Game Thread Heart of Darkness (Part II) - Page 8

secretID · #**106** Feb 27th, 2023, 07:51 AM

“Whoa!” exclaimed Jimmy. “So that’s what that was all about. Put ‘im down, Loch…and I'm not sure what Boanagh needs here. Loch can throw it down the hallway, ahead of the party, if necessary, declining to Ready his melee if necessary.help B with that torch, wouldja? We might not need ‘em anymore anyways.

“Yeah, thanks for the helpful ‘heads up,’ pal,” Jimmy said sarcastically to the darkling as the latter scuttled behind the party. “Now you wanna tell us what the heck is goin’ on in there?”

OOCCharming the spider is appealing OOC, but doesn't seem right IC. Nothing else is pressing at the moment, since Jimmy is inclined to think time is on his side, and eager to hear what the darkling has to report.

Battle ActionsApplicable Spell/skills/statuses:
Abilities: Adamantine armor
Resources: Hexblade’s Curse 1/1, Favored by the Gods 1/1, 1L Spells 2/2, 2L Spells 2/2
Initiative Jimmy 8; Tink 10
Movement: See map, after all movement.
Action: Jimmy Ready EB on or "anything other than a darkling or spider, except including an obviously attacking darkling or spider"any hostile, including spore, coming into view; dryads Ready charm on any obviously hostile spider coming into range, Loch and Boanagh ready melee on anything engaging in melee
Bonus action:
Item interaction: Stow net
Free actions:
Reaction: Readied actions
Dice rolls:

Mindsiege · #**107** Mar 5th, 2023, 09:43 PM

Survivor

If Jimmy had assumed that the darkling which they had rescued from the brink of death could maintain the same mentality while being surrounded by death as the derro which the half-elf had executed at the mountain pass a few days ago, then the warlock found himself sorely mistaken. Once Loch carefully set the darkling down and then received a thankful nod from Boanagh after he had hurled the malign torchlight ahead into the tunnel, the smaller dubh sidhe neither scuttled past the party, nor did he respond to Jimmy's inquiry as he only slumped against the stone and kept breathing heavily with a harsh rattle to his voice. It was blatantly clear that both due to his grave injury and what had happened in the campsite the darkling was starting to fall into shock, and he didn't seem like he had any control remaining over his emotions or even his wits.

"He doesn't look well, Jimmy!" Boanagh responded in the darkling's stead, torn between worrying about his wounded kin and whatever could await them from down the tunnel. The darkling's mount had by now slipped off into the darkness on its eight legs to be no longer in sight, and the tunnel bend where the plant balloon had exploded appeared empty and still. After a few seconds of laughter, Glynn appeared to have had her fill for the moment, and instead she opened the dialog once more. "Are you stumped for answers, adventurer? I'm still here to talk if you want to." Her offer was delivered with a deceptively sweet tone, and then it was followed by the sudden flaring noise which Jimmy had heard multiple times before in this fight. Boanagh cringed. "That... sounded like the flash when one of our own perishes!" Had Glynn lied about having murdered everyone inside of the camp behind the bend?

GM instructionsUnfortunately we're not quite out of combat time yet, so I'll still be roughly sticking with six seconds per post.

The darkling is not readily available to give any reports. It's clear that he needs medical aid. He's also going into shock. I can allow a single character to attempt to pull him out of it to become responsive again, but while he's so severely wounded talking will still be difficult. To pull him out of shock, a raw CHA check must be made as an action while touching the darkling. The DC is 15 if you treat his injury first, or DC 20 while he's still crippled. The dialog should be something calming or soothing, but also short enough to fit into a single turn.

Rolls: Lady Luck

Initiative	Character	AC	HP	Status	Action	Position
15	Darkling rider #1	14	1	prone, injured	-	tunnel straight
15	Darkling rider #2	14	0	dead	-	campsite
15	Darkling rider #3	14	0	dead	-	campsite
15	Darkling rider #4	14	0	dead	-	campsite
14	Gas Spore #1	5	0	burst	-	tunnel bend
14	Gas Spore #2	5	0	burst	-	campsite
13	Spider mount #1	13	11	-	Dash	fled
13	Spider mount #2	13	0	dead	-	campsite
13	Spider mount #3	13	0	dead	-	campsite
13	Spider mount #4	13	0	dead	-	campsite
11	Boanagh	15	32	-	Ready attack	tunnel straight
10	Tink	13	7	Active Guidance, Invisible	-	tunnel straight
10	Loch	13	55	-	Ready attack	tunnel straight
10	Sashaya	11	22	-	Ready charm	tunnel straight
9	Darkling #1	14	0	dead	-	campsite
9	Darkling #2	14	0	dead	-	campsite
9	Darkling #3	14	0	dead	-	campsite
9	Darkling #4	14	0	dead	-	campsite
8	Jimmy	17	43	-	Ready Eldritch Blast	tunnel straight
3	Glynn	?	?	-	?	campsite
2	Ilala	11	26	-	Ready charm	tunnel straight

