(Sorry about the week-long absence, I had to go to the hospital and have something taken care of last Wednesday. I'm fine now, but it kind of shot my schedule to hell.)

After some time, the forest ends, and a rocky series of hills stretches across the moonlit vista of the surrounding area.

"I say, not much to it, is there?" The reptilian humanoid at the head says, pointing out with his rifle at the surrounding environment. "Stones and rocks far as the eye can see, if that's what you were after chaps."

"We wanted the henge though!" Turen says, stepping forwards towards the strange gentleman. "Is that anywhere near here?"

The creature smiles, adjusting the small monocle lit by emerald light he wears as he chuckles warmly. "Of course! But with this leg of mine, I doubt I shall be able to make further good time across this terrain." He says, poking at one of the stones with his crutch. "Therefore, I shall say it may take us a tad longer than it might otherwise."

Tayn shakes his head, the tattooed lines at the edge of his face seeming to sway with him in the dim light. "So we have to carry you along too?" He asks, looking over at you with an eyebrow raised.

(Previous thread: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/17675328/)

( I don't figure this thread will get much activity tonight, but I'll keep it around till tomorrow.)

Oh snap, I didn't even see you, OP. Also, sorry to hear about the hospital trip; good to hear it's cleared up, though.

>>17866297
>>17866596
"Yes, mister...um..." Ask for his name.

"Yes, well, do you know the exact location of this hedge stones?"

Assuming the answer is yes, continue on down the line of questions.

"If we were to provide a necessary improvement to your crutch, would you be able to take us immediately?"

"How attached are you to the ground?"

If he questions, give him a mild levitation spell. Nothing too stellar, but enough for him to alleviate the crutch dependence.

>>17866939

(Yeah, I wasn't here yet! And today I was delayed by a friend's car trouble till around 7 my time, so sorry about that as well! You guys are great readers, so I didn't want to disappoint, especially two weeks consecutively)

"Yes, mister..." You trail off, intending to ask for your guide's name, but he interrupts you with a sudden gasp.

"Oh dear me, I do realize I haven't told you my name!" He looks genuinely shocked. "My, you must think me some sort of brute!"

"Well," Tayn starts, the reptilian man hobbling over towards you with haste.

"Oh I do apologize. After all of this dimensional hemorrhaging nonsense I'm afraid I've been rather curt with those others I met out of necessity. But a gentleman accepts nothing as an excuse for forgetting his manners!" On one foot, the man bows awkwardly, putting his crutch out to one side. "I am Doctor Alvus Van Skewer, explorer, hunter, and captain of the Discordian Furies!" He straightens up quickly, looking behind you in the woods. "You had met the other members not long before our paths first crossed! Though I fear the gents and madams are not currently their usual courteous selves."

"Yes, well, do you know the exact location of this hedge stones?" You ask, and Dr. Van Skewer nods. "If we were to provide a necessary improvement to your crutch, would you be able to take us immediately?" You ask, and he raises his non-glass holding eyebrow as you do.

"That depends on the nature of this improvement." He asks, his tail swaying curiously.

You think for a moment, looking up at the moonlit sky. "How attached are you to the ground?"
Moments later, the flying Dr. Van Skewer lets out a loud, joyous laugh as he drifts into the sky, silhouetting himself against the moon. "Brilliant!"

>>17867273
"Dr. Skewer, lead us and tell us about your crew. They were quite rabid, and I doubt that they merely had a bad ration to make them that crazed."

"And what do you know of dimensional travel?"

>>17867358

"Dr. Skewer, lead us and tell us about your crew. They were quite rabid, and I doubt that they merely had a bad ration to make them that crazed." You say to the now flying gentleman as he takes on a more relaxed sitting posture from the air as he floats along above your group.

"Oh goodness no." He says, looking around. "We were suddenly attacked by some sort of creature that began to change them after having bit them into such ravenous creatures. I was bit as well, but for some reason whatever it was stopped after only partially transforming me." He says, shaking his head. "I daresay you've been most polite not to comment on the strangeness of my appearance."

"What do you know of dimensional travel?" You ask him, and the doctor grins, his pointed teeth glimmering against the light of the moon behind him.

