Aranya

The red kobold does her best to not sigh at the lack of progress, but it’s difficult to hide her frustration. At least the others seem to be enjoying the process. While training and even delving a little in Lord Thedeim helped them all grow close, it’s these kinds of longer missions that really show why the trio had stuck together for so long, and it’s gratifying to know she has her own part to play in the group, too.

Yvonne is in her element out in the untamed reaches of the world, whether on the surface or below. The hawkwoman’s eyes are not her only keen sense, and she has the experience to spot potential trouble, even in the unfamiliar conditions of the depths. She was able to pick a path through the underswamps with seemingly little difficulty, and now is helping lead the way through a dense jungle of stalagmites, stalactites, and hanging moss.

Ragnar’s sense of direction and especially of depth helps keep everyone from getting lost, and his general good humor helps keep the long marches from being a slog. His stalwart presence in a fight also helps to keep a sense of control in the chaotic shifting of battle. They haven’t had anything too difficult to fight yet, but Yvonne seems to think they’re in the territory of something large, so the dwarf’s presence is a comfort.

Aelara, city elf that she is, is still a gifted cartographer. With Ragnar’s help, she even has the rough depths tracked, too, slowly bringing an understanding to the twisting knot the depths can be.

And, of course, herself. With her faith in Lord Thedeim, she can help bolster her friends both against battle and against the weariness of such long forays. Poe’s Uplifting Wings and Jello’s Resilience makes the trek much easier, and her other prayers make the various combats much simpler, too. Her magic is better aligned to help patch up Ragnar and the others after an injury, leaving Aelara to focus more on offensive magics. She’s even been stepping into melee with the horror mandible Lord Thedeim gifted her. While she’ll never be a true frontline fighter, she can at least give Ragnar a few moments of respite when he needs them.

Speaking of respite, it’s getting close to time to set up camp, so the group stops to check the map.

Ragnar is the first to speak up. “D’we e’en need tae try an’ find some water? This moss is damp enough tae make a soup jus’ by putin’ it in a pot!”

Yvonne smiles at that. “I don’t think water will be a concern, nor do we need to worry about accidentally starting a cave fire. I think our biggest concern will be finding anything dry enough to burn for a campfire.”

“I hope we get out of the humidity soon,” sighs Aelara. “I’m starting to chafe.”

“I think the humidity is nice,” admits Aranya, earning a few curious looks. She just shrugs. “I’m probably going to shed soon, and the humidity helps make that easier.” Aelara and Ragnar’s curious looks only intensify, while Yvonne nods.

“Ah, I was curious, but thought it might be rude to ask if you shed. I imagine it’s more pleasant than molting, at least.” Yvonne huffs as Ragnar and Aelara chuckle at the memory of her last molt.

“Actually shedding is a relief, but the days leading up are constantly itchy. It’s a bit earlier than usual for me to need to shed, but after finding Lord Thedeim, I’ve been getting back to a healthy weight. Getting healthy after so long makes me feel like I’m wearing clothes a size too small,” she points out, and Yvonne gives her a friendly jealous look.

“Definitely better than molting. A solid week of maddening itching and soreness, and looking like I have mange, before old feathers are finally replaced with fresh ones. I’d love to trade,” she says with a begging smile, causing the others to laugh.

“All that aside, we really should find a place to set up camp. I’m getting hungry enough that Ragnar’s proposed moss soup isn’t sounding so bad,” says Aelara, and everyone focuses on the task at hand once more.

“I dinae ken how we’ll find someplace dry…” grumbles Ragnar. “A day or two more’n we’ll be deep enough th’ rock will nae hold s’much water. Doesnae help w’ our camp now…”

“We may need to settle for finding a clearing and having a cold camp,” admits Yvonne. Nobody likes that idea, but there doesn’t seem to be much other option, at least until Aranya gets an idea.

“I might be able to help with getting us a fire, and some fresh water, too.” Everyone looks to her, hopeful, and she tries her best to temper that hope. “Maybe. I haven’t tried it before, but I think it will work. I shouldn’t need anything special for the campsite for it, so whatever you think will be best should be fine.”

The others nod and Yvonne takes a few moments to choose a heading. “This way, I’d say. I think the cave opens up a bit in that direction. If nothing else, it will give us a bit of headroom to cut down some of the hanging moss and have a bit of space to ourselves.”

With a plan set, the map is put away and they set out. True to Yvonne’s suspicion, the cave opens up a bit. Their campsite ends up being near a wall with a veritable palisade of dripstone and moss giving them a bit of protection from the caves at large. They end up needing to clear quite a bit of moss, which plays into Aranya’s hopeful plan perfectly. Even better, Ragnar seems to spot something under the dense carpet of life, and pulls a small rockhammer from his pack.