Character	AC	HP	PP	PI	Movement	Conditions	Resources
Jimmy	17/15	43/43	14	15	30'	Comprehend Languages	Hexblade's Curse 1/1; Favored by the Gods 1/1; Spells I. 2/2 II. 2/2; Goodberry (4); Short rests 2/2; HD 4/4 1/1
Boanagh	15	32/32	16	10	30'	-	Darkness 1/1; Goodberry (4); Short rests 2/2; HD 5/5
Tink	13	7/10	11	10	20' / 60' (fly)	Raven shape, Invisible, Comprehend Languages	Short rests 2/2; HD 3/3
Loch	13	55/55	16	10	40'	-	Taunt 2/2; Spells I. 3/4 II. 3/3 III. 1/3; Goodberry (4); Short rests 2/2; HD 10/10
Sashaya	16/11	22/22	14	12	30'	-	Entangle 3/3; Goodberry 2/3; Barkskin 1/1; Pass Without a Trace 1/1; Shillelagh 1/1; Goodberry (4); Short rests 2/2; HD 5/5
Ilala	16/11	26/26	14	12	30'	-	Entangle 3/3; Goodberry 2/3; Barkskin 1/1; Pass Without a Trace 1/1; Shillelagh 1/1; Goodberry (4); Short rests 2/2; HD 5/5

secretID · #**108** Mar 6th, 2023, 09:05 PM

Jimmy shook his head, pinched his fingers together, and pushed them just above his head. "Madonna mia!" he exclaimed, and gave Tinkerbell Guidancea tap. Tink, Jimmy communicated to his familiar, I need you back in there. Top priority is staying alive, but I wanna know if there are any darklings alive in there - and what we're dealing with, generally.

"Tink's checkin' it out," Jimmy whispered to Boanagh to minimally reassure the elder, before the half-elf turned around. "Sashaya," Jimmy asked, "give the little guy a berry, wouldja?" While she did, Jimmy approached the high-maintenance darkling, then crouched before him.

"Hey, pal," he said, touching the darkling's knee. "Yer safe now. Boanagh here is a real elder, an' we're all guardin' ya too, right? You can see she's too scared ta even come in here." Impatient as he was, Jimmy surprised even himself with a 24 CHRvery convincing delivery. "Maybe you'll tell us what happened," he said as the darkling began to calm. "Y'know - whenever yer ready."

Battle ActionsApplicable Spell/skills/statuses:
Abilities: Adamantine armor
Resources: Hexblade’s Curse 1/1, Favored by the Gods 1/1, 1L Spells 2/2, 2L Spells 2/2
Initiative Jimmy 8; Tink 10
Movement:
Action:
Bonus action:
Item interaction:
Free actions:
Reaction:
Dice rolls:

Mindsiege · #**109** Mar 13th, 2023, 08:03 PM

More Survivors

Disturbed by the sounds echoing through the tunnel from over by the campsite, Jimmy sent out his trusty familiar and then moved over to the pale-looking darkling to tend to his debilitated condition. Boanagh stood watch and kept vigil over the tunnel bend even though he would only be able to warn the others if he noticed anything from the party's current distance. Sashaya kneeled down next to Jimmy, while the half-elf spoke soothing words of comfort to focus the small-statured sylvan back on the present. "He will need more than a single berry with these wounds." The younger of the dryad sisters spoke just as quietly as Jimmy, but in spite of her words, the darkling's jarring breaths seemed to stabilize somewhat when she popped one of the berries from her magical harvest in the invalid's mouth.

The darkling rider was clearly worse for the wear after his encounter with Jimmy's deadly magic, but through listening to the adventurer's voice his distant stare eased up a little, and then he looked the warlock right in the face, no longer crying, but visibly still shaken up. "It happened so fast. Alan cut the rope to release the floaters, and..." The darkling choked up and then kept talking. "They looked harmless at first, but they just came too close! One of the spiders got spooked and bit it! It exploded... I... I saw them die and scream when the cloud hit everything! Glynn betrayed us! She... she has lied to us! She started doing strange magic, and then more of us dropped, like fainting, and then she just killed Saburo! With magic arrows, pierced right through him as I ran!" The darkling raised up a feeble hand in Boanagh's direction. "Elder! We were so wrong... I'm sorry!" Again he began to cry.

