Deshi looks between their two quarreling companions, then bends toward the earth. They scoop some dirt into their scaly hand, then let it trail between their fingers. "Such a delicate balance is this: a hidden world below, and a barren land above. We have, all of us, been eking out a life in the land left to us for centuries. It is understandable that Deshi's friends would be anxious, but please, friends, pause one moment. If the land is as dangerous as Ormond suggests, we must all of us lean upon one another's strengths."
The tortle sighs, calming. "Ms. Penny is right. We would like to know- in a brief summary if that is your preference, Master Ormond- your past experiences here. Ormond is also correct, in that haste is likely needed now. A compromise, then: We will walk, and Ormond will speak. Can we begin there?"
"The Militia would send exploration teams down here. I was in one of them. We were ill prepared. People died. A few survived. I was one of the lucky few," Ormond states to the air in front of him as he walks towards the high point he is trained on.
"And unless you want to be left alone and made easy prey, I suggest you keep up. We're not going to be able to know where to go, unless we get to a point that we can see from."
As you all continue forward through the jungle, the wildlife of the old world continues to sing out. A mixture of colorful birds, insects, and reptiles call as you move through the brush. However, as it appears, these creatures are much larger than any that you’ve seen on the surface. Macaws with the wingspans of condors and long, trailing tail feathers; insects the size of small cats; and snakes that could double as small trees. However, these creatures seem to pay you no real mind. Perhaps they are unfamiliar with humans, or perhaps they don’t see you as a threat.
Nevertheless, you reach a stopping point as the jungle comes to an abrupt end. It drops into a sheer cliff, wherein you can see an entire valley below. A river runs through it and a range of “mountains” carving their way through the greenery. Throughout the jungle below, massive creatures raise long necks high above the trees. However, a bone-chilling roar echoes through the land. Pushing that to the back of your mind, with Ormond’s blessing, you faintly see smoke rising in the distance.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
DM - Elustran Days ~ Fate/False Revelation
Rex'aliha - Hoard of the Dragon Queen ~ Mozu of Worms- The Stormpoint Mountains ~ Muireach Maon- Shepherd’s Crossing ~ Crownsguard - Storm King’s Thunder ~ Gunnar Wayland -Boats, Rocks, and Ruffians ~ POUF!- Ex-Ravens ~ Pascal LaRoux - Long Road Dragon Heist
Ormond twitches slightly - not very visible - just a slight shiver up the spine.
He then says, "Smoke almost always mean some sort of encampment - shall we investigate?"
// Is there a path that can be taken avoiding the roving "mountains" and their predators? Are there any other signs of artificial intrusion into the natural landscape?
Roland sniffs the air, you notice that he hasn't dropped his half-hippo form ever since the party fell down here. "I'm hungry, where there's fire, there's food, and I do NOT want to start off the Saga of Roland Wolfscribe with the hero eating shitty, dry rations. So yes, let's investigate."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Blixanix Glitterpain, Goblin Bard - In campaign: Ravnica, City of Guilds
The Soggiest DM - In campaign: Boats, Rocks & Ruffians Eira Whitefeather, Human Sorcerer/Warlock - In campaign: Death Inspectors Expanded
Roland "THUNDER HIPPO" Wolfscribe, Human Bloodhunter - In campaign: Core City: A Play-by-post Adventure
Ormond twitches slightly - not very visible - just a slight shiver up the spine.
He then says, "Smoke almost always mean some sort of encampment - shall we investigate?"
// Is there a path that can be taken avoiding the roving "mountains" and their predators? Are there any other signs of artificial intrusion into the natural landscape?
Roland sniffs the air, you notice that he hasn't dropped his half-hippo form ever since the party fell down here. "I'm hungry, where there's fire, there's food, and I do NOT want to start off the Saga of Roland Wolfscribe with the hero eating shitty, dry rations. So yes, let's investigate."
Currently, the quickest way down that Roland can estimate with his powerful mind is to just scale down the cliff side deeper into the valley.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
DM - Elustran Days ~ Fate/False Revelation
Rex'aliha - Hoard of the Dragon Queen ~ Mozu of Worms- The Stormpoint Mountains ~ Muireach Maon- Shepherd’s Crossing ~ Crownsguard - Storm King’s Thunder ~ Gunnar Wayland -Boats, Rocks, and Ruffians ~ POUF!- Ex-Ravens ~ Pascal LaRoux - Long Road Dragon Heist
Roland looks down the cliff. "I can survive that. Easy. Shortcut? If you wusses want we can even use ropes."
The hippo speaks truth. What? No, not that. You definitely couldn’t survive that fall. BUT! You could likely use ropes and a bit of creativity to get down there.
