Barkly is looking particularly rough. The concussion has her senses dulled, and she's not making her usual sounds. She can walk, but on unsteady legs. That one strike nearly killed her, and while the lava did improve her health some, she looks like she'll need more healing in order to be able to join in any other fights.
Barkly is still Bloodied. I rolled a Medicine check for MrUncleTio. You estimate her HP to be at or below 10/22.
Buckeran looks up from tending to Barkly. Even though he hadn't been asked, he decides to put in his two copper. "We both have knots on our heads now. But we'll live. More importantly, we need to figure out what to do with this Carrion Crawler. Merkas... how long will you have control of that thing, and what will be its attitude about being mind controlled when you don't? Can we trust it?"
Merkas digs through his pack as he answers Hastos first, almost talking over Buckeran as he reports on Barkly. “Well it hit me pretty hard, not my head but it hurts pretty good, but we have a few of these potions that we found, anyone mind if I use one?” He barely waits for a response before downing the potion. (Merkas and Barkly both regain 14hp)
“Wow, that’s got a kick!” Looks up at Bucky and back at the Crawler as it looks longingly at the new hinting grounds That opened up. (Arcana: 19 to see if Merkas can sense the rules of the spell) “It feels like a day or so, and I don’t think it’s gonna be overly upset, but we should be gone by then right?” He looks around the room and back at the plate that gave off the sounds, “About trust, I guess I could ask it, maybe it knows which other spots make noise in here?”
Merkas moves over to pick up the golem core and then next to the crawler and casts speak with animals “Hey Big Guy? Bet you can smell the food in there, You can go ahead but could you tell me if any more spots in here make sounds like that one my friend stepped on?”
Its voice sounds strange in Merkas's mind... screetchy and high pitched... grating even. Merkas can tell that it doesn't possess much intelligence, and therefore didn't draw the conclusion that Merkas would want to know which tiles made sounds... or even if it possessed the memory capable of telling you which ones. You might as well ask a zombie to solve puzzle problems. Merkas's trek over to the golem core doesn't light up any tiles though, so it would seem that the other tiles are north of Merkas and Hastos's current position, and that standing half on the tile isn't enough to light it up.
Barkly traveresed the B natural tile without causing an intonation, but she was straddling two tiles when she did.
Pleased to be so helpful, the Carrion Crawler accepts its reward of being allowed to continue its exploration, and continues to wriggle its way through the newly formed opening. It's head barely fits through, so it writhes and scrambles with its hind legs to scooch slowly through the hole. The sight would be kind of silly, if the creature weren't so grotesque. Just a massive, buggy butt wiggling and squirming over tiny caterpillar-like legs.
Merkas can feel the might of the golem core, and his hair stands on edge with static electricity. Golem cores essentially are summoning stones filled with elemental magic, or even possibly a djinn. It's evident that the core was formed with lightning magic. But this isn't a lightning elemental. Due to the crystal encasing it and the chaotic energy of the cave, it's basically a blank elemental that can summon a crystal golem. But that crystal can be imbued with any element you charge it with. You can also sense a faint intelligence in it, which is attempting to communicate with Merkas. The impression is so latent, that it's unintelligable right now. Just a faint murmer... but it doesn't sound hostile. Golems are intrinsically servile. The one who holds it becomes its unquestioning master. If you can figure out how to restore some of its power, you might be able to learn more about it, and find out how it may serve you. But it also contains enough magic energy currently to empower weapons, armor, and magic items to heights beyond even your considerable casting abilities.
Holding it, for some reason, makes it more obvious where the other golems are. You have a vague empathic connection to two others. They stand, immobile, appearing as if they are part of the wall, along the cobbled pathways heading east and west. Attempting to pass through that path by force could awaken them. To your eyes, the golems are translucent, and look inert. They're just walls of clear, sparkling crystal, with no visible totem inside them.
Hastos examines Barkley and pulls out one of the fire crystals. “What do you think,” he asks the group, “ You think Barkley might want one of these? They taste like hell to me, but she might like it. I have no idea the effect it might have though.”
Hastos holds the crystal up and looks through it at the surrounding cave. (Investigation: 20)
Sera pick up the shards that sems infused with leftovers from her sacred flame. Then watch the carrion crawler squeese into the tiny opening "Do we follow it into there?...seems we blasted a shortcut. But barkley cannot fit ...can it?. We leave Barkley here ?"
Sera ake a quick overview of her group. They start running lower on health and spells..but so far it seems to go well.
"and you must tell me if you need further healing..I am saving up now. Last time in the sewers thing got lots worse before we was out. And I might be saving healing to the very last...but I do have a powerful spell saved up...a spell that summon a guardian from my deity and it will attack any hostile creatures untill it is gone. it save the rest of you some damage perhaps? Then i should go up front too..."
She looks at her group. The choice is theirs. she is feeling rather strong compared to many of them.
