[IC] D&D 5E - Forgotten Realms

[Gordian Nought]

East of Waterdeep

You ran from that hated concrete jungle.

Why did you ever risk exploring the City of Splendors? The detested prison full of traps. That zoo, with rooms full of beasts. Who would harbor and chain such magnificent animals?

It had been about an hour, since paranoia gripped your mind. Likely a consequence of the hallucinogens employed in the rituals you have pursued since knighthood. Or were you drugged? Your legs feel weak, but the gem brilliantly began to glow strong with vibrant blue light as you hastily departed from that hidden menagerie, to which invisible hands loosed your chains. Gradually, the sapphire commenced to dim, as if the inverse of its luminescence translated as a beacon, with its negative connotative.

Was this all because of that single use of that damned Dragonrose?

A drug, sensitive and rapidly degradable to light and heat, but if preserved in darkness, its potency doubled. The base is flammable and ignites into a blaze, if exposed too long to illumination. Once snorted, it kindles due to the body temperature serving as a catalyst. Hence the nominal creditation and the simultaneous dissuasion to consume in minute qualities lest the user suffer internal thermal burns.

Furthermore, the consequence of this drug, rumored in a spectrum of enchantment and transmutation, whether temporary or permanent, some even dipping into other planes and complete madness, still has not deterred those who abuse and sell such illicit remedies. All because of the promise of divination and efficiency.

Your memories suddenly harvested the remembrance of your friend, Evlynne.

She used Dragonrose with you, didn’t she?

Where was she? Was she looking for you? Was she dead?

The foliage on the outskirts demonstrated passage of not only time but seasons. The leaves were mostly comprised of hues of scarlet, auburn, and olive. You recall that it was winter when you entered the Castle Ward.

Has a whole year passed by?

Bark after branch after hill pass you by, as you delve deeper into the forest surrounding the eastern side of the Crown of the North. Following the cardinal direction of the sunrise, your lungs burn with the aroma of autumn as your legs tire, deprived of the energy of your Wildshape. Strangely, a clearing and a statue erupts into view. The sculpture bears familiarity, even housing a pebble of indigo in its arm. As you approach up to five feet of the feminine figurine, you mystically realize its identity as your whisper her name.

@Ms Ravenwinter@corneredbliss

[Gordian Nought]

Prison?

@The Grey Dust@Daemanis @JBRam2002
Noting the Dire Wolf, the proverbial Whitey began to yodel loudly, wiggling from Mara’s grasp as she was about to place the key in the lock which shackled her mount. He dashed, flailing his arms in a terrified manner, towards the glimmering portal.

“Declaration: Unknown Albino Organic is attempting to escape Custody of potential ally,” stated the fleshy robot.

“You do not harm the allies!” The fairy retorted.

“Statement: Units shall assist in subduing target.”

“Let the man go!”

“Statement: The bite of Mounted Unit is Paralytic.”

“I reiterate, let the man GO!”

“Comment: Should target survive the primary traumatic injury and fail to resist venom, target will be neutralized.”

Cerise raised her mace, with her shield into a defensive position. “Last warning.”

The spider moved swiftly in front of the exit, blocking the Albino’s escape. The poison quickly engulfed the blanch gent as he flaccidly collapsed, unconscious. In retribution, a sacred flame consumed the eight legged creature and its rider.

@rush99999@Cu Chulainn@The Large Dumbo@Lauder @The Grey Dust@Daemanis @JBRam2002

The invisible woman again ignores the friendly conversation from the Goliath. Footsteps could be heard leaping onto a slab whereupon the fan was not directly above. A jump could be discerned from those who were perceptive to which a heavy thud landed in the already dented barricade. The metal buckled and plummeted below, awkwardly descending off the central pillar and again off portion of the stony spiral staircase. Blood splayed on the ground and engulfed a partition of the girl, who demonstrates a sharky scarlet grin.

Just in time to witness the Albino flop in front of a giant arachnid.

>Everyone roll Initiative.

