Ch 6: Part 2: Prisoner of Earth: Session 97

[15:33] <Kilarra> *****Second Darkness*****
[15:34] <Kilarra> ~~~Chapter 6: Descent into Midnight~~~
[15:34] <Kilarra> -Session 97-
[15:36] <Kilarra> After passing through the Elf Gate into the darklands, the party found themselves ambushed by Tiryin Vonnarc and a small host of drow, coupled with an abhorrent spider-like construct.
[15:36] <Kilarra> Apparently, he had been sent there to intercept them when they had first fled House Vonnarc a week and a half prior, only to remain when the party never showed up, since returning without their heads would have seen him dead at the hands of ALicavniss
[15:37] <Kilarra> Now the party must venture even deeper into the Darklands to reach the Land of Black Blood
[15:38] * Kilarra looks around at her friends after patching up Kahree. "Anyone else hurt?"
[15:41] * Aluthyra shakes her head. "Not I."
[15:41] <@Aluthyra> Kahree nods, wiping the blood off of her maces. "We should get moving if no one else is."
[15:41] <Kilarra> Kjell smiles, "My new armour did its job quite well. I am unharmed."
[15:43] * Kilarra nods to Kahree, "Alright then." She looks to Kjell, "Lead the way." She pulls out her mace, then casts 'Light' upon it, giving them a renewable source of light.
[15:46] <Kilarra> Kjell nods and pulls out the map given to them by Telanida, taking a minute to familiarize himself with it. "It is quite a long journey. Kilarra, do you have that spell of yours? The one that will allow us to move through the air with haste?"
[15:47] * Kilarra nods, "I had a feeling we might need a bit of a quickening." She pulls out a scroll. "Even if you can teleport, that's not going to help us if you can't see where you're going." She looks to Aluthyra, "You may be able to fly on your own, but this time we know where we're going, and the winds can move you faster than you can fly by yourself."
[15:48] * Aluthyra smiles. "Very well. I would not mind flying faster."
[15:49] * Kilarra nods and activates the scroll, her companions and herself taking on a vaporous form. She gives Aluthyra a moment to adjust to the odd sensation. "Let's not waste too much time," she notes. "We have thirteen hours until this wears off, and hopefully we can make it all the way there in that time."
[15:50] <Kilarra> Kjell nods and rises into the air, leading the party along the path marked on the map.
[15:51] * Aluthyra unfurls her wings, taking to soar behind Kjell.
[15:51] * Kilarra follows Aluthyra, smiling at the sight of even her misty form in flight. She would have to take more opportunities to enjoy that blessing once they were all finished saving the world.
[15:52] <@Aluthyra> Kahree takes to following in the very back.
[15:54] <Kilarra> The path marked on the map, while not covering all that much lateral distance, is circuitous, having to twist and turn and veer off seemingly at random through the twisting passages of the Darklands. It would have been exceedingly difficult to traverse without the use of flight or teleportation, with almost 900 miles to be covered. During the thirteen hour journey, the party covers 900 miles of tunnel.
[15:55] * Kilarra keeps track of the time, and when the thirteenth hour approaches its end, "We should put down, lest we fall!"
[15:56] <@Aluthyra> Kahree nods, diving more slowly for the ground.
[15:56] * Kilarra descends gently, but goes straight down.
[15:57] <Kilarra> Kjell nods and puts himself down as well, touching down and checking the map once more.
[15:58] * Aluthyra alights to the ground, wings slowing her descent.
[16:00] * Kilarra dismisses the spell, which would have only lasted another couple minutes as it was, and gives Aluthyra quick hug (it was a long flight), before approaching Kjell. "How much farther?"
[16:02] <Kilarra> Kjell checks the map, then looks around. He approaches a crack that's barely a foot and a half-wide, looking down. "According to the map, this leads down five hundred feet to a tunnel that takes us back to the Land of Black Blood, approaching from the North East corner."
[16:03] * Kilarra nods, "Okay, but that's really narrow, and we aren't exactly adept climbers."
[16:04] <@Aluthyra> Kahree huffs. "You two maybe. Don't you have a spell to help out?"
[16:06] <Kilarra> Kjell nods, "It's only five hundred feet, so my short range teleportation could land us down there safely. I would just need something to mark where I was landing."
[16:07] * Kilarra nods, "I can do that." She picks up a decent sized hunk of stone and sets it aglow like her mace. She then drops it through the crevice.
[16:09] <@Aluthyra> Kahree waits to be teleported!
[16:10] <Kilarra> The stone bounces off the walls a few times, but the stone is sturdy enough to survive until it hits the bottom, shattering. Only one piece of it remains alight, and it's barely noticeable, but it does mark the bottom of the chasm.
