Tales of Faerun

[GrueMaster]

The thri'kreen watched in amazement as Xallistine competed, truly thrilled by the tentacled one's performance. After the magic contest, Tak'we went back to his tent practicing with the wooden staff he'd bought for the challenge tomorrow.

 

Dri had a shocked look on her face as she saw what looked like a large insect creature take the remaining (and rather large) amount of bacon, being unable to say anything to Weyland beyond a meek apology.

 

Later that day Dri told the judges she was resigning her position, and took her payment for the work she had done. Late that night, she sneaked into Aurora's tent and left the gold she'd earned by the bard's bedroll with an anonymous note apologizing for the theft earlier and that the gold went to a good cause. Feeling tired, she once again slept in the Greys' tent.

 

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Tak'we gave a jubilant whistle, having fought in something that didn't end up killing someone and won. There was some discontent with having such an... exotic... fighter in the tournament, but he was allowed to stay, much to his surprised happiness. He enjoyed fighting Weyland for fun, although the thri'kreen still managed to send the poor man flying into the stands, defeating him.

 

The only downside to the tournament in Tak'we's eyes was after he'd defeated the large tusked softskin, who insulted him after the fight. The warrior was ready to tear the man apart, but thankfully, the other softskins intervened, and so Tak'we enjoyed his first combat in an arena where he didn't have to kill anyone.

 

When Conall revealed his prize, Tak'we began to remark at the sudden transformation, but jumped back in mild terror when the sword began talking, thinking it was possessed by a spirit cursed by Mighty Sun, who often bound evil spirits within metal. *WEEE!* "It speakss! Mother Moon preserve uss!" After realizing it wasn't really going to harm his clutch, but still partly wanting Conall to throw the cursed thing away, Tak'we calmed down but kept his distance from the sword, clutching his holy symbol and chattering softly about "bound spirits."

 

Dri thanked the brothers for allowing her to stay with them and protecting her as she left them, having important matters to attend to on her own. While the others began to leave, Dri said goodbye to her friends and neighbors, deciding it would be for the best if she left town. With a large backpack of traveling supplies (and her calligraphy kit), Dri left, quickly catching up with the Greys and saying she'd be joining them if they didn't mind.

 

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After three days of traveling through the wilderness, Tak'we felt much better, glad to be gone from the softskin stone village and enjoying the landscape. He'd still cast mistrusting looks at Ariel, but was not bothered overmuch by it, feeling too good being back in the wilderness again to let it depress him.

 

While Tak'we was waiting for his clutchmates to awaken, he overheard Amendale speaking of training and the pointy-ear's worries about what may happen in battle. *Tck...* Poor Amendale, so worried... I know! *Wee!* Deciding to try to help relieve some of his clutchmate's cares, Tak'we crept into the Greys' crowded tent into Amendale's gear and nabbed all of the pointy-ear's cooking tools quietly, then started preparing breakfast for his clutch, cooking food to the best of his knowledge...

 

which may not, unfortunately, be one of the thri'kreen's best skills...

 

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Kalin was alone back in his cell, hanging limply from his chains, the pain from the countless incisions and tears having numbed his senses and even his thoughts. Saris had conducted multiple "extractions" the day before, each one more painful than the last, until finally his body simply couldn't handle any more and so she placed him back in his cell, to recover for the next "session." The soulknife just hung there, not even having the will to live anymore, when suddenly a voice spoke in his mind...

 

Kalin...

 

Kalin snapped his head up, wondering if it was his mind going or another trick of Saris'. He began to fall back into his oblivious state when he heard that familiar voice again. Kalin... His mind recoiled in shock as he recalled the voice. Rhaine!? Listening closely, almost desperately, the tortured man focused on the Chosen's voice.

 

If you can hear me, know that we are coming for you...hold on, Kalin...hold on...

 

Feeling a surge of hope for the first time in what seemed like decades, Kalin smiled to himself. They are coming... thank Lathander! Not quite sure how it was possible or if the link went both ways, the soulknife tried to project a message back to Rhaine, his agony and relief very tangible. I'll try... Feeling a little of his old humor coming back (or maybe he was just delirious), he added with a joking thought: Please don't stop to enjoy the view, though, okay?

