Citrine
Approved
6 Wild Blooded Sorcerer+ 1 Celestial Warlock
Posts: 328
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Post by Citrine on Mar 2, 2019 17:40:18 GMT
AHH DOUBLE 6s!!!!!
The chaotic energy, sizzling to a poisonous sickly blight green color, splashed into the twig creature, coating it with cackling chaos. Then? Perhaps because the Firebird was feeling like a generous god, or perhaps because Citrine was just that pissed off at being interrupted from her morning ritual, the chaotic energy sparked and arched towards the retreating blight.
iVhlQEBd1d20+5
If hit: 2d8+1d6 ((Metamagic is still in effect))1d20+5·2d8·1d6
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Citrine
Approved
6 Wild Blooded Sorcerer+ 1 Celestial Warlock
Posts: 328
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Post by Citrine on Mar 2, 2019 17:45:07 GMT
Roll that beautiful crit footage:
TtKEAiQl2d8+1d6 metamagic still in effect!!2d8·1d6
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Citrine
Approved
6 Wild Blooded Sorcerer+ 1 Celestial Warlock
Posts: 328
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Post by Citrine on Mar 2, 2019 17:45:40 GMT
Gonna re-roll the 2
qAledBH61d8 (second 8, for damage type reasons, so this roll does not change the damage type)1d8
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Citrine
Approved
6 Wild Blooded Sorcerer+ 1 Celestial Warlock
Posts: 328
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Post by Citrine on Mar 2, 2019 18:00:44 GMT
The twig blight, suffering from the poison covering it - a chaotic version of its own tree sap turning on itself - the fury of a phoenix was not one to ignore. The magic boomed shaking the ground as the thunderous energy of a raging storm exploded over the tree blight that had tried to escape. Prismatic swirls and motes of energy sizzled and popped - but the energy wasn't done...
Almost forgot to roll the wild magic effect for casting a lvl 1 spell Fryt3y7G1d20 Aww, no wild table roll
It continued to spread like wildfire across the blights, the twigs, and even the surrounding environment - casting everything in a prismatic oily layer that matched the oil on Citrine's wings.
She hovered there, huffed hotly through her nose, then grinned in a very self-satisfied way. Teach them for interrupting her morning ritual! She sang a victory skree, dedicating the destruction and chaos to the Firebird as the sun rose at the same time. The phoenix circled, acrobatically flipping mid-air, then letting herself fall neatly to the ground some 10-15 feet away from Nakan and the twig, just in case the creature had somehow managed to survive that.1d20
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Post by Kai Wren on Mar 2, 2019 18:24:19 GMT
... and in the aftermath of the display of magical prowess, all was still and silent, even the panicked merchants and common folk awed into silence for a few moments.
The rest of the night, needless to say, passed in silence - the threat scoured clean from the world, and come the morn the merchant gave the adventurers a friendly send-off, full of gratitude for the defense they had offered him and his. He insisted on parting with a small keg of fine Ironheart Ale that he had been keeping for a special occassion.
(This is a very small keg - essentially 8 'doses'. Each dose can be used to either gain 1 hp or gain a reroll for an ongoing mind-effecting condition. Each dose will also require a DC8 con save or gain the 'poisoned' condition for 10 minutes. Each dose consumed within an hour increases the con save by 2 and adds a further 10 minutes to the condition on failure. Alternatively, each dose may be sold for 50gp.)
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Citrine
Approved
6 Wild Blooded Sorcerer+ 1 Celestial Warlock
Posts: 328
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Post by Citrine on Mar 4, 2019 23:59:35 GMT
Citrine, if prompted by anyone in the caravan, would proudly and without any hesitation, would tell the story over and over again about the battle against the blight. There were embellishments of course, what sort of bardic story wouldn't embellish? But the truth of it was there enough that it was close enough to a rather decent retelling all things considered. Of course the behavior of the chaos bolt seemed exaggerated in and of itself, something most wouldn't have believed had they not seen the spell damage on the ground from it - or heard the booming thunder even across camp.
When she and Nakan got to the point they needed to separate from the caravan to continue their search for either the druids or the cave (Alister had decided to stay with the caravan, worried for their safety after the wrecking display from the blight plant) they were gifted a small keg. Citrine, well familiar with the fact that the most fun, most potent, and most festivities encouraging booze came in small packages near cackled with excitement over the small barrel. It was hard stuff, they were told. Not to drink more than one dose at a time, they were told. She nodded at their concerns, tell them it was in safe hands.
