Kalhala - You're struggling with the tough appendage when Lehmani suddenly disappears!
Lehmani - The crushing pressure of the creature's tendril bears down on you further and your feel your armor starting to give, but suddenly the pressure is gone and you fall to the rough stone floor. Finding yourself somehow back at the steps, you call down a sacred flame upon the creature. It squeals in pain as the attack hits for 7 points of radiant damage.
Grymar - Your staff fails to damage the roper but suddenly, you too disappear and reappear outside the roper's grasp next to Berkarak.
Zubien - Your arrow hits the body of the strange creature but it fails to find a weak point, clattering away harmlessly.
Berkarak - The mist envelopes you completely and you hear a rushing sound in your ears, then with a brief sense of vertigo, you reappear on the other side of the cavern. The eldritch blast misses the tendril grasping Grymar. Heading further east you pass the doorway set into the north wall and see a room with doors in its west wall. You reach the eastern end of the cavern when suddenly Grymar appears next to you.
You then notice Azzanar, flitting around nearby. He's currently about the correct size for a magpie but something seems... Wrong. His form expands and contracts suddenly and erratically, then begins giving off tongues of light blue flame-like radiance, "What... Oh. Oh no." Azzanar erupts into an intensely bright explosion of light. Ethereal flames wash over you and coruscating blue lightning crawls over the entire cavern. When the light fades, you see Azzanar poke his head up from a pile of feathers on the ground, "Fey storm. Happens sometimes when multiple bursts of fey magic occur in quick succession. Something to do with magical resonance. Looks like it ripped through the whole of this mountain. Be on your guard, things might be... off." As if to confirm Azzanar's suspicions, you notice the strange stalagmite suffused in a similar silvery mist...
All - The air in the cavern begins to feel thick and heavy, becoming more and more opaque. You see and hear strange things in the mist, musical language you do not understand, reptilian creatures with what appear to be scintillating butterfly wings on their backs, trees heavy with glowing fruit... The sights twirl in the fog and the sounds dilate and compress, everything becoming more and more intense until suddenly there is an explosion of sight and sound. Ethereal flame-like radiance fills the cavern and coruscating blue lightning crawls over everything. The sensory apparitions fade along with the fog and you see something large on your side of the underground river where there was nothing before. The stalagmite creature, its large eye blinking in momentary confusion, now wreathed in that strange ethereal flame. It recovers from its disorientation and attacks!
ROUND 2
The creature snatches up Kalhala and Zubien then draws them in toward its gaping maw. The creature bites down on Kalhala but his armor holds!
Unsettled, yet beguiled by the ethereal visions around her, Lehamni's mind refocuses with mortal purpose... She points her finger at the creature, intending to bring down her familiar column of sacred flame... Instead, she finds herself whispering an incantation in a language she doesn't even understand. Magical force coalesces around the creature into the sound of a bell, ringing a mournful Toll the Dead.
Requiring a DC 13 Wisdom Save vs 10 points of necrotic damage.
She then uses 15' of her movement to head down the stairs and flatten herself against the wall, sweat pouring off her brow, tears gathering in her eyes.... not so much because of the creature, but due to the unsettling magical force she just felt flowing through her. She says an internal prayer, reaching out to Gond for guidance, but feels a distinct lack of his presence for the first time since she can remember.
Kalhala is utterly stunned as his friends that were just restrained by this awful creature completely disappear. He is very worried that the tentacles of this beast swallowed them whole!
Perception: 9
Not seeing them reappear, the minotaur starts to panic. "Zubien, did you see where they went? Tell me this creature didn't swallow them whole through those arms! I mean, we would have seen that right, like how a snake's prey.. you can see it travel down their throat." The panic wells to a crescendo as the magic in the air swells around him.
WIS save (whether he runs or not): 2
The panic and the sights in the fog and the electricity all around are too much for Kalhala. Yelling, "I'll come back for ya!"he turns tail and starts to run out of the cave scared out of his mind. But the roper grabs hold.
Honestly this brings him back to the situation and his mind stops spinning out of control. He has one issue to deal with and that is to not be eaten. He sees Lehmani at this point as she runs down the stairs and elation hits him, they must have all gotten away somehow... Turning to the roper he attempts to get out of the grapple.
