Tarton looks over at Uz and sees that his hands and feet are still tied up and says to The Black Rose, "It's kind of hard to look for things when you're tied up. I'm guessing his trial is a bit different than ours. Maybe he has to eat what we find." Tarton can't stop a grin from showing on his face.
Staying in the same area of slightly greener plants, Tarton next looks for edible snails among the reeds and plants and finds something.
After finding something on the plants in the first area, Tarton moves to another clump of reeds and looks for edible frogs and snakes that may be living in the plants and mud. He finds something that he would like to cook and tries to catch it since all his weapons have been taken.
------------------------------------ If you want to change what I find that is fine with me. I was just stating what I was looking for. I'll update the post when you tell me what it is Tarton finds.
3rd attempt: Survival: 12 Identify Survival: 17
4th attempt: Survival: 21 Not sure what you want me to roll for this.
As Tarton reaches for the tightly clumped rosette of newly sprung burdock he found the hard way (by first discovering the far more vigorous, woody, and burr-infested main stalk as he was groping for cattails), he is alarmed to see cobwebby tendrils of mist beginning to whisper out from the succulent green leaves. He opens his mouth to shout an alarm, but it seems to be filled with cotton too. And then he understands, as a sickeningly familiar voice he'd hoped he left behind whispers in his mind ... no, in his ears --- no, his mind and ears: it seems to undulate back and forth from within to without and back again. And each time it picks up solidity from the mist and the mist from it until there is nothing in the world but voice and haze and a green floor of burdock leaves that spreads out under and around and as far as the eye can see from a tightly packed rosette of them about fifteen feet from Tarton. It looks like a giant magnolia bud sticking up from the center point of what has become the world ... or the top half of a giant scaly green egg.
"Silly, silly little halfling boy. Did you think you could hide among your friends forever? It never works. Sooner or later ... " The egg begins to quiver, and its petals to split open. Tazrton can just see a darkness within; a shadowy form that at first glance he can make little of save a hunched blot of shadow that seems to be crouching on two legs. The whispering voice continues as the egg/bud slowly unfolds, " ... all fall within my web. And at that moment, they have all, down through the ages, been very alone." ========= Tarton, presuming he can make a WIS check (DC 14) to avoid being frightened this round instead, can do something while this unfolding is going on! Buuuut ... the mist is thickening its tendrils trhoughout the entire place; and already he's noticing as an actual thickness it requires a bit of effort to push his hand through. Bad part, he's not sure he can get over to the egg fast enough to make more than one quick melee attack, or shoot more than one arrow because of the extra time he needs to figure the unexpected air resistance into arrow trajectories. Or in general do anything else that takes more than one action, and if you make the time scale any more complicated than that for your DM this really is gonna be something scary LOL.
Good part, the same air seems to be surrounding the whatever-it-is inside the eggbud; its outlines are blurry and what movements Tarton can make out are slow and undulating.
The Black Rose observed a small plant growing out of a crevice in one of the fallen stones. Carefully, he pulled it out, feeling the texture of the roots and leaves, smelling the plant, and gently rubbing its different parts to see if it emitted any distinct odor that could help identify the plant. After this he continued his search. This time, he focused on finding insects, worms, or grubs of different types in the soil, digging them up with his staff.
-----------------------------
Oh, I thought that I failed that first roll. In that case, here you have the roll to identify the small plant of some sort growing out of a crevice.
Nature: 12
What should I roll for my second round of searching if I'm looking for insects, worms, and grubs of different kinds by digging up the ground? And is it still a Nature or Survival check to see if it is edible?
The Black Rose finds a rock samphire: As
As far as digging up the ground, I think Nature would tell you where bugs are (1st roll: DC 10, pretty basic info), but Survival needed to avoid the poisonous creepycrawlies that can't be made edible with preparation (2nd roll; pretty esoteric ... DC 13)
=========
EDIT: apologies ... DM honestly forgot Uz was stilltied up, as it were.
Tser'ts'tchah looks up from his trance and finally notices Uz's predicament. He actually looks a little embarrassed as he waves at the ropes binding him. These immediately flex and twist, uncoiling like ivy tendrils in reverse before dropping to the earth. "Sorry. Got ... lost in thought. That count two, for apology; you only need bring one food to ... feast."
