"Greetings, Travelers," the imp rasps. "My mistress sends you blessings in the name of Boccob. But let us not linger here; those you wish to avoid may already be far too close for comfort..."
Korba looks at the imp and says, "You look familiar, little one, though my sight is shaded," as he taps his glasses with the dark black lenses. "Please, take us to your mistress!"
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Hewelathan looks at the imp with some surprise. He glances around to see whether anyone else is there to greet them. If not, he'll follow along at the back of the group, grumbling a bit about "first undead....now devils." As they walk, he watches the crowds for anyone who may be taking particular interest in the party or who seems to be following them.
Perception: 12 (his Insight bonus is the same if that would be more appropriate here)
Hewelathan looks at the imp with some surprise. He glances around to see whether anyone else is there to greet them. If not, he'll follow along at the back of the group, grumbling a bit about "first undead....now devils." As they walk, he watches the crowds for anyone who may be taking particular interest in the party or who seems to be following them.
Perception: 20 (his Insight bonus is the same if that would be more appropriate here)
The imp snickers at Hewelathan's comment.
"Yes, it truly is remarkable the types who come together when the fate of the multiverse is at stake," the imp says.
Meanwhile, as Hewelathan scans the crowed stalls...
You catch sight of a kobold... who look distinctly similar to Zolgu's personal guards who joined him in betraying Cynurrarth. As soon as it realizes it's been spotted, the kobold gives you a cruel smile and then does its best to disappear into the crowd...
Stealth: 16
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Unhappy that the market got rid of individual purchases for one-off subclasses, magic items, and monsters?
As the group walks, Hewelathan reaches into his Rust Bag of Tricks and tosses a couple of fuzzy balls on the ground. As they lands, one transforms into a goatagain. The other turns into a lion. (OOC: Rolled a 4 and a 7 in game log.)
Hewelathan was hoping for something small and quiet that could help them track down the kobold and keep an eye on him. The lion might be able to sniff the kobold out, but if Hewelathan sends a lion into the crowd to look for him, the marketplace would probably panic. Instead, Hewelathan keeps the goat on one side of him and the lion on the other, trying to act casual as though these animals are perfectly normal pets to walk through the streets of this town.
Hewelathan remains at the back of the line, hoping to spot the kobold again. He quietly tells the next people ahead of him in the party that he spotted one of Zolgu's kobolds following them, but when he realized that Hewelathan had spotted him, the kobold disappeared in to the crowd. He says, "They were already watching for us here, and now they know whom we've met. If the imp doesn't want us to lead them back to their mistress, ask whether they have a way throw off the spy."
"Come with me... follow me closely," he whispers. "We're going into the tunnels below... if luck is on our side, then perhaps we can disappear before anything sees us. If not... well... then I guess we're going to fight in the tunnels."
He does his best to lead you on a confusing pathway designed to throw off would-be pursuers and eventually into a shadowy alley, where he points you to a covered access tunnel.
Everyone, please make a Stealth check to avoid being spotted by your enemies... this is a group Stealth check; if half or more of you succeed then you manage to lose anyone following you. And feel free to make Perception checks as well to spot anyone trying to tail you as well.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Unhappy that the market got rid of individual purchases for one-off subclasses, magic items, and monsters?
if luck is on our side, then perhaps we can disappear before anything sees us. If not... well... then I guess we're going to fight in the tunnels."
Everyone, please make a Stealth check to avoid being spotted by your enemies...
Hewelathan prepared Pass Without Trace today. If it became clear to him soon enough that Firion's people were here and that the party needed to be stealthy, I think that he would have cast that spell. (OOC: everyone gets a +10 on their Stealth checks.)
If Hewelathan did not realize that soon enough, then he would have "sacrificed" the creatures from his bag of tricks to cause a bit of mayhem in the marketplace just before the party needs to slip into the alley and into the tunnel. (That is, he'd have the goat go running through the market with the lion "chasing" it. Perhaps that would distract anyone from the cult who is following them long enough for them to vanish into the tunnel?) Under no circumstances would either creature attack or harm anyone else, simply dodging if someone tries to fight them. If either one is reduced to 0 HP, they vanish. If nothing harms them, they could run off in separate directions after a minute or so of mayhem. By that time, the whole party should have made it into the tunnel. Both creatures vanish at the next "dawn", whatever that means in the Radiant Citadel.
