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Fantasy The Cyclone - Act I: The West

Characters
Here
Ras had a quizzical look on his face as he recognized the blue haired lady from yesterday. Was this another person who Rak managed to wrangle in? "Hail, my fair Lady." Ras replied as he tried to piece together the puzzle. Ras didn't have much time to follow his thought process as an arm swung around his shoulder and Ras heard a familiar voice. He could smell the slight hint of booze in her breath. Alcohol? This early in the morning? Ras pondered himself as he became a bit leery of Julia. He had seen his fair share of people ruined by their vices, especially when it came to drinking. Admittedly, he had seen some functional alcoholics, but he had seen many more spiral out of control. Ras began to question if Julia truly was a dependable person. Ras snapped back to reality as Julia talked about she was somewhat offended that Ras didn't remember her name. He gave a coy smile with a slight shrug and rhetorically asked "I figured Rak didn't remember and wouldn't recognize who I was talking about if I said Julia. He's calling me the noble one even though our names are pretty similar. Would you have rather I call you Big Hands like he does?" as he tried to play it off with a small fib.

Ras then looked at the blue haired woman again and was puzzled once more. It seemed like Rak was under the assumption that Ras knew her and somehow convinced her to help. However, he had never met this lady before. "No no, I do not know who she is either." Ras clarified. Though as he inspected the woman and her possessions, Ras had a sense that she was some sort of shield maiden or perhaps a knight, though one with a very large sword. "I do not know if you serve a Lord, and if so who. However, Rak here just told us something interesting. Skolvers have been delving deeper into the swamp when they usually do not do so. One even stole Rak's precious tome. And if what he is saying is true, then it sounds like there are larger, humanoid creatures stalking the trees not too far from Aeredale. They could be a threat to travelers, and it may do us well to investigate why these... creatures are so emboldened. Will you join us in our venture into the jungle?" Ras asked the blue haired lady.

He then looked at Rak as he tried to convince the three with promises of magic and... wooden coins? Ras sighed. He took out a coin of his own and said "Rak, let me teach you something. Maybe something as important or more important than magic. Human coins look like this. They are made from rare, precious, special metal. Humans don't use wood coins. Do kobolds use those?" Ras inquired before turning his attention back to the blue haired lady, expectantly waiting for an answer.

---

Mentions/Interactions: Gary Sue Gary Sue (Rak), Key of Stars Key of Stars (Julia), Elowyn Elowyn (Irena)
Location: Southern Entrance
 




Irena Rosenthal

━━━━━━⚔━━━━━━​

04​

The blonde lady was inquiring as to who she was and the noble-looking one greeted her. She gave a short bow. "Greetings, I am Irena." It would be safer not to give out her full name now. Ren smiled in a friendly sort of way. The same hyperactive blonde who was talking a mile a minute was asking questions about herself. "Well, yes, I am single..." but she prattled on. She sounded like she was trying to set her up with her brother Gray? How odd. She blushed. "Well..." but the blonde who Irena thought called herself Julia was already off to the next subject.

"I am a knight under Lord Demitrius' employ. I happen to have some time to 'take a break'--" she still didn't know what Commander Godrin expected her to do "--so I will be pleased to join you all." She didn't know how prepared these people were to face the creatures in the wilderness. Perhaps she could be of help. The nobleman's explanation was much more intelligible than the red kobold's ramblings. Or even Julia's ramblings. Apparently the kobold called himself Rak, which was similar to Ras. Ren tried her best to remember which was which. She wasn't the best with names. "And you are?"

The kobold invited her over and she stepped hesitantly closer. She still wasn't sure who these people were, but they didn't give off any dangerous vibes, per se. P-pretty one?! The way the little red guy addressed them sure was interesting. "Pfft!" She stifled a laugh. Maybe these people would help her 'take a break.' Then the little guy was talking about magic and extending some fake coins to them. Clearly, he was trying to pay them but Irena found the situation more funny than insulting. She decided to humor him and took the three wooden coins. "Thank you, er, Rak?"

Somehow she had found something to do during her time off.

Mentions & Interactions: Gary Sue Gary Sue [Rak] Heyitsjiwon Heyitsjiwon [Ras] Key of Stars Key of Stars [Julia]
Location: Southern Entrance outside the jungle

code by @spookie spook​
 
Julia Rille

Julia.jpg​

"I'd say his nickname for me is somewhat endearing." Julia shot back at Ras with a smile. Listening to Rak's story attentively, committing all the new information to memory. "Or maybe not..." She added with a light chuckle when Rak described the monster that had scared away the Skolver in basically the exact same manner he'd described her. Well, if there was a monster out there stealing her description, all she had to do was beat it into an unrecognizable pile.

"Hey hey, hold on!" She whipped around when Ras asked Irena to join them on their little adventure for Rak's book. "Why did you... You can't just... I don't want..." She hadn't thought of exactly what words to use to express her dissatisfaction at having to share the reward with yet another person when she caught a glimpse of Rak, the Kobold seeming more than a little delighted at the idea of another person joining them. She heaved a deep sigh, shaking her head slowly. "Nevermind, whatever."

She took the vial from Rak, twirling it in between her fingers absentmindedly for a moment before gripping it higher up and holding it in front of her face, moving it in small circles and watching the purple liquid inside swirl around. She really did consider just throwing the contents of the vial back but in the end she did as asked with a small sigh. Grabbing one empty and one full vial from her belt, quickly pulling the cork of the full vial and emptying the content into her mouth. It wasn't alcohol or some strange other mixture for once, instead, it had just been fruit juice of some kind. Not that it tasted particularly good, it had probably been there for at least a month now.

Once she had two empty vials she skillfully poured the purple liquid from Rak's vial into them, creating three vials containing the same amount of liquid. She put one of her own vials back at her belt, holding the other out for Ras to take. "If you break it you're paying me back double." She held the original vial out for Irena to take. "Julia... my name's Julia. Julia Rille. I guess you'll be joining us then. Do me a favor, will you? To make up for me having to share my information with one more person. At least go on a date with that brother of mine, I really want him out of my hair. He's handsome enough, at least..." She shrugged lightly. "That's what mom says."

"Well," She said after Irena had taken the vial. "Shall we be off then? The quicker we get that book back the quicker I get to shoot fireballs."

---

Mentions & Interactions: Gary Sue Gary Sue (Rak), Heyitsjiwon Heyitsjiwon (Ras), Elowyn Elowyn (Irena)
Location: Southern Entrance
 
Although Rak was remaining generally quiet, he gave Ras a bit of a stink eye at the mention of not using his name. "Your name is noble one. Tall one's real name is the one with big hands, and this is the pretty one.", he repeated, crossing his arms and tapping one of his foots on the stool he was now standing on. "Rak's name is smart one, but Kobolds refuse to use, so smart one's name is Rak now.", a brief explanation that sounded as close to likely as anything he said would get, at this rate.

The nod he responded to Irena with was as filled with excitement as ever, as he proudly smiled and tapped his chest. "Welcome!", he chirped before Ras gave him what looked like a lesson in 'modern economics'. With all the same stubbornness though, the Kobold shook his head as though he were in denial. "And this is what Rak coins look like. The other ones also use these for goods and magicks in Col'kirk. Much craftsmanship.", another self-assured comment as a nod to his own confidence, although he seemed to lose interest in the others' words bar Julia's gentle push to get them moving.

"That one is correct, the barking one will get away if you don't hurry. Over that a-way, the big one should still be tired from Rak magicks. If anyone gets hurt, drink potion. Book of books looks like...", huffs and hums of struggling to come up with a description escaped his maw as he tapped his foot and scratched the back of his scaled head, before he turned to look at them again briefly before turning back to the woods they'd be heading into. "... L-Like book. Many pages. Hard to miss. Skolver has in mouth. Is small and fast, so catch quickly. Rak waits here, keeps ones that protect safe."

This time, the guards had trouble not bursting into laughter at the small creature's bravado, although he reacted just as they did. A brief, annoyed chuckle before he jumped off the stool and with the exaggerated swagger of a one meter tall menace, he walked up to them and tried to lecture the armorclad knights and sentries alike. "You have no magicks, missing it! If big ones come, your metal stick don't work, Rak saves you. Making fun of the smart one gets-", around then the laughter was loud enough that his voice got drowned out under it. At least he was gonna have his hands busy while the others worked their magic, right?


