Lelantus manages to keep his footing on the downward slide, but doesn't quite stick the landing. Thick biled water rises up, soaking his clothes and sticking to his skin. The surface water is clean enough, but as he lands, it stirs the rotten sediment below, a noxious stench bubbing up from below. [Lelantus Con Save]
Amidst Asher's disdain and disgust, Sceilie points out a nearby shore of sucking mud about 20 feet away. It appears to stretch along the extent of the swamp, but other paths are largely blocked by twisted mangroves and what appear to be strange bony roots adorned with black vines. It almost seems like the swamp itself is one long tunnel, a path of grotesque and rot, interrupted only by thick muck and biting insect. Surely that's all...
The choking fumes are enough to gag the halfling, leaving him coughing and heaving. Strings of spittle drip from his lips as he keeps gagging. After a moment's discomfort, his stomach settles. Of course that now exposes a clear issue with this bog. One wrong step, one overzealous stride, and the resulting fumes are enough to stun even seasoned adventurers. They must proceed with caution.
Korbiña fetches the water-compass from her backpack, that she just now remembers, hoping that it will work properly. It would all be a bit eadier if direction could be determined.
"Lelantus? Do you need help? I believe the is a path or something close to here. Can you make it back? Or do you need help?"
Korbiña is now extemely happy for her staff, which she uses to poke out the area of muck in front of herself and Sceilie before she takes a step towards that 'shore' that Sceilie indicated, but fist waits for Lelantus...
Her compass indeed helps, as it appears that the swamp is leading everyone due east, though it also reveals something curious: the swamp is at a slight decline. Yet the water doesn't run; it's still, stagnant.
[If Lelantus rolls Perception, he does so at disadvantage. That nasty fit has left his eyes red and watery.]
Quartz has offered a leg up to the shorter party members. Anyone interested?
Whatever Lelantus tries to see, even with Quartz's offered height, is largely obscured by his watering eyes. The party moves -- slowly -- for the muddy shore. Korbiña's staff tactic proves valuable for traversing the fetid waters. When the shore is reached, everyone is understandably tired, having been moving nonstop since leaving the village. Their clothes are wet and grimy, slime and muck has seeped into very unpleasant personal places. If the only the shore could provide relief. But as Korbiña's boot sinks deep in the gelatinous black mud, well beyond her ankle, it's quite clear no relief is to be found. Poor Lelantus, for he would surely sink deeper.
Korbiña sighs and has one hand firmly around Sceikie's hand, squeezing reassuringly. She kisses the pink dragonborn's cheek abd whispers a thank you in her ear for her support in spotting things. "Sceilie, hiw are you doing with the depth of the mud? Maybe Quartz would be a good option for you?" ...then she generally addresses everyone "Let's hope we find some drier place soon... I don't have much energy left, but will press on until we find at least a place that we will not sink into..." she laughs a little with genuine cheeriness shining through her exhaustion.
Quartz, despite knowing they'll ignore him, pleads with the biting insects to leave them alone. "I know you're hungry, but surely there's something else you can go feed on."
"Speech of beast and leaf". The bugs do understand him.
The bugs do understand him, but do not seem to care. Instead, it appears more are drawn to the large blue bloodsack begging for amnesty, at the very least giving the rest of the party some reprieve from their incessant high pitched buzzing and sharp itching bites. A well-placed slap should kill most of them, though one would need to time it right.
[Quartz, Sleight of Hand or Survival to give your team some relief from the bugs]
Korbiña feels that her not quite mortal skin is a little protection from the gnats, bugs and mosquitoes, but still everything is wet... mucky... and worst of all there seem to be some mutated beasts whose bite even penetrate her tough skin, making her itch and sore in places she does not want to think about...
... so she gnashes her teeth, looks as gently as possible at Sceilie, kissing her snoot tenderly, and continues to poke her staff in front on what seems to be a more firm path along the swamp... in hopes to find a drier place some time soon, so they can all rest...
The big man waits for the perfect moment, wretched vermin swarming about in a bloody frenzy. He'll know the moment when he sees it. He looks to the others and see they fare only moderately better. Korbiña is occupying herself in her intimate affections for Sceilie, who herself seems dazed, Asher is busy checking his books for water damage, and Lelantus is taking vain swipes at the larger flies that meander his way. So long as he can get some of the large– NOW!!
He brings his hands together where the swarm's at its tightest, flesh clapping with such force as to invoke the thought of a whip cracking. The rest of the insects scatter from the shock of his hands coming together, leaving only a scant few mosquitoes to harass the party as a whole. When the firbolg opens his hands, he finds an ichorous mass of twitching red and black invertebrate offal smeared across his palms. [Free meal, if your taste in grubs are anything to go by]
Lelantus acrobatics 12
Asher looks around them at the swampy landscape "full of disease and filthy ,and worst of all my books could get wet"
"We could try to avoid the swamp... not sure we can do that, but at least we could try"
Korbiña looks around for any sign of more rocky terrain or higher ground...
