Keeping his weapon and shield at the ready while he waited for the answers to the dark Half-Elf's and the Kenku's questions Qhour had a question of his own,
"Yazx usw yxlquak ntud tuz rxxs qizd,"
he said.Then again in Common,
"'Rise and reclaim what has been lost.' Was that you? Was that your voice that woke us up? If so, what does it mean? If not, do you know whose voice it was?"
Paul considers for a moment, but he knows how this will go for him. It doesn't take a sage (even though he is one) to know he's dead. Learn about the geopolitical structure of the abyss...what a good idea for a project, Paul thinks to himself.
Paul looks at the other "souls" around him. "Well, you hard Mr. Bonyface here. No point standing around. I'm going to have a peek at yon tower. Mind what Skinny said, mind you don't touch the water."
Paul considers for a moment, but he knows how this will go for him. It doesn't take a sage (even though he is one) to know he's dead. Learn about the geopolitical structure of the abyss...what a good idea for a project, Paul thinks to himself.
Paul looks at the other "souls" around him. "Well, you hard Mr. Bonyface here. No point standing around. I'm going to have a peek at yon tower. Mind what Skinny said, mind you don't touch the water."
Keeping his weapon and shield at the ready while he waited for the answers to the dark Half-Elf's and the Kenku's questions Qhour had a question of his own,
"Yazx usw yxlquak ntud tuz rxxs qizd,"
he said.Then again in Common,
"'Rise and reclaim what has been lost.' Was that you? Was that your voice that woke us up? If so, what does it mean? If not, do you know whose voice it was?"
"It wasn't me, and as for the meaning, well it's obvious isn't it?"
Screechy, or rather Qhour was speaking to her in the language her father had used. The very first language she had learned to mimic. She honestly hadn’t heard that language in years. It took her a few moments to find the proper words again and respond in Auran, in the words her father had used, a monotone voice, lower in pitch than Rya’s words, which she had been mimicking before.
“I am Scout. It is both name and rank I guess. I know as much as you, but my friend should be able to help us find out.”
She turned away from the other bird and focused her eyes back on the boatman. His hand was extended and he wanted something. He wanted to take them somewhere, for a price. The others in his boat seemed miserable and Scout did not want to be part of that. They were now dead, which meant that her last memory was her death and not of a relaxing break by the sea. It wasn't the worst thing in the world, but Scout would rather have been dead on the material plane, not dead and stuck in literal hell. Maybe she shouldn't have smuggled poison in her life and instead worshipped a god. Too little too late she thought. Live in the present, not the past. Eyes forward, not back.
“What if we don’t go with you? What if we go alone?”
She spoke up, stepping out so she was no longer behind Rya, but rather beside. Her hand still grasped the dagger beneath her cloak, but her other hand let go of Rya. More light had returned and with it, Scout’s bravery.
"Going alone? Well, you're free to do that yes. I only offer safe passage."
"I agree with you Paul, there goes our afternoon... or whatever time it is down here."
Rya could feel the vice grip of Scout on the back of her cloak. Her companion was unable to see in the dark, and it was obvious to Rya she was afraid. Whether Scout was afraid of the sudden darkness or afraid of this figure, it was understandable. This entire situation was something to be uneasy about. The intentions of this figure was yet to be determined. On the surface, Rya had a bad feeling about this figure. It could be though that Scout was causing Rya to view this figure more negatively that she should have. The realization that they were all dead unsettled her more than she thought it would as it settled with her. She certainly didn't feel dead, just dirty. For Scout's sake, she would have to keep her views on her own mortality buried. Looking over the other souls in the boat, Rya was filled with dread.
"My name is Charon (KAY-run), I am the boatman of this here River Styx and I be ferrying the souls of those whom end up here to wherever they desire down here. I can ferry you down the river in either direction to a location that you so very desire...for a price. Be careful not to touch the water."
Rya glanced at the others near her. What was this price? What could such a price be when you're dead? If it would keep Scout safe, she would pay any price for her partner - no gamble was too big for Rya to take when it came to her and her partner.
"Charon, may I ask what is the price? We surely cannot pay you with our lives since we are... deceased. What method of payment do you require before we depart on your ship?"
"You are very much deceased yes, but the price well...what kind of price would you desire?"
Setting The Scene
Paul: Charon pats you on the shoulder as you step onto the small boat, and as you do so Paul you feel a slight shiver go down your spine, and you instantly find yourself in a cold sweat. It's not alarming in the slightest for some reason, but something definitely occurred when you stepped onboard.
"One soul has accepted the toll, now what for the others?"
Charon just stands there on the boat, his glowing yellow eyes almost piercing into you from beneath the dark hood.
Hearing Scout speak and step beside her filled Rya with a sense of hope and pride. Scout was normally one to let Rya do the talking, and seeing her face this entity head on was empowering. If Scout was seemingly okay, Rya would have to be better. There wasn't anything stopping her now. Their best bet was probably taking the boat, but Rya could not believe have quickly Paul boarded the ship. Even for her, this gamble seemed risky - this Charon was not forth coming with information. They held all the cards, and Rya was not impressed. The way his demeanor changed as Paul stepped onto his vessel was... unsettling. Watching Charon place his bony hand on his shoulder was not something she wanted either.
Rise and reclaim what has been lost...? That's what that garbled voice said...? Good to know he understands the language around here...
"You are very much deceased yes, but the price well...what kind of price would you desire? One soul has accepted the toll, now what for the others?"
