91: This isn't like you, you're being sensible

[Ebiris]

[13:18] <@Ebiris> In the dim early light peeking over and between the mountainpeaks, three brave mountaineers crawl out of their snow-coated tent to survey the dawn atop the craggy rock-steps leading up the mountain. The weather has improved some since last night's snow, a frigid blue sky above and very little fog to interfere with the view covering dozens of miles around, but all of that rather takes second stage to the unlikely plant growth that sprung up next to their tent overnight...
[13:18] * Joins: Rudy (Rudy@ppp59-167-140-198.static.internode.on.net)
[13:20] * Lucie reaches out and--politely!--raps on the tree with a knuckle. "So Henri, if this is you, I'd take it as a favor if you could stop being a tree so we could pack up and move out."
[13:27] <@Ebiris> "You think it's actually her transformed?" Liamae asks, looking up at the branches. "I guess night watch must have been pretty dull."
[13:28] <Rudy> "So boring, she became a tree?" asks Rudy, dubiously. "I guess we all have our fun somehow."
[13:28] <Lucie> "Well there's no Henri and now there's a tree and I dunno, it's not the craziest thing I've seen since we came out here. Give me a better story if you've got one."
[13:29] <@Ebiris> "She got kidnapped and left the tree as a message!" Liamae insists, "Look and see if the branches are pointing a direction in particular."
[13:30] * Lucie examines the tree carefully for such clues!
[13:30] <@Ebiris> OOC: spot check
[13:31] <Rudy> "If she had time to leave a tree as a message, couldn't she just yell for help?" grumbles Rudy.
[13:31] <Lucie> roll 1d20+16
[13:31] * +Hatbot --> "Lucie rolls 1d20+16 and gets 22." [1d20=6]
[13:31] -> *Lucie* the branches are pointing West away from the mountains.
[13:32] <Lucie> "Well the branches are pointing back...the way we came from," Lucie says.
[13:35] <@Ebiris> "Do you think the alien crab thing came for her?" Liamae asks, an undercurrent of worry in her voice.
[13:36] <Lucie> "Pretty sure my brain's still in my head, so I doubt it paid us a visit."
[13:37] <Rudy> "And left behind a tree?" repeats Rudy. "Without a fight? Come on..."
[13:37] <@Ebiris> "Well you explain it, then!" the sorceress asks in frustration.
[13:38] * Quits: Kotono (WinNT@ip68-10-237-210.hr.hr.cox.net) (Ping timeout)
[13:39] <Rudy> "I don't have one!" replies Rudy, rubbing his head. "Look, it's got to be a magic tree, right? You're the sorceress, can't you figure out how what spell was used or something to get it here? If we know that, we can probably figure out what to do next."
[13:40] <@Ebiris> "That makes some kind of sense," she relents, casting detect magic and taking a look...
[13:40] <@Ebiris> roll 1d20+13
[13:41] * +Hatbot --> "Ebiris rolls 1d20+13 and gets 17." [1d20=4]
[13:42] * Joins: Kotono (WinNT@ip68-10-237-210.hr.hr.cox.net)
[13:42] <@Ebiris> But she shakes her head in frustration afterwards. "I can't identify the spell or even the school used. All I know is it's magic."
[13:42] * Lucie decides to give it a try herself!
[13:43] <Lucie> roll 1d20+13 spellcraftan?
[13:43] * +Hatbot --> "Lucie rolls 1d20+13 spellcraftan? and gets 25." [1d20=12]
[13:44] -> *Lucie* You can tell it's transmutation but not the spell. Seems to be a unique effect.
[13:45] <Lucie> "Well, there's a transmutation spell at work here, so I'd bet money it's her. Just, I dunno...what we do? We can't dig it up and take it with us. Maybe it'll wear off?"
[13:45] <@Ebiris> "Well if it's her can't she just undo it herself? C'mon, Henri, we can't stand around here all day!" Liamae calls up at the tree.
[13:47] <Rudy> "What if it wasn't her? Can't you undo it or something?"
[13:48] <@Ebiris> Liamae mutely shakes her head.
[13:48] <Lucie> "Hey, I just know how to wreck someone else's day, don't look at me for fixing things."
[13:51] <Rudy> "Right. Well. Uh." Rudy taps the tree himself. "Most spells just wear off by themselves, right? So we should probably just wait."
[13:52] <Lucie> "And the fog's clear right now, too," Lucie complains. "Would've been a good chance to move on. Dammit Henri, pick a better time to turn into a tree."
