| Current Turn? | No |  | Subject: | Search for the Pooping Toad |
| Campaign: | Spelljammer | | Turn Start Date: | 4/25/606 |
| Adventure: | Citadel of Fire | | Turn End Date: | 4/25/606 |
| Adventure Number: | 6 | | Characters: | Barnas, KC , Martin Vane, Morty Crystaltouched, Pellanistra Xarann, Shaarilla, Syllivarrna Obanghall, Tyra Stellastrom |
| Turn Number: | 3.7 | | Send To: | bluemountain@championsoftheempire.com; mghaught@gmail.com |
| Greyhawk Campaign? | No | | Combat Turn? | No |
| Name | Lethal | NL | Current | END | PROT | LOW | DEF | ROF | Flash | Heal | Luck Pts | Fate Pts | |
| Barnas | 6 | 0 | 45/51 | /0 | 5 | 0 | 31 | 0 | /0 | 1/day | 2/2 | 1/1 | |
| KC | 16 | 13 | 14/43 | /0 | 3 | 0 | 36 | 2 | /0 | 1/day | 1/1 | /0 | |
| Martin Vane | 20 | 8 | 22/50 | /0 | 9 | 2 | 40 | 8 | /0 | 1/day | 2/2 | 1/1 | |
| Morty Crystaltouched | 12 | 13 | 21/46 | /0 | 5 | 0 | 49 | 0 | 1/1 | 1/day | 1/2 | 1/1 | |
| Pellanistra Xarann | 27 | 10 | 18/55 | 8/8 | 4 | 0 | 60 | 10 | /0 | 1/day | 1/1 | /0 | |
| Shaarilla | 6 | 0 | 27/33 | /0 | 4 | 0 | 24 | 0 | 1/1 | 1/day | 2/2 | 1/1 | |
| Syllivarrna Obanghall | 26 | 0 | 36/62 | /0 | 5 | 1 | 45 | 8 | /0 | 1/day | 1/1 | /0 | |
| Tyra Stellastrom | 29 | 3 | 44/76 | 6/6 | 7 | 1 | 63 | 12 | /0 | 2/day | 1/1 | /0 | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Mage/Psioncist Name | Psionic Pts | Spell Pts | Spell Pool | Miscellaneous Information |
| KC | / | 0/7 | 9/9 | |
| Martin Vane | / | 9/9 | 7/7 | |
| Morty Crystaltouched | / | 3/9 | 9/9 | |
| Shaarilla | / | 2/17 | 3/23 | |
| Syllivarrna Obanghall | / | 9/9 | 12/12 | |
| | | | |
| Barnas | Cleric Pool (6/11) |
| KC | |
| Martin Vane | |
| Morty Crystaltouched | Spell Store (Shadow Magic) |
| Pellanistra Xarann | |
| Shaarilla | |
| Syllivarrna Obanghall | |
| Tyra Stellastrom | |
|
Everyone in the group is wounded but no one is badly so. The spiral staircase is dark and so the group proceeds by the light of Lani's flaming sword in the front with Tyra, and Barnas with his lantern in the middle of the group. The staircase loops around many times before it finally comes to an end. The group estimates that they have descended over 100 feet.
Standing on the bottom step of the spiral stair, Tyra and Lani look about the room by the light of the flaming sword. In each corner are large statues depicting long dead kings. A passage leads out of the middle of each of the 30 foot walls. The staircase itself rises out of a 20 foot diameter pool of water. A wooden platform is set into the pool to allow those coming down the stair to cross the water without getting wet. A stream of water comes out of the southern passage and feeds into the pool. Presumably there is some sort of egress for the water below the surface that prevents the pool from overflowing into the room.
Tyra describes what they see and asks Morty to come down and investigate the platform. It is easy to envision some sort of trap where the platform will tip or descend, depositing those who use it into the water. However Morty detects no such trap and so Lani steps onto the platform, crosses it and steps onto the floor of the room. The rest of the group follows.
SHAARILLA: “Does anyone know which way is south? If not, how about we try the passage with the waterway? Toads like water don’t they?”
SHAARILLA (OOC): Shaarilla isn’t really clear on the distinction between toads and frogs.
KC: Do any of the statues have inscriptions on them?
