Once back in the courtyard, Eppie picks up Pyx, who is snuffling around her feet, and puts her back on her shoulder. Pyx settles in, haunching up and fluffing up her feathers, her long fanned tail reaching down almost to the ground. Eppie frowns and peers towards the door left hanging open from the Hunter's departure. "Something is coming," she mutters to Pyx. And she darts along the wall and finds some cover where she conceal herself and watch the doorway while she waits for the others to join her.
Meanwhile, Vox IV, seeing that the newly freed Erik and the others with him are not following it, stops, turns its robotic head around a few times, and then clacks back towards them to wait, standing insensibly in the midst of the green poison cloud which it seems not to realize is dangerous for the less mechanical types.
There are a few locked doors lining the hallway that you could try to break through/pick the locks
As the toxic green mist rolls slowly away from them, Erik seems somewhat revived, clearly excited by the prospect of making it out of this facility alive. He picks up a pack from his deceased colleague and starts to follow the mist toward the exit. Seeing the other doors, Erik asks Toa and Adams (and Pinion?), "It could be several more minutes before this toxic cloud dissipates. Should we check for more survivors in these other rooms?" He hurriedly adds, "Not breaking down the door this time, of course," worried that doing so would trigger another trap like the last one.
If they'd like to do that, Erik will try his best at picking the lock himself: Thieves' Tools17
Fiddling with the lock, Erik is able to pop a door open. There is another corridor on the other side, with another row of doors which look like they probably lead out into the courtyard. These ones do not appear to be locked, though they may well be more of the magical symbols waiting to blast whoever gets too close...
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
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Fiddling with the lock, Erik is able to pop a door open. There is another corridor on the other side, with another row of doors which look like they probably lead out into the courtyard. These ones do not appear to be locked, though they may well be more of the magical symbols waiting to blast whoever gets too close...
"Ta da!", Erik says as the door opens. He stands and steps through himself but then gestures to present the hall to Adams and Toa. "What do you think? Maybe this provides an alternate way to get back to your friends without going back through the toxic green cloud...assuming that there aren't booby traps in this corridor, too."
Erik is clearly not entirely without skills, but he's happy to leave the decision-making to his rescuers.
(OOC: @Mister_Whisker - Does Erik have any idea of whether that poisonous green mist was part of the facility's original defenses or whether it was an additional trap placed by the Dark Lord and his allies?)
(OOC: @Mister_Whisker - Does Erik have any idea of whether that poisonous green mist was part of the facility's original defenses or whether it was an additional trap placed by the Dark Lord and his allies?)
You have no way of knowing for certain when the trap was laid
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Unhappy that the market got rid of individual purchases for one-off subclasses, magic items, and monsters?
Toa, being a hunter from a remote subtropical island chain (albeit with some unusual skills), remains a fish out of water here in the frigid mountain castle. So while not lacking in courage, he is not particularly eager to strike out into unknown corridors without the others, who, let's be honest, probably remember more of the actual mission details than he does. He looks dubiously at the newly revealed doors, remembering the poison that one door already emitted.
"That lion-looking Hunter and the Brute he talked about sound pretty tough. Might be a hunting job for the whole group. Good work opening this door, but might be best to wait until we're all together again? One of them might be able to check for more poison traps too."
He scratches his broad forehead. "I mean, I can use my echo," (he gestures at echo-Toa who is lounging laconically nearby), "to get back on the other side of the poison and see how they are doing?" As usual, Toa, being a simple barbarian, is hoping someone else has a plan here.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
(OOC: Does Erik have any idea how long it'll take for the poisonous cloud to dissipate? I think that it's a 10 min duration, but I don't know whether Erik knows that. Perhaps he has read something by the leading Alchemists that mentioned Cloudkill.
Adams says "Thanks for getting that door open. Not sure what's on the other side. I'd suggest playing it safe and waiting for the rest of the group."
"Well, we can wait", Erik says in a nonchalant tone, still squatting down by the now-opened door, "but it looked like that green cloud was pushing your friends back to the courtyard. So, unless we find an alternate way to the courtyard, they're on their own until that poisonous gas dissipates." He stands up and looks around nervously, and his tone sounds more tense as he continues, "Didn't you say that you already saw the Hunter out there? What if he shows up again before the green cloud is gone?"
