Always Ascending

[darlingng01]

I groan, scratching my chest and rubbing my shoulder "Don't remind me. Nothing down there really fit me. I've gained a new appreciation for bras and fully intend to acquire one next chance I get. I wish I'd thought of it before we left, I'm sure Amber could have given me one. Also, this light, airy dress thing is quite strange considering I'm used to wearing chain mail almost all the time. I'm just glad it's not windy."

The sudden commotion draws my attention and I prepare my holly symbol "Are you okay? Were you attacked by something" as I mention it my eyes dart around the trees. We're still to close to assume there's no enemies possessing corrupted weapons around here, and that thought fills me with dread "Do you need healing?"

[Roselli]

"Yeah, the corset really makes a difference." Gwyn comments right before hearing the moan from Neathra.

The sound and Oric's comment reminded her about the pearl weapons. She ran over to Neathra's side and reached out to help her up. "Are you ok?"

[Alice]

Naethra  can sea pearl seeping back into her focus, the shape of a pair of lips appears for a moment before fadeing way into what appear to be random sworls of pearl.

[Ordos]

"Oh... oh..." Naethra murmured, staring at her crystal focus.

That... she didn't know what she was expecting.  In retrospect, she should have taken a moment to appreciate her focus' beauty without the cloudy, corrupting pearl.  Pretty was it was, given the circumstances, and what it meant... 

But her magic didn't work without it.  That meant that this lustful infusion wasn't just corrupting her spells... it was facilitating them in the first place.  Just what in the hells was going on here?

She was jarred from her thoughts by her companions, and the realization that she had just come quite loudly in front of them all.  She blinked, reassembling the last few moments, what the others had seen, and... somewhere along the way, some new, very lewd information came to her.  Memory without a source... or, more likely than not, directly whispered to her mind by the same feminine entity that had brought her here.

"Seriously though, are you alright? What just happened?"

"I... I think I'm fine..." Naethra said, still blushing scarlet as she stood up.  She noted, with frustration, a dampness between her legs, making her leggings slick.  All eyes were on her.

(Deception Roll: 9 + 5 = 14)

"I was... I was trying to work some magic.  An idea came to me, and I tried something new, but... the flow of this place, it feels wrong.  I think I touched something I shouldn't have and, well..." she grimaced, "I don't think we're out of this.  Not yet.  These aren't the wilds.  They don't feel like the wilds.  And what just happened to me... it feels like that dream.  With the Lady."

She really hoped no one here knew enough about magic to call her on her bullshit... but she didn't want to explain what had just happened.  There was no need for the rest to know she was a liability. 

[Nihtgenga]

[Insight 12+1 = 13]

Retiaria nodded, giving Naethra a friendly clap on the shoulder. "Fair enough. Just be careful, yeah? We all need to be in top shape if we're gonna get out of here."

She then frowned. "Yeah, I thought this was too easy. You reckon this is an illusion or something?"

[darlingng01]

[insight 10+5=15]

I frown, looking down at the tiefling "Are you SURE that's what happened? I think it's very important that we have a proper understanding of our situation whenever possible." Her explanation doesn't quite feel right, and my suspicion only grows as I notice the change to her arcane focus.

Looking at Retiaria I shake my head "I don't think it's an illusion. Dwarves can instinctively tell if we're underground, and we definitely aren't. Maybe some sort of teleportation magic?"

[Ryuforce]

Like everyone else, Duran reacted in surprise to what had happen to Naethra and had a hand prepped, glowing to give out healing energy only for her to sigh in relief when she explained that it was her magic acting up to a failed spell. Luckily for the tielfing, the dragonborn doesn't even consider her lying. "Whew, well do be careful then, with how strange everything has been going, in this place I don't wanna see your magic all corrupted or something." She sighed in relief only to then tilt her head as the non warrior tiefling claims that this isn't the wilds. "It's not.... but how? I thought the world is now mostly wilds and we are out of the dungeon."

Oric explaining that they are definitely not underground only makes it all the more perplexing. "Teleporting magic? You can just teleport people around? Someone should figure out how to do that so we can just poof ourselves back into town." She does look back to Naethra seeing as she's the only non divine caster of the group. If you don't count the royal princess however. And Duran isn't clever enough to consider that the bard who can make an illusion could learn other magical tricks.

[HP: 20/20]

[Spell Slots: 2 Uses / Divine Sense: 3 Uses]

[Lay on Hands: 10]

[Alice]

Dressing up the invisible largely intangible force is a trick...yet somehow Gwyn manages to grope her breasts several times before getting a shirt to sort of float there..

Moving along the trail it's quite a bit of time before anything interesting happens.  When something interesting does happen an arrow flies through the shirt on the invisible bar wench pinning the shirt to a tree. Ahead in a wider clear area of the trail there are two figures... Goblins one dressed in leathers with a bow.. astride a wolf.. one wearing the silks of dancing girl from a desert nation.

(Roll for initiative!)

[Ordos]

"Are you SURE that's what happened? I think it's very important that we have a proper understanding of our situation whenever possible."

 "I don't think it's an illusion. Dwarves can instinctively tell if we're underground, and we definitely aren't. Maybe some sort of teleportation magic?"

