Xanrym says, "Greetings, Zgotar!", with a slight bow. He stalls, talking while he thinks, "You speak the truth. We return to you victorious, having defeated the naga, Explicita Defilus, and overthrown her cult. As planned, we have returned here for the treasure you guard and to release you from this subterranean lair. We have the crystal you spoke of, but we have never destroyed a crystal like this before. Does that require some magic ritual? Or just a really big hammer?"
(OOC: I'm sure that the party discussed what to do here in between gathering the mayor and returning to Zgotar's chamber. IIRC, we still plan to release the slaad, but we want to make sure that it doesn't just immediately attack us, right?)
Theldrin finds it hard to get a read on Zgotar. Zgotar responds to Xanrym, "You can simply break the crystal, which you would have discovered if you'd tried. You may do so now, as we have agreed." He looks at you calmly.
(OOC: The Slaad did agree to leave you all unharmed if you destroyed the control crystal.)
Theldrin finds it hard to get a read on Zgotar. Zgotar responds to Xanrym, "You can simply break the crystal, which you would have discovered if you'd tried. You may do so now, as we have agreed." He looks at you calmly.
(OOC: The Slaad did agree to leave you all unharmed if you destroyed the control crystal.)
(OOC: Thanks for the reminder! Xanrym is probably paranoid since he has read stories of wizards making deals with entities from other planes, and it almost always ends badly for the wizard! Xanrym doesn't know anything about the slaadi, but if anyone knew that they were aligned more with the forces of chaos, he would be worried about whether we can trust a slaad to keep its word. Finally, Zgotar said that they would simply leave if we broke the crystal, but they didn't actually say that they wouldn't harm us.)
Xanrym nods to Avery. He gestures for whomever was carrying the crystal to get it out while he responds to Zgotar: "We have been delayed in dealing with the crystal. We only found it after we killed the naga. Did you know that the naga was was the 'consort of the Undying King'? Have you heard that title before? Do you know who it refers to?"
After Zgotar responds to that question, Xanrym continues, "As I said, we haven't had much time to think about the crystal. One of our friends died in the fight with the cult, and we had to give some thought to ensuring that we and our other charges escaped this place alive. We have a horse and some other people who are under our protection. They are at the top of the stairs, just outside this dungeon. You must understand that we would not abandon those who depend on us. Before we break the crystal," he points to the slaad's control gem, "you must promise simply to leave this place and to neither harm or nor hinder those under our protection, which includes the four of us", gesturing to himself, Avery, Liarin, and Theldrin, "and those people and the horse who are currently within 100 feet of the exit at the top of the stairs that lead out of this dungeon."
Xanrym doesn't know no magic that can control or bind Zgotar to this agreement, but he hopes that the slaad respects the terms of the deal anyway. He hopes that he covered all of the key points and that Zgotar will leave them alone and not cause any mischief for the group, at least not until they successfully return the mayor and the children back to Orlane.
If needed: Persuasion23 (using Silver Tongue feature)
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
(OOC: Assuming that the slaad agrees not to harm us, Heckle, nor the Orlaners outside, Xanrym gives Avery the go-ahead to whack the control gem. IIRC, Nithrissa actually took Avery's greatsword as her payment for helping us against the naga, but I guess Avery could pick up the greatsword that Benn used in our fight earlier. That's very near our current location.
Similarly, Xanrym will pick up Jarvis's scimitar. Xanrym doesn't expect that there's much he can do to break the crystal himself, but if Avery isn't able to break it, Xanrym will try using True Strike with the scimitar.)
Action: Cast a spell True Strike to attack the control gem with Scimitar: 21, Damage: 6 (radiant)
Theldrin feels conflicted about setting the Slaad free, but his curiosity about the potential magic items in the treasure hoard it's guarding continues to get the best of him. He takes a slow but subtle deep breath as he takes a step back and watches the proceedings.
Zgotar smiles when he hears the name Undying King, then his voice enters your mind again, "Yes she seems to love her King doesn't she? I have no idea who she referred to, but whoever could gain the loyalty of a creature of her power must be powerful indeed." He thinks about your offer, "I can make the promise not to attack you or your friends now, but I cannot promise we won't battle in the future. That is the only deal I can offer."
