A vast and untamed wilderness dale on the eastern edge of the Galagosian Empire. To call it a dale is to call a giant a man, for its edges spread out for days in every direction, and its rough terrain leaves few options for large settlements or easy passage. Verdant grasses and lush forests cover a landscape dominated by karst outcroppings and punctuated by creeks and rivers are home only to a few small villages and towns. Each village largely surviving on their own as they raise the next generation of children and work to eck out a living.
To the distant west, the heart of civilization - Galagos, the capitol city of the Empire, lies waiting for those brave enough to make the journey. What goods the citizens of the dale require but cannot make for themselves often come THIS way, from the capitol, along a long and meandering network of roads and waterways that snakes its way through the endless maze of karst outcroppings and dark forests.
To the south, the karst gives way to older rolling hills worn down by the passage of time, before emptying into a great desert that separates Galagos from would-be rivals and trading nations far away. The desert, itself many days of blistering heat across, forms a natural barrier to would-be invaders, but a trade route DOES exist, and brave adventurers and merchants do emerge from time to time, bringing with them exotic goods and cultures to exchange.
To the north, the great Dragonne Mountains, a massive outcropping of majesty that runs the length of the dale and beyond, climbing to impossible heights and holding untold dangers. Renegade tribes, some noble and others not, as well as the strange forces of darkness push into the empire and threaten an otherwise idyllic wilderness life, often forming one of the many front lines in the empire's seemingly endless war against Evil.
To the east, held back only by the arcane fortress school of Grimhaven, a massive forest known only as the grim spreads out its roots and branches from the mountains in the north to the hills to the south, and beyond. Thousands of miles in every direction, few who dare to penetrate her borders are ever seen again.
Here, in the wild and unspoiled wilderness of the Emerald Mar our story unfolds.
Here, on a late winter's night, an unprecedented storm threatens all who have not yet found shelter. Frequent and terrible lightning punctuates the night, lighting up the landscape for a few brief moments against a backdrop of heavy rain. The distant thunder that follows is ominous. The closer strikes shake the ground and make hearing almost impossible.
Don't doubt that I've been refreshing your character's sheet every few minutes since you rolled that perception check, just in case.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Look at what you've done. You spoiled it. You have nobody to blame but yourself. Go sit and think about your actions.
Don't be mean. Rudeness is a vicious cycle, and it has to stop somewhere. Exceptions for things that are funny. Go to the current Competition of the Finest 'Brews! It's a cool place where cool people make cool things.
How I'm posting based on text formatting: Mod Hat Off - Mod Hat Also Off (I'm not a mod)
The dark haired man took one last look down the deep hole he had discovered in the floor of the ruined tower and then stepped to the small shelter provided by a ruined upper floor and the stone wall. It kept off the worst of the rain, which had turned cold to the point of being ice now. From his vantage he watched the man he had spotted earlier against a backdrop of lightning approach up the hill. That man had not found the goat path he had taken, and so despite his obvious size was taking longer to climb the steep rugged terrain. Shifting his bow to his other hand he took a moment to check the condition of his string and found it was likely fouled. The man leaned over and peered down at the OTHER group - a merchant wagon perhaps, and a motley collection of would-be guards trekking the short distance off the road toward him, the tower, and the hill. None of them had even a meager light. He felt comfortable though if the lightning persisted he would be able to follow their progress.
With the Wagon
The grassy karst-encrusted hill with the tower you spotted earlier grew large the closer you got. Amidst the flashes of lightning you realized the tower was ruined. Still, flashes of light under the otherwise dark sky left you some chance for hope. Two sets of large doors - wide enough to push a wagon through if they were open, are clearly visible at the base of the hill. They do however... appear to have a large stone set in front of them.
As Yet Unknown (Ali, Kimo)
Havent come into view yet.
I need perception rolls from everyone if theyre posting, and send me a stealth check privately if you are hiding or attempting to hide.
At this point I'd say the thread is open to everyone but Ali and Kimo.
PS - Im abandoning the past tense. It works for story writing, but it sucks here. Describe your actions the way you normally would please.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Colm hops off the wagon the wagon-leaving his instruments aside from his flute I side where they’re protected from the elements and walks closer to the doors and stone. “Well that’s funny, innit lads?”
perception: 11
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
If I haven’t offended you, don’t worry. I’m sure I’ll get to you eventually.
