Pizazz's Ravenloft and Beyond

     “If we’re setting priorities, I think Ulthan and a place for he and his cat to hunt should come before the magical book guy…” Ketch suggests.  “If we’re going to be here we may as well make the best of it we can…”

(Is this all pretty basic D&D lore that I just haven't yet learned?)

Mordekai is fascinated with everything he learns about this place and all of the the worlds and the spaces between worlds.  He's bizarrely enjoying himself here.  "From my perspective, I don't have any urgent priorities.  I'm just getting my bearings in this bizarre place, and wouldn't mind some more adventure here.  I agree with finding Meepo some fresh...no, that's not the right word...'unfresh' allies...before tackling the Genie issue.  But I agree with Ketch that whilst we're here, if we can give Ulthan and the cat some room to roam and see some more fascinating sights, we should take the opportunity."

Ulthan pats his furs overlaying his shiny armor, looks at the sky while absentmindedly scratching the big cat's head and pipes up "hrmpfh bones place dangerous hunt there hrmpfh" then thinks about it some more "hrmpfh bone place then portal place hrmpfh". He pats the cat as he's started to do once he finishes talking. He re-adjusts his backpack again, and ensures his weapons are handy including the greatsword and giant maul, none of which used against creatures and instead only used the maul on a door.

(Sort of, Spellplague is one of the biggest and latest plot-developing events of Faerun. But we are tourists in Sigil anyway, and can allow ourselves all the ignorance of traveling gapers)

"Then let's start with that - a hunting ground for the cat with a sky above." Lionel returned to Betha. "Is there a portal to anything fitting the description? We are not very picky - as long as the sky exists and is blue, and where cat can hunt (while we are not, preferably) will do. Just to visit."

Betha nods, "For certain. If you're used to places with sky above, then that is what the Outlands will give you!  On your first visit. It does it's best to make you feel at home. Subsequent visits it'll starts changing, but it always starts out homey!"

She has everyone sign some paperwork agreeing that anything that happens is not the fault of blah blah blah sign here.  Waiver here. Thank you very much. 

The cost is 80 gold per person for the 2 hour tour, plus an addition 20 gold per person for the hunting package add on. There are some other options, such as "magical portrait of your experience" for 300 gold, or "hunt like a king" package for 200 gold per party that seems to include armor, weapons, and other equipment for the hunt.  There is a 1000 gold damage deposit for any group trip.

In the meantime, another guy comes in. This guy appears to be part celestial, he looks like a model, with blonde curly hair, golden skin, and golden eyes. He nods to Lionel in particular and then greets everyone else.  "Hi everyone. My name is Dart, and I'll be your guide to the Outlands today!  Betha has explained that you'd like the 2 hour wilderness tour with the additional hunting experience package.  Can't say I blame you. Sigil can get a little stuffy sometimes. If you can each fill out this questionnaire for me, that'd be fabulous. Once done there, we'll fit each of you with one of these bright yellow vests here. They ARE enchanted and allow you to send a message back here if anything goes wrong. Simply reach into the inside pocket here, and pull this strap. Then just say your message outloud. You have 25 words, so make them good. Try to tell us a bit of where you are, what you see around you, along with your name.  Loss or damage to the vest will come out of the damage deposit. While hunting, it's important to note that many creatures in the outlands may resemble creatures from your home world, but may in fact be heavily infused by Celestial or Abyssal, or....any other planes influences. Ensure your guide, myself, is with you to give an inspection of a potential hunting target before attacking. To fail to do so could be fatal and is mentioned in the waiver you signed. Alright, if you can all put your vests on, I can take you to the hunting package prep room!" 

He leads all of you through a back curtain and down a fairly wide staircase. On the walls along the way are magical images of groups of people, all gathered, smiling while in vastly different environments. Some are groups of gnomes in cave systems with glittering gems on the wall. Others are sea-elves in an underwater garden gathered near a massive sleeping kraken.  

Dart walks you into a basement full of hallways and doors and walks you over to a door and lets you all in.  You find a medium sized room with a twenty foot high ceiling, and benches laid out in the center. Along one wall weapons and armor of every type are hung.  There is also a back wall, through a grated fence, with what looks like even more fantastical weapons and armor.  Animal heads of strange animals adorn the walls near the ceiling. There are also several more painted portraits that are very lifelike here, showing people on hunting trips standing over a dead animal of some sort or another. There's a demon standing over a slain angelic looking horse in one photo....and an angel standing over a demonic looking elephant like creature in another. 

"These weapons are for your use during the hunting trip. Feel free to select whichever armor or weapons you like.  Nets are popular. The traps less so, for a 2 hour trip I wouldn't suggest trapping, they're better for overnight. If you want to opt for the 'Hunt like a King' package, we have weapons of magical nature back there. Note, they're all ensorcelled by a wizard and will be recalled from wherever you might get to if not returned on time."  He smiles in a kindly fashion and shrugs, "It's a common question we get." 

He then has you all sit and talks you through an apparent "safety" session.  It lasts 30 minutes and states every obvious thing you can think of about how not to stab, slice, or otherwise mutilate yourself. 

