Fantasy World Creations

When you neared the structure, you noticed grooves in it that attempted to disguise itself as part of the rock itself. It was expertly done, however, the grooves were indeed noticeably through inspection. Not only that, the stone wasn't as cold as you would have expected. With how cold the weather was, there was some warmth from it as well. It was at that moment that the grooves started to move.

QuoteOne round of actions here if you would like, but moving the scene on.

A slab of the stone moved out of the way moving downwards, and you realized it was a door of some sort. Once the stone was removed, it revealed a room inside that radiated warmth and heat. In front of you was a short girl. She had pointed ears, though, they were short and didn't look like elven ears. She sported pony tails that were curled up and well-maintained. A dress of primarily white and pink. But what caught your attention the most was the large right gauntlet she wore. Along with a giant axe that was just about her size strapped to her back.

     Jean was taken aback by the appearance of the girl but was relieved by her surprising hospitality and even more surprised by her seeming to know who he was.  "Oh...  Well I got to say I didn't expect to not have to murder another giant aggressive monster of some kind..."  Remarked Jean as he stepped into the shelter.  "So...  Princess?  Thank you for the hospitality."  He looked around to get a bearing on the new surroundings.  He relaxed his grip on Ren's shoulder to let his arm circle around her hip.  "I'm Jean Valois: a hero that hesitates to refer to himself as fallen, dead a few times over sure, but maybe not fallen.  And this is Ren: one of my companions.  He motioned with his free hand at Ren.  "So uh...  Where exactly are we?"

"That's reit. A'm a princess. 'N' yer th' fallen hero. Bit lik' it or nae, that's whit oor priests hae bin cawin ye. Th' fallen hero o' th' win` priests." She strode over to look examine Ren. "Your companion is a wee bit streenge... Whit's she?" After a full circle around the two of you, she eventually was back in front.

"But come in. Normally a'd say 'make yersel' welcome'... Bit... Ye'r nae exactly welcome. Ah didnae pure git a' body's blessing tae come up 'ere. Bit ye'r a hero, sae ye cannae be that bad. Ye'r suppose tae be th' hope o' th' world, aam nae gonnae pass judgement til ah git tae know ye."

The room inside the tower like object wasn't very large. However, there was an elevated platform nearer the back end of it, about a 5 ft. by 5 ft. square area, along with a table and a chair in the cramped room. There didn't seem to any stairs that went down however. She eventually sat in the chair. Once you came in, the door behind you started to shut itself. The only light in the room came from a few crystals embedded in the ceiling. They shone brightly so you could still see well.

"Th' rest o' th' kingdom know ye'r up 'ere. 'N' tae be honest, thir's a ruckus back home wi' deciding whit tae dae wi' ye. Hauf th' dwarves wantae gie ye oor treasures tae fight against th' demons. Th' ither hauf, th' priests, wantae murdurr ye. Come sit, tell me, how come th' goddess angry at ye?"

QuoteAlso let me know if you want an actual translation, lol

     "She's not from around here."  Said Jean with a pat on Ren's rump.  He watched the door close behind them and seeing the only chair taken by the princess he sat down in the middle of the floor, still keeping Ren close by his side.  "Home?  Where exactly is that?  And how do you know about me?  Whoever your people are, I'm pretty sure I haven't met any of them to make that bad of an impression.  I mean so far I haven't even restrained and stripped you and even when that's happened before things seemed to work out."  Jean looked around the sparsely furnished room.  "What is this place anyways?  Hardly seems like the home of a beautiful princess like yourself.  Not that I'd prefer to freeze too death outside.  Oh that reminds me.  Let me know when the moon is at its highest.  I have another companion on the way and she's much less resistant to the cold than we are."

When you decided to sit on the floor, Ren transformed her own tentacles into a chair, and with that gave yourself a place to sit on.

"Ah personally dinnae know aboot ye. Tis th' priests o' mah kingdom that dae. Oor goddess o' earth communes wi' thaim, 'n' thay commune wi' her. Thay wur tellt that yin o' th' heroes... Ye specifically... Ur th' enemy." She waved her hand around the room as she giggled.

"This room is juist an outpost. Usually we hae a guard up 'ere, bit ah hud him tak' a break sae that ah kin speak wi' ye. Ah kin shaw ye th' rest o' th' kingdom if you'd lik', bit a'm awready in hot water juist talking tae ye."

     "The earth goddess...  So then you're allied with the treants?  I guess that makes sense then as to why your priests may have a problem with me.  In fairness though, they attacked first.  I was only standing my ground in a fight I didn't start.  For all I knew they were feral monsters out to kill the people under my protection.  That was something I could not let happen...  Oh, thank you Ren..."  Jean got up off the floor and sat back into the embrace of Ren's chair, sliding his hands up and down the armrests as he thought about the princess's words.  He leaned one arm on the rest to set his temple against his fist while the other hand's fingers absentmindedly tapped on the other armrest.  "Well I'd like to say I'm not the enemy of any of the people of this world, only the demons.  You see your highness, I am highly motivated to settle an old score with them and I would take the help and friendship of anyone willing to aid me.  It's hardly advantageous for me to go and make more enemies when I have such a vast horde of foes to kill first.  Did your priests tell you why I am supposed to be your enemy?  I have no idea what I could have done to offend them beyond this quarrel with the treants.  Though...  I don't seem to get along well with my summoner's priests either.  It probably comes from the world I was summoned from.  I had long relegated the idea of gods and magic to nothing more than myth and fantasy when I was brought into this world and it seems the clergy don't appreciate my views on their religion."

     Jean's eyes searched the room for a window with which he could view the moon.  "The craftsmanship of this building is interesting.  From outside at a distance it seemed almost as if a natural part of the mountain until I got closer and even then it didn't look like a building I would recognize that easily.  Not to mention the door.  Is your whole kingdom built in such a fashion?  That would explain why we didn't see anything that might look like a civilization from the sky.  I would love to see the majesty of your kingdom but if you find it politically problematic then I can sit here.  We were only seeking safety from the treants that were chasing us and planned on moving on after resting ourselves.  First though, regardless of what you decide, I would like to wait for my other companion.  After that we can leave if you need us to.  You have already probably saved out lives letting us come here.  Do you mind if I ask what made you go out on a limb for us?  I'm not much of a hero.  My kill to death ratio slants hard in the negative direction so I don't know if investing me with your treasures is the greatest idea but I would welcome the resources if only to help the people that summoned me."

     Jean was beginning to feel relaxed in this place.  He had not realized it until he sat down but he was growing tired from the long day.  Even with his break to bathe earlier, he felt weary from the near constant exertion.  "I hope Dalina and Gust are alright.  The last time I separated from my summoner like this I wound up dead...  Of course, that may still be in the cards."  He said with a wink and a nod to the princess and her axe.  "How are you holding up Ren?  Does making a chair like this tire you?  If it does you should take a break.  It's been a very long day and I would like to think that both of us should take advantage of our host's hospitality.  Maybe you could use me as a chair instead?  Or at the very least I could give you a place to rest your head."

"Tis more than that. Thare is a prophecy that hud bin debated fur centuries. That prophecy states 'the hero o' th' win` priests shall bring ruin'. 'twas aye vague, bit in th' bygane few weeks many o' th' priests hae bin clamoring fur us tae break oor isolation. Then... Juist earlier th'day whin one o' th' priests spoke wi' th' dryads... Weel, that made it fur sure fur thaim. Personally, ah think tis awfy much o' an accusation tae pure condemn someone, much less a hero. Bit people o' faith are difficult tae convince.