Together with Jimmy the other sylvans had listened to the survivor's tale, but neither the dryads, nor Loch, nor the elder darkling knew to say a word in response. They had certainly remained unharmed by remaining here in the tunnel, but clearly many lives had been lost during Glynn's apparent betrayal. If the female darkling elder was a shapeshifter as they were all suspecting by now, then her reasons for wasting so many lives appeared to be inscrutable to them. In the meantime as the party surrounding Jimmy didn't know what to do with this new information, the warlock finally received a telepathic report from Tink. "There are more bodies here, boss! Two more of the little ones, looking like they're just waking up. They look... bad! Like sick!" Tinkerbell didn't seem to know quite what he was looking at, but he continued to report. "Glynn is nowhere in sight! I don't know where she's hiding right now! Oh, but there are dead spiders here. Only two though from the four that I saw before! With the one that fled there's still one at large!"

GM instructionsBy refusing to negotiate with Glynn, we're now officially out of initiative. Your party successfully navigated the encounter without suffering any harm. Well done!

I want to apologize for faking the initiative table when Glynn lied about everybody being dead already, but I had figured that ruining her deception by sharing the meta information that Jimmy wasn't strictly aware of would have done the scene more harm than good. Now with Tink's report, you're aware that one of the spider mounts and Glynn are missing from the scene, while three of the darklings have survived including the one you have in custody.

If Jimmy shares Tink's senses, he'll be able to take a look at the two disoriented darklings in the campsite, who look pretty hurt and seem very confused. Most importantly, they're showing all of the signs of a spore infestation, but that's not something Jimmy will recognize without a successful Medicine or Nature check. If he doesn't approach them to diagnose their condition in person the DC will be higher.

You may approach the campsite or leave the two darklings to figure something out themselves. I can't promise how long they'll take before finding you in the tunnel though. Right now your party is assumed as intentionally quiet to keep Glynn from listening in.

Rolls: Lady Luck

Initiative

Character

AC

HP

Status

Action

Position

Character	AC	HP	PP	PI	Movement	Conditions	Resources
Jimmy	17/15	43/43	14	15	30'	Comprehend Languages	Hexblade's Curse 1/1; Favored by the Gods 1/1; Spells I. 2/2 II. 2/2; Goodberry (4); Short rests 2/2; HD 4/4 1/1
Boanagh	15	32/32	16	10	30'	-	Darkness 1/1; Goodberry (4); Short rests 2/2; HD 5/5
Tink	13	7/10	11	10	20' / 60' (fly)	Raven shape, Invisible, Comprehend Languages	Short rests 2/2; HD 3/3
Loch	13	55/55	16	10	40'	-	Taunt 2/2; Spells I. 3/4 II. 3/3 III. 1/3; Goodberry (4); Short rests 2/2; HD 10/10
Sashaya	16/11	22/22	14	12	30'	-	Entangle 3/3; Goodberry 2/3; Barkskin 1/1; Pass Without a Trace 1/1; Shillelagh 1/1; Goodberry (3); Short rests 2/2; HD 5/5
Ilala	16/11	26/26	14	12	30'	-	Entangle 3/3; Goodberry 2/3; Barkskin 1/1; Pass Without a Trace 1/1; Shillelagh 1/1; Goodberry (4); Short rests 2/2; HD 5/5

secretID · #**110** Mar 17th, 2023, 02:30 PM

“Alright,” Jimmy said, acknowledging Sashaya’s concern, “but first things first – let’s take care a’ Glynn. You wait here, buddy.” Jimmy led the party forward toward the big chamber. As he did, Jimmy sent Tinkerbell more instructions. So she’s probably still in there, hah? Like, invisible, or hiding, or… “We gotta watch out that she hasn’t changed shape inta someone else,” Jimmy suddenly said aloud, though quietly. “We can’t trust who we find in there.”

Tink, Jimmy resumed, stay invisible and sneaky. Do a’ pass a’ the whole chamber ta see if she’s hidin’ out somewhere. I’ll be there in a sec.

“Glynn disappeared,” Jimmy informed the others in a low voice as they continued forward. “Maybe teleported, maybe invisible, maybe somethin’ else. Boanagh, we might need that special sense a’ yours ta find her.”

Jimmy stopped the group Which means around the corner, I believe.several yards from the chamber entrance. “Just me an’ B from here,” he told the others in a whisper. “I don’t want us all ambushed. Wait here and come help if you hear trouble. An’ we might be sendin’ some wounded back to you. But you all heard me, right? Watch out for who we find in there. We’ll sort that out soon.”

Mindsiege · #**111** Mar 25th, 2023, 10:36 PM

Vanished

Following Tinkerbell's worrisome report, Jimmy led his party right to the corner of the tunnel bend where the plant monster had exploded, and there they gathered in preparation for a final confrontation with Glynn in the case that she had set up another ambush and was lying in wait for them right now. Under his master's command, Tink had already begun flying loops throughout the campsite as he was searching all nooks and crannies for any signs of the female elder. However, what he found was an utter lack of any other creatures besides the two little darklings who were still near the original site of the ambush which was now marred by the traces of the residual plant matter that was seaming most of the surrounding stone.

