Iron DM 2023!

secretID · #16 Apr 13th, 2022, 05:36 PM

“Hey!” Jimmy objected to Kosev, “I’m not shortsighted…” But the glare returned told him that Kosev was in no mood for jokes. Jimmy threw his palms up defensively. “Hey, no problem,” he reassured the agitated fighter. “Leadin’ nothin’ is like, my favorite position.” Jimmy decided not to point out to Kosev that the best way to protect his back from Jimmy would be to follow him. Instead, the half-elf backed himself away, still showing his hands in a gesture of peace. “So I’ll just, ah, remove myself, and leave you alone ta work out all a’ the leadin’, or not, and backs, and all a’ that…” His voice trailed off as he backed far enough away that Kosev finally stopped glaring at him.

Later, he commiserated with Boanagh. “Yeah, this ain’t good. Double K was always watcha call stern, but not, y’know, murderously paranoid. And rude, let’s not forget,” he added, looking hurt. “Not that I know the guy that well. Ya think this could be, like, some kinda disease, maybe? – like related to Alysha’s thing? And maybe even related to what’s been goin’ on here?” Jimmy looked aside pensively, worrying the grip of I made it his Hexblade weapon, too.his new silvered long sword as he did. “Y’know,” he noted, “that kinda paranoia, fighting like that, if that was what was going on with your people, that would explain a lot, wouldn’t it?” Jimmy frowned. “You’d expect to find the survivors, though – the last man standing, so ta speak, of each group. But maybe there’s somethin’ about that that would explain why no elders have died. I dunno…whaddayou think?”
_____________________________________

Loch’s question was much easier to answer than those troubling Jimmy and his client. Jimmy considered his phrasing carefully before responding. “Yes!” he communicated. “You bet. Definitely. For sure. At once. Please and thank you. And bring some bruisers, if you got ‘em?” Jimmy had been counting his fingers. “Tell Sashaya ‘hi’ for me,” he concluded.

Mindsiege · #17 Apr 22nd, 2022, 04:30 PM

Regrouping

The confrontration with Kosev had gone fairly badly, but as Jimmy retreated from the cavern that Alysha rested in, the human war wizard didn't seem like he saw any reason to push the matter further. In rather uncharacteristic manner he had lashed at Jimmy, and just as soon as the half-elf had given him some distance his gaze returned to the stony ground right in front of him, just as if Kosev was trying to burn holes into the floor with his manic stare. It was quite possible that he wasn't truly looking at the stone, but whatever his inward sight was concerning himself with was out of the purview of Jimmy who had been severly disappointed by the companion that had stood so strong for the journey that they had braved together. That he now turned away from it so suddenly and witch such intensity and animosity was unsettling to behold.

When Jimmy got a chance to convenve with Boanagh not much later, the darkling elder was just as worried by the sudden change as the warlock was, and he listened gravely to the possibilities that Jimmy raised. "Disease? It does not appear similar to Alysha's condition, nor have I ever seen a disease that changed a mans heart like that. Which is not to say that there is some truth to it. I... had expected more of him. And whilst I have not spoken to him yet myself, you're not giving me much hope." The grey-skinned fey's brows knitted together in thought with further of Jimmy's worrisome suggestions. "Infighting... Is that what you mean?" Now it were Boanagh's eyes that were directed to the floor, vibrating slightly as he was searching for answers in the depth of his memories.

"It is... possible. There were no reports of any with Kosev's sentiments. The scenes... I visited some myself. They had irregularities, some showed signs of struggle, some nary such thing." The elder seemed hard pressed as he was visibly struggling to align all he knew with Jimmy's proposition. "It is more than any other theory we had... If we had an enemy in ourselves... But it does not seem that this could be all. Not on those scenes where my brethered died right on their bedstead. Or even if those can be explained... there must be a cause! I will not believe for a second that our peaceful people would lay arms to each other without the involvement of the evil that has befallen this region. No, there were none that stood out as the last one standing. It would have raised question. Jimmy... Do you believe you could convince Kosev to let us examine him?"

