Aranea had been quietly following the interaction with Azaka, occasionally sending thoughts toward Gear as he used his telepathy. As a thief, she was used to lurking in the shadows and staying quiet and unseen, not haggling with strangers. She was feeling a bit out of her element, but the others made her feel a bit more confident about their endeavor, except for the one called Key...He didn't seem to be in a team-building sort of mood. Aranea eyed him skeptically and wondered why he hadn't lowered his hood yet. What was he hiding?
"If Azaka believes it is easier to follow the path, maybe we should proceed on foot," Aranea offers. "I do not mind either way, but we should wrap this up quickly. The sooner we are off, the sooner we find a cure for our employer."
“Azaka, let us be off! To adventure and friendship!” Raising his shield toward the sky, Gear’s worries about Key also disappear in the face of adventure.
“What types of dangerous plants or animals might we look out for in the first few days? My curiosity brims!” Gear slaps his metallic hand a bit too aggressively onto the shoulders of Whistler and Aranea like teammates encouraging each other to strive toward a common goal.
"I can think of two routes, first one we follow the river and will find the Aldani Basin in 20 days -Walking- the river will cover one flank and there is enough foliage to hide from any flying threats... The basin is home to the Aldani which will hardly engage with us, Orolunga lies 10 days east from this point but we will need to cross deep jungle all the way... The other route will take 7 days more but we'll need to continue south to cross the basin and follow an extension of the river."
------
"Regarding threats, well Pterafolks are always circling the skies but prefer to prey on easy targets, usually won't attempt to attack a solid group, if we move fast and show knowledge of the jungle they won't engage. Undead and dinosaurs lurk Chult and are a constant threat, dinosaurs can be heard from a distance and undead are very slow...insects carry terrible diseases so repellent is a very good idea, lastly don't ever get close to a blue mist it moves through the jungle so it's hard to predict when or where it'll catch to us but that's another constant threat...there are more creatures and races that live in the jungle but they are only a threat if we invade their territory or disrespect their shrines. As you can see the best plan is to stay together and move steadily, always keep your weapons near you because you will need them"
“The riverside? Shorter, and perhaps chances to fish along the way.”
Gear picks up his bags, close to the limit of his encumbrance, and follows Azaka out of town. He has 10 rations he himself doesn’t need, in case others run low…
…and he worries about Key, wondering the smaller companions motivations and mental scars that might impede their journey. As Azaka said, the jungle consumes those who do not stand together…
Whistler listened to Azaka intensely. He'd nodded his approval of walking, at Azaka's suggestion, but was curious as to the path they would take.
"The faster path seems like the better," he murmured as she finished. "Less chance o' runnin' outta food and stahvin'."
He then looked around, wondering where their smaller companion had gone.
(( If it helps, Perception Check:11 ))
Key virtually disappeared (many places to hide in an urban environment still, plus you were mostly paying attention to Azaka)
Azaka says goodbye and passes a couple of notes to her sparing partner and other trainees before leaving the place then turn to you “Let’s go”
After a little while you find yourself heading to the coast next to the port where the jungle could be seem at a safe distance. Azaka explains that you’ll need to walk for about three days before you actually step into the jungle. Though the sun is almost gone by now you still get to see ships near the port and lights projected through roofs and tents. Many beasts of burden (almost all of them dinosaurs) are held outside of the port and you can still hear their growls and sometimes their feet stomping the ground.
