(IC) Quickleaf's Rime of the Frostmaiden

[Quickleaf]

"I'd like nothing more than to get into a warm cave. But this one seems dangerous." Lumrolur looks over the runes
"I cannot read them, but I can probably strengthen them or delete them if they're dangerous."

He looks over the door, door frame, ground in front of the door and in general does everything to find and neutralize any and all traps.
"There are always signs, even if only traces of magic components or smallest of scuff marks. But this surface thing, with sky constantly falling with something, water running over everything...maybe it is deleted by now."

GM: The archway towers nearly 20 feet tall. Giant-ese runes are currently illegible, worn by time. It is completely covered by a sheet of unusually smooth ice. The ground within a few feet of the ice wall has a few chunks of ice scattered around the snow which is covered in a thin layer of hardened frost - arrayed in a fan-like pattern as if the frost emitted from this archway.

 

[happylace]

Alma hears all the talk of examining for traps. The physical ones she'll leave to Lumrolur. Not that she expects anything to work in this frigid cold. But some sort of abjurative defense, that she could see. She moves up closer to the door, just a ways behind Jack, and holds a hand out. She closes her eyes and channels the arcane energies within her body, searching for any echo in the area around them.

Alma casts Detect Magic.

Roll to Cast: Detect Magic: 1D20+2 = [10]+2 = 12

 

[Quickleaf]

Alma hears all the talk of examining for traps. The physical ones she'll leave to Lumrolur. Not that she expects anything to work in this frigid cold. But some sort of abjurative defense, that she could see. She moves up closer to the door, just a ways behind Jack, and holds a hand out. She closes her eyes and channels the arcane energies within her body, searching for any echo in the area around them.

Alma casts Detect Magic.

Roll to Cast: Detect Magic: 1D20+2 = [10]+2 = 12

GM: The smooth ice wall radiates strong evocation magic, manifesting as a bright bluish white glow. Whereas the surrounding archway radiates wispier weaker threads of interwoven divination, abjuration, and transmutation magic that seem to bleed out into the snow within 10 to 15 feet of the archway.

 

[happylace]

GM: The smooth ice wall radiates strong evocation magic, manifesting as a bright bluish white glow. Whereas the surrounding archway radiates wispier weaker threads of interwoven divination, abjuration, and transmutation magic that seem to bleed out into the snow within 10 to 15 feet of the archway.

Alma looks to the others. "There's evocation magic in the ice wall. Hard to tell if the ice itself is a trigger object or the byproduct of a spell. Evocation is typically offensive in nature--though can also be used in some healing magics. I doubt healing is its purpose in this case, however."

Her eyes trace the lines of arcane energy. She holds out a hand and a strip of red slime slithers out of her glove, taking shape into the form of a small stick as she casts Prestidigitation. Alma begins to trace a line fifteen feet out from the archway, where the radiation seems to end. "The runes themselves contain traces of several schools. Divination, which is used for observation and detection. Abjuration, which is protective. And Transmutation, which is used to alter matter. The energy is weaker, possibly older, but there are residual waves that extend out to about.... here. It may affect the area or otherwise trigger something if someone enters that space. I can't be sure. But it's best to be cautious." She looks to Zeth. "Is that a sufficient examination, or would you like to investigate further?"

 

[VLAD the Destroyer]

OOC: @Quickleaf Can Logrim touch the archway without crossing the area that Alma indicated? I want to try and cast Identify as a ritual on the doorway but don't want to be in the area marked out if it triggers some sort of trap.

 

[Quickleaf]

OOC: @Quickleaf Can Logrim touch the archway without crossing the area that Alma indicated? I want to try and cast Identify as a ritual on the doorway but don't want to be in the area marked out if it triggers some sort of trap.

GM: To touch the archway, yes you’d need to be within 10-15 feet, which is within the arc Alma traced out. If your concern is about “standing on the ground within the arc”, you could theoretically orchestrate some kind of yardarm or something.

 

[VLAD the Destroyer]

Logrim looks from the doorway to Lumrolur and Alma. He looks at the line Alma marked in the snow and back at the door. He then turns to Alma.

"Miss Alma, do you think it is safe to approach the doorway? I can use these..." Logrim holds up a pair of goggles to show to Alma. ...to find out more about the doorway. But I'd have to get close enough to touch it. I don't want to trigger some protective magic. I might wind up like poor Miss Astrix."

OOC: It's not the ground as much as going inside the mark. I'm worried about some sort of magic protection that will be triggered if I come within 15ft of the doorway. I need to physically touch the doorway to cast Identify so a yardarm or some other device won't work.

