Monstrous Compendium Vol. 1: Spelljammer Creatures
Frozen Sick
D&D Beyond Basic Rules
Basic Rules (2014)
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Monstrous Compendium Vol. 1: Spelljammer CreaturesFrozen SickD&D Beyond Basic RulesBasic Rules (2014)Sign in to view your library & saved favorites.
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"The Svirfneblin leader told a drow had it..." Khessa muses aloud "And in fact the drow were the ones who started the fight, not the Zhentarim..."
[[ OOC: But it is not her turn, yet, if we are still acting in rounds... ]]
(My understanding is there are no active threats? At least that we know about! The ones not killed are sleeping? She's changing up the previous post - #4001)
Katryl knocks another arrow to her bow, drawing it but holding the shot to wait and see if any threats present themselves. (READY Shortbow to trigger if anyone fires at her or a party member. Will just use previously rolled attack - Attack: 15, Damage: 8 + 17 sneak attack.)
Rabbit Sebrica, Sorcerer || Skarai, Monk || Lokilia Vaelphin, Druid || Britari / Halila Talgeta / Jesa Gumovi || Neital Rhessil, Wizard || Iromae Quinaea, Cleric
Meira Dheran, Rogue || Qirynna Thadri, Wizard || Crisaryn Melkial, Sorcerer
"Hold this feller for me, yeah? I wanna see what this unusual ring is..." Horkas asks Lulu and Khessa. He then proceeds to identify the ring without taking it off of Ghazrim...
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It is a gold ring fitted with a star ruby that emanates faint divination magic. It can be used to find the shortest, safest route to Gravenhollow like a magical compass.
Out of combat.
Katryl slowly releases the tension on her bowstring as it seems the fighting has ceased. She cautiously approaches where the fighting had been happening. "Did we win?" she asks the others.
Rabbit Sebrica, Sorcerer || Skarai, Monk || Lokilia Vaelphin, Druid || Britari / Halila Talgeta / Jesa Gumovi || Neital Rhessil, Wizard || Iromae Quinaea, Cleric
Meira Dheran, Rogue || Qirynna Thadri, Wizard || Crisaryn Melkial, Sorcerer
"I guess so, Katryl..." Khessa replies "We are the only ones left standing..."
It's clear that the blonde arcane warrior is still shaken by the senselessness of both the sudden conflict and the behavior of the Zhentarim, theoretically their allies, who didn't hesitate to attack them even while they were helping them in battle!
"It must always be the influence of that damned gem!" the tall adventuress is convinced "Yantha claimed that a drow took it from her - and the drow were the ones who started the fight here (although the Zhentarim didn't show much more sense). Let's see if any of these drow have that cursed item that seems to be able to bring an entire city to ruin" and she begins to patiently search the fallen drow, one by one...
It might be worth noting that since the dead drow are have no more use for their goods, if they have something valuable, the blonde arcane warrior might be interested even if no gem is found.
(Khessa make an Investigation check)
Khessa's Investigation: 22
Most of the drow do not seem to be carrying much on their person except for some gold in the amount of 312 pieces between all the bodies. However, when you check the assassin, you come across a strange dark black jewel.
(Khessa please make a Charisma saving throw.)
Khessa's Charisma saving throw: 17
Horkas informs Lulu, and anyone else nearby, of his determination about Ghazrim's ring. "Lulu - this ring may be our ticket to finding Gravenhollow...we'll have to convince Ghazrim here to let us borrow it!"
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Khessa:
As your fingers begin to brush the dark gem, you are gripped by demonic force assaulting your mind, and afflicted with the following madness: “My mind wanders as I have elaborate fantasies that have no bearing on reality. When I return my focus to the world, I have a hard time remembering that it was just a daydream.” You also begin to hear a voice speak to you from the gem (which is hand sized by the way): "Help me...and I can help you..."
@DM:
Khessa, beside herself with joy, telepathically communicates to Dawn the revelation she has had: 'Dawn! I finally understand the truth! My adventure companions are celestial creatures, angels, sent from the Upper Planes to help me stop the Demon Lords! And to think that I had felt abandoned by the gods and the forces of good, left alone to fight an unequal battle, too much bigger than me... Instead, I had had the angels at my side all this time! And this is also the reason why the surface forces were so reluctant to believe that we needed help... What more help could I need, with all these angels with me? I understand it now, Dawn... It's all so clear... Just as it's clear that this stupid gem, who's talking to me now, must be destroyed. It talked to me, you know, Dawn? It wants me to help it... An exchange of favors... I help it and it helps me... But what fool would believe it, after seeing everything it has done and is doing here in Mantol-Derith? No, I cannot fail the angels who surround me... This cursed vessel of chaos and woe must disappear from Faerûn once and for all'.
[[ OOC: Dawn is an entity with human-level Intelligence... She has a score of 12 in Intelligence. She might perhaps at this point realize what has just happened to Khessa - or at least that something is wrong with her. And she could cast Lesser Restoration on her to try to heal her (she can use her own powers without being ordered by the wielder, I think?). Anyway, up to you. ]]
The blonde arcane warrior looks at her friends smiling; the warmth emanating from those blue eyes borders on... adoration. She places the cursed gem on a hard surface (a low wall, or a paved stretch of road... or whatever), grips her maul firmly and with determination in both hands... and lowers the heavy metal head with full force onto the gem! Can she pulverize it?
Khessa:
No, wielding Dawn allows Khessa to cast lesser restoration, not Dawn herself. But lesser restoration won't work on madness anyway.
