[Game Thread] Ch 11. The New Invader

[bananabadger]

Orwinton 'Oar' Grinstyrwi Art commission @ThePsysquatch "We're good, right?" Oar asks Dreck. "No hard feelings?"

 

Free action:
Action: g
Bonus action:
Reaction:
Move:
Other:

 

Owinton "Oar" Grinstyrwi Character sheet link Class: Barbarian / Path of Wild Magic Background: Sailor Level: 5 HP: 58/58 AC: 15 Condition: Go-to attack: maul +7 / 2d6+4 Passive Perception: 12 Passive Investigation: 9 Passive Insight: 10 Saving Throw Modifiers: S +6 | D +2 | C +5 | I -1 | W 0 | Ch -1 Saving Throw Bonus: Advantage on seen traps and spells Crusher Feat: Once per turn, when you hit a creature with an attack that deals bludgeoning damage, you can move it 5 feet to an unoccupied space, provided the target is no more than one size larger than you.Move Opponent 5 feet / When you score a critical hit that deals bludgeoning damage to a creature, attack rolls against that creature are made with advantage until the start of your next turn.Critical Hits bring advantage Rage Attacks Remaining: 3/3 Stone's Endurance: 1/1 Magic Awareness: 2/2 Wild Surge Magic: Link to table Inspirations: Carrying for party: Huarwar's map and the ornate mapcase; five days of dog food, and the Delphine bracelet; Norsu's dried trunk; magical sippy stealth straw 6/6 charges

 

 

Town	Host	Teahaus Name	Special Brew Name	Teapot Symbol
Easthaven	Cora Mulphoon	Cora's Crooked House	The Inside Bath	Hedgehog
Caer-Dineval	Culver Ailsen	Oopsie-Doopsie Purple Dragon	The Inversion	Dragon
Good Mead	unconfirmed	The Plucky Teapot	Don't Mess with Good Mead	Dancing Teapot
Dougan's Hole	Carl and Crista Dejarr (tentative)	The Standing Stones Tea Stand	Norsu the Mammoth

 

• The sound of the legendary Ten Town sea monster
• The sound of yetis urging their fellow yetis to run away from a danger
• The sound of an avalanche about to sweep the landscape
• The sound of a cragcaw cat in heat
• The sound of mushroom spores thriving in an underground cavern
• The sound of an invisible dwarf displacing the air around them as they move closer
• The sound of comfort to a pack of worried dogs

 

Gristle, the Alpha
Beastie, black ear one white
Needle, skinny and shy
Bear, actor and raconteur
Unnamed dog
Unnamed dog

[lostcheerio]

Inside Sunblight Fortress Oar, little Dreck struggles out of your grasp and drops onto the ground. He gives you a sullen growl when you ask "We're good, right?" so you can assume that there are plenty of hard feelings. He brushes off his gear and tries to regain his dignity. You can see from the back of him that while you were blocking the arrow slit with him, someone angry was stabbing at him from the rear. Enlarged Ebrok stomps into the room, along with a pile of other duergar, his big boots thudding on the floor, dragging Chizzik by the shoulder across the hazy room. Felty staggers back, holding up her Bane and looking suspiciously at both Oar and the grey dwarves. But the one it's impossible to ignore, the captain of this little gang, the would-be star of this scene, comes strutting out of the barracks room behind Ebrok, and owns the space. She of the arrow slit. She of little faith. Shergie, Captain Shergie, arrives. all four feet of her. All eyebrows and tilted chin and hot bravado. "You come to my house? You knock on my door? You dazzle this f*** with your maiden so fair? You offer us friendship and promises galore We welcome all allies, but we must be careful. King Xardarok is busy, he's meeting some friends We can't interrupt their formal lunch Our fair Sunblight will follow political trends Magic and mayhem packs quite the diplomatic strike. The king will need time to question and prod you Until he is ready, you'll cool off in jail When the mushrooms have jawed you and the furnace has thawed you, I'll come and get you, we can all talk over a beer." When she says "this f***" she is most definitely pointing to Dreck. And when she says "maiden so fair" she is pointing at Felty. Who is outraged. But what can you do? Chizzik, what can you do? Not even the most stylish Bladesinging can ward off this heavy wave of dumb brawlers with their boots and fists. Without a reprieve they would surely have rendered you unconscious. You're inside the fortress. So, check infiltration off your list. So many options are before you. An audience with the King. A look at the dungeons. And, more immediately, a walk through the fortress. Shergie and Ebrok clarify that you can keep your possessions and there will be no chains or shackles, understanding that you stopped fighting willingly and you're just going to the dungeon to wait for the King's audience. They take you toward the room with the cage and chains, but then hurry backward and stuff you into the barracks for a few minutes, as apparently the King himself is coming up from the lower level and going down the hall where Drek was trying to point you, to the lunch. After that procession has passed, you're allowed back out of the barracks and ride the elevator down. Chizzik, have you heard of such a contraption in your books? With gears and levers and chains -- a wonder to behold. You descend to what seems to be the bottom of the shaft, and are marched through a throne room with a dais, a hallway, and into a row of iron-gated cells. The guards put you in the same cell together. There are other prisoners here too: a goliath in leather armor who is banging steadily on the bars, a filthy, scrawny human man in dirty shirt and pants, an older human woman in furs, and you. But then, you're not a prisoner. You're just waiting for King Xardarok Sunblight to stop doing diplomacy and give you an audience. No reason to worry or despair! OOC Moving you ahead here a few steps, and I hope that's ok. My next DM post will likely be after August 18, when I get back to my desk after our travels. I can talk for any of the NPCs if you want to engage them, or for Felty if you want to engage her. You can also do some rolls and I'll let you know what you notice or understand about this duergar dungeon. I'll be reading, and writing short things as I can, and communicating on Discord too.

