DM: Those participating in the maze, please deduct 3 silver from your inventory. Please also then roll a Survival Check, DC 14. Those paired up can choose a single person to roll with Advantage, or can roll separately without. If failing the check, please roll a Stealth Check immediately after, DC 18. If you succeed, you can reroll the Survival Check with the same DC. If you fail the Stealth Check, the aarakocra will come to take you back to the entrance. You are at liberty to RP this scene yourself and I encourage you to try your hand at the writing exercise. For those who do not wish to, let me know in the PMs and I will write the outcome here instead so we don't wait for something that won't come.
A failed Survival Check represents that you had eventually found a dead end and a Stealth Check is to make it back to the maze without the aarakocra noticing.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Ylis does her best to figure her way through without getting stuck and given the heave-ho. Does ending up in a dead end count if you're using the left hand trick? she wonders.
She hops and skips to music only she can hear, dup dup dup...
Survival check 6
Stealth check 6
Survival check 19
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"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?"
Jacaranda moved quickly into the maze her keen eyes picking out boot prints and disturbed foliage quickly calculating how many and in which direction they had been travelling, she clicked her tongue and shifted her pointed ears out and forward to try and catch the return from possible dead ends as she got to junctions.....eventually, though not the quickest she managed to navigate the maze fully and successfully.
She breathed a sigh of relief as she did so, happy to have succeeded at something today....
Berk says "Excellent, let's enter together my new friend. This festival is a great way to meet people!"
Berk will enter the maze with Dermot, smiling agreeably.
"Ok my new friend, left or right?"
After Dermot makes the choice, Berk will head in the opposite direction, confusing his left in right in the heat of the moment.
Survival: 9
"Hmm, dead end. Hear that? ... sounds like wings! Duck!" Berk smiles at the Goblin as the aarakocra flies over head. "Let's try the other way."
Stealth: 18
Dermot seems to be enjoying themselves, as Berk tells the goblin about his mountainous homeland. Midway through his sentence, they turn a corner and face a wall. "Damn!"
Just then a shadow falls over the pair, as the aarakocra descends!
DM: Don't forget your Stealth and subsequent possible Survival check, Wynt. Since you rolled separately, you are at risk of being snatched up by a bird man!
OOC: My mistake. I assumed that because we were playing as a team we would win or lose as a team. Vazo'yn failed his stealth so is out. I'll get a post up a bit later.
The carnival maze looms ahead, painted canvas strung taut between hastily erected wooden beams, forming winding corridors that flap slightly in the breeze. Lanterns sway overhead, casting shifting shadows that mask the true depth of each corner. It isn’t grown from hedges or woven with enchantment, but it’s still meant to confound, built fast, and built cleverly.
Riven stands at the threshold, one hand brushing his jaw as his eyes scan upward, not forward. While others may try to peer through the corridors, he studies the beams above, where chalk markings have been hastily scribbled: crude numbers, half-erased arrows, cryptic shorthand meant only for the builders.
“Hm.”
He turns slightly toward Vazo’yn, who stands just behind him. “They numbered the supports. Probably to track sections while they assembled it. Lazy craftsmanship. Useful tells.”
Vazo’yn squints upward. A trail, not on the ground,” Riven murmurs. “On the wood.”
He points.
Just there, where a support beam meets a painted wall, is a chalked number. Faint. Nearly rubbed away. A maze worker’s mark. Then another, on the corner to their right, a small triangle etched in pencil.
They slip into the maze together, moving fast and low, but deliberate. Riven keeps his gaze angled upward, watching for the patterns: odd numbers only on turns, chalk arrows always pointing away from dead ends, and at one point a beam labeled simply “X–REPAINT.”
“Left at 12, skip 13, avoid any wall braced with crossbeam C,” he murmurs. It’s not a riddle, it’s a blueprint. He’s not navigating the maze, instead Riven’s deconstructing it.
Behind him, Vazo’yn keeps up, until he doesn’t.
Riven turns his head in time to see Vazo’yn stumble toward what looks like an alternate route. A shadow passes overhead, fast, winged. The Aarakocra spirals down in a sharp, elegant arc, its feathers catching the light.
