Session Start: Sat May 17 18:18:23 2008 Session Ident: #castlevania * Logging #castlevania to 'logs\080517.Sandwich.Net.txt' * NinjaDebugger is now known as Biff * Demota is now known as Charlotte * Cheeseball is now known as Nyyx [The intrepid party rises after a fitful night of rest following their forced march from the domain of Wee Jas.] * Rudyard is now known as Skip * Biff yawns loudly. Man, you guys didn't miss ANYTHING. Hm? It was deadly boring all damn night. It was hard to stay awake. Ah. Better boring than getting ambushed by undead women in masks, probably. I had to amuse myself all night by planning out how to kill you all if you turn on me. * Nyyx flashes a wry grin. "I should hope that wouldn't happen, but I suppose it's always good to be prepared." * Nyyx finishes packing up camp. I'm gonna try not to nap, but if I fall asleep, wake me if anything exciting happens. Of course. Are we all ready to keep moving? In the jungle, I used to kill many wild cats. None such as you, though, Biff. I'm glad that you're on my side. Or, at least not against me. You're a halfling after my own heart, Skip. You just need a few stealth lessons. Or maybe I just need to become a cat. * Skip licks the back of his hand and uses said hand to slick back his hair. "Hm. I don't know about that." We could probably arrange it, but I don't think you'd like it. Well, for one, if it means acquiring another, ah, set of thumbs, I think that might get a bit cumbersome. So where are we going from here? Dunno.. South, I assume. Skip? Do you know the way home from here? Yes, I know the way. Although a lot has probably changed since I was gone. We'll burn that bridge when we come to it. * Skip adjusts his backpack and starts walking, "This way." * Biff directs his puppet to follow Nyyx. * Nyyx follows along closely. Gotcha * Charlotte steps along * Skip is now known as SkipAFK [The party's progress is uneventful for the next week. Around noon on the seventh day out of the House of Secrets, the party reaches the 'town' of Rotten Fen on the edge of the southern jungles where they meet the swamps and marshes leading back north.] Whew. Not great, but it's something * Nyyx takes a look around town. [Rotten Fen certainly lives up to the name. Houses of moldering wood built in a tight collection barely keep the verdigis from overrunning this human settlement.] Quaint. * SkipAFK has quit IRC (Quit: SkipAFK) [Those in the party with some inclination toward magic would note that this low number of people would need magic to keep the town from being destroyed by the weather, plant growth or disease.] * Skip has joined #castlevania There's no way this town should still be going. It looks pretty rotted as it is, but I suppose it could be worse in this kind of climate. [The townsfolk keep to themselves and leave the party to its business.] * Nyyx looks around for a public house of some sort. Wonder how they keep it going. [There is an inn, a chapel, several residences and general stores with a few obvious specialists like a smith and a tanner at the far end of the town.] Anybody need anything? Not really, but I'm always up for a bit of shopping. Maybe they'll have some local delicacies or trinkets. You know? Sorta... go interesting places, meet interesting creatures, kill them, and eat them. * Nyyx laughs. "I'm not sure I'd eat that last thing we killed." I wouldn't, at least, not until it was shown safe to eat. But I'm sure there's -something- interesting to eat. * Nyyx walks down the street and stops in at each store to take a look. Well, I'm sure they have unique sorts of water life here that you can't find anywhere else. * Charlotte looks around [The fare is standard with the exception that regional materials are used. The pelts of large cats, apes and local plants are all prominently involved. The clerks are less than friendly but willing to haggle.] * Skip has quit IRC (Quit: Skip) * Biff walks his puppet up an examines the displacer hide carefully. * Nyyx does the same. * Biff tosses off a quick spell to see if there's any magic in the hide. I wonder if that'd make a nice cloak. it might. I'm wondering if it's already enchanted. Or if it could be turned into something like a manta cloak. Somehow, I think that'd suit you. * Nyyx laughs. Hey, I wouldn't mind being a displacer beast, even if it was only part time. They're like a slightly retarded but larger and much hungrier cousin. * Nyyx laughs again. "I'm sure. Any relatives on that branch of the evolutionary tree?" No idea. I'm sure they wouldn't want to acknowledge it. If they're smart enough. * Nyyx is now known as NyyxFeed * Biff looks around for anything else of interest, incidentally scanning for magic as he does so. [Biff finds little of value in terms of magic. A few fetishes made to *look* useful to the untrained eye, a few items with continual light shinning from them and some minor healing gear and a some magic boots with weak move silently and survival