---

jungle_trail.jpg
Art owned by Jason Shceier
(Piece Name: Jungle Trail)​
Wayward Jungle, Western Cyclone



​



Stepping out of the town and anywhere close to the sprawling woods alone was going to give everyone that hadn't entered the jungle before a clearer picture of just how big they were. They spread far and wide, multiple times the size of the entirety of Aeredale, and add all the monsters and animals that resided there... it was overwhelming for first time travelers, especially if they weren't properly trained in any form of combat.

Thankfully, everyone Rak had hired had thrown a punch or two before- maybe even swung their weapon around and participated in the occasional escort duty for merchants. To make some money to get by, of course. Even so, once they got into the jungle they'd see just how different things were. A mystical sensation surrounded them, as though they weren't alone. Truly, they were not, a flock of birds just flew out with some chirping and noise like when Rak used his magic earlier- but it was something else that was with them. Something magical... not necessarily close, but definitely in the very same jungle they were.

Just a few minutes of walking past the entrance, the place where Rak was attacked would rear its head. With some paw marks from what presumably was the Skolver cub, the Kobold's footprints right behind on the damp soil and then skid marks from... something. A small log or two had been felled, with stumps behind that were cut almost clean. Vines hung down from the trees, with some looking like they'd been violently pulled amidst the combat, or something had gotten tangled into them and broken out. It was hard to piece things together as was, but Rak's story at least wasn't bogus.

Some odd plants adorned the scene, a few of them bearing flowers while others simply released a sweet scent into the area that seemed to attract more passive, timid creatures that approached to take a bite or two out of the berry bushes decorating the clearing. Foxes, smaller animals that resembled rodents rarely seen outside of the jungle and far-off savannahs of the Far West, and even odd species of snakes that would rather feast on the jungle than its denizens.

The only downside to this gathering of creatures was that they were slowly cleaning up the scene accidentally- the footprints of the Skolver led further down south, but past a few meters they were practically overwritten by tracks from other animals watching carefully. Oh, where to go, where to go?

---
Everyone receives x1 Suspicious-Looking Vial.
!!! Actions such as Searching, Resting and Looking for the Skolver can now be taken. Only one action can be taken per post.

Mentions & Interactions: Heyitsjiwon Heyitsjiwon (Ras), Elowyn Elowyn (Irena), Key of Stars Key of Stars (Julia) as Ras, the Kobold
Location: South Gate -> Wayward Jungle
 
Lord Demitrius... Ras thought to himself. That was another name he made sure to stash inside his head. He figured most knights in the region would be familiar with his name. So, by extension, Ras had to also be somewhat familiar as well "Pleasure to meet you, Irena. I am Ras. This is Big Hands over here." with a slight smirk. Ras then sighed when Julia kept pushing Irena to go on a date with her brother. Ras simply shook his head in silence before turning to Rak and listen to him. Perhaps... these wooden coins were used by Kobolds? Ras had frankly never seen such a thing, but he figured there was a first for everything. Maybe the Kobolds did have a currency based on wooden coins. After all, they were typically more attuned to nature than humans. He did not have much time to deeply ponder about it, however, as the group soon began to make their way to the jungle proper. The dense jungle loomed ahead of the group of adventurers as they trekked through the humid air. The trees towered high above, casting a dappled green light on the forest floor. The sound of wildlife filled their ears - the chirping of insects, the rustling of leaves, and the occasional screech of a bird. Truly they were in the wild now.

Nothing really seemed unusual though. Ras had been in his fair share of jungles in the past. It was full of life, and frankly... so many trees that one could easily get lost if they were not paying attention. This jungle was much like others that Ras had seen. That is, until they came across a clearing of sorts where it seemed Rak had encountered the Skolver and was interrupted by "the big one". Ras initially assumed it was a tiger or maybe even a hippo, but when Ras noticed small trees being cleanly knocked down as if they were cut down... Ras was no longer certain what this "big one" could be. He gripped his lance tighter as he prepared himself for a potential ambush. He carefully approached the footprints of the Skolver and said "We should move as fast as we can. The trail is starting to get cold and vanishing... all these curious animals really do not help. I'll take point and draw the attention of anything that tries to attack us." With that Ras, continued to follow the trail further south to continue to look for the Skolver with his lance ready in case they bumped into something not so friendly. However, as he walked, he would periodically make small cuts on nearby trees with his lance. "This is so that we can trace our way back if we ever get lost or split up for some reason. Just look for these slash marks." Ras explained in expectation that people would be curious as to why he was periodically slashing at trees along the way.

---

Mentions & Interactions: Gary Sue Gary Sue (Rak), Elowyn Elowyn (Irena), Key of Stars Key of Stars (Julia)
Location: Wayward Jungle
Action: Looking for the Skolver
 
Last edited:




Irena Rosenthal

━━━━━━⚔━━━━━━​

05​

At Julia's insistence that she date her brother, she smiled awkwardly and sweat-dropped. "That's..." She took the vial and tucked it away.

Rak explained his names for everyone and Ren turned slightly pink when he called her pretty. They certainly were a lively crowd. She remembered that Col'kirk was the kobold base not too far from here. Maybe it was used for currency there. She wouldn't know, being educated on it for purely tactical reasons. Rak struggled to explain what the book looked like. It would probably be recognizable especially since books weren't really part of the jungle environment.


The woods itself was enormous and filled with life. Ren examined the ground where the scuffle had taken place, tracing the ground where the skid marks were and scaring off some of the shyer creatures. The Skolver was definitely a young one or a runt. The two felled logs were interesting. That had to take some power. There had been a struggle.

She followed after Ras as he led the way deeper in, also drawing her sword although its size would be at a disadvantage in the tree-crowded jungle. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted something unusual and stopped to check.



INFORMATION
Action: Looking for the Skolver 2/??
Mentions & Interactions: Gary Sue Gary Sue [Rak] Heyitsjiwon Heyitsjiwon [Ras] Key of Stars Key of Stars [Julia]
Location: Wayward Jungle


code by @spookie spook​
 
Julia Rille

Julia.jpg​

Julia followed the others into the jungle with a small hum. Irena might have not exactly accepted to go on a date with her brother, but she hadn't turned it down either. She might just get him out of her hair yet. Graham Rille was, by all means, the more favored child of the gods compared to Julia. Aside from being the younger child, on the technicality of being born 6 minutes after his sister, he had received the absolute best combination of genes from both his parents. An admittedly sharp, handsome face combined with muscles he'd only worked about a quarter as hard for as Julia had for hers. Sure, his eyesight wasn't completely up to standard, which might have been a point in Julia's favor, if her brother didn't look even more like a effortless supermodel with his glasses.

And that's exactly why it annoyed Julia even more that her brother was a killjoy scribe, a diligent one at that, locking himself in the small room he called his study for hours at a time. Even worse, while Gray had been somewhat timid and easy to shut up in his earlier years, he'd gotten far more confident over the years and now relentlessly nagged his sister about her rule-bending, and often breaking, ways. She loved her brother, honest, she just wished the gods hadn't decided to ignore her existence until after they'd spent all their energy on making her little brother perfect. She might even prefer if he'd been some deadbeat playboy lifting off his looks.

She snapped back to reality as Ras explained why he was slashing at trees with his lance occasionally. "Smart, but..." She smiled, slipping a hand into one of her gauntlets and pulling it up. "It's not very visible, is it?" She pulled her gauntlet back before slamming it forward against a thinner tree with all her might, breaking the tree in half with a splintering crack. "That's more my style." She lowered her gauntlet again with a satisfied smirk, she wasn't really planning on doing it more than once. Ras' way of marking trees was more efficient, she recognized that, she had simply wanted an excuse to punch something.

She sped up a bit, falling back into step next to Ras. "Say, those wooden coins Rak promised us, wanna trade? I'll give you an actual coin if you give me your wooden one when we get it." She offered, Rak mentioning the coins were used to trade for magic in Col'kirk had stuck with her. Even if the coins did turn out to be useless she wouldn't lose to much trading a single regular coin for a wooden one. She kept an eye out for any traces of movement as they moved along, waiting for Ras' answers to her offer quietly for once.

