Kingmaker+Session+3


 * 4-4-15** **Enter Tauzura, Battling the Mites, and Meeting the Fey**

The half orc inquisitor, Tauzura, ran into some snow on the Galena mountains traveling to Bloodstone that delayed her arrival. When she arrived in the city, all of the other adventurer groups had already left with their charters. She ventured on through the great gate and into the wilds on her own. The season was spring. The air was cool, but all of the tundra had melted weeks ago. She eventually made it to Oleg's Trading Post.

After spending some significant time exploring, the party had returned to Oleg's. They group of five were resting and having a drink in Oleg's bar when the half orc walked in the door. Svetlana, Oleg's wife, was bringing bowls of soup to their table. Aeon, a high elven woman with long golden hair, wearing purple and gold among her leathers and a fencing foil at her hip, looked up at the newcomer with less than welcoming eyes, "My name is Aeonill, how can I help you?" The inquisitor raised an eyebrow at the elf, "My name is Tauzura. I'm here for dinner... at the moment." "Then certainly," Aeon relaxed slightly and nodded, "Pull up a chair." Senathliel smiled warmly, a tall mocha skinned woman with pointed elven ears and bright silvery eyes, "Welcome to Oleg's! I'm Sen." She had a celestial glow about her, marking her as an aasimar. Lorwyn, another elven woman, sat at the table conversing with her companions and reading a book at the same time. She had short dark red hair and gold eyes, and she wore several piercings along her ears and a few on her face. She nodded in greeting as Tauzura approached the table, "I'm Lorwynelle." Tauzura nodded to all of them and leaned her hands against the table. A bowl of soup slid off of the table and landed in Sen's lap, causing the oracle to scoot back quickly, "Hot! Hot! Hot!" "Sen, you have the worst luck," Aeon shook her head at the aasimar. Senathliel sighed and nodded, "I know..." Svetlana rushed to her side with a towel, helping her, "Are you alright, dear?" Sen nodded, "Yes, yes, I'm fine. I'm sorry about the soup." The armored gnome fighter, carrying a gnomish hook hammer of his people, nodded welcoming the half orc, "I'm Vorst, of the Rock Gathering Clan."

Tauzura laid her charter on the table, and leaned on her an enormous two-handed greataxe. Vorst hopped down off of his chair and pulled the extra chair out for the half orc. "Thank you," she nodded her appreciation to him and took a seat. "We were just discussing our plans," the gnome nodded up to her, retaking his seat, "We've already made some headway in dealing the bandits a blow here. ...though we're not sure yet what sort of hornet's nest we may have stirred up by doing it. We've found out that there is a leader called the Stag Lord with a head like a stag or something. The bandits all seem a-feared of him." "I'm sure it is nothing," Naahir shook his head, speaking with a foreign accent, "I am not a-feared." "A-feared?" Tauzura raised an eyebrow, "I've heard tales of your deeds on my way into town. It seems you guys made quite a stir." She nodded. "I assure you," Naahir nodded to her, "It was completely intentional." The inquisitor grinned at him. "We talked to a group of filthy kobolds recently," Vorst continued on, "Apparently they've had some trouble with another group called mites . They say they stole some statue from them, and have declared some sort of holy war between the two. The kobolds said that if we can recover their statue that they would make peace-peace with us... so we were just discussing heading back out to get this statue from the mites." "What are mites?" Tauzura asked, curious. "They are smallish humanoids," the cat folk nodded to her, holding a hand a couple of feet tall from the ground. "Oh," the half orc nodded, "like halflings." "Smaller," Naahir nodded, "but yes." "Smaller?" Tauzura blinked, "I could put them under my feet!" "Da! That is the plan," he nodded to her with a fangish grin, "An' much like you, they have bluish skin." He gestured at her green toned skin. "But not this good looking," she winked at him. "You are noticing, yes?" he raised an inviting eyebrow at her. Tauzura grinned at him.

