Berry shrugs, “I would have bet that these are defenses that Reidoth set up to get some shut-eye.” He’s eying the encroaching snails and hostile vegetation to determine if there’s any serious threat from them and either way, he will help Perrin free himself from the vegetation (if still possible this round).
Perrin's legs kick as he struggles in vain to escape the clutches of the ferocious sapling. (Athletics: 2-1=1) "Unhand me, you beast! I'll knock you into the next tenday!" Perrin flails about with his staff, striking the empty air. As Berry approaches to aid his escape, Perrin realizes that his captor is no less than a young tree. A wave of crimson washes over the luckstealer's face, a plaintive, apologetic look being shot over to the fairy barbarian.
As soon as Marten feels the grass start to curl around his soft boots, he easily slips out of its grip (acrobatics 25) and dances out of the way of the ivy (acrobatics 11) and spiders to move onto the more clear path in front of the door, carefully avoiding stepping on any of the snails.
Marten agrees, "Yep, I reckon so, Berry," but he thinks that it's maybe more of an early-warning system than a sturdy defense. Just something to distract any enemies long enough for Reidoth to escape or to cast a real spell, like the kind of power Vidruth and Mistress Daphyra wield. He tries to find a clear (not-covered in spiders) spot on the door to knock a couple of times and then calls out, "Hello?! We're friends o' Qelline Alderleaf. From Phandalin? She told us that Reidoth was here in Thundertree 'n' mi' be able t' help us. Call off y'r spiders 'n' ...uh...snails 'n' such! We jus' want t' talk."
vidruth stands clear of all the chaos, a bolt of flame forming in his hand "ill follow your lead in this marten" he says, content to wait it out so long as nothing more lethal starts to happen
"but i dont like the look of those snails"
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
This Mug immediately shared with me a transcendental tale of an Infinite Mug that anchors the Universe and keeps it from folding in on itself. I filed this report under "illogical nonsense" and asked why its sign is in Times New Roman font, when it is basic knowledge that Arial Black is a far superior font. I wondered: How did this mug even get past the assembly line with its theistic beliefs and poor font choices?
quote from Romantically Apocalyptic byVitaly S Alexius
Nosam shakes his legs and wildly kicks to stay free from the distracting attack. Athletics- 24 (19+5)
"These little things are already on my nerves." Nosam looks towards Marten, "we waitin' for a response, pickin' the lock, or breakin' the damn thing down?"
There is no response to Marten’s pounding or yells which echo down the pink cobblestones. The snails continue their charge, picking up speed as they go and leaving a thin trail of gossamer goo behind them. The butterflies redouble their efforts, the grasses seeming intent upon shoving you away from the door millimeter by millimeter.
Then, a hard sound, ominous and ponderous, echoes back from the high hill looming over the ruined town, from the area of the circular keep peeking over the crumbling, ash-stained rooftops.
Suddenly, all the grasses, the spiders, the snails, and the tree, seem to stop their motions, and turn toward the noise. An expectant beat of silence. Two beats. Then an angry, trumpeting, enormous roar from the same direction.
Suddenly the animated plantlife stops what it is doing, the spiders and snails retreat to cracks between the cobblestones, and the tree puts down Perrin then stands up again straight, blending in with its neighbors.
Now a clicking sound is heard and the door upon which Berry and Marten had been pounding unlocks, and then swings open a few inches. An ivy stem from with the cottage reaches into the crack between the door and doorframe and a wide leaf at its end, like a child’s hand, makes a “come here, quick!,” motion as small pebbles can be heard trickling from the crenellations atop the circular keep.
Just when Berry turned away from the door and wanted to go and help Perrin with his predicament, the tree let go and everything else seemed to return to normal. That's not counting the keep that started acting weird at the same time. Berry still stared stupefied at the castle, from which the sounds appear to originate, and wondered if it will rise and walk towards them any moment now, when suddenly a voice ushered them inside the building. His search for Reidoth the Druid momentarily forgotten. "This is just one of those days,"he says, "you know, sneaky plants, exploding zombies, trumpeting fortresses and who knows what lures us into this building now." He sighs and shrugs and turns to enter the building to find out how the day will continue to surprise him.