Assuming you break the crystal, Zgotar looks at his hands and smiles. He then nods to you all and exits the room, heading for the entrance of the dungeon. All you see now in the pool is a column in the middle of the room, and a muddy shelf in the north end that leads from the roof to about 3ft into the pool.
Xanrym accepts the deal. If they ever have to battle Zgotar, hopefully it won't be soon, and they will have amassed enough power to handle such an opponent.
Xanrym makes his way to the muddy shelf on the north end of the room. The slaad indicated that it was guarding treasure, so he assumes that there must be a door or perhaps a buried chest. He'll search the muddy shelf, hopefully with a +1 boost if Liarin will provide Guidance.
(OOC: Not sure whether I understood the description. It sounds like the water is a few feet deep and runs right to the wall, but there's an earthen "shelf" above the water level. From the water, I guess it looks like an alcove carved into the wall on the north side. Or maybe a little island built out from the north wall and jutting into the water-filled room.)
You notice that the shelf at the north end of the wall is somewhat loose, and when you dig away at the dirt for a while it reveals a hole underneath. Within that hole is a large chest filled with gold, gems, and many interesting magic items. All up you find:
You notice that the shelf at the north end of the wall is somewhat loose, and when you dig away at the dirt for a while it reveals a hole underneath. Within that hole is a large chest filled with gold, gems, and many interesting magic items.
Xanrym calls over Avery, at least, for assistance in carrying the chest out of the room without getting everything wet. He says, "It seems that the red slaad spoke true! There's a small treasure here. A half-dozen potions and other jewelry or enchanted items to examine! Let us take this chest out of the dungeon and affix it to Heckle's saddle. We can divide up some of the gold into our packs now that we've eaten half of our rations. We can examine the treasure and magic items during the long journey back to Orlane. Now, we should probably make haste to get away from here before the troglodytes return with reinforcements!"
Next steps would be to carry the chest up the stairs and out of the dungeon. Hopefully, Mayor Ormond and the two children are still safe there, and there are no other enemies in sight yet.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
You carry the chest up the stairs where you find Mayor Ormond and the two children waiting for you with Heckle. You somehow fix Toska to the the horse and make off back towards Orlane through the Rushmoors. You'll need to make camp within the Rushmoors for the evening, but are able to get a few miles away from the dungeon before everyone needs to sleep. you set up your sleeping rolls and make accommodations for your companions and spend another night in the swamp. Random Encounter roll, with an encounter on a 1: 4
During the night, you wake up in the middle of the night to a screech in the sky. As your eyes adjust you see the unmistakable image of a winged lizard in the sky. You have only a moment to prepare, Mayor Ormond grabs the two children and throws them into some bushes near you and then jumps in himself. A Black Dragon the size of a large man comes hurtling at you from the sky. Initiative:
Group 1: You all.
Group 2: Black Dragon
You all are up. The Black Dragon is currently 60ft away and flying in fast.
(OOC: By the time we encounter the dragon, we haven't finished a Long Rest, but have we finished a Short Rest? I'm just curious whether we've had time to figure out what the rings, horn, and boots do and possibly attune to them. And also to test the potions. Normally, not a big deal, but I guess that one of those items might prove useful against a cranky Black Dragon!)
(OOC: @drumdigby - I also don't know what Xanrym would know about black dragons. I assume that he can figure out that a dragon "the size of a large man" is a fairly young dragon, but I don't know whether he knows about its breath weapon or anything else.)
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Round 1: Xanrym
Assuming that we haven't had time to attune to any of the new items, Xanrym will roll out of his bedroll and grab his gear as he gasps, "A dragon?! Scatter!" He looks to Liarin and says, "We need you to be Nature's champion. Stand against this monster and draw it to the ground." He makes no attempt to attack the dragon, looking first for a place to hide that's at least 30-ft away from both Avery and Theldrin.
Movement: Up to 30-ft to find a hiding place. Bonus Action: Grant bardic inspiration to Liarin. Action: Hide - Stealth: 12 Free Action: Grabbing his gear.
Inspiration: Liarin has bardic inspiration. Shen can roll 1d6 once (in the next 10 mins) and add the number to one ability check, attack roll, or saving throw.
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Theldrin eyes the Slaad curiously, trying not to look suspicious as he tries to get a sense of the creature's intentions.
