Porthca Landing II: Lost & Found

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The etherial nature of their current predicament was in a word... Awesome! My goodness what a perplexing situation.

"Hey you are right?! What is up with that? Maybe we can follow these tracks and ask? I mean if it can wonder through portals it has to be intelligent right?"

the fact that their bodies were now on the other side was not lost on Magnolia. Nor the fact they were apparently in some sort of mirror plane...
 
Surfacing back up out of the pool, Tyrius had no doubt he looked an utter state. Though strangely, he didn't mind too much. He was more focused on the fact that something was down there that he couldn't quite see. "SO UM, THERE'S SOMETHING DOWN THERE BUT THE WATER IS SO CLOUDY I CAN BARELY SEE DOWN THERE." boomed Tyrius, suddenly aware of how loud his voice was, and putting two and two together. "AND I THINK I REALISED THAT THE PUDDLE DIDN'T BLOW MY HAIR OFF - MY WILD MAGIC DID. AND APPARENTLY IT'S MY VOICE SUPER LOUD AND COVERED ME IN SLICK. AH WELL, IT'LL CLEAR UP ON ITS OWN." Tyrius said, treading water as he waited to see if Eliza or Banrigg could recover from their sudden deafness at the volume of his voice.
 
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Virra crouched low for a second to part the wild grass, then gave a satisfied nod. "Following the tracks sounds like a good idea," she agreed, unable to shake the feeling that they were onto something important. After all, what better place was there for a magic thief to hide their hoard than in a magical otherworld?

She stood up again and clapped her hands. "All right then. Adventure ho!" she declared, then paused in mid-stride to turn to Magnolia. "Oh, and now that we're definitely alone, I wanted to talk to you, Mags. You know your telepathy, right? And you know--" She cut herself off and gestured further into the woods. "Walk and talk?"
 
Doing a cursory examination of their surrounding, Magnolia was fascinated by her sudden ability to pass he hand through things... Naturally she then proceed to toke and prod everything she could to determine what was affected and what was not.

The questions on her telepathy had taken her aback. What about my telepathy? Oh god does she think I'm crazy? I'm not crazy I swear it's normal!
Composing herself and refraining from letting her inner thoughts spill out, "What about my telepathy?"

After which she of course poked Virra, to see if she would phase through her as well...
 
Afternoon of the Sixteenth Day | Faded Knoll Forest | Water:

Banrigg covered his ears at hearing the sorcerer yell at the top of his voice. "Bloody hell lad, why don't'cha let everythin' around here know where we're at, eh?" He peered at the water, "Eh, if it's not gonna risk me loosin' my beard, maybe I can take a dive? Done enough diving myself, an' my eyes are better in the dim."

Afternoon of the Sixteenth Day | Faded Knoll Forest | ???

Poking at Virra, Magnolia's finger first felt resistance, then like the other things she had tried felt herself melding into the other form. If she tried to pull away, Virra would feel a tug and Magnolia would struggle to seperate herself until finally managing it.

The tracks continued onwards, looping and circling here and there, appearing to amble around the area, almost leading back towards the wagon at one point before beginning to turn away again. Traces of other creatures were visible, however there was a noticeable absense of humanoid footprints, save for the path of the party's recent visit ...

Eventually there's a draw, a sense of something else nearby, faint movement through the trees. If peeking around, there's a brilliant white, large ethereal deer seeming to stare in the direction of the two telepathic women.
 
For good measure Mags proceeded to poke her companion again and again. How very fascinating! I wonder; if I keep doing this will I get stuck? What if I got stuck in a tree and a squirrel chose to live in my head? I'd probably just go nuts, that or have them in my brain...

Now why on earth is that deer looking at us? Maybe he is friendly, it's been a while since I tried talking to animals, do you suppose it's telepathic?

Magnolia you are doing it again, talking to yourself when there is someone right next to you. This is what happens when you spend to much time alone, we start to actually go crazy.

Deciding it might be rude to not at least attempt conversation with such a noble beast, "Hi! I'm Magnolia, what's your name?"
 
Tyrius grinned, "Sure, why not? Between the two of us we might get somewhere." With a grin towards Eliza, Tyrius added, "Wanna join Eliza? Trust me, this is a sight you might not get to see again - it's amazing how much sealife is in this." Treading water, Tyrius tried to think what Baldrus would think if he had a chance to see something like the puddle that descended dozens of feet down.
 
