Taran adjusts his goggles, making sure they were secure. With the night lit up in shades of blue, he thought for a moment before coming to his decision.

"Th-The r-rest of you k-keep h-heading to th-the z-z-zone. I-I'll c-c-cover our tr-tracks, i-it sh-shouldn't b-be t-t-too d-dangerous un-until w-we g-get t-t-to the b-b-border, th-then I'll s-switch and t-t-take p-point."

Vishal shakes his head and quietly says, “Take point, Akuma’s spell already erases our tracks. I’ll be close to Shialli in case she becomes possessed. Lets get to the manifest zone they won’t follow us there.” 

"A-all r-right," Taran starts heading off into the darkness, "d-d-didn't kn-know h-how m-much longer we had. W-We sh-should be f-fast th-though. Sp-speed is m-more important r-right now."

You head for the Verge, which is about a day and a half's travel away. After some travel, you rest around sunrise, Shiaali choosing to stay awake to make it harder for Aaktavi to possess her while they are on the wrong side of the border.

OOC: Everyone can take a long rest.

5

As you are packing up camp and getting ready to move on, Shiaali suddenly falls to her knees with a strangled scream, clutching her head.

OOC: You get one round to stop her from being possessed before combat begins.

Vishal pulls out the scroll of Protection from Evil and Good and starts to cast it on Shiaali telling the others as he does, "Be prepared to gag and restrain her." As the magic starts to take hold. 

Shiaali's cry fades as Vishal's magic sinks in, and she stays on her knees for a moment, panting heavily. "Thank you. Aaktavi is gone, for now."

Taran puts away the rope and gag that he had started drawing.

"Th-That w-w-wasn't a-as b-b-bad as I w-w-was e-expecting. T-Took them n-nearly the d-d-day to tr-try that." Taran shoulders his pack, "W-We n-need to k-keep m-moving, hope that th-the V-Verge h-helps hide you. W-We c-could u-use another c-concealment, Miss Akuma, th-they m-may find the c-camp site, b-but n-not kn-knowing where w-we w-went w-will g-give us an ad-advantage."

Akuma tilts her head, studying Shiaali for a long moment before looking towards Taran. "I can certainly give us a few hours of concealment like yesterday. At least, if we think that will help and we wont get into any difficult fights. It does use quite a bit of my energy to control the shadows."

"I-Ideally? Th-This w-will pr-prevent th-them fr-from c-catching u-up w-with us." Taran says, keeping an eye on the horizon as the rest of the team gathers their things, "B-But wh-whether th-they f-find us an-anyways, or i-if w-w-we f-face m-monsters in th-the V-Verge, I-I can't s-s-say."

Vishal thinks for a moment before saying, “Do it for right now. Once we have another days distance I’d feel good enough to not use the whole town.” 

You keep going, resting briefly to recharge Akuma's ki after three hours of PWT. The land gets ever dustier and drier as the efforts of Riedra to tame the Syrk desert gradually fail. But as the day draws on, the horizon turns green again, revealing a verdant island within a sea of parched earth. As you near the Verge at sunset, its impossible scale becomes clear. Trees rise hundreds of feet above the otherwise-flat grasslands, dominating the sky much like the peaks of Adar. Roots and vines tangle through the forest floor, some as small as needles, others dwarfing even the walls of Borutesh. The thick canopy blocks much of the light, and along with the damp and rotting vegetation, you smell smoke, ash, petrichor, and winter pine.

OOC: Okay, let's review a few things about the Verge. First, planar effects! The Tangled Verge has the following properties:

Extended Primal Magic: When you cast a ranger or druid spell that has a duration of 1 minute or longer, the duration is doubled (to a maximum duration of 24 hours).

Nature’s Gift: All living creatures that spend more than one hour within the Tangled Verge know the druidcraft cantrip. They gain an innate understanding of how to cast this cantrip. Creatures lose this ability immediately on leaving the Verge.

Next up, navigation. I need a DC 16 Wisdom (Survival) check from everyone in the group to get to the other side of the Tangled Verge. Yes, you may help and otherwise buff each other. No, you may not choose one person to roll for you.

Okay, roleplay away and toss up those rolls when you are ready to move to the next thing.

Taran relaxes (as much as he ever does) as the Verge comes into sight. Turning around, he addresses the group, not letting his eyes linger on Shiaali even though the rest of the group would have briefed on some of this before.

"O-Okay, th-the m-manifest z-zone is j-just ahead. I've n-never b-b-been in th-this z-zone b-before, b-but I h-h-have been in a Lamannian zone. F-First r-rule, d-d-don't st-stand a-and f-f-fight un-unless th-there is n-no other ch-choice. L-Lamannian b-beasts c-can gr-grow s-sixty or s-seventy f-feet t-tall. A st-stampede c-can k-kill y-you e-even if th-they h-have n-no idea y-you are th-there. S-Secondly, d-don't t-touch an-anything br-brightly c-colored un-unless y-you kn-know what it is. Br-bright c-colors a-are w-warnings, m-most r-red fr-fruits or fl-flowers a-are p-poisonous. Th-thirdly, k-keep y-your e-eyes on the sh-shadows and the c-canopy. Th-The b-b-biggest th-threat is l-likely am-ambush pr-predators, and th-that is wh-where they w-will strike from. F-Finally, i-if you th-think you s-see something d-don't w-wait to c-confirm. C-Call out and m-move to g-get y-your b-back against s-safety."

Taran looks over his shoulder at the Verge, adjusting his goggles, "An-Any q-questions or c-concerns?"

“Will this place burn if I cast my magic here?” Vishal asks before saying, “Akuma I think we’re good with the shadows if you want to reserve your energy.” 

 "Y-Yes, es-especially if you get the un-underbrush and it is th-thick." Taran answers, "But d-don't expect t-to b-burn the wh-whole thing, or th-that w-we won't g-g-get a lot of a-attention if we do. S-Some of the pl-plants m-maybe a-alive and b-burning th-them will c-cause a r-ruckus. Wh-which br-brings pr-predators... or s-signals th-the enemy wh-where we are."

 Survival: 23

Survival: 8

"I have found the Run and Hide strategy to be extremely effective when dealing with the extraplanar." Caelius signs, "But we want to stay near the manifest zone, lest we get pulled into Lamannia proper."

Survival: 18

Akuma gives a simple nod, eyes skeptically looking around them as the shadows retract back into her flamed arms and she prepares to move forward.

Survival (at adv): 18

D4 if guidance: 4

Survival: 8 (Rolled in Discord because DDB wouldn't let me -- 2/3 + 4 + 1)

(Ok, that is not a majority pass, lol, no matter what Shiaali rolls)

You start into the manifest zone, struggling against the undergrowth more or less from the start. Finally, after hours of fighting the terrain, you find yourselves in something like a clearing. Though the ground is still carpeted with tangled roots, the canopy gives way to unhindered sunlight. At the center, a stone statue emerges from the vines: a coiled serpent with feathered wings towers forty feet, its head bowed in prayer.

The moon is high overhead, and exhaustion is tugging at all of you. This is the first place you've seen where you can even roll out your bedrolls since entering the Verge--it's probably your best bet for camping tonight.