The steam-bathing yuan-ti allows you to slather him in ointment for a while before he starts to say anything else. When he finally is roused from his revery, he gives you a close look, and his eyes narrow (you wonder how it was possible for them to get even more beady), "...Who wasss it that told you to serve here? I wassss under the impresssion that all prisssonersss were to be ssssummarily sssacrificed; Slithotep's ordersss..."
Daner continues the rest of his work without incident. Despite the large task ahead of him, he finishes ahead of schedule. The yuan-ti overseers seem impressed. "Maybe we shouldn't ssssacrifice thissss one just yet; not until he's sssspent!"
Liss'ard is sent for, and shortly he arrives to escort Daner back to the prisoner pit. Unless Daner would like to do something in between, Liss'ard roughly tosses Daner back into the slave pit. With a splash, Daner lands in the bottom of the pool. He is the only one at his point. (Feel free to make any rolls or take any actions that may supersede this)
Before leaving, Liss'ard peers down at you from above. "Though it irks me, for whatever reason Fenthaza hassss ordered that you are to be brought back to her in the morning. I wassss looking forward to bathing in your blood tonight, what a shhhame."
Later in the day, Liss'ard comes to collect Tempest from Azi Mas's storeroom. He is treated the same as Daner in the above post. (Feel free to take any actions or make any rolls between the storeroom and the prisoner pits. I assume you are trying to smuggle the piece of wood back?)
Daner continues the rest of his work without incident. Despite the large task ahead of him, he finishes ahead of schedule. The yuan-ti overseers seem impressed. "Maybe we shouldn't ssssacrifice thissss one just yet; not until he's sssspent!"
Liss'ard is sent for, and shortly he arrives to escort Daner back to the prisoner pit. Unless Daner would like to do something in between, Liss'ard roughly tosses Daner back into the slave pit. With a splash, Daner lands in the bottom of the pool. He is the only one at his point. (Feel free to make any rolls or take any actions that may supersede this)
Before leaving, Liss'ard peers down at you from above. "Though it irks me, for whatever reason Fenthaza hassss ordered that you are to be brought back to her in the morning. I wassss looking forward to bathing in your blood tonight, what a shhhame."
Daner works diligently throughout the day, taking the opportunity to stash the hairpins. He is not sure what they will be good for, but the others may be able to use them. The bones, which could reasonably be used as clubs, were stacked neatly by the entrance to the pens. If they could reach them, then at least they would have some type of weapon to use. He would have to make it a particular point to mention to the others that they were there and about his observation of the secured room and the gong. If they could disable it in some way then it would help them in escaping this place.
As Daner is being led toward the pit, he takes the opportunity to look at the device he had seen earlier. He was hoping that whatever change Darion had made to the beads was still in effect.
Perception:15
Liss'ard then throws him roughly down into the pit, muttering some comments after him. Daner replies in a general, deferential manner. "Thank you, Liss'ard, for your kindness and patience. I seek only to serve."
As his captor leaves, he checks himself again to make sure nothing is damaged and the hairpins are still in place.
((Oh, Tempest used stealth and got a great roll. That will be sufficient to smuggle the wood.))
Daner notices that the white bead on the tablet was still slid to the left along with all of the other beads. From what he understood of the gnomish inscription, this would mean that the magic dampener would currently be rendered inert. Liss'ard must not have noticed. The hairpins were still in place and nothing was damaged in the fall, thanks to your sturdy dwarvern frame.
Tempest will land in the water of the pit with pleasure and upon seeing Daner smile and greet him. He'll wait until Liss'ard is gone and hand Daner one of the Goodberries he kept in his pocket and say. "Here, this will help with the hunger. There is much to discuss when the others get back."
