Eggo Lass takes advantage of the tortle's positioning by shifting 10ft West and sending a conjured thorny vine at the tortle priest, hoping to ensare him.
[[ due to the specific wording IIRC there's an overall rule that "moves into" means voluntary movement as opposed to forced movement, so would have to make the save at the beginning of its turn but not right now ]]
Eggo Lass darts across the room so she's diagonally across from the Tortle, then sends a coiling vine straight across the battlefield that whips around his leg. The magical aspect of the thorns breaks through his arcane immunity, leaving the Priest bloodied, and then Eggo recoils the spell to pull him towards her by 10 feet, which happens to leave him ending up in the fire.
Bilyur and Sal are up!
Status: Enemies Tortle High Priest: -81 Health, Passive Werebear Affects, -1d4 on next save, pending DC 14 DEX Save on his turn to avoid 4 fire damage.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
The Priest just manages to succeed on dodging the first swift grab from Bilyur, but only barely, since he is trying to balance his time between avoiding the flames of the fire and also dodging. However, even though he manages to duck and weave under Bilyur's sweeping arms the first time around, as he does so, he completely forgets on shifting his weight across the bonfire, and so the soles of his feet begin to sear, causing him to jump up before he sustains any damage and falling straight into Bilyur's second bear-hug. [First DC 14 Strength Save: 12 + 3 = 15 (minus 1 from Eggo's previous mind sliver, which may change the result so he instead fails the first time round), Second DC 14 Strength Save: Nat 1]
Salamander is the last one up!
[I would bot Sal's turn straight away now, however I don't have the time to do his turn, the Tortle's and Techi's all at once at the moment, so I'll leave it until I do have time on the off chance that SunDial does return in between now and then so they can do their turn themselves, though unfortunately I don't think that's too likely since they've been off for a long while :( ]
Status: Enemies Tortle High Priest: -81 Health, Passive Werebear Affects, grappled, pending DC 14 DEX Save on his turn to avoid 4 fire damage.
Salamander takes advantage of the Priest being grappled and runs round until he's next to Bilyur with his back to the Shadow Weave. He then casts primal savagery once again, which causes his tail to elongate into a scorpion stinger, dripping with acid, that lashes out at the vulnerable Tortle before recoiling back to normal. [Primal Savagery to hit with advantage: 4 and 16 + 4 = 20 to hit, 3 acid damage]
The Tortle Priest simply aims to escape on his turn, and avoid the licking flames below him. He does dodge the fire, but he pushes back against the bear hug to no avail, and remains grappled by Bilyur. [DC 14 Dexterity Save: 14, DC 14 Strength Save: 5 + 3 = 8]
Techi then runs round to strike the restrained Priest with his shadow blade. Both the dim light emanating from the portal and the Priest's incapacitated condition help him swing his sword around marvellously, the edge of blade striking the side of the shell with a violent monochrome blast of psychic havoc. However, as the sword hits the Tortle, there's a flare of bright blue abjuration magic in the shape of a skull, the result of the death ward spell the Priest had cast on himself before you had arrived, which surrounds his body and allows him to hold on to life against what would be a deadly blow, protecting him from a fraction of the damage that would have killed him. [Shadow Blade to hit with advantage, 16 and 17 + 4 = 21 to hit, 14 psychic damage]
The Priest gives a shallow cough, and then taps on Bilyur's forearm as an indicator to let him go, managing to say 'Well done, you have proved yourselves all excellently...now, if you may, release me and I can heal our wounds and share our stories before you pass on...'
Bilyur drops the Priest before falling back, and they quickly roll out of the fire before they can take any damage. They smile at Xarkris helping him up, but when he goes to help Bilyur, the Priest says 'Don't worry, I've got this. Can't have you dying after that impressive fight... ANTHISI! ' Anybody that was wounded suddenly feels a small rush of positive energy flow through them just from that one word of power, healing 5 damage. Techi moves his arm about as he feels this, and notices that the claw marks raked into his shoulder have completely faded, leaving him right as rain.
After getting down on one knee to confirm that Bilyur is at least partially healed and stable, the Tortle then gets up and strolls back towards the rubble of the altar, the bonfire still burning upon the wreckage, and says gruffly that 'Unfortunately I can't offer you a place to rest here, since we like to keep the trial competitors flowing through, though I believe it's my duty to make sure you're all still ready for what comes next, so I'll get to work on providing you with some potent healing that should deal with the majority of any wounds you may have, then I'll move on to healing any individual wounds that remain after that, if there are any, until you're all as good as new. Well, aside from the magical fatigue some of your casters endured; ain't any spells that can replenish those arcane abilities, and you can only build up a further tolerance to that through hard work and dedication.'
