[4e] Adventures in the Planes - IC

[Mando Knight]

Aramil decides quickly that he should save that kind of experimentation for when he isn't already falling to his death. The branch did give him another idea, though... the tree that Senaliesse was built on was practically brimming with magic by necessity, and he was far more skilled at using his lightning to pull things closer to him than to fly. By using magic as a chain, he should be able to anchor himself to the tree, to slow his fall even if not to stop or reverse it by itself.
Arcana - (1d20+27)[38]

[DSCrankshaw]

Lucan - Half-elf bard

"Yaw!" Lucan shouts as he whips into the air. "Hoo!" He shouts as he reaches the height of the branch and is pulled back down. His stomach is still in the air as he reaches the lower extent of the branch again. "Hoo!" And is thrown back up. "Hoo!" And he feels his stomach lurch again. "Eyeww!" By the time the branch stops wobbling, he's feeling rather sick to his stomach, but it looks like both he and Yuri have stopped bouncing. Or at least slowed.

For a moment, they just hang there, panting, wondering if they're going to throw up.

"Now what, comrade?" Yuri asks.

Lucan looks up, at the branch, and Lena hovering by where the rope is tied.

"Well, can you climb a tree?" Lucan asks.

[Orsik Vondal]

Curse my distraction The momentary shock of the eladrin's words resulted in Ash missing his mark. And now they were falling.

Ash tries again to score the tree, but his increased speed made it impossible to get a good grip. This was bad. A small voice somewhere in the darker part of his mind whispered to him, "You could just let the old man go. Then you would be able to save yourself."

"What!?"

"I said: GOOD RIDDANCE!"

"Not you, old man!"

"He has already hindered you by distracting your attention. All you have to do is let go."

"Never!"

"Are you crazy? We are falling to our deaths and you are talking to yourself!" Ash did not realize he had been talking out loud.

"Quiet! Let me think!" The eladrin gives Ash a quizzical look, but remains silent.

"You don't need to save him. He was going to die anyway. If you don't, you will die. And your soul will be mine...forever!"

"You will never claim my soul!"

"That is where you are wrong, little tiefling. No matter what happens, I WIN!"

"Mephistopheles, your power is dwindling. Soon you will have no more power over me than does a flea! Now LEAVE!"

Ash releases his grip on his blade, and it dissolves in the open air. The sword would do him no good now. Ash wraps his arm around the eladrin for extra support, and he begins to beat his wings furiously against the air and gravity. He had never used them to this extent before. He mainly relied on them for bursts of speed in battle, but now he reached into the depths of power where his wings came from. And like recently, it was a warm and radiant place.

The strain shows on Ash's face as he digs deep for the strength to fight gravity. "Come on!" Ash yells through clenched teeth. "Come on! He's not getting my soul! Not today! Come on!"

Spoiler

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Religion to tap into the power of his wings and gain mastery over his flight - (1d20+20)[40]

[Hzurr]

DM Post

As Asheroth bullies his devil lackey into obedience, the Tiefling hops down to a branch below, wings spreading out to slow his fall with the Eladrin in his arms. Unfortunately, as Eladrin goes, this one is a bit on the chubby side, and the branch snaps, sending both of the pair plummeting towards the ground below.

Meanwhile, Aramil (recovered from his earlier up-close-and-personal meeting with the tree), manages to re-align his magic and create a crackling lasso of lightening that lashes around a near-by-branch. With a flick of his wrist, Aramil whips around the massive trees to find firm footing on a massive branch.

Zyrr, glancing down and seeing Asheroth, but not overly concerned since the Tiefling had managed to grow wings, reaches into his bag and pulls out a wide, intricately woven rug. "Let's hope this works as well as that gnome said it would..." Zyrr mutters, before yelling the command word and jumping on the carpet. Fortunately, the carpet floats in the air, as Zyrr realizes that maybe he should have testing this thing before being a few thousand feet in the air. Whirling down, the drow pauses and floats by the dangling bard on a unicorn. "Need a lift?"

As Zyrr speaks, there's a grinding *creak* from above, as the massive construct shudders before the legs give way, and the giant adamantine spider tumbles from it's perch. There's a moment of scrambling as Zyrr flies Lucan and Yuri out of the path, as Eltain guides Frank out of the way, and as Pavick and Aramil hug the treetrunks tight as the spider falls. Asheroth, who had drifted into a slow glide with the Eladrin man in his arms glances up just in time to toss the Eladrin onto a near-by tree as the massive construct strikes him, pinning him underneath as it hurtles towards the ground below.

