megamania
Hero
GAMER’S GROTTO: THE HIDDEN
02 ASSIMO’S MISADVENTURE
SEGMENT 010
ACT FOUR: THE RUINS, PART ONE
5/3/14
YRLAG, SHADOW MARCHES
DEEP INTO NEW WATER, NEAR THE HIDDEN
RHAAN 18, 999
The buildings are strange. They are made of a marbled light blue stone with no apparent windows. The doors to the buildings are purple to dark blue and also marbled in design. Before anyone can check them out, the gnome is already moving ahead and looking at a statue. It looks like a well-built human in leather armor with a wolf standing beside him. They see no descriptors or plagues saying who this is. While they are looking at the statue, the warforged is standing close to a large obsidian shard that is sticking out of the ground.
He shudders as he hears an eerie and haunting voice in his mind.
= go away. You are not wanted here =
When he searches for the source of the voice he sees his reflection in the black glass. It slowly morphs into a wispy and haunting vision of him. The vision has spikes growing out of him with growths on his face and upper body. The warforged is quick to move away with a start. Snarl notices and asks what was wrong.
“Something…. Is in the glass. It spoke to me.”
“Anything else?” asks the gnome with genuine curiosity and excitement.
He decides not to tell the whole story. The gnome is discouraged and his shoulders visibly sink. Then he looks at the nearest building and rushes over to it (stumbling once as he trips on his robe that is at least 3-4 sizes too big. He stops once as a scroll falls out of his scroll belt and he retrieves it.
The elf checks it over carefully hoping to find a secret way in or something about the dark colored door. It has no door knob or handle. “How do we open it?” he asks.
“Maybe we just ask? Suggests the priest. “Open please.” He says to the door.
DM NOTE: I NEVER expected someone to do this. It was the only way to get in without smashing your way in. Go figure
The door slowly opens on command much to everyone’s surprise, including the priest. “I didn’t expect that to work.” He states calmly.
Peering into the building, they notice the entire room is made of the same light blue marble including some furniture. This color pattern masks the presence of the goods inside somewhat. There is a table that is empty and a small bookshelf that the elf goes to first. Many of the books have the same marbled color and design on them. One book stands out as he leafs through them. The cover has intertwined vines and trees creating a border. Within the border is a portal like image with tentacle and tailed creatures stepping through. Enslaved orcs are below. Some of the slaves appear to be either tortured or experimented on. Strange patterns and marks may be the written language and title of the book.
“Can anyone read this?” he asks.
The priest looks at it and cannot translate it but feels it is from when the invaders from Xoriat were here. Hearing the word Xoriat, Assimo is quick to step over and check out the book. He looks at it carefully and his eyes go wide as he stutters and sputters to himself. Is he reading it or having a moment is unclear and he doesn’t answer anyone that asks. Finally he suggests this is something the University would hold in high regard and works to pocket the large and heavy tome.
Gandalf meanwhile has seen a trap door on the floor. He and the priest are checking it out. Seeing no obvious traps or wards, they carefully touch the handle.
Nothing.
The priest lifts it and finds…. Nothing. It is a very shallow depression in the floor. “Strange” he says as he looks at the edges hoping to find a secret lever or means to make this doorway have a real use.
Questioning the whole strange room, they look around some more. Gandalf happens to look up and spots another trapdoor. This one is directly over the false door on the floor. Assimo wants it opened so the warforged tries to reach it but is just a few feet too short. He lifts the gnome up to open it. The gnome grabs the handle and pulls hard. Nothing. He pulls very very hard and almost lifts himself off of the warforged’s hand.
“It ….won’t….open.” swears the gnome.
“The other way ya nimbwit.” Snarls the shifter.
The gnome leads in a different direction and finds himself hanging from the handle. Scratches peers out of his robe with a look of dismay and fear.
“No! Push it up!” growls the shifter.
“I can’t! I’m hanging here.” Says the gnome.
The warforged raises his arm and pushes the gnome….. a little too hard. The door pops up then comes back down and strikes the gnome hard. If the group listened a bit better, they would have heard Scratches meow out its distress even from the jarring thud the door gave the Gnome.
“ow.” He says rubbing the top of his head with both hands. His hat has lost even more of its shape now.
“Sorry” says the warforged as he tries again but much slower. The gnome doesn’t have the raw strength to push open the door. The priest hands him his staff after he puts the gnome down. Using the staff, the living construct easily pops open the hatch. Up goes the shifter.
At a quick glance, there is a distilled light coming through lighter colored stone work that seems to be more marble. Disguised windows. The shifter steps in and is attacked by something unseen. He calls out in alarm as something had struck him from behind.
The elf is quick to get up there as well as the priest and mage. They can’t find the shifter or his assailant. They are 100% sure he was just here but they don’t see him. Snarl’s voice comes from nowhere demanding help. They look at each other and ask where he is.
“Where…. I’m right…. Ugh….here.” he begins as something is hitting him. Something seems to manifest itself ever so briefly before the priest. But it disappears before he can verify it was something other than his imagination.
“Do I have to do everything myself?” they hear and suddenly Snarl seems to appear running and swinging his weapon before him.
“What is going on?” calls up the gnome. The fighter tries to reach down to grab and put the gnome up through the hole but he is careful to avoid the warforged’s hand. He is NOT going up there right now.
Suddenly the elf feels struck and disappears before everyone. The priest briefly saw a mass that was swinging at the elf. “Living spell?” he wonders to himself. (Yup- Living Spell: Invisibility) Every time the creature strikes or squeezes the elf, it becomes partially visible and thus a target. Eventually they take it down.
They look around but nothing except for another trap door on the ceiling. Since Assimo is below, they easily and quickly enter the third floor. They find nothing here.
“Bummers.” Says the gnome with a frown.
