Here's the gamplay thread for dots. I will place the first post of the game after everybody is ready.
Reporting for duty.
Dot.
dot
RAWR
Actually it'll be more like Meow till 3rd level and dervish dance kicks in..
Haha. I know exactly what you mean. My fist are not exactly furious just yet.
Dawt.
Lol yea.. But we gotta Barbarian and a healer to help us get to where we're effective too :)
reporting.
Armasse! A beautiful time where people can forget about the troubles of the world wound for a few short moments, and faces that normally are filled with doubt and remorse can be filled with happiness, and joy. This festival started as a simple gathering of scholars to discuss strategy, but now it has grown to the point where the entire city celebrates this one day of freedom from fighting.
In this place where people are trained in the great city of Kenabres to go out and defend against the world wound it is the only time to enjoy oneself. Many priests and squires are made in this city all to soon sent out to face the untamed horrors of the demon hordes. But! This is not the time to be thinking of the demons as the city rings out with laughter and merriment.
You have come to this city for many reasons, but all of you find yourselves in the Clydwell Plaza. A beautiful place that not only ensures that you will have one of the best seats for the opening ceremonies, but one that shows a gorgeous view of the cathedral's facade. It is almost noon, and you can feel the tension in the air as the people wait for the ceremony to begin.
What you and no-one else knows though is that you have received a letter. A letter that asks you to speak to a woman named Issana after the ceremony. Whether you believe the letter or not something has almost compelled you to be at this place at this time.
I have heard of you, and other like you not from the voices of others, but from the whispers of a dream. I fear that you, and the others are in grave danger. I would like to come and speak with you directly, but Armasse makes that impossible right now. Enclosed in this letter is a ticket that will allow you to get a good view of the coming ceremony. After the opening ceremony is done with I will speak to you, and show you the others like you. Let us all hope that we aren't too late, and that we might stop this danger before it comes to pass.
By the grace of the gods
Golradir walked up into Clydwell Plaza, a roar of voices assaulted his senses. Singing, yelling and a wave of voices poured over him. He smiled to himself, putting his hand through his brown shortened hair. Piercing blue eyes darted around trying to access his surroundings, looking for somewhere to grab a glass of fine wine.
He spotted a vintage bottle of Oaken Trist 4670 AR resting on a shelf at one of the stalls at the festival. His eyes lit up and he made his way straight to the stall to inquire about buying a glass. Sipping it he reveled in the flavors pouring into his mouth, the subtle hints of all the flavors pricking his senses. This wine was the closest thing he has had to a happy day in a long time. Grateful for the chance to have such an exquisite wine that day he shared a quick conversation with the owner of the stall. After the pleasantries he left with another bottle of fine wine within his grasp, placing it within his backpack.
"Nothing like a small amount of fine wine to raise the spirits there Trivax." He said to the hawk perched on his shoulder. "Don't look at me that way, it's just one bottle now. Nothing to get excited about." He walked towards the opening ceremonies, it was hard to see but he mainly just followed the crowd."Yes, I know! Why do you think I'm heading that way. I'm curious about the letter as well." His face went stern for a second as he walked.
In Danger? What kind of danger could I be in? Apart from that how did this person acquire these tickets, as I'm assuming that they were for several individuals judging by the letter. Must be a powerful person, fiscally or politically.
He grunted as he tried to push his way through the crowd. There were a lot more people here during the celebration than usual but he was used to it. Finally he was able to get a bit of space and privacy to read the letter. Quickly glancing over it he stuffed it back in his pocket. Not something he would think about at the moment. It was time to enjoy the celebrations.
The hubbub of the city was much different from the peace of the temple of Irori near its northern wall. Master Gan Lao had given Nau his freedom for the day in celebration for his accomplishments and then he had received that mysterious letter from a runner as he had left the temple. Coming to this festival was almost overdetermined.
