Gnome's OOTA Story Thread [CLOSED]

"No, you are no longer anyone's servants" Khessa smiles, speaking softly to the two. "You are as free as... the blowing wind, let's say".

"You can of course stay with us, if you feel safer" the blonde arcane warrior specifies. “But when you find a safe place where you want to start a new life, you can do it whenever you want”.

The sight of the two goblins brings to mind the tall adventuress Squig, the goblin who had joined the Army for a while... She furtively brings her hand to the makeshift hat that she still wears on her head. 'Mr Ball King should have obliterated me with its rays... Maybe Squig's gift really brought me luck after all'.
'Perhaps it was the divine forces of good, Khessa' Dawn objects.
'Who says Squig wasn't a divine force for good, Dawn?' she telepathically asks 'No, wait Dawn, don't activate your Lesser Restoration power... I'm not crazy, I was just joking with you. You know, don't you, that you're about on par with the Demon Lords when it comes to humor?'

The goblins look at each other and back at you all and shrug a bit, and if no one urges otherwise or stops them, they begin walking out and slowly climbing the rope ladders out of the narrower shaft.

Dawn hums softly but sweetly, "There is not much humor in quelling the forces of darkness I suppose."

Just jumping back a smidge:

 With so many doors in the tunnels, and knowing they seem to be unlocked, Lulu takes a deep breath and speaks at a volume from her large firbolg lungs that echoes up through the shaft. "Karazikar the Tyrant is dead, friends! Ye are free! When ye open those doors, ye need never return to the darkness again!" She pauses for a breath, ears perked forward to listen for opening doors, then continues, "Come! We have food and water if ye wish to partake! Yer lives are yer own!"

Katryl watches as the goblins pledge to be servants but then leave once Khessa explains they are free. "Well, good for them to set off on their own I guess. I hope they're both safe amongst all the demons running about."  She moves on to the next door, thinking the group is going to have to keep up a quick pace if they are going to get to all the doors. 

'Forcing myself to find humor even in difficult situations helps me to face them, not to get discouraged, to keep fighting to quell the forces of darkness...' Khessa smiles 'But if you can do all this while always remaining serious, no problem for me, Dawn, my friend. Since we still have plenty of time to be together... maybe, over time, either you'll become more joking or I'll become more serious... and if that doesn't happen, well,' she shrugs 'we'll just accept our differences, I guess!'

In the meantime, however, the blonde arcane warrior (with the Gauntlet Infantry) follows Katryl to the next door, reflecting on her correct observation: "Rationally, in fact, I wouldn't feel very comfortable about the fate of those two goblins who are venturing alone into the demon-infested Underdark... But we must recognize that they are alive and with their minds intact. In both these regards, they have been more successful than Mr Tattoo Eyes - a powerful spellcaster, who could probably have incinerated them with a gesture. There are so many monsters and dangers in the world... yet goblins - probably among the last in terms of power - exist and thrive. Who knows? Maybe in goblins there is more than meets the eye..." she grins "...of the beholder".

Earlier at the bridge:

The noble drow looked wearily between the gnome, the human and the firbolg, all trying to console him in their own various ways it seemed, but perhaps he was simply not in a state to be able to recieve their kind gifts, his mind still somewhere down that chasm. Still seated the drow flinches as the firbolg cups his cheek but he forces himself to relax, to accept her touch for now. She had been mistaken but she didn't know it yet, and she would soon be aware whether her selfless gift was a waste or not...

The noble drow is about to say something, but then the others march off to free the slaves. "You go ahead, I will be along soon, I just have something to take care of first." He says with a weak smile, trying to sound positive. It made sense to free the prisoners, the drow found himself thinking about their suffering here, and then he thought about the suffering of the countless of slaves kept by his cruel kin, a debt he could never hope repay.

The others had left now, and he welcomed the silence, the peace and the solitude. He needed to focus on what he was about to do, and an audience certainly wouldn't have helped. He hoped the others wouldn't be angry with him for not telling them. He found himself wondering how deep the chasm was, if it was so deep the beholder still even hadn't reached it's bottom, he would soon find out he thought with a weak smile.

He looked down into the darkness of the chasm again, even his keen eyes not seeing the end of it, leaning out between the ropes of the bridge, hestitating for another brief moment, and then he let go...

He felt weightless, falling fast, very fast, his mind working even faster, images from his childhood playing out before his inner eye, but teary-eyed he tried to push them away. He sensed the end of the chasm now and he started to murmur something in the language of his kin, relaxing, closing his eyes...

As the brave companions are going through the boholder's lair to free it's poor slaves they are eventually caught up with by the noble drow, hovering up through the bridge-riddled shaft. Obediently following it is the earth elemental servant that is carrying something, carrying it as gently as ever an earth elemental has carried anything. "Apologies, that took a little bit longer than expected." He says, seeming content all things considered.

