The rogue moves stealthily towards the trees, though from the way the leaves and branches shake from his passing, Epos and Xel suspect Khial may be better at skulking in a city than in the green woods.
To his dismay, Xel does not recall anything about weirwood from his arcane studies -- why was he not paying attention in wandmaking class, he wonders. Surprisingly, he recalls some useful information about weirwood from a stinky, unkempt druid who visited his library once. The druid said the wood was a kind that took to magic well, making it easy to enchant for use in wands, wooden magic items, and druidic rituals.
Epos seems lost in thought, thinking about the words of his masters; he isn't paying much attention to his surroundings.
In contrast, Khial, after living on the run for so long, instinctively seems to know that the grove is deserted, though he notices from the trampled grass near the trees that a large group was here recently. As Khial approaches the first of the strange trees the Herr Doktor Professor mentioned, he notices charred bones in a pile near them.
OOC: Tell me what other actions or skill rolls you wish to take.
OOC: Since Xel is too far away from the trees, he would not see the charred bones.
Xel feels uneasy even in the afternoon light. There is something amiss in this tranquil scene. He dismisses the feeling as an overreaction by a novice adventurer who sees danger in everything. But he also has to remind himself...just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they are not out to get you.
While Xel waits for Khial to return, he will cast Detect Magic on himself.
Xel grasps his staff with one hand and the crystal on top with his other hand. He incants "Magic gleam and glow, let your power shine, grant my eyes the sight, show me all the signs."
OOC: Make an Athletics check if you want to climb one of the outlying trees. They'll only bring you above 8 to 10 feet off the ground; the weirwood trees are around three times that height.
OOC: Xel, since you're out of spell slots, I assume you're casting Detect Magic as a ritual.
After chanting for around ten minutes with his eyes shut in deep concentration, Xel opens his eyes to a bright light before him. A red glow emanates from the five weirwood trees; the arcane glow fills the space between the trees, forming a wall around the grove.
Xel speaks to both HDP and Epos: "This area, specifically the area surrounded by these weirwood trees seems to be enchanted. I would refrain trying to go past any of the weirwood trees until I've had more time to examine this enchantment. I hope Khial's curiosity doesn't get the better of him and he tries to check within the circle of trees."
Xel mentally asks himself: "Why would the Cult of the Dragon enchant this particular area? Are they trying to protect something? Is this where the veritable 'X' marks the spot is?"
Xel asks HDP: "Is this where the treasure you mentioned is located?"
"It is a reasonable assumption that we will find treasure here," says the Herr Doktor Professor with a confident smile.
"It is now clear to me you have either been living in a library, in a monastery, or on the run this past year. You seem unaware of the tales surrounding the Cult of the Dragon. It is said that the cult attempted no less than to bring Tiamat herself, the mother of all evil dragons, into the Realms. It is clear they have failed -- given the fact we are all still alive and the world as we know it has not been destroyed -- but it is rumored that they laid stockpiles of treasure and magic throughout the region in preparation for their grand scheme.
"I heard a story in Beregost of a halfling who bought a castle in Amn after finding such a stockpile. Who knows what it is we may find here?"
OOC: Xel, make an Arcana check to analyze the magical energies. If your characters don't talk to each other, I'll assume they'll remain ignorant of whatever each of you discovers or finds.
Xel keeps his expectations in check. It doesn't help to count one's proverbial chickens before they hatch.
Arcana Check: 7
If this enchantment was truly the doing of the Cult of the Dragon, Xel fears his current level of mastery of the arcane arts may be insufficient to deal with it.
The Cult of the Dragon does not have the reputation for kindness nor compassion. There is danger here.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Epos addresses HDP: "So Hair Doktor, " was it the threat of the Dragon Queen that made you decide to go looking for treasure? People probably do not contemplate getting their hair treated during perilous times, so business would not have been good. For my part, the monks in my monastery shaved their heads, so we never had need of your services."
