Thyxius is shocked by his discovery: necromancy, dry ground. He instinctively reaches for his flask of holy water and begins splashing it onto the disturbed ground while whispering a prayer to Torm.
While Thuxius starts dousing the ground in holy water, Rhys grabs Stompy’s attention and commands him to do what he does best… stomp where the skeletons are rising.
As the tension grips the party, Stompy’s massive frame trembles, his nerves betraying his usual steady nature. The jungle had never been home to him, and now, standing atop the cursed, shifting earth, he hesitates, sensing the unnatural presence beneath his feet. His small eyes dart around, his breathing heavy—fear almost takes hold.
But then, Rhys’ firm command cuts through the moment.
The ankylosaurus shifts his weight, his instincts warring with the trust he holds in his handlers. For a split second, it seems as though he might refuse, frozen by unease. But with no immediate threat in front of him, something within him steadies—perhaps it is pure obedience, or some deep understanding that he must act now.
With a deep, rumbling grunt, Stompy raises one of his thick, powerful legs—and slams it down.
The impact shakes the earth, collapsing the loose soil inward. A muffled crack follows, then another, and the groan of splintering bone rises from below. But Stompy isn't done. He stomps again, his weight crushing through the buried skeletal forms before they can fully rise.
The ground settles. Silence.
Whatever lay beneath them has been reduced to shattered remains, the threat erased before it could even emerge.
Thyxius also excitedly runs over to Stompy, giving the huge dinosaur as much of a hug as his arms allow. "Glorious job, Stompy!"
Thyxius see how several blue monkeys scamper toward Stompy, wrapping their arms around his legs and sides in a tight embrace. They cling to him, tails curling around his back, chattering softly as they nuzzle into his scales.
The party continues their trek through the jungle, enduring thick humidity and the ever-present sounds of wildlife. Azaka leads them with confidence, keeping them on course. On the second day, they reach the River Tyriki, where she instructs them on the safest way to cross. The current is strong, but with teamwork and caution, they make it to the other side without incident.
As they continue, the jungle begins to thin, and by late afternoon of the second day, they finally see it—Firefinger, a towering 300-foot spire of rock with smoke curling from a beacon at its peak. Its sheer walls are dotted with small caves, and frail-looking ladders dangle from its ledges.
Azaka, keeping her voice steady, explains, "Before the Spellplague, towers like this were used to send messages between cities—colored flames at night, colored smoke by day. Most of them collapsed long ago, but Firefinger still stands."
She leaves the rest unsaid. The group already knows who—or what—calls it home now.
Thyxius gazes up at Firefinger. He exhales, rolling his shoulders as he listens to Azaka’s explanation. “A beacon once meant to guide, now a den for monsters,” he murmurs, golden eyes scanning the frail ladders and dark caves carved into the rock. "Any idea where they are keeping your mask?"
Azaka, glancing at the towering Firefinger, responds, "I don't know... but it should be in one of those chambers... I've never been up there." Her voice carries a hint of unease as she keeps her gaze firmly on the ground.
“Ollie, fly up there, 100 feet up or so, tell me what you see, lemme know if you see anything moving…”. Cleggor stands still, almost in a trance, he sways slightly, as if he is looking through the eyes of his owl. In a quiet voice, lowly he states “Ya know, there are things that I can transform into, things that are good at climbin. Might be helpful…”
Thyxius grimaces at the prospect of climbing the tower. "I wish I could do that," he murmurs in response to Cleggor, "...Perhaps stealth is the best approach, to avoid any wrong steps. In which case, I...uh..."
Petor is hesitant. "That tower is pretty gargantuan, and I'm not sure all of it can be scaled. I just wish there was some way we could avoid being exposed on the climb, as that puts us in danger of attack from the ptera-folk."
While the group deliberates their next move, Ollie takes to the skies. Able to fly up to 100 feet, he quickly gains altitude, and at about 60 feet he spots something of interest. Clinging to the south face of the towering spire is a weathered ladder that ends at the first section of the tower, marked by a dark cave entrance. As Ollie flies stealthily along the side of the spire, he notices that no pterafolk are peeking out of that cave. However, higher up, several pterafolk are active on the upper ledges, their movements hinting at a bustling presence above.
“Hmm, I can’t mend it, but I can tell ya through Ollie’s eyes, there’s some of those pterafolk up high, lookin to pounce on someone. And a cave up there. We’ve gotta figure out a way up where we can’t be seen, or that we are hidden. If we can make our way to the bottom level and then look to see if there is any other way up. I dunno…”. Cleggor calls Ollie back to him, he perches and settles on his shoulder as he relays what he saw…
Thyxius frowns thoughtfully. "If we had a way to stay hidden as we approach...Do you think they'd be hostile to Stompy if he seemed to be a wild dinosaur? Those of us bad at stealth could try hiding under him."
Thyxius is shocked by his discovery: necromancy, dry ground. He instinctively reaches for his flask of holy water and begins splashing it onto the disturbed ground while whispering a prayer to Torm.
While Thuxius starts dousing the ground in holy water, Rhys grabs Stompy’s attention and commands him to do what he does best… stomp where the skeletons are rising.
