Taliyah pushes her way forward in between Renar, Maya, and the angry mob. "What in the world are you all doing? We should be cooperating, not trying to MURDER EACH OTHER!" Taliyah finishes with a roar, her breath coming out as clouds in the air, as if it's significantly colder then it currently is. She inhales deeply and closes her eyes for a few seconds before reopening, her breath no longer coming out in clouds of condensation. She turns to face the group of civilians.
"I am aware you have the right to take grievance with the fact a member of your community was lost to the elements in a way that could've been prevented if you'd received warning earlier, however sometimes storms can just rapidly grow into something far worse then it appeared to be moments ago, which would've left the group in charge of warning people little time to warn the populace."
She gestures to the knights who apprehended them. "For the most part, these folks seem like reasonable people who just want to keep people safe, so I ask of you to trust them for now until the storm is passed, and wait until we are no longer in the middle of one of the worst manifestations of nature's wrath itself this country has likely seen in some time to air your issues with them."
Taliyah holds her hands together and conjures a sphere of Healing Light in her hands. "If any of you have physical injuries in need of healing, I and many of my party member are capable of healing, so we can help mend those injuries if need be. I also promise to my best to help you defend yourselves from attackers if you come along with us and stop trying to harm us."
Pixel stabds on her shoulder, offering her support over their telepathic bond to use the Help action on Taliyah.
Even if they're a prisoner, everyone seems to calm down... in that, they don't start beating the guards to a pulp. Still, tension remains high in the air.
"Stop, all of you! They have a point... but that doesn't mean we'll let Vladimirs XII go that easily! He's been doing nothing for the last four decades, for Shepherd's sake!"
One of the civilians says, "Fine, fine. But did you seriously think we're starting to kill each other? Of course we—AAAH!"
Maya Intimidation check Passed.
As soon as Maya starts snarling, people skrikes and disperse like a flock of pigeons being startled by a black swan. They speedwalks into the mines, occasionally glaring back to see if Maya is following them. And in that moment, you were left alone with the guards once again.
Maigurs sighs, "I... I'm sorry, guys. No... we're sorry. It's just... I'm not used to seeing civilians this hostile towards us like this. Most of the time, they just ignore us and leave us to their business. I guess they're really angry."
"Because all of you are so, so incompetent. The only one who's more pathetic than all of you might be these 'hero' freaks." Cezars stands over the shorter wolf Shifter, "You want to keep civilians in control? You'll have to—" He stops mid-sentence, probably knowing that what he says next may be used in court.
He huffs and looks away, and the rest of the guards sighs.
Before they lead you into the mine, Kristiāns approaches the dead body one last time. He pries his hand open, reaches into his own pocket, pulls out a sunflower seed and places it on the dwarf's hand. He squeezes the dead man's hand shut once again and carries him off in the distance.
He finds a soft ground and begins digging, he slowly lowers the dead body into the hole, covers the hole with dirt, and puts a bunch of flat rocks together, creating a small cairn. All the time while he does a quick funeral rite, the guards instruct you to not look at the burial process. Every continent in Lancea has their own way of saying farewell to the dead ones, some leave the bodies in high places for vultures to feed, some burn the body and sprinkle the ash, and in Perkwunos, they bury the dead ones and build a cairn on where they were laid down.
You quietly leave the dwarf to rest and head into the mine.
Several hours later (15:00)
Entering the mine, you, the guards, and the villagers form a single file and walk down the path below. Soon enough, the mine leads into a naturally formed cavern. It's about three storeys tall, still on the surface, not the Underdark yet.
Hiding in a cave like this is basically suicide in times of flood. When the water reaches up the hill, it will pour down the mineshaft and fill the caves. They have to go deeper to the mother of all caves since the Underdark is so deep in Lancea's crust that even the heaviest rain won't do anything to it.
The cave has no ambient noise, and you can hear villagers chattering out there. They talk about the guards and how incompetent they are, and again, they keep chanting that ‘they will send Vladimirs XII into the next cyclone.’ This is just one village, the rest of Kerwos probably thinks like that too.
You are also a subject of their gossip. Most of them wonder why four of the six ‘prisoners’ are foreigners, but they didn't badmouth you or anything, most of them are very curious and want to know more… even though they think you're some sort of a criminal (Even though you weren't.)
Cezars angrily glares and insults any villagers who look at him funny, and as time passes, his llama spirit animal seems to possess him, he begins spitting at random villagers and even some of you. Eventually, Kristiāns puts a spit mask on him, sealing his mouth shut.
The mysterious half-elf wakes up, and Kristiāns sets her down. She doesn't say anything much, just smirking… deviously.
A moment later, you and the villagers come face to face with a ravine, a crack in the Lancea's crust itself. Looking left and right, the rift seems to go on forever in both directions, looking down, you almost feel nauseated due to the sheer distance of the drop. It's so deep that the bottom layer is covered with fog… which probably hides an even longer drop, and looking up…
You see six or seven giant spiders the size of a rhino hanging on a blanket of webs. They lie completely still in a state of torpor… or maybe they're just relaxing. As big as they are, spiders aren’t on top of the food chain, and their strategy of surviving is simply staying still and hoping no one figures out they’re here.
Kristiāns puts his arm over the rest of the group “Vukomanović's spider. Their hearing might not be the best, but they have a pinpoint thermal vision, they can practically teleport due to how fast they are, just like their ‘smaller’ Hngwisian cousin, the huntsman.”He explains. “Contrary to popular belief, they don’t eat us because we have too little nutrition for them. However, they're easily startled, and they'll jump down if they feel threatened, and that might be a problem.”
Looking forward, you see a hanging bridge leading to the other side, about 100 metres across or 330 feet. It’s hanging together by sheer determination alone, some of the planks are rotten and the ropes have moulds covering it.
Laine looks at her drow friend in perplexion before it hits her. “Oh! They could break the bridge if they jump down, right? But… why would they do that? They could end up really hurt… or worse.” She points to the chasm.
“Vukomanović's spider is so fast, they outspeed their own thoughts itself. They don’t think straight when they’re scared, their instinct tells them to take the fastest route to get out of danger… even if it’s jumping into a wall or lava.”Kristiāns rubs his chin.
A claw raises behind him, and an Owlin woman walks forward to you and the rest of the group. She’s armed with a shortsword and a bow, and she seems to be one of the hunters in the village—and the only Owlin in the crowd at that too. “Uhh… hey, I can just… fly and investigate what’s on the other side and—”
Kristiāns raises his palm, “Not now, ma’am. You stay here with the civilians, we can’t afford to lose anyone with a flying ability today. Besides, if you fly, those spiders might get startled. Remember: they pounce before they think, I have no clue what was God thinking when He decided to create spiders, but…”
He turns to the civilian and everyone else, “Right now, the safest way across is to simply walk across this bridge, slowly. We will need a volunteer, a brave soul that is willing to go first!” He walks over to you six and unties your hands (and claws, in the case of Taliyah), you’ll need both hands to grip the railings and balance, after all. They don’t unlock Cezars and the half-elf’s bindings yet.
You hear civilians murmuring with each other, most of them saying a variation of ‘Why don’t you go first?’ To each other. Maigurs and Altairs just stare to the other side, the bugbear still has a chest full of your equipment, and Maigurs is blushing because Laine is still in his view.
The Owlin lady is staying behind the rest of you right now, probably to keep watch if something goes wrong.
All of the soldiers are standing on the edge of the ravine, and Cezars and the half-elf position themselves behind Altairs and Kristiāns, you don’t need an Insight check to know that these two are up to something devious.
If you want to cross now, you can attempt a Stealth check, or you can wait for a volunteer to present themselves.
Jedwiga (The Owlin)
Additionally, a DC20 Arcana check would reveal that:
One of the spiders above might not be a spider at all, because you sense a magical aura from him… a Wildshape magical aura.
"The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference."
"I can give some a little boost to make their steps lighter, for anyone that wants to take the lead."she offers, rubbing the area where she was bound at, and keeping an eye on Cezars and the half-elf woman.
Urgh... Alright Taliyah no need to stand up for me! *He glares at Taliyah after she roars, completely unfazed* Honestly though, I wished Okaa-san didn't have to threaten to kill them... I mean... *He then not because of Taliyah's roar but because of his mother's terrifying snarl* Yes I uh... I admit whenever she pulls off her scary face I want to cower in fear... She can be one hell of a scary kitsune mother... *Flashbacks to the day where all twelve Wildland Shifters including himself taking on his mother only to lose; And her was the first to be knocked out* Damn it... can we get inside already? My pants are sogged... my kimono... it's... I-I-I don't even want to elaborate in my head anymore... *He stays behind the rest of the pack but feels something coming from Alex; Well, he did stand up for his sake but right now he doesn't want to admit that he did, hence why he lets off a hostile tsundere glare* "Just so you know I didn't deliberately stand up for your sake, ok? I only argued to get people to start using their brains again and do what they thought was right. Now beat it!"
A moment later, you and the villagers come face to face with a ravine, a crack in the Lancea's crust itself. Looking left and right, the rift seems to go on forever in both directions, looking down, you almost feel nauseated due to the sheer distance of the drop. It's so deep that the bottom layer is covered with fog… which probably hides an even longer drop, and looking up…
You see six or seven giant spiders the size of a rhino hanging on a blanket of webs. They lie completely still in a state of torpor… or maybe they're just relaxing. As big as they are, spiders aren’t on top of the food chain, and their strategy of surviving is simply staying still and hoping no one figures out they’re here.
Kristiāns puts his arm over the rest of the group “Vukomanović's spider. Their hearing might not be the best, but they have a pinpoint thermal vision, they can practically teleport due to how fast they are, just like their ‘smaller’ Hngwisian cousin, the huntsman.”He explains. “Contrary to popular belief, they don’t eat us because we have too little nutrition for them. However, they're easily startled, and they'll jump down if they feel threatened, and that might be a problem.”
What the hell- Are these driders?! Where's the drow part of the body?! And what does Tenebris have to say for this?! *He looks up at the massive spiders in silence and shivers* No way in the nine realms could a normal spider look this huge... I'm so glad I'm not an arachnophobe... Huh? *He listens and translates for Maya just in case* They can detect heat? And they jump down if startled, huh? Right... thanks for the info; So they can act like ten-tonne weights should one of us decides to be stupid and shoot at them. I bet if Stupid Rixi wasn't handcuffed he'd deliberately trigger them to try and crush us... Are spiders in Japan as big as this? I hope not...
A claw raises behind him, and an Owlin woman walks forward to you and the rest of the group. She’s armed with a shortsword and a bow, and she seems to be one of the hunters in the village—and the only Owlin in the crowd at that too. “Uhh… hey, I can just… fly and investigate what’s on the other side and—”
Kristiāns raises his palm, “Not now, ma’am. You stay here with the civilians, we can’t afford to lose anyone with a flying ability today. Besides, if you fly, those spiders might get startled. Remember: they pounce before they think, I have no clue what was God thinking when He decided to create spiders, but…”
He turns to the civilian and everyone else, “Right now, the safest way across is to simply walk across this bridge, slowly. We will need a volunteer, a brave soul that is willing to go first!” He walks over to you six and unties your hands (and claws, in the case of Taliyah), you’ll need both hands to grip the railings and balance, after all. They don’t unlock Cezars and the half-elf’s bindings yet.