If the stone was barring the doors from opening, Kiana would have walked up next to it and waited for somebody else to help her lift it. Otherwise, she would simply have cast thaumaturgy to swing the doors open.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Look at what you've done. You spoiled it. You have nobody to blame but yourself. Go sit and think about your actions.
Don't be mean. Rudeness is a vicious cycle, and it has to stop somewhere. Exceptions for things that are funny. Go to the current Competition of the Finest 'Brews! It's a cool place where cool people make cool things.
How I'm posting based on text formatting: Mod Hat Off - Mod Hat Also Off (I'm not a mod)
Even with both of their efforts the large stone doesnt budge. The rain, driving hard into the soft ground around you, hurts your face and hands as it pelts you with small crystals of ice. For your efforts the ground is starting to become a muddy mess, despite the small gravel laid around the entrance. Behind you two wounded but surviving guardsmen look nervously about amidst the lightning, a look of desperation on their faces. The driver stands with reins in hand on the leeward side of one of the horses, using the poor beast as a makeshift shelter against the rain. The fourth man is nowhere to be seen at the moment. The driver yells in your direction. "There's nothing here, we have to press on!"
"Oh, come on. A perfect place to rest and wait out the storm, and we have to ignore it because of a big dumb rock? Why is the big dumb rock even here?"
Kiana would like to inspect the rock and the ground surrounding it in an attempt to see how it got where it is, as well as how recently. After that, she would probably take a trip around the tower, to see if there are any alternate entrances.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Look at what you've done. You spoiled it. You have nobody to blame but yourself. Go sit and think about your actions.
Don't be mean. Rudeness is a vicious cycle, and it has to stop somewhere. Exceptions for things that are funny. Go to the current Competition of the Finest 'Brews! It's a cool place where cool people make cool things.
How I'm posting based on text formatting: Mod Hat Off - Mod Hat Also Off (I'm not a mod)
Kiana's brown hair lay in wet strips around her face, kept from her eyes only by the tie that bound most of it behind her head. Like the others every inch of her was soaked, and rivulaets of water ran down her face after stinging her with their sharp barbs. Pushing her fingers through some of the moss on the stone before having a look around its base, it seemed obvious the stone had both been there a long time and been put their intentionally.
Amidst the flash of lightning Colm meanwhile caught sight of some writing on the door and leaned in, trying to see what it might say but the flashes of light merely teased him, making any type of real investigation impossible. A short distance away the rest of the merchant caravan had now moved to position themselves on the side or even UNDER the wagon to get away from the stinging ice drops now falling from the sky. The horses stomped at the ground and shook nervously, threatening to jerk the reins away from the driver who still kept a tight grip on them.
(At this point Im going to wait and see what goes on up above)
Brade is climbing up the hill on the other side. He will attempt stealth, not out of any malicious intent, only being prudent.
Stealth 10
If any can spot him (maybe not so easy at it seems in the dark deluge) they would see a well-built, muscular man, about 6 feet tall, dark unkempt hair and beard, unarmored, wearing a leather jacket and cloak of animal skins. Strapped to his back is a large battle-axe with a pack over it. At his side is a sheathed long sword, and he carries a simple undecorated shield.
Coming up on the back side of the hill as he were, Brade didnt see the merchant caravan and the merchant caravan clearly didnt see him. From his vantage point under the meager shelter of the ruined tower though the dark haired man at the top of the hill saw almost everything. Or, at least as much as any of them could between the flashes of lightning on an otherwise cloudy night.
The Emerald Mar.
A vast and untamed wilderness dale on the eastern edge of the Galagosian Empire. To call it a dale is to call a giant a man, for its edges spread out for days in every direction, and its rough terrain leaves few options for large settlements or easy passage. Verdant grasses and lush forests cover a landscape dominated by karst outcroppings and punctuated by creeks and rivers are home only to a few small villages and towns. Each village largely surviving on their own as they raise the next generation of children and work to eck out a living.
To the distant west, the heart of civilization - Galagos, the capitol city of the Empire, lies waiting for those brave enough to make the journey. What goods the citizens of the dale require but cannot make for themselves often come THIS way, from the capitol, along a long and meandering network of roads and waterways that snakes its way through the endless maze of karst outcroppings and dark forests.
