Search Posts
Yeah I think I need to tuck this one back in the "big book of ideas". I run other games with most of you and would rather I can make those flourish and for Yorick...well...one day we will game again, lol ;p I appreciate you guys willing to have an honest convo about it. For no I will mark this one as inactive. I'll see you elsewhere.
So...I'm wondering about packing this one in. It was a weird concept and maybe PbP isn't the best venue. It seems hard for folks to post and keep momentum and I have to assume that part of it is the setting as many of us play together in other games or are otherwise active on the boards...so...sound off. Should we maybe just let this idea retire?
-Posted with Wayfinder
Glom-Glom:
There not enough soup to be truly "enough" but the sense is that you won't die of hunger. The pot is surprisingly heavy and might actually work as a weapon. Also the goblin has an almost supernatural sense that, eventually the pot might have more stew at some point.
Zika's rod glows upon her touch and the goblin notes a faint pleasant yet unplaceable smell in the air. Glom-glom notes a slight tingle in his skin when he holds his. Insered into the strange contraption the 4 rods fit fully into the machine, leaving only flickering ends of color flush with the metal body. There is a long pause of inactivity and then the rods are gently ejected from the box.
Shattertooth opens the chest to find a fine leather roll with a set of finely made thieves tools, extenders and a crow bar.
Glom-Glom works the key with maniacal glee and is greeted by a small iron pot filled with stew. Working the pot out of the chest Glom-Glom discovers that it is quite small (roughly the size of a baseball) but the stew within seems chunky and smells delicious...
If it was important it be a rapier, it'll come out a rapier. It responds to what Zika wanted so... -Posted with Wayfinder
Zika opensthe box to find a small longsword that appears to be made entirely of a glass like substance. It is mostly clear with occasional streaks of cloudy white.
I'm trying to decide what I want... Also, I grabbed my rod. What happens?
When Shattertooth grabs his rod it lights much like the ratfolk's did. Unlike Narissth the hobgoblin experiences a sort of barely audible pleasing tone when he holds the rod. -Posted with Wayfinder
Narristh wishes for an alchemy set and turns his key. Opening the chest reveals an almost impossible amount of space within the chest. A box rests within made from a wood that seems almost black as obsidian. It features no locks of any kind and when Narristh retrieves it from the chest, it becomes much bigger. The box is a foot cubed. Lifting at the hinge (roughly half way down) reveals a pair of articulated shelves and a deeper holding space in the bottom. The top shelf features one empty small glass bottle (1/4 oz), a white paper sachet, a small iron rectangle (rougly twice the size of the smaller bottle) and number of indented felt lines spaces where many other bottles like the one could go. The second shelf holds a small metal tube, capped at one end with an opening at the other. The tube is unremarkable save that it is the same color and finish as the tool that the ratfolk was first granted on the beach. The deeper bottom of the chest holds a stack of three pages bound together on the leftmost long edge by a sort of wooden clip. The wood is gnarled and almost looks like a row of rotting teeth but it appears to hold the paper together quite well...