[13:53] <@Ebiris> "Okay, so lets make breakfast... or hell, can you send your dog to get some nice food from Lady Vanderboren? Maybe the smell will wake her up," Liamae suggests, muttering afterwards, "Lets not rely on Henri for watch duty again, though."
[13:55] <Rudy> "The archon can ask her to look into people turning.. into.. trees, as well," replies Rudy, quickly dispatching his minion to relay these requests.
[13:58] <@Ebiris> The dog vanishes away with a bow to Rudy! A minute later he returns, bearing a tray carrying a half dozen bacon and egg rolls along with four steaming mugs of tea. "The dwarven gentleman mentioned a spell called Tree Shape, sire," the dog growls politely, "It should not last more than a handful of hours."
[14:00] <Rudy> They are so delicious, in this situation. "I see. Well, we're in for a wait, I suppose," he notes.
[14:01] <Lucie> "In that case, I'm going back to sleep," Lucie decides after collecting a handful of breakfast from the tray. "Somebody wake me up when she's not a tree any more."
[14:01] <@Ebiris> Liamae grabs a roll in one hand and a mug in the other, alternating bit bites with dainty sips. "Ohh, this stuff is so much better when you're in a place you shouldn't be able to get it!" she moans happily.
[14:08] <@Ebiris> After she's finished, Liamae grabs another roll and then huddles up at the entrance to the tent, staying awake but cosy as she can manage for the situation until Henrietta rouses herself.
[14:09] <Rudy> "Why would anyone want to do this, though? Be a tree, I mean," wonders Rudy, staring at it.
[14:10] <@Ebiris> As Rudy ponders that, the morning steadily passes by...
[14:10] <@Ebiris> roll 1d100
[14:10] * +Hatbot --> "Ebiris rolls 1d100 and gets 49." [1d100=49]
[14:10] <@Ebiris> It's near midday when this cold and lazy day finally receives an interruption!
[14:12] <@Henrietta> The tree transforms back into Henrietta so swiftly that one might miss it if they weren't looking at that very moment. She spends another stretching leisurely, before heading over to the ledge and tying her rope to a grappling hook.
[14:13] <Rudy> Rudy blinks. "Henri! Henri, what are you doing-" Rudy rubs his head.
[14:14] * @Henrietta stares at Rudy blankly, before she tilts her head.
[14:14] <@Ebiris> "Hey!" Liamae gets up herself, "What've you been doing all day, Henri?"
[14:14] <Rudy> "Hello? You all there?" he replies, tilting his head back. "If you're gonna turn into a tree overnight, tell us, you know?"
[14:15] <@Henrietta> "Why?"
[14:15] * Lucie hears some noise, crawls out of the tent. "Because we sat here waiting for you all morning?" she suggests.
[14:16] <Rudy> "Because you've never done it before! For all we know, some mad wizard could've turned you treelike, and how would we know, Henri? How would we know?"
[14:16] * @Henrietta looks both ways, before leaning over and whispering, "This is a terrible mountain! I'm leaving! Are you leaving too?"
[14:17] <Lucie> "What? Leaving where? Henri, did you misst the part where we're up here looking for dragons?"
[14:17] <@Henrietta> "Why?"
[14:17] <@Ebiris> "So they can lend us their prodigious might against the alien brain-eater!" Liamae blurts out.
[14:18] <Lucie> "That was the plan," Lucie agrees.
[14:18] <@Henrietta> "It sounds horrible!" Henrietta exclaims, covering her mouth with her hand. "So many terrible things live on this mountain!" She nods to herself, then. "Well. So long!"
[14:19] <Rudy> "Hey, hey, this isn't like you, Henri!" notes Rudy. "You're being way sensible, backing off in the face of danger. You okay?"
[14:20] <Lucie> "Hey!" Lucie grabs Henri by the arm before she can make her getaway. "You're right, plenty of awful things around and one of 'em's right here. You're not going anywhere alone, and we're not turning around and making all this time climbing a waste."
[14:21] * @Henrietta frowns. "That is not very nice," she chastices Lucie. "Why are you in such a hurry to die?"
[14:22] <Rudy> "Look, tells us about them, 'kay? So we can make up our minds, too."
[14:22] <Lucie> "Being nice isn't anywhere part of my job," Lucie says. "Unless you can tell us there's something worse up here than what we're trying to kill...?"
