"I think it will be all of us -- kuhh-kuhh -- all of us! Facing the challenge!"Auger yells before stepping into the cloud, trying to control a cough as he does so. "All of us regardless of our intentions,"Auger continues, almost to himself, still seething. As Auger begins to sight on his prey he suddenly realizes that his coat might have provided some protections to this sudden aging, if only he had been aware of it and thought to direct its actions.
(OOC: Just saw on my character sheet that Auger has advantage on magical saving throws because of his coat. Not asking for a re-roll. Old angry Auger will get by. The lessons of age and all that...)
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
"Wait! What point is there in going in together, if nobody is left to pick the plants we need? Besides, it's not a chellenge we take together!" At least, if the chellenge is what Varielky understands it is.
Snow turns around to look at the orcs, about to suggest that they could do it, or Granophyre could. It is then that his impulsivity gets tamed a little.
”You’re right. And we can’t leave Granophyre behind on his own”.
Snow sees Auger and Varielky consumed by the shroud of darkness which rolls outwards, then after a few breaths, suddenly dissipates. The guardian, Auger, and Varielky have disappeared.
“There!,” shouts one of the Hands, “grshma-a-ackra!,” he growls, pointing to the herbs on the far side of the pond.
Looking at Benita and the orc leader, Snow notes that the poisoned pair are both pale, and expressions of pain tauten their unconscious faces. Their breath is shallow and quick.
“Snow!,” says Granophyre, “Benita, and Shulong Xurl, the orc leader, are dying! We must act quickly!”
Snow hears the familiar sound of Py, which buzzes to the far side of the pool. A few sprigs of the healing herb seem to detach from the ground and lift into the air. Snow might assume that Py has followed Auger’s command.
The Hands rush to sit on their knees upon a flat rock beside Benita and their leader, hurriedly removing a few small vials and a mortar and pestle from their packs.
The giant hyenas and orcs begin to regain some composure now that the guardian in the pool has disappeared. However, they remain uneasy, and some sniff and focus on the opening above, a patch of sky peering through the foliage at the top of the cleft. Turning his attention to it, Snow notes that an acidic, acrid smell drifts into the cleft from above.
VARIELKY & AUGER
The darkness moves outwards, encompasses Varielky and Auger, and for a few breaths, everything is dark – magical darkness through which you are unable to see. Then, the sounds of yipping giant hyenas and grumbling orcs, and Snow’s and Granophyre’s voices diminish, and again you hear the guardian’s growling, like an enormous stone mill wheel, before the cloud quickly dissipates, and you realize you are not where you were.
The shape of the crevice is the same, but the trees are dead, the place is saturated with the smell of smoke, and the air is now hot, painful to breathe. Flames dance along the edge of the crevice above you, and the sky is dark and turbulent with gusts of fire and lightning flashing in the distance. The pool has transformed into an area of black, sooty rocks. Upon these rocks, the gynosphinx stands, fully revealed. Its face is that of a woman sculpted of stone – though twice human-sized — wearing a tiara, likewise of sandstone. Its body is that of a lioness, with yellow-gold feathered wings tucked back behind it. Around her neck, a thick belt bearing the runes, you both recognize, of Takal Demesh.
Behind her, the foliage covering the wall of the cleft lends the impression of having been burnt away. What had previously looked like ancient dead tree trunks hidden behind thick vines are now revealed and clearly in view. The tree trunks are not tree trunks, but rather, perfectly round pillars of black stone some 20' tall. At ground level, a 7' tall rectangle is carved into the face of each pillar: doors, perhaps. Above these doors, you see writing in Cindarrine characters, which Varielky recognizes as symbols for Takal Demesh. A fourth pillar, which would have formed a square shape with the other three, is broken, only projecting 1' above ground and completely filled in with black stone or obsidian.
(OOC: Auger & Varielky, please roll a CON save vs DC15. This qualifies as a magical effect, so you both roll with advantage. If you fail, age 10 years. We are still not in initiative. If you wish to attack at any point, we will roll initiative first.)
It is hard to breathe, but not impossible. Varielly wonders for a moment if this scenery has any meaning - maybe something that happened before. "Remember, we are here to buy time for those outside to save Benita. Be careful," Varielky whispers to Auger.
Varielky then draws Dreygaard, and holds it ready to fight, but does not act yet. She takes a few steps forward, so she can hold the guardian away from Auger, once it attacks. She still maintains some distance from it, though, and from any of the constructs around.
"What are the rules of your challenge?"She calls to the guardian. "Or is this a test of might, in which the last one standing wins?"
Constitution: (4,11 - advantage)+5=16.
Varielky also expends one Superiority Die for the Rally manoeuvre to grant Auger 6+3=9 temporary hit points.
Lastly, since we're not in combat, Varielky will try to observe the gynosphinx to learn through "Know Your Enemy" about its AC and current HP, compared to Varielky's - if we don't engage in combat within 1 minute of first seeing this guardian.
