GM Note >>>

Welcome to a combat PRP. First things first transparency so you can all make good decisions.

1. I am not trying to kill you. If you noble sacrifice or stand under the proverbial falling boulder I will totally kill you though.
2. Please feel comfortable asking questions or doing something besides swinging sword for those of you that are not pure combatants. I will allow your creativity to have real results.
3. I have avg'd your dext/dodge roll to determine what enemies will need to hit you individually. I have also progressively scaled dmg to an avg so basic attacks and things will feel real without removing the benefit of people who spent bajillion silver on their armor
4. There will be no secret whispers. All content will be in @emit , I may page information directly to a player or if someone has a sekrit power / mcguffin / whatever those will be paged. Any questions ask now while I write the intro!

<GM> It is early evening in the southern lands near the ruins of Caer Morien. The settlement which has most been afflicted by these cultists began to experience a seasonally strange mist or fog rolling in from the direction of the ruins. The air is to hot for fog to exist, the waters to warm as well, there's no reason for it. As the smokey haze envelops the settlement it becomes clear this is no normal fog. It is some kind of spell! Or steam being produced by the cultists. It is pungent, earthy, sticks to clothing and hair but not so thick it cannot be seen through.

There is an attack coming that much is clear but whatever this fog is must be dealt with. The settlement sends it bravest warriors (and their warriors in the case of those with soldier escorts) to find the source and deal with it while the defenses are prepared. Thus do our brave warriors find themselves trudging through the murky wilds with vegetation thick, humidity heavy in the air, and this pungent haze all around them. Following its direction for now.

Korka sighs heavily as they trudge along after making sure all of her hair is tucked up with those hairpins, "I knew I should have invested in a good pair of boots before I came out here." She mutters in complaint, grimacing as some mud and/or vegetation squishes underfoot.

Calypso might be used to the southern heat, but nobody can stand around in this kind of humidity wearing a bunch of leather and steel and not be sweating, and so Calypso is. Her hair is pinned up in a severe style that won't get in the way, and her helmet is currently off and tucked under her arm. She regards the haze as it rolls in, and goes into her belt pouch for a piece of cloth, then dumps water from her waterskin onto it.

Eirene wears many proverbial hats. Doctor. Warrior. Commander. Esoteric Expert. Today she's physically wearing a leather skullcap so it's hard to say which one it will metaphorically be. Probably a bit of all. She wears a scarf over her mouth and nose to keep out the smoke as best as it can.

Drake has been on less pleasant trips, but... he's been on nicer ones, too. The fog is too thick for a horse which can be easily spooked, and so he is on foot, and stepping in the mud with black snakeskin boots. The rest of his armor is leather, matched. He for now has also removed his helm, and, for the moment, Drake has not pulled his sword. Since visiblity on the ground is low, he's trying to listen, even smell, for the oncoming rush rather than try to simply look for it. Whatever is creating this fog, he hopes he can cut it. Though he's tried to take leadership roles in some more recent adventures, for now he's content enough to keep close to the rest of the group, but he moves to the outside occasionally as there's a shadow or two he wants to keep eyes on.

Even though she's not baking in steel, Ouida is still sweaty, or muggy with mist, take your unpleasant pick. Her hair is scraped back into a severe braid, though invariably wisps escape to stand on end when she doesn't have her hood plastered to her head. Stubbornly, she doesn't complain of the heat, though the flush to her skin indicates it's not somthing she is well versed in. She trudges and squishes along with everyone else, every once in awhile pausing to flick the worst of the perspiration off her forehead. Her curiousity about the surroundings is open, though, bright blue eyes taking it in.

"This is---shit,"Thea swears as she trudges along. Her long hair is pinned up, she's roasting through all her leathers. Today she follows her Duchess, not even complaining. Or cracking some joke as she usually would. The youngest Malvici is just trying to focus, to see.

Domonico grimly surveys the area around him, clearly unhappy with what is happening on the island of Cyrto Major. Attired as always (and now appropriately) for war, the Count Magnotta makes a quick headcount of those with him and the small amount of handpicked Magnotta soldiers brought along as escort. He pulls the fireweave shemagh from around his face to clearly speak. "I need eyes on our flanks and our rear. Keep your weapons to hand. I will not abide these cultists preying on the people under my protection any more."

"Looks like our friend want a little bit of ambiance before they try to kill us." Calypso ties the wetted cloth around her head, joining Eirene in looking like an extremely out of place wild west desperado. "I can respect that."



Clara is dressed in her armor and today is actively a Combat Medic. She doesn't expect to need to be a Shaman or Deathspeaker but she's there for that if needed. It's just that her primary job today is medic. Right now she's standing back just waiting for the violence to break out.

Korka unties the sash at her waist and carefully folds it up to tie around her nose and mouth when the smell gets to be just a bit too much, "I've found a more threatening ambiance is a small dinner party or one on one conversation," she comments casually, but she still looks around, green eyes scanning the surroundings.

The ground is marshy both vegetation and mud squelches beneath the footfalls of the party. In fact it seems to make stealth very difficult. Luckily even if someone might hear them coming the trees with hanging vines and thick foliage reduce visibility. Even outdoors between the haze, humidity, and lust plant life it feels cramped... From time to time the moisture caught on the leaves of the trees or the vines drips down on the party.

They have been traveling for perhaps an hour to reach this point the haze visibly shifts past them in the direction of the town. Some kind of breeze or magic! seems to be drifting it towards the settlement. That or it could be that they've been walking at a minor incline for an hour and the haze is traveling down with the natural curvature of the ground. The ten soldiers with Domonico bolster the groups numbers. Given the cults activities thus far they will likely be needed. Up ahead a clearing can be seen with the moss and decaying stone entrance to yet a new ruins site cropping up out of the ground... The haze seems to be coming up through the open threshold of the outcropping. It almost looks like a triangle began to melt in this blasted heat so the slouched stone structure with green moss covering it almost looks like a hill but the dark opening is starkly marked by the haze flowing out.

<GM>

"If my cousin's hosting the dinner party, I'll agree with you on that one," Calypso chuckles to Korka. She seems to be yielding to Domonico as the person in charge. For now. We'll see how well she relinquishes control once things get rough. "Any idea what this haze is?" She asks this of Eirene and Thea.

Eirene checked intellect + alchemy at difficulty 30, rolling 19 higher.

Thea checked intellect + alchemy at difficulty 30, rolling 26 higher.

The comments about the dinner party draws an open, if brief, grin from the Harthall knight. But she is here for support, and so Domonico's instructions are carefully listened to. The haze pouring out of the outcropping takes her aback, and garners widened eyes. Ouida is careful to not touch anything, though when the question is asked, she seems all ears.

Eirene and Thea study the fog in their own ways. Eirene can tell from years of experience that this isn't natural. She can also tell that her periphal vision is smudging almost like she is looking at water on a lense. Visual hallucination, subtle but there.

Thea however is younger but it seems a bit more imaginative at the moment. Having been in this region before, experience some of the Drowner 'works' she can deduce this is likely some kind of moss and fungus being burnt to affect the settlers and warriors. It could be the Drowner's have an antidote like a root or distilled substance they ingest so they are not affected. Or maybe they're just really into it.

The eldest of the Malvici, Eirene, pulls down her scarf to take a sniff, nose crinkling in dismay. "I've worked with alchemical compounds before that might be able to do shit like this, burned in enough quantity," she says, using some of her more mundane knowledge as an alchemist. "And besides, I smoke enough haze on occasion," she jokes with a smirk.

Drake, no expert at magic or alchemy, just keeps an eye on the ground. "I'll take your word for that. Do you think we should go inside?" He pulls on his helmet, which, since it covers his face, should help with the whole gas thing a little, right?

For a cult with lunatics in it and a trail of hazy smoke leading directly to what appears to be a secret ruin. It seems oddly quiet, even the bugs are quiet...

"I guess it'd be too much to ask for it to actually be haze," Calypso sighs. "That would have made the fight interesting." She turns as though to snap a command to the soldiers accompanying them, and stops herself at the last second with what looks like actual physical effort. Domonico's in charge, Calypso. She does her best not to sound like she's giving Domonico an order when she says: "You might want to send a runner back to town to warn them of what's coming their way. Nobody wants to hallucinate without at least knowing why."

"How pissed do you think they are I you know, burned that body,"Thea eventually asks. She too now has a scarf around her mouth and nose. The younger Malvici smirks aside at her aunt,"That explains so much really,"teasing her. "It's moss and fungus--I think. I'm sure--I've been getting lessons lately." Does this really shock anyone these days.

The Magnotta soldiers seem to respond to the years of experience in Calypso's manner because they're already straightening up as she turns on them to snap off a command that never comes. Never be caught flatfooted, the soldiers know better. When she speaks with Domonico they all turn their attention onto him, men and women alike in their armor.

Korka checked perception + investigation at difficulty 30, rolling 34 higher.

Whilst the others speak Korka seems perceptively investigating. It is very quiet, no one around. It isn't until she looks at the soft mushy ground of damp vegetation and marshy mud beneath her their feet she sees a clue. It's littered with the corpses of bugs, birds, even snakes. The haze has numbed their senses so thoroughly they haven't noticed all these animals and insects appear to be dead. Now that she's looking down she even begins to experience a strange sense of vertigo. As the world swims in her vision she spots... Something... Strange in front of them.

Domonico hmmms as his eyes narrow, focusing the best he can on the situation and keeping an eye on his soldiers state and positioning. "Nitos, Favian. Don't seperate from the group. Keep alert and ready." Domonico's eyes flick to Calypso at her order/suggestion, "Just what I was thinking." Without looking at his soldiers he quickly speaks, "Karina. Anax. You two are the fastest. Back to town and inform the captain there of this fog. Get them to cover their mouths and prepare for possible assault on their position. Go.2

"Okay, then." The business of warning the town done, Calypso puts her helmet on over the damp cloth, which pretty well pins it in place. "Let's see if we can find the source of this smoke before we're all fighting tentacle monsters that might or might not exist."

Karina and Anax are already at attention, one of them sheathes their weapon, the other keeps theirs out. They give a salute to their Count and proceed to hurry back the way they came. One ready to attack while the other is focused on guiding them through the cramped marshy jungle.

