Session 5: Pinky and the Cave
General Summary
Session nr.5 14/01/2022
Friday, 14 January 2022
19:40
Night has fallen on our heroes, and after they've had their meals Ruyi offers up to do the night watch. As all return to their tents except for Dust, who continues to meditate outside, Ruyi walks a little further into the woods and picks a tall tree to climb. At the top she gets a good overview of the surrounding area, and she takes this time to reflect on a few things. After a few hours go by, she eventually spots a short, cloaked figure far in the distance. It is staring up towards her direction, as if it is looking at her specifically. However before she can do anything else, she feels a knock on the tree from down below. It is Haarin, who wishes to have a word with her. Ruyi looks back, but the figure has disappeared. She attempts to climb down as naturally as possible, and lands next to him. He hands her a poorly made stuffed animal modelled after the creature she was feeding earlier. A gift from him to her. Ruyi is very happy, and gives Haarin a big hug, after which she ties the stuffed animal to her cloak.
She informs Haarin of the cloaked figure she spotted, and Haarin speculates it might be related to the figure mentioned by Clarence and the guards of Snowcake; the one that took away the mistress. He mentions how Dre was talking about a cloaked figure as well. Ruyi says she'll inform the rest the next morning, as Haarin takes the next night watch. She goes over to her tent, and tries to sleep. In her dreams however, she feels a sense that something or someone is trying to bind to her. She sinks into her dream. Opening her eyes, she sees a rocky outcrop over a very large drop in the background. The sky is crimson Red. On the end of the rock is a cage, rather large. Inside is a man, maybe 5'11. He looks like he's in his late 50's and wears a red waistcoat and long hair. He is currently drawing on the floor with what seems to be a piece of chalk, making magical symbols.
She approaches the man, who looks up and recognises her. He introduces himself as Jim , and has been trying to reach out to her. He'll keep it brief and asks if she's met a little Quasit guy named Quill. Jim says he is from Dhool , and that the Quill was teleported to her world from the underworld. He himself did the same but in reverse, and got captured by a large demonic man who wont give his name. He says for some reason he can get through to only her, no one else. Ruyi asks for more info, and Jim elaborates how he entered a cave, and fell into a rift. Jim says if she can help him, he can help her. He knows doctor Hasnar. He knows a great many healers and curers of conditions. Ruyi says she isnt seeking a cure for what ails her, and says he has the wrong Bloodworthe for that.
Ruyi instead mentions how she has been fascinated with the underworld, as her mother used to read her stories about it. Jim tells her he'll tell her what he knows if she can carry out his need. Jim draws on the floor with a stick. He explains that if she goes west from a place named Snowhill, there are ruins that contains something that can help him, some sort of device. Jim continues to say he can provide her with connections and knowledge. Ruyi continues that her mother was after all this, and Jim replies that he might be able to provide her with a ticket back to her. "One last thing!" Jim says, however at that very moment Ruyi wakes up. "He didnt just do that!" Ruyi says loudly, and from the next tent over Guy and Lucién tell her to shut the fuck up. She gets up and begins to write her experience down in her journal.
The next morning Ruyi shares her dream with the rest, and though most are aware of the Snowhill she speaks of, Lucién in particular states it doesn't concern them since they gain nothing from it. After Ruyi lures him in with speak of valuable artefacts that could be hidden in said ruins, he's suddenly on board. Yfirge and Dust still suspect she may have been tricked, considering a dream about a man from hell promising her riches if she releases him sounds quite suspicious. However Silvio says Ruyi will most likely not give up her attempts to convince them, so he'll just go along with it, as he takes a big gulp of coffee. Dust looks at the map, and notes that Snowhill is on the way, so they can pass by if needed. Ruyi gives him a hug as thanks, and she goes to her tent to get ready. Dust sits down and pulls out a thermos, which prompts Lucién and Guy to ask how he got such a device. Dust says he got it as a gift from helping others. Interested, Guy and Lucién make plans to develop and sell such items themselves. Ruyi finally gets ready and fixing up the tent. Lucien and her get into an argument again.