Pillar Room

[rush99999]

[Post Expunged]

[Ms Ravenwinter]

Evlynne Winters

---

Cracks crawl through Evlynne's visage. The fractures split and tear until hair-thin slices of masonry slough off the statue she had become. Each piece unraveled like mystical thread and vanished into the Weave from whence it came. As Eve's face started to be revealed, she seemed to reanimate.

"So, I'll see what it doe -- heeyy..."

The last action she had carried out seemed to continue like a momentum of consciousness. The image of her flicking her wrist, mysterious, baubled wand in hand, only to be suddenly be stricken with petrification, would surely flicker through Ynaxandra's mind. Evlynne's eyes rolled back as her statement drifted off. She then collapsed directly in front of her dear friend.

Coughing ensued shortly after, her breathless body surging to life as she sputtered out rapidly dissipating fragments of stone. The blinked away the glaze from her eyes. Looking down, there was no wand. It had seemingly vanished, though the snow surrounding them also seemed to vanish. Looking up, her friend hadn't vanished, though Yna seemed to be in less that positive straits.

"So," Evlynne coughed once more, "I don't suppose it worked, did it?"

@corneredbliss
[Thanks to @JBRam2002 for the header format!]

[JBRam2002]

Mara-kai Vrede

---

As Mara leaned down, key in hand to unlock the shackles binding her poor Fern, the albino began to squirm. "Hold up, will ya? We'll be safe soon, ya?" she cried out, evidently garnering the attention of the mechanical figure nearby. While he and the fairy started bickering, Mara lost her grasp on the albino. "Aw, piss in a canteen!" she muttered. How many times would she have to march over amd retrieve...

Oh.

The giant spider before her had approached and opened its fanged maw, its metallic teeth dripping with some sort of ichorous poison. Mara felt her knees weaken slightly. Not in the good way, like she had when the captain of the guard had swooped in and rescued her. No, this was the giant-metal-spider-bout-to-fuck-yo-shit-up sort of knee-weakening that Mara generally was not accustomed to. On the plus side, the spider had blocked her pale acquaintance in his attempt to skedaddle. On the less-than-plus side, the guy was now unconscious on the floor.

"Didja really gotta go and do that, though?" Mara called out in annoyance as she turned back to unlocking her pet. "I see where ya got me wrong, seein as Whitey ran away from me. But I had that completely under control. Mostly." Mara hopped aboard Fern's back, giving her pet a hug, despite the bony ride she knew she was in for, and then moved to the tiny fairy, attempting to place herself between the two combatants. "Now look, no need to start up a war or nothin. Let's all tryna get along til we get outta here, ya?"

[The Grey Dust]

((reserved action for later, TLDR: Giant armored spider and rider perched on the ceiling over hanging the entrance to the south corridor.))

[Gordian Nought]

Round 1 Update

AdAM
AdAM proclaims the following while strapping himself securely upon AdAM 8, and climbing upside down in front of the southern exit.

"Answer: Actions were necessary."
"Statement: Your Captive was an unknown asset to Escaping"
"Comment: Target should be neutralized, and may require medical expertise."
"Observation: Another unknown entity has entered this chamber."

Mara
Mara and Fern, her Wolfy, will move to the bottom of the pillar. Should the invisible woman be aggressive, she will use her action to grapple her. If the invisible woman tries to damage someone, Fern will attack.

Thanath
Having been ignored by the unseen individual, Thanath simply watched as the door was jumped on 1 final time before the door gave way and the hole became unblocked again. Hearing sounds further down after the sounds of falling door had stopped, Thanath peered down the hole and wondered what was going on down there. After a moment, Thanath concluded some sort of confrontation was commencing down there. "Don't start the fight without me!" Thanath boomed before drawing his maul and descending into the room below in a way that both showed off his athletic prowess and let him walk away from a fall that exceeded 10 feet without taking damage or dropping prone upon landing.

Invisible Lady
Suddenly, a sphere appeared from the origin of the crimson grin, encapsulating the stable, unconscious Albino, apparently resilient from any to or fro from within. After wiping the blood off, she paces briskly to the pale, poisoned diamond bearer.