GM: Yes there are inscriptions in what is likely a long dead language. The statues look very old.
GM: So far I hear one vote to follow the water upstream but will wait until others have had a chance to weigh in.
SHAARILLA: Shaarila will take a close look at the statues, especially the faces and inscriptions. They don’t mean anything to her now, but maybe she’ll see them again someday.
SHAARILLA (OOC): Just role playing the acquisition of a tidbit for Every lore.
GM: I like it :)
After some debate, the group decides to head down the passage with the water running down the center in a two foot deep by 1 foot wide channel. The group walks two by two on either side of the channel. They hope that this direction is south as that was the direction that Barnas' Augury indicated they should go.
After about 50 feet, the passage turns right and then tees. The passage with the water channel turns left, which is hopefully south while another passage, this one with no water channel, continues straight for another 30 feet or so and then turns left as well. The group decides to stick with the water passage and turns left at the first turn continuing to follow the channel upstream. They follow the passage for 150 feet or so and come to a four way intersection. The water channel continues straight while two other passages lead off to the right and left. After another 50 feet or so, the water channel ends in a curtain of white mist. The water seems to flow out of the curtain.
Looking into the curtain is like looking into a blizzard of snow and wind. Even when Lani puts her hand close to the curtain, she can feel the cold.
GM: Let me know what you want to do. If you want to step into the curtain, let me know what precautions you are going to take, if any. The "curtain" does not really appear as a thin curtain. It looks like it has depth. It is like looking into whiteout conditions so you can only see a few feet so maybe it is a curtain that is only a few feet in depth.
SHAARILLA: Shaarilla moves up to investigate the curtain of mist, since she’s used to the cool temperatures of the Phlogiston. She’ll repeat Lani’s action of holding her hand near the curtain to see how cold it is. She comments, “Maybe this is a barrier to keep toads from following the stream."
GM: It definitely feels cold.
KC: "Well it looks like we went south. With the Augury - "No.....Down the whorled way and south to the pooping toad through the curtain of winter". I think that this must be the curtain of winter and the pooping toad is on the other side of this curtain."
SHAARILLA: “It certainly feels like a curtain of winter to me."
TYRA: "It does seem that we're on the right path. Given its name, I'd guess we'll be exposed to harsh cold. The question is how bad will it be and how deep is this curtain? Do we have any protection against extreme cold? Barnas, you have a ring that will help you, right? Any spells or prayers that can aid us here?"
SYL (GM): Starlife mentions air for breathing in the vacuum of the Phlogistron but it doesn't mention the cold. Can I assume that was an oversight and Starlife will also protect from the cold of Absolute Zero??
GM: Good question for clarification but nope, no oversight. The temperature of the Phlogiston is nowhere close to absolute zero. It is generally in the neighborhood of 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Also, most of the Phlogiston contains breathable air. There are exceptions where there is no air and the temperature is colder, but generally nowhere close to absolute zero. So Starlife will allow you to breathe in those null areas but you must provide separate means for staying warm.
SHAARILLA (OOC): The question is if it is cold enough to cause damage, or if it would require prolonged exposure to cause problems.
GM: Being close to the curtain is not enough to cause damage. Shaarilla is not sure what the temperature is like inside the curtain but it certainly looks cold. If it is truly a curtain, then someone should be able to step right through and exposure would be so brief as to cause no damage regardless of how cold it was (baring extremes, of course). But looking into the curtain, it certainly looks like it has a depth of at least 3 feet and possibly more.
SHAARILLA (OOC): Sounds having someone resistant to cold scouting it out could be very helpful. If we know the way is clear and that there are no obstacles on the other side, others can run through minimizing their exposure to the cold.
SHAARILLA: Shaarilla volunteers to investigate how thick the curtain is and take a peek at the other side, explaining that she has a Cold Resistance talent to increase cold tolerance even further.
GM: As I recall, Shaarilla does not wear a lot of clothing, relying instead on her Cold Endurance (rank 3) and her Cold Resistance (rank 5) to keep warm, is that correct?
SHAARILLA (OOC): That is correct. Mostly she Jess uses her Cold Endurance, which I calculated to be sufficient to handle the temperature of the Phlogiston between ships as long as she’s active. Cold Resistance only lasts minutes, so she has yet to use it. Although this appears to be the perfect opportunity to do so.