Ouida purses her lips at th quiet. Perhaps especially in the middle of the outdoors. Though taking a cue from everyone else--at least she's smart enough to do that!--she too fashions a nose and mouth covering, though it's linen. The interplay of soldiers looking between two commanders makes her hide a smile, an empathetic one at that. As two people are sent back to warn the village, she stays on alert, ready to move, or to wait, based on the next command.

His helm now pulled down, Drake puts his hand on his weapon. This feels like it might be time to draw it out... but he's cautious, not yet pulling until there is nothing to pull it on. The helmet hides his expression completely, but his body looks tensed.

Korka spends a lot of time looking at her feet. Maybe she's envisioning those boots she mentioned earlier. When Drake asks if they should go in, she blinks a few times, narrowing her eyes. Then blinks again. Then rubs them. And then finally holds up a hand, "Wait. There's at least one trap right there," she points to an area in front of the entrance that looks like just regular old vines and grass and mud. "If you walk on it it'll collapse. Which, by the way, is why it's so quiet here. Look down. We're walking on bugs and birds."



Clara watches the area carefully as they continue on She's paying attention to what people are saying but she's more than that got her white eyes paying attention to what most of them can't see. Her axe is out and she's ready for a fight should it come but for the moment she's just watching. That is until Calypso mentions tentacle monsters at which point she chuckles shoftly but focuses and attempts to stay alert.

Eirene checked perception + investigation at difficulty 30, rolling 14 higher.

Drake checked perception + investigation at difficulty 30, rolling 17 higher.

Calypso checked perception + survival at difficulty 30, rolling 4 higher.

Domonico checked perception + survival at difficulty 30, rolling 2 lower.

Clara checked perception + investigation at difficulty 30, rolling 2 lower.

Thea checked perception + investigation at difficulty 30, rolling 9 higher.

Ouida checked perception + investigation at difficulty 30, rolling 15 lower.

While Korka points out a specific spot some see it now that it's been indicated... Others could swear that is just the ground. Mayhap they believe her mayhap they think she is high as hell. One can only imagine.

The smoke is coming from a slouching moss covered stone ruin in the middle of the clearing. The smoke is coming from within. The entrance is wide and high. It may be coverable with the right means. About ten feet high and five feet wide.

Eirene grunts a little as Korka notes the trap. "I see it," she agrees, glancing down at the bugs and other small dead things. "It's probably choking them to death. Which means our staying down here a prolonged period of time is probably a bad thing." She moves around to inspect the grove and where might be a safer place for them to find a way down, rather than risk a trap.

Clara checked mana + occult at difficulty 30, rolling 170 higher. Clara rolled a critical!

Clara checked stamina at difficulty 12, rolling 14 higher.

Calypso looks down at her feet, and frowns. But the animals are dead already, and the living still need to be protected. She takes her own advice and surveys the cave. "I don't suppose anyone's hiding a giant tarp in their back pocket?"

Drake looks over his shoulder, gives Korka a nod, and carefully walks around the location of the trap he also spotted. "...Good eye." He looks at Calypso, and then shakes his head.

Clara doesn't look around. That is to mundane. She is a shaman! She -is- around man. Likely this feeling of intense attunement with the very land has nothing to do with the hallucinating inducing haze they are all breathing. None what so ever. That being said Clara feels the very earth moving beneath her feet, it's a surreal experience. The sense of being the ground and the party standing on top of her and people moving around inside of her. Woah.

While the haze is not magical insofar as she can tell there is the distinct impression that the fires that fuel this haze are not left to burn unguarded... When she snaps out of her trance like state she looks around and sees... A corpse on the ground, bloated and odd like it's out of sync with the colors of the area. It's very grey almost like a hole in what she's seeing. It begins to slide... Towards the... No that stops she realizes she is hallucinating and shrugs it off instead clinging to that initial sense that was probably not also a hallucination that there is nothing supernatural occuring, but there are people below waiting to ambush them. Probably.

"Mm." Oathlands knights are not known for their brilliant conversational skills, always, and the smoke addled Ouida doesn't seem to be a brilliant exception to this. She does nod sagely and turn to look at the spot Korka points out the spot, but she is quickly distracted away from it as her eyes narrow and seem to be drawn away from that and towards another spot on the ground that she personally seems to find suspicious as hell. (It's just a rock.) "Mangata's mu--" she cuts herself off. "Look at THAT one," she mutters, largely to herself. Clara's question has her pondering. "I am not, my lady. Depending upon your purpose, could cloaks be joined together, perhaps," she suggests politely.

Thea looks at the ground. And stops. She's starting to become uneasy about the whole thing and begins to look around, searching for--something. Anything. "Sorry..Most I have on me is a bunch of herbs(she doesn't specify much on that), and a dagger. And my kopis."

Domonico's shift to the stop pointed out as a trap. He can't see it from his position but privately acknowledges that some might be seeing clearer in this damn foggy haze. "Korka. Please mark the trap so we can all avoid it. Watch your footing . Call out any other traps too people. Mark them." He looks at the smoke billowing entrance and he grimaces, "If this smoke is from below then something is producing it. We may have to go straight into that and find the source."

Calypso checked luck + survival at difficulty 45, rolling 40 higher.



"Stop..." Clara takes a deep breath. "We have company..." She motions to the ground. "Prepare yourselves..." She looks like she's high on the haze but all be told she also seems to have a good head on her shoulders enough to realize it. "From below..." She manages. "People... probably..."

As the party prepares to mark the trap, plan a course of action, and Clara tells them of the impending ambush... Calypso is walking around soooo slowly just kind of walking without thinking and she sees it... half buried in the vegetation and muck, the top covered in moss. It's a fallen tree, probably a few weeks old but she kicks it and... sturdy! It's even the right shape and height, it won't block ALL the haze but it will definitely block a good portion of it, add some cloaks and they've done it. They've stopped the haze.

The cultists might even be trapped down there.

Korka checked strength + survival at difficulty 30, rolling 21 higher. Korka rolled a critical!

Korka gives Domonico a bit of a look when he tells her to mark off the trap and at first doesn't seem inclined to do so. Then she walks a couple steps forward, then to the side and picks up a rock. Only it turns out it's not a rock, it's a bird and it kicks one leg and she drops that really fast. Then she spies something that's definitely a rock even though it's a little large and she uses two hands to pick it up, huffing and puffing as she does so like this was a good idea in theory but in practice maybe not great. She finally gets it up from the mud with a sickening squelching sound and, two handed, pitches it over the pit.

Domonico's snap to Clara at her words and more orders snap out of him, "Weapons ready. Stay alert." Warspite is in his hand a moment later, held low but ready for action. "Korka? Well done."

As Korka hucks the rock (closer to tiny boulder) over it thuds onto the ground right at the edge of the pitfall trap. The ground begins to sag and the tiny boulder tumbles over the edge dropping the woven bed of mud, vines, and vegetation into the pit.

"Fuck!" someone shouts as someone else goes, "Where are they?!" then yet another goes, "Did they fall in?" while a final voice groans and the first voice that said fuck says, "Fuck... Nio's leg is spiked."

"I think I found the cultists," Korka drawls, pointing to the hole.

Thea peers over the hole, a smirk appearing on her lips. Her gold-flecked green eyes light up now before she ask,"Think we could--smoke them out?" Might as well enjoy this part, before she smartens up,"How many do you think are in there?"

"Were they really hiding -in- the hole?" Calypso looks towards the hole in disbelief. "How did they think this was going to play out?" She sighs, then raises her voice: "Show's over, boys and girls. Leave your weapons behind and come out. I'm in a good mood right now, and you really want me to keep smiling."

Getting nearer to the side of the pit, as he stepped close but not into it, Drake looks down a bit, then looks over at the rest of the group. "Seems easier than I thought. But I can't attack at range, so," He steps back, and then gestures to it, while Calypso tries the more direct approach.

Calypso checked command + intimidation at difficulty 45, rolling 8 higher.

Eirene hides a smirk behind her hand, not that it could be seen anyhow with the cloth bandana in place. "I'll even patch up Niko's leg for you, I'm a physician," she drawls, behind Calypso's offer. Her sword is brandished, instead of the medical kit...

Ouida watches Korka's performance with interest, and in a little disbelief, still not seeing what most others seem to have seen. At least until the ground /moves/ and sags and the Really A Rock disappears and gets an exclamation! "By the gods, good work!" she says admiringly, if quietly, though tries to make her voice not carry to give their position away. "There's always more rocks. Maybe," she says helpfully. "At least until they come out."

Calypso is, it would seem, terrifying in her joviality.

Sighing, the more somewhat playful of the Malvicis looks at her cousins,"Watching them scatter like rats out of smoke was far more entertaining you know..."Thea snorts at Eirene when she pulls out her sword, but looks at Drake,"I'm handy with my dagger too. Anything, I can get someone some in the leg or something if needed."

Domonico orders his eight remaining soldiers to form a loose perimeter around them, as Calypso demonstrates just why she is the Duchess General of Southport. He glances to the others, "It may not just be a pit... there may be a tunnel complex below us."

There's a looooong pause. Eventually someones hands can be seen on the edge of the pit and then a man with... fungus in his hair like braided in and fake grey makeup on his face pulls himself up until his forearms and elbows are flat along the surface. "Uh... We'll surrender, but we want amnesty." he says somewhat stubbornly then someone from in the pit shouts, "Yeah we want a pardon!" meanwhile Nio says, "Oh Mangata... My leg... Did they say someone would heal it?"

Anyone who approaches the pit will see the makeup and fungus haired man, a woman with a spear through her thigh, another man and another woman with crossbows pointed up not with the intent to aim but just up incase they don't get that pardon. They seem shaken.

Anyone approaching the pitfall trap also sees a clear 4ft high by 4ft crawl space in the direction of the haze expeling entrance to the ruins.

Drake checked dexterity + athletics at difficulty 20, rolling 29 higher.

"It's not in my power to pardon you, and you're lucky that's the case, because it's cute that you think I would." Calypso motions with her head towards Domonico. "That's the ass you need to be kissing." She hasn't even drawn her sword.

Eirene glances at the Count and Duchess. But she does, slowly, put aside her sword and goes for the pouch on her belt with all her medical supplies. She's waiting for permission before she moves forward.