Riven slows but doesn’t stop. He meets Vazo’yn’s gaze once through the folds of hanging cloth. There’s no panic, just a grimace of frustration and a shrug that says, Well, I tried.
Alone now, Riven presses forward.
He reads the overhead beams like a map, matching chalk smudges to every turn, as he makes the next three turns without pause.
Twice he passes confused participants walking in the wrong direction, and they simply nod as he goes by.
One final corner, and there it is, the center. A platform of crates and bunting where a carved wood token rests on a silk pillow: the “prize” for those who solve it.
Riven approaches, then pauses, looking up one last time. The crossbeam above reads:
“C20 – EXIT MARKER.”
“Of course,” he murmurs.
He plucks the token with two fingers, rolls it across his knuckles, and slips it into a pouch. As he walks toward the rear curtain, parted just enough to reveal daylight, he casts one final glance back over his shoulder.
“Lazy builders,” he mutters under his breath. “Lucky for me.”
And then he’s gone, the canvas flapping closed behind him.
Berk says "Excellent, let's enter together my new friend. This festival is a great way to meet people!"
Berk will enter the maze with Dermot, smiling agreeably.
"Ok my new friend, left or right?"
After Dermot makes the choice, Berk will head in the opposite direction, confusing his left in right in the heat of the moment.
Survival: 9
"Hmm, dead end. Hear that? ... sounds like wings! Duck!" Berk smiles at the Goblin as the aarakocra flies over head. "Let's try the other way."
Stealth: 18
Dermot seems to be enjoying themselves, as Berk tells the goblin about his mountainous homeland. Midway through his sentence, they turn a corner and face a wall. "Damn!"
Just then a shadow falls over the pair, as the aarakocra descends!
Survival: 8
"Quick, put your back up against the wall" he tells the goblin.
Vazo'yn notes the craftpeople's markings as Riven points them out. The drow is notartisan, but he appreciates Riven's keen eye for detail and follows him through the maze. He stays close on Riven's heels, trying to plot the course using the half-hidden assembly instructions.
In a moment of insight, a memory rises in Vazo'yn's mind. A memory from a life lived long ago, the echo of which is granted to him by the Luxon's guiding light. In that life, he was a craftsman; a skilled carpenter whose hands worked timber as well as Vazo'yn's hands worked the cards.
A confident smile turned his lips as he went to call out to Riven, finally glad to contribute to their effort. His expert, craftsman's eye notes a side panel that sits slightly ajar, as if it had been made for a different frame, but had found its way here. A mistake in the assembly. The marking on it is misleading, given its wayward position.
Before he can say anything, another memory swiftly pushes into his mind. He had once been a ship's navigator, expertly tracking its voyage using the sun and the clouds alone, always holding their position in mind. He locates the sun almost dipping behind the maze walls as it travelled to meet the horizon. West. The maze's center was west. He is about to call out to Riven to direct them toward it.
Before he can, a third memory does not calmly rise or swiftly push into his mind. It crashes. He is in that maze. The hag's maze. The twisting and turning hedges that threatened to hold them captive forever, keeping them from their goal on the mountain.
"No,"he says aloud defiantly. "Not then, not now."
He knew this maze. He had navigated it once before and its path is fixed in his memory. He confidently steps toward the journey out.
The next moment, he is on his knees at the festival maze entrance, dumped to the ground unceremoniously by the vigilant Aaracokra.
He blinks as if trying to clear his vision, looking up at those around him. He sees the hag laughing wickedly at him. No, a young blonde boy, his son, seeking his approval. No, it's his captain, a severe woman with flame-red hair, tutting disdainfully.
He squeezes his eyes shut and clutches his head in his hands, as if trying to hold his mind together.
A long moment passes before he finally looks up again, his eyes as clear and focused as ever. The look of anguished confusioned is gone. Instead, he cocks his head to the side and raises an eyebrow.