“Sun is very strong in the morning so we must start early, we can use the river to keep us hydrated and our cloths fresh to avoid fatigue…”
7 (each day, I’ll roll a d12 to determine if you’ll run into a random encounter)
safe areas will need a 12 to start an encounter. As your camping/movement occurs through more dangerous areas an encounter will trigger with a higher range of numbers. There are multiple levels of danger in the jungle (you won’t know how many or their extension) as we go up un danger I’ll roll an additional d12. I.E:
with 1 more level of danger I’ll roll 2 d12 per in game day and encounters trigger with 10 to 12…and so on. Not every encounter is a combat and they are roughly balanced (but I’ll be basing every encounter from suggestions taken directly from the official module) so use your judgment (or you character’s judgment) to decide what’s winnable
Aranea was excited to finally be off. This was her first big job like this. It was her chance to win herself a new life, and she was anxious to get it right. Luckily she had some good companions at her side, and she felt that together there was no way they could fail. As they passed by the dinosaurs, her eyes grew wide. She'd never seen such creatures in her entire life. She had to restrain the urge to go and ask if she could pet one, although judging by their teeth she'd probably lose a hand if she tried such a thing.
As she walked with her companions, she decided to try and get to know them a bit more. She'd already developed a rapport with Gear, but Whistler and Case were still anomalies to her.
"What's your story, Case?" she asked, as they traveled. "What did you do before taking this job?"
With no one having stopped him, Case has continued walking to the river. You find him wandering aimlessly not sure what to do with himself.
"Oh, I was built to stop an apocalypse. Thing is, the apocalypse never happened, and I was never given another goal. Instead, I was just left to rot away. I don't even know how long I was standing there for really. People decided that I was valuable and I passed from owner to owner as a statue. No one bothered to see if I was a warforged, and I did not bother them."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
“The secret we should never let the gamemasters know is that they don't need any rules.” ― Gary Gygax
Eavesdropping on the conversation, Whistler couldn't help but jump in. "You was just passed along as property, while just standing there still as a statue?! That sounds downright traumatizin'!" He shook his head. "What finally got ya' out and goin' again?"
“For those we might save in this land, we are certainly on a godly mission! For each person’s apocalypse is unique to them.”
Gear looks around at the group, proud of Aranea and Case’s dedications to being heroes.
“Whistler, may you and I learn from these two, who though having been treated unfairly, still stand up with the side of good, to rebalance the world.” If Gear has tears, there would be one drop rolling down his face. “May Tyr protect each of us, in accordance to how well we protect the people at large.”
Whistler gave a short, low chuckle at Gear's suggestion and prayer... not a mean one, it was more surprised than malicious.
"Son--" he said before suddenly remembering he was speaking to a warforged, and quickly continuing, "--I've been 'round long enough to see lotsa wanna-be heroes fall flat on their faces. True, I've come 'cross some mighty noble folks, but it wasn't like they didn't pay a price for their commitment. Guess I'm just sayin', I don't think I'm the sort ta' go fo' all that, myself. Do a good job, getcher reward, go home for some peace and quiet after--that's more my style."
standing up to his full 6’11” height again, Gear gently remarks, “my son, If you were to meet the master hero on their travels, by what would you recognize them?”
“Humility is often the first sign of a true master, and I suspect this too you know.” He grins to himself and looks back to the road in order to give Whistler time to self reflect, knowing in the days to come they may have to save each others lives multiple times, if not daily.
The fighter raised an eyebrow, but remained silent. His companion seemed like he had latched onto a noble cause, which was well and all... he just hoped the warforged's faith in that cause didn't wind up smashed to bits, replaced with bitterness and resentment, as he'd seen happen with so many others before.
“Azaka, are there dangerous beasts in the waters? Or more in the jungle? Perhaps if we can find food before the sun sets we can save our rations for more dire times.”
Gear starts to take down his explorers pack, preparing to go through the motions of unrolling a bedroll for camaraderie’s sakes and prepared to loosen the fishing tackle if needed as well.
Aranea's eyes went wide as Case told his story. "Wait, built to stop an apocalypse? What sort of apocalypse. I'm glad it didn't happen!"
Aranea smiled at Gear. She liked listening to his proclamations. They were very epic and did indeed make them all sound like heroes. She had never considered herself a hero before but maybe...after this journey was over...
