basic-quest

[basic-quest]

The City Over the Mist (part 7)

(So, Wolf and Lucinda have entered the Mist without a plan, leaving Lidda and Dreva outside, unsure of what to do)

Lidda: Okay. New plan. We wait out here for them and if they don't come back in… Er… three hours then we leave and abandon the mission. Sound good?

Dreva: I want to see inside.

Lidda: Sure, but do you want to die for it? Because so far there has been no sign that whatever is through that gate won't kill us.

Dreva: … alright… we wait.

Meanwhile, Wolf and Lucinda are trekking through the suffocating mist. Lucinda grabs Wolf's hand, holding it tight. 

Wolf: Scared?

Lucinda: Never. It's just unwise of us to wander when we can't see each other. Best to stay close.

Wolf: I think the shorties are lost. 

Lucinda: Those cowards didn't even follow us. No matter. We'll find the meaning of this and save Gildven without them. 

The mist clears and the two are standing in an icy white expanse. A pool of crystal silver ice that shifts like water lay before them. Hovering above it is a massive skeleton of a beast, with its muscles and tendons being slowly knit onto it's frame as they seem to be produced by the cold pool. 

Lucinda: That beast… it is one of the monsters that attacked Gildven! 

Wolf: That water is… beautiful.

He sounds almost entranced as he takes a step forward, stopped only by Lucinda's tight grip on his hand. She pulls him back.

Lucinda: Careful, Wolf. We must act with caution. Who knows what secrets lurk here?

Wolf: One secret is revealed… now we know how these things are being made. If we destroy the pool, we should be able to stop them. 

Lucinda: But how can we destroy it? It is water in the ground! I don't think we have any way to be rid of it.

Wolf slips his hand out of Lucinda's. He narrows his eyes. 

Wolf: What if the pond isn't making them? What if there's something in the water? Maybe we could destroy that.

Lucinda: It is certainly worth a close inspection. You stay here. I'll go see what it could be. 

Wolf, drawing back: Fine by me. I'll jump in if you need me. 

Lucinda boldly strides up to the water's edge. She gazes into it. Her reflection, with the beast's skull directly above her is disorienting. She has her sword drawn. She can't see past the surface. 

She tries to stab through the ice with her blade, but it bounces off. This sends a shivering 'ping' echoing through the air. 

Then all falls silent. 

Wolf: Huh. It didn't look hard. 

Lucinda doesn't take no as an answer, especially not from a body of water, so she decides to try again. The same thing happens. 

Wolf, tugging his beard: Hmm… interesting approach. Usually, one tries something else after their first plan fails. 

Lucinda, turning around: You do it then! It's mystical ice, so don't judge me for not being able to break it!

Wolf smiles smugly and saunters over to the water's edge. He then looks up at the beast and observes it for a moment. Then, to Lucinda's surprise, he just saunters back to where he was standing. 

Lucinda: Well at least I don't give up without trying at all.

He takes out his bow.

Wolf: I ain't tried nothing yet. You'd better move. 

Lucinda edges away from the pool. 

Wolf fires an arrow at the skeletal beast, piercing it right through the chest. This dislodges it from whatever force was levitating it's body and sends it crashing onto the pool's surface and through the ice. It doesn't splash. It just slips down beneath. (He rolled a nat 20)

Wolf, twirling his bow: Well, I consider that monster vanquished. 

Lucinda doesn't feel so sure.

Lucinda: What if it just comes back. It came from the pool in the first place, right? Can't it just come out?

Wolf approaches the pool once again. He pokes it with the tip of his bow. It sinks below the surface. The ice is now water. 

Wolf: One way to make sure it can't. 

Lucinda: This won't be the first mysterious thing I've entered today. Won't even be the second. Let's do it. 

Wolf: Me first.

He dips a toe into the water and immediately draws it out. That was colder than anything he had ever felt. 

Wolf: Okay! Need a new plan!

Lucinda ignores him and cannonballs into the water. 

(This is where everything falls apart!)

[basic-quest]

The City Over the Mist (part 6)

They travel through the long tunnel until it finally opens up into a chamber. This room has no obvious exit, but it does have a massive arched doorway that leads into thick, impenetrable mist. 

Dreva: Hm. Door. (Have I mentioned that I love Dreva's astute observations?)

Lidda tiptoes forward. Inspecting it.

Lidda: This is… incredible… the artisan in me is astounded at the sheer amount of detail worked into this piece. This must have taken centuries to complete! I wish I could read that script…

She pointed to runes that wrapped around the arch. They were in a mysterious language.