If Hewelathan is not concentrating on Pass Without Trace, he will cast Guidance on himself to channel the stealth of the wolf.
Korba keeps his eyes open after Hewelathan alerts the group. His dark glasses obscure his eyes so that it's not obvious that his eyes keep shifting, looking for allies of Firion's cult.
Korba casts Invisibility to make it easier for him to go from walking through the crowd to casually standing somewhere that gives him partial cover or lightly obscures him (e.g., beside a tree, behind a rain barrel, among some inattentive vendor's wares, etc.) to vanishing and sneaking into the alley and the tunnel. Once he's in the alley near his friends, he says something so that they know he's there and moving into the tunnel while invisible.
"grandpa" Salkur, Gnome Arti/Sorc: Forged in Chaos | Pepin, Human Arti/Cleric: Goblin horde | Mixtli, Volc Genasi Arti: Champions of the Citadel | Erix Vadalitis, Human Druid: Rising from the last war |Smithy, Human Arti: Night Ravens: Black orchids for Biscotti | Tamphalic Aliprax, Dragonborn Wizard: Chronicles of the Accursed | Doc, Dwarven Cleric (2024): Adventure at Hope's End | Abathax, Tiefling Illriger: Hunt for the Balowang | Gorin Mestel, Human Arti: Descend into Avernus
So as to be less conspicuous, Hildegard dismisses Perdita just before the party is transported to the midst of the busy Radiant Citadel marketplace. She too shares a disturbed glance with Hewelathan about undead and then fiends... but decides to trust Lord Akkron once again. The imp's comment about the fate of the multiverse is certainly true. She tries her hardest to watch carefully, especially with news of Zolgu's guard, and to move quietly.
I'll go ahead and roll Stealth for Gorash and Ruby. Let's just say Pass Without Trace is up.
Gorash: 20 +10 (Pass Without Trace)
Ruby: 21 +10 (Pass Without Trace)
Okay... yeah. Looks like you made it to the tunnel without incident. Now, regarding whether you see the bad guys trying to follow you or not...
Cult Agents: 14
Kobold Assassins: 22
I believe Hildegard and Korba are the only ones who noticed two shadowy figures scanning the streets from a dark alley. They look like they may be a serious problem. But no one catches another glimpse of Zolgu's minions before you disappear into the tunnels.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Unhappy that the market got rid of individual purchases for one-off subclasses, magic items, and monsters?
But no one catches another glimpse of Zolgu's minions before you disappear into the tunnels.
(OOC: Clarification - does that just mean that we made it into the tunnel without anyone stopping us? That is, is it possible that someone saw us go into the tunnel, so we may still have to deal with our pursuers? If that's the case, will you be giving us more information about the tunnel we're in now, or are you just moving us forward to some future location?)
Since Hewelathan cast Pass Without Trace, he would still have the two beasts from the Bag of Tricks with him. With the bonus from that spell:
I believe Hildegard and Korba are the only ones who noticed two shadowy figures scanning the streets from a dark alley. They look like they may be a serious problem. But no one catches another glimpse of Zolgu's minions before you disappear into the tunnels.
(OOC: Since this is D&D, did you mean two figures composed of shadow stuff? Or do you mean that we just saw two medium-sized humanoids dressed in dark robes?)
Once they're in the tunnel, Korba says in a hushed voice: "I'm here, but I'll remain invisible for now since that may be useful in guarding our rear or scouting ahead. Hewelathan said that he saw one of Zolgu's kobolds, but I also saw two dark figures following us. They reminded me of the cultists with Zolgu in Cynurrarth's cave, or the ones who were riding the dragonnels."
"I saw them as well," Hildegard offers. "Two figures, hiding in the shadows of an alleyway, watching the streets. I am unsure if they saw us, but I have a bad feeling about them." She looks around the tunnel that the group just entered, trying to see how big it is and what kind of use it might serve if a fight became necessary.
