Syl stares at the spot where the spectral miner disappeared. He shakes his arms and then folds them, shivering from the cold. "Still digging, after death. Buggers should have thought about unionizing, 'fore the mines claimed their souls and all."
Slightly confused by some of the conversation, he nudges Krumar. "Psst. Hey, mate." He leans in close and whispers, his white, wiry beard almost brushing Krumar's ear. Somehow, he still smells strongly of rum, though you haven't seen him with any bottles. "Know anything about this 'Pau Wau' business? What are these sorts getting on about? This something to do with that Grundelstein thingamajig?"
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
“I think this is some kind of orcish but it’s like a pictogram trying to express a feeling or… an idea instead of using the proper words “ says Jaylan looking at the symbol “but the real meaning eludes me. Perhaps it means I am tired or I am screwed. It’s what I would carve if I would be dammed to keep mining after death…”
meh walks away from the symbol
””I do hope it’s not a warning to us like go away or you’ll share our fate…. Anyway! Do you think this would count as a sample? “ he asks the others pointing to one piece of the greenish rock “that will check that but we have some missing miners… any track of them?”
Krumar looks at Syl from his journal and says “I’m sorry I couldn’t hear them driveling on over the pain of my feet…What are they saying about pow wows?”
Raevyn knows there is something to the scratchings on the wall even if Krumar is too tired to focus and Jaylan moves on since he doesn't know Orcish. Spending a couple minutes studying the symbols the good doctor is sure they say something... Insisting on patience from the others she digs through her gear and pulls out a couple key components, her notebook and her favorite quill. While slowly copying the symbols down into her journal she chants softly under her breath and occasionally sprinkles a bit of soot and salt across her writings. After a few minutes the ritual pays off and she is able to decipher the meanings of the symbols.
Meanwhile, Jaylan picks at the walls a bit and digs out a few small pieces of the Greenstone that is softly glowing in the walls all around you. It is chips and flakes, mostly, with just a couple pebble sized pieces. Is it a sample of the stone? One could presume it would suffice but you're not entirely confident about that. You would feel better with a piece that would actually have some heft to it but so far you haven't seen any that big yet. You may have to make do with what you have... Especially if you don't explore deeper.
Krumar and Sylrieth have a rather obtuse and obscure conversation in which neither of them really seems to know what the other is talking about. Certainly no eavesdroppers do. Dabbert is waiting patiently, or at least trying to appear such... Nefire is still trying to make friends with Pau Wau.
There is a path off to the west to explore though it seems Raevyn is nearly done with her ritual and Syl seems distracted by the voices in his head. As usual...
((In other words there's a little bit going on behind the scenes but we'll undoubtedly press on shortly!))
After playing with the little wolf, Nefire sees the sample Jaylan picked from the wall and shakes her head, "I doubt that will apease those back home. Best keep going to see if we can get a bigger sample."
Seeing Dabbert stand around she says, "C'mon, lets check a bit down this path to the west while Raevyn finishes up whatever she's doing. A'ight?" And whether he is agreeable or not, she pokes her head around the corner and explores a bit to the west while she waits. she was never good at waiting.
Starting to edge through the western tunnel you go thirty, sixty feet and find yourself having to choose paths - Southwester, Northwest or North. Each path is similarly illuminated by flakes of the greenstone, the pale dull greenish light that you have all become accustomed to by now. More or less. You have confidence that whichever path you take that Nefire will be able to find your way back here no matter how many twists and turns... But will the rest of the party be able to find you?
Raevyn would nod to Nefire, welcoming her to introduce herself to Pauwau via petting. The more familiar the wolf became with everyone’s scent, the more effective she could be.
Pauwau would be a little apprehensive of the axe wielding barbarian at first, though once she’d exchange a look with the doctor she’d be open to it. Though the wolf wouldn’t be ready to admit it yet, the attention was growing on her.
Nefire’s assessment was one the Doctor agreed with. A larger sample was absolutely ideal. And Raevyn was quite sure they had seen one. Sort of. However she was much too consumed in her work to share her hypothesis out loud.