"A fair bit of theory. However, I admit this is my first contact with definite creatures from another dimension." He says, looking across the lot of you. "Though I find it most odd that you appear to be of a similar shape. Most Dynavik fictions paint creatures from another world as rather more viscous, slimy, and covered with tentacles."

>>17867527
"The Eldritch are as scared of you as you are of them...mostly..."

Return to the topic at hand.

"Still, what exactly is the extent of your transformation. You appear perfectly normal, short of your crutch and rugged apparel."

"And what of this creature? Does it still lurk in the jungles?"

Heading to bed OP. See you tomorrow.

And morning bump.

bump

Afternoon bump

>>17867672

"The Eldritch are as scared of you as you are of them... Mostly..." You respond, looking over Dr. Van Skewer one last time. "Still, what exactly is the extent of your transformation? You appear perfectly normal, short of your crutch and rugged apparel."

Van Skewer rolls his eyes back, gasping and making a pushing motion with both hands. "Oh my, you are too kind, or simply too unobservant." He reaches down, lifting up the pant leg of his right leg ever so slightly. He shudders as he does so. "Ugh, I hate to think of what sort of horrible thing I'd have done had the transformation completed itself."

"Wait... What's the transformed part again?" Tayn asks after a moment.

"My ankle, of course, sah." Van Skewer responds, but despite his apparent disdain for the state of his ankle, you cannot see anything wrong with it.

"It looks like... It's slightly too high?" Akava suggests, and Van Skewer's "Oh!" confirms that this is indeed correct.

"Certainly! I would only be able to walk on it were I some sort of bestial creature. That, and when I tried to walk here earlier, I fell and twisted the horrifying thing." Van Skewer lowers his pant leg again, shivering.

"And what of this creature? Does it still lurk in the jungles?" You ask him.

"Well, from what I saw of it, it was a perfectly harmless As&d#jNhgY^*, but I don't know if your language even has a word for such creatures." Van Skewer says, his voice crackling as he speaks.

"Great. So it's something we won't have seen before." Tayn says, looking around. "I'll just watch out for everything then."

"As well you should!" Van Skewer shouts from the air. "Whether man or beast, a Dynavik is still a clever girl."

Tayn squints at the flying guide for a moment, then shakes his head and looks back to the tree line.

"Well, at least they'll be following us swift as an ooze over these rocks." Irkas says, clambering over the cracked shards of stone as he keeps the point position of the group.

"Problem is, we're moving quick as an ooze as well." Goraskok grumbles.

>>17872990
>>17873008
"Then we'll have to pick up the pace..." One of the plethora of hasting spells would be appropriate. We can rest when we arrive and set camp at the hedge.

"Dr. Skewer, how much farther is our destination? An hour? A day?"

>>17873088

"Then we'll have to pick up the pace." You say, hasting the lot of you, including Van Skewer.

"Dr. Skewer, how much farther is our destination? An hour? A day?" You ask him.

"Hmm, well according to my mono-grapher," He responds with a word that would rhyme with stenographer, "It should be about 2 hours at this rate."

"I don't think even an archmage could power haste for that long." Turen says, quickly climbing over rocks.

"Well, I could smooth someplace out when we need
to rest." Makald says, his body temporarily taking on the form of a kobold constructed from cracked chunks of earth as he drifts forwards through the obstacles. "And I should feel those creatures coming from a ways off. Might be able to prepare some defenses in that case."

>>17873317
"I just need to keep it up long enough to get up these rocks. Hopefully, once we're at our desired altitude, it'll be an easier walk than the actual climbing."

"Makald, follow us for a while. Once we make a noticeable path up the rock, that's where I would want you to place a trap. Nothing flashy; a simple rock-slide would do."

>>17873363

"I just need to keep it up long enough to get up these rocks. Hopefully, once we're at our desired altitude, it'll be an easier walk than the actual climbing." You say,
"Makald, follow us for a while. Once we make a noticeable path up the rock, that's where I would want you to place a trap. Nothing flashy; a simple rock-slide would do."

"Gotcha." Makald says, and begins repeating a spell softly under his breath. By the time you reach the top of a hill, he finishes the casting, burying his hands in the rubble. You see it shift as though it were on top of water.