They're medium humanoids in dark robes. And no one has stopped you, and it seems that you lost them entirely. Hopefully once you're in the tunnels you'll be harder to track, and would-be spies easier to spot.
"Come... we are harder to spot here, but if we are cornered then we may not be able to run,"the imp whispers.
The imp zips into the tunnels, pausing occasionally to make sure that you are following him closely. The tunnels are dimly lit with magical lanterns hanging it odd intervals from chains on the ceiling. The tunnel walls are moist and the air stale.
You occasionally pass figures in the various side-tunnels. They appear to be homeless people who have taken up residence here, but there is no way to say for sure if any of them might be agents for the Cult of the Dragon. But none of them try to stop you, nor are they foolish enough to try to follow you.
After an hour or so of navigating the tunnels, you finally arrive at your destination... it's a ladder.
"Alright, up you go," the little guy says with a crooked smile. "Try not to make too much noise, the Mistress is still working right now and it's best not to to stand out too much. She gets plenty of visits from the folks hidin' down here, so no one should question you bunch showing up."
As you emerge from the tunnels, you see her:
She is strikingly beautiful, in a manner that is somehow simultaneously unnerving and comforting. As you step into the room, she is standing next to a bed, on which a sickly-looking man is propped up with pillows. She whispers something in his ear, then gently places a kiss on his lips. As her lips touch him, color returns to his cheeks and his body relaxes. She strokes his hair gently for a moment.
"Now get some rest, friend,"she tells him gently. "One of the girls will get you to our infirmary. It will be a while before you're fully recovered, but you're making progress, and I'm proud of you."
The door opens for the man, and a tabaxi woman dressed as a nurse offers a shoulder for the man to lean on as she escorts him out of the room. As soon as he is gone, the fiendish woman turns her full attention to you.
"Ah, there you are! I was starting to wonder when you would arrive!" she says with a friendly smile. "I hope you don't mind that I sent Silas in my place, but I couldn't just abandon my patients without warning like that. You may call me Selariel... it's nice to meet you all!"
She extends a hand to anyone willing to shake. The keen-eyed among you may notice that she doesn't cast a shadow.
Korba looks at the imp and says, "You look familiar, little one, though my sight is shaded," as he taps his glasses with the dark black lenses. "Please, take us to your mistress!"
Hewelathan looks at the imp with some surprise. He glances around to see whether anyone else is there to greet them. If not, he'll follow along at the back of the group, grumbling a bit about "first undead....now devils." As they walk, he watches the crowds for anyone who may be taking particular interest in the party or who seems to be following them.
Perception: 12 (his Insight bonus is the same if that would be more appropriate here)
The imp snickers at Hewelathan's comment.
"Yes, it truly is remarkable the types who come together when the fate of the multiverse is at stake," the imp says.
Meanwhile, as Hewelathan scans the crowed stalls...
You catch sight of a kobold... who look distinctly similar to Zolgu's personal guards who joined him in betraying Cynurrarth. As soon as it realizes it's been spotted, the kobold gives you a cruel smile and then does its best to disappear into the crowd...
Stealth: 16
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"Let's skiddoo," Nickeline says to the imp. "If there's really enemies around, I hope your mistress has good security."
As the group walks, Hewelathan reaches into his Rust Bag of Tricks and tosses a couple of fuzzy balls on the ground. As they lands, one transforms into a goat again. The other turns into a lion. (OOC: Rolled a 4 and a 7 in game log.)
Hewelathan was hoping for something small and quiet that could help them track down the kobold and keep an eye on him. The lion might be able to sniff the kobold out, but if Hewelathan sends a lion into the crowd to look for him, the marketplace would probably panic. Instead, Hewelathan keeps the goat on one side of him and the lion on the other, trying to act casual as though these animals are perfectly normal pets to walk through the streets of this town.
Hewelathan remains at the back of the line, hoping to spot the kobold again. He quietly tells the next people ahead of him in the party that he spotted one of Zolgu's kobolds following them, but when he realized that Hewelathan had spotted him, the kobold disappeared in to the crowd. He says, "They were already watching for us here, and now they know whom we've met. If the imp doesn't want us to lead them back to their mistress, ask whether they have a way throw off the spy."