GM: Since, as Tyra pointed out, Barnas has a Ring of Warmth, do you want to have Barnas and Shaarilla enter together, or one right after the other? Another option is to have a good melee combatant go as well just in case of danger. Let me know. If I don't hear anything more, I will assume that Shaarilla enters by herself to scout it out and return to let everyone know what she learned.
MORTY: "Barnas, can you not pray for an Aura of Comfort spell? Other than that it would appear that we have no significant magical protection against the cold, even Shaarilla's Cold Resistance talent as an Air Mage is meant to prevent instant cold attacks more than long term exposure. I think it is unlikely that the curtain of winter is tremendously dangerous as the Augury encouraged us to get through it, but that doesn't mean it doesn't lead to a wintry place, possibly for a bit longer than most of us are prepared to endure. I would suggest Shaarilla prepare an Ice Construction spell in her spell wand just in case we need it to make a shelter in a hurry, everyone bundle up in whatever layers of extra clothing and/or blankets we have, and just hurry through. I think it might be a risk to try scouting it by yourself as we cannot be certain this will not transport you to another location with no way to return and report your findings. Thoth would not have sent us to sheer suicide, so it is survivable, let's just prepare the best we can and get moving and stay warm the best we can.
TYRA (OOC): I had in my memory that we discussed how best to survive the cold of the Phlogiston and I thought we bought some warmer clothing but I haven't had time to scour old turns to confirm. My character sheet does not include any equipment of that type either.
TYRA: "I'm willing to go through as well. Like Shaarilla, I have some modest resistance to colder temperatures. If there's a physical threat, I'd prefer to be there to guard against it."
SHAARILLA: “I certainly wouldn’t mind having someone else with me. Once we scout out how thick it is and confirm that they aren’t any obstacles, everyone else can just run though to minimize the exposure to the cold."
KC: "since we all have to go through anyways. Maybe the first group goes through and the at a set time after that the rest go through. That way if it turns out to only be one way; the group will not wait to long before following through."
BARNAS: The young cleric was busy documenting the path and experiences when he is addressed.
BARNAS: "I do have the ring of warmth that should protect me. And I can pray for an Aura of Comfort to protect someone else from temperatures or at least reduce the impact. As for the Augry yes it means this is the safest or best path, but that is not the same as totally safe or without any danger. Caution and due diligence is still advisable."
BARNAS: "I am willing to scout. Once we know how thick it is and what is on the other side we can figure out the best way to get those without protection or minimal protection through."
SHAARILLA: “I can also share my Cold Resistance talent with others, though I’m running low on spell points."
Shaarilla spends 2 of her remaining 4 spell points to use her Cold Resistance talent on herself and Tyra. Barnas does not need it due to his ring of warmth. Additionally, Tyra and Shaarilla bundle up as best as they can against the cold. Then Tyra enters the curtain. Shaarilla follows right behind followed by Barnas. The rest of the group watches them enter. Tyra is almost out of sight by the time Shaarilla enters even though she is right behind Tyra. Similarly, Shaarilla is barely visible when Barnas enters.
GM: I need Luck rolls from Tyra, Shaarilla and Barnas. Additionally, I need a percentile die roll (you want low) from both Tyra and Shaarilla.
GM: In accordance with KC's suggestion, my assumption is that the rest of the group will wait 2 minutes (12 rounds) and then proceed through if they have not heard from Tyra, Shaarilla or Barnas by then. Let me know if you want the delay to be longer or shorter.
SHAARILLA: Luck [rolled 14 vs. LUCK 19, 1x roll] percentile [rolled 85]
TYRA (GM): Not sure if it's too late to back up and adjust but I had the idea that we should either use some rope to keep us connected or at least have each connect by holding on to the person in front of them's shoulder.
TYRA: Luck: [rolled 11 vs. LUCK 18, 1x roll], Percentile: [rolled 1]
BARNAS: Luck Roll [rolled 31 vs. LUCK 20, 2x roll]
The gusting winds knocks you sideways as you enter the howling blizzard. Tyra leads the way through it, trying to maintain a straight course. Shaarilla is behind her but loses sight of Tyra almost immediately. The whiteout conditions and howling winds combine to push her this way and that as she moves forward. Barnas follows behind but quickly loses sight of Shaarilla in the blinding snowstorm.
