"You know, Jasper?" can't help but think aloud the tall warrior-wizard "I know I will probably never be able to directly invoke this kind of magic. But it's still so fascinating... All right, it's divine magic rather than arcane... but it's still magic, isn't it? What if there were common bases that I could one day discover and exploit?" the blonde arcane warrior bursts out laughing heartily, laughing at herself "But what am I going to think! Who do I think I am... the female version of Elminster? I just learned to stammer two magic formulas! But one thing is certain" and her eyes blue are lost in those of the elf "with you it all seems magical, Jasper. I never felt like this with anyone else, you know?"
“It is magic of course, just different sources. I don’t know how to explain it. I feel the energy channeling through me from an outside source when I call upon it. My Goddess Selune gives me this energy and helps me focus it.” Jasper thinks for a moment. “Strange though, males are not normally blessed with this divine gift. My mother was highly blessed by the Moon Maiden and she taught me what she could. But the divine connection wasn’t there. It wasn’t until after…” Jasper goes quiet for a minute or so. “One night in deep meditation, She came to me and gave me a choice. ‘Bring justice to my Blessed Ones, bring vengeance to that perversion of the night and my Blessings will be upon you.’ So here I am. I will find my sisters and make that creature pay for what he did.” Jasper takes Khessa’s hands and softly says “Thank you for being here. Thank you for helping me. You and I being here brings me a joy I dare not have hoped for.”
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Jasper Mooncrest🌙 ~ Wood Elf Cleric Twilight Domain ~ Nyx’s Dragon of Icespires Peak: PBP Dastion Salvi~ Half-Elf Warlock(Genie) ~ Lost Mines of the Phandelver: D&DBeyond/Roll20/Discord (Sunday 5-8pm cst) DM canceled Jasper of the Wandering Wood ~ Wood Elf Cleric Twilight Domain ~ Tomb of the Delian Order One Shot(13): PBP complete
“It is magic of course, just different sources. I don’t know how to explain it. I feel the energy channeling through me from an outside source when I call upon it. My Goddess Selune gives me this energy and helps me focus it.” Jasper thinks for a moment. “Strange though, males are not normally blessed with this divine gift. My mother was highly blessed by the Moon Maiden and she taught me what she could. But the divine connection wasn’t there. It wasn’t until after…” Jasper goes quiet for a minute or so. “One night in deep meditation, She came to me and gave me a choice. ‘Bring justice to my Blessed Ones, bring vengeance to that perversion of the night and my Blessings will be upon you.’ So here I am. I will find my sisters and make that creature pay for what he did.” Jasper takes Khessa’s hands and softly says “Thank you for being here. Thank you for helping me. You and I being here brings me a joy I dare not have hoped for.”
"And I'll be by your side" before she even knew it, Khessa mimicked Jasper's gesture with her free hand, taking his, with full understanding sparkling deep within her blue eyes. "I understand perfectly well what you feel. I will help you save your family as you promised to do mine. It is as if a whimsical case had brought us together, at a crossroads between our two difficult roads traveled with pain, to unite us and let us discover that, together, we can be able to change things" when did she come so close to him with her face... with her lips? She didn't even realize it, it happened in a natural way, like breathing... and now her lips are there, murmuring a short distance from the elf's... "You also are someone I wuold have not dared to hope for! And you do not need to thank me for being here... " so near... "for there is no other place in all of Toril I would like to be but here, now, with you".
The blonde arcane warrior has the clarity to communicate telepathically with her familiar: 'Anator... you don't mind going around the night, do you? You know, keeping watch, security... I know you understand me, brother. Thank you!'
And while the faint sound of the wing beating of the departing bat has not yet died down, the tall warrior-wizard joins his lips to those of the elf, sliding his hands first up to his shoulders, then to the nape, between the hair and letting the kiss linger as long as the other likes it.
It is difficult to say precisely what happens next, because Khessa accidentally bumps into the illuminated pine cone and it rolls a bit far away, leaving the two in the shadows.
But what is certain is that in the morning, when she wakes up, the blonde arcane warrior is euphoric and in a great mood.
After what would be an early morning meditation, Jasper awakens. For the first time it would seem. Khessa still asleep and with a peaceful look. He pulls her in close to feel her warmth.
”Good morning.” He whispers. “I could stay here forever but I think we should get up. I think we have a long day ahead of us.” Jasper squeezing Khessa, kissing her softly. Unable to imagine anything better.
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Jasper Mooncrest🌙 ~ Wood Elf Cleric Twilight Domain ~ Nyx’s Dragon of Icespires Peak: PBP Dastion Salvi~ Half-Elf Warlock(Genie) ~ Lost Mines of the Phandelver: D&DBeyond/Roll20/Discord (Sunday 5-8pm cst) DM canceled Jasper of the Wandering Wood ~ Wood Elf Cleric Twilight Domain ~ Tomb of the Delian Order One Shot(13): PBP complete
Khessa is gently awakened by a soft kiss that brings to her mind beautiful memories of... well, of what a good idea it can be to study magic at night.
"Yes Jasper," she smiles at the elf "I agree... on both" she kisses him back and begins to prepare.
As she warms up her muscles with some physical exercises, then moves on to briefly train with the weapons and, finally, to study and practice with her spellbook, particularly euphoric ("Echo, Rel Serafin! Are you ready to go and visit the gnomes... and probably the orcs? Did you sleep well? How wonderful, eh, the colors of dawn filtering through the branches and leaves?"), she quickly goes with her memory to the point where she had asked Tookrashk to take her in flight. Had Tookrashk agreed, thus allowing her to give the demonstration?
She has a few leaves and small twigs in her hair and a smudge of dirt on her cheek, clearly having slept in the woods by herself again. As she had done the nights before arriving in Phandalin. She gazes at the others, somewhat puzzled.
"I think it is clear I would like to slay the orcs as much as anyone, but willfully attacking an army of them unprovoked seems unwise, in my opinion. Unless they are in our way? Our task is to visit the gnomes and... convince them to give up their secret? To help defeat the dragon?"
(That's clearly not all she is thinking about with respect to the gnomes, but she leaves the other part unsaid.)
She looks around. "I do not wish to make the journey with the manticore in our midst. I have seen an Umber Hulk, down in the deep tunnels not far from Menzoberranzan, supposedly 'tamed'. Without warning, it casually hypnotized its keepers, then ripped them limb from limb."
Jasper welcomes Rel Serafin with a nod and a “good morning”. Listening to Rel’s concerns are received openly. “I am also concerned about Tookrashk’s unpredictability. I don’t want any of you harmed.” Looking briefly at each of them. “I agree we must get to Gnomengarde. We should leave soon.”
"Oh, don't worry, rel Serafin!" smiles Khessa, patting her on the shoulder "If you are still wary of Tookrashk, I will keep him with me, we will stand several steps in front of the group or behind, as you all will feel more secure. So, in case of problems, I will deal with them first, okay?"
"But" her gaze softens "try to trust him a little. I don't know what this 'Umber Hulk' you are talking about is, but I have experienced first hand how the drow 'tame'. I also" the expression of her face gets darker "was 'supposedly tamed'. And I too had gladly 'ripped them limb from limb'. The circumstances of my escape did not allow me. I had to content myself with stunning and beheading Anator's killer, my brother. To take off guard their wizard and strangle him to death. To surprise their priestess of Lolth and push her off a cliff. But if only I could, Rel Serafin, I would have 'ripped them limb from limb' too, believe me".