This outpost would be whit oor buildings look lik', back whin a lairge portion o' oor kingdom wis above ground at least. We weren't in these parts o' th' mountains either. Mah faither tellt me oor lairgest cities 'n' civilization were far tae th' east, bit... All of a sudden thay disappeared, replaced wi' lands full o' demons. Anyways, if ye lik' howfur this outpost looks, ye wilnae believe whit tis lik' underground. Us dwarves are more advanced than th' humans or th' elves in magic engineering.

As fur why ah cam up 'ere tae talk wit ye, weel, a'm waantin' mah people tae break thair isolation. Plus, ye'r th' furst hero that's come near enough tae talk lik' this."

The girl grinned when you mentioned her axe. "Don't worry mah axe is juist fur protection."

"Anyways, we kin wait fur yer companion 'ere then. Ah hud seen ye traivelin up 'ere thro' th' blizzard. Bit ah didnae expect you'd be up 'ere sae quickly. If we are tae wait fur when th' moon is th' highest... That'd aye be aroond four hours fae noo. It shuid hopefully be safe tae have ye tak' a look at th' city if you'd lik'. Ah kin uise mah authority incase we run intae anyone."

Ren shook her head. "It doesn't tire me, master." Ren said. "I want to be able to serve... But..." She paused for a moment. "Where can I rest my head?" Ren said slyly as she licked her lips.

     "Anywhere and anyway you want Ren."  Replied Jean with an equally sly grin.  "But I guess that will have to wait until later as our host is offering a tour."  He said as he got up from Ren's chair.  "And I assume that her people don't approve of what you might have in mind occurring in the presence of royalty.  Unless I am mistaken?"  he said with a raised eyebrow and smirk to the princess.  "My apologies if my companion's displays of affection make you uncomfortable.  She's not used to the rules of civilization.  I try to accommodate her appetites and teach her the ways of society..."  He said as he wrapped an arm around Ren's waist and snaked his finger along where her "skirt" met her skin, stopping just below her navel.  "But her desire to serve is near insatiable and she still has a long way to go.  In the meantime, I think you might just want to think of her as my consort much like what I am sure a lovely and beautiful princess such as yourself must have several of."  He withdrew his hand from around Ren, drawing his finger across her skin as he turned away to look back where they had entered the room.

     Jean crossed the room back to where the door once was and ran his fingers along what he thought was the edge.  "So...  How do you open this door?  I am guessing from what you said earlier that your kingdom is elsewhere.  Entered by some similarly hidden gatehouse?  For all I know we walked right by it in the blizzard!  How exactly do you construct your dwellings by the way.  Is it through magic?  The technology back in my original world would have a difficult time replicating such a facade."

Ren only licked her lips more, then started to coil herself around you when you wrapped an arm around her.

The princess at first didn't know how to react from it all as a hint of a blush started to appear on her features. When you mentioned consorts she only widened her eyes in a mixture of surprise and embarrassment. "A-ah... No ah don't-" She glanced away. "O' coorse ah hae consorts! A'm a princess," she mumbled. Her voice had some uncertainty in it. "Ah do adult things all th' time." When she said this she was blushing fiercely. "A little bit o' affection is not enough tae mak' me lose mah mynd or anythin'!"

She managed to get her blushing more under control, and her hesitance was replaced by a hint of pride when she started to talk about the door. "Th' door is a combination o' magic 'n' engineering. Th' door automatically closes efter a few seconds if tis left open. Bit if ah wanted to, ah kin close it as weel." The princess pointed towards the back wall. "Thir's a control panel ower thare whilk controls th' functions o' this outpost. As fur th' facade, that is a product o' oor craftsmen."  She then went towards the platform at the back. She seemed to open a panel in the wall, revealing what looked to be a metallic panel with buttons on it. This was perhaps the first time you had seen something technological in the world so far. "Come step oan th' platform. Ah will shaw ye how it wirks 'n' mibbie ye kin git git glimpse o' oor city. So, fallen hero o' th' win` priests..." She said as she reached her hand out to you to step on the platform. "Whit's yer name?"

     "Jean, Jean Valois."  Said Jean as he took the princess's hand to kiss the back of it, taking a knee and bending to better match her height.  "A hero of apparently greater renown than I thought."  He stood up and walked up next to her on the platform.  "So what powers that?"  He asked, indicating the panel.  "Magic or electricity?"

"Well, Jean, and Jean's "

Once you and Ren stepped up onto the platform with her. You realized that the platform was really more like cylindrical mini-room. It had enough space to fit you, Ren, and the short princess, along with perhaps a couple others. The panel was clearly labeled, though, from your glance of it, the fact they quickly changed before your very eyes told you that they were written in a different language. There were a couple of buttons with numbers on them that range from 1 to 6. 1 was placed on the bottom, while 6 was on the top. Along with that, there were other buttons that were labeled with symbols, so the translation didn't take into effect. The symbols was one of something that looked like it was exploding, and then another one with a picture of a door on it.

"A bit o' both." She said, grinning.

She then pressed the lowest number, and the entrance to that mini-room closed up. At the same time, the crystals that were aligned at the top of the cylindrical room started to glow brighter. Once the door was closed it started to move, it was the same sensation as an elevator. There was a whirring sound coming from somewhere, and for a brief moment you felt like you were floating in free fall. Ren actually had to reach out to grab you with her tentacles once she realized you were simply headed straight towards the ceiling.

"Whoa that doesn't normally happen... Ye a'right?"

     Jean pulled himself closer to Ren after she stopped him from floating off  from the elevator platform and hitting the ceiling.  He kept an arm snugly around her as they descended.  "Not normally, no it seems to be a side effect of trying to push my powers a bit too far.  I should be fine.  Thank you Ren."  He said as Ren pulled him down to the floor.  "For now, don't let go of me.  In fact, go wild with those tentacles as long as you don't restrict my movement."  He said as he took one of her tentacles and wrapped it around his waist.  He then proceeded to wrap one around each of his legs to give himself a feeling of being grounded. 

     After letting Ren get a better grip on him, Jean set his free hand on his hip and looked around the walls.  "Man...  Central heating, elevators...  It's almost like being back in my world.  And you said it uses some electricity?  I guess I jumped the gun when I was talking to Karn."  He stopped looking around to stare ahead at the elevator door as was used to doing back home.  "So, while we wait, why don't you tell me about your people?"  He said, looking to his side at the princess.  "It sounds like your people know an awful lot about me so I think it's only fair that I get to know about you.  You said that you've been isolated for a long time.  Do any of the other inhabitants of the land know of your existence?  You said your priests were talking with the dryads but their treants didn't seem to be that talkative."

"Aye, th' electricity is a mix o' air 'n' fire magic. We have mana crystals to charge thaim, 'n' have lines connecting thaim to each crystal cluster nodes. That's whit powers this lift. It goes at aboot 70 feet per seicont. "  he princess explained with a hint of pride in her voice. "The people o' th' stone, th' dwarves, have some relation with th' dryads who are th' protectors o' th' forests. We both worship th' same goddess, th' Goddess o' Earth. Bit aye, we've isolated ourselves fur a hunner years aboot. We used to have our kingdom far to th' east... Bit th' mountain ranges disappeared replaced by th' demons. Efter that, we went into hiding. We dug deeper into th' lands... Dug farther than we ever did before... 'n' that's whaur we found somethin' interesting...

It's whit helped us figure oot all o' this in the last few decades." She said making a sweeping motion towards the panel and the elevator.

