Elenara sinks into her armchair, the tome in her hands. For a moment she hesitates, and then opens the book to the first chapter. Perhaps it is just your imagination, but the crackling of the ancient pages sound almost as if the book is screaming in protest.
”If you are prepared,” Elenara whispers, “Let us begin.” She takes a deep breath and begins to read.
”Once upon a time...”
Her following words are lost in a mad cacophony of sound. Screams and whispers mingle into a song of madness, pounding your ears mercilessly, and the horrors that are screamed and whispered drive you to the brink of insanity. Then the world is snuffed out like a candle, leaving you in an empty void. Loneliness consumes you, such as you have never felt before.
The sad voice of Elenara reaches you through the void, disturbingly disembodied. “May Lathander guide your path.”
You awake in a nightmare. The forest you find yourself in is a hideous mockery of the forests you know. Dead trees grope at the grey and lonely sky with skeletal branches, like the cold fingers of a corpse. The pale fungus which coats the ground beneath your feet glows an eerie green. No birds sing in the trees, and no fish swim in the festering ponds and silent streams. Over the forest looms a purple moon, illuminating the forest in an unholy light.
Hond looks around, horrified. "This place... truly a dark and sinister perversion of nature. The gods have sent us here to right this, I am sure. Now... where do we go?" Hond looks around, trying to see some sort of landmark or anything that looks like it might be a good first start.
The opportunity to dispense some trivia seems to pull Hymnal out of his terror for a moment. "Oh, that's not true." Hymnal takes out a crude wooden medallion depicting a tricloptic jackal head. "Lamashtu is the Goddess of Monsters, Madness, and Nightmares. Hymnal is sure She if no one else has eyes here."Another Miyazaki shiver goes over Hymnal, and he lowers his eyes. "Not that Hymnal is very comforted by that..."
"But it's swamp water, Morton."Hymnal half-whines, half-advises. "Hymnal doesn't think it will lead us to anything or anyone pleasant. Besides, Hymnal just cleaned all the mud off his feet."
Hond’s attention is arrested by an object which hangs from one of the dead trees a couple hundred feet into the forest. It swings eerily, though there is no trace of wind.
Morton kneels and examines the ground, finding several sets of tracks which begin on the opposite bank of the stream and lead deeper into the grim forest.
"Before we go chasing after any tracks, do any of you three feel a breeze?" Hond says, a slight tremor in his usually cheery voice. "I ask because there's something over there swaying in the breeze, but I feel no wind here. Do you see it too?" Hond points out the object to the others. "What is that?"
As you approach the tree, you find to your horror that the thing which swings pendulously is a human corpse, suspended by a noose tied around it’s neck. The corpse’s eyes are wide and staring, and it grins macabrely in death.
Nailed to the tree is a ragged scrap of parchment. (Is anyone proficient in Sylvan?)
(OOC - nope Gith and Common oddly enough - also forgot I don't need to eat, drink, breathe or sleep - I just need to spend 4 hours in an inactive motionless state - but I can hear normally)
Hond looks at the note without comprehension. "In my training against evil I learned the languages of devils, demons, and mighty elementals. I thought I would be prepared for any eventuality, but evil takes many forms."
Hymnal catches up with the party, taking in the grisly sight. "Scandals..."Hymnal makes an unfamiliar but obviously reverent gesture towards the hanging corpse, then gives it a wan smile. "There are worse ways to go, hey?" he says to it."Hymnal heard about a kobold's trap that stabs you and fills your wound with bat droppings."
He turns to Hond."Do you know any funeral rites? Hymnal doesn't know what good it would do, but it might help their soul rest easier."
Elenara sinks into her armchair, the tome in her hands. For a moment she hesitates, and then opens the book to the first chapter. Perhaps it is just your imagination, but the crackling of the ancient pages sound almost as if the book is screaming in protest.
”If you are prepared,” Elenara whispers, “Let us begin.” She takes a deep breath and begins to read.
”Once upon a time...”
Her following words are lost in a mad cacophony of sound. Screams and whispers mingle into a song of madness, pounding your ears mercilessly, and the horrors that are screamed and whispered drive you to the brink of insanity. Then the world is snuffed out like a candle, leaving you in an empty void. Loneliness consumes you, such as you have never felt before.
The sad voice of Elenara reaches you through the void, disturbingly disembodied. “May Lathander guide your path.”
You awake in a nightmare. The forest you find yourself in is a hideous mockery of the forests you know. Dead trees grope at the grey and lonely sky with skeletal branches, like the cold fingers of a corpse. The pale fungus which coats the ground beneath your feet glows an eerie green. No birds sing in the trees, and no fish swim in the festering ponds and silent streams. Over the forest looms a purple moon, illuminating the forest in an unholy light.
Welcome to the Realm of the Pumpkin King.
"Charming....." Damn says as he looks around - you cant' tell if he's sarcastic or sincere
Skameros - Bugbear Barbarian - Out of the Abyss - By Kerrec
Follow your Arrow where it Points - Tabaxi Monk - Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus (by Pokepaladdy)
Citron Pumpkinfoam - Fairy Monk - Project Point: Team Longsword
Hond looks around, horrified. "This place... truly a dark and sinister perversion of nature. The gods have sent us here to right this, I am sure. Now... where do we go?" Hond looks around, trying to see some sort of landmark or anything that looks like it might be a good first start.