Hastos examines Barkley and pulls out one of the fire crystals. “What do you think,” he asks the group, “ You think Barkley might want one of these? They taste like hell to me, but she might like it. I have no idea the effect it might have though.”
Hastos holds the crystal up and looks through it at the surrounding cave. (Investigation: 20)
When Hastos walks around the chamber to investigate, more of the tiles light up. And the intonations that spring forth are different notes.
"D natural... B flat..." Orr explains as Hastos walks about the entrance. The combined sounds of B natural and B flat ring out discordantly, clashing dissonantly throughout the chamber. The D natural is no longer ringing out.
Barkly shows some interest in the fire crystal, sniffing it curiously when Hastos passes by. It's unlikely she'd be bothered by its heat.
Buckeran scratches his forehead. His throbbing headache is not improved by the dissonance. "Damn... I wish I brought more tomes in. I have a small library inside my mansion. From the sounds of it, the dragons who dwelt here enjoy music... though their taste in music leaves much to be desired."
Orr the Unseen walks off the tile, apologizing. But in their actions, activate a different note. The B flat and the E sound much better together, which gives them pause. "Not so, when played all together. I'm hardly a professional musician, but in constructing music for the Gray House I have learned some basic music theory. The notes, when played together, make a variation of a G Minor."
As a musician, I can't let this stand: It's a G minor/major 7th. And it's a really cool chord. 😛 But Orr the Unseen isn't a Bard, so they wouldn't know that.
"Well... it's giving me a minor migraine..." Buckeran grumbles. "Well bother... are we supposed to play a tune with it? I don't see how these musical notes have anything to do with our current predicament. Perhaps we should follow the Carrion Crawler through that hole Orr made."
Orr the Unseen twists up their face and presses their lips together. Buckeran rarely referred to Orr the Unseen as simply "Orr". He's clearly quite displeased about the knot on his head. Buckeran's apologetic expression eases the unintended awkwardness. It clearly felt weird for him to say it that way as well. As a consolitory measure, Orr the Unseen steps off the musical tile as well, so that only the B Flat is ringing out.
Barkly is standing half on the tile, but the note remains silent. Apparently, being half on it isn't enough to create a tone.
Sera pick up the shards that sems infused with leftovers from her sacred flame. Then watch the carrion crawler squeese into the tiny opening "Do we follow it into there?...seems we blasted a shortcut. But barkley cannot fit ...can it?. We leave Barkley here ?"
Sera ake a quick overview of her group. They start running lower on health and spells..but so far it seems to go well.
"and you must tell me if you need further healing..I am saving up now. Last time in the sewers thing got lots worse before we was out. And I might be saving healing to the very last...but I do have a powerful spell saved up...a spell that summon a guardian from my deity and it will attack any hostile creatures untill it is gone. it save the rest of you some damage perhaps? Then i should go up front too..."
She looks at her group. The choice is theirs. she is feeling rather strong compared to many of them.
Sera's path towards the shards does nothing to cause any notes to ring out, but she collects the shards, and ends somewhere near where Hastos previously was.
The Carrion Crawler is nearly through the hole now, and it's evident Sera has a point. Though Barkly's physiology would allow her to climb and burrow, the Carrion Crawler (who is most likely also a burrower), could barely squeeze through that hole. And it clearly wasn't capable of scratching out a bigger hole through the crystals. They may be too tough to dig through without mining tools. There is a risk that Barkly could get stuck halfway through the tunnel. Leaving her behind is an option, but Giant Striders have a certain affinity to dragons, even if only Red Dragons. On the off chance you encounter one, she may come in handy. Fortunately, Buckeran and Orr the Unseen understand Draconic, so interpreting is still covered, if you should leave her behind.
Merkas is lost staring into the golem core like a hobbit staring into a palantir. He barely registers the simply response from the crawler as he probes the depths of the gem with his eye and, new to him, arcane senses. (Arcana:12 trying to connect with the golem inside)
Hastos examines Barkley and pulls out one of the fire crystals. “What do you think,” he asks the group, “ You think Barkley might want one of these? They taste like hell to me, but she might like it. I have no idea the effect it might have though.”
Hastos holds the crystal up and looks through it at the surrounding cave. (Investigation: 20)
The sounds of the tiles that Hastos sets off walking over to Barkly brings him back to himself in time to see the last of the crawler go through the opening. “Aww, well they answered at least, Thanks for the help, see you later” When the second note sounds Merkas spins around and says to everyone, “Watch out for the other two golems, there’s one at either end where the road goes through the crystal”
Merkas watches Hastos waves the shard in front of Barkly and her reaction, so he asks “Whatcha think,girl, you wanna try it, seems to be fire based and I know you like the spicy stuff”
Sera pick up the shards that sems infused with leftovers from her sacred flame. Then watch the carrion crawler squeese into the tiny opening "Do we follow it into there?...seems we blasted a shortcut. But barkley cannot fit ...can it?. We leave Barkley here ?"
Sera ake a quick overview of her group. They start running lower on health and spells..but so far it seems to go well.
