Drexon considers both of the things Cob has told them.
"We should be a little cautious about the fire, it might be simply be a lure. Worth a look out though", he says about the smoke before continuing about the crystal. "It is an odd situation, becoming crystals when you pass, although no more odd than everything else we have seen I guess. Ironically, Karm would have found this fascinating, and likely had a load of theories already".
"But I guess we will just have to wait until you get a better sense of its use. Or until we find somewhere to research it".
He continues methodically moving the orbs around them and occasionally sending one further off to investigate a more sinister shadow or creature.
You travel for another hour before you are close enough to see where the smoke is billowing from. From the path, you can see a clearing about 120 to 150 feet away across wet boggy ground. There are not a lot of trees leading to the clearing and you cannot hear any buzzing from the area.
In the clearing, you can see a campfire, still afire but without anyone to tend it. There are scattered remains of tents and crates, broken and torn apart. You can see no movement from the clearing, but your eyes catch the shine of glinting bottles illuminated by the firelight around some of the broken crates. From the shape and colour, you guess it could be potions -- about a dozen of them still intact.
{{Just to keep track, we're already 3 hours into the journey.}}
Drexon surveys the scene of the camp fire suspiciously, "You know it just looks a little too convenient. Just far enough off the road that we can't get a decent look without approaching. No safe passage across, and the lure of a mystery and some appealing items".
He looks to Cob and Eremoz, "I say we ignore it. I know you can fly over, Cob. But if you get in trouble you'd be on your own. Remember the warning about leaving the road?".
He takes another look, sending two of his dancing lights orbs across as close as he can, "Or perhaps we can draw a card to decide. Face cards we go?".
“It does seem deliberate.” Eremoz takes a moment to look over the scene. “We should move along. It will likely be there when we come back through if we want to take a gamble then.”
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Cob keeps up in the air, to look for any sign of movement at the camp. Barring seeing any, he agrees with the others to keep going. Again, he flies to keep watch and help guide the others.
Continuing to push along the path, Eremoz does his best to keep everyone moving at a decent pace along the trail. “So once we get to Saikhan we have a day, maybe a day and a half to find the kids before they are shipped off, right? We will have to work smart in order to save them.”
Content to move on, Drexon continues using his light orbs to help illuminate the path ahead, behind to the side, whilst keeping a watchful eye and ear out.
"Well we have the name of the ship they were to board. If that part of the plan remains the same, we just need to find the Cobalt Restitution. I guess that is a big if though", he replies.
Leaving behind the rather suspicious clearing, you continue your journey north. The forests once again thicken and it becomes a little hard to fly for Cob and see the path for the others. Fortunately, Eremoz seems at home in the wilderness, easily finding traces of the dirt path you have been following so far.
Another two hours into the journey, Drexon slows the pace down. With the thick forest, it is quite hard to see despite the dim glow illuminating the entire place, but it is enough for him to see some movement slowly moving toward their position from all sides.
"I think it best we find out", Drexon replies, sending his orbs of light further out to get a better view of what is approaching.
He then digs in his pack for another insect repellent, whilst he looks around at the swamp, "I think this place is damp enough to handle a few fires here and there. And in the absence of a better plan, that might have to be our fall back. It's possible smoke alone will keep them away too".
From a distance, it is unclear what is coming, but you can see as it gets closer that it is only a single figure. When Drexon's light moves out, it illuminates the figure, revealing a small humanoid completely covered by green vines, reeds, and barks of gnarled roots. It moves across the swampland with ease, as if gliding over the mud pits and pools of water unrestricted. It is approaching slowly, perhaps another 30 feet before it reaches you. You are not quite sure yourself how it can approach so close without being detected beforehand.
"I've never seen anything like that before. Maybe we are just in it's path, we should move and find out", Drexon suggests, moving looking to see if they can move along the path to avoid it's current trajectory.
If that is possible, he will do so, but will avoid leaving the path itself.
As you move away, the figure tilts its head to follow your movement before beelining toward you, now faster than before. It is 20 feet in front of you and approaching. At the same time, from 10 feet to your west, another figure covered in vines, reeds, and gnarled roots surfaces from the mud pit beside the path. The second figure lets out a rustling hiss before all manners of roots, vines, and reeds cover your path and the area around you and the figure. As plants cover the path in overgrown shrubberies and roots, the trees around you begin to creak strangely.
{{Roll initiative. The area within 15 feet of you is difficult terrain. If we imagine the group in the middle of the map, standing on a road stretching south to north, there are two enemies, one coming from the west about 10 feet away, and one coming from the east about 20 feet away. The mud pit is on the western side of the road, about 5 feet away.}}
Seeing the plant creatures moving towards them trying to block their path, Drexon whistles a discordant melody, altering the flow of the magic so that both plant creatures can hear it.
Action: Cast dissonant whispers using twinned metamagic on both Vine Blights. DC15 Wis Save or take 6 [psychic] damage use their reaction, if available, to move as far as its speed allows away from Drexon as possible. 3 [psychic] damage on success.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Cob rises up into the air a little more to get a good look at the creeping vines, pulls out his fiddle and draws the bow across the strings, letting the eldritch energy build before releasing a crackling bolt that races towards the creature to the west.
