"Wait, Wait, Did anyone else notice the zombie guys ignored Sera once they could see that cult symbol?" *Merkas pulls the bundle of robes off his back and opens them up "Here, um Has, Ory, Sharn, you each take one of these symbols, and then, If the Great Magus would deign to, they and I can wear one of the robes each, I will have to tie it up, oh I could wear this one the was from the poor portal guy, it got cut at just the right length!" Merkas quickly hands out the items as the group moves forward, once everyone has their stuff he gets out of the way so the searchers can see properly.
"So Ory is right, we best get moving fast, Mister Magus, we would greatly appreciate your presence, so long as you are willing that is" The kender is still wide eyed at having such a honoured, and powerful one among him and his group; As they hurry through the area he asks questions, only half expecting answers "But I have question, what makes this sewer system worth your continued presence? Are the mud and Ants..." Merkas Shudders at the word "that important in Santehk that they need their own magus? How hard is it to navigate with antlers? It always seemed strange that animals with large antlers could just run through a forest without getting stuck between trees. I once saw a large moose do it and they turned sideways and seemed to just push all the branches out of the way, is that how you do it? And the lightning on your fingers, can youjust turn that on and off whenever you want?" During his verbal deluge, Merkas is scanning the halls as they move, remembering the different things that were set up in the graveyard and the trap door in the mausoleum. (Arcana - 13/ Investigation - 11)
"hell we're living in. But still, if it's that important to you, keep it. Just make sure you bring back someone who actually wants to be brought back." Ororana said.
Sharn smiled. The expression somehow came off pitiful, despite how normal it was to see it on the dwarf's face. How right she was but ...
"Sometimes life comes to us and we're not given a choice Ororana. From dust to dust, and to make it worse we can never chose when the dust settles."
Sharn accepted the amulet from Merkas. "I don't much like the trinket, but it's a good idea to wield it temporarily. Let's just make sure we discard it after it's no longer useful. Which way shall we press onto?"
"Hrm?" Nare turned their head over back at Sera once she makes it known that she was still talking. The harengon had been momentarily distracted by the arrival of zombies that the response of hitting back made Nare dry swallow. "Understood." The sparks danced evenly across their furry fingers.
While the zombies slowly made shuffled through, the dwarf made himself known, apologizing for the intrusion on their home. "Oh? No, no it is of no big deal. Sorry... for my intrusion on your battle. I- I just heard the noises and... I came."Now it was Ne'haredowell's turn to shuffle with their feet. "Neither did I, had I known. This isn't really my permanent home. This is more a... temporary."They do a little scale gesture with their hands, trying to be funny. They try to smile slightly under the mask over at Sera, but can't find the heart to do it. Their eyes wander over to her sun blade gleaming in the dark. "It is okay. I-"
They nod at Sharn's suggestion against the zombies with an "Of course,"this time putting on a full smile. That is, until the onslaught of questions comes from Merkas. Their eyes zig-zag back and forth from the zombies in question over to the fast-talking kender. "Yes, ra-"They start with almost a sigh and a twinge at their neck. No time to correct that while rabbits and hares were of a similar species, actually his ancestry comes more from hares, which are born precocial with- Their eyes widen as Merkas continues. The antlers scrape against the ceiling stones.
"No- I- I- uh... guess." They stand up a bit and stare at the top of their mask while still wearing it. They found this deer skull on the way somewhere someplace... and just thought it looked cool, so they picked it up... and kept it. They never would have thought it would become part of their attire one day, especially not permanently. The mouse living in between their cloak skitters up towards the top of the neck, making Nare slightly itch. They pick at the top of the gauze on their right shoulder. Huh... They never thought it that way before. "A moose?" They stare wordlessly at the kender. They've never been talked about this much before. Lesser so even praised in their life! They wanted to thank him. Thank him profusely. Pick him up and say 'I am not what you think I am, but sure wow continue'! Yet they stand there near silently until Merkas introduces himself. And so did Sharn too earlier- Wait-
After a couple of awkward seconds:
"I am Nare, The Ne'haredowell, the ne'erdowell."They chuckle slightly, finally having gotten their introduction right. "And you are..."Right, he already introduced himself. "A very interesting kender." They turn to Merkas with a tilt in their head, closing their eyes slightly to feel the magic radiating off the small kender. It feels homey. They blink out of their stupor once Sera mentions turning undead. The shadows around Nare stiffen.
'Ah, a cleric.'They should have paid much more thought in the warning about the sun blade earlier.
"You don't like ants?" is all they had to say (quietly) when suddenly the sun blade suddenly goes down and slices through a stumbling zombie. First the shield, and then the blade. But all Nare could see was the blinding light from the sword's glimmer. The sparks in Nare's hand flicker. A burned in image of the cult symbol leaves afterimages in their eye. 'Why did it-?'
The dirty-looking elf sinks her axe into another one, reverberating it off the walls, and leaving there another corpse of a corpse. Wow. Nare can't help but look impressed. They stare at the glimmering diamond before turning to face the wall. If there is more dangers like this, then they should leave a trail of where to go back in case they can't find the exit. Nare makes a small mark on the wall with one of their daggers to remember which way they came.
((Survial: 1 lmao they did nothing to notice that the zombies were collectable))
Though they heard the sounds of bones and body parts being put into a glass mason jar, when they turn back, they are once again hit by another bright shining light... and all the pieces were gone. Their ear twitches. They felt like they might have needed that, but it didn't matter now. What mattered now, just like the cleric had said, the souls were gone. No longer left to wander. Nare's shadows swirl. "They’ve moved on.."
They wonder how it would have been like if they had been given that chance.
And they also read the tension in the room, realizing it was much better they hadn't grabbed at any of the bones like their talkative kender friend did. The words of the head-collector elf really struck out at them. They stand back.
"Oh?" They knew better than to turn and to look around everywhere but themselves, but they couldn't say they weren't tempted to. They put their hand at the back their neck, scratching it. The mouse scampers from their neck down their spine. "Sorry, will do. Won't. Won't electrocute you."
"Yeah that was strange... They didn't go." Nare agrees with Merkas' observation, speaking with him at the same time. They don't fully register that they are 'The Great Magus' until a little too late are already handed an item. "Wow, thank you."
"Of course! I do not mind.." Nare looks to the rest of the group, unsure both of their presence in it and if the kender's way of speaking was typical. Again, they ask. "You don't like ants?" This time slightly louder, just to choke on the incoming avalanche of questions.
"I'm not- I don't think- I can take it of- It...it can be a bit heavy sometimes, yeah. Whoa really? Yeah I think I once saw-" They try to follow along with Merkas' questions until they realize it might be better to ride out the storm than to push (even alongside) it. Their head swirls with thoughts of both delusion granduer and pessimism. 'I've never been anything Great before..'
Nare does a little sparking thing with their fingers to demonstrate with a smile. Until again, they realize Merkas' mind might be somewhere else as he looks around the hall. So, Nare decides to help out on that front as well.
Moving over to the dwarf's side, Nare agrees with the rest of the party. "A door is one way."