Silvio, who went into his tent earlier, now emerges again and is dressed exactly like how Ruyi described Jim in her dream. As they pack up and begin to walk towards Pyeerest, Ruyi compliments him Silvio on his outfit, however she begins to ramble on again, which makes Guy beg her to be quiet. Yfirge walks up to the Goldians and asks if her vision is one of their pranks. Guy says no, and Yfirge shares he as a bad feeling about it. Ruyi says they're being overly dramatic, and Guy points out a bird which temporarily distracts her. While she's looking away, guy runs forward. "Do you have a sixth sense or something for this?" Lucién asks Yfirge. The lizardfolk turns to him, and replies with "No, I have a brain". Ruyi catches up with the two and is about to ramble again, but Lucién points out another bird and Ruyi is distracted once more, allowing Lucién to run up to Guy and avoid her. She looks back forward and sees only Yfirge. "Apparently you don't" he says, and they continue walking.
While walking, they notice the ground underneath them rumbles. Ruyi notices first and grabs Lucién's arm to stop him from walking, and warns him. Lucién looks at her confused for a second, then removes his earplugs. Ruyi gets angry and scolds him, however Guy walks past both and turns around, saying "It's just the ground, what's the worst that can happen?" followed by everything around them caving in, sending them tumbling down into a darkened hole of icy walls and powdered snow. As they slide down, they are separated, falling into different holes.
Silvio lands on top of Haarin, and after recollecting themselves Silvio lights up a torch. They release the rest are nowhere to be seen, and decide the only way they can go is forward. Unfortunately Haarin's armour is making a loud clanking noise, making their presence difficult to hide. As they walk on, they come across a large opening in the cave where a group of Anrar have gathered. Silvio instructs Sigil to fly up to the top of the room and make a loud siren noise, which he does, distracting the Anrar succesfully. As they move on they reach a chasm, with two iced-over walls to the side. "Do you have any ideas?" Haarin asks the Dragonborn. "Best I can do is pray" he replies. Haarin then opens his bag and pulls out some climbing equipment, and using Haarin's pitons they make their way past, only for Silvio to lose his footing at the last moment. Haarin however had tied a rope on them, and is able to save Silvio's life. Together they move on, reaching a large icy lake. Seeing no other option, they decide the best course of action would be to swim across. Unfortunately Haarin's armour would weigh him down too much, and so he takes it off, leaving it behind. As they get halfway however, Silvio spots a shadow from underneath, and before he knows it Haarin is pulled under. Silvio alters himself so he's able to breathe under water, and by diving deeper, Silvio sees a shark-like monster chomping down onto Haarin's leg. Using his rifle, he is able to shoot the beast and fight it off long enough for it to let go. He grabs Haarin and drags him across the lake, pulling him onto the shore. The beast comes after them, but they are able to harm it to the point where it retreats. Silvio wraps Haarin's arm around him, and helps the man, now with a grievous wound in his leg, deeper into the tunnels.
Ruyi gets up from her fall, and looks around in the dark. She feels around and finds she is here with Guy. Guy however, of course can't see in the dark and immediately gets ready to punt whatever just grazed him. Ruyi uses her magic to create a light, and the first thing she sees is Guy just able to stop himself from breaking her nose. He asks why she didn't say anything, and Ruyi tells him he shouldn't be so aggressive right off the bat. Ruyi tells Guy she'll try to not talk a lot since Guy has shown his distain for that, but in telling him over and over how she'll be quiet she's contradicting herself. However eventually, snarls are heard up ahead. As they approach the sound, they too spot a group of Anrar. Ruyi turns to Guy and asks him to keep what she's about to do a secret from everyone. Guy agrees, and Ruyi effortlessly walks up a wall and onto the ceiling, while Guy sneaks by below. Once they reach the chasm, she repeats her move however this time she almost slips on the glazed-over ceiling, which leads Guy to chuckle at her. Looking down, Ruyi spots a group of bug-like creatures disguised as icicles. Hearing that they're bugs, Guy makes a leap and digs his claws into the wall, using them as pitons. They manage to make it past, and once they reach the lake they take a second to breathe. They speak of how they've been treating eachother, and Guy notes how she should speak with more force. Ruyi asks Guy if he can teach her how to "roast" others, and Guy happily agrees to do so once they make it out. Seeing no other option, Ruyi uses her strength to grab onto Guy princess-carry style, and walks across the walls, noticing the bug creatures from before are swimming around in the lake. Ruyi reassures Guy she won't drop him and smiles, which leads Guy to spot her pointed teeth. She begins another ramble, which literally makes Guy fall asleep in her arms. She reaches the other side safely, but chooses to carry Guy further along.
