This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Mimics & Monstrosities is proud to present...
THE INFINITE LAYER
The Infinite Layer is a Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, PbP campaign that takes place in the Abyss.
The Infinite Layers of the Abyss is the birth place of the demons, and is a chaotic evil universe unto itself with uncountable layers of infinite variety connected haphazardly. The Abyss's place in the cosmology of the Forgotten Realms has shifted over time, but the nature of the plane remains fairly constant: a violent, malevolent place where the strong survive on the backs of the weak, the weak conspire to overthrow the strong, alliances only last while convenient, and the landscape itself tortures the mind and body of all who dare to pass.
Our story begins with our heroes waking up on the shores of a grand river, the River Styx with not much in terms of memory other than their last, most recent memory being that of their own demise and waking up in this hellish landscape. We'll be picking up on the first layer of The Abyss, the Plain of Infinite Portals, or Pazunia.
Post Order
We'll be posting in order during our time with this PbP campaign. Out of combat, each person will take a turn posting and we'll go through a sort of "faux initiative" order to determine who goes first, and we'll be doing that based on initiative bonuses, pretty simply. For now; the posting order for this game will be:
That said, don't expect this to function like a normal game of D&D. Things will take time. Combat and scenarios could take days to finish with our posts, so please have patience while we all try and sort out how this kind of thing works together. Also, be sure that when posting in this thread, you use a specific coloured font tied to your character to make discerning each other's posts much easier.
Mine will obviously be purple-ish. Posts must also be somewhat detailed, coherent and easy to read and understand for the others taking part. Try to keep it at a paragraph minimum, but also don't post entire novels in responses. Combat will obviously be different in terms of posts.
Off-Topic and out of character chat will be kept in our Discord in the "infinite-layer-pbp" chat thread.
Combat Order
Combat will be more stream-lined than the actual tabletop variant of D&D. At the start of combat, I'll roll initiative for everyone that way we're not taking days or even hours to sort out the initiative order. I'll try and make maps to give you all a sort of mental image of where you are at all times.
Rolling Dice & Other Useful Forum Tidbits
If you want to learn how to roll dice, among other useful tidbits for the PbP campaign, read this thread.
Post Example
When posting try and use this format:
In Character
Tom knelt down and sniffed the blood trail. He didn't think he recognized it, but he wanted to make sure Jerry hadn't been eaten or dragged off somewhere undesirable.
Out of character chat would then be posted beneath, or before the text block. The post tool you'd be looking for to do boxed text like that is "blockquote" which can be discerned by the quotation marks in the UI.
For example, if Tom tried sniffing the blood to determine the source, etc, the Dungeon Master (that's me) in my follow up post would probably say something like "Give me a Survival check to determine that".
The character would then roll a Survival check in their following post once their posting turn comes back around. So, let's say Tom has a +1 to his Survival skill.
6
We'd then see his result! As you can see Tom got a 14, and he'd discern the blood was too old and clearly not Jerry's. Word of warning, you will not see your dice roll result until after you post the reply.
A cart moves slowly along the banks of the River Styx and a large, hulking monstrosity of an ogre is pulling the cart and stopping every few feet to toss a mutilated corpse into the back of the cart. As we pan around to the back of this meat wagon, we see that it's nearly overflowing and spilling out with a plethora of rotting and bloated corpses, leaking various fluids and in various stages of decomposition. Large, infernal flies the size of bats buzz around the cart and tear out chunks from the corpses before flying off, rinse and repeat. The ogre stops the cart at a nearby fork in the River Styx and begins tossing some more corpses into the back. In particular, five corpses are thrown into the back of this corpse wagon. These corpses belong to a Kenku, a Dwarf, an Aarakocra, a Half-Elf and a Vedalken. These corpses don't seem as mutilated or ruined as the others, but they do appear to be quite deceased. The new bodies are thrown without much care onto the back of the wagon, causing the corpse of a bloated, and boil encrusted halfling male to spill out the back, and burst open when it comes into contact with the ground. The corpse pile in the back of this wagon now probably has about a good twenty to thirty bodies crammed into it.
A voice rings out, but it's not discernible (unless your character speaks Abyssal).
If you cannot read/understand Abyssal this is all you hear in your mind.
Yazx usw yxlquak ntud tuz rxxs qizd.
If you can read/understand Abyssal than this is what you hear.
Rise and reclaim what has been lost.
Once the voice speaks, you all will awaken in the back of the cart for the first step of your journey, and be sure to describe your character's appearance in your initial post for your fellow party members!
Rya took in a deep breath, her grey eyes fluttering open. A coughing fit overtook her, but she was surprised to find no water spew forth from her lungs. The last breath she took was full of seawater – a taste that still lingered in her mouth. With her coughing subsiding, she focused on the distorted voice that pulled her from the depths of her own mind.
Yazx usw yxlquak ntud tuz rxxs qizd? What does that even mean? Why didn’t mother teacher me Abyssal instead of just Infernal?
Before she could muse further, the stench caught her off guard – she was surrounded by corpses. Many a time her and Scout had encountered death and decay through their travels, but nothing compared to the overwhelming smell which she could almost taste. With the air around her uncomfortably warm, it amplified the stench; she could feel her white hair cling to her dusky skin – a bead of sweat ran down the side of her head, mixing with the various fluids from the bed of corpses she laid upon. As she took in a breath again, she realized she could not fully expand her lungs. To her horror and surprise, the body of Scout was strewn across her chest.
“Scout? Scout! Please, wake up… please…” Rya shut her eyes, shaking her head. Why was this happening? Were they alive or dead? She opened her eyes once more, staring once again at Scout. Craning her neck, she could make out a large creature pulling the cart her body way pinned in. Fortunately for her, it appeared he did not hear her voice, or simply did not care she had spoke – she hoped for the former.
Rya tried to reach for her daggers in her cloak or pants, but even if they were still on her, Scout’s body left her with no room to reach them. Hopefully, Scout would regain consciousness as well and they could both find their way out of this hellish land.
The last thing Scout remembered was the taste of the sea as it filled her lungs. Then… warmth? Movement? She heard a voice speaking but she couldn’t make out what the words meant. She took a moment to commit the words to memory, ensuring she could repeat them exactly if the moment ever called for it.
