Rum appears out of the hole slowly, making sure he let's the other's know he is coming just beforehand, not wanting to get mistaken for a spider creature and attacked.
"Well it is a bit grim down there, fellow Twilight Embers", he says to the others.
"There are an awful lot of the creatures in an enormous cavern, but even though they knew I was there, they didn't attack", he says with a frown. "We need a plan of attack, because although I didn't see anything particular, I wonder if they are taking directions from something worse", he says, speculating on what might have been happening, but without any real evidence.
Greko looks at the group and warns them "If there are youngling spiders crawling all over but being controlled, as you say, then there is a much larger spider down there....I believe it to be Queen Gohma. If she is down there then she has leeched herself onto the tree feeding and reproducing. If you say there are many little spiders then she has been feeding for some time. She is a blight and a curse to not only the tree but to the land and nature itself. This will not be easy"
"If it is true that the smaller gohmas are controlled by a queen, then we should focus our efforts on taking her down. Perhaps it will cause her minions to scatter. You all throw everything you can at her and I'll use dragon's breath to handle any gohmas that ge-"
Suddenly a wave of raw magic surges through the room, interrupting Ro and forcing him to kneel in pain. The elf-dwarf crosses his arms and grips his shoulders tightly as he screams and writhes in agony. The pain was like nothing he had ever felt before, as if every atom of his being was being torn to shreds one-by-one and all at once. He looked to his bandmates and saw that they also were feeling the same effects. Though the pain lasted only a moment, it couldn't have ended sooner.
Still shaking, Ro slowly stood up and stumbled over to Greko. The elf-dwarf was still too shocked to properly speak so he merely pointed at the AURYN. Greko understood what Ro was asking for and handed him the medallion. Ro took several more moments to compose himself before he spoke into the AURYN:
"This is Ro of the Twilight Embers. Our band has just experienced a powerful surge of wild magic that threatened to rip our very beings to pieces. From my studies, this event should be felt worldwide and signals that some mortal has used the Alicorn. Whoever this skilled individual is, I don't know. But I am certain that whoever they are, they do not have the kindest of intentions. Tread lightly friends. Though I believe in each of our band's capabilities, I fear that the dark forces may have the upper hand right now."
After relaying his message, Ro waited a moment before turning to the rest of the Twilight Embers. He allowed them time to recover from the shock before saying with a somber face, "I can't say with certainty, but I get the feeling that the Dawn Guard isn't receiving my message. If I recall correctly, they are chasing after the unicorn and would be much closer to the Alicorn than we are..."
Rum winces and doubles over as the magical surge causes pain to ripple through his very bones. As the pain dissipates, he takes three deep breathes before slowly pushing himself up.
He looks across to the others, completely unaware of what just happened, and sees Ro already moving and motioning for the Auryn. He listens intently to the message Ro sends, and his heart sinks. It was their task to retrieve the alicorn before something like this happened.
And Dawn Guard, what has happened to them?
”This is indeed grave news, friend Ro”, he says solemnly. “Is this our failure? Or is all not yet lost?”, he adds looking downcast but with a glimmer of hope flashing in his eyes.
His gaze turns to the hole, anger appearing on his face. “Either way, the Great Dragon demands action, we need to act against evil to try and redress some of the balance”.
Greko thinks for a moment “Perhaps young Ro can call for reinforcements in saving the tree. Greko has an idea. We could reach out to the Druid of these woods who’s also Delphiniums mom. The one I spoke of earlier. If they can come, maybe we rest in that room w the beds and barricade ourselves in?”
Ro looked at Rum gravely as the tabaxi asked if the Twilight Embers had failed their mission, "I-I, don't know... Perhaps it was a bad idea to change our objectives..."
His mind filled with doubt, Ro grasps the AURYN again and attempts to contact the Childlike Empress, "Empress, this is Ro from the Twilight Embers. Can you hear me?"
The elf-dwarf waited a moment for a response and cursed aloud when he realized that the AURYN's energy was spent for the time being. Ro sulked awhile until Kazek spoke up, "Ro, I've got something for you. Check my pages." Ro did as instructed and his face lit up, "Your damn brilliant, Kazek! Lend me a hand."