"It'll be anither minute or two til we mak' it to our destination. Ah have loads o' stories, whit dae yi'll want to hear?"

    "Fire and wind to make electricity...  Interesting...  I guess I can see the logic  but I don't know if I would have figured it out on my own."  Mused Jean.  "I would ask for whichever story you normally like to tell visitors but it sounds like you don't usually have those.  So I guess I'll ask about the only thing  know much about: you.  Tell me about yourself.  How old are you?  If you're the princess, who's the king?  Where in the succession are you?  How often do you get to use that axe?"  He asked with another nod to the weapon that seemed oversized on her petite frame.

"A'm 38 years auld. Now, afore ye stairt saying something about me age, ah know ye folk live only hauf as lang as we do. Ah'am not that auld! Howfur aboot yersel'? And yer companion here. Ah don't even know whit kind o' monster- person she is. A'most reminds me o' some o' th' monsters down in th' deepest caves." Lili said glancing at Ren.

"As fur th' king, that wid be faither, Goran Seadhg. Ah don't have any ither siblings, so mibbie ye cuid say ah'm next in line. N' as fur th' axe, thir's dangers in th' deeper bits o' th' world. Us dwarves aren't as dainty as th' queens 'n' kings o' th' surface-dwellers. Ye bet mah faither and ah are along with our ither warriors at th' front protecting whit remains o' our land." She reslung the axe back on her shoulders easily.

"Tis gotten a lot o' uise."

     "38...  So if you live twice as long as normal humans that would make you around 19?  An impressive age to start taking consorts at but I think human age standards are probably not that great of a measure for a longer lived species.  I'm sorry if I am offending your cultural sensibilities with such a judgement.  I'm not used to interacting with royalty.  There were very few monarchies back in my world.  As for me, I'm...  Uh...  I think I'm 33?  Not much younger than you.  I've had a hard time keeping track of the last decade of my life.  It's a long story.  And Ren...  You know I don't have any idea how old you are Ren but I'm guessing age is meaningless to you."  Jean thought aloud as they continued their descent.  "What kinds of threats do you face underground?  You make it sound like you're constantly under attack.  If you've been standing vigil against such things for so long how come you've never come to the surface to seek out allies?  There seem to be a few decent ones just at the foot of this mountain alone."

     Jean looked a bit harder at the axe Lili weilded so easily. "I guess you've been fighting for a long time.  even with your longer lifespan you must have seen many times the battles that I have fought in my short tenure as a hero and at such a comparatively young age.  Maybe you could teach me something about how your people fight?  You must be quite the fighter if you regularly take the field without fear for your royal lineage as the only heir to your throne.  I would love to learn from someone as experienced as you.  Perhaps we could start with how to use a gauntlet like that."  He said, indicating the large gauntlet covering her right hand.  "I've been taught something of fighting without weapons and having something to protect my hands could help in a fierce melee.  May I?"  He asked, kneeling down to take her armored gauntlet in his hands.  "Is it common among your warriors to have something like this?  What is it made of?"  He inspected the gauntlet to try and figure out if its size was due entirely to the thickness of the plates or if it was due to some special construction.  "A similar gauntlet like this would seem unwieldy and cumbersome to a normal human if scaled to size.  Does it impede the use of your hand?"

"Aye! that's whit a've bin saying!" Lili sighed. "It wis afore mah time, mah faither 'n' grandfather's time whin we lost our eastern cities. Bit thay keep telling me that they'd prefer to fight with th' monsters doon 'ere, rather than th' demons on th' surface. A'm waantin' us to break our isolation 'n' talk wi' th' surface dwellers, bit tis mah faither's 'n' grandfather's dwarven pride that keeps thaim from doin' so ah think."

"Here underground we fight a' sorts o' ancient creatures 'n' dangers. Likelie fae th' time o' th' ancient civilization. Giant tunneling wurms, ferocious slimes, magma creatures, 'n' giant beetles to name a few. You know... If ye'r able to stick aroond, Jean Valois, ah will teach ye a thing or two about fightin'. We dwarves excel plenty wi' teamwork, 'n' tunnel fightin'."

"As fur mah guantlet, tis an artifact we fun buried wi' th' rest o' th' treasures..." There was a twinkle in her eye. "I cannae wait to shaw it a' to ye. Anyways, th' big gluv helps usin` th' axe better." She then shifted her axe to the other hand. "I'm aye able to swing this aroond withoutit, bit it mak's it easier to swing mah axe aroond whin a'm sportin' th' gauntlet. Ah cannot do extremely dextrous things wi' it, bit whin ye'r fightin', a' ye pure need is to be able to hit hard."

     "An artifact...  So I guess that means you don't have a set that I could use?  Damn, would have been helpful.  But I will gladly go under your tutelage in fighting.  I'm sure there are plenty of things I can learn from you and who knows, maybe there is something we can teach you in return?  I would do anything in my power that you ask of me in exchange for a better chance at killing demons.  And I mean anything."  Said Jean as he stood back up.  "Wait, slimes?"  He said, remembering Ren's occupied tentacle.  "Ren, give me our friend."  He said, taking the slimeling in his hands and holding it in front of the princess.  "You mean like this?  I have so many questions to ask about them when we have the chance.  My companion here is mostly a mystery to me and it doesn't really communicate that well."

"Weel, we've hud some success trying tae replicate it. Wance we're thare, ah cuid huv a go finding ye yin o' th' models. Thay aren't as guid as th' original." Lili said explaining her gauntlet. Once Ren uncupped one of her tentacles, the girl glanced at the slime that was revealed. "Well... Aye, kinda, a bit... not as cute or wee. Is it... friendly?"The dwarven princess asked as she stared at it. She seemed hesitant around it, but was fascinated just the same.

"Hi... short!" The slimeling plopped noises. Of course the princess couldn't understand. However, you managed to catch Ren stifle a smile at the joke.

"It mak's plopping noises. A cute one aren't ye?" Lili said using her left ungauntletted hand to poke it. The slimeling didn't seem to mind, and instead to only wrap itself on the finger that was presented to it. Lili quickly pulled back, and unfortunately the slimeling wasn't fast enough or strong enough to continue its reach, and it reached out its tentacle-like appendages towards the girl.

"Pink... short... snack!" The slimeling continued to plop noises. "Clothing yummy!"

QuoteColor change for Slime Girl/Slimeling to better differentiate from yours.

     Jean tried to pay no heed to the slimeling's comment as he replied to the princess.  "It's friendly enough.  I don't think it's a predator but it's also pretty small so I don't think it could catch anything for us to find out.  Come to think of it, I'm not sure what they normally eat.  There's only one thing I've seen them eat and since it's not naturally occurring I don't think it's their normal diet.  What about the wild ones you've encountered?  The original was bigger but this one was split off a while ago.  What happens if they are recombined?  Where do they come from?  How big do they grow?  How long do they live?"  Asked Jean in a rapid fire line of questioning.  "They seem to be intelligent enough.  Have you considered domesticating them?  What are their strengths?  Weaknesses?  Oh hold on...  Analysis."  Said Jean, remembering his newest ability and using it on the slimeling.

[info]Slimeling
The spawn of the unnamed slime girl.