Drake clears his throat, but he already doesn't like the look of it... looking over at Thea. "Oh, more tight spaces. They LOVE those around here, don't they? Not as bad as some I've seen." With that, Drake looks at the edge, judges the fall, and just grabs a side and climbs down into it. They already surrendered. He's going to watch his back and listen to what Domonico says, but giving a pardon or not is indeed not really something he has the power to do anyway.

Ouida nods once. "Difficult perhaps in this kind of terrain but they seem to have managed it, at least to one entrance." Ouida observes quietly, to Domonico's idea of a complex. She looks to the entrance that's blocked by logs and cloaks, at least they won't escape that way. But she too listens for the judgement, as well as those waiting's reactions.

Thea grins over at Drake, winking,"You need help, Drake, you let me know. You how much -I- enjoy them. When the broken and uh--"Why is there fungus in your hair,"she asks. "If you need anything Eirene, let me know."

As Drake gets down into the hole Nio reaches out to tray and grab at his leg, "Please... He-" then she passes out from blood loss. The fungus haired and makeup faced man looks at them and admits, "Please... We can tell you what's below." he offers lamely. Meanwhile the crossbow man and woman are pointing them defiantly at Drake as they move away from the crawl space going further underground.

Drake gets the distinct impression they will shoot him if they get spooked.

Domonico stares down the pit at the cultists and there is a pause as he considers the request for amnesty before he answers, "You surrender to us now and tell us what we need to know regarding what lies below. We will see to Nio now and have her tended to and you will be well treated as prisoners of war. Your immediate future depends on how well you comply."


Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately? Drake is not terribly spooky. Well, Drake's helm is a little spooky. So he lifts it up, and smiles at the cultists as if he means them no harm in all of the world. "Really? So... what's down there?"


Korka watches the fungus haired man a moment, not really paying attention the woman that's passed out since she's not particularly useful for questioning, "Be detailed." she adds on to Drake's question.

While Domonico negotiates (or not) with the cultist, Calypso motions for the soldiers to back away from the edge of the hole. They'll be a lot harder to shoot, that way. She takes a couple of steps back, herself. "Drake, see if you can get whoever's hurt out of there. I don't want our healers going down."

Thea doesn't even question Calypso now. She just steps back, but looks at the Fun Gui! Get it...? HA! Her gold-flecked green eyes look closely at him, not sure if she trusts him. "Are you sure he's going to tell the truth,"before her eyes look at the woman.

Not quite a pardon but when Domonico speaks the man just goes, "Done." and drops back down the edge of the pit with a quiet *thud* sound when he lands. The fungus-haired man kneels down by Nio and shouts back up, "Nio's dying!" the crossbow duo lower them reluctantly and begin speaking at the same time... Oh they're twins, one man one woman the cheekbones give them away. "He's down there. You know... Him..." while the other goes, "It's down there. You know... It..." then they look at each other and at the same time both of them use their right arm to kind of noodle wiggle wave it abround as if imitating water. "The arm guy." they say in unison.

Meanwhile the fungus haired man is trying to staunch Nio's bleeding. "There's a maze of tunnels we dug going into the ruin. It's a ritual chamber or something. Big open space under ground with side rooms. We dug into the side rooms to pit traps all over. Someone falls in, we stab them if the spikes don't get em."

Thea checked intellect + medicine at difficulty 30, rolling 10 higher.




Ready with her weapon, Clara stays off to the side, trying to blink the hallucinations away. "Gods and Spirits be with us..." She starts muttering prayers to the Gods. She grips her diamondplate axe and continues to remain ready. She watches over the extraction of the woman and just readies to help tend her if need be. However, she's also attentive of their surroundings, making sure an ambush doesn't come from another direction as well.

"Do you need a hand, my lord?" Ouida calls down to Drake. Grunt labor, she can handle. She seems lost at the explanation, though she seems perfectly willing to allow others to figure that out, while she prepares to assist getting people up and out--and secured, as the case may be.

Eirene says, "For Lagoma's flaming farts, if he tries to pull her off of it he'll just fuck up her leg worse." She gives Calypso a 'look'. The 'don't tell me how to do my job' look. She then moves to climb down to get to her. "And that will make our job harder... nobody wants that."

Eirene checked dexterity + athletics at difficulty 20, rolling 11 higher. Eirene rolled a critical!

Thea checked dexterity + athletics at difficulty 20, rolling 38 higher.

Calypso swears under her breath and goes to drop down after Eirene and Thea start climbing down.

Domonico nods at the surrendering cultists and gestures to them. "Drop your weapons. Climb out. Our healers will do their best to keep Nio alive." He still has Warspite drawn however before he gestures to the entrance of the smoke billowing entrance. Does those tunnels connect with that entrance?" he asks them.

Calypso checked dexterity + athletics at difficulty 20, rolling 29 higher.

With a slight smile at Calypso, the youngest combat medic goes after Eirene-to drop down next to Drake. "Aunt is right. Drake will just ruin him and then they'll be dead. Then USELESS!" She emphasises useless here. "Wait..what did the Fun Gui say what's in the ritual chamber thing?"as she climbs down into the hole with complete ease. "Hey Drake! I told you I liked the tight places!"

<GM> There is an orderly transfer of bodies. As more of the party comes down, the cultists come out. One, two, three, before they are aided up by those above their weapons are taken. Daggers, crossbows, the fungus haired man has a stick with some reddish moss smeared against it. He claims it would have poisoned them. Meanwhile Nio is bleeding but being tended too now that her leg is free. She has about a two inch puncture through and through the meat of her thigh, no veins nicked but she's been bleeding for a few minutes. She also appears to have a head wound from Korka's tiny boulder.

The Cultists up stop sit on the ground patiently so the remaining eight soldiers don't kill them.

Clara checked perception + investigation at difficulty 45, rolling 6 lower.

Arik GM Roll checked dext(4) + archery(3) at difficulty 10, rolling 24 higher.

Arik GM Roll checked dext(4) + archery(3) at difficulty 10, rolling 47 higher.

Arik GM Roll checked dext(4) + archery(3) at difficulty 10, rolling 33 higher.

Arik GM Roll checked dext(4) + archery(3) at difficulty 10, rolling 26 higher.

Arik GM Roll checked dext(4) + archery(3) at difficulty 10, rolling 17 higher.

Korka checked dexterity + athletics at difficulty 20, rolling 4 higher. Korka rolled a critical!

Arik GM Roll checked dext(4) + occult(5) at difficulty 10, rolling 37 higher.

42 inflicted and Ouida is unharmed.

42 inflicted and Ouida is harmed for minor damage.

42 inflicted and Ouida is unharmed.

Domonico checked stamina at difficulty 18, rolling 8 higher.

Clara checked stamina at difficulty 18, rolling 4 lower.

Ouida checked stamina at difficulty 18, rolling 15 higher.

Calypso checked stamina at difficulty 20, rolling 3 higher.

Thea checked stamina at difficulty 20, rolling 7 higher.

Calypso checked dexterity at difficulty 10, rolling 3 higher.

Thea checked dexterity at difficulty 10, rolling 17 higher. Thea rolled a critical!

Eirene checked stamina at difficulty 20, rolling 9 lower.

Korka checked stamina at difficulty 20, rolling 6 higher.

Drake checked stamina at difficulty 20, rolling 2 higher.

Eirene checked dexterity at difficulty 10, rolling 4 higher.

Korka checked dexterity at difficulty 10, rolling 10 higher.

Drake checked dexterity at difficulty 10, rolling 34 higher.

<GM>
As Korka gracefully almost masterfully drops down into the pit there is a *whoosh* sound. It feels like suddenly everything is being tugged towards the mouth of the slouching ruins entrance up above. The smoke continues to flow outward but the very air is swirling independent from the haze like the moss covered stone is INHALING. Domonico is able to realize the haze is causing him to hallucinate just in time for the bolts being fire from the entrance to completely miss him. Meanwhile Clara feels like she's falling, stumbling, she truly believes she is being dragged towards the entrance and she is moving. Whether some unseen magic! is doing it or she is just tripping balls and falling over herself towards it is unclear. Her sudden vertigo does at least make her move and the crossbow bolts from the mouth of the ruins miss her.

Ouida is not so lucky, she shakes off the hallucination almost immediately perhaps distracted by her companions reactions or steadying herself she moves to slowly and three crossbow bolts hit her in the chest. Barely penetrating her armor, a nick or a bruise at most.

In the pit it feels like an earth is sliding... Like the pit is turning over and then upside down. HOLY SHIIIIIT- except as the impossible improbable completely unrealistic sensation of shifting from sliding to standing at a perpendicular angle to the ground comes. All of them are able to shake it off except for Eirene whose eyes might go crazy wide as she is currently experiencing being upside down in a pit while being right side up. The only reason she doesn't fall on the spikes is... Well why doesn't she?

<GM>

The soldiers that Domonico brought are trained, elite, they are leaning on trees to keep from being dragged into the mouth but eventually shake it off as Domonico is dodging crossbow bolt fire. The weapons are drawn, one even has a bow which they fire back at the mouth of the ruins!

Clara checked composure at difficulty 15, rolling 3 higher.

Drake is not a doctor like his brother, so he steps back and lets Thea take a look at the woman's injuries. His eyes move over to the crawlspace... Then there is a weird swap of gravity... possibly from the inhaled gas. He shakes it off. He looks at Thea, laughing at her quip. "I thought that was my line," he says to her, raising a brow. "But... you're right. You can count on me to fight... whatever it is. Just... keep it steady..." He wipes at his brow. Then he chooses to go further in, having to duck down low.

Eirene mentioned earlier she does haze, and it's no secret she's a high-functioning alcoholic; at least not to her family. Plus she's a surgeon and has inreadibly steady hands. So perhaps that's why she's not stumbling into the spikes as everything goes 'sideways'. "The fuck," she says, holding her hand over her eyes and trying to stay settled on her feet. "This shit just kicked in," she proclaims, trying not to throw up.