Sera gave Merkas a grateful nod as he passed around the symbols of Sargonnas. The weight of recent events had shaken her more than she admitted, and the task grounded her again.
She leaned down beside the second pile of scorched remains, sifting gently through the ash. Her gauntlet brushed against something cool—something smooth. A faint glint caught her eye.
A gem.
Brilliant. Untouched by flame or decay. Possibly a focus used to animate or control the corpses.
She held it up to the light briefly, then turned and placed it in Ororana’s hand. “To replace the potion you used,” she said quietly. “Things are happening too fast right now, but maybe once we get a moment’s peace, we can brew some replacements.”
She gave the elf a faint smile, then turned to the newcomer.
The haregon—Nare—stood amid the others, now properly lit in the glow of their magic. Sera tilted her head, studying him. Her voice was calm, deliberate.
“I am Sera Uth Darnon, of Solamnia.”
She left the rest to Merkas. He and Nare shared that same scattered, chaotic way of speaking that left her ears ringing. She imagined the two of them at a campfire, trading theories and weird jokes until dawn.
By Paladine, she’d need a helmet just to survive the noise.
She exhaled a long-suffering sigh, turning toward the corridor ahead. A dark metal door loomed at the far end.
“Hey... anyone remember how Ororana got a fire trap to the face last time we opened one of these?” she asked, glancing around.
Then she held her holy symbol, whispering a quiet plea.
“Paladine, guide the hands of the one who checks that door… because I’d rather not be scraping fried elf off the walls again.”
Hastos says “ I guess that’s me. Everyone might want to stand back a bit.” Hastos moves towards the door…
The door swings open with ease. It's a small chamber with another wheel-crank inside it. It appears to be some kind of safety cutoff in case the sewers flood. The room is water-tight, with a vent leading up to another exit from the sewers. There is a single, unlit torch on a sconce along the southern wall. The crank is tightly turned to the right, preventing any water from getting to this part of the sewer. While the room seems to be visited regularly, the crank appears to have been unused for some time.
Glancing at the room and floor, Merkas says "What's with this strange room that people come in and out of but don't turn that wheel, Nice to have a breath of fresh air though"He enters the roomexamining the wheel and unlit torch, reaching a hand up to touch the burnt end to check for heat, after which he attempts to pull or twist the torch and sconce as he rattles on a bit. "Y'know, now that there are six of us we could split up, three of us go one way and three of us another, that way we can find whats going on quicker, I could send you a message or something, My sister helped me talk to Gramma earlier."
Sera sighed, frustrated. “That’s a whole lot of nothing.”
Time was slipping through their fingers. If that last cultist had slipped deeper into the crypts, they needed to move faster. When Merkas suggested splitting up to cover more ground, Sera found herself nodding.
“Agreed,” she said, already turning the plan over in her mind. “In these narrow halls, half of us can’t even see what’s going on up front. Smaller teams will move faster.”
Her gaze swept the group. “Let’s try to balance things out…”
She turned her eyes toward the haregon. Nare was still an enigma—a wild card. But she had no time to waste on doubts.
“Sharn. Nare. You’re with me.”
She cast a quick look back at Hastos. Her expression said it all: Don’t go getting yourself eaten.
“We’ll loop around—backtrack and keep to the left. You lot go forward, stay to the right. If the gods are kind, we’ll meet in the middle before this place swallows anyone.”
Sera took the lead, her radiant blade lighting the way, casting dancing reflections on the damp stone.
With every careful step, she scanned the ground and walls—her senses sharp for traps or tricks.
She muttered under her breath, eyes flicking forward into the shadows.
“Please, Paladine… no shit now. Just once.” ( get only 8 on her investigation as she moves ahead )
Sera, Nare, and Sharn continue west, climbing back up onto the corridor where they encountered the ooze. You reach the end of the corridor to discover a T-intersection and another wheel crank. You don't hear any more shuffling or growling sounds, so appears that the current path is peaceful.
Map For Team SNS:
Hastos, Merkas, and Ororanas (with Ororanas taking up the rear) march east, along the waterway, which leads to an overpassing corridor with another grate. The corridor runs north, and south (apparently back towards the way you initially came in) but the waterway bends north. It's difficult to make out direction, but you definitely hear some noise up ahead. Whether they are monsters or zombies is difficult to tell, but they aren't human noises.
"Merkas-baby... why don't you get behind us." Ororana puts a guiding hand on Merkas's shoulder and steps forward while gripping her axe tightly.
Hastos says “ I guess that’s me. Everyone might want to stand back a bit.” Hastos moves towards the door…
Nare stands back when the elf says this, drawing his cloak back with a swoosh. When it appears to just be a wheel-crank inside, Nare squeezes himself in to see the blank stone walls and vent. He says nothing before slipping back in line with the queue.
Glancing at the room and floor, Merkas says "What's with this strange room that people come in and out of but don't turn that wheel, Nice to have a breath of fresh air though"He enters the roomexamining the wheel and unlit torch, reaching a hand up to touch the burnt end to check for heat, after which he attempts to pull or twist the torch and sconce as he rattles on a bit. "Y'know, now that there are six of us we could split up, three of us go one way and three of us another, that way we can find whats going on quicker, I could send you a message or something, My sister helped me talk to Gramma earlier."
Nare makes a mental note of the kender's family tree, forming his own web of imagined members, before focusing on his words. It is strange that no one touches the wheel, but everyone comes into the seemingly nowhere-else-to-go room. He nods his head though at the mention of a message.
Her gaze swept the group. “Let’s try to balance things out…”
She turned her eyes toward the haregon. Nare was still an enigma—a wild card. But she had no time to waste on doubts.
“Sharn. Nare. You’re with me.”
Nare turns to face her. Having finally taken off the sewer grate from his head seconds ago, he stands with more confidence now more than ever. Beneath his mask though, he blinks, an uncommon occurrence. Despite his previous confidence, he didn't expect to be elected to go into her team. With this and the Grand Magus thing, it's been a honor. The pride has definitely gone to his head. He nods silently, shadows rippling with glee.
“We’ll loop around—backtrack and keep to the left. You lot go forward, stay to the right. If the gods are kind, we’ll meet in the middle before this place swallows anyone.”
Sera took the lead, her radiant blade lighting the way, casting dancing reflections on the damp stone.
With every careful step, she scanned the ground and walls—her senses sharp for traps or tricks.
She muttered under her breath, eyes flicking forward into the shadows.
“Please, Paladine… no shit now. Just once.” ( get only 8 on her investigation as she moves ahead )
Wordlessly, Nare falls behind in the shadows. His eyes glance between Sera, her sword, and Sharn. They follow through the tight squeeze past the dead-dead zombies, where Nare scoops down a scrape of ashes into his pouch, back into the ooze room. Another turn. Another intersection. His ears fold against his head at Sera's distress. The symbols, the zombies, the red robes... Nare was trying to piece it all together. It rings around in his ears. "Sorry, I'm not following. Who are we following?"He asks bluntly. Then again at the sight of Sera's sun blade, he puts his arms up. "I don't know- I just guess.... I think... I know a way much faster."
