Chapter 2: Hither

Dec 26, 2021 7:48 am
You fumble your way through the mists, and eventually find wet, luminescent stone beneath your feet. As the mists clear, you find yourselves standing at the edge of a raised and broken causeway under a hazy, twilit sky. The causeway, which is built from pale stones that glow faintly from within, towers over the surrounding landscape, but large sections of it have crumbled away. The parts that remain in place are separated by large gaps where portions have collapsed.

A fog-shrouded swamp spreads out below you in all directions, and up from its murk wafts the smell of rotting plants. Also rising from the swamp is the music of nature—a discordant symphony of croaking frogs and singing birds. This is roughly what you see (click to enlarge). Your current location is on the far left-hand side of this map on the broken causeway.

https://media.dndbeyond.com/compendium-images/twbtw/JtUXxjur9QWtb7E3/map-2.2-hither-player.jpg
OOC:
‣ KCC - Quennan is not affected by Sunlight sensitivity as the sun is shrouded in haze.
‣ Those of you from Prismeer (having the Feylost background) don't find this swampy place familiar at all, but a DC 16 history check might mean you recognize some feature from yesteryear.
‣ It is not night time yet - there is probably an hour or two before sunset, but seeing as it was just midnight where you were from you are all starting to show signs of fatigue.
Dec 26, 2021 2:36 pm
Twisp sniffs the air. Ah yes, it smells like home. But this swamp is unfamiliar.

"If only we still had those marvelous dragonflies to ride across the broken causeway!"
Last edited December 26, 2021 2:37 pm

Rolls

History - (1d20+4)

(8) + 4 = 12

Dec 26, 2021 6:50 pm
After he "borrowed" some adventuring gear - nothing special, just blankets, a few rations and so on - Jules followed the others through the door in the Hall of Illusions.

Saying good bye from his friends from the carnival year(s) isn`t easy for the gnome, but embarking on an adventure himself is just to tempting for him.

Appearing in the fog-shrouded, wet marshland he cringes his nose a bit and looks to the others for their reaction on being suddenly on a hole different plane of existence. "This ... is not what I`ve expected." he mumbles to himself for a moment, before a big yawn breaks free. The evening with all it`s events had been more demanding than he thought in the first place. For all one knows it was time to pitch some tents on a dry strip of land and call it a day for now.

Tomorrow the shrouds may have been lifted and the travel could be easier.
Dec 27, 2021 1:28 am
Jabes.plays.RPG says:
Twisp sniffs the air. Ah yes, it smells like home. But this swamp is unfamiliar.

"If only we still had those marvelous dragonflies to ride across the broken causeway!"
You fail to find solid memories, although fleeting thoughts of familiarity lurk on the edge of your mind. Though the air is filled with the smell of rotting plants, you still can make out the faint wisps of peaches, tea, and moss.
Dec 27, 2021 1:41 am
soises says:
For all one knows it was time to pitch some tents on a dry strip of land and call it a day for now.

Tomorrow the shrouds may have been lifted and the travel could be easier.
A warm, humid wind catches your cloaks & coat tails and whips them about. High up here on the causeway, you are exposed to the elements but you have a good view of your surroundings making it relatively easy to set a watch. The mists behind you stir in the wind but do not dissipate.
Dec 27, 2021 4:01 am
What were you expecting? Beven asks Jules. He looks around the unhospitible landscape with obvious disappointment.
Dec 27, 2021 7:32 am
Twisp sees the disappointment in Beven's and Jules' faces. "In Prismeer, always expect the unexpected. I wonder where we are exactly. And just as importantly, when are we? Time moves differently here, you see!"
Dec 27, 2021 2:32 pm
"I don`t know." Jules answers Beven "Something more shiny and welcoming, maybe?" while looking around for a second time. Smiling at Twisp, the gnome shots back: "We are before we sleep, right?"

Looking at the broken causeway: "Perhaps around here somewhere?" he muses while stroking his chin. "Not on the wet floor if possible..."

Rolls

Survival - (1d20)

(13) = 13

KCC

Dec 27, 2021 3:09 pm
OOC:
placeholder!
OOC:
Oh! A Nat 20! Perhaps I better wait for the DM before I post!
Last edited December 27, 2021 3:10 pm

Rolls

History - (1d20+1)

(20) + 1 = 21

Dec 27, 2021 7:15 pm
Sarynn lies prone on the causeway, leaning her head over the edge to take in the view beyond. She tilts her view by rolling onto her back to observe the Feywild as it could be, with the sky right-side down and the swamp wrong-side up.

Rolls

History, DC 16 - (1d20-1)

(15) - 1 = 14

Len

Dec 28, 2021 1:01 am
Sarynn sees very little she recognizes. Even the hue of the light, normally golden and warm, is now red and harsh.

Quennan the Drow's memories, on the other hand, are less defined by the quality of the sunlight.
Quote:
He recognizes this as the center of Prismeer, and great walls of mist and mountains conceal the east and west regions of this Domain of Delight (which never used to be there). The causeway they stand on was once known as the Queen’s Way, an elevated highway leading to and from the Palace of Heart’s Desire where Queen Zybilna lived, which was as far north as you could travel.

Your eye moves east and spy a crumbling Slanty Tower that pierces the canopy of the mangrove swamp. It is leaning to one side terribly, but it was not always so. This is the tower of Elmer the Hobgoblin, who tends the many wells in Prismeer.

Even further east is a great big hill that sits like a mist-shrouded island in the swamp. You are quite certain that is Telemy Hill, an ancient, sentient fey entity that travels throughout the Feywild and even to the Material Plane at times.

