Chapter 17: Deep Reflections

[Darren]

Acrobatics check is a 19.

To be clear on what Kal was suggesting, because I think maybe it wasn't....

I was not suggesting that Kal and Adamant try to drag the body across while walking. My suggestion was that since the bridge is sloped downwards, Adamant and Kal should attach ropes to the body and try to slide it down the "ramp" to the other side, while they remain on the cave side. If it fell off the side, Adamant and Kal would hopefully be able to stop it from falling completely and pull it back to them so they could try again. Once it's there, the ropes would be retrieved, and Kal would proceed to Dimension Door himself and Adamant safely to the other side as before.

[Dave W.]

oh, i misunderstood. Let's do that then... lower the body on two ropes from the cave entrance and when we get it to the keep site we then DD over.

I still have the 3 though.

[Jeff]

Nov 10, 2019 1:54:46 GMT -4 Dave B. said:

"Six hours?" Shorak asks with a bit of amazement. "It certainly didn't seem that long to me." He looks at Sem with more than a little relief. "It is good to see another friend, Sem. Yes, as soon as Kal and Adammant get over here, hopefully we can be on our way." Shorak looks back to see if the two stragglers have finally made their way to the keep.

"I am relieved myself," Sem says to Shorak with a real smile. "And very happy to abandon plans to row ourselves back the way we came and hope that Cogship lets us go. It's still there, by the way. Even the dragon knows it, but he doesn't care....well, about a lot of things."

Meanwhile, Adamant and Kal work out what to do with their situation. It takes a while—several more minutes than expected, when Adamant's mis-steering of the rope-tied drow's body leads to it sliding clear off the ice-bridge after only going a few feet—but the knotwork and the rope itself keeps it from falling below.

Once Adamant haul's the corpse back up again, it takes Kal's direct guidance to get things back on track again. Eventually the body is slid across the bridge, ropes are removed, and Kal is able to teleport the two of them to the other side.

Once there, Adamant recovers the body by hand again, and a few minutes later, everyone is gathered near the center of the keep. Adamant now observes more pointedly that there are two other male drow bodies here—they were animated by Histra, too, but both were damaged enough by the frost salamander and the efreet's treachery to be rendered inanimate again. They are savaged and torn, but motionless—and Sem always gives them a wide berth when walking through her. That's three Sulatar bodies in the keep alone now, and Adamant knows that the female drow—the warrioress—is still aboard the Dragonfly serving as a zombie guard.

Sem, however, looks enormously relieved to see you all here. "Well that took long enough," he admonishes the party, mostly Kal and Belarin. "So did you find the 'petitioner's remains' or whatever that means?" He gives a look at the backpack Adamant is carrying. "I really would like to hear about what happened in there, but..."

Then he pivots on Melethos. "Fine, make me ask. Why are your horns different?"

Now that the gnome calls attention to it, the rest of you notice already (Shorak already has observed this, of course). The tiefling's horns, which are already somewhat curved, appear to be a little more corkscrewed than before, and they are banded by rings of black, rings that look like they may have been seared that way by precision flames.

There is no sign yet of the mage or the Sulatar girl at the cave's mouth.

Over on the Dragonfly, Kurra says to Thul, "Well take a rest. If the slaadi haven't attacked yet, then they're waiting for something. You've still got your eyes, so sit down and take a breather."

[Elvis]

Thul agrees and nods.

He leaves the crossbow and limps to the bow of the ship again. He remains standing however, watching the blue frog openly.

He won't give it the satisfaction of knowing it hurt him.

[Ken]

"What the--" Belarin stares at Melethos' new horns. "That's amazing." He quickly checked his own clothing and weapons for any changes.

[Brian]

Melethos touches one of his horns. "I don't know how they are different. I haven't seen them yet. But they do feel more...twisty?" He looks uncomfortable, his gold eyes seeming to dull for a moment, then he shakes his head. "We'll have time to talk later. Kal, what do you want to do next, head right for the ship or visit the dragon and give him the petitioner's backpack?"

[Darren]

Kal grins as he watches Belarin. "Don't worry," he says, "you haven't grown any horns. Although, they might make you more attractive."

Kalarian quickly returns to a business-like manner as he begins to stride through the keep. "We're going to talk to the dragon and then we're going to get the hell out of here. We found the petitioner, Sem, and while we could not get him to return with us, we did speak with him and we have his pack as proof that he was there. Hopefully that will satisfy our debt to the dragon. Shorak," Kal calls, "will you please go out to the bridge and yell down for Captain Thul to join us? I'd like to keep this group together for as long as we can." In spite of himself, Kal rolls his eyes. "As soon as he gets up here, we go speak with the dragon." Kal holds up a hand. "Belarin will speak. Let's not do what we always do and jump to offer information that does not need to be offered. If the dragon asks you a question, answer it. Otherwise, let Belarin speak for us. Sem, keep the ring on you. If you think there's something we need to know, tell me quietly." Kal looks at his friends. "We will have time to talk about what happened to each of us once we are safely travelling on the Dragonfly again. Any questions?" Kal looks specifically at Belarin. "Belarin?"

