Tempest and Daner both miss their attacks, Red Stripes hisses at them and deftly jumps out of the way. She suddenly shakes her head and gives a little cry of pain as some strange insult damages her small mind. She then reals from the impact of Darion's magic missile screeching in pain.
Erro successfully starts to cut the net, fraying the ropes severely but not enough to get out, though should be easy to cut next round!
Red Stripes pauses for a second, and you can see her glance around. Suddenly she gives high-pitched squawk and bolts, dodging nimbly away and running for the jungle (taking the disengage action and then movement). The rest of the Rippers pause for a moment, but as their leader flees they suddenly all start sprinting away (disengaging as needed). The two on the netting jump down in a panic and flee, leaving Erro spinning around as he tries to cut himself loose.
Unless you are wanting to pursue them, they rapidly make a getaway (leaving four sleeping rippers behind). The momentary calm is interrupted by a creaking sound followed by a loud snap as the net holding Erro finally gives, and he sprawls onto the floor.
If you are giving chase, we will stay in initiative, however if not then we will move out of initiative. In that case JustBrad, do you want to describe Erro / what they would see, and you can all have a chance to introduce yourselves in character (or however they would react in this situation!)
Erro wears a nervous expression eyeing the sleeping raptors as he lifts himself up off of the forest floor, covered in fallen leaves and still struggling to get his appendages out of the master net. As he pieces together that they have been put to slumber by an enchantment he relaxes a little bit. He immediately sets to task cutting down a portion of this net so that he can keep it for later use, effective as it was.
The man is dressed in ornate scale mail which features a dirty burnt-orange cloak that covers the shoulders and head meant to help block the sun, but hangs as dead weight in the humid and thick jungle canopy. He looks at the party with a sun-kissed and windswept face with long flowing mustache whiskers and a well-manicured beard that comes down to a point. A metallic round shield embossed with foreign characters adorns Erro's back.
"Blessed holy saints of Tymora; my deliverers! What cosmic forces conspired to bring you to me in just such a moment? Surely this is fate!" Erro says to the universe as he looks up into the sky through a tiny window in the tree canopy. "I am indebted to you; maybe there is hope yet."
He again looks to the sleeping raptors. "...So... I would love to chat, but how long does this mystical sleep last? And, what do you suppose caused those other ones to bugger off?" He gives a nervous laugh, "Surely they don't come any bigger than that, do they?" Erro speaks with a heavy accent and it is almost difficult to understand him.
Ellis was glad to see as his cantrip had worked before watching the red striped bird suddenly start to run away, all the other birds following after them as well. Why did they decide to leave like that? Then he saw the man in the net fall before getting back up, looking at and listening to him with a nod. "I'm Ellis, we just escaped from a Yuan-ti temple. Are you alright? I'm not sure why they ran off like that, but the sleep only lasts a minute. So we should get away from here as quickly as possible." he now said back to the man, looking at the others. Erro would see that Ellis is pretty short for a young guy and quite feminine, to be honest with long silky blonde hair down to his shoulder blades and doe-like blue eyes with porcelain skin. But instead of wearing a shirt, he is wearing a simple-looking mantle made of strung-together feathers and beads on his shoulders along with tan khakis that look to be damp and long since ruined by water. His right ankle looks to be bruised black and blue, swollen a bit but having a wooden splint brace on it to help heal, carrying a lyre as well.
Erro was in the process of giving each of his rescuers a long, awkward hug one after another when Ellis mentioned that the enchantment lasted but only a minute. "My word! We had better get moving then shouldn't we? I am afraid that I must confess that I am lost... mostly. Wandering you might say."
At the mention of the Yuan-ti, Erro exclaims,"Had I known that this land boasted giant reptiles and Yuan-Ti I would have chosen another destination! What a dreadful, dreadful place this is. No Disrespect. Is no land free of their taint?" Erro continues to spill his story, stream of consciousness, already considering the party his best of friends, as the party presumably begins to clear from the area."My homeland of Calimshan is still under the total rule of the Yuan-ti. When Dendar was smote from the sky, rather than rise up, many of our rulers decided to bargain instead... trading potential freedom for power. I'm sure it is hard to imagine humans supporting Yuan-ti, but I tell you, it is happening. But not me, no, I am not like that. I traveled the expanses of the Seven Sands for years seeking a fabled hidden power locked away within one of those deserts- the cosmic power to grant any wish. I sought to throw down the Yuan-ti in my land with a single stroke! ...but alas... my expedition brought me nowhere. I started to wonder if perhaps help for Calimshan could be found from the outside." He stops to look around,"but not in this dreadful place it seems!"