Together, Ro and Kazek cast Sending with the Childlike Empress as its target. Ro mulls over his words before finally speaking into the spell: "Empress, this is Ro. We felt the magic surge of the Alicorn. How fares you, our bands, and the realm? Please advise."
Ro waits for a response. Then he waits a while longer. The elf-dwarf turns to his bandmates with a sullen face, "She's not responding. Something big is going on..." He takes a breath to compose himself,"I can cast sending twice more. Who else shall I contact?"
Rum watches the emotions on Ro’s face go from disappointment to hope and back again.
”If friends Greko and Ro can work together to contact this Druid, I say do it. Let’s head back to the room with the big doors whilst we wait, anyone who needs to rest can do so, and I will keep watch”, he offers.
”I am keen to make some impact on the spread of evil, we need to achieve something and helping the Deku Tree could send a message to the forces of darkness that we are a force to be reckoned with!”.
Greko comes to after falling asleep standing up or was he just resting his eyes "Delphinium's mother is named Blossom. She is a powerful druid. She is a fairy who carries a large pink flower as her Druidic focus. She is quite remarkable. She has a tiny green wreath that is connected to a tiny crown on her head. Her druidic robe is blue with green leaves trimming the robe. Tell her that Greko the Green has been in touch with Delphinium who said to reach out for help in helping the Great Deku tree and to plant a seed, water it and say I hope you grow strong! Unfortunately we are stuck in the tree trying to defeat the blight that lives within."
"Alright, I think I can work with that description. She sounds like a lovely person." Ro weaves and chants, casting Sending twice: one to Delphi's mother, Blossom, and another to Kerywn of the Dawn Guard.
Sending to Blossom: "This is Ro from the Twilight Embers, friends of Delphinium. We are aiding the Great Tree; expelling the darkness within him. Any advice?" (23 words)
Sending to Kerwyn: "This is Ro from the Twilight Embers. We felt a magical surge from the Alicorn? Y'all are the closest, how fares your band? Any updates?"(25 words)
Ro paces back and forth as he waits for each response.
(During the long rest, Ro consults Kazek to change his prepared spells).
"I've got good news and I've got bad news. Good news is that I was able to contact Blossom. She's busy assisting the kokiris, but says that if we defeat the Gohma queen it will lift the curse on the Great Tree. Bad news is that I was not able to reach the Dawn Guard, much like the Childlike Empress. I fear that our friends in the Dawn Guard are in dire circumstances... as could be the realm."
Ro huffs in silent frustration. There were so many things going on throughout the realm and despite his efforts there was little he could do. Even gathering information, the first step to any plan, seemed impossible. Then, Ro remembered the strange cube. It could grant his desires. It could grant him the powers necessary to save the realm. Ro hovered his hand over his bag of holding. What about the risks? We know so little about this cube. I doubt the sentience within will simply grant my wishes. But what of the the Dawn Gaurd? The Realm? My family? Slowly, Ro's questions began to sow doubt in himself. Memories of his peers mocking him, calling him the False Knight, berated the elf-dwarf. Before the negative emotions could spiral any further, Greko's simple remark pulled the elf-dwarf out of it.
"Yes. Thank you, Greko. We are here now, so let us rest and then kick this Gohma Queen's ass."
At the mention of rest, Tuto jumps at attention. As his companions discuss what to do forward, Tuto takes a inquisitive stance as he walks about the room, tapping his foot against the stone floor and kicking loose rocks away. He takes out his flute and makes a small circular motion towards the east side of the room. He gives a firm nod to nobody, and begins to play a slow tune. As he does, a light blue aura of gentle, flickering fire envelops him, slowly expanding outward, slowly spinning as it does, like a heavy fog caught in the wind. What was an aura is now a dome that continues to grow until suddenly stopping. While just a minute ago his companions could see him clear as day, saw nothing but a small, featureless shade within the hemisphere. That shape skips to the edge of the dome where a familiar furry-hooded mask pops out and excitedly gestures everyone inside.
