Ven will use their 5th level spell slot to cast intellect fortress on themself, the wizard and the monk before moving toward the portal to stand in the way of the illithid
As you pass through the portal, you enter the plane of Pandemonium.
There are no lights here, magical or otherwise. Due to the porous nature of the stone here, a stiff and ever-changing wind blows throughout the temple preventing any nonmagical open flames from being lit.
You find yourselves upon a great mass of rock riddled with tunnels carved by howling winds. It is cold, noisy, and dark, with no natural light. Wind quickly extinguishes nonmagical open flames such as torches and campfires. It also makes conversation possible only by yelling, and even then, only to a maximum distance of 10 feet. Creatures have disadvantage on any ability check that relies on hearing.
DC 20 arcana check for in-game knowledge of the plane. AD by assistance is effectively possible (seen as conferring to determine where you are and which phenomenon of the place (under various names) arelijely true among the many dubious or misattributed claims)
Kalak realizes they have stumbled into Pandemonium. He survwys the place assessing what he's heard of the place and recalls:
Most of the plane’s inhabitants are creatures that were banished to the plane with no hope of escape, and many of them have been driven mad by the incessant winds or forced to take shelter in places where the winds die down until they sound like distant cries of torment.
<that's what the book gives you. I'm inclined to add more>
Gravity in Pandemonium always pulled away from the center of any cavern so a traveler could walk on the floor, walls, or ceiling. Streams and rivers would flow along one surface of a cave, or inexplicably down the middle through the air. The larger caverns were hundreds to thousands of miles/kilometers deep, wide, and tall, and the winds there could lift up small humanoids and carry them far away before a dangerous landing.
The topmost layer with portals to Limbo, the Abyss, and Concordant Opposition was called Pandesmos and was the most habitable layer of the four. This layer had the largest caverns and the river Styx flowed through the rocky wastes. Nearly all great cities and citadels in Pandemonium were found here.
One more, for the Bard. That tuning fork that got you here was ringing in C#.
<before we get too far, I want to make sure we are OK with the environment. The fact thar nobody has darkvision and that torches don't work is a major aspect of the challenge here. The wind can also be a mechanical factor for spells like fog/stinking cloud or command, which requires either a closer range or a signal boost (like thaumaturgy). It also imposes DA on ranged Missiles like bolts or arrows, that are not magical. Magic stone would not incur this penalty. If youre unsure, feel free to ask.>
Noted: Kalak and Quadere 1hr 20ft sphere on staff and mace, respectively.
Roughly thirty-five feet by thirty-five feet, this chamber, like all of those throughout the temple, appears to have been rough-cut from the porous rock that makes up this place. The stone walls allow the wind free reign here in the temple, and have littered the floor with sand, pebbles, and stones that kick up as the adventurers walk across them
<not sure what's up with owlbear.rodeo. not letting me make new maps, lost fog control in the one we were using but still accessible. I'll keep you posted on that >
<Feel free to do any investigation you wish, but once I hear from Kandalou (see #146 above) I'm just going to assume you're ready to move to the next room.>
They fight well, these others. Perhaps we can form a bond of trust, despite so many of them being weak 'zerai. I need to focus on the mission though, not the glory of combat.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Coriana - Company of the Grey Chain Wagner - Dragon Heist: Bards. DM - The Old Keep
Fifty feet on a side, the walls of this rough-cut room have been scoured clean and smell strongly of chlorine. Stone benches have been carved directly from the stone by the chaos priests that once lived here, though constant exposure to the winds of the plane have left them structurally brittle.
Several aged and rotted garments lay scattered across the floor, discarded by chaos clergy in favor of more ecclesiastical clothing before moving further into the temple complex. The walls here were washed with a chlorine solution daily when the temple was in use, thus giving the entire chamber its unusual odor.
Finding the chamber a cul-de-sac, you turn heel and press on. As the gith approach the chamber, you find a human woman dressed in plate mail and bearing a longsword, stands at the entrance to beckon the you forward into the chamber.
As the rrakkma approach the chamber, the human woman backs away from them as it continues to beckon them into the room.
(OOC : I guess we are going through... I will heal 27 hp as an action, then move 55' through the portal)
Cats go Moo!
This was a good call. 👍
As you pass through the portal, you enter the plane of Pandemonium.
There are no lights here, magical or otherwise. Due to the porous nature of the stone here, a stiff and ever-changing wind blows throughout the temple preventing any nonmagical open flames from being lit.
You find yourselves upon a great mass of rock riddled with tunnels carved by howling winds. It is cold, noisy, and dark, with no natural light. Wind quickly extinguishes nonmagical open flames such as torches and campfires. It also makes conversation possible only by yelling, and even then, only to a maximum distance of 10 feet. Creatures have disadvantage on any ability check that relies on hearing.
