El catches up with their companions in time to see the two depart and makes their way towards the front of the group, curious as to what may be going on. They follow a good bit back, attempting to maintain the telepathic link with the others in case they go out of range and using said link to ask Shishakli, "What's going on? Is there something up ahead?"
Stealth (if needed, El will only go far enough that they can reach Gnarls and Shishakli in one turn): 16
Cyndral sees El pass by and reaches out to grab their collar, but it's too little too late. Swearing a bit too clearly on the telepathic party line, he gestures for everyone else to stay where they are and ready, and slowly inches his way toward El, only looking to put himself halfway between them and the main party to relay information. He hasn't quite gotten used to the range of the telepathic spores, but he understands a line of information will help everyone stay connected.
Cursing slightly under his breath in Undercommon, but knowing that Gnarls is behind, and likely the others not far, Shishakli will mentally whisper back towards Gnarls, to relay back to the rest "It's an old woman, though that doesn't mean she isn't dangerous. Be ready to help if I call." he then comes out from behind his rock, making it very clear that he is putting his crossbow away and calls out ((was she speaking common?)) "Grandmother. Well met. I've been traveling living on only what I've found in the caves for so long that the smell of your cooking was too much to resist. I'm sorry if I surprised you." and he slowly approaches, to a distance of 40-50 feet to start, depending on how she reacts.
(She was speaking common) As Shishakli edges closer, he notices that the woman is in fact a deep gnome, her grey skin, lit up slightly by the glowing of her pipe. Her right eye fixated on the ranger in front of her, her left eye is closed, there are 3 large scratch marks around it. She lowers the crossbow that you now see in her hand and takes in a deep inhalation from her pipe before breathing out, filling part of the chamber in the fine misty whisps of smoke and she switches to gnomish.
Spoiler for those that speak Gnomish:
“Oh, child, you should have said. Don’t you know better than to sneak up on an old woman down here? It wouldn’t have been my fault if I’d have fired this old thing at you. Are you traveling alone or do you have friends down here? If it’s food you’re after then come and have some stew”
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Responding in gnomish Shishakli replies "You're quite right that sneaking up on someone can be dangerous, though it can also be more so to stumble into those waiting. Once I recognized your accent I hoped this might be a friendly place."
He continues to walk closer he'll see if anything else catches his eyes, as well as how trustworthy he seem, before replying about his companions.
Shishakli approaches, still keeping his whits about him. The front porch seems pretty well built considering the materials, it looks like it’s been standing for quite some time. He sees a small crack in the wall behind her with a low glowing fire light eminating from what appears to be a small room inside.
Persuasion/Deception 8
The woman looks at you with a toothless smile. She seems pretty genuine.
Continuing his approach, and trusting both others of his race, and his gut feeling, he adds "I am actually with a rather large group. They are staying back, though I'll call them over. I'm helping to guide many of them back to the Overworld, as most are not familiar with our beautiful caves." He then turns back towards the direction of the group, puts his fingers to his mouth, and lets out a loud signalling whistle. Finally he pulls the one torch he keeps tied to his pack, and asks "May I light this with your fire? Some of my group have rather weak eyes..."
She takes another inhalation and an exhalation “Sure, sure. Light away. I know all about weak eyes” She points with the tip of her pipe to her damaged eye. As Shishakli gets closer, he hears a loud growling from inside the cave as a fierce grinning smile makes its way out. A dire wolf, still in its younger years takes 3 steps out of the cave, it’s matted fur, a dark shade of brown as it eyes up its next meal.
All of a sudden the woman reaches out and hits it across the nose “Now now Snuffit! We’ve got guests. Behave!”
Verim will usher forward hearing the whistle. He will walk with caution as the porch comes into view. He trudges forward towards the light, keeping his shield light a glow, he makes it brighter and a more neutral white colour. He walks towards the Gnome. Verim bows his head and drops to one knee, keeping his head bowed.
”My name is Verim Zuvani, I’m in debted to my travelling companion here, I will aid in anyway to assist you if you can offer refuge for a time, our travels have made us weary but I’ll do what it takes, even just some advice on the area.”
As Verim bows his head the light of the shield goes out and the light transfers back to his eyes, even with his eyes closed a surge of energy can be seen lighting the lids in an aura around him.
Hearing Verim introduce himself Shishakli quickly remembers his manners, and switching back to Common says "ah... yes... I am Shishakli of the Tabr family. We've gathered a number of good mushrooms and other edibles. Allow us to share what we have with you and Snuffit." as he reaches into his pack to pull out some of the food he's foraged. He then asks "Are we the first travelers you've seen pass recently?"