Vorst continued on, ignoring their banter, "I will stay here and help guard the trading post with the guards in case we've earned any reprisal from the trouble we stirred up with the bandits. Not to cast any dispersion on the four good men here... but just in case." Naahir turned to him, "You are using big words trying to impress the new woman, yes? no? You should stop this." Sen laughed and reached over to scratch the catfolk's ears, who leaned into it with pleasure. "You're supposed to be my wingman... wingcat," the gnome shushed him, causing the oracle to giggle even more. "Yes, you do the staying," Naahir nodded to Vorst, "And we will do the going." "With the new woman," Lorwynelle winked at him. The gnome fighter coughed, clearing his throat. The green skinned woman nodded with a grin, eating an entire deer haunch. "You are hungry, yes?" Naahir looked the very tall and large woman over, who nodded in reply. It had been weeks on water and trail rations... real food was delicious.

Aeonill remained a little stand-offish to the newcomer with Lorwyn being a bit wary, but Vorst, Naahir, Sen, Oleg, and Svetlana accepted the half orc without batting an eye at her race. She had good table manners and paid little attention to the elves or their glances. Oleg asked if she had come down from Palashuk, a mining town to the north... the witch king had several orcs among his armies and orcs do what they do with human women and several half orcs went to that town to escape the stigma and make a good living there. "I don't much care for mining," Zura shook her head, a holy symbol of an old guy walking with a staff hanging around her neck. Senathliel nodded toward the symbol, "Go where you feet lead you - Shandakar... an honorable god." Tauzura nodded to the oracle, "He is. Thank you." "You see, Aeonill, she is well behaved," Naahir nodded to the noble blooded Sun's Heart elf, "Can we keep her?" Aeon glanced at the symbol and the catfolk slayer, but said nothing.

Naahir unrolled the map over the table, plotting a course for the mite tree, and filling Zura in on places we had already found... such as Nettle's Crossing and the ghost there who sought revenge on the Stag Lord. The half-orc woman glanced over his shoulder at the map and all of his notations, "Spider's lair?!" "Fear not, we have already put the spider to rest," the catfolk assured her with a nod. She nodded, "I'm not a big fan of the spiders... they're creepy and they're crawly." She shuddered. "Then you are in good company, green lady, yes?" he nodded to her, agreeing, "I too, am not a fan." Sen shrugged, "They have decent flavor and protein if you can get past the legs." Lorwynelle gasped in horror, making a disgusted face at the oracle, paling slightly. Tauzura joined in her look of disgust and blinked at Naahir, "What's up with //that//?" she gestured with her head over her shoulder towardd Senathliel. "Take if from me," he nodded to her, "Keep your distance. She has... how you say? ...bad luck." He nodded.

As though on queue, the handle fell off of the oracle's mug, dropping toward the table. Lorwyn caught it with both hands just before it spilled, setting it on the table with an exasperated sigh at the young aasimar. Aeon had already moved to avoid the spill that would have ended in her lap. Zura blinked, glancing from the event back to the slayer, who shook his head to let it go, and pointed out a few new spots on the map asking the group about further exploration on the way to the mite tree. Lorwyn nodded to him, "I trust your judgement, Naahir. You're far better at making us a route than I." "Fear not, I will steal us a plan," he nodded, "Yes. That is me." "Yes," Aeon spoke with a tired derisive tone, "That is you."

Heading out of the inn, the four guards of bloodstone walked along the top of the wooden walls in their black armor marked with blood red stones flecked with green, protecting Oleg's Trading Post. A human man, unshaven, was covered in dirt and smelled like the stables that he was cleaning. Sen gestured toward the man, nodding to Zura, "That is Newleaf... Falgrim Newleaf." "He is learning the honors of hard labor," Aeon nodded. "An honorable service," Tauzura agreed. The group traveled south, leaving Vorst behind to help out with the guarding of the trading post.

After a full day of travel, camp was made and watches were set. Lorwynelle and Naahir took the first watch together. "You see danger, you step on my tail, yes?" he nodded to her. Lorwyn laughed and nodded, settling in across the fire and watching around them, occasionally reading lines in a book in her hand. A soft jingling of bells sounded on the outskirts of their camp. Naahir's ears perked up, "I am hearing Santa Claws..." "What?" the arcanist blinked over at him, setting her book down. "The jingling of bells... you hear it, yes? no?" He tilted his head at her. The young elven woman sat quiet and listened until she too heard the soft jingling of bells in the distance. She turned with a quizzical face toward the catfolk, whispering loudly, "What do you suppose that is?!" "Perhaps this is the work of the thieving mites?" He looked again toward the sound.