---

Action: Looking for the Skolver 3/?
Mentions: Elowyn Elowyn (Irena), Gary Sue Gary Sue (Rak)
Interactions: Heyitsjiwon Heyitsjiwon (Ras)
Location: Wayward Jungle
 
By now, the entire group were brandishing their weapons and every animal around them had gotten scared off, fleeing back into the cover of the jungle. With every few trees marked as they trudged deeper and deeper, it felt like the foliage got denser and so did the vines, hanging lower and lower to make an incredibly narrow path with little room for comfort. The best part of things was that either something was actively messing with the group, or Ras wasn't the first to get the idea of marking the trees, judging by the cuts on the trees up ahead that they hadn't even reached yet. If they weren't paying much attention to things, it might even lead them to believe they've been going around in circles all this time.

The tree getting felled by Julia was definitely a nice show of strength, but much too unnecessary. If anything, the sensation of getting watched only got stronger, as though whatever was keeping tabs on them honed in on the group the more noise they made. That crack was enough to get yelps from nearby creatures caught off guard, from the familiar birds to some more curious sounds, probably produced by local fauna.

What suspicious movement Irene's eyes might have caught was among the bushes, almost seeming like a part of it was creeping away from the rest, detaching and growing legs or... something like that. A quick look around would reassure the group that they were, in fact, surrounded by all types of flora still. Berry bushes, trees thick and twiggy alike, flowers and even small plants that bore fruit. Fruit that seemed to launch some green goop before deflating if someone got too close- nothing harmful, to the group at least. Maybe it was a defense mechanism against some of the herbivore population of the jungle, or the fruit was just past its expiration date.

As for their next move, there were plenty. They could explore whatever Irena noticed, keep following the marks on the trees that were hopefully left from adventurers preceding these three, or turn to Julia for her self-proclaimed incredible mapping skills to see how they would come in handy. A group meeting might help the bunch choose a point of focus, but it might be wisest to not take too long doing so.

---

Actions Progress: Looking for the Skolver 3/??
Actions Available: Searching, Resting, Looking for the Skolver & Investigating the Odd Movement
!!! Each of these actions might have differing results, so be careful with your choices. Only one of the above can be taken per post.

Mentions: Heyitsjiwon Heyitsjiwon (Ras), Key of Stars Key of Stars (Julia) & Elowyn Elowyn (Irena)
Location: Wayward Jungle
 
Collab Post (#1) - Thorn Hound vs Ras, Julia & Irena

[Ras]

Ras sighed as Julia split a younger tree and replied "Well, that is more obvious, but let's hope there's no forester out here who is going to arrest us for killing a young tree. I've seen people get arrested for just hunting a rabbit in a Lord's private forest. Though, there probably isn't a lord of the jungle. Not that I know of." with a chuckle. As the group delved deeper in the the jungle, Ras noticed something odd. Some of the trees here seemed to have already been marked. Someone else had been here for certain. Ras made a mental note and bean to make small crosses instead so that he could identify his own slash marks. "Someone else has been here before. Looks like they had the same idea. Wonder what they're doing out here..." He commented to the group as he pointed at the other slash marks. Ras turned to look over at Irena who seemed to be staring at a bush. Ras turned to look as well, but did not really notice anything. "What are you looking at, Irena?" he quietly asked.

---
[Irena]

"That's probably not the wisest thing to do," she told Julia felled a tree. The feeling of being stared at intensified. It caused her to shiver. "Over there." She pointed to the bush that was crawling away. Then shaking her head, "Nevermind, it's probably just the local fauna."

---
[Julia]
​
Julia waved one of her gauntleted hands dismissively. "You both worry too much, nothing bad is going to come from me punching one little tree. Still..." She lowered her voice to a barely audible whisper. "You're not wrong, we're definitely being watched."

...

"Well," She raised her voice back to normal volume. "We can talk about the coins after, I'll buy both of you guys' wooden coins off you." She declared before once again lowering her voice. "I vote we rush at it."

---
[Ras]

Ras silently nodded before whispering "I'll take point. Back me up." and began to cautiously approach the strange movement to inspect it, ready to lunge with his lance at a moment's notice if it was hostile.

---
[Irena]

Ren positioned herself somewhat behind him but to the side so that she could see the unknown target.

---
[Narration]

The only discovery the group would make, much to their dismay, was a creature on all fours that growled and glared them with the eyes of an insulted emperor and little else. Disgust, anger... it howled as if warning them to back off, with vines wrapped all around it that seemed to bear thorns. They weren't digging into it however, no- it was more so wearing them, almost like a harness around its torso and neck. If any of them hadn't seen a Skolver prior, they might have thought this is what they looked like.

But it was missing the muscle, the terrifying black fur, the mass of the invasive species. This, was just a Thorn Hound as they were called- 'just', but Irena had operated enough around these parts to know that they meant trouble at best. And at worst? Most could fill in the blanks themselves. Deeply territorial, it was becoming evident that the hound's turf had been invaded by them, and just as it didn't take kindly to Rak, it wasn't going to be taking too kindly to the group. But they didn't have magic to use in order to scare it off, this was a fight they'd have to take on instead.

---
[Ras]
With it becoming fully evident that they had stumbled into a very disturbed and angry creature, Ras immediately took action and dashed forward. He lunged at the Thorn Hound to draw its attention towards him and put his weight behind his lance to stab at the Thorn Hound. "I'll draw its attention!" Ras called out to his companions as he took a step back with his lance at the ready.

---
[Julia]

Julia couldn't help but grin, slamming her gauntleted fists against one another with a loud metallic clang before dropping into a combat stance and dashing at the hound. She skid to a stop just in front of the creature, using her momentum to dig the point of her boot into the soil and kick it up into the hound's face, following up the motion seamlessly with a straight right punch.

---
[Irena]

As Julia had dealt it damage, Irena readied her sword and swung at the creature in a blur of motion.
​
---
[Narration]

Everyone's hit was landed cleanly- a decent wound from Ras' lance right at the Thorn Hound's back when it tried to dodge, a punch that disoriented it from Julia and a cleave from Irena that seemed to have caught it off guard from its speed and strength. Stammering back some, the monster took a moment to compose itself, digging its claws into the ground and howling much too loudly. Flocks of birds panicked and flew as far away as possible, as quickly as possible, while any nearby animals watching the scuffle turned around, put their tails between their legs and scrammed at light speed.

With a low, intimidating growl sounding from the Hound who took slow steps towards the group, some blood staining its brown fur and dripping on to the rather damp soil to paint it with splashes of red, leaves rustled from behind the beast before two more monsters emerged. They were however, much smaller in size and... bizarre. Another species natural to the jungle, the Crawlers- with bird-like beaks and four hands to help them crawl, their lower body resembled that of a snake as they didn't have legs, thus earning their name.

They were fast, nimble and travelled in packs usually. Due to their weak physique, they'd nary take a fight on their own, but with a strong leader like this by their side? Their battle drive had been turned on. With a screech from one of the Crawlers to scare the group, the Thorn Hound grunted and dashed forwards as quickly as possible, clawing at the knight. It lacked the terrifying physique of some other monsters she'd met, but she could still feel the punch under her armor that was now marked by its sharp claws.

As though that weren't enough, the two Blooming Crawlers followed right up before the group could react or show concern for Ren, slashing with their own hands at Ras and Julia almost in perfect sync. As soon as they landed a hit on one's shoulder and another on the other's legs, the both of them ran right behind the Hound again, standing tall almost proudly.

---
[Ras]
Ras' face contorted slightly as the sharp beak of the Crawler pierced his shoulder. By no means was it a debilitating hit, but it reminded Ras that he was truly in a fight for his life and the danger became more apparent to him. Ras held his spear at a high guard, ready to try and deflect or parry any attacks to make them less effective and strike back. He approached the three creatures from an angle, trying to draw their attention as he yelled "Over here, you foul creatures!" while approaching.

---
[Julia]

Julia quickly assessed the bloody scratch wound on her leg. It wasn't anything to be worried over but still, she was more than a little pissed. Not neccesarily about getting hit, more so about the new tear in her pants. "Focus on the bigger bastard! Leave the small fry to me!" She yelled to her companions, rushing past Ras at the crawler that had left such a negative impression on her pants. She jumped to the side to avoid a potential strike from the hound to stop her, using a large rock in the terrain to jump towards the crawler, bringing both of her gauntlets down on it from above.

---
[Irena]

"Got it!" Irena focused on the Thorn Hound. Once this enemy was vanquished the rest may scatter or at least be easy pickings. Ren slashed at the growling creature again but her sword became entangled in some hanging vines. Ren hadn't brought any other weapons and wished that she had some smaller blades at the ready.