Dart opens a small closet and pulls out a leather suit of armor and adorns himself. It's colors shift and change as he straps it on. Then he pulls out a vicious looking axe with a strap and slings it over his back. Finally he pulls out a backpack, and goes through it. It seems mostly filled with first aid equipment. "The cost of any potions used during the course of healing of course are deducted from your damage deposit." 

Finally done, he looks about the group, "Alright, pick your gear, then let's get going." 

He waits for you to be ready.

     "I'm not sure we all need to go on the..." Ketch starts, thinking Ulthan and his cat may want to prowl alone, but they all seems to get swept up into the salesmanship and inevitability of it all.  "Well I guess where go we one, we go all... Might be best off that way."

     Ketch listens to the instructions and the warnings and safety session about at attentively as someone from a place called the Real World would read an EULA.  Eventually he just signs where he needs sign and nods his head when it seems expected.

     "Just out of curiosity," Ketch asks.  "These are... well, real animals we'll be hunting?  Not some kind of magical simulacra or such?  I just ask 'cause in the pictures, well it seems as if each group captured their dream target rather than whatever they came across..."

"Oh, they're quite real. We'll do our best to help you find the type of prey you are looking for." Dart confirms.

Ulthan pays his gold and has no questions, still confused over order of doing things.

Lionel felt as if he was trapped in the very meaning of the common phrase "adapt or die". He would prefer the former, of course, but merciful gods, the latter seemed much more possible. It started ... reasonably understandable - a celestial (Lionel still was not used to so many of them around, but that was a pleasant part of the life here), some signing of the contract written in small letters and shown at fast pace - bad, but not shocking. However, yellow vests stunned the young man for minutes. The brain was trying to find any reasonable equivalent of such mockery distinct dressing bound to the public events. By the end of the explanation Lionel came up with the tabards and tournaments as somewhat similar. The comparison was not particularly strong but allowed to paladin to snap out of stupor enough to follow their instructor.

The half an hour lecture he listened attentively (to his own surprise) and even regretted inability to take notes - some ways of ending one's life were quite creative and with minimal adjustment could be used during the battles. But Lionel politely refused the offered equipment - for himself and, after glancing at others - on behalf of the group too. "We hoped our one would be sufficed, not to mention, we are used to it." Securing the vest of horrendously unfitting color scheme required some help, but once everything was done, Lionel looked one last time at the picture of the bizarre demon-touched animal, shuddered (in his mind only) and declared himself ready. 

"Meepo ready." Meepo says with a shrug. He holds his ice staff in one hand and pulls his cloak around himself with the other.

Mordekai casts Disguise Self on himself over the vest, to make himself look like...himself, without the vest.  He looks at all the weapons, in some cases marvelling that people have the skills to use them effectively.  But since Mordekai doesn't have those skills and relies on others himself, he leaves them and is ready.

With everyone ready, Dart stands up and says, "Follow me."  

He guides the group out of the room and down a hallway. At some point there is what looks like an adamantine cage blocking the way. He pulls out a key and insert it into the lock. The door opens into a distinctly older looking tunnel carved out of the rock. He leads down there, after locking the gate behind you, and into an open cave. A pool of stagnant water surrounds a raised center section, with a foot wide land bridge leading to it. On the center island is an archway made of spikey melted looking silver, thin and malformed. Dart looks to the group, "Make sure you don't step in the water."  He walks half way across then turns back and says, "Otherwise your feet will get wet."  He grins and winks at Lionel, then continues. 

When he reaches the empty archway, he pulls something out of a satchel and seems to toss it through, but he uses his body to hide what it is. The inside of the portal fills with grey fog and starts to emit a low wind like howling sound.

"Alright, here we go! Uh...." he flips through the filled out forms...then looks to Ulthan, "You're first through.  Then everyone else please. I'm last." 

As each of you step through the foggy portal you find yourself walking in a dense patch of fog. After a few moments the fog around you seems to fade. Large dark shapes in the fog become to form up, until you find yourself standing in a forest, amidst your allies and Dart. 

The air is a bit cool...and the forest floor is slanted downwards. Tall pine trees stretch overhead and bush fills the forest floor. The sound of tweeting birds mixes with the refreshingly fresh air. You smell the tangy sweetness of pine sap. Down the hill from you, it looks like maybe a few hundred feet below the forest meets the edge of a lake. Through the gaps in the forest you can just catch small glimpses of the extensive water. They sky above is partly cloudy amidst the blue. 

Ulthan's cat crouches down, taking in the new environment, it's nose sniffing while it's stubby tail swishes back and forth. It creeps slowly forward, it's eyes trying to take in every bit of motion. Ulthan, like his pet, instinctively crouches partially and begins scanning the forest.  The wind blows through the forest, the trees swaying and creaking in the breeze. The sound of bits of detritus falling from above and landing amidst the forest bush keeps your eyes moving.

Dart speaks in a whisper, "So, Ulthan, was there any particular type of animal you were hoping to hunt today? We have a couple hours, so we may be able to make some good headway." 

     "This is your hunt," Ketch says to Ulthan.  "You want to just roam free with the cat, we can wait here.  Up to you.  I'm just happy seeing a normal sky again..."