Perception, 12
"Seven Heavens..." Hymnal clutches all his medallions and mutters quick prayers to twenty or so deities one by one.
Chasing Hymnal - Tabaxi Bard - The Tale of the Pumpkin King
Enzo the Nightmaw - Human Blood Hunter, Order of the Lycan
"Dovie'andi se tovya sagain."
"I don't think anyones Gods are listening here Hymnal..."
Skameros - Bugbear Barbarian - Out of the Abyss - By Kerrec
Follow your Arrow where it Points - Tabaxi Monk - Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus (by Pokepaladdy)
Citron Pumpkinfoam - Fairy Monk - Project Point: Team Longsword
The opportunity to dispense some trivia seems to pull Hymnal out of his terror for a moment. "Oh, that's not true." Hymnal takes out a crude wooden medallion depicting a tricloptic jackal head. "Lamashtu is the Goddess of Monsters, Madness, and Nightmares. Hymnal is sure She if no one else has eyes here." Another Miyazaki shiver goes over Hymnal, and he lowers his eyes. "Not that Hymnal is very comforted by that..."
Chasing Hymnal - Tabaxi Bard - The Tale of the Pumpkin King
Enzo the Nightmaw - Human Blood Hunter, Order of the Lycan
"Dovie'andi se tovya sagain."
“Well there’s water. Water usually means beasts or hopefully people.”
Survival check to try and find prints (hopefully human) to find a path out towards civilization. 17
"But it's swamp water, Morton." Hymnal half-whines, half-advises. "Hymnal doesn't think it will lead us to anything or anyone pleasant. Besides, Hymnal just cleaned all the mud off his feet."
Chasing Hymnal - Tabaxi Bard - The Tale of the Pumpkin King
Enzo the Nightmaw - Human Blood Hunter, Order of the Lycan
"Dovie'andi se tovya sagain."
Hond’s attention is arrested by an object which hangs from one of the dead trees a couple hundred feet into the forest. It swings eerily, though there is no trace of wind.
Morton kneels and examines the ground, finding several sets of tracks which begin on the opposite bank of the stream and lead deeper into the grim forest.
"What have you found Morton?"
Skameros - Bugbear Barbarian - Out of the Abyss - By Kerrec
Follow your Arrow where it Points - Tabaxi Monk - Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus (by Pokepaladdy)
Citron Pumpkinfoam - Fairy Monk - Project Point: Team Longsword
“Tracks on the other side, they all go into the forest.” Morton will point out
"Before we go chasing after any tracks, do any of you three feel a breeze?" Hond says, a slight tremor in his usually cheery voice. "I ask because there's something over there swaying in the breeze, but I feel no wind here. Do you see it too?" Hond points out the object to the others. "What is that?"
Damn will take a look at the object
[Investigation: 3]
"It looks like....a thing...probably nothing to worry about....."
Skameros - Bugbear Barbarian - Out of the Abyss - By Kerrec
Follow your Arrow where it Points - Tabaxi Monk - Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus (by Pokepaladdy)
Citron Pumpkinfoam - Fairy Monk - Project Point: Team Longsword
(To clarify, are you going to walk over to the object or are you trying to identify it from your current position?)
I'll walk over there
Skameros - Bugbear Barbarian - Out of the Abyss - By Kerrec
Follow your Arrow where it Points - Tabaxi Monk - Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus (by Pokepaladdy)
Citron Pumpkinfoam - Fairy Monk - Project Point: Team Longsword
As you approach the tree, you find to your horror that the thing which swings pendulously is a human corpse, suspended by a noose tied around it’s neck. The corpse’s eyes are wide and staring, and it grins macabrely in death.
Nailed to the tree is a ragged scrap of parchment. (Is anyone proficient in Sylvan?)
(OOC - nope Gith and Common oddly enough - also forgot I don't need to eat, drink, breathe or sleep - I just need to spend 4 hours in an inactive motionless state - but I can hear normally)
Skameros - Bugbear Barbarian - Out of the Abyss - By Kerrec
Follow your Arrow where it Points - Tabaxi Monk - Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus (by Pokepaladdy)
Citron Pumpkinfoam - Fairy Monk - Project Point: Team Longsword
Hond looks at the note without comprehension. "In my training against evil I learned the languages of devils, demons, and mighty elementals. I thought I would be prepared for any eventuality, but evil takes many forms."
Damn bows slightly "a compliment coming from you Hond..." and he'll smile. While Damn isn't technically evil - he does murder for his Lord Bhaal :)
Skameros - Bugbear Barbarian - Out of the Abyss - By Kerrec
Follow your Arrow where it Points - Tabaxi Monk - Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus (by Pokepaladdy)
Citron Pumpkinfoam - Fairy Monk - Project Point: Team Longsword
Hymnal catches up with the party, taking in the grisly sight. "Scandals..." Hymnal makes an unfamiliar but obviously reverent gesture towards the hanging corpse, then gives it a wan smile. "There are worse ways to go, hey?" he says to it. "Hymnal heard about a kobold's trap that stabs you and fills your wound with bat droppings."
He turns to Hond. "Do you know any funeral rites? Hymnal doesn't know what good it would do, but it might help their soul rest easier."
Chasing Hymnal - Tabaxi Bard - The Tale of the Pumpkin King
Enzo the Nightmaw - Human Blood Hunter, Order of the Lycan
"Dovie'andi se tovya sagain."