#i take a lot of liberties so pls no rules lawyering lol

[nightmarist]

Dnd Session So Far !

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

The adventurers traveled into the jungle continent of Draghule, said to be filled with dragons, serpents, lizards, and more.

Extremely long post !

Frankly I might start posting these on AO3.

Xehara the squid simic was at ease when they finally came to humidity, but Tahir the desert jackal did not like feeling Wet all the time.

Still, they traversed the dangerous thickets, the canopy of trees obscuring the sun as they fell into a Coatl nest.

Tahir opened his beastiary that he had collected from the previous temple and not only identified them, but was able to guide the party out of their nest without furthering their ire.

With only the vaguest idea of where the next temple ought to be, they stumbled and tripped their way through the vines.

They came to the base slopes of the forested mountains, and noticed a faint glow in a crevice. Ivan became Mist and attempted to touch the glow, which caused him severe burns, nearly killing him if he hadn't turned back into himself and Tork pulled him out. It was a magic lava, the laws of which they weren't necessarily sure of, but knew it was said to be able to smelt any ore and stone.

Tork used his Mold Earth ability to follow the vein. While it disappeared too deep into the earth, he stumbled, very literally, into a sudden stairwell made of pitchstone (a super hard stone with volcanic texture and color but diamond hardness). He only stopped because Hank had stopped. Tahir tripped but was able to save himself by landing on his feet with a sufficient acrobatics save. Ivan, already pained, burned all across his body with a new hole showing his teeth in his cheek, arms scarred, and having yet to heal to full health, tripped and fell to the bottom of the stairs.

Xehara helped set up camp and used sufficient medicine and nature checks to help brew potions for the group and heal Ivan as much as possible. While Ivan was restored to full health during a long rest, he maintained scarring and some temporary confusion.

They saw at the bottom of the stairs, the dirt and moss over grew over a galdronite (in universe metal) portcullis. With a few checks they were able to determine that where there is lava flow, there is ancient civilization, and this must be an entrance. The portcullis seemed intact, but the leve was on the other side, indicating there ought to have been someone there in ancient ages at all times. They found openings where the heavy chains could be seen and Tahir jumped up and crawled down. He made it to the other side and opened the gate.

Down a long hallway they can’t to the mouth of the vestibule, massive statues of dragons held up like pillars, a few inner towers overlooking the vestibule. They explored a few side rooms but found little.

Going deeper they came to a great hall, but the side wall was crumbled. It overlooked lava and several massive pipes. In the center Ivan managed to be coherent enough to make a successful religion check. There was a massive statue of the dragon god in the center, in mostly humanoid form save for his horns and claws. This was a temple dedicated to this god, known as a god of forge, artisans, creation, and of course fire and dragons.

They saw through the broken walls, this wasn’t just a temple but an entire underground city that spanned beyond their view. It was completely empty and perhaps long forgotten. They have erased onwards, and came to a crumbled bridge that lead down to a strange platform. Tahir recklessly ran and jumped, but managed to make it easily. Xehara also took a running start. Ivan was too confused to remember he could turn into a bat. Tork picked him up and threw him across, with a great Strength check. Ivan made a great Dex check and essentially didn’t even realize he was thrown, landing on his ass without hurting himself, sliding cartoonishly across the floor.

Tork had to throw Hank. He was much more scared of throwing his faithful companion than Ivan. He fumbled a strength check. He tossed Hank, and Hank made a Dex check.

Hank stumbled but landed on his feet, snorting and waiting for Tork to join him.

Tork stumbled but made it across.

They found themselves on the strange platform with four pillars in the corners, each with a dragon statue crawling over them.

Xehara passed an Arcana check to realize these are magic of some kind. Ivan threw an Eldritch Blast at one and it lit up briefly, full of arcane sigils and a hand print.

Tork placed his hoofed hand on the print and it traced the shape of his hand, opening a door in the pillar. The inside was a dark, purple glow, and another hand print. He and Tahir got inside but no one else could. Tahir placed his paw on the new print and it turned into the shape of his paw before the doors closed and they were surrounded by the purple glow, a sudden knot in their stomachs. The doors opened and they were somewhere else. Another platform, four Arcane Transporters like before, but they faced a massive claw, larger than Tork was tall, immersed in the lava that surrounded the platform.

Tork plucked a dragon scale from it.

They struggled to understand how the AT works. Tork is not particularly religious but decided he would pour libation to the dragon god, Dead although he was. I had him roll a Religion check since he otherwise wouldn’t be familiar with “how” to be religious.

It was a big beautiful nat20 so the scale in his hands glowed, and he felt the God of Forge and Fire fill his spirit and guide his hand, the new AT he was facing lit up and he entered, being teleported elsewhere.