[AnotherDragoon]

Awaiting an audience Chizzich knew he wouldn't be able to stand against all the might of Sunblight but he didn't expect to be so immediately and thoroughly trounced either. Sure, he could've got one swing in on one of the gruff gray dwarves as they ran past to get at Felty and Oar. He could probably even land one on the brute in front of him before they got the best of him. But it's better for everyone to catch their breath and think, wouldn't it? His green flame had flickered out and he was doing his best to defiantly remain standing when the drueger hauled him up like a bundle of firewood. Chizzich would've liked to have some of that lunch but it seemed that ship had passed. Maybe after the King is finished they'll be allowed something? He tried to better understand the cage and chains before being temporarily deposited in the barracks. Meanwhile, Bojangles chittered in a way that was both reproachful and worried. "It's ok, we're not dead yet. Just a slight misunderstanding in communication is all," he whispered into the folds of his woolen cloak. Soon, they all found themselves in a small, barred waiting room that looked suspiciously like a cell that was already occupied by another rough-looking trio. They looked suspiciously like prisoners. Chizzich sat down with a soft groan and rubbed his still-ringing head all the while watching the three strangers closely. Insight: 22Would they be interested in working together and could they be trusted? He certainly hoped so. Chizzich was okay with sitting and waiting for a bit while he rubbed and stretched out some of today's painful lesson about rushing into battle when the number of foes is unknown. "Well, that wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be," he said to Oar and Felty with a crooked smile. "I wonder if they'll bring us lunch?" He turned to the other three and shrugged, "Waiting to see the King too? Or maybe the dragon?" A sharp-toothed grin spread across his face, "What would you do if the door was to open of its own accord?" Bojangles squirmed and tried to burrow deeper into his scarf, he didn't think he would like where this conversation was going.

Mechanics   Here   Saves: Free: Insight on the prisoners, can they be trusted or persuaded to help? 22 Movement: Action: I'd like to take a short rest if were going to be in the cell an hour or more. If so, ill use Arcane recovery to restore a 2nd level spell slot along with 3 hit die. Reaction: Bonus Action: Condition: Concentrating:   Chizz'l d'Visc Goblin︱Wizard(Bladesinger) 5 AC: 15 (19) HP: 27/27 Fury of the Small: [ ][ ][ ]/ Long Rest Bladesong: [X][ ][ ]/ Long Rest Spell Save DC: 15 Level 1: [ ][ ][ ][ ] Level 2: [ ][ ][ ] Level 3: [ ][ ] Attuned: Carrying: Sleeping Sugar 6/6 uses DM Inspiration: Potions: Party Loot:

[bananabadger]

Orwinton 'Oar' Grinstyrwi Art commission @ThePsysquatch "Oh, you almost had them, didn't you, Chizzich?" Oar enthuses as they go down the elevator. "You did a this move--whish!--and a that move--whoosh!" He enthusiastically imitates the bladedancers movements, albeit with some limitations given Oar's ignorance of the art and the small confines of the elevator, mostly because of the elevator. "And you, Fe--elty!" Oar continues, not sure if they are still on code-name basis when they are prison-bound. "You were like, Bane, boys, bane! and one of them went arrrgh! and tailed it out of there ... I'm sure the others were sure to break soon as well ... just fabulous!" He'll continue singing their praises as they enter the holding cells, occasionally whispering, "No hard feelings, you know? You all fought well, too!" to whoever would be escorting them. Of course he is surprised to see the goliath--he checks to make sure it isn't his barkeep friend fallen on hard times, and gives the other goliath a air-arrow shot in solidarity. If the other goliath catches it and tosses the arrow back to Oar, he'll pretend that it lands in his sternum, and will go down dramatically. "So ... are we taking numbers, or is this more of a live line, where we need to keep our place?" he asks the three who were here before them. "Like the sword-wizard said, we're here to see the king. No doubt they are telling him about our battle right now ... though I'm sure they might be exaggerating some of their hits, ha!" "So ... two questions: 1) What are you waiting to see the king about and 2) Are you joining us when we bust out of here?"

 

Free action:
Action: g
Bonus action:
Reaction:
Move:
Other:

 

Owinton "Oar" Grinstyrwi Character sheet link Class: Barbarian / Path of Wild Magic Background: Sailor Level: 5 HP: 58/58 AC: 15 Condition: Go-to attack: maul +7 / 2d6+4 Passive Perception: 12 Passive Investigation: 9 Passive Insight: 10 Saving Throw Modifiers: S +6 | D +2 | C +5 | I -1 | W 0 | Ch -1 Saving Throw Bonus: Advantage on seen traps and spells Crusher Feat: Once per turn, when you hit a creature with an attack that deals bludgeoning damage, you can move it 5 feet to an unoccupied space, provided the target is no more than one size larger than you.Move Opponent 5 feet / When you score a critical hit that deals bludgeoning damage to a creature, attack rolls against that creature are made with advantage until the start of your next turn.Critical Hits bring advantage Rage Attacks Remaining: 3/3 Stone's Endurance: 1/1 Magic Awareness: 2/2 Wild Surge Magic: Link to table Inspirations: Carrying for party: Huarwar's map and the ornate mapcase; five days of dog food, and the Delphine bracelet; Norsu's dried trunk; magical sippy stealth straw 6/6 charges

 

 

Town	Host	Teahaus Name	Special Brew Name	Teapot Symbol
Easthaven	Cora Mulphoon	Cora's Crooked House	The Inside Bath	Hedgehog
Caer-Dineval	Culver Ailsen	Oopsie-Doopsie Purple Dragon	The Inversion	Dragon
Good Mead	unconfirmed	The Plucky Teapot	Don't Mess with Good Mead	Dancing Teapot
Dougan's Hole	Carl and Crista Dejarr (tentative)	The Standing Stones Tea Stand	Norsu the Mammoth

 

• The sound of the legendary Ten Town sea monster
• The sound of yetis urging their fellow yetis to run away from a danger
• The sound of an avalanche about to sweep the landscape
• The sound of a cragcaw cat in heat
• The sound of mushroom spores thriving in an underground cavern
• The sound of an invisible dwarf displacing the air around them as they move closer
• The sound of comfort to a pack of worried dogs

 

Gristle, the Alpha
Beastie, black ear one white
Needle, skinny and shy
Bear, actor and raconteur
Unnamed dog
Unnamed dog

[lostcheerio]

OOC Sorry I explained this poorly -- you guys are all in the same cell, and the other three each have their own cell. The closest one is the Goliath, then the human woman, and then the guy in the loincloth.