[14:22] * @Henrietta points at Lucie.
[14:23] <Lucie> "Uh-huh," Lucie says slowly. "Look, I'm not the one with a history of eating brains."
[14:24] * @Henrietta squeezes Lucie's wrist to get her to relinquish her grip. "You really should not grab people like that! It is terribly rude!"
[14:25] <@Ebiris> "Well, I guess we're expecting friendly dragons to arrive tomorrow," Liamae admits, "But you're really not acting yourself, Henri. Did something happen last night?"
[14:25] <Lucie> "You stop this nonsense about running off by yourself and maybe I'll let go!" Lucie counters.
[14:25] <Rudy> "Hey, uh, girls. Don't wrestle on the mountain? Bad idea, really bad idea."
[14:25] * @Henrietta frowns at Liamae. "Why are you calling me like that, anyway? It does not sound like my name at all!"
[14:26] <@Ebiris> She blinks and looks oddly at the redhead. "What is your name, then?" she asks suspiciously.
[14:26] <Lucie> "Oh boy," Lucie says with a sigh. "Alright, tell us, *Henri*--what IS your name?"
[14:27] * @Henrietta looks down all of a sudden. "The mountain killed it. It is such a horrible place." She sniffs. "It is alive. And horrible!"
[14:28] <Rudy> "Hold on. You're not Henri. And, uh, you never were Henri? You're someone else, and the mountain killed your name?" asks Rudy, feeling a migraine coming on. "Or you are Henri, but your name's been killed, and- that doesn't make sense. Henri is Henri."
[14:29] * Joins: Merc (~k@c-98-194-92-5.hsd1.tx.comcast.net)
[14:29] * ChanServ sets mode: +o Merc
[14:30] <@Henrietta> "Who are you?" Henrietta asks Rudy, before she turns towards Liamae. "And you? You two are nice, so I will try to save you too!"
[14:30] <@Ebiris> "I've heard of killing names, but not a name being killed..." Liamae mutters under her breath. "Maybe we should go back down, we're not going to fix her standing around here... uh, I'm... Liamae? Did my name get killed, too?"
[14:31] <@Henrietta> "It might if you stay here too long," Henrietta says sadly. "Because the mountain hates you! You, personally!"
[14:31] <Rudy> "Yeah, I'm kinda with you, here. Maybe she's just mountain crazy? Like, I heard you get sick when you climb mountains," replies Rudy, looking back at Henri dubiously.
[14:32] <Lucie> "The mountain hates everyone," Lucie says. "Look, Henri, just sit down and have something to eat, alright?" Just in case, Lucie examines her friend to see if there's still any magic in effect.
[14:33] <@Henrietta> "If you know that," Henrietta asks Lucie suspiciously, "then why are you trying to force everyone to stay?! Are you its ally?!"
[14:34] -> *Lucie* the only magic on Henrietta is her equipment
[14:35] <Rudy> "Wow, now she sounds like a scammer," mutters Rudy to Liamae. "Let's pack it up. Even if we find the bloody dragons, seeing them with a drunk mage who hates the ground she walks on seems like the worst idea ever."
[14:35] <Lucie> "No!" Lucie insists. "I'm *your* friend, and I'm trying to tell you we got a job to do, and if you run off without seeing it done, you'll hate yourself when youg et your senses back."
[14:36] * @Henrietta tilts her head. "By run off, you mean leave this evil place?"
[14:36] <Lucie> "Yes!"
[14:37] <@Henrietta> "I really want to do that."
[14:37] <Lucie> "I noticed," Lucie says, rubbing her forehead.
[14:38] <@Henrietta> "If you say you are my friend, then you should help me! Because if you are not helping me, then I would not believe you!" Henrietta smiles brilliantly at Lucie. "And if you try to stop me, you will die horribly! Alright?"
[14:39] <Rudy> "That's a pretty one-way friendship."
[14:39] <Lucie> "Sometimes being someone's friend means being able to tell she's being an idiot."
[14:39] <@Henrietta> "Then you are an idiot!"
[14:41] <@Ebiris> "This is getting us nowhere, fast," Liamae complains. "Unless you've got any mind healing magic on you, Lucie, we should just go down and hope that fixes Henri. Or try hitting her in the head in case something's come loose."
[14:42] <Lucie> "Look," Lucie says as calmly as she can manage, "I think we've still got some food around. Sit down, have something to eat, think this over for a while. The mountain's not trying to kill you *right now*, after all."