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Ellis had been clinging to the scaffolding as he passed by a room, hearing Darion interrogate the yuan-ti in there. Hopefully he is getting some useful information. Ellis finally made it across, going through the eastern door to see that it becomes a cave as he glances around. To the left, he saw the steps to the river and the canoes there, wondering if those are the only safe way of traveling through this river. To his right, he saw the flooded grotto and then shivered at seeing all the bones clinging to a pillar near the middle. He couldn't see beyond it but could tell that this river goes on for a while, questioning if this could be a way out. Then in front of him, Ellis saw the stone bridge over the river and guessed that the fungi are past this, unfortunately not seeing anything to hold onto with it being narrow and slick as well. So he was slowly and carefully making his way over the bridge and to the other side, being careful with his broken ankle before going towards the recess on the other side and walking inside to find the cavern filled with fungi. He then shivered as he saw the skeleton covered in mold with the brass key, not sure if taking the brass key would be a good idea or not. But he knew that he needed to collect these fungi and get back to the distillery quickly as he hoped that the others are doing better, getting to work.
Nature: 19
Perception: 12
(OCC: Since he went slowly over the bridge, I would assume that avoids him having to do any sort of Athletics, Acrobatics, or saving throw rolls, yes?)
Darion hesitates to answer this Yuan-ti for a moment. Apart from the sudden uptake in fear, he is torn between competing aims. Part of him, hearing of differences between Slithotep and Fenthasa wants to sow some discord; not out of any thought through plan of escape but just to put one in the eye of these evil creatures. However, another more scared part of his mind doesn't want to risk Slithotep getting enraged by Fenthasa's decision and having them all summarily executed.
As he wrestles with these, and can see the Yuan-ti start getting impatient, he reminds himself that to much thinking is as bad as too little. Trust to Luck and Will. So he sticks with truth, figuring that threads the needle as best as he can.
"Fenthasa. She felt that servant numbers were too low, so graciously," he can't quite keep a tinge of sarcasm out of his voice "decided we could serve. She said she felt she was being more practical than to just kill us."
Darion will then go back to his task, most of his focus on managing his fear and urge to be sick.
The yuan-ti scratches his chin as if he had a beard- perhaps a tic left over from his human days long, long ago. “Isssss that ssssso?” He looks at you calculatingly, “Slithotep operates under the impression that he is perpetually but one sacrifice away from his ascension. I do appreciate the ssssslathering, but I do find thissss most curiousssss.”
Shortly afterwards, the Yuan-ti finally sloughs off his skin revealing supple and glossy black scales underneath.
“Your work is done. You are quite a marvelous applier of ointment, you know. Perhapssss I will arrange for you to render the sssame servicccce to Slithotep when nexxxxt we meet.”
As if on cue, Liss’ard comes to retrieve you for the night, and treats you the same as the others, save that he brings his own scrub brush and instructs you to brush the scales on the back of his neck on the way back to the pits.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Darion wanders back with Liss'ard, brushing his scales as they go back. As they pass over the pit of snakes he has an urge to push Liss'ard in, remembering the way he gloated over throwing prisoners in there. "I wonder if he'd enjoy it so much if it was him?"Darion thinks to himself, the anger against these creatures boiling beneath the surface. However, he restrains himself and goes obediently with Liss'ard.
After he is pushed into the hole, he glances at the other two in there and gives them a weary nod. His arms are aching from that scrubbing, and he smells of oil and blood.
He waits a few minutes, then listens to make sure Liss'ard is out of ear shot. Perception: 10
He turns to the others, and as he does so decides that he has to trust them, using prestidigitation to clean himself in their sight as he talks quietly "How are you both? I hope you have not been harmed? I think I learned some interesting things that might help us get out of this disgusting place."
Fully noting that Ellis is not there, he looks anxiously at the other two "I hope Ellis is alright, that they didn't decide to do anything to him because of his foot."
As Darion listens to any replies from the other two, he will offer to clean them using prestidigitation, and explains "I know it is trivial to keep clean, but that's one of the ways they try and control you. If they treat you as rubbish, then they hope you'll come to believe you are rubbish."
If there is time, and the others are agreeable, Darion suggests they take it easy for a bit and recover before they try anything; to take a short rest and use Arcane Recovery. "It will help me recover some of the power I expended." he explains.
Ellis traverses the stone bridge without incident (no check required) as he does so slowly and carefully. With his ankle, he figures that it is a safer bet to cross on has hands and knees.
