"Sounds like it," Caelynn agrees with a nod. "Staying away is probably smart." She's almost tempted to climb up and see what the voices are saying, but she knows that it isn't worth the possibility of going as insane as Drokki.
Leads the party to another crack in the wall and hands out the shrinking mushrooms to everyone. You eat them an follow Drokki through the crack as your body shrinks. You come out into another large tunnel where Drokki hands each of you one of the growing mushrooms. He leads you to an alcove set into the wall of the tunnel. Inside of this alcove, there is a zhurkwood door reinforced with crudely forged iron set into one of the walls. Drokki skips up to it and taps a knot in the "wood" of the door. He stands back and waits a few moments before the door swings open revealing an older derro man wearing a gray body suit with dark goggles strapped to his head. He starts at the sight of the party, but Drokki goes up to him and whispers something in his ear. The dwarf nods and says in rough Common, "Come in!"
He closes the door behind you and beckons the party to follow him. This area splits into two different chamber. He leads you into the chamber on the left. You catch a glimpse of th chamber on the right and see a large copper tank near a hole in the ground.
The chamber on the left is surprisingly clean and orderly, split into to levels connected by a ramp made from hard mushrooms. The upper level contains a fully furnished laboratory, while the lower level has to bunk beds. The wall of the lower level is set with a closed door. Looking around, you can see several personal effects against the wall on the lower level. What catches your eye the most is a drow man standing before you in the center of the room. You can see he sees fine, dark clothing over a masterly crafted set of chain armor. He is gazing into a burning fireplace set into a wall, running his chin as he is lost in thought. You can see a beautiful claps that holds his cloak on has a large ruby set into it that reflects the firelight. Drokki and the other Derro begin conversing quietly in their native tongue in the corner.
Aimon's first instinct at the sight of the Drow is to draw Lightbringer, but he catches himself before he makes a move. His muscles tense, but he keeps a smile on his face, as he moves slightly to get a better look at the Drow's face.
"You must be the Boss we've heard so much about," Aimon says with a bow to the older Derro, still keeping his eyes on the Drow. "Drokki thinks we might be able to help each other out. Work together to make the world a better place and all that."
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Oak follows the others through the chambers and cracks, shrinking and growing. And each time he feels nauseous he clutched Trill’s trinket-gift, and feels better.
As they enter the derro building, Oak ducks his head and his horns slightly, as he passes through the reinforced doorway. Once inside he stands tall again taking in all the sights, marvelling at the tanks and the laboratory equipment.
He sees the drow but doesn’t put two and two together regarding Aimon just yet. He knows he’s not great with words in a delicate situation and so just takes everything in for now.
Trill, you finish your spell just in time to hear the older Derro say, "...trust them?"
Drokki responds, "We can trust them for now as they lay low, but be weary of any threats they sow."
Oak, you can tell that Aimon has little love for the drow, but you don't know why.
They break off their conversation at Aimon's voice. The older Derro chuckles and says in a reedy voice, "No, I'm not the boss." He looks at each of you in turn before he asks, " How can we know that the Council of Savants can trust you?"
After the derro's question, the drow finally turns away from the fire and faces the group. You can see he has narrow, sharp features and eyes of deep scarlet. You see a pale scar running from the tip of his left ear all the way down to his chin that Aimon easily recognizes. As he sees Aimon, you can see small grin tug at the corner of his mouth as he smirks haughtily.
Caelynn visibly tenses at the sight of the drow. Working with Drokki had given her a bad feeling since the start, and this certainly didn't help. Her hands drift to the daggers at her hips, relaxed for now but ready to take action at a moment's notice.
"The same reason we can trust you. There is none. Now, we can spend all day posturing, or we can get down to business."
As she speaks, her focus keeps drifting back towards the drow by the fire. She sees him smiling at Aimon, which makes her even more uneasy.
The older Derro nods in agreement. "Fair enough. My name is Grigi, and this is Tz'zarg." He gestures towards the lithe drow behind him. He continues, "Be warned: if you betray us in any way, we will find and kill every single member of your family." He eyes each of you seriously and clears his voice before saying, "Now that pleasantries are aside, our drow friend has told us how they keep Themberchuard under their control. They have a set of 4 nodes in the city that each are bound to the magic that controls the dragon. We know the locations of all four, and we are almost ready to corrupt one of them. In two days from now, we plan to launch an attack against the city with a Dream Serpent as a distraction as we corrupt the other nodes. The Keepers of Flame will be drawn out of their holes to protect the city, leaving the nodes unprotected. Would you be willing to help us take down one of the nodes?"
Adrenalin pumps through Aimon's veins and he does all he can to remember his father's teachings and control his human side. Every instinct in him is screaming to go at Tz'zarg as hard as he can, but there's too much he doesn't understand. And his companions don't know what's going on inside him. For now he opts to stall until he can talk to them quietly or at least figure out what's happening.
"I believe Tz'zarg and I have already met," Aimon says through a forced smile. "Though I must admit that I would not have taken him for one to care about the well being of a dragon or the downtrodden. I had the lasting impression that he preferred to lock his problems away and move on."
He locks eyes with Tz'zarg and doesn't look away.
"I believe I also owe you thanks. Without you I would not have met my friends here," Aimon says, hoping this may help the others clue in to who this drow is. "You're not still in touch with our former caretakers, are you?"
While he tries to look friendly and calm, Aimon stays on the balls of his feet. Ready to lunge if needed.
He has his axe, and he’s not trapped or bound. That’s all he’s ever needed, to fight his way out of most situations. Because of this, he’s relatively calm. And as far as he can tell, it’s currently: the whole party, against two, if it came to that.
Hmm.. or is it?... He watches again and listens some more, slowly turning his gaze around the room, and listening carefully to see if there’s anyone else lurking nearby...
Tz'zarg says with a smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes, "Aimon, isn't it? How's your mother? I do hope she is well. It would be quite a tragedy of anything befell her."
Noticing the tension in the room, Grigi watches the exchange curiously.
Oak, looking around, you get the feeling that something is slightly off about the room. You aren't quite sure what it is until you notice that the drow's shadow doesn't line up his body. You're pretty sure that you saw four arms for a split second, but it could just be your eyes playing tricks on you.
Caelynn continues to keep a suspicious eye on Tz'zarg, preparing for the second he makes a move against any of her friends. She doesn't trust herself enough to speak in this situation, knowing she'll probably make the already-tense relations worse.
All the heat drains out of Aimon and a cold shiver runs up the length of his spine. He takes a step towards Tz'zarg, fits clenched.
"What have you done?" he shouts at the drow. "Did you break into our room and leave her ring? If you've touched I swear my face will be the last thing you ever see."
As you grip Dawnbringer, you hear her whisper in your mind, "Be careful. Somethings not right."
Tz'arg grins, seemingly amused by the half-elf's reaction. He says, "Nothing has happened to her yet. Negotiations with your father didn't happen quite go as expected." He eyes the sword at Aimon's side, seemingly unbothered by his threat of violence. He continues, bemused, "We should talk about this in the other room." He turns and gestures for Aimon to follow him to the door of this lab. He opens it and steps inside as he waits.
Caelynn, as you watch Tz'zarg, you can tell that something is off about him. You're not quite sure what it is about him. He doesn't move as gracefully as an elf does, and his mannerisms are a bit off for an elf, even for a drow.
Aimon takes a deep breath at Dawnbringer's warning. He doesn't think Dawnbringer would sense anything if Tz'zarg was just a prissy drow lord. Something else is going on. But if his mother is okay, he has time to think this through.
He bows to Grigi and gestures for him to go first after, Tz'zarg.
"I hope you know who you're allying yourself with," Aimon says in a quiet voice to Grigi.
As the two elves enter into the adjacent door and close it behind them, Grigi nervously chuckles and says while shaking his head, "Elves, am I right? So dramatic. I take it those two have a quite a tale to tell."
He chuckles again before saying, "Anyway, would you be willing to help us?"
((I was a bit light on details with how Grigi looks. He is a Derro just about 3 feet tall. He is older than Drokki, and his skin is wrinkly and pinched. He has a prominent lazy eye and a crooked nose. He is bald on top, but has a fringe of white hair on his head that contrasts starkly with his dark gray skin. He is wearing smocks made of some rubbery material. When he smiles, it reveals crooked and yellow teeth.))
Tz'zarg closes the door behind Aimon as he enters into what appears to be a storage area. Shelves lined with labeled jars of many colors and shapes crowd the walls, leaving the center area open. Tz'zarg says, "Ignore what your elven lady friend said. If you shout out in any way, I will kill you all and torture your mother until she begs to be dead. Understood?"
He continues on without giving any time for you to answer, "Good. I'm sure your friends out their noticed I'm not really and elf. I do love taunting people." He reaches into a pouch at his side and pulls out a wine bottle and a crystal goblet. The cork on the bottle disappears as he pours a glass of deep red wine. He hands the goblet to you and then takes a chug from the bottle before smacking his lips and saying, "I know you don't like me, but not many people do." He pauses and takes another chug before looking at the label of the bottle with a look of respect on his face . He says more to himself than you, "I'll have to get me some more of this." He turns his attention to you and says, " Anyway, if you ever want to see your ugly hag of a mother, you will help corrupt these nodes. If you don't, mamma might just... disappear if you know what I mean."
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DM- Azalin's Doom
DM- Surviving the Unsurvivable
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Aimon looks over at the others.
"Do you think that means whatever is up there drove him insane?" Aimon says, gesturing at Drokki. "Maybe we don't check it out?"
"Sounds like it," Caelynn agrees with a nod. "Staying away is probably smart." She's almost tempted to climb up and see what the voices are saying, but she knows that it isn't worth the possibility of going as insane as Drokki.
Iris - Tiefling Cleric | Cassandra - Elf Warlock | Solace - Tiefling Monk | Tempest - Hexblood Monk | Lex - Fire Genasi Barbarian
Lilyn - Triton Ranger | Candor - Changeling Bard | Echo - Changeling Warlock/Bard | Rowan - Fairy Wizard
"Let's just keep going then," Aimon says. "How much farther, Drokki?"
Drokki cackles, "Not much farther."
Leads the party to another crack in the wall and hands out the shrinking mushrooms to everyone. You eat them an follow Drokki through the crack as your body shrinks. You come out into another large tunnel where Drokki hands each of you one of the growing mushrooms. He leads you to an alcove set into the wall of the tunnel. Inside of this alcove, there is a zhurkwood door reinforced with crudely forged iron set into one of the walls. Drokki skips up to it and taps a knot in the "wood" of the door. He stands back and waits a few moments before the door swings open revealing an older derro man wearing a gray body suit with dark goggles strapped to his head. He starts at the sight of the party, but Drokki goes up to him and whispers something in his ear. The dwarf nods and says in rough Common, "Come in!"
He closes the door behind you and beckons the party to follow him. This area splits into two different chamber. He leads you into the chamber on the left. You catch a glimpse of th chamber on the right and see a large copper tank near a hole in the ground.
The chamber on the left is surprisingly clean and orderly, split into to levels connected by a ramp made from hard mushrooms. The upper level contains a fully furnished laboratory, while the lower level has to bunk beds. The wall of the lower level is set with a closed door. Looking around, you can see several personal effects against the wall on the lower level. What catches your eye the most is a drow man standing before you in the center of the room. You can see he sees fine, dark clothing over a masterly crafted set of chain armor. He is gazing into a burning fireplace set into a wall, running his chin as he is lost in thought. You can see a beautiful claps that holds his cloak on has a large ruby set into it that reflects the firelight. Drokki and the other Derro begin conversing quietly in their native tongue in the corner.
DM- Azalin's Doom
DM- Surviving the Unsurvivable
Trill casts comprehend languages as Drokki is whispering in the old guy's ear.
DM: Forged in Chaos, Spiders of the Abyss, The Sundered Way, Champions of the Citadel
Active Characters:
Breldo, Halfling Ranger | Kathryn, Wood Elf Rogue/Ranger | Kroshav, Dragonborn Paladin | T'laren Farsiel, Wood Elf Fighter | Trill, Kenku Bard | Val "Janellae", Mark of Shadow Elf Warlock
Aimon's first instinct at the sight of the Drow is to draw Lightbringer, but he catches himself before he makes a move. His muscles tense, but he keeps a smile on his face, as he moves slightly to get a better look at the Drow's face.
"You must be the Boss we've heard so much about," Aimon says with a bow to the older Derro, still keeping his eyes on the Drow. "Drokki thinks we might be able to help each other out. Work together to make the world a better place and all that."
Oak follows the others through the chambers and cracks, shrinking and growing. And each time he feels nauseous he clutched Trill’s trinket-gift, and feels better.
As they enter the derro building, Oak ducks his head and his horns slightly, as he passes through the reinforced doorway. Once inside he stands tall again taking in all the sights, marvelling at the tanks and the laboratory equipment.
He sees the drow but doesn’t put two and two together regarding Aimon just yet. He knows he’s not great with words in a delicate situation and so just takes everything in for now.
Perception: 10 ((or insight would be -2 off that))
GILLAIN OF ATHKATLA - Human Paladin - Into the Mists PHILLIP THE GRUNG - Grung Eldritch Knight - Tomb of Annihilation
ROBWIN WINDROBE - High Elf Wizard - Dragon of Icespire Peak EVE DARKSHORE - Tiefling Warlock - Rime of the Frost Maiden
ASH OF THE FIRE - Tabaxi Rogue - Ghosts of Marshswamp LIA STARBORN - Aasimar Bard - Out of the Abyss
Trill, you finish your spell just in time to hear the older Derro say, "...trust them?"
Drokki responds, "We can trust them for now as they lay low, but be weary of any threats they sow."
Oak, you can tell that Aimon has little love for the drow, but you don't know why.
They break off their conversation at Aimon's voice. The older Derro chuckles and says in a reedy voice, "No, I'm not the boss." He looks at each of you in turn before he asks, " How can we know that the Council of Savants can trust you?"
After the derro's question, the drow finally turns away from the fire and faces the group. You can see he has narrow, sharp features and eyes of deep scarlet. You see a pale scar running from the tip of his left ear all the way down to his chin that Aimon easily recognizes. As he sees Aimon, you can see small grin tug at the corner of his mouth as he smirks haughtily.
DM- Azalin's Doom
DM- Surviving the Unsurvivable
Caelynn visibly tenses at the sight of the drow. Working with Drokki had given her a bad feeling since the start, and this certainly didn't help. Her hands drift to the daggers at her hips, relaxed for now but ready to take action at a moment's notice.
"The same reason we can trust you. There is none. Now, we can spend all day posturing, or we can get down to business."
As she speaks, her focus keeps drifting back towards the drow by the fire. She sees him smiling at Aimon, which makes her even more uneasy.
Iris - Tiefling Cleric | Cassandra - Elf Warlock | Solace - Tiefling Monk | Tempest - Hexblood Monk | Lex - Fire Genasi Barbarian
Lilyn - Triton Ranger | Candor - Changeling Bard | Echo - Changeling Warlock/Bard | Rowan - Fairy Wizard
The older Derro nods in agreement. "Fair enough. My name is Grigi, and this is Tz'zarg." He gestures towards the lithe drow behind him. He continues, "Be warned: if you betray us in any way, we will find and kill every single member of your family." He eyes each of you seriously and clears his voice before saying, "Now that pleasantries are aside, our drow friend has told us how they keep Themberchuard under their control. They have a set of 4 nodes in the city that each are bound to the magic that controls the dragon. We know the locations of all four, and we are almost ready to corrupt one of them. In two days from now, we plan to launch an attack against the city with a Dream Serpent as a distraction as we corrupt the other nodes. The Keepers of Flame will be drawn out of their holes to protect the city, leaving the nodes unprotected. Would you be willing to help us take down one of the nodes?"
DM- Azalin's Doom
DM- Surviving the Unsurvivable
Adrenalin pumps through Aimon's veins and he does all he can to remember his father's teachings and control his human side. Every instinct in him is screaming to go at Tz'zarg as hard as he can, but there's too much he doesn't understand. And his companions don't know what's going on inside him. For now he opts to stall until he can talk to them quietly or at least figure out what's happening.
"I believe Tz'zarg and I have already met," Aimon says through a forced smile. "Though I must admit that I would not have taken him for one to care about the well being of a dragon or the downtrodden. I had the lasting impression that he preferred to lock his problems away and move on."
He locks eyes with Tz'zarg and doesn't look away.
"I believe I also owe you thanks. Without you I would not have met my friends here," Aimon says, hoping this may help the others clue in to who this drow is. "You're not still in touch with our former caretakers, are you?"
While he tries to look friendly and calm, Aimon stays on the balls of his feet. Ready to lunge if needed.
Oak listens and watches.
He has his axe, and he’s not trapped or bound. That’s all he’s ever needed, to fight his way out of most situations. Because of this, he’s relatively calm. And as far as he can tell, it’s currently: the whole party, against two, if it came to that.
Hmm.. or is it?... He watches again and listens some more, slowly turning his gaze around the room, and listening carefully to see if there’s anyone else lurking nearby...
Perception: 17
GILLAIN OF ATHKATLA - Human Paladin - Into the Mists PHILLIP THE GRUNG - Grung Eldritch Knight - Tomb of Annihilation
ROBWIN WINDROBE - High Elf Wizard - Dragon of Icespire Peak EVE DARKSHORE - Tiefling Warlock - Rime of the Frost Maiden
ASH OF THE FIRE - Tabaxi Rogue - Ghosts of Marshswamp LIA STARBORN - Aasimar Bard - Out of the Abyss
Tz'zarg says with a smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes, "Aimon, isn't it? How's your mother? I do hope she is well. It would be quite a tragedy of anything befell her."
Noticing the tension in the room, Grigi watches the exchange curiously.
Oak, looking around, you get the feeling that something is slightly off about the room. You aren't quite sure what it is until you notice that the drow's shadow doesn't line up his body. You're pretty sure that you saw four arms for a split second, but it could just be your eyes playing tricks on you.
DM- Azalin's Doom
DM- Surviving the Unsurvivable
Caelynn continues to keep a suspicious eye on Tz'zarg, preparing for the second he makes a move against any of her friends. She doesn't trust herself enough to speak in this situation, knowing she'll probably make the already-tense relations worse.
Perception: 19
Iris - Tiefling Cleric | Cassandra - Elf Warlock | Solace - Tiefling Monk | Tempest - Hexblood Monk | Lex - Fire Genasi Barbarian
Lilyn - Triton Ranger | Candor - Changeling Bard | Echo - Changeling Warlock/Bard | Rowan - Fairy Wizard
All the heat drains out of Aimon and a cold shiver runs up the length of his spine. He takes a step towards Tz'zarg, fits clenched.
"What have you done?" he shouts at the drow. "Did you break into our room and leave her ring? If you've touched I swear my face will be the last thing you ever see."
His hand drifts to the hilt of Lightbringer.
As you grip Dawnbringer, you hear her whisper in your mind, "Be careful. Somethings not right."
Tz'arg grins, seemingly amused by the half-elf's reaction. He says, "Nothing has happened to her yet. Negotiations with your father didn't happen quite go as expected." He eyes the sword at Aimon's side, seemingly unbothered by his threat of violence. He continues, bemused, "We should talk about this in the other room." He turns and gestures for Aimon to follow him to the door of this lab. He opens it and steps inside as he waits.
Caelynn, as you watch Tz'zarg, you can tell that something is off about him. You're not quite sure what it is about him. He doesn't move as gracefully as an elf does, and his mannerisms are a bit off for an elf, even for a drow.
Aimon takes a deep breath at Dawnbringer's warning. He doesn't think Dawnbringer would sense anything if Tz'zarg was just a prissy drow lord. Something else is going on. But if his mother is okay, he has time to think this through.
He bows to Grigi and gestures for him to go first after, Tz'zarg.
"I hope you know who you're allying yourself with," Aimon says in a quiet voice to Grigi.
Trill looks around uncertainly, not too keen about Aimon going off with this guy who obviously has some previous baggage with her friend.
Insight: 18
DM: Forged in Chaos, Spiders of the Abyss, The Sundered Way, Champions of the Citadel
Active Characters:
Breldo, Halfling Ranger | Kathryn, Wood Elf Rogue/Ranger | Kroshav, Dragonborn Paladin | T'laren Farsiel, Wood Elf Fighter | Trill, Kenku Bard | Val "Janellae", Mark of Shadow Elf Warlock
((From what I can gather this invitation is only being extended to Aimon, but let me know if I'm wrong.))
"Be careful. Shout if he tries anything." Caelynn mutters to Aimon, then steps back to stand near Oak and Trill.
Iris - Tiefling Cleric | Cassandra - Elf Warlock | Solace - Tiefling Monk | Tempest - Hexblood Monk | Lex - Fire Genasi Barbarian
Lilyn - Triton Ranger | Candor - Changeling Bard | Echo - Changeling Warlock/Bard | Rowan - Fairy Wizard
As the two elves enter into the adjacent door and close it behind them, Grigi nervously chuckles and says while shaking his head, "Elves, am I right? So dramatic. I take it those two have a quite a tale to tell."
He chuckles again before saying, "Anyway, would you be willing to help us?"
((I was a bit light on details with how Grigi looks. He is a Derro just about 3 feet tall. He is older than Drokki, and his skin is wrinkly and pinched. He has a prominent lazy eye and a crooked nose. He is bald on top, but has a fringe of white hair on his head that contrasts starkly with his dark gray skin. He is wearing smocks made of some rubbery material. When he smiles, it reveals crooked and yellow teeth.))
Tz'zarg closes the door behind Aimon as he enters into what appears to be a storage area. Shelves lined with labeled jars of many colors and shapes crowd the walls, leaving the center area open. Tz'zarg says, "Ignore what your elven lady friend said. If you shout out in any way, I will kill you all and torture your mother until she begs to be dead. Understood?"
He continues on without giving any time for you to answer, "Good. I'm sure your friends out their noticed I'm not really and elf. I do love taunting people." He reaches into a pouch at his side and pulls out a wine bottle and a crystal goblet. The cork on the bottle disappears as he pours a glass of deep red wine. He hands the goblet to you and then takes a chug from the bottle before smacking his lips and saying, "I know you don't like me, but not many people do." He pauses and takes another chug before looking at the label of the bottle with a look of respect on his face . He says more to himself than you, "I'll have to get me some more of this." He turns his attention to you and says, " Anyway, if you ever want to see your ugly hag of a mother, you will help corrupt these nodes. If you don't, mamma might just... disappear if you know what I mean."
DM- Azalin's Doom
DM- Surviving the Unsurvivable