[14:42] * @Henrietta gives Liamae a betrayed look, before she challenges Lucie, "How would you know?"
[14:44] <Lucie> "Nobody here but us, it's a nice day--you know, for a snowy mountaintop. Nothing dangerous around. And we've got help on the way, right? You can wait a little while to make up your mind."
[14:44] <@Henrietta> "Okay!"
[14:45] <Lucie> "Alright, that's better," Lucie decrees, releasing her deathgrip on Henri's arm.
[14:45] * @Henrietta nods. "It really is. There is still food left?"
[14:46] <Lucie> "Uh, probably? It might not be warm anymore."
[14:46] <Rudy> "We saved a roll for you," replies Rudy, handing it over.
[14:46] * @Henrietta gives the roll a bite, still looking quite suspicious.
[14:47] <Lucie> "I ate a bellyful of them this morning and I'm still alive," Lucie reassures.
[14:47] <@Ebiris> The roll is okay? Cold egg and chewy meat with some tangy sauce of some kind. It fills a hole if nothing else.
[14:48] <@Henrietta> "It is pretty horrible," Henrietta asserts. "Like this mountain, I suppose." And then she casts Fly on herself and tries to fly straight up.
[14:48] <Rudy> Rudy takes a moment to grab Lucie and pull her aside. "Look, not saying we should do what someone going mental says just 'cos they say it," he mutters. "But you think we really need to be here? "We've got courier dragons on the way, and I don't really relish dealing with temperamental dragons. Besides, this mountain really isn't natural. That hole was hardly possible by natural means."
[14:49] <@Ebiris> The air is still so flying up works quite well! Up and up Henrietta ascends, seeing rising slopes of white and vertical black cliffs on one side and a rolling landscape of green and brown and blue to the other.
[14:50] * Lucie thinks about this for a moment. "Well, it's not like we absolutely know where we're going," she admits. "Just hate to have spent all this time climbing and got nothing for it. Except some shoes are only good for climbing."
[14:50] * @Henrietta takes a look about, before doing her best to head down the mountain.
[14:50] <@Ebiris> "Hey, where are you going?" Liamae calls upwards.
[14:50] <@Ebiris> OOC: spot check Henri
[14:50] <Rudy> "I think she made up her mind."
[14:50] <@Henrietta> roll 1d20+2
[14:50] * +Hatbot --> "Henrietta rolls 1d20+2 and gets 3." [1d20=1]
[14:51] <@Ebiris> Henrietta doesn't see anything trying to immediately kill her. Flying down the mountain works well enough, though. Passing the stony steps and overflying the ice field, she can make it halfway across before her spell would start to give out.
[14:52] <@Ebiris> "She ditched us," Liamae says disbelievingly.
[14:52] <Lucie> "Let's pack up and get out of here," Lucie says, resigned after all.
[14:53] <Rudy> "You actually see any magic on her?" asks Rudy, turning to see to the camping gear.
[14:53] * @Henrietta recasts her spell when it is about to run out in order to get across the ice field. She can see about the rest from there.
[14:53] <Lucie> "No."
[14:53] <@Ebiris> Liamae summons an unseen servant to handle her part in breaking camp.
[14:53] <@Ebiris> Meanwhile Henrietta recedes into the distance...
[14:55] <@Ebiris> Landing after her second spell gives out, Henrietta alights just before an ice bridge over a deep ravine, a few caves nearby that look dimly familiar and not far ahead the whole thing falls over a steep cliff.
[14:56] <@Ebiris> With the tent bundled up, it's easy enough to clamber down the 'steps' without issue, and then the boulder field doesn't offer much in the way of obstacle before having to deal with a long slope over the snowy hill in the middle of the icescape. Or a path could be forged around using a route that wasn't tried yesterday.
[14:58] * @Henrietta tries to focus on the caves that actually look familiar, opting to spend the time to try and remember which way leads off the lethal mountain.
[14:59] * Lucie figures it's best to take the familiar path back. At least they know there won't be any unexpected obstacles that way, other than maybe slipping and sliding a bit.
[14:59] <@Ebiris> Its hard to focus but the one on her right across the bridge and some cracked and uneven ground registers a dim sort of familiarity to her.
[14:59] <Rudy> Unwilling to try traversing new ground at a time like this, Rudy opts to take the route back the same way they came.
