You all settle in for the night, setting up a watch schedule, but thankfully nothing disturbs your rest. Distant howling of beasts can be heard, but wherever they are, they never get closer to your location. You all awaken the next day, break camp, and hit the road once more. Two days of travel pass without incident, but on the night of the second day, your group spots a camp in the distance. Six figures in the chitin-like armor of the Aurora Watch surround a fire, a few of them singing a traditional Xhorhasian marching song as they set up camp for the evening. A seventh figure, dressed in lighter armor, seems to be on lookout and spots you all on the road.
"Hey there! We were just setting up camp after a day of patrolling - would you like to join us? There's safety in numbers out here on the wastes, plus we've got plenty of food to spare," the lookout asks.
Nexus, it being night, was likely looking for a place to bed down at that point anyway. The sight of familiar faces within the landscape welcome, though when they call out and offer to share food and shelter, she first glances over at her companions. "I wouldn't mind if you folks don't. Safety in numbers as they say, plus, something other than those rations we've been enjoying."
You can't drown someone with Create Water. If your lungs are containers than your bones are objects. Any Siege monster that attacks you deals double damage because it’s attacking your bones.
You all join the Aurora Watch soldiers and settle in for the evening. It seems the lookout you met is the company cook, and he whips up some delicious food for all of you. You go to bed with full bellies and sleep peacefully through the night before setting off again in the morning, parting ways with the Aurora Watch soldiers who continue on their patrol through the Wastes. (After eating such great food, you all gain 10 temporary hit points.)
Another day of travel passes without incident, but a few hours after sunrise the next day, you spot a group of huge mammoths a few hundred feet off the trail. Circling above them is a dark winged creature with shadowy mist cascading off of its form. It looks draconic in nature. With its taloned claws extended, it lets out a piercing shriek and swoops down repeatedly on the mammoths, but fails to do any damage to them as they flee. It is then that its gaze turns to all of you on the road and it suddenly starts flapping its wings in your direction!
"Dammit, that's a gloomstalker!" Irvan exclaims. "Everyone, get ready - these things are tough sons of *****es!"
You can't drown someone with Create Water. If your lungs are containers than your bones are objects. Any Siege monster that attacks you deals double damage because it’s attacking your bones.
Everyone braces or prepares to loose arrows as the gloomstalker flies closer. Nexus tries to ground the creature with magic, but it resists her attempt. Meanwhile, Kalhala, Ayo, Mornin, and Shayone loose a volley at the monstrosity. Kalhala and Mornin unfortunately miss, but Ayo and Shayone are right on target, piercing the creature's shadowy hide.
Dermot calls on the power of the Luxon and smites the gloomstalker with searing light, blinding it, while Aldith fires off a shimmering bolt of eldritch energy and strikes the monster in the chest.
Through a combination of fiery blasts from Nexus, a volley from Ayo and Kalhala, a thrown dagger from Irvan, and a final magical attack from Galsariad, the gloomstalker lets out a final wail and collapses onto the ground, quite dead. The whole group lets out a sigh of relief.
"Good work, everyone," Ayo says, giving Galsariad a nod. "We got lucky - those things can be a real menace."
Thankfully, the rest of your journey is uneventful. You all find a spot to rest for the evening, awaken the next day, then head out on the trail once again. Around sunset, you spot a large stand of trees rising out of the barren wasteland. The leaves of dozens of towering oaks rustle in the breeze, and the scent of a bonfire wafts from a trail of smoke rising from somewhere ahead. The path through the trees is deeply rutted by the work of countless wagon wheels. A wooden sign posted at the head of the path bears the decorated shepherd’s crook that is the holy symbol of Melora the Wild Mother, and the words “Emerald Loop Caravan Stop.”
A little further travel reveals a circle of wagons around a bonfire, a few tents near an oxen pen, and most notably a horizonback tortoise currently munching on one of the trees among the rise.
"Well, I think we're gonna see if there's anything around here we can purchase. Bazzoxan's only a few days away, so we can set out in the morning."Ayo says as she and her party head off into the caravan stop.
(Here's what wares are available at the stop, in the spoiler below.)
Kalhala nods to Ayo as she and the rest of her group head off. Then he turns back to his group, "Shall we see if there is anything good to eat?" and he starts heading towards the bonfire to see what is going on.
"Yes, let's." Mornin will go to the caravan stop. He will buy a quiver of arrows.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
You can't drown someone with Create Water. If your lungs are containers than your bones are objects. Any Siege monster that attacks you deals double damage because it’s attacking your bones.
