Session Start: Tue May 13 00:00:00 2008 Session Ident: #TD&DG [17:32:34] [Previously, on Darkling Rising...] [17:33:10] (Aaaah! Wrong game!) [17:34:11] ( Ara. We're not leveled and gestalt enough to handle that. ) [17:34:47] [Previously, on Traditional Dungeons and Dragons...] [17:34:51] [Delving into the haunted mines, the intrepid heroes were assaulted by mysterious scents and disturbing moans. When a section of the tunnel collapsed at an intersection, half separating the party, small earth elementals sprang out to attack.] [17:37:14] [After tragically ruining Althea's gown, the elementals were dispatched over her fainted form by the rest of the party. One died, and the other escaped through the earthen walls. Further exploration following mysterious noises and the scent of saltwater in the air revealed a pair of tiny humanoids - a blue male and a brown female - named Dusty and Blue.] [17:38:55] [They seemed to have a large argument over whose fault...somethihng...is, and to both share annoyance with the earth elementals. Apparently, the big one and his metal-eating friend are quite rude. And thus we rejoin our heroes, trying to figure out where to go next. Deeper into the mines after the Myconids and their spores to cure lycanthropy, or back up to find the elemental and figure out what they're -doing- here?] [17:39:01] [Start!] #01[17:40:01] I think we need to get more info about what's going on. Maybe the Myconoids might be angry. #06[17:40:46] * Wurr shrugs. "Sure. We just need to fix it." [17:42:47] I think if we want to poke our noses into this, which I am all for, we should deliver the spores back to town first, and THEN come back here. The medicine will take time to make, after all. #06[17:43:18] * Ierikc nods. "I agree with the 'princess' this time." #06[17:43:23] * Wurr frowns. "Yeah, you're right." #01[17:44:21] Hm... yeah, that's true. #01[17:44:24] Good idea. #01[17:44:48] It'll keep us occupied while we wait. Woudln't wanna get bored. #06[17:45:16] * Stella nods. #06[17:47:41] * Althea looks left and right. "Which way again?" #06[17:48:38] * Wurr will frown ulling out the directions he wrote down. [17:49:15] [ There lies the tunnel back up the way they came, or the tunnel going the opposite direction from this little cavern that is as-yet unexplored. By Dusty and Blue's argumentative directions, the big earth elemental lies back the way they came. Wurr's directions indicate going 'right' at the last point they went 'left', and since that 'left' put them into this cavern... ] #06[17:50:24] * Wurr puts the directions back and heads the right way. "Follow." #06[17:51:14] * Ierikc goes with the flow. #06[17:51:24] * Lidya follows along [17:52:32] There better not be any more of those jerks this way. #06[17:52:45] * Althea walks along while fussing over her dress. [17:55:58] I wonder if the mushrooms smell bad down here. [17:56:05] I mean, I don't imagine they bathe very much. [17:56:55] They probably smell like mushrooms. [17:57:03] [ The tunnel is dark, but fortunately, Althea's torch provides some light (and Wurr doesn't need it, anyway). The salty smell gets a little stronger and the earth grows muddy as Wurr leads the way east for more than sixty feet before coming to what used to be a four-way intersection. Two of the directions, however, have collapsed, leaving 'north' or 'back the way they came' as options. ] [17:57:35] [ Wurr's boots don't actually sink into the softening earth too far, but the wooden supports are nearly soft to the touch with the moisture in the air. ] #06[17:57:40] * Wurr goes north. [17:57:40] They smell like any other fungus. #06[17:58:52] * Althea specifically stays in the middle of the corridor so that she doesn't touch the dirty walls. "Well, there's not much in the way of choices, now is there?" #01[17:58:52] Fungi can smell plenty different from each other. [17:59:10] [ The uncollapsed tunnel leads into a rather square-cut cavern, thoroughly mined out. ] [17:59:29] I didn't think fungi had noses. #06[17:59:37] * Wurr keeps stomping through. [18:04:05] * Jessica Alexandria Westwood has leapt up onto Althea's shoulders, wrapping herself around her mistress's neck. She will not deign to get her dainty feet muddy. That's for lesser creatures. Like humans and orcs. [18:05:21] They generally don't. #06[18:05:42] * Althea tries to pry the dirty Jessica off her shoulders. She's muddy enough, thank you. [18:05:56] * Jessica squirms around so Althea scratches in the good spot. #06[18:05:58] * Ierikc grabs Althea and pulls