Smoke drifts up from his legs to his arms as it balls up into his fists. "If you'd like, you can fly. Be a smoke cloud, that is." He turns over to Sharn. "You as well." Nare picks at the itches from underneath his gauze. Several stray pieces of fur fly loose onto the ground. "We could cover, like you said, more ground that way." His ears perk up.
"Or..." The smoke dissipates, and the harengon begins fishing through his cloak, seemingly pulling a pocketwatch out of nowhere. "You can be in two places at once."His right foot thumps against the stone floor excitedly. It was good to be back in action, especially since his old team dissolved. "Turn it. Once for 10 seconds. Another for 20. Until a whole 60." A smile widens beneath the mask. "I've tested it!"
"It basically creates an illusionary double. It can't touch or interact with anything, but you can see and hear whatever it does."Nare tilts his head, then rubs his cheek against his shoulders. It doesn't do much to dim the itch because of the mask, and he makes a mental note to take it off once it is somewhere... less intensely bright. "I can do it... But I was thinking. Two goes one way and two,"Nare nods towards the pocketwatch,"go the other...."
"What do you say?..."
In the meantime, they check the wheel-crank and the rest of the room as well as the entrance to the stairs.
Having shuffled behind Ororana, the kenders hand reaches around from behind her with one of the cultist symbols. "Sure no, problem, you really should pay attention more when we're doing things so you aren't always a step behind, even though you are at the front." The smile is very evident in his voice as he picks on his traveling companion. "You recognize the insignia on them zombies? where they a group you had worked with before? Betcha your happy you left them when you did, otherwise we would have some other strange guy traveling with us, and you might be one of the twice dead guys back there."
"Huh" Hastos mentions following the water and Merkas has a thought "Y'know that crank in the room there? Isn't it odd that a crank that seals off the water from the sewers is closed in a place that has no water? Like this whole system is really old, like in the hundreds of years but that crank didn't have that much dust on it, like it was only closed a couple months ago. You think somone closed off the water from the town to start the process of causing lots of trouble just a short time ago?"
Following along behind Ororana, he almost walks into her shapely rear end as he's looking back towards the dead end room. "But I guess following the sounds will lead us to something one way or another"
Sera moved carefully through the damp, narrow corridor, her radiant sunblade lighting their path. Her voice stayed low, but firm as she began explaining things to Nare, the haregon, who still looked like he was trying to catch up with the situation.
“We uncovered a cult of Sargonnas operating in town,” she said grimly. “And they’re tied to Terkel’s mercenaries. If the corruption reaches as high as it looks... we’re in for real trouble. One of the cultists escaped down here. We suspect he’s trying to warn the others. Rally them. Prepare for us.”
She let out a quiet sigh. So many moving pieces. So many variables. It was tempting to dwell on them—but she knew better. Worrying about what she couldn’t control only distracted her from what she could.
Focus. One step at a time.
Nare, meanwhile, had begun rattling off a strange list of magical options—turning into smoke, creating illusionary duplicates... creative, at least.
Sera blinked and paused mid-step, considering the possibilities. Then she gave a small nod.
“Keep that smoke trick in your back pocket,” she said, her voice dry. “Save it for busting us out of jail or... in case a giant slime tries to eat us again.”
She shot him a sidelong glance.
“But that illusionary double—that could actually be useful now. Sharn here have darkvision”
She glanced toward Sharn.
“will you do it?. Just split your focus—we’ll cover your body if it comes to that.”
She turned her eyes back to Nare. “Or do you see in the dark too?” she asked, lifting a curious brow.
But even as they talked, her feet kept moving. Left turns only, backtracking their way through the maze with practiced care.
No stops. No distractions. Not until they found something.
You peer around the bend in the waterway to find three bored looking zombies. The seem to be just ambling around, but don't appear to notice you. As before, they are wearing tattered Dragon Army colors and no weapons. Corpses are in high supply in this war, and no one in Santekh would miss DA troops if they were dragged off the battlefield.
As I understand it, everyone in HOM has a symbol of Sargonnas now, so the zombies have no interest in you. You don't have to roll Attack if you wish to hit them. It's an automatic hit. Just roll damage. If you wish to pass by them, they will just move out of your way.
I put a white outline around Merkas to make him more visible, since he's positioned under the grate.
Team SNS:
You turn left, head up a small stairway, and round the bend to discover another corridor that reveals an alcove with a statue of a minotaur. It seems to be well polished and new in design. Further down, you see that an open chamber with a zombie (Pink) standing in it. The corridor continues west with another zombie standing in the path.
You are all wearing a symbol of Sargonnas as well, and therefore are not under attack. Hitting a zombie is automatic success. Just roll for damage if you wish to destroy the zombies. Sorry, I forgot to resize the image when I loaded it, but I'm out of time to fix it. It should be easy enough to see as is.
Sharn looked back at Sera. "I'm not sure what an illusion of me would accomplish, but if you two want I could. Also, don't worry about my sight in the dark."
Sharn looked down the hallway. It was hard to adjust his sight past the glare of Sera's sword.
"I am not a trap person, but that statue smells like a trap. Why would it be in a narrow hallway in a sewer otherwise. If we attack, we should be careful."
Sure no, problem, you really should pay attention more when we're doing things so you aren't always a step behind, even though you are at the front." The smile is very evident in his voice as he picks on his traveling companion.
Hastos smiles at Merkas “You’re probably right!”
You recognize the insignia on them zombies? where they a group you had worked with before? Betcha your happy you left them when you did, otherwise we would have some other strange guy traveling with us, and you might be one of the twice dead guys back there."
Hastos clears his throat uncomfortably. “No.. no, the only ones I cared about were killed a long time ago.” Before Hastos could expand, Merkas continued on…
…Like this whole system is really old, like in the hundreds of years but that crank didn't have that much dust on it, like it was only closed a couple months ago. You think somone closed off the water from the town to start the process of causing lots of trouble just a short time ago?"
“You may have a point.” Hastos says inquisitively. “Perhaps once we have cleared these sewers we should come back here and see what these things do.”
“We uncovered a cult of Sargonnas operating in town,” she said grimly. “And they’re tied to Terkel’s mercenaries. If the corruption reaches as high as it looks... we’re in for real trouble. One of the cultists escaped down here. We suspect he’s trying to warn the others. Rally them. Prepare for us.”
"Tekel," Nare sucked their teeth at that name. Their ears flatten. "I see." Nare rubs the back of their neck as they follow down back to where they came. "I didn't see anybody where I was, well other than you all..." They glance down at the spot they jumped out from. "Must've been fast."
“Keep that smoke trick in your back pocket,” she said, her voice dry. “Save it for busting us out of jail or... in case a giant slime tries to eat us again.”
She shot him a sidelong glance.
“But that illusionary double—that could actually be useful now. Sharn here have darkvision”
She glanced toward Sharn.
“will you do it?. Just split your focus—we’ll cover your body if it comes to that.”
Sharn looked back at Sera. "I'm not sure what an illusion of me would accomplish, but if you two want I could. Also, don't worry about my sight in the dark."
