This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Following Barxik outside, I take a few minutes to scan the sky and take in this new environment. Are there stars, and if so do I know the constellations?
Religion: 18
Breathing deeply, I try to attune myself to the world around me. Has the temperature changed, or the direction of the wind? Do the shadows behave differently?
Survival: 21
I chose Wisdom (survival) over Intelligence (nature) for this because Wisdom better relates to awareness. Tell me if you want me to roll with a different skill.
Sorry! I work mornings and I'm in New Zealand so my respond time on weekdays is gonna be a bit later..
Just got home and settled in and am going to try and churn out a nice thick chunk of story/game for everybody with what you've all given me. Loving the character interactions btw.
Barxik and Emeny: Outside the tavern the streets are empty. There is still some spider residue and blood on the stones. The sky is pitch black and churning with foggy clouds. There is something altogether warped about what you feel. You know some things about the planes of existence. There is a place called the Feywild, and another known as the Shadowfell, or, Plane of Shadows. The Shadowfell is a bleak desolate place full of decay and death. Shadow dragons are created in such places. The portal and the dragon seem to have brought over a sort of temporary Shadowfell aura in this part of the world. Everything for miles is transformed into a dark and twisted shadowy version of itself. All of you are still yourselves, thankfully.
There are no stars in the sky, or moon. There is a cold wind blowing.
Barxik's Divine Sense tells him that all around Bittborg there are multiple undead evil beings. It seems to radiate for miles...
Bartimaeus, you are able to extract with great care, 3 full vials of spider poison. Creatures subjected to this poison must succeed on a DC 11 Constitution saving throw, taking 10(3d6) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. There is nothing else of value on the spiders.
Nox, Vappa, Ironwall, and Kyu remain inside the Grainy Gulper. Nobody can really make heads or tails of the situation. There is no bartender anymore, and no liquor or beer worth drinking. Everything has gone a murky dark color and looks like dark mud.. As the time goes by, Kyu finally is able to move around and talk again. He is sore and needs to rest, but thanks to all of you he is alive.
You all have formed some sort of bond here tonight. This was supposed to just be a bounty grab, one little Drow thief/kidnapper. Now the Shadowfell has opened up and spewed out a wave of its noxious aura all over Bittborg and beyond!
Outside, Barxik and Emeny are taken by surprise as the strange Ghostwise Halfling reappears right in front of them, casusally creeping out of the shadows. His name is Rotleaf, he was tracking the spider that got away.
Rotleaf: "Oi! Barxik ol' boy! Let's head inside so I can explain what I found, I think I might have an idea as to what's goin' on... It aint pretty.
Rotleaf heads inside, introduces himself to those who haven't met him, and hops up on the rotten looking bar to make a speech. "Listen up folks! It's terrible out there." He looks as though he has been through hell and back and he only left for a few hours... "I tracked the spider out past the farm, to where that damned portal cracked wide open. It left a massive scorch mark in the corn fields. I searched around there, and what do you know... I found a fissure that seems to have cracked open out there like an earthquake or something ungodly tore it apart. I believe it goes straight down to the Underdark, and I bet that's where Kilan Irsal took the mayor's daughter, AND where whoever sent us this Shadow Dragon is hiding. That's my two bits on it at least."
Rotleaf sits cross legged on the bar and pulls out a pipe and starts to puff away and scratch his neck... He looks troubled.
Vappa is casually sitting cross-legged on the bar table, his hands on his kneecaps. Aside from everyone else, the halfling was giving him an itch he couldn't stand. He appeared just like the spiders did, and without warning. It all smelled odd...and his pipe wasn't helping.
"Mayor has been tracking Israls movements, or so I hear. I doubt we would be able to pursue from, uh, Shadow place. We talk to mayor, go down hole, fix... things, then we kill Isral. Yes?"
Vappa: Rotleaf is a rare halfling just about anywhere. The Ghostwise clan is an old and almost extinct bloodline. Some of your party members did notice him in the tavern, though, even if he is strange... He seems overall to have good intentions, but he is hard to read.
Ironwall: I pick up a half-full flagon of ale and sniff it. It is putrid. "I don't need any vials of poison," I say. "I've got plenty right here."
I sit solemnly for a few minutes when a halfling sneaks in and centers himself before us on the bar. He lays out the situation. It is definitely more than the wanted posters promised.