For Asheroth, the next few minutes seem to last an eternity. He sees his entire life flash before his eyes, particularly the moment where he first made the agreement years ago. As his memories dwell on that moment, he knows what will happen when his body hits the ground. His life will end, and his soul will meet the fate that he signed it to. There's a stab of regret, even as that faint light in the back of his mind continues to glow. It was an odd, ever-present thread that he had been drawing power from lately, but even that glowing strand wouldn't be enough to save him.

He was close enough now that he could see the panicked faces of the drow below as the construct hurtled towards them. Drow, Drider, and demon alike scrambled out of the way, but Ash knew he was moving far too quickly for most to escape unscathed. Even as the ground approaches, a voice echoes in his head, and the smell of saltwater fills his nostrils. "Receive my blessing, and go forth."

High in the trees above, the shockwave from the construct hitting the ground rattles the branches, followed shortly by a blast of dust and rushing wind. It takes a few long minutes to settle, but when the dust finally clears you can see the shapes of hundreds of dead drow below. However, your eyes are drawn to a small shimmering sphere of water enclosing one figure, that looks to have shielded him from the impact of the fall. As the water drops away, two large wings of feathers and light extend from the figure, as it begins the long journey flying up towards you.

----Asheroth--

The world seemed to have exploded even as the blessing of Melora protected your body from harm. Yet even in what you thought were your final moments, there was one instant where that golden thread seemed to glow brighter, and with your (assumed) last breath, you reached for it and finally grasped it.

In what felt like an eternity later, when the walls of water fell and you found yourself in the middle of a wreck, surrounded by the bodies of drow and demon, when you reached out to the fiendish powers granted to you so long ago, you realized they had been replaced by that strange glow. Your sword no longer was made of fire and destruction, but of the brilliant light of creation. Instead of sulfur, you smell clean, green grass when you manifest your powers. On your back, the wings that were once a temporary blessing from your pact with Keezul seem to have been replaced with brilliant wings of radiance.

As the remaining drow begin to move towards you, a few flaps of these new wings carry you up, and a few minutes later you find yourself again with your allies in the trees high above.

-----------------------

It takes Asheroth a few minutes to rise up to the rest of the party, but when he does everyone else notices an immediate change. There's a soft glow around him, and that continual smell of sulfur and brimstone has been replaced with the smell of fresh breezes and open fields. It seems to remind you of the Shepherd, oddly enough.

There's little time for marveling at this transformation, however, as another creak from high above draw your attention to the other construct still ascending the trees, and the Fomorian siege tower approaching Selienesse. Near-by, you spy an opening in one of the tree-trunks, and the long staircase inside. The drow are still approaching the Court of Stars to complete their twisted plans, and time is quickly running out.

[Hzurr]

DM Post

It takes a bit of jumping around from branch to branch, but eventually you're able to find one with the strange moss runes that indicate an opening. Bypassing the door is easy enough (it required thinking of the taste of a strawberry eaten before it was ripe), and you step inside.

Unsurprisingly, the insides of the massive trees of Senaliesse are not entirely bound by rules of logic or physics, and you find yourself stepping into a massive meadow, far larger than should be able to fit inside of a tree. Even though you at least a thousand feet in the air, the ground feels like earth, covered with a soft layer of grass. Scattered throughout the meadow are trees made of shimmering violet glass that twinkle from a light source you can't quite place. Roughly 15 feet above you, the ceiling looks to be made of a similar layer of earth and grass, almost a perfect mirror of the floor. But instead of purple trees, you find there are small round pools perhaps two paces across. Each pool is ringed by brightly colored rocks of either yellow, blue, or pink. The water in each pool ripples slightly as if by a slight breeze, and seems unperturbed that it's upside-down on a ceiling of grass.

From out of one of the glass trees, a dryad shimmers into focus, just as a Naiad pops out of one of the ponds on the ceiling, treading water as she looks down at you (or up at you, depending on which side you choose to be "down").

The dryad and naiad smile at you, and begin speaking in unison.

"Rest now, petitioner, your quest is near done,
your journey complete, and your audience won.
Now there is just one final choice you must make
Each leads to your prize but your life is at stake.

