This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Though Jolly nods in acceptance, he does take a brief moment to retrace and intone a short excerpt -- something about 'walking beyond' and 'her footsteps' -- in prayer before actually moving into position. Whereas the first is given mostly only a cursory look and whispered back description as bade by Vrak, at the second he will go the extra mile of trying to listen in if no traps grab his attention first.
Slem, Morfinnion, and Faren nod to Vrak and head out to follow his directions while Jolly goes and checks the door to the north. It is unlocked and he does not hear anything coming from the other side of the doorway. There is a bar to pull the door open.
While Jolly is listening to the door to the north he begins to hear what sounds like some beautiful music coming from the door to the south. That music seems so out of place. And you can tell it is being done live. It sounds like someone or something is whistling.
Jolly looks back, quirks a brow at the other door, and then turns to Vrak and others with the same questioning look. Assuming Vrak still intends to follow through with the plan, Jolly will step aside (partway back the way they came) for the others to shuffle forward while he transfers light of his goddess temporarily to his shield before holding it high.
He shakes the staff in his other hand sharply, and utters the word, "Shillelagh", causing the runes to come to life. As a dull, green light spills forth from the staff, it rapidly reshapes itself into the loose form of a club, the runes 'shifting' to accommodate the new form.
Preparations done, he'll nod to whoever at the door to proceed whenever ready.
Naivara holds onto the dagger, putting it with her stuff quickly before she walks out of the room with the others. She listens to Vrak, watching the three newcomers follow his orders with ease. She moves a hand to the handle of her [item[Greataxe[/item] as Jolly lightens up the area. She moves forward and places her hand on the handle, ready to open the door and glances back at Vrak to receive confirmation on whether or not to open it at the moment.
Vrak tightens the grip on his shield. This was his call and he would lead the way. Thoughts of some strange Yuan-ti ceremony flitted across his thoughts but he quickly set them aside. He had no idea what he was going to find behind this door, but he was Dragonborn, he would handle it.
He waited a moment and felt the time right, the other three should be in position now. Looking the others in the eye he quietly said " Ready? Let's do this".
And with that he pulled the door leading to the south, the room the music came from, open and stepped in. Making room for the others to follow behind him he moved to the right, sword ready, eyes sweeping around the room.
Upon entering the room, it is hard to note the direction the tune is coming from until Fae-Selu looks up and staring at Vrak are a pair of deep green eyes. There is a rattle, as Fae-Selu moves demonstrating the chain holding him. The whisting then changes, upon hearing it, one would think they hear expressions of excitement and relief in the tones.
Standing next to the large golem like creature and in neck deep water is a somewhat bedraggled very wet looking halfling. The halfling says, holding his head up so he doesn’t get a mouthful of the murky water, “my name is Pequeno y Travesio and I hail from Port Nyanzaru. I’m hoping you can help me out of here because I’ve been standing in this water for at least three days now” and spitting into the water he continues “and it’s not a beauty treatment I’d recommend to anybody!” He continues “this fellow over here”, he says pointing to the golem like creature as best he can given the shackles on his wrists “is half plant and he is probably OK with it but Pequeno y Travesio is not!”
Vrak looked at the pair before him. He had always thought that Jolly was half plant with his green skin and seeming kinship with every plant they came across. By the light Jolly had actually slept in a tree the night the su-monsters attacked! But this, whatever it was that stood before him, really was actually half plant, or sure looked it. Amazing!
And the other, the one that spoke. He looked in the direction of the voice and saw nothing until it kept speaking and his gaze looked down, then down some more. A halfling stuck in what appeared to be a puddle of water. What a strange sight!
"Zee, do you know this little one who says he is from the Port? "
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Jolly does his best to listen in to the exchanges. But given the fact that at least most had piled into the room without issuing battle cries -- nay, even found more bedraggled spirits -- he thought it best to guard their back from the doorframe, shield and magical club at the ready, and back to the room. No mean, 'ol Yuan-ti were gonna get the drop on his friends on his watch! To that end, he'll take up a defensive posture, and keep his eyes peeled in the hallway, warily chanting, "Warily. Warily. Warily we watched. Our Mother's Sons. Our Mother's Daughters. Seeking not her praise or glory, but to keep life's story going."
If necessary/possible:
Dodge-ing and perceiving. Though if only one can be taken, then just the perception check.