"Are mites known to travel with bells?" she blinked at him. She pawed through her bag of books, looking for a possible answer. Naahir quietly crept out in the grassland, closer to a rocky outcropping... the jingling stopped, and his nose caught the wind and smelled a strange insect-like scent. Mud slid down past the outcropping, but he nimbly leapt out of the way, only catching splashes of mud in his fur. "It must be jingle-bell bugs," he shook his head, returning, "One moment please. I am unsightly." He began cleaning the mud from his fur. "Jingle-bell bugs! What?" Lorwynelle blinked at him, "There's nothing like that in here." She tossed the book she found about the known creatures of Damara back into her pack as though it was useless. "I do not know," he shook his head again, "Something was there. I smelled it... then it was gone." The two stayed alert, but nothing else occurred over their watch. When they woke Zura and Aeon for their turn, they explained the odd happenings, but said they found no real threat. Aeon blinked at the two of them, "Jingling bell bugs..." she turned to the half-orc, "You're from around here... does that mean anything to you?" Zura shook her head at the elven woman, "Can't say I've heard of those." The two settled in for their watch, and everything seemed at peace in the quiet of the starlit grasslands.

Senathliel took the final watch, donning a hooded cloak to protect herself from the rain that rolled in. Flashes of lightning and thunder were in the distance, but the main part of the storm avoided the camp. She made sure the others were protected in the tents and kept watch by the fire, water dripping from her hood. As lightning flashed, a young girl appeared silhouetted by the light, but was gone as soon as the lightning faded. Sen looked around and called on daylight to light the entire campsite and beyond. Lorwyn and Naahir continued in blissful sleep next to each other in one tent while Aeon and Zura slept light, keeping an eye on the other... as light flooded the area, the elven woman raised her hand to shield her eyes. Morning had come awfully fast... Zura rubbed her eyes, "Is it the middle of the day?" The two could hear rain pelting the tent... that couldn't be sun. Zura and Aeon crawled out of the tent, the elven swashbuckler shielding her eyes, "Dear god, child..." she looked at the young oracle standing in the campsite. "I'm so sorry," the dark-haired aasimar turned to greet them apologetically, "I didn't mean to wake you!" "What happened?" Aeonill yawned. "I saw a person... a young girl... standing out in the rain... and she disappeared so fast," Sen shook her head. "Why would you be afraid of children?" the green-skinned inquisitor raised an eyebrow, "They are small." "Well it was a little spooky... I mean I'm used to spooky... but it happened so fast," the oracle tried to explain herself. "Was she wearing armor or carrying a sword?" Aeon tilted her head. "Well no..." Sen shook her head. "Making threatening gestures or calling out for help?" Aeon asked. "Well... no..." the silver-eyed young woman shook her head again, "It all just happened so fast." "Wait... can't you see in the dark?" Zura paused and turned to Sen more fully. "Yes..." Sen nodded, her cheeks now red from blushing. Aeon shook her head and nodded toward Sen, speaking to the half-orc, "This one doesn't get to be on watch alone anymore." "I'm sorry..." the young oracle fretted, "I really didn't mean to wake you... you can go back to sleep." Aeon nodded to her. "The light will be gone in 10 minutes," Sen smiled sweetly. Aeon raised an eyebrow at her and walked the perimeter with the light present. Zura searched as well, using magic to scour the area. Nothing seemed present. The oracle apologized countless times and the elf finally returned to their tent. Zura sat down next to the aasimar, opting to stay awake, "Next time a gentle tap will do." Sen nodded, apologizing again.

Sen turned to the side, a soft chiming melody sounding in the distance, "I hear music..." Zura listened, thinking maybe there was something odd in the distance, but couldn't really hear what she would call music. "Hello?" the oracle called out softly toward the music, and it stopped. The rest of the watch was quiet... Lorwyn and Naahir stretched, coming out of the tent well-rested, and Aeon joined them, looking still a little sleepy. Tauzura stretched, and stirred breakfast. Sen was sipping warm tea, bags under her eyes. Everyone packed up and continued their exploring.