 

Just then, the dungeon door opened and Saris walked in, causing Kalin to quickly banish the grin from his face. "Time for another session, grandson," she smiled evilly. And though he wore a grimace on his face in anticipation for the pain to come, Kalin was smiling inwardly, a single phrase repeating itself and hidden deep within his thoughts:

 

We are coming...hold on...

[AurianaValoria1]

I'll try...

 

Rhaine, who had emerged from her tent - still in her nightgown - after unsuccessfully attempting to go back to sleep, listened to Amendale's request. A few moments passed before she nodded and replied, "I would be glad to impart what knowledge I can to you. Be warned that it might take longer for you to learn some things, but with practice and patience I am certain that you shall prevail. We can begin whenever you are ready."

 

Conall yawned and crawled out from his tent, seeming to sense the rising sun even before it peeked above the shimmering river to the west. Ariel was strapped to his side, belted over his breeches, though he remained shirtless. His brow furrowed as he sniffed the air, "What...is that smell?"

 

Argyros, who had managed to keep watch all night long, jerked his silver-maned head towards the fire, "The thri-kreen is attempting to cook a meal."

 

"Oy," Dagny stumbled forward from behind a tree, rubbing her eyes and also yawning wide, "I don't care what it is...I'm starved as...well...something starving."

 

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Despite the drow defenders' best efforts, the city was eventually razed to the cave floor by Ravenna's magics. Quarylene gleefully feasted on the blood of warrior and priestess alike. At last, after the dust settled and the screams ended, the two surveyed the rubble and ruin around them with satisfaction.

 

And then, the yochlol came.

 

The waxy blob of putrescence - a handmaiden of Lolth herself - appeared before them in a foul-smelling fog and spoke with a rasping voice:

 

Congratulations are in order, Quarylene. You have served the Spider Queen well. Despite your attempts to anger her, she is quite pleased. This city and its name will be forgotten, as it should be, for failing to destroy the sheep of Shar that have plagued it for so long. Know that everything you do is Lolth's will...the Spider Queen is inescapable...

 

It then addressed Ravenna.

 

And you, Devil Queen, have just succeeded in aiding an entity which you hate. Think on that, twisted thing...

 

With that, the yochlol melted into a puddle and dripped through the cracks in the cave floor, ultimately disappearing from sight.

 

Quarylene, nearly blind with rage, howled curses that echoed throughout the now lifeless cavern.

[josh900]

Hearing the others starting to get up, Tannin set down his quill and closed up his never-empty ink bottle and stepped outside and was met with the odor of Tak'we's cooking. "Oh dear, I sure hope you know what you're doing Tak'we, cooking is an art form that when done wrong.. can leave everyone in an undesired state." He said grimly.

 

"I've never had three'kreen cooking before!" Hexol exclaimed when he saw Tak'we cooking.

 

"Thri-kreen." Azuris corrected the Kender as he crawled out of his tent in a groggy state, groaning as he stretched his back. "And he can't be a worse cook than I am that's for sure, I swear I've charred water before."

 

"How did you manage that?" Tannin had to ask.

 

"I still have no idea." Azuris grumbled, though he had a feeling it was due to one of his old traveling companions playing a joke on him.

[Flipout6]

"I know how difficult it can be to learn. But I intend to do so, nonetheless." Amendale replied. "We can begin immediately, if you want. At this point, the more time spent learning, the better."

 

With that, a long period of training began. Under Rhaine's tutelage, Amendale gradually learned the Verbal and Somatic components to the Divine Might spell, making sure to perfect them before breakfast was on. Feeling encouraged by the session, Amendale stretched and went to get some of Tak'We's cooking. Without letting the smell dissuade him, Amendale decided to have a taste. He immediately regretted it.

 

"DAMN Tak'We, this is good!" Weyland exclaimed, a grin on his face, as Amendale suppressed a gag and swallowed it. He focused his thoughts on remembering Divine Might, distracting him from the taste. Then Weyland paused, and added, "Still nothing compared to bacon, though. But still great!"