The two remaining survivors of Glynn's betrayal were holding a panicked conversation in hushed voices that were entirely audible to Jimmy's party from their position behind the bend, and from the particulars of their discussion it sounded as if the wounded darklings couldn't rightly understand what exactly had happened to everybody, and they were clearly distraught over all the traces of death which was surrounding them. "What did he mean that Glynn is an impostor?! They're all dead, cuz! They're dead!!"

Thanks to his translation magic Jimmy could understand their sylvan language just as well as if it was common, but merely listening in on their conversation wasn't going to reveal whether one of the two was merely a clever shapeshifter doing what they did best. Boanagh at least seemed ill at ease about the whole situation as he whispered right into Jimmy's ear to share his concerns. "That special sense that you're referring to are merely my kinds acute senses of smell and hearing. The Dubh Catha curse has condemned us to the darkness, but in turn our senses have outgrown our fae ancestry." The elder seemed to have a point beyond giving a history lesson as he clutched Jimmy's shoulder. "But even then, I never sensed anything off about Glynn. None of us have. Jimmy, if either of those two is her, how will we discern her?!"

secretID · #**112** Mar 26th, 2023, 08:19 PM

“Yeah…” Jimmy whispered to Boanagh, “I was thinkin’ more ‘bout if she had gone invisible. We already know how to tell Glynn from real darklings. She doesn’t have your senses, and she has those weird eyes. So why dontcha on B’s swordhit us with your Darkness before we go in? If you pick up anythin' I can't see, you let me know ASAP, ahright?

“The rest a’ you,” Jimmy reiterated, “stay ready an’ listen for trouble – we might need ya real soon.” Jimmy had one more request before entering the big chamber beside Boanagh. Tink, he communicated to his familiar, great work. Now come back here in case we need ya in a tussle.

OOCOnce Tink is about 25' from the "darklings," Jimmy and Boanagh only will enter together.

Mindsiege · #**113** Apr 1st, 2023, 07:28 PM

Clansmen in the Dark

Still worried about the seeming disappearing act that Glynn had pulled off, Jimmy coordinated with his party to engage the two little darklings who had been left in the wake of this unexpected trap. The half-elven adventurer designated Boanagh to stay by his side for this precarious confrontation, and there were no complaints from his sylvan party as the dryads and Loch deferred to Jimmy's judgment. And even though the darkling elder was visibly beset to visit the campsite that had become the stage for the death of his clansmen a second time since this evil had found its way into his colony, in the face of his duty Boanagh agreed to accompany Jimmy readily.

As much as Boanagh's mind was on doing right by his people, he seemed quite stressed and unsettled by everything that had happened mere moments ago. When Jimmy explained that they should use Glynn's lack of darkling senses as an opportunity to distinguish her from a true member of the Dubh Catha clan, Boanagh's expression was filled with remorse that he hadn't thought of using his elder magic to reveal Glynn himself. Although he was one of the few honored elders and as such a leader in his clan, he felt that he wasn't rising up to the occasion. It wasn't that he was incompetent, but never in his lifetime had their colony faced such death, and the stress and paranoia that had started to cloud his heart weren't helping Boanagh with thinking clearly. It was good that Jimmy at least was able to keep his wits about him here in the heart of the colony.

The two men waited another moment as Tinkerbell got into position in case there would be another altercation, and then Boanagh wrought his blade in magical darkness that expanded into a globe around him and Jimmy. Seeing the appearance of the darkness from down the tunnel opening, the two darklings immediately seized their panicked conversation, but they seemed to lower their daggers as soon as Boanagh called out to them and slowly approached together with Jimmy. "Calm down! Nothing more will happen to you! We have come to protect you from Glynn, and by my honor as an elder, I swear to you that we will figure this out!"

The elder's voice was firm even though his expression was visibly pained from Jimmy's perspective, but the two darklings couldn't pierce Boanagh's darkness with their eyes, and so they simply stayed put as they let the other two men approach. Both of the men walked with the expectation that either one or even both of the darklings might raise their daggers at any moment, cast magic at them, or even change their chape into that of a deranged monster, but nothing of the sort happened and as worried as the two little sylvan's looked, they didn't seem to fear or react to Boanagh's globe of darkness, not even when it began to envelop the two of them as well.

"Elder Boanagh... we... they're all dead!" Jimmy looked down at the darkling as he and Boanagh came to a halt in front of the two survivors. The fae's gnarly face was twisted in pain and marred by curious eczemas that had broken out across his grey skin. His buddy right next to him was in the same condition, and both of them seemed at a loss for what they should do. Jimmy was the only one who could truly see with his eyes in this form of magical darkness, and so he saw the hesitation plainly on Boanagh's face as the elder wasn't sure how to proceed with the members of his clan who must have been involved in laying this trap and had now reaped the reward in form of the death of their family friends. Either way, he didn't seem to sense anything suspicious about how the two darklings interacted with them, and somehow there was still no clue about Glynn's position in sight.