Another voice filled the air, this time one Scout knew well. It was Rya and she was urging Scout to wake up. With a slight groan, Scout opened her eyes and saw a red sun, or was it a moon, hanging in the dark sky above. Not at all like what she remembered the sky looking like. It was also hotter than she remembered it being, which Scout was not a fan of one bit. The warmth made her feathers stick together. She sat up, shifting some of the other bodies in the cart with her feet as she moved. Once she was in somewhat of an upright position, she turned to her partner and motioned to the sky.
“Rya. You know voice?” Scout asked, trying to keep her voice low enough that the creature carrying the cart wouldn’t hear her. She didn’t know how well her magic would work here, or even if she had all her weapons, and she didn’t want to find out the hard way.
While waiting for an answer, Scout took a moment to asses herself and the cart. She didn’t have any visible injuries, nor did Rya. She looked around at the other bodies in the cart. They all looked…well, dead for lack of a better word. Maybe they were just sleeping like her and Rya had been. Cautiously, she reached out and poked one of the least dead looking bodies closest to her, a dwarf from what she could tell.
Qhour came to with a "HOOHOOT!" Took a deep breath and opened his eyes. The Abyssal phrase still echoing in his mind. He had learned the old language from the priests at the church/school he had attended as a child. He understood the words, but not what the phrase meant. He put it out of his thoughts for the moment. The sky and sun are red, he thought. Where am I? He seemed to be laying on something soft yet lumpy. The noise of the wheels and the bouncing told him he was on some sort of ground conveyance. Realizing this, he got carefully to his feet, noticing for the first time that he was on a pile of decomposing bodies and the smell. He immediately unfurled his wings through the special slits in his robe, and launched into the air. At a height of about 20 feet he circled the wagon, noting the ogre and also spotting some movement of other bodies on the wagon. His large white wings glided in the wind with ease. His large golden owl eyes gazed around at the strange land he found himself in. Where am I? The last thing I remember are the swords. I should be dead! He shook his head and came down to roost on the sideboard of the wagon. Breathing shallowly, he watched the interaction between the dark Half-Elf and the Kenku. and noticed movement from a strange blue humanoid whose species he did not recognize.
Paul looks around in horror. Bodies, bodies everywhere. He sits stunned for seconds that feel like hours, days. He can't help but stare, the site so awful in its strangeness, its unexpectedness, that for once the whirling dynamo that is his mind simply stops cold. Corpses. These are corpses, he thinks. Then the stench hits him like a hammer striking an anvil, and the gorge rises. If the voice hadn't come to him, bringing him back to himself, he would have lost his breakfast for certain. He hearts the words, knows them. He spent a year learning the damn language. He'd also lost two stone from only being able to drink honey tea, what with all the croaking and growling it entailed.
Paul Dure' looks up at the giant creature he assumes has spoken. In a daze, aware only of the coprses, the bile in his throat, and the words ringing in his ears, he stands.
Rya took in a deep breath, her grey eyes fluttering open. A coughing fit overtook her, but she was surprised to find no water spew forth from her lungs. The last breath she took was full of seawater – a taste that still lingered in her mouth. With her coughing subsiding, she focused on the distorted voice that pulled her from the depths of her own mind.
Yazx usw yxlquak ntud tuz rxxs qizd? What does that even mean? Why didn’t mother teacher me Abyssal instead of just Infernal?
Before she could muse further, the stench caught her off guard – she was surrounded by corpses. Many a time her and Scout had encountered death and decay through their travels, but nothing compared to the overwhelming smell which she could almost taste. With the air around her uncomfortably warm, it amplified the stench; she could feel her white hair cling to her dusky skin – a bead of sweat ran down the side of her head, mixing with the various fluids from the bed of corpses she laid upon. As she took in a breath again, she realized she could not fully expand her lungs. To her horror and surprise, the body of Scout was strewn across her chest.
“Scout? Scout! Please, wake up… please…” Rya shut her eyes, shaking her head. Why was this happening? Were they alive or dead? She opened her eyes once more, staring once again at Scout. Craning her neck, she could make out a large creature pulling the cart her body way pinned in. Fortunately for her, it appeared he did not hear her voice, or simply did not care she had spoke – she hoped for the former.
Rya tried to reach for her daggers in her cloak or pants, but even if they were still on her, Scout’s body left her with no room to reach them. Hopefully, Scout would regain consciousness as well and they could both find their way out of this hellish land.
The Ogre seems to not notice your words as you scramble about in the back of the cart. After a few minutes of struggling to reach your daggers, you eventually grasp your hands around them and pull them up to your chest.
You hear a familiar voice ring out to you, “Rya. You know voice?” Scout asked"
The last thing Scout remembered was the taste of the sea as it filled her lungs. Then… warmth? Movement? She heard a voice speaking but she couldn’t make out what the words meant. She took a moment to commit the words to memory, ensuring she could repeat them exactly if the moment ever called for it.
Another voice filled the air, this time one Scout knew well. It was Rya and she was urging Scout to wake up. With a slight groan, Scout opened her eyes and saw a red sun, or was it a moon, hanging in the dark sky above. Not at all like what she remembered the sky looking like. It was also hotter than she remembered it being, which Scout was not a fan of one bit. The warmth made her feathers stick together. She sat up, shifting some of the other bodies in the cart with her feet as she moved. Once she was in somewhat of an upright position, she turned to her partner and motioned to the sky.
“Rya. You know voice?” Scout asked, trying to keep her voice low enough that the creature carrying the cart wouldn’t hear her. She didn’t know how well her magic would work here, or even if she had all her weapons, and she didn’t want to find out the hard way.
While waiting for an answer, Scout took a moment to asses herself and the cart. She didn’t have any visible injuries, nor did Rya. She looked around at the other bodies in the cart. They all looked…well, dead for lack of a better word. Maybe they were just sleeping like her and Rya had been. Cautiously, she reached out and poked one of the least dead looking bodies closest to her, a dwarf from what she could tell.
