Snow turns back to see the tortoise spinning in place where he had been prior to his fey walk. He curses softly under his breath, his eyes still wide with wonder at what he had been able to do.
“No it appears it did not work. Perhaps it is now time…”, he starts to say as Varielky calls over that time has run out.
His mind thinking fast, he speaks some quick words in Elvish and reaches out his hand, summoning the invisible hand next to the tortoise, and then runs across to stand beside Strewn and just behind Auger.
Seeing Varielky attempt to push the troll down the stairs, he reaches out with his mind to send a psychic shove against it’s upper body, hoping to further unbalance it.
Bonus Action: Telekinetic Shove the Troll, DC16 Str save or moved 5ft to possibly fall down the stairs.
Reaction:
Against the trolls ability check to avoid falling or it’s attack against Varielky, he will use Cutting Words. Cutting Words: 5+2=7 “Your losing your balance you too heavy brute. Have a nice trip!”
The troll’s bristling muscles seem to shrivel when the creature is struck by Auger’s Hex spell. Varielky’s sword blows connect, leaving dark gashes. She knocks the creature prone as Snow’s telekinesis pushes it back 5’ down the stairs. Granophyre casts bless once again, affecting Auger, Varielky and Snow in coming rounds.
The Troll reaches out an enormous claw, grasping the stairway’s central pillar, and uses it to right itself and pull forward once again. It rushes at Varielky, claws raking across her shield like swords, throwing sparks, but not connecting. It grabs Varielky’s sword arm, lifts her off the ground (RP), opens its sharp-toothed maw and clamps down on the shield-maiden’s shoulder, but is unable to draw blood or maintain its grip. Varielky then sees the creature’s fresh wounds, which she just inflicted, begin to heal before her eyes.
Snow nods at Strewn as he feels the effect of the blessing, and then calls out to Varielky.
“You’ve got this, it may big bigger in stature but you are a force to be reckoned with!”, his words laced with inspiration.
He then runs back towards the window, using his invisible hand to scoop up the tortoise and carry it to the window as well.
Concentration: Polymorph, Approx 1 hour. Movement: 30ft to T2. Bonus Action: Bardic Inspiration for Varielky (1d8) Action: Use Mage Hand to pick up tortoise and move it to U1. Reaction:
If anyone attacks him that he can see or makes an ability check to his detriment he will use Cutting Words. Cutting Words: 2+2=4 “The gods have weighed your actions and judged you unworthy, you are cursed”
(OOC: Have looked up the weight of tortoises and they can vary between 1 and 100lbs. Snow’s intention was to turn it into something of the least threat, so I have assumed it is small and therefore under the 10lbs limit of Mage Hand. Let me know if that is not acceptable)
Seeing Snow begin moving the tortoise Auger concentrates on the Troll and attempts to apply assistance for Varielky. He steps back to the stairwell and draws forth one of the Yemma's Bolts and sends it at the Troll which hits and lights it up with radiant energies. He then fires a pair of his twisting blasts, attempting to push it back and down the tight stairs. With Varielky in the way and the thing appearing unsteady on the stairs, Auger is unsure whether the blasts hit or not, one almost certainly connects and pushes it but Auger cannot tell if it has the effect of sending the Troll backward or not. Auger then steps back into the hallway and checks on Snow.
Note: @DandD, given the tight fight and blocked views I am unsure if I should be rolling with disadvantage or anything. I just gave you the straight rolls so you can resolve any special cases.
Bonus Action: Yemma's Bolt. Roll = 26 for 5 points of radiant damage + 5 more points of necrotic damage. Attacking the troll is now done so with advantage through the end of Auger's next turn.
Action: Cast Eldritch Blast with 10' of pushing on a hit.
Beam 1: Rolls = 16 and 13. 13 points of force damage +1 necrotic damage.
Beam 2: Rolls = 21 and 23. 7 force damage +4 necrotic damage.
Varielky continues to hack at the troll, chasing after it downstairs if needed. "It's regenrating! Does anyone know how to stop that?" It may be strange to keep slashing at the troll after discovering this trait, but Varielky doesn't really know what to do, and hopes she might just be able to cut the troll faster than it can regenerate.
Her first strike is a sideways slash. However, unsure about its effectiveness, Varielky attempt to drive the sword into the troll's body with a thrusting manoeuvre, which works better than expected. The sword slides in almost as if cutting butter, and Varielky pulls the blooded blade out. Not waiting to see if the wound will close, Varielky once again tries to shove the troll down the stairs. However, she fails to muster enough strength, and the shove comes out very weak.
Move: If needed, after Auger's blasts, to reach the troll.
Snow picks up his polymorphed foe with his magic hand and transports it to the broken window, outside of which the storm continues to blow, splashing rain upon the bard as his boots crunch on broken glass; and spraying the tortoise, its moistening legs helplessly and slowly churning the air.
Auger’s diadem’s guiding bolt, firing into the melee at the troll, rolls with disadvantage, but its aim is true regardless (OOC: I rolled a 27). It and Auger’s two blasts send the troll crashing back down the stairs and around the central pillar, out of view.
Varielky follows it down, slicing and stabbing it to within an inch of its life. The troll only manages to parry her shieldbash with its razor sharp claws before it falls out of the stairwell and into the great hall.
Granophyre leaps after Varielky downstairs, pinching powdered iron from a compartment in his ring, then with an incantation, flinging it at the troll, and magically lighting it aflame.
“Fire!,” the sage pants, “Fire will keep it from regaining its strength,” and as his ball of flame burns into the troll, while Varielky attacks, the huge creature falls dead from the combined assault, unable to heal. There is little time to savor the victory however .
“Did someone say… fire?,” the Lady Izzebudgin’s voice asks from across the room, though neither Varielky nor Granophyre see her. The location of her now-invisible form is only apparent from the sound of her voice. That, and the surging ball of magical flame which crackles between her ethereal hands and then launches to explode between the sage and the shield-maiden.
Both take 48 HP fire damage, or half with a successful Dex 18 saving throw. “Varielky! Your shield!,” shouts Granophyre, giving her +5 to the roll, while he suffers the full fury of the attack.
Auger feels scorching hot air blast out of the stairwell from below.
Auger hears Granophyre speaking of fire from down the stairs as the best means to fight the troll and then hears an effect he can only believe must be the old Dwarf releasing some fire force to deal with the Troll. Good for him and his strange devices, Auger thinks. Auger relaxes, believing Strewn and Varielky would have the problem well in hand and turns his attention to Snow at the window to see how he would deal with the -- at this point, from his position, 10' away from the open stairway door, Auger feels the intense heat of scorching hot air coming from it. What could that have been? Then Auger feels it, the sense of ability and possibility that had momentarily filled him. It was gone. That could not be good. To Snow, Auger relays what he just felt and adds, "This does not feel right, I am going to check on them."