Pequeno looks up at Zee and further still to Vrak and then further again to Jolly thinking to himself "¡Órale! they're big"and then says "Zee how good to see you, I am a trifle damp so if you can do something about it, I would be very grateful!" He continues "please introduce your non-vertically challenged friends for I" he says standing up as a tall as he can "Pequeno y Travesio would like to know with whom he speaks!"
Zee points to the various party members and introduces them, "Vrak, Naivara, Jolly, and Zubeki. And this charming little guy already introduced himself. Whose your friend and how did you wind up here?"
Zee looks around the room. The room is forty by thirty with that strange green stone going around what looks like a bath that is five feet deep but the murky water is only about a foot and a half deep. You could swear you see the water ripple from time to time as if something is swimming underneath the surface.
There are chains that come out of the wall attached to collars around the prisoners necks that loop down and attach to manacles around their wrists before the chain goes under the water as well, most likely chaining their feet.
Perhaps it was the confusion of the scene before him, being not Yuan-ti engaged in some strange ritual. Then again maybe it is, they had not fully investigated yet, but Vrak realized that the three sent to come in the other door never did.
"Where did the others go? They were supposed to come in the other door. We will need to go look for them. But I suppose we should help these two first. "
Vrak looks to the two trapped.
"So what's going on here, how did you get in this predicament and what do we need to do to get you out of it?"
Vrak looks to the two trapped. "So what's going on here, how did you get in this predicament and what do we need to do to get you out of it?"
“Well Sir, my tall friend here and I were part of an expedition mounted by Port Nyanzaru’s merchant elite in search of whomever or whatever is causing this La maldición de la muerte or the Death curse as it is sometimes known” Pequeno says. He spits and says “but did the Merchant Princes join the expedition, oh no they just made it known to me it was in my best interest to join the expedition'" at this point he just smiles at Zee. He then goes on to say “as for my tall friend here, I understand his patrons/creators tasked him with a similar mission.”
He draws breath and says “anyway to cut a long story short, the expedition was ambushed by 18 humans with blue triangles on their foreheads, which means they were followers of Ras Nsi - the Yuan-Ti leader, and that’s all I remember until I work up here, up to neck in this mierda 3 days ago.” But wait there’s more, Pequeno continues “as to getting out of here that is easy, I could pick these locks if you could pass me a dagger or some such, but don’t come to close to the water as I have occasionally felt something brush against me.”
Zubeki's eyes have been closed through all of Pequeno's story as if he was half asleep. The noise he's making isn't a snore but the soft mumbles of his ritual casting, and as it ends he softly claps. Brushing past his robes, a dagger is lifted out of Zubeki's pocket, it is half of a long pair of sheers used to cut large swaths of cloth. It has been repurposed and sharpened for combat and cutting now after it broke. It plunges in the water as the ungraceful unseen servant places it in Pequeno's hands.
Pequeno looks up suddenly as Zubeki claps his hands and watches in amazement as the one half of long pair of clothing shears is lifted out of Zubeki’s pocket and floats towards him. He thinks to himself “now that’s a trick I want to learn, think how easy it would be to lift something from a merchant’s stall or somebody’s pocket if I could do it remotely.” He nods his thanks to Zubeki as he uses the dagger to quickly free himself from the chains on his neck and his wrists. He looks at the water in disgust takes a deep breath and bends down to free his ankles. He then half swims to Fae-selu and takes another deep breath before ducking under to free his ankles. Realising he can’t reach Fae’s wrists let alone his neck he says “I am climbing up.” He clambers up and frees Fae’s wrists and then clambers up to his shoulders and sitting on Fae’s shoulders quickly unlocks the neck collar. Still sitting on Fae’s shoulders he says “I did my bit, now it’s your turn, lets get to dry land!”
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Upon being freed from his shackles, Fae-Selu immediately lifts his left arm up in front of him, as he does this some of the vines pop up off his arm and straighten, becoming his stringed instrument. As he does this he taps Pequeno on the shoulder with his right arm, points at the water and then holds it ready above the strings, eyes scanning the water, not taking step.
Ever the dutiful firbolg (more or less), Jolly resists instinctive need to turn around at the mention of his name. But not one to be rude, he'll acknowledge the call with a wave of his stick before re-affirming his stance. He breathes a sigh of relief hearing the chains fall free. But when none dare to disturb the water by racing back to solid ground, hints of doubt begin to bubble up again.