She couldn't wait to be off duty to take her share.
"Sae, Nakan, how much o' ah drinker are ye?" She'd finally ask when it was just the two of them standing at the point in the trail they'd have to choose either cave or druids. Luckily the Goliath had no problem carrying the small keg around, the weight of it barely noticeable she was sure.
"An dae ye think teh druids would be willin' tae talk tae ah pair o' non-druids?" She was concerned about that part of the information path they were on. "Aye've heard the lot o' em can be quite secretive towards naen druids... An us two... well, we are quite ah pair to look at." A giant of a man and a scrap of a bird - what a pair.
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Post by Kralle on Mar 5, 2019 10:50:50 GMT
After the chaos of the fight had finally begun to subside, Nakan would wander towards a quieter part of the camp while Citrine regaled the merchants with her retelling of the battle. His pulse was still racing along at a significant pace, and he had injuries to tend to. Thankfully, the strange creatures had encountered some difficulty in injuring the goliath. Several welts and nasty bruises had formed from the crushing vines, and slow trickles of dark blood seeped from ragged slashes left by the claws of the twig creatures. Thankfully it was nothing a bit of crushed yarrow - conveniently dried already by the winter weather - and some bandaging wouldn’t fix. With his wounds treated and his heartbeat slowing, Nakan made a point to perform a brief ritual, offering apologies to the unseen spirits lingering in the trees for the disturbance created by the fight with the creatures. Hopefully, that would keep the forest placated, and it would allow the caravan to finish their resting unaccosted for the rest of the night. After ensuring no one else required him for anything, Nakan returned to his bedroll and quickly drifted off to sleep. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The next morning came uneventfully, and Citrine and Nakan parted ways with the merchant caravan to continue their trek alone. Before they left, however, the caravan master gifted the adventurers a small cask of fine spirits. It was a simple enough task for Nakan to strap the keg to his pack with a bit of rope, and the added weight was negligible. After a short while of walking, the pair came to their proverbial crossroads. From where they stood, they could head straight to the location that their employer had indicated or perhaps seek more information with the Druids of Kryptgarden. Nakan was deep enough in thought that it took him a bit longer than usual to realize Citrine had asked him a question. “ Oh...well, I suppose I’m no more of a drinker than most folk. Of course, I’m a dangerous drinking partner on account of my size.” He gave a low chuckle, before continuing jokingly. “ Most of you smaller folk usually drink yourselves under a table before I’ve even got a decent buzz going.” The goliath puzzled for a moment longer as he weighed their options. The druids could provide some helpful information, but that was assuming they would even be willing to talk to outsiders before blasting them with some kind of nature-based hocus-pocus. It would probably be best to just make for the cave in as direct a route as possible. “ That Dantallion fellow seemed awful keen that we get to that cave quickly. And your assumption is probably dead on, they’re as likely to attack us for trespassing as they are to even give us the time of day.” Before continuing, he turned to face his companion. “ Unless you’re violently opposed to it, I say we head to the cave.”
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Post by Kai Wren on Mar 5, 2019 20:20:07 GMT
(Okay, we'll skip ahead - there's a few things you'll get to pick about your approach, obviously:
Time of day Order Stealth or obvious
If y'all could come to a decision between yourselves on those three points and get back to me I will write the sceneset accordingly)
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Post by Kai Wren on Mar 6, 2019 22:34:33 GMT
After much discussion between themselves, it was eventually decided that the pair would take a detour – a day or so out of the way of the main cave to try and find the druids who had apparently hired them for this mission in the first place.
The forest is a strange one. Whilst it is a natural place, with all the normal animals, plants, and the cycle of life that one might expect, there is also a sense of something else lurking beneath the surface. It sets the hairs at the back of one’s neck prickling. For Nakan, it is a little more understandable than for Citrine.
The spirits are close to the physical world, here. Closer than they normally are. Whilst everything has a spirit, it is rare for them to come forth unbidden, and only the very skilled or dedicated could call such spirits and have their call heeded. But here, it felt like the spirits were listening to every word, every footfall, every breath that the adventurers took.