"Personally I would like free passage, but that doesn't appear to be possible... if you need something smuggled or something bartered for, my associate Scout and I would be able to pay you that way if it pleases you. Now, I do agree with Paul and believe going towards the tower might be the way to go. I don't know what toll he gave you by stepping on the boat... but I will join him. Doesn't seem to be another choice in the matter."
Rya stepped onto the boat as well, looking back a Scout and flashing her a smile.
"We've taken scarier boat rides before Scout - just add this one to the list."
Turning back, Rya finished stepping on the boat, keeping her eyes fixed on Charon, trying not to brush up against him.
"We've taken scarier boat rides before Scout - just add this one to the list."
Rya was stepping onto the boat with the scary boat man. Scout could not believe her eyes. After what happened the last time they were on a boat, one would think Rya would be a bit more cautious around them. She tried to communicate her surprise and how stupid this possibly was in her glance, not wanting to say as much in front of boat man. Her stare didn't work and Rya continued fully onto the boat. The scariness of where they were was diminishing by the second, instead being replaced by the feeling of indifference. Rya was right, they had been on scarier boat rides before and survived. Well, all but one. But she was already dead, what was the worst that could happen.
She turned to the other bird and spoke again in Auran, the words coming easier to her this time.
"You come too. We can find the voice that spoke to us."
With that, she followed in Rya's footsteps and stepped onto the boat, saying a single word to the boat man.
Qhour watched as the others stepped onto the boat. WOW! He thought, they are either crazy or very brave.
"You come too. We can find the voice that spoke to us."
With a shrug of his shoulders he slipped his wings out of his robes and with a couple of strokes rose up and came down on the stern of the boat as far away from Charon as possible.
"Okay," he said, "To the tower"
He looked at Charon,
"I don't think it's obvious at all and you didn't say if you know who said it."
Paul settles himself into the stern so he can look ahead. He doesn't feel quite right, a coldness lancing towards the core of his being as the skeletal figure touched him. As the others board the boat Paul looks for some evidence of a similar touch and reaction from the queer boatman. Once settled, Paul looks up at Charon.
"Now then, M. Skellington, why don't you tell us a little about all this while we float along? Think of yourself as a tour guide? Why must we be wary of the water? What's that tower we can just make out? Why were we in a cart of corpses but are not, apparently, corpses ourselves? Where is this place? In short sir, please explain what by great grandma Siri's pantaloons is going on here?"
And with that, Paul reaches into his pack, roots around for the cheese and bread he knows isn't there. He looks around sheepishly at the others.
"And does anyone have anything to eat? It's been a lifetime since my last snack." Paul looks around for a moment, then guffaws loudly. "Lifetime since! Get it??"
Turning to the boatman, Paul says "Apologies. You were about to explain..."
Paul settles himself into the stern so he can look ahead. He doesn't feel quite right, a coldness lancing towards the core of his being as the skeletal figure touched him. As the others board the boat Paul looks for some evidence of a similar touch and reaction from the queer boatman. Once settled, Paul looks up at Charon.
"Now then, M. Skellington, why don't you tell us a little about all this while we float along? Think of yourself as a tour guide? Why must we be wary of the water? What's that tower we can just make out? Why were we in a cart of corpses but are not, apparently, corpses ourselves? Where is this place? In short sir, please explain what by great grandma Siri's pantaloons is going on here?"
And with that, Paul reaches into his pack, roots around for the cheese and bread he knows isn't there. He looks around sheepishly at the others.
"And does anyone have anything to eat? It's been a lifetime since my last snack." Paul looks around for a moment, then guffaws loudly. "Lifetime since! Get it??"
Turning to the boatman, Paul says "Apologies. You were about to explain..."
"You could say, creatures that submerge themselves in the Styx have the chance to...lose all their memories." He chuckles to himself which sounds like this. "You're in the Abyss, specifically the first layer known as Pazunia, overseen by the demon lord Pazuzu. As for the corpses and you not being corpses, well...that's just all down to chance really. You may be deceased yes, but your bodies can still decay and fragment down here."He pokes the Gnome with his oar that is seemingly lost and starting off into space and whimpering a little, a haunting whimpering.
"Take this fellow for instance. He arrived down here in a similar manner as yourselves, and died again."
Qhour watched as the others stepped onto the boat. WOW! He thought, they are either crazy or very brave.
"You come too. We can find the voice that spoke to us."
With a shrug of his shoulders he slipped his wings out of his robes and with a couple of strokes rose up and came down on the stern of the boat as far away from Charon as possible.
"Okay," he said, "To the tower"
He looked at Charon,
"I don't think it's obvious at all and you didn't say if you know who said it."
"We've taken scarier boat rides before Scout - just add this one to the list."
Rya was stepping onto the boat with the scary boat man. Scout could not believe her eyes. After what happened the last time they were on a boat, one would think Rya would be a bit more cautious around them. She tried to communicate her surprise and how stupid this possibly was in her glance, not wanting to say as much in front of boat man. Her stare didn't work and Rya continued fully onto the boat. The scariness of where they were was diminishing by the second, instead being replaced by the feeling of indifference. Rya was right, they had been on scarier boat rides before and survived. Well, all but one. But she was already dead, what was the worst that could happen.
She turned to the other bird and spoke again in Auran, the words coming easier to her this time.
"You come too. We can find the voice that spoke to us."
With that, she followed in Rya's footsteps and stepped onto the boat, saying a single word to the boat man.
