Between the ghoul and what she felt just a few moments ago, and Juniper... transforming into a bear? Even if she said it was all right, Emma does not want to get close to that well. But what can she do if she stays away? Star was in trouble, and when Vice was wounded by the creature earlier, he suddenly stopped moving for a while, and although everything was fine in the end, who knows what will happen next?
Torn between the fear of getting close and the wish to help those around her, Emma suddenly recalls a dream she had a while ago. A dream? Maybe. Maybe something more. "Oh, Pelor, Lathander, entity of light whom you are, if I'm truly to find your fallen angel, aid me now, bring this foul creature in front of me to rest."
At first, nothing happens, and Emma assumes she had done nothing more than make an even bigger fool of herself than she was so far. But then, a few moments later, sacred light shines briefly from above, through the ceiling and any other obstacles. It shines on the ghoul, and the holy light sears its flesh.
Ghould must succeed on a DC 11 Dexterity save (no benefit from cover) or take 1 radiant damage.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Limited in his options by the close confines, Kal settles for firing off another eldritch blast at the creature, hoping for a lucky shot despite it being mostly hidden by the well.
Emma is shocked at first of what she just did. She did not expect anything to happen. She did not yet fully digest what just happened, but she's in no rush to do so. No, rather, she isn't capable of that right now.
So instead, her attention shifts to other, more pressing matters. The corpse floating in the well, and the bear towering above it. While keeping wary eyes on the bear - else it does something unexpected - Emma raises a question: "I... I thought the kids only mentioned one monster? Even if they never saw it. Them. Do you think... do you think there might be more of them? Why would the parents keep such a thing here? Or did those things come later, from elsewhere?"
Star rubs his arm where the creature had grasped it. He could still feel its touch, though he suspected it was just in his mind. Nevertheless, it felt wrong.
"I have a thought, one which I do not like. The spirits of the children said their parents were in the basement. We are in the basement, and there are no parents, only these two monsters..." He pauses a second to let his point permeate. "I do not know about ghouls. Perhaps one of you could tell me where they come from? Do they breed, or are they made?"
Star rubs his arm where the creature had grasped it. He could still feel its touch, though he suspected it was just in his mind. Nevertheless, it felt wrong.
"I have a thought, one which I do not like. The spirits of the children said their parents were in the basement. We are in the basement, and there are no parents, only these two monsters..." He pauses a second to let his point permeate. "I do not know about ghouls. Perhaps one of you could tell me where they come from? Do they breed, or are they made?"
"Unfortunately, I had the same thought..." Kal says. "Two parents, two ghouls...although, if these WERE the parents, then....what was the monster they were down here to face in the first place?"
(Can we tell the genders of either of the ghouls?)
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Juniper is relieved she doesn’t have to think about biting the ghoul again after it falls to the others’ attacks.
The brown bear sniffs around the room’s southern walls for a moment (Smell Perception: 22), then stops at the southeast door and turns back to regard the others.
(Having decided that Star knows nothing about ghouls, I'm not going to roll the check.)
As the bear squeezes it's way back though the doorway Star watches it go with interest. Fascinating. He had not expected to find a nagual on this side of the ocean. There was a story there waiting to be heard. He would have to ask Juniper about it later.
"Perhaps we must go further down?" he answers Kal. Turning his eyes to the well from which the ghoul had emerged, he adds "I will check here." He swings himself over the edge and carefully climbs down.
Brown bear Juniper smells a lot of awful smells coming from the direction of the southeast area.
(How far is she going?)
Juniper will follow her nose, growling a warning to the others, and lumber along the west-east hallway (but only halfway to the intersection you indicated with an arrowhead), shoulder muscles rippling as she moves. She waits there, within view of the well chamber, until her companions complete their explorations.
Star climbs down the well until he reaches the bottom. Here the ground is damp from the water that seeps into the now-collapsed well. There is nothing down here of interest, and it would take too long to clear out the debris. The only direction is to climb back out of the well.
Meanwhile, Juniper travels down the corridor in her bear form. Here she finds another passage leading south. This tunnel is crawling with insects. However, it is here that Juniper can hear the sound of the cries of a distressed baby. The sound can only barely be heard of the sound of the chanting.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
“The secret we should never let the gamemasters know is that they don't need any rules.” ― Gary Gygax
Emma hesitates at first, but soon, follows after the bear. She was still scared of it, but nonetheless, wanted to see what will happen with Juniper. Is she now a bear... forever? When the bear stops, Emma stops a short distance behind, waiting to see what it will do next.
The brown bear’s tongue edges out rather daintily around its lips to catch the saliva which has come unbidden at the sight of the many insects teeming before her. Her nose crinkles at the accompanying rotting odor, not in disgust, but curiosity. There could still be edible flesh on a mostly-rotting corpse. She knows where to look.
