see, not that high-quality paper that we wizards use for spellbook pages... so copy it into your spellbook at the first opportunity! This way," she winks "every time you save yourself from a fall, maybe you'll remember me! And maybe, as you grow up, you'll keep in mind how much good it made you collaborate with us. You know, when different races cooperate, rather than fight each other, wonderful things can happen".

Upon returning to the group, Khessa, realizing that Zhora has finished providing information to Traydark, is ready to lead the group towards the next stop... the Vast Oblivium.

Whatever Horkas wants to find is easily done after a little while, with help from Traydark as needed.

Hanne is thankful to Khessa and shoves the spell into her pockets and promises to try and learn it well. By this time the drow have managed to cull their own eggs and secured them, and with a brief farewell head off out of the cave and disappear down the tunnels eventually.

Lulu offers her assistance as a healer to any of the Drow that might need it--looking rather odd with a 3ft wide egg strapped to her front. As the others work at harvesting bits of the worm, she keeps an eye out for any other threats. It takes two to tango and produce eggs, after all.  

A swarm of bats flaps about the cavern for a moment before returning to a portion of the cave toward the other side, but otherwise it all seems quiet.

Horkas and Traydark manage to extract the poison from the dead worm! (DM - how doses of this poison can we get? =)

Horkas also extracts 8-20 of the worm's teeth, planning to attach them to Skitter's claws and maybe even give it fangs!!

You can get 3 doses.

Horkas gives 1 dose to Traydark for his help, and keeps 2 for himself =)

He coats his warpick with some of the poison, knowing it will stay on the weapon almost indefinitely and still be effective!

With the purple worm defeated, Katryl urges the scouts to fan out and keep an eye out for any dangers as the others apparently investigate the worm and speak with the drow.  She keeps back at first, but when she sees Lulu move to offer help with any injuries amongst the drow, she hurries over. "Lunaria," she says softly. "If you need an assistance, I'm willing to give you a hand." 

Otherwise, she is ready to move on. Although, it occurs to her that they don't know of any paths out.  She wonders if in the drow's explanation of the path to Vast Oblivium it included the way out of this place. 

The noble drow assist with the extraction of the purple worm poison. He hadn't handled poison other than during his tutelage but knowing about the most deadly poisons of the Underdark was as natural as knowing about the machinations of the great houses of Menoberranzan to the drow. He is quite grateful to Horkas as carrying even a single dose of such powerful poison almost is lika carrying a lucky charm for the drow.

Following the directions given them by Zhora, you all travel as quickly as you reasonably can manage toward the Vast Oblivium. However, as you get about a mile or so from your intended destination, you all to get a growing sense of being watched. You might catch glimpses of eyes in the shadows, that only disappear as soon as you turn your attention to them.

Lulu's pride in Katryl at the offer is apparent in her bright eyes. She gladly accepts her assistance and teaches the genasi how to suture a wound, knowing her companion's nimble fingers are well-suited to the task.

Once finished, and when the drow are on their way, the cleric brushes back her bangs to show the hidden wound from the rockfall earlier: a deep gash above her left brow. While still waiting for the others to finish their harvest, she asks Katryl to stitch it closed, talking her through the procedure if she agrees to do so.

 As they travel to the Vast Obvlivium, Lulu straps the egg onto Hestr, refitting the harness to the saddle as needed (and likely needs Horkas' help in doing so). As the feeling of being watched washes over them, gooseflesh rises beneath the soft layer of umber fur along her arms and legs. "I don't 'spose any of ye have heard of the Beholder who lives in the Vast-whatsit? Is he a figure of any renown to yer kin, Lord Duskryn?"

"No, I'm afraid I don't know more than Vizeran told us Ms, Lacebark." The noble drow responds, seeming a bit embarrased over this. "We've all encountered a boholder before though so we know something about what to expect. I doubt we will get the chance to get close to it, but while our expedition members would be susceptible to it's deadly eye rays, if they seek cover and use their ranged weapons, together we could take the aberration down fairly quickly." Traydark continues. He suspects the eyes mean that the beholder is aware of their approach, but as long as they themselves were not surprised they would stand a fair chance. 

Perception: 6

Meanwhile Grax'xt is fluttering ahead to scout for the beholder.

Perception: 15

Horkas' Bonded War Pick of Warning would certainly warn the party of any impending danger, but Horkas maintains a watchful eye anyways. 

Khessa spends the short journey to the Vast Oblivium serenely, finding herself smiling several times when thinking of Hanne and Zhora. Two drow, much more similar to Traydark than to Vizeran... or at least to the common drow stereotype.

Zhora's gratitude was genuine and without traps or ulterior motives - and Hanne, not only never showed signs of duplicity or unfairness towards the Army (despite the vast majority of Army members being part of races that were usually not too appreciated by the drow), but she was also polite, kind... Judging her not for her appearance, but only for her behavior, Hanne could easily have been mistaken for a human young girl...

'Who knows how many?' the blonde arcane warrior finds herself repeatedly thinking 'How many drow are there who are like them? How many drow are there who, despite the overbearing influence of Lolth in their society, manage to cultivate non-evil - if not even good - feelings? Could there be a future in which they will be the majority? Could there be a period of peace and collaboration with the drow?'

However, as the tall adventuress gets a growing sense of being watched and starts catching glimpses of eyes in the shadows, that only disappear as soon as she turns her attention to them, her thoughts change direction and focus on the apparent espionage to which the Army is subject.

Khessa recalls Anator from her pocket dimension, keeping him hidden among her golden locks, so that her brother, with his [Tooltip Not Found], can possibly glimpse the ephemeral apparitions that are spying the group.

[[ OOC: Can Anator see more of those who are spying on us than the Army members? Are they in fact simply eyes? Or is the eye part of a creature? The darkness should not prevent Anator from perceiving this... Regardless of what Anatro understands, however, Khessa returns him at some point to the safety of his pocket dimension. ]]

(Make a Wisdom save for Anator)

Katryl of course watches and listens closely to Lulu as she shows her how to suture wounds.  When the firbolg then shows her the gash about her brow and asks her to stitch it, she hesitates a moment and her eyes and the streaks in her hair seemed to be suffused with a slight orange glow for a moment. "Sure, of course I will help you out Lunaria." She tries to work quickly and precisely match the way she had been shown. She is also extremely focused and attentive, hesitating at any sign of discomfort, and continually asking her 'patient' things like, "You're alright?", "Did that pinch too much?", "Let me know if this is pulling too much." As she finishes, she very lightly moves her finger across the closed wound, feeling for any signs of a stitch gone astray, but taking care to be gentle enough not to cause any discomfort. "Hopefully that will be good enough."  

As they start to get the feeling of being watched, the fire genasi starts to be more wary, hoping to catch a glimpse of whatever might be observing them. She tries to spot what she assumes must be some elusive creature. (Perception: 27)

"I'd say yer quite the natural, Miss Brightfury," Lulu says, the downy fur of her cheeks slightly puffed after watching Katryl's face so closely while she worked. "Thank you." Truly, she's impressed by how quickly the genasi catches on to things. The healing arts especially.

It soothes the cleric's heart to know that, should anything happen to her, Katryl and Horkas could look after everyone. 

Lulu's ears perk up as Traydark calls her Ms. Lacebark. "Aye. That magic nullifier of theirs is quite the menace."

As she sees the others looking for the eyes, she warns, "Careful, friends. I have a feeling this is a Darkness ye do no' want to look too deeply into." 

Quote from Gnomesftw >>

(Make a Wisdom save for Anator)

Anator's Wisdom save: 9