It seems the shops are all run out of the wagons surrounding the bonfire in the central part of the stop. Morning and Ayo purchase some arrows from a gnoll salesman from Rosohna for 4 gold pieces, while Shayone, Kalhala, and the others find a drow preparing yuyandl and rzukaal. Yuyandl is a dish made from grilled yuyo (a zucchini-like vegetable that grows in Rosohna’s sunless gardens) that is spiced and served with rice; Rzukaal is a dish made from sautéed rice noodles, hearty mushrooms, and giant spider legs. The yuyandl costs 5 silver while the rzukaal costs 1 gold.
At some point, Maggie approaches Morninglight while she slowly eats a big helping of yuyandl. "Morninglight. Got a question for you, if you don't mind. Hope it doesn't seem like prying, but... I'm curious. Where are you from? Your accent isn't anything I recognize, and I've been all over Xhorhas, met all kinds of people. If you don't feel like answering, you don't have to, just forgive me for butting into your private business."
Mornin reflexively begins talking more crudely, "Come from forest. Don't know... what it's called. Went over river, went through other forest, found Jigow, now here."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
You can't drown someone with Create Water. If your lungs are containers than your bones are objects. Any Siege monster that attacks you deals double damage because it’s attacking your bones.
"Huh, I see. That... doesn't really answer my question. But, fair enough. I won't pry any further."
Ayo speaks up. "Alright, only a few more days to Bazzoxan - let's all get some rest and set out in the morning."
Morning comes and you set out alongside Ayo and her party. A few more days of travel pass uneventfully. After the third day out from the Emerald Loop, you spot the destination of your long journey. Jutting from the rusty orange mountains of eastern Xhorhas are tall spires of black stone. This is the Betrayers’ Rise—a foul fortress from times long past. Beneath the spires, a vast gate blocks all entry to the military outpost of Bazzoxan, which sits in the shadows of the Betrayers’ Rise. Crumbling and desolate structures huddle between iron watchtowers, and soldiers of the Aurora Watch patrol the tops of the walls and the massive gate ahead of you. As you approach, a guard on the wall barks, “Identify!”
Mornin looks to Shayone or Kalhalla, who know how to behave around soldiers.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
You can't drown someone with Create Water. If your lungs are containers than your bones are objects. Any Siege monster that attacks you deals double damage because it’s attacking your bones.
The guards take a good look at you before one of them pipes up. "You lot mercenaries? We could use your help. Get inside and report to Taskhand Thelyss!"
The gate shudders open and you all make your way into the grim town of Bazzoxan with two Aurora Watch guards guiding you. Gloom hangs over this place like a shroud. Most of the buildings are shoddy, with some being completely ruined. As you pass through the town, you spot some locals. An orc is tending a vegetable garden in one of the ruined buildings, aggressively ripping up weeds. A squad of Aurora Watch recruits jogs by in formation, keeping tempo by chanting about the various horrible ways they will die. A weary drow mother sits with her children on the porch of a squat house; you think you hear her giving some sort of instruction as to what they should do should she end up dead.
No sooner do you get halfway through town that a scream pierces the gloomy quiet. You soon see why. From around the corner of a crumbling building, four twitching, skinless masses of blinking eyes and slavering mouths wriggle into view. One of them is shredding the flesh of a hapless soldier in three of its amorphous maws. Trumpets blare an alarm, the civilians scatter, and several Aurora Watch soldiers hurry into the streets. One of them, a male drow with a glaive, pauses to address you. Shayone recognizes this to be Taskhand Verin Thelyss. “Newcomers? No time for pleasantries—draw your weapons or get to safety!"
The gloom of the place is heavy for Kalhala. Never one to let bad things bring him down, hearing and seeing the utter desolation throughout the town of Bazzoxan is almost more than he can handle. He isn't sure if he should interject with any of the going ons or just follow the guards that are leading them through town?
The break of silence with the trumpets blare is a welcome change for the former Aurora Watch guard. Unshielding his longsword, he shouts, "Lead the way!!"
Mornin, never one to let an ally go into danger alone, charges alongside Kalhalla.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
You can't drown someone with Create Water. If your lungs are containers than your bones are objects. Any Siege monster that attacks you deals double damage because it’s attacking your bones.
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You all settle in for the night, setting up a watch schedule, but thankfully nothing disturbs your rest. Distant howling of beasts can be heard, but wherever they are, they never get closer to your location. You all awaken the next day, break camp, and hit the road once more. Two days of travel pass without incident, but on the night of the second day, your group spots a camp in the distance. Six figures in the chitin-like armor of the Aurora Watch surround a fire, a few of them singing a traditional Xhorhasian marching song as they set up camp for the evening. A seventh figure, dressed in lighter armor, seems to be on lookout and spots you all on the road.