GM instructionsI've let Jimmy and Boanagh close the gap with the darklings, but even after joining the two of you in the sphere of darkness, they are merely distraught and slightly deferential. If the darklings are effectively blinded by the darkness, then they are pulling off a great performance of concealing it. Boanagh has critically failed his Insight check, so he is leaning towards believing that they aren't shapechangers.

If you have some sort of test in mind that could reveal a creature lacking blindsight, then an Insight check might not be necessary. Keep in mind that the darklings' blindsight consists of their sense of smell and superior hearing. Mechanically they aren't suffering the Blind condition while enveloped by magical darkness, but that doesn't mean that they perceive the world like Jimmy is with his invocation allowing his eyes to ignore magical darkness. Both of the darklings seem to follow you with their eyes when you talk to them and they seem to have a clear grasp of how you are moving and acting. That's the most that you can discern without trying to uncover if they are acting with a successful Insight check or putting them to some sort of test that a creature without their special senses couldn't pass.

Rolls: Lady Luck

Initiative

Character

AC

HP

Status

Action

Position

Character	AC	HP	PP	PI	Movement	Conditions	Resources
Jimmy	17/15	43/43	14	15	30'	Comprehend Languages	Hexblade's Curse 1/1; Favored by the Gods 1/1; Spells I. 2/2 II. 2/2; Goodberry (4); Short rests 2/2; HD 4/4 1/1
Boanagh	15	32/32	16	10	30'	Active Darkness	Darkness 0/1; Goodberry (4); Short rests 2/2; HD 5/5
Tink	13	7/10	11	10	20' / 60' (fly)	Raven shape, Invisible, Comprehend Languages	Short rests 2/2; HD 3/3
Loch	13	55/55	16	10	40'	-	Taunt 2/2; Spells I. 3/4 II. 3/3 III. 1/3; Goodberry (4); Short rests 2/2; HD 10/10
Sashaya	16/11	22/22	14	12	30'	-	Entangle 3/3; Goodberry 2/3; Barkskin 1/1; Pass Without a Trace 1/1; Shillelagh 1/1; Goodberry (3); Short rests 2/2; HD 5/5
Ilala	16/11	26/26	14	12	30'	-	Entangle 3/3; Goodberry 2/3; Barkskin 1/1; Pass Without a Trace 1/1; Shillelagh 1/1; Goodberry (4); Short rests 2/2; HD 5/5

secretID · #**114** Apr 3rd, 2023, 03:13 PM

“Ahright, let’s hold it right here,” Jimmy told the elder and the two ostensible darklings. “We got at least one faker around here, so…you!” he demanded, I guess just pointing at each from within the Darkness would have been a sufficient test!pointing at one of the darklings, “How many fingers am I holdin’ up?” After a couple of rounds of that activity, Jimmy had reassured himself that neither of these was Glynn.

“I dunno if you realize this,” Jimmy told them, “but you two don’t look so hot. Maybe we can fix you up, but first we gotta try an’ find Glynn, if she’s here.” Jimmy looked around, his hand to his chin, as he considered the situation. Then he removed a wand from his pack and activate Detect Magicnodded at it approvingly. He could suddenly feel the presence of nearby magic, and Boanagh’s Darkness field acquired a deep red overlay.

“Alright,” he began his instructions. “Boanagh, you stay over here and cover the cave leading to the rest of the partythe exit.” Jimmy telepathically instructed Tinkerbell to assist the elder with that task. “You two,” he told the two shaky darklings, “fan out from me and we’ll sweep the chamber.” Jimmy waved them forward to begin that process, then proceeded to participate himself, keeping enough distance from everyone else that there would be no interference with his temporary magic sense. “You see somethin’, you say somethin’.”

Dice Perception:

1d20+4

(2)+4

Total = 6

Dice ADV:

1d20+4

(5)+4

Total = 9

Mindsiege · #**115** Apr 14th, 2023, 03:45 AM

Disappearing Act

In fact, when Jimmy pointed out that the darklings seemed significantly wounded after Glynn's trap had been sprung, the gnarly sylvans gave the half-elven adventurer pained looks that corroborated his statement. Now that the warlock began to take charge of the scene, the two darklings fell silent, and although they appeared confused that Boanagh stayed quiet while the outsider wearing the clothes of an elder began to order them to help him with his search for Glynn, they complied without openly questioning the matter and so the darkling elder began to hold down the exit while the other three began to scope out the cavernous campsite.

With the help of the wand that he had acquired in the northern outpost, Jimmy began to sense the magical auras surrounding him, probing the ever-present weave of arcana for any signs of activity in the area. As the magic gave him a radar-like ability to detect such activity as part of a supernatural divination sense, the warlock ordered his familiar to stay out of his vicinity, knowing full well that an imp's invisibility was the sort of magic that would set off his sense and blind him if Glynn passed him by under an invisibility spell of her own.