[14:59] <@Ebiris> OOC: climb checks for pursuit team
[14:59] <Rudy> roll 1d20
[14:59] * +Hatbot --> "Rudy rolls 1d20 and gets 20." [1d20=20]
[14:59] <@Ebiris> roll 1d20+1 Liamae
[14:59] * +Hatbot --> "Ebiris rolls 1d20+1 Liamae and gets 18." [1d20=17]
[15:00] <Lucie> roll 1d20+4
[15:00] * +Hatbot --> "Lucie rolls 1d20+4 and gets 19." [1d20=15]
[15:01] <@Ebiris> Everyone manages to scramble up easily on the first try, perhaps spurred by worry for their beloved friend. Reaching the top they can see Henrietta in the distance near the cliff edge, but for themselves they need to get down the opposite slope without slipping and tumbling down a crevasse...
[15:01] <Lucie> Hopefully floating above the great makes that less likely! Because it's not like Lucie has another path to take.
[15:02] <@Henrietta> Casting Fly a third time, Henrietta takes off to examine the cave she dimly finds familiar. If nothing else, exploring it for any signs of fire or a tent having been set up previously would suggest she is on the right track.
[15:04] <@Ebiris> There is some charred wood and ash just inside which indicates it was used a camp recently.
[15:04] <@Ebiris> Liamae tries picking her way carefully down after Lucie...
[15:04] <Rudy> Lucie might get to float, but Rudy is quickly getting tired of scrambling around everywhere, and opts to link hands with his other travellers and blink out from the top of the slope to the bottom.
[15:05] <@Henrietta> Nodding to herself in satisfaction, Henrietta tries to gain altitude once more and look for a way down from here. Something has to make sense or look familiar!
[15:05] <@Ebiris> But Rudy saves her the trouble, teleporting her down to the bottom! They're not far behind Henrietta now!
[15:06] <@Ebiris> Flying up Henrietta can see she's almost right next to a steep cliff descending over a hundred feet down to a shallow snow-covered hill that works into the tree strewn foothills around the base of the mountain range.
[15:06] <@Ebiris> roll 1d100
[15:06] * +Hatbot --> "Ebiris rolls 1d100 and gets 73." [1d100=73]
[15:06] * @Henrietta flies down the steep cliff towards the base of the mountain range. She can wait and see from there.
[15:07] <Rudy> They will need to teleport a second time to make it the rest of the way down, and then, there they will be!
[15:08] <@Ebiris> Landing with a crunch in the deep snow and feeling soil and grass beneath, Henrietta can at least feel as if she's escaped the mountain. For now, anyway. But she can't escape her alleged friends who teleport right beside her just after she lands!
[15:08] <@Henrietta> "Oh! You decided to come as well?" she asks in surprise, before tapping her lips. "Who were you again?"
[15:09] <Rudy> "Your friends!" insists Rudy, shaking his head. "We just talked about this, we really did."
[15:10] <@Henrietta> "Well, alright. If you say so. I am Henrietta Ul Copt!" she introduces herself. "Pleased to meet you!"
[15:10] <Lucie> "So you got your name back, at least?"
[15:10] <@Henrietta> "Yes~!"
[15:11] <@Ebiris> "So it was killed but got better?" Liamae asks dubiously.
[15:12] <Rudy> "Well, that means the rest of your memory will probably come back too, right?"
[15:12] <@Henrietta> "When you say it like that it is as if it is undead," Henrietta mutters, suddenly wary. She soon puts it out of her mind, however, smiling. "We escaped from the inescapable mountain! Would you like to come home with me?"
[15:13] <Lucie> "Doesn't look like we have much choice," Lucie admits.
[15:14] <@Henrietta> "How lovely!" Henrietta clasps her hands and looks expectantly at Lucie.
[15:15] <Lucie> "It's Lucie," she answers, at a loss for how else to respond here.
[15:15] * @Henrietta nods in utter seriousness.
[15:18] <Lucie> "Well, let's not waste the daylight," Lucie says. "If we're climbing back down, let's be on our way. Sooner I see a warm bed, the better."
[15:18] <@Henrietta> Quite cheerful at the prospect, Henrietta continues to look at Lucie expectantly.
[15:18] <Rudy> "Wait. Wait wait wait. We're not going home just yet," notes Rudy, putting his hands behind his head. "We've at least got to wait for the courier dragons to perform their sweep of the area. If they find nothing, we'll be leaving, but not 'till then."
[15:19] <@Ebiris> "Yeah, we sure don't want to lead a brain-eating crab alien to our homes," Liamae adds.