Before the Priest begins his prayer of healing, he says 'It'll take about 10 minutes for this to fully set in, so whilst I'm at it, please, keep me entertained and tell me of your quests! I'd love to know what adventures you've been up to, and most importantly, I'd love to know if your party has a name I can remember. Every good party has a name, and I'd say you're more than just good, what with you nearly reaching the 10th Dungeon, so I'd encourage you to come up with one whilst I work. Heck, if you can't choose one, I've named a few myself, though I can't imagine they've gotten very far with such little independence, but I digress...' He then turns to face you fully, eyes twinkling as he says 'It may just be the name of the party that defeats the Blood Archivist, so choose wisely!'
Sly closes her spell book and relinquishes her concentration on the transmutation spell that kept Bilyur in a large form. She heads over to the monk to see if he needed help, but the tortle priest took care of it with surprisingly strong magic.
She nods to the priest, appreciating the thought he had spent on magic "I maintain a finite but adequate supply of my magic still, but thank you for the consideration."
Looking to Bilyur once again, the tiefling says in a careful tone: "Your metarmophosis... it seemed... feral."
"Salamander, Eggo and I have been told the story of an entity known as Mathan Bán, a werebear of ill repute. Your curious physiology can ill be explained without invoking lycanthropy. What happened in the other hallway? Should we be worried?"
After a pause, Sly turns to the tortle, who had asked them a question. The tiefling flicks the one black lock of her pale purple hair away from her damp brow. "Not much to expound on. We have struck down a mighty goat, conversed with Red Knight Arganth, fought a warband of orcs, frustrated the efforts of Lisa Lilylips, outwitted the genie Karistride and wrangled a giant snake."
"We have yet to meet the greatest challenges fabricated by the one calling himself Blood Archivist, but we shall endeavor to remedy that."
Sly inspects her notes for a moment, scanning the pages for something she had written down a while ago. This had occupied her thoughts for a while. After all, any good treasure hunting group had a good name. Easier to do business that way. Looking up again, she says: "I propose that we be called "Heralds of Dawn"."
Tacking on to Sly's stories Eggo Lass telepaths, (Not to mention the greatest of foes we've come across: that no-good arrogant tab*xi wizard.)
When Sly suggests a name Eggo Lass ponders. Certainly had a majestic quality to it. "I like it," she says, "Dawn. The time of impending tribulations. Disrupting the sight of our enemies. Trampling over their eyes, making them pray for the return of dusk." she pauses for a moment, "...though on second thought that might not be what you were thinking."
[[ I feel like Drow, with sunglight sensitivity, would likely have a different view of dawn. ;p ]]
[I love the Heralds Of Dawn, sounds super righteous and noble, and makes sense cos you're 1. Conquering the darkness that is the Shadow Weave, fighting for it to end and for dawn to break, and 2. You also don't get any sunlight cos you're pretty much inside this entire time :P But yeah, I really like it, sounds great if the rest of the party is up for it!]
Speaking of prayers, the Tortle finishes his 10 minute ritual as you discuss your new name and tell him off your tales. As he brings the long hymn to a close, you all feel a great swelling in the air, like a divine presence has swept itself through the room and then up to the heavens, leaving any of you that were still injured healed once more [Anybody injured, regain a further 9 hit points]
The Priest then smiles and says 'Sounds like you have gotten up to some wonderful adventures, even if you are just at the start of your quests. Some look to complete these dungeons as fast as they can, but you seem to have taken them into your stride and engaged fully with each and every one, whilst still pulling through in one piece.' They then ring their scaled hands and say 'I do like your new party name too; it seems to have a lot of meaning wrapped up in it, and each of you can bring those different meanings and interpretations to the table, since it does signify you all as a whole. Now, before you head on, is anybody else in need of further healing?'
The Priest chuckles as he sees Xarkris heal Bilyur the remaining 11 hit points he needs to get back to full. He grins as he tells you ‘Seems you can all manage yourselves! Amazing to see such teamwork between you all, feel free to ask me any questions you may have before heading through, you have thoroughly impressed me!’
