You grasp one of the stones and begin to channel your arcane energy into it in an attempt to Identify what it is. As you do so, suddenly your mind is pulled inside of the stone.
Your vision goes dark, and for a moment you are under water with its weight pressing down, crushing the breath from your lungs, and a dim red light in the distance. Then, a moment later, you are on a battle field.
The sky is dim, and you are surrounded by your enemies. You stab your spear through a slavering demon before spinning and slicing through the throat of an equally slavering human, one of those twisted enough to side with the Betrayer Gods. You see one of the defenders cut down, their red blood mixing with the black ichor that you feel squish beneath your boots. You spin and dodge, cutting and stabbing, the smell of blood and rotten eggs burning your nose. Where is Perigee? You think to yourself...
Moving further into the fray, a massive demon with tusks and dripping black feathers rakes its claws down your back. You barely feel it, noticing only for the time it takes to deliver a spear strike through its skull. You must find Perigee. She is your divinely granted, immortal companion; if a being created and blessed by the Moon Weaver herself cannot overcome the curse of Ruidus, what hope is there? She leads the defense; she'll be with the worst of the fighting, the largest of the demons. You charge through a clump of lesser demons, shield first, sending them to the ground, dimly aware that they are being crushed under the hooves of the bull demon goring another of your allies.
A divinely bright blast of radiant light thins the field before you, and you can see her, Perigee, with moon bright wings and a shining mace spattered in black gore. She fights fiercely, and she is strong. You know this; she has saved your life countless times while you two strive to cleanse the temple, to end the demonic presence in Wildemount. But her foe is a massive black-winged demon of fire. Its whip is coiled around her forearm, burning the flesh; you can smell it from here, can feel the heat the creature gives off. Another twist and stab. You hear Perigee chanting a prayer to the Moon Weaver, hear the clang as she deflects a fiery sword strike, smell burning feathers. The divine light grows brighter, her voice louder; you cry out her name. But the demon delivers another strike, and Abyssal and divine fire clash, combining in a massive explosion. You fall to your knees as you watch her fall, looking into a puddle of water before you, you do not see your own face Tex, you see a curly brown haired man with an intricate pendant around his neck. Drenched in sweat, dirt and blood from battle, he clenches the pendant. "Moonweaver, help me save Perigee".... He weeps as he looks to the water and sees the reflection of a kobold and not his own face. The face of Tex. His face turns from sorrow to anger and madness as he says "GET OUT" rippling the water as your mind is returned to your own body.
Your eyes clear, blinking away tears as you look upon the others gathered around you.
Everyone sees Textry to identify the stone. You watch as he casts his spell and becomes still. You can see his veins turn dark as he holds it before he suddenly jolts his body back and releases the stone. A small, crimson colored crystal spike now protrudes from his hand, piercing through the glove he wears.
Tex, you take one level of exhaustion and one level of Ruidium corruption.
The Identify seems to give you nothing beyond the vision you received
Tex gasps for air when he is released, grasps his spear and looks frantically around as if surrounded by enemies. The blink of an eye later, he drops his armaments and slumps to the floor visible spent and breathing hard. Unsure what just happened, he investigates the weird feeling on his hand and, to his surprise, finds the red crystal piercing hand and glove. A finding that elicits a sharp yelp from the small kobold. At first he tries to touch it with his other gloved hand, then tries to pull out the splinter or at least remove the glove from the affected hand to get a better look, if necessary by cutting the glove with a dagger.
Then, he recounts his experience to the best of his knowledge and memory, concluding, “… The angelic being Perigee fell against the demonic horde and me, a servant of the moon weaver, tried to save her before whoever I possessed banished me.”
Tex tries to remember more details about the pendant that he wore and if he can recognize it as a symbol or specific to a time period. Was there any indication whether the vision was in the past, present or future? Or even real at all?
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Sorry, I'm beginning to enter a vacation period and while I will try to check-in at least daily, I cannot promise that I will always be able to do so. From September 1, I should be back to normal.
"You all right?" Lana looked at Tex's hand with concern. "If it's not good to touch, it's definitely not good to be pierced by."
Should Tex need help to get the thorn out, she will help.
