(OOC - Yes. My main goal is to get them to turn around and look for the source to get their attention on to something other than the hilt. Can I make it a little quieter and echoey like it’s coming from down the hall? If not, I still want to do it.)
As the conversation begins to get heated, the groaning sound of a zombie coming down the hall arises from behind the halflings.
"A zomblie's upon us fellas!" says Remacle and looks back down the hall in the direction of the approaching sound.
You can see the halflings cocking their heads to one side to judge the distance the noise is coming from as they peer into the darkness, preparing for a fight.
"What the... ?" says Remacle, as he tries to make sense of what he hears. "It's just a sound hanging in the air...
"What trickery is this?" he says, turning back for a moment towards Anakis and the rest of the group. Then he attempts to bring order to his group of companions.
"Fellas, there's no zomblies! It's just a parlor trick!" he says, but a good half of the halflings, especially those in the back, closer to the sound, are convinced that a zombie is about to attack them, and a general confusion ensues. The halfling next to Remacle, who's holding a spear, sees through the illusion too and moves about trying to calm everyone down, but many try to attack the perceived threat. One right behind Remacle shoots an arrow at the noise, while others sling stones, throw spears, and draw swords.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Aluzira watches as the conversation seems to be gaining tension unsure of what to do. She lets out a startled yelp at the sudden panic and mention of a zombie before realizing what’s happening. Jumping between her friends and the halflings she says loudly, “Everyone please stop!” before looking down at her feet nervously. “I’m fairly certain there isn’t a zombie, at least I hope not, but surely we’d have seen it.” She then looks to Mr. Remacle. “I don’t want there to be trouble between us, especially if it gets my friends hurt. Could you please explain why it is, in all honesty, that this hilt means so much to you?” Despite her nerves she looks him straight in the eyes, trying to gauge the honesty in his reply.
Nicolas will cast Minor Illusion again, this time targeting as close to Anakis’s ear as possible and creating the sound of his own voice in a faint whisper saying, “Hide it, quick.”
Anakis attempts to hide the hilt under her poncho and within her top (Sleight of hand: 22).
She uses thaumaturgy to turn her eyes black as she begins to whisper, "No... no... not from the abyss... it's... it's not visible on this plane... no..." (Deception: 12).
"Of course there's no zomblie. It's just a trick," Remacle answers Tarek, agreeing with Aluzira. "It's just a trick everyone! Stand down!"
"I've got a situation on my hands right now," he says to Aluzira, "but I've already said what I've got to say. It's a trifle that has sentimental value, nothing more. If you big folk aren't going to restore it to its rightful owner -- and it seems that you don't intend to -- then I've nothing left to say on the matter, but I'm not going to be bullied into running away." You can't see anything that would indicate that he isn't telling the truth.
When Nicolas casts his spell again, the zombie noise ends, and the halflings that were trying to engage with it look about scratching their heads. "I told you it was a trick, fellas," he says, gathering his companions. "Come on. We'll take our elevenses here," and the halflings begin moving into the hall with the dead end. They're a bit surprised to see Nicolas there, but no one notices Anakis concealing the hilt.
When she intones the magic words to cast her spell, Remacle turns to Anakis and says, "What, more tricks?" and stops short when he sees that your eyes have turned black. What were you hoping to achieve with this?
Ah, okay, but presumably there's something you would like the halflings to do if they fall for your deception?
I was also unsure about the order of events. The way minor illusion works is if you cast it again, the effect of your previous casting comes to an end. So when Nicolas creates the illusion of his voice whispering in your ear, the zombie noise stops. Because of the order in which things were described, I had assumed you had hidden the hilt after Nicolas whispered in your ear and then cast thaumaturgy, but things needn't have played out in that order.
Regardless, I think some of the halflings who believed in the illusion do fall for your deception that the zombie is invisible, but that once the illusion ends, they think the invisible zombie is gone. "Invisible zomblie gone -- problem solved," says one of them to you as they brush by you into the hall.
You now have the hilt secreted away, and Remacle seems to have given up on demanding it. He sits with his back to the wall with the red writing painted on it while the halflings gather round and begin making a meal of toast, jam, and cold meats they've brought along.