her back. [18:06:16] Whoa! [18:06:21] What was that for? #06[18:06:45] * Ierikc points where Althea was about to step. "Are you blind? There's a hole right there." #06[18:07:43] * Wurr looks around frowning. "Okay how to get through?" [18:07:46] Oh my. #06[18:07:58] * Althea stops messing with Jessica to look down at the ground. "Well, how about that." #01[18:08:09] Wonder what's at the bottom. #01[18:08:14] We seem to be facing a lot of holes lately. [18:08:51] [Indeed, the hole seems to open into a deeper, natural cavern. A vaguely earthy, half-rotten, half-musty smell emenates from below. It's not -entirely- unpleasent. Kind of like the odor of the underside of a heavy rock in the woods when it's lifted up.] [18:09:06] I suspect the Mycanoids are down there. #06[18:09:41] * Lidya gets her rope out. #06[18:10:16] * Wurr stares down at it trying to see what he can see. [18:10:21] Ugh. It smells like something died down there. [18:10:45] * Jessica turns her nose up at the smell. She's -not- a vegetarian. [18:11:28] Perhaps some sort of evil salad creature. [18:11:50] [ Wurr can see to the bottom - it's no more than twenty feet down at the deepest part reachable from here, though it slopes at about a twenty-degree slope down away from that point. It's earth and mud and roots down there, as far as he can see. ] [18:12:28] I'm jumping. [18:12:43] Down there? #01[18:12:53] We've got a perfeclty nice rope. [18:13:01] Yes. [18:13:17] It's only 20 feet. #06[18:13:43] * Wurr just dives down, landing stiring up what ever is down there. [18:14:28] * Spiders scurry everywhere! And a couple rats. They seem more afraid of Wurr than he is of them. #06[18:15:13] * Wurr stares around down here, looking for a way out. [18:15:28] How does it look down there? [18:15:39] * Wurr's boots are now also embedded about four inches into loam. And a humanoid mound of clay and stone tilts its rocky lump of a head as it turns glittering gems that probably are eyes on him. It's about Lidya's size. [18:16:21] Got a friend, he has shiney eyes. Hello! [18:16:30] Shiny eyes? [18:16:59] * The thing rumbles. It sounds vaguely like the groaning of stone against rock. #06[18:17:04] * Stella grabs a beetle and chomps on it. Mmm, nature's bounty. [18:17:19] Oh my. Would those shiny eyes perhaps be gems, friend Wurr? [18:17:21] Ugh... did you just eat a bug? [18:17:24] Gems. I think. Ummm any one speak rock? #01[18:17:36] Not me! #06[18:18:07] * Althea is too busy being grossed out by bug eating girl to reply in the negative. [18:18:17] * The beetle is crunchy and satisfying. The cream-filled kind! #06[18:19:16] * Ierikc looks down. "I know Undercommon, but not Terran." [18:20:18] Hello other one! Do you speak common? [18:21:10] * Whatever it is Wurr is talking to, the area is suddenly flooded with a cinnamin-smelling dust. [18:21:39] I'm glad I'm not down there. Something's kicking up dust. [18:21:52] * Jessica sneezes. [18:23:08] EW. [18:23:14] Ah, our stony antagonist smells delightful. [18:24:08] Mmmm smells like what Momma used to cook. #06[18:24:19] * Ierikc sniffs. "Just needs some sugar and apples." [18:24:57] It smells good but doesn't seem to do much.... [18:25:16] Perhaps if you compliment him? [18:25:40] You don't want me doing that. [18:25:55] * The earthy lump of humanoid-shaped stone swivels its head dully in the direction the dust came from. [18:26:00] Should we follow him down there? #01[18:26:13] Sure... #06[18:26:40] * Lidya ties the rope to whatever might be handy and puts the rest down the hole #06[18:27:31] * Wurr glances at the dust thing and waves. "I have never seen such great lumpy mud as your friend nor have I ever wanted to speak another language so bad right now?" Hetries forcing the compliment out. [18:27:33] * Ierick and Althea are handy! Stella might be, too. Or there are the vaguely rotten wooden supports holding up the muddy earth. Might not be wise to try to plant it in the slightly soft ground. [18:29:26] I don't think we have anything good to tie the rope to. [18:31:29] * The humanoid lump of stone lumbers north a moment, then turns back to face Wurr, dropping into a smaller profile, defensively. [18:32:09] Perhaps I should help. #06[18:32:13] * Stella hops down lightly. #06[18:32:15] * Wurr blinks and puts his hands up trying to look defenseless and not threatening. #06[18:32:21] * Lidya heads down the hole. #06[18:32:38] * Stella pats Wurr on the shoulder and then smiles at the lump of earth. #06[18:33:07] * Ierikc looks down and sighs. "I was hoping it didn't