This is one of Aroden's holy days. Yet, all these people are celebrating. Why would they celebrate the death of a god? Perhaps I have misunderstood something. These lands are so much different than Quain, and it is not only the demonic invasion.
While Nau had not yet achieved Gan Lao's serenity, he did move through the crowd with ease -- a small island of calm in flowing white robes in a sea of celebrants. Master is correct. Polite movement is stepping where ever others are not. I wonder what danger this could be, and who are these others? I am excited, but should I be? I must master these thoughts.
Once Nau reaches Clydwell plaza, he begins to meditate. He observes his errant thoughts -- his excitement about the possibility of danger, adventure. He acknowledges these desires, letting them flow through him before releasing them as attachment.
Wearing nothing but a pair a revealing red robes she leaves little to the imagination as she strides through the crowd.. Her white hair flowed in the wind, her supple curves tanned from the sun.. Her silver eyes somewhat gives away her celestial heritage.. As she moved most of the men move out of her way gawking with their tongues hanging out.. Most of the women give her scowls for wearing such an outfit on a holy day.. She didn't care what either of them thought.. Her outfit was for comfort and movement, not to pitch tents in all of the male population, although sometimes t worked for her advantage.. "I wonder what this Issana wants with me.. Must be something important to give away such expensive tickets.. She must be very wealthy.. I like that.."
Once her destination was reached she handed her ticket to the collector and took her seat to watch the festivities..
Wearing everything but a mask the woman walks among the crow, stopping at the little shops and demonstrations present everywhere in the city. She wears desert clothes, light but covering everything but her face. She rarely looks around, although there are plenty of noise sources, but instead tries to focus on the books and scrolls presented by scholars.
She spends all the time before the opening celebration just wandering through the place, stopping for just a little before moving again to another shop.
Weird. It is probably nothing, since the festival is running as normally. Or is it not? Will I finally understand it?
On a closer look, you realize that her dark green eyes shift uncomfortably all the time, rarely stopping for long on a single thing.
She doesn't call much attention moving through the crowd and sits in her place at the opening ceremony, barely moving, waiting anxious for it to finish.
As each of you finds your seat you find yourself swept up in the moment of the ceremony. It seems to be a celebration that will be talked about for ages to come.
Suddenly, before your mind can even catch up with what is happening a darkness envelopes you. You find yourself falling into the darkness for what seems like an eternity. As you fall you hear screams and cries of pain, then silence.
As you feel your body touch the ground you find yourself covered in dirt, and filth. You have a horrible headache that seems to be blocking what exactly happened to place you here. You look around, but only darkness greets your eyes.
You see through this darkness to make out that you are in a large underground cavern.
It is filled with rubble and dust though your headache prevents you from remembering what exactly happened. You see others people there as well.
Map
Thorst looks around, wondering if he has been put to sleep or had his mind invaded. Surely falling through solid stone was impossible. His stance is on edge, as if waiting for something to come out of the dark.
Standing up quickly Val looks around.. Seeing others she reactively takes a defensive posture.. "What the hell was that.. And who are you people? Friend or foe?"
Nau whispers a quiet prayer to the Master of masters and light envelops a stone. Speaking in heavily accented Taldane (Common), a young man stands in a pool of illumination "Please be calm. We do not seem to be in immediate danger. Are there any wounded here? I have some small skill in healing."
The young man is swathed in once white robes, and though he is rather dirty his face is handsome and tan.
Still expecting danger from the darkness he couldn't see, Thorst didn't relax as the man asked for calm. He was trained to expect the worst and this strange place didn't seem far off from that. "I am unharmed. I was watching the ceremony, and suddenly I am here."
Perhaps these are the others... but is this caused by our letter writer or the danger they spoke of?
Thorst walked 15 feet to the east around the others to peer into the darkness.
The woman with a lot of clothes gets up, wandering what has happened with her. Could this be a magic effect? She analyzes her memory and what she felt, trying to identify if it was a spell.