Chose now a pool to continue ascent,
the decision before you you can't circumvent.
Through blue rings you'll challenge the strength of your mind
though wonder and chaos won't be far behind

Through yellow you must test the strength of your blade
But alone you will face it, without allies aid.
Through purple is a land of both nightmares and dreams
where even your friend may not be what he seems"

The pair smile, then disappear back into the trees and pond, leaving you in silence.

History DC 25

Spoiler

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There is a legend of a series of trials that mortals seeking audience with the court of stars must endure; created by Queen Mab before she joined the Unseelie Court. "The field of glass trees and pools above" was the entrance to the final trials, but the songs are unclear about what those trials are. To the best of your knowledge, no mortal has attempted to undergo the trials in well over twelve centuries, most simply send a petition directly to the Summer Court requesting an audience or find a fey sponsor, given how few mortals survived the trials. There are also stories that creation of the trials was actually Queen Mab's "audition" to be admitted into the Unseelie Court, proving her capacity to torment mortals.

Zyrr pauses a moment, mouthing the words, before looking up at the pond, then back at the trees, before leaning over to look at the room as if the ceiling were the ground. He turns to the rest of the party. "You know, sometimes I really hate the feywild."

[Hzurr]

DM Post

OOC: Based on Mando Knight's History check in the OOC thread...

As the party stands there slightly stunned by the strange events before them, Aramil's mind jumps back to some of the dinners he had as a child, where the bards told stories to entertain fey nobles. One such story, the Balad of Veldurthi, told of a human woman who approached the Summer Queen to ask for a curse on her betrothed to be lifted.

"After braving the wrath of the clockwork dragon, Veldurthi dove into blue the blue pool above. There she was tested and her quick wit prevailed, but in the end she too risked the waves of chance."

The details of the story are still vague, but Aramil does know that whatever Veldurthi did, it was a balance of both her intelect and luck. Her wits alone couldn't save her, but it help her guide her down the more wild currents of chaos.

[dariathalon]

Pavick - Gnome Wizard

Pavick sits down in the lush field, and plucks a single long blade of grass which he proceeds to tie into a knot and then untie repeatedly as he buries himself deep in thought. He considers what Aramil has remembered about Queen Mab's role in the creation of this test. He tries to use anything he knows about her to consider any loopholes that she might have left.

Spoiler

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I may as well try a History check - (1d20+25)[29] to see if Pavick can remember anything useful about Queen Mab that might help. Any puzzle (or trap) is in many ways a reflection of its maker.

After sitting for a few minutes deep in thought, Pavick stands back up, brushing himself off. He pulls out the flute that he always keeps tucked in his belt and begins playing a jaunty tune. The tune is so energetic and playful that he can't help but dance to his own playing.

At the conclusion to his song, he speaks in a loud voice. "Guardians of this place, fair naiad and dryad, consider that song a gift to you. I hope that you enjoyed it. However, I must also ask you a favor of great importance. I don't know how much you know of the feywild outside of this tiny pocket, but it is in danger. Perhaps the gravest danger since the dawn of the plane. The last Court of Stars ended in tragedy; the mighty houses are at war. And while they battle amongst themselves, the drow have taken advantage of the situation to launch an attack. A giant spider construct climbs into the branches of this tree as we speak. We must reach the top before they do to have any chance to fight off the threat they bring. So I beg you, please help us. If there is anything you can do or even advice you might have to help us overcome this challenge, we would greatly appreciate it. The fate of the feywild could rest on you."

Spoiler

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And I guess we'll throw in a Diplomacy check - (1d20+22)[25] to see if we can get any help.

[Orsik Vondal]

Ash folds his crimson wings behind him and holds his chin in one hand. When Aramil recounts the tale of Veldirthi, his ears perk up at the mention of the clockwork dragon. That is useful to know

He strides forward through the meadow and breathes in the scent. It vaguely reminds him of something from a life not entirely his own. "If only The Shepherd were here, he would know what to do. But since he is not it is up to us. Queen Mab is a tricky one, for sure, but we cannot fail in this. Queen Tiandra is counting on us to rescue her. Nay, the entire Feywild is counting on us! Please, good nymphs, was there no advice you gave to Veldurthi? Nothing that might aid us as well in saving Senaliesse and the Court of Stars? Even now the drow are ascending to the canopy to desecrate the great city above. Help us, please."