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
(whatever Tarton may do, I think I wrote the scene that completes the reveal of his foe's current form so it's able to pretty much stand as written with only minor changes needed, so .. {long scary bass drum roll} ...: )
Tarton stares in horror at the figure that has emerged from the scaly green budegg. When he looks at it straight on, its leathery black skin and paler abdomen, the clicking mandibles that adorn and beautify its outthrust arachnoid head, and its strong but spindly legs and arms remind him of a giant spider transformed into more humanoid shape and robbed of half its limbs. Yet if he looks on it sideways, or at certain angles in between, it seems to not be one solid creature at all. It looks like it was a vast swarm of spiders that had clumped together in that form ... and the light changes and again it looks like the one horrible solid man-spider. But the voice clicking and hissing from its mandibles is the same the incubus that rides him has always spoken in regardless of what form it takes. "Your faith in your friends is your weakness, Luke. No ... Iam your father." It cackles madly, seeming to find this humorous for somw strange reason. Its many-faceted eyes cross as it laughs, sending a firefly shower of reflections gleaming in all directions from a misty light that has begun to shine behind Tarton.
"Sad, actually. Almost pathetic, and I am so bored by pathos. You will come to my web, in the end, no matter who is by your side. Would you like a demon stration? Pick one of your friends to come join you in the spirit world. Win, you have my solemnest fingers crossed promise not to bother you for two fortnights; and I'll throw in this for extra -- I won't take this form again for as long as it takes the two moons to get back to the same position in the sky they are right now."
"Better pick quick though ... my patience may be infinite, but a cetterspap's certainly isn't." ========= Once Tarton has chosen a companion. they appear through a misty gateway of light behind him (the source of the glow). To all outside the dream world these two characters are in, Tarton will have appeared to fall into a muse for a while after finding his plant and then beckoned over the other character to consult them. To any who do not make an Insight roll of 15, the two will simply appear to be deep in thought, perhaps meditating, but nothing alarming. The time scale also varies, so any who do realize there is something amiss may or may not be able to do something that takes effect in time in the world the two characters fighting the cetterspap are in.
Those two, of course, might find an Initiative roll rather advisable at this point. Probably they will be especially happy if they beat the cetterspap's initiative of 17.)
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Famh Thrawn Fiadhaich - 'half elven' sorcerer (wild magic) 2, Sleeping Gods - A Dragon Warriors campaign in the Lands of Legend
Quspira Inirali - tiefling cleric (Life domain) 4, Painted's "He'll be the father of my child"
---RETIRED HEROES' REST HOME---
Sae Ivui Nailo - wood elf rogue (inquisitive) 5 , Sea of Death: Captain Hailstorm's Lost Treasure
Ryshraxea "Shra" Naranthi - tabaxi artificer 1, Nyx's Tomb of Annihilation - Group 1
The Black Rose chuckled softly. He hadn't detected that Uz was tied up. "Maybe you're right, Tarton," he admitted with a grin. No matter how good your other senses are, sight gives something that I myself would never possess, he reflected quietly. Then, as he heard Tser'ts'tchah's apology, he chuckled again. Perhaps sight was overrated after all; his question seemed to be valid after all, he reflected again.
The Black Rose carefully stowed the plant in his pack and sought out a suitable spot to dig up the ground for bugs. Thinking he had found a good location, he began to dig. However, after a while of digging, his attention was drawn to Tarton, who had stopped in his search. The Black Rose then ask "What about you, Tarton? Find anything good?"
-----------------------------------------
Insight to detect what is happening to Tarton: 15
Nature to find bugs: 8
Survival to find out if any of them are edible: 20
Feeling that They had waited long enough, Artifex gets to Its feet, stretching as they do so, like a cat waking from a nap. Completely ignoring the search efforts of the others, They ruffle through their pack for about thirty seconds, before pulling out three rations and bringing them to Tser'ts'tchah. They present mix of assorted nuts and dried fruits with a flourish that lies somewhere between dramatic and sarcastic, Their seemingly permanent smirk widening into a full on, shit eating grin. "Three edible items, as requested my lovely host."
Ickickickick spiders (sorry had to get that out of my system.) I applaud your ability to paint with words dm. Let me know if I missed something, but we've only been relieved of our weapons, not our supplies correct?
Tarton cowers as the egg/bud opens, not wanting to see with his eyes what has been haunting him from within for so long but he's unable to look away. He silently screams, "Noooooo!!!"
He instinctively chooses The Black Rose when he hears his name called out. A moment later he thinks perhaps he should have chosen someone who can use magic, but it's already too late. Right on the tails of the second thought, the idea that he should have made Tser'ts'tchah come fight this thing flits through his thoughts. All these thoughts delay his reaction to what is happening around him.
------------------------------------ WIS save: rolled 9 but it didn't add my +4, still only 13 so Tarton is overcome with fear
I also thought all weapons had been taken from the party. Does this dream world perhaps grants him weapons?