Insight: 19
Xanrym says, "Greetings, Zgotar!", with a slight bow. He stalls, talking while he thinks, "You speak the truth. We return to you victorious, having defeated the naga, Explicita Defilus, and overthrown her cult. As planned, we have returned here for the treasure you guard and to release you from this subterranean lair. We have the crystal you spoke of, but we have never destroyed a crystal like this before. Does that require some magic ritual? Or just a really big hammer?"
(OOC: I'm sure that the party discussed what to do here in between gathering the mayor and returning to Zgotar's chamber. IIRC, we still plan to release the slaad, but we want to make sure that it doesn't just immediately attack us, right?)
Theldrin finds it hard to get a read on Zgotar. Zgotar responds to Xanrym, "You can simply break the crystal, which you would have discovered if you'd tried. You may do so now, as we have agreed." He looks at you calmly.
(OOC: The Slaad did agree to leave you all unharmed if you destroyed the control crystal.)
Avery nods to go ahead, "We made an accord with it, we need to honor it."
(OOC: Thanks for the reminder! Xanrym is probably paranoid since he has read stories of wizards making deals with entities from other planes, and it almost always ends badly for the wizard! Xanrym doesn't know anything about the slaadi, but if anyone knew that they were aligned more with the forces of chaos, he would be worried about whether we can trust a slaad to keep its word. Finally, Zgotar said that they would simply leave if we broke the crystal, but they didn't actually say that they wouldn't harm us.)
Xanrym nods to Avery. He gestures for whomever was carrying the crystal to get it out while he responds to Zgotar: "We have been delayed in dealing with the crystal. We only found it after we killed the naga. Did you know that the naga was was the 'consort of the Undying King'? Have you heard that title before? Do you know who it refers to?"
After Zgotar responds to that question, Xanrym continues, "As I said, we haven't had much time to think about the crystal. One of our friends died in the fight with the cult, and we had to give some thought to ensuring that we and our other charges escaped this place alive. We have a horse and some other people who are under our protection. They are at the top of the stairs, just outside this dungeon. You must understand that we would not abandon those who depend on us. Before we break the crystal," he points to the slaad's control gem, "you must promise simply to leave this place and to neither harm or nor hinder those under our protection, which includes the four of us", gesturing to himself, Avery, Liarin, and Theldrin, "and those people and the horse who are currently within 100 feet of the exit at the top of the stairs that lead out of this dungeon."
Xanrym doesn't know no magic that can control or bind Zgotar to this agreement, but he hopes that the slaad respects the terms of the deal anyway. He hopes that he covered all of the key points and that Zgotar will leave them alone and not cause any mischief for the group, at least not until they successfully return the mayor and the children back to Orlane.
If needed: Persuasion 23 (using Silver Tongue feature)
(OOC: Assuming that the slaad agrees not to harm us, Heckle, nor the Orlaners outside, Xanrym gives Avery the go-ahead to whack the control gem. IIRC, Nithrissa actually took Avery's greatsword as her payment for helping us against the naga, but I guess Avery could pick up the greatsword that Benn used in our fight earlier. That's very near our current location.
Similarly, Xanrym will pick up Jarvis's scimitar. Xanrym doesn't expect that there's much he can do to break the crystal himself, but if Avery isn't able to break it, Xanrym will try using True Strike with the scimitar.)
Action: Cast a spell True Strike to attack the control gem with
Scimitar: 21, Damage: 6 (radiant)
Theldrin feels conflicted about setting the Slaad free, but his curiosity about the potential magic items in the treasure hoard it's guarding continues to get the best of him. He takes a slow but subtle deep breath as he takes a step back and watches the proceedings.
Zgotar smiles when he hears the name Undying King, then his voice enters your mind again, "Yes she seems to love her King doesn't she? I have no idea who she referred to, but whoever could gain the loyalty of a creature of her power must be powerful indeed." He thinks about your offer, "I can make the promise not to attack you or your friends now, but I cannot promise we won't battle in the future. That is the only deal I can offer."
Assuming you break the crystal, Zgotar looks at his hands and smiles. He then nods to you all and exits the room, heading for the entrance of the dungeon. All you see now in the pool is a column in the middle of the room, and a muddy shelf in the north end that leads from the roof to about 3ft into the pool.
Xanrym accepts the deal. If they ever have to battle Zgotar, hopefully it won't be soon, and they will have amassed enough power to handle such an opponent.
