"She allowed us to go!" Lyla cries out, going for a completely different angle to the one Tess was trying, and taking a punt on who the weird creatures were talking about. "She could have stopped me from going last time, but she didn't. That must have been her declaration of readiness! Why would she do anything to you for following her decision to let us freely pass? Who are you, anyway?"
"One does not know her, which explains why she does not know why she gets to decide." Reports the first to the other, without giving answers to the asked questions. "The other claims she was here before, and that she was let out that time. Which means she went out already. Have you seen her before? But she doesn't know who we are." Reports the second, looking suspiciously at Lyla to determine whether she's lying or not. "Perhaps it was before she brought us here to guard this door? It wasn't that long ago." Offers the first. The second considers it for a brief second but then refutes: "But she told us to let nobody out without her permission. Surely she would have mentioned any exceptions."
The two pause to think, which is a pretty long pause. You get the feeling that, while they're as intelligent as an average person, with careful choice of words, you might actually be able to deceive them.
(You can reply freely, of course, but if you choose to continue trying to deceive them, make a Deception check.)
Tess looks at Lyla to take the lead in the conversation, but in the interest of avoiding violence, will contribute to whatever Lyla is saying-giving her help
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Randal steps forward, cocking his head at the strange creatures and trying to determine if he knows who or what they are from his memory of song and story. History 8.
He quickly decides to back up Layla’s remarks, trying to mimic the emphasis the strange creatures put on their words “Yes, we have been out before. How could we have been, if she had not let us? Are you sure you want to question what she has decided? Who are you anyway? Funny, she has not mentioned you to us.”
Randal does not recall anything. Songs and stories, especially those describing epic heroes, often describe various creatures that everyone knows do not exist. Unicorns, for example. However, such creatures as those blocking the doors were not mentioned in any to the best of Randal's memory.
Meanwhile, the two do start to doubt themselves in the face of Randal's extraordinary ability to deceive. "What do you say?" Asks the first. "If we didn't let them out against her will, she will be mad. If we let them out against her will, she will be mad." "They say she let them out. I think we should let them. She could always find them later, if she wants to." The other answers, hesitantly. The first considers the other's words and eventually, seems to be convinced. "If anything goes wrong, I'll put the blame on you."
The two begin to lose shape, and the dust and rocks that made up their bodies start falling to the ground beneath them, forming a small pile where they stood. Starting from the legs up, the two keep their eyes fixed on you until the very last moment when those, too, crumble and fall to the ground. Eventually, all that stands in front of you are two piles of red sand and small rocks.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Randal steps forward and cautiously nudges the piles of rock and dust with his boot “Well, that was new. I have no idea what those creatures were, or who the she is they were talking about, but I say we leave before any of them return. It reminds me too much of the girl from the painting. Let’s head for the square, with the festival approaching most people should be there.” Randal will move toward the square, and Dromi’s house, keeping his eyes open for any people or signs of danger.
The piles remain inanimate piles despite Randal's provocation. The creatures seemed eager for a fight earlier, so either they're scared enough to avoid confrontation or the piles no longer occupy them. Who knows how such strange creatures operate?
Turning towards the shrines means crossing the stone bridge, where you spot the first normal-looking person in this place, but he's not alone. The man is in his mid-twenties, taller than all three of you and has short, brown hair. He wears a grey robe, and although it has a hood, it is kept down at the moment. He's leaning on the stone railing of the bridge, his mouth moves but the light wind takes the sound away from you. His eyes are fixed on the woman next to him.
Next to him is a translucent girl a bit younger than him, wearing a light-ping dress. Her wavy blond hair is a little longer than shoulder-length, and even though she faces away from you, you all know her well enough to recognise Ireen. The two seem to be happy together, and although you can't quite hear what the man is telling her, Ireen seems to find it funny, letting out a lighthearted, joyful giggle. It might have been a heartwarming scene if it were all normal.
If either of the two noticed any of you, they didn't show any signs to indicate that.