No wonder there were rumours that there were dragons and stranger creatures which made this forest their home. The druids likely had their work cut out just quelling the interest of the spirits. For whilst those ancient entities might be benevolent some of the time, they were fundamentally an unknowable quantity; they did not think in the way of common men and women in the world. There was no predicting what it was that they would do if they took offense, or what might cause offense to begin with.
The other issue that the adventurers have is that the forest itself is not one which has been tended or tamed by civilisation in the least. There is no easy path hewn through it, no trade route cut into it. After abandoning the road to head to the forest, things were easy enough – but the deeper they go in, the harder it is to keep and maintain their bearings, and they don’t, really, have any idea exactly what it is they are looking for, other than the grove of druids.
A grove which they may recall, now that the sun is hidden by the canopy above, were supposed to be spending much of their time in the suppression of other threats and powers within this ancient woodland.
(Okay guys, I’ll ask for survival checks from the both of you to locate the tracks for the druids.)
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Citrine
Approved
6 Wild Blooded Sorcerer+ 1 Celestial Warlock
Posts: 328
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Post by Citrine on Mar 7, 2019 15:29:06 GMT
The journey through the forest was a unique one. The deep scents, smells, and shadows were like tasting a new liquor or trying a brand new spell for a first time. There was something familiar about it. Old yet new. Comforting while uneasy. At most it humbled her, feeling the thick power of a forest such as this alive with things beyond just what grew here naturally - the magic and spirits in the air giving the air a taste and feel unlike anything else she'd experienced here in Faerun. At least? The sensations were enough to dull her down so she'd behave and not feel like mischief was an appropriate response to the environment.
At some point their travels became difficult, the growth underfoot thick and dense. The branches and overgrowth were too woven to allow her to fly, at least at her current size as small as she was - she wasn't a tiny songbird either. Jump-climbing onto Nakan's back and shoulders seemed the best route, and so she did, asking if it was okay while she was climbing up. She weight almost nothing, a bit over 70 pounds at best, and carried very little gear.
From her vantage point on the goliath's shoulders Citrine kept her wings flat down Nakan's back, giving him a narrow cloak of red and gold. She did not want to spend hours preening sap and bramble out of her wings if she could help it. At this height though? It was easier to try and spot any trails or paths - or so she hoped. She really wished she had her spyglass. Hadn't she swore to herself she'd carry it on her after the whole fiasco with the crumbled wall?
e092mAQg1d20+31d20+3
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Post by Kralle on Mar 7, 2019 23:14:57 GMT
Staring into the ancient Kryptgarden, Nakan could almost feel the forest staring right back him. Before the pair of adventurers entered the woods, he muttered a quick but polite request for safe passage to any of the spirits or beings which might be listening from the trees and undergrowth ahead. The goliath would have preferred to make a proper offering, but time wasn’t a luxury he was in excess supply of.
As the Citrine and Nakan began the rough trek through the overgrown forest, the goliath had no problem with the Phoenix perching on his back to avoid getting tangled up in a mess of vines or brambles. She was light enough to carry without much trouble, and he imagined being an extra four or so feet off the ground would give her a better vantage point to help spot any clues to the location of the druid’s grove or possible trouble they might run across.
And so it was that they trekked along through the Kryptgarden, searching for clues to the druidic circle’s location. Nakan wasn’t exactly in his element in dense forests, being much more at home in the mountains and hills, but he would nonetheless try to draw on his survival skills to search for tracks, game trails, and other signs of the forest’s guardians.
mPj|8X7L1d20+21d20+2
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Post by Kai Wren on Mar 10, 2019 12:22:13 GMT
It took a long, long time to find them. Hours of wandering through the forest, with the vague and uneasy sense that the pair were being watched. Kralle may never have found it on his own, but thankfully Citrine was there with him, and it was she who spotted the silvery-white fox who was watching them. She who felt like she ought to follow it. And ultimately, she who took the unspoken invitation which allowed both of the adventurers to step through a part of the forest that seemed entirely normal, and then stand suddenly in a clearing of fully-exposed sky, with six enormous standing stones arrayed around it.
The feeling of magic is thick on the air. This is a place of power, no doubt about that, and each of the stones is a focus of it. Ten feet tall, and each etched with an ornate marking of a mythical animal. Perhaps it is merely fortune which means that Citrine emerges before the one of a rising bird, wreathed in brilliant flame – though it seems unlikely.
