Razza: “Well well well. Who’s the new kid on the block, then?
[[A mere humble Skeleton, at your service.]]
[[I should be asking you, when did you get here?]]
Razza: Didn’t I just see you there a second ago, mate?
[[That was yesterday I think.]]
[[Are you feeling ok?]]
Razza: I heard a thing or two about a new face and rushed right up to see for myself, and what a strange critter you turned out to be.
[[But I got here eleven days ago ...]]
[[A critter? No, I'm a skeleton. All bones.]]
Razza: Who me? Mate I've been here for ... well, longer than you have. As soon as I heard we had a newcomer, I rushed right back here to say g'day.
[[But I got here eleven days ago ...]]
[[This is a very ... interesting place you have here.]]
[[G'day to you too! What do you do here in the dungeons?]]
Razza: Eleven days, huh? I suppose to you organic-fleshies that might be a long time. But to we myconids, tis but the blink of an eye. One could even say, a cheeky wink.
[[So ... What do you do here in the dungeons? |G'day to you too! What do you do here in the dungeons?]]
[[Hey! I'm not fleshy, look at me! Bones! |A critter? No, I'm a skeleton. All bones.]]
Razza: Well then, I do a few things around here. Maintaining the structure and stability of our humble home for one You fleshies think your tall pillars of stone are strong and powerful ... they're not. Organic architecture is the key.
[[Organic architecture?]]
[[That sounds quite industrious.]]
Razza: Right you are. A lovely set if I do say so. Very good condition. I wouldn't be surprised if it was my cousins that broke you down and cleaned you right up.
[[Eh ... Thanks?]]
[[I can't decide if I should be horrified or thankful ...]]Razza: *Gasps* Isn't it nice! I started working on it as soon as The Lich invited us to stay. Reminds me of home, not that I remember too much. Do you remember your home?
[[**Spin a tale fanicful tale of far off places beyond the shores of the continent**]]
[[Actually, I don't have any memory at all from before The Lich raised me.]]Razza: I'll be darned. You've lived an interesting life! And now you're here with us. You'll have to tell me more about these adventures, but maybe another time. We've already talked for so long.
[[I suppose I'll leave you to rest. It was a joy to meet you.]]
[[Good call, the talking fungus thing was freaking me out.]]
Razza: Well don't feel too down about it. Chin up! That's what Philomela always tells says to me, and she's quite the chipper one. We'll get our memories back one day, but not today. Today we nap.
[[I suppose I'll leave you to rest. It was a joy to meet you.]]
[[Good call, the talking fungus thing was freaking me out.]]Razza: You're welcome! If you ever get covered in any battle carnage, you come see ol' Razza. We down here in the gardens can clean you right up without wasting a thing. It all cycles back into the circle of life.
[[I will definitely remember that.]]
[[On that note, I should probably be going.]]Razza: That's the spirit! I think you and me are going to get along great ... but for now ... I think its time everyone took a nap. We've been here chattin' it up all day, mate.
[[I've only been here for five minutes?]]
[[I suppose I'll leave you to rest. It was a joy to meet you.]] Razza: You've no idea! Thanks to me, these crumbling walls are standing solid, and they look better too. Repairs are faster and more adaptable than rebuilding rock formations. Bad guys will be consumed if they get stuck in my formations. They're good for fuel, I'll give them that.
[[Do I need to worry about the walls eating me?]]
[[That's good to know, as the dungeon's new battle liason.]]
Razza: Of course! What's the point of stone and rock. It can't change, adapt, repair or reassemble. Fungi and plant based architecture can do all of the above. It's always growing, changing, moving, *thinking* ... *Hums gently*
[[Um, are you alright?]]
[[Do I need to worry about the walls eating me?]]
[[end]]Razza: Haha! Aren't you a feisty one! Make sure to come back and visit ol' Razza.
[[end]] Razza: *Startles* What? Who? Me? Of course I am. Just thinking about how you fleshies like to use chunks of rock to build things. It's so inefficient.
[[How so?]]
[[You seem a little out of it actually ...]]
Razza: Stars above, no. Not you, you've been entirely picked clean. You should be safe enough as long as you don't sleep too long next to the wrong wall. Some fungi like to hoard old bones. Very nutritious, long prep time though.
[[On that note, I should probably be going.]]
[[I am fascinated yet terrified.]]
Razza: Good call. We've been chatting for a long time already, and ol' Razza needs a nap.
[[I suppose I'll leave you to rest. It was a joy to meet you.]]
[[Good call, the talking fungus thing was freaking me out.]] Razza: Nah, mate. Nothing to worry about. It's all part of the cycle, and we're *all* part of the cycle. Right now though my cycle is ready for a nice nap. It's been a long day chatting with you.
[[I suppose I'll leave you to rest. It was a joy to meet you.]]
[[Good call, the talking fungus thing was freaking me out.]] Razza: Well think about it! Rock is just ... rock. It can't change, adapt, repair, or reassemble. Fungi and plant based architecture can do all of the above. It's always growing, changing, moveing ... *gentle humming*
[[Do I need to worry about the walls eating me?]]
[[Should I leave you to rest?]]Razza: I'm just a bit knackered. We've been chatting for so long already you know. It wears a fungi out.
[[Should I leave you to rest?]]
[[I should probably go, the whole talking mushroom thing is freaky.]]
Razza: *Gentle snores*
[[end]]
Razza: Haha! Aren't you a feisty one! Make sure to come back and visit ol' Razza.