Ro watches in silent amazement as Tuto casts his spell, "A beautiful song Tuto, and a fabulous spell as well. This will definitely keep us safe from any would-be attackers."
The elf-dwarf gives Tuto an approving nod and enters the dome, claiming a spot for himself.
On hearing the update from Ro regarding the messages he receives back, Rum nods thoughtfully. The fate of the Dawn Guard is still concerning, but it is good to know their assumption that defeating this Gohma Queen will restore the Great Deku Tree is right.
”I shall focus on the positive, friend Ro. We can ponder more on the Dawn Guard after you all rest and we save the Great Deku Tree”.
He watches Tuto play his flute and spin his magic, intrigued by what the little fellow is doing. As the dome appears he smiles broadly, stepping within the dome, and then out again, then back in. “A most excellent resting place, friend Tuto”, he says.
Whilst the others rest, he spends the time meditating, training and keeping watch. Not straying far from the safety of Tuto’s dome.
As the others finish their rest and the Twilight Embers are getting ready to head back down to the chamber with the hole to the cavern with the Gohma in, a frown comes across Rum's face.
"We are yet to really come up with a plan, fellow Embers. Are we going to head down the hole to the large cavern in force or try and thin the herd by getting some to come up to us? I personally believe in the element of surprise, they know we are here but they don't know when we will strike. My main concern is not knowing the exact location of the queen though", he says to the others.
Rum appears out of the hole slowly, making sure he let's the other's know he is coming just beforehand, not wanting to get mistaken for a spider creature and attacked.
"Well it is a bit grim down there, fellow Twilight Embers", he says to the others.
"There are an awful lot of the creatures in an enormous cavern, but even though they knew I was there, they didn't attack", he says with a frown. "We need a plan of attack, because although I didn't see anything particular, I wonder if they are taking directions from something worse", he says, speculating on what might have been happening, but without any real evidence.
Greko listens and thinks for a moment
Greko looks at the group and warns them "If there are youngling spiders crawling all over but being controlled, as you say, then there is a much larger spider down there....I believe it to be Queen Gohma. If she is down there then she has leeched herself onto the tree feeding and reproducing. If you say there are many little spiders then she has been feeding for some time. She is a blight and a curse to not only the tree but to the land and nature itself. This will not be easy"
"If it is true that the smaller gohmas are controlled by a queen, then we should focus our efforts on taking her down. Perhaps it will cause her minions to scatter. You all throw everything you can at her and I'll use dragon's breath to handle any gohmas that ge-"
Suddenly a wave of raw magic surges through the room, interrupting Ro and forcing him to kneel in pain. The elf-dwarf crosses his arms and grips his shoulders tightly as he screams and writhes in agony. The pain was like nothing he had ever felt before, as if every atom of his being was being torn to shreds one-by-one and all at once. He looked to his bandmates and saw that they also were feeling the same effects. Though the pain lasted only a moment, it couldn't have ended sooner.
Still shaking, Ro slowly stood up and stumbled over to Greko. The elf-dwarf was still too shocked to properly speak so he merely pointed at the AURYN. Greko understood what Ro was asking for and handed him the medallion. Ro took several more moments to compose himself before he spoke into the AURYN:
"This is Ro of the Twilight Embers. Our band has just experienced a powerful surge of wild magic that threatened to rip our very beings to pieces. From my studies, this event should be felt worldwide and signals that some mortal has used the Alicorn. Whoever this skilled individual is, I don't know. But I am certain that whoever they are, they do not have the kindest of intentions. Tread lightly friends. Though I believe in each of our band's capabilities, I fear that the dark forces may have the upper hand right now."
Ro Aleron (Ro the Red) -> Illithid, Wizard 8 (Chronugist) // AURYN
After relaying his message, Ro waited a moment before turning to the rest of the Twilight Embers. He allowed them time to recover from the shock before saying with a somber face, "I can't say with certainty, but I get the feeling that the Dawn Guard isn't receiving my message. If I recall correctly, they are chasing after the unicorn and would be much closer to the Alicorn than we are..."