Yfirge and Lucién manage to land safely, though the dark makes it difficult for both to see. Yfirge pulls out a lantern, and Lucién lights it with his magic. Yfirge begins to slightly panic upon realising they're in a cave, and says they must get out as soon as possible and watch out for any noise. Lucién asks if Yfirge trusts him, and the lizardfolk says he does. Lucién places a hand on him and creates a mind link between them, giving them the ability to speak telepathically. They begin to move forward, eventually reaching the Anrar nest. Lucién magically creates a small metallic goblin. Yfirge then takes some meat he still had and rubs it's scent onto the metal, coating it. He throws the goblin towards one of the exits of the nest, causing the Anrars to run after it. Now distracted, the two manage to sneak by effectively. They compliment one another, and continue on towards the chasm. Pulling out pitons and a rope, they tie themselves to one another, and Yfirge leads the way crossing the icy walls. Despite losing his footing twice, they are successful in passing by, all while hearing a rumbling roar down below. Not wishing to find out what it is, they continue on towards the frozen lake. Yfirge notes he's a very capable swimmer, but won't be able to go super fast with Lucién on his back. Lucién gets an idea, and tells Yfirge to stand back. Using his sorcerer's magic, he creates one half of a large ball of ice inside of the water, functioning as a platform for them to stand on. Lucién gets on and Yfirge will push, but the lizardfolk asks Lucién to look out of anything comes after them. Not even halfway through the water, Lucién spots the shadow of a large eel approaching them. He pulls Yfirge on top of the platform, and they are now stranded in the middle of the lake. In a split second decision, Lucién tells his new plan to Yfirge. Yfirge agrees to it, and so Lucién fires another spell, this time a massive fireball explosion behind them. The blast creates a gale of heat along with a large wave of water, pushing them towards the other side, however it also melts away their platform. Landing in the water very close to the shore. With Lucién still tied to him, Yfirge swims onto land and pulls Lucién up just before the eel could get him. They untie themselves and once again compliment one another.
Dust makes his landing, and looks around. He is alone. Looking back up, he makes the conclusion the rest are probably unable to climb back up, and thus makes the decision to continue deeper into the cave, hoping that perhaps they lead to an exit. As he walks into the darkness, he feels a brush on his shoulder, as if someone walked past him. Looking closer, he indeed realises he is not alone in the dark. There in front of him stands the same hooded figure that he met all the way back in Snowcake who gave him the heated rock. However this time he can make out his face; he looks surprisingly like a normal everyday man. Dust glares at him, and asks what he wants. The man offers assistance in finding a way out, stating the place is dangerous. Dust says there must be more to it, and demands to know why the man is here. The man replies with "We... I am simply here to help", which agitates Dust even more. "What do you mean we?" he asks. "It's complicated..." the man replies. "Try me." Dust says. The man looks him up and down, then says "I need to learn more about you". They stare at eachother for a moment, until Dust resumes his step and continues into the cave, the man following him. Looking back, Dust sees the man does not leave footprints. After walking for some time, he turns around and tries to punch the man, however as he suspected, his fist goes through. He demands to be told who or what the man is once more, but the man repeats he needs to learn more about Dust before he can tell him. Reaching the Anrar nest, the man walks out in front of Dust, and says that he can ask him for any help, then walks to the middle of the Anrar pack. Dust takes some meat, and throws it in the middle. He manages to pass by well enough on his own, disregarding the man's offers.