"and you must tell me if you need further healing..I am saving up now. Last time in the sewers thing got lots worse before we was out. And I might be saving healing to the very last...but I do have a powerful spell saved up...a spell that summon a guardian from my deity and it will attack any hostile creatures untill it is gone. it save the rest of you some damage perhaps? Then i should go up front too..."
She looks at her group. The choice is theirs. she is feeling rather strong compared to many of them.
“Good to know you have it Sera, but maybe we save it for a little later, when there are a bunch of things that might need that kinda firepower? Wouldn’t want to waste it on a few small things Splinter and Shard could handle”
The complaints from Bucky as the sounds are turned on and off has turns the younger kenders attention to the plates. From his slightly elevated position on the rubble he sees the spread out pattern of the different plates. “Hey Bucky, this is a dragon lair right? About how big could a dragon be, like could one touch all those notes at once? Also if you were a dragon, wouldn’t you hide your hoard behind some fancy puzzle?”He comes down and walks over to his mentor handing him an Elixir of Health. “Maybe this will help the bump on your head, kinda need your mind clear in here with us” (History: 12 knowledge about dragons puzzles, Insight:3 Trying to ascertain the sounds he’s hearing)
Merkas is lost staring into the golem core like a hobbit staring into a palantir. He barely registers the simply response from the crawler as he probes the depths of the gem with his eye and, new to him, arcane senses. (Arcana:12 trying to connect with the golem inside)
Hastos examines Barkley and pulls out one of the fire crystals. “What do you think,” he asks the group, “ You think Barkley might want one of these? They taste like hell to me, but she might like it. I have no idea the effect it might have though.”
Hastos holds the crystal up and looks through it at the surrounding cave. (Investigation: 20)
The sounds of the tiles that Hastos sets off walking over to Barkly brings him back to himself in time to see the last of the crawler go through the opening. “Aww, well they answered at least, Thanks for the help, see you later” When the second note sounds Merkas spins around and says to everyone, “Watch out for the other two golems, there’s one at either end where the road goes through the crystal”
Merkas watches Hastos waves the shard in front of Barkly and her reaction, so he asks “Whatcha think,girl, you wanna try it, seems to be fire based and I know you like the spicy stuff”
Sera pick up the shards that sems infused with leftovers from her sacred flame. Then watch the carrion crawler squeese into the tiny opening "Do we follow it into there?...seems we blasted a shortcut. But barkley cannot fit ...can it?. We leave Barkley here ?"
Sera ake a quick overview of her group. They start running lower on health and spells..but so far it seems to go well.
"and you must tell me if you need further healing..I am saving up now. Last time in the sewers thing got lots worse before we was out. And I might be saving healing to the very last...but I do have a powerful spell saved up...a spell that summon a guardian from my deity and it will attack any hostile creatures untill it is gone. it save the rest of you some damage perhaps? Then i should go up front too..."
She looks at her group. The choice is theirs. she is feeling rather strong compared to many of them.
“Good to know you have it Sera, but maybe we save it for a little later, when there are a bunch of things that might need that kinda firepower? Wouldn’t want to waste it on a few small things Splinter and Shard could handle”
The complaints from Bucky as the sounds are turned on and off has turns the younger kenders attention to the plates. From his slightly elevated position on the rubble he sees the spread out pattern of the different plates. “Hey Bucky, this is a dragon lair right? About how big could a dragon be, like could one touch all those notes at once? Also if you were a dragon, wouldn’t you hide your hoard behind some fancy puzzle?”He comes down and walks over to his mentor handing him an Elixir of Health. “Maybe this will help the bump on your head, kinda need your mind clear in here with us” (History: 12 knowledge about dragons puzzles, Insight:3 Trying to ascertain the sounds he’s hearing)
Merkas can hear Barkly in his mind. "Fire Stone. I can eat them. When they're passed, they can be put on the tips of spears. They are strong weapons." Barkly goes on to explain that firenewts feed certain gemstones to Giant Striders. Passing through the body of a creature from the Elemental Plane of Fire amplifies its power immensely. When added to swords, daggers, spears, arrow heads, etc, they contain fire magic. Though she doesn't know how powerful the weapons amplified this way can be, it sounds like it can range from Catrip Level to 7th Level, depending on the skill level of the crafter, and the quality of the gem.
This further confirms Hastos's theory about adding endowments to the crystal to increase its power. Makes one wonder what would happen if they were blended with multiple elements of magic.
Buckeran holds out his hand and shakes his head. "No, no... thank you though. It's merely a bump, and I confess I'm being a bit of a baby about it. I'm not as spry as I used to be, and I'm a bit embarrassed for it. In my younger days, I would've been able to stay on Barkly, and might've prevented her from getting so seriously harmed. I know I've been forbidden to fight, but I'm starting to feel more like a burden than an aid. Forgive a grumpy old man, and keep that elixir. It may prove useful later."