Ro Aleron (Ro the Red) -> Illithid, Wizard 8 (Chronugist) // AURYN
Rum winces and doubles over as the magical surge causes pain to ripple through his very bones. As the pain dissipates, he takes three deep breathes before slowly pushing himself up.
He looks across to the others, completely unaware of what just happened, and sees Ro already moving and motioning for the Auryn. He listens intently to the message Ro sends, and his heart sinks. It was their task to retrieve the alicorn before something like this happened.
And Dawn Guard, what has happened to them?
”This is indeed grave news, friend Ro”, he says solemnly. “Is this our failure? Or is all not yet lost?”, he adds looking downcast but with a glimmer of hope flashing in his eyes.
His gaze turns to the hole, anger appearing on his face. “Either way, the Great Dragon demands action, we need to act against evil to try and redress some of the balance”.
Greko thinks for a moment “Perhaps young Ro can call for reinforcements in saving the tree. Greko has an idea. We could reach out to the Druid of these woods who’s also Delphiniums mom. The one I spoke of earlier. If they can come, maybe we rest in that room w the beds and barricade ourselves in?”
Ro looked at Rum gravely as the tabaxi asked if the Twilight Embers had failed their mission, "I-I, don't know... Perhaps it was a bad idea to change our objectives..."
His mind filled with doubt, Ro grasps the AURYN again and attempts to contact the Childlike Empress, "Empress, this is Ro from the Twilight Embers. Can you hear me?"
The elf-dwarf waited a moment for a response and cursed aloud when he realized that the AURYN's energy was spent for the time being. Ro sulked awhile until Kazek spoke up, "Ro, I've got something for you. Check my pages." Ro did as instructed and his face lit up, "Your damn brilliant, Kazek! Lend me a hand."
Together, Ro and Kazek cast Sending with the Childlike Empress as its target. Ro mulls over his words before finally speaking into the spell: "Empress, this is Ro. We felt the magic surge of the Alicorn. How fares you, our bands, and the realm? Please advise."
Ro waits for a response. Then he waits a while longer. The elf-dwarf turns to his bandmates with a sullen face, "She's not responding. Something big is going on..." He takes a breath to compose himself, "I can cast sending twice more. Who else shall I contact?"
Ro Aleron (Ro the Red) -> Illithid, Wizard 8 (Chronugist) // AURYN
Rum watches the emotions on Ro’s face go from disappointment to hope and back again.
”If friends Greko and Ro can work together to contact this Druid, I say do it. Let’s head back to the room with the big doors whilst we wait, anyone who needs to rest can do so, and I will keep watch”, he offers.
”I am keen to make some impact on the spread of evil, we need to achieve something and helping the Deku Tree could send a message to the forces of darkness that we are a force to be reckoned with!”.
Greko comes to after falling asleep standing up or was he just resting his eyes "Delphinium's mother is named Blossom. She is a powerful druid. She is a fairy who carries a large pink flower as her Druidic focus. She is quite remarkable. She has a tiny green wreath that is connected to a tiny crown on her head. Her druidic robe is blue with green leaves trimming the robe. Tell her that Greko the Green has been in touch with Delphinium who said to reach out for help in helping the Great Deku tree and to plant a seed, water it and say I hope you grow strong! Unfortunately we are stuck in the tree trying to defeat the blight that lives within."
"Alright, I think I can work with that description. She sounds like a lovely person." Ro weaves and chants, casting Sending twice: one to Delphi's mother, Blossom, and another to Kerywn of the Dawn Guard.
Sending to Blossom:
"This is Ro from the Twilight Embers, friends of Delphinium. We are aiding the Great Tree; expelling the darkness within him. Any advice?" (23 words)
Sending to Kerwyn:
"This is Ro from the Twilight Embers. We felt a magical surge from the Alicorn? Y'all are the closest, how fares your band? Any updates?" (25 words)
Ro paces back and forth as he waits for each response.
