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Swamp group:
Ashleyien's confusion upon Sterling's French conversation and her ignorance
of Earth movies led him to figure out that Ash was actuallyTuculcha in
disguise! Had Tuculcha been paying more attention during the interview
with the Earth Mother, she might have realized she was no match for the
Erl King. But she was defiant, and got squeezed into surrender.
Meanwhile, Cadbury, the ghost boy, and the real Ashleyien escaped from
Tuculcha's fortress and caught up with the rest of the gang. There
was amost happy reunion between Thoth and Cadbury (now back in bunnyshape).
Tuculcha, still stuck in the grip of the Erl King's stone hand, agrees
never to harm another child.
Meanwhile, near Venger's fortress:
The troupe is ready to perform! (*still laughing at Kimmy's song*)
Kimmy, however, has already slipped away, dispite Fay's vigilance.
The backup crew has taken to the hills, looking for Sheila. Sheila
had managed to elude the guards thus far, but Carrie had a feeling she
was somewhere in the area. Unfortunatly, the heroes encountered the
soldiers first- seven total, five close by, two further off ready to ride
off and report back at any moment. Glitter whips up a few illusory
giant ants to distract them. Cole has the idea of whipping up an
entire illusory army, which Hank vetos, trying instead to bluff their way
through with a story about wanting to protect the performers from a rampaging
hydra in the area. Steel intends to attack anyway, thinking the bluff
wouldn't work, and Cole reminds him of the others poised for flight, who
will undoubtedly escape during an attack.
Meanwhile, in Yarfell & Macula:
Kryschenn leads the gang into the trapdoor that Tanaka found for them,
leading into the dark catacombs. Suddenly, Kryschenn screams, and
is silent. Diana, expecting the worst, heads in, motioning to the
others to follow.
Those going to see Blaze the dragon are stopped at a Troll bridge, where
they must answer a riddle to cross. (The riddle for the curious: "At night
they come without being fetched, And by day they are lost without being
stolen.")
Swamp crew updates:
After deliberation, the gang decided to release Tuculcha, knowing that
Venger would more than punish her upon discovering her failure to kill
them. Having recovered one of their missing people, they next wonder
whether they should try to press on and discover the wherabouts of Gareth,
or take a detour and try to rescue Zakiyah from Venger. Given what
they know of her, they're not worried about her imminent death- not to
mention, DM gave them a quest that did not include breaking into Venger's
castle themselves. ((Zakiyah would love to be rescued...I had other
plans for her but they suddenly struck me as a bit silly. So she's
staying in the tower cell for the time being....*grin*))
Castle crew updates:
As the backup crew nears the castle, the show begins! Iris and
EO, as the lovely elf Adelaine, try to entertain Venger with a tragic song.
Kimmy, true to her nature, slips off unnoticed to explore the castle.
The backup crew, meanwhile, have encountered Sheila (though they don't
know it yet) and seven soldiers sent to look for them. Hank and Cole
don't get along well at ALL (it's pretty amusing, *grin*) and plans are
discussed in a hurried exchange of put-downs. Hank wants to bluff,
Steel wants to attack, and nobody can agree on what to do with the prisoners!
While they argue, two of the guards are taken out by an invisible Carrie.
Two others were dumped by their horses, which took off at Cole's command.
A third was whacked by something invisible when he charged Glitter.
The remaining four are probably looking a little nervous by now...
Back in Yarfell:
Diana and the others reach Kryschenn after hearing her scream, to discover
that she is unhurt, but apparently seeing visions of a silent spirit that
floats off further into the catacombs. None of the others can see
it, though Kryschenn claims Fairalin sensed it earlier when they entered
Yarfell, and Terri says she can sense it now. Presto begins to sense
it too, but thinks it's just nerves.