As he trods toward the prison cell, Tozer's mind echoes with Ilvara's insipid words. Accept your fate. Learn to obey, and you may survive.
The horror of Delmae's sacrifice certainly left its mark upon Tozer. For the first time since his arrival in Velkynvelve, the dwarf began to look at himself as part of a larger picture. No longer would his efforts to fight against the absurd cruelty of this environment be merely on his own behalf. No longer would his plans for escape include just himself. For now, the Stormspar clan would include all those that Tozer gazed upon as he entered the cell. Except that bloody orc.
Loud enough for all to hear, and not caring if it includes the guards, Tozer mutters, "Oh, yes, we will survive. By Uthgar's blade, we will survive." He claps the wee halfling on the shoulder as he says this, hoping to give the new prisoner a faint glimmer of hope. Tozer then sits. With eyes closed but mind racing, he tries to piece together some sort of plan that he can discuss with the others.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Valthana opened her mouth to contest Buppido's words when the guards showed with Delmae. As the prisoners are ushered out of the cell, Valthana keeps her head low, but she watches carefully as the little mushroom child is handled to make sure it isn't abused. After Delmae is executed (she hopes) and the new halfling is introduced to the cell, Valthana seeks a place on the wall near the mushroom infant. "Dear child," Valthana says, trying to be quiet. "My name is Valthana ... the orphan. I know what it is like to be separated from my people. From my family. Even before being captured and put into this place, I have been alone." She looks at the creature, trying to connect with it. "I will help keep you safe," she promises. "You can depend on me."
Narstin approaches the halfling after Beegred and Tozer. "I'm sorry you ended up in here with us. Are you injured? Is there anything I can do to help you?" He switches to speaking Dwarvish since the guards don't seem to understand it, "Do you speak dwarvish?" If the halfling doesn't seem to understand that, he tries in Celestial as well, "Do you speak Celestial?"
Far more inclined to speak with a fellow dwarf--and just hearing Narstin's attempt to speak to the new halfling in dwarvish--Tozer opens his eyes and says to Narstin (after the halfling responds) in his own language, "We must pool our resources...information we've gathered, items we've scavenged, plans we've created...what one has all must have."
The little mushroom replies and everyone that he affected continues to be able to hear him telepathically, as the voice of the child each of you associates to him from your own past, "I am Stool. I'm hungry and I want to go home." The voice in your head sounds pitiful, afraid and confused by everything.
The new halfling looks up at Beegred, blinking tears from his eyes. He startles slightly at the feel of Tozer's heavy hand, and stares as the dwarf sits down beside him. When Narstin approaches and offers help, the boy looks back up, shakes his head "no," and wipes his eyes with the back of his hand.
"I...I speak common," he whispers faintly.
Pulling his knees tighter to his chest, he looks around the room, seeming to realizing for the first time there are others in this hell with him.
It is just not in dwarvish nature to whisper silently and the attempts of Tozer and Narstin to do so fail. One of the new guards utters what appear to be curses and throws down something onto a table. He stands and begins to walk towards the prison cave, yet halts before making it onto the bridge. He turns and you see Shoor leading two beasts approach. They exchange words and Shoor approaches the prisoners as the other drow returns to the table.
Shoor unlocks the prison gate and points at: Valthana, Narstin, Beegred, Sarith and after hesitating a little, Stool.
Before leaving, Shoor gets Tozer's attention and mimes a cutting action across his tongue. Afterwards, you are all led to the large platform past the guard tower, to the winch operating the lift. Your shift consists of lowering and raising the lift as it lifts load after load of slaughtered meats and harvested mushrooms. When the lift is at the top, two of you strain to hold the mechanism while the other two unload the lift. Then the beasts take over as you haul all of the provisions to where you are told it must go.
Shoor takes interest in your suffering and props a little crate up against the wall of the nearby stalactite and sits on it. He pulls Stool nearby and props his feet on the little creature, speaking in a language none of you understand. After looking intently at Stool for a few minutes, he shrugs and watches the rest of you labour, kicking Stool to keep him stationary the few times he tries to walk away.
Stool continues to communicate with Valthana, Narstin and Beegred telepathically, sobbing in terror, "I don't want to meld with the drow again. He's hurting me, make him stop!"
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Meanwhile, in the prison, the large beast stands up and walks over to the prison gate. He begins to speak loudly towards Delmae in her cocoon, in an archaic elvish dialect that only Xilyra understands, "If you live, give me a sign! We are distant kin, you and I. I need your help to return to my home, therefore I must help you. You must not perish!"
The drow in the tower throws something held onto the table in obvious frustration. He stands up and walks towards the prison cave, loading a crossbow bolt into his hand crossbow. Once nearby but just out of arms reach, the drow speaks in undercommon, "You are afool of a Quaggoth. You are delusional. Step away from the gate, now!"