"However," the blonde arcane warrior immediately finds back her smile and her serenity "we did not behave like this with Tookrashk. We did not 'tame' him. We did not threaten him, but helped him instead. We did not make him a prisoner, but an ally (I hope also a friend) instead. We have not taken away his freedom, but we, on the contrary, have given him the opportunity to exercise it. For now, although he had never known friendship before, it seems to me that he is appreciating it. He is not acting as a bully, but as an ally. He eats what we give him. He does not attack those we have taught him to consider friends. Didn't you see that he is even learning to joke? 'Ahaha, did Tookrashk scare you?' He is aware that he can inspire fear... and he joked about it, he made irony about himself! Who knows how civilized he could become, continuing to collaborate with civilization?"
"Maybe initially he was just a brute..." Khessa concedes "Conditioned by his history and his nature. But he was offered the possibility of friendship. And he chose it. I'm not saying he can become a true friend all of a sudden... but I see that he is gradually becoming one. Don't you see that he was initially afraid of the orcs... but then he agreed to face them on our side? You'll see, the more he experiences friendship, the more he will understand its value. You know what friendship tastes like, Rel Serafin, when it has never been tried before... Would you give it up lightly?"
"Tookrashk..." the tall warrior-wizard now has kind of a dreamy expression "he had a chance that few others like him have ever had. The chance of being something else. Something more. I trust he will not waste it".
Rel gazes at Khessa for a long moment before speaking quietly.
"You will always be my friend, Khessa Cabbagefield. I will never give that up. You as well Jasper Mooncrest and Echo Thornhill. But I cannot give the manticore the chance you wish just as I am loath to give it to any orc. And you would be loath to give it to the drow who you assume captured and tortured the umber hulk. And I do not blame you for that. You should follow your dream with Tookrashk. Goodbye for now."
With that, Rel turns and walks away by herself. In the direction she thinks the gnomes are.
Echo fidgets with her hat as the group talks about what to do next, "I think we need to get to the gnomes first, we can deal with orcs if we come across them?"
As Rel turns to leave, she pipes up, a little distressed, "it's- it's not just us giving Tookrashk a chance, he also took a chance trusting us?" She doesn't know enough about manticores to be certain about Tookrashk's perspective. "I do feel like he's trying his best.And, well, to be honest, he seems like a pretty simple.. manticore. If he does try something- not saying he will, we can probably fight him and win."
Seeing that she's not stopping, Echo catches up with Rel, "you can't live like that! Rel! If we, or, the friend you mentioned, believed all drow were bad and never gave you a chance, you would be really sad, right?"
Rel does not slow down (nor speed up). Her face hardens at Echo's last comment.
"I am not drow. My father was Tam Serafin. An aasimar and a slave. It is from his bloodline that my Divine Soul magic comes. My last name followed the drow matriarchy: Mizzrym. A slaver name. But I am a bastard and a half-breed. I became Rel Serafin as soon as Roywyn and I fled."
She looks down at her fists and consciously unclenches them, then looks at Echo far more gently. With a faint smile.
"Echo Thornhill. I would be sad if we were no longer friends, now, yes. But if you had never given me a chance to start with, I would have understood. It is the way of the world. And, not to forget, at no point was I threatening to kill and eat a midwife or demanding a bribe not to do so. You say the manticore is trying its best. Perhaps. Or perhaps it is just biding its time before it attacks us or Adabra or others."
"If I thought you three could not defeat it without me, then I would stay to help protect you. But I think you do not need me to protect yourselves, and I do not wish to be the one standing between Khessa Cabbagefield and her dreams. My dreams are very different. Ones that I run from or fight tooth and nail, not follow. Everyone has the right to make their own choice."
She keeps walking on the path towards the gnomes, disappearing from the view of everyone except perhaps Echo.
Khessa is truly perplexed by her half-drow friend's behavior.
'But... what's the matter with her? First she comes with us to the meal with Tookrashk... She spends the night with us... She seems to agree with what we have established... Then, in the morning, at the time of leaving... she comes up with this speech (of which I don't think I understand much) and leaves su to go alone towards the gnomes? Destination, among other things, which coincides with ours... So she 'separates' from us... by preceding us? What would be the meaning of all this? And apparently it's not just me... even Echo couldn't get her to reason. And to think that that girl managed to get even Tookrashk to reason! She has a way of speaking that goes to the heart... but in this case, nothing. The other leaves, alone. I just hope this 'mistress' she mentioned while fighting with the orcs has nothing to do with this...'
However, the blonde arcane warrior is determined to make a last attempt to keep together the group which, up to the present moment, while respecting each other's differences, have collaborated without difficulty, reaching one success after another. Farstriding on her long legs, she reaches Rel and tells her: "Rel Serafin, this time I'm not really understanding you. If we talk about 'dreams', I think a dream we all had in common from the beginning is the dream of the liberation of Phandalin from the treath of Cryovain. Together, we have advanced well towards this goal step after step. And the journey to the gnomes we plan to make also goes towards this goal. As well as the elimination of the orcs that I suspect we will encounter... as we now know that they intend to support Cryovain. What sense does it make, that you precede us alone? What is the logic? What benefits does it bring? If not, perhaps, for the orcs, who, if they were lurking along the way, could face first you and then us separately, instead of all of us together? Keep your distance from Tookrashk, if you really don't trust him, I told you, I'm even willing to keep him closer to me than to anyone else, if you feel that concerned, so that I'd be his first target, should he really (for reasons I can not yet imagine) turn against us... but stay you also with us, right? You wouldn't get anything good, going ahead of us on your own... unless I'm missing something... 'Everyone has the right to make their own choice' is a phrase that I fully agree with. But the sense or usefulness of your 'choice' escapes me at the moment. I don't mean, mind you, it doesn't have any, huh? Maybe I'm the one that does not understand... I'm, all in all, still just a humble daughter of a cabbage farmer catapulted by a (sad) case into this adventurous life. But I understand a thing: that I would prefer you to stay with us. As you have been until now. For your sake, ours and Phandalin's".
"Not everyone shares your opinions Khessa Cabbagefield. I view the manticore as inherently dangerous and cruel, devious and untrustworthy. So if you truly wish to understand my thinking and logic, you must first take that as a given."
She looks at Khessa fiercely, but sadly.
"In my opinion, the safest thing we can do with the manticore for Phandalin is to kill it together when it returns and is unsuspecting. THAT is what I truly want. But I will not press for that as I can see that you regard the manticore as a friend and have dreams of riding on its back."
Her look changes to one of resignation.
"In my opinion, the next best thing for the safety of Phandalin, is that the manticore continues to come to the Mill for its meal and we go together without it. It already knows the Mill's location, so we have not led it to a new hunting spot. And Adabra is forewarned. The risk is as low as it can be for a monstrosity like that. And Phandalin remains fairly safe due to strength in numbers. Even then, other lone travelers who cannot defend themselves on the road as we can are in danger from it. And who knows what it will do one day when the meat is not there. But it is a level or risk I can live with. Would have to live with. That is what I asked for just now. That we go together and do not bring the manticore with us."