Seeing both creatures shambling closer, Drexon lets out a psychic whisper toward them. One of them, the one on the west side of the path flinches and shambles backwards, almost gliding atop the mud pit. It falters in its stride as Cob blasts it with a bolt of energy.
Using the new runes he read in his book, Eremoz grows larger and heavier. Without hesitation, he jumps into the mud pit to close the distance between him and the creature. The pit tries to suck him downward, but he keeps his stride. He steps closer toward the heavily burnt and damaged creature and swings his maul. The vines, roots, and reeds on the creature are blasted away by the swing, but what is left behind slowly knits and reassembles themselves together. The creature seems to be on its last leg, but not dead yet. Unfortunately, Eremoz fails to take into account his new size and girth. While he manages to free himself from the initial restraining suction, the further he goes off the path, the further he sinks. After taking a swing at the creature, he is already waist-deep in the mud pit and he still cannot feel the ground beneath.
{{Eremoz, you sink 1d4+1 feet into the mud pit -- quagmire -- at the end of your turn as long as you are standing in the quagmire area, which is the entire western area of the path. Your speed is now 0 and usually, you will be restrained. But, as you've used Giant's Might, I will say that you can still use your hand to attack. You can use your actions to free yourself on your turn by making a strength check. The DC is 10 + how many feet you have sunk, which, in this case, is 15 as you've sunk 5 feet at the end of your turn. The other can help pull you out using their action and making a strength check. For this, the DC is 5 + how many feet you have sunk, which, in this case, is 10, but I will say you will have to make this with a disadvantage as Eremoz is twice the size and twice the weight.}}
The dying creature shambles around Eremoz and wraps itself around the leonin, but it appears his girth is too large for the creature. The other creature, the first you saw before the other appeared, moves closer and seems to sink slightly on the path before vines and roots burst up from the ground and entangle themselves around Drexon and Cob.
{{Drexon and Cob, make a Strength saving throw.}}
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
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Drexon considers both of the things Cob has told them.
"We should be a little cautious about the fire, it might be simply be a lure. Worth a look out though", he says about the smoke before continuing about the crystal. "It is an odd situation, becoming crystals when you pass, although no more odd than everything else we have seen I guess. Ironically, Karm would have found this fascinating, and likely had a load of theories already".
"But I guess we will just have to wait until you get a better sense of its use. Or until we find somewhere to research it".
He continues methodically moving the orbs around them and occasionally sending one further off to investigate a more sinister shadow or creature.
You travel for another hour before you are close enough to see where the smoke is billowing from. From the path, you can see a clearing about 120 to 150 feet away across wet boggy ground. There are not a lot of trees leading to the clearing and you cannot hear any buzzing from the area.
In the clearing, you can see a campfire, still afire but without anyone to tend it. There are scattered remains of tents and crates, broken and torn apart. You can see no movement from the clearing, but your eyes catch the shine of glinting bottles illuminated by the firelight around some of the broken crates. From the shape and colour, you guess it could be potions -- about a dozen of them still intact.
{{Just to keep track, we're already 3 hours into the journey.}}
Drexon surveys the scene of the camp fire suspiciously, "You know it just looks a little too convenient. Just far enough off the road that we can't get a decent look without approaching. No safe passage across, and the lure of a mystery and some appealing items".
He looks to Cob and Eremoz, "I say we ignore it. I know you can fly over, Cob. But if you get in trouble you'd be on your own. Remember the warning about leaving the road?".
He takes another look, sending two of his dancing lights orbs across as close as he can, "Or perhaps we can draw a card to decide. Face cards we go?".
“It does seem deliberate.” Eremoz takes a moment to look over the scene. “We should move along. It will likely be there when we come back through if we want to take a gamble then.”
Cob keeps up in the air, to look for any sign of movement at the camp. Barring seeing any, he agrees with the others to keep going. Again, he flies to keep watch and help guide the others.
(D10: 10 )
Continuing to push along the path, Eremoz does his best to keep everyone moving at a decent pace along the trail. “So once we get to Saikhan we have a day, maybe a day and a half to find the kids before they are shipped off, right? We will have to work smart in order to save them.”
Survival: 21
D10: 5
Content to move on, Drexon continues using his light orbs to help illuminate the path ahead, behind to the side, whilst keeping a watchful eye and ear out.
"Well we have the name of the ship they were to board. If that part of the plan remains the same, we just need to find the Cobalt Restitution. I guess that is a big if though", he replies.
Perception: 14+5=19
D10: 10
Leaving behind the rather suspicious clearing, you continue your journey north. The forests once again thicken and it becomes a little hard to fly for Cob and see the path for the others. Fortunately, Eremoz seems at home in the wilderness, easily finding traces of the dirt path you have been following so far.