As she walked, Virra spread her hands and looked down at her semi-transparent feet. "This is so weird," she mused again. "I can go through bits of grass and stuff, but I'm not sinking into the ground. Probably just as well, huh?" At Mags's prompting, she snapped her fingers. "Oh, right, the telepathy. Well, since you're a telepath, and I'm a telepath, why don't we combine our powers? Next time we're in a fight with a really bad guy, we gang up on him and start hitting him with whatever garbage we feel like saying," she said, punching a fist into her open palm. "I've never had two telepaths in my head yelling stuff at once, but it's probably super distracting, right? So we just need a codeword we can say so we know it's time to launch the attack. I'm thinking "Mindblower", or maybe "Brainfreeze"..."

She trailed off as Mags suddenly started poking her, the funny sensation making her giggle. "Hey, quit it!" Assuming the halfling was trying to wrestle with her, Virra went to grab her around the waist. Of course, her hands quickly sunk inside her. "...Ohh. Now that's really weird," she said, giving her a few more pokes in kind. "Hey, couldn't you fit your whole body inside mine...?"

Perhaps luckily, she didn't get to finish that train of thought before the sight of the white stag stopped her dead. All her talk of telepathy immediately bubbled to the surface, and she had to stop herself halfway through the act of reaching out to its mind. Even if the guy was intelligent, Virra knew from experience how most creatures reacted to hearing voices in their heads. Instead, she copied Mags in smiling hopefully and raising one hand. "And I'm Virra. Uh, good to meet you," she said, keeping her tone a little softer than usual -- according to the noosphere, that was how you were supposed to speak to animals. She just hoped the great stag wouldn't get spooked and run away before they knew who or what it was.

Mom would know what to do here, an unbidden thought rose in the back of her mind. Virra quickly shut it out.
 
Afternoon of the Sixteenth Day | Faded Knoll Forest | ???

The large stag tilted its head, for half a second there seemed to be the sense of a smirk to its expression. It took a few steps forward, appearing to study the pair until they heard in their minds, "The few who know me refer to me as Sielach." It bowed its head slightly, its large antlers catching the sun, seeming to glint like a metal. "Fewer still seek me in this plane, yet you both have been very ... determined."

It stamped a hoof, digging into the ground, "Are you mere hunters attempting to chase legends, or something more." Its eyes stared fixedly on the gnome and halfling, an implied threat in the air.
 
Holy shit holy shit holy shit it can talk!

of course it can talk Magnolia it obviously is some sort of magical guardian deer thingamajig. What does it mean hunters of legends? Is it a legend? Why would anyone hunt down something that was so cool! Wait does it grant wishes?

welp if this creature is telepathic you are going to sound like an absolutely idiotic individual...

now is the part where you say something...

"Ummhh I'm not sure Seilach, is it okay to call you that? Should there be a title?" Feeling quite foolish for not knowing the proper way to address such a powerful entity, her face flush with embarrassment.
"Sorry, we are trying to find the thief's horde or whatever it's called. Not for plunderous gain but apparently there is an item inside that we can use to talk to the sea. Which is a good thing, because apparently it has been killing people lately. Kind of new to most of this but I think I got it all right Virra?"

Under the glare of the great beast she shifted back and forth nervously. She talked to her god all the time but this was something completely different.
 
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Virra gazed at the stag for a few moments longer, tryiing to commit it to memory. The powerful legs, the gleaming white hair, the dagger-like antlers... without knowing anything about this creature named Sielach, she knew that she was seeing a truly rare sight, and the joy of it almost hurt.

It wasn't until he lowered his head that Virra realised she ought to do something. She took a step forward once Mags finished speaking, and decided she'd reply to the stag through a telepathic link of her own. "You could say that we're hunters, but not for you, Sielach," she said with a touch more courteousness than she put into her messsages to the others. "If you're the guardian of this place, we don't want to make trouble for you. It's like Magnolia said -- we're here looking for a pearl that was stolen from the Sea." Despite the implicit threat that the creature had made against them, she wore a smile as she 'spoke' to him. "Were you stolen too, Hart of the Woods?"
 
Afternoon of the Sixteenth Day | Faded Knoll Forest | ???

Sielach seemed to snort in amusement at Magnolia's response, turning to look at her better, "I do not speak with others enough to bother with titles."

At feeling Virra's telepathic words in its mind it stamped the ground again, "I cannot be stolen -- I am the Woods given form! This place is my life, and my life is this forest." Sielach stepped forward a few feet more towards the ethereal women, his form slightly translucent as well yet still far more solid than them. "I remember the thief you speak of. He once attempted to steal tufts of my fur and the points of my antlers, claiming to need my fur for warmth and my antlers for protection." The stag snorted, "When he gave up on such things, I still saw him return again and again. I thought him a persistent pest, yet he apparently lost interest in me."

