Vazo'yn does not fear the purple wave anymore. He faces it head-on with certainty and acceptance. As the withering magic saps the years from him it also imbues him with the strength he knows he needs for the challenge ahead. It is a blessing and a curse in equal measure.
He stares into the purple haze as it washes across him, seeping into his skin, flesh and bones. His complexion pales, and subtle blotches and wrinkles mar it where the unlived years have taken their toll. His dark leathers fall away, replaced by an expertly crafted armor of chain shirt, wrought by drow master-smiths in years yet to come.
Once the wave has passed and the Fellowship start their preparations for their final journey, Vazo'yn draws a spread of cards before him in a now-familiar ritual of connection and communion. He and his companions, should they allow it, would feel a mental link settling between their minds. At the completion of the ritual, he utters one final word. His voice is as quietly certain as ever, but the word resonates with power as the air vibrates around the followship, invigorating them with strength for the trial to come.
OOC: 33 on his Con save. Ritually casting Rary's Telepathic Bond. The casting Power Word Fortify. That's 120 temporary hit points to spread around. I think Joy already has temporary hit points, so that's 20 each for everyone else (sorry Lily). If someone else has a source of temp HP let me know and we can redistribute!
Ylis looks at her self and at the others, groaning about looking old so OLLLLDDD. and now understanding what her Nan had complained about in a previous life. How everything has a little bit of ache and the world seems to pull you down, like your whole body is heavier.
She rubs her ears and her eyes. The visions this time didn't bring her any actual pain, and some of the events that the party went through brought a chuckle to her mind. It wasn't HER fault the bag was an eating bag not a holding bag. One day she'll find another everfull mug and give it to the grouchy man for the one the bag ate.
"Upward and onward!...Oh wait!"
"Bubble bubble toil and trouble...something somethin.." Ylis conjures her bonfire and a big cauldron, this time making Oil of Slipperiness 3 of them can be pulled.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
The now old man has grey in his dark hair now, both body and mind tired and weary with the last wave of withering, making him let out a loud groan of disgruntlement. "No, all is fine, just fabulous. Feeling quite spry for an old man butIbetter make it up to the top soon beacuse after the next wave or you will probably find me as dust and bones." He answers the green-skinned paladin.The seemingly eternally young tiny blonde is quickly there trying to comfort the old grumpy man. It is only now he notices a staff in his hand, scoffing at it, first imagining it to be a simple walking staff for old people like himself but then he senses there is more to the staff than meets the eye. "I'm sorry Joy, I'm getting old and grumpy, but you have kept your youth and beauty I see." He says with a warm smile, finding a bit of comfort in this as he walks on to meet his doom. He and Lily both gives the drow grateful smiles for his many boons and seem ready to face the mad god now. "Testing, testing, you can now all have the pleasure of hearing my voice in your head on the last leg up, how about that?" He broadcasts to the others with a dry telepathic chuckle at the end.
(Arcane eye scouting ahead, Jack has truesight and improved darkvision, casting Foresight and casting Summon Fey and summoning the air elemental servant as late as possible.)
Riven stands still as the wave crests. [Con Save: 20]
He doesn’t flinch as the withering force rushes past, pulling at the edges of his life like a tide dragging loose threads from the hem of a cloak. His skin pales further, hair streaked now with silver that glints faintly in the fractured light. The weight of years settles into his bones, not enough to break him, but enough to remind him that time does not forget.
Then, slowly, he kneels.
The mirror he produces is small, tarnished around the edges, an heirloom more than a tool. With careful, practiced strokes, he begins to apply his glowrune pigment, tracing the lines of a shield rune across the planes of his face. The glow is faint, like moonlight on steel, but steady. Each line is a ward, a vow, a final defiance against the entropy clawing at them.
As he finishes, he sits for a moment, mirror in lap, staring at the reflection he barely recognizes, he rune still glowing faintly across his cheek like old magic burned into warpaint.
Then, without ceremony, he speaks to the group, his voice low, distant, but clear
“If I fall before the summit, I ask one of you to carry what’s left of me over the threshold."