Tracing her fingers along the wall, Raevyn breaks her silence. “There’s a hidden door here.” Then looking around, she realizes she was left behind. “Oh...” And the door was too heavy for her to move herself.
"Wait what?!" asks Jaylan turning around to look at Raevyn "A hidden door? We should check that before going deeper in the mines..."he says to the others
“Yes,” Raevyn confirms Jaylan’s question about the hidden door. She runs her fingers along the runes as she re reads the carvings that lead her to the discovery, summarizing the translation out loud for those interested. “They tell the tale of a once-great sorcerer whose ambition led him to exploit the rare Greenstone's powers. His reckless experiments transformed him into a grotesque creature, they say, an unholy fusion of flesh and crystal. The Greenstone's influence seeped into the land and its inhabitants, morphing them into monstrous forms. The symbols suggest the creature's vulnerability—a luminous gemstone embedded in its chest, possibly its life source.”
After a brief pause, the doctor would then speculate out loud. “If I may remind you all of the vision upon entering these mines,“ Her eyes trace the symbols as she recollects to the others. “The sorcerer depicted fits the description.” She continues to share her thoughts. “It is worth considering why the spectral miners etch their story on these walls, this deep into the mines.” She muses. “My current hypothesis is they may be warning us. More specifically, potentially pointing us in direction to the solution,” Another short pause when thinking of certain group members, she’d add. “or threat, depending on your perspective.”
"Wait so you think behind that door is that abomination?" asks Jaylan amazed by the knowledge of the doctor, looking at the runes as if they would make sense to him now that Raevyn knows their meaning.
((Just noting... I don't think Rae was left entirely behind, Dabbert and Syl never stated they were exploring with the others. Pau Wau certainly didn't leave. And the others mostly just wandered around the bend, not out of earshot or anything.))
The secret door is a tricky bugger until you figure out the trick of it, which Raevyn does eventually. Originally she believed it to be all about strength but then it dawns on here that there is more to it than pure strength. One chunk of rock needs to be pressed into the wall and held there while several feet away the door needs to be pushed open. Perhaps designed that way so that nobody could enter alone? Then again, some with magical talent are able to give themselves a hand...
Two can open the door now easily enough, I'll just need to know who holds the stone pressed in, who opens the door and where everyone else is?
“Or the way to him.” Raevyn responds. It was plausible the sorcerer could be directly behind the door, however she was leaning towards the latter that it may just lead to them. Although she had some magical talent, she didn’t have a spare hand in her arsenal. Instead, the Doctor does her due diligence and screens what she can of the door for any traps.
Nefire listens to the doctor once she announces that she has figured out what the rune means. "Well... kinda a big deal if it is inviting us or warning us... but either way, shouldn't we find out?"
As Jaylan offers to press the rock, Nefire goes to open the door.
With the rock depressed by Jaylan, Nefire grunts and pushes against the concealed door. Even with the latch undone it is no easy task to open, it is heavy stone and seemingly unused for an age. Nefire, however, refuses to be defeated and drops her head, squints her eyes and grunts with effort as she gives it her all and the door does slowly swing in and reveals a crack through which you can pass.
Cautiously but with some eagerness, Nefire, Raevyn and the others move into the new chamber. Blinking against the darkness light is brought to bear and in the dust laden silence the group can see the skeletal remains of a robed figure laying outstretched upon the ground. Around him is the remains of a ritual - symbols etched upon the ground, arcane items placed at key points - All old and dusty now, seemingly whatever power they once had spent. Resting beside the figure is a shattered staff, once presumably of immense power but now little more than kindling. A palpable magic aura remains in this chamber despite the time that has so obviously passed.
The staff and the tattered remnants of the sorcerer's robes bear symbols that mirror those you saw in your visions as you entered the mines...
(Unsure on whether Raevyn benefited from the vague potential SR or not, but if not, she'd use a healing word.)
The Doctor dons her mask as Nefire opens the door. It was a natural precaution with evidence from their previous hostile encounter to support doing so. First logical step dictates to scan undead presence hidden from the untrained eye. A pile of bones isn't always simply a pile of bones.
Eyes of the Grave You know the location of any undead within 60 ft. of you that isn’t behind total cover and that isn’t protected from divination magic until the end of your next turn.