Ash reaches out a hand toward the dryad and naiad both. He takes their hands and touches them each to his lips then forehead one after the other. Meeting their eyes in turn, searching their faces, pleading with them silently, Ash drops their hands and waits. Hoping his words and those of Pavick would convey the urgency of the situation.

Spoiler

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Diplomacy (1d20+29)[48]
Insight to notice any facial tells as to whether they actually did give any advice before (1d20+24)[32]

[DSCrankshaw]

Lucan - Half-elf Bard

Once the party is gathered, Lucan shares his healing with anyone who needs it, then plays his music while the party catches their breath. The music helps everyone to feel better rested.

He then follows the others into the odd meadow, and listens as they debate which one to take. "I suspect that the blue one is best suited to us. We have some very clever people among us."

Spoiler

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Lucan spends a healing surge, which should bring him up to full, and directs healing to any two PCs who want it.

[Hzurr]

DM Post

The Dryad and Naiad, who had briefly re-appeared when Pavick began speaking, exchange looks with one another. "Drow?" The Naiad bubbles. "War?" the Dryad whispers.

At which point, they both nearly double over laughing. "A valliant effort, trickster, but we shall not be swayed." She reaches over and pinches Pavick on the cheek, and the Naiad looks at Asheroth bemused. "The Court of Stars a tragedy? It was barely a month ago that Sarula Iliene ascended to the court, and while the party was fairly dull I'd hardly call it a tragedy."

The pair giggle again, before returning to their respective pond and tree.

Lucan, Eltain, and Aramil all know that the ascention of Sarula Iliene (most commonly known as the Nixie Queen) was nearly 5,000 years ago.

[Mando Knight]

Aramil motions the others to come closer. "Perhaps we should hurry... if they say what they think is true, then this is one of the places in the Feywild where time does not necessarily behave to our advantage."

[Nai_Calus]

Eltain frowns and thinks.

"Guardians, I would speak to you." He waits for the pair to reappear. "A month ago? No, that was over five thousand years ago. You know well that time runs strangely in the Feywild, and not always the same. Here, perhaps, it was so, but outside in the greater world it's been millennia." He makes eye contact with each of them, making sure they both note the tattoo on his face, the holy mule that follows him about the garden.

"What my companions say is true. Even as we speak, Formorian siege engines assail Sennaliese and foul Drow constructs climb its trees as an army of drow and formorians await the coming slaughter. Tiandra is defenseless, frozen by the Prince of Frost at the close of the last Court of Stars. She cannot protect Sennaliese and if the Drow get hold of her it will be disastrous. We must protect her from this and get her away so we can free her." He sighs.

"You doubt the words of a gnome and a non-fey, but they do not lie, and neither do I and Aramil here. Nor do we have reason to. I am a Paladin of Corellon, one of His Champions and a high priest of the faith. Aramil here is a Shiradi Champion, sworn to the defense of the Fey and to Tiandra. We will undertake these trials if we must, but our time is short and our need great. If you cannot help us bypass them, please, at least give us advice that we may increase our chance of success." He looks at them both sternly and imploringly.

Spoiler

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For the lulz:
Diplomacy: (1d20+25)[37]

[Hzurr]

DM Post

The pair again emerge out of their respective tree and pond, and exchange worried glances. The Naiad breaks the silence first. "Tiandra frozen? No, this is clearly trickery. Queen Mab warned us of mortals who would attempt to deceive us, and had something happened to the Head of her own Court, Queen Mab would have told us." She scowls at you, and dives back into the pool.

The Dryad, however, lingers a moment, studying both Eltain's face, and something that she seems to see above Aramil's head. She starts to turn back, but hesitates. "We...we are sworn not to aid mortals in their journey. Can you prove what you say is true?"

[dariathalon]

Pavick - Gnome Wizard

Pavick's shoulders slump slightly at Eltain's comment about how the nymphs might not accept the word of a gnome. He'd thought that they were long beginning to get past those racial prejudices. A small part of him knew that Eltain would never have meant it to be a bash against his people, but it was still a reminder of the attitudes some fey carried. An even smaller part of himself was hurt because he knew for himself, it was a little too often true.