Joy had been calling out encouragement from the sidelines, her cheers equal parts supportive and amused. Victory or not, anyone brave enough to challenge the maze had earned her praise. “At least failure comes with a free ride!” she’d laughed as the Aaracokra escorted another hapless contestant away. But when Vazo’yn crumpled at the maze’s entrance, the light in her eyes dimmed. Her smile vanished, replaced with worry, and she broke into a swift jog, boots thudding against the packed festival dirt as she hurried to his side. “Vazo’yn?”she said gently, crouching beside him. “It’s alright. You’re out now. You’re safe.”Her gaze searched his face for signs of distress, one steady hand hovering near his shoulder, not quite touching, but close enough to offer grounding if he needed it.
DM: Thank you all for participating in some way, even if not in the maze. Heroic Inspiration is granted to everyone in the party for making posts that were genuinely fun to read.
The aarakocra lands on his shaded chair high in the air and fishes some items out of his bag. In a flash, he hurls them like throwing darts at Randa and Riven, both of whom snatch them from the air.
DM: You have the Medal of the Maze in your inventory.
The aarakocra settles into his chair again, large dark eyes gaze down at the two of you. Aarakocra do not have the ability to communicate thoughts or feelings in the same ways that humans or orcs might, using facial expressions, but the penetrating eyes hold your gaze for a moment. In that moment, his body language shifts and you can sense an unmistakable message of respect.
Maggie is busy consoling Dermot, whose ears hang in embarrassment despite the forced smile hung on his face. He is fairly easy to read and is trying his best to 'fake it until he makes it' by not acting like he feels like a failure. Maggie's hand pats him lightly on the back, nearly knocking Dermot to his knees twice. Her attention then turns to the victors. She strides over to Randa and Riven with a smile.
"I would like to commend both of you for your extraordinary skills demonstrated during the challenge as you skillfully navigated the intricate maze. It was particularly impressive that you tackled the maze without having studied its layout in advance, which underscores the remarkable achievement of not only finding but also successfully reaching the exit. I should highlight that, to my knowledge, you are the first two today to earn the highly sought-after victory prize, reserved for those who complete the maze without falling prey to the unfailing eyes of the aarakocra. This accomplishment truly sets you apart and reflects your impressive senses and exceptionally keen minds!"
Dermot also approaches and peeks out from behind Maggie to address the entire Fellowship. “Hey... It seems like we are all getting along really well, so I kind of am hoping to ask a small favor. It’s nothing urgent,” he says, “but if you find my friend Ayo, would you tell her Dermot’s wondering what the plan is after the closing ceremony? I'm a little worried about her. I haven't been able to find her all day. She has dark hair and blue skin - a water genasi. She said she was going to compete in a contest by the river—I think.”
DM: Randa and Ylis, you note that the sun is beginning to set by this time. Given what you know of the games, you have time to rush to one more before rushing to the closing ceremony, or take a nice leisurely stroll to the closing ceremony and get there with time to spare.
"By the river?! there's sharks in there! We should go take a look!"
Ylis' looks at the group, ears drooping, she is aware that things are shutting but finding a missing person or helping somebody in danger is far more important than some game.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"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
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DM: Those participating in the maze, please deduct 3 silver from your inventory. Please also then roll a Survival Check, DC 14. Those paired up can choose a single person to roll with Advantage, or can roll separately without. If failing the check, please roll a Stealth Check immediately after, DC 18. If you succeed, you can reroll the Survival Check with the same DC. If you fail the Stealth Check, the aarakocra will come to take you back to the entrance. You are at liberty to RP this scene yourself and I encourage you to try your hand at the writing exercise. For those who do not wish to, let me know in the PMs and I will write the outcome here instead so we don't wait for something that won't come.
A failed Survival Check represents that you had eventually found a dead end and a Stealth Check is to make it back to the maze without the aarakocra noticing.
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
Ylis does her best to figure her way through without getting stuck and given the heave-ho. Does ending up in a dead end count if you're using the left hand trick? she wonders.
She hops and skips to music only she can hear, dup dup dup...
Survival check 6
Stealth check 6
Survival check 19
"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
"I found a dead end!" Ylis shouts.
"I found another one!" She begins to laugh.
"I'm gonna find aall ACK! WheeEEEeeeee!" *THUMP*
"Good thing I got a cushion," she wiggles her tail fluff.