Another two hours into the journey, Drexon slows the pace down. With the thick forest, it is quite hard to see despite the dim glow illuminating the entire place, but it is enough for him to see some movement slowly moving toward their position from all sides.
"Any of that insect repellent left?" Cob asks Drexon. "If not, we might be about to be swarmed."
He looks at the forest around him.
"Wonder how flammable this all is? Could set a few fires, but if we just end up setting the forest on fire that might not be a net plus."
Cob tries to identify what's coming there way (1 plus 1 for Nature/Survival/Perception)
"I think it best we find out", Drexon replies, sending his orbs of light further out to get a better view of what is approaching.
He then digs in his pack for another insect repellent, whilst he looks around at the swamp, "I think this place is damp enough to handle a few fires here and there. And in the absence of a better plan, that might have to be our fall back. It's possible smoke alone will keep them away too".
From a distance, it is unclear what is coming, but you can see as it gets closer that it is only a single figure. When Drexon's light moves out, it illuminates the figure, revealing a small humanoid completely covered by green vines, reeds, and barks of gnarled roots. It moves across the swampland with ease, as if gliding over the mud pits and pools of water unrestricted. It is approaching slowly, perhaps another 30 feet before it reaches you. You are not quite sure yourself how it can approach so close without being detected beforehand.
{{What do you want to do?}}
"I've never seen anything like that before. Maybe we are just in it's path, we should move and find out", Drexon suggests, moving looking to see if they can move along the path to avoid it's current trajectory.
If that is possible, he will do so, but will avoid leaving the path itself.
As you move away, the figure tilts its head to follow your movement before beelining toward you, now faster than before. It is 20 feet in front of you and approaching. At the same time, from 10 feet to your west, another figure covered in vines, reeds, and gnarled roots surfaces from the mud pit beside the path. The second figure lets out a rustling hiss before all manners of roots, vines, and reeds cover your path and the area around you and the figure. As plants cover the path in overgrown shrubberies and roots, the trees around you begin to creak strangely.
{{Roll initiative. The area within 15 feet of you is difficult terrain. If we imagine the group in the middle of the map, standing on a road stretching south to north, there are two enemies, one coming from the west about 10 feet away, and one coming from the east about 20 feet away. The mud pit is on the western side of the road, about 5 feet away.}}
Drexon Initiative: 11+2=13
Cob's Initiative: 7+3=10
Initiative 6+3=9
Seeing the plant creatures moving towards them trying to block their path, Drexon whistles a discordant melody, altering the flow of the magic so that both plant creatures can hear it.
Action: Cast dissonant whispers using twinned metamagic on both Vine Blights. DC15 Wis Save or take 6 [psychic] damage use their reaction, if available, to move as far as its speed allows away from Drexon as possible. 3 [psychic] damage on success.
Cob rises up into the air a little more to get a good look at the creeping vines, pulls out his fiddle and draws the bow across the strings, letting the eldritch energy build before releasing a crackling bolt that races towards the creature to the west.
Casts eldritch blast: Attack: 12 Damage: 15
Eremoz plants his feet and begins to grow. He charges to the western creature brings his maul down on it.
BA: Giant’s Might
Maul
To hit: 22 Damage: 11+5=16
Seeing both creatures shambling closer, Drexon lets out a psychic whisper toward them. One of them, the one on the west side of the path flinches and shambles backwards, almost gliding atop the mud pit. It falters in its stride as Cob blasts it with a bolt of energy.
Using the new runes he read in his book, Eremoz grows larger and heavier. Without hesitation, he jumps into the mud pit to close the distance between him and the creature. The pit tries to suck him downward, but he keeps his stride. He steps closer toward the heavily burnt and damaged creature and swings his maul. The vines, roots, and reeds on the creature are blasted away by the swing, but what is left behind slowly knits and reassembles themselves together. The creature seems to be on its last leg, but not dead yet. Unfortunately, Eremoz fails to take into account his new size and girth. While he manages to free himself from the initial restraining suction, the further he goes off the path, the further he sinks. After taking a swing at the creature, he is already waist-deep in the mud pit and he still cannot feel the ground beneath.
{{Eremoz, you sink 1d4+1 feet into the mud pit -- quagmire -- at the end of your turn as long as you are standing in the quagmire area, which is the entire western area of the path. Your speed is now 0 and usually, you will be restrained. But, as you've used Giant's Might, I will say that you can still use your hand to attack. You can use your actions to free yourself on your turn by making a strength check. The DC is 10 + how many feet you have sunk, which, in this case, is 15 as you've sunk 5 feet at the end of your turn. The other can help pull you out using their action and making a strength check. For this, the DC is 5 + how many feet you have sunk, which, in this case, is 10, but I will say you will have to make this with a disadvantage as Eremoz is twice the size and twice the weight.}}
The dying creature shambles around Eremoz and wraps itself around the leonin, but it appears his girth is too large for the creature. The other creature, the first you saw before the other appeared, moves closer and seems to sink slightly on the path before vines and roots burst up from the ground and entangle themselves around Drexon and Cob.
{{Drexon and Cob, make a Strength saving throw.}}