The guardian’s contralto lionine voice resonates in your minds.
“I am bound by Takal Demesh to defend this place. By decree of the god of battle, the god of just outcomes, according to the will of my liege, Takal Demesh, the presence of your company in this place demands a reply. You enter of your own free will. You will leave only if you triumph.”
The gynosphinx circles slowly around the cleft area. You two perhaps circle in response, gauging your opponent. A scalding gust of dry air whips through the cleft, as lighting crackles high above you, but then disappears as darkness quickly spreads above you like a ceiling of blackness, obscuring the sky and upper walls of the cleft. The gynosphinx’s sandstone cat’s eyes sizzle with golden electricity.
(OOC: Varielky will indeed have time to use Know Your Enemy, and there will be time for further talk, unless Auger does something to cut short the one-minute period. To be clear, the gynosphinx is telling you that it will fight you both simultaneously.)
"Right, right", Snow says in response to Granophyre as his attention is finally moved from the spot where his companions had been until a moment ago. He looks across to the area where the grshma-a-ackra is being plucked by Py, and reaches out with his mind, forming his invisible spectral hand. He grasps some more of the plant in case Py can't carry enough.
It is just then that he notices the orcs sniffing the air, and notices the acidic acrid smell himself.
"Ok, that doesn't smell good. I don't think that is part of the challenge from the Gynosphinx, Granophyre", he says a little worriedly. "I think something is coming, everyone be ready!"
Action: Mage Hand with telekinetic to extend to 60ft and make invisible. He will use subsequent actions pick the plant and then move it back to him if possible. Special: Concentration - Enhance Ability - Benita and Chief - less than 1 hour and counting
Auger cries out in pain as his back spasms suddenly. He looks over to Varielky, still as young as ever to his eye, but the hacking cough takes him uncontrollably for a moment and he falls to his hands and knees, even letting his rod roll slightly away as he does so. His connection to the Sea of Stars, the globes around his head, the feeling of his otherself waiting, everything winks away, as he finds he must concentrate on just breathing for the moment. Suddenly breathing was a struggle. Did it? Did it happen again?
Slowly, it feels, he comes back to himself as his back calms, his coughing comes under control and he begins noting changes. His wrinkled hands now showing the spots of age. The greyness to the hair on his arm is exposed as he reaches over and grabs for his rod, which he has to do twice to get a hold of it. The different stringy feel to his hair as he runs his spotted hand over his head, straightening the Yemma's Diadem, which now seemed to settle lower on his head. Time. So much time lost. Again. AGAIN! For a plant! A PLANT!
Still seething, Auger looks up and notes things, it has not been that long, Varielky said something encouraging and it appeared to help. Yes, a delay. For the plant! For their friend. Perhaps they would be able to escape if - if Py could still communicate with him. Py, get the plant, he sends unsure if the message will get through. Tell me if you got it and -and maybe I can move Varielky and I back to you.Auger was entirely unsure if that was something he could do, particularly in his state.
Auger notes the slow side to side movements between Varielky and the Gynosphinx as they seek some advantage, perhaps clear to warriors, but certainly inscrutable to him. Still even to Auger it becomes clear he is creating a disadvantage for Varielky who is not as free to move as she tries to protect him while he is down. Grasping his rod, Auger stands, his back threatens to spasm again, but he obtains some control over himself and begins moving on his own, separating from Varielky so that she can prowl with more freedom. Still he holds off on connecting to the Sea of Stars or making any other move while he takes in the surroundings and tries to regain his bearings.
Even in his angered state Auger was confused. For a plant. It was too much. For just a plant. There was something to these surroundings... the burnt out version of the crevice did not throw him anymore and he disregarded the change to the sky and the surroundings. Illusion. Fey. Perhaps another plane. It would make little difference in this fight. Then his eyes fall upon what had been trees and something clicks. There were three pillars. Yes. Three black pillars! Was there a fourth? Yes, this Gynosphinx was a bit too much of a guardian for just a pool and some plants. Was that a fourth pillar there? This was it. This was the place! There was more at stake here than Benita and a crazed Orc.
Reasserting his connection to the Sea of Stars, and happily maintaining his anger, Auger addresses the being... the guardian, "We accompany a -- kuhh-kuhh -- a Cindarrine, who seeks the Core of Dacite! Will defeating you gain us entry? Or will it just be for my vengeance?"Thoughts of escape bleed away from Auger's mind as he anticipates an answer, he realizes he does not care what the answer is, this being must die for what it has done to him. But now there was some meaning to this.
Auger begins drawing in powers to himself and from the Diadem. Again, he feels his otherself, standing ready. In the Sea of Stars.
(OOC: Con save (6,8) +2 = 10. Auger is in his 60s. Auger will be attacking at next opportunity. Hopefully that was enough time for Varielky to learn about this enemy).
Snow’s telepathic hand begins to pluck the remaining stems from the border of the lake, then the bard sees the hovering shape of Py suddenly materialize, then transform into the wooden puzzle pieces from which Auger had fashioned its physical form, and fall to the stony ground. Py’s fey spirit has departed.