Pavick straightened his shoulders at the dryad's question. "Are you not capable of looking beyond this pocket for yourself. If you can just take a look outside, our words will be quickly verified. If you cannot do that then I have a ritual or two that might prove our veracity. Would a scrying done to show you the drow at the base of the tree be enough or Queen Tiandra encased in the Prince of Frost's ice? Or would you prefer an oracle be summoned to answer a few questions on the state of the feywild and Queen Tiandra. Perhaps I could play a chorus of truth as one of my friends recounts the story to you again. The magic of the song would make any lies ring dissonant and be easily identified. What proof will you accept?"

Spoiler

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I wish I would have thought to look over my too-long ritual list. My last post would have been a perfect opportunity to use Tune of Merriment.

[Hzurr]

DM Post

The Dryad gives Pavick a slightly sad look. "I cannot leave this place until my bargain has been met." She pauses for a moment, as if reflecting on something, before nodding. "Yes, a scrying would suffice." She comes over to Pavick, and drops to one knee. "Show me."

[dariathalon]

Pavick - Gnome Wizard

Pavick sets down his pack and digs around inside pulling out several supplies for the casting as he says, "Hopefully Queen Mab hasn't blocked outward divinations somehow. I don't see why she would, but she is a tricky one. I think I'll show you the drow below since that scene would be less likely to be protected from scrying."

Once he has several bottles and pouches of components laid out before him, Pavick quickly runs through the steps of the ritual one more time in his head. "Oh, wait, problem. I wasn't thinking about the time required. Usually I have all the time in the world, but we're on a bit of a time crunch here. This ritual will take an hour. What do you think?" He addresses the question to the entire group. "If time truly flows differently here we might, or just as easily might not be dooming ourselves to failure. Should I try it?"

[Orsik Vondal]

"Show them. They need to see the truth. Then they might be able to warn the other nymphs in the Feywild."

Spoiler

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Divination is Religion, right? I'll aid Package if he needs it. Religion (1d20+20)[23]

[Mando Knight]

"I think it's definitely risky, but we also don't know how long it will take us to proceed through the trials, either. We could spend an hour here, then end up finding the Prince of Frost crucified next to an altar to Lolth made from his mother's frozen form, or spend a month and find ourselves walking into the Court of Stars in time to see ourselves battle the Winter Witch."

[Nai_Calus]

Eltain snorts. "I wouldn't mind that last one much. I wasn't able to be there... Petty though it may be, I regret to this day that I couldn't be part of bringing her down. If it hadn't been for her, then maybe my mother wouldn't have-" He cuts off, shaking his head. There was no sense in regrets, and thinking of it only filled him with anger that would be of no help here. He sighs.

"We don't have much choice, and Aramil is right. An hour might be too late, but the trials may well take much longer without aid..." He shakes his head. "There are no options here that aren't bad."

[dariathalon]

Pavick - Gnome Wizard

Pavick sighs heavily, still feeling completely unsure if he's doing the right thing, but knowing he had the support of his companions made it a little easier. He set to work slowly and precisely working through the divination, checking his spell book after every few steps to make sure he got the ritual precisely right.

At the conclusion of the ritual, Pavick created an image that he had seen very recently. The sensor was placed just over the edge of the feyhawk's nest surveying the fields of drow warriors below. He quickly swivelled the view around to show the second spider construct climbing up the tree above the next.

Spoiler

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Pavick uses the View Location ritual. It is actually an Arcana check if Ash or anyone else wishes to assist. Here is a Arcana check - (1d20+32)[43] (this does not include any bonus for assistance).

Edit: Actually Pavick rolled high enough to get the maximum possible duration on his own so it will last 5 rounds.

[Hzurr]

DM Post

The dryad watches closely as Pavick casts the spell, occasionally peering over his shoulder at the spellbook to verify that what was being cast was indeed correct.

As Pavick spreads the components for the ritual on the ground, it's clear that the dryad is getting nervous. The small flowers and plants that appeared every-time she steps fail to bloom fully, and those that do don't have the same radiance that they did when you first arrived.

When the spell finishes, the dryad leans over, and peers through the scrying sensor. Her eyes widen, and her bark-like skin takes on a dully, ashy tone. "Oh no...no no no..." she mutters under her breath as she sees the fires and destruction across the feywild, and the pillaging drow armies below.