Thanath and Mara were offered an AoO, but at disadvantage. Both declined.

Round 1 Map

[Cu Chulainn]

Sir Halflight

---

WIP

"Uh, friend... could you help me open this door?"

Effects, or "TLDR"

Sir Halflight
HP: 52/55
AC: 12

Halflight tries to investigate how he could open the door holding his gear, rolling a beautiful natural 1 to his Investigation check. He tries to use brute force after all, which resulted in another beautiful natural 1 + 6 = 7.

Halflight's player contemplates gouging his eyes out.

[Daemanis]

Cerise watched as the mechanical abomination spoke to her, she noted the obscure way in which he seemed to converse and put that down to the fact that he appeared to be more machine than organic and that he was not programmed to be a linguist. He seemed to be curious about where her belongings had been located and had asked to that effect which she would confirm that they were located on the floor above, or well the floor that had previously been where they stood now, but was now the ceiling. The warning it issued however would make her blood run cold, "Do not be alarmed if a large arachnoid appears." one of the few things that the fairies have a long-lasting hatred of were the arachnoid species. Having fought long and vicious wars against them it seemed almost ingrained their hatred of them.
As the unit disappeared supposedly to check on the status of its own mount she too would make her movements to secure her own, Swift Strider, her trusted battle corgi. She noticed the Gem also embedded into him and would let out a shout of frustration, she made quick work of releasing him from his chains and watched as they retreated into the floor. She would ensure he had no other injuries and would pet him whispering sweet nothings to the mount she saw more as a friend than a beast of burden, though he did carry saddle bags which she noted were still on him along with his saddle. A quick inspection revealed the contents were still in their correct place, a bedroll and 6med kits.
"Good boy!" she would say before mounting him and heading back towards the location she had been before this time with her trusted mount and friend. Upon re-entering the main room her blood would run cold seeing the giant arachnoid that the machine was riding. He stated that its name was AdAm 8, ever cautious of the monstrosity she would make sure to keep some distance between it and herself.
"The name's Cerise" she would finally speak to the machine before motioning to her mount "And this is Swift Strider." the corgi would seem to react to its own name with a small bark before watching the spider cautiously however being trained carefully he would not show any signs of aggression until his master commanded so.
The next moment a lot of stuff seemed to happen in relatively quick order, the Genasi she had seen on the floor above seemed to be dragging a petrified Albino who managed to break free and seemed to be fleeing. The robot AdAm 7 seemed to want to target the man for an attack which she in good conscience allow.

“Declaration: Unknown Albino Organic is attempting to escape Custody of potential ally,” stated the fleshy robot.

“You do not harm the allies!” The fairy retorted.

“Statement: Units shall assist in subduing target.”

“Let the man go!”

“Statement: The bite of Mounted Unit is Paralytic.”

“I reiterate, let the man GO!”

“Comment: Should target survive the primary traumatic injury and fail to resist venom, target will be neutralized.”

Cerise raised her mace, with her shield into a defensive position. “Last warning.”

As the divine fire appears in the heavens and falls to earth she sees it just before it connects with the ground the spider was agile enough to avoid her strike.
"Damn it!" she would mutter as she prepared to fight as the albino man fell.
She was about to react and heal the downed albino when an orb appeared around him, whether dangerous or not, she guessed at it being somehow to protect him leaving only one real threat now. Placing a hand on herself she would incant.
"Llira hear my call, I ask of thee to restore my vitality." the prayer she had always used for a spell learned long ago, cure wounds, she would upcast the spell to its third level thus making it a slightly more difficult spell to cast. She would then turn to face the one she considered to be a threat whom now resided on the roof.
"By Llira's might I summon forth a weapon of my justice. as she spoke the words, her war caster ability letting her preform the somatic gestures while retaining her grip on her shield, A mace of pure energy would materialize beside the robot. The weapon would then attack the robot under the command of its summoner. The weapons swing though in a great arc was wide sailing past the robot her eyes would narrow before she speaks again.
"the man is under the protection of Llira, to attack him now is to attack the goddess herself.