"There. The scree shouldn't hurt too much, but that means they'll be out of it quick as well." Makald mentions.

You turn your attention to a stone plateau still some ways off from this hill. Could that be the one you saw all those hours ago?

"Come on, we have to keep going." Irkas says, his voice slightly sped up by the effects of haste.

As you make your way up the plateau, Van Skewer's flight has to be renewed, but you make it up one of the stony hills without much difficulty or injury.

The land atop the plateau is dotted with a few small rocky outcroppings, but swiftly becomes grassy after the edge of the plateau. A network of streams runs through this area, and you can see numerous trees dotted with the strange colored material, as well as moss growing on a number of rocks around the area. Far off, beyond the rest of the serene area, you can make out a mass of gray stone that might well be what you seek.

>>17874877
Forward march!

>>17875049
Woops; jumped the gun, there.

>>17875048
"Makald? What do you sense?" Send that through the message stone.

Speak to Van Skewer in the open, however. "Is this the place?" Begin readying ourselves to investigate the area. "Dr. Skewer, what do you know of these stones? The local chief has said it is a sacred place, but he was the mysterious type."

>>17875101

"Makald? What do you sense?" Send that through the message stone.

Speak to Van Skewer in the open, however. "Is this the place?" Begin readying ourselves to investigate the area. "Dr. Skewer, what do you know of these stones? The local chief has said it is a sacred place, but he was the mysterious type." You ask him.

He shrugs from his spot in the air. "I know not, I only saw this place from a far off hill just before I turned my mutant ankle in a fall." He shudders. "Oh dear. I hope corrective surgery won't be painful."

>>17875818
"Surgery has come quite a ways since the days of old, Dr." Time to drum up some possible business "For the right price, you can easily find a painless process, especially if you're willing to travel." Reinforce our alias as a pilgrim. "To the [whichever direction is the Crystal Cavern entrance], past the Halfing river settlements, there is a Kobold kindgom, long free of the tyranny of the dragons. I've heard that they've excelled in the medical field."

>>17876691

"Surgery has come quite a ways since the days of old, Dr." Time to drum up some possible business "For the right price, you can easily find a painless process, especially if you're willing to travel." Reinforce our alias as a pilgrim. "To the erm," You say, forgetting the directions you came exactly, but spotting the top of the red tent in the distance, you point to it, "That way, then up the river, past the Halfing river settlements and down a deep hole there is a Kobold kindgom, long free of the tyranny of the dragons. I've heard that they've excelled in the medical field."

"Kobold? Never heard of them." The doctor says, drifting downwards.

"But, sir, WE are kobolds." Turen says to him in an attempt to explain.

"Oooooh!" The reptilian intellectual squeals from the air. "Well, then at least I've met you. Though I'm afraid we don't know each other very well yet. Madz-Panthers would have my head if he found out how little information I'd gathered on you, but to be honest, I'm far too damaged, mixed up, and mutated to be doing most of this, so I've had both my hands full." He lays on his side in the air, his odd lips twisted into a frown. "I mean, I know being me is too good to be easy, but this is all a bit ridiculous, wouldn't you say?"

"Absolutely." Tayn responds, quickly. "You yourself seem a bit ridiculous to all of us, at least in appearance. I can't think of any culture you're mimicking that we know of."

"Well that's because I'm from another dimension than yours." The reptilian gentleman says quite simply. "Karkus, to be precise."

"Karkus? No, not possible." Tayn says, looking at your group. "Karkus is an ancient continent to the east of here that was said to have disappeared in the Chaos Wars." He looks around at the lot of you. "Oh, great, I'm the only one who knows drow history, am I?" He groans.

>>17877635
Roll our eyes. "I'm afraid the history of the Drow isn't on my priority list, I will admit."

Anyway, let's head over to the hedge and get to work.

>>17878184

"I'm afraid the history of the Drow isn't on my priority list, I will admit." You say, rolling your eyes.

"That's not what I said." Tayn fires back, crossing his arms. "The history of the drow would be about them. I mean old records kept by the drow about anything, even old world events." He looks around at your group. "We... We do have something like that, right?"

"Oral tradition was the standby for a long time." Turen says, and Tayn silently sneers at no one in particular.