“Is this real? Or another dream? It’s Ireen, but she’s… not all there..”. Tess whispers to the group. She studies her- does Irene look younger than she is now? Or different in another way?
Randal recognizes the pair immediately, but something was off. It was not at all like the last time he saw the both of them together. He hears Tess whisper, but still, he pushes on. Throwing his arms wide, he approaches cautiously, but as he would old friends “Ireen, it is good to see you! And on our bridge. Is everything alright?”He turns to the man “Naran, you are feeling well again?”
Ireen looks just as she was when Tess last saw her. Well, the same except for different clothing and... the translucency.
Randal gets to speak but a single syllable before his voice suddenly fades. Despite moving his mouth and pushing air through his vocal cords, no sound comes out. Moreover, not only he himself is silenced, he realises he hears absolutely nothing, too, despite there being slight wind just a moment ago, the sound of the river beneath them and at this distance, the couple's unintelligible conversation. Everything silenced. Though it might take them a moment later because they didn't try to speak, Tess and Lyla feel the same.
Ireen and the man next to her turn, searching for whatever produced that single syllable. However, despite looking directly at Randal, he feels as if their gazes look past him, and their confused expressions hint that they do not see him. They turn back to each other and resume their conversation. Perhaps they simply imagined hearing something, though it was weird they both imagined it.
"That was close." You hear a female voice in your mind. The voice sounds relieved but also angry. As far as you can tell, Ireen and the man do not hear it, or at least do not react to it. "Too close." Even if you look around and search for the speaker, you see nobody new. "I'm sure you were told not to interfere yet, right? YOU TWO!" If any of you were facing the inn, you may feel like the piles of rocks just moved. "Have I not put you there to guard the entrance? What are you lazing around for? Deal with them at once!"
As if a very convenient coincidence, Ireen and the man start walking away, hand in hand. They seem unbothered, but if any of you try to follow them, each step you take feels heavy and slow. Meanwhile, the piles of sand and rocks begin to form into the same two creatures you deceived before. You have a feeling talking won't get you out of this now.
((Moving while on the stone bridge, trying to cross it, will be difficult terrain. Moving on the bridge to go back towards the inn, however, is normal. The Silence effect is placed so that its centre is 10' beyond Randal, Lyla and Tess standing just at the edge of the effect's area, Randal standing 10' away from them. You do not know why Ireen and the man couldn't see you, but you can see each other, and the two creatures will be able to see you, too. The two creatures are 40' away from Tess and Lyla, and Randal is 10' farther behind them, so 50' away from the creatures.
Because the two creatures are still forming their bodies, the three of you get to act first. We'll be going by group initiative (first you three, then the two enemies, repeat), and the individuals within a group can act in any order between themselves, as well as change the order between rounds.))
(OOC: This seemed a little complicated so I wanted to make a battle map, but... I suck at that. I just hope you can understand, and feel free to ask about anything that's confusing.)
While not especially deep, the voice is deeper than any ten-years old's. It also sounded more mature, despite the commands. Could it be the painting-girl's voice a few years later? Possibly, but not necessarily.
As for Ireen and Naran, they're about 30' away from Randal, so 40' away from Tess and Lyla. They're walking at a comfortable pace, not hurrying anywhere, so they'll walk about 15' per round (and for the sake of things, we'll say this movement happens after everyone else had acted already, if it ever comes to matter).
Randal’s eyes go wide in surprise and his outstretched hands immediately move up to his neck as he realizes no sound is coming out as he attempts to speak. His beautiful voice, gone! He watches Ireen and Naran walk away without even seeing him, let alone hearing him. What is going on?
His confusion only deepens as he hears the voice in his head. They had been caught! Spinning around, he focuses his attention on the stirring piles of rocks and moves 20 feet to place himself in between the piles of rocks and the others. He tries to talk the whole way, straining to get some sort of sound out. “Tess, Lyla. Can you hear me? Watch out. We will likely not be able to talk our way out of this one” Randal draws his rapier and makes ready to defend himself if the creatures attack him or the others.
Tess notices the lack of sound from the river first. She glances around in a panic, and sees Randall is having the same thing happen. Seeing his rapier out, she looks to where the strange creatures were before.
Lyla looks back and forth with some indecision as Ireen and Naran walk off while the piles of rocks begin to reform.
She cringes apologetically, knowing that what she wants to do might not be wise, but she couldn't stand the thought of leaving this strange place as clueless as they were when they arrived. And besides, since when would she let a floating voice tell her what to do?
"I'm sure you two have this covered. Holler if you need he-!"
And with that she dashes back through the silent area.
If I've calculated correctly, movement + dash + cunning action dash (all halved from difficult terrain) should be able to land Lyla right next to Ireen and Naran, with 5ft to spare.
"Hey can either of you see or hear me?" She stands right in front of them, so to keep walking they would have to go through or around her.
The two creatures, fully formed now, start running towards you, arguing on the way. "We've been tricked! We should not have listened to them!" "I told you, there was something off. I blame you, by the way." After saying that, the creature takes to the air, flapping its sandy wings to hover roughly fifteen fight above ground. "First kill them so she doesn't end us. Then you can blame me all you want!" The one who remained on the ground suddenly breaks, halting a few feet away from Randal. "Spray 'em!"
The first creature, in the air, inhales, its stomach ballooning far more than you would assume it could. Though, when it comes to dusty monsters, who knows how the anatomy works? There's little time to ponder this question, however, before the creature exhales. A cloud of dust is blown down on Randal and Tess, tiny particles flying towards them, enveloping them for a moment before dispersing. If this dust gets into one's eyes... well, no different than normal dust, it will hurt a bit, and will probably force one to shut their eyes. (Please make a Dexterity save, DC 10. On a failure, you will be [effect]blinded[/effect] for one minute, or until you pass the save, which you can make again at the end of each of your turns.)
The creature that remained on the ground gives Randal no time to deal with the dust, however, leaping forward immediately after the dust disperses, trying to gash Randal with his claws. The attack is slow, however, and Randal could usually avoid it, but if he is blinded, he will not be able to react in time. (The creature rolled 12 normally, or 13 with an advantage if Randal is blinded. If Randal gets blinded and the attack hits, he takes 3 points of slashing damage.)
(OOC: Huh, I thought I made it impossible, or at least undesirable, to try reaching the pair. Most people will just focus on the problem in front of them. I forgot about Cunning Action though, which gives you enough movement to make it. Lyla does not only defy the floating voice but me as well. Take an inspiration point for that.)
Lyla dashes on the bridge, running at a high speed despite the slowing effect, powering through the resistance by sheer will. She manages to catch up to Naran and Ireen, but the moment she speaks, Ireen's translucent body disappears, as a cloud of fog that got blown away by the wind. Suddenly, Naran notices Lyla right in front of him, and looking dumbfounded, he asks, stuttering a little: "W- who are you? Where is Ireen? I was just... what is happening here?" More than anything, he looks like someone who was abruptly awakened from a good dream.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Tess is able to avert her eyes just in time, and noticing she can hear the creatures, she says, “Oh no you don’t!” She outstretches one of her hands and a ball of blue-white flame shoots forth toward the one that breathed. 8 to hit, 7 damage from fire bolt.
"She allowed us to go!" Lyla cries out, going for a completely different angle to the one Tess was trying, and taking a punt on who the weird creatures were talking about. "She could have stopped me from going last time, but she didn't. That must have been her declaration of readiness! Why would she do anything to you for following her decision to let us freely pass? Who are you, anyway?"
A completed pbp forum game:
Harley Atheonaikie in Frozen Sick
-
Current pbp forum games:
Delilah Rose in Rivulestice
Tragedy Whispers (Previously: A Deep & Creeping Darkness & Waterdeep: Dragon Heist)
"One does not know her, which explains why she does not know why she gets to decide." Reports the first to the other, without giving answers to the asked questions.
"The other claims she was here before, and that she was let out that time. Which means she went out already. Have you seen her before? But she doesn't know who we are." Reports the second, looking suspiciously at Lyla to determine whether she's lying or not.
"Perhaps it was before she brought us here to guard this door? It wasn't that long ago." Offers the first.
The second considers it for a brief second but then refutes: "But she told us to let nobody out without her permission. Surely she would have mentioned any exceptions."
The two pause to think, which is a pretty long pause. You get the feeling that, while they're as intelligent as an average person, with careful choice of words, you might actually be able to deceive them.
(You can reply freely, of course, but if you choose to continue trying to deceive them, make a Deception check.)
Varielky
Tess looks at Lyla to take the lead in the conversation, but in the interest of avoiding violence, will contribute to whatever Lyla is saying-giving her help
Randal steps forward, cocking his head at the strange creatures and trying to determine if he knows who or what they are from his memory of song and story. History 8.
He quickly decides to back up Layla’s remarks, trying to mimic the emphasis the strange creatures put on their words “Yes, we have been out before. How could we have been, if she had not let us? Are you sure you want to question what she has decided? Who are you anyway? Funny, she has not mentioned you to us.”
Deception: 15.
.
Randal does not recall anything. Songs and stories, especially those describing epic heroes, often describe various creatures that everyone knows do not exist. Unicorns, for example. However, such creatures as those blocking the doors were not mentioned in any to the best of Randal's memory.
Meanwhile, the two do start to doubt themselves in the face of Randal's extraordinary ability to deceive. "What do you say?" Asks the first. "If we didn't let them out against her will, she will be mad. If we let them out against her will, she will be mad."
"They say she let them out. I think we should let them. She could always find them later, if she wants to." The other answers, hesitantly.
The first considers the other's words and eventually, seems to be convinced. "If anything goes wrong, I'll put the blame on you."
The two begin to lose shape, and the dust and rocks that made up their bodies start falling to the ground beneath them, forming a small pile where they stood. Starting from the legs up, the two keep their eyes fixed on you until the very last moment when those, too, crumble and fall to the ground. Eventually, all that stands in front of you are two piles of red sand and small rocks.
Varielky
Randal steps forward and cautiously nudges the piles of rock and dust with his boot “Well, that was new. I have no idea what those creatures were, or who the she is they were talking about, but I say we leave before any of them return. It reminds me too much of the girl from the painting. Let’s head for the square, with the festival approaching most people should be there.” Randal will move toward the square, and Dromi’s house, keeping his eyes open for any people or signs of danger.
Perception: 21. (Passive:13).
"Well, um, okay... that worked." Surprised, Lyla simply shrugs at Tess and follows Randal.
"I would guess that the girl from the painting is the she that they were talking about, but it could be someone new."
A completed pbp forum game:
Harley Atheonaikie in Frozen Sick
-
Current pbp forum games:
Delilah Rose in Rivulestice
Tragedy Whispers (Previously: A Deep & Creeping Darkness & Waterdeep: Dragon Heist)
The piles remain inanimate piles despite Randal's provocation. The creatures seemed eager for a fight earlier, so either they're scared enough to avoid confrontation or the piles no longer occupy them. Who knows how such strange creatures operate?
Turning towards the shrines means crossing the stone bridge, where you spot the first normal-looking person in this place, but he's not alone. The man is in his mid-twenties, taller than all three of you and has short, brown hair. He wears a grey robe, and although it has a hood, it is kept down at the moment. He's leaning on the stone railing of the bridge, his mouth moves but the light wind takes the sound away from you. His eyes are fixed on the woman next to him.
Next to him is a translucent girl a bit younger than him, wearing a light-ping dress. Her wavy blond hair is a little longer than shoulder-length, and even though she faces away from you, you all know her well enough to recognise Ireen. The two seem to be happy together, and although you can't quite hear what the man is telling her, Ireen seems to find it funny, letting out a lighthearted, joyful giggle. It might have been a heartwarming scene if it were all normal.
If either of the two noticed any of you, they didn't show any signs to indicate that.
Randal:
Randal can be sure the man is Naran.
Varielky
“Is this real? Or another dream? It’s Ireen, but she’s… not all there..”. Tess whispers to the group. She studies her- does Irene look younger than she is now? Or different in another way?
