The party collects what they can and/or need to from the site of the battle, replenishing spent arrows and dragging bandit and horse corpses far enough off the trail that scavengers won't harass travelers. Healing is conducted as required, and they party continues uneventfully to their final planned stopping point, within a day's travel of their first planned stop at Calling Horns.
Flycatcher enjoys hunting small game and brings the party a veritable feast of small, fluffy creatures.
[OOC: You all get a long rest. Everyone gets back up to full HP with healing, hit dice]
The first part of the next day's morning travel is also uneventful, but in the late morning hours, there's a slight difference in the scenery.
Through a break in the trees up ahead, you catch sight of an awe-inspiring sight - an ancient ruin standing majestically on the horizon. It's off the road but not too much of a detour to head directly towards it if the party desires. The ancient stonework rises high above the treeline, its weathered, towering walls whispering tales of a bygone era, perhaps one of the ruins mentioned by the giantess yesterday.
Whisper heads off to survey the castle as the party continues on their path, returning to offer Jaliera a vision.
There do not appear to be any hostile creatures nearby, just the usual forest woodland dwellers. The ruin is an ancient tower, crumbling enough that entry looks easy enough.
The walls do look covered by several large murals, although Whisper's images don't give any real detail of what might be on them. They'd probably be of interest to historians in the group.
Zindra She watches Whisper start to fly, reach the limit of Jaliera's vision and then return. As the owl was still on it's way back, she asks Jaliera, "So what did you see?"
Then she added, "I'm always curious about what challenges and opportunities I pass up."
Without saying it in so many words, her intent is clear. She wants to check out the ruins.
"It might be worth a look at these murals. Might learn something useful. I can always send Whisper in again if we are a bit nearer and watch through her eyes. That would give us more information for least risk."
The noble scholar nodded in the human fashion as Jaliera described Whisper's findings. "Risk aside, I'd quite like to take a look for myself, there's a fair few things in this vicinity that I can imagine being worthy of artistic commemoration."
The Dragonborn strode forward towards the ruin, Glassstaff recalled to hand with a thought.
The ruins and how nature is slowly taking over the grounds is of more interest to him than just the murals. "Seems a quiet enough place to take a look at."
He dismounts from one of the bandits horses he took from yesterday. Normally he does not ride but he wanted to care for the couple of horses that were injured in the fight from yesterday. With the horses reins in hand, he will walk the rest of the way to the ruins while keeping an eye out for anything out of the ordinary.
The party approaches the ancient ruins, the towering stone walls weathered by centuries of time and nature's embrace. As they enter the tower's interior, they are greeted by a mesmerizing sight - a faded mural spanning the entire chamber, depicting the epic Thousand Year War between dragons and giants.
The mural is divided into several parts, each telling a different chapter of the ancient conflict. The first section shows stars falling from the sky, crashing into the surface of Toril, and from the impact, majestic dragons emerge, soaring into the heavens with newfound power.
In the second part, a massive red-scaled dragon stands at the forefront, leading a fearsome army of dragons against a towering city of giants. The sky crackles with magic and the fury of battle.
The third part portrays a scene of epic struggle, where an army of united giants clashes fiercely with the dragons. Despite the giants' courage, it seems the dragons have the upper hand, their immense power overwhelming their adversaries.
In the fourth part, a skilled fire giant is depicted at his forge, hammering away to create a towering construct to aid in the giants' defense against the dragons. The giant construct, fueled by the fire giant's craftsmanship, stands tall and imposing, ready to face the fearsome dragon horde.
In the fifth part, the colossal construct unleashes its might, blasting lasers from its ruby eyes, striking down dragons with devastating precision. The dragons falter, their pride momentarily humbled by the powerful construct's onslaught.
The last part of the mural reveals an unexpected twist to the conflict. A massive giant and an equally imposing dragon are shown playing a some sort of strategy game.
[OOC: If you wish, DC 15 intelligence (History) check to identify the game.]
[OOC: All players, Wisdom (Perception) roll please.]