Then, a hard sound, ominous and ponderous, echoes back from the high hill looming over the ruined town, from the area of the circular keep peeking over the crumbling, ash-stained rooftops.
An expectant beat of silence. Two beats. Then an angry, trumpeting, enormous roar from the same direction....
Marten freezes at the sound and then slowly turns his head to look up at the tower, visible in the distance over the trees and rooftops. When the trumpeting roar rips through the silence, Marten visibly jumps and then instinctively crouches down as though the sound itself threatens to swoop down and attack them from above.
Now a clicking sound is heard and the door upon which Berry and Marten had been pounding unlocks, and then swings open a few inches. An ivy stem from with the cottage reaches into the crack between the door and doorframe and a wide leaf at its end, like a child’s hand, makes a “come here, quick!,” motion as small pebbles can be heard trickling from the crenellations atop the circular keep.
Marrten's keen ears hear the click, and he turns back to the door to see it open and the inviting ivy leaf waving at him. His caution warns him that the sound from the circular keep could have been an illusion or some trick to get them into this building. But he immediately dismisses that idea: that roar sounded too real and of a different kind of power than the one animating the plants and spiders and snails.
Marten turns back to the others who are still on the main path through the town and hisses in a stage whisper, "It's open! Come on. Quick as quick Get inside!" He waves them forward with his hand but doesn't wait for them to follow.
Marten immediately turns to the door, pushes it open, steps into the building, and then moves immediately around the door to check behind it. If there's nothing / no one there, he stands behind the door, ready to close it as soon as all 4 of his companions are inside the building.
Perrin dashed into the cottage, but not before casting an evil glance at the tree that had restrained him. "What in the name of Beshaba's black bones is going on here?" Once inside, Perrin illuminates the room, renewing his Light casting if necessary. His attitude shifted, his patience having worn thin and no longer able to support the weight of their circumstances. The warlock casts his eyes about the room, checking to see if they've walked into a trap.
Marten, followed by the others, enters the cottage. The ivy stem that had waved the party inside droops somewhat then withdraws to allow passage through the door. One last look at the sedge around the base of the house shows no trace of the moving grasses, arachnids or mollusks you saw just moments ago.
Inside, the cottage’s living room is half-lit by shallow windows under the eaves, which cast trapezoids of gray light onto the floor and along one wall. You notice no swirls of ash or dust. The floor and walls are not pristine by any means, but they show signs of having been at least wiped down within the last six months. An old woven grass mat on the floor underfoot is spotty and what?--perhaps moth-eaten? There are holes in it. Indeed, the holes lead across the room, from the door, where a pair of rather destroyed boots lie just inside, past a coat which looks like it’s been ground in a mill then thrown off to lie crumpled on the floor, to an area against the far wall where a humble pallet of cotton-wrapped hay lies under a shelf covered in brown, thirsty-looking plants that droop woefully downwards over what at first appears to be a very detailed quilt covering the pallet.
But on second glance, you see that it is not a quilt at all. It is about twelve-hundred brown-winged moths, wings overlapping, and they seem to be covering something that very slightly swells and recedes upon the hay pallet.
Other than this astonishing sight, nothing moves inside the cottage, and silence reigns. As you take this in, the light from the skylights suddenly disappears, then a moment later, reappears, as if a cloud had passed overhead and then vanished. Then Perrin recasts his spell and bright light glows from his staff, causing the browning plants on the shelf, and the ivy, whose creepers cover the eastern wall all around the door through which you entered, to turn to Perrin very slowly, basking in his magical illumination.
Berry hurries to a window and tries to get a look at what just passed outside, “Did anyone get a look at what was that outside? It must be huge! Do you think the castle tower got life or un-life?” He remains oblivious about what they find inside the building with all his attention kept by whatever they just escaped from.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Marten, standing by the wall next to the closed door, says, "Berry, what's that...thing...covered by all the moths?" He gestures to the moth-covered thing on the pallet.