[15:19] <@Henrietta> "Ah, is that so?" Henrietta goes straight to disappointment. "Well, take care then, the three of you."
[15:20] <Lucie> "Yeah," Lucie reminds Henri. "Look, it'll be heroic and everything. We'll save people from all sorts of horrible things."
[15:20] * @Henrietta shudders.
[15:21] <Rudy> "Hey, Henri, which home would you be going back to?" asks Rudy, curiously.
[15:21] <Lucie> "Hey! Henri is always stalwart and heroic and enthusiastic. If you can remember your name, you should bloody well remember that much too."
[15:22] * @Henrietta spreads her arms. "I wonder?"
[15:22] <Rudy> "You don't know?"
[15:22] * @Henrietta tilts her head.
[15:23] <Rudy> "Where is it?"
[15:23] <Lucie> "Well, if you don't know where you're going, the best thing is to stick with the people that do, right?"
[15:23] <@Henrietta> "Unless they are going over there," Henrietta insists, pointing at the cliff.
[15:24] <@Ebiris> "We're not going there, not anymore," Liamae sighs. "How about we head back to where Illie lives. You remember her, cute naked dryad? Wears your old hat?"
[15:24] <Lucie> "No, Henri, we're not going up the mountain," Lucie reassures her.
[15:26] * @Henrietta taps her lips, frowning. "I think I do. It is a most lovely hat!"
[15:26] * @Henrietta nods to herself. "Alright. We can go to the hat-wearing dryad."
[15:26] <Lucie> "She remembers the hat, but none of us," Lucie says. "Should I be surprised?"
[15:27] <@Ebiris> "I'm not," Liamae deadpans. "C'mon, lets go. We've got a long way to go and it's slow going with all this snow."
[15:27] <Rudy> "Don't look at me," replies Rudy. "She's either traumatized, or messing with us. Well, I figure she'd have to be traumatized to mess with us by pretending to be traumatized," he mutters.
[15:28] * @Henrietta is quite ready to be lead in the right way!
[15:30] <@Ebiris> roll 1d100
[15:30] * +Hatbot --> "Ebiris rolls 1d100 and gets 70." [1d100=70]
[15:31] <@Ebiris> Thus the party starts heading back through the hills and valleys... it's a long trip with half the day already spent. The sun is starting to descend ahead of you over the horizon and there's no sign of any caves or shelter nearby. At least the weather has remained somewhat obliging, though, with no snow or rain coming from the clear skies above.
[15:32] <Lucie> "Have to camp out in the open this time, I guess," Lucie says.
[15:32] <@Henrietta> This place looks as good as any to stop at, and so Henrietta becomes a tree for the night.
[15:33] <Lucie> "Well, that gives us a little shelter," is the most positive face Lucie can put on this development.
[15:34] <@Ebiris> "I feel sorry for whoever she ends up marrying if this is how she spends her nights," Liamae mutters, conjuring an invisible servant to start putting up a tent against Henrietta's trunk.
[15:35] <Lucie> "Wouldn't make things so different from some marriages," Lucie says. "Or so's my understanding."
[15:37] <@Ebiris> roll 1d100
[15:37] * +Hatbot --> "Ebiris rolls 1d100 and gets 95." [1d100=95]
[15:37] <@Ebiris> OOC: spot check, Lucie
[15:37] <Lucie> roll 1d20+23 night bonus!
[15:37] * +Hatbot --> "Lucie rolls 1d20+23 night bonus! and gets 27." [1d20=4]
[15:39] <@Ebiris> While Rudy and Liamae sleep under Henrietta's branches, Lucie keeps watch, greatly aided by the star-filled sky and the two bright moons, and it's likely only because of those that she's able to see the large sinuous shape blotting out stars here and there as it flies high ahead nearer to the mountains. It's when it passes directly in front of Celestis's off blue disc that she can see the sillouette clearly. It's a dragon if ever she saw one!
[15:41] <Lucie> "We need a flare or something," Lucie remembers, poking her head into the tent to rouse a handy sorcerer for this purpose. "Hey, wake up you two, dragons are about!"
[15:42] <@Ebiris> "Whu?" Liamae staggers blearily out with great haste and just as great clumsiness, half falling over Lucie until she gets properly upright and launches a fireball straight up to detonate, as big a flare as you're likely to ever see temporarily lighting the night! "Where?" she asks only after her spell.