"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
Survival- 20
Jacaranda moved quickly into the maze her keen eyes picking out boot prints and disturbed foliage quickly calculating how many and in which direction they had been travelling, she clicked her tongue and shifted her pointed ears out and forward to try and catch the return from possible dead ends as she got to junctions.....eventually, though not the quickest she managed to navigate the maze fully and successfully.
She breathed a sigh of relief as she did so, happy to have succeeded at something today....
(OOC: It looks like Vazo'yn and Riven have the same Survival, so I'm happy for us to each roll once if you like, Naiya?)
(OOC: Sounds good @wyntarvox, Riven rolled a survival check of Nat 20+4; I will wait for your roll and then I can write something up if you wish.)
Berk says "Excellent, let's enter together my new friend. This festival is a great way to meet people!"
Berk will enter the maze with Dermot, smiling agreeably.
"Ok my new friend, left or right?"
After Dermot makes the choice, Berk will head in the opposite direction, confusing his left in right in the heat of the moment.
Survival: 9
"Hmm, dead end. Hear that? ... sounds like wings! Duck!" Berk smiles at the Goblin as the aarakocra flies over head. "Let's try the other way."
Stealth: 18
Dermot seems to be enjoying themselves, as Berk tells the goblin about his mountainous homeland. Midway through his sentence, they turn a corner and face a wall. "Damn!"
Just then a shadow falls over the pair, as the aarakocra descends!
Survival: 8
(Balance in all things. Vazo'yn rolled a nat 1! Riven is absolutely the star.
I have an idea for how this plays out for Vazo'yn, so if you leave his contribution open-ended I can riff of your post.)
I will send you a direct message shortly, you add to it and then you can posit it from there?
DM: Don't forget your Stealth and subsequent possible Survival check, Wynt. Since you rolled separately, you are at risk of being snatched up by a bird man!
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
DM: Another Stealth and possible Survival check, Shasher. You might still lose him!
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
OOC: My mistake. I assumed that because we were playing as a team we would win or lose as a team. Vazo'yn failed his stealth so is out. I'll get a post up a bit later.
The carnival maze looms ahead, painted canvas strung taut between hastily erected wooden beams, forming winding corridors that flap slightly in the breeze. Lanterns sway overhead, casting shifting shadows that mask the true depth of each corner. It isn’t grown from hedges or woven with enchantment, but it’s still meant to confound, built fast, and built cleverly.
Riven stands at the threshold, one hand brushing his jaw as his eyes scan upward, not forward. While others may try to peer through the corridors, he studies the beams above, where chalk markings have been hastily scribbled: crude numbers, half-erased arrows, cryptic shorthand meant only for the builders.
“Hm.”
He turns slightly toward Vazo’yn, who stands just behind him. “They numbered the supports. Probably to track sections while they assembled it. Lazy craftsmanship. Useful tells.”
Vazo’yn squints upward. A trail, not on the ground,” Riven murmurs. “On the wood.”
He points.
Just there, where a support beam meets a painted wall, is a chalked number. Faint. Nearly rubbed away. A maze worker’s mark. Then another, on the corner to their right, a small triangle etched in pencil.
They slip into the maze together, moving fast and low, but deliberate. Riven keeps his gaze angled upward, watching for the patterns: odd numbers only on turns, chalk arrows always pointing away from dead ends, and at one point a beam labeled simply “X–REPAINT.”
“Left at 12, skip 13, avoid any wall braced with crossbeam C,” he murmurs. It’s not a riddle, it’s a blueprint. He’s not navigating the maze, instead Riven’s deconstructing it.
Behind him, Vazo’yn keeps up, until he doesn’t.
Riven turns his head in time to see Vazo’yn stumble toward what looks like an alternate route. A shadow passes overhead, fast, winged. The Aarakocra spirals down in a sharp, elegant arc, its feathers catching the light.
Riven slows but doesn’t stop. He meets Vazo’yn’s gaze once through the folds of hanging cloth. There’s no panic, just a grimace of frustration and a shrug that says, Well, I tried.
Alone now, Riven presses forward.
He reads the overhead beams like a map, matching chalk smudges to every turn, as he makes the next three turns without pause.
Twice he passes confused participants walking in the wrong direction, and they simply nod as he goes by.
