Shadow of Gold (5/11/20) + Level Up
Nov 14, 2020 11:01:21 GMT
Laurel Shortstride, Jamie J, and 1 more like this
Post by BB on Nov 14, 2020 11:01:21 GMT
BB awkwardly navigates her way from Portal Plaza to the Temple of Selune, her mess of long silver hair can be seen weaving in and out of the crowds as she desperately tries to not step on anyone while keeping an eye out for her friends.
Soon enough, and luckily without incident, she catches the group still waiting outside the temple. Taffeta, who had asked for her assistance, looking not too happy to be at the temple, but sheâs already surrounded by Varis, Baine and Faye as well as their various large beastie friends.
Gosh I hope they have enough space wherever weâre going.
Once inside, Travor having been patiently waiting there the whole time, they all put their heads together with Rholor, Daisy and Khazifa. Daisy had found an interesting tale, a prophecy during her recent travels across the planes. What was interesting was that this tale was the same and shared amongst them, something to connect these completely unrelated places. According to Daisyâs findings, long ago Correlon had created a golden arrow so powerful that when shot by the god themself it created an axis, a rift almost, that connected the Material Plane to the Shadowfell and Feywild. This point was unstable and subject to a misuse of its power, so a Keeper was chosen to protect it.
Rholor then butts in to announce that he believes the Keeper is Zmee, a golden dragon that Taff knows and dhr announces is indeed very nice. She is worried for her, especially after having a dream where Zmee was attacked by a dreadful bad news dragon.
Thereâs a few moments of confusion, scrying, slapping and crossbow pointing before itâs decided the best initial place to look for Zmee at this unstable axis is through a portal located in Xarribia. With assistance from Rholor they all quickly emerge in the warm tunnels of the Underdark, where the group is quickly approached by a group of drow soldiers who Rholor insists he talks to. Something about special words and passwords they all agree, but before they can get much else out of the now nervous Rholor, he soon leaves them with a crack of his magics.
Seemed desperate to leave, yet insistent on him being the first point of contact. What a confusing guy.
Now inside Xerribia they are promptly taken through the triangular houses with glowing orbs bobbing lazily outside, past a fish market, and up the slope to one of the largest stone buildings with its windows shuttered with metal. Stepping inside they all meet with Warden Obara, a drow woman with white hair and a fancy circlet of deep black. She happily greets them and promptly informs them that the portal they seek is very much still open. She makes her annoyance at its presence and the dangers it poses to her people well known. This knowledge of what lays on the other side, and what can happen to people who venture there, fuels her confusion at our insistence of going through. After some explaining of the situation, and of picnics, she agrees to allow us passage.
So nice and yet so formal in her duties. Too formal to even accept my picnic invitation sadly.
The portal is located inside a temple, and after being escorted through with heavily armed guards they all finally make it to their destination, a place of dread and gloom. Shoes, feet, hooves and paws all landing on cracked stone floor, Varis and Taff are quick to assess the surroundings. Theyâve found themselves in a crumbling building of stone, mists tumbling through a dim background on the other side of the broken walls and ceilings.
As they try to orientate themselves, Taff confirming through her connection to the land that a dragon is nearby, Varis and Baine already make strides to scope out the nearby corridor. They donât make it far before the shadows themselves seem to move around their feet and a figure of darkness lunges up to stab Varis from the floor. They all spring into action, Faye and Varis getting upon their elks as Baine leaps upon Frankie. Traavor basically becomes one with the shadows himself, Taff joining with her less shadowy stealthing, BB choosing her trusted invisibility.
The corridors that follow are filled with more shadows with ill intentions, and even greater holes in the stone structure that barely seems held together around them. Eventually after cautious roaming and several poisoned stabs, a small clutch of precious golden eggs are found, a single one almost the same size as Taff herself. Blue makes way to investigate further but the eggs are surrounded with a special force field that causes the magpie to bounce off.
More evidence that Zmee is indeed here. But if sheâs not around to protect the eggs herself is she stuck somewhere?
Not long after the thought pops into her mind they round a corner to find a chained dragon, and through the layer of grime upon malnourished limbs a peek of golden scales can be seen. It seems theyâve found Zmee but theyâre certainly not out of the woods yet.
Chaos descends upon them in the corridors as the shadows converge and a ominous screech can be heard rapidly approaching. Varis makes a solid effort to cut the thick chains of Zmee before Faye polymorphs the dragon out of them. BB moves through the crowd of shadows to heal the poor dragon, some life returning to her, but my oh my the shadows arenât pleased. And that screeching grows ever louder, dreadful glimpses of a ghost dragon appearing above them.
As the fight breaks into a full swing a man in brown clothing and a leather hat pops out of a crack in the wall nearby. Amidst the confusion he makes a quick beeline to the clutch of eggs, even tries to get their help in removing them. His efforts only lead to Baine chaining up the strange man instead.
Canât he see there are slightly more pressing matters at hand?
At this moment the building crescendo of screeching finally breaks upon them all, one more dreadful scream that scratches at their very souls, the ghostly dragon pulling down the tower of the building on top of them. BB and the others can just about resist the creeping presence of this creature, but Blue doesnât fair as well. And as that connection to Blue severs once again, a feeling of melancholy reassurance passes between them.
See you soon my dear friend. You honestly are too good for the trouble I let you get in.
Another soul chilling roar sounds through the wide holes in the roof of the crumbling building, the dread dragon continuing its assault on Zmee and in turn on them all. Seeing this Taff seems to phase out of existence and steps out suddenly on the back of the dread dragon, not hesitating in her arrow barrage.
If only I could get close too, then maybe the celestial flowers could have a go at this very rude dragon.
The three mounted warriors continue to wail on the shadowy forms that crowd the corridor, the walls echoing with the sounds of swinging weapons, elk hoofs and deep baritone barks. Accompanied by many thrown daggers who she assumes are from Traavor, though as usual she has no idea where he actually is. BB does all she can to just stay out the way, trying to think of a safe way out of all this close combat.
Wait, I can just go up now. Thatâs a thing I can do!
And so she momentarily concentrates on her magics and channels it into the lines of the new tattoo on her back, which accepts it with blessed ease. A pair of ethereal dragonfly wings unfurl from her back, the blue wings quickly whirring into motion so that BB can escape through a hole in the ceiling to join Taffeta.
Between all their efforts the shades and dreadful ghost dragon are destroyed, their forms slowly disappearing like the mists floating outside. All that remains is to help Zmee get out of here with the eggs and escort the hat man outâŚ.who is nowhere to be seen.
As Zmee begins her spell to teleport them all out, the others use their time to hunt down the hat man who was chained in dimensional shackles only moments before. Faye and Baine confront him at an altar nearby, symbols of concentric circles upon it with one circle being black and one being purple. Their attempts to stop the man are unsuccessful, especially when a large masked face arises from the dark smoke pouring out of the altar. This entity quickly changes form and whisks away the man on a horse of darkness, but not before of course announcing their displeasure at our presence there.
Slightly confused by all that happened, they finally make their way out with Zmee, the dragon more than pleased with her escape and sheâs just as nice as Taff described. With their injuries finally catching up to them, they all wave Zmee goodbye as the much happier golden dragon flies off into the sunset with her clutch of eggs.
Wait. Was that guy Langston Farstep??
Earlier that same day...
The sun finally rises on a new day, its soft rays splaying over the flower field and bell tent that has slowly been taken over by the nearby vegetation and flowers, BB slowly begins her day from inside said tent. The blue firbolg emerges from her nest of soft blankets and lumpy pillows to begin her usual routine, hand slowly waving to the side to warm some tea, Blue also rising from their designated sleep pillow to join in.
Unbeknownst to her a new addition to her tattoo collection has appeared overnight on her currently bare back. A pair of intricate folded dragonfly wings now sits on her back, the stems starting at her shoulder blades and then extending down the rest of her torso. Unlike the black ink stamped into her arms and wrists, this design is a shade of dark blue ink, the hue complementing the pale blue of her skin.
Blue, who has been busy picking out the best leaves for some tea, looks up as BB is choosing a shirt for the day and suddenly sees this, a surprised squawk leaving their beak.
âWhat do you mean? You know I havenât been to get a new oneâŚ. Show me what you mean perhaps.â
BBâs eyes fog over white as she begins to look through Blueâs, the frown on her face deepening further. Her eyes snap back their usual deep green as she starts to reach back to try and touch the tattoo, and as her hand touches newly altered skin she notices something else. A connection of sort forms, pushing the Weave in a certain direction as if it wants to conjure something. Something new but familiar at the same time. BB allows it, reaching for the comfort of the Weave and lets it do its thing, whatever it might be.
With a poof of light a large pair of ethereal dragon fly wings appear on her back. The veins the same dark blue of the tattoo, but the webbing is a glass-like shimmer that flashes with all the colours of the rainbow as it hits the light just right.
Momentarily stunned by this, BB freezes in place, but after blinking a few times she comes back to her senses and tries to move the new additions. At first itâs a little awkward, hard to move limbs you didnât have minutes before, but soon enough the wings stop their jerky movements and begin to move around in a way thatâs somewhat in sync with what BB wants.
âWell thatâs certainly newâŚâ BB says as she lifts a tentative hand to reach back and touch one of the dragonfly wings. Her hand meets some resistance, a soft humming of magical force that shifts her hand away. The section of wing instantly reforms in ethereal blue as her hand is pushed off.
While still contemplating exactly why this has happened, a sudden realisation dawns on BBâs face, something that causes her to almost sparkle with excitement.
âOh Blue! Do you think they work like other wings, yah know fly and all that?â
Blue stretches out their own feathery ones and makes a quick comparison between them and the ones sprouting from BBâs back. The results inconclusive.
âWell I guess thereâs only one way to find out eh?â
And with that BB stands up in a flurry of activity, breakfast long forgotten, and itâs as she makes a reach for the closed tent flap that Blue makes a series of alarmed chirps.
âOh. Yes, I suppose it would do good to get fully dressed first. Bit early to be springing surprises like that on everyone.â
Soon enough, and luckily without incident, she catches the group still waiting outside the temple. Taffeta, who had asked for her assistance, looking not too happy to be at the temple, but sheâs already surrounded by Varis, Baine and Faye as well as their various large beastie friends.
Gosh I hope they have enough space wherever weâre going.
Once inside, Travor having been patiently waiting there the whole time, they all put their heads together with Rholor, Daisy and Khazifa. Daisy had found an interesting tale, a prophecy during her recent travels across the planes. What was interesting was that this tale was the same and shared amongst them, something to connect these completely unrelated places. According to Daisyâs findings, long ago Correlon had created a golden arrow so powerful that when shot by the god themself it created an axis, a rift almost, that connected the Material Plane to the Shadowfell and Feywild. This point was unstable and subject to a misuse of its power, so a Keeper was chosen to protect it.
Rholor then butts in to announce that he believes the Keeper is Zmee, a golden dragon that Taff knows and dhr announces is indeed very nice. She is worried for her, especially after having a dream where Zmee was attacked by a dreadful bad news dragon.
Thereâs a few moments of confusion, scrying, slapping and crossbow pointing before itâs decided the best initial place to look for Zmee at this unstable axis is through a portal located in Xarribia. With assistance from Rholor they all quickly emerge in the warm tunnels of the Underdark, where the group is quickly approached by a group of drow soldiers who Rholor insists he talks to. Something about special words and passwords they all agree, but before they can get much else out of the now nervous Rholor, he soon leaves them with a crack of his magics.
Seemed desperate to leave, yet insistent on him being the first point of contact. What a confusing guy.
Now inside Xerribia they are promptly taken through the triangular houses with glowing orbs bobbing lazily outside, past a fish market, and up the slope to one of the largest stone buildings with its windows shuttered with metal. Stepping inside they all meet with Warden Obara, a drow woman with white hair and a fancy circlet of deep black. She happily greets them and promptly informs them that the portal they seek is very much still open. She makes her annoyance at its presence and the dangers it poses to her people well known. This knowledge of what lays on the other side, and what can happen to people who venture there, fuels her confusion at our insistence of going through. After some explaining of the situation, and of picnics, she agrees to allow us passage.
So nice and yet so formal in her duties. Too formal to even accept my picnic invitation sadly.
The portal is located inside a temple, and after being escorted through with heavily armed guards they all finally make it to their destination, a place of dread and gloom. Shoes, feet, hooves and paws all landing on cracked stone floor, Varis and Taff are quick to assess the surroundings. Theyâve found themselves in a crumbling building of stone, mists tumbling through a dim background on the other side of the broken walls and ceilings.
As they try to orientate themselves, Taff confirming through her connection to the land that a dragon is nearby, Varis and Baine already make strides to scope out the nearby corridor. They donât make it far before the shadows themselves seem to move around their feet and a figure of darkness lunges up to stab Varis from the floor. They all spring into action, Faye and Varis getting upon their elks as Baine leaps upon Frankie. Traavor basically becomes one with the shadows himself, Taff joining with her less shadowy stealthing, BB choosing her trusted invisibility.
The corridors that follow are filled with more shadows with ill intentions, and even greater holes in the stone structure that barely seems held together around them. Eventually after cautious roaming and several poisoned stabs, a small clutch of precious golden eggs are found, a single one almost the same size as Taff herself. Blue makes way to investigate further but the eggs are surrounded with a special force field that causes the magpie to bounce off.
More evidence that Zmee is indeed here. But if sheâs not around to protect the eggs herself is she stuck somewhere?
Not long after the thought pops into her mind they round a corner to find a chained dragon, and through the layer of grime upon malnourished limbs a peek of golden scales can be seen. It seems theyâve found Zmee but theyâre certainly not out of the woods yet.
Chaos descends upon them in the corridors as the shadows converge and a ominous screech can be heard rapidly approaching. Varis makes a solid effort to cut the thick chains of Zmee before Faye polymorphs the dragon out of them. BB moves through the crowd of shadows to heal the poor dragon, some life returning to her, but my oh my the shadows arenât pleased. And that screeching grows ever louder, dreadful glimpses of a ghost dragon appearing above them.
As the fight breaks into a full swing a man in brown clothing and a leather hat pops out of a crack in the wall nearby. Amidst the confusion he makes a quick beeline to the clutch of eggs, even tries to get their help in removing them. His efforts only lead to Baine chaining up the strange man instead.
Canât he see there are slightly more pressing matters at hand?
At this moment the building crescendo of screeching finally breaks upon them all, one more dreadful scream that scratches at their very souls, the ghostly dragon pulling down the tower of the building on top of them. BB and the others can just about resist the creeping presence of this creature, but Blue doesnât fair as well. And as that connection to Blue severs once again, a feeling of melancholy reassurance passes between them.
See you soon my dear friend. You honestly are too good for the trouble I let you get in.
Another soul chilling roar sounds through the wide holes in the roof of the crumbling building, the dread dragon continuing its assault on Zmee and in turn on them all. Seeing this Taff seems to phase out of existence and steps out suddenly on the back of the dread dragon, not hesitating in her arrow barrage.
If only I could get close too, then maybe the celestial flowers could have a go at this very rude dragon.
The three mounted warriors continue to wail on the shadowy forms that crowd the corridor, the walls echoing with the sounds of swinging weapons, elk hoofs and deep baritone barks. Accompanied by many thrown daggers who she assumes are from Traavor, though as usual she has no idea where he actually is. BB does all she can to just stay out the way, trying to think of a safe way out of all this close combat.
Wait, I can just go up now. Thatâs a thing I can do!
And so she momentarily concentrates on her magics and channels it into the lines of the new tattoo on her back, which accepts it with blessed ease. A pair of ethereal dragonfly wings unfurl from her back, the blue wings quickly whirring into motion so that BB can escape through a hole in the ceiling to join Taffeta.
Between all their efforts the shades and dreadful ghost dragon are destroyed, their forms slowly disappearing like the mists floating outside. All that remains is to help Zmee get out of here with the eggs and escort the hat man outâŚ.who is nowhere to be seen.
As Zmee begins her spell to teleport them all out, the others use their time to hunt down the hat man who was chained in dimensional shackles only moments before. Faye and Baine confront him at an altar nearby, symbols of concentric circles upon it with one circle being black and one being purple. Their attempts to stop the man are unsuccessful, especially when a large masked face arises from the dark smoke pouring out of the altar. This entity quickly changes form and whisks away the man on a horse of darkness, but not before of course announcing their displeasure at our presence there.
Slightly confused by all that happened, they finally make their way out with Zmee, the dragon more than pleased with her escape and sheâs just as nice as Taff described. With their injuries finally catching up to them, they all wave Zmee goodbye as the much happier golden dragon flies off into the sunset with her clutch of eggs.
Wait. Was that guy Langston Farstep??
Earlier that same day...
The sun finally rises on a new day, its soft rays splaying over the flower field and bell tent that has slowly been taken over by the nearby vegetation and flowers, BB slowly begins her day from inside said tent. The blue firbolg emerges from her nest of soft blankets and lumpy pillows to begin her usual routine, hand slowly waving to the side to warm some tea, Blue also rising from their designated sleep pillow to join in.
Unbeknownst to her a new addition to her tattoo collection has appeared overnight on her currently bare back. A pair of intricate folded dragonfly wings now sits on her back, the stems starting at her shoulder blades and then extending down the rest of her torso. Unlike the black ink stamped into her arms and wrists, this design is a shade of dark blue ink, the hue complementing the pale blue of her skin.
Blue, who has been busy picking out the best leaves for some tea, looks up as BB is choosing a shirt for the day and suddenly sees this, a surprised squawk leaving their beak.
âWhat do you mean? You know I havenât been to get a new oneâŚ. Show me what you mean perhaps.â
BBâs eyes fog over white as she begins to look through Blueâs, the frown on her face deepening further. Her eyes snap back their usual deep green as she starts to reach back to try and touch the tattoo, and as her hand touches newly altered skin she notices something else. A connection of sort forms, pushing the Weave in a certain direction as if it wants to conjure something. Something new but familiar at the same time. BB allows it, reaching for the comfort of the Weave and lets it do its thing, whatever it might be.
With a poof of light a large pair of ethereal dragon fly wings appear on her back. The veins the same dark blue of the tattoo, but the webbing is a glass-like shimmer that flashes with all the colours of the rainbow as it hits the light just right.
Momentarily stunned by this, BB freezes in place, but after blinking a few times she comes back to her senses and tries to move the new additions. At first itâs a little awkward, hard to move limbs you didnât have minutes before, but soon enough the wings stop their jerky movements and begin to move around in a way thatâs somewhat in sync with what BB wants.
âWell thatâs certainly newâŚâ BB says as she lifts a tentative hand to reach back and touch one of the dragonfly wings. Her hand meets some resistance, a soft humming of magical force that shifts her hand away. The section of wing instantly reforms in ethereal blue as her hand is pushed off.
While still contemplating exactly why this has happened, a sudden realisation dawns on BBâs face, something that causes her to almost sparkle with excitement.
âOh Blue! Do you think they work like other wings, yah know fly and all that?â
Blue stretches out their own feathery ones and makes a quick comparison between them and the ones sprouting from BBâs back. The results inconclusive.
âWell I guess thereâs only one way to find out eh?â
And with that BB stands up in a flurry of activity, breakfast long forgotten, and itâs as she makes a reach for the closed tent flap that Blue makes a series of alarmed chirps.
âOh. Yes, I suppose it would do good to get fully dressed first. Bit early to be springing surprises like that on everyone.â