Kriv had been intently studying the mural, but as a student of both history and strategy, he had something of an advantage when it came to identifying it. When he was certain, he duly explained.
He stayed out of other people's way but carefully looked over the array of murals. Though pieces of art often depicted things from a singular point of view and thus might be biased, this so far seemed very interesting.
History 20, Percept CRIT 26! Sindar History, Perception Pandemonium rolled 1d20+3,1d20+6 and got 20, 26
The initial few to study the mural's last pane didn't recognize the game involved, but given its position in the mural it seems this particular game played a significant role in the conflict. Was the whole war just a game between higher powers? Did the war end with a challenge between champions? Do Giants or Dragons have a particular game they just both love to play? Might winning such a game earn players favors from either dragons or giants (or the opposite?). Or is it just art?
Kriv and Sindar had been looking at the other murals but when they get to the last panel, they both recognize the game in the mural as Wah-ree, an ancient abstract strategy board game. The mural may have even jogged their memory that it was said popular among giants, and may have been the game yesterday's giantess was gambling at when she lost her mask in a wager.
Sindar, as an artist, would likely recall bits of some song or another roughly telling the same epic story of the Thousand Year War as the murals do, with the final verse indicating that the respective deities of the giants and dragons agreed to settle the Thousand Year War by playing this game, and were both so skilled that the play ended in a stalemate. According to the truce, the war ended and the dragons were permitted to keep the territory they had conquered from the giants.
And it's not just art. Arus is the first to see something unusual, and his attention on the game board draws Bern and Jaliera to both look at what he's noticed. One of the pieces on the game board looks strikingly similar to the rune-engraved stone the party recovered from the sword the day before... except with a different symbol engraved.
Sindar additionally would notice that the rune stone embedded in the board does look removable, if anyone dares to touch it.
Unlike the sword, there are no obvious effects around this stone, the mural panel, or the entire castle.
Yet, at least.
The mural slowly begins to light up with the glow of.... the sun as it rises above one of the ruined walls. It's not very colorful, faded with age. It must be thousands of years old.
"These murals align with a tale I heard in a song. It talked about how the Dragons and Giants had done so much damage to each other and didn't want the conflict to continue the way it was going. They agreed to play a strategy game called Wah-ree to settle the conflict."
He bends closer "I also believe that this particular stone with the rune on it might be removable. Though I have no idea if that is safe or not."
"That seems to be how the histories tell it. Wah-ree is an interesting abstraction of strategy, not too difficult to learn the basics but with great depth. Given its significance, I'd say try it."
Before they set off to the ruins Vordana instructed Flycatcher to watch the road and surrounding area in case the bandits used the ruins for a site. She then observed the party as they inspected the mural. Having no real anecdotes or knowledge of the place. Once the party looked at the stone that could be removed she thought out loud.
"Now we finally have need for that brute."
Her rolls for the usual suspects but shouldn't be a factor in anything... yeah that bad.
The mural remains bathed in the soft glow of the mid-morning sun, the creatures on the mural intent on the game board and not on the nearby adventurers as they discuss their strategy.
Because, after all, they're a painting.
And while most of the party is focused on the final frame of the mural at this time, Vordana may recognize the construct shown in the fourth and fifth panes as something she has seen painted on similar murals or other artwork in her long history of travels.
Other than being a fairly impressive looking mural, it does not keep his attention for more than a couple of minutes. Like Bern he will walk along the ruins edge keeping a eye out for any trouble.
Jaliera's mage hand reaches for the rune-inscribed stone to attempt to remove it from its place on the wall. It moves slightly but is far too heavy for the hand to manipulate beyond nudging the stone slightly.
But that's the least of the party's worries. Perhaps there's a reason this ancient rune still remains here after thousands of years. No doubt it's been discovered before... and other parties have experienced what this party will soon discover.
The final pane of the mural begins to shift and shimmer, its colors deepening and taking on an almost three-dimensional quality. The once-static scene of the Wah-ree game which ended the Thousand Year War now seems to comes alive, as if the party is standing there observing the very events it depicts.