[16:10] * Kilarra frowns a bit, "Not quite as good as I was hoping for. Will that suffice?"
[16:11] <Kilarra> Kjell squints a bit, then nods. "It will help. Knowing direction with a bit of guidance to the landing point should do." He then holds out his hands for the others to grasp.
[16:13] * Kilarra nods and takes the offered hand, holding out her other to Aluthyra
[16:14] * Aluthyra nods, holding Kilarra's hand, and offering her other to Kahree.
[16:14] <@Aluthyra> Kahree holds Aluthyra's hand.
[16:15] <Kilarra> Kjell waits until they're all in tow and teleports them down the crevice. The arrive on solid ground, and Kjell takes a moment to catch his breath.
[16:16] * Kilarra takes advantage of that moment to relight her mace.
[16:18] <@Aluthyra> Kahree takes the moment to slip into the shadows, lurking behind the group.
[16:19] <Kilarra> The low light conditions beyond the light of Kilarra's mace are perfect for sneaking.
[16:20] <Kilarra> Kjell informs the party: "It should be another two hours on foot down this tunnel, after which we should emerge into a much larger chasm. The Land of Black Blood itself.
[16:20] <Kilarra> "
[16:22] * Aluthyra nods. "Remind me when we draw nearer. I do have a quick spell to cast before we encounter resistance."
[16:22] <Kilarra> The party's first hour of travel through the final tunnel is uneventful, but as they enter the second, they find offshooting tunnels from the main one, all of them rather large, and filled with spiderwebs
[16:23] * Aluthyra takes this moment to concentrate and cast a spell of barkskin!
[16:25] <Kilarra> Kjell stops and puts up his shield spell as well, just in case any of the vermin decided to try and make a meal.
[16:27] <Kilarra> Out of three of the tunnels, a single, Enormous, hungry looking spider emerges. The party is faced with one directly ahead and one on either side. The only way unblocked is behind them.
[16:33] <@Aluthyra> Kahree bursts out of the shadows to charge the leftmost spider. A single hit follows, dropping down upon the spider's carapace.
[16:34] <Kilarra> Kahree barely comes up to the spider's ankles. Or whatever their lower leg join is called. These things are COlossal
[16:34] <Kilarra> She utterly fails to land a blow on anything solid.
[16:37] * Aluthyra aims her bow towards the middle spider, launching her barrage of arrows.
[16:41] <Kilarra> The spider hisses and spits as it's peppered with arrows, but the sheer bulk of the creature lets it take a lot of punishment.
[16:42] <Kilarra> The spider towering over Kahree attempt to trample her into submission to make an easier meal.
[16:45] <Kilarra> Kahree is far more nimble than the towering spider, and although its legs are massive, she skirts them like a pro.
[16:46] <Kilarra> The spider to the party's left points its abdomen at them and sprays a sticky, poison coated webbing at them
[16:49] <Kilarra> Aluthyra is able to avoid getting caught in a web, but Kjell and Kilarra are coated with the sticky, poisonous threads.
[16:50] <Kilarra> Thankfully, they both manage to avoid contact with the poison for now, but the web is still covered in it.
[16:52] <Kilarra> The third spider, spying a fly that didn't get caught in its web, stampedes at Aluthyra and attempts to snatch her up in its massive maw.
[16:56] <Kilarra> The spider manages to sink its fangs deep into Aluthyra's shoulder, and even though she's able to keep the poison out of her system, the thing damn near bit clean through her.
[16:57] * Aluthyra grunts in pain, trying to contain her yell.
[17:00] * Kilarra immediately casts her gaze upon the spide sinking its fangs into Aluthyra. She wasn't sure she could reach the Aasimar entangled as she was, but her magic could reach the damned bug. "In Calistria's name, I strike thee down!" She casts a spell of destruction.
[17:02] <Kilarra> The already Wounded Spider's injuries are seared with divine flames, but the creature is simply too tough to be brought down instantly.
[17:02] * Kilarra calls to Aluthyra, "Hang in there!" She looks to Kjell, "Get rid of these webs! Now!"
[17:06] <Kilarra> Kjell nods and raises his spell arm This was gonna hurt himself, but Kilarra was close enough to heal him even if it did. He carefull aims a fireball to strike between himself and the web spewing spider.
[17:09] <Kilarra> The fireball explodes between Kjell and the spider. Careful aiming and a bit of luck spare Kjell the better part of the harm, but the spider takes it right in the face
[17:09] <Kilarra> the flames spread along the webs, incinerating them
[17:11] * Kilarra shrugs off the bit of flame that licks her, thanks to her abyssal heritage
[17:13] <@Aluthyra> Kahree growls, attempting to bash in the underbelly of the spider.
