#anesh

(An Uneasy Short Rest) Rana’s perception check shows the camels aren’t entirely happily in their stall, but they’re safe.

Rana tries to jump across to Phi’s building, rolls 8, Phi tries to grab her, rolls a 9 they both fall and take one point of damage each.

Tarma-Diem drops the rope again for them to climb up on their building.

Phi manages to get up the rope, Rana gets halfway up, but slides back down, we help her finish climbing up the 2nd time.

Tarma-Diem rolls up the rope again and sticks it back in their pack.

We try to rest up as much as we can, hoping the worms leave the camels alone.

We hear a rumble in the distance. Everybody but Ixayl’anu sees the big building on the other side of town (southwest) shaking and lifting off its foundation.

Phi checks in to see how hurt we all are.

Rana: aside from you falling on me I’m fine.

Tarma-Diem: Not even a scratch left, out of big spells though.

We spend a few minutes watching the big Southwest building roiling, visible cracks starting in the structure. Then it stops and we think maybe we can relax now, except it starts rumbling under a closer building and it moves from one building to the next, getting closer. Rana is back on her feet as we discuss whether we want to try and rest or keep going.

As soon as Rana moves the rumbling stops then our building starts to lift up near where Rana is.

Tarma-Diem: Should’ve been quieter.

Ixayl’anu tries divine sense. Nothing pings.

We spend the next half hour or so sitting still and we get a very uneasy short rest out of it.

They harass our camels some too, stress them out, but they don’t get eaten (stone block cracks too).

Rana looks around for something loose on the roof and finds clay pots and an umbrella. She Zeldas a clay pot off the roof once she gets the all clear from the rest of us.

It gets about 10 feet away and gets sucked down, pot 2 same thing happens, this time she sees the barest shape of one of the noses of a big creature. She hands the last pot to Ixayl’anu who throws it in pretty much the same spot. Pumpkin sized pots.

Tarma-Diem: What was part 2 of this plan exactly?

Rana: I don’t know do you have any ideas?

Poison in a Genofeva pot?

Rana is gonna try to hit one with lightning bolt as soon as we see movement after tossing the umbrella, but nothing happens.

Tarma-Diem: Lee did say they learn...maybe it learned nothing’s there?

Phi: I wanna jump to the other roof, see if there’s more pots. Phi makes it with a 21, Rana sees the ground moving toward that building, but no emergence. Tarma-Diem is already paying attention to Phi instead and would have missed the opportunity to attack anyway.

Phi’s new roof has a half dead plant, a rug, weird odds and ends, no clay pots, a stool, a little table. Phi throws the potted plant (7). The plant stays, but Phi has to make a dex saving throw, she easily manages to keep her feet as the building pushes up 2 or 3 feet at that corner.

Rana sees the nose and casts lightning bolt. It takes the full 32 damage.

Tarma-Diem was too busy being impressed by Phi’s building surf acrobatics to remember to hit the worm too. The building drops as the creature burrows deep under ground after screaming. It very quickly zooms off Northeast. We talk plans, Phi offers to run around playing bait because she can shoot at the same time, Tarma-Diem says at that, they can do it instead and misty escape back to a roof or cast hellish rebuke the moment they get hurt.

In the end, we send our tank down, who can also misty step to safety. Ixayl’anu casts shield of faith on herself, Rana casts guidance on her, Ixayl’anu gets off the roof while we all hold actions for the first one to appear. (Combat Commences)

Rana feels a tremor under her feet, a snake thing pops up at Ixayl’anu’s feet and hooks her.

Ixayl’anu misses, rana misses, phi misses. We weren’t expecting the tiny tongue. Tarma-Diem hits with the last crackle of eldritch blast for 7dmg.

The graboid tongue tenses around Ixayl’anu tighter after the eldritch blast. 

Rana thorn whips it for 6 damage. 

Ixayl’anu is still grappled, she tries to hit it rather than breaking free, she misses. 2nd attack does 6 dmg though. It lets go and snakes back into the ground.

Ixayl’anu stays there watching the ground.

Phi: Where ya goin fucker?! *holds her action for if it pops back up*

Worm pops up with an open maw directly under Ixayl’anu to swallow her whole. Hits with a 22 for 22 dmg all around her.

She fails her saving throw.

Tarma-Diem: Shit!

Phi shoots for 38 total damage.

It screams in pain as Phi gets it right in the soft tissues of the mouth.

Tarma-Diem shoots an eldritch blast for 15dmg.

Rana casts healing word level 2 on Ixayl’anu for 9 pts with her bonus action, thorn whips it but it skitters across the heavy armor of the head.

Ixayl’anu lashes out with her weapons and 14 dmg, and another 8dmg - 22 total. She stabs down cackling and making lightning sound effects as she kills it.

Ixayl’anu feels it go limp under and around her.

Phi does a 360 perception check of 18. She doesn’t see anything but she does notice that all the little guys we killed earlier are gone. She doesn’t say anything out loud.

Ixayl’anu climbs out of the mouth and moves away, we all hold actions for a very tense moment but nothing happens.

Ixayl’anu walks around trying to tempt one out, but she is covered in yucky smelling saliva slime that is getting all the sand stuck to her.

Eventually a snake thing pops up but misses her.

By then Tarma-Diem has forgotten they’re supposed to be holding an eldritch blast, Rana misses with her rock, Phi hits it with a 13 and it pops back down into the ground.

Tarma-Diem: Damn it, I forgot to…

Rana: Keep dancing!

Ixayl’anu: Keep dancing? Dancing?! That’s what you think I’m doing down here?

Ixayl’anu jumps up and down some more.

Phi’s building begins shaking and moving again but she surfs the building with a nat 20, the whole inner portion of her roof is caving in.

Phi tries to jump onto our building and Rana catches her.

As the building collapses, 5 of the little guys boil out of that building and scream, but they’re just looking around at the rubble.

Rana casts Erupting Earth under them. Does 11dmg on success, 5 on fail - red fails, blue succeeds, green succeeds, purple crit succeeds: Rana: So there are more of these things!

Ixayl’anu: They came from the building?

Rana: Yes, keep dancing!

Tarma-Diem does 12dmg to purple with an eldritch blast.

Phi shoots and misses.

Tarma-Diem gets off 2 more eldritch blasts, one crits, 21 total damage.

One lifts its flaps and sees us - Tarma-Diem quickly puts their hands over their ears, they remember this shit, we all save, Tarma-Diem rolled a nat 20, didn’t even need advantage.

Shriekers run after us to do a little pyramid. Purple launches himself up the top and takes a bite out of Phi for 8dmg.

She uses her reaction to uncanny dodge, only takes 4dmg.

Blue is a little short still and can’t quite get up there.

Ixayl’anu runs over and stabs at green, seeing if she can destabilize the pyramid. Does max dmg (15). Blue manages to hop onto red and down. Ixayl’anu misses her 2nd attack.

She still has 4 minutes on shield of faith.

Phi ignores purple assuming we’ll handle it and shoots blue for 4 damage.

Rana shoolilas purple for 4dmg.

Tarma-Diem dbl crits purple for 29 total dmg, it dies.

Green screams at Ixayl’anu, who goes deaf for a whole minute.

Red pushes past green and misses Ixayl’anu, blue pushes green to the back and almost hits Ixyal’anu but misses.

Ixayl’anu flails at and misses blue with both attacks. She screams back at them.

Phi shoots at blue for 19dmg, gets it right in the front, it stumbles back and shakes a little bit.

Rana shoves purple off the roof onto green and deals 1 dmg and it gets pushed back into shifting dirt area. She steps up to the edge and gets a wonderful view of a worm spy-hopping up and eating green before going back down with it. - perception of 19 doesn’t see anything extra.

Tarma-Diem hits red with an eldritch blast for 8dmg.

Both attack Ixayl’anu and both fail. They get in each other’s way.

Ixayl’anu deals 13dmg to blue.

Phi shoots at red and deals 20dmg. They’re looking equally rough.

Rana holds a thorn whip for any giant worm action.

Ixayl’anu makes her dex saving throw as giant worm misses her coming up out of the ground. It nonetheless hits her for 22 and deals 6dmg (-6 temp hp). It goes back down, but Rana’s thorn whip still goes off, but misses.

Ixayl’anu misses her attack of opportunity as well.

The structure of our building is starting to collapse.

Tarma-Diem splits an eldritch blast dealing 12dmg to blue, 4dmg to red.

Blue shrieks at red and they try to disengage.

Ixayl’anu misses her attack of opportunity against blue.

They get out into the central road.

Ixayl’anu ignores Rana’s no-no-no arm waving and runs out into disturbed earth. She swings at blue twice and misses.

Phi tries to jump to the roof to still see these guys, 22 acrobatics and shoots at blue. Bonus action hides but in a way to look in both directions.

Rana holds another thorn whip for the next time the big worm appears. Perception check 11, focused on where Ixayl’anu’s area, but she nonetheless notices when the snakes pop up near purple’s body. Unfortunately her thorn whip misses. Rana: “Worm still in the area!”

Inspired by Phi’s acrobatics, Tarma-Diem tries to jump roofs as well to keep the shriekers in sight. They try to jump to the next building, roll a 3 (They are the cat gif of judging their jump so carefully only to fail spectacularly). They cast fly before they hit the ground though and float over to the next building, They did it! They hover over the roof. 10 minutes of fly.

Ixayl’anu chases the runners into the building under Phi and Tarma-Diem. There’s a whole pack in there though. 6 of them total. She tries to lightning breath them all, can only get 3 though. Blue dies, the others look pretty good. Ixayl’anu: “Found some more!”

Phi just waits, holding an action for any of them that leave the building.

Rana tries to jump to the next building with us with a 7 and goes cougar to climb back up to the roof, prowls up beside Tarma-Diem.

Tarma-Diem flies down but can’t see over Ixayl’anu, so they move forward to open the window, fly back as shriekers inside look their way. Pink and yellow try to climb out of the window at the same time but get in each others’ way.

Yellow wiggles out. Pink is primed to go next.

Others missed Ixayl’anu. 

Ixayl’anu attacks orange and does 7dmg.

Phi shoots at yellow and does 7dmg.

Rana pounces yellow and knocks it prone. Bonus action bites, but misses.

As Rana scuffles with yellow, a graboid tongue grapples her.

Tarma-Diem flies in, puts their arms around Rana-kitty “Just me,” then thundersteps them both to the building on the other side of the road. Worm, yellow and pink all fail their saves and take 31 damage each. There’s a shriek and the worms go limp, worm dies. Orange and green try to get out of the door making str attacks against Ixayl’anu. She manages to keep orange back, but green gets out and manages to shove her prone. Green keeps going west into the building we will eventually designate as “the clown car building.”

Red attacks Ixayl’anu with advantage. 8dmg. Pink gets out of the window, looks around and then ducks into the first building we stood on. Yellow took an action to stand and ran with green.

Ixayl’anu stabs at red for 6dmg misses 2nd attack.

Phi shoots at red and misses, then moves back up to raised platform on the roof.

Rana pounces red from above, deals 3dmg claw, misses bite. She then runs off to see if she can lure pink back out.