(To confirm if he's 'dead dead'.)
"Unfortunate we couldn't ask him ourselves." Raevyn chimes from behind Jaylan. "Initial evidence mirrors that of the sorcerer we saw in our vision." She answers Jaylan's first question a bit vaguely, stepping forward to see what insight she could provide on his second question. Coming to stand before the scene for her investigation, she clicks her tongue and Pauwau trots over to sit at her side.
Book and quill in hand, the doctor's eyes then trace the runes to translate them in effort to ultimately decipher what they may be looking at. If necessary, should she not recognize the palpable aura in the space, she'd further extend her senses to detect what magic it may be.
(I imagine comprehend languages would still be active.) (Should she not recognize the magic aura, and should she feel necessary for safety, she'd detect magic)
Falling into the rhythm of her work, Rae hums delicately to herself. It was almost haunting in the silence of the space. Drawn by curiosity, she first hovers her hand along the length of the shattered remains of the staff, as if imagining what it once looked like and wondering whether it augmented the magic of the wielder, or whether it contained a source all of it's own. She couldn't help but wonder 'what if she tried...', so she would. Raevyn plucks a tiny seed from her bag and kneels down next to the staff. At it's center, she places one hand face down on the ground atop the seed, then her other hand palm up next to it. Language of the fey now accompany the Doctor's tune, like an eerie folktale being sung amongst a grave. Soft warm light emit from her palms as she attempts to mend the staff via guiding and stitch the kindling remains together.
(Trying a mix of guidance for the process, druidcraft to guide original wood elements together and provide missing material in efforts to ultimately potentially mend (using mending) the staff.)
Syl stares at the spot where the spectral miner disappeared. He shakes his arms and then folds them, shivering from the cold. "Still digging, after death. Buggers should have thought about unionizing, 'fore the mines claimed their souls and all."
Slightly confused by some of the conversation, he nudges Krumar. "Psst. Hey, mate." He leans in close and whispers, his white, wiry beard almost brushing Krumar's ear. Somehow, he still smells strongly of rum, though you haven't seen him with any bottles. "Know anything about this 'Pau Wau' business? What are these sorts getting on about? This something to do with that Grundelstein thingamajig?"
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
“I think this is some kind of orcish but it’s like a pictogram trying to express a feeling or… an idea instead of using the proper words “ says Jaylan looking at the symbol “but the real meaning eludes me. Perhaps it means I am tired or I am screwed. It’s what I would carve if I would be dammed to keep mining after death…”
meh walks away from the symbol
””I do hope it’s not a warning to us like go away or you’ll share our fate…. Anyway! Do you think this would count as a sample? “ he asks the others pointing to one piece of the greenish rock “that will check that but we have some missing miners… any track of them?”
PbP Character: A few ;)
Krumar looks at Syl from his journal and says “I’m sorry I couldn’t hear them driveling on over the pain of my feet…What are they saying about pow wows?”
Raevyn knows there is something to the scratchings on the wall even if Krumar is too tired to focus and Jaylan moves on since he doesn't know Orcish. Spending a couple minutes studying the symbols the good doctor is sure they say something... Insisting on patience from the others she digs through her gear and pulls out a couple key components, her notebook and her favorite quill. While slowly copying the symbols down into her journal she chants softly under her breath and occasionally sprinkles a bit of soot and salt across her writings. After a few minutes the ritual pays off and she is able to decipher the meanings of the symbols.
Meanwhile, Jaylan picks at the walls a bit and digs out a few small pieces of the Greenstone that is softly glowing in the walls all around you. It is chips and flakes, mostly, with just a couple pebble sized pieces. Is it a sample of the stone? One could presume it would suffice but you're not entirely confident about that. You would feel better with a piece that would actually have some heft to it but so far you haven't seen any that big yet. You may have to make do with what you have... Especially if you don't explore deeper.
Krumar and Sylrieth have a rather obtuse and obscure conversation in which neither of them really seems to know what the other is talking about. Certainly no eavesdroppers do. Dabbert is waiting patiently, or at least trying to appear such... Nefire is still trying to make friends with Pau Wau.