"Hey there! We were just setting up camp after a day of patrolling - would you like to join us? There's safety in numbers out here on the wastes, plus we've got plenty of food to spare," the lookout asks.
Nexus, it being night, was likely looking for a place to bed down at that point anyway. The sight of familiar faces within the landscape welcome, though when they call out and offer to share food and shelter, she first glances over at her companions. "I wouldn't mind if you folks don't. Safety in numbers as they say, plus, something other than those rations we've been enjoying."
mornin agrees
You can't drown someone with Create Water. If your lungs are containers than your bones are objects. Any Siege monster that attacks you deals double damage because it’s attacking your bones.
You all join the Aurora Watch soldiers and settle in for the evening. It seems the lookout you met is the company cook, and he whips up some delicious food for all of you. You go to bed with full bellies and sleep peacefully through the night before setting off again in the morning, parting ways with the Aurora Watch soldiers who continue on their patrol through the Wastes. (After eating such great food, you all gain 10 temporary hit points.)
Another day of travel passes without incident, but a few hours after sunrise the next day, you spot a group of huge mammoths a few hundred feet off the trail. Circling above them is a dark winged creature with shadowy mist cascading off of its form. It looks draconic in nature. With its taloned claws extended, it lets out a piercing shriek and swoops down repeatedly on the mammoths, but fails to do any damage to them as they flee. It is then that its gaze turns to all of you on the road and it suddenly starts flapping its wings in your direction!
"Dammit, that's a gloomstalker!" Irvan exclaims. "Everyone, get ready - these things are tough sons of *****es!"
Mornin will run to the gloom stalkers, BA dash to them, then ready an action to fire an arrow when the gloom stalker gets within 80 ft.
You can't drown someone with Create Water. If your lungs are containers than your bones are objects. Any Siege monster that attacks you deals double damage because it’s attacking your bones.
Irvan and Maggie steel themselves for the coming beast as it flies ever closer.
"May the Luxon guide us this day!" Dermot prays, brandishing his holy symbol as the energy of limitless possibility surrounds Ayo, Nexus, and Kalhala.
Everyone braces or prepares to loose arrows as the gloomstalker flies closer. Nexus tries to ground the creature with magic, but it resists her attempt. Meanwhile, Kalhala, Ayo, Mornin, and Shayone loose a volley at the monstrosity. Kalhala and Mornin unfortunately miss, but Ayo and Shayone are right on target, piercing the creature's shadowy hide.
Dermot calls on the power of the Luxon and smites the gloomstalker with searing light, blinding it, while Aldith fires off a shimmering bolt of eldritch energy and strikes the monster in the chest.
Through a combination of fiery blasts from Nexus, a volley from Ayo and Kalhala, a thrown dagger from Irvan, and a final magical attack from Galsariad, the gloomstalker lets out a final wail and collapses onto the ground, quite dead. The whole group lets out a sigh of relief.
"Good work, everyone," Ayo says, giving Galsariad a nod. "We got lucky - those things can be a real menace."
Thankfully, the rest of your journey is uneventful. You all find a spot to rest for the evening, awaken the next day, then head out on the trail once again. Around sunset, you spot a large stand of trees rising out of the barren wasteland. The leaves of dozens of towering oaks rustle in the breeze, and the scent of a bonfire wafts from a trail of smoke rising from somewhere ahead. The path through the trees is deeply rutted by the work of countless wagon wheels. A wooden sign posted at the head of the path bears the decorated shepherd’s crook that is the holy symbol of Melora the Wild Mother, and the words “Emerald Loop Caravan Stop.”
A little further travel reveals a circle of wagons around a bonfire, a few tents near an oxen pen, and most notably a horizonback tortoise currently munching on one of the trees among the rise.
"Well, I think we're gonna see if there's anything around here we can purchase. Bazzoxan's only a few days away, so we can set out in the morning." Ayo says as she and her party head off into the caravan stop.
(Here's what wares are available at the stop, in the spoiler below.)
Kalhala nods to Ayo as she and the rest of her group head off. Then he turns back to his group, "Shall we see if there is anything good to eat?" and he starts heading towards the bonfire to see what is going on.
"Yes, let's." Mornin will go to the caravan stop. He will buy a quiver of arrows.
You can't drown someone with Create Water. If your lungs are containers than your bones are objects. Any Siege monster that attacks you deals double damage because it’s attacking your bones.
"Well there were a lot more of us than it," Shayone remarks of the gloomstalker.
"I could use a good meal, and to get off my feet for a while."
