The “morning” finds Quillary pacing and mumbling darkly in a guttural language. Over the last few weeks some of her strangeness has fallen away, softened in the company of the party, but now it is fully returned. She stares uncomfortably when addressed with small talk, goes to stand in the shadowy parts of the room, spends time whispering to her cat skull, and refuses to eat. She is ready to go well before the others.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
ey/em/eirs, or they/them works, too (just not he). Role-playing since that keep on those borderlands. I love it so.
Drusk usually has a goofy grin on his face, but this morning he looks pensive after the "night's" rest.
A short while later, he stops the others from drinking from their waterskins. "Although our water has been sealed off, it somehow has gone bad." You sniff your open water skin, and it has a faint chemical smell to it. Drusk takes out a clean cup, fills it with water from his waterskin, and then swirls it with his index finger. When he holds up that finger, you can see a bare trace of slime on the finger, like the goop from the river.
He has the party empty all their water stores. After Pascal has carefully used his flame magic to cleanse and dry the waterskins, Drusk casts Create or Destroy Water to replenish their water. "That should be okay for now, but I fear whatever foul magic is around here will corrupt our water soon enough. Lliira bless us all."
Beegred Thornpost - Lvl 8 Halfling Ranger - Out of the Abyss by Kerrec Drusk - Lvl 8 Half-Orc Life Cleric - The Long Road: Dragon Heist by Mingofaust (player & current DM) Hunferho Aelorothi - Lvl 5 Half-Elf Bard/Rogue - Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus (by Pokepaladdy) DM - Frontier City of Nunkreet (ended)
Jorin wakes from his sleep and immediately goes to work carving jagged runes into his weapons and gear. He is calm as he goes about this work, though far more quiet and less gregarious than his usual self.
"The Dwarves of Mithril Hall, " he says while carving, "used to tell a story of Wallace Shalewell, a famous Dwarven warmaster who, as all good dwarves do, dug an immense city into the mountain side."
"Each victory on the field of battle brought with it a new great hall, bigger than the last, dug out and added to his fortress. Shalewell had many, many victories, for he was mighty with the axe. Deeper and deeper his victory chambers went until one day, they struck through to vast, open chamber."
"This chamber was filled with great works of art and edifice from a people long lost to time. It was then that a plague began to overtake the citizens of Shalewell's great fortress city. It flowed through the streets and homes much like this river we've been following."
"It wasn't until this great chamber was fully explored that a fein to a dark god of ancient times was found. Shalewell ordered it destroyed and the whole chamber to be filled in. When that was done, the people recovered and were never again visited by the plague."
He pauses for a moment and adds, "Whatever this is that has seeped into our minds, it has a source, and that source must be destroyed."
Quillary watches Jorin as he speaks. She nods. "It is an unnatural infestation that must be...burned out." Her face twitches at that last. "This is not the natural order of death."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
ey/em/eirs, or they/them works, too (just not he). Role-playing since that keep on those borderlands. I love it so.
Drusk looks on a bit surprised. "I'm all for fighting Evil and protecting Good. But since we aren't being paid, and trying to get back to Waterdeep, I didn't think people would be so eager to seek out more trouble."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Beegred Thornpost - Lvl 8 Halfling Ranger - Out of the Abyss by Kerrec Drusk - Lvl 8 Half-Orc Life Cleric - The Long Road: Dragon Heist by Mingofaust (player & current DM) Hunferho Aelorothi - Lvl 5 Half-Elf Bard/Rogue - Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus (by Pokepaladdy) DM - Frontier City of Nunkreet (ended)
DM, after shaking out his arms, Hildi would have cast detect magic. Not as a ritual, but instantaneously. Does he sense anything within 30 feet? I'm guessing not.
Similar to Quillary, Hildigrim is very preoccupied and seeks solitude after the party wakes. He sort of goes through the motions — very distractedly — during the whole waterskin moment. While the halfling would have normally been drawn to Jorin during his tale, he is oblivious until the human is finished speaking. Finally, he turns to the others and says, appearing very worried and not really responding to their current conversation, "I think we should go back," he says, sounding every bit his young age. "How do we know this is the only safe way out? There's got to be another way we can go."
Quillary smiles a soft, sad smile at Hildi. “Hildigrim, there is no backing away from fate. It will find us all. But this,” and she waves in the direction of the troglodytes, “Someone is disrupting the natural order. You are the smartest among us, and knowing the odds, the bravest, then. We will brave this together.”
Like the others, she may be seeing this situation through her own specific lens.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
ey/em/eirs, or they/them works, too (just not he). Role-playing since that keep on those borderlands. I love it so.
DM, after shaking out his arms, Hildi would have cast detect magic. Not as a ritual, but instantaneously. Does he sense anything within 30 feet? I'm guessing not.
(Good point. The side cavern has both entrances within 30', and the passages curve so the party can't be seen from the outside of the cavern.)
Hildigrim casts the spell, and detects the Guardian of Faith on the southwest entrance 30' away. (The spell expires shortly after the whole party finishes the Long Rest.) He also briefly detects illusion magic 20' away (in the same direction), but it is gone just as he notices it. (The Guardian of Faith never activated, so it doesn't seem like there were any creatures in that area.)
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Beegred Thornpost - Lvl 8 Halfling Ranger - Out of the Abyss by Kerrec Drusk - Lvl 8 Half-Orc Life Cleric - The Long Road: Dragon Heist by Mingofaust (player & current DM) Hunferho Aelorothi - Lvl 5 Half-Elf Bard/Rogue - Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus (by Pokepaladdy) DM - Frontier City of Nunkreet (ended)
Recent map (everyone is free to click on "spoiler" to see)
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Beegred Thornpost - Lvl 8 Halfling Ranger - Out of the Abyss by Kerrec Drusk - Lvl 8 Half-Orc Life Cleric - The Long Road: Dragon Heist by Mingofaust (player & current DM) Hunferho Aelorothi - Lvl 5 Half-Elf Bard/Rogue - Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus (by Pokepaladdy) DM - Frontier City of Nunkreet (ended)
Pascal, unmoving like a log, opens a single eye with an uncharacteristically guttural growl, much like a bellowing gator. He then lazily wiggles his head toward the rest of the group, bags under his eyes, “Y’all are real loud, y’know that, don’t ya?”
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
DM - Elustran Days ~ Fate/False Revelation
Rex'aliha - Hoard of the Dragon Queen ~ Mozu of Worms- The Stormpoint Mountains ~ Muireach Maon- Shepherd’s Crossing ~ Crownsguard - Storm King’s Thunder ~ Gunnar Wayland -Boats, Rocks, and Ruffians ~ POUF!- Ex-Ravens ~ Pascal LaRoux - Long Road Dragon Heist
Hildigrim looks blankly at Quillary for a few heartbeats following her stony — if complimentary — rebuttal of his worry. "Fate," he finally repeats. "Fate may have seen fit to return you to the mortal realm," the halfling says somewhat coldly. "As your circumstances are unique in my estimation, I believe it is wise for the rest of us to avoid death and those dangers which may certainly lead to it." He looks around, addressing them all as if making a proclamation. "You all know I am not one to indulge in superstition. For some time, I have felt we were being watched, and last night, it was revealed to me that my intuitions have been correct. The one who has been watching us is powerful and advises that we turn back, and so we must. I want to return to Waterdeep as much or more as the rest of you, so we shall seek another avenue once we are clear of these tunnels." Once finished, Hildigrim begins to pick up the last of his things in preparation for returning to Skullport. The halfling's bending over and moving around rapidly causes poor Volo to several times squawk and flap his wings in an attempt to stay upright upon Hildi's shoulder until, finally, the rogue spits, "Fine, just go!" and snaps his fingers, causing the familiar to disappear.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Insight roll on… herself? 24
(phew)
“No!” Quillary raises her voice, which is by itself unusual. “There is something amiss, but it is us… each of us has woken with a changed demeanor. I am… I am afraid of death, for the first time in a long time. You, Hildigrim, are rude, frightened, and incurious, all anathema to who you are.”
”There is some power that has toyed with our sense of self. The same power that has those troglodytes enraptured.”
”I think… I think we must go forward, because this power does not wish us to do so… I will be going on, and I would wish you all to join me.”
(Since Quillary is assuming an external influence... Your thinking hasn't directly changed. Just whatever you dreamt last night was unpleasant, and put people in a bad mood when they woke up.)
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Beegred Thornpost - Lvl 8 Halfling Ranger - Out of the Abyss by Kerrec Drusk - Lvl 8 Half-Orc Life Cleric - The Long Road: Dragon Heist by Mingofaust (player & current DM) Hunferho Aelorothi - Lvl 5 Half-Elf Bard/Rogue - Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus (by Pokepaladdy) DM - Frontier City of Nunkreet (ended)
Jorin softens his face and puts a large hand on HIldigrim's shoulder, "Hildi, we must press on. It is into death's face that we must laugh the hardest. Remember those who came before you, their hairy toes. But also, think of your hairy toes upon which those who come after you will swear."
He pauses for a moment before adding, "But, I am with you, Hildigrim, to the end. If you will not continue, if you will not press on, I will go with you, forward, or backward."
(I'll wait until the party collectively decides what you want to do, and where you want to go in the map from post 4659.)
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Beegred Thornpost - Lvl 8 Halfling Ranger - Out of the Abyss by Kerrec Drusk - Lvl 8 Half-Orc Life Cleric - The Long Road: Dragon Heist by Mingofaust (player & current DM) Hunferho Aelorothi - Lvl 5 Half-Elf Bard/Rogue - Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus (by Pokepaladdy) DM - Frontier City of Nunkreet (ended)
Pascal gives a snort, “Bit o’ warnin’. Got a nasty feelin’ that if we keep going forward, I ain’t gonna be able to give y’all any food. But. I am real nice an’ rested, so I’m all set to burn whatever stuff is down there to a nice medium well.”
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
DM - Elustran Days ~ Fate/False Revelation
Rex'aliha - Hoard of the Dragon Queen ~ Mozu of Worms- The Stormpoint Mountains ~ Muireach Maon- Shepherd’s Crossing ~ Crownsguard - Storm King’s Thunder ~ Gunnar Wayland -Boats, Rocks, and Ruffians ~ POUF!- Ex-Ravens ~ Pascal LaRoux - Long Road Dragon Heist
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Hildigrim looks at each of the bigs, his face flush with worry, and his eyes sparkling. "But I don't want you to die. Any of you." He looks down and wiggles his toes. "It said you all were going to die," he says hoarsely. Finally, he looks up at Quillary. "But I don't want you to go on without me." He looks around and then finally settles on Drusk. "I suppose you think we should go on, too." He runs the back of his wrist underneath his nose and then roughly takes his bow in hand. Almost angrily he says a quick arcane phrase and snaps his fingers, and Volo cheeps into being, fluttering above the halfling. "Well, I'm going first," the halfling says through gritted teeth. He telepathically tells Volo to fly above and 10 feet in front of him. Knocking an arrow, Hildi begins to very quietly move toward the zombie troglodytes.
Stealth for Volo: 11
Perception for Volo: 23
Stealth for Hildi: 20
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The “morning” finds Quillary pacing and mumbling darkly in a guttural language. Over the last few weeks some of her strangeness has fallen away, softened in the company of the party, but now it is fully returned. She stares uncomfortably when addressed with small talk, goes to stand in the shadowy parts of the room, spends time whispering to her cat skull, and refuses to eat. She is ready to go well before the others.
ey/em/eirs, or they/them works, too (just not he).
Role-playing since that keep on those borderlands. I love it so.
Drusk usually has a goofy grin on his face, but this morning he looks pensive after the "night's" rest.
A short while later, he stops the others from drinking from their waterskins. "Although our water has been sealed off, it somehow has gone bad." You sniff your open water skin, and it has a faint chemical smell to it. Drusk takes out a clean cup, fills it with water from his waterskin, and then swirls it with his index finger. When he holds up that finger, you can see a bare trace of slime on the finger, like the goop from the river.
He has the party empty all their water stores. After Pascal has carefully used his flame magic to cleanse and dry the waterskins, Drusk casts Create or Destroy Water to replenish their water. "That should be okay for now, but I fear whatever foul magic is around here will corrupt our water soon enough. Lliira bless us all."
Beegred Thornpost - Lvl 8 Halfling Ranger - Out of the Abyss by Kerrec
Drusk - Lvl 8 Half-Orc Life Cleric - The Long Road: Dragon Heist by Mingofaust (player & current DM)
Hunferho Aelorothi - Lvl 5 Half-Elf Bard/Rogue - Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus (by Pokepaladdy)
DM - Frontier City of Nunkreet (ended)
Quillary refuses the water, and in fact, gives her waterskin away, wordlessly thrusting it into Jorin's chest and leaving it there.
ey/em/eirs, or they/them works, too (just not he).
Role-playing since that keep on those borderlands. I love it so.
Jorin wakes from his sleep and immediately goes to work carving jagged runes into his weapons and gear. He is calm as he goes about this work, though far more quiet and less gregarious than his usual self.
"The Dwarves of Mithril Hall, " he says while carving, "used to tell a story of Wallace Shalewell, a famous Dwarven warmaster who, as all good dwarves do, dug an immense city into the mountain side."
"Each victory on the field of battle brought with it a new great hall, bigger than the last, dug out and added to his fortress. Shalewell had many, many victories, for he was mighty with the axe. Deeper and deeper his victory chambers went until one day, they struck through to vast, open chamber."
"This chamber was filled with great works of art and edifice from a people long lost to time. It was then that a plague began to overtake the citizens of Shalewell's great fortress city. It flowed through the streets and homes much like this river we've been following."
"It wasn't until this great chamber was fully explored that a fein to a dark god of ancient times was found. Shalewell ordered it destroyed and the whole chamber to be filled in. When that was done, the people recovered and were never again visited by the plague."
He pauses for a moment and adds, "Whatever this is that has seeped into our minds, it has a source, and that source must be destroyed."
Quillary watches Jorin as he speaks. She nods. "It is an unnatural infestation that must be...burned out." Her face twitches at that last. "This is not the natural order of death."
ey/em/eirs, or they/them works, too (just not he).
Role-playing since that keep on those borderlands. I love it so.
Drusk looks on a bit surprised. "I'm all for fighting Evil and protecting Good. But since we aren't being paid, and trying to get back to Waterdeep, I didn't think people would be so eager to seek out more trouble."
Beegred Thornpost - Lvl 8 Halfling Ranger - Out of the Abyss by Kerrec
Drusk - Lvl 8 Half-Orc Life Cleric - The Long Road: Dragon Heist by Mingofaust (player & current DM)
Hunferho Aelorothi - Lvl 5 Half-Elf Bard/Rogue - Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus (by Pokepaladdy)
DM - Frontier City of Nunkreet (ended)
Fun, happy Quillary is checked out at the moment, so she just stares at Drusk.
ey/em/eirs, or they/them works, too (just not he).
Role-playing since that keep on those borderlands. I love it so.
DM, after shaking out his arms, Hildi would have cast detect magic. Not as a ritual, but instantaneously. Does he sense anything within 30 feet? I'm guessing not.
Similar to Quillary, Hildigrim is very preoccupied and seeks solitude after the party wakes. He sort of goes through the motions — very distractedly — during the whole waterskin moment. While the halfling would have normally been drawn to Jorin during his tale, he is oblivious until the human is finished speaking. Finally, he turns to the others and says, appearing very worried and not really responding to their current conversation, "I think we should go back," he says, sounding every bit his young age. "How do we know this is the only safe way out? There's got to be another way we can go."
Quillary smiles a soft, sad smile at Hildi. “Hildigrim, there is no backing away from fate. It will find us all. But this,” and she waves in the direction of the troglodytes, “Someone is disrupting the natural order. You are the smartest among us, and knowing the odds, the bravest, then. We will brave this together.”
Like the others, she may be seeing this situation through her own specific lens.
ey/em/eirs, or they/them works, too (just not he).
Role-playing since that keep on those borderlands. I love it so.
(Good point. The side cavern has both entrances within 30', and the passages curve so the party can't be seen from the outside of the cavern.)
Hildigrim casts the spell, and detects the Guardian of Faith on the southwest entrance 30' away. (The spell expires shortly after the whole party finishes the Long Rest.) He also briefly detects illusion magic 20' away (in the same direction), but it is gone just as he notices it. (The Guardian of Faith never activated, so it doesn't seem like there were any creatures in that area.)
Beegred Thornpost - Lvl 8 Halfling Ranger - Out of the Abyss by Kerrec
Drusk - Lvl 8 Half-Orc Life Cleric - The Long Road: Dragon Heist by Mingofaust (player & current DM)
Hunferho Aelorothi - Lvl 5 Half-Elf Bard/Rogue - Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus (by Pokepaladdy)
DM - Frontier City of Nunkreet (ended)
Recent map (everyone is free to click on "spoiler" to see)
Beegred Thornpost - Lvl 8 Halfling Ranger - Out of the Abyss by Kerrec
Drusk - Lvl 8 Half-Orc Life Cleric - The Long Road: Dragon Heist by Mingofaust (player & current DM)
Hunferho Aelorothi - Lvl 5 Half-Elf Bard/Rogue - Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus (by Pokepaladdy)
DM - Frontier City of Nunkreet (ended)
Pascal, unmoving like a log, opens a single eye with an uncharacteristically guttural growl, much like a bellowing gator. He then lazily wiggles his head toward the rest of the group, bags under his eyes, “Y’all are real loud, y’know that, don’t ya?”
DM - Elustran Days ~ Fate/False Revelation
Rex'aliha - Hoard of the Dragon Queen ~ Mozu of Worms - The Stormpoint Mountains ~ Muireach Maon - Shepherd’s Crossing ~ Crownsguard - Storm King’s Thunder ~ Gunnar Wayland - Boats, Rocks, and Ruffians ~ POUF! - Ex-Ravens ~ Pascal LaRoux - Long Road Dragon Heist
Hildigrim looks blankly at Quillary for a few heartbeats following her stony — if complimentary — rebuttal of his worry. "Fate," he finally repeats. "Fate may have seen fit to return you to the mortal realm," the halfling says somewhat coldly. "As your circumstances are unique in my estimation, I believe it is wise for the rest of us to avoid death and those dangers which may certainly lead to it." He looks around, addressing them all as if making a proclamation. "You all know I am not one to indulge in superstition. For some time, I have felt we were being watched, and last night, it was revealed to me that my intuitions have been correct. The one who has been watching us is powerful and advises that we turn back, and so we must. I want to return to Waterdeep as much or more as the rest of you, so we shall seek another avenue once we are clear of these tunnels." Once finished, Hildigrim begins to pick up the last of his things in preparation for returning to Skullport. The halfling's bending over and moving around rapidly causes poor Volo to several times squawk and flap his wings in an attempt to stay upright upon Hildi's shoulder until, finally, the rogue spits, "Fine, just go!" and snaps his fingers, causing the familiar to disappear.
Insight roll on… herself? 24
(phew)
“No!” Quillary raises her voice, which is by itself unusual. “There is something amiss, but it is us… each of us has woken with a changed demeanor. I am… I am afraid of death, for the first time in a long time. You, Hildigrim, are rude, frightened, and incurious, all anathema to who you are.”
”There is some power that has toyed with our sense of self. The same power that has those troglodytes enraptured.”
”I think… I think we must go forward, because this power does not wish us to do so… I will be going on, and I would wish you all to join me.”
ey/em/eirs, or they/them works, too (just not he).
Role-playing since that keep on those borderlands. I love it so.
(Since Quillary is assuming an external influence... Your thinking hasn't directly changed. Just whatever you dreamt last night was unpleasant, and put people in a bad mood when they woke up.)
Beegred Thornpost - Lvl 8 Halfling Ranger - Out of the Abyss by Kerrec
Drusk - Lvl 8 Half-Orc Life Cleric - The Long Road: Dragon Heist by Mingofaust (player & current DM)
Hunferho Aelorothi - Lvl 5 Half-Elf Bard/Rogue - Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus (by Pokepaladdy)
DM - Frontier City of Nunkreet (ended)
Jorin softens his face and puts a large hand on HIldigrim's shoulder, "Hildi, we must press on. It is into death's face that we must laugh the hardest. Remember those who came before you, their hairy toes. But also, think of your hairy toes upon which those who come after you will swear."
He pauses for a moment before adding, "But, I am with you, Hildigrim, to the end. If you will not continue, if you will not press on, I will go with you, forward, or backward."
(I'll wait until the party collectively decides what you want to do, and where you want to go in the map from post 4659.)
Beegred Thornpost - Lvl 8 Halfling Ranger - Out of the Abyss by Kerrec
Drusk - Lvl 8 Half-Orc Life Cleric - The Long Road: Dragon Heist by Mingofaust (player & current DM)
Hunferho Aelorothi - Lvl 5 Half-Elf Bard/Rogue - Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus (by Pokepaladdy)
DM - Frontier City of Nunkreet (ended)
Pascal gives a snort, “Bit o’ warnin’. Got a nasty feelin’ that if we keep going forward, I ain’t gonna be able to give y’all any food. But. I am real nice an’ rested, so I’m all set to burn whatever stuff is down there to a nice medium well.”
DM - Elustran Days ~ Fate/False Revelation
Rex'aliha - Hoard of the Dragon Queen ~ Mozu of Worms - The Stormpoint Mountains ~ Muireach Maon - Shepherd’s Crossing ~ Crownsguard - Storm King’s Thunder ~ Gunnar Wayland - Boats, Rocks, and Ruffians ~ POUF! - Ex-Ravens ~ Pascal LaRoux - Long Road Dragon Heist
Quillary waits fir Hildi’s decision. She does not seem anxious, just quiet.
ey/em/eirs, or they/them works, too (just not he).
Role-playing since that keep on those borderlands. I love it so.
Hildigrim looks at each of the bigs, his face flush with worry, and his eyes sparkling. "But I don't want you to die. Any of you." He looks down and wiggles his toes. "It said you all were going to die," he says hoarsely. Finally, he looks up at Quillary. "But I don't want you to go on without me." He looks around and then finally settles on Drusk. "I suppose you think we should go on, too." He runs the back of his wrist underneath his nose and then roughly takes his bow in hand. Almost angrily he says a quick arcane phrase and snaps his fingers, and Volo cheeps into being, fluttering above the halfling. "Well, I'm going first," the halfling says through gritted teeth. He telepathically tells Volo to fly above and 10 feet in front of him. Knocking an arrow, Hildi begins to very quietly move toward the zombie troglodytes.
Stealth for Volo: 11
Perception for Volo: 23
Stealth for Hildi: 20