"Professor Hawthorne, at your service. Tell me, while you were waiting did you notice the illusory nature of these trees? They are real trees of course, I am sure, but their appearance is... off, just so. See here, how the striation in the leaves of this tree do not match its genus. How fascinating!" <insert 15 minutes of tree factoids directed at the newcomer>.
As the forest path opens back up you are now faced with what looks like branches woven into a circle of some kind with arcane runes carved onto the trees supporting both sides of the circle of branches.
Elly, Professor, Shadow, Zillah
Roll arcana check please
Gauldring, Xenruth, Kohl
All you see is the circle and through the center is merely the forest and sound of the rushing water beyond.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Sometimes a Nat 1 tells a better story than a Nat 20 ever could.
Having botched arcana, can I learn anything from investigation? Maybe regarding its construction or any tracks to/from it? I will basically continue to study it until the party begins to move away.
{You know the spire is ahead but in the dense forest you can not see it ahead. There is only the forest around you and the sound of rushing water ahead coming from the direction behind the circle of woven branches. Make a survival roll}
"Professor Hawthorne, at your service. Tell me, while you were waiting did you notice the illusory nature of these trees? They are real trees of course, I am sure, but their appearance is... off, just so. See here, how the striation in the leaves of this tree do not match its genus. How fascinating!" <insert 15 minutes of tree factoids directed at the newcomer>.
Visual aid
(I will clearly meander at the back of the group, unless someone explicitly wants to take the rear).
Corax (my familiar), being much lest trusting than I, keeps his keen bird eyes open for threats from all directions.
As the forest path opens back up you are now faced with what looks like branches woven into a circle of some kind with arcane runes carved onto the trees supporting both sides of the circle of branches.
Elly, Professor, Shadow, Zillah
Roll arcana check please
Gauldring, Xenruth, Kohl
All you see is the circle and through the center is merely the forest and sound of the rushing water beyond.
Sometimes a Nat 1 tells a better story than a Nat 20 ever could.
Arcana: 8
Clearly I am still mostly focused on the trees.
Arcana: 17
"so what do we have here? any ideas? please say it's a shortcut to the maze..."
Gauldring
visual aide, just with a shield and ax
Rip Dangerfield- Halfling Bard, Storm Kings Thunder (retired)
Matrix- Human Monk/fighter, Storm Kings Thunder
Marching order sounds like Xenruth on point, Gauldring and Kohl, Elly and Zillah, Shadow and Hawthorn
Arcana: 15
Elly- Gnome Cleric The Black Maze
Magic users over 15
The runes you know basically transform the circle into a portal but you do not know exactly where it will take you.
Everyone else
What's your move?
Sometimes a Nat 1 tells a better story than a Nat 20 ever could.
"well what is it? portal, art, odd tree, yer girl?" i grin at that last part
Rip Dangerfield- Halfling Bard, Storm Kings Thunder (retired)
Matrix- Human Monk/fighter, Storm Kings Thunder
Having botched arcana, can I learn anything from investigation? Maybe regarding its construction or any tracks to/from it? I will basically continue to study it until the party begins to move away.
Investigation: 26
"It's a portal, but I don't know where it goes."
How far from the spire are we?
I stand and wait, hoping the magic users know what they're doing.
"The hero sought to save the world.
"If I keep trying, I'll be able to win," the hero thought.
But the harder the hero fought, the further the world seemed to tumble away.
Drowning in doubt, the hero could not even save themselves.
Hero, if you still believe in a brighter future, hold in your heart a thorn that can pierce all doubt."
~ Guild Wars 2
(Bwahaha, the 200th post is !mine and you are all powerless to stop me!)
"The hero sought to save the world.
"If I keep trying, I'll be able to win," the hero thought.
But the harder the hero fought, the further the world seemed to tumble away.
Drowning in doubt, the hero could not even save themselves.
Hero, if you still believe in a brighter future, hold in your heart a thorn that can pierce all doubt."
~ Guild Wars 2
(Still hoping to learn something from that investigation roll, but hearing Shadow's statement...)
I pick up a nearby stick, weighing it and giving it a few gentle swings back and forth, clearly getting ready to toss it through the circle.
Shadow
{You know the spire is ahead but in the dense forest you can not see it ahead. There is only the forest around you and the sound of rushing water ahead coming from the direction behind the circle of woven branches. Make a survival roll}
Professor
{You tossing the stick or what?}
Sometimes a Nat 1 tells a better story than a Nat 20 ever could.
(I am giving the others a moment to stop me if they wanted)
((note: so long as you don't straight up murder me, if someone's character would stop me I will not take that personally, just fyi))
Arcana:13
Zillah Karai, Teifling Warlock (The Black Maze)
Elliot,teifling sorcerer/ Azriah, Changling Bard/ Freyr Rayn, Human Cleric (Order of the sleeping dragon)
ill do a survival check as well if that's okay 3
Rip Dangerfield- Halfling Bard, Storm Kings Thunder (retired)
Matrix- Human Monk/fighter, Storm Kings Thunder
Survival: 9
I make no attempt to stop Hawthorne. "If only we could get some eyes on the other side and get an idea what lays ahead before committing."
I jump up and grab the stick out of the Professor's hands and throw it into the portal.
Elly- Gnome Cleric The Black Maze