(OOC: Does Erik have any idea how long it'll take for the poisonous cloud to dissipate? I think that it's a 10 min duration, but I don't know whether Erik knows that. Perhaps he has read something by the leading Alchemists that mentioned Cloudkill.
Adams says "Thanks for getting that door open. Not sure what's on the other side. I'd suggest playing it safe and waiting for the rest of the group."
"Well, we can wait", Erik says in a nonchalant tone, still squatting down by the now-opened door, "but it looked like that green cloud was pushing your friends back to the courtyard. So, unless we find an alternate way to the courtyard, they're on their own until that poisonous gas dissipates." He stands up and looks around nervously, and his tone sounds more tense as he continues, "Didn't you say that you already saw the Hunter out there? What if he shows up again before the green cloud is gone?"
"Or the Brute." Toa grins toothily as Erik speaks of the Hunter attacking. "The Hunter-lion was more the sneaky type, not noisy with that clanking."
"Like I said, I can get past the cloud with my echo and bring the strength of my ancestors to bear if we hear our friends in battle. But I can't think of a way to take you with me." Toa's voice turns glum and his brows furrow.
(OOC: Does Erik have any idea how long it'll take for the poisonous cloud to dissipate? I think that it's a 10 min duration, but I don't know whether Erik knows that. Perhaps he has read something by the leading Alchemists that mentioned Cloudkill.
Sure, you would be aware of the cloudkill. It's a brutal and powerful spell, one that even a vanishingly tiny number of modern casters can still use (it's an Alchemist subclass spell). Still, the fact that your enemies can use it this casually is unnerving.
You could probably get to the courtyard from one of the doors in this hallway (I won't make you roll to figure out which door it is). Will you join the rest of the party, and if so, how do you open the door to avoid getting another poison gas cloud to the face (or something else...)?
Sure, you would be aware of the cloudkill. It's a brutal and powerful spell, one that even a vanishingly tiny number of modern casters can still use (it's an Alchemist subclass spell). Still, the fact that your enemies can use it this casually is unnerving.
You could probably get to the courtyard from one of the doors in this hallway (I won't make you roll to figure out which door it is). Will you join the rest of the party, and if so, how do you open the door to avoid getting another poison gas cloud to the face (or something else...)?
Erik is worried about the use of such a powerful spell. Then again, he saw Vizeer force his colleague to kill himself right in front of Erik, so they clearly face forgotten magic of even greater power. He has heard of very few spells that would make a man do anything that's obviously harmful to himself, much less torture and kill himself.
Erik says, "While we wait, I may as well investigate. I don't think that the poison cloud will dissipate for several more minutes, and I don't want to wait to find a way to the courtyard until the Brute finds your friends." He enters the new corridor that was behind the locked door, hoping that the locked door means that there won't be additional defenses in the corridor itself. Erik asks Adams -- if he knows -- what caused the poison cloud: "The poison cloud was triggered when you opened the door to my cell, right? Did the cloud come from some solution sprayed into the air or maybe from a sealed container that was shattered when you opened the door?" He's trying to figure out what he's looking for, thinking about the papers he has read by alchemical researchers.
Erik looks for a door that would lead them to the courtyard where Eppie and the others were headed, and once he finds such a door, he checks to see whether he can find any traps or signs of magical wards protecting that door.
When the toxic cloud went off and the others retreated, the only word the group heard from Pinion was "Interesting..."
His creator built his form with his some resilience to the decay of the natural world. But it is the monk's understanding of Oneness which allowed him to concentrate his essence so the poison did not penetrate. Pinion looked where the runes were set upon the door and seems to mediate for a moment as the gas passed over him and forces his allies back. The auto gnome advances to greet the prisoner.
"Greetings. I'm Pinion." the small construct bows to Adams"Are you injured? I believe our allies will be waiting for that cloud to dissipate. Erik, shall we find our way to them. Apologies if I was distracted by the trap..."
As you are all standing around discussing and trying to figure out how to re-unite the party, something emerges from the shadows... its bones clatter against the stone as it ascends, and it rakes long, bony claws against the wall as it looks towards those who have escaped the cloud... an eerie cackle escapes its hollow chest.
