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Lorellion Quelethemar "It's true!", Lorellion confirms as he walks, overhearing the conversation. "Ravens and crows are servants of my master. Often querulous, greedy, and untrustworthy servants, but servants still. They carry off the souls of the unburied to the afterlife. They eat the flesh as their payment. That's why it's a curse to kill one."
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Jun 2, 2020 23:19
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 Callum -17 HP"A fair price to demand for their service," Callum says as he joins the conversation. "I have always felt the Raven was the wisest of the birds."
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Jun 3, 2020 00:11
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 Doctor Sharps 17/17 Doctor Sharps ignores the discussion about ravens. Omens mean nothing to him and what the gods do is their own business. Instead, he takes the flask as Hamartia hands it to him and holds it up to the light. According to what Arrigal wrote, the patient likely drank something like this recently. It's unlikely to be a factor in her illness, but it never hurt to have too much information. There's some unfamiliar material in it. Flecks of silver and bits of what may be fruit. Making a mental note to ask about that when they reach Barovia, he removes his mask and takes a sip of the brandywine. Now on to more important matters. "Callum. Conor." Each name said in its owner's voice. He puts the mask back on and approaches them, holding out the questionnaire. "Read this. Is there anything in these symptoms that suggests magic influence?" He also holds out the flask for whoever takes it first. addressing the characters with the highest arcana scores
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Jun 3, 2020 00:53
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Callum -17 HP Callum looks at the form, frowning more deeply as he reads through the symptoms. He takes the pro-offered flask and takes a deep swig when he finishes, coughing slightly as it goes down wrong. "Doctor, this is... concerning." He traces a claw lightly over the list, "Each symptom alone? They are so vague as to be any number of magical maladies. But in conjunction with this?" He points to the line where it says quote:-Death came for her, she says. troubled in the head maybe? "I can only guess that she has been bitten by a Vampire. This is more dangerous than I had thought." Arcana Check- What does this describe result 14+4 18
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Jun 3, 2020 01:45
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Doctor Sharps 17/17 "Interesting. I assumed that was - a hallucination. If we disregard that - the symptoms indicate blood anemia. This much blood loss - without anyone noticing. A vampire - explains that neatly." Doctor Sharps takes back the questionnaire with a nod. "Treatment will be simple. A blood transfusion will be enough." medicine check: 1d20 (7) + 7 = 14
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Jun 3, 2020 02:03
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Lorellion Quelethemar "Have to kill the vampire too. That might be harder than a blood transfusion."
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Jun 3, 2020 02:52
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 Conor Noblereaver 20/20: PP - 12, PI - 17 Conor grimaces as he reads the symptoms. And curses as Callum says the word vampire. He spits as if to get a bad taste out of his mouth before speaking. "Sure sounds like a vampire all right. Don't know about a blood transfusion. It might help. But it will not be enough. This is more than just anemia. We will have to kill the vampire. The victim will need to be placed in a holy place, sanctified, and kept from the bloodsucking monster. We absolutely cannot let him drink from her again." Arcana check of 23 if it involves undead, fey, or fiends. Also Religion check of 22 if it involves one of those three groups.
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Jun 3, 2020 07:08
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Epicurius posted:Lorellion Quelethemar Rolled a 23 Religion check to see if this vampire lore is correct.
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Jun 3, 2020 07:16
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Doctor Sharps 17/17 "I'm a doctor, not a - vampire slayer. But the patient's health comes first. If this is what's needed, I'll do it," Doctor Sharps says. He takes the letter out of his coat and examines it again. "It seems they know - she was attacked by something. Not just a disease. It explains why they sought out a - group of killers - not just a doctor. I'll be interested to know why they didn't tell us."