Compared to the matter with the unsettling paranoia behind Kosev's eyes, the sending that had reached Jimmy had evoked hope for help that was very welcome to the man who now felt abandoned by all those who he had been hired with. Alas, after his enthusiastic reply to the satyr bard, when Jimmy received the second sending he quickly realized that reconvening was not just that easy. "Where are you? This is last possible sending. I wait at outpost beneath tree. Have someone in mind. Hope yeth stay gone or no deal." And that was the end of the sending message. It occurred to Jimmy that Loch's magic was inconveniently limited, similar to his own.

secretID · #18 May 1st, 2022, 08:43 PM

“The tree!” Jimmy responded aloud to Loch’s message. “You gotta be kiddin’ me.” He noticed Boanagh watching him shake his head. “Hey B,” he began, then paused to look up in exasperation. “I gotta guy here…here,” he failed to clarify, tapping on his temple to make things even more confusing. “Says he can help. Loch! - you know him. But he’s all the way back at the dryad side a’ the big tree. He says the dogs are all gone, though. How bad is it to get us back there?

“Never mind,” Jimmy said suddenly. “We’re goin’.” You’re the man, he sent to Loch. We’re on our way. If you don’t see us soon, it’s ‘cuz we’re dog food.
_____________

Turning back to Boanagh, Jimmy frowned at the prospect of convincing Kosev of anything, much less of submission to an examination. “You heard ‘im,” Jimmy reminded Boanagh. “I could try magic, but…big backfire potential there, right?” Jimmy looked over to the war wizard and felt an irritating pang of loyalty. “Ahright,” he told Boanagh, “Come with me and follow my lead.” Jimmy walked over Kosev, Boanagh close behind.

“So, ah, Kosev,” he began, “if I can call you Kosev…the guys, the darkling guys, they thought that you could use a little check-up before you head back, just for your own whaddya call wellbeing, and they asked me ta ask you, even though I told ‘em we ain’t really talkin’, but…anyways, Big B can help you get that taken care of, if you want.” Jimmy turned back to Boanagh. "I'll meet you over there."

Mindsiege · #19 May 7th, 2022, 12:14 PM

Grim Visage

There was no further reply from Loch after Jimmy worded his response to the satyr's sending, but the plan was now agreed upon. After Jimmy's question about the difficulties of reaching the Heart Tree through the colony, or at least the outpost beneath it, Boanagh explained that the colony is supposedly safe territory and that the delay in proceeding with the erection of their campsite might be worth it in face of a requisition of further allies. He also contemplated the news about the yeths' disappearance from the Heart Tree, but to the darkling elder's chagrin this seemed impossible to interpret. Things had been moving in the time that Jimmy's party had been crossing the mountains through the West Marches, and things certainly would keep moving now that they had arrived in the home of Boanagh's people. But the motions kept being indecipherable, there was still no discernable pattern. And although the dryads and their tree were somewhat friendly, they still weren't his brethren who were dying. So finding Loch willing to help despite anything that he had said before, was quite the boon in the darkling's opinion. If only everybody were so ready to give aid.

But there was one that had vehemently rescinded his offer to help in this quest, and so the darkly brooding Ser Kosev sat in his cavern, grimly watching over Alysha's progression of healing. Whatever fever had taken the elven woman still persisted, and so did the paranoid look on Kosev's face. When both Jimmy and Boanagh approached him, the human war wizard looked up with an expression of unveiled spite and contained anger. But he let Jimmy speak his mind uninterrupted. The gaze in his eyes did not change as the half-elven trickster explained that he wanted Kosev to agree to an examination, and although Boanagh looked mildly perplexed as Jimmy volunteered the elder as the examiner while he himself would watch from a distance, the man sitting there in his full plate cut the matter short before either Boanagh or Jimmy could get near him. "I don't know what you are insinuating, Jimmy, but I am fine!" The harshness in his voice and the mania in his eyes suggested otherwise, but Kosev continued. "Maybe I am tired after all these ill circumstances have taken their toll on me, but I am certainly tired of risking my well-being in this nest of fey and schemers."