The group moves to different items of interest as they enter the chamber. Narissth scoops up the red rod and is greted with a faint glow and surprisingly pleasing vibration from the rod. In his hands the rod seems to be almost alive and humming. Zika looks over the bowl and compares the items in her possession but finds that none of the objects are close to the same size. Disappointed, the magus moves to the chest instead and slips her elemental key into the appropriate position. She nudges the hobgoblin who is still looking over the scroll... Shattertooth pauses for a moment to see if anything untoward happens to the ratfolk but thinks better of it and moves to read the scroll instead. Slipping the ribbon off the parchment the hobgoblin sees a note written in common so flourished it is almost unreadable. (But the rogue makes do) Note: The magic of the Refuge must be restored to use it for its myraid purposes. For now the chest will grant one boon per key. Place the key, think of that which you need most of all, turn the key, open the chest. The crow knows more than it lets on but it and I are not on the best of terms. This note has taken the last of my precious power. I remain a prisoner until the tower is unlocked. I remain mute until my skull is restored. <Elven Signature that matches the front book>
Glom-Glom parades down the hallway while the non Goblin continue with a more critical eyes. Stretching on his toes Glom-Glom is able to barely mark the lowest portion of the mural on either side but nores that after about 15 seconds or so the marks fade. Leaving the barbarian to his task the others finds the end of the hall. The hallway opens into an octagonal room crafted in the same seamless alabaster of the hallway. Each wall appears to be 10 feet wide edge to edge. In the center of the room is a pedestal featuring metallic basin crafted from a metal that looks both silver and full of multiple colors. . The bowl is larger (it could easily fit Shattertooth's head in it) and it appears to be about half full of a liquid that looks like milk but has no smell. The basin has a pair of holes on opposite sides making it appear that something might attach to the basin in some way. Wit the hallway coming from the southern wall, the SW and SE walls feature two small tables, both made from a dark wood much those in the foyer. Upon the SW table is a blue and a red octagonal faceted rod while rods of green and white are on the SE table. Each rod is roughl 4 inches in length and an inch in diameter. The east and west wall both feature doorways ringed in faux carved bricks in tall arches, but doorways appear little more than recesses. as they simply end in smooth white walls. Along the NE wall is a table with a small chest on it with four keyholes. Each of the keyholes is marked with an elemental symbol. A small scroll bound in black ribbon sits on the pedestal in front of the box. Along the NW wall another table features a small metal box made of the same material as the basin in the center of the room. It appears to be flush against the wall and a cursory glance would make it seem that the box is stuck to the wall. This small box stands half a foot high and wide and about 8 inches thicl and has a number of small grooves and holes in it. Notably the top has four holes that would seem to be octagonal in shape and roughly an inch in width while the front and sides each have a round hole. There is a pair of grooves on the front of the box that run parallel to each other on either side of the hole in the front of the box. (ie two grooves on each side, up and down). Finally, the north wall features a large picture frame made of the same material as the basin and the box on the NW wall. It is mounted in such a way that it seems flush to the wall and has no back, merely displaying a piece of the wall. The frame is simple in that it is square with little flourish but ut us seamless. It sits centeres in the wall with dimensions of 4'x4'.
-Posted with Wayfinder
Shattertooth moves to the silver banded door and uses his key. The lock yields smoothly to the key acting much like a device that is brand new. the door does not open, however, but disappears. Beyond the door is a long hallway that ends in a room which is difficult to see from the main foyer where the group stands. However the hall itself is shaped in pure alabaster and is rich with imagery that runs the length of the corridor. The images are interrupted only by sconces, 6 in all, that contain silver rods topped in what looks like glowing glass. The balls cast a light that is equivalent to a torch and of the same color. The images take up a band of each side of the corridor that is roughly 4' wide. The images appear to be identical to each other. The carved mural appears to be of a conflict with many an elf, human, dwarf and cloaked and hooded figures featured in a rolling battle. Some of the monsters you have seen on the island already are also present. The images seem to center on 4 figures, bathed in "energy" who each seem to be trying to grasp or wield glowing object. That battle that roils around these figures seem to show the vast majority of the combatants attempting to stop or wrest these items away from the 4 figures. The items themselves are obscured in artistic flourished of light and shadow, surely meant to convey their power.
Glom-Glom offers little to the conversation save to sniff at the object and shrug slightly.
Glom-Glom and Zika are both rewarded with symbols of their elements in the book. Like the other before them, Glom-Glom find a gold key on his person while Zika finds something more...complex. A small circular plate (palm sized for the goblin) features an arching half ring that seems to lock to the plate on both ends. The contraption is made from adamantine and has a large depression in its center. The plate is roughly a fingers width thick (again relative to zika) while the ring portion is about a third as thick. Despite the tell tale grooves where the rin like portion locks, no obvious mechanism on the plate releases or detaches the thinner section.
