Raza looks at herself. Weird, it feels very strange not to see her tail. She looks at the others which was also very disconcerting. Hearing their voices but them not matching their appearance, she shakes her head, trying to reconcile the difference but gives up. She doesn't think she will get used to it, hopefully it won't be a problem. She tries to think of a drow name in case she's asked.
As you approach the gates of Holoth, you are stopped by a number of drow guards. They ask for your drow insignias. Luckily, you guys took them during the meeting with the dwarves of Embla after the drow ambush in the meeting crystal.
You are allowed past, due to the clever magical disguise.
Holoth, the City of Spiders, is the home base of the Drow House of Gullion. It is their seat of power. Moving into the city proper, you can finally take in the warped beauty that is the metropolis of Holoth. Thin towers made from the rock itself climb straight up toward the ceiling of this great cavern. Symbols of black spiders and building constructed to resemble the venerated creatures are everywhere. You are not certain as to your destination within the city, but as you slowly progress further you see that more resistance is ahead. There are many civilians roaming the roads and unfamiliar buildings, as well as two formidable guard towers from which flows a steady stream of foot soldiers who take to the streets in search of someone or something. It's not going to be easy to continue, even if you can figure out which way to go.
This place is HEAVILY fortified. As always, BE VERY CAREFUL AND WARY OF YOUR ACTIONS. BE MINDFUL THAT YOU DISGUISED AND LITERALLY IN THE NEST OF THE ENEMY. GENERALLY, FOOLISH MOVES, ACTIONS, OR DECISIONS THAT CAUSE THE DROW ANY HINT THAT YOU ARE NOT WHO YOU ARE WILL RESULT IN DEATH. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
Kasha, looking around, and - for the first time - a little nervous, says, "Ok, so, like, what do we do? We don't speak Drow, how long is this magic going to last, and where do we go?"
Just as the Kashanator exclaims this, a group of huge humanoid-shaped monstrosities formed entirely of multifaceted crystal are attacking one of the towers. Some begin to climb the tower while a single being battles priests adjacent to a structure build to look like an all-too-realistic gargantuan spider. As you watch, the crystal being grabs a leg of the spider and rips a section of it clean off. It swings it like a club, and with a single swipe blasts a group of drow prists into the air, shattering the limb upon impact.
It looks like the Drow have more than one enemy. This confusion and chaos could be used to your advantage, if you all are clever enough. In the meantime, the next course of action should be:
1. Staying OUT of trouble. 2. Finding out, somehow, who rules here, and where. 3. Murder them.
There are a number of points of interest on the map. More or less, you have just past AREA 3.
Which House is the house you meant to speak before you were killed? Gullion. Is there anything else we should know of the Drow, their ranks, their abilities, their tactics, or their defenses we should know about? All of Embla who have approached the city were killed. Can you give your dying will to the town in order to provide us with other equipment or supplies in this journey? We already have so little, but will give what we can.
OOC: FYI - we're apparently supposed to find House Gullion. Maybe we can find a Drow phonebook and look them up?
Zhi's gloating at successfully casting the spell pales when he realizes the dire circumstances the party is in. Any misstep would result in a swift end - Zhi ensures he has a certain spell prepared which would give him and only himself a venue of escape, though he doesn't mention it to Doc.
Either way, Zhi snaps his claws in the air - and ritually casts a Telepathic Bond over all, linking their minds to each other to allow a venue of communication without words. He stresses, mentally - "Communication is key. Do not act hastily. Act as if you belong and you will not be questioned. I will translate other's words to you and deliver the mentally if necessary for you to follow orders. Either way, leave the speaking to me, Doc, or anyone else who speaks Undercommon, the language of the Drow. I repeat: DO NOT speak if you do not speak Undercommon. You will kill us all." Strangely, Zhi's voice - mentally - is the exact, same, grating sound as his usual - in stark contrast to his now-feminine Drow form and voice. Either way, both contains an air of pretentious snobbishness rather befit of Drow themselves. "I can project an invisible eye outwards and search for mention or sight of House Gullion. I suggest not interacting directly with the Drow unless necessary. The less attention we draw to ourselves, the better."