Ellis was not sure which of these fungi was the Zuggtmoy Stalk that he was instructed to collect, but he could identify a few growths and could use process of elimination to some degree. Perhaps he could gather a selection and bring them back and hope that he picked the right one. How to do so safely was another concern. (Go ahead and give me a constitution saving throw, just in case we need it)
Though it was hard to perceive in the half-light of the cave, Ellis notices that the large brass key around the skeleton's neck was emblazoned with a symbol of a circle stylized as a snake eating its own tail. If he wanted, Ellis could try to delicately remove the key with a Sleight of Hand check, or through some other means. With the low nature check, he couldn't tell if the mold growing on the skeleton was dangerous or not. You may also make a Religion check here if you wish.
((For the sake of chronological consistency, let's say that Ellis spent most of the day standing idly by in the poison distillery being ignored by Xopal until he was suddenly given this assignment.))
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Ellis was thinking of which of these is the one he needed to collect, first deciding to do a bit of process of elimination to narrow it down. Once that had been done, he figured that he could gather the rest and bring them back, figuring that the Stalk must be one of them. He was carefully and hopefully safely picking each of these, worried about what these other fungi might do to him. He had noticed that the key had a symbol of a circle stylized as a snake eating its own tail, the same as the door in the distillery. He could use it to open up that door, thinking that he should do something to help out the others with how much of a liability he is. Ellis wasn't sure if the mold was dangerous but decided to take the chance anyways, trying to carefully and delicately take the key from the skeleton.
((You guys are crushing all of these checks pretty much!))
In the cool, relatively serene atmosphere of the cave, Ellis was able to think at bit more clearly. Zuggtmoy... he had heard that name somewhere before. Oh! Zuggtmoy is the demon queen of fungi. Ellis remembered this trivial fact because he always thought that a queen of fungi must surely be among the most silly and outrageous of demon lords, though it seemed a bit less funny here, surrounded by poisonous flora. Ellis recalled some of the iconography of that distant religion class at his bard school and remembered the symbol of Zuggtmoy. One of these mushrooms looked almost exactly like the symbol; this is probably where this particular organism got its name.A darker fact resurfaced in Ellis' mind, and that was that these mushrooms are said to grow particularly well where profane diabolic rituals have taken place. Demonic magic likely hung thick in the air.
This knowledge gave Ellis extra caution as he tried to fish the key from around the neck of the skeleton. Ellis managed to avoid contact with the hideous buttery mold that covered the skeleton. However, despite being as delicate as he could be, the removal of the chain and the movement of the skull caused the neck bones to collapse, sending the empty skill tumbling down into the skeleton's lap. Ellis steps back with a start and sees the skull almost instantaneously get consumed by the blobby mold, as it quickly clambered up the skull and filled in the orifices. Ellis did not have much time to be thankful that was not his hand or foot as the pile of yolky paste quickly started to squirm off of the moldy bones and in Ellis' direction.
Roll initiative! (you successfully avoided a surprise round)
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Ellis remembered all about Zuggtmoy, recalling the symbol and finding the mushroom that looked almost exactly like it and figured that it must be what he was looking for. Of course it also meant that there had to be demonic magic in the air here, shivering. He was trying to get the key but failed as the skull fell off from the neck and down to the skeleton's lap. He had stepped back, shocked as the skull was consumed by the blobby mold. He was glad that he hadn't touched it before realizing that it was now coming towards him. "Ah, someone help!!" Ellis screamed as loud as he could, terrified that he is all alone in here with a man-eating blob.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
((OOC: Lol, I will admit that this looks pretty bad, but at least you didn’t roll that initiative AFTER enduring a surprise round too I guess. I also can’t fudge rolls on this so I have to be brutal mode. Remember the inspiration point that you got which you can use (before the roll is made) to roll with advantage!))
Ellis’ cry rings out into the underground river cave, echoing off of the walls. Who knew if it found any ears?
The hideous mold blob overtakes Ellis, leaping up off of the floor attempting to slam him and cover him in caustic goop.
((Also, the others are free to post/discuss in the prisoner pit while this drama unfolds.)) Perception check reveals that Liss’ard has left the room. The portcullis rising and falling makes it relatively easy.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Ellis cried out as the blob leaped at and slammed into him, feeling the goop get on him as it really stung. He has to get away! Ellis will disengage, quickly moving back towards the bridge. He knew that if he tried to go slowly over the bridge, that blob would catch up and kill him. So he decided to make a run for it, running fast across the bridge to hopefully make it to the other side and do so smoothly without falling.