"Oh good. Oral tradition. The easiest way for any record to get distorted or lost." He shakes his head as he and your group makes its way further through the environment, "Karkus was another continent adjacent to the one the humans called Arul, which we occupy. During the Chaos Wars, a great amount of energy from the plane of chaos bled into this one and eventually caused that continent to disappear after an event called the Violet Sky Assault." He points upwards. "The entire sky above Arul was lit with purple light from the East for three days and three nights, and during that time the Chaos hordes were absolutely relentless in their attempts to crush the humans and whatnot that had escaped from the troglodyte's control." Tayn pauses for a moment as the group reaches the foot of the hill the henge is on, and begins to climb upwards. "Kobolds were there as well, though our surface emigration was aborted after having fought the Chaos hordes. A few tribes stayed behind, but from that point afterwards there was a large fight between the tribes and they split." He looks around, laughing. "Kind of funny that the guy who was held by the drow knows so much about kobold history compared to you guys."

"The tribes were 80 in number when the assaults from the sky ceased." Goraskok says suddenly in an even, low rhythm. "All but 3 descended back into the depths, and then from there 20 more went into the low lands, where they knew their troglodyte masters would not follow. This leaves 57 kobold tribes who then spread out across Vas'kran."

Tayn seems stunned for a second, but Goraskok simply grins. "Oral tradition. But that probably was all the wrong information, right?"

"N-no. That's right." Tayn mutters, looking away in embarrassment.

"If your tribe was smart enough to keep birth records, you can still trace your lineage back to one of those tribes, tens of thousands of years back." Goraskok continues, clearing some rubble from the path of the other kobolds climbing the side. "Or if your tribe never had to flee. Only six tribes were even completely wiped out. One surface, two deep, and three midland."

"I had no idea you were so well-learned." Irkas says to Goraskok.

"Yeah. You also think I'm a teenager." The oversized kobold grunts in response. "The Khasarian calendar is the standard where I come from. 520 days."

"Ah, that makes sense." Irkas nods. "So you're around..."

"23 in your years." Goraskok pats Irkas on the head. "Which means I'm two years older 'n you anyway. Just not as old as the chief magistrate here."

"Don't remind me." You chip in. The climbing kobolds grin, and you can almost see your group's morale rising.

>>17879367
"Keep that up and you'll be ready for a promotion." Wag our finger at him humorously. "Still, we are not so splintered now; we are strong and unified...and I doubt the hordes of Chaos will be scratching at our door anytime soon...hopefully..."

>>17879441
Fuuuuu- too early.

>>17879435
"Remember kids; never trust anyone over the age of thirty." Grin. "Remember though, I'm twenty-nine; have been for the last few years."

The henge is a huge thing, the stones each at least nine feet in height out of the ground and with a few laid horizontally on some of the pillars. You can see some of the unusual moss you encountered before here, as well as a small stone structure off to one side about three feet in height with numerous small panels atop it.

>>17879744
Get a check from the group about anything that is jarringly magical or out of the ordinary, then head over to the small panels and examine them.

>>17879441
>>17879474

(Hey, I'm getting good at that.)

"Remember kids; never trust anyone over the age of thirty." You grin. "As far as my age is concerned though, I'm twenty-nine; have been for the last few years."

"Oh. You must have a hard time trusting the other councilbolds then." Irkas snarks. "I know most of 'em aren't getting younger. I think Zhao-mal is the only one who's under 30- Aside from you, of course.

"He's 27." Turen responds.

Irkas whistles. "Wow. 27? I thought he was 21 or 22."

"Well, that youthful look can get you far in politics with people who underestimate you." You say, looking eagerly over towards the henges. "Now then, let's get cracking at what we came here to do. Irkas, please set up a defensive perimeter and patrols. Have Makald begin trapping the surrounding area in case those... Whatever they were called manage to find their way here."

Van Skewer repeats the untranslatable name in a futile gesture.

"Yes. Those." You respond, and Van Skewer smiles with satisfaction.

>>17879761

Oh lol. I even read that and I didn't write anything.

Your initial scan doesn't reveal anything unusual.

>>17879881
>>17879920
Then I suppose we'll take a brief rest. Afterward, begin examing the small tablets. If anything looks draconic, study it in particular detail.

