Vilus turns now, a big genuine smile on his face for the first time in maybe since the group got together "what's the hold up guys? Why are we stopping?" He seems awfully chipper, the usual heavy bags under his eyes don't seem as dark, his footsteps seem lighter, there is something obviously going on.
“Wait, something is ..off about this place. The roots are … moving…and watching us. Look, you can see their eyes.” Malachi points out the root that drew his attention. He speaks in an awkward cadence, stammering at times and with long pauses at others. He turns toward Ashley, voice almost pleading “You see it too, don’t you? Tell me you do! Burn them, don’t let them get us!”
"Moving?" Samir stops, looking around, adjusting his glasses with one hand nervously. "Trees are not my area of, of expertise, but that seems... unusual?"
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
At Malachi's plea, Ashley flicks her wrist gathering her flame in her palm. She heads over to where he points about the eyes and sees if she can see what he is talking about, if she does, she will send that flame towards it.
Joren looks around, alert and ready, but sees no sign of movement, though he must admit the roots have a bit of an odd appearance, and maybe seem a little denser than they were before.
Ashley, now that she is looking for it, can't unsee the eye-like protrusions on the roots. The way the shadows dance across their uneven surfaces enhances the effect. She stares at the root Malachi was pointing at, and it almost seems to stare back at her. Then the flame is leaping from her hand to scorch the root away. There is a burst of light and heat as the root catches.
Schiick
The root quickly retracts into the wall, as do several of the smaller roots around it. But the group is distracted, for when the light from Ashley's flame flared up, they could swear that just for a moment there was a dark figure, someone or something, watching them from the very edge of the light. But by the time eyes recover from the flash and readjust to the darkness beyond the group's main light source, the thing is nowhere to be seen.
"well something strange is happening.. what's the plan?" Vilus strains as he reflexively shields himself from the bright light. His eyes without the benefit of any darkvision had adjusted nicely to the dim light cast out by Samir's trinkets, but now was taking longer than some of the others to correct after the burning flash.
Ashley, briefly satisfied by taking out the creepy roots, realizes she missed something bigger as well. Looking at the edge of her vision to try and understand what it could possibly be, she gives up and twists her wrist again, producing her flame. The flames float above her palm as she uses it like a torch to look around the area, trying to either find the shadow that seems to be eluding them, or for more roots with eyes...
The more Ashley looks, the more eyes she sees. Countless roots, all giving off the feeling that she is being watches dispassionately.
Marion, wishing her eyes were more effective at piercing through the darkness, replies to Joren without turning her head as she stares down the tunnel. "Yes... yes. Let us ask the Blue Lady for her guidance and Wisdom." She closes her eyes and says a prayer and then looks back to where the figure had been seen with her hand extended. Even in the darkness, her eyes shine bright blue.
"There is nothing there. I mean, there is definitely something strange about this place, but I think we may be letting our imaginatio-"Marion turns to look down the other direction and her thoughts are interrupted. "I feel it. There is something there, not quite dead, not quite alive. It's right at the edge of my senses." She takes a step forward to get a better feel for it, and then shakes her head. "It's keeping its distance. I can't feel it anymore. I don't think we should stay here any longer than we need to." She continues walking ahead, passing one cluster of roots so large that it almost obstructs the passage, nearly forcing her to squeeze by.
An unsure feeling creeps into Ashley and she doesn't like it at all. She wants to be topside more than anything, and they still have another day of this! "Yes, Marion, let's go! This place with its eyes in the roots? And with this presence that we know nothing of?" she shudders. "Let's go!" and she continues to fire off her flames at eyes that are close to her.
"Yes.. um, yes, let's get moving again. This place is... unnerving." Samir carefully starts down the tunnel once more, assuming the others are doing the same. Should they not, he will wait with them, if impatiently. Should he notice moving roots or eyes, he will do as Ashley was, and use his own fire to force them back into the earth when possible.
The group squeezes past the tangle and hurry along, Ashley and Samir burning roots along the way and seeing them hiss and retract out of their path. Sometimes a flash of flame reveals a silhouette of someone following them, and then with the next flash it is gone. But wait... how can it be a silhouette if the light is coming from in front of it?
The roots start becoming aggressive, reaching out to tangle limbs whenever they aren't being scorched away.
Running ahead, Marion and Ashley manage to dodge and weave through the grasping roots, occasionally slicing or burning particularly tenacious ones in their way. stumbling along behind them, Samir squeezes past a cluster of thick roots only to trip over something on the ground. In the light of one of his contraptions, he sees a skeletal leg protruding from within the tangle. Just a foot higher Samir makes out a boney hand half hanging on to a dagger. Samir recognizes it instantly as the same design as those wielded by the cultists.