But with an effort, Juniper pulls herself out of this reverie of instinct and back to conscious thought.
She stands on hind legs, slowly, so as not to frighten Emma, while rotating to face her. Her shape is like a pear, and the way she turns, almost comical, like a circus act. Her neck is far too long and thick for a biped.
Her fluffy paws hang down unthreateningly before her, then gesture gracelessly, pointing behind Emma to the others, then pulling toward her in a repeating gesture. She makes a gentle rumbling sound, almost like ‘come here.’
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Vice furrows his brow as he contemplates Kal's question about the ghouls and the children’s parents, trying to remember what he knows about ghouls. As Juniper leads the way in her brown bear form, Vice's attention is pulled back to the present. Curiously, he follows her, interested to see what she has discovered.
Emma backs away, frightened, when the bear turns to her. But, the peculiar behaviour, the movements that seem unnatural to a bear... "Juniper? Are you... there?" Of course she was, but Emma couldn't know if Juniper assumed the form of a bear or fully become a bear. She had never seen a person turning into an animal before.
Calmed, a bit, that the bear at least seems to be merely a form worn over like some set of clothes, and therefore, that it's hopefully not going to attack her all of a sudden, Emma can now focus on deciphering Juniper's intent.
It doesn't take too long, as the message isn't very complicated. Emma nods, then runs back to the room where the others are. "Come! Juniper calls. Maybe she found something, or... I don't know. But she calls!"
Con save: 19
I'll have to respond with Star's full turn later.
DM - Storm King's Thunder
DM - Torosevia (WIP homebrew world)
Kelytha Meliamne - Matti Silverstorm - Silver - Star-Setting-In-The-East - Tor Baltos
Star slashes at the ghoul with his rapier.
(Attack: 5 Damage: 10)
“The secret we should never let the gamemasters know is that they don't need any rules.” ― Gary Gygax
Between the ghoul and what she felt just a few moments ago, and Juniper... transforming into a bear? Even if she said it was all right, Emma does not want to get close to that well. But what can she do if she stays away? Star was in trouble, and when Vice was wounded by the creature earlier, he suddenly stopped moving for a while, and although everything was fine in the end, who knows what will happen next?
Torn between the fear of getting close and the wish to help those around her, Emma suddenly recalls a dream she had a while ago. A dream? Maybe. Maybe something more. "Oh, Pelor, Lathander, entity of light whom you are, if I'm truly to find your fallen angel, aid me now, bring this foul creature in front of me to rest."
At first, nothing happens, and Emma assumes she had done nothing more than make an even bigger fool of herself than she was so far. But then, a few moments later, sacred light shines briefly from above, through the ceiling and any other obstacles. It shines on the ghoul, and the holy light sears its flesh.
Ghould must succeed on a DC 11 Dexterity save (no benefit from cover) or take 1 radiant damage.
Varielky
(Sorry I was late in acting, but rapier probably would have been what I did anyway, so I'm happy to stick with it.)
DM - Storm King's Thunder
DM - Torosevia (WIP homebrew world)
Kelytha Meliamne - Matti Silverstorm - Silver - Star-Setting-In-The-East - Tor Baltos
Limited in his options by the close confines, Kal settles for firing off another eldritch blast at the creature, hoping for a lucky shot despite it being mostly hidden by the well.
Attack: 19 Damage: 9
With Star being so close to the ghoul, he manages to strike the creature with his blade.
Afterwards, Emma casts her spell of Sacred Light, which has no issue hitting the ghoul. The radiant energy singes the ghoul's flesh.
Kal then finishes off the ghoul with a successful strike with Eldritch Blast.
The group is now free to check the remaining chests and move on from the room.
“The secret we should never let the gamemasters know is that they don't need any rules.” ― Gary Gygax
Emma is shocked at first of what she just did. She did not expect anything to happen. She did not yet fully digest what just happened, but she's in no rush to do so. No, rather, she isn't capable of that right now.
So instead, her attention shifts to other, more pressing matters. The corpse floating in the well, and the bear towering above it. While keeping wary eyes on the bear - else it does something unexpected - Emma raises a question: "I... I thought the kids only mentioned one monster? Even if they never saw it. Them. Do you think... do you think there might be more of them? Why would the parents keep such a thing here? Or did those things come later, from elsewhere?"
Varielky
Star rubs his arm where the creature had grasped it. He could still feel its touch, though he suspected it was just in his mind. Nevertheless, it felt wrong.
"I have a thought, one which I do not like. The spirits of the children said their parents were in the basement. We are in the basement, and there are no parents, only these two monsters..." He pauses a second to let his point permeate. "I do not know about ghouls. Perhaps one of you could tell me where they come from? Do they breed, or are they made?"
