This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Focused on escape, the wizard doesn't quite realize that he has been made until his horse suddenly buckles. Despite being invisible and on another plane entirely, something has injured his horse. He barely looks up before he sees a blast of force rocketing and searing the side of his horse. With two attacks successfully finding their target, he sees that he is not as planarly removed and invisible as he first thought.
Seeing you on his path, he rides harder to hopefully escape. He grimaces when another step of his horse triggers a beam of light right under him. Almost immediately, he feels something coil around him and sees a rope trying to wind itself around him. He barely shakes the rope away from his body, but a part of it tangles with his belt. On the belt, you can see the outline of a small pouch that emits a slight green light and a larger pouch akin to a small pack.
Angered and annoyed, the wizard follows the end of the rope and unleashes a blast of pinkish arcane energy at Karm. A susurration fills Karm's mind as the spell sails toward him.
{{While the wizard succeeds the Dexterity save, he will have a disadvantage on his attack due to attacking from a different realm. Also, until the end of Karm's next turn, any one of you can use an action to pull the rope. We will do an opposed grapple check to see if you manage to pull the wizard's belt away.}}
Wizard Nightmare: Move + Dash 180 feet. (They are about 120 feet away from you after your movements.)
Inferno Wizard Arcane Burst at Karm (with a -1 penalty to attack): 6 Damage: 10 Psychic
Round 9 End.
Round 10 Start.
{{Back to Drexon, Karm, Eremoz, Cob and Leander.}}
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Karm, already holding the rope will lean into it and pull as hard as he can: 16 He shouts at the wizard: Lets hope, for your sake, you are stronger than you are precise
Drexon moves forwards and once again whispers some words of Deep Speech and sends a spectral hand towards the Wizard. At this range his options are limited
Movement: 35 feet closer to the Wizard Action: Chill Touch on Wizard (or one of the other creatures if the wizard doesn't get close enough after it has moved) - (15, 3)+6 = 9, Damage: 7[necrotic], and it can't regain hit points until the start of your next turn. Until then, the hand clings to the target. If you hit an undead target, it also has disadvantage on attack rolls against you until the end of your next turn.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Cob keeps his distance from the wizard, his eyes sweeping around, expecting to see the other two riders show up. But when he doesn't see them, he strikes his bow across his fiddle, let the eldritch energy crackle and hum before it leaps off and races towards the Ethereal Wizards' mount.
{{With that, I think we can end the combat unless you really want to kill the wizard and the nightmare.}}
Karm pulls the tangled rope with a strong tug and snaps the wizard's belt off. As soon as the belt is off, it shimmers and becomes opaque. It seems that whatever magic is keeping the wizard and the horse nearly invisible only affects them or objects around them.
Looking at the belt, all of you notice something familiar. The buckle is in the form of a trunk with many branches. You had seen this image before when you were investigating the Magisterium.
You try to follow up Karm's attempt with the wizard. Unfortunately, you misjudge the shimmer and the actual position of both the wizard and the horse. Your attacks seem to have found no purchase as the wizard and his horse keeps barreling through, keeping a slight distance away from you, especially after Eremoz's close attack.
With well-placed timing, Leander once again raises plants and roots from the ground. The plants and roots immediately grasp both the wizard and the horse. While the horse manages to buckle and thrash around to free itself, the wizard is not as lucky. The tendrils of vines tighten around the wizard as he becomes visible once again as the horse keeps rushing forward and leaving him suspended by the overgrowth.
The patrol squad quickly moves to intercept the rushing horse when it frees itself from the tangle of plants. Their arrows fly true despite the shimmer and lack of complete visibility. Two arrows sink into the horse's side just as the horse tries to phase through the gate and fails. Just like the wizard, it stops moving and hovers about a foot off the ground right in front of the gate. Something about the gate seems to be keeping the horse immobile.
