Mist Connections - Chapter Two

> "*I believe that change is possible inside of al of us. It sounds like you need to forgive yourself for the parts of your past that don't serve you anymore.*"
> ― Butylene O'Kipple
>
>

**Mist Connections - Chapter Two: "Ethereal Drift"** is the sixty sixth episode of Queens of Adventure. It continues the adventure of the cast scattered around inside the ethereal plane.

## Synopsis

The fight in front of the Golden Palace between shark monsters and the Glamazon and Ancient Drow warriors continues as Sir Throbardon swoops down and drops Jo Ramshackle and Chaz Noble on the beach. He leaves them by the magmen barricade and flies off.

A daddy shark breaks through the warriors. Jo and Chaz flees towards the pirate ship for safety. In the ethereal plane, Belfry Ramshackle charges up an attack and destroys the shark monster, allowing the kids to get to safety. She collapses, her mask shattered.

Elsewhere in the mist, Sir Jim-Jim calls out for Throbardon, but someone else answers.

\*\*\*

In a cavern deep below the island, Butylene O'Kipple prepares to head past the phase spiders in the tunnel outside. She takes a sip of the healing water she acquired, to take off the edge of the hallucinogenic mushrooms she had tried. Looking around the tunnel she sees two dog like spiders criss-crossing the passage. As Butylene takes a step, she draws one of the spider's attentions, and notices gems tangled up in the web. Pulling it out disturbs the web, drawing both spiders attention.

As they head towards her she tosses one of the rose-scented mushroom vapor bombs she had prepared. It smashes in front of them, and the spiders grow a little confused and chilled before they reach her. To help keep them calm, she tries to mimic spider movements to show she is non-threatening. They mirror her, and hum along. She pivots around them until its clear for her to take the passageway out.

\*\*\*

Far above by the raging storm over the ocean, Fraya Love decides to cast *bless* the fighters on the beach, chanelling Cher's power through her dark lady icon. Lewis, a Glamazon Ranger, rallies his forces after feeling the power of the blessing. Rigo Cayliss emerges from the mist with Jim-Jim and compliments Fraya, before explaining he needs to report back to Glamalala. Fraya explains the green mists that may lead them out, but also says she has a lead on the Ice Scepter (after explaining recent events to him).

Rigo wonders what she plans to do with the scepter. She says she only knows it opens something that will help them to destroy the Kracken. After Rigo says that those who prove worthy of the trials of Dame Celia Molestrangler's tomb will inherit the power of the great queens. Fraya isnt sure she is worthy yet, but she'd rather make sure the scepter doesnt fall into the hands of the undead in the ocean. Rigo gives her directions to Hag Rock, a large skull shaped rock to the north of Watersport, but warns of the Hag that lives there. Rigo and Jim-Jim receed into the mists.

\*\*\*

Meanwhile, Butylene continues through the tunnels until Gnomi appears and greets her. Butylene asks if he is hurt, and Gnomi confesses that meeting them and convincing the queens to look for the scepter wasn't meant to lead to all this. He apologizes. Butylene says none of them expected this and offers him a mushroom, and a sip of water. Within moments Gnomi sees a vision of a paradise beyond a green mist that calls out to him and swims off into the fog. Butylene tries to follow, but loses him, so she follows the pull of her instincts to find someone in need of her.

\*\*\*

On the surface, Arson Nicki decides to look for the hag on Hag Rock. DJ Cyberpreppy and the Woo Ghosts fade away as she leaves the Golden Palace vault until the mists recede again near the skull shaped Hag Rock. She sneaks up to the hut on the rock and peers in, seeing an elderly woman knitting with yarn that comes from a cat's innards. Seeing the cat, Arson drops her stealth as she cries. The woman, Rotten Granny Haskelite, notices Arson as she comes in and begs to pet the cat. Arson manages to explain she needs to talk to a Hag for help finding green mist.

Granny offers to teach her about inter-planar travel, but asks what Arson can offer. She cackles at Arson's offer of makeup tips, and counters with a request for Arson to implant something inside Cher Noble. Arson questions Granny's intentions, and grabs the cat hostage until Granny tells her what is really going on (as the seam of the cat spills out all of its contents). Haskelite cackles with delight and confesses she plans to turn Cher Noble back to a killing machine, but uncontrollable. Arson only agrees if Granny makes it so that Arson will control Cher Noble. Her intimidation works, and Granny agrees. As the hag goes to work, Arson takes the cat for a walk outside, cradling it in her arms.