Birgit | Shifter | Sorcerer | Dragonlords
Shayone | Hobgoblin | Sorcerer | Netherdeep
It seems the shops are all run out of the wagons surrounding the bonfire in the central part of the stop. Morning and Ayo purchase some arrows from a gnoll salesman from Rosohna for 4 gold pieces, while Shayone, Kalhala, and the others find a drow preparing yuyandl and rzukaal. Yuyandl is a dish made from grilled yuyo (a zucchini-like vegetable that grows in Rosohna’s sunless gardens) that is spiced and served with rice; Rzukaal is a dish made from sautéed rice noodles, hearty mushrooms, and giant spider legs. The yuyandl costs 5 silver while the rzukaal costs 1 gold.
At some point, Maggie approaches Morninglight while she slowly eats a big helping of yuyandl. "Morninglight. Got a question for you, if you don't mind. Hope it doesn't seem like prying, but... I'm curious. Where are you from? Your accent isn't anything I recognize, and I've been all over Xhorhas, met all kinds of people. If you don't feel like answering, you don't have to, just forgive me for butting into your private business."
Mornin reflexively begins talking more crudely, "Come from forest. Don't know... what it's called. Went over river, went through other forest, found Jigow, now here."
You can't drown someone with Create Water. If your lungs are containers than your bones are objects. Any Siege monster that attacks you deals double damage because it’s attacking your bones.
"Huh, I see. That... doesn't really answer my question. But, fair enough. I won't pry any further."
Ayo speaks up. "Alright, only a few more days to Bazzoxan - let's all get some rest and set out in the morning."
Morning comes and you set out alongside Ayo and her party. A few more days of travel pass uneventfully. After the third day out from the Emerald Loop, you spot the destination of your long journey. Jutting from the rusty orange mountains of eastern Xhorhas are tall spires of black stone. This is the Betrayers’ Rise—a foul fortress from times long past. Beneath the spires, a vast gate blocks all entry to the military outpost of Bazzoxan, which sits in the shadows of the Betrayers’ Rise. Crumbling and desolate structures huddle between iron watchtowers, and soldiers of the Aurora Watch patrol the tops of the walls and the massive gate ahead of you. As you approach, a guard on the wall barks, “Identify!”
Mornin looks to Shayone or Kalhalla, who know how to behave around soldiers.
You can't drown someone with Create Water. If your lungs are containers than your bones are objects. Any Siege monster that attacks you deals double damage because it’s attacking your bones.
"Travelers from Jigow!" Shayone calls up. "We've been sent by our Elders, seeking information."
Birgit | Shifter | Sorcerer | Dragonlords
Shayone | Hobgoblin | Sorcerer | Netherdeep
The guards take a good look at you before one of them pipes up. "You lot mercenaries? We could use your help. Get inside and report to Taskhand Thelyss!"
The gate shudders open and you all make your way into the grim town of Bazzoxan with two Aurora Watch guards guiding you. Gloom hangs over this place like a shroud. Most of the buildings are shoddy, with some being completely ruined. As you pass through the town, you spot some locals. An orc is tending a vegetable garden in one of the ruined buildings, aggressively ripping up weeds. A squad of Aurora Watch recruits jogs by in formation, keeping tempo by chanting about the various horrible ways they will die. A weary drow mother sits with her children on the porch of a squat house; you think you hear her giving some sort of instruction as to what they should do should she end up dead.
No sooner do you get halfway through town that a scream pierces the gloomy quiet. You soon see why. From around the corner of a crumbling building, four twitching, skinless masses of blinking eyes and slavering mouths wriggle into view. One of them is shredding the flesh of a hapless soldier in three of its amorphous maws. Trumpets blare an alarm, the civilians scatter, and several Aurora Watch soldiers hurry into the streets. One of them, a male drow with a glaive, pauses to address you. Shayone recognizes this to be Taskhand Verin Thelyss. “Newcomers? No time for pleasantries—draw your weapons or get to safety!"
The gloom of the place is heavy for Kalhala. Never one to let bad things bring him down, hearing and seeing the utter desolation throughout the town of Bazzoxan is almost more than he can handle. He isn't sure if he should interject with any of the going ons or just follow the guards that are leading them through town?
The break of silence with the trumpets blare is a welcome change for the former Aurora Watch guard. Unshielding his longsword, he shouts, "Lead the way!!"
Mornin, never one to let an ally go into danger alone, charges alongside Kalhalla.
You can't drown someone with Create Water. If your lungs are containers than your bones are objects. Any Siege monster that attacks you deals double damage because it’s attacking your bones.