Buckeran sifts through his pack for something useful... "I'm under strict instructions not to engage in combat. As much as I relish the idea of capturing some Dragon Army soldiers for interrogation in Santekh," he chuckles sheepishly, "And getting my hands on a dragonnel, we're not here to assist the war effort. We're here to find a dragon's lair to end the blight on this desert."
He pulls out his Elder's Cartographer's Glossary, and his monacle. "I technically do not possess the power to use this properly, but sometimes it comes in handy."
He drags a nub along the pages, and jabs his fingers at what appears to be an incoherent scribbling. "If we follow the outer wall of the ruins, we can go through here. The air is toxic to breath though, and the sand scorches the land like simmering coals. It will be like walking into an active volcano. We can expect to encounter powerful monsters that can only survive in such conditions, but the Dragon Armies would not follow us there. We will need a way to breathe the air, and something to survive unbearable heat. But if we survive the trek, we'll come out the other side back on the trail."
Orr the Unseen appears behind Hastos as if blinking to existence. "Buckeran, this plan sounds like something we are unlikely to all survive. I can cast Fly on you, so you can avoid the worst of the fumes. And I can cast Cone of Cold if the heat becomes too unbearable for the rest of us. But sadly, I can only do that once per day, and there is a chance the sudden change in temperature could rupture the earth, or kill us."
Buckeran offers Orr the Unseen a weak smile. "I know our options are few. Any path we choose leads to danger and the risk of death. But our best chance of success lies in avoiding open conflict. And I have secrets regarding the resistence that you all aren't privy to. If I am captured, it could spell disaster for Santekh and her allies if I am unable to resist their methods of interrogation."
“I don’t like those options. Not that I have any better ideas. Beings we can fight, but nature? I wouldn’t bet on our chances. Can we not also go through the ruins to get to the other side?”
“Well, the road goes through right? And being amongst those old buildings will give better cover for sure” Merkas pulls out the maps they took from the patrol and the ones he and Buckeran had and starts comparing them to see what differences they have (Cartography = 4). “With the garbage maps we got from the soldiers it doesn’t help much with another route. Avoiding the soldiers is probably best, though we stopped the last guys they still hit pretty hard. So I vote for going through, at the least if we can hit it we might survive, bad air is just bad all around”
Sera stared at the distant speck circling high above—the dragonell and its rider. Her Clairvoyance potion assured her they hadn’t been spotted yet, but that grace would not last. Buckeran’s suggestion echoed in her mind: the ruins. The blistering heat, the choking poison gas… unpleasant, dangerous, painful—but survivable. And more importantly, a path that avoided Thakisis’s soldiers.
“Buckeran is right,” Sera said firmly. “Our mission is to reach the old dragon lair and end the blight on the land… not fight the forces of Thakisis. Not this time.”
She stepped up beside Merkas, who was bent over the maps, and tapped the place where the ruins lay.
“Let us go through. Hurry!” she urged. “The dragonell rider might spot us any moment.”
Without waiting for debate, Sera sprinted toward the broken archways ahead. The air changed immediately—hot drafts rolling over her like a furnace blast. A foul tang stung her nostrils as the first hints of the poison gas drifted in.
She felt her living armor react at once. The plates softened and reformed, sliding up over her jaw and cheeks, shaping into a tight, smooth face-mask that sealed instinctively. Tiny channels opened, filtering the fumes into something breathable.
Sera kept running, hand on her sunblade hilt, eyes fixed on the shadows ahead.
The ruins were deadly—but far less deadly than being caught in the open by a dragonell and its master.
“Yeah, Barkly is better at running than I am for sure, thing is having you all keep up” Merkas says just before tearing off after Sera, He holds onto the bag of holding ready to put it over Bucky’s head if he needs a breath of cleaner air, “Hey you think that fancy jug of yours could supply us with clean air if needed? I remember hearing about people that would use jugs and stuff to go under water and get clams and stuff to make purple dyes, maybe you could do that too to stop the poison stuff from getting to you as much!”
(Buckeran has an alchemy jug right? Have him ask it for air and put it over his head as a divers helmet also Given that a creature can survive for a time inside a bag of holding I figure it would work to keep himself with good air or maybe even put it over Barklys beak to breath easier, DM caveat of course)
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Loyalty Begets Honour
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Buckeran sifts through his pack for something useful... "I'm under strict instructions not to engage in combat. As much as I relish the idea of capturing some Dragon Army soldiers for interrogation in Santekh," he chuckles sheepishly, "And getting my hands on a dragonnel, we're not here to assist the war effort. We're here to find a dragon's lair to end the blight on this desert."