[Joe]

Streko blinks in quiet amazement at the sudden, yet not so sudden, change in the Tiefling's horns. "Of course, a man who changes his name would also change his appearance at some point, no?" he mutters.

His thoughts are followed by a shrug and he turns his attention to Kal. He steps up to him and taps his arm. "Kal, if I may suggest, perhaps it would be wise to allow Belarin to carry the ring of telepathy for this conversation with the dragon? The sooner Belarin gains knowledge that might keep us all alive, the sooner he might use that knowledge. To keep us all alive, right?"

Streko's eyes dance back and forth from Kal to Melethos's horns. What is the significance of the added twisting? I should know that information and what it means.

He shakes his head and returns his attention to Kal. "No, now is not the time. Focus!" he mutters softly.

[Darren]

Kal smiles at Streko. "I had thought of that, but as you say, focus is going to be critical here. I don't want Sem jabbering away in Belarin's head while he is trying to negotiate with a dragon. He's got enough voices in there, already."

[Ken]

"That's.... quite true, actually," says Belarin. "All right, I'll be happy to speak with our host."

[Brian]

"Then let's get this done," Melethos says, and starts for the dragon's door. "Adamant, if you would bring the petitioner's backpack?"

When he reaches the door, he finds it open. "Looks like we're expected." He gestures for the others to enter. "My lords."

[Darren]

Let's pause here, Brian, and give Elvis a chance to re-join us, if he chooses.

[Brian]

Absolutely.

[Elvis]

Should the halfdrow summon Thul, he will join them. I'm not sure what the best way would be... if the minotaur can manage it, that would be the quickest method.

[Dave W.]

Getting Adamant caught up...
"Thank you Kal." Adamant says when they have crossed to the keep. "I do have one more bit of trouble to annoy you, but we should rescue Histra first … and soon. I do not like the thought of where she may be."

Adamant caries the new corpse over to where the other two dead lie. He gently reunites the new drow with his compatriots. He spends just a moment to make them look somewhat peaceful.

"It is so very good to see all of you… even Thul when he arrives. I have thoughts and will look forward to discussing all of our experiences.But first the dragon, and rescuing Histra, and then leaving this place."

[Ken]

Belarin says simply, "Thank you, Adamant." After a moment, he adds, "I hate having to wait. I ... can only hope at this point."

[Dave B.]

Shorak nods to Kal and barely limps out of the keep and calls over to the Dragonfly. "Captain Thul? Kal has requested that you join us when we meet with the dragon. Will you join us, please?" He waits just long enough to see how Thul decides and then returns to the group to let them know Thul's decision.

[Jeff]

At this point, Brack gets the ship moving again. With the wall gone, he seems anxious to go. The Sulatar canoe is pushed behind the Dragonfly and left to float free in its wake. A loose rope is kept on it. Kurra manages this.

Calirataia emerges from the deck and approaches Thul. "You do not look well. When your friends return, submit to your halfling and warforged friends. I am spent and can do nothing for you, but he may."

Shorak heads to the stone porch, aware that mephits are watching him from the flames. He even spots the blue slaad across the way, where the original ice-bridge had been. Shorak then sees the Dragonfly drifting slowly southward, moving further than it has this entire time. It finally begins to feel to Shorak like freedom from this cave may really be at hand!

The moment he calls out to Thul, the floating metal platforms that the azers brought forth is pulled back away from the slaadi—who bristle and snarl—and an actual azer steps forth at the opposite end. The platforms steadily descent so that one end reaches the level of the gunwale of the Dragonfly, while the other end reaches the stone porch of the keep. A way has been provided. 

The lone azer stands at the top of the platform, nodding at Shorak and looking warily toward the slaadi. 

Thul's body groans at him with every movement and his slaad-injury is starting to feel...squishy. Jumping from one platform to another uphill sends shocks of pain through him, but he can't imagine a better way up right now. Starg's telekinetic magic is spent as well.

Soon the party is reunited in the keep. 

[Elvis]

As Thul passes the fire dwarf he says in his best phonetic ignorant, "Mucho gusto."

He sees the others gathered around the dragon's den, ready to pitch their idea.

The Redman looks different.

The others look spent.

Thul eyes the injured halfdrow, "We seem to be doing things wrong."

"What's the plan?"