Outside the hut, she can see across the water towards the main island where the giant tree is growing out of the former library of Watersport, now covered in slime. Arson drifts there, still holding the cat.

\*\*\*

Not far away, Butylene follows her intuition through the rocks until she passes through the floor of the apothecary basement in Watersport. Cher Noble is huddled in the corner. Recognizing they are on the same plane, Butytlene greets her. Cher Noble explains she saw Fraya who told her to follow her heart to find her son Chaz. But her anger towards Belfry shutting her down clouds her heart, and she only came here. Butylene wonders if the mushrooms will affect her and calm her down. Cher Noble is open to trying it, saying the basement is secure as all the ghosts around the town are tied to the ooze.

They sit down across from each other. Butylene drops another vapor bomb, filling the room with its swirling pink-magenta mist. Vents open on Cher Noble's body and absorb the mist, causing her eyes to turn rose colored. Butylene begins to guide Cher Noble through her emotions. Cher Noble confesses worry she is the wrong parent, and tells the story of how she found Chaz. She was used by the Army of the Fist to destroy a village, but she found a child and something changed in her for she couldn't kill the child. She has tried to keep Chaz safe ever since. She reinvented herself through her devotion to Cher to help with this goal. Butylene acknowledges her feelings and advises her on how to sort through those feelings and focus on her love for Chaz. Cher Noble thanks her asks for space to be alone to contemplate.

They hug awkwardly and Butylene asks if she is injured. After seeing Cher Noble's lost arm, she applies a quick paste of Cinnamon from her spice pouch and some of the healing water. New buds begin to grow from the plant matter in Cher Noble's joints. Butylene leaves her friend to continue her journey.

\*\*\*

Arson's drift takes her to Watersport, with the cat draped over her shoulders. The base of the ruins of the town are covered in the slime and oozes from the labs Barb had set up, including around the base of the trunk of the massive tree. Ghosts ooze and bubble out of the slime. Arson feels compelled to touch it, but some force repels her touch. A ghosts face emerges from the slime, moaning. She tries to talk to the ghosts, who only beg her to free them. When Arson says Barb's name, the ghosts scream in an inhuman cacophony and swarm towards her.

Arson tries to charm the ghosts with a quick tap dance. It slows them, but it only gives them momentary pause. She tries to sneak away instead, but the ghost hands pull her down through the slime and into the rubble of the city beneath. To try and confuse them she laughs maniacally, and the ghosts begin to loosen their grip. A voice far below responds to her, asking for help. So Arson lets the hands continue to pull her down.

\*\*\*

Butylene drifts nearby away from Cher Noble, traveling below the city. She finds herself near a magma vent where the imp laboratory breeding Magmen is. Barb is there, frustratingly yelling at the imps who do not respond. Butylene greets him and Barb says they have to find a way to contacting Bernadette through the portal to hell. Barb worries that if he isn't there to greet the forces of hell that might come through the portal, it will be bad, and thinks the standing stones above the Golden Palace may allow him to use the arcane nodes of the island to contact Phlegethos. They depart for there.

\*\*\*

Elsewhere, Londyn Bradshaw heads across the island from Hag Rock towards the dwarven ruins on the eastern side of the island. She passes over the lonely ranger station at Cliffhanger Crest until she reaches the ruins. She recalls stories of her Grandmother of dwarven building, but the city is now sinking into the mud.

Londyn floats down, and sees frescos of dwarves making offerings to a volcano and worshiping a giant red woman with horns. Inside a great hall she finds a ton of dwarf ghosts, but does not understand dwarvish. She greets a ghost warhound, who she doesn't find helpful. The dog runs off, thinking it is playing fetch, and the dwarves take notice of Londyn. They begin to shout, but the druid can't understand their intent. They draw weapons, so Londyn flies up into the air.

\*\*\*

Barb, to pass time, asks Butylene about if she was interested to see Phlegethos. Butylene does admit curiosity about her infernal heritage. Barb explains devils are merely beings who refused to obey the Old Gods, and were sent to the Nine Hells as a prison, but Barb has a vision of overturning the system down there, and invites Butylene to consider helping her. He wants to eliminate the hierarchy and have skill determine a devil's work. She would also abolish soul coins. Butylene offers to trade in her soul coins to buy her soul back, or free the souls from the coins. Barb will consider a deal once they accomplish their goals.