After Buckeran humbles himself, he takes a look at the cave. "Yes... I suppose this is meant to be an entrance for a fully adult Blue Dragon. It's certainly large enough of an entrance. I wouldn't be surprised if a great one lived here. Though why such a might beast would abandon its den remains a mystery to me. Perhaps it was called away to war by Takhisis?"
After walking around and watching the lighted tiles, Hastos stops in his tracks and terms towards the group. “Ohhhh.” he says in a low tone. “I think I know what this is.” He pauses and walks back to the group.
Gesturing around the cave entrance, he continues “This whole thing hasn’t seemed right since we’ve come in. It’s all…. too sloppy for a blue dragon.Too random.” He points to the golems remains, “Then there’s these crystal golems. Why would they be here and hidden? And with all of this crystal, a dragon cannot move freely in and out of its cave. Why?”
He holds out one of the fire crystals as an offering to Barkley to eat.
After a moment he says.” I’d bet that this isn’t just a dragons cave, it’s some kind of locked door. These four tiles are just big enough for a good sized dragon to stand on, and we’ve noticed they will not entonate unless sufficient pressure is applied.” He points over to where one of the unactivated golems stand and points out a smaller pad.
“ I bet that is intended as some kind of servants entrance and that thing is guarding the way - much the same way as that metal creature in the sewers. Perhaps if we each stand on one of the tiles a path will open for us to enter.. or we could take our chances with the golem by the servants entrance.”
“Or maybe the dragon touches one of those after setting these off to pick which way it wants to go? Cause they have long necks and tails and stuff? Orr does that chord thing you mentioned have any more notes than the four we found already?”
Orr shrugs... "I'm sorry to say that I don't know. I have learned that a chord is comprised of just about any two or more notes. I would assume that a chord could have a half a dozen notes in it, so long as it created some kind of harmony. But I think Hastos is right. I originally thought maybe we had to play a tune with them. But for a dragon to do such a thing, it would have to dance around in a manner most ridiculous. I don't think dragons would debase themselves in such a way just to unlock a door."
To emphasize their point, they move up to stand on the tile that plays the D note. Now, D and B flat are ringing out together, and both tiles are lit up. "Buckeran and Barkly. Could you be a dear and stand on that tile there?" Orr the Unseen points at the tile that makes the E note. With D, B flat, and E ringing out, it makes a bittersweet chord. But other than the glow of light and the sound of the chord, nothing notable changes. Orr the Unseen puts their hands on either side of their mouth and calls out over the din. "Could someone please stand on the last tile over there?" They point to the tile that makes the B natural tone.
The chord is getting quite loud, and it's difficult to hear over the noise.
Sera watch the last tile. Are they doing something dumb? Probably. If it is a blue dragon here or not...
" I stand on the last one.." Sera give a short prayer and go over to the last tile. In any case she ignite the sword. If they decend into a dragons lair with a dragon...she prefer have her fathers sword in hand.
Hastos walks over to the next tile, looking at Sera as he moves. He gives her a subtle facial expression that seems to say “Oaky, here we go… again.” followed by a playful wink.
“Great! I’ll stay up here and give you dome lights.”Merkas says excitedly before spinning around looking for something “Blinky? You there can you be more than one light and move over to the different friends” With that four orbs of light float over to the areas where his friends are standing on the pads. “That’s perfect, ok, Sera soon as you get there we’ll see if something neat happens” (Cast Dancing lights as orbs and sets them over each of the resonating tiles. Perception:12 to see if there’s any changes in the room)
Sera, Hastos, and Blinky shuffle into position, and all four notes ring out, as if heralding the entrance of royalty. Then, the walls start rumbling. The crystals to the north of you begin to shift and shake, reforming into a grand archway. Multi-colored lighting shivers through the gemstones, highlighting symbols in the translucent stones that read "Blue Dragon Entrance Here".
The path northward opens up. It's much dustier here, and looks far more like a ruin. But it's not without its beauty. Massive mushrooms, nearly as large as trees, crackle with electric energy and hum eerie, but beguiling music. Stone platforms, that hold the crumbled feet and legs of what appear to have been statues adorn the gathering hall. There are more cobbled passageways fit for medium sized creatures meander off into unknown directions. And another massive crystal archway presents itself, about 45' north of the newly formed one, with a tunnel that continues deeper into what appears to be more of the massive ruin.
I didn't feel like fixing it. But pretend any green plants you see on the map are mushrooms.
The sustained chord has decrescendoed to a light hum. And aside from the melodic whine of the mushrooms, it seems relatively quiet. Inside Merkas's mind, he can hear the delighted sounds of the Carrion Crawler sloppily crunching on some new food it found.