Snow’s hand picks up all of the stems, brings them back across the pool, and deposits them with the Hands.
Snow, please roll History, DC15 to determine the cause of the unpleasant smell, as a thin veil of steam can now be seen at the lip of the chasm near where you earlier filed down from the woods bordering the snake-infested meadow. Granophyre gives you a +5 to the roll with a Flash of Genius.
The Hands speak in short bursts to one another. One causes a small fire to start burning under a cup of clear water from the pool, while the other grinds the grshma-a-ackra under its pestle. They bark orders to two of the riders, who pull Benita and Xurl’s unconscious bodies closer to them.
The other orcs and hyenas shift uneasily, the latter yipping quietly as if trying to convey something to their riders. The orcs ready their short bows and spread out. Several form a protective circle around the Hands, the rest taking cover in the woods as they growl to one another, snarling at the air.
AUGER & VARIELKY
Auger discovers that his connection to Py is lost. Either he or the familiar has died, or... the fiery air and other changed qualities of the cleft is no illusion. Indeed, confronted with these limited possibilities, Auger realizes that he has aged 10 years because he, Varielky, and the gynosphinx have traveled forward in time. The fiery air and other changed qualities are what the world is like in 10 years, the sorcerer’s arcane understanding tells him: hellish and ruined.
The gynosphinx’s features soften slightly, for the cause of its displeasure has been rectified, deceptive answers to its question of whom you serve.
“You seek that which has been forbidden. Great magic keeps its secrets safe even from the prying eye of Takal Demesh, safe from just rewards. But my liege recognizes that when the realm below us was last inhabited, much transpired to unbalance the existence of his faithful in the Lands and Seas. You are forbidden from entry! It is my task to protect it and knowledge of its existence with my very life.”
Varielky inituits that the guardian’s defenses are not impenetrable, indeed, not the equal of Thunder paired with her Spellguard Shield. Yet she also grasps that the creature – bigger than a lion – all things equal, could certainly absorb more blows than she could.
Having stated that he will attack at the next opportunity, Auger sees that Varielky has gotten her reading, and goes on the offensive. At this moment, Auger, Varielky, and the gynosphinx are 10’ from each other in a triangle. At the moment initiative is rolled, a blanket of magical darkness drops down like a black curtain around you, rendering your foe invisible,, or rather, heavily obscured, and you two likewise invisible to each other.
I rolled initiative for you. The order – at first – is Varielky, Auger, Gynosphinx. However, your foe bends time and causes a reroll of initiative order with this result: Varielky, gynosphinx, Auger.
Varielky, it is your turn. You are surrounded by magical darkness. The terrain is flat enough that you can move without danger of tripping. The gynosphinx, a moment ago, was 10’ in front of you.
(OOC: neither of you have the ability to see in magical darkness. If you attempt to attack the gynosphinx with non-AOE attack, you must roll to hit at disadvantage. This will include shove maneuvers, etc.)
The bard’s capacious memory flashes back to a written history he had read in college, of the battle for Fuzhyin, the southernmost tip of Yurreali. It was the last bastion of defense against the Jenghen Empire. The Fuzhyin military had deployed a vast line of infantry to break the Jenghen cavalry advance. It might have done the trick if the Empire had not deployed a small company of burners, which from one mile behind their advancing cavalry projected spurts of burning acid with devastating accuracy, decimated the Fuzhyin infantry. Snow compares this historical note with present circumstances. He saw a pair of burners at the Empire’s archaeological site, not too far from here. They must be clearing a path through the meadow at long range, destroying the vipers nests to allow passage for their veteran ground troops.
The Hands finish their potion and begin to administer it to their chief and to Benita.
As the steaming vapors continue thicken and the smell to worsen, the cleft has just begun to glow with reflected morning light. Snow sees a patch of clear blue above through the tree branches, until suddenly, a pair of huge talons grasp those topmost branches and pull upwards, until they snap resoundingly. Then the talons let go, and the branches, weighing hundreds of pounds, begin to tumble directly over the spot where Xurl and Benita lie, surrounded by the Hands, who have just finished administering their antidote.
Snow, Granophyre, the orcs, and the Imperial forces are now in initiative. Snow, you may act first. Please post for Round 1.
"The empire are almost upon us, they are burning through the field of vipers with acid like they did to the Fuzhyin", Snow says just as he spots the talons grasp the tops of the trees above Benita. As he watches the branches break and then tumble towards his poisoned companion, he turns to Granophyre.
"Run and hide, find cover. I will get Benita", he says pointing away from the direction the empire soldiers will be coming from, and away from the Roc.
With that he rushes across to Benita, and sweeps the Tree Wild Cloak over her. Looking at the Hands, he quickly asks, "Are they here for you or us?", before he carries her into the Fey Wild. Once they have crossed the planes, he swivels and starts to carry her back to where he told Granophyre to head, but does not reappear just yet.