Turning its head towards deeper into the forest, "If you seek his horde, seek the water. I see no reason to aide in hiding his secrets if it means less people trample the paths of my domain."
 
Magnolia inclined her head toward the ground. Life had given something form here, something wonderful. So often she treated her god as a reason to live life to the fullest. A reason to play jokes and have fun, but there was more to it.

Yondalla was the goddess of life, and this place had been touched by her. Perhaps Sheela Peryroyl had a hand in it as well, but this place was divine.

Pulling herself together; she addressed the spirit, "Great spirit of the forest I am a servant of life and follower of Yondalla. You have nothing to worry about from me, or my companions. Thanks for helping us! If we can ever repay you just ask!"

Secretly hoping for an epic quest from a personification of the forest.
Secretly hoping for an epic quest from a personification of the forest.
Her fingers were crossed and she was bouncing of her heels at the prospect.
 
Virra found herself tempted to reach for her bow more than once during their conversation, particularly when Sielach stamped his hoof and stepped close. She wondered how long it'd been since the guardian last had a civil conversation with someone, and briefly considered asking before deciding she'd rather stay un-gored.

It wasn't hard to spot Magnolia bouncing up and down in her peripheral vision. Well gee, someone's excited. Virra, though, wasn't so keen on handing out free favours. "Yeah, thanks. The water, huh? That's a good start. Under the water, I'm guessing? And on this side of the tree-gate, right?" she mused out loud, beginning to walk away from the great stag in the direction he'd indicated with his head. After a few steps, she stopped and turned her head back towards him. "Y'know, if there's anything more you can tell us about the thief and where he hid his stuff, it'll probably help us get out of your domain faster," she added hopefully.
 
Afternoon of the Sixteenth Day | Faded Knoll Forest | ???

The large stag nodded at Magnolia's words before it moved quickly to block Virra, faster than either of you would have likely expected from the creature, "No. This side of the gate is not meant for those of your Plane." Sielach snorted again, "The Thief loved his games and tricks -- understand things are rarely as they seem. If he truly stole something from the Sea, it would not surprise me if he found joy in hiding it in a place of her domain, but out of her reach."
 
"well I guess we should get back to our old selves then, eh Virra?" giggling to herself at her little joke.
The thought had crossed her mind take take her friend by the arm but she would more then likely loose it. Instead she settled for a challenge, "race you there!" She took off running as fast as she could to the gate and her body.

"Thanks for all your help Seilach! See you again sometime!" waving as she ran, hopefully not hitting any trees as she glanced over her shoulder...
Would she actually hit them though? Or just pass through? Maybe she should try it...
 
This side of the gate is not meant for those of your Plane, Sielach had said. That side of the gate had never felt more attractive to Virra than it did in that moment. The stag's speed was a problem, though. How could she ditch the guardian and go about exploring this new Plane without being gored...?

But then Magnolia chimed in again, apparently already set on leaving like the stag had asked. Virra looked back at her, confused. "What? Hey, hold on, I wasn't finished," she argued, but the halfling was already sprinting off -- but not before issuing a little challenge. Torn, Virra gave Sielach one last glance before rolling her eyes and taking off after her friend.

She cast her mind into the noosphere as she ran, reaching for a little improvement in her technique that could give her an edge over the halfling. What she found instead was that, somehow, this new Plane that they were trespassing on had Mystic inhabitants of its own. She could sense their minds at the very least, though probing them was impossible. The distraction (and it definitely was the distraction alone) kept her occupied long enough for Mags to dive through the gate before she could even teleport in front of her. Probably she couldn't hear Virra's shout of frustration either.

She took the final few strides through the gate, and...

"Ugh," she said, her head lolling to one side as she found herself back in her real body, which until a moment ago had been lying asleep on the grass. She tried to push herself up, failed, and slumped back down again. "Dizzy." She managed to roll over just enough to scowl at Mags. "Totally would've won if I'd been ready," she muttered.
 
Her dive through the portal was as majestic as a brick through a window, but she won. Laughing at her little game, she sprang to her feet and proceeded to do a victory dance. Of which became terribly wobley, most likely due to the weight of her own body.

"Tell you what Vir, I'll race you back to the wagon. This will also be especially challenging because I don't think either of us could do a straight line right now. What do you say? Round two?"
 