The woman smiles, the same toothless grin and replies to Verim in common “Oh, some manners all the way down here, that’s something you don’t see every day. The name’s Agnes, Agnes Grilver, ask away, my ears are yours” She stands up and picks up a large ladle which she dips into the cooking pot. She looks at Shishakli and says in Gnomish.
Spoiler for those that speak Gnomish:
“You keep some peculiar company young one”
While grabbing a couple of bowls she looks at continues to look at Shishakli, this time talking in Common once more. “Tabr, haven’t heard that name in quite some time. I used to know a Hanvoura Tabr years ago when I lived more North” Her eye wanders as she thinks back to her past before it then looks at the mushrooms that Shishakli has produced. She takes however much Shishakli is willing to give (Let me know how many rations you’ve offered) “Thank you, try some of my stew in return” She dishes out some more of the slightly chunky stew “People come and go every now and then, that’s why I keep an ear out for people passing. Snuffit deals with the ones that cause trouble but I find that if you put on a smile and some food, you can normally get by just fine down here”
"You have no idea ma'am... there are quite a few more who I'm sure are just waiting to be sure everything is ok. We've had quite the adventure... I'm sure my well spoken friend here will gladly tell you more, but to keep it simple, we've managed to escape from the drow prisons a couple days back from here."
He will hand over a weeks worth of rations adding, in common "We've been fortunate to find quite a bit of food down here. Unless you have a farm it would be tough to find more near by. We've been a bit turned around since we've all come together... which direction is Blingensten from here? And about how far?"
“Well, the more the merrier I guess” She continues to smile until Shishakli mentions the Drow, her face drops and her mouth forms into a kind of snarl “Drow? You got away from them and now you’re here? They’d better not be following you. I can cheer up most but all them bastards seem to want to do is put me in chains” She puts out 4 bowls worth of stew and offers one out in her hands towards Shishakli, her hands are now shaking a little bit. Her face soon lights up slightly as she sees the food “I’m sure I can put this to good use. Might need to if I’ve got other guests joining me...” Hearing the name Blingdenstone makes her smile once more as she thinks and you can see her counting and working out the distance “Well, it all depends on which route you want to take. The quickest route would be to navigate the Darklake, if you don’t get lost then I reckon about 25 days but that’s not very safe. You could head North, keep to the edge of the lake and then continue past Menzoberranzan and then head west from there. That will probably take you about 31 days but that depends on whether you want to pass the Drow city. You could also go on the southern route, around the lake. This will take 49 days from here but there will be more places that you could pass through for protection. Gracklstugh and the Neverlight Grove”
"Let's move forward,"Tobias says to the remaining group. "Stay cautious though." The cleric checks his shield and then moves on ahead to the source of the aroma.
He tenses a bit as he approaches seeing the juvenile dire wolf bristling at them. He listens to the old gnome quietly, balking when she mentions being followed by the drow. "What about Gauntlgrym?" he asks and glances toward Eldeth.
Taking the bowl and a bite, Shishakli says "I've done everything in my ability to ensure the drow aren't following us. And we've had no sign of them for a couple nights actually... I think it's safe to assume they've given up their search." And while he does his best to sound confident he still isn't 100% sure of what the drow are capable...
As Shishakli takes the bowl, the old gnome smiles “Well then I’ll blame you Mr. Tabr when they have me in chains. I’ll also thank you if they don’t” Shishakli begins to eat the stew.
Spoiler for Shishakli:
Shishakli chews and swallows the stew. The meat is less tender than he was expecting. He can’t quite put his finger on what it could be. After a few mouthfuls he starts to feel peculiar, this strange sense comes over him and he feels like he has a new surge of energy. He feels like he could walk for an extra 4 hours on top of what he could normally walk.
El stops to wait for Cyndral and walks slowly forward once the half-elf catches up to them. Hearing that its safe to go ahead El begins to walk but lets Verim go first in the hopes that the warlock can deal with a potential ambush better than they could. They listen for a moment before rounding the corner and approaching slowly, though they feel their stomach rumble at the smell of the food.
After waiting for a break in the conversation El introduces themself with a rushed mini curtsey and glances at the Dire wolf. "Hi there, my name is El. I'm a traveller and a bard from the surface though I was travelling down here before being captured." They gesture to their companions but are clearly distracted by the beast in front of them. El stands for about 30 seconds trying to restrain themself but the effort proves too much and unable to take it anymore they blurt out, "CAN I PET SNUFFIT PLEASE!"