 

[Aethmud]

Zeth: "That's...interesting. You've definitely led a more exciting life than me, not that I envy you. I'd rather have a glass of wine, a seat in front of a warm fire, and a good book than an adventure. At worst I was expecting seasickness when I came out here, not to risk my life."

Jack's eyes sparkle with the promise of a playful retort. "Ah, Zeth, I couldn't agree more wholeheartedly! Some of the best adventures can be found within the pages of a book. The thrill of a plot twist, the suspense of an unresolved chapter, uncharted territories in a sea of paper and ink." He then chuckles, adding, "As for seasickness, that's no joke. Dreadful thing, the Briney Belly Ballet."

"Someday I've got to tell you a story about my cousin, a fairy privateer, captain of the Skyward Buccaneer, one of the most notorious vessels in the fey high seas..." Jack's voice trails off with a playful smirk, as Zeth levels his gaze at the fairy, narrowing his eyes at the mention of yet another story.

"The good news is, Zeth, on a frozen mountainside the only waves we'll encounter are the snowdrifts. This ocean," Jack indicates with a sweep of the arm across the chilly landscape, "is frozen!"

Alma: "The runes themselves contain traces of several schools. Divination, which is used for observation and detection. Abjuration, which is protective. And Transmutation, which is used to alter matter. The energy is weaker, possibly older, but there are residual waves that extend out to about.... here. It may affect the area or otherwise trigger something if someone enters that space. I can't be sure. But it's best to be cautious."

Jack leans in, his expression one of genuine admiration. "Alma, you weave through magical complexities with ease," he says offering a tilt of his head. "And yet," Jack peers at the line she has marked in the snow and ice around the entrance way, "you manage to keep us grounded with your pragmatic insights. You turn perplexing mysteries into clear, navigable paths." He smiles warmly to Alma, his eyes twinkling.

"Let's see what these runes say after all, shall we? Stand clear of the line, everyone!"

Jack readies himself to cast Faerie Fire, stretching out his arms with fingers wide, as though drawing energy from the Feywild itself. He traces patterns in the air, each movement weaving the spell's foundation. With a swift motion, he reaches for his magical phial and sprinkles fairy dust, which soon becomes commingled with the eddies of magic shaped by his gestures. His wings give a quick flutter, sending the iridescent trails of dust toward the archway, a dazzling cloud of shimmering colors. Then, in a swift, decisive motion, Jack claps his hands together, charging the floating trails of dust toward the runes. As it settles into the faded carvings of the rock face, the dust ignites into a burst of radiant, multicolored light, highlighting the Giantese runes in a luminous glow.

 

[Quickleaf]

GM: @Aethmud Roll to cast for faerie fire! I'm going to proceed as if it the core of the spell works - just to move us along - but you or I can ad lib based on your roll.

Faded Giant-ese runes hiss with the shifting blue, green, and violet light of your faerie fire, revealing the faded runes hidden in stone and frost.

Giant (only known by Jack):

“Herein lies Kelvin Duarol, the Mighty Jarl, who wielded Crenshinibon and stood against Tempus.
Enter only those who fight on in Kelvin’s memory, and doom unto his foes.”

 

[Aethmud]

GM: @Aethmud Roll to cast for faerie fire! I'm going to proceed as if it the core of the spell works - just to move us along - but you or I can ad lib based on your roll.

Faded Giant-ese runes hiss with the shifting blue, green, and violet light of your faerie fire, revealing the faded runes hidden in stone and frost.

Giant (only known by Jack):

“Herein lies Kelvin Duarol, the Mighty Jarl, who wielded Crenshinibon and stood against Tempus.
Enter only those who fight on in Kelvin’s memory, and doom unto his foes.”

Spoiler: OOC

Oops! Saw that Faerie Fire has a DEX save that seems to apply only to enemies (not objects) and forgot about Jack's roll-to-cast requirement too. Anyway, roll succeeds.

Rolled 13 for a DC10 roll-to-cast.

Jack feigns a frown as he peers at the illuminated runes. "Hmm, a love letter to a mountaintop. How can a giant's sense of romance be so colossally misplaced? Why can't they fall for each other instead of trees and mountains?"

He is the only one to laugh at his own joke. "Kidding, kidding!"

Then, with an ever-so-slightly-more-serious attitude, "This one did fall for the other, so to say. The runes tell, Herein lies Kelvin Duarol, the Mighty Jarl, who wielded Crenshinibon and stood against Tempus. Enter only those who fight on in Kelvin’s memory, and doom unto his foes. Can't say I've made the acquaintance of Kelvin or Tempus. Have any of you heard of them?"

"But any frost giant who stomps into battle wielding a cinnamon bun sounds like a fellow I'd get along with just fine!"