Auger moves down the stairs, hoping to see what has happened.
Snow braces himself against the assault of rain coming through the broken window and looks outside, making a motion with one hand as if pushing something upwards. As he does so his invisible hand ascends through the window and up into the air 30 feet, going at a slight angle away from the dacha building. All that can really be seen is the tortoise flying outside and up.
He listens to Auger as he does so. He couldn't deny that he felt the loss of the blessing as well, something was definitely happening in the stair well. "Yes I felt the loss as well. Call me if I am needed".
Action: Move Mage Hand out the window and up into the air at a slight angle away from the building. Movement: None Bonus Action: None Reaction:
If anyone attacks him that he can see or makes an ability check to his detriment he will use Cutting Words. Cutting Words: 5+2=7 “The gods have weighed your actions and judged you unworthy, you are cursed”
The smell is of burnt rubber as Auger rushes down the steps to reach Y2. Granophyre is standing, though his clay-brown face is soot-blackened and his red robe, smoking, while two crushed goblin bodies at the base of the stairs are charred and lightly smoking as well and the walls and door blackened and giving off heat. The body of the troll is baked and blackened and is the source of the smell. Auger had to dash to reach his position.
The tortoise is now 60’ above ground, barely visible in the gusting rain and darkness, strugglingvhrlplessly atop Snow’s mage hand.
Auger joins Varielky and Granophyre.
Varielky (OOC: I am filling in for @Firecat. DEX save: natural 1. But with advantage due to spellguard shield and +5 with Granophyre’s flash of genius, 24. She takes ½ damage ) shouts, “Only a coward hides behind smoke and mirrors! Show yourself and fight with honour!,” and, reeling from the assault, advances toward the spot from which the fireball originated (to W9), dodging and cartwheeling her shield in the hope of connecting with her invisible opponent (RP).
Snow focusses on the tortoise as it rises into the air, pushing it further and further upwards with his invisible hand, concentrating hard on keeping his grasp on the creature. He makes sure he positions the tortoise carefully based on the wind direction, to ensure if or when it falls it's trajectory to the floor is not interrupted.
As the distance his invisible hand has travelled reaches the limit of his capability, his thoughts turn once more to Varielky's comment about him being an assassin. Or thinking like an assassin at least. Is that what he is doing now? Is what he is about to do right and just? Does he have a choice if he wants to live, and wants his friends to live? What would be the impact on the world of letting this person live to fulfil his nefarious scheme?
"Idiwala forgive me", he whispers as he commands the invisible hand to drop the tortoise. He wanted so much to turn away, but he had to own his actions. Had to see the results of his choice. He watches as the tortoise starts to fall.
Action: Move Mage Hand out the window and up into the air another 30 feet at a slight angle away from the building. Ending 60 feet away from him, the limit of his Mage Hand (enhanced by the telekinetic feat) Movement: None Bonus Action: If he feels the need to give a telekinetic shove to the tortoise to keep it on the path to hit the floor he will. Reaction:
If anyone attacks him that he can see or makes an ability check to his detriment he will use Cutting Words. Cutting Words: 4+2=6 “The gods have weighed your actions and judged you unworthy, you are cursed”
Auger enters the room behind Varielky but, seeing no obvious target, he seeks cover behind a pillar. He does attempt to move in a fashion where he will not draw attention to himself but his foot is momentarily caught in the crispy hand of the Troll, and briefly thinking it still alive, Auger lets out the yip of a small animal before recovering himself and moving to where he wants.
The tortoise drops. Gusting breezes buffet it as it falls seven stories down to the muddy ground a few feet from the castle wall, and Snow must crane his neck outside to keep the reptile in view. The instant the creature hits the ground, it bursts, then transforms back into the muscular Jlasi Lord, flat on his back, intact, but smashed several inches deep into the mud, blood spraying along with water and wet soil where rocks lie shallow underground. The Shian remains there, motionless, beside his glaive, which likewise reappears beside him, slapping out across the rocky mud. A long moment passes.
Suddenly, the Seneschal’s eyes open and find Snow’s. His hand lashes out to his glaive and, as the rain pours down, he teleports, reappearing directly beside the bard, in the bedroom beside the window, glaive in hand. The warrior roars in indignation, “Idiwala cannot help you now, Minstrel!,” as blood from his wounds mixes with the drenching rain to trace patterns down his neck, chest, and arms while his glaive flashes up and down, tearing into Snow gruesomely. (1st attack: 24-6=18 to hit (after Cutting Words) for 18HP damage, 2nd attack: 25 to hit for 17HP damage.)
Downstairs, in the great hall, (I am botting for @Firecat) Varielky cannot suss out the Lady Izzebudjin’s location either by slashing with Dreygaard or with her shield where she last saw the sorceress.
Granophyre flings his iron dust into the room, which glitters, filling the air and threatening to show Izzebudjin’s location with faerie fire; but the Jlasi Lady snuffs out the spell as she did Auger’s earlier, and remains undetected as the sage’s dust falls to the ground, inert.
“You should have accommodated yourselves as guests, travelers. You could have left in the morning after helping yourselves to the pantry,” she says, her voice -- and another ball of flame -- originating from the edge of the dais (Z10). The fireball engulfs Auger and Granophyre, causing 35HP damage or ½ that with a successful DEX 18 saving throw. Granophyre has a Flash of Genius and ducks into the stairwell, avoiding the worst of the blast, but is still sorely wounded, and in its aftermath coughs hoarsely, his lungs so burnt he can barely breathe.
Auger and Varielky think they see Granophyre’s iron dust whirling up and clinging to invisible feet at Y5 — not magically, but purely as a result of the movement of the Lady, who remains invisible.
From his position at the pillar Auger cannot avoid the blast and falls to the ground, unable to breath.
Details
Dex save: Roll with advantage: 11. Fail. Auger down.
Note: I rolled a CHA saving throw initially thinking I could apply Strength of the Grave, which it turns out would have been DC40. So even the Crit save does nothing.
Death saving throw: 7 = one failure
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
DM of RotFM | AUGER the Warlock (Archfey & the Chain) / Shadow Sorcerer in Age of Resurgence | Rahui & Javier in Sea of Memory
Snow stands stock still for a moment, his eyes widening as they meet those of the Seneschal, and then he crumples to the ground mortally wounded by the blows.
Snow crumples to the floor. Tazzelayt, breathing heavily, pauses a moment, then calmly picks up the bard by his collar and throws him contemptuously out the window to land with a crunch in the rain and mud thirty feet below, Snow's Saraswati violin splashing down beside him, rain pelting his face before he blacks out.
