Hegh curses as the dagger strikes home, then quickly crushes the zombie's pitiful skull in.
Hegh grabs the bracelet and the coins, and the bracelet begins to transform, turning into an additional five coins.
"With both Grick and Sees experiencing some sort of drain on their vitality, should we pause here for a quick rest and see if they can regain some of their former vigor?
Can we confront the Necromancer in our current state?
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Pork, do you have any way you can help Grick overcome this Zombie affliction?
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Thunk, wait for us."
Grick: Technically, Murmur is a Discern Realities modifier. You can still ask two other Discern Realities questions of me.
"I do not trust our 'allies' outside of this tomb to resist burying us if they feel we are taking too long. I wish to be done with this hole. The necromancer's presence stinks of death and failure. I say we confront him as soon as possible, before he marshals more corpses against us."
When you closely study a situation or person, roll+Wis. ✴On a 10+, ask the GM 3 questions from the list below. ✴On a 7–9, ask 1.
Either way, take +1 forward when acting on the answers.
-What happened here recently?
-What is about to happen?
-What should I be on the lookout for?
-What here is useful or valuable to me?
-Who’s really in control here?
-What here is not what it appears to be?
To discern realities you must closely observe your target. That usually means interacting with it or watching someone else do the same. You can’t just stick your head in the doorway and discern realities about a room. You’re not merely scanning for clues—you have to look under and around things, tap the walls, and check for weird dust patterns on the bookshelves. That sort of thing.
Discerning realities isn’t just about noticing a detail, it’s about figuring out the bigger picture. The GM always describes what the player characters experience honestly, so during a fight the GM will say that the kobold mage stays at the other end of the hall. Discerning realities could reveal the reason behind that: the kobold’s motions reveal that he’s actually pulling energy from the room behind him, he can’t come any closer.
Just like spout lore, the answers you get are always honest ones. Even if the GM has to figure it out on the spot. Once they answer, it’s set in stone. You’ll want to discern realities to find the truth behind illusions—magical or otherwise.
Unless a move says otherwise (such as Murmur) players can only ask questions from the list. If a player asks a question not on the list the GM can tell them to try again or answer a question from the list that seems equivalent.
Need Thump! Need find fling. No wait. Thump!.
Thunk waits exactly 22 seconds before moving on
Sees-Death sighed as she watched the other Kobolds delve into the side corridors with Thunk forging ahead. These corpses were going nowhere, and Flung was still crawling somewhere in the depths. She had half a mind to lecture them on the spot... but the words would not come. Then, something occurred to her, and she scampered up to talk to Thunk in private.
"I know you cannot often speak in complex terms, but there is a matter I would like to address with you. A non-thump-related matter. Do you know anything about Krispa, The All-Eater's four-teller? I was given charge of something by her, and- well, I'm not sure what I'm meant to do with it. The couplets of a four-teller are often opaque, even to me." There is a short pause as the dirge searches Thunk's posture and gaze for that spark of competence she had seen so brilliantly an hour past.
Yes, I agree we may need to press on now and not delay our confrontation any longer.
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Smoog follows after Thunk trusting that the trail of green goo will lead them right where they need to go.
Ah Krispa. She met the worst end of all. Tried to speak with the invaders and they fell on her with a fury. Her screams still haunt my dreams
Krisp get thump. Then splat. Then tear. He says matter of factly.
** spoiler omitted **
-What is about to happen?
-What should I be on the lookout for?-What here is useful or valuable to me?
"I guess she didn't see that one coming... Any chance she spoke with you, or do you know anything of the All-Eater's plans for researgeance? -like Gorlaug plans to hollow out the oathbreaker Dragonshield." Sees shifts her pack uncomfortably. "It's just... I may know something." The dirge practically reaks of vulnerability, and uncertainty. It has taken an uncharacteristic measure of trust for her to approach Thunk on this matter.
Pork grumbles to Smoog
I would have to sit and think on it...I am not quite familiar with this sickness as perhaps the necromancer himself would be..
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This is beyond doubt the spawn of the All-Eater.
"S- she just showed up one day with her four lines of poetry and an entourage of blood knights. She said it was mine to hold if it's going to have a chance to hatch. Well- not in so many words, but..." Sees is at a loss for a moment, but clears her throat. "How do I get a fire whelp to hatch?" It may be the first time Thunk notices that Sees' black scales are run through with thin red patterns. She holds the pack in both arms, just out of Thunk's reach.
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Hegh turns to the kobolds near him, and in a cold voice says, Where are Sees and Thunk? He sniffs the air. They have gone ahead! We must hurry!
Hegh charges after Sees and Thunk, following the trail of ectoplasm.
At the sound of Hegh's pattering feet, Sees scambles to cover her pack and sling it back in place.