>>17880084

The smaller column is the first one you examine, noting that its top has only a small cupped receptacle, like one that might be meant to hold a liquid in an ancient alchemy table.

Around it in plain draconic is the engraving: "The blood of the star-makers shall set you free."

You can feel that the stone is hollow, but the ioun ore of your arm recoils from the magic inside. Whatever it is, you get the feeling that tampering with the spells could be dangerous.

Tayn examines one of the tall pillars. "Hmm. These aren't giant's work, they're far too straight. Maybe magic was used to put them here?"

"Well, with enough people, you could move the world, provided you had someplace else to stand." Turen says, looking up at the stones. "Magic just makes it easier. Who's to say those lizardmen didn't make it?"

"Well for one thing, we disdain being called such vile language." Van Skewer says from where he drifts slightly above the stones. "And for another matter, Dynavik aren't even native to this dimension."

"I wasn't-" Turen begins, but Van Skewer lands atop one of the stones laying across a few others. He lets his legs hang down from the side as he begins cleaning his gun.

"I mean, we may have built a fair number of strange things back when the Dynavik were no more than a number of infighting savage tribes, but in another dimension?" He shakes his head at Turen as he rambles without looking at him. "What do you take us for, Kreyu?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Turen says plainly.

"Well then you should start listening better!" Van Skewer barks back from atop the henge. "I say, you children nowadays never stop to appreciate anyone who's trying to help you."

Turen hisses under his breath as he slowly brings his hand up to rest on his forehead.

K I'm joining this I'm playing a level 6 kobold cleric named Pun Pun.

>>17881038

Cool. Unfortunately, I believe you want the FR game where that actually works. They're one page over.

>>17880977
"Well, doctor, we appreciate your assistance. However, unless you understand exactly how this strange artifact works, I'm with Turen on this one. You must remember; you are rather far from your home. Our knowledge of your plane is...limited. Non-existant, in fact. As far as we were conscerened, you were a savage who acquired a taste for strange clothing and funny accents. However, only after you /explained/ it to us did we understand." Smile, extending our arms out in an open-ended gesture. "So please, if you have something to say to illuminate our current understanding, spare no recourse." Calm him with an open palm. "Do not mistake my words for scolding; we merely have journeyed very far and are a little on edge...especially considering that we're now under threat of attack. So please, be plain with us."

If he doesn't have anything to really say, return to the blood bowl.

"Tayn, who exactly would qualify as a star maker? The lineage of Io?"

Chances are that we're going to need some of our own blood, but let's play it.

Aaaaand bump.

>>17884550

"Well, doctor, we appreciate your assistance. However, unless you understand exactly how this strange artifact works, I'm with Turen on this one. You must remember; you are rather far from your home. Our knowledge of your plane is... Limited. Non-existant, in fact. As far as we were conscerened, you were a savage who acquired a taste for strange clothing and funny accents. However, only after you /explained/ it to us did we understand." You talk with your hands, something that does not seem to be lost on the gentry-obsessed reptilian. "So please, if you have something to say to illuminate our current understanding, spare no recourse. Do not mistake my words for scolding; we merely have journeyed very far and are a little on edge... Especially considering that we're now under threat of attack. So please, be plain with us." You say, looking up at Van Skewer expectantly.

He seems a bit put off, looking away to the sides. "Well... Well I am quite sure I've seen something like this one in Karkus. But no one there had the faintest hint of what they did either, if anything. Such strange little shrines next to them. A number of the shrines were destroyed during some war or another." You notice him take out the chamber of the weapon, which appears fairly advanced, and begin disassembling it. "Our peoples were not great at getting along for some time. This place looks to have been untouched by conflict for a long time, however."
"Tayn, who exactly would qualify as a star maker? The lineage of Io?" You ask him.

He shakes his head. "Nothing I can recall from a legend about that. Star makers..." Tayn wracks his brain for some time, before finally sighing. "I have no idea. Do we need the blood of a god?"

>>17886534
"That would be a difficult sample to find."

Take a look at our good hand.

"Turen, you ever get that 'I'm possibly about to do something crazy' feeling?"

Grab a knife and give our hand a little cut and drip some of our blood into the bowl. See what happens; if nothing does, consult Makald.