Randal recognizes the pair immediately, but something was off. It was not at all like the last time he saw the both of them together. He hears Tess whisper, but still, he pushes on. Throwing his arms wide, he approaches cautiously, but as he would old friends “Ireen, it is good to see you! And on our bridge. Is everything alright?” He turns to the man “Naran, you are feeling well again?”
Ireen looks just as she was when Tess last saw her. Well, the same except for different clothing and... the translucency.
Randal gets to speak but a single syllable before his voice suddenly fades. Despite moving his mouth and pushing air through his vocal cords, no sound comes out. Moreover, not only he himself is silenced, he realises he hears absolutely nothing, too, despite there being slight wind just a moment ago, the sound of the river beneath them and at this distance, the couple's unintelligible conversation. Everything silenced. Though it might take them a moment later because they didn't try to speak, Tess and Lyla feel the same.
Ireen and the man next to her turn, searching for whatever produced that single syllable. However, despite looking directly at Randal, he feels as if their gazes look past him, and their confused expressions hint that they do not see him. They turn back to each other and resume their conversation. Perhaps they simply imagined hearing something, though it was weird they both imagined it.
"That was close." You hear a female voice in your mind. The voice sounds relieved but also angry. As far as you can tell, Ireen and the man do not hear it, or at least do not react to it. "Too close." Even if you look around and search for the speaker, you see nobody new. "I'm sure you were told not to interfere yet, right? YOU TWO!" If any of you were facing the inn, you may feel like the piles of rocks just moved. "Have I not put you there to guard the entrance? What are you lazing around for? Deal with them at once!"
As if a very convenient coincidence, Ireen and the man start walking away, hand in hand. They seem unbothered, but if any of you try to follow them, each step you take feels heavy and slow. Meanwhile, the piles of sand and rocks begin to form into the same two creatures you deceived before. You have a feeling talking won't get you out of this now.
((Moving while on the stone bridge, trying to cross it, will be difficult terrain. Moving on the bridge to go back towards the inn, however, is normal. The Silence effect is placed so that its centre is 10' beyond Randal, Lyla and Tess standing just at the edge of the effect's area, Randal standing 10' away from them. You do not know why Ireen and the man couldn't see you, but you can see each other, and the two creatures will be able to see you, too. The two creatures are 40' away from Tess and Lyla, and Randal is 10' farther behind them, so 50' away from the creatures.
Because the two creatures are still forming their bodies, the three of you get to act first. We'll be going by group initiative (first you three, then the two enemies, repeat), and the individuals within a group can act in any order between themselves, as well as change the order between rounds.))
(OOC: This seemed a little complicated so I wanted to make a battle map, but... I suck at that. I just hope you can understand, and feel free to ask about anything that's confusing.)
Varielky
Do any of us recognise the voice? In particular, does it sound anything like the girl in the painting?
And how far away have the people (presumably Ireen and Naran) gotten?
A completed pbp forum game:
Harley Atheonaikie in Frozen Sick
-
Current pbp forum games:
Delilah Rose in Rivulestice
Tragedy Whispers (Previously: A Deep & Creeping Darkness & Waterdeep: Dragon Heist)
While not especially deep, the voice is deeper than any ten-years old's. It also sounded more mature, despite the commands. Could it be the painting-girl's voice a few years later? Possibly, but not necessarily.
As for Ireen and Naran, they're about 30' away from Randal, so 40' away from Tess and Lyla. They're walking at a comfortable pace, not hurrying anywhere, so they'll walk about 15' per round (and for the sake of things, we'll say this movement happens after everyone else had acted already, if it ever comes to matter).
Varielky
Randal’s eyes go wide in surprise and his outstretched hands immediately move up to his neck as he realizes no sound is coming out as he attempts to speak. His beautiful voice, gone! He watches Ireen and Naran walk away without even seeing him, let alone hearing him. What is going on?
His confusion only deepens as he hears the voice in his head. They had been caught! Spinning around, he focuses his attention on the stirring piles of rocks and moves 20 feet to place himself in between the piles of rocks and the others. He tries to talk the whole way, straining to get some sort of sound out. “Tess, Lyla. Can you hear me? Watch out. We will likely not be able to talk our way out of this one” Randal draws his rapier and makes ready to defend himself if the creatures attack him or the others.
Tess notices the lack of sound from the river first. She glances around in a panic, and sees Randall is having the same thing happen. Seeing his rapier out, she looks to where the strange creatures were before.
Lyla looks back and forth with some indecision as Ireen and Naran walk off while the piles of rocks begin to reform.
She cringes apologetically, knowing that what she wants to do might not be wise, but she couldn't stand the thought of leaving this strange place as clueless as they were when they arrived. And besides, since when would she let a floating voice tell her what to do?
"I'm sure you two have this covered. Holler if you need he-!"
And with that she dashes back through the silent area.
If I've calculated correctly, movement + dash + cunning action dash (all halved from difficult terrain) should be able to land Lyla right next to Ireen and Naran, with 5ft to spare.
"Hey can either of you see or hear me?" She stands right in front of them, so to keep walking they would have to go through or around her.
A completed pbp forum game:
Harley Atheonaikie in Frozen Sick
-
Current pbp forum games:
Delilah Rose in Rivulestice
Tragedy Whispers (Previously: A Deep & Creeping Darkness & Waterdeep: Dragon Heist)
The two creatures, fully formed now, start running towards you, arguing on the way. "We've been tricked! We should not have listened to them!"
"I told you, there was something off. I blame you, by the way." After saying that, the creature takes to the air, flapping its sandy wings to hover roughly fifteen fight above ground.
"First kill them so she doesn't end us. Then you can blame me all you want!" The one who remained on the ground suddenly breaks, halting a few feet away from Randal. "Spray 'em!"
The first creature, in the air, inhales, its stomach ballooning far more than you would assume it could. Though, when it comes to dusty monsters, who knows how the anatomy works? There's little time to ponder this question, however, before the creature exhales. A cloud of dust is blown down on Randal and Tess, tiny particles flying towards them, enveloping them for a moment before dispersing. If this dust gets into one's eyes... well, no different than normal dust, it will hurt a bit, and will probably force one to shut their eyes.
(Please make a Dexterity save, DC 10. On a failure, you will be [effect]blinded[/effect] for one minute, or until you pass the save, which you can make again at the end of each of your turns.)
The creature that remained on the ground gives Randal no time to deal with the dust, however, leaping forward immediately after the dust disperses, trying to gash Randal with his claws. The attack is slow, however, and Randal could usually avoid it, but if he is blinded, he will not be able to react in time.
(The creature rolled 12 normally, or 13 with an advantage if Randal is blinded. If Randal gets blinded and the attack hits, he takes 3 points of slashing damage.)
(OOC: Huh, I thought I made it impossible, or at least undesirable, to try reaching the pair. Most people will just focus on the problem in front of them. I forgot about Cunning Action though, which gives you enough movement to make it. Lyla does not only defy the floating voice but me as well. Take an inspiration point for that.)
Lyla dashes on the bridge, running at a high speed despite the slowing effect, powering through the resistance by sheer will. She manages to catch up to Naran and Ireen, but the moment she speaks, Ireen's translucent body disappears, as a cloud of fog that got blown away by the wind. Suddenly, Naran notices Lyla right in front of him, and looking dumbfounded, he asks, stuttering a little: "W- who are you? Where is Ireen? I was just... what is happening here?" More than anything, he looks like someone who was abruptly awakened from a good dream.
Party's turn again.
Varielky
12 Dex save for Tess. (Forgot to roll here)
Tess is able to avert her eyes just in time, and noticing she can hear the creatures, she says, “Oh no you don’t!” She outstretches one of her hands and a ball of blue-white flame shoots forth toward the one that breathed. 8 to hit, 7 damage from fire bolt.
“Stab him Randall!” She yells.
Randal Dex save: 21.
.