dracor wis save attempt 2 17

Carefully walking towards the humming sound, Preston’s gaze shifts from the walls to his companions to the fog in front of him to the cavern ceiling.

Wisdom save: 7

As Dracor studies the runes and glyphs, a mesmerizing sequence unfolds before his eyes. The symbols seem to animate, each shimmering to life with vivid detail, telling a magical tale.

The story begins with a land, bathed in ethereal light and surrounded by ancient, towering trees. In the heart of this land stands something resembling a circle, emitting a soft, warm glow - a hearthstone. Through the shimmering and animated glyphs, Dracor understands the stone's significance - a symbol of harmony, natural order and balance. Not only that, but apparently the stone is the beating heart of the woods, an artifact of ancient power that ensures harmony and equilibrium throughout the realm. However, as the scenes progress, shadows appear and loom over the once-idyllic land, casting a darkness upon the hearthstone's radiance. 

As you keep walking deeper into the cave, the story keeps unfolding before the dragonborn's eyes. The symbols warn that there will be dire consequences should the stone be removed or its sanctity desecrated. The images depict shadows growing denser, forest creatures transforming into monsters, and claws spreading outwards from the forest. 

Suddenly, the group reaches a point where the glyphs cease their storytelling and the cave ahead appears solid and impenetrable.

It looks like the end of the path.

As Wulcrath follows his companions, he starts to feel… hot. And cold? He turns back to look at something that isn’t there as his head starts to throb and pulse, as if his brain is trying to claw itself from his skull. His hand reaches up from his cloak to rest against he head.

”G-Gods what is this…?” With a groan, He shuts his eyes tight, kneeling as his body flushes and cools off in a horrid rhythm, harsh flashes of hot and cold sapping him of energy for a moment. “Away…? From what? H-How do you know my…?” These apparent voices in his skull seem like an incredibly foreign sensation to the Dragonborn. He finds himself leaning against the cave wall as the feeling slowly fades. There and gone in moments.

It’s just a bit too much… His breath is labored as his skull stops aching, like he’s about to relinquish the contents of his stomach on the cave floor.

Dracor becomes fixated on the glyphs as he studies them... taking in the story as he advances farther into the cave. As he gets towards the end of the story, he taps his chin and without looking backwards clears his throat. "Well... looks like we might need that rock after all... these glyphs tell a story about a stone that is actually the heart of the forest...and if it is taken the forest will be taken over be shadow monsters or something.." The dragonbkrn let's out a long sigh before slowly turning around. "I cannot believe you didn't bring the stone with you now we have to go back and get....." He pauses for a moment as he looks upon Wulcrath. "It..... are you alright? You... don't look so good."  Dracor asks with a slight look of concern. 

Preston listens to the retelling of the story by Dracor. He realizing that there is something here that is beyond anything he’s ever come across. More ancient. But how does it relate to Hal? 

The young soldier snaps out of his thought as he sees Wulcrath in pain. He walks back to the red dragonborn, concerned. He tries to put a reassuring hand in the warrior’s shoulder.

"Are you okay? What happened? Who were you talking to?", he asks in rapid succession.

Seeing Preston move to console the much larger dragonborn, Dracor looks over the glyphs once more.... "No... there is no way that stone at the farm is the hearthstone..." Dracor says with a sigh of relief. "Good news! We don't have to go back to pick up the stone!... but maybe hal took the stone... or someone else did and now the bad monsters are taking over the forest.. maybe they are the ones that took Hal and left the glyph on his door." The dragonborn suggests as he rubs his scaley chin.

Wulcrath grits his teeth as little as his sudden episode of sorts ends and Preston assaults him with questions, his vision swimming a little. "I-I... I'll be fine, thank you. V-Voices. Something about a path, and turning back, I don't know who." He mumbles a bit in out of order answers to Preston and Dracor. Despite his frazzled state, he appreciated the Human and other Dragonborn's comforting of him. More than he could say in the moment. Even if Dracor's felt a little offhanded...

After shaking his head and re-centering himself, regaining his breath, a worried frown of spreading across the Large Dragonborn's face as he stands. "Hoo... Okay. There were voices. Two of them, in my head just now." He starts to quickly explain himself. "One sounded afraid, urging us to turn back. And the other called me by my name, urging us forward instead. Towards an 'invisible path.'"

He sighs, rubbing the back of his neck. "I know that sounds... like I'm going insane. But that's what happened." He adds. Frowning, the Fighter steps forward toward the dead-end of the cave now. Looking for anything out of place with the words of a hidden path fresh in quite literally his mind. Anything off? Other than the glowing glyphs? Perception(?): 16

At the mention of an invisible path, Dracor draws his longsword and holds it out in front of him and walks towards the and of the path. He gently prods at the walls with his sword.. making sure not to actually touch the walls with his hands... hoping to find an area where his sword passes through. 