Nephvir speaks undercommon, but he does not walk at the head of the group. He stays on the periphery, enjoying the telepathic bond, periodically messaging Daewen to keep up with her. "Scout ahead, let us know if there are any groups coming that could give us trouble. Hey, now everyone can share our thoughts, not just you and me! Zhi comes through for us again. I know that it has already gone to his head..." Nephvir looks at the crystalline entity and tries to recall any information about it, why it would be attacking the Drow... He also tries to make sense of the directions in Holoth.
"Oof, that's going to leave a mark." Raza mumbles under her breath as she watches the priests get smacked like golf balls. How did that thing get in here anyway? She wonders.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Daewen think/communicates to the group: Zhisshikassa, I'm shocked. You actually look healthier as a Drow, than in your usual snake charming self. Better watch out, as you're likely to get hit on by a wandering hormonal Drowling, looking for a good time.
Let's head east, and skirt around the central tower...there's too much focus and attention on that area right now.
Daewen will scout ahead, invisibly, and in the chaos, towards the east, to area 26/27, 29, 28, 30, 31...you get the idea.
AREA 26 is a massive outdoor market, and at this time of "day", it's very packed and busy. It appears to be a typical bazaar area that is being frequented by Drow commoners. Up ahead in the following areas, multiple districts of living areas and more shops appear to dot and cluster the area.
Due to the fact that it's very crowded here, it's a huge city - and one you've never been in before - should you chose to explore on your own, invisibly, there are two things to consider and then i'm not giving anymore helpful hints. 1. Exploring invisibly, there is a chance you will become discovered, and investigated by authorities. The drow DO NOT trust anything, and 2. There is a chance you will become lost. Unless you're on some magical leash or detection service, many of us cannot see where invisible people are, and that's a double edged sword. For example, Kasha has no idea where you are. If she were to take a corner and go a different direction, it could be hours before you found her again. It's like losing a child at Disneyland. That's no fun. And it's a realistic possibility.
This area is pretty crowded, and I don't want to lose track of you guys, Daewen think/communicates. Let's try to stick together. Besides, I wanna see it when Zhi is hit on...good times!
Daewen holds back, lets the group catch up, and finds herself quietly marching right next to Neph.
Arora takes in the sight of the city... Holoth is a huge unknown and frightening city... Seeing that crystal creature yank a spider leg off and use it as a club was a bit unnerving. Somehow she got a terrible feeling about this place.... a gut wrenching feeling.... couldn't quite place it but she was unsettled about it. Maybe it was just hearing Zhi's voice in her head... maybe it was that crystal creature... regardless, she didn't like it and the quicker they could move on the better. [Let's keep moving and stay close together.... don't need anyone getting lost]
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
D&D 5E BEYOND: Ada- Sorceress /Isa- Sorceress / Naris - Oathbreaker Paladin CYBERPUNK RED DISCORD: Isa - Solo 5 / Angel- Solo 5 / Faun- Tech 5 / Raja - Nomad 5 PATHFINDER 2e DISCORD: Crystal - Sorceress
Neph hears Daewen in his head and has to cover his (? her) mouth, chuckling into his hand. He sends back a message in his usual way, "Alright you, no making me laugh right before we speak to some Drow. Let's keep this decent and military!" (he reminds you of The Colonel in a monty python sketch)
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
"Why don't we just ask where we need to go instead of exploring?"Kasha threw out there. "My feet hurt and I haven't eaten anyone as a dino in like, a day!"
Neph shoots back to Kasha "You know how Zhi hates to stop and ask for directions. Seriously, he'll keep marching around and around in circles instead of stopping to ask for directions. He'll say it is beneath him. Right Zhi?"
Doc had been quiet and pensive since slipping into Holoth. Something just didn't seem right about the place. He also didn't like those spider creatures but for a completely different reason (they were utterly terrifying). Blocking out the feelings of his patron that urged him to start instantly burning the place down to the ground, Doc mentally unmuted himself and spoke to the team:
"Everyone, we should assume that we're being watched at all times (even if they still think we're Drow). Before we do anything else, we need to find a hideout or home base where we can be 'relatively' safe. From there, we can plan our next course of action. So, let's pretend like we're shopping here - and a couple of us should actually buy something - to not seem suspicious. Then we find an inn or an abandoned building we can hide in. That work for everyone? Oh and Zhi, I wouldn't use your invisible eye as of yet. I'm worried there are those here like myself who might be able to see it and get suspicious..."
Putting himself back on mute, Doc began to peruse the various stalls in the market. He also asked as casually as possible (in Undercommon) where there were any inns or parts of the city that were to be avoided or abandoned. (If people start to get suspicious with his questions, he'll drop it immediately and change the subject of possible)
(OOC: What kind of stuff is in the market? Also how much money do people have?)
Zhi slooowly turns towards where he imagines the invisible Daewen is (of course, looking towards absolutely nothing) and struggles from openly speaking - choosing to project; Perhaps it is a good thing you cannot normally speak. If someone, as you say, ‘hits on me’, I will take it as a compliment to my own spells. I do admit that I am unsure what I would do in such a situation - I have been fortunate to not have experienced such a thing. Regardless, it is best avoided. Zhi remembers why he doesn’t like this spell - there isn’t a choice to ignore people.
Then again, there wasn’t one with this group, either.
Speaking of - Zhi turns (this time, in the correct direction) to the visible Nephvir and calmly folds his arms. Of course It is beneath me. I expect you all to do the legwork for me, though you have a point - I wouldn’t trust you to accomplish anything anyways,he speaks with his usual, deadpan, neutral, nails-on-chalkboard voice. A pause. That was a joke. Zhi blankly stares towards Doc, who has told him the night before that making jokes was acceptable. Zhi rolls his eyes as he did then.
“The illusion lasts eight hours. This telepathic bond lasts one. I suggest we find a safe place to recover for one hour - i will have more spells as well by then. I will refresh this bond and we will then locate our final destination. Doc - you have made your first logical point of the day. A pause. That was another joke. I will refrain from using any methods of scrying currently. I will support you magically if you are the one conversing with the Drow.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Nephvir walks into the market with the group and looks through the stalls, listening to conversations, listening for mention of locations in the city and looking at what the Drow are buying and selling. He keeps an ear out for mention of any inn or place that we could regroup in the city.
Perception : 23
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
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Raza looks at herself. Weird, it feels very strange not to see her tail. She looks at the others which was also very disconcerting. Hearing their voices but them not matching their appearance, she shakes her head, trying to reconcile the difference but gives up. She doesn't think she will get used to it, hopefully it won't be a problem. She tries to think of a drow name in case she's asked.
As you approach the gates of Holoth, you are stopped by a number of drow guards. They ask for your drow insignias. Luckily, you guys took them during the meeting with the dwarves of Embla after the drow ambush in the meeting crystal.
You are allowed past, due to the clever magical disguise.
Holoth, the City of Spiders, is the home base of the Drow House of Gullion. It is their seat of power. Moving into the city proper, you can finally take in the warped beauty that is the metropolis of Holoth. Thin towers made from the rock itself climb straight up toward the ceiling of this great cavern. Symbols of black spiders and building constructed to resemble the venerated creatures are everywhere. You are not certain as to your destination within the city, but as you slowly progress further you see that more resistance is ahead. There are many civilians roaming the roads and unfamiliar buildings, as well as two formidable guard towers from which flows a steady stream of foot soldiers who take to the streets in search of someone or something. It's not going to be easy to continue, even if you can figure out which way to go.
This place is HEAVILY fortified. As always, BE VERY CAREFUL AND WARY OF YOUR ACTIONS. BE MINDFUL THAT YOU DISGUISED AND LITERALLY IN THE NEST OF THE ENEMY. GENERALLY, FOOLISH MOVES, ACTIONS, OR DECISIONS THAT CAUSE THE DROW ANY HINT THAT YOU ARE NOT WHO YOU ARE WILL RESULT IN DEATH. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
Kasha, looking around, and - for the first time - a little nervous, says, "Ok, so, like, what do we do? We don't speak Drow, how long is this magic going to last, and where do we go?"
Just as the Kashanator exclaims this, a group of huge humanoid-shaped monstrosities formed entirely of multifaceted crystal are attacking one of the towers. Some begin to climb the tower while a single being battles priests adjacent to a structure build to look like an all-too-realistic gargantuan spider. As you watch, the crystal being grabs a leg of the spider and rips a section of it clean off. It swings it like a club, and with a single swipe blasts a group of drow prists into the air, shattering the limb upon impact.
It looks like the Drow have more than one enemy. This confusion and chaos could be used to your advantage, if you all are clever enough. In the meantime, the next course of action should be:
1. Staying OUT of trouble.
2. Finding out, somehow, who rules here, and where.
3. Murder them.
There are a number of points of interest on the map. More or less, you have just past AREA 3.
OOC: FYI - we're apparently supposed to find House Gullion. Maybe we can find a Drow phonebook and look them up?
Last to know and first to be blamed...
As a free action, can I regret my life choices?
Zhi's gloating at successfully casting the spell pales when he realizes the dire circumstances the party is in. Any misstep would result in a swift end - Zhi ensures he has a certain spell prepared which would give him and only himself a venue of escape, though he doesn't mention it to Doc.
Either way, Zhi snaps his claws in the air - and ritually casts a Telepathic Bond over all, linking their minds to each other to allow a venue of communication without words. He stresses, mentally - "Communication is key. Do not act hastily. Act as if you belong and you will not be questioned. I will translate other's words to you and deliver the mentally if necessary for you to follow orders. Either way, leave the speaking to me, Doc, or anyone else who speaks Undercommon, the language of the Drow. I repeat: DO NOT speak if you do not speak Undercommon. You will kill us all." Strangely, Zhi's voice - mentally - is the exact, same, grating sound as his usual - in stark contrast to his now-feminine Drow form and voice. Either way, both contains an air of pretentious snobbishness rather befit of Drow themselves. "I can project an invisible eye outwards and search for mention or sight of House Gullion. I suggest not interacting directly with the Drow unless necessary. The less attention we draw to ourselves, the better."
Nephvir speaks undercommon, but he does not walk at the head of the group. He stays on the periphery, enjoying the telepathic bond, periodically messaging Daewen to keep up with her. "Scout ahead, let us know if there are any groups coming that could give us trouble. Hey, now everyone can share our thoughts, not just you and me! Zhi comes through for us again. I know that it has already gone to his head..." Nephvir looks at the crystalline entity and tries to recall any information about it, why it would be attacking the Drow... He also tries to make sense of the directions in Holoth.
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
"Meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow.." is all you hear from Kasha, softly singing a cat food jingle.
"Oof, that's going to leave a mark." Raza mumbles under her breath as she watches the priests get smacked like golf balls. How did that thing get in here anyway? She wonders.
Daewen think/communicates to the group: Zhisshikassa, I'm shocked. You actually look healthier as a Drow, than in your usual snake charming self. Better watch out, as you're likely to get hit on by a wandering hormonal Drowling, looking for a good time.
Let's head east, and skirt around the central tower...there's too much focus and attention on that area right now.
Daewen will scout ahead, invisibly, and in the chaos, towards the east, to area 26/27, 29, 28, 30, 31...you get the idea.
Spider senses tingling: Perception 19
Last to know and first to be blamed...
As a free action, can I regret my life choices?
AREA 26 is a massive outdoor market, and at this time of "day", it's very packed and busy. It appears to be a typical bazaar area that is being frequented by Drow commoners. Up ahead in the following areas, multiple districts of living areas and more shops appear to dot and cluster the area.
Due to the fact that it's very crowded here, it's a huge city - and one you've never been in before - should you chose to explore on your own, invisibly, there are two things to consider and then i'm not giving anymore helpful hints. 1. Exploring invisibly, there is a chance you will become discovered, and investigated by authorities. The drow DO NOT trust anything, and 2. There is a chance you will become lost. Unless you're on some magical leash or detection service, many of us cannot see where invisible people are, and that's a double edged sword. For example, Kasha has no idea where you are. If she were to take a corner and go a different direction, it could be hours before you found her again. It's like losing a child at Disneyland. That's no fun. And it's a realistic possibility.
This area is pretty crowded, and I don't want to lose track of you guys, Daewen think/communicates. Let's try to stick together. Besides, I wanna see it when Zhi is hit on...good times!
Daewen holds back, lets the group catch up, and finds herself quietly marching right next to Neph.
Last to know and first to be blamed...
As a free action, can I regret my life choices?