Acrobatics: (using inspiration point) 14
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
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DARION:
The steam-bathing yuan-ti allows you to slather him in ointment for a while before he starts to say anything else. When he finally is roused from his revery, he gives you a close look, and his eyes narrow (you wonder how it was possible for them to get even more beady), "...Who wasss it that told you to serve here? I wassss under the impresssion that all prisssonersss were to be ssssummarily sssacrificed; Slithotep's ordersss..."
DANER
Daner continues the rest of his work without incident. Despite the large task ahead of him, he finishes ahead of schedule. The yuan-ti overseers seem impressed. "Maybe we shouldn't ssssacrifice thissss one just yet; not until he's sssspent!"
Liss'ard is sent for, and shortly he arrives to escort Daner back to the prisoner pit. Unless Daner would like to do something in between, Liss'ard roughly tosses Daner back into the slave pit. With a splash, Daner lands in the bottom of the pool. He is the only one at his point. (Feel free to make any rolls or take any actions that may supersede this)
Before leaving, Liss'ard peers down at you from above. "Though it irks me, for whatever reason Fenthaza hassss ordered that you are to be brought back to her in the morning. I wassss looking forward to bathing in your blood tonight, what a shhhame."
TEMPEST
Later in the day, Liss'ard comes to collect Tempest from Azi Mas's storeroom. He is treated the same as Daner in the above post. (Feel free to take any actions or make any rolls between the storeroom and the prisoner pits. I assume you are trying to smuggle the piece of wood back?)
Daner works diligently throughout the day, taking the opportunity to stash the hairpins. He is not sure what they will be good for, but the others may be able to use them. The bones, which could reasonably be used as clubs, were stacked neatly by the entrance to the pens. If they could reach them, then at least they would have some type of weapon to use. He would have to make it a particular point to mention to the others that they were there and about his observation of the secured room and the gong. If they could disable it in some way then it would help them in escaping this place.
As Daner is being led toward the pit, he takes the opportunity to look at the device he had seen earlier. He was hoping that whatever change Darion had made to the beads was still in effect.
Perception: 15
Liss'ard then throws him roughly down into the pit, muttering some comments after him. Daner replies in a general, deferential manner. "Thank you, Liss'ard, for your kindness and patience. I seek only to serve."
As his captor leaves, he checks himself again to make sure nothing is damaged and the hairpins are still in place.
(Yes. Can't remember if I rolled before or not.)
Sleight of hand: 9
((Oh, Tempest used stealth and got a great roll. That will be sufficient to smuggle the wood.))
Daner notices that the white bead on the tablet was still slid to the left along with all of the other beads. From what he understood of the gnomish inscription, this would mean that the magic dampener would currently be rendered inert. Liss'ard must not have noticed. The hairpins were still in place and nothing was damaged in the fall, thanks to your sturdy dwarvern frame.
Tempest will land in the water of the pit with pleasure and upon seeing Daner smile and greet him. He'll wait until Liss'ard is gone and hand Daner one of the Goodberries he kept in his pocket and say. "Here, this will help with the hunger. There is much to discuss when the others get back."
Ellis had been clinging to the scaffolding as he passed by a room, hearing Darion interrogate the yuan-ti in there. Hopefully he is getting some useful information. Ellis finally made it across, going through the eastern door to see that it becomes a cave as he glances around. To the left, he saw the steps to the river and the canoes there, wondering if those are the only safe way of traveling through this river. To his right, he saw the flooded grotto and then shivered at seeing all the bones clinging to a pillar near the middle. He couldn't see beyond it but could tell that this river goes on for a while, questioning if this could be a way out. Then in front of him, Ellis saw the stone bridge over the river and guessed that the fungi are past this, unfortunately not seeing anything to hold onto with it being narrow and slick as well. So he was slowly and carefully making his way over the bridge and to the other side, being careful with his broken ankle before going towards the recess on the other side and walking inside to find the cavern filled with fungi. He then shivered as he saw the skeleton covered in mold with the brass key, not sure if taking the brass key would be a good idea or not. But he knew that he needed to collect these fungi and get back to the distillery quickly as he hoped that the others are doing better, getting to work.