---
[Narration]

With a squawk as soon as it was pounded into the ground, the crawler seemed to almost crumble under Julia's gauntlets before it kissed the soil. It needed the help of another crawler to push away the Highlander's weapons and get some breathing room, running back as soon as it got the chance to. Wanting to get revenge, it glared daggers at the woman only to get distracted by the shine of Ras' weapon.

Both crawlers seemed to have been agitated just as much by his almost arrogant remark, preparing to zip towards him to put him back in his place. While they were being dealt with, Irena had given the Thorn Hound her undivided attention, though she had trouble with the uncomfortable and tight environment. As tangled as the blade got, some of the vines seemed to get loose and allowed for her blade to meet the unwavering beast's neck. Probably scarier, was the way it let the blade's tip dig further into it, almost mocking their efforts and telling them it simply didn't feel threatened.

Around then, it might have been easy for Irena to notice the thorned tendrils around the hound's torso coming loose, taking a life of their own when they were raised and hovered next to him like tentacles he controlled. With another loud howl, in almost an instant it pulled away from the knight and pounced towards Julia, bringing both of its vines together before slamming her sides with the both of them. Though the thorns were just that, thorns, the power packed in those vines was enough to match a strongman's right hook.

Worse yet, the vines were swung wildly enough to meet with Irena and Ras once the blow had been delivered, and that's exactly where the thorns hurt, making the sting of the blow that much stronger as they formed small tears on the two's clothes. Acting like that was their call to arms, the crawlers took to rushing at Ras and trying to overwhelm him, with the second one even sacrificing firepower to lower his lance, though a bit late to assist in wearing him down faster.

---
[Ras]

Ras grunted in pain as the vines and the crawlers assaulted him in a flurry of attacks. A few more of those, and Ras knew he would be in a rough spot. He continued to push forward though and get in the face of the Thorn Hound as he continued to hold his lance at a high guard. "The small ones cower behind the big one! The moment the big one falls, the little ones will flee! Over here you little varlots! Look at me!" Ras called out as he prepared to counter another flurry of attacks by drawing all attention to him by getting in their faces, waving his spear around, and making a whole lot of noise like a bull fighter with his colorful clothes.

---
[Julia]

Julia took a small step back after taking a heavy hit, clutching her sides while coughing before spitting on the jungle ground. She grinned with gritted teeth. "Sorry, I have no intention of letting those smaller bastards flee." She told her companions before rushing at the same crawler she'd hit before, unceremoniously digging her right gauntlet into the creature's side with all the force she could muster. "One down, two to go."

---
[Irena]

"Nice hit!" Irena shouts, charging at the Thorn Hound with full force and hitting it with her shoulder. Hopefully that would do some damage. Irena wanted to end this quickly so they could get on with the search. Fighting with the local fauna wasn't on her to-do list.

---
[Narration]

Despite their conflicting strategies, the monsters kept attacking with everything they got. As Julia managed to wipe out one of the Crawlers, with a loud squawk from it before it crumbled to glowing essence and scattered about, Irena managed to slightly disorient the hound which was getting more and more tired of this farce that only dragged on the longer they fought. Maybe it was time the terrifying beast showed them exactly what was going on, and so he tried, using the appendages that came out of its body and its sharp claws to attack everyone with a spin-like motion, only for Ras to retaliate with another jab of his lance.

Feeling like the hit was stronger than before, the Thorn Hound growled and stammered back, gripping the soil underneath it and howling once more to call for allies. Just like before, another Blooming Crawler emerged from the jungle with moss and vines all around it, just like the one left alive and the one that fell moments ago... The next Crawler to emerge however appeared sickly, barely able to crawl out of the woods, yet still willing to help all the same. The Hound looked at it in disgust, but it had bigger issues.

The first Crawler to have emerged slashed at the noble with his lance raised high, receiving another strike in retaliation once again, his guard seeming nigh impenetrable. With the wound on its stomach, one couldn't help but notice the monsters' leader's cold, calculated look in its eyes as a killing intent filled the air, taking a few brief glances at the jungle critter that had come to his aid...

---
[Ras]

Ras noticed in the corner of his eye the infected crawler. He couldn't help but almost feel pity for it. Nature was a cruel mistress at times. Wild animals rarely met peaceful endings. However, the fact that the other Crawlers were even considering the idea of touching the infected Crawler was concerning to Ras. What in the world were they doing? Usually animals and even humans tended to avoid the obviously ill. Yet, here they seemed to be putting themselves at risk. Something was certainly wrong. But Ras had to deal with the biggest issue in front of him.

Having spent a bit of time watching how the creatures behaved and moved, Ras finally decided it was time to properly strike back and lunged at the hound once more with improved accuracy.

---
[Julia]

Julia didn't have time to celebrate the death of one of the crawlers or the hound, focusing her attention on the three creatures still remaining on the battlefield. Her gauntlets were especially suited to dealing with smaller creatures such as these but even so... She hesitated for a moment. One of those crawlers was far from normal, she eyed the growing fungus on the creature's back suspiciously. Shaking her head moments later and rushing at one of the crawlers, delivering a swift blow to its side. She'd think about what to do after they'd won.

---
[Irena]

Once the Thorn Hound had disappeared leaving some items, Irena slashed at the sickly-looking creature. Her pity took the form of putting it out of its misery sooner rather than later. Her sword grew heavy in her hand the longer this battle went on and a light sheen of sweat covered her forehead.

---
[Narration]

With what must have only felt like great relief to everyone, Ras' lance pierced right through the hound's shoulder and towards its heart, letting out a final howl that only grew weaker, before its form crumbled to dust slowly but surely. By the time it had fully disappeared and the vanguard had taken his spot in the group's line-up again, only a mysterious artifact and another scroll had been left behind in its place.

Although the first Crawler to emerge felt ever so slightly safer now that the hound was no longer salivating at its sight, it was quickly put down with a strong hook to its sides that sent it flying into a tree and bursting into magical particles that dissipated into the jungle's air. One after the other, the group was dispatching all of them and the only healthy and live crawler left was far from appreciative of it. Hissing, the monster ran towards the brawler and made sure to slash before she was able to take cover behind Ras or Irena again, delivering another sneaky blow to her legs.

Just when the in-fighting stopped and the Infested managed to get a break, Irena tried to put it out of its misery and managed but one thing- to bring its rage out. With an almost distorted (and definitely unwell) screech, some of the growths on its skin popped, letting out a putrid smell and spreading some odd gas... Though that did little to harm anyone, what followed did enough; a spray of acid, but thankfully it was nothing more than a surface burn. If it weren't flirting with death or as terminally sick as it appeared to be, maybe the potency would help it pose an actual threat.

But all they were now faced down with, was a group torn apart by the adventurers' coordination. The slithering critters were either on their last legs, or desperately trying to find a way out of the fight they very willingly got themselves into.

---
[Ras]

Ras winced slightly as he felt his lance cut through a bit deeper than usual. He knew that he had stabbed the hound in something vital, but rather feel a sense of accomplishment... he felt slightly unnerved. He had taken the life of another being. This was not his first time he had to fight to protect himself, but he felt a odd sense of guilt every time. He watched another Crawler get launched into a tree and the sickly one get slashed at by the giant sword "N-!" Ras called out before he flinched at the wave of gas and acid that splattered towards him. Ras heard a horrible screech that once again made him wince and feel that same tinge of guilt.

Suddenly, Ras approached the remaining healthy crawler with his lance up in a high guard and interjected himself in between it and the sick Crawler as is were trying to protect the sick one and prevent the healthy one from attacking it. Ras called out "Keep the sick one alive! It's in no state to run or fight! We can take it back to the town. I'm sure the local lords would want to know about this weird disease in the nearby jungles or at least SOMEONE will want to study it!" as he desperately tried to convince his companions to spare the sickly crawler.

---
[Julia]

"Keep it alive?! Take it back to town with us?!" Julia shouted back at Ras, hopping back from the crawler that had managed to land a slash on her. "Are you right in the head?! What the hell are you saying? These creatures are monsters and that one in particular is beyond saving!" She shouted back, rushing at the crawler that had slashed her and delivering a swift blow to its side with her right gauntlet before turning back to Ras.

"That thing just sprayed us with acid! Are you trying to start a plague by taking that thing back to town with us?" She had absolutely no intention of letting the sickly crawler live, she simply felt it was better to deal with the lively and vicious one first.