He steps in a puddle and looks down at his soggy boot, "I never in my life imagined that too much water would ever be a problem. So you say you escaped from a Yuan-ti temple? Like, just escaped?" He looks at Ellis' condition and knows it must be true. "That is no small feat! You must be heroes indeed. I hope you made them hurt."
Spider Tempest wildly waves two of his arms to get the party's attention and points to Kanush then to the jungle then to the rippers as if to say, "Let's go".
((apologies for delay in posting; may be a little sporadic for the next few days. Sadly have a funeral on Tuesday, and various family meetings are happening at the moment))
Darion would look suspiciously at the new comer. He absent-mindedly cleans himself of using prestidigitation, while sizing up Erro.
Kanush comes forward, looking nervous.
"We must move now, but take care. The commotion may have attracted more attention, and there are worse things than the Rippers out here."
He glances at Erro "Come with us for now, but we will investigate your story more when we are safe."
He gestures impatiently for the party to move, clearly looking around.
Kanush Nature: 24
As before, if you are wanting to move out stealthily, or look around (either perception or nature) feel free to make the relevant rolls! If you are wanting to do something else, just let me know or i'll assume you all start to move out with Kanush....
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Ellis had heard as Erro said that they should get going, Kanush agreeing and Tempest seemingly the same. So he moves along with everyone else, listening to Erro's story as he was extremely surprised that his people decided to support the Yuan-ti instead of going against them. This only made him worry about his village, if his mother and everyone is alright. He then heard the other call them heroes, a little embarrassed by that. "Thank you, though I couldn't do that much to help." Ellis whispered to Erro, making sure to be as quiet and stealthy as possible like before they found Erro as he follows Kanush.
((Sorry to hear about those circumstances. Please take your time.))
Erro trusts the look of Kanush who seems to carry himself as one familiar with the terrain, and he files in behind him. Erro reactively eyes the forest floor for more snares and nervously keeps looking behind him over his shoulder, fearing that he’ll see something even worse than the rippers.
Perception: 25.
If I can do both, he will also attempt to move stealthily, his metallic armor remaining silent thanks to his Medium Armor Master feat.
As Kanush begins to lead the party out of the clearing, into the denser forest around he suddenly freezes, his face showing concern. He glances around and stares at a denser part of the foliage not much more than 30ft or so from the group.
Erro, noticing the tension you can feel from Kanush you become aware that the forest seems... quiet nearby. Following Kanush's gaze it takes you a few moments to see what caught his eye. You catch a glimpse of something large - very large in the deeper forest. It is moving very slowly and surprisingly softly given it's bulk. It is hard to make out the shape, as it's skin is a perfect camouflage for the dark greens and muted colours under the canopy. It looks a bit like an upscaled version of the Rippers, a two legged and low slung creature whose yellow eyes can just been seen searching around. You catch the faint sound of a sniff...
Ellis, Darion and Tempest (and apparently the rest of the party) look around in confusion, unable to spot anything. Unfortunately, Ellis and Tempest are so distracted they run into each other and there is the crunching and cracking of undergrowth as the two flail around for just a moment.
Erro sees the creature's eyes turn towards Ellis and Tempest and fix them what seems in your imagination to be a very hungry look, and hears a faint snort of anticipation...
echoed a second later by another snort from the other side of the party.
Erro’s blood runs cold at the sight of the fierce creature. He holds his breath, but the rustling and crackling from the party in the moment seems as loud as an avalanche. He sees the creature set in and he knows that he must only have a moment to act, and perhaps he is the only one to see it.
Erro darts quickly and silently towards the beast that he was able to see eying the party, about 15 feet away from his new companions. He hopes that he can get the drop on the beast if it charges, but there’s nothing he can do about the other. He frantically makes what he hopes is a universal hand signal to point in the other direction where he suspects there is another one. For his action, he will ready Ensnaring Strike, hoping to land a blow as the monster charges by and stop the attack, or else he will fight the beast if it spots him instead. He also equips his shield, wondering if it will be of any use. (let me know if I need any checks!)
The creature that Erro runs towards turns it's gleaming eyes towards him, and it's head cocks slightly. A strange clicking sound comes from it's throat, deep and resonant. One of it's feet shuffles back slightly as it looks at this strange figure.