As the tension grips the party, Stompy’s massive frame trembles, his nerves betraying his usual steady nature. The jungle had never been home to him, and now, standing atop the cursed, shifting earth, he hesitates, sensing the unnatural presence beneath his feet. His small eyes dart around, his breathing heavy—fear almost takes hold.
But then, Rhys’ firm command cuts through the moment.
The ankylosaurus shifts his weight, his instincts warring with the trust he holds in his handlers. For a split second, it seems as though he might refuse, frozen by unease. But with no immediate threat in front of him, something within him steadies—perhaps it is pure obedience, or some deep understanding that he must act now.
With a deep, rumbling grunt, Stompy raises one of his thick, powerful legs—and slams it down.
The impact shakes the earth, collapsing the loose soil inward. A muffled crack follows, then another, and the groan of splintering bone rises from below. But Stompy isn't done. He stomps again, his weight crushing through the buried skeletal forms before they can fully rise.
The ground settles. Silence.
Whatever lay beneath them has been reduced to shattered remains, the threat erased before it could even emerge.
“Good boy Stompy!” Rhys rains praise down on him making sure he knows he did a good job and we are proud of him.
Thyxius also excitedly runs over to Stompy, giving the huge dinosaur as much of a hug as his arms allow. "Glorious job, Stompy!"
Thyxius see how several blue monkeys scamper toward Stompy, wrapping their arms around his legs and sides in a tight embrace. They cling to him, tails curling around his back, chattering softly as they nuzzle into his scales.
The party continues their trek through the jungle, enduring thick humidity and the ever-present sounds of wildlife. Azaka leads them with confidence, keeping them on course. On the second day, they reach the River Tyriki, where she instructs them on the safest way to cross. The current is strong, but with teamwork and caution, they make it to the other side without incident.
As they continue, the jungle begins to thin, and by late afternoon of the second day, they finally see it—Firefinger, a towering 300-foot spire of rock with smoke curling from a beacon at its peak. Its sheer walls are dotted with small caves, and frail-looking ladders dangle from its ledges.
Azaka, keeping her voice steady, explains, "Before the Spellplague, towers like this were used to send messages between cities—colored flames at night, colored smoke by day. Most of them collapsed long ago, but Firefinger still stands."
She leaves the rest unsaid. The group already knows who—or what—calls it home now.
Thyxius gazes up at Firefinger. He exhales, rolling his shoulders as he listens to Azaka’s explanation. “A beacon once meant to guide, now a den for monsters,” he murmurs, golden eyes scanning the frail ladders and dark caves carved into the rock. "Any idea where they are keeping your mask?"
Azaka, glancing at the towering Firefinger, responds, "I don't know... but it should be in one of those chambers... I've never been up there." Her voice carries a hint of unease as she keeps her gaze firmly on the ground.
“Ollie, fly up there, 100 feet up or so, tell me what you see, lemme know if you see anything moving…”. Cleggor stands still, almost in a trance, he sways slightly, as if he is looking through the eyes of his owl. In a quiet voice, lowly he states “Ya know, there are things that I can transform into, things that are good at climbin. Might be helpful…”
Ollie perception : 9, passive perception 15.
Thyxius grimaces at the prospect of climbing the tower. "I wish I could do that," he murmurs in response to Cleggor, "...Perhaps stealth is the best approach, to avoid any wrong steps. In which case, I...uh..."
“I’m not an expert, but I’m used to stealthy missions”
Petor is hesitant. "That tower is pretty gargantuan, and I'm not sure all of it can be scaled. I just wish there was some way we could avoid being exposed on the climb, as that puts us in danger of attack from the ptera-folk."
While the group deliberates their next move, Ollie takes to the skies. Able to fly up to 100 feet, he quickly gains altitude, and at about 60 feet he spots something of interest. Clinging to the south face of the towering spire is a weathered ladder that ends at the first section of the tower, marked by a dark cave entrance. As Ollie flies stealthily along the side of the spire, he notices that no pterafolk are peeking out of that cave. However, higher up, several pterafolk are active on the upper ledges, their movements hinting at a bustling presence above.
"Hmm that ladder seems a good way to enter the tower. Maybe someone with mending should go first to repair any rusted or broken rungs?"
“Hmm, I can’t mend it, but I can tell ya through Ollie’s eyes, there’s some of those pterafolk up high, lookin to pounce on someone. And a cave up there. We’ve gotta figure out a way up where we can’t be seen, or that we are hidden. If we can make our way to the bottom level and then look to see if there is any other way up. I dunno…”. Cleggor calls Ollie back to him, he perches and settles on his shoulder as he relays what he saw…
Thyxius frowns thoughtfully. "If we had a way to stay hidden as we approach...Do you think they'd be hostile to Stompy if he seemed to be a wild dinosaur? Those of us bad at stealth could try hiding under him."
Lucian says he can stealth his way in, but has no means to conceal the others.
D&D since 1984
Same with Rhys.
Thyxius sighs, but shakes his head and forces a smile. "I suppose I can hang back for now then. I'll hurry to aid you if I see combat breaking out."