Eldritch Dissonance (D&D 5e) IC

[Requilac]

All the information you need can be found in the OP of the OOC thread, which there is a link to below...

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/shows...21&postcount=1

[Requilac]

The reflection of the sinking dusk sun upon the dark blue surface of the sea paints the sky with a variety of warm, mesmerizing colors. Sunsets such as this one recently have become increasingly common in Recnam, but because they all take place at night the sailors seem to find no issue with it. Parts of the red sky have been cut into by the dirty white shapes of square rigged sails tearing into the tapestry of firmament. These sails connect to crude, but regardless sturdy, fishing vessels which feed the citizens of Ebonook.

Chocolate colored wooden docks strewn with the mariner’s ships lead to an archaic town with buildings made of gray cobblestone and tough oak wood which has long since rotten down to mere remnants. This town was once a prosperous one, but the dragon queen Banrignamara’s conquest of Recnam resulted in Ebonook’s collapse. Only now have people started gradually restoring the town in an attempt to bring it to its former , albeit intimidating, glory. The lord of obsidenton fief wishes to turn the ruins of ancient Ebonook into a port city once again which introduces foreign ships to the imposing grandeur of the coastal region which he resides over. Operations have just started in earnest though and scarcely 1,000 people call Ebonook home, for Banrignamara summoned a tsunami to overtake this town centuries ago, and although the strong stone buildings withstood destruction, hydrophilic plants have rampantly formed around the half-flooded streets. Removing the oppressive vines and stubborn trees have proven to be problem enough, but the beastly denizens that have claimed the ruins as their home make the worker’s job almost unbearable.

That is where you come in. The local reeve has hired you to protect the workers as they cut through the persistent plants. The pay has been well, but at several times it seems like it is not worth it. Traipsing through the refuse of gargantuan rats and being harassed by bloated spiders hardly makes you feel like the hero’s of legend you strive to become. You were also disappointed to find out that even though the area seems much too cold for it, swarms of nuisance insects plague you still.

You have been doing this for half a week now, and today you have recently finished another hard day’s work. Unfortunately, today you all discovered that yes, stirges (MM pg. 284) are real and not just a fable. You found this out the hard way. You all have just finished stocking up on rations in the few stores that the village has and mending your wounds, so you are now planning on renting an inn room at the lonely eel and resting for your next “adventure” tomorrow. (Note: you are still at max resources though.)

Before you do this though a small trio of town guards approach you. Their hands nervously clamp around the handles of their sheathed weapons as they approach you, their faces marked with intense stress. One of them, the apparent leader, speaks up. “so far you all have been a rather great help for the town”. She is clearly straining to keep her voice from cracking with panic. “We have a request for you that you may be willing to take up”. The guard then pulls out a map of the city and points to northwestern quadrant of the city. “We sent two of our men to patrol the market district of the city yesterday to check for signs of any possible criminals ... but they never came back.” She pauses momentarily then continues “so we sent a search party of seven guards to go out and find them.”

That is actually rather strange that they would send the guards to search for the missing patrollers instead of calling upon you all, but seeing as how one of their own was missing it makes sense that they would take initiative. For the most part the system in Recnam is that people hire mercenaries to take care of the issues which are too insignificant for the military to tackle, and the guards are just there too make sure that the mercenaries are not causing trouble. It is not the best of all systems; butt regardless it is Recnam’s system. Because of this, the town guards in Recnam rely more on slitting throats under the cover of darkness then anything else, as most adventurers could easily trample them in head to head combat. Now that you think about it actually, the trio is probably not the only people present; odds are that several guardsmen are hiding behind the buildings with loaded arbalests in case you decide to attack the three guards who are talking with you (Lily, you actually happen hear the almost imperceptible creaking of someone in the alleyway shifting a crossbow form one hand to the other).

The lead guard continues “the search party though... they have not came back either”. She tries her best not to cause her voice to show her worry, but she utterly fails. You all do some mental math and come to the realization that 9 of the 14 town guards are missing. You cannot quite tell how much of the leader’s stress is coming from concern for her missing companions and how much is caused by talking to a party of quasi-experienced adventurers that slightly outnumber them.