Sharn looked down the hallway. It was hard to adjust his sight past the glare of Sera's sword.
"I am not a trap person, but that statue smells like a trap. Why would it be in a narrow hallway in a sewer otherwise. If we attack, we should be careful."
Nare nods along with what Sera is saying. "Got you." The smoke backtracks into their arm as they fiddle around with the pocket-watch. It's encased in white gold with blue and purple etched runes, trailing behind, a long silver chain, like a tail, is what follows. "Just in case, I guess. If we ever need to scout ahead? Oh! Be warned...as I am warning- telling you now.. the illusion isn't entirely controlled by you. It's semi-autonomous. Anything it does will be sent back to you like your memories." Nare slightly grimaces, though under the helmet. "It's slightly disorienting, but you get used to it."
Taking an inhale, Nare lets the pocket-watch flow into Sharn's hands, the watch-head falling first with the chain last as it dangles from Nare's claw down to Sharn like a waterfall. "Take it.... I know I just met you all, so let this be safe keeping... A sort of... insurance." The mouse on Nare's shoulder crawls out and skitters up their arm to the end of their hand. Nare flips their hand over so the mouse can scuttle onto the palm. Nare lifts the mouse up towards the deer skull and lets him rest there. "He-" Nare points to the mouse, "found it. I trust you with it."
She turned her eyes back to Nare. “Or do you see in the dark too?” she asked, lifting a curious brow.
"A lot farther than I expect sometimes," Nare nods, "Rabbit-vision. Bun-oculars." Nare giggles at their own joke, head bobbing under the skull-mask. Having seen a lot of gnomes make these sort of gadgets, they made one themselves once and labeled it as such. Nare assumes all harengon have their 120 feet of darkvision. According to a book, they once read, rabbits do.
"I am not a trap person, but that statue smells like a trap. Why would it be in a narrow hallway in a sewer otherwise. If we attack, we should be careful."
"Strange." Nare narrows their eyes. They lean forward to sniff the statue a bit before reeling their head back, instead pretending to just be inspecting it. "A statue de-colorizes when touched in the same spot. Back when I was in..." They stop themselves. As much as they don't know Nare, ... Nare doesn't really know them much either. "...They used to always touch this 'Lucky Rock.' It was actually made of bronze, but it used to be brown, but over time it became yellow. I wonder if it's like that here..."
((Religion: 8 + 2 = 10))
Nare suddenly stands way too still for a moment. No breathing. No heart beating. If you touched them, they would be icy cold to the touch (well, that was how they always were, but still). Their ears slowly rise up on edge. "Khayal bazi." They murmur to themselves before saying it out loud and turning over towards Sharn and Sera. "'Shadow play' in Gnomish."
"Or more 'puppetry.'" Nare puts their hands up and waves them around. "Wait, wait, wait, I can make much more sense. Let me just... show you-"
Nare futzes around with their cloak, drawing it up like a wing to show the 'crowd.' ('Three's a crowd, right?'). They light up the back with a small flame. "I used to be a shadow puppeteer." The mouse bites the side of the cloak to hold it up like a stag curtain. From behind the cloak, shapes form from Nare's hands. A wheel-crank and a figure opening it their hand bending in ways that shouldn't make sense as they conjure up this scene with just their left hand alone. "Why is there water... in a sewer... in a place that has a drought?" The shadow-figures change into the landscape of Sanketh, with the council building in the background and the Laughing Dwarf. Rain falls then stops. The buildings start to look like they crumble. And suddenly, slowly, a bull's horns appear out of focus in the bottom frame until it grows large enough to fill the whole scenery-
Nare drops down their cloak and rubs it off. "Sorry, that was dumb. That would take too long."
"Uh, what I'm saying is why... why are we here? Why is there a sewer with valves that could drain the water back this way when everyone's outside trying to build a damn irrigation system?" Nare looks to the other two. "There's got to be a Master Crank somewhere. If we could just find that, that is."
"But why would someone remove the water from the town? And suddenly too? Enough for it to make people think it's natural? So... how long has this been going on? Since the foundation? Can they have just not known?"
"Like, I get it. If a cult's going to bribe someone onto their team starving out the people is a good way, sure- I would too- Even in the name of helping people. What for? Are they trying to rouse up people to go fight against the Dragon Army? Vengeance demands sacrifice, after all. But if they're starving their own people, then how? If people starve, then they can't recruit no more. If everyone dies, then they fail their own test. And for what? For the sake of their own god?"
"But the thing is we can turn on the water, and they'll be frauds. But if they're frauds then anyone is suspected of treachery, then this little village we've come to protect might tear itself to pieces rather than fight the war. So yes, either way, even if we did open up the valves, and even if they did in fight each other, at least there'd still be water. But for them, all this, it will be all for nought.
"So... who's really the puppets. Us or them?"
sometimes I like to play Nare as a Funny Animal with cartoon physics
Sera blinked a few times, trying to keep up with Nare’s rapid-fire rambling. Her brow furrowed slightly.
“You talk like a waterfall in a sewer that hasn’t seen water in 300 years,” she muttered under her breath, then added more clearly, “These tunnels were abandoned after the Cataclysm—this whole place was a ruin until recently. Why would anyone set up a statue in a sewer? Seems like nonsense to me.”
She gave Sharn a glance and nodded toward the stonework he was eyeing. “I agree with you. That one there looks like a trap.”
But before anyone could react further, she spotted the movement up ahead.
Zombies. Two of them. Shuffling slowly through the corridor.
Sera narrowed her eyes. “Wait—if that is a trap, then how’d they get past it?”
A thought struck her.
“If we can’t walk past it safely, maybe they can,” she murmured. Then, raising her hand, she slipped the symbol of Sargonnas into her palm—concealed, but visible enough to serve its purpose.
She took a step forward and gave a short, sharp whistle toward the two zombies up ahead.
“Hey... look here,” she called, her voice a coaxing tone like one might use on a lost dog. “A totally non-Sargonnas-approved mortal right here... come now... be a good zombie.”
She paused mid-sentence, realizing how ridiculous it sounded, then muttered to herself: “How do necromancers talk to their creations anyway?”
She took a few slow steps backward to stay clear—just in case. ( Sera try hide her symbol untill they moved past the statue. Then she flash the symbol to stop them from attacking)
“If that thing explodes, I’d rather not be the one who gets turned into soup.”
When Sera's symbol is hidden, the zombies perk up and hiss at Sera! Their dead eys glare in rage as they scramble towards you, and you start to hear more growling and hissing sounds from the room that Zombie Pink was coming out of. Both Zombie Pink and Yellow bee-line towards Ne-haredowell, but they side-step slightly as if to go around the harengon.
But the ominous part is when the statue's head turns. It shows no interest in Nare, who still standing right by the statue. But it's lifeless metal eyes seem to be fixated on Sera. Zombie yellow is the first to blast past Nare, raising its decayed claw high for a clumsy strike! But as Sera raises her symbol of Sargonnas, it pauses and stares blankly at the symbol. It shuffles to the wall to let you pass.