Meanwhile, Varielky roars, and leaps to attack Lady Izzebudjin at Y5, her red-steel blade a blur, striking twice (27 for 11HP damage, and 20, for 12HP damage) and connecting too with her shield to knock down her still-invisible foe. Granophyre moves to W3, and, following Varielky’s lead, opens his pouch, and in answer to an arcane phrase he utters, a glowing green dart shoots from the pouch toward Y5, hitting the Lady for 6HP and poisoning her. These attacks are enough to end her spell, and she blinks into view in her bloodied and torn silken kimono, her hip and back gashed open by Varielky, her complexion growing feverish from Granophyre’s dart.
The old sage looks to Varielky hopefully. But the Lady Izzebudjin, fully visible and within striking range of Dreygaard, calmly stands again, fearlessly, arms spread wide, palms up.
“Goodbye, travelers,” she says, magical light crackling in her eyes as she opens her mouth wide and through her perfect lips fly a long swarm of stinging locusts, which surround Granophyre and Varielky, beating them with their wings and biting, causing 43HP damage (or ½ with a CON 18 saving throw), until, in a few moments, both of the heroes are overwhelmed and fall to the stone cold floor beside Auger.
The last thing Varielky and Auger see is the Lady daintily touching each of you with her toe to ensure you’ll give her no more trouble as the Lord Seneschal arrives at her side to look at you with cold, glazed eyes and the world goes black.
+++++
Time passes, and you dream, each of you aching for peaceful rest, but pulled away from it by your questing search for… something. (OOC: Although I usually ask for no dream sequences, now is the time to elaborate on this theme, if you wish.)
As had happened once before, thoughts come to Snow unbidden lasting but a brief moment, then disappear as smoke in the wind. Time doesn't seem to matter in this state between life and death.
One moment he is back at The Tree as a young child, watching his Father excitedly mumbling about the Old Mystics, the next he was being expelled from his own school there.
Time moves again and he is in a tavern in Pomeroy, drinking when he should have been studying, raising ale after ale to a bard singing there, telling stories of the very subjects he was struggling to comprehend.
Time skips again, backwards this time as he watches his father leave, he is excited again, optimistic. He has a large backpack that he is loading onto a carriage, and then he is gone, never to be seen again.
Now he is at his graduation, his Elven mother sitting proudly in the audience, his Human father absent. A tainted feeling of triumph hitting him.
And then he is in the library at The Tree, the images swirling in his mind, the Flute, the Spellbook, a tower on an island in the middle of the sea and finally the beautiful mountain valley beyond the desert.
He is flying above the mountain valley, following the river until he comes to a house, a Dacha. A storm is raging there and a goblin army pours out the house and across the Vale of Deshar. Suddenly a fire starts to spread out from the Dacha, spreading through the army and engulfing it. The silhouette's of a tall man carrying a glaive and a slender woman can be seen against the light of the fire.
His vision shifts and he sees a man with a backpack much like his father's, walking down the path away from the Dacha. The man turns and looks back at him, signalling for him to follow.
His father’s voice echoes in his mind, your journey is not yet done.
(Ah, I feel like a great opportunity was missed. Varielky could have taken 0 damage from the fireball, thanks to her Shield Master feat. I think she had 34 HP before, right? Then, if she'd passed the CON save, which she might have not, but I cannot see what you rolled (you rolled a STR save, maybe that is it) she would actually still be standing... just barely. Though, as powerful as the duo are, it might not have been enough to make any change. Oh well.)
Varielky stands on a cliff. A slight breeze blows for a moment, causing Varielky's hair to wave, but after that brief moment, the air stands still, and Varielky's hair falls back on her back. A few strands fall forward, slightly obscuring Varielky's view. She moves them back, tucking them behind her ears. She cannot let anything disturb her in what she's about to do.
A fine golden cord is connected to the cliff, emerging right out of the ground. From there, it ascends at an angle not too steep, until it disappears between the clouds. The cord, connecting earth to the heavens, is taut and strong. Nothing could move it, shake it; nothing could ever break it. The cord is so fine it is hard to see. Varielky must keep her eyes fixed on it because if she loses focus for but a brief moment, it is hard to find again.
Varielky places her leg on the cord. It is, as expected, stable and fully capable of supporting her weight. However, she is barefooted, and the fine cord cuts through the skin of her feet, into the flesh, and the blood stains the golden cord red. It is painful, but nobody ever said it will be an easy road. She stands still for a moment, hesitating, but an encouraging hand suddenly rests on her shoulder. She turns back to see who it is, but all she finds is a red-steel sword and a shield. Varielky takes them both and places a second leg on the cord. Now, she has left the ground, beginning her long journey upwards.
It is hard to keep one's balance on the cord. Though it doesn't move, there is no room for mistake. A foot slightly misplaced sideways would cause her to lose balance and fall. And now, having left the comfortable ground of the cliff, there is no doubt. From this height, she'd even have time to think before hitting whatever is below, so far that it is impossibly to see. Varielky does not want to find out what's down at the end.
Varielky walks slowly. She wants to run forward, reach the end already, but in fear of falling, walks slowly, carefully. For a long time, she walks one step at a time. It is a lonely cord to walk, and the sword and shield she carries with her don't offer much comfort, other than being a reminder of the earth she once walked. She sees people at the sides of her field of view, but in fear of losing sight of the cord, she cannot turn to meet them. All of them, walking their own paths. Some on stone bridges, some on narrow staircases. Some climb ladders, and a select number on similar fine cords. Those paths, however, do not all head to the same place. Some cross hers, others are parallel for a while, before suddenly turning away. Some go up, some go down.
Something attacks Varielky; she notices the movement just barely. Instinctively, she raises her shield. Was it another person whose path came close enough to hers? Was it nothing more than a bird who happened to fly her way? Varielky can't tell. Whatever it was, it is out of sight, and she cannot search for it. It no longer attacks, though.
Varielky continues to walk. Suddenly, a path draws near hers. Wider than hers. Yet, to her, it seems flimsy. Or, rather, it seems uncertain. A stone bridge, but filled with gaps one must skip over to continue walking. One that is hard to follow, one that does not seem to lead to a defined destination. Suddenly, the paths converge. They complete each other. Varielky's path offers the certainty of a continuous path, leading to a known spot in the distance. The other path, offers the feeling of safety at the moment, of confidence. And, for Varielky, a respite from the fine cord that slowly cuts through her legs. Not that she ceases to walk it, but now the rest of her foot rests upon the stone, supporting her weight instead.