Clara is clearly not used to haze and might never have smoked the stuff once in her life. She isn't sure what is going on because suddenly she is laying on the ground and the pit itself seems to be dragging her closer and closer... at least that is how her mind is reading the situation. She looks horrified but to her credit she doesn't scream and though she's not moving towards the pit she is rolling to try and get away from whatever is dragging her into it. This is a saving grace as the attacks made against her miss. After a few seconds she finds her voice, "Guys! The pit is trying to eat me!" Her voice, though fearful is no louder than it was before.

One moment she's patiently waiting for people to climb out of the pit so she can help them up or put them down, depending, and then in the next things start to swirl and there's a sprouting of bolts in her chest. The surge of adrenaline makes her aware enough of her surroundings to not succumb to the vertigo of the illusion. "Archers!" she calls out, so that those above and below are aware, sucking in a sharp breath and a barely audible curse at the sting of both a minor penetration and the sweat that salts it.

Korka drops down to her feet lightly and like that was no big deal right before the world goes sideways--maybe literally. She reaches out a hand for the wall, closes her eyes, and shifts her head from left to right before opening them again. Still feeling a bit queasy, she moves to follow Drake, silent for now and pretty oblivious to what's going on up above.

Calypso provides a fascinating set of variations on the theme of 'fuck' in a long string when the ground starts to "move", but she shakes it off fast. "Fingers are still crossed for the tentacle monsters." Her instinct is to take care of Thea and Eirene, yes even with crossbow bolts flying everywhere, but she does take note of Drake going into the hole on her way over to them. "If something eats you, I'm not going in there to dig you out." she warns him.

Drake, realizing he can't see into the darkness of this cavern, nor is there any other light, gets a torch out of his pack and lights it up. He notices Korka is with him, and takes her hand to make sure she's steady. "Let me go first. Last of these was slippery and we nearly fell down."

Ouida checked dexterity + athletics at difficulty 30, rolling 1 lower.

Clara checked stamina at difficulty 25, rolling 12 lower.

Clara checked luck at difficulty 15, rolling 6 higher. Clara rolled a critical!

Zip! Zip! Crossbow bolts shoot past Domonico as he hears Ouida's cry and crouches, glancing at the prisoners and raising one finger. "Lie down. You do bot want to get shot by accident. Do not aid your friends or I will kill you." He then barks out orders. "Nitos! Flavian! Thema! Baros! Shields! Form on the prisoners. Taking fire from the entrance. The rest! With me!" He then bursts into action, heading towards the entrance with the oncoming fire, a zigzaged charge of sorts.

Arik GM Roll checked dext(4) + archery(3) at difficulty 10, rolling 13 higher.

Arik GM Roll checked dext(4) + archery(3) at difficulty 10, rolling 40 higher.

Arik GM Roll checked dext(4) + archery(3) at difficulty 10, rolling 27 higher.

Arik GM Roll checked dext(4) + archery(3) at difficulty 10, rolling 30 higher.

Arik GM Roll checked dext(4) + archery(3) at difficulty 10, rolling 15 higher.

Arik GM Roll checked dext(4) + archery(3) at difficulty 10, rolling 17 higher.

42 inflicted and Ouida is unharmed.

42 inflicted and Ouida is unharmed.

48 inflicted and Ouida is harmed for minor damage.

1 inflicted and Thea is unharmed.

Korka gives Drake a bit of an amused look, "All right. But if you're expecting me to pretend to slip so you can gallantly save me from certain death I have to say I prefer higher, more open climates for things like that."

For those in the tunnels they are cramped and made of soft muddy dirt. Every so often they pass what appears to be a wooden brace. The torch burns and lights the way it seems to be angling downward at a steep angle but instead of slippery it seems more like this thing might collapse from the soggy earth that constructs. it. The braces seem crucial to this not happening. It will take several minutes to climb down to the end of it, there appears to be at least one turn or a block at the end of the visible light.

In the pit Nio is spared and stabilized. She might have a limp for the rest of her life but she is alive and can be passed up or left safely where she is as the haze seems to kick in and everyone briefly begins to feel vertigo and strange sensations. Those in the pit can hear Clara shout that the pit is trying to eat her!

There are more crossbow bolts being fired at the group but Ouida seems to be trying to aid Clara who continues her journey towards the pit trap. Whether by magics or her own hallucinations she moves towards it inexorably. How she moves there, how Ouida tries to help. One will have to watch to find out. However the bolts strike Ouida along her back and shoulder putting her off at just the last minute and Clara falls... Right onto Thea and Calypso while Eiren feels like Clara is falling UP at her, holy shit! The two women catch the falling shaman as if they had planned it, reflexes right? The soldiers snap to at Domonico's instructs shields coming up to deflect the bolts while the rest rush to his side forming a shield wall even as he continues to evade fire from the cavern. Truly it must be nearly ten people firing from within the haze.

Wait

When did the haze begin to have blue sparkles in it?

Calypso hands her waterskin over to Eirene. "Here. Drink some water. And for the love of Gloria, do not pu -- OOF FUCK." She "elegantly" "catches" Clara. Really. Disregard the flailing and swearing. It was elegant. The point is, nobody is hurt.

Ouida hears Clara's bravely quiet voice, her gaze snapping towards the Crovane lady and without hesitation she makes a dive for her as another volley of bolts come her way. Her attempt, however, falls short, as she bodysurfs and slippery sildes through dead birds and insects and her grasp doesn't connect with Clara. "Shit!" she seethes, as once more the knight acts more like bolt pincushion than heroine, alas. She does take a moment to look at least, to make sure that she's not impaled on a spike, and there at least is some relief. "Terribly sorry, we shall take care of the archers now," she informs them almost cheerfully, before she'll make the effort to try and go chase after Domonico and his wall o' shields.

Thea lands easily enough, but it takes her a moment for her eyes to adjust. "Gods. This is worse than when I used to get sea sick,"before she steps over to the woman. "But you missed out, Drake. So it's what she sai--SHIT!" Thea finds herself PURPOSELY catching Clara. Yep totally did that. Nothing accidental about that. "Hello Lady Clara."

Domonico checked dexterity + athletics at difficulty 30, rolling 21 higher.

Domonico checked dexterity + medium wpn at difficulty 30, rolling 38 higher.

Domonico checked command + war at difficulty 30, rolling 35 higher.

Drake gives Korka a lifted brow, then a bit of a sly smile, but... he's serious, so he then looks ahead, even if his expression at her is a bit amused. He glances back at the pit where Thea is, and makes sure she's safe, but then continues onward, to the point where things are quite dark. Here, free from the influence of any gases at least, the way seems clear enough... if a bit rough going. Not as slippery as he predicted, but, still a slope. "Careful now," he says, but he's just taking it slow. The tunnel seems to turn at the end... and it's getting increasingly cramped, so he has to let go of Korka and brace himself with his arm on the wall as he ducks lower.

Eirene checked dexterity + athletics at difficulty 20, rolling 8 higher.

Calypso checked command + leadership at difficulty 15, rolling 34 higher.

Thea checked strength + athletics at difficulty 20, rolling 10 higher.

Eirene is back on her own two feet and level ground again, mentally speaking. She makes her way out of the pit carefully after taking the quick drink from the waterskin since she isn't yeeting up her lunch. Quickly, the lanky woman makes her way over towards the tunnel to join the others, blade readied in hand.

Korka turns when Drake lets go of her hand, pressing her back against his and likewise putting her hands out for the walls, breathing suddenly a bit harder and ducking even though they were standing up a moment ago, watching for anything coming behind them and trusting that Drake will let her know if there's a sudden drop, "...if this gets any smaller we're really going to have a problem with anyone that had lunch before this," she mutters.

"Shit! Hey... Hey. Stop. Stop!" Calypso is really more in her element when she's giving orders. She's good at giving orders. But (at least once she's recovered from the sudden person falling on her) she's also got a battlefield commander's calm, the kind of calm that soothes soldiers when it's all going to hell. The kind of pure confidence that rallies them to trust her enough to charge back into the thick of it. "Be still a moment. You're okay. You're okay."

Ouida checked dexterity + athletics at difficulty 30, rolling 7 higher.

Ouida checked dexterity + medium wpn at difficulty 30, rolling 120 higher. Ouida rolled a critical!

Thea looks over at Calypso before dropping to her knees and crawling into the tunnel,"This brings back memories. I'm just throwing that out there." She sighs, a grins. "If there's any drop offs--I'm not first this time!" Thea turns a moment, telling Calypso,"You're good.."

Domonico manages to see the enemy firing line of crossbows and he feels a stab of fear before he notes that they are all reloading. "Now! With me!" he calls to his troops and Ouida, bursting into a charge with his xiphos ready, the soldiers following him in without question. "MANGATA!" he cries out as he plows into them, Warspite slicing out in precise, well drilled strikes, muscle memory taking over.

Maybe it's the lady slipping through her fingers and knowing there are even MORE people down there who might be in danger now, or the fact that her armor is full of bolts and slugs and rotten birds and gods know what else, but a righteous fury seems to finally overcome the Harthall knight. She pushes herself to her feet, making her way to be able to charge with Domonico at the entrance. Now this is something that is familiar to the tall knight. She draws her sword in tandem with Magnotta, echoing his cry, and doing her best to compliment his impact so that they make a truly smashing entrance through through the crossbow archers.



Thankfully, Clara is actually a soldier! So the Duchess giving her orders does in fact snap her out of her haze induced panic attack. "Okay. Okay." She says it a few more times and for a moment just hugs Calypso. Never mind that she doesn't know the woman, Calypso has a new friend. After a few deep breaths and realizing everything is okay, Clara releases Calypso... "Thank the Gods..." She pulls her axe to her chest... somehow, the little warrior managed to maintain a grasp on it and not hurt anyone with it on her way down.

Arik GM Roll checked str(4) + medium wpn(3) at difficulty 10, rolling 19 higher.

Arik GM Roll checked str(4) + medium wpn(3) at difficulty 10, rolling 21 higher.

Arik GM Roll checked str(4) + medium wpn(3) at difficulty 10, rolling 27 higher.

Arik GM Roll checked str(4) + medium wpn(3) at difficulty 10, rolling 29 higher.

Arik GM Roll checked str(4) + medium wpn(3) at difficulty 10, rolling 21 higher.

Arik GM Roll checked str(4) + medium wpn(3) at difficulty 10, rolling 27 higher.