"That was quite the vision!" At first, Lana just listened with growing curiosity but once the story was told, she added a bit more the simple admiration. "Did you say "the curse of Ruidus"? And the mineral is called ruidium. Can be related somehow. Seems like we have more to find in that library of yours, Bellamy."
"So... Shall we do it or do we investigate that pathway first? Can bring the crates with us, while we are on it. Guess, this is what those two were going to do anyway. Can be a good cover if the transporters use the robes."
Rel, still disguised, hisses sharply in dismay as she witnesses Tex's ordeal.
Once it is over, she adds her voice quietly: "Whatever the purpose of the ruidium, all the more reason to think any ritual involving it will be for some vile cause. My vote as before is to forge ahead and try to interrupt the ritual. It sounded as if they had nearly enough ruidium for it already if they were willing to risk collapsing the tunnel to block access to this temple of theirs. To me that means the ritual is imminent. And Vale's brother may be there."
She sighs. "But I do not know for sure. If the rest of you think it wiser to retreat, cover our tracks, hide these bodies and return through the mansion to alert the Zhelezo, then research ruidium at this Library, then I will go along with it. Though we have to decide what to do with the ruidium in that case."
“We may lose an opportunity here if we retreat now, but currently we’re burning the candle on both ends and I don’t know if we don’t risk too much if we continue. I’m spent and tired and, perhaps, more of a burden than helpful until I can rest,” Tex adds to the discussion still sitting on the stone floor. The already small kobold makes for a sorry sight sitting there hunched over, surely had Lizzy any capacity for emotions she would have trotted over and nudged Tex with her head to comfort him but as it is she simply stays vigilant.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Sorry, I'm beginning to enter a vacation period and while I will try to check-in at least daily, I cannot promise that I will always be able to do so. From September 1, I should be back to normal.
Zane takes a closer look at Tex, "Oh, shit, I was snooping around the area and didn't really notice what happened to you. Yeah, we should retreat. It's a long trek back anyways and we still have to climb the tunnel up and exit the house and so on."
Anybody proficient in History or Religion can make a check to try and learn more about the vision Tex had.
Texas you sit and look at the crimson spike that is coming from your hand, it looks more like it grew out of you rather than something pierced through your hand. Looking at the skin around the protruding spike you can see crimson veins streaking out and around your hand to the palm side.
Zane and Lana, with Tex'sdetailed description of what he saw you would be able to deduce that this was most likely a battle fought during The Calamity (around 830 years ago). The time when the Prime Deities and the Betrayer Gods battled for control of Exandria. The lands of this battle in particular, would be forever scarred. Though you may not have traveled to this part of Wildemount in your life, you would have heard of it referred to as The Wastes of Xhorhas. A cold, desolate land far to the East of the Menagerie coast.
Tex’ ears shot up, “Xhorhas? That’s home. Well,” he pauses, “it’s where my home is, or was.”
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Sorry, I'm beginning to enter a vacation period and while I will try to check-in at least daily, I cannot promise that I will always be able to do so. From September 1, I should be back to normal.
"Guess I did pick up something in school after all," chuckled Lana but immediately become serious again. "Are you going to take this thing out, Tex? It can not be good to keep it in your body! If you can not, we should really return now and go straight into the first temple on the way to let clerics clean the wound."
“It tickles a bit,” he replies, “but doesn’t really hurt. I fear it will not be easy to remove it. I mean look, all these red veins weren’t there before. This looks nothing like a wound, I’ve been hit before and this is different. I’d rather go straight to these kobold blue scholars that Bellamy suggested.”
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Sorry, I'm beginning to enter a vacation period and while I will try to check-in at least daily, I cannot promise that I will always be able to do so. From September 1, I should be back to normal.
Rel clearly wants to press on, but she relents to the group's decision.
Her mind is whirling at the possible origin of the curse that seems to have touched Tex, whom she feels inexplicably protective of. He is from Xhorhas. So it was the drow on the surface who enslaved him, not those from Menzoberranzan or elsewhere deep below... does it make a difference, though?