 

Amendale glanced around the camp casually. With his mind on magic and spells, he caught sight of Connall and Fenrir, and his mind sparked with an idea. Placing Tak'We's bowl down, he stood up and gestured, muttering something under his breath. And the next moment an owl flew down over Weyland's head, scaring the daylights out of him, and landed lightly on Amendale's shoulder.

 

Greetings. Amendale heard the owl speak, though he knew nobody else would understand. So you're my master, it seems.

 

"Amendale, what in the hells?!?!" Weyland asked.

 

"You remember my eagle?" Amendale asked. "He died a little while before our last caravan circuit, if you recall. It was over a year ago. It's been long enough that I have a new familiar now."

 

Who is he? The owl interjected.

 

He's a friend of mine. He's called Weyland, and has a younger brother named Arland. Everybody here is a friend. But...well, stay away from Tak'We, the one cooking. I'm not sure if he knows you're not to be eaten or not.

 

He tries, I scratch out his eyes.

 

"Tak'We?" Amendale asked. "This owl here? He's one of our allies now. So please don't cook him." Or anything else.

 

"I think he's making funny faces at me." Weyland commented.

[GrueMaster]

Tak'we looked at Tannin with what could be called an annoyed look as he prepared to drop another slab of meat into the pan with assorted greens and fruits. I don't see why he seems worried. He thought to himself. Sure, it smelled somewhat...unusual, but he hadn't really burned anything, and it tasted okay to him, so the thri'kreen failed to understand the softskin's caution.

 

"I haven't burned it, Tannin, which seemss to be what you ssoftsskinss care about," he said as he waved one hand in a dismissive manner. *Tck!* "Also, I have sseen you and other clutchmates drink those strong waters sso ssimply, so you can't complain about thisss," he said. "Besidess, how hard can it be? Only problem iss softskinss have ssuch ssmall toolss." *NRAK-TCK!*

 

The thri'kreen cursed as he dropped the meat he was holding when he waved at Tannin onto the ground. While till stirring the food, Tak'we bent down and picked up the meat with a free hand, shook off some of the random dirt and debris, and simply tossed it into the pan. Just then Weyland and Amendale came along and tried some, and Tak'we seemed to perk up when the former praised how good it was. "See, Tannin?" the thri'kreen said with a semi-smug expression on his face (or what passes for one on a thri'kreen's face). "Thiss one cannot be that bad."

 

Taking some of the spices he'd snatched from Amendale's supplies, namely the satchel that the pointy-ear seemed to wear even during battles, especially magical ones, he threw a handful of some grainy substance over the food and whistled a thri'kreen tune as he continued cooking merrily, little knowing that he'd just used Amendale's spell component pouch...

[AurianaValoria1]

Rhaine was satisfied with Amendale's handling of his new spell. He seemed to have the gestures and words down perfectly. The true test would come in battle, though, when he called upon the power for the first time.

 

She watched as the owl flew close to their heads and landed on the elf's shoulder, and she smiled as the familiar looked around with intelligent eyes. The Doomguide approached and lifted her hand to scratch him lightly on the head, "Well, look at you...you're a very pretty bird."

 

Fenrir trotted to Amendale's feet and looked straight up at the owl, barking excitedly, his tail wagging like a white flag.

 

"Fen," Conall warned, "Leave the owl alone."

 

The wolf whined and backed away a few steps.

 

Dagny raised her eyebrows as the thri-kreen added some sort of powder to the dish he was "cooking" and the occasional flame that flared around the meat turned bright purple. Argyros, however, was unfazed.

 

"Ah, Tak'we..." Rhaine began as the meat began to turn odd colors...

[Quintatas]

For the most part, Xundus had been silent the whole trip. Now, he sat against a rock, looking at the sunrise, a short distance away from the camp. He didn't eat breakfest, instead spending his time in silent prayer and meditation. Once he was satisfied with that, he practiced swordplay for about an hour, then rested some more.