[17:24] <Kilarra> Kahree manages to hit the spider all four times, but it's so large that hiting anything vital proves daunting.
[17:25] * Aluthyra contains her pain and lashes out at the offending spider, firing an array of six arrows.
[17:27] <Kilarra> With its face right up close, Aluthyra has no trouble filling the head of the enormous spider with arrows. It's nadibles go slack as it topples over with an echoing thud. It leaves Aluthyra with gaping wounds though, nearly clean through her shoulder and torso.
[17:28] <Kilarra> The spider atop Kahree attempts to trample her once more and stop that irritating pounding on its underbelley
[17:30] <Kilarra> Kahree again proves far too limber to be easily stepped on
[17:31] <Kilarra> The Colossal spider responsible for the webs does not want to do that again, lest it get burned again, and insteads to go for what looks like greatly weakened prey, and possibly a meal to make the effort worthwhile with the other spider no longer on her. It lunges at Aluthyra
[17:35] <Kilarra> The spider finds it a lot more difficult to sink its fangs into Aluthyra than its companion made it seem, its mandibles scraping against her hardened skin.
[17:36] * Kilarra sees that Kahree is having at least a seemingly easy time avoiding the spider atop her, but Aluthyra is too badly hurt to ignore. She strides over to her and places her hands on her.
[17:37] * Aluthyra smiles, giving Kilarra an appreciative nod as her wound begins to close.
[17:38] * Kilarra looks relieved as the wounds being to close. "Don't scare me like that," she pants.
[17:40] * Aluthyra shakes her head, amused. "I was not aware it was my choice."
[17:44] <Kilarra> Kjell smirks at Aluthyra's wellbeing, then takes advantage of the Spider's new position. He moves a little ways around the one attacking Aluthyra to line up with the other (Which wasn't difficult, considering how big they were) and unleashes a Lightning Bolt. He figures this wasn't  the time to be holding back, and channels as much power into the spell as he can
[17:45] <Kilarra> The lightning rips through both colossal spiders, causing them to hiss and twitch and flails, smoking a little out of their mouths as their insides are seared. And yet, they're still going. If barely
[17:49] <@Aluthyra> Kahree huffs. Stupid spiders! There is now something (on her list) worse than elves! She channels this anger into another flurry of hits from her mace.
[17:51] <Kilarra> Kahree manages another couple blows, but the spider is annoyingly tough.
[17:52] <Kilarra> The one next to Aluthyra and Kilarra is in better shape, but not so much better that another flurry of arrows wouldn't do the trick. Most likely
[17:52] <Kilarra> (Ignore that)
[17:53] * Aluthyra continues with her flurry of arrows, delivering another set to the closest spider.
[17:55] <Kilarra> Aluthyra manages to pound enough arrows into the same spot that one goes clean through its brain. The spider topples over, quite dead.
[17:56] <Kilarra> The final colossal spider, in spite of its size, decides that this prey is not worth the trouble, and attempts to flee back down its tunnel.
[17:57] <@Aluthyra> Oh no, Kahree growls, that spider will -not- escape! Kahree tries to hit one of its legs as it goes.
[17:57] <Kilarra> Kahree knocks the leg out from under the spider. It crashes into the wall, dislodging a large Stalactite that skewers it
[17:58] <Kilarra> Kjell nods firmly. "We should get moving again. I don't want to fight more of them when we have bigger, figuratively at least, things to deal with."
[17:59] * Kilarra looks to Kahree, "You're even more nimble than you look. That thing was right on top of you and you haven't got a scratch."
[17:59] * Kilarra checks Aluthyra's rather nasty wounds to see how much more healing she needed
[18:00] <@Aluthyra> Kahree smirks. "Damn right I am, but hurry up and heal her, then we'll go."
[18:01] * Kilarra nods and pulls out her wand again.
[18:02] <@Aluthyra> "Thank you," Aluthyra replies, then quickly looks over the corpses and area to collect her arrows.
[18:02] * Aluthyra nods after finding 12 arrows unbroken. "Ready."
[18:03] * Kilarra presses Aluthyra with the wand five times to finish closing the wounds. She frowns, looking through the equally gaping hole in Aluthyra's robes. "It just missed your heart. It's probably going to scar rather roughly."
[18:03] * Aluthyra shrugs. "We can worry about that later. For now, Kahree and Kjell are right; we need to move."
[18:05] * Kilarra nods, then chuckles, "If anything, it'll just make you more impressive to look at." She lights her Mace once more and motions for Kjell to lead again.
[18:05] <Kilarra> Kjell pulls the map back out and leads them on through the tunnel.
[18:07] <Kilarra> As they go deeper and deeper into the Darklands, a sense of general wrongness can be felt by most of the party. It doesn't affect them in any way, it just feels... wrong.
