D&D 5E (IC) Rise of the Dracolich

[gargoyleking]

"It's what I do. Let us make the most of theis opportunity. We may not get another soon."

Mord passes on the bath only if the party can't find a way to suitably heat the water without causing an issue with the toads or dangerously warming the ice of their chamber.

Once gettled down, he prepares a ritual area to help determine and identify any magical items they might have picked up since their arrival. And also a spell to allow him to read the markings on the wall in the queen's chamber.

Later, he sleeps fitfully, exhausted by his study late into the evening and his recent-if-healed wounds. He cries out a few times in his sleep and if at any point anyone attempts to calm him, they find that his eyes are as black pits, even in the semi-darkness of the chamber in which they sleep. They soon resort to normal, as he comes fully awake, and he shrugs off any concerns they might have.

Spoiler: OOC

I know nobody stated they were even searching the kobold bodies, but Mord definitely asked them to. If they had anything remorely interesting he'd want to collect it to check later.

He can't talk directly to the queen, but if Primus decides to join him he'll definitely try to gather any useful information that he can. Assuming she stays awake to be talked to.

 

[Ancalagon]

Kalorn takes the first watch, and then retires to sleep. He sleeps fully clothed, wrapped in his cloak but with little effort to cover himself further. He sleeps clutching his sword on his chest, but tonight he is holding two blades, making it even more awkward. But yet he sleeps.

In his dreams he is falling into darkness, pass impossibly immense trees. Besides him a huge cliff, lit by the Purple Moon. On it, painted in some dark liquid, are the runes, scroll by so fast, that taught him the secret. There are news lines now, in a darker tone... what foul magic was he being shown! But he was falling too fast, he couldn't read anymore. The ground rushed up and!

... his eyes snapped open. His leg ached and twitched. He let out a long breath... what now? How long before the secret would reveal itself to him, unwanted?

 

[Charwoman Gene]

Alhana makes herself as comfortable as she can and rests.

 

[tglassy]

Primus doesn’t sleep.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Chilled, but otherwise rested, Imani's Agents rose as the colour of the ice shifted from dark blue-white, to a slightly lighter white-blue. The toads had worked late into the night and were sleeping as the group made their way to leave. The queen appeared to still be on her "throne' (a platform of ice and various oddities), but now she looked nothing more than a very large frog-like creature, sleeping.

Two guards stood by her, though, and they nodded to Imani's Agents on their way past. The group moved slowly up the large winding tunnel to the work-room, where the worker toads also slept, their backs just visible from various cubbies and crevices. Mord took one last look at the strange markings, unintelligible now without his spell - but he had learned much about the seasonal shifting of icebergs in the Sea of Moving Ice, and some curious information for a later day about things that could be found among them.

They left the work chamber and returned to the circular corridor. Moving counter-clockwise, they came to the tunnel the trolls had said led to their lair. It occurred to the group that they could fetch the trolls to take them to Maccath the Crimson, or they could search for her themselves.

OOC: Mord will have Advantage on navigating the Sea of Moving Ice, should it come to it. What do you want to do, honour the agreement with the Trolls, or continue on? Feel free to discuss in the OOC thread if you like, or IC here too.

 

[Ancalagon]

Upon waking, Kalorn did the usual - putting on his armor immediately then doing his morning stretches. He then starting doing practice swings with the new sword they had found - strikes, parries, guard transitions, counter attacks. He frowned. The blade was wider and less stiff, more of a cutting weapon. That he could get used to. But the grip was too short, he couldn't get leverage. How was he supposed to use this thing? Ah, the pommel. The ball-shape wasn't an indication of the lack of skill of the blade-maker, it was meant to be used. Shifting his grip to hold on the pommel with this left hand, he repeated his exercises. Better.

He put the sword on the ground, and slowly passed his hand over it. As he did so, the blade vanished into thin air. He got up, and adjusted his other sword so that the Nail would now be strapped to his back - out of easy reach, but also out of the way. He smiled, and the wide blade reappeared in his hand. He took a few more swings - much more powerful and assured.

"I am ready to use this blade at last. If the trolls betray us, there will be hell to pay. Let's go find our informant".

 

[gargoyleking]

Mord awoke slowly, there was a glimpse of blond hair at first before he reverted to his usual black everywhere. It was harder to hide in this constant near light. But for some reason, the warlock looked grumpy as he performed his daily preparations. Frowning, he studied the tome that he used for his rituals, but couldn't quite seem to find the answer he needed. Then, with a sigh he performed one of his rituals.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

After a momentary pause where everyone appeared to ask, "are we really going to do this?", Imani's Agents descended into the troll's chamber.

At the entrance, nothing could be seen or heard but the howl of wind and running water. They moved through into a deep cavernous chamber filled with a drifting mist that shrouded a field of ice pillars that rose from floor to ceiling. Deeper still, the Ice pillars formed razor-sharp crags that loomed out of a roiling fog. Streams of crackling water, magically flowed in spite of the subzero temperatures, coursed thickly through the hollows beneath a wind-driven, icy snow that blew from an opening far, far above.

The muffled silence was broken only by the sound of running water and the sharp howl of the wind as it blew through the opening above. The path descended into the water.

OOC: I'm paraphrasing some of the adventure text. I'm not sure it's all that clear. There's water, wind, mist, and snow in a deep cavern but that is open to a bit of sky. It's hard to see and there doesn't seem to be anyone immediately around...

 

[gargoyleking]

Mord telepathically directs the troll skeletons to march on the flanks of the party while he himself remains centered as much as possible within the group.

Spoiler: ooc

I just realized that Mord has had a short ranhed telepathy all this time with Awakened Mind from his GOO pact.

 

[Ancalagon]

Kalorn looked around.

"I don't think I need to tell you that this is an excellent place for an ambush. I don't like this. The mist, the water, the opening above... Let the trolls show themselves, we should not step into this .... chamber"

"I could send Sooty ahead" he added, a bit dubious.