Marten scans the room for any other creatures or potential dangers. Perception26 If he doesn't see anything else, Marten raises his crossbow and readies an attack on the thing covered in moths in case it suddenly attacks anyone in the party.
Berry turns in an instant when Marten prompts him to look at ... something. "I don't know. I swarm of moths, maybe? Might be there's a pile of old clothes that they're eager to devour?" He approaches slowly to get a better look at the apparition of what lies there. If it doesn't react, he will try to poke it with some stick or so (something that doesn't appear aggressive) to see if he can make the moths move away and allow him to see better what attracts them so much.
The house you have now entered has external storm shutters that are open, unlike the other houses, whose storm shutters are closed. But it also has internal folding shutters that are closed, blocking sight through the standard windows cut in the building’s walls. In addition, there are the shallow, skylight-like windows under the eaves that are allowing in some sunlight as I mentioned. Are these the windows Berry is trying to look through, or does he open the folding shutters?
Also, did you close the door behind you after everyone had entered?)
Marten....stands behind the door, ready to close it as soon as all 4 of his companions are inside the building.
(OOC: Yes, as soon as everyone made it into the building, Marten would have closed the door. I assumed that the door was closed before we even got a good look around the cottage in post #1456 and definitely before the light from the skylights was briefly blotted out.)
once inside vidruth sighs "dont poke at it" he cautions in a rapid hushed tone "i think that might be reidoth covered by the moths, perrin! you said you can heal? anything left after those bolts? i am mmost likely wrong, but if not we might need it" as there is nothing he can do about something like the outside issue, he will do what he can
This Mug immediately shared with me a transcendental tale of an Infinite Mug that anchors the Universe and keeps it from folding in on itself. I filed this report under "illogical nonsense" and asked why its sign is in Times New Roman font, when it is basic knowledge that Arial Black is a far superior font. I wondered: How did this mug even get past the assembly line with its theistic beliefs and poor font choices?
quote from Romantically Apocalyptic byVitaly S Alexius
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Fortune's servant cautiously approached the strange mass of pulsing moths. Was there someone asleep beneath them, or was it simply another zombie lying in ambush. He waits to see if there is any reaction from Berry's prodding before approaching. "Hello?" he tentatively says, trying to indicate that he means no harm while steeling himself for an attack. "If you're injured, I can help, if you'll just permit me a quick examination."
Obviously, actions depend on what happens here. If it's someone friendly/nonthreatening and he's visibly injured, Perrin will expend a use of his Healing Light ability to heal him. If it's not obvious, I'll make a Medicine check 12 with a use of Guidance to help 1. If they're hostile, I imagine we'll be rolling initiative soon anyway. Not sure if there's any other contingency to hold for.
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Berry’s pounding echoes through the eerie stillness of Thundertree but there is no response.
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
Berry shrugs, “I would have bet that these are defenses that Reidoth set up to get some shut-eye.” He’s eying the encroaching snails and hostile vegetation to determine if there’s any serious threat from them and either way, he will help Perrin free himself from the vegetation (if still possible this round).
|| Oriace - Halfling Bard - Dragon Heist || Valerian - Elf Rogue - Wildnis || b'Reh - Stig Cleric - Humblewood || Rowan - Halfling Giant - Runewarren || Khazela - Spiritfarer Dervish - Tribute || Arista - Frost Sorcerer - Old Keep || Zephirah - Demonic Bard - Sands || Merry - Gifted Surgeon - Short || Marasatra - Blood Mage - Avernus || Lan - Dwarf Dragon - Wuxian ||
Perrin's legs kick as he struggles in vain to escape the clutches of the ferocious sapling. (Athletics: 2-1=1) "Unhand me, you beast! I'll knock you into the next tenday!" Perrin flails about with his staff, striking the empty air. As Berry approaches to aid his escape, Perrin realizes that his captor is no less than a young tree. A wave of crimson washes over the luckstealer's face, a plaintive, apologetic look being shot over to the fairy barbarian.