In the Dungeon "I'm nervous," says Felty to you as you bump along, with your rough escort downstairs. "I'm a dwarf in a duergar fortress. It's kind of like being a cat in Dogland or more likely a mouse in Cattown. Hmm. Which do you think it is more like?" Can't be that nervous. You can see she's mentally penning her report on this experience for the newspaper, as if the Herald still exists. As if Bryn Shander still exists. The cell is cramped, meant for one or two, not three, and certainly not three when one is a Goliath. Felty squiggles into a corner and leans back against the bars, in the farthest spot from the next cell over. If Mr. Bojangles appears, she will reach out a finger to touch his fur for solace. The Goliath in the next cell stops his hammering on the iron and rushes over to grab the bars between you. "Wait to see the king? Wait to see the king? And I am going to wait until head fall off and neck wither into stump? Grow mushrooms and moss like these f***s are expect me to eat?" Oar, he sticks his face through the bars and his eyes dart left and right conspiratorially. There's a lot of eyebrow movement up and down. Nostril flares and lip pursing and flapping. Do you... understand what he's trying to tell just you? "My name is Kapanuk Talltree Thuunlakalaga. Of Wyrmdoom Crag best place for Goliaths in Spine of World. You go there, we feast. Break out of here, I help. Kill at least nine or ten thousand duergar, but unfortunately for all, there is at least twenty thousand duergar, so need help. You want to break out from this dungeon? Kapanuk help. Going to break all the way out? Go to Wyrmdoom and eat many goats. That is Thuunlakalaga promise." The human woman sits in her cell, resigned but austere, arms crossed, hands hidden in woolen mittens. Her hair is white, and her face is scarred. "The big man is right," she says. Her voice is cultured and thin. "This is no waiting room, but a dungeon of the king. Perhaps you will receive an audience. Tell me, what news of the outside? How fare the Ten Towns? It has been at least a ten day since I began my stay here in Sunblight. Difficult to track the time of course. Have you news?" Chizzich, as she speaks, you notice something about the movements of her hands. Even inside the mittens you can tell, these are practiced somatic movements. She isn't casting, but it's clear to you she is a wizard, gesturing in this way almost like a nervous tick. Her voice is calm and smooth, but her hands betray both her vocation and her state of mind. There's something else you notice. The man in the loincloth in the cell beyond says nothing, but he seems uneasy, unsettled in his form. He is a shape shifter of some kind. OOC goonie, good insight. badger, give me a roll to see if Oar can interpret Kapanak's gesturing.

[bananabadger]

Orwinton 'Oar' Grinstyrwi Art commission @ThePsysquatch "Oh, either way that story will make headlines!" Oar encourages Felty. "The Secret Journal of a Ten-Town Dwarf Inside the Worst Place for Dwarves to Be! -- now that's something I would read into the third bell!" He assesses the guest suite--tight and comfy like the crew quarters inside the hull of a medium-sized flyut. "Nice! And you say there are mushrooms to eat?" he replies to the goliath who is ... what is he doing? It kind of looks like those gestures old-man Hsllitwi would make. He was an odd fish, that Hsllitwi. The other goliaths said his family had arrived on the island not too many generations ago ... but he was a great stone mason! Oar pauses to think if he can rememberPerception = 10 (dice thread) what any of those gestures might mean ... He then looks to Chizzich and says: "I think they made a mistake and locked the door on us. Do you want to wiggle-waggle the lock any, or should I crawl out, get that big one over there and maybe the two of us could start bending bars?" He lowers his voice and continues ... "I'm hoping maybe you can do it because I'm not sure about that goliath's sense of proportion. He wants to kill 20,000 duegars, but there are only, what, 8,000 souls in Ten Towns in all? No way there are 20,000 deugars ... I'm thinking maybe, what, 100 or fewer here?" While he waits for Chizzich to decide and answer, he complies with the woman's request for news, beginning with the rumors of a network of tea hauses about to open, the reports of a lake monster, and then the town-destroying dragon. "Oh, yeah," he adds as he remembers, "and the darkness ended for a minute or two last week. Somehow, the sun broke through ... and then it didn't again."

 

Free action:
Action: tries to interpret goliath's signals (10 perception); offers to use potion and get out of cage if Chizzich cannot pick lock
Bonus action:
Reaction:
Move:
Other:

 

Owinton "Oar" Grinstyrwi Character sheet link Class: Barbarian / Path of Wild Magic Background: Sailor Level: 5 HP: 58/58 AC: 15 Condition: Go-to attack: maul +7 / 2d6+4 Passive Perception: 12 Passive Investigation: 9 Passive Insight: 10 Saving Throw Modifiers: S +6 | D +2 | C +5 | I -1 | W 0 | Ch -1 Saving Throw Bonus: Advantage on seen traps and spells Crusher Feat: Once per turn, when you hit a creature with an attack that deals bludgeoning damage, you can move it 5 feet to an unoccupied space, provided the target is no more than one size larger than you.Move Opponent 5 feet / When you score a critical hit that deals bludgeoning damage to a creature, attack rolls against that creature are made with advantage until the start of your next turn.Critical Hits bring advantage Rage Attacks Remaining: 3/3 Stone's Endurance: 1/1 Magic Awareness: 2/2 Wild Surge Magic: Link to table Inspirations: Carrying for party: Huarwar's map and the ornate mapcase; five days of dog food, and the Delphine bracelet; Norsu's dried trunk; magical sippy stealth straw 6/6 charges

 

 