Tarm-Diem flies over with Rana and sees 2 more in there with pink, shoots pink with eldritch boss: “Got 3 in here”, then flies up a little higher, farther off the ground.

Red misses, orange misses attacks on Ixayl’anu.

Pink gives a rallying cry and all 3 try to attack Rana. Pink misses, orange-red hits (12dmg), blue crits (17dmg to Rana after she loses cat). Total 29.

Ixayl’anu hits red for 6dmg, then misses next attack.

Phi shoots pink for 14dmg.

Rana casts spike growth with a 20ft radius/40ft diameter, placed to hit the 3 in front of her without hitting Ixayl’anu. Bonus action healing word L1 on herself and use item for extra healing. 22 healing and stands the line.

Tarma-Diem sees Rana cast this and flies as far into the circle area as they can get while still being visible to blue and pink, then eldritch blasts them both, they hit blue for 6dmg, miss pink.

Successfully distracted, they both charge me and take 20 dmg each on the way there, snap at my heels at disadvantage and both miss.

Tarma-Diem laughs and flips them off.

Red-orange does something I missed.

Ixayl’anu kills red by chopping his head off, spilling more gunk everywhere. She swipes at orange nat 20, deals 21dmg, divine smites it for 8 dmg (29 total). She stays there trying to block the doorway still.

Phi shoots blue and deals 18dmg.

Rana shelolas orange-red but misses. This particular shrieker has apparently changed its name henceforth in my notes. I’m pretty sure it’s the same one who used to known as Red-orange. Same colours, but different order, please don’t dead name it.

Tarma-Diem flies back toward Rana to bait more travel through the spike growth. Blue gets hit for 5dmg on eldritch blast, 2nd blast hits orange-red for 11dmg.

Pink kills itself on spike damage. Blue runs for me, 8dmg, but misses.

Orange-red is pretty focused on Rana though, it misses her (be its valentine?).

Ixayl’anu takes 14dmg from orange.She heals herself by 16.

Phi shoots at blue, does 20dmg, it dies.

Rana shilalos orange-red but misses.

Tarma-Diem eldritch blasts orange-red for 10dmg.

Ixayl’anu can hear again!

Orange-red takes 14dmg getting to Tarma-Diem but also crits at disadvantage. Oh no! Tarma-Diem takes 11dmg and gets pulled down a foot or two before it lets go. Tarma-Diem: “Ah, shit!”

Ixayl’anu hits orange for 12dmg.

Phi hits orange-red for 24dmg, leaving it on death’s door.

Rana thorn whips orange-red back to her 6dmg it dies dragged across spikes. (Oops, Tarma-Diem face pulls a shitload more)

Tarma-Diem flies over to where they saw green and yellow go earlier (clown car building is about to get named thusly), but there are now 10 of them in there. “Holy shit guys, there’s ten of them in here!” The shriekers had their flaps up and see Tarma-Diem, who makes sure they see them move away from the group before flying 20 feet down the road away from everyone, and then up 10 feet.

They pyramid purple up to Tarma-Diem who hits for 7dmg.

Tarma-Diem misty escapes 30 feet north and 5 more feet up, invisible, but still heat signatured.

The last two from the clown car building spotted Rana first and headed for her. One of them gets Rana for 11dmg.

Ixayl’anu runs after these new two, leaving orange who misses its attack of opportunity, but then misty steps onto the building near my pyramid and throws alchemist fire into the pile.

It does max dmg (4), pink hit, yellow hit, red hit, redpurple hit, blue hit, redblue hit, redpink miss, purple missed.

Phi bonus action hides, shoots at purple and does 21dmg.

Rana sheleileis greenred for 8dmg and tries to get her back against a wall.

Tarma-Diem flies over between North buildings (in spike growth area) and down to hover 6 ft off the groud again until they see the ones on Rana between the two street-side buildings. They cast eldritch blast “Over here again fuckers!” They hit green with 10dmg, but miss greenred, who ignores the bait. 

Green takes 32dmg getting to me, misses it’s jump attack.

Greenred does 5dmg to Rana.

Orange runs up to Rana as well, but misses.

Everybody in the fire pile takes 11dmg each biting and flailing at each other.

Ixayl’anu jumps off the roof and runs to Rana (19 athletics), and casts warding bond on Rana. Rana gets +1AC and saving throws and resistance to all damage, Ixayl’anu takes the same amount of dmg as Rana now.

Phi shoots at redgreen but misses.

Rana shelalas orange but misses.

Tarma-Diem flies about 20 feet closer to Ixayl’anu and 1 ft up, kills green with 6pt eldritch blast, hits greenred for 8pts, still hovered over the spike growth.

Purple and pinkred run and bite at Ixayl’anu. Orange misses Rana, redgreen misses Ixayl’anu, redpink hits Ixayl’anu though for 5dmg, purple also hits her for another 11dmg (16 total).

Fire dmg on remaining group deals another max dmg of 4, and then they deal another 10dmg to each other.

Ixayl’anu to Rana: Wanna get out of here?

Rana reaches out: Yes please.

Ixayl’anu misty steps them both to the nearest rooftop, then pile drives back down onto redgreen (20 athletics, cool flip and everything), 14dmg, then 11dmg. For a fantastic looking 25 total.

Phi shoots redgreen for 27, killing it right out from under Ixie.

Rana magic stones orange for 8dmg, it’s on death’s door.

Tarma-Diem lands on a building at the very corner in view for last turn of fly (except it wasn’t because I can’t math), eldritch blasts purple for 5dmg, pinkred for 6dmg.

Purple takes the bait, but only goes 5ft in, takes 5dmg, backs back out.

Redpink attacks Ixayl’anu but I missed what happened with the attack.

Big group takes another max fire dmg (4pts), yellow dies.

Ixayl’anu slaps a 20pt heal on her chest.

Phi shoots at pinkred but misses.

Rana casts healing word 2nd level on Ixayl’anu for 9pts. Then magic stones orange, does 3dmg, kills orange.

Purple takes 3 eldritch blast dmg, redpink takes 12 dmg, but still focuses on Ixiayl’anu anyway, misses, purple backs up anyway, does not like getting hit in the face.

Fire group only takes 1dmg this time around. In the commotion the on fire group moves a little closer to center of the road. The ground around them shudders and a giant worm comes up out of the ground, chomps down on bluered, and sucks it back down. Worm is gone, leaving a big hole.

Ixayl’anu: Oh shit *stabs at purple still anyway* 9dmg, then another 7dmg (16 total)

Ixayl’anu: Diem! Can you throw a rope?

Phi misses redpink.

Rana thorn whips redpink for 6dmg, 4 pts of smash-fall dmg. (10 total)

Tarma-Diem pulls out the rope and commands it to tie off for Ixayl’anu. “K, it’s up!”

On-fire group takes 3 more fire dmg (there are only 4 of them left). They scatter in different directions still on fire.

Redpink notices the glorious heat-source of redpurple and attacks it, leaving it close to death.

Purple misses Ixayl’anu.

Big guy is not visible this turn.

Ixayl’anu swipes at purple and deals a total of 16 dmg, kills purple, gets 8 temporary hp, and runs over to the rope

Redpink gets an attack of opportunity on her and does 17dmg.

Ixayl’anu grabs the rope just after Rana panic-drops the spike growth to avoid hurting her.

Phi shoots at one of them and misses.

Rana magic stones redpink and does 6dmg.

Tarma-Diem eldritch blasts the farthest runner for 21 total dmg and finishes it off. The other two however use their whole action to go 120ft and get out of everyone’s range for future turns.

All runners take 1 fire dmg before calculations on them stop.

Remaining 2 shriekers miss their attacks.

Ixayl’anu climbs up to the roof.

Phi shoots at one and misses.

Rana thorn whips redpink for 5dmg + 5 slam-fall dmg (10 total).

Tarma-Diem deals 14 eldritch blast dmg to redpink

2 fire dmg kills redpurple.

Redpink jumps at Ixayl’anu futilely.

Ixayl’anu throws her javelin at redpink and misses, 2nd one hits for 4dmg and kills him. (Aftermath Investigations and RP)

Tarma-Diem: Still got 2 who ran off into the desert, a giant worm, and whatever else may be in these buildings.

Ixayl’anu: did you see the worm?

Tarma-Diem: Yeah, we got that to deal with and those two ran off capable of reproducing a shitload more.

Rana does a perception check (12). 

Tarma-Diem slumps down with their back against the lip of the roof.

Ixayl’anu crit-perceives the guys running, still on fire, and also saw a bush raise and lower on the ground in the distance.

Tarma-Diem gets a nat 20 perceiving those guys to fly after them but they are specs in the distance. They also see the bush go up and down, but it doesn’t seem to be chasing the little guys.

Tarma-Diem’s perception skills are tapped out now though and they do a whopping ZERO for aerial search of the entire area

Tarma-Diem looks in each building after, ready to fly off and lead them out of town, but doesn’t see anything. We take a short rest. After we discuss plans, we take a look around. Phi sees a small fire in the distance, but we don’t really see anything else. After the short rest, we take a closer, group look at each building.

Tarma-Diem gets a nat 20 investigation on the first building they’d checked alone while flying. These people were very well prepared, and even though things fell off walls they could still tell these people were pretty well off. Tarma-Diem finds a box marked explosives.

Phi checks box of explosives for traps (18). There is a very complicated lock on it but no other forms of trap. Phi attempts the lock (22), takes her a minute or two but it pops open. Inside is a bunch of c4 sticks - 5 of them. Plastic explosives can be placed as an action, and detonated with a press of a remote detonator (an object interaction). Plastic explosives also explode on their own if they are caught within the radius of an explosion that does at least 10 points of bludgeoning damage. Each creature within 20 feet of a detonated plastic explosive must make a DC 17 Dexterity saving throw, taking 10d6 bludgeoning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Each additional block of explosives increases the damage by 5d6 (to a maximum of 40d6), and the radius by 10 feet (to a maximum of 80 feet).

We each get 1 brick, Phi gets 2. Rana makes sure the building stays as closed up as we can get it, all windows and doors closed, so that it will hopefully remain empty as we proceed, leaving nowhere for anything to hide when we try to sleep later. This is her plan at each, subsequent building and we all follow suit.

We back up and start with the very first building in town, on the left when we’d first arrived.

Rana gets a perception of 17 on building A while Tarma-Diem investigates with an 8. It’s a transient guardhouse of some sort with basic swords and arrows.

We cross the street to B, Rana perceives it with a 21 - big hole in the center, blood on the walls, broken and open food stuff.

With an investigation of 8, Tarma-Diem gets a snack of their choice! (twinkies lol)

Outside the next building, the ground around the dead worm just below the surface has turned soggy, like standing on a mattress.

Since we already took care of building C (hopping back and forth across the road alphabetically, left then right lol), we move on to building D (on the same side as B/the market we first roof-climbed.

Rana perceives at a 16, Tarma-Diem investigates with a 13 - sticks of furniture, scrap of clothing that might’ve been a shirt, and blood.