"Well, this is not ideal, isn't it?" The wizard says with a heavy sigh. "Powerful enchantment. I seem to have miscalculated. However, I do have a question before you do whatever it is you want to do with me. What happens with your other friend? The orc with the symbol of the Dusk Weaver?"
As the wizard says that, a loud reverberating knock sounds from the gate. A muffled voice follows, "I seem to have one of yours here and you have one of ours. Trade?"
"Good plan that," the wizard says. "You get your friend back. I walk away free with the jade."
"Silence," the patrol squad leader barks. "Where is the jade, human? Return it and we give you merciful death."
"Before make any deals, why don't you tell us what this is all about. Where are you from and what is it you will do with the jade?", he asks of the wizard.
Action: Cast Detect Thoughts on the wizard, using 1 sorcery point to subtle cast meaning no verbal or somatic components. Only surface thoughts right now, so no save needed.
"Here, there, everywhere," the wizard replies with a cocky grin. "You have never heard about the jade, have you? These hobgoblins also fail to realize the jade's full potential. Its first appearance dates back to the Second Age. It is said to be a teardrop of Curiosity, the first deity to ever walk on Sabitah, and it is a part of a set of thirteen. As you might have noticed from its name, the Thirteen-Shaded Jade is the thirteenth piece. Each of them is capable of performing miracles given the correct circumstances, but legend has it that whoever manages to unite all thirteen will be granted one wish."
Drexon, you focus and probe into the wizard's mind, but you can't find it. Somehow the wizard's mind is occluded from you.
"Ah, the wish, unfortunately, is not mine to take," the wizard says. "If it is, though, I would have wished for complete unredacted access to the Archive of Ages to do my research. As a fellow practitioner of the arcane arts, I'm sure you can relate. There's untold knowledge still yet to be discovered under the belly of that place, some can even surpass the power of the jade."
"Well, it seems that my companions have your friend hostage out there and you have me as hostage here. We trade. I'll even give up pursuing the jade. It's not worth it now that I know how strong the protection around this place is. We can walk away from this without any more bloodshed."
Drexon, you turn your mind toward the patrol squad leader. You can't really understand what he is saying as you don't understand the language, but you get the sense that he is cursing the wizard for what had been done to the fountain and for daring to take the jade. There are a lot of angry mumblings and a repressed urge to kill the wizard.
There is another knock coming from the gate, sounding more insistent.
"Open the gate," a wizened and powerful voice says. Strangely enough, you hear him say it in your native language.
Turning toward the voice, you see a figure you have never seen before appearing right where the belt landed in a small whirlwind. The figure is an elderly hobgoblin with ashen white hair and visible crow's feet around his eyes. His body is bowed with age and covered with thick and long white robes with red flame-like markings on the sleeves, collar, and bottom. There is a sense of unbridled strength and wisdom around him. His eyes are almond colored with the one on the left showing signs of cataracts.
"Leader," the patrol squad leader says. He continues with a Goblinese rant, but the Leader raises his hand. The squad leader goes quiet and nods.
"Open the gate," the Leader says. He bends down to pick up the belt and empties the pouch that glows green. There is nothing but fluorescent dust there. "The jade is safely sealed. The one in the fountain is only a decoy in case something like this occurs. There is no reason to keep this man here. Trade him with the friend of these gentlemen and let them be on their way. They have seen what our village can do. It will be some time before they return, and by that time we will be gone."
The Leader turns toward one of you and offers the belt and the pack attached to it. "I believe this will help you with whatever it is that brought you here. Now, go recover your missing friend. Captain Barro will lead you back to the Leader Tower when you are finished. There are a few things that you must know if you want to pursue these riders further."
The Leader turns back and takes a couple of steps before vanishing in a small whirlwind just as he appeared before.
As the Leader disappears, the gate opens and the reddish sky returns to the color of sunset. You can see the other two riders standing side by side with their horse. The unconscious body of Dvark lies between them. The one with the full-plate armor has his greatsword hovering an inch over Dvark's chest, poised to strike at any moment. You can hear the one that the Leader called Captain Barro growling when he sees the dead bodies of the two gatekeepers.