It took Tork and Tahir a while to get them, but they figured out how the ATs worked. Anyone can use them, they only need to place their hand/paw/hoof on it to open, and again on the inside to activate the teleportation.

Ivan went into one at random and found himself in a destroyed hallway where the lava flowed almost freely, the mouth of the hallway leading to a room completely overtaken by lava. He failed a Wis check, feeling a fearful pit in his stomach about fire, and left.

This is where we left off before last week's session.

They explored all eight ATs. They found only a few viable paths.

Tahir went into one, but the hallway was completely destroyed, impossible to remove the rubble. Tork went into one and the room was on top of a tower connected to the ceiling stalactites. It was circular with archways all opened to to the lava, but the city could be seen in much clearer view. This was once a grand civilization, now starkly abandoned. However, the bridge connecting it to the city was completely destroyed.

Tork returned to the main platform.

Tork found a completely intact hallway that led into a large room. The hallway was carved meticulously so that the veins of lava were encased in stone, thin enough to light but magically strong enough to prevent it from leaking through.

He came to a long makerspace, a kiln off to one wall, the opposite wall a built in series of shelves housing tools galore, some he recognized, other he didn’t, various chisels, pipes, knives, even paint brushes and carved charcoals. Broken glass long shattered, half Forbes blown glass projects, miniature statues, canvases partially painted. But the last walk, directly across the opening he gave from, was completely blank. Suspiciously so. It seemed as if it was guarded by a pair of armors on either side.

Tork investigated but found nothing otherwise odd about the wall. No scratch marks or keyholes to indicate it was a door. He tapped it with his maul and his maul phased right through, as if it didn't exist.

He walked straight through.

Cut to the other three.

Tork's player started sweating when I did this :)

Xehara explored a bit and found a tower that lead almost nowhere, the bridge was completely broken. However, he wanted to shoot a rope across with his crossboaw. I asked him: Who has the supplies? :)

Tork. Tork has almost everyone's supplies. So Xehara jumps transporters to follow after Tork.

He goes into the makerspace and I tell him nearly everything I told Tork, except instead he sees Tork phase right through the wall asif it doesn't exist. He ran after Tork immediately.

Cut to the other two players

Ivan was sitting on the floor, lamenting his fire-borne scars, fear, and pain. He stands up noticing people are leaving and goes in a random transporter. Ivan found himself back in the lava hallway, not remembering where anyone had gone (or that he had been there before). He rolled a Wisdom check for, well, lava related trauma and succeeded this time. However, he ruled he may have been brave but not stupid. He eventually left and found the right Arcane Transporter, following loosely after Xehara.

During this, Tahir explores another transporter and it sends him off to a round foyer of sorts. As he goes down the wall, it opens into a grand hall, massive statues of the dragon god toppled over. He succeeds a perception check and notices there are deep scratches in the ground. As a battle-worn Fighter, he recognizes them as a fight. But the pitchstone this entire place is made from is extremely difficult to cut and handle. Something or someone truly strong must have fought here to gouge the pitchstone like this. He decides he would rather get the others before accidentally walk into a trap.

He transports and runs right into Ivan's back. He apologizes and decides he wants to explore the room.

Tork, Ivan, Xehara, and Hank have to roll Perception checks. They all fail. They roll Dex saves. Xehara is the only one who makes it. As he notices the tile they all step on begins to sink, he tries to push Hank out of the way but fails a Sterngth check, instead simply vaulting backwards out of the way.

Ivan, Tork, and Hank, standing between a pair of dragon statues, are lit aflame. They all take quite a lot of damage, and Ivan falls in a dying state. Technically, he would have died, but I didn't want to kill him so I let this one slide. If someone else dies from this point on, however, they're Dead (but can be revived with the cursed necromancy book they have since acquired and have been studying shh)

He makes a successful death save.

Xehara leaps backwards to avoid the fire, phasing through the wall where Tahir is standing.

Tahir, during this time, was staring at one of the suits of armor.

He made a successful perception check and noticed they were both carrying strange daggers - one side was a blade, the other side like odd, jagged edges. Like a key. If only there was a word for such a bladed key.... Ahem anyway.

He took the key from the suit of armor, and as he did so, he heard the screams of his companions as they just so happen to, in the other room, be attacked with blazing fire, unable to see through the illusioned wall. As this occured, the suit of armor flared to life, as though possessed by a flame elemental, stepping towards him.

Xehara sees it and poke his head through the wall illusion.

"Fire armor!" He screams in panic at the others.

Tahir avoids it swiping at him. He tries to jab it with the key-dagger but it surprised him so much he missed.

Xehara loads his crossbow and hits it between the seams of the armor. Though the bolt roasted into ashes, it certainly did some kind of damage. Even more damage as he's using sneak attack, out of tis line of sight as it is engaged with Tahir.