She looks up, to the top of the chamber, checking if this has a cave dome or maybe something man-made. Looking around she sees some of the others may not see in the dark, which can cause a confusion. Hearing a woman's voice she looks to someone with very small clothes on her beautiful body, and some others begin talking as well. Halara pulls a holy symbol of Cayden from an internal pouch, and holding it in her hand speaks a simple word: "Light!"
She looks down to the floor, but speaks high enough for the others to hear it without a problem: "I agree, let's not get desperate. I'm Halara. Did you also receive an invitation to the ceremony?"
"Invitation huh.. So she got a letter too.."
"I recieved one.. Was looking forward to the ceremony.. Oh well, i guess we get to go spelunking instead.."
"Greetings, Halara, I am called Nau. I also received an invitation."
Nau looks around, are there any injured?
"Names Valkyrie.. So multiple of us received letters from the same woman.. I wonder if we were deceived and have fallen into this little trap.."
"Nice to meet you Nau and Valkyrie, but thanks, I'm not injured." She stops for just a little, thinking a bit. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm not important enough to have someone setting a trap for me. So I think whoever put us together is trying to test us. What do you think?"
"That or we've fallen prey to a most unfortunate event.. I somehow doubt it.." Looking around she takes note of the others.. "Do yall have any suggestions? If not than i say we try and find a way out of here.."
As the light springs up and you can see better you notice one thing that didn't stand out from before... The rubble that you have landed on is the same as the front facade of the church! Just like that your headache clears and you remember what happened right before the fall.
Armasse officially began at noon, with the blessing of the festival by Lord Hulrun himself, ruler of Kenabres. The crowd gathered in Clydwell Plaza quieted as the aged inquisitor took the stage, clad in shining, resplendent armor. You see a woman with silver hair smile as the old inquisitor took the stage, and she seems to begin walking towards you. He cleared his throat, but just as he was about to speak, a bright light shone from the west, as if the sun were rising from the wrong direction. Hulrun’s shadow fell huge and distorted across the cathedral’s facade. A moment later, the sound of a thunderous explosion ripped through the air and earth, along with a violent tremor.
To the west, the fortress known as the Kite—the location of Kenabres’s wardstone—had vanished. In its place, a brilliant plume of red fire, lightning, and smoke erupted into the heavens. You see the woman with the silver hair look startled, and then rage takes it's place on her face. A moment later, a powerful roar accompanied a welcome sight rising from the crowd—Kenabres’s greatest guardian, the ancient silver dragon Terendelev. Above, another form appeared, as nightmarish as the dragon was breathtaking. A humanoid shape three times the size of any man, with skin coated in fire and lightning, gripped a flaming sword and whip. The creature’s identity was immediately obvious:
Khorramzadeh, the Storm King of the Worldwound, had come to Kenabres!
As the ground continued to shake and disgorge demons into the streets, the dragon and the balor lord clashed above. The fight was over in a few harrowing moments, as the balor cut deep into Terendelev’s body, swooping down to strike the dragon and arresting her charge. A few more blows, and the titanic duo spiraled downward toward the crowd.The sight of the dragon smashing into the facade of the Cathedral of St. Clydwell is one no witness would ever forget. At that moment, a titanic demon erupted at the far end of the plaza, reducing several buildings to ruins as it smashed into this world. The rift it created shot across the plaza, and this time there was no escape—it opened below your feet, angling away into darkness.
Even as you fell, the dragon noticed your plight. Though she saw death standing over her, she seized this final chance to save a few more souls. After she uttered a few arcane words and stretched out a bleeding talon, you felt her magic take hold of you, slowing your plummet into the darkness as if you were feathers falling into a pit.
Yet the fall remained as inexorable, and as you drifted downward into the depths, the last thing you saw was the Storm King standing before the ancient silver dragon, his sword lashing out and cleaving full through her neck. As the Sotrm king held her severed head high above and cried out victory, the rift above you slammed shut, and the light of the world above was gone.