[18:09] <Kilarra> The wrongness becomes apparent when the party finally emerges from the tunnel in a massive, wide, and high-ceilinged chasm that almost seems large enough to be a nation unto itself.
[18:09] <@Aluthyra> Kahree shivers, falling back as she returns to the shadows; silent, but still following the group.
[18:11] <Kilarra> The ground seems to angle gently downwards towards a central point in the daunting cavern. The pale light of Kilarra's illuminated mace does not allow them to see far enough to see that center, but what they can see is the small rivulets of black liquid that seep from the very walls of the enormous chasm
[18:12] <Kilarra> This black substance is not water, and seems to flow with the consistency of blood. The air around these trickles is colder, and the rivulets trickle down in many places, eventually joining into larger streams and rivers, all flowing towards that central part of the cavern
[18:13] * Kilarra grimaces, "What the hell is that stuff?"
[18:14] * Aluthyra frowns. "Considering this is the 'Land of Black Blood'... though I am not sure what black blood would entail."
[18:14] <Kilarra> Kjell takes a quick look at the back of the map, which contains a few notes. "Apparently, it's what this place is named for. It's called the Black Blood, and whoever made this map has no idea what exactly it is. However, he advises, and frankly this seems obvious, to avoid contact."
[18:15] <Kilarra> Kjell turns the map back over. "We need to head east for a bit," he gestures to a hilly area just barely visible to their left. "Nestled on the far side of those 'Inverted mountains' is a grove of statues, at the center of which lies the Shrine of Bound Earth."
[18:17] <@Aluthyra> Kahree peeks out from the shadows. "And that's where the Genie is, right?"
[18:18] * Kilarra nods, "According to Telandia and her source of information on this place. Whoever managed to get in and out of here on their own must have been insanely crafty."
[18:20] <Kilarra> Kjell checks the map one last time before slipping it away. "He did have help from this Haiten Bhaq, as we should if we want to have any chance of being timely in this undertaking. It already took us fifteen hours to get here."
[18:20] * Kilarra looks around for Kahree (who is hard to spot). "You have that gemstone to offer her, right Kahree?"
[18:22] <@Aluthyra> Kahree nods, though Kilarra might not be able to see that. "Yeah, I do."
[18:22] <Kilarra> Kjell nods, "Good, then we have a plan. Hopefully she still resides at the shrine; this map isn't dated, and Elves don't exactly have the best sense of time." He begins to lead on once more
[18:23] <Kilarra> After about another hour on foot, the party finds themselves on the far side of the Inverted Mountains, approaching the shrine. The shrine itself is comfortably nestled at the base of the hills.
[18:24] <Kilarra> A wide building of lighter stone rises from the dark stone here. A grove of statues stands before the building, each form contorted and with some of their features unfinished or broken off. A pathway leads through these statues to a large set of doors inthe building’s facade.
[18:25] * Kilarra is a bit unnerved by the faceless statues. Were they enemies of the genie, or simply a strange hobby? She checks one curiously.
[18:25] * Kilarra steps back, looking only slightly relieved. "It seems these were simply shaped from the ground here, rather than being transmuted living things."
[18:26] <Kilarra> Kjell nods, "An... interesting decor. Still, we would do well not to insult the tastes of one we would ally with, and who might be our only source of respite down here."
[18:28] <@Aluthyra> Kahree continues ahead of her companions, eager to see the genie.
[18:28] * Kilarra looks to Kahree. He doesn't say anything about how he knew about her circumstances, but... "You come from the line of a different kind of Genie. Is there anything you can tell us before we enter?"
[18:29] <@Aluthyra> Kahree shakes her head. "I haven't met a genie that--" She frowns, pausing. "If she's like the oread, just that she's most likely solemn and calm... not much else."
[18:30] <Kilarra> Kjell nods, "Thank you. Anything that might give us better footing in soliciting her aid is good to have going for us."
[18:31] <Kilarra> Kjell Steps up with Kahree and pushes to doors open...
[18:32] <Kilarra> The walls of the entrance hallway open outward, suggesting a much wider space within the main shrine. Blood stains the marble tile, and the bodies of two drow lie crumpled on the floor—one crushed as if by a great weight, the other slammed into the far right pillar and folded in half around it.
[18:32] * Kjell frowns, drawing his sword, "It seems we're not the only ones who thought to pay a visit to the shrine."
[18:33] * Kilarra hurries in behind the other two, hefting her mace, "Damnit."
[18:34] * Aluthyra follows, bow at the ready.
[18:35] <@Aluthyra> Kahree continues forward. "Hello?" she calls out, hoping to find the Genie.
[18:35] <Kilarra> -End Session-
[18:35] <Kilarra> Rewards: EL 14; 9600 Exp each