[PrP] Tunnel Crawl

[Thomas Land]

Thomas trudges along beside his two fellow lost, his flashlight's beam picking out the vegetation.

"Hm-hmmmm, most certainly," he replies to Donovan's comment about the surprising amount of growth in the dark. And its possibly supernatural nature.

Curiosity peaked, he pauses to take a closer look at the plant life. Gently, he brushes at the leaves with his highly sensitive fingers.

  1 success

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2017-11-09 21:37:46		Thomas Land rolls 7 to Int4 + Occult3		6, 3, 2, 9, 4, 3, 5		1 success

Abstractly, he replies to Quick: "Donovan is, hm, correct. If this growth is, well, due to the presence of a gate...We need to take a closer, um, look..."

[Yumyumcrow]

The southern passage does not go far before ending in collapse. The ceiling holds out all the way; rather a mass of stone and mud has poured through the tunnel before turning into a solid plug. Damp patches indicate the presence of water and a patina of crusted dirt and debris spread across the ground. No light penetrates from above, yet the buckled ceiling hints at its structural weakness; a distant threat, yet a distinct one.

The riotous and mutant growth continues, clinging to the walls and shattered ceiling like Ivy.

Both Thomas and Donovan remember that particular form of Ivy. For the mole-man, it is much more abstract: barely recalled experience filled out by studious learning - this Ivy is common enough in the Hedge and its malleable vines have many applications in the construction of Hollows and Gates. Donovan has more vivid memories from his Durance, where the vines proved to be a tenacious weed threatening his groves.

And they can both see how sick and diseased this Ivy has become, cut off from the Hedge.

At the heart of the collapsed tunnel is a deep fissure. It runs from floor to ceiling, warps the ruin of mud and stone around it, and appears to be the source of the infesting vines. Given the state of the damp crusts of mud at its feet, water must issue from it with some regularity. There is no doubt that this is a Gate.

[Quick]

"A... Gate." the Elemental repeats "Greeat." Which means he'd be shedding the protection of his mask if Donovan is right. And if, of course, Quick opts to venture through said gate. His demeanor sours. Between the muck and the mess and the weird Hedge portals, this is feeling more and more to him like a mistake.

Quick watches Thomas inspect the foliage, and, after a moment asks "What do you think?"

"Well, here we are. Found the source of the vines." he says, his lack of enthusiasm saturating his tone. "Rather just burn away this mess than find out what's on the other side." His eyes search out Donovan, feeling somewhat guilty for blurting all this out.Quick had agreed to go exploring some tunnels for the good of the Freehold. And Donovan had certainly tried to help Quick understand the Hedge better. He probably just sounds childish with all his complaints. "Sorry. Not helping."

[Donovan Ackerman]

There’s a rumble in Donovan’s throat as he recognizes the plants. “Evergrowin’ ivy,” he growled “It’s a noxious. Grows in Fairie. Never stops growin’ and strangles anything ‘round it.”

He tore off a calloused handful of leaves to examine and make sure it was what he thought before tossing them to the ground. He slogged on through, barely even noticing the muck staining his jeans. Even as he knelt in the mud next to fissure, running his hand around the liminal space.

“Hmm,” he grunted at Quick’s comments “Fire’d be good. Though it ain’t enough. Gotta get the roots. And the root of the problem,” he indicated the Gate “is this.”

“Either somethin’ is openin’ this regular or it’s got keyed to some regular occurin’ event.” He stood back up.

“Changin’ a key ain’t nothin’ but if there’s more goin’ we oughta check out the other side.”

[Thomas Land]

"Indeed," Thomas squeaks when Donovan names the vine. "Only, hm, one place this comes from. Over there." He stands, brushing off his pants, though they have not yet become that soiled.

"It is often used in, hm, construction. Good for fortifying structures, hollows..." He looks at the fissure, sure this is the Gate. Unsure of what they might find on the other side. "Though it is quite...weak, yes? Perhaps this Gate hasn't been used lately."

Beady eyes dart to Donovan, then Quick, before returning to the fissure. "I don't, um, relish the idea. But we may need to have a look, as Donovan says..."

No, he's not exactly happy about crossing over to the Hedge. But it can't be denied: the Mole-Man is curious...

"What do you two say?"

[Quick]

"Fine." he says, not aimed at either of his companions in particular. "We gotta go through? Let's do it. Burn the hell out of this weird plant and be done with it. Right?" And, of course, he was being literal. Breaking the mold, maybe, but since he'd sworn off the lightning that made him who he was - and only just begun to live as a Winter - fire is all he knows. And yeah: it's fun.

"My vote's on going through." he says with finality. His eyes search out the other two, waiting for them to take the lead.

[Donovan Ackerman]

Donovan sniffed a little derisively at the thought of using the vines for Hollow construction. Sure you could but it was just asking for the place to be overrun if you stopped maintaining it for even a little while.

"Prob'ly don't like the soil," Donovan said. When it had infested his orchards it had grown and grown. Didn't matter the soil quality. But then, that kind of growth could only be sustained by magic. Something the mortal world lacked.

As to what he thought "Already made my opinion known." He gave the portal a kick "Let's get on through," he said with a hint of determination. Yet that tone was enough to shatter into another world.

  1 success

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2017-11-14 18:29:51		Donovan rolls 2 to Wyrd (10 Again)		6, 8		1 success

"Probably want to move through quick. I'd hazard some water's gonna be comin' through."

[Thomas Land]

Thomas nods his agreement and watches as Donovan opens the Gate.

"I'm, hm, ready when you are."

Nervous, anxious, excited. The same mixture of emotions whenever he's faced with the prospect of crossing over.

[Yumyumcrow]

The kick is enough. Mud cracks and falls, turning to powder; a stone falls.

The fissure pops as it unzips, unwinds, peels itself outward in a burst of foetid, mud clogged air. A thick rivulet pulses from the quivering opening. Vines tremble as green shoots and creepers claw their way from the Hedge, writhing as if caught in the stop motion glare of a nature program.

The Hedge Gate is open.

In the beyond, the Hedge is misty. Green vegetation and brown, cloying, mud. There are trees and there is rubble. Evergrowing Ivy is eveywhere, locked in a duel for dominance with a strange hanging moss. Dampness breathes into the tunnel.

[Quick]

An involuntary step back follows the Gate's explosive opening. The vines look like they're reaching out to grab hold of the mundane world. It's almost sickening, watching the animated extensions of a Fae-like realm seeking purchase in his new home.

Despite all this, Quick, against his better instincts, is the first to step through. Healthy, pink skin gives way to a shade of teal as the Elemental braves the gap. His hair takes on a life of it's own, crackling with electricity. The hush of his Mantle settles in. He's naked - in a... sense. He looks back over his shoulder at the other two. Gives them a beckoning look.

His eyes watch the writhing mass of vegetation warily.

"Stand back." he says, firmly enough to sound like a command. "Seriously. Don't get too close to me. Not trusting this vine stuff." His fists clench as he draws on some of his reserves of Glamour. The irony in drawing from the Wyrd to protect himself from a wild Hedge-plant isn't lost on him.

2 successes

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2017-11-17 15:58:56		Quick rolls 5 to Dex+Wyrd (10 Again)		8, 7, 7, 10, 2, 1		2 successes

Quick spends one Glamour to begin activating Armor of the Element's Fury (Fire). If uninterrupted, he will spend the additional point required on the next turn.