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<blockquote data-quote="Rybaer" data-source="post: 1117" data-attributes="member: 118"><p>Session #5.3 – Fungi and Sunflowers</p><p></p><p></p><p>Thus far on our intrepid heroes’ journey into the depths of the Pit (of Certain Unpleasantness), they had encountered a horde of fiendish bunnies and their mother, a squad of floating jellyfish complete with a swarm of flying piranha, a pair of giant metallic snapping turtles, and a narrow chasm. No one had died yet. So far, so good.</p><p></p><p>They continued to wind their way single file down the Pit’s ramp, the fog continuing to press in heavily. After another hour of walking, the path widened out again. They scouted ahead only to find their way more or less blocked by a forest of violet and green fungi that stood several feet taller than they were. The crowns of the fungi formed a nearly continuous canopy, but the stalks were generally spaced a couple feet apart from one another.</p><p></p><p>After Boaz’s run-in with a Violet Fungus not a week earlier in the young green dragon’s cave, no one was too eager to get close or to try to pass through. The fungi appeared to spread completely between the wall and the cliff, though, so they concluded that going straight through was the only option. Nigel, one of the more nimble in the group, risked a closer inspection of the fungi. The fungi appeared to be completely inert and inactive. He even risked stepping in between a couple stalks and further into the forest. Again, nothing happened. He slipped back out to report that these fungi appeared to be nothing more than overgrown specimens. He did note large amounts of spores on the undersides of the crowns and highly recommended against bumping into any fungi while passing through.</p><p></p><p>They started through the fungi, spaced enough apart that they could still see one another and yet have room to negotiate the forest of stalks without bumping any. Kisty, Nigel and Amblin, all being rather nimble, had little difficulty getting through the hundred or so foot width of the patch. Rurik with his dwarven girth and Boaz with his half-orc height, in concert with their less-nimble reflexes, were not quite as successful. Both bumped into fungi stalks almost immediately, and were showered in clouds of orange spores. They could feel the spores working at a clouding their thoughts, but both were able to shake off the effects and complete their way through the patch.</p><p></p><p>On the other side, the path again narrowed to its usual ten-foot width and continued down and around the Pit. For another hour or more they continued until it again began to widen, this time for a small forest. The rough bare stone of the path gave way to dirt and grass, trees and bushes. Even the fog thinned out here, increasing visibility to a good thirty feet or so. The forest appeared to be rather wide and quiet. Having encountered a challenge or danger every time their surroundings changed in the slightest bit, they were very cautious as they entered. Keeping close to the side wall of the Pit, they tried to move quietly through the otherwise silent forest.</p><p></p><p>Nigel, with his finely tuned elvish ranger senses, spotted the approach of a large bear through the fog after they were several hundred feet into the woods. Unlike all the previous “animals” they had encountered in the Pit, this bear appeared to be a perfectly normal specimen. It did not take an immediately aggressive stance, so they held back and waited to see what it wanted. The bear confidently walked right up to them, sniffing the air as if looking for something. Finally, it came right up to Rurik, severely testing the dwarf’s resolve. It planted its nose squarely on his backpack and started nudging it around.</p><p></p><p>“It can smell the rabbit meat we cooked up yesterday,” Nigel surmised. Everyone else started to get nervous, knowing that all their packs contained some of the meat. The bear seemed content to poke its nose down into Rurik’s pack until it found the food it sought and pulled it free, then swallowed it. Everyone else emptied their packs of the food slowly so as not to startle the bear. Nigel slowly herded everyone around the bear and through the woods while it collected the morsels of food scattered about.</p><p></p><p>As they pushed on through the woods, the bear followed along. It seemed to be more curious about them than interested in harassing them for more food. While the group was a bit uncomfortable, they decided to let it follow.</p><p></p><p>After another fifteen minutes of hiking through the woods, the fog began to thin and they could see sunlight peeking through the canopy overhead. As they continued forward, they could see what appeared to be the edge of the forest. At this point, the bear stopped following them. It watched for a few moments while the group left the forest and then returned into the dark depths of the trees.</p><p></p><p>Reaching the edge of the forest, the group looked out upon a bowl-shaped field, several hundred yards in diameter, basking in brilliant sunlight. Around the left side of the bowl, the cliff face of the Pit rose hundreds of feet. To their right, the forest continued a short way and then opened up to the cliff edge of the fog-filled Pit. About a third of the way around the bowl to their right, a narrow stone bridge, almost natural in appearance, stretched away into the fog. This appeared to be the only way to proceed from the massive bowl. Centered in the bottom of the bowl was a patch of what appeared to be shiny sunflowers surrounded by a narrow swath of wavy grass. Seeing no immediate threat, they sat down along the edge of the forest to rest and recoup for a few hours.</p><p></p><p>Once ready, they decided to stay along the edge of the forest and then along the edge of the cliff as they made their way for the stone bridge. There was no hint of trouble until they were about halfway to the bridge. Amblin, leading the way, experienced a bright flash of light and sudden increase in temperature to an extreme degree. Thousands of the shiny sunflowers had bent in such a manner as to focus the reflected sunlight directly at him. All of them started running desperately once they realized what was happening. Amblin and Boaz, both superhumanly quick, made it to the bridge with only minor burns. Nigel started to take the brunt of the flowers focus next, getting moderately burned. Kisty, realizing her short legs would make her a target for a long time, took a different approach and ran straight for the flower patch and dove underneath the canopy of flower heads. Rurik decided to follow Kisty’s lead and dove in right behind her, only heating up slightly.</p><p></p><p>Once on the bridge, Amblin and Boaz found that the flowers were no longer able to track them. Either that, or they were focused too intently on Nigel. Badly burned, Nigel finally made it to the bridge and collapsed. Kisty and Rurik found themselves safe under the flowers as they couldn’t get a good angle on them. Together, they worked their way over toward the edge closest to the stone bridge. They could just make out the others in the fog on the bridge, waiting for them. It was a good hundred feet of ground to cover. Taking a deep breath, they both bolted out simultaneously, weaving side to side in hope of keeping the flowers from being able to draw adjust quickly enough to hurt them. Kisty, unencumbered by bulky armor, was quicker and made it to the bridge safely. Rurik, being slower, was the closest target and took the brunt of the reflected sunlight. He was soon cooking in his armor, but due to the relatively short exposure he made it to the bridge and into the fog with only minor injury.</p><p></p><p>Rurik healed up the injuries they had incurred and they prepared to continue on. At the moment, they were back in the dense fog, on a five-foot wide stone bridge. Behind them was a field of flowers with a nasty disposition. Ahead was unknown, but likely bad. To either side, thick fog, a brisk breeze, and a long fall. No one was happy with this arrangement.</p><p></p><p>Everyone crouched low or crawled across the bridge, fearing to be buffeted off by sudden strong gust of wind. About two hundred feet further, the fog again cleared and the bridge widened out, splitting left and right. They were standing on what essentially amounted to a ring of stone – a ten-foot wide swath of stone with a diameter of about a hundred feet. The stone ring had a sheer drop-off both on the inside and out. In the very center of the ring was a single column of stone rising up to a small platform. Stretched between the ring and the platform, just below their level, was what appeared to be a spider web comprised of barbed wire. A few feet below the taut web was a greasy black smoke that roiled about like water waves.</p><p></p><p>Centered on the platform was a small pedestal with some assorted items resting upon its top. Also, a chunk of the pedestal appeared to have fractured and fallen to the platform, scattering about some of the (stone?) items. These were, they surmised, the broken controls for the entire Golden Sphere…the reason they had come down into the Pit (of Certain Unpleasantness). </p><p></p><p>The barbed wire, while daunting, appeared to be both taut and strong enough to support the weight of a person attempting to cross the fifty feet of web to reach the pedestal. The question on everyone’s mind was the same: What had made this web, and was it still around? They found their answer soon enough…</p><p></p><p></p><p>-Rybaer</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Rybaer, post: 1117, member: 118"] Session #5.3 – Fungi and Sunflowers Thus far on our intrepid heroes’ journey into the depths of the Pit (of Certain Unpleasantness), they had encountered a horde of fiendish bunnies and their mother, a squad of floating jellyfish complete with a swarm of flying piranha, a pair of giant metallic snapping turtles, and a narrow chasm. No one had died yet. So far, so good. They continued to wind their way single file down the Pit’s ramp, the fog continuing to press in heavily. After another hour of walking, the path widened out again. They scouted ahead only to find their way more or less blocked by a forest of violet and green fungi that stood several feet taller than they were. The crowns of the fungi formed a nearly continuous canopy, but the stalks were generally spaced a couple feet apart from one another. After Boaz’s run-in with a Violet Fungus not a week earlier in the young green dragon’s cave, no one was too eager to get close or to try to pass through. The fungi appeared to spread completely between the wall and the cliff, though, so they concluded that going straight through was the only option. Nigel, one of the more nimble in the group, risked a closer inspection of the fungi. The fungi appeared to be completely inert and inactive. He even risked stepping in between a couple stalks and further into the forest. Again, nothing happened. He slipped back out to report that these fungi appeared to be nothing more than overgrown specimens. He did note large amounts of spores on the undersides of the crowns and highly recommended against bumping into any fungi while passing through. They started through the fungi, spaced enough apart that they could still see one another and yet have room to negotiate the forest of stalks without bumping any. Kisty, Nigel and Amblin, all being rather nimble, had little difficulty getting through the hundred or so foot width of the patch. Rurik with his dwarven girth and Boaz with his half-orc height, in concert with their less-nimble reflexes, were not quite as successful. Both bumped into fungi stalks almost immediately, and were showered in clouds of orange spores. They could feel the spores working at a clouding their thoughts, but both were able to shake off the effects and complete their way through the patch. On the other side, the path again narrowed to its usual ten-foot width and continued down and around the Pit. For another hour or more they continued until it again began to widen, this time for a small forest. The rough bare stone of the path gave way to dirt and grass, trees and bushes. Even the fog thinned out here, increasing visibility to a good thirty feet or so. The forest appeared to be rather wide and quiet. Having encountered a challenge or danger every time their surroundings changed in the slightest bit, they were very cautious as they entered. Keeping close to the side wall of the Pit, they tried to move quietly through the otherwise silent forest. Nigel, with his finely tuned elvish ranger senses, spotted the approach of a large bear through the fog after they were several hundred feet into the woods. Unlike all the previous “animals” they had encountered in the Pit, this bear appeared to be a perfectly normal specimen. It did not take an immediately aggressive stance, so they held back and waited to see what it wanted. The bear confidently walked right up to them, sniffing the air as if looking for something. Finally, it came right up to Rurik, severely testing the dwarf’s resolve. It planted its nose squarely on his backpack and started nudging it around. “It can smell the rabbit meat we cooked up yesterday,” Nigel surmised. Everyone else started to get nervous, knowing that all their packs contained some of the meat. The bear seemed content to poke its nose down into Rurik’s pack until it found the food it sought and pulled it free, then swallowed it. Everyone else emptied their packs of the food slowly so as not to startle the bear. Nigel slowly herded everyone around the bear and through the woods while it collected the morsels of food scattered about. As they pushed on through the woods, the bear followed along. It seemed to be more curious about them than interested in harassing them for more food. While the group was a bit uncomfortable, they decided to let it follow. After another fifteen minutes of hiking through the woods, the fog began to thin and they could see sunlight peeking through the canopy overhead. As they continued forward, they could see what appeared to be the edge of the forest. At this point, the bear stopped following them. It watched for a few moments while the group left the forest and then returned into the dark depths of the trees. Reaching the edge of the forest, the group looked out upon a bowl-shaped field, several hundred yards in diameter, basking in brilliant sunlight. Around the left side of the bowl, the cliff face of the Pit rose hundreds of feet. To their right, the forest continued a short way and then opened up to the cliff edge of the fog-filled Pit. About a third of the way around the bowl to their right, a narrow stone bridge, almost natural in appearance, stretched away into the fog. This appeared to be the only way to proceed from the massive bowl. Centered in the bottom of the bowl was a patch of what appeared to be shiny sunflowers surrounded by a narrow swath of wavy grass. Seeing no immediate threat, they sat down along the edge of the forest to rest and recoup for a few hours. Once ready, they decided to stay along the edge of the forest and then along the edge of the cliff as they made their way for the stone bridge. There was no hint of trouble until they were about halfway to the bridge. Amblin, leading the way, experienced a bright flash of light and sudden increase in temperature to an extreme degree. Thousands of the shiny sunflowers had bent in such a manner as to focus the reflected sunlight directly at him. All of them started running desperately once they realized what was happening. Amblin and Boaz, both superhumanly quick, made it to the bridge with only minor burns. Nigel started to take the brunt of the flowers focus next, getting moderately burned. Kisty, realizing her short legs would make her a target for a long time, took a different approach and ran straight for the flower patch and dove underneath the canopy of flower heads. Rurik decided to follow Kisty’s lead and dove in right behind her, only heating up slightly. Once on the bridge, Amblin and Boaz found that the flowers were no longer able to track them. Either that, or they were focused too intently on Nigel. Badly burned, Nigel finally made it to the bridge and collapsed. Kisty and Rurik found themselves safe under the flowers as they couldn’t get a good angle on them. Together, they worked their way over toward the edge closest to the stone bridge. They could just make out the others in the fog on the bridge, waiting for them. It was a good hundred feet of ground to cover. Taking a deep breath, they both bolted out simultaneously, weaving side to side in hope of keeping the flowers from being able to draw adjust quickly enough to hurt them. Kisty, unencumbered by bulky armor, was quicker and made it to the bridge safely. Rurik, being slower, was the closest target and took the brunt of the reflected sunlight. He was soon cooking in his armor, but due to the relatively short exposure he made it to the bridge and into the fog with only minor injury. Rurik healed up the injuries they had incurred and they prepared to continue on. At the moment, they were back in the dense fog, on a five-foot wide stone bridge. Behind them was a field of flowers with a nasty disposition. Ahead was unknown, but likely bad. To either side, thick fog, a brisk breeze, and a long fall. No one was happy with this arrangement. Everyone crouched low or crawled across the bridge, fearing to be buffeted off by sudden strong gust of wind. About two hundred feet further, the fog again cleared and the bridge widened out, splitting left and right. They were standing on what essentially amounted to a ring of stone – a ten-foot wide swath of stone with a diameter of about a hundred feet. The stone ring had a sheer drop-off both on the inside and out. In the very center of the ring was a single column of stone rising up to a small platform. Stretched between the ring and the platform, just below their level, was what appeared to be a spider web comprised of barbed wire. A few feet below the taut web was a greasy black smoke that roiled about like water waves. Centered on the platform was a small pedestal with some assorted items resting upon its top. Also, a chunk of the pedestal appeared to have fractured and fallen to the platform, scattering about some of the (stone?) items. These were, they surmised, the broken controls for the entire Golden Sphere…the reason they had come down into the Pit (of Certain Unpleasantness). The barbed wire, while daunting, appeared to be both taut and strong enough to support the weight of a person attempting to cross the fifty feet of web to reach the pedestal. The question on everyone’s mind was the same: What had made this web, and was it still around? They found their answer soon enough… -Rybaer [/QUOTE]
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