Naahir pointed to a five foot crack by the rocky outcropping ahead, covered in weeds. He squeezed inside to check out an old cave. The lingering smell of a bear was inside, but the animal was long gone. Lorwyn slipped through the crack to join him. He shrugged at her, "It is just dirty hole." "Wait..." she held up her hand against his leaving, "That wall there..." she watched it sparkle in the soft light filtering in from the crack, "Do you see how it sparkles? Let's take a better look at that." "I don't see any sparkle," he shook his head, walking with her. The arcanist brushed away some of the dirt to reveal a golden sparkle and nodded to him excitedly, "I think this is a mine... a gold vein." "No, it is mine. I found cave," he shook his head. Lorwyn laughed, "No not //mine// personally... //A// mine... do you know anything about mining?" She brushed her hand along the wall. "I can learn," he nodded to her, "I will find book." She grinned and nodded. "I do not know how bear got in... Naahir had to squeeze in cave... bear did not squeeze in cave," he shook his head. She nodded, and the two looked around to find that the entrance had once been larger but time and weather had closed it in. "How do we take gold?" he gestured back to the wall. "We'll have to mine it... or find someone to do it," she nodded to him. They called up to Aeon and Zura, who hunkered down through the crack to see the vein. Sen stood out in the grasslands, keeping watch... a haunting tinkling of music again played around her. She whispered to herself, "You are not crazy. It's just music. It's probably just one of the strange spirits. Everything is fine." She didn't bother to tell the others.

Watches were quiet that night... nothing odd happened and everyone slept. As sen pulled rations of bread from her pack in the morning, a blood curdling scream escaped her lips, and she tossed aside a horribly desiccated corpse of a squirrel! "You know, Sen," Zura turned to her calmly, already becoming accustomed to the strangeness that seemed to always encircle the oracle, "If you wanted to learn how to tan, I could help you with that." She gestured to the body, "I don't think you're doing it right." "I didn't know it was in my bag!" Sen shook her head, taking a calmer step back away from the dead squirrel. "So... squirrel crawl into your bag and then die?" Naahir tilted his head at her. "Maybe...?" she shook her head uncertainly, "Or maybe someone brought it to me as a gift... or something?" She looked out and around them, calling out loudly, "Sorry! It's beautiful. Thank you! We'll do //something// with it." She turned to Zura, "Here, you can tan this!" "But it's already..." the half orc's words trailed off and she patted Sen on the shoulder, "Okay."

Lorwynelle looked around quietly, and shook her head, "I think this may be above our oracle's haunted weirdness... though it is only happening to //her//. But it's not like she's just clumsy this time... what is wrong with you?" she looked Sen over for a moment before again looking around them... finally dawning memories came to mind, "Fey..." She glanced back at the oracle, "I think you're shiny enough that you've drawn their attention. So they've likely decided to play with you." Aeon and Zura both looked over Sen, and Naahir leaned in closer to sniff her. Sen giggled with delight and petted the catfolk's ears, "You have the very best ears! They're so soft!" "I do," he purred and nodded, still sniffing her. She smelled amazing... to him, it was like cookie dough and catnip! Aeon pondered, "This could be problematic... the fey here have been alone for too long... far away from their brethren. Perhaps a gift to placate them?" Lorwyn nodded, "Something shiny..." Aeon pointed to Lorwyn's many piercings, "Those are shiny." Lorwyn smiled and removed one of the shiny beaded piercings from her ear and plucked a fluffy feather from Sen's hairpiece, placing the two items in the notch of a tree.

Everyone moved on, finding a greying hulk of a sycamore tree, gnarled and clinging to it's last years of life as it loomed over the hills at 100 feet tall! It was a well known landmark, visible for half of a mile. Inside, resided the malicious blue mites that had been running amok torturing small animals, performing grisly pranks, and generally causing mischief. Looking over the great tree, there didn't seem to be any activity around it. The small blue mites were known to be nocturnal, small, and weak.