[15:43] <Lucie> "Was over there, by the moon," Lucie points out.
[15:43] <@Ebiris> roll 1d20+7
[15:43] * +Hatbot --> "Ebiris rolls 1d20+7 and gets 13." [1d20=6]
[15:44] * @Henrietta shrinks into human form as the fireball explodes overhead, cowering from it.
[15:44] <@Ebiris> "Can't see it," Liamae complains, sending up a smaller flare a few seconds later. Lucie can still see it blotting out stars with its passing, though there isn't enough to really see by to tell if it's coming closer just yet. Meanwhile the tent collapses on top of Rudy now that the tree is absent.
[15:45] * Lucie follows the dragon's silhouette with one outstretched finger for Liamae's benefit.
[15:47] <Rudy> Rudy flails underneath the tent, until he can push the canvas off and escape! "Where's the bad guy?!"
[15:48] <@Ebiris> It does seem to be slowly taking up more of the sky, and Liamae helpfully launches another flare to keep its attention. As it flies closer and closer, it gradually comes into greater focus, allowing it to be seen more clearly. Smaller than the dragon last seen in these parts, it's a slender long-limbed thing with particularly large fan-like wings, coloured mostly a creamy white tone with purple 'points' around its legs, tail, and long beakish face.
[15:49] <@Ebiris> OOC: also roll a will save, Henri?
[15:50] <Lucie> "Hello?" Lucie greets it.
[15:50] <@Henrietta> roll 1d20+8
[15:50] * +Hatbot --> "Henrietta rolls 1d20+8 and gets 17." [1d20=9]
[15:53] <@Ebiris> "Hello," the dragon returns in a reedy voice as it lands near the group, folding its wings up and standing on two legs with its forelegs tucked against its snake-like chest. "I saw the explosions and was curious. What happened here?"
[15:53] <@Ebiris> It also has an accent similar to Henrietta's.
[15:54] * @Henrietta blinks, staring up at the dragon. "Hello?" she returns uncertainly.
[15:54] <Lucie> "We were expecting some courier dragons from the capital," Lucie explains. "Thought that might be you?"
[15:55] <Rudy> Rudy moves behind Henri, giving her what he hopes is a comforting pat on the shoulder- at least, as much as he can keep his own composure, under the circumstances...
[15:56] <@Ebiris> "Oh, no, certainly not I. No humble courier was I ever," the dragon's long and narrow head swivels widely from side to side. "Once I served dutifully as a noble magistrate. Now I am a humble exile in these barbarian lands. Phileonel is my name, to whom do I speak?"
[15:56] <@Ebiris> "Uh, Liamae..." Liamae replies uncertainly, not looking about to take the lead here.
[15:57] <@Henrietta> Oh! That much she remembers! "I am Henrietta Ul Copt," she introduces herself properly, curtsying. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintence!"
[15:57] <Lucie> "Lucie Dolan," Lucie says, for her part.
[15:58] <Rudy> "Giacomo, Rudy Giacomo," says Rudy, a moment later. "Our apologies for mistaking you," he manages. "Is this the region in which you reside?" he asks, curiously. "Or are you but only passing through?"
[16:01] <@Ebiris> "I dwell in the clouds of the great mountains, yes," Phileonel replies. "But again I ask, why the explosions? I do not think it was a firework celebration, are you in distress?"
[16:01] <@Henrietta> "Yes! Yes, very much so!" Henrietta instantly replies.
[16:02] <Lucie> "Expecting some support from back in the city," Lucie explains. "Mostly for recon. Mean critter fell from the stars a few days back and we're trying to track it down before it kills anyone else."
[16:03] <@Ebiris> "Are you too an exile, Lady Ul'Copt?" the dragon asks Henrietta, speaking in the Jovar tongue.
[16:05] <@Henrietta> "I... really do not remember," Henrietta admits, speaking the same language. "I vaguely remember fighting something, and then going up the mountain. But not much else, except that it was important to stop that... whatever it was."
[16:08] <@Ebiris> "Some things are better forgotten," Phileonel opines sadly before returning to accented Prannerian, "I hear you are waiting for others to assist you and mistook I for them. No offence is taken and I will now depart," he announces, spreading his wings out.
[16:09] <Rudy> "Wait! Please, help us!" cries out Rudy, a moment later. "This creature is not only an enemy of us, but of all thinking beings! It seeks to kill people, consume their minds and add their knowledge to its own!"