Initiative: rolled 3 but again it didn't add my modifier +5. Total of 8, so probably last.
Should I remove my post for 3rd and 4th attempts to collect food?
As The Black Rose arrived in the dream world through the gateway of light, he initially didn't realize that he had left the pit. Then, he felt the thick mist restricting his movements. Looking around, he sniffed the air and bent down to touch the burdock leaves that had suddenly appeared around him. Trying to locate the others, he found only Tarton. Walking over to him, he placed a hand on his shoulder. "Where are we?" he asked, his voice echoing softly in the mist.
The Black Rose's blindsight is only 10 feet, and the spider thing is 15 feet away from Tarton, right? So I guess he has not noticed it yet. He should notice it when it speaks again or maybe even if it moves. Maybe he can hear the spiders that make up the body of the creature crawl around. I don't know if it works differently in the dream world. But all of that is, of course, up to you.
"I... I'm not sure where we are. A voice said something about a spirit world..." Tarton replies to The Black Rose falteringly. "This monster said to pick a friend to join me in battle and in a panic I chose the first ally I heard. Wait... the voice called this monster a cetterspap, and I think the voice called itself a demon." Tarton realizes slowly while pointing in the direction of the monster. "Or was it referring to this monster as a demon? In any case get ready to fight."
The Black Rose nodded, positioning himself according to the direction Tarton was pointing. He assumed the defensive stance of his monk order and focused his senses in the direction Tarton indicated. "If this is a side effect of the tea," he muttered, "maybe I should reconsider adding it to my recipe collection."
I went ahead and rolled initiative. I hope this is okay. I got:
Initiative: 23 (a crit!!!)
I also rolled a Wisdom check to see if The Black Rose is afraid in case he can sense the creature enough to be scared of it. I hope this is okay as well. I got:
I have come to realize that you may be waiting for me to post my actions. I was myself waiting for a green light from our DM. If I responded too early, I will delete or edit my post. But for now i will post in a minut or so. Sorry for the wait.
The Black Rose sprinted in the direction Tarton had pointed. As he drew closer, he detected the creature that had left Tarton speechless—a horror composed of a swarm of spiders. A primal fear gripped him, a fear of the unnatural, but he gathered himself. Jumping into the air, he used the momentum of his leap to amplify the force of his quarterstaff swing against the creature. Upon landing, he dropped to his knees and propelled himself upward once more, this time aiming a devastating uppercut at the creature.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
(Sorry, I wasn't quite clear. At the moment, only Tarton and The Black Rose are in the dream world; the rest are in the lizardfolk pit and see those two characters as merely distracted or deep in conversation, unless the person observing them makes an Insight roll ... and I've decided since the last post that since the effect is both supernatural and demonic Arcana or Religion will also do, at the same DC.
Also apologies to badfishingdad and DragonHunters, that I'd forgotten about the wholeequipment issue. Tser'ts'tchah never did ask for more than the group's weapons; and he promised to return everything at the end, so I'd say those have been gathered up and brought along but everyone was too busy to notice more particulars than hat. But now they are noticing the issue, Tarton and The Black Rose find that in this dreamworld they each have the gear, armor, and two weapons that are most characteristically 'them': the things they most often reach for when there's trouble, the 'old friends' that they see themselves as having whenever they dream. And that will hold true for anyone else who might find a way or be drawn into the dream world.
At the same time, the philosophy The Black Rose has learned indicates that once you get past the weapons and armor these dream shadows may not always work the way normal things do outside of dreams. Also that the more complex or magical an item is, the more likely it is to behave in strange and unpredictable ways here.)
=========
As he nears the horrifying creature, The Black Rose hears the chittering rustle: very much like the sound he's sometimes thought he's heard with his ear above an anthill on the quietest of windless days. The sound of millions of tiny claws of chitin skittering over the ground. But there is an amused chucle on the edge of perception, "Not baaad. Silly halfling gave me an idea ... "
The voice trickles off to a whispery chuckle, then a hiss of surprise and pain as The Black Rose's staff finds its mark quicker than it had anticipated, followed by his fist. It feels like he's punching through soft cotton, and the blows don't seem to have as much effect as with other foes. A moment later, he hears the characteristic sound of spinnerets as streams of webbing burst from the creature's abdomen. The sound suddenly reminds him what he knows about ettercaps -- wait, it's not webbing after all! The dark strands resolve as they hit him into close-packed columns of crawling bugs, spiders by the feel, which swarm all over him as he feels claws swish towards his shoulder trying to get past his guard ...