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Jun 3, 2020 08:37
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Everypme - On the road - Woods let's say that your about a hour into your journey. This is more of a intermission - things are happening post, for those reading along. Also a small summary of what's been happening in the partychat in the discord. As you've commenced your journey through Svalich woods, and to Barovia. you all share your theories, or in some cases knowledge on poor Ireena's condition. You theorize that there's some vile creature responsible. A Vampire. You discuss and study the materials you have so far, Arrigal's glass flask and the symbolism of ravens, the Doctors patient form and the letter from the Burgomaster. The trip is uneventful so far, if a bit rough due to the poor condition of the road, a mix of rough gravel and packed down dirt. The sun warming you after the chilly night in the taverns rickety rooms. The morning fog is still lurking around ground level, initially slowly dissipating but soon new waves of gray fog begin to roll into the woods, obscuring your vision beyond the treeline. and limiting your vision on the road to about a hundred feet. somewhere overhead, a crow s cawing is heard by all of you.
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Jun 3, 2020 14:01
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 Hamartia | HP: 18/18 | LoH: 10/10 "Vampires don't usually just show up out of nowhere, right...? I wonder how one got to be in this part of the world. Or if it's even still around? Maybe it just... left... Barovia? How would we even track it down, if it did?" 
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Jun 3, 2020 14:57
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Lorellion Quelethemar "The woman. If he's fed on her, he's going to want to come back and feed again, seems to me."
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Jun 3, 2020 15:58
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Callum -17 HP Callum stumbled as the group continued along, nearly falling as he stepped on an unexpected change in terrain. Wincing a bit and rubbing his arm he continued on, pulling out a black leatherbound journal to review as the group walked. "We should ask around when we arrive in Barovia. I think the local clergy may be able to aid us." He gives a small secretive smile, "Who knows, they may even have some artifact that would help us fight the monster."
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Jun 3, 2020 17:21
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Gandarn Stoutcask 24/24 https://ddb.ac/characters/27384108/eVifUc After a particularly long silence, Gandarn sidles up next to the Doctor and firmly turns his shoulder to face him. "Listen-" he pauses, scrunching his face, "NOT a killer, this.." He pats his hammer, "for the dead." He quickly lets go and returns to marching. He can be seen searching out the location of local sounds, and a few times waving his hand through the fog as if attempting to feel it. Perhaps that's how a dwarf that spent 20 years alone inside a rock would react to nature.
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Jun 3, 2020 21:00
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Doctor Sharps 17/17 The Kenku shrugs. "Group of killers" might not have been the best description, but it was the closest term he could say. It's not the first time this inability to form his own words has caused him trouble. In any case, it's no concern of his as to how Gandarn thinks of himself.
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Jun 3, 2020 21:32
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Lorellion Quelethemar "Should we turn back until this fog clears up? It's easy to get lost and wander off the path, blind."
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Jun 3, 2020 21:32
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Epicurius posted:Lorellion Quelethemar Gandarn Stoutcask 24/24 https://ddb.ac/characters/27384108/eVifUc "HMMF!" Gandarn pauses, turns and waves the party forward down the path.
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Jun 4, 2020 01:27
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Everyone - On the road - Svalich Woods You continue your travel along the gravel road, with it crunching underfoot. The waves of grey fog continuing to roll in, swelling in size and density until a grey wall of fog rolls over you, all you can see now is your travelling companions, visibility a few feet at best. The woods begin darkening as the trees begin to close ranks, their needle-covered arms interlocking to blot out the sun. the now familiar crunch of the gravel road instead turning into the sickly squelch of thick mud. After a brief moment the fog fades ahead of you, settling back to the same early morning fog, stalking around the ground and near tree trunks. Behind you, a wall of fog remains, gray and still. Ahead of you, a road still lies. not the gravel and dirt road that you were on before. A muddy roadway with black pools of water standing in it, like dark mirrors. Giant trees loom on both sides of the road, their branches clawing at the mist. About half a mile ahead of you, you see the outline of a massive gate-like structure in the mists. Not sure if i managed to word it right, it's still kinda misty, with thicker mist lower to the ground
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Jun 4, 2020 17:45
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Gandarn Stoutcask 24/24 https://ddb.ac/characters/27384108/eVifUc Gandarn pauses for a moment, looks around , and continues on, now interested in the construction of the upcoming gate. He looks back at the rest of the group more often than he did before. Does it seem unusual for around here? LRADIKAL fucked around with this message at 21:45 on Jun 4, 2020 |
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Jun 4, 2020 21:32
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Lorellion Quelethemar "There's something wrong here. This is a place of death.", Lorellion asserts.