However, Varielky does not see the one walking the other path. She feels they're there, slightly behind her. If she'd just turn, she'll see them, but she'll also lose sight of the cord. Again, something comes to attack her, from the right side. Varielky must turn her body, even while keeping her eyes on the cord, to block it with her shield that's in her left hand. She manages to do that, but as she does, she accidentally slaps whoever was behind her, whom she could not yet see. She expects to be hit back, but instead, she feels arms wrapping her from behind, and a familiar yet distant voice whispers: "You're an ******* sister for slapping me, bruiser."
The two continue to walk together for a long while. Something keeps attacking them, but Varielky can't see what it is. The blows are light at first, but they get stronger and stronger. Had she not walked along the stone bridge, she surely would have lost her balance by now, but the hands that hold her from behind, occasionally leaving her to protect her back, remain assuring. Until, one time, after leaving Varielky, the hands don't return, and the pain returns to Varielky's feet. It is not another gap in the stone bridge as they crossed so many times, because she cannot see the bridge anymore. The paths diverged.
Worse yet, the attacks only continue to get more powerful, and with tears in her eyes, Varielky has a hard time blocking them all. On her body, only covered by a bed's sheet, every hit draws blood, which flows down her body in rivulets. The golden-red cord soaks up the blood, but Varielky's feet are now slippery, her vision blurry, and her entire body is in pain. She will not last much longer on the cord if everything continues as it does. Varielky draws her sword and swings around, but without seeing her opponent, only air she cuts. And now, this causes her to finally lose balance.
Teetering on the rope for a moment, Varielky tries to regain her balance, but her body only weakens from the loss of blood, the attacks only get more frequent and more powerful, and the tears in her eyes now fully obscure her sight. Now that she can no longer see the cord, she can feel herself beginning to fall. Will someone catch her before she does? Will she be able to grab onto the cord if she reaches upwards to grab it with nothing more than the belief that it is still there? Or is she going to find out what it feels like to fall?
Varielky opens her eyes, sweating, her heart racing. A dream. Just a dream. And yet, was anything ever truly just a dream? Is she losing her path, despite the conviction with which preached to the captain?
Again and again he reaches into the Sea of Stars. The Stars reach back.
- -
He feels Py shaking its head. Another orc falls. Murder. Deyranne is there, his wife. How long had it been? The Lizardmen attack. All is lost. Faturtensh mixes the cards. "These are the cards which wish to speak today," she says. Auger looks down a the cards but they explode in fire before he can see them. Auger cannot breath. The gazebo. The disc train. The ship. The intense walk. Only Py is there. Undead in the night. No one trusts him. Brenneth laughs. Ednyss walks in a moon's light. Strewn's quest. Does it still matter?
- - -
The Stars reach back.
- - -
Auger floats in the cosmos, observing. Power resides. The power reaches out. A star collides into another. They both explode. Blinding! Something flashes by. Auger follows. It is a stone. It came from one of the stars. Or both. Or was crushed between them. Auger follows. The stone approaches a planet. It is falling. It leaves a trail. It burns. Auger cannot breath. Auger loses track of the star's stone. He looks up. A cube floats up and up. Auger is falling. The cube arrives in the hand of something immense. Auger is falling. His robe comes to life. Its symbols light up. Auger is floating downward. Auger is flying. Towards the mountain.
- - - - -
The Stars hold him in place.
- - - - - - - - -
The gazebo. The disc train. The oasis. Brenneth laughing. The little girl in chains. She cannot speak. She looks at the Diadem. She shakes her head. The Queen makes her judgement. The Goblins swarm them. The Lady watches. The Goblins burned. Auger smiles. Satisfied. Murderer. Auger longs for home. The Lady speaks. Auger continues. Auger sees the mountain. There is an airship. The gazebo. The disc train. The ship. The carriage. On foot. Sliding on the sands. Auger pukes over the side of the boat. Did that happen?
- -
The Stars... are they stars? The Stars let him go. Brenneth laughs. Auger shores up a plank on the boat.
- - - - - - - - -
Now this is the right kind of work.
- - - - - -
The world fades. Just let me finish this plank he thinks.
- - -
To darkness.
-
Auger dies.
(( ((||((( ( ((||((
(( ( ((((||\(((( ((||/((^(( (((((
(((((/\||^^(((((
^(((\\||//(^
((
- -
))
- - - -
Water. Water dripping. Water flowing. Always with water. Auger can breath. He breaths. In and out. Auger breaths.
You feel warmer. Sunlight is kissing your face. The air smells clear and crisp, pine needles crunch under the wheels of the wagon in which you find yourself jostled to consciousness. You hear voices from the people sitting in the driver’s bucket, backs to you, long, thoughtful pauses between each phrase.
“It’s a sorry day.”
“It is that.”
“I had hopes.”
“Me too.”
You fall unconscious again. Time passes.
Now you awaken in earnest. Clear sky above, the sun past its peak. You are wearing your boots, trousers and shirt but nothing else. You’re covered in your own dried blood from the wounds you suffered in Abziri Castle. You’re no longer in the castle, or in the wagon that shook you momentarily awake before; you’re in a crater, perhaps 100’ across, steep edges curving down to a flat bottom, in which is inscribed a perfect circle and the sigil for elemental earth. You fell in and rolled or slid down into the central circle, your bruised body landed across the inscribed lines, atop finely crushed bones, and the tumble pulled you achingly awake.
Craning your neck, you see your compatriots, who have suffered the same fate as you, having likewise rolled into the crater’s center; and you spy two humans standing gloomily at the edge of the precipice, whom you recognize as Ayyur and Jabu Isgaden, the elderly head-of-house and chief valet of Abziri Castle.
“Look! They’re moving! They’re alive!!,” coughs Jabu in a strident tenor, pointing at you from the crater’s edge while Ayyur, wide-eyed, sights down his arm in disbelief.
You’re not the only ones moving. There is a large boulder in the center of the circle very near you, and several other boulders positioned around the circle. The central boulder, defying inertia, is beginning to roll in a slow, tight circle, just a foot in circumference, of its own accord. It crunches audibly over the bones near it.
Snow turns back to see the tortoise spinning in place where he had been prior to his fey walk. He curses softly under his breath, his eyes still wide with wonder at what he had been able to do.
“No it appears it did not work. Perhaps it is now time…”, he starts to say as Varielky calls over that time has run out.
His mind thinking fast, he speaks some quick words in Elvish and reaches out his hand, summoning the invisible hand next to the tortoise, and then runs across to stand beside Strewn and just behind Auger.
Seeing Varielky attempt to push the troll down the stairs, he reaches out with his mind to send a psychic shove against it’s upper body, hoping to further unbalance it.
Concentration: Polymorph, Approx 1 hour.
Movement: 30ft to P6.
Action: Cast Mage Hand
Bonus Action: Telekinetic Shove the Troll, DC16 Str save or moved 5ft to possibly fall down the stairs.
Reaction:
Against the trolls ability check to avoid falling or it’s attack against Varielky, he will use Cutting Words.
Cutting Words: 5+2=7
“Your losing your balance you too heavy brute. Have a nice trip!”
Round 1 results
The troll’s bristling muscles seem to shrivel when the creature is struck by Auger’s Hex spell. Varielky’s sword blows connect, leaving dark gashes. She knocks the creature prone as Snow’s telekinesis pushes it back 5’ down the stairs. Granophyre casts bless once again, affecting Auger, Varielky and Snow in coming rounds.
The Troll reaches out an enormous claw, grasping the stairway’s central pillar, and uses it to right itself and pull forward once again. It rushes at Varielky, claws raking across her shield like swords, throwing sparks, but not connecting. It grabs Varielky’s sword arm, lifts her off the ground (RP), opens its sharp-toothed maw and clamps down on the shield-maiden’s shoulder, but is unable to draw blood or maintain its grip. Varielky then sees the creature’s fresh wounds, which she just inflicted, begin to heal before her eyes.
You are now situated like so. Please state round 2 actions.
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
Snow nods at Strewn as he feels the effect of the blessing, and then calls out to Varielky.
“You’ve got this, it may big bigger in stature but you are a force to be reckoned with!”, his words laced with inspiration.
He then runs back towards the window, using his invisible hand to scoop up the tortoise and carry it to the window as well.
Concentration: Polymorph, Approx 1 hour.
Movement: 30ft to T2.
Bonus Action: Bardic Inspiration for Varielky (1d8)
Action: Use Mage Hand to pick up tortoise and move it to U1.
Reaction:
If anyone attacks him that he can see or makes an ability check to his detriment he will use Cutting Words.
Cutting Words: 2+2=4
“The gods have weighed your actions and judged you unworthy, you are cursed”
(OOC: Have looked up the weight of tortoises and they can vary between 1 and 100lbs. Snow’s intention was to turn it into something of the least threat, so I have assumed it is small and therefore under the 10lbs limit of Mage Hand. Let me know if that is not acceptable)
Seeing Snow begin moving the tortoise Auger concentrates on the Troll and attempts to apply assistance for Varielky. He steps back to the stairwell and draws forth one of the Yemma's Bolts and sends it at the Troll which hits and lights it up with radiant energies. He then fires a pair of his twisting blasts, attempting to push it back and down the tight stairs. With Varielky in the way and the thing appearing unsteady on the stairs, Auger is unsure whether the blasts hit or not, one almost certainly connects and pushes it but Auger cannot tell if it has the effect of sending the Troll backward or not. Auger then steps back into the hallway and checks on Snow.
Details
DM of RotFM | AUGER the Warlock (Archfey & the Chain) / Shadow Sorcerer in Age of Resurgence | Rahui & Javier in Sea of Memory
Varielky continues to hack at the troll, chasing after it downstairs if needed. "It's regenrating! Does anyone know how to stop that?" It may be strange to keep slashing at the troll after discovering this trait, but Varielky doesn't really know what to do, and hopes she might just be able to cut the troll faster than it can regenerate.
Her first strike is a sideways slash. However, unsure about its effectiveness, Varielky attempt to drive the sword into the troll's body with a thrusting manoeuvre, which works better than expected. The sword slides in almost as if cutting butter, and Varielky pulls the blooded blade out. Not waiting to see if the wound will close, Varielky once again tries to shove the troll down the stairs. However, she fails to muster enough strength, and the shove comes out very weak.
Move: If needed, after Auger's blasts, to reach the troll.
Action: Attack.
Attack #1: 2+(3, 6 - advantage)+10=18. Damage: 8+9=17.
Attack #2: 2+(20, 1 - advantage. Crit! Luckily not a crit fail)+10=32. Damage: 5+3+9=17.
BA: Shield Shove. Athletics: 5+8=13.
Varielky
Round 2 results
Snow picks up his polymorphed foe with his magic hand and transports it to the broken window, outside of which the storm continues to blow, splashing rain upon the bard as his boots crunch on broken glass; and spraying the tortoise, its moistening legs helplessly and slowly churning the air.
Auger’s diadem’s guiding bolt, firing into the melee at the troll, rolls with disadvantage, but its aim is true regardless (OOC: I rolled a 27). It and Auger’s two blasts send the troll crashing back down the stairs and around the central pillar, out of view.
Varielky follows it down, slicing and stabbing it to within an inch of its life. The troll only manages to parry her shieldbash with its razor sharp claws before it falls out of the stairwell and into the great hall.
Granophyre leaps after Varielky downstairs, pinching powdered iron from a compartment in his ring, then with an incantation, flinging it at the troll, and magically lighting it aflame.
“Fire!,” the sage pants, “Fire will keep it from regaining its strength,” and as his ball of flame burns into the troll, while Varielky attacks, the huge creature falls dead from the combined assault, unable to heal. There is little time to savor the victory however .
“Did someone say… fire?,” the Lady Izzebudgin’s voice asks from across the room, though neither Varielky nor Granophyre see her. The location of her now-invisible form is only apparent from the sound of her voice. That, and the surging ball of magical flame which crackles between her ethereal hands and then launches to explode between the sage and the shield-maiden.
Both take 48 HP fire damage, or half with a successful Dex 18 saving throw. “Varielky! Your shield!,” shouts Granophyre, giving her +5 to the roll, while he suffers the full fury of the attack.
Auger feels scorching hot air blast out of the stairwell from below.
Granophyre’s bless spell ends on his turn.
Varielky and Granophyre are now situated like so. The pale L is where the fireball originated. (OOC: the Lady Izzebudjin is still invisible following her attack.)
Snow and Auger are located as per their posted movements on the upper floor.
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
Auger hears Granophyre speaking of fire from down the stairs as the best means to fight the troll and then hears an effect he can only believe must be the old Dwarf releasing some fire force to deal with the Troll. Good for him and his strange devices, Auger thinks. Auger relaxes, believing Strewn and Varielky would have the problem well in hand and turns his attention to Snow at the window to see how he would deal with the -- at this point, from his position, 10' away from the open stairway door, Auger feels the intense heat of scorching hot air coming from it. What could that have been? Then Auger feels it, the sense of ability and possibility that had momentarily filled him. It was gone. That could not be good. To Snow, Auger relays what he just felt and adds, "This does not feel right, I am going to check on them."
Auger moves down the stairs, hoping to see what has happened.