=========
Claw attack 16; damage if hits 1 slashing
Spider strand attack 3; damage if hits 1 poison, and must succeed in a DC12 WIS save or suffer on subsequent rounds from the delusion he is covered with the creatures {disadvantage on any action other than attempts to do anything other than beat and brush off the creatures. Those who make the save will see that the spiders actually fell to the ground and are starting to crawl back to rejoin the body of the cetterspap; and that they had been beginning to suffer from a hallucination brought about by the creatures' venom. This will give that target +2 on their WIS save against subsequent spider sprays from the same cetterspap.}
(badfishingdad: I checked the frightened description again. You are able to act ... though I think it is reasonable that since the entity has been haunting Tarton so long he'd be slower to respond. However, until he makes the WIS save to end his fright he can'twillingly movetowardsthe creature; and has disadvantage on ability checks and attack rolls while it is in his sight)
Just as battle begins to erupt in the dreamworld, two things happen back inTser'ts'tchah's 'pit of rebirth'. First: a memory that has been niggling at the edge of Artifex'mind slowly resolves itself to a certainty. Something about the stillness of Tarton and The Black Rose seems more alarming than any natural distraction or concentration should bring about.
Second: as Uz rolls his eyes upward towards the path climbing slipperily up to the village, completely unsurprised by the three grunting lizardfolk descending with a cauldron of foul-looking slop he's sureTser'ts'tchah will try and make everybody drink at some point, a movement catches his eye ... a flickering shadow that seems to dance among the outer huts from some source in the marshes just beyond. The dance is perfectly in tune with the sound of music which is slowly becoming more distinct At one point, he thinks he sees the shadow of a humanoid head crowned by some kind of horns ... maybe a devil his practical joker 'buddy' captured and thought it would be fun to throw in for a battle royale to make the party even more excruciatingly entertaining. Never knew him to consort with the creatures before, true, but in the mood he's in Uz woudn't half put it past the bastard. ...
Artifex halts their sarcastic presentation, their brain buzzing with activity, shoulders tensing. "Not quite so easy then..." It mutters to themselves, it's head slowly turning as they take a few cautious steps towards the pair. Speaking to The Black Rose, they ask "One with sight beyond sight, what enemy is present?"
Tarton finds that he has his shortbow and shortsword with him. He fumbles around getting his bow because he doesn't want to get closer to this monster. He can't fully bring himself to look at the monster in front of him so he misses his shot by five feet. Knowing how badly he missed his shot, Tarton says to The Black Rose, "The voice you're hearing has haunted me for a very long time and I'm having trouble making myself look at that monster, let alone attack it. Shave my toes, I feel all panicky and scared! And drown me in a glass of water!! How in the nine hells did I give that saggy orcs butt an idea?! That can't be good."
------------------------------------------ Attack w/disadvantage: 18 & natural1 - miss WIS save: 13 - failed by 1 again
The Black Rose dodged out of the way of the claw from the spider-like creature. Hearing Tarton speak, he responded, "You've heard that creature before? Where?" Shaking his head, he added, "No matter. We need to keep pressuring it. Do not stop attacking!"
---------------------------------------
The claw does not hit me with a roll of 9.
And the Spider strand attack does not hit me with a 3.
In case i still need to roll wisdom her is my roll:
Wisdom save: 7
I don't know if The Black Rose can hear Artifex, but even if he could, I don't think he speaks Elvish.
Tarton looks over at Uz and sees that his hands and feet are still tied up and says to The Black Rose, "It's kind of hard to look for things when you're tied up. I'm guessing his trial is a bit different than ours. Maybe he has to eat what we find." Tarton can't stop a grin from showing on his face.
Staying in the same area of slightly greener plants, Tarton next looks for edible snails among the reeds and plants and finds something.
After finding something on the plants in the first area, Tarton moves to another clump of reeds and looks for edible frogs and snakes that may be living in the plants and mud. He finds something that he would like to cook and tries to catch it since all his weapons have been taken.
------------------------------------
If you want to change what I find that is fine with me. I was just stating what I was looking for. I'll update the post when you tell me what it is Tarton finds.
3rd attempt:
Survival: 12
Identify Survival: 17
4th attempt:
Survival: 21
Not sure what you want me to roll for this.
