OoC: Can you see my rolls, DM? I initially got the "Dice rolls not yet available..." message, then refreshed the browser and they showed up (they were 11 and 21 in that order). But now they appear to be gone again. I can reroll if you want.
"Yous stupid old tortle," Dr Arbutaveyu mutters to himself "always wanting to see something new and different well here's to hoping we make it up there in one piece!"as he starts climbing the stairs (Athletics roll = 16 & Acrobatics roll = 7).
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
DM - Storm King's Thunder - The Gods Respond DM - Four bards walk into a bar... Cracitus Tibicen (Tibi) - Aarokocra - Rogue [Swashbuckler] / Fighter [Battlemaster]
OoC: Can you see my rolls, DM? I initially got the "Dice rolls not yet available..." message, then refreshed the browser and they showed up (they were 11 and 21 in that order). But now they appear to be gone again. I can reroll if you want.
Under the direction of Kirinar the group ties itself together with rope and then begins the treacherous trek up the old pathway to the monastery above.
The party soon finds out that the climb is harder than they imagined it would be. Keyleth's sharp eyes spot potential trouble spots and she calls them out as she sees them. At one point Kirinar loses his grip and the rope saves him from a long fall but he slams into the wall for 10 damage. Keyleth and Dr A each miss a jump coming up short and hitting the edge of the walkway for 10 damage each. Timber easily navigates the difficult path and comes out unscathed.
It takes almost 2 hours to make the climb and you eventually find your way to the top. Aarakocra watch as you ascend and you are met with a small delegation of 3 aarakocra but you are aware that there are others close by.
"Greetings travelers, welcome to Kir Sabal. I am Errk. Do you seek refuge from the jungle?"
"Ah but we do not seek refuge as such, rather we seek knowledge! I am sorry I forgot to introduce myself, I am Dr Arbutaveyu a scholar of the arcane most recently working in the Great Library of Candlekeep, I am sorry I keep assuming everybody knows what that is, where it is and why it is important but you know what they say about 'assume' it makes an 'ass' of you and me! Now I am not an donkey and obviously nor are you - never did understand that saying - but you get my point. Anyway I digress"here he smiles at Errk before continuing "but I often do that as my colleagues here will happily attest. I am really seeking knowledge of what they are calling the Death Curse in the cities, which may have also affected you and your kind and have managed to work out that we think it is being caused by some sort of artifact which I have been told may be located in a jungle city far to the south, enclosed by cliffs and crawling with snakes with possibly a black obelisk nearby. Does this location sound like somewhere you know of? But before we talk about serious matters, climbing up all those stairs has tired out this old Tortle - you would perchance have a cup of tea I could partake of" he asks hopefully.
Dr A introduces himself and then the others also introduce themselves.
"Welcome to you all. I have not heard of this Candlekeep but I am sure the Teacher has. If it is knowledge you seek she will best aid you. We will give you an opportunity to rest and clean up. You may then have an audience with her."
He leads you to a small room (on the map the Cleansing Chamber) where you are given a chance to wash up. Small stone bowls of water are provided for cleaning. You tend your injuries from the climb up and are able to take a short rest and after an hour or so Errk returns.
"The Teacher awaits, please follow me."
He leads you out of the rooms and up into the monastery. You enter the entrance hall (room 1a) of the monastery and Errk explains it is also the dining chamber. The aarakocra monks take all their meals here, but it’s also where meetings take place. The aarakocra use backless benches and stools for seats, to accommodate their wings. The table can seat twenty.
Seated at the table you see an aged aarakocra waiting for you
Errk ushers you in and bows to the aged aarakocra.
"Teacher, the travelers that have come seeking knowledge of Omu."
He gives her your names and then stands to the side after offering you seats at the table. You see a couple other aarakocra in the room, spears in hand, obviously guards for the aged aarakocra. Also seated at the table in the room is a young human woman.
"Welcome, I am Asharra." the aged aarakocra says. "I am told you seek a jungle city in the south of Chult. Perhaps this is the lost city of Omu that you seek? Tell me of your quest and this death curse you speak of."