[[end]] Razza: Ha! I thought you might like that tidbit of information. Just don't get caught up yourself. Bones are very nutritious, just longer prep time than the fleshies.
[[On that note, I should probably be going.]]
[[I am fascinated yet terrified.]]
Razza: Five minutes? I think you're bones are a bit jarbled. It's been way longer than that. Even you former fleshies are a bit odd about your time. Poor ... buggers ... *gentle hums*
[[On that note, I should probably be going.]]
[[You seem a little out of it actually ...]]Razza: Good for you. Make sure to come back down here and visit with ol' Razza. I don't really like going up top too much. It's much nicer ... down ... here ... *gentle hums*
[[Are you alright? |You seem a little out of it actually ...]]
[[On that note, I should probably be going.]]Razza: Hmm, yesterday you say. Interesting. Time is such a fickle thing with you fleshies, but never mind. As your time ticks by, more fungi are on their way here. I can feel them creeping through the network below.
[[There's a network beneath us?!]]
[[THERE'S A MUSHROOM ARMY COMING?]]Razza: Never better, mate! Just having a nice vegetative roost here in the gardens. As we speak more fungi are making their way here to this little oasis neath the ruined fortress of Torkadall.
[[What do you know of Torkadall?]]
[[Where do they all come from?]]
Razza: Hmmm, not too much I am afraid. It was once a great fleshy fortress, but now lies in ruins. All the fungi and vegetation surrounding it was destroyed, and the Great Network has not reached this far for a long time.
[[The Great Network?]]
[[Have you heard nothing from the others about this place?]]
Razza: Oh here and there. From the soil we rise when the moon's aglow. But where we really come from? Nobody knows. *hums*
[[Well that's ... interesting. Moving on.]]
[[I can't tell if you're being mysterious or are really serious ...]]
Razza: Oh yes. The cute button shrooms you see in the woods are a mere fraction of our existence. 'Neath your feet, our branches span wide and far, connecting us all. I can see far beyond the ruins of Torkadall.
[[How do you 'see' through a network of roots?]]
[[I never knew fungi were so ... interconnected. Creepy.]]
Razza: *Chuckles* Nothing so terrible as you're obviously thinking. Just humble fungi attracted to the Minor Network I've been growing down below. The more the merrier!
[[The Minor Network?]]
[[How far does this network go? What does it do?]]
Razza: Ah yes. I remember the existence of the Great Network thanks to Philomela, but without a connection to it I have no access to my memories of old lives, nor can I communicate with my kin within the Blighted Forests. My home.
Razza: A network of my own design, stemming from right here in these gardens. My reach spreads just beyond the perimeters of these ruins, and continues to spread as the moons wane above.
Razza: What I have grown here is only a Minor Network. I hope to connect to the Great Network of my homeland. It once spread beneath the entirety of the continent, but as these enemies have spread, our reach has died out.
[[The Minor Network?]]
[[The Great Network?]]
Razza: Yes, moving. Moving ever so slowly beneath your feet to connect to the Minor Network and grow far, far from here. The farther it reaches, the farther I can *see*. The more voices tell me of the goings on across the lands. Farther and farther we reach ...
[[How do you 'see' through a network of roots?]]
[[I never knew fungi were so ... interconnected. Creepy.]]
Razza: Hmmmm, I don't know how to explain it to a former-fleshie. Here, give me your hand.
[[**Trust them and give them your hand**]]
[[I don't know if I trust you enough to give you my hand.]]
Razza: I am mysterious ... and I am serious. Can't two things be true? Razza: Would you like to see for yourself? Take my hand, you can hear the thrum of the world for yourself.
[[**Trust them and give them your hand**]]
[[I don't know if I trust you enough to give you my hand.]]**When you touch Razza's hand, the moment of connection meets an ethereal symphony in your mind. A kaleidoscope of hues dance in your eyes, accompanied by a chorus of unintelligible whispers from deep below. The vibrant melody of life intertwines with the pulsating rhythm of nature.**
[[*Keep holding Razza's hand so you can hold onto the network.*]]
[[*Quickly disconnect yourself.* That was a lot of noise I didn't understand.]]
Razza: If you want an answer to your question, you have to play along.
[[**Trust them and give them your hand**]]
[[Not happening. Nu uh, no way. I don't want to be fungus.]]Razza: Fair enough. If even a former-fleshy like you were to stay too long in the network, your mind would become lost in the song, and your bones sucked down into the soil to nourish the network forever more.
[[What happens if you get lost in the network?]]
[[That sounds absolutely terrifying. No thank you.]]Razza: That's enough for now. If you stay too long, I fear you may get lost in the network, never to return. It's happened before, and, for now, we need you here in this world.
[[It was so beautiful, but now I feel lightheaded.]]
[[What happens if you get lost in the network?]]
Razza: Ahh yes. I suppose it could be overwhelming for one not traversed in the network's song. You fleshies might call it a 'language' of sorts. Perhaps too complex for your minds to comprehend in their current states, that's why you get lost in it.
[[It was so beautiful, but now I feel lightheaded.]]
[[What happens if you get lost in the network?]]
Razza: To be expected for your kind. Go now, take a rest. You'll feel better afterwards ... *gently hums*
[[End13]]
Razza: Your mind's song will be lost to the throng ... but your bones will become a feast for nature and the cycle continues. Go rest now, your mind will need time to settle back into this world. *Hums gently*
[[End13]] Razza: You've a keen sense of self-preservation. I suppose we won't have to worry too much about you then. Good on ya. For now though, I think I'd like to take a dance in the song and see what I see. Until we meet again.
[[End13]]