He reaches the chasm, and looking down sees the mouth of a reptilian creature snapping rhythmically at him. He fashions himself a grappling hook made from what he still had in his bag, and makes a risky jump, swinging to the other side. He hits the wall with more force than anticipated and loses his grip, but quickly takes out a knife and stabs the ice, slowing his fall. He climbs the ice cold wall, and reaches the top. He turns around and sees the man killing the creature down below. The man then speaks again. "Joran needs to restore balance to this place, that is not natural." Dust ignores him and keeps walking, eventually reaching a frozen lake. Looking up, he sees a family of shriekers hanging from the ceiling. He breaks up some of his arrows and puts the dry wood into his water skin. He takes a swig of coffee, then begins to swim. A small Shrieker with a torn wing flies above him to check upon him. It is Chewy! "Do you need assistance?" the man asks, but Dust ignores him once again. Once he gets across, he places the dry wood on the ground and lights it to create a fire, warming himself. Chewy sits by him with the polar bear plushie in his mouth. The man speaks up again, sharing he has a request from one or two of us. If he meets Red again: "kill her if you must, but please try to hear her out first". Dust glares at him again. "If you'd stop being so fucking cryptic I'd help you out" Dust says. "I dont know enough." The man replies. "Tough shit then." Dust says, as his gaze returns to the fire. The man is silent for a moment. "Maybe I will kill you..." Dust hears him say, but as he looks towards the man, he has vanished. In his head he hears the voice of Demise, his blade. "Again, who were you talking to?" Dust explains he saw the man who has been following him since Snowcake. Demise thinks for a moment, then mentions something odd. "I remember Snowcake..."
Silvio and Haarin walk out into an open area of the cave, many more hallways leading into it, with one large one in front of them. To the side, they spot Ruyi rocking a sleeping Guy. She looks up and sees the other two, who look very confused as to why she's carrying a grown man. Ruyi acts like nothing is wierd about it at all, then asks Haarin if he's alright, noticing his leg wound. Haarin says he's had worse, and asks if Guy had gone unconscious due to something attacking them, however Ruyi says he simply fell asleep. Then Yfirge and Lucién come in, and the rest greet them. They are met with silence however, as Lucien takes a second to realise he is still using mind link with Yfirge. He isn't really speaking, when he spots guy in Ruyi's arms. Ending the mind link, he finally opens his mouth, saying "I knew something was up" and he forms a smirk. As they share what they had gone through, Dust appears from the final hallway. Yfirge tells them they need to hurry up and get out of these caves, and wakes guy up with a slap of his tail. As they walk, Dust explains how he saw a man thats been chasing him since Snowcake. They all try to guess what it was, but Dust notes he said he might be able to kill him, as he did kill the creature down below.
As they begin to move, they notice the area is becoming easier to see in. They eventually run into a most odd sight; A large metallic creature, guarding what seems to be a passageway towards two large doors decorated with large gears. They approach, and it begins to speak in primordial. Lucién is able to understand it, and after engaging in conversation learns the creature refers to itself as Subject 23. Working as a translator, Lucién learns that the being speaks Primordial as it was once its mother tongue. It tells the party it was once a fire genasi, but was turned into what it is now after agreeing to help Doctor Hasnar with his project. The being now guards this hallway, behind it an "exit" to the caverns. Those who wish to pass must have either vocal or written permission from the doctor to let anyone through. After Silvio inspects the creature, he notes that it is constructed rather oddly; there are no signs of organic life. Dust walks forward and asks the being what it considers "Doctor Hasnar". It gives a description and Lucién translates for them; "An old, short pudgy man." This of course, does not correlate with the Hasnar they met at The Laboratory. Dust draws a portrait from memory, and shows it to Subject 23. It does not recognise the drawing, and so they conclude it may be his son. Subject 23 asks what year it is. "1332" Dust replies. The being is silent for a moment, then slumps down. "23 years, it has been... At least the shadows are keeping me company". Lucién asks how it's feeling. "Tired. not physically, mentally". Lucién walks a few feet away, then turns to face the robot. "Do you consider us friends? Then let me do what a friend would do." and he begins to charge his magic. "Then at least remember my name, Crill Cinder". Silvio and Ruyi recognise the name as the one belonging to a female fire genasi who was once a prodigy at the Snowcake University long ago. As Lucién attempts to fire off his spell, the robot immediatly retorts with a laser blast through the hallway, striking all, followed by it slashing through everyone, downing Silvio and Haarin within seconds. Ruyi runs to Haarin's aid, as Yfirge runs to Silvio. The robot gives the party the choice to give in, and Lucién hesitates. However seeing the overwhelming power of the robot, he concedes. Dust however sees this as a chance to run towards the golden doors, but unfortunately Subject 23 is faster and cuts him off, advising him to turn back in primordial. Dust now too, concedes.