Persuasion if needed: 17
(Really hoping I won't need that because El REALLY wants to pet a dire wolf)
"I wouldn't count on the drow just giving up on us," Tobias replies to Shiskalki. "That priestess is going to have someone to answer to about a cell full of prisoners - able-bodied slaves for Menzoberranzan - escaping." He glances back toward the way they came. "I hope you're right, though. I will just plan for the worse."
"I apologize in advance if we bring them down upon you," he says turning to their hostess.
El catches up with their companions in time to see the two depart and makes their way towards the front of the group, curious as to what may be going on. They follow a good bit back, attempting to maintain the telepathic link with the others in case they go out of range and using said link to ask Shishakli, "What's going on? Is there something up ahead?"
Stealth (if needed, El will only go far enough that they can reach Gnarls and Shishakli in one turn): 16
Cyndral sees El pass by and reaches out to grab their collar, but it's too little too late. Swearing a bit too clearly on the telepathic party line, he gestures for everyone else to stay where they are and ready, and slowly inches his way toward El, only looking to put himself halfway between them and the main party to relay information. He hasn't quite gotten used to the range of the telepathic spores, but he understands a line of information will help everyone stay connected.
Stealth: 23
Want more of my nonsense? Head over to https://bloodonthevine.podbean.com/ to listen to my DMing!
Cursing slightly under his breath in Undercommon, but knowing that Gnarls is behind, and likely the others not far, Shishakli will mentally whisper back towards Gnarls, to relay back to the rest "It's an old woman, though that doesn't mean she isn't dangerous. Be ready to help if I call." he then comes out from behind his rock, making it very clear that he is putting his crossbow away and calls out ((was she speaking common?)) "Grandmother. Well met. I've been traveling living on only what I've found in the caves for so long that the smell of your cooking was too much to resist. I'm sorry if I surprised you." and he slowly approaches, to a distance of 40-50 feet to start, depending on how she reacts.
PbP 🎲: Tyekanik; Moneo Noree; Korba Muris; & occasional DM:
(She was speaking common) As Shishakli edges closer, he notices that the woman is in fact a deep gnome, her grey skin, lit up slightly by the glowing of her pipe. Her right eye fixated on the ranger in front of her, her left eye is closed, there are 3 large scratch marks around it. She lowers the crossbow that you now see in her hand and takes in a deep inhalation from her pipe before breathing out, filling part of the chamber in the fine misty whisps of smoke and she switches to gnomish.
Spoiler for those that speak Gnomish:
“Oh, child, you should have said. Don’t you know better than to sneak up on an old woman down here? It wouldn’t have been my fault if I’d have fired this old thing at you. Are you traveling alone or do you have friends down here? If it’s food you’re after then come and have some stew”
Dungeon Master - PBP Lost Mine Of Phandelver (Closed)
Dungeon Master - PBP Out Of The Abyss (Closed)
Dungeon Master - The Chronicles Of Dantia (Home Game)
Forbi & Dorbi - Deep Gnome - Fighter/Rogue - PBP Into The Fire
Vosdred Ironeye - Hill Dwarf - Fighter/Wizard - PBP Game of the Last Chance
Responding in gnomish Shishakli replies "You're quite right that sneaking up on someone can be dangerous, though it can also be more so to stumble into those waiting. Once I recognized your accent I hoped this might be a friendly place."
He continues to walk closer he'll see if anything else catches his eyes, as well as how trustworthy he seem, before replying about his companions.
perception 14 insight 22
PbP 🎲: Tyekanik; Moneo Noree; Korba Muris; & occasional DM:
Shishakli approaches, still keeping his whits about him. The front porch seems pretty well built considering the materials, it looks like it’s been standing for quite some time. He sees a small crack in the wall behind her with a low glowing fire light eminating from what appears to be a small room inside.
Persuasion/Deception 8
The woman looks at you with a toothless smile. She seems pretty genuine.
Dungeon Master - PBP Lost Mine Of Phandelver (Closed)
Dungeon Master - PBP Out Of The Abyss (Closed)
Dungeon Master - The Chronicles Of Dantia (Home Game)
Forbi & Dorbi - Deep Gnome - Fighter/Rogue - PBP Into The Fire
Vosdred Ironeye - Hill Dwarf - Fighter/Wizard - PBP Game of the Last Chance
Continuing his approach, and trusting both others of his race, and his gut feeling, he adds "I am actually with a rather large group. They are staying back, though I'll call them over. I'm helping to guide many of them back to the Overworld, as most are not familiar with our beautiful caves." He then turns back towards the direction of the group, puts his fingers to his mouth, and lets out a loud signalling whistle. Finally he pulls the one torch he keeps tied to his pack, and asks "May I light this with your fire? Some of my group have rather weak eyes..."
