[Wind Reach Quest - Closed] The Deep [Part Two]

[Dreamcatcher]

~ Aidara, Fenilen, Renol, and Sairque~ The Inarta found the cavern long ago upon a mining venture. A vein of iron had come down on off if walls and as they broke through they were greeted with the most unusually sight. The Underground Forest wasn’t just some simple mushroom forest in a cavern. Nay, during the Valterrian the forest had been on the surface of the world, mightily elms and pines had grown hundreds of feet in the air, then one day the world went mad. Hundreds of tons of rock came sweeping over the forest burying it deep within Mt. Skyinarta. The trees died without sunlight and fell to the great cavern floor, the massive upheavals of Djed began petrifying the trees turning trunks, limbs, and leaves into stone. The small mushrooms that had survived at the base of the trees fused their essence with them, and began to grow in the underground cavern. The fungi began to have hard shells and fibrous tissue that could support their massive weight, the spores became luminous light in the dark cavern. Slowly the forest was reborn upon stone remains of forest giants. Now the Underground Forest is used as the main pathway for deep miners. They go under young mushrooms and shake its trunk to cover themselves with luminous spores. The spores cover their bodies for several days, and provides them light. While the miners help spread the fungi to new caverns, sadly the forest has only be partially explored by the Inarta, as the mushrooms seems to break apart the stone and from new caverns. To compound the confusion of tunnels and thick vegetation, miners have opened numerous mine shafts in the ways to bring back metals. Slugs, leeches, bats and other strange creatures live in the forest, feeding off the undergrowth. Many of the insects and slugs are dangerous beings, hosting many diseases and toxins for defense. The large cave bats seem immune to the toxins and eat them readily, sadly they have been known to eat the occasional miner as well. The bats are as tall as half a man’s height and their mouths contain multiple diseases that will kill a full grown man in a few days. Large ammonia pools will often tell people where the bats live, along with piles of bat guano. Knowing that mining is dirty work, Chiet miners will often cover themselves with guano and ammonia to survive the forest to get to a shaft. Insects and slugs take it as a warning sign that bats are close, while the bats believe the miners are something they have already digested. Sadly for the miners it means they are often not welcome characters in Wind Reach. However, even with all its dangers the Underground Forest provides a secondary food source for the Inarta. Bats provide stringy meat without venture into the cold, the fungi and mold that is everywhere can be harvest for horrible tasting meals. While the slugs and their slime can act as a thickening agent when cooked. The giant mushrooms are also used as source of paper Wind Reach. The harvesting of the forest is carefully controlled for fear of destroying the food that has saved the city more than once. Should Thunder Bay have its crops wiped out by storms the forest can provide enough relief to hold out the winter eating blue mold and thick gelatin mushroom bread. For those adventurous enough to search the caverns and forests, it is rumored that hidden ancient treasures lay within. However, for those treasure seekers, many of them have never come back. And so begins Act Two of the Hunger of the Deep Two chiet miners stood with backpacks and climbing gear at the edge of the underground forest, they had already sprinkled themselves with luminous spores and tied horrible smelling rags to their clothes. To them it was another day at work… to everyone else, it was a pungent hit in the face that told them to be grateful for their stations in life. The miners waited for everyone… hoping that they wouldn’t take too long getting here.

[Aidara]