Movement: Covers the distance to Benita Action: Cast Dimension Door using the Tree Wild Cloak - travels 30ft (half due to carrying Benita) back towards Granophyre. Special: Concentration - Enhance Ability - Benita and Chief - not sure but I doubt it will matter
(OOC: I am not sure entirely of the situation, where people are positioned, whether the talons belong to a Roc, how many rounds before branches land on Benita and Xurl. I am also assuming Benita will be a willing passenger for the Tree Wild Cloak. Let me know if I misunderstood anything, or if I need to change anything)
Snow: The talons belong to a roc. The branch will land at the end of this round (round 1). Benita is still unconscious, making her a willing passenger. Here is a map to illustrate the beginning of Round 1.
(Brilliant! I did not see the connection, well done!)
Intuiting that this darkness is unnatural - even though when it comes to a creature that controls time nothing is certain - Varielky doubts that Dreygaard's light will help in any way. After all, Varielky saw Auger's strange darkness magic multiple times by now. Insteas, she immediately rushes to where the Gynosphinx recently stood. Fighting while she can't see is difficult, but fighting without knowing where the enemy is will be impossible. She can only hope to run faster than the sandstone woman could. At least, with such a big body, she might not be so easy to miss.
Find the rhythm, commit to it. Varielky paces her breaths, each brief yet deep. She must end this quickly, as she's certain Snow could get the plants now - if time flows there as it does here - but Auger's condition only worsens. She can't even imagine how that must feel.
Once she reaches where she believes the guaridan stood, Varielky swings Dreygaard in a wide arc, focusing only on power in the attack, as precision is meaningless if she can't even see the target.
"Auger!" Varielky then calls, whether or not she could hit the Gynosphinx. "Get away! Find if there's an end to this darkness!"
BA: Rage, round 1/10.
Movement: To M-10.
Action: Attack, aimed at the space where the guardian stood before.
Attack #1: (4, 9 - disadvantage)+11=15. If that hits, damage is 4+11=15.
Varielky plunges into the darkness and strikes blindly at the gynosphinx, but her red-steel blade slices only air, and her second swing is met with a counterswipe of the creature’s buckler-sized paw so powerful that Dreygaard flies from Varielky’s grip to the ground (critical miss). The gynosphynx immediately slashes at her, but she ducks to feel for her blade. The guardian’s attack misses, but since Varielky is disarmed, she cannot Riposte.
The gynosphinx now takes its turn. The shield-maiden retrieves her blade just in time to parry a second blow, (which misses with an 18), but a third swipe with both claws hits with a 26, for 10HP slashing damage (of which Varielky takes half). Varielky may attempt to Riposte the prior blow if she wishes, rolling at disadvantage vs. AC17. Otherwise it is Auger’s turn.
Auger: Varielky and the gynosphinx have traded blows and shifted location within the darkness. You can see neither and are not sure which one is where. Please roll perception, DC10 to know for certain. This check does not require an action.
Py... no response. Not an illusion. Not something fey. Or another plane. Then it strikes him. It is the future here. A future with a burnt out sky. Briefly Auger thinks of his family and then he re-centers himself. There was a Guardian to destroy.
Auger draws powers into himself and prepares to release as much energy as he can into a single blow, and then he sees nothing. For a moment he hears nothing either. Blindly he shifts his perceptions back and forth to the Sea of Stars where at times he looks into nothing, was he there mistakenly? No. The energies surge and he sees his otherself at the periphery of his vision, preparing something nasty he thinks. Distantly he hears Varielky call to him and he realizes it is not just he who is blinded. Auger shifts back solidly to this reality and is aware of the sounds of fighting nearby but he cannot place them or the direction. Trying to be sure of his footing, Auger backs out of the Darkness, it had to have a limit.
Details:
Perception check: 3 (+0) = 3.
Move: Auger will move to leave the Darkness. If he is able to do so he continues moving back to try and get a sense of the size and shape of the Darkness. Editing to add some directionality. On the before the Darkness map, Auger would be headed towards G6 or further if possible.
Holding other actions till we know whether Auger can successfully leave the Darkness.
Auger reaches what he thinks is G6. He is still surrounded by inky blackness. Snapped tree trunks punctuate the rubble here and Auger trips over a thick root, though he does not fall.
"I think it will be all of us -- kuhh-kuhh -- all of us! Facing the challenge!" Auger yells before stepping into the cloud, trying to control a cough as he does so. "All of us regardless of our intentions," Auger continues, almost to himself, still seething. As Auger begins to sight on his prey he suddenly realizes that his coat might have provided some protections to this sudden aging, if only he had been aware of it and thought to direct its actions.
(OOC: Just saw on my character sheet that Auger has advantage on magical saving throws because of his coat. Not asking for a re-roll. Old angry Auger will get by. The lessons of age and all that...)