Slimeling CR 1

XP 400
N Diminutive ooze
Init +0; Senses blindsight 60 ft.; Perception -5

DEFENSE

AC 14, touch 14, flat-footed 14 (+4 size)
hp 6 (1d8+2)
Fort +2, Ref +0, Will -5
Defensive Abilities ooze traits; Immune acid

OFFENSE

Speed 10 ft.
Space 1 ft.; Reach 0 ft.
Melee slam +1 (1d4-1 plus 1d8 acid plus grab)
Ranged
Special Attacks acid; swallow whole (1d8 acid damage, AC 10, 1 hp)

STATISTICS

Str 4, Dex 10, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 1, Cha 1
Base Atk +0; CMB -4; CMD 3 (can't be tripped)

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Acid (Ex)
A slimeling may excrete pinpointed digestive acid that can dissolve almost any substance. Creatures made of harder materials are immune to the slimeling's acid. A slimeling can choose to dissolve a particular material it chooses and not harm any other substance. The choice of which substance the slimeling will choose to consume is decided for each of it's attacks. A DC 20 Reflex save prevents damage to equipment and armor. If a slimeling remains in contact with an object for 1 full round, it may choose to inflict 20 points of acid damage (no save) on the object.

Grab (Ex)
If a creature with this special attack hits with the indicated attack (usually a claw or bite attack), it deals normal damage and attempts to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. Unless otherwise noted, grab can only be used against targets of a size equal to or smaller than the creature with this ability. If the creature can use grab on creatures of other sizes, it is noted in the creature's Special Attacks line. The creature has the option to conduct the grapple normally, or simply use the part of its body it used in the grab to hold the opponent. If it chooses to do the latter, it takes a –20 penalty on its CMB check to make and maintain the grapple, but does not gain the grappled condition itself. A successful hold does not deal any extra damage unless the creature also has the constrict special attack. If the creature does not constrict, each successful grapple check it makes during successive rounds automatically deals the damage indicated for the attack that established the hold. Otherwise, it deals constriction damage as well (the amount is given in the creature's descriptive text).

Creatures with the grab special attack receive a +4 bonus on combat maneuver checks made to start and maintain a grapple.

Swallow Whole (Ex)
A slimeling may swallow a creature equal to it's size or smaller. If a slimeling behins it's turn with an opponent grappled, it can attempt a new combat manuever check (as though attempting to pin the opponent). If the slimeling succeeds, it swallows its prey, and the opponent takes slam damage. Being swallowed causes a creature to take damage each round as listed. A swallowed creature gets the grappled condition, while the creature the slimeling does not. A swallowed creature can try to cut its way free with any light slashing or piercing weapon (the amount of cutting damage required to get free is equal to 1/10 the creature's total hit points), or it can just try to escape the grapple. The Armor Class of the interior of a creature that swallows whole is normally 10 + 1/2 its natural armor bonus, with no modifiers for size or Dexterity. If a swallowed creature cuts its way out, the swallowing creature cannot use swallow whole again until the damage is healed. If the swallowed creature escapes the grapple, success puts it back in the attacker's mouth, where it may be bitten or swallowed again.

Morphic Body (Su)
As a standard action, a slimeling can assume the appearance of any other creature it's size or smaller that it has once swallowed (other than creatures with the elemental, incorporeal, or swarm subtype—the body assumed must be solid). This ability affects only the slimeling's outward image, however, with a noticeable difference of it's skin and body being the same color as it was originally. Its creature type doesn't change in this new form; it gains none of the mimicked creature's special abilities, and it retains all of its normal statistics and abilities as depicted above. This is a polymorph effect.

Morphic Weapons (Su)
A slimeling can manipulate its body to mimic a wide array of potent weaponry wielded by its various forms. While the weapons may look different, they are considered natural weapons and they all do the same amount of damage. Morphic weapons deal bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage, and are treated as magic for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. Once per round, a slimeling can extend one of its limbs to strike at a distance depending on it's size with one of its morphic weapons. The slimeling can strike at a distance of it's space multiplied by 3. For example, a Fine slimeling can strike 1.5 ft. away. A Diminutive slimeling can strike 3 ft. away. A Tiny slimeling can strike 7.5 ft. away. A Small slimeling can strike 15 ft. away. A Medium slimeling can strike 15 ft. away. A Large slimeling can strike 30 ft. away. A slimeling can also attack with a morphic weapon by hurling a portion of its body as a thrown weapon with a range increment of 60 feet (the slimeling swiftly regrows thrown portions of its body after using this attack, while the hurled portion melts away into slime after dealing damage to a target).[/info]"Domesticating thaim? Thay eat people! Ah cannae say that we'd ever tried making pets oot o' thaim, ah dinnae think a'd ever heard o' that idea either. Unfortunately ah cannae answer much o' the ither questions ye git. We fin' thaim oot thare, bit most o' th' time they'd rather attack us on sight, though thare hud bin a few that ignored us altogither. As fur whaur they've come from... A've seen different kinds masell. Blue ones, stinky ones, red ones, green ones, ones made oot o' magma... Th' biggest yin a'd ever seen wis mibbie 15 ft. tall."

She shook her head.

"But as fur intelligence. That'd surprise me... Yer slime 'ere though seems tae fairly well-behaved. A'd be mair willing tae say that ye'v git th' streenge slime 'ere. As fur thair weaknesses, it depends oan ilk type tae."

You felt the momentum of the elevator shift, it seemed as if it was slowing.

     "Made of magma eh?  I don't suppose you can do that?"  Asked Jean, turning the slime around to talk to it.  "I'm gonna guess not based off these stats here.  Well at least you're no longer a mystery wrapped in an enigma anymore just another average everyday mystery."  He move to give the slime back to Ren but stopped.  "You know, we need to figure out a better way to transport you than by tentacle in case Ren needs all her appendages..."  He looked Ren up and down for someplace that might work.  "Hmmm...  Hey you can take any shape you've consumed so what if you turned into something like an article of clothing that Ren could wear?  Or maybe slip in between Ren's clothing and spread out across her skin?  Let's give it a try."  He reached out and plopped the slimeling into Ren's cleavage.

     "So how big is your kingdom?"  He said, returning to his conversation with the princess.  "You said it used to be bigger before you were brought to this world but what is it like now?  A hundred years seems like plenty of time to expand and rebuild what was lost."

"Hot rock... nope!" The slimeling replied as you placed it on Ren's cleavage. After that, it started to stretch itself around Ren's breasts, then her shoulders, and finally around her neck and back. By the time the slimeling was done, it looked more like short poncho cape. Ren glanced at herself, then she turned side to side showcasing how it looked towards you.


"Ye kin talk tae it too... Aye, tis yer slime that's th' streenge one. Baith o` yer companions are streenge. Ye got one with them appendages, and anither that's a slime. Th' third companion o' yers something streenge too?"

The elevator stopped, and the door opened. It revealed a rough tunnel ahead, though you saw a similar panel to the one you had seen before near the entrance as well. Lili began to step out.

"A hundred years is not too much if ye compare it wi' howfur our kingdom wis afore. We wur underground then tae, o'er th' eastern mountain ranges, though, not as deep as we are now. This used tae be outposts. We hae one city 'ere in th' depths, aboot... 15,000 o' us that's left doon 'ere."

     "Hmmm..."  Hummed Jean as he crossed an arm and rested his chin on his thumb.  "I was somehow expecting something sexier but this is a good start.  Maybe just a cape down the back?  Don't want to hide Ren's assets.  Puppies like that are best kept only just well hidden enough to excite the imagination with the enticement of what lies just behind the clothes."  Said Jean as they walked down the corridor.  "My other companion is a bit more normal.  She's a human from a tribe that worships the goddess of wind."

     "Fifteen thousand...  Certainly more than the wind temple's population.  I'm not sure how densely populated the world is though so it's hard to tell.  In my world your population would barely be a single town, let alone a kingdom, but then things are much different there and we don't build our cities under mountains.  The dragons seem to number only several hundred at most at their settlement on the neighboring mountain.  How large is your standing army?" Asked Jean as they approached the next door.  "Another elevator?"