The dwarf is 100% deceased. It looks like he was killed by a blow to the head by a very large blunt weapon. His skull has been cracked in twain and his brains are spilling out. You seem to still have all of your equipment on your person, and your magical abilities, you gather are not affected.
Qhour came to with a "HOOHOOT!" Took a deep breath and opened his eyes. The Abyssal phrase still echoing in his mind. He had learned the old language from the priests at the church/school he had attended as a child. He understood the words, but not what the phrase meant. He put it out of his thoughts for the moment. The sky and sun are red, he thought. Where am I? He seemed to be laying on something soft yet lumpy. The noise of the wheels and the bouncing told him he was on some sort of ground conveyance. Realizing this, he got carefully to his feet, noticing for the first time that he was on a pile of decomposing bodies and the smell. He immediately unfurled his wings through the special slits in his robe, and launched into the air. At a height of about 20 feet he circled the wagon, noting the ogre and also spotting some movement of other bodies on the wagon. His large white wings glided in the wind with ease. His large golden owl eyes gazed around at the strange land he found himself in. Where am I? The last thing I remember are the swords. I should be dead! He shook his head and came down to roost on the sideboard of the wagon. Breathing shallowly, he watched the interaction between the dark Half-Elf and the Kenku. and noticed movement from a strange blue humanoid whose species he did not recognize.
You all hear the sound of a loud, screeching, owl-like "WHOOOOO!" as the Aarakocra launches itself from free from the cart, and lands back down onto it. The ogre is definitely alerted at this point in time and stops hauling the cart to assess the situation and looks back to see a figure it once thought dead now perched on the exterior of its meat wagon.
It rushes towards the Aarakocra and makes a swing with its Greatclub, which is Attack: 24 which hits, so you take Damage: 9 points of bludgeoning damage.
While it swings its Greatclub, it screams "Dead! You be dead!"
Paul looks around in horror. Bodies, bodies everywhere. He sits stunned for seconds that feel like hours, days. He can't help but stare, the site so awful in its strangeness, its unexpectedness, that for once the whirling dynamo that is his mind simply stops cold. Corpses. These are corpses, he thinks. Then the stench hits him like a hammer striking an anvil, and the gorge rises. If the voice hadn't come to him, bringing him back to himself, he would have lost his breakfast for certain. He hearts the words, knows them. He spent a year learning the damn language. He'd also lost two stone from only being able to drink honey tea, what with all the croaking and growling it entailed.
Paul Dure' looks up at the giant creature he assumes has spoken. In a daze, aware only of the coprses, the bile in his throat, and the words ringing in his ears, he stands.
You awaken completely fine, and notice this seen play out entirely in front of you. The Aarakocra launching from the back of the wagon up into the sky, causing the Ogre to become alerted to its presence atleast, and rush the Aarakocra to make sure its indeed dead this time.
--
Setting The Scene
Paul Dure, Rya and Scout are still pinned down and restrained in the back of the cart, pinned down by the various corpses. You all can make DC 14 Strength SavingThrows to free yourselves from the cart.
Outside of the cart is a vast expanse of reddish wasteland stretching as far as the eye can see beneath a blistering red sun. Directly next to the cart on the left is Qhour, perched on the side of the cart with the Ogre about 5ft away and swinging its weapon at Qhour to ensure this creature he thought was dead goes back to being that way. About ten feet behind them is a raging, green river, the River Styx.
Qhour: The ogre landed an attack against you as you can see above and is standing 5ft directly in front of you. You took 9 damage from it's attack on you with its Greatclub.
Paul, Rya & Scout: You're all pinned down by corpses in the back of the cart and currently restrained. As mentioned above you can make a DC 14 Strength SavingThrow to free yourself from the the restrained. While restrained, the three of you are prone.
“Good to hear your voice Scout… even if it is my own. Unfortunately, I have no idea what that voice was.” Rya gripped her daggers tighter in her grasp. “What I do know is that Screechy over there is going to get us killed if he keeps that act up,” Rya looked over to the Aarakocra who was being attacked, “Hey! Screechy! Think you can stop messing around and be useful or something?”
Rya felt the weight of the bodies on top of her, still unable to free herself. She craned her neck forward, catching a glimpse of the river from her peripheral vision – an idea came to mind.
“Screechy, since my hands are kind of tied at the moment, why don’t you try to take our new friend over there for a swim if you catch my drift?”
Irritated, Rya attempted to free herself from the mountain of corpses – this was not where she wanted to die... again.
The dwarf was dead. That much Scout knew for certain. She still didn’t know where she was. There were others like her and Rya in the cart, that much had been proven by the screeching and flying away of what looked like a dead body at first. The screeching caught the attention of the creature pulling the cart and the movement stopped. Rya didn’t seem too pleased with this result and Scout didn’t blame her. Using the welcome distraction, Scout decided to attempt to stand up, like she saw Rya try and fail to do. While standing up, she reached into her vest and pulled out a dagger, ready to attack if the ogre decided to turn his attention on her. For now his attention seemed to be on Screechy as Rya had called him.
Paul here's the sounds. Voices he realizes after a moment. Voices speaking words he understands, and not the gutteral command from a moment before. Looking around, Paul sees what can only be an Aaracokra on the side of the cart. And it was squawking. Or howling. Or gibbering. Paul wanted to gibber, that was certain. "Hey! Screech! Think you can stop messing around and be useful or something?" Paul hears the voice but can't see the speaker. He struggles to get out from under the bodies piled on top of him.
Pushing down his gorge yet again, Paul Dure' wills his old frame to stand...
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Noticing the cart had stopped Qhour turned just in time to see the Ogres Greatclub coming for him and tried to jump out of the way. The Greatclub caught him on the side and hurt!
"AAARRGH!!"
In reflex he swung his warhammer around in an arc aimed at the Ogre's head.
“Good to hear your voice Scout… even if it is my own. Unfortunately, I have no idea what that voice was.” Rya gripped her daggers tighter in her grasp. “What I do know is that Screechy over there is going to get us killed if he keeps that act up,” Rya looked over to the Aarakocra who was being attacked, “Hey! Screechy! Think you can stop messing around and be useful or something?”