Mechanics

HP: 50/50
AC: 18
Move: near albino
Insight check albino 1d20+5 =18
Result = Albino is petrified

reaction

Sacred Flame {cantrip} DC 13 vs. Dex Save 21
Result = Miss

Actions

Cure wounds Lvl. 3
3d8+2+2 = (6+8+6) +2 +2 = 24

Bonus Action

Uses Spiritual Weapon
Attack Vs. AdAm.
1d20+5 = (3) + 5 = 8
Result Miss

Initative 1d20+1 = (2)+ 1
Initiative =3

[The Large Dumbo]

Uregaunt's eyebrows shot up as he first watched the albino escape his grasp, only growing in height as the invisible figure smashed through the floor, followed shortly by Thanath's war cry as he, too, joined in what Uregaunt could only assume was a battle going on downstairs. He gripped his blade tighter, and began to prepare himself to join the battle, only to stop as he watched Halflight approach one of the doors. Uregaunt began to open his mouth in objection, but frowned, looking between the gap in the floor and Halflight. The albino would serve the same purpose to him whether he was dead or alive, he supposed. Just as long as he was close whenever the time came.

Uregaunt quickly ran over towards Halflight, a sense of urgency present on his face. "Uh, friend... could you help me open this door?" Normally, he would have said something about Halflight referring to him as a "friend". Very few people had done so before he found himself trapped in this odd place, and for good reason. He tried to avoid making a name for himself beyond aliases, or simple titles such as "that priest" or "that man". The two hardly knew each other as it was, but the fact that he had referred to Uregaunt as a friend caught his attention. He had little time to analyze such minute details, however, and dismissed it. Uregaunt turned his focus to the door, giving it a quick look-over. The lock looked like it could potentially be broken. With this knowledge, Uregaunt decided to try and hit the lock someplace where Halflight had already weakened it in his attempt to open the door. He raised his arm and struck at the lock, breaking the lock and allowing the door to swing open. "There," Uregaunt said, waving his blade towards Halflight's gear as if it were a stick. "Gear up, quickly. We've not a moment to waste in acquiring our things."

Mechanics

Uregaunt
HP:35/50
AC:11
Uregaunt approached Halflight and then attempted to help him open the door, making an athletics check with advantage and succeeding with a 21.

[Gordian Nought]

Round 2 Update

AdAM
AdAM 7 and 8 have each readied a reaction with an unknown (known to me and him only) trigger to activate its resolution.

Mara
"I said stop fightin, dammit! Fine, have fun fighting over nothing!" Mara uses her bonus action to Rage, then Fern uses the Disengage action and moves over to the Resilient Sphere, giving Mara the chance to pick it up. They then move to the base of the stairs where Mara dismounts. "Keep em from followin, Fern," Mara says as she backflips up the 10 ft tall tower, then bounces herself up the small opening, the sphere in tow. She will then move as far as her speed allows to the doorway with her name on it. Athletics to climb: Nat 20 with Advantage from Rage.

Thanath
Thanath's quick read of the situation told him that there was indeed a fight going on, and Mara's words confirmed it. "I most certainly will!" Thanath boomed as he put away his maul and pulled out 2 javelins while moving to the bottom left corner of the room to get a better shot at his quarry. From his quick read of the situation, Thanath deemed that the side of the conflict with the Warforged riding a giant spider that had just poisoned the Albino Man had the greater odds. So he decided he would aid the side of the conflict that hat only 1 tiny fairy fighting for it. "Time to even the odds!" Thanath boomed before throwing 1 javelin at each AdAM. The javelin intended for AdAM 7 struck true with admirable force. However, the javelin aimed at AdAM 8 missed the mount by a few inches and struck the rider instead. And since Thanath had used his dominant hand to make that throw, the 2nd javelin hit much harder than the 1st.

