III: The Swirling Forest

[andrew]

Everyone boards the carriage, and finds a somewhat comfortable place to sit when Broadaxe shouts, "HA!" and snaps the horses' reins. With a jolt, the carriage lurches forward, heading north along a skinny dirt path that leads out of the village. You note with some surprise (perhaps) that everyone, including the priests, stands at attention and salutes as you're driven away, toward the mountain.

You ride along in the bumpy carriage for about ten minutes when the path veers sharply to the east, winding its way into a thick soup of trees that surrounds the path on all sides. "We've officially entered The Swirling Forest, lads," Broadaxe announces from his driver's perch.

About a half-hour later the forest grows dark. Little to no light filters through the dense canopy of trees overhead. Leaves skitter across the path but you feel no wind blowing. The path and your surrounds take on a gloomy, sinister aspect. Vision is difficult straight ahead, into the dark, but Broadaxe has no trouble keeping the carriage on a trail only he can see, while maintaining a consistent speed.


The path and your surrounds take on a gloomy, sinister aspect



Soon, you come to an intersection in the forest, marked with a sign. "Well, this is new," Broadaxe says.

Rochin del Graz peers over him and confirms, "Aye, this wasn't here my first time through."

You see a wooden post with three signs indicating three routes to take from this point, all head in an easterly direction, toward the mountain...or so it would seem. One sign has a Hand painted on it with an arrow pointing to the northeast. Another has a Skull painted on it, its arrow indicating due east. The third sign bears a Helmet and meanders southeast.

"Which path do you wish to take?" Broadaxe asks.

(OOC: I'll update in 36-40 hours, going with majority vote. Everyone voting this time would be nice--and no one should ask Broadaxe to choose. A tie will be broken by Rochin del Graz (GM's die roll))

[mahrundl]

Malutassial opts for the Hand path.

[khaboom]

Khloemar favours the skull. He relates more to head stuff.

[marionarsis]

Random considered singing his song as the carriage made its way through the forest, but once he glimpsed what the forest held, he refrained. He wasn't expecting it to be bright flowers, and picturesque babbling brooks, but the surroundings lent a depressing air, and he quickly found himself not in the mood for a jovial song.

Hearing Rochin's words at the crossroads, Random nodded. "Figures." Secretly, he wondered what good this Rochin del Graz would be. The group had been told Darksmoke's dungeon changes frequently. How could Rochin possibly know where a secret door on the 2nd level would be? Undoubtedly, its location would be different on their journey into the dungeon, if there was one at all. He glanced at his party mates and frowned.

Shaking his head, he studied the signs and the symbols...

...is there a chance Random recognizes these symbols and their meaning from his Bardic study of lore and traditions? Perhaps they ring a bell somewhere in the shadows of his mind?

[colbite]

<Zagnar>: He doesn't care which one they pick. This time he will side with Khloemar and pick the Skull.

[andrew]

Jan 12, 2016 10:19:33 GMT -5 marionarsis said:

...is there a chance Random recognizes these symbols and their meaning from his Bardic study of lore and traditions? Perhaps they ring a bell somewhere in the shadows of his mind?

Random, your training does give you a chance to recall the meaning of these symbols. Make a L3SR(-2)/IQ. Recall, you can add your level to the roll. This becomes 28-19; 9 needed on the roll.

[marionarsis]

The symbols look familiar; Random has read something about them in the past, but alas, he just can't remember what they mean at this time. 

"Let's take that route." He points to the sign with the hand. 

Saving Roll--9 is success: 2d6 8

[khaboom]

(Khaghtchan)

Winip frowns. "We are clueless. I make my way with a steady hnad so I say that is our better route."

[kwll]

"Hand." says Runkild laconically.

[colbite]

<Zagnar>: "Skull, hand, finger, as long as we keep moving."

[khaboom]

"I agree with the dwarf,: Khloemar sighs. "Let's not get all presidential about this."

[andrew]

The party directs Broadaxe to take the path marked with a Hand, and with a pull of the reins, he steers the carriage to the northeast, seemingly confident it will lead to the mountain. Fifty carriage-lengths later, the forest grows denser, the overhead canopy of entangled branches and leaves knotting together, forming a solid roof, which no light can penetrate.

A dozen strides more from the horses and everything becomes pitch black, visibility zero, yet the carriage moves forward. Broadaxe voices no concerns about the lack of sight.

It is here you no longer feel or hear the wheels of the carriage turning under you, nor can you hear the voices of your colleagues. Your senses of sight and hearing are lost. Sitting in the back of the carriage you have the sensation of floating, but where exactly, you cannot tell. It's like you're inside a disjointed dream - but one that is real.

Images and scenes begin to flash all around you, materializing for brief moments against the black backdrop of an impenetrable dark. You see gigantic red stars shoot across the black void, then explode into scarlet spiderwebs, run down the sky, and form a lake of blood. You see arms of rotting flesh and bone reach out and grope, scrambling to pull their way out of the bloody lake.

The carriage swims through the void and further scenes come into existence all around you, playing out in a panorama. You see chained man-beast hybrids on their knees, cutting themselves with crude daggers in front of rough, rune covered monoliths. You see a group of primitive humanoids building nonsensical stone and metal constructions on a barren, wind ravaged plateau; you see worlds being born, and then immediately swallowed by black holes. Atop a lone mountain, you see the slaughter of thousands of innocents by a huge shadow.

* * * * *

Everyone, state your next action, then roll 2d6.

Your companions can't hear you, so no one should say anything. The only thing you can see is the images described, your only sensation is that of floating through air. You can feel your weapons on you, your gear, but that is all.

The 2d6 is a saving roll, your stated action may help your roll, it may hurt it, or have no effect. If you roll doubles, add and re-roll.

Khloemar and Winip, I'll make your rolls, but you still need to state your actions.

[colbite]

<Zagnar>: "Its not real!" I say, if only out loud to myself.


OOC: Fixed it by creating a new dice account. Argh!

[ orokos.com/roll/360914 ]

SR in the carriage: 2d6: 11 [2d6=5,6]

[khaboom]

Khloemar concentrates hard on sensing where any true danger may be coming from, inwardly chanting a calming mantra.

[khaboom]

(Khaghtchan)

Winip presses himself back into his seat and stays as still as possible.