Cob watches the wizened old hobgoblin's appearance with a growing sense of confusion. There appears to have never been any danger here, at least not to the hobgoblin relic. The people of the village might have been killed so maybe their help wasn't for naught.
He looks out at Dvark and flies closer.
"I think that would be for the best." Cob says. "But I need to know that our friend is actually okay first."
Cob moves closer, and if not stopped, checks on Dvark to make sure he's stable and not dying.
While he does that, he looks more closely at the horse nearby to see what kind of creature it really is.
The hunter tuts and shakes her head. "No closer," she says when Cob is within 30 feet of her, the knight, and Dvark.
Cob, you can see that Dvark has been bandaged and patched up. His chest is raising slowly with each breath he takes. Apart from being unconscious and slightly injured, he is alive and fine.
As you pass the suspended horse at the gate, you can see that its mane is flickering between the darkest black with orange veins and a glistening white with silver veins. It seems that the horse is indeed a corrupted creature. When the mane shifts to white for a fraction of a second, you can see ridges on the horse's back where you suppose a wing had been once before it was gruesomely torn.
"The five that had been kidnapped from Erdelun?" The wizard says to Eremoz. "It's all over the news. Of course, we know about them."
The wizard lets out a groan as the vines that have been hanging him suddenly recede back to the ground. The spell entangling the wizard has expired.
Drexon watches with interest the appearance of the Hobgoblin leader. So the village was more protected than he imagined.He makes a mental not to underestimate people.
"Possibly telling us what you know will grease the wheels of this exchange", he says to the Wizard with a smile.
Cob looks at the horse and where it appears wings were torn.
"This was a winged horse? A pegasus?" Cob says out loud, more to himself than anyone else. But then he does look over at the hunter. "Why would you do this? That is cruel."
"I'll tell you about our tasks and our boss," the wizard says hurriedly. "The three of us are just hired hands. Expendable. If you can guarantee our safety, I'll tell you about the plan -- at least the one I know of. You seem to have an ear in the Ranger's Conclave. Make sure we're not assassinated, and I'll tell you all about it."
"A horse is a horse," the hunter shrugs. "You take what you get. It's fast. It can fly a bit. It makes us immune to fire and heat. In this job, you take what you get and these are the best our employers can get. They want this job done expediently and quickly, and this is the tools provided to us."
"I am not going to suggest we have that kind of influence over the Ranger's Conclave, but I will say that if you help us retrieve those children then we will acknowledge your part in it", Drexon replies, looking at his comrades to ensure he was speaking out turn.
"If they are alive, I am sure that will be enough to get you in the Ranger's good graces", he adds.
If in range he will make a telepathic link with Cob, "Can you tell if Dvark is ok?".
"Retrieve?" The wizard asks before shaking his head. "We can't directly help you with that. I can give you what I know of that plan. They were transported out of Erdelun when the other team took that fifth kid. Good news for you, though, we do know that they are alive. The boss kind of needs them to be. You have until the 14th if you want to catch them. The other team is taking them to Saikan, a port town about 8 days' walk from Erdelun. After that, who knows?"
"It's all written in my journal in my pack," he continues. "You can check it yourself. In fact, you can take the pack with you if you can tell the First Ranger of our part in helping the investigation. We'll sign up as new recruits if we must. It would be an extra layer of protection for us to have a continent-wide organization backing us. We don't want to die anytime soon, and we're risking our necks already by telling this much to you people."
Leander nods quietly and says, "Noted."
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Focused on escape, the wizard doesn't quite realize that he has been made until his horse suddenly buckles. Despite being invisible and on another plane entirely, something has injured his horse. He barely looks up before he sees a blast of force rocketing and searing the side of his horse. With two attacks successfully finding their target, he sees that he is not as planarly removed and invisible as he first thought.
