Gruun is standing just behind Killian. Not liking the look of the sheet he is gripping his Greataxe tightly and is taking quick , short breaths (readying a rage is whatever is under that sheet seems aggressive)
Zane's spell reveals that there is no magic involved with the spyglass. Shortly thereafter, a spectral hand floats from him to the sheet in the center of the room, slowly lifting it away as Killian and Gruun stand at the ready.
Beneath the sheet are around thirty open jars. One of them contains a mouth within that appears to be reciting the poetry. As it finishes the poem, it spins and fades away, and a new mouth appears in a nearby jar, beginning a new poem.
At this time, the paunchy halfling bursts into the back room of the building with Hox running on all fours right behind him, huffing and stomping before skidding to a halt before colliding with Gruun and Killian, standing menacingly above him.
"Wah, no! Who in the hells are you people?"he shouts.
The rising spark in her eyes flickers out and Killian's shoulders slump a little bit after the Halfling and Hox burst in. She leans over the jars, to get a better look. "These do not seem much like poets. Would you explain yourself?"
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ey/em/eirs, or they/them works, too (just not he). Role-playing since that keep on those borderlands. I love it so.
Hox looks around the shop as the halfling is clearly outnumbered, "Hox chase fat man around city...broke window." Hox closes the door they came through. "Fat man scared of Hox, but Hox try to be sneaky. Fat man wanted to go somewhere but not want Hox to follow him."
The halfling is doubled over, heaving air, as he stammers, "Wait...explain...not fat..."
He reaches up first to tear off his mustache, then brings his hands to the base of his skull and splits it open. A layer of skin peels from his head to his feet, revealing a not-so-paunchy gnome beneath the layer of fake fat. He pulls a monocle from a pocket, peering closely at Hox, then at Killian and Zane, then Gruun and Marc.
"Thank the gods, real actual adventurers. You don't look like savory types, so I'll cut right to the chase. My name is Fumbles McNilbog. I don't know how you found our workshop but right now I don't really care. You could quite possibly save the world today, and yes, the situation is that desperate. Here,"he says, having caught his breath. He hands each person a ring and a monocle.
"Ever think it was odd that the city would be in lockdown just because orcs are around? That's because that's a lie. Slaadi have infiltrated Sundabar. Shape-changers and mind-readers. They're everywhere, even as high as city leadership. This "Poetry Society" is nothing but a cover for me to be working on these,"he says, pointing to the monocles and rings in your hands.
"Wear the rings and you'll be protected from a slaad probing your thoughts. The monocles are a temporary solution, stopgaps, but they'll allow you to see a shape-changer's true form for a while. I haven't perfected them so they will only last a few more hours."
While the .. gnome.. is talking about how we possibly found the workshop, Zane points at the jars with a "doh, obvious" motion.
Once handed the items he will caution others, "Hold on, let me look into these things first before we start using random tickery items from a half-gnome". And he will ritual-cast Identify on the ring and monocle he was handed.
She's not dumb, so she'll wait for Zane before putting on one of the rings, but she will hold up a monocle and look through it at the gnomling and her new companions. "These Slaadi, if they are everywhere, how are we to end their influence? Is there a head to this snake?"
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ey/em/eirs, or they/them works, too (just not he). Role-playing since that keep on those borderlands. I love it so.
Zane studies the items quickly while Fumbles starts to answer Hox and Killian's questions. The first spell identifies the ring as a ring of mind shielding; true to the gnome's word, wearing the ring would allow one to be immune from magic that allows others to read thoughts and other similar magic. The second spell also confirms the gnome's statements; the monocle has an enchantment of True Seeing, but the enchanting is weak and temporary and could only last for around 4-6 hours.
"Toad-like creatures from another plane," Fumbles answers Hox. "The slaadi I have seen through these monocles are death incarnate; black as night, with incredibly powerful fangs and claws. When shapechanged they look no different from any one of us. Anybody you see in Sundabar could be one beneath a disguise. Citizens, shop owners, Stone Shields, anyone. Take caution--" He turns to answer Killian, but is cut off by the sound of dozens of screams in the street. The sound of hundreds of boods stomping on cobblestone announce the arrival of a large military presence.
"--and run for your lives. They know I am here. Go, now! I will find you!"he finishes, sprinting back toward the rear door of the building.
She pops the ring on, sticks the monocle in her eye (do we need a Dex check to keep it on there, I've never had much luck IRL) and races for the back door, too (assuming the boots are at the front).
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ey/em/eirs, or they/them works, too (just not he). Role-playing since that keep on those borderlands. I love it so.
"Follow Hox!" Hox slides a ring onto his small claw and stuffs the monocle into his satchel of goods as he starts to lead them back where he had chased Fumbles through.
a) make her ring invisible, b) stop following Fumbles and instead follow Hox, and c) check if there’s anyone already in her ring, if she can, cause ew!
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ey/em/eirs, or they/them works, too (just not he). Role-playing since that keep on those borderlands. I love it so.
OOC: Note that the monocles will work for anybody holding them, but the rings require attunement to work, so they can't be made invisible quite yet. Since you already know the rings' properties, that will only require a short rest spent focusing on the ring.