Tork makes Ivan drink a potion. Hank eats some herbs to heal.

The suit of armor grabs Tahir's shoulder, searing a handprint into his black fur, making a permanent scar. Tahir passes a strength check to get out of the grapple and hits it in the chest with his morning star.

Xehara shoots another stealth attack bolt.

Ivan gets up, almost in tears as he's been, once again, set ablaze. He throws an Eldritch Blast through the illusion wall. He can't see what he's aiming at, however, and hits Tahir. Thankfully it only did 1 damage. But it his Tahir's other shoulder, bruising him.

Tork asks Hank if he can find the right path, since he's noticed hank is surprisingly good at that. Hank begins to glow, his whole body encased in a pale light, his eyes filled with something arcane that pops in the room. He sniffs around and found the tile that is magically connected the other two remaining dragon statues.

The room theyre in is a 3x5 grid of tiles with four dragon statues. The other end of the room is a massive gate with two huge locks. They can see through the bars the piles, and piles of treasure that lie within, realize they walked into either an obvious trap or a security measure. Tork doesn't know about the keys, and Tahir doesn't know about the lock.

They all walk up to the final tile, following Hank.

The armor tries to grab Tahir again, but misses. Tahir hits it again with his morning star, making a critical, hitting it so hard he dents its helmet, stunning it for the round.

Xehara pops his head through to yell at the other half of the party.

"Flaming! Armor!"

Tork looks at him confused.

"Attacking us?"

"YES!!" Xehara pops back in and soaks a bolt in water, but sadly misses.

Tork and Ivan follow Hank out to see the armor. Ivan shoots an Eldritch blast at it.

Tork rages as he charges up to it, angry at everything fire-relate for hurting Hank (and his other friends). He hits it twice with his maul, a downward strike with the flat end, and an upstrike with the point, dealing heavy damage.

Hank charges at it, smashing full body into it, causing it to fall prone.

Everyone continues to wail on the armor. Ivan shoots one final Eldritch Blast, the force of the blast exploding the armor into pieces across the room.

They all take a short res. Xehara as a Phantom Rogue has the ability to change proficiencies every short or long rest. he changes it to medicine, calling upon the spirits of the dead. However, he hears an additional spirit. It garbles in his mind in an ancient language, the one he's been studying all this time, only making out a few words, but it guides his knowledge. I gave him an extra +1 in Medicine for now, and he makes an Arcana check, realizing the voice is that from the necklace, feeling its power course through him.

He helps heal everyone as they figure out what to do about the other armor.

Tork wants to take apart the armor. Ivan is worris it might still come back together if they take the key. Tork thinks about removing just the arm the key is in. To test how strong the armor is, Tork does a Strength check to remove the non-key arm. He rips it off with ease, there is basically nothing else holding it together that makes it particularly strong.

As he's about to do a Sleight of Hand check, I narrate to the group, Tork's meaty, porcine hands reach for the slender armor, between the narow clasps...

They get the hint and realize, ah. The clumsy barbarian who has a +0 in Dex probably shouldn't be the one to take the armor apart.

Xehara steps in and his squid-like body makes a dirty 20 SoH check, removing the arm with the key. With bated breath, they watch the armor as it... Does nothing.

With sigh of relief, they go into the next room, avoid the pair of trapped tiles, and pass an Investigation check to know which key goes to which lock. The gate clicks and opens, revealing to them the treasure.

Xehara fails a perception check to look for the magic stone, instead blinded by a country's worth of gold, silver, ancient coins, statues, jewels, necklaces, rings, paintings, piled so much and so high there had been a short, narrow bridge added to the room just to walk across and lay more treasures as offering to the god.

Tork and Hank see the red gem. It is in the center of the wall, encased by a relief of a dragon curled round it like a precious pearl.

Everyone is suspicious of what they call an "Aladdin trap"

They devise a plan of escape just in case the entire place fills with lava. Ivan tries to reach for a handful of treasure but they all yell at him.

As they devise this plan, Tork mentions he thinks this is a temple to the dragon god. As everyone sarcastically says "Oh, you think?" he says "yeah! :D This dragon scale Iprayed to helped me out."

Ivan snaps out of his dazed confusion to yell at Tork.

"Dragon scale? What dragon scale?!"

"You know, from the dead god."

"NO! I don't know!"

Tork thinks to himself and says, oh yeah, you never went donstairs.

Ivan, flustered and flailing, "What do you MEAN there's a dead god downstairs?!"

Tork gives him the Dragon Scale and Ivan passes a Nat 20 religion check. This is definitely the scale of the dragon god. They all four had avatars that walked the earth, but without such avatars are nearly rendered powerless without such vessels, though powerful magic and prayers can still be effective.