Hearing Scout speak and step beside her filled Rya with a sense of hope and pride. Scout was normally one to let Rya do the talking, and seeing her face this entity head on was empowering. If Scout was seemingly okay, Rya would have to be better. There wasn't anything stopping her now. Their best bet was probably taking the boat, but Rya could not believe have quickly Paul boarded the ship. Even for her, this gamble seemed risky - this Charon was not forth coming with information. They held all the cards, and Rya was not impressed. The way his demeanor changed as Paul stepped onto his vessel was... unsettling. Watching Charon place his bony hand on his shoulder was not something she wanted either.
Rise and reclaim what has been lost...? That's what that garbled voice said...? Good to know he understands the language around here...
"You are very much deceased yes, but the price well...what kind of price would you desire? One soul has accepted the toll, now what for the others?"
"Personally I would like free passage, but that doesn't appear to be possible... if you need something smuggled or something bartered for, my associate Scout and I would be able to pay you that way if it pleases you. Now, I do agree with Paul and believe going towards the tower might be the way to go. I don't know what toll he gave you by stepping on the boat... but I will join him. Doesn't seem to be another choice in the matter."
Rya stepped onto the boat as well, looking back a Scout and flashing her a smile.
"We've taken scarier boat rides before Scout - just add this one to the list."
Turning back, Rya finished stepping on the boat, keeping her eyes fixed on Charon, trying not to brush up against him.
"My price? Well, if I need to save the lives of someone I usually charge about 100,000 platinum pieces. In this case, I guess we'll see when we get to this tower you're all so fond of."
Setting The Scene
The boat slowly makes its way down the River going smoothly against the current which has now started flowing in the opposite direction, but Charon and his boat don't seem to be struggling what-so-ever. After about an hour passes, you all gain the benefits of a Short Rest which you can mark off on your character sheets. The boat turns around another bend and continues to make its way along the red desert, the landscape boring and still with not much in terms of sights, and sounds, just the sounds of Charon's oar gently splashing into the water and out again.
"I'd love to tell you the purposes of this tower, but we wouldn't want your toll to get any more...expensive than it already has, no?" He says to himself while keeping his vision and eyes forward. The body of the Gnome stirs for a moment and lets out a blood-curdling scream, and goes back to staring off into space. Charon just chuckles to himself at the noise and continues on with his focus.
"His journey is about to come to an end." As Charon says this, you watch as a dense fog rolls in out of almost nowhere and you can hear the sound of moaning coming from the depths of the river. The moaning is whispered, coarse, and haunting. It immediately makes you all feel uneasy and slightly on edge. The moaning in the river turns to quickened, and hushed whispers (similar to this) which you can't make out anything audible, and you watch as ghostly, tendril like hands reach out from the river, grasp the Gnome around his waist, face, and throat and pull him into the depths and out of sight as the boat continues through the dense fog.
"You all should be safe, yes. Just don't disturb the voices."
You can no longer see the tower, just fog as far as the eye can see.
Rya kept her eyes fixated in where the Gnome had been dragged into the water. His scream had been unwelcome, but being dragged into the water like that seemed... cruel. Involuntarily, Rya coughed, sympathizing with the Gnome. Being drowned was something she did not want to experience again. Air was meant to flow through her lungs, not water. The fog that had suddenly rolled in along with the inaudible voices was not helping Rya's already bad impression of Charon.
"Don't disturb the voices...? Charon, how would we even begin to do that since we don't even know what they're saying? I've had a better time trying to understand a Goblin after a few too many. Just... don't scream like that Gnome did and we'll be good?"
Rya looked over at Scout, and the others. They seemed to be together for the long haul. For Rya's best interest, it made sense to at least be amicable with them.
Scout just watched as the gnome was pulled away by ghostly tendrils. Her hand had originally come out to try and grab him, but the words of Charon telling her not to touch the water came back to her. She instead clenched her hand and dropped it to her side, staring at Charon. He seemed so nonchalant about the fact that one of his passengers was just taken. In fact, he laughed about it.
“Where did he go? Why did they take him?”
She couldn’t see the tower with all this fog, which was unsettling. Even if she did know something that could dispel this fog, she didn’t want to show her hand to Charon. She didn’t know how much he knew about her, but she wanted it to be as little as possible.
Just another day Scout. You’ll be fine. Rya is here. She told herself. With a sigh, she put her dagger back in her vest and brought both hands out of her cloak to cross in front of her in a pose of annoyance, but mainly to keep the others from talking to her so she could keep her attention on Charon and where he was leading them.
Its just another day Scout. Keep your head on straight.
OOC: 5 1 hit dice to get my HP back. Armor of Agathys is dropped at 1 hour removing 5 temp HP. 27/28
Qhour actually felt a bit better, just sitting and resting helped. He had no idea why it helped. He was still dead. How could he feel better? This was so strange.
100,000 platinum pieces
That's a million gold pieces! A million! What was he talking about? How could any of us have a million gold?
The sudden scream from the gnome and the fog coming in and snatching him out of the boat was so sudden and unexpected. He readied his war hammer and shield, but nothing came for him. He had used up his available spells, but he had his 'hammer. It had seen him through many a battle in it's time. He was glad it had come with him to ... here.
Paul considers the information carefully as the others stir uneasily in their seats. Pazuzu...Pazunia...His thoughts focus as he tries to remember anything the demon he had spoken to before...before he died...had said.
History check 21
Lost in thought and concentration, Paul doesn't react to the sight of the gnome being pulled overboard. He stares ahead, thinking...