There is also a hulking, bull-headed man, a human, female head wreathed with snakes, a rampant unicorn, a nine-tailed fox, and – with aching familiarity – a twisting kraken whose tendrils wrap entirely around the stone obelisk into which it has been carved.
Standing in the middle of the circle, facing towards Citrine and Kralle, was a human man, old, but still strong. His white beard and bald pate betrayed his age, but even the modest, dark robes he wore couldn’t completely hide the muscular build beneath. His eyes were as green as the forest through which they had trod, and when he spoke, his voice rang clear as the daylight in which he stood.
“Welcome, adventurers.” He said, “You are the ones who have answered the call of our agent in Waterdeep. For that, you have our thanks. Do not worry about offending me with your strange ways or customs. I am the Speaker of this Circle. It is my burden to interact with those from the outside world when they have need to visit us here. And you have agreed to journey to the lair of Kol Firebelly and put an end to the danger he poses. For that, you have my gratitude.”
There was a moment of pause, and then he added.
“With just the two of you, it might be a challenge, but … each of you is far more than you seem, I see. Blessed by the spirits in your own ways.”
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Citrine
Approved
6 Wild Blooded Sorcerer+ 1 Celestial Warlock
Posts: 328
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Post by Citrine on Mar 10, 2019 16:31:51 GMT
It was an enjoyable time, all things considered, walking through the woods. The heavy mystery and pressing sensation of being watched wasn't too off-putting, and she didn't have to walk! Keeping her raptor eyes out for anything unique she found it in the guise of a silver fox - of which she cooed and trilled a mental hello to before nudging Nakan to notice.
They were lead to a place of power, one that put a heavy mantle of hubris onto the rambunctious phoenix. With slackjawed appreciation she slid off of Nakan's back and stared up at the stones.
The phoenix - the one they had seemed to step through, caught her eye first. The towering stone dwarfed her height almost three times, craning her neck up to see all the details. Her blood hummed in the presence of a rendition of the Firebird. A burst of birdsong sang from her then, trills and swoops and krees that she had not planned on singing. But the song burst through as she flared her wings and lifted a foot in parody of the carving. It was like the sensation that wrapped around her at dawn when she sang in the sun, the instinctual drum beat and warrior call to arms. If Citrine wasn't as self-confident as she was? She would have felt embarrassed about the primal reaction she had to the stone of power.
The phoenix's hold left her, but other stones called out to her. The kraken was one - the tendrils claiming the ten foot tall height like a Captain would hold onto a ship's wheel. She grinned up at it, walking the circle, and dipped down into a bow as she swept her arm and wing out in tandem to salute the beastie. Besmara would have been pleased to see the carving, Gozreh too. The symbol of the sea depths, one that brought out horror and glee alike, was one she would always be fond of.
While not as extravagant in motion the firebird gave a respectful bow to the unicorn, minator, and the medusa. She had no special ties with either of the three, but that didn't mean they weren't respected by others just as much as she gave glory and praise to the phoenix, the kraken, and the kitsune.
Her circle took her to stand in front of the nine tailed fox, and it was like her entire world around her melted away. The trickster itself, master of illusion, pranks, and guidance - that had been the last choice she'd made in what to become, what life to live. She'd barely had anytime at all, really, to live out the lifestyle of the fox. Her hand rubbed at the tattoo on her left wrist - a tribal fire-fox in rampant. She loved being a phoenix, a creature of flight and song and stubbornness. But there was a longing she had to return to a time before all that. When she'd been the vulpine humanoid that matched her spirit guide and totem of the fox.
The clear voice of the man in the center, whom she'd not noticed for all the stones around her, drew her attention and dragged her inspection of the totems. She turned, pivoting on the toes of her talons, and gave a bow to him just as graceful and respectful as she had given homage to the stones.
"Aye hope tae not burden ye long then, Maighstir Righ Speaker." She had no idea what title would actually be appropriate, and so erred on the side of higher flattery in her language she preferred to speak titles in. "Me companion an' Aye, we heard o' teh troubles an' were indeed hired tae investigate." She stood upright by this point, standing tall with her hands slightly behind her back in a posture that said 'we are equals of power, in some ways, yet I defer to you as we are on your ship…. Err…. Forest.' This wasn't her first diplomatic-esq encounter, nor would be her last. Some who knew her well might panic at the thought of the usual troublemaker and prankster speaking on behalf of a group - but those that truly knew her well would know they were in good hands.