"Why can't it be both ways?" she asked Whistler. "We can complete the job, save a woman's life, be heroes, and also collect our reward along the way." She smiled at the fighter.
“Azaka, are there dangerous beasts in the waters? Or more in the jungle? Perhaps if we can find food before the sun sets we can save our rations for more dire times.”
Gear starts to take down his explorers pack, preparing to go through the motions of unrolling a bedroll for camaraderie’s sakes and prepared to loosen the fishing tackle if needed as well.
“Case, ever fished before?”
“Once we get to the river we could find some dangerous animals but not here, most threats could be spotted from a distance luckily the shores aren’t deep enough to shelter big creatures”
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
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((Sorry for not posting in a few days!))
Aranea had been quietly following the interaction with Azaka, occasionally sending thoughts toward Gear as he used his telepathy. As a thief, she was used to lurking in the shadows and staying quiet and unseen, not haggling with strangers. She was feeling a bit out of her element, but the others made her feel a bit more confident about their endeavor, except for the one called Key...He didn't seem to be in a team-building sort of mood. Aranea eyed him skeptically and wondered why he hadn't lowered his hood yet. What was he hiding?
"If Azaka believes it is easier to follow the path, maybe we should proceed on foot," Aranea offers. "I do not mind either way, but we should wrap this up quickly. The sooner we are off, the sooner we find a cure for our employer."
Extended Signature
Characters: Bryony Alderleaf (Phandelver and Below) ♦ Vesta Trevelyan (Vecna: Eve of Ruin) ♦ Ada Kendrick (Curse of Strahd) ♦ Gareth Blackwood (Dragon of Icespire Peak) ♦ Karys Velthune (Out of the Abyss) ♦ Surina Xarith (Simple, Heroic Adventure)
DM: Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus
(Key dissapears)
“Azaka, let us be off! To adventure and friendship!” Raising his shield toward the sky, Gear’s worries about Key also disappear in the face of adventure.
“What types of dangerous plants or animals might we look out for in the first few days? My curiosity brims!” Gear slaps his metallic hand a bit too aggressively onto the shoulders of Whistler and Aranea like teammates encouraging each other to strive toward a common goal.
"I can think of two routes, first one we follow the river and will find the Aldani Basin in 20 days -Walking- the river will cover one flank and there is enough foliage to hide from any flying threats... The basin is home to the Aldani which will hardly engage with us, Orolunga lies 10 days east from this point but we will need to cross deep jungle all the way... The other route will take 7 days more but we'll need to continue south to cross the basin and follow an extension of the river."
------
"Regarding threats, well Pterafolks are always circling the skies but prefer to prey on easy targets, usually won't attempt to attack a solid group, if we move fast and show knowledge of the jungle they won't engage. Undead and dinosaurs lurk Chult and are a constant threat, dinosaurs can be heard from a distance and undead are very slow...insects carry terrible diseases so repellent is a very good idea, lastly don't ever get close to a blue mist it moves through the jungle so it's hard to predict when or where it'll catch to us but that's another constant threat...there are more creatures and races that live in the jungle but they are only a threat if we invade their territory or disrespect their shrines. As you can see the best plan is to stay together and move steadily, always keep your weapons near you because you will need them"
Whistler listened to Azaka intensely. He'd nodded his approval of walking, at Azaka's suggestion, but was curious as to the path they would take.
"The faster path seems like the better," he murmured as she finished. "Less chance o' runnin' outta food and stahvin'."
He then looked around, wondering where their smaller companion had gone.
(( If it helps, Perception Check: 3 ))
Sterling - V. Human Bard 3 (College of Art) - [Pic] - [Traits] - in Bards: Dragon Heist (w/ Mansion) - Jasper's [Pic] - Sterling's [Sigil]
Tooltips Post (2024 PHB updates) - incl. General Rules
>> New FOW threat & treasure tables: fow-advanced-threat-tables.pdf fow-advanced-treasure-table.pdf
“The riverside? Shorter, and perhaps chances to fish along the way.”
