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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((We don't have to RP this out of course, but Lulu is gonna look in the Past for any mention of the gem or its creation after she and Katryl come up empty-handed regarding her parents.
WIS check: 19+4 23))
A rift formed by faerzress opens wide, illuminating a dark tunnel. The rift spits out a black gem that clatters as it tumbles across the tunnel floor. The gem is picked up by a gray-skinned dwarf, who inspects it closely.
The vision shifts to a brightly lit cavern full of crude merchant stalls, where the duergar hands the gem to a svirfneblin for appraisal. The gnome refuses to return the gem, instead giving it to one of her svirfneblin apprentices. The young apprentice skulks away with the gem in his clutches, but is ambushed by a gargoyle. The gargoyle snatches the gem, flies away, and gives it to a female drow. The drow gazes into the black gemstone and sees a hideous demonic face looking back at her. Thoughts of murder and carnage fill her thoughts as she hides the gemstone on her person, draws her shortsword, and coats the blade with poison.
(Earlier, as Katryl and Lulu were searching for information about her parents.)
"Wasn't a dragon? That does seem like an odd thing to for her to lie about," Katryl replies. She thinks about it a moment. "If it wasn't a dragon, what did she meet? Might it be a demon or something and it's taken control of her?"
Katryl is a bit disappointed at finding nothing, especially after having tried to prepare herself for finding just about any sort of information. "Ah, well that's fine really. Right Lunaria?" she asks the firbolg. "I'm sure that whatever happened to them, it should be fine." She tries to keep up a stoic appearance to Lulu. For the most part it's true, though it does sadden her a bit to yet again come up empty.
She tags along as Lulu decides to pursue information about the gem.
(Assuming if this is Lulu's vision that she tells Katryl of what she saw.)
"Where do you suppose the gem originated at?" she asks. "Is that demonic face the demon that created the thing? Or was the demon in the gem?"
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 cannae make sense of it, lass," Lulu says with a shake of her head. "If it's no' a curse or possession, then... I imagine she must have her reasons." The cleric rubs at the nape of her neck, the muscles sore from a restless night. Maybe the lack of sleep is making her paranoid.
"I ken I've a bad habit of interposing. Has gotten me in trouble more times than I care to admit," she softly chuckles.
As they come up empty-handed once more regarding Katryl's parents, Lulu feels bad for having be the one that suggested they look. She takes Katryl's hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze. "They're in Her hands, love," she says, hoping Katryl finds as much comfort in that as she does.
"Could be it were trapped inside, aye," Lulu says, brow setting a deep crease above her broad firbolg nose. "Whatever the case, tis a relief to ken we destroyed the wee bugger." After a bit more thought, she softly sighs and turns to Katryl, "What say we head back? Get some scran? I imagine my roommates are ready for their dinner too." She cracks a wry smile then, if Katryl has nothing else she wants to look into, leads the way back to their rooms to reconvene with the others.
It is easy enough to get everyone back together. Anything else you all would like to do before getting ready to see Vizeran and leave?
Traydark has given up on getting useful information from the library and is ready to seek out Vizeran DeVir as soon as the others are.
Khessa, always the optimist, still hopes to be able to obtain useful information: "Shall not we try to get an idea of what at least the Demon Lords we known about are doing? We have already tried Juiblex - I would like to try to find out what Demogorgon, Yeenoghu and Zuggtmoy are doing (or what they will do in the near future)".
"I advise giving priority to Zuggtmoy, since we know that she plans this 'wedding' to become more powerful..." the blonde arcane warrior reasons "and that Juiblex seems to be planning to ruin the ceremony. We couldn't get any information on Juiblex (maybe because he's destined to lose the match against Zuggtmoy?) But maybe we could find something on Zuggtmoy. The 'wedding' she is organizing is certainly not a common event in the Underdark... and discovering when the 'wedding' takes places would allow us maybe to take out two Demon Lords at once!"
"As we already agreed upon," the tall adventuress reminds her friends "if Juiblex and Zuggtmoy fight (as they should) and the battle is very evenly matched (as it should), one could take out the other and we could be then able to take out the winner".
