[NEXUS] The Weald III

[ThirdEmperor]

Weald- Outer Rim

"A wizard is not to use magic for frivolous things." The Wizard declares, attempting to affect the somber tone of his teachers back at the college. This is true, although, it would be equally accurate to simply say he doesn't know how to cast such a spell.

"But, these shoes? Where did you find them? Are they common on... on your world?"

[Surtr]

[Path to Ruins]

"It's a trap. Anyone remember to bring a long poking stick?" Reinholdt asks, not moving yet. He could use one of the staffs Erin's likes to give him frequently to poke it he supposes.

Since poking is the only viable option in such a circumstance.

"Uh, here use this." Alistair takes a ten-foot pole out of his bag of holding and hands it to Reinholdt. Tamashi and Alistair will stand behind him.

Weald- Outer Rim

"A wizard is not to use magic for frivolous things." The Wizard declares, attempting to affect the somber tone of his teachers back at the college. This is true, although, it would be equally accurate to simply say he doesn't know how to cast such a spell.

"But, these shoes? Where did you find them? Are they common on... on your world?"

"That so? The-"
The ground starts to rumble cutting off Narve's words. Th epicenter seems to be coming from behind them and is moving closer.

[ThirdEmperor]

Weald- Outer Rim

"Run!" Trying to sieze Narve by the shoulder, the Wizard will start into a dead run and pull the boy along if able, away from the earth-shaking rumble that seems to be chasing after them.

Seeing as he's dealt with every foe so far in the same way, by running or hiding or both, one might by now think the Wizard cowardly. But, although he is indeed more than a little afraid to face something that can make the very earth tremor so, what would he have to gain by staying to fight?

[Reinholdt]

[Path to Ruins]

Hmmm... they're learning. Too fast.
Ah well, what can you do? Reinholdt takes the pole and grips it at one end. He finds it unusually easy to handle despite this and tries gently poking the rock. Poke poke.

[Weald - Pixie Camp]

"Have you not considered retiring someplace safer?" Nadas inquires.

[Surtr]

[Weald: Outer Rim]

"I am!" Narve runs as well instead of teleporting. He won't leave the wizard like that! The chase continue until they reach a wall. This is the same wall that the wizard crossed on the way to Herb Haven. No vines to climb up to, the wall isn't good for climbing either. Narve could teleport himself but he won't. "I think we're at the end of our road. Time to clash." Unless the wizard has a spell to get them out of there.

As for why he would fight, why not? EXP and loot, well loot anyway. EXP is non existent here.


[Path to Ruins]

As soon as he pokes it, a monster launches itself from the ground and gives a deafening roar. Tamashi is unaffected but Alistair is, he is a bit dizzy and can't act for a bit.

Spoiler

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[Gullara]

[Weald - Pixie Camp]

"Hah! Safer? What kind of Bloodfang would I be if I went cowering off somewhere safer? Not one that I'd want to associate with, I can tell you that much." The pixie says.

[Earl of Purple]

Clearing

Resting upon a stump in the centre of a clearing, easily accessible both by travellers going deeper and those coming out, is a large book. It's bound in black leather, and doesn't have a title or author visible either on its cover or upon its spine. Likely such information is contained upon the book's front page.

Also in the clearing is a small pond, a fallen tree and a lone pillar of basalt, covered in slightly worn carvings of plants and animals. Resting atop the pillar is a humanoid skull with three eye sockets, small spikes on the cheekbones and an impressive collection of fangs.

[Reinholdt]

[Path to Ruins]

"What is... I don't even... is that a dinosaur rock?" Reinholdt's having trouble figuring out just what that thing is supposed to be. For a dinosaur rock, it sure seems to have a sensitive head.

Reinholdt tries throwing the pole off to one side to see if the movement of the stick will catch its attention. Might even get Dinosaur Rock to play fetch.

[Weald-Pixie Camp]

"So you've never taken a vacation or seen the world outside the Weald?"

[Gullara]

[Weald - Pixie Camp]

"I've been out and about more than a few times in my life. Doesn't mean I don't want to come home again after." The old pixie says. He's not much for changing his ways it seems.

[ThirdEmperor]

Weald- Outer Rim

Well, the Wizard can hardly be blamed then. In his universe there are no such abstract laws as 'experience points' nor does treasure simply pop out of thin air to mark a victory; There, fighting is a bloody, chaotic and dangerous affair, like as not to end with both combatants dead, with a lack of decent medicine making injury twice-over dangerous by the risk of infection.

But it seems there'll be no avoiding it now. The Wizard gives the rock face a single, dubious glance, wondering if there's some way it could be scaled, before rightfully abandoning the notion as foolish and turning to take arms alongside his newfound comrade.

"Sword." With this word and a more silent invocation of the power trapped within his amulet, the Wizard calls forth a sword made of golden light, willing it into a form somewhat like a cutlass.

[Reinholdt]

[Weald - Pixie Camp]

"Right. Well I'll extract myself and leave you to it then. Excuse me." Nadas goes to return to his seat with the world's best fruit and other fruits and veggies. Cause I just now decided Nadas is a vegetarian.

[Gullara]

[Weald - Pixie Camp]

The pixie gives Nadas a nod before turning to bellow at the young pixies some more. Soon enough they'll have the roasted stag off the fire and laid out for people to cut into. The pixies swarm like insects over it, tearing off chunks of meat before zipping off to return to what they were doing.

Looks like the Chieftess isn't there when Nadas returns. He won't be sitting along long before she returns, however. Accompanying her is a young man with orange and black patterned wings. Nadas may remember him from the orc slaughter earlier. "Good news, Nadas. Troy here is going to take you to see our resident grig about your troubles after the feast."

"Hey. She'd talk to you now, but she wasn't feeling well enough to get out and about." He says with a friendly smile.

[Reinholdt]

[Weald - Pixie Camp]

"Oh? What ails her?" Nadas inquires.
Probably just doesn't want to hang around with all the crazy pixies.

[Gullara]

[Weald - Pixie Camp]

"She's been on and off sick to the stomach for months now. She was throwing up this morning, but she'll be fine to see you. She just didn't have the energy to be up and about." Troy explains.

[Reinholdt]

[Weald - Pixie Camp]

"Did she have a sudden change in diet recently?"
Several months seems a lot for morning sickness, the first probability. Beyond that, Nadas won't be able to offer help. Oh well.

[Gullara]

[Weald - Pixie Camp]

Troy shakes his head. "Nope. She's pregnant and apparently that makes her sick. Weird, huh?" Evidently pixies have fairly easy pregnancies. That or this guy is just ignorant of the details.

[Reinholdt]

[Weald - Pixie Camp]

"For months on end? How long are grig/pixie pregnancies usually?" Nadas had thought morning sickness only lasted the first trimester, but admittedly they might have an entire different system.

[Gullara]

[Weald - Pixie Camp]

"I don't know exactly. I think it's been about... four? And she said that when her sisters were born it took half this amount of time again. But I've never heard of another grig having a baby with a pixie before, so it might be different." Tribal pixies aren't the best time keepers, so Troy doesn't know much more than that.

Nadas clearly needs to do more research into pregnancy so he'd know that some woman can be effected by morning sickness throughout the full term.

[Reinholdt]

[Weald - Pixie Camp]

He'll just trust our resident expert and Obstetrician.

"Are you looking forward to grixies?"

[Gullara]

[Weald - Pixie Camp]



"Heh grixies. That's good." Troy mentally takes note of that. "I think it'll be great, even if it's a bit crazy. Apparently grigs normally have a lot of kids. Like, Mirabelle had ten sisters and four brothers. She never knew them well, but us pixies are a lot closer usually. She doesn't hunt like the other women do, though, so it'll be easier for us when I go out hunting. You'd be surprised how hard it's supposed to be to find babysitters during the really big hunts."

[Reinholdt]

[Weald - Pixie Camp]

"Are you the paternal figure in this particular breeding situation?" Nadas asks Troy.

[Gullara]

[Weald - Pixie Camp]

Troy blinks a couple times and glances at the Chieftess. She just nods in response. "Uh, yeah. I'm the dad. Me and Mirabelle have been together a while now. It's kind of a funny story." He chuckles. "I was actually flying nearby and ran smack dab right into her web. You sometimes hear stories about grigs that'll eat pixies. Kinda scared me a bit. But nah, she was sweet about the whole thing. One thing leads to another, and here I am gonna be father before you know it."

[Reinholdt]

[Weald - Pixie Camp]

He traded sex for his life. Not a situation entirely unfamiliar to Nadas, though he hadn't personally experienced it.

Of course, it probably isn't as bad as Nadas thinks it is, but he doesn't hold a particularly high opinion of grigs at the moment.

"Good luck."

[Gullara]

[Weald - Pixie Camp]

Nadas may have misinterpreted the situation just a bit, but oh well!

"Heh, thanks." Troy plops down on the ground and looks toward where all the food is. "Hey, have you tried the deer yet? I can't remember the last time we've had good venison." He glances at the drow's selection of food.

[Reinholdt]

[Weald - Pixie Camp]

"I prefer not to consume products originating from the Animalia kingdom." Nadas explains, nibbling on a fruit.

[ThirdEmperor]

Clearing

Resting upon a stump in the centre of a clearing, easily accessible both by travellers going deeper and those coming out, is a large book. It's bound in black leather, and doesn't have a title or author visible either on its cover or upon its spine. Likely such information is contained upon the book's front page.

Also in the clearing is a small pond, a fallen tree and a lone pillar of basalt, covered in slightly worn carvings of plants and animals. Resting atop the pillar is a humanoid skull with three eye sockets, small spikes on the cheekbones and an impressive collection of fangs.

Now along comes a traveller to this lonesome shrine, on his way back to civilization after a presumably harrowing finale to his medicine hunting expidition. Harrowing, but also profitable, in knowledge as much as coins. Now the Wizard knows at least where he might learn more of how he arrived in this place, via these grimoires his companion spoke of.

And lo and behold, here is a book, a tome, yes, even perhaps a grimoire! A volume that practically screams that magic is held within, promising secrets untold!

Yet, the Wizard isn't so foolish as to take this at face value. These woods had proven treacherous enough to caution him towards anything within. Who, he wonders, would leave a book lying upon a stump, so obviously meant to be found? And the pillar behind it, topped by a skull? Sinister omens by any measure.

So the Wizard does not set foot in the clearing itself. Yet. Instead, he places a hand upon the trinket of etheric gold hung around his neck and concentrates, letting his mind dive into the etheric plane. He searches for traps in waiting, foul magics or indeed any enchantments upon or within this place, so that at least he might now what manner of trouble he's walking into.

[Gullara]

[Weald - Pixie Camp]

*flails* I completely forgot about this. =x

Troy has to think a little about that. "Wait what? You don't eat meat? Why not?" He asks incredulously. There are few things he'd find more weird.

[Reinholdt]

[Weald - Pixie Camp]

"I find it disrespectful to the creature and consider it something akin to slightly less than murder to do so. I feel this goes especially so in the Nexus where many Animalia are secretly of higher intelligence." Nadas explains, eating a nut.

[Gullara]

[Weald - Pixie Camp]

Troy just gives him a funny look for a moment. "Er, I guess so. So you never had meat before?" The thought is so foreign to him.

[Reinholdt]

[Weald - Pixie Camp]

"Oh quite contrary. When I was a youth with far less choice over my dietary options I had some." Nadas explains.