Red Dead Annihilation: Campaign Thread

Nalomanterys looks at his own skin with a frown. "The spell does not function on living matter - I can clean clothes, bags, rope... anything but us. Do not worry about 'next time,' for this is a simple trick that takes no time at all and near enough to no magical energy. Why, I could keep this up all day, if the situation were so dire that that was necessary - I hope it never is." With a flick of his wrist and a short, sharp, "purgo," Nalomanterys begins cleaning his allies' gear over breakfast, if they want it.

Ran smiles at the gleam on his chainmail, but then notices how the links exposed under his overshirt glint in the light. He reaches down and rubs a bit of dirt around on the exposed bits.

"May be best to look like a pig for a bit longer," Ran says as they head out again.

Mica chuckles as Ran begins rubbing mud back on his armor. He declines Nalomanterys offer to clean his gear “Best to not be too bright and shiny in the jungle, else you catch the eye of some beast.  Snap you up as a snack or a trophy.” He grins as he prepares to hit the trail. 

As you break camp and prepare for another day of slogging through the jungle, something new is revealed.  On the eastern horizon, above the treetops and somewhere far across the Aldani Basin, there is a dark object in the sky.  It looks like the top of a distant mountain... except that's all there is - just the top.

Seeing that it has caught some attention, Hew turns his gaze in that direction.  "An earthmote," he says matter-of-factly.  "A big slab of rock floating in the sky.  There are a few of them in central Chult.  That might be the big one the Chultan's call the 'Heart of Ubtao.'  I can't tell from this distance.  A curiosity, but nothing we need to be concerned about."

Once everyone is ready, Hew leads back down the rough stone stairs and back into the jungle.

Meili happily accepted the wizard's offer. Her clothes were not shiny and even if covered by the cloak, to simply feel clean was too precious here to pass. "Thank you!" She made her usual bow and made the first step to the unknown even more enthusiastically. But not so much as to forget to look for the damn flora! (Survival: 10)

Content that their new wizard wasn't going to hate his nickname, Danica was intrigued of the flowers and the fact that they were piloting humanoids. "Intriguing, if horrifying. The musk creepers, do they make alive folk undead, or only already dead ones?" Pausing a moment she half answered herself, "Suppose it don't matter either way, if the plants don't kill you, their pet zombies would." At Ran and Meili's reactions, the druid shrugs. "Everything's got a way of protecting itself. I know plants that can spit acid or charm people. Why not necromantic flowers too? Makes me wonder if the original zombie infestation wasn't just these things at work though..." 
Frowning at Meili's sentiment about pitying the Order of the Gauntlet and wanting to salt and burn Chult along with Ran, the sailor kept quiet. 

Danica was grateful yet anxious as they set camp for the night, lighting some more incense insect repellant, consulting with Druidcraft and determining that setting out the rain catchers would be useless. This would be the first time she used the gifted fetish from Nanny. With a prayer to Selune, it was done. She spent the night consulting her star charts and the beautiful night sky above, noting new constellations. The added security of Nalomanterys' Alarm spell allowing her to relax a bit more. 

 Come morning she re-applies her insect repellant salve as she watches the others become a bit more clean thanks to Nal's magical skill. "I'm with Mica on this. I'd kill for a nice bath, but best not to draw tempting noses. Although..." She looks down at her hip and gently unties the long blue silk scarf at her hip, onto which a Holy Symbol of Selune was tied. There were a few stains on it as she holds it out to the wizard. "I would like to keep this clean." Offering her thanks afterwards as she re-ties it around her hip.

Danica offers Meili Guidance as the other woman looks around at the various flora as their group sets out. "Good that we don't need to be concerned about it, but still curious. Know anything 'bout how it came to be all floaty Hew?" 

Guidance for Meili: 2

Nalomanterys watches the earthmote float over the horizon for a few minutes without expression. "Have you heard of the High Netherese Empire?" He asks no one in particular, and, without waiting for an answer, continues on, "Once there was a great empire in the east, over where the Anauroch desert is now, whose feats of magic were so great that they cut the tops off of mountains and floated them in the air, just like that earthmote there, and built their cities on them."

"Imagine dozens of cities filled with the greatest wizards the world has ever seen and will ever see, floating through air on the backs of mountains." He stops his story momentarily to swat a mosquito that braved the insect repellent. "And the world will never see anything like them again. Mystra clipped the wings of all mortal spellcasters after Karsus - greatest of all archmages - took her divine power for his own." He shows no sign of whether he thinks that's a good thing or a bad thing.

"I wonder if her eye has been brought to this gods-forsaken and lain upon that earthmote, and if she remembered the mortals who once stole from the gods... I wonder if Kelemvor wants due." He splays his hands out, palms up, as if to say "ah well" or "I guess we'll see," and follows Hew back down into the trees and brush, where the earthmote is hidden from sight.