From a dark corner of the mural where the sun hasn't quite reached, a massive silhouette starts to materialize, its form gradually becoming clearer and more distinct. Towering over everyone present, its colossal wingspan extending from wall to wall, the illusion of a fearsome dragon comes to life. Its scales glimmer with an otherworldly iridescence, catching the ambient light and casting eerie reflections onto the ruined castle walls.
The dragon's eyes, orbs of searing amber, fixate on the party, one by one. As its gaze locks onto each of the nearby adventurers, an overwhelming sensation of dread washes over each one, a primal instinct that triggers a surge of fear deep within their hearts. The illusion is uncanny in its realism, as each party member can almost feel the heat of the dragon's fiery breath on their skin and hear the echoing rumble of its growl.
The illusionary dragon slowly unfurls its wings, sending gusts of wind that rattle the loose stones around you. It lets out a haunting roar, its sound a blend of the fiercest storms and the most terrible roars of nature. With each beat of its mighty wings, the ground trembles beneath you, and the intensity of your fear seems to grow with every passing second. It's as if the ancient conflict between dragons and giants has been resurrected before you, and you are mere mortals caught in the midst of this cosmic struggle.
On failure, you are frightened: - You have disadvantage on ability checks while in line of sight of the illusion. - You can not willingly move closer to the illusion (rune stone). - Take actions as you would normally do on a 6-second turn in combat, although I'm not doing any initiative order. If you choose to remain within line of sight, there may be additional impacts.
For those whose attention is directed outward (Bern, Davroar, Arus), they don't notice a darn thing. No rattling stones. No wind. No stinky hot dragon breath or rumbling growl. No threats approaching from outside, either, for what it's worth.
As the dragon came to life, the scout cries out "Dragon" as she prepares to defend herself from it's fiery breath. Zindra Wisdom save Neptune rolled 1d20+2 and got 5 I see lots of fails so far
OOC: No. I'm trying to avoid slowing down RP here (slower than it already is ) by introducing initiative and turns, when there's not really combat (any attacks against the imaginary dragon would automatically fail).
For Bern, just RP how you would react when the rest of your party calls out "Dragon!" and Jaliera (so far) runs screaming out of the ruins.
This is intended to be a puzzle, not combat, but the "let's just stand here facing our fear" may have some negative consequences associated with it. Is the risk worth the reward?
He steps back involuntarily when the dragon appears. As it starts to do its bluster and wing shake routine, the half-elf squints one eye. "Nice try," he comments loud enough to be heard by those close by. If he has a chance to say anything else, he says "its fake, don't be alarmed."
He will prepare to counter its effects though to help his friends.
20 (Crit) on Wis Save. Will prepare to Countercharm when he can. Sindar Save vs Dragon Pandemonium rolled 1d20 and got 20
[[ Does he 'see' the dragon? Can he tell that it is not real ... or do I need to roll ? ]]
OOC: I gave the 3 who indicated they were looking outward the benefit of the doubt of assuming they were not in the same room as everyone else, but outside patrolling for threats.
If you were inside near the dragon (within line-of-sight as defined by the rules) you roll. If you had a wall between you, you don't roll, you aren't frightened, you just hear your party members' screams, shouts, etc.
He began to sing, starting loud enough to be heard over the sounds of the illusion.
(Verse 1) "In the shadows, darkness dancing in the light, An illusionary dragon, casting fearful fright, But I see through the mist, the falsehood in its eyes, With courage as my armor, no deceit shall rise.
(Chorus) Oh, illusionary dragon, your tricks won't hold us tight. We stand united, fearless, in the face of your false might. With friends by my side, we're an unbreakable chain. In the warmth of our bond, your illusions are in vain.
(Verse 2) My friends, they're my shield, their love a shining guide, Your illusory flames, they cannot divide; we'll unravel your mirage, reveal the truth within, With hope as our weapon, your lies cannot win.
(Chorus) Oh, illusionary dragon, your tricks won't hold us tight. We stand united, fearless, in the face of your false might. With friends by my side, we're an unbreakable chain. In the warmth of our bond, your illusions are in vain.