The monocles will need to be held up to your eye with an action, it would be nearly impossible to keep one in your eye while running.
I'll assume Gruun is also following.
The Stone Shields are marching on The Firestar Chariot Inn's block in force. The party and Fumbles exit the alley of the Poetry Society to see three lines of guards; the first carries spears, the second carries crossbows, and the third carries torches, which they toss at thatched roofs and through window panes. A captain stands on a wagon shouting orders. There must be at least 200 of these Stone Shields marching on the slums, and they seem intent on massacre. Already, crossbow bolts are flying, sending a few unfortunate passersby falling to the ground. The formation has blocked the streets leaving the slums, making any escape very difficult.
Fumbles darts across the street, coming within inches of falling to another volley of crossbow bolts, and reaches the alley behind the Firestar Chariot Inn. He begins climbing a gutter to reach the rooftop.
For Hox:
You recognize the captain on the wagon shouting orders as Roccar, the captain of The Reavers, the veteran peacekeeping force that you fought alongside in the events of Blood Kin while trying to rescue Abby and Lucia Andarsson.
For Killian:
Your background as an urchin gives you knowledge of the layout of a city. The party's three main options to escape this force would be finding a place to hide, trying to sneak through alleys and tunnels to escape the slums, or escaping to the rooftops like Fumbles. Based on your knowledge of the city, hiding would be the easier option - if you can find a place to do so.
Sorry for all the slow responses, my wife just had our newborn and I haven't gotten back into a schedule yet.
Gruun will follow suit with everyone putting on the ring and stores the monocle in a pocket for quick access. He moves to follow Hox calling to Zane as they move, "When you were on the roof, would it be easier to disappear up there? I don't want to go to far, I think we should reassess our employer, Elric, back at the pub."
Zane nods to Gruun, "Good idea. Lets get up there quickly and see what we can accomplish. Hox, Killian, hold up!". He will help everyone climb up to the roof as quickly as possible, then take a quick survey of their options.
"I can also make us invisible for a while, but only one or two at the time."
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FWIW, Killian is in the room with the Mage Hand and the sheet (and whatever is under it), just not very close.
ey/em/eirs, or they/them works, too (just not he).
Role-playing since that keep on those borderlands. I love it so.
Hox still follows, starting to feel bad for this halfling's luck.
Gruun is standing just behind Killian. Not liking the look of the sheet he is gripping his Greataxe tightly and is taking quick , short breaths (readying a rage is whatever is under that sheet seems aggressive)
Zane's spell reveals that there is no magic involved with the spyglass. Shortly thereafter, a spectral hand floats from him to the sheet in the center of the room, slowly lifting it away as Killian and Gruun stand at the ready.
Beneath the sheet are around thirty open jars. One of them contains a mouth within that appears to be reciting the poetry. As it finishes the poem, it spins and fades away, and a new mouth appears in a nearby jar, beginning a new poem.
At this time, the paunchy halfling bursts into the back room of the building with Hox running on all fours right behind him, huffing and stomping before skidding to a halt before colliding with Gruun and Killian, standing menacingly above him.
"Wah, no! Who in the hells are you people?" he shouts.
See my profile for all my PbP threads!
Zane is very startled! The mage hand lets go of the sheet and punches the halfling in the face before fading away.
Zane comes fully into the room, "I apologize! You really startled me in a tense moment! Who are you?"
Killian
The rising spark in her eyes flickers out and Killian's shoulders slump a little bit after the Halfling and Hox burst in. She leans over the jars, to get a better look. "These do not seem much like poets. Would you explain yourself?"
ey/em/eirs, or they/them works, too (just not he).
Role-playing since that keep on those borderlands. I love it so.
Hox looks around the shop as the halfling is clearly outnumbered, "Hox chase fat man around city...broke window." Hox closes the door they came through. "Fat man scared of Hox, but Hox try to be sneaky. Fat man wanted to go somewhere but not want Hox to follow him."
The halfling is doubled over, heaving air, as he stammers, "Wait...explain...not fat..."
He reaches up first to tear off his mustache, then brings his hands to the base of his skull and splits it open. A layer of skin peels from his head to his feet, revealing a not-so-paunchy gnome beneath the layer of fake fat. He pulls a monocle from a pocket, peering closely at Hox, then at Killian and Zane, then Gruun and Marc.
"Thank the gods, real actual adventurers. You don't look like savory types, so I'll cut right to the chase. My name is Fumbles McNilbog. I don't know how you found our workshop but right now I don't really care. You could quite possibly save the world today, and yes, the situation is that desperate. Here," he says, having caught his breath. He hands each person a ring and a monocle.
"Ever think it was odd that the city would be in lockdown just because orcs are around? That's because that's a lie. Slaadi have infiltrated Sundabar. Shape-changers and mind-readers. They're everywhere, even as high as city leadership. This "Poetry Society" is nothing but a cover for me to be working on these," he says, pointing to the monocles and rings in your hands.