Tarma-Diem reminds everyone about the building behind this one and how it was difficult to see inside around the crates when they did their aerial search.

For recording purposes, I am calling it building E. This time around Tarma-Diem gets an 18 investigation and sees a moving 2-by-2 crate near the back. Tarma-Diem: (whispered) Shit! They make motions to back everyone out. Tarma-Diem: There’s one in a crate back there, a little one (they make approximating gesture of box size)

Ixaylanu goes back in first and tips the box up to see a little baby white one who screams at her but he can’t get out and the scream does nothing.

Ixaylanu squats a little and does the bird head tilt thing. It screams fiercely and tries to jump out but can’t make it.

Ixyal’anu: "It's all white..."

One of us (Tarma-Diem maybe since I didn’t label speaker?): Maybe we could nail the crate shut or something? Would let people study it?

Ixayl’anu throws a small ration at it.

It feels around with its tongue and eventually eats it.

When next it lifts its flaps, it doesn’t scream, when she puts her hand close though it does scream and tries to bite her. Dex save 22/nat 20, she’s fine, it snaps at empty air.

Tarma-Diem: Can you try and talk to it?

Ixayl’anu: I doubt it’s going to work but…*she casts it anyway*

It doesn’t work.

Ixayl’anu figures out the heat sensing thing by fluffing her feathers and noting that it doesn’t react to anything but her actual body heat.

Someone: It's been in here with food for awhile and there's no others...

Someone else: Yeah but it's had an hour to make more if it's going to

Rana leaves while we talk about it to look around outside before we move on. Perception 21 on our surroundings - the fire is still up pretty far from town, town is otherwise quiet.

Ixayl’anu and Tarma-Diem put the lid back on the crate, keeping the small guy in a box with some food. Ixayl’anu hefts it up on her shoulder and goes outside. It screams and kicks around for the first few minutes every time it’s jostled before it finally settles down like “Guess this is my life now.”

Rana 19 perceives the next building is about to collapse and stops Diem from going inside.

Rana perceives the next building with an 8, Diem goes in and investigates with 15. Nothing’s really damaged, so probably nothing even got in here, just evidence that people packed and left in a hurry.

Rana perceives (16) next building. 16 investigation for Tarma-Diem as well - they see a lot of nice towels in this bath house, they take one. It’s fluffy and soft (one should always bring a towel, rules of adventure and all that).

Rana skips the clown car building for the biggest building. There’s a giant worm in the middle of the building part that we could smell long before we see it.

Tarma-Diem, meanwhile, still investigates clown car building with a 16 - scorch marks inside, wrecked, food stuffs, some dead little ones inside, they close it up like Rana did with the other ones, then join everyone else at the big building.

Rana goes in, the rest of us follow. Phi finds half of a medicine kit. Phi 19s investigation

Rana perceives 17 on last plaza building - nothing in there. 2 investigation from Tarma-Diem.

Rana looks out toward a small building on the fringe of the village.

Tarma-Diem: That one was closed up tight and empty when I checked earlier.

Rana goes to have a look anyway - 14 perception (told ya ~).

Ixayl’anu gets her platinum ring back from Rana.

Rana begins making a shrieker corpse pile in the middle of the road, including the few from the clown car building. The rest of us begin helping.

Tarma-Diem hits everyone with prestidigitation again after we complete the corpse pile

We argue a bit about rooftops vs. the comfort of the tiny hut which cannot fit on them, but certainly has a bottom. Tarma-Diem and Ixayl’anu opt for comfort, while Rana and Phi opt for better vantage points and safety. We split shifts accordingly (1 rooftopper, 1 tinyhutter/1 dark vision, 1 not).

Tarma-Diem casts tiny hut in a 10 ft radius around them, within sight of the corpse pile but not so close the smell permeates the dome. They also take first watch in order to finish scribing alarm. Self-imposed concentration check only a 6, so it takes them two hours instead of just one to finish scribing the alarm spell.

They let everyone know they can cast perimeter alarms now, then ritual cast it on the inside of the hut, choosing the bell ping so everyone can hear it if the hut gets disturbed by giant worms.

(At Least Group A is Safely in Town…Right?)

The Superb Owl: Capture them! (80 ft reach command)

Initiative order starts with Ixayl’anu and then Diem; Ixayl’anu goes first and casts moonbeam on the Superb Owl (it really is a fey owl; though a typo does turn her into the super bowl instead. Just a thought.). Ixayl’anu then runs her 30ft south along the fence.

Diem has to run to catch up as Ixayl’anu shoots past them. “Fly, Ixayl’anu!”. They cast fly on them both as soon as they manage to catch up to her in about 30ft.

5 villagers jump the fence to try and grab us.

One guy across fence to her right manages to grab Ixayl’anu and yank her a little off balance and out of the reach of the guy coming straight at her who’d jumped the southern fence to follow the owl’s orders.

Two guys of three more guys who also jumped the southern fence manage to grab me - one to each arm.

The Superb Owl not only takes half damage from a save (8dmg) by staring her turn in moonbeam, she actually pretends she created the moonbeam as an awe-inspiring spotlight for attention. She spreads her wings and flies straight up in it, showboating a little, and says, in an enunciating announcer voice: Bring them to me and I will deal with the heretics!

Practically everyone near the owl by the northern gate of the square arena and out in an oval of about 40 ft east and west is gazing in star-struck admiration at the owl.

Ixayl’anu struggles to get loose and succeeds her strength check, gets loose and flies 30 ft up and 30 ft east.

Diem uses fey presence to go all Galadriel-style-you-would-have-a-dark-queen visage and voice to inspire fear (16 wis check): Not me you fools!

This works on four out of five of the guys around them, but the one who resists just happens to be one of the guys holding on to them, who actually tightens his grip in half panic as Diem tries to fly away with him still attached (contested strength check failed). They only succeed in lifting him a few feet off the ground.

Diem to Ixayl’anu: Get out of here, go get the others!

A new guy enters the area from the south gate and helps the first pull me back down to the ground as those other four continue to cower a few feet back from me.

The owl takes 4 dmg starting in moonbeam again and doesn’t care, the barely-felt pain is worth the extra awe-inspiring beauty of her spotlight. She is hovering there at about the same height as Ixayl’anu (about 30ft off the ground): Keep that one contained, I will get the flying one!

She’s sad to leave her moonbeam, but flies after Ixayl’anu and misses both attacks. Screams: Look at me! (tries to charm Ixayl’anu and fails)

Ixayl’anu screams right back at her and lands all 3 attacks plus a level 2 smite: 45 total damage. “Never trust owls!”

The Superb Owl screeches again.

Diem goes completely limp and in the owl’s voice says: I have possessed this one, you can let it go. (23 deception)

Everyone buys it and lets Diem go. They immediately zoom 30 ft up and 30 ft toward Ixayl’anu, flying with her between me and the owl.

Guys who let them go realizing their mistake: Oh shit!

(3D chess for everyone now!)

The Northern portion of the crowd begins surging toward us as well, both guys who had Diem are running after them even though they’re 30 ft up.

Korial, the feathered dragonborn from one of Ixayl’anu’s home islands (who had been in charge of and enlisted in the fighting competition) had come out at some point, disappeared in his tent again, and is now coming out, handing off nets to capable-looking people nearby so he can take a shot with his bow at Ixayl’anu. He hits her for 10 dmg

The Superb Owl screams in Ixayl’anu’s face again and tries to grab at her for a grapple. 18 slashing damage and a strength check of 20 vs 21. Ixayl’anu pulls herself away from the grapple at the last minute, which is ruled one reason why the claws hurt so much - made the wound worse pulling out of the grasp.

Ixayl’anu’s next attack misses, but her 2nd does 15dmg plus another smite for 9 more dmg (total 24dmg).

Diem still doesn’t want to hurt the owl if they can avoid it, it’s chaotic good, but just doesn’t understand the concept and finality of death for mortals or why consent is important for the little honor guard it’s trying to create. They are out of big spells, but still have a lightning bolt in their ring if it comes down to it. However, the people also need to know this fey is willing to kill them for the sake of convenience anyway. It’s not outright evil, but inhuman enough it will kill them as easy as praise them.

As such, totally trying to create some doubts and tarnish the awe, show a little truth in a dramatic way, Diem moves their hands in front of their face as if they’re casting a spell, conveniently blocking anyone able to see their face from seeing their mouth move as they mimic The Superb Owl’s voice again, as loud as they can supervillain style and say: I will kill anyone who fails me! (21 deception).

A good amount of people around the South fence pause a little bit at this, including the guys who let them go during the last deception.

After that, Diem shoots Northwest and up 60ft to get above and behind The Superb Owl without flying close enough on the way to cause an attack of opportunity (essentially 20ft behind the owl to the northwest and 30ft up for a total of 60ft above ground and away from Korial’s bow).

They cast an eldritch blast but their heart still really isn’t in killing this pretty fey creature yet (Ixayl’anu is definitely not holding back for sure). Their first blast of crackling iridescent magic misses entirely as a result, and the other is held back too much, doing only 3dmg.

The guys who got nets from Korial are now close enough to throw them at Ixayl’anu, but both nets go wide without accidentally ensnaring any of the people under her instead.

Korial shoots at Ixayl’anu again, but misses.

The Superb Owl: Get more archers! Stop using the nets!

She disengages from Ixie and flies a bigger circle away. She goes up to about 80ft off the ground and take a commanding view of the whole area.

Ixayl’anu has seen birds of prey do this maneuver - she’s getting height so she can do a dive at Ixayl’anu (from 50ft above her now/20ft higher up than Diem is). Diem is clueless what this means for Ixayl’anu.

Ixayl’anu drops moonbeam and downs a potion (16 healing) on her way to get behind the owl and in front of me, close enough she and Diem both get the advantages of the bless she casts in moonbeam’s place (add a d4 to any attack roll or saving throw for a minute - 10 rounds).

Diem casts message on The Superb Owl, speaking directly in her head in sylvan, using their patron’s voice: Harm my pets and mark my words you will have an archfey hounding your immortality, making sure no one anywhere ever even thinks about worshipping you ever again (Intimidation check of 26).

The Superb Owl’s wingbeat pauses and she dips down a couple of feet in reaction. She’s still for the moment.

Diem yells out as loud as they can, in part for the Northside audience this time (and in their own voice): This is your last chance, do this the right way, no one’s taken by force and no one dies if they refuse!

24 performance for the crowd gets another big circle near enough to hear who are beginning to doubt. This includes Korial who has run forward enough he heard Diem’s yell. He also pauses and shakes his head a little bit.

The owl takes a good look around at the chaos and doubters, she screams an angry and hurt sound: None of you were really worth it anyway!

She disengages, picks up speed by dropping about 30 ft (still about 50ft from the ground though) and books it back toward the iron heights.

Ixayl’anu misty steps after her and crackles lightning effects, swiping at the air in the Superb Owl’s direction, making noises to reinforce driving her away and generally trying to be intimidating “You better run!” style. She rolls an 11 for intimidation. She can’t see the owl’s face for obvious reasons, but feels like she did a good job.