And then Tyra is through. The cold was intense but the journey was swift enough that even her extremities barely had time to register the cold. And the fact that she was bundled up helped. Tyra steps forward on the cobbled pathway in what appears to be a massive cavern with some buildings up ahead. A man is standing a few feet away and looks surprised at Tyra's sudden appearance. He is not wearing armor or carrying a weapon or shield and his clothing clearly marks him as someone from lands beyond Tyra's knowledge. He is dressed in a long, dark coat that goes past his knees, and a hat. He is wearing black boots under long pants. All of his clothing looks very well made and durable.
A couple of seconds later, Shaarilla stumbles out of the curtain of winter. She too is unharmed by her experience.
The next person through the curtain however, is not Barnas. It is a young woman wearing a well made dress that is mostly hidden under a long coat of light brown. She is wearing long boots and no apparent weapons or armor. She looks surprised to see Tyra and Shaarilla but then the man addresses her in a strange language and she moves over to him. She is shivering with cold. They talk in the same language while continuing to watch the curtain of winter.
Over then next minute, three more people emerge. The next is another man dressed differently than the first man but in a style that is clearly of the same culture. Then Barnas finally appears. He too felt the cold but the Ring of Warmth protected him from any ill effects of the winter storm. He tells Tyra and Shaarilla that he lost sight of them almost immediately and ended up wandering around a bit before he finally found the opposite exit.
As Barnas talks to Tyra and Shaarilla, a final man emerges from the curtain and joins the other two men and the woman. They speak while looking around and then finally the first man shrugs and points to the closest building and they head towards it, following a cobbled path that leads from the curtain. There is a man standing outside the doorway to the building.
GM: It has been about a minute since Tyra entered the curtain so my assumption is that the rest of the group is going to wait another minute before entering. In the meantime, per Morty's suggestion, everyone is bundling up as best as they can. Let me know if Tyra, Shaarilla or Barnas are going to go back through to let the rest of the group know what to expect.
SHAARILLA: “Well I should head back and tell the others the winter curtain is fairly thick, and easy to get lost in, but not too hard to traverse before the cold causes problems.”
SHAARILLA (OOC): Not having her actually dash back since I assume that Tyra or Barnas will want to say something before she does.
TYRA: "Yeah, one of us should head back. I'd be happy to but maybe I should stay here in case a threat appears."
TYRA (GM): How well does either Tyra feel she can retrace our way here?
GM: It seemed fairly simple. You just kept plodding straight ahead from one curtain to the other.
BARNAS: "I can go... My protection does not have a time limit and I have some protection I can offer others."
SHAARILLA: Although Shaarilla didn’t have any problem with the short exposure to cold, she did have problems with the strong winds that threatened to blow away her light frame. “I think you should suggest that they hold hands or something so they don’t get lost. I was surprised to see how many people were in there with us without us having a clue."
TYRA: Tyra nods and wishes Barnas good luck heading back. Turning to Shaarilla, the young warrior asks, "Did you catch any of the conversation from those other people? I didn't recognize the language or their dress."
Barnas returns to the Curtain of Winter and walks through.
GM: I need a Luck roll for Barnas.
BARNAS: Luck Roll [rolled 42 vs. LUCK 20, 3x roll]
It takes longer for Barnas to get back through the curtain than it took him to get through the other way. By the time he arrives, there is no one there since it has been well over two minutes since Tyra first entered. He did not encounter anyone while in the curtain going the other way.
GM: I need Luck rolls from Barnas (on his way back). I also need Luck rolls from KC, Martin, Morty, Lani and Syl. Let me know if you are taking any special precautions against the cold besides bundling up with everything you can wrap around you.
LANI: Luck 16 [rolled 82 vs. LUCK 16, 6x roll]
SYL: LUCK Roll (19) of [rolled 12 vs. LUCK 19, 1x roll]
KC: no extra precautions as I am out of spell points. After throwing his blanket aoround his shoulders he pulls it and his cloak tightly around himself. After a quick silent prayer to Aarth; he lowers his hood cover head a strides I to the wall of winter hoping to get to the other side quickly. Luck roll of [rolled 93 vs. LUCK 18, 6x roll].
