If you're using all these ropes tied together, you find it tricky but possible to lower yourselves down the large chimney like chasm to the floor. The hollow's smooth floor is roughly circular. The air here is alive with energy and thick with the smell of developing lightning. Small and large holes puncture the walls all around, opening into a dozen or so tunnels that run off into lightlessness. Dull dust is thick at each entrance, showing no sign of disturbance. The floor below you, however, has clearly been stood on recently, with boot prints in the dust.
Those of you with magical intuitiveness notice another strangeness about this area. The arcane energy here is culminating to a point, which possibly signals this place as being an Earth Node. These incredibly rare locations absorb the arcane energy around them, and when they get to a certain point, the casting of a spell slot will unleash some magical effect. This Earth Node has been set off in the last day, and will take another 6-8 hours before it can be used again.
Khessa's blue eyes widen with fascination and wonder as she realizes she is in an Earth Node. She takes out her tome with the spiderweb-style-decorated cover and, while she explains to her companions (or at least: to those who haven't already realized it for themselves) what the place is and what it entails, she is already taking notes frantically about the place, the influences she feels, the potential it allows...
"Maybe the attackers exploited this magical energy," the blonde arcane warrior hypothesizes "when they petrified the goblin or when they managed to descend with magic. I can't wait to be able to experiment too" her eyes are now dreamy "with this influence with immense potential!"
"The only thing that I think is out of place is this smell of developing lightning" the tall adventuress muses aloud. "Lightning magic shouldn't be too earth-related... at least I think? But then again, I know very little about magical theory. Maybe the Node, even though it's an Earth Node, allows you to convert the magical energy it absorbs into any kind of spell, even a lightning-based one. What do you think, Theldrin?" she turns to the 'true' wizard of the group, the one she has learned to consider as a sort of mentor for the arcane arts...
Theldrin shares Khessa's excitement about finding an Earth Node, smiling as he says eagerly, "Oh! I've heard of these... but never seen one before... how extraordinary!"
Having switched his Light back to his staff, he holds it high, face beaming in the magical glow as he quickly moves around searching the area. Then taking a moment to catch his breath, he tunes into what he senses from the energy of the node, as well as trying to recall anything he remembers about Earth Nodes as he ponders Khessa's question.
(OOC: the arcane mentor rolls a 1 on arcana check LOL. Also Theldrin would be looking at the footprints for clues as to what might have happened here... it sounds like they may seem to just end with no sign of an exit?)
Xanrymthanks Khessa and/or Avery for lowering him safely down. He continues to worry a bit about running out of rope, but there's not much they can do about that now.
The arcane energy here is culminating to a point, which possibly signals this place as being an Earth Node.
(OOC: "Earth Node" reminded me of Princes of the Apocalypse and evil elemental cults, but I don't know whether that's related at all. @drumdigby - I rolled a check for Xanrym just in case he would know anything about cults that seek out these types of elemental nodes. Religion:10 and History: 8(in game log). Given those results, I doubt he knows anything about elemental nodes.)
These incredibly rare locations absorb the arcane energy around them, and when they get to a certain point, the casting of a spell slot will unleash some magical effect. This Earth Node has been set off in the last day, and will take another 6-8 hours before it can be used again.
Khessa's...explains to her companions (or at least: to those who haven't already realized it for themselves) what the place is and what it entails
Xanrym is fascinated. He asks the arcanists of the group, "Do you know how it works? Does any spell trigger it? Does the Earth Node empower the spell? Or does the spell just trigger some other effect? Or is it like a wild surge of unpredictable magical energy?"
Once they run out of things that people know about the Earth Node, Xanrym turns to next steps. If there are no tracks down the tunnels, should The Company just pick one and start exploring / mapping out their surroundings? Or do the others want to stop and rest here, hoping to try out the Earth Node once it recharges? (And does everyone feel safe resting here for 8 hours with a dozen tunnel openings all around them?)
OK, if by chance an Arcana check can give more information about the Node, obviously Khessa, who is actively studying it, will also give it a try... 21
Syllen reflects on his studies as a child about things like Earth Nodes. Arcane Roll: 19. Syllen will pull out his rope and provide it to Khessa.
“If only our current quest was not time sensitive I would love to take a few months to study such a phenomenon. As of now it might be best to continue and not risk triggering something we don't know much about. Hopefully we will not find many more cliffs we need to descend.”
Theldrin nods as he frowns, deep in thought. "I wonder though if the way we need to go isn't through the use of the Node... some type of teleportation perhaps...."
"For now, we have several openings to explore..." Khessa points out "Let's at least try those, before we think about teleporting. Especially since the Node is not 'loaded' at the moment... We have many hours at our disposal to explore a little".