Invisible Human Female:
Footsteps upon the spiral staircase could be discerned by the monastic’s wolf. Fern could smell the woman approaching, prepared to strike at the hint of any impending conflict. The unseen warrior attempted to remove the makeshift Cerberus paradoxically guarding the fictitious gate to the upper world. Her fist was bent on meeting the lupine mount, but missed entirely falling of the stairs, suffering damage and possibly ruining the concentration it had on the sphere, but it held true.

@Cu Chulainn is up

[corneredbliss]

Y N A X A N D R A

---

With burning lungs and nearly unsupportive legs, Ynaxandra willed her feet one in front of the other away from the despicable prison as quickly as possible. Freedom, at last! ... Though the feeling was definitely not as liberating or joyous as she would have expected. A whole year in a dark, cold depression that only concrete could conjure, spent fighting away demons and visions that only she could see, did not take too kindly to the druid. She was merely a whisper of what she used to be - partly due to deterioration at the hand of her recreational hobby, and mostly due to her time in the cell. And in addition to her own woes were those of the animals that joined her at some point during her imprisonment, a torture that ranked high on her relatively short list of grievances in this life. Their faces as she darted past their cells punctured her consciousness as she made her way into the forrest, unsure really of where she was going but knowing there was an end goal.

Got to find her.
Have to find her.

Were it not for a sudden, crazed concern for Miss Evlynne that washed over her like a waking wave which dispelled the neurosis that had been harvesting in her mind for nearly an hour, Yna would have freed those poor beasts before slashing their predators by her hand. But the safety of her only friend was paramount, as it had been for many years now. After all, it may very well be her fault that the woman could be anywhere, alive or dead. With practically no recollection of the immediate events that led to her imprisonment, Yna's paranoia could have conjured a million and one scenarios that ended with a heaping of self-blame. Thus, it seemed that guilt was her sole motivation as she passed bark after branch after hill; there wasn't so much consideration as to how exactly she had been freed. There were no clear signs as to who or what had released her from her chains, though she wouldn't be one to argue with fate. Then there was the matter of the glowing rock in her arm, a case that Ynaxandra had neither opened nor shut since its light had dimmed, as there really was no answer to what it was or how it got there. All she knew was that it wasn't impeding her quest to find Winters, and that was enough for now.

She traveled eastbound for an infinite amount of time, it seemed, before she reached a clearing that held a statue. As the druid neared it, its features became more and more familiar to her, until finally the name tumbled from her lips without thought: "Evlynne?"

The stone began to crack and splinter, slowly revealing her beloved companion; soon she was fully freed from her casing and collapsed onto the ground. Ynaxandra had moved to attempt to catch her, but all the effort and the fatigue seemed to crash down on her at once and she instead fell down beside Evlynne. "Oh, thank the Mother," Yna breathed in relief as the female coughed herself back to life. There were no words to explain what had happened to either of them, and even more importantly, there weren't enough apologies in existence to remedy what seemed to be a year of waiting for her. The elf didn't seem to mind, however, and appeared to be in the mood for some banter. But Ynaxandra was too tired from the worry and the physical exertion that she ignored the question and responded with one of her own.

"Are you alright?" The inquiry was a bit sharper than she'd intended, sounding much harsher by the lack of lubrication in her throat. But Evlynne should be used to this, as she should be used to the intense stare given off by the druid, who had struggled up onto her elbows in order to more closely inspect her.

@Ms Ravenwinter

[Ms Ravenwinter]

"Well, I suppose so." Evlynne was a little stiff in the joints and more than a little dizzy. As her eyes began to refocus, they started to adopt a concerned look. There Yna was, struggling to hold up her own emaciated frame. The lips were dry nearly to the point of blistering, the face pale and sallow. "You look like I'll need to study Necromancy soon."

Evlynne didn't seem to appreciate the gravity of the situation yet. At this point, she was under the impression that the absent wand must've cast a necrotic spell on Yna before crumbling to ash. After all, there did seem to be a small pile of slowly disintegrating grey material on the ground.

There was a cracking in her knuckles as Evlynne extended her hand to the side and expressively snapped her fingers. A spectral appendage sprung into existence beside her and started to rummage through her things. From her pack, the mage hand pulled a corked horn of water and presented it proudly to Yna. "You look just a tad thirsty, Xee."