"Yeah? I'll race you to... a grave," Virra retorted, quick as a fox. Grimacing, she put her back against a tree and slowly pushed herself up against it until she had her feet under her. Her body had never felt quite so heavy before. "Why don't we just... take it easy for a bit? We probably got more done just now than any of the others did." The thought put a faint smile on her face as she took the first wobbly steps back down the trail they'd blazed. "Bet they never thought about checking in the water..."
 
As the world spun around, Magnolia found herself staring up at the tree tops, flat on her back. "You know Vir, I think you're right. Does your body feel heavy? Mine feels heavy."

Finding her feet again, she staggered after her friend. "They better not have messed with Yardstick while we were gone. Heck, they probably just sat around petting the piglet."

With that the duo headed back to the wagon; trying to navigate their wobbly legs around trees and other such dancing obstacles.
 
Afternoon of the Sixteenth Day | Faded Knoll Forest | Wagon:

Stumbling back towards the wagon, Niradnam glanced up from his notes at the sound of footsteps, a hand reaching for his rapier before he realized it was Magnolia and Virra returning. Setting the book down he adjusted the pouch on his hip, patting the egg before getting off the wagon, "Are you both alright? Did you find anything? The others still haven't returned yet ... Was trying to decide if maybe we should start trying to track the respective groups down in case they were in danger."
 
Mercifully, Virra regained a good part of her spatial awareness as she and Magnolia retraced their steps. By the time the four occupants of the wagon came into view, she could walk at her usual pace, though mostly in zig-zagging stumbles. "Heeeey!" she called as Niradnam got down. "Oh gosh, you would not believe what we found. So there were these two trees that were growing around each other, and we went in between them and lost our bodies! We turned see-through and could go through stuff, and each other, and it was so weird. And then there was this white stag that appeared in front of us, and get this; he was a telepath, just like... me!" she said, barely switching course from "you" in time.

Oh yeah. "Hey, remind me to tell you about Brainfreeze," she thought to Niradnam just as she finished speaking.
 
Afternoon of the Sixteenth Day | Faded Knoll Forest | Wagon:

Niradnam blinked a few times at the speed of everything Virra was saying, only to be thrown off by the last bit being telepathic and muttered, "... brain...?" then realized his mistake. "Ah, that sounds very interesting, maybe when we're done we can investigate that as well? A telepathic stag ..." He seemed to reach for a journal before remembering it was back on the wagon.

He scratched his head, "Ah ... but did you find out anything related to the thief's horde?"
 
Still suffering from her out of body experience, Virra beat her to the punch about the stag.
"Oh oh! Seilach, that's the stag, said the thief was a jerk! That he probably hid whatever underwater just to be a bell end to the sea! Oh he also kind of gave us directions! He also said that he didn't like people tromping through his forest, and apparently he is the forest! Ooooooo!"
The last part was of course delivered with a great spooky voice.

Jumping into the wagon, she needed to go check on Yardstick.
 
Afternoon of the Sixteenth Day | Faded Knoll Forest | Wagon:

Rowanne moved to listen to the report from the returning smaller folk, smiling faintly at their excitement. Niradnam tapped his chin, "Sielach ...? I've never heard of them, but I have read similar things in the past. The Crowned Hare Forest, where Elves make their home, supposedly have a few creatures like that within their domain. I think they refer to them as Guardians? They're part of what makes any attempts to enter the Forest so dangerous, they take protection very seriously."

He peeked into the wagon, watching Magnolia check her egg, "So, I wouldn't take his threat lightly. The Stag could probably have taken on those manticores and wyverns just by himself if he had too -- also explains why this area doesn't seem to have any real predators. I've yet to hear a wolf or bear -- or even any hawks cry out. It's been ... very quiet."

Afternoon of the Sixteenth Day | Faded Knoll Forest | Water:

Instead of offering to join in the water, Eliza laid out a plan to investigate the watering hole, using a spell she had recently learned called Rope Trick. Taking one chunk of rope the trio had with them, she cast upon it, causing it to snake upwards in the air and become the entrance to another dimensional space, just above the water. Adjusting the remaining rope they had, Banrigg was also tied up, grimacing as he left his weapon to the side. He braided up his beard to keep it out of the way, huffing as he dipped into the cold water, then dove down, trying to help with scouting in the dim waters.

After a few moments the drenched Dwarf returned, having literally reached the end of his rope, as well as his breath. Wiping the water off his face he took a few deep breaths, "Ya saw a cave, lad -- saw 'em along the coast plenty o'times. Popular places t'hide things, people assume they're filled with water, but they dunno that ya go far enough in, there's air." He leaned on the edge of the pool, looking at both Tyrius and Eliza, "Think this' th' place?"
 
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