PbP 🎲: Tyekanik; Moneo Noree; Korba Muris; & occasional DM:
She takes another inhalation and an exhalation “Sure, sure. Light away. I know all about weak eyes” She points with the tip of her pipe to her damaged eye. As Shishakli gets closer, he hears a loud growling from inside the cave as a fierce grinning smile makes its way out. A dire wolf, still in its younger years takes 3 steps out of the cave, it’s matted fur, a dark shade of brown as it eyes up its next meal.
All of a sudden the woman reaches out and hits it across the nose “Now now Snuffit! We’ve got guests. Behave!”
Dungeon Master - PBP Lost Mine Of Phandelver (Closed)
Dungeon Master - PBP Out Of The Abyss (Closed)
Dungeon Master - The Chronicles Of Dantia (Home Game)
Forbi & Dorbi - Deep Gnome - Fighter/Rogue - PBP Into The Fire
Vosdred Ironeye - Hill Dwarf - Fighter/Wizard - PBP Game of the Last Chance
Verim will usher forward hearing the whistle. He will walk with caution as the porch comes into view. He trudges forward towards the light, keeping his shield light a glow, he makes it brighter and a more neutral white colour. He walks towards the Gnome. Verim bows his head and drops to one knee, keeping his head bowed.
”My name is Verim Zuvani, I’m in debted to my travelling companion here, I will aid in anyway to assist you if you can offer refuge for a time, our travels have made us weary but I’ll do what it takes, even just some advice on the area.”
As Verim bows his head the light of the shield goes out and the light transfers back to his eyes, even with his eyes closed a surge of energy can be seen lighting the lids in an aura around him.
Persuasion Check (if needed) - 12
Hearing Verim introduce himself Shishakli quickly remembers his manners, and switching back to Common says "ah... yes... I am Shishakli of the Tabr family. We've gathered a number of good mushrooms and other edibles. Allow us to share what we have with you and Snuffit." as he reaches into his pack to pull out some of the food he's foraged. He then asks "Are we the first travelers you've seen pass recently?"
PbP 🎲: Tyekanik; Moneo Noree; Korba Muris; & occasional DM:
The woman smiles, the same toothless grin and replies to Verim in common “Oh, some manners all the way down here, that’s something you don’t see every day. The name’s Agnes, Agnes Grilver, ask away, my ears are yours” She stands up and picks up a large ladle which she dips into the cooking pot. She looks at Shishakli and says in Gnomish.
Spoiler for those that speak Gnomish:
“You keep some peculiar company young one”
While grabbing a couple of bowls she looks at continues to look at Shishakli, this time talking in Common once more. “Tabr, haven’t heard that name in quite some time. I used to know a Hanvoura Tabr years ago when I lived more North” Her eye wanders as she thinks back to her past before it then looks at the mushrooms that Shishakli has produced. She takes however much Shishakli is willing to give (Let me know how many rations you’ve offered) “Thank you, try some of my stew in return” She dishes out some more of the slightly chunky stew “People come and go every now and then, that’s why I keep an ear out for people passing. Snuffit deals with the ones that cause trouble but I find that if you put on a smile and some food, you can normally get by just fine down here”
Dungeon Master - PBP Lost Mine Of Phandelver (Closed)
Dungeon Master - PBP Out Of The Abyss (Closed)
Dungeon Master - The Chronicles Of Dantia (Home Game)
Forbi & Dorbi - Deep Gnome - Fighter/Rogue - PBP Into The Fire
Vosdred Ironeye - Hill Dwarf - Fighter/Wizard - PBP Game of the Last Chance
In Gnomish Shishakli replies:
"You have no idea ma'am... there are quite a few more who I'm sure are just waiting to be sure everything is ok. We've had quite the adventure... I'm sure my well spoken friend here will gladly tell you more, but to keep it simple, we've managed to escape from the drow prisons a couple days back from here."
He will hand over a weeks worth of rations adding, in common "We've been fortunate to find quite a bit of food down here. Unless you have a farm it would be tough to find more near by. We've been a bit turned around since we've all come together... which direction is Blingensten from here? And about how far?"