Wolf: Don't ask me. I can't even read common. 

Lucinda: It's ancient. 

Dreva: Obvious, that. 

Lucinda: No, I mean the runes. That's the language that is now known simply as ancient. It has been so long since their people were wiped out and they were so greatly destroyed that not even their true name is left. However, the Celestials work to preserve history and do teach this script. I may be able to read it. 

Lidda: Oh, can you teach me? Er… I mean- Go ahead and read it then! Stop making us wait, green girl. 

Lucinda studies the runes and tries to decipher their meaning. She doesn't want to tell anyone that she only remembers a fraction of her ancient languages class. (I rolled to see just how badly she butchered this phrase, so it won't make much sense)

Lucinda: Taken Away from…  Mist You Came... as a Consequence(?) toward Mist... You Must Come Back. I'm not sure if I'm reading this right. 

Dreva: I don't understand. (I give the other character's a chance to see if they can parse out meaning from Lucinda's shaky translation)

Lidda: Taken away from mist… as a consequence towards mist you must… is this about birth and death or something?

Wolf: From dust you came and to dust you will return? Isn't that a thing people say? But instead of dust it's… mist? 

Lucinda: This is all well and good, but I do not see how we can solve the monster problem here. They may be coming from this gate, but how can we keep them from coming out?

Wolf, tugging his beard: Looks like the only thing for us to do is go in. 

Lidda swinging around, dumbfounded: What?! You stupid or something?

Dreva: Maybe… treasure inside.

Wolf: Yeah! Treasure! A new world! Big monsters! I wanna see what's in there!

Lidda: And I want to not die. Or not anger some ancient monster that may be beyond that gate. 

Dreva: Shhh! Too loud! Isn't this what we get paid for? If we don't go in, we don't get gold!

Lucinda: I don't know if it's a good idea to go in there… but the goblin has a point. I don't think we can complete our mission without crossing through the gate. 

Wolf: Sounds like we're decided!

He rushes forward and jumps into the mist. 

Lucinda: YEAH! 

She rushes in after him. 

Lidda: Well. They're dead. Guess it was nice to know them. 

Dreva: …

[basic-quest]

The City Over the Mist (part 5)

(The party is fighting a swarm of bug-like ice creatures and are failing spectacularly)

Dreva manages to strike the match and light the torch. As the fire ignites, it brightens the area, revealing that the mist has faded and is now laying above them like clouds. The small creatures, swarming around them in droves, see the light and panic, hiding in small crevices in the cave around them. A large tunnel stretches into the beyond. 

All of the creatures are gone. 

Dreva: Light! 

Wolf: *Pained moaning*

Lucinda looks up, only realizing now that he hasn't come down. She climbs up her rope until she can reach him and then she gently lowers them both to the cave floor. 

Lucinda: I've got you, Wolf. Can you stand?

Wolf, shaking to his feet: I'm fine… I… ow. I'm fine. 

Dreva rustles through his pack, taking four red potions.

Dreva: Healing… must not go into the caves while weak. One for each of us.

Lucinda: Is that all you have? This will surely be a hard battle and we don't know how long it will last. If any of you wants to turn back, I will not judge you. I shall carry on alone if need be.

Wolf: As if I'm gonna run away with my tail between my legs!

Dreva: I see no tail…

Wolf: I'm going to finish the job!

He grabs a health potion and downs the contents. It doesn't feel very effective. The cold in his blood still aches.

Lucinda also takes a potion. She grins with invigoration. (I am rolling to see how effective the potions are)

Lucinda: I am ready to fight! 

Dreva himself takes a potion and feels overwhelmed by its power. He shakes his head and gags.

Dreva: Like lightning in mouth! Bleck!

Lidda takes the final potion. She nods. It doesn't feel strange to her. 

Dreva: I lead? *glances at torch*

Lucinda, nodding: That is fine. I will watch your back, small one.

Lidda: Maybe I'll get to shoot at something in there. 

Wolf: I hope so. As long as it doesn't return the favor. 

[basic-quest]

The City Over the Mist (part 4)

Meanwhile, Wolf is growing enraged with the elusive beasts. He stabs wildly with the arrow and manages to spear one with it. 

Wolf: Ha! Got you at last! You can't hide from me! *he lets out a howl of victory*

One of the creatures lands on the back of his neck and stabs him with it's mouth. He shudders and drops the arrow. He can't move. The thing is injecting ice into his veins. 

Dreva feels ashamed of himself for not being able to help. He unlatches his harness and tries to stay out of the way. 

