The Sundered Way

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thinkslogically
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Re: The Sundered Way

Post by thinkslogically » Sat Aug 17, 2019 7:18 am

Nem leans forward and whispers to the guard she's tending:

"What did the dragonborn look like? The one who fell?"

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spiderwrangler
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Re: The Sundered Way

Post by spiderwrangler » Sat Aug 17, 2019 7:31 am

"Big fella, black scales."
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thinkslogically
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Re: The Sundered Way

Post by thinkslogically » Sat Aug 17, 2019 7:33 am

Nem swallows hard.

"But the clerics healed him, didn't they? He's ok?"

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spiderwrangler
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Re: The Sundered Way

Post by spiderwrangler » Sat Aug 17, 2019 7:39 am

"He and some of ours, Davis and Mulooney, fell too far for us to get to. We weren't able to bring them back with us. Anders'll get them though, he'll get them..."
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thinkslogically
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Re: The Sundered Way

Post by thinkslogically » Sat Aug 17, 2019 8:31 am

Nem's hands begin to tremble.

"how far did the tunnel go?"

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spiderwrangler
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Re: The Sundered Way

Post by spiderwrangler » Sat Aug 17, 2019 8:41 am

"I think it was a bit over a mile when we reached that bigger cavern. From there, tunnels went in four other directions, but we got hit before we could explore any of them..."

"Why... why is it dark out?", he asks hesitantly.
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Rodgeir
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Re: The Sundered Way

Post by Rodgeir » Sat Aug 17, 2019 9:13 am

((In case you missed it Spider, Dornikal's response/action is on the bottom of the last page.))

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spiderwrangler
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Re: The Sundered Way

Post by spiderwrangler » Sat Aug 17, 2019 9:16 am

"Ye understand?"

The sapling dips to the right with a brief chirp.

"Are ye messing with time?"

It wiggles a bit, but stays mostly in the middle.

"Do ye want meh to move Maji and ye to the surface?"

It bobs to the left.

"Will what yer doing take more than a day?"

It hesitates, then waves a little branch to both sides.
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thinkslogically
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Re: The Sundered Way

Post by thinkslogically » Sat Aug 17, 2019 9:25 am

((it's night, right?))

"It's night time love. How long were you in there?"

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spiderwrangler
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Re: The Sundered Way

Post by spiderwrangler » Sat Aug 17, 2019 9:32 am

((It's about 3 in the morning.))

"Night time? We were only down there three, maybe four bells tops... I'm certain of it... Shouldn't be even sundown yet... I... I must have gotten a thump to the head.", he reclines, putting a hand over his eyes.
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M0rtimer
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Re: The Sundered Way

Post by M0rtimer » Sat Aug 17, 2019 9:36 am

(Oh hey, the DM figured out how to deal with time mismatching issues, just make actual time funky :lol: )

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spiderwrangler
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Re: The Sundered Way

Post by spiderwrangler » Sat Aug 17, 2019 9:39 am

(( ;) ))
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Rodgeir
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Re: The Sundered Way

Post by Rodgeir » Sat Aug 17, 2019 9:41 am

Sighing Dornikal grabs Maji's bag if he can and starts backing away slowly,

"Hope aye don't regret this. See ye when yer done aye guess."

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spiderwrangler
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Re: The Sundered Way

Post by spiderwrangler » Sat Aug 17, 2019 9:46 am

The pack is still attached to Maji, and entangled with the rootlets, so it'll have to be left, but you can take a few things from it if you wish.
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Rodgeir
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Re: The Sundered Way

Post by Rodgeir » Sat Aug 17, 2019 11:09 am

Dornikal grabs and tosses everything into the bag of holding. He clearly has time and what use would a plant have for any of it. He honestly doesn't know what the others would think is best to keep.

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spiderwrangler
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Re: The Sundered Way

Post by spiderwrangler » Sat Aug 17, 2019 8:04 pm

Dornikal takes the time to loot Maji's pack, managing to get everything out of there eventually.
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As Dornikal backs away, Randy's words to the gnome gradually speed up to where they are understandable, and all of the expected sounds return as well.

"...ccccccccccllllllllllllooooooooooossssssssseeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrr yyyyyyooooouuuuuuu ggggggeeeeeettttt, tttthhhheeee sssslllooowwer everyone else looks. I don't know how far reaching that field is or what it's affect elsewhere might be. Anders, has anyone come down from the surface lately?"

"Just you guys.", Anders replies.

To Randy and the others, they saw Dornikal rapidly moving around and rooting through the pack, but it took all of a blink or two.

The sapling soon outgrows that description, as the roots have now fully enshrouded Maji, and the trunk thickens and lengthens. Roots and branches quest along the walls, finding or making cracks that they fill, bits of stone dropping from ceiling to floor in an instant. The growing tree continues getting larger and larger, roots spreading across the ground, even as it is now pressing up against the ceiling of the chamber. It continues to chip away at the ceiling, falling stones cradled in branches and safely conveyed to the ground. Fine bits of dust and rock dribble down on the party, but no one is struck by anything larger than a pea. After a minute or so, weak sunlight from the overcast day streams through as the tree begins growing even more rapidly, spreading its leaves and branches to the light. It has grown massive at this point, it would take several people joining hands to surround its base. The roof is widened to the point the entire chamber is a bowl open to the sky, the whole of which is shaded by the canopy of the tree extending beyond the bowl in all directions, and the tree itself sits atop a cairn of stone 15 feet high.

The speed of the main trunk's growth begins to slow, but a long, thick root extends toward the glowing thread that is all that remains of the portal. The root splits, and then again, and again, until few hundred tiny, sharp, questing rootlets surround the portal. They begin probing, some of them getting snipped and falling the ground, but the tree persists, shoving its roots into the portal with the same relentless determination that it brought down the roof. Other roots grow out towards some of the guards, and members of the party, nudging them away from the portal before retracting. The portal root begins pulling, the woody tissue straining and flexing on the roots that are anchored on the other side.

Finally it pops, the root anchored to the portal being shredded to pulp as the thread is ripped apart and vanishes, splinters and wood fiber being blown backwards the concussive wave washing through the room, though most of it is diverted upwards into the branches and canopy of the tree, rustling the needles.

((Everyone takes a slight bit of bludgeoning damage, but not significant enough to track.))

In the sudden silence that follows, the afternoon sky grows rapidly dark, clouds scudding across the sky as night falls and the starts and moon wheel above you, before finally coming to a stop.

The towering tree's branches droop as if exhausted.

There is a LOT of confused cursing coming from the guards.
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thinkslogically
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Re: The Sundered Way

Post by thinkslogically » Sat Aug 17, 2019 8:48 pm

Nem pat's him on the shoulder.

"Take it easy love, you're safe here."

She follows to the next person to try and overhear the commander for any more news.

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spiderwrangler
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Re: The Sundered Way

Post by spiderwrangler » Sat Aug 17, 2019 9:18 pm

It is much the same, they went down, got jumped, and a bunch fell. They do seem to have varying opinions on the complicity of the dragonborn, but most hold him blameless. Descriptions of what they faced vary widely, but most are humans mushed together with sea creatures, with the exception of reports of a large beast with pincers and tentacles around its armored mouth.
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thinkslogically
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Re: The Sundered Way

Post by thinkslogically » Sat Aug 17, 2019 9:22 pm

Nem leaves the tent and goes to get some air as she heads towards the gate.

((Is there still traffic coming in and out or is it closed up again?))

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Re: The Sundered Way

Post by spiderwrangler » Sat Aug 17, 2019 9:47 pm

It's been rechained and locked, guards still on duty there. The one you'd talked to waves you over.

"You hear what went down? We only heard pieces as they came past."
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Lurks_In_Shadows
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Re: The Sundered Way

Post by Lurks_In_Shadows » Sat Aug 17, 2019 10:19 pm

Randy watches for a stunned minute, then steps forward and gives a bow of respect to the tree.
"Thank you."
He then turns to Anders and says quietly "It appears the tree has permanently closed the portal. That threat is done. I would send squads through the sewer system to check for any abominations that may have been missed. If you wish, we can assist you." He turns back to the tree. " Let the tree be a living memorial to those who fell here today. It can stand guard and ensure that the gate remains closed. For now, let's get our wounded and our dead home."

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Rodgeir
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Re: The Sundered Way

Post by Rodgeir » Sun Aug 18, 2019 12:21 am

Dornikal walks up to the base of the tree and says,

"Ye still awake?" Either way he pats it and says, "Good work."

He then returns to tending the dead and getting them ready to be brought out. Spotting the new gnome he will ask Randy,

"When'd the naked gnome show up? He one of them city wizards?"

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Re: The Sundered Way

Post by Lurks_In_Shadows » Sun Aug 18, 2019 5:05 am

Randy shrugs. "I was there with you. I was too busy with the things trying to rip my face off to see what was going on. Ander's said no one came down after we did, though, so he must have been down here already? Coljin thinks he's one of the Builders. Says he came out of the tube machine. Also says he apparently can't remember anything and speaks a language that no one else does. Ulmwin is playing interpreter with a spell."

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Re: The Sundered Way

Post by spiderwrangler » Sun Aug 18, 2019 6:11 am

((You probably would have seen the naked guy when taking part in the healing dagger.))

As Dornikal pats the tree, a branch lowers and rests heavily on his shoulder for a moment before pulling back.

Anders comes over to confer. "I agree. I think we need to pull back to the city and report, but there were those other three tunnels back in the first flooded chamber. I think they all pulled back to here, but would be best to make sure. We'll gather up the coin and treasure, once the accountants go through it, you'll get a share."
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thinkslogically
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Re: The Sundered Way

Post by thinkslogically » Sun Aug 18, 2019 6:14 am

spiderwrangler wrote: Sat Aug 17, 2019 9:47 pm It's been rechained and locked, guards still on duty there. The one you'd talked to waves you over.

"You hear what went down? We only heard pieces as they came past."
Nem shakes her head and sends Ily back into the tunnel, thinking at him to find the others and / or the things that attacked everyone down there and to sprint back to her as fast as her can if he finds anything.

"Nothing good. Hard to make sense of it, but there's something down there that needs to be stopped."

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