Thinking back a moment, and then humming thoughtfully for another, Jolly will motion Naivara back to the door, intending to effectively change places with her. If doesn't accept it, he'll try closing the door just enough to at least muffle the noise. If either can be done without incident, Jolly will then step further into the room, give the pair a bemused look, then curtly shake his head to dispel the feeling and focus back on the objective.
"This one does not know if this will work. But, if this... 'captor' of yours is what this one is starting to think, this one has an idea... However, you must ALL be very still, and do not strike it, 'less it proves itself a threat."At that, he'll give Zubeki (of all people) a meaningful look before returning to his bag. At some point during the extraction process, realizing his hands began to shake, Jolly grips his holy symbol and mutters a prayer. Whereas the one line requested a strengthen resolve and guidance, the other sounded like a tangent about a dream about a grove. Whether out of amusement or some other purpose, the warm, green veil of Jannath briefly appears around the giant-kin, then fades from view.
The shaking stops. After a bit of fishing around, he takes out the more or less meat ration Zee gave a day before, along with some of his own dried meats, then began to speak in that same, strange language the others heard whenever he sung to the plants during the journey.
"Ho, friend! We need not be foes. Here! A treat! I give freely some -- a little, in offering as due, and promise more if but for a favor or two."
And if needed:
Persuasion: 17 plus guidance2. (if a general wisdom or animal handling would be more appropriate then add a +1 and take the roll on the left.)
But otherwise just to clarify, he's attempting to use Speech of Beast and Leaf loudly enough and close enough to the water to be hopefully heard even beneath it.
At that, he will approach with at least some of the fresher meats and set them at the edge of water, and then step away and kneel five feet away from the meal. If whatever is supposedly in the water does come out, and prove itself a beast of some sort (like a giant snek?), he'll watch it carefully to try and discern its motives. If not, well... It's a good thing he cast that Sanctuary on himself?
Animal Handling: 16 (plus 2 if Insight would also be acceptable)
As Jolly finishes casting his spell and talking to whatever lay under the surface, the water begins to ripple and you see a giant snakehead appear swimming towards the proffered meats. The snake slithers up to the meats and grabs it in its mouth and swallows it whole while looking at Jolly. The snake is very thing but you can now see it is almost 13 feet in length, It stares at Jolly ignoring the prisoners that are standing in the water.
Taking the chance the two newcomers make a dash for it and move the twenty feet out of the water and the snake leaves them alone.
Though Jolly nods in acceptance, he does take a brief moment to retrace and intone a short excerpt -- something about 'walking beyond' and 'her footsteps' -- in prayer before actually moving into position. Whereas the first is given mostly only a cursory look and whispered back description as bade by Vrak, at the second he will go the extra mile of trying to listen in if no traps grab his attention first.
Perception: 17 plus Guidance 4.
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
Slem, Morfinnion, and Faren nod to Vrak and head out to follow his directions while Jolly goes and checks the door to the north. It is unlocked and he does not hear anything coming from the other side of the doorway. There is a bar to pull the door open.
While Jolly is listening to the door to the north he begins to hear what sounds like some beautiful music coming from the door to the south. That music seems so out of place. And you can tell it is being done live. It sounds like someone or something is whistling.
DM Tomb of Annihilation X2
DM Curse of Strahd
Redleaf Moutain Dwarf Circle of land(Moutain) Druid
Jolly looks back, quirks a brow at the other door, and then turns to Vrak and others with the same questioning look. Assuming Vrak still intends to follow through with the plan, Jolly will step aside (partway back the way they came) for the others to shuffle forward while he transfers light of his goddess temporarily to his shield before holding it high.
He shakes the staff in his other hand sharply, and utters the word, "Shillelagh", causing the runes to come to life. As a dull, green light spills forth from the staff, it rapidly reshapes itself into the loose form of a club, the runes 'shifting' to accommodate the new form.
Preparations done, he'll nod to whoever at the door to proceed whenever ready.
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
Naivara holds onto the dagger, putting it with her stuff quickly before she walks out of the room with the others. She listens to Vrak, watching the three newcomers follow his orders with ease. She moves a hand to the handle of her [item[Greataxe[/item] as Jolly lightens up the area. She moves forward and places her hand on the handle, ready to open the door and glances back at Vrak to receive confirmation on whether or not to open it at the moment.