To the south, the karst gives way to older rolling hills worn down by the passage of time, before emptying into a great desert that separates Galagos from would-be rivals and trading nations far away. The desert, itself many days of blistering heat across, forms a natural barrier to would-be invaders, but a trade route DOES exist, and brave adventurers and merchants do emerge from time to time, bringing with them exotic goods and cultures to exchange.
To the north, the great Dragonne Mountains, a massive outcropping of majesty that runs the length of the dale and beyond, climbing to impossible heights and holding untold dangers. Renegade tribes, some noble and others not, as well as the strange forces of darkness push into the empire and threaten an otherwise idyllic wilderness life, often forming one of the many front lines in the empire's seemingly endless war against Evil.
To the east, held back only by the arcane fortress school of Grimhaven, a massive forest known only as the grim spreads out its roots and branches from the mountains in the north to the hills to the south, and beyond. Thousands of miles in every direction, few who dare to penetrate her borders are ever seen again.
Here, in the wild and unspoiled wilderness of the Emerald Mar our story unfolds.
Here, on a late winter's night, an unprecedented storm threatens all who have not yet found shelter. Frequent and terrible lightning punctuates the night, lighting up the landscape for a few brief moments against a backdrop of heavy rain. The distant thunder that follows is ominous. The closer strikes shake the ground and make hearing almost impossible.
No one in their right mind would be out tonight.
And yet they are.
(I’m here)
If I haven’t offended you, don’t worry. I’m sure I’ll get to you eventually.
(Brade is alive and well…for now…)
Don't doubt that I've been refreshing your character's sheet every few minutes since you rolled that perception check, just in case.
Look at what you've done. You spoiled it. You have nobody to blame but yourself. Go sit and think about your actions.
Don't be mean. Rudeness is a vicious cycle, and it has to stop somewhere. Exceptions for things that are funny.
Go to the current Competition of the Finest 'Brews! It's a cool place where cool people make cool things.
How I'm posting based on text formatting: Mod Hat Off - Mod Hat Also Off (I'm not a mod)
Kasimyr is here.
"ALWAYS GIVE A MONSTER AN EVEN BREAK!"
1st Edition DMG
At the Tower
The dark haired man took one last look down the deep hole he had discovered in the floor of the ruined tower and then stepped to the small shelter provided by a ruined upper floor and the stone wall. It kept off the worst of the rain, which had turned cold to the point of being ice now. From his vantage he watched the man he had spotted earlier against a backdrop of lightning approach up the hill. That man had not found the goat path he had taken, and so despite his obvious size was taking longer to climb the steep rugged terrain. Shifting his bow to his other hand he took a moment to check the condition of his string and found it was likely fouled. The man leaned over and peered down at the OTHER group - a merchant wagon perhaps, and a motley collection of would-be guards trekking the short distance off the road toward him, the tower, and the hill. None of them had even a meager light. He felt comfortable though if the lightning persisted he would be able to follow their progress.
With the Wagon
The grassy karst-encrusted hill with the tower you spotted earlier grew large the closer you got. Amidst the flashes of lightning you realized the tower was ruined. Still, flashes of light under the otherwise dark sky left you some chance for hope. Two sets of large doors - wide enough to push a wagon through if they were open, are clearly visible at the base of the hill. They do however... appear to have a large stone set in front of them.
As Yet Unknown (Ali, Kimo)
Havent come into view yet.
I need perception rolls from everyone if theyre posting, and send me a stealth check privately if you are hiding or attempting to hide.
At this point I'd say the thread is open to everyone but Ali and Kimo.
PS - Im abandoning the past tense. It works for story writing, but it sucks here. Describe your actions the way you normally would please.
Colm hops off the wagon the wagon-leaving his instruments aside from his flute I side where they’re protected from the elements and walks closer to the doors and stone. “Well that’s funny, innit lads?”
perception: 11
If I haven’t offended you, don’t worry. I’m sure I’ll get to you eventually.
Perception: 4
"That sure is odd. Well, shelter is shelter."
If the stone was barring the doors from opening, Kiana would have walked up next to it and waited for somebody else to help her lift it. Otherwise, she would simply have cast thaumaturgy to swing the doors open.
Look at what you've done. You spoiled it. You have nobody to blame but yourself. Go sit and think about your actions.
Don't be mean. Rudeness is a vicious cycle, and it has to stop somewhere. Exceptions for things that are funny.