(During the long rest, Ro consults Kazek to change his prepared spells).
Ro Aleron (Ro the Red) -> Illithid, Wizard 8 (Chronugist) // AURYN
"I've got good news and I've got bad news. Good news is that I was able to contact Blossom. She's busy assisting the kokiris, but says that if we defeat the Gohma queen it will lift the curse on the Great Tree. Bad news is that I was not able to reach the Dawn Guard, much like the Childlike Empress. I fear that our friends in the Dawn Guard are in dire circumstances... as could be the realm."
Ro Aleron (Ro the Red) -> Illithid, Wizard 8 (Chronugist) // AURYN
“I see. Then it is up to us to rid the tree of this blight. Perhaps a rest and some preparation?”
Ro huffs in silent frustration. There were so many things going on throughout the realm and despite his efforts there was little he could do. Even gathering information, the first step to any plan, seemed impossible. Then, Ro remembered the strange cube. It could grant his desires. It could grant him the powers necessary to save the realm. Ro hovered his hand over his bag of holding. What about the risks? We know so little about this cube. I doubt the sentience within will simply grant my wishes. But what of the the Dawn Gaurd? The Realm? My family? Slowly, Ro's questions began to sow doubt in himself. Memories of his peers mocking him, calling him the False Knight, berated the elf-dwarf. Before the negative emotions could spiral any further, Greko's simple remark pulled the elf-dwarf out of it.
"Yes. Thank you, Greko. We are here now, so let us rest and then kick this Gohma Queen's ass."
Ro Aleron (Ro the Red) -> Illithid, Wizard 8 (Chronugist) // AURYN
At the mention of rest, Tuto jumps at attention. As his companions discuss what to do forward, Tuto takes a inquisitive stance as he walks about the room, tapping his foot against the stone floor and kicking loose rocks away. He takes out his flute and makes a small circular motion towards the east side of the room. He gives a firm nod to nobody, and begins to play a slow tune. As he does, a light blue aura of gentle, flickering fire envelops him, slowly expanding outward, slowly spinning as it does, like a heavy fog caught in the wind. What was an aura is now a dome that continues to grow until suddenly stopping. While just a minute ago his companions could see him clear as day, saw nothing but a small, featureless shade within the hemisphere. That shape skips to the edge of the dome where a familiar furry-hooded mask pops out and excitedly gestures everyone inside.
Ro watches in silent amazement as Tuto casts his spell, "A beautiful song Tuto, and a fabulous spell as well. This will definitely keep us safe from any would-be attackers."
The elf-dwarf gives Tuto an approving nod and enters the dome, claiming a spot for himself.
Ro Aleron (Ro the Red) -> Illithid, Wizard 8 (Chronugist) // AURYN
On hearing the update from Ro regarding the messages he receives back, Rum nods thoughtfully. The fate of the Dawn Guard is still concerning, but it is good to know their assumption that defeating this Gohma Queen will restore the Great Deku Tree is right.
”I shall focus on the positive, friend Ro. We can ponder more on the Dawn Guard after you all rest and we save the Great Deku Tree”.
He watches Tuto play his flute and spin his magic, intrigued by what the little fellow is doing. As the dome appears he smiles broadly, stepping within the dome, and then out again, then back in. “A most excellent resting place, friend Tuto”, he says.
Whilst the others rest, he spends the time meditating, training and keeping watch. Not straying far from the safety of Tuto’s dome.
Greko doesn’t hesitate heading into the hut that Tito conjured and quickly falls asleep
As the others finish their rest and the Twilight Embers are getting ready to head back down to the chamber with the hole to the cavern with the Gohma in, a frown comes across Rum's face.
"We are yet to really come up with a plan, fellow Embers. Are we going to head down the hole to the large cavern in force or try and thin the herd by getting some to come up to us? I personally believe in the element of surprise, they know we are here but they don't know when we will strike. My main concern is not knowing the exact location of the queen though", he says to the others.
Greko think for a moment “ahh yes is it dark down there? My eyes are not what they used to be. I won’t be able to see if it is”