---
[Irena]

"I don't think that's a good idea," Irena said. "But if you're so determined to do so, you're the one responsible for transporting it and ensuring no one is harmed by it." She was unsure why Ras felt so strongly about the infected crawler, but it was less work for her so she refrained from attacking the sickly creature. Instead, she heaved a blow at the blooming crawler.

---
[Narration]

The healthier of their two opponents didn't even get another chance at sneaking more attacks in between their butting heads. Instead, it got separated from the plague-ridden one (and unbeknownst to the lot it was thankful for this) before getting put to sleep with a hook right to its head and a swipe downwards that split it apart. Throughout the group's attacks, their sickly foe hissed, distancing itself enough to not have to attack, or be scared of getting attacked.

Even so, it didn't run away. Perhaps it wasn't instinctively afraid of them enough to- or it was most likely simply too out of breath to, and decided to adapt a more defensive stance because of it. It couldn't tell, but they hadn't decided on whether they'd spare it or not quite yet. The only certainty was that unless any of them approached with killing intent, it wasn't planning on attacking them another time, being on its last legs as is. It had very little energy to expend, and the slowly but steadily spreading growth on it was leeching it bit by bit, spreading spores that withered all too quickly every so often when a soft gust of wind blew.

And now came the most intense part of the encounter for the wild monster- the staredown of sheer fear between it, and the courageous adventurers who had just felled a thorn hound in charge of this area with much too little planning and preparing beforehand.

---
Action Progress: Looking for the Skolver 3/??
Actions Available: Searching, Resting & Looking for the Skolver

Mentions: Heyitsjiwon Heyitsjiwon (Ras), Elowyn Elowyn (Irena) & Key of Stars Key of Stars (Julia)
Location: Wayward Jungle
 
Ras took a deep breath of relief as the last Crawler was dealt with. "Glad to see we're all in one piece. Look, all I am saying is that it is clearly sick. Maybe it won't get humans sick, but what about other creatures and plants? I would think that if the entire jungle starts to get sick... Then the entire region is going to have major problems soon. Let's bring it back to the town with us so that some local doctors or veternarians can take a look. Maybe the sickness isn't a big deal. Maybe it is and they can use the sick one to help develop a cure or vaccine. At the end of the day, I think ignoring the sick Crawler is probably more dangerous than bringing it back to study."

Ras then looked back to find Rak and called out "Hey Rak! Where did you go? Do you think your potion will help out this sick Crawler? Or do you have anything that could help?" Ras then reached into his luggage and pulled out of the last baked potato that he saved. He carefully put the potato down on the ground in front of the sick crawler before taking a few steps back to give it some space. He then looked at the collected loot and tried his best to appraise them. Although he wasn't very experienced, perhaps he could have some insight as to how valuable they were.

Ras leaned on his lance and then spoke up to the group "How do you two feel about us pooling the artifacts together and selling it in the market? We can split the coins evenly so that everyone gets a fair share. The scrolls, we can keep and later on, one of us can buy out the other two for the scrolls. I have a decent sense of how much we could make from the artifacts, so we won't get ripped off. We should make around 60 coins give or take a few if we can make a good deal with an interested collector."

---

Mention & Interaction: Gary Sue Gary Sue (Rak), Elowyn Elowyn (Irena), Key of Stars Key of Stars (Julia)
Location: Wayward Jungle
Action: Resting
 
Last edited:
Julia Rille

Julia.jpg
​

Julia waved her hand dismissively. "It's sick alright, and it's also a monster. I don't know what kind of weird twisted sense of justice has a grip on that brain of yours but let me give it to you straight," She picked up a leaf from the jungle floor, using it to wipe her gauntlets clean. "I do not care if this entire region will have problems because of that thing, I'm not a charity. I care about information, adventure, my family, my friends and myself, that's it. I could not be less concerned about what the rest of the world does or experiences." She stated with a shrug, harsh maybe, but it was the truth. And sure, if it was an infected human she would have been more inclined to help, but it wasn't, it was a creature exactly like the ones they'd just killed three of.

"Go ahead and waste your potion if you think it will help but don't you dare get my vial infected with that stuff." She was more than a little annoyed at Ras' insistence to save a potential liability to their actual objective and she wasn't trying to hide it. "May I remind you we are still looking for a Skolver? Are you planning on taking that thing along with us into the jungle? Because I sure as hell am not going back to town early and miss my chance at obtaining magic because you decided to play monster doctor."

"Come on," She turned to Irena. "You agree with me, don't you? Tell this guy he isn't thinking straight." She leaned against a tree, taking a moment to rest after the intense battle they'd just fought. "Now hold on just a moment buddy," She interjected when Ras suggested they split the spoils equally. "That thing," She pointed at the infected crawler after removing her hand from one of her gauntlets. "Is your reward, you want to keep it alive, sure, you're now its owner. As for the actual valuable stuff, I think me and my future sister-in-law should divide it amongst ourselves, no?" She offered, smiling at Irena.

She stood up again, walking towards Ras with a sweet smile on her face. "Unless, of course, you want to argue that thing's life is worth less than one of these artifacts we obtained. In which case, I'd gladly put an end to its suffering for you and divide our spoils equally. I'm not a demon, you know?" She said, still smiling as she raised her one still gauntleted hand. "Choice is yours, wouldn't you agree, future sis-in-law?"

---

Action: Resting
Mentions: Gary Sue Gary Sue (Rak)
Interactions: Heyitsjiwon Heyitsjiwon (Ras) Elowyn Elowyn (Irena)
Location: Wayward Jungle
 




Irena Rosenthal

━━━━━━⚔━━━━━━​

06​

Future-sis-in-law? Julia certainly was a bold one to assume so. Ren, however, did not address it. "Hold on, Julia," Irena started. "I don't think that's fair. I'm not sure that keeping the creature alive will be of much use, so at the first time it hinders our mission I say we get rid of it. Let's split the coins from the artifacts evenly. As for the scrolls, we can deal with that later once we're out of this place."

She leaned her sword down against a tree and sat on a fallen log. The battle had drained her and she didn't feel like arguing over the spoils of their battle. The thought of saving the infected crawler hadn't even occurred to her. It was interesting how different people thought about the same scenario and the different conclusions they came to. Animals became sick and died all the time. To her, it wouldn't have mattered, but for the sake of keeping the peace she felt it best to allow Ras to do as he liked given that it wouldn't prove to be an obstacle. Her time off was proving to be more interesting than she had thought.



INFORMATION
Action: Resting
Mentions & Interactions: Gary Sue Gary Sue [Rak] Heyitsjiwon Heyitsjiwon [Ras] Key of Stars Key of Stars [Julia]
Location: Wayward Jungle


code by @spookie spook​
 
The shouting at first got the sickly creature to hiss, although after it saw the food it seemed anything but aggressive. Waiting until Ras lowered it all the way to the soil and stepped back, it approached and grabbed it with one of its hands, drawing it closer and holding it close to its chest. Though it appeared like it was just holding onto the baked potato like some year old family heirloom, paying even a little bit of attention would reveal that the growths on it were slowly expanding towards the food, rooting themselves into it and causing it to begin shrinking.

Whatever this 'disease' was, it definitely wasn't anything any one of them- hell, most people- had seen before during any expedition. Though the animal appeared rejuvenated, there was nothing but silence while the lot tried to decide what to do with their loot and infected crawler alike.

Seated on the stool at the very entrance of Aeredale, Rak tapped his claws on his arms silently. The guards he was arguing with a good few minutes ago had settled down now, and so had he. With a gust of wind that carried naught of the echoing shouts from the group, the kobold felt something rise up his face, as though crawling into his nose and- "A-Aa... Akchewee!", he loudly exclaimed and hopped off the wooden furniture, landing on his feet and holding both his hands out to the side. Perplexed, he scratched his chin and looked towards the forest, as though something was evading him. "... Rak wonders what the friendly ones are doing... Ah well, they'll find the young one soon, for sure."

Suffice to say, the kobold was a bit too far out of reach from the group that had made it a fair bit into the jungle, so hearing them and aiding them anyhow was impossible. For now, the group had to fare as best as they could on their own, and the voices were only leading to one thing. The timid crawler was getting rather agitated again, though rather than readying up another round of acid to spread the love, it instead approached Ras and hid behind him, sensing the almost malicious intent from the other two.