 

When the others began to wake, and Tak'we made breakfast, the drow was feeling the first pangs of hunger as his stomach rumbled. He approached, but stopped as the the thri'kreen began to add spell components to the food. He grinned, and realised his mask was still on. With a bit of hesitation, he pulled it off, revealing his sharp features, as well as the long scar running from his eyebrow diagonally to his jaw. He realised he hadn't felt the wind on his face in days. It felt good; it felt like freedom.

[Flipout6]

"It's fine, Connall." Amendale said, and mentioned to his owl that Fen was friendly. The familiar flew down and landed beside the wolf cautiously.

"Say, why's the fire purple-uh, blue-gre-some other colour I haven't even heard of?" Arland asked, stepping out of his tent for the first time all morning.

 

Amendale looked at the fire Tak'We was cooking on, and recognized his components pouch in the Thri'kreen's grasp. "Tak'We!" He cried, snatching the bag. "I need those to cast spells. Without those, that's the better part of my magical arsenal that's been effectively disabled. Just...er...ask before you use something next time, alright?"

 

"Magical breakfast now, eh?" Weyland mused. "....Can I have a double-portion?"

 

"Me too!" Arland agreed, but instead of waiting to be served he went up and served himself, sitting down and wolfing it down. "That's awesome!"

 

"Amendale disagrees." Weyland said with a smirk.

 

...Does this happen often? The owl asked Amendale.

 

Which, my components being used for cooking or Arland being a fool?

 

Both.

 

Components aren't usually touched. Arland's missing a few key parts of his mind, though.

[Deleted6317247User]

Nawen stayed awake during most of the night but then dozed off and it was the smell of Tak'we's cooking that woke her up. She picked up Rhegar and went to eat breakfast. She was slightly surprised that it was the thri'kreen who was cooking.

 

"Breakfast and a magic show? I could get used to that." The drow said as she noticed the flame turned bright purple. Her little wolf was more concerned about Amendale's familiar as he kept growling at the bird.

 

While Shalena's crew were camped out further away from the adventurers and cooked their own breakfast, their captain apprwached the fire where Tak'we was cooking.

 

"Still, it looks and smells much better than what my men are cooking." She said.

[GrueMaster]

"Oh," Tak'we spoke when Amendale explained about the bird. He was tempted at first to try catching it (it was a decently-sized one, after all) but he banished the thought.

 

"Ssorry," Tak'we apologized to Amendale, slightly wondering why the pointy-ear was so worried; nothing seemed wrong with the food with other ingredients he used, although the strange colors that arose from the fire when he added that last bit seemed a little odd. But, as his other clutchmates ate it with no problem, the thri'kreen simply shrugged and removed the pan of food and spices (and spell components) with a pleased whistle when it was done and took a double helping for himself. "It'ss done! Thiss one hopess clutchmatess like it."

 

After Dri woke up, she went over in her state of grogginess and nearly took some food, but one look at the colors rising up from it brought her to her senses and the girl quickly declined politely, instead going for some trail rations she had.

 

Though it had a slight spicy and strange tang to it, Tak'we found it quite enjoyable and quickly ate his share, then went about with his normal morning chores. After a while, though, some strange things began to happen...

 

Tak'we was packing his things when he began to feel a little hot. "Thiss ssilly cloak iss alwayss sso sstuffy!" he spoke irritably as he took the cloak off, but still felt hotter than usual, even more so now in fact, and he felt a slight pressure building in his stomach. When his chitin began to change to a pink tone, he became worried. "Amendale?" Tak'we spoke, "I'm feeling a little sstran- " Suddenly, the thri'kreen clutched at his chest and...

 

*BUUUUURRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAACK!"

 

Tak'we belched incredibly loud, the sound actually managing to echo for a few seconds... and a small burst of flame shot out into the air, nearly torching the owl on Amendale's shoulder. Making a slight sniffling sound, Tak'we wiped at his mandibles. "Sssorry..." he chittered, but gave a slight cry of dismay when he looked at himself; he was still PINK! *TCK!* "Uh, Amendale? I think ssomething iss wrong..."