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Message: <blockquote data-quote="the Jester" data-source="post: 1699034" data-attributes="member: 1210">Federico and the MushroomsLaodegan pushes through the doorway, grimacing in disgust as spores puff up from the fungus.  The group proceeds cautiously down a hallway that opens into a room full of thriving fungus, toadstools taller than the halflings, smuts growing on the ceiling- a veritable garden of weird life.“C-creepy,” Federico moans in fear.  Jawbreaker grunts.Something moves.  Laodegan whips his sword out and glares ahead.  A living mushroom, about 3’ tall, moves slowly towards the group.“What the hell?” Martini exclaims.Poof!  A spray of spores washes over the group.  Coughing, most of them back away, but Laodegan snarls through tearing eyes and hacks the mushroom creature down.“Everyone okay?” asks Trinia.The heroes nod.  Federico looks a little funny; his pupils have gotten really big and he’s got a funny look on his face. “Dog?” asks Sandy.  “Are you-““Wow, man,” Federico moans.  “It’s cool.”  He grins and starts laughing.  “They don’t want to hurt us.”As the kobold talks, more of the creatures emerge from behind the fungus.  Laodegan clasps the hilt of his sword firmly.  He doesn’t like the looks of this.  Glancing at the far side of the chamber he can see a thick-looking white fungal membrane covering what might be an exit.  “Come on,” he urges the others, and starts towards it.“It’s cool,” Federico says again, and gives out a contented sigh.  “They can help us... it’s dangerous... unless we take... a spiritual journey...”  He seems to be starting to ramble.“We aren’t going on any kind of spiritual journey that involves breathing in those spores,” Laodegan replies firmly.  He snarls, “If they won’t let us out, I’ll cut our way out.”“No, no- no violence,” Federico says dreamily.  “No violence.  But the only safe way... it’s dangerous... there are things... eaters...”“Then they better let us out.”  The human gestures at the membrane.  “Is that a door?  Tell them to open it.”“No, dangerous... might be... but they want to help...”  The kobold’s ramblings seem tangential, at best, to the conversation, and Laodegan turns away in disgust.Jawbreaker looks at the dozen or so mushroom folk uneasily.  He sort of wants to eat them (mushrooms- yum!), but... they seem sentient.  He pulls out his stick and walks up to one and pokes it.  Firm, yet yielding- hmm.  Looks delicious.  Hmm....“Tell them to back off,” Laodegan orders Federico, and starts hacking at the membrane.  The mushroom creatures slowly withdraw.  The kobold sighs heavily, looks slightly distressed, then sinks back into a smile.The human’s sword cuts into the membrane again and again.  Slowly he hacks an exit through it, and as he does he feels a wisp of wind and sees a hint of sunlight, but not much of it.  After he carves a hole sufficient to allow him passage, he turns around.”It leads to the bridge,” he says.The group moves through the membrane; the mushroom folk remain at a small distance and make no hostile moves.  Laodegan burns with an angry distrust for them.  They want to get into my mind!Leaving the fungus chamber behind our heroes find themselves at one end of a wind-swept bridge that crosses from one wall of the chasm to the other.  They can see, below them, in the darkness, small huts.  Not a single one of Jawbreaker’s burning bushes remains on the bridge.  The sounds of some sort of drumming or clashing sound wafts up to the bridge.  There are no lights.  Federico staggers across the bridge to check out the far side, but he’s clearly under the influence of the spores and not completely right in the head at the moment.“Why don’t we rest?” the kobold suggests.  “I’m tired...”The group agrees and settles in, setting watches.  Federico, his head starting to clear a little- he’s past the psychedelic peak of the spore experience- offers to take the first watch.  Laodegan grumbles, uncertain as to whether or not he can be trusted to stay awake, but in the end the others drift off while the kobold watches.  He sighs, thinking about lost friends.  Brother He, Mama, Coco, so many of his friends, his clan mates...He toys with the rainshields.  He saved both Brother He’s and Mama’s, but... but they’re both gone.  Perhaps...Federico sighs.  He can barely carry them anyway.  He casts them over the edge of the bridge and bursts into tears.Next Time: What dangers were the mushrooms talking about, anyway?</blockquote>

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