Chapter 2: Hell's Back Road

[mjulius]

Clearing throat Where are we?

Wither Whither, hands on hips (such a strange look for a Lich), suddenly gestures around his surroundings:

Why it's the Underworld! You're gonna love it, Grem. There's no sun! Your skin will finally take on a healthy grey pallor. No more hauling heavy logs up to the study in that tower. In fact everywhere we go is down!

So yeah, the tower's gone. Everything's gone. I don't have any gold. It's all rather bad....

But look at this!

[mjulius]

Whither: Look at these people, Grem! There's a bear in a suit. He's wearing a suit! This guy has red eyes, laser eyes, no doubt. And this one, so shroomy, mushroomy. And this one, he must be a chef. I can smell the food all over 'em. It's repulsive. This guy, the one that they are calling doctor. I dunno. That's a crossbow, so maybe it's a diagnostic tool?

And here's a go...go....gorilla? A gorilla? Should he be on a chain or something?

[GreyWolfVT]

Galot nods listening to Yoothrandra "Thank you Yoothrandra, I'll keep that in mind. Where might these blue dwarves be located?"

[rossik]

New to the group, Doctor Gori just play along. He suggest to "fix the warrior sword, as it may be needed. If the stick thing can wait a little, we should be better equipment. Although i have no coins at all"

[Captain Kinkajou]

Anurak

Anurak's eyes go wide and he humbly accepts Yoothandra's token. He feels very proud to be favoured my such a noble lady as Yoothandra. "It is you that do me the great honour, M'Lady. I shall bear your token proudly and do my very utmost to prove that I am worthy of it," he declares. Then, leaning into Lady Yoothandra. "How does it work exactly? Should I ingest it? Or just show it to any of your people that I meet?"

He is too caught up in things to notice Oothu's disapproval of anything.

"Is this Hell's Back Road and the Devil's Highway the main thoroughfare in the Underworld?" he enquires. "Only, I wonder if we should perhaps start out in that direction also?"

Should they however end up parting ways right here, Anurak will bid his grey friends an emotional farewell. Once again, hugging as many as possible and asking Scrupuulthiat for a few final Underworld recipes.

[Pulpatoon]

The wedding party heads off, and the adventuring party trails along, at least for the moment. Suddenly, with a snap and crackle, a new figure appears, swearing and patting out flames on his forearm. Wither, the conspicuously un-alive new acquaintance, introduces him as Grem. Krodok laughs and claps at the man's sudden apparation, and asks Wither to do it again. Throwing a hairy arm around the lich's scrawny neck, Krodok smiles with big, square teeth and says, "Dead man makes good show! You come with Krodok and friends, yes? Bring new man, too!"

Galot nods listening to Yoothrandra "Thank you Yoothrandra, I'll keep that in mind. Where might these blue dwarves be located?"

Yoothrandra: "Hyew neffer know hwhere hyew will find them, buht they hare halways busy somehwhere, making something for somebohdy. They hare veh-ry skilled, but rahther cross. Do not hinterrupt them hat their work. Hand they hare halways working."

New to the group, Doctor Gori just play along. He suggest to "fix the warrior sword, as it may be needed. If the stick thing can wait a little, we should be better equipment. Although i have no coins at all"

Dr. Thontorius butts in, agitated. "Oh, that won't do at all! Not one jot of it! A sword? You would prioritize repairing a rudimentary tool over a mission on which hangs the fate of literally every living in the entire galaxy for hundreds of thousands of years? Well, this is where I put my foot down! I say no! No to swords, and... and... and no to worm-creatures, and no to this whole stupid, primitive past!" Pulling out a handkerchief, he dabs at his furry forehead. "I'm sorry, Doctor Gori. That was uncalled for. The pressure of the thing, you know? It's a lot to have riding on one's shoulder. But I must insist. We have to find the Nul-Rod."

Oothu grumbles, "Aye. Our job—our duty—is to find the Nul-Rod. We should not forget that for a moment." He darts eyes at both Thontorius and Anurak as he says this.

Anurak looks delighted, if slightly mystified by his coin.

Anurak "How does it work exactly? Should I ingest it? Or just show it to any of your people that I meet?"

Scrupuulthiat whispers to him, "Just keep hit hin your pocket, hand try not spend hit." He gives Anurak a small scroll, no larger than one of the cigarettes Gurzubar had been smoking. It is covered in tiny, spidery writing. "Seh-veral hof my favorite reh-cipes. Hyew must tell me hwhat hyew think, hafter hyew have tried them." Unfortunately, it is not written in a language that Anurak can read.

"Is this Hell's Back Road and the Devil's Highway the main thoroughfare in the Underworld?" he enquires. "Only, I wonder if we should perhaps start out in that direction also?"

Scrupuulthiat: "Hwell... they hare the main thoroughfares hin this corner hof the Hunderworld. Which, to be perfectly frank, his a bit hof a backwater. No hoffense to teh loh-cals, hof course. We first met hon the Bahck Roahd, as it curves hup to meet the Deh-vil's Highway."

The combined parties have now reached the juncture where the small passage turned east from the main passage they had been following.

The main passage runs north and south. "Hell's Bahck Roahd," declares a grey humanoid. "Hwe go north. Hyew too?"

Across the cavern is the opening to the Science Fungoids' experimental mushroom farm. They wave their clipboards excitedly upon spotting you.

ACTIONS?
Next update: Monday evening, EST!

[rossik]

"Lest travel together, its safer!", points out Doctor Gori. "North we go, right?"