Calypso probably doesn't smell great right now. She's been sweating in her leather armor for a while, and walking around in dead things. But any port in a storm. When Clara seems to relax, Calypso lets her go. "You good?"

Arik GM Roll checked str(4) + medium wpn(3) at difficulty 10, rolling 49 higher.

Arik GM Roll checked str(4) + medium wpn(3) at difficulty 10, rolling 24 higher.

Arik GM Roll checked str(4) + medium wpn(3) at difficulty 10, rolling 20 higher.

Arik GM Roll checked str(4) + medium wpn(3) at difficulty 10, rolling 39 higher.

Did Clara just HUG the Duchess?! Thea can't help it, she laughs, but manages to compose herself,"Whose ass am I behind? Korka, is that you?"

<GM>
As Drake and Korka take that right turn they feel like they're digging through the earth not crawling. How is this possible the torch is still lit by it smolders on the soft earth it is rubbing against. They continue, just a bit further and then suddenly it's like they were suffocating and can breath again. Drake is the first to go through the 'tiny' hole. Then Korka comes after. Thea though... seems fine. Like it's cramped but it's cool she catches up and as both Korka and Drake might feel like this small stone room is the first time they've been able to breath in the last ten minutes, Thea feels like it's just less cramped. The room appears to be some kind of wine cellar? There are clay wine bottles with seals of wax and moss growing on them stacked against the walls and a stone door with water dripping down it leading to the next room. If they look back the way they came they see the same 3x3 foot opening that Thea just came through.

Clara and Calypso both rally in the spike pit and are faced with a choice. Into the depths with the others the dark depths the torch no to far ahead to be of help to them or vault the pit back to above ground to aid their companions... The sound of battle being joined fills the air.

Meanwhile as Ouida, Domonico, and Eirene rush into action the crossbows fall silent and shouts raise. The crossbow shoots in the mouth of the slouched stone entrance to the ruins are kneeling five across and then another five are standing. They have the perfect shot but Domonico, the soldiers, and Ouida rushed to quickly... They are reloading. One of them shouts "For the Drowned One!" just as Ouida cuts his head off, he blinks as his head rolls in the mud. Horrible way to go. Pushing past the kneeling dead corpse she proceeds to take four more of the standing cultists, daggers and shortswords are drawn she bats them aside like they are children. Her sword cuts through ones stomach out the back, then rips out the side as she slashes up and opens another from hip to shoulder with a gasp of surprise. The final one she finishes in a knightly manner. Pommeling her head in as she crumples to the ground. Meanwhile Dominico kills two, his soldiers kill the remaining three and they have gained the entrance!

Now all that awaits is the haze and... the man with the arm... who knows what else.
<GM>

Arik GM Roll checked luck(4) + occult(5) at difficulty 10, rolling 55 higher.

Calypso takes a step back from Clara once she's sure that the other woman's not going to freak out on her again. "You up for an adventure? My idiot cousin went down a hole without knowing where it goes, which means I have to go in after her. From the sound of it, Domonico has things under control up top."

Drake comes out into the open area, and takes a sharp breath, as if he was having a hard time getting air. His hand moves to his chest, but then he can finally stand up straight again... He looks, noticing Thea is also here now. And safe, so he nods to her. He shines the torch around a bit. "...Wine," he says, but doesn't touch any bottles. Rather, he moves to the door, and puts his hand on that, testing to see how heavy it seems, if it would be locked or hard to push. "Brace yourselves. If something violent is through this way..."

6 inflicted and Calypso is harmed for minor damage.

6 inflicted and Korka is harmed for minor damage.

6 inflicted and Eirene is harmed for minor damage.

6 inflicted and Thea is harmed for minor damage.

6 inflicted and Clara is harmed for minor damage.

6 inflicted and Ouida is harmed for minor damage.

6 inflicted and Domonico is harmed for minor damage.

Prolonged exposure to the haze even after turning bluish with sparkles seems to be taking its toll despite some recovering from the effects for now. Those with experience smoking can tell that dry feeling in the back of the throat, the slow pain in their lungs, their bodies becoming 'sore' to the warm tempature its inhaling. Sinus headaches begin to occur all around.



"Yeah, I'm good..." Clara can't afford embarassment right now but damn might she feel it later. She looks to Calypso. "Yeah, why not." She gets ready to follow Calypso.

Korka is gasping for breath by the time they push through, taking a moment to shake off all the dirt once they emerge and looking around, "You had the nicer view," she tells Thea when she appears, reaching out to pick up one of those bottles. And if it looks like it still has viable wine in it? She's definitely taking that with her.

Calypso winces as the headache starts to kick in, but let's be honest, here. This is Calypso, queen of hangovers and possible functional alcoholic. She's fine with this. So she'll light a torch and lead Clara into the tunnel.

Now that more squishy things have been added to the tunnel, Ouida seems truly in her element, albeit gore splattered now as well. "On your command, my lord," she says to Domonico, not dropping a ready stance and looking around. The deeper breathing though is rattle-y as well, though, and she coughs. Clearly as a square in the have you ever smoked department, unless you're talking a haunch of meat. The sparkles make her squint now, as if that will ward off the pain starting at the bridge of her nose and behind her eyes.

Thea stands, catching her breath. She grins at Korka,"I've been behind Drake once. You're right." She inhales deep, and looks at the door and the wine bottles. "I'd want to take some of that home. Maybe. Have to check it over first..."

Those that took the slouched entrance to the ruins stand amongst the bodies of the slain cultists. The bluish sparkling haze thicker now, headaches all around. There appears to be a decaying moss covered staircase leading down. The cultists have used it enough their boots have worn a trail into the moss. It's narrow only big enough for one at a time. There is a strange... Foreboding feeling coming from it

Thea checked strength + athletics at difficulty 30, rolling 5 higher.

Calypso checked dexterity + athletics at difficulty 20, rolling 30 higher. Calypso rolled a critical!

Eirene says, "I want to bet it's the crap that's making my head feel like I just got a big-fucking hangover. And I don't do hangovers very often..." She goes for the bottles because she's a skinny wimp and forcing a door isn't a good idea. She's got enough experience with liquor both medicinal and alcoholic so... "What is this shit?"

Clara checked dexterity + athletics at difficulty 20, rolling 30 higher.

Drake checked stamina + athletics at difficulty 30, rolling 18 higher.

Eirene checked perception + alchemy at difficulty 20, rolling 25 higher.

Domonico did not have the sheer brutality that Ouida demonstrated when they hit the line of crossbowmen. While she was decapitating and dismembering, his first thrust went straight through the throat of a man in the process of drawing a dagger before he grabs the wrist of the next assailant, pulls the arm out wide and then stabs up deep into the armpit, dropping the cultist quickly. His soldiers remember their training, all of them Southport veterans who had entered service of the new Cadet House Magnotta. "Well done all," he rasps before he squeezes the charm to Mangata around his neck and nods his head. "Torches. Let's go."

Domonico checked dexterity + medium wpn at difficulty 30, rolling 43 higher.

"Is the view of my arse really so bad? Come on. I don't just wear these leathers for my own protection, you know." But Drake is mostly just joking around... for one thing, he's got a cloak on. He puts his shoulder against the door, but... either he's lost a little bit of his strength from all the previous climbing, or, it's just harder to push than he anticipated. "Might take a little more work."

Korka checked stamina + athletics at difficulty 30, rolling 19 lower.

Calypso checked perception + occult at difficulty 20, rolling 42 higher.

Eirene checked perception + investigation at difficulty 20, rolling 9 higher.

Ouida checked dexterity + medium wpn at difficulty 30, rolling 13 higher.

Clara checked perception + occult at difficulty 20, rolling 55 higher.

Korka puts her hands out and pushes on the door! She then puts her shoulder into it. And it's only then that she realizes she's actually pushing into a wall and not the door, right beside Drake. "Right. This is good workmanship. Very sturdy."

Korka checked perception + investigation at difficulty 30, rolling 17 higher.

Thea checked perception + investigation at difficulty 20, rolling 14 higher.

Arik GM Roll checked dext(5) + stealth(5) at difficulty 5, rolling 48 higher.

Arik GM Roll checked dext(5) + stealth(5) at difficulty 5, rolling 23 higher.

Arik GM Roll checked dext(5) + stealth(5) at difficulty 5, rolling 30 higher.

Arik GM Roll checked dext(5) + stealth(5) at difficulty 5, rolling 38 higher.

Arik GM Roll checked str(6) + brawl(6) at difficulty 5, rolling 57 higher.

Domonico wields Warspite, an alaricite xiphos.

Arik GM Roll checked str(6) + brawl(6) at difficulty 5, rolling 47 higher.

Drake checked perception + investigation at difficulty 30, rolling 12 higher.

50 inflicted and Ouida is harmed for moderate damage.

50 inflicted and Domonico is unharmed.

15 inflicted and Domonico is harmed for moderate damage.

<GM>
Up at the Slouched Entrance Domonico has struck a torch and Ouida is leading the way with her sword at the ready., the soldiers coming up the rear. Afterall the two nobles cut through the cultists quicker than eight of them could. As the pair move down the dark tunnel the flames seem to shown an oily sheen on the walls... Blue oil... It's dripping onto them. Onto the soldiers. It seems to glow with some kind of biolumiscence... The decaying stone that makes the corridor the staires are winding down seems to grow more and more slick with it. The... Stones seem to be gaped like the bluish oil is- fuck they're hallucinating those aren't gaps. Those are cultists! They have skin painted in blue oil almost like there's some kind of lapis lazul or blue sapphire in the oil that enhances the hallucingen property of the haze.

Whatever it is they strike! Ouida, Domonico, the soldiers all get stabbed or... did some of those oily blue painted culists rub their hands on their faces. Domonico and one of the soldiers has the oil smeared over their mouth, their nose, in their eyes. Their worlds begin to swim with the haze hitting them harder still. The soldier falls to the ground yelling about tentacles (no one else can see) eating him. Domonico manages to gut the cultist that so brazenly rushed an armored Count with a weapon, bare handed in body paint. Ouida is stabbed in the shoulder, her armor doing its duty as she too cuts down the cultist leaving two to fight with knives in one hand and oily substance on their other.