enchantments.] * Charlotte looks around at things * Biff directs his puppet to the shopkeep and clears his throat for attention. Shopkeep: "Hello there.... Lady?" [He looks a little puzzled by the mask.] Not exactly. [He looks down.] Shopkeep: "Hello?" You've got some passable stuff here. I'm prepared to offer, say, a thousand gold for that pelt. * Charlotte looks at some boots Shopkeep: "The displacer. That's my pride and joy. Like another child to me. Two thousand." It might be like a child to you, but it's my cousin. Twelve hundred. Shopkeep: "Sixteen." Sixteen, if you throw in those boots Charlotte is pining for. "Eightteen and you get the boots." Done. Do you prefer gems, or hard metal? Oooh. "Metal, but throw in one of the nicer stones." * Biff nods, and has his puppet withdraw several large pouches full of platinum, a change purse full of gold, and a small selection of nice emeralds and rubies. [The shopkeep picks out a ruby and collects the remainder in gold coins. Within twenty minutes, the pelt is off of the wall and folded up for Biff.] * Biff carefully wraps the pelt and stores it along with the portable cash. Ooooh. Thanks! Enjoy, toots. * NyyxFeed is now known as Nyyx * Skip has joined #castlevania Shopkeep: "Good travels to you." * Nyyx tips her hat to the shopkeep and says to Biff, "Satisfied with your purchase?" Very. there's some magical ointment here, looks like decent stuff. You could pick some up if you wanted. * Nyyx picks up a jar of ointment and looks it over. Don't ask what's in it. You don't want to know. That probably goes for a lot of things. How much for the ointment? Shopkeep: "One thousand per bottle. Rare stuff." Please, healing ointment is dead easy to get in any of the major temple towns. Five hundred. "You aren't in any of the major temple towns. Eight-fifty." No, but I could pop back to the city of secrets in a trice. Six hundred for convenience. "Hah. Then why didn't you bring it with you? Seven-fifty." Because I love a good session of bargaining. Seven hundred. * Nyyx stands back and lets Biff take care of the masterful bargaining abracadabra stuff. "Done." Two bottles, then. * Biff pulls out three large pouches. You ladies can each take one. Why, thank you. * Nyyx takes one bottle gingerly and stashes it away in her cloak. "More metal then." It's there. Oooh. Thanks. I'll take good care of it. A real pleasure doing business with you. "Fair enough." * Charlotte puts it away "The same." I'll study up, I'll be back someday. especially if you can supply another of those pelts. "I look forward to it." * Biff directs his puppet back outside. Let's go. * Nyyx steps outside and continues down the street. * Charlotte follows along That was interesting. That pelt should make a lovely cloak. Cloak nothing. Oh? What are you planning? I'm going to see if I can turn it into a suit of armor that can turn me into a displacer beast. Just think, all my brains and magical ability in the brawn of one of the greatest cats of all. [There is still and Inn, smith, chapel and what appears to be an herbalist left to visit.] * Nyyx raises her eyebrows. "I'd be curious to see how that turns out." I have no idea if it'll work, but the theory's solid. It'll probably be expensive, is all. * Nyyx nods. "Worth a try." But it will be worth it. * Skip motions toward the herbalist. "Nyyx, I could use some more poisons. Want to stock up on supplies?" Sure, why not? * Nyyx wanders into the herbalist shop to take a gander. [Upon entering the squat hut on the south edge of town, the party is assaulted by a cacophony of smells from the various herbs and sundry items hanging, burning and curing in the shop's cramped interior.] [A tough-looking young woman is working with a mortar and pestle behind the counter.] * Nyyx takes in a few exploratory sniffs and walks about examining the various herbs. Good day, madam. My friend here is looking for some poisons. Do you have any you'd recommend? Shopkeep: [What is your friend trying to kill?] * Nyyx defers to Skip to answer that question. Well, mostly undead and golems. Unnatural things. * Biff snorts. Shopkeep: "Golems? You want golem poison?" How the hell do you poison a golem? Shopkeep: "That is a new one. I do suppose some are made of wood and flesh.... Perhaps. As for the dead, that shouldn't be hard." * Nyyx returns to examining herbs, keeping an eye out for a guide to local flora. [The items are labeled, but that is about the closest to a guide Nyyx finds. Likely training in this field is done via oral history.] * Skip blushes at his ignorance. "Well, not necessarily golems, but, well, strange things that have moved into the jungle in recent years." * Nyyx looks up. "Have you seen any of those hybrid creature abominations around these parts?" Shopkeep: "Ah...." [She raises a dirty nail to scratch her nose.] "That, I can handle." Ooh. Shopkeep: "Abominations? I hear stories of strange creatures in the jungle. Of course, if someone gets close to that sort