The quaggoth replies in the same archaic elvish, "Come closer, so I can hear you."
The drow simply lifts his hand-crossbow and shoots the quaggoth. The reaction is not instant, but after a few seconds of tense silence, the quaggoth erupts in a rage. He grabs the prison gate in his meaty fists and begins to rattle it with all his might. Occasionally the quaggoth lets go the gate and attempts to break the chains to no avail.
Strength check: 8
Immediately, the two other drow in the guard tower rush to the prison cave. The senior drow slaps the first drow's hand-crossbow down as he attempts to fire a second bolt, (in undercommon) "Fool! Quaggoths are immune to the poison. Idiot. Idiot! You know he flies into rages. Do you plan to empty your quiver into him and then finish him off with a blade? Give me that," as he takes the hand-crossbow forcefully, "and go fetch a handful of quaggoth to secure him while we retrieve your damned bolt."
The reprimanded drow returns quickly with half a dozen quaggoth in tow. It takes all 6 of them holding the prisoner quaggoth through the bars of the gate to hold him before the senior drow gets close enough to grab the crossbow bolt and yank it out. The prisoner quaggoth erupts in a fresh rage and even manages to injure some of the quaggoth holding him. Eventually the rage is spent and he falls limp. Even then, the quaggoth hold him securely for some more time, before the senior drow coordinates the quaggoth to release him all at once.
Once the quaggoth prisoner is released, he falls limp to the ground. The senior drow motions to the other prisoners to drag him away from the gate. As you do so, you can hear the prisoner quaggoth say faintly in his archaic elvish, "The curse is claiming me. Each time I lose myself more in this beast."
Valthana stops walking and turns to face Shoor. "Big warrior — hurting a child. Is that all you're good for?" The goliath gets ready to hit any guard who gets within striking distance with whatever is in her hands.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Xilyra sat up straight when the commotion with the quaggoth started. She remained where she was until everyone settled down. Then she stood and slowly approached the quaggoth arms held out in a calming gesture. The form of elvish he spoke in was old. She hadn’t heard it in years, not since her mother had demanded she learn it when she was a child. In that same archaic elvish she said, “Hello? I heard you speaking earlier. I don’t think she can help you, but maybe we can. I am Xilyra. What is your name?”
"We will do everything in our power to protect you, little one," Narstin says over the telepathic bond, then turns to Shoor, lacing his words with power as he Commands the dark elf to, "Flee!"
The halfling stands, presses his back to the wall, and watches the exchange with the quaggoth. When the guards turn back, he whispers to Tozer, "Is this it? What the halfling spoke of? Is it time to escape?" His eyes are wide with terror and anticipation.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Tozer, half fascinated and half concerned, watches the quaggoth's outburst. After doing his part to drag the beast away from the gate, Tozer sits down and mulls over what he has just witnessed.A large, rage-filled beast who is immune to poison...
The young halfling's words then fall upon Tozer's ears. "Time to escape?" he repeats. "No, lad. We have no plan. Not yet, but soon."
Valthana stops walking and turns to face Shoor. "Big warrior — hurting a child. Is that all you're good for?" The goliath gets ready to hit any guard who gets within striking distance with whatever is in her hands.
You are currently carrying a large slab of meat, rib bones showing along one side. If you want to start combat, roll initiative. Also note, the drow has no idea what you just said.
Xilyra sat up straight when the commotion with the quaggoth started. She remained where she was until everyone settled down. Then she stood and slowly approached the quaggoth arms held out in a calming gesture. The form of elvish he spoke in was old. She hadn’t heard it in years, not since her mother had demanded she learn it when she was a child. In that same archaic elvish she said, “Hello? I heard you speaking earlier. I don’t think she can help you, but maybe we can. I am Xilyra. What is your name?”
Stealth: 23
The quaggoth replies in the same archaic elvish, "I am Prince Derendil, an elf prince from the kingdom of Nelrindenvane in the High Forest."
"We will do everything in our power to protect you, little one," Narstin says over the telepathic bond, then turns to Shoor, lacing his words with power as he Commands the dark elf to, "Flee!"
Per the spell's description: "The spell has no effect if the target is undead, if it doesn't understand your language, or if your command is directly harmful to it."
You do learn that spells work outside of the prison cell. 1 spell slot used.
The two quaggoth that are guarding you all along with Shoor have no idea you just cast a spell since it is Verbal only, but one will still say, "No spell. No talk!"
(I speak elvish, though assuming I said it in common is probably safer for me :P. And unless something changes and he leaves the mushroom alone, I'll probably try again in elvish anyway if it's assumed I didn't the first time)
(I speak elvish, though assuming I said it in common is probably safer for me :P. And unless something changes and he leaves the mushroom alone, I'll probably try again in elvish anyway if it's assumed I didn't the first time)
Tozer listens to the exchange in elvish between Xilyra and the quaggoth but, understanding none of it, decides the time has come to rest. He closes his eyes and dreams of roasted fish, mugs of ale, and smoking his grandfather's cherrywood pipe...