Rya kept her eyes fixated in where the Gnome had been dragged into the water. His scream had been unwelcome, but being dragged into the water like that seemed... cruel. Involuntarily, Rya coughed, sympathizing with the Gnome. Being drowned was something she did not want to experience again. Air was meant to flow through her lungs, not water. The fog that had suddenly rolled in along with the inaudible voices was not helping Rya's already bad impression of Charon.
"Don't disturb the voices...? Charon, how would we even begin to do that since we don't even know what they're saying? I've had a better time trying to understand a Goblin after a few too many. Just... don't scream like that Gnome did and we'll be good?"
Rya looked over at Scout, and the others. They seemed to be together for the long haul. For Rya's best interest, it made sense to at least be amicable with them.
"Just don't talk back to them, don't acknowledge them. You're better off that way. As for the screaming, there's no stopping it once you've been marked."
Scout just watched as the gnome was pulled away by ghostly tendrils. Her hand had originally come out to try and grab him, but the words of Charon telling her not to touch the water came back to her. She instead clenched her hand and dropped it to her side, staring at Charon. He seemed so nonchalant about the fact that one of his passengers was just taken. In fact, he laughed about it.
“Where did he go? Why did they take him?”
She couldn’t see the tower with all this fog, which was unsettling. Even if she did know something that could dispel this fog, she didn’t want to show her hand to Charon. She didn’t know how much he knew about her, but she wanted it to be as little as possible.
Just another day Scout. You’ll be fine. Rya is here. She told herself. With a sigh, she put her dagger back in her vest and brought both hands out of her cloak to cross in front of her in a pose of annoyance, but mainly to keep the others from talking to her so she could keep her attention on Charon and where he was leading them.
Its just another day Scout. Keep your head on straight.
"They took him elsewhere, a place where few dare to tread. The Soul Pits. His soul will be siphoned for energy for eternity."
OOC: 5 1 hit dice to get my HP back. Armor of Agathys is dropped at 1 hour removing 5 temp HP. 27/28
Qhour actually felt a bit better, just sitting and resting helped. He had no idea why it helped. He was still dead. How could he feel better? This was so strange.
100,000 platinum pieces
That's a million gold pieces! A million! What was he talking about? How could any of us have a million gold?
The sudden scream from the gnome and the fog coming in and snatching him out of the boat was so sudden and unexpected. He readied his war hammer and shield, but nothing came for him. He had used up his available spells, but he had his 'hammer. It had seen him through many a battle in it's time. He was glad it had come with him to ... here.
Paul considers the information carefully as the others stir uneasily in their seats. Pazuzu...Pazunia...His thoughts focus as he tries to remember anything the demon he had spoken to before...before he died...had said.
History check 21
Lost in thought and concentration, Paul doesn't react to the sight of the gnome being pulled overboard. He stares ahead, thinking...
You would know that this layer is Pazunia of course, as for the demon who reigns over it, you'd know that Pazuzu is a powerful demon lord and one of the eldest and most reprehensible of them. He is also called the Dark Angel of the Four Winds and the Prince of the Lower Aerial Kingdoms. He holds sway over all evil flying creatures, even among the different layers of the Abyss.
Setting The Scene
The fog seems to get thicker, and more dense like you can almost feel it wetting your skin and dampening your clothes. You can now barely see Charon at the front of the boat, save for the light from his oar. You hear the sound of fluttering wings for a moment, before the wings seem to fly away elsewhere.
"No worries about the denizens of the River, you're safe with me. Nothing dare attacks me here."Charon just chuckles at the sound as the boat moves forward.
After about three hours, the boat comes to a stop near a rickety wooden dock with the posts of the dock tipped with very old skulls. The skulls look like they belonged to various humanoids in life. As the boat arrives, the fog dissipates quite a fair amount but still hangs in the air, as the fog does clear you can see the dock extends into a wooden bridge and then on wards to a set of jagged, iron steps leading precariously at steep angles upwards towards that black tower which looms up into the sky, red forks of lightning cracking against it every few minutes.
"Your destination."He gestures out towards the tower and the walkway leading towards it. "But before you disembark, my vessel." He reaches into the insides of his robes and withdraws four blue-coins that have a faint glow to them and hands you one each.
"Keep those close."
And with that, Charon and his boat vanish into the fog as you all step onto the rickety dock.
As Charon vanished into the fog, Rya did not feel any more at ease as she had hoped. Seeing the treacherous climb ahead did not scare her, but the ominous red lightning that illuminated the tower in the distance did not cheer her up. Rya ran her fingers over the glowing coin that was now in her position. What was this strange coin? It was nothing like she had ever seen before. In all her smuggling and travels, she could not recall ever coming across glowing coins. Rya looked at the other three members of the group and tossed the coin into the air, catching it as it started to fall. She stared at it with great scrutiny, hoping that something would spark her memory. History check: 15
"Does anyone have any clue as to what these are? Paul... you seem to know a thing or two about this place - any more insight on these coins?"
Charon had found her weakness, and Scout hated that. Gifting her a shiny glowing coin, Scout felt herself believing for a moment that he wasn't all that bad. He had said to keep it close before leaving. The coin was mesmerizing and would look wonderful on her sash with all her other trinkets collected over the years. She held her coin out proudly for her friend to see, and then began finding a way to attach the coin to her sash. Realizing she had left her string on her boat before her and Rya died, she gave a bit of a scowl and placed it in her vest pocket instead, pulling out her dagger and waiting for the group to decide what they were doing.