Naahir snuck up to the tree, scouting it out. Tiny footprints could be found in the soft ground, but there didn't seem to be a door. No guards posted. Everyone moved up and searched around the tree for about a half hour before Aeonill spotted the small hole amidst the roots leading down into the tree. Naahir carefully crept down to a tunnel that ran both east and west. A table sat off to the side with two blue mites, ears sagging and droopy eyes, working on some kind of device among little branches and things. One of them had built a tiny catapult that he used to vault a little caltrip across the table into the other's mouth, cackling with glee at his success!

Naahir stayed in the shadows, taking his time to study the mite that swallowed the caltrip. He peered back up, and motioned for Zura to join him quietly. The half-orc climbed down, but one of the roots broke as she clambered down, and she tumbled into the room next to him! The two mites whipped their heads toward the sound with one of them pointing and shouting, "Intruders! Dingletooth!" Naahir charged forward from the shadows in the low-ceiling tunnel, striking into the closer mite, splashing it's blue blood over the table and dropping him to the ground! The catapulting mite cried out in anguish, "Dingletooth! Nooooo!"

Aeon slid down the roots of the hole, dropping into a crouch away from the opening. The mite put another caltrip in his tiny catapult and launched it into Naahir, barely nicking him, and looking sadly disappointed at the resulting effect. Zura charged forward, sending the blue mite's head rolling across the ground. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">With both of them already dead, Lorwyn and Sen took their time to carefully climb down to join the others.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">It was dark in the tunnel and Sen casted light on Lorwyn's staff and Zura casted light on her axe took the lead down deep to the west, winding through the corridors. Aeon followed behind her with Sen and Lorwyn in the middel and Naahir watched the rear as they moved. They came to a wider chamber with a wet looking floor crisscrossed with trenches, filled with a putrid yellow fluid. Six piles of dung were scattered across the room and each was heaped with piles of eggs. Lorwyn looked a little green and covered her face slightly with the edge of her hood. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">A single blue mite woman was humming a little song, "Nom nom nom," and feeding 3-4 ft long centipedes. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">She looked up as Zura and the others entered the room, "Eek! Get them my pretties!"

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Aeonill slipped through the doorway, moving off to the side and slashed with her blade at the centipedes. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Zura hefted her big two-handed greataxe and cleaved one of the centipedes in two! <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Naahir slipped past the girls and shot an arrow at the mite woman, but the low ceiling caught the arrow in it's roots. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Lorwyn sent out a magic missile into the mite, sending her backward with a spray of blue blood. She shrieked in pain, barely clinging to life. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Sen laid her hands on Aeon, blessing her with a slight divine guidance. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">The mite leaned against the wall, smearing blue blood and staggering as she ran from the room. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">One of the centipedes leaped up, latching with exceptional luck to Zura's throat, tearing her open. Blood poured down the front of the half-orc and she toppled unconscious to the ground! The centipede did a victorious swaying dance on Zura's body.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Aeon drove her rapier between the plates of the centipede's segmented body, skewering it! It's body wriggled violently before going still. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Naahir tumbled across the room to stab the centipede on top of Zura, impaling it's head on his kukri! He shook his head, "Poor green girl..." He patted Zura's unconscious body. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Sen rushed over to the half-orc, putting her hands on her back and infusing her with healing. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">The catfolk blinked at the oracle, "Wait, wait, wait... I'm putting my hands on her. This is not a three way." <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Sen shook her head, giggling, and nudged him. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Zura opened her eyes to see Sen looking her over and smiling. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Naahir purred at her awakening, "Have no fear, large woman, Naahir is here to rescue you." <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">He nudged Sen, "Do it again. Keep my woman safe." <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Sen giggled, infusing Zura again with healing and closing up her wounds.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">The fluid was some sort of nutrient rich ground up kobolds that baby centipedes fed on. Everyone smashed or burned eggs as they continued through the room. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Moving through the corridor, Zura could hear the fast chatter of mites coming from the next room. She wove a spell around her to understand their language. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">"The bigguns are comin! Mean and nasty!!" <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">"They'll never take us alive! They'll never get the statue!" <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">"We'll kill them and then we'll kill those kobolds!" <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">"They must be working with them!" <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">"Yeah! Yeah!"