)(well now. Zat is a veeery yntreestyng question ... >;-D) ... )
As Tarton reaches for the tightly clumped rosette of newly sprung burdock he found the hard way (by first discovering the far more vigorous, woody, and burr-infested main stalk as he was groping for cattails), he is alarmed to see cobwebby tendrils of mist beginning to whisper out from the succulent green leaves. He opens his mouth to shout an alarm, but it seems to be filled with cotton too. And then he understands, as a sickeningly familiar voice he'd hoped he left behind whispers in his mind ... no, in his ears --- no, his mind and ears: it seems to undulate back and forth from within to without and back again. And each time it picks up solidity from the mist and the mist from it until there is nothing in the world but voice and haze and a green floor of burdock leaves that spreads out under and around and as far as the eye can see from a tightly packed rosette of them about fifteen feet from Tarton. It looks like a giant magnolia bud sticking up from the center point of what has become the world ... or the top half of a giant scaly green egg.
"Silly, silly little halfling boy. Did you think you could hide among your friends forever? It never works. Sooner or later ... " The egg begins to quiver, and its petals to split open. Tazrton can just see a darkness within; a shadowy form that at first glance he can make little of save a hunched blot of shadow that seems to be crouching on two legs. The whispering voice continues as the egg/bud slowly unfolds, " ... all fall within my web. And at that moment, they have all, down through the ages, been very alone."
=========
Tarton, presuming he can make a WIS check (DC 14) to avoid being frightened this round instead, can do something while this unfolding is going on! Buuuut ... the mist is thickening its tendrils trhoughout the entire place; and already he's noticing as an actual thickness it requires a bit of effort to push his hand through. Bad part, he's not sure he can get over to the egg fast enough to make more than one quick melee attack, or shoot more than one arrow because of the extra time he needs to figure the unexpected air resistance into arrow trajectories. Or in general do anything else that takes more than one action, and if you make the time scale any more complicated than that for your DM this really is gonna be something scary LOL.
Good part, the same air seems to be surrounding the whatever-it-is inside the eggbud; its outlines are blurry and what movements Tarton can make out are slow and undulating.
Famh Thrawn Fiadhaich - 'half elven' sorcerer (wild magic) 2, Sleeping Gods - A Dragon Warriors campaign in the Lands of Legend
Quspira Inirali - tiefling cleric (Life domain) 4, Painted's "He'll be the father of my child"
---RETIRED HEROES' REST HOME---
Sae Ivui Nailo - wood elf rogue (inquisitive) 5 , Sea of Death: Captain Hailstorm's Lost Treasure
Ryshraxea "Shra" Naranthi - tabaxi artificer 1, Nyx's Tomb of Annihilation - Group 1
The Black Rose finds a rock samphire:
As
As far as digging up the ground, I think Nature would tell you where bugs are (1st roll: DC 10, pretty basic info), but Survival needed to avoid the poisonous creepycrawlies that can't be made edible with preparation (2nd roll; pretty esoteric ... DC 13)
=========
EDIT: apologies ... DM honestly forgot Uz was still tied up, as it were.
Tser'ts'tchah looks up from his trance and finally notices Uz's predicament. He actually looks a little embarrassed as he waves at the ropes binding him. These immediately flex and twist, uncoiling like ivy tendrils in reverse before dropping to the earth. "Sorry. Got ... lost in thought. That count two, for apology; you only need bring one food to ... feast."
Famh Thrawn Fiadhaich - 'half elven' sorcerer (wild magic) 2, Sleeping Gods - A Dragon Warriors campaign in the Lands of Legend
Quspira Inirali - tiefling cleric (Life domain) 4, Painted's "He'll be the father of my child"
---RETIRED HEROES' REST HOME---
Sae Ivui Nailo - wood elf rogue (inquisitive) 5 , Sea of Death: Captain Hailstorm's Lost Treasure
Ryshraxea "Shra" Naranthi - tabaxi artificer 1, Nyx's Tomb of Annihilation - Group 1
(whatever Tarton may do, I think I wrote the scene that completes the reveal of his foe's current form so it's able to pretty much stand as written with only minor changes needed, so .. {long scary bass drum roll} ...: )
Tarton stares in horror at the figure that has emerged from the scaly green budegg. When he looks at it straight on, its leathery black skin and paler abdomen, the clicking mandibles that adorn and beautify its outthrust arachnoid head, and its strong but spindly legs and arms remind him of a giant spider transformed into more humanoid shape and robbed of half its limbs. Yet if he looks on it sideways, or at certain angles in between, it seems to not be one solid creature at all. It looks like it was a vast swarm of spiders that had clumped together in that form ... and the light changes and again it looks like the one horrible solid man-spider. But the voice clicking and hissing from its mandibles is the same the incubus that rides him has always spoken in regardless of what form it takes. "Your faith in your friends is your weakness, Luke. No ... I am your father." It cackles madly, seeming to find this humorous for somw strange reason. Its many-faceted eyes cross as it laughs, sending a firefly shower of reflections gleaming in all directions from a misty light that has begun to shine behind Tarton.
