"I got this, guys," she holds out a hand to stay the others, "But if you'd keep him from running, Klong?"
First, she casts Guidance on herself, with the attendant "shoot herself through the head with a black puff of eldritch smoke" somatic component.
Then she uses Disguise Self to transform her appearance into herself still, but more malevolent, a little taller, like she is growing, with glowing eyes dripping black oil, her hair rises to float on an invisible breeze, her cloak and dress grow darker, and she leans in towards Gargosh.
She uses Prestidigitation to light a small fire in the seat of his pants (it doesn't catch, but it should be warm and smoke) while she speaks, in a deeper voice than normal, "You have seen what I can summon, dwarf, you will not trifle with me lest you want such a fate to befall you... what have you done? Who are those dwarves? What is your plan? Tell all, or reap your reward before the whips and chains of Acheron!"
Intimidation with Guidance: 24
Then, after he spills the beans, she'll use Prestidigitation again to soil his pants. ;)
Grishkar Darkmoor, Necromancer of Nerull the Despiser Kelvin Rabbitfoot, Diviner, con artist, always hunting for a good sale Bründir Halfshield, Valor Bard, three-time Sheercleft Drinking Competition Champion, Hometown hero
A malevolent smile crosses Gargosh's face. Suddenly, the visage before you is not of a bookworm Dwarf, but Fionula herself. In Fi's voice, Gargosh says "I've seen what your master can do, but if he wanted me he'd already have me would he not? As much as you scare me, so does the thought of not fulfilling my obligation to Drannin. The real Gargosh is safe somewhere. He only stays that way as long as I do however. We should continue on our trek so that we can deliver the axe to Drannin. Not doing that would be bad for all of us, including the real Gargosh. ". He twirls and suddenly you are looking at the spitting image of Klong "Me promise Gargosh no run. Listen to little weak Dwarf, go get axe."
She drops her disguise, cursing fluidly in Infernal, ending with Common, "Son of a cross-eyed beholder! Fine, drop the disguise and tell us what's what, starting with who you are. I'll work with just about anyone, but I refuse to work under false pretenses. I know, ironic, eh? Also, it's unfortunate for the real Gargosh that I'm not that much of a caring person, so we are perfectly happy to all just walk away."
(She's pretty sure Klong and Fil won't just walk away from doomed Gargosh, but it's worth a try.)
"I can be who you want me to be! For now, I will show you my true self" He quickly transforms into a gray, sinewy humanoid, devoid of much detail. "You may call me Tallios"
Glim, who had been busy dealing with the various flywheels while all of this was transpiring, comes up to see Fi arguing with what looks like Klong, being held by the shoulders by another Klong. He approaches confused to ask Kelvin what's going on, but before he can say anything, one of the Klongs transforms into a featureless gray humanoid.
"I'm gone for five minutes and you get yourselves mixed up with a doppelgänger? Where's Gar... Oh."
In his mind he revisits the events since they first met Gargosh, trying to work out whether they ever actually had met the genuine article or whether it'd been this Tallios all along. He then remembers hearing the noise and a scuffle from Gargosh's room during the night at the inn, which at the time he'd dismissed as Fi poking around, but in light of the present circumstance he reasons was presumably the sound of the real Gargosh being replaced.
"That explains a few things. Well... I don't really care who we deliver the axe to as long as I get a chance to examine it first and we get paid as agreed."
Kelvin leans over to Glim and whispers, "You sure about this? Ironic as it is, I don't like dealing with shady, two-faced liars."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Characters:
Grishkar Darkmoor, Necromancer of Nerull the Despiser Kelvin Rabbitfoot, Diviner, con artist, always hunting for a good sale Bründir Halfshield, Valor Bard, three-time Sheercleft Drinking Competition Champion, Hometown hero
"Well I figure we don't owe him following through with anything we say we'll do," Glim whispers back. "They seem to think they need us, which means we have leverage at this moment. We may as well play along until we have a good opportunity to exercise it, no?"
"Drannin and his crew. Once you get out with the axe, he plans to take it from you, one way or the other. You can give it to him or sleep with the dead dwarves in their tomb."
”Why do we need you with us? Do you know anything about this tomb? Can you carry a tune? You’d be safest staying out here, you know. For several reasons, actually.”
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.
Klong, overhearing all of this, realizes two things. One, there is no other party racing for the axe. There is only this group of murderous drwarves waiting to take it. Thus there is no reason to rush. Two, they have the advantage of knowing where the dwarves are. This may not be true later.
Not wanting to give anything away to the shapeshifter, Klong attemps to communicate his line of thinking with head nods and eyebrow raises towards the amphitheater.
OOC: Klong thinks it would be a good idea to deal with this "ambush" party now.
"Meh," she says, she takes her backpack off, puts it on the ground and starts to rummage through it. "If we're negotiating, I need something stronger than a smoking stick to calm my nerves." She silently tells hidden Swifty to let her know if the dwarves look like they are up to anything, that this may take a while.
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.
FIl nods in agreement with Klong before locking eyes with the shapeshifter. Part of him is upset with the deception but he's also afraid. He heard stories as a child of evil beings who could change shape.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
I have an intelligence of six, I know what I'm doing.
She stands up from her pack, holding a flask, "Here it is!" Then she locks eyes with the doppelgänger, notices that it is watching her closely, and says, "Oh, horse pocky!" in an annoyed tone. With the other hand, which she had held behind her back, she throws a small ball of iron bands in the direction of the doppelgänger, saying a word in Infernal. On their way, the ball magically expands into a tangle of metal bands...
Thrown ranged attack at Disadvantage because DM said so: 24
"Well that's not what I expected," Glim says as the magic bands attach themselves to the doppelgänger. "Alright, so I guess we're doing this now then? What's the terrain look like over there? Are there good places for some of us to set up to hide?"
She finishes gagging the doppelgänger so it can't yell for help. "We don't have to go after them right now. We can drag this guy over to the stream and drop him in, if you like, then get on with it." She looks at the doppelgänger. "Or we can make a deal."
Edit: She checks in on Swifty to make sure the dwarves have not moved.
Kelvin pokes the doppleganger with a stick, "You know, I can respect your approach. Nice trick there with the whole changing thing. What do you know about the dwarves there? Numbers, weapons...magic? Better answer quick. Lucy's only caught a rat today and eyes of large prey make good targets for hungry birds."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Characters:
Grishkar Darkmoor, Necromancer of Nerull the Despiser Kelvin Rabbitfoot, Diviner, con artist, always hunting for a good sale Bründir Halfshield, Valor Bard, three-time Sheercleft Drinking Competition Champion, Hometown hero
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Fionula
"I got this, guys," she holds out a hand to stay the others, "But if you'd keep him from running, Klong?"
First, she casts Guidance on herself, with the attendant "shoot herself through the head with a black puff of eldritch smoke" somatic component.
Then she uses Disguise Self to transform her appearance into herself still, but more malevolent, a little taller, like she is growing, with glowing eyes dripping black oil, her hair rises to float on an invisible breeze, her cloak and dress grow darker, and she leans in towards Gargosh.
She uses Prestidigitation to light a small fire in the seat of his pants (it doesn't catch, but it should be warm and smoke) while she speaks, in a deeper voice than normal, "You have seen what I can summon, dwarf, you will not trifle with me lest you want such a fate to befall you... what have you done? Who are those dwarves? What is your plan? Tell all, or reap your reward before the whips and chains of Acheron!"
Intimidation with Guidance: 24
Then, after he spills the beans, she'll use Prestidigitation again to soil his pants. ;)
ey/em/eirs, or they/them works, too (just not he).
Role-playing since that keep on those borderlands. I love it so.
(Kelvin's own Insight: 14)
Kelvin looks around confused, "What's going on now?"
Characters:
Grishkar Darkmoor, Necromancer of Nerull the Despiser
Kelvin Rabbitfoot, Diviner, con artist, always hunting for a good sale
Bründir Halfshield, Valor Bard, three-time Sheercleft Drinking Competition Champion, Hometown hero
Klong gives a big scowl. "You LIE to Klong! You LIE to friends!"
He puts two mighty hands on the false Klong's shoulders. "Mebbe Kong rip liar man's arms out of liar man's sockets!"
Brunella Wildheart, Dwarf Barbarian,Tomb of Annihilation
Nyx, Fairy Cleric, Descent Into Avernus
Fionula
She drops her disguise, cursing fluidly in Infernal, ending with Common, "Son of a cross-eyed beholder! Fine, drop the disguise and tell us what's what, starting with who you are. I'll work with just about anyone, but I refuse to work under false pretenses. I know, ironic, eh? Also, it's unfortunate for the real Gargosh that I'm not that much of a caring person, so we are perfectly happy to all just walk away."
(She's pretty sure Klong and Fil won't just walk away from doomed Gargosh, but it's worth a try.)
ey/em/eirs, or they/them works, too (just not he).
Role-playing since that keep on those borderlands. I love it so.
Glim, who had been busy dealing with the various flywheels while all of this was transpiring, comes up to see Fi arguing with what looks like Klong, being held by the shoulders by another Klong. He approaches confused to ask Kelvin what's going on, but before he can say anything, one of the Klongs transforms into a featureless gray humanoid.
"I'm gone for five minutes and you get yourselves mixed up with a doppelgänger? Where's Gar... Oh."
In his mind he revisits the events since they first met Gargosh, trying to work out whether they ever actually had met the genuine article or whether it'd been this Tallios all along. He then remembers hearing the noise and a scuffle from Gargosh's room during the night at the inn, which at the time he'd dismissed as Fi poking around, but in light of the present circumstance he reasons was presumably the sound of the real Gargosh being replaced.
"That explains a few things. Well... I don't really care who we deliver the axe to as long as I get a chance to examine it first and we get paid as agreed."
"Darvin" | Changeling | Hexblade 1 / Swords Bard 6 | Descent Into Avernus (AC 19; PP 14; 52/52 HP)
Anton Chergoba | Human | Battlemaster 4 | Lost Mines of Phandelver (AC 20; PP 14; 36/36 HP)
Fionula
"I've probably done worse. So who are the dwarves, Tallios? Friends of yours, or friends of Gargle's?"
ey/em/eirs, or they/them works, too (just not he).
Role-playing since that keep on those borderlands. I love it so.
Kelvin leans over to Glim and whispers, "You sure about this? Ironic as it is, I don't like dealing with shady, two-faced liars."
Characters:
Grishkar Darkmoor, Necromancer of Nerull the Despiser
Kelvin Rabbitfoot, Diviner, con artist, always hunting for a good sale
Bründir Halfshield, Valor Bard, three-time Sheercleft Drinking Competition Champion, Hometown hero
"Well I figure we don't owe him following through with anything we say we'll do," Glim whispers back. "They seem to think they need us, which means we have leverage at this moment. We may as well play along until we have a good opportunity to exercise it, no?"
"Darvin" | Changeling | Hexblade 1 / Swords Bard 6 | Descent Into Avernus (AC 19; PP 14; 52/52 HP)
Anton Chergoba | Human | Battlemaster 4 | Lost Mines of Phandelver (AC 20; PP 14; 36/36 HP)
"Drannin and his crew. Once you get out with the axe, he plans to take it from you, one way or the other. You can give it to him or sleep with the dead dwarves in their tomb."
Fionula
”Why do we need you with us? Do you know anything about this tomb? Can you carry a tune? You’d be safest staying out here, you know. For several reasons, actually.”
ey/em/eirs, or they/them works, too (just not he).
Role-playing since that keep on those borderlands. I love it so.
Klong, overhearing all of this, realizes two things. One, there is no other party racing for the axe. There is only this group of murderous drwarves waiting to take it. Thus there is no reason to rush. Two, they have the advantage of knowing where the dwarves are. This may not be true later.
Not wanting to give anything away to the shapeshifter, Klong attemps to communicate his line of thinking with head nods and eyebrow raises towards the amphitheater.
OOC: Klong thinks it would be a good idea to deal with this "ambush" party now.
Brunella Wildheart, Dwarf Barbarian,Tomb of Annihilation
Nyx, Fairy Cleric, Descent Into Avernus
Fionula
"Meh," she says, she takes her backpack off, puts it on the ground and starts to rummage through it. "If we're negotiating, I need something stronger than a smoking stick to calm my nerves." She silently tells hidden Swifty to let her know if the dwarves look like they are up to anything, that this may take a while.
ey/em/eirs, or they/them works, too (just not he).
Role-playing since that keep on those borderlands. I love it so.
FIl nods in agreement with Klong before locking eyes with the shapeshifter. Part of him is upset with the deception but he's also afraid. He heard stories as a child of evil beings who could change shape.
I have an intelligence of six, I know what I'm doing.
Fionula
She stands up from her pack, holding a flask, "Here it is!" Then she locks eyes with the doppelgänger, notices that it is watching her closely, and says, "Oh, horse pocky!" in an annoyed tone. With the other hand, which she had held behind her back, she throws a small ball of iron bands in the direction of the doppelgänger, saying a word in Infernal. On their way, the ball magically expands into a tangle of metal bands...
Thrown ranged attack at Disadvantage because DM said so: 24
OOC > Iron Bands of Binding
ey/em/eirs, or they/them works, too (just not he).
Role-playing since that keep on those borderlands. I love it so.
"Well that's not what I expected," Glim says as the magic bands attach themselves to the doppelgänger. "Alright, so I guess we're doing this now then? What's the terrain look like over there? Are there good places for some of us to set up to hide?"
"Darvin" | Changeling | Hexblade 1 / Swords Bard 6 | Descent Into Avernus (AC 19; PP 14; 52/52 HP)
Anton Chergoba | Human | Battlemaster 4 | Lost Mines of Phandelver (AC 20; PP 14; 36/36 HP)
There are some rocks near the ampitheatre when could be usef
Fionula
She finishes gagging the doppelgänger so it can't yell for help. "We don't have to go after them right now. We can drag this guy over to the stream and drop him in, if you like, then get on with it." She looks at the doppelgänger. "Or we can make a deal."
Edit: She checks in on Swifty to make sure the dwarves have not moved.
ey/em/eirs, or they/them works, too (just not he).
Role-playing since that keep on those borderlands. I love it so.
Kelvin pokes the doppleganger with a stick, "You know, I can respect your approach. Nice trick there with the whole changing thing. What do you know about the dwarves there? Numbers, weapons...magic? Better answer quick. Lucy's only caught a rat today and eyes of large prey make good targets for hungry birds."
Characters:
Grishkar Darkmoor, Necromancer of Nerull the Despiser
Kelvin Rabbitfoot, Diviner, con artist, always hunting for a good sale
Bründir Halfshield, Valor Bard, three-time Sheercleft Drinking Competition Champion, Hometown hero