An Anticlimax & Confessions of a Halfling

[DM Bob]

Once the rods are returned the shaking ruins stop rumbling.

Since you finally move within a close range to the feathered Draji tomahawk, you notice a papyrus strip curled about the handle, tied with a single piece of rough twine. It was probably just hacked into the tree and not thrown, given the depth of the cut. The gladiatrix pulls the weapon from the tree and is cautioned by Abez who sees the strip about the weapon's haft.

Abez shouts, "Hey Kem! Let's leave that alone until the others get back, okay? Bad enough that we're probably being watched, let's find a spot nearby that we can camp for a bit; put our back to something solid."

You camp. The Spirit's blessing remains - you are not interrupted in your paranoid rest.

***

Fast forwarding...

Mak pulls something from his bag to treat Khuv's wound. Mumbles something about it taking some time to work, days even. Eventually, he performs the rites to fold space and dimensions and then punches through the veil.

The Tyrian Gambit is left in Bodach. It remains too large to push through the 10' portal that Mak is capable of.

You are together again, and that's when Khuv begins babbling rapidly...

[DM Bob]

Khuv's Story - Including Haske & Druuso

The halfling twitches, grins insanely, baring teeth and begins to rant.

"You two picked me for a fall guy, a kip-greased patsy!" He points at the two elves, who wince back from the tiny one-handed man's accusation.

Drusso can't look him in the eye as he looks about desperate to change the subject.

"Where are we?"

Khuv is having no such excuses though.

"YOU TWO TALL ARSES NEARLY HAD ME KILLED!"

Haske interjects with, "Whoa there. OUR plan worked and WE'RE back in our bodies - so unless this is another sick fantasy we're acting out in our psyche, we're in the clear."

Druuso grins, "And how often can one brag that they've stolen from Death themselves?"

The halfling spits & sneers, but then shrugs. "Well, let's see it then."

"Um... might be a day before that's possible, wee man."

The rest of you stand confused at the scene unfolding before you. Yiska seems legitimately ready to explode.

[Attilius]

HurK belts out at the trio "Start from the beginning!"

[Skrye [AC3; 48/48HP]]

- Kementiri looks to the three of them and then back to Yishka, getting close to her - 'This is not going to be good..' - in case she reacts in any unexpected way

[Deleted]

Mak listens to the story of the Bodach party. "Wait, go back. What do you mean when you say "at least we're back in our bodies"... were you NOT in your bodies while you were in Bodach?"

Once that clarification is made, Mak will ask to be taken to the site where they previously tracked Dote. "Maybe with some magic, I can pick up his trail."

[DM Bob]

Khuv looks to the other two who shrug and nod.

"After you left? They popped* us somewhere below."

(* refers to the teleport)

Pause and a deep breath.

"Then the Speaker... he made a comment about not having the facilities for mortals where they could keep an eye on us. He made us touch those orbs you saw before you left and our psyches were switched, our bodies in torpor. It was painful... and I'm not quite certain how much time passed below. In the orbs, we were instructed to complete certain tasks. They were like hovering..."

Druuso finishes.

"Machines. Tools of the Mind. Prisons."

Khuv nods in agreement.

"Or mind chariots. They amplified or gave us telekinetic abilities that I never professed before... it was like thinking you had hands? And then we were told to move tomes, clean abandoned chambers, chase away pests... we rarely ran into each other at first - it seemed they thought it wise to divide us. But then the terror began to creep on us each in turn."

Haske adds.

"We weren't dealing well with the lack of contact with the living and the disjointed state we were in. The Lawmakers feared that they would break their word, their Law if they didn't allow us some time together. It was only briefly... and still only while in the orbs. It was at these times we were shortly returned to see our bodies. See, but not touch."

Khuv continued.

"We also felt that a lot of time had passed in the depths and were starting to worry that you'd failed our quest. We started to look for ways to escape... and that's when I got into trouble. I stole something on purpose, openly... to serve as a distraction for the others to plant useful things upon our bodies in hopes that they'd slip up and thus enact an escape. Odrela had that stone for you to summon her and the banner? We found other relics below scattered among treasures and weapons of Bodach. I was maintaining the armory and the elves were cleaning personal chambers. We decided that I would try and lift a weapon of power and they'd attempt to grasp anything that could be used in our defense."

Druuso piped up.