Lelantus manages to keep his footing on the downward slide, but doesn't quite stick the landing. Thick biled water rises up, soaking his clothes and sticking to his skin. The surface water is clean enough, but as he lands, it stirs the rotten sediment below, a noxious stench bubbing up from below. [Lelantus Con Save]
Amidst Asher's disdain and disgust, Sceilie points out a nearby shore of sucking mud about 20 feet away. It appears to stretch along the extent of the swamp, but other paths are largely blocked by twisted mangroves and what appear to be strange bony roots adorned with black vines. It almost seems like the swamp itself is one long tunnel, a path of grotesque and rot, interrupted only by thick muck and biting insect. Surely that's all...
7
The choking fumes are enough to gag the halfling, leaving him coughing and heaving. Strings of spittle drip from his lips as he keeps gagging. After a moment's discomfort, his stomach settles. Of course that now exposes a clear issue with this bog. One wrong step, one overzealous stride, and the resulting fumes are enough to stun even seasoned adventurers. They must proceed with caution.
[Lelantus takes 1 Point Poison Damage]
Lelantus will scope out the new place
Korbiña fetches the water-compass from her backpack, that she just now remembers, hoping that it will work properly. It would all be a bit eadier if direction could be determined.
"Lelantus? Do you need help? I believe the is a path or something close to here. Can you make it back? Or do you need help?"
Korbiña is now extemely happy for her staff, which she uses to poke out the area of muck in front of herself and Sceilie before she takes a step towards that 'shore' that Sceilie indicated, but fist waits for Lelantus...
Her compass indeed helps, as it appears that the swamp is leading everyone due east, though it also reveals something curious: the swamp is at a slight decline. Yet the water doesn't run; it's still, stagnant.
[If Lelantus rolls Perception, he does so at disadvantage. That nasty fit has left his eyes red and watery.]
Quartz has offered a leg up to the shorter party members. Anyone interested?
*mechanically, could the height gain 'help' a perception check?
11...and 2
[It certainly could]
[...but apparently, it doesn't.]
Whatever Lelantus tries to see, even with Quartz's offered height, is largely obscured by his watering eyes. The party moves -- slowly -- for the muddy shore. Korbiña's staff tactic proves valuable for traversing the fetid waters. When the shore is reached, everyone is understandably tired, having been moving nonstop since leaving the village. Their clothes are wet and grimy, slime and muck has seeped into very unpleasant personal places. If the only the shore could provide relief. But as Korbiña's boot sinks deep in the gelatinous black mud, well beyond her ankle, it's quite clear no relief is to be found. Poor Lelantus, for he would surely sink deeper.
[Difficult Terrain Rules are in effect.]
Korbiña sighs and has one hand firmly around Sceikie's hand, squeezing reassuringly. She kisses the pink dragonborn's cheek abd whispers a thank you in her ear for her support in spotting things. "Sceilie, hiw are you doing with the depth of the mud? Maybe Quartz would be a good option for you?" ...then she generally addresses everyone "Let's hope we find some drier place soon... I don't have much energy left, but will press on until we find at least a place that we will not sink into..." she laughs a little with genuine cheeriness shining through her exhaustion.
Quartz, despite knowing they'll ignore him, pleads with the biting insects to leave them alone. "I know you're hungry, but surely there's something else you can go feed on."
"Speech of beast and leaf". The bugs do understand him.
Persuasion 8
The bugs do understand him, but do not seem to care. Instead, it appears more are drawn to the large blue bloodsack begging for amnesty, at the very least giving the rest of the party some reprieve from their incessant high pitched buzzing and sharp itching bites. A well-placed slap should kill most of them, though one would need to time it right.
[Quartz, Sleight of Hand or Survival to give your team some relief from the bugs]
Korbiña feels that her not quite mortal skin is a little protection from the gnats, bugs and mosquitoes, but still everything is wet... mucky... and worst of all there seem to be some mutated beasts whose bite even penetrate her tough skin, making her itch and sore in places she does not want to think about...
... so she gnashes her teeth, looks as gently as possible at Sceilie, kissing her snoot tenderly, and continues to poke her staff in front on what seems to be a more firm path along the swamp... in hopes to find a drier place some time soon, so they can all rest...
Quartz survival (bugslapper): 21
The big man waits for the perfect moment, wretched vermin swarming about in a bloody frenzy. He'll know the moment when he sees it. He looks to the others and see they fare only moderately better. Korbiña is occupying herself in her intimate affections for Sceilie, who herself seems dazed, Asher is busy checking his books for water damage, and Lelantus is taking vain swipes at the larger flies that meander his way. So long as he can get some of the large– NOW!!
He brings his hands together where the swarm's at its tightest, flesh clapping with such force as to invoke the thought of a whip cracking. The rest of the insects scatter from the shock of his hands coming together, leaving only a scant few mosquitoes to harass the party as a whole. When the firbolg opens his hands, he finds an ichorous mass of twitching red and black invertebrate offal smeared across his palms. [Free meal, if your taste in grubs are anything to go by]
Quartz will pass. These bloodsuckers have been feeding on humanoid and therefore are definitely not on the menu for big blue.