Khessa, intrigued, leans over to look at what the earth elemental is so gently carrying.

As Khessa moves to investigate what the earth elemental is carrying, Katryl too pauses to look over at where Traydark is hovering. 'What in the world has he done now.' she thinks. 

While you are all watching Traydark, several other doors in the tall shaft open and a handful of decrepit looking figures emerge, a couple of humans from before, a few svirfniblen, and a pair of elves. They watch you curiously for a few minutes before beginning to ascend slowly up the rope ladders.

Concerned for where they're going and, likewise, how their team who is not expecting them will react at the top of the shaft, Lulu's moonlit wings unfurl and she flies to the top to meet them. 

When the prisoners emerge from the shaft, Lulu offers water and rations and asks if there are any more of them that need freeing. She'd also inquire about anything useful to be found in the Vast Oblivium. She'd also ask if they have a safe place to go. If not, she'll recommend Blingdenstone and the inn there, but will encourage them to wait with their party while she asks if they can spare some of their force as escorts to guide them safely.

The slaves mention there are 9 other shafts like this one around the chasm, each with more slaves. They then mention the following:

• Karazikar hid its treasure in the uppermost reaches of the chasm. The only way to reach the treasury is by levitation or flight.
• The beholder was preoccupied with finding an arcane contraption called the Maze Engine.
• The beholder recently captured a strange mechanical creature that might know where the Maze Engine is located. The creature is locked in a room sealed with a rolling stone door. The beholder used its telekinesis eye ray to open and close the door.

They seem to all have possible destinations in mind, but wait obediently for you all to make decisions.

Katryl notes to all those released - or just coming out themselves - that they may stay with the group if they wish, but otherwise can go as the wish.  "Be aware there are many demons roaming the Underdark.  We'd welcome any who wish to help in our efforts."  She then gathers up Lulu, Horkas, and perhaps Traydark if he's finished with whatever he is doing. "What do you think of this Maze Engine?  It's probably worth finding out what it is.  Perhaps it will help us somehow.  Oh, and someone should use your flying ability to search out the treasure." 

At first it is hard for Khessa to tell what the earth elemental is carrying, something large, pale and with a moist sheen to it, but then she spots something purplish floating inside it, like a pupil in an eye, and she realizes it is the grisly sight of the beholder's large central eye staring back up at her. "We need to place this in some kind of container I'm afraid." The noble drow says with a weak smile.

As he is told what the well-informed slaves has shared, Traydark offers to make use of his fly spell and find the hidden treasure. He will of course also keep an eye open for that rolling stone door.

Perception if needed, assisted by Grax'xt: 23

Khessa, this time, completely agrees with Katryl!

The blonde arcane warrior underlines the opportunities that her genasi friend offers to the prisoners (both that of traveling together with the party until they reach a place they deem safe, and that, for those who feel up to it, of joining the small Army and helping to eliminate the terrible threat once and for all).

The tall adventurer also agrees on the opportunity to investigate the Maze Engine - and not just because she is incredibly curious about it; there are even more important reasons: "Not only could that engine perhaps prove useful in countering Demon Lords... if a maze is involved, there might also be some Goristros. Goristros are minotaur demons, aren't they? And minotaurs usually they find themselves at ease in the maze... And so we could find some mushrooms sprouting from the footprints of some Goristro, which is another of the ingredients we need".

In fact, Khessa seems ready to go and meet Mr Ball King's unfortunate prisoner - and, last but not least, to see if there might be anything useful or valuable in the beholder's treasure.

Lulu informs the group that she can get everyone up the chasm using the Wind Walk spell contained in one of her gifted Prayer Beads. 

If the whole group indicates they'd like to go, she'll use the magic item to get them to the highest point of the chasm.

"The bead would be great, but it would be consumed" Khessa reasons. "Maybe Traydark's powers will suffice... He can empower two of us to fly and if both I and Luly can fly, we can probably carry all the others, a few at a time. Probably even the construct, if we both team up to lift and carry it".

"Anyway, yes, you have a point, Traydark..." the blonde arcane warrior admits "We found two critical - but brittle - components. We can not risk them getting damaged during our fights. We'd better return to Vizeran's tower and leave them with him, before continuing to the Maze Engine".

((The bead wouldn’t be consumed, just can’t be used again til the next dawn))

"Oh, silly me, it wouldn't be consumed?" Khessa is surprised - and consequently changes her opinion "Then it actually seems like the most convenient solution! Let's go for it!"

"We could leave the Guardian with the rest of the army while we continue on to the treasure room. It's great in a fight, but just one more thing we have to keep track of - and really heavy if we need to pull it out!" Horkas opines as they discuss options. He is happy to follow the plan as laid out, especially the part of returning to the mage tower to store the spell components and get some well-needed rest!