"I would appreciate a short repose to gather my strength before we push on. Perhaps you could tell us about what awaits in the next locale*?" *[Sly means the next dungeon and proposes a short rest.]
"Furthermore, could you elucidate upon the matter of Mathan Bán? What do you know of the brute?"
The Tortle Priest sighs as he says 'Unfortunately I have no clue what lies beyond the portal. I simply pray that it's a place of relative safety, just like here, where past adventurers have managed to clear out all the traps and threats and make a relative safe-haven, though I can't imagine that's the case. If anything, that is my second greatest burning wish, to know what comes next so I can prepare all the parties I meet for what they're about to face, though perhaps I'm better off leaving whatever potential horrors lie ahead for my imagination...'
Bilyur only:
As you have the highest Passive Insight of 16, way above the rest of the party, you pick up on a few glances and feelings about the group more than others would. In this moment, Techi seems particularly mournful, and is shifting himself about anxiously like he might have something to say in response to the Tortle's words on the next dungeon, but chooses to just remain silent and stony faced, his head hung low and his expression solemn.
The Tortle then gives a grave look as Sly mentions Mathan Bán. He says in a low whisper that 'He is far more than a brute. He does not care for the Rod of Lordly Might at the end of this quest, though I don't imagine he would mind a free pass to dictatorship. No, instead what he wants is blood. For him, these dungeons are just an easy and steady flow of prey, like shooting fish in a barrel...' He sighs and gives a truly downtrodden look, then expands further saying 'You have probably already heard much, but if you want to know the true story of this dungeon, then I will not withhold it from you. Simply put, he came, and he slaughtered. Our clergy numbered twenty-seven before he came. Now it is five; six if you count the ghost of my dearly departed wife, the woman he tore into without a second thought for who she was. The wreckage of this altar was caused by him, and it was my own daughter, Elana, that managed to fight back against him and push him through the portal to save us all, though not without bearing the curse herself. She says that accepting it is the only choice she has; turning it away would be like trying to act as if the death of her mother and so many others didn't happen. But some nights...she suffers. We have no choice but to let the High Priestess possess her, to make sure she can't harm anybody whilst in that dreadful state, but also so she has her mother's voice in her mind, to guide her through the pain. Yet still it hurts me, and I can see the snarl of the Pale Prince in her face whenever she is like that.'
He then turns to Bilyur, and faces him stalwartly, his stance serious and bold. He speaks with authority and determination, telling him 'I see that you too have inherited the curse, and now so have I. It is our responsibility to come to terms with it, and by accepting this curse you have tied yourself with us, and I do not just mean us werebears, but the entire tortle community here within the temple. Our wounds are your wounds, our grief is your grief and now, our aims are your aims. You are now also bound by blood to Mathan Bán. You are immune to his blows, his bites, his awful, raking claws. It is your goal, no, your fate, to defeat him.' He takes a breath and then gives a long, deep sigh, the sigh of a man that is wracked with so much grief laden upon his shoulders, like the heaviest of shells. He then slowly says 'Please, adventurers, you are our only hope. After the full moon there will be dawn.'
Eggo Lass takes advantage of the tortle's positioning by shifting 10ft West and sending a conjured thorny vine at the tortle priest, hoping to ensare him.
Thorn Whip @ Tortle
To-Hit: 15+6 = 21
Damage: 4 magical piercing
//I'm assuming that's a hit
As the thorns wrap around the priest's leg she then calls out, "Come here!" and pulls the priest 10ft towards her into the still-burning bonfire.
Create Bonfire
Damage: 4 fire
DEX Save DC 14
[[ due to the specific wording IIRC there's an overall rule that "moves into" means voluntary movement as opposed to forced movement, so would have to make the save at the beginning of its turn but not right now ]]
This is a signature. It was a simple signature. But it has been upgraded.
Belolonandalogalo, Sunny | Draíocht, Kholias | Eggo Lass, 100 Dungeons
Talorin Tebedi, Vecna: Eve | Cherry, Stormwreck | Chipper, Strahd
Beneath the Mountain | Let's Test Monsters!
Get rickrolled here. Awesome music here. Track 44, 1/3/25, Yellow Light
Eggo Lass darts across the room so she's diagonally across from the Tortle, then sends a coiling vine straight across the battlefield that whips around his leg. The magical aspect of the thorns breaks through his arcane immunity, leaving the Priest bloodied, and then Eggo recoils the spell to pull him towards her by 10 feet, which happens to leave him ending up in the fire.
