You each feel a sudden rush of vertigo as the world begins to expand around you, including Rezlin. He cautiously steps past you on the path, carrying his tray of now-empty vials, and retreats back to the cabin. Each footstep is a thunderous crash. The flat rocks of the path you were standing on have become vast platforms of stone. You had been standing together in a tight group, but now you are far from each other and it takes a minute or two to regroup.

Just off the stone path is the flower garden, where Rezlin recommended beginning your quest. Only now it is a flower forest of zinnias, cosmos, coneflowers, dahlias, daffodils, even some gargantuan sunflowers. Green leafy stalks as thick as you are, or even thicker, extend high into the air, ending in large flower petals that create a multi-color canopy that blots out the sun, making the ground dark and somehow foreboding. Tiny pebbles now appear as significant obstacles. Bits of grass or weeds now serve as formidable underbrush. All is strangely quiet.

As you stand at the edge of the path flagstone, which is now like a cliff's edge, a sense of vague foreboding threatens to rise in each of you. Rezlin said 3 inches, did he not...?

Aralin, chuckles, seems like we have shrunk more then was anticipated? 

Aralin rolls investigation: 5

And, Arcana: 9

Trying to play the optimist, Finn will say with a faltering grin, "Oh... fun! Our first challenge." He peers over the edge of the flagstone, then turns back to the group. "They say cats always land on their feet, guess we should find out if that's true, eh?" He'll step to the edge and take a deep breath to center himself, ready to jump to the ground below.

Finn hesitates for a few moments— adrenaline pumping through his veins— to see if anyone will stop him or has a better idea how to get down.

Ok maybe I was being a little dramatic with the cliff thing. It’s no more than a height of about 10 feet.

Seraphine looks around at her dramatically changed surroundings, taking a deep breath to steady herself. She had prepared for this moment, but the reality of being so small is still disorienting.

She takes a moment to gather her thoughts and assess their situation. Recalling Rezlin's instructions and the size of the flagstone, she tries to remember the approximate size of a flower stem before they shrank (Intelligence check: 21). With a determined look, she approaches a nearby flower stalk, placing her hand against it to gauge their new size. "Rezlin said three inches, but we might be even smaller. You may be right, Aralin. Stay vigilant," she announces to the group, her voice steady despite the strange sensation of hearing it in such a vast space.

Seraphine turns to her companions, "Alright, everyone, let's regroup and stay close. Our first objective is to find the creatures and gather the reagents without causing harm. Finn, hold on a moment. We need to find a safer way down. There might be a more gentle slope or a way to climb down without risking injury. I brought a rope, I think," she says with a hint of doubt in her voice, checking her backpack and uncoiling the rope from its side. "Perhaps, you can help us to climb down with this and then follow? It looks like you can climb well with those paws of yours, or did the cat hurt you too much?" Additionally, she scans the area for any natural ramps or paths that might provide an easier descent from their current perch.

"Keep an eye out for any signs of the creatures we need. The sooner we find them, the sooner we can hide and sit it out without being so exposed," she adds, glancing worriedly at the sky and gripping her shield firmly. She feels the weight of leadership but remains resolute. "We'll face whatever comes together. Let's move carefully and make sure we communicate constantly. If anyone sees something unusual or dangerous, speak up immediately."

Quote from T0dd0 >>

Ok maybe I was being a little dramatic with the cliff thing. It’s no more than a height of about 10 feet.

(I missed that before I posted, but I guess it doesn't really matter. While I'm typing I often forget to reload the page in a new tab to see if there is anything new...)

Seraphine carefully studies the flagstone and flowers and is able to accurately estimate her new height to be less than one inch tall. Significantly smaller than what was promised.

Aralin, thinking back to what he knows about magic potions, is unsettled. Something doesn’t quite add up. It would take someone of advanced skill to make a potion of this complexity. Also, the magic is not such that different measurements of ingredients will produce different amounts of shrinking - it’s more of an analog success rate: either the potion works, or it doesn’t. To achieve a different amount of shrinking would be a completely different potion.