Jodie tries to track (21) to kobold, but she loses sight of him.
"Yes, if we are being followed, it would be best to lose our tail."
Fargen Hill Dwarf Cleric/Barbarian - Hoard of the Dragon Queen, Jodie Olwen Half-Elf Bard- Chronicles of the Accursed
The imp gives a nervous side-eye.
"Come with me... follow me closely," he whispers. "We're going into the tunnels below... if luck is on our side, then perhaps we can disappear before anything sees us. If not... well... then I guess we're going to fight in the tunnels."
He does his best to lead you on a confusing pathway designed to throw off would-be pursuers and eventually into a shadowy alley, where he points you to a covered access tunnel.
Everyone, please make a Stealth check to avoid being spotted by your enemies... this is a group Stealth check; if half or more of you succeed then you manage to lose anyone following you. And feel free to make Perception checks as well to spot anyone trying to tail you as well.
Unhappy that the market got rid of individual purchases for one-off subclasses, magic items, and monsters?
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Jodie stealth: 26 perception: 8 (passive 17)
Fargen Hill Dwarf Cleric/Barbarian - Hoard of the Dragon Queen, Jodie Olwen Half-Elf Bard- Chronicles of the Accursed
OOC:
Nickeline stealth: 5; perception: 10
Hewelathan prepared Pass Without Trace today. If it became clear to him soon enough that Firion's people were here and that the party needed to be stealthy, I think that he would have cast that spell. (OOC: everyone gets a +10 on their Stealth checks.)
If Hewelathan did not realize that soon enough, then he would have "sacrificed" the creatures from his bag of tricks to cause a bit of mayhem in the marketplace just before the party needs to slip into the alley and into the tunnel. (That is, he'd have the goat go running through the market with the lion "chasing" it. Perhaps that would distract anyone from the cult who is following them long enough for them to vanish into the tunnel?) Under no circumstances would either creature attack or harm anyone else, simply dodging if someone tries to fight them. If either one is reduced to 0 HP, they vanish. If nothing harms them, they could run off in separate directions after a minute or so of mayhem. By that time, the whole party should have made it into the tunnel. Both creatures vanish at the next "dawn", whatever that means in the Radiant Citadel.
If Hewelathan is not concentrating on Pass Without Trace, he will cast Guidance on himself to channel the stealth of the wolf.
Stealth: 11, which is 21 with Pass Without Trace; otherwise, it's a +3 bonus from Guidance for a 14
Korba keeps his eyes open after Hewelathan alerts the group. His dark glasses obscure his eyes so that it's not obvious that his eyes keep shifting, looking for allies of Firion's cult.
Perception: 14
Korba casts Invisibility to make it easier for him to go from walking through the crowd to casually standing somewhere that gives him partial cover or lightly obscures him (e.g., beside a tree, behind a rain barrel, among some inattentive vendor's wares, etc.) to vanishing and sneaking into the alley and the tunnel. Once he's in the alley near his friends, he says something so that they know he's there and moving into the tunnel while invisible.
Stealth: 11
Stealth: 6(+10?) Perceptin: 13
"grandpa" Salkur, Gnome Arti/Sorc: Forged in Chaos | Pepin, Human Arti/Cleric: Goblin horde | Mixtli, Volc Genasi Arti: Champions of the Citadel | Erix Vadalitis, Human Druid: Rising from the last war | Smithy, Human Arti: Night Ravens: Black orchids for Biscotti | Tamphalic Aliprax, Dragonborn Wizard: Chronicles of the Accursed | Doc, Dwarven Cleric (2024): Adventure at Hope's End | Abathax, Tiefling Illriger: Hunt for the Balowang | Gorin Mestel, Human Arti: Descend into Avernus
So as to be less conspicuous, Hildegard dismisses Perdita just before the party is transported to the midst of the busy Radiant Citadel marketplace. She too shares a disturbed glance with Hewelathan about undead and then fiends... but decides to trust Lord Akkron once again. The imp's comment about the fate of the multiverse is certainly true. She tries her hardest to watch carefully, especially with news of Zolgu's guard, and to move quietly.
