Gnome's OOTA Story Thread [CLOSED]

In the wee hours of the morning of their next long rest, Lulu will quietly seek Khessa out to cast Lesser Restoration. If that doesn't work, she'll try Remove Curse.

And as they begin their journey to Gravenhollow, Lulu will continue to monitor the overall morale of their group, keeping an eye on any potential conflict between the factions given the various ideologies among them. Hoping to sow better camaraderie, she'd ask for a volunteer from each group to help her make breakfast and dinner for the company each day. She'd also ask that anyone experiencing any adverse effects (ie sickness or strange thoughts) during their travels come to her and warns them off eating or drinking anything that hasn't been purified first. 


((Insight if needed: 20
Ready! D20: 2))

The noble drow nods to Katryl. "You are a far better scout than me Katryl, will you carry this for the journey to Gravenhollow?" He says, offering the ring to the Genasi.

(Ready to proceed: 13 )

[[ OOC: @DM: Is Lunaria's [,spell]Lesser Restoration[/spell] able to cure Khessa? It should be effective against lesser forms of madness - only indefinite madness requires the non-Lesser version of the spell. ]]

Khessa takes her place among the Gauntlet Infantry, feeling an even deeper connection with them, now that she knows that they, like her, are not celestials. They probably need their help (and appreciate her company) even more than the high and mighty angels. She tells them about how a demonic threat has been neutralized already in Mantol-Derith, probably boosting their morale.

Ready: 18

Horkas seems happier to be reunited with the two constructs than the rest of the 'army.' Perhaps it's just his wild gnome hair that makes you think this...maybe not =) (5)

(Unfortunately Khessa's madness remains. For now. For the sake of not bogging things down too much in this PbP format, I am going to narrate several things that happen during this segment of traveling. Feel to rp with any, all or none of the experiences.)

With a guide in the ring and renewed determination to stop the increasing insanity happening in the Underdark, especially lest it pervade to the upper world, your group sets back out once more...

After a couple of days though, there is a cry among the soldiers, as Elias wakes up from a rest apparently suffering from nightmares so intense they are exhibiting signs of paranoia, holding onto their weapon against their body and shuddering with fear! Things look grim for them until about 9 hours pass, then they slowly return to their senses

A few days pass and the scouts note a small pile of bodies being scavenged by a few black puddings. They seem to have been a couple of drow and a giant lizard, but the puddings are making it harder and harder to discern much more.

Another couple of days go by before the Zhentarim cause a bit of a ruckus as rats begin infesting some of the food rations, leaving behind bits of refuse and mold. They look like they are ready to throw out a few days worth of food unless someone can help.

After several more days what started as a welcome bounty of mushrooms turns sour when all of the Zhentarim and soldiers get violently sick over the course of 3 days, but thankfully by the end they are still alive, just a little weakened from the unpleasant experience.

Katryl reluctantly takes the ring from Traydark. "Only if you're sure. Hard to believe I'm the best choice to keep the important stuff!" she says with a bit of a joking tone.  She spends her time with the scouts, trying to ascertain the proper route and keep an eye out ahead of the main party without putting the dwarves at too much risk.  

When the scouts come across the bones and black puddings, Katryl tries to determine whether they might be able to investigate any of the remains.  (I guess to assess the possibility of taking on the puddings or doing something to get to the bodies and circumvent the danger.)  

OK...

Elias' Nightmare:

When Elias Drako shouts, Khessa is quick to rush over, fearing a physical threat... Seeing the tall and a little thin soldier shaking like a leaf, she has a hard time remembering that he is a Gauntlet Veteran (and one who with speed and power belies the apparent lack of physical impressiveness)... he seems to her rather like one of her younger brothers, the troublesome Rethos or the sweet Larrya, when sometimes at night they woke up due to a particularly intense nightmare.

The blonde arcane warrior approaches calmly, irradiating him with Dawn's light, smiling at him and speaking to him in a reassuring voice: "Don't worry, Elias... It's nothing, it was just a bad dream. There's no real danger now".

The tall adventurer sits next to him, lowering her voice in a confidential tone: "It happened to me too, you know, the first times I found myself in this environment so different from the Surface? And now it's even more disturbing, with the Demon Lords free to roam... It's their influence, which affects us in a subtle and cowardly way, sometimes without us even realizing it! It's just this, what you're feeling: the disturbing influence of demons - who, in addition that threaten our physical integrity, they also threaten our mental integrity. It's just their dirty way of waging war and corrupting everything they touch. It's an influence no one is safe from... One day, perhaps, they might be able to confuse my mind too, who can say? But we must always remember one thing... we are not alone, each of us has the others. You can trust us always. We are your fortress, Elias. When emotions seem to upset us, let us always remember that, whatever happens, on others we can count".

"I am here" Khessa takes his hand, touching him lightly with Dawn's light and thus activating the Lesser Restoration power of the benevolent sentient weapon. "You're not alone, Elias. Whatever you're going through, we'll get through this together".

Whether Dawn manages to heal him or not, the blonde arcane warrior remains at Elias Drako's side for as long as he needs to, even when the march resumes, trusting that he will soon be able to recover. After all, with all the angels around, the demons' influence should wear off quickly... right?

Black Puddings:

If Katryl and the scouts show her the drow remnants and the black puddings, Khessa suggests: "We should attack the Black Puddings... We know how slow the Ooze are. If we keep our distance and only attack from range, we can eliminate them without them even being able to come in contact with us. And then we could examine what is left of their victims. Their equipment could be useful to us. And I could also interrogate one of the corpses to ask what they were doing here".