Seeing you on his path, he rides harder to hopefully escape. He grimaces when another step of his horse triggers a beam of light right under him. Almost immediately, he feels something coil around him and sees a rope trying to wind itself around him. He barely shakes the rope away from his body, but a part of it tangles with his belt. On the belt, you can see the outline of a small pouch that emits a slight green light and a larger pouch akin to a small pack.
Angered and annoyed, the wizard follows the end of the rope and unleashes a blast of pinkish arcane energy at Karm. A susurration fills Karm's mind as the spell sails toward him.
{{While the wizard succeeds the Dexterity save, he will have a disadvantage on his attack due to attacking from a different realm. Also, until the end of Karm's next turn, any one of you can use an action to pull the rope. We will do an opposed grapple check to see if you manage to pull the wizard's belt away.}}
Karm, already holding the rope will lean into it and pull as hard as he can: 16
He shouts at the wizard: Lets hope, for your sake, you are stronger than you are precise
Olloray Dim - Limbo's Pit
Gunther Korroden - Nightmares in the Mist
Drexon moves forwards and once again whispers some words of Deep Speech and sends a spectral hand towards the Wizard. At this range his options are limited
Movement: 35 feet closer to the Wizard
Action: Chill Touch on Wizard (or one of the other creatures if the wizard doesn't get close enough after it has moved) - (15, 3)+6 = 9, Damage: 7[necrotic], and it can't regain hit points until the start of your next turn. Until then, the hand clings to the target. If you hit an undead target, it also has disadvantage on attack rolls against you until the end of your next turn.
Eremoz runs towards the Wizard. With Karm grabbing the rope, Eremoz readies a strike towards the flaming steed.
Movement 35 feet. Readied Action Attack
Attack: 7 Damage: 13
Cob keeps his distance from the wizard, his eyes sweeping around, expecting to see the other two riders show up. But when he doesn't see them, he strikes his bow across his fiddle, let the eldritch energy crackle and hum before it leaps off and races towards the Ethereal Wizards' mount.
Eldritch Blast: Attack: 16 Damage: 12
{{I don't think the wizard can beat that 24 even with a crit, so I'm not going to make the roll.}}
{{With that, I think we can end the combat unless you really want to kill the wizard and the nightmare.}}
Karm pulls the tangled rope with a strong tug and snaps the wizard's belt off. As soon as the belt is off, it shimmers and becomes opaque. It seems that whatever magic is keeping the wizard and the horse nearly invisible only affects them or objects around them.
Looking at the belt, all of you notice something familiar. The buckle is in the form of a trunk with many branches. You had seen this image before when you were investigating the Magisterium.
{{Anyone grabbing the bag, make a Perception or Investigation check.}}
You try to follow up Karm's attempt with the wizard. Unfortunately, you misjudge the shimmer and the actual position of both the wizard and the horse. Your attacks seem to have found no purchase as the wizard and his horse keeps barreling through, keeping a slight distance away from you, especially after Eremoz's close attack.
With well-placed timing, Leander once again raises plants and roots from the ground. The plants and roots immediately grasp both the wizard and the horse. While the horse manages to buckle and thrash around to free itself, the wizard is not as lucky. The tendrils of vines tighten around the wizard as he becomes visible once again as the horse keeps rushing forward and leaving him suspended by the overgrowth.
The patrol squad quickly moves to intercept the rushing horse when it frees itself from the tangle of plants. Their arrows fly true despite the shimmer and lack of complete visibility. Two arrows sink into the horse's side just as the horse tries to phase through the gate and fails. Just like the wizard, it stops moving and hovers about a foot off the ground right in front of the gate. Something about the gate seems to be keeping the horse immobile.
"Well, this is not ideal, isn't it?" The wizard says with a heavy sigh. "Powerful enchantment. I seem to have miscalculated. However, I do have a question before you do whatever it is you want to do with me. What happens with your other friend? The orc with the symbol of the Dusk Weaver?"
As the wizard says that, a loud reverberating knock sounds from the gate. A muffled voice follows, "I seem to have one of yours here and you have one of ours. Trade?"
