The tunnel, at about fifteen feet wide, seems to accomodate all of you rather nicely for a makeshift camp. The elevation still increases the further you go up into the tunnel, though as the area suggests, it does so in burst - where you fought appears to be flat and levelled.
Having set up camp, the first hours pass without any incident...
As the hours go past, Coross pulls a book out of his pack, entitled The Collected Drama and Romance of Valafar and resumes reading where he had presumably left off reading before. He occasionally look up from his book to shoot a glance up and down the hall. Looking over his shoulder, it appears the page he is on contains an illustration of a Knight being dismembered by some sort of monster.
Zachary plops onto the floor and stretches out. "Rats! I should have brought something to do."
He takes a fallen crystal from one of the bodies and busies himself with drawing in the dust.
I'll take the first watch.. Darche says as he begins working on a curious little pill.
I'll take the first watch.. Darche says as he begins working on a curious little pill.
Skender approaches Darche sometime in the middle of first watch. "What'cha working on there, professor?"
1d20
I'll take the first watch.. Darche says as he begins working on a curious little pill.Skender approaches Darche sometime in the middle of first watch. "What'cha working on there, professor?"
Oh, just a super energy pill is all.
"Cool. Sounds interesting. Mind if I ask for one of those later?"
Rafael rolls out a bedroll and snuggles up in a winter blanket and says, "Wake me up if anything interesting happens or my watch turn is up."
Before going to sleep I add the following to my journal:
...Today we encountered four crystalline creatures. They appeared from green lit crystal covered walls. The creatures seem to be constructs that have a humanoid form. They claw and bite with amazing ferocity. They do not appear to benefit from channeling. The creatures also seem to go into some kind of berserk mode, but what triggers that I'm not sure. Have not determined their weakness yet or if they are resistant to spells.
Lucca sets up his bedroll and starts fiddling with a Tarot deck. "I also would like a super energy pill. Just saying, if they're going to be available."
Well I'm not sure if you would like it really.. This one person took one, all he did was prismatic yawn for about four hours. But if you want, I've actually got another right here that I haven't taken yet.
Darche opens a small ring around his finger with an S emblazon on it out of glass stones and mirrors. Carefully he pulls out a tiny pill and holds it up for the other two.
It doesn't feel like eight hours but in due time the rest is showing its effect as you feel revitalised. The crystals have shifted from light green to faint yellow across those hours, though apart from the echoes of your shuffling and smalltalk, the caverns have been extraordinarily quiet.
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As Frum recovers in a deep sleep his owl stands guard over him protectively.
Finally, Frum wakes up feeling sore, but alive.
He pulls out a sheet of paper and makes some note about a type of alchemical construction that could destroy these beasts: a bomb like device that detonated on impact that could be placed on the tip of an arrow and vibrate them to pieces.
He has some liquified tanglefoot that could be useful for attaching the device to the tip of an arrow, or to the end of a spear, or even around a caltrop -- anything really.
It seems to Frum that this device will require a magical element to function as he really would like - so the effect is clean and targeted. But otherwise it seems to be accomplished more easily with a regular bomb, low tech - no magic. The trick is how to keep the blast contained and focused to avoid risking cave-ins and destruction of the crystals in the walls.
But Frum has no bomb materials anyway. Nevertheless, he jots down his designs.
Frum pulls out a sheet of paper and his ink and pen and writes out what appear to be formulae and diagrams.
"Darche, mind helping me with this?"
"Do you happen to have anything on you to build something like this?"
Frum's owl listens intently to their exchange and nosily peeks at the paper scribbles over Frum's shoulder.
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Inspiration stikes Frum as he switches to a new sheet of parchment.
Frum suspects the sound would either cause the beasts to become aggravated and attack, or to stay away.
design concepts include an actual tuning fork, singing bowls (vibrated with a felt beater), and a flute-like reed. There may need to be an acoustical amplifier component, and, again, Frum comes back around to the helpfulness of a magical aspect to the design
Well I'm not sure if you would like it really.. This one person took one, all he did was prismatic yawn for about four hours. But if you want, I've actually got another right here that I haven't taken yet.
Darche opens a small ring around his finger with an S emblazon on it out of glass stones and mirrors. Carefully he pulls out a tiny pill and holds it up for the other two.
"Before I take that, I would like to know what a prismatic yawn is."