Xanrym does remember the Cult of Elemental Evil that was supposedly defeated a few years ago at the Battle of Emridy Meadows would have been interested in something like this. But that cult is either completely destroyed, or so badly damaged that it no longer poses a threat.
Theldrin however, works out about what happened here. The Earth node was triggered a couple days ago, and someone arrived with it. That person then stayed here for around a day, then somehow disappeared for a bit. The boot marks of this person matches those you found up on the ledge that somehow just walked off. The boot marks then arrive back on the ground down here, the Earth Node triggers again, and the boot prints disappear.
Khessa and whoever wants to help her spend the next few hours exploring the caves around this node. Many of them end in dead ends or tight spaces after half an hour walking or so. Some of them however, especially the big ones, seem to go further into the ground. Most of these seem to have been made by strange beasts. After a few hours of this, the Earth Node starts to feel fully charged, and along with the lightning feeling that goes along with that charge, you start to feel some other strange rumblings in this cavern.
You've got the feeling the Earth Node will be charged in a few moments. What's your next moves?
Khessa smiles at Theldrin: "As always, your knowledge of the arcane arts surpasses mine, my mentor... As you predicted, it seems we should use the Node, to continue our pursuit - we must try to trigger a teleportation effect!"
If the blonde arcane warrior, in the meantime [[ OOC: perhaps thanks to the 21 rolled in Arcana ]] has got an idea of how the node should be used, she shares this with her companions and activates it.
If instead the use remains mysterious, she takes place at the center of the Node, calls all the fellow adventurers to her and suggests: "If magic is needed to activate it, let's try casting spells in here..."
After that, the tall adventurer first tries with spells that do not consume slots (for example a Cantrip, such as Blade Ward, then a Ritual, such as Comprehend Languages). If that doesn't seem to be enough, she tries casting a spell that consumes a spell slot (e.g. protection From Evil and Good).
"I think that's our path," Theldrin says humbly, "but to be honest, I really am not sure."
He knits his brow, as his frown deepens, then continues, "It's a big decision we would need to all agree upon, as we have no way of knowing what awaits for us at the destination, if it even works for us. Or if we'd ever be able to return. It would seem that our mystery person, who likely has the ability to levitate or fly, arrived here through the Node... so I would surmise we could come back through, but...."
Xanrym does remember the Cult of Elemental Evil... But that cult is either completely destroyed, or so badly damaged that it no longer poses a threat.
Since that doesn't seem to have any direct bearing on the current situation, Xanrym doesn't mention it immediately. The next time the party has a rest where he can tell stories, he'll probably mention it. "The Earth Node we found calls to mind another evil cult and their interest in that kind of nexus of elemental energy. This 'Cult of Elemental Evil' was supposedly trying to harness the focused magic of places like the Earth Node to bring forth ancient, primordial powers. But I can't imagine that they're involved here. I heard that they were defeated at the Battle of Emridy Meadows a few years ago." And then he proceeds to tell as much of the story of that battle as he can recall.
Khessa smiles at Theldrin: "As always, your knowledge of the arcane arts surpasses mine, my mentor... As you predicted, it seems we should use the Node, to continue our pursuit - we must try to trigger a teleportation effect!"
When Khessa suggests trying to trigger the Earth Node, Xanrym says, "Must we?" He sounds surprised that she reached that conclusion. Xanrym points that Theldrin said that someone arrived here when the Earth Node triggered a couple of days ago.
Theldrin however, works out about what happened here. The Earth node was triggered a couple days ago, and someone arrived with it.
Xanrym says, "We don't have to trigger the Earth Node as soon as it's changed, do we? If not, then let's allow it to remain charged for a little while. We could leave a torch burning in the middle of this chamber and then hide in the tunnels for an hour or so. Once the Earth Node recharges, perhaps the mysterious, levitating sorcerer who used it last time will use it again to come back. Maybe we could even capture and interrogate them about what happened above on the ledge." He realizes that this plan is also not without risk. What if the user of the Earth Node is also the one who turned the goblin to stone?!
Syllen ponders on Xanrym’s suggestion for a moment.
“I am definitely for activating the Node. As for Xanrym's suggestion I guess the question is do we feel that time is of the most importance. I am content with either activating the Node now or later but would lean towards activating the Note and continuing the search as soon as possible. I fear that delaying our search may lead to unfortunate consequences. That fear is not very strong but it is present.”