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Jun 4, 2020 23:29
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Callum -17 HP The change in scenery raised Callum's hackles as the mist receded, and he almost jumps when Lorellion speaks and breaks the silence. He mumbled a whispered prayer, "Khirad, grant me sight beyond vision" and symbolically raked his claws over his face as his eyes began to glow with an unearthly orange gleam. He glanced around at his surroundings suspiciously. "I do not see anything out of the ordinary," he begins before whipping his head back at the wall of mist behind them, "wait... this mist is magical. I can sense it, faintly. Necromancy and abjuration." Activate Detect Magic, rolled a perception check 1d20 (3) 3
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Jun 5, 2020 00:09
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LRADIKAL posted:Gandarn Stoutcask Hamartia | HP: 18/18 | LoH: 10/10 "Are you alright, master dwarf? I feel... sort of weak, kind of..." [Arcana check to see if I know what abjuration usually does?] = 5  "It's almost as if the fog we passed through was like a gate to somewhere else -- some sort of 'fog gateway', if you will. See? This isn't like the road we were on at all," she says, indicating towards the ground ahead of them.
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Jun 5, 2020 04:08
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Doctor Sharps 17/17 Doctor Sharps doesn't pay attention to the change in scenery at first. But he assumes the death cleric can recognize a place of death. Whatever that means. A place where people have died before, or a place hazardous to life? Or possibly a place filled with necrotic energy? Putting a hand on his cane, he flicks his head from side to side, looking around for threats. Movement in the fog behind them catches his eye. He's not sure what he's seeing at first, but as he focuses, he can discern ghostly faces swirling in the fog. He walks closer, sliding his sword out of the cane. As he approaches, he can recognize the faces of his past patients. Dozens of them. The mist is completely silent, but it looks to Doctor Sharps almost as though they're calling for help. He briefly turns his head to listen to Callum and Hamartia discuss the fog. He turns back and the faces have changed. All of them are staring at him, hunger in their eyes. Doctor Sharps steps back. He understands what Lorellion meant now. "Does anyone else see this? Faces. In the fog." perception to look for threats: 1d20 (10) + 5 = 15
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Jun 5, 2020 04:41
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Callum -17 HP "Faces?" Callum asked, peering again at the roiling wall of fog. "I see only fog doctor. It is imbued with some kind of magic, but I cannot sense any illusions." He shrugged, "Are you certain it is not a trick of the light or the mind?"
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Jun 5, 2020 04:48
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Gandarn Stoutcask 24/24 https://ddb.ac/characters/27384108/eVifUc P.d0t posted:
Gandarn stops in his tracks. "Nonsense..." He trails off and closes his eyes reaching out as if to feel for something in the dark. (using Divine Sense just as soon as the DM wakes up)
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Jun 5, 2020 05:10
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Conor Noblereaver 20/20: PP - 12, PI - 17 Conor grits his teeth as the fog rolls over them, and grunts in suspicion when it rolls back enough to reveal a different path than the one they had been traveling along. His eyes continue to scan the mists for any sign of enemies as they begin moving toward the gate. He glances to Doctor Sharps briefly before grunting a "no Doctor I do not see any faces in the fog. But I don't trust it."