MORTY: "I think the suggestion of roping ourselves together or lining up with each person holding the left shoulder of the one ahead with their left hand is a decent one, in case the trek is longer than a few feet and the wind is as harsh as it appears, we'd end up snowblind.
MORTY TECH: Luck roll of 19- [rolled 93 vs. LUCK 19, 5x roll]
GM: Let me know who wants to go with Morty's suggestion and I will assume that those people will be linked together.
LANI: Lani will go with Morty's suggestion and volunteers to lead the chain.
KC: Sure I'll go along with that. It sounds like a good idea.
GM: With Steve G on vacation, I will assume that Martin also goes with Morty's idea.
Syl says, "I will see you on the other side," and then plunges into the Curtain of Winter as the other four are roping themselves together. Then, with Lani in the lead, followed by KC, Morty and Martin, the four follow her into the curtain. Almost immediately, the wind begins buffeting the group about. The wind is brutal, icy and unyielding. It is also entirely unpredictable, sometimes hitting KC from the left at the same time as it hits Morty from the right. There is a lot of stumbling about and occasional falls. The group does their best to hold on to the person in front of them but finds it almost impossible to maintain that grip. Fortunately the rope keeps them from separating.
Very quickly, Syl finds her way through. She emerges into a massive cavern lit by a false sun. A cobbled path leads forward among some buildings. Standing a short distance away are Tyra and Shaarilla.
"Where's Barnas? Where's everyone else," Tyra asks.
"Barnas didn't come back within the two minutes so we followed. I decided to follow on my own but Lani, KC, Morty and Martin were going to rope themselves together and try to get through. They were doing that as I entered so I expect them to be right behind me."
However, several minutes pass and no one else emerges.
GM: Barnas went back into the curtain after not seeing the rest of the group. He wandered around for a long time and finally saw the exit ahead and plunged through it, only to find that he went through the wrong one and was back where he started. The enchanted cold was starting to get to him and he took [rolled 3] NL damage. He turns and enters again.
GM: Lani, KC, Morty and Martin wander for a long time as well. Each is bundled up but the cold is being felt. Each takes the following damage.
LANI: [rolled 4 2 5 4 - Total: 15] NL damage and [rolled 2] normal damage.
KC: [rolled 2 5 6 2 - Total: 15] NL damage and [rolled 3] normal damage.
MORTY: [rolled 5 1 6 6 - Total: 18] NL damage and [rolled 5] normal damage.
MARTIN: [rolled 2 5 5 4 - Total: 16] NL damage and [rolled 4] normal damage.
GM: The four are still in the curtain. Do you want to continue being roped together or each strike out on their own? If you stick together, I will make another LUCK roll for Lani (she is leading). If you cut the rope and split up, you can each make a LUCK roll.
KC: I'll stay with Lani.
GM: I also need another LUCK roll for Barnas (I made the last one that resulted in him coming out the wrong side of the curtain).
MORTY (GM): Since this only came down to one party luck roll and you used Lani's roll, may I spend a luck point to reroll it?
GM: Yes you can. Go ahead an send a new roll.
MORTY: "I really hope the others didn't have this much trouble, but without any more information to go on we have to keep trying to maintain a straighter path. Since there's not any drifts of snow on the ground slowing us down massively, let's spread out sideways instead of lining up lengthwise, it will give us the chance to find the exit on either end of the rope line, and hopefully tug three times on the rope to let the line know to follow it toward the person tugging.
MORTY (GM): Strike that second sentence/idea if there are actually appreciable drifts, since Morty wouldn't make it through them without someone breaking the path.
GM: Yes, there are definitely drifts of snow. Morty is having the hardest time. From what he has experienced so far, he believes following in a line to allow Lani and KC to break a trail works best.
BARNAS: Luck [rolled 1 vs. LUCK 20, MADE BY A QUARTER!!!]