And finally to stony determination.
"But one thing I do NOT want is to lead it the enclave of the gnomes. That is decidedly NOT what is safest for them. Even Roywyn had stories of dealings with manticores. Of manticores from the mountains tricking the gnomes in her clan and then pouncing and carrying one off when their guard was down. There is a chance it does not already know where the gnomes are and I very much want to keep it that way. I do not trust anything that it itself says to convince us to the contrary. Yet, it sounds as if you would happily ride on its back right up to the gnomes' door. I cannot stop you from taking the manticore to the gnomes, allowing it to learn their location, but I certainly wish you would not."
"Finally: you keep saying that you will stay close with it while we are traveling. As if that has anything to do with my concern. We can defeat the manticore as a group. I have no worry about that. It is what I want, after all! But if we travel with it, we may be forced to spend the night in its company and circumstance can easily allow it to pick one of us off if and when we are not tightly bunched and our attention is elsewhere. This is less of a worry for me as unlike with the gnomes, I do not think it can easily handle any one of us now, but it is still an unnecessary threat at our back. All that being said, your choices are your own. I have already told you what my preferred choices are. Best - killing it. Next best - going together and not taking it with us. But since those are not acceptable to you and as I said, I do not wish to stand between you and your dreams, I feel it best to go to the gnomes on my own and hope that you will not follow. Not with the manticore, anyway."
Jasper sees Rel leave the Mill seemingly upset. Echo and Khessa following behind. Jasper quickly goes to Adabra and thanks her for the stay. “Keep the food coming for Tookrashk and stay wary of him. I will also keep an eye on ingredients for healing potions.” He reaches in his herbs kit and pulls out the plants he found a couple days ago. “Here. Take this. These might help you make some potions.” Jasper gestures to Adabra and rushes out to follow the others.
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Jasper Mooncrest🌙 ~ Wood Elf Cleric Twilight Domain ~ Nyx’s Dragon of Icespires Peak: PBP Dastion Salvi~ Half-Elf Warlock(Genie) ~ Lost Mines of the Phandelver: D&DBeyond/Roll20/Discord (Sunday 5-8pm cst) DM canceled Jasper of the Wandering Wood ~ Wood Elf Cleric Twilight Domain ~ Tomb of the Delian Order One Shot(13): PBP complete
"Well, Rel Serafin" sighs Khessa "at least now I understand your point of view better. It's all logical, after all... if you start from the completely arbitrary and unsubstantiated assumption that Tookrashk is 'inherently dangerous and cruel, devious and untrustworthy'. 'Inherently'? Really? I don't understand why you persist in thinking this about him. Can you look into his soul? Or did your mysterious 'mistress' tell you? In fact, since we made friends with him, he hasn't behaved like that at all. Can't you see that he's trying to be something other than what he was? He found a new (and better) way to go, a different one from the one that led him to starve alone. It's not just my impression, do you see that Echo has noticed too? And Echo... she's right when he says that 'he also took a chance trusting us'. It would have been easy to ambush him at practically every meal. Or even just poison his meal. It would have been easy to kill him. But he trusted us. I... I think he earned the opportunity to get a little trust from us. Just as Echo remembered, you too had your chance to get trusted. If no one had trusted you, under the completely arbitrary and unproven assumption that you, as an Underdarker, were 'inherently dangerous and cruel, devious and untrustworthy', it would have been worse for everyone; for you, for us and for Phandalin. And no, it wouldn't have been 'the way of the world', it would have simply been a wrong and counterproductive choice for everyone. The 'way of the world' is shaped by the actions of the people of the 'world'! Like us. It is our actions that build the world we live in. Do we want to build a world where a creature who has never known friendship before can begin to experience it, embrace it... and help us save Phandalin? I certainly would like to! Because well, maybe against the orcs we could even get away with our own strength. depends how many they are and how ell organized. But against Cryovain? That same Cryovain from whom we hid in a ditch when we first met? We have the possibility of having an ally against a threat like it... do we have to simply throw it away, without ever trying? Giving Tookrashk a chance to live differently is also giving Phandalin a chance to survive! Rel Serafin... maybe it's also your past in the Underdark that makes it so hard for you to trust. But I sincerely believe that there are times when trust is a risk worth taking. Tookrashk ran it, with us. And it was worth it. Or not? Please, Rel Serafin, I know I'm asking you for an effort, but trust me this time".
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The others have made quite the distance from Jasper and he trying to catch up. Not at all quietly. Jasper thinks ‘I hope everything is good up there.’ Jasper slows a bit and realizes he could be watching out for danger. He spends time watching the skies and the surrounding areas. All while hoping to find some plants for Adabra.
Perception for Danger: 8
Survival for Plants: 24
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Jasper Mooncrest🌙 ~ Wood Elf Cleric Twilight Domain ~ Nyx’s Dragon of Icespires Peak: PBP Dastion Salvi~ Half-Elf Warlock(Genie) ~ Lost Mines of the Phandelver: D&DBeyond/Roll20/Discord (Sunday 5-8pm cst) DM canceled Jasper of the Wandering Wood ~ Wood Elf Cleric Twilight Domain ~ Tomb of the Delian Order One Shot(13): PBP complete
Rel does not change course or pace. Her demeanor becomes colder.
"I may not be understanding correctly, Khessa Cabbagefield, but you seem to speak your opinion as fact. In my opinion, my assumption is not 'completely arbitrary and unsubstantiated' given what I have heard from a source I trust regarding manticores. Which I already told you about. Deceiving and carrying off gnomes who lived in these very mountains to devour. Everything you cite as proof of this manticore's changed ways could instead be similar deceit, thinking it has us under its thumb, reading us (correctly) that we will not ambush or poison it, and waiting."
"And I will say this. I have already compromised greatly regarding the manticore to respect your wishes and our friendship. Let me repeat that. I have already compromised greatly regarding the manticore. When we first encountered the manticore (and the dragon!) we were weak. Now we are much stronger and capable of taking on the manticore, though not yet the dragon. My great preference is to kill the manticore, as I have stated. We have instead come to an arrangement with it. This is a huge compromise to incur the risk this imposes with the manticore continuing free and potentially finding other lone travelers or dwellings in these foothills and sating its hunger on them now or in the future. Or even catching Adabra by surprise one day. But I accepted this compromise in respect for you and your hopes and in sincere good faith to accommodate the chance that you may be right."
"I may be wrong, but with respect to the manticore, in my opinion, it does not seem to me as if you have compromised anything. Willingness to walk near the manticore as we march? That neither risks nor gains anything as we could defeat the manticore now if it attacked us directly. So in my opinion, the next compromise you make with respect to the manticore will be your first. Yet you ask me to compromise further for your sake."
"I do not share your beliefs where all creatures are potentially worthy of trust. I appreciate you accepting me as a half-drow. You may not realize it, but it was not easy for me to trust surface-dwellers either, and to act as we do now on behalf of this cowardly town-master Harbin Wester. But let us be clear. When we first met, neither of us was threatening to kill and eat a midwife. Neither of us only relented when bribed. And when asked to go protect the town against orcs, might only do so due to the promise of orc flesh to feast on. In my opinion, it is a false equivalence that you and Echo Thornhill continue to bring up comparing my expectations of the manticore to our expectations of each other. I will leave it at that."