Zubien, seeing he is now caught up, transitions to his longsword and attacks: Attack: 5 Damage: 8; then will do a flurry of blows attack 1: 22; Damage 3; Attack 2: 9, damage 3
Berkarak has a concerned look on his face as he gets his bearings. He mumbles "Excuse me" to Grymar as he directs an Eldritch blast at the roper over Grymar's shoulder. (14 to hit, 9 force damage) He then excuses himself again as he squeezes past Grymar. He wants to peek down the north hall again.
Grymar breaks out in a sweat, jaw hanging open a moment, then he quickly gathers his wits, seeing the danger. All of a sudden, this horrible thing is on this side of the water with them! And he sees Kalhalla and Zubien get trapped by the whip like tentacles! “The only way is to kill this beastie..” Grymar says to himself. He pulls out a javelin and hurls it at the thing, aiming for the eye of the beast. He sends his bees out with the attack and marks the thing as a favored foe. “I’ll do my best to kill it!” he shouts out to the struggling pair.
Javelin : 8 to hit, for 7points of piercing damage.
He misses the thing, too harried by his recent brush with death to aim properly.
“I’ll try ta killit from here, but just tell me and I’ll run in there!” he says, obvious fear in his voice.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Lehmani - A bell tolls loudly in the enclosed space of the cavern, reverberating and shaking loose rubble from the walls and ceiling. The sound is rich and deep, beautiful to behold. The more you hear it the more you sense something else, a dissonance hidden in the undertones, a noxious note. You see the stalagmite creature writhe in pain as the sound assails it.
Zubien - You can't quite manage to hit the Roper while it has ahold of you (You have DIS on attacks while being held by the Roper).
Berkarak - The eldritch blast hits the tough rocky hide of the roper and it appears unscathed. A sturdy door of iron plate stands open in the north wall of the cavern. Inside you see a short passageway with three small iron doors set into the west wall. The first two are open, but the door at the end of the hall is closed.
Grymar the javelin misses the roper, landing in the rush of water behind it instead.
ROUND 3
The roper attempts to bite Kalhala again but finds him a tough nut to crack. One of its snaking tendrils also tries to grasp Grymar but her manages to get out of the way.
Seeing how effective the last attack was, Lehmani summons another Toll the Dead and shouts out... "Berk, Grymar, can one of you attack the tentacles from where you are!? Perhaps we can force it to drop the others! My magic doesn't allow such a narrow focus."
Not wanting to be food for this creature, Kalhala uses his strength in his exhausted state to push the tentacle out and give him just enough room to wriggle out.
Grymar hears Lehmani as he pulls out his last javelin, he talks to his little bag of bees and says “Guide it straight and true, beeeezzz right!” And he hurls the javelin at the face of the thing.
He’s amazed when it seems to strike the target, dead on!
Javelin : (Nat 20!) 24 to hit, for 7 points of piercing damage. Add to that 6 points of favored foe damage as he marks the beast. Also, 7 points of damage from the ethereal bees that seem to guide the javelin straight away to the target, and then bore their way into the shambling stone.
“Howyalikethatonesonny!” Grymar says with a cocked grin, and he moves 10 feet to the southwest, nearing the opening of the passage, he glances briefly to the right at Berkerak, the focuses back on the creature.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Berkarak was lost in thought, but Lehmani's call shakes him out of it. He looks down at his hands accusingly, then pulls out his crossbow. He aims first for any tentacles still holding his mates; if none, then the eye. (18 to hit, 6 piercing damage). He'll then back up a few steps around the corner, just out of sight of the thing.
Lehmani - The haunting tone reverberates through the cavern and the roper writhes again.
Zubien - You're able to slip free of the tendril's grasp, would you like to do anything else? We'll say freeing yourself cost an action. Also, you have DIS when grappled by the roper in this way, so I went ahead and rolled another STR check for you on your sheet, which you passed.
Kalhala - You too manage to slip free from the creature's grasp, taking advantage of its momentary inattention due to Lehmani's attack. As you duck and dodge the other flailing tentacles on your way toward Grymar, the thing recovers and takes advantage of an opportunity to attack you. It leans in and bites you for 21 points of piercing damage.