The dryad shudders, and drops to the ground, clutching her knees and rocking slightly, openly sobbing. It's several minutes before you can get her to respond with anything other than open wailing that seems to make this strange magical field feel disturbingly empty.

After a while, the Naiad pokes her head out from one of the pools, and comes down to put an arm over her weeping sister. She glances at the pools above, then looks to Pavick.

"All lead somewhere different. I do not know what lays beyond each, but I can tell you some."

She glances up at one of the blue pools. "Through that is the watcher of the woods. You'll be presented with a number of choices. Sometimes doors, sometimes maidens, once I heard of goblets of ere-changing drinks. One will lead you to your goal, the rest are...unpredictable. Some are harmless and amusing, some are deadly. The watcher will answer three questions, yes or no, then you must make your choice. Most waste their questions just trying to understand the challenge."

Glancing at one of the yellow portal, she winces as if in pain, and shakes her head. "No, not that one. No one returns from there. Let me think...ah, that one." She points to a yellow pool on the far end. "Some have had luck there. Each of you must face a test alone. It may be battling a monster, protecting a valuable treasure, finding you way through a maze. But whatever you do in one affects your allies in another, for good or for ill. Only one of you will be free of the test, and he is the only one who can communicate with the others."

She looks to the purple pools. There are far fewer of these than there are yellow or blue, and eventually, her eyes settle on one. "Through that door you must face the might-have-beens. Versions of yourself and your friends as they may have turned out, had something gone differently. Some are unable to face the horror of the depths of depravity they were capable of, some are unable to face the glorious potential they never achieved." She stops, as if talking to herself. "For some it's simple to pass by, for others there is nothing more terrifying than the version of you that might have been. Some never bring themselves to leave that place, unable to face the consequences of their choices."

[dariathalon]

Pavick - Gnome Wizard

Once the image has disappeared, Pavick places his hands on the dryad's, in his best attempt to comfort her. "I'm sorry," he says. "I wish it weren't so. We are doing our best to stop this conflict. Once the land has been cleansed, healing will begin. The feywild is a resilient plane, it will grow back."

He then looks up to address the naiad. "Thank you for this information. You've done a great service to the people of this plane."

Pavick begins tucking away his components, carefully sealing bottles and tying off tiny pouches with bits of string. As he does so, he speaks to his companions. "Well, I think we've got our best chances with either the blue pool or the purple pool. If we can convince this watcher of the woods of the threat to the feywild, we might be able to get him to point us in the right direction. Even if not, our wits will probably serve us well. And I think we've proven a number of times that we are willing to face any difficulties to do the right thing. It may be difficult for some of us, but I have faith that we can overcome it." As he finishes packing up he brushes off his hands and slings his pack back over his shoulder. "The yellow pool just seems too risky to me. We know the least about the challenges we'll be facing there, and I think our best hope is to stick together so we can support each other through whatever we have to endure. So what do the rest of you think?"

[Orsik Vondal]

"Though I would not mind traversing the strands of Fate, that seems like the easy way out of my entire situation. And taking the easy way is what brought me here in the first place--to this specific predicament. Becoming a warlock because I wanted a quick and easy way to power. That is where my journey started. I honestly cannot tell you what I am now, so much has changed in me since...well...since I died." He rubs his forehead, and his crimson wings twitch involuntarily.

"I don't even know how this happened", Ash says thrusting a thumb at his feathery additions, "but knowing what could have happened had I not turned away from the dark path I was on or had I not even made that pact so long ago would be good for me to see. The former to keep me from reverting to my former ways, and the latter to give me a goal I might strive for."

He turns to the others. "Though it may seem like we won't have the support of each other in there", indicating the purple pool, "that will only matter if we do not trust in each other. No illusion, no matter how strong, can easily break the bond of trust and faith."

[Nai_Calus]

Eltain comforts the weeping Dryad.

"I won't let them destroy our home. I'll do my best to stop this. Thank you." He turns to the others.

"I agree with Pavick that the blue or purple sound best. I must admit, I'm rather curious about the purple one. I don't fear what might have been for me, but it would be interesting to see..."

[Hzurr]

ooc: posting an update here that the forums are back up in case some people don't have notifications up on the ooc thread

[Orsik Vondal]

Sensing the group's apprehension and hesitation, Ash strides over to the blue pool and peers up at it. He begins to reach a hand out toward the water, but recalls it as his eyes glance over to the purple pool. In a last second decision, he rushes over to the other pool and thrusts his hand deep into its waters. "Forgive me, friends, but I must see this." Then everything goes black.