As he trods toward the prison cell, Tozer's mind echoes with Ilvara's insipid words. Accept your fate. Learn to obey, and you may survive.
The horror of Delmae's sacrifice certainly left its mark upon Tozer. For the first time since his arrival in Velkynvelve, the dwarf began to look at himself as part of a larger picture. No longer would his efforts to fight against the absurd cruelty of this environment be merely on his own behalf. No longer would his plans for escape include just himself. For now, the Stormspar clan would include all those that Tozer gazed upon as he entered the cell. Except that bloody orc.
Loud enough for all to hear, and not caring if it includes the guards, Tozer mutters, "Oh, yes, we will survive. By Uthgar's blade, we will survive." He claps the wee halfling on the shoulder as he says this, hoping to give the new prisoner a faint glimmer of hope. Tozer then sits. With eyes closed but mind racing, he tries to piece together some sort of plan that he can discuss with the others.
Valthana opened her mouth to contest Buppido's words when the guards showed with Delmae. As the prisoners are ushered out of the cell, Valthana keeps her head low, but she watches carefully as the little mushroom child is handled to make sure it isn't abused. After Delmae is executed (she hopes) and the new halfling is introduced to the cell, Valthana seeks a place on the wall near the mushroom infant. "Dear child," Valthana says, trying to be quiet. "My name is Valthana ... the orphan. I know what it is like to be separated from my people. From my family. Even before being captured and put into this place, I have been alone." She looks at the creature, trying to connect with it. "I will help keep you safe," she promises. "You can depend on me."
Stealth: 20
Narstin approaches the halfling after Beegred and Tozer. "I'm sorry you ended up in here with us. Are you injured? Is there anything I can do to help you?" He switches to speaking Dwarvish since the guards don't seem to understand it, "Do you speak dwarvish?" If the halfling doesn't seem to understand that, he tries in Celestial as well, "Do you speak Celestial?"
Far more inclined to speak with a fellow dwarf--and just hearing Narstin's attempt to speak to the new halfling in dwarvish--Tozer opens his eyes and says to Narstin (after the halfling responds) in his own language, "We must pool our resources...information we've gathered, items we've scavenged, plans we've created...what one has all must have."
The little mushroom replies and everyone that he affected continues to be able to hear him telepathically, as the voice of the child each of you associates to him from your own past, "I am Stool. I'm hungry and I want to go home." The voice in your head sounds pitiful, afraid and confused by everything.
Narstin thinks to the mushroom, "I am going to get you out of here, little one. I will do my best to get you home."
(Waiting to see result from stealth check(s) before responidng to tozer)
The new halfling looks up at Beegred, blinking tears from his eyes. He startles slightly at the feel of Tozer's heavy hand, and stares as the dwarf sits down beside him. When Narstin approaches and offers help, the boy looks back up, shakes his head "no," and wipes his eyes with the back of his hand.
"I...I speak common," he whispers faintly.
Pulling his knees tighter to his chest, he looks around the room, seeming to realizing for the first time there are others in this hell with him.
Current Roles:
GM - Fata Morgana: The Ghosts of Saltmarsh
It is just not in dwarvish nature to whisper silently and the attempts of Tozer and Narstin to do so fail. One of the new guards utters what appear to be curses and throws down something onto a table. He stands and begins to walk towards the prison cave, yet halts before making it onto the bridge. He turns and you see Shoor leading two beasts approach. They exchange words and Shoor approaches the prisoners as the other drow returns to the table.
Shoor unlocks the prison gate and points at: Valthana, Narstin, Beegred, Sarith and after hesitating a little, Stool.
Before leaving, Shoor gets Tozer's attention and mimes a cutting action across his tongue. Afterwards, you are all led to the large platform past the guard tower, to the winch operating the lift. Your shift consists of lowering and raising the lift as it lifts load after load of slaughtered meats and harvested mushrooms. When the lift is at the top, two of you strain to hold the mechanism while the other two unload the lift. Then the beasts take over as you haul all of the provisions to where you are told it must go.
Shoor takes interest in your suffering and props a little crate up against the wall of the nearby stalactite and sits on it. He pulls Stool nearby and props his feet on the little creature, speaking in a language none of you understand. After looking intently at Stool for a few minutes, he shrugs and watches the rest of you labour, kicking Stool to keep him stationary the few times he tries to walk away.
Stool continues to communicate with Valthana, Narstin and Beegred telepathically, sobbing in terror, "I don't want to meld with the drow again. He's hurting me, make him stop!"