MORTY TECH: Not sure if my luck qualifies or if the average luck is about 19 or what, but here's the roll [rolled 21 vs. LUCK 19, 2x roll]
The group consisting of Lani, KC, Morty and Martin wanders through the blinding snowstorm, being pulled this way and that. There is frequent stumbling and falling. Trying to maintain a sideways order instead of following one another is virtually impossible and much more difficult that simply following the leader. After a time, Lani sees a curtain up ahead and lunges towards it, pulling the others forward. She steps through the curtain onto a cobbled pathway. She sees Tyra, Shaarilla and Syl ahead. KC, Morty and Martin follow Lani out of the curtain. All four are very cold.
GM: Lani, KC, Morty and Martin each take 3d6 NL damage and 1d4 normal damage from the intense cold (instead of the damage listed previously).
LANI: [rolled 2 5 3 - Total: 10] NL damage and [rolled 3] normal damage.
KC: [rolled 5 5 3 - Total: 13] NL damage and [rolled 4] normal damage.
MORTY: [rolled 3 6 4 - Total: 13] NL damage and [rolled 3] normal damage.
MARTIN: [rolled 4 3 1 - Total: 8] NL damage and [rolled 4] normal damage.
Meanwhile, Barnas steps back into the curtain of winter. A strong blast of wind immediately blows him off his feet. He regains his footing and sees a curtain ahead of him. Certain that he got turned around and is just looking at the way he entered, he tries it anyway and is surprised to see the rest of the group standing on the cobbled pathway.
The group is in a very large cavern with white, chalky walls and ceiling. The floor is native stone and very level. Some places have neatly tended grass growing, surrounded by inlaid brick. The cobbled path leads to the right towards a building with a man standing near the door. It also leads right deeper into the cavern. The group sees a number of people, mostly in small groups, wandering about deeper in the cavern. The group heads towards the first building, the same place where the four strangely dressed people Tyra and Shaarilla saw earlier headed.
As the group approaches, the man says, "A drink of my magic potion that will allow you to speak with anyone here and understand them in your native language. Only 50 silver a draught that will last for four hours." The man is carrying a large glass bottle wrapped in tight leather and suspended around his neck on a leather strap.
The group questions the man and learns that people who come through the curtain are from all manner of times and places and speak many different languages. The draught will allow the drinker to hear everything said as if the speaker were speaking their native language. Both the speaker and the listener must have imbibed the potion for this to work and the effect works only in the village of Solar, as he refers to this cavern and its buildings.
TYRA: Tyra is willing to pay for the magic potion but first she'd like a character judgment roll.
SYL: What does Syl think of the man offering the potion?
SYL: If she gets a good feeling about the man, she will pay the fee and let everyone else know.
BARNAS: The young cleric listens and talks to the man.
Neither Syl nor Tyra gain any insights into the man selling the potion draughts. The only thing that Barnas learns is that the 50 sp price is probably open to negotiation so he steps up and negotiates a 20% discount for 3 draughts of the potion. The man raises his large bottle and waits while Barnas digs his cup out. The man pours a draught into his cup and Barnas drinks it. Syl places her cup next and the man pours the second draught into it. Then he pours the last draught into Tyra's cup.
Lani, KC, Morty and Martin are still shivering from the aftereffects of their passage through the icy cold.
Now that Barnas, Syl and Tyra have drunk the potion, they can see that the strange inscriptions on the sign over the doorway of this building actually spell out "General Store", which would seem to indicate that the potion allows the reading of languages here as well. Even as they are dealing with the potion seller, a couple of customers come out of the store and follow the cobbled path deeper into the cavern.
Barnas asks the man if there is a place where the group can get something to eat and drink, and a place where they can rest. "You can get a bite to eat and something to drink at the Soaking Virgin," the man replies, pointing towards a building on the other side of the cavern. As for a place to rest, the Pooping Toad is the large building at the back of the cavern and is a fine inn."
SHAARILLA: Shaarilla asks the man, “If both the speaker and the listener need to drink this potion, does that mean you expect us to buy one for everyone we want to talk to? Or are these potions already in common use here?"
The man replies that most visitors to Solar buy a draught of his potion for at least one person in their group so communication shouldn't be much of an issue.
TYRA: After Barnas has his question answered, Tyra poses her own, "Are there dangers lurking in this cavern or the village of Solar? How large is Solar? What realm is it in?"