"Now on the side of potential benefit. In my opinion, we are much stronger now than we were when we hid from the dragon. Not strong enough to face it yet, but getting there. I am skeptical that the manticore would help us much with Cryovain, especially if its main motivation has continued to prove to be meat to consume. I do not think it considers dragon to be part of its diet. As always, I could be wrong. I would much rather kill the manticore now, as I said. Or failing that, just leave our arrangement as is at the mill, since soon enough, we will not need the manticore and the risk is not worth the reward, in my opinion. Risk of introducing new potential prey and hunting locations to the monstrosity. That is not to say you cannot come to the mill and make friends and ride the manticore to your heart's content. I do not control you. But I believe we can and will eventually defeat the dragon on our own."
"Yet since apparently I am the one that must compromise (again) regarding the manticore, I will offer this, Khessa Cabbagefield. For the sake of our friendship. By no means should the manticore come with us to learn the location of the gnomes. Or that of any other likely friendly humanoids or beings that we seek. NOT in those situations. But if we ever set out only to make war, against the orcs, against the dragon, against other foes as yet unknown - then, I will go along with bringing the manticore. So I compromise again and take the risk that in the process, the manticore learns of new potential prey and hunting grounds that it otherwise might not. Of course, you have no obligation to accept my compromise. You could go back and convince the manticore to fly you to the gnomes. I can do nothing about that. But I will go no further on what I personally agree to and accept."
Rel turns away, clearly not happy with Khessa at this point (whereas before her tone had been neutral or earnest), walking with determination.
"Well, Rel Serafin," replies Khessa "then, for the sake of our friendship, even if I believe I'm not doing justice to an ally who, to date, has behaved as such (always fulfilling the agreements we had with him), I'll agree to the terms you just proposed. After all, we'll still have help against the evil. And Tookrashk will have his chance to prove yourself to you again, when time will come to battle at our side against said evil. So... let's do it!"
Khessa, though sorry for Rel's mood, on the contrary, is happy... for she understands that Rel anyway DID an effort - even if she did not came to trust her fully; and this is something the blonde arcane warrior does not want to underestimate.
'With time, Tookrashk will prove himself' she thinks. 'And even Rel will come to accept him. She only needs time... Who knows what she had to endure in her life in the Underdark? The (relatively) short time I spent there already seemed hell to me...'
So the tall warrior-wizard explains to Tookrashk: "Our plans have changed for the moment, my friend! It won't be now that we will attack and defeat the orcs. But" she scratches him affectionately under the fur "you don't know how grateful I am that you would have been willing to come with us to help us! That's what friends do for friends! We will call you when the time comes and we will sweep them away!"
"Tookrashk..." her blue eyes look into those of the beast, while her voice lower and deepens "you don't know how happy I am that you have chosen to be our friend. Thank you! The two of us are strong. Probably, each one of the both of us could survive even without the other. But knowing that you are there... that I can count on you... and you on me... it is really nice. It's like knowing you'll never really alone. Have you ever had friends before, Tookrashk? It's not easy to make friends... But when you do, it's worth it, isn't it? I'll be back to see you soon, scary monster!" departs smiling Khessa"And try not to frighten Adabra too much, okay? She helped me so much to find food for you... See you soon!"
Tookrashk seems to preen at being called a scary monster. It seems to be quite the compliment for him. Instead of saying goodbye, the manticore rips into a huge piece of raw meat, blood dribbling down his lips, and he barely seems to chew before swallowing it whole.
Meanwhile, you begin to make your way to Gnomengarde, using the directions Townmaster Harbin provided, heading south from Adabra's mill into the foothills and eventually cliffs and crags of the Sword Mountains. The journey takes several hours of traversing along what could barely be called a path, and the party arrives in the middle of the afternoon. Eventually you find a stream and decide to follow it deeper into the mountains.
You follow the stream uphill to the base of the mountain, where waterfall erosion has carved out a natural concavity. The roaring waterfall creates a cloud of mist as it plunges into a shallow pool of water, within which rise two small islands covered with two-foot-tall red, green, and purple mushrooms. Several cave openings overlook the pool from rocky ledges twenty to thirty feet above. The mountain blocks any sunlight from reaching this place. It's hard to hear anything over the din of the waterfall, but this place looks promising.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Jasper stops momentarily at the pool to splash some water on his face and noticing the the strange mushrooms on the islands, he wonders what properties can be derived from them. Jasper thinks to himself, ‘Maybe I can collect some on the way out.’
Jasper looks around for any signs of life. “What do you all think?”Asking the others.
PERCEPTION: 25
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Jasper Mooncrest🌙 ~ Wood Elf Cleric Twilight Domain ~ Nyx’s Dragon of Icespires Peak: PBP Dastion Salvi~ Half-Elf Warlock(Genie) ~ Lost Mines of the Phandelver: D&DBeyond/Roll20/Discord (Sunday 5-8pm cst) DM canceled Jasper of the Wandering Wood ~ Wood Elf Cleric Twilight Domain ~ Tomb of the Delian Order One Shot(13): PBP complete
As the party approaches the pool, a creature catches your eye watching you from the rocks a few yards away. She is not especially tall; in fact, perhaps the feline is a bit on the smaller side for her kind. But her build is both graceful and extremely powerful; much like a lion or a tiger. She has thick brown fur with a pattern of lighter stripes, and a brown mane arranged into an elaborate braid, which she is currently playing with absent-mindedly as she looks at you curiously with her large yellow eyes. The cat woman has a massive axe hanging on her back, and several other weapons clearly visible... but for some reason, she is wearing a rather expensive-looking lavender riding dress and a some bits of gold jewelry that seem rather out of place for the environment she is in. While she doesn't approach immediately, she is making no attempt to hide and appears to be taking a moment to rest by the pool.
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Unhappy that the market got rid of individual purchases for one-off subclasses, magic items, and monsters?
“It is magic of course, just different sources. I don’t know how to explain it. I feel the energy channeling through me from an outside source when I call upon it. My Goddess Selune gives me this energy and helps me focus it.” Jasper thinks for a moment. “Strange though, males are not normally blessed with this divine gift. My mother was highly blessed by the Moon Maiden and she taught me what she could. But the divine connection wasn’t there. It wasn’t until after…” Jasper goes quiet for a minute or so. “One night in deep meditation, She came to me and gave me a choice. ‘Bring justice to my Blessed Ones, bring vengeance to that perversion of the night and my Blessings will be upon you.’ So here I am. I will find my sisters and make that creature pay for what he did.” Jasper takes Khessa’s hands and softly says “Thank you for being here. Thank you for helping me. You and I being here brings me a joy I dare not have hoped for.”