There is a path off to the west to explore though it seems Raevyn is nearly done with her ritual and Syl seems distracted by the voices in his head. As usual...
((In other words there's a little bit going on behind the scenes but we'll undoubtedly press on shortly!))
After playing with the little wolf, Nefire sees the sample Jaylan picked from the wall and shakes her head, "I doubt that will apease those back home. Best keep going to see if we can get a bigger sample."
Seeing Dabbert stand around she says, "C'mon, lets check a bit down this path to the west while Raevyn finishes up whatever she's doing. A'ight?" And whether he is agreeable or not, she pokes her head around the corner and explores a bit to the west while she waits. she was never good at waiting.
Krumar sighs and follows Nef and Dabbert "If I am to write about your deaths....err I mean your vailiant efforts in the mines, I need to be present."
Putting the peebles on his pocket Jaylan nods and follows the others, wondering where the missing miners could be.
PbP Character: A few ;)
Starting to edge through the western tunnel you go thirty, sixty feet and find yourself having to choose paths - Southwester, Northwest or North. Each path is similarly illuminated by flakes of the greenstone, the pale dull greenish light that you have all become accustomed to by now. More or less. You have confidence that whichever path you take that Nefire will be able to find your way back here no matter how many twists and turns... But will the rest of the party be able to find you?
Raevyn would nod to Nefire, welcoming her to introduce herself to Pauwau via petting. The more familiar the wolf became with everyone’s scent, the more effective she could be.
Pauwau would be a little apprehensive of the axe wielding barbarian at first, though once she’d exchange a look with the doctor she’d be open to it. Though the wolf wouldn’t be ready to admit it yet, the attention was growing on her.
Nefire’s assessment was one the Doctor agreed with. A larger sample was absolutely ideal. And Raevyn was quite sure they had seen one. Sort of. However she was much too consumed in her work to share her hypothesis out loud.
Tracing her fingers along the wall, Raevyn breaks her silence. “There’s a hidden door here.” Then looking around, she realizes she was left behind. “Oh...” And the door was too heavy for her to move herself.
just an unstable unicorn.
"Wait what?!" asks Jaylan turning around to look at Raevyn "A hidden door? We should check that before going deeper in the mines..." he says to the others
PbP Character: A few ;)
“Yes,” Raevyn confirms Jaylan’s question about the hidden door. She runs her fingers along the runes as she re reads the carvings that lead her to the discovery, summarizing the translation out loud for those interested. “They tell the tale of a once-great sorcerer whose ambition led him to exploit the rare Greenstone's powers. His reckless experiments transformed him into a grotesque creature, they say, an unholy fusion of flesh and crystal. The Greenstone's influence seeped into the land and its inhabitants, morphing them into monstrous forms. The symbols suggest the creature's vulnerability—a luminous gemstone embedded in its chest, possibly its life source.”
After a brief pause, the doctor would then speculate out loud. “If I may remind you all of the vision upon entering these mines,“ Her eyes trace the symbols as she recollects to the others. “The sorcerer depicted fits the description.” She continues to share her thoughts. “It is worth considering why the spectral miners etch their story on these walls, this deep into the mines.” She muses. “My current hypothesis is they may be warning us. More specifically, potentially pointing us in direction to the solution,” Another short pause when thinking of certain group members, she’d add. “or threat, depending on your perspective.”
just an unstable unicorn.
"Wait so you think behind that door is that abomination?" asks Jaylan amazed by the knowledge of the doctor, looking at the runes as if they would make sense to him now that Raevyn knows their meaning.
PbP Character: A few ;)
((Just noting... I don't think Rae was left entirely behind, Dabbert and Syl never stated they were exploring with the others. Pau Wau certainly didn't leave. And the others mostly just wandered around the bend, not out of earshot or anything.))
The secret door is a tricky bugger until you figure out the trick of it, which Raevyn does eventually. Originally she believed it to be all about strength but then it dawns on here that there is more to it than pure strength. One chunk of rock needs to be pressed into the wall and held there while several feet away the door needs to be pushed open. Perhaps designed that way so that nobody could enter alone? Then again, some with magical talent are able to give themselves a hand...