DM of RotFM | AUGER the Warlock (Archfey & the Chain) / Shadow Sorcerer in Age of Resurgence | Rahui & Javier in Sea of Memory
"Wait! What point is there in going in together, if nobody is left to pick the plants we need? Besides, it's not a chellenge we take together!" At least, if the chellenge is what Varielky understands it is.
Varielky
Snow turns around to look at the orcs, about to suggest that they could do it, or Granophyre could. It is then that his impulsivity gets tamed a little.
”You’re right. And we can’t leave Granophyre behind on his own”.
With that he stops in his tracks.
SNOW
Snow sees Auger and Varielky consumed by the shroud of darkness which rolls outwards, then after a few breaths, suddenly dissipates. The guardian, Auger, and Varielky have disappeared.
“There!,” shouts one of the Hands, “grshma-a-ackra!,” he growls, pointing to the herbs on the far side of the pond.
Looking at Benita and the orc leader, Snow notes that the poisoned pair are both pale, and expressions of pain tauten their unconscious faces. Their breath is shallow and quick.
“Snow!,” says Granophyre, “Benita, and Shulong Xurl, the orc leader, are dying! We must act quickly!”
Snow hears the familiar sound of Py, which buzzes to the far side of the pool. A few sprigs of the healing herb seem to detach from the ground and lift into the air. Snow might assume that Py has followed Auger’s command.
The Hands rush to sit on their knees upon a flat rock beside Benita and their leader, hurriedly removing a few small vials and a mortar and pestle from their packs.
The giant hyenas and orcs begin to regain some composure now that the guardian in the pool has disappeared. However, they remain uneasy, and some sniff and focus on the opening above, a patch of sky peering through the foliage at the top of the cleft. Turning his attention to it, Snow notes that an acidic, acrid smell drifts into the cleft from above.
VARIELKY & AUGER
The darkness moves outwards, encompasses Varielky and Auger, and for a few breaths, everything is dark – magical darkness through which you are unable to see. Then, the sounds of yipping giant hyenas and grumbling orcs, and Snow’s and Granophyre’s voices diminish, and again you hear the guardian’s growling, like an enormous stone mill wheel, before the cloud quickly dissipates, and you realize you are not where you were.
The shape of the crevice is the same, but the trees are dead, the place is saturated with the smell of smoke, and the air is now hot, painful to breathe. Flames dance along the edge of the crevice above you, and the sky is dark and turbulent with gusts of fire and lightning flashing in the distance. The pool has transformed into an area of black, sooty rocks. Upon these rocks, the gynosphinx stands, fully revealed. Its face is that of a woman sculpted of stone – though twice human-sized — wearing a tiara, likewise of sandstone. Its body is that of a lioness, with yellow-gold feathered wings tucked back behind it. Around her neck, a thick belt bearing the runes, you both recognize, of Takal Demesh.
Behind her, the foliage covering the wall of the cleft lends the impression of having been burnt away. What had previously looked like ancient dead tree trunks hidden behind thick vines are now revealed and clearly in view. The tree trunks are not tree trunks, but rather, perfectly round pillars of black stone some 20' tall. At ground level, a 7' tall rectangle is carved into the face of each pillar: doors, perhaps. Above these doors, you see writing in Cindarrine characters, which Varielky recognizes as symbols for Takal Demesh. A fourth pillar, which would have formed a square shape with the other three, is broken, only projecting 1' above ground and completely filled in with black stone or obsidian.
(OOC: Auger & Varielky, please roll a CON save vs DC15. This qualifies as a magical effect, so you both roll with advantage. If you fail, age 10 years. We are still not in initiative. If you wish to attack at any point, we will roll initiative first.)
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
It is hard to breathe, but not impossible. Varielly wonders for a moment if this scenery has any meaning - maybe something that happened before. "Remember, we are here to buy time for those outside to save Benita. Be careful," Varielky whispers to Auger.
Varielky then draws Dreygaard, and holds it ready to fight, but does not act yet. She takes a few steps forward, so she can hold the guardian away from Auger, once it attacks. She still maintains some distance from it, though, and from any of the constructs around.
"What are the rules of your challenge?" She calls to the guardian. "Or is this a test of might, in which the last one standing wins?"
Constitution: (4,11 - advantage)+5=16.
Varielky also expends one Superiority Die for the Rally manoeuvre to grant Auger 6+3=9 temporary hit points.
Lastly, since we're not in combat, Varielky will try to observe the gynosphinx to learn through "Know Your Enemy" about its AC and current HP, compared to Varielky's - if we don't engage in combat within 1 minute of first seeing this guardian.
Varielky
VARIELKY & AUGER
The guardian’s contralto lionine voice resonates in your minds.
“I am bound by Takal Demesh to defend this place. By decree of the god of battle, the god of just outcomes, according to the will of my liege, Takal Demesh, the presence of your company in this place demands a reply. You enter of your own free will. You will leave only if you triumph.”