“We really need your help. Do you think you could find out what happened to the rest of the guard force and if possible bring them back, or at least put a stop to whoever, or whatever, killed or captured them? We promise to pay you well for doing so” The lead guardsmen (guardswomen if you are a pedant) begs.

The air is thick with tension as the wind blows against the cobblestone infrastructure of Ebonook, forming an eerie piping cacophony.

How do you all respond to the guard’s request?

[In4Dimensions]

Ayle
For the good of all, I shall help. What do you want me to do, and where do you want me to go?

[Requilac]

Ayle
For the good of all, I shall help. What do you want me to do, and where do you want me to go?

The guard seems relieved by your gracious response. “Well, you see, that is kind of the issue” the guard continues “the pair of patrollers went missing in the market district, an uninhabited part of the ruins in the town”. She points to a decently sized chunk of the city located in the northwestern quadrant of the city “the search party went to look for them, but it has been more than 24 hours and they have not yet reported back. I would be more specific with where you have to go, but the issue is that we do not know ourselves. The search party went missing In the market district, so that would be a good place to start, but beyond that I have nothing to say.”

“Hopefully the idea is that you can find missing guardsmen and bring them back here, but even hoping they are alive is probably just pipe-dreaming. I want you to find out wherever they are, and if possible bring them back. But if their fate happens to be much more grim, then we need you to discover whoever, or whatever, has attacked or delayed them and take care of it”. She says those last few words with an amount of icyness in her voice which indicates that by “take care of it” she means “kill the assailants”.

“I would give you more information, but I unfortunately have little information to give”.

[Devonkm]

With a flash of Planer energy in Onyx's eyes, he rubs his massive stone like hands together.

now your talking my language. Point the way and I will stomp out whatever is causing the problem. If there is anything left of your... friends, we can see about getting that back to ya too. Next time come to us first all right.

[Requilac]

With a flash of Planer energy in Onyx's eyes, he rubs his massive stone like hands together.

now your talking my language. Point the way and I will stomp out whatever is causing the problem. If there is anything left of your... friends, we can see about getting that back to ya too. Next time come to us first all right.

The lead guard’s face cringes slightly when you say “come to us first”. Judging by the look on her face, she knew that you are right, but the guards in Recnam are highly suspicious off adventurer’s, so that decision was based much more on lack of trust than careful thought. She then sets the map down on a bench and takes out an ink pen (she must have prepared for this) and draws a line which follows the roads from your current position to the market district. It is mostly an unnecessary gesture , you all have heard of the market district in Ebonook before while talking with the workers so you have a pretty good idea of how to get there already, even if you have not yet actually been there yet. Were the city in prime condition you could reach there in under half an hour, but the roads are so grown over and cracked that it is probably going to take four times as much time to reach there.

The market district is a fairly large place. Back when it was a stable town Ebonook had a good 10,000 at a time (port city populations have a tendency to fluctuate though) , and almost all of the food, clothing and basic equipment were sold in the market district. You estimate that a decently thorough scouring of the area would take 6 hours or so, but if the people/thing that attacked the guards had the boldness to take on a group of 7 then you get the distinct feeling that searching for your target will be much shorter than that.

[Devonkm]

well, what are we waiting for?"

Onyx says after walking away towards the market district, before the guard even finished drawing the map. My hammer and I need to meet with something more difficult then pests.

[Snowbluff]

Peryroyl Smallfoot

"Ah! Very well then! Considered your men found, guard!" Says the halfling woman righting a goat. She draws her sword, pointing the way. "Onward, companions!"

[In4Dimensions]

Ayle
I’ll take the map, thanks. Now, off to get some information! (Persuasion checks to see if anyone can spill the beans on anything. Or just if they heard something suspicious. (1d20+10)[29])

Spoiler

Show

Kicking it off with a bang!

[JNAProductions]

Kayugi smiles, and assures the guards We'll make sure your friends are as safe as we can get them. You have our words.