PbP 🎲: Tyekanik; Moneo Noree; Korba Muris; & occasional DM:
“Well, the more the merrier I guess” She continues to smile until Shishakli mentions the Drow, her face drops and her mouth forms into a kind of snarl “Drow? You got away from them and now you’re here? They’d better not be following you. I can cheer up most but all them bastards seem to want to do is put me in chains” She puts out 4 bowls worth of stew and offers one out in her hands towards Shishakli, her hands are now shaking a little bit. Her face soon lights up slightly as she sees the food “I’m sure I can put this to good use. Might need to if I’ve got other guests joining me...” Hearing the name Blingdenstone makes her smile once more as she thinks and you can see her counting and working out the distance “Well, it all depends on which route you want to take. The quickest route would be to navigate the Darklake, if you don’t get lost then I reckon about 25 days but that’s not very safe. You could head North, keep to the edge of the lake and then continue past Menzoberranzan and then head west from there. That will probably take you about 31 days but that depends on whether you want to pass the Drow city. You could also go on the southern route, around the lake. This will take 49 days from here but there will be more places that you could pass through for protection. Gracklstugh and the Neverlight Grove”
Dungeon Master - PBP Lost Mine Of Phandelver (Closed)
Dungeon Master - PBP Out Of The Abyss (Closed)
Dungeon Master - The Chronicles Of Dantia (Home Game)
Forbi & Dorbi - Deep Gnome - Fighter/Rogue - PBP Into The Fire
Vosdred Ironeye - Hill Dwarf - Fighter/Wizard - PBP Game of the Last Chance
"Let's move forward," Tobias says to the remaining group. "Stay cautious though." The cleric checks his shield and then moves on ahead to the source of the aroma.
He tenses a bit as he approaches seeing the juvenile dire wolf bristling at them. He listens to the old gnome quietly, balking when she mentions being followed by the drow. "What about Gauntlgrym?" he asks and glances toward Eldeth.
Eldeth whispers to Tobias, “That’s off the path a bit. It’s to the North West of the Neverlight Grove”
Dungeon Master - PBP Lost Mine Of Phandelver (Closed)
Dungeon Master - PBP Out Of The Abyss (Closed)
Dungeon Master - The Chronicles Of Dantia (Home Game)
Forbi & Dorbi - Deep Gnome - Fighter/Rogue - PBP Into The Fire
Vosdred Ironeye - Hill Dwarf - Fighter/Wizard - PBP Game of the Last Chance
Taking the bowl and a bite, Shishakli says "I've done everything in my ability to ensure the drow aren't following us. And we've had no sign of them for a couple nights actually... I think it's safe to assume they've given up their search." And while he does his best to sound confident he still isn't 100% sure of what the drow are capable...
PbP 🎲: Tyekanik; Moneo Noree; Korba Muris; & occasional DM:
As Shishakli takes the bowl, the old gnome smiles “Well then I’ll blame you Mr. Tabr when they have me in chains. I’ll also thank you if they don’t” Shishakli begins to eat the stew.
Spoiler for Shishakli:
Shishakli chews and swallows the stew. The meat is less tender than he was expecting. He can’t quite put his finger on what it could be. After a few mouthfuls he starts to feel peculiar, this strange sense comes over him and he feels like he has a new surge of energy. He feels like he could walk for an extra 4 hours on top of what he could normally walk.
Dungeon Master - PBP Lost Mine Of Phandelver (Closed)
Dungeon Master - PBP Out Of The Abyss (Closed)
Dungeon Master - The Chronicles Of Dantia (Home Game)
Forbi & Dorbi - Deep Gnome - Fighter/Rogue - PBP Into The Fire
Vosdred Ironeye - Hill Dwarf - Fighter/Wizard - PBP Game of the Last Chance
After waiting for a break in the conversation El introduces themself with a rushed mini curtsey and glances at the Dire wolf. "Hi there, my name is El. I'm a traveller and a bard from the surface though I was travelling down here before being captured." They gesture to their companions but are clearly distracted by the beast in front of them. El stands for about 30 seconds trying to restrain themself but the effort proves too much and unable to take it anymore they blurt out, "CAN I PET SNUFFIT PLEASE!"
Persuasion if needed: 17
(Really hoping I won't need that because El REALLY wants to pet a dire wolf)
"I wouldn't count on the drow just giving up on us," Tobias replies to Shiskalki. "That priestess is going to have someone to answer to about a cell full of prisoners - able-bodied slaves for Menzoberranzan - escaping." He glances back toward the way they came. "I hope you're right, though. I will just plan for the worse."
"I apologize in advance if we bring them down upon you," he says turning to their hostess.
(Sorry, I'm going to be awol for a few days with family stuff)