Xanrym makes his way to the muddy shelf on the north end of the room. The slaad indicated that it was guarding treasure, so he assumes that there must be a door or perhaps a buried chest. He'll search the muddy shelf, hopefully with a +1 boost if Liarin will provide Guidance.
Investigation: 20
(OOC: Not sure whether I understood the description. It sounds like the water is a few feet deep and runs right to the wall, but there's an earthen "shelf" above the water level. From the water, I guess it looks like an alcove carved into the wall on the north side. Or maybe a little island built out from the north wall and jutting into the water-filled room.)
(OOC: Heh. Glad to get a good roll here! I was afraid that we'd go through all of this and then fail to find the treasure that Zgotar was guarding.)
You notice that the shelf at the north end of the wall is somewhat loose, and when you dig away at the dirt for a while it reveals a hole underneath. Within that hole is a large chest filled with gold, gems, and many interesting magic items. All up you find:
612gp in gold and gems
2 Potion of Healing
4 other different Potions that you've never seen before
3 Spell Scrolls of Slow Stinking Cloud and Detect Magic
2 Rings
A very fine elven made pair of Boots
A bent Horn with silver plating on the cone and mouth pieces.
Xanrym calls over Avery, at least, for assistance in carrying the chest out of the room without getting everything wet. He says, "It seems that the red slaad spoke true! There's a small treasure here. A half-dozen potions and other jewelry or enchanted items to examine! Let us take this chest out of the dungeon and affix it to Heckle's saddle. We can divide up some of the gold into our packs now that we've eaten half of our rations. We can examine the treasure and magic items during the long journey back to Orlane. Now, we should probably make haste to get away from here before the troglodytes return with reinforcements!"
Next steps would be to carry the chest up the stairs and out of the dungeon. Hopefully, Mayor Ormond and the two children are still safe there, and there are no other enemies in sight yet.
You carry the chest up the stairs where you find Mayor Ormond and the two children waiting for you with Heckle. You somehow fix Toska to the the horse and make off back towards Orlane through the Rushmoors. You'll need to make camp within the Rushmoors for the evening, but are able to get a few miles away from the dungeon before everyone needs to sleep. you set up your sleeping rolls and make accommodations for your companions and spend another night in the swamp. Random Encounter roll, with an encounter on a 1: 4
Oh boy, i'm so sorry.
During the night, you wake up in the middle of the night to a screech in the sky. As your eyes adjust you see the unmistakable image of a winged lizard in the sky. You have only a moment to prepare, Mayor Ormond grabs the two children and throws them into some bushes near you and then jumps in himself. A Black Dragon the size of a large man comes hurtling at you from the sky. Initiative:
Group 1: You all.
Group 2: Black Dragon
You all are up. The Black Dragon is currently 60ft away and flying in fast.
Avery takes position behind a tree, expecting a breath attack
(OOC: By the time we encounter the dragon, we haven't finished a Long Rest, but have we finished a Short Rest? I'm just curious whether we've had time to figure out what the rings, horn, and boots do and possibly attune to them. And also to test the potions. Normally, not a big deal, but I guess that one of those items might prove useful against a cranky Black Dragon!)
(OOC: Yes, would be good to know for sure... Theldrin is also out of spell slots if we haven't had a Long Rest yet)
Theldrin will aim a Fire Bolt at the incoming dragon, then take cover behind a tree in the opposite direction that Avery went.
Attack: 17 Damage: 5
(OOC: @drumdigby - I also don't know what Xanrym would know about black dragons. I assume that he can figure out that a dragon "the size of a large man" is a fairly young dragon, but I don't know whether he knows about its breath weapon or anything else.)
Xanrym - Nature: 14
Round 1: Xanrym
Assuming that we haven't had time to attune to any of the new items, Xanrym will roll out of his bedroll and grab his gear as he gasps, "A dragon?! Scatter!" He looks to Liarin and says, "We need you to be Nature's champion. Stand against this monster and draw it to the ground." He makes no attempt to attack the dragon, looking first for a place to hide that's at least 30-ft away from both Avery and Theldrin.
Movement: Up to 30-ft to find a hiding place.
Bonus Action: Grant bardic inspiration to Liarin.
Action: Hide - Stealth: 12
Free Action: Grabbing his gear.
Inspiration: Liarin has bardic inspiration. Shen can roll 1d6 once (in the next 10 mins) and add the number to one ability check, attack roll, or saving throw.