One final corner, and there it is, the center. A platform of crates and bunting where a carved wood token rests on a silk pillow: the “prize” for those who solve it.
Riven approaches, then pauses, looking up one last time. The crossbeam above reads:
“C20 – EXIT MARKER.”
“Of course,” he murmurs.
He plucks the token with two fingers, rolls it across his knuckles, and slips it into a pouch. As he walks toward the rear curtain, parted just enough to reveal daylight, he casts one final glance back over his shoulder.
“Lazy builders,” he mutters under his breath. “Lucky for me.”
And then he’s gone, the canvas flapping closed behind him.
"Quick, put your back up against the wall" he tells the goblin.
Stealth: 12
"I can see you both!" says the aarakocra.
"Oh. Right." says Berk.
Vazo'yn notes the craftpeople's markings as Riven points them out. The drow is notartisan, but he appreciates Riven's keen eye for detail and follows him through the maze. He stays close on Riven's heels, trying to plot the course using the half-hidden assembly instructions.
Joy had been calling out encouragement from the sidelines, her cheers equal parts supportive and amused. Victory or not, anyone brave enough to challenge the maze had earned her praise. “At least failure comes with a free ride!” she’d laughed as the Aaracokra escorted another hapless contestant away. But when Vazo’yn crumpled at the maze’s entrance, the light in her eyes dimmed. Her smile vanished, replaced with worry, and she broke into a swift jog, boots thudding against the packed festival dirt as she hurried to his side. “Vazo’yn?” she said gently, crouching beside him. “It’s alright. You’re out now. You’re safe.” Her gaze searched his face for signs of distress, one steady hand hovering near his shoulder, not quite touching, but close enough to offer grounding if he needed it.
DM: Thank you all for participating in some way, even if not in the maze. Heroic Inspiration is granted to everyone in the party for making posts that were genuinely fun to read.
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
The aarakocra lands on his shaded chair high in the air and fishes some items out of his bag. In a flash, he hurls them like throwing darts at Randa and Riven, both of whom snatch them from the air.
DM: You have the Medal of the Maze in your inventory.
The aarakocra settles into his chair again, large dark eyes gaze down at the two of you. Aarakocra do not have the ability to communicate thoughts or feelings in the same ways that humans or orcs might, using facial expressions, but the penetrating eyes hold your gaze for a moment. In that moment, his body language shifts and you can sense an unmistakable message of respect.
Maggie is busy consoling Dermot, whose ears hang in embarrassment despite the forced smile hung on his face. He is fairly easy to read and is trying his best to 'fake it until he makes it' by not acting like he feels like a failure. Maggie's hand pats him lightly on the back, nearly knocking Dermot to his knees twice. Her attention then turns to the victors. She strides over to Randa and Riven with a smile.
"I would like to commend both of you for your extraordinary skills demonstrated during the challenge as you skillfully navigated the intricate maze. It was particularly impressive that you tackled the maze without having studied its layout in advance, which underscores the remarkable achievement of not only finding but also successfully reaching the exit. I should highlight that, to my knowledge, you are the first two today to earn the highly sought-after victory prize, reserved for those who complete the maze without falling prey to the unfailing eyes of the aarakocra. This accomplishment truly sets you apart and reflects your impressive senses and exceptionally keen minds!"
Dermot also approaches and peeks out from behind Maggie to address the entire Fellowship. “Hey... It seems like we are all getting along really well, so I kind of am hoping to ask a small favor. It’s nothing urgent,” he says, “but if you find my friend Ayo, would you tell her Dermot’s wondering what the plan is after the closing ceremony? I'm a little worried about her. I haven't been able to find her all day. She has dark hair and blue skin - a water genasi. She said she was going to compete in a contest by the river—I think.”
DM: Randa and Ylis, you note that the sun is beginning to set by this time. Given what you know of the games, you have time to rush to one more before rushing to the closing ceremony, or take a nice leisurely stroll to the closing ceremony and get there with time to spare.
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
"By the river?! there's sharks in there! We should go take a look!"
Ylis' looks at the group, ears drooping, she is aware that things are shutting but finding a missing person or helping somebody in danger is far more important than some game.
"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