((That's okay, I expect people will be busy for the 4th anyway.))
For Gavin:
You recall a story you once heard about a young mage who came across a group of wizards with strange skull-like faces and access to impossible magics. So enthralled by their power was the young mage that he tossed aside his obligations and begged the strange wizards to teach him their ways. They took him in and taught him strange powers, the likes of which mortal minds could only barely grasp. Still this was not enough for the young mage. He tossed away his familial connections and begged the wizards to induct him into their circle. Again, they took him in and taught him the secrets of their powers, a source of arcane might unending. Still this was not enough for the young mage, as he was still mortal and his teachers seemed eternal. He tossed away his humanity and begged the wizards to make him as they were, like unyielding gemstone against the depredations of time. Once more they took him in and performed with him an eldritch ritual that would form him anew. But things did not go as the young mage had planned. The young mage was impulsive, giving up his obligations for dark secrets. He was dishonorable, casting aside his family for strange power. Worst of all, he was blasphemous, trading his mortality for an existence like the unyielding rigidity of stone. As the ritual took hold, his mind seized and hardened, his thoughts crystallized in his unhealthy desires and he went mad. Seeing this, the wizards dispassionately ended the young mage and set his crystallized brain aside as a reminder to others of the folly.
Back then you thought the story to be something of a teaching parable, but looking around here, it's possible that there was more truth to the story than you imagined.
For Peren:
Quite expertly, you sneak down the spiral staircase. It opens into a rough area that resembles an old mining operation. On the far-side of the room, you see some more stairs going down to what sounds like the large main room. In this room there is also a sandy pit of sorts and what looks like an alcove with a large hole in the floor likely leading to a deeper area of the mine. You sort of hear that odd ringing sound that Gavin was talking about, but you can't place exactly where it is coming from.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"The mongoose blew out its candle and was asleep in bed before the room went dark." —Llanowar fable
You can tell that something was alchemically mixed in this basin often over a course of many years. The substance has stained the marble, leaving a faint residue. Whatever was made in here might have some link to the pictograms on the walls.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"The mongoose blew out its candle and was asleep in bed before the room went dark." —Llanowar fable
I share what I remember with the group and then say we should move down the stairs to further investigate the noise. “Maybe we will get some of our questions answered down there.”
((If anyone wants to do anything else in this room, now's your chance. I'll check back later and see if enough of you are ready to move on and we'll head down the spiral stairway.))
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"The mongoose blew out its candle and was asleep in bed before the room went dark." —Llanowar fable
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Going by his insights into the blue residue, Mirabel takes another look at the pictograms to see if he can figure out what ritual might ha w been performed here.
The pictograms on the walls seem to depict a ritual that you are unfamiliar with. Something called "Vitrum Aquae." The process seems to involve drinking alchemically liquefied sapphires and other gemstones while meditating on spells in order to, quite literally, crystallize the impossibly complex thoughts. The end result seems to be likely instant recall of the crystallized spells (effectively removing the need to memorize or prepare them and adjusting their casting time to a Bonus Action). All in all this strikes you as both impressive and an extremely risky endeavor, as the price for a failure would be pretty.....permanent. You can't decipher enough of the arcane script to fully understand how the ritual works, but if you had months to experiment and reverse engineer things, you might be able to pull it off.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"The mongoose blew out its candle and was asleep in bed before the room went dark." —Llanowar fable
Deciding to move further, the party descends the winding spiral stairway down to the floor below. The stairs open into a rough stone cavern, likely the result of an old mine. To the west, another stairway leads further down to what sounds like the main chamber with the large dark stone below. To the east, a sandy pit seems to have accumulated in a depression. Further south, the ground gives way to a sink-hole of sorts that seems to lead to another mine-level below it.
I will walk over to the sandy depression area and look around. Without stepping into the sand can I tell how deep it is? Anything noticeable or magical?
Also, do we still hear the pinging noise or where it’s coming from?
The sandy pit looks like it might be about shin deep in some places. As for the metallic banging sound you faintly heard earlier, now that you are closer to the source, your're very sure that it's coming up from that hole in the ground that accesses a lower level of the mines.
For Mub:
You find no trace of these mysterious ninjas that you believe are lurking about.
Well I’m not proficient in history or Investigation but I will give it a shot as in my many years I have come across some random trivial knowledge
History or Investigation (both are the same) 15
(its a hell of a day at work just posting so you guys know im alive.)
Peren will sneak down stairs to see what is making the noise Gavin told him about.
Sneak = 17
Perception = 8
(I will be out of town tomorrow, will be back on Thursday after the 4th)
((That's okay, I expect people will be busy for the 4th anyway.))