The cave wall starts flickering as the sword prods at it, the blade disappearing through the wall. Dracor doesn't feel any resistance or solidity, it is as if he is poking through the air. 

"Hey! Look at this! I'm so smart!" Dracor says with a smug grin. "Looks like we can walk right through! Follow me!" The noble dragonborn exclaims as he walks confidently into the wall.

On the other side of the flickering wall, the cave tunnel extends onward, the path appearing to continue forward. The glyphs and symbols have vanished here, leaving a blank surface. Additionally, a smaller path diverges from the main one, veering off to the left. It seems to lead to a smaller chamber or an alternate route, a subtle deviation from the primary path.

"Hey guys! follow me! the path keeps going and splits into two in here!" Dracor shouts as though there is no concern that there could be anything nearby that could hurt him.

Preston picks up the pace, going through the illusory wall and following in Dracor’s footsteps. The noble dragonborn doesn’t seem to have any concern for his own safety, so someone has to. 

As they reach the deviating path, the young soldier wonders. Without indications from the map, there was no way of knowing which was the right path. He looks to the other members of the party quizzically. ‘’I’ve no idea which way to go. Any thoughts?’’

(By the way, did we have a torch in this cave? Do we need one? Also, is the Constable still with us?)

Wulcrath finds himself lost in thought for a moment as Preston and Dracor advance without him. He's only barely paying attention as his mind races, a slowly deepening scowl on his face. And when he looks back up... he watches Preston simply walk through the wall ahead. "I...?" He looks back to Alena and Kariella. Shaking his head and shrugging his shoulders.

He takes a moment to seriously consider just slipping away while one half of the party isn't there to stop him, this is all becoming a bit much for him. But... with a hefty sigh. "Heeere we goo..." He follows Preston through the wall.

When the dragonborn comes through the wall, Dracor drops back a bit while allowing his dancing lights to illuminate the way forward. "Hold on, I got to clean a few spots on my clothes.. Just pick a path and start heading that way. I'll take the lead again in a moment... I want to make a good impression with Hal the first time he sees me and I don't want to have dirty clothes after all.." The dragonborn say with a grin. When Wulcrath is next to him, Dracor would continue walking closely with the dragonborn. "Hey... You are a noble dragonborn like me, We cannot show any weakness. My mother used to tell me that Dragonborn were perfect creatures... flawless pieces of art... crafted by the most powerful ancient dragons." Dracor would whisper as a frown forms across his face, his head losing to look down at the floor "To show weakness, to be wrong, to fail... those are all faults. Perfect pieces of art are not flawed.." The noble dragonborn says just barley loud enough for Wulcrath to hear before staring off ahead of him in silence for a few seconds. Then, after shaking his head and standing up straight he continues to move forward. "I'm sure those voices were just in your head. I didn't hear them. We all have voices that tell us to turn back... but we must be brave and push forward. Fear is a sign of weakness." Dracor says with a grin.

Although Dracor wears a grin on his face, Wulcrath is able to see that the noble dragonborns eyes are full of tears threatening tk fall at any moment before he turns to continue pushing forward.

Wulcrath finds himself frowning for Dracor as the smaller Dragonborn speaks. He just can't get a read on the Noble, the bravado in town, the rage at the farm, and now this... Thinking on the Sorcerer's words, the big Dragonborn crosses his arms in front of himself in thought as he chooses to go left first at his discretion. His chainmail echoing in the relative silence of the cave's chambers. Wulcrath didn't know his own mother, but... he remembers being taught different. "Well... the man who had cared for me had taught me different. That if I felt weak or failed on my own... I could turn to him. And we could face it together." Wulcrath says after the other Dragonborn.

Perhaps he's just telling Dracor what he'd like to hear himself... "And savor those blemishes... shows character hmm?" He adds, giving Dracor a smile, hoping it might soothe him a bit.

Dracor would turn his head ever so slightly, replying over his shoulder. "It sounds like our upbringing was very different." He says quietly. then with another shake of his head as though trying clear negative thoughts from his mind, he pushes forward down the left path.

Ella, a little bewildered by the fake wall, follows the others.

As you venture down the smaller left path, the cave gradually opens up into a small, secluded chamber. Amidst the shadows and dimly lit corners, you find a weathered, old chest, locked with just as weathered, old padlock.

"This seems to be the end of the path here..." Constable Alena states after looking around for a bit.