[Darren]

"Captain," Kal says when Thul rejoins the group, "I'm glad to see you are alive. We are going to talk to the dragon. Which is to say Belarin is going to talk to the dragon and the rest of us are going to listen. Stay alert, but don't wander off and for the love of all the gods, try not to hit anything." Kal grins, but only slightly. He wishes he were joking, but with Thul....

_______________
Ready to move forward on Ken's lead.

[Elvis]

Thul nods agreement with Deneith.

"You have new horns." He says to the Redman.

He leans up against the wall as a wave of nausea washes over him. The flare of pain from his leg catching him off guard.

[Jeff]

Sem taps on both Adamant's and Streko's arms and says quietly to them, "Our good Captain here tangled with a couple of those slaadi who were nosing around the cave. The xorn came over and drew the red one off, but the blue one roughed Thul up bad before they both took a fall to the water below—I helped with Thul's landering. Still, I think he's the only reason the slaadi didn't ambush the rest of you at the cave mouth. Can you have a look at him?"

It is indeed apparent to Adamant and especially to Streko that Thul appears to be very injured. Though he is frequently banged up, he looks especially pale and clammy right now, and walks with a limp worse than Shorak's.

In Kal's head, Tangat is extremely anxious—not from anything that's just occurred but due to how long he's been out of "range" of their empathic link. The emotion is punctuated by some actual barking in the distance.

The rest of you can tell from the sound of Tangat's barking that the Dragonfly has moved further down the cavern than before, lingering somewhere near where the azer's wall used to be.

[Ken]

Belarin nods and says, "All right, then. Let's conclude our negotiations, shall we?" He walks toward the dragon's "chamber."

[Brian]

Melethos watches Belarin and Kal enter the dragon's room. He puts a hand up to stop Thul, Streko, and Adamant. "Help the captain," he tells the healers. "The man is too stubborn to ask for himself. We should be back soon." He nods to Shorak and enters the room behind the others.

[Dave W.]

Nov 12, 2019 16:37:18 GMT -4 Brian said:

Melethos watches Belarin and Kal enter the dragon's room. He puts a hand up to stop Thul, Streko, and Adamant. "Help the captain," he tells the healers. "The man is too stubborn to ask for himself. We should be back soon." He nods to Shorak and enters the room behind the others.

Adamant hands Melethos the Petitioner's backpack, "Here you may need this."

"Captain, you look poorly. Here, sit, may I?" Adamant examines the Karrnathi. "Let's see how you are doing."

---

Start with a Medicine check?

dlw32:1D20+6 → 12(6 + 6)

I assume we don't have spell slots or lay on hands back, right? I'm not sure there's going to be much I can do; I only have 1 third level spell slot and am fresh out of lay on hands... I could do Aura of Vitality and give a bunch of hp...

[Elvis]

Thul slides down the wall and sits on the floor.

"Just stitch it up and it's good to go, Warforged." Thul says. 

[Jeff]

When Adamant looks at the wound on Thul's leg—a bloody gouge from something large and pointy—he sees the flesh around it has become faintly blue. Not like poison, but like slow transformation. The congealed blood has become darker blue and almost gelatinous. Adamant is certain this is the same affliction that Kurra had suffered. The condition will prevent even magical healing!

And, of course, he knows that "stitching it up" would probably do nothing but hurt.

---

Correct: no rest has been taken that would restore the lay on hands pool or spell slots.

Adamant can see that Thul cannot regain hit points unless this contagion is removed. A Lesser Restoration, he thinks, would do the trick.

[Dave W.]

"No, Captain, stitching won't help. I have seen this before. It's like a disease, the infection has to be dealt with before any stitching or healing will help." Adamant's eye-gems dim a bit. "I should be have just enough spark left..."

He gently lays a hand on the leg and calls forth Dol Arrah's restoring warmth, letting it flow into Thul.

"There did that help? We may be able to stitch now."

---

Oh, I may be able to be useful... Adamant casts Lesser Restoration using his last 3rd level slot.

[Jeff]

The injury itself doesn't feel any better when Adamant uses his spell, but the blueish tinge to his flesh fades away and Thul feels remarkably less...anomalous. Even the building fever vanishes in an instant.

[Joe]

"I, too, am unable to cure the affliction itself at this time. I will do so after I have taken a long rest and recuperated myself. In the meantime, I fear this is the last of my spells, but you are in great need and, I hope, it will buy us more time."

Streko lays his hands on the Captain's chest and watches as his signature orange glow flows from his palms into Thul's body.

"The sooner we leave and rest, the sooner you will be completely removed of that thing inside you. Unless, of course, the dragon is willing to assist us, which I am unsure I would even ask at this point. But, it may be worth the opportunity."
__________________________________________________

Streko casts Cure Wounds on Thul for 8 hit points.