You notice a corpse of a large black widow corpse.
The disturbing thing is that you can hear the sounds of chewing coming from its body, and you can just make out a bulge in its abdomen that shouldn't be there.
Golradir finally coming to his senses, after spending several moments contemplating within his mind among the others sharing his predicament. "Trivax?" Looking around frantically he looked for his long time friend and ally. "Trivax. Stop playing around, I know your here you damned pigeon." At that moment a hawk flew down from in from the darkness and landed upon the elf's shoulder. You notice a slight wince of pain from the elf. "I jest, I jest. You know I'd never truely think of you as a pigeon now do you?" Having all his bearings he dusted his robes off which were a mix of crimson and electric blue. "Just had these cleaned the other day. Tsk, Tsk."
Looking up at the others conversing within the room, he quickly deemed it necessary to introduce himself and find out what exactly they had in store for them.
"It seems as though we have all been given an invitation, whether it was an enemy or an ally still has yet to reveal itself. We can safely say that we have been blessed by the fact that we are not dead right now because of the lovely and late Terendelev..." He bowed his head in a quick prayer for the deceased.
"Our situation is dire indeed. With the ward stone destroyed, the demons of the World Wound will have free reign not only in the city. We must see our way back to the surface when we can. We may have more luck as a groups as well." He looked around and seemed to come to a surprising conclusion, "Where are my manners anyways?! My name is
Golradir Elanessë at your service". He bowed low and the hawk on his shoulder cried out while flapping his wings. "Oh and I cannot forget my winged companion Trivax."
"Well a Balor Lord is know fun.. I agree with Golradir, we should find our way out of here and try to regroup with any other suvivors.."
"Anyone else notice that spider corpse over there? It seems dead but that moving buldge deffinitely shouldn't be there.."
Recollection of previous events came back quickly to Thorst.
Stupid dream. Bringing us all together to protect us gets us in this place anyway. If she had of left us alone most of us probably wouldn't have fallen down here
"How about teleporting us all out of here then wizard." he said gruffly. He hadn't trusted magic since the shaman training he had received growing up, even though it had strengthened him in the end. If he got out of here, it would be by his own arms and legs.
"I'm a guard of the watch. Supposed to be off duty. Good thing I'm never without my weapons. Who else is armed? No telling what we might find down here in the dark, or up on the surface once we get out."
Thorst kneels down in front of the spider. It was clearly dead but something seemed to be inside it. He tried to get a closer look without getting TOO close.
With the other's comments Halara comes to her senses, recalling the previous events. Her faces goes from confusion to sadness, then fear, and finally rages takes a grip on her demeanor, but her hands are trembling profusely.
Tears begin to drop from her mixed look of fear and rage, but she does not sob, and instead she addresses the others to direct the group so they may get out of here in a hush.
"I have everything with me, Guard, since I was here only for the festival." She retrieves a crossbow that was strapped at her belt and loads it, transferring the light from the holy symbol to the bolt, and the symbol goes back to her pocket. "We must use this second life we gained. Terendelev saved us, so let's not waste this chance. Even tough we are below Kenabres this is considered enemy territory, as the underground may be full of demons. Whether that is true or not, stick together and help each other." The woman manages to control her tears, but fear is still present in her face. She pulls her cowl down, revealing some blackened large spots on her skin, mostly close to her neck. With her peripheral vision now free, she looks around, seeing the Guard moving close to the spider to inspect it, and thus she also backs him up.
Of the three people who have been quiet so far, two of them seem about to speak when suddenly the spider's abdomen rips open with a wet sucking sound, and two white worms appear out of the creature. They both fall to the floor, and begin to undulate forward.
Worms AC 9 T 9 FF 9 CMD 9
These are Giant Maggots. While not particularly dangerous on their own they can spew up their dinner onto others. They are also mindless, and they cannot be tripped. They are also unaffected by disease due to their diet of nothing but rotting flesh.