Arora takes in the sight of the city... Holoth is a huge unknown and frightening city... Seeing that crystal creature yank a spider leg off and use it as a club was a bit unnerving. Somehow she got a terrible feeling about this place.... a gut wrenching feeling.... couldn't quite place it but she was unsettled about it. Maybe it was just hearing Zhi's voice in her head... maybe it was that crystal creature... regardless, she didn't like it and the quicker they could move on the better. [Let's keep moving and stay close together.... don't need anyone getting lost]
D&D 5E BEYOND: Ada - Sorceress / Isa - Sorceress / Naris - Oathbreaker Paladin
CYBERPUNK RED DISCORD: Isa - Solo 5 / Angel - Solo 5 / Faun - Tech 5 / Raja - Nomad 5
PATHFINDER 2e DISCORD: Crystal - Sorceress
Neph hears Daewen in his head and has to cover his (? her) mouth, chuckling into his hand. He sends back a message in his usual way, "Alright you, no making me laugh right before we speak to some Drow. Let's keep this decent and military!" (he reminds you of The Colonel in a monty python sketch)
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
"Why don't we just ask where we need to go instead of exploring?" Kasha threw out there. "My feet hurt and I haven't eaten anyone as a dino in like, a day!"
Neph shoots back to Kasha "You know how Zhi hates to stop and ask for directions. Seriously, he'll keep marching around and around in circles instead of stopping to ask for directions. He'll say it is beneath him. Right Zhi?"
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
(Mobile)
Doc had been quiet and pensive since slipping into Holoth. Something just didn't seem right about the place. He also didn't like those spider creatures but for a completely different reason (they were utterly terrifying). Blocking out the feelings of his patron that urged him to start instantly burning the place down to the ground, Doc mentally unmuted himself and spoke to the team:
"Everyone, we should assume that we're being watched at all times (even if they still think we're Drow). Before we do anything else, we need to find a hideout or home base where we can be 'relatively' safe. From there, we can plan our next course of action. So, let's pretend like we're shopping here - and a couple of us should actually buy something - to not seem suspicious. Then we find an inn or an abandoned building we can hide in. That work for everyone? Oh and Zhi, I wouldn't use your invisible eye as of yet. I'm worried there are those here like myself who might be able to see it and get suspicious..."
Putting himself back on mute, Doc began to peruse the various stalls in the market. He also asked as casually as possible (in Undercommon) where there were any inns or parts of the city that were to be avoided or abandoned. (If people start to get suspicious with his questions, he'll drop it immediately and change the subject of possible)
(OOC: What kind of stuff is in the market? Also how much money do people have?)
Zoldier’s Curse of the Crimson Throne: DM/ Redii || Zoldier's Strange Aeon's: DM
"Why don't we just ask someone where we're suppose to go?" Kasha offered, not really paying attention when Doc speaks.
(Mobile)
Zhi slooowly turns towards where he imagines the invisible Daewen is (of course, looking towards absolutely nothing) and struggles from openly speaking - choosing to project; Perhaps it is a good thing you cannot normally speak. If someone, as you say, ‘hits on me’, I will take it as a compliment to my own spells. I do admit that I am unsure what I would do in such a situation - I have been fortunate to not have experienced such a thing. Regardless, it is best avoided. Zhi remembers why he doesn’t like this spell - there isn’t a choice to ignore people.
Then again, there wasn’t one with this group, either.
Speaking of - Zhi turns (this time, in the correct direction) to the visible Nephvir and calmly folds his arms. Of course It is beneath me. I expect you all to do the legwork for me, though you have a point - I wouldn’t trust you to accomplish anything anyways, he speaks with his usual, deadpan, neutral, nails-on-chalkboard voice. A pause. That was a joke. Zhi blankly stares towards Doc, who has told him the night before that making jokes was acceptable. Zhi rolls his eyes as he did then.
“The illusion lasts eight hours. This telepathic bond lasts one. I suggest we find a safe place to recover for one hour - i will have more spells as well by then. I will refresh this bond and we will then locate our final destination. Doc - you have made your first logical point of the day. A pause. That was another joke. I will refrain from using any methods of scrying currently. I will support you magically if you are the one conversing with the Drow.
(Ooc: Did Doc get any of the information he was looking for from the market?)
Zoldier’s Curse of the Crimson Throne: DM/ Redii || Zoldier's Strange Aeon's: DM
Basic stuff like what's in the PHB.
What's the play, dudes.
Nephvir walks into the market with the group and looks through the stalls, listening to conversations, listening for mention of locations in the city and looking at what the Drow are buying and selling. He keeps an ear out for mention of any inn or place that we could regroup in the city.
Perception : 23
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.