He begins to move, not as fast as before, but no less certain toward the summit.
The party makes its way up the mountain on the final, solitary walk. There is barely a breeze now, and at this height it feels chilly, though not cold to the point of freezing. The sky is bright and there seems to be nothing stopping your ascension up the mountain. The Arcane Eye floats ahead of the party, as does Riven. Even though his knees ache and he feels slower than he once was, the party would find it difficult to notice as he glides through the air without a sound and at enough speed to stay ahead of the rest of the party.
A light mist begins to form and the air curls around the party, licking at them as they move through it. The cool, moist air leaves a sheen on their bodies and the fractured reality around Joy casts additional, hazy light as the floating shards still follow her and bend reality. Riven takes full advantage of this mist and quite literally disappears before most of the eyes of the party. Jack with his emerald eyes offering True Sight can make out the elderly Riven creeping along in the mist, but to everyone else, he is Invisible.
The Arcane Eye reaches the summit first. The path curls up the mountain to the top, where the mountain opens up to a 70 ft x 80 ft arena. There are four pillars, hewn from stone with runic carvings on them in an unfamiliar language. Each of the pillars is surrounded in some kind of magical bubble. On the floor is a illuminated pattern that pulses in its glow. To the west end of the summit, there is a small coffin with the lid open, and to the south is a human male. This is not Otbium. This man looks all too mortal. He appears to be in his 40s, with dark, short messy hair, icy eyes, and an unshaven face with hollow cheeks. He wears battle tested armor, with chips and dents that suggest a hard life, though the equipment appears well-cared for. He sits on a worn stone, looking exceptionally fatigued. As though he sprinted a full mile as hard as he could. Sweat drips from his brow onto the dirt, each drop making a light tapping sound.
Next to him, an ethereal little girl, seemingly part of the mist but clearly distinct from it, encourages him forward. "Please father, I am so, so-so cold. Hurry."
The man shakes his head in surrender at first, then nods as he takes in gulps of air. "L-let me just... let me just catch my breath first. I'm trying. It's so hard, child."
The party is still out of sight, maybe a short sprint up the mountain (just off the map). The Arcane Eye has full visibility of the summit and Riven easily scales the walls as though they were flat earth at each level beneath the mountain top.
Jack would broadcast to the others what the arcane eye gleans. "No Otbium present it seems. Perhaps have a talk with the warrior and study the pillars and the pattern first so we perhaps understand what needs to be done?" He suggests.
Perched just below the summit’s edge, watching from the mist crouches Riven. The Arcane Eye hovers above, displaying the summit to the others through Jack.
His eyes narrow as he studies the scene.
Still cloaked in the mist, still invisible to most, he silently takes position at the summit’s far rim. From this vantage, he sees the man in full: the surrender in his shoulders, the burden in his breaths.
The Fellowship will arrive soon. But Riven is already in place.
Joy listens curiously and nods at Jack's suggestion. "Yes, it's best to learn what we can before trying to disrupt the magic. And that man...the girl could be an illusion created by Otbium to lead him here. If so, we might have to convince him we aren't enemies." She quickly puts on her Perfume of Bewitching.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
| Kaelen - Shadar-kai Gloom Stalker Ranger - Old Keep| Lira - Half-elf Thief Rogue/Druid - Allansia| Teryn - High Elf Archfey Warlock - Runewarren| Zoveldra - Kalashtar Open Hand Monk - Eberron| Mavilius - Tiefling Eloquence Bard - Golden Vault| Vannithos - Shadar-kai Astral Self Monk - Von Nichts | Cassian - Human Paladin - Dragonlance |
Giles nods at the other suggestions, "The man seems like the first thing to do. And of course a coffin should probably not be ignored..." He will stay relatively close to Joy, knowing well the benefits his Holy friend gives off, however at the first sign of trouble, he is ready to use his tremendous speed to move forward.
Joy draws in a steadying breath, closing her eyes for a brief moment as she murmurs a soft prayer under her breath, “Dawnfather, guide my hands, shield these hearts, and let your light carry us through.” She's encouraged that Riven accepted her blessing before going on ahead.