Details
DM of RotFM | AUGER the Warlock (Archfey & the Chain) / Shadow Sorcerer in Age of Resurgence | Rahui & Javier in Sea of Memory
Snow braces himself against the assault of rain coming through the broken window and looks outside, making a motion with one hand as if pushing something upwards. As he does so his invisible hand ascends through the window and up into the air 30 feet, going at a slight angle away from the dacha building. All that can really be seen is the tortoise flying outside and up.
He listens to Auger as he does so. He couldn't deny that he felt the loss of the blessing as well, something was definitely happening in the stair well. "Yes I felt the loss as well. Call me if I am needed".
Action: Move Mage Hand out the window and up into the air at a slight angle away from the building.
Movement: None
Bonus Action: None
Reaction:
If anyone attacks him that he can see or makes an ability check to his detriment he will use Cutting Words.
Cutting Words: 5+2=7
“The gods have weighed your actions and judged you unworthy, you are cursed”
The smell is of burnt rubber as Auger rushes down the steps to reach Y2. Granophyre is standing, though his clay-brown face is soot-blackened and his red robe, smoking, while two crushed goblin bodies at the base of the stairs are charred and lightly smoking as well and the walls and door blackened and giving off heat. The body of the troll is baked and blackened and is the source of the smell. Auger had to dash to reach his position.
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
Round 3 results
The tortoise is now 60’ above ground, barely visible in the gusting rain and darkness, strugglingvhrlplessly atop Snow’s mage hand.
Auger joins Varielky and Granophyre.
Varielky (OOC: I am filling in for @Firecat. DEX save: natural 1. But with advantage due to spellguard shield and +5 with Granophyre’s flash of genius, 24. She takes ½ damage ) shouts, “Only a coward hides behind smoke and mirrors! Show yourself and fight with honour!,” and, reeling from the assault, advances toward the spot from which the fireball originated (to W9), dodging and cartwheeling her shield in the hope of connecting with her invisible opponent (RP).
Neither the Lady nor the tortoise act this round.
Please state Round 4 actions.
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
Snow focusses on the tortoise as it rises into the air, pushing it further and further upwards with his invisible hand, concentrating hard on keeping his grasp on the creature. He makes sure he positions the tortoise carefully based on the wind direction, to ensure if or when it falls it's trajectory to the floor is not interrupted.
As the distance his invisible hand has travelled reaches the limit of his capability, his thoughts turn once more to Varielky's comment about him being an assassin. Or thinking like an assassin at least. Is that what he is doing now? Is what he is about to do right and just? Does he have a choice if he wants to live, and wants his friends to live? What would be the impact on the world of letting this person live to fulfil his nefarious scheme?
"Idiwala forgive me", he whispers as he commands the invisible hand to drop the tortoise. He wanted so much to turn away, but he had to own his actions. Had to see the results of his choice. He watches as the tortoise starts to fall.
Action: Move Mage Hand out the window and up into the air another 30 feet at a slight angle away from the building. Ending 60 feet away from him, the limit of his Mage Hand (enhanced by the telekinetic feat)
Movement: None
Bonus Action: If he feels the need to give a telekinetic shove to the tortoise to keep it on the path to hit the floor he will.
Reaction:
If anyone attacks him that he can see or makes an ability check to his detriment he will use Cutting Words.
Cutting Words: 4+2=6
“The gods have weighed your actions and judged you unworthy, you are cursed”
Auger enters the room behind Varielky but, seeing no obvious target, he seeks cover behind a pillar. He does attempt to move in a fashion where he will not draw attention to himself but his foot is momentarily caught in the crispy hand of the Troll, and briefly thinking it still alive, Auger lets out the yip of a small animal before recovering himself and moving to where he wants.
Details
DM of RotFM | AUGER the Warlock (Archfey & the Chain) / Shadow Sorcerer in Age of Resurgence | Rahui & Javier in Sea of Memory
Round 4 results
The tortoise drops. Gusting breezes buffet it as it falls seven stories down to the muddy ground a few feet from the castle wall, and Snow must crane his neck outside to keep the reptile in view. The instant the creature hits the ground, it bursts, then transforms back into the muscular Jlasi Lord, flat on his back, intact, but smashed several inches deep into the mud, blood spraying along with water and wet soil where rocks lie shallow underground. The Shian remains there, motionless, beside his glaive, which likewise reappears beside him, slapping out across the rocky mud. A long moment passes.
Suddenly, the Seneschal’s eyes open and find Snow’s. His hand lashes out to his glaive and, as the rain pours down, he teleports, reappearing directly beside the bard, in the bedroom beside the window, glaive in hand. The warrior roars in indignation, “Idiwala cannot help you now, Minstrel!,” as blood from his wounds mixes with the drenching rain to trace patterns down his neck, chest, and arms while his glaive flashes up and down, tearing into Snow gruesomely. (1st attack: 24-6=18 to hit (after Cutting Words) for 18HP damage, 2nd attack: 25 to hit for 17HP damage.)
Downstairs, in the great hall, (I am botting for @Firecat) Varielky cannot suss out the Lady Izzebudjin’s location either by slashing with Dreygaard or with her shield where she last saw the sorceress.
Granophyre flings his iron dust into the room, which glitters, filling the air and threatening to show Izzebudjin’s location with faerie fire; but the Jlasi Lady snuffs out the spell as she did Auger’s earlier, and remains undetected as the sage’s dust falls to the ground, inert.
“You should have accommodated yourselves as guests, travelers. You could have left in the morning after helping yourselves to the pantry,” she says, her voice -- and another ball of flame -- originating from the edge of the dais (Z10). The fireball engulfs Auger and Granophyre, causing 35HP damage or ½ that with a successful DEX 18 saving throw. Granophyre has a Flash of Genius and ducks into the stairwell, avoiding the worst of the blast, but is still sorely wounded, and in its aftermath coughs hoarsely, his lungs so burnt he can barely breathe.
Auger and Varielky think they see Granophyre’s iron dust whirling up and clinging to invisible feet at Y5 — not magically, but purely as a result of the movement of the Lady, who remains invisible.
Auger, Varielky and Granophyre are now situated like so.
Snow is now situated like so.
Please state actions for Round 4.
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
From his position at the pillar Auger cannot avoid the blast and falls to the ground, unable to breath.
Details
DM of RotFM | AUGER the Warlock (Archfey & the Chain) / Shadow Sorcerer in Age of Resurgence | Rahui & Javier in Sea of Memory
Snow stands stock still for a moment, his eyes widening as they meet those of the Seneschal, and then he crumples to the ground mortally wounded by the blows.