Jasper Mooncrest🌙 ~ Wood Elf Cleric Twilight Domain ~ Nyx’s Dragon of Icespires Peak: PBP
Dastion Salvi ~ Half-Elf Warlock(Genie) ~ Lost Mines of the Phandelver: D&DBeyond/Roll20/Discord (Sunday 5-8pm cst) DM canceled
Jasper of the Wandering Wood ~ Wood Elf Cleric Twilight Domain ~ Tomb of the Delian Order One Shot(13): PBP complete
"And I'll be by your side" before she even knew it, Khessa mimicked Jasper's gesture with her free hand, taking his, with full understanding sparkling deep within her blue eyes. "I understand perfectly well what you feel. I will help you save your family as you promised to do mine. It is as if a whimsical case had brought us together, at a crossroads between our two difficult roads traveled with pain, to unite us and let us discover that, together, we can be able to change things" when did she come so close to him with her face... with her lips? She didn't even realize it, it happened in a natural way, like breathing... and now her lips are there, murmuring a short distance from the elf's... "You also are someone I wuold have not dared to hope for! And you do not need to thank me for being here... " so near... "for there is no other place in all of Toril I would like to be but here, now, with you".
The blonde arcane warrior has the clarity to communicate telepathically with her familiar: 'Anator... you don't mind going around the night, do you? You know, keeping watch, security... I know you understand me, brother. Thank you!'
And while the faint sound of the wing beating of the departing bat has not yet died down, the tall warrior-wizard joins his lips to those of the elf, sliding his hands first up to his shoulders, then to the nape, between the hair and letting the kiss linger as long as the other likes it.
It is difficult to say precisely what happens next, because Khessa accidentally bumps into the illuminated pine cone and it rolls a bit far away, leaving the two in the shadows.
But what is certain is that in the morning, when she wakes up, the blonde arcane warrior is euphoric and in a great mood.
After what would be an early morning meditation, Jasper awakens. For the first time it would seem. Khessa still asleep and with a peaceful look. He pulls her in close to feel her warmth.
”Good morning.” He whispers. “I could stay here forever but I think we should get up. I think we have a long day ahead of us.” Jasper squeezing Khessa, kissing her softly. Unable to imagine anything better.
Jasper Mooncrest🌙 ~ Wood Elf Cleric Twilight Domain ~ Nyx’s Dragon of Icespires Peak: PBP
Dastion Salvi ~ Half-Elf Warlock(Genie) ~ Lost Mines of the Phandelver: D&DBeyond/Roll20/Discord (Sunday 5-8pm cst) DM canceled
Jasper of the Wandering Wood ~ Wood Elf Cleric Twilight Domain ~ Tomb of the Delian Order One Shot(13): PBP complete
Khessa is gently awakened by a soft kiss that brings to her mind beautiful memories of... well, of what a good idea it can be to study magic at night.
"Yes Jasper," she smiles at the elf "I agree... on both" she kisses him back and begins to prepare.
As she warms up her muscles with some physical exercises, then moves on to briefly train with the weapons and, finally, to study and practice with her spellbook, particularly euphoric ("Echo, Rel Serafin! Are you ready to go and visit the gnomes... and probably the orcs? Did you sleep well? How wonderful, eh, the colors of dawn filtering through the branches and leaves?"), she quickly goes with her memory to the point where she had asked Tookrashk to take her in flight. Had Tookrashk agreed, thus allowing her to give the demonstration?
After some time, Rel appears from the tree-line.
She has a few leaves and small twigs in her hair and a smudge of dirt on her cheek, clearly having slept in the woods by herself again. As she had done the nights before arriving in Phandalin. She gazes at the others, somewhat puzzled.
"I think it is clear I would like to slay the orcs as much as anyone, but willfully attacking an army of them unprovoked seems unwise, in my opinion. Unless they are in our way? Our task is to visit the gnomes and... convince them to give up their secret? To help defeat the dragon?"
(That's clearly not all she is thinking about with respect to the gnomes, but she leaves the other part unsaid.)
She looks around. "I do not wish to make the journey with the manticore in our midst. I have seen an Umber Hulk, down in the deep tunnels not far from Menzoberranzan, supposedly 'tamed'. Without warning, it casually hypnotized its keepers, then ripped them limb from limb."
Tanis(Ranger1): Shiverquill's Tempest City | Xarian(Fighter2): NioNSwiper's Tyranny of Dragons
Dyson/Eleo(TwilightCleric4): Vos' Beyond the Veil | Soren(ShepherdDruid5): Bartjeebus' Ravenloft | Ophelia(WildMagicSorcerer4): Ashen_Age's Risen from the Sands
Joren(EchoKnightFighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Sabetha(MercyMonk3): Bedlymn's Murder Court | Seri(NatureCleric3/DivineSoulSorcerer1): Bartjeebus' Greyhawk
Jasper welcomes Rel Serafin with a nod and a “good morning”. Listening to Rel’s concerns are received openly. “I am also concerned about Tookrashk’s unpredictability. I don’t want any of you harmed.” Looking briefly at each of them. “I agree we must get to Gnomengarde. We should leave soon.”
Jasper Mooncrest🌙 ~ Wood Elf Cleric Twilight Domain ~ Nyx’s Dragon of Icespires Peak: PBP
Dastion Salvi ~ Half-Elf Warlock(Genie) ~ Lost Mines of the Phandelver: D&DBeyond/Roll20/Discord (Sunday 5-8pm cst) DM canceled
Jasper of the Wandering Wood ~ Wood Elf Cleric Twilight Domain ~ Tomb of the Delian Order One Shot(13): PBP complete
"Oh, don't worry, rel Serafin!" smiles Khessa, patting her on the shoulder "If you are still wary of Tookrashk, I will keep him with me, we will stand several steps in front of the group or behind, as you all will feel more secure. So, in case of problems, I will deal with them first, okay?"
"But" her gaze softens "try to trust him a little. I don't know what this 'Umber Hulk' you are talking about is, but I have experienced first hand how the drow 'tame'. I also" the expression of her face gets darker "was 'supposedly tamed'. And I too had gladly 'ripped them limb from limb'. The circumstances of my escape did not allow me. I had to content myself with stunning and beheading Anator's killer, my brother. To take off guard their wizard and strangle him to death. To surprise their priestess of Lolth and push her off a cliff. But if only I could, Rel Serafin, I would have 'ripped them limb from limb' too, believe me".
"However," the blonde arcane warrior immediately finds back her smile and her serenity "we did not behave like this with Tookrashk. We did not 'tame' him. We did not threaten him, but helped him instead. We did not make him a prisoner, but an ally (I hope also a friend) instead. We have not taken away his freedom, but we, on the contrary, have given him the opportunity to exercise it. For now, although he had never known friendship before, it seems to me that he is appreciating it. He is not acting as a bully, but as an ally. He eats what we give him. He does not attack those we have taught him to consider friends. Didn't you see that he is even learning to joke? 'Ahaha, did Tookrashk scare you?' He is aware that he can inspire fear... and he joked about it, he made irony about himself! Who knows how civilized he could become, continuing to collaborate with civilization?"
"Maybe initially he was just a brute..." Khessa concedes "Conditioned by his history and his nature. But he was offered the possibility of friendship. And he chose it. I'm not saying he can become a true friend all of a sudden... but I see that he is gradually becoming one. Don't you see that he was initially afraid of the orcs... but then he agreed to face them on our side? You'll see, the more he experiences friendship, the more he will understand its value. You know what friendship tastes like, Rel Serafin, when it has never been tried before... Would you give it up lightly?"