As soon as Marten feels the grass start to curl around his soft boots, he easily slips out of its grip (acrobatics 25) and dances out of the way of the ivy (acrobatics 11) and spiders to move onto the more clear path in front of the door, carefully avoiding stepping on any of the snails.
Marten agrees, "Yep, I reckon so, Berry," but he thinks that it's maybe more of an early-warning system than a sturdy defense. Just something to distract any enemies long enough for Reidoth to escape or to cast a real spell, like the kind of power Vidruth and Mistress Daphyra wield. He tries to find a clear (not-covered in spiders) spot on the door to knock a couple of times and then calls out, "Hello?! We're friends o' Qelline Alderleaf. From Phandalin? She told us that Reidoth was here in Thundertree 'n' mi' be able t' help us. Call off y'r spiders 'n' ...uh...snails 'n' such! We jus' want t' talk."
vidruth stands clear of all the chaos, a bolt of flame forming in his hand "ill follow your lead in this marten" he says, content to wait it out so long as nothing more lethal starts to happen
"but i dont like the look of those snails"
This Mug immediately shared with me a transcendental tale of an Infinite Mug that anchors the Universe and keeps it from folding in on itself. I filed this report under "illogical nonsense" and asked why its sign is in Times New Roman font, when it is basic knowledge that Arial Black is a far superior font. I wondered: How did this mug even get past the assembly line with its theistic beliefs and poor font choices?
quote from Romantically Apocalyptic by Vitaly S Alexius
Nosam shakes his legs and wildly kicks to stay free from the distracting attack. Athletics- 24 (19+5)
"These little things are already on my nerves." Nosam looks towards Marten, "we waitin' for a response, pickin' the lock, or breakin' the damn thing down?"
There is no response to Marten’s pounding or yells which echo down the pink cobblestones. The snails continue their charge, picking up speed as they go and leaving a thin trail of gossamer goo behind them. The butterflies redouble their efforts, the grasses seeming intent upon shoving you away from the door millimeter by millimeter.
Then, a hard sound, ominous and ponderous, echoes back from the high hill looming over the ruined town, from the area of the circular keep peeking over the crumbling, ash-stained rooftops.
Suddenly, all the grasses, the spiders, the snails, and the tree, seem to stop their motions, and turn toward the noise. An expectant beat of silence. Two beats. Then an angry, trumpeting, enormous roar from the same direction.
Suddenly the animated plantlife stops what it is doing, the spiders and snails retreat to cracks between the cobblestones, and the tree puts down Perrin then stands up again straight, blending in with its neighbors.
Now a clicking sound is heard and the door upon which Berry and Marten had been pounding unlocks, and then swings open a few inches. An ivy stem from with the cottage reaches into the crack between the door and doorframe and a wide leaf at its end, like a child’s hand, makes a “come here, quick!,” motion as small pebbles can be heard trickling from the crenellations atop the circular keep.
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
Just when Berry turned away from the door and wanted to go and help Perrin with his predicament, the tree let go and everything else seemed to return to normal. That's not counting the keep that started acting weird at the same time. Berry still stared stupefied at the castle, from which the sounds appear to originate, and wondered if it will rise and walk towards them any moment now, when suddenly a voice ushered them inside the building. His search for Reidoth the Druid momentarily forgotten. "This is just one of those days," he says, "you know, sneaky plants, exploding zombies, trumpeting fortresses and who knows what lures us into this building now." He sighs and shrugs and turns to enter the building to find out how the day will continue to surprise him.
|| Oriace - Halfling Bard - Dragon Heist || Valerian - Elf Rogue - Wildnis || b'Reh - Stig Cleric - Humblewood || Rowan - Halfling Giant - Runewarren || Khazela - Spiritfarer Dervish - Tribute || Arista - Frost Sorcerer - Old Keep || Zephirah - Demonic Bard - Sands || Merry - Gifted Surgeon - Short || Marasatra - Blood Mage - Avernus || Lan - Dwarf Dragon - Wuxian ||
Marten freezes at the sound and then slowly turns his head to look up at the tower, visible in the distance over the trees and rooftops. When the trumpeting roar rips through the silence, Marten visibly jumps and then instinctively crouches down as though the sound itself threatens to swoop down and attack them from above.