speak common." [18:33:11] You want me to jump down there? [18:33:26] * The lump of earth seems to be thinking hard. It's head might start glowing with the heat of this monumental mental effort any moment! [18:33:32] Greetings, friend of earth and stone! I am Stella, and I hope we can become good companions and work together to make everyone happier today. [18:35:43] * There's some vague movement near a funny-looking outcropping up around a corner. As the rock-thing relaxes a bit, more of that cinnamin-smelling dust spews from the direction of the furtive motion, causing the thing to swivel its head that direction. [18:37:22] What's going on down there? #06[18:37:23] * Wurr looks around enjoying the smell. #06[18:38:19] * Althea holds out the torch. "All I see is dust and shapes that are probably Wurr and Lidya." [18:40:01] Seeing as how things have been going so far, I'll probalby land on a pointy rock if I jump down there. #06[18:41:33] * Althea calls out, "What's down there anyway? And what's kicking up that dust. [18:41:39] I'll catch you, you pretty pretty delicate thing. [18:41:54] Ew. [18:42:35] Wurr, are you well? [18:43:17] * The rock-thing walks dully towards the source of the dust. [18:43:43] I'm trying this talking thing. [18:44:24] Does the tunnel continue down there? [18:44:34] Looks like it. [18:44:37] * The earth elemental has gotten to the corner, and is looking around. #06[18:46:17] * Althea sighs and says with a bit of disappointment in her voice, "Okay, I'm coming down there then." #06[18:46:42] * Althea hops down into the hole because no one set up a rope. Not that there was a good anchor point anyway. [18:48:36] [ Althea jumps down! Since she was aiming for hte ground it's kind of impressive that she -still- managed to miss. ...no, really. She should probably get that foot condition looked at, what with them not touching the ground. ] #06[18:48:41] * Wurr sighs, not sure what to say right now, he's not so good at this but has the feeling just murdering things isn't right in this situation. #06[18:49:32] * Lidya steps along. #06[18:49:41] * Lidya doesn't go too far ino though [18:51:14] See, perfect landing! #06[18:52:10] * Althea looks down to see what she landed on. #06[18:53:52] * Ierikc peers down. "Uh-huh." #06[18:54:16] * Ierikc looks around then hops down into the hole, last one to do so. #06[18:54:17] * Althea continues standing there, arms outstreatched. [18:54:43] * The earth elemental seems to have decided that going around the corner is interesting. #06[18:55:21] * Althea steps off whatever she's standing on and onto the ground. #06[18:55:46] * Wurr decides that following the earth elemental is interesting. #06[18:56:02] * Ierikc walks after the group steadily. #06[18:57:09] * Lidya follows #06[18:57:14] * Althea walks along. "Sow hat are we following again?" #01[18:57:23] No idea [18:57:51] * The elemental seems to be plodding hostilly after some faster-moving ambulatory mushrooms that are being slowly cornered. [18:58:42] Oooh, mushroom orcs. [18:59:25] Or Mychanoids. [18:59:34] We're after the mushrooms, so we should stop that earthy thing. [19:02:53] * The little mushroom-thing trips, and the elemental badly bruises its fungal stalk with a stomp. #06[19:10:57] * Althea bursts foward with a flash of speed, drawing a knife mid-dash. She ends her movement crouching down, practically on one knee, with her knife in the elemental. [19:12:56] * Jessica decides to help, and bites into the elemental, scratching out a gemstone which she scurries over to a corner to clean off. #06[19:13:44] * Lidya slips past the group and the elemental and tries to attack it from behind #06[19:19:21] * Lidya strikes it with her dagger. [19:22:29] * The elemental sort of slumps as Lidya loosens some stone from its mud, and it moves no more. [19:22:59] [ Giant mushrooms - as big as Wurr - lumber slowly forward, tentatively. They do not seem hostile. ] #06[19:23:03] * Althea removes her knife from the elemental and brushes the dirt off it. "That was surprisingly easy." #06[19:23:30] * Wurr waves at the mushrooms. [19:23:33] So... how do we convince the mushrooms to let us take his spores? [19:24:24] I mean, I don't speak mushroom. #06[19:24:30] * Ierikc walks from behind the group. #01[19:24:33] Whew. #06[19:24:37] * Lidya goes for its eye-gems. #06[19:24:53] * Wurr shrugs and goes up to one of the shrooms and sees if he can find spores and just take it. [19:25:24] [ Lidya gains +1 gem! The other one, Jessica seems to have taken already. ] #06[19:26:00] * Althea