DM - Storm King's Thunder
DM - Torosevia (WIP homebrew world)
Kelytha Meliamne - Matti Silverstorm - Silver - Star-Setting-In-The-East - Tor Baltos
"Unfortunately, I had the same thought..." Kal says. "Two parents, two ghouls...although, if these WERE the parents, then....what was the monster they were down here to face in the first place?"
(Can we tell the genders of either of the ghouls?)
(If you want to know what knowledge you have on ghouls, make a religion check.)
“The secret we should never let the gamemasters know is that they don't need any rules.” ― Gary Gygax
Juniper is relieved she doesn’t have to think about biting the ghoul again after it falls to the others’ attacks.
The brown bear sniffs around the room’s southern walls for a moment (Smell Perception: 22), then stops at the southeast door and turns back to regard the others.
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
Brown bear Juniper smells a lot of awful smells coming from the direction of the southeast area.
(How far is she going?)
“The secret we should never let the gamemasters know is that they don't need any rules.” ― Gary Gygax
(Having decided that Star knows nothing about ghouls, I'm not going to roll the check.)
As the bear squeezes it's way back though the doorway Star watches it go with interest. Fascinating. He had not expected to find a nagual on this side of the ocean. There was a story there waiting to be heard. He would have to ask Juniper about it later.
"Perhaps we must go further down?" he answers Kal. Turning his eyes to the well from which the ghoul had emerged, he adds "I will check here." He swings himself over the edge and carefully climbs down.
Perception?: 15
DM - Storm King's Thunder
DM - Torosevia (WIP homebrew world)
Kelytha Meliamne - Matti Silverstorm - Silver - Star-Setting-In-The-East - Tor Baltos
Juniper will follow her nose, growling a warning to the others, and lumber along the west-east hallway (but only halfway to the intersection you indicated with an arrowhead), shoulder muscles rippling as she moves. She waits there, within view of the well chamber, until her companions complete their explorations.
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
Star climbs down the well until he reaches the bottom. Here the ground is damp from the water that seeps into the now-collapsed well. There is nothing down here of interest, and it would take too long to clear out the debris. The only direction is to climb back out of the well.
Meanwhile, Juniper travels down the corridor in her bear form. Here she finds another passage leading south. This tunnel is crawling with insects. However, it is here that Juniper can hear the sound of the cries of a distressed baby. The sound can only barely be heard of the sound of the chanting.
“The secret we should never let the gamemasters know is that they don't need any rules.” ― Gary Gygax
Emma hesitates at first, but soon, follows after the bear. She was still scared of it, but nonetheless, wanted to see what will happen with Juniper. Is she now a bear... forever? When the bear stops, Emma stops a short distance behind, waiting to see what it will do next.
Varielky
The brown bear’s tongue edges out rather daintily around its lips to catch the saliva which has come unbidden at the sight of the many insects teeming before her. Her nose crinkles at the accompanying rotting odor, not in disgust, but curiosity. There could still be edible flesh on a mostly-rotting corpse. She knows where to look.
But with an effort, Juniper pulls herself out of this reverie of instinct and back to conscious thought.
She stands on hind legs, slowly, so as not to frighten Emma, while rotating to face her. Her shape is like a pear, and the way she turns, almost comical, like a circus act. Her neck is far too long and thick for a biped.
Her fluffy paws hang down unthreateningly before her, then gesture gracelessly, pointing behind Emma to the others, then pulling toward her in a repeating gesture. She makes a gentle rumbling sound, almost like ‘come here.’
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
Vice furrows his brow as he contemplates Kal's question about the ghouls and the children’s parents, trying to remember what he knows about ghouls. As Juniper leads the way in her brown bear form, Vice's attention is pulled back to the present. Curiously, he follows her, interested to see what she has discovered.
Religion: 15
Emma backs away, frightened, when the bear turns to her. But, the peculiar behaviour, the movements that seem unnatural to a bear... "Juniper? Are you... there?" Of course she was, but Emma couldn't know if Juniper assumed the form of a bear or fully become a bear. She had never seen a person turning into an animal before.
Calmed, a bit, that the bear at least seems to be merely a form worn over like some set of clothes, and therefore, that it's hopefully not going to attack her all of a sudden, Emma can now focus on deciphering Juniper's intent.
It doesn't take too long, as the message isn't very complicated. Emma nods, then runs back to the room where the others are. "Come! Juniper calls. Maybe she found something, or... I don't know. But she calls!"
Varielky
Vice tries to think of what he might know of ghouls. However, his time with the circus meant he didn't have much exposure to religious teachings.
“The secret we should never let the gamemasters know is that they don't need any rules.” ― Gary Gygax