"Fists of the Ruby Phoenix" (Campaign) w/ DM rainzax

Game Master rainzax

Muggy Swarm! (Aftermath)

Discharging her wand, Cirri tries to eliminate the Tick Fever in Aiobhean, but to no avail.

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And with about an hour of rest, the party decides what to do next!

"Okay, do we keep exploring? Or should we return to our stony friend and rest up some more?" Cirri's shoulders ache as she retracts her wings.

"Thank you Cirri. You're a savior. What would we do without you?". Osh does feel better, but still a bit sore from the encounter. "Let's hope theres no more bugs around. I can still feel them crawling deep inside me.". He shivers.

"I wouldn't mind a rest. It's already been a long day. But maybe just explore a tiny bit more..."

"We're almost done," Aoibhean says, climbing to her feet. "Then we can rest all we like without having to worry about getting attacked in the night by spiders, statues, or any other monstrosities that have taken up residence."

"The first day of the Qualifying Round starts tomorrow!"

Ingdani, after a few minutes, makes her entrance known "That said, I'd say locating the Necklace by Noon on 'Day Zero' is a pretty good start - but as you remember - there is still much to do!"

Also Tracked in Campaign Tabs!

Adding "If you are quick, there may yet me time to begin to explore the island outside of the temple - but first things first"

"What is next for you, Corsairs?"

I agree, monsters aren't stationary you know, as are bugs and bandits, we need to clear this out or more of the building before we sleep in here.

"Okay, okay. We could wait here an hour and try to recover. Or... we could go south."

It is here that the party takes stock of their time and timeline!

These metrics are also tracked in Campaign Tabs!

Looks like we're going to the room south of A10 according to the temple map.

Cirri draws her shield and holds her staff in one hand. "Okay, I'll try to look for any traps. Hopefully no bug swarms pop out and eat us again."

Meditation Tree (Part One)

The party enters through the only passageway.

A large and colorful eucalyptus tree stands at the center of the chamber, reaching toward the sky through a square window in the ceiling. An old skeleton lies slumped against the base of the tree, bones spotted with fallen peels of multicolored bark. Amid the bark scraps lies a single silver feather.

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1) Please place your Token on the Map!
2) Supply any changing data for the Exploration Tracker
3) Go ahead and roll Initiative (if you haven't already)

"Huh. Another feather." Cirri holds onto her staff and shield before entering. "Another plant. Keep an eye out for bugs. Or ghosts. Or ghost bugs." Cirri cringes.

Initiative: 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (4) + 19 = 23

init: 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (8) + 19 = 27 What is this place filled with plants?

"How did they get these feathers in here without setting off the inhabitants?" Aoibhean wonders aloud, stopping at the threshold of the chamber to scan it with her magical senses.

Casting detect magic, ignoring auras I already know about, like our equipment/spells and the phoenix feather.

Initiative: 1d20 ⇒ 11+19 for Perception or +24 for Arcana.

Osh!

Osh stares in awe at the tree, then at the skeleton. "I wonder how long that has been there. Did he fall from the tree, I wonder."

Initiative: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (9) + 15 = 24

"Please Forgive Me"

Enshrouding the skeleton bent before the tree, a spirit rises "from" it's inside, expanding: a visage of a human woman in monastic clothes, her expression broken, solemn, sad... her eerie voice a faintest whisper...

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"Ah! A g-g-ghost!" Cirri shields herself with her wings.

What language is she speaking?

Aoibhean holds her staff defensively, waiting for whatever comes next.

religion: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (13) + 13 = 26 Max doesn't know for sure

"We forgive you." Osh says to the ghostly figure, bowing, but nervous and completely unsure what he's forgiving her for.

No Religion here.

Deception: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (17) + 17 = 34

Osh basically uttered the first words that came to his mind and wasn't totally sincere to this ghost. But he doesn't want another fight so hopefully he said the right thing!

Meditation Tree (Part Two)

He did.

"Though I deserve it not, I shall take time to meditate further upon my actions..." and although the ghostly creature (enshrouding the skeleton against the tree) does not entirely discorporate, she does "sit" upon the ground and fold her legs into the lotus position, wrists rested on knees, eyes closed, and becoming silent and still.

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The Party is Up!

religion: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (15) + 13 = 28 We've seemed to ease him for now, I say we search this room and leave. We can put him at rest later if we need to, but don't bother him longer than necessary.

"So... um... the ghost is... er... okay?" Cirri peeks from the feathers of one wing. It's still there! But Max seems to be confident in his assessment.

"Oh, okay. Let's take a look."

Cirri will search the room, avoiding the ghost. Perception is +19 with +1 vs Traps.

Meditation Tree (Part Three)

Cirri begins looking around the room, special attention payed towards nooks and crannies in the stone walls...

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The Party is Up!

"Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. We're just looking." Cirri looks apprehensively around the room, apologizing for anything that may intimidate the ghost.

Aoibhean, Max, and Osh are Up!

Osh starts examining the area around the skeleton, careful not to disrupt the bones or the spirit. Then he'll start circling the tree, seeing if there is anything of interest.

Max will search the room for 10 minutes starting with the plants. Then move onto secret doors.

Aiobhean!

I'll go ahead and bot Aiobhean since it's been more than 24 hours.

Aiobhean searches around the room as well

Meditation Tree (Part Four)

The party searches the room...

...the ghost talks to the party as they look around "In the Courtyard we made our last stand. It is there my strength failed me..."

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The Party is Up!

Cirri looks at the silver feather. "I guess we need this." She gently reaches towards the feather from the skeleton when the ghost speaks.

"W-wait." she exhales. "Last stand? Against what?"

Cirri plucks the silver feather from the ground...

"The splinter group - calling themselves the Broken Rebus - attacked their own temple here - our own temple - believing that their path to enlightenment not lay in knowledge and meditation, but in physical might. I tried my best to defend my brothers..." the ghost assumes a pose once more, undertaking what appears to be a meditative silence...

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The Party is Up!

"That's so sad..." Cirri's concern pushes her fear aside. "Broken Rebus. Did we defeat them in the courtyard?"

She pauses. "How can we help you come to rest? We found this >Magical< pagoda in the courtyard after four... um... ghostly monks attacked us. Do you know what that is? Maybe it's the source of your trouble."

Meditation Tree (Part Five)

Cirri (and the others) await the silent meditation - which takes 1d4 ⇒ 40 minutes! - before the ghostly figure surrounding the skeleton responds "That is where my brothers died fighting the Broken Rebus. That is where everyone died. Everyone except me. That is where I failed in my duty..."

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The Party is Up!

Max was searching the room as well during his first 10 minutes.
Is there another room connected to A10? I see a cloud there?
Max during his next 10 minutes would have pressed his ear against that door connected to a10, assuming something is there, searched that door for traps, and then slowly and quietly crack open the door to peak in.

Cirri waits patiently for the figure to respond, eventually squatting down opposite the woman. How does she stand so still?

Cirri will wait for the ghost unless someone asks her to follow.

"My parent's home tribe experienced a schism. They debated going to war or diplomatic ties with the humans of Chileax." She breathes. "My parent spoke up over the values of diplomacy. They are a Speaker, after all."

"The bloodshed was not as extreme as this temple, but... My Parent's throat never healed. I'm glad my Father was able to help establish relations with my tribe. And meet my Parent, of course." She giggles.

"So what I'm saying is: I'll do everything I can to help you rest. Broken Rebus lost. Don't worry about that."

Cirri - please accompany your Request with a Diplomacy check vs DC 33!

Yikes, DC 33... I need to roll a 19
Diplomacy: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (15) + 14 = 29

Cirri wonders if she's getting through to this ghost. Probably not, ghosts don't listen to anyone anyway.

"Your words do nothing to soothe me, and you cannot absolve me of my guilt. Be gone from this place, and do not return!" a slight change in tone here marks the unmistakeable sentiment of menace. But perhaps not yet? The ghostly figure slips into another trance of silence here, phantom legs crossed into a strong yet gentle lotus pose...

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The Party is Up!

Cirri holds her fear back long enough to not leap away.

The dead cannot change. She slowly stands up and lets the ghost meditate. "As you wish." At least she didn't eat my soul.

She motions everyone out of the room and moves back to the stank beast's lair A7. She moves south, keeping an eye open for traps.

Sand Chamber (Part One)

Leaving the ghost by the tree, the party heads back to the lair of the stankbeast, and heads south.

The large chamber of a room is mostly empty save for the piles of colorful sand all about the floor and a few small tools scattered in the room's corners. A silver feather sticks out of a pile of red sand...

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1) Please place your Token on the Map!
2) Supply any changing data for the Exploration Tracker
3) Go ahead and roll Initiative (if you haven't already)

Cirri holds her shield in one hand and staff in the other. Oo, sand. Cirri loves sand! It's composable, grainy and you can get it anywhere.

Initiative via Perception: 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (4) + 19 = 23 Hey Initiative, do you ever want to roll well?

Osh sighs. "I wish we could've done something for that ghost. Sounds like a sad story..." he trails off as they walk to the sandy area.

Unlike Cirri, he stands clear of the sand. "It gets everywhere, especially being so small. I'd rather avoid getting in there if I don't have to."

Initiative (Perception): 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (4) + 15 = 19

Aoibhean moves around the eastern perimeter of the sand pit, on alert for any surprises.

Searching, 2-handed grip on staff.

init: 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (12) + 19 = 31 perception search, holding longbow.