North from the hill, you spy a squat, three-story structure with a slate-shingled roof - the famous Inn and the End of the Road. It is a travelling inn that walks across Prismeer on hundreds of fleshy legs. Tsu Harabax, an elderly female human druid (neutral), has been running the Inn at the End of the Road by herself. @KCC, feel free to concoct a history with Tsu given your class and background! I can work with you on this if you like. A friend? Former love interest? A rival? Your call.

North of the house is an elaborate network of wooden walkways. That looks completely unfamiliar, and reminds you of a spider's web.
Dec 28, 2021 1:17 am
The change in scenery is jarring to Reynard and his hand clasps his sword hilt as he steps out of the mist and looks about cautiously. He steps to the edge of the causeway and then pacing along it, looking for a way down, just in case they need to leave suddenly.

Rolls

Perception - (1d20+2)

(4) + 2 = 6

KCC

Dec 28, 2021 1:58 am
Quennen steps through the portal and feels his stomach flip and butterflies bloom. And then the air is different. He breathes it deep, and feels all the lighter for it.

And then he turns his attention to his new companions, and sees there lack of… recognition, if that’s the right word. Memory?

"We have landed right in the very heart of Prismeer. How gracious of our friends back at the carnival."

Quennen takes the time to look all around; at first as if to find his bearings, and then more to confirm them and plot himself on the map!

"This…" Quennen stoops to pat the path beneath them.

"… is the Queen’s way. Were we able to follow it, we’d find our way north to the…" Quennen squints into the distance, wondering if he could ever hope to spot it from here.

"… The Palace of Heart’s Desire. The home of Queen Zybilna." Quennen says, impressed.

"And that…" Quennen wheels around, drawing his companions’ attention east "… is the slanty. Aptly named, you’ll agree!"

Quennen points off further East, beyond the tower.

"Beyond that is Telemy Hill, if I recall. I won’t ruin the surprise, should we head that way."

Quennen wheels again, trying to give as much information to the group as possible.

"And, oh… oh… there’s Tsu! The Inn and The End of the Road. Do you see it? I should like to see her again. And the place is a treat of its own."

Quennen takes in the air again. Feels it on his skin.

"It is good to be back!"
Dec 28, 2021 5:16 am
Sarynn, still on her back and looking at the mists, points out and behind her head to indicate down. She then puts her hands out in question.
Dec 28, 2021 1:25 pm
Twisp reacquaints himself with each feature of the landscape as Quennan points them out. It's strange but unspurpsising how much everything has changed. "But I've changed, too," he says to no one in particular. "Turn to face the strange. Changes. Time may change me but I can't trace time."

"Sarynn is right, it might be best to head down before we camp."
Last edited December 28, 2021 1:27 pm
Dec 28, 2021 3:09 pm
soises says:
"I don`t know." Jules answers Beven "Something more shiny and welcoming, maybe?" while looking around for a second time. Smiling at Twisp, the gnome shots back: "We are before we sleep, right?"

Looking at the broken causeway: "Perhaps around here somewhere?" he muses while stroking his chin. "Not on the wet floor if possible..."
The ground doesn't look much drier, although there are a huge amount of giant, flat mushrooms that look pretty comfy to lie on. They are about a meter across and festoon the sides of the causeway, sticking out at ninety degrees angles like dwarven battle pancakes that were hurled so hard they embedded themselves halfway into the stone†.

You could see yourself camping on a mushrooms shelf at a more reasonable altitude. And lo! There is a ladder amidst the mushrooms that should take you all the way to the ground.
† Given our surroundings, I should be clear this is a simile, not actual fact.
Dec 28, 2021 11:04 pm
"The wind up here or the wet down there." Beven sighs. "To avoid choices like this is why I stay in the city." He grumbles. "I'm out of my element here but if we're going down, let's be about it, eh?"
Dec 28, 2021 11:11 pm
Sarynn rolls back upright and fishes a length of rope from her pack. She looks down the side of the causeway to judge the distance to the nearest mushroom shelf and determine whether her rope must be used plain or knotted for added handhold.
Dec 29, 2021 12:45 am
"Let's get some rest, it's been a long day," Reynard suggests, "We can figure out where we want to go in the morning."
Dec 29, 2021 8:26 am
The party makes their way down the side of the causeway to find a suitable place to rest. You find ladders that extend the entire length of each support pillar, making it fairly easy to get down. The dull glow of the stonework illuminates your efforts to set up camp in the fading sun. Each of you finds your own mushroom cap in a cluster just above the tops of the mangrove trees. The caps are flat and firm, making a decent sleeping shelf.

You set watches and spend your first night in Prismeer. After the sun sets, fireflies take flight throughout the mangrove swamp, illuminating it in a eerie green glow. The discordant symphony of croaking frogs and singing birds continues all through the night, and a thick fog rolls in. But, the night passes uneventfully.
OOC:
You have had a Long Rest. Any temporary effects from the Witchight Carnival (such as those granted by Northwind's gifts) expire.
https://www.wallpaperflare.com/static/786/769/119/artwork-fantasy-art-clouds-green-wallpaper.jpg

The party awakens to another hazy, twilit sky. The smell of rotting vegetation and the noise of swamp creatures is stronger than ever, and a thick blanket of fog has rolled over much of the domain, obscuring it. As you are packing up camp, Quennan spots a great balloon made of patchwork material in the distant sky. It spins out of control as though punctured, causing the wicker basket that hangs from it to swing wildly. The balloon plunges out of sight, disappearing into the fog approximately five miles away, around where Slanty Tower lies.
OOC:
Alright everyone, day is breaking! Where to?
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