The slimeling pulled back a bit, becoming less of a short poncho.

"O' a sort. This one takes us mair horizontally than vertically. This trip be a bit langer than th' foremaist. Aboot 15 minutes. Bit th' speed o' th' train is aroond 270 feet per seicont." Lili said as she pressed one of the buttons on the panel. With that a section of the wall opened revealing what looked to be a metallic passenger car of a train. However, the rails seemed to be arrayed at each of the corners of the train. Instead of having the rails at the bottom of the vehicle. A strip of wheels were placed on each corner of the passenger car, matching train tracks in the tunnel itself. You realized that this particular design of a train was one that could only work underground. One of the doors opened up as well.

     "Hmmm, better but we're can work on it later.   Maybe for now just hang out on her head or shoulder."  Said Jean as he walked into the train car.  "Exactly how far is your kingdom?  This seems like a lot of infrastructure."  He remarked as he took a seat on one of the benches.  He made sure to get a good grip on one of the handrails this time before the train took off.  "It is all quite impressive though.  Your kingdom must be quite wealthy.  Especially in comparison to what I've seen so far of the people that dwell above ground."

Ren and Lili followed in after you. Inside the passenger car seemed to be a row of seats. There were nothing like seatbelts on them, but there were handrails you could have held on to. "Not tae far... Aboot 50 miles away from 'ere. We'd be thare in roughly 15 minutes though." Once everyone was in, Lili pulled down a lever, which ended up closing the door. After that, she pressed on a couple of other buttons, and at that point the train lurched forward. Since you were seated already, you felt the sudden burst of acceleration. It was jarring, and the acceleration was similar to how it was on the elevator before. Sudden without warning. It continued to accelerate, reaching its top speed in another few more seconds.

"Our people hae gaen far." She said proudly. "Bit the advances hae bin mainly done in juist th' lest hundred years. We discovered... Weel, ah suppose they be ruins. Our clerics be thinking they are the ruins of th' ancient civilization. We wid have ne'er found thaim if we ne'er moved here though."

QuoteCall out when the conversation's done, and we can move scenes.

     "Fifty miles...  Well that's certainly farther than I would have guessed.  And the entrance was just an outpost on the edge of your territory then? I guess I spoke too soon.  Your kingdom seems to cover quite the territory.  I don't suppose you have a rule against interspecies marriage?  I wouldn't mind sitting on a throne with you for a land this big.  Or would I need to kill off your harem of consorts first?  I assure you my stamina is the stuff of legends and I could easily take on all your men...  In combat of course."  Remarked Jean with a comically dramatic tone and a cheesy wink.  Perking up at the mention of ruins he leaned towards the princess from his seat on the bench.   "Ruins?  What kind of ruins?  How old are they?  You said they were underground?  I guess that makes it unlikely they are a wind temple...  What did you find?  And what is this ancient civilization you're talking about?"

[info] Good to move scene on as needed.   I figure our characters can walk and keep talking.[/info]

"Our territory used tae cover this land as weel, instead o' an outpost at the lip o' th' territory... Ye cuid think o' this as one o' th' outposts between toons 'n' cities. We lost most o' our territory 'n' cities a'maist a hundred years ago though."

When you mentioned sharing the throne with her, Lili blushed slightly, though she grinned a moment later.

"Aren't ye a bold one? Awready trying tae stake yer claim. Ye likelie tell that tae a' th' girls!" She continued to speak, though mumbled a bit. "But ah don't really have a consort... Ah juist didnae wantae seem lik' a child or anything." Lili admittedly sheepishly. She took a deep breath. "I haven't bin lookin' fur a mate if ah wur tae be honest wi' ye. Tis bin th' last thing that's on mah mind. Plus hauf mah fowk waant yer head. 'n' even if ye'r serious, likelie wouldn't accept ye, bein' a human 'n' all."

"As fur th' ruins, they're really auld. Some o' mah fowk think they're at least a thousand o' years auld. As fur th' ancient civilization, not much is known aboot thaim. As fur why they're sae deep underground, that's not known either. Bit th' ruins... Thay aren't dwarven in design, sae 'twas some ither fowk. Bit th' ancient civilizatoin's artifacts? that's on a different level... Lik' this big gluv o' mines. Tis not juist that, usin` whit we learned tinkering wi' thaim, we wur able to mak' uise o' hings lik' electricity, 'n' our knowledge o' magic-engineering haes jumpt forth farther than whit we knew afore."

---

Location: Dwarven City
Date: Day 7 (Jean), Day 9 (Rosalie) - Time: 10:50 PM

Soon enough the train slowed to a stop, and the doors opened. It revealed a large cavern structure. Large enough that the sight was almost breathtaking. Buildings were carved into the walls themselves, each one with a warm light. It took you a moment to realize it was an underground city. But what caught your attention the most, was the large structure at the center of the cavern. It looked to be a gigantic city-tower. There were lights, and with rail-lines coming from it into other passages. It didn't look dwarven at all. At least, not with what the stories back on Earth explained them to be.

     "Oh, sorry about that.  I didn't mean to imply your immaturity.  Historically in my world young princess were often hooked up at a younger age than what we'd currently consider maturity.  I just figured as the only heir to your throne you would have an obligation to continue the royal line, but I'm sure you have plenty of other duties to attend to that keep you busy.  I can appreciate how hard it is to find the right person and how life gets in the way of love."  Remarked Jean.  "I guess I'll need to see these ruins for myself.  They certainly sound mysterious."

---

     "Wow..."  Said Jean in awe of the space.  "Even in my world this kind of construction would be nearly impossible."  He walked over to the edge of the train platform.  "Is this the only cavern?"

"Weel, faither has bin encouraging me tae fin' a mate, as a'm getting near that age... Bit ye don't juist rush these hings, if thay happen, thay happen."

---

Location: Dwarven City
Date: Day 7 (Jean), Day 9 (Rosalie) - Time: 10:50 PM

"Aye, tis th' only one worth seeing at least. This here be the city of Kherngolarr. We hae a tae o' ither outposts, bit 'ere is whaur we've settled fur th' most hundred years. Th' ruins are at th' bottom... Thir's a place thare that a'm waantin' tae shaw ye specifically, ye bein' a hero 'n' all. A place... that our scholars think that only heroes kin get pass thro'. We don't have a hero summoning circle ye see? Ours wis back in our original kingdom to th' east. Sae, ye'r our best bet."

With the Lili began to lead the way out the platform, and after a set of stairs you found yourselves on another platform. It reminded you off the train stations back on earth, this seemed to be a much busier hub. There were other dwarves there this times around as well. Each of them short and stocky. They all recognized the princess, but many of them stared at you and Ren cautiously. Their accents seemed to be even thicker than Lili's. You were still able to follow along thanks to your translation ability however.

"Princess, wha ur they twa? Outsiders?"

QuotePrincess, who are those two? Outsiders?

"They're mah guests. So if they're mah guests, they'd be royal guests." Lili said.

     "I'm sure you'll find someone.  Beautiful princesses rarely find themselves single forever I would think."  Replied Jean, sitting back to enjoy the rest of the ride.

---

     Jean mostly ignored the other dwarves as he watched the various vehicles zipping along rails throughout the city.  "We're merely some travelers looking to get out of the deathly cold.  Your princess was kind enough to grant us a stay in your city.  How far down does this go?"  He asked as he tried to see how far down the cavern he could see from their current vantage point.  "I guess the tour is up to you your highness.  What are we going to see first?"  He asked, turning back and walking back to rejoin the princess.