puts her knife away and goes about recollecting Jessica. [19:26:13] * The mushrooms hold up ...arms?... peacefully, and slowly leaks some of that dust. The cloud is easilly avoidable. #06[19:26:36] * Wurr looks over at the dust.. "Spores?" #06[19:27:26] * Ierikc smiles at the shrooms. "Don't we have something to show we're friendly?" [19:27:46] What do they like? #01[19:28:35] Dunno... #01[19:28:40] Stuff to eat? [19:29:11] Dirt? [19:29:28] * The mushroom beckons others to approach its dust cloud. #06[19:29:36] * Lidya approaches #06[19:30:28] * Ierikc steps in. #01[19:31:16] Woah... I can understand it. #01[19:31:31] It's thanking us for protecting them from the elemental. [19:32:18] You can understand it? It's a mushroom. #01[19:34:25] It's the spores. #01[19:34:28] It's how they "talk" #01[19:34:45] They said they're trying to move their young out before the water rots their roots [19:34:46] oh... [19:34:55] poor things. #06[19:35:02] * Althea finally succeeds in grabbing Jessica. "Oh." [19:35:53] [ The cave is, in fact, a bit moister than those higher up. Salt-soaked moist earth smell is strong, and a faint dripping echo can be heard every now and again. ] #01[19:36:23] Not sure how to communicate back... [19:36:38] Try producing spores of your own? [19:37:27] Perhaps they can simply understand us. [19:37:49] Maybe. #06[19:38:00] * Lidya looks to the mushroom. "Say, can you understand us?" [19:38:07] Did you try asking if they can understand... apparently not. #01[19:38:26] Yeah, they understand Common. They were taught by dwarves. #01[19:38:40] Come on up a bit closer. I don't want to have to translate everything. #06[19:39:28] * Wurr looks uncomfortable with this, but will let his guard drop. [19:39:51] Do you know how hard it would be to clean all that off. [19:40:15] -. +? #06[19:40:39] * Ierikc snickers. [19:41:15] * Those who voluntarilly take in the scent and let it affect them can...smell words. Which the DM will represent as telepathy with the standard squiggly markers. They can't respond in kind, but at least the myconids understand Common. [19:41:32] We've been through this. You're an adventurer you get dirty, only YOUR ego lets you walk on air. [19:41:54] Which I want to try again later. [19:42:36] [ The mushrooms seem to be busy carefully scooping mud mounds out of a puddle that seems to be slowly growing. Upon closer inspection, the mounds have mushroom patches growing in them. ] [19:44:07] Ah. A nursurey? [19:44:24] That's..oh..er... I'm happy I didn't squish. [19:44:39] ~We are grateful you did not, as well.~ #01[19:47:48] When did these earth elementals start showing UP? [19:49:01] ~Recently. After the men and dwarves ceased their mining above.~ #06[19:50:01] * Wurr angerly stomps the ground on a mud pile that isn't spores. "GO AWAY! Busy here." Hopefully the mud element he has his boot on gets the point. #01[19:51:09] Any other troubles? [19:53:12] ~The rock-men are a nuissance. The water is more dangerous. It will flood the nursery before too long, and has already begun to endanger the youngest. Why have the miners ceased to come? We miss them.~ [19:54:17] Umm... elemental people are fighting and the minors think they are ghosts. [19:54:56] ~They are a problem on the surface, as well, then. We are sorry for your troubles.~ #06[19:55:37] * Ierikc hmmms. #01[19:55:47] We're going to try to deal with the elemental problems... in the meantime, though, could we have some spores? [19:56:41] ~Spores? That can be arranged. What are they to be used for?~ #01[19:57:01] A cure for lycanthropism. [19:57:29] ~What is 'lycanthropism'?~ #01[19:59:04] It's a terrible disease that warps minds as well as bodies. Makes people violent. [19:59:44] ~This is distressing. We will seek to assist. Go, small one, and bring some for your rescuers.~ [20:00:02] [ The little myconid that was stomped on limps hurriedly off to another cave. ] [20:00:37] I think that would be adorable if it weren't a mushroom. [20:01:54] [ A few minutes later, it returns bearing four softball-sized soft, fungal pouches that it carefully offers to Althea. ] #06[20:03:04] * Althea takes... the pouches? She holds onto them very delicately and certainly not right against herself. [20:04:15] ~These should be sufficeint for any purpose. Please be safe, friends, but we must return to our work. We must find a safe place to protect the young that is not flooding with the poisoned water.