It is too late for you to stop what is to come... the creature says in a wheezing, strangled voice. The Master and his Chosen have escaped their ancient prison... now they have used their powers to go forth to the corners of Letera, that all the world shall bow before the Master or be destroyed.
The creature spreads its hands, as if inviting you to try to destroy it as it stands in the shadowy mouth of the tunnel... Erik, though you cannot see the creature from where you are, hearing its voice you can tell that it is not the Brute (or any of the other five Forsaken). Also, you did not see anything special about the door into the courtyard.
Erik, though you cannot see the creature from where you are, hearing its voice you can tell that it is not the Brute (or any of the other five Forsaken). Also, you did not see anything special about the door into the courtyard.
(OOC: Is the door locked? Not sure how long it'll take to pick the lock if it is, so we may need to consider alternative means of reuniting with the others.)
Erik, though you cannot see the creature from where you are, hearing its voice you can tell that it is not the Brute (or any of the other five Forsaken). Also, you did not see anything special about the door into the courtyard.
(OOC: Is the door locked? Not sure how long it'll take to pick the lock if it is, so we may need to consider alternative means of reuniting with the others.)
(Did you try the handle? You won't know whether it's locked or not until you try to open it)
Also, you did not see anything special about the door into the courtyard.
Erik smiles at the little automaton. This one seems much more sophisticated than VOX IV. Not seeing anything obviously dangerous about the door, he says, "Well, Pinion, you could probably go back through the poison cloud, but I think that this is my fastest, safest route."
(OOC: my understanding is that we're treating Pinion as a basically unique creation, so even an Old World Scientist may think that he's some sort of sophisticated Steel Defender.)
Erik, though you cannot see the creature from where you are, hearing its voice you can tell that it is not the Brute (or any of the other five Forsaken).
"Well, that sounds ominous...", Erik comments out loud, mostly to himself. While the voice sounds like it's coming from the courtyard, Erik is more afraid of being captured and put back in his cell than he is about cackling wheezy-voice in the courtyard. Therefore, it makes him more desperate to get into the courtyard, not less. If they all face...whatever it is... together, maybe they can at least fight their way past it and get out of this place!
Erik looks to Adams, Toa, and Pinion and says, "That's it, I'm going to try it this door. Maybe don't crowd around me, just in case it is trapped." He gives them a moment to step back if they want or to head back through the poisonous cloud. Then he'll grab the door handle and try to open the door to the courtyard.
The door creaks open, and Erik finds himself staring into the face of the horrific undead, its oversized claws extended as it prepares to fight all of you...
Everyone, please roll initiative!
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Unhappy that the market got rid of individual purchases for one-off subclasses, magic items, and monsters?
Once back in the courtyard, Eppie picks up Pyx, who is snuffling around her feet, and puts her back on her shoulder. Pyx settles in, haunching up and fluffing up her feathers, her long fanned tail reaching down almost to the ground. Eppie frowns and peers towards the door left hanging open from the Hunter's departure. "Something is coming," she mutters to Pyx. And she darts along the wall and finds some cover where she conceal herself and watch the doorway while she waits for the others to join her.
Eppie Stealth: 23
Meanwhile, Vox IV, seeing that the newly freed Erik and the others with him are not following it, stops, turns its robotic head around a few times, and then clacks back towards them to wait, standing insensibly in the midst of the green poison cloud which it seems not to realize is dangerous for the less mechanical types.
As the toxic green mist rolls slowly away from them, Erik seems somewhat revived, clearly excited by the prospect of making it out of this facility alive. He picks up a pack from his deceased colleague and starts to follow the mist toward the exit. Seeing the other doors, Erik asks Toa and Adams (and Pinion?), "It could be several more minutes before this toxic cloud dissipates. Should we check for more survivors in these other rooms?" He hurriedly adds, "Not breaking down the door this time, of course," worried that doing so would trigger another trap like the last one.
If they'd like to do that, Erik will try his best at picking the lock himself: Thieves' Tools 17
Simon will relay his orders to the others and is still connect telepathically so we should be good there.
Fiddling with the lock, Erik is able to pop a door open. There is another corridor on the other side, with another row of doors which look like they probably lead out into the courtyard. These ones do not appear to be locked, though they may well be more of the magical symbols waiting to blast whoever gets too close...