(The “Victory Speech” No One Asked For)

Diem flies lower toward the ground and makes themself look like an autumn-and-firey-sun themed archfey with a slightly higher voice than their patron’s to address the people around then. Their impulsive goal here is mainly to check on the hostility levels of the crowd while also trying to make sure a the presence of an archfey makes it into some stories. Just in case any of those get back to The Superb Owl in the future. They don’t use their own patron’s looks because they don’t know how their patron would feel getting that credit. They do go for a fiery-autumn look thinking this heavily V’kandis sun god religious area might attribute the deed in story to V’kandis instead, or an archfey follower (vague spur-of-the-moment possibilities for how this story gets retold over the years lol). Their performance is only a 16 for this though and it’s ruled that most people are simply distracted by the charm suddenly getting dispelled, becoming worried about loved ones and children/parents, etc. no longer in sight. Either way, everyone clearly knows what happened now (insofar as being charmed goes). Diem finished the story with what the owl had been planning, that it wasn’t just harmless (to hopefully discourage later retellings from making the owl out to be something to be tolerated the next time it comes around. Like no, it was definitely planning to take people against their will and seriously considering killing anyone merely for refusing to go with it. As they see the mood of the whole crowd shifting toward deflated sadness and seriousness, they end with what they hope is an inspiring message to find their loved ones and celebrate the return of their freedom. Diem knows it’s not their best work for sure, but they think it went over reasonably well for people being understandably distracted by suddenly remembering all the things and people and tasks the owl made them forget. They do notice Korial is standing there just listening and watching, head tilted after the hold on him was also dispelled.

At the end, Diem then pretends, for the benefit of whomever might still be watching, to be released by the mysterious autumn-fire entity who’d possessed them, their own visage fading back in as they get their bearings and look up at Ixayl’anu. They pull out their sending stone and say into it: Owl taken care of, we’re on our way to you guys in Stoneroost, let us know if we shouldn’t.

(Rana and Fee are falling!)

Fee makes a perception or investigation of 23 right before they start falling, they both hear a crack of thunder even though the sky isn’t stormy. Arcana check of 2 - Fee thinks it’s thunderbird thunder, there might be a thunderbird nearby she just doesn’t know.

Rana was showboating a little like “look at my mountains!” before she fell.

They feel cocooned in this nice little bubble of antigravity and have a slow descent that stops right above the trees like levitating above the treeline.

The ropen are following their descent with intent. 30-40 ft away still, it has embellishment on it - what Rana assumed was a natural coloration, it’s a paint/tattoo and jewelry situation.

These details make no difference to Fee.

Rana has an arm extended toward Fee about to cast a polymorph, but then they’re slowing down to a stop. “Fee are you okay?”

“Yeah, you?” Fee was also reaching for her hand and they manage to grasp hands.

When they stop, Fee tries to see if she can swim in the air, but she doesn’t move.

Rana: were you hit?

Fee: No you?

Rana: No

Fee: Can you become an owl again?

Rana: No...well, yes, but not the same way and I don’t know what knocked me out of owl to begin with (Rana is watching the Ropen as they talk - it’s taking its sweet time to get to them like a turkey vulture rather than any bird of prey about to swoop down and snatch you motions.

Fee looks for the ground through the trees and asks something I missed.

Rana perceives 18 trying to see if there are any other ropen around. 100 ft or so and getting closer (overiding the shorter distance earlier). She casts speak with animals and calls out: “Hello!?” (holds her hands out in peaceful gesture, rats freaking out with “What the fuck is happening?!” type chatter in her ears now).

Rana and Fee must make a con save, both fail (7 and 9, respectively). Both begin to hear ringing sounds in their ears - it’s SPN angel speak type noise. It crescendos to the point it hurts, all in their head, past the point of unbearable for a half second before it cuts out and they take 3 psychic dmg.

The ropen is close enough to hover in front of them after that and they both hear an intense psychic voice “This is not a safe place to be so I am going to bring you back to the nearest settlement - you should not be here until we handle it.”

Rana: We can’t go back, we’re here to figure out what’s going on.

Ropen: We’re taking care of it, their invisible bubbles of levitation start moving both Rana and Fee back the way they came.

Rana makes one persuasion check of 6 before the ropen puts them both to sleep. The whole time the ropen made them feel like they were being talked to as a child by an ancient, one that radiates strong magic.

(The zone you tried to access is down for maintenance; have a portal, take a nap)

Both Fee and Rana wake up feeling like it was really brief, but find themselves in a field outside Bouldergap. (Tournament was southwest of Bouldergap, they wake up northeast of Bouldergap - slightly farther away from town, and directly North of the road in.

Wisdom saving throws: 13 Rana, 20 Fee; Rana wakes up without memory of why she’s even here, the last she remembers she was an owl flying to Stoneroost. She tries to point at the empty air like the ropen is still there though.

Rana: Look, look that’s the thing I saw!

Fee: Yeah we both saw it…?

Rana: Yeah it’s right there! (the air is obviously empty though)

Fee: Uuuhhhhh…

Rana: Wait a minute, why are we back here? (She checks on the rats, who she can no longer understand, but that’s okay because she doesn’t remember casting that spell anyway.)

Fee: Oh, I see, what’s the last thing you remember, friend?

Rana: Flying

Fee: And then we were falling.

Rana statues.

Fee: Here’s what I think happened, I think your bird demons have some kind of bubble around Stoneroost because you somehow became not an owl and we were plummeting toward the ground and they slowed our descent and they made this awful noise screaming in our heads or maybe just my head and then talked to us like kids and were like “No we don’t need your help, we got this dudes.” (She retells the whole thing with more words than this but this is all I got transcribed live).

Rana looks doubtful: I think I’d remember that...

Fee: Yeah you would think…

At about this time, Diem’s voice comes through on the sending stones.

Diem: Owl taken care of, we’re on our way to you guys in Stoneroost, let us know if we shouldn’t.

Fee picks up almost immediately: No, don’t go to Stoneroost - fly to the other side of the tournament just out of town, we’re, well...marco polo or something when you get close until you find us and we’ll catch you up on--

Rana interrupts: Meet us at the gate into Bouldergap.

Fee: Yeah. That probably works better.

It will take Diem and Ixayl’anu about 5 minutes to fly to their destination.

In the meantime, as Rana and Fee walk toward said gate, they talk about what Rana doesn’t remember. She is very VERY interested in everything Fee has to say about the ropen. Fortunately for her, while Fee didn’t care about all the details of the ropen, she did take note of them with her high perception and was able to describe them pretty accurately to Rana - including the detail that they aren’t naturally colorful so much as wearing paint or tattoos and decorative jewelry that glints in the sun. Rana doesn’t know enough about ropen to say whether any of this was normal or not.

The lore for them is only that they’re brightly coloured pterodactyl-like creatures. No one’s gotten close enough to realize it’s not a natural thing and Rana thought they were just animals until now.

They do both remember getting just past the area where we saw the abominations on the road before they were stopped and ported away.

(Together again)

As Diem and Ixayl’anu approach and land, they find Fee and Rana both looking pissed, Rana has her map out, half plotting a route through the mountains instead.

Diem: How’d you guys get over here? Nevermind because…(they proceed to excitedly tell how things went with the owl - including the bit Ixayl’anu was not yet aware of about the message spell convincing the owl that their patron promised retribution if their pets, plural, were harmed)

Ixayl’anu preens with pride over her actions and shining moments during the story. We did not highlight, live, that she would be hearing the message that chased the owl off for the first time though, so there’s no noted reaction to that bit.

Rana (after Diem concludes the story): I hope the Ropen gets it.

Ixayl’anu: Ropen?

Rana looks at Fee: Well, since I don’t remember what happened…?

Fee: Yeah...remember how Rana was gonna carry me safely and we were gonna do this recon mission…?

Rana glares into the open air at nothing over the whole situation.

Fee: Once we got a little more than halfway to Stoneroost, just past where we were before we hit a bubble or something I don’t know but that big Rope-Roc bird thing flew in and Rana got switched back and we were falling then we were not falling and then the bird thing screamed in our heads and it hurt. Then was all like, “Don’t come over here I got this.” and then I don’t know yeah that’s when we were put to sleep and moved over here. I guess Rana must’ve been dropped too hard because she doesn’t remember it all.

(Again, there were definitely more words used than this, more things said, all amusing retellings, but this is all I got transcribed live)

Rana: They’ve never stopped me going through the mountains before, so I’m thinking we go through the mountains and hike out there in the morning. (She also notes that they didn’t see abominations on the road though, at least).

We talk about possibly going by road one more time, but this time, coming out silver scale first to see if that gets us in the door with these Ropen. Among our options is Rana just straight flying out there again with one of us on her back, Ixayl’anu riding on her elk, or possibly hiking back out there and flying for the last 10-20 minutes. All with the silver scale and letter ready to show as a potential vip pass.

Diem pulls out their sending stone and starts to catch the guard captain up on everything as we head her way to check in.

Eldeth: Just meet me at the guard house, this is too much to take in over sending stones.

(At the guard house)

By the time we get there Eldeth says she’s heard many different stories but they all start with YOU (here she points at Ixayl’anu) breathing lightning all over the damned thing.

Ixayl’anu (not in the least as guilty as she should be lol): Yeah…

Eldeth: (nods to self like “Alright then.”) Well we hadn’t tried that, but it worked.

Diem fills her in with 25 performance on every little detail of everything tried first and failed and why etc. including visual demonstration of the archfey they tried to put in the story for retelling in case anything got back to the owl at least some versions might have an archfey involved.

Eldeth seems to appreciate all the details: Well, we had a deal and you handled it, but I’m not gonna lie I’d prefer to help you through to Stoneroost in the morning.

She calls in two guards for us though - a dark blue skinned goliath barbarian type named Mash Jufrin who has a pegleg (Mash was one of the dumb guards from the other day) and a reddish older looking warrior tiefling named Tioshikio Ayibi. Eldeth introduces them and says, “These are who I can spare - they’re the best at smashing things.”

Mash (laughing): Yeah I’m best at smashing things.

Diem: Delighted to meet you (to Eldeth after looking at the rest of their party) I’m definitely for the morning though too, I could use a short rest?

The others nod agreement.

Tio: In that case, I’ll go help out with breaking down all the festival havoc and meet you all at the gate out toward Stoneroost in the morning.

As Diem notices no one is telling the Stoneroost route story, they message Fee to ask why they’re not telling their story.

Fee out loud: Oh yeah you should totally do that!

Diem (also out loud now): Me? Oh...okay *tries to remember everything Fee said and does a 26 performance on telling their story*

Only because of that performance do they not laugh at Diem outright for talking about sky bigfoot but Eldeth is still looking at Rana (the local of our group) like “Seriously?”

Rana gives a look back like yeeaaaah...it is though, I know how it sounds. (She’d been wincing and frowning at every mention of ropen during the story.)

Eldeth believes us but points out that she wouldn’t otherwise if not for the owl and everything crazy that’s been going on of late. She recommends Tio to get more supplies to that end from the armory. We all part ways, Diem getting their extra sending stone back after announcing they have a date to get to.

(Free evening for shopping and more!)