Meanwhile, in the prison, the large beast stands up and walks over to the prison gate. He begins to speak loudly towards Delmae in her cocoon, in an archaic elvish dialect that only Xilyra understands, "If you live, give me a sign! We are distant kin, you and I. I need your help to return to my home, therefore I must help you. You must not perish!"
The drow in the tower throws something held onto the table in obvious frustration. He stands up and walks towards the prison cave, loading a crossbow bolt into his hand crossbow. Once nearby but just out of arms reach, the drow speaks in undercommon, "You are a fool of a Quaggoth. You are delusional. Step away from the gate, now!"
The quaggoth replies in the same archaic elvish, "Come closer, so I can hear you."
The drow simply lifts his hand-crossbow and shoots the quaggoth. The reaction is not instant, but after a few seconds of tense silence, the quaggoth erupts in a rage. He grabs the prison gate in his meaty fists and begins to rattle it with all his might. Occasionally the quaggoth lets go the gate and attempts to break the chains to no avail.
Strength check: 8
Immediately, the two other drow in the guard tower rush to the prison cave. The senior drow slaps the first drow's hand-crossbow down as he attempts to fire a second bolt, (in undercommon) "Fool! Quaggoths are immune to the poison. Idiot. Idiot! You know he flies into rages. Do you plan to empty your quiver into him and then finish him off with a blade? Give me that," as he takes the hand-crossbow forcefully, "and go fetch a handful of quaggoth to secure him while we retrieve your damned bolt."
The reprimanded drow returns quickly with half a dozen quaggoth in tow. It takes all 6 of them holding the prisoner quaggoth through the bars of the gate to hold him before the senior drow gets close enough to grab the crossbow bolt and yank it out. The prisoner quaggoth erupts in a fresh rage and even manages to injure some of the quaggoth holding him. Eventually the rage is spent and he falls limp. Even then, the quaggoth hold him securely for some more time, before the senior drow coordinates the quaggoth to release him all at once.
Once the quaggoth prisoner is released, he falls limp to the ground. The senior drow motions to the other prisoners to drag him away from the gate. As you do so, you can hear the prisoner quaggoth say faintly in his archaic elvish, "The curse is claiming me. Each time I lose myself more in this beast."
Valthana stops walking and turns to face Shoor. "Big warrior — hurting a child. Is that all you're good for?" The goliath gets ready to hit any guard who gets within striking distance with whatever is in her hands.
Xilyra sat up straight when the commotion with the quaggoth started. She remained where she was until everyone settled down. Then she stood and slowly approached the quaggoth arms held out in a calming gesture. The form of elvish he spoke in was old. She hadn’t heard it in years, not since her mother had demanded she learn it when she was a child. In that same archaic elvish she said, “Hello? I heard you speaking earlier. I don’t think she can help you, but maybe we can. I am Xilyra. What is your name?”
Stealth: 23
"We will do everything in our power to protect you, little one," Narstin says over the telepathic bond, then turns to Shoor, lacing his words with power as he Commands the dark elf to, "Flee!"
The halfling stands, presses his back to the wall, and watches the exchange with the quaggoth. When the guards turn back, he whispers to Tozer, "Is this it? What the halfling spoke of? Is it time to escape?" His eyes are wide with terror and anticipation.
Current Roles:
GM - Fata Morgana: The Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Tozer, half fascinated and half concerned, watches the quaggoth's outburst. After doing his part to drag the beast away from the gate, Tozer sits down and mulls over what he has just witnessed. A large, rage-filled beast who is immune to poison...
The young halfling's words then fall upon Tozer's ears. "Time to escape?" he repeats. "No, lad. We have no plan. Not yet, but soon."
You are currently carrying a large slab of meat, rib bones showing along one side. If you want to start combat, roll initiative. Also note, the drow has no idea what you just said.
The quaggoth replies in the same archaic elvish, "I am Prince Derendil, an elf prince from the kingdom of Nelrindenvane in the High Forest."
Stealth: 2
Per the spell's description: "The spell has no effect if the target is undead, if it doesn't understand your language, or if your command is directly harmful to it."
You do learn that spells work outside of the prison cell. 1 spell slot used.
The two quaggoth that are guarding you all along with Shoor have no idea you just cast a spell since it is Verbal only, but one will still say, "No spell. No talk!"
(I speak elvish, though assuming I said it in common is probably safer for me :P. And unless something changes and he leaves the mushroom alone, I'll probably try again in elvish anyway if it's assumed I didn't the first time)
Shoor's WIS save vs DC 13: 10
Follow-up incoming. Have to brainstorm.
Tozer listens to the exchange in elvish between Xilyra and the quaggoth but, understanding none of it, decides the time has come to rest. He closes his eyes and dreams of roasted fish, mugs of ale, and smoking his grandfather's cherrywood pipe...