"I... I think?  I'm not sure.  Magic feels so strange here," Naethra offered, hedging her bets.  The rather recently curvy dwarf was probably the one most likely to see through her lies, but there was plenty of room to feign confusion.  Hells, it wouldn't really be a feign.  Nothing about this made sense... unless she revisted an earlier hypothesis...

"I don't think this is an illusion.  None of it was..." Naethra said, trying to comb her recent conversation for clues.  "I think this is all real.  What... what that lady, from our dreams, what she has done, taking us from different places, changing our weapons and spells, affecting the flows of magic here...  We may not be on Escain at all.  We were brought here by something at least as strong as a god, and we're in her realm now."

It was a bit of a leap, but it made sense.  It was actually rather frightening just how many pieces fell into place in this picture.  The only thing that was still worrisome was just what Aerin's change affected in reality, but if the master of this domain was something akin to a god, she might have the power to do that in reality, too...

Her train of thought was interrupted by an arrow piercing their partially visible vanguard. 

(Initiative: 17 + 0)

[Ryuforce]

"Well where ever we are, however we are there. The gods will watch over us even as they sleep." The dragonborn says reassuringly as the group moves forward only for the poor innocent illusion to take a fatal arrow attack. "Hey Gwyn, ya right. That did work pretty well." The dragonborn said excitedly, glad to not see herself, or more importantly one of the other members of the group eating arrows right off the back.  Moving forward to greet the attacks it seems more goblins ready to cause trouble. So far a smaller group with one smartly riding the wolf. The other, way to poorly dressed for a fight.

"Look, if you surrender now and leave us alone, No one has to get hurt!" Duran warns, even as she draws out her weapon.

[Intuitive: 19-1 = 18 ]

[HP: 20/20]

[Spell Slots: 2 Uses / Divine Sense: 3 Uses]

[Lay on Hands: 10]

[Roselli]

Gwyn couldn't help it, her invisible servant did have a nice chest.

"You think we're in a different plane of existence? This lady can do that? Seems like a bit much. Also how could we confirm? The stars?" Gwyn asks the group, but stops talking seeing the arrow hit the decoy. "Damn it, I liked that shirt. Not that it fits."

Int: 5+2=7

[Nihtgenga]

[Initiative 15 + 2 =17]

"Huh. Her own private realm? If that's true, then shit...getting out of here might be harder than we th-"

Seeing the shirt get hit, Retiaria swore, readying her shield. Moving her trident over to be held in the same hand as the shield, she grabbed a net ready to throw and fixed the ambushers with a steely glare.

"More godsdamn goblins! We dealt with your mates already, piss off, you tiny green bitches!"
[Intimidate 13+3=16]

[darlingng01]

[Insight 17+5=22]

My face grows more and more obviously displeased as Naethra speaks, a prominent scowl forming by the end "I was trying to give you a chance to be honest without me having to say I don't believe you, but here we are. I don't believe you and I want the truth. As much as I would like to avoid your attempts to change the topic I can't let what you just said stand. Though we don't tend to experience more than it, the power of the gods isn't the power to warp reality and manipulate mortals. The gods hold together the very fabric of our world, and all the worlds of the different planes. The gods sacrificed so much of themselves to protect us, and when they finally awaken they're doomed to hear the endless cries of people comparing them to every wretched demon and elemental giant they're scared off, while complaining about how useless they are! But the gods are the reason escain remains. Even as they sleep they hold this world in place, shrouding it from the encroach of the other planes and preventing the return of the starspawn, or any other such abominations." I let out an angry huff, slowly realizing how stupid and unreasonable I'm being for getting upset "So no... we're still on escain. We might be hoping around it, or stuck in somebodies toybox or pocket realm, but it's still escain.... Only the gods themselves could change that." By the time I finish that statement all my anger has been replaced with pure embarrassment, my cheeks bright red and my voice barely a squeak.

The arrow draws back my attention and I silently thank them for saving me from the embarrassment of my outburst. However, the anger I was feeling at the deception and constant mockery of the gods (both here, and before my arrival) is happy to have an outlet as my rage redirects to these goblins.

[Insight 14+5=19]
[Nature(goblins) 8+0?=8]
[Initiative 16-1=15]

[Alice]

The two goblins simply laugh and smile as terms are offered. "Sorry cuties.. but we have a quota to make and the boss is much scarier than you."

The goblin in dancing silks begins to sway her hips and move her silken clad arms and with each step of her dance leaves behind another goblin dancer in her wake as they dance and twirl about each other making it nearly impossible to figure out which one was the original.

[Ryuforce]

"Very well. Then you don't leave us any choice." Duran watched as the dancer did some sort of strange trick to create copies... or were they all just illusions like Gwyn's? either way rather then try to figure out which of them to hit, she runs forward to rush the goblin wolf rider isntead. Trying to get up in her space and swing a mighty mace of justice!


[Duran SMASH with Moringstar! on Goblin Wolf Rider]

[4 + 5 = 9.... yay?
[6 + 3 = 9 non hitting damage]

[HP: 20/20]

[Spell Slots: 2 Uses / Divine Sense: 3 Uses]

[Lay on Hands: 10]

(Note if they are too far away for me to do this, I'll have to wait til later to fix it and pick a better move.)