"Sad, actually. Almost pathetic, and I am so bored by pathos. You will come to my web, in the end, no matter who is by your side. Would you like a demon stration? Pick one of your friends to come join you in the spirit world. Win, you have my solemnest fingers crossed promise not to bother you for two fortnights; and I'll throw in this for extra -- I won't take this form again for as long as it takes the two moons to get back to the same position in the sky they are right now."
"Better pick quick though ... my patience may be infinite, but a cetterspap's certainly isn't."
=========
Once Tarton has chosen a companion. they appear through a misty gateway of light behind him (the source of the glow). To all outside the dream world these two characters are in, Tarton will have appeared to fall into a muse for a while after finding his plant and then beckoned over the other character to consult them. To any who do not make an Insight roll of 15, the two will simply appear to be deep in thought, perhaps meditating, but nothing alarming. The time scale also varies, so any who do realize there is something amiss may or may not be able to do something that takes effect in time in the world the two characters fighting the cetterspap are in.
Those two, of course, might find an Initiative roll rather advisable at this point. Probably they will be especially happy if they beat the cetterspap's initiative of 17.)
Famh Thrawn Fiadhaich - 'half elven' sorcerer (wild magic) 2, Sleeping Gods - A Dragon Warriors campaign in the Lands of Legend
Quspira Inirali - tiefling cleric (Life domain) 4, Painted's "He'll be the father of my child"
---RETIRED HEROES' REST HOME---
Sae Ivui Nailo - wood elf rogue (inquisitive) 5 , Sea of Death: Captain Hailstorm's Lost Treasure
Ryshraxea "Shra" Naranthi - tabaxi artificer 1, Nyx's Tomb of Annihilation - Group 1
The Black Rose chuckled softly. He hadn't detected that Uz was tied up. "Maybe you're right, Tarton," he admitted with a grin. No matter how good your other senses are, sight gives something that I myself would never possess, he reflected quietly. Then, as he heard Tser'ts'tchah's apology, he chuckled again. Perhaps sight was overrated after all; his question seemed to be valid after all, he reflected again.
The Black Rose carefully stowed the plant in his pack and sought out a suitable spot to dig up the ground for bugs. Thinking he had found a good location, he began to dig. However, after a while of digging, his attention was drawn to Tarton, who had stopped in his search. The Black Rose then ask "What about you, Tarton? Find anything good?"
-----------------------------------------
Insight to detect what is happening to Tarton: 15
Nature to find bugs: 8
Survival to find out if any of them are edible: 20
Feeling that They had waited long enough, Artifex gets to Its feet, stretching as they do so, like a cat waking from a nap. Completely ignoring the search efforts of the others, They ruffle through their pack for about thirty seconds, before pulling out three rations and bringing them to Tser'ts'tchah. They present mix of assorted nuts and dried fruits with a flourish that lies somewhere between dramatic and sarcastic, Their seemingly permanent smirk widening into a full on, shit eating grin. "Three edible items, as requested my lovely host."
---------_------------------------------------------_-----------------------------------------
Ickickickick spiders (sorry had to get that out of my system.) I applaud your ability to paint with words dm. Let me know if I missed something, but we've only been relieved of our weapons, not our supplies correct?
Insight: 9
Tarton cowers as the egg/bud opens, not wanting to see with his eyes what has been haunting him from within for so long but he's unable to look away. He silently screams, "Noooooo!!!"
He instinctively chooses The Black Rose when he hears his name called out. A moment later he thinks perhaps he should have chosen someone who can use magic, but it's already too late. Right on the tails of the second thought, the idea that he should have made Tser'ts'tchah come fight this thing flits through his thoughts. All these thoughts delay his reaction to what is happening around him.
------------------------------------
WIS save: rolled 9 but it didn't add my +4, still only 13 so Tarton is overcome with fear
I also thought all weapons had been taken from the party. Does this dream world perhaps grants him weapons?
Initiative: rolled 3 but again it didn't add my modifier +5. Total of 8, so probably last.
Should I remove my post for 3rd and 4th attempts to collect food?
As The Black Rose arrived in the dream world through the gateway of light, he initially didn't realize that he had left the pit. Then, he felt the thick mist restricting his movements. Looking around, he sniffed the air and bent down to touch the burdock leaves that had suddenly appeared around him. Trying to locate the others, he found only Tarton. Walking over to him, he placed a hand on his shoulder. "Where are we?" he asked, his voice echoing softly in the mist.