Rya felt the weight of the bodies on top of her, still unable to free herself. She craned her neck forward, catching a glimpse of the river from her peripheral vision – an idea came to mind.
“Screechy, since my hands are kind of tied at the moment, why don’t you try to take our new friend over there for a swim if you catch my drift?”
Irritated, Rya attempted to free herself from the mountain of corpses – this was not where she wanted to die... again.
Rolling for saving throw: 4
Unfortunately, Rya is still pinned under the corpses.
The dwarf was dead. That much Scout knew for certain. She still didn’t know where she was. There were others like her and Rya in the cart, that much had been proven by the screeching and flying away of what looked like a dead body at first. The screeching caught the attention of the creature pulling the cart and the movement stopped. Rya didn’t seem too pleased with this result and Scout didn’t blame her. Using the welcome distraction, Scout decided to attempt to stand up, like she saw Rya try and fail to do. While standing up, she reached into her vest and pulled out a dagger, ready to attack if the ogre decided to turn his attention on her. For now his attention seemed to be on Screechy as Rya had called him.
Saving throw to break free: 11
Scout is also, unfortunately still pinned under the corpses but they give a little.
Paul here's the sounds. Voices he realizes after a moment. Voices speaking words he understands, and not the gutteral command from a moment before. Looking around, Paul sees what can only be an Aaracokra on the side of the cart. And it was squawking. Or howling. Or gibbering. Paul wanted to gibber, that was certain. "Hey! Screech! Think you can stop messing around and be useful or something?" Paul hears the voice but can't see the speaker. He struggles to get out from under the bodies piled on top of him.
Pushing down his gorge yet again, Paul Dure' wills his old frame to stand...
4
Paul Dure' is also still pinned under the collage of disgusting bodies.
Noticing the cart had stopped Qhour turned just in time to see the Ogres Greatclub coming for him and tried to jump out of the way. The Greatclub caught him on the side and hurt!
"AAARRGH!!"
In reflex he swung his warhammer around in an arc aimed at the Ogre's head.
Attack roll: 15 Damage roll: 13
That hits!
The Ogre stumbles a bit from the head wound as blood seeps out of the split on its scalp. Tears form in the massive creature's eyes and it lets out a sorrowful sob, and swings it's Greatclub right at Qhour's beak, swinging horizontally right into Qhour's face...
"No hurting me!"
Attack: 7 Damage: 8
But the hit on the ogre's head from your Warhammer causes him to stumble slightly as he swings and the Greatclub comes down onto the cart and smashes the side of it, narrowly slamming down into Rya's face, but missing by a few inches. Bodies that were in that spot of the cart are essentially pulverized and their rotten parts and fluids fly out and splatter across those still pinned down in the back of the cart.
Some of the bodies dislodge inside the cart from the force of this attack, and the Ogre also seems to take notice that there are three others pinned in the back of the cart that appear very much alive.
"Food can't talk!"
Setting The Scene
Paul Dure, Rya and Scout are still pinned down and restrained in the back of the cart, pinned down by the various corpses. You all can make DC 10 Strength SavingThrows to free yourselves from the cart since some of the corpses have been dislodged due to the force from the Ogre's swing of his Greatclub slamming into the cart.
Outside of the cart is a vast expanse of reddish wasteland stretching as far as the eye can see beneath a blistering red sun. Directly next to the cart on the left is Qhour, perched on the side of the cart with the Ogre about 5ft away and swinging its weapon at Qhour to ensure this creature he thought was dead goes back to being that way. About ten feet behind them is a raging, green river, the River Styx.
Qhour: You hit the Ogre with your Warhammer, and it retaliated but missed its attack on you and instead splattered some of the bodies in the cart.
Paul, Rya & Scout: You're all pinned down by corpses in the back of the cart and currently restrained. As mentioned above you can make a DC 10 Strength SavingThrow to free yourself from the the restrained. While restrained, the three of you are prone and currently all coated in a thick layer of rotting meat chunks and bodily waste.
Rya screamed out as she felt a sudden crash next to her head, chunks and fluids from the corpses now covering her face. For a moment, she was stunned – the feeling of unknown warm and wet materials on her face was not a pleasant sensation. Jumping into that river to rid herself of the various bodily fluids was looking better by the moment - it didn't appear that deep from her glance. What was the worst that could happen? First though, she needed to be free. Rya struggled against the corpses once again – she was determined to free herself and get out of this attack. It seemed that the ogre had loosened some of the corpses around her. Maybe this was her chance.
Saving throw: 10
Rya managed to wiggle herself free of the bodies, and pulled herself onto the side of the cart, standing on part of the intact wagon. Next to her was Screechy. The creature seemed to have it's attention still focused on Screechy for the moment, and Rya made her way to the front of the cart, trying to put a bit more distance between the altercation.
“Hey! Big guy! You know, I don’t think Screechy meant to hurt you. If he apologizes, would you stop attacking him? Screechy doesn’t have good manners, but me and my friend who's still in the cart do. What do you say? We can help you get better food too! Food that’s actually dead and not just sleeping!”
The first time she tried to stand up didn't go so well and with a huff Scout looked around for a better option. She felt more than saw the cart move as the ogre slammed his weapon into the bodies, narrowly missing her friend. Nothing could have prepared her for the explosion of body goo that now covered her however. She had both seen and been in some pretty nasty things but this took the cake. Somehow despite the goo now covering her and her friend, Rya was able to get up and onto the edge of the cart. Checking to make sure she still had her dagger in her hand, Scout readied herself to try again. The sooner she could get out of this pile of bodies and get the goo off her, the better. She prepared to stand up again, repeating various sorry's she had stored in her memory to the bodies she stepped on or shifted, just in case they were just sleeping like her and Rya.
Strength Saving Throw: 19
Finally she was able to pull herself up next to Rya on the edge of the cart.
"You okay Rya?"
She would deal with Screechy and the ogre in a moment, but she first had to make sure her friend hadn't been hit by the blow that caused her to be covered in fluids she really didn't want to think about, lest she start gagging.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Paul heaved a sigh full of despair. Over 200 years, and he's pushed himself out of mud, snow, ash, even bed. But never corpses. On the whole Paul reflected, corpses was definitely the worst of the lot.