"Follow this Dek. Don't bother asking questions, he knows nothing except to bring you to the meeting place, at the Underground Forest. Bring your healing gear as well as anything you need for a three day excursion." The piece of paper was battered and careworn, falling apart at the creases from the amount of times that Aidara had opened, read, and refolded the note. Sairque's delicate, elegant writing was hard to mistake, and the woman had devoured her twin's word as if they were life giving, reading them over and over as if new ones would suddenly appear where the original left off. Addy hadn't heard from her sister for most of the day, which was strange. They had just begun to experiment with a connection they seemed to have between their minds, and strain as she might....nothing. No sense of her sister at all. This had sent the small healer into a frenzy of worry, panic causing her breath to catch in her throat, the loss of her sisters presence the source of the nervous pacing around their common room. A few more hours of this and Addy might have begun to wear a path into the stone. "Yeah, sure. Disappear and then order me around! Flightleaders!" Addy spat the last word as if it was the worst insult she could think, of her fingers twitching the note open once more, green eyes flicking over the words she already knew by heart. Stuffing the tattered orders into the neck of her shirt, into a womans natural storage system, Addy broke off of her well paced path, dodging to the left suddenly and into her room. "Healing supplies...healing supplies? Hmmm...." But was anyone hurt? Dying? Sick? Healing supplies was so general, and her sister knew that. Right then, a bit of everything. A few crushed herbs, cloth for poultices, bandages, needles, stitching thread, a few bottles of potions she had pre-made by her teacher were also added on top. "Hmmm...anything else? Ahhh..." Lunging towards the back of her dresser, where her more unused materials lay, Addy strained to grasp at the homemade brace she hand been working on, with stiff support for setting broken bones, as well as the sealing cement and hardening fabric to keep the limb still. All of this was thrown on her neatly made bed, before the small woman rushed over to the other other side of the room, carefully rifling through the rows of hooks hanging from the stone, each holding a couple different bits of clothes, a pack or even her bow and quiver. The proper satchel was found and brought back over to the supplies. Carefully tucking away the bottles and more fragile things in the specially made, padded pockets on the inside the rest was haphazardly thrown within. There was a knock on the door then, and Addy sighed. Not enough time. "COME IN! COME IN! The door is open. I'm BUSY!" She raised her voice a bit as she moved deeper into her room, heading towards where she kept her clothes. Rushed now, Addy randomly grabbed at first fabric that her fingers touched, shoving a couple vinati and bryda on top of the various healing gear, cinching the top and throwing it over her shoulder. Scampering over to where her leather boots were stacked against the door frame, Addy didn't even acknowledge the Dek standing awkward just inside the entrance, watching her with wide, shocked eyes as she bounced and hopped about, trying desperately to shove her feet into her boots as she finished gathering her belongings. More than once, Addy fell against the wall as she lost balance, catching herself, but only just, before slamming into the floor. "You! I didn't catch your name!" Cause she hadn't asked, duh "The door to your left, get in there, grab three sets of things that look like a top and a bottom and throw them into a bag. My bow is in there too, for some reason. Grab that, and the dagger that's on the dresser...Oh, and make as big a mess you can, alright?" These instructions were shouted over her shoulder as Addy barreled into the bathroom. It had dawned belatedly on her that Sai probably wasn't intending to be gone this long, and would need some things of her own, and that Dek was just standing there with his mouth on the floor. He needed to do something useful.. "RIGHT! I'm ready!" Flinging herself from the washroom, Addy descended upon the poor Dek with a huge amount of energy. Barreling across the room, she skidded to a stop just in front of the burly man just as she stooped to scoop up her pack. This was slung over her shoulder, hair was patted back into place, red locks swiped from her bright gaze as she tilted her frame back to meet the mans gaze, excited now that the moment had come, all previous annoyance gone. "Well, what are we waiting for. Take me!" The front door was flung back open, Addy hesitating only long enough to let her guide go first. She kept right on his heels though, humming nonstop but at least she was in key this time. The Dek kept looking back at the small woman as she flounced along, overly excited, and kept shaking his head. No wonder no one else would come. At least she was cute. Both knew exactly where they were going, but Sai had said to follow, so follow she did. At the entrance to the Underground Forest, however, the Dek stopped and turned to her. Addy, her attentions having been caught by something shiny as she passed, collided solidly with his chest. "This is where I leave you, Miss. Please continue down to meet your party." A bow and a pained expression that was hard to read, either meaning regret at leaving the womans presence or (the more likely option) relief to now be free to continue his duties, the Dek made a quick retreat, disappearing from view around the corner at a much faster pace than the one they'd previous made. "Well, alright then. Sai.....? Sairque...?' Addy peered down into the darkness, hesitant now that she was alone. She heard no response, not even an echo of her own voice. It was as if the darkness she faced now simply swallowed all the sound. Taking a deep breath, and steeling her spine, Addy started down the gentle slope before her, every once and a while calling out softly for her sister.

[Fenilen]

After the group dismissed themselves from the presence of the fish-scaled Whisper, Fenilen was off like a lightning bolt. Like a shot from Zulrav himself, he bolted down the hall, lantern in hand, silken, makeshift sling holding it like a satchel. The entire way, it bounced against his flank, leading to more than a couple quiet whispers from him, often curses at the icy feeling of the metal against his skin. Halfway through the tunnels, he stopped abruptly, a long, elegant finger stabbing out in the direction of a Dek. This particular Dek was actually fairly intelligent, lurking out of sight, to avoid the work that was no doubt going to be forced down upon his shoulders if he was revealed. In his corner, he was trying to whittle a piece of wood of some sort, and Fenilen had to admit, he wasn’t doing all that badly. Sadly, his little crafting-time would have to be disrupted.