Town	Host	Teahaus Name	Special Brew Name	Teapot Symbol
Easthaven	Cora Mulphoon	Cora's Crooked House	The Inside Bath	Hedgehog
Caer-Dineval	Culver Ailsen	Oopsie-Doopsie Purple Dragon	The Inversion	Dragon
Good Mead	unconfirmed	The Plucky Teapot	Don't Mess with Good Mead	Dancing Teapot
Dougan's Hole	Carl and Crista Dejarr (tentative)	The Standing Stones Tea Stand	Norsu the Mammoth

 

• The sound of the legendary Ten Town sea monster
• The sound of yetis urging their fellow yetis to run away from a danger
• The sound of an avalanche about to sweep the landscape
• The sound of a cragcaw cat in heat
• The sound of mushroom spores thriving in an underground cavern
• The sound of an invisible dwarf displacing the air around them as they move closer
• The sound of comfort to a pack of worried dogs

 

Gristle, the Alpha
Beastie, black ear one white
Needle, skinny and shy
Bear, actor and raconteur
Unnamed dog
Unnamed dog

[AnotherDragoon]

Room without a view "Right, I'm sure they called it to preserve their forces and not to save me any further embarrassment," Chizzich agreed with Oar, "Or any more smooshed up herald faces!" The little goblin cackled and squished his cheeks up with his hands to imitate Drek. To Fe(e)lty he shrugged, "I'd say the mouse in Cattown analogy is more apt here as I can't imagine a dog being so cruel just for the sake of cruelty." He had to admit, as scared as he was, this would make an excellently epic chapter. Bojangles did poke his head out of the woolen folds and squeaked his assessment of the metaphor. He likes a weasel in a viper pit better but will go along with the mouse and cat version. Chizzich listened to the other large man who seemed to have been waiting a here a good deal of time. "Oh, mushrooms are great! Plenty of vitamins and minerals to keep your head from falling off. Of course, there are types that can make it feel like your head has floated away if that's an experience you're after." He didn't have any of those on him, but it would be a way to pass the time. Those mushrooms were often used in clan bonding rituals during the deepest of winter when the snow piled up to block the caves. When the wise woman spoke, the goblin paid careful attention. This was somebody practiced in the arcane arts, the precise movements of her mittened hands are more than simple conversational gestures. This is interesting, perhaps their waiting rooms are enchanted in a way to deal with the more magically inclined visitors. The man in the far cell is also more than he seems at first glance. "I'm sorry to say that I've been told Bryn Shander is no more thanks to our gracious hosts. I didn't get down to the Towns much but saw the light and the dragon." "You sir, back there," Chizzich called to the loin-clothed person, "what are you in for, refusing pants?" He chuckled and added, "It's ok, we're all on the same side of the bars. You can relax." He shot the man a conspiratorial wink to let him know what he was talking about. Then, he whispered to his companions, "The woman is a wizard, if she can't escape her cell that's bad news. But, I have Mr. Bojangles." There was a chittering sound from his scarves that Chizzich ignored. "Also, the quiet man in the far cell isn't a man at all. Well, maybe he is, it's hard to say but I suspect he's some sort of shapeshifter." Louder, Chizzich agreed with Oar that the math seemed off. "Twenty thousand is an awful lot of Drueger to kill. I could handle maybe three or four if they come at me in a respectable single file so that would still leave a few. Maybe subterfuge is a better option? Tell me, new friends, what have you tried save banging on the bars? Are these cages magical?" He looked at the woman as he spoke the last part. "I've a few tricks up my voluminous sleeves but need to know what we're up against." He whispered something into his robes and a white weasel slinked out, chirped once, and Stealth: 7, Perception: 16, Investigation: 7scurried through the bars to search the room for a key.

Mechanics   Here   Saves: Free: Movement: Action: Ask Bojangles to look for a key Stealth: 7, Perception: 16, Investigation: 7 Reaction: Bonus Action: Condition: Concentrating:   Chizz'l d'Visc Goblin︱Wizard(Bladesinger) 5 AC: 15 (19) HP: 27/27 Fury of the Small: [ ][ ][ ]/ Long Rest Bladesong: [X][ ][ ]/ Long Rest Spell Save DC: 15 Level 1: [ ][ ][ ][ ] Level 2: [ ][ ][ ] Level 3: [ ][ ] Attuned: Carrying: Sleeping Sugar 6/6 uses DM Inspiration: Potions: Party Loot:

[bananabadger]

Orwinton 'Oar' Grinstyrwi Art commission @ThePsysquatch "Maybe she needs some of those things wizards need to make magic ... you know, newt legs and pinches of flea shells, and whatnot?" Oar whispers to his two companions.

 

Free action:
Action: roleplaying ... suggests they need to find components
Bonus action:
Reaction:
Move:
Other:

 

Owinton "Oar" Grinstyrwi Character sheet link Class: Barbarian / Path of Wild Magic Background: Sailor Level: 5 HP: 58/58 AC: 15 Condition: Go-to attack: maul +7 / 2d6+4 Passive Perception: 12 Passive Investigation: 9 Passive Insight: 10 Saving Throw Modifiers: S +6 | D +2 | C +5 | I -1 | W 0 | Ch -1 Saving Throw Bonus: Advantage on seen traps and spells Crusher Feat: Once per turn, when you hit a creature with an attack that deals bludgeoning damage, you can move it 5 feet to an unoccupied space, provided the target is no more than one size larger than you.Move Opponent 5 feet / When you score a critical hit that deals bludgeoning damage to a creature, attack rolls against that creature are made with advantage until the start of your next turn.Critical Hits bring advantage Rage Attacks Remaining: 3/3 Stone's Endurance: 1/1 Magic Awareness: 2/2 Wild Surge Magic: Link to table Inspirations: Carrying for party: Huarwar's map and the ornate mapcase; five days of dog food, and the Delphine bracelet; Norsu's dried trunk; magical sippy stealth straw 6/6 charges

 

 