Merkas stands, mouth open, staring at the massive magical gate. “….Wow….” As Hastos moves to look in he waves to the orbs of light. “Blinky, head up and give us a better look would you?”(Dancing lights to follow Sera, Orr, Hastos, and Barkly as they move on)
Merkas looks at the crystals around his feet. “Well these things seemed to do something neat before, might as well collect some”Setting down the bag of holding to scoop the crystals into, he gathers what he can until Sera asks about the crawler. (Sleight of Hand: 24 for quickly gathering the charged/chargeable crystals) “Hmm? Oh, I heard Biggy-smalls munching through the hole that way” He waves his hand towards Orrs fireball breach. “Want me to call them over? Looks really dusty in there, I bet nothing much has moved in there for years.” Looking over the size of the entrance, he returns to mount Barkly. “Hey Bucky, you think maybe this dragon just died of old age? Or ate a bad mushroom?” (Survival:18 for signs of what might have caused the dragon to not be here anymore, and History:11 for the ancient statues in the room, what nation made this space home, or are they all from different cultures)
As you pass under the archway, the prismatic light is breathtaking to behold. Blinky is nearly invisible because of it. Only a feint outline and its movement gives clues to Blinky's presence. But the ever shifting color array dances beautifully off your skin, hair, and armor.
Even so, there is a vague sense of hostility all around you. You can see to your left massive, crackling mushrooms that have grown wide and tall enough to climb.
Note: The wall of crystal to your north is the entrance to the tunnel that presumably leads to the main chamber. What you're now seeing could be described as a commons, or a courtyard. The dragons would not have frequented this area unless they were preparing to leave, or enter, their den.
Hastos holds a hand up. “We are not alone. I sense multiple small creatures scurrying into positions. Allow me to go first.” He stows his axe and equips the scimitar and his shield.
Barkly is looking particularly rough. The concussion has her senses dulled, and she's not making her usual sounds. She can walk, but on unsteady legs. That one strike nearly killed her, and while the lava did improve her health some, she looks like she'll need more healing in order to be able to join in any other fights.
Barkly is still Bloodied. I rolled a Medicine check for MrUncleTio. You estimate her HP to be at or below 10/22.
Buckeran looks up from tending to Barkly. Even though he hadn't been asked, he decides to put in his two copper. "We both have knots on our heads now. But we'll live. More importantly, we need to figure out what to do with this Carrion Crawler. Merkas... how long will you have control of that thing, and what will be its attitude about being mind controlled when you don't? Can we trust it?"
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
Merkas digs through his pack as he answers Hastos first, almost talking over Buckeran as he reports on Barkly. “Well it hit me pretty hard, not my head but it hurts pretty good, but we have a few of these potions that we found, anyone mind if I use one?” He barely waits for a response before downing the potion. (Merkas and Barkly both regain 14hp)
“Wow, that’s got a kick!” Looks up at Bucky and back at the Crawler as it looks longingly at the new hinting grounds That opened up. (Arcana: 19 to see if Merkas can sense the rules of the spell) “It feels like a day or so, and I don’t think it’s gonna be overly upset, but we should be gone by then right?” He looks around the room and back at the plate that gave off the sounds, “About trust, I guess I could ask it, maybe it knows which other spots make noise in here?”
Merkas moves over to pick up the golem core and then next to the crawler and casts speak with animals “Hey Big Guy? Bet you can smell the food in there, You can go ahead but could you tell me if any more spots in here make sounds like that one my friend stepped on?”
Loyalty Begets Honour
The Carrion Crawler looks back at Merkas. "Yes."
Its voice sounds strange in Merkas's mind... screetchy and high pitched... grating even. Merkas can tell that it doesn't possess much intelligence, and therefore didn't draw the conclusion that Merkas would want to know which tiles made sounds... or even if it possessed the memory capable of telling you which ones. You might as well ask a zombie to solve puzzle problems. Merkas's trek over to the golem core doesn't light up any tiles though, so it would seem that the other tiles are north of Merkas and Hastos's current position, and that standing half on the tile isn't enough to light it up.
Barkly traveresed the B natural tile without causing an intonation, but she was straddling two tiles when she did.
Pleased to be so helpful, the Carrion Crawler accepts its reward of being allowed to continue its exploration, and continues to wriggle its way through the newly formed opening. It's head barely fits through, so it writhes and scrambles with its hind legs to scooch slowly through the hole. The sight would be kind of silly, if the creature weren't so grotesque. Just a massive, buggy butt wiggling and squirming over tiny caterpillar-like legs.
Merkas can feel the might of the golem core, and his hair stands on edge with static electricity. Golem cores essentially are summoning stones filled with elemental magic, or even possibly a djinn. It's evident that the core was formed with lightning magic. But this isn't a lightning elemental. Due to the crystal encasing it and the chaotic energy of the cave, it's basically a blank elemental that can summon a crystal golem. But that crystal can be imbued with any element you charge it with. You can also sense a faint intelligence in it, which is attempting to communicate with Merkas. The impression is so latent, that it's unintelligable right now. Just a faint murmer... but it doesn't sound hostile. Golems are intrinsically servile. The one who holds it becomes its unquestioning master. If you can figure out how to restore some of its power, you might be able to learn more about it, and find out how it may serve you. But it also contains enough magic energy currently to empower weapons, armor, and magic items to heights beyond even your considerable casting abilities.