Grymar - As the roper flails about from Lehmani's attack, your javelin finds a crack in its natural rock-like armor. It buries itself deeply, causing the thing to screech loudly and its large eye to spin madly as it tries to find the source of its pain.
Berkarak - The bolt hits the roper just as it closes its eye, impacting the hard rock-like hide of its eyelid instead.
Once Zubien determines what he wants to do with the rest of his turn, I'll proceed.
Zubien retreats down the stairway to join Lehmani.
ROUND 4
All - The air in the cavern begins to become opaque again, wisps of the strange fog suddenly rising from the ground and coalescing in the air. You hear a voice in the fog, speaking as if orating. The voice is androgenous; at times it sounds deep and rich but others silky and higher pitched. Trying to focus on the voice causes you to feel mentally sluggish and the words to become muddled. It speaks in no language any of you understand.
Berkarak -
As the voice speaks, you hear Azzanar, "This is old speech. VERY old, archaic even. I can make out most of it, I think..." Azzanar cocks his head and translates, "Metamorphosis is the most powerful adaptation in all the realms. The power of not only transformation but utter re-invention could be considered an evolutionary pinnacle. It is the ultimate change, from one state to another, triggered by pressure both internal and external... As a response to threat metamorphosis allows prey to become predator; endangered to become survivor; sterile to become reproductive producer. With complete transformation, a step-change in inherent qualities, single organisms can continue to thrive in previously adverse conditions... A sentient species that is capable of metamorphosis - TRUE metamorphosis from one state to a completely different state - is a force that can be met only with equal metamorphosis by its competitors; either the metamorphic euphemism of death... Or... Profound self-change. Those that cannot lift themselves above their pasts are doomed to be swallowed by it." Azzanar ruffles his feathers and says, "I've no idea what it all means, but it doesn't bode well Poppet..."
All - The roper shrieks as it is again suffused with a soft blue glow. Its tendrils spasm violently and its eye rolls back in its body. You watch as a split appears vertically on it and see what appear to be more tendrils snaking out. The split widens and the roper turns inside out. What you thought were more tendrils appear to actually be legs and forelegs, tipped with grasping claws, and a pair of large beautiful gossamer wings unfurl, like those of a butterfly. The eye protrudes on a single stalk above the still fang-filled maw. The thing emits an ear-piercing shriek and tests its wings, awkwardly at first but it quickly figures out its new appendages. Fine dust rains from its wings, metallic copper in color. The thing circles the cavern, shrieking as it goes. It dips over the river and you watch as tendrils and forelegs reach in and pull out flopping fish. The roper-thing skims the surface of the river, flying in the narrow space between the top of the water and the rock above. It flies westward, back up the river and beyond. You hear its echoing shrieks fading as it leaves the area.
Lehmani, frozen in place like a station, mouth agape in shock as she watches this happen, until the roper creature finally disappears from view, returning to cave to silence, at which point she finally emits a weak...
"Oh."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
DM - Classic Adventures Reborn
Rylan - L1 Human Paladin - Barty's "Princes of the Apocalypse"
Berkarak takes a moment to gather his wits after seeing the tendril rock thing split open, transform, and... flutter?... away.
Fear has been fully replaced by confusion and curiosity. His eyes narrow as he tries to make sense of what they just saw. He opens his mouth to speak, but no words come, and he closes his mouth. He looks back at Kalhala and Zubien and Grymar and Lehmani, as if seeing his friends help ground him.
"That..." he motions with his hands at the retreating thing as if to set that craziness aside for now, and shakes his head. "But those words. Did anyone understand them? I couldn't quite understand, but something foreboding about metamorphosis? Something about being reproductive? Profound self-change or death? I'm sorry I didn't catch a lot of it. But it did seem ominous. I fear we need to be careful about the strange magic in these caves."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
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Kalhala - You're struggling with the tough appendage when Lehmani suddenly disappears!
Lehmani - The crushing pressure of the creature's tendril bears down on you further and your feel your armor starting to give, but suddenly the pressure is gone and you fall to the rough stone floor. Finding yourself somehow back at the steps, you call down a sacred flame upon the creature. It squeals in pain as the attack hits for 7 points of radiant damage.