We get the evening to do whatever we like. Rana needs a 300 gold diamond, so she’s going to go shopping. Since it’s on the way to other places we’re all headed, we all go with. Rana gets distracted by all the shiny pretty gems, Ixayl’anu has to pry her away eventually. Rana picks up 2 diamonds and can’t help herself, picks up 2 rubies, a sapphire and an emerald. Loose stones that call to her. Handful of rubies and pretty things.

Diem forgot in the live session but since it was determined they were there for the shopping on their way back to Emmen’s festival tent, they have been approved for also picking up some pretty stones and would have been just as enthralled by the pretties as Rana lol. Gem haul (whopping total of 1500gp lol): Includes 3, 10gp titanium rainbow peacock kyanite feathers, a large Iolite/Cordierite sample that is dark blue with white and clear crystal clusters in it at first glance - looking closer at various angles reveals the whites to shift into shades of silver that blend in with the blues that also shift with lighting into shades of black and violet as well (300gp for a small “brick” sized uncut chunk). Another normal-sized sample of this same uncut stone for 50gp, a water opal with an imperfection that looks like a crescent moon, worth 1000gp (the two big ticket items are to be gifts for their patron, if anyone asks), and topped off with a pouch of additional, hand-selected rough cut samples of asst other stones mostly in shades of teals and purples (basically would look like a small stash of rough fluorite, quartz, etc.). They also pick up a little amethyst cat figuring worth 100gp (because gifts to the fey should always come in threes).

Ixayl’anu hauls us out of there before we spend ALL of our money there (I mean for her goddess’ sake, it’s not like they’re the teeth of a rare and impressive beast or something) and goes off to find a shop with healing potions where she buys two common healing potions (100g total).

Diem gets 2 greater healing potions for 150 each.

Rana says she’s going to the temple, everyone but Diem is gonna join her there. Diem splits off from the rest to find their aforementioned “date.”

Ixayl’anu resummons her elk in the temple courtyard. It takes her 10 minutes to do so. He bugles frantically as though no time had passed since he was attacked and Ixayl’anu is there with horse girl hugs and affection that he appreciates as she calms him down.

Mutanamri quietly comes up to her during this: So while you’re welcome to stay here, and we appreciate all your help recently...your steed does have to stay outside the temple...it’s a little bit of a sacrilegious thing, so if you could put it out in the stables please?

Ixayl’anu nods and says she understands. She and her elk continue their affectionate reunion on the way to stables. She spends the night in the stables with her elk, sleeping together.

Rana floats the idea with Fee to do a find the item and retrieve course for the rats outside the temple somewhere. Fee agrees. Rana hands Fee a frickin ruby for this game and uses a frickin emerald for Hamlet, hiding them for retrieval. These are the games of the rich, people lol. Rana casts speak with animals and they send the rats out on their missions. They make animal handling checks of 8 for Rana and 17 for Fee 17. Horatio wins! It does help that he recognizes the “retrieve” game through practice a little better than Hamlet does.

We confirm that tiny animals stopped speaking draconic about a couple miles out of Longview. So Fee can also speak to and understand her rat through her ring.

Afterward Rana settles down by the flame and Fee with her, presumably.

(In the morning…)

In the morning, after everyone’s gotten up and performed early morning mass, Alka Briskfizz, a dwarven priestess in green, gold, and cream-colored robes, her orangey-red hair in pigtails approaches Rana and Fee: I heard you helped with the owl situation and I know you talked to Mutanamri a little bit about that already. I’m actually here right now because I’d like to offer my services for your other trip - I’ve got some family in Stoneroost as well. It would be nice to go up and see them with your group, make sure everything’s alright. I have some healing capabilities.

Rana nods: We’ll take all the help we can get.

Fee: Yeah…

Alka: Good - though...I thought there was more of you?

Rana: Yeah, we have to go collect one of us somewhere in town and the other is sleeping in the stables with her elk.

(some missed conversation for sure)

Fee: Have you heard anything more about what might be going on?

Alka: Every time I’ve been on the road it’s been uneventful, so this is new to me.

Fee talks about how the road was creepy and Alka says that’s definitely not normal for the pass.

Rana talks about what to expect on the road, mentions the ropen but frames it like, ‘yeah, we know it sounds crazy, but with everything else that’s going on, why not an impossible cryptid too?’.

Fee chimes in every now and then.

Alka’s listening politely. Rana insight checks at a 12 on her reactions - she seems skeptical but open to there being something best described, for now, as a mythological cryptid.

(Taking a Long Rest) Before Diem goes to sleep, they recast tiny hut, rolls an 8 on watch, Rana rolls a 17. She can see the lip of the valley and sees a flash of light.

She gets a 13 survival check on mirror glint communication and recognizes this is an all clear? morse code with mirrors thing. Rana nudges Phi about it to see if she knows this mode of communication better or at least has a mirror on her as well.

Phi hands over her small mirror with a silver handle.

Rana assumes it’s Edea, messages the number 1, spells out worm, flashes “message received”

After a brief moment she gets back “not visible/query not found”

Rana: “Message received”

Rana tells Phi what was said back and forth, then leans over the building and tells Diem as well.

Phi and Ixayl’anu’s watch: 14 Ixayl'anu, 19 Phi

At 1 or 2am the most god-awful scream they’ve ever heard in their life, coyote mixed with a rabbit, loud and wailing and pained. It wakes Rana up.

Phi knows it’s deeper into the valley.

Rana scrambles to look down and check on us on the ground. Phi continues investigating and gestures the approx direction for Rana.

It continues for about 10 minutes.

Diem finally wakes up “What? Huh? What the fuck is that?”

Phi 27 perception out in the valley. She sees off in the distance and with a fairly good idea of what they look like, she sees one completely on top of the ground way off in the distance, mouth open, she can see it is “beached” and making this noise.

She pokes Rana and points it out, then whisper yells over the edge at us about it being one of the worms.

Rana with perception 7 thinks she can kinda make it out.

Phi: Half mile, ¾ of a mile.

It tapers off though and everything is quiet, too quiet afterward.

Phi keeps her eye on that worm.

Come morning, Diem gets 3 charges back on their band of shocking grasp and recasts tiny hut as we wake up, just to keep it there until it’s no longer needed.

Rana checks again in the morning and what she thought was the worm was a rock (17 perception this time)

Rana: Let’s go check out that worm.

We discuss what’s up while snacking on rations and getting ready to go. Rana and Phi bring their rats with, but we leave the albino shrieker in its box in the shade.

(Investigating a dead worm - more shriekers!)

We spread out walking toward the beached worm, Rana in front.

With a perception check of 20, Phi stops as she catches dust in the distance, but it turns out to be an actual dust devil instead; no poof poofs of worms.

Before we can even see the worm, we smell it super bad, the worst dead thing that’s been sitting in the sun, putrifying. We see it now and it’s not moving.

Rana: Was this here yesterday?

Phi: Not until last night when it started making noise.

Rana: Does it look like its been dead longer than it actually has? With a medicine check of 4, it looks fairly together. She remembers Edea did a blight spell but this doesn’t look like that.

Diem covers their nose and investigates. It’s still not moving, mouth is open, tongues are not moving.

Phi tries to shoot it, nothing happens, looks like she just hit a hay bale with it.

Rana: Well we can message Edea and tell her the last worm is dead.

Ixayl'anu: A worm is dead, are we sure it’s the last one?

Rana shrugs.

Diem keeps walking around until they finally see blood all over the ground on the other side of the worm. Eventually they get to a better angle as everyone goes around it the other way. They finally see there are no insides, it’s been hollowed out. They tell everyone else.

Ixayl'anu tries to investigate as well, but doesn’t learn much.

Diem takes a 12 investigation, sees foot prints that look like they could fit shriekers and the hole in the worm hide is ragged.

Rana walks up and smacks it hard but nothing happens.

Diem startles: Shit, Rana.

Looks like a scuffle in the area, mess of prints, two sets leading away, headed toward the other side of the Rim.

Rana: Let’s follow them.

Ixayl'anu: Do we wanna leave a message for Edea?

Rana: If you have a way to leave a message…?

Ixayl'anu: You’re the one who wants to impress her

Rana: I have a mirror.

We don’t have anything substantial to report to check in though so we decide to follow the tracks, Rana in the lead with a 21.

We see them go off into the distance.

Investigation for Rana tells her there are two sets of footprints, we gather there were 3 total.

This worm is roughly the same direction as our 2 lost shriekers, we walked through some slightly charred field, but this is quite a bit farther out than where we last saw the on-fire shriekers.

We are only barely still in sight of town. The farther we get form town, the more on edge Rana gets.

Rana sees a glob of blood and fur along the way, we keep moving while Rana makes sure we don’t get lost as we go. None of us are being stealthy, we’re trying to stick close to rocks though whenever possible.

Phi hears wet crunching sounds ahead, ripping wet munching noises.

Phi makes a stopping gesture at all of us: waitwaitwaitwait did anybody else hear that?

Only Rana hears it now too: I think they caught something else.

Ixayl’anu gets up on a rock to try and see (16): She gets the gross scent she’s learned to associate with these creatures.

We send Phi ahead to scout over the rock, stomach crawling over the top. 28 stealth: Phi sees 2 shriekers eating a dead cow. She turns her head and plays charades. Mouths “cow” then corrects to “two”

Rana to the rest of us: There are two cows, they probably belong to the village, let’s go get them. *she starts walking around to fight them*

Phi gets ready to fight as well seeing her getting ready to fight.

(Another shrieker fight)

The shriekers scream at Rana as soon as they raise their little heat sensors - she makes her save.

Rana: They’re not cows guys!

Phi takes a surprise round shot but misses. She shoots again and does 16dmg to pink - she uses her bonus action attempting to hide by sliding down the side of the rocks and moving back. 24 stealth check.

Blue rushes Rana and bites at her.

Rana flame blades, but misses. Fiery scimitar sticks around though and it will serve as a bonfire of sorts if Edea is looking at us.

The creatures LOVE it mmm so much lovely heat.

Pink also charges Rana and tries to bite the sword, bites through to no effect.

Diem rushes up and hits with one shot of eldritch blast for 3dmg.

Ixayl’anu rushes forward and takes a swing at pink, miss, hit, 9dmg.

Phi runs forward to shoot at them from behind, misses, and has no movement left to hide.

Blue tries to bite Rana with disadvantage, but hits anyway and deals 14dmg

Rana tries to stab blue with her sword, does 6 fire dmg.

These guys do not look previously charred.

Pink tries to bite Rana and her beautiful sword again, but misses.

Diem tries to parkour up the lower portion of the rock, makes it, casts eldritch black at pink, but misses both strikes.

Ixayl'anu hits pink for 8dmg, misses her 2nd strike.

Phi shoots at blue and gets a crit! 34dmg, blue is bloodied by it. Phi bonus action hides in a pile of rocks. 13 stealth - she feels sorta secure...

Blue bites at sword/rana and misses

Rana swings at blue but misses.

Pink bites at Rana and misses.