"I have questions," I say. "Why are we still here when no one else is? Is there even anyone in the the town left to pay the reward for catching this *curse word in giant*? Is there any way out of town? If Gilborg is in danger, I need to leave now. It took me three days to get here."
Rotleaf: "Not much... No signs of humans anywhere. The Tiefling can tell you that all you'll find out there is a bunch of undead and evil creatures lurking in shadows, they all must have poured outta the portal. I dunno why we're all still here, maybe the gods favored us?"
Rotleaf: The halfling looks out at the two lizardmen. He makes a strange bow and a smile then stares directly in both of your eyes. In your heads you hear his voice in Draconic, calm and friendly. *"Lizardfolk, I greet you in peace. Though your people slaughtered my relatives, I bid you two no ill will as long as you do not seek to hurt me. I am a friend to the balance of nature."*
Ironwall: "I will fight my way out of town if I must," I say. "If the gods spared me, then I intend to use that gift to protect my tribe. Which way is this...fissure?"
Vappa's head slowly turns to the other Lizardfolk in the room. He wasn't usually in favor of eating others out of spite, especially someone so small. After the halfling speaks in his mind, Vappa lets out a sharp hiss and jumps off the table, walking upstairs to clear his mind.
"Ilmater haven't given me his revelations about where the undead came from but what Rotleaf says is true. Undead evil beings encroach these lands and we may be its last hope to repel such dark forces. There is still the matter about the mayor's daughter and Kilan Irsal. If possible, I would like to capture him alive and change his evil ways."
Barxik picks his vestments from the ground and prepares his trusty warhammer and shield.
"The undead cannot be reasoned with but deep in my heart, I hope I can give them the perpetual rest they need. Who knows how long they have suffered the life of undeath. Rotleaf, if you may, could you guide us where the fissure is?"
Ironwall: I nod, placated, but still seething at the memory of my encounter with the cat woman.
Following Barxik outside, I take a few minutes to scan the sky and take in this new environment. Are there stars, and if so do I know the constellations?
Religion: 18
Breathing deeply, I try to attune myself to the world around me. Has the temperature changed, or the direction of the wind? Do the shadows behave differently?
Survival: 21
I chose Wisdom (survival) over Intelligence (nature) for this because Wisdom better relates to awareness. Tell me if you want me to roll with a different skill.
Will be able to respond in in a couple of hours 👍
"Not all those who wander are lost."
*30 hours later*
Sorry! I work mornings and I'm in New Zealand so my respond time on weekdays is gonna be a bit later..
Just got home and settled in and am going to try and churn out a nice thick chunk of story/game for everybody with what you've all given me. Loving the character interactions btw.
Bout to DM the crap out of this.
"Not all those who wander are lost."
ooh, I can roll investigation to search the spiders now!
7
Barxik and Emeny: Outside the tavern the streets are empty. There is still some spider residue and blood on the stones. The sky is pitch black and churning with foggy clouds. There is something altogether warped about what you feel. You know some things about the planes of existence. There is a place called the Feywild, and another known as the Shadowfell, or, Plane of Shadows. The Shadowfell is a bleak desolate place full of decay and death. Shadow dragons are created in such places. The portal and the dragon seem to have brought over a sort of temporary Shadowfell aura in this part of the world. Everything for miles is transformed into a dark and twisted shadowy version of itself. All of you are still yourselves, thankfully.
There are no stars in the sky, or moon. There is a cold wind blowing.
Barxik's Divine Sense tells him that all around Bittborg there are multiple undead evil beings. It seems to radiate for miles...
Bartimaeus, you are able to extract with great care, 3 full vials of spider poison. Creatures subjected to this poison must succeed on a DC 11 Constitution saving throw, taking 10(3d6) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
There is nothing else of value on the spiders.
"Not all those who wander are lost."
Bartimaeus places two of the vials on a table in the tavern, gesturing to them to the rest of the party "Poison from the spiders" then takes a seat
Nox, Vappa, Ironwall, and Kyu remain inside the Grainy Gulper. Nobody can really make heads or tails of the situation. There is no bartender anymore, and no liquor or beer worth drinking. Everything has gone a murky dark color and looks like dark mud..
As the time goes by, Kyu finally is able to move around and talk again. He is sore and needs to rest, but thanks to all of you he is alive.
You all have formed some sort of bond here tonight. This was supposed to just be a bounty grab, one little Drow thief/kidnapper. Now the Shadowfell has opened up and spewed out a wave of its noxious aura all over Bittborg and beyond!