Two can open the door now easily enough, I'll just need to know who holds the stone pressed in, who opens the door and where everyone else is?
“Or the way to him.” Raevyn responds. It was plausible the sorcerer could be directly behind the door, however she was leaning towards the latter that it may just lead to them. Although she had some magical talent, she didn’t have a spare hand in her arsenal. Instead, the Doctor does her due diligence and screens what she can of the door for any traps.
just an unstable unicorn.
"I can press the rock" offers Jaylan
PbP Character: A few ;)
Nefire listens to the doctor once she announces that she has figured out what the rune means. "Well... kinda a big deal if it is inviting us or warning us... but either way, shouldn't we find out?"
As Jaylan offers to press the rock, Nefire goes to open the door.
With the rock depressed by Jaylan, Nefire grunts and pushes against the concealed door. Even with the latch undone it is no easy task to open, it is heavy stone and seemingly unused for an age. Nefire, however, refuses to be defeated and drops her head, squints her eyes and grunts with effort as she gives it her all and the door does slowly swing in and reveals a crack through which you can pass.
Cautiously but with some eagerness, Nefire, Raevyn and the others move into the new chamber. Blinking against the darkness light is brought to bear and in the dust laden silence the group can see the skeletal remains of a robed figure laying outstretched upon the ground. Around him is the remains of a ritual - symbols etched upon the ground, arcane items placed at key points - All old and dusty now, seemingly whatever power they once had spent. Resting beside the figure is a shattered staff, once presumably of immense power but now little more than kindling. A palpable magic aura remains in this chamber despite the time that has so obviously passed.
The staff and the tattered remnants of the sorcerer's robes bear symbols that mirror those you saw in your visions as you entered the mines...
"Dear Godness... Do you think that this guy is the responsible of this place being haunted? " says Jaylan whirhout moving and not touching anything.
"What could had happend here?"
PbP Character: A few ;)
(Unsure on whether Raevyn benefited from the vague potential SR or not, but if not, she'd use a healing word.)
The Doctor dons her mask as Nefire opens the door. It was a natural precaution with evidence from their previous hostile encounter to support doing so. First logical step dictates to scan undead presence hidden from the untrained eye. A pile of bones isn't always simply a pile of bones.
Eyes of the Grave
You know the location of any undead within 60 ft. of you that isn’t behind total cover and that isn’t protected from divination magic until the end of your next turn.
(To confirm if he's 'dead dead'.)
"Unfortunate we couldn't ask him ourselves." Raevyn chimes from behind Jaylan. "Initial evidence mirrors that of the sorcerer we saw in our vision." She answers Jaylan's first question a bit vaguely, stepping forward to see what insight she could provide on his second question. Coming to stand before the scene for her investigation, she clicks her tongue and Pauwau trots over to sit at her side.
Book and quill in hand, the doctor's eyes then trace the runes to translate them in effort to ultimately decipher what they may be looking at. If necessary, should she not recognize the palpable aura in the space, she'd further extend her senses to detect what magic it may be.
(I imagine comprehend languages would still be active.)
(Should she not recognize the magic aura, and should she feel necessary for safety, she'd detect magic)
Falling into the rhythm of her work, Rae hums delicately to herself. It was almost haunting in the silence of the space. Drawn by curiosity, she first hovers her hand along the length of the shattered remains of the staff, as if imagining what it once looked like and wondering whether it augmented the magic of the wielder, or whether it contained a source all of it's own. She couldn't help but wonder 'what if she tried...', so she would. Raevyn plucks a tiny seed from her bag and kneels down next to the staff. At it's center, she places one hand face down on the ground atop the seed, then her other hand palm up next to it. Language of the fey now accompany the Doctor's tune, like an eerie folktale being sung amongst a grave. Soft warm light emit from her palms as she attempts to mend the staff via guiding and stitch the kindling remains together.
(Trying a mix of guidance for the process, druidcraft to guide original wood elements together and provide missing material in efforts to ultimately potentially mend (using mending) the staff.)
just an unstable unicorn.
Krumar stands back leaning against the wall taking notes for his epic.