Diem casts eldritch blast at blue for 16dmg total (one crit)

Ixayl'anu slashes at pink, misses, misses

Phi has to do a con save and passes as purple screams at her from behind. It jumps down.

The others scream as well, Ixayl'anu and Diem make their saves though while Rana is immune from her previous success.

Phi runs forward (directly east) around the rocks and away from purple, she shoots at blue, misses, dashes farther away again (over 50ft away from purple)

Blue misses Rana.

Rana swings at blue, misses.

Pink misses.

Diem hits blue for 16dmg total again, kills it.

Ixayl'anu swings at pink 11dmg, misses with 2nd strike.

Purple charges Phi and takes a bite - 10dmg, she uses evasion to take only 5dmg.

Phi switches to her daggers and hits with both for a total of 13dmg, bonus action disengages, uses her movement to be closer to Ixayl'anu, slightly behind and a few paces east.

Rana stabs at pink and deals 6dmg.

Does purple look previously charred? No.

Pink bites at Rana and her sword, just barely misses.

Diem sees purple hungering after Phi and decides to try and help draw its attention toward them - Rana and her fiery sword all bright and tasty looking between. They hit purple with eldritch blast for 10dmg total.

Ixayl'anu hits pink for 7dmg, misses 2nd strike.

Purple turns around, sees the sword, but Ixayl'anu is closer so it attacks her and misses.

Phi attacks with her daggers and does 24dmg total, efficiently killing it. Phi disengages.

Rana swings at pink, deals 14dmg, killing it.

(After battle investigations)

Rana lets go of her flame blade, but keeps the remaining 10minutes of concentration to summon it back as a bonus action. She checks the cow for more information (10) it is very dead, nothing otherwise out of the ordinary.

The rest of us look around, Ixayl'anu gets a nat 20 investigation (19). She finds a shrieker halfway up the cliffs purple came from.

Rana and Phi check in on their rats, then Rana tries to climb up to the molt (17) and tries to chuck it down to the ground. It feels like a chitinous fiberglass body and cracks a little bit when tossed down.

Rana nature checks 16 - the molt is maybe slightly smaller, she survival tracks purple’s prints (another 16), it went up at the top of the ridge, previously it was following along equally with the other two, so probably the results of that 3rd set of tracks.

Diem investigates the molt for burning and finds some, points it out to Rana. It’s definitely something left over from one of yesterday’s on-fire runners, possibly from one of the three we just killed, after they shed their damaged skin.

Molt is 10-15 lbs - Rana shoulders it.

We follow purple’s tracks back to the worm, confirming all three of the shriekers we just killed were involved in wormicide.

Rana leads us back to town from there.

We talk about the 3 we killed, the 2 that got away yesterday (and whether they are the same) and handling the infestation only until we feel confident the villagers can take care of the rest.

When we get back to town we go check on the albino shrieker, Ixayl'anu cracks the lid to see if it’s still there. Little snout pops out and snaps at her fingers, gets one of her plate-gauntleted fingers before she shuts the lid.

Rana and Ixayl'anu were paying attention enough with their nature rolls they notice it’s larger than yesterday but still not as big as the other guys. There’s definitely not enough space for another one in that box. It is still all white.

Ixayl'anu squeezes a ration in there with it - it’s like trying to feed a crocodile through the fence.

Rana climbs back up to last night’s roof and pulls out her mirror, studying where the mirror flashes were yesterday.

Phi looks around to see if the town looks empty still since we’ve been gone. 20 investigation: Town looks pretty close to how we had left things. As she gets closer to the camels, she hears the elk making angry elk noises, self consoling and all worked up.

Phi tries to parkour up the building near them.

Rana starts the mirror flashes for hey look here hey hey. Listen!

Diem: Maybe we could build a bonfire somewhere and see if it draws in any more of the little ones?

Rana: (while flashing hey hey pattern) Let’s check in with Edea and see if the town people want to return first.

Edea responds with a “here/listening” mirror glint.

Rana: “All clear maybe.”

Edea: “Okay to return?”

Rana: “Should be.”

Edea: “We’ll return.”

(Ixayl'anu's elk is a hero! Recognize!)

Back to Phi parkouring up building (14 - makes it up okay); looks out into the distance at what might be wrong, elk is tossing his head and claims more space than the camels who have edged away. When he sees Phi, he bugles something, trying to tell her something and stomps his hoof and brandishes his antlers.

Phi looks out into the distances with a 24 for threats. Nothing in the distance.

Phi: Down boy (assumes elk is just not happy, elk snorts at her as she leaves).

Phi comes back: Your elk is not liking the camels, or the camels don’t like your elk, something is going on down there.

Before Phi gets back, the elk telepathically says to Ixayl'anu: I defended the camels successfully, be proud of me! *smug* your camels are safe, there was a huge battle and I defended them well.

Ixayl’anu makes her way down there anyway. On the way she describes shriekers to the elk

Elk: No it was flying like a bird

Ixayl'anu: Was it a bird?

Elk: It was weird, but it was flying so it must be a bird.

Ixayl'anu looks up but doesn’t see anything.

Rana and Diem check in on their camels

Ixayl'anu tells us it wasn’t natural, but none of us see flying creatures.

Ixayl'anu to elk: How big was it?

Elk: It was as big as me!

Ixayl'anu relays this.

Ixayl'anu: Did it smell?

Elk: The camels smell...

Rana casts speak with animals and asks her camel what happened.

Her camel is very upset by something large attacking from the air. The elk did scare it off, but now he’s been showboating about it ever since and the camels just want out.

Rana: Have you seen the thing from the sky before

Camel: No

Rana casts stone shape and makes a 5X5 passage, 1ft off the ground, carefully leading camels through the doorway and handing them off to people. Rana is playing tetris with stonework and camels, and she tries to explain to them what she’s doing, guiding them out - 20 animal handling check.

Animal handling for our camels handed over (5 from Ixayl'anu, elk’s antlers get stuck), I get a 9, Phi gets a 4, they are just too eager to be out. Phi’s camel picks her up, holding onto halter lead and goes trotting off into the greenery.

Diem’s drags them away from quicksandy dead worm area in the opposite direction, further into town rather than toward brush, but Diem does manage to see a little throughway and eventually the camel heads that way, Diem going with it to the little oasis area.

Rana helps Ixayl'anu with the last camel to get it to the brush.

We take a short rest as we wait for Edea.

Diem keeps their eyes on the skies but only rolls a 5 on perception.

Rana does the same, rolls 12, but she’s more interested in playing with her rat and there’s a lot of leaves in the way besides.

(Townspeople Return)

We eventually hear/see Edea with the group of villagers heading into the main building from across the pond. We hear large exclamations.

Rana: I think she’s here.

We go with her.

Edea is impressed by our pile of bodies

Rana warns Edea about what the elk saw, but we haven’t seen any indication. We still don’t.

Edea: We’ll keep an eye out, we didn’t see anything on our way into town either.

Rana: Don’t know if you guys heard that shrieking last night?

Edea: Yep.

We catch her up to that and the molt, edea wants to see it.

Edea: I’ve never seen anything like these creatures but I certainly wouldn’t have expected them to molt.

Rana: They look mammalian to me.

Edea: They’re definitely not insects.

Rana: Oh yeah and Ixayl'anu found a pet.

Ixayl'anu: Oh yeah (something I missed for notes)

Rana fills Edea in about el blanco’s details.

Edea volunteers to take the molt off our hands to the other druids of her circle.

Rana: As far as we can tell they love fire and heat

Diem: We thought we might light a bonfire before we leave, make sure nothing else comes after it before we move on.

Edea studies el blanco, then wrangles it, mouth together and ropes it closed.

Edea: It’s definitely malformed, compared to the other ones.

Edea pokes at the flaps and peels them up a little bit, it screams and struggles more: It definitely sees via these organs. What are you planning on doing with this one?

Rana gestures at Ixayl'anu

Ixayl'anu: (More words I missed for notes) definitely doesn’t need to come with us anywhere, just thought it might be useful to study.

Edea: Well, this was always intended to be our splitting off point anyway.

Rana: Yeah, I can get them to Longview from here.

Ixayl'anu: Yeah if it’s useful to study, we can leave it here.

Edea: Yeah this and the molt could tell us quite a bit.

Ixayl'anu: Not attached, just holding onto it as something we can maybe do something with.

Rana: Camels are by the oasis, they made it through just fine.

We talk things over, Earl comes out and sees shrieker pile “What in tarnation is going on here?”

Rana: Feel free to add to the pile

Earl: Val come look at this!

Val comes out to look.

Our plan is to wait out the heat of the day/afternoon. Diem sets up a tiny hut and we inform Edea of as much as possible.

Edea is now treating us all as competent and she’s giving us more respect as a result.

We begin our trek out of the valley toward Longview, none of us catching on that Rana is taking us slightly off-path from our plans.

Encounter roll of 19 from Ixayl'anu.

(Thunderbird sighting)

As we get to the far side of this canyon, beginning to climb out of it, we can see a lot farther than before, more regular level desert, far off into the distance, 10-20 miles away a huge thunderstorm is brewing, lots of lightning it looks real bad.

Perception checks Diem 1, Ixayl'anu 5, 23 Phi, Rana 22

Rana (excited and worried both): We need to get under cover right now! We can’t be out in the open when that thing gets here. I have never seen one but I think this is a thunderbird. I don’t think it’ll bother us if we leave it alone, but we need to get out of its way.

Phi: Is that bigger than a roc?

Rana: About the same size. I have never seen one...though it looks about the size of a roc.

Survivals: Rana 13, Diem 8, Phi 18, Ixayl'anu 6

We don’t really find a good spot. We find an overhang though, but not a big enough space for the tiny hut. We manage to be out of line of sight. It was coming toward us as we were looking for a spot.

To Diem (perception 4) it’s like being caught out in a hurricane.

Rana tries to get a look 17, Phi 11, Ixayl'anu 20

This bird is mad, something has pissed it off.

Ixayl'anu to her elk: This isn’t the thing is it?

Elk: *huddled* no this is not what I saw

We’re soaked to the bone, but it’s a warm rain. We watch for a good hour or so, we see it make a couple of dives in the desert but not near Perfection.

Phi wonders aloud if it’s mad about these new abominations in its land and it’s come to take it back and wash it clean.

It makes a couple of passes over the valley and then goes back where it came from to the North.

Rana: *grinning* Let’s not do that again.

Diem: That was AWESOME

Ixayl'anu is excited about the lightning.

Diem takes a long time to prestidigitation us all dry.

Rana picks up the lead again.

Survival rolls to get our bearings again diem 6, Ixayl'anu 7, rana 10, phi 17 - we’re pretty confident Rana knows the way.

Rana knows it would take another full day to get to Longview and looks for a game trail toward it instead of Bouldergap as we had planned (not that any of us catch on to the fact we’re off course out here.

It takes us awhile and we’re meandering a little. It takes us past dusk before we find a suitable area and begin setting up camp.

Phi: Rana, I don’t even see this path anymore...

Rana: That’s because we’re not on it. I use this path all the time, we’re almost certainly not lost *smiling*

Phi: Alright I trust you.

Diem casts alarm around the animals, then summons the tiny hut, coloured to blend with the desert sand.

Rana nat 20s first watch. Coyotes in the distance, lovely night, natural sounds, everything’s peachy.

She’s in a good mood when she wakes Phi up: It’s a great night.

Phi: Happy to be home?

Rana: More than a little. I like Rethwellian but it’s a little too green for my tastes

Phi: Well so far this desert has been nice but also a little smelly sometimes

Rana: In our defense, it’s usually not like that, hopefully they’ll be gone soon, maybe that thunderbird washed them away.

Phi: Hopefully

Rana: Alright goodnight

Phi: Goodnight

Perception 26, nothing really changes though she’s not as comfortable as Rana is.

On Diem and Ixayl’anu’s watch, Diem recasts tiny hut. Ixayl'anu gets 7, Diem gets a 4. Diem draws a bad rendition of the thunderbird in their dream journal (maybe because they didn’t get to see it so well lol).

OOC we rule that Diem doesn’t have to worry about timing and recasting tiny hut moving forward, it’ll last for as long as we need it.

Nice clear morning, Rana is pumped and ready to go, already on the camel as we climb out of our bedrolls.

(Lost treasure on the sandy deer trails)

Rana rolls a 6 for encounters - a few hours in, 10/10:30 we come to a scattering of splintered wood and strewn wagon wrecks up ahead. Rana stops because this isn’t supposed to be here. Even with an 8 she sees a wagon wheel.

Ixayl'anu: What, what’s going on?

We get close and see the remains of wagons.

Diem: Think this could be that missing caravan?

Rana: It’s possible, but we’re no longer on that path.

Ixayl'anu goes over to look at identifying marks on crates/wagons/flags

Rana perception checks around the area, Diem goes with her (22, 11)

Phi helps Ixayl'anu. She notices the wood is bleached and weathered, sitting in the sun for years and years.

Ixayl'anu: How long does it take for wagons to start looking like this? Doesn’t it take awhile?

Rana walks up.

When Ixayl'anu scrapes it with a claw it splinters like over-dry wood

Rana 10 investigates it, and agrees - very weathered and bleached, flags are tattered and bleached, light pink maybe used to be red. Rana goes up to the 2nd wagon, Diem follows. It looks like it was a goods caravan, no animals, no people, no bones (but rolled low for that).

Diem got sand in their eye (1 investigating for bones)

We are following a loose trail of debris, Rana sees the inside protected by the cloth and she sees several other crates that have been pried open, contents taken. Rana pulls one crate out

Phi and Diem both roll low on this next part.

Rana nat 20s looking this crate over, tucked away behind that crate is another one that got overlooked, barely protected, it has a strange symbol on it like the barest suggestion of an inverted triangle made with little triangles at each point and leaf blades in the center curling out toward the leftmost triangle point from a braided crescent moon along the suggested triangle’s right side, tips of the crescent poking up out of the leftmost and top sides of the suggested triangle. Rana drags it out and takes a closer look. It seems kind of heavy. Whatever is in there is well padded, no shifting or sloshing etc.

Phi 14 perceives for traps. She sees it is locked with delicate filigree on it, meaning it’s probably a trap. Attempts to disable the trap (24).

We talk about how very lost they probably were, because as Rana points out, you do not go off trail, the desert is very dangerous, it will kill you, and while we were okay off trail with her, you definitely do not go off trail with a caravan.

Ixayl'anu: I get that but how far off trail are we?

Rana: We are inadvisably far off trail, but I know where I’m going.

Phi defeats the trap and inside she finds a large teapot of red enamel with a slightly demonic face on the side of it with a large ring in its nose. When she picks it up steam gently comes up and it is warm.

Rana looks in the box for more identification. 18 investigation.

Rana 17 history checks the triangle-moon symbol too - she’s not certain where she’s seen the symbol but it’s tip of her tongue - not quite familiar, but something. She finds a very old, weathered piece of parchment with “the meal wish cauldron” written on it, along with what it does.

By putting in 10 gold (or similar value of jewels - per person?), you bring forth a great feast, including magnificent food and drink. The feast takes 1 hour to consume and disappears at the end of that time, and the beneficial effects don't set in until this hour is over. Up to twelve creatures can partake of the feast.

A creature that partakes of the feast gains several benefits. The creature is cured of all diseases and poison, becomes immune to poison and being frightened, and makes all Wisdom saving throws with advantage. Its hit point maximum also increases by 2d10, and it gains the same number of hit points. These benefits last for 24 hours.

We package it away into our own supplies for now.

Rana: We’ll get to Longview before nightfall probably.

We travel an hour and a half more before we get back to the main road again, very well trafficked, just like Rethwellian’s main roads, it’s like going from a deer trail to a five lane highway.

Diem plays off the whole bad bitch native desert dweller guide, so fuck off vibe

As we get closer and closer to early evening we can see Longview.

(Welcome to Longview)

We are going to see a small town, big enough to know everyone but only if you lived here awhile. Somewhat of a farming community, gardens behind houses are common, in the shadow of the mountain, a bit more greenery here, but not as green as Rethwellian.

Taking the main road in, not stopping, just going through town - Rana clearly knows where she’s going. “Welcome to Longview.”

Phi: So were you born here?

Rana: Yeah, I grew up here.

One person on the road nods at Rana but they don’t stop and chat. They stare more at us than her.

Diem thinks it looks very cute and cozy

Rana’s interactions are limited to nods and waves

Phi: How long since you’ve been home?

Rana: At least 2 years

We notice nobody’s trying to catch up with Rana, Diem just assumes that’s because they know Rana well enough to know she’s not much of a talker and/or they’re all very similar to her in that regard.

As we pass the inn

Phi: Are we going to stay with your family maybe?

Rana: That is the plan, yes.

She takes us to her mom’s place, taking a left and immediately leaving Longview for its outskirts instead. Comparatively small homesteading with some sheep that want fed, a small kitchen garden, that’s pretty much it. We passed a lot of farms on the way here though. This one is only about 10 acres.

Rana glances around at some to do things while she’s here, but not a whole lot, some of the fencing could use repairing. She finds a place for their camels for water and food, ties them off. While everyone’s unloading she goes to feed the sheep.

Then she leads us to the door. We make enough noise out there though that a farm dog comes out barking, excited to see her, yipping, mom comes out the back “Oh Rana you’re back!” (older, husky sounding voice, from the city, little bit more cultured, wearing very nice clothes).

Rana turns around with a grin and runs to give her a big hug

Mom: I missed you so much

Rana: I missed you too

Mom: You brought friends

Rana: I brought friends!

Mom: Bring them inside

A feathered female dragonborn, a white-haired female gnome, and a big scary human woman who looks like she could break you.

Rana: we’re gonna need somewhere to stay for a night or two if that’s okay?

Mom: Sure

Rana: I fed the sheep and the camels, I haven’t fed anything in the stable yet though.

Mom: We have some sheep that are laming too.

Rana: It is good to see you - it has been way too long.

Mom: I did hear from your brother about events.

Rana: Oh! Did he get his message then?

Mom: All 3 of them. One right after another

Rana (grinning): I’ll have to fill him in, it’s been an eventful few months

Rana waves us over.

Rana leads the elk to sheep pen so it doesn’t eat mom’s flowers. It is way greener here than the other gardens in town. Plants here are very lovely.

Rana looks around: I’ll take care of the plants while I’m here too.

Mom: They always seem to enjoy your attentions. Introduce me to your friends?

She introduces us, stops at Diem, “Drop the disguise.”

Diem clearly forgot they were disguised, but does so, looks a little out of sorts after they drop the disguise rather than their easily sociable butterfly self.

Rana introduces each of us and where we’re from, Diem says their home is a small village in Rethwellian nobody’s really heard of, not important.

We are introduced to mom as Romy

Level up!

Over the journey across the desert, we note that Rana and Diem have practically swapped roles with Rana energetic and smiley while Diem in their Tarma guise remains quiet and stoic.

Rana tells Edea all about the meteor and the detour she has planned that the rest of us don’t know about.

First morning there are more birds in distance but hard to see in the sun. It’s a quiet morning with meat stick breakfast on the go, good and early to make the most of the last hours of good travel time.

Eventually we see mesas and get close enough to also see that it’s the lip of a large basin.

The little valley below is more green than rest

Edea’s in good mood so she tells us about the surrounding area with Pebbles interjecting.

Mostly the whole area is made up of sandstone and limestone

Natural springs dotting the landscape ahead, no visible people, though Phi spots some buildings and glimmer of water.

Rana notices the road area has been widened for more traffic very recently

Tarma-Diem is too interested in storytime to do much talking (though they aren’t nearly as expressive under the Tarma guise)

We get just over the lip to the main area of the road close enough to the cliffs for shade and stop for real food (lunch).

Tarma-Diem summons the hut for this, much to Edea’s amusement (though she also partakes of the comfort). One of us (Rana? Phi? Lingers outside the hut for a bit because looking through transparent walls at the view just isn’t the same as seeing it unfiltered.

Then...breadsticks!

17 con check, I manage an hour of scribing alarm.

(”Big like hell underground monsters and they’re coming after you guys, they’re comin right now!”)

Up on camels again, we get in the valley and Phi notices a whispered thing as Tarma-Diem’s method acting fails to make them even reasonably perceptive.

Phi calls out and points at poofs of dust moving toward us but it goes away before anyone else sees it.

Phi: You guys didn’t see it?

Phi describes it as foof foof dust lol

Rana gets off the camel to perceive while feeling more connected through direct contact with the ground, but it doesn’t help. She definitely senses nothing in time to avoid getting grappled by two snake like things popping up out of the ground.

Another pair pop out near me and try to hook my camel, but Jadrie dances out of the way.

Edea stoneskins Pebbles

I stay on my camel.

Edea: Everyone stay off the ground!

I cast fly on my camel in response, it hovers about a foot off the ground and I’m able to steer it forward a little toward the rocks and away from the snakes, but not up.

Rana nature checks: These are not purple worms

Rana tries to polymorph one of the snakes into a mouse. It turns into a clinging mouse on her leg.

Rana: I have one, don’t touch it!

She tries to grab it by the tail. She nat 20 animal handles that shit to set the mouse on the ground and climb back on the camel. “One’s a mouse!”

Phi shoots at the furthest snake in front of her - one of the two that tried to snag Jadrie (since Rana said not to touch the one that’s a mouse now lol).

She does 7 dmg.

The one she shot and its nearby buddy both slink back into the ground, leaving loose earth where they were.

Phi runs the camel (east) in the opposite direction from Diem, and up another bit of rocky area but only gets animal handling of 4.

Phi’s camel gets a nat 20 on dex save when 3 pop up at her camel and it freaks out, then belatedly realizes why she was trying to make it a rock climber. Said camel manages to get up on the rock after all. One of the 3 has an arrow sticking out of it still, grasping blindly at the rocks trying to get her.

Pebbles moves himself and Edea up onto the rocks.

Ixayl’anu drives the elk toward the ones after Phi to try and take a stab at one of the worms that are still trying to get to Phi. She misses. 2nd swing hits for crit dmg 20. They all go underground.