Death Save: 9 = 1 failure
Round 5 results and Denouement
Snow crumples to the floor. Tazzelayt, breathing heavily, pauses a moment, then calmly picks up the bard by his collar and throws him contemptuously out the window to land with a crunch in the rain and mud thirty feet below, Snow's Saraswati violin splashing down beside him, rain pelting his face before he blacks out.
Meanwhile, Varielky roars, and leaps to attack Lady Izzebudjin at Y5, her red-steel blade a blur, striking twice (27 for 11HP damage, and 20, for 12HP damage) and connecting too with her shield to knock down her still-invisible foe. Granophyre moves to W3, and, following Varielky’s lead, opens his pouch, and in answer to an arcane phrase he utters, a glowing green dart shoots from the pouch toward Y5, hitting the Lady for 6HP and poisoning her. These attacks are enough to end her spell, and she blinks into view in her bloodied and torn silken kimono, her hip and back gashed open by Varielky, her complexion growing feverish from Granophyre’s dart.
The old sage looks to Varielky hopefully. But the Lady Izzebudjin, fully visible and within striking range of Dreygaard, calmly stands again, fearlessly, arms spread wide, palms up.
“Goodbye, travelers,” she says, magical light crackling in her eyes as she opens her mouth wide and through her perfect lips fly a long swarm of stinging locusts, which surround Granophyre and Varielky, beating them with their wings and biting, causing 43HP damage (or ½ with a CON 18 saving throw), until, in a few moments, both of the heroes are overwhelmed and fall to the stone cold floor beside Auger.
The last thing Varielky and Auger see is the Lady daintily touching each of you with her toe to ensure you’ll give her no more trouble as the Lord Seneschal arrives at her side to look at you with cold, glazed eyes and the world goes black.
+++++
Time passes, and you dream, each of you aching for peaceful rest, but pulled away from it by your questing search for… something. (OOC: Although I usually ask for no dream sequences, now is the time to elaborate on this theme, if you wish.)
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
As had happened once before, thoughts come to Snow unbidden lasting but a brief moment, then disappear as smoke in the wind. Time doesn't seem to matter in this state between life and death.
One moment he is back at The Tree as a young child, watching his Father excitedly mumbling about the Old Mystics, the next he was being expelled from his own school there.
Time moves again and he is in a tavern in Pomeroy, drinking when he should have been studying, raising ale after ale to a bard singing there, telling stories of the very subjects he was struggling to comprehend.
Time skips again, backwards this time as he watches his father leave, he is excited again, optimistic. He has a large backpack that he is loading onto a carriage, and then he is gone, never to be seen again.
Now he is at his graduation, his Elven mother sitting proudly in the audience, his Human father absent. A tainted feeling of triumph hitting him.
And then he is in the library at The Tree, the images swirling in his mind, the Flute, the Spellbook, a tower on an island in the middle of the sea and finally the beautiful mountain valley beyond the desert.
He is flying above the mountain valley, following the river until he comes to a house, a Dacha. A storm is raging there and a goblin army pours out the house and across the Vale of Deshar. Suddenly a fire starts to spread out from the Dacha, spreading through the army and engulfing it. The silhouette's of a tall man carrying a glaive and a slender woman can be seen against the light of the fire.
His vision shifts and he sees a man with a backpack much like his father's, walking down the path away from the Dacha. The man turns and looks back at him, signalling for him to follow.
His father’s voice echoes in his mind, your journey is not yet done.
(Ah, I feel like a great opportunity was missed. Varielky could have taken 0 damage from the fireball, thanks to her Shield Master feat. I think she had 34 HP before, right? Then, if she'd passed the CON save, which she might have not, but I cannot see what you rolled (you rolled a STR save, maybe that is it) she would actually still be standing... just barely. Though, as powerful as the duo are, it might not have been enough to make any change. Oh well.)
Varielky stands on a cliff. A slight breeze blows for a moment, causing Varielky's hair to wave, but after that brief moment, the air stands still, and Varielky's hair falls back on her back. A few strands fall forward, slightly obscuring Varielky's view. She moves them back, tucking them behind her ears. She cannot let anything disturb her in what she's about to do.
A fine golden cord is connected to the cliff, emerging right out of the ground. From there, it ascends at an angle not too steep, until it disappears between the clouds. The cord, connecting earth to the heavens, is taut and strong. Nothing could move it, shake it; nothing could ever break it. The cord is so fine it is hard to see. Varielky must keep her eyes fixed on it because if she loses focus for but a brief moment, it is hard to find again.
Varielky places her leg on the cord. It is, as expected, stable and fully capable of supporting her weight. However, she is barefooted, and the fine cord cuts through the skin of her feet, into the flesh, and the blood stains the golden cord red. It is painful, but nobody ever said it will be an easy road. She stands still for a moment, hesitating, but an encouraging hand suddenly rests on her shoulder. She turns back to see who it is, but all she finds is a red-steel sword and a shield. Varielky takes them both and places a second leg on the cord. Now, she has left the ground, beginning her long journey upwards.
It is hard to keep one's balance on the cord. Though it doesn't move, there is no room for mistake. A foot slightly misplaced sideways would cause her to lose balance and fall. And now, having left the comfortable ground of the cliff, there is no doubt. From this height, she'd even have time to think before hitting whatever is below, so far that it is impossibly to see. Varielky does not want to find out what's down at the end.
Varielky walks slowly. She wants to run forward, reach the end already, but in fear of falling, walks slowly, carefully. For a long time, she walks one step at a time. It is a lonely cord to walk, and the sword and shield she carries with her don't offer much comfort, other than being a reminder of the earth she once walked. She sees people at the sides of her field of view, but in fear of losing sight of the cord, she cannot turn to meet them. All of them, walking their own paths. Some on stone bridges, some on narrow staircases. Some climb ladders, and a select number on similar fine cords. Those paths, however, do not all head to the same place. Some cross hers, others are parallel for a while, before suddenly turning away. Some go up, some go down.
Something attacks Varielky; she notices the movement just barely. Instinctively, she raises her shield. Was it another person whose path came close enough to hers? Was it nothing more than a bird who happened to fly her way? Varielky can't tell. Whatever it was, it is out of sight, and she cannot search for it. It no longer attacks, though.
Varielky continues to walk. Suddenly, a path draws near hers. Wider than hers. Yet, to her, it seems flimsy. Or, rather, it seems uncertain. A stone bridge, but filled with gaps one must skip over to continue walking. One that is hard to follow, one that does not seem to lead to a defined destination. Suddenly, the paths converge. They complete each other. Varielky's path offers the certainty of a continuous path, leading to a known spot in the distance. The other path, offers the feeling of safety at the moment, of confidence. And, for Varielky, a respite from the fine cord that slowly cuts through her legs. Not that she ceases to walk it, but now the rest of her foot rests upon the stone, supporting her weight instead.