Holding it, for some reason, makes it more obvious where the other golems are. You have a vague empathic connection to two others. They stand, immobile, appearing as if they are part of the wall, along the cobbled pathways heading east and west. Attempting to pass through that path by force could awaken them. To your eyes, the golems are translucent, and look inert. They're just walls of clear, sparkling crystal, with no visible totem inside them.
Barkly is now at full HP.
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
Hastos examines Barkley and pulls out one of the fire crystals.
“What do you think,” he asks the group, “ You think Barkley might want one of these? They taste like hell to me, but she might like it. I have no idea the effect it might have though.”
Hastos holds the crystal up and looks through it at the surrounding cave. (Investigation: 20)
Character: Hastos, Ibahalii Vriwhulth, the Reaper of Glory v2: IC Thread
Sera pick up the shards that sems infused with leftovers from her sacred flame. Then watch the carrion crawler squeese into the tiny opening "Do we follow it into there?...seems we blasted a shortcut. But barkley cannot fit ...can it?. We leave Barkley here ?"
Sera ake a quick overview of her group. They start running lower on health and spells..but so far it seems to go well.
"and you must tell me if you need further healing..I am saving up now. Last time in the sewers thing got lots worse before we was out. And I might be saving healing to the very last...but I do have a powerful spell saved up...a spell that summon a guardian from my deity and it will attack any hostile creatures untill it is gone. it save the rest of you some damage perhaps? Then i should go up front too..."
She looks at her group. The choice is theirs. she is feeling rather strong compared to many of them.
When Hastos walks around the chamber to investigate, more of the tiles light up. And the intonations that spring forth are different notes.
"D natural... B flat..." Orr explains as Hastos walks about the entrance. The combined sounds of B natural and B flat ring out discordantly, clashing dissonantly throughout the chamber. The D natural is no longer ringing out.
Barkly shows some interest in the fire crystal, sniffing it curiously when Hastos passes by. It's unlikely she'd be bothered by its heat.
Buckeran scratches his forehead. His throbbing headache is not improved by the dissonance. "Damn... I wish I brought more tomes in. I have a small library inside my mansion. From the sounds of it, the dragons who dwelt here enjoy music... though their taste in music leaves much to be desired."
Orr the Unseen walks off the tile, apologizing. But in their actions, activate a different note. The B flat and the E sound much better together, which gives them pause. "Not so, when played all together. I'm hardly a professional musician, but in constructing music for the Gray House I have learned some basic music theory. The notes, when played together, make a variation of a G Minor."
As a musician, I can't let this stand: It's a G minor/major 7th. And it's a really cool chord. 😛 But Orr the Unseen isn't a Bard, so they wouldn't know that.
"Well... it's giving me a minor migraine..." Buckeran grumbles. "Well bother... are we supposed to play a tune with it? I don't see how these musical notes have anything to do with our current predicament. Perhaps we should follow the Carrion Crawler through that hole Orr made."
Orr the Unseen twists up their face and presses their lips together. Buckeran rarely referred to Orr the Unseen as simply "Orr". He's clearly quite displeased about the knot on his head. Buckeran's apologetic expression eases the unintended awkwardness. It clearly felt weird for him to say it that way as well. As a consolitory measure, Orr the Unseen steps off the musical tile as well, so that only the B Flat is ringing out.
Barkly is standing half on the tile, but the note remains silent. Apparently, being half on it isn't enough to create a tone.
Sera's path towards the shards does nothing to cause any notes to ring out, but she collects the shards, and ends somewhere near where Hastos previously was.
The Carrion Crawler is nearly through the hole now, and it's evident Sera has a point. Though Barkly's physiology would allow her to climb and burrow, the Carrion Crawler (who is most likely also a burrower), could barely squeeze through that hole. And it clearly wasn't capable of scratching out a bigger hole through the crystals. They may be too tough to dig through without mining tools. There is a risk that Barkly could get stuck halfway through the tunnel. Leaving her behind is an option, but Giant Striders have a certain affinity to dragons, even if only Red Dragons. On the off chance you encounter one, she may come in handy. Fortunately, Buckeran and Orr the Unseen understand Draconic, so interpreting is still covered, if you should leave her behind.