The gynosphinx circles slowly around the cleft area. You two perhaps circle in response, gauging your opponent. A scalding gust of dry air whips through the cleft, as lighting crackles high above you, but then disappears as darkness quickly spreads above you like a ceiling of blackness, obscuring the sky and upper walls of the cleft. The gynosphinx’s sandstone cat’s eyes sizzle with golden electricity.
(OOC: Varielky will indeed have time to use Know Your Enemy, and there will be time for further talk, unless Auger does something to cut short the one-minute period. To be clear, the gynosphinx is telling you that it will fight you both simultaneously.)
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
"Right, right", Snow says in response to Granophyre as his attention is finally moved from the spot where his companions had been until a moment ago. He looks across to the area where the grshma-a-ackra is being plucked by Py, and reaches out with his mind, forming his invisible spectral hand. He grasps some more of the plant in case Py can't carry enough.
It is just then that he notices the orcs sniffing the air, and notices the acidic acrid smell himself.
"Ok, that doesn't smell good. I don't think that is part of the challenge from the Gynosphinx, Granophyre", he says a little worriedly. "I think something is coming, everyone be ready!"
Action: Mage Hand with telekinetic to extend to 60ft and make invisible. He will use subsequent actions pick the plant and then move it back to him if possible.
Special: Concentration - Enhance Ability - Benita and Chief - less than 1 hour and counting
Auger cries out in pain as his back spasms suddenly. He looks over to Varielky, still as young as ever to his eye, but the hacking cough takes him uncontrollably for a moment and he falls to his hands and knees, even letting his rod roll slightly away as he does so. His connection to the Sea of Stars, the globes around his head, the feeling of his otherself waiting, everything winks away, as he finds he must concentrate on just breathing for the moment. Suddenly breathing was a struggle. Did it? Did it happen again?
Slowly, it feels, he comes back to himself as his back calms, his coughing comes under control and he begins noting changes. His wrinkled hands now showing the spots of age. The greyness to the hair on his arm is exposed as he reaches over and grabs for his rod, which he has to do twice to get a hold of it. The different stringy feel to his hair as he runs his spotted hand over his head, straightening the Yemma's Diadem, which now seemed to settle lower on his head. Time. So much time lost. Again. AGAIN! For a plant! A PLANT!
Still seething, Auger looks up and notes things, it has not been that long, Varielky said something encouraging and it appeared to help. Yes, a delay. For the plant! For their friend. Perhaps they would be able to escape if - if Py could still communicate with him. Py, get the plant, he sends unsure if the message will get through. Tell me if you got it and -and maybe I can move Varielky and I back to you. Auger was entirely unsure if that was something he could do, particularly in his state.
Auger notes the slow side to side movements between Varielky and the Gynosphinx as they seek some advantage, perhaps clear to warriors, but certainly inscrutable to him. Still even to Auger it becomes clear he is creating a disadvantage for Varielky who is not as free to move as she tries to protect him while he is down. Grasping his rod, Auger stands, his back threatens to spasm again, but he obtains some control over himself and begins moving on his own, separating from Varielky so that she can prowl with more freedom. Still he holds off on connecting to the Sea of Stars or making any other move while he takes in the surroundings and tries to regain his bearings.
Even in his angered state Auger was confused. For a plant. It was too much. For just a plant. There was something to these surroundings... the burnt out version of the crevice did not throw him anymore and he disregarded the change to the sky and the surroundings. Illusion. Fey. Perhaps another plane. It would make little difference in this fight. Then his eyes fall upon what had been trees and something clicks. There were three pillars. Yes. Three black pillars! Was there a fourth? Yes, this Gynosphinx was a bit too much of a guardian for just a pool and some plants. Was that a fourth pillar there? This was it. This was the place! There was more at stake here than Benita and a crazed Orc.
Reasserting his connection to the Sea of Stars, and happily maintaining his anger, Auger addresses the being... the guardian, "We accompany a -- kuhh-kuhh -- a Cindarrine, who seeks the Core of Dacite! Will defeating you gain us entry? Or will it just be for my vengeance?" Thoughts of escape bleed away from Auger's mind as he anticipates an answer, he realizes he does not care what the answer is, this being must die for what it has done to him. But now there was some meaning to this.
Auger begins drawing in powers to himself and from the Diadem. Again, he feels his otherself, standing ready. In the Sea of Stars.
(OOC: Con save (6,8) +2 = 10. Auger is in his 60s. Auger will be attacking at next opportunity. Hopefully that was enough time for Varielky to learn about this enemy).
DM of RotFM | AUGER the Warlock (Archfey & the Chain) / Shadow Sorcerer in Age of Resurgence | Rahui & Javier in Sea of Memory
SNOW
Snow’s telepathic hand begins to pluck the remaining stems from the border of the lake, then the bard sees the hovering shape of Py suddenly materialize, then transform into the wooden puzzle pieces from which Auger had fashioned its physical form, and fall to the stony ground. Py’s fey spirit has departed.
Snow’s hand picks up all of the stems, brings them back across the pool, and deposits them with the Hands.