One of the creatures buzzes around his head and he swats at it, but isn't able to take it down. 

Lucinda continues to swing at the creatures. She hits another one. (By this point, everybody is just taking turns so there is a bit of 'they do this. Then the next person does this'. Etc)

Lucinda: That's right! I've gotten five! How many have you all managed to kill?

Dreva: Killing is not admirable! *muttered wailing*

Another creature stabs at Lucinda, sinking it's biting spike into her flesh. She grits her teeth.

Lucinda: AH! Get off of me!

Lidda strikes the match, startled by Lucinda's cry. She doesn't light the torch, rather, she lights her hand. (If you're keeping track this is the second time she has set herself on fire)

Lidda: EEP!

She drops the torch again and begins waving her hand around. 

Wolf dangles from his harness, frozen in pain. He tries to grab the thing and remove it from his neck, but he is only strong enough to pat it, which does nothing. 

It continues to freeze his body and blood. 

Dreva sees that Lidda has lit herself on fire again and decides to make himself useful. He grabs the torch from beside her and attempts to light it with one of his own matches. He struggles to get the match to light. 

One of the creatures lands on him and digs it's sharp mouth into his skin. He howls in pain, but doesn't stop what he is doing. 

Lucinda hears a cry of pain from Dreva and realizes that her team is suffering. She grabs the thing from her neck in rage, crushing it's body in her fist. 

Lucinda: Don't worry! I will help you all! Where are you?

Lidda says nothing and tries putting her hand out. It goes out and she sighs. 

Wolf attempts once more to remove the creature from himself, but can no longer move. He wonders if this will be the place he dies?

I am wondering that as well, with growing concern. (At this point, I am worried that I didn't give them balanced encounters. I randomly generated the stats for these monsters using a generator that is SUPPOSED to be balanced, but I may have made a mistake)

[basic-quest]

Lidda: What are you, five?

Wolf: Yeah, five feet taller than you.

Lidda:

Wolf:

Lidda: 🔫😶

Wolf: please don't kill me

[basic-quest]

Wolf: You nearly died. Do you remember anything?

Lucinda: ... Only the ambulance ride to the hospital.

Dreva: There was no ambulance.

Lucinda: But I heard a siren?

Dreva: That was wolf.

Wolf: I was nervous.

[basic-quest]

Lidda: Wolf, we tried things your way-

Wolf: No we didn't.

Lidda: I tried it in my head. It didn't work.

[basic-quest]

The City Over the Mist (part 3)

Part One! Previous Part!

Wolf hears the creatures flying around his head and tries to illuminate them or hurt them by grabbing the flaming harness and swinging it around. He doesn't illuminate or hit the creatures, but does almost hit himself and decides that maybe that isn't a good idea. 

Lidda notices that everyone is fighting the creatures.

Lidda: Wait! You idiots don't even know if these are dangerous! Star girl says they're tiny too, so they probably are more scared of us than we are of them. Leave 'em be and they'll leave us alone. (She's a very rough person, but occasionally the soft side of her takes over)

Dreva: Creatures? Of what sort?

Lucinda: Haha! I like your bravery, goblin! Bugs like these don't deserve our fear or attention!

She puts away her sword and begins to descend again. One of the creatures flies at her and lands on her neck. Before she can react, it stabs it's sharp mouth into her neck like a mosquito. It feels as if ice is being injected into the would and she gasps. Her grip on Lidda loosens, but the halfling clings to her and doesn't fall. 

Lidda smacks the creature, successfully dislodging it from Lucinda's neck and bapping her in the nose as collateral damage. It felt like a kitten's paw to Lucinda. The creature falls, presumably dead. 

Lidda: THEY AREN'T HARMLESS! KILL 'EM, BOYS!

Wolf, grinning… Wolfishly: Now you're talkin'!

He tries to snatch one of the things from the sky, but misses by a mile, floundering hilariously in his harness. 

Dreva isn't sure what they're all talking about, but assumes he needs to ready himself for battle. He carries no weapons, so decides to try intimidation. He makes a loud, cackling call into the void. 

Nothing happens. 

Dreva: Alas. That's it. 

Lucinda's feat touch stone. She sets Lidda down and readies her sword, not releasing herself from the harness just yet. 

Lucinda: Come at me, creatures! Face my blade!

One of the creatures darts at her, but she swings at it, scaring it away.

Lucinda: *battle-ready screaming*

Lidda searches for her torch, but can't find it. She does find two halves of a severed creature. She takes it, morbidly curious what it could be. 