Town	Host	Teahaus Name	Special Brew Name	Teapot Symbol
Easthaven	Cora Mulphoon	Cora's Crooked House	The Inside Bath	Hedgehog
Caer-Dineval	Culver Ailsen	Oopsie-Doopsie Purple Dragon	The Inversion	Dragon
Good Mead	unconfirmed	The Plucky Teapot	Don't Mess with Good Mead	Dancing Teapot
Dougan's Hole	Carl and Crista Dejarr (tentative)	The Standing Stones Tea Stand	Norsu the Mammoth

 

• The sound of the legendary Ten Town sea monster
• The sound of yetis urging their fellow yetis to run away from a danger
• The sound of an avalanche about to sweep the landscape
• The sound of a cragcaw cat in heat
• The sound of mushroom spores thriving in an underground cavern
• The sound of an invisible dwarf displacing the air around them as they move closer
• The sound of comfort to a pack of worried dogs

 

Gristle, the Alpha
Beastie, black ear one white
Needle, skinny and shy
Bear, actor and raconteur
Unnamed dog
Unnamed dog

[lostcheerio]

In Sunblight Fortress, Lower Level Oar, this goliath is very animated. A lot of gestures and wringing of the face. It's hard to map the movements to anything you recognize from your memory of Hsllitwi, but you do pick up that he's making thumbs at Felty and Chizzich, and then eyebrows at you, like, maybe he's questioning your comradeship with these two? To clarify, in your confusion, he slams his forehead into the bars, in what might be a dizzying blow to any lesser skull, and whispers loudly: "Two goblins? You run with two goblins? Goblins come to Wyrmdoom we use for goatball!" He waggles his nose significantly, and then adds, "AS THE BALL!" in a deafening whisper. Felty retreats even farther behind you, folding deeper into her goblin posture. Chizzich, the old wizard shows her teeth to you blandly. "Ah, very nice, you have a pet. They killed my owl in front of me. And took my spellbook." As Mr. Bojangles heads bravely out into the little anteroom to search for a key, she coos at him, amicable as a grandmother. "Are you a magic pet? There there, little friend, will you look for my book for me? I do believe they shoved it, with some lack of ceremony, if truth be known, into that little alcove over there. Get it for me?" Hot fog permeates the room, and a smell of burning. The huddled man in the loincloth doesn't return your wink, appears bewildered by it. No intellectual, this. "I'm Pekoe. Pekoe Quint," he says. His voice is as low as his body is crouched, and the words slide tightly through jagged teeth. "I'm from Dougan's Hole. I'm a trapper. I got captured by the dwarves, they wanted to know all about our town's defenses. I told them," he starts laughing, an ugly convulsion, "We don't have any defenses." He laughs bitterly again and then coughs. "I could come with you. You got any extra gear?" When Oar mentions that the sun came out briefly, the wizard Vellyne Harpell startles, very interested. She stands up, finally unfolding her mittened hands and coming toward the bars. "The sun, you say?" She pauses, thinking. "Listen, be ye friend or foe of Sunblight, I could be helpful to you, very helpful," she says, "if I had my spellbook and my wand. I have information. I am ready to share it." Chizzich, you hear her voice inside your head: "Tell me, why are you here at Sunblight? You say you are visitors of the king, so you come as allies not enemies? I am not accustomed to the duergar taking assistance from those who are... not duergar. Goblins running with a goliath -- what is your real purpose in Ten Towns? Are you servants of the Frostmaiden, then?" The Message spell. Trivial, unimpressive, but you can reply. You discern that either answer (for or against this Frostmaiden) will be acceptable to her, that her interests lie beyond, or behind maybe, the question of maintaining or bringing down the Rime. And you, Chizzich. What is your purpose here? In vino veritas? More like in carcere veritas, amirite? You didn't consume eleventy thousand books from your master's library only to get your posterior handed to you by a bunch of dull, fist-waving dwarves and rot in jail with a guy who doesn't seem to notice he's reduced to his underpants.

OOC Riding on your 22 Insight, Dragoon. You can ask me questions about her and I'll give you what his impression would be. The main question right now is who, if any, of these prisoners you'd like to ally with, and do you want to try and bust out of here, or wait for Xardarok Sunblight to summon you?

[/fieldset]

[bananabadger]

Orwinton 'Oar' Grinstyrwi Art commission @ThePsysquatch Oar magnanimously decides to save the day by having his teapot retrieve the magic book. "This is your moment to shine," he says to the kettle. "Hey, Felty, watch this...you'll want to get this in that gazette of yours: Plucky Teapot Retrieves Spellworking Tome! I think he's about to do it!" But the teapot, whether it has all eyes or just Oar's eyes on it ... decides to do a soft shuffle instead. "Guess it is the weasel then," Oar nods toward Chizzich. While Chizzich and company are saving the day the spellbook way, Oar calls out to Pekoe. "I do have a bedroll. That could probably be cut in half and you could make something out of that, kind of a poncho, I'm thinking? Say ... do you do impressions? Could you kind of make yourself look like a dwarf with a squishy-squashy face?" After Pekoe answers, he'll finally call out to the goliath. "I think I'll be staying with these goblins, but tell you what ... if we all go upstairs and schmooze with the king's courts and the dragon's dudes, then maybe that would keep them busy and diverted ... you could just bust right out of here. Need help with those bars? I could give you a hand, but they might be goblin-tainted." For now, he'll wait to see if the wizard does anything dramatic to bust out of the prison once she gets her book back; while he waits, he'll enjoy the teapot's dancing. Useless for tasks, but that spout has the moves! After a fair amount of time, if nobody is busting out ... he'll start trying his way. "And I won't need your help, thank you very much," he says to the teapot.