Snow, please roll History, DC15 to determine the cause of the unpleasant smell, as a thin veil of steam can now be seen at the lip of the chasm near where you earlier filed down from the woods bordering the snake-infested meadow. Granophyre gives you a +5 to the roll with a Flash of Genius.
The Hands speak in short bursts to one another. One causes a small fire to start burning under a cup of clear water from the pool, while the other grinds the grshma-a-ackra under its pestle. They bark orders to two of the riders, who pull Benita and Xurl’s unconscious bodies closer to them.
The other orcs and hyenas shift uneasily, the latter yipping quietly as if trying to convey something to their riders. The orcs ready their short bows and spread out. Several form a protective circle around the Hands, the rest taking cover in the woods as they growl to one another, snarling at the air.
AUGER & VARIELKY
Auger discovers that his connection to Py is lost. Either he or the familiar has died, or... the fiery air and other changed qualities of the cleft is no illusion. Indeed, confronted with these limited possibilities, Auger realizes that he has aged 10 years because he, Varielky, and the gynosphinx have traveled forward in time. The fiery air and other changed qualities are what the world is like in 10 years, the sorcerer’s arcane understanding tells him: hellish and ruined.
The gynosphinx’s features soften slightly, for the cause of its displeasure has been rectified, deceptive answers to its question of whom you serve.
“You seek that which has been forbidden. Great magic keeps its secrets safe even from the prying eye of Takal Demesh, safe from just rewards. But my liege recognizes that when the realm below us was last inhabited, much transpired to unbalance the existence of his faithful in the Lands and Seas. You are forbidden from entry! It is my task to protect it and knowledge of its existence with my very life.”
Varielky inituits that the guardian’s defenses are not impenetrable, indeed, not the equal of Thunder paired with her Spellguard Shield. Yet she also grasps that the creature – bigger than a lion – all things equal, could certainly absorb more blows than she could.
Having stated that he will attack at the next opportunity, Auger sees that Varielky has gotten her reading, and goes on the offensive. At this moment, Auger, Varielky, and the gynosphinx are 10’ from each other in a triangle. At the moment initiative is rolled, a blanket of magical darkness drops down like a black curtain around you, rendering your foe invisible,, or rather, heavily obscured, and you two likewise invisible to each other.
I rolled initiative for you. The order – at first – is Varielky, Auger, Gynosphinx. However, your foe bends time and causes a reroll of initiative order with this result: Varielky, gynosphinx, Auger.
Varielky, it is your turn. You are surrounded by magical darkness. The terrain is flat enough that you can move without danger of tripping. The gynosphinx, a moment ago, was 10’ in front of you.
(OOC: neither of you have the ability to see in magical darkness. If you attempt to attack the gynosphinx with non-AOE attack, you must roll to hit at disadvantage. This will include shove maneuvers, etc.)
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
Snow sniffs a couple more times, trying to isolate the odour in his memory.
History (with +5 Flash of Genius): 16+5+5=26
SNOW
The bard’s capacious memory flashes back to a written history he had read in college, of the battle for Fuzhyin, the southernmost tip of Yurreali. It was the last bastion of defense against the Jenghen Empire. The Fuzhyin military had deployed a vast line of infantry to break the Jenghen cavalry advance. It might have done the trick if the Empire had not deployed a small company of burners, which from one mile behind their advancing cavalry projected spurts of burning acid with devastating accuracy, decimated the Fuzhyin infantry. Snow compares this historical note with present circumstances. He saw a pair of burners at the Empire’s archaeological site, not too far from here. They must be clearing a path through the meadow at long range, destroying the vipers nests to allow passage for their veteran ground troops.
The Hands finish their potion and begin to administer it to their chief and to Benita.
As the steaming vapors continue thicken and the smell to worsen, the cleft has just begun to glow with reflected morning light. Snow sees a patch of clear blue above through the tree branches, until suddenly, a pair of huge talons grasp those topmost branches and pull upwards, until they snap resoundingly. Then the talons let go, and the branches, weighing hundreds of pounds, begin to tumble directly over the spot where Xurl and Benita lie, surrounded by the Hands, who have just finished administering their antidote.
Snow, Granophyre, the orcs, and the Imperial forces are now in initiative. Snow, you may act first. Please post for Round 1.
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
"The empire are almost upon us, they are burning through the field of vipers with acid like they did to the Fuzhyin", Snow says just as he spots the talons grasp the tops of the trees above Benita. As he watches the branches break and then tumble towards his poisoned companion, he turns to Granophyre.
"Run and hide, find cover. I will get Benita", he says pointing away from the direction the empire soldiers will be coming from, and away from the Roc.
With that he rushes across to Benita, and sweeps the Tree Wild Cloak over her. Looking at the Hands, he quickly asks, "Are they here for you or us?", before he carries her into the Fey Wild. Once they have crossed the planes, he swivels and starts to carry her back to where he told Granophyre to head, but does not reappear just yet.