Hilarious...also very very wrong Choon ;p
As Narissth moves to sign his name the ratfolk notices that the tables subtely shifts its height to better accommodate him. Despite the blackness of the ink Narissth's name appears in a dark bronze color. Once the small rogue is done signing, a small fire symbol appears next to his name in the book. Narissth DC 15 Perception:
There is a bronze key on your person all of a sudden. Seeing nothing ovewhelming happen Shattertooth dips the quill in the ink. Having done so it is clear the table's height has been restored allowing the hobgoblin to sign his name comfortably. Unlike Narissth, the ink does not take on a bronze hue but instead has striking silver flecks in it. Once done, the symbol for earth appears next to the hobgoblin's name. Shattertooth DC 15 Perception: There is a silver key on your person all of a sudden.
FASCINATING. I would basically boil it down to 4 for the woodworking but would need one solid wis check, one solid int and one very solid dex check... Wisdom check is to find something to sharpen the knives or use what you have to sharpen a knife...all of your are pretty dull at the moment. Nats 20s to the wood:
Int check allows for step 3 above (examining the door and being able to approximate the key it needs would be no small feat but based on Shattertooth's observations the locks aren't THAT sophisticated...) Dex check is to apply said key to the lock. Abject failure would snap the key and leave chunks in the door (Nat 1) I would allow an Int check an hour...lets say DC 20, assists allowed. With that in hand I would say you could expect each woodworking step to take approx 3 hours at taking 20. I would allow taking 20 to basically negate the critical failure aspect (snapping or ruining the wood) at the cost of time. You could start chukcing dice to see if you could get there faster by nat 1s ruin the key cutting. So 12 hours to cut a key assuming you can make the other checks or how long those checks take you...
Shattertooth looks over the doors and finds that the locks seem relatively tame but well made. The keys are probably relatively simple but it would take someone with a decent amount of skill to try to pick the locks, especially without tools.
Narissth opens the book and finds that it is blank save for a single signature that has been lined through. The name appears to be written in Elven.
The ratfol examines the book without touching it and sees nothing overtly troubling about it. The clasp is simple and ornamental in nature, it should be no issue to open the book. One thing does stand out to Narissth and its the lack of dust or age of the item contained on the table. Nothing seems old or yellowed, particularly used or worn.
As each person places their hand on the door their corresponding sigil glows. Once Zika has completed the cross the door starts a slow loud grind that sees the stone split down the middle and part with a cough of dust and a shower of dirt and decay that has built up around the entry. The door opens to a room of clean white marble. A small wooden table sits in the center of the room and features a leather bound book (currently closed) with a bronze clasp, a golden inkpot and a silver tipped writing feather. 3 more doors adorn each other wall of the chamber. Each is a dark polished wood featuring bands of bronze to the West, silver to the North and gold to the East. Each door is fixed with a matching lever handle afixed to the door with a plate that features a prominent "classic" keyhole.
While the symbols are basic there is clearly an ongoing theme of elemental alignments. Almost by instinct Narristh touches the circle aligned with fire and the symbol starts to glow... -Posted with Wayfinder
Glom-Glom tries to open the door in vain and further examination reveals no more mechanisms or insight...
-Posted with Wayfinder
Shattertooth gives the door a once over but finds nothing menacing in its construction.
-Posted with Wayfinder
-Posted with Wayfinder
The group pads down the embankment and approached the door. Indeed even up close it appears to be covered by distinct growth and dirt as thought the jungle floor means to absorb the stone back into itself somehow. The door itself is roughly 9 feet tall and 6 feet wide featuring a wide arc but only the barest of indentations to indicate where the door stops and the rest of the stone begins. It appears that there are symbols on the door though some of them are obscured. Noticeable are 4 circles roughly the size of adinner plate oriented in a diamond pattern. The leftmost circle has a faded pictogram of a mountain set outside its farthest edge while the southmost circle has a pictogram of a flame set outside its fartherst southern edge. The other two circles do appear to have symbols but they are covered with dense vines and dirt.
Zika perches for a moment and looks over things, not getting any closer but casting a critical eye none the less. Nothing about the terrain or the foliage suggests movement. If anyone or anything has been around here, its been a long time. If someone did place the vines as a mean of disguise they did and incredible job at making things look old and grown over...