"Good plan that," the wizard says. "You get your friend back. I walk away free with the jade."
"Silence," the patrol squad leader barks. "Where is the jade, human? Return it and we give you merciful death."
Drexon walks towards the Wizard, his eyes fixed on him and his hand idly toying with his crystal.
As he approaches he discreetly reaches out to the wizard's mind, probing his surface thoughts.
"Before make any deals, why don't you tell us what this is all about. Where are you from and what is it you will do with the jade?", he asks of the wizard.
Action: Cast Detect Thoughts on the wizard, using 1 sorcery point to subtle cast meaning no verbal or somatic components. Only surface thoughts right now, so no save needed.
"Here, there, everywhere," the wizard replies with a cocky grin. "You have never heard about the jade, have you? These hobgoblins also fail to realize the jade's full potential. Its first appearance dates back to the Second Age. It is said to be a teardrop of Curiosity, the first deity to ever walk on Sabitah, and it is a part of a set of thirteen. As you might have noticed from its name, the Thirteen-Shaded Jade is the thirteenth piece. Each of them is capable of performing miracles given the correct circumstances, but legend has it that whoever manages to unite all thirteen will be granted one wish."
Drexon, you focus and probe into the wizard's mind, but you can't find it. Somehow the wizard's mind is occluded from you.
Drexon frowns at finding the Wizard's mind missing, that was not usual.
He turns his focus to the surface thoughts of the hobgoblin leader as the wizard speaks, to see what they know.
"And your wish would be?", he asks the wizard.
{{ Can move Detect Thoughts as an action each turn }}
"Ah, the wish, unfortunately, is not mine to take," the wizard says. "If it is, though, I would have wished for complete unredacted access to the Archive of Ages to do my research. As a fellow practitioner of the arcane arts, I'm sure you can relate. There's untold knowledge still yet to be discovered under the belly of that place, some can even surpass the power of the jade."
"Well, it seems that my companions have your friend hostage out there and you have me as hostage here. We trade. I'll even give up pursuing the jade. It's not worth it now that I know how strong the protection around this place is. We can walk away from this without any more bloodshed."
Drexon, you turn your mind toward the patrol squad leader. You can't really understand what he is saying as you don't understand the language, but you get the sense that he is cursing the wizard for what had been done to the fountain and for daring to take the jade. There are a lot of angry mumblings and a repressed urge to kill the wizard.
There is another knock coming from the gate, sounding more insistent.
"Open the gate," a wizened and powerful voice says. Strangely enough, you hear him say it in your native language.
Turning toward the voice, you see a figure you have never seen before appearing right where the belt landed in a small whirlwind. The figure is an elderly hobgoblin with ashen white hair and visible crow's feet around his eyes. His body is bowed with age and covered with thick and long white robes with red flame-like markings on the sleeves, collar, and bottom. There is a sense of unbridled strength and wisdom around him. His eyes are almond colored with the one on the left showing signs of cataracts.
"Leader," the patrol squad leader says. He continues with a Goblinese rant, but the Leader raises his hand. The squad leader goes quiet and nods.
"Open the gate," the Leader says. He bends down to pick up the belt and empties the pouch that glows green. There is nothing but fluorescent dust there. "The jade is safely sealed. The one in the fountain is only a decoy in case something like this occurs. There is no reason to keep this man here. Trade him with the friend of these gentlemen and let them be on their way. They have seen what our village can do. It will be some time before they return, and by that time we will be gone."
The Leader turns toward one of you and offers the belt and the pack attached to it. "I believe this will help you with whatever it is that brought you here. Now, go recover your missing friend. Captain Barro will lead you back to the Leader Tower when you are finished. There are a few things that you must know if you want to pursue these riders further."
The Leader turns back and takes a couple of steps before vanishing in a small whirlwind just as he appeared before.