Attempting to gather herself, she asks, "What should we do with the corpses and the crates? Just leave them here? Perhaps hide them to create more disruption or mystery for anyone that comes back to check?"
"The death pit might be a good place to hide the bodies, and it's almost on the way," once again suggested Lana. "Crates will have to stay, though. Unless you are game to disguise as those two dead, using their robes and carrying the crates to the ritual site."
She once again picked up a small crimson stone (using every precaution possible) and packed it away for the scholars to study later.
Lana was honestly surprised. "Why would we need the whole crates or even both with us? If you want to get rid of the rocks, just dump them into the water." Then she followed Tex and Bellamy out.
Tex
You grasp one of the stones and begin to channel your arcane energy into it in an attempt to Identify what it is. As you do so, suddenly your mind is pulled inside of the stone.
Your vision goes dark, and for a moment you are under water with its weight pressing down, crushing the breath from your lungs, and a dim red light in the distance. Then, a moment later, you are on a battle field.
The sky is dim, and you are surrounded by your enemies. You stab your spear through a slavering demon before spinning and slicing through the throat of an equally slavering human, one of those twisted enough to side with the Betrayer Gods. You see one of the defenders cut down, their red blood mixing with the black ichor that you feel squish beneath your boots. You spin and dodge, cutting and stabbing, the smell of blood and rotten eggs burning your nose. Where is Perigee? You think to yourself...
Moving further into the fray, a massive demon with tusks and dripping black feathers rakes its claws down your back. You barely feel it, noticing only for the time it takes to deliver a spear strike through its skull. You must find Perigee. She is your divinely granted, immortal companion; if a being created and blessed by the Moon Weaver herself cannot overcome the curse of Ruidus, what hope is there? She leads the defense; she'll be with the worst of the fighting, the largest of the demons. You charge through a clump of lesser demons, shield first, sending them to the ground, dimly aware that they are being crushed under the hooves of the bull demon goring another of your allies.
A divinely bright blast of radiant light thins the field before you, and you can see her, Perigee, with moon bright wings and a shining mace spattered in black gore. She fights fiercely, and she is strong. You know this; she has saved your life countless times while you two strive to cleanse the temple, to end the demonic presence in Wildemount. But her foe is a massive black-winged demon of fire. Its whip is coiled around her forearm, burning the flesh; you can smell it from here, can feel the heat the creature gives off. Another twist and stab. You hear Perigee chanting a prayer to the Moon Weaver, hear the clang as she deflects a fiery sword strike, smell burning feathers. The divine light grows brighter, her voice louder; you cry out her name. But the demon delivers another strike, and Abyssal and divine fire clash, combining in a massive explosion. You fall to your knees as you watch her fall, looking into a puddle of water before you, you do not see your own face Tex, you see a curly brown haired man with an intricate pendant around his neck. Drenched in sweat, dirt and blood from battle, he clenches the pendant. "Moonweaver, help me save Perigee".... He weeps as he looks to the water and sees the reflection of a kobold and not his own face. The face of Tex. His face turns from sorrow to anger and madness as he says "GET OUT" rippling the water as your mind is returned to your own body.
Your eyes clear, blinking away tears as you look upon the others gathered around you.
Everyone sees Tex try to identify the stone. You watch as he casts his spell and becomes still. You can see his veins turn dark as he holds it before he suddenly jolts his body back and releases the stone. A small, crimson colored crystal spike now protrudes from his hand, piercing through the glove he wears.
Tex, you take one level of exhaustion and one level of Ruidium corruption.
The Identify seems to give you nothing beyond the vision you received
Tex gasps for air when he is released, grasps his spear and looks frantically around as if surrounded by enemies. The blink of an eye later, he drops his armaments and slumps to the floor visible spent and breathing hard. Unsure what just happened, he investigates the weird feeling on his hand and, to his surprise, finds the red crystal piercing hand and glove. A finding that elicits a sharp yelp from the small kobold. At first he tries to touch it with his other gloved hand, then tries to pull out the splinter or at least remove the glove from the affected hand to get a better look, if necessary by cutting the glove with a dagger.
Then, he recounts his experience to the best of his knowledge and memory, concluding, “… The angelic being Perigee fell against the demonic horde and me, a servant of the moon weaver, tried to save her before whoever I possessed banished me.”