 

Free action:
Action: roleplaying ... he's waiting to see if the wizard is going to firework their way out, if not, he'll move on to his plan in the next round
Bonus action:
Reaction:
Move:
Other:

 

Owinton "Oar" Grinstyrwi Character sheet link Class: Barbarian / Path of Wild Magic Background: Sailor Level: 5 HP: 58/58 AC: 15 Condition: Go-to attack: maul +7 / 2d6+4 Passive Perception: 12 Passive Investigation: 9 Passive Insight: 10 Saving Throw Modifiers: S +6 | D +2 | C +5 | I -1 | W 0 | Ch -1 Saving Throw Bonus: Advantage on seen traps and spells Crusher Feat: Once per turn, when you hit a creature with an attack that deals bludgeoning damage, you can move it 5 feet to an unoccupied space, provided the target is no more than one size larger than you.Move Opponent 5 feet / When you score a critical hit that deals bludgeoning damage to a creature, attack rolls against that creature are made with advantage until the start of your next turn.Critical Hits bring advantage Rage Attacks Remaining: 3/3 Stone's Endurance: 1/1 Magic Awareness: 2/2 Wild Surge Magic: Link to table Inspirations: Carrying for party: Huarwar's map and the ornate mapcase; five days of dog food, and the Delphine bracelet; Norsu's dried trunk; magical sippy stealth straw 6/6 charges

 

 

Town	Host	Teahaus Name	Special Brew Name	Teapot Symbol
Easthaven	Cora Mulphoon	Cora's Crooked House	The Inside Bath	Hedgehog
Caer-Dineval	Culver Ailsen	Oopsie-Doopsie Purple Dragon	The Inversion	Dragon
Good Mead	unconfirmed	The Plucky Teapot	Don't Mess with Good Mead	Dancing Teapot
Dougan's Hole	Carl and Crista Dejarr (tentative)	The Standing Stones Tea Stand	Norsu the Mammoth

 

• The sound of the legendary Ten Town sea monster
• The sound of yetis urging their fellow yetis to run away from a danger
• The sound of an avalanche about to sweep the landscape
• The sound of a cragcaw cat in heat
• The sound of mushroom spores thriving in an underground cavern
• The sound of an invisible dwarf displacing the air around them as they move closer
• The sound of comfort to a pack of worried dogs

 

Gristle, the Alpha
Beastie, black ear one white
Needle, skinny and shy
Bear, actor and raconteur
Unnamed dog
Unnamed dog

[AnotherDragoon]

On finding friends in strange places Chizzich mentally reached out to Bojangles, Do as she asks but bring them to me first. He flashed a nervous, sharp-toothed smile at the more kinetic goliath and chuckled, "I've been the ball before and, to be completely honest, I'd rather not again." He could perfectly understand Felty's fear as he was doing all he could to fight off his own minor panic attacks. Deep in a duergar fortress was never figured into his calculations upon leaving his cozy study cloister cave. Yet, here he finds himself with other exciting individuals, mid-adventure. The goblin shrugged at Pekoe, "Not much to defend out here besides our homes and selves. Sorry, I've only got what I'm wearing and I don't expect you'd find it very comfortable." The man wasn't very large or anything but, he was bigger than Chizzich and didn't look like he was even comfortable in his own skin. Well, these were trying times for everyone. Finally, he turned to the graying wizard, "I'm sorry about your owl, was it your familiar?" Chizzich nodded to the white weasel, "Mr. Bojangles is mine and, yes, if your wand and spell book are over there, he'll find them." He smiled with fewer teeth for the woman and introduced himself, "My name is Chizzich, I apprenticed under Macreadus." Perhaps she knew him, the world was wide but circles tended to run slightly smaller. Concentric rings rippling inward like the reverse of a rock thrown in a pond. How did her allegiance align that she wound up here? He was not surprised when she spoke in his mind, The unlikely truth of it is, I just met these two and decided to tag along. We are free agents, acting of our own accord, come to see the dragon that's been terrorizing Ten Towns. Maybe even destroy it. Who are you and how did you come to find yourself captured? Chizzich kept smiling as Oar's kettle did a cheerful little dance. At the end, he clapped and said, "Now there's something Bojangles won't do!" When the weasel returns, Chizzich will want to know what the woman knows and how she might help them escape before he'll pass her book and wand through the bars.

Mechanics     Saves: Free: Movement: Action: Reaction: Bonus Action: Condition: Concentrating:   Chizz'l d'Visc Goblin︱Wizard(Bladesinger) 5 AC: 15 (19) HP: 27/27 Fury of the Small: [ ][ ][ ]/ Long Rest Bladesong: [X][ ][ ]/ Long Rest Spell Save DC: 15 Level 1: [ ][ ][ ][ ] Level 2: [ ][ ][ ] Level 3: [ ][ ] Attuned: Carrying: Sleeping Sugar 6/6 uses DM Inspiration: Potions: Party Loot:

[lostcheerio]