As the arcane energies stream toward the Earth Node, so two do a few other unwelcome guests. Out of a large cavern to the west you hear a deep song in a strange guttural dialect, it takes a few moments to realize you only hear the song in your minds. From that tunnel emerges a large rotting garbage beast, walking on all fours, with a huge mouth and three tentacles emerging from it's back. At the same time, a red mass emerges from a cavern to the south, this smaller than the Otyugh but no less terrifying. This Gibberring Mouther makes a terrible noise like a sing and scream, laugh and cry with a cacophony of voices ranging from disturbingly unnatural to shockingly familiar. It's various mouths and random linbs shamble toward you, getting louder. Finally, out of a large tunnel to the east, slithers a huge worm, with a beak on it's mouth, and even more tentacles writhing around it. It lets out a horrible shreik, and flings itself toward you all. Initiative:
Group 1: Xanrm, Coriana, Theldrin, Avery, Syllen
Group 2: Aberrations
Group 3: Khessa
Group 1 is up. The Earth Node has charged, and with that charge has brought monstrous aberrations.
(Just ignore the numbers if you want, they're on the map I assume so you can tell the different caverns apart.)
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Round 1: Xanrym
Xanrym is disturbed to realize that one of these creatures is talking directly to his mind. These aren't mere monsters: they are strange, otherworldly aberrations! He says, "They must be able to sense the power of the Earth Node." As he starts to move, he says, "Fall back toward the wall. Draw them toward us so that they're not so spread out."
Seeing Coriana rush to attack the the otyugh, he worries about The Company getting spread out or surrounded. He calls, "Bold and quick to act, Coriana!" But he thinks that the worm-like creature looks like an easier target that they could finish off faster, so he focuses on that one first. He taps his Rhythm-Maker's Drum and casts the spell that he learned from watching Liarin cast it many times.
Movement: Move 2 squares west and 4 squares north. He should end his turn basically on that square between the numbers 2 and 3 at the top of the map. Action: Cast spell Create Bonfire at the worm (the square 3 to the east of Xanrym's starting location, i.e., the top-left square occupied by the worm) The worm must make a DC 16 saving throw or take damage: 9 (fire) Bonus Action: Grant bardic inspiration to Coriana. Once within the next 1 hour when the target fails a D20 Test, they can roll a 1d8 and add the number rolled to the d20, possibly turning into a success. Free Action: Talking. Item interaction: drum.
If you're using all these ropes tied together, you find it tricky but possible to lower yourselves down the large chimney like chasm to the floor. The hollow's smooth floor is roughly circular. The air here is alive with energy and thick with the smell of developing lightning. Small and large holes puncture the walls all around, opening into a dozen or so tunnels that run off into lightlessness. Dull dust is thick at each entrance, showing no sign of disturbance. The floor below you, however, has clearly been stood on recently, with boot prints in the dust.
Those of you with magical intuitiveness notice another strangeness about this area. The arcane energy here is culminating to a point, which possibly signals this place as being an Earth Node. These incredibly rare locations absorb the arcane energy around them, and when they get to a certain point, the casting of a spell slot will unleash some magical effect. This Earth Node has been set off in the last day, and will take another 6-8 hours before it can be used again.
Khessa's blue eyes widen with fascination and wonder as she realizes she is in an Earth Node. She takes out her tome with the spiderweb-style-decorated cover and, while she explains to her companions (or at least: to those who haven't already realized it for themselves) what the place is and what it entails, she is already taking notes frantically about the place, the influences she feels, the potential it allows...
"Maybe the attackers exploited this magical energy," the blonde arcane warrior hypothesizes "when they petrified the goblin or when they managed to descend with magic. I can't wait to be able to experiment too" her eyes are now dreamy "with this influence with immense potential!"
"The only thing that I think is out of place is this smell of developing lightning" the tall adventuress muses aloud. "Lightning magic shouldn't be too earth-related... at least I think? But then again, I know very little about magical theory. Maybe the Node, even though it's an Earth Node, allows you to convert the magical energy it absorbs into any kind of spell, even a lightning-based one. What do you think, Theldrin?" she turns to the 'true' wizard of the group, the one she has learned to consider as a sort of mentor for the arcane arts...
Theldrin shares Khessa's excitement about finding an Earth Node, smiling as he says eagerly, "Oh! I've heard of these... but never seen one before... how extraordinary!"
Having switched his Light back to his staff, he holds it high, face beaming in the magical glow as he quickly moves around searching the area. Then taking a moment to catch his breath, he tunes into what he senses from the energy of the node, as well as trying to recall anything he remembers about Earth Nodes as he ponders Khessa's question.