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Zura strode with purpose through the door to see two mites standing on a table, a larger mite riding a giant tick, and four other mites in the taller room. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">The mites shouted out, "Get 'em Grebbles! Get 'em Tickleback!" <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Four of the mites swarmed around Aeon as she moved into the room, stabbing into her with their tiny blades! <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">The two mites blew darts into the half-orc, one of them laughing with glee as one of the darts stuck into her thick skin. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Lorwyn wove mage armor around herself, staying out of sight behind the door. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Naahir fired an arrow across the room, piercing through the forehead of one of the mites on the table! <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Zura threw her greataxe across the room, impaling the other mite into the wall from the table! <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Seeing the large green woman stride into the room, the mite on the tick pounced over with the tick biting into her, spraying her blood to the floor. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Senathliel moved into the room, channeling out life energy to heal Aeon and Zura's wounds.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Aeon stabbed into the thick hide of one of the blue mites, leaving him barely clinging to life. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">A couple of daggers nicked her as the four mites continued to swarm around her. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Lorwyn moved into the room, releasing an arc of flame over two of the mites, burning them to death! <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Zura was covered in blood, barely still standing, and still she swung her greataxe fiercely with both hands into the mite on the back of the tick, obliterating him! <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">The tick reared angrily with the loss of Grebbles, and bit into Zura again, dropping her unconscious to the ground and continuing to feed on her!

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Sen moved further into the room, sending out another wave of healing energy over her companions, closing up the wounds on Aeon and Zura, but the half-orc still remained unconscious. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Lorwyn sent out a ray of frost on one of the other mites, and the mite jumped back, "Ack! Cold! Kill the elf!" <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"> Naahir tried to pierce one of the mites with his kukri, but he managed to dodge out of the way. The tick continued to drain away strength and life from the still unconscious inquisitor. Sen moved all the way up to put her hands on Tauzura, pushing more positive healing into her. Zura barely opened her eyes... just strong enough to come to consciousness. Above her, she seen a giant tick face latched onto her chest, sucking up her blood. The ticks eyes shifted over to Sen and it nodded to her, happy that she was refilling the juice box of nutrients. Aeon drove her rapier into one of the mites, and used her boot to push his body back off.

"I must go save my green princess," Naahir tumbled across the room and pounced right next to the tick... just missing it. Zura swung her great axe over to gouge out a big chunk of the tick's back! The tick raked it's mandables angrily down the half-orc's chest, spilling out her blood! Tauzura fell unconscious again! Sen put her hands on the green woman's body, healing her again, closing her wounds but not quite enough to bring her awake. The tick eyed the oracle, shifting it's eyes from her to the half-orc and back again as though asking her to fill up the body some more.

Naahir leapt onto the table and drove his blade deep into the tick who finally set his eyes on the catfolk. The tick grazed the side of the slayer with his sharp mandables as he leapt at him! Sen sent out another wave of life energy, healing the others and bringing Zura back to conscious. Tauzura ached all over and opened her eyes to see the catfolk battling the tick and posing heroically for her. Aeon leapt over, driving her blade into the tick, severing it's head!

Looking around the room they found a bloodstained statue of a reptilian type creature and a burlap sack under the table. A map to the kobold area was on the table next to a list labeled "Us" and "Them"... in the column under Us, it read kobold statue and lots of spears and coins. Under Them, it read magic dust, lots of coins, and shiny human ring. 50 gold worth of coin was in the bag under the table.

Moving on through the tunnel, Naahir lead them through while Sen looked after Zura, bandaging her up a bit more. A deep chasm was in the floor of the corridor, surrounded with thick roots. Loops of rope, like handholds, had been drawn across the chasm to lead to the other side. Naahir traversed first, nimbly crossing the line to the other side. In a room on the other side, mites were clapping, stomping their feet, and throwing occasional rocks at two mites terribly playing on stringed banjos. They looked up at the catfolk's arrival. Zura made it across the rope carefully as Sen followed behind her. The oracle stumbled across the cleverly tied knot that released when you pulled on it... suddenly untying the rope! She slipped down, but grabbed onto the roots, landing in the dirt to see another tunnel stretching across... She could see a 25 ft long centipede uncoiling! "Umm... guys? There's something down here... A little help, please?" Sen glanced nervously from the large centipede back up to the top with wide eyes, "Some of the knots come undone... be careful." Lorwyn and Aeon glanced at each other and shook their heads... leave it to the unlucky oracle to fall down into the darkness. Lorwyn made her way across the rope, using caution and testing the knots. Sen grabbed onto the roots, frantically pulling herself back up, "There's a really BIG centipede down there! We need to move." She glanced back down into the depths, shaking slightly. Aeon raised an eyebrow, not sure whether to believe her, but used caution as she moved across the rope. Below, the mother centipede uncoiled and looked around, sure she had seen something...