Hegh thinks back to his previous fight against the necromancer, his helplessness as his Blood Guard brethren were slaughtered one by one.
We cannot face him unless we face him together. We must wait for the others. Flung is strong, he will survive until we reach him.
He turns to Sees. Save your stones, honored one. Our foe will not be harmed by thrown rocks. He hands her the dagger that recently tasted his blood. Let's hope you will not need this.
Finally to Thunk: Gorlaug's hand has guided you here to slay this foul long legs. He offers you strength for the task ahead. Hegh uses his sword to make a small cut across the back of his left hand. He holds his arm out to Thunk as blood drips to the floor. If you will take it.
He reaches out and entwines the fingers of his right hand with Sees' left hand. Give me strength, honored one.
Hegh bows his head to Sees and moves his arm so that the blood falls onto Thunk's outstretched palm.
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Fssst hefts the handful of slender gold coins in his palm. They should be enough to satisfy the Dwarfish thirst. He strides past the corpse filled bier, and summons his spike of flame...
...and drops it into the pile of dessicated bodies, lighting him as he leaves to seek out the companions that have ventured farther in.
"We must move. We have tarried too long already."
One of the All-Eater's eggs? This is almost impossible. It could be some kind of trick, but to what end? Perhaps there is hope for my tribe after all. This egg must be protected. Sees must learn how to fight herself, because this egg must be protected.
You need thump. Keep shell safe. He says to sees, while giving a little shiver as the blood lands on him.
Smoog watches the corpse tower ignite, reassured that these at least will not follow them into the next conflict.
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When Fssst turns to leave, Smoog also heads out to catch up with the others.
-What is about to happen?
The shaman feels a pressure in the ground beneath his feet. Some kind of power is gathering somewhere below you. A great ritual of some kind must be nearing completion...
-What should I be on the lookout for?
Aside from being mindful of the dangers of touching the floating eye's ectoplasmic leavings, you should also beware of damaging the walls or ceiling too much in your next fight. This temple is old, and has seen better days. Some parts look ready to collapse.
-What here is useful or valuable to me?
OMITTED - you are allowed 3 questions on DR and one of them was about the spirits. As a consolation since the spirits didn't give you any real answer, take +1 forward on your next Loot roll.
The flames of the Immolator's magic devour the dry bones of the corpses greedily, creating a high pyre in no time as the dragon egg's ultimate fate is discussed quietly among the kobolds.
As Hegh and the others join up with Sees and Thunk, they continue on deeper into the underground temple. The hall ends in a hole in the ground with a rope ladder hammered into the ground by pitons. The kobolds have to go single-file down the ladder, and at the bottom, you find yourselves in a small, painted stone chamber. Flung is here, staring thoughtfully at one wall, where a large door can be seen.
The door is human-sized, large for kobolds and made of steel-reinforced wood, with an iron pull-ring to open it. On the left and right side of the door, you can see holes in the wall about 3 feet across and six feet off the ground. You can also see, protruding from the wall to the immediate right of the doorway, a knob that can be twisted.
Your gaze falls to the floor, where can be seen an intricate map of your world, called "Gaia" by smoothskins. The room is illuminated by two torches blazing in scones above the doorframe on the top corners.
Flung greets you all, and gestures to the holes in the wall on either side of the mysterious door. "I tracked the Eye here," he said. "Watched it fly through that hole into the room beyond. Door looks suspicious so I waited for the rest of you to arrive."
Sees, who was last of the leading three to make her way down the ladder, makes an excited sound like a feint yip at the sight of Flung and throws herself at him. "Flung, it is so good to find you in one piece." She pauses, pulls herself away and smooths her skirts with her hands as if the outburst had been spontaneous.
The oddly tinged shaman speaks up, "somethings about to happen, some great ritual is coming to fruition somewhere below us." After mumbling to himself he adds, "walls here bad, collapse they might, hmmm...don't touch the eye droppings, yes, it's bad." With that said he sits down on the floor and starts mumbling again.
Then Thunk think we go thump!
He points at the nob What that do? That like your toy? He asks Smoog
Smoog will use Logical Reasoning to inspect the surroundings...
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What happened here recently?
What here is useful or valuable to me?
What here is not what it appears to be?
Then Smoog suggests they take a peek thru the open holes before trying to open the door.
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"Can someone give me a boost up there?"
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Thunk lifts him right up to look
STR Smoog almost flies through the air he is lifted so quickly
Climbing up on Thunk's shoulders, Smoog can see through the hole in the wall. Unfortunately, the tunnel is blackness, and you can't see through it. You can tell there's something on the far side of the crawlspace blocking the exit, but you can't quite tell what it is.
No need to roll, though. Discern Realities won't tell you much in this situation, nothing's hidden - it's just a room with a strange door and mechanisms.
Smoog crawls in...