Outside, Barxik and Emeny are taken by surprise as the strange Ghostwise Halfling reappears right in front of them, casusally creeping out of the shadows. His name is Rotleaf, he was tracking the spider that got away.
Rotleaf: "Oi! Barxik ol' boy! Let's head inside so I can explain what I found, I think I might have an idea as to what's goin' on... It aint pretty.
Rotleaf heads inside, introduces himself to those who haven't met him, and hops up on the rotten looking bar to make a speech.
"Listen up folks! It's terrible out there." He looks as though he has been through hell and back and he only left for a few hours...
"I tracked the spider out past the farm, to where that damned portal cracked wide open. It left a massive scorch mark in the corn fields. I searched around there, and what do you know...
I found a fissure that seems to have cracked open out there like an earthquake or something ungodly tore it apart. I believe it goes straight down to the Underdark, and I bet that's where Kilan Irsal took the mayor's daughter, AND where whoever sent us this Shadow Dragon is hiding. That's my two bits on it at least."
Rotleaf sits cross legged on the bar and pulls out a pipe and starts to puff away and scratch his neck... He looks troubled.
"Not all those who wander are lost."
Vappa is casually sitting cross-legged on the bar table, his hands on his kneecaps. Aside from everyone else, the halfling was giving him an itch he couldn't stand. He appeared just like the spiders did, and without warning. It all smelled odd...and his pipe wasn't helping.
Insight: 16
"Mayor has been tracking Israls movements, or so I hear. I doubt we would be able to pursue from, uh, Shadow place. We talk to mayor, go down hole, fix... things, then we kill Isral. Yes?"
Vappa: Rotleaf is a rare halfling just about anywhere. The Ghostwise clan is an old and almost extinct bloodline. Some of your party members did notice him in the tavern, though, even if he is strange... He seems overall to have good intentions, but he is hard to read.
"Not all those who wander are lost."
Ironwall: I pick up a half-full flagon of ale and sniff it. It is putrid. "I don't need any vials of poison," I say. "I've got plenty right here."
I sit solemnly for a few minutes when a halfling sneaks in and centers himself before us on the bar. He lays out the situation. It is definitely more than the wanted posters promised.
"I have questions," I say. "Why are we still here when no one else is? Is there even anyone in the the town left to pay the reward for catching this *curse word in giant*? Is there any way out of town? If Gilborg is in danger, I need to leave now. It took me three days to get here."
In a mix of draconic and goblin, Bartimaeus says to Zappa "Easy Brood-kin, if halfling turns he is a snack"
Rotleaf looks at Ironwall: "My tracking skills tell me..." Survival 16
"Not all those who wander are lost."
Rotleaf: "Not much... No signs of humans anywhere. The Tiefling can tell you that all you'll find out there is a bunch of undead and evil creatures lurking in shadows, they all must have poured outta the portal. I dunno why we're all still here, maybe the gods favored us?"
"Not all those who wander are lost."
Rotleaf: The halfling looks out at the two lizardmen. He makes a strange bow and a smile then stares directly in both of your eyes. In your heads you hear his voice in Draconic, calm and friendly.
*"Lizardfolk, I greet you in peace. Though your people slaughtered my relatives, I bid you two no ill will as long as you do not seek to hurt me. I am a friend to the balance of nature."*
"Not all those who wander are lost."
Ironwall: "I will fight my way out of town if I must," I say. "If the gods spared me, then I intend to use that gift to protect my tribe. Which way is this...fissure?"
Vappa's head slowly turns to the other Lizardfolk in the room. He wasn't usually in favor of eating others out of spite, especially someone so small. After the halfling speaks in his mind, Vappa lets out a sharp hiss and jumps off the table, walking upstairs to clear his mind.
"Ilmater haven't given me his revelations about where the undead came from but what Rotleaf says is true. Undead evil beings encroach these lands and we may be its last hope to repel such dark forces. There is still the matter about the mayor's daughter and Kilan Irsal. If possible, I would like to capture him alive and change his evil ways."
Barxik picks his vestments from the ground and prepares his trusty warhammer and shield.
"The undead cannot be reasoned with but deep in my heart, I hope I can give them the perpetual rest they need. Who knows how long they have suffered the life of undeath. Rotleaf, if you may, could you guide us where the fissure is?"