Beyond the Planes - Party A

[Pangaea]

Sensation is the first sense to return. Your head hurts.

Bad.

Vision comes next, as your eyes crack open, adjusting painfully to the dull lighting in the chamber. You are cold, the floor is cold, leaching heat from your body. You are laying face down, and your arms struggle to lift you as strength slowly returns. The cleanly hewn stone blocks interlock with little room for error below you, with a level of stone craft not seen outside of dwarves mountain homes. Sound returns next, as you realize there is a low level hum resonating in your ears. Just you begin to lift yourself, you realize the source of the sound. A series of geometric shapes crisscross the floor, in a faint blue glow that seems to emanate from within the stone blocks themselves, which are themselves softly vibrating. It does not last long enough for you to make out the larger shapes, as the blue glow rapidly fades and the hum and vibration along with it. Your thoughts on the mysterious glow and sound are quickly distracted as you glance the vaulted ceiling above you. Thin stone columns rise around you up to a dome of concrete or plaster. Between the columns there are two open archways on opposing sides, both leading into darkness. The dome is smooth, without any supporting arches, obviously a cosmetic choice, as what appears to be many small stars has been carved into the dome, about 20 feet up. Various geometric shapes arc across the dome, although their immediate significance is not obvious. What is obvious is the thick lines connecting some of the stars. They mark various small constellations, the largest and most obvious sits almost straight above you. The lines link to form what appears to be a giant octopus, consuming almost half the the dome.

Suddenly, a sound echoes in the room from only a few feet away. Two other persons are lifting themselves off the floor too.

You are not alone.

[Don nadie]

Madame Elyssa Neçy von Kottenburg is the first to wake, with but a single word in her native Françis.

Merde.

She lifts herself and scouts the room. Has she been transported here by one of the hags? Did some of the fairy-queens put a spell on her? Or is this a somewhat surprising version of Hell? Just in case, and seeing as she has her belongings with her, Lyss holds the buckler in her hand. The other hand remains free, though she is ready to spring the quickblade in a second, if it becomes necessary.

What is this place, and who are you?, she demands from the other two figures with her thick accent.

[THEChanger]

Vilmos' eyes snap open as he feels the dull pain filling his body. This is. Not Lance Rock. There is no devil or demon or what have you bearing down on him with a spear. He. He got out. His hand flies to the symbol of Dallah Thaun around his neck. It feels faintly warm.

She'd listened.

The tiny man starts to laugh. It's quiet at first, and then starts to roll into half panicked, half relieved giggling as the halfling struggles up to his knees, all of the terror and stress finding release in the cold of this strange room. "I'm alive! I'm alive! Oh thank the goddess I'm alive." He kisses the stone floor, the relief of safety bringing tears to his eyes. Under his breath, he whispers a prayer of thanks to the Lady of Mystery.

And then he notices the other two individuals in the room as one shouts at him. He also, for the first time, notices the puzzling construction of the room they are in. Vilmos stands, brushing himself off as best he can. His black vest shimmers with tiny bits of silver woven into the fabric, and he adjusts his rings, belt, and necklaces. Crossbow close by, left on the floor. He turns to the human woman who had spoke, and bows low. "Greetings and salutations, fair one. I am Vilmos of Lance Rock, brother of Lord Jarek, and his Hand. As to where we are, I am afraid I know exactly as much as you do. But, who do I have the honor of addressing?"

While I'm somewhat suspicious that it will be far out of the realm of Vilmos' knowledge, rolling Lore to see if he has any idea what the architecture of the room, and the weird constellations might mean. Also involved is if he recognizes the constellations.

[roll0]

[Don nadie]

No man who called me 'fair' has ever been sharp enough to be dangerous, Lyss jokes with a smile. It is a grin which has much in common with a cat's expression. I am Madmoiselle Elyssa Neçy von Kottenburg, monsieur Vilmos. Mais I am perfectly happy to be called Lyss. She says this without bowing, but putting one hand on her heart and lowering her eyes slightly. You presume that's her land's custom.

She puts her buckler back on her back, though she sees no need to disarm her weapon. After all, is it not a beautiful piece? She shuffles her weight a little and nods.

So, you are another noble of presumable high standing and we are in a... she looks arround and shrugs, chambre?. I presume that's the most accurate description? Some form of magic must have dragged us, for there were strange runes glimmering on the floor. She stops to consider for a second. And this... "octopuse" it is said in Common, oui? She shakes her head. A most disturbing figure...