You hear civilians murmuring with each other, most of them saying a variation of ‘Why don’t you go first?’ To each other. Maigurs and Altairs just stare to the other side, the bugbear still has a chest full of your equipment, and Maigurs is blushing because Laine is still in his view.
The Owlin lady is staying behind the rest of you right now, probably to keep watch if something goes wrong.
"Well thanks for the removal of my cuffs but I'll go first. Alone. You guys stay back in case something happens to me. Not that I need your help from some gossiping bakas worrying about me anyways." I mutter. But... *His heart sinks as he contemplates what he spat out* That wasn't true though. I actually need help... I don't think I can face this myself yet... I know the moment I cross the bridge Okaa-san gonna try and reach for my hand to persuade me to stick with the rest. She doesn't want me to traverse alone. And believe me: I actually don't want to either... I don't want to hear Okaa-san screaming for me... I don't want to fail this mission... *He looks down at the bottomless depths and punches his head to snap out of reality* The cavern itself is so deep; I might lose all of my souls should I plummet to the depths of this... cavern. The thing is, my kitsune instincts are getting the better of me; When I feel extremely sour or distrustful, I tend to let my feral instincts drive my next decisions, even if it gets me into perilous situations... Dang it... *He punches himself again as he feels himself losing control as he instinctively grips the rope* Can't these idiots... no they can. I don't need their antics... It's just me and Okaa-san... I... Maybe... I should have allowed them to go first in case something bad happen. Maybe I'll let them do that once I go across. Maybe not. But... *He looks up at the ceiling*
"The thing is though..." *He starts to grip tighter on the ropes but shudders as he feels something dreadful* "I can't detect it but I have gut feeling someone is watching us from above. If anyone knows what it is let me know... if I make it to the other side. If you want to give me a buff do so now, before I step foot on this rickety bridge too. And... Maya-san..."*If she tries to grab onto his hands to resists he will shake them and give a polite bow* "I'll be fine. Watch the rest for me. And let me know... *He says the rest in Japanese as he reequips his weapon onto his left hip* Kiken ga aru baai wa, ōgoe de sakebimashou. Hangeki shimasu. (危険がある場合は、大声で叫びましょう。反撃します, If there's any danger, yell out to me. I'll be ready to strike!)"
(Arcana: 7, Stealth: 20)
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
The Wildland Shifters Daisy Ethalena- Female Wood Elf Ranger (Monster Slayer) Ethan Wolftree - Male Simic Hybrid Warlock (The Hexblade) Mira Laurits - Female Harengon Sorcerer(Clockwork Soul); Lancea Raiden Kurosaki - Male Kitsune Wizard (Bladesinger); Lancea Rixian Nishinoya - Male Fire Genasi Paladin (Oath of Vengeance) Tenebris Amaro - Male Dark Elf Druid (Circle of Stars) Yurime Hanasaki- Female Kumiho Bard (College Of Creation)
Once the kitsune successfully scares the angry mob away, she relaxes again and lets out a massive sigh. "Sigh... Shiken ni... (真剣に... Seriously...)" She mutters as she pouts whilst eyeing the massive black hole that await her and the others. Inside she again stays silent whilst she turns to her son with a dreamy stare every half an hour. In fact, whilst they're at it, she nudges her head towards Taliyah, Alex and Venet since she's unable to release her binds (Eye of the night: For 1 hour, those three will get 300ft Dark Vision; Alex and Venet's will increase to 360ft).
In response to Venet returning the favour: "Ah. Arigato (ありがと)! Again!" Maya gleefully responds as she pats her on her head.
She remains mostly calm and collected even as Renar translates to her about the giant spiders on the ceilings. Having spent her first century in total darkness, this doesn't really frighten her one bit. In fact, nothing of the dark passageway seems to make her move a muscle, let alone scream in terror. Well... in fact, as soon as the entire group managed to stop at the bridge, something finally sets off her nerves for once as she scans the bottomless abyss. Whilst she suspects, as she glances in all directions of the cave and towards the other party members that there could be dangers lurking from both below and above, something finally makes her break out of her calm and composed demeanour. And it was this:
"Well thanks for the removal of my cuffs but I'll go first. Alone. You guys stay back in case something happens to me. Not that I need your help from some gossiping bakas worrying about me anyways." I mutter. But... *His heart sinks as he contemplates what he spat out* That wasn't true though. I actually need help... I don't think I can face this myself yet... I know the moment I cross the bridge Okaa-san gonna try and reach for my hand to persuade me to stick with the rest. She doesn't want me to traverse alone. And believe me: I actually don't want to either... I don't want to hear Okaa-san screaming for me... I don't want to fail this mission... *He looks down at the bottomless depths and punches his head to snap out of reality* The cavern itself is so deep; I might lose all of my souls should I plummet to the depths of this... cavern. The thing is, my kitsune instincts are getting the better of me; When I feel extremely sour or distrustful, I tend to let my feral instincts drive my next decisions, even if it gets me into perilous situations... Dang it... *He punches himself again as he feels himself losing control as he instinctively grips the rope* Can't these idiots... no they can. I don't need their antics... It's just me and Okaa-san... I... Maybe... I should have allowed them to go first in case something bad happen. Maybe I'll let them do that once I go across. Maybe not. But... *He looks up at the ceiling*
"EH?! Renar-kun?! Nanishiteruno (何してるの)?!" Maya yelps in surprise as she covers her red lips; She didn't fully understand what her son said, but she understood his itentions well enough. Something already seemed off to her seemingly blind eyes. She had never heard him volunteer to go first especially in a dangerous and unpredictable scenario like this. In fact, as her son predicted, she went up to him before he could go any further and cupped his clawed hands and leans towards him as if she was... no... she is... pleading. Pleading for him to rethink his actions through. "Renar-kun... You can't... too... dangerosu... We don't... want you... to die..."
*If she tries to grab onto his hands to resists he will shake them and give a polite bow* "I'll be fine. Watch the rest for me. And let me know... *He says the rest in Japanese as he reequips his weapon onto his left hip* Kiken ga aru baai wa, ōgoe de sakebimashou. Hangeki shimasu. (危険がある場合は、大声で叫びましょう。反撃します, If there's any danger, yell out to me. I'll be ready to strike!)"
"Nani?! R-R-Renar-kun... O-o-onegai...shimasu...! (お...お...お願い...します)"Maya pleads as her 600 year old heart sinks to the bottom of her well-endowed stomach. This isn't good. This wasn't the cool and analytical son she knows since her reunion... In fact, she has never seen her son become so reckless; Usually she'd watch him assess a situation like this only to retreat and come up with backup plans just in case. But this time, he just goes straight ahead without thinking this through, which... honestly, when considering the potential dangers lurking about, is just way to far even for her taste. She has never seen such reckless behaviour possess her son at all; It's as if... part of her careless daughter has came back to terrorize her. What he trying to get from this? Did something or someone perhaps screw up his cool and collected mind? Was her presence alone enough to make him silently break character? She doesn't know and she needs to know fast, otherwise she might lose him for real.
And then Renar instantly lets go of her hands despite her pleas before he attempt to cross the bridge by himself, which already worsens her consuming anxiety as she chitters her teeth. "Renar-kun! No! Come back!" Maya panics as she too, could not sense the danger that her son wanted her to look out for. She then turns to the other party in desperation, hoping that they'll convince him to rethink otherwise or reach out to stop him before he endangers himself. Hopefully the others will know why she's refusing to follow her son, let alone trying to convince them not to follow suit.
Wildland Shifters Pt 2 (Pt 1 with PyromaniIsDeadThankGod) Celci (The Lamb) - Non-Binary Changeling Sorcerer (Shadow Magic) Maya Kurosaki- Female Kitsune Cleric (Twilight Domain); Currently in Lancea Randy Wolftree - Male Human Artificer (Armourer); Currently in Crimson Sands of Time Shijiro Otsune- Male Kitsune Blood Hunter (Order Of The Lycan) Trojan Dseyller - Male Tortle Barbarian (Path of the Ancestral Guardian) Xenia Ironhide - Female Kobold Rogue (Soulknife)
Alexander, gives Renar a wide-eyed look when the 'changeling' also raises his voice against the crowd. He didn't particularly like that everyone was jumping to intimidation, but it seemed like Renar at least saw things from the same angle as Alex. He flinches a little when Renar suddenly snarls at him. "...Okay." He chuckles, and would have rubbed the back of his head had his hands not been tied up. In that moment, Renar suddenly reminded him of a friend he hasn't seen in a while. Perhaps the two of them would have gotten along?
"It's alright," he says to Maigurs. "It's been a rough day for everyone, so we can't really blame anyone for being a bit on edge. Not that that excuses their actions... but at least they backed off instead of attacking."
He frowns at Cezars, but just shakes his head instead of commenting.
When they come upon the ravine, Alexander is fully up for volunteering. He can fly after all, so if the bridge fell he would be the most likely to survive. But then Renar steps forward, seemingly set on being the first to cross. "Are you sure? I'm not the lightest on my feet, but... well I'm lighter without my armor, and if the bridge snaps or I fall out of...well clumsiness, I at least have wings as a backup plan..."
If Renar continues forward, Alex seems to have a bit of an internal struggle before saying, "I'll catch him if he falls. ...I think I can be fast enough." He inches as close to the bridge as they'll let him, as quietly as he can so as not to put Renar into any additional danger.
Shugo glances at Venet when she sidles closer to him, and smiles. Seems he's not the only one content with just waiting out this verbal storm. He flinches when Maya and Taliyha both start yelling. Great, two scary women. Well at least they got the townsfolk to shut up and listen.
He stays close to Venet as the group is guided to the mouth of the underdark, though he keeps an eye on Cezars....mostly because he finds it humors. Especially when he gets muzzled. Wow, that guy really needs his mental health checked.
Seemingly unconcerned with the height, Shugo sidles up to the cliffs edge and looks down. Wow, to bad he can't fly. Stepping back he shakes his head to rid himself of the vertigo and is surprised when Renar of all people offers to go first. The elf flexes his hands and stretches his shoulders once his bonds are removed. "I can go next I suppose."He says cheerfully, "And I will gladly take your help Venet."
As the shifter makes his way towards the rope bridge, Shugo moves to stand in front of the two guards who are so obviously being targeted by Hothead and Moneybags. Hands on hips, he squints at them while still smiling. "Maybe those two should be separated a bit. I can sense their evil thoughts." He cocks his head, "At least don't let them this close to you when you are so close to a chasm eh?"He gestures to the pit of doom behind him.
"The thing is though..." *He starts to grip tighter on the ropes but shudders as he feels something dreadful* "I can't detect it but I have gut feeling someone is watching us from above. If anyone knows what it is let me know... if I make it to the other side. If you want to give me a buff do so now, before I step foot on this rickety bridge too. And... Maya-san..."*If she tries to grab onto his hands to resists he will shake them and give a polite bow* "I'll be fine. Watch the rest for me. And let me know... *He says the rest in Japanese as he reequips his weapon onto his left hip* Kiken ga aru baai wa, ōgoe de sakebimashou. Hangeki shimasu. (危険がある場合は、大声で叫びましょう。反撃します, If there's any danger, yell out to me. I'll be ready to strike!)"
