What? The World needs saving AGAIN? IC Thread 6

[Xihirli]

Magri'kaar had only been concerning himself with the destruction of the plant, but laughed at Sirthis. "If you are a simpleton, perhaps that would be the next step!" He said. "This is why we did not need your help."
Taash blinked into place. Like a ranger. "Why, what'swrong?" she asked quietly.
"The duergar will be taking this as an excuse to kill us now," Magri'kaar answered. "Rather than speaking to them, we must leave this city immediately!"
"But we were nice," Taash said meekly.
"Nice!" The hobgoblin laughed. "We are powerful, and they fear us! Nice has nothing to do with it!"

Leff pulled her eyes away from Eris with difficutly. "Sirthis, we can teleport out of here, right?"

[Valmark]

"Why don't we simply walk out? If anybody threatens us we beat them up"

---

"Wh- We will not kill the close-minded duergars we just saved!" Eris said.

---

"Fine. Yes, we can teleport out of here if we want to listen to the cowardly one- but uh..." Sirthis looked at Leflabah "It'll take several travels with Dimensional Door and Aklah, Briar and Peggy will have to fly away. Or do you want to teleport all the way to Baldur's Gate with the Circle? Or to whatever the desert city was called"

[Xihirli]

”Baldur’s Gate,” Leff answered. “And then I can take us to Calim and we can travel to Abeir through there. We’ll be close enough to consider accepting the help of Takadox, as well, if indeed we want to.”
“What’s in Baldur’s Gate?” Magri’kaar asked.
“Mind flayer Aboleth stuff.”
“That sounds weak.”
“Then it shouldn't be a problem for you,” Delilah said.

[Valmark]

Sirthis sighed, starting to make the Circle.
"Fine. Maggy, I'll count on you to guard the door. When the portal opens you all need to jump in immediately because it lasts only a few seconds"

---

Eris would have wanted to reprimand Sirthis, but to be fair... She was kinda disliking Magri's umpleasantness too, though she wasn't trying to purposefully provoke him. She put a hand on Taash's shoulder.
"That shot from before was awesome by the way"

[Xihirli]

Magri’kaar grimaced but attended to the door.
“Thank you. They teach you that b’fore you c’n be a Ranger.”

[Valmark]

ºAnd we've started getting under his skinº Sirthis thought to himself with a chuckle.

---

Eris blinked and thought of Jade. Then of Snake.
"Uh. That's cool" she said, looking confused for a second but not asking.

[Xihirli]

Leff motioned Magri’kaar back. ”It’s ready. Come on.” As the minute of casting ended.

[Valmark]

"Opening the PPLD now!" Sirthis said as the portal opened "Briar, with me!" and jumped through to Baldur's Gate, fully expecting a sudden ambush by duergars.

---

Eris picked up Leff in her arms and jumped into it.
"Aklah! Come!" she yelled motioning with her tail- it wasn't the first time the wyvern used it.

[Xihirli]

With a wild sprint, they found themselves back at customs in the travel district of Baldur’s Gate in the dead of night. They were soon approached by a member of the Watch. “We need your names and-”
”We’re just here to drop them off. Myself, my wife, my daughter, and he,” Leff nodded to Sirthis. ”Are happy to get out of your way and off to the Calim desert.” At a nod, Leff took out some chalk and started drawing a new circle.

[Valmark]

Sirthis hugged Delilah.
"I'll contact you with Sending or a Scry to double check it wasn't a trap when we come back from Abeir" he told her "Since I don't know what of my magic will work if any"

---

"I'm sure that with Titania's gift nobody will defeat them" and then she laughed.

[Xihirli]

Delilah roller her eyes and gave Sirthis a parting kiss. “I hope to see you and your wife again,” she said, and began keeping Magri’kaar from talking to the Watch.
”Ready!” Leff called, pointing to the circle of sparks.

[Valmark]

"Always welcome at the Fortress! Even Taash and Meggy!" Sirthis said before disappearing into the portal with Briar, Chocolate and Hoket.

---

"I'm... Actually happy we aren't adventuring with Magri" Eris whispered to Leff concerned before leading Aklah inside.