He pulls out his Elder's Cartographer's Glossary, and his monacle. "I technically do not possess the power to use this properly, but sometimes it comes in handy."
He drags a nub along the pages, and jabs his fingers at what appears to be an incoherent scribbling. "If we follow the outer wall of the ruins, we can go through here. The air is toxic to breath though, and the sand scorches the land like simmering coals. It will be like walking into an active volcano. We can expect to encounter powerful monsters that can only survive in such conditions, but the Dragon Armies would not follow us there. We will need a way to breathe the air, and something to survive unbearable heat. But if we survive the trek, we'll come out the other side back on the trail."
Orr the Unseen appears behind Hastos as if blinking to existence. "Buckeran, this plan sounds like something we are unlikely to all survive. I can cast Fly on you, so you can avoid the worst of the fumes. And I can cast Cone of Cold if the heat becomes too unbearable for the rest of us. But sadly, I can only do that once per day, and there is a chance the sudden change in temperature could rupture the earth, or kill us."
Buckeran offers Orr the Unseen a weak smile. "I know our options are few. Any path we choose leads to danger and the risk of death. But our best chance of success lies in avoiding open conflict. And I have secrets regarding the resistence that you all aren't privy to. If I am captured, it could spell disaster for Santekh and her allies if I am unable to resist their methods of interrogation."
She/her, DM and Player.
My DM Registry
My Campaigns:
Ibahalii Vriwhulth, the Reaper of Glory v2: IC Thread (PbP); Secrets of the Island (On Discord)
My Characters:
Krik-tul, Thri-kreen monk
“I don’t like those options. Not that I have any better ideas. Beings we can fight, but nature? I wouldn’t bet on our chances. Can we not also go through the ruins to get to the other side?”
Character: Hastos, Ibahalii Vriwhulth, the Reaper of Glory v2: IC Thread
“Well, the road goes through right? And being amongst those old buildings will give better cover for sure” Merkas pulls out the maps they took from the patrol and the ones he and Buckeran had and starts comparing them to see what differences they have (Cartography = 4). “With the garbage maps we got from the soldiers it doesn’t help much with another route. Avoiding the soldiers is probably best, though we stopped the last guys they still hit pretty hard. So I vote for going through, at the least if we can hit it we might survive, bad air is just bad all around”
Loyalty Begets Honour
Sera stared at the distant speck circling high above—the dragonell and its rider. Her Clairvoyance potion assured her they hadn’t been spotted yet, but that grace would not last. Buckeran’s suggestion echoed in her mind: the ruins. The blistering heat, the choking poison gas… unpleasant, dangerous, painful—but survivable. And more importantly, a path that avoided Thakisis’s soldiers.
“Buckeran is right,” Sera said firmly. “Our mission is to reach the old dragon lair and end the blight on the land… not fight the forces of Thakisis. Not this time.”
She stepped up beside Merkas, who was bent over the maps, and tapped the place where the ruins lay.
“Let us go through. Hurry!” she urged. “The dragonell rider might spot us any moment.”
Without waiting for debate, Sera sprinted toward the broken archways ahead. The air changed immediately—hot drafts rolling over her like a furnace blast. A foul tang stung her nostrils as the first hints of the poison gas drifted in.
She felt her living armor react at once. The plates softened and reformed, sliding up over her jaw and cheeks, shaping into a tight, smooth face-mask that sealed instinctively. Tiny channels opened, filtering the fumes into something breathable.
Sera kept running, hand on her sunblade hilt, eyes fixed on the shadows ahead.
The ruins were deadly—but far less deadly than being caught in the open by a dragonell and its master.
“How about…” Hastos’ stops mid sentence as Sera blasts through the archways and into the poisonous gas.
”Uhh, quickly…” Hastos looks to Merkas and Buckeran, “… you think Bucky can carry you two fast than you can run?”
Character: Hastos, Ibahalii Vriwhulth, the Reaper of Glory v2: IC Thread
“Yeah, Barkly is better at running than I am for sure, thing is having you all keep up” Merkas says just before tearing off after Sera, He holds onto the bag of holding ready to put it over Bucky’s head if he needs a breath of cleaner air, “Hey you think that fancy jug of yours could supply us with clean air if needed? I remember hearing about people that would use jugs and stuff to go under water and get clams and stuff to make purple dyes, maybe you could do that too to stop the poison stuff from getting to you as much!”
(Buckeran has an alchemy jug right? Have him ask it for air and put it over his head as a divers helmet also Given that a creature can survive for a time inside a bag of holding I figure it would work to keep himself with good air or maybe even put it over Barklys beak to breath easier, DM caveat of course)
Loyalty Begets Honour