Unhappy that the market got rid of individual purchases for one-off subclasses, magic items, and monsters?
Provide feedback!
"Ta da!", Erik says as the door opens. He stands and steps through himself but then gestures to present the hall to Adams and Toa. "What do you think? Maybe this provides an alternate way to get back to your friends without going back through the toxic green cloud...assuming that there aren't booby traps in this corridor, too."
Erik is clearly not entirely without skills, but he's happy to leave the decision-making to his rescuers.
(OOC: @Mister_Whisker - Does Erik have any idea of whether that poisonous green mist was part of the facility's original defenses or whether it was an additional trap placed by the Dark Lord and his allies?)
You have no way of knowing for certain when the trap was laid
Unhappy that the market got rid of individual purchases for one-off subclasses, magic items, and monsters?
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Toa, being a hunter from a remote subtropical island chain (albeit with some unusual skills), remains a fish out of water here in the frigid mountain castle. So while not lacking in courage, he is not particularly eager to strike out into unknown corridors without the others, who, let's be honest, probably remember more of the actual mission details than he does. He looks dubiously at the newly revealed doors, remembering the poison that one door already emitted.
"That lion-looking Hunter and the Brute he talked about sound pretty tough. Might be a hunting job for the whole group. Good work opening this door, but might be best to wait until we're all together again? One of them might be able to check for more poison traps too."
He scratches his broad forehead. "I mean, I can use my echo," (he gestures at echo-Toa who is lounging laconically nearby), "to get back on the other side of the poison and see how they are doing?" As usual, Toa, being a simple barbarian, is hoping someone else has a plan here.
Tanis(Ranger1): Shiverquill's Tempest City | Xarian(Fighter2): NioNSwiper's Tyranny of Dragons
Dyson/Eleo(TwilightCleric4): Vos' Beyond the Veil | Soren(ShepherdDruid5): Bartjeebus' Ravenloft | Ophelia(WildMagicSorcerer4): Ashen_Age's Risen from the Sands
Joren(EchoKnightFighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Sabetha(MercyMonk3): Bedlymn's Murder Court | Seri(NatureCleric3/DivineSoulSorcerer1): Bartjeebus' Greyhawk
Adams says "Thanks for getting that door open. Not sure what's on the other side. I'd suggest playing it safe and waiting for the rest of the group."
D&D since 1984
"Well, we can wait", Erik says in a nonchalant tone, still squatting down by the now-opened door, "but it looked like that green cloud was pushing your friends back to the courtyard. So, unless we find an alternate way to the courtyard, they're on their own until that poisonous gas dissipates." He stands up and looks around nervously, and his tone sounds more tense as he continues, "Didn't you say that you already saw the Hunter out there? What if he shows up again before the green cloud is gone?"
"Or the Brute." Toa grins toothily as Erik speaks of the Hunter attacking. "The Hunter-lion was more the sneaky type, not noisy with that clanking."
"Like I said, I can get past the cloud with my echo and bring the strength of my ancestors to bear if we hear our friends in battle. But I can't think of a way to take you with me." Toa's voice turns glum and his brows furrow.
Tanis(Ranger1): Shiverquill's Tempest City | Xarian(Fighter2): NioNSwiper's Tyranny of Dragons
Dyson/Eleo(TwilightCleric4): Vos' Beyond the Veil | Soren(ShepherdDruid5): Bartjeebus' Ravenloft | Ophelia(WildMagicSorcerer4): Ashen_Age's Risen from the Sands
Joren(EchoKnightFighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Sabetha(MercyMonk3): Bedlymn's Murder Court | Seri(NatureCleric3/DivineSoulSorcerer1): Bartjeebus' Greyhawk
Sure, you would be aware of the cloudkill. It's a brutal and powerful spell, one that even a vanishingly tiny number of modern casters can still use (it's an Alchemist subclass spell). Still, the fact that your enemies can use it this casually is unnerving.
You could probably get to the courtyard from one of the doors in this hallway (I won't make you roll to figure out which door it is). Will you join the rest of the party, and if so, how do you open the door to avoid getting another poison gas cloud to the face (or something else...)?
Unhappy that the market got rid of individual purchases for one-off subclasses, magic items, and monsters?
Provide feedback!