     And Ketch does look up and bath in the sky and the natural seeming environment.  He may not have longed for it as much as some, but he is realizing he missed it.

"I will do my best to keep my feet dry," very seriously answered Lionel crossing the pool and stepping through the portal. "Scratch that," added he a few moments later when the lake came into view. "Who is up for a swim?" It was childish, Lionel was fully aware of it, and he did not even ask if there are monsters in there, but the real sky, the real colors, sounds and smells - all of it made an intoxicating cocktail of happiness he was going to fully embrace. "Ketch, if you are not going to dive, help me with the armor. We payed five hundred golds to let the cat stretch its paws, let's get something out of it too!"

Should Ketch (Meepo or Mordekai - Dart would surely join the hunt) agree to help, that was Lionel's plan for the next two hours, to fully enjoy a "day on the beach": swimming, diving, splashing, may be summoning the stead to ride along the shore (with more splashing). Crazy or not, but anyone is allowed to relax once in a while!

((Ketch does not swim voluntarily, but will help Lionel with his extensive armor and then stand watch...))

Ulthan says once others move in, "hrmpfh cat fast you not fast follow if want hrmpfh". Ulthan whispers to the cat, "hrmpfh hunt hrmpfh" and lets the cat choose its prey. While cat seems faster, Ulthan seems to be able to move quickly through the underbrush as if it's merely plains.

Meepo is definitely in for a swim, not so much for the hunting, so the beach works best for him regardless.

Dart glances to the group with a grin, "Alright then. The lake should be safe enough. The Outlands are a place of primal beauty. We will return here for you when we're done. In the meantime, woah...he knows how to move, ok, well....we'll return...hopefully after our successful hunt.."  

Dart glances back at the others and then begins moving through the brush. He amounts to a rhino crashing through the woods compared to the silent hunter, but Ulthan begins choosing a path and showing him the way and soon the two hunters and Dart are out of sight.  Mordekai, Ketch, Meepo, and Lionel move down to the waters edge. Unfortunately, there was no "sun" shining above, just pure blue sky where the light seemed to come from everywhere. It left a strangely indistinct shadow like a haze direction around everyone and everything. But it was beautiful despite the strangeness and soon Lionel was back stroking through the clear blue water of the lake, while Mordekai, Meepo and Ketch watched from shore. Though perhaps Ketch was likewise into a swim. 

The wind blew across the lake stirring the water occasionally and the trees swayed with a heavy hushing sound. There was no strange buildings, no creepy view overhead or smog in the sky....in fact it wasn't rainy, or dreary. The terrain around the lake was mountainous, so the lake felt private in amidst the treed slopes that rose up on all sides. Birds that looked like hawks soared through the air above, though they had an extra pair of smaller wings near their tails. On the far side you spot what looks like a deer, but the thing has about 20 points on it's antlers that arc above its head. Its eyes glow with beauty. 

-----------------------------------

Ulthan pads quietly after his friend, making sure to choose a path that the guide can follow without noise. There is plenty of small game, and several small squirrel like creature and a rabbit with a tiny unicorn are captured and consumed. The cat begins padding along more slowly after this, seemingly pleased to roam. Up ahead you notice a clearing and as you draw near, you see the scene of a slaughter. Dead bodies lay strewn about, rotting. The battle must have been long ago. In the center of the clearing is a hulking metallic figure. The creature has a hunched form, with oversized arms..and swords and blades, and spears sticking out from it all over. All over these, bodies are skewered and hang....rotting.  The scene is still....and the automoton doesn't seem to move.  The scent of death here is overpowering.  Dart creeps up behind Ulthan. "Oh..dear. That thing doesn't belong here. It must have got away from someone at one of the gate towns....or....found its way through a portal." 

Ah, it was worth every copper! Clean water of the lake was of the ideal temperature to keep body warm but not too much to make swim a sauna trip. Lionel almost forgot that feeling - to run/swim/move (!) not for your life or to chase some monster but just because your muscles want to, because you are strong, bursting with energy and because it is just fun to do so. He restrained from particularly childish pranks (like pulling Meepo under water by the tail) but would not mind a some fun completion of swimming and diving (no magic!).

It took him time to notice the deer and his first move was to get to the creature, but he stopped - no need to scare away that beauty. He returned to the beach, stretching on the soft grass to dry up and rest a bit. "We should do it again sometime. Do you see our hunters anywhere yet?"

You've been here for a couple hours and are starting to wonder how long Ulthan and Dart will be when you hear someone running through the woods.  Dart comes bursting out of the forest onto the beach front.  He looks a little panicked, and points back into the forest, "Uh....big...uh..robot thing...chasing us...."  he's clearly been running for a while...and it totally out of breath....he bends over, coughing and hacking.  You hear the sound of something fairly big crashing through the woods only a few hundred feet away.  Ulthan and his cat emerge from the woods like ghosts. Ulthan has clearly been running, but aside from some deep breathing, the big warrior seems mostly untroubled and glances around at the group. You're all sure he's about to say something very descriptive and helpful in this moment.......