(Arcana: 7, Stealth: 20)
Stealth check Passed.
Renar slowly tiptoes over to the other side of the bridge, and there, the tunnel split into two paths: one to the right, which is just another dull, featureless tunnel, which will probably lead them further along the path—and one to the left... which might be a little problematic to him.
The left tunnel is a hollowed-out section of the cave. And if he peeks his head into the den, it's much larger than he'd expected. It's about the size of a football (association) field, the walls facing the chasm have holes drilled through them like a window, and at the very end of the room is a curled-up bronze dragon, sleeping. She might have the saddest hoard of treasure Renar has ever seen—she has two golden medals by her side, one of the medals reads 'Planetary War Veteran' and the other 'Second Planetary War Veteran.'
Dragons can live up to a maximum of 3 Cycles or 30,000 years in Lancea, but so many of them died during the First Planetary War that a dragon that's older than 2 Cycles is virtually nonexistent. If she has a Planetary War badge, she probably served in the First Planetary War, meaning she'd be around 7,500 years old. There might be a possibility that she comes into contact with Paulis in one way or another.
As the shifter makes his way towards the rope bridge, Shugo moves to stand in front of the two guards who are so obviously being targeted by Hothead and Moneybags. Hands on hips, he squints at them while still smiling. "Maybe those two should be separated a bit. I can sense their evil thoughts." He cocks his head, "At least don't let them this close to you when you are so close to a chasm eh?"He gestures to the pit of doom behind him.
Kristiāns hears his distant kin's warning and turns back towards Cezars... who stands so close to the point where their nose almost touches.
"Are you going to kiss me or something?"The drow retorts, and the fire Genasi replies with a kick to his chest. At that same moment, the half-elf also does the same with the Bugbear.
Kristiāns stumbles and falls off the cliff, but because he has his back turned against the chasm, he manages to grab onto the ledge at the last second.
Altairs, on the other hand, simply lost his balance but didn't drop from the cliff entirely because he was too big and too heavy. The box with all of your equipment, however, slips away from his claws and plummets to the depths below.
"Ah... crap." They say in unison.
"You've gone too far, you little rats, get them!" Before any of you can react, the crowd screams in anger. They might not like the guards, but what they hate more is an attempted murder. They drag the two assailants and begin beating them up.
The Owlin from earlier slowly distances herself from the fight and helps Kristiāns up on his feet. Maigurs and Laine are equally shocked too... but they just watch the fight happen without stopping, because those two kind of deserve it.
"Ugh... What the heck was his problem? I swear he had never done something like this before." Kristiāns sits on the ground and shakes his head.
"Power really does corrupt, but that's the least of our concerns right now,"Altairs says, looking at the chasm, then back at the rest of the group. "Your stuff is down there and your friend is already on the other side... well, this one is on me. If you can't get your items back, I'll pay for your lost items on my behalf after you've sorted out your case." He sighs and sits down too, shaking his furry head.
For some odd reason, though, there was no sound of impact at all, there is no such thing as a bottomless pit, even in the Underdark, because it will be as clear as a day which pit leads to the asthenosphere and which has a flat, cool ground—the one that goes to the asthenosphere will have light and lava at the bottom, but not this one.
Maybe the box might not be lost, after all, it must be down there somewhere, but getting across should be your first priority.
When they come upon the ravine, Alexander is fully up for volunteering. He can fly after all, so if the bridge fell he would be the most likely to survive. But then Renar steps forward, seemingly set on being the first to cross. "Are you sure? I'm not the lightest on my feet, but... well I'm lighter without my armor, and if the bridge snaps or I fall out of...well clumsiness, I at least have wings as a backup plan..."
If Renar continues forward, Alex seems to have a bit of an internal struggle before saying, "I'll catch him if he falls. ...I think I can be fast enough." He inches as close to the bridge as they'll let him, as quietly as he can so as not to put Renar into any additional danger.
"I wouldn't recommend you doing that. As I've said before, these spiders are sensitive to movements, and flapping your wings could alert them, a lot of spiders are adapted to catching insects that can fly, after all. If you can float, then you won't have a problem, because you make much less movement than flying with wings."Kristiāns explains, and the Owlin behind him nods in agreement.
Well, time for the rest of the group to cross, or they can remain here until Renar sort things out.
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"The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference."
The left tunnel is a hollowed-out section of the cave. And if he peeks his head into the den, it's much larger than he'd expected. It's about the size of a football (association) field, the walls facing the chasm have holes drilled through them like a window, and at the very end of the room is a curled-up bronze dragon, sleeping. She might have the saddest hoard of treasure Renar has ever seen—she has two golden medals by her side, one of the medals reads 'Planetary War Veteran' and the other 'Second Planetary War Veteran.'
Phew... I made it. *He glances back to the others...* Seriously what were you guys worrying about me for? I obviously could handle this on my own without your help- hm? What the... *He sniffs the air in front of him as he peeks into the left tunnel* Two tunnels huh... I presume that., the left side, judging by the massive scales and treasure lying about... wait... scales? *As he examines even deeper, his fur raises as he lets off a massive gasp*
NANI?! A BRONZE DRAGON... sleeping in the middle of nowhere?! Crap... this isn't good at all. Even with this massive horde of outsiders our combined strength wouldn't be enough to... hmm? *He notices the golden medals* Planetary War... Second Planetary... Veteran... Wait... oh crap. *His fox ears twitch in absolute fear* I've heard stories about the Planetary war thing but to actually meet one of its survivors?! This isn't good. I honestly prefer we'd stay out of this and do this silently... *With quick witted thinking he attempts to make a sign on the floor with whatever stray rocks he can find ad in the shape of an arrow pointing right instead of left, just so that trouble won't be stirred when everyone else crosses; Investigation: 18* Alright. This may look crude but it's better than to let the rest argue on this split decision pathway. And besides... what are they... *He notices some petty argument happening from the other side and grits his teeth* Huh?! Wait... WHAT ARE THEY DOING?! ALEX?! OKAA-SAN?! TALIYAH?! WHAT'S GOING-
"Are you going to kiss me or something?"The drow retorts, and the fire Genasi replies with a kick to his chest. At that same moment, the half-elf also does the same with the Bugbear.
Kristiāns stumbles and falls off the cliff, but because he has his back turned against the chasm, he manages to grab onto the ledge at the last second.
Altairs, on the other hand, simply lost his balance but didn't drop from the cliff entirely because he was too big and too heavy. The box with all of your equipment, however, slips away from his claws and plummets to the depths below.
"Ah... crap." They say in unison.
"You've gone too far, you little rats, get them!" Before any of you can react, the crowd screams in anger. They might not like the guards, but what they hate more is an attempted murder. They drag the two assailants and begin beating them up.
The Owlin from earlier slowly distances herself from the fight and helps Kristiāns up on his feet. Maigurs and Laine are equally shocked too... but they just watch the fight happen without stopping, because those two kind of deserve it.
Wait... I saw Stupid Rixi kick... uh oh... What is going on? *HE helplessly watches the scuffle unfold* And did they just drop a box... *Instant panic attack* WAIT! YOU... WHAT THE HELL! *His jaw drops in absolute anguish as he clenches his fists upon realising that the box being dropped was the one holding all of their weapons* NOOOO! MY KATANA IS IN THERE! NOTHING CAN REPLACE THE BLADE THAT I HAD SINCE I TURNED... NO... YOU IDIOTS HAD TO LOSE ALL OF OUR STUPID EQUIPMENT?! I KNEW I SHOULDN'T HAVE TRUSTED ALL OF YOU! DAMN IT! I NEED TO SIGNAL THEM TO CROSS OVER BEFORE ANOTHER RIOT HAPPENS... *He furiously waves at the ones who stayed to carefully traverse across the bridge whilst keeping a finger on his mouth to stay quiet* Or even worse... I might end up becoming a feral monster like Yurime once was... all because... no... Stupid Rixi... I blame him... I might end up electrocuting him or feeding him to that stupid dragon... DAMN IT! WHERE'S MESSAGE WHEN I NEEDED IT THE MOST?!
Feeling outnumbered, Maya had no choice but to watch her son move ahead without the rest. And... much to her surprise, nothing happened... yet. She breathes a sigh of relief when she sees her son cross the rickety structure unharmed, but this moment of peace was interrupted when she suddenly hears a scuffle... that results in the bugbear dropping the equipment with all of their stuff (minus her folded fans) into the chasm. She gasps. Her son's not gonna like this news, especially considering how much he treasures his katana to no end. Good thing her weapons are stowed deep within her secret pouch though. "Uh oh... Musuko... Renar-kun... he not... riku sisu..." She whispers. And... seeing that her son safely made it to the other side, now's probably the best time to signal the others to start crossing... wait... is he building something? A sign maybe? What for? Did he... perhaps he found something of value? Another threat? She cannot tell, even with her massive darkvision. Wait... he's waving at them? A finger on his lips? So... does that mean it's safe to cross now... without making too much noise? Because that's probably the most she could make out; If there is anything else he wanted to say, he needs a messaging spell of some sort...
But right now, she turns to the rest of the group in disgust and imitates Renar by placing her hand on her lips. "SHH!" Maya hisses to the rest (though she is extremely irritaed by the lack of responsibility) before she gestures them to follow her lead and start walking (very slowly) across the bridge to meet up with her son.
Wildland Shifters Pt 2 (Pt 1 with PyromaniIsDeadThankGod) Celci (The Lamb) - Non-Binary Changeling Sorcerer (Shadow Magic) Maya Kurosaki- Female Kitsune Cleric (Twilight Domain); Currently in Lancea Randy Wolftree - Male Human Artificer (Armourer); Currently in Crimson Sands of Time Shijiro Otsune- Male Kitsune Blood Hunter (Order Of The Lycan) Trojan Dseyller - Male Tortle Barbarian (Path of the Ancestral Guardian) Xenia Ironhide - Female Kobold Rogue (Soulknife)
Shugo's smile vanishes in less then a heartbeat when he sees the their supplies fly off the cliff. He's so stunned, that he doesn't even move to grab the drow who had also nearly fell into the bottomless pit. His scimitar had been in there. That dragon hilted blade was a family heirloom, and it had practically been the entirety of his inheritance. Now, it is gone. He stands there stone-faced for a few moments, paying little heed to the noise of the civilians pummeling Cezars and the half-elf. He has no intention of stopping it. Those two deserve far worse punishment. Perhaps they will get it after they see court. They did just attempt to murder two people after all.
"Money can't pay for that which is priceless." He says coldly, in response to Altairs. It's hard to picture the elf angry, but at the moment a cold rage is boiling within him. His expression remains rather blank as he continues in the same cold tone. "A new sword will have to do." He glances back at the crowed still pummeling away, "And make sure those two get what they deserve." He's not angry with the guards. It really wasn't their fault. Even the money hungry half-elf isn't fully to blame. Right now, Cezars carries most of it, but truth be told, all of this could have been avoided if Shugo never got tangled in this mess in the first place. That sword was his honor....how will he explain this to Akari....
Realizing he had become rather ridged, he takes a deep breath. Thinking it over, this doesn't really change much. If not for his quest, he would not have been able to return home without renewing that honor. But he can't return home without fulfilling his quest anyways, and by fulfilling that quest he can regain his honor. He clenches his fists. Releasing his breath, he looks around again, taking in the situation. Those civilians can beat those two into a pulp for all he cares, so he ignores them. Noticing Maya's distressed expression, he barely catches her whisper before she dashes towards the bridge. If only he knew what Musuko meant. For some reason she'd started calling Renar that...isn't that what she was referring to her son as? Huh. Whatever, it doesn't matter now. With her current demeanor, she's going to alert every spider in two miles of their location.
"Venet, I could use that help now." He says, a bit of his usual liveliness back in his voice. He may be upset, but that's no reason to be cold to the triton. She's stuck in this mess just as much as he is. Then he dashes after Maya. "Hey! You look a bit off-balanced, let me help you across." He whispers, positioning himself behind the kitsune.
(This is assuming the bridge can hold both of them...but I'm attempting to give her the help action. Let me know if there's anything else I need to roll. I'll roll stealth then add whatever dice Venet's help gives if necessary. She'll have to remind me what dice to use.)
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Alex stands shocked as he witnesses Cezars and the half-elf attempt to push the two guards over the edge. That was going way too far. Didn't the half-elf say she wouldn't kill anyone? So much for that. He sucks in a breath as their gear goes tumbling into the darkness. Now he really wished he'd been wearing that armor... and his sword... How on Lancea are they supposed to get those back? Then the angry villagers decide to exact their own punishment on Cezars and the assassin.
"Hey," he says as the civilians crowd around the two prisoners. "Hey stop! This isn't the time for that! They'll get what they deserve later, right now we need to focus on our own survival."
Persuasion (to stop the beating): 24
Not that the two don't deserve it... but Alexander doesn't like to see anyone suffering, even if they are evildoers. And... well something else seems to be going on here.
"Ugh... What the heck was his problem? I swear he had never done something like this before." Kristiāns sits on the ground and shakes his head.
"Power really does corrupt, but that's the least of our concerns right now,"Altairs says, looking at the chasm, then back at the rest of the group. "Your stuff is down there and your friend is already on the other side... well, this one is on me. If you can't get your items back, I'll pay for your lost items on my behalf after you've sorted out your case." He sighs and sits down too, shaking his furry head.
"Does he really seem like a different person to you?" he asks hesitantly. "I... well... this is the only way he's ever acted when I've been around, Maigurs might have known about this for longer, but..." He hesitates, unsure if he should even continue considering that he is a prisoner too. Sighing he says, "Well, I don't want to speak out of turn, and... I know that everything I say right now can be used in court, but... I just feel like you should know. Cezars is an oathbreaker. I don't know how long that's been the case, but I intended to ask the Church in Madura about it after finding out about that and his behavior. Well, events led up to him fighting us, and... after that I happened to use my divine sense." He shakes his head, better get to the point quickly or they'll tell him to stop talking, "Regardless, there's something dark going on with him. He's got fiendish or... necrotic, energy inside him, it's... it's really really evil." He shutters just remembering the feeling, "I don't know if it's there by his choice, or if it is the source of his behavior, or both. But I just thought you should know."
When he's told not to try catching Renar, he waves a hand, "I... well... I wasn't going to do anything unless something happened... at which point I assumed the spiders would already be, well, jumping about or whatever. I'm not about to go flapping around for no reason." He glances down towards where the box of their gear... well, it had yet to land it seems. Could it have gotten caught up in some spiderwebs?
He looks at Shugo, realizing that the elf seemed upset about loosing his sword, and he had a feeling that Renar won't be too pleased to hear about his... uh... katana, either. Sure, he was a little upset about his sword and armor... but, well, he was always taught not to get attached to worldly possessions. It stung, but, he'd manage. It wasn't really anyone's fault after all, aside from the two prisoners.
Then Maya runs off, followed by Shugo, and Alex stands watching for a moment, unsure of what to do. They have to find a way to get everyone across, not just their group. The guards, the two prisoners, and the entire rest of the town need to get across that bridge. With the spiders and the ravine, well, it is a recipe for disaster. Looking to the guards he says, "Well... what should we do now? What did you want Renar to do over there anyways? Just... test the bridge to make sure it wasn't going to collapse? Do you have any plan as to how to get everyone across safely?"
"Venet, I could use that help now." He says, a bit of his usual liveliness back in his voice. He may be upset, but that's no reason to be cold to the triton. She's stuck in this mess just as much as he is. Then he dashes after Maya. "Hey! You look a bit off-balanced, let me help you across." He whispers, positioning himself behind the kitsune.
(This is assuming the bridge can hold both of them...but I'm attempting to give her the help action. Let me know if there's anything else I need to roll. I'll roll stealth then add whatever dice Venet's help gives if necessary. She'll have to remind me what dice to use.)
Stealth: 13
She watches the chest tumble into the abyss below, her mouth opening in surprise at the current circumstances. She jolts out of her shock as Shugo speaks. "Ah, right." She retrieves her lyre, strumming the cords and humming softly. He can feel himself get lighter as the music settles over him. "May your steps be light, Shugo."
Casting: Enhance Ability (Cat's Grace). Gives you advantage on Dex checks so you can reroll. Giving Bardic: 1d6
(This is assuming the bridge can hold both of them...but I'm attempting to give her the help action. Let me know if there's anything else I need to roll. I'll roll stealth then add whatever dice Venet's help gives if necessary. She'll have to remind me what dice to use.)
Stealth: 13
Shugo:
Advantage (If this one has a higher value than the first, use the result of this one, and 1d6 from Bardic Inspiration): 18 + 3
Maya:
Advantage (Same thing as above): 12
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference."
Shugo tip-toes over the bridge and successfully crosses to the other side, and there, he sees the same thing as Renar did earlier: the left tunnel has a bronze dragon just casually sleeping inside, her 'treasure' hoard is just two medals that read 'Planetary War Veteran' and 'Second Planetary War Veteran'.
"Does he really seem like a different person to you?" he asks hesitantly. "I... well... this is the only way he's ever acted when I've been around, Maigurs might have known about this for longer, but..." He hesitates, unsure if he should even continue considering that he is a prisoner too. Sighing he says, "Well, I don't want to speak out of turn, and... I know that everything I say right now can be used in court, but... I just feel like you should know. Cezars is an oathbreaker. I don't know how long that's been the case, but I intended to ask the Church in Madura about it after finding out about that and his behavior. Well, events led up to him fighting us, and... after that I happened to use my divine sense." He shakes his head, better get to the point quickly or they'll tell him to stop talking, "Regardless, there's something dark going on with him. He's got fiendish or... necrotic, energy inside him, it's... it's really really evil." He shutters just remembering the feeling, "I don't know if it's there by his choice, or if it is the source of his behavior, or both. But I just thought you should know."
When he's told not to try catching Renar, he waves a hand, "I... well... I wasn't going to do anything unless something happened... at which point I assumed the spiders would already be, well, jumping about or whatever. I'm not about to go flapping around for no reason." He glances down towards where the box of their gear... well, it had yet to land it seems. Could it have gotten caught up in some spiderwebs?
He looks at Shugo, realizing that the elf seemed upset about loosing his sword, and he had a feeling that Renar won't be too pleased to hear about his... uh... katana, either. Sure, he was a little upset about his sword and armor... but, well, he was always taught not to get attached to worldly possessions. It stung, but, he'd manage. It wasn't really anyone's fault after all, aside from the two prisoners.
Then Maya runs off, followed by Shugo, and Alex stands watching for a moment, unsure of what to do. They have to find a way to get everyone across, not just their group. The guards, the two prisoners, and the entire rest of the town need to get across that bridge. With the spiders and the ravine, well, it is a recipe for disaster. Looking to the guards he says, "Well... what should we do now? What did you want Renar to do over there anyways? Just... test the bridge to make sure it wasn't going to collapse? Do you have any plan as to how to get everyone across safely?"
The four soldiers all collectively gasp, and the villagers stop beating up the two assailants for a moment.
"He's an Oathbreaker!?" The four guards say in unison, their jaws ajar.
"He's an Oathbreaker?"The Owlin lady says, her beak ajar.
"He's an Oathbreaker, get him!"The villagers gather together and beat Cezars even harder, at this point, both of them are pretty much unconscious, but Cezars is going to sleep well tonight.
Altairs awkwardly backs away from the scuffle and approaches Alex, "All of us in the guard share our backstory when we met, but not Cezars, though. He never told anything about him, and most of the time, he just broods in the corner. We tried to break the ice by sending him to the tavern, but he just beat all four patrons who were also brooding in the corner. Ever since he joined two years ago, he mostly kept to himself, but he wouldn't shut up about 'wanting to be stronger.' Now I know why..." The bugbear sighs. "Back then, he really tried to help people as best as he could, even though he can be rude and blunt sometimes. This Cezars feels like a completely different person than who I knew."
Laine places her hand on Alex, "Next time you see Elmars, you should ask him, my kin. He knows more about Cezars than any of us do... at least that's what I've been told."
Maya Stealth check failed.
It's Maya's turn to cross, and she performed well in the first half. In the second half, though, she slips through the spacing between planks and manages to hold on.
That makes enough movement to startle the spiders, and all but one jumps down onto the chasms. One of the spiders crashes into the bridge, snapping it in half. The second half which Maya is clinging to goes into a freefall, while the first half is hanging from Alex and Venet's side. Well... that answers Alex's question.
The villagers stop beating Cezars up and watch as their only method of crossing the chasm comes tumbling down, the guards, too, are equally flabbergasted.
"No!" The Owlin shouts and immediately air dashes to the falling piece of the bridge, now that the threat of a spider pouncing on flying things is gone. She grabs onto one end (the one with Maya) and tries to lift it in the air. She's a few centimetres from the side where Renar and Shugo are standing, if she stops flapping her wings, the bridge will fall off from her claws and into the abyss below. "Come on, boys! I can't hold onto this for much longer!" She turns her head to Shugo and Renar.
Shugo and Renar (and Alex, since he can fly) can attempt a DC15 STR check to save the piece of the bridge from falling down. If two out of three checks are successful, then they'll be able to lift up the bridge.
Meanwhile... the bronze dragon in the den yawns, stirring awake from all the sound and the commotion. She makes a big cat-like stretch but doesn't appear to do anything yet. She's probably still groggy from her slumber.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference."