It was still tired, though in a better shape than before, cowering behind the lance-wielder but at a small distance from him also. Its attention had been caught by something further to the west however, as it seemed to be trying to look over the bushes for... something.

---

Action Progress: Looking for the Skolver 3/??
Actions Available: Searching, Resting & Looking for the Skolver

Ras rests, recovering some of his HP. | HP: 191 (+33)/220.
Julia rests, recovering some of her HP. | HP: 187 (+33)/215.
Irena rests, recovering some of her HP. | HP: 168 (+36)/225.

Mentions: Heyitsjiwon Heyitsjiwon (Ras), Elowyn Elowyn (Irena) & Key of Stars Key of Stars (Julia)
Location: Wayward Jungle
 
Ras was about to reply when in the corner of his eye, he noticed the infected Crawler touch the potato. It did not take long before the potato itself seemed to be infected as well and shrink. At the same time, the Crawler seemed more lively... almost as if it had consumed the potato through the growths on its body. Ras looked on in silence as it dawned on him that this illness was something that he had ever seen or heard about... and he had heard of many in his travels.

Ras finally spoke up "Look, this isn't some charity, Ol Buddy Ol Pal of mine. This thing is sick. It can get other things sick. I don't know about you two, but I've never heard or seen of this illness. I'm suggesting we bring it back to town so that we can bring it to the attention of a local lord or whatever other authority. If it is something important, then we'll get paid out or at least make some connections and earn favors. Worst case scenario, I know some people who pay for information, and an unknown illness is something that people would pay to learn more about. If you are both worried about it causing us problems, then I can head back to town first and come back after bringing it to someone's attention and split the coins from this entire debacle."

Ras looked back at the infected crawler and noticed it curiously looking towards the west. Ras looked back at the group and queitly said "It seems to have noticed something... or is looking out for something towards the west." Ras lifted his lance once more in case there was trouble and began to walk towards the west to search the area as he tried to determine what the infected crawler was looking for.

---

Mentions: Elowyn Elowyn (Irena) Key of Stars Key of Stars (Julia)
Location Wayward Jungle
Action: Searching
 
Julia Rille

Julia.jpg​

"You don't think that's fair?!" Julia repeated, staring at Irena like she was crazy. "This guy," She jabbed her finger at Ras aggressively. "Wants to take some walking plague along with us like it is his pet. And you're saying we should split the rewards equally?" She was well and truly pissed at this point, severely regretting not just smashing the infected crawler during their earlier battle. She did not want a pet, and if she did, she wanted something normal, not an infected monster creature.

She whipped around as Ras started talking. "You're right, it isn't some charity buddy, but you're making it one!" She said, stepping up to him and pushing against his chest with her finger. "You know what you do when you encounter a single infected creature with an unknown illness? You smash it to bits and that's the end of that. You don't go lugging it around allowing it to infect a million more creatures and humans before finally offing it. I want to get paid, I do. But we have a different mission right now, and that thing is a liability to that mission and our health." She bit out.

"Go on then, head back first, just get that walking plague away from me!" She heaved a massive sigh as Ras started talking about the creature noticing something in the west. Oh, so now it was a god damn tracker as well? She wasn't having it. "Well it better be solid gold or a gemstone worth a mansion then." She said, brandishing her gauntlet and marching past Ras towards the west at a brisk pace. "But I bet it's just a waste of time."

---

Action: Searching
Interactions: Ras ( Heyitsjiwon Heyitsjiwon ) Irena ( Elowyn Elowyn )
Location: Wayward Jungle
 




Irena Rosenthal

━━━━━━⚔━━━━━━​

07​

The crawler's strange behavior didn't particularly interest Irena. It didn't seem to be a threat so she saw little harm in letting Ras keep it. "If you keep it, you're responsible for any damages it causes. And if it interferes with the mission, you kill it," she told Ras.

Julia was clearly angry about the whole situation. It was clear to Ren that she was a hothead, and those sorts didn't last long in the battlefield. "Let's not lose our heads here. There could be danger nearby." She knew the consequences of a lack of teamwork could be potentially deadly in enemy territory.

Splitting up the group didn't seem like a good idea from her experience. "I don't think we should split up. Whatever felled that tree could still be nearby."

As the crawler and Ras both turned to look at something, Irena looked as well, tensing in case it was a source of danger.



INFORMATION
Action: Searching
Mentions & Interactions: Gary Sue Gary Sue [Rak] Heyitsjiwon Heyitsjiwon [Ras] Key of Stars Key of Stars [Julia]
Location: Wayward Jungle


code by @spookie spook​
 
While the group scuffled over custody of the sick monster, it appeared too absorbed in detecting exactly what was in the west. Whatever it was though, it was fully gripped. A domineering presence could be sensed as Julia's more violent and aggressive, distrustful side showed, though it faded slowly once they began to move behind the Crawler. The same could be said for the pair of blue, piercing orbs that could be faintly seen through the foliage, as they disappeared into the shadows and let the group be.

Branches could be heard cracking from further ahead while the group followed behind the monster's lead, though nothing ever came in sight, and neither could any footsteps be heard from man nor beast. After only a few moments of moving, and a lucky happenstance of running into a [Strange Artifact] that looked much like a gemstone, though it were closer to a marble sculpture of one, the group finally arrived to a confusing sight.

If they were observative enough while moving, they'd have definitely noticed the creeping presence of mushrooms and fungi increasing as they closed in on their current position, though by now it had grown puzzling. The mushrooms were massive and almost blocking sunlight entirely, and the air felt more damp and humid than before. Even for the Cyclone's standards, it appeared as though something right out of a fairy tale one would hear from their grandparents before getting put to bed.

​


Maybe that was the least perplexing of their two findings though. A mushroom had been planted into the ground before them, large enough to stick out but not so tall to be confused for another one of the giants blocking sunlight from seeing the group. As spores floated around from under their gills, they illuminated the area with a soft, almost eerie glow. The Crawler had stopped moving right before the suspiciously large fungus, looking down at it and letting out a low whimper.

Then, a voice calmly sounded as though it was everywhere at once surrounding them all. "You lot, state your intentions and move no further, for your sake. Why are you here, and what do you two want?", a quick glance around and nobody was there... Noone but Julia and Ras. Irena had vanished from sight, although it was no magic, the group somehow ended up getting split up during their trek further into the forest. "You have hurt the forest's residents, so I demand an explanation. Now, state your business here."

The spores became denser in the air as more of them floated around, forming a 'ring' of sorts that kept the group from fleeing without inhaling any- most definitely a horrible idea, if they wanted to make it out alive and without the dreaded and oftentimes lethal mana fever. The Crawler continued to whimper, its gaze focused and unwavering for a few moments more before it turned to look at the two humans again.

---

The group finds x1 Strange Artifact during their search.

The group is surrounded by Fungus Spores. They may communicate with the voice, or attempt leaving, though it will have consequences...

Action Progress: Looking for the Skolver 3/??
Actions Available: Interacting with the Voice, Trying to Leave & Resting

Ras rests, recovering some of his HP. | HP: 220 (+33)/220.
Julia rests, recovering some of her HP. | HP: 215 (+33)/215.
Irena rests, recovering some of her HP. | HP: 204 (+36)/225.

Irena is nowhere to be seen..?

Mentions: Heyitsjiwon Heyitsjiwon (Ras), Elowyn Elowyn (Irena) & Key of Stars Key of Stars (Julia)
Location: Wayward Jungle, ???
 
Ras followed the lead of the Crawler as it headed west. It seemed almost... hypnotized by whatever it sensed. As the group made their way deeper and deeper into the jungle, Ras began to feel uneasy once more. It felt like they were being watched again. However, a sense of relief washed over him when the Crawler led them to an artifact that looked a lot like a gemstone. Ras spoke up "Well, well. Would you look at that. Its almost like it knew." With a slight chuckle. However he fell deathly silent when he noticed that the Crawler didn't stop at the artifact. No, it kept going... this wasn't what it sensed. Where in the world was it bringing them towards? The group continued west, and Ras grew more unsettled. He saw more and more mushrooms. Some small, but they grew larger as the group went on. Up ahead was a particular one that seemed to glow from all the spores under its gills. He turned to look at the group and said "We should head..." before he noticed that Irena had vanished. "Damn it." Ras muttered as he frantically began to look around the area before an unusual voice filled the air.