~ #01[20:04:56] Alright. We'll be back to try to talk with the elementals and fix this situation. Thanks for your help. #06[20:05:31] * Althea continues to hold the pouches out. "Climbing up the hole is going to be fun. These don't look terribly durable." [20:08:12] So, shall we head back to the village, then? [20:08:29] Yes, lets. #01[20:09:34] Yeah [20:12:56] [ The way back up is tricky, but doable. Lamentably, Althea's hair do will have to be -completely- redone if it is to be salvaged at all, but all four spore pouches are safely carried out of the mines. Tag greets the party at the door of Floren's home and place of business, looking annoyed and bored. "Got the stuff? The apothacary has Bert watching several pots to keep 'em from boiling over." ] #06[20:14:49] * Althea hands the pouches over. "Yes, this is what we collected. It was more difficult than anticipated. There seems to be a bit of an elemental problem in there." [20:16:13] Elementals? That's kinda weird, isn't it? *takes one of the pouches and hefts it with the lack of care only a teenage boy can manage* These feel weird. [20:16:36] "Yes, but do be careful with those." [20:17:06] * Tag heads on back, down into a combination kitchen and laboratory, where Bert is carefully stirring one pot after another. "FLOREN!" yells Tag down some stairs, "THEY'RE BACK WITH YOUR SPORES!" [20:17:14] Actually, no. Weirds are technically not elementals. #06[20:17:19] * Wurr shakes his head watching Tag. [20:17:40] *looking up at Stella* Weirds? What's weird about elementals? #06[20:18:28] * Stella continues smiling her usual smile. "Oh, nothing. Elementals are quite normal, really. They are simply rare here on the world of mortals." [20:18:38] But Weirds are another matter entirely. [20:18:47] What is the difference? [20:19:05] Well, Weirds are talkative and prophetic, for one. [20:19:16] [ Ducking through the narrow stairway door, the half-elven apothacary smiles when he sees the pouches. "Four of them? Perfect! That's enough to make doses for the next couple of lunar cycles, if I preserve them right. What's this about weirds? Need an oracle or something?" [20:19:18] ] [20:20:39] They were everywhere. [20:21:00] Oh, no, but thank you. We are quite fine for now. [20:21:19] Easy for you. You didn't tear your clothes down there. [20:21:24] Over there. [20:21:26] In there? #06[20:22:14] * Stella smiles. "Well, you are right, friend Althea! At this rate, in fact, these garments may even last me another eight years." [20:22:17] Good, because I know no weirds. But please, let me get to work. I should get two of those pods rendered immediately. Thank you, boys, for your help. *shoos Bert off of the pots and takes over, carefully putting one of the pouches into a pot, which starts to bubble furiously* [20:23:28] Got to do this right to harvest as much of the spores as possible from each pod. What's going on in the mines? The miners swear they're haunted. [20:23:53] I suppose oracular presences might seem ghostly to the uninformed... [20:24:57] No, it was only a more common sort of elemental, with a mephit or two as well. #01[20:25:05] There are some elementals down there... they have a bit of a disagreement. [20:25:05] There seems to be a little elemental war between earth elementals and water elementals. Possibly a wind one as well. [20:26:02] Elementals? Mephits? ...My master could be of help with that, if he were reachable. I would try to slip past the kobolds, but *gestures to the pots* I am busy for the next night and day. Tomorrow is the first night of the full moon. [20:27:25] Hmm. Perhaps we shall try. [20:27:52] Well, we were planning on helping deal with this problem. Another viewpoint cannot hurt. [20:28:48] [ Floren nods. "Mother has insisted on making dinner for all of my guests - that's you - and wanted the boys' help. So if you'll shoo them off to the upstairs kitchen, I'll get back to work down here. ] #01[20:29:11] Oooh. [20:30:06] Oh my. That is so gracious of her. [20:30:28] * Bert smiles. "Alright, I'm going. C'mon, Tag." The older boy frowns, and lags behind. [20:32:05] [ As the party heads upstairs to relax, Floren gives Tag the choice of going to help his mother or staying down here to help him. Apparently, he prefers alchemy to cooking, as he stays. ] [20:32:08] [End Session.] #03[20:33:07] * Segev changes topic to 'Game Info: http://web.umr.edu/~cej/Gaming/TD&DG | Another 120 exp from beating up elementals. And another 300 gp gem. Jessica has the other one, but you'll have to talk Althea and Jessica out of it if you want it as other than a bauble.#' Session Close: Wed May 14 00:00:01 2008