Finn will back away from the edge, realizing jumping might have been a bit impulsive. He perks up at the plan, "Ten feet is an easy climb for me! I like your teamwork plan Seraphine, but with one tweak. I'm not all that strong, three of you might be a lot one after the other." Finn tries to flex, but under the fur outer layer you can tell he's rather lithe. His physique is built from agility, not raw strength.

He points to the elf, "Aralin looks well built, why don't Seraphine and Valerian climb down the rope while Aralin anchors it around himself. I'll do the same for Aralin so he can get down, and then climbing down this wall won't be an issue for me."

As Finn is pointing to the 'elf', suggesting he be the anchor. Aralin walks up to Finn hands on hips and says; "Im not 'just' an Elf Master Finn I'm feywild!". He takes some rope from his backpack and mumbles to himself, "I'm no common elf", and looks for a suitable anchor spot to hold himself firm. 

Once he's found a suit spot. Aralin stands before the company and says: "Right, as I and Master Finn get ready, the rest of you get yourselves organised, once your ready, me and Finn will hold firm here and you should be OK to get down the side" 

[OOC: *Just playing my Eldarin character ,who does see themselves as different and bit uperty!].

Seraphine comments to the others, "We're much smaller than expected, a mere inch instead of three. Something must have gone awry. Perhaps, old Rezlin thought our constitution is stronger than his own and he gave us too much of that cocktail? We've got to be double careful now, everything will be three times bigger than we thought originally. I'm even unsure if we should wait it out and tell Rezlin that something went wrong with his mixture and that we shrank too much, and that we can try again tomorrow. Who knows which other unexpected effects will be in store for us."

She shrugs, "Well, if you all want to go forward anyway, we can do as you suggest, Finn." Seraphine hands the rope to Finn and Aralin and signals that she is ready to climb down. 

Completely embarrassed, you swear you can almost see color flush Finn's white furred cheeks. He begins to stammer, "Oh gosh mister... master... Aralin, m-my apologies. We didn't get anyone from the Fewywild in the fighting pits! Always too smart to be caught or too dangerous to fight." He'll stick out his paw, momentarily letting go of the rope, "Nice to meet you!" Then he'll quickly re-grasp the rope, realizing it's slipping with Seraphine on the other end, before getting the chance to complete the handshake.

Finn gets more embarrassed and his ears lay back flat, and he chooses to focus on his job. He tries not to think too hard about the fact the rope they're holding is thinner than a normal boot string and they are tinier than the bees they saw earlier and the heat from the flagstone in the sun feels like it's cooking him alive. Okay, maybe that last part is just the flustered feelings heating him from the inside.

[OOC: It's fun RP! Love it :) ]

Seraphine begins her descent as Aralin and Finn secure the rope. As she climbs down, Finn lets go of the rope momentarily to offer a handshake to Aralin. The rope slips, causing Seraphine to jolt, but she quickly regains her grip and continues.

Once she reaches the ground, she comments, "Ok! I'm down." She signals for the others to follow, ready to assist if needed, and mutters to herself, "Kiaransalee, what a dark challenge have you send my way."

Finn offers a handshake to Aralin who accepts it saying a bit nicer this time: "Master Finn, when this is over, let's meet at a tavern of your choice, I'd like to hear more about these fighting pits! And maybe I can tell you some interesting stories about the feywild ... deal?"

Aralin looks over the edge and says to Finn: "OK, Seraphine's down, where's Val?"

Valerian feels far more hesitant than he would like. Unexpected variables made for the worst obstacles and being far shorter than three inches was definitely unexpected. Wallowing in his worries, Valerian listened in as a concise plan was made to deal with their current situation. 

He and Seraphine would climb down first, followed by Aralin and then Finn. Even as Seraphine climbed down, Valerian tried to steel himself towards the task but once she reached the ground, he still wasn't sure if he would be safe through all this. 

Aralin and Finn seemed to be watching him, seemingly unworried about the possibility that he might just fall off. Shaking his head to himself, Valerian brings his attention them and smiles, "You both seem to have far more faith in me than I do."

Reaching forward, he grabs onto the rope and lowers himself down slowly. Turning down to see Seraphine, he says with humour, "Catch me if I slip, Seraphine!" Focusing on being slow and steady, Valerian makes his way down the rope, sighing with relief at solid ground beneath his feet after a few moments.