"Some of the Dead talked. Some of them were as starved for attention as we were for the need of our bodies. We began to think that if we managed contact with our physical self, that we might be able to switch our minds back to where they belonged. We spoke in half truths and slang and hoped we were onto something."

Khuv then admitted,

"I got caught. A glimmering dagger with a ruby pommel, etched with runes. Seemed like the type of shiv that could hurt one of our proctors. I made to hide it near our physical selves while the other two..."

They look to each other and turn slightly red as Haske speaks.

"Hid some things where no one would think to look on our bodies proper."

Khuv nods and looks dark.

"They then took me and switched me back to my body - took my hand instead of my life. I felt the pain and contacted you while I screamed aloud and in the mindscape. I knew you were alive...! After begging and pleading for my life, I was returned to the orb. Then we weren't let anywhere of importance any more."

[Attilius]

If HurK were still in his B'rogh form it would look like this as the trio recant their tale:

"WHAT "some things" do you still hold within you?" she asks

[DM Bob]

Haske states, "I found a dark onyx statuette. Shaped like a fly. One of the Dead mentioned flying upon them to police the fields before they ran fallow. One is to call out the name of the mount while tossing the stone. The name is scratched on its belly." He holds out his fingers in an okay symbol, perhaps an inch and a half in diameter.

Druuso lets out a shallow breath. "I stole one of their foes' death whistles. The Dead fear it's sound... as well as the living. Our plan was to keep blowing the whistle and head for the surface... and use the statuette to escape." He winces and makes a small fist.

[Attilius]

"Faaaaaantastic! Push em out and clean them up boys!" She says with a grin

[DM Bob]

darksunsouthtablelands.obsidianportal.com/items/onyx-fly

darksunsouthtablelands.obsidianportal.com/items/death-whistle-of-waverly

[ascieszl]

Nov 3, 2021 0:37:28 GMT @rpgagmjay said:

Once that clarification is made, Mak will ask to be taken to the site where they previously tracked Dote. "Maybe with some magic, I can pick up his trail."

(Once story time is done {shudder...}, Kleys will speak to Mak about further plans.)

"Once/if you find Dote('s items), I'd like you to examine Denis before we cremate him.  I believe the Orrery requires life energy to safely pull Spell-Rods, and I'm hoping you can tell if it causes normal tissue damage (hp loss), permanent damage (permanent hp loss) or some other kind of long-term physical damage (ability drain) - either via your knowledge of the Healing arts (Healing NWP) or Divinations..."

"After that, I'll focus on identifying the potentially magical items we have - maybe you could do the same?"

"I'm hoping to stick around here for at least a day or 3 to grab & learn some spells."

[Skrye [AC3; 48/48HP]]

- Interesting the way the lawmakers work with us... I'm now less interested into settling there, as we will end in that same matter - Kem makes a stop to think for a second - Did you ever recall any lost knowledge within these tomes? Maybe how to get a harder version of the shiny metal found in the mines of Tyr? Because that would be really valuable to craft them if we get some of it

[Deleted]

Mak nods while listening to Kleys.

"Agreed. Who can show me the circle of land that Dote was tracked to?"

[Niachi]

Laakh  guides Mak to the flattened circle in the land.  He then replies to the rogue's tale with his trademark resigned shrug and a long speech:

"Your time in Bodach was eventful. Mindlinked replies to your distress call were shielded or nullified. I am sorry for your experiences there. Your strategy was not ...terrible. Your tactics fooled the Lawkeepers in the short term. I have seen such hiding done, with purifications after. But I am unable to accept that your theft will go unnoticed, with the Gambit on their land. We are glad to have the team whole again, with more tools in our arsenal.

"When we are finished with determining the fate of Dote, examining the remains of Densis, how to access and safeguard this wealth of sorcery, and anything else I missed... my vote is to wormhole back to the Gambit, then Hurk airlifts us back to the silt shores, to go north and seek our fortunes -maybe a base of operations, and try not to make MORE powerful enemies, yes? Are we bound to the Deadlords? Too many eyes follow us, so south is not an option, to me. Unless we want to contact the Veiled Alliance in Altaruk. Kem, may I see that feathered axe and its parchment message?"

[Coden Rokos (Jesse H.)]

(Bob, when the opportunity arises, I'd like to shift from Pallia to Shanav. Presumably Pallia heads off to commune with the Sun and regain her connection to her patron after spending so long indoors and underground, while Shanav gets sent by Lokee to check in on the team.)