Bilyur and Sal are up!
Xaul Lackluster: Half-Orc Fathomless Warlock: Warlock Dragon Heist
Borvnir Chelvnich: Black Dragonborn Barbarian: Dragons of Stormwreck Isle
Sparkles: Aasimar Monk: Drakkenheim: What's in the Here and Now
Lith Ja’mas: Githyanki Sorcerer: Ghosts Of Saltmarsh
Pushover Gerilwitz: Tiefling Wizard: Acquisitions Incorporated
DMing The 100 Dungeons of the Blood Archivist! and The Hunt for the Balowang!
Killer Queen has already extended this signature, though not by much!
Bilyur tries to grab the Tortle two more times with action and bonus action. Two more DC 14 Str saves.
[A paper drops out of a flash of light and drifts to the ground at your feet] -(extended sig)-
The Priest just manages to succeed on dodging the first swift grab from Bilyur, but only barely, since he is trying to balance his time between avoiding the flames of the fire and also dodging. However, even though he manages to duck and weave under Bilyur's sweeping arms the first time around, as he does so, he completely forgets on shifting his weight across the bonfire, and so the soles of his feet begin to sear, causing him to jump up before he sustains any damage and falling straight into Bilyur's second bear-hug. [First DC 14 Strength Save: 12 + 3 = 15 (minus 1 from Eggo's previous mind sliver, which may change the result so he instead fails the first time round), Second DC 14 Strength Save: Nat 1]
Salamander is the last one up!
[I would bot Sal's turn straight away now, however I don't have the time to do his turn, the Tortle's and Techi's all at once at the moment, so I'll leave it until I do have time on the off chance that SunDial does return in between now and then so they can do their turn themselves, though unfortunately I don't think that's too likely since they've been off for a long while :( ]
Xaul Lackluster: Half-Orc Fathomless Warlock: Warlock Dragon Heist
Borvnir Chelvnich: Black Dragonborn Barbarian: Dragons of Stormwreck Isle
Sparkles: Aasimar Monk: Drakkenheim: What's in the Here and Now
Lith Ja’mas: Githyanki Sorcerer: Ghosts Of Saltmarsh
Pushover Gerilwitz: Tiefling Wizard: Acquisitions Incorporated
DMing The 100 Dungeons of the Blood Archivist! and The Hunt for the Balowang!
Killer Queen has already extended this signature, though not by much!
Salamander takes advantage of the Priest being grappled and runs round until he's next to Bilyur with his back to the Shadow Weave. He then casts primal savagery once again, which causes his tail to elongate into a scorpion stinger, dripping with acid, that lashes out at the vulnerable Tortle before recoiling back to normal. [Primal Savagery to hit with advantage: 4 and 16 + 4 = 20 to hit, 3 acid damage]
The Tortle Priest simply aims to escape on his turn, and avoid the licking flames below him. He does dodge the fire, but he pushes back against the bear hug to no avail, and remains grappled by Bilyur. [DC 14 Dexterity Save: 14, DC 14 Strength Save: 5 + 3 = 8]
Techi then runs round to strike the restrained Priest with his shadow blade. Both the dim light emanating from the portal and the Priest's incapacitated condition help him swing his sword around marvellously, the edge of blade striking the side of the shell with a violent monochrome blast of psychic havoc. However, as the sword hits the Tortle, there's a flare of bright blue abjuration magic in the shape of a skull, the result of the death ward spell the Priest had cast on himself before you had arrived, which surrounds his body and allows him to hold on to life against what would be a deadly blow, protecting him from a fraction of the damage that would have killed him. [Shadow Blade to hit with advantage, 16 and 17 + 4 = 21 to hit, 14 psychic damage]
The Priest gives a shallow cough, and then taps on Bilyur's forearm as an indicator to let him go, managing to say 'Well done, you have proved yourselves all excellently...now, if you may, release me and I can heal our wounds and share our stories before you pass on...'
You are now out of initiative! Great job guys!
Xaul Lackluster: Half-Orc Fathomless Warlock: Warlock Dragon Heist
Borvnir Chelvnich: Black Dragonborn Barbarian: Dragons of Stormwreck Isle
Sparkles: Aasimar Monk: Drakkenheim: What's in the Here and Now
Lith Ja’mas: Githyanki Sorcerer: Ghosts Of Saltmarsh
Pushover Gerilwitz: Tiefling Wizard: Acquisitions Incorporated
DMing The 100 Dungeons of the Blood Archivist! and The Hunt for the Balowang!