Again Paul willed himself up... 7
And fail. Paul fell back into the pile of bodies with another sigh.
Rya screamed out as she felt a sudden crash next to her head, chunks and fluids from the corpses now covering her face. For a moment, she was stunned – the feeling of unknown warm and wet materials on her face was not a pleasant sensation. Jumping into that river to rid herself of the various bodily fluids was looking better by the moment - it didn't appear that deep from her glance. What was the worst that could happen? First though, she needed to be free. Rya struggled against the corpses once again – she was determined to free herself and get out of this attack. It seemed that the ogre had loosened some of the corpses around her. Maybe this was her chance.
Saving throw: 10
Rya managed to wiggle herself free of the bodies, and pulled herself onto the side of the cart, standing on part of the intact wagon. Next to her was Screechy. The creature seemed to have it's attention still focused on Screechy for the moment, and Rya made her way to the front of the cart, trying to put a bit more distance between the altercation.
“Hey! Big guy! You know, I don’t think Screechy meant to hurt you. If he apologizes, would you stop attacking him? Screechy doesn’t have good manners, but me and my friend who's still in the cart do. What do you say? We can help you get better food too! Food that’s actually dead and not just sleeping!”
The Ogre just looks at you with a look of confusion plastered across his face. He wasn't used to his food talking back at him...
"Food talk, me big scared!"
The poor Ogre who was just looking for food and is clearly terrified, grabs a poorly made Javelin from his side and hurls it right at Rya's chest...
Attack: 22 Damage: 9
However, due to the big guy's fear, he throws the javelin and it sails over Rya and lands in the dirt about sixty feet away.
The first time she tried to stand up didn't go so well and with a huff Scout looked around for a better option. She felt more than saw the cart move as the ogre slammed his weapon into the bodies, narrowly missing her friend. Nothing could have prepared her for the explosion of body goo that now covered her however. She had both seen and been in some pretty nasty things but this took the cake. Somehow despite the goo now covering her and her friend, Rya was able to get up and onto the edge of the cart. Checking to make sure she still had her dagger in her hand, Scout readied herself to try again. The sooner she could get out of this pile of bodies and get the goo off her, the better. She prepared to stand up again, repeating various sorry's she had stored in her memory to the bodies she stepped on or shifted, just in case they were just sleeping like her and Rya.
Strength Saving Throw: 19
Finally she was able to pull herself up next to Rya on the edge of the cart.
"You okay Rya?"
She would deal with Screechy and the ogre in a moment, but she first had to make sure her friend hadn't been hit by the blow that caused her to be covered in fluids she really didn't want to think about, lest she start gagging.
Qhour deftly dodged the Ogre's attack and using command ordered the ogre to
"HALT!" (wis 12)
Glancing at the dark Half-elf standing beside him on the side of the cart he said
"My name is Qhour. Please don't call me Screechy. I don't screech, I hoot."
With a smile he waited to see if his spell worked.
Ogre's Wisdom Saving Throw: 11
The Ogre's eyes glaze over for a moment and his arm relaxes, his Greatclub hanging limply at his side and now staring off into the distance, a vacant expression on his face.
Paul heaved a sigh full of despair. Over 200 years, and he's pushed himself out of mud, snow, ash, even bed. But never corpses. On the whole Paul reflected, corpses was definitely the worst of the lot.
Again Paul willed himself up... 7
And fail. Paul fell back into the pile of bodies with another sigh.
Setting The Scene
Paul Dure is still pinned down and restrained in the back of the cart, pinned down by the various corpses. You can make a DC 10 Strength SavingThrows to free yourselves from the cart.
Outside of the cart is a vast expanse of reddish wasteland stretching as far as the eye can see beneath a blistering red sun. Directly next to the cart on the left is Qhour, perched on the side of the cart with the Ogre about 5ft away and swinging its weapon at Qhour to ensure this creature he thought was dead goes back to being that way. About ten feet behind them is a raging, green river, the River Styx. Standing at the front of the cart are both Rya, and Scout.
Qhour: Your Command spell successfully worked on the Ogre.
Rya & Scout: You're both standing at the front of the cart now. The Ogre is about 5 feet to your left, the river ten feet beyond that.
Paul: You're still pinned under the pile of massive corpses.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Rya watched as the poorly made weapon sailed past her – that could have been excruciatingly painful.
“Scout, we’ve almost died twice – under the circumstances I’m doing okay. At least Screechy over here got this big oaf to stop his temper tantrum.”
Rya looked directly at the ogre who was stopped in his tracks. The greatclub he hand in his hand was finally at rest.
“Scout, I’m about to do something that may or may not hurt. Have my back as always?”
Rya walked over to the stunned Ogre and started to climb on top of the greatclub, and further perching herself on his shoulders like a child would be carried around by their father. This creature did not seem to be reasonable, so it was time for Rya to even the playing field.
Rya took both of her daggers, and pierced one into each eye.
Attack: 7 Damage: 3
Offhand attack: Attack: 8 Damage: 4
“Can’t kill what you can’t see!”
Noticing her attack seemed less than useful, Rya remained on the Ogre's shoulders hoping for a better chance.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
"Scout, a little help here?"
Her friend was asking for her help and at that moment Scout realized that if she wanted to attack with her dagger, she would have to get up close and personal with this Ogre. Something her friend was currently doing...and it wasn't going the best for her. Scout rolled her eyes and made sure the sigh that left her mouth was audible to her friend. They hadn't even been awake in this place for an hour and everything was already going to shit. She was covered in body goo, her friend was attacking an ogre, and they were trapped in a place they didn't know. So much for a relaxing break from work.
With a few gestures of her hands and an incantation, a mass of chaotic, undulating cold energy flung itself from Scout's hands to the Ogre as she cast Chaos Bolt
Qhour watched in astonishment as the dark Half-Elf jumped off of the cart and climbed the ogre attempting to stab its eyes out. Suddenly a blast hit the ogre coming from the Kenku. From the way they talked to each other he suspects that they are friends. He jumps down from the cart and runs around behind the Ogre, then backs up out of melee range. Pulling out his waterskin he squirts a cup of water up into the air. Stepping into the falling water he whispers
Mimics & Monstrosities is proud to present...