Dr Arbuataveyu bows deeply to the old Aarakocra "I am slowly putting together the pieces of what appears to be a very complex puzzle but what I do know is this"as he holds up four fingers. Closing one finger down into his palm "the so-called Death Curse only affects those who have already traveled beyond the gateway of death and been recalled through powerful magics" Closing down a second finger into his palm "powerful servants of the Gods seem to no longer be able to intervene on behalf of those who have traveled beyond the gateway of death and call them back to life" Closing down a third finger "my research, and here I only speculate, would suggest that it can only be a powerful entity such as a God, one of the Primodial Beings, a Powerful Devil or Demons, or even a Lich that is able to influence the Weave to this extent and even so may not be able to do it unaided" and Closing down his last finger "finally“Master Diviner Zitembe from the Temple of Savras has consulted the guides and they have revealed and I quote 'that...in fact the source of the curse does rest somewhere here in Chult, somewhere far to the south. The Guides have shown me visions and I see a jungle city far to the south, enclosed by cliffs and crawling with snakes. I was also shown a black obelisk draped in vines ...What city it is I cannot say, for much has been lost in the jungle'"
Asharra listens intently to the story you tell. The young girl sitting at the table sits up straighter and with interest when you mention the lost city. She nearly speaks but Asharra lays a hand on her arm and quiets here as you finish.
"We do not have anyone here that suffers from this curse, yet word of it has reached us. I know this city that you speak of. The city of Omu, lost in the jungle for so many years."
She looks at the girl sitting with you at the table.
"Allow me to introduce Princess Mwaxanaré. She is the oldest living descendant of the royal families of Omu and the primary heir to the fallen kingdom. She and her six-year-old brother Na are guests of ours. Their great-grandmother, Napaka, was the last ruling queen of Omu; their father, Omek, died in a fall, and their mother, Razaan, was killed by pterafolk. We aim to protect the young royals until the evil in Omu is banished. We do this for the future of Chult. A great evil does lie within the city. I will aid you in this quest of yours."
She shifts her gaze back to the party.
"Omu lies to the south and west of here. To the west of the Peaks of Flame but before the Valley of Lost Honor."
Realizing she mentions places on your map you take it out and place it on the table. She points to the area west of the Peaks of Flame.
"Yes, somewhere here lies the lost city of Omu."
"How I can help is this. I can perform a ritual called the Dance of the Seven Winds, bestowing on the you the magical ability to fly. To complete the ritual, I need a black orchid, which can be found only in Nangalore. It is several days south of here but where exactly it is I do not know. We do not allow our people to go anywhere near the ruins because of the evil, intelligent cranes known to live there. Bring this Orchid back to me and I will perform the ritual for you. You can then fly west and south to find Omu and rid our land of this evil and allow Princess Mwaxanaré to take her place as rightful ruler of Chult."
She marks on your map approximately where Nangalore is. She also marks a couple other areas for you and then she looks at you with all seriousness,
"Will you do this or choose to travel by foot, a journey of many weeks? To the south of us, even of Nangalore, lies Lake Luo. You would need to go around it to travel west, or try to cross the river Olung. We do not have boats to do such a things."
"Flying? Like you? Oh, that would be an experience nobody back home would ever be able to do. I'm in! Let's go pick some flowers!!" the young human says with an exuberance matched by the wonder in his face at these new and amazing experiences. "Can you tell us anything more about the evil cranes or the place where these orchids grow?"
Timber grins in excitement, "The human has beaten me to it! I have always wanted to try flying! Although I doubt I can ever be as graceful as your kind. Where I come from, there is a group of Aarackocra and as a little cub I always envied their ability to dance in the skies!"
"Good. Rest here tonight and then you can leave in the morning."
As she says this another aarakocra rushes into the room and bows before Asharra.
"My apologies for interrupting Teacher but there is a problem. Gargoyles approach and we fear they will attack again! They will be here very soon. Perhaps 10, and our hunters are gone!"
Asharra looks to you with concern on her face.
"This is bad timing. To be honest all but 2 of our warriors are gone on a hunting trip. We are almost entirely undefended. Will you help us fight these gargoyles off? They try and raid us on occasion. Please help us."
"Gargoyles? Of course we will help; it's the least we could do to repay your hospitality and aid," Keyleth replies. "I myself have not encountered gargoyles before, though. Is there anything we should know about how to engage with them? Are there certain modes of attack that work better than others?"
"They are resistant to most normal attacks. We have found weapons made of adamantine work but we only have a couple and they are with the hunters. We have bows we can give you if you don't have any of your own. Try to concentrate your attacks on one at a time. They are very tough but if we kill enough the others will break off the attack."