Graboid mouse tries to bite the camel for 1 pt of damage.

Camel flings mouse away but it’s light and doesn’t take any damage, is thrown about 10-15 ft away, squeaking angrily.

Edea: “Get to the rocks!” 

Edea then casts silence on Rana’s area, just enough for Rana to get on a rock - Rana suddenly goes deaf, Edea motions her forward.

Rana rolls low on animal handling check, Rana slaps its side with spider climb and tries again.

Phi holds her action for next one’s appearance. Ixayl’anu also holds her action to the same end.

Mouse runs after last spot of sound, but freaks out just inside the silence circle and stops moving.

Whole huge graboid head comes out of the ground at Ixayl’anu.

15 to hit from Phi, it skitters off the hard armor plating of its head.

Ixayl’anu misses. Her 2nd attack succeeds - 6dmg

Creature attacks back - 16 dmg on Ixayl’anu directly, she rolls a nat 20 on her dex save. It let her go because she stabbed it. However, it does not completely retreat, withdraws only a tiny bit back.

Edea casts 5th level blight on the graboid next to Ixayl’anu. 48 pts necro dmg

It shudders and rests a little on the ground, too hurt to go under.

11 pts of eldritch blast from Tarma-Diem finishes it off, electrocuting it with prismatic lightning eldritch blast making it stiffen up and scream, shuddering and exploding all over Ixie.

Tarma-Diem to self: Dammit, I’m gonna be the one cleaning that up later…

Rana watches the mouse trying to figure out what to do. She can’t shout anything to anyone, so Rana has her fist raised to get attention while watching her mouse.

Phi is confused why Rana is looking away from the giant worm with her hand raised, but she also sees two more puffs in the distance, and Rana still has the mouse. Phi: Good job Diem! Two more over there (plus words I missed).

Tarma-Diem, nodding toward Edea: Pretty sure that was mostly Edea, but you’re welcome!

Pebbles passes his action.

Ixayl’anu charges up on her mount, Rana waving a frantic no, Ixayl’anu casts nature’s wrath, restraining the mouse in little tiny vines, Ixayl’anu sees it’s mouth opening up but doesn’t hear any of the angry squeaks. No one hear’s the mouse’s deadly anger. It is so hungry. But no one hears. No one cares. Edea has put up a censor blocking out all of its foul language.

Dex sav throw for Ixayl’anu’s elk as 3 new little guys pop up around her - 15: The elk is grappled by one, wrapped around its leg.

More vibrations are part of what Rana was trying to no no no about, to no avail.

Edea drops the silence and attempts to cast polymorph on the one on Ixayl’anu. It turns into a rat, still clinging to the elk’s leg.

I hold a toll the dead for any new emergence that has not been polymorphed: “What do we do now?!”

Edea: I think we found their problem.

Rana: What do we wanna do about the polymorphs?

Tarma-Diem: Well, Phi said there’s more out there.

Phi: Yeah, there’s more out that way (points vaguely at two spots south and east)

Rana holds erupting earth in that case.

Phi holds an arrow and then uses rat speak to say to snake ~hellooooo friend~ all menacing like.

The rat whips its head around to her and just screams at her.

Phi screams back at it.

Rana tries and fails to perceive a dirt cloud

Pebbles passes

Ixayl’anu tries to stab the rat twice since it’s still clinging to her - 8dmg, *whole worm pops up above ground* 

All held actions come into play.

Tarma-Diem: Holy shit that’s huge! *toll the dead for 12 dmg*

Rana casts erupting earth at it and does 8 dmg. Area in the 20 ft square becomes difficult terrain until cleared.

Phi shoots it, but it skitters off the head armor.

Ixayl’anu misses her 2nd swipe, the moving earth fucked it up. Ixayl’anu moves up on top a rock with her elk and bonus action casts shield of faith.

The graboid submerges in the freshly turned earth.

Mouse graboid bites at the vines and gets free. It huffs and looks at Ixayl’anu with all the fury of a no-longer-blind rage. 

Edea: If ya’ll get over here, I can hit us with pass without a trace so we can get out of here.

Rana: If you can get Diem, I’ll get Ixie and Phi - Phi get closer to Ixie!

Phi: I don’t think my camel can get there.

Rana casts pass without a trace on herself, which pops the mouse at full health above ground (concentration switched).

The submerged one notices her movements, but her camel rolls really well, notices the snake tongue and lifts it hoof up very slow, very gently sets foot back down  because Rana and camel’s goals are one now lol. Basically, that gif up at the top happens with camel toes instead of cowboy boots (yes I chose that wording on purpose. You’re welcome)

Rana slaps guidance on her camel with a pat, +4 to next dex roll as she gets in range to stealth up Ixayl’anu and Phi.

Ixayl’anu gets a 17 stealth to move closer to Rana.

Phi gets a whopping 35 stealth. Where did she go? We don’t know!

I got a 14 on my stealth, when my camel touches down it makes enough noise they both worms focus my direction. Tarma-Diem casts toll the dead on the one above ground and does 12 dmg, it dives away from them.

Rana’s head whips around, Tarma-Diem makes a shushing motion (like: I did it, but over there, away from us, keep going). Otherwise Tarma-Diem is actually taking all their cues from Edea and heading south with their camel.

("I don’t care what they’re doin, long as they’re doin it waaaay over there.”)

Edea quietly gestures us farther down the road, and falls back to be last in line. Rana takes point.

We move ahead quietly, keeping an eye out but nobody sees anything, despite Phi’s 26.

New stealth I do the worst at 14 (again). We later decide this was because I was too busy cleaning up smelly monster guck from Ixayl’anu.

We’re all distracted for the walk, except Phi, who notices disappearing cows in the distance and sends it message stone to us.

Rana is ever practical (this is literally ALL I wrote here lol - I think it’s referring to her not at all minding that they’re busy eating the cows instead of us?).

Tarma-Diem cantrip-messages back: I guess that’s why they’re leaving us alone.

Edea motions us to move a little faster as a result, seeing Phi’s motions.

Last stealth check my gentle whispers helped Jadrie get a 27 on her stealth this time around. Rana practically disappeared (nat 20). Phi got 32, Ixaylanu got 24.

Perception rolls coming into town, Rana and Tarma-Diem are too focused on sealthiness (AKA we’re too focused on looking at the ground)

Ixayl’anu notices this town is VERY quiet. (The townsfolk are wabbits?)

Phi: Woah, looks like some shit went down here…

Rana and I look around at those words and see the wreck of Perfection, blood spatters on walls, doors shoved in, buildings caving in, walkways shattered and more.

Human on roof, tries to quietly make hand gestures like what are you doing, get on a roof, off the ground (Later introduced as Lee Beck, a research student).

Edea casts wall of stone for all our mounts to theoretically keep them all safe, letting us know she’ll have to drop pass without a trace after we all get our mounts on the stone corral. 10ft high walls on either side so the mounts can get out. She concentrates for 10 minutes until it’s permanent.

Rana hung hamlet pouch off camels, phi copied that and told them to stay.

We follow rana into nearest building with door ajar and she sees a creature rummaging. Little flaps raise off the top of said creature’s head and it screams

Rana had her arms out to stop us from passing and slams the door shut.

3 thuds hit the door with echoed screams. Rana tries to hold it shut.

Phi tries to parkour up the building across the way. 22 to get up. She looks around a little from her new vantage point and sees 5 more behind her in the courtyard, other side of the building she parkoured up.

Phi lets us know and says that’s probably what that lady was motioning about, getting off the ground.

Meanwhile, one of the others on the other side of the door from Rana manages to break thru like heeeeeere’s Johnny from the shining, but can’t really open it’s mouth.

Edea reaches out and confuses it - it fails and is sitting there dazed and blocking the others.  

(”Everybody...get up on your roofs!”)

Ixayl’anu misty steps herself and rana to the roof with Phi. 

I cross to that same building and pull out my rope, make it tie off on the roof. Edea and I climb up and I slip it back into my pack as we duck down low.

2 of the original 3 scream again as they all bust through.

Their flaps raise and they scream one more time, spotting us. We got a 28 stealth from the second group on the other side of the building though, so they see nothing and don’t seem to be responding to the screams.

Rana gestures toward Tarma-Diem then the villager who was playing charades earlier. 

Tarma-Diem nods and pauses to sort out exactly what to say first about all this. 

Tarma-Diem to Charade Lady: Well...what the fuck do we do now? You can respond to this message.

Charade Lady: We don’t know they just showed up they don’t hear but big ones do, so try not to make too much noise.

I relay these messages

Rana: Why are we whispering?

Tarma-Diem: Because she also said the big ones might come back.

Through some back and forth messaging we establish that her name is Lee Beck (I don’t care where, we just do, okay?) and that we are indeed with the druid who’d been sent this way to answer a call for help. That we’ll take care of it and just need caught up to speed on everything that’s happened.

Lee Beck, together with the half orc female and male human on two other roofs (Val and Earl, respectively) drove big ones away with some explosives, staying behind to do so while the rest of the town got to safely up in the mountains, but  now they’re out of explosions and these new screaming guys just showed up.

I ask how long ago and how many. The rest of these exchanges are relayed piece meal to the group, but I didn’t record most of our chatter.

Lee: New ones are very recent, used to be only be four and we’ve counted and killed at least twice that many now.

Tarma-Diem: Where do they come from?

Lee: *exasperated* We don’t know they obvs look the same in the face but they’re different.

*We talk amongst ourselves about that, Phi suggests maybe each piece becomes a new one, maybe?*

Tarma-Diem to Lee: You’re sure when you killed them it wasn’t some sort of hydra situation?

Lee: Yeah we’re sure, the one’s we’ve killed have stayed dead.

We talk amongst ourselves again about just going for it vs. coming up with a plan, trying to figure out how many we’re up against, etc.

After much of this back and forth, Tarma-Diem to Lee: We’re gonna start a fight then over here, so if we shouldn’t...you should respond to this message.

Lee: Be careful to keep it quiet, the big ones are still around and they get smarter - learn from their mistakes, plus they’ll just wait us out, go off and eat cattle, come back.

We do a little bit more planning in response to this. We talk about whether or not we should try and lure them out of the town to avoid as much damage as possible to the remaining structures. How we’d even get out there though, whether or not we’d even make it very far or be able to draw out all of them without having to worry about attracting more of the big ones back into town.

Eventually I message Lee again asking about any better places to start the attack, stronger structures, whether or not, in her experience, she thinks luring them away from town would work.

She informs me she is just a researcher and the two guys behind her are just local handymen, but the person who lived there got swallowed whole and there’s not even a floor under our building any more. Overall though, without any more explosives, the three of them wouldn’t be of much help even if we all did gather on the same roof.

About this time, as Edea has been studying the group not occasionally shrieking at us, she gets our attention to tell us they’re parthenogenic. Two of the ones behind us had each hawked up a new baby, now smaller, but apparently just as capable as they forage around.

Tarma-Diem messages this back to Lee, just to keep her up to speed, just in case.

Lee: Lovely *she just sits down, completely done with this day*