Nature: 19
Perception: 12
(OCC: Since he went slowly over the bridge, I would assume that avoids him having to do any sort of Athletics, Acrobatics, or saving throw rolls, yes?)
Darion hesitates to answer this Yuan-ti for a moment. Apart from the sudden uptake in fear, he is torn between competing aims. Part of him, hearing of differences between Slithotep and Fenthasa wants to sow some discord; not out of any thought through plan of escape but just to put one in the eye of these evil creatures. However, another more scared part of his mind doesn't want to risk Slithotep getting enraged by Fenthasa's decision and having them all summarily executed.
As he wrestles with these, and can see the Yuan-ti start getting impatient, he reminds himself that to much thinking is as bad as too little. Trust to Luck and Will. So he sticks with truth, figuring that threads the needle as best as he can.
"Fenthasa. She felt that servant numbers were too low, so graciously," he can't quite keep a tinge of sarcasm out of his voice "decided we could serve. She said she felt she was being more practical than to just kill us."
Darion will then go back to his task, most of his focus on managing his fear and urge to be sick.
Do you like my Boots of Flying?
DARION
The yuan-ti scratches his chin as if he had a beard- perhaps a tic left over from his human days long, long ago. “Isssss that ssssso?” He looks at you calculatingly, “Slithotep operates under the impression that he is perpetually but one sacrifice away from his ascension. I do appreciate the ssssslathering, but I do find thissss most curiousssss.”
Shortly afterwards, the Yuan-ti finally sloughs off his skin revealing supple and glossy black scales underneath.
“Your work is done. You are quite a marvelous applier of ointment, you know. Perhapssss I will arrange for you to render the sssame servicccce to Slithotep when nexxxxt we meet.”
As if on cue, Liss’ard comes to retrieve you for the night, and treats you the same as the others, save that he brings his own scrub brush and instructs you to brush the scales on the back of his neck on the way back to the pits.
Darion wanders back with Liss'ard, brushing his scales as they go back. As they pass over the pit of snakes he has an urge to push Liss'ard in, remembering the way he gloated over throwing prisoners in there. "I wonder if he'd enjoy it so much if it was him?" Darion thinks to himself, the anger against these creatures boiling beneath the surface. However, he restrains himself and goes obediently with Liss'ard.
After he is pushed into the hole, he glances at the other two in there and gives them a weary nod. His arms are aching from that scrubbing, and he smells of oil and blood.
He waits a few minutes, then listens to make sure Liss'ard is out of ear shot. Perception: 10
He turns to the others, and as he does so decides that he has to trust them, using prestidigitation to clean himself in their sight as he talks quietly "How are you both? I hope you have not been harmed? I think I learned some interesting things that might help us get out of this disgusting place."
Fully noting that Ellis is not there, he looks anxiously at the other two "I hope Ellis is alright, that they didn't decide to do anything to him because of his foot."
As Darion listens to any replies from the other two, he will offer to clean them using prestidigitation, and explains "I know it is trivial to keep clean, but that's one of the ways they try and control you. If they treat you as rubbish, then they hope you'll come to believe you are rubbish."
If there is time, and the others are agreeable, Darion suggests they take it easy for a bit and recover before they try anything; to take a short rest and use Arcane Recovery. "It will help me recover some of the power I expended." he explains.
Do you like my Boots of Flying?
ELLIS
Ellis traverses the stone bridge without incident (no check required) as he does so slowly and carefully. With his ankle, he figures that it is a safer bet to cross on has hands and knees.
Ellis was not sure which of these fungi was the Zuggtmoy Stalk that he was instructed to collect, but he could identify a few growths and could use process of elimination to some degree. Perhaps he could gather a selection and bring them back and hope that he picked the right one. How to do so safely was another concern. (Go ahead and give me a constitution saving throw, just in case we need it)
Though it was hard to perceive in the half-light of the cave, Ellis notices that the large brass key around the skeleton's neck was emblazoned with a symbol of a circle stylized as a snake eating its own tail. If he wanted, Ellis could try to delicately remove the key with a Sleight of Hand check, or through some other means. With the low nature check, he couldn't tell if the mold growing on the skeleton was dangerous or not. You may also make a Religion check here if you wish.