Like that, together with the two darklings who were impossible to be fooled by an invisibility spell as well, Jimmy began a meticulous sweep through the cavern, looking behind all corners and growing exceedingly mystified as his temporary sense of detection never began to pick up any signs of magic. After they had reached the other end of the campsite, the result was quite disconcerting, because just like Tinkerbell before them they had found no sign of Glynn, nor that of any other lifeform that she could have shifted into. It was quite the conundrum. Jimmy's seeming adversary had found some trick or method to exceed everybody's expectations.

secretID · #**116** Apr 17th, 2023, 08:21 PM

"Rats," commented Jimmy when the group had finished their sweep. He motioned to the two darklings to follow him back to Boanagh, then summoned the fae to huddle up as well. "Well, the good news is she's gone. The bad news is we don't know for sure she's gone. Maybe she has some way a' hidin' that we can't figger out - like tunneling or somethin'." Jimmy paused as he remembered an encounter with a monstrous, tunneling lizard. "Even if she is gone, best case is she knows where to find us, if we stay here."

Jimmy turned to the dryads. "Ladies," he asked in elvish, "whaddya think is wrong with them? Think you can help?" Then Jimmy had questions for the darklings while the dryads examined them. "So...how'd you end up with Glynn?" he began. "How long you known her? You notice any changes in her during that time? You see what I'm gettin' at - any idea when the imposter showed up? - if there was ever a real Glynn, that is.

"How'd you guys know we were comin' here? Did Glynn say anything about why she wanted to meet us here? - well, beat us here, actually. Anything about any other plans a' hers? And have you found out anything knew about the disappearing darklings?"

Mindsiege · #**117** Apr 24th, 2023, 08:37 PM

Collaborators

After Jimmy and the two darklings had failed to narrow down where the mysterious Glynn had escaped to, the half-elf called everybody nearby to gather at the cavern's unbarricaded exit to have a group discussion. Sashaya and Ilala began to study the darklings' wounds as well as the plant matter residue in the area and the two spider carcasses on Jimmy's behest, and in the meantime the warlock inquired from the two weakened darklings what exactly their history with Glynn had been.

For some reason Boanagh appeared to have fallen into a broody silence as he glared at his smaller cousins with an expressionless stare. The two darklings also shared a brief look of concern before they turned back to Jimmy, and then the one on the right began to reply in the sylvan tongue that Jimmy only understood due to the translation magic which his helmet had granted him. "She... she is one of the elders. Or at least that's what we thought. We did not know that she wasn't... one of us..." The one on the left interjected. "None of us knew her before she undertook the ritual. If that is even true. The colony is large, and though one may learn most larger groupings over time, it's difficult to know everybody."

The darkling who had talked at first took the word again, almost seeming eager to spill his guts after they had been betrayed by Glynn. "We all believed Darce when he said that she was a loner who undertook the ritual at the eastern outpost before the deaths started." The other piped up. "All of the elders seemed to believe it too!" The first dubh sidhe continued. "But this... we didn't know this would happen!" The other added quite frantically. "What do you mean that she is an impostor?!" Even as wounded as they appeared to be, the two cousins were still lively enough to make themselves heard. "This is not our fault! We didn't want this!"

Giving the darkling survivors a moment to decelerate, Jimmy resumed probing them for information as he inquired further about Glynn's motives and whatever insights the two had into her plans and what they had believed all of this was supposed to amount to. The one who had spoken first took the word again. "She knew that you would be here. I think all the elders knew." Boanagh's face was stone, but he did not disagree. The smaller darkling continued. "We all gathered and followed her because she wanted us to confront the outsiders who had come to profit in our time of desperation." The second darkling interjected nervously. "These things. We didn't know that she would try to kill you. That she meant for us to be killed too!" The other one let out a cough that sounded quite unhealthy. Then he pressed out a question. "Is it true then? Is Glynn responsible for the deaths in our colony?" His eyes glared angrily at the notion.

With the question of blame being thrown around like this, Boanagh finally let out a sigh of exhaustion. But that was the most that the darkling elder contributed. His gaze was moving over the dryads who seemed to have made their findings but hadn't yet chosen to intrude on the conversation. Loch was twirling his fife, though his expression was quite serious, and the bearded fey looked over at Jimmy for his opinion on how much he saw the imposter of a darkling elder implicated. Especially that the name of Darce had come up again had created some tension in the party of fae, but just before the next person meant to give their opinion, a scream of terror cut through the momentary silence as it echoed out from the tunnel opening into the campsite. Boanagh was the first to react as he already sprinted forward into the tunnel, but before he could reach the bend everybody heard a garbled scream followed by a fiery flair which signaled the passing of the crippled darkling that they had left behind. The darkling elder came to a still when he looked further down the tunnel, no longer showing signs of any further hurry as the others caught up with him. "Glynn... I saw her... but then she just... disappeared..."

secretID · #**118** Apr 30th, 2023, 06:35 PM

“You wanna know if she’s in on the killings?” Jimmy quietly asked the darklings in elvish. “Well, I’d call it one helluva a coincidence if there’s a sociopathic magical assassin hangin’ around with darklings and she ain’t the darkling killer. But hold on – we might be in a fight here. Huddle up.”