Turning, she places her hands lightly on Jack’s arm and then Vazo’yn’s, murmuring a separate blessing for each, her touch warm with Lathander’s radiance. “Light guide you, joy strengthen you, hope surround you.” The glow lingers faintly on their skin, a soft reminder of the promise she carries for them all. Pulling back she feels a hint of relief, though she reminds herself not to get overconfident with a literal god as their foe.
Jacaranda stayed with the group, she drew power into herself ( Lonstrider- Moev goes to 45') as she climbed the path sighting as far ahead as she could on the spiral path.
Vazo'yn looks up toward the summit with grim determination, carefully considering the information Jack conveyed through their mental link.
The drow steps forward and lays an encouraging hand on Jack's shoulder, while drawing a card from his pouch in the other.
The Raven.
A secret source of information. Come at a crucial time. To turn the fates in their favour.
"Find out what you can," he whispers in their minds as his magic fills Jack with confidence.
Then he disappears, leaving behind ghostly whispers of mist. He steps out of nothingness further up the trail and sneaks on silent feet toward Riven.
OOC: Giving Jack Bardic Inspiration (d12) and giving himself advantage on Wisdom checks with Enhance Ability. Then using Boon of Dimensional travel to bamf up to the next ring and Stealth (29) toward Riven.
Randa can see up the path a short distance, but the mist makes any details difficult to see.
Vazo'yn winks out of existence next to Jack and appears on the next tier of the spiral, leading up to the summit, and, their collective destiny. The suspension of droplets in the air is thicker here at this upper level and the fog that surrounds him also serves to moisten the earth, preventing the grinding sound of boot leather on dirt. Vazo'yn would make Riven proud with his lightness of foot... if Riven had been aware Vazo'yn's spectacular stealth performance.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
"Are you trying to distract an old man?" Jack says with a grin as he senses the enchanting fragrance of the green-skinned paladin, not being clear about whether he refers to himself or Otbium. The old man leaning on his wandering staff then feels the warmth of blessings of his companions, giving them warm smiles in return. The tiny blonde throws some pixie dust on the old man, allowing him to feel the freedom of flying once more, then giving him a quick kiss on the cheek for good luck.
"Okay, no time like the present."He says as everyone seems ready and starts floating up to the summit, slow enough for those who want to to follow him. Once he sees the warrior he calls out to him with a peaceful and respectful tone. "Greetings, we come in peace, hoping to save the people of this world from untimely deaths. Can you help us with that good sir?"
Persuasion if needed to make peaceful contact with the man: 19 Insight to determine truth and motivations: 24
Meanwhile the tiny invisible blonde uses her Heartsight to know the warrior's emotions and alignment. (Cha save 23, Celestials, Fiends, and Undead automatically fail the save).
(Arcane eye scouting above the scene, Jack has truesight and improved darkvision, flying, or more like hovering rigt now, thanks to pixie dust, advantage on everything due to Foresight, deathward, bardic inspiration, Lily is ready with potions and more pixie dust when needed, Shadowwhisk and the Wind elemental servant is waiting just out of sight to the south if things go that way.)
Joy blushes and gives a shy laugh at Jack's comment, activating a charge of her Winged Boots to follow him up to meet this mysterious warrior. She gives the man a friendly smile as Jack speaks.
'Strange. For him to still be this age, he must have a blessing like me...or he made a deal with Otbium,' she observes to the others through their telepathic connection. She also watches the man carefully for any sign of aggression.
Insight: 9
((Joy's current buffs aside from Aura effects: darkvision, See Invisibility, Freedom of Movement for 8 hours, flying from boots, advantage on saves against spells and magical effects from shield, Force resistance from ring, critical hits on her become normal hits from armor))
High above the summit, Riven crouches in the misted shadows, longbow drawn across his knees, an arrow nocked but not raised. The shaft rests lightly against his gloved fingers, ready. He does not move. He only watches.