(OOC: unless we have to roll to see if we make it down?)

You all make it down the flagstone!

Before you stretches a flower forest. Various fragrances drift on the air. Blades of grass and small weeds have now become major obstacles bigger than you. The smallest pebble is a boulder to circumvent. What is your next goal?

With everyone safely down, she surveys the vast flower forest before them. The towering stems and petals create an overwhelming and disorienting landscape. Taking a deep breath, she tries to center herself, murmuring a silent prayer to Kiaransalee for guidance. "Kiaransalee, illuminate our path through this unnatural forest," she whispers. The goddess of vengeance and death may not seem the ideal patron for such a quest, but Seraphine trusts in her power to navigate the unknown.

She turns to her companions, trying to mask her uncertainty. “Alright, team. We need to stay vigilant and stick together. Our objective is to find the mouse and the mole, gain their trust, and gather the reagents without harm. It won’t be easy. We’re much smaller than anticipated, and everything here is three times more daunting than we thought.” Seraphine glances around at the vast, transformed world and wonders aloud, “How will we even communicate with these creatures? What if they see us as threats or worse, food?” There are so many questions that she feels they should have asked Rezlin before they embark but that is too late now, isn't it? She steels herself, feeling the weight of leadership heavy on her shoulders but determined not to falter. “Let’s move. We’ll face whatever comes together. Stay close, and stay ready. But... does anyone has an idea which way we should go?”

Watching the small blades of grass under his feet turn into a tall maze ahead of them, Valerian is unnerved. But he calmed himself by listing out their options in his head, they would revert back in eight hours either way. All they needed to do was stay away from becoming animal food and most importantly, stay together. Glancing at the rope, Finn was holding from their climb down, Valerian suggests, "Let's all hold onto the rope, it would be far more distressing lost in this miniature form alone."

As to Seraphine's final question, Valerian realizes that it would be far worse to wander into the tall grass forest without an end at sight so he looks back to see where the oak tree they left from is behind them. Then he looks around to see what other plants and parts of the garden he can see that differ from the uniform forest ahead. (Perception check: 17)

After deftly scrambling down the flagstone, Finn hands the rope back to Kesili. "Well," he says looking around, "perhaps at this height, the sound of a mouse or a mole will sound like the steps of a giant. Or maybe look like one." Finn will pause and listen to his surroundings for a moment: he smells the air, feels the breeze, and listens for what might be in the forrest of flowers before them. Perception: 7

Then he'll look in his immediate surroundings to see if there are any foot prints that might be from a small, well now quite large, mammal. Investigation: 13

"I like that idea Valerian," Finn will say as he reaches back out to grab a length of rope, he offers to take the front position as well.

Quote from brianad1721 >>

After deftly scrambling down the flagstone, Finn hands the rope back to Kesili. "Well," he says looking around, "perhaps at this height, the sound of a mouse or a mole will sound like the steps of a giant. Or maybe look like one." Finn will pause and listen to his surroundings for a moment: he smells the air, feels the breeze, and listens for what might be in the forrest of flowers before them. Perception: 22

Then he'll look in his immediate surroundings to see if there are any foot prints that might be from a small, well now quite large, mammal. Investigation: 21

"I like that idea Valerian," Finn will say as he reaches back out to grab a length of rope, he offers to take the front position as well.

 (Those rolls went crazy lol, hope I'm not using up all my luck now !)

Valerian is able to orient to the oak tree, now a vague colossus in the distant sky.

Nearer to hand he notices a few of the flowers seem to have a strange hue - nature check?

Finn peers into the strange multicolor shade of the flower forest and can identify some activity. He sees a few ants scrambling over and about a large stone, more than 100 feet away. The ants seem interested in something on the other side of the stone.

From this distance, and still getting accustomed to your new proportions, it’s a little difficult to tell just how big the ants are. They don’t seem bigger than you. You estimate them to be dog-sized to you.

Trying not to get too disoriented by the sudden change in proportions, Valerian grabs the rope behind Finn, now second in order and takes a few steps to observe the strangely coloured flowers. (Nature check: 12)

"I'm glad we won't have to worry about being trampled but hungry ants. I'm less sure about the mice and moles." Valerian tries to ignore his growing worry.