[info]Perception: 28
There were many lit buildings and homes on the bottom floor. There were buildings and lights from the bottom floor that made up the cavern, all the way to the sides. You could barely see them, but you noticed moving forms at the bottom as well, telling you that it was indeed populated. However, for only 15,000 dwarves, the amount of potential living space here was vast.[/info]"Ye'r a human, aren't ye? Th' foremaist human 'ere." The dwarf shook his head, but chose not to say anything more knowing his place. The rest of the dwarves looked uncertain, though, they all kept quiet, if not a bit uncomfortable as well. Now that you managed to get a good luck at them, many of them wore various accessories. Goggles that seemed to include telescopes on them, or magnifying glasses. Some with gauntlets similar to Lili's, though, a lot more rough and angular. A couple of them had weapon strapped to their back as well.

It was Lili who responded to your question. "Aroond 3,000 ft from th' bottom to th' top." She said pointing towards the lower end of the city-tower, to high above the ceiling.

When the train rolled in, there was one of the cars which contained two dwarves in an armored and mechanized suit. When the rest of the dwarves started filing into the train, these two dwarves started to load one of the cars with a variety of crates and boxes on the car.

QuoteIf you have Knowledge (engineering) or Knowledge (Physical Sciences) you can roll it for more information on either or both about the city and the mech. A roll for each.

"Th' ruins ah wanted to tak' ye. Thir's a section that supposedly says only heroes kin pass thro'. They're at th' the bottom o' th' tower. " She said as she boarded the next train. This would be the 3rd mode of transportation you've taken since coming here. And judging from what she just said, it seemed there was at least one more.

The train wasn't very full of dwarves. There was plenty of space to either sit or stand, however, most of the dwarves looked upon you warily, and there were even a couple of whispers that you managed to overhear. "That them's a human. Na idea whit th' princess is thinking. Th' priests wid be fuming takin wae me an outsider tae kherngolarr..."

[info]Knowledge: Engineering (Mechs)[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+13 : 16 + 13, total 29[/blockquote]
Knowledge: Engineering (City Construction)[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+13 : 18 + 13, total 31[/blockquote][/info]

     "Foremost human, I like that title.  Thanks buddy."  He replied to the dwarf, adding a double finger gun and click of the tongue.  His gaze lingered on the mechanical suits as he followed Lili.  "Now that's is some impressive engineering.  How common are those?" He asked as he boarded the train with her.  "Have you tried expanding into other settlements?  I guess you probably don't need to with how expansive your city is for your population but even with plenty of room surely you need to expand to find new resources.  Actually speaking of resources, what do you eat down here?  How do you grow crops underground?  Or do you not have any vegetation based food?"

[info]Knowledge (engineering) (mechs): 29
You had done plenty of reading in the past about engineering in general, and though mechanized suits were really a thing of fiction, you could tell there was a lot of technology involved to make the creation. Looking at the mech, it seemed to make heavy use of hydraulics. There were plenty of pistons in place, specifically around the arms and legs. The dwarf operators on it controlled the suit through one terminal at their right hand, along with two steering handles one either side of them that they could grasp with their hand. However, you couldn't quite tell what the power source could be for the mech. Lili had mentioned the use of electricity and magic to make the lifts and train work, and it was likely that the mech before you used something similar. If the suit did use magic in some way, it wasn't overly noticeable, a similar creation could possibly have been created in your own world just with simple engineering and electricity. Until you got into the actual inner workings of the suit, you weren't able to glean any more information from it.

Knowledge (engineering) (city construction): 31
The construction of the entire cave was breathtakingly complex to say the least. The buildings embedded into the walls themselves meant that the dwarves have mastered construction in hard-to-reach areas. Their entire population could have lived just fine on the ground floor, yet, the dwarves seemed to have chosen to build on the walls on the cavern, telling you that they either had motivation to do so, or building in such a way was trivial to them. Most of your marvel was at the tower at the middle of the large cavern however. It was perhaps the biggest man-made construction you had ever seen, even compared to the ones on Earth. You realized a couple of factors that could affect it. One, being underground, there was no air or wind to contend with. However, it didn't solve the problem of earthquakes, and being underground effects of those would be a lot more turbulent than on the surface as well. If this particular city had been built in the last 100 years, that meant they at least had a few earthquakes hit considering they were at a mountain range where a fault line lay. This meant that the construction method of the dwarves were able to handle each quake well. Lastly, the size of the construction itself would have normally meant that the structure would fall in on itself due to weight and its structural integrity, but the fact it was still standing told you that they're either using some amazing engineering design, or materials that your own world didn't have.[/info]"Th' suits are fairly common. We found something similar in th' ruins too, broken 'n' in disrepair, bit bad enough components that we managed to reverse engineer bits o' it. 'n' we haven't expanded into other settlements. We never wanted to. Thare are some outlying outposts that we have, bit due to th' batch o' monsters doon 'ere, thay git evacuated often. As fur food thir's a couple o' things... Primarily types o' edible fungus, bats, fish, 'n' vermin lik' beetles, lizards, 'n' rodents that we uise as livestock."

The train zoomed forward, riding along the rails that held it aloft in the air, heading straight to the central city-tower.

     "Huh, sounds tasty.  I look forward to sampling your cuisine."  At mention of this his stomach let loose a dull rumble in protest.  "Maybe sooner rather than later?  Is there something we can get for a snack on the way down to the ruins?  I haven't eaten anything since this morning.  Nothing too much, I'd like to hold off on a full meal until my other companion gets here but I'm famished."  He asked as he looked over the edge of the rails of the train, keeping a firm grip on the rails.  He looked up at the nearing tower.  "So where do you live?  Is you palace at the top of the tower?"

Lili nodded her head. "We have a palace, bit only due to insistence from th' rest o' th' clan."

She pointed to the domed structures sitting on top of the city-tower.

"It isn't th' tallest building, that title is reserved tae th' clocktower, 'n' tae be honest, neither me, mah da, or grandpa uise th' palace much. We'd be more inclined wi' practicing our swings, or helping in tunnel fights. Bit ye'r hungry? When we git to th' city proper, we'll mak' a stop at some food stalls for ye and ye're companion."

     "The clock tower..."  Said Jean absentmindedly as he looked to the towering clock's face, checking the time as the train whizzed along.  "I guess keeping time must be important without a sun to tell you if it's night or day.  Does no one venture to the surface on a daily basis?  It seems like without regularly checking the status of the surface it must be hard to tell the time of year...  Actually...  What is your calendar even like?  I don't think I've actually asked how the people I was summoned by mark their years and months, if they even use those same terms." 

Lili nodded her head. "Remember that wee outpost at th' peak o' th' mountain earlier? We have plenty o' they along th' peaks o' th' mountains. One o' th' controls for each o' the outposts 'n' shafts are for it to self-destruct, so even if one o' them is compromised, as long as we know, we kin collapse any o' th' tunnels. We don't really associate wi' any o' th' surface dwellers anymore, except for our clerics speaking to th' dryads. We lost tae many o' our people wi' whit's bin happening up there.

But we have 12 months in a year. A month is anythin' from 28 to 31 days. 3 months mak' up a season."

The train was getting closer to the city, and soon enough it had slowed down and stopped. Each of the dwarves continued to eye you warily, and the rest of the dwarves on the platform you had just arrived at also looked at both you and Ren suspiciously, though, their gazes were tampered when they noticed Lili talking with you. More than a couple of them shook their heads. However, none of them decided to approach or talk with you. As for Lili, she ignored the stares from the others, and began to get off the train, beckoning you to follow her.