As Ruyi is holding Haarin's unconscious body, she is approached by two shadowy figures. "We heard some noise and thought to help out our friend, but it seems the problem has fixed itself". They cackle a little, then look down at Ruyi. They introduce themselves as Pink and Simon. They both sell things, one sells items, the other knowledge. She asks for help as Haarin is dying, and they spare him enough energy to become stable. She wishes for a healing potion from Simon, but Simon claims she'll need to come to his "shop" around the corner. Dust orders everyone to regroup, and tells the others he saw the doors close up enough to determine their origins; they are Founder Ruins. Upon hearing this, Guy becomes a lot more motivated to get through, as Founder Ruins can contain artefacts of unimaginable value. First things first, they decide they must heal up Silvio. Ruyi shares her meeting with the shadowy figures, explaining one sells items and the other knowledge. This catches Dust's attention. Yfirge places Silvio on his back and tells Ruyi to lead him there. She does, and upon entering Simon's "shop" she once again asks for a healing potion. She is about to pull out gold, but Simon tells her he won't take conventional trading, as items that hold emotional value are what he seeks, not gold. She turns to Yfirge for help, and he points towards the plush Haarin made for her on her mantle. She shudders, but Yfirge tells her Silvio's life is on the line. Reluctantly she removes the plushie, but Simon wants the friendship bracelet as well. She hands them both in and gets the potion in return, which she hands to Yfirge. As she walks away, Yfirge tells her the fact that plushie was enough, means it meant a lot to her. This should be proof enough to Haarin that what he made was not worthless to her, and he should be proud. Ruyi says she appreciates it, then walks out past Lucién, Guy and Haarin. She is very saddened but Lucien gives her his friendship bracelet to comfort her, followed by Guy giving him the pink one. "A gift from me to you" mockingly mimicking Lucién. This makes them smile.
Meanwhile Dust had walked into Pink's "shop". Pink says she doesn't want gold, and claims that only the happiest memories are worth the most. As for items, it needs to have memories attached to them. Dust looks back for a moment. "It's okay, no one can enter right now" Pink reassures him. He reaches into his belt and pulls out a green torn banner. Pink asks to peek into his mind, and he obliges. Dust wishes to find out more about the man that has been following him. After Pink agrees to the trade, she tells him exactly what he needed to know. Dust leaves her shop and returns to the group. Guy walks up to Dust, and asks if the knowledge was worth it. Dust says no one is in danger, and that he got what he wanted. Guy then walks in, which makes Lucién raise an eyebrow. Dust looks vaguely harrowed, clearly he has been told something he either didn't want to know, or didn't want to believe. Lucién walks away from the group to have some privacy, as the rest go rest up. As Guy comes back, he doesn't say anything. Yfirge looks him up and down, then also walks in, eventually coming out staring at his ring.
After a good hour of rest, Dust gathers everyone around himself again and suggest they plan their next move. Guy notes Yfirge is acting odd, looking at his ring all the time. He calls out his name a few times, but he doesn't reply until Guy bumps his arm. Lucién jokes about him being lost in his jewellery, then shows off his Velisk ring, and Guy puts him hand on the lizard's shoulder. Yfirge gets out form his daze and says he simply needs to get into the ruins, just like everyone else. Ruyi and Lucién decide to take the opportunity to learn more about the area, and approach Subject 23. Ruyi tells her she worked with Miss Aya, the headmistress. Subject 32 recognises it as she was in Snowcake 23 years ago. Ruyi tells Subject 23 Aya has recently dissapeared, and asks if she knew might know anything about that. Ruyi also asks if she should let people know she's been found, as Crill Cinder had gone missing long ago. Subject 23 tells her to say she found her dead body. As for the mistress, they should find her husband. Ruyi and Lucién look at one another. "And who might that be?" Lucién asks. "You don't know?" Subject 23 replies. She then looks between the both of them.
"Doctor Hasnar, of course."
Report Date
05 Feb 2022
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