Go to the current Competition of the Finest 'Brews! It's a cool place where cool people make cool things.
How I'm posting based on text formatting: Mod Hat Off - Mod Hat Also Off (I'm not a mod)
The large stone MIGHT be able to be rolled or drug away, but its definitely currently in front of the door.
“What you lot say we try and move this sucker here.” Colm walks to the other side and gives it a small shove.
If I haven’t offended you, don’t worry. I’m sure I’ll get to you eventually.
Even with both of their efforts the large stone doesnt budge. The rain, driving hard into the soft ground around you, hurts your face and hands as it pelts you with small crystals of ice. For your efforts the ground is starting to become a muddy mess, despite the small gravel laid around the entrance. Behind you two wounded but surviving guardsmen look nervously about amidst the lightning, a look of desperation on their faces. The driver stands with reins in hand on the leeward side of one of the horses, using the poor beast as a makeshift shelter against the rain. The fourth man is nowhere to be seen at the moment. The driver yells in your direction. "There's nothing here, we have to press on!"
"Oh, come on. A perfect place to rest and wait out the storm, and we have to ignore it because of a big dumb rock? Why is the big dumb rock even here?"
Kiana would like to inspect the rock and the ground surrounding it in an attempt to see how it got where it is, as well as how recently. After that, she would probably take a trip around the tower, to see if there are any alternate entrances.
Look at what you've done. You spoiled it. You have nobody to blame but yourself. Go sit and think about your actions.
Don't be mean. Rudeness is a vicious cycle, and it has to stop somewhere. Exceptions for things that are funny.
Go to the current Competition of the Finest 'Brews! It's a cool place where cool people make cool things.
How I'm posting based on text formatting: Mod Hat Off - Mod Hat Also Off (I'm not a mod)
“Don’t you worry, lads and lasses.” Colm says in an attempt to cheer everyone up. “I’m sure we’ll find somethin’ that’ll do.”
If I haven’t offended you, don’t worry. I’m sure I’ll get to you eventually.
Kiana's brown hair lay in wet strips around her face, kept from her eyes only by the tie that bound most of it behind her head. Like the others every inch of her was soaked, and rivulaets of water ran down her face after stinging her with their sharp barbs. Pushing her fingers through some of the moss on the stone before having a look around its base, it seemed obvious the stone had both been there a long time and been put their intentionally.
Amidst the flash of lightning Colm meanwhile caught sight of some writing on the door and leaned in, trying to see what it might say but the flashes of light merely teased him, making any type of real investigation impossible. A short distance away the rest of the merchant caravan had now moved to position themselves on the side or even UNDER the wagon to get away from the stinging ice drops now falling from the sky. The horses stomped at the ground and shook nervously, threatening to jerk the reins away from the driver who still kept a tight grip on them.
(At this point Im going to wait and see what goes on up above)
Brade is climbing up the hill on the other side. He will attempt stealth, not out of any malicious intent, only being prudent.
Stealth 10
If any can spot him (maybe not so easy at it seems in the dark deluge) they would see a well-built, muscular man, about 6 feet tall, dark unkempt hair and beard, unarmored, wearing a leather jacket and cloak of animal skins. Strapped to his back is a large battle-axe with a pack over it. At his side is a sheathed long sword, and he carries a simple undecorated shield.
Coming up on the back side of the hill as he were, Brade didnt see the merchant caravan and the merchant caravan clearly didnt see him. From his vantage point under the meager shelter of the ruined tower though the dark haired man at the top of the hill saw almost everything. Or, at least as much as any of them could between the flashes of lightning on an otherwise cloudy night.
Seeing someone approaching the hilltop, Kasymir lets out a whistle. "Hey, there's some shelter over here!"
"ALWAYS GIVE A MONSTER AN EVEN BREAK!"
1st Edition DMG
Is that directed at Brade? If so, he will raise an arm in greeting and proceed less stealthily.
Seems friendly, that’s lucky, he will muse to himself. He much prefers friendly company to… the other type.
Kasymir waves to Brade, "There's a little shelter here!"
When Brade arrives, "Name's Kasymir. Kind of wet out there."
He points to the hole and rope, "Looks like someone has gone down to get out of the rain. But no one answered when I called down."
"ALWAYS GIVE A MONSTER AN EVEN BREAK!"
1st Edition DMG