The Bounders STORY

With the talk of home and the concerned tone from his companions, Franz begins to perk up a little.

"Sorry, I may have been a little preoccupied, what did you say about home?"

Insight check, specifically about her story of her daughter:  19

Ospos says with a droop of his shoulders, "I am sorry about your daughter."  Then asks, "If she travelled to our plane, would the Bounders not have caught her too?"

Ospos: She seems genuine, but she could just be a good actress. It's hard to tell, and your mind is beginning to cloud with exhaustion. She turns to you at your question, and leans against the doorframe. "It's quite possible. If so, I'd like to know at least. The Bounder stationed in the Feywild, Opherani, is insufferable. Pretentious and self righteous, he won't answer any of my questions or offer even the slightest help."

Once found, Nean clings himself to the water-tap. After refreshing himself, he takes a long look into the mirror, slightly shaking his head at the appearances looking back to him. He eventually steps out of the bathroom again and embraces the chance to get a closer look at the interior without being monitored by any inhabitant.

Ospos agrees with Liafial, "I agree, we should go pay a visit to this Opherani."

To the host: "You have been very kind and have offered some answers to our many questions."

And then to the group: "But the only thing I'm agreeing to is a night's rest"

"In the morning then, I can tell you how to get to Citrine City, the seat of the Summer Court. For now, get some rest." Nean, you don't have much time undisturbed, as you see your friends and The Lady heading out of the tea room. Finch waves goodbye cheerily as he steps out of the house, while you all are lead up the left set of stairs. The hallway is lined with rooms, each with a single, plush bed, decorated in a similar style to the downstairs, but slightly more modestly. Each room is painted a different, pastel color. "If you need anything, just give a shout. Emerson will take care of you."

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LONG REST and you can all go to LEVEL 4!

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After some of the hardest sleep you've ever had in your lives, you awake to a soft voice entering your mind. "Good morning. This is Emerson. Breakfast is ready."

Void: 

 Ospos wakes up in the morning, with new found knowledge and feeling luckier than ever.  He heads downstairs for breakfast.

Dril's sleep was accompanied by a dream of epic proportions. He was back at his college, just a student. He had full access to the library and even faculty. In his dream he studied for days, taking notes and experimenting with components. One afternoon the college was attacked and destroyed by a familiar aberration; it was Emerson, setting fire to buildings and petrifying professors and students. Dril battled this creature for what felt like hours, honing new means of fighting and protection but to no avail. As Dril lay there, exhausted and broken, Emerson came forward, towering over him grinning "Good morning. This is Emerson. Breakfast is ready."

Dril bolts upright at the message feeling awakened and strong with a hunger never quite felt before. He tidies up and goes with Ospos to breakfast. 

Nean awakes and responds to the weird buttler the same way he had adressed him. "Good morning Emerson. Thank you, i'll be right there." He's quite glad the creature can't hear his stomach rumble now that his metabolism realized that Nean left out dinner last night.

Franz comes stumbling out of his room.

"Ahh, my head! Where am I?"

Franz reaches up and feels the back of his neck.

"What? What is that?"

Franz seems to not be completely with it, like someone who hasn't fully woken up yet.

Franz stumbles along wincing in pain again.

"Ahh, why does my head hurt? What is happening?!"

As you all begin to make your way downstairs, the smells of breakfast hit your nose, leading you to the left hallway. Just past the tea room, there is a large dining room. Within, you find a massive banquet table, laden with a feast unlike any you've ever seen. Smoked meats and sausages, bread, pancakes with all manner of toppings, fresh fruit, and eggs cooked any way you can imagine lay in wait for you. Emerson floats next to The Lady, who is dressed in a velvety pink tunic that almost matches her hair, which is now a more vibrant rose-gold. She smiles warmly as you enter, and one by one chairs begin to pull out for each of you, napkins unfolding and silverware finding their appropriate places. One of Emerson's eyestalks moves like a composer's wand, seemingly animating the chairs and utensils telekinetically. "Good morning! I hope you're all feeling well rested. Come, sit, eat! You'll want to be well fed before you venture to Citrine City."

Nean: 

Franz stumbles into the room, garbing one of the chairs and wincing again.