(Bridge) So roar, roar, roar all you like, Your shadowy spectacle, a fading blight, We'll sing our song of friendship strong, And prove your illusion, oh dragon, wrong.
(Chorus) Oh, illusionary dragon, your tricks won't hold us tight. We stand united, fearless, in the face of your false might. With friends by my side, we're an unbreakable chain, In the warmth of our bond, your illusions are in vain."
Kriv wordlessly held the Glassstaff before him, ready to ward off any hostile happenstance. This wouldn't be the first full dragon he had faced, he knew the terrifying risks they posed.
OOC: As a Halfling, Vordana has "Brave" which confers advantage on saving rolls against being frightened. Roll agin (but feel free to run away anyway!)
Admiring a couple of large bumble bees servicing a small cluster of wild yellow flowers growing between two large flat stones from the other side of the ruins, Jaliera's scream snaps his attention to see her running away. Without thinking he breaks out into a sprint to intercept her as his heart leaps into his throat as to what might have caused her to run away. Between deep breaths he calls, "Jaliera! Jaliera, stop! What's... wrong!"
Sindar manages to keep his wits about him, and breaks into an inspiring song extolling the tricks of the illusory dragon.
The song is enough that those who have fled outside the room where the mural resides can hear it and recover from their fear.
OOC: If you've left the room, another DC16 wisdom save, with advantage thanks to Sindar. On success you're no longer frightened and could go back into the room if you wished.
For those who have chosen to remain and face down their imaginary foe, the song is enough to cast just enough doubt that there are no further impacts, but they can still see the illusion and are still distracted enough by their original fright to be at disadvantage should they actually try to do anything other than stand there looking brave in the face of (in their mind) flapping wings, rattling rocks, and dragon breath that smells of burnt adventurer.
He turns when he hears Jalira scream. He is about to go after her when he sees Davroar doing that and figures he would have a better chance to help her.
As she is backing away she can hear Sindar begin to sing and some of the terror she feels flows away.
Note: Tried rolling with Advantage in Roll20 but the adjustments were wrong so did it here instead Zhu Wis Save w/Advantage Zeim rolled d20+2,d20+2 and got 16, 11 Total = 16
He nodded to Sindar, but his grip on the defensive staff did not lessen. Knowing the fear he felt was magical in origin rather than the result of a terrifying creature was cold comfort, given it did not reduce the grasp of the icy claws clutching his heart. The Dragonborn took pride in his mind, in being willing and able to test himself against all-comers. Running away was for humans and their ilk. Giving in to a phobia imposed from without was antithetical to whom he aspired to be, no matter how much it might turn his guts to jelly. Mind over matter, mind over matter. What can we discern of the nature of this magic?
Kriv Knowledge Arcana with disadvantage AJ rolled 1d20+3,1d20+3 and got 4, 6
Less than a minute ago the party was united in an plan to grab the magical stone.
Right now, it doesn't appear anyone has any sort of a plan, mostly reacting.
Zindra and Kriv are still facing down the illusion, holding fast to their positions. They can't summon up the courage to move any closer to it, but they aren't backing down either.
Sindar was the only one of the initial group who saw the dragon to immediately recognize it for what it was, and is doing his best to counter the spell, which is of at least some help to those who have chosen to leave the room. Zhu has managed to regain control of her emotional reaction as a response.
Jaliera, on the other hand, is clearly still distraught and while Davroar is trying to help, it's clear she's not going to go back into that room anytime soon.
Bern and Arus seem willing to help if asked, but are trying to remain undistracted from the dragon-drama.
Vordana, as a halfling, has a unique reaction.
OOC: 1. still need a 2nd initial roll from Vordana since she had advantage due to Brave trait; on failure, since she fled, she can roll again with advantage. 2. Zindra and Kriv remain frightened, facing down an imaginary foe. They can't move any closer. 3. Zhu, Sindar, and maybe Vordana (see point 1) have regained their senses. Having left the room they no longer see the illusion. Davroar, Bern, and Arus never saw it to begin with. All of them can discuss what to do next. 4, Jaliera may be a little calmer than before, but no matter how much anyone tries to convince her, she will refuse to go back into the room with the mural for now. Another Mage Hand attempt is out of the question.
Jaliera has a head start and she is just as fast as him. Davroar only manages to catch up to her after a fair bit of running. Once he reaches Jaliera's right side he grabs her opposite shoulder and twists her backwards at the same time he turns to fall on to his back so that she lands on his chest while Davroar takes the brunt of the fall and then they both come sliding to a halt.
"Got you", he says with a gasp. While he sees no flames or smoke from her clothing, he casts a cantrip to create instant sensation around them as if they fell into a chilling cold stream to try and calm her down.
[OOC: There was a dragon breathing fire and smoke.. ]
Jaliera
She falls on top of Davroar, suddenly aware of a cooling sensation all around her and then Davroar's closeness, which in itself is a great comfort. She is visibly shaking.
"F..fire d..dragon."
Which is all she manages to get out before bursting into tears. And tears are not normally a Jaliera item.
Kriv looked across at Zindra. "Every fibre of my being refuses to countenance getting any closer to the rune or the illusion produced when we touched it. I imagine you're feeling much the same way. However, I think I may have found a loophole. I'm going to have to ask you to trust me."
Kriv attempted to shove Zindra towards the rune as best he was able.
He is shocked at first when Jaliera breaks down, but he does not release his hold on her. He knows about Jaliera's intense fear of fire, so he tries to calm her down just by holding her for a couple of minutes as he slows his own heart rate down after their run. With his breathing calmed down he slowly disengages himself and shape changes into a small light brown Labrador puppy. He then quickly clambers up onto her left shoulder to start licking her salty tears from her cheeks. Davroar hopes this will snap her out of her fear.
Vordana Wisdom (Brave) Miales rolled 1d20 and got 5
Nope Vordana is perfectly happy petting her Flycatcher ate the road. She sends her friend to find the others once she calms down but still does not want to head back in just yet.
Even though he spoke the words, when Kriv tried to shove her closer to the deadly-in-her-mind dragon, she resisted. But as agile as she was, Kriv was stronger.
Zindra Acrobatics with disadvantage Neptune rolled 1d20+3,1d20+3 and got 7, 20
The illusion is still frightening to both Kriv and Zindra, and while either of them alone might be unable to approach the mural from whence the dragon spawned, they seem to be able to push each other... literally... toward a potential solution. Kriv manages to forcefully shove Zindra within reach of the stone, himself still a few feet behind her.
Despite the flapping wings and shaking stones and occasional warm breath they perceive, Sindar's inspiring song at least keeps their fear from affecting them any worse. Zindra now has the choice of trying to do something about the stone herself... or perhaps pulling Kriv up to help her?
Meanwhile the rest of the party remains further out in the ruins. Davroar is helping Jaliera settle down a bit, Bern and Arus are still focusing on any potential threats from outside, and Vordana is doing what Flycatcher would do... getting as far away from large winged creatures as possible.
Zindra Moving forward, no of her own will but rather because of the force of Kriv's talon shoving her, Zindra finds herself face to face with the rune stone. All the talk was about it seemed like the stone could be removed, so she grabs it and tries to do so.
OOC: DC 20 Strength (Athletics) check to remove the stone. You're still at disadvantage but a crit on either die will succeed. If you fail solo, you can retry with a partner (if you can get them there) at DC 30 for the sum of both.
Kriv nodded as Zindra got to work on trying to pull the rune. Rather than just idly watch, however, he busied himself retrieving the rope from his pack and securing it around his left lower leg, before chucking the remainder of the rope towards her.
"Should you need assistance or retribution in like kind, Zindra, pull sharply."
He is happy that Jaliera seems to be back to her normal self, so he gives a lick on the tip of her nose as a fun parting gift as he bounds off her shoulder. The world is so much more alive when he is animal form with the enhanced smells, so he will remain in his dog form as he slowly ambles back towards the ruins and stops after several feet to see if Jaliera is following.
[OOC: Sindar is still singing. Can he toss in a line to offer a Bardic Inspiration to Zhu for her try? If so he does so.]
OOC: Yes! The singing is taking up Sindar's action each "turn" (assuming he's doing so turn after turn so he can't take any other actions) but bardic inspiration is a bonus action.
From what I see of the plan, Zindra may make an attempt solo, but if she fails, Zhu will join and will get a roll (no advantage or disadvantage) but with bardic inspiration added. So Zindra would roll again (with disadvantage) and add that score to Zhu's roll plus the inspiration.
Steeling herself she re-enters the room and notices with some relief that while she can still see the Dragon, she knows it is not real and her panic is controllable. Moving closer to Zindra she offers her help.
Still sitting she swivels as Davroar the pup moves away, then waits for her. She can still feel the fear deep within but the is no sign of that dragon. And the others haven't run. And Davroar would not lead her into danger. She knows this. She trusts him like no other.
Slowly she gets to her feet and follows him. She would follow him anywhere..
With Zhu attempting to help dislodge the stone it seems to wiggle a bit, but it's just too difficult to pull out of the wall with strength alone.
As Zindra and Zhu pause from their efforts, the illusion does seem to slowly fade away, still leaving a strong mental image of its presence but no longer causing everyone to be afraid. The party regains their senses, and perhaps can discuss another plan for removing the rune stone.
"Well without the blowhard dragon, the world is a much more pleasant place," he offers a bit sarcastically in tone. "I could cast a Dispel Magic on the mural, though to be fair, I doubt I can dispel it as it has protected the stone for so very long."
The Dragonborn untied the rope from his leg, spooled the rope, stashed it, and pulled out his crowbar. He nodded respectfully to Zhu and Zindra.
"A commendable effort under extremely trying circumstances, it's possible your attempt may have disrupted the illusion."
Looking over to Sindar, "My thanks for helping us keep our heads in the face of such a thing. Now, let's take a closer look..."
Kriv headed over to the rune. Giant was written in the Dwarven script, a script he knew well, perhaps that might help discern the nature of its function beyond providing a terrifying experience.
Kriv's examination of the rune reveals that ... he has no idea of what its function is beyond what everyone has experienced. Granted, this is the second stone, wherein the first one seemed to trigger lightning and this one has, at least once, triggered a scary dragon illusion. Perhaps touching the stone, or the mural, might allow the party to experience the frightening illusion again? Maybe. In any case, they might be more prepared if so.
OOC: Given the poor dice on the simple strength-based solution, that's out. But your friendly neighborhood DM is more than happy to entertain other creative solutions!
The Dragonborn stepped outside to take in the ruin holistically. Pulling the rune out had proven fruitless so far. But what was on the other side of that particular wall and was it accessible?
Kriv's inspection of the ruin is made easy by the size of the rooms, more than triple the size of similar humanoid dwellings. And the ruined state allows easy access to areas behind the main tower with the mural.
Unfortunately, it doesn't reveal any apparent hidden location behind the stone. Somewhat like the previous example embedded in a sword, it seems it was simply there to enrich the item in which it was installed.
How a mural could be used as a weapon is left to the imagination of the observer. Perhaps it was just a party trick to amuse guests.
She's been pondering the tile since they weren't able to pull it from the wall. After a few moments she sighs and offers, "Well, it might take some time, but I suppose if we were to take a blade and scrape away the mortar surrounding the stone we could eventually pry it out."
Zindra "Yeah. I don't see why someone else can't try. Maybe someone with more muscles than me should give it a try. I admit that I'm not the strongest person here. And if that doesn't work, maybe someone with magic can find a way to pull it out."
Without knowing exactly is going in the ruins, he waits with Jaliera and gently asks, "The drawing on the wall... that's what caused you to run? What's there everyone is so interested in? Should I go and see?"
Returning from his perambulation, Kriv looked upon the mural, frowning slightly.