[Bobbybobby99]

Marius slowly rose to his feet, his awakening a touch later than the other two he noticed in the room. One moment, he was stepping into a simple ring of mushrooms... the next, he was here. Checking his pouches to make sure everything had come along with him, he addressed the other two individuals in the room.

"Since we appear to be making introductions, you may call me Marius Elkglade; I am no noble, and am precisely as uncertain about the situation as you two. I agree wholly with your assessment of the situation, Elyssa. " He paused, taking in the scene with a keen, solemn perception, before continuing, "I suppose we have to go in one direction or another."

[THEChanger]

Vilmos puts his hand on his chest in mock pain. "Lady Lyss, you wound me! I assure you, I am quite sharp enough for my own purposes." He bows to Marcus as well, and looks around. "Quite a puzzling place. But, yes. I suppose there is only one thing for it." Vilmos reaches into a pouch on his belt, and withdraws a gold coin. One side marked with a shield and a cornucopia, the other with a sword and cloak. He grins at Marcus. "Shield or sword?"

[Bobbybobby99]

"Since you are so very sharp, I shall leave you the sword and take the shield, " replied Marius in a severe tone of voice. "I don't very well approve of gambling, however; may we simply take the right path? It is, after all, the traditional choice for those that have little desire to descend to hell. Allow me a moment. "

After a moment's thought, Marius sat on the ground. He then rifled through his assorted pouches, coming up with a single, a jingle bell, a sewing needle, and a bit of thread. Murmuring a few words of devotion and poetry, it began to shine with a great internal light. He then tied the bell to the eye of the sewing needle with several feet of string. He proceeded to stand once more, curled the string around the needle, and pointed the makeshift torch at the right archway.

[Don nadie]

Lyss found herself chuckling on Marius's response. She was feeling, in a way, exhilarated. Something, whatever power it was, had saved her from drowning. Something had dried her up and brought two well-spoken companions. Maybe it was the guiding hand of Our Lady of the Open Doors, and maybe she was just lucky. In any case, Lyss was happy.

Mes amis, I care not for what route we take. Right sounds as good as random, for there is no evidence as to what road will be best. This place may well be the temple of a god of octopuses, which in my land are associated with madness and high cuissine. We should just be on guard and ready for what we may find, in case it's the first one.

Once they start walking, Lyss will get her buckler and, with a flick of her wrist, a wand will appear on her hand.

[THEChanger]

Vilmos laughs, and tumbles so he stands facing Marius. "Oh, but sirrah! Now what is right to you is left to me, and right to me is left to you! However should we decide now?" Still chuckling, he picks up his crossbow. "But, far be it from me to force a man to perform such a profane action as flip a coin to decide on a path. Lead on, thou most holy of men. May your light be an inspiration to us all."

[Bobbybobby99]

Marius, still looking grave, replied, "Ah, holy indeed, if by holy you mean of holy creed, though it is my unfortunate admission that such is not the popular position. "

With that note, he promptly muttered a few words and made a few arcane gestures, turning himself and all he carried invisible. Notably, the light emitted by the jingle bell continued to be emitted, though the bell itself was unseen, resulting in a sort of orb of shining light. With a few more words seemingly emitted from nowhere, Marius then activated the invocation of See the unseen, granting the capacity to see the invisible, and, more pertinently to the situation, granting darkvision of 60 feet. Presuming a lack of visible obstacles or traps, he then proceeded through the rightmost archway.

[Pangaea]

Marius' light comes not a moment too late, as the light in the room, which it is now apparent is emanating from some unknown source, begins to fade. Soon, his arcane light is the only thing illuminating the chamber. The group exits through one of the archways, soon finding itself at the foot of a gradually spiraling staircase that leads up to a faint source of light. As the group carefully ascends, the light becomes greater and greater. Soon, they have entered into a chamber, appearing to be almost directly above the one they were in before. The ceiling in here is not vaulted like a semi-sphere as in the one below, but is four-sided in a pyramid like shape, with the four sides meeting together at least 100 feet up. A stairway on the opposite side of the room leads down in the opposite direction as the one you came up, presumably to the other archway the group did not take.