Once Jimmy had the now larger party arrayed as he liked, he resumed conversation. “This ain’t good,” he told the others. “We couldn’t find her cuz she went inta whatchacall the ethereal plane. An’ I know that might sound good, that she’s gone and all, but the problem is I bet she ain’t all gone. Like, I bet she can see and hear us right now. An’ anytime she wants, she just pops right back here and stabs someone, like she just did.”

Jimmy paused while a few seconds ticked by. Then he suddenly spoke, projecting his voice. “Hey!” he cried in common. “Maybe we can cut a deal. Parley! Whaddayou want, anyway? Why are you killing all these guys?" Several more seconds passed.

"Well, it was worth a shot," said Jimmy, now back in elvish. "Ahright - everybody come with me," he told them. "We're not stayin' here." Jimmy led the party at a brisk pace back the way he had originally come. "An' keep up. Actually, you lead us for a bit, Boanagh - I gotta talk to the ladies."

While the party walked, Jimmy pulled the dryads aside. "Ahright: tell me what's up with the darklings."

OOCFormation (assumes 10' width):
Tink, invisible raven, 20' ahead.
Jimmy
Boanagh
dryads
darklings
Loch

Mindsiege · #**119** May 6th, 2023, 08:30 PM

Hunting Season

After Jimmy had followed on Boanagh's heels and caught sight of Glynn just before she vanished, a terrible realization began to dawn on him. It was highly unlikely that anything physical could have gotten through the darkling elder and his keen senses as well as his entire party without some sort of trick. But if Glynn had been able to pull it off in a manner that looked like invisibility but wasn't, then that sounded very much like one obscure measure of evasion that the warlock had heard about in his magical studies. The travel through the border ethereal. Which was very well what this could have been, and then it would perfectly explain how nobody had been able to perceive her in the least.

While everybody was shocked that just another murder had occurred so unexpectedly, Jimmy was the first to regain his speech as he called everybody to take up a defensive formation that could aid them if Glynn chose to reappear and attack them as well. When he mentioned the ethereal plane, none of his allies seemed to have heard of it before, but the idea that the impostor was able to turn into an insubstantial stalker wrote horror on everybody's faces. The following moments were incredibly tense as none dared to make a false move when only Jimmy knew what was going on and seemed to wait for an impending assault. But eventually, the half-elf called out for a parley in the merchant's tongue, which only became a mere echo within the lightless tunnel as no response ever came. Everybody was left quite restless. Nobody knew what they should expect to happen next.

After a few painful seconds of waiting, Jimmy thought things through on his own and unilaterally came to the decision that they all ought to flee, with no time for further explanations to spare. He expected the six sylvans to follow him unquestioningly just as his authority during the previous engagement had been uncontested, but this time he stared into blank, worried faces as none seemed to move initially when he gestured for them to march down the tunnel that they had arrived from not too long ago. Loch was the first to put their thoughts into words. "Come on, Jimmy. What's this talk about other planes? What do you mean she's gone but not? She can kill us whenever she wants to? That can't be right!" The usually confident satyr wasn't losing his nerve completely, but it was clear that he was shaken. The darklings looked even worse for the wear, and the two dryad sisters exchanged agitated looks as they turned their heads left and right, unsure how they should outrun something that couldn't be seen.

It took Jimmy a few more moments to catch up with his allies, who weren't professional adventurers and had seemed unable to follow his orders unconditionally. After Jimmy had taken more time to convey his reasonings and managed to impress on the fae that they had to do as he said, the group began moving again with Boanagh as their guide. The mood was as terrible as was to be expected. Jimmy had noticed that the two dryad sisters had been sticking close to each other almost as if they were seeking comfort from one another, but he had greater concerns to worry about and so he bid them to fall back from the rest and inquired about the two darklings that were still covered with strange wounds and eczemas that the warlock had hoped a dryad might be able to identify. It turned out that they had, in a way.