@corneredbliss

[Gordian Nought]

East of Waterdeep

“I am.”

The loam surrounding an immense ash tree behind the duet began to rumble and glimmer. The soil mostly composed peculiarly of sand and silt bore a fiery radiance, with meager amounts of propagated clay slowly oozing to the surface, eventually masking three large visible roots, burrowing into the deep earth, from view. Soon, its bark commenced to shed in a myriad of slivers, allowing a multitude of ocular pores to be riddled upon its corky exterior.

Next.
Eyes.
Emerged.

Thousands of ogles gazed upon the pair. On every branch, stem and leaf of the mighty, botanical monstrosity. Oddly, with the surrounding foliage losing its canopy to the seasonal struggle of autumn, the ash’s verdure awkwardly appeared evergreen. Abruptly, the tree spoke once more, breaking the silence, but without any visible mouth. It seemed to peel away the mental inhibitions of each adventurer, speaking directly to the mind.

“Thirsty.”

The limbs quickly began to quake, as if arms stretched out, upon awakening from an unexpected nap, yet overarching with an intensifying shade over the druid and war mage.

“Thank you, daughters. Have you come for power, honor, or wisdom?”

@Ms Ravenwinter@corneredbliss

[Gordian Nought]

Round 2 - Finishing Up

Ysalain
Halflight takes up his gear and makes his way to Uregaunt's door, next, helping him open it as he helped him just earlier.

Round 3 Update

Albino
Still bubbled.

Cerise
The fairy flutters 30 feet to Thanath and cast Cure Wounds (Level 1) on him, restoring 5 HP; via Bonus Action, the Spiritual Weapon is moved in front of AdAM 7 and 8 without attacking.

Uregaunt
He successfully opens his own door with Ysalain's help.

AdAM 8
Its readied action is triggered to dash to AdAM 7's locked room in the upper level.

AdAM 7
Uses makeshift surgical tools, AdAM 7 successfully unlocks the locked door with a 21.

Mara
After Uregaunt opens the door and AdAM does his turn, Mara will break down her door, grab her gear, then return to Fern. Leaping on top of her mount, she will urge Fern onwards, who will disengage, then move 50 ft towards the exit downstairs (While Mara is still toting the hamster ball).

[corneredbliss]

((Collab with @Ms Ravenwinter))

After deciding that Eve was alright enough for the current situation, Yna finally relaxed her muscles, allowing her head to roll back and hang from her neck. The world was an upside-down version of itself as she hung there, distracted only by the offering of an upside-down horn of water. "Ah," she rasped, righting her vision as she reached out for it, "Tha-"

Her gratitude was interrupted by an omnipresent voice, coming from simultaneously nowhere and somewhere. Suddenly the ground was shifting behind them, and Ynaxandra whipped around onto her knees just as the roots of the tree-being settled and the eyes were revealing themselves. One pair, then another, then another... They were everywhere, on every inch of this miraculous creature, who had chosen to make itself known to them. Evlynne's head tilted up. Silence. Blush left her cheeks. Eyes wide. The pair probably looked like oogling idiots until Evlynne's helper moved beside her.

Wordlessly, her mage hand drifted over to the roots and poured out most the horn, leaving enough for her friend. Her heart pounded as she continued to awkwardly lay on the leaf-blanketed grass. The mage hand returned, and offered drink to Yna. "Um..." she spoke, "_{I don't know what's going on,} Wisdom? W... Wisdom!"

Blinking away her awe-stricken stupor, Yna groped for the horn once again offered to her. Once it was safely in her hand and clutched to her chest, she bowed her head in respect before answering. This was it, this was the chance at redemption that she had been dreaming of as she withered away in that cell. "Honor," she croaked, then cleared her throat and repeated more confidently, "Honor."

