(IC) Quickleaf's Rime of the Frostmaiden

[Steve Gorak]

Aric is perplexed, he doesn't want to directly attack the toads because they haven't shown any hostility, at least not yet. However, he doesn't want the party to have to face two of these things. He also wants to disable the crawling zombie, to perhaps get the necklace. He decides to burn the thing, knowing it may trigger the trap on the toad.

OOC: cast create bondfire on Zombie, dex save dc 12 (although since the thing is crawling, mabe this is at a disadvantage) or 6 fire damage If it doesn't move out of the square by the end of the turn, it needs to do another save or take another 1d8 fire damage (and if it moves, mabve it gets an AoO from the Toad ;-)

 

[Neurotic]

neurotic: D20 + 6#lumrolurperceptioncheck → 10(4 + 6)#Lumrolur perception check - ouch!

 

[Quickleaf]

Aric is perplexed, he doesn't want to directly attack the toads because they haven't shown any hostility, at least not yet. However, he doesn't want the party to have to face two of these things. He also wants to disable the crawling zombie, to perhaps get the necklace. He decides to burn the thing, knowing it may trigger the trap on the toad.

OOC: cast create bondfire on Zombie, dex save dc 12 (although since the thing is crawling, mabe this is at a disadvantage) or 6 fire damage If it doesn't move out of the square by the end of the turn, it needs to do another save or take another 1d8 fire damage (and if it moves, mabve it gets an AoO from the Toad ;-)

The dwarvish zombie crackles and smolders like wet wood as the bonfire engulfs it. However, the layer of frost coating the zombie seems like it might persist through even the bonfire's heat.

Curiously, Aric notices a cloud of steam rolling off its body – which lies within 5 feet of the ice toad – yet this steam becomes cold. And the steam seems to keep the aura of deadly frost that emanates from the ice toad in check... as if the heat from the magical bonfire and the deadly cold emanating from the ice toad counteract each other when in close proximity. The result is a cloud of wintery cold steam that lingers while the ice toad remains within 5 feet of the bonfire.

GM: Zombie auto-fails its save, taking the 6 fire damage.

Spoiler: Zombie hit / alternate PbP rule

Destroyed on critical, radiant reducing to 0 hp, or 20+ damage from one attack. If you deal ≤19 damage, compare to sequence of pre-rolled “saves”, if “save” ≥ damage dealt, zombie remains a threat:
7, 5, 2, 1, 20 /
20, 15, 17, 9, 11 /
15, 12, 13, 11, 7 /
13, 16, 15, 15, 8 /
18, 9, 8, 18, 11 /[/GM]

 

[Aethmud]

Jack tilts his head, puzzled by the harmonic croaks echoing through the cavern. “Such beautiful creatures! If only I could understand them better,” he muses with a whisper, eyes flicking to the zombie’s silver necklace. “That necklace might be just the thing we need.”

As Jack fades back into the second line, peeking around Russet, his hands flutter through the air in a series of intricate, arcane gestures, summoning a spectral Mage Hand. The ethereal hand glides forward, fingers deftly working to slip the necklace off the zombie's neck and carry it back towards the party.

“You won’t be needing this anymore, will you?” Jack murmurs, a playful smile curling on his lips.

 

[Quickleaf]

Jack tilts his head, puzzled by the harmonic croaks echoing through the cavern. “Such beautiful creatures! If only I could understand them better,” he muses with a whisper, eyes flicking to the zombie’s silver necklace. “That necklace might be just the thing we need.”

As Jack fades back into the second line, peeking around Russet, his hands flutter through the air in a series of intricate, arcane gestures, summoning a spectral Mage Hand. The ethereal hand glides forward, fingers deftly working to slip the necklace off the zombie's neck and carry it back towards the party.

“You won’t be needing this anymore, will you?” Jack murmurs, a playful smile curling on his lips.

The necklace lands in Jack's hands. It is silver – like the other dwarvish relics you've found – with a palm sized double-headed axe-shaped pendant. The pendant looks like it would fit in the indentation of the double doors that you can just barely see to the west passage.

 

[happylace]

Aside from demolishing Jack's snowman, the toads definitely seem non-hostile for now. Their behavior has piqued Alma's interest. Unfortunately, she isn't well-versed in creatures. Her expertise lies a little further up. Still, if it's a subterranean creature, there's a small chance it could understand her.

Alma sneaks a little closer to the edge of the wall, squeezing past Brydum to get line of sight on the toad near the zombie. She catches its eyes and touches her fingers to her temple. Reaching out telepathically. She calls to it in every language she knows. Each time, a slightly different voice.

'Hello? Can you understand me? We mean you no harm. Please respond.' First in Common. Then Undercommon. Then Deep Speech.

 

[Neurotic]

"You speak Common?!" Lumrolur is surprised to hear trade language here. "This won't sound pleasant, please don't hold it against me."

He growls and grimaces, his eyes taking redish glow in the light of Almas spell, dark lines of his scars deepening in the gloom. He growls at the creatures
"Èse mía gɔmea? Míedi be míawɔ avu o, míate ŋu atsɔ nuɖuɖu geɖe vɛ."

Spoiler: Translated to Eve on G-translate

"Can you understand? We don't want a fight; we can bring more food."

He shudders and the grows leaves his voice. "That's one exotica I wish I didn't know."

 

[Quickleaf]

Aside from demolishing Jack's snowman, the toads definitely seem non-hostile for now. Their behavior has piqued Alma's interest. Unfortunately, she isn't well-versed in creatures. Her expertise lies a little further up. Still, if it's a subterranean creature, there's a small chance it could understand her.

Alma sneaks a little closer to the edge of the wall, squeezing past Brydum to get line of sight on the toad near the zombie. She catches its eyes and touches her fingers to her temple. Reaching out telepathically. She calls to it in every language she knows. Each time, a slightly different voice.

'Hello? Can you understand me? We mean you no harm. Please respond.' First in Common. Then Undercommon. Then Deep Speech.

At first, there is no response from the ice toad, blinking its nictating eyelids at your party as it takes a few steps away from the smoldering dwarvish zombie that still scrapes its fingers against the floor. However, when Alma reaches out to it telepathically in Deep Speech, its head perks up and it fixates its gaze upon her.

Telepathically (Deep Speech): "Glum glum is the tongue tongue... Eats eats no more feets feets... No more dead meats... Meets meats?" Clearly, Deep Speech is not the native language of the toad, only able to convey the barest semblance of coherent thought. However, it also makes a throaty croak, receiving a curious multi-tonal response from the other ice toad down the western passage.

 

[Necropolitan]

Zeth momentarily feels guilty for thinking of possible uses for the corpses of what he know realizes are sapient beings.

Hopefully they can settle this peacefully, he hates combat even if it's sometimes necessary.

"What are they saying?" he asks Alma. "Is there a way the rest of us can communicate with them?"

 

[happylace]

Alma startles a little, surprised to actually get a response. Her brows furrow, trying to parse the meaning. She already has enough trouble interpreting language in the common tongue. People are so prone to metaphor and slang and colloquialism. The frog takes an extra second.

"Glum glum is the tongue tongue. Eats eats no more feets feets. No more dead meats. Meets meats?" She looks back at Zeth. "I believe it's hungry and trying to gauge if we are food. Likely it doesn't enjoy feasting on rotting corpses. It might like something fresh."

"I'm engaging it in Deep Speech, but that doesn't seem to be its native language. Unless someone else can communicate with it more clearly, all I can offer is to translate like this."