Frozen Whispers (adventure)

You all accept the sparkling green draft and—with more or less enthusiasm—drink it all. The drink spreads like a warm bloom in your belly. Father Colin and the brothers of the order stare at you in anticipation. After a few seconds, strange things begin to happen to you. Through it all, you have a feeling of comfortable well-being, and do not feel threatened at all.

Belisha finds that her feet begin to feel a bit sticky. Not in such a way that she sticks in place to the floor, but walking around she finds that she is exceptionally stable. Experimenting further, she finds that she can walk on the walls, and even up onto the ceiling! Narkus hoots in confusion, but as a wizard’s familiar he has seen strange magic before and is not overly alarmed. The monks smile and clap in delight at this effect of the elixer. The only drawback is that Belisha’s distance vision becomes blurry, and from the ceiling the rest of you look fuzzy to her.

Slyfen finds that he is infused with a feeling of great strength. He feels powerful enough to rip the door off its iron hinges. He begins to feel a little intoxicated, and his coordination is impaired. As he moves to where Belisha is walking on the walls and ceiling, he trips and knocks over a candle. Hot wax spills all over the back of his hand, but to his amazement he feels no pain from it, and his skin doesn’t even redden.

Hardin begins to feel that his skin is becoming hard as stone. This doesn’t impair his ability to move or affect his coordination, but it offers a “natural” protection. The candleholder knocked over by Slyfen hits Hardin on the side of his head—and bounces off as if it were no more substantial than a twig. However, a few moments later, Hardin notices that he is beginning to stink, reeking quite badly actually. Several of the brothers are overcome by the smell and retch, clearly nauseated. (This does not, however, dampen their spirits.)

Eolan is surprised to feel his teeth and fingernails growing. He drops his cup as the nails grow into vicious-looking claws. The tips are razor sharp. With a little effort, he is able to make them slice right through the wooden trencher in front of him on the table. The clerics are impressed and delighted! At the same time, Eolan begins to feel viscous acid dripping from his new fangs. While it doesn’t hurt him at all, little wisps of smoke rise from the blackening spots where the acid has dripped onto the table.
 

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Slyfen finds a wall and leans against it for support as the room is spinning a bit. Oh no, we are part of some sort of experiment for their enjoyment. I hope the effects are just temporary!

"What is that stuff called?"
 

"What magic is this?" says Belisha. She is reminded of Magwain the crusty and his drinks; of course for that, it all just SEEMED to happen rather than actually happen.

"Oh hello Narkus," she says, as she joins her owl familiar in hanging from the ceiling. She watches her companions with glee, though they seem a little fuzzy. She knows she needs to be wary, she is certainly amused by these turn of events.
 
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"Grrr, by Heironeous, what have you done to me?" growls Eolan. Through barred fangs he asks "What manner of arcane spellcraft be this?" Looking to his companions, Eolan notices that they too are affected, though in myriad ways.

Walking over to Father Colin, the knight points a beclawed hand at all the friars, "Speak up, for we are not familiar with such . . . hospitality!"
 

”Relax, relax, Sir Eolan,” says Father Colin, his hands spread in front of him. He stays in his chair at the head of his table. Then, to everyone, ”The elixir is known to us as the gift of Obad-Hai. The clerics of this monastery have been brewing it from the local herbs since the founding of the abbey. It is harmless, and you drink it among friends. The effects may seem bizarre or scary at first, but rest assured that they will only last one or two minutes.”

“Obad-Hai is the god of nature, and he bestows upon each drinker the characteristics of some creature that seems best to him. It looks like your gnome wizard has taken on the aspect of a fly, your elf a dragon, your brother dwarf a basilisk, and your knight a raccoon.”

“Of course, Obad-Hai rejoices in the balance of nature, and each gift comes with a drawback. These are not always immediately obvious, but I think we can hazard some guesses here. The wizard has been blessed with the feet of a fly, but has been saddled with the eyes also. While the elf feels the power of the dragon flowing through his veins, it is a bit much for his elven frame and makes him drunk. The basilisk effect is not mixing well with the dwarf’s constitution, and we can all smell the result. As for the knight, I’m not sure of the drawback yet, but judging by his reaction I fear Obad-Hai may have made him rabid!”


At this jesting remark, the clerics all laugh heartily.

”We always offer this gift to our visitors. Seeing the blessings of Obad-Hai in this ritual is a form of worship for us. Additionally, we have found the draft useful in our occasional forays into the Timberway forest recently. We are not highly trained in defense, and the effects can sometimes come in handy when facing an evil fey or undead creature.”

“Ah, as you can see, the effects are even now beginning to wear off. Please forgive us taking this liberty with you. We hope the experience will bring us closer together in a bond under the auspices of our god.”
 

"Me? A fly?" Belisha feels insulted but comes down. Such odd priests these are, but at least they enjoy some fun. Belisha comes down from the ceiling and looks at her companions. "Well thank you for that spot of amusement. We must now... be onour way. NARKUS!" says the wizard.
 

Slyfen laughs and lets out a roar. "A dragon? I like it! These people are hilarious. Can't we stay here until the morning?"
 


Eolan's grimace softens to a slight grin, then he slaps his leg and lets loose a loud guffaw. "Rabid, indeed, dear brothers!," laughs the red-haired warrior. "A racoon, hmm, not that animal I would have chosen for myself."

Smiling, the knight sits down again and enjoys a laugh at his own expense. As he lapses back into a settled state, the knight smiles again and asks, "What can you tell us of these foul fey that accost strangers in the forest?"
 

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