DC 20 arcana check for in-game knowledge of the plane. AD by assistance is effectively possible (seen as conferring to determine where you are and which phenomenon of the place (under various names) arelijely true among the many dubious or misattributed claims)
The Wizard does an Arcana check to see what he remembers about this place: 24
D&D since 1984
Before he can step through the portal, the effects of the detect thoughts spell take hold on Kandalou.
<what does the mind flayer hear? This is an opportunity for roleplay.>
Kalak realizes they have stumbled into Pandemonium. He survwys the place assessing what he's heard of the place and recalls:
Most of the plane’s inhabitants are creatures that were banished to the plane with no hope of escape, and many of them have been driven mad by the incessant winds or forced to take shelter in places where the winds die down until they sound like distant cries of torment.
<that's what the book gives you. I'm inclined to add more>
Gravity in Pandemonium always pulled away from the center of any cavern so a traveler could walk on the floor, walls, or ceiling. Streams and rivers would flow along one surface of a cave, or inexplicably down the middle through the air. The larger caverns were hundreds to thousands of miles/kilometers deep, wide, and tall, and the winds there could lift up small humanoids and carry them far away before a dangerous landing.
The topmost layer with portals to Limbo, the Abyss, and Concordant Opposition was called Pandesmos and was the most habitable layer of the four. This layer had the largest caverns and the river Styx flowed through the rocky wastes. Nearly all great cities and citadels in Pandemonium were found here.
One more, for the Bard. That tuning fork that got you here was ringing in C#.
Cleric casts Light on the mace in her hands.
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
<before we get too far, I want to make sure we are OK with the environment. The fact thar nobody has darkvision and that torches don't work is a major aspect of the challenge here. The wind can also be a mechanical factor for spells like fog/stinking cloud or command, which requires either a closer range or a signal boost (like thaumaturgy). It also imposes DA on ranged Missiles like bolts or arrows, that are not magical. Magic stone would not incur this penalty. If youre unsure, feel free to ask.>
The Wizard also casts light on his staff
D&D since 1984
Noted: Kalak and Quadere 1hr 20ft sphere on staff and mace, respectively.
Roughly thirty-five feet by thirty-five feet, this chamber, like all of those throughout the temple, appears to have been rough-cut from the porous rock that makes up this place. The stone walls allow the wind free reign here in the temple, and have littered the floor with sand, pebbles, and stones that kick up as the adventurers walk across them
<not sure what's up with owlbear.rodeo. not letting me make new maps, lost fog control in the one we were using but still accessible. I'll keep you posted on that >
On the floor of this chamber is a dead mind flayer. Its insides are filled with sand and pebbles
<I'm going to apply the previous arcana check here because I think the result was kind of lame and that roll was gratuitous>
Kalak manages to ascertain that either “the wind” rose up and killed the illithid, or an air elemental or something similar was responsible
<Feel free to do any investigation you wish, but once I hear from Kandalou (see #146 above) I'm just going to assume you're ready to move to the next room.>
They fight well, these others. Perhaps we can form a bond of trust, despite so many of them being weak 'zerai. I need to focus on the mission though, not the glory of combat.
Coriana - Company of the Grey Chain
Wagner - Dragon Heist: Bards.
DM - The Old Keep
Next room:
Fifty feet on a side, the walls of this rough-cut room have been scoured clean and smell strongly of chlorine. Stone benches have been carved directly from the stone by the chaos priests that once lived here, though constant exposure to the winds of the plane have left them structurally brittle.
Several aged and rotted garments lay scattered across the floor, discarded by chaos clergy in favor of more ecclesiastical clothing before moving further into the temple complex. The walls here were washed with a chlorine solution daily when the temple was in use, thus giving the entire chamber its unusual odor.
<anyone searching?>
"Guess we can follow the trail of dead illithid's bodies straight to the device".
Investigation: 12 + 2 from Guidance
(Anyone rolling for skill check can assume Cleric helped and use additional 1d4 too)
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
Finding the chamber a cul-de-sac, you turn heel and press on. As the gith approach the chamber, you find a human woman dressed in plate mail and bearing a longsword, stands at the entrance to beckon the you forward into the chamber.
As the rrakkma approach the chamber, the human woman backs away from them as it continues to beckon them into the room.
From behind you, (area 1) the footsteps of an enlarged duergar thrall and his mind-flayer master approach, having followed yheiugh the portal.
<Let's just hold initiatives from before, since it's the same combat as far as those NPCs are concerned. >
Vishnu (Rogue) 22 ✅️
Shaiere (Monk) 21 ✅️
Quadere (Cleric) 20 ▶️
Kalak (Wizard) 19 ▶️
Vendelen (Bard) 17 ✅️
Duergar/mind flayer ⏸️
Kandalou (Fighter) 8 ⏸️
<It's fixed>
You guys are up