<strong>Inspiration:</strong>1 (everyone)<br/><br/>The dream-orc roared out in orgasm in tune to the ooze’s spastic gesticulations. Satisfied from sustenance, it retreated into the dark cracks of the earth. Gradually the other women came to consciousness.<br/><br/>“We’re still alive?” Lioran gasped. “Praise the rain and sun!”<br/><br/>She hugged her sister, who sheepishly smiled back, albeit still in a state of shock. “W-what happened to our clothes?!”<br/><br/>“We’re lucky. It just ate those,” Syrrak said, her words slow from fatigue as much as her usual way of speaking. “Our gear, is fine. Zeekos, also fine.”<br/><br/>Fresh Quill grumbled. “I’m aching all over. I know it’s a dumb monster, but by the Light I wanna tear it apart! I hope it feels pa-ah, sorry, got carried away.”<br/><br/>Feeling a bit ashamed of her outburst, Fresh Quill set herself to climbing out of the crevice and threw down a rope. Once on more solid footing Syrrak used a cup and waterskin to wet her head. With a magical chant the water extended down from her hair to her toes, gradually freezing over in a layer of frost.<br/><br/>“Never seen you do that before,” Anezka said. “Feeling a bit...exposed, hehe?”<br/><br/>Syrrak rolled her eyes. “For protection.”<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Rest &amp; Recovery</div><div class="spoiler_body">Thanks to Kayna’s Song of Rest, everyone gains 1d6 extra Hit Points, Kayna included. Fresh Quill and Lioran will both accept a Healing Word. Anezka and Syrrak decline for now. Syrrak casts Armor of Agathys, and Unseen Servant as a ritual.<br/><br/>Lioran 6 + 5 = 11<br/>https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=151944<br/>https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=151945<br/><br/>Anezka 14 + 5 = 19<br/>https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=151946<br/>https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=151947<br/><br/>Fresh Quill 7 + 1 (forgot to change the modifier) + 6 = 14<br/>https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=151948<br/>https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=151949<br/>https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=151950<br/><br/>Syrrak 15 + 2 = 17<br/>https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=151952<br/>https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=151953<br/><br/>Kayna 11 + 2 = 13<br/>https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=151954<br/>https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=151955</div></div><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Resources</div><div class="spoiler_body">Anezka 19/28 HP, Armor Broken, Corroded Weapon -1 damage, 1st Lvl Slots: 1/3; Hit Dice 1/3 <br/>Fresh Quill Armor Broken, Corroded Weapon -1 damage, 14/21 HP; Hit Dice 0/3<br/>Kayna 16/24 HP, Armor Broken, 1st Lvl Slots: 4/4 (2/4 if using Healing Word, 1/4 if also using Detect Magic), 2nd Lvl Slots: 2/2; Hit Dice 1/3<br/>Lioran 14/25 HP, Armor Broken; Hit Dice 1/3<br/>Syrrak 17/21 HP (5 temporary), Armor Broken, Slots 1/2; Hit Dice 1/3<br/><br/>Anezka splits her remaining 6 goodberries between Kayna and Lioran. +3 HP each.<br/></div></div><br/>(https://i.imgur.com/Sk44IHA.jpg)<br/><br/><strong>Obstacle 1:</strong>With the loss of any protective gear and partially-rusted weapons, the party nonetheless continued further into the complex. It was unclear how far the ooze took them, as they were in unfamiliar environs. Rooms more artificial here, the cell bars now replaced with sturdy locked doors. Most were broken down, but a few remained untouched. Lioran tried to pick them open, but had little luck.<br/><br/>“Just got it...oh dang, these must be old locks!”<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">OOC</div><div class="spoiler_body">Lioran lockpicking 13, 2 short of DC 15. (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=151956) If you wish you can apply a Bardic Inspiration die to her roll. You can give Inspiration die twice per short rest on account of your +2 Charisma bonus (but can’t be applied twice to the same roll).</div></div><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Successful Lockpicking</div><div class="spoiler_body">If your words of encouragement help Lioran out, she unlocks the various doors in this section of dungeon. One of the doors has a partially-completed escape tunnel. Partially-complete as it exits into a small cavern rather than the freeing daylight of the surrounding plains. You find a rusted pickaxe (useless) but also a horned skeleton with a pouch full of tiny ebony coins (worth 50 gold in total).</div></div><br/><strong>Obstacle 2:</strong>Syrrak briefly frowned as you explore. It didn’t last long, for she assumed her neutral expression. None of the others besides Kayna seemed to notice.<br/><br/><br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Persuasion DC 13 to get her to open up</div><div class="spoiler_body">“Kayna...” she whispered. “I see through Zeekos. The men. Do not wait. They are distracted. By new findings.”<br/><br/>She doesn’t say any more, as by this time Anezka called back to the pair to keep up.</div></div><br/><strong>Obstacle 3:</strong>The women eventually came upon an odd sight: a pristine, clean archway standing in the middle of a watery cavern. Standing on its own over 25 feet tall, it was completely impractical for conventional building purposes.<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">History DC 15</div><div class="spoiler_body">Kayna recalls that the giants of the far north built portals to cross from their home plane of Jotunheim to the Material Plane. They regard runic magic as sacred and thus do not fashion magic items which would imply lower standing (boots, circles to step inside, making equipment for smaller races, etc). Giants never lived in the western continent in any appreciable numbers, their mark on the land mostly in the form of trading and raiding rather than long-term habitability.</div></div><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Arcana DC 15</div><div class="spoiler_body">This is a one-way teleportation portal. As in it is designed to magically transport people here from an unknown location. The magic is such that the portal has not fallen to erosion, which is the case with most powerful magical items. The portal also looks recently used.</div></div><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Detect Magic</div><div class="spoiler_body">The portal glows with a strong aura of Conjuration. You also see lesser auras around Anezka and Syrrak.</div></div><br/>“Looks like. A portal,” Syrrak intoned. “Giant-crafted. Odd, too far south. Why not teleportation circle? More efficient.”<br/><br/>Anezka crouched down, her eyes catching something in the lantern-light. “There are tracks here, coming from the portal. Not giants, but smaller creatures.”<br/><br/>She frowned. “Gibberlings. Rats of the Underdark.”<br/><br/>Syrrak cringed. “Even kobolds have order.”<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Gibberlings</div><div class="spoiler_body">Although not Underdark-raised, even Kayna knew of the gibberlings. Ignorant taller races would compare them to goblins, but they are nothing alike. They may walk on two legs and make use of tools, but they have nothing approaching a society, being engines of animalistic, anarchic destruction. Anywhere gibberlings came to live, they would burrow new tunnels and grow like an all-consuming plague.</div></div><br/>The gibberling trails led deeper into the complex. But there was one other tunnel, sloping upwards.<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">OOC Rolls</div><div class="spoiler_body">Syrrak Arcana 23 (natural 20) (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=151957)<br/><br/>Syrrak History 18 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=151958)<br/><br/>Anezka Survival 20 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=151959)<br/><br/>Anezka Nature 21 to ID. (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=151960)<br/><br/>Even though Syrrak made the rolls, you’re more than free to roll as well.</div></div>