((For the sake of chronological consistency, let's say that Ellis spent most of the day standing idly by in the poison distillery being ignored by Xopal until he was suddenly given this assignment.))
Ellis was thinking of which of these is the one he needed to collect, first deciding to do a bit of process of elimination to narrow it down. Once that had been done, he figured that he could gather the rest and bring them back, figuring that the Stalk must be one of them. He was carefully and hopefully safely picking each of these, worried about what these other fungi might do to him. He had noticed that the key had a symbol of a circle stylized as a snake eating its own tail, the same as the door in the distillery. He could use it to open up that door, thinking that he should do something to help out the others with how much of a liability he is. Ellis wasn't sure if the mold was dangerous but decided to take the chance anyways, trying to carefully and delicately take the key from the skeleton.
Con Save: 5
Sleight of Hand: 23
Religion: 8
((You guys are crushing all of these checks pretty much!))
In the cool, relatively serene atmosphere of the cave, Ellis was able to think at bit more clearly. Zuggtmoy... he had heard that name somewhere before. Oh! Zuggtmoy is the demon queen of fungi. Ellis remembered this trivial fact because he always thought that a queen of fungi must surely be among the most silly and outrageous of demon lords, though it seemed a bit less funny here, surrounded by poisonous flora. Ellis recalled some of the iconography of that distant religion class at his bard school and remembered the symbol of Zuggtmoy. One of these mushrooms looked almost exactly like the symbol; this is probably where this particular organism got its name.A darker fact resurfaced in Ellis' mind, and that was that these mushrooms are said to grow particularly well where profane diabolic rituals have taken place. Demonic magic likely hung thick in the air.
This knowledge gave Ellis extra caution as he tried to fish the key from around the neck of the skeleton. Ellis managed to avoid contact with the hideous buttery mold that covered the skeleton. However, despite being as delicate as he could be, the removal of the chain and the movement of the skull caused the neck bones to collapse, sending the empty skill tumbling down into the skeleton's lap. Ellis steps back with a start and sees the skull almost instantaneously get consumed by the blobby mold, as it quickly clambered up the skull and filled in the orifices. Ellis did not have much time to be thankful that was not his hand or foot as the pile of yolky paste quickly started to squirm off of the moldy bones and in Ellis' direction.
Roll initiative! (you successfully avoided a surprise round)
Initiative: 7
For the purposes of positioning, we will say that the blob is within 5 feet of you. So, in an adjacent square, so to speak.
Ellis remembered all about Zuggtmoy, recalling the symbol and finding the mushroom that looked almost exactly like it and figured that it must be what he was looking for. Of course it also meant that there had to be demonic magic in the air here, shivering. He was trying to get the key but failed as the skull fell off from the neck and down to the skeleton's lap. He had stepped back, shocked as the skull was consumed by the blobby mold. He was glad that he hadn't touched it before realizing that it was now coming towards him. "Ah, someone help!!" Ellis screamed as loud as he could, terrified that he is all alone in here with a man-eating blob.
Initiative: 18
(OCC: ........Well then, this might just be the end of Ellis.)
((OOC: Lol, I will admit that this looks pretty bad, but at least you didn’t roll that initiative AFTER enduring a surprise round too I guess. I also can’t fudge rolls on this so I have to be brutal mode. Remember the inspiration point that you got which you can use (before the roll is made) to roll with advantage!))
Ellis’ cry rings out into the underground river cave, echoing off of the walls. Who knew if it found any ears?
The hideous mold blob overtakes Ellis, leaping up off of the floor attempting to slam him and cover him in caustic goop.
Attack: Attack: 18 Damage: 7 poison damage.
((Also, the others are free to post/discuss in the prisoner pit while this drama unfolds.)) Perception check reveals that Liss’ard has left the room. The portcullis rising and falling makes it relatively easy.
Ellis cried out as the blob leaped at and slammed into him, feeling the goop get on him as it really stung. He has to get away! Ellis will disengage, quickly moving back towards the bridge. He knew that if he tried to go slowly over the bridge, that blob would catch up and kill him. So he decided to make a run for it, running fast across the bridge to hopefully make it to the other side and do so smoothly without falling.
Acrobatics: (using inspiration point) 14