Investigation: 21
Arcana: 8
History: 23
(OOC: the arcane mentor rolls a 1 on arcana check LOL. Also Theldrin would be looking at the footprints for clues as to what might have happened here... it sounds like they may seem to just end with no sign of an exit?)
Xanrym thanks Khessa and/or Avery for lowering him safely down. He continues to worry a bit about running out of rope, but there's not much they can do about that now.
(OOC: "Earth Node" reminded me of Princes of the Apocalypse and evil elemental cults, but I don't know whether that's related at all. @drumdigby - I rolled a check for Xanrym just in case he would know anything about cults that seek out these types of elemental nodes. Religion: 10 and History: 8 (in game log). Given those results, I doubt he knows anything about elemental nodes.)
Xanrym is fascinated. He asks the arcanists of the group, "Do you know how it works? Does any spell trigger it? Does the Earth Node empower the spell? Or does the spell just trigger some other effect? Or is it like a wild surge of unpredictable magical energy?"
Once they run out of things that people know about the Earth Node, Xanrym turns to next steps. If there are no tracks down the tunnels, should The Company just pick one and start exploring / mapping out their surroundings? Or do the others want to stop and rest here, hoping to try out the Earth Node once it recharges? (And does everyone feel safe resting here for 8 hours with a dozen tunnel openings all around them?)
"This many options we might need to make a map."
Coriana tries to recall what little formal knowledge of magics she can. Arcana: 5
Coriana - Company of the Grey Chain
Wagner - Dragon Heist: Bards.
DM - The Old Keep
OK, if by chance an Arcana check can give more information about the Node, obviously Khessa, who is actively studying it, will also give it a try... 21
Syllen reflects on his studies as a child about things like Earth Nodes. Arcane Roll: 19. Syllen will pull out his rope and provide it to Khessa.
“If only our current quest was not time sensitive I would love to take a few months to study such a phenomenon. As of now it might be best to continue and not risk triggering something we don't know much about. Hopefully we will not find many more cliffs we need to descend.”
Theldrin nods as he frowns, deep in thought. "I wonder though if the way we need to go isn't through the use of the Node... some type of teleportation perhaps...."
"For now, we have several openings to explore..." Khessa points out "Let's at least try those, before we think about teleporting. Especially since the Node is not 'loaded' at the moment... We have many hours at our disposal to explore a little".
Xanrym does remember the Cult of Elemental Evil that was supposedly defeated a few years ago at the Battle of Emridy Meadows would have been interested in something like this. But that cult is either completely destroyed, or so badly damaged that it no longer poses a threat.
Theldrin however, works out about what happened here. The Earth node was triggered a couple days ago, and someone arrived with it. That person then stayed here for around a day, then somehow disappeared for a bit. The boot marks of this person matches those you found up on the ledge that somehow just walked off. The boot marks then arrive back on the ground down here, the Earth Node triggers again, and the boot prints disappear.
Khessa and whoever wants to help her spend the next few hours exploring the caves around this node. Many of them end in dead ends or tight spaces after half an hour walking or so. Some of them however, especially the big ones, seem to go further into the ground. Most of these seem to have been made by strange beasts. After a few hours of this, the Earth Node starts to feel fully charged, and along with the lightning feeling that goes along with that charge, you start to feel some other strange rumblings in this cavern.
You've got the feeling the Earth Node will be charged in a few moments. What's your next moves?
Khessa smiles at Theldrin: "As always, your knowledge of the arcane arts surpasses mine, my mentor... As you predicted, it seems we should use the Node, to continue our pursuit - we must try to trigger a teleportation effect!"
If the blonde arcane warrior, in the meantime [[ OOC: perhaps thanks to the 21 rolled in Arcana ]] has got an idea of how the node should be used, she shares this with her companions and activates it.
If instead the use remains mysterious, she takes place at the center of the Node, calls all the fellow adventurers to her and suggests: "If magic is needed to activate it, let's try casting spells in here..."
After that, the tall adventurer first tries with spells that do not consume slots (for example a Cantrip, such as Blade Ward, then a Ritual, such as Comprehend Languages). If that doesn't seem to be enough, she tries casting a spell that consumes a spell slot (e.g. protection From Evil and Good).
"I think that's our path," Theldrin says humbly, "but to be honest, I really am not sure."
He knits his brow, as his frown deepens, then continues, "It's a big decision we would need to all agree upon, as we have no way of knowing what awaits for us at the destination, if it even works for us. Or if we'd ever be able to return. It would seem that our mystery person, who likely has the ability to levitate or fly, arrived here through the Node... so I would surmise we could come back through, but...."
With a smirk, Coriana says, "I'm willing to roll the dice, but I'll stick with the group if most of us want to not risk it."