Val will cast on the northern most worm..
And she barely nicks it, a small sizzle..
"Those are giant maggots, kill them before they get a chance!"
Halara side steps (NE) and let a bow fly at one of the creatures (any still alive):
!
Then she recharges the weapon.
Golradir flew into action, sweeping to the side and gathering his footing. He swept his arms to the side and quickly said an incantation under his breath. He arms flew into motion and finally launched forward, releasing a glowing green bolt that seemed to materialize from his palm. The dart struck true into one of the worm's flesh, making a slight sizzling sound.
"Well I think these worms are a bit to big for your liking there Trivax."
He looked over to the woman dressed in desert attire "Before they have a chance to what?"
With the three combined strikes from Golradir, Valkyrie, and Halara the first maggot falls dead.
Maggot 1 Dead
Maggot 2 0
Nau Invishi steps past the half-orc and towards the living worm. His fist lashes out.
Guided by Irori his fist strikes true.
Thorst grimaces in disgust when the maggots burst forth. He stepped forward drawing his blade and swung down.
With a sudden squish the maggot that Thorst hit decorates the floor. The smell rising from these creatures is unpleasant to say the least. One of the men watching you suddenly speaks up as the creatures are dealt with.
"Yes, yes, you can all swing around weapons, that's nice and fine, but I'm here. If any of you are healers I would be thankful if you would start doing your job, and help me. I can even offer a reward of 1000 Gold if you can get me to the surface safely. I'm the most important person here you know."
The elven man who seemed about to speak turns away at this outburst, and hunkers down.
As the man turns away you see that he is covering most of his face, and you catch what appear to be burn marks on the parts of his face that you can see.
The priest will give the half orc a look of respect. "You are a powerful warrior."
Thorst grunts at Nau's comment, "Just a couple bugs. Nothing to get excited about." He ignores the self righteous complaints of the man even though wounded. Thorst could do nothing to help.
Glancing at the mans face however he turns to him. "What happened to burn you so? I don't care how important you are. Help everyone here escape or stay here alone. No one is going to carry you."
In the poorly lit cavern, Nau did not even need to hide his wry smile at the man's outburst.
"Of course. I will do my best to see you all back to the surface. It will be difficult, but with the grace of the gods and with true solidarity we can succeed. Tempers may fray, but please remember we are all in this together. I am Nau Invishi, what are you three called?"
Nau doesn't know the extent of their injuries, but he will pray to the god of healing.
"Great Irori, show your healing to us."
"Does anyone require more healing?"
Halara takes a side look to see if she knows the man, but since he's useless in combat he's probably not from Kenabres.
Selfish fool! Who do you think you are?
She turns to the man and begins walking toward him, speaking with voice with just a little of a bitter tone:
"It seems you have not seen what's happening up there, have you? Kenabres is drowned in chaos, and an Ancient Dragon just saved the life of everyone in here, but that led him to his death! Last time I heard, I did not work for you. I may even look into your wounds, but be more respectful when you address others. And who are all of you?"
Hearing the man's outburst takes her attentions off of the other people present.. "Surely someone with such a demanding tone would have 2000 gold coins to be led from certain death.. If not than shut it!"
The human man pulls himself up to his full height.
"I am Horgus Gwerm from the Gwerm family. We are one, if not the, most important family of Kenabres. If this demon attack is ever to be recovered from my family is going to be the foremost in dealing with it! My family, and by that same token I, are this city's best hope of recovering from this disaster."
The woman who had up until this moment stay quiet looks up, and weakly smiles at the others there.
"I'm Anevia, and I just fell down here with the rest of you. Good job with the maggots by the way. I would have helped, but..."
At this Anevia trails off, and shows her left leg. It is twisted, and you can see some small amount of bone poking out.
The leg is broken beyond normal healing magics, but you could set it. The healing already offered has made the leg as good as it could be without major healing magics. Even with a brace you know that this woman will not be going to keep up a very fast pace.