In Sunblight Fortress, Lower Level It's hot here. Actually hot, not the kind of heat you get from a big campfire or stove, where the front of you is toasting but the back is still chilled. Hot smog drifts through the space from the end of the corridor where you entered, and dissipates into the cells with the odor of charcoal and hot metal. There's a sheen of sweat on the Goliath's face as he nods eagerly. "Yes, break bars! We work together, your goblin-tainted hands, my normal Goliath hands!" He strains and strains to bend or break the bars of his cell, but does not succeed. He retreats to the back of his cell, sullen, where he drops onto a low bench and sinks his chin into his hands. A rough character, for sure. Provincial. Felty drops her goblin form, takes off her coat, and then re-ups her Disguise Self spell, shifting to a red-haired dwarf to disrobe, and then shifting back to a goblin in less outerwear. She sits on her coat and pulls her knees up to her chin. "SHAPESHIFTER!" trumpets the goliath. "GOT MAGIC GOBLIN OVER HERE, TAKE SHAPE OF DWARF!" Nobody comes, or cares. Only Vellyne raises an eyebrow, but she says nothing. "What are you in for, big guy?" Felty asks the Goliath. "This not your business, magic shapeshifting goblin dwarf girl," the Goliath spits back. "What you are in for? Becoming goblin at wrong time?" Felty rolls her eyes. "We're not 'in' we are visiting the king." Kapanuk Thuunlakalaga rolls his eyes. It's hot in here. Oar, you are a world traveler. Enlightened by the proximity to so many people from so many places on the ships you've worked on and the ports you've visited. Were the Goliaths back on your home island xenophobic like this? Or only toward halflings? You look for your magic teapot -- on your head, in your pack, in your four back pants pockets. But sadly, you shed your undeniably ebullient teapot back in Dougan's Hole when you packed it onto Dassir's sled and sent it off to Good Mead, then left it there for Arista. The filthy prisoner in the far cell will accept your bedroll though. He wraps it around his waist and gives you an ingratiating grin. "No dwarf. I am Pekoe Quint from Dougan's Hole. I am a trapper." This is, of course, suspect, as Chizzich told you. But naturally he's not going to out himself as a shapeshifter just because you ask. Chizzich, the wizard nods recognition when you mention Macreadus. She has heard the name. "Ah, yes, the lonely sage. I have never had the pleasure to meet him, but I have read about a few of his gadgets. He is a bit... tinkery. As I recall? Perhaps a bit... mechanical? Apprenticed to him, how nice, what a nice, very nice start for a wizard of promise." Inside your head, she says, I am Vellyne Harpell. Of the Brothers Arcane. As it happens I came here to Icewind Dale, like several others of my guild, pursuing rumors of the fallen Netherese city of Ythryn. I was traveling with my apprentice, of course, and a few of my minions, but they sold me out to these sweaty little grit-grinders, made off with my spell focus, well, it was a very, very expensive and historically significant family heirloom. You have heard of my family? Well, never mind. If apprenticed to Macreadus you were, I offer you an improvement on that -- apprentice to me? The job is open. Mr. Bojangles scampers across the dusty stone floor to the shelf where you've instructed him. He leaps up the wall and quickly finds the spellbook and wand. He tucks the wand behind his ear, and carrying the book in his arms like a tiny schoolboy, he waddles back to you on his hind legs. It's a heavy book. By the time he makes it back to your cell his eyes are looking a little drawn and his little paws are straining. But he shoves it through the bars to you and follows it, flopping down on the ground, dramatically tired. Felty says, "Can I?" before picking him up. Flipping through the book, you see these spells: chill touch, light, mage hand, message, prestidigitation, comprehend languages, detect magic, ray of sickness, Tasha’s hideous laughter, darkvision, hold person, ray of enfeeblement, animate dead, Leomund’s tiny hut, vampiric touch, arcane eye, and blight "Clever," she says aloud. "It's just what I would have done. Well, see anything that interests you? " From down the corridor, you can hear the clank of the chains that operate the elevator in which you traveled down into this level of the fortress. They grind and shift, and then clang-clang-clang as the car begins to move.

[AnotherDragoon]

The wait is over? Deep inside this brutal, cold mountain fortress, Chizzich is feeling something he didn't believe would truly be possible. He is hot. Of course, he'd read words like sweltering, humid, steamy, and stuffy but out here in the mountains there was only cold. Sure the warmth of a campfire in a nice dry cave could beat it back, keep the cold at bay for a while, but it was always there. This dungeon was the absence of cold. He loosened his scarves and wiped his forehead before flipping through the spell book. "Yes, he was hoping to build something that might dispel the rime. Perhaps apprentice may not be the most precise word. I kept his books for him, and read as many as I could." Vellyne introduced herself in Chizzich's mind, as wizards do. He tried to think back, did Macreadus ever mention Harpells or Brothers Arcane? Did he recognize the names from a book or scroll? A fallen Netherese city, were all aadventures like this? A mad dash from danger to newer, more frightning danger? Chizzich answered back in the style of wizards, That all depends on whether or not we can get out of here, doesn't it? He flipped through the spell book aand nodded. There were indeed many he didn't know. "Sorry," he said before closing the book with a nervous chuckle, "it's just, sort of the easiest way to really see a wizard, who they are." His ears perked up and twisted a little, under his hat. The familiar sounf of massive chains that hoisted the elevator started up their task and announced the immenent arrival of, someone. Maybe the dwarf from before, Drek? "Somone's coming," he slipped Velleyn her book and wand through the bars. "Maybe we are going to get that meeting. Let's see what happens before making a move." He was mainly saying that for the other two prisoners, the excited goliath and the shifty shapeshifter. "If we're smart about it we can all get out. What do you think?" He turned to ask Oar and Felty.

Mechanics   Here   Saves: Free: try to remember the name Harpell or Brothers Arcane, History: 14 Movement: Action: Hand over the spell bok and wand Reaction: Bonus Action: Condition: Concentrating:   Chizz'l d'Visc Goblin︱Wizard(Bladesinger) 5 AC: 15 HP: 27/27 Fury of the Small: [ ][ ][ ]/ Long Rest Bladesong: [X][ ][ ]/ Long Rest Spell Save DC: 15 Level 1: [ ][ ][ ][ ] Level 2: [ ][ ][ ] Level 3: [ ][ ] Attuned: Carrying: Sleeping Sugar 6/6 uses DM Inspiration: Potions: Party Loot:

[bananabadger]

Orwinton 'Oar' Grinstyrwi Art commission @ThePsysquatch "I don't think smarts breaks many jail bars. Strength gets you out. Revolutions sometimes do. Marrying the jailor's daughter, or better yet the jailor, can be high-reward and big-risk. Death most always does. Not sure about smarts, but hey ... I've never been jailed with the world's smartest goblin and the world's smartest dwarf before, so ... who knows ?" He looks at the weasel who retrieved the book and gives it a thumbs-up, or whatever he thinks might be a thumbs-up in weaselish. "Well done, little furball. My teapot will get the next one when he's done being super invisible and super quiet." When the elevator sounds throughout the chamber, Oar's mood picks up. He places a straw in his mouth, a dried trunk in his hand, and gives a loud, quick shout of a whisper: "If smarts don't work, get ready to break some bars and then some dwarves!"