“You, Dek,” Fenilen said simply, squatting down in front of him. “I need something from you. I need you to go to the Darniva Commonrooms, find my room—it’s in the first spiral, fourth door down, on the same floor as the Hotshops—and collect from it my longbow. Once you collect them, bring them to the Underground Forest. I shall await you there. Do this task for me, and I will be more than happy to crack a deal with you upon your arrival. Believe me. You shall find the terms suitable. Now go! Fly! Retrieve them with haste!” Fenilen’s voice grew in seriousness and severity as he spoke, helping the Dek to his feet as he rose himself. He watched silently as the Dek scampered off down the hallway, taking a sharp turn to the Commonrooms. Once he was certain the Dek was gone, Fenilen was moving again, finally somewhat calmer than he had been, keeping pace with the slower Sairque.

“I’ve never been into the Forest before,” Fenilen admitted simply, wringing his hands idly as they walked through the tunnels. “Do you think what they say is true? I heard that there’s treasure in the depths of the Forest, but no one can get to it without…” he hesitated, trailing off, letting her choose the last word. “If it’s true, imagine how many ghosts must be trapped down there, how many souls without Hope…” he sighed slightly as he pictured a legion of ghosts, accumulated over the centuries, lurking within the Forest. He—they—had to lead them back to Whisper. He had promised her. He had promised he would use the Lantern to save the lost souls of the tunnels, to bring light to the places of the world where there was none. A little bob of his head finished this line of thought.

The Dek worked quickly. He was sprinting down the halls as fast as he could, and that was when he found them. Then again, finding them wasn’t that much of a feat. There was only really one main tunnel leading to the Forest. Quickly, he approached Fenilen, huffing and puffing, and extended his bow, the string in his other hand. Fenilen smiled and nodded, removing them from the Dek’s care, speaking as they walked. “Here,” he said, reaching into a pouch on his waist. When his hand reemerged, it held a five pinion coin, which he handed to the Dek. “See? Five pinions for your troubles. Hide it, and hide it well, for there are those who would wish to take it from you, those less generous than I,” Fenilen whispered, curling the Dek’s fingers around the coin for him. At that point, he left the Dek, working the leather-padded bow over his back, making for a somewhat laughable combination of equipment. His sword dangled from his left hip, while the lantern hung from his right, held by a sling that went over his shoulder like a satchel, while his bow went the other way, crossing over the sling made of a scarf. Laughable indeed, when one saw the bare-chested man.

Finally, they came to the entrance, which Fenilen entered with an eager hop, starting off at a quick pace. Immediately, he began coughing, choking on the stench that hit in straight in the face. What *was* that!? It smelled like… like piss and shit! The boy continued hacking as he made his way through the tunnels, until his eyes fell upon the miners, when he discovered something horrifying to him. They were… glowing! Like Priskil had touched them! But what were they *covered* in!? *They* were the source of the god-awful smell! Fenilen continued hacking and coughing, his eyes watering as he approached them. There was a point where the coughing and burning got so bad that he literally fell to his knees, his nose feeling like it was burning from the pungent mix of stenches. As he climbed back to his feet, he staggered, stumbling to the side, bumping into one of the tall stalks.

It was then that he discovered the source of their luminance. As the spores sprinkled down upon him, he examined his limbs, looked at the spores that clung to him. Silently, idly, he tried to brush them off, discovering they instead clung to his skin. He wasn’t sure if this was a discovery he should be pleased with, or horrified about. Deciding they were going to command him to cover himself sooner or later, he removed his valuable equipment—his sword, his bow, and The Precious Lantern—and placed them off to the side. His hands grasped around the stalk, and at that point, he shook, swinging it back and forth, letting the gifts of Priskil sprinkle down over his head, until they decorated his body from head to toe.

It was only when he felt sufficiently covered that he emerged from under the mushroom, glancing at Sairque curiously, then down to his now blue arms and legs. “Well? How do I look?” he asked, grinning, the whites of his eyes and the glistening of his teeth the only non-blue portion of his face. Curiously, though, he perked up, his ears listening attentively. “Do you hear that?” he asked curiously, listening again. After another few long moments of listening, he declared yet another sharp statement. “It must be Addy,” a little nod reassured him in this, and then he was off, shooting down the hallway, until he appeared at the entrance to the tunnel.

“Watch your nose, Addy,” he said softly, appearing before her, glowing like some sort of monster. “It smells like the devil down here.”

[Gossamer]

. Character: Aidara Experience: +1 Leadership, +1 Observation, +1 Medicine Lore: Packing Medical Kits, Ordering Dek Around, Rushing Around, Character: Fenilen Experience: +2 Observation Lore: Dispensing obvious advice, The Underground Forest Stinks & Glows Additional Note: Would have been an interesting thread had it been finished. Hope to see you two team up again. .