The statue doesn't return to its former repose, but doesn't advance either, as if studying you...
"Wait, Wait, Did anyone else notice the zombie guys ignored Sera once they could see that cult symbol?" *Merkas pulls the bundle of robes off his back and opens them up "Here, um Has, Ory, Sharn, you each take one of these symbols, and then, If the Great Magus would deign to, they and I can wear one of the robes each, I will have to tie it up, oh I could wear this one the was from the poor portal guy, it got cut at just the right length!" Merkas quickly hands out the items as the group moves forward, once everyone has their stuff he gets out of the way so the searchers can see properly.
"So Ory is right, we best get moving fast, Mister Magus, we would greatly appreciate your presence, so long as you are willing that is" The kender is still wide eyed at having such a honoured, and powerful one among him and his group; As they hurry through the area he asks questions, only half expecting answers "But I have question, what makes this sewer system worth your continued presence? Are the mud and Ants..." Merkas Shudders at the word "that important in Santehk that they need their own magus? How hard is it to navigate with antlers? It always seemed strange that animals with large antlers could just run through a forest without getting stuck between trees. I once saw a large moose do it and they turned sideways and seemed to just push all the branches out of the way, is that how you do it? And the lightning on your fingers, can youjust turn that on and off whenever you want?" During his verbal deluge, Merkas is scanning the halls as they move, remembering the different things that were set up in the graveyard and the trap door in the mausoleum. (Arcana - 13/ Investigation - 11)
Loyalty Begets Honour
"hell we're living in. But still, if it's that important to you, keep it. Just make sure you bring back someone who actually wants to be brought back." Ororana said.
Sharn smiled. The expression somehow came off pitiful, despite how normal it was to see it on the dwarf's face. How right she was but ...
"Sometimes life comes to us and we're not given a choice Ororana. From dust to dust, and to make it worse we can never chose when the dust settles."
Sharn accepted the amulet from Merkas. "I don't much like the trinket, but it's a good idea to wield it temporarily. Let's just make sure we discard it after it's no longer useful. Which way shall we press onto?"
"Hrm?" Nare turned their head over back at Sera once she makes it known that she was still talking. The harengon had been momentarily distracted by the arrival of zombies that the response of hitting back made Nare dry swallow. "Understood." The sparks danced evenly across their furry fingers.
While the zombies slowly made shuffled through, the dwarf made himself known, apologizing for the intrusion on their home. "Oh? No, no it is of no big deal. Sorry... for my intrusion on your battle. I- I just heard the noises and... I came." Now it was Ne'haredowell's turn to shuffle with their feet. "Neither did I, had I known. This isn't really my permanent home. This is more a... temporary." They do a little scale gesture with their hands, trying to be funny. They try to smile slightly under the mask over at Sera, but can't find the heart to do it. Their eyes wander over to her sun blade gleaming in the dark. "It is okay. I-"
They nod at Sharn's suggestion against the zombies with an "Of course," this time putting on a full smile. That is, until the onslaught of questions comes from Merkas. Their eyes zig-zag back and forth from the zombies in question over to the fast-talking kender. "Yes, ra-" They start with almost a sigh and a twinge at their neck. No time to correct that while rabbits and hares were of a similar species, actually his ancestry comes more from hares, which are born precocial with- Their eyes widen as Merkas continues. The antlers scrape against the ceiling stones.
"No- I- I- uh... guess." They stand up a bit and stare at the top of their mask while still wearing it. They found this deer skull on the way somewhere someplace... and just thought it looked cool, so they picked it up... and kept it. They never would have thought it would become part of their attire one day, especially not permanently. The mouse living in between their cloak skitters up towards the top of the neck, making Nare slightly itch. They pick at the top of the gauze on their right shoulder. Huh... They never thought it that way before. "A moose?" They stare wordlessly at the kender. They've never been talked about this much before. Lesser so even praised in their life! They wanted to thank him. Thank him profusely. Pick him up and say 'I am not what you think I am, but sure wow continue'! Yet they stand there near silently until Merkas introduces himself. And so did Sharn too earlier- Wait-
After a couple of awkward seconds:
"I am Nare, The Ne'haredowell, the ne'erdowell." They chuckle slightly, finally having gotten their introduction right. "And you are..." Right, he already introduced himself. "A very interesting kender." They turn to Merkas with a tilt in their head, closing their eyes slightly to feel the magic radiating off the small kender. It feels homey. They blink out of their stupor once Sera mentions turning undead. The shadows around Nare stiffen.
'Ah, a cleric.' They should have paid much more thought in the warning about the sun blade earlier.
"You don't like ants?" is all they had to say (quietly) when suddenly the sun blade suddenly goes down and slices through a stumbling zombie. First the shield, and then the blade. But all Nare could see was the blinding light from the sword's glimmer. The sparks in Nare's hand flicker. A burned in image of the cult symbol leaves afterimages in their eye. 'Why did it-?'
The dirty-looking elf sinks her axe into another one, reverberating it off the walls, and leaving there another corpse of a corpse. Wow. Nare can't help but look impressed. They stare at the glimmering diamond before turning to face the wall. If there is more dangers like this, then they should leave a trail of where to go back in case they can't find the exit. Nare makes a small mark on the wall with one of their daggers to remember which way they came.
((Survial: 1 lmao they did nothing to notice that the zombies were collectable))
Though they heard the sounds of bones and body parts being put into a glass mason jar, when they turn back, they are once again hit by another bright shining light... and all the pieces were gone. Their ear twitches. They felt like they might have needed that, but it didn't matter now. What mattered now, just like the cleric had said, the souls were gone. No longer left to wander. Nare's shadows swirl. "They’ve moved on.."
They wonder how it would have been like if they had been given that chance.
And they also read the tension in the room, realizing it was much better they hadn't grabbed at any of the bones like their talkative kender friend did. The words of the head-collector elf really struck out at them. They stand back.
"Oh?" They knew better than to turn and to look around everywhere but themselves, but they couldn't say they weren't tempted to. They put their hand at the back their neck, scratching it. The mouse scampers from their neck down their spine. "Sorry, will do. Won't. Won't electrocute you."
"Yeah that was strange... They didn't go." Nare agrees with Merkas' observation, speaking with him at the same time. They don't fully register that they are 'The Great Magus' until a little too late are already handed an item. "Wow, thank you."
"Of course! I do not mind.." Nare looks to the rest of the group, unsure both of their presence in it and if the kender's way of speaking was typical. Again, they ask. "You don't like ants?" This time slightly louder, just to choke on the incoming avalanche of questions.
"I'm not- I don't think- I can take it of- It...it can be a bit heavy sometimes, yeah. Whoa really? Yeah I think I once saw-" They try to follow along with Merkas' questions until they realize it might be better to ride out the storm than to push (even alongside) it. Their head swirls with thoughts of both delusion granduer and pessimism. 'I've never been anything Great before..'
Nare does a little sparking thing with their fingers to demonstrate with a smile. Until again, they realize Merkas' mind might be somewhere else as he looks around the hall. So, Nare decides to help out on that front as well.