"Wear the rings and you'll be protected from a slaad probing your thoughts. The monocles are a temporary solution, stopgaps, but they'll allow you to see a shape-changer's true form for a while. I haven't perfected them so they will only last a few more hours."
See my profile for all my PbP threads!
While the .. gnome.. is talking about how we possibly found the workshop, Zane points at the jars with a "doh, obvious" motion.
Once handed the items he will caution others, "Hold on, let me look into these things first before we start using random tickery items from a half-gnome". And he will ritual-cast Identify on the ring and monocle he was handed.
"...What is a slaad?" Hox asks the not fat man, but man in man.
Killian
She's not dumb, so she'll wait for Zane before putting on one of the rings, but she will hold up a monocle and look through it at the gnomling and her new companions. "These Slaadi, if they are everywhere, how are we to end their influence? Is there a head to this snake?"
ey/em/eirs, or they/them works, too (just not he).
Role-playing since that keep on those borderlands. I love it so.
Zane studies the items quickly while Fumbles starts to answer Hox and Killian's questions. The first spell identifies the ring as a ring of mind shielding; true to the gnome's word, wearing the ring would allow one to be immune from magic that allows others to read thoughts and other similar magic. The second spell also confirms the gnome's statements; the monocle has an enchantment of True Seeing, but the enchanting is weak and temporary and could only last for around 4-6 hours.
"Toad-like creatures from another plane," Fumbles answers Hox. "The slaadi I have seen through these monocles are death incarnate; black as night, with incredibly powerful fangs and claws. When shapechanged they look no different from any one of us. Anybody you see in Sundabar could be one beneath a disguise. Citizens, shop owners, Stone Shields, anyone. Take caution--" He turns to answer Killian, but is cut off by the sound of dozens of screams in the street. The sound of hundreds of boods stomping on cobblestone announce the arrival of a large military presence.
"--and run for your lives. They know I am here. Go, now! I will find you!" he finishes, sprinting back toward the rear door of the building.
See my profile for all my PbP threads!
Killian
She pops the ring on, sticks the monocle in her eye (do we need a Dex check to keep it on there, I've never had much luck IRL) and races for the back door, too (assuming the boots are at the front).
ey/em/eirs, or they/them works, too (just not he).
Role-playing since that keep on those borderlands. I love it so.
Zane slips the ring onto his finger as well, choosing it to be invisible.
"Are we running? Where are we running to? ... ", but seeing Killian just bolt off Zane will follow her.
"Follow Hox!" Hox slides a ring onto his small claw and stuffs the monocle into his satchel of goods as he starts to lead them back where he had chased Fumbles through.
Screeeech!
Killian will:
a) make her ring invisible, b) stop following Fumbles and instead follow Hox, and c) check if there’s anyone already in her ring, if she can, cause ew!
ey/em/eirs, or they/them works, too (just not he).
Role-playing since that keep on those borderlands. I love it so.
Marc will follow hox as well putting the ring on and making it invisible as well as putting the monacle away
OOC: Note that the monocles will work for anybody holding them, but the rings require attunement to work, so they can't be made invisible quite yet. Since you already know the rings' properties, that will only require a short rest spent focusing on the ring.
The monocles will need to be held up to your eye with an action, it would be nearly impossible to keep one in your eye while running.
I'll assume Gruun is also following.
The Stone Shields are marching on The Firestar Chariot Inn's block in force. The party and Fumbles exit the alley of the Poetry Society to see three lines of guards; the first carries spears, the second carries crossbows, and the third carries torches, which they toss at thatched roofs and through window panes. A captain stands on a wagon shouting orders. There must be at least 200 of these Stone Shields marching on the slums, and they seem intent on massacre. Already, crossbow bolts are flying, sending a few unfortunate passersby falling to the ground. The formation has blocked the streets leaving the slums, making any escape very difficult.
Fumbles darts across the street, coming within inches of falling to another volley of crossbow bolts, and reaches the alley behind the Firestar Chariot Inn. He begins climbing a gutter to reach the rooftop.
For Hox:
You recognize the captain on the wagon shouting orders as Roccar, the captain of The Reavers, the veteran peacekeeping force that you fought alongside in the events of Blood Kin while trying to rescue Abby and Lucia Andarsson.
For Killian:
Your background as an urchin gives you knowledge of the layout of a city. The party's three main options to escape this force would be finding a place to hide, trying to sneak through alleys and tunnels to escape the slums, or escaping to the rooftops like Fumbles. Based on your knowledge of the city, hiding would be the easier option - if you can find a place to do so.
See my profile for all my PbP threads!
Gruun will follow suit with everyone putting on the ring and stores the monocle in a pocket for quick access. He moves to follow Hox calling to Zane as they move, "When you were on the roof, would it be easier to disappear up there? I don't want to go to far, I think we should reassess our employer, Elric, back at the pub."
Zane nods to Gruun, "Good idea. Lets get up there quickly and see what we can accomplish. Hox, Killian, hold up!". He will help everyone climb up to the roof as quickly as possible, then take a quick survey of their options.
"I can also make us invisible for a while, but only one or two at the time."