Previously...
A small red icon flashed in Bujilli's field of vision. a warning from his Counsel. He slowed down as he and Leeja reached the crest of the nearest undulating dune-wave...
The ground reared upwards with a great gronking moan of protest. It was some sort of gargantuan grazing beast. Bujilli and Leeja both grabbed hold and tried to hang on for dear life as the shuddersome bulk rose up into the gloom. For a moment the beast stayed arched in place like a frozen tidal wave of moist gray flesh. Then it crashed down in a torrent of muscles and jiggling flab, cutting short the screams of whatever it was that the gronking-thing had found in the murk.
The huge mass settled back down to ingest its prey. The red icon went to amber.
A series of small vibrations rippled through the beast. It let loose a deeply satisfied sigh from some unseen orifice then slowly resumed its stately prowl.
"Well, we're here...wherever 'here' is; I just hope this thing doesn't mind us hitching a ride."
"I think we'd find out pretty quickly if it had a problem with a couple of passengers. This thing is so huge it probably doesn't even realize we're on its back." Leeja knelt to examine the patch of flesh closest to her. It was extremely wrinkled yet bulging with trapped gasses and overlapping layers of fatty-stuff. She could feel the liquids sloshing and the gasses bubbling beneath the skin as the thing's muscles contracted and relaxed.
"Ever see anything like this before?" Bujilli asked as he slowly turned in place, looking out into the murk to see whatever could be seen. There was a lot of movement, but nothing distinct, save for the quarreling war penguins they'd left behind.
"Some of the Greater Werms, maybe...but this thing is no werm. I'm not sure what it is, exactly, but it isn't a werm. These muscles aren't really muscles..."
"Then what are they?" He walked over and knelt beside his partner. He pulled off a glove and touched the thing's hide. It was pleasantly warm, slightly oily and very wrinkly, much like elephant's belly or something like that. He requested Counsel to identify the beast, if possible.
Counsel: This entity appears to be some sort of colony-organism that is feeding on a second organism that forms a crust of wrinkled nodules along this region. These nodules appear to cluster most densely around Soft Spots and Weak Points.
"Colony-Organism?" Bujilli stood up, pulling his glove back in place. The last colony organism he had crossed paths with was the Muck Raker beneath Zormur's Palace.* That had been a considerable while ago. This creature was, if anything much more placid, easy going...at least for now.
"Oh that makes sense. Like one of the Grondeloi or Pazgurchin. Hmmm....it seems to content to simply flow along looking for its next meal. Maybe we can ride it for a while? It does give us a bit of elevation to better observe our surroundings, such as thy are."
"It doesn't seem to mind us tagging along. It also isn't moving all that fast, but it might discourage some of the predators out there...unless there's something that preys on these things..."
"A sobering thought."
"Yeah, well, spending time in Wermspittle has that effect I suppose."
He looked around them one more time. They were far enough beyond the spot where they entered this place that the mirror was a dim rectangle he could barely discern. The two surviving war penguins were gone, he guessed that they moved on after their grisly meal. Thankfully they chose a different direction.
Bujilli rummaged through his belt-pouches and other gear looking for something to collect a small sample of the murksome soup that passed for ground in this place. It might be worth some study later, under different circumstances.
No bags. No boxes. No sacks or jars or bottles. The wine-sack was still full of tepid water, the other one was filled with wine that was verging on becoming vinegar. He fished through the cartridge case on his bandolier but the only things he could spare from that were some papers used to roll-up fresh cartridges for his manticore pistol. That wouldn't do. For a moment he considered using one of his gloves, but thought better of it. He certainly wasn't going to use one of his boots.
It was at this point that Bujilli noticed that the apparent speed of the dim behemoth was misleading. The great gronking beast was steadily accelerating...
Meanwhile...
Niobe kicked for all she was worth. The clutching tentacle ripped loose with a series of little wet pops. Her boot was ruined, but she was free, so she ran..
Niobe kicked for all she was worth. The clutching tentacle ripped loose with a series of little wet pops. Her boot was ruined, but she was free, so she ran..
"I wonder who lives up there..." Leeja shifted from her kneeling position to sit on the warm, slightly yielding hide of the creature. It was strangely relaxing. She considered taking a nap.
"Those islands? I am curious about them, but I don't know of a good way to get up there without drawing a lot of attention to ourselves and I think that might be a bad idea, at least until we know more about this place and what all lurks hereabouts."
"Feeling cautious?"
"Damn right."
"Hmmm...that can get you killed just as quickly as taking a few risks, you know."
"We're moving faster--"
"LET GO!" Squawked someone off the left side of the gronking-beast.
"YOU LET GO!" Yelled another voice.
"LOOK OUT HE'S GOT A KNIFE!" Screeched a third voice.
Bujilli moved over to the left in order to catch a glimpse of the quarrelers.
"Jub-Jub Birds. And I thought those penguins were dirty things." Leeja chuckled softly next to him.
One of the birds slashed at the one closest to it; "IT'S MINE!"
"IS NOT!" Protested the bird as it lunged out of the way of the glass knife.
"WE SHARE!" Demanded the third one.
"NEVER!" Screamed the knife-wielder as they jabbed at the other bird.