Geez... they're taking a while to cross. What's going on on the other side, now that they've dropped everything including my katana? *After a lot of impatience, he notices Shugo hopping over safely; Though his mood doesn't improve even the slightest* "Alright... first off... I mean... I don't mean to be rude or anything but what the hell happened on the other side?! I saw our belongings drop into the abyss. Who the freaking hell did that?! Now how are we gonna retrieve our invaluable weapons?! Second... keep your mouth shut if you don't want that massive dragon... veteran... to scorch us like toast! And third-" *He notices Maya struggling to cross the bridge, during which he feels the ground shaking* "Why is Maya-san...?"I just suddenly realised that I totally forgot how clumsy she can be at times... oh wait... *And then he hears the spiders crashing into the bridge as well as his mother screaming as she nearly plummets to the depths of the seemingly bottomless chasm and breaks character*
"NO! NONONONONONONONO!"*Renar panics as he uses the last of whatever strength he can muster to try and pull his mother to safety* I TAKE IT BACK I TAKE IT BACK! DROP MY KATANA HOWEVER YOU LIKE! I'D RATHER YOU DO SO THAN SEE OKAA-SAN DIE! "GAAAAHHH! MAYA-SAN!" *He turns to Shugo and then to his other companions on the other side if they're standing still* "WHAT ARE YOU ALL STARING AT ME FOR?! DON'T JUST STAND THERE WILL YA?! YOU WANT THIS FOX LADY TO DIE?!"
Maya takes a massive breath as she prepares to brave the rickety bridge alone... but then Shugo instantly breezes through without breaking a sweat, just like her son. She shudders for a little bit, the seemingly graceful elf treading across the fragile path has seemed to have dropped her confidence even more; The first time she self doubted herself was when she saw her son recklessly crossing the path without thinking this through. But at last, she decided that she will follow in her son's footsteps and brave it by herself. And she did decently well... if only her clumsiness didn't get in the way as she suddenly slips... and startles the spiders in the process. The worst bit? Her nightmare fuel activates: The bridge was about to collapse; All because she couldn't maintain her balance properly unlike her son.
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" If it wasn't for the fact that she has an extra appendage, the kitsune would have probably met her unexpected demise; Using her massive white tail after her slow reflexes get the better of her, she barely manages to survive her nightmares and cling on to the part of the bridge that's still hanging, before using her clawed hands to better maintain herself. At least, until she feels her end slipping away from stability, even with the Owlin doing her best to try and support her, she's already abotu to fall. Unless... if she can call for help... She stares at the two boys who made it with absolute terror on her face... in fact, as she does so, she finally opens her eyes to reveal that they're golden in colour and shines a similar colour to one of her other companions, complete with slightly oval pupils that stretch vertically... (And also she turns back towards Venet, Alex and Taliyah but only for three seconds... hoping that they can do something to buff one of her saviours...)
Wildland Shifters Pt 2 (Pt 1 with PyromaniIsDeadThankGod) Celci (The Lamb) - Non-Binary Changeling Sorcerer (Shadow Magic) Maya Kurosaki- Female Kitsune Cleric (Twilight Domain); Currently in Lancea Randy Wolftree - Male Human Artificer (Armourer); Currently in Crimson Sands of Time Shijiro Otsune- Male Kitsune Blood Hunter (Order Of The Lycan) Trojan Dseyller - Male Tortle Barbarian (Path of the Ancestral Guardian) Xenia Ironhide - Female Kobold Rogue (Soulknife)
Upon seeing Cezar and the assassin attack the guards, Taliyah grabs at the air around her, a ball of light forming one hand, and a ball of shadows in the other, which she mashes together, before drawing her hand back and throwing it at Cezar, Hexing him, giving him disadvatange on Strength checks for an hour. "There, it shouldn't be so easy for him to do something like that again for a bit. Was the box of equipment locked?"
"Hothead decided to go full supervillain and kick the drow over the edge. He failed that task, but knocked our things down there instead." Shugo replies as he leaps off the bridge. The liveliness in his voice one again vanishes when he thinks about his sword. The shifter has never heard such a cold tone from him before, but it's probably pretty obvious why he's upset. He briefly glances at the bronze dragon in the cave, but pays her little mind. Dragons are intelligent creatures, plus bronze ones are some of the more friendly types, so hopefully she's not an issue. So, he ignores her and her two metals for now and focuses on Maya struggling to cross the bridge. He'd noticed her distress before, and would have tried to guide her if the bridge would have supported them both. Instead, he figured it would be better to cross first that way if--- Then it happens. One little slip and all the spiders came tumbling down. He does not need Renar to cry out for help, rather the two of them almost move in sync as they both dash forward to help the Owlin.
He glances towards Alex as he struggles, he may be fit, but he's not that strong...
Strength check: 1 (rolled 2 -1 :'D hopefully Alex can save us)
"Venet, this may sound strange, but do you have some sort of strength enhancer spell you could cast on Pixel here? Between his tiny size and natural capabilities, a boost to his strength may help draw up the bridge from our side, making it easier the others to pull it up." She holds out her hand to Venet, Pixel flying down to land in it. He says "I certainly feel up to the task if you're able to help.".
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
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Taliyah pushes her way forward in between Renar, Maya, and the angry mob. "What in the world are you all doing? We should be cooperating, not trying to MURDER EACH OTHER!" Taliyah finishes with a roar, her breath coming out as clouds in the air, as if it's significantly colder then it currently is. She inhales deeply and closes her eyes for a few seconds before reopening, her breath no longer coming out in clouds of condensation. She turns to face the group of civilians.
"I am aware you have the right to take grievance with the fact a member of your community was lost to the elements in a way that could've been prevented if you'd received warning earlier, however sometimes storms can just rapidly grow into something far worse then it appeared to be moments ago, which would've left the group in charge of warning people little time to warn the populace."
She gestures to the knights who apprehended them. "For the most part, these folks seem like reasonable people who just want to keep people safe, so I ask of you to trust them for now until the storm is passed, and wait until we are no longer in the middle of one of the worst manifestations of nature's wrath itself this country has likely seen in some time to air your issues with them."
Taliyah holds her hands together and conjures a sphere of Healing Light in her hands. "If any of you have physical injuries in need of healing, I and many of my party member are capable of healing, so we can help mend those injuries if need be. I also promise to my best to help you defend yourselves from attackers if you come along with us and stop trying to harm us."
Pixel stabds on her shoulder, offering her support over their telepathic bond to use the Help action on Taliyah.
Persuasion: 16
Persuasion checks Passed.
Even if they're a prisoner, everyone seems to calm down... in that, they don't start beating the guards to a pulp. Still, tension remains high in the air.
"Stop, all of you! They have a point... but that doesn't mean we'll let Vladimirs XII go that easily! He's been doing nothing for the last four decades, for Shepherd's sake!"
One of the civilians says, "Fine, fine. But did you seriously think we're starting to kill each other? Of course we—AAAH!"
Maya Intimidation check Passed.
As soon as Maya starts snarling, people skrikes and disperse like a flock of pigeons being startled by a black swan. They speedwalks into the mines, occasionally glaring back to see if Maya is following them. And in that moment, you were left alone with the guards once again.
Maigurs sighs, "I... I'm sorry, guys. No... we're sorry. It's just... I'm not used to seeing civilians this hostile towards us like this. Most of the time, they just ignore us and leave us to their business. I guess they're really angry."
"Because all of you are so, so incompetent. The only one who's more pathetic than all of you might be these 'hero' freaks." Cezars stands over the shorter wolf Shifter, "You want to keep civilians in control? You'll have to—" He stops mid-sentence, probably knowing that what he says next may be used in court.
He huffs and looks away, and the rest of the guards sighs.
Before they lead you into the mine, Kristiāns approaches the dead body one last time. He pries his hand open, reaches into his own pocket, pulls out a sunflower seed and places it on the dwarf's hand. He squeezes the dead man's hand shut once again and carries him off in the distance.
He finds a soft ground and begins digging, he slowly lowers the dead body into the hole, covers the hole with dirt, and puts a bunch of flat rocks together, creating a small cairn. All the time while he does a quick funeral rite, the guards instruct you to not look at the burial process. Every continent in Lancea has their own way of saying farewell to the dead ones, some leave the bodies in high places for vultures to feed, some burn the body and sprinkle the ash, and in Perkwunos, they bury the dead ones and build a cairn on where they were laid down.
You quietly leave the dwarf to rest and head into the mine.
Several hours later (15:00)
Entering the mine, you, the guards, and the villagers form a single file and walk down the path below. Soon enough, the mine leads into a naturally formed cavern. It's about three storeys tall, still on the surface, not the Underdark yet.
Hiding in a cave like this is basically suicide in times of flood. When the water reaches up the hill, it will pour down the mineshaft and fill the caves. They have to go deeper to the mother of all caves since the Underdark is so deep in Lancea's crust that even the heaviest rain won't do anything to it.
The cave has no ambient noise, and you can hear villagers chattering out there. They talk about the guards and how incompetent they are, and again, they keep chanting that ‘they will send Vladimirs XII into the next cyclone.’ This is just one village, the rest of Kerwos probably thinks like that too.
You are also a subject of their gossip. Most of them wonder why four of the six ‘prisoners’ are foreigners, but they didn't badmouth you or anything, most of them are very curious and want to know more… even though they think you're some sort of a criminal (Even though you weren't.)
Cezars angrily glares and insults any villagers who look at him funny, and as time passes, his llama spirit animal seems to possess him, he begins spitting at random villagers and even some of you. Eventually, Kristiāns puts a spit mask on him, sealing his mouth shut.
The mysterious half-elf wakes up, and Kristiāns sets her down. She doesn't say anything much, just smirking… deviously.
A moment later, you and the villagers come face to face with a ravine, a crack in the Lancea's crust itself. Looking left and right, the rift seems to go on forever in both directions, looking down, you almost feel nauseated due to the sheer distance of the drop. It's so deep that the bottom layer is covered with fog… which probably hides an even longer drop, and looking up…
You see six or seven giant spiders the size of a rhino hanging on a blanket of webs. They lie completely still in a state of torpor… or maybe they're just relaxing. As big as they are, spiders aren’t on top of the food chain, and their strategy of surviving is simply staying still and hoping no one figures out they’re here.
Kristiāns puts his arm over the rest of the group “Vukomanović's spider. Their hearing might not be the best, but they have a pinpoint thermal vision, they can practically teleport due to how fast they are, just like their ‘smaller’ Hngwisian cousin, the huntsman.” He explains. “Contrary to popular belief, they don’t eat us because we have too little nutrition for them. However, they're easily startled, and they'll jump down if they feel threatened, and that might be a problem.”
Looking forward, you see a hanging bridge leading to the other side, about 100 metres across or 330 feet. It’s hanging together by sheer determination alone, some of the planks are rotten and the ropes have moulds covering it.
Laine looks at her drow friend in perplexion before it hits her. “Oh! They could break the bridge if they jump down, right? But… why would they do that? They could end up really hurt… or worse.” She points to the chasm.
“Vukomanović's spider is so fast, they outspeed their own thoughts itself. They don’t think straight when they’re scared, their instinct tells them to take the fastest route to get out of danger… even if it’s jumping into a wall or lava.” Kristiāns rubs his chin.