Paul takes the glowing blue coin in a hand, staring at it intently. Then, with care, steps out of the boat, taking care not to let the water touch him more than he can help.
Arcana check about the coin 7
"Do you know anything about this?, Paul hears the large bird-creature, an Aarcockra he thinks, say.
"Well now. Let me see." Paul looks up at the tower, trying to put pieces together: Pazunia. Pazuzu. The Dark Angel of the Four Winds. Hmmm.
History check about the tower14
Paul focuses again, turns to the aaracockra. "No, I don't know anything about the tower there. Looks very interesting though. "
While looking at the tower, Paul also looks for marks on the ground.
Survival check 20
"One thing I can tell you my wing'ed friend," Paul says. "This realm is called Pazunia, part of the Abyss, don't you know. The demon in charge of this wretched place is called Pazuzu. I dated a Pazuzu once I think..."Paul trails off, lost in thought for a moment, then continues: "No no, that was DaLulu. Nevermind. Anyway, Pazuzu is also called 'The Dark Angel of the Four Winds' and he holds sway over all things that fly in this plane."
Paul reaches out slowly, gently, to touch the tip of the Aarcockra's wings, then looks over at the Kenku. In a soft, slow, gentle voice, Paul says, "Have either of you thought about what that might mean, for you?"
As Charon vanished into the fog, Rya did not feel any more at ease as she had hoped. Seeing the treacherous climb ahead did not scare her, but the ominous red lightning that illuminated the tower in the distance did not cheer her up. Rya ran her fingers over the glowing coin that was now in her position. What was this strange coin? It was nothing like she had ever seen before. In all her smuggling and travels, she could not recall ever coming across glowing coins. Rya looked at the other three members of the group and tossed the coin into the air, catching it as it started to fall. She stared at it with great scrutiny, hoping that something would spark her memory. History check: 15
"Does anyone have any clue as to what these are? Paul... you seem to know a thing or two about this place - any more insight on these coins?"
Charon had found her weakness, and Scout hated that. Gifting her a shiny glowing coin, Scout felt herself believing for a moment that he wasn't all that bad. He had said to keep it close before leaving. The coin was mesmerizing and would look wonderful on her sash with all her other trinkets collected over the years. She held her coin out proudly for her friend to see, and then began finding a way to attach the coin to her sash. Realizing she had left her string on her boat before her and Rya died, she gave a bit of a scowl and placed it in her vest pocket instead, pulling out her dagger and waiting for the group to decide what they were doing.
Paul takes the glowing blue coin in a hand, staring at it intently. Then, with care, steps out of the boat, taking care not to let the water touch him more than he can help.
Arcana check about the coin 7
"Do you know anything about this?, Paul hears the large bird-creature, an Aarcockra he thinks, say.
"Well now. Let me see." Paul looks up at the tower, trying to put pieces together: Pazunia. Pazuzu. The Dark Angel of the Four Winds. Hmmm.
History check about the tower14
Paul focuses again, turns to the aaracockra. "No, I don't know anything about the tower there. Looks very interesting though. "
While looking at the tower, Paul also looks for marks on the ground.
Survival check 20
"One thing I can tell you my wing'ed friend," Paul says. "This realm is called Pazunia, part of the Abyss, don't you know. The demon in charge of this wretched place is called Pazuzu. I dated a Pazuzu once I think..."Paul trails off, lost in thought for a moment, then continues: "No no, that was DaLulu. Nevermind. Anyway, Pazuzu is also called 'The Dark Angel of the Four Winds' and he holds sway over all things that fly in this plane."
Paul reaches out slowly, gently, to touch the tip of the Aarcockra's wings, then looks over at the Kenku. In a soft, slow, gentle voice, Paul says, "Have either of you thought about what that might mean, for you?"
You do not see any marks on the ground, save for the ones your allies have made as they slowly ascend up the jagged iron steps towards the tower.
Setting The Scene
The black iron steps leading upwards towards the tower are extremely jagged, and steep. The ascend these steps you must be careful and cautious as you get about twenty feet up the steps you notice that the steps are so steep, you have to take it slow or risk falling down this steps and getting pretty severely hurt along the way down. The tower looms out over you, and you realize it's going to take a fair amount of time to reach it at this pace. Red lightning continues to arc across the sky and slam into the top of the tower, causing bits of tiny black obsidian to rain down over you all like a fine dust.
The tower looks like it might be a few hundred feet tall, and tiny windows cover the entirety of the tower, red light illuminating from each window. You can just make out the sounds of muffled screaming coming from the tower or is that the wind? As you proceed further up the steps you take note of a large hunk of obsidian that had fallen from the top of the tower and landed onto these jagged steps, seemingly crushing what had once been an Elf. The Elf now lay scattered on the steps, their entrails spilling out from beneath the hunk of obsidian.
The fog has completely faded at this point.
As you all climb the steps, I need everyone to make me a DC 16 Dexterity Saving Throw as some of this rubble comes raining down in some sizable chunks with that last fork of lightning.
Holds sway over all things flying...? Rya mused to herself. Scout has never taken flight, but would this Pazuzu be able to still have sway over her friend? Rya let Qhour take the lead as he pressed forward. If something were to happen to this Aarcockra', Rya would be ready to defend herself. Paul was presumably behind Scout - Rya could not hear his muttering, but she couldn't hear much over the lightning and the screaming. This path was treacherous, but it seemed doable. Even if it wasn't exactly safe, it could be conquered. Behind her, Scout followed close. Scout would always have her back no matter the situation... but with this Pazuzu...