The wizard turned his gaze firmly on Boanagh, and there was the tiniest hint of regret in them, though also anger. "I had taken you for a honest man, Boanagh. But you came to us with your quest under false pretenses. You've offered us silver that you had no right to promise, and you intentionally obfuscated the level of danger that awaits us this far out. This region of the West Marches is infested with maniacs and murderers. If small or tall, they would see the noble and rightous murdered only for being on their way. And now I can see the same in the faces of your people!" Kosev spat his words, his eyes unfaltering in his accusation. Boanagh stayed silent, his lips firm while the human knight kept talking. "You do not control your people. And most of them despise and hate us outsiders! We've risked life and health to come here, but this far out we have no allies..." The wizards glare fell back on Jimmy for a second, then back to the darkling elder. "Only profiteers with questionable intentions. I'm not sure anymore what I expected in joining this quest. But now I find myself both outmatched and surrounded by dark souls. I've lost faith that we can ever achieve more than finding our deaths here."

"The one thing that wounds me is that I am breaking my word to you, Boanagh. But is it the righteous course to die for you if you have already deceived us so much? I can already see the daggers in the dark. I can feel the presence of whom stands behind the yeth. Alysha would be murdered in her sleep by grubby little hands just to protect your silver, helpless on her sickbed. And I will find myself torn to shreds by whatever has forced you to take us into this heart of darkness, a master so powerful that he commands forces that far surpass what any of us can muster. And in my bluster, I was too foolish to see this before. Glanlaniel was the smarter woman, but I know where my loyalty must lie now. Once Alysha appears stable to move, we will turn back south. Boanagh, your cause might be just, but it's not one that I will die for. Not for the sake of any heartless creatures as they reside in this cesspool that is the West Marches. If we manage to return to Westhaven, I will have to rethink that I ever came to this continent. You've had my word and my sword, but now this party finds itself broken and betrayed by whom led us here. With a heavy heart I make this decision, Boanagh. And it is final."

secretID · #20 May 8th, 2022, 10:02 AM

Jimmy flinched when Kosev began to rip into his former friends. As the war wizard continued, Jimmy began to look around the room, perhaps reflexively checking the exits, or looking for allies, or perhaps just in response to the primal instinct to avoid the challenge of eye contact.

The half-elf did acknowledge to himself that, through the ravings, Kosev had some valid points. Boanagh had arguably hidden the important information regarding the dissension among his own people. There was nothing for it now, though. Jimmy silently shrugged at Boanagh in resignation and began to back out of the tent.

Mindsiege · #21 May 15th, 2022, 09:52 PM

Through the Colony

There was a heavy pause after Kosev Kulenov finished his tirade, yet unlike Jimmy, it was that Boanagh had never averted his eyes from the raving human. The darkling elder's lips were a thin line as he regarded the man that he had hired, but his eyes weren't filled with anger. It was more like a pained disappointment. Kosev didn't care to say anything further as the two men looked at each other, until Boanagh finally began to choose his words calmly. "Coming from your own mouth, I now understand why you are rescinding your word once given. Maybe it was my own fault, maybe I was too blinded by urgency to consider what Westhaven adventurers required from me to fulfill my quest. I genuinely thought that our silver was the trade you required to help me and my people. I was sure the other elders would see it my way and that their stance would only worsen the matter until I returned." The darkling elder shook his head regretfully, yet his eyes didn't waver. "I could not see how along the way you've lost your faith in our agreement and the need of my people, but I can see now that the promise of metal is no pledge that you would risk your life for. At least not against the darkness that has beset my home. And for this, I will not fault you."