While Ivan marvels at the scale, thy decide Tork is a bit too slow, and so is Hank, and it would be safer to leave the room. They return to the main platform.

Xehara stands in the AT, but waits. Ivan was the one who volunteered to remove the gem as a Man of Faith(tm) obsessed with collecting religious paraphernalia. Tahir stands guard at the gate.

As Ivan reaches for the gem, I ask if he still has the dragon scale.

Ivan's player stares at me like a deer in headlights as I ask him to make a Wisdom save :)

Ivan is suddenly flooded with the vision of a grand dragon looming over him, so bright its hard to see. He nearly crumples in its presence as it says to him "Not yet."

Ivan curses very loudly with an annoyed groan at being suddenly responsible and yet obligated to follow Literal Divine Intervention. His physical body golds still as his mind and spirit are called to the dragon god. The scale begins to glow as he receives this powerful divination and asks the dragon god to bestow to him knowledge.

"There is more to do before the gem."

Ivan can feel the scale vibrate in his hands as he lets it lead him like a dowsing rod back into the AT. As he speaks in tongues to follow it, Tahir watches him, "Ivan, what the fuck?"

Xehara watches him, also, both thoroughly weirded out by his behavior, calling out to him to no avail. Tork sees Ivan as the vampire reproaches a different arcane transporter. The party follows him to the foyer. He is led towards the broken statues, beyond the battle-riddled grand hall. The only places to go are left and right. He is bestowed with the feeling that both are equally important, and require both to be explored for the other to make sense. The divination fades.

Everyone asks in vrious ways in unison, "ivan what the fuck was that about?"

He groans very loudly, "The dragon god said we're not done in the temple and we cant take the stone until we finish our business! Fuck!' He kicks a loose stone in frustration.

He and Xehara go right, while Tork, Hank, and Tahir go right.

Xehara and Ivan very shortly come to an altar room, where a pair of much more modest dragon statues are carved to hold up a pedestal where a book resides.

Xehara does an Investigation check and finds that the handwriting matches Sigurd's. He fails a religion check; he does Not care about religion and frankly the whole thing sounds absurd to him! But tells Ivan about it. Ivan throws his head back with annoyance. "Ugh! I'm starting to hate Sigurd! This bastard's fucking everywhere!"

He passes a religion check and tells Xehara that it's not unheard of for priests to worship multiple gods, or be dedicated to multiple gods, but it is certainly uncommon for a High Priest to be dedicated to multiple gods - it was established that Sigurd was a high priest of the Elk god via their investigating the Elk God temple ledgers. There have been a select few priests of the Usherian Quartet that worshiped all four gods and traveled to each temple, but that would mean constant traveling for essentially the rest of their lives.

Xehara passes a perception check and finds three scrolls. They are also in Sigurd's handwriting but in the ancient language. Thanks to his studying, he can read them. They are a scroll of Fireball, a scroll of Speak with Dead, and a Scroll of Horror (homebrew spell).

Ivan passes another religion check. It is said the spells and all magic come from the gods themselves. At first, elemental spells. Fire from the fire god, water from the water god, and so on, though it gets more complex as time went on. However, the other two spells are very unusual. Speak with Dead is in Morthana's domain, and Horror was said to be invented by the Godkiller. Ivan scoffs and said, "Sigurd's probably the Godkiller."

They take the scrolls and join Tork and Tahir.

Tok and Tahir go into a large room. Its very brutalist in nature, completely different from the rest of the temple. It is essentially a large square with little to no decoration. But dried blood seems to have exploded all over the room. On the walls, ceiling, floor, as though it came from the only other doorway in the room. They were too afraid to go down by themselves, looking down as it leads very steeply and very far into a distant doorway glowing with a pale blue light.

The party ventures forth together, seeing that the blood is so vast its difficult to tell where blod ends and wall begins.

They descend.

They finally come to the lit doorway, nearly blinded by the glow.

They see a circular room, a natural formation of massive, 40 and 50ft tall crystals jutting out from the boundaries of the room, a huge 60ft statue of the Dragon God in partial draconic-humanoid form with horns, claws, tail, and wing, holding a giant maul. Beneath him is a body of a humanoid figure. They cautiously approach the figure, who seems to be immaculately intact despite the dried, old blood around him. Tork tries to investigate but fails. He's too enamored by the giant maul as a connoisseur of weaponry. Xehara passes, however, and realizes this is one of the statues, and portraits, from the previous two temples, preserved in arcana as though he died but minutes prior.

This is where we ended. And I am SO excited for them to continue. I've been waiting for this moment for a long time.

They'll either have to cast Speak with Dead or, if they forget (which they often do) I'll gently nudge them by making the Necromancy grimoire they have "speak" to them, wanting to be used.