As she was lost in thought, Rya was not paying attention as chunks of rock came down the steps from the impact of the lightning.
Dexterity saving throw: 15
Even thought she was distracted, she managed to miss the falling debris and keep her footing. Rya took a deep breath, shaking her head - this was going to be a long journey. Hopefully the climb would be worth it.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
"Have either of you thought about what that might mean, for you?"
That question took Scout by surprise, but the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. Would this Pazuzu have sway over her? Frankly, the thought terrified her. Having sway was very ambiguous and she didn't know exactly what it meant. All she knew was that she wanted to go back to her boat and back to her normal life.
"Not flying. Should be fine."
Was all she said before following after Rya and Qhour. As hard as she tried, she couldn't stop her thoughts from returning to what Paul had asked, Have either of you thought about what that might mean, for you? Qhour was for sure affected, she had seen him fly. As much as she hated to admit it, she didn't despise Qhour. He had spoken her first language. She would hate to have to kill him.
Dexterity Saving Throw: 13
So caught up in her thoughts, she didn't notice the rubble until it was too late to move out of the way.
Keeping his weapon and shield at the ready while he waited for the answers to the dark Half-Elf's and the Kenku's questions Qhour had a question of his own,
he said.Then again in Common,
Paul considers for a moment, but he knows how this will go for him. It doesn't take a sage (even though he is one) to know he's dead. Learn about the geopolitical structure of the abyss...what a good idea for a project, Paul thinks to himself.
With that, Paul Dure' steps onto the boat.
Charon's tone changes to one full of glee.
"Excellent. Welcome aboard Paul Dure."
"It wasn't me, and as for the meaning, well it's obvious isn't it?"
"Going alone? Well, you're free to do that yes. I only offer safe passage."
"You are very much deceased yes, but the price well...what kind of price would you desire?"
Setting The Scene
Paul: Charon pats you on the shoulder as you step onto the small boat, and as you do so Paul you feel a slight shiver go down your spine, and you instantly find yourself in a cold sweat. It's not alarming in the slightest for some reason, but something definitely occurred when you stepped onboard.
"One soul has accepted the toll, now what for the others?"
Charon just stands there on the boat, his glowing yellow eyes almost piercing into you from beneath the dark hood.
Current Party HitPoints & Details
Paul Dure - 16/16
Qhour - 22/38
Rya - 24/24
Scout - 15/15
DM/Founder for Mimics & Monstrosities, a D&D network.
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Hearing Scout speak and step beside her filled Rya with a sense of hope and pride. Scout was normally one to let Rya do the talking, and seeing her face this entity head on was empowering. If Scout was seemingly okay, Rya would have to be better. There wasn't anything stopping her now. Their best bet was probably taking the boat, but Rya could not believe have quickly Paul boarded the ship. Even for her, this gamble seemed risky - this Charon was not forth coming with information. They held all the cards, and Rya was not impressed. The way his demeanor changed as Paul stepped onto his vessel was... unsettling. Watching Charon place his bony hand on his shoulder was not something she wanted either.
Rise and reclaim what has been lost...? That's what that garbled voice said...? Good to know he understands the language around here...
Rya stepped onto the boat as well, looking back a Scout and flashing her a smile.
Turning back, Rya finished stepping on the boat, keeping her eyes fixed on Charon, trying not to brush up against him.
Rya was stepping onto the boat with the scary boat man. Scout could not believe her eyes. After what happened the last time they were on a boat, one would think Rya would be a bit more cautious around them. She tried to communicate her surprise and how stupid this possibly was in her glance, not wanting to say as much in front of boat man. Her stare didn't work and Rya continued fully onto the boat. The scariness of where they were was diminishing by the second, instead being replaced by the feeling of indifference. Rya was right, they had been on scarier boat rides before and survived. Well, all but one. But she was already dead, what was the worst that could happen.
She turned to the other bird and spoke again in Auran, the words coming easier to her this time.
With that, she followed in Rya's footsteps and stepped onto the boat, saying a single word to the boat man.
Qhour watched as the others stepped onto the boat. WOW! He thought, they are either crazy or very brave.
"You come too. We can find the voice that spoke to us."
With a shrug of his shoulders he slipped his wings out of his robes and with a couple of strokes rose up and came down on the stern of the boat as far away from Charon as possible.
He looked at Charon,
Paul settles himself into the stern so he can look ahead. He doesn't feel quite right, a coldness lancing towards the core of his being as the skeletal figure touched him. As the others board the boat Paul looks for some evidence of a similar touch and reaction from the queer boatman. Once settled, Paul looks up at Charon.
And with that, Paul reaches into his pack, roots around for the cheese and bread he knows isn't there. He looks around sheepishly at the others.
"You could say, creatures that submerge themselves in the Styx have the chance to...lose all their memories." He chuckles to himself which sounds like this. "You're in the Abyss, specifically the first layer known as Pazunia, overseen by the demon lord Pazuzu. As for the corpses and you not being corpses, well...that's just all down to chance really. You may be deceased yes, but your bodies can still decay and fragment down here." He pokes the Gnome with his oar that is seemingly lost and starting off into space and whimpering a little, a haunting whimpering.
"Take this fellow for instance. He arrived down here in a similar manner as yourselves, and died again."
"That's not my problem, hehe."