"Tookrashk..." the tall warrior-wizard now has kind of a dreamy expression "he had a chance that few others like him have ever had. The chance of being something else. Something more. I trust he will not waste it".
Rel gazes at Khessa for a long moment before speaking quietly.
"You will always be my friend, Khessa Cabbagefield. I will never give that up. You as well Jasper Mooncrest and Echo Thornhill. But I cannot give the manticore the chance you wish just as I am loath to give it to any orc. And you would be loath to give it to the drow who you assume captured and tortured the umber hulk. And I do not blame you for that. You should follow your dream with Tookrashk. Goodbye for now."
With that, Rel turns and walks away by herself. In the direction she thinks the gnomes are.
Tanis(Ranger1): Shiverquill's Tempest City | Xarian(Fighter2): NioNSwiper's Tyranny of Dragons
Dyson/Eleo(TwilightCleric4): Vos' Beyond the Veil | Soren(ShepherdDruid5): Bartjeebus' Ravenloft | Ophelia(WildMagicSorcerer4): Ashen_Age's Risen from the Sands
Joren(EchoKnightFighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Sabetha(MercyMonk3): Bedlymn's Murder Court | Seri(NatureCleric3/DivineSoulSorcerer1): Bartjeebus' Greyhawk
Echo fidgets with her hat as the group talks about what to do next, "I think we need to get to the gnomes first, we can deal with orcs if we come across them?"
As Rel turns to leave, she pipes up, a little distressed, "it's- it's not just us giving Tookrashk a chance, he also took a chance trusting us?" She doesn't know enough about manticores to be certain about Tookrashk's perspective. "I do feel like he's trying his best. And, well, to be honest, he seems like a pretty simple.. manticore. If he does try something- not saying he will, we can probably fight him and win."
Seeing that she's not stopping, Echo catches up with Rel, "you can't live like that! Rel! If we, or, the friend you mentioned, believed all drow were bad and never gave you a chance, you would be really sad, right?"
Rel does not slow down (nor speed up). Her face hardens at Echo's last comment.
"I am not drow. My father was Tam Serafin. An aasimar and a slave. It is from his bloodline that my Divine Soul magic comes. My last name followed the drow matriarchy: Mizzrym. A slaver name. But I am a bastard and a half-breed. I became Rel Serafin as soon as Roywyn and I fled."
She looks down at her fists and consciously unclenches them, then looks at Echo far more gently. With a faint smile.
"Echo Thornhill. I would be sad if we were no longer friends, now, yes. But if you had never given me a chance to start with, I would have understood. It is the way of the world. And, not to forget, at no point was I threatening to kill and eat a midwife or demanding a bribe not to do so. You say the manticore is trying its best. Perhaps. Or perhaps it is just biding its time before it attacks us or Adabra or others."
"If I thought you three could not defeat it without me, then I would stay to help protect you. But I think you do not need me to protect yourselves, and I do not wish to be the one standing between Khessa Cabbagefield and her dreams. My dreams are very different. Ones that I run from or fight tooth and nail, not follow. Everyone has the right to make their own choice."
She keeps walking on the path towards the gnomes, disappearing from the view of everyone except perhaps Echo.
Tanis(Ranger1): Shiverquill's Tempest City | Xarian(Fighter2): NioNSwiper's Tyranny of Dragons
Dyson/Eleo(TwilightCleric4): Vos' Beyond the Veil | Soren(ShepherdDruid5): Bartjeebus' Ravenloft | Ophelia(WildMagicSorcerer4): Ashen_Age's Risen from the Sands
Joren(EchoKnightFighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Sabetha(MercyMonk3): Bedlymn's Murder Court | Seri(NatureCleric3/DivineSoulSorcerer1): Bartjeebus' Greyhawk
Khessa is truly perplexed by her half-drow friend's behavior.
'But... what's the matter with her? First she comes with us to the meal with Tookrashk... She spends the night with us... She seems to agree with what we have established... Then, in the morning, at the time of leaving... she comes up with this speech (of which I don't think I understand much) and leaves su to go alone towards the gnomes? Destination, among other things, which coincides with ours... So she 'separates' from us... by preceding us? What would be the meaning of all this? And apparently it's not just me... even Echo couldn't get her to reason. And to think that that girl managed to get even Tookrashk to reason! She has a way of speaking that goes to the heart... but in this case, nothing. The other leaves, alone. I just hope this 'mistress' she mentioned while fighting with the orcs has nothing to do with this...'
However, the blonde arcane warrior is determined to make a last attempt to keep together the group which, up to the present moment, while respecting each other's differences, have collaborated without difficulty, reaching one success after another. Farstriding on her long legs, she reaches Rel and tells her: "Rel Serafin, this time I'm not really understanding you. If we talk about 'dreams', I think a dream we all had in common from the beginning is the dream of the liberation of Phandalin from the treath of Cryovain. Together, we have advanced well towards this goal step after step. And the journey to the gnomes we plan to make also goes towards this goal. As well as the elimination of the orcs that I suspect we will encounter... as we now know that they intend to support Cryovain. What sense does it make, that you precede us alone? What is the logic? What benefits does it bring? If not, perhaps, for the orcs, who, if they were lurking along the way, could face first you and then us separately, instead of all of us together? Keep your distance from Tookrashk, if you really don't trust him, I told you, I'm even willing to keep him closer to me than to anyone else, if you feel that concerned, so that I'd be his first target, should he really (for reasons I can not yet imagine) turn against us... but stay you also with us, right? You wouldn't get anything good, going ahead of us on your own... unless I'm missing something... 'Everyone has the right to make their own choice' is a phrase that I fully agree with. But the sense or usefulness of your 'choice' escapes me at the moment. I don't mean, mind you, it doesn't have any, huh? Maybe I'm the one that does not understand... I'm, all in all, still just a humble daughter of a cabbage farmer catapulted by a (sad) case into this adventurous life. But I understand a thing: that I would prefer you to stay with us. As you have been until now. For your sake, ours and Phandalin's".
Rel does not slow down.
"Not everyone shares your opinions Khessa Cabbagefield. I view the manticore as inherently dangerous and cruel, devious and untrustworthy. So if you truly wish to understand my thinking and logic, you must first take that as a given."
She looks at Khessa fiercely, but sadly.
"In my opinion, the safest thing we can do with the manticore for Phandalin is to kill it together when it returns and is unsuspecting. THAT is what I truly want. But I will not press for that as I can see that you regard the manticore as a friend and have dreams of riding on its back."
Her look changes to one of resignation.
"In my opinion, the next best thing for the safety of Phandalin, is that the manticore continues to come to the Mill for its meal and we go together without it. It already knows the Mill's location, so we have not led it to a new hunting spot. And Adabra is forewarned. The risk is as low as it can be for a monstrosity like that. And Phandalin remains fairly safe due to strength in numbers. Even then, other lone travelers who cannot defend themselves on the road as we can are in danger from it. And who knows what it will do one day when the meat is not there. But it is a level or risk I can live with. Would have to live with. That is what I asked for just now. That we go together and do not bring the manticore with us."
And finally to stony determination.
