Immersive Ink

Frederick VIII is waiting for you with steaming plates of buttermilk-blueberry pancakes. As an amuse-bouche, he offers a new experimental breakfast sandwich for you to try, called the spoiler sandwich. It's rye bread toast with french fries, pickles, fried egg, and extra cheese. Frederick offers hot cider to warm you up from the dungeon. He reaches up to the top shelf and breaks out the good cinnamon for the occasion.

Usra is looking fit as a fiddle. Once she was well enough to cast healing magic on herself, poof! Just like that, fully restored.

Dr. Rabbitz DMD is there as well, with a big smile. You also notice a few human customers are squeezed into the cozy pancake parlor. It seems the town's human-hobbet relations continue to improve.

After the first course of the meal (while the coconut waffles are gently roasting golden brown), Frederick takes you in the back room (out of human earshot) and gives you a wash basin, soap, and some towels. He says, "Listen: Ursa, Doc Rabbitz and me makes three. That's a Hobbet Heroes Quorum. We have voted unanimously to grant you full membership in the Club. This gives you voting rights on membership, bylaws, and rules. It also means you are in the Circle of Trust and the Spoiler Ban is lifted. We can talk openly about our experiences and share tips and strategy. So tell me: What went right, what went wrong? What would you do different next time? How can the three of us, your Sponsors, help?"

Kiplyn is happy to be back in the safety of the inn, and after a good meal gives some thought about what went on down below. "Those tunnels are seemingly endless, the biggest problem we had is those tunnel thugs always jumping out of the floor at the wrong time. Otherwise we did find some interesting thing, I picked up the new shield but Dougal picked up a sword that he can't let go of. We also found this strange obsidian rock formation but maybe Dame Simonetta can describe that better."

Ursa chimes in with an opinion about the tunnel thugs. "Tunnel thugs are creatures of Elemental Earth. They are often found near large deposits of gems or precious metals. Did you encounter the tunnel thugs scattered throughout the dungeon, or concentrated in one place?"

OOC: In meta-game terms, Ursa is implying that Vilstraks keep treasure type C in their lair. As a high level druid, she knows a thing or two about elementals.

Robur wants to share about the fishman. "He was very tall and glistening with a large hunting spear," says Robur. "He has a lookout up high with some sort of harpoon. He took one glance at us and he ran away on feet with fins and all. He wouldn't even join us for lunch and try my sandwich! It must his hands only that could get up to activate this obsidian tower thing. Yes, perhaps Mrs. Dame can explain it for us better..."

Robur good-humourly tries Frederick's spoiler sandwich after having his fill of pancakes.

When Robur mentions the fishman, Frederick and Ursa stare at each other in astonishment. "No! That shouldn't be. Not in Hornpipe. Let's ask the expert. TOBY!!!"

Dr. Toby Rabbitz DMD comes running. Frederick says, "Robur: Tell Dr. Toby what you just told us."

The dentist sketches in his drawing pad as Robur describes the creature. "Mmm hmm, mustache, googly eyes, mmm hmm. Is--this--your fishman? Yeah, I hoped not. They call this 'The Innsmouth Look.' My diagnosis: Hornpipe's first suspected case of Deepwani Profundus."

"This is not good!" Ursa bemoans. "Deep Ones have never been spotted west of Arkham. I need to warn all the good fishies." (She makes an absent minded 'bloop bloop bloop' with her lips, as though dusting off a language she hasn't practiced in a while.)

Frederick circles back to activating the obsidian tower. "Does that ring a bell with any of you? No? Not me. We never came across that in our travels."

Ursa asks, "Was the obsidian tower near the Tunnel Thugs? Maybe it's the dolmen or portal that brought them here. Did it have an Elemental Earth aura? Did you pick up a Neutral or Druidic energy?" (To refresh your memory, the answer to all these questions is no: It was near the sloth (not the vilstraks) and Dame Simonetta's amulet detected an unholy energy.)

mushgnome wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 26, 2023 1:59 am

Ursa asks, "Was the obsidian tower near the Tunnel Thugs? Maybe it's the dolmen or portal that brought them here. Did it have an Elemental Earth aura? Did you pick up a Neutral or Druidic energy?"

"No," Dame Simonetta replies, "It was near the sloth and my amulet detected an unholy energy." .

Ursa says, "Maybe the sloth knows something? Did you try speak with animals?"

"No, it was sleeping and we didn't want to disturb it given that we do not knows its temperament."

mushgnome wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 26, 2023 3:22 pm

Ursa says, "Maybe the sloth knows something? Did you try speak with animals?"

After spending a few moments trying to decipher Ursa's "bloop, bloop, bloops" and expand his druidic lore, Noh will ask, while stroking Carc's head, "is there a way to speak with animals without using a spell?"