[Gordian Nought]

Round 3 Update

Thanath
Thanath's victorious laughter of triumphant victory echoed through the building as he watched the spider and his mount flee from the combined onslaught of the goliath and the fairy. "Look at him go!" Thanath boomed before Mara descended with the unconscious man in tow. "Well she's certainly in a hurry!" Thanath commented. Having said that, Thanath walked over to where his javelins had landed after they had been removed from their previous recipient and retrieved them.

Invisible Human Female
Dashing past the goliath, invisible footstep could be discerned easily as the unseen warrior appeared to be in hot pursuit of her quarry: Mara, Fern, and the diamond-chested man. Arriving next to the Resilient Sphere, the invisible female was prepared to grapple for the bubble if the monk was going to make a run for it.

Albino
Still bubbled.

Cerise@Daemanis is up.

[Gordian Nought]

East of Waterdeep

The ocular tree began to reach out with its limbs, treading through air and wind, a tiny gap separating from wood and person. A stray branch stretched to Yna's forehead and Evy's left cheek. It mentally boasts, "Wonderful, daughters! Before you accept your gifts, you must willingly receive their accompanying marks and visions. What think you?"

Eve nodded enthusiastically at the talk of revelations. Yna hesitated just a moment longer than her friend before she bobbed her head as well.

“Good! Hold still my daughters.”

The bough’s twigs stretched ever so slightly, brushing the war mage’s zygomatic arch and the druid’s widow’s peak. Soon, their landscape vanished as wisdom drilled into their brains, filling each cerebrum with information purposely hidden from them.

The year of Blue Fire, 1385, materialized mentally, harvesting its crux, the Spellplague, a schismatic maelstrom of unfettered wild magic, all due to death of the goddess of Mystra, severing the Weave that maintained magic and portals between planes. A spherical map enclosed the duo as a three dimensional Faerun emerged. Familiar lands became magical and fantastic in appearance. Earth motes drifted through the sky of their atlas, as they scrutinized from a heavenly perspective. Weird towers and spires of stone jut from deserts, accompanying by abounding waterfalls. Eventually a darkness creeped and charred the circumscribed globe as whole nations became blotted out, with the Sea of Fallen Stars venting a meatus to the Underdark, south of Chondalwood. The nation-sized chasm was the least of their worries, as their telepathic bonds instructed them instantaneously of the terrible undead threat within Thay, the former land of Red Wizards, under Szass Tam. The tumultuous atmosphere was again riddled with forbidden scenes from the Feywild and their high courts in full bloom, as each year of the planes’ next century matured around them into full observation, unveiling historic battles, monarchs and republics over decades.

It seemed oddly like an eternity but warped into an afterthought until finally arriving in the Dale reckoning of 1479, the year of the Ageless One. The marble encapsulating their extraordinary visage scattered as a strident voice again took hold of their attention.

“A century has passed since you tasted this realm. Toril was the world you remember, that once hosted the continents, now debauched in the wake of the Spellplague. Bitter winds sweep the steppes of the Endless Wastes, storms crash against the cliffs of the Sword Coast, and in between stretches remnants of shining kingdoms and wilderness.

Albeir is the realm forgotten, cut off for tens of millennia. A twin to Toril and once joined with it, Albeir ventured its own path at the dawn of the age. Where gods and their servants oversee Faerun, the lords of Albeir were towering primordials and elder wyrms. Now, after long epochs of separation, they have again become one.

All things were sustenance for the Spellplague’s insatiable hunger; it assailed and transformed flesh, stone, magic, space and dimensional walls. Even the cosmos beyond Toril has become unraveled.”

The two were suddenly raptured back into the graveled clearing before the mystical ash tree, as they found their feet in the silt now up to their ankles, widespread quicksand slowly engulfing the foliage around them.

“Please accept these gifts, daughters. I will call on you for favors later. It seems they know you are here. You must go. Soon.”

Effects:

You each now possess marks on your forehead and cheek respectively.

In regards, Evylenne gains Expertise with the skills of Insight and Perception. She also gains Awakened Mind (from the Great Old One Warlock benefit) with the ability to cast Detect Thoughts once/day, free, at will.