For Gavin:
You recall a story you once heard about a young mage who came across a group of wizards with strange skull-like faces and access to impossible magics. So enthralled by their power was the young mage that he tossed aside his obligations and begged the strange wizards to teach him their ways. They took him in and taught him strange powers, the likes of which mortal minds could only barely grasp. Still this was not enough for the young mage. He tossed away his familial connections and begged the wizards to induct him into their circle. Again, they took him in and taught him the secrets of their powers, a source of arcane might unending. Still this was not enough for the young mage, as he was still mortal and his teachers seemed eternal. He tossed away his humanity and begged the wizards to make him as they were, like unyielding gemstone against the depredations of time. Once more they took him in and performed with him an eldritch ritual that would form him anew. But things did not go as the young mage had planned. The young mage was impulsive, giving up his obligations for dark secrets. He was dishonorable, casting aside his family for strange power. Worst of all, he was blasphemous, trading his mortality for an existence like the unyielding rigidity of stone. As the ritual took hold, his mind seized and hardened, his thoughts crystallized in his unhealthy desires and he went mad. Seeing this, the wizards dispassionately ended the young mage and set his crystallized brain aside as a reminder to others of the folly.
Back then you thought the story to be something of a teaching parable, but looking around here, it's possible that there was more truth to the story than you imagined.
For Peren:
Quite expertly, you sneak down the spiral staircase. It opens into a rough area that resembles an old mining operation. On the far-side of the room, you see some more stairs going down to what sounds like the large main room. In this room there is also a sandy pit of sorts and what looks like an alcove with a large hole in the floor likely leading to a deeper area of the mine. You sort of hear that odd ringing sound that Gavin was talking about, but you can't place exactly where it is coming from.
Mirabel makes his way over to check the blue stain for arcane energy.
17
I will quietly climb back up the stairs and share what I saw with the party, but explain that I do not know where the sound is coming from.
For Mirabel:
You can tell that something was alchemically mixed in this basin often over a course of many years. The substance has stained the marble, leaving a faint residue. Whatever was made in here might have some link to the pictograms on the walls.
I share what I remember with the group and then say we should move down the stairs to further investigate the noise. “Maybe we will get some of our questions answered down there.”
Peren agrees with Gavin, we should go down the stairs and find out what is making the noise
Kathra is fully on board with this course of action. There might even be something to hit down there.
((Just FYI I'm traveling over the weekend so Kathra will probably be fairly scarce. I'll do my best to stick my head in at least once a day))
((If anyone wants to do anything else in this room, now's your chance. I'll check back later and see if enough of you are ready to move on and we'll head down the spiral stairway.))
(I'm good and my family is in town so that's why i have not been on sorry.)
Going by his insights into the blue residue, Mirabel takes another look at the pictograms to see if he can figure out what ritual might ha w been performed here.
Arcana?: 13
Or I guess straight investigation: 10
For Mirabel:
The pictograms on the walls seem to depict a ritual that you are unfamiliar with. Something called "Vitrum Aquae." The process seems to involve drinking alchemically liquefied sapphires and other gemstones while meditating on spells in order to, quite literally, crystallize the impossibly complex thoughts. The end result seems to be likely instant recall of the crystallized spells (effectively removing the need to memorize or prepare them and adjusting their casting time to a Bonus Action). All in all this strikes you as both impressive and an extremely risky endeavor, as the price for a failure would be pretty.....permanent. You can't decipher enough of the arcane script to fully understand how the ritual works, but if you had months to experiment and reverse engineer things, you might be able to pull it off.
((Anyway, moving things along...))
Deciding to move further, the party descends the winding spiral stairway down to the floor below. The stairs open into a rough stone cavern, likely the result of an old mine. To the west, another stairway leads further down to what sounds like the main chamber with the large dark stone below. To the east, a sandy pit seems to have accumulated in a depression. Further south, the ground gives way to a sink-hole of sorts that seems to lead to another mine-level below it.
Area map:
I will walk over to the sandy depression area and look around. Without stepping into the sand can I tell how deep it is? Anything noticeable or magical?
Also, do we still hear the pinging noise or where it’s coming from?
Make a Perception check.
Perception 27
Mub will walk a bit ahead to look for the ninjas.
Perception 13
For Gavin:
The sandy pit looks like it might be about shin deep in some places. As for the metallic banging sound you faintly heard earlier, now that you are closer to the source, your're very sure that it's coming up from that hole in the ground that accesses a lower level of the mines.
For Mub:
You find no trace of these mysterious ninjas that you believe are lurking about.