Wysp's New Groove

 The Wiz shakes his head, causing a curious rattling to be heard from within as he thinks on who this Henry Sargasso might be.

OOC: History Check 22!

Henry Sargasso, a daring cartographer of the uncharted seas, believed he had mapped every danger the world could offer until the day his vessel caught the trade winds of a forgotten archipelago. There, in a kingdom hidden by towering sea cliffs, he met Princess Ala'ihi, a royal whose grace was as fierce as the ocean tides. Henry was utterly captivated by her brilliant mind and independent spirit, while Ala'ihi found herself drawn to the stranger’s tales of distant worlds and horizons unbound by courtly duty. For one fleeting summer, they stole moments away from the palace guards, sharing whispers under the shadow of the ancient banyan trees and mapping out a future together that defied the rigid boundaries of her birthright.

Yet, love born in the shadows rarely survives the harsh light of a kingdom’s expectations. When the King discovered their secret courtship, he deemed Henry a reckless interloper and demanded Ala'ihi marry a neighboring warlord to secure a vital naval alliance. Heartbroken but fiercely protective of Henry’s life, the princess begged him to flee before the royal guard could track him down. On a night thick with storm clouds, Henry stood at the helm of his ship, looking back one last time at the high cliffs where Princess Ala'ihi watched from her balcony, a solitary figure illuminated by lightning. He sailed away into the dark, leaving behind the only treasure he had ever truly wanted to keep, condemned to spend the rest of his days mapping a world that felt entirely empty without her. 

 The Wiz communicates all this with perfect clarity, thanks to the party's by now well-developed ability to read between the lines of what The Wiz says. "He's like, a really really good map guy."

Alexia sighs. "Wow. Is this dungeon really just some demon's secret prison? It seems like there are a lot of people who made bargains with them down here." She looks to the rest of the party. "I guess we could free another poor unfortunate soul. Anyone have objections?"

"I love it. Be free, man. Make those maps. Get the girl. Fight. WIN!" The Wiz pumps his fist enthusiastically. 

OOC: Persuasion Check 14

"Yeah well I would love to walk out of here but I'm not allowed to let anybody pass."

"Not even me?" The Wiz asks in shocked disbelief. "Oh wait! Hang on."

The Wiz sits himself down on the ground and pulls from his pocket some bottlecaps and gumstick wrappers and casts them about in a circle made from shoelaces. "Do your thing but please, be chill for a moment."

OOC: Ritual casting Augury with the intention of trying to convince Henry to abandon his post and choose love - to return to Princess Ala'ihi right now. 

The Wiz hears a voice in his head that says, "Whoa!"

"Dude... Bummer." He says quietly. Then to Henry he says much louder. "Hey man, whatever it was I said before, you should forget it just like I do. I mostly just say stuff without thinking. You should try it. Right now actually. Whatever it was that you said to us before, forget it. Life is just happier that way." The Wiz gathers up his divination trash and begins to walk forward. 

"Hey man, you cannot pass."

"Why can't you let anyone pass?"

"That's the job dear. A bonus to my already amazing attractiveness," he preens, running his fingers through his long dark hair. "in exchange for 5 years of service."

"Don't let anybody, even you fine folk, get past me." 

"Could you BE more melodratical?!" the halfling calls out. "No woman is worth 5 years of service! What a joke!"

You see anger cross Henry's features and the water begins to have active waves.

"Hey hey hey now. There is no need to make a splash." The Wiz says stopping short on Henry's command. "We've got to go that way, so that means there must be something you would like that we can provide. That's just how the rules work. So, can I interest you in anything?" He opens his backpack. "I have rope and, uh, a lamp. Hmmm..." He roots around in the entirely disorganized bag then asks the others. "Didn't we have some cookies?" Bringing his attention back to Henry, he points at Henry's abs. "When's the last time you had some cookies? I know you didn't get a figure like that while on carbs. But these are magical and don't add to the waistline. Tempting, no? We won't tell anyone, about the cookies or letting us pass. I think that's a pretty sweet deal."

"You think that being slightly more attractive is going to make a difference in getting that princess to marry you?" Alexia seems shocked that Henry paid 5 years for so little. "All you have to do is go back to your one true love and ask her to run away with you. Then, you both can sail off into the sunset or whatever you want. No need to stay here and waste your time guarding a passage that probably leads to nothing."

Persuasion check: 23

The Wiz whispers to Alexia, "Whoa. I got a whoa when I was thinking of this plan. Something tells me it wasn't like, 'whoa!' and it was more like 'whoa'."

"Sorry lady, I made a deal. And well demon princes don't do well when you shaft them on a deal. Cookies sound good though!"

"If I see you go through that doorway" He waves at the doorway behind him, "I'll get in trouble. That's just how it goes."Henry shrugs his massive muscle shoulders.

"Oh is that all?!" The Wiz says with excitement. "What if you don't see us go through that doorway? Lights out!"

The Wiz casts Darkness covering Henry and if possible, the doorway. "Let's move!" The Wiz calls out and immediately runs forward at full speed toward what he hopes is a doorway and not a wall. 

The Wiz rushes forward, pac-pac-splish-splish-*SPLOOSH!* as he transitions from dryish ground to shallow water to deep water. In the spirit of awesome he keeps moving forward until he hits the far wall and steps to the doorway.

"Hey now that's rude! I can't see a thing!" Henry calls out.

"A good thing too! Who would want to look at your ugly mug!?"

"What are the rest of you waiting for?! I'm like, a genius!" The Wiz trumpets to the group. 

With a sigh, Ember will flit as fast as he can.  (movement 'flit' + dash 'flit' ) if necessary to cover the distance.