Tex tries to remember more details about the pendant that he wore and if he can recognize it as a symbol or specific to a time period. Was there any indication whether the vision was in the past, present or future? Or even real at all?
Sorry, I'm beginning to enter a vacation period and while I will try to check-in at least daily, I cannot promise that I will always be able to do so. From September 1, I should be back to normal.
|| Oriace - Halfling Bard - Dragon Heist || Valerian - Elf Rogue - Wildnis || Rowan - Halfling Giant - Runewarren || Khazela - Spiritfarer Dervish - Tribute || Arista - Frost Sorcerer - Old Keep || Marasatra - Blood Mage - Avernus ||
"You all right?" Lana looked at Tex's hand with concern. "If it's not good to touch, it's definitely not good to be pierced by."
Should Tex need help to get the thorn out, she will help.
"That was quite the vision!" At first, Lana just listened with growing curiosity but once the story was told, she added a bit more the simple admiration. "Did you say "the curse of Ruidus"? And the mineral is called ruidium. Can be related somehow. Seems like we have more to find in that library of yours, Bellamy."
"So... Shall we do it or do we investigate that pathway first? Can bring the crates with us, while we are on it. Guess, this is what those two were going to do anyway. Can be a good cover if the transporters use the robes."
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
"That was some vision. I believe we need more information and would like to leave and head to the Library. Well that is my vote anyway" says Bellamy
Rel, still disguised, hisses sharply in dismay as she witnesses Tex's ordeal.
Once it is over, she adds her voice quietly: "Whatever the purpose of the ruidium, all the more reason to think any ritual involving it will be for some vile cause. My vote as before is to forge ahead and try to interrupt the ritual. It sounded as if they had nearly enough ruidium for it already if they were willing to risk collapsing the tunnel to block access to this temple of theirs. To me that means the ritual is imminent. And Vale's brother may be there."
She sighs. "But I do not know for sure. If the rest of you think it wiser to retreat, cover our tracks, hide these bodies and return through the mansion to alert the Zhelezo, then research ruidium at this Library, then I will go along with it. Though we have to decide what to do with the ruidium in that case."
Tanis(Ranger1): Shiverquill's Tempest City | Xarian(Fighter2): NioNSwiper's Tyranny of Dragons
Dyson/Eleo(TwilightCleric4): Vos' Beyond the Veil | Soren(ShepherdDruid5): Bartjeebus' Ravenloft | Ophelia(WildMagicSorcerer4): Ashen_Age's Risen from the Sands
Joren(EchoKnightFighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Sabetha(MercyMonk3): Bedlymn's Murder Court | Seri(NatureCleric3/DivineSoulSorcerer1): Bartjeebus' Greyhawk
“We may lose an opportunity here if we retreat now, but currently we’re burning the candle on both ends and I don’t know if we don’t risk too much if we continue. I’m spent and tired and, perhaps, more of a burden than helpful until I can rest,” Tex adds to the discussion still sitting on the stone floor. The already small kobold makes for a sorry sight sitting there hunched over, surely had Lizzy any capacity for emotions she would have trotted over and nudged Tex with her head to comfort him but as it is she simply stays vigilant.
Sorry, I'm beginning to enter a vacation period and while I will try to check-in at least daily, I cannot promise that I will always be able to do so. From September 1, I should be back to normal.
|| Oriace - Halfling Bard - Dragon Heist || Valerian - Elf Rogue - Wildnis || Rowan - Halfling Giant - Runewarren || Khazela - Spiritfarer Dervish - Tribute || Arista - Frost Sorcerer - Old Keep || Marasatra - Blood Mage - Avernus ||
Zane takes a closer look at Tex, "Oh, shit, I was snooping around the area and didn't really notice what happened to you. Yeah, we should retreat. It's a long trek back anyways and we still have to climb the tunnel up and exit the house and so on."
Anybody proficient in History or Religion can make a check to try and learn more about the vision Tex had.
Tex as you sit and look at the crimson spike that is coming from your hand, it looks more like it grew out of you rather than something pierced through your hand. Looking at the skin around the protruding spike you can see crimson veins streaking out and around your hand to the palm side.