"But one thing I do NOT want is to lead it the enclave of the gnomes. That is decidedly NOT what is safest for them. Even Roywyn had stories of dealings with manticores. Of manticores from the mountains tricking the gnomes in her clan and then pouncing and carrying one off when their guard was down. There is a chance it does not already know where the gnomes are and I very much want to keep it that way. I do not trust anything that it itself says to convince us to the contrary. Yet, it sounds as if you would happily ride on its back right up to the gnomes' door. I cannot stop you from taking the manticore to the gnomes, allowing it to learn their location, but I certainly wish you would not."
"Finally: you keep saying that you will stay close with it while we are traveling. As if that has anything to do with my concern. We can defeat the manticore as a group. I have no worry about that. It is what I want, after all! But if we travel with it, we may be forced to spend the night in its company and circumstance can easily allow it to pick one of us off if and when we are not tightly bunched and our attention is elsewhere. This is less of a worry for me as unlike with the gnomes, I do not think it can easily handle any one of us now, but it is still an unnecessary threat at our back. All that being said, your choices are your own. I have already told you what my preferred choices are. Best - killing it. Next best - going together and not taking it with us. But since those are not acceptable to you and as I said, I do not wish to stand between you and your dreams, I feel it best to go to the gnomes on my own and hope that you will not follow. Not with the manticore, anyway."
She keeps walking.
Tanis(Ranger1): Shiverquill's Tempest City | Xarian(Fighter2): NioNSwiper's Tyranny of Dragons
Dyson/Eleo(TwilightCleric4): Vos' Beyond the Veil | Soren(ShepherdDruid5): Bartjeebus' Ravenloft | Ophelia(WildMagicSorcerer4): Ashen_Age's Risen from the Sands
Joren(EchoKnightFighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Sabetha(MercyMonk3): Bedlymn's Murder Court | Seri(NatureCleric3/DivineSoulSorcerer1): Bartjeebus' Greyhawk
Jasper sees Rel leave the Mill seemingly upset. Echo and Khessa following behind. Jasper quickly goes to Adabra and thanks her for the stay. “Keep the food coming for Tookrashk and stay wary of him. I will also keep an eye on ingredients for healing potions.” He reaches in his herbs kit and pulls out the plants he found a couple days ago. “Here. Take this. These might help you make some potions.” Jasper gestures to Adabra and rushes out to follow the others.
Jasper Mooncrest🌙 ~ Wood Elf Cleric Twilight Domain ~ Nyx’s Dragon of Icespires Peak: PBP
Dastion Salvi ~ Half-Elf Warlock(Genie) ~ Lost Mines of the Phandelver: D&DBeyond/Roll20/Discord (Sunday 5-8pm cst) DM canceled
Jasper of the Wandering Wood ~ Wood Elf Cleric Twilight Domain ~ Tomb of the Delian Order One Shot(13): PBP complete
"Well, Rel Serafin" sighs Khessa "at least now I understand your point of view better. It's all logical, after all... if you start from the completely arbitrary and unsubstantiated assumption that Tookrashk is 'inherently dangerous and cruel, devious and untrustworthy'. 'Inherently'? Really? I don't understand why you persist in thinking this about him. Can you look into his soul? Or did your mysterious 'mistress' tell you? In fact, since we made friends with him, he hasn't behaved like that at all. Can't you see that he's trying to be something other than what he was? He found a new (and better) way to go, a different one from the one that led him to starve alone. It's not just my impression, do you see that Echo has noticed too? And Echo... she's right when he says that 'he also took a chance trusting us'. It would have been easy to ambush him at practically every meal. Or even just poison his meal. It would have been easy to kill him. But he trusted us. I... I think he earned the opportunity to get a little trust from us. Just as Echo remembered, you too had your chance to get trusted. If no one had trusted you, under the completely arbitrary and unproven assumption that you, as an Underdarker, were 'inherently dangerous and cruel, devious and untrustworthy', it would have been worse for everyone; for you, for us and for Phandalin. And no, it wouldn't have been 'the way of the world', it would have simply been a wrong and counterproductive choice for everyone. The 'way of the world' is shaped by the actions of the people of the 'world'! Like us. It is our actions that build the world we live in. Do we want to build a world where a creature who has never known friendship before can begin to experience it, embrace it... and help us save Phandalin? I certainly would like to! Because well, maybe against the orcs we could even get away with our own strength. depends how many they are and how ell organized. But against Cryovain? That same Cryovain from whom we hid in a ditch when we first met? We have the possibility of having an ally against a threat like it... do we have to simply throw it away, without ever trying? Giving Tookrashk a chance to live differently is also giving Phandalin a chance to survive! Rel Serafin... maybe it's also your past in the Underdark that makes it so hard for you to trust. But I sincerely believe that there are times when trust is a risk worth taking. Tookrashk ran it, with us. And it was worth it. Or not? Please, Rel Serafin, I know I'm asking you for an effort, but trust me this time".
The others have made quite the distance from Jasper and he trying to catch up. Not at all quietly. Jasper thinks ‘I hope everything is good up there.’ Jasper slows a bit and realizes he could be watching out for danger. He spends time watching the skies and the surrounding areas. All while hoping to find some plants for Adabra.
Perception for Danger: 8
Survival for Plants: 24
Jasper Mooncrest🌙 ~ Wood Elf Cleric Twilight Domain ~ Nyx’s Dragon of Icespires Peak: PBP
Dastion Salvi ~ Half-Elf Warlock(Genie) ~ Lost Mines of the Phandelver: D&DBeyond/Roll20/Discord (Sunday 5-8pm cst) DM canceled
Jasper of the Wandering Wood ~ Wood Elf Cleric Twilight Domain ~ Tomb of the Delian Order One Shot(13): PBP complete
Rel does not change course or pace. Her demeanor becomes colder.
"I may not be understanding correctly, Khessa Cabbagefield, but you seem to speak your opinion as fact. In my opinion, my assumption is not 'completely arbitrary and unsubstantiated' given what I have heard from a source I trust regarding manticores. Which I already told you about. Deceiving and carrying off gnomes who lived in these very mountains to devour. Everything you cite as proof of this manticore's changed ways could instead be similar deceit, thinking it has us under its thumb, reading us (correctly) that we will not ambush or poison it, and waiting."
"And I will say this. I have already compromised greatly regarding the manticore to respect your wishes and our friendship. Let me repeat that. I have already compromised greatly regarding the manticore. When we first encountered the manticore (and the dragon!) we were weak. Now we are much stronger and capable of taking on the manticore, though not yet the dragon. My great preference is to kill the manticore, as I have stated. We have instead come to an arrangement with it. This is a huge compromise to incur the risk this imposes with the manticore continuing free and potentially finding other lone travelers or dwellings in these foothills and sating its hunger on them now or in the future. Or even catching Adabra by surprise one day. But I accepted this compromise in respect for you and your hopes and in sincere good faith to accommodate the chance that you may be right."
"I may be wrong, but with respect to the manticore, in my opinion, it does not seem to me as if you have compromised anything. Willingness to walk near the manticore as we march? That neither risks nor gains anything as we could defeat the manticore now if it attacked us directly. So in my opinion, the next compromise you make with respect to the manticore will be your first. Yet you ask me to compromise further for your sake."