Ras fell silent as he listened to the stranger's voice. He turned to look at Julia and quietly said "Looks like you might have been right. Where in the three winds is this...?" before he turned his head back towards the front. Ras cleared his throat as the sight of the spore made his throat feel itchy before loudly speaking. "We come seeking what has been taken from a friend of ours, a Kobold named Rak. His tome was stolen by a young skolver who has treaded into the jungle and chased deeper into these trees. We seek to inflict no harm other than what we must to protect ourselves on this journey. Hence, we ended up following this little one instead of ending it." as he then pointed to the sickly Crawler.

"It is clearly sick and needs aid. Out here, it would just be attacked by its own or perhaps even dead at the hands of its own kind. But for some reason, it is clearly drawn to this place and yet it seems fearful. Perhaps of you. So, we must ask. Who are you? Why did the Crawler bring us here? Are you someone who we must protect ourselves from? Are you why this Crawler is sick?" Ras asked as he lifted his lance in a defensive position out of caution though he knew that a lance would do little against the growing storm of spores that seemed like circle them like sharks. Ras quietly spoke without turning his head to Julia "If things go south, cover your nose, hold your breath and run. I'll distract it for as long as I can. I'm the reason we ended up here after all... and whatever it is... it seems powerful."

To Ras, the situation seemed dire. This thing seemed magical and powerful as it seemed to control the spores. He had one idea, however. He had seen and heard of stories where warehouses that stored flour would explode the moment a match was lit due to dense particles of flour in the air catching fire and igniting in a massive dust explosion. Perhaps, the same could be applicable to airborne spores? However, they were surrounded by these spores. If they caught on fire, then they would just find themselves in the middle of the explosion. Their only hope would be to try and run away from the dense concentrations of spores before the explosion... Ras hoped that it wouldn't have to come to that, but he wanted to at least give the others a chance to run away from the epicenter.

---

Mentions: Key of Stars Key of Stars (Julia), Gary Sue Gary Sue (The Voice), Elowyn Elowyn (Irena)
Action: Interacting with the Voice
Location: Wayward Jungle
 
Julia Rille

Julia.jpg​

"Knew what?" She shot back, marching over to the artifact and picking it up. She twirled it around her fingers a few times before holding it still, studying the small artifact for a moment. "Knew how to lead us to a piece of trash that happens to look a little like a gemstone? You go ahead and try to sell it back in town then, see how you look trying to sell a regular dumb piece of marble that happens to look a little unusual." She said, venom dripping off of her every word, the fact that Ras had chuckled a little did not do anything to improve her mood, if anything it just made it all the worse.

She heaved a very, very deep sigh as they were first addressed by the mysterious voice, inwardly adding yet another point to the 'of course Julia was right and the others were wrong' counter. One glance around her told her that her future sister in law was no where to be seen, and honestly, Julia too, wished she was nowhere to be seen right now. "You think?" She hissed back, unable to stop herself from adding a sarcastic. "You're wonderfully quick on the uptake. As for where we are, the jungle, detective, we are still in the jungle."

She somewhat lazily nodded along with Ras' explanation, stopping that the moment he started asking the voice questions of his own. "Why don't you ask it if it wants us to off ourselves as well while you're at it?" She mumbled with another deep sigh. She actually did quietly listen as he told her to run away if things went south, and while that offer was somewhat tempting, and very much deserved because it was undoubtedly, without any room for debate, and decidedly his fault they ended up here. It simply wasn't her style.

She stepped forward, pushing Ras to the side slightly with her right hand. "Listen, uhm... you, the one with the voice." She waved her hands dismissively. "You know who I mean. Anyway," She jabbed a thumb towards Ras. "That guy, just told you why we're here, so I won't repeat it. But... let me make one thing clear. Your forest's residents attacked us first, I was perfectly content retrieving that book and walking out of this place without harming anyone."

"Either way, I just want magic, that's why we're looking for that book. Now if you happen to have some magic to spare, you could just give it to me and I'll piss off after that. Hell, I'll piss off right now if you want me to." She shook her head slightly, continuing her tirade while ignoring the fact she'd gone slightly off topic. "What I'm trying to say is, I have nothing to do with this guy." She pointed at the infected crawler. "I just want to grab that book I came here for, get back to town, find a place that serves decent absinthe, and drink until I drop, preferably while performing cool tricks at the bar with the magic I got from bringing that book back. Oh, and with him paying." She added, jabbing another finger at Ras.

---

Mentions: Elowyn Elowyn (Irena)
Interactions: Heyitsjiwon Heyitsjiwon (Ras), Gary Sue Gary Sue (The Voice)
Action: Interacting with the Voice
Location: Wayward Jungle
 
Following their responses and the Crawler's continued whimpering, there was complete silence. Seconds passed until a minute had gone by, and the voice was fully silent still. They were either sharing a hallucination from the mystical forest, or they had gotten whatever was there to begin contemplating what to do with the duo... Once the Crawler stopped and turned to look at the two again though, some of the spores began to slowly float away.

"Magic is nary a toy, like you think it is. You are a human too, so it's not easy for you to grasp what 'magic' is, you airheaded fool.", the voice scolded Julia as they felt something from below them almost crawl under their feet. Whatever it was, it was even lower than that- under the skin of the soil they were standing on. Long yet slim like tendrils, it gathered towards the Crawler with only faint bumps outlining its presence... before disappearing once again. "... I am sorry for your encounter with the others, however. Everyone is more... irate, than usual."

As the mist dissipated and the spores around the group thinned out, another moment of silence followed. The infected creature moved behind the mushroom and looked around, appearing to be scouting ahead once again. "Thank you, for saving him. I hear he was in danger of his own kin, as much as you were. There's one less of you than he claims, however.", the voice proclaimed followed by the feeling of something sneaking around under them briefly once more.

...

"I do not sense them anywhere nearby. I hope they decided to head back, unlike you two.", the disembodied voice's words sounded almost ominous, as the mushroom's extraordinarily thick stem began to uproot on its own. Growing wider and wider the more it lifted from the ground's surface, it began to resemble a body that was pulling itself out of the mud. "I believe I know where your book is. Follow along, but... please, keep your distance."

Given a few more moments, the creature's entire form had been revealed. It resembled that of a human, but with a mushroom in its head's place and the same white, discolored growths that surrounded the Crawler, surrounding its entire body. Its fingers were thick, and its toes had all melted together like it was wearing boots. "I will explain along the way, but try to keep up. The longer you linger in the forest, the more the chances you might contract mana fever. This way.", it warned the group and began strutting towards the direction the Crawler was facing, at a rather brisk pace.

"It'll be a few minutes at most, fear not. I'll be glad to answer any of your questions, I assume you have a few."

And so, the group's small trek began as they got closer and closer to their target goal... allegedly, at least.

---

The spores surrounding the group grew thinner and thinner, allowing them to follow the creatures safely.

Actions Available: Following the Creature

Interactions: Heyitsjiwon Heyitsjiwon (Ras) & Key of Stars Key of Stars (Julia) as The Voice from the Fungus
Location: Wayward Forest, ???
 
Ras quietly listened Julia as she also spoke to the strange voice. He quietly replied at the end "I admit. I owe you a drink for all the crazy turns we encountered in this trip. But just one. No more than that." with a slight chuckle. There was something about dark humor in tense situations that just made the situation more... bearable. Ras continued to grip his lance tightly until he heard the voice once more. "He?" Ras asked "Wait, hold on just a moment. You can speak with the Crawler? Who or... what exactly are you? And what did you mean that everyone is more irate than usual? Did something happen?"

Many questions raced through Ras' head and it took him a moment to realize that he should probably follow the Crawler and not get left behind. "Yes, we lost our third member on the way here, following the Crawler. I hope she is okay... hopefully we will see her again at the settlement." Ras then looked over at Julia with raised eye brows before he quietly whispered to her "Any idea who we might be dealing with?" as he looked at the strange, slightly gruesome looking man with a mushroom head and spores all over. "Don't really know if we can completely trust them... but I don't think we have much of a choice. If they wanted us dead... I think we would have already been dead." Ras commented as he continued to follow the creature.