The dark tunnel stretches out ahead of you, turning left about seventy feet away.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
(OOC - Oops! I didn’t even think about the previous illusion ending when I cast it again. My bad.)
Once he’s been discovered, Nicolas will retrieve his torch and cast Light on it again so as to have a light source in the party’s control. “Apologies for the deceptions, friends. We came down here unsure of exactly what we would encounter and you all appeared very quickly after we dealt with that one.” Nicolas will look over at Ash and use Healing Light on him. (heal 5 HP) “I think we were all still more than a bit on edge. Now that all our cards seem to be on the table, perhaps you could play a few more of yours.” He turns to Remacle. “What exactly do you know about these ‘zomblies’? Where do they come from?”
"The council's really keeping Ekuepool in the dark these days, ain't they?" Remacle asks before beginning his story. "Now, all this happened a long, long time ago, as my grandad tells it, so it's not surprising that many don't remember, especially among such folks as are shorter-lived than we halflings are, but the tales tell that the old city of Ekuepool, which is where we are now, was built on top of the entrance to a deep, dark cavern where a certain tree grows which would reveal secret knowledge to anyone who tasted its fruit.
"Now, there was a queen of the city in those days, Queen Akuna, a great conqueror, who resolved to find this tree and discover its secret, but the cavern was guarded by powerful beings, the tales say, and the only way for the queen to gain entrance was for her to raise an army of the dead. Well, Queen Akuna was apparently also a powerful necromancer, because that's exactly what she did. She emptied the graveyards of Ekuepool and marched an army of zomblies down into the cavern, never to be seen again.
"Some say she was taken prisoner by the tree's guardians and is still being held there to this day, but before too long, the army of zomblies, no longer under her control, came pouring back up out of the caverns and started overrunning the city, and pretty soon they outnumbered the living because everyone they killed rose up as a zomblie themself!
"Well, there was nothing to do for the living inhabitants, including our ancestors, but to flee the city, abandoning most of our worldly possessions and leaving them behind. Some fled into the surrounding bog, and some journeyed farther, settling in foreign lands. Ekuepool was eventually retaken, but by the time it was all over, the city was in ruins. A new city was built over the remains of the old, and while for a time a war was fought underground to eradicate the zomblies from the undercity, eventually the council decided it would be best to seal off the old city at most points and forbid anyone from coming down here so as not to risk swelling the zomblies ranks once again.
"Honestly, we didn't know if we'd find any of them still down here, but as you can see," he says, gesturing to the broken corpse on the floor, "there're still one or two of the old rotters hobbling about."
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
(OOC - ah, true, illusion would have dropped by the time Anakis' thaumaturgy played out.)
While Nicholas talks to Remacle, Anakis moves around to look closely at the wall with the writing on it (Investigation: 14). Strange that this hilt sits here and they missed it when it's so close to the entrance. Maybe there's something else here? Anakis thinks as she scours the wall.
Although engaged in telling his story, Remacle watches you intently out of the corner of his eye, Anakis, as you examine the wall. Not only do you see the hairline cracks where the outline of what looks like a door intersects with the paint, but you also notice a small but deep circular recess, about an inch or so in diameter, in the masonry off to one side of where the "door" would be.
Anakis feels Mr. Button watching her, but continues her search nonetheless. She leans close and looks into the recess, trying to see if she can make out anything within given her dark vision.
It's very dark in the recess, Anakis, but your vision allows you to see that it goes back several inches. Make a DC 15 Wisdom check with disadvantage to see if you can make out any details.
(Huh, no he doesn't. How big is the handle? Does it look hobbi- sorry Halfling sized?)
Ash doesn't budge from his spot In front of Anakis.
“I will take responsibility for what I have done. [...] If must fall, I will rise each time a better man.” ― Brandon Sanderson, Oathbringer.
(OOC - Yes. My main goal is to get them to turn around and look for the source to get their attention on to something other than the hilt. Can I make it a little quieter and echoey like it’s coming from down the hall? If not, I still want to do it.)
(OOC - that was exactly what I was thinking but I only had thaumaturgy! So didn't have the range. Awesome :) )
As the conversation begins to get heated, the groaning sound of a zombie coming down the hall arises from behind the halflings.
"A zomblie's upon us fellas!" says Remacle and looks back down the hall in the direction of the approaching sound.
You can see the halflings cocking their heads to one side to judge the distance the noise is coming from as they peer into the darkness, preparing for a fight.
Intelligence checks
Remacle: 9
Halfling 2: 14
Halfling 3: 6
Halfling 4: 17
Halfling 5: 4
Halfling 6: 9
Halfling 7: 18
Halfling 8: 2
Halfling 9: 7
Halfling 10: 10
Halfling 11: 8
Halfling 12: 10
discard: 1
Tarek draws his rapier when he hears the word "zombie." "Stand back," he warns the halflings. "We can take care of this."
"What the... ?" says Remacle, as he tries to make sense of what he hears. "It's just a sound hanging in the air...
"What trickery is this?" he says, turning back for a moment towards Anakis and the rest of the group. Then he attempts to bring order to his group of companions.
"Fellas, there's no zomblies! It's just a parlor trick!" he says, but a good half of the halflings, especially those in the back, closer to the sound, are convinced that a zombie is about to attack them, and a general confusion ensues. The halfling next to Remacle, who's holding a spear, sees through the illusion too and moves about trying to calm everyone down, but many try to attack the perceived threat. One right behind Remacle shoots an arrow at the noise, while others sling stones, throw spears, and draw swords.
What do you all do in the confusion?
"Are you sure that's no zombie?" Tarek questions Remacle, cautiously sheathing his rapier.
Aluzira watches as the conversation seems to be gaining tension unsure of what to do. She lets out a startled yelp at the sudden panic and mention of a zombie before realizing what’s happening. Jumping between her friends and the halflings she says loudly, “Everyone please stop!” before looking down at her feet nervously. “I’m fairly certain there isn’t a zombie, at least I hope not, but surely we’d have seen it.” She then looks to Mr. Remacle. “I don’t want there to be trouble between us, especially if it gets my friends hurt. Could you please explain why it is, in all honesty, that this hilt means so much to you?” Despite her nerves she looks him straight in the eyes, trying to gauge the honesty in his reply.
Persuasion: 6
Insight: 10
Nicolas will cast Minor Illusion again, this time targeting as close to Anakis’s ear as possible and creating the sound of his own voice in a faint whisper saying, “Hide it, quick.”
Anakis attempts to hide the hilt under her poncho and within her top (Sleight of hand: 22).
She uses thaumaturgy to turn her eyes black as she begins to whisper, "No... no... not from the abyss... it's... it's not visible on this plane... no..." (Deception: 12).
"Of course there's no zomblie. It's just a trick," Remacle answers Tarek, agreeing with Aluzira. "It's just a trick everyone! Stand down!"
"I've got a situation on my hands right now," he says to Aluzira, "but I've already said what I've got to say. It's a trifle that has sentimental value, nothing more. If you big folk aren't going to restore it to its rightful owner -- and it seems that you don't intend to -- then I've nothing left to say on the matter, but I'm not going to be bullied into running away." You can't see anything that would indicate that he isn't telling the truth.
When Nicolas casts his spell again, the zombie noise ends, and the halflings that were trying to engage with it look about scratching their heads. "I told you it was a trick, fellas," he says, gathering his companions. "Come on. We'll take our elevenses here," and the halflings begin moving into the hall with the dead end. They're a bit surprised to see Nicolas there, but no one notices Anakis concealing the hilt.
When she intones the magic words to cast her spell, Remacle turns to Anakis and says, "What, more tricks?" and stops short when he sees that your eyes have turned black. What were you hoping to achieve with this?
(OOC - deception that the creature making the noise was in fact invisible.)
Ah, okay, but presumably there's something you would like the halflings to do if they fall for your deception?
I was also unsure about the order of events. The way minor illusion works is if you cast it again, the effect of your previous casting comes to an end. So when Nicolas creates the illusion of his voice whispering in your ear, the zombie noise stops. Because of the order in which things were described, I had assumed you had hidden the hilt after Nicolas whispered in your ear and then cast thaumaturgy, but things needn't have played out in that order.
Regardless, I think some of the halflings who believed in the illusion do fall for your deception that the zombie is invisible, but that once the illusion ends, they think the invisible zombie is gone. "Invisible zomblie gone -- problem solved," says one of them to you as they brush by you into the hall.
You now have the hilt secreted away, and Remacle seems to have given up on demanding it. He sits with his back to the wall with the red writing painted on it while the halflings gather round and begin making a meal of toast, jam, and cold meats they've brought along.
The dark tunnel stretches out ahead of you, turning left about seventy feet away.
What do you all do?
(OOC - Oops! I didn’t even think about the previous illusion ending when I cast it again. My bad.)
Once he’s been discovered, Nicolas will retrieve his torch and cast Light on it again so as to have a light source in the party’s control. “Apologies for the deceptions, friends. We came down here unsure of exactly what we would encounter and you all appeared very quickly after we dealt with that one.” Nicolas will look over at Ash and use Healing Light on him. (heal 5 HP) “I think we were all still more than a bit on edge. Now that all our cards seem to be on the table, perhaps you could play a few more of yours.” He turns to Remacle. “What exactly do you know about these ‘zomblies’? Where do they come from?”
"The council's really keeping Ekuepool in the dark these days, ain't they?" Remacle asks before beginning his story. "Now, all this happened a long, long time ago, as my grandad tells it, so it's not surprising that many don't remember, especially among such folks as are shorter-lived than we halflings are, but the tales tell that the old city of Ekuepool, which is where we are now, was built on top of the entrance to a deep, dark cavern where a certain tree grows which would reveal secret knowledge to anyone who tasted its fruit.
"Now, there was a queen of the city in those days, Queen Akuna, a great conqueror, who resolved to find this tree and discover its secret, but the cavern was guarded by powerful beings, the tales say, and the only way for the queen to gain entrance was for her to raise an army of the dead. Well, Queen Akuna was apparently also a powerful necromancer, because that's exactly what she did. She emptied the graveyards of Ekuepool and marched an army of zomblies down into the cavern, never to be seen again.
"Some say she was taken prisoner by the tree's guardians and is still being held there to this day, but before too long, the army of zomblies, no longer under her control, came pouring back up out of the caverns and started overrunning the city, and pretty soon they outnumbered the living because everyone they killed rose up as a zomblie themself!
"Well, there was nothing to do for the living inhabitants, including our ancestors, but to flee the city, abandoning most of our worldly possessions and leaving them behind. Some fled into the surrounding bog, and some journeyed farther, settling in foreign lands. Ekuepool was eventually retaken, but by the time it was all over, the city was in ruins. A new city was built over the remains of the old, and while for a time a war was fought underground to eradicate the zomblies from the undercity, eventually the council decided it would be best to seal off the old city at most points and forbid anyone from coming down here so as not to risk swelling the zomblies ranks once again.
"Honestly, we didn't know if we'd find any of them still down here, but as you can see," he says, gesturing to the broken corpse on the floor, "there're still one or two of the old rotters hobbling about."
(OOC - ah, true, illusion would have dropped by the time Anakis' thaumaturgy played out.)
While Nicholas talks to Remacle, Anakis moves around to look closely at the wall with the writing on it (Investigation: 14). Strange that this hilt sits here and they missed it when it's so close to the entrance. Maybe there's something else here? Anakis thinks as she scours the wall.
Although engaged in telling his story, Remacle watches you intently out of the corner of his eye, Anakis, as you examine the wall. Not only do you see the hairline cracks where the outline of what looks like a door intersects with the paint, but you also notice a small but deep circular recess, about an inch or so in diameter, in the masonry off to one side of where the "door" would be.
Anakis feels Mr. Button watching her, but continues her search nonetheless. She leans close and looks into the recess, trying to see if she can make out anything within given her dark vision.
Ash keeps an eye on the halflings in case they try to pull anything
“I will take responsibility for what I have done. [...] If must fall, I will rise each time a better man.” ― Brandon Sanderson, Oathbringer.
It's very dark in the recess, Anakis, but your vision allows you to see that it goes back several inches. Make a DC 15 Wisdom check with disadvantage to see if you can make out any details.