"My price? Well, if I need to save the lives of someone I usually charge about 100,000 platinum pieces. In this case, I guess we'll see when we get to this tower you're all so fond of."
Setting The Scene
The boat slowly makes its way down the River going smoothly against the current which has now started flowing in the opposite direction, but Charon and his boat don't seem to be struggling what-so-ever. After about an hour passes, you all gain the benefits of a Short Rest which you can mark off on your character sheets. The boat turns around another bend and continues to make its way along the red desert, the landscape boring and still with not much in terms of sights, and sounds, just the sounds of Charon's oar gently splashing into the water and out again.
"I'd love to tell you the purposes of this tower, but we wouldn't want your toll to get any more...expensive than it already has, no?" He says to himself while keeping his vision and eyes forward. The body of the Gnome stirs for a moment and lets out a blood-curdling scream, and goes back to staring off into space. Charon just chuckles to himself at the noise and continues on with his focus.
"His journey is about to come to an end." As Charon says this, you watch as a dense fog rolls in out of almost nowhere and you can hear the sound of moaning coming from the depths of the river. The moaning is whispered, coarse, and haunting. It immediately makes you all feel uneasy and slightly on edge. The moaning in the river turns to quickened, and hushed whispers (similar to this) which you can't make out anything audible, and you watch as ghostly, tendril like hands reach out from the river, grasp the Gnome around his waist, face, and throat and pull him into the depths and out of sight as the boat continues through the dense fog.
"You all should be safe, yes. Just don't disturb the voices."
You can no longer see the tower, just fog as far as the eye can see.
Current Party HitPoints & Details
Paul Dure - 16/16
Qhour - 22/38
Rya - 24/24
Scout - 15/15
DM/Founder for Mimics & Monstrosities, a D&D network.
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Rya kept her eyes fixated in where the Gnome had been dragged into the water. His scream had been unwelcome, but being dragged into the water like that seemed... cruel. Involuntarily, Rya coughed, sympathizing with the Gnome. Being drowned was something she did not want to experience again. Air was meant to flow through her lungs, not water. The fog that had suddenly rolled in along with the inaudible voices was not helping Rya's already bad impression of Charon.
Rya looked over at Scout, and the others. They seemed to be together for the long haul. For Rya's best interest, it made sense to at least be amicable with them.
Scout just watched as the gnome was pulled away by ghostly tendrils. Her hand had originally come out to try and grab him, but the words of Charon telling her not to touch the water came back to her. She instead clenched her hand and dropped it to her side, staring at Charon. He seemed so nonchalant about the fact that one of his passengers was just taken. In fact, he laughed about it.
She couldn’t see the tower with all this fog, which was unsettling. Even if she did know something that could dispel this fog, she didn’t want to show her hand to Charon. She didn’t know how much he knew about her, but she wanted it to be as little as possible.
Just another day Scout. You’ll be fine. Rya is here. She told herself. With a sigh, she put her dagger back in her vest and brought both hands out of her cloak to cross in front of her in a pose of annoyance, but mainly to keep the others from talking to her so she could keep her attention on Charon and where he was leading them.
Its just another day Scout. Keep your head on straight.
OOC: 5 1 hit dice to get my HP back. Armor of Agathys is dropped at 1 hour removing 5 temp HP. 27/28
Qhour actually felt a bit better, just sitting and resting helped. He had no idea why it helped. He was still dead. How could he feel better? This was so strange.
100,000 platinum pieces
That's a million gold pieces! A million! What was he talking about? How could any of us have a million gold?
The sudden scream from the gnome and the fog coming in and snatching him out of the boat was so sudden and unexpected. He readied his war hammer and shield, but nothing came for him. He had used up his available spells, but he had his 'hammer. It had seen him through many a battle in it's time. He was glad it had come with him to ... here.
Paul considers the information carefully as the others stir uneasily in their seats. Pazuzu...Pazunia...His thoughts focus as he tries to remember anything the demon he had spoken to before...before he died...had said.
History check 21
Lost in thought and concentration, Paul doesn't react to the sight of the gnome being pulled overboard. He stares ahead, thinking...
"Just don't talk back to them, don't acknowledge them. You're better off that way. As for the screaming, there's no stopping it once you've been marked."
"They took him elsewhere, a place where few dare to tread. The Soul Pits. His soul will be siphoned for energy for eternity."
You would know that this layer is Pazunia of course, as for the demon who reigns over it, you'd know that Pazuzu is a powerful demon lord and one of the eldest and most reprehensible of them. He is also called the Dark Angel of the Four Winds and the Prince of the Lower Aerial Kingdoms. He holds sway over all evil flying creatures, even among the different layers of the Abyss.
Setting The Scene
The fog seems to get thicker, and more dense like you can almost feel it wetting your skin and dampening your clothes. You can now barely see Charon at the front of the boat, save for the light from his oar. You hear the sound of fluttering wings for a moment, before the wings seem to fly away elsewhere.
"No worries about the denizens of the River, you're safe with me. Nothing dare attacks me here."Charon just chuckles at the sound as the boat moves forward.
After about three hours, the boat comes to a stop near a rickety wooden dock with the posts of the dock tipped with very old skulls. The skulls look like they belonged to various humanoids in life. As the boat arrives, the fog dissipates quite a fair amount but still hangs in the air, as the fog does clear you can see the dock extends into a wooden bridge and then on wards to a set of jagged, iron steps leading precariously at steep angles upwards towards that black tower which looms up into the sky, red forks of lightning cracking against it every few minutes.