[Requilac]

Before you all set off to the market district, Ayle wishes to talk to some people and hear if the citizens have anything useful to say on the matter. You all decide to rest for a little bit while Ayle drops by at the Lonely Eel tavern to and asks if anyone knows anything about the matter.

The most common reaction you get is people showing suprise and shock that the guard force is missing even. Almost none even knew about it before you told them, and half of them do not even believe you. That is incredibly strange. The market district may be a fair distance away from the currently populated area, but the stone buildings of Ebonook makes noise easily echo so someone should have heard something, a force of seven people cannot exactly be taken down without any evidence. But no, nothing, nobody knows anything. No screaming, no guards limping back to town, no sight of corpses floating down the river just... nothing. Nobody knows anything. They are always the same noise of the scrabbling rats and the wingbeats of bats throughout the ruins, of course, but nothing outside the usual. It seems as if they just disappeared out of thin air.

Or the people/creatures that killed the guard force took great caution in making sure that it was done stealthily.

Strange, very strange...

[In4Dimensions]

Before you all set off to the market district, Ayle wishes to talk to some people and hear if the citizens have anything useful to say on the matter. You all decide to rest for a little bit while Ayle drops by at the Lonely Eel tavern to and asks if anyone knows anything about the matter.

The most common reaction you get is people showing suprise and shock that the guard force is missing even. Almost none even knew about it before you told them, and half of them do not even believe you. That is incredibly strange. The market district may be a fair distance away from the currently populated area, but the stone buildings of Ebonook makes noise easily echo so someone should have heard something, a force of seven people cannot exactly be taken down without any evidence. But no, nothing, nobody knows anything. No screaming, no guards limping back to town, no sight of corpses floating down the river just... nothing. Nobody knows anything. They are always the same noise of the scrabbling rats and the wingbeats of bats throughout the ruins, of course, but nothing outside the usual. It seems as if they just disappeared out of thin air.

Or the people/creatures that killed the guard force took great caution in making sure that it was done stealthily.

Strange, very strange...

(Well OK then.)
Ayle, explaining what he’d heard to the rest of the party
...and no one knew anything! Nothing had been heard or seen. People didn’t even know the guards were missing! This is interesting, very interesting indeed... (Her voice drops off.) Let’s investigate the market, shall we? (1d20+3)[19]

[Gluteus_Maximus]

Brann, intrigued, walks from the place where he had been crouching previously and casting firebolt on ants. He had heard only small bits and pieces of the conversation with the people of the marketplace, but this immediately reminded him of his younger days. He follows the party at a quick jog, and approaches them, then starts speaking loudly so they can all hear.

"Hail, friends! What is it that you speak about with the commoners of this market? It did not sound much better than distressing. Mind if I tag along?"

[Devonkm]

I guess so... but if you cross us I will smash your face in. onyx says, hefting his hammer.

[Gluteus_Maximus]

Brann can't help but burst out laughing when he hears this.

"HA! I would like to see you try, my friend. Though I can't promise I will not try to become familiar with your possessions."

[Requilac]

With the majority of the party with their mind made up, you accept the gaurd’s plea. She seems rather relieved by your friendly responses and her stress notably decreases as you all pack up your things and prepare to leave. The market district is not very far away, and you see no good reason to wait further to arrive.

It does not take long to reach the market district at all. The roads, although lacerated by grasping vines which relentlessly claw into them, are mostly traversible and it takes you scarcely more than half an hour to reach the forbidden alleys which you have sought out.

