Gnome's OOTA Story Thread [CLOSED]

Pointing upwards to the recent hole in the ceiling of the passage, Horkas asks, "Is this where ya got separated, then? Were you up there hunting, or somewhere else?"

Hanne readily accepts the invitation to come along and grateful for a mount to ride. "I can't do much, but I can try and hold my own! And I think it was around here...but there was a lot of chaos and falling and tumbling." She shrugs a little.

Katryl remained quiet as the others bantered with the source of the loud, booming voice.  Once it seemed that this young drow girl was going to join them, she stepped over closer to Lulu.  She speaks to her in a very quiet voice. "I hate to be suspicious, but do you really believe what this girl is telling us? She is a drow and I wouldn't put it past her to have some ulterior motive here."  She pauses before continuing. "I do see how it would be good for us to help her. I mean, I really do want to help her if she's truly in distress. I just...  Well, what do you think Lunaria?" 

Watching and listening to the girl, she had tried to make her own assessment as well. (Insight: 12)

She might be drow, but she does appear relatively young, a bit scared too. Doesn't seem like she's up to deceiving you in her position.

Khessa is very happy with how everyone tries to comfort the poor young drow girl and joins in, stroking her hair to reassure her: "See? I told you we came in the name of kindness... You can trust what my friends said" she smiles. "If your group were worm hunters... they should have been able to handle a single worm, shouldn't they? We will find them again, and you'll be able to rejoin them! Or if we don't find them here, we will still help you get back to Menzoberranzan".

"Lulu, dear..." the blonde arcane warrior asks, struck by an idea "If Hanne, here, told you her mother's name and described her to you... perhaps you would be able to find out something about her? Like where is she now?"

"And you Katryl..." the tall adventurer asks "...do you think you are able to find the tracks of the Purple Worm that attacked Hanne's group? If it is logical that Hanne's group won the battle, it it follows that the Purple Worm should have been defeated... If we found its tracks and followed them back, we might find its (hopefully abandoned) nursery".

Katryl nods, taking a moment to see if she can discern any tracks for the purple worm.  Or perhaps better, signs of the passage of the other drow.  (Survival: 23) 

((Insight: 15))

Lulu can't help but think of Traydark's sister as she looks the girl over for injuries. Young. Scared. And perhaps she too has not yet been indoctrinated into cruelty. But then, suddenly, she appears to her as Katryl; perhaps close in age when the genasi lost her parents as well. The cleric runs a hand up through her bangs, mismatched gaze landing on their scout leader before it turns to Khessa.

"I certainly could, aye," she replies. "Let's see if we can't find her the old fashioned way first. And if we find no sign, I'll ask for my Goddess' assistance. Tis a powerful spell, to be sure. I could Send to her in the marnin' as well." After a confident smile for Hanne, Lulu rises and moves to stand with Katryl. She brushes lightly against the other woman to let her know she's there, to be a comforting presence if nothing else should she need it. And it's encouragement enough to answer her question from earlier: We should help.

Horkas investigates the fallen rock and the passage above them, trying to determine if they can climb up...he had a hammer and pitons if they needed to rig a climbing rope.

(If Horkas needs Help, he's got 8 feet of firbolg who will happily give him a boost! Or could use the lizard's spider climb if the space is big enough too!)

Hanne watches you all for a minute. "What are you looking for?" She asks eventually. "If my mother was close she would have found me by now, I know she would."

There is another exit to the cavern, besides the hole in the ceiling and where you came in from. But you're welcome to climb up and look around anyway. Unfortunately, despite your best efforts, the tunnels tend to all look more or less the same, so although you can readily deduce that following the tunnel from the cavern floor, or pulling everyone up somehow to the upper tunnel will lead you further into the Wormwrithings and closer to your intended area.

While you explore the area and debate what to do, the ground begins to rumble softly.

“Looks like we have visitors” Khessa notifies. "I imagine these tremors are those of a Purple Worm moving underground. Let's move away now. But be ready to fight if it reaches us".

"Bad4sses," the blonde arcane warrior instructs the Gauntlet Infantry "we bring up the rear, this time, of course - if that thing gets to us, we must be the first line of defense".

Lulu's ears rotate forward, back, up, and down as she ushers Hanne towards Traydark's lizard mount, attempting to pinpoint the direction the rumbling is coming from. She encourages the young drow to hold on tight to her elder's waist and, whether he'd meant to offer for her to ride with him or for her to ride alone, she seems neither to know or be bothered with. She knows Traydark tends to keep well out of fighting range, which is also where Hanne will be safest.

"I do no' 'spose we've any explosives?" Lulu asks Horkas as she straps into her own saddle. "Could confuse the Hells out of a beastie that relies on sound and vibrations, eh?" 

Sensing the rumbling, the noble Drow decides to call upon his earth elemental servant to scout and lure any purple worms away from their position. "The elemental will hopefully be able to take care of this." Traydark says and sends the massive stone creature out with instructions to scout and lure any purple worms away, then motioning for the expedition to get going, leading the riding lizards with the Drow girl.

(Earthglide and Tremorsense 60 feet, Perception if needed: 14 )

Horkas replies to Lulu, "No, sorry...I'm a battle smith. I don't study the alchemy of explosives. But I can make a small construct to make noise and maybe lure the worm away if needed..."

"Since Traydark called the Earth Elemental into play," Khessa points out, still urging all to move away, ready to act as meat shield at the Infantry's side "I think it will have better chances to lure the worm away. Save the small loud construct for another time".

"Which way are we going then?" Katryl asks. "I mean, away from that elemental thing, but where is that exactly?" 

"We continue forward, hoping there was some truth to what that trog told us." The noble Drow says. "We can't hope to outpace a purple worm, we can only hope the earth elemental servant can lure it away."

(So to be clear, the elemental is going behind you, back the way you came? Or something else?)

The elemental begins heading down the tunnel ahead of you, getting about 90 ft ahead of you before stopping, as the rumbling seems to subside. 

As the rumbling seems to subside, Khessa sighs with relief: "It worked! And now we have more proof that this area is frequented by Purple Worms. Now that the danger has passed... perhaps we should reconsider the idea of tracking".

"After all," the blonde arcane warrior points out "we still need an egg... and we know that a Purple Worm nearby was either killed or injured by Hanne's family. If we found its tracks - and its nursery - we should find it abandoned. Or at worst defended by an already wounded specimen".

As she is talking about Hanne, the tall adventuress involuntarily runs towards her with her gaze, out of the corner of her eye... She's a drow... An exponent of a race that, to a large extent, behaves like Vizeran, betraying without scruples, without remorse... and sometimes even without need. Yet, she compares her to herself... it reminds her of the Khessa who was separated from her family... who was lost... alone... worried about the fate of her loved ones... Furthermore, by an unforeseeable irony of fate, this young girl, contrary to drow tradition, was not initiated into the sacred mysteries, but instead began to study magic... just like her!

'She seems so young. ..' Khessa thinks 'So vulnerable... And we are offering her kindness, just as the Flumphs suggested... Will she, like Traydark, see that there is another way to live, a different way than the one she has always been taught? Or are we saving her... only to fight her, one day, when she has made a career as a matron, to prevent her from enslaving us or sacrificing us to Lolth? I really hope not... I really wish there's hope for her'.