"This place is clearly in giant scale but of upright biped make. So, why have an illusion of an example of the wartime enemy at their most fearsome, activated right in the middle of the peaceful means of conclusion? Let's see if it unscrews."
He will give Jaliera a hug around her shoulders and says, "You're tougher than you know." Standing up he pulls his fur hood over his head and down as far as possible he says in parting to Jaliera, "I'll go over, see if I can help, and won't look at this 'mural'".
Keeping his head and eyes down looking only at the ground in front of him he will approach the others and ask, "Can I help? I could summon an elemental..." Davroar thinks, that perhaps a water or earth elemental might be immune to such mind tricks that it can simply pluck this stone from its hole.
"Potentially, a carefully applied Dispel Magic might assist in suppressing the protections in addition to the other aspects. I can also sing a little diddy and offer Kriv a bit more assistance on his unscrewing method, or whatever will try."
As the party considers its options, it seems there are many ideas. An earth elemental's burrowing ability is bound to be helpful, as is dispelling magic, or a plan to try to remove the stone in a way other than by brute force. It seems time for another attempt.
OOC: let me know who's in the room doing what at the same time so I can figure out effects and advise on the appropriate rolls.
Still keeping his gaze averted from the mural, he says to Zhu, "Ok, let me summon an earth elemental. Just describe the stone you want removed and I'll tell it to gently move it out, or even remove the section surrounding the rock if that's easier to do. Sindar, will you know whether or not your dispel works before we instruct the elemental to approach?" The last thing Davroar wants is a spooked earth elemental running around doing damage to anyone.
OOC: So I think Sindar's going to dispel, announce results, and then Kriv's going to unscrew while Davroar's elemental tries to push it outward? Anyone else participating?
Sindar, kick it off with Dispel Magic roll. DC 18.
She knows about the illusion now, and remembering where it appeared, she positions herself in the room so her back is to where it showed up so she won't see it.
[[ Well Bern wouldn't be much be much help with the 'magic' part, but if the elemental needs help, just ask for some 'mussel' if ya need some extra strength <g> ]]
He began to sing, winding the appropriate phrases and tonal tools to try and Dispel or Suppress the magic of the mural and possibly assist in removing the stone.
[OOC: 10 Fear me! Guess I should have given myself an Inspiration. Sindar Dispel to Supress the mural Pandemonium rolled 1d20+7 and got 10]
Last edited by Pandemonium; Sat 09/09/2316:25 UTC.
There's no obvious indication that Sindar's spell did anything useful. There's also no obvious indication that it did anything horrible, either. The rune-engraved wah-ree piece remains in place just as it was hours ago, years ago, decades ago, centuries ago, millenia ago.
He casts his spell to summon an Earth elemental and will ask the elemental to travel through the ground and up into the wall to remove the section of wall that has the rune stone and place it on the ground away from the mural's effects.
Davroar Elemental Str roll Dugan rolled 1d20+5 and got 25
Davroar Elemental Int roll Dugan rolled 1d20-3 and got 15
Davroar Elemental Dex roll Dugan rolled 1d20-1 and got 16
Davroar's elemental springs into being. Had the party not already been frightened by a much larger creature, the large creature might be terrifying. But knowing it's an ally, it seems more inspiring.
The elemental isn't the smartest of creatures, but the druid's instructions are clear enough to be easily followed. Its ability to glide through stone relies on natural, unworked stone so the face of the mural is not an option, nor is the back side of the wall. But the instructions to travel through the ground first brilliantly direct the creature to the unworked rubble-and-mortar innards of the wall. An occasional bit of worked stone blocks the way but the elemental has no problem navigating between the obstacles, eventually finding itself behind the magical rune stone.
It can't quite "place" the stone on the ground but it easily has the strength to push it outward from within the rubble core of the wall, dislodging it from its home of millenia.
OOC: Either the int or dex would have succeeded in access behind the stone at DC15, and the str roll would contribute to the DC 30 pair with Kriv. Given a crit success, Kriv's roll is not necessary, but a Dex or Str (Kriv's choice) roll at DC 5 will determine whether the runestone is caught in his hands or knocked to the ground.