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Jun 5, 2020 07:20
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Doctor Sharps 17/17 Unfortunately, Doctor Sharps is aware that senses can't always be trusted. The Vistani had reminded him of that just last night. He steps back, closes his eyes to give them a quick rest, and runs through a few exercises in his head to assess his mental health. Self assessments are always limited, but his eyes and mind are in good shape as far as he can tell. rolling medicine on own mental health: 1d20 (10) + 7 He looks back at the fog to see that it's changed again, this time shifting between images. He recognizes Nurse Gorr, an injured child, an elderly woman, and himself, before the shapes fade into featureless fog. Sliding his sword back into the sheath, he backs away. "I'm not seeing things. I'm not imagining things," he says, addressing Callum. "Necromancy and abjuration. You said it yourself. There's magic here." Sharps points to Conor. "He's right. I'm no expert on magic. But - necromancy - fog - sounds like a health risk." Following his own advice, he takes a few more steps away from the fog, then kicks a rock at it. He doesn't know what he was expecting, but he's slightly disappointed when the rock flies through the fog with no apparent effect.
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Jun 5, 2020 09:56
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Gandarn Stoutcask 24/24 https://ddb.ac/characters/27384108/eVifUc Gandarn traces a shape with his finger into the distance where a curtain of fog covers the path from whence they came. He looks at Hamartia, "Sense it?" A small gasp escapes him! He walks to a relatively flat dry bit of land nearby. He then begins a small set of performances; flexing his knees, rolling his feet from heel to toe as when he pondered Arrigal. He hops. Scratching his beard then rubbing his face, he kneels down and picks up a handful of mud, squeezes it in his hand, picks up another scoop and smells it, then, without a sidelong glance, tastes it. He spits, then stands, wiping has hands on his trousers. He waves his arms in the air, making different shapes with his hands. Gandarn Stoutcast begins scanning the sky finally holding his hand up at the sun, casting it's shadow on and off his face. He holds his arms out questioningly, "Where... ?" His shoulders slouch and he mumbles to himself. "Guess I've enough signs" he says flatly, cocking his head towards the edge of the path where he recently performed. Anyone standing near enough would be able to see very large wolf tracks in the mud.
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Jun 5, 2020 11:29
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Everyone - on the road - Svalich Woods Moving you along on your journey!, for those in the discord reading along, please don't screw with the bot commands on this. After you encounter with the mist and the fog wall, the new surroundings you find yourself in offer you only one way to go, forwards. through the muddy roads it is rough going, nearly slipping and your feet sinking into it what feels like every other step. As you get closer to the the gate, the road becomes steadily less muddy, and more solid, packed dirt. When you arrive at the gate the fog spills out of the forest to swallow up the road behind you. Ahead, jutting from the impenetrable woods on both sides of the road, are high stone buttresses looming gray in the fog. Huge iron gates hang on the stonework. Dew clings with cold tenacity to the rusted bars. Two headless statues of armed guardians flank the gate, their heads now lying among the weeds at their feet. They greet you only with silence. the gates swing open as you approach, the ancient hinges screeching under the strain.  You all catch the scent of death on the air. wafting over, from near the forests edge, ahead of you. I'm probably gonna be away for a bit, buddy of mine needs some moral support and I've got some things that need doing, So I'll be less able to respond and answer your checks. If you want to investigate the smell and the thing in the woods. I've prebaked a post that is ready to go in the discord!, type !investigate, and it should pop up. please type it only in your IC channels. Have a good weekend! I'll probably have time for the final travel update tommorow!.(no DC on this investigation)
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Jun 5, 2020 17:33
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Callum -17 HP The stench of death felt like an almost solid thing hitting Callum's nose, and he choked down bile. "We should investigate this," he said to the group as they made their way through the gate and the smell grew even stronger. He pushed his way through the thick underbrush until he found the source of the smell, a human corpse surrounded by paw prints that had clearly been dead for several days. In the hands of the corpse he spied a letter which he fished from the clawed hands, grimly noting the massive claw marks that had rent the poor boy's body. He broke the seal on the letter, uncrumpling the paper and reading it quickly as he backed away from the body and back towards the road. He frowned more and more deeply as he read silently, looking up only once he was done to see the faces of his compatriots. "It seems this will not be a rescue mission. According to this the Burgomaster who sent for us is dead along with all his people." His eyes flash with an orange glow for a moment that disappears almost as quickly as it came. "But the letter makes little sense otherwise. It says they have been aware of this Vampire for centuries. Why would it kill everyone now? Why would they have sent for us under the guise of a mission for medical aid?" He shook his head. "There is something very seriously wrong here."  The letter Callum found in the corpse's hands for any other party member who wishes to read it
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Jun 5, 2020 17:52
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Lorellion Quelethemar "If these mists were magical, could they have not trapped this place in some state, where time moved differently? So that this place was thriving when the first message was sent, but by the time we got here, enough time had passed in this place that all those who were alive then have since turned to dust?"