They exit the building and try the next closest one.
02 ASSIMO’S MISADVENTURE
SEGMENT 010
ACT FOUR: THE RUINS, PART ONE
5/3/14
YRLAG, SHADOW MARCHES
DEEP INTO NEW WATER, NEAR THE HIDDEN
RHAAN 18, 999
The buildings are strange. They are made of a marbled light blue stone with no apparent windows. The doors to the buildings are purple to dark blue and also marbled in design. Before anyone can check them out, the gnome is already moving ahead and looking at a statue. It looks like a well-built human in leather armor with a wolf standing beside him. They see no descriptors or plagues saying who this is. While they are looking at the statue, the warforged is standing close to a large obsidian shard that is sticking out of the ground.
He shudders as he hears an eerie and haunting voice in his mind.
= go away. You are not wanted here =
When he searches for the source of the voice he sees his reflection in the black glass. It slowly morphs into a wispy and haunting vision of him. The vision has spikes growing out of him with growths on his face and upper body. The warforged is quick to move away with a start. Snarl notices and asks what was wrong.
“Something…. Is in the glass. It spoke to me.”
“Anything else?” asks the gnome with genuine curiosity and excitement.
He decides not to tell the whole story. The gnome is discouraged and his shoulders visibly sink. Then he looks at the nearest building and rushes over to it (stumbling once as he trips on his robe that is at least 3-4 sizes too big. He stops once as a scroll falls out of his scroll belt and he retrieves it.
The elf checks it over carefully hoping to find a secret way in or something about the dark colored door. It has no door knob or handle. “How do we open it?” he asks.
“Maybe we just ask? Suggests the priest. “Open please.” He says to the door.
DM NOTE: I NEVER expected someone to do this. It was the only way to get in without smashing your way in. Go figure
The door slowly opens on command much to everyone’s surprise, including the priest. “I didn’t expect that to work.” He states calmly.
Peering into the building, they notice the entire room is made of the same light blue marble including some furniture. This color pattern masks the presence of the goods inside somewhat. There is a table that is empty and a small bookshelf that the elf goes to first. Many of the books have the same marbled color and design on them. One book stands out as he leafs through them. The cover has intertwined vines and trees creating a border. Within the border is a portal like image with tentacle and tailed creatures stepping through. Enslaved orcs are below. Some of the slaves appear to be either tortured or experimented on. Strange patterns and marks may be the written language and title of the book.
“Can anyone read this?” he asks.
The priest looks at it and cannot translate it but feels it is from when the invaders from Xoriat were here. Hearing the word Xoriat, Assimo is quick to step over and check out the book. He looks at it carefully and his eyes go wide as he stutters and sputters to himself. Is he reading it or having a moment is unclear and he doesn’t answer anyone that asks. Finally he suggests this is something the University would hold in high regard and works to pocket the large and heavy tome.
Gandalf meanwhile has seen a trap door on the floor. He and the priest are checking it out. Seeing no obvious traps or wards, they carefully touch the handle.
Nothing.
The priest lifts it and finds…. Nothing. It is a very shallow depression in the floor. “Strange” he says as he looks at the edges hoping to find a secret lever or means to make this doorway have a real use.
Questioning the whole strange room, they look around some more. Gandalf happens to look up and spots another trapdoor. This one is directly over the false door on the floor. Assimo wants it opened so the warforged tries to reach it but is just a few feet too short. He lifts the gnome up to open it. The gnome grabs the handle and pulls hard. Nothing. He pulls very very hard and almost lifts himself off of the warforged’s hand.
“It ….won’t….open.” swears the gnome.
“The other way ya nimbwit.” Snarls the shifter.
The gnome leads in a different direction and finds himself hanging from the handle. Scratches peers out of his robe with a look of dismay and fear.
“No! Push it up!” growls the shifter.
“I can’t! I’m hanging here.” Says the gnome.
The warforged raises his arm and pushes the gnome….. a little too hard. The door pops up then comes back down and strikes the gnome hard. If the group listened a bit better, they would have heard Scratches meow out its distress even from the jarring thud the door gave the Gnome.
“ow.” He says rubbing the top of his head with both hands. His hat has lost even more of its shape now.
“Sorry” says the warforged as he tries again but much slower. The gnome doesn’t have the raw strength to push open the door. The priest hands him his staff after he puts the gnome down. Using the staff, the living construct easily pops open the hatch. Up goes the shifter.
At a quick glance, there is a distilled light coming through lighter colored stone work that seems to be more marble. Disguised windows. The shifter steps in and is attacked by something unseen. He calls out in alarm as something had struck him from behind.
The elf is quick to get up there as well as the priest and mage. They can’t find the shifter or his assailant. They are 100% sure he was just here but they don’t see him. Snarl’s voice comes from nowhere demanding help. They look at each other and ask where he is.
“Where…. I’m right…. Ugh….here.” he begins as something is hitting him. Something seems to manifest itself ever so briefly before the priest. But it disappears before he can verify it was something other than his imagination.
“Do I have to do everything myself?” they hear and suddenly Snarl seems to appear running and swinging his weapon before him.
“What is going on?” calls up the gnome. The fighter tries to reach down to grab and put the gnome up through the hole but he is careful to avoid the warforged’s hand. He is NOT going up there right now.
Suddenly the elf feels struck and disappears before everyone. The priest briefly saw a mass that was swinging at the elf. “Living spell?” he wonders to himself. (Yup- Living Spell: Invisibility) Every time the creature strikes or squeezes the elf, it becomes partially visible and thus a target. Eventually they take it down.
They look around but nothing except for another trap door on the ceiling. Since Assimo is below, they easily and quickly enter the third floor. They find nothing here.
“Bummers.” Says the gnome with a frown.
They exit the building and try the next closest one.