Ynaxandra gains Expertise in Persuasion and proficiency and Expertise in Intimidation. She also gains Hypnotic Gaze (from the School of Enchantment, using your Druid spell save DC) with the ability to cast Suggestion once/day, free, at will.

The ground itself appears to be drowning the wide vicinity gradually with silt and sand. You may ask the tree any questions you would like. You are allowed five inquiries before the silt reaches your waist, which will sacrifice half your movement, if combat rears its ugly head.

@corneredbliss@Ms Ravenwinter

[Gordian Nought]

Round 4 Update

Cerise and Corgi
Dashed to Mara, next to Invis Lady. Spirtual Weapon follows by 20 feet.

Uregaunt
Took gear with free action and dashed to follow.

AdAM 7 and 8
Collects all potions on the remaining 3 benches. Continues to Don armor after drinking green potion.

Mara/Fern
Mara will move forward to the Invisible Lady and calm herself. "Don't follow me," she warns before using Reckless Attack to gain advantage on a Booming Blade cantrip. She hits for 8 bludg + 8 thunder damage, and Invisigirl will take 2d8 more thunder damage if she moves. Then wolf will Disengage and move out the portal.

Thanath
After reclaiming his javelins, Thanath looked over at the portal just in time to see Mara and her Wolf pass through it. "Are we heading through the portal now?!" Thanath boomed as he approached Cerise, Uregaunt, and the Invisible Woman "I must admit it does seem rather interesting!"

Zana
Attempts to unlock his door, but is unsuccessful.

Invis Lady is up next.

[Gordian Nought]

Round 4 – Wrapping up

Invisible Lady
Heeding the words of “Do not Follow,” she moves to engage Cerise, but the alteration of her stance receives a thunderous boom as her reward. Invisibly enraged, she punches the closest potential antagonist with each unarmed fist, dealing 32 damage, but leaving only 20 damage against Thanath due to his Stone’s Endurance.

Ysalain
Halflight has a feeling something is off, and heads over to where the others are heading. He currently has some of his bindings on, but his body and... vitals are still under the cover of the gown.

Heading down, he witnesses a rather bruised-up Thanath. Seeing as the others are too far off to have performed the attack, Halflight had come to assume that there is an invisible assailant in their midst.

"Cease this violence!" Halflight called. "Leave my allies alone, and..." Halflight suddenly rips his gown off.
"... You can have me, instead."

Round 5

Cerise
Cerise cures Thanath for 10 HP, missed with her Spiritual Weapon. Her Corgi will move them in front of the portal, readying an attack.

Uregaunt
Uregaunt's eyes flicker for a moment with life as he comes up with an idea. He throws open his pack and rummages around in it for a moment, desperately searching for something, only for his face to turn pale. He'd have to just try it and hope it'd work. Dramatically, Uregaunt raises an arm towards the invisible woman. "In the name of Kelemvor, you will bend to me so that you may aid my quest!" He shouts, hoping this is enough to demand the creature's will.

After a moment, Uregaunt quietly reaches into his pack and pulls out a potion of healing, drinking it and healing for 5 hp.

The footsteps of the Invis Lady walk towards Uregaunt (as a property of his action) circling Thanath without provoking an AoO.

AdAM 7 and 8
Assassinates Zana the gnome. Shhhh….

Mara and Fern

Beyond the portal. More secrets. Will be revealed in time.

Thanath
Thanath shrugged off the Invisible Woman's attacks like they were nothing before beginning to laugh and radiate with a dim aura that was becoming brighter by the second as he turned to face his attacker. But before Thanath could do anything, his attention was caught by Halflight telling the Invisible woman to leave Thanath be. Thanath turned to tell Halflight that he needed no saving just in time to see the man rip off his gown. The aura surrounding Thanath immediately dissipated upon seeing this. After everything else mention before this post, Thanath began to slowly walk backwards away from the scene and through the portal.

He also does stuff beyond the portal. Ceekwetz!

Zana
Fails First Death Save. Yummy poison.

Invisible Lady
Seemingly waiting for further instruction from her new lord and master: Uregaunt.

Ysalain is up next!