"Tae be sure we aren't imposin' on ye, ye Forests, an' ye time Aye'll skip through teh pleasantries Aye usually find most enjoyable an' ask - what dae ye knae o' teh Kol Firebelly lair? Et's teh first Aye've heard ah name put tae teh place we seek."
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Post by Nakan on Mar 12, 2019 21:59:01 GMT
The Goliath hadn’t gone into the woods expecting the Druid’s to be easy to find.
He also didn’t expect them to be this hard to locate, either.
His inexperience with trekking through woodlands showed, often ending up with him turned around or passing the same tree several times. Thankfully, from her elevated perch, Citrine proved far more capable at navigating the tangled underbrush and maze of trees.
As he trudged through the brambles and vines, Nakan chuckled to himself. “You know, I’d be hopelessly lost right now if I was on my own.” He turned his head to look over his shoulder at the phoenix. “At least one of us knows what they’re doing.”
Eventually, the pair found what they were looking for. With a nudge from Citrine, Nakan pushed his way through a final tangle of brush and into a clearing. What they found within wasn’t precisely what Nakan would have expected to see in the middle of an ancient forest.
A ring of totems surrounded the clearing, each depicting some mythic creature Nakan had only seen the likeness of in paintings or statues. Citrine, however, seemed to be familiar with a few of them, at least, letting out a burst of song as she approached the one directly behind them, its own relief depicting a bird rising through a cloud of flames. The Ugunavi had their own totems, to be sure, but they were nothing quite as large or grandiose as this, often being little more than a stack of stones arranged in a runic pattern and painted with a few symbols of power. They even got as small as the skeletal cave bear paw tied to Nakan’s waist, the bones and claws etched with runes along their length. The extravagance of these stones surprised Nakan, in a way.
The goliath was so distracted that he didn’t even notice the man standing in the center of the circle until he spoke up. Usually, this might have surprised Nakan enough to make him jump or even raise his weapon, but there was...something...about the clearing that put him at ease. Something that told him he had little to fear as long as he maintained respect for those who called this forest home.
Nakan wasn’t generally one for diplomacy, so he was glad to see that there wouldn’t need to be much persuasion or subterfuge required to speak with the elderly druid. As Citrine asked her question, Nakan would wait patiently off to the side and slightly behind the phoenix. For the moment, he had little to do. Perhaps if this old man provided any additional information, Nakan would have some clarifying questions of his own, but for now, the goliath would give his companion the stage to do the talking.
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Post by Kai Wren on Mar 13, 2019 20:46:47 GMT
The druid gave a solemn nod of approval at Citrine’s semi-deliberate outburst, and didn’t seem to take any offense to the Goliath’s reticence to approach right away. Each were showing due deference; though it might not have been in the ‘correct’ fashion according to druidic custom, the intent was infinitely more important than the actions undertaken, and it was clear that neither of them had any wish to insult or disrespect the druid or the grove. Unless they did something truly outrageous, they would have to work quite hard to evoke his displeasure.
“There are those who believe that to name a thing is to give it power.” The old man said, slowly. “That, is to have it the wrong way around. To name a thing is to acknowledge its power. Our agent may have been disinclined to name Kol because doing so demonstrates that he is worthy of naming. Alas, whilst we would all far rather it wasn’t the case, there is no point in denying that any longer.”
The Speaker, appropriately, seemed inclined to speak at length. As he did, his gaze drifted away from the visitors, to look towards the horizon, and sigh softly.
“Kol is one of the few goblins to have spurned the other goblinoid races and cleave to his own kind. In the past, the goblin tribes have been subjugated and used as fodder and slaves for the more physically powerful of their kind. Kol, though, has magic at his disposal. Magic that has been growing within him for months. Perhaps years, before we felt it here.”
The Speaker sounds genuinely remorseful as he continues.
“If Kol intended only to use that power to keep his tribe free of domination and develop, there would be no problem. It might even be a good thing. But he doesn’t. We have felt the power rising as he stokes it, feeds it somehow. I know flame. It is a natural part of this world, as intrinsic as the earth and the sky and the water. But the flame burning in his heart is no natural inferno.”
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