The sky has been sucked of all its radiant colors and has been replaced with a dark blue sheet of velvet with its edges chunked out by the ominous shapes of Ebonook’s ancient cobblestone buildings. Once the market district housed thousands of stalls as swarms of people seeking out the many merchants carrying baskets full of clothing, equipment, rations and a variety of strange curious and spices brought in by the many foreign mariners. Now though, the stalls have completely been crushed by Banraignamara’s tsunami in the olden days and rotten away by the sands of time, all that remains is the vast, gray store houses holding memories of exotic goods which have long since been looted or decayed. Now those immense store houses only harbor rats, insects and other less mentionable creatures within their forgotten vaults where the rays of the sun never touch. The desolate streets outside of the storages have been matted over by the roots of greedy weeds and bleached mangrove trees. The once impressive temple to marasa, stormborn god of the seas, once towered over the market district but now it too has been conquered by time and unceasing plants that have caused it to crash in on itself. Almost half the buildings in this section of the city are at least partially flooded so corals, just as dull as the weeds, have formed in the barren depths of the archaic store houses. An aquatic ecosystem has formed there, but the faintly pink fish swarms and pale squids which inhabit it are not much more vivacious than their above ground counterparts.

You know that the missing two guards and the search party which went after them both disappeared somewhere around here, but it will takes hours to fully investigate the area and you do not quite know where to begin.

How do you plan on investigating the market district?

[In4Dimensions]

Ayle
If they disappeared with out a sound or trace, that sounds like magic. Let’s scan the area for traces of magic. (Arcana check to detect lingering magic: (1d20+1)[12].)

[In4Dimensions]

(I’ll throw in an Investigation check as well: (1d20+3)[22])

[Gluteus_Maximus]

As Ayle investigates for magic and other things, Brann scoffs. "Watch and learn."

Rolling arcana to see if magic is lingering: (1d20+7)[20]
Rolling investigation. (1d20+7)[20]

[Illven]

Lily nods at the suggestion to look for lingering cases of magic.

They had crossbows trained on us. Hidden figures that is. They probably had their entire guard force on us with so many missing. She muses outloud. I thought about letting them know that I knew, but I decided against it.

Does anyone know the detect magic spell? It's this useful little spell that always comes up in stories. Lily remarks.

Before casting enhance ability wisdom on herself to not get ambushed.

[JNAProductions]

Afraid not-I do know how to project my voice with a spell, though, if we want to announce our presence.

[Requilac]

I am going to assume that you all wanted to stay in one group, and not split up.



Ayle’s interrogation of the people leads you to believe that magical forces are at work here, so you all bunch up and search the area for traces of lingering magic.

It takes you mere minutes of investigation to come across a point of interest; you happen to stumble upon the sight of two corpses.

One of them was sat up slumped against the wall of a store house and the other was found not very far away, lying prone on the street, facing up. Both seem to have similar markings on them, so it seems like they were killed by the same thing. The first thing you realize is that both of them have a massive gash tearing wholly into their core, just below the diaphragm (rib cage). The wound is only a couple of inches deep, but it was rather forceful seeing as how the the bones in that area have been crushed to fragments and particles. A series of hollow, red circles draw them self along the victim’s skin, forming almost a kind of sash-like pattern from the tops of their shoulders to their bleeding core.

But those are merely the wounds though, their is something else that you did not notice before due the pale light of crescent moon, a foreboding sickle floating far above in the far worlds. The entirety of their skin has turned a deathly grey pall, seemingly sucked of all its pigmentation. Both victim’s hair have been bleached a stark white. The most noticeable trait though is that you manage to realize that their milky eyes show no signs of having an iris or pupil, just a bare sclera.

Ayle and Brann immediately search the corpses for signs of lingering magic. You have not cast detect magic, but in truth you all do not need to, this is obviously the work of necromantic energies. Somehow their very life force itself was sucked out of them by some foul source of necromancy. Not like a vampire though does, that is the physical process of draining blood, It instead somewhat reminds you of what wights are capable of doing with their life draining touch.

What do you now plan on doing, given the new information?

Edit: the corpses are of two guards. I believe Caster pointed out that I did not specify.

[In4Dimensions]

Ayle
We should loom around for the other missing guards. Perhaps they’re around here somewhere. If we find them or not, we should then tell the city watch what we found, and book some rooms in an inn. It’s getting late. Then, perhaps, we could lay an ambush later in the night if whatever did this comes back.