A bright, yellow-hewed light shines in through a single opening in the four-walled room. Your eyes take a moment to adjust to the higher light levels, but this room is contracted of the same blocks as the one below, and completely barren. The only exit opens to a bright-blue sky. Approaching closer to the exit reveals more about the outside world. Without leaving the room, it is apparent that whatever structure you are in is on top of a hill or mountain. The ground outside the structure is mostly rock and dirt, with no visible vegetation. It gently slopes away and out of sight, and in the distance a vast salt pan extends out to the horizon. Dark shapes, probably mountains, loom faintly in the distance, shrouded in atmospheric haze. A faint breeze can be felt as you move closer to the entrance to the structure.

Vilmos does recall anything about the constellations or this room.

[Bobbybobby99]

Marius blinks slightly upon reaching the top, slowly fading back to visibility, before saying, "Well, that wasn't very climactic. I suppose we'll want to know which way the nearest city is... I could, perhaps, use one of my more advanced spells to locate one? Would that be agreeable?"

With a bit of caution, he unwound the thread connecting the glowing jingle bell, and flicked the string such that it briefly passed through the doorway. He then sharply hit the floor with the jingle bell in a whip-like motion, and turned back to his new compatriots.

[Don nadie]

If you sir have the right magic for this, then it is well to use it, says Lyss softly, clearly interested in the world outside this place.

Carefully, she steps out looking at the sun and the landscape. This reminds me when I joine a troupe of acrobats going down the great Falçic river, she says in a whisper. They said there's much one can learn by looking at the sun and the distribution of trees. Also, half of them were eaten by a giant snake. Une tragedie. Lyss sighs. The point is... If we can learn where the north is we may be able to not get as lost.

As she speaks she is calculating, using the tricks she learnt in this short-lived and tragically-ended expedition.


Just so you know, I'm rping weird stories every time I use Inspiration Points :P It's the way I understand the Factotum abilities XD

I spend 2 inspiration points (to be refilled once we rest for 5 minutes or so) to gain a +8 in Survival and Knowledge: Nature. Then I roll both :D I want to see what is familiar in the forest and also to discover where the north is etc.

Survival [roll0]
Nature [roll1]

[Bobbybobby99]

Cautiously walking out with Lyss, Marius almost instinctively reactivates his invisibility, dryly replying to her odd story, "I do, and we can only hope that we do not meet a similar tragedy; of course, the world is better off that the snake ate only the acrobats. One can only wonder how direly the world would end if it had eaten the mimes; it might have gotten the impression that silence was black and white rather than golden, and have begun speaking. In any case, I'll begin casting the involved spell; it takes a deplorable amount of time."

On that note, he invisibly sat down, stuck the glowing needle and jingle bell into the ground so they would know where he was, and promptly took out a single stick of expensive incense, wrapped in unique poetry, lit it, sat it down such that it abruptly became visible, and began quietly chanting.

"Lirr, my lady of light never fading, of poetry, music, and arts unending, I have an inquiry that I must ask, for such is my need that I cannot be brash, as we are lost in a place unknown, and to the city we need roam, so I must ask for once and all, in which direction should our footsteps fall, if we are to make greatest haste to closest city, for we must rest and make much merry, lest we forget in urban life, the artistic sensibility which ends all true strife, or be so foolish as to dilly dally, and become so weary we cannot be canny, in choosing our dance and rote and note, and become the fools of all local bars, which would be a fate most dire indeed, for to have no reputation would prevent our creed, from making its way in new cultural seed, and from new poetics evolving...

Casting Divination, with its ten minute casting time, with the question being, "Which way should we go to most rapidly make our way to the nearest city."

[THEChanger]

Vilmos suppresses a chuckle as Marius casts his spell. "That was...quite something. I don't think I've ever met a priest that recites epic poetry every time they call upon their deity. That common where you're from?"

[Pangaea]

As the party exits the threshold of the structure, an immediate wave of heat comes over them. The increase in temperature is so sharp that it almost seems as if some force is keeping the cooler air inside of the structure. The heat is oppressive, almost like opening a red hot oven. This is clearly a desert climate. The outside of the structure mirrors the inside, four steep and smooth stone walls jut into the air, meeting in a point hundreds of feet up. The top half of a giant diamond sprouting from the earth. The ground is sandy and rocky around the structure, gently sloping down for a few hundred feet, then dropping off sharply. There is no vegetation visible. Looking around at the land beyond, it is apparent that this hill is quite high up. An immediate oddity is apparent as the group exits the structure. A down near where the ground drops off sharply, a wooden pier has been built over a particularly sandy patch of ground. It juts out for a few dozen feet, getting quite high above the ground, and then abruptly stops. It becomes quickly apparent that the surrounding area looks eerily similar to a dried out beach. What looks like a crumbling rowboat lies among the dried out wooden piles supporting the pier.