Ormond scans the horizon. He believes that there is a point where the cliffs lower to the base of the valley. However, judging by this distance, it could be another couple hours away from this point. After reaching there, you would likely then have to double back to where the smoke actually is in the ravine.
Ormond says, "I think there's a path that can get us down to the floor of the ravine, but it's a bit out of the way and we'd have to double back to get to our destination...."
"...or," he continues, "we could try using what rope we have to climb down this cliff, but it's pretty sheer, we have no climbing equipment, and a couple of us-" Ormond tugs on his heavy armor and points to Deshthi's shell "-are likely to have issues climbing down."
Roland walks around Deshi and taps his shell with his knuckles, not caring how Deshi reacts. "We could just tie a rope around the turtle and let him down little by little. Same goes for you in your armor. Then I climb down, and then the girl. No problem."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Blixanix Glitterpain, Goblin Bard - In campaign: Ravnica, City of Guilds
The Soggiest DM - In campaign: Boats, Rocks & Ruffians Eira Whitefeather, Human Sorcerer/Warlock - In campaign: Death Inspectors Expanded
Roland "THUNDER HIPPO" Wolfscribe, Human Bloodhunter - In campaign: Core City: A Play-by-post Adventure
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Penny whistles as she sees the valley. "Now that is what I call a landscape feature," she says as she pulls paper and charcoal out of her pack. She begins sketching, mapping the cliffs and the rest of it. A handy cartographer tool shows up, letting her estimate distance and such. She marks the "map" she has made.
"It would seem, given the valley and these cliffs, that a face such as this might have some natural fissures, where water would travel into the valley during rains. There may be an easier way down. Some sort of natural chimney or crack in the wall."
She looks for one such way.
Here is a straight up roll: 19 For cartography, add +4 (int bonus plus proficiency bonus for tool use) For straight perception, add +6
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
ey/em/eirs, or they/them works, too (just not he). Role-playing since that keep on those borderlands. I love it so.
Deshi claps delightedly at his companion's unexpected skill at pathfinding. "Oh! Deshi's friends are full of surprises. Miss Penny, what other secrets are you holding?"
Penny looks up at Deshi, smiling widely. Then the smile falters. "Penny? I... whu?" She looks at herself. She frowns. "Yeah, I don't know, Desh. I'm as confused as you are. I... um, I seem to have some new..." she looks at the tool in her hand, "Tools?"
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
ey/em/eirs, or they/them works, too (just not he). Role-playing since that keep on those borderlands. I love it so.
Deshi looks between their two quarreling companions, then bends toward the earth. They scoop some dirt into their scaly hand, then let it trail between their fingers. "Such a delicate balance is this: a hidden world below, and a barren land above. We have, all of us, been eking out a life in the land left to us for centuries. It is understandable that Deshi's friends would be anxious, but please, friends, pause one moment. If the land is as dangerous as Ormond suggests, we must all of us lean upon one another's strengths."
The tortle sighs, calming. "Ms. Penny is right. We would like to know- in a brief summary if that is your preference, Master Ormond- your past experiences here. Ormond is also correct, in that haste is likely needed now. A compromise, then: We will walk, and Ormond will speak. Can we begin there?"
Imani Jones - Lv 11 Warlock of The Living City - Variant Human| Fate/False Revelation
Wick Stumbleduck - Lv 4 Lore Bard - Forest Gnome | Elustran Days
Khurah - Lv 3 Star Druid - Half-orc | Boats, Rocks, and Ruffians
Dale Swanson - User of the Sound of Silence Stand - Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Sunset Investigations
Ayaci Vikerfjell - Lv 8 Rune Knight | Variant Human | Storm King's Thunder
Penny looks at Deshi. "I'm fine with that if he is. But he stops before he's done and I'm stopping, too."
ey/em/eirs, or they/them works, too (just not he).
Role-playing since that keep on those borderlands. I love it so.
"The Militia would send exploration teams down here. I was in one of them. We were ill prepared. People died. A few survived. I was one of the lucky few," Ormond states to the air in front of him as he walks towards the high point he is trained on.
"And unless you want to be left alone and made easy prey, I suggest you keep up. We're not going to be able to know where to go, unless we get to a point that we can see from."
Storm King's Thunder - Ink, Elven Bladesinging Wizard
Core City: APbPA - Ormond, Human Twilight Cleric
The Inferno - BG:Dia - DM
They keep me rollin'
Assuming that you all continue walking.
As you all continue forward through the jungle, the wildlife of the old world continues to sing out. A mixture of colorful birds, insects, and reptiles call as you move through the brush. However, as it appears, these creatures are much larger than any that you’ve seen on the surface. Macaws with the wingspans of condors and long, trailing tail feathers; insects the size of small cats; and snakes that could double as small trees. However, these creatures seem to pay you no real mind. Perhaps they are unfamiliar with humans, or perhaps they don’t see you as a threat.
Nevertheless, you reach a stopping point as the jungle comes to an abrupt end. It drops into a sheer cliff, wherein you can see an entire valley below. A river runs through it and a range of “mountains” carving their way through the greenery. Throughout the jungle below, massive creatures raise long necks high above the trees. However, a bone-chilling roar echoes through the land. Pushing that to the back of your mind, with Ormond’s blessing, you faintly see smoke rising in the distance.
DM - Elustran Days ~ Fate/False Revelation
Rex'aliha - Hoard of the Dragon Queen ~ Mozu of Worms - The Stormpoint Mountains ~ Muireach Maon - Shepherd’s Crossing ~ Crownsguard - Storm King’s Thunder ~ Gunnar Wayland - Boats, Rocks, and Ruffians ~ POUF! - Ex-Ravens ~ Pascal LaRoux - Long Road Dragon Heist
Deshi keeps their eyes open, just agog. They have no hand for sketch work, but all of this will be committed to their journal later.
Imani Jones - Lv 11 Warlock of The Living City - Variant Human| Fate/False Revelation
Wick Stumbleduck - Lv 4 Lore Bard - Forest Gnome | Elustran Days
Khurah - Lv 3 Star Druid - Half-orc | Boats, Rocks, and Ruffians
Dale Swanson - User of the Sound of Silence Stand - Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Sunset Investigations
Ayaci Vikerfjell - Lv 8 Rune Knight | Variant Human | Storm King's Thunder
Ormond twitches slightly - not very visible - just a slight shiver up the spine.
He then says, "Smoke almost always mean some sort of encampment - shall we investigate?"
// Is there a path that can be taken avoiding the roving "mountains" and their predators? Are there any other signs of artificial intrusion into the natural landscape?
Storm King's Thunder - Ink, Elven Bladesinging Wizard
Core City: APbPA - Ormond, Human Twilight Cleric
The Inferno - BG:Dia - DM
They keep me rollin'
Roland sniffs the air, you notice that he hasn't dropped his half-hippo form ever since the party fell down here. "I'm hungry, where there's fire, there's food, and I do NOT want to start off the Saga of Roland Wolfscribe with the hero eating shitty, dry rations. So yes, let's investigate."
Blixanix Glitterpain, Goblin Bard - In campaign: Ravnica, City of GuildsThe Soggiest DM - In campaign: Boats, Rocks & RuffiansEira Whitefeather, Human Sorcerer/Warlock - In campaign: Death Inspectors ExpandedRoland "THUNDER HIPPO" Wolfscribe, Human Bloodhunter - In campaign: Core City: A Play-by-post Adventure
Go ahead and make a Perception check.
Currently, the quickest way down that Roland can estimate with his powerful mind is to just scale down the cliff side deeper into the valley.
DM - Elustran Days ~ Fate/False Revelation
Rex'aliha - Hoard of the Dragon Queen ~ Mozu of Worms - The Stormpoint Mountains ~ Muireach Maon - Shepherd’s Crossing ~ Crownsguard - Storm King’s Thunder ~ Gunnar Wayland - Boats, Rocks, and Ruffians ~ POUF! - Ex-Ravens ~ Pascal LaRoux - Long Road Dragon Heist
Roland looks down the cliff. "I can survive that. Easy. Shortcut? If you wusses want we can even use ropes."
Blixanix Glitterpain, Goblin Bard - In campaign: Ravnica, City of GuildsThe Soggiest DM - In campaign: Boats, Rocks & RuffiansEira Whitefeather, Human Sorcerer/Warlock - In campaign: Death Inspectors ExpandedRoland "THUNDER HIPPO" Wolfscribe, Human Bloodhunter - In campaign: Core City: A Play-by-post Adventure
// Perception Check 17
Storm King's Thunder - Ink, Elven Bladesinging Wizard
Core City: APbPA - Ormond, Human Twilight Cleric
The Inferno - BG:Dia - DM
They keep me rollin'
The hippo speaks truth. What? No, not that. You definitely couldn’t survive that fall. BUT! You could likely use ropes and a bit of creativity to get down there.
Ormond scans the horizon. He believes that there is a point where the cliffs lower to the base of the valley. However, judging by this distance, it could be another couple hours away from this point. After reaching there, you would likely then have to double back to where the smoke actually is in the ravine.
DM - Elustran Days ~ Fate/False Revelation
Rex'aliha - Hoard of the Dragon Queen ~ Mozu of Worms - The Stormpoint Mountains ~ Muireach Maon - Shepherd’s Crossing ~ Crownsguard - Storm King’s Thunder ~ Gunnar Wayland - Boats, Rocks, and Ruffians ~ POUF! - Ex-Ravens ~ Pascal LaRoux - Long Road Dragon Heist
Ormond says, "I think there's a path that can get us down to the floor of the ravine, but it's a bit out of the way and we'd have to double back to get to our destination...."
"...or," he continues, "we could try using what rope we have to climb down this cliff, but it's pretty sheer, we have no climbing equipment, and a couple of us-" Ormond tugs on his heavy armor and points to Deshthi's shell "-are likely to have issues climbing down."
"What do you all want to do?"
Storm King's Thunder - Ink, Elven Bladesinging Wizard
Core City: APbPA - Ormond, Human Twilight Cleric
The Inferno - BG:Dia - DM
They keep me rollin'
Roland walks around Deshi and taps his shell with his knuckles, not caring how Deshi reacts. "We could just tie a rope around the turtle and let him down little by little. Same goes for you in your armor. Then I climb down, and then the girl. No problem."
Blixanix Glitterpain, Goblin Bard - In campaign: Ravnica, City of GuildsThe Soggiest DM - In campaign: Boats, Rocks & RuffiansEira Whitefeather, Human Sorcerer/Warlock - In campaign: Death Inspectors ExpandedRoland "THUNDER HIPPO" Wolfscribe, Human Bloodhunter - In campaign: Core City: A Play-by-post Adventure
// DM question - how far to the bottom of the cliff (estimate)?
Storm King's Thunder - Ink, Elven Bladesinging Wizard
Core City: APbPA - Ormond, Human Twilight Cleric
The Inferno - BG:Dia - DM
They keep me rollin'
About 2000 feet.
DM - Elustran Days ~ Fate/False Revelation
Rex'aliha - Hoard of the Dragon Queen ~ Mozu of Worms - The Stormpoint Mountains ~ Muireach Maon - Shepherd’s Crossing ~ Crownsguard - Storm King’s Thunder ~ Gunnar Wayland - Boats, Rocks, and Ruffians ~ POUF! - Ex-Ravens ~ Pascal LaRoux - Long Road Dragon Heist
Ormond peers over, steps back and says, "We don't have enough rope. Let's take a stroll instead of a fall."
"Whoever is good with a map, perhaps we should start charting this place up."
Storm King's Thunder - Ink, Elven Bladesinging Wizard
Core City: APbPA - Ormond, Human Twilight Cleric
The Inferno - BG:Dia - DM
They keep me rollin'
Penny whistles as she sees the valley. "Now that is what I call a landscape feature," she says as she pulls paper and charcoal out of her pack. She begins sketching, mapping the cliffs and the rest of it. A handy cartographer tool shows up, letting her estimate distance and such. She marks the "map" she has made.
"It would seem, given the valley and these cliffs, that a face such as this might have some natural fissures, where water would travel into the valley during rains. There may be an easier way down. Some sort of natural chimney or crack in the wall."
She looks for one such way.
Here is a straight up roll: 19
For cartography, add +4 (int bonus plus proficiency bonus for tool use)
For straight perception, add +6
ey/em/eirs, or they/them works, too (just not he).
Role-playing since that keep on those borderlands. I love it so.
Deshi claps delightedly at his companion's unexpected skill at pathfinding. "Oh! Deshi's friends are full of surprises. Miss Penny, what other secrets are you holding?"
Imani Jones - Lv 11 Warlock of The Living City - Variant Human| Fate/False Revelation
Wick Stumbleduck - Lv 4 Lore Bard - Forest Gnome | Elustran Days
Khurah - Lv 3 Star Druid - Half-orc | Boats, Rocks, and Ruffians
Dale Swanson - User of the Sound of Silence Stand - Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Sunset Investigations
Ayaci Vikerfjell - Lv 8 Rune Knight | Variant Human | Storm King's Thunder
Penny looks up at Deshi, smiling widely. Then the smile falters. "Penny? I... whu?" She looks at herself. She frowns. "Yeah, I don't know, Desh. I'm as confused as you are. I... um, I seem to have some new..." she looks at the tool in her hand, "Tools?"
ey/em/eirs, or they/them works, too (just not he).
Role-playing since that keep on those borderlands. I love it so.
Deshi peers at Penny's face (Investigation? 18), looking for any sign of injury.
Depending on what he sees, he (probably) says, "We have endured a great deal of trauma in a short time. Shall we pause here for a few moments?"
Imani Jones - Lv 11 Warlock of The Living City - Variant Human| Fate/False Revelation
Wick Stumbleduck - Lv 4 Lore Bard - Forest Gnome | Elustran Days
Khurah - Lv 3 Star Druid - Half-orc | Boats, Rocks, and Ruffians
Dale Swanson - User of the Sound of Silence Stand - Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Sunset Investigations
Ayaci Vikerfjell - Lv 8 Rune Knight | Variant Human | Storm King's Thunder