I have returned. Behold, the ravine. Thoughts? Actions?
Despite his loose association with sanity Glom-Glom manages quite well in the lead finding an obscure path and riving the group north. Zika's sharp eyes catch a glittering light through the trees but further investigation reveals nothing. The goblin swear it was almost as though a jeweled bird was flying just above the canopy, refracting light but there is no evidence for such. The group presses on for two hours and the light beyond the trees begin its slow descent towards dusk. Glom-Glom's trail following has led the group to a gully of sorts with a deep trench that descends 50 or so feet and is about 300 feet long. The trees break here and the sky is easily seen. The path itself leads to one end of the trench, which features a gentle slops down in opposition to the sharp fall of at the sides and other end. Within the trench, barely viewable from up top is a cave of sorts at one end with a stone door that seems to be covered in dirt, vines and debris.
The knives in hand, though dull to most tasks can very slowly cut through some of the local ferns. The group can basically get a days worth of water in about an hours worth of work. The creature seems gone and of the various noises you hear nothing seems to indicate it is nearby.
The transition effect this time is much less noticeable, it may well be that it was about being acclimated to it. The group emerges in the jungle close to where its initial confrontation with the other beast occurred and like before the emergence into the woods brings vibrant sounds and smells that were lacking a mere few feet away. Large leaf ferns and thick jungle trees intersperse with a number of other vines and mixed foliage. The effect is not quite tropical but not quite anything else. It almost seems a hodgepodge of forest climates. Bird calls and the echoing hoots of some number of animals sound throughout the jungle. The canopy darkens the area considerably but the bright sun pushes through and it is easy to see. Survival DC 15:
The tracks from the large spider beast are noticeable and lead to the north while an increased density of foliage seems to build further into the jungle east. (Suggesting more water/nutrient) Survival DC 20:
See DC 15 but also: Some of the large leaf ferns in this area are probably water bearing. It might be possible, with some good dexterity and a sharp enough knife, to cut the stalks of the ferns to at least get small amounts of water.
From his current position Narissth gleans little. The beach is smooth and curls softly in either direction, further incite stymied by the natural break of the horizon. The wind blows distinctly East, into the core of the island though the ratfolk notices that the wind seems to have a diminished effect on the trees he can see. Nothing about these details give a good sense of water though the ratfolk knows that fresh water in this case will either come from plants and trees (like coconuts or their ilk) or from a fresh source inland (unless the group gets lucky and finds a swamp/wetlands and a river that is exiting to the ocean.
Shattertooth places the skull on the pedestal. Nothing happens for a moment but then more of the blue light that was present to create the flickering torches that now line the room begin to crease and ebb across the skull until finally each of the small diamond flakes glow blue but occasionally flicker. A voice modulates in and out of hearing going through what sounds more than a handful of variations of repetition before settling on something the group can comprehend, Greeting... I... Ellari ... Tal ... I ... speak ... without ... full ... of ... remains ... rather ... skull. You ... find ... other ... Beware ... many ... of ... island. Do ... attempt ... enter ... tower ... we ... speak ...
Narissth returns to the cavern below convinced that there are things to see and, in fact, his efforts are rewarded. Magic criss crosses the room in a variety of ways, clearly tied to a variety of triggers. Subtle indentations throughout the room indicate that a great many objects are absent and that their return might reveal more than a few secrets. However absent those items the room has little to offer. The indentation on the pedestal once more catches the ratfolks' eye and Narissth cannot escape a niggling sense of importance... Wis DC 15: Look at that spoiler up a few posts :P
The group emerges back onto the surface with a few more supplies in hand. As before the surf beats regularly but the sun has begun to slip to its resting place on the horizon, with maybe 3 or four more hours until sunset.
Allrighty then...moving on?
The altar is mostly just a raised stone pedestal, featuring little in the way or ornamentation. There is however two slightly half moon like indentations in the flat plane of the stone pedestal top. Barely a few grains of sand in distance separate the two indentations. Wis DC 15: The ornate skull "half" that was discovered earlier would be roughly the right shape/size for the indentations.
|