Then Joren's firm hand is grapping his shoulder and hauling him to his feet. Samir feels Joren give him a rough shove, and then he is on his feet running again. He looks over his shoulder, however, just in time to see vines take advantage of Joren's loss of momentum. Wrapping under and around his arms, they lift him off his feet and haul him up toward the ceiling as more begin to wrap around his legs, thoroughly restraining him.
And down the tunnel past Joren, Samir sees the shadowy figure once again. But this time it does not vanish. Instead, it stalks forward, wavering blackness, as if made from shadow itself, and in its hand it carries a black imitation of a cultist dagger.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Malachi thanks Ashley as she sends the first set of roots back with a blast of flame. His satisfaction is soon replaced with more nerves as he sees the shadow of a figure around them and watches the roots continue to close in. He tries to ignore the nervous sensation in his mind and attempts to push through the roots.
Dex save: 21.
.
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At a glance, nothing appears immediately off to Ashley, but she notices Malachi's attention seems taken by a nearby root
Vilus turns now, a big genuine smile on his face for the first time in maybe since the group got together "what's the hold up guys? Why are we stopping?" He seems awfully chipper, the usual heavy bags under his eyes don't seem as dark, his footsteps seem lighter, there is something obviously going on.
“Wait, something is ..off about this place. The roots are … moving…and watching us. Look, you can see their eyes.” Malachi points out the root that drew his attention. He speaks in an awkward cadence, stammering at times and with long pauses at others. He turns toward Ashley, voice almost pleading “You see it too, don’t you? Tell me you do! Burn them, don’t let them get us!”
Joren looks concerned about Malachi, probably the fellow Shield Pass traveler he knows the least, but who has always seemed so sharp.
Either he is starting to go mad, or there really are roots with eyes moving and watching us...
Joren summons his echo to be safe and peers around with both his 60' darkvision and reaches out with his 10' blindsight.
Perception: 5
Barn(Paladin1): Damian_May's Ereworn Under the Shadow | Lyra(Warlock2/Bard4): VitusW's Silverwood Forest | Nivi(Rogue5): Erik_Soong's Netherdeep
Joren(Fighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Quyen(Adept1, ba5ic): ConstancePhokas' Nentir Vale (Discord) | Seri(Druid1): Hunter_Orien's Saltmarsh
Xarian(Fighter3): Luna_Dust's Marks on the Map | Ophelia(Sorcerer2): BillM's Icewind Dale | Shin(Wizard1): Culuril's Strixhaven
"Moving?" Samir stops, looking around, adjusting his glasses with one hand nervously. "Trees are not my area of, of expertise, but that seems... unusual?"
At Malachi's plea, Ashley flicks her wrist gathering her flame in her palm. She heads over to where he points about the eyes and sees if she can see what he is talking about, if she does, she will send that flame towards it.
Readied Attack: 24 Damage: 8
Joren looks around, alert and ready, but sees no sign of movement, though he must admit the roots have a bit of an odd appearance, and maybe seem a little denser than they were before.
Ashley, now that she is looking for it, can't unsee the eye-like protrusions on the roots. The way the shadows dance across their uneven surfaces enhances the effect. She stares at the root Malachi was pointing at, and it almost seems to stare back at her. Then the flame is leaping from her hand to scorch the root away. There is a burst of light and heat as the root catches.
Schiick
The root quickly retracts into the wall, as do several of the smaller roots around it. But the group is distracted, for when the light from Ashley's flame flared up, they could swear that just for a moment there was a dark figure, someone or something, watching them from the very edge of the light. But by the time eyes recover from the flash and readjust to the darkness beyond the group's main light source, the thing is nowhere to be seen.
"well something strange is happening.. what's the plan?" Vilus strains as he reflexively shields himself from the bright light. His eyes without the benefit of any darkvision had adjusted nicely to the dim light cast out by Samir's trinkets, but now was taking longer than some of the others to correct after the burning flash.
Ashley, briefly satisfied by taking out the creepy roots, realizes she missed something bigger as well. Looking at the edge of her vision to try and understand what it could possibly be, she gives up and twists her wrist again, producing her flame. The flames float above her palm as she uses it like a torch to look around the area, trying to either find the shadow that seems to be eluding them, or for more roots with eyes...
Joren is uncertain, not having seen much. He keeps his echo between the group and where he thought he last saw the dark figure.
"Marion, I... did you do something earlier where you could sense good and evil around you?"