Killer Queen has already extended this signature, though not by much!
Bilyur collapses to the ground, his bestial state dissolving as he collapses to the ground. "Good..... battle......" *Cough Cough* *Falls unconscious*
[A paper drops out of a flash of light and drifts to the ground at your feet] -(extended sig)-
Xarkris straps his axe and shield to his back and offers his hands to Bilyur and the Priest to help them up.
Bilyur drops the Priest before falling back, and they quickly roll out of the fire before they can take any damage. They smile at Xarkris helping him up, but when he goes to help Bilyur, the Priest says 'Don't worry, I've got this. Can't have you dying after that impressive fight... ANTHISI! ' Anybody that was wounded suddenly feels a small rush of positive energy flow through them just from that one word of power, healing 5 damage. Techi moves his arm about as he feels this, and notices that the claw marks raked into his shoulder have completely faded, leaving him right as rain.
After getting down on one knee to confirm that Bilyur is at least partially healed and stable, the Tortle then gets up and strolls back towards the rubble of the altar, the bonfire still burning upon the wreckage, and says gruffly that 'Unfortunately I can't offer you a place to rest here, since we like to keep the trial competitors flowing through, though I believe it's my duty to make sure you're all still ready for what comes next, so I'll get to work on providing you with some potent healing that should deal with the majority of any wounds you may have, then I'll move on to healing any individual wounds that remain after that, if there are any, until you're all as good as new. Well, aside from the magical fatigue some of your casters endured; ain't any spells that can replenish those arcane abilities, and you can only build up a further tolerance to that through hard work and dedication.'
Before the Priest begins his prayer of healing, he says 'It'll take about 10 minutes for this to fully set in, so whilst I'm at it, please, keep me entertained and tell me of your quests! I'd love to know what adventures you've been up to, and most importantly, I'd love to know if your party has a name I can remember. Every good party has a name, and I'd say you're more than just good, what with you nearly reaching the 10th Dungeon, so I'd encourage you to come up with one whilst I work. Heck, if you can't choose one, I've named a few myself, though I can't imagine they've gotten very far with such little independence, but I digress...' He then turns to face you fully, eyes twinkling as he says 'It may just be the name of the party that defeats the Blood Archivist, so choose wisely!'
Xaul Lackluster: Half-Orc Fathomless Warlock: Warlock Dragon Heist
Borvnir Chelvnich: Black Dragonborn Barbarian: Dragons of Stormwreck Isle
Sparkles: Aasimar Monk: Drakkenheim: What's in the Here and Now
Lith Ja’mas: Githyanki Sorcerer: Ghosts Of Saltmarsh
Pushover Gerilwitz: Tiefling Wizard: Acquisitions Incorporated
DMing The 100 Dungeons of the Blood Archivist! and The Hunt for the Balowang!
Killer Queen has already extended this signature, though not by much!
Sly closes her spell book and relinquishes her concentration on the transmutation spell that kept Bilyur in a large form. She heads over to the monk to see if he needed help, but the tortle priest took care of it with surprisingly strong magic.
She nods to the priest, appreciating the thought he had spent on magic "I maintain a finite but adequate supply of my magic still, but thank you for the consideration."
Looking to Bilyur once again, the tiefling says in a careful tone: "Your metarmophosis... it seemed... feral."
"Salamander, Eggo and I have been told the story of an entity known as Mathan Bán, a werebear of ill repute. Your curious physiology can ill be explained without invoking lycanthropy. What happened in the other hallway? Should we be worried?"
After a pause, Sly turns to the tortle, who had asked them a question. The tiefling flicks the one black lock of her pale purple hair away from her damp brow.
"Not much to expound on. We have struck down a mighty goat, conversed with Red Knight Arganth, fought a warband of orcs, frustrated the efforts of Lisa Lilylips, outwitted the genie Karistride and wrangled a giant snake."
"We have yet to meet the greatest challenges fabricated by the one calling himself Blood Archivist, but we shall endeavor to remedy that."
Sly inspects her notes for a moment, scanning the pages for something she had written down a while ago. This had occupied her thoughts for a while. After all, any good treasure hunting group had a good name. Easier to do business that way.