One of the living creatures flies around her, getting it's legs entangled in her hair for a second. She screams. (All she know is scream, insult and lie. 😔)

Wolf, stubborn as ever, will not continue to repel downward. He grabs an arrow from his pack and tries to stab them with it. He doesn't hit any of them. 

Wolf: WHERE ARE YOU, BUGS?!

One of them lands on his hand as if to taunt him, but darts away before he can react. They are cold to the touch. 

Dreva isn't sure what to do or what is happening. He panics and repels downward, managing to make it to the bottom and land without hurting himself. 

He can now hear the creatures buzzing around them. 

Dreva: What beasts are these?

Lidda: Not sure, but they give a nasty bite, I think!

Lucinda: That's true! It felt like death itself had run his cold fingers down my spine!

Dreva shudders, wondering if he made the right choice to join these danger-loving adventurers. 

Lucinda hears the buzzing of wings and slices at it, managing to sever two of the creatures. (At this point she is farming the XP from these things...)

Lucinda: Two in one! Beat that!

Lidda isn't interested in fighting and just wants to find her torch so she can light up the area. Her hand touches something familiar and she picks it up. She quickly grabs a match to light it, but begins to fumble with it again. She steadies herself and resolves to take it slow and not drop anything else or set herself on fire again. 

[basic-quest]

Lidda: When I first met all of you, I thought you were annoying.

Lucinda:

Wolf:

Dreva:

Lidda: and I was right.

[basic-quest]

The City Over the Mist (part two!)

Part One!

(The party goes into a mist-filled canyon to stop monsters from attacking a city)

They repel downward, even as the world above them becomes nothing but white mist. They cannot see each other. 

Dreva is enjoying the silence. He finds it the best to concentrate in. This makes him remember a song he is currently writing. He begins to hum the tune. 

Because goblin music is typically more terrifying than other races like, Wolf becomes nervous. He begins scratching at his beard. 

Dreva: AKH! That noise! That dreadful scratching! Stop it!

His voice doesn't echo. It just fades into the mist. 

Wolf: Hey, man. I wasn't making any sound more irritating than your singing. 

Dreva: Singing? Sing- ah! No! You've made me forget the tune! *he begins humming frantically, trying to remember how the song went*

Lidda and Wolf hear the sound of approaching wings from below them. Lucinda notices a sound, but cannot identify it. Dreva hears nothing. (Perception check! Dreva got disadvantage, since he isn't paying attention. This is a theme for Dreva.)

Wolf: Shut up, gobby! Hear that?

Dreva is lost in his thoughts and doesn't respond.

Lucinda: Silence! Evil draws near!

*she draws her Longsword of Light* (if you want a post about what these guys carry, let me know!)

Lidda: I guess we're about to see what monsters really live down here! Let's do it! Are you guys excited, because I am!

Her entire personality had changed from before. (That happens a lot because I am constantly rolling to see which aspect of their personality is used for each choice they make. So they have serious mood-whiplash.)

Lucinda hears one of the small sets of wings grow near, so she lashes out at it with her sword. She slices the beast in half, noticing that it is only the size of a rat.

Lucinda: Ha! These creatures aren't monsters! They're no more than cave vermin!

Lidda attempts to light a torch to see the creatures, but, upon striking a match, is unable to remain upright and fumbles, dropping her torch into the abyss and catching her harness on fire. (Hey, our first of many natural ones.)

Lidda: I'M GONNA DIE!

Everybody is shocked by the sudden appearance of golden light. They can't see the full details, but know that Lidda is on fire. Dreva notices the light, but fails to realize where it is coming from. He also has still not noticed the creatures. 

Wolf stops his descent and climbs back up his rope to Lidda to try and help her. He grabs the rope above her and pulls her close to him. 

Wolf: Gotcha!

Lidda: You're going to drop me, you oaf!

As she says this, her harness snaps and she plunges downward, slipping from Wolf's grasp. He tries to catch her at the last second, but she falls. (Another nat one)

Dreva notices Lidda's scream as she falls and reaches out to catch her. He grabs her, but isn't strong enough and she slips from his fingers. 

Lucinda is the furthest down and is also aware of the falling halfling. She only has one hand available, since she isn't going to drop her sword just to save some rando, so she swings forward and tries to catch Lidda with one arm. She succeeds, her arm wrapping around the halfling's waist. The two of them spin in a circle from the force of the fall. (This is platonic. Don't ship them. Not yet at least.)

Lucinda: Wow. People always did say I was a catch. 

Lidda: *screams and hugs Lucinda*

Lucinda: Ow, my ears. 