You move out onto the walkway that runs between buildings and string out along it along with the two aarakocra warriors and Asharra. She seems so old but she has a steely gaze. Runners bring up longbows with arrows.
You have about 1 minute before the gargoyles are 120 feet out and in normal range of longbows.
OoC: Have we rested since the climb? I know some of us (Keyleth included) sustained some injuries then. Also, do we get readied attacks prior to the first round since we were waiting for them to approach, or are you just considering that to be the first round?
Edit: Oh, I see Kirinar's hit dice rolls. I guess I missed that. I guess I'll roll those now?
OOC - yes you had a short rest. Gargoyles will be 120 feet away in 1 minute and combat order is listed. So yes you can have readied attacks for when they get within range.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
"Mystra remove these flying fiends from the equation" as the tattooed stars on his hand flash and a flash of light [Spell][/Guiding Bolt] at second level (Attack: 22 Damage: 17) towards the nearest Gargoyle once it is in range. The targeted Gargoyle glows with a dim light and he calls out to Keyleth "aim for the one I just hit! You will find it easier?" (OOC: Keyleth has advantage due to the spell)
OoC: Can you see my rolls, DM? I initially got the "Dice rolls not yet available..." message, then refreshed the browser and they showed up (they were 11 and 21 in that order). But now they appear to be gone again. I can reroll if you want.
"Darvin" | Changeling | Hexblade 1 / Swords Bard 6 | Descent Into Avernus (AC 19; PP 14; 52/52 HP)
Anton Chergoba | Human | Battlemaster 4 | Lost Mines of Phandelver (AC 20; PP 14; 36/36 HP)
"Yous stupid old tortle," Dr Arbutaveyu mutters to himself "always wanting to see something new and different well here's to hoping we make it up there in one piece!" as he starts climbing the stairs (Athletics roll = 16 & Acrobatics roll = 7).
DM - Storm King's Thunder - The Gods Respond
DM - Four bards walk into a bar...
Cracitus Tibicen (Tibi) - Aarokocra - Rogue [Swashbuckler] / Fighter [Battlemaster]
I trust ya
Acrobatics: 18
Athletics: 16
Under the direction of Kirinar the group ties itself together with rope and then begins the treacherous trek up the old pathway to the monastery above.
The party soon finds out that the climb is harder than they imagined it would be. Keyleth's sharp eyes spot potential trouble spots and she calls them out as she sees them. At one point Kirinar loses his grip and the rope saves him from a long fall but he slams into the wall for 10 damage. Keyleth and Dr A each miss a jump coming up short and hitting the edge of the walkway for 10 damage each. Timber easily navigates the difficult path and comes out unscathed.
It takes almost 2 hours to make the climb and you eventually find your way to the top. Aarakocra watch as you ascend and you are met with a small delegation of 3 aarakocra but you are aware that there are others close by.
"Greetings travelers, welcome to Kir Sabal. I am Errk. Do you seek refuge from the jungle?"
"Ah but we do not seek refuge as such, rather we seek knowledge! I am sorry I forgot to introduce myself, I am Dr Arbutaveyu a scholar of the arcane most recently working in the Great Library of Candlekeep, I am sorry I keep assuming everybody knows what that is, where it is and why it is important but you know what they say about 'assume' it makes an 'ass' of you and me! Now I am not an donkey and obviously nor are you - never did understand that saying - but you get my point. Anyway I digress" here he smiles at Errk before continuing "but I often do that as my colleagues here will happily attest. I am really seeking knowledge of what they are calling the Death Curse in the cities, which may have also affected you and your kind and have managed to work out that we think it is being caused by some sort of artifact which I have been told may be located in a jungle city far to the south, enclosed by cliffs and crawling with snakes with possibly a black obelisk nearby. Does this location sound like somewhere you know of? But before we talk about serious matters, climbing up all those stairs has tired out this old Tortle - you would perchance have a cup of tea I could partake of" he asks hopefully.
DM - Storm King's Thunder - The Gods Respond
DM - Four bards walk into a bar...
Cracitus Tibicen (Tibi) - Aarokocra - Rogue [Swashbuckler] / Fighter [Battlemaster]
Dr A introduces himself and then the others also introduce themselves.
"Welcome to you all. I have not heard of this Candlekeep but I am sure the Teacher has. If it is knowledge you seek she will best aid you. We will give you an opportunity to rest and clean up. You may then have an audience with her."