Zura charged forward, smashing her axe into a mite, sending his twanging banjo clattering to the ground! The other mites ran toward the advancing group, one of them stabbing Zura in the knee! Lorwyn sent out an arc of flame, but it barely warmed the mites in front of her. Sen channeled another wave of healing energy, closing up more of Zura's wounds and healing the others. Aeon used her blade to spill blue brain matter over the wall as she slaughtered one of the mites. Two more mites stabbed into the half-orc while another missed the catfolk. The giant centipede raised it's head out of the chasm to look around, casting a shadow over Sen who glanced up in horror, gasping out, "Time to go!" as she darted forward among the group in the next group. Lorwyn burned two of the mites with another flame arc, killing the last two and nudging everyone forward.

Zura and Naahir lead the way, everyone running down the tunnel as the giant centipede came out of the chasm to chase them! Running for all they were worth, everyone frantically climbed the roots to escape through the hole in the tree. The centipede writhed below, but didn't follow them out. Everyone panted and caught their breath before moving away from the tree.

Everyone journeyed back toward the fort. Zura still felt weak as we moved, and she began to feel weaker, a deeper green rash spreading out on her body. Sen looked her over as they stopped to rest, noting it was a disease called the Red Ache, "We need to get her back to Oleg's to rest. I can't heal diseases yet." Cricket chirps filled the night air. A soft voice came into Sen's head, "Your greenish friend looks even greener." Sen nodded, "She's sick." "How can you tell? She's green already," the voice asked. "Well... she's not usually all rashy," Sen answered, "It's a disease called the Red Ache." "Oh, that's awful!" The voice answered. "Do you know how to cure it?" the oracle asked hopefully. Lorwyn leaned closer to Aeon, whispering with concern, "She's talking to herself."

"Hmmm..." the voice responded thoughtfully before Sen felt the weight of something with clawed feet land on her shoulder. Sen gasped with delight when she seen him, "Oh my gosh! You're adorable!!" "Yes, I am," the little butterfly winged dragon nodded, "Thank you for the present. It was very nice." "You liked it?" Sen beamed, "So are you the one who gave me the dead squirrel?" He grinned, "You should have seen the look on your face! ...though I thought Tyg-Titter-Tut's little girl was much funnier! You have such a cute little scream! What is it with your race and little girls anyway? They're small and harmless." Sen blushed, "Well she was spooky! There one second and gone the next! ...it was creepy... but there are more of you? You mentioned Tingtuttertut or something like that?" "Tyg-Titter-Tut. That's my friend. Maybe she knows how to cure your friend. She's pretty smart... maybe as smart as me. She knows about healing stuff," he nodded, " My name is Perlivash . Perlivash the mighty!" "Pleased to meet you, Perlivash. My name is Sen, Perlivash the Mighty is a big brave name!" The oracle nodded. "Come with me," the little winged dragon fey led them to his friend sitting up on a rock. She was half cricket and half person, and about the size as a domestic cat.

"You must be Tyg-Titter-Tut!" Sen nodded up to her. "Yes! And you're the bigginses in the forest... the nice bigginses, not the mean ones," the cricket fey spoke with a high pitched feminine voice. "Yes, we are nice," Sen agreed, "It's a pleasure to meet both of you. My name is Sen and this is my friend, Tauzura. She's sick..." The fey looked over the half orc and nodded, "She's got the Red Ache." "Do you think you can help us? Do you know how to cure it?" Sen tilted her head. "I don't know how to cure it... lots of rest... but there are some berries," Tyg replied thoughtfully, "Fangberries are a bit northwest of that mean nasty stag guy."