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Jun 5, 2020 17:57
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Conor Noblereaver 20/20: PP - 12, PI - 17 Conor follows the scent of death toward the body and letter just as Callum did. He asks, "may I see the letter?" He reads it. "It seems less that they are already dead. It seems more that they suggest we send off for Clerics and Paladins, enough to seal the land in holy symbols, to end this menace with pure power. Then to take our reward once all within are dead. It is a letter of despair." He pauses as he reads over the letter again, thinking back on the letter that brought them here in the first place. "The two letters were not written by the same person. This person claiming to be the Burgomaster knew about the vampire, and has all their life, and wanted nothing more than for us to burn the place down with holy power. The other was written by someone claiming to be the Burgomaster and wanting us to rush in and help his daughter overcome this unknown threat. This letter is a warning, the other a plea. This one never made it to us as the messenger was killed. The other was sent to us by someone who clearly knew how to get to us safely." He grits his teeth. "I can't say for sure which letter is truly from the Burgomaster. But I suspect this one here on the dead man is the real one, and that we were deceived to come here. It was unnecessary I would have come to fight a vampire anyway, but if the other letter had reached us first we probably would have tried to get many powerful Clerics and Paladins to deal with a vampire that has been ruling a land for 400 years."
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Jun 5, 2020 18:33
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Doctor Sharps 17/17 Doctor Sharps takes out the letter from the tavern and compares them. The handwriting is clearly different and one uses more archaic dialect. There's some noticeable differences in phrasing, but those could be dismissed. "How odd. Why write this?" He says, holding up the original, perhaps fake letter. "Understandable to not want - many powerful clerics and paladins - to come here. But in that case - simply intercept the messenger. Why write this?" He's quiet for a while. "In any case. We are not - many powerful clerics and paladins. We should find a way back. Figure out the - fog. Find - Arrigal. Ask about the letter. Find the - burgomaster. Know what's really happening."
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Jun 6, 2020 01:00
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Gandarn Stoutcask 24/24 https://ddb.ac/characters/27384108/eVifUc "Wolves, desecrated fog behind, following. Won't fare well inside it. Hmm, we must move forward, carve out path." Gandarn begins searching for the best way forward through the ruins with an eye towards defensible structures and signs of life.