Barn(Paladin1): Damian_May's Ereworn Under the Shadow | Lyra(Warlock2/Bard4): VitusW's Silverwood Forest | Nivi(Rogue5): Erik_Soong's Netherdeep
Joren(Fighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Quyen(Adept1, ba5ic): ConstancePhokas' Nentir Vale (Discord) | Seri(Druid1): Hunter_Orien's Saltmarsh
Xarian(Fighter3): Luna_Dust's Marks on the Map | Ophelia(Sorcerer2): BillM's Icewind Dale | Shin(Wizard1): Culuril's Strixhaven
The more Ashley looks, the more eyes she sees. Countless roots, all giving off the feeling that she is being watches dispassionately.
Marion, wishing her eyes were more effective at piercing through the darkness, replies to Joren without turning her head as she stares down the tunnel. "Yes... yes. Let us ask the Blue Lady for her guidance and Wisdom." She closes her eyes and says a prayer and then looks back to where the figure had been seen with her hand extended. Even in the darkness, her eyes shine bright blue.
"There is nothing there. I mean, there is definitely something strange about this place, but I think we may be letting our imaginatio-" Marion turns to look down the other direction and her thoughts are interrupted. "I feel it. There is something there, not quite dead, not quite alive. It's right at the edge of my senses." She takes a step forward to get a better feel for it, and then shakes her head. "It's keeping its distance. I can't feel it anymore. I don't think we should stay here any longer than we need to." She continues walking ahead, passing one cluster of roots so large that it almost obstructs the passage, nearly forcing her to squeeze by.
An unsure feeling creeps into Ashley and she doesn't like it at all. She wants to be topside more than anything, and they still have another day of this! "Yes, Marion, let's go! This place with its eyes in the roots? And with this presence that we know nothing of?" she shudders. "Let's go!" and she continues to fire off her flames at eyes that are close to her.
"Yes.. um, yes, let's get moving again. This place is... unnerving." Samir carefully starts down the tunnel once more, assuming the others are doing the same. Should they not, he will wait with them, if impatiently. Should he notice moving roots or eyes, he will do as Ashley was, and use his own fire to force them back into the earth when possible.
The group squeezes past the tangle and hurry along, Ashley and Samir burning roots along the way and seeing them hiss and retract out of their path. Sometimes a flash of flame reveals a silhouette of someone following them, and then with the next flash it is gone. But wait... how can it be a silhouette if the light is coming from in front of it?
The roots start becoming aggressive, reaching out to tangle limbs whenever they aren't being scorched away.
(everyone make a dex save, DC 12)
Joren DEX Save: 2
Barn(Paladin1): Damian_May's Ereworn Under the Shadow | Lyra(Warlock2/Bard4): VitusW's Silverwood Forest | Nivi(Rogue5): Erik_Soong's Netherdeep
Joren(Fighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Quyen(Adept1, ba5ic): ConstancePhokas' Nentir Vale (Discord) | Seri(Druid1): Hunter_Orien's Saltmarsh
Xarian(Fighter3): Luna_Dust's Marks on the Map | Ophelia(Sorcerer2): BillM's Icewind Dale | Shin(Wizard1): Culuril's Strixhaven
Ashley DEX save 15
Vilus Dex save 16
Samir Dex save 21
Running ahead, Marion and Ashley manage to dodge and weave through the grasping roots, occasionally slicing or burning particularly tenacious ones in their way. stumbling along behind them, Samir squeezes past a cluster of thick roots only to trip over something on the ground. In the light of one of his contraptions, he sees a skeletal leg protruding from within the tangle. Just a foot higher Samir makes out a boney hand half hanging on to a dagger. Samir recognizes it instantly as the same design as those wielded by the cultists.
Then Joren's firm hand is grapping his shoulder and hauling him to his feet. Samir feels Joren give him a rough shove, and then he is on his feet running again. He looks over his shoulder, however, just in time to see vines take advantage of Joren's loss of momentum. Wrapping under and around his arms, they lift him off his feet and haul him up toward the ceiling as more begin to wrap around his legs, thoroughly restraining him.
And down the tunnel past Joren, Samir sees the shadowy figure once again. But this time it does not vanish. Instead, it stalks forward, wavering blackness, as if made from shadow itself, and in its hand it carries a black imitation of a cultist dagger.
Malachi thanks Ashley as she sends the first set of roots back with a blast of flame. His satisfaction is soon replaced with more nerves as he sees the shadow of a figure around them and watches the roots continue to close in. He tries to ignore the nervous sensation in his mind and attempts to push through the roots.
Dex save: 21.
.