IC Knee Deep III

[Zman]

As the last Orc falls, Miriam, Mithril, Natalia, and Valen stand over the lifeless body of Henry, the young man they few a few short weeks ago that felt like a lifetime. The ground is covered in blood, their resources expended, and their friend dead.

Shiny makes his way back to the Giant dwarf as his massive axe takes the head from the final sleeping Orc. As the Gnome approaches, Kurt begins shrinking back to his normal surly size.

And now the uncanny adventures have to continue on as they prepare to leave the Orc caves....

Spoiler

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Just Kidding! No bonus XP.

[CoffeeIncluded]

It's even worse up close. So much blood...Who would have thought a person could hold so much. And the flow from his neck is only just starting to slow. As the adrenaline of the battle fades and the reality of the situation becomes clear, Natalia retches and has to clap a hand to her mouth and hold in the urge to vomit. She manages to do so, but the movement brings terrible pain to her side and she looks down to see a deep cut down her waist. Turning around, she sees another orc with that same falchion, his legs nearly hacked off and his skull half crushed-in.

They'd told him, they'd warned him, just a day ago she'd glared at him as he flirted with Mithril and considered confronting him about it and now...

"Heh. One choice...One path, prune other branches...Don't see them cut, say you can go back later, do it all later..." She drops her eyes and voice low and soft. "But then he died...Hadn't had chance to...Do any of it yet."

[Admiral]

Shiny sprints over to the dwarf, now shrinking back to his usual size having just chopped off the head of the third sleeping orc. "What happened there?"

Shiny pauses for a moment, and then returns to his usual smile. "Our party is safe," he observes noncommittally.

"I didn't know you could run so fast," Kurt observes, still clearly concerned both about any threats that could come up the tunnel and about the screams of his allies.

"I learned how only recently," says Shiny. "It's part of a new athletic paradigm I've adopted. Indeed, that reminds me-"

Shiny puts his hand on Kurt's shoulder and closes his eyes. "Kord, god of athletics, it is Shiny Brawlbeater, sprinter and weightlifter. Let your strength heal this courageous warrior."

Spoiler

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Shiny's not up for breaking the news, so he's letting someone else do it.

Shiny will spend at least three rounds trying to heal Kurt, even if something comes up the tunnel (makes sense to heal the blocker). In total Shiny thus spent one round running up the tunnel and then these three rounds of healing. Here are those three rolls for convenience:

UMD: (1d20+10)[18] Healing: (1d8+1)[6]
UMD: (1d20+10)[13] Healing: (1d8+1)[9]
UMD: (1d20+10)[16] Healing: (1d8+1)[3]

All three of Shiny's attempts at healing fail, and again Shiny looks up at the ceiling. "Last time I pray to you! Overgrown musclegod..."

[Athedia]

Mithril collapsed into the bloody mess. Carefully she reached for Henry's head shutting his accusing eyes. "I am sorry, but you wouldn't listen. We warned you, we have been warning you since we met..." With that she started crying, bloodstained hands covering her face. Whiskers crawled out nudging the hands away and just rested against her.

[CoffeeIncluded]

Still bleeding, with so many peoples' blood on her, something in Natalia quietly, finally, breaks. She slides to the ground beside Mithril, pulls the wizard into her embrace, and breaks down sobbing as well.

[Zman]

Valen watches the scene as the two young women break, his face unmoving. Only a slight twitch of his eye would give away his discomfort and unease.

Eventually, he simple turns away and moves to join Kirt and Shiny watching the hallway. As Miriam's divine magics wear off he his steps become heavier, the weight of the day evident.

[CoffeeIncluded]

At some point Natalia, barely holding herself together, tries to move them both to the side of the room, away from the blood where the stench is more tolerable and the red doesn't seep into their clothes to clot and rust. She's still shaking as the two girls hold each other up, finally unable to take any more of the past couple days.

[Zman]

Valen looks back, "We shouldn't stay long."

[Athedia]

Mithril held on to Natalia, needing the lifeline in the desolate caves. "Can we bring Henr...his body? I know a priestess who may be willing to help us."

[Cavelcade]

Kurt glances back at Shiny as he shrinks back to his normal size, pausing to listen closely at the tunnel mouth Shiny reaches him. He can't help but laugh at the gnome's quip, but he has to wonder too about just what's going on - what kind of a priest is he, to mock a god and then move on?

Spoiler

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(1d20)[18] Listen for enemies

(1d20)[19] Spot the wand?
(1d20)[4] Sense Motive

[CoffeeIncluded]

Natalia stares at Mithril for a moment before laughing a little as she pulls her up. "Brilliant! Boccob's debt, paid in life!"

[achinca]

The fury of the battle subsides and Miriam stands there, looking at the headless body of Young Henry. The fatigue, the despair of Henry's death, her own fake past, all converge in her head at the same time. She bites her lips and swears to herself "I will not cry".