Coriana - Company of the Grey Chain
Wagner - Dragon Heist: Bards.
DM - The Old Keep
Since that doesn't seem to have any direct bearing on the current situation, Xanrym doesn't mention it immediately. The next time the party has a rest where he can tell stories, he'll probably mention it. "The Earth Node we found calls to mind another evil cult and their interest in that kind of nexus of elemental energy. This 'Cult of Elemental Evil' was supposedly trying to harness the focused magic of places like the Earth Node to bring forth ancient, primordial powers. But I can't imagine that they're involved here. I heard that they were defeated at the Battle of Emridy Meadows a few years ago." And then he proceeds to tell as much of the story of that battle as he can recall.
When Khessa suggests trying to trigger the Earth Node, Xanrym says, "Must we?" He sounds surprised that she reached that conclusion. Xanrym points that Theldrin said that someone arrived here when the Earth Node triggered a couple of days ago.
Xanrym says, "We don't have to trigger the Earth Node as soon as it's changed, do we? If not, then let's allow it to remain charged for a little while. We could leave a torch burning in the middle of this chamber and then hide in the tunnels for an hour or so. Once the Earth Node recharges, perhaps the mysterious, levitating sorcerer who used it last time will use it again to come back. Maybe we could even capture and interrogate them about what happened above on the ledge." He realizes that this plan is also not without risk. What if the user of the Earth Node is also the one who turned the goblin to stone?!
Syllen ponders on Xanrym’s suggestion for a moment.
“I am definitely for activating the Node. As for Xanrym's suggestion I guess the question is do we feel that time is of the most importance. I am content with either activating the Node now or later but would lean towards activating the Note and continuing the search as soon as possible. I fear that delaying our search may lead to unfortunate consequences. That fear is not very strong but it is present.”
As the arcane energies stream toward the Earth Node, so two do a few other unwelcome guests. Out of a large cavern to the west you hear a deep song in a strange guttural dialect, it takes a few moments to realize you only hear the song in your minds. From that tunnel emerges a large rotting garbage beast, walking on all fours, with a huge mouth and three tentacles emerging from it's back. At the same time, a red mass emerges from a cavern to the south, this smaller than the Otyugh but no less terrifying. This Gibberring Mouther makes a terrible noise like a sing and scream, laugh and cry with a cacophony of voices ranging from disturbingly unnatural to shockingly familiar. It's various mouths and random linbs shamble toward you, getting louder. Finally, out of a large tunnel to the east, slithers a huge worm, with a beak on it's mouth, and even more tentacles writhing around it. It lets out a horrible shreik, and flings itself toward you all. Initiative:
Group 1: Xanrm, Coriana, Theldrin, Avery, Syllen
Group 2: Aberrations
Group 3: Khessa
Group 1 is up. The Earth Node has charged, and with that charge has brought monstrous aberrations.
(Just ignore the numbers if you want, they're on the map I assume so you can tell the different caverns apart.)
"Gods, what a smell," yells Coriana as she strides over to the otyugh.
Bonus: Hex (vs. Strength)
Longsword: AC 16; 7 slashing, 5 necrotic(Hex)
Longsword: Rolled a 1.
She makes a solid blow then her next strike goes comically wide.
Concentration: Hex (8 hours)
Coriana - Company of the Grey Chain
Wagner - Dragon Heist: Bards.
DM - The Old Keep
Round 1: Xanrym
Xanrym is disturbed to realize that one of these creatures is talking directly to his mind. These aren't mere monsters: they are strange, otherworldly aberrations! He says, "They must be able to sense the power of the Earth Node." As he starts to move, he says, "Fall back toward the wall. Draw them toward us so that they're not so spread out."
Seeing Coriana rush to attack the the otyugh, he worries about The Company getting spread out or surrounded. He calls, "Bold and quick to act, Coriana!" But he thinks that the worm-like creature looks like an easier target that they could finish off faster, so he focuses on that one first. He taps his Rhythm-Maker's Drum and casts the spell that he learned from watching Liarin cast it many times.
Movement: Move 2 squares west and 4 squares north. He should end his turn basically on that square between the numbers 2 and 3 at the top of the map.
Action: Cast spell Create Bonfire at the worm (the square 3 to the east of Xanrym's starting location, i.e., the top-left square occupied by the worm)
The worm must make a DC 16 saving throw or take damage: 9 (fire)
Bonus Action: Grant bardic inspiration to Coriana.
Once within the next 1 hour when the target fails a D20 Test, they can roll a 1d8 and add the number rolled to the d20, possibly turning into a success.
Free Action: Talking. Item interaction: drum.