MEANWHILE IN THE WINE ROOM... The wine appears to be some kind of ancient rite wine, when it's opened it has crushed gemstones inside it... the scent so familiar for anyone whose ever smelled old medicinal drugs. This stuff is likely a source of the hazes affect being applied to moss. Meanwhile everyone in the room feels the hairs on the back of their neck stand on end... Drake , Korka, and Thea all get away from the door as a... oily black snack arm smashes through it sending debris flying into the room. The torch that Drake brought gutters and in the threshold stands a black robed man, dripping in oily blue substance... His arm is an arm, no it's a liquid black snake... It twists like shadows and smoke and his rotting teeth flash a grin as he approaches. His free hand comes up splashing everyone with the bluish oil... Their eyes beginning to widen. The haze hitting them once more as the man seems to be ten feet tall and looming over them. His voice is grim, "The Drowned One... Seeks the body burner. She dies first." well at least he's kind enough to announce Thea will be his focus.
<GM>

Drake wields Love's Sorrow, a Thorn-twined Blade.

Korka wields burgundy rose hairpins set with garnets.

Calypso wields Truestrike.

"Fuck me," Calypso says, drawing her sword. "It's really a tentacle monster." She paces between the suddenly... giant... "Oh gods, it didn't just get that big." Giant and everything, she paces between it and Thea.

Eirene checked intellect + occult at difficulty 30, rolling 39 higher.

Domonico checked dexterity + medium wpn at difficulty 40, rolling 20 higher.

Ouida checked dexterity + medium wpn at difficulty 40, rolling 23 higher.

Drake checked dexterity + medium wpn at difficulty 50, rolling 19 higher.

Korka checked dexterity + small wpn at difficulty 40, rolling 14 lower.

Clara checked dexterity + medium wpn at difficulty 40, rolling 12 lower.

Calypso checked dexterity + intimidation at difficulty 40, rolling 2 lower.

Eirene's run into many kinds of alcohol before. Ceremonial wine used in a cult? Probably not the kind she's used to. But nonetheless she's familiar with lots of different properties and knows a little about what they've encountered. She looks up, bottle in her hand, and seems to be contmplating something as she stares at the tentacle-handed man. "Didn't we already kill you," she asks.

Thea checked dexterity + medium wpn at difficulty 30, rolling 34 higher.

Despite her pounding head and close quarters, and the pain in her shoulder from where some of the earlier strike pierced the leather, Ouida's blood is still up, and her savage instincts sharp. It's hard to see the cultists in their camouflage but she thinks she sees one nearby and thrusts her sword outward, attempting to strike the one lurking there, attempting to try and take them down before they can get in another strike at her or the Count and others behind her.

Korka was not expecting that--well, she was expecting something since she steps away from the door before it explodes and doesn't manage to get whacked by the long arm thing of that weird man. She's still a little unsteady on her feet, wincing a little at what appears to be a sudden headache, reaching up to pull the hairpins from her hair and strike out at him. Except she appears to strike about a foot away from him, stumbling to the side and scowling at her miscalculations.

Calypso is between snake arm and Thea, but she doesn't look especially happy about it. This is the kind of bravery that involves doing something even though you're terrified. So she stands there with sword drawn.

Drake draws out Love's Sorrow, the spikes in the blade's hilt seeming to dig into his palm. He is excellent with the sword, sweeping it in a downward arc purely from muscle memory, aiming for the arm that... is not an arm, sometimes. Aiming for that specific target makes this perhaps more challenging, but the blade cuts true, slashing into the cultist and at... whatever he's become. The weapon's blade, made of rubicund, flashes red, picking up light from the torch that Drake holds in his left hand now.

Arik GM Roll checked dext(4) + medium wpn(4) at difficulty 30, rolling 17 higher.

Domonico is grateful for the shemagh scarf he has as it mitigates some of that damn oil but he finds some gets in his mouth and he gags a little. He tears Warspite out of the belly of the one he has gutted before stepping over his fallen soldier, "Hold!" is his command to the House troops before he engages another foe, relying on hours and days of drills to guide his actions. He steps in, his head snapping forward to deliever a stunning headbutt with his alaricite helm before following through with Warspite, in a powerful thrust.

Thea is already drawing her blade, blinking at the snaked amr,"Well Fuck!" She looks at Eirene and Drake,"Did that thing get BIGGER!" Thea peers over at Calypso, promising her Duchess,"I'm fine you know---I can do this. Our city needs you far more than it needs me, not that we're going anywhere..."



Clara doesn't hesitate to attempt to hit the creature but it is just that, an attempt. She doesn't hit him though, axe swinging just over one of the smoky appendages. She takes a step back and refocuses herself as her rather spry opponent continues at his business.

56 inflicted and Thea is harmed for minor damage.

60 inflicted and Drake is unharmed.

<GM>
On the stairs amongst the blue oil slicked stones Ouida cuts down one of the cultists while Domonico cuts down the other. The soldiers rally with a *hoo!* sound, shields coming up and swords being brought into place ready to storm down the stairs with their liege and the harthall knight... The sound of battle can be heard down the stairs the haze is thickening... Everywhere... It's almost becoming hard to see. Ouida and Domonico know they must stop the source before they all die like those animals and bugs outside.

In the WINE room with the hulking seemingly 10ft tall man approaches Thea almost ignoring the others. When Eirene deduces that the wine is not only flammable but explosively so likely turning into a haze or gas when it burns to quick... Like the haze they're breathing. In fact all the stuff in here could be a very big boom if they ignited maybe that's why clay and weak seals instead of glass? Meanwhile Calypso tries to get between the snake armed man and Thea Malvici. Despite he lack of intimidation coming off her, the cultist seems to flicker... Is he 10ft tall or is he 5ft... Are those swirling tattoos on his arm? Calypso seems to be flickering between reality and the haze induces visions. The snake armed cultist grabs hilt of her blade turning it aside and shoulder checking her as she is in that brief moment of hesitation. That odd flicker between reality and the hallucinations causes Korka and Clara to miss since it's hard to fight a target that isn't what it seems. Calypso is still close to him as Thea lances her blade towards his chest, the blade hits hip in the shoulder... The height difference he grunts and lashes out with the snake arm cutting her across the cheek in exchange. Oh she can't feel her face. Cool. Her tongue feels mushy. She can't seem to talk without a slur. Trippy.

When Drake's blade goes for the snack arm the only reason it isn't cut clean off is that the shadowy inky snakes and the real tattooed arm are vastly different. All the same the cultist is forced back from Thea and snarls kicking out at Drake! Catching him in the shin, like the cheap lowlife commoner this cultist clearly is. So cheap and low it doesn't hurt the man! The cultist bears his teeth. "You will not stop the attack, the town will fall, the Drowned One will be reborn. I will live forever!" hey this guy SOUNDS different.

6 inflicted and Ouida is harmed for minor damage.

6 inflicted and Drake is harmed for minor damage.

6 inflicted and Eirene is harmed for minor damage.

6 inflicted and Domonico is harmed for minor damage.

6 inflicted and Calypso is harmed for minor damage.

6 inflicted and Thea is harmed for minor damage.

6 inflicted and Clara is harmed for minor damage.

6 inflicted and Korka is harmed for minor damage.

Korka is a clever person she sees the big picture... Like traps that people are hiding in. When looking through the shattered stone door she sees four more cultists, from this distance she can tell they are normal men and women with swirling black tattoos on their arms. They appear to be feeding small amounts of the wine from the vases into a boiling cauldron that smells like swamp ass. The room is large.

Clara checked intellect + medicine at difficulty 45, rolling 26 higher.

Calypso checked dexterity + medium wpn at difficulty 25, rolling 32 higher.

Thea checked dexterity + medium wpn at difficulty 25, rolling 34 higher.

Drake checked dexterity + medium wpn at difficulty 25, rolling 74 higher.

"The next room," Korka yells to those within shouting distance in the wine room once she's got her bearings from the failed attempt to hit, "Four people doing a ritual! Take them out and we'll likely have an easier time with this asshole!"

Eirene checked dexterity + dodge at difficulty 30, rolling 12 higher.

Calypso narrows her eyes, like she's trying to see through the hallucination, to target her strike at what's really there. She relies on her memory as much as what she sees, and her alaricite sword arcs through the air, reflecting the torchlight, in a brutal slash at its center of mass. Or its knees, if it's really ten feet tall.

Eirene grabs the torch from Drake and starts to back away from the figure. Not only does this free him up to fight, it keeps the flame well away from him. She starts bolting back for the entrance. "This shit will light us the fuck up if it catches on fire," she cautions in her gravely voice.

Arik GM Roll checked str(6) + brawl(6) at difficulty 15, rolling 60 higher.

Arik GM Roll checked str(6) + brawl(6) at difficulty 15, rolling 49 higher.

Ouida checked dexterity + medium wpn at difficulty 30, rolling 32 higher.

Domonico checked dexterity + medium wpn at difficulty 30, rolling 30 higher.

56 inflicted and Thea is harmed for minor damage.

80 inflicted and Drake is unharmed.

8 inflicted and Drake is harmed for minor damage.

Thea is blinking, BLINKING! "How the fuck does Eirene smoke this shit? How does anyone? Well-like it"as she swings at the thing in front of her. She gets him SOMEWHERE! Thea is sure anyway. She hurries back, trying to avoid the snake like thing, when she hears Korka. She turns that way and nods,"I'll head that way,"trying to make her way throught the fog. With a smirk, Thea adds,"I don't regret it by the way." Take that assholes!

Drake gets a hit to the leg, a low blow, but his leathers take the brunt of it. It might end up being a bruise later. He's focused on the fight, and at least holding the torch carefully because, well, he needs that to see. But the flammability of the bottles is perhaps something he did not consider, as concentrated on his swordsmanship as he is. Eirene suddenly grabs the torch from his off hand.... and moves it away from him, freeing his hands up. He barks out a quick, "Right-" but he then goes back on the attack. He has two hands now to grab the weapon, driving his blade straight into the man's guts. Maybe after he's dead, Drake will have a better idea of what size he really was. He hears Korka, but... keeps to his current opponent for now. "I'll... keep him occupied."