[In4Dimensions]

(Another Investigation check: (1d20+3)[8])

Spoiler

Show

You can’t win them all

[Requilac]

As you all are standing around the corpses, wondering what to do, Lilly happens to notice something rather strange. The corpses are bloodied for sure, but something is off about the blood splatter. She points this out and you all spend a little bit looking the directions she ponts you in. A thin stream of blood and scrapes on the ground are leading towards inside the storehouses. You all peek in, careful to not actually enter, and find a pool of blood forming just inside the entrance. This warehouse is relatively small so those with dark vision can see throughout it all and they find it empty aside from several weeds. These guards appeared to have been killed from inside the store house and then they were dragged outside. Why would something go to such effort to quietly kill a target, than intentionally drag them out in a clearly visible position? It is almost as if the assailants wanted you to discover their victims.

You have not yet finished your investigation though. Searching through the whole market district would take hours and you have only managed to spend a few minutes until you found two out of nine missing people. There is still more searching to be done in the area. But now that you have new information, did you want to be more specific with your methods at all?

[In4Dimensions]

Ayle
This feels wrong, and too easy. We should mark this location and continue the search.

[Illven]

We might want to bring the bodies back. You know as proof that they died. Lily remarks.

[Devonkm]

I know I am not the idea man here, but what if you all take up hiding positions around here and I just start making a ton of noise. If something comes out, we can rip it to sheds before they know what's coming!

[JNAProductions]

Kayugi nods, and takes a moment to cast a spell. She holds her hand out and into existence spring 10 berries, round and juicy-looking. Take these when you do-they can provide healing if need be.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Casting Goodberry.

[Requilac]

After spending a decent amount of time thoroughly investigating the general area, you come to the conclusion that you should look for the remnants of the missing guard force first before you further your decisions.

Your investigation continues, Ayle leading the way. Although she does a poor job, the unknown assistants made it nearly impossible for you to find the lost search party. Their fates were jsut as grim as the pair of men you found dead earlier. You find the guards while looking in front of the temple to marasa, the ocean god. On the slopes of the decent sized hill where the cathedral lies, you find seven corpses, but they oddly appeared to have all been in a fight before they died. Their bodies are strewn throughout the hill in a variety of macabre positions, but all of them have weapons close to their ungripping hands. It almost seems as if they tried to charge the temple in a disciplined V pattern, but a force came from the building and quickly devastated more than half of the guards. Judging by the way that three of the bodies are a fair distance back down the hill from the other clumped corpses, Some of the guard force seemed to have tried to run away after this crippling strike, but while fleeing they were caught up to by the unknown attackers and killed in the same grizzly manner.

But this cannot be the case, ayle’s interrogation proved that the guard force was killed silently, if they died fighting than surely someone must have heard that. Lily, working under the assumption that they too must have been killed in a different place and dragged to a new one like seen in the previous two corpses, looks around to see if that might have happened. She proves to be correct. Trails of blood and scrapes along the ground lead you to inside a ware house once again. The massive indents scratching into the stone floor inside and the lake of blood lead you to believe that perhaps they were killed inside there instead, but then dragged out in front of the temple.

Whatever killed he guards is not trying to hide from you, they want you to find them, and have led a trial straight to them that leads to the inside of this church. You gain a sense of dread staring at that ancient, crumbled temple. At a distance, it seemed as if the roof collapsed in on it so completely that it would be impossible to enter, but now that you are up close you see that you can enter through the doorway into the ruins with ease. The ancient building is about 200-300 feet wide and long, and once it had been about 100 feet tall, but the roof has collapsed in and now it is only about 20 or so feet tall. Those with dark vision can see a fair distance into the foreboding depths of the ruined cathedral, but it is much too big to see all the way across. If you are careful you could step in and walk through it, but you must watch your step carefully for the ground is covered in rubble.

The sickle moon glows blindingly in the now pitch black night. Dense, dark clouds have all but blocked out the starlight and only a few lights glimmer in the distance. It is eerily quiet, and only the croaking of some sort of repulsive frog breaks the silence.

What do you all decide to do now?