Her eyes slowly moves toward Henry's head and the memories rush back "The young farmer pretending to be so tough in that tavern and ending up soiling his pants on the boat, the flirty cocky young man who had an eye on Mithril and the ranger who made fun of all the noise she made in her armor. And now a dead man."

The tears start flowing and finally Miriam breaks down. She hits the ground with her staff "You fool! You would not listen! I told you that you were nothing more than and a farmer and it was a wonderful thing to be. But NOOOO! You thought you were an "adventurer". You wanted the thrill of the action. How does it feels now?"

She kneels and grabs the head, crying loud "Why, why, why didn;t you listen? Your mother has a lost a son. You died tied to a rock in a cave in a cruel execution. You died without glory, without meaning. You should have been at your farm, cultivating the field, raising the livestock and being chased by all the farm maiden around you."

She is now sobbing. "But no. What is the lure of gold? riches? Magic? Was it greed that made you abandon your mother to try to be a hero? For what? To die in a cave alone and chained? Ruins and caves are full of people like you. You never listened you never learned. And now you are dead. I tried to save you with my words. I tried to save you with my magic. And I failed twice. So now I will try to save you with my faith."

Her tears dry as she put the head on the ground and caress the bloody hair "I did not know what god your worshiped but I hope he or she was watching. St. Cuthbert, Henry died trying to bring order and justice to this land. Please help his soul access what ever plane his god lives on. He might have been a fool but he was an heroic fool. His soul deserves to rest near his god."

She stands up and stays solemn, praying silently. When Mithril mentions trading his resuscitation for the book of Boccob, Miriam speaks again. "I do not believe it is wise. Death is part of the cycle. We did not try to raise Morton or any of the 9 men that died defending Linwood. We must accept death as part of life. In addition, I do not know how the Temple of Boccob works, but I know that if I were a high powered cleric, I would resent someone trading a holy book for a spell. If I remember correctly, they are the one who changed Whiskers. You owe them. The book is the minimum you can do."

After that she rubs and faces and looks at the rest of the group. "I am nearly drained of magic. We need to leave this place, as the sooner the better."

knows that she is totally drained of all major divine magic.

[CoffeeIncluded]

Natalia glares at Miriam before walking over to her, resisting the urge to smack her. Instead she shouts, "Why blame him for your choice, your regrets?! Not...Not like yours! No farms, not for all! Don't...Made your choice, made his, same but different, not identical! Can't lay on top, don't blame him...for you!"

She walks back to Mithril and says, "Her debt, her books, her choice. Why...deny second chance, now available? Because...You don't want...yourself?"

When Miriam talks about trading a book for a spell, Natalia shakes her head. "Valuable, powerful, great debt owed...by finding it. Can get the spell faster...But Henry's life, Henry's price. He...should pay, in gold or work or bow."

[achinca]

Miriam stays calm and collected as Natalia yells at her. A perceptive person might detect a little irritated tone of voice "Listen, Little One, some people are made for adventure and some people are made to farm. Farming is a very honorable thing. Do you think you could eat your gold and your magical weapons? Without farmers, kings would starve and kingdom would perish. Henry was a farm boy who had no respect for his father's dedication. He wanted fame or fortune although he was build to be a farmer. I did not choose to leave the farm, I was given up and St. Cuthbert found me."

Suddenly her tone of voice get higher "So don't you go telling me about my CHOICES! I DID NOT BLAME HIM FOR ME. I DID ...."

She takes a breather and her voice become cool again "not try to save him once, or twice but three times. It is probably more than you can say."

She turns around visibly angry but closes her eyes and pray. When Natalia interferes again about the resuscitation trade, Miriam speaks "I would not comment on the gods if I were you. This will be resolve by Mithril and the clerics of Boccob. And unless you want to spend more time trying to find his equipment, I am not sure how you will pay for his life. His soul is in a good place. Let it be."

Finally she gestures Kurt to lead the way "Show us the way out Sir Kurt. I believe we need to get out of here before too long."

Finally she gives a final warning "May be this is a reminder that we are nothing but mere mortals. Shiny Storyteller has been making fun of the gods since he got his hand on the wand. May be we should show more respect to the ones who heal us and welcome our souls when we die.'

[CoffeeIncluded]

"Exactly!" Natalia shouts, her frustration and grief much more obvious than Miriam's. "Second chance, would you go back? Not everyone would! Not everyone should! Baker's girl, say I should go back, make the bread?!"

[Zman]

Valen stands like a statue, listening, "If they caught him,it was because he attempted to lead them away from us, he could have made it Linwood has he so chose to...but HE decided to try and save us....and he may have succeeded. But, it was his risk to take."

Valen leaves to find Shiny and Kurt, growing uncomfortable and sick of weeping women...

[Athedia]

Mithril struggled to her feet. She walked over to Miriam and pulled her up."He was a boy, but that is why he did that. If I wasn't such a stupid girl I would have told him to head straight for Linwood and he would have listened. His death is on my shoulders. Boccob's book was going to the Priestess from the start, there is another book. If I can't do something now, I will carry my debt to him the rest of my life. If... no when he is alive again I will discuss the terms of repayment with him." She looked at the body.

I can't take the whole body her face cringed in horror at what she was doing as she picked up Henry's head and cradled it in her arms. The blood had stopped flowing, but she couldn't fit in her pack. "As you said, it is my decision."

[CoffeeIncluded]

"Not stupid," Natalia admonishes. "Carry blame, but not alone. His fault, ours too. Not just you."

She looks through her backpack. One of the sacks of gold that she took off an ogre is rather large and his head might fit. She pours the gold into another bag and then gingerly hands the empty sack to Mithril, trying not to cringe too much.

[achinca]

Miriam does not reply to Natalia's last comeback.

"She just does not get it. She is a young foolish pup. You cannot reason with her" she says to herself.

When Mithril indicates her course of action, she shakes her head but says "You are correct. It is your decision. Even if it is not a wise one."

She moves towards Valen, Kurt and Shiny and turns her back to the situation.

[CoffeeIncluded]

Natalia shakes her head at Miriam's silence. She won't stop blaming herself for other peoples' wrongs. She doesn't see that other people can have different thoughts and desires and ideas and she keeps trying to make other people live her idea of a good life. She puts her regrets on other peoples' shoulders when they deny a chance she wishes she had. I understand that last part, but...

Natalia helps out Mithril. She can't tell whose blood is whose anymore.

"Will it...wash off?" Natalia asks the wizard quietly. She already knows the answer.

[CoffeeIncluded]

When the finish, and Mithril and Natalia are the only ones in the room, Natalia looks to Henry's headless body. She shudders, then sighs. "Even if...Making a new body, leave this to rot, still..." She pulls what's left of Henry up from his supine position on the dirt, then lies him on his back in the back of the cave, folding his hands over each other. They're still limp, but too limp, and too pale, and getting cooler by the moment. She also checks his body, to see if she can get any hints as to how long he'd been in the room, if the orcs stripped him of all his possessions, if he'd been tortured.

Spoiler

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I think we should get going now.

[Athedia]

Mithril put Henry's head inside the sack and carried it in the crook of her arm. She pulled the two torches out of her bag and laid them by Henry's body. "To light your way until we find you." Then embarrassed she held out the spent magic rod they had found. "Natalia, we need to move fast and I can just fit his..him in her if you..." Her eyes begged the rogue to hold on to the rod for her.

Spoiler

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I looked at what we are carrying, if Mithril drops the two non-magic torches and Natalia carries a rod we are still under light load even with Mithril carrying the head.

[CoffeeIncluded]

"Of course," Natalia says, taking the rod and sliding it between her two belts. She bows her head at Mithril's gesture, then lays a hand on her shoulder. "Leave...Rescue us too. Back to Linwood, then Hulburg?" Focusing on the task at hand, knowing that they'll get Henry back, these things help keep the bad thoughts at bay.

[Athedia]

Mithril walked back to the others with Natalia, "Which way out Kurt?" She didn't want to tell the others but the fear that had started since they had entered the caves was growing. They would end up dead here, with no-one remembering where they had come from. She had already cheated death twice, once with Whiskers and another time with the Choker, and now here she was hoping to do so again. How long before the due was collected?

[CoffeeIncluded]

Noticing Mithril's new fear but not entirely sure of its cause, Natalia looks up at her and tries to comfort her, "Kurt's compass finds the sky. Then we find Linwood again. Alive, and so will Henry."

[Cavelcade]

Kurt had been resting his axe on the ground, leaning heavily on the haft and looking down at the ground in silence, having become absorbed in his own thoughts.

At Miriam's request he looks up and nods, lifting his axe and striding on again, this time with no encouraging words. He just wants to get out of there now.

[Zman]

As they depart from Henry's tomb, the round the final bend, just south of that room. As the tunnel gradually slopes and widens faint sunlight can be seen in the distance...

Spoiler

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Henry had none of his possessions on him or in the room.

[CoffeeIncluded]

A genuine smile creeps onto Natalia's face as she tugs on Mithril's arm and points at the mouth of the cave. She wants to run but her caution prevails.

[achinca]

Miriam's spirit is a little lifted as she sees light. "Thank you for leading us to safety Sir Kurt"

As the group runs, she thinks about her bloodied clothes. "I need to get a robe or something similar we we are in Linwood. This won't do. And I definitively need to ask St. Cuthbert for the mending spell."

[Cavelcade]

He shakes his head a little at that. "Don't speak so soon, Miriam. There is a long way to go before we can be safe."