"Your destination." He gestures out towards the tower and the walkway leading towards it. "But before you disembark, my vessel." He reaches into the insides of his robes and withdraws four blue-coins that have a faint glow to them and hands you one each.
"Keep those close."
And with that, Charon and his boat vanish into the fog as you all step onto the rickety dock.
Current Party HitPoints & Details
Paul Dure - 16/16
Qhour - 27/38
Rya - 24/24
Scout - 15/15
DM/Founder for Mimics & Monstrosities, a D&D network.
Mimics & Monstrosities Youtube
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Occasional DM's Guild Content Creator
As Charon vanished into the fog, Rya did not feel any more at ease as she had hoped. Seeing the treacherous climb ahead did not scare her, but the ominous red lightning that illuminated the tower in the distance did not cheer her up. Rya ran her fingers over the glowing coin that was now in her position. What was this strange coin? It was nothing like she had ever seen before. In all her smuggling and travels, she could not recall ever coming across glowing coins. Rya looked at the other three members of the group and tossed the coin into the air, catching it as it started to fall. She stared at it with great scrutiny, hoping that something would spark her memory. History check: 15
Charon had found her weakness, and Scout hated that. Gifting her a shiny glowing coin, Scout felt herself believing for a moment that he wasn't all that bad. He had said to keep it close before leaving. The coin was mesmerizing and would look wonderful on her sash with all her other trinkets collected over the years. She held her coin out proudly for her friend to see, and then began finding a way to attach the coin to her sash. Realizing she had left her string on her boat before her and Rya died, she gave a bit of a scowl and placed it in her vest pocket instead, pulling out her dagger and waiting for the group to decide what they were doing.
Slipping the weird blue glowing coin into a pocket in his robes, Qhour followed the others off the boat. Turning to Paul Dure' he asked,
indicating the tower.
and started trudging up the steps.
Paul takes the glowing blue coin in a hand, staring at it intently. Then, with care, steps out of the boat, taking care not to let the water touch him more than he can help.
Arcana check about the coin 7
"Do you know anything about this?, Paul hears the large bird-creature, an Aarcockra he thinks, say.
History check about the tower14
While looking at the tower, Paul also looks for marks on the ground.
Survival check 20
You have no knowledge of the coin.
The steps are quite steep, and jagged metal. Be careful!
You do not see any marks on the ground, save for the ones your allies have made as they slowly ascend up the jagged iron steps towards the tower.
Setting The Scene
The black iron steps leading upwards towards the tower are extremely jagged, and steep. The ascend these steps you must be careful and cautious as you get about twenty feet up the steps you notice that the steps are so steep, you have to take it slow or risk falling down this steps and getting pretty severely hurt along the way down. The tower looms out over you, and you realize it's going to take a fair amount of time to reach it at this pace. Red lightning continues to arc across the sky and slam into the top of the tower, causing bits of tiny black obsidian to rain down over you all like a fine dust.
The tower looks like it might be a few hundred feet tall, and tiny windows cover the entirety of the tower, red light illuminating from each window. You can just make out the sounds of muffled screaming coming from the tower or is that the wind? As you proceed further up the steps you take note of a large hunk of obsidian that had fallen from the top of the tower and landed onto these jagged steps, seemingly crushing what had once been an Elf. The Elf now lay scattered on the steps, their entrails spilling out from beneath the hunk of obsidian.
The fog has completely faded at this point.
As you all climb the steps, I need everyone to make me a DC 16 Dexterity Saving Throw as some of this rubble comes raining down in some sizable chunks with that last fork of lightning.
Current Party HitPoints & Details
Paul Dure - 16/16
Qhour - 27/38
Rya - 24/24
Scout - 15/15
DM/Founder for Mimics & Monstrosities, a D&D network.
Mimics & Monstrosities Youtube
Mimics & Monstrosities Twitch
Occasional DM's Guild Content Creator
Holds sway over all things flying...? Rya mused to herself. Scout has never taken flight, but would this Pazuzu be able to still have sway over her friend? Rya let Qhour take the lead as he pressed forward. If something were to happen to this Aarcockra', Rya would be ready to defend herself. Paul was presumably behind Scout - Rya could not hear his muttering, but she couldn't hear much over the lightning and the screaming. This path was treacherous, but it seemed doable. Even if it wasn't exactly safe, it could be conquered. Behind her, Scout followed close. Scout would always have her back no matter the situation... but with this Pazuzu...
As she was lost in thought, Rya was not paying attention as chunks of rock came down the steps from the impact of the lightning.
Dexterity saving throw: 15
Even thought she was distracted, she managed to miss the falling debris and keep her footing. Rya took a deep breath, shaking her head - this was going to be a long journey. Hopefully the climb would be worth it.
That question took Scout by surprise, but the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. Would this Pazuzu have sway over her? Frankly, the thought terrified her. Having sway was very ambiguous and she didn't know exactly what it meant. All she knew was that she wanted to go back to her boat and back to her normal life.
Was all she said before following after Rya and Qhour. As hard as she tried, she couldn't stop her thoughts from returning to what Paul had asked, Have either of you thought about what that might mean, for you? Qhour was for sure affected, she had seen him fly. As much as she hated to admit it, she didn't despise Qhour. He had spoken her first language. She would hate to have to kill him.
Dexterity Saving Throw: 13
So caught up in her thoughts, she didn't notice the rubble until it was too late to move out of the way.