He leads you to a small room (on the map the Cleansing Chamber) where you are given a chance to wash up. Small stone bowls of water are provided for cleaning. You tend your injuries from the climb up and are able to take a short rest and after an hour or so Errk returns.
"The Teacher awaits, please follow me."
He leads you out of the rooms and up into the monastery. You enter the entrance hall (room 1a) of the monastery and Errk explains it is also the dining chamber. The aarakocra monks take all their meals here, but it’s also where meetings take place. The aarakocra use backless benches and stools for seats, to accommodate their wings. The table can seat twenty.
Seated at the table you see an aged aarakocra waiting for you
Errk ushers you in and bows to the aged aarakocra.
"Teacher, the travelers that have come seeking knowledge of Omu."
He gives her your names and then stands to the side after offering you seats at the table. You see a couple other aarakocra in the room, spears in hand, obviously guards for the aged aarakocra. Also seated at the table in the room is a young human woman.
"Welcome, I am Asharra." the aged aarakocra says. "I am told you seek a jungle city in the south of Chult. Perhaps this is the lost city of Omu that you seek? Tell me of your quest and this death curse you speak of."
Short Rest HP recovery: 8
Short Rest HP recovery 2nd roll: 12
Love God. Love Others. Any Questions?
Dr Arbuataveyu bows deeply to the old Aarakocra "I am slowly putting together the pieces of what appears to be a very complex puzzle but what I do know is this" as he holds up four fingers.
Closing one finger down into his palm "the so-called Death Curse only affects those who have already traveled beyond the gateway of death and been recalled through powerful magics"
Closing down a second finger into his palm "powerful servants of the Gods seem to no longer be able to intervene on behalf of those who have traveled beyond the gateway of death and call them back to life"
Closing down a third finger "my research, and here I only speculate, would suggest that it can only be a powerful entity such as a God, one of the Primodial Beings, a Powerful Devil or Demons, or even a Lich that is able to influence the Weave to this extent and even so may not be able to do it unaided" and
Closing down his last finger "finally “Master Diviner Zitembe from the Temple of Savras has consulted the guides and they have revealed and I quote 'that...in fact the source of the curse does rest somewhere here in Chult, somewhere far to the south. The Guides have shown me visions and I see a jungle city far to the south, enclosed by cliffs and crawling with snakes. I was also shown a black obelisk draped in vines ...What city it is I cannot say, for much has been lost in the jungle'"
DM - Storm King's Thunder - The Gods Respond
DM - Four bards walk into a bar...
Cracitus Tibicen (Tibi) - Aarokocra - Rogue [Swashbuckler] / Fighter [Battlemaster]
Asharra listens intently to the story you tell. The young girl sitting at the table sits up straighter and with interest when you mention the lost city. She nearly speaks but Asharra lays a hand on her arm and quiets here as you finish.
"We do not have anyone here that suffers from this curse, yet word of it has reached us. I know this city that you speak of. The city of Omu, lost in the jungle for so many years."
She looks at the girl sitting with you at the table.
"Allow me to introduce Princess Mwaxanaré. She is the oldest living descendant of the royal families of Omu and the primary heir to the fallen kingdom. She and her six-year-old brother Na are guests of ours. Their great-grandmother, Napaka, was the last ruling queen of Omu; their father, Omek, died in a fall, and their mother, Razaan, was killed by pterafolk. We aim to protect the young royals until the evil in Omu is banished. We do this for the future of Chult. A great evil does lie within the city. I will aid you in this quest of yours."
She shifts her gaze back to the party.
"Omu lies to the south and west of here. To the west of the Peaks of Flame but before the Valley of Lost Honor."
Realizing she mentions places on your map you take it out and place it on the table. She points to the area west of the Peaks of Flame.
"Yes, somewhere here lies the lost city of Omu."
"How I can help is this. I can perform a ritual called the Dance of the Seven Winds, bestowing on the you the magical ability to fly. To complete the ritual, I need a black orchid, which can be found only in Nangalore. It is several days south of here but where exactly it is I do not know. We do not allow our people to go anywhere near the ruins because of the evil, intelligent cranes known to live there. Bring this Orchid back to me and I will perform the ritual for you. You can then fly west and south to find Omu and rid our land of this evil and allow Princess Mwaxanaré to take her place as rightful ruler of Chult."