Vomiting, what else would I mean? Humans seem to be truthfully incapable of taking my super energy pills. But who knows, you might be a lucky one. Also Frum, I might be able to help with the first one, but I don't think we have arrows. The second one.. I have no idea whats going on there.
"Maybe later then, once we're out of here. I don't like leaving my well-being to chance, and a severe drop in fluids is not conducive to survival."
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After consulting with Darche, Frum packs up his things and gets ready to continue the journey.
Let's get moving. We don't have time to wait for me to heal naturally. I'll be careful
Turning to the pony and motioning with his fingers I'm watching you, wuss of a donkey. Maybe we'll eat you if we get tired of the food we've brought.
Lucca packs up and gets ready to continue.
Coross has been leafing through his spellbook and muttering under his breath, preparing spells. When he sees the rest of the party getting ready to break camp, he closes the book and returns it to it's place strapped to his belt opposite his sword.
Coross then notices that the crystals along the walls have changed color during the night. Does anybody remember what color the walls were yesterday? I think they changed during the night.
" Yeah, when we first made camp, they were green, so? When we first got to this tunnel, they were white, and they turned blue just before those things attacked. Ahhh..... I see where you're going with this. You think the change might signify something?"
Rafael says, "Like an opera singer can crack a wine glass I think your idea to do the same to these crystal creatures is quite plausible. Over the last few years I've experimented with creating magical items beyond my scrolls, but I have yet to understand the mechanics.
I agree Skender that there is a relationship with the color of these walls and the creatures; what it is I have yet to determine definitively. Additionally our presence may be interfering with our little experiment.
Let's see what I can do to heal."
@DM Patcher: Can we assume that or are the caverns interfere with healing?
Rafael touches his wooden Holy symbol on his chest and says, "Spirituum virtute alveum positiva per me." A wave of positive healing bursts from him and washes over everyone.
Rafael touches his wooden Holy symbol on his chest and says, "Spirituum virtute alveum positiva per me." A wave of positive healing bursts from him and washes over everyone.
Rafael ponders if sound attacks against the crystalline creatures would be very effective?
A few moments later Rafael scratches his chin and thinks to himself deeply.
"Much better," Skender says as his various wounds close.
Rafael meditates for about an hour memorizing his spells . When he finishes he stands up and stretches; you hear his joints crack.
"Anyone thirsty? At least we don't die from thirst."
Skender takes a few large gulps from his waterskin. "I'll take a quick refill, if you don't mind."
Why thank you. I don't mind if I do.
As he munches on a peice of trail rations, Coross comes over and asks for some of the water that Rafael is creating.
Rafael says, "Anyone know which way we should go. I'm a little concerned with the color of the walls now yellow. I'm theorizing that when they are green they are 'charged' and the creatures are most likely to emerge. But then again my theories have been known to be incorrect in the past so there's nothing that'll say they aren't now as well - we'll see."
Rafael continues and says a few moments later, "These caverns won't explore themselves. Someone lead the way before I flood this part of the cavern."
There are two ways to go; upwards, and downwards. The latter leads back to the entrance - which, as you remember from yesterday, was like to cave in. There seems to be two ways to go: Further into the crystal tunnel, or deeper into the silver moss tunnel.
Zachary follows behind Darche, moving as quietly as he can.
Rafael follows 30-feet behind the stealthy people with Donte on his side.
Rafael says, "If someone with at least some fighter acumen can stay with me and Donte, I'd appreciate it especially if we are flanked."
The group, after a fulfilling rest, decides to traverse further into the crystal caverns. Despite their attempts to stay quiet, it's almost as if the cavern itself refuses to let you advance quietly as several of you create loud crunching noises by stepping on crystals on the ground.
After about an hour of walking, you come to what appears to be another caved-in passageway. Fifty feet ahead the tunnel also seems to expand, though your lightsources reveal little more than this. From what you can guess, however, there appears to be a large chamber...
You do notice that the crystals seem to change colour after a certain amount of time - and from what you can tell, it seems to be a feature of the particular type of crystal itself. While the idea of the caverns being sentient crosses your mind, your observations have no evidence to support this train of thought.
You do spot what appears to be a small cache of actual gems between some of the crystals - and they also appear to be 'ripe'. Trying to remove them with your fingers proves no problem - nor does it appear to cause any consequence.
Coross has been walking with Rafael, behind the rest of the group, but seeing the cavern he runs forward to the rest of the group. to get a better look.
Rafael waits patiently 30-feet behind the forward scouting group. He examines the crystals and observes the color of the walls during the lull before our next move.