D&D 5E [IC] THE CURSE OF AMBERSTAR

[Archon Basileus]

"This one is called Sethmek Aanzu, Prince of Sethmandu, and Oathbreaker. This one seeks redemption in the heart of this mountain, to please the Great Blue Dragon into welcoming Aanzu home again."

"You have come to the right place, then..." - she bounces the child gently, reducing her cries, but barely managing to keep it calm. A strange, curious look crosses her face. "Sethman...du? Take no offense, prince, but I have not heard of your land before. Perhaps it is far above my own?" - she continues, fearing a potential offense against a dignitary. "I'm Embla of Vanirskeep. I..." - she seems embarrassed to go on - "...thank you for your help. My son and I might not have survived this encounter if not for your intervention." - she looks towards the place where Kethra last stood. "I am sorry about your companion... We should honor her, as well as your efforts, as soon as we leave this place." - she looks towards the orcs. "But they'll come back with more men and weapons."

"How did the smaller cat defeat the bigger cat?"

The giantess seems offended by the question, but hides it as best as she can, given Aanzu's position and her own debt towards the heroes. "They surprised us... Overwhelmed the party. My husband and brother sent me away to protect my son. Soon after, Sardath employed her coward tricks to defeat me." - she lowers her eyes. "Their rangers shot me down" - she points out a pair of bruises in her back, two burning points lost amidst many lashes - "... and before I could realize, her lackeys piled up over me. Of the rest of my entourage, I know nothing. I can only assume they were taken as living sacrifices to the anomalies below." - she glances at Lyllie, clearly uncomfortable. She seems repulsed by her very image, and a puzzled, inquisitive expression takes her milky features as she faces the others.

The feeling seems to intensify as she faces Yttrian, Harfik and Icosa. She studies the trio for a moment, still confused, and takes a few steps behind as Icosa tries to approach.

"I am Icsoa," he answers her question. "I seek to understand my origins. It is my hope that learning of my past and purpose will inform my choices for the future."

Icosa's words puzzle her even more, apparently.

"An elf armed as a Teraphim and a Subs, together... I'd assume the worst..." - she looks at Yttrian, pausing herself out of respect - "...but I also see a prince and a mutant together. And you..." - she points out towards Harfik - "You hold the appearance of things unheard for ages... How?" - her confusion seems even more pronounced now.

"Thulwar Metalworker." He nods at her "Do you or your baby need healing?"

"No, my baby's fine... I..." - she seems to abandon her confusion for a sense of amazement, lighting up her proportional, near-perfect features. "...Where... do you come from?"
[MENTION=24380]Neurotic[/MENTION] [MENTION=6776182]JustinCase[/MENTION] [MENTION=8858]hafrogman[/MENTION] [MENTION=23298]industrygothica[/MENTION] [MENTION=4936]Shayuri[/MENTION] [MENTION=6855102]Greenmtn[/MENTION]

 

[Neurotic]

"I came from the world deep below. From lightless tunnels near bones of the earth. Here, this will heal the worst of your injuries." Thulwar offers her small vial filled with blue liquid.

 

[industrygothica]

Lyllie stares up at the giant with her colorless eyes. She takes a step toward her and the baby and waves her hand, and a faint, soothing melody begins to whisper over the child.

OOC: Druidcraft cantrip

 

[JustinCase]

"A colony of ants can defeat a dragon," Aanzu nods, "Although that is not the way it should be."

The dragonborn prince tilts his head slightly to the side when Embla says she has not heard of his home. "Great Sethmandu lies far to the southeast from here, over mountains, past marshes, and into the desert sands. There are no people of your stature there, Embla of Vanirskeep, although this one did once have a slave that was almost the size of a camel."

In a quiet voice, as if talking to himself, he adds, "Soft she was."

 

[Shayuri]

Icosa asks, "A subs? Is that in reference to me?"

 

[Greenmtn]

Harfik Human Monk

"I am Harfik, here at the command of another and curious what it is you see in me that has been unheard of in ages."

Harfik clasps his hands behind his back casually and waits for a response.

 

[Archon Basileus]

"You speak of notions beyond my comprehension, I fear..." - she finally confesses, concerned with her baby's well fare. She receives the flask with gratitude, employing it on the child. She doesn't even seem to realize it was meant for her own bruises. As soon as Lyllie casts the cantrip, her eyes grow wide with surprise. "You... Are not a regular mutant, are you?" - she studies Lyllie for a moment, bending her head as a sign of thanks. "You are generous... Too generous, in fact, considering my failures. You must forgive me. My people is not used to such acts of mercy." - she looks over her shoulder, studying the halls.

"I came from the world deep below. From lightless tunnels near bones of the earth. Here, this will heal the worst of your injuries."

"They must be far indeed, even further than the roots of the Sanctum and the Demon City that fights the Teraphim. No one has heard of your kind, and one with such a sweet temperament would never ally the creatures within those walls." - she points west. "Only filthy orcs would. Their tribes surround the city, and the city opens up to the Sanctum's basin."

"I am Harfik, here at the command of another and curious what it is you see in me that has been unheard of in ages."