>>17886996

"That would be a difficult sample to find." You say in resignation. You think for a moment. What if...

The big lizardman hunches away from most of the group, but you keep focused on the bit of him you can still see. "I can say with all certainty that the area is filled with obstacles." The shaman begins, coughing up some mud, barely visible from his posture and chipping away a bit of the mud that clings to the crescent at the end of his staff with an equally dirty claw. "Though what they are seems to change with time. Sometimes, even with the race of the challengers." Skallis's slit eyes dance in the dimming firelight across the room. Focusing on Tayn, Turen, Goraskok, Irkas, Akava, but never on you. "And as I've already said, I've never had a kobold come and attempt such a challenge."

Your eyes are focused on your left hand, slightly sickened from what you think you might have to do.

"Turen, you ever get that 'I'm possibly about to do something crazy' feeling?" You ask him, but he is already looking over at you in shock, his flesh eye and his mechanical one with equally small pupils.

"Sorcerer magic comes from dragons most often amongst kobolds..." He growls, shaking his head. "Does that mean dragons made stars?"

You look over at Tayn, the tattooed kobold leaning against the rock with his arms crossed, watching the horizon, but also paying attention to your conversation. "No."

"What then?" Turen asks, and your right hand darts to your left suddenly, the small blade that replaces your pointer finger's claw puncturing into the side of your fourth finger quickly and cleanly. You feel a dull tearing, and you gasp, your finger pulling itself back out of the wound with minimal pain. Your blood, a bright crimson, flows down across the reddish tan scales of your hand, and the pale white of your palm. You almost forget to keep your precious lifeblood from spilling on the ground, quickly cupping it in your hand.

You know that was less painful than the knife, and your right hand helps stabilize you as you walk.

"Really sliced it good, you sonnavabitch." You mutter to the arm under your breath as your palm begins to fill quickly with your own blood. Your right hand raises a single finger in a rude gesture towards you before grasping the edge of the altar.


You look down at the cup below, the small funnel out of it now obvious to you. You hold your own blood above the vessel, your artificial right arm having planted you firmly, with muscle power that might have hurt if you were keeping it up.

You pause for a second. No... This...

You're on a goddamn adventure.

You got pulled off, sent around in a confusing maze, attacked as a test, and had to fight monsters. And you even got treasure!

This is a god-fucking adventure.

You feel an empty echo where your rage might have been, but you can find nothing. You're speechless with rage, effectively, and then you feel your capacity to care break. You're fine with this, actually. You can do whatever you want, and you don't have to care anymore. You watch the blood pool up in your hand. You hold what could be the key to uncovering something fantastic about yourself, and kobold society as a whole. You literally hold history in the palm of your hand.

Your expression suddenly changes, and you glare at the blood in your hand with the guise of a frustrated adult after a long, long day. "I'm getting too old for all this crazy adventurer shit." You say, as you drop your blood into the receptacle, not a drop spilling. It funnels down, and away.

You wait for some time.

Finally, after about five minutes, you turn back to your allies. You grin. "Well, I guess the good news is, we're not related to any space alie-"

Your voice is cut off by a thunderous boom from the stones, and a white flash that seems to hang in the air, the stones cracking with thunderclap after thunderclap. You feel yourself drawn forwards as though a great arm had grabbed you and was pulling you inwards. You feel the reverberations from the thunderclaps throughout your body as you near the stones, blinded, horrified, and not even giving a fuck about either.

>>17887704
>>17887719
>>17887732
Oh arm; you so crazy.

Also, holy shit crazy stones!

Since we're here for answers, I suppose we'll reach out to the bright light and see what we can grab.

Your mind is blank. Your vision is white. You have been floating like this... For how long? Just a moment? Forever?

Who are you?

Where are you?

You try to move your eyes to the side, and unsure if the the numb orbs are moving, you cannot tell from the scenery: All white. Pure, empty white.

>>17887964
I think; that's a step forward.

Now, let's think of ourselves. What is "ourselves"? Does it have a body? Perhaps a voice?

End Chapter 7.

>>17888046
Oh...are we don for today, then?

>>17888046
I'll take this as we're done for today. See you next week, OP.

Indeed we are. Next week will start... A bit differently.