     "Oh good, that's pretty much what I had back in my old world."  Said Jean as he got up from the bench to follow Lili off the train.  "Speaking of the dryads, I don't suppose you can get your priests to talk to them?  I would like to be able to return to the other mountain without putting any of its people in danger and...  Wait, what've you lost people to one the surface?  I thought you said you didn't fight the demons above."  He asked, paying the stares of the dwarves no mind as he kept at the princess's heel.

Lili nodded her head. "Aye. We used to be a million strong. Then most o' our kingdom suddenly vanished. Hundreds o' miles o' mountains suddenly disappeared. Taking wi' it cities, villages, 'n' many o' our people.  Th' only ones left remaining o' th' dwarves o' Velothia are 'ere in this city 'n' some outlying outposts. Ah think thare are other settlements o' dwarves that chose to live on th' surface, not to mention th' ones that chose to live in th' human countries... Bit a don't know o' thaim.  As fur speaking wi' th' priests. I'm not sure if that's a good idea. A'm juist glad we haven't run into any o' th' clerics sae far." She shook her head.

As the three of you (plus the slimeling) ventured into the city, the more an more dwarves you had seen. As you neared each, they all had quieted down to stare at your passing, and many of them whispered to each other. You couldn't help but notice a few hostile glares as well. Eventually you reached what looked to be a market area, with stalls lined up selling food products primarily, though there were clothing, and other goods as well.

     Jean walked up to the first food stall that they encountered and looked at its wares.  "You uh...  Do have money on hand right?  I have no currency to speak of on me.  What do you recommend?"  He asked as he took in the aroma of the food.  "So those dwarves on the surface left the kingdom?  How often do people leave?  How is your population growth?  With migrants leaving and whatever you're fighting down in the tunnels it seems like your people have a lot on their plates maintaining this city.  Starts to make sense that there is a faction that wants to sit back and maintain what you have."

The food stall seemed to be selling a type of kebab. At least, according to the displayed food they had on the front. You weren't quite sure if kebab was the correct term either, but it was the closest approximation of it that you could figure out. The bread wasn't the normal color you would have expected, this one was dark, almost purple, and the filling used for it wasn't the normal kebab either. There seemed to be types of mushrooms in it, along with a dark meat of some sort.

"Here's a guid stairt. Mara kebabs. Tis as guid as any." Lili suggested when you neared the food stall. "Three o' th' kebabs, 'n' three o' th' mushroom ales." 

Lili asked as she fished out a few coins from her pouch strapped to her waist, and handed it to the dwarf handling the stall.

"A'richt princess Seadhg. Three kebabs comin' richt up. Fur ye 'n' yer... twa companions." The dwarf looked at you and Ren hesitantly, but he proceeded to quickly create the four kebabs anyways. Eventually, he handed the three of you the finished products, along with three dark ales. The bread used for the kebab, though had a similar texture to unleavened bread, had a taste similar to black truffles. There was some sort of mushroom or fungus in the actual kebab that was black in color, but thin like lettuce. Unfortunately, it didn't have the same crisp as lettuce. There was some sort of clear sauce used in it, that had a slightly salty and sweet taste. Lastly the meat itself was rather gamey and rough to eat, but still edible. Finally the ale given to you in a metallic mug had a distinct taste of mushrooms as well.

"Thir's bin a few o' mah people who decided to go up to th' surface, bit mah father 'n' grandfather have already decided to stay away from th' matters above us. Th' monsters down 'ere kin be tough, bit thay aren't lik' demons. Down 'ere we're free to pursue engineering marvels lik' this town, or th' trains, fur example. Especially after th' ruins were found... Efter that, faither hud decided that th' remainder o' our kingdom wid be down 'ere, where tis safe. At th' same time though, ah know th' surface dwellers have bin at war fur th' last hunner years. Isolating ourselves from everybody wouldn't do us any guid in th' long run... If th' people up thare fall, th' demons wid likely seek us out, richt? Sure, faither hud plans to collapse all th' tunnels to th' surface world, bit... A'm feelin' lik' mah people wid be missing a lot if we did that. Not to mention that ah believe mah people kin really help everybody above. As fur population... Weel... We aren't pure getting bigger, bit at least we're nae getting wee'er either."

     "I see..."  Said Jean as he took a bite of the kebab.  "Mmm!"  He emoted through a partially full mouth.  "This is pretty good.  What is it?"  He asked as he washed it down a with a swig of ale.  "What do you think Ren?"  He took another bite.  As he chewed the meat, his mind went back to the demon they had killed earlier that day.  "Damn...  We should have taken that thing's head as a trophy.  Maybe even checked to see if it was edible.  If we can eat our enemies it would go a long way in helping prevent food shortages.  Guess we'll just need to see next time."  He crammed the rest of the kebab down his throat before chugging the rest of his ale.  "Now that's better.  Sorry, I was really famished.  We can continue the tour.  Though...  One for the road?"  He asked, raising the tankard in a questioning gesture.

"Tis a type o' vermin that we uise as livestock down 'ere. They're cried mara." Lili explained as she too took a bite into hers. "'n' aye. Twa more orders o' th' kebabs please." Lili asked the kebab seller again, to which the dwarf grinned and started making more.

Ren too happily dug into hers as the slimeling watched. She had almost devoured the entire thing, but she stopped midway and attempted to give the slimeling some of it. The slimeling tasted it, but it quickly recoiled. "Icky!" It plopped. Ren simply shrugged and continued eating the kebab. Next, using one of the tentacle, she glanced at the ale, and then started to drink it down as well. She stopped at the first sip though, and scrunched up her face. "Master.... it... tastes... weird."

Lili drunk hers down. "Don't lik' th' taste o' alcohol? Ye'll git used tae it."

Soon enough the rest of the kebabs were made.

     "Huh...  Does alcohol even affect you Ren?"  Jean asked as he took a bite of the fresh kebab.  "I guess there is only one way to find out.  We'll need to see later if you can get drunk.  You might like it.  It's kinda like that feeling you get after slaying a bunch of demons but without the work involved."  He continued to munch on the food.  "Mara, huh?  Tastes great.  I don't suppose there is a feast planned for later?  I would love to sample all the cuisine that your people have to offer.  You know, there are lots of things that you could get from the surface.  Like wheat and barley for example, thing that you could use to make a greater variety of ale.  Never mind different kinds of bread and other foods.  On the flipside, if you produce a surplus of food, I think you could trade goods like these for a decent profit."  he said as he took another sip of ale.  "Of course, I'm not sure how easy luxuries and surplus food is to come by in a world at war.  In times of war farmer become soldiers and in times of peace soldiers become farmers."  He finished his ale and set the mug back down on the counter.  "So...  Onward to the ruins then?"  He asked as he took yet another bite of kebab.

Ren nodded, but she didn't seem too enthused with the ale, though she kept trying to sip at it. You got the feeling she did it more to try to follow in your own footsteps more than anything else. You did, after all, chugged a lot of your own ale.

"A feast? Nothing's planned.. No one else really knows ah went up to git ye... A'm hoping when ye unlock th' door we cannot get passed in th' ruins, th' rest o' th' kingdom wid be more willing to open up. Mibbie we kin even uise that as leverage. A'm waantin' mah people to wirk togither with th' surface dwellers, rather than stay down 'ere while we wait for th' war above us to quiet."