The effects of her early injuries as well as the noxious haze are taking at least a little toll as the Harthall knight tries to not choke while still moving at a decent but not reckless clip. Unburdened by a torch, she is able to keep her weapon at the ready, her eyes narrowed still and watery, using her warrior's training despite adverse conditions to try and discern when at last the stairs end ready to lash out if and when she sees a waiting cultist.

"I've got alaricite," Calypso says to Drake.



Clara takes a breath and analyzes the creature before she yells out where to aim. She doesn't have time to really attack herself but she can guide her companions and help ensure that their strikes are easier.

<GM>
In the wine room the cultist is overwhelmed as Clara calls out her advice on cutting down the man. Even despite that he manages to strike Thea from behind his hand or shadowy snake arm bruising her ribs from behind. Then Drake is upon him, Calypso, their blades are sinking into his flesh. He screams in a gurlging sound. He punches at Drake's chest but the man is well geared. In his death throes he reaches out smearing his hand over Drake face giving the man another hit of the bluish oil... He feels as if his arms are longer than they normally are, but he is much shorter, his vision tunnels but he can still fight! Thea and Korka begin to move into the next room, Eirene opts to go that way too instead of into a cramped tunnel they crawled through. The three women go into the large vaulted room, it's obvious this is a natural cavern supported with some stone work. In the center is a bonfire with a boiling black cauldron... An impressive amount of steel went into this, but even more impressive is the boiling mixture producing the haze... this close that is a strong hit.

Meanwhile Ouida and Domonico come down the stairs, quick, almost running if they weren't both suffering the affects of the oily drug. The soldiers come up behind them shield up. The cultists appear to be flanked now on both sides. One from the stairs and one from the wine room. The four men and women look to the left, to the right. Are they... Stuffing rags into those wine bottles?! Ouida and Domonico charge them with the soldiers. They came down those stairs hot and upon seeing the action taking place the pair manage to panick one that throw their clay wine bottle without lighting it, then gets run through the chest by both of them. The soldiers form a shield wal around the pair of nobles to protect them from more projectiles. The perfect system... Maybe.

Calypso checked command + intimidation at difficulty 45, rolling 0 higher.

Eirene checked command + intimidation at difficulty 45, rolling 7 higher.

"THE FUCK IS GOING ON IN HERE?!" Calypso demands, striding into the room, sword drawn. "The demon summoning shit. stops. NOW."

Korka checked charm + intimidation at difficulty 45, rolling 6 higher.

Drake checked stamina at difficulty 18, rolling 9 higher.

"STEP AWAY FROM THAT SHIT," Eirene demands, "OR I SEND YOU TO MEET THE QUEEN ON FIRE INSTEAD OF DROWNING." She waves her torch threateningly as if going to throw it at them.

Drake perhaps does not understand Calypso's implication, but there's other things for him to worry about, such as... the man wiping his face, and covering him in some of that horrible blue stuff. He coughs, chokes, and wipes a bit at it... Drake taking a moment to steady himself so that he can keep fighting and knows better where his arms are.

The room is a lot bigger than Korka anticipated, putting a hand out on some of that stonework that holds the cavern up as she tries to figure out if she's going to stab someone. Instead she says in an overly casual and rather cold voice, "You know I bet we don't even have to fight them. Let's just bring the entire cavern down on top of their heads. It'll bury them and whatever that is that they're cooking."

Ouida checked dexterity + medium wpn at difficulty 30, rolling 40 higher. Ouida rolled a critical!

Domonico checked dexterity + medium wpn at difficulty 35, rolling 7 higher.

Arik GM Roll checked dext(5) + archery(4) at difficulty 10, rolling 52 higher.

Arik GM Roll checked dext(5) + archery(4) at difficulty 10, rolling 47 higher.

Arik GM Roll checked dext(5) + archery(4) at difficulty 10, rolling 36 higher.

Arik has rolled 1 100-sided dice: 67

Arik has rolled 1 100-sided dice: 47

Arik has rolled 1 100-sided dice: 94

Arik has rolled 1 3-sided dice: 3

Arik has rolled 1 100-sided dice: 25

"THE FUCK IS GOING ON IN HERE?!" Calypso demands, striding into the room, sword drawn. "The demon summoning shit. stops. NOW." (re)

There's a lot going on in the room, shouting, bottle waving, all through a sparkly haze and a killer headache that puts even her benders during her squiring days to shame. But a knight's focus is a knight's focus, especially if you're an Ouida, and so she comes roaring out of the doorway to strike down the nearest target, trying to cut them down before they can throw or cast spells or shoot and arrow or gods know what else at her.

Domonico yanks his blade out of the cultist that he and Ouida have both struck down and takes a split second to assess the current enemies before he notices the weapons held. Ouida has already charged forward but Domonico spies another foe, a bit further away and he steps and throws Warspite, the alaricite xiphos spinning through the air towards a target... with Domonico charging after it.

Thea checked dexterity + athletics at difficulty 25, rolling 34 higher.

Clara checked dexterity + athletics at difficulty 25, rolling 9 higher.

Arik has rolled 1 3-sided dice: 1

12 inflicted and Calypso is harmed for moderate damage.

12 inflicted and Korka is harmed for moderate damage.

12 inflicted and Eirene is harmed for moderate damage.

Domonico checked luck + dodge at difficulty 30, rolling 16 higher.

10 inflicted and Domonico is harmed for minor damage.

<GM>
In the room it is chaos, absolutely BEDLAM has broken out in this large underground cavernous room. Calypso is shouting, Eirene is shouting, Korka is scheming! The cultists, two men and one woman all have molotov winetails in their hands, the ends burning ready to throw. The threat of summon demons seems to get the cultists confused, then scared, is that what they're doing? Well one of them and she shouts at Calypso, "If a demon comes it is because of you! The Drowned One will rise, stop interfering!" and she hucks the bottle at Calypso... Indeed she drew her attention and her aggression. When the wine bottle hits near Calypso's feet it immediately *pops* and shards of clay fly outward and Calypso is knocked off her feet as a gaseous wave of blue rolls over her.

When Korka discusses dropping the entire cavern... The man shouts at her, "You want to drop it... We'll drop it!" he hucks the wine bottle and it smashes into the stonework she had been touching another *pop* sound and Korka is thrown back from the wall closer to the center of the room, knocked off her feet by the pressure wave as bluish gas begins to fill the expansive room. The stonework that it hit begins to crumble and the entire room... Shudders... Clods of dirty fall but it only last a few moments before stabilizing it. Almost, but not this time.

When Eirene threatens to send them to the queen of fire the cultist throws a flaming molotov winetail at her too! Eirene can see it coming and... *pop* her and the touch go flying back five feet, tumbling to the ground, blue haze rushing out in a pressure wave... Oh shit... This is... Straight... Drug... Wine... Gas.

Even as the room begins to swim for everyone, the feeling of needing to vomit taking hold, eyes pounding and aching, sinus completely blocked, breathing dry and raspy.... Even then Clara and Thea rush a cauldron to tip it over washing one of the cultists in scalding boiling... exilir? Jungle juice? Fungus sweat? The cultist screams but not because of the scalding water. That actually kills her. No the cultist screams because Domonico is dancing out from behind the shield of a soldier to stab her in the leg, forcing her to kneel a moment of kindness perhaps. Only it makes her completely submerged by the wave of boiling water... Domonico manages to dance back in time, only getting his right leg from the knee down to his ankle burned. Hsssssss

Ouida manages to outright behind her cultist, the one who had thrown at Eirene, the man was talking! He was saying, "I'll kill us all I do- hrk!" his mouth still moving as his head drops next to the pile of clay wine bottles he was threatening to explode as a counter to Eirene's threat!

Only one cultist remains with two clay wine bottles in her hands, rags hanging out, already lit, and a stomach wound she won't survive...

Hushed murmurs to Clara about the plan, Thea darts out, with not the most steadiest of feet as bottles are thrown and things start to crumble and starts to heave the heavy cauldron over--with help from Clara. The contents reek and her eyes start to well. It burns! The jumps back as fast as she can. She hurt by this point, though she hasn't complained, trying to avoid the contents on the floor. And all the other debris around. "Shit shit shit--"trying to move around it.



Clara looks to Thea and nods just before she rushes the pot, grabs onto the hot pot, and pushes it over and onto one of the cultists on the other side. Together Thea and Clara manage to tumble it over and onto the cultist who screams. She cringes as steam pours into the air around them and backs away quickly to get away from it.

Drake checked stamina at difficulty 18, rolling 2 lower.

Drake's vision clears just in time to see the cultist with the two bottles... looking as if she's about to do something absolutely suicidal.

Drake's immediate concern isn't for himself, but for the women who are closer to the manic cultist. He sheathes his blade, fast. He then makes a quick tactical decision - Thea is closer to the woman but she's doing something; Korka is hurt more badly... he goes for Korka's side, and reaches for her, shielding her if he can with his cloak, pulling her toward the exit. "You always tell ME to survive. Guess it's my turn." He bends over coughing in spite of his attempt at bravado... there's still some stuff on his face. He actually doesn't look very good, but he manages to stay on his feet.

Korka checked charm + haggling at difficulty 5, rolling 61 higher.

Arik GM Roll checked willpower(5) at difficulty 20, rolling 1 higher.

Korka goes flying back and hits the wall, crumbling in a heap at the foot of it for a moment before rolling onto all fours and trying to catch her breath, "We should bring the room down," she shouts and coughs as Drake pulls her up, putting a hand up to tighten the scarf around her nose and mouth even though she's nearly gagging on every breath regardless and leaning heavily against him, "Someone else will just find it and use it again for this shit. Everyone needs to be out the door and up the stairs at least--there's a ton of those bottles outside. If we light a few they'll all go up. Take out the room, most of the tunnels so another cult group can't find them and terrorize this area. We light one, throw it, and run!"

Eirene is scrambling to her feet after getting knocked back, coughing as the wind is somewhat knocked out of her. That just means the breaths she takes are are more full of this blue haze shit. While normally she might enjoy a good buzz, this is not the time, nor place, nor is this good. "I'm fine with that, let's get the fuck out of here and cave it in."