A claw raises behind him, and an Owlin woman walks forward to you and the rest of the group. She’s armed with a shortsword and a bow, and she seems to be one of the hunters in the village—and the only Owlin in the crowd at that too. “Uhh… hey, I can just… fly and investigate what’s on the other side and—”
Kristiāns raises his palm, “Not now, ma’am. You stay here with the civilians, we can’t afford to lose anyone with a flying ability today. Besides, if you fly, those spiders might get startled. Remember: they pounce before they think, I have no clue what was God thinking when He decided to create spiders, but…”
He turns to the civilian and everyone else, “Right now, the safest way across is to simply walk across this bridge, slowly. We will need a volunteer, a brave soul that is willing to go first!” He walks over to you six and unties your hands (and claws, in the case of Taliyah), you’ll need both hands to grip the railings and balance, after all. They don’t unlock Cezars and the half-elf’s bindings yet.
You hear civilians murmuring with each other, most of them saying a variation of ‘Why don’t you go first?’ To each other. Maigurs and Altairs just stare to the other side, the bugbear still has a chest full of your equipment, and Maigurs is blushing because Laine is still in his view.
The Owlin lady is staying behind the rest of you right now, probably to keep watch if something goes wrong.
All of the soldiers are standing on the edge of the ravine, and Cezars and the half-elf position themselves behind Altairs and Kristiāns, you don’t need an Insight check to know that these two are up to something devious.
If you want to cross now, you can attempt a Stealth check, or you can wait for a volunteer to present themselves.
Jedwiga (The Owlin)
Additionally, a DC20 Arcana check would reveal that:
One of the spiders above might not be a spider at all, because you sense a magical aura from him… a Wildshape magical aura.
"The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference."
—Richard Dawkins
DM—Stories From The End of The World: Episode I
"I can give some a little boost to make their steps lighter, for anyone that wants to take the lead." she offers, rubbing the area where she was bound at, and keeping an eye on Cezars and the half-elf woman.
Urgh... Alright Taliyah no need to stand up for me! *He glares at Taliyah after she roars, completely unfazed* Honestly though, I wished Okaa-san didn't have to threaten to kill them... I mean... *He then not because of Taliyah's roar but because of his mother's terrifying snarl* Yes I uh... I admit whenever she pulls off her scary face I want to cower in fear... She can be one hell of a scary kitsune mother... *Flashbacks to the day where all twelve Wildland Shifters including himself taking on his mother only to lose; And her was the first to be knocked out* Damn it... can we get inside already? My pants are sogged... my kimono... it's... I-I-I don't even want to elaborate in my head anymore... *He stays behind the rest of the pack but feels something coming from Alex; Well, he did stand up for his sake but right now he doesn't want to admit that he did, hence why he lets off a hostile tsundere glare* "Just so you know I didn't deliberately stand up for your sake, ok? I only argued to get people to start using their brains again and do what they thought was right. Now beat it!"
What the hell- Are these driders?! Where's the drow part of the body?! And what does Tenebris have to say for this?! *He looks up at the massive spiders in silence and shivers* No way in the nine realms could a normal spider look this huge... I'm so glad I'm not an arachnophobe... Huh? *He listens and translates for Maya just in case* They can detect heat? And they jump down if startled, huh? Right... thanks for the info; So they can act like ten-tonne weights should one of us decides to be stupid and shoot at them. I bet if Stupid Rixi wasn't handcuffed he'd deliberately trigger them to try and crush us... Are spiders in Japan as big as this? I hope not...
"Well thanks for the removal of my cuffs but I'll go first. Alone. You guys stay back in case something happens to me. Not that I need your help from some gossiping bakas worrying about me anyways." I mutter. But... *His heart sinks as he contemplates what he spat out* That wasn't true though. I actually need help... I don't think I can face this myself yet... I know the moment I cross the bridge Okaa-san gonna try and reach for my hand to persuade me to stick with the rest. She doesn't want me to traverse alone. And believe me: I actually don't want to either... I don't want to hear Okaa-san screaming for me... I don't want to fail this mission... *He looks down at the bottomless depths and punches his head to snap out of reality* The cavern itself is so deep; I might lose all of my souls should I plummet to the depths of this... cavern. The thing is, my kitsune instincts are getting the better of me; When I feel extremely sour or distrustful, I tend to let my feral instincts drive my next decisions, even if it gets me into perilous situations... Dang it... *He punches himself again as he feels himself losing control as he instinctively grips the rope* Can't these idiots... no they can. I don't need their antics... It's just me and Okaa-san... I... Maybe... I should have allowed them to go first in case something bad happen. Maybe I'll let them do that once I go across. Maybe not. But... *He looks up at the ceiling*
"The thing is though..." *He starts to grip tighter on the ropes but shudders as he feels something dreadful* "I can't detect it but I have gut feeling someone is watching us from above. If anyone knows what it is let me know... if I make it to the other side. If you want to give me a buff do so now, before I step foot on this rickety bridge too. And... Maya-san..." *If she tries to grab onto his hands to resists he will shake them and give a polite bow* "I'll be fine. Watch the rest for me. And let me know... *He says the rest in Japanese as he reequips his weapon onto his left hip* Kiken ga aru baai wa, ōgoe de sakebimashou. Hangeki shimasu. (危険がある場合は、大声で叫びましょう。反撃します, If there's any danger, yell out to me. I'll be ready to strike!)"
(Arcana: 7, Stealth: 20)
The Wildland Shifters
Daisy Ethalena - Female Wood Elf Ranger (Monster Slayer)
Ethan Wolftree - Male Simic Hybrid Warlock (The Hexblade)
Mira Laurits - Female Harengon Sorcerer (Clockwork Soul); Lancea
Raiden Kurosaki - Male Kitsune Wizard (Bladesinger); Lancea
Rixian Nishinoya - Male Fire Genasi Paladin (Oath of Vengeance)
Tenebris Amaro - Male Dark Elf Druid (Circle of Stars)
Yurime Hanasaki - Female Kumiho Bard (College Of Creation)
Once the kitsune successfully scares the angry mob away, she relaxes again and lets out a massive sigh. "Sigh... Shiken ni... (真剣に... Seriously...)" She mutters as she pouts whilst eyeing the massive black hole that await her and the others. Inside she again stays silent whilst she turns to her son with a dreamy stare every half an hour. In fact, whilst they're at it, she nudges her head towards Taliyah, Alex and Venet since she's unable to release her binds (Eye of the night: For 1 hour, those three will get 300ft Dark Vision; Alex and Venet's will increase to 360ft).
In response to Venet returning the favour: "Ah. Arigato (ありがと)! Again!" Maya gleefully responds as she pats her on her head.
She remains mostly calm and collected even as Renar translates to her about the giant spiders on the ceilings. Having spent her first century in total darkness, this doesn't really frighten her one bit. In fact, nothing of the dark passageway seems to make her move a muscle, let alone scream in terror. Well... in fact, as soon as the entire group managed to stop at the bridge, something finally sets off her nerves for once as she scans the bottomless abyss. Whilst she suspects, as she glances in all directions of the cave and towards the other party members that there could be dangers lurking from both below and above, something finally makes her break out of her calm and composed demeanour. And it was this:
"EH?! Renar-kun?! Nanishiteruno (何してるの)?!" Maya yelps in surprise as she covers her red lips; She didn't fully understand what her son said, but she understood his itentions well enough. Something already seemed off to her seemingly blind eyes. She had never heard him volunteer to go first especially in a dangerous and unpredictable scenario like this. In fact, as her son predicted, she went up to him before he could go any further and cupped his clawed hands and leans towards him as if she was... no... she is... pleading. Pleading for him to rethink his actions through. "Renar-kun... You can't... too... dangerosu... We don't... want you... to die..."
"Nani?! R-R-Renar-kun... O-o-onegai...shimasu...! (お...お...お願い...します)" Maya pleads as her 600 year old heart sinks to the bottom of her well-endowed stomach. This isn't good. This wasn't the cool and analytical son she knows since her reunion... In fact, she has never seen her son become so reckless; Usually she'd watch him assess a situation like this only to retreat and come up with backup plans just in case. But this time, he just goes straight ahead without thinking this through, which... honestly, when considering the potential dangers lurking about, is just way to far even for her taste. She has never seen such reckless behaviour possess her son at all; It's as if... part of her careless daughter has came back to terrorize her. What he trying to get from this? Did something or someone perhaps screw up his cool and collected mind? Was her presence alone enough to make him silently break character? She doesn't know and she needs to know fast, otherwise she might lose him for real.
And then Renar instantly lets go of her hands despite her pleas before he attempt to cross the bridge by himself, which already worsens her consuming anxiety as she chitters her teeth. "Renar-kun! No! Come back!" Maya panics as she too, could not sense the danger that her son wanted her to look out for. She then turns to the other party in desperation, hoping that they'll convince him to rethink otherwise or reach out to stop him before he endangers himself. Hopefully the others will know why she's refusing to follow her son, let alone trying to convince them not to follow suit.
Wildland Shifters Pt 2 (Pt 1 with PyromaniIsDeadThankGod)
Celci (The Lamb) - Non-Binary Changeling Sorcerer (Shadow Magic)
Maya Kurosaki - Female Kitsune Cleric (Twilight Domain); Currently in Lancea
Randy Wolftree - Male Human Artificer (Armourer); Currently in Crimson Sands of Time
Shijiro Otsune - Male Kitsune Blood Hunter (Order Of The Lycan)
Trojan Dseyller - Male Tortle Barbarian (Path of the Ancestral Guardian)
Xenia Ironhide - Female Kobold Rogue (Soulknife)
Alexander, gives Renar a wide-eyed look when the 'changeling' also raises his voice against the crowd. He didn't particularly like that everyone was jumping to intimidation, but it seemed like Renar at least saw things from the same angle as Alex. He flinches a little when Renar suddenly snarls at him. "...Okay." He chuckles, and would have rubbed the back of his head had his hands not been tied up. In that moment, Renar suddenly reminded him of a friend he hasn't seen in a while. Perhaps the two of them would have gotten along?
"It's alright," he says to Maigurs. "It's been a rough day for everyone, so we can't really blame anyone for being a bit on edge. Not that that excuses their actions... but at least they backed off instead of attacking."
He frowns at Cezars, but just shakes his head instead of commenting.
When they come upon the ravine, Alexander is fully up for volunteering. He can fly after all, so if the bridge fell he would be the most likely to survive. But then Renar steps forward, seemingly set on being the first to cross. "Are you sure? I'm not the lightest on my feet, but... well I'm lighter without my armor, and if the bridge snaps or I fall out of...well clumsiness, I at least have wings as a backup plan..."
If Renar continues forward, Alex seems to have a bit of an internal struggle before saying, "I'll catch him if he falls. ...I think I can be fast enough." He inches as close to the bridge as they'll let him, as quietly as he can so as not to put Renar into any additional danger.
Shugo glances at Venet when she sidles closer to him, and smiles. Seems he's not the only one content with just waiting out this verbal storm. He flinches when Maya and Taliyha both start yelling. Great, two scary women. Well at least they got the townsfolk to shut up and listen.
He stays close to Venet as the group is guided to the mouth of the underdark, though he keeps an eye on Cezars....mostly because he finds it humors. Especially when he gets muzzled. Wow, that guy really needs his mental health checked.