[mjulius]

Giving a longing look at the excited Science Fungoids, Wither reluctantly follows others angling their way northward, whispering, Clipboards.......

[GreyWolfVT]

Galot "Indeed they say safety in numbers right?"

[Captain Kinkajou]

Anurak

"Yes indeed. Northwards seems a very fine direction to be heading in, to me," Anurak agrees, nodding enthusiastically. He very much welcomes the opportunity to extend their journey with the grey humanoids, if only for a little longer.

"Crispy snail cracker?" he asks, offering a handful around to his companions. "They're a little dusty at first but I must say, I find them really rather moreish."

[GreyWolfVT]

Galot "I am ready and willing to go whatever direction the group goes." he adds.

[Greminus]

Whither: Look at these people, Grem! There's a bear in a suit. He's wearing a suit! This guy has red eyes, laser eyes, no doubt. And this one, so shroomy, mushroomy. And this one, he must be a chef. I can smell the food all over 'em. It's repulsive. This guy, the one that they are calling doctor. I dunno. That's a crossbow, so maybe it's a diagnostic tool?

And here's a go...go....gorilla? A gorilla? Should he be on a chain or something?

Well... yes, that one does look like a mushroom. I wonder...

licks mushroom

[Nate]

Gurzubar waves his remaining hand at the Fungoids.
Gurzubar: "Let's go north...I'll have a couple of those snail crackers"

[Captain Kinkajou]

Anurak

Anurak looks a little disappointed at the lack of take up for his offer of snail crackers but, when Gurzubar says he'll have a couple, he brightens. The jovial little man happily holds out a handful of the snacks for Gurzubar to take some. He can't help bobbing up and down a little oddly as he inadvertently dodges the threat of ruby laser beams shooting out of Gurzubar's eyes at any moment. And, there's a further moment of awkwardness when he holds out the snacks to Gurzubar's wrong hand and then realises there isn't an arm there. "Oh... my bad... How are you finding it? Erm, I mean... Does it hurt?" he babbles, though seemingly with genuine concern.

He munches a couple more of the snacks himself.

[GreyWolfVT]

Galot Wenz watches the mushroom licking and has a strained look "Oh lord I wouldn't lick that Grem." but he is too late in trying to stop Grem. "Well this could get interesting."

[Nate]

Anurak
And, there's a further moment of awkwardness when he holds out the snacks to Gurzubar's wrong hand and then realises there isn't an arm there. "Oh... my bad... How are you finding it? Erm, I mean... Does it hurt?" he babbles, though seemingly with genuine concern.

Gurzubar, lifting is nub arm: "Not anymore, but sometimes it feels like it's still there."

[Pulpatoon]

Operation: Unfathomable! Day Three: Afternoon
The party heads north, past the research garden of the Science Fungoids. The little mushroom men look very hopeful at the sight of new humans among their number, and wave excitedly, only to slump in fungal disappointment as the party continues on. Their little clipboards sag forlornly.

Wither expresses wonder at his exotic companions, prompting his aide-de-camp, Grem, to give the mushroom-minded Bubba a tentative lick. Bubba does not seem to mind.

The party tromps north for some time. They pass the cave swallows they saw last night, before they turned back to look for shelter. The Gray Humanoids caution them, "Hide hany rhope, string, or thwine. Those little birds hwill steal hit for their nests." Sure enough, the swallows flit in and out of bulbous nests that cling to the cavern ceiling. And now that you've been told what to look for, you can see that the nests are constructed out coils of mismatched rope, glued together with sparrow salvia.

An hour later, you pass another great fungal bloom, on the right. The psychedelic riot of colors are a welcome relief from the blue-green monotony of the Underworld.

A pile of subterranean detritus is swept on into a pile on the left side of the cavern, opposite the fungal bloom. Thontorius expresses interest in the pile. "It seems rather to imply some active maintenance of these passages. Is there a governmental authority that oversees common infrastructure in these parts? Perhaps your people, or those worm soldiers?" he asks the Grey Humanoids.

Yoothrandra responds with a laugh: "The Worm Sultan haspires to be ha God hoff Chaos. He cares no-thing for suchlike. Hand my lahnds hare far haway. But, no, heven there, hwe hare not so tasked. Beetles made hall hoff this," she gestures expansively, taking in the extended cavern complex. "Loooooohng hago. Hand beetles built to lahst. They made the roads, had they made the... how whould you say? Like little chinks hoff harmor? Like hay buhg? Hah, seg-mehnted. The Segmented Giants. To, has you say, maintain."

Ahead there is a T-intersection, as Hell's Back Road ends by emptying out into a perpendicular cavern.

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From this cavern, the party hears a deep reverberation, the plodding of massive footsteps. Through the gloom, a shape emerges.

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ACTIONS!
Next post: Friday evening, EST!
Posting may be a little less frequent for a bit.

[rossik]

"Woa, impressive!" say Doctor Gori. "Any of you knows if they are friend or foe?" asks the doctor to is comrades.

[GreyWolfVT]

Galot Wenz gets a look like he's impressed the like he's thinking something up. "You know something like that would be quite the attraction in a carnival or circus. Could draw a crowd not to mention the coin." clearly distracted as the performer in him thinks of entertainment not survival.

[Nate]

"Woa, impressive!" say Doctor Gori. "Any of you knows if they are friend or foe?" asks the doctor to is comrades.

Gurzubar:"Hmm...not sure. I'll go say hi."
Gurzubar heads toward the strange travelers waving. He stays to the side of the cave to avoid being trampled if the creature rushes in his direction. "Greetings fellow Underworld travelers! How goes your journey?"