Moving over to the dwarf's side, Nare agrees with the rest of the party. "A door is one way."
<---- me irl slow reader, even slower writer easily jumpy thanks for being patient
DM: Drakkenheim Mind and Matter + Blood Secrets + What's in the Here and Now;
Player: Dragonlance
Sera gave Merkas a grateful nod as he passed around the symbols of Sargonnas. The weight of recent events had shaken her more than she admitted, and the task grounded her again.
She leaned down beside the second pile of scorched remains, sifting gently through the ash. Her gauntlet brushed against something cool—something smooth. A faint glint caught her eye.
A gem.
Brilliant. Untouched by flame or decay. Possibly a focus used to animate or control the corpses.
She held it up to the light briefly, then turned and placed it in Ororana’s hand. “To replace the potion you used,” she said quietly. “Things are happening too fast right now, but maybe once we get a moment’s peace, we can brew some replacements.”
She gave the elf a faint smile, then turned to the newcomer.
The haregon—Nare—stood amid the others, now properly lit in the glow of their magic. Sera tilted her head, studying him. Her voice was calm, deliberate.
“I am Sera Uth Darnon, of Solamnia.”
She left the rest to Merkas. He and Nare shared that same scattered, chaotic way of speaking that left her ears ringing. She imagined the two of them at a campfire, trading theories and weird jokes until dawn.
By Paladine, she’d need a helmet just to survive the noise.
She exhaled a long-suffering sigh, turning toward the corridor ahead. A dark metal door loomed at the far end.
“Hey... anyone remember how Ororana got a fire trap to the face last time we opened one of these?” she asked, glancing around.
Then she held her holy symbol, whispering a quiet plea.
“Paladine, guide the hands of the one who checks that door… because I’d rather not be scraping fried elf off the walls again.”
(give guidance to whoever inspect for traps)
Hastos says “ I guess that’s me. Everyone might want to stand back a bit.” Hastos moves towards the door…
Character: Hastos, Ibahalii Vriwhulth, the Reaper of Glory v2: IC Thread
The door swings open with ease. It's a small chamber with another wheel-crank inside it. It appears to be some kind of safety cutoff in case the sewers flood. The room is water-tight, with a vent leading up to another exit from the sewers. There is a single, unlit torch on a sconce along the southern wall. The crank is tightly turned to the right, preventing any water from getting to this part of the sewer. While the room seems to be visited regularly, the crank appears to have been unused for some time.
My DM Registry
My Campaigns:
Ibahalii Vriwhulth, the Reaper of Glory v2: IC Thread (PbP); Secrets of the Island (On Discord); Lost Mine of Phendelver (tabletop)
My Characters:
Krik-tul, Thri-kreen monk; Mme Cragmaw, Goblin Artificer; River Kuthraeann, Wood Elf Paladin
Hastos glances around the room. “Nothing. Shall we move on?”
Character: Hastos, Ibahalii Vriwhulth, the Reaper of Glory v2: IC Thread
Glancing at the room and floor, Merkas says "What's with this strange room that people come in and out of but don't turn that wheel, Nice to have a breath of fresh air though" He enters the room examining the wheel and unlit torch, reaching a hand up to touch the burnt end to check for heat, after which he attempts to pull or twist the torch and sconce as he rattles on a bit. "Y'know, now that there are six of us we could split up, three of us go one way and three of us another, that way we can find whats going on quicker, I could send you a message or something, My sister helped me talk to Gramma earlier."
Loyalty Begets Honour
Just a dusty old vent.
Sera sighed, frustrated. “That’s a whole lot of nothing.”
Time was slipping through their fingers. If that last cultist had slipped deeper into the crypts, they needed to move faster. When Merkas suggested splitting up to cover more ground, Sera found herself nodding.
“Agreed,” she said, already turning the plan over in her mind. “In these narrow halls, half of us can’t even see what’s going on up front. Smaller teams will move faster.”
Her gaze swept the group. “Let’s try to balance things out…”
She turned her eyes toward the haregon. Nare was still an enigma—a wild card. But she had no time to waste on doubts.
“Sharn. Nare. You’re with me.”
She cast a quick look back at Hastos. Her expression said it all: Don’t go getting yourself eaten.
“We’ll loop around—backtrack and keep to the left. You lot go forward, stay to the right. If the gods are kind, we’ll meet in the middle before this place swallows anyone.”
Sera took the lead, her radiant blade lighting the way, casting dancing reflections on the damp stone.
With every careful step, she scanned the ground and walls—her senses sharp for traps or tricks.
She muttered under her breath, eyes flicking forward into the shadows.
“Please, Paladine… no shit now. Just once.” ( get only 8 on her investigation as she moves ahead )
Sera, Nare, and Sharn continue west, climbing back up onto the corridor where they encountered the ooze. You reach the end of the corridor to discover a T-intersection and another wheel crank. You don't hear any more shuffling or growling sounds, so appears that the current path is peaceful.
Map For Team SNS:
Hastos, Merkas, and Ororanas (with Ororanas taking up the rear) march east, along the waterway, which leads to an overpassing corridor with another grate. The corridor runs north, and south (apparently back towards the way you initially came in) but the waterway bends north. It's difficult to make out direction, but you definitely hear some noise up ahead. Whether they are monsters or zombies is difficult to tell, but they aren't human noises.
"Merkas-baby... why don't you get behind us." Ororana puts a guiding hand on Merkas's shoulder and steps forward while gripping her axe tightly.
Map for HOM:
My DM Registry
My Campaigns:
Ibahalii Vriwhulth, the Reaper of Glory v2: IC Thread (PbP); Secrets of the Island (On Discord); Lost Mine of Phendelver (tabletop)
My Characters:
Krik-tul, Thri-kreen monk; Mme Cragmaw, Goblin Artificer; River Kuthraeann, Wood Elf Paladin
Nare stands back when the elf says this, drawing his cloak back with a swoosh. When it appears to just be a wheel-crank inside, Nare squeezes himself in to see the blank stone walls and vent. He says nothing before slipping back in line with the queue.
Nare makes a mental note of the kender's family tree, forming his own web of imagined members, before focusing on his words. It is strange that no one touches the wheel, but everyone comes into the seemingly nowhere-else-to-go room. He nods his head though at the mention of a message.
Nare turns to face her. Having finally taken off the sewer grate from his head seconds ago, he stands with more confidence now more than ever. Beneath his mask though, he blinks, an uncommon occurrence. Despite his previous confidence, he didn't expect to be elected to go into her team. With this and the Grand Magus thing, it's been a honor. The pride has definitely gone to his head. He nods silently, shadows rippling with glee.
Wordlessly, Nare falls behind in the shadows. His eyes glance between Sera, her sword, and Sharn. They follow through the tight squeeze past the dead-dead zombies, where Nare scoops down a scrape of ashes into his pouch, back into the ooze room. Another turn. Another intersection. His ears fold against his head at Sera's distress. The symbols, the zombies, the red robes... Nare was trying to piece it all together. It rings around in his ears. "Sorry, I'm not following. Who are we following?" He asks bluntly. Then again at the sight of Sera's sun blade, he puts his arms up. "I don't know- I just guess.... I think... I know a way much faster."