Their conversation breaks as they arrive at their destination.

\*\*\*

High above the eastern peninsula, Londyn decides to try and channel her ethereal energy power into her *erupting earth* spell to raise the city out of the mud. Although she is unsure how it will go, she powers up (Justin, the raccoon glove, glows). The beam fires at the ground, and splits the ground.

With an explosion of lava, the whole tip of the island with the ruin separates, triggering a series of volcanic explosions.

Londyn decides she has to go back to Granny's and further learn how to control her power.

### Characters

#### Party

* Arson Nicki - drider warlock
* Butylene O'Kipple - tiefling alchemist
* Fraya Love - water genasi cleric
* Londyn Bradshaw - firbolg druid

#### NPCs

* Sir Throbardon
* Chaz Noble
* Jo Ramshackle
* Belfry du Ramshackle
* Sir Jim-Jim
* Ranger Lewis
* Rigo Cayliss
* Gnomi Malone
* Rotten Granny Haskelite
* Capricious Whiskers (aka Boots with Fur)
* Cher Noble
* Barb
	+ Imps, including Pip and Squeak
* Dwarven Ghosts
* Warhound Ghost
* Various Glamazon Rangers and Ancient Drow Warriors

#### Monsters/Enemies

* Phase Spiders
* Shark Monsters
* Oozes (and their Ghosts)

## Episode Notes

### Lore

* The Eastern peninsula of Fire Island was a central homeland to the once dwarven civilization of the island. They built their city over a volcanic island to build a forge to create their structures.

### Memorable Quotes

* "That's more spider tripping on mushroom behavior. I think I took a course on that in alchemy school." - Butylene O'Kipple
* "That's not my acronym!" - Fraya Love
* "I would probably start crying. Every time I see a cat I have to cry." - Arson Nicki
* "What do you have to offer Rotten Granny Haskelite." - "I give her elevator eyes and say 'Makeup tips'." - Granny Haskelite and Arson Nicki
* "There are times I have put an entire island of people in danger and I barely take responsibility for that." - Butylene O'Kipple
* "First of all if there is slime involved I have to touch it." - Arson Nicki
* "You are a good boy. I have to go. Not this. I have to go." - Londyn Bradshaw
* "I need to figure out this hand power because obviously I just destroyed half the island and we lost some ancient ruins which are very important to history." - Londyn Bradshaw

### References

* Monster Energy Drink
* eHarmony
* Anastazia Beverly Hills
* KFC - Eleven Herbs and Spices
* Gollum from Lord of the Rings
* Days of Our Lives
* Hela - Thor Ragnarok

## Behind the Queens

* In this episode, Barb mentions Soul coins. Butylene seems to know what they are. She, or some version of her, encountered them in the Feetpics for the Hellwasp arc of Queens of Adventure: Legends.
* This episode's release was delayed one day due to the web stream of the Pax Online 2020 one shot.
* Granny Haskelite was named by a patron.

**Greetings From Fire Island**: Ch1 - Ch2 - Ch3 - **The Show Must Go On**: Ch1 - Ch2 - Ch3 - Ch4
**Operation Watersport**: Ch1 - Ch2 - Ch3 - Ch4 - Ch5 - Ch6 - Ch7 - **Trials**: Ch1 - Ch2 - Ch3 - Ch4
**Ghosts of the Coast**: Ch1 - Ch2 - Ch3 - **The Devil's Due**: Ch1 - Ch2 - Ch3 - Ch4
**Special**: The Story So Far
**The Beautiful Place**: Ch1 - Ch2 - Ch3 - Ch4 - Ch5 - Ch6 - **A Dance in the Dark**: Ch1 - Ch2 - Ch3 - Ch4
**Drama in the Deep**: Ch1 - Ch2 - Ch3 - Ch4 - Ch5 - Ch6 - **Whispers From the Heart**: Ch1 - Ch2 - Ch3 - Ch4 - Ch5 - Ch6
**Danger Rangers!**: Ch1 - Ch2 - Ch3 - Ch4 - Ch5 - Ch6
**Mist Connections**: Ch1 - **Ch2**
**Unreleased**
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