He had to admit, this particular method was remarkably straightforward compared to their earlier attempt. With minimal damage to the mural, the runestone emerged slowly, an easy catch, Kriv cushioning its weight. He regarded it with interest, comparing it to the one retrieved from the sword.
Kriv finds the stone remarkably similar to the one retrieved from the sword. It may be worked into a slightly different shape for either artistic or practical uses in the location it was embedded, but it is of similar size and weight (about 20 lbs.) and has an ancient rune of unknown meaning carved into it. The rune is different than the one earlier seen, and the pair of symbols also differ the rough depiction that Glork drew in the sand of the rune stone that burned down his previous home.
Also similar to the lightning-causing rune stone, once it is removed from its spot, it gives no indication of whether it retains any magical power or is merely a large paperweight.
The sun continues to arc across the sky as the shadows of the walls slowly move, reminding the party they have a few hours yet to travel.
When the plan is successful, he nods "well, that worked. Glad I could contribute." He gave no indication as to how successful nor unsuccessful his magics were.
Davroar will then back away from the wall, silently dismissing the elemental since the job is done. Davroar will also nod his thanks for Sindar's magic in keeping the elemental from being affected by the mural's magic.
He will let the others figure out the rocks properties and will make his way back to Jaliera and will say to her, "We got the rock out of the wall. Guess we should keep going while we got daylight..."
Davroar finds her sitting with her back agaist a wall, Whisper in her lap. She looks up and smiles, looking more relaxed than she had before.
"Good news. And yes that sounds like a plan."
She sends Whisper up to scout the area, instructions to return if she sees anything much bigger than her. Then she stands up, brushes herself down and picks up her belongings, heading for her new horse.
Whisper finds no obvious threats on the way back to Evermoor way, or further down the road, either. It looks like the party's way is clear to head to their day's target destination with a shiny heavy new souvenir.
The halfling had been moderately interested in the ruins, but has survived as long as she has by taking fewer risks. When the party started interacting with powerful magic they didn't understand, she got out quickly.
Pleased the situation got resolved, she observes the party preparing to move on, noting "It's been a pleasure traveling with you, but if you don't mind I'd like to stay and explore this area a bit more. I may catch up with you in a day or two, but please do go on without me."
Maybe her tressym doesn't have an ogre to harass any more...
He gives the halfling a bow. "Travel and explore well!" He says nothing about meeting again later, life has its twists and turns and he is fine with however it works out.
He will give Vordana and her tressym a wave, and wishes them safe travels as well. It is a first for him to see a tressym, and wished he could learn more about the creature.
†Restricted forums can only be accessed by DreamLyrics members of the age of 18 years or older. Access which is granted by the Behind Closed Doors Procedure. ™DreamLyrics Play-by-Post. DreamLyrics Play-by-Post does not own copyright on DreamLyrics texts or graphics, except trademarked DreamLyrics logos and logotypes. The works contained in DreamLyrics are copyrighted (automatically, under the Berne Convention) by the original authors and may be available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licence. (See Copyrights for details.) Privacy Policy
]![[Linked Image from static.wikia.nocookie.net]](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/forgottenrealms/images/8/83/Wah-ree.png)
The initial few to study the mural's last pane didn't recognize the game involved, but given its position in the mural it seems this particular game played a significant role in the conflict. Was the whole war just a game between higher powers? Did the war end with a challenge between champions? Do Giants or Dragons have a particular game they just both love to play? Might winning such a game earn players favors from either dragons or giants (or the opposite?). Or is it just art?![[Linked Image from i.ibb.co]](https://i.ibb.co/Fbv2f1v/oie-Ht-PK2-B7j-W5z0.png)
And it's not just art. Arus is the first to see something unusual, and his attention on the game board draws Bern and Jaliera to both look at what he's noticed. One of the pieces on the game board looks strikingly similar to the rune-engraved stone the party recovered from the sword the day before... except with a different symbol engraved.
) by introducing initiative and turns, when there's not really combat (any attacks against the imaginary dragon would automatically fail). 
]