The man looks broken, but not shattered. No, this is a man still trying to stand on legs buckling beneath the weight of something unseen.
And beside him, the child. Mist-borne and ethereal. Riven narrows his eyes.
“That’s not his daughter. That’s a means of emotional control.”
Jack rises into view. Floating through the mist, posture noble, voice calm, words chosen with care.
“Of course. Jack to the rescue,” Riven thinks, lips twitching into a dry half-smile.
Joy rises behind Jack, as a warm light. Even the shards around her seem to shimmer more gently in her presence.
“Light and warmth. One day they’ll learn you can’t always save someone from drowning by reaching in after them. Sometimes…” “…you just get pulled in too.”
He watches. Still as stone. Arrow steady. Eyes sharp. Let the talkers talk. His job begins the moment the talking fails.
Vazo'yn does not fear the purple wave anymore. He faces it head-on with certainty and acceptance. As the withering magic saps the years from him it also imbues him with the strength he knows he needs for the challenge ahead. It is a blessing and a curse in equal measure.
He stares into the purple haze as it washes across him, seeping into his skin, flesh and bones. His complexion pales, and subtle blotches and wrinkles mar it where the unlived years have taken their toll. His dark leathers fall away, replaced by an expertly crafted armor of chain shirt, wrought by drow master-smiths in years yet to come.
Once the wave has passed and the Fellowship start their preparations for their final journey, Vazo'yn draws a spread of cards before him in a now-familiar ritual of connection and communion. He and his companions, should they allow it, would feel a mental link settling between their minds. At the completion of the ritual, he utters one final word. His voice is as quietly certain as ever, but the word resonates with power as the air vibrates around the followship, invigorating them with strength for the trial to come.
OOC: 33 on his Con save. Ritually casting Rary's Telepathic Bond. The casting Power Word Fortify. That's 120 temporary hit points to spread around. I think Joy already has temporary hit points, so that's 20 each for everyone else (sorry Lily). If someone else has a source of temp HP let me know and we can redistribute!
Ylis looks at her self and at the others, groaning about looking old so OLLLLDDD. and now understanding what her Nan had complained about in a previous life. How everything has a little bit of ache and the world seems to pull you down, like your whole body is heavier.
She rubs her ears and her eyes. The visions this time didn't bring her any actual pain, and some of the events that the party went through brought a chuckle to her mind. It wasn't HER fault the bag was an eating bag not a holding bag. One day she'll find another everfull mug and give it to the grouchy man for the one the bag ate.
"Upward and onward!...Oh wait!"
"Bubble bubble toil and trouble...something somethin.." Ylis conjures her bonfire and a big cauldron, this time making Oil of Slipperiness 3 of them can be pulled.
*SIGH* "OK, NOW Upward and onward!"
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
Jacaranda Con Save- 18
Jack con save: 14
The now old man has grey in his dark hair now, both body and mind tired and weary with the last wave of withering, making him let out a loud groan of disgruntlement. "No, all is fine, just fabulous. Feeling quite spry for an old man but I better make it up to the top soon beacuse after the next wave or you will probably find me as dust and bones." He answers the green-skinned paladin. The seemingly eternally young tiny blonde is quickly there trying to comfort the old grumpy man. It is only now he notices a staff in his hand, scoffing at it, first imagining it to be a simple walking staff for old people like himself but then he senses there is more to the staff than meets the eye. "I'm sorry Joy, I'm getting old and grumpy, but you have kept your youth and beauty I see." He says with a warm smile, finding a bit of comfort in this as he walks on to meet his doom. He and Lily both gives the drow grateful smiles for his many boons and seem ready to face the mad god now. "Testing, testing, you can now all have the pleasure of hearing my voice in your head on the last leg up, how about that?" He broadcasts to the others with a dry telepathic chuckle at the end.
(Arcane eye scouting ahead, Jack has truesight and improved darkvision, casting Foresight and casting Summon Fey and summoning the air elemental servant as late as possible.)
Stealth: 28
Perception: 24
Riven stands still as the wave crests.