"I am honored to meet you, Harfik." - she lowers her head, as if moved by great respect. "Your fighting style. That's what I meant by "unheard of in ages'. Legend says that a group of monks, light as panthers, descended into the depths of the Sanctum a long time ago, seeking redemption for one of their flock. They vanished in the darkness below, but their heroic feats are still spoken of, and their names are still in our memories. We hold a part of their heritage in Vanirskeep. It is said that a member of the party remained behind to live his life with his giantess companion. This brought our clan into existence." - she halts herself for a moment. "But that's a long story, and I wouldn't like to bother you with it. Especially now." - she looks over her shoulders again.

Icosa asks, "A subs? Is that in reference to me?"

"A substitute, yes. You don't know what a substitute is?" - she stops for a moment, studying Icosa. "You don't know the others, then?" - she seems surprised. "It is said that you were employed en lieu of mortal warriors in unending wars in the past. Some even say you were sent to the outside world to seek survivors after the world's end... Others say you came from the deadlands outside, bringing destruction. No one knows for sure, except for the substitutes in their Steel Cemetery." - she stops talking, considering the party and the things that have been said.

"Great Sethmandu lies far to the southeast from here, over mountains, past marshes, and into the desert sands. There are no people of your stature there, Embla of Vanirskeep, although this one did once have a slave that was almost the size of a camel."

After Aanzu's description, she prolongs her silence, seemingly puzzled. Suddenly, comprehension and horror fall upon her at once. She trembles as a warrior never should, recoiling in fear. "It can't be! IT CAN'T BE! YOU CAN'T HAVE COME FROM ABOVE, FROM BEYOND THIS MOUNTAIN!" - she glances once more at Aanzu, an insane kind of fear covering her face as she clutches the child. The miners rise their heads in surprise as well, shaking as they contemplate the heroes.

"Nothing lived through the disaster. Nothing! They told us! They told us..." - she seems to hold her fears back, avoiding shock. The same can't be said from all the miners. Some of them just move away in fear, while a couple stare at the strange creatures standing before their very eyes.

"Are... Are there more?"

A valid question, at least. It might be said that the disaster destroyed most of the known lands, the fortresses of Wallen being an exception. Almost everything was obliterated and corrupted, and the communities outside civilized Wellington, Sethmandu and a handful of settlements and small kingdoms were still surviving from scraps and loot. The mass of refugees around the gates of Wallen were living proof of it. Similar rumors might have sprung out below, wasn't the Underworld so apart from the surface.

The mountain had been isolated, then. Gods know for how long. But what of the other travelers, petitioners begging for forgiveness? What about the others that came before? Did they move on through the surface, or were they killed before reaching any other sentient life form?
[MENTION=24380]Neurotic[/MENTION] [MENTION=4936]Shayuri[/MENTION] [MENTION=6855102]Greenmtn[/MENTION] [MENTION=8858]hafrogman[/MENTION] [MENTION=6776182]JustinCase[/MENTION] [MENTION=23298]industrygothica[/MENTION]

 

[industrygothica]

"Living," Lyllie whispers to herself as she runs a tiny finger over the scar on her face. Her blank eyes stare off into the distance at nothing in particular, not that anyone would notice. "Is that what we're doing?"

---

[B]AC:[/B] 16; [B]HP:[/B] [COLOR=#FF000]52[/COLOR]/52
[B]Initiative:[/B] +3
[B]Saves:[/B] INT +7, WIS +5
[B]Passive Perception:[/B] 15
[B]Languages:[/B] Common, Gnomish, Sylvan, Druidic
[B]Skills:[/B] Arcana +7, Investigation +7, Nature +7, Perception +5
[B]Stats:[/B] Str 8 (-1), Dex 14 (+2) , Con 14 (+2), Int 18 (+4), Wis 14 (+2), Cha 11 (+0)
[B]XP:[/B]14,075 / 23,000

-[B]Inspiration[/B]? [[COLOR=#FF0000]X[/COLOR]] Yes, [ ] No

[B]Spell Save DC:[/B] 13/15
[B]Spell Slots:[/B] 4, 4, 3, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
[B]Slots Used:[/B] 2, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
[B]Spells Prepared:[/B] (4/8) 
[list]
[*]1st Level: 1st Level: Healing Word (D), Entangle (D), Faerie Fire (D), Speak with Animals (D), Ray of Sickness, Color Spray, 
Mage Armor, Witch Bolt, False Life
[*]2nd Level: Blindness/Deafness, Ray of Enfeeblement, Misty Step
[/list](D) Druid Spells modified with Wisdom. All others are Wizard spells modified with Intelligence.

[B]Rituals[/B]
Tenser's Floating Disk, Find Familiar, Identify, Gentle Repose

 

[Shayuri]

"We have come from the surface, yes," Icosa notes. "There are a great many people living there. From what I have been told, there was a destructive event in the past, but not as destructive as you appear to be suggesting."

"How can I reach this Steel Cemetery from here?"

 

[Greenmtn]

Harfik Human Monk

"Very well. I would be interested in meeting these people and talking, possibly training. In the mean time, staying here doesn't get us closer to our goal."

The Giants un-easyness has brought Harfiks guard up and he is on the look out for movement.

OOC: Perception - [roll0]