"I do not share your beliefs where all creatures are potentially worthy of trust. I appreciate you accepting me as a half-drow. You may not realize it, but it was not easy for me to trust surface-dwellers either, and to act as we do now on behalf of this cowardly town-master Harbin Wester. But let us be clear. When we first met, neither of us was threatening to kill and eat a midwife. Neither of us only relented when bribed. And when asked to go protect the town against orcs, might only do so due to the promise of orc flesh to feast on. In my opinion, it is a false equivalence that you and Echo Thornhill continue to bring up comparing my expectations of the manticore to our expectations of each other. I will leave it at that."
"Now on the side of potential benefit. In my opinion, we are much stronger now than we were when we hid from the dragon. Not strong enough to face it yet, but getting there. I am skeptical that the manticore would help us much with Cryovain, especially if its main motivation has continued to prove to be meat to consume. I do not think it considers dragon to be part of its diet. As always, I could be wrong. I would much rather kill the manticore now, as I said. Or failing that, just leave our arrangement as is at the mill, since soon enough, we will not need the manticore and the risk is not worth the reward, in my opinion. Risk of introducing new potential prey and hunting locations to the monstrosity. That is not to say you cannot come to the mill and make friends and ride the manticore to your heart's content. I do not control you. But I believe we can and will eventually defeat the dragon on our own."
"Yet since apparently I am the one that must compromise (again) regarding the manticore, I will offer this, Khessa Cabbagefield. For the sake of our friendship. By no means should the manticore come with us to learn the location of the gnomes. Or that of any other likely friendly humanoids or beings that we seek. NOT in those situations. But if we ever set out only to make war, against the orcs, against the dragon, against other foes as yet unknown - then, I will go along with bringing the manticore. So I compromise again and take the risk that in the process, the manticore learns of new potential prey and hunting grounds that it otherwise might not. Of course, you have no obligation to accept my compromise. You could go back and convince the manticore to fly you to the gnomes. I can do nothing about that. But I will go no further on what I personally agree to and accept."
Rel turns away, clearly not happy with Khessa at this point (whereas before her tone had been neutral or earnest), walking with determination.
Tanis(Ranger1): Shiverquill's Tempest City | Xarian(Fighter2): NioNSwiper's Tyranny of Dragons
Dyson/Eleo(TwilightCleric4): Vos' Beyond the Veil | Soren(ShepherdDruid5): Bartjeebus' Ravenloft | Ophelia(WildMagicSorcerer4): Ashen_Age's Risen from the Sands
Joren(EchoKnightFighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Sabetha(MercyMonk3): Bedlymn's Murder Court | Seri(NatureCleric3/DivineSoulSorcerer1): Bartjeebus' Greyhawk
"Well, Rel Serafin," replies Khessa "then, for the sake of our friendship, even if I believe I'm not doing justice to an ally who, to date, has behaved as such (always fulfilling the agreements we had with him), I'll agree to the terms you just proposed. After all, we'll still have help against the evil. And Tookrashk will have his chance to prove yourself to you again, when time will come to battle at our side against said evil. So... let's do it!"
Khessa, though sorry for Rel's mood, on the contrary, is happy... for she understands that Rel anyway DID an effort - even if she did not came to trust her fully; and this is something the blonde arcane warrior does not want to underestimate.
'With time, Tookrashk will prove himself' she thinks. 'And even Rel will come to accept him. She only needs time... Who knows what she had to endure in her life in the Underdark? The (relatively) short time I spent there already seemed hell to me...'
So the tall warrior-wizard explains to Tookrashk: "Our plans have changed for the moment, my friend! It won't be now that we will attack and defeat the orcs. But" she scratches him affectionately under the fur "you don't know how grateful I am that you would have been willing to come with us to help us! That's what friends do for friends! We will call you when the time comes and we will sweep them away!"
"Tookrashk..." her blue eyes look into those of the beast, while her voice lower and deepens "you don't know how happy I am that you have chosen to be our friend. Thank you! The two of us are strong. Probably, each one of the both of us could survive even without the other. But knowing that you are there... that I can count on you... and you on me... it is really nice. It's like knowing you'll never really alone. Have you ever had friends before, Tookrashk? It's not easy to make friends... But when you do, it's worth it, isn't it? I'll be back to see you soon, scary monster!" departs smiling Khessa "And try not to frighten Adabra too much, okay? She helped me so much to find food for you... See you soon!"
Tookrashk seems to preen at being called a scary monster. It seems to be quite the compliment for him. Instead of saying goodbye, the manticore rips into a huge piece of raw meat, blood dribbling down his lips, and he barely seems to chew before swallowing it whole.
Meanwhile, you begin to make your way to Gnomengarde, using the directions Townmaster Harbin provided, heading south from Adabra's mill into the foothills and eventually cliffs and crags of the Sword Mountains. The journey takes several hours of traversing along what could barely be called a path, and the party arrives in the middle of the afternoon. Eventually you find a stream and decide to follow it deeper into the mountains.
You follow the stream uphill to the base of the mountain, where waterfall erosion has carved out a natural concavity. The roaring waterfall creates a cloud of mist as it plunges into a shallow pool of water, within which rise two small islands covered with two-foot-tall red, green, and purple mushrooms. Several cave openings overlook the pool from rocky ledges twenty to thirty feet above. The mountain blocks any sunlight from reaching this place. It's hard to hear anything over the din of the waterfall, but this place looks promising.
Extended Signature
Characters: Bryony Alderleaf (Phandelver and Below) ♦ Vesta Trevelyan (Vecna: Eve of Ruin) ♦ Ada Kendrick (Curse of Strahd) ♦ Gareth Blackwood (Dragon of Icespire Peak) ♦ Karys Velthune (Out of the Abyss) ♦ Surina Xarith (Simple, Heroic Adventure)
DM: Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus
Jasper stops momentarily at the pool to splash some water on his face and noticing the the strange mushrooms on the islands, he wonders what properties can be derived from them. Jasper thinks to himself, ‘Maybe I can collect some on the way out.’
Jasper looks around for any signs of life. “What do you all think?” Asking the others.
PERCEPTION: 25
Jasper Mooncrest🌙 ~ Wood Elf Cleric Twilight Domain ~ Nyx’s Dragon of Icespires Peak: PBP
Dastion Salvi ~ Half-Elf Warlock(Genie) ~ Lost Mines of the Phandelver: D&DBeyond/Roll20/Discord (Sunday 5-8pm cst) DM canceled
Jasper of the Wandering Wood ~ Wood Elf Cleric Twilight Domain ~ Tomb of the Delian Order One Shot(13): PBP complete
As the party approaches the pool, a creature catches your eye watching you from the rocks a few yards away. She is not especially tall; in fact, perhaps the feline is a bit on the smaller side for her kind. But her build is both graceful and extremely powerful; much like a lion or a tiger. She has thick brown fur with a pattern of lighter stripes, and a brown mane arranged into an elaborate braid, which she is currently playing with absent-mindedly as she looks at you curiously with her large yellow eyes. The cat woman has a massive axe hanging on her back, and several other weapons clearly visible... but for some reason, she is wearing a rather expensive-looking lavender riding dress and a some bits of gold jewelry that seem rather out of place for the environment she is in. While she doesn't approach immediately, she is making no attempt to hide and appears to be taking a moment to rest by the pool.
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