Erik is worried about the use of such a powerful spell. Then again, he saw Vizeer force his colleague to kill himself right in front of Erik, so they clearly face forgotten magic of even greater power. He has heard of very few spells that would make a man do anything that's obviously harmful to himself, much less torture and kill himself.
Erik says, "While we wait, I may as well investigate. I don't think that the poison cloud will dissipate for several more minutes, and I don't want to wait to find a way to the courtyard until the Brute finds your friends." He enters the new corridor that was behind the locked door, hoping that the locked door means that there won't be additional defenses in the corridor itself. Erik asks Adams -- if he knows -- what caused the poison cloud: "The poison cloud was triggered when you opened the door to my cell, right? Did the cloud come from some solution sprayed into the air or maybe from a sealed container that was shattered when you opened the door?" He's trying to figure out what he's looking for, thinking about the papers he has read by alchemical researchers.
Erik looks for a door that would lead them to the courtyard where Eppie and the others were headed, and once he finds such a door, he checks to see whether he can find any traps or signs of magical wards protecting that door.
Investigation 12
( OOC: And in case he gets advantage from help or from Adams's knowledge of the previous ward: Investigation 28.)
When the toxic cloud went off and the others retreated, the only word the group heard from Pinion was "Interesting..."
His creator built his form with his some resilience to the decay of the natural world. But it is the monk's understanding of Oneness which allowed him to concentrate his essence so the poison did not penetrate. Pinion looked where the runes were set upon the door and seems to mediate for a moment as the gas passed over him and forces his allies back. The auto gnome advances to greet the prisoner.
"Greetings. I'm Pinion." the small construct bows to Adams "Are you injured? I believe our allies will be waiting for that cloud to dissipate. Erik, shall we find our way to them. Apologies if I was distracted by the trap..."
Fargen Hill Dwarf Cleric/Barbarian - Hoard of the Dragon Queen, Jodie Olwen Half-Elf Bard- Chronicles of the Accursed
As you are all standing around discussing and trying to figure out how to re-unite the party, something emerges from the shadows... its bones clatter against the stone as it ascends, and it rakes long, bony claws against the wall as it looks towards those who have escaped the cloud... an eerie cackle escapes its hollow chest.
It is too late for you to stop what is to come... the creature says in a wheezing, strangled voice. The Master and his Chosen have escaped their ancient prison... now they have used their powers to go forth to the corners of Letera, that all the world shall bow before the Master or be destroyed.
The creature spreads its hands, as if inviting you to try to destroy it as it stands in the shadowy mouth of the tunnel... Erik, though you cannot see the creature from where you are, hearing its voice you can tell that it is not the Brute (or any of the other five Forsaken). Also, you did not see anything special about the door into the courtyard.
Creature's initiative: 17
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(OOC: Is the door locked? Not sure how long it'll take to pick the lock if it is, so we may need to consider alternative means of reuniting with the others.)
(Did you try the handle? You won't know whether it's locked or not until you try to open it)
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Erik smiles at the little automaton. This one seems much more sophisticated than VOX IV. Not seeing anything obviously dangerous about the door, he says, "Well, Pinion, you could probably go back through the poison cloud, but I think that this is my fastest, safest route."
(OOC: my understanding is that we're treating Pinion as a basically unique creation, so even an Old World Scientist may think that he's some sort of sophisticated Steel Defender.)
"Well, that sounds ominous...", Erik comments out loud, mostly to himself. While the voice sounds like it's coming from the courtyard, Erik is more afraid of being captured and put back in his cell than he is about cackling wheezy-voice in the courtyard. Therefore, it makes him more desperate to get into the courtyard, not less. If they all face...whatever it is... together, maybe they can at least fight their way past it and get out of this place!
Erik looks to Adams, Toa, and Pinion and says, "That's it, I'm going to try it this door. Maybe don't crowd around me, just in case it is trapped." He gives them a moment to step back if they want or to head back through the poisonous cloud. Then he'll grab the door handle and try to open the door to the courtyard.
1: trap. 2: no trap
2
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The door creaks open, and Erik finds himself staring into the face of the horrific undead, its oversized claws extended as it prepares to fight all of you...
Everyone, please roll initiative!
Unhappy that the market got rid of individual purchases for one-off subclasses, magic items, and monsters?
Provide feedback!