As the Leader disappears, the gate opens and the reddish sky returns to the color of sunset. You can see the other two riders standing side by side with their horse. The unconscious body of Dvark lies between them. The one with the full-plate armor has his greatsword hovering an inch over Dvark's chest, poised to strike at any moment. You can hear the one that the Leader called Captain Barro growling when he sees the dead bodies of the two gatekeepers.
"Wanna trade?" The hunter asks.
Cob watches the wizened old hobgoblin's appearance with a growing sense of confusion. There appears to have never been any danger here, at least not to the hobgoblin relic. The people of the village might have been killed so maybe their help wasn't for naught.
He looks out at Dvark and flies closer.
"I think that would be for the best." Cob says. "But I need to know that our friend is actually okay first."
Cob moves closer, and if not stopped, checks on Dvark to make sure he's stable and not dying.
While he does that, he looks more closely at the horse nearby to see what kind of creature it really is.
Eremoz takes the belt and pack. He turns to the wizard, “Before any trade, do you know anything about the missing children?”
The hunter tuts and shakes her head. "No closer," she says when Cob is within 30 feet of her, the knight, and Dvark.
Cob, you can see that Dvark has been bandaged and patched up. His chest is raising slowly with each breath he takes. Apart from being unconscious and slightly injured, he is alive and fine.
As you pass the suspended horse at the gate, you can see that its mane is flickering between the darkest black with orange veins and a glistening white with silver veins. It seems that the horse is indeed a corrupted creature. When the mane shifts to white for a fraction of a second, you can see ridges on the horse's back where you suppose a wing had been once before it was gruesomely torn.
"The five that had been kidnapped from Erdelun?" The wizard says to Eremoz. "It's all over the news. Of course, we know about them."
The wizard lets out a groan as the vines that have been hanging him suddenly recede back to the ground. The spell entangling the wizard has expired.
Drexon watches with interest the appearance of the Hobgoblin leader. So the village was more protected than he imagined.He makes a mental not to underestimate people.
"Possibly telling us what you know will grease the wheels of this exchange", he says to the Wizard with a smile.
Persuasion: 10+6=16
Cob looks at the horse and where it appears wings were torn.
"This was a winged horse? A pegasus?" Cob says out loud, more to himself than anyone else. But then he does look over at the hunter. "Why would you do this? That is cruel."
"I'll tell you about our tasks and our boss," the wizard says hurriedly. "The three of us are just hired hands. Expendable. If you can guarantee our safety, I'll tell you about the plan -- at least the one I know of. You seem to have an ear in the Ranger's Conclave. Make sure we're not assassinated, and I'll tell you all about it."
"A horse is a horse," the hunter shrugs. "You take what you get. It's fast. It can fly a bit. It makes us immune to fire and heat. In this job, you take what you get and these are the best our employers can get. They want this job done expediently and quickly, and this is the tools provided to us."
"I am not going to suggest we have that kind of influence over the Ranger's Conclave, but I will say that if you help us retrieve those children then we will acknowledge your part in it", Drexon replies, looking at his comrades to ensure he was speaking out turn.
"If they are alive, I am sure that will be enough to get you in the Ranger's good graces", he adds.
If in range he will make a telepathic link with Cob, "Can you tell if Dvark is ok?".
"Retrieve?" The wizard asks before shaking his head. "We can't directly help you with that. I can give you what I know of that plan. They were transported out of Erdelun when the other team took that fifth kid. Good news for you, though, we do know that they are alive. The boss kind of needs them to be. You have until the 14th if you want to catch them. The other team is taking them to Saikan, a port town about 8 days' walk from Erdelun. After that, who knows?"
"It's all written in my journal in my pack," he continues. "You can check it yourself. In fact, you can take the pack with you if you can tell the First Ranger of our part in helping the investigation. We'll sign up as new recruits if we must. It would be an extra layer of protection for us to have a continent-wide organization backing us. We don't want to die anytime soon, and we're risking our necks already by telling this much to you people."
Leander nods quietly and says, "Noted."