Looking up again, she says: "I propose that we be called "Heralds of Dawn"."
Tacking on to Sly's stories Eggo Lass telepaths, (Not to mention the greatest of foes we've come across: that no-good arrogant tab*xi wizard.)
When Sly suggests a name Eggo Lass ponders. Certainly had a majestic quality to it. "I like it," she says, "Dawn. The time of impending tribulations. Disrupting the sight of our enemies. Trampling over their eyes, making them pray for the return of dusk." she pauses for a moment, "...though on second thought that might not be what you were thinking."
[[ I feel like Drow, with sunglight sensitivity, would likely have a different view of dawn. ;p ]]
This is a signature. It was a simple signature. But it has been upgraded.
Belolonandalogalo, Sunny | Draíocht, Kholias | Eggo Lass, 100 Dungeons
Talorin Tebedi, Vecna: Eve | Cherry, Stormwreck | Chipper, Strahd
Beneath the Mountain | Let's Test Monsters!
Get rickrolled here. Awesome music here. Track 44, 1/3/25, Yellow Light
[I love the Heralds Of Dawn, sounds super righteous and noble, and makes sense cos you're 1. Conquering the darkness that is the Shadow Weave, fighting for it to end and for dawn to break, and 2. You also don't get any sunlight cos you're pretty much inside this entire time :P But yeah, I really like it, sounds great if the rest of the party is up for it!]
Xaul Lackluster: Half-Orc Fathomless Warlock: Warlock Dragon Heist
Borvnir Chelvnich: Black Dragonborn Barbarian: Dragons of Stormwreck Isle
Sparkles: Aasimar Monk: Drakkenheim: What's in the Here and Now
Lith Ja’mas: Githyanki Sorcerer: Ghosts Of Saltmarsh
Pushover Gerilwitz: Tiefling Wizard: Acquisitions Incorporated
DMing The 100 Dungeons of the Blood Archivist! and The Hunt for the Balowang!
Killer Queen has already extended this signature, though not by much!
“Xarkris finds the name agreeable”, the Dragonborn nods.
Bilyur groans, "I like the name. It makes us sound free, like the light. Though perhaps I should pray about it first..."
[A paper drops out of a flash of light and drifts to the ground at your feet] -(extended sig)-
Speaking of prayers, the Tortle finishes his 10 minute ritual as you discuss your new name and tell him off your tales. As he brings the long hymn to a close, you all feel a great swelling in the air, like a divine presence has swept itself through the room and then up to the heavens, leaving any of you that were still injured healed once more [Anybody injured, regain a further 9 hit points]
The Priest then smiles and says 'Sounds like you have gotten up to some wonderful adventures, even if you are just at the start of your quests. Some look to complete these dungeons as fast as they can, but you seem to have taken them into your stride and engaged fully with each and every one, whilst still pulling through in one piece.' They then ring their scaled hands and say 'I do like your new party name too; it seems to have a lot of meaning wrapped up in it, and each of you can bring those different meanings and interpretations to the table, since it does signify you all as a whole. Now, before you head on, is anybody else in need of further healing?'
Xaul Lackluster: Half-Orc Fathomless Warlock: Warlock Dragon Heist
Borvnir Chelvnich: Black Dragonborn Barbarian: Dragons of Stormwreck Isle
Sparkles: Aasimar Monk: Drakkenheim: What's in the Here and Now
Lith Ja’mas: Githyanki Sorcerer: Ghosts Of Saltmarsh
Pushover Gerilwitz: Tiefling Wizard: Acquisitions Incorporated
DMing The 100 Dungeons of the Blood Archivist! and The Hunt for the Balowang!
Killer Queen has already extended this signature, though not by much!
Bilyur is 2 hit points away from being bloodied still lol. I took a lot of damage.
[A paper drops out of a flash of light and drifts to the ground at your feet] -(extended sig)-
I was at 2 hit points at the end of the fight.
[A paper drops out of a flash of light and drifts to the ground at your feet] -(extended sig)-
Xarkris LAYS HANDS on Bilyur and transfers his healing touch. I heal Bilyur 20 Hit Points.
The Priest chuckles as he sees Xarkris heal Bilyur the remaining 11 hit points he needs to get back to full. He grins as he tells you ‘Seems you can all manage yourselves! Amazing to see such teamwork between you all, feel free to ask me any questions you may have before heading through, you have thoroughly impressed me!’