Zane history check: 22
Lana Religion: 18
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
Zane and Lana, with Tex's detailed description of what he saw you would be able to deduce that this was most likely a battle fought during The Calamity (around 830 years ago). The time when the Prime Deities and the Betrayer Gods battled for control of Exandria. The lands of this battle in particular, would be forever scarred. Though you may not have traveled to this part of Wildemount in your life, you would have heard of it referred to as The Wastes of Xhorhas. A cold, desolate land far to the East of the Menagerie coast.
Tex’ ears shot up, “Xhorhas? That’s home. Well,” he pauses, “it’s where my home is, or was.”
Sorry, I'm beginning to enter a vacation period and while I will try to check-in at least daily, I cannot promise that I will always be able to do so. From September 1, I should be back to normal.
|| Oriace - Halfling Bard - Dragon Heist || Valerian - Elf Rogue - Wildnis || Rowan - Halfling Giant - Runewarren || Khazela - Spiritfarer Dervish - Tribute || Arista - Frost Sorcerer - Old Keep || Marasatra - Blood Mage - Avernus ||
Zane says, "Yes, we can talk more about it once we're out of here."
"Guess I did pick up something in school after all," chuckled Lana but immediately become serious again. "Are you going to take this thing out, Tex? It can not be good to keep it in your body! If you can not, we should really return now and go straight into the first temple on the way to let clerics clean the wound."
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
“It tickles a bit,” he replies, “but doesn’t really hurt. I fear it will not be easy to remove it. I mean look, all these red veins weren’t there before. This looks nothing like a wound, I’ve been hit before and this is different. I’d rather go straight to these kobold blue scholars that Bellamy suggested.”
Sorry, I'm beginning to enter a vacation period and while I will try to check-in at least daily, I cannot promise that I will always be able to do so. From September 1, I should be back to normal.
|| Oriace - Halfling Bard - Dragon Heist || Valerian - Elf Rogue - Wildnis || Rowan - Halfling Giant - Runewarren || Khazela - Spiritfarer Dervish - Tribute || Arista - Frost Sorcerer - Old Keep || Marasatra - Blood Mage - Avernus ||
"Alright lets head back the way we came and get Tex hand looked at" says Bellamy.
If there are no objections he heads back the way they came and climbs up out of the hole willing to help Tex up if needed.
Rel clearly wants to press on, but she relents to the group's decision.
Her mind is whirling at the possible origin of the curse that seems to have touched Tex, whom she feels inexplicably protective of. He is from Xhorhas. So it was the drow on the surface who enslaved him, not those from Menzoberranzan or elsewhere deep below... does it make a difference, though?
Attempting to gather herself, she asks, "What should we do with the corpses and the crates? Just leave them here? Perhaps hide them to create more disruption or mystery for anyone that comes back to check?"
Tanis(Ranger1): Shiverquill's Tempest City | Xarian(Fighter2): NioNSwiper's Tyranny of Dragons
Dyson/Eleo(TwilightCleric4): Vos' Beyond the Veil | Soren(ShepherdDruid5): Bartjeebus' Ravenloft | Ophelia(WildMagicSorcerer4): Ashen_Age's Risen from the Sands
Joren(EchoKnightFighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Sabetha(MercyMonk3): Bedlymn's Murder Court | Seri(NatureCleric3/DivineSoulSorcerer1): Bartjeebus' Greyhawk
"The death pit might be a good place to hide the bodies, and it's almost on the way," once again suggested Lana. "Crates will have to stay, though. Unless you are game to disguise as those two dead, using their robes and carrying the crates to the ritual site."
She once again picked up a small crimson stone (using every precaution possible) and packed it away for the scholars to study later.
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
Zane looks at the crates and says, "They unloaded them between the two of them - we can carry off at least one crate between the five of us."
He puts on the gloves and tries to pick a crate up by himself to carry up the stairs.
Lana was honestly surprised. "Why would we need the whole crates or even both with us? If you want to get rid of the rocks, just dump them into the water." Then she followed Tex and Bellamy out.
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice