Past, Present, Future and Cats! - 3/9/2019

Meattus looks around at the amount of webbing surrounding the clutch and thrusts his torch into the webbing. The web catches instantly and sets the cave into a brilliant inferno. The remaining webbing, spiders, and their eggs incinerate.

The trio of adventurers decide that they should hurry back to their home with their recently recovered friend, Dekin.

Sitara lays Dekin down and ensures that he is healed and mended as best as she can with the training she has received. With the recent battles, all of the clutch are exhausted, and they lay down for the night. Each one, with the exception of Dekin taking watch.

"Dekin...Dekin has a headache in his whole body...." the kobold manages before rolling back over to sleep. Lilli pouts and covers Dekin back up before continuing her watch.

The morning quickly comes and all rise to greet the day. Meattus, seeing Dekin awake, decides to pry into what happened to the basement, and how Dekin managed to get trapped.

Meattus speaks gently to Dekin, 'That was a big hole you dug there buddy.' Dekin nods slowly, 'Are there anymore spiders?'  'No, no there are no more spiders, we took care of them all,' Meattus replies.

The Tesseract spins and flies around the group, 'You spend too much time with this fleshbag! We must go!'

Dekin pouts and whispers to Meattus, 'Why he call me fleshbag? I am kobold!' Meattus comforts the small kobold while Lilli bounces up and announces that she's heading back down the slide! Sitara approaches Dekin and calmly explains that he needs to remain in his room, and to not dig or go outside. Dekin agrees and slides back into slumber.

Lilli jumps into the tunnel and slides down to cavern below. Meattus and Sitara take a more conservative approach of shimming slowly to the caves.

The Clutch decides to move in the opposite direction of the now burned out cave where wisps of webbing can be seen as evidence of their previous encounter. As they round the corner, they spy two large owl bears. 'Wooooooooooooooooop!,' the owl bears shriek. Lilli giggles and then mimics the 'wooooooooop' back to them. The owl bears ruffle their feathers in annoyance and charge the group.

The group all land critical hits upon the owl bears causing feathers to fly. The owl bears then return their attacks. One harmlessly glances it's attacks off Sitara's armor. The other's beak lands a direct and critical hit on the monk causing her to yell out in pain. Sitara then steps back and calls out to her goddess to heal Lilli.

Feeling rejuvenated Lilli lands four solid hits with her punching daggers. Meattus, now enraged, cleanly slices through the head of one of the owl bears. The remaining owl bear screeches at the death of its companion and critically injures Sitara. She then returns the favor and slays the owl bear.

As the Clutch collects themselves after the battle. Meattus hears a faint 'chirp' and finds a baby owl bear, and two eggs. Sitara remembers that owl bears make for fantastic protectors and can be trained. Meattus bonds with the baby owl bear, places it in his backpack and names it 'Flayer.' Lilli wrinkles her nose at the owl bear, silently deciding that she wants nothing to do with them after her near death experience.

Meattus also takes tail feathers (10) to sell.

The Clutch decides to collect themselves and move forward trying to find the key for the Tesseract. The next cavernous room they find is a room lined with multiple statues with a pool of water in the middle. Upon closer inspection the statues are of lizards but more refined with stubbier tails.

Lilli asks the Tesseract, 'Do you know what these statues are?' The Tesseract scans and replies, 'The Proginators.'  Meattus asks the Tesseract to elaborate. 'You may know them as the Creators. Those that founded Reth.' Meattus, following the conversation asks, 'Do you know why these statues are here?'  Tesseract states, 'They are usually next to magical fonts.'

Sitara: Do you know what this water is?

Tesseract: It is restorative.

Sitara places her hand in the water and her wounds start to heal. As the wounds start to close the water recedes slightly.

Lilli inquires to the Tesseract if the Clutch is close to the key. 'Scanning,' it replies, 'negative.'

The Clutch moves into a large open cavern. Meattus stops and looks ahead, 'Hey, remember my dead mistress. She's not dead. Forward in Meattus' eyesight is Cunilinga.

Cunilinga: No, I am not dead.

Meattus: I see you have not changed at all.

Cunilinga waves her hands: The power of the elves, the drow.

Meattus: I'm not the same boy that you mistreated. I cannot be so easily fooled or tamed.

Cunilinga: No, you've grown. I'm asking, come back with me.

Meattus: No, I will not leave my friends.

Cunilinga: Don't you remember me? I kept you safe. *She giggles as she turns into the Oni and then back again.* She then smiles and kisses Meattus.

Meattus shakes his head as if forcing off a magical influence.

Cunilinga: So you scorn me! I blessed you with your appendages!

Meattus: They've MADE ME AN ANGRY PERSON!

The ground trembles and shakes as tentacles erupt and wave along with the head of the Moug. Cunilinga casts a spell as she disappears into the shadows, and the Moug appears to move more quickly.

The Clutch engages the Moug. Sitara remembers a story regarding this type of creature. If the head is attacked and slain the tentacles will also fall. Blows are exchanged and the Clutch becomes injured by the Moug, but Lilli lunges with a final flurry of blows and slays the creature. Battered and bruised the Clutch returns to the restorative pool and heals their wounds before continuing. All that remains is a small puddle. The Clutch is careful to not take it all, in the hope that it will refill.

As Lilli steps out of the room away from the statues of the Creators she was drawn, compelled to head into a small cave that had a large room attached. The large cavernous area was lined with statues of cats. The Tesseract announces that it is a shrine to one of the fey lords, the Queen of the Cats - Khastiri.

There is a dias and a throne with a mummified woman, her head is that of a cat. The mummy has a cloak, and a quarterstaff in its hand. Sitara approaches with caution, but calms upon realizing the aura of her surroundings is a good, peaceful one.

Lilli approaches the throne, feeling drawn. The mummy's eyes open and turn to a cat wrapped around its feet then back to Lillishandra.

"You. Find the Queen of Cats.  The Queen of Cats blood runs through you.  Magic is in your blood."

The cat looks up and goes to Lillishandra. Somehow, Lilli knows its name is Isis. Lilli takes the staff and cloak, and wear both.

Loot:

Cat Staff - To Lilli

Cat Hood - To Lilli

Lilli kneels before the dias and says a prayer to the Cat Queen, all then crumbles and turns to dust. Lilli nods and walks out.

Next Adventure:
Death of the Past - 6/16/2019

Previous Adventure:
Webs Ablaze! - 1/19/2019