She marks on your map approximately where Nangalore is. She also marks a couple other areas for you and then she looks at you with all seriousness,
"Will you do this or choose to travel by foot, a journey of many weeks? To the south of us, even of Nangalore, lies Lake Luo. You would need to go around it to travel west, or try to cross the river Olung. We do not have boats to do such a things."
"Flying? Like you? Oh, that would be an experience nobody back home would ever be able to do. I'm in! Let's go pick some flowers!!" the young human says with an exuberance matched by the wonder in his face at these new and amazing experiences. "Can you tell us anything more about the evil cranes or the place where these orchids grow?"
Love God. Love Others. Any Questions?
Timber grins in excitement, "The human has beaten me to it! I have always wanted to try flying! Although I doubt I can ever be as graceful as your kind. Where I come from, there is a group of Aarackocra and as a little cub I always envied their ability to dance in the skies!"
Asharra smiles at your enthusiasm.
"Good. Rest here tonight and then you can leave in the morning."
As she says this another aarakocra rushes into the room and bows before Asharra.
"My apologies for interrupting Teacher but there is a problem. Gargoyles approach and we fear they will attack again! They will be here very soon. Perhaps 10, and our hunters are gone!"
Asharra looks to you with concern on her face.
"This is bad timing. To be honest all but 2 of our warriors are gone on a hunting trip. We are almost entirely undefended. Will you help us fight these gargoyles off? They try and raid us on occasion. Please help us."
"Gargoyles? Of course we will help; it's the least we could do to repay your hospitality and aid," Keyleth replies. "I myself have not encountered gargoyles before, though. Is there anything we should know about how to engage with them? Are there certain modes of attack that work better than others?"
"Darvin" | Changeling | Hexblade 1 / Swords Bard 6 | Descent Into Avernus (AC 19; PP 14; 52/52 HP)
Anton Chergoba | Human | Battlemaster 4 | Lost Mines of Phandelver (AC 20; PP 14; 36/36 HP)
"They are resistant to most normal attacks. We have found weapons made of adamantine work but we only have a couple and they are with the hunters. We have bows we can give you if you don't have any of your own. Try to concentrate your attacks on one at a time. They are very tough but if we kill enough the others will break off the attack."
You move out onto the walkway that runs between buildings and string out along it along with the two aarakocra warriors and Asharra. She seems so old but she has a steely gaze. Runners bring up longbows with arrows.
You have about 1 minute before the gargoyles are 120 feet out and in normal range of longbows.
I'll get a map up soon.
Artus (?), Dr. A (24/24), Keyleth (21/21), Kirinar (26/28), Timber (14/14), Qawasha (?), Asharra (?), Warrior 1 (?), Warrior 2 (?), Gargoyles
Squares are 20x20 right now
OoC: Have we rested since the climb? I know some of us (Keyleth included) sustained some injuries then. Also, do we get readied attacks prior to the first round since we were waiting for them to approach, or are you just considering that to be the first round?
Edit: Oh, I see Kirinar's hit dice rolls. I guess I missed that. I guess I'll roll those now?
Hit Die 1: 8
Hit Die 2: 9
"Darvin" | Changeling | Hexblade 1 / Swords Bard 6 | Descent Into Avernus (AC 19; PP 14; 52/52 HP)
Anton Chergoba | Human | Battlemaster 4 | Lost Mines of Phandelver (AC 20; PP 14; 36/36 HP)
OOC - yes you had a short rest. Gargoyles will be 120 feet away in 1 minute and combat order is listed. So yes you can have readied attacks for when they get within range.
"Mystra remove these flying fiends from the equation" as the tattooed stars on his hand flash and a flash of light [Spell][/Guiding Bolt] at second level (Attack: 22 Damage: 17) towards the nearest Gargoyle once it is in range. The targeted Gargoyle glows with a dim light and he calls out to Keyleth "aim for the one I just hit! You will find it easier?" (OOC: Keyleth has advantage due to the spell)
DM - Storm King's Thunder - The Gods Respond
DM - Four bards walk into a bar...
Cracitus Tibicen (Tibi) - Aarokocra - Rogue [Swashbuckler] / Fighter [Battlemaster]
"I am going to blast them out of the sky!"
Timber says with enthusiasm as a warbling ball of energy builds up in his hands, which he fires as soon as a gargoyle gets with in 120ft.
Readied Attack: 18 Damage: 14
(The damage when it hits willl be thunder)
Wild Magic: 10