Seemingly unconcerned with the height, Shugo sidles up to the cliffs edge and looks down. Wow, to bad he can't fly. Stepping back he shakes his head to rid himself of the vertigo and is surprised when Renar of all people offers to go first. The elf flexes his hands and stretches his shoulders once his bonds are removed. "I can go next I suppose." He says cheerfully, "And I will gladly take your help Venet."
As the shifter makes his way towards the rope bridge, Shugo moves to stand in front of the two guards who are so obviously being targeted by Hothead and Moneybags. Hands on hips, he squints at them while still smiling. "Maybe those two should be separated a bit. I can sense their evil thoughts." He cocks his head, "At least don't let them this close to you when you are so close to a chasm eh?" He gestures to the pit of doom behind him.
Stealth check Passed.
Renar slowly tiptoes over to the other side of the bridge, and there, the tunnel split into two paths: one to the right, which is just another dull, featureless tunnel, which will probably lead them further along the path—and one to the left... which might be a little problematic to him.
The left tunnel is a hollowed-out section of the cave. And if he peeks his head into the den, it's much larger than he'd expected. It's about the size of a football (association) field, the walls facing the chasm have holes drilled through them like a window, and at the very end of the room is a curled-up bronze dragon, sleeping. She might have the saddest hoard of treasure Renar has ever seen—she has two golden medals by her side, one of the medals reads 'Planetary War Veteran' and the other 'Second Planetary War Veteran.'
Dragons can live up to a maximum of 3 Cycles or 30,000 years in Lancea, but so many of them died during the First Planetary War that a dragon that's older than 2 Cycles is virtually nonexistent. If she has a Planetary War badge, she probably served in the First Planetary War, meaning she'd be around 7,500 years old. There might be a possibility that she comes into contact with Paulis in one way or another.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the chasm...
Kristiāns hears his distant kin's warning and turns back towards Cezars... who stands so close to the point where their nose almost touches.
"Are you going to kiss me or something?" The drow retorts, and the fire Genasi replies with a kick to his chest. At that same moment, the half-elf also does the same with the Bugbear.
Kristiāns stumbles and falls off the cliff, but because he has his back turned against the chasm, he manages to grab onto the ledge at the last second.
Altairs, on the other hand, simply lost his balance but didn't drop from the cliff entirely because he was too big and too heavy. The box with all of your equipment, however, slips away from his claws and plummets to the depths below.
"Ah... crap." They say in unison.
"You've gone too far, you little rats, get them!" Before any of you can react, the crowd screams in anger. They might not like the guards, but what they hate more is an attempted murder. They drag the two assailants and begin beating them up.
The Owlin from earlier slowly distances herself from the fight and helps Kristiāns up on his feet. Maigurs and Laine are equally shocked too... but they just watch the fight happen without stopping, because those two kind of deserve it.
"Ugh... What the heck was his problem? I swear he had never done something like this before." Kristiāns sits on the ground and shakes his head.
"Power really does corrupt, but that's the least of our concerns right now," Altairs says, looking at the chasm, then back at the rest of the group. "Your stuff is down there and your friend is already on the other side... well, this one is on me. If you can't get your items back, I'll pay for your lost items on my behalf after you've sorted out your case." He sighs and sits down too, shaking his furry head.
For some odd reason, though, there was no sound of impact at all, there is no such thing as a bottomless pit, even in the Underdark, because it will be as clear as a day which pit leads to the asthenosphere and which has a flat, cool ground—the one that goes to the asthenosphere will have light and lava at the bottom, but not this one.
Maybe the box might not be lost, after all, it must be down there somewhere, but getting across should be your first priority.
"I wouldn't recommend you doing that. As I've said before, these spiders are sensitive to movements, and flapping your wings could alert them, a lot of spiders are adapted to catching insects that can fly, after all. If you can float, then you won't have a problem, because you make much less movement than flying with wings." Kristiāns explains, and the Owlin behind him nods in agreement.
Well, time for the rest of the group to cross, or they can remain here until Renar sort things out.
"The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference."
—Richard Dawkins
DM—Stories From The End of The World: Episode I
Phew... I made it. *He glances back to the others...* Seriously what were you guys worrying about me for? I obviously could handle this on my own without your help- hm? What the... *He sniffs the air in front of him as he peeks into the left tunnel* Two tunnels huh... I presume that., the left side, judging by the massive scales and treasure lying about... wait... scales? *As he examines even deeper, his fur raises as he lets off a massive gasp*
NANI?! A BRONZE DRAGON... sleeping in the middle of nowhere?! Crap... this isn't good at all. Even with this massive horde of outsiders our combined strength wouldn't be enough to... hmm? *He notices the golden medals* Planetary War... Second Planetary... Veteran... Wait... oh crap. *His fox ears twitch in absolute fear* I've heard stories about the Planetary war thing but to actually meet one of its survivors?! This isn't good. I honestly prefer we'd stay out of this and do this silently... *With quick witted thinking he attempts to make a sign on the floor with whatever stray rocks he can find ad in the shape of an arrow pointing right instead of left, just so that trouble won't be stirred when everyone else crosses; Investigation: 18* Alright. This may look crude but it's better than to let the rest argue on this split decision pathway. And besides... what are they... *He notices some petty argument happening from the other side and grits his teeth* Huh?! Wait... WHAT ARE THEY DOING?! ALEX?! OKAA-SAN?! TALIYAH?! WHAT'S GOING-
The Wildland Shifters
Daisy Ethalena - Female Wood Elf Ranger (Monster Slayer)
Ethan Wolftree - Male Simic Hybrid Warlock (The Hexblade)
Mira Laurits - Female Harengon Sorcerer (Clockwork Soul); Lancea
Raiden Kurosaki - Male Kitsune Wizard (Bladesinger); Lancea
Rixian Nishinoya - Male Fire Genasi Paladin (Oath of Vengeance)
Tenebris Amaro - Male Dark Elf Druid (Circle of Stars)
Yurime Hanasaki - Female Kumiho Bard (College Of Creation)
Feeling outnumbered, Maya had no choice but to watch her son move ahead without the rest. And... much to her surprise, nothing happened... yet. She breathes a sigh of relief when she sees her son cross the rickety structure unharmed, but this moment of peace was interrupted when she suddenly hears a scuffle... that results in the bugbear dropping the equipment with all of their stuff (minus her folded fans) into the chasm. She gasps. Her son's not gonna like this news, especially considering how much he treasures his katana to no end. Good thing her weapons are stowed deep within her secret pouch though. "Uh oh... Musuko... Renar-kun... he not... riku sisu..." She whispers. And... seeing that her son safely made it to the other side, now's probably the best time to signal the others to start crossing... wait... is he building something? A sign maybe? What for? Did he... perhaps he found something of value? Another threat? She cannot tell, even with her massive darkvision. Wait... he's waving at them? A finger on his lips? So... does that mean it's safe to cross now... without making too much noise? Because that's probably the most she could make out; If there is anything else he wanted to say, he needs a messaging spell of some sort...
But right now, she turns to the rest of the group in disgust and imitates Renar by placing her hand on her lips. "SHH!" Maya hisses to the rest (though she is extremely irritaed by the lack of responsibility) before she gestures them to follow her lead and start walking (very slowly) across the bridge to meet up with her son.
Stealth if needed: 4 (Uh-oh... this isn't good)
Wildland Shifters Pt 2 (Pt 1 with PyromaniIsDeadThankGod)
Celci (The Lamb) - Non-Binary Changeling Sorcerer (Shadow Magic)
Maya Kurosaki - Female Kitsune Cleric (Twilight Domain); Currently in Lancea
Randy Wolftree - Male Human Artificer (Armourer); Currently in Crimson Sands of Time
Shijiro Otsune - Male Kitsune Blood Hunter (Order Of The Lycan)
Trojan Dseyller - Male Tortle Barbarian (Path of the Ancestral Guardian)
Xenia Ironhide - Female Kobold Rogue (Soulknife)
Shugo's smile vanishes in less then a heartbeat when he sees the their supplies fly off the cliff. He's so stunned, that he doesn't even move to grab the drow who had also nearly fell into the bottomless pit. His scimitar had been in there. That dragon hilted blade was a family heirloom, and it had practically been the entirety of his inheritance. Now, it is gone. He stands there stone-faced for a few moments, paying little heed to the noise of the civilians pummeling Cezars and the half-elf. He has no intention of stopping it. Those two deserve far worse punishment. Perhaps they will get it after they see court. They did just attempt to murder two people after all.
"Money can't pay for that which is priceless." He says coldly, in response to Altairs. It's hard to picture the elf angry, but at the moment a cold rage is boiling within him. His expression remains rather blank as he continues in the same cold tone. "A new sword will have to do." He glances back at the crowed still pummeling away, "And make sure those two get what they deserve." He's not angry with the guards. It really wasn't their fault. Even the money hungry half-elf isn't fully to blame. Right now, Cezars carries most of it, but truth be told, all of this could have been avoided if Shugo never got tangled in this mess in the first place. That sword was his honor....how will he explain this to Akari....
Realizing he had become rather ridged, he takes a deep breath. Thinking it over, this doesn't really change much. If not for his quest, he would not have been able to return home without renewing that honor. But he can't return home without fulfilling his quest anyways, and by fulfilling that quest he can regain his honor. He clenches his fists. Releasing his breath, he looks around again, taking in the situation. Those civilians can beat those two into a pulp for all he cares, so he ignores them. Noticing Maya's distressed expression, he barely catches her whisper before she dashes towards the bridge. If only he knew what Musuko meant. For some reason she'd started calling Renar that...isn't that what she was referring to her son as? Huh. Whatever, it doesn't matter now. With her current demeanor, she's going to alert every spider in two miles of their location.
"Venet, I could use that help now." He says, a bit of his usual liveliness back in his voice. He may be upset, but that's no reason to be cold to the triton. She's stuck in this mess just as much as he is. Then he dashes after Maya. "Hey! You look a bit off-balanced, let me help you across." He whispers, positioning himself behind the kitsune.
(This is assuming the bridge can hold both of them...but I'm attempting to give her the help action. Let me know if there's anything else I need to roll. I'll roll stealth then add whatever dice Venet's help gives if necessary. She'll have to remind me what dice to use.)
Stealth: 13
Alex stands shocked as he witnesses Cezars and the half-elf attempt to push the two guards over the edge. That was going way too far. Didn't the half-elf say she wouldn't kill anyone? So much for that. He sucks in a breath as their gear goes tumbling into the darkness. Now he really wished he'd been wearing that armor... and his sword... How on Lancea are they supposed to get those back? Then the angry villagers decide to exact their own punishment on Cezars and the assassin.
"Hey," he says as the civilians crowd around the two prisoners. "Hey stop! This isn't the time for that! They'll get what they deserve later, right now we need to focus on our own survival."
Persuasion (to stop the beating): 24
Not that the two don't deserve it... but Alexander doesn't like to see anyone suffering, even if they are evildoers. And... well something else seems to be going on here.