Smoke drifts up from his legs to his arms as it balls up into his fists. "If you'd like, you can fly. Be a smoke cloud, that is." He turns over to Sharn. "You as well." Nare picks at the itches from underneath his gauze. Several stray pieces of fur fly loose onto the ground. "We could cover, like you said, more ground that way." His ears perk up.
"Or..." The smoke dissipates, and the harengon begins fishing through his cloak, seemingly pulling a pocketwatch out of nowhere. "You can be in two places at once." His right foot thumps against the stone floor excitedly. It was good to be back in action, especially since his old team dissolved. "Turn it. Once for 10 seconds. Another for 20. Until a whole 60." A smile widens beneath the mask. "I've tested it!"
"It basically creates an illusionary double. It can't touch or interact with anything, but you can see and hear whatever it does." Nare tilts his head, then rubs his cheek against his shoulders. It doesn't do much to dim the itch because of the mask, and he makes a mental note to take it off once it is somewhere... less intensely bright. "I can do it... But I was thinking. Two goes one way and two," Nare nods towards the pocketwatch, "go the other...."
"What do you say?..."
In the meantime, they check the wheel-crank and the rest of the room as well as the entrance to the stairs.
((Investigation: 19 + 2 = 21 WOOOO!!!))
<---- me irl slow reader, even slower writer easily jumpy thanks for being patient
DM: Drakkenheim Mind and Matter + Blood Secrets + What's in the Here and Now;
Player: Dragonlance
“Hey Merkas, can I have one of those sigils you got off of those dead cultists?” Hastos asks. “Should we follow the water?”
Character: Hastos, Ibahalii Vriwhulth, the Reaper of Glory v2: IC Thread
Having shuffled behind Ororana, the kenders hand reaches around from behind her with one of the cultist symbols. "Sure no, problem, you really should pay attention more when we're doing things so you aren't always a step behind, even though you are at the front." The smile is very evident in his voice as he picks on his traveling companion. "You recognize the insignia on them zombies? where they a group you had worked with before? Betcha your happy you left them when you did, otherwise we would have some other strange guy traveling with us, and you might be one of the twice dead guys back there."
"Huh" Hastos mentions following the water and Merkas has a thought "Y'know that crank in the room there? Isn't it odd that a crank that seals off the water from the sewers is closed in a place that has no water? Like this whole system is really old, like in the hundreds of years but that crank didn't have that much dust on it, like it was only closed a couple months ago. You think somone closed off the water from the town to start the process of causing lots of trouble just a short time ago?"
Following along behind Ororana, he almost walks into her shapely rear end as he's looking back towards the dead end room. "But I guess following the sounds will lead us to something one way or another"
Loyalty Begets Honour
Sera moved carefully through the damp, narrow corridor, her radiant sunblade lighting their path. Her voice stayed low, but firm as she began explaining things to Nare, the haregon, who still looked like he was trying to catch up with the situation.
“We uncovered a cult of Sargonnas operating in town,” she said grimly. “And they’re tied to Terkel’s mercenaries. If the corruption reaches as high as it looks... we’re in for real trouble. One of the cultists escaped down here. We suspect he’s trying to warn the others. Rally them. Prepare for us.”
She let out a quiet sigh. So many moving pieces. So many variables. It was tempting to dwell on them—but she knew better. Worrying about what she couldn’t control only distracted her from what she could.
Focus. One step at a time.
Nare, meanwhile, had begun rattling off a strange list of magical options—turning into smoke, creating illusionary duplicates... creative, at least.
Sera blinked and paused mid-step, considering the possibilities. Then she gave a small nod.
“Keep that smoke trick in your back pocket,” she said, her voice dry. “Save it for busting us out of jail or... in case a giant slime tries to eat us again.”
She shot him a sidelong glance.
“But that illusionary double—that could actually be useful now. Sharn here have darkvision”
She glanced toward Sharn.
“will you do it?. Just split your focus—we’ll cover your body if it comes to that.”
She turned her eyes back to Nare. “Or do you see in the dark too?” she asked, lifting a curious brow.
But even as they talked, her feet kept moving. Left turns only, backtracking their way through the maze with practiced care.
No stops. No distractions. Not until they found something.
Team HOM:
You peer around the bend in the waterway to find three bored looking zombies. The seem to be just ambling around, but don't appear to notice you. As before, they are wearing tattered Dragon Army colors and no weapons. Corpses are in high supply in this war, and no one in Santekh would miss DA troops if they were dragged off the battlefield.
As I understand it, everyone in HOM has a symbol of Sargonnas now, so the zombies have no interest in you. You don't have to roll Attack if you wish to hit them. It's an automatic hit. Just roll damage. If you wish to pass by them, they will just move out of your way.
I put a white outline around Merkas to make him more visible, since he's positioned under the grate.
Team SNS:
You turn left, head up a small stairway, and round the bend to discover another corridor that reveals an alcove with a statue of a minotaur. It seems to be well polished and new in design. Further down, you see that an open chamber with a zombie (Pink) standing in it. The corridor continues west with another zombie standing in the path.
You are all wearing a symbol of Sargonnas as well, and therefore are not under attack. Hitting a zombie is automatic success. Just roll for damage if you wish to destroy the zombies. Sorry, I forgot to resize the image when I loaded it, but I'm out of time to fix it. It should be easy enough to see as is.
My DM Registry
My Campaigns:
Ibahalii Vriwhulth, the Reaper of Glory v2: IC Thread (PbP); Secrets of the Island (On Discord); Lost Mine of Phendelver (tabletop)
My Characters:
Krik-tul, Thri-kreen monk; Mme Cragmaw, Goblin Artificer; River Kuthraeann, Wood Elf Paladin
Sharn looked back at Sera. "I'm not sure what an illusion of me would accomplish, but if you two want I could. Also, don't worry about my sight in the dark."
Sharn looked down the hallway. It was hard to adjust his sight past the glare of Sera's sword.
"I am not a trap person, but that statue smells like a trap. Why would it be in a narrow hallway in a sewer otherwise. If we attack, we should be careful."
Hastos smiles at Merkas “You’re probably right!”
Hastos clears his throat uncomfortably. “No.. no, the only ones I cared about were killed a long time ago.” Before Hastos could expand, Merkas continued on…
“You may have a point.” Hastos says inquisitively. “Perhaps once we have cleared these sewers we should come back here and see what these things do.”
Character: Hastos, Ibahalii Vriwhulth, the Reaper of Glory v2: IC Thread
"Tekel," Nare sucked their teeth at that name. Their ears flatten. "I see." Nare rubs the back of their neck as they follow down back to where they came. "I didn't see anybody where I was, well other than you all..." They glance down at the spot they jumped out from. "Must've been fast."