Rats Infesting Food Rations:

As soon as Khessa realizes this, she turns to Lunaria: "There is certainly no need for me to suggest it to you, since you are an Angel and therefore much wiser than me (in truth, many ordinary people are already much wiser than me) but perhaps it is better for you to dedicate part of your powers from now on to purifying food and water before they are eaten... You see, perhaps you celestials are immune to poisons and spoiled food, but I and the other army's members are not... I think it would be better to protect ourselves from these inconveniences".

Sickening mushrooms:

This might not even happen, if Lunaria starts purifying food and water every time we are about to eat it...

The noble drow would keep to his brooding routine during the journey to Gravenhollow, ready to give directives to the zhents as needed. 
He would not involve himself with the nightmare incident, although he would assist with his drow magic to destroy any oozes from a safe distance.
He would turn to the gentle firbolg for assistance with the zhent problems although still wondering if they would become more burden than help in the expedition.

Horkas agrees to disperse the puddings so that they may investigate the bodies. "Nasty business, that...can't just leave potentially useful gear lying around." 
 - "What? The drow won't be needing it anymore...and there's nothing we can do for them! It just makes sense to get the puddings away so we can at least recover anything useful!"

Later, when some of the party get sick (provided Lulu's purification of the food doesn't prevent this) he will heal whomever he can with the giant cleric!

Dawn's help eases the paranoia, reducing its effect by several hours and their transition to sanity is smoother.

Together with your allies, disposing of the scavenging oozes proves to be laughably easy, but by the time you clear them out it is easy to see the bodies are already fairly degraded.

Khessa is really relieved that Dawn manages to help poor Elias out of his difficult situation with relative ease. Seeing him finally recovered, she beams and gives him a resounding pat on the shoulder: "See? By helping each other, everything is easier! Right, ang...?" she seeks the approval of her celestial fellow adventurers - but she remembers in time that they are incognito! "I meant: right, friends?" she then turns back to the infantryman "Tell me the truth, Elias! It was all a trick to get you out of today's exercises, right? But you'll have to do better than that!" and even the victim manages to laugh over his own misfortune.

The blonde arcane warrior, meanwhile, telepathically thanks the precious sentient weapon: 'Thank you Dawn, you were wonderful, my friend! With you - and the angels - among us, I'm sure that demonic madness won't give us any problems'

'Khessa, my dear...' Dawn telepathically sighs in response, seemingly embarrassed (perhaps at the mention of how good she is at protecting from demonic madness?) 'I've told you over and over again that the others are mere mortals, like you! We have no angel here among us...'

'And I keep telling you that their secret is safe, my friend' insists the tall adventuress. 'I won't let this slip away. You can stop pretending you don't know the truth about them!'

Lunaria assures the Zhentarim that there is no need to waste the rations and proceeds to re-purify the rat-besieged provisions. She'll use the experience as a chance to hearten the group by conjuring a treat of fresh food and water and hopefully assuaging any fears about running out.

(If not prevented) The cleric is perplexed, however, when their assemblage is assailed by sickness despite her cautions to the group and efforts to purify their food and drink, having taken Ghazrim's warning of increased disease in the Underdark quite seriously since departing Mantol-Derith. She does what she can to restore them to back to health. 

Despite Lulu's best efforts someone snuck a mushroom they weren't supposed to....but being on the lookout for such things their discomfort is alleviated relatively quickly and easily.

Katryl is a bit disappointed there is little left once the black puddings are dispatched.  Everyone seems to pitch in in some way for every issue that arises.  Once everyone is recovered from the bad mushrooms, she moves out with the scouts once again to continue on their way. "That is if everyone's ready to go, '

"Yes, my celestial friend" Khessa smiles confidently at the fellow adventurer who she initially believed to be a simple Fire Genasi. "Let's proceed towards Gravenhollow. It's clear that the transformation of the Underdark into a new layer of the Abyss is progressing more and more... We must find a way to stop this".

'Assuming this is all real...' the blonde arcane warrior thinks, privately — but she uses the strategy she's developed lately to deal with the absurd thought that reality is in fact nothing more than a silly fantasy game: act as if. 'I just go on and live as if all this were real. I am Khessa Cabbagefield and I'm as free as the blowing wind. I decide to act as if all this were real. I decide to save this world, whether real or imagined. I decide this - and those who imagine me would do better to resign themselves. I am like that. Either they imagine me like this, or they are imagining someone else - and not me'.

The noble drow is ready to continue the journey to Gravenhollow, grateful for the efforts to keep the zhent mercenaries healthy.

18

6

3

17

16

With Lulu continuing to stand guard against the dangerous vegetation and beleaguered supplies, your group manages to avoid the worst of things, and while not fine delicacies, are sustained for the time being with relatively safe foodstuffs.

Continuing on for a few days you come across another sight of several carrion crawlers writhing around the body of another drow and giant lizard, paying no attention to anything around them as the gorge on the remains.

A couple days later the scouts report the presence of a couple of creatures, like large apes, but they appear demonic in nature. They would like to know what you want to do. The creatures are in the way, or at least within a close distance of where you all would need to travel. They haven't noticed you yet.

Keeping it's distance, the inivisble Grax'xt would takes a peek to see what the ape-like demons are up to.
Perception: 14

Traydark tries to determine if these are Barlguras.
Arcane: 12 Perhaps with advantage due to intimate knowledge of things demonic in nature: 11