As Khessa goes to put the gem down, you feel a sudden strange attraction to the gem, inexplicable almost and yet completely understood at the same time. You cannot hurt the gem. You see the same fascination with it that the drow probably saw, as well as anyone else might have come into contact with it. Maybe...the gem isn't so bad after all?
@DM:
The spell would have effect against madness (it is explained in the madness section, not in the spell effect) - but OK, if Dawn can not cast it on her own, it does not matter.
So, in addition to the elaborate fantasies effect, Khessa, in spite of her 18 on the save and of having seen herself the gem's effect on the city, also suffers of the additional effect of not being able to hurt the gem. OK, if you are telling me this, it must be as you tell; I did not know of that, or I would have not narrated her trying to destroy it. Any other special effects (asking so that I don't declare other actions I can't actually do)? Or that's all?
Khessa, instead of pulverizing the gem, still smiling, abandons her purpose, takes it back in her hand, puts it in her pocket and says to her fellow adventurers, still looking at them with adoring eyes: "I was probably wrong... You see, angels, I know I said that the gem is clearly responsible for the chaos that is being created in Mantol-Derith and that it is probably a tool of the Demon Lords that will lead the city to disintegration and destruction... It seemed like such a logical conclusion... so based on facts... Yet, as soon as I touched it, I feel that things are not like that...Maybe the gem isn't so bad after all? You who are celestials, knew it from the beginning, right? The gem in fact should not be destroyed... Is that so, angels?"
Khessa:
Nope, that's it. Tbh I wasn't expecting you to try that so quickly, I was going to follow it up, but what's done is done. But no, that's all there is to it.
Lulu hurries about, touching whomever of the Zhentarim she can with her Goddess' mercy, sparing them from death. As Horkas mentions the ring and Gravenhollow, she pauses, relief palpable. "Well, we've about fifty seconds before we can try," she replies. "I do no' ken if they'll take kindly to being put to Sleep. Though I'd hope tis a preferable alternative to sleep of the eternal kind--given how their fight was going."
As she notices Khessa's search for the gem, Lulu cautions, "Miss Cabbagefield, wait a tick? I can Locate it so we do no' have to see nor touch the--" her words trail off as the human seems to find the blighted gem and is likewise affected by its Madness. Her tone and posture shift as she rises, casting a glance to the others. "Yes, lass. Celestials. I ken ye realize, bein' a servant of the Gods, I do their bidding. And they bade me protect what ye have there." The cleric smiles in her gentle way and retrieves a cylindrical silver box from her belt. "Would ye be a dear and wrap that holy gem in cloth? Then place it in my alms box for safekeeping, aye?"
((If anyone wants to help with this Persuasion/Deception (if it becomes that), she's gonna need it lol!))
Lulu's alms box, but it's made of pure silver instead of brass and has silver unicorns instead of the creepy peeples. When I saw this came with the cleric's starting equipment I was like HOW AM I EVER GONNA USE THIS!? Glad I kept it hahaha!
A bit startled by Khessa's odd words to the group, she jumps in with Lulu. "Yes. You have already clearly shown this crystal will not simply be crushed. But this holy box is surely the right spot for it." (She can HELP Lunaria if needed on a roll.)
She does glance about at the Zhentarim when Lulu mentions the ones sleeping. "If they're sleeping are we just going to stand here and let them wake up? Weren't they attacking us?"
Rabbit Sebrica, Sorcerer || Skarai, Monk || Lokilia Vaelphin, Druid || Britari / Halila Talgeta / Jesa Gumovi || Neital Rhessil, Wizard || Iromae Quinaea, Cleric
Meira Dheran, Rogue || Qirynna Thadri, Wizard || Crisaryn Melkial, Sorcerer
@DM:
If I have Tbh too, I did not declare that Khessa was grabbing the gem (given her Intelligence and the fact that she had seen the gem's effect on many citizens), only that she was looking for it. But ok, what is done is done. (After alll, if just touching the item suffices to trigger the effects, she might have touched it inadvertently, maybe before actually spotting it).
You did not mention Khessa been forced to keep the gem on herself - neither at the beginning nor as I ask if there was more, so she's going to follow Lulu's advice...
"Yes angels..." Khessa smiles, reverently depositing the gem in the container that the celestial forces had evidently prepared for some time for this sole purpose "There! It will be safe here! In your hands it will certainly not be destroyed as I was about to do in such a reckless manner! It is clear that it must be preserved... and who better than you angels can succeed in this?"
"Now that we have discovered that the gem is innocent," the blonde arcane warrior looks around with determination "we just need to find the true cause of this demonic influence here in Mantol-Derith... And destroy it quickly, before this influence spells the end of the city! Do you know other things that you haven't told me yet, angels?"
Horkas watches the scene unfold, equally suspicious of the influence the gem has on Khessa. He runs through various possibilities and ways to remove the gem's influence on the warrior. (Arcana: 18; Religion: 23) Finally, he decides that perhaps the woman just needs some additional Protection from Evil and Good to help her resist the influence of the stone...
"Lulu, dear, would you confer your goddess' blessing on Khessa for finding this wondrous stone?" He will immediately cast his spell afterwards by rubbing some powdered silver and iron dust on Khessa. "You are the true champion among us! Thank you for your leadership..."
(OK - my intent is to have Khessa be able to reroll her saving throw, with advantage, and with an additional 1d4!!)
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