As focused on bloodying her sword as she might be, it's hard to not miss the concussive explosions that go off twice on the other side of the room and shake what seem to be the foundations of the cavern itself under their feet, and the thick blue haze becomes even more choking, coating her throat with its taste and her own bile. She can hear Korka, though, and shouts out hoarsely, "The walls are painted with it. Here, and in the stair and tunnel we came down!" She makes herself ready for an attack, but holds to leave the decision ultimately up to Domonico, taking a moment to spit on the ground and try to clear her airway.

Calypso checked dexterity + medium wpn at difficulty 30, rolling 14 higher.

Thea checked dexterity + medium wpn at difficulty 30, rolling 30 higher.

Eirene checked dexterity + medium wpn at difficulty 30, rolling 15 higher.

Drake checked dexterity + dodge at difficulty 30, rolling 32 higher.

As focused on bloodying her sword as she might be, it's hard to not miss the concussive explosions that go off twice on the other side of the room and shake what seem to be the foundations of the cavern itself under their feet, and the thick blue haze becomes even more choking, coating her throat with its taste and her own bile. Ouida can hear Korka, though, and shouts out hoarsely, "The walls are painted with it. Here, and in the stair and tunnel we came down!" She makes herself ready for an attack, but holds to leave the decision ultimately up to Domonico, taking a moment to spit on the ground and try to clear her airway. But when the group moves, so will she, trying to guard the rear and bat away attacks that might come as well.

Domonico points to Korka at her suggestion, "That! We do that! Retreat and level this place! Fall back! Double time!" he hollers at his soldiers to head back up the stairs, gesturing to them and his allies to get out... yes even Calypso.

Ouida checked dexterity + medium wpn at difficulty 30, rolling 19 higher.

The soldiers clearly want to stay behind but the nobles seem determined not to let the peasants die gloriously for them. They hup hup hup hup up the stairs, putting that conditioning to good work.

Korka checked dexterity + dodge at difficulty 30, rolling 20 higher.

"Yes. Works for me. But we ALL have to get out of here, so lets move our ass,"Thea shouts. Turning, she looks to make sure everyone is also coming. Because it's what she does before she makes her way to exit,"Hey Drake! Ever notice every time I'm around you, shit ends up burning?"a slight grin appearing on her lips.

Domonico checked luck + athletics at difficulty 35, rolling 17 higher.

Foolish cultists! Did they really think they were going to disable Calypso with mind altering substances? She's been training all her life for this moment. She might not know which way is up or down, but somehow, somehow she can still function. She backs out of the room once she's sure everyone's going to be getting out.

Arik GM Roll checked dext(5) + archery(4) at difficulty 10, rolling 26 higher.

Arik GM Roll checked dext(5) + archery(4) at difficulty 10, rolling 34 higher.

Arik GM Roll checked dext(5) + archery(4) at difficulty 10, rolling 45 higher.



Clara nods her head and leaves only after everyone other than Calypso has left. She still checks behind her to make sure the Duchess is there every so often, not leaving the other woman behind.

5 inflicted and Calypso is harmed for minor damage.

5 inflicted and Korka is harmed for minor damage.

5 inflicted and Thea is harmed for minor damage.

5 inflicted and Ouida is harmed for minor damage.

5 inflicted and Domonico is harmed for minor damage.

5 inflicted and Eirene is harmed for minor damage.

5 inflicted and Drake is harmed for minor damage.

5 inflicted and Clara is harmed for minor damage.

Drake, who has some hallucinatory stuff on his face, looks at Thea in surprise, then... grins at her, but it's through a wave of confusion and the world swimming. "We'll find something else to burn later." He winks at her. Or maybe he's just trying to get some gunk out of his eyes. He dodges as things come flying in his direction, ducking, then making way for the exit.

Domonico is stubborn indeed here, making sure that the Malvici Duchess General is leaving before him, after all, she is more important than he is. "Go!" While others batter jugs away, the Magnotta Count suddenly snatches one out of the air and flings it back at the zealot before barking orders for everyone to run. Yes... he will be making sure he is last... after all... his back is protected by a fireweave cloak.

Thea is not running straight..AT ALL! She flees from all the flying objects..At thinks she thinks things are flying as she shouts back,"I'd burn that body again too! Take that to your death bed!" Oh yea--Running! Thea tries to shield her eyes as she keeps going, to safety.

Drake checked stamina at difficulty 20, rolling 10 higher.

Calypso checked stamina at difficulty 20, rolling 10 higher.

Thea checked stamina at difficulty 20, rolling 5 lower.

Ouida checked stamina at difficulty 20, rolling 0 higher.

Eirene checked stamina at difficulty 20, rolling 6 lower.

Korka checked stamina at difficulty 20, rolling 13 lower.

Domonico checked stamina at difficulty 20, rolling 13 higher.

Clara checked stamina at difficulty 20, rolling 3 lower.

The womanly cultist in soggy robes with fungus growing on her skin, eyes that are like clouds of dust, and a tongue that is a snake holds up flaming fireballs in her hands. She's a mage or an abyssal blood magic user or something! The blue haze that fills the room makes the walls look like a throne room... No it looks like a crypt... No they're underwater as they flee up the stairs. All of them have overwhelming nausea, their eyes are beating like their hearts should be. Their tongues are dry. They can't remember being able to breath. What is happening?

They manage to rally, to focus the water elemental with sea weed splashing about her body hoists up the blue fireballs and hucks them... Domonico reaches out to catch the fireball with his hand... He's never felt such power in his life, he's throwing a fireball at a water thing... Holy shit! He knows he can't hold it longer than a second and he gives a flick of his wrist and the wine jug with a burning tail goes soaring back to the cultist, hitting her in the head... It doesn't explode this time instead it drenches her in some kind of oil and she burns alive... Or does the water elemental begin to turn into steam... Or does the soggy abyssal witch begin to scream "I'm melting" who the fuck even knows?

They manage to get up and out of the haze filled room, the flow of it isn't coming up the stairs.... Fresh air.... Maybe it's an immunity born from prolonged contact... Maybe it's the fresh air, but Drake, Calypso, Ouida, and Domonico all turn to look at the slouched entrance the soldiers having rejoined their companions with the prisoners beginning to beat a full retreat. Those four can see what is really happening. Domonico takes a torch throws it down the tunnel and a roaring flame belches out of it... then the ground rumbles... the pitfall trap belches a flame, then another flame pours out as everything is igniting below... the ground begins to rumble the mortar of the stonework likely crumbling from heat and years of neglect. Domonico, Ouida, Calypso, and Drake herd their companions along... Their companions who see a very different thing....

Clara, Thea, Eirene, and Korka reach the open air and they see the marshy forest or jungle or whatever as a swarm of corrupted trees with faces.... That want to eat them... The dark sky is filled with a blood moon and spiders are weaving between the stars.... Even that amazing sight doesn't distract them from what happened next. Domonico is made of gold, a golden Count, he lifts up his hand where flames burst from it. He says something akin to Mangata damn you but it's in a language they've never heard... They're hearing in colors! The flame leaves Domonico's hand and... the ground crackes, light beams up from it, blue, red, orange... The entire place is going to implode, the group of high party members are dazed.... Maybe they shout, maybe they fleet, but in the end the sober ones get them away because the ground is really rumbling and...

The small clearing with the slouched stone entrance to the ruins and the pitfall trap becomes a massive sinkhole. Whatever held the cavern up destroyed by the fire, the land heard collapsing inward in a thunderous roar like crashing water but only a wave of earth. When it is all done the haze has cleared and... They stand Victorious!

Eirene's had these kind of trips before, maybe. "You! You again," she shouts at a cloud. "Don't think I didn't see you behind that!" She waves her hands, making all kinds of weird gestures which might be considered arcane? Maybe? Maybe she's finding new ways to flip things off. "The sky is purple green tanquecko right now! That's got to be a good sign, right?"

When they reach the open air Korka's eyes are barely open from the smoke and the headache and she's stumbling and can barely see. Except the parts that she does see are fucking terrifying! In a move she will absolutely deny later she screams and clutches at Drake, looking with terrified eyes at the surrounding trees, "I'M NOT A TURTLE!" she shrieks at the horribleness, clawing at Drake's shoulders like she's going to climb up on his back, "KYLE IS COMING FOR ME! HE KNOWS I STEPPED ON HIS BROTHER! AHHHHHHHHH!"

Calypso herds Eirene, Thea, and Clara with the expertise of someone who has many times been shitfaced and keeping friend who are more shitfaced from walking into traffic. She even has the loose, stumbling, hip-swaying walk that she often picks up when she's really, really drunk. Just another day in the life of the Duchess of Southport.

Bursting out from the crumbling hall and into a---"What the-Hey! When trees grow faces,"as her now dialated eyes stare at the blood moon. She stumbles around, unsteadily,"And spiders are--,"reaching up to touch the stars. "Honestly to Gods--am I dead?!" But then the youngest of the Malvicis really stares at Domonico,"Shit Dom! We could sell you for so much money!"as the-is that fire coming from his hands!

Drake seems to have cleared his face enough to have a clear vision of what's happening. He does his best to help the women who seemed to have inhaled more of the stuff on the way out... than Domonico did, while Domonico sets the fire. Korka leaps onto him... and he grabs her, tries to soothe her, and pull her down. "All right... let's get you... somewhere with fresh air."



Clara looks like she's had a bad nightmare. "Weddin' seems like it will be so much nicer if we don' involve haze..." She crinkles her nose. "Also... brilliant assholes..." She laughs and follows Calypso. "Why do people do this on purpose..." She laughs some more but sounds terrible.

Ouida shudders at some old memory, once they get safely aboveground, and the rumble and flames from the entrances betray what's happening underground as everything burns. But she does watch anyway, after removing her hood finally and sucking in less corrupted air and standing guard until everyone's come down enough to travel.

"I think he's hot too, but he's your brother," Calypso soothes Thea, shooing her away from Domonico. "You can't kiss him."

Thea gags at Calypso,"You're just gross now,"pushing at Calypso. "So not what I meant!"

Domonico feels like he is in control. He is right? His mind may be hazy, his visioned blurred but somehow sheer discipline keeps him going. He summons the flame from nowhere... or rather takes the torch from poor Baros the soldier and flings it down! Ending the evil forever. He may have laughed but one thing he does do? Is look magnificent when the wind makes his cloak billow dramatically.