The crawlspace is a tight fit, and it looks like it gets smaller still before it evens out, from what you can tell.
The blue-scaled Kobold crawls deeper and deeper inside the space that the green floating eyeball went. Eventually, you reach a spot where you can't go any further due to your gear and the equipment you're carrying. You're unable to progress as-is.
Hegh inspects the door's mechanism and is completely flummoxed. Smoog, come open this door!
Forgot to mention, Fsst - the pendant necklace is infused with Restoration magic, but you don't know specifically what it does.
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"Well Beetle Barf! That did not work out."
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Smoog shimmies back out to the entrance room and looks down the other tube... pretty sure it holds the same inaccessibility.
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"I guess we have no recourse but to open that door. Flung, Hegh, can you pull it open by the pull ring?'
Hegh glares at Smoog and mutters to himself. He then tries to simply pull the door open.
Rolling her eyes at the predictable antics of her companions, Sees examines the illustration of Gol, looking for landmarks and significant blemishes in the paint. She notes the detail and composition of the paint itself. If it looks to be more than a symbolic illustration, she pulls out her map to compare notes. Otherwise, she begins testing noteworthy portions of the map for any place that gives, or makes a hollow sound at a knock. If nothing else, it keeps her busy while the others attempts to get themselves killed.
Hegh, to the surprise of perhaps no-one but yourself, you tug and tug and tug on the door and it won't budge, despite your considerable strength.
Sees, the map drawn on the floor is in considerably greater detail and scope than your own map, and you see a great deal more settlements marked on them. In particular are strongholds of faith to Enoreth, that you recognize written in slightly larger script.
The Gadgeteer strips off all his other equipment and places it in a neat pile beside the door.
Keeping only his goggles and Magno-ray, Smoog climbs back up the access tube and ties a rope onto one of his ankles.
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”If I need a quick escape please pull me back out.”
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He then shimmies down to the other end. He inspects the blockage for a way to open it carefully and slowly. He also silently asks Gorlaug for support.
Sees excitedly pulls out her compact mirror and the black cray pas. Pressing the end to a sharp nib, she begins transcribing the details of the map in a practiced hand. Whether for shelter or loose change, these locations could prove useful.
Stripped down to the barest of gear, Smoog cuts a much narrower profile. Shimmying into the hole again with Thunk's help, the kobold squirms and wriggles forward. He's immune to claustrophobia, luckily, from his time spent working as a miner in the depths of Moontower Mountain.
A vision of the top of the mountain exploding during the eruption arises in his mind involuntarily; he shakes his head to clear his thoughts and stay focused.
It's dark, even for your eyes accustomed to the darkness of tunnels, Smoog, and the fit is very, very tight. Several times you come close to stopping yourself up in the tunnel like a scaly cork. Eventually, you come to the far side of the crawlspace, and there's a metal hanging door like a flap covering it. Pushing on it causes it to lift up, and you peek through...
You see a strange sight. There's the other side of the door, immediately below you and to your right, and in front of the door is a staircase leading down. Above the top of the staircase you can see the injured greenish floating eyeball from before, watching this side of the doorway. Its singleminded focus hasn't noticed the kobold emerging from its personal traveling corridors.
You can see the bottom of the 16-step staircase and the room it opens out into - it looks like some kind of inner sanctum constructed by the temple's original architects. Flowing through channeled ducts overhead, contained by some kind of invisible field, is the rushing water of the river. On the ground, meanwhile, all around the outer ring of the circular room, magma from the depths of the earth is being channeled. The effect is a mixture of bluish and reddish light that illuminates what's happening in the center of the room. There are a pile of bodies in the center, all stacked up on each other haphazardly. Many of them are dead, but some are still alive and struggling feebly. Racially, they run the gamut, but the pile appears to primarily consist of dwarves local to the region.
There, on the far side of the room, framed by water and magma from above and below, standing at a podium and reading words from a tome in front of him, is the necromancer. You recognize him instantly. He was the one who resurrected dead Kobolds by the score and made every fallen defender into an attacker. His blasted companion, that skeletal monkey, is in its usual place atop his shoulder. His hair is long, straight, and stringy, framing a bony face thin enough to appear skeletal. Occasionally he will gesture at the pile of bodies in front of him.
The room is perhaps the size of a small auditorium, 60 by 60 feet or so.
The huddled miserable pink Grick sitting on the floor looks around at the others. "Didn't you hear me, bad ritual almost done must be stopped. Temple is falling apart. Can't we make the temple collapse on top of the bad guy? I'll help," he says as he holds up the skull of the channeler. "BOOM!!! Lightning crashes against the supports of the temple, temple implodes, no more necromancer...". Worn out by his outburst, the pitiful pink kobold falls back into quiet lethargy.
Grick, your scales are getting itchier.
How we do door? Want Thunk to thump door?