Gear picks up his bags, close to the limit of his encumbrance, and follows Azaka out of town. He has 10 rations he himself doesn’t need, in case others run low…
…and he worries about Key, wondering the smaller companions motivations and mental scars that might impede their journey. As Azaka said, the jungle consumes those who do not stand together…
Key virtually disappeared (many places to hide in an urban environment still, plus you were mostly paying attention to Azaka)
Azaka says goodbye and passes a couple of notes to her sparing partner and other trainees before leaving the place then turn to you “Let’s go”
After a little while you find yourself heading to the coast next to the port where the jungle could be seem at a safe distance. Azaka explains that you’ll need to walk for about three days before you actually step into the jungle. Though the sun is almost gone by now you still get to see ships near the port and lights projected through roofs and tents. Many beasts of burden (almost all of them dinosaurs) are held outside of the port and you can still hear their growls and sometimes their feet stomping the ground.
“Sun is very strong in the morning so we must start early, we can use the river to keep us hydrated and our cloths fresh to avoid fatigue…”
7 (each day, I’ll roll a d12 to determine if you’ll run into a random encounter)
safe areas will need a 12 to start an encounter. As your camping/movement occurs through more dangerous areas an encounter will trigger with a higher range of numbers. There are multiple levels of danger in the jungle (you won’t know how many or their extension) as we go up un danger I’ll roll an additional d12. I.E:
with 1 more level of danger I’ll roll 2 d12 per in game day and encounters trigger with 10 to 12…and so on. Not every encounter is a combat and they are roughly balanced (but I’ll be basing every encounter from suggestions taken directly from the official module) so use your judgment (or you character’s judgment) to decide what’s winnable
Actually, I meant he literally dissapeared.
How?
Aranea was excited to finally be off. This was her first big job like this. It was her chance to win herself a new life, and she was anxious to get it right. Luckily she had some good companions at her side, and she felt that together there was no way they could fail. As they passed by the dinosaurs, her eyes grew wide. She'd never seen such creatures in her entire life. She had to restrain the urge to go and ask if she could pet one, although judging by their teeth she'd probably lose a hand if she tried such a thing.
As she walked with her companions, she decided to try and get to know them a bit more. She'd already developed a rapport with Gear, but Whistler and Case were still anomalies to her.
"What's your story, Case?" she asked, as they traveled. "What did you do before taking this job?"
Extended Signature
Characters: Bryony Alderleaf (Phandelver and Below) ♦ Vesta Trevelyan (Vecna: Eve of Ruin) ♦ Ada Kendrick (Curse of Strahd) ♦ Gareth Blackwood (Dragon of Icespire Peak) ♦ Karys Velthune (Out of the Abyss) ♦ Surina Xarith (Simple, Heroic Adventure)
DM: Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus
With no one having stopped him, Case has continued walking to the river. You find him wandering aimlessly not sure what to do with himself.
"Oh, I was built to stop an apocalypse. Thing is, the apocalypse never happened, and I was never given another goal. Instead, I was just left to rot away. I don't even know how long I was standing there for really. People decided that I was valuable and I passed from owner to owner as a statue. No one bothered to see if I was a warforged, and I did not bother them."
“The secret we should never let the gamemasters know is that they don't need any rules.” ― Gary Gygax
Eavesdropping on the conversation, Whistler couldn't help but jump in. "You was just passed along as property, while just standing there still as a statue?! That sounds downright traumatizin'!" He shook his head. "What finally got ya' out and goin' again?"
Sterling - V. Human Bard 3 (College of Art) - [Pic] - [Traits] - in Bards: Dragon Heist (w/ Mansion) - Jasper's [Pic] - Sterling's [Sigil]
Tooltips Post (2024 PHB updates) - incl. General Rules
>> New FOW threat & treasure tables: fow-advanced-threat-tables.pdf fow-advanced-treasure-table.pdf
"Well, I saw that was a new mission that I could join. I would have a purpose again."