------------------------------------------------------------------
The Black Rose's blindsight is only 10 feet, and the spider thing is 15 feet away from Tarton, right? So I guess he has not noticed it yet. He should notice it when it speaks again or maybe even if it moves. Maybe he can hear the spiders that make up the body of the creature crawl around. I don't know if it works differently in the dream world. But all of that is, of course, up to you.
(Sorry, are we all in the dream world?)
"I... I'm not sure where we are. A voice said something about a spirit world..." Tarton replies to The Black Rose falteringly. "This monster said to pick a friend to join me in battle and in a panic I chose the first ally I heard. Wait... the voice called this monster a cetterspap, and I think the voice called itself a demon." Tarton realizes slowly while pointing in the direction of the monster. "Or was it referring to this monster as a demon? In any case get ready to fight."
The Black Rose nodded, positioning himself according to the direction Tarton was pointing. He assumed the defensive stance of his monk order and focused his senses in the direction Tarton indicated. "If this is a side effect of the tea," he muttered, "maybe I should reconsider adding it to my recipe collection."
------------------------------------------------------
I went ahead and rolled initiative. I hope this is okay. I got:
Initiative: 23 (a crit!!!)
I also rolled a Wisdom check to see if The Black Rose is afraid in case he can sense the creature enough to be scared of it. I hope this is okay as well. I got:
Wisdom: 18
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I have come to realize that you may be waiting for me to post my actions. I was myself waiting for a green light from our DM. If I responded too early, I will delete or edit my post. But for now i will post in a minut or so. Sorry for the wait.
The Black Rose sprinted in the direction Tarton had pointed. As he drew closer, he detected the creature that had left Tarton speechless—a horror composed of a swarm of spiders. A primal fear gripped him, a fear of the unnatural, but he gathered himself. Jumping into the air, he used the momentum of his leap to amplify the force of his quarterstaff swing against the creature. Upon landing, he dropped to his knees and propelled himself upward once more, this time aiming a devastating uppercut at the creature.
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Quarterstaff to hit: 20 Damage if it hit: 9
Punch to hit: 23 Damage if it hit: 5
(Sorry, I wasn't quite clear. At the moment, only Tarton and The Black Rose are in the dream world; the rest are in the lizardfolk pit and see those two characters as merely distracted or deep in conversation, unless the person observing them makes an Insight roll ... and I've decided since the last post that since the effect is both supernatural and demonic Arcana or Religion will also do, at the same DC.
Also apologies to badfishingdad and DragonHunters, that I'd forgotten about the wholeequipment issue. Tser'ts'tchah never did ask for more than the group's weapons; and he promised to return everything at the end, so I'd say those have been gathered up and brought along but everyone was too busy to notice more particulars than hat. But now they are noticing the issue, Tarton and The Black Rose find that in this dreamworld they each have the gear, armor, and two weapons that are most characteristically 'them': the things they most often reach for when there's trouble, the 'old friends' that they see themselves as having whenever they dream. And that will hold true for anyone else who might find a way or be drawn into the dream world.
At the same time, the philosophy The Black Rose has learned indicates that once you get past the weapons and armor these dream shadows may not always work the way normal things do outside of dreams. Also that the more complex or magical an item is, the more likely it is to behave in strange and unpredictable ways here.)
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As he nears the horrifying creature, The Black Rose hears the chittering rustle: very much like the sound he's sometimes thought he's heard with his ear above an anthill on the quietest of windless days. The sound of millions of tiny claws of chitin skittering over the ground. But there is an amused chucle on the edge of perception, "Not baaad. Silly halfling gave me an idea ... "
The voice trickles off to a whispery chuckle, then a hiss of surprise and pain as The Black Rose's staff finds its mark quicker than it had anticipated, followed by his fist. It feels like he's punching through soft cotton, and the blows don't seem to have as much effect as with other foes. A moment later, he hears the characteristic sound of spinnerets as streams of webbing burst from the creature's abdomen. The sound suddenly reminds him what he knows about ettercaps -- wait, it's not webbing after all! The dark strands resolve as they hit him into close-packed columns of crawling bugs, spiders by the feel, which swarm all over him as he feels claws swish towards his shoulder trying to get past his guard ...