Movement: Covers the distance to Benita
Action: Cast Dimension Door using the Tree Wild Cloak - travels 30ft (half due to carrying Benita) back towards Granophyre.
Special: Concentration - Enhance Ability - Benita and Chief - not sure but I doubt it will matter
(OOC: I am not sure entirely of the situation, where people are positioned, whether the talons belong to a Roc, how many rounds before branches land on Benita and Xurl. I am also assuming Benita will be a willing passenger for the Tree Wild Cloak. Let me know if I misunderstood anything, or if I need to change anything)
Snow: The talons belong to a roc. The branch will land at the end of this round (round 1). Benita is still unconscious, making her a willing passenger. Here is a map to illustrate the beginning of Round 1.
You are now situated like so.
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
Auger and Varielky: Before the magical darkness, you were situated like so.
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
(Brilliant! I did not see the connection, well done!)
Intuiting that this darkness is unnatural - even though when it comes to a creature that controls time nothing is certain - Varielky doubts that Dreygaard's light will help in any way. After all, Varielky saw Auger's strange darkness magic multiple times by now. Insteas, she immediately rushes to where the Gynosphinx recently stood. Fighting while she can't see is difficult, but fighting without knowing where the enemy is will be impossible. She can only hope to run faster than the sandstone woman could. At least, with such a big body, she might not be so easy to miss.
Find the rhythm, commit to it. Varielky paces her breaths, each brief yet deep. She must end this quickly, as she's certain Snow could get the plants now - if time flows there as it does here - but Auger's condition only worsens. She can't even imagine how that must feel.
Once she reaches where she believes the guaridan stood, Varielky swings Dreygaard in a wide arc, focusing only on power in the attack, as precision is meaningless if she can't even see the target.
"Auger!" Varielky then calls, whether or not she could hit the Gynosphinx. "Get away! Find if there's an end to this darkness!"
BA: Rage, round 1/10.
Movement: To M-10.
Action: Attack, aimed at the space where the guardian stood before.
Attack #1: (4, 9 - disadvantage)+11=15. If that hits, damage is 4+11=15.
Attack #2: 1! Critical miss.
Varielky
Varielky plunges into the darkness and strikes blindly at the gynosphinx, but her red-steel blade slices only air, and her second swing is met with a counterswipe of the creature’s buckler-sized paw so powerful that Dreygaard flies from Varielky’s grip to the ground (critical miss). The gynosphynx immediately slashes at her, but she ducks to feel for her blade. The guardian’s attack misses, but since Varielky is disarmed, she cannot Riposte.
The gynosphinx now takes its turn. The shield-maiden retrieves her blade just in time to parry a second blow, (which misses with an 18), but a third swipe with both claws hits with a 26, for 10HP slashing damage (of which Varielky takes half). Varielky may attempt to Riposte the prior blow if she wishes, rolling at disadvantage vs. AC17. Otherwise it is Auger’s turn.
Auger: Varielky and the gynosphinx have traded blows and shifted location within the darkness. You can see neither and are not sure which one is where. Please roll perception, DC10 to know for certain. This check does not require an action.
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
Py... no response. Not an illusion. Not something fey. Or another plane. Then it strikes him. It is the future here. A future with a burnt out sky. Briefly Auger thinks of his family and then he re-centers himself. There was a Guardian to destroy.
Auger draws powers into himself and prepares to release as much energy as he can into a single blow, and then he sees nothing. For a moment he hears nothing either. Blindly he shifts his perceptions back and forth to the Sea of Stars where at times he looks into nothing, was he there mistakenly? No. The energies surge and he sees his otherself at the periphery of his vision, preparing something nasty he thinks. Distantly he hears Varielky call to him and he realizes it is not just he who is blinded. Auger shifts back solidly to this reality and is aware of the sounds of fighting nearby but he cannot place them or the direction. Trying to be sure of his footing, Auger backs out of the Darkness, it had to have a limit.
Details:
Perception check: 3 (+0) = 3.
Move: Auger will move to leave the Darkness. If he is able to do so he continues moving back to try and get a sense of the size and shape of the Darkness. Editing to add some directionality. On the before the Darkness map, Auger would be headed towards G6 or further if possible.
Holding other actions till we know whether Auger can successfully leave the Darkness.
DM of RotFM | AUGER the Warlock (Archfey & the Chain) / Shadow Sorcerer in Age of Resurgence | Rahui & Javier in Sea of Memory
Auger reaches what he thinks is G6. He is still surrounded by inky blackness. Snapped tree trunks punctuate the rubble here and Auger trips over a thick root, though he does not fall.
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
Varielky tries to riposte, but soon realises that fighting in the darkness is far more difficult than she anticipated.
Attack: 1! Critical miss.
Varielky
Auger continues moving in the same direction, convinced he must hit an edge of the Darkness soon.
Details
DM of RotFM | AUGER the Warlock (Archfey & the Chain) / Shadow Sorcerer in Age of Resurgence | Rahui & Javier in Sea of Memory