Boanagh turned his head to look at Jimmy for a second, a thankful expression on his face before he looked back at Kosev. "You have already risked your life plenty to aid my safe return into the colony, and despite your spiteful words I will maintain hope that Jimmy and I will yet find a solution to... all of this. You wish our ties cut, and yet I still owe you my life. I will find you some renumeration to settle this debt, and I will speak to my people to facilitate your leave as soon as it wouldn't kill Alysha. With that, you shall be released from service. If that's how your adventurer customs work." With that the elder turned around and walked next to Jimmy. But before the two of them left together he stopped one last time to look over his shoulder at the paranoid knight who had moved no muscle and had barely acknowledged Boanagh's words aside from his continued glare. The fey spoke with his own finality as he gave Kosev a final cautioning. "You spoke of a heart of darkness, Ser Kosev. Your duty to my people is done, but to hear you speak so ill of them and those who accompanied you... Take care that you shall not fall to a heart of darkness yourself." And with this Boanagh marched out of the cavern and past Jimmy. Kosev gave no final parting words, not even a shrug. His mien was made of the same stone that surrounded him and his gaze turned to the ceiling as if his patience had been greatly tested. And when the half-elven warlock finally disappeared from the entrance to the cave as well, it was only the knight and the unconscious elf on her sickbed left as the war wizard once more sunk into more of his brooding thoughts. Jimmy was not sure when he would see his former companions again. And under the circumstances, the question was if it would happen at all.

And so as Boanagh and Jimmy finally reconvened at the exit of the outpost, they knew that the deck had been shuffled. They had recuperated from the arduous journey through the West Marches and they had made all their plans to unveil what evil had beset the caverns of the darkling colony. The dubh sidhe had equipped Jimmy with all he had thought necessary to complete his investigation and catch whatever was behind all of this, yet at the same time there was a feeling of being less prepared than before. Both Alysha and Kosev had been invaluable forces as they had proven multiple times, and that now Jimmy was forced to leave them behind was certainly not helping his chances. Boanagh had appeared solemn for a good while after their confrontation with Kosev, yet in the end there was nothing they could do but accept this. Their bags were packed and their minds set. The satyr bard Loch had availed himself to be of aid if they would fetch him from the border outpost on the other end of the colony, yet Boanagh had agreed that going there first seemed like the best course of action. And thus the trio of half-elf, darkling, and imp set out, with nobody to wish them farewell. If the other darklings had known that they would leave at this time, at least none of them had shown up to cheer them on. The mood was odd, but Boanagh seemed determined.

Finding the travel path through the colony appeared as trivial, considering that Boanagh had lived here all his life. With the distance involved it would take still more than a day to find their way through the entirety of this underground realm, yet the darkling guide was certainly the best to lead Jimmy the way. Together they passed several caverns and Jimmy saw many sights that only those versed in spelunking were familiar with. Boanagh once more explained that the colony was firmly under the control of his clan, and even then it wasn't like the caves appeared truly settled. Among ever-changing sceneries of rock formations, underground rivers, tunnels and climbs, grottos, and descents, there were no other outposts like the one that Jimmy had seen at the colony's border. As Tink kept flying ahead at a considerable distance, it left Boanagh and Jimmy alone to converse or walk in silence as they would. The sylvan shared that the fastest path didn't lead into the corners of the colony where they would find stationary darkling camps that weren't border outposts, but even though Jimmy never caught sight of the silver mines or the silk spider habitats, they at least crossed a few caves that featured vast cultivations of mushrooms. Boanagh explained that the mushroom farms were harvested in a bit of a nomadic pattern, and as coincidence would have it a mushroom farm would also be the location that the elders had settled on for Jimmy to enact his plan. They would only fetch Loch first.

With the lack to tell the time, the half-elven warlock quickly realized that spelunking wasn't at all more comfortable than overland travel. In fact, the difference in air pressure and the continuous ascending and descending certainly took its toll on the aventurer's stamina, especially considering how much equipment he had brought. Fortunately Boanagh already knew the easiest routes to traverse his home so there was little actual climbing involved, but it was still a hassle. But the obvious upside to this particular voyage was the absence of any attacks. Although Tink had an easy sailing as he flew through the cave system on his infernal wings, he mentally kept complaining about how he had literally nothing to report on. If the West Marches were indeed a terrible cesspool of monsters and murderers, then the darkling colony at least appeared as safe and charted just like Boanagh had claimed. The first part of the venture concluded entirely without incident, and during their sleep circle the two men were protected by the vigil of Jimmy's unhappy familiar who never slept. There was no attack in their sleep and the two set out just like the day before, and thus the spelunking continued.

There were large caves and small caves, wide tunnels and those that elicited claustrophobia at times. Just when Jimmy and Boanagh entered what seemed like an elongated and certainly quite large hollow, the floor of the cavern was covered by a myriad of tiny mushrooms that seemed like an ocean of fungal matter. "Unedible, but harmless." Explained the darkling elder in passing. The two journeymen had already passed about half of the cave as Jimmy suddenly received a mental message from his impish servant. "Hey, boss! Your ma' is sick, right? I think we've got ourselves some genuine crystals here. Might be an idea to increase your budget, hehe." With the amount of vision that Jimmy had in the darkness, he could see his familiar flying in the distance and looking down at a large cluster of medium height obelisks that he had noticed from afar but taken for just another rock formation in the darkness. If Tink wasn't mistaken about his find, then mining some crystals could indeed provide some extra coin, though it would certainly interrupt their current mission. Boanagh was calmly strolling next to Jimmy, avoiding treading on any mushrooms as he walked. He didn't seem to be looking at the would-be crystals yet.

secretID · #22 May 17th, 2022, 09:40 PM

In response to Tinkerbell's proposal, Jimmy lifted his chin as if to sniff the wind, and squinted toward the crystals with interest. "Hey, B," he asked, pointing toward the find, "whaddya know about those crystals? If I can break some off, I think they might be worth somethin’ back home, but I don’t wanna mess with them if it’s gonna take me all day…or they’ll blow up…or eat us, or somethin’.”

Mindsiege · #23 May 18th, 2022, 02:46 PM

Shiny Things

Alerted to look to the front of the cave by his impish familiar, Jimmy's magically improved sight homed in on the cluster that had been mentioned to him. There was much power that a Hexblade was able to draw from if their connection to their source of power was strong enough and Jimmy had turned the odds in his favour during his rest in the darkling outpost. Now all of the Underdark's sights were opening up to him as he could see clear as day. And what he saw tingled a relentless sense in the back of his mind, the part of himself that knew of his mother and connected his love for her to a love for something else. Gold. And today there was great promise in the air, and Jimmy could trace its scent when his eyes locked in on a cluster of utterly pure crystals, and he knew they would sparkle greatly if there were even the tiniest hint of light in these dark, dank caverns.

Immediately Jimmy's thoughts went to how he could retrieve this opportunity of value that he spotted only a few more paces away from him and Boanagh, waiting for him and enticing him with how brilliant it looked even from afar. How would he be able to get the most out of this lucky coincidence? There were many wizards and arcanists that could do many things with materials of this quality, and looking at it from afar there were crystals that he might be able to harvest at the size of Jimmy's torso if he didn't break the crystalline structure apart carelessly. It was too good to be true. The infatuated half-elf quickly realized that he probably didn't have the right tools for this kind of delicate mining work, probably some pick or somesuch that would have proven too heavy to also add to his overflowing backpack, but Jimmy knew that brute force alone applied at the right spot might still be able to let him get away with something that could be considered a haul.

And somehow that was almost too good to be true, and Jimmy's plagued mind after the last few terrible days almost refused to believe that at this moment he could be up good. Almost. And so he turned to Boanagh, the man who had knowledge of this cave system and who hadn't even mentioned to the warlock that such riches were part of his clan's domain. The darkling elder hadn't been paying attention until Jimmy spoke up, and once mentioned he also looked to the front, his eyesight slightly more impeded than Jimmy's but the cluster formation was evident to him as well. "Crystals?" It took Boanagh two more steps while avoiding the mushrooms on the floor as he came to a sudden halt and gestured to Jimmy to do the same. "Wait! There should be no crystal deposits in these halls."

As the half-elven adventurer came to a halt as well, the darkling elder scrutinized the opposite end of the large cavern a few more seconds before he looked at Jimmy with a mildly surprised expression. "It must be he. A king of the mountains. They are rare beings, and even rarer to find their way into our colony. Borders and territories do not concern them, as they are elemental beings of old." Seeing Jimmy's concerned look, the knowledgeable darkling elder explained further. "They are certainly beings of power, but there are no stories of even a single dubh sidhe to have come to harm by them. Rulers we call them, but if so, they are languorous and impervious. Their kingdom is the earth and the stone, but they place no value if their silver is hiding inside the mountain or flowing through our hands into even the furthest corners of the West Marches. At least that is how I've understood it." A slight smile spread onto the darkling elder's lips as he seemed to understand a part of Jimmy's longing. "My advice, leave these particular crystals to their ruler. This one does not pertain to our quest. As we leave him his realm, he shall leave us ours. I am not uncertain about this."

secretID · #24 May 18th, 2022, 03:23 PM

A look of frank disappointment fell across Jimmy's face. In the brief pause before Boanagh answered him, Jimmy had boldly forged wondrous fantasies of the crystal he might mine, the prices they might fetch, and the comfort the half-elf might secure with this new fortune. "Ahright, ahright," he said with some bitterness. "I heardja." Jimmy nodded his head toward his familiar. Leave it, he told Tink telepathically. Giant monster. A' course.

Jimmy grumpily trudged after Tinkerbell now, watching his steps as Boanagh had been teaching him. He eyed the crystals a last time as he passed them. Only minutes ago, Jimmy had actually been enjoying this part of his long excursion outside Westhaven, a novel experience for the reluctant adventurer. With the powerful new vision granted him by his mysterious benefactor had come a new appreciation for the beauty of this underground world. The subtle hues of the fungi and minerals, formerly just a wash of gray to Jimmy's eyes, now often comprised a pretty still life. But Jimmy the asthete had wandered away when the warlock's dominant practical side returned to the fore; he might not reappear for some time.

Mindsiege · #25 May 18th, 2022, 04:25 PM

King of The Mountain

Boanagh gave Jimmy an understanding smile as the warlock resigned himself to being down on his luck, and so the two men resumed their approach, having come to an agreement that although this had been a rare coincidence, this meeting did not have to be of import to them. If this was the kind of existence that the darkling elder suspected, then the best outcome was maybe a tip of the magical hat and then being on their way to deal with powers that had found their way into the colony with much less precedence than any creature of yore. If only it was always that easy.

On his master's command, Tink had set himself in motion to resume his flight in the front and aside from a few mental mutterings about this being boring and lame, the imp certainly was duty-bound to not mess with this crystal being, if that's what it was. Both Jimmy and Boanagh kept their eyes on the cluster as they proceeded to step through the mushroom field, but they didn't actually make it that far before they could see a visible tremor go through the previously inanimate formation. Although the darkling elder seemed to have been plenty able to speak on this mysterious king of the mountain, when the cluster of crystals suddenly rose out of the earth and a bulking body on four limbs presented its back to the two travellers, both Jimmy and Boanagh halted their steps merely on instinct.

Jimmy had been able to see it clear as day, there was something tricky happening right before his eyes. The sheer body mass that this elemental possessed now that it had arisen had been imperceptible just a near moment ago and as well as Jimmy had looked right at it, there was no hole left in the ground where this creature had sat and it had rightly looked as if it had pulled itself from the cavern's floor almost seamlessly. It was so obviously magical and large that the idea of simply attacking it with eldritch magic for sport seemed like an idea better had for minds as small as Tink's, though not even the invisible familiar was likely looking to mess with this behemoth now that it had revealed itself.