Stealth: 13
Perception: 14
I'll go ahead and roll Stealth for Gorash and Ruby. Let's just say Pass Without Trace is up.
Gorash: 12 +10 (Pass Without Trace)
Ruby: 23 +10 (Pass Without Trace)
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Okay... yeah. Looks like you made it to the tunnel without incident. Now, regarding whether you see the bad guys trying to follow you or not...
Cult Agents: 21
Kobold Assassins: 17
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I believe Hildegard and Korba are the only ones who noticed two shadowy figures scanning the streets from a dark alley. They look like they may be a serious problem. But no one catches another glimpse of Zolgu's minions before you disappear into the tunnels.
Unhappy that the market got rid of individual purchases for one-off subclasses, magic items, and monsters?
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(OOC: Clarification - does that just mean that we made it into the tunnel without anyone stopping us? That is, is it possible that someone saw us go into the tunnel, so we may still have to deal with our pursuers? If that's the case, will you be giving us more information about the tunnel we're in now, or are you just moving us forward to some future location?)
Since Hewelathan cast Pass Without Trace, he would still have the two beasts from the Bag of Tricks with him. With the bonus from that spell:
Goat - Stealth: 21
Lion - Stealth: 28 (or 26 if you'd rather that I use the 2024 Lion)
(OOC: Since this is D&D, did you mean two figures composed of shadow stuff? Or do you mean that we just saw two medium-sized humanoids dressed in dark robes?)
Once they're in the tunnel, Korba says in a hushed voice: "I'm here, but I'll remain invisible for now since that may be useful in guarding our rear or scouting ahead. Hewelathan said that he saw one of Zolgu's kobolds, but I also saw two dark figures following us. They reminded me of the cultists with Zolgu in Cynurrarth's cave, or the ones who were riding the dragonnels."
Concentration: Invisibility
"I saw them as well," Hildegard offers. "Two figures, hiding in the shadows of an alleyway, watching the streets. I am unsure if they saw us, but I have a bad feeling about them." She looks around the tunnel that the group just entered, trying to see how big it is and what kind of use it might serve if a fight became necessary.
They're medium humanoids in dark robes. And no one has stopped you, and it seems that you lost them entirely. Hopefully once you're in the tunnels you'll be harder to track, and would-be spies easier to spot.
"Come... we are harder to spot here, but if we are cornered then we may not be able to run," the imp whispers.
The imp zips into the tunnels, pausing occasionally to make sure that you are following him closely. The tunnels are dimly lit with magical lanterns hanging it odd intervals from chains on the ceiling. The tunnel walls are moist and the air stale.
You occasionally pass figures in the various side-tunnels. They appear to be homeless people who have taken up residence here, but there is no way to say for sure if any of them might be agents for the Cult of the Dragon. But none of them try to stop you, nor are they foolish enough to try to follow you.
After an hour or so of navigating the tunnels, you finally arrive at your destination... it's a ladder.
"Alright, up you go," the little guy says with a crooked smile. "Try not to make too much noise, the Mistress is still working right now and it's best not to to stand out too much. She gets plenty of visits from the folks hidin' down here, so no one should question you bunch showing up."
As you emerge from the tunnels, you see her:
She is strikingly beautiful, in a manner that is somehow simultaneously unnerving and comforting. As you step into the room, she is standing next to a bed, on which a sickly-looking man is propped up with pillows. She whispers something in his ear, then gently places a kiss on his lips. As her lips touch him, color returns to his cheeks and his body relaxes. She strokes his hair gently for a moment.
"Now get some rest, friend," she tells him gently. "One of the girls will get you to our infirmary. It will be a while before you're fully recovered, but you're making progress, and I'm proud of you."
The door opens for the man, and a tabaxi woman dressed as a nurse offers a shoulder for the man to lean on as she escorts him out of the room. As soon as he is gone, the fiendish woman turns her full attention to you.
"Ah, there you are! I was starting to wonder when you would arrive!" she says with a friendly smile. "I hope you don't mind that I sent Silas in my place, but I couldn't just abandon my patients without warning like that. You may call me Selariel... it's nice to meet you all!"
She extends a hand to anyone willing to shake. The keen-eyed among you may notice that she doesn't cast a shadow.
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