A new hill

[Anastasia]

They don't look like newly spawned slaad. They seem older, more established. It just doesn't quite fit, with the proviso that slaad so who can say for sure?

[Ebiris]

"Lets go upstream," Alicia decides after a moment's study. "Stay close?" she manifests an invisibility sphere around them as she did when flying to Rosewater the other day, protecting them from casual scrutiny before flying above the current of slaad.

[Anastasia]

Give me a CL on that just for reference.

[Ebiris]

CL 35 since it's alter reality-ed.

[Anastasia]

Thus you fly up. As you do?

'Are you well?' Sulia sends to you. 'I fear that vision may addle the mind of a mortal, and your nature would find it uncomfortable.'

[Ebiris]

'I'm fine. It's disagreeable but I've seen far worse things in my life,' Alicia returns, disliking it but not finding it traumatising.

[Anastasia]

A mere nod is your answer as you fly on.

Go ahead and give me Perception for this bit, it may matter.

[Ebiris]

[16:54] <@Ebiris> roll 1d20+81 perception
[16:54] <Rei-chan> Ebiris rolled : 1d20+81 perception --> [ 1d20=12 ]{93}

Spoiler: ShowHide

Alicia HP: 724/724
Active spells: Many moments of prescience (CL 35), extended mind blank (CL 36), extended nondetection (CL 36), greater heroism (CL 35), extended ray deflection (CL 36), epic mage armour (CL 35), sensual blessing (CL 35), foresight (CL 35), keen edge (CL 35 on sword), dance of the unicorn (CL 36), extended greater anticipate teleportation (CL 36)
Defences: AC 71, CMD 93, spell resistance 50, energy immunity (fire and cold), status immunity (polymorph, petrification, disease, poison, stunning, sleep, paralysis, death effects, disintegration, energy drain, ability damage, ability drain, mind-affecting, and fear), nondetection (DC 51)
Stat buffs/penalties: +4 morale skills/attack/saves, +10 armour AC, +25 competence perception, +2 insight AC/ref
Perceptions: Arcane sight, 3 mile tremorsense/blindsight/scent perception +81
Sorcerer spell slots: 6/16/16/15/8/9/14/9/8/1/8/7/5/7/5
Duskblade spell slots: 6/23/23/21/11/7/14

[Anastasia]

You fly on. As you do, you begin to notice something. It's subtle, but slowly there's less red, blue and green slaad. There's more death slad, gray slaad, unusual slaad, white slaad and even black slaad on the shores.

[Ebiris]

Looks like the lesser slaad are being weeded out as we go, she broadcasts to Queen and Sulia, continuing to monitor the slaad demographics as they travel.

[Anastasia]

Queen peers down before she responds in your mind, 'Then we are going in a powerful direction. Towards the stone would be my estimation.'

As you fly on you notice the lesser slaad decreasing in number - and now you see black slaad in the waters as well, not just on the shoreline.

[Ebiris]

She does wonder why they restrict themselves to that river, why not fly? Hopefully their own flight won't prevent them from reaching the stone but she certainly doesn't want to mingle with the slaad down there.

[Anastasia]

You fly on. Soon gray and death slaad vanish, and all that is left are white and black slaad, as well as...things. Often so aberrant to be nameless, twisting and roiling things that the slaad assault and tear apart. More and more it is nothing but battles against them.

'Are they so hellbent on destruction?' Sulia muses, 'Though the creatures they slay seem as aberrations themselves.'

[Ebiris]

'Deviation from the norm must be opposed? It's a strange conundrum of Chaos,' Alicia returns, not getting involved and letting them fight it out.

[Anastasia]

You fly on, you fly on but not for long.

Look above and SEE.