[16:09] <Lucie> "You know, you live around here, maybe it's in your best interest to help us keep an eye out for this thing?" Lucie suggests before he can leave. "This thing eats brains and has thralls of its own. It is every kind of bad news."
[16:10] <@Ebiris> OOC: diplo check, Rudy?
[16:11] <Rudy> roll 1d20+11
[16:11] * +Hatbot --> "Rudy rolls 1d20+11 and gets 29." [1d20=18]
[16:12] <@Ebiris> That gets him to pause. "Once I dispensed justice to the guilty, making the land safe for those innocent in spirit and deed. Disgraced in exile I may be, I have not forgotten my calling." His wings fold against his body once more. "I shall help you, and bring a measure of civilisation to this barbarous land."
[16:13] * @Henrietta is even more certain that this is one such case where her enemy is best forgotten, at Rudy and Lucie's descriptions. But Phileonel's offer is most gracious, and she smiles at him in gratitude.
[16:14] <@Ebiris> "So... great!" Liamae smiles briefly, "What's our plan now, then?"
[16:15] <Lucie> "That's great, thanks," Lucie says. "Biggest problem we have is we just don't know where it is. Fought it once, but it used some magic to 'port away when it was hurt. Eye in the sky to keep a look out for anything unusual would be a big help." To Liamae: "Well, we have any better guesses than maybe it's hiding out in Tarlari's valley, with her dead?"
[16:15] <@Henrietta> "Maybe, you think, you could tell Sir Phileonel all about this? And, well, I might remember a bit myself as a result?"
[16:17] <Rudy> "We are grateful for such assistance," replies Rudy, offering a courtly bow. "We do not know where the creature lurks, but it has voiced desire to seek each of us out," he explains. "Whilst we believe it is hiding somewhere in this region, sooner or later, I am sure it will come for us. Until then, we should search for it instead- a task made easier once the other dragons arrive." He glances at
[16:17] <Rudy> Henri for a moment, and then nods. "It began when a rock fell from the sky," he explains. "We went there to investigate and, ah, secure any valuable resources there in the name of our employer. What we found was this hideous creature, though..." He opts to explain the battle against unnatural beings as best he can; particular mention is made of Tarlari's defeat, and the apparent consequences
[16:17] <Rudy> thereof.
[16:18] <@Henrietta> As she had expected, Henrietta comes to regret her request.
[16:21] <@Ebiris> "The green woman's valley of dangerous plants? I know of it," Phileonel's head dips low and then up again. "Yes, I saw it clearly before your signal caught my eye. An edifice of crystal is being constructed there, it beheld a stark beauty perhaps as dangerous as the blanket of colours it held previously." Leaning forward and scratching a foreclaw in the snow thoughtfully, the dragon considers after hearing the rest of the tale, "Imperial records speak of invaders from the stars arriving in the past. They are dangerous and to be put to death at once. Some even believe it was such that ended the civilisation of our neighbours to the South. I am glad I listened to your tale, Sir Giacomo."
[16:22] <Lucie> "Well, at least we know where we're headed now," Lucie says. "Only trick is keeping it from magicking away again."
[16:23] <Rudy> "If we can't ward against that somehow, we'll just have to kill it fast enough that it can't survive," determines Rudy. "It must grow in power quickly, if there's already a visible building there."
[16:23] <@Ebiris> "Best way is to make sure someone's ready to hit it if it looks about to cast," Liamae volunteers. "That's the trick if it has minions to distract us. The last battle was a mess."
[16:23] <@Henrietta> "Are we far from that alley now?"
[16:24] <Lucie> "Well, if our reinforcements show up, we'll have plenty to keep it busy this time," Lucie says.
[16:25] <@Ebiris> "Be about two or three day's walk," Liamae tells Henrietta.
[16:27] <@Henrietta> "In that case, we should start on that?"
[16:28] <@Ebiris> "I can bear you aloft to speed the journey," Phileonel suggests, "I have heard the local dragons tell of rope and leather harnesses that allow them to carry many passengers, would any of you know how to construct such?"
[16:29] * @Henrietta claps her hands. "I remember something like that!"
[16:31] <Rudy> "I could give it a shot, if we had the material," muses Rudy.
[16:32] <@Ebiris> "We left a lot of rope up the mountain, didn't we?" Liamae asks in a chagrinned tone.
[16:32] <@Henrietta> "I have plenty more!" Henrietta happily announces. "And, and, we could use a tent in place of the leather!"