Session 28: Maternity Claws

The party rests, continues to travel down the marble hallway before coming across a barricade. Cautiously moving past it, they find some eggs in an old Stormreach ship; one hatches and bonds with Fork, who takes up a more motherly appearance for the creature, before moving on.

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A Needed Reprieve

Ragged and worn, but reunited, the party makes camp. Comfortable that they were likely too far away for their quori enemy to track them; Septimus took watch while the others rested. Their rest uninterrupted, the party quickly continued on down the carved marble tunnel they had rested in. Kerani and Tilly chatted at length about what had happened to both groups since they were separated, while Fork scouted ahead in the dark.   After a few hours of travel, the floor of the passage started to show clutter; debris, shells, pearls, and other flotsam and jetsam. A constructed barrier lied just beyond; made of driftwood and other deliberately placed components. The party investigated this barrier, and could hear snarling from beyond. Tilly, having found a weaker section, and subsequent gap, made herself invisible and investigated ahead of the others.  

An Unexpected Addition

Within the room, Tilly noted the sound of a musicbox, as well as what appeared to be a shipwreck, covered in rubble and debris. The sound of snarling appeared to be coming from the wall itself. Tilly reported what she saw back to Fork, before diving into the tunnel leading out of the room. She spots large cloven hoofprints, but after a few minutes, turned back to regroup with the party.   Meanwhile the others grew impatient, and Brian and Septimus broke down the weak section of the barricade, allowing the rest of the party to investigate the room. Keeping with his role of scouting ahead in the dark, Fork made his way towards the sound of the musicbox. Along the way, he found a sporadic collection of money, pearls, and gems along the floor, as well as cloth suggesting that the ship had once come from Stormreach. Towards the corner of the deck was a strange mound of seaweed and other detritus, emanating a warmth that made "Wary" Fork extra wary. He called to the others to join him before using his unseen servant to probe the mound. His concerns abated, Fork pulls back the seaweed to reveal a trio of large brown eggs.   Fork was unsure what to make of them, and asked Kerani of her opinion, while Therrik moved in for a closer look. At this point, one of the eggs begins to crack, and a small furred leg kicks out from the side. It has brown fur, hooved feet and yet claws, and what appears to be bronze scales in other areas. Fork and Therrik assist the creature in freeing itself, while the others try to identify what the creature is. It appeared to be some sort of hybrid between a horse and a dragon, and indeed, the creature seems to spit sparks of a sort when Fork shows it lights with Prestidigitation. It gravitated towards Fork, who in a mild panic beseeched help from the others. Tilly fed the creature some candy and dog treats, which it seemed to like.  

A New Face

Perhaps subconsciously falling back on his own understanding of motherhood, Fork shapeshifted into a small, Half Elf woman; one that they had only briefly demonstrated to the party before, identifying herself as Fyl, her mother's daughter. She drew a lyre from her pack, and attempted to recreate the musicbox music; to mixed results, and Bulgey's amusement. Tilly assists with her magic, correcting for the out of tune notes. Fyl acknowledged that she was never very good, and is at least a few years out of practice. While the small creature slowly sorted out how to walk over to Fyl, she explained that she is still, and always is, Fork; but that like a facial expression, her forms reflect emotional states, should she let them control her form. The human man that they had been travelling with, is the form of caution and wariness, while this one, she described, could be ascribed to serenity. She commented that one her forms, which she briefly shifts into, a light purple skinned tiefling woman, would likely be Tilly's favorite, as her mother once described her as "the devil on your shoulder", and was mischievous.   With the party growing antsy, and the small creature now capable of walking, Fork returned to the Fyl form, and the party decides to continue forward. Fyl (more accurately, Tilly ) continues to play the musicbox song, in hope to keep the creature content, should they encounter its missing parent.