Meanwhile, Erro's gesturing means that the rest of the party becomes aware of a second creature, moving round in a flanking pose, the camouflaged body and deadly silent walk means it is less than 30 feet from Tempest and Daner, who still struggle to see it in the thick undergrowth. It gives an answering sound to the other, the same deep clicking at a slightly different pace. It pauses, one foot half raised and you can see the three claws on the end of it's arms flexing slightly.
There is a pause - if you want to try and get a read on the creatures, you could make a nature check. Kanush gestures for everyone to be still, but you can see that several of the prisoners look ready to bolt in terror. especially Tahvo and Lomar.
DM Note: Unless anyone strenuously objects, I'm going to play inspiration like I do in my home games. I'm quite generous with it, and hand it out for role-play, but also cool / fun / heroic actions or plans (even if they don't always work). In addition to using it in the normal way, I also allow it to be used as a re-roll (so if you have inspiration feel free to use it in this way if you get a bad roll!). I also occasionally, usually in times of high dramatic tension and if it would add to the plot, allow it to be used to push an ability (mundane or magical) a little further than it would normally go. For example, in my home game our Warlock found himself isolated and alone with a coven of hags and wanted to use message to call for help. The rest of the party was way beyond it's normal range, but I thought it would add a cool action scene so allowed him to do it by burning his inspiration (and we ended with one of the most memorable combats we've done!)
So, by that token, I like the fact that Erro strides towards danger heroically, so please, have inspiration Erro!
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Ellis was so confused, wondering what it was that Kanush had spotted before he had accidentally ran into Tempest. Then he saw Erro come over, pointing in the other direction as he looks over. Is there something there? He nods at Kanush's gesture but could see how scared Tahvo and Lomar look. He carefully moves to be in front of Tahvo, trying to hide how nervous and scared he is at the moment too.
As Darion:
Darion moves forward and sees Red Stripes. He lifts his hands and magic missiles fly towards her: 14
Do you like my Boots of Flying?
Tempest and Daner both miss their attacks, Red Stripes hisses at them and deftly jumps out of the way. She suddenly shakes her head and gives a little cry of pain as some strange insult damages her small mind. She then reals from the impact of Darion's magic missile screeching in pain.
Erro successfully starts to cut the net, fraying the ropes severely but not enough to get out, though should be easy to cut next round!
Do you like my Boots of Flying?
Red Stripes pauses for a second, and you can see her glance around. Suddenly she gives high-pitched squawk and bolts, dodging nimbly away and running for the jungle (taking the disengage action and then movement). The rest of the Rippers pause for a moment, but as their leader flees they suddenly all start sprinting away (disengaging as needed). The two on the netting jump down in a panic and flee, leaving Erro spinning around as he tries to cut himself loose.
Unless you are wanting to pursue them, they rapidly make a getaway (leaving four sleeping rippers behind). The momentary calm is interrupted by a creaking sound followed by a loud snap as the net holding Erro finally gives, and he sprawls onto the floor.
If you are giving chase, we will stay in initiative, however if not then we will move out of initiative. In that case JustBrad, do you want to describe Erro / what they would see, and you can all have a chance to introduce yourselves in character (or however they would react in this situation!)
Do you like my Boots of Flying?
(Oh! I wasted a good chunk of time this evening that I could have typed this. Tomorrow!)
Assuming that we don't want to chase the raptors:
Erro wears a nervous expression eyeing the sleeping raptors as he lifts himself up off of the forest floor, covered in fallen leaves and still struggling to get his appendages out of the master net. As he pieces together that they have been put to slumber by an enchantment he relaxes a little bit. He immediately sets to task cutting down a portion of this net so that he can keep it for later use, effective as it was.
The man is dressed in ornate scale mail which features a dirty burnt-orange cloak that covers the shoulders and head meant to help block the sun, but hangs as dead weight in the humid and thick jungle canopy. He looks at the party with a sun-kissed and windswept face with long flowing mustache whiskers and a well-manicured beard that comes down to a point. A metallic round shield embossed with foreign characters adorns Erro's back.
"Blessed holy saints of Tymora; my deliverers! What cosmic forces conspired to bring you to me in just such a moment? Surely this is fate!" Erro says to the universe as he looks up into the sky through a tiny window in the tree canopy. "I am indebted to you; maybe there is hope yet."
He again looks to the sleeping raptors. "...So... I would love to chat, but how long does this mystical sleep last? And, what do you suppose caused those other ones to bugger off?" He gives a nervous laugh, "Surely they don't come any bigger than that, do they?" Erro speaks with a heavy accent and it is almost difficult to understand him.
Ellis was glad to see as his cantrip had worked before watching the red striped bird suddenly start to run away, all the other birds following after them as well. Why did they decide to leave like that? Then he saw the man in the net fall before getting back up, looking at and listening to him with a nod. "I'm Ellis, we just escaped from a Yuan-ti temple. Are you alright? I'm not sure why they ran off like that, but the sleep only lasts a minute. So we should get away from here as quickly as possible." he now said back to the man, looking at the others. Erro would see that Ellis is pretty short for a young guy and quite feminine, to be honest with long silky blonde hair down to his shoulder blades and doe-like blue eyes with porcelain skin. But instead of wearing a shirt, he is wearing a simple-looking mantle made of strung-together feathers and beads on his shoulders along with tan khakis that look to be damp and long since ruined by water. His right ankle looks to be bruised black and blue, swollen a bit but having a wooden splint brace on it to help heal, carrying a lyre as well.
(OCC: Sorry. Accidental double post, keeps doing that to me lately!)
Erro was in the process of giving each of his rescuers a long, awkward hug one after another when Ellis mentioned that the enchantment lasted but only a minute. "My word! We had better get moving then shouldn't we? I am afraid that I must confess that I am lost... mostly. Wandering you might say."
At the mention of the Yuan-ti, Erro exclaims, "Had I known that this land boasted giant reptiles and Yuan-Ti I would have chosen another destination! What a dreadful, dreadful place this is. No Disrespect. Is no land free of their taint?" Erro continues to spill his story, stream of consciousness, already considering the party his best of friends, as the party presumably begins to clear from the area. "My homeland of Calimshan is still under the total rule of the Yuan-ti. When Dendar was smote from the sky, rather than rise up, many of our rulers decided to bargain instead... trading potential freedom for power. I'm sure it is hard to imagine humans supporting Yuan-ti, but I tell you, it is happening. But not me, no, I am not like that. I traveled the expanses of the Seven Sands for years seeking a fabled hidden power locked away within one of those deserts- the cosmic power to grant any wish. I sought to throw down the Yuan-ti in my land with a single stroke! ...but alas... my expedition brought me nowhere. I started to wonder if perhaps help for Calimshan could be found from the outside." He stops to look around, "but not in this dreadful place it seems!"
He steps in a puddle and looks down at his soggy boot, "I never in my life imagined that too much water would ever be a problem. So you say you escaped from a Yuan-ti temple? Like, just escaped?" He looks at Ellis' condition and knows it must be true. "That is no small feat! You must be heroes indeed. I hope you made them hurt."
Spider Tempest wildly waves two of his arms to get the party's attention and points to Kanush then to the jungle then to the rippers as if to say, "Let's go".
((apologies for delay in posting; may be a little sporadic for the next few days. Sadly have a funeral on Tuesday, and various family meetings are happening at the moment))
Darion would look suspiciously at the new comer. He absent-mindedly cleans himself of using prestidigitation, while sizing up Erro.
Kanush comes forward, looking nervous.
"We must move now, but take care. The commotion may have attracted more attention, and there are worse things than the Rippers out here."
He glances at Erro "Come with us for now, but we will investigate your story more when we are safe."
He gestures impatiently for the party to move, clearly looking around.
Kanush Nature: 24
As before, if you are wanting to move out stealthily, or look around (either perception or nature) feel free to make the relevant rolls! If you are wanting to do something else, just let me know or i'll assume you all start to move out with Kanush....
Do you like my Boots of Flying?
Ellis had heard as Erro said that they should get going, Kanush agreeing and Tempest seemingly the same. So he moves along with everyone else, listening to Erro's story as he was extremely surprised that his people decided to support the Yuan-ti instead of going against them. This only made him worry about his village, if his mother and everyone is alright. He then heard the other call them heroes, a little embarrassed by that. "Thank you, though I couldn't do that much to help." Ellis whispered to Erro, making sure to be as quiet and stealthy as possible like before they found Erro as he follows Kanush.
Stealth: 6
((Sorry to hear about those circumstances. Please take your time.))
Erro trusts the look of Kanush who seems to carry himself as one familiar with the terrain, and he files in behind him. Erro reactively eyes the forest floor for more snares and nervously keeps looking behind him over his shoulder, fearing that he’ll see something even worse than the rippers.
Perception: 25.
If I can do both, he will also attempt to move stealthily, his metallic armor remaining silent thanks to his Medium Armor Master feat.
Stealth: 19
Stealth: 6
Spider Tempest creeps along the jungle floor slightly off to the side of the group.
As Kanush begins to lead the party out of the clearing, into the denser forest around he suddenly freezes, his face showing concern. He glances around and stares at a denser part of the foliage not much more than 30ft or so from the group.
Erro, noticing the tension you can feel from Kanush you become aware that the forest seems... quiet nearby. Following Kanush's gaze it takes you a few moments to see what caught his eye. You catch a glimpse of something large - very large in the deeper forest. It is moving very slowly and surprisingly softly given it's bulk. It is hard to make out the shape, as it's skin is a perfect camouflage for the dark greens and muted colours under the canopy. It looks a bit like an upscaled version of the Rippers, a two legged and low slung creature whose yellow eyes can just been seen searching around. You catch the faint sound of a sniff...
Ellis, Darion and Tempest (and apparently the rest of the party) look around in confusion, unable to spot anything. Unfortunately, Ellis and Tempest are so distracted they run into each other and there is the crunching and cracking of undergrowth as the two flail around for just a moment.
Erro sees the creature's eyes turn towards Ellis and Tempest and fix them what seems in your imagination to be a very hungry look, and hears a faint snort of anticipation...
echoed a second later by another snort from the other side of the party.
What do you want to do?
Do you like my Boots of Flying?
(Ooh this is some good stuff. Will try to post today!)
Erro’s blood runs cold at the sight of the fierce creature. He holds his breath, but the rustling and crackling from the party in the moment seems as loud as an avalanche. He sees the creature set in and he knows that he must only have a moment to act, and perhaps he is the only one to see it.
Erro darts quickly and silently towards the beast that he was able to see eying the party, about 15 feet away from his new companions. He hopes that he can get the drop on the beast if it charges, but there’s nothing he can do about the other. He frantically makes what he hopes is a universal hand signal to point in the other direction where he suspects there is another one. For his action, he will ready Ensnaring Strike, hoping to land a blow as the monster charges by and stop the attack, or else he will fight the beast if it spots him instead. He also equips his shield, wondering if it will be of any use.
(let me know if I need any checks!)
The creature that Erro runs towards turns it's gleaming eyes towards him, and it's head cocks slightly. A strange clicking sound comes from it's throat, deep and resonant. One of it's feet shuffles back slightly as it looks at this strange figure.
Meanwhile, Erro's gesturing means that the rest of the party becomes aware of a second creature, moving round in a flanking pose, the camouflaged body and deadly silent walk means it is less than 30 feet from Tempest and Daner, who still struggle to see it in the thick undergrowth. It gives an answering sound to the other, the same deep clicking at a slightly different pace. It pauses, one foot half raised and you can see the three claws on the end of it's arms flexing slightly.
There is a pause - if you want to try and get a read on the creatures, you could make a nature check. Kanush gestures for everyone to be still, but you can see that several of the prisoners look ready to bolt in terror. especially Tahvo and Lomar.
Do you like my Boots of Flying?
DM Note: Unless anyone strenuously objects, I'm going to play inspiration like I do in my home games. I'm quite generous with it, and hand it out for role-play, but also cool / fun / heroic actions or plans (even if they don't always work). In addition to using it in the normal way, I also allow it to be used as a re-roll (so if you have inspiration feel free to use it in this way if you get a bad roll!). I also occasionally, usually in times of high dramatic tension and if it would add to the plot, allow it to be used to push an ability (mundane or magical) a little further than it would normally go. For example, in my home game our Warlock found himself isolated and alone with a coven of hags and wanted to use message to call for help. The rest of the party was way beyond it's normal range, but I thought it would add a cool action scene so allowed him to do it by burning his inspiration (and we ended with one of the most memorable combats we've done!)
So, by that token, I like the fact that Erro strides towards danger heroically, so please, have inspiration Erro!
Do you like my Boots of Flying?
Ellis was so confused, wondering what it was that Kanush had spotted before he had accidentally ran into Tempest. Then he saw Erro come over, pointing in the other direction as he looks over. Is there something there? He nods at Kanush's gesture but could see how scared Tahvo and Lomar look. He carefully moves to be in front of Tahvo, trying to hide how nervous and scared he is at the moment too.
Nature: 7
Spider Tempest impacts Ellis and immediately looks around. He sees Erro gesturing and halts his movement as he follows Erros hand.
Nature: 16