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
Merkas is lost staring into the golem core like a hobbit staring into a palantir. He barely registers the simply response from the crawler as he probes the depths of the gem with his eye and, new to him, arcane senses. (Arcana:12 trying to connect with the golem inside)
The sounds of the tiles that Hastos sets off walking over to Barkly brings him back to himself in time to see the last of the crawler go through the opening. “Aww, well they answered at least, Thanks for the help, see you later” When the second note sounds Merkas spins around and says to everyone, “Watch out for the other two golems, there’s one at either end where the road goes through the crystal”
Merkas watches Hastos waves the shard in front of Barkly and her reaction, so he asks “Whatcha think,girl, you wanna try it, seems to be fire based and I know you like the spicy stuff”
“Good to know you have it Sera, but maybe we save it for a little later, when there are a bunch of things that might need that kinda firepower? Wouldn’t want to waste it on a few small things Splinter and Shard could handle”
The complaints from Bucky as the sounds are turned on and off has turns the younger kenders attention to the plates. From his slightly elevated position on the rubble he sees the spread out pattern of the different plates. “Hey Bucky, this is a dragon lair right? About how big could a dragon be, like could one touch all those notes at once? Also if you were a dragon, wouldn’t you hide your hoard behind some fancy puzzle?” He comes down and walks over to his mentor handing him an Elixir of Health. “Maybe this will help the bump on your head, kinda need your mind clear in here with us” (History: 12 knowledge about dragons puzzles, Insight:3 Trying to ascertain the sounds he’s hearing)
Loyalty Begets Honour
Merkas can hear Barkly in his mind. "Fire Stone. I can eat them. When they're passed, they can be put on the tips of spears. They are strong weapons." Barkly goes on to explain that firenewts feed certain gemstones to Giant Striders. Passing through the body of a creature from the Elemental Plane of Fire amplifies its power immensely. When added to swords, daggers, spears, arrow heads, etc, they contain fire magic. Though she doesn't know how powerful the weapons amplified this way can be, it sounds like it can range from Catrip Level to 7th Level, depending on the skill level of the crafter, and the quality of the gem.
This further confirms Hastos's theory about adding endowments to the crystal to increase its power. Makes one wonder what would happen if they were blended with multiple elements of magic.
Buckeran holds out his hand and shakes his head. "No, no... thank you though. It's merely a bump, and I confess I'm being a bit of a baby about it. I'm not as spry as I used to be, and I'm a bit embarrassed for it. In my younger days, I would've been able to stay on Barkly, and might've prevented her from getting so seriously harmed. I know I've been forbidden to fight, but I'm starting to feel more like a burden than an aid. Forgive a grumpy old man, and keep that elixir. It may prove useful later."
After Buckeran humbles himself, he takes a look at the cave. "Yes... I suppose this is meant to be an entrance for a fully adult Blue Dragon. It's certainly large enough of an entrance. I wouldn't be surprised if a great one lived here. Though why such a might beast would abandon its den remains a mystery to me. Perhaps it was called away to war by Takhisis?"
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
After walking around and watching the lighted tiles, Hastos stops in his tracks and terms towards the group. “Ohhhh.” he says in a low tone. “I think I know what this is.” He pauses and walks back to the group.
Gesturing around the cave entrance, he continues “This whole thing hasn’t seemed right since we’ve come in. It’s all…. too sloppy for a blue dragon.Too random.” He points to the golems remains, “Then there’s these crystal golems. Why would they be here and hidden? And with all of this crystal, a dragon cannot move freely in and out of its cave. Why?”
He holds out one of the fire crystals as an offering to Barkley to eat.
After a moment he says.” I’d bet that this isn’t just a dragons cave, it’s some kind of locked door. These four tiles are just big enough for a good sized dragon to stand on, and we’ve noticed they will not entonate unless sufficient pressure is applied.” He points over to where one of the unactivated golems stand and points out a smaller pad.
“ I bet that is intended as some kind of servants entrance and that thing is guarding the way - much the same way as that metal creature in the sewers. Perhaps if we each stand on one of the tiles a path will open for us to enter.. or we could take our chances with the golem by the servants entrance.”
Character: Hastos, Ibahalii Vriwhulth, the Reaper of Glory v2: IC Thread
“Or maybe the dragon touches one of those after setting these off to pick which way it wants to go? Cause they have long necks and tails and stuff? Orr does that chord thing you mentioned have any more notes than the four we found already?”
Loyalty Begets Honour
Orr shrugs... "I'm sorry to say that I don't know. I have learned that a chord is comprised of just about any two or more notes. I would assume that a chord could have a half a dozen notes in it, so long as it created some kind of harmony. But I think Hastos is right. I originally thought maybe we had to play a tune with them. But for a dragon to do such a thing, it would have to dance around in a manner most ridiculous. I don't think dragons would debase themselves in such a way just to unlock a door."
To emphasize their point, they move up to stand on the tile that plays the D note. Now, D and B flat are ringing out together, and both tiles are lit up. "Buckeran and Barkly. Could you be a dear and stand on that tile there?" Orr the Unseen points at the tile that makes the E note. With D, B flat, and E ringing out, it makes a bittersweet chord. But other than the glow of light and the sound of the chord, nothing notable changes. Orr the Unseen puts their hands on either side of their mouth and calls out over the din. "Could someone please stand on the last tile over there?" They point to the tile that makes the B natural tone.
The chord is getting quite loud, and it's difficult to hear over the noise.