of thing, they don't come home, now do they?" * Nyyx rubs at her jaw. "I can tell you that it's not fun to be slugged in the face by one." Also, it shot acid out of its EYES. I am so very not joking. What the hell kind of monster shoots ACID out of its EYES? That, too. Yeah! Shopkeep: "I don't know. I haven't seen one of those before. Maybe all of it's body fluids are acid and it just spat at you...Still, did it breathe?" I know it screamed. If it screams, it probably breathes somehow. * Nyyx nods. Shopkeep: "Then it can be made to stop breathing, now can't it? Acid or no." She has a point. A very convincing one. Shopkeep: "Spores. Get into the blood. Travel to the lungs. Block them up. Seizes the heart. That's what I'd try. As for the undead, vivified necrophagic mold would do." Ooh, I like that word. that word is a GOOD word. What kind of spores? I'd like to take a look, if you don't mind. * Skip looks around the shop, "Where do you get your components?" [She pulls several stems out of the mortar.] "I told him we didn't need these." [They wither to dust in her hand.] "My components? Why, nature provides. And of course you can look. I'll get the spores. Just a moment." Thank you. [She puts down her work and wanders into a back room. After half a minute of rumaging, she returns and places three small glass jars stopped with hardened fat and cork on the counter.] "I mix the spores with a lesser poison that will keep the wound from closing and let the spores into the bloodstream. One must be very careful not to inhale the spores and the mixture makes this much less likely." * Nyyx examines the spores and nods thoughtfully. "Where do you find the fungus that produces these spores?" "The jungle. In a series of caverns not far from here." * Nyyx nods again. "I'm interested in learning more about the local plants and fungi. Would there happen to be a guidebook or anything like that that I could study?" "Rather cunning things really. They sit dormant until some stupid beast tramples them, then the spores kill the beast and the remaining fungus has a feast." "Guidebook? No, just practice and training. Centuries of old stories." Wow. That is pretty smart. * Nyyx nods. "Skip here mentioned something about strangling vines. I've no doubt the jungle has many cunning species of flora." "Undoubtably. Though few so mobile. They are only dangerous for the unprepared." [She is smiling at this last part.] * Nyyx smiles also. "Are there any especially dangerous varieties we should be on the lookout for?" "Everything, really. If you can't identify it, consider it dangerous. But honestly, I'd imagine that your halfling friend knows the highlights." * Nyyx nods. "I figured as much. Thanks for the warning." "That's free. What else do you need?" No necessarily need, but I was wondering if you have seen any others of my kind, especially of the southern Panther Tribe. Don't you want the spores, Skip? * Skip nods, "Oh, yes, I do. And we'll take the spores." "Only a few as of late. Which is strange." How recently were his tribemates commonly seen around these parts? "Some of the tribes like to wander. They are a consistent if not constant presence most years. Could be that something is going on deeper into the jungle. And the three bottles are one hundred and fifty gold." "Of course, if I hear this stuff being used around here, I will not be happy with you halfling." * Skip nods and hands her the gold. "I understand." This town hasn't been bothered by the plague, then? "Plague?" * Nyyx nods. "It's probably the reason the Panther Tribe hasn't been seen much recently." Oh? "Really?" * Nyyx nods again. "I'm glad to hear it hasn't spread this far." What's keeping it from getting here? "Lack of carriers, likely. How does it spread?" * Nyyx shrugs. "We don't know the details yet, but we're on our way down there to take a look." "Good luck to you." Thank you. Thanks! Oh, before we go: in the case that we do end up crawling through some caves, what do those poisonous mushrooms look like? Oooh. That'd be good info to know "They are purple and very low to the ground. They tend to bunch around underground drainage in thin bands." * Charlotte nods. Does any impact set them off? "Crushing destroys them and releases the spores." Is there a treatment for the spores in case of an accident? * Nyyx nods and jots down some notes in her journal. "That's good to know - thank you. If we come across any, I'll see if I can bring you some when we pass this way again." "Magic, if you have it. That is about it." "You are most welcome." Thanks * Biff snores lightly, and his puppet follows along behind Nyyx. * Biff is now known as SleepDebugger * Charlotte steps out of the store and starts thinking about what to do. * Nyyx smiles and tips her hat. "We'll come by again next time we're in town. Thank you again." She steps outside. [END OF SESSION.] * Holmes has left #castlevania * Nyyx is now known as Cheeseball Session Close: Sat May 17 22:14:27 2008