Epos addresses Xel: "I'm afriad, I am not well versed in your arcane craft. I am grateful you are here to warn us of the danger."
Seeing as he had nothing useful to contribute at the moment, Epos sits by a tree, and begins to meditate (OOC: Fr. Perez style - so being alert to every sound, smells, changes in the air, etc., etc.... If I can continue to make perception checks (though not sight-related) it is... 8)
Examining the scene with his Detect Magic spell, Xel notices the red glow from the trees is streaked with ribbons of black energy. He recalls from his lessons that Detect Magic makes spells from different schools of magic appear as different colors. Unfortunately, he apparently wasn't paying attention when his teachers explained which colors correspond to which school of magic! Why weren't you paying attention Xel?
Meanwhile, Epos sits by a tree, meditating so deeply he seems almost asleep (perhaps dreaming of hair).
Moving closer to the grove, Khial notices what appear to be two other piles of bodies beside the weirwood trees (the gray squares). The one to the west appear to be charred skeletons; the grass in the area is also blackened. The one to the east appear to be the bodies of hobgoblins. He cannot make out any details yet about the corpses to the north.
OOC: None of you are talking to each other -- I expect you to roleplay this ignorance until you finally decide to inform the others of your discoveries.
Xel moves to Epos and rouses him from his meditative state.
"Epos, as you have probably sensed, there is no ordinary clearing. My limited skill has revealed that there seems some magic or enchantment that surrounds the area of the weir wood trees. I do not know what effect may occur if we try to breach this magical barrier --whether its effects are merely to set off an alarm to a designated individual or a much ...harsher response."
"I suggest we move in closer to get a better look. There is only so much can deduce from this distance."
Xel sees Khial nearby and tells him: "Khial, be careful of these weirwood trees, they are enchanted. There is a magical ...let us say...barrier that uses each of the trees as an anchor. Best not cross this until we can find out, if possible, what it is for.
OOC: Am I right to visualise that the magical aura I see a straight line from each tree to the next.
OOC: Is HDP nearby?
If HDP is nearby, Xel asks: "Herr Doktor Professor, there is some magical barrier in place, most probably placed by some magic user from the Cusltists. Are you familiar with a red aura with black streaks? Have you possibly encountered this effect before?"
The Herr Doktor Professor smiles comfortingly at Xel. He pats the mage on the shoulder and says: "Yes, I see many colors around the trees -- red, yellow, blue ... All the colors of the rainbow, Xel!"
OOC: Xel, you're the only who sees the magical aura. Don't expect anyone else to know what you're talking about.
As the Herr Doktor Professor hangs back, Xel moves forward. To the east, he sees three hobgoblins lying on the grass -- they seem to be dead.
Of a more daring or reckless sort, Epos moves closer to examine the bodies around the grove. One group seems to be the charred remains of four small humanoids -- the flesh burned from their bones, the grass beneath them reduced to ashes (this is in H11). Moving north, he finds another clumped group of corpses. These appear to have once been three humanoids, but their features are horribly disfigured, as if melted. There is no grass in the area where these corpses are found.
He does have a point, he cannot accurately give a prognosis wth the simple statement "red aura with black streaks".
But this enchantment seems to be the cause for the deaths of several humanoids around. The question is what effect is generated by this enchantment that has enough power to kill three hobgoblins.
Seeing Epos has examined the bodies, he will wait for him to return so he can ask him what he has discovered.
The rogue moves stealthily towards the trees, though from the way the leaves and branches shake from his passing, Epos and Xel suspect Khial may be better at skulking in a city than in the green woods.
To his dismay, Xel does not recall anything about weirwood from his arcane studies -- why was he not paying attention in wandmaking class, he wonders. Surprisingly, he recalls some useful information about weirwood from a stinky, unkempt druid who visited his library once. The druid said the wood was a kind that took to magic well, making it easy to enchant for use in wands, wooden magic items, and druidic rituals.
Epos seems lost in thought, thinking about the words of his masters; he isn't paying much attention to his surroundings.
In contrast, Khial, after living on the run for so long, instinctively seems to know that the grove is deserted, though he notices from the trampled grass near the trees that a large group was here recently. As Khial approaches the first of the strange trees the Herr Doktor Professor mentioned, he notices charred bones in a pile near them.
OOC: Tell me what other actions or skill rolls you wish to take.
OOC: Since Xel is too far away from the trees, he would not see the charred bones.
Xel feels uneasy even in the afternoon light. There is something amiss in this tranquil scene. He dismisses the feeling as an overreaction by a novice adventurer who sees danger in everything. But he also has to remind himself...just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they are not out to get you.
While Xel waits for Khial to return, he will cast Detect Magic on himself.
Xel grasps his staff with one hand and the crystal on top with his other hand. He incants "Magic gleam and glow, let your power shine, grant my eyes the sight, show me all the signs."
OOC: Is it possible to climb on one of the normal trees? If so, what do I need to roll in order to do that?
OOC: Maybe you can use either your Acrobatics (if you have a high Dexterity) or Athletics (if you have a high Strength) skill.
OOC: Make an Athletics check if you want to climb one of the outlying trees. They'll only bring you above 8 to 10 feet off the ground; the weirwood trees are around three times that height.
OOC: Xel, since you're out of spell slots, I assume you're casting Detect Magic as a ritual.
After chanting for around ten minutes with his eyes shut in deep concentration, Xel opens his eyes to a bright light before him. A red glow emanates from the five weirwood trees; the arcane glow fills the space between the trees, forming a wall around the grove.
OOC: Yes, I am casting Detect Magic as a Ritual. I have one spell slot available since I recovered it using Arcane Recovery during the Short Rest.
OOC: If I can see the glow from where I am, what sort of School of Magic created the glow?
Xel focuses his sight to the weirwood trees.
Xel speaks to both HDP and Epos: "This area, specifically the area surrounded by these weirwood trees seems to be enchanted. I would refrain trying to go past any of the weirwood trees until I've had more time to examine this enchantment. I hope Khial's curiosity doesn't get the better of him and he tries to check within the circle of trees."
Xel mentally asks himself: "Why would the Cult of the Dragon enchant this particular area? Are they trying to protect something? Is this where the veritable 'X' marks the spot is?"
Xel asks HDP: "Is this where the treasure you mentioned is located?"
"It is a reasonable assumption that we will find treasure here," says the Herr Doktor Professor with a confident smile.
"It is now clear to me you have either been living in a library, in a monastery, or on the run this past year. You seem unaware of the tales surrounding the Cult of the Dragon. It is said that the cult attempted no less than to bring Tiamat herself, the mother of all evil dragons, into the Realms. It is clear they have failed -- given the fact we are all still alive and the world as we know it has not been destroyed -- but it is rumored that they laid stockpiles of treasure and magic throughout the region in preparation for their grand scheme.
"I heard a story in Beregost of a halfling who bought a castle in Amn after finding such a stockpile. Who knows what it is we may find here?"
OOC: Xel, make an Arcana check to analyze the magical energies. If your characters don't talk to each other, I'll assume they'll remain ignorant of whatever each of you discovers or finds.
Xel keeps his expectations in check. It doesn't help to count one's proverbial chickens before they hatch.
Arcana Check: 7
If this enchantment was truly the doing of the Cult of the Dragon, Xel fears his current level of mastery of the arcane arts may be insufficient to deal with it.
The Cult of the Dragon does not have the reputation for kindness nor compassion. There is danger here.
Epos addresses HDP: "So Hair Doktor, " was it the threat of the Dragon Queen that made you decide to go looking for treasure? People probably do not contemplate getting their hair treated during perilous times, so business would not have been good. For my part, the monks in my monastery shaved their heads, so we never had need of your services."
Epos addresses Xel: "I'm afriad, I am not well versed in your arcane craft. I am grateful you are here to warn us of the danger."
Seeing as he had nothing useful to contribute at the moment, Epos sits by a tree, and begins to meditate (OOC: Fr. Perez style - so being alert to every sound, smells, changes in the air, etc., etc.... If I can continue to make perception checks (though not sight-related) it is... 8)
OOC: Epos probably is falling into trance.... hehe
Khial walks to J13 to try to get a better look at the circle of trees.
Examining the scene with his Detect Magic spell, Xel notices the red glow from the trees is streaked with ribbons of black energy. He recalls from his lessons that Detect Magic makes spells from different schools of magic appear as different colors. Unfortunately, he apparently wasn't paying attention when his teachers explained which colors correspond to which school of magic! Why weren't you paying attention Xel?
Meanwhile, Epos sits by a tree, meditating so deeply he seems almost asleep (perhaps dreaming of hair).
Moving closer to the grove, Khial notices what appear to be two other piles of bodies beside the weirwood trees (the gray squares). The one to the west appear to be charred skeletons; the grass in the area is also blackened. The one to the east appear to be the bodies of hobgoblins. He cannot make out any details yet about the corpses to the north.
OOC: None of you are talking to each other -- I expect you to roleplay this ignorance until you finally decide to inform the others of your discoveries.
Xel moves to Epos and rouses him from his meditative state.
"Epos, as you have probably sensed, there is no ordinary clearing. My limited skill has revealed that there seems some magic or enchantment that surrounds the area of the weir wood trees. I do not know what effect may occur if we try to breach this magical barrier --whether its effects are merely to set off an alarm to a designated individual or a much ...harsher response."
"I suggest we move in closer to get a better look. There is only so much can deduce from this distance."
After waking up Epos, Xel moves for a better vantage point of the area to K13.
OCC: What does Xel see from his new position?
Xel sees Khial nearby and tells him: "Khial, be careful of these weirwood trees, they are enchanted. There is a magical ...let us say...barrier that uses each of the trees as an anchor. Best not cross this until we can find out, if possible, what it is for.
OOC: Am I right to visualise that the magical aura I see a straight line from each tree to the next.
OOC: Is HDP nearby?
If HDP is nearby, Xel asks: "Herr Doktor Professor, there is some magical barrier in place, most probably placed by some magic user from the Cusltists. Are you familiar with a red aura with black streaks? Have you possibly encountered this effect before?"
Startled by the wizard, and slightly embarrassed for dozing off, Epos responds: "Why not? I'm not doing much else..."
He gingerly gets up, and carefully moves to H7, making sure that HDP and Xel are mostly within his line of sight.
OOC: As Epos skirts around the grey squares on H11 and I7, what does he observe?
The Herr Doktor Professor smiles comfortingly at Xel. He pats the mage on the shoulder and says: "Yes, I see many colors around the trees -- red, yellow, blue ... All the colors of the rainbow, Xel!"
OOC: Xel, you're the only who sees the magical aura. Don't expect anyone else to know what you're talking about.
As the Herr Doktor Professor hangs back, Xel moves forward. To the east, he sees three hobgoblins lying on the grass -- they seem to be dead.
Of a more daring or reckless sort, Epos moves closer to examine the bodies around the grove. One group seems to be the charred remains of four small humanoids -- the flesh burned from their bones, the grass beneath them reduced to ashes (this is in H11). Moving north, he finds another clumped group of corpses. These appear to have once been three humanoids, but their features are horribly disfigured, as if melted. There is no grass in the area where these corpses are found.
He does have a point, he cannot accurately give a prognosis wth the simple statement "red aura with black streaks".
But this enchantment seems to be the cause for the deaths of several humanoids around. The question is what effect is generated by this enchantment that has enough power to kill three hobgoblins.
Seeing Epos has examined the bodies, he will wait for him to return so he can ask him what he has discovered.
OOC: Sorry guys... pretty busy today, might not be able to post until later.