Marrten's keen ears hear the click, and he turns back to the door to see it open and the inviting ivy leaf waving at him. His caution warns him that the sound from the circular keep could have been an illusion or some trick to get them into this building. But he immediately dismisses that idea: that roar sounded too real and of a different kind of power than the one animating the plants and spiders and snails.
Marten turns back to the others who are still on the main path through the town and hisses in a stage whisper, "It's open! Come on. Quick as quick Get inside!" He waves them forward with his hand but doesn't wait for them to follow.
Marten immediately turns to the door, pushes it open, steps into the building, and then moves immediately around the door to check behind it. If there's nothing / no one there, he stands behind the door, ready to close it as soon as all 4 of his companions are inside the building.
Perrin dashed into the cottage, but not before casting an evil glance at the tree that had restrained him. "What in the name of Beshaba's black bones is going on here?" Once inside, Perrin illuminates the room, renewing his Light casting if necessary. His attitude shifted, his patience having worn thin and no longer able to support the weight of their circumstances. The warlock casts his eyes about the room, checking to see if they've walked into a trap.
Marten, followed by the others, enters the cottage. The ivy stem that had waved the party inside droops somewhat then withdraws to allow passage through the door. One last look at the sedge around the base of the house shows no trace of the moving grasses, arachnids or mollusks you saw just moments ago.
Inside, the cottage’s living room is half-lit by shallow windows under the eaves, which cast trapezoids of gray light onto the floor and along one wall. You notice no swirls of ash or dust. The floor and walls are not pristine by any means, but they show signs of having been at least wiped down within the last six months. An old woven grass mat on the floor underfoot is spotty and what?--perhaps moth-eaten? There are holes in it. Indeed, the holes lead across the room, from the door, where a pair of rather destroyed boots lie just inside, past a coat which looks like it’s been ground in a mill then thrown off to lie crumpled on the floor, to an area against the far wall where a humble pallet of cotton-wrapped hay lies under a shelf covered in brown, thirsty-looking plants that droop woefully downwards over what at first appears to be a very detailed quilt covering the pallet.
But on second glance, you see that it is not a quilt at all. It is about twelve-hundred brown-winged moths, wings overlapping, and they seem to be covering something that very slightly swells and recedes upon the hay pallet.
Other than this astonishing sight, nothing moves inside the cottage, and silence reigns. As you take this in, the light from the skylights suddenly disappears, then a moment later, reappears, as if a cloud had passed overhead and then vanished. Then Perrin recasts his spell and bright light glows from his staff, causing the browning plants on the shelf, and the ivy, whose creepers cover the eastern wall all around the door through which you entered, to turn to Perrin very slowly, basking in his magical illumination.
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
Berry hurries to a window and tries to get a look at what just passed outside, “Did anyone get a look at what was that outside? It must be huge! Do you think the castle tower got life or un-life?” He remains oblivious about what they find inside the building with all his attention kept by whatever they just escaped from.
|| Oriace - Halfling Bard - Dragon Heist || Valerian - Elf Rogue - Wildnis || b'Reh - Stig Cleric - Humblewood || Rowan - Halfling Giant - Runewarren || Khazela - Spiritfarer Dervish - Tribute || Arista - Frost Sorcerer - Old Keep || Zephirah - Demonic Bard - Sands || Merry - Gifted Surgeon - Short || Marasatra - Blood Mage - Avernus || Lan - Dwarf Dragon - Wuxian ||
Marten, standing by the wall next to the closed door, says, "Berry, what's that...thing...covered by all the moths?" He gestures to the moth-covered thing on the pallet.