Bujilli hunkered down and weighed his options. Those birds were built like deranged flamingos or herons. Their legs had tremendous reach and were far more dexterous than he would have imagined. Their beaks were wickedly curved and looked plenty sharp. He was glad they didn't have a quarrel with him.
The glass knife skipped off of the ornate gorget hung about the neck of one of the squabbling birds with a scritch and some sparks.
What had been an almost playful it of posturing suddenly exploded into an all-out tussle. The bird with the gorget drew out a nasty blue poniard and stabbed madly at their attacker. The third bird whipped out a rusty old hatchet and hacked at the other two birds. It was a free for all. Feathers flew in every direction. The three birds raised an incredible ruckus.
The gronking-beast sidled slightly to the right, adjusting its course to avoid the squabbling Jub-Jub Birds.
Bujilli glanced over at Leeja. She was propped up on her elbows, watching the bird-fight down below.
A spatter of blood. Two of the Jub-Jub Birds fluttered and fussed vehemently as they ran away from the crazy one with the glass knife. They ran towards the gronking beast. then they spotted Bujilli and ran even faster as they called out to him to help them...
* See Episode 14.
What should they do next?
You Decide!
You Decide!
Synchronocitor Status: Fully Recharged.
Roll for Initiative!
Someone please roll 1d6 for 1) Bujilli, 2) Leeja, 3) The fleeing Jub-Jub Birds, and 4) The Crazy Jub-Jub Bird.Attack, Flee, or Try to Learn More?
Time to make a decision. should Bujilli & Leeja assist the Jub-Jub Birds? How should they do that, if they're going to get involved? Cast a specific spell? Use a weapon? shout at them to go away? Or do you think that Bujilli and Leeja ought to avoid these birds, possibly dropping over the other side of the gronking beast and fleeing? Or should they ambush the crazy bird? Or something else? You decide!
Roll for Possible Observation.
Please roll 1d6 and let me know the result. If you get a 1, there is a bonus Random Encounter brought about by the ruckus raised by the Jub-Jub Birds. If you get a 6, then someone or something up above has noticed the ruckus and might be inclined to investigate.
Optional Spot Mirror Roll. (1d30)
We'll also need another d30 roll to determine if Bujilli or Leeja spot another mirror in the distance. A result of 10 means maybe/it isn't clear, a result of 20 means that there seems to be a mirror in a random direction, but it looks closed/shuttered; and a result of 30 means that they spot a mirror in the distance that might be open and accessible...or at least whatever they are seeing appears that way from a distance. A result of 1 means something else mirror-related happens--I'm working on a special table just for that sort of thing and will post it in time for use for the next episode if we need it.
Which Way To Go? What Should They Do Next?
You Decide!
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About Bujilli (What is This?) | Who is Bujilli? | How to Play
Bujilli's Character Sheet | Leeja's Character Sheet | Cast of Characters
Bujilli's Spells | Little Brown Journals | Loot Tally | House Rules
Very definitely a weird place. The weekly inset vignettes are pretty compelling too - what's going on out there in the wider world?
ReplyDeleteFor initiative I rolled:
Bujilli - 2
Leeja - 5
The fleeing Jub-Jub Birds - 1
The crazy Jub-Jub Bird - 2
The third bird might have the right idea, so I'd suggest at least helping the two of them get clear of the first. It might be worth calling out to ask what the fuss is about, and if it seems a worthy cause, they could haul the birds up if they need a hand and stand with them - cautiously of course - till hopefully the trouble dies down and things become clearer.
Also, the birds might know the landscape well enough to help with navigation or finding a good mirror, or establishing another goal, or two.
For now I also rolled for the possible observation and got a 5, and with luck that doesn't mean too near a miss...
I'm working on the map for the portion of this space that Bujilli can access easiest from where he is now. I'd like to get it done before Thursday, but we'll see.
DeleteI might shift the vignettes to their own post once a week, in order to simplify the episodes for Bujilli. Or maybe they'll stay. I haven't decided.
Thanks for rolling for initiative. i like your idea. The crazy bird is proven to be dangerous and violent. The other two might appreciate a lift...or not...Jub-Jub Birds could turn out to be fickle things, but it might also be possible to learn a few things form them, so it could be worth attempting to start-up a conversation. The dispute between the birds is rooted in ownership of a trinket the three of them found recently. It is a piece of jewelry, a necklace or ornate pectoral set with a square-cut dark red ruby that glows with a soldering light deep inside it.
And we have a possible observation result of 5...okay...we'll see where that gets us next episode...
I say help the two jub-jub birds by either shooting arrows at the glass-knifed one or casting Wrathful Facade to scare it away and then seeing what can be learned from the other two.
ReplyDeleteI rolled a d30 for the spot mirror roll and got 30.
I also rolled 5d20s and got 18, 12, 15, 13, and 20.
Okay, looks like we'll be dealing with the Jub-Jub Birds, possibly scaring off or driving off the crazy one with the trinket and trying to get some information.
DeleteYou rolled a natural '30,' cool. so now there is a mirror, or something like a mirror, that Bujilli & Leeja have spotted out in the distance. Might want to go take a look at that...
Thanks for the die rolls!