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Jun 6, 2020 01:13
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Hamartia | HP: 18/18 | LoH: 10/10 | DS: 4 At the question from their dwarf companion, Hamartia closed her eyes and reached out with her other senses. Slowly turning around in a circle, she kept one hand open palm down, with the wrist held against the side of her abdomen; the other hand balled slightly, held up in front of her collarbone, with the thumb running back and forth across its fingertips. [Using Divine Sense wherever Gandarn indicates.] Conor Noblereaver posted:"It seems less that they are already dead. It seems more that they suggest we send off for Clerics and Paladins, enough to seal the land in holy symbols, to end this menace with pure power. Then to take our reward once all within are dead. It is a letter of despair." Lorellion Quelethemar posted:"If these mists were magical, could they have not trapped this place in some state, where time moved differently? So that this place was thriving when the first message was sent, but by the time we got here, enough time had passed in this place that all those who were alive then have since turned to dust?" Gandarn Stoutcask posted:"Wolves, desecrated fog behind, following. Won't fare well inside it. Hmm, we must move forward, carve out path." "Maybe these statues? ...holy symbols? If that much time has passed, maybe that's how they were built... maybe the idea was to just seal this place off, and let it die; at least that way the damage might have been contained," she postulates, lamenting a bit at the beheaded carvings. "Or... maybe this fog was meant to keep this place hidden? If the two things are linked, then maybe their vandalization would explain how we were able to break through the mists, to get here?" [Religion check to determine if the statues are of deities or the like: 1d20 (10) + 4 = 14] Ryuujin posted:Conor Noblereaver P.d0t fucked around with this message at 07:40 on Jun 6, 2020 |
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Jun 6, 2020 04:25
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Callum -17 HP "The question, as I see it, is if we should move forward or back." Callum began, pacing in a tight circle. "The fog did not harm us on our way in, and clearly whoever Arrigal was he came from here to find us." He stopped and turned to look at the others. "Why us?" He shook his head. "Regardless, I ill like this. We have seen many wolf tracks on our way here and our dead messenger was clearly mauled by such a beast. We need to find somewhere defensible and plan out out next move. I agree with the good master dwarf for my part, whoever laid this trap had to have known we would discover the body here. There was no effort made to destroy the message or particularly hide the body. I fear turning back may be a trap and we should look for a defensible location to plan our next move."
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Jun 6, 2020 04:49
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Doctor Sharps 17/17 The conversation is starting to get too complex for the phrases Doctor Sharps has in his memory. He takes a notepad from his coat and begins writing on it instead. When he's finished writing, he turns the notepad around. If the letter we found here is correct, this situation is beyond our ability to resolve. We are not an army of clerics and paladins. Were it not for the fog, I would suggest we turn back. Walking into a necromantic fog without knowing its effects is not a decision that promotes good health. If Arrigal is here, we should find him. He may know more about the fog and how to get through it. He should also know who wrote the 'fake' letter. We should also find the burgomaster. It's the only way to know for sure which letter is correct. The doctor taps his pen against his mask for a moment, lost in thought. Then he turns the notepad around and writes another comment. The dialect in the first letter is interesting. Arrigal didn't speak like that. Whoever wrote this letter here doesn't write like that. We should look out for anyone who uses that dialect. Even if they didn't write the letter, they may be able to lead us to the one who did. history roll on the dialect in the letter: 1d20 (3) + 1 cuntman.net fucked around with this message at 18:30 on Jun 6, 2020 |
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Jun 6, 2020 06:00
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Lorellion Quelethemar Lorellion looks at the wolves that have appeared out of the mists, who are looking at him. "Maybe we can solve this later?", he suggests. "We should go now....quickly but not running...."
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Jun 6, 2020 17:40
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I'll chuck up a placeholder next time, previous two posts are in respinse to thia going up on the discord Everyone - Svalich Woods As you all study various things, letters, language, ancient statues. In the wall of fog behind you, you hear a wolf howling, and lurking in the fog you see a large wolf, stalking towards you. For the moment, it seems content just watching and waiting. As it's howl is first answered by one, then two, then many howls all coming from beyond the fog wall. You see a Dire Wolf, lurking in the fog, obviously making no attempt to hide itself, you estimate that the returning howls are at minimum 6 other wolves, probably of similair size Beyond the gate you see the road swing down into the valley, at it's center lies a village. You do see a few specks of light flickering in the village, seems there is some life there. AzMiLion fucked around with this message at 20:10 on Jun 6, 2020 |
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Jun 6, 2020 20:08
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Gandarn Stoutcask 24/24 https://ddb.ac/characters/27384108/eVifUc Moving inside the gates, Gandarn attempts to close one side, then the other side, to then bind them closed with rope and possibly barricade with stones or pieces of wood found nearby.
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Jun 6, 2020 21:28
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