---

Action: Follow the Creature
Interactions: Gary Sue Gary Sue (The Voice from the Fungus) and Key of Stars Key of Stars (Julia)
Location: Somewhere in the Wayward Forest
 
Julia Rille
Julia.jpg​

First of all, weird magic mushroom wizard or not, Julia felt like punching it in its non-existent face for calling her an airheaded fool. Second, only one drink?! Ras forced her to follow some sickly creature right into a death trap and he was going to buy her a single drink?! She could get more free drinks than that easily by winning a drinking competition from some random drunk who overestimated their limit. "Fine," She eventually answered with a huff. "That better be the best and most expensive glass of absinthe I can find then." Ras asked all the important questions which was fine by her, it left her with more time to observe the surrounding forest.

She observed quietly as the creature took on a somewhat humanoid form. Well, that solved one problem, she could punch it in the face now, though she decided against it, especially given that it seemed like a bit of a suicidal move. She did briefly wonder about her future sister in law, but her mind quickly returned to her own predicament.

She shook her head in response to Ras' question. "Nope, but it gives me the C to the R to the E-E-P-S. Also," She lowered her voice to a barely audible whisper. "I don't think their ears work too well either, though I guess they're taking us to the book." She added with a shrug. "Don't got much of a choice really, I don't fancy my chances against some sort of weird forest protecting mushroom wizard fella." She'd already accepted the fact that they would be forced to follow the creature for now.

---

Action: Following the Creature
Interactions: Gary Sue Gary Sue (The Voice from the Fungus) Heyitsjiwon Heyitsjiwon (Ras)
Location: Wayward Forest
 
While the two whispered, the Crawler walking by the creature that led the way growled and whimpered some, as though it was talking to their guide. And that seemed to be the case, as his voice sounded in their heads once more, just as distant as it was before despite the growing space between the lot. "I do apologise for my appearance. It's out of my control when it's time to move, I'm afraid, but it keeps the bad actors out of sight thankfully."

Amidst their surprise, he followed up to clarify a few questions they were sharing between themselves rather than with him. "Most of us have lost our ears, though not our hearing. The Crawler can hear just fine, though I'm afraid his senses are... dulling.", and while he was already on that topic, he thought to strike the iron while it was hot. He continued to address them, though he never turned his eyeless head to so much as try looking at them. His 'face' looked the same all around, it was just a mass of fungus engulfing the entirety of his head, leaving a blank, white stem all the way to the spotted mushroom cap atop it.

"I used to be a human. There's no easy way to say this, but... you didn't sense it when you entered the forest, did you? Not even when you saw this creature emerge during your fight?", as he posed his question, a moment of silence passed to let the two reflect. "Magic is growing out of control, and so are the creatures seeking it. Hopefully, humans excluded.", a stern jab, probably aimed at the duo's magic-loving punching addict.

"Travelling with my group through the forest, we came across some form of illness about a month or so ago. It was more akin to a spell, infecting everyone within its range while it slowly grew more and more. I believe the terrain speaks for its effect by itself. If I were to guess... The tower in the Eye was the one to produce it, and we were unlucky enough to run into it. Someone was bound to, in this forest.", a nod to none other than himself while he raised a hand to point all around him, with the towering mushrooms being more prevalent than ever before, coupled with the disgustingly humid air that made even caves seem like an appealing living condition. "Creatures caught in its range began to mutate, like this Crawler. Some succumbed to it, while others made it. We're neither human nor beast anymore."

Though the man sounded rather uncertain himself, he came to a halt slowly as spores floating around before them like a barrier began to open up, leaving room for the group to safely go through. "We're far from safe, but we've made our settlement here, in the deeps of the Wayward Forest. We have no name, and we do not know who we are. Come in, please.", he urged them to enter behind him, revealing a city lit up by bright spores and wisps caught in lanterns hanging by the few tree branches left around. Spores flew by almost like fairies above the group, and the natural lighting was blocked off by the mushroom caps and some shoddily cut wooden planks between them all.

Perhaps what was even more intriguing, was that more figures like their guides began to emerge and observed from a distance. The lack of facial features made it hard to discern their reaction, but their interest had been piqued for sure. Once the group was inside, the barrier of spores closed once more and they found themselves on a dirt path that branched off into a variety of makeshift structures- stalls, a carriage turned into a tent, what looked like the foundations for a few houses to be built on, and even a round-capped mushroom that was cut into and turned into a house. That... was probably the least safe pick for the lot, in all honesty.

"My name used to be Ged. Most of us here have left our names and past lives behind, but I assume it'll make communication easier.", he finally introduced himself, crossing his would-be arms and turning his head as if to look down at the crawler before facing the adventurers again. "We were researchers looking for creatures to collect information on. Now we're..."

... Hm.

"... we do not know. Magic runs through us naturally, however. From what I've gathered, our anatomy has changed significantly, too. We have no eyes, mouths, or ears anymore. If you haven't figured it out yet, magic is my only means of communicating with you. I hope my voice isn't too loud on your ears..?", he stretched the end of his question to smoothly ask them for their own names, now that they were aware of his own.

---

The group finds themselves in a safe haven of sorts, though their surroundings are perhaps even more alien now. Searching is not allowed.

Interactions: Heyitsjiwon Heyitsjiwon (Ras) & Key of Stars Key of Stars (Julia) as Ged
Location: Deep Wayward Forest, ???
 
Julia Rille

Julia.jpg​

"Duly noted." She remarked dryly, guess gossiping behind the mushroom wizard's back was out, the thing had scarily good hearing for something without ears. She should probably have been more surprised than she was when he told them he used to be human, but truthfully, she just really did not care in the slightest about the mage or his life. So, instead of saying something profound or simply shutting up, she leaned in close to Ras. "Guess that's what happens when you forget to do your skincare routine."

Antagonizing the no doubt more powerful than herself mushroom wizard probably wasn't the smartest idea, but the mushroom certainly didn't mind throwing a jab of his own her way. "My dad always told me I was out of control, so who knows." She shot back, raising her middle finger behind her back in a less than kind gesture toward their 'guide'. She preferred kidnapper, he might be taking them where they wanted to go, but it wasn't like they had a choice in the matter.

Blah blah blah, normally she would be more than thrilled to receive new information, but she couldn't give less of a shit about this guy and his weird twisted novel superhero backstory.

She couldn't help but genuinely marvel at the small city their guide had lead them to, placing her hands in her pockets and quietly observing everything. It was, shoddy, at best, but she didn't dislike that. It had a certain charm to it, and while she wasn't exactly thrilled to be meeting even more creatures like her guide, she couldn't help but somewhat enjoy taking in the sights of the city.

He introduced himself, again, she didn't particularly care. "Ged out of here!" She exclaimed, giving everyone a moment to start laughing, when that didn't happen she sighed. "Not funny? Tough crowd. Anyway, do forgive me for asking but... uh... is there a way to obtain magic without, well, you know, ending up like, well, that." She said, roughly gesturing in his direction. "Oh, but it looks great on you."

"I'm Julia," She declared confidently. "This is Ras, probably short for Rasmodius or something, I don't actually know, he's only been my best friend for about a day or so. Doesn't really matter, anyway..." She waved her hand dismissively before holding it out. "Book." She stayed quiet for a good few seconds before adding one more thing. "Please."

---

Interactions: Heyitsjiwon Heyitsjiwon (Ras) Gary Sue Gary Sue (Ged)
Location: Deep Wayward forest, ???
 
Ras looked around at the makeshift settlement with a look of pity. The camp seemed rather destitute as Ras noted that there was no standing buildings nor did he see any signs of food or any wealth. Ras carefully listened as he looked around and gathered what info he could. These folks looked like they could use some tools... maybe a carpenter. He saw some shoddily made planks and foundations for buildings, but did they have nails? Ras had many questions about how these people lived and survived out here.

"I am Ras. Short for Jebidiah, actually." Ras said sarcastically. "Pleasure to meet you Ged. Are you and your companions in need of anything? Do you still need to eat food and drink water? The little one... seemed to just absorb food before. But, if you are in need of anything perhaps we can serve as your couriers or merchants? We can go get you some tools, nails or maybe some hides to make some more tents? I noticed you have some stalls set up. Do your companions have goods to sell or barter?" Ras asked as he figured that these researchers intentionally isolated themselves in the forest to not risk getting other sick. They could probably use someone to bring back finished goods from the settlement and trade on their behalf.

However, it was clear to Ras that these people needed help with their condition... and it had to be soon. It seemed like they were slowly turning into nothing but fungus. Afterall, why were their senses starting to slowly fade unless their own bodies were mutating?

---

Interactions: Key of Stars Key of Stars (Julia) Gary Sue Gary Sue (Ged)
Location: Wayward Forest
 
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