Vrak tightens the grip on his shield. This was his call and he would lead the way. Thoughts of some strange Yuan-ti ceremony flitted across his thoughts but he quickly set them aside. He had no idea what he was going to find behind this door, but he was Dragonborn, he would handle it.
He waited a moment and felt the time right, the other three should be in position now. Looking the others in the eye he quietly said " Ready? Let's do this".
And with that he pulled the door leading to the south, the room the music came from, open and stepped in. Making room for the others to follow behind him he moved to the right, sword ready, eyes sweeping around the room.
Upon entering the room, it is hard to note the direction the tune is coming from until Fae-Selu looks up and staring at Vrak are a pair of deep green eyes. There is a rattle, as Fae-Selu moves demonstrating the chain holding him. The whisting then changes, upon hearing it, one would think they hear expressions of excitement and relief in the tones.
If required, Performance Check: 19
Standing next to the large golem like creature and in neck deep water is a somewhat bedraggled very wet looking halfling. The halfling says, holding his head up so he doesn’t get a mouthful of the murky water, “my name is Pequeno y Travesio and I hail from Port Nyanzaru. I’m hoping you can help me out of here because I’ve been standing in this water for at least three days now” and spitting into the water he continues “and it’s not a beauty treatment I’d recommend to anybody!” He continues “this fellow over here”, he says pointing to the golem like creature as best he can given the shackles on his wrists “is half plant and he is probably OK with it but Pequeno y Travesio is not!”
DM - Stopping a god in his tracks
Vrak looked at the pair before him. He had always thought that Jolly was half plant with his green skin and seeming kinship with every plant they came across. By the light Jolly had actually slept in a tree the night the su-monsters attacked! But this, whatever it was that stood before him, really was actually half plant, or sure looked it. Amazing!
And the other, the one that spoke. He looked in the direction of the voice and saw nothing until it kept speaking and his gaze looked down, then down some more. A halfling stuck in what appeared to be a puddle of water. What a strange sight!
"Zee, do you know this little one who says he is from the Port? "
Zee smiles at that Halfling. " I know Pequ very well. You could say we are business associates of sorts."
Zee looks at Pequ. "You're in quite the pickle."
DM Tomb of Annihilation X2
DM Curse of Strahd
Redleaf Moutain Dwarf Circle of land(Moutain) Druid
Jolly does his best to listen in to the exchanges. But given the fact that at least most had piled into the room without issuing battle cries -- nay, even found more bedraggled spirits -- he thought it best to guard their back from the doorframe, shield and magical club at the ready, and back to the room. No mean, 'ol Yuan-ti were gonna get the drop on his friends on his watch! To that end, he'll take up a defensive posture, and keep his eyes peeled in the hallway, warily chanting, "Warily. Warily. Warily we watched. Our Mother's Sons. Our Mother's Daughters. Seeking not her praise or glory, but to keep life's story going."
If necessary/possible:
Dodge-ing and perceiving. Though if only one can be taken, then just the perception check.
Perception:14 plus guidance 2.
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
Pequeno looks up at Zee and further still to Vrak and then further again to Jolly thinking to himself "¡Órale! they're big" and then says "Zee how good to see you, I am a trifle damp so if you can do something about it, I would be very grateful!" He continues "please introduce your non-vertically challenged friends for I" he says standing up as a tall as he can "Pequeno y Travesio would like to know with whom he speaks!"
DM - Stopping a god in his tracks
Zee points to the various party members and introduces them, "Vrak, Naivara, Jolly, and Zubeki. And this charming little guy already introduced himself. Whose your friend and how did you wind up here?"
Zee looks around the room. The room is forty by thirty with that strange green stone going around what looks like a bath that is five feet deep but the murky water is only about a foot and a half deep. You could swear you see the water ripple from time to time as if something is swimming underneath the surface.
There are chains that come out of the wall attached to collars around the prisoners necks that loop down and attach to manacles around their wrists before the chain goes under the water as well, most likely chaining their feet.
DM Tomb of Annihilation X2
DM Curse of Strahd
Redleaf Moutain Dwarf Circle of land(Moutain) Druid
Perhaps it was the confusion of the scene before him, being not Yuan-ti engaged in some strange ritual. Then again maybe it is, they had not fully investigated yet, but Vrak realized that the three sent to come in the other door never did.
"Where did the others go? They were supposed to come in the other door. We will need to go look for them. But I suppose we should help these two first. "
Vrak looks to the two trapped.