Marten scans the room for any other creatures or potential dangers. Perception 26 If he doesn't see anything else, Marten raises his crossbow and readies an attack on the thing covered in moths in case it suddenly attacks anyone in the party.
Berry turns in an instant when Marten prompts him to look at ... something. "I don't know. I swarm of moths, maybe? Might be there's a pile of old clothes that they're eager to devour?" He approaches slowly to get a better look at the apparition of what lies there. If it doesn't react, he will try to poke it with some stick or so (something that doesn't appear aggressive) to see if he can make the moths move away and allow him to see better what attracts them so much.
|| Oriace - Halfling Bard - Dragon Heist || Valerian - Elf Rogue - Wildnis || b'Reh - Stig Cleric - Humblewood || Rowan - Halfling Giant - Runewarren || Khazela - Spiritfarer Dervish - Tribute || Arista - Frost Sorcerer - Old Keep || Zephirah - Demonic Bard - Sands || Merry - Gifted Surgeon - Short || Marasatra - Blood Mage - Avernus || Lan - Dwarf Dragon - Wuxian ||
(
The house you have now entered has external storm shutters that are open, unlike the other houses, whose storm shutters are closed. But it also has internal folding shutters that are closed, blocking sight through the standard windows cut in the building’s walls. In addition, there are the shallow, skylight-like windows under the eaves that are allowing in some sunlight as I mentioned. Are these the windows Berry is trying to look through, or does he open the folding shutters?
Also, did you close the door behind you after everyone had entered?)
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
(OOC: Yes, as soon as everyone made it into the building, Marten would have closed the door. I assumed that the door was closed before we even got a good look around the cottage in post #1456 and definitely before the light from the skylights was briefly blotted out.)
As soon as he noticed that a large shadow passed, Berry jumped up to look through the shallow skylights to get a peek at what causes the shadow.
|| Oriace - Halfling Bard - Dragon Heist || Valerian - Elf Rogue - Wildnis || b'Reh - Stig Cleric - Humblewood || Rowan - Halfling Giant - Runewarren || Khazela - Spiritfarer Dervish - Tribute || Arista - Frost Sorcerer - Old Keep || Zephirah - Demonic Bard - Sands || Merry - Gifted Surgeon - Short || Marasatra - Blood Mage - Avernus || Lan - Dwarf Dragon - Wuxian ||
Nosam doesn't waste any time and heads inside. Once inside he proceeds far enough to give the others room to get inside and shut the door.
once inside vidruth sighs "dont poke at it" he cautions in a rapid hushed tone "i think that might be reidoth covered by the moths, perrin! you said you can heal? anything left after those bolts? i am mmost likely wrong, but if not we might need it" as there is nothing he can do about something like the outside issue, he will do what he can
This Mug immediately shared with me a transcendental tale of an Infinite Mug that anchors the Universe and keeps it from folding in on itself. I filed this report under "illogical nonsense" and asked why its sign is in Times New Roman font, when it is basic knowledge that Arial Black is a far superior font. I wondered: How did this mug even get past the assembly line with its theistic beliefs and poor font choices?
quote from Romantically Apocalyptic by Vitaly S Alexius
Fortune's servant cautiously approached the strange mass of pulsing moths. Was there someone asleep beneath them, or was it simply another zombie lying in ambush. He waits to see if there is any reaction from Berry's prodding before approaching. "Hello?" he tentatively says, trying to indicate that he means no harm while steeling himself for an attack. "If you're injured, I can help, if you'll just permit me a quick examination."
Obviously, actions depend on what happens here. If it's someone friendly/nonthreatening and he's visibly injured, Perrin will expend a use of his Healing Light ability to heal him. If it's not obvious, I'll make a Medicine check 12 with a use of Guidance to help 1. If they're hostile, I imagine we'll be rolling initiative soon anyway. Not sure if there's any other contingency to hold for.