"Does he really seem like a different person to you?" he asks hesitantly. "I... well... this is the only way he's ever acted when I've been around, Maigurs might have known about this for longer, but..." He hesitates, unsure if he should even continue considering that he is a prisoner too. Sighing he says, "Well, I don't want to speak out of turn, and... I know that everything I say right now can be used in court, but... I just feel like you should know. Cezars is an oathbreaker. I don't know how long that's been the case, but I intended to ask the Church in Madura about it after finding out about that and his behavior. Well, events led up to him fighting us, and... after that I happened to use my divine sense." He shakes his head, better get to the point quickly or they'll tell him to stop talking, "Regardless, there's something dark going on with him. He's got fiendish or... necrotic, energy inside him, it's... it's really really evil." He shutters just remembering the feeling, "I don't know if it's there by his choice, or if it is the source of his behavior, or both. But I just thought you should know."
When he's told not to try catching Renar, he waves a hand, "I... well... I wasn't going to do anything unless something happened... at which point I assumed the spiders would already be, well, jumping about or whatever. I'm not about to go flapping around for no reason." He glances down towards where the box of their gear... well, it had yet to land it seems. Could it have gotten caught up in some spiderwebs?
He looks at Shugo, realizing that the elf seemed upset about loosing his sword, and he had a feeling that Renar won't be too pleased to hear about his... uh... katana, either. Sure, he was a little upset about his sword and armor... but, well, he was always taught not to get attached to worldly possessions. It stung, but, he'd manage. It wasn't really anyone's fault after all, aside from the two prisoners.
Then Maya runs off, followed by Shugo, and Alex stands watching for a moment, unsure of what to do. They have to find a way to get everyone across, not just their group. The guards, the two prisoners, and the entire rest of the town need to get across that bridge. With the spiders and the ravine, well, it is a recipe for disaster. Looking to the guards he says, "Well... what should we do now? What did you want Renar to do over there anyways? Just... test the bridge to make sure it wasn't going to collapse? Do you have any plan as to how to get everyone across safely?"
She watches the chest tumble into the abyss below, her mouth opening in surprise at the current circumstances. She jolts out of her shock as Shugo speaks. "Ah, right." She retrieves her lyre, strumming the cords and humming softly. He can feel himself get lighter as the music settles over him. "May your steps be light, Shugo."
Casting: Enhance Ability (Cat's Grace). Gives you advantage on Dex checks so you can reroll.
Giving Bardic: 1d6
Shugo:
Advantage (If this one has a higher value than the first, use the result of this one, and 1d6 from Bardic Inspiration): 18 + 3
Maya:
Advantage (Same thing as above): 12
"The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference."
—Richard Dawkins
DM—Stories From The End of The World: Episode I
Shugo Stealth check Passed.
Shugo tip-toes over the bridge and successfully crosses to the other side, and there, he sees the same thing as Renar did earlier: the left tunnel has a bronze dragon just casually sleeping inside, her 'treasure' hoard is just two medals that read 'Planetary War Veteran' and 'Second Planetary War Veteran'.
The four soldiers all collectively gasp, and the villagers stop beating up the two assailants for a moment.
"He's an Oathbreaker!?" The four guards say in unison, their jaws ajar.
"He's an Oathbreaker?" The Owlin lady says, her beak ajar.
"He's an Oathbreaker, get him!" The villagers gather together and beat Cezars even harder, at this point, both of them are pretty much unconscious, but Cezars is going to sleep well tonight.
Altairs awkwardly backs away from the scuffle and approaches Alex, "All of us in the guard share our backstory when we met, but not Cezars, though. He never told anything about him, and most of the time, he just broods in the corner. We tried to break the ice by sending him to the tavern, but he just beat all four patrons who were also brooding in the corner. Ever since he joined two years ago, he mostly kept to himself, but he wouldn't shut up about 'wanting to be stronger.' Now I know why..." The bugbear sighs. "Back then, he really tried to help people as best as he could, even though he can be rude and blunt sometimes. This Cezars feels like a completely different person than who I knew."
Laine places her hand on Alex, "Next time you see Elmars, you should ask him, my kin. He knows more about Cezars than any of us do... at least that's what I've been told."
Maya Stealth check failed.
It's Maya's turn to cross, and she performed well in the first half. In the second half, though, she slips through the spacing between planks and manages to hold on.
That makes enough movement to startle the spiders, and all but one jumps down onto the chasms. One of the spiders crashes into the bridge, snapping it in half. The second half which Maya is clinging to goes into a freefall, while the first half is hanging from Alex and Venet's side. Well... that answers Alex's question.
The villagers stop beating Cezars up and watch as their only method of crossing the chasm comes tumbling down, the guards, too, are equally flabbergasted.
"No!" The Owlin shouts and immediately air dashes to the falling piece of the bridge, now that the threat of a spider pouncing on flying things is gone. She grabs onto one end (the one with Maya) and tries to lift it in the air. She's a few centimetres from the side where Renar and Shugo are standing, if she stops flapping her wings, the bridge will fall off from her claws and into the abyss below. "Come on, boys! I can't hold onto this for much longer!" She turns her head to Shugo and Renar.
Shugo and Renar (and Alex, since he can fly) can attempt a DC15 STR check to save the piece of the bridge from falling down. If two out of three checks are successful, then they'll be able to lift up the bridge.
Meanwhile... the bronze dragon in the den yawns, stirring awake from all the sound and the commotion. She makes a big cat-like stretch but doesn't appear to do anything yet. She's probably still groggy from her slumber.
"The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference."
—Richard Dawkins
DM—Stories From The End of The World: Episode I
Geez... they're taking a while to cross. What's going on on the other side, now that they've dropped everything including my katana? *After a lot of impatience, he notices Shugo hopping over safely; Though his mood doesn't improve even the slightest* "Alright... first off... I mean... I don't mean to be rude or anything but what the hell happened on the other side?! I saw our belongings drop into the abyss. Who the freaking hell did that?! Now how are we gonna retrieve our invaluable weapons?! Second... keep your mouth shut if you don't want that massive dragon... veteran... to scorch us like toast! And third-" *He notices Maya struggling to cross the bridge, during which he feels the ground shaking* "Why is Maya-san...?" I just suddenly realised that I totally forgot how clumsy she can be at times... oh wait... *And then he hears the spiders crashing into the bridge as well as his mother screaming as she nearly plummets to the depths of the seemingly bottomless chasm and breaks character*
"NO! NONONONONONONONO!" *Renar panics as he uses the last of whatever strength he can muster to try and pull his mother to safety* I TAKE IT BACK I TAKE IT BACK! DROP MY KATANA HOWEVER YOU LIKE! I'D RATHER YOU DO SO THAN SEE OKAA-SAN DIE! "GAAAAHHH! MAYA-SAN!" *He turns to Shugo and then to his other companions on the other side if they're standing still* "WHAT ARE YOU ALL STARING AT ME FOR?! DON'T JUST STAND THERE WILL YA?! YOU WANT THIS FOX LADY TO DIE?!"
STR Save: 17 (18-1) *Holy... Shugo, Alex... Please...*
The Wildland Shifters
Daisy Ethalena - Female Wood Elf Ranger (Monster Slayer)
Ethan Wolftree - Male Simic Hybrid Warlock (The Hexblade)
Mira Laurits - Female Harengon Sorcerer (Clockwork Soul); Lancea
Raiden Kurosaki - Male Kitsune Wizard (Bladesinger); Lancea
Rixian Nishinoya - Male Fire Genasi Paladin (Oath of Vengeance)
Tenebris Amaro - Male Dark Elf Druid (Circle of Stars)
Yurime Hanasaki - Female Kumiho Bard (College Of Creation)
Maya takes a massive breath as she prepares to brave the rickety bridge alone... but then Shugo instantly breezes through without breaking a sweat, just like her son. She shudders for a little bit, the seemingly graceful elf treading across the fragile path has seemed to have dropped her confidence even more; The first time she self doubted herself was when she saw her son recklessly crossing the path without thinking this through. But at last, she decided that she will follow in her son's footsteps and brave it by herself. And she did decently well... if only her clumsiness didn't get in the way as she suddenly slips... and startles the spiders in the process. The worst bit? Her nightmare fuel activates: The bridge was about to collapse; All because she couldn't maintain her balance properly unlike her son.
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" If it wasn't for the fact that she has an extra appendage, the kitsune would have probably met her unexpected demise; Using her massive white tail after her slow reflexes get the better of her, she barely manages to survive her nightmares and cling on to the part of the bridge that's still hanging, before using her clawed hands to better maintain herself. At least, until she feels her end slipping away from stability, even with the Owlin doing her best to try and support her, she's already abotu to fall. Unless... if she can call for help... She stares at the two boys who made it with absolute terror on her face... in fact, as she does so, she finally opens her eyes to reveal that they're golden in colour and shines a similar colour to one of her other companions, complete with slightly oval pupils that stretch vertically... (And also she turns back towards Venet, Alex and Taliyah but only for three seconds... hoping that they can do something to buff one of her saviours...)
"MUSUKO! SHUGO-KUN! TASUKEEETEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! (助けて!)"
Wildland Shifters Pt 2 (Pt 1 with PyromaniIsDeadThankGod)
Celci (The Lamb) - Non-Binary Changeling Sorcerer (Shadow Magic)
Maya Kurosaki - Female Kitsune Cleric (Twilight Domain); Currently in Lancea
Randy Wolftree - Male Human Artificer (Armourer); Currently in Crimson Sands of Time
Shijiro Otsune - Male Kitsune Blood Hunter (Order Of The Lycan)
Trojan Dseyller - Male Tortle Barbarian (Path of the Ancestral Guardian)
Xenia Ironhide - Female Kobold Rogue (Soulknife)
Upon seeing Cezar and the assassin attack the guards, Taliyah grabs at the air around her, a ball of light forming one hand, and a ball of shadows in the other, which she mashes together, before drawing her hand back and throwing it at Cezar, Hexing him, giving him disadvatange on Strength checks for an hour. "There, it shouldn't be so easy for him to do something like that again for a bit. Was the box of equipment locked?"
"Hothead decided to go full supervillain and kick the drow over the edge. He failed that task, but knocked our things down there instead." Shugo replies as he leaps off the bridge. The liveliness in his voice one again vanishes when he thinks about his sword. The shifter has never heard such a cold tone from him before, but it's probably pretty obvious why he's upset. He briefly glances at the bronze dragon in the cave, but pays her little mind. Dragons are intelligent creatures, plus bronze ones are some of the more friendly types, so hopefully she's not an issue. So, he ignores her and her two metals for now and focuses on Maya struggling to cross the bridge. He'd noticed her distress before, and would have tried to guide her if the bridge would have supported them both. Instead, he figured it would be better to cross first that way if--- Then it happens. One little slip and all the spiders came tumbling down. He does not need Renar to cry out for help, rather the two of them almost move in sync as they both dash forward to help the Owlin.
He glances towards Alex as he struggles, he may be fit, but he's not that strong...
Strength check: 1 (rolled 2 -1 :'D hopefully Alex can save us)
"Venet, this may sound strange, but do you have some sort of strength enhancer spell you could cast on Pixel here? Between his tiny size and natural capabilities, a boost to his strength may help draw up the bridge from our side, making it easier the others to pull it up." She holds out her hand to Venet, Pixel flying down to land in it. He says "I certainly feel up to the task if you're able to help.".