Nare nods along with what Sera is saying. "Got you." The smoke backtracks into their arm as they fiddle around with the pocket-watch. It's encased in white gold with blue and purple etched runes, trailing behind, a long silver chain, like a tail, is what follows. "Just in case, I guess. If we ever need to scout ahead? Oh! Be warned...as I am warning- telling you now.. the illusion isn't entirely controlled by you. It's semi-autonomous. Anything it does will be sent back to you like your memories." Nare slightly grimaces, though under the helmet. "It's slightly disorienting, but you get used to it."
Taking an inhale, Nare lets the pocket-watch flow into Sharn's hands, the watch-head falling first with the chain last as it dangles from Nare's claw down to Sharn like a waterfall. "Take it.... I know I just met you all, so let this be safe keeping... A sort of... insurance." The mouse on Nare's shoulder crawls out and skitters up their arm to the end of their hand. Nare flips their hand over so the mouse can scuttle onto the palm. Nare lifts the mouse up towards the deer skull and lets him rest there. "He-" Nare points to the mouse, "found it. I trust you with it."
"A lot farther than I expect sometimes," Nare nods, "Rabbit-vision. Bun-oculars." Nare giggles at their own joke, head bobbing under the skull-mask. Having seen a lot of gnomes make these sort of gadgets, they made one themselves once and labeled it as such. Nare assumes all harengon have their 120 feet of darkvision. According to a book, they once read, rabbits do.
"Strange." Nare narrows their eyes. They lean forward to sniff the statue a bit before reeling their head back, instead pretending to just be inspecting it. "A statue de-colorizes when touched in the same spot. Back when I was in..." They stop themselves. As much as they don't know Nare, ... Nare doesn't really know them much either. "...They used to always touch this 'Lucky Rock.' It was actually made of bronze, but it used to be brown, but over time it became yellow. I wonder if it's like that here..."
((Religion: 8 + 2 = 10))
Nare suddenly stands way too still for a moment. No breathing. No heart beating. If you touched them, they would be icy cold to the touch (well, that was how they always were, but still). Their ears slowly rise up on edge. "Khayal bazi." They murmur to themselves before saying it out loud and turning over towards Sharn and Sera. "'Shadow play' in Gnomish."
"Or more 'puppetry.'" Nare puts their hands up and waves them around. "Wait, wait, wait, I can make much more sense. Let me just... show you-"
Nare futzes around with their cloak, drawing it up like a wing to show the 'crowd.' ('Three's a crowd, right?'). They light up the back with a small flame. "I used to be a shadow puppeteer." The mouse bites the side of the cloak to hold it up like a stag curtain. From behind the cloak, shapes form from Nare's hands. A wheel-crank and a figure opening it their hand bending in ways that shouldn't make sense as they conjure up this scene with just their left hand alone. "Why is there water... in a sewer... in a place that has a drought?" The shadow-figures change into the landscape of Sanketh, with the council building in the background and the Laughing Dwarf. Rain falls then stops. The buildings start to look like they crumble. And suddenly, slowly, a bull's horns appear out of focus in the bottom frame until it grows large enough to fill the whole scenery-
Nare drops down their cloak and rubs it off. "Sorry, that was dumb. That would take too long."
"Uh, what I'm saying is why... why are we here? Why is there a sewer with valves that could drain the water back this way when everyone's outside trying to build a damn irrigation system?" Nare looks to the other two. "There's got to be a Master Crank somewhere. If we could just find that, that is."
"But why would someone remove the water from the town? And suddenly too? Enough for it to make people think it's natural? So... how long has this been going on? Since the foundation? Can they have just not known?"
"Like, I get it. If a cult's going to bribe someone onto their team starving out the people is a good way, sure- I would too- Even in the name of helping people. What for? Are they trying to rouse up people to go fight against the Dragon Army? Vengeance demands sacrifice, after all. But if they're starving their own people, then how? If people starve, then they can't recruit no more. If everyone dies, then they fail their own test. And for what? For the sake of their own god?"
"But the thing is we can turn on the water, and they'll be frauds. But if they're frauds then anyone is suspected of treachery, then this little village we've come to protect might tear itself to pieces rather than fight the war. So yes, either way, even if we did open up the valves, and even if they did in fight each other, at least there'd still be water. But for them, all this, it will be all for nought.
"So... who's really the puppets. Us or them?"
sometimes I like to play Nare as a Funny Animal with cartoon physics
then suddenly they got philosophical
<---- me irl slow reader, even slower writer easily jumpy thanks for being patient
DM: Drakkenheim Mind and Matter + Blood Secrets + What's in the Here and Now;
Player: Dragonlance
Sera blinked a few times, trying to keep up with Nare’s rapid-fire rambling. Her brow furrowed slightly.
“You talk like a waterfall in a sewer that hasn’t seen water in 300 years,” she muttered under her breath, then added more clearly, “These tunnels were abandoned after the Cataclysm—this whole place was a ruin until recently. Why would anyone set up a statue in a sewer? Seems like nonsense to me.”
She gave Sharn a glance and nodded toward the stonework he was eyeing. “I agree with you. That one there looks like a trap.”
But before anyone could react further, she spotted the movement up ahead.
Zombies. Two of them. Shuffling slowly through the corridor.
Sera narrowed her eyes. “Wait—if that is a trap, then how’d they get past it?”
A thought struck her.
“If we can’t walk past it safely, maybe they can,” she murmured. Then, raising her hand, she slipped the symbol of Sargonnas into her palm—concealed, but visible enough to serve its purpose.
She took a step forward and gave a short, sharp whistle toward the two zombies up ahead.
“Hey... look here,” she called, her voice a coaxing tone like one might use on a lost dog. “A totally non-Sargonnas-approved mortal right here... come now... be a good zombie.”
She paused mid-sentence, realizing how ridiculous it sounded, then muttered to herself: “How do necromancers talk to their creations anyway?”
She took a few slow steps backward to stay clear—just in case. ( Sera try hide her symbol untill they moved past the statue. Then she flash the symbol to stop them from attacking)
“If that thing explodes, I’d rather not be the one who gets turned into soup.”
When Sera's symbol is hidden, the zombies perk up and hiss at Sera! Their dead eys glare in rage as they scramble towards you, and you start to hear more growling and hissing sounds from the room that Zombie Pink was coming out of. Both Zombie Pink and Yellow bee-line towards Ne-haredowell, but they side-step slightly as if to go around the harengon.
But the ominous part is when the statue's head turns. It shows no interest in Nare, who still standing right by the statue. But it's lifeless metal eyes seem to be fixated on Sera. Zombie yellow is the first to blast past Nare, raising its decayed claw high for a clumsy strike! But as Sera raises her symbol of Sargonnas, it pauses and stares blankly at the symbol. It shuffles to the wall to let you pass.
The statue doesn't return to its former repose, but doesn't advance either, as if studying you...
My DM Registry
My Campaigns:
Ibahalii Vriwhulth, the Reaper of Glory v2: IC Thread (PbP); Secrets of the Island (On Discord); Lost Mine of Phendelver (tabletop)
My Characters:
Krik-tul, Thri-kreen monk; Mme Cragmaw, Goblin Artificer; River Kuthraeann, Wood Elf Paladin