“The secret we should never let the gamemasters know is that they don't need any rules.” ― Gary Gygax
“For those we might save in this land, we are certainly on a godly mission! For each person’s apocalypse is unique to them.”
Gear looks around at the group, proud of Aranea and Case’s dedications to being heroes.
“Whistler, may you and I learn from these two, who though having been treated unfairly, still stand up with the side of good, to rebalance the world.” If Gear has tears, there would be one drop rolling down his face. “May Tyr protect each of us, in accordance to how well we protect the people at large.”
Whistler gave a short, low chuckle at Gear's suggestion and prayer... not a mean one, it was more surprised than malicious.
"Son--" he said before suddenly remembering he was speaking to a warforged, and quickly continuing, "--I've been 'round long enough to see lotsa wanna-be heroes fall flat on their faces. True, I've come 'cross some mighty noble folks, but it wasn't like they didn't pay a price for their commitment. Guess I'm just sayin', I don't think I'm the sort ta' go fo' all that, myself. Do a good job, getcher reward, go home for some peace and quiet after--that's more my style."
Sterling - V. Human Bard 3 (College of Art) - [Pic] - [Traits] - in Bards: Dragon Heist (w/ Mansion) - Jasper's [Pic] - Sterling's [Sigil]
Tooltips Post (2024 PHB updates) - incl. General Rules
>> New FOW threat & treasure tables: fow-advanced-threat-tables.pdf fow-advanced-treasure-table.pdf
standing up to his full 6’11” height again, Gear gently remarks, “my son, If you were to meet the master hero on their travels, by what would you recognize them?”
“Humility is often the first sign of a true master, and I suspect this too you know.” He grins to himself and looks back to the road in order to give Whistler time to self reflect, knowing in the days to come they may have to save each others lives multiple times, if not daily.
The fighter raised an eyebrow, but remained silent. His companion seemed like he had latched onto a noble cause, which was well and all... he just hoped the warforged's faith in that cause didn't wind up smashed to bits, replaced with bitterness and resentment, as he'd seen happen with so many others before.
Sterling - V. Human Bard 3 (College of Art) - [Pic] - [Traits] - in Bards: Dragon Heist (w/ Mansion) - Jasper's [Pic] - Sterling's [Sigil]
Tooltips Post (2024 PHB updates) - incl. General Rules
>> New FOW threat & treasure tables: fow-advanced-threat-tables.pdf fow-advanced-treasure-table.pdf
“Azaka, are there dangerous beasts in the waters? Or more in the jungle? Perhaps if we can find food before the sun sets we can save our rations for more dire times.”
Gear starts to take down his explorers pack, preparing to go through the motions of unrolling a bedroll for camaraderie’s sakes and prepared to loosen the fishing tackle if needed as well.
“Case, ever fished before?”
Aranea's eyes went wide as Case told his story. "Wait, built to stop an apocalypse? What sort of apocalypse. I'm glad it didn't happen!"
Aranea smiled at Gear. She liked listening to his proclamations. They were very epic and did indeed make them all sound like heroes. She had never considered herself a hero before but maybe...after this journey was over...
"Why can't it be both ways?" she asked Whistler. "We can complete the job, save a woman's life, be heroes, and also collect our reward along the way." She smiled at the fighter.
Extended Signature
Characters: Bryony Alderleaf (Phandelver and Below) ♦ Vesta Trevelyan (Vecna: Eve of Ruin) ♦ Ada Kendrick (Curse of Strahd) ♦ Gareth Blackwood (Dragon of Icespire Peak) ♦ Karys Velthune (Out of the Abyss) ♦ Surina Xarith (Simple, Heroic Adventure)
DM: Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus
“Once we get to the river we could find some dangerous animals but not here, most threats could be spotted from a distance luckily the shores aren’t deep enough to shelter big creatures”