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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Knightfall" data-source="post: 9584688" data-attributes="member: 2012">While it might be possible that the demons are native to the Gloom, it is more likely they were called or summoned from elsewhere. No, Phar has no idea if the vrocks are native to the Gloom or the Abyssal Depths. The demons could even have been hatched by Wyrknari Vok here on the Material Plane in Narda'tuar and then sent to Gloom.If Phar was to guess, then probably the vrocks come from Narda'tuar."I do not fear death," Rikiron replies. "I was sent to you to find the criminal, but you ordered me not to engage in a fight unless it was absolutely necessary. It only became necessary when Eike spotted me. I'm not sure how he even was aware of my presence. Only the vrocks pursued me to the edge of the barrier." The inevitable stands proudly. "I do wish to destroy that thing for its crimes, and will aid you if you truly wish it."Rikiron pauses. "But, if I perish in there, I perish. Permanently. It is a manifestation of the plane itself, which is why it will be dangerous for you as well. The Gloom is connected to the Plane of Graves, which can trap souls. If any of you die in there without proper protections, then your souls will be drawn from the Gloom into the greater Plane of Graves and trapped there... forever. It could even corrupt your souls into undead creatures. Not even Moradin could save you from the will of the Defiled Fates, champion.""It did not dissolve, and it would not do so in the Gloom. It was destroyed. However, truly wicked creatures that die on the demiplane can be brought back in another form. The vrock could be corrupted into a lesser demon or even an undead abomination. I did not see its body, as it fell into a deep fetid copse of trees. The foliage itself seemed to rise up to grasp it as it fell towards the ground. Tree limbs and vines snaked up into the air, grasped it tightly, and pulled it into darkness.""Your magicks should work as normal. However, Necromancy and evil magic will be enhanced in the Gloom. Goodly enchantments are not reduced in power. Be wary of the planes ability to taint you and your magic, however."[OOC]The rules for <a href="https://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/UA:Taint" target="_blank">Taint</a> are used in addition to alignment (as noted below). While I also use Heroes of Horror for Kulan's cosmology, it is the rules as presented in Unearthed Arcana that is the primary source for dealing with the effects of the Gloom. Note that taint only applies in the most evil places, so in the Gloom or on another evilly-aligned plane.Truly evil creatures that are tainted in these places can migrate onto the Material Plane, which could spread taint elsewhere. I should have used it in the fight against the evil planar spider, but I was so burnt out at the time that I forgot. <img class="smilie smilie--emoji" alt="😵" src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f635.png" title="Dizzy face    :dizzy_face:" data-shortname=":dizzy_face:" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" />From the SRD section of the D&D Wiki: "While characters with a minor amount of taint aren't necessarily evil, they probably are. The more taint they acquire, the more evil they become. The DM should monitor taint carefully and provide a warning when a character disregards its effects, just as he would when a character acts outside his alignment."Assume that all the characters' taint scores are at 0 at this point. Entering the Gloom will cause each character to gain 1d3 points of taint. I will post more details about becoming tainted and how to cleanse taint on the OOC thread.Normal Material Plane creatures that have an evil alignment are not automatically tainted (but have no protections from becoming tainted). Evil monsters (such as aberrations, outsiders, and undead) all have taint scores equal to one-half its Charisma score, with evil undead getting a +1 modifier and evil outsiders a +2 modifier. (So, the standard vrock that the inevitable killed had a Taint Score of 8.) Evil dragons, fey, and plants do not automatically have taint scores.A reminder that ALL of the rules in Unearthed Arcana -- good and bad -- are consider to be part of the World of Kulan and its cosmology. I keep forgetting to remind myself of that fact. <img class="smilie smilie--emoji" alt="🙄" src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f644.png" title="Face with rolling eyes    :rolling_eyes:" data-shortname=":rolling_eyes:" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" />[/OOC]Rikiron looks to Maur and then answers the paragon elf's question. "It is unlikely that the vrocks came into being in the Gloom itself, but the demiplane draws evil into its clutches as if it were a deadly siren. Since this Eike is a thrall to Malotoch and you have come under the gaze of several dark beings I will not name, the vrocks could have been sent to aid the corrupted criminal. If you wish to kill him, then I suggest trying to do it outside of the Gloom. If he died within it, he will come back as an undead being even though he is no longer mortal. Or, he will come back as something much worse.""Very well," Rikiron moves towards Aureus and motions for her to hold up the journal so it can see it better. "This map is incomplete. It only shows about half of the Gloom. I will tell you what I was able to see while flying and will add any details put into my mind about the demiplane by Moradin. This may take some time."The inevitable begins to speak at length about the Gloom and what it knows of its dangers, inhabitants, and terrain. It continues to recite its knowledge for what feels like hours. Soon, the spitting rain has stopped and the sun peeks out from behind wispy clouds. It remains cool, but the air quickly becomes dry and still.[OOC]Okay, so I need to take a break for a while, as my shoulder is a bit sore from writing (and doing laundry). I'm going to either write another post later on tonight or put the details of what Rikiron tells you on the OOC thread. It will depend on what you guys would prefer.I'm also going to post another version of the map with more details about the Gloom on it. That will be posted on the OOC thread, as well as the Discord and the Facebook group.[/OOC]</blockquote>

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