Xaul Lackluster: Half-Orc Fathomless Warlock: Warlock Dragon Heist
Borvnir Chelvnich: Black Dragonborn Barbarian: Dragons of Stormwreck Isle
Sparkles: Aasimar Monk: Drakkenheim: What's in the Here and Now
Lith Ja’mas: Githyanki Sorcerer: Ghosts Of Saltmarsh
Pushover Gerilwitz: Tiefling Wizard: Acquisitions Incorporated
DMing The 100 Dungeons of the Blood Archivist! and The Hunt for the Balowang!
Killer Queen has already extended this signature, though not by much!
Sly sits down on the cleanest piece of rubble.
"I would appreciate a short repose to gather my strength before we push on. Perhaps you could tell us about what awaits in the next locale*?" *[Sly means the next dungeon and proposes a short rest.]
"Furthermore, could you elucidate upon the matter of Mathan Bán? What do you know of the brute?"
The Tortle Priest sighs as he says 'Unfortunately I have no clue what lies beyond the portal. I simply pray that it's a place of relative safety, just like here, where past adventurers have managed to clear out all the traps and threats and make a relative safe-haven, though I can't imagine that's the case. If anything, that is my second greatest burning wish, to know what comes next so I can prepare all the parties I meet for what they're about to face, though perhaps I'm better off leaving whatever potential horrors lie ahead for my imagination...'
Bilyur only:
As you have the highest Passive Insight of 16, way above the rest of the party, you pick up on a few glances and feelings about the group more than others would. In this moment, Techi seems particularly mournful, and is shifting himself about anxiously like he might have something to say in response to the Tortle's words on the next dungeon, but chooses to just remain silent and stony faced, his head hung low and his expression solemn.
The Tortle then gives a grave look as Sly mentions Mathan Bán. He says in a low whisper that 'He is far more than a brute. He does not care for the Rod of Lordly Might at the end of this quest, though I don't imagine he would mind a free pass to dictatorship. No, instead what he wants is blood. For him, these dungeons are just an easy and steady flow of prey, like shooting fish in a barrel...' He sighs and gives a truly downtrodden look, then expands further saying 'You have probably already heard much, but if you want to know the true story of this dungeon, then I will not withhold it from you. Simply put, he came, and he slaughtered. Our clergy numbered twenty-seven before he came. Now it is five; six if you count the ghost of my dearly departed wife, the woman he tore into without a second thought for who she was. The wreckage of this altar was caused by him, and it was my own daughter, Elana, that managed to fight back against him and push him through the portal to save us all, though not without bearing the curse herself. She says that accepting it is the only choice she has; turning it away would be like trying to act as if the death of her mother and so many others didn't happen. But some nights...she suffers. We have no choice but to let the High Priestess possess her, to make sure she can't harm anybody whilst in that dreadful state, but also so she has her mother's voice in her mind, to guide her through the pain. Yet still it hurts me, and I can see the snarl of the Pale Prince in her face whenever she is like that.'
He then turns to Bilyur, and faces him stalwartly, his stance serious and bold. He speaks with authority and determination, telling him 'I see that you too have inherited the curse, and now so have I. It is our responsibility to come to terms with it, and by accepting this curse you have tied yourself with us, and I do not just mean us werebears, but the entire tortle community here within the temple. Our wounds are your wounds, our grief is your grief and now, our aims are your aims. You are now also bound by blood to Mathan Bán. You are immune to his blows, his bites, his awful, raking claws. It is your goal, no, your fate, to defeat him.' He takes a breath and then gives a long, deep sigh, the sigh of a man that is wracked with so much grief laden upon his shoulders, like the heaviest of shells. He then slowly says 'Please, adventurers, you are our only hope. After the full moon there will be dawn.'
Xaul Lackluster: Half-Orc Fathomless Warlock: Warlock Dragon Heist
Borvnir Chelvnich: Black Dragonborn Barbarian: Dragons of Stormwreck Isle
Sparkles: Aasimar Monk: Drakkenheim: What's in the Here and Now
Lith Ja’mas: Githyanki Sorcerer: Ghosts Of Saltmarsh
Pushover Gerilwitz: Tiefling Wizard: Acquisitions Incorporated
DMing The 100 Dungeons of the Blood Archivist! and The Hunt for the Balowang!
Killer Queen has already extended this signature, though not by much!