"This land belonged to Ubtao. At least locals believe it firmly. He was the one who created other gods here." The road felt relatively easy and Meili saw no harm in talking. She re-told the song of the druid Bolélé about Ubtao and his shadow Eschowdow, who the god had to battle and seal away from this world. "The legend says Ubtao left Chult. Yet, the very same locals call this floating rock "the heart of Ubtao." Do not know why, but the place is holy to anyone worshiping him. Doubt, Kelemvor is involved in any capacity here."

After sharing this piece of local trivia, Meili returned to her plant search.

Ran watches the 'earth mote' for quite awhile.

"There's a mountain floating in the sky and we've nothing to worry about?" Ran asks, more to himself than the others. He looks over at the bird. "Don't remember floating mountains in Waterdeep."

He looks back at the distant floating rock.

"If we could up there, we'd be able to see the whole island. Bound to see the hidden snake city from there."

Mica gazed over at the floating earth mote as Meili told her story. “They say Ubtao was an elemental being, connected to the earth.  Maybe the floating mountains make sense in that case”  Mica shrugs “Someday I would like to meet one of his followers and learn more.” 

He looks over at Ran “It would be quite a view, but I don’t see how we get up there.  Maybe your bird friend, though?  In any case it is too far away and in the wrong direction.  Best continue to push south”

Hew tells a few of the legends he has heard about the earthmotes: that they were raised up as holy sites dedicated to Ubtao; that they are a remnant effect of the Spellplague that once plagued Toril; that they are part of a prison or ward sealing a primordial underneath Chult; that it was the literal heart of the god Ubtao.  But he doesn't know if any of those hold truth or not.

"It matters not.  Mica is correct.  Unless you plan on growing wings, we couldn't get up there.  It may not look it from this distance, but its hundreds of feet above the ground."

Hew guides the party back down into the jungles, cutting west and looking for a path around the scattered ruins infested with Creepers.

Quote from BlueBayou >>

 "...Doubt, Kelemvor is involved in any capacity here."

 "I hope not." Nalomanterys answers while following Hew around the infested ruins.

He tries to keep his eye on the ruins through the dense foliage. "One could walk right by a snake-infested ruin and never see it... I think now more than ever that we need to press for these Dwarves - Maybe, with luck, one of them knows what we seek."

It doesn't take long to reach the western edge of the ruins.  There is still the matter of crossing the creekbottom.  Hew finds a location where the water is mostly clear and shallow, and guides you in an attempt to ford across.  Splashing the water a few times to rule out hidden constrictor snakes or other threats, he wades out into the center of the creek and helps each of you across.  Still, the mud on the bottom threatens to catch boots, and exposed rocks are slick with algae.

[Everyone, make Athletics or Acrobatics checks (your choice which), with advantage from Hew's help, against DC 10.  In the event any of you fail, you slip or trip and fall into the water.  Make a CON save against DC 12 to avoid accidentally swallowing some of the dirty water.]

At the mention of wings, Meili gave the "heart of Ubtao" a more curious look. She did not say more, though. Right now, there were more pressing matters at hand, not the least of which was the crossing of the slippery and poisonous (how else would you call water full of wandering undead?) creek. She concentrated on the task, for a while even stopping her hopeless search for herbs.

Acrobatics: 23 (Just in cases, Con save: 11)

[Any luck with those herbs, btw? I am not obsessed! But was consistently rolling so low on it, that sudden collective 16 looks like a miracle I can not afford to waste!)

Ran looks at the water suspiciously when Hew smacks and stirs it to get rid of snakes.

"You're sure that doesn't just attract the bloody snakes, right?" Ran says before stepping in and making his way across.

Athletics: 21  

He stops on the far bank to help anyone who needs it to climb up the other side.

Mica athletics: 13.

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Quote from LAXGunner >>

Mica athletics: 17.

 Mica sloshes through the creek with ease, paying no attention to slick stones or a soft, muddy bottom.  He chuckles at Ran’s talk of snakes “Don’t worry, they are more afraid of you than you are of them” then he thinks of the large creatures he has already seen in this jungle and adds “Probably” .  He takes Ran’s hand as he climbs up the bank and takes up a watch to defend against anything lurking on the far side as the others cross.

Athletics: 18 (rolled in game log)

Nalomanterys takes off his shoes, putting them in his bag for now, then hikes up his robe and wades through the shallow but fast-flowing river. Since the water is clear, he's able to avoid rocks with algae and without shoes the mud proves no problem. The thin man makes it to the other side with scarcely a problem and accepts Ran's help up on the other side.

"Thank you, Mr. Deadgleam. Your help is appreciated." He sits down on a nice rock and puts his shoes back on.