 

Free action:
Action: roleplaying ... he's waiting to see what happens, but has the trunk ready to summon Pat so she appears inside the goliath's cage
Bonus action:
Reaction:
Move:
Other:

 

Owinton "Oar" Grinstyrwi Character sheet link Class: Barbarian / Path of Wild Magic Background: Sailor Level: 5 HP: 58/58 AC: 15 Condition: Go-to attack: maul +7 / 2d6+4 Passive Perception: 12 Passive Investigation: 9 Passive Insight: 10 Saving Throw Modifiers: S +6 | D +2 | C +5 | I -1 | W 0 | Ch -1 Saving Throw Bonus: Advantage on seen traps and spells Crusher Feat: Once per turn, when you hit a creature with an attack that deals bludgeoning damage, you can move it 5 feet to an unoccupied space, provided the target is no more than one size larger than you.Move Opponent 5 feet / When you score a critical hit that deals bludgeoning damage to a creature, attack rolls against that creature are made with advantage until the start of your next turn.Critical Hits bring advantage Rage Attacks Remaining: 3/3 Stone's Endurance: 1/1 Magic Awareness: 2/2 Wild Surge Magic: Link to table Inspirations: Carrying for party: Huarwar's map and the ornate mapcase; five days of dog food, and the Delphine bracelet; Norsu's dried trunk; magical sippy stealth straw 6/6 charges

 

 

Town	Host	Teahaus Name	Special Brew Name	Teapot Symbol
Easthaven	Cora Mulphoon	Cora's Crooked House	The Inside Bath	Hedgehog
Caer-Dineval	Culver Ailsen	Oopsie-Doopsie Purple Dragon	The Inversion	Dragon
Good Mead	unconfirmed	The Plucky Teapot	Don't Mess with Good Mead	Dancing Teapot
Dougan's Hole	Carl and Crista Dejarr (tentative)	The Standing Stones Tea Stand	Norsu the Mammoth

 

• The sound of the legendary Ten Town sea monster
• The sound of yetis urging their fellow yetis to run away from a danger
• The sound of an avalanche about to sweep the landscape
• The sound of a cragcaw cat in heat
• The sound of mushroom spores thriving in an underground cavern
• The sound of an invisible dwarf displacing the air around them as they move closer
• The sound of comfort to a pack of worried dogs

 

Gristle, the Alpha
Beastie, black ear one white
Needle, skinny and shy
Bear, actor and raconteur
Unnamed dog
Unnamed dog

[lostcheerio]

In Sunblight Fortress Chains clink. Hot fog shifts and stirs. Felty snaps off her conversation with the Goliath and gets to her feet, pulling on her parka in spite of the heat, tugging the hood tightly around her face. Vellyne Harpell takes the spell book from Mr. Bojangles with a polite bow, then as the noise of the elevator continues, she tucks the book under her legs and sits down quietly on the bench in her cell, hunching over, crossing her arms and sinking into herself. Kapanuk Thuunlakalaga resumes banging on the bars, snarling and snapping at the front of his cell, drawing attention, and Pekoe Quint slips Oar's bedroll around himself and covers his ears. The clanking stops, you hear the metal door opening, a brisk command in undercommon, and then many footsteps, as a group approaches the prison hallway. A pair of duergar appears at the doorway, then as they march down toward you, another pair appears, and a third. The Goliath makes a lunge for the closest one through the bars, who swings out with his little hammer and rakes the huge knuckles, causing him to howl. The dark dwarves flank the door to your cell, open it, and beckon you to come out. "Up to the king, now it's your turn, Now march along nicely, or you'll fry." Felty can't help rolling her eyes and spitting out a whispered, "Why can't they just say burn! It's right there!" but the duergar guards are unperturbed by her critique and push you roughly out of the prison area. Your entire escort can't fit in the elevator with the three of you, so three stay back on the lower level, and three cram in with you. One of the ones waiting below throws a lever, and the loud clanking begins as the elevator car rises slowly up, up, up through the dark shaft. Felty shifts uncomfortably, not wanting her goblin cover to be blown by a dwarf getting close enough to touch her, and tries to hide behind Chizzich. After an uncomfortable and long ride, you emerge again on the level where you first entered the fortress, high up on the mountainside. The air is clearer up here, and breathing is easier, with less smoke to choke your lungs. Your guards direct you out of the elevator, back into the hallway where you were captured, but instead of east, where Drek was pointing you, or west back toward the barracks where they all jumped you, this time, the guards take you straight ahead, through a double doors and into a formal chamber. There is another set of double doors to the north, in addition to the one to the south you just came through. A brazier of glowing-hot coals stands in each corner. In the middle of the room is a low stone table, on the top of which is drawn an illustration that looks something like a map of the Ten Towns. Mounted to the top of a thin iron stand on the table is a 6-inch-tall dragon figurine carved out of chardalyn, its wings outstretched. The figurine’s stand is attached by an iron rod to a groove carved into the table, perhaps allowing the figurine to move across the map. Two of the guards stand flanking the door you just came through. One goes to the other set of doors and knocks on it quietly, at which point a large (for a dwarf!) duergar comes stumping through. The guard barks out in accented common, "Kneel for the King! Kneel for Xardorok Sunblight!" The king has a long white beard, a stern iron crown, heavy armor, and a growling, gravely voice. "Very well, bold invaders, you have my attention. You came to visit Sunblight? Allow me to say We have no room for looky-loos, no time for any tourists If you want to join our gritty crew, prove that you're true believers My guards doubt your sincerity. They think you're here for swindling So speak your loyal piece, before I use you for small pieces of firewood." He clamps his jaw shut, takes a wide stance, and tilts his head, to listen to your pitch. "You've got this," whispers Felty. "Right? You've got this, right!?" OOC Felty has given Bardic Inspiration to whichever one of you is going to make your case to Xardorok. I will need a Persuasion or Deception check to sway him to your story, but if you'd like to do another round of RP before that, you can. You can also give each other a help action if you include each other in your RP. I'm very interested to see what you're going to tell him!