"But if everything goes weel, aye! Let's have a feast! Besides, na doubt th' priests awready know ye'r down 'ere. They're a bit o' a thorn, bit thay will not go against th' royal family. Weel, if we kin convince father."

Lili shrugged. When you mentioned other foods from the surface, the dwarf princess nodded. "Some o' th' older dwarves know how 'twas like on th' surface. Tis something a'm waantin' mah future people to have too."

---

Location: Dwarven City
Date: Day 7 (Jean), Day 9 (Rosalie) - Time: 11:20 PM

Lili began to lead the way again, this time going to a central building. There were some dwarven guards at the entrance, with axes as large as Lili's strapped to their back, but they nodded as they let the three of you through. They had eyed you cautiously, but with a stern glance from Lili, none of them chose to go against the princess. Soon enough, you found yourself in a very large elevator. It was a cylindrical one, with a radius of about 40 ft. The doors that opened up to lead to it as well were just as large.

Like the first time in a dwarven elevator, the elevator moved slowly at first, but then quickly sped up suddenly. And like before, Ren quickly used her tentacles to keep you grounded.

"Ah wanted to ask afore... How come does that happens anyways? something aboot a hero?" Lili asked curiously, watching as you had begun to head straight towards the ceiling before Ren caught you.

     "No just one of my various magical powers at work."  Said Jean absentmindedly as he watched the working of the elevator.  "I can alter the weight of various things.  Decreasing my own weight allows me to move unburdened and avoid attacks but decreasing it too much can have its own problems.  Here, let me show you."  He put a hand on the princess's shoulder and with a nod from Ren, signaling her to let go of him, flipped up and over to do a handstand on Lili's shoulder, making sure to keep a good grip on her dress to try and prevent himself from flying up to the ceiling.

[info]Acrobatics, assuming its even needed with my bonus(http://forums.fantasyworldcreations.com/Themes/envision2013_smf20_rev3/images/dice_warn.gif) This dice roll has been tampered with!
Rolled 1d20+32 : 19 + 32, total 51[/info]

You did the handstand perfectly, and with a single grip on her clothing you managed to stay afloat. The princess had a slight blush on her cheeks when you neared, but she only stared wide-eyed as you proceeded with the acrobatic feat.

"That's amazing. Ah guess that's pairt o' bein' a hero... That won't be enough to impress our clerics though... Let's juist hope everything wirks out." She grinned.

---

Location: Deep Underground
Date: Day 7 (Jean), Day 9 (Rosalie) - Time: 11:30 PM

Reaching the bottom of the elevator took longer than the first elevator ride. But eventually, the elevator slowed. When it finally stopped, the large doors opened revealing an underground ruin that looked very much different than what was higher above. There were crystals embedded in the walls, along with tall spires that were obviously man-made. The spires had a different type of architecture than the dwarven city. Where above had an almost Victorian-era feel to it, these were different. The spires shot straight up, with lines decorating them in a straight pattern. There were also stacks of other shorter spires that were unique on their own with no clear purpose.


A couple of dwarves were already down here though. One of them with a large axe and wearing heavy armor approached. "Restricted area! Heid back tae th' toon." The dwarf quickly noticed Ren, and immediately had his axe out. He shortly saw Lili and you however, and he lowered his axe. "Princess... How come urr ye doon 'ere? 'n' wha ur they two? Outsiders?"

QuoteRestricted area! Head back to the city. Princess... Why are you down here? And who are those two? Outsiders?

"Aye they're mah guests." Lili responded quickly, hoping that would be enough.

"Guests or nae, they're nae allowed doon 'ere. Th' Heich Priest isnae aff tae lik' this at a'... " The dwarf eyed you and Ren. "Kin ye ken us? Speak, wha urr ye? "

QuoteGuests or not, they're not allowed down here. The High Priest isn't going to like this at all... Can you understand us? Speak, who are you?

     "We're just some tourists.  Your princess said she wanted to show us the ruins."  Said Jean in response.  "My name is Jean and this is Ren, hero and companion respectively. We're perfectly harmless."  He stated with a with a gesture to himself and Ren.  ""No need to worry about us.  As you can see, we're unarmed.  I'm sure your priests don't need to be bothered."

QuoteBluff requested

[info] Bluff check[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+14 : 16 + 14, total 30[/blockquote][/info]

The dwarf nodded. "Surface-dwellers in th' toon aren't keeked upon tae favorably by oor priests 'n' mony o' oor folk. Ah masell dinnae mynd either wey, 'n' sin ye'r wi' th' princess, weel, ah jalouse if tis braw wi' her, it shuid be braw fur th' rest o' us. Carry oan... Dinnae titch anythin' ye'r nae suppose tae, though."

QuoteSurface-dwellers in the city aren't looked upon too favorably by our priests and many of our folk. I myself don't mind either way, and since you're with the princess, well, I guess if it's fine with her, it should be fine for the rest of us. Carry on... Don't touch anything you're not supposed to, though.

Soon enough the princess started making her way past the guard, as the two of you kept up pace with her. "Let's move quickly. Other than th' stop at th' stall, we made a bee-line straight to th' ruins... Many o' th' archaeologists 'ere happen tae be priests o' th' goddess. Th' earth goddess. 'n' a'd rather not run into th' high priest at least 'til we git to th' gate in th' ruins."

As the group went in further, there were plenty of other dwarves in the ruins. There were carts as well, but instead of being filled with ore, seemed to have various pieces of artifacts laid out in them. Almost every dwarf noticed the group's passing. It was quiet enough down here that you were able to make out their whispering. Many of them balked at the fact a human and a 'tentacle-creature' of some sort were with the princess. But with the stern glance from Lili at any approaching dwarf, along with her quick pace, no one else bothered to confront her. There were a couple who started to look back towards the elevator though, and even some making their way back.

---

Location: Deep Underground
Date: Day 7 (Jean), Day 9 (Rosalie) - Time: 12:00 PM

It was around half an hour of walking at the brisk pace, telling you that you had covered at least a mile or two. There were still plenty dwarves that you had run into. The further you went in, the wider the caverns became as well. Lili explained that there once were plenty of monsters down here, but their people have already cleared out these specific tunnels, making it safe for excavation. The ruins continued to stretch on through the journey, eventually it got to the point that it felt like everywhere you looked were a series of ruins and old buildings. There was an underground river and water systems down here as well, there were even a few fishermen who glanced your way when you approached. Eventually you had passed by a bridge that LIli mentioned was crafted by the dwarves themselves. Soon enough more and more bridges were appearing as you began to realize that the underground water system was actually quite vast.

Finally, in the distance, Lili pointed towards a ruined building. It was at a lower elevation, so much of the water ended up becoming waterfalls.


"Thare it's. Most o' th' ruins doon 'ere are destroyed 'n' beyond recognition, except fur this building. Magic o' some sort is keeping it in guid condition, even as th' water around it hud already weathered down th' other ruins. This one stays standin'." Lili said as she started her way towards it. There was a pathway downwards, along with a few short bridges that were more recently made. At the building itself, there was a couple of robed dwarves at the site, around either campfires, or simply in the ruins themselves looking at things.

     "These ruins are quite expansive..."  Remarked Jean as they walked the path.  He looked down into the canals as they walked by trying to see if he could catch a glimpse of whatever the fishermen were trying to lure.   "This must have been quite the city."  He said as they approached the final building.  "Well whatever it is it looks important.  You said monsters used to live here before you cleared them out?  What about that building?"  He watched the robed dwarves near the building.  "Those don't happen to be some of the priests we need to keep an eye out for are they? "