[basic-quest]

Episode One! The City Over the Mist!

(I will be giving commentary in red to explain the meta parts of what's actually going on and provide little facts and tidbits of info!)

The scene opens on a city, suspended over a canyon. The city balances like a spider a web of steel supports. The canyon goes down farther than can be seen and is obscured by mist. 

The scene draws closer to show a group of people standing on a platform. One of them looks like a city official, wearing a gray suit with gold trim. (the color scheme of the city) She observes the adventurers before her and begins to speak.

Marge Halex [the official]: Thank you all for coming. I know the brave souls who have taken on this task before have all disappeared without a trace, so it means a lot to us in the city of Gildven that you all agreed to take this quest. I assure you that should you survive this mission, you will be rewarded handsomely. 

Halex: I would like to talk you all through this venture again, but before that, why don't you all introduce yourselves?

A stoic little goblin steps forward, his face grim. He is yellow in color with strange, heterochromic eyes. 

Dreva [Goblin]: Dreva. Moon druid ever since home was destroyed by war. Like eggs. Like books. Hm… books… *starts thinking about books*

Halex: Yes, I heard your skills as a druid are… are you asleep? (Druids in this game may not have the same skillset or rules as druids in D&D or other RPGs. Assume that it works differently for every class, tbh.)

Wolf: My turn, I guess.

A lithe werewolf steps forward. He has a thick beard and braided white hair. His skin is pale. His eyes are a deep hazel. He is eyeing the other adventurers curiously. 

Wolf: My name is wolf. I grew up on the streets. It's where I got this. *he shows the other's a block of unknown metal as if it is supposed to mean anything to them* and I have a big sister called Grim, who is way cooler than my little bro. After this, drinks are on me. 

Most of that information meant nothing to the other people. It seemed as if he just liked talking about whatever came to mind, whether it was relevant or not. (In truth, for their little 'about me' lines, I randomly selected three facts from their character sheets. So, this is why some of these make no sense!)

Halex: I'm sorry to hear about your upbringing, Mister… Wolf? Is that your first name or your last name?

Wolf: Yes.

Halex, nodding at a halfling: And why don't you introduce yourself next?

The halfling was ruddy and looked out of breath. She wore neat and formal steampunk attire and had her curly brown hair tied back. 

Lidda [halfling]: The name is Lidda Copperthumb. I'm a trained soldier, I'm only doing this because I need the gold and I can't stand when smoothbrains try and solve puzzles, so just leave it to me to save us the frustration. That's all. 

The others do not seem flattered by her. I wonder why?

Halex: and lastly… Would you introduce yourself, madam?

A tall fallen star woman nodded and stepped forward bravely. She had emerald green skin and blonde hair that was shaved on one side. She looked confident and cool.

Lucinda [fallen star]: I am Lucinda, paladin celestial- er… I mean, fallen star paladin. But fear not, I shall ascend once more after I fulfil my noble quest for justice against he who hath wronged me! … I also like jewelry. (Celestials and Fallen Stars are a race that is similar-ish to angels, but not really. They're based on the pop-culture version of angels I would say. And a Fallen Star is a Celestial who has given into sin before.)

Halex: Fantastic. I am filled with such… Confidence in your abilities. Now I shall explain the quest that lies ahead. As you know, Gildven lies atop a great cavern. This rift is said to go on forever underneath the earth. Most of the time we are content to ignore the void, but lately, fearsome monsters have been crawling out of the mist and attacking civilians. We must ask you to descend into the crevice, find the source of these beasts and make sure that they never come back. 

The party understands the quest and proceeds to the edge of the platform, where a pulley system is. Four harnesses attached to the machines await our heroes. They put on the harnesses. Lidda and Dreva have difficulties, but manage to tighten theirs properly. 

They are ready to descend. 

The adventurers begin their descent. It is a text of strength and dexterity to properly repel themselves down into the cavern. (This is the first dice roll! I add two modifiers to their rolls, since this shouldn't be TOO hard and I don't want anybody to die this early. I just add their strength and dexterity. Can you guess what numbers they rolled?)

Lucinda shoves off excitedly, sending herself into the abyss quickly, but a bit clumsily. This may lead to a hard landing. 

Wolf is slightly better, taking off with caution. He has never repelled before, but his ranger background aids him. 

Dreva's natural lightness helps him, as does his carefulness. He slides down into the darkness without fuss. 

Lidda is the last to take the plunge. She hesitates, but follows slowly behind the rest.

They become engulfed by the mist. 

Part Two!