Naahir unscrolled the map, and she pointed it out, "You'll want to be careful. They grow in a long thin valley in this area here. Most of it is thickened with white gossamer spider webs and it's very thorny! And the spiders! The spiders are about as big as..." she touched Sen's thumb, "as big as your thumb." Sen blinked at her with surprise, "Those are pretty big spiders." Tyg nodded, "Yes, and they attack you like a swarm! When you're struggling around, you get poked by thorns! You must be very careful." "We will be sure to be," Sen nodded to her. "So why are you in the forest?" The cricket fey tilted her head. "Well we're exploring," Sen answered, "And trying to make the bad bandits go away." "Oh," Tyg nodded, "We don't like the bad bandits. They don't like our jokes."

"You have jokes?" Sen asked. "Well yeah... the little girl... the ghost bells... the dead squirrel... it was a riot!" Tyg answered. "Oh... Oh, of course," Sen nodded, "Very funny." "We thought so too!" Perlivash nodded. "Did you like my cricket sound?" Tyg asked. "Oh yes," Sen nodded, "It sounded like a whole choir of crickets!" "I was playing music. Do you play?" The cricket fey asked hopefully. "No," Sen answered, shaking her head, "But maybe I can learn." "I love music," Tyg nodded, "But you did leave us a present... so perhaps I can help you out." "That would be most generous!" Sen nodded. "Very helpful," Aeon nodded.

Tyg looked over the map in Naahir's hands, "Let's see... there was the camp of bandits which you horribly killed... We saw that! Thumbs up!" Naahir and Sen nodded, "Thank you!" She pointed out the radish patch and Perlivash pointed west of that, "That's our home. We move around a lot... but that's where we live." Tyg nodded, pointing to a small part of the thorn river to the west of that, "There was a bad trapper there that tried to hurt us. One of the ropes of the deadfall got kind of broken and fell on him... there might be something on him." "Tragic..." Sen nodded, "We'll be sure to check him." They pointed to the south, "There's an old temple there. Big statue of an elk with a big pool of water. There's a mean bear there though. We give him a wide berth. He seems kind of crazy. Be careful." "You're very helpful," Naahir nodded to Tyg, still holding the map for her. "And west of there," Tyg nodded and pointed to another spot on the map, "are the hot springs." "Oh! That sounds delightful!" Sen nodded, peering over the catfolk's shoulder. "Stinks like eggs," Tyg continued. Sen scrunched up her face, "Or not..." "It is very warm though and relaxing," Tyg nodded. "Even all sulfur-y?" Lorwyn raised an eyebrow. Tyg nodded, "And there is a pond with frogs... I avoid them though because they always look like they want to eat me. Cricket body and all." Sen nodded and then whipped her head back to look at Tyg who was the size of a cat and both her and Naahir asked at the same time, "How big are the frogs?" "Bigger than me," Tyg nodded and pointed to the northwest, "Oh, and there are a lot of bear traps through here. You should be careful." Everyone nodded, taking in all of the new information.

Everyone said their farewells with a plan to return Zura to the trading post to rest. "You can leave us offerings whenever you like," Perlivash nodded. "We'll be keeping an eye on you," Tyg nodded. "Be sure to say hi once in awhile," Sen smiled. They both nodded and disappeared.

Returning to Oleg's Trading Post, Vorst and guard captain, Kesten Garess, greeted everyone. The priest, Jhod Kavken had arrived. Zura was put into bed and Sventlanna brought out a big bowl of chicken soup. Sen and Jhod tended to her with cool rags and salve. Three days of rest and tender loving care and Zura was back on her feet, feeling good. The others helped out around the trading post, and Aeon mentioned the Gold vein to Oleg, asking about finding a miner for it. Kesten had the masterworked weapons ready for Naahir, Aeon, Vorst, and Lorwyn. Naahir asked Kesten about having a masterworked glove made... a special catfolk weapon that allows them to use claws more effectively.

1000 exp each to Naahir, Aeon, Lorwyn, Zura, and Sen! 10 gold each from the bag.

Next time we finish up with the kobolds.