However, Varielky does not see the one walking the other path. She feels they're there, slightly behind her. If she'd just turn, she'll see them, but she'll also lose sight of the cord. Again, something comes to attack her, from the right side. Varielky must turn her body, even while keeping her eyes on the cord, to block it with her shield that's in her left hand. She manages to do that, but as she does, she accidentally slaps whoever was behind her, whom she could not yet see. She expects to be hit back, but instead, she feels arms wrapping her from behind, and a familiar yet distant voice whispers: "You're an ******* sister for slapping me, bruiser."
The two continue to walk together for a long while. Something keeps attacking them, but Varielky can't see what it is. The blows are light at first, but they get stronger and stronger. Had she not walked along the stone bridge, she surely would have lost her balance by now, but the hands that hold her from behind, occasionally leaving her to protect her back, remain assuring. Until, one time, after leaving Varielky, the hands don't return, and the pain returns to Varielky's feet. It is not another gap in the stone bridge as they crossed so many times, because she cannot see the bridge anymore. The paths diverged.
Worse yet, the attacks only continue to get more powerful, and with tears in her eyes, Varielky has a hard time blocking them all. On her body, only covered by a bed's sheet, every hit draws blood, which flows down her body in rivulets. The golden-red cord soaks up the blood, but Varielky's feet are now slippery, her vision blurry, and her entire body is in pain. She will not last much longer on the cord if everything continues as it does. Varielky draws her sword and swings around, but without seeing her opponent, only air she cuts. And now, this causes her to finally lose balance.
Teetering on the rope for a moment, Varielky tries to regain her balance, but her body only weakens from the loss of blood, the attacks only get more frequent and more powerful, and the tears in her eyes now fully obscure her sight. Now that she can no longer see the cord, she can feel herself beginning to fall. Will someone catch her before she does? Will she be able to grab onto the cord if she reaches upwards to grab it with nothing more than the belief that it is still there? Or is she going to find out what it feels like to fall?
Varielky opens her eyes, sweating, her heart racing. A dream. Just a dream. And yet, was anything ever truly just a dream? Is she losing her path, despite the conviction with which preached to the captain?
Varielky
- - -
The gazebo. The disc train.
- -
The Gray Lady. Vint at the Gazebo.
- - -
Undead in the night. Orcs in the plains.
- - - - - -
Again and again he reaches into the Sea of Stars. The Stars reach back.
- -
He feels Py shaking its head. Another orc falls. Murder. Deyranne is there, his wife. How long had it been? The Lizardmen attack. All is lost. Faturtensh mixes the cards. "These are the cards which wish to speak today," she says. Auger looks down a the cards but they explode in fire before he can see them. Auger cannot breath. The gazebo. The disc train. The ship. The intense walk. Only Py is there. Undead in the night. No one trusts him. Brenneth laughs. Ednyss walks in a moon's light. Strewn's quest. Does it still matter?
- - -
The Stars reach back.
- - -
Auger floats in the cosmos, observing. Power resides. The power reaches out. A star collides into another. They both explode. Blinding! Something flashes by. Auger follows. It is a stone. It came from one of the stars. Or both. Or was crushed between them. Auger follows. The stone approaches a planet. It is falling. It leaves a trail. It burns. Auger cannot breath. Auger loses track of the star's stone. He looks up. A cube floats up and up. Auger is falling. The cube arrives in the hand of something immense. Auger is falling. His robe comes to life. Its symbols light up. Auger is floating downward. Auger is flying. Towards the mountain.
- - - - -
The Stars hold him in place.
- - - - - - - - -
The gazebo. The disc train. The oasis. Brenneth laughing. The little girl in chains. She cannot speak. She looks at the Diadem. She shakes her head. The Queen makes her judgement. The Goblins swarm them. The Lady watches. The Goblins burned. Auger smiles. Satisfied. Murderer. Auger longs for home. The Lady speaks. Auger continues. Auger sees the mountain. There is an airship. The gazebo. The disc train. The ship. The carriage. On foot. Sliding on the sands. Auger pukes over the side of the boat. Did that happen?
- -
The Stars... are they stars? The Stars let him go. Brenneth laughs. Auger shores up a plank on the boat.
- - - - - - - - -
Now this is the right kind of work.
- - - - - -
The world fades. Just let me finish this plank he thinks.
- - -
To darkness.
-
Auger dies.
(( ((||((( ( ((||((
(( ( ((((||\(((( ((||/((^(( (((((
(((((/\||^^(((((
^(((\\||//(^
((
- -
))
- - - -
Water. Water dripping. Water flowing. Always with water. Auger can breath. He breaths. In and out. Auger breaths.
DM of RotFM | AUGER the Warlock (Archfey & the Chain) / Shadow Sorcerer in Age of Resurgence | Rahui & Javier in Sea of Memory
Chapter 10: The Quest Continues
You feel warmer. Sunlight is kissing your face. The air smells clear and crisp, pine needles crunch under the wheels of the wagon in which you find yourself jostled to consciousness. You hear voices from the people sitting in the driver’s bucket, backs to you, long, thoughtful pauses between each phrase.
“It’s a sorry day.”
“It is that.”
“I had hopes.”
“Me too.”
You fall unconscious again. Time passes.
Now you awaken in earnest. Clear sky above, the sun past its peak. You are wearing your boots, trousers and shirt but nothing else. You’re covered in your own dried blood from the wounds you suffered in Abziri Castle. You’re no longer in the castle, or in the wagon that shook you momentarily awake before; you’re in a crater, perhaps 100’ across, steep edges curving down to a flat bottom, in which is inscribed a perfect circle and the sigil for elemental earth. You fell in and rolled or slid down into the central circle, your bruised body landed across the inscribed lines, atop finely crushed bones, and the tumble pulled you achingly awake.
Craning your neck, you see your compatriots, who have suffered the same fate as you, having likewise rolled into the crater’s center; and you spy two humans standing gloomily at the edge of the precipice, whom you recognize as Ayyur and Jabu Isgaden, the elderly head-of-house and chief valet of Abziri Castle.
“Look! They’re moving! They’re alive!!,” coughs Jabu in a strident tenor, pointing at you from the crater’s edge while Ayyur, wide-eyed, sights down his arm in disbelief.
You’re not the only ones moving. There is a large boulder in the center of the circle very near you, and several other boulders positioned around the circle. The central boulder, defying inertia, is beginning to roll in a slow, tight circle, just a foot in circumference, of its own accord. It crunches audibly over the bones near it.
You are now situated like so. Taking in your situation, you note:
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer