The Wandering Archipelago (D&D 5e)

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thinkslogically
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Re: The Wandering Archipelago (D&D 5e)

Post by thinkslogically » Thu Jul 19, 2018 9:39 am

((The chains go across the belly and were there the whole time. Merric probably saw them but immediately passed out - I just figured you wouldn't have been likely to notice them in the chaos, since they wouldn't have been super obvious and it's still pretty dark in here (dim light). The bands are tucked in high on the leg, close to the body. Oh, and I forgot to say before, but there's a small key hole on each band. They're basically shackles with a tangled chain. Also, yeah - this is basically Korrik's party right now :roll: Feel free to direct Kal as you'd like.))

Korrik suspects the bands are magical in some way, but this would really be more Merric's area of expertise (Korrik's not proficient in arcana, right?).

Korrik checks the rest of the room, trying to clear out as much of the webbing and baby spiders as he is able to. The room is fairly bare, but after clearing out the webbing, he finds what appears to be a hammock strung across one wall, a small box, and in a heap of what he thought was blankets, a humanoid skeleton.

You can give me investigation checks for the body and / or rest of the hut (with help if Artho's helping).
If you have anything you'd like Artho / Kal to do, go ahead and let me know, otherwise Artho will investigate the spider corpses and Kal will stay will Merric and monitor his condition.

-------------------------

Druid folks: Let me know if you're going to try and find Syli before the meeting or not.

Otherwise, you guys have a bunch of lore incoming, so the next update will be this evening.

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Rodgeir
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Re: The Wandering Archipelago (D&D 5e)

Post by Rodgeir » Thu Jul 19, 2018 9:48 am

Varsk is not going to wait for her or look for her since he figures she just out druiding.

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spiderwrangler
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Re: The Wandering Archipelago (D&D 5e)

Post by spiderwrangler » Thu Jul 19, 2018 10:22 am

((Korrik is a whole lot of +0 on anything that requires smarts.))

"Kal, the hammock looks cleared out, you can put Merric in there for the time being?"

He has a look at the dead body, calling Artho over to assist.
If he doesn't find a key, he'll make due to get the manacles off the dead spider.
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Theis2
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Re: The Wandering Archipelago (D&D 5e)

Post by Theis2 » Thu Jul 19, 2018 10:25 am

Not that it's going to change anything, but Merric had 5 temporary hit points and cast blade ward as he entered so he should have taken reduced bite damage that would leave him conscious but paralyzed? Also dealing 5 frost damage to the spider.

Merric lies still on the ground thinking about how much he hates lying spiders.
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spiderwrangler
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Re: The Wandering Archipelago (D&D 5e)

Post by spiderwrangler » Thu Jul 19, 2018 10:30 am

((I misread it as 8 piercing and 26 poison! 8 and 18 is much more reasonable. :P Armor and Ward would have you at 20+5 HP, reduced piercing would have dropped you to 20+1, and the poison would have left you sitting pretty at 3 HP.))
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thinkslogically
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Re: The Wandering Archipelago (D&D 5e)

Post by thinkslogically » Thu Jul 19, 2018 11:40 am

Ward works vs weapon damage, and those pincers ain't weapons :P I still might have miscounted, but I had Merric dropped to -1hp.

Edit: ah nothing like being all smug and then finding out the internet disagrees with your assessment of what a "weapon" is. I can't see anything official re bite attacks, but it looks like the consensus is they count. Do you guys see anything? Either way, let's take this to OOC.
Last edited by thinkslogically on Thu Jul 19, 2018 11:56 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: The Wandering Archipelago (D&D 5e)

Post by spiderwrangler » Thu Jul 19, 2018 11:55 am

((Welp.. I stopped reading after 'resistance' and 'piercing'. My bad! -1 it would have been!))
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Re: The Wandering Archipelago (D&D 5e)

Post by thinkslogically » Thu Jul 19, 2018 2:48 pm

Lizard Group

Kal scoops up Merric and places him gently in the slightly sticky hammock for the time being. He's no longer oozing from his shoulder, which can only be a good sign. Probably.

He and Artho check the body. It's about the size of a short adult human, wearing a heavy leather apron over light clothes. On the hands, you find a pair of gloves. Both the apron and gloves feel extremely slick; almost greasy, except there's no residue left on your hands after touching them. There is a small golden key on a chain around the skeleton's neck, and a belt pouch that contains half a dozen unmarked vials. Korrik's thumb aches a little harder at the thought of applying more unknown potions to himself.

The key unlocks the shackles and Korrik takes a closer look at them. The bands seem to be adjustable, to a point, but could certainly be used to shackle any small creature; maybe a medium one.

I should also have said before, but with your previous investigations of the hut you would also have noticed a small platform above you, built across the rafters to create a low storage space.

((The little box is still available for examining)).

--------------------------------

Druid group stuff is incoming in separate post.

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Re: The Wandering Archipelago (D&D 5e)

Post by spiderwrangler » Thu Jul 19, 2018 2:59 pm

I'll examine the box and have Kal boost me up to check out the platform. ((Can you roll any needed rolls? ))
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Re: The Wandering Archipelago (D&D 5e)

Post by thinkslogically » Thu Jul 19, 2018 3:21 pm

Lizard Group

The box is about the size of a fruit crate, but not locked or trapped in any obvious way.

Investigation: 1D20 = [19] = 19

AS he opens it, he's greeted by a suphurous smell of rot, as about a dozen tiny spiders flee into the room. There are many more dead ones inside the crate. It's gross and gooey and he can't really work out what he's looking at. Luckily Kal is nearby.

Nature: 1D20 = [8] = 8
1D20+3 = [18]+3 = 21


"Those appear to be spider eggs... Different species too. This might explain where the two that attacked us came from."

Korrik gets a boost up to the platform, where he finds several spools of fine thread, a nearly-empty demijohn containing a pale blue liquid (which looks like the contents of the vials you found), and a cupboard full of various paintbrushes, pots, tongs, inks and parchment. It all has a faint chemical smell to it.

Korrik, you can do whatever else you'd like to do, but after about an hour, Merric will begin to stir as the paralysis wears off.

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Re: The Wandering Archipelago (D&D 5e)

Post by Dlover » Thu Jul 19, 2018 4:52 pm

Aye, as Mehr said, there's pretty little chance of actually finding Syli, no need to search.
My game:
Hunters of Letrua; Character list
Also Player / Monster stats, skill lists.

My characters:
Tugs Tails, the goblin that was sort of a trapper and wears a bear's tail at his neck, for some reason - Lair of the Mountain King (Run by Thinks)
Alex Sparo, A city boy, poor of sight, who has learned to manipulate people and make the most of what he, and others, have - Trinity Isles (Run by Mort)
Mehriv Turajin, a Noble Dragonborn Sorcerer sent from his clan because he wasn't dragony enough. - The Wandering Archipelago (Run by Thinks)

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Re: The Wandering Archipelago (D&D 5e)

Post by thinkslogically » Thu Jul 19, 2018 5:15 pm

Druid Group

"Well, it does no good to keep the elders waiting. Come, we must go."

The party leave Tam sleeping comfortably in the roots of his tree and follow Goroth back through the woods. The journey seems far quicker than last time, but as you reach the entrance of the gully leading to the elders' clearing, Goroth hangs back.

"This discussion is for you and the elders only. When you are finished, return here and I will take you back to the camp."

He gestures for you to continue, and you do so, making the long walk down the cool gully towards the rocky clearing with the silver tree. The animal carvings look down on you from the cliffs, beneath which the three druid elders are awaiting your arrival. The female elf is the first to speak:

"Welcome back. We have discussed your tidings and are troubled by them. However, there is much we do not yet know, and much, I think, that you do not know, but should. Sit, if you wish, while you listen.

The ancient gnome steps forward and speaks.

"I am Orryn, and this is my telling of the rise of Ash'Karoth, spoken from the memories of those who lived to tell of it.

In centuries past, the Gors wyd* was once the centre of a great High Elven kingdom, known as the Cyfan ile**. Their cities were beautiful, welcoming, peaceful and prosperous. People of all races called those cities home, but the jewel of them all was the city of B'war rhuo***, which all of the finest artists and scholars of the age aspired to visit, not least to see the Roaring Hall for themselves, or walk in the Eternal Gardens. The Roaring Hall was special though. Not only was this great building the seat of the Lord and Lady of the Cyfan ile, but it was also a symbol of the unity and peace that existed amongst the elf-like races at the time****. Built directly in the torrent of a vast waterfall, the creation of that Hall was a near-impossible feat of engineering, arcanism and mastery, built over nearly a century by the very finest craftsmen of the time.

It is hardly surprising that such a place caught the attention of a dragon such as Ash'Karoth.

We know relatively little of Ash'Karoth's history, due in no small part to the variety of names that he appears to have taken over the years, but scraps of information have surfaced and been pieced together. Some accounts say he was ancient even before the Cyfan ile was founded; others that he was a youngling in the early years of the empire and grew angry at their encroachment into what he viewed as his territory. Whatever else he might have been, he was patient and cunning, and horrifyingly cruel.

We believe that Ash'Karoth's rise to power in the region began in earnest maybe one or two centuries after the Roaring Hall was completed, though it could easily have been earlier. It was at this time that we began to hear more and more reports of scattered raids around the borders of the Cyfan ile. Although it was not clear to the rulers of the Cyfan ileat the time, we believe now that these were the acts of several factions, operating separately, but all under the ultimate control of Ash'Karoth. Around the same period, political tensions began to increase throughout the Cyfan ile. From what we learned later, we believe that these tensions were exploited by Ash'Karoth's agents to further divide the people of the city and distract them with petty infighting and politicking while Ash'Karoth built up his forces; using spies and traitors to fuel the discord. Families who had been staunch allies and friends for generations were turned against each other, with some divisions cutting so deep that they are still felt today. Gnomes and dwarves received the worst of his attentions in this regard. We think now that this was because they were the ones who were best placed to notice his forces spreading through the caves beneath Copamyn (the "High Reaches", in your tongue) like a fungus, and he did not want to be discovered until he was ready.

By the time Ash'Karoth moved his armies to close the net and take the Cyfan ile, he was fighting a weakened foe. It took eight years for B'war ruo to fall, but when it did, Ash'Karoth took it for his own, turning the Roaring Hall from a place of beauty and wonder into a perverted temple to cruelty and horror in a city that became known to the elves as Mhoeni, the City of Pain.

That is my telling of the Rise of Ash'Karoth."


The ancient gnome pauses and sighs, and nods to the elf to continue the story.

"Ash'Karoth ruled over the Gors wyd for over 400 years, revered by his slaves and delighting in the torment of the elf-like races. The details of that time are not important for you to know now, but they were long, and filled with pain. What I will tell you is how he was eventually defeated.

Dragonborn [she turns to Mehriv], you know better than most that the magic of your kind manifests as a physical thing in your bodies. A heartstone I think you call it. What you may not know it that while the source of that power may come from any one of a dozen sources to reach your people, in it is not so for the true dragons. For them, it is a gift channelled directly from their gods. So, if Ash'Karoth could be isolated from the source of his power, then he would surely die. This was the plan the exiles put into action.

Publicly, they built a great tower, half of which extended far into the sky; half of which plunged into the ground. In secret, they wove ancient magics into the stones and metal and wood of their creation until it was finished, and a cataclysmic burst of arcane power severed the links between the Material Plane and all others. We do not know how it was done, only that it was done. If you ever travel to the centre of the Archipelago, you will find what they built- a great pin stemming the tide of power between the Planes.

And so it was that the voices of the gods became little more than half-heard whispers to the mortal races, the magic that once flowed through this Plane like a river was stemmed to a trickle, the power of the elves began to fade, and Ash'Karoth died.

That is my telling of the Fall of Ash'Karoth."


As the glade falls silent, there is a long pause before the gnome speaks again.

"This is why Ash'Karoth cannot be alive. Whatever is occurring in the Gors wyd may be related, but it cannot be him. Do you understand?"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you speak Elvish:
* This translates roughly to "Glass Marsh" or "Crystal Marsh"
** This translates roughly to "Entirety" or "Everything"
*** This translates roughly to "Bellowing Rainbow"

**** "elf-like" = "humanoid"

If you're curious, my elves speak a highly bastardised version of Welsh :)

--------------------------

Sooooo.... that's a bunch of world lore and some more information on your immediate surroundings. I promise you guys will get to hit stuff again soon :D
Last edited by thinkslogically on Thu Jul 19, 2018 7:20 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Re: The Wandering Archipelago (D&D 5e)

Post by spiderwrangler » Thu Jul 19, 2018 6:28 pm

"Kal, Artho? Would you mind disposing of the dead spiders? They gross me out... Disposing of them in the waters should hide them. You two are more woodsy, can you make sure our trail isn't obvious? We don't know how long Merric will be out, but don't want lizards finding us while he is. I'll keep an eye on him and holler if his condition changes."
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Re: The Wandering Archipelago (D&D 5e)

Post by thinkslogically » Thu Jul 19, 2018 7:08 pm

Kal nods in agreement and head outside with the box of creepy dead spiders to dispose of the tiny corpses.

Artho agrees: "I shall keep watch until Merric has recovered. If we need to stay for some time, it would certainly be prudent to disguise our trail."

((Roll = 18))

The pair head outside to work, leaving Korrik and the temporarily-paralysed Merric inside.

After about 20 minutes, Kal and Artho seem to be done, and hang out near the hut, having a quiet conversation about the finer details of tracking swamp deer.

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Re: The Wandering Archipelago (D&D 5e)

Post by Arch Lich Burns » Thu Jul 19, 2018 8:09 pm

"....Are you sure the wardings held for all of these years? Magic has a tendency of being finicky and if Ash'Korloth got it from the gods, then maybe one of them put some magic back. How long has the river bleed his blood? Are you certain that the warding ended him instead of having him be left dying for ages?"

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Re: The Wandering Archipelago (D&D 5e)

Post by thinkslogically » Thu Jul 19, 2018 8:40 pm

The elf woman smiles at Gwen.

"We still remember what it was like before the Pin was created, and isolated this Plane from all others. I can offer you no proof, but believe me when I say you would be amazed at what magic used to flow through this world! I am certain that the gates remain sealed. I admit I envy the resilience of humans, that they can adapt so readily to almost any circumstance. I wish we elves shared some of your flexibility."

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Re: The Wandering Archipelago (D&D 5e)

Post by Rodgeir » Fri Jul 20, 2018 12:46 am

Varsk takes in all of the information quietly but shakes his head slowly.

"That's all very interesting, really, but are you going to help us? It isn't Ash'Karoth, which is great, but it can't be good to have his minions running amok again, sacrificin' folks for some purpose of Ash'Karoth. Give us a hand takin' care of that."

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Re: The Wandering Archipelago (D&D 5e)

Post by Dlover » Fri Jul 20, 2018 8:00 am

Mehr taps one thumb against his mouth, thinking as the others ask their questions, eventually speaking, "The god's voices were reduced to whispers. Not silenced. Not enough power to sustain an active dragon, but in a dormant state, a sleep deeper than death, possibly enough to keep it alive. Possibly. Are you certain Ash'Karoth was slain truly? Even were he not, I doubt he would be woken again before that tower is destroyed, supplementing the power of a god would require more souls than could be collected. But regardless, it may be possible to tap into the power of such a great being, particularly through necromantic arts, for one dead or close to death. I will be glad if these are mere fanatics, with no true power ruling them, but must consider the worst potentials regardless."
My game:
Hunters of Letrua; Character list
Also Player / Monster stats, skill lists.

My characters:
Tugs Tails, the goblin that was sort of a trapper and wears a bear's tail at his neck, for some reason - Lair of the Mountain King (Run by Thinks)
Alex Sparo, A city boy, poor of sight, who has learned to manipulate people and make the most of what he, and others, have - Trinity Isles (Run by Mort)
Mehriv Turajin, a Noble Dragonborn Sorcerer sent from his clan because he wasn't dragony enough. - The Wandering Archipelago (Run by Thinks)

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thinkslogically
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Re: The Wandering Archipelago (D&D 5e)

Post by thinkslogically » Fri Jul 20, 2018 9:48 am

The gnome and elf look from Varsk to Merhiv. The gnome speaks:

"We are getting to that, but it is important you understand.

As you say, this brings us to what we do not know. Our people were all but driven out of those lands by Ash'Karoth during his reign, and they have never been able to return. The echoes of the past ring too loudly there, and the poisoned river is as toxic to us as I expect it is to you.

We desire to know more of this strangeness. It may be nothing more than a transient moment, or it may be the beginning of something larger. But, we are isolated here. The long age of the fey folk is fading I fear, and the world belongs to those, like you, who can adapt to these times.

So we propose a deal. If you will agree share what you find regarding Ash'Karoth, you are welcome to make use of our Sanctuary at your leisure. We trust that if accept our invitation you will do so in good faith."

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Re: The Wandering Archipelago (D&D 5e)

Post by Rodgeir » Fri Jul 20, 2018 11:00 am

Varsk looks over at Mehr before saying,

"Sanctuary is great and all but if you really want to find out what is goin' on you're goin' to need to give a hand in the field. If you're not willin' to send people you must have some serious old magic gear you can lend us?"

He gives them a charming toothy smile only a half orc could manage,

"The more you help us now the more information we can gather and share!"

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thinkslogically
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Re: The Wandering Archipelago (D&D 5e)

Post by thinkslogically » Fri Jul 20, 2018 11:48 am

((Persuasion check then please :) ))

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Rodgeir
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Re: The Wandering Archipelago (D&D 5e)

Post by Rodgeir » Fri Jul 20, 2018 12:46 pm

((Persuading the elders: 1D20+2 = [9]+2 = 11
maybe an amulet of something? Wasted the 20 on Tam.))

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Rodgeir
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Re: The Wandering Archipelago (D&D 5e)

Post by Rodgeir » Fri Jul 20, 2018 12:48 pm

((or get Mehr his diamond you mentioned :D))

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thinkslogically
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Re: The Wandering Archipelago (D&D 5e)

Post by thinkslogically » Fri Jul 20, 2018 1:46 pm

((We'll get to that :D ))

The gnome raises an eyebrow.

"I think our current offer is more than generous for now. Perhaps in the future we will give some thought to such requests, but not yet."

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Rodgeir
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Re: The Wandering Archipelago (D&D 5e)

Post by Rodgeir » Fri Jul 20, 2018 2:16 pm

Varsk shrugs and gives Mehr a 'I tried look'

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