THE INFINITE LAYER
The Infinite Layer is a Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, PbP campaign that takes place in the Abyss.
The Infinite Layers of the Abyss is the birth place of the demons, and is a chaotic evil universe unto itself with uncountable layers of infinite variety connected haphazardly. The Abyss's place in the cosmology of the Forgotten Realms has shifted over time, but the nature of the plane remains fairly constant: a violent, malevolent place where the strong survive on the backs of the weak, the weak conspire to overthrow the strong, alliances only last while convenient, and the landscape itself tortures the mind and body of all who dare to pass.
Our story begins with our heroes waking up on the shores of a grand river, the River Styx with not much in terms of memory other than their last, most recent memory being that of their own demise and waking up in this hellish landscape. We'll be picking up on the first layer of The Abyss, the Plain of Infinite Portals, or Pazunia.
Post Order
We'll be posting in order during our time with this PbP campaign. Out of combat, each person will take a turn posting and we'll go through a sort of "faux initiative" order to determine who goes first, and we'll be doing that based on initiative bonuses, pretty simply. For now; the posting order for this game will be:
That said, don't expect this to function like a normal game of D&D. Things will take time. Combat and scenarios could take days to finish with our posts, so please have patience while we all try and sort out how this kind of thing works together. Also, be sure that when posting in this thread, you use a specific coloured font tied to your character to make discerning each other's posts much easier.
Mine will obviously be purple-ish. Posts must also be somewhat detailed, coherent and easy to read and understand for the others taking part. Try to keep it at a paragraph minimum, but also don't post entire novels in responses. Combat will obviously be different in terms of posts.
Off-Topic and out of character chat will be kept in our Discord in the "infinite-layer-pbp" chat thread.
Combat Order
Combat will be more stream-lined than the actual tabletop variant of D&D. At the start of combat, I'll roll initiative for everyone that way we're not taking days or even hours to sort out the initiative order. I'll try and make maps to give you all a sort of mental image of where you are at all times.
Rolling Dice & Other Useful Forum Tidbits
If you want to learn how to roll dice, among other useful tidbits for the PbP campaign, read this thread.
Post Example
When posting try and use this format:
In Character
Out of character chat would then be posted beneath, or before the text block. The post tool you'd be looking for to do boxed text like that is "blockquote" which can be discerned by the quotation marks in the UI.
For example, if Tom tried sniffing the blood to determine the source, etc, the Dungeon Master (that's me) in my follow up post would probably say something like "Give me a Survival check to determine that".
The character would then roll a Survival check in their following post once their posting turn comes back around. So, let's say Tom has a +1 to his Survival skill.
6
We'd then see his result! As you can see Tom got a 14, and he'd discern the blood was too old and clearly not Jerry's. Word of warning, you will not see your dice roll result until after you post the reply.
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If you cannot read/understand Abyssal this is all you hear in your mind.
If you can read/understand Abyssal than this is what you hear.
Once the voice speaks, you all will awaken in the back of the cart for the first step of your journey, and be sure to describe your character's appearance in your initial post for your fellow party members!
DM/Founder for Mimics & Monstrosities, a D&D network.
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Rya took in a deep breath, her grey eyes fluttering open. A coughing fit overtook her, but she was surprised to find no water spew forth from her lungs. The last breath she took was full of seawater – a taste that still lingered in her mouth. With her coughing subsiding, she focused on the distorted voice that pulled her from the depths of her own mind.
Yazx usw yxlquak ntud tuz rxxs qizd? What does that even mean? Why didn’t mother teacher me Abyssal instead of just Infernal?
Before she could muse further, the stench caught her off guard – she was surrounded by corpses. Many a time her and Scout had encountered death and decay through their travels, but nothing compared to the overwhelming smell which she could almost taste. With the air around her uncomfortably warm, it amplified the stench; she could feel her white hair cling to her dusky skin – a bead of sweat ran down the side of her head, mixing with the various fluids from the bed of corpses she laid upon. As she took in a breath again, she realized she could not fully expand her lungs. To her horror and surprise, the body of Scout was strewn across her chest.
“Scout? Scout! Please, wake up… please…” Rya shut her eyes, shaking her head. Why was this happening? Were they alive or dead? She opened her eyes once more, staring once again at Scout. Craning her neck, she could make out a large creature pulling the cart her body way pinned in. Fortunately for her, it appeared he did not hear her voice, or simply did not care she had spoke – she hoped for the former.
Rya tried to reach for her daggers in her cloak or pants, but even if they were still on her, Scout’s body left her with no room to reach them. Hopefully, Scout would regain consciousness as well and they could both find their way out of this hellish land.
The last thing Scout remembered was the taste of the sea as it filled her lungs. Then… warmth? Movement? She heard a voice speaking but she couldn’t make out what the words meant. She took a moment to commit the words to memory, ensuring she could repeat them exactly if the moment ever called for it.
Another voice filled the air, this time one Scout knew well. It was Rya and she was urging Scout to wake up. With a slight groan, Scout opened her eyes and saw a red sun, or was it a moon, hanging in the dark sky above. Not at all like what she remembered the sky looking like. It was also hotter than she remembered it being, which Scout was not a fan of one bit. The warmth made her feathers stick together. She sat up, shifting some of the other bodies in the cart with her feet as she moved. Once she was in somewhat of an upright position, she turned to her partner and motioned to the sky.
“Rya. You know voice?” Scout asked, trying to keep her voice low enough that the creature carrying the cart wouldn’t hear her. She didn’t know how well her magic would work here, or even if she had all her weapons, and she didn’t want to find out the hard way.
While waiting for an answer, Scout took a moment to asses herself and the cart. She didn’t have any visible injuries, nor did Rya. She looked around at the other bodies in the cart. They all looked…well, dead for lack of a better word. Maybe they were just sleeping like her and Rya had been. Cautiously, she reached out and poked one of the least dead looking bodies closest to her, a dwarf from what she could tell.