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Ibahalii Vriwhulth, the Reaper of Glory v2: IC Thread (PbP); Secrets of the Island (On Discord)
My Characters:
Krik-tul, Thri-kreen monk
Sera watch the last tile. Are they doing something dumb? Probably. If it is a blue dragon here or not...
" I stand on the last one.." Sera give a short prayer and go over to the last tile. In any case she ignite the sword. If they decend into a dragons lair with a dragon...she prefer have her fathers sword in hand.
" let us see then if this works"
Hastos walks over to the next tile, looking at Sera as he moves. He gives her a subtle facial expression that seems to say “Oaky, here we go… again.” followed by a playful wink.
He readies his axe and steps onto the tile..
Character: Hastos, Ibahalii Vriwhulth, the Reaper of Glory v2: IC Thread
“Great! I’ll stay up here and give you dome lights.”Merkas says excitedly before spinning around looking for something “Blinky? You there can you be more than one light and move over to the different friends” With that four orbs of light float over to the areas where his friends are standing on the pads. “That’s perfect, ok, Sera soon as you get there we’ll see if something neat happens” (Cast Dancing lights as orbs and sets them over each of the resonating tiles. Perception:12 to see if there’s any changes in the room)
Loyalty Begets Honour
Sera, Hastos, and Blinky shuffle into position, and all four notes ring out, as if heralding the entrance of royalty. Then, the walls start rumbling. The crystals to the north of you begin to shift and shake, reforming into a grand archway. Multi-colored lighting shivers through the gemstones, highlighting symbols in the translucent stones that read "Blue Dragon Entrance Here".
The path northward opens up. It's much dustier here, and looks far more like a ruin. But it's not without its beauty. Massive mushrooms, nearly as large as trees, crackle with electric energy and hum eerie, but beguiling music. Stone platforms, that hold the crumbled feet and legs of what appear to have been statues adorn the gathering hall. There are more cobbled passageways fit for medium sized creatures meander off into unknown directions. And another massive crystal archway presents itself, about 45' north of the newly formed one, with a tunnel that continues deeper into what appears to be more of the massive ruin.
I didn't feel like fixing it. But pretend any green plants you see on the map are mushrooms.
The sustained chord has decrescendoed to a light hum. And aside from the melodic whine of the mushrooms, it seems relatively quiet. Inside Merkas's mind, he can hear the delighted sounds of the Carrion Crawler sloppily crunching on some new food it found.
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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
Hastos takes a moment a breathes. He closes his eye and listens, then carefully scans the room for danger. (perception: 14)
Character: Hastos, Ibahalii Vriwhulth, the Reaper of Glory v2: IC Thread
Sera look at the new area in awe. So huge it is...but a creeping fear also sneak upon her. Still working mechanis? Traps? Guardians?
"Where your worm went Merkas?"
She step up towards the new space. ( move 30 feet north)
And kneel. Look at the sand. What lives here? Or have thecsand been undistorb fore eons?
"Father..guide us " ( cast guidance)
( looks for tracks or clues to what lives here. ( survival rolled 20. With guidance 23)
Merkas stands, mouth open, staring at the massive magical gate. “….Wow….” As Hastos moves to look in he waves to the orbs of light. “Blinky, head up and give us a better look would you?”(Dancing lights to follow Sera, Orr, Hastos, and Barkly as they move on)
Merkas looks at the crystals around his feet. “Well these things seemed to do something neat before, might as well collect some” Setting down the bag of holding to scoop the crystals into, he gathers what he can until Sera asks about the crawler. (Sleight of Hand: 24 for quickly gathering the charged/chargeable crystals) “Hmm? Oh, I heard Biggy-smalls munching through the hole that way” He waves his hand towards Orrs fireball breach. “Want me to call them over? Looks really dusty in there, I bet nothing much has moved in there for years.”
Looking over the size of the entrance, he returns to mount Barkly. “Hey Bucky, you think maybe this dragon just died of old age? Or ate a bad mushroom?” (Survival:18 for signs of what might have caused the dragon to not be here anymore, and History:11 for the ancient statues in the room, what nation made this space home, or are they all from different cultures)
Loyalty Begets Honour
As you pass under the archway, the prismatic light is breathtaking to behold. Blinky is nearly invisible because of it. Only a feint outline and its movement gives clues to Blinky's presence. But the ever shifting color array dances beautifully off your skin, hair, and armor.
Even so, there is a vague sense of hostility all around you. You can see to your left massive, crackling mushrooms that have grown wide and tall enough to climb.
Note: The wall of crystal to your north is the entrance to the tunnel that presumably leads to the main chamber. What you're now seeing could be described as a commons, or a courtyard. The dragons would not have frequented this area unless they were preparing to leave, or enter, their den.
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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
Hastos holds a hand up. “We are not alone. I sense multiple small creatures scurrying into positions. Allow me to go first.” He stows his axe and equips the scimitar and his shield.
Character: Hastos, Ibahalii Vriwhulth, the Reaper of Glory v2: IC Thread