As Lyss goes about examining the position of the sun and watching shadows, she notices a startling oddity. At first, she assumes she is seeing a sun dog (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_dogs), but no, it is not that. There is a second sun in the sky. It is small, only a fraction of the size of the larger sun, and is only a few degrees away from the larger sun. Something very strange is going on. Applying her survival knowledge best she can, Lyss determines that North is directly toward the shapes that she assumes are mountains, although it is unclear how accurate or meaningful a distinction that is with such strange astronnomical effects going on. The other cardinal directions have no such features, only the same vast salt pan extending to the blank horizon. As she examines the salt planes, she notes an object in the distance, due West. It is impossible to tell what it is at this distance, and the lack of any defining terrain features make size difficult to judge as well. "It is large" is all Lyss can determine.

The answer to Marius' plea comes in the form of a low, rumbling, rhythmic whisper:

"The mount a fire toward the pole, Sojourner
Afar from hearth and home, with haste do fly
Beware the beasts not born of mother earth
But by the hands of man long dead, it is
to his city that you trek..."

The voice trails out into silence.

[Bobbybobby99]

Marius, having finished the exceptionally long epic poem, faded again into visibility and paused several moments take in the words, his mind working over their implications combined with the scenery around them. He slowly, still puzzling over the matter, voiced his internal monologue, "Most people where I'm from just recite pertinent passages from their holy (or unholy) book of choice, but Lirr considers that sort of thing abject apathy. In terms of that spell... that was both cryptic and generous with information. We have what at very least seems to be a former beach, in a desert; a recent beach, if anything is still intact. A second sun could be natural, but given the extra heat... then there is the wording of that result. 'The mount' and 'The pole' indicate that we should go north, seemingly, and the city we seek... is clearly run by an undead of some sort, who has reanimated assorted beasts in our way."

He paused several moments longer, before continuing, "Goodness, what would I do without divination."

[Don nadie]

If that is the result of your divination, I'd say we go towards there, said Lyss pointing at the mountain. Unless je suis extremely wrong, that is the direcsión we are looking for, the north. Though there seems to be something else in that direcsión, west. Something big.... She shakes her head. This is an admittedly odd place, for there is a second soleil hanging in there. It may be one recent addition to this land's sky. The reason for these high temperatures. I wonder if our sudden arrival and this... estructure behind us have somesing to do with it, non?

With shrug, she puts a hand into her haversack and reaches for something. A moment later she is holding a tiny orb in her hand. It is blue and heavily decorated with geometric patterns.

Now, says Lyss, let me see... She tips the top of the orb and instantly the geometric shapes seem to break and rotate, revealing a brilliant orb of blue light within. The orb takes flight and beings to hover a meter over Lyss's head, humming softly. Suddenly, the temperature becomes much more tolerable and the sun is no longer burning the traveller's skins.

The woman smiles. I prepared this with otter temperatures in mind, I was expecting luscious jungles... But it will work, at least until we can prepare some magique for protecting ourselves...

She looks at the mountains and takes a deep breath.

Now... shall we go?

[Pangaea]

If anyone objects to the party moving out, please let me know OOC and we will retcon.
The party descends the formation, the sandy dried-out beach quickly turning into rocky crags, quickly dipping down at steeper and steeper angles. The terrain becomes almost a cliff, that descends several hundred feet down to the salt pan below. The party proceeds carefully, but is able to reach the salt pan without incident. The dark object Lyss had observed on the horizon is no longer visible at this altitude. The temperature here is much hotter than up near the structure, in fact, the effects of the magic keeping the party cool seems to struggle to keep up, and the party becomes slightly uncomfortable in the heat.

The salt pan is mostly flat, but broken in places by ground that waves and dips. Heat can be seen rising slowly, obscuring the horizon in shimmering ripples. Mirages circle the horizon.

The party sets out, the small mountain behind them slowly reseeding into the distance until it is just a small mound on the horizon.