Despite the earlier assurances, when Jimmy looked to his side at Boanagh he could see that the darkling elder had taken a respectfully careful stance, observing the king of the mountain keenly when the being started to slowly turn around with a loud grating sound. And now both darkling and warlock could see the elemental's face, four beady, sparkling eyes looking back at them from still quite the distance, and this being's countenance was rightly intimidating. As peaceful as it had been described as by Boanagh, there seemed to be something inherently aggressive in its features, although as it was framed and crested by its plethora of crystals, it certainly held a majestic beauty to it that was even more notable for eyes that magically pierced through all darkness. Boanagh finally exchanged a look with Jimmy and let out a small cough when he now looked slightly ruffled. "Ahem! Looks like he has noticed our presence. First time I've seen one. Shall we?" It seemed like even after his initial impression of this creature, Jimmy's guide was planning to proceed through this cavern undeterred, albeit a little more cautiously now that the king of the mountain was staring right at the duo.

secretID · #26 May 19th, 2022, 12:03 AM

Jimmy eyed the “king” skeptically. “So, he’s whatchacall a ‘benevolent dictator, eh?” he asked. “Not that I don’t trust yer judgment, but whaddya say we take this real slow?” Jimmy motioned in the direction of a route that would take the two as far as possible from the huge creature while they passed it. Then he made a little Guidancegesture on his chest and mumbled, “Help me Rhonda, help, help me, Rhonda,” before beginning to move slowly and quietly in that direction.

“I can’t help but notice,” he said, switching to a whisper, “that he don’t leave no trace when he moves through the ground. You get me?” he asked, checking that Boanagh understood the implication. "By the way,” Jimmy continued to whisper, “do these guys even talk?” Suddenly remembering his translation helm, Jimmy tapped the edge to activate it. “Well, if he gets chatty, at least I’ll understand him.” As the two comrades inched closer to the exit – and necessarily to the creature as well – Insight, with GuidanceJimmy watched the “ruler” for any sign of threat, or even agitation.

OOCJimmy will keep going unless something changes.

Mindsiege · #27 May 22nd, 2022, 04:51 PM

Approaching the Regent

If Jimmy was one to rely on his instincts, then right now they were screaming at him that this crystalline elemental in front of him was nothing to mess with lightly. Boanagh seemed self-assured enough that the half-elven adventurer was willing to trust in the darkling's judgment, yet it was certainly difficult to keep his nerves under control when such a threatening appearance gave him all of its focus. The darkling elder gave a nod in response to Jimmy's ideas and observations, and so the two of them kept closer to the rightmost side of the cavern than before as they slowly continued to approach the exit leading past the king of the mountain. The behemoth stood still, its hulking body looking poised to spring into movement at a moment's notice, but Jimmy for the life of his couldn't pinpoint the creature's intentions, neither from its unfriendly visage nor from how patiently it stood there. Maybe its menacing appearance was just how it looked? It was certainly unlike anything Jimmy had ever dealt with before.

Boanagh himself didn't look much more certain than Jimmy as he kept his gaze fixed on the mass of stone and crystals before them, yet unimpeded by their doubts, the pair of fae and adventurer steered along the edge of the cave. After the first few steps Jimmy recalled one of the magical items that he had brought with him on this quest and so he activated its inherent magic with the hope that if this being in front of him was intelligent, it might talk to him before doing anything else. It really was only a hope though, because behind the sparkling of the four beady eyes Jimmy wasn't even sure if there was any kind of intelligence. Maybe this was a mere beast, and Boanagh was vastly mistaken. The warlock found nothing that could have relieved his worries and now this was down to taking a chance, which was not a nice feeling.

With each inching step, Jimmy advanced through the cavern, and as they got closer he kept his magically improved sight right on the king of the mountain, studying him for any changes in his stance or attitude or any signs of agitation. And in this Jimmy's peerless new sight noticed something that he hadn't been able to assess from the elemental's demeanor or when the adventurer had still been at more of a distance. The king was wounded. Seemingly only lightly, but the half-elf managed to spot minor carves all over the elemental's thick hide, and then above, right behind the crest of crystals Jimmy noticed the hilt of some kind of blade that must have gotten stuck in the behemoth's body which looked highly resistant to any kind of sharp edge and which must have captured the weapon without ever letting it go after the king had been struck by it.