Qhour came to with a "HOOHOOT!" Took a deep breath and opened his eyes. The Abyssal phrase still echoing in his mind. He had learned the old language from the priests at the church/school he had attended as a child. He understood the words, but not what the phrase meant. He put it out of his thoughts for the moment.
The sky and sun are red, he thought. Where am I? He seemed to be laying on something soft yet lumpy. The noise of the wheels and the bouncing told him he was on some sort of ground conveyance. Realizing this, he got carefully to his feet, noticing for the first time that he was on a pile of decomposing bodies and the smell. He immediately unfurled his wings through the special slits in his robe, and launched into the air. At a height of about 20 feet he circled the wagon, noting the ogre and also spotting some movement of other bodies on the wagon. His large white wings glided in the wind with ease. His large golden owl eyes gazed around at the strange land he found himself in. Where am I? The last thing I remember are the swords. I should be dead! He shook his head and came down to roost on the sideboard of the wagon. Breathing shallowly, he watched the interaction between the dark Half-Elf and the Kenku. and noticed movement from a strange blue humanoid whose species he did not recognize.
The Ogre seems to not notice your words as you scramble about in the back of the cart. After a few minutes of struggling to reach your daggers, you eventually grasp your hands around them and pull them up to your chest.
You hear a familiar voice ring out to you, “Rya. You know voice?” Scout asked"
The dwarf is 100% deceased. It looks like he was killed by a blow to the head by a very large blunt weapon. His skull has been cracked in twain and his brains are spilling out. You seem to still have all of your equipment on your person, and your magical abilities, you gather are not affected.
You all hear the sound of a loud, screeching, owl-like "WHOOOOO!" as the Aarakocra launches itself from free from the cart, and lands back down onto it. The ogre is definitely alerted at this point in time and stops hauling the cart to assess the situation and looks back to see a figure it once thought dead now perched on the exterior of its meat wagon.
It rushes towards the Aarakocra and makes a swing with its Greatclub, which is Attack: 24 which hits, so you take Damage: 9 points of bludgeoning damage.
While it swings its Greatclub, it screams "Dead! You be dead!"
You awaken completely fine, and notice this seen play out entirely in front of you. The Aarakocra launching from the back of the wagon up into the sky, causing the Ogre to become alerted to its presence atleast, and rush the Aarakocra to make sure its indeed dead this time.
--
Setting The Scene
Paul Dure, Rya and Scout are still pinned down and restrained in the back of the cart, pinned down by the various corpses. You all can make DC 14 Strength Saving Throws to free yourselves from the cart.
Outside of the cart is a vast expanse of reddish wasteland stretching as far as the eye can see beneath a blistering red sun. Directly next to the cart on the left is Qhour, perched on the side of the cart with the Ogre about 5ft away and swinging its weapon at Qhour to ensure this creature he thought was dead goes back to being that way. About ten feet behind them is a raging, green river, the River Styx.
Qhour: The ogre landed an attack against you as you can see above and is standing 5ft directly in front of you. You took 9 damage from it's attack on you with its Greatclub.
Paul, Rya & Scout: You're all pinned down by corpses in the back of the cart and currently restrained. As mentioned above you can make a DC 14 Strength Saving Throw to free yourself from the the restrained. While restrained, the three of you are prone.
Current Party HitPoints & Details
Paul Dure - 16/16 - Restrained, Prone
Qhour - 19/28
Rya - 24/24 - Restrained, Prone
Scout - 15/15 - Restrained, Prone
Ogre - Lookin' just fine.
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Rolling for saving throw: 4
Saving throw to break free: 11
Paul here's the sounds. Voices he realizes after a moment. Voices speaking words he understands, and not the gutteral command from a moment before. Looking around, Paul sees what can only be an Aaracokra on the side of the cart. And it was squawking. Or howling. Or gibbering. Paul wanted to gibber, that was certain. "Hey! Screech! Think you can stop messing around and be useful or something?" Paul hears the voice but can't see the speaker. He struggles to get out from under the bodies piled on top of him.
Pushing down his gorge yet again, Paul Dure' wills his old frame to stand...
4
Noticing the cart had stopped Qhour turned just in time to see the Ogres Greatclub coming for him and tried to jump out of the way. The Greatclub caught him on the side and hurt!
In reflex he swung his warhammer around in an arc aimed at the Ogre's head.
Attack roll: 15 Damage roll: 13
Unfortunately, Rya is still pinned under the corpses.
Scout is also, unfortunately still pinned under the corpses but they give a little.
Paul Dure' is also still pinned under the collage of disgusting bodies.
That hits!
The Ogre stumbles a bit from the head wound as blood seeps out of the split on its scalp. Tears form in the massive creature's eyes and it lets out a sorrowful sob, and swings it's Greatclub right at Qhour's beak, swinging horizontally right into Qhour's face...
"No hurting me!"
Attack: 7 Damage: 8
But the hit on the ogre's head from your Warhammer causes him to stumble slightly as he swings and the Greatclub comes down onto the cart and smashes the side of it, narrowly slamming down into Rya's face, but missing by a few inches. Bodies that were in that spot of the cart are essentially pulverized and their rotten parts and fluids fly out and splatter across those still pinned down in the back of the cart.
Some of the bodies dislodge inside the cart from the force of this attack, and the Ogre also seems to take notice that there are three others pinned in the back of the cart that appear very much alive.
"Food can't talk!"
Setting The Scene
Paul Dure, Rya and Scout are still pinned down and restrained in the back of the cart, pinned down by the various corpses. You all can make DC 10 Strength Saving Throws to free yourselves from the cart since some of the corpses have been dislodged due to the force from the Ogre's swing of his Greatclub slamming into the cart.
Outside of the cart is a vast expanse of reddish wasteland stretching as far as the eye can see beneath a blistering red sun. Directly next to the cart on the left is Qhour, perched on the side of the cart with the Ogre about 5ft away and swinging its weapon at Qhour to ensure this creature he thought was dead goes back to being that way. About ten feet behind them is a raging, green river, the River Styx.
Qhour: You hit the Ogre with your Warhammer, and it retaliated but missed its attack on you and instead splattered some of the bodies in the cart.