Grymar - Your staff fails to damage the roper but suddenly, you too disappear and reappear outside the roper's grasp next to Berkarak.
Zubien - Your arrow hits the body of the strange creature but it fails to find a weak point, clattering away harmlessly.
Berkarak - The mist envelopes you completely and you hear a rushing sound in your ears, then with a brief sense of vertigo, you reappear on the other side of the cavern. The eldritch blast misses the tendril grasping Grymar. Heading further east you pass the doorway set into the north wall and see a room with doors in its west wall. You reach the eastern end of the cavern when suddenly Grymar appears next to you.
You then notice Azzanar, flitting around nearby. He's currently about the correct size for a magpie but something seems... Wrong. His form expands and contracts suddenly and erratically, then begins giving off tongues of light blue flame-like radiance, "What... Oh. Oh no." Azzanar erupts into an intensely bright explosion of light. Ethereal flames wash over you and coruscating blue lightning crawls over the entire cavern. When the light fades, you see Azzanar poke his head up from a pile of feathers on the ground, "Fey storm. Happens sometimes when multiple bursts of fey magic occur in quick succession. Something to do with magical resonance. Looks like it ripped through the whole of this mountain. Be on your guard, things might be... off." As if to confirm Azzanar's suspicions, you notice the strange stalagmite suffused in a similar silvery mist...
All - The air in the cavern begins to feel thick and heavy, becoming more and more opaque. You see and hear strange things in the mist, musical language you do not understand, reptilian creatures with what appear to be scintillating butterfly wings on their backs, trees heavy with glowing fruit... The sights twirl in the fog and the sounds dilate and compress, everything becoming more and more intense until suddenly there is an explosion of sight and sound. Ethereal flame-like radiance fills the cavern and coruscating blue lightning crawls over everything. The sensory apparitions fade along with the fog and you see something large on your side of the underground river where there was nothing before. The stalagmite creature, its large eye blinking in momentary confusion, now wreathed in that strange ethereal flame. It recovers from its disorientation and attacks!
ROUND 2
The creature snatches up Kalhala and Zubien then draws them in toward its gaping maw. The creature bites down on Kalhala but his armor holds!
The party is up!
Map:
Unsettled, yet beguiled by the ethereal visions around her, Lehamni's mind refocuses with mortal purpose... She points her finger at the creature, intending to bring down her familiar column of sacred flame... Instead, she finds herself whispering an incantation in a language she doesn't even understand. Magical force coalesces around the creature into the sound of a bell, ringing a mournful Toll the Dead.
Requiring a DC 13 Wisdom Save vs 10 points of necrotic damage.
She then uses 15' of her movement to head down the stairs and flatten herself against the wall, sweat pouring off her brow, tears gathering in her eyes.... not so much because of the creature, but due to the unsettling magical force she just felt flowing through her. She says an internal prayer, reaching out to Gond for guidance, but feels a distinct lack of his presence for the first time since she can remember.
DM - Classic Adventures Reborn
Rylan - L1 Human Paladin - Barty's "Princes of the Apocalypse"
Kalhala is utterly stunned as his friends that were just restrained by this awful creature completely disappear. He is very worried that the tentacles of this beast swallowed them whole!
Perception: 9
Not seeing them reappear, the minotaur starts to panic. "Zubien, did you see where they went? Tell me this creature didn't swallow them whole through those arms! I mean, we would have seen that right, like how a snake's prey.. you can see it travel down their throat." The panic wells to a crescendo as the magic in the air swells around him.
WIS save (whether he runs or not): 2
The panic and the sights in the fog and the electricity all around are too much for Kalhala. Yelling, "I'll come back for ya!" he turns tail and starts to run out of the cave scared out of his mind. But the roper grabs hold.
Honestly this brings him back to the situation and his mind stops spinning out of control. He has one issue to deal with and that is to not be eaten. He sees Lehmani at this point as she runs down the stairs and elation hits him, they must have all gotten away somehow... Turning to the roper he attempts to get out of the grapple.
hahaha nat 1.
Zubien, seeing he is now caught up, transitions to his longsword and attacks: Attack: 5 Damage: 8; then will do a flurry of blows attack 1: 22; Damage 3; Attack 2: 9, damage 3
Berkarak has a concerned look on his face as he gets his bearings. He mumbles "Excuse me" to Grymar as he directs an Eldritch blast at the roper over Grymar's shoulder. (14 to hit, 9 force damage) He then excuses himself again as he squeezes past Grymar. He wants to peek down the north hall again.
Grymar breaks out in a sweat, jaw hanging open a moment, then he quickly gathers his wits, seeing the danger. All of a sudden, this horrible thing is on this side of the water with them! And he sees Kalhalla and Zubien get trapped by the whip like tentacles! “The only way is to kill this beastie..” Grymar says to himself. He pulls out a javelin and hurls it at the thing, aiming for the eye of the beast. He sends his bees out with the attack and marks the thing as a favored foe. “I’ll do my best to kill it!” he shouts out to the struggling pair.
Javelin : 8 to hit, for 7 points of piercing damage.
He misses the thing, too harried by his recent brush with death to aim properly.
“I’ll try ta killit from here, but just tell me and I’ll run in there!” he says, obvious fear in his voice.
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Lehmani - A bell tolls loudly in the enclosed space of the cavern, reverberating and shaking loose rubble from the walls and ceiling. The sound is rich and deep, beautiful to behold. The more you hear it the more you sense something else, a dissonance hidden in the undertones, a noxious note. You see the stalagmite creature writhe in pain as the sound assails it.
Zubien - You can't quite manage to hit the Roper while it has ahold of you (You have DIS on attacks while being held by the Roper).
Berkarak - The eldritch blast hits the tough rocky hide of the roper and it appears unscathed. A sturdy door of iron plate stands open in the north wall of the cavern. Inside you see a short passageway with three small iron doors set into the west wall. The first two are open, but the door at the end of the hall is closed.
Grymar the javelin misses the roper, landing in the rush of water behind it instead.
ROUND 3
The roper attempts to bite Kalhala again but finds him a tough nut to crack. One of its snaking tendrils also tries to grasp Grymar but her manages to get out of the way.
The party is up!
Map:
Seeing how effective the last attack was, Lehmani summons another Toll the Dead and shouts out... "Berk, Grymar, can one of you attack the tentacles from where you are!? Perhaps we can force it to drop the others! My magic doesn't allow such a narrow focus."
DC 13 Wisdom save vs 3 Necrotic Damage
DM - Classic Adventures Reborn
Rylan - L1 Human Paladin - Barty's "Princes of the Apocalypse"
Zubien is going to try to break free: Strength: 16 Athletics: 13
Not wanting to be food for this creature, Kalhala uses his strength in his exhausted state to push the tentacle out and give him just enough room to wriggle out.
Athletics w/dis: 20
If he gets out, he runs back towards Grymar.
Grymar hears Lehmani as he pulls out his last javelin, he talks to his little bag of bees and says “Guide it straight and true, beeeezzz right!” And he hurls the javelin at the face of the thing.
He’s amazed when it seems to strike the target, dead on!
Javelin : (Nat 20!) 24 to hit, for 7 points of piercing damage. Add to that 6 points of favored foe damage as he marks the beast. Also, 7 points of damage from the ethereal bees that seem to guide the javelin straight away to the target, and then bore their way into the shambling stone.
“Howyalikethatonesonny!” Grymar says with a cocked grin, and he moves 10 feet to the southwest, nearing the opening of the passage, he glances briefly to the right at Berkerak, the focuses back on the creature.
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Berkarak was lost in thought, but Lehmani's call shakes him out of it. He looks down at his hands accusingly, then pulls out his crossbow. He aims first for any tentacles still holding his mates; if none, then the eye. (18 to hit, 6 piercing damage). He'll then back up a few steps around the corner, just out of sight of the thing.
Lehmani - The haunting tone reverberates through the cavern and the roper writhes again.
Zubien - You're able to slip free of the tendril's grasp, would you like to do anything else? We'll say freeing yourself cost an action. Also, you have DIS when grappled by the roper in this way, so I went ahead and rolled another STR check for you on your sheet, which you passed.
Kalhala - You too manage to slip free from the creature's grasp, taking advantage of its momentary inattention due to Lehmani's attack. As you duck and dodge the other flailing tentacles on your way toward Grymar, the thing recovers and takes advantage of an opportunity to attack you. It leans in and bites you for 21 points of piercing damage.
Grymar - As the roper flails about from Lehmani's attack, your javelin finds a crack in its natural rock-like armor. It buries itself deeply, causing the thing to screech loudly and its large eye to spin madly as it tries to find the source of its pain.
Berkarak - The bolt hits the roper just as it closes its eye, impacting the hard rock-like hide of its eyelid instead.
Once Zubien determines what he wants to do with the rest of his turn, I'll proceed.
Zubien is going to put some distance between himself and the roper
Side note-will be out until Sunday evening
((Free action))
Grymar calls out to Berkarak, saying “Is there any exit behind you, Berkie? This thing is going to kill us!”
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Berkarak responds: "Three doors, two open!"
Zubien retreats down the stairway to join Lehmani.
ROUND 4
All - The air in the cavern begins to become opaque again, wisps of the strange fog suddenly rising from the ground and coalescing in the air. You hear a voice in the fog, speaking as if orating. The voice is androgenous; at times it sounds deep and rich but others silky and higher pitched. Trying to focus on the voice causes you to feel mentally sluggish and the words to become muddled. It speaks in no language any of you understand.
Berkarak -
As the voice speaks, you hear Azzanar, "This is old speech. VERY old, archaic even. I can make out most of it, I think..." Azzanar cocks his head and translates, "Metamorphosis is the most powerful adaptation in all the realms. The power of not only transformation but utter re-invention could be considered an evolutionary pinnacle. It is the ultimate change, from one state to another, triggered by pressure both internal and external... As a response to threat metamorphosis allows prey to become predator; endangered to become survivor; sterile to become reproductive producer. With complete transformation, a step-change in inherent qualities, single organisms can continue to thrive in previously adverse conditions... A sentient species that is capable of metamorphosis - TRUE metamorphosis from one state to a completely different state - is a force that can be met only with equal metamorphosis by its competitors; either the metamorphic euphemism of death... Or... Profound self-change. Those that cannot lift themselves above their pasts are doomed to be swallowed by it." Azzanar ruffles his feathers and says, "I've no idea what it all means, but it doesn't bode well Poppet..."
All - The roper shrieks as it is again suffused with a soft blue glow. Its tendrils spasm violently and its eye rolls back in its body. You watch as a split appears vertically on it and see what appear to be more tendrils snaking out. The split widens and the roper turns inside out. What you thought were more tendrils appear to actually be legs and forelegs, tipped with grasping claws, and a pair of large beautiful gossamer wings unfurl, like those of a butterfly. The eye protrudes on a single stalk above the still fang-filled maw. The thing emits an ear-piercing shriek and tests its wings, awkwardly at first but it quickly figures out its new appendages. Fine dust rains from its wings, metallic copper in color. The thing circles the cavern, shrieking as it goes. It dips over the river and you watch as tendrils and forelegs reach in and pull out flopping fish. The roper-thing skims the surface of the river, flying in the narrow space between the top of the water and the rock above. It flies westward, back up the river and beyond. You hear its echoing shrieks fading as it leaves the area.
Lehmani, frozen in place like a station, mouth agape in shock as she watches this happen, until the roper creature finally disappears from view, returning to cave to silence, at which point she finally emits a weak...
"Oh."
DM - Classic Adventures Reborn
Rylan - L1 Human Paladin - Barty's "Princes of the Apocalypse"
Berkarak takes a moment to gather his wits after seeing the tendril rock thing split open, transform, and... flutter?... away.
Fear has been fully replaced by confusion and curiosity. His eyes narrow as he tries to make sense of what they just saw. He opens his mouth to speak, but no words come, and he closes his mouth. He looks back at Kalhala and Zubien and Grymar and Lehmani, as if seeing his friends help ground him.
"That..." he motions with his hands at the retreating thing as if to set that craziness aside for now, and shakes his head. "But those words. Did anyone understand them? I couldn't quite understand, but something foreboding about metamorphosis? Something about being reproductive? Profound self-change or death? I'm sorry I didn't catch a lot of it. But it did seem ominous. I fear we need to be careful about the strange magic in these caves."