[Con Save: 20]
He doesn’t flinch as the withering force rushes past, pulling at the edges of his life like a tide dragging loose threads from the hem of a cloak. His skin pales further, hair streaked now with silver that glints faintly in the fractured light. The weight of years settles into his bones, not enough to break him, but enough to remind him that time does not forget.
Then, slowly, he kneels.
The mirror he produces is small, tarnished around the edges, an heirloom more than a tool. With careful, practiced strokes, he begins to apply his glowrune pigment, tracing the lines of a shield rune across the planes of his face. The glow is faint, like moonlight on steel, but steady. Each line is a ward, a vow, a final defiance against the entropy clawing at them.
As he finishes, he sits for a moment, mirror in lap, staring at the reflection he barely recognizes, he rune still glowing faintly across his cheek like old magic burned into warpaint.
Then, without ceremony, he speaks to the group, his voice low, distant, but clear
“If I fall before the summit, I ask one of you to carry what’s left of me over the threshold."
He begins to move, not as fast as before, but no less certain toward the summit.
Stealth: 36
Passive Perception: 28
Survival: 27
The party makes its way up the mountain on the final, solitary walk. There is barely a breeze now, and at this height it feels chilly, though not cold to the point of freezing. The sky is bright and there seems to be nothing stopping your ascension up the mountain. The Arcane Eye floats ahead of the party, as does Riven. Even though his knees ache and he feels slower than he once was, the party would find it difficult to notice as he glides through the air without a sound and at enough speed to stay ahead of the rest of the party.
A light mist begins to form and the air curls around the party, licking at them as they move through it. The cool, moist air leaves a sheen on their bodies and the fractured reality around Joy casts additional, hazy light as the floating shards still follow her and bend reality. Riven takes full advantage of this mist and quite literally disappears before most of the eyes of the party. Jack with his emerald eyes offering True Sight can make out the elderly Riven creeping along in the mist, but to everyone else, he is Invisible.
The Arcane Eye reaches the summit first. The path curls up the mountain to the top, where the mountain opens up to a 70 ft x 80 ft arena. There are four pillars, hewn from stone with runic carvings on them in an unfamiliar language. Each of the pillars is surrounded in some kind of magical bubble. On the floor is a illuminated pattern that pulses in its glow. To the west end of the summit, there is a small coffin with the lid open, and to the south is a human male. This is not Otbium. This man looks all too mortal. He appears to be in his 40s, with dark, short messy hair, icy eyes, and an unshaven face with hollow cheeks. He wears battle tested armor, with chips and dents that suggest a hard life, though the equipment appears well-cared for. He sits on a worn stone, looking exceptionally fatigued. As though he sprinted a full mile as hard as he could. Sweat drips from his brow onto the dirt, each drop making a light tapping sound.
Next to him, an ethereal little girl, seemingly part of the mist but clearly distinct from it, encourages him forward. "Please father, I am so, so-so cold. Hurry."
The man shakes his head in surrender at first, then nods as he takes in gulps of air. "L-let me just... let me just catch my breath first. I'm trying. It's so hard, child."
The party is still out of sight, maybe a short sprint up the mountain (just off the map). The Arcane Eye has full visibility of the summit and Riven easily scales the walls as though they were flat earth at each level beneath the mountain top.
The Mountain Top:
The Pattern:
The Man:
DM: What do you do?
DM mostly, Player occasionally | Session 0 form | He/Him/They/Them
EXTENDED SIGNATURE!
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Jack would broadcast to the others what the arcane eye gleans. "No Otbium present it seems. Perhaps have a talk with the warrior and study the pillars and the pattern first so we perhaps understand what needs to be done?" He suggests.
Perched just below the summit’s edge, watching from the mist crouches Riven. The Arcane Eye hovers above, displaying the summit to the others through Jack.
His eyes narrow as he studies the scene.
Still cloaked in the mist, still invisible to most, he silently takes position at the summit’s far rim. From this vantage, he sees the man in full: the surrender in his shoulders, the burden in his breaths.
The Fellowship will arrive soon. But Riven is already in place.