Paul, Rya & Scout: You're all pinned down by corpses in the back of the cart and currently restrained. As mentioned above you can make a DC 10 Strength Saving Throw to free yourself from the the restrained. While restrained, the three of you are prone and currently all coated in a thick layer of rotting meat chunks and bodily waste.
Current Party HitPoints & Details
Paul Dure - 16/16 - Restrained, Prone
Qhour - 19/28
Rya - 24/24 - Restrained, Prone
Scout - 15/15 - Restrained, Prone
Ogre - 46/59
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Rya screamed out as she felt a sudden crash next to her head, chunks and fluids from the corpses now covering her face. For a moment, she was stunned – the feeling of unknown warm and wet materials on her face was not a pleasant sensation. Jumping into that river to rid herself of the various bodily fluids was looking better by the moment - it didn't appear that deep from her glance. What was the worst that could happen? First though, she needed to be free. Rya struggled against the corpses once again – she was determined to free herself and get out of this attack. It seemed that the ogre had loosened some of the corpses around her. Maybe this was her chance.
Saving throw: 10
Rya managed to wiggle herself free of the bodies, and pulled herself onto the side of the cart, standing on part of the intact wagon. Next to her was Screechy. The creature seemed to have it's attention still focused on Screechy for the moment, and Rya made her way to the front of the cart, trying to put a bit more distance between the altercation.
The first time she tried to stand up didn't go so well and with a huff Scout looked around for a better option. She felt more than saw the cart move as the ogre slammed his weapon into the bodies, narrowly missing her friend. Nothing could have prepared her for the explosion of body goo that now covered her however. She had both seen and been in some pretty nasty things but this took the cake. Somehow despite the goo now covering her and her friend, Rya was able to get up and onto the edge of the cart. Checking to make sure she still had her dagger in her hand, Scout readied herself to try again. The sooner she could get out of this pile of bodies and get the goo off her, the better. She prepared to stand up again, repeating various sorry's she had stored in her memory to the bodies she stepped on or shifted, just in case they were just sleeping like her and Rya.
Strength Saving Throw: 19
Finally she was able to pull herself up next to Rya on the edge of the cart.
She would deal with Screechy and the ogre in a moment, but she first had to make sure her friend hadn't been hit by the blow that caused her to be covered in fluids she really didn't want to think about, lest she start gagging.
Qhour deftly dodged the Ogre's attack and using command ordered the ogre to
Glancing at the dark Half-elf standing beside him on the side of the cart he said
With a smile he waited to see if his spell worked.
Paul heaved a sigh full of despair. Over 200 years, and he's pushed himself out of mud, snow, ash, even bed. But never corpses. On the whole Paul reflected, corpses was definitely the worst of the lot.
Again Paul willed himself up... 7
And fail. Paul fell back into the pile of bodies with another sigh.
The Ogre just looks at you with a look of confusion plastered across his face. He wasn't used to his food talking back at him...
"Food talk, me big scared!"
The poor Ogre who was just looking for food and is clearly terrified, grabs a poorly made Javelin from his side and hurls it right at Rya's chest...
Attack: 22 Damage: 9
However, due to the big guy's fear, he throws the javelin and it sails over Rya and lands in the dirt about sixty feet away.
COOL.
Ogre's Wisdom Saving Throw: 11
The Ogre's eyes glaze over for a moment and his arm relaxes, his Greatclub hanging limply at his side and now staring off into the distance, a vacant expression on his face.
Setting The Scene
Paul Dure is still pinned down and restrained in the back of the cart, pinned down by the various corpses. You can make a DC 10 Strength Saving Throws to free yourselves from the cart.
Outside of the cart is a vast expanse of reddish wasteland stretching as far as the eye can see beneath a blistering red sun. Directly next to the cart on the left is Qhour, perched on the side of the cart with the Ogre about 5ft away and swinging its weapon at Qhour to ensure this creature he thought was dead goes back to being that way. About ten feet behind them is a raging, green river, the River Styx. Standing at the front of the cart are both Rya, and Scout.
Qhour: Your Command spell successfully worked on the Ogre.
Rya & Scout: You're both standing at the front of the cart now. The Ogre is about 5 feet to your left, the river ten feet beyond that.
Paul: You're still pinned under the pile of massive corpses.
Current Party HitPoints & Details
Paul Dure - 16/16 - Restrained, Prone
Qhour - 19/28
Rya - 24/24
Scout - 15/15
Ogre - 46/59
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Rya watched as the poorly made weapon sailed past her – that could have been excruciatingly painful.
Rya looked directly at the ogre who was stopped in his tracks. The greatclub he hand in his hand was finally at rest.
Rya walked over to the stunned Ogre and started to climb on top of the greatclub, and further perching herself on his shoulders like a child would be carried around by their father. This creature did not seem to be reasonable, so it was time for Rya to even the playing field.
Rya took both of her daggers, and pierced one into each eye.
Attack: 7 Damage: 3
Offhand attack: Attack: 8 Damage: 4
Noticing her attack seemed less than useful, Rya remained on the Ogre's shoulders hoping for a better chance.
Her friend was asking for her help and at that moment Scout realized that if she wanted to attack with her dagger, she would have to get up close and personal with this Ogre. Something her friend was currently doing...and it wasn't going the best for her. Scout rolled her eyes and made sure the sigh that left her mouth was audible to her friend. They hadn't even been awake in this place for an hour and everything was already going to shit. She was covered in body goo, her friend was attacking an ogre, and they were trapped in a place they didn't know. So much for a relaxing break from work.
With a few gestures of her hands and an incantation, a mass of chaotic, undulating cold energy flung itself from Scout's hands to the Ogre as she cast Chaos Bolt
Attack: 19 Damage: 12 (cold damage)
After casting her spell, she looked up at Rya
Qhour watched in astonishment as the dark Half-Elf jumped off of the cart and climbed the ogre attempting to stab its eyes out. Suddenly a blast hit the ogre coming from the Kenku. From the way they talked to each other he suspects that they are friends. He jumps down from the cart and runs around behind the Ogre, then backs up out of melee range. Pulling out his waterskin he squirts a cup of water up into the air. Stepping into the falling water he whispers
and casts Armor of Agathys