[dariathalon]

Pavick - Gnome Wizard

Pavick hadn't been nervous about going through the purple pool when it was initally described. He knew who he was, and was happy with the decisions he'd made in his life. It shouldn't be difficult to face that fact.

But once the decision had been made, and Ash was sinking below the surface of the water, he had a sudden pang of worry. Pavick took a sidestep to Eltain, and tugged on the paladin's arm, drawing him down to ear level.

He speaks in hushed tones. "You know, a few short months ago, I'd be very worried about you going through there. Now you're so sure of yourself and your role in Corellon's plan that there can't be anything through there that will shake that. I find that I'm the one needs comfort. When we stood in Arvandor before the three gods, it was not my own god Corellon who blessed me, but Sehanine. I have nothing against her, but it leaves me wondering have I really strayed too far from Corellon's path? Please, if you have any comforting words for a follower, I could certainly use them before I face what is to come."

[Mando Knight]

"That damned fool of a Tiefling..." Aramil shakes his head. "Come on, he's probably going to need our help, whether or not any of us will be able to recognize it in there.

[DSCrankshaw]

Lucan - Half-elf Bard

Lucan follows after Ash with a bit of trepidation. He didn't really want to face the possibility of what Ash might become. And he wasn't entirely certain that he wanted to face himself. "I'm not afraid of dragons," he tells himself. He's not entirely convinced, but he reaches for the pool anyway.

[Hzurr]

DM Post

Stepping through the purple pool, everything goes white as time seems to stretch and extend. It feels almost like your trip back through the pheasant gate so long ago, where every fiber of your body is slowly pulled like taffy.

As you suddenly snap back to your normal time, it takes a moment for your vision to clear. Blinking, you look around and find yourselves back in the city of Fallcrest. It's early evening in the middle of winter, and a light snow seems to be falling around you. The lights from shop windows illuminate the street in a soft, orange glow, and the residents of Fallcrest seem to be moving up and down the street, carrying on business as normal.

As you gather yourselves, you notice that Pavick has gone almost transparent. He looks like an afterimage from when you stare at the sun for too long, yet doesn't fade away.

Pavick, you feel...faint, yet completely yourself. As far as you can tell, everyone else looks solid and normal, but looking down at your own hands you realize you can see through them with ease. There's a slight tugging, almost as if a wire was attached to the inside of your chest, pulling you gently towards a nearby shop.

From that shop, a wonderful smell fills everyone's nostrils. The scent of freshly baked muffins draw your attention to the doorway, where a dark-skinned halfling woman with curly hair waits. "Well? Are you coming in, or do you plan on sniffing all day?" she says with a laugh, and motions you in.

The halfling is attractive enough, but for Pavick (who'd never really considered himself a halfling type of guy), she is one of the single most stunningly beautiful creatures he's ever seen.

Following the halfling inside the shop, you're surprised to see Pavick standing on the other side of the counter, wearing a baker's hat and apron. "Good evening to you! Welcome to the new branch of the Roslow bakery. I'm the head cook, what can I get for you this beautiful evening?" he asks with a smile. He doesn't seem to recognize the faded after-image Pavick standing there, but looks to the rest of you with a blank look of no recognition.

The halfling woman steps behind the counter, gives the baking Pavick a kiss on the cheek, and seeing her in profile you now recognize that she is several months pregnant. The baker Pavick gives her a warm and familiar smile back, and on his hand you notice a knotted bracelet, worn by married gnomes.

As you pause to assess the situation, the baker Pavick starts talking as he adjusts a tray of rolls. "You're not from around here, right? It's been a while since we've had many visitors in Fallcrest, not since that nasty business with the Rex's and the poisoned wells." He tsks softly. "Nasty Business indeed. Lost almost a tenth of the town to that one. I hear that the old Lord Rex hired some heroes to try and put a stop to it, but they all died in the catacombs beneath the city."

He waves a hand dismissively. "Sorry, I tend to babble on sometimes when I'm not thinking. So, what can I get you fine folks?" He gives a wide smile.

Pavick (the transparent one), can still feel that slight tugging, pulling him towards his duplicate.