Stealth check to remain hidden: 21
Joy listens curiously and nods at Jack's suggestion. "Yes, it's best to learn what we can before trying to disrupt the magic. And that man...the girl could be an illusion created by Otbium to lead him here. If so, we might have to convince him we aren't enemies." She quickly puts on her Perfume of Bewitching.
| Kaelen - Shadar-kai Gloom Stalker Ranger - Old Keep | Lira - Half-elf Thief Rogue/Druid - Allansia | Teryn - High Elf Archfey Warlock - Runewarren | Zoveldra - Kalashtar Open Hand Monk - Eberron | Mavilius - Tiefling Eloquence Bard - Golden Vault | Vannithos - Shadar-kai Astral Self Monk - Von Nichts | Cassian - Human Paladin - Dragonlance |
Giles nods at the other suggestions, "The man seems like the first thing to do. And of course a coffin should probably not be ignored..." He will stay relatively close to Joy, knowing well the benefits his Holy friend gives off, however at the first sign of trouble, he is ready to use his tremendous speed to move forward.
Joy draws in a steadying breath, closing her eyes for a brief moment as she murmurs a soft prayer under her breath, “Dawnfather, guide my hands, shield these hearts, and let your light carry us through.” She's encouraged that Riven accepted her blessing before going on ahead.
Turning, she places her hands lightly on Jack’s arm and then Vazo’yn’s, murmuring a separate blessing for each, her touch warm with Lathander’s radiance. “Light guide you, joy strengthen you, hope surround you.” The glow lingers faintly on their skin, a soft reminder of the promise she carries for them all. Pulling back she feels a hint of relief, though she reminds herself not to get overconfident with a literal god as their foe.
((Death Ward on Jack, Riven, and Vazo'yn))
| Kaelen - Shadar-kai Gloom Stalker Ranger - Old Keep | Lira - Half-elf Thief Rogue/Druid - Allansia | Teryn - High Elf Archfey Warlock - Runewarren | Zoveldra - Kalashtar Open Hand Monk - Eberron | Mavilius - Tiefling Eloquence Bard - Golden Vault | Vannithos - Shadar-kai Astral Self Monk - Von Nichts | Cassian - Human Paladin - Dragonlance |
While hiking up the mountain, Ylis will apply Oil of Slipperiness to herself (if there is time), and follows the group on her broom.
Then when the group pauses she charges her staff with power ( shillelagh ).
This is not the unfun thing I thought it was going to be...hmm
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
Jacaranda stayed with the group, she drew power into herself ( Lonstrider- Moev goes to 45') as she climbed the path sighting as far ahead as she could on the spiral path.
Perception- 17
Vazo'yn looks up toward the summit with grim determination, carefully considering the information Jack conveyed through their mental link.
The drow steps forward and lays an encouraging hand on Jack's shoulder, while drawing a card from his pouch in the other.
The Raven.
A secret source of information. Come at a crucial time. To turn the fates in their favour.
"Find out what you can," he whispers in their minds as his magic fills Jack with confidence.
Then he disappears, leaving behind ghostly whispers of mist. He steps out of nothingness further up the trail and sneaks on silent feet toward Riven.
OOC: Giving Jack Bardic Inspiration (d12) and giving himself advantage on Wisdom checks with Enhance Ability. Then using Boon of Dimensional travel to bamf up to the next ring and Stealth (29) toward Riven.
Randa can see up the path a short distance, but the mist makes any details difficult to see.
Vazo'yn winks out of existence next to Jack and appears on the next tier of the spiral, leading up to the summit, and, their collective destiny. The suspension of droplets in the air is thicker here at this upper level and the fog that surrounds him also serves to moisten the earth, preventing the grinding sound of boot leather on dirt. Vazo'yn would make Riven proud with his lightness of foot... if Riven had been aware Vazo'yn's spectacular stealth performance.
DM mostly, Player occasionally | Session 0 form | He/Him/They/Them
EXTENDED SIGNATURE!