[[ OOC: Well, this is the opinion of Khessa, the character... the opinion of Painted, the player, is that it will be useless and that Gravemnhollow only served to make us find out about Gromph - since every attempt to find out anything else has led to nothing - but since Khessa has a different opinion from Painted (and she's at least as stubborn as Painted), Khessa proposes the above. ]]
Katryl had seemed to take comfort in Lulu's words about her parents. When the firbolg suggest heading back she nods, ready to head back herself. "Guess maybe I should keep a closer eye on Khessa. See what she's up to." As the pair continue to walk, she asks softly. "Lunaria, when you urged me to go ahead and look into my parents' fate, you said you had 'found all you need here.' But until we looked into the gem we hadn't looked into anything just for you. And then gem was not really something personal. What did you find here then?"
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
Zuggtmoy:
A cavern of peculiar beauty opens up before you, with lights of every color shining from the pure essence of life, diffused and amplified by the glow of faerzress. The glow pulses, and you can feel the life in the cavern rotting away, bursting with infection. A mushroom grows in the center of the cave, ever larger and taller, pustules forming and seeping as its stem thickens and its cap reaches to the cavern’s ceiling, forming a vast fungal tower.
Two myconids approach the site in awe, not minding the carpet of rot under their feet. You sense their minds come alive in wonder, and as they kneel in worship, you know they are doomed. A voice sounds out within clouds of spores that fall like snow. The voice tells the myconids to prepare for a gift unlike any they have ever known.
Demogorgon:
You see a kuo-toa swimming in the gloomy depths of a dark, subterranean lake, uncertain. It turns left and right, trying to find something, even as it’s surrounded by a fanged creatures resembling manta rays. The kuo-toa smiles, its needle teeth gleaming even in the darkness. It has seen something. It understands a new secret, and its already unhinged mind plunges further into madness.
The kuo-toa curls in on itself, arms extended in worship. Then from the circle of rays, two tentacles emerge — followed by two howling baboon heads.
Yeenoghu:
A hunched and rotting creature with the head of a fiendish hyena swings a triple-headed flail at a beholder, crushing it. As the eye tyrant falls to the floor, a pack of hyenas leaps onto the corpse and tears off its eyestalks while the demon lord licks the gore off his weapon. As the hyenas feed, they transform into slavering, cackling gnolls before your eyes.
Ok, Khessa too, havimg tried all she can think of, is ready to leave.
Lulu's steps falter at Katryl's question. "Yer a sharp one, lass," she smiles. "'spose I cannae go on about Miss Cabbagefield while no' practicing what I preach."
The firbolg's pace slows slightly as she opens her side satchel. "I had a... request from Queen Lurue. For something within the library. A very small request considering what I asked of her." She retrieves what appears to be a locked tome, which she hands to Katryl after a moment's consideration. Or maybe it's hesitation. Lurue's name is written on the cover. "Contains the origins of unicorns. Or, at least, that's the vision I had when I found it."
((Lulu is also ready to go! Just for flavor, she might seek out the basilisk one day and ask if they could teach her about the Greater Restoration spell it cast. Just for when she levels up and can get that spell! She'll also return the crystal the Keeper gave them.)
"Oh!" Katryl says, clearly not expecting the response she got from Lulu. "Queen Lurue specifically asked you to get this? That seems like quite an honor to be asked to do such a thing. But when did that happen? And when did you find the book? And why didn't you tell me?" She shakes her head a bit. "Lunaria, it's not like this is at all like what Khessa is hiding. I don't think it is..."
She shortly after hands the book back to the firbolg. "How do you get it to Lurue now? Will you give it to her personally?" The genasi is having a hard time fathoming anyone actually meeting the goddess face-to-face. "I take it you did not look inside the book." As soon as she says it she realizes what she's said. "Stupid me - of course it's locked."
(OOC - Did we try to investigate Lolth? Or try and didn't get anything? Seems like that could be the final vision we try to get. But then I guess Katryl is out of ideas as well.)