“What’d you find?” asks Aelara as the dwarf chips at the stone around some thick lichen.

“Rockbreakers, maybe,” he answers, which doesn’t tell Aelara much. Yvonne fills her and Aranya in as Ragnar works.

“They’re… I don’t think I’d call them a staple for dwarves, but they’re easy to grow and nutritious. The lichen grows tough little tubers in the cracks in stone, and they’ll eventually break it into gravel or even sand if given enough time. Raw, they’re incredibly tough, but can be very tender once boiled.”

Ragnar grins as he stands, holding an armfull of gray roots that almost look like dusty carrots… or stalagmites. “Looks like rockbreakers t’me! Yvonne?” He holds them forward for her to examine, and she soon nods.

“I think if Aranya can get us some water and some fuel, we could make some rockbreaker chowder.”

“So no pressure,” says the kobold with a smirk, before looking over the cleared moss. “I don’t know how well even the dried moss will work for a fire, but I guess it’s time to try a new prayer. Get the cookpot ready, and maybe an extra one for some more water?”

The others nod as camp prep gets truly underway. Aelara helps clear the ground a bit more with her earth magic, and bedrolls are laid out as Aranya prepares a few bundles of moss. If this works like she thinks it should, she’ll only really be able to manage a large handful at a time.

She soon holds a bundle of moss over the pot, and lets the warmth of her faith wash over her, her doubts washing away as she focuses. “Queen’s Extraction!” Water flows from the moss in her hand like a wrung rag, soon leaving water in the pot, and dry moss in her hands. She gives Yvonne the bundle as Ragnar examines the water.

“Will it work?”

Yvonne nods after examining the dried moss. “If nothing else, it will work for tinder and maybe a bit of padding under our bedrolls. I can gather some false stalagmites that will burn longer so we can actually cook.”

Ragnar dips a finger in the water, then pops it in his mouth. “Tastes like water t’me. We’ll boil it, jus’ t’be safe.”

“Then I’ll help bundle the moss for you and Yvonne can go get the stalagmites while you make some more water. Will you be fine to fill both pots?” asks Aelara, and Aranya smiles at her consideration.

“It’s a very minor prayer, so I should be fine to get us plenty of water to refill our skins.” The work goes quickly, with Ragnar taking the dried moss bundles to where the fire will be, and then spreading the extra under the bedrolls for a bit of comfort as the metal pots slowly fill with water.

Yvonne returns with an armload of the strange false stalagmites; woody fungi that mimic the cave formations. They also mimic stalactites, but the ones on the ceiling are harder to harvest than the ones on the ground. Ragnar helps her break them down a bit more for the cooking fire, and the moss bundles work perfectly as tinder to get the thicker fungi to light.

The rockbreakers get diced up and tossed into the stewpot, along with some shredded jerky and a bit of travel seasoning. Everyone relaxes around the fire as Ragnar tends the stew.

“So Aranya, do you think you’ll shed before we get back?” asks the elf, making idle conversation.

Aranya considers the question before answering. “It’s hard to say. I’m not itching yet, so there’s still plenty of time.”

“I think we’re close to having this jungle mapped out, which would be a good time to return. Will you be alright to shed out here, if it takes longer than I expect?” asks Yvonne as she reclines against the wall.

“I’d… prefer the privacy of Lord Thedeim’s Sanctuary for it, but there shouldn’t be anything out in this jungle to prevent me from doing it here, if I need to.”

“How long does it take?” asks the elf as she subtly reaches a hand towards the stewpot. It’s unclear if she means the shed or the stew, but it seems a swat on the hand is all the answer she’s getting for the stew.

“If everything goes well, maybe ten minutes. If it doesn’t go well, I’ll just look a mess and be uncomfortable until we can get back home and I can scrub the stuck shed off in a bath.”

Aelara sighs happily at that idea. “Ah, a good soak after a long adventure is the absolute best.”

Even Ragnar nods at that, the dwarf pulling some wooden bowls from his bag. “Slop’s on!” he declares with a grin, and starts ladling out stew to everyone. It’s surprisingly rich and hearty, and Ragnar nods at his creation.

“Could’a used some fireberries, but those’re a fair ways more south.” That’s the closest thing to a complaint anyone has about the meal, and the stew is finished off with aplomb. A bit more water is extracted to clean the pot, and shifts are assigned, with Aranya getting the last one.

She’s perfectly fine with getting to bed a bit early and rising a bit early. She’s looking forward to making breakfast for everyone as well. She has some oats and dried fruit that should make a pleasant porridge. The extra mossy padding helps her drift off to sleep quickly, her earlier frustrations with the pace of the search forgotten. She just needs patience. They’ll find her old dungeon and her people eventually. While more time will mean more pain for them, trying to rush won’t help anybody. Better a proper rescue eventually than a rushed and botched attempt right now.