"They are infested." Ilala came out with it bluntly. "Whatever these monsters were, they produce spores that are deadly." On that revelation, Sashaya pitched in. "Not all plants in the forest grow for themselves and wish to coexist. There are those that prey upon other plants, and those that assault, and grow themselves further by feeding on the life of others. These are ones that can do this with animals as well. And they can do it unlike we have ever seen." The younger of the sisters seemed quite upset, though Jimmy got the impression that it wasn't just the deadly spores that had unsettled her. Still, Ilala concluded. "These two will most likely die to the spores. Soon their bodies will be sapped of their life force, and not long after they will lay down and perish. It can only be a few hours. We don't know how to help them. The death is inside them already." Suddenly, Sashaya reached out to grab Jimmy by the arm. She had evaded him for most of their journey through the colony, but now she didn't. "Jimmy! What is Glynn? Why are they haunting us? How can we make them stop?!"

secretID · #**120** May 10th, 2023, 08:10 AM

Jimmy grimaced at the dryad’s prognosis for the darklings. ”Aw, that’s a…damn.” Jimmy frowned and glanced over at the victims. ”Will it hurt?” he asked the de facto medics. ”That sounds like a bad way ta go.” A big question hung in the air, but Jimmy knew he wasn’t the one to answer it. ”In an hour or two, take Boanagh aside, an’ tell him what you just told me,” Jimmy said. ”Tell him we’ll handle it however he wants.”

Jimmy sensed the urgency of Sashaya's desire for answer, primarily from her fingers digging into his arm. "Yeah..." he began his response, "...I'm gonna hafta talk more with Boanagh, but I guess the short answer is: I dunno. With what Glynn can do, I'm thinking maybe like a demon, but probably some kinda fae, I think. She speaks your language. That plane travel thing...I think some a' you can do that? Maybe you know better than me.

"An' I dunno about this 'they,'" he continued, "an' I don't know that anyone's out ta get us, 'cept maybe now they are 'cause we're in their way. She, or 'they,' definitely got it in for the darklings, though. No idea what that's about. Maybe she's go her own whatchacall interests and motives, or maybe this is some kinda internal darkling thing, and they made a deal. Outside muscle, right? - like you!" Jimmy smiled wanly in a small attempt to lighten things.

"Now, how ta stop her?" Jimmy said. "I wanna talk to Boanagh a little 'bout that, but I think the first thing is we gotta get some more darklings together, if we can. I just wish we coulda brought these two guys back with us, as witnesses." Jimmy looked back toward the dying fae again.

----------------

”Just keep movin’,” Jimmy told Loch. ”I’ll ‘splain more soon – promise.” And he did, but only after several minutes of hurrying the party through the tunnels. ”So…yeah,” he began as they slowed to a normal trekking pace. ”I wasn’t kiddin’ ‘bout alla that. You know ‘bout the other planes? Like…other…eh…other places, like real far away, an’ you can only get there with magic. Well, some a’ them – at least one, anyway, it’s, like, side-by-side with our plane – overlappin’, really. But you still need magic. And some guys, they can go there, but still watch us – an’ listen. While they’re in there, they can’t hurt us and we can’t hurt them, but that only gets us so far, ‘cause they can jump out any time. You get it? They can be around us right now, just waitin’ for us to drop our guard, an’ we wouldn’t know.” Jimmy looked around to make sure that all knew that he was serious.

”So it all fits, right? If we got Glynn – or more than just Glynn – doin’ that, poppin’ out an’ killin’ darklings in their sleep, that explains it. ‘Splains what is happenin’, anyway. I got no idea why. I can tell ya that the guys who can do that, it’s like demons, an’…maybe some fey…?” Jimmy looked up while searching his memory. ”Some wizards, I guess. But I don’t think she was casting a spell. So the smart money is on fey I think, since she speaks your language and everything. But I’m hopin’ maybe we can get more outta Darce, or maybe his guys, now that we know somethin’. No matter what, though, we gotta tell more a’ your people, B.”

Jimmy took a breath. ”The one thing we got goin’ for us is that, though she can move along with us, it’s hard ta move quickly while she’s there – in whatchacall the ethereal plane. That’s what I heard, anyway. So that’s why I moved us out quick. If we keep movin’, maybe we lose her. Or maybe she didn’t even follow us. But next stop, I’m thinkin’, is ta get with more a’ the elders, B, so we can confront Darce. Whatddya think?”

OOCI’m good with the dryads giving the bad news to Boanagh anytime, once the group is at least several minutes from the last contact with Glynn. As Jimmy said, I’m good with anything Boanagh wants to do, including possibly telling the darklings and/or letting them die peacefully, since it doesn’t sound like their death is immediately dangerous. (In fact I/Jimmy considered trying to harvest the spores for later use, maybe exactly what Glynn did.)

I'm also fine having this conversation soon, as long as they've put enough distance on Glynn. That is, as I think is obvious, though Jimmy doesn't know exactly how it works, he wants to travel for long enough that they can pause for at least a few minutes with little chance of Glynn hearing, assuming that moves at, say, 2/3 of their speed.

Re which way to go, Jimmy wants to hear Boanagh’s thoughts. The factors are the ability to get help, the ability to confront Darce sooner, and speed – in particular avoiding nights on the trail.

Let me know if you need information re making camp before resolving Boanagh's thoughts.

Are you confused and wondering what is going on here? Check out this YouTube video to get the scoop.