The man replies that fights are sometimes known to break out among visitors but the village is generally considered safe. There are only four main buildings. The group is currently standing outside the general store. The Soaking Virgin Tavern is behind and to the right of the store. Directly behind the store is Bright and Sparkly Jewelers. At the back of the cavern is the Pooping Toad Inn. There is another curtain towards the back of the cavern that leads to other places that are also considered part of the village of Solar, such as a healer and a graveyard.
TYRA: Commenting on the nature of the building before the group, "Do we want to shop for any supplies before moving on?"
TYRA: Once out of earshot of the man selling the potions, "Who names these places." She calls out in jest. "A fine inn called the pooping toad? I hope it doesn't have some literal meaning in regards to our rooms."
BARNAS: The young cleric waits as other ask their questions of the man. Once they are through he speaks to the group. "The inn is the end of the augury, and this place seems safe enough. However these potions do have a time limit on them. We should do any business we want to do and get the information needed to plan our next step before we rest. After we rest we should be ready to move on, otherwise we are likely to need more of the potion"
LANI: "I'd like to take a few minutes to warm up but then we can go about our business here while the potions are still active. We got all those jewels from the skeleton in the chair that we can maybe sell at Sparkly Jewelers and then visit this place here," she says indicating the general store, "and see if they have anything interesting."
LANI (OOC): She just wants to warm up long enough to get rid of the NL damage, which will take about 20 minutes. This can be done while you are at the jewelers or the store.
TYRA: "I'm good with that. I'd prefer to get our reprovisioning and any other shopping we want completed before we go to the inn."
KC: Getting some rest sounds like a good thing. Lani sounds like she has a pretty solid plan.
MORTY: "I am curious as to what they know of the curtain of winter, what places it transports people to and from, does it seem to shift occasionally and then go the same place back and forth for a while? That doesn't seem to account for the other groups arriving from different places and times even now while we're watching though. Is there a way to encourage it to send us back to our home dimension? Will it even go back to the Beastmaker's tower if we seek to return tomorrow? This place looks like a good place to attempt some planar transportation research, if we might be able to use it to find a way home... Of course that might take more than a few draughts of the elixir, is there a sort of common tongue here that we could actually learn? Or are all research materials likely to be in widely varying languages? For that matter, do they even have ANY? Maybe at the healer... Does the healer use herbalism or clerical magics or both? Is there a temple? To which deity(s)?
MORTY (OOC): Sorry, I decided to do this more as a stream of consciousness than properly organized into a few questions, just a bit of RP if you will.
GM: To answer some of the less rhetorical questions...
GM: You may recall that Barnas did go back through the curtain and appeared in the same hallway that the group left from. That would seem to indicate that the group will be back at the tower when they go back through the curtain unless something changes over time.
MORTY (GM): Indeed, that's why I want Barnas (or Tyra) to ask if they know anything about that curtain, and whether or not it changes over time.
GM: You haven't been here long enough to know if there is a common language but, once you have spent more than a few minutes here, you will learn that there is not. The shopkeepers will all be able to speak to you just fine regardless of whether you have imbibed the language potion or not. However, conversation with other visitors will usually require that both have imbibed the potion.
GM: The Village of Solar only seems to have four buildings: a general store, a jeweler, a tavern and an inn. The language potion seller indicated that there was also a healer and a graveyard through a curtain on the far side of the cavern but the group has not gone through that curtain and may not want to.
MORTY (GM): Followup, have one of them ask if that curtain is a magical curtain, and if so if it is stable and always leads the same place, and what they know of that place, and the healer, etc.
GM: There are no temples here.
GM: The only people you have talked to so far are the language potion seller and the gnomes in the jewelry shop. I'm going to hold off on answering these follow up questions until you are talking to someone who is more inclined to answer these types of the questions.
GM: Note that there is a fairly steady flow of people through the curtain in both directions. Most of the traffic is in the form of small groups of people and the styles and cultures vary wildly and most are completely unrecognizable to the group. Even those that are semi-recognizable aren't from anywhere you are familiar with - it's just that the style of clothing, armor and weapons is more familiar to what the group is used to.
GM: Be patient. You will definitely have the chance to learn more.
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