"Ahh! What, ah, who are you people? Do, do I know you? You all seem so familiar."

Franz looks around confused.

"What is all the whispering about? Where, where is it coming from? Ahhh!"

Franz winces again in pain, griping his head with his free hand, still holing on to the chair for stability.

As the pain subsides again, Franz looks to his pack.

"Its coming from my pack!?"

Opening his pack Franz pulls out a black leather book. This is the same book that Bram had been reading from before. There is a strange lump on the cover of the book. It looks kind of like a closed eye.

"Why is my spell book whispering? Ahh!"

Franz almost drops the book as he again winces in pain.

Each time Franz leans forward in pain, it is possible that some of you may have seen something on the back of Franz neck, just below his collar.

"Citrine? uh today? I don't know I mean, we know nothing of this realm. Shouldn't we at least... get accustomed to this place?" 

Dril grabs some meat and bread along with a tall glass of water and one of milk. "Quite a spread, expecting more company?" He is slightly embarrassed to dig straight into the feast before him. Just yesterday he was in a mine facing kobold traps and giant worms, this is quite a comfortable change of pace.

Looking over at Franz; "You alright there buddy? Bram coming around?"

"Well, ah, assuming Opherani knows you're here, he's already looking for you. It might do well to find him before he finds you. It would be especially unfortunate for him to find you with me." she seems about to continue but is cut off by Franz's commotion. "Oh dear are you okay?" She gets up to move towards him, but her eyes are locked on the strange book. Emerson's eyes and tentacles tremble, visibly disturbed. The Lady turns back to her butler, some invisible exchange happening between them. "Ah, poor thing." She turns back to the party. "It's okay, your friend will be fine, for now at least. In fact, I think he'll be better than he has been for quite some time." She returns to her seat and watches the scene unfold, casually, while continuing to eat breakfast.

Franz lifts the strange book up before his face.

"What? What are you saying? I cant hear you, you're too quiet."

As Franz finishes speaking the closed eye on the front of the book snaps open. The eye has a slitted pupil, like a cats, and is a sickly orange fading to red at the edges. 

Franz arms go straight and taut, holding the book before him. His eyes are locked onto the book and he doesn't appear to be aware of anything else.

As you watch you begin to hear whispering sounds. They are faint and unintelligible, almost maddening in their sound.

Then you begin to see the source of these whispers, small mouths have started to appear on Franz's exposed skin. You would guess, given the noise, there are probably many more mouths concealed beneath his clothes.

Along with these mouths, eyes start to appear. They are all different types and sizes, and they look around at the room and its occupants.

Franz begins to change further, his skin turning a light grey and his hair becoming white. His face transforms from the young human, into a strange creature who's features are subtle and smooth. His whole form has become slender and graceful looking. Lastly his normal eyes become completely white, without iris or pupil.

The whispers seem to grow in intensity until all of the extra mouths suddenly shut, and are silent.

This creature that used to be Franz, slowly opens its mouth wide and a deep and disturbing voice comes out. As this creature stands completely still with its mouth wide open the voice says,

"You are my spawn now, you have been reborn. You are my emissary, go and do my bidding!"

With that, every eye and every mouth shuts and dissolves away into the skin, leaving only the normal mouth and eyes shut as if in sleep.

The creature slumps to ground as if it was being held up by strings that have just been cut.

Ospos observes the exchange between Franz, the Lady and Emerson with curiosity.  "Franz, it's a shame Frank and Bram never made it through that portal before it moved.  Hopefully they find a way out of that mine alive."

Then to the Lady, "Ok, why would it be unfortunate if Opherani found us with you?"

(I would assume what happened to Void happened after Ospos' question to the Lady)

(haha yeah seems he posted before refreshing and reading your post)

 It had been nagging him since he got here but he'd been too exhausted to investigate the magical aura of this world. Then began Franz's wild transformation. What began as a subtle waving of fingers and slight tap-tap-tapping of foot picked up a more fervent pace as Dril watched Franz undergo his transformation. Working like a symphony conductor, Dril attempts to fine tune his senses to the frequency of reality while searching for magical perturbations. 

As subtly as possible, Dril casts Detect Magic as a ritual, focusing on Franz as soon as his strange behavior was recognized.