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
"The night we arrived," she answers as she tucks the book carefully back in its place. In truth, it hasn't left her side since she received it. "I believe I mentioned back in Gauntlgrym about needing to do an errand of sorts here for her? This was it. Nothin' to bother all of ye with."
"And I suspect when I next return to the Wilds I'll be able to deliver it to her. Or may find a way here in Silverymoon or the High Forest," she says thoughtfully, no having considered that option until now. "That's where her presence is strongest on this plane. But I ken she'll tell me where to go when its time."
After a moment, Lulu's steps finally slow to a stop as she suddenly looks quite somberly at Katryl. "Kat, I--... if I do no' make it through this journey of ours... I need ye to promise me ye'll get it to her. Please. I do no' ask this lightly, nor would I ask at all if--" she pauses to get her emotions in check, wiping her expression back to a stoic calm, "--if it weren't for what hinged upon its delivery."
((OOC- Yeh! Both Lulu and Horkas did but didn't find anything about Lolth. I don't think we've tried the crystals for her yet though??))
Katryl nods slowly, trying to think back to Guantilgrym. "Hmm, perhaps you did mention it." She doesn't completely certain but doesn't seem to worry about it. She does focus her attention much more as Lulu clearly starts to look serious. "First of all Lunaria, if it comes to pass that you do not make it, I would certainly get the book to Queen Lurue. I've no idea how or why a goddess would ever have dealings with me... but I will do it." She give the firbolg a determined look.
"Second though, I'll do everything necessary to see you do make it, so I won't have to worry about it!" She has a bit of satisfied smile on her face as she says that. "Finally, if by some chance we both make it through this, perhaps you would allow me to assist you in the delivery? It would be my honor."
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
Meanwhile the noble drow is impatiently awaiting the time for departure from Gravenhollow. Assuming he is shared the visions regarding Zuggtmoy and Demogorgon he comments dryly that as far as he can see they shed no new light on the situation, merely confirming what they practically already knew. The visions about Yeenoghu at least confirms that the Lord of Savagery too is present in the Underdark but they had known that too since the encounter with the rampaging Gnolls. As soon as a crystal-empowered vision about Lolth has been sought, Traydark would seek out Vizeran DeVir and explain that he and his companions are ready to depart the library and are interested in discussing the presence of Demon Lords and what can be done about it.
Horkas been ready to depart this weird library for a day or two now =)
Love God. Love Others. Any Questions?
Lolth:
You behold the true form of the Demon Queen of Spiders — that of a black, bloated arachnid with the head of a female drow. Nestled in the webs all around her are thousands upon thousands of gray eggs. Lolth knows she is being scried, her fury tangible as her mind reaches out to find you. Her shriek of rage as she’s shut out by the powerful wards of Gravenhollow echoes in your mind as the vision is suddenly torn away to darkness.
"How cute..." Khessa comments ironically, when she is told about Lolth's vision "The oversized vermin that deems herself a goddess has now also discovered the maternal instinct? Is she thinking of generating an army of demonic spiders to bring with her when he invades the Prime Material Plane devastated by the war between the Demon Lords, perhaps? Filthy insect..."
[[ OOC: As told already, ok to depart, to meet Vizeran, or whatever ]]
It doesn't take too long to find Vizeran...
“That fool Gromph brought the demon lords down upon us, with his demon queen pulling his strings all the while. He has given Lolth free reign in the Abyss. My own research leads me to believe Gromph used faerzress to achieve such a summoning, though I am sure he didn’t intend this result. Imbecile!
“I can save you months of research — time we clearly don’t have. The information I found here has confirmed my theories, and I know how to banish the demon lords back to the Abyss. We can do this only if we work together, if you are willing and daring enough to directly challenge the demon lords. Or perhaps foolhardy is the better word.”
"With the fate of the Underdark, and perhaps all of Abeir -Toril in the balance then whether we are foolhardy or brave to challenge the Demon Lords is of no significance. We have already come too far to not see this through. Tell us more about what needs to be done and I am sure we can assist you with this." Traydark says firmly and confidently but at the same time with a polite and courteous tone to the Drow archmage.