Jimmy and Boanagh had only gotten half of the distance closer to the hulking figure as the warlock fully realized that the king of the mountain must have had seen battle only days in the past. Whatever attack it had suffered had been minor and the elemental seemed to be brimming with power, but Jimmy felt a chill across his back when he recognized the sylvan craftsmanship in the hilt of the blade that had gotten stuck in the elemental. It was very reminiscent of the weapon that Boanagh was carrying right at his own hip. But before the unnerved adventurer could draw any further conclusions another grating sound erupted from the king of the mountain but this time Jimmy was magically able to perceive that it indeed was speech. "You think me blind of these deceptions twice? Do you believe I would not retaliate against these transgressions? You'll be crushed, to repeatedly challenge me like this."

Boanagh looked uncomfortable as he heard the elemental speak, but the darkling elder could not understand the grating noises. Only Jimmy caught the meaning behind the primordial language, but unfortunately, his magic item didn't help at all to translate the nuances of emotions behind the behemoth's rumbling words. And so the warlock realized nothing further than the literal translation, which was undoubtedly worrisome, to say the least. The king of the mountain still hadn't made any movement from his initial position, but Jimmy realized that he and Boanagh had inadvertently gotten close enough that they might already be in the elemental's immediate sphere of influence. Another chill crept all over Jimmy's spine. This appeared as quite the precarious position to be in and since the darkling elder appeared entirely unaware and they had already gotten this close to the king, it might all hinge on himself to keep this encounter from escalating.

secretID · #28 May 23rd, 2022, 10:21 PM

Jimmy nudged Boanagh. "Do like me," Jimmy instructed him in a low voice, then kneeled, bowed his head, and stretched his empty hands, palm up, on the ground before him. "He's wounded," Jimmy told Boanagh, "and he thinks we're in on it."

Jimmy lifted his head slightly. "We come in peace, yer highness," he said to the elemental in common, then repeated himself in elvish. "You sprechen any a' that?"

Then, to Boanagh again: "I can understand him cuz a' my hat, but I don't speak mountain king. You got any ideas?"

Mindsiege · #29 May 26th, 2022, 03:01 PM

Deference

Listening to Jimmy, Boanagh appeared in awe of the current development but with his eyes on the king of the mountain the darkling elder did like the adventuring warlock had suggested, and together the two men showed themselves reverent in front of the big elemental as they sunk to the cavernous ground, showing themselves disarmed in a gesture that was at the least deferential. Jimmy loudly called out to the king, but the crystal being didn't react before the half-elf turned to Boanagh, who only shook his head to signal how he had no ideas about overcoming any language barriers. And then the heavy behemoth moved. This time he didn't seem to flow through the earth like Jimmy had been able to witness before, but that didn't make the impactful sounds of his steps any less imposing as the elemental began to approach the two travelers without any haste. His aggressive mien was unreadable.

There was a nervous tension between both Jimmy and Boanagh as the large elemental stomped up to them, and once he was before them he stood so close that they had to slightly bend their necks in order to look up to him from their current posture. The Hexblade was able to hear the audible breathing of the king that suggested a lower level of agitation than he had feared, and then the grating sound of this terran dialect rumbled through the underground air once more. "I know you belong to them. Have you come to parlay? To take back from having overstepped? So puny, so greedy." Again it seemed like Boanagh wasn't able to perceive the language behind the king's noise, but once the elemental quited down again the elder gave Jimmy a hushed comment. "Whatever happens, we mustn't make him use his voice! The king of the mountain's words break stone and are able to shape the land itself! Or so it has been passed on!"

secretID · #30 May 27th, 2022, 02:55 PM

"Out the exit," Jimmy told Boanagh quietly, "but still crawlin'." Jimmy nudged the darkling with his hips to indicate the direction as he began to move that way, still supplicant.

"I swear we don't know this 'them,'" Jimmy told the king in elvish, "and we don't want nothin' but to leave you alone.” He repeated these sentiments in common as he continued to shuffle backwards, away from the king and arcing toward the exit.

“You said they care ‘bout silver,” Jimmy said to Boanagh in hushed tones. “You know anything they do like? ‘Cause he sure don’t like us.”

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

Explosive Runes #34: EVIL EDITION is out!

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