Doctor/Published Scholar/Science and Healthcare Advocate/Critter/Trekkie/Gandalf with a Glock
Try DDB free: Free Rules (2024), premade PCs, adventures, one shots, encounters, SC, homebrew, more
Answers: physical books, purchases, and subbing.
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Otbium is nowhere to be seen...
DM mostly, Player occasionally | Session 0 form | He/Him/They/Them
EXTENDED SIGNATURE!
Doctor/Published Scholar/Science and Healthcare Advocate/Critter/Trekkie/Gandalf with a Glock
Try DDB free: Free Rules (2024), premade PCs, adventures, one shots, encounters, SC, homebrew, more
Answers: physical books, purchases, and subbing.
Check out my life-changing
"Are you trying to distract an old man?" Jack says with a grin as he senses the enchanting fragrance of the green-skinned paladin, not being clear about whether he refers to himself or Otbium. The old man leaning on his wandering staff then feels the warmth of blessings of his companions, giving them warm smiles in return. The tiny blonde throws some pixie dust on the old man, allowing him to feel the freedom of flying once more, then giving him a quick kiss on the cheek for good luck.
"Okay, no time like the present." He says as everyone seems ready and starts floating up to the summit, slow enough for those who want to to follow him. Once he sees the warrior he calls out to him with a peaceful and respectful tone. "Greetings, we come in peace, hoping to save the people of this world from untimely deaths. Can you help us with that good sir?"
Persuasion if needed to make peaceful contact with the man: 19
Insight to determine truth and motivations: 24
Meanwhile the tiny invisible blonde uses her Heartsight to know the warrior's emotions and alignment.
(Cha save 23, Celestials, Fiends, and Undead automatically fail the save).
(Arcane eye scouting above the scene, Jack has truesight and improved darkvision, flying, or more like hovering rigt now, thanks to pixie dust, advantage on everything due to Foresight, deathward, bardic inspiration, Lily is ready with potions and more pixie dust when needed, Shadowwhisk and the Wind elemental servant is waiting just out of sight to the south if things go that way.)
Joy blushes and gives a shy laugh at Jack's comment, activating a charge of her Winged Boots to follow him up to meet this mysterious warrior. She gives the man a friendly smile as Jack speaks.
'Strange. For him to still be this age, he must have a blessing like me...or he made a deal with Otbium,' she observes to the others through their telepathic connection. She also watches the man carefully for any sign of aggression.
Insight: 9
((Joy's current buffs aside from Aura effects: darkvision, See Invisibility, Freedom of Movement for 8 hours, flying from boots, advantage on saves against spells and magical effects from shield, Force resistance from ring, critical hits on her become normal hits from armor))
| Kaelen - Shadar-kai Gloom Stalker Ranger - Old Keep | Lira - Half-elf Thief Rogue/Druid - Allansia | Teryn - High Elf Archfey Warlock - Runewarren | Zoveldra - Kalashtar Open Hand Monk - Eberron | Mavilius - Tiefling Eloquence Bard - Golden Vault | Vannithos - Shadar-kai Astral Self Monk - Von Nichts | Cassian - Human Paladin - Dragonlance |
High above the summit, Riven crouches in the misted shadows, longbow drawn across his knees, an arrow nocked but not raised. The shaft rests lightly against his gloved fingers, ready. He does not move. He only watches.
The man looks broken, but not shattered. No, this is a man still trying to stand on legs buckling beneath the weight of something unseen.
And beside him, the child. Mist-borne and ethereal. Riven narrows his eyes.
“That’s not his daughter. That’s a means of emotional control.”
Jack rises into view. Floating through the mist, posture noble, voice calm, words chosen with care.
“Of course. Jack to the rescue,” Riven thinks, lips twitching into a dry half-smile.
Joy rises behind Jack, as a warm light. Even the shards around her seem to shimmer more gently in her presence.
“Light and warmth. One day they’ll learn you can’t always save someone from drowning by reaching in after them. Sometimes…”
“…you just get pulled in too.”
He watches. Still as stone. Arrow steady. Eyes sharp.
Let the talkers talk. His job begins the moment the talking fails.