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Claw attack 16; damage if hits 1 slashing
Spider strand attack 3; damage if hits 1 poison, and must succeed in a DC12 WIS save or suffer on subsequent rounds from the delusion he is covered with the creatures {disadvantage on any action other than attempts to do anything other than beat and brush off the creatures. Those who make the save will see that the spiders actually fell to the ground and are starting to crawl back to rejoin the body of the cetterspap; and that they had been beginning to suffer from a hallucination brought about by the creatures' venom. This will give that target +2 on their WIS save against subsequent spider sprays from the same cetterspap.}
(badfishingdad: I checked the frightened description again. You are able to act ... though I think it is reasonable that since the entity has been haunting Tarton so long he'd be slower to respond. However, until he makes the WIS save to end his fright he can'twillingly move towards the creature; and has disadvantage on ability checks and attack rolls while it is in his sight)
Famh Thrawn Fiadhaich - 'half elven' sorcerer (wild magic) 2, Sleeping Gods - A Dragon Warriors campaign in the Lands of Legend
Quspira Inirali - tiefling cleric (Life domain) 4, Painted's "He'll be the father of my child"
---RETIRED HEROES' REST HOME---
Sae Ivui Nailo - wood elf rogue (inquisitive) 5 , Sea of Death: Captain Hailstorm's Lost Treasure
Ryshraxea "Shra" Naranthi - tabaxi artificer 1, Nyx's Tomb of Annihilation - Group 1
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Soft 20 on arcana.
Okay and just to be clear, you're saying have the supplies, meaning Artifex technically met the requirements lmao
Just as battle begins to erupt in the dreamworld, two things happen back in Tser'ts'tchah's 'pit of rebirth'. First: a memory that has been niggling at the edge of Artifex' mind slowly resolves itself to a certainty. Something about the stillness of Tarton and The Black Rose seems more alarming than any natural distraction or concentration should bring about.
Second: as Uz rolls his eyes upward towards the path climbing slipperily up to the village, completely unsurprised by the three grunting lizardfolk descending with a cauldron of foul-looking slop he's sureTser'ts'tchah will try and make everybody drink at some point, a movement catches his eye ... a flickering shadow that seems to dance among the outer huts from some source in the marshes just beyond. The dance is perfectly in tune with the sound of music which is slowly becoming more distinct At one point, he thinks he sees the shadow of a humanoid head crowned by some kind of horns ... maybe a devil his practical joker 'buddy' captured and thought it would be fun to throw in for a battle royale to make the party even more excruciatingly entertaining. Never knew him to consort with the creatures before, true, but in the mood he's in Uz woudn't half put it past the bastard. ...
Famh Thrawn Fiadhaich - 'half elven' sorcerer (wild magic) 2, Sleeping Gods - A Dragon Warriors campaign in the Lands of Legend
Quspira Inirali - tiefling cleric (Life domain) 4, Painted's "He'll be the father of my child"
---RETIRED HEROES' REST HOME---
Sae Ivui Nailo - wood elf rogue (inquisitive) 5 , Sea of Death: Captain Hailstorm's Lost Treasure
Ryshraxea "Shra" Naranthi - tabaxi artificer 1, Nyx's Tomb of Annihilation - Group 1
Artifex halts their sarcastic presentation, their brain buzzing with activity, shoulders tensing. "Not quite so easy then..." It mutters to themselves, it's head slowly turning as they take a few cautious steps towards the pair. Speaking to The Black Rose, they ask "One with sight beyond sight, what enemy is present?"
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Does Artifex have any inkling of what's going on or just a vague sense that something is off?
Tarton finds that he has his shortbow and shortsword with him. He fumbles around getting his bow because he doesn't want to get closer to this monster. He can't fully bring himself to look at the monster in front of him so he misses his shot by five feet. Knowing how badly he missed his shot, Tarton says to The Black Rose, "The voice you're hearing has haunted me for a very long time and I'm having trouble making myself look at that monster, let alone attack it. Shave my toes, I feel all panicky and scared! And drown me in a glass of water!! How in the nine hells did I give that saggy orcs butt an idea?! That can't be good."
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Attack w/disadvantage: 18 & natural 1 - miss
WIS save: 13 - failed by 1 again
The Black Rose dodged out of the way of the claw from the spider-like creature. Hearing Tarton speak, he responded, "You've heard that creature before? Where?" Shaking his head, he added, "No matter. We need to keep pressuring it. Do not stop attacking!"
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The claw does not hit me with a roll of 9.
And the Spider strand attack does not hit me with a 3.
In case i still need to roll wisdom her is my roll:
Wisdom save: 7
I don't know if The Black Rose can hear Artifex, but even if he could, I don't think he speaks Elvish.
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Apologies, idk why I thought The Black Rose was a half elf. I edited the post so Artifex is just asking in common