Tiamat's Awakening (D&D 5e Based Homebrew)

[Blaire Wisteria]

Did he jut call him a chicken? Oh no he didn't. Urreek would not stand for that disrespect at all. Sensing some hostile energy coming from Sadim's direction, he dodged out of the way of the man's push at the last second and shoved the man himself. However, instead of just bumping into the door like Urreek thought, he slammed through the door and landed within the inn in a sad heap.


Urreek was honestly surprised by his sudden burst in strength, many thoughts ran through his head. Did he unlock a hidden potential within himself? Should he try to leave this pitiful and weak group to go off and learn the ways of fighters or monks? Or was it pure dumb luck. He was just going to go with the dumb luck, but maybe look into it more later. Anyways, Urreek was content with what happened and thought of a witty retort.


"That's what you get for being such a fowl human." Urreek squawked happily.


Happy with what he thought was hilarious, he flew up to the roof of the inn and perched himself on the very edge and looked around for danger.

 

[Naxtaroth]

The half-orc barmaid let out a low sound of anger at the rogue crashing into her tavern. "Hey! Your lot's gonna pay for that! I'll make sure the baron takes some gold off of your reward! You're lucky I'm letting you keep your rooms after that little stunt!" She grunted and turned back to the patrons at the bar muttering under her breath about wanting these adventurers to just get out of town so things could go back to normal. A few low remarks at the baron were mentioned as she filled some tankards and went back to her business. Eventually all the patrons went up to their rooms. Well, those that could still move at least. A few were so enamored with ale, adventurers and Myrran civilians alike, that they fell asleep right where they were sitting.


The next morning, the sun was just beginning to rise when Urreek and Senya would stir from their rest.

 

[ValkyrieRose]

Senya sighe mentally. Oh boy, this wasn't a group of people going to help out a temple at all. If anything, the reason the Barons separated them all like this was a simple game :whoever could not tear each other's throats out the longest won the prie. Well that was just great. She sighed. "For the record, that's coming out of your share." She points out. Sh was a nice, loyal cleric, but she wasn't about to get a penalty to the reward just because a member of her party fucked up. To be honest though, the birdd man had some moves. "I'm going to bed." She declares, heading into her room said her prayers and passed out.


She awoke at about 8. Senya groaned as she looked up, woke properly, and got fully dressed for tomorrow's encounters. 'I should probably get to the temple before the others. As a cleric i'll probably recieve a lot more info before the others get in and ruin it with a random fight again. i cna just imagin the bir picking up a pew and using it as a bat, with his strength." She saod as she began to advance in that direction

 

[Blaire Wisteria]

Urreek fell asleep on the the roof of the inn after a good three hours of making sure there were no threats about. While sleeping, he dreamed of flying back in the air elemental plain and not having to deal with all these strange people. But that dream came to a swift end when he heard the inn door bellow opening and slamming shut. A bit pissed for being woken up, he immediately went over to the edge of the roof, looked down to see who it was and spotted that girl from yesterday.


She was probably trying to upstage the rest by trying to get to the temple or whatever first. But Urreek would have none of that, no, he was going to show her, he'll get there first and upstage her! He ran to the other side of the inn's roof and then sprinted to the end and dove off the building. He stretched out his wings and right before he hit the ground swung upwards and the parallel to the ground. He zipped past the woman and as he did so, he screeched at her with as much of a smile he could have on his face.

 

[Grimsvald]

LeviCi shot out of bed screaming with sweat dripping down his face. He looked around the half lit room with wide eyes and a knife in his hand. He was grunting and snarling like a cornered beast several minutes before he realized he was in an inn.


LeviCi fell back onto the bed. The sheets were wet and cold with sweat. For about 15 minutes he sat on the edge of the mattress catching his breath. At this point he realized he was naked..and pretty sure someone else was sleeping in this room with him. No saying a word, and making sure not to make eye contact, the sorcerer got dressed. If he could pretend that didn't happen, he would.


Slowly the bulky mage made his way down the stairs to the tavern. Here he waited for the rest of his party never thinking that one of them could have made it out of bed before him. Not because he thought they were lazy. Just because his mind was still too stuck on his dreams to contemplate the current goings on. He didn't feel rested and he sure as hell didn't look rested.

 

[The Nameless One]

Sadim was lying on his bed with his face under the pillow, submerged in his pleasant dreams. He was swinging on a rope out of a trap infested dungeon with the mysterious woman held with one arm and a bag full of treasures within his grip of the rope. It all went downhill when he heard a distant scream and fast as a lightning bolt it struck him. He saw an Aarakocra coming at him as a bird of prey, his face being that of LeviCi. The moment it hit him in the face the dream ended and he woke up just in time to see LeviCi putting on his robes. He turned on his bed to face the wall, horrified of course, and waited for him to leave.


Despite the awful awakening, he was feeling odd. His body felt light and his muscles weren't torturing him with the pungent pain of being turned into stone from the inside out. He was relieved for the first time in a few days, his fate didn't catch up to him at last. There was still hope.


He put his armor on and covered it with his ragged cloak, he picked up his jar from the nightstand and stared at the chunk of flesh floating inside. "It seems I was the lucky one all this time, eh?" he sighed as he put it inside his backpack. He put his hands on his pockets and felt the handful of coins touching his skin before putting his gloves and saying: "Well, not THAT lucky".


He slid through the banister and caught up with LeviCi, saying while he stretched his arms behind his back: "Howdy"

 

[ValkyrieRose]

Senya watche the birdman fly over him... did he think it was a race or something? Senya wasn't really in a competition, she ust didn't