"So what's going on here, how did you get in this predicament and what do we need to do to get you out of it?"
“Well Sir, my tall friend here and I were part of an expedition mounted by Port Nyanzaru’s merchant elite in search of whomever or whatever is causing this La maldición de la muerte or the Death curse as it is sometimes known” Pequeno says. He spits and says “but did the Merchant Princes join the expedition, oh no they just made it known to me it was in my best interest to join the expedition'" at this point he just smiles at Zee. He then goes on to say “as for my tall friend here, I understand his patrons/creators tasked him with a similar mission.”
He draws breath and says “anyway to cut a long story short, the expedition was ambushed by 18 humans with blue triangles on their foreheads, which means they were followers of Ras Nsi - the Yuan-Ti leader, and that’s all I remember until I work up here, up to neck in this mierda 3 days ago.” But wait there’s more, Pequeno continues “as to getting out of here that is easy, I could pick these locks if you could pass me a dagger or some such, but don’t come to close to the water as I have occasionally felt something brush against me.”
DM - Stopping a god in his tracks
Zubeki's eyes have been closed through all of Pequeno's story as if he was half asleep. The noise he's making isn't a snore but the soft mumbles of his ritual casting, and as it ends he softly claps. Brushing past his robes, a dagger is lifted out of Zubeki's pocket, it is half of a long pair of sheers used to cut large swaths of cloth. It has been repurposed and sharpened for combat and cutting now after it broke. It plunges in the water as the ungraceful unseen servant places it in Pequeno's hands.
Pequeno looks up suddenly as Zubeki claps his hands and watches in amazement as the one half of long pair of clothing shears is lifted out of Zubeki’s pocket and floats towards him. He thinks to himself “now that’s a trick I want to learn, think how easy it would be to lift something from a merchant’s stall or somebody’s pocket if I could do it remotely.” He nods his thanks to Zubeki as he uses the dagger to quickly free himself from the chains on his neck and his wrists. He looks at the water in disgust takes a deep breath and bends down to free his ankles. He then half swims to Fae-selu and takes another deep breath before ducking under to free his ankles. Realising he can’t reach Fae’s wrists let alone his neck he says “I am climbing up.” He clambers up and frees Fae’s wrists and then clambers up to his shoulders and sitting on Fae’s shoulders quickly unlocks the neck collar. Still sitting on Fae’s shoulders he says “I did my bit, now it’s your turn, lets get to dry land!”
DM - Stopping a god in his tracks
Upon being freed from his shackles, Fae-Selu immediately lifts his left arm up in front of him, as he does this some of the vines pop up off his arm and straighten, becoming his stringed instrument. As he does this he taps Pequeno on the shoulder with his right arm, points at the water and then holds it ready above the strings, eyes scanning the water, not taking step.
Perception Check: 17
DM Tomb of Annihilation X2
DM Curse of Strahd
Redleaf Moutain Dwarf Circle of land(Moutain) Druid
Ever the dutiful firbolg (more or less), Jolly resists instinctive need to turn around at the mention of his name. But not one to be rude, he'll acknowledge the call with a wave of his stick before re-affirming his stance. He breathes a sigh of relief hearing the chains fall free. But when none dare to disturb the water by racing back to solid ground, hints of doubt begin to bubble up again.
"Ho, friend! We need not be foes. Here! A treat! I give freely some -- a little, in offering as due, and promise more if but for a favor or two."
And if needed:
Persuasion: 17 plus guidance2. (if a general wisdom or animal handling would be more appropriate then add a +1 and take the roll on the left.)
But otherwise just to clarify, he's attempting to use Speech of Beast and Leaf loudly enough and close enough to the water to be hopefully heard even beneath it.
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
As Jolly finishes casting his spell and talking to whatever lay under the surface, the water begins to ripple and you see a giant snakehead appear swimming towards the proffered meats. The snake slithers up to the meats and grabs it in its mouth and swallows it whole while looking at Jolly. The snake is very thing but you can now see it is almost 13 feet in length, It stares at Jolly ignoring the prisoners that are standing in the water.
Taking the chance the two newcomers make a dash for it and move the twenty feet out of the water and the snake leaves them alone.
DM Tomb of Annihilation X2
DM Curse of Strahd
Redleaf Moutain Dwarf Circle of land(Moutain) Druid