As the party moves over the salt pan, a strange event is noticed. The second sun seems to be moving behind (into?) the large sun. This happens over the course of several hours, but by noon, the second sun has completely disappeared. By late-afternoon, it has reappeared on the opposite side of the larger sun, before both move rapidly toward the horizon. The sky turns a reddish-orange, and a cooler wind begins to pick up over the blistering planes. The looming mountains in the distance do not seem to be any closer than when the party started.

Night will be here soon.

Looks like every party member has the ability to provide food/water for themselves, or doesn't need it, but I was totally about to look up the rules on dehydration/starvation right now :smallbiggrin:

[Don nadie]

This is... odd and disturbing, admits the woman, somewhat amazed at the suns. Do you thing, mes amis, that this second sun is artificial? It must be smaller and closer, at least, to have a faster orbit... Maybe it is this second sun a recent adition that turned the place into a deserte. She smiles a little. At the very least it makes for a very interesting theory, non? Imagine who could create such a sun... Lyss adds shaking her head.

As they prepare to camp, the woman extends a bedroll on the floor. It is quite peculiar, decorated with numerous shimmering runes of blue. The cloth is hanged on a metallic frame which, when Lyss pronounces a small word, begins to hum very softly and makes the bedroll float a few inches off the ground.

C'est my invention, she says proudly to her companions. It takes care of your sleep, helping you feel rested at such great speed you wouldn't believe it! It also smells like rose petals and has non caused burns since I tweaked the abjuration aspects of it... We may share it and take turns, and then get going. Fast and easy. I would have made a fortune off of this..., she says with a slightly bitter smile. If only it wasn't so damm expensive to produce...


With Lyss's fortifying bedroll, two hours of sleep are enough! Buy it at your nearest magical store :)

[Pangaea]

As the sunlight rapidly fades, the party begins taking shifts sleeping. The temperature drops rapidly, and soon a cool wind, likely quite cold but dampened by the magic aura of the orb, picks up, blowing salt and sand into the travelers. The winds die down around midnight, and the night passes uneventfully thereafter. Soon, the entire party is rested and ready to move again. The suns have not yet risen over the horizon when the party breaks camp and sets out again.

A little after midday, when even the magic of the orb has trouble keeping the party comfortable, an object is noticed on the horizon. It is located to the East, and not in the direction of travel for the party. It is hard to tell exactly what it is without getting closer.

As the party spots the object on the horizon, the first sign of life yet seen here is noticed. High above the vast salt flats, a flock of birds can be seen flying to the South, roughly parallel to the party's movement. They are too far away to identify the species of bird. They appear to be moving quite quickly.

A few wispy, long, cirrus clouds streak across the sky.

[THEChanger]

Vilmos watches the birds carefully as they fly off. "Curious. I wouldn't expect birds to be the thing that survives out here. Perhaps they are migrating from somewhere else? Somewhere with water?" His eyes come to rest on the object off to the east. Something tickles the back of Vilmos' neck. "What do you two think? We keep heading north? Or do you want to see what that thing is? Because I have to say I'm mighty curious."

[Don nadie]

We would only be taking one petit detour, so I agree that finding out what this... Object... Is may well be worth it.

[Bobbybobby99]

"Curiosity killed the cat," Marius spoke darkly. "But I suppose taking a moment to look wouldn't hurt too terribly. We'll have to be wary of potential undead."

[Pangaea]

As the party nears the object, it becomes clear what it is, the waves of obscuring heat rising off the ground giving way to the decaying ruins of a sailing ship. Half-embedded in the ground, the ship rises up like the bones of some long-dead creature. The ship sits lopsided in the ground and massive portions of the hull have long since rotted away, leaving wide openings into the ship's interior. The masts rise high above the ground, the sails and flags long since having rotted away. Several of the decks are still intact, but given the advanced state of decay, it is unclear how well they would support the weight of a person. Debris litters the area around the ship, forming large obstacles between the party and the hull.

The party is within several hundred feet of the ship when it becomes apparent that while they were taking the detour, the birds spotted earlier have changed course. The flock is heading straight for the party, and rapidly shedding altitude as it does. The birds are still unidentifiable at the distance they are at, but seem somehow off. The bodies are misshapen and the wings beat with a strange rhythm. Even the formation of the birds seems to be somehow off, they fly in a disorganized mass instead of a classic V formation.

If the party decides to stand and meet the flock, what will their formation be like? Spacing? Side by side or in-line? Feel free to hash it out OOC if needed.