[Xihirli]

Leff nodded a silent agreement and followed.
And then the party was in a massive antechamber, in a sand-filled room filled with statues of animal-headed figures, worn by dust. It was an empty temple. ”Welcome to the Calim Empire.”

[Valmark]

"What the..." Sirthis looked around "This isn't what I expected"

---

"Neither did I, honestly. I'm guessing these are ruins of a temple?" Eris asked Leff "Do you know where to go from here?"

[Xihirli]

”No, but we’re at a landmark. Can you ask Aldora which way to Abeir?” Leff asked. She lifted a flame in her hand, lighting the temple.

[Valmark]

"I can try" Sirthis said Sending.

Spoiler: Aldora

Show

Morning. Leflabah says that this temple of the Calim Empire is a landmark. Can you point out the way to Abeir from here?

[Xihirli]

Spoiler: Aldora

Show

Give me an hour and then read me some of the carvings, and I can.

[Valmark]

"Says to give her an hour and then read her some carvings" Sirthis said.

---

"...yeah I trust the two of you can read the stuff without my help" Eris says taking the chance to get some rest after the fight together with Aklah.

Spoiler: Ooc

Show

Eris and Aklah will take a short rest to recover the various short rest stuff. Probably Sirthis too.

[Xihirli]

Leff chanted out Comprehend Languages and traced her hand along the glyphs. “It’s a mortuary temple of the first Empress of the Calim Empire, Gathentun,” Leff relayed, then sat next to Eris. “And there’s a lot of detailed history of how she received the mandate to rule from the gods, but that’s not important.”

[Valmark]

"Can you say it anyway since we gotta wait an hour?" Sirthis asked sitting down to rest up "I can't read it on my own, and I don't have that spell"

[Xihirli]

Leff shrugged.
“Well, the Calim Empire’s pantheon has been through several Overgods, but there’s nothing that clearly shows their gods are real. The most recent was their sky god, who blessed the Queen. Allegedly,” Leff said.
“We were never a fan of Calim.”

[Valmark]

"I bet, with the whole 'Oh look at me, a god said I'm beautiful'" Eris noted.

---

"I see" Sirthis carefully avoided to address that, waiting for the hour to go by before Sending.

Spoiler: Aldora

Show

Mortuary temple of the first empress of the Calim Empire, Gathentun. Would that be enough?

[Xihirli]

Spoiler: Aldora

Show

Ah, yes. You’ll want to move East by four miles and look for the obelisk.

[Valmark]

"Four miles East and look for the obelisk" Sirthis said, standing up and using his earring.

If you see Aldora can you thank her? I'm not exactly in the position to use a spell for it. Also, we killed an evil potted plant. I don't think that will make for a good song.

---

Eris stood, stretching.
"Alright, let's head out. Since Briar doesn't have a saddle she can't be rode for long, so can you make us horses Hoket and Leff?" she asked.

---

"That was a rather big oversight on my side"

[Xihirli]

Hoket and Leff got out their spellbooks and got to work. Aklah sniffed the air a few times and whined at Eris.

[Valmark]

Eris unsheated her greatsword.
"Tulgither?" she called "Carapax? Takadox? Literally anybody that should announce themselves before approaching?"

---

"I can't say that's reassuring" Sirthis said, sending an invisible Chocolate outside to check what Aklah sniffed.

[Xihirli]

Chocolate saw that the younger blue dragon was approaching. Carapar, yes.

[Valmark]

Chocolate came back, Sirthis thought he was a goner but Chocolate came back, he just couldn't stay away.

Spoiler: Ooc

Show

Quote!

"It's Takadox's son" Sirthis said.
"Alright" Eris sheated her weapon, petting Aklah to soothe her while waiting for Carapax to presumably visit them.

[Xihirli]

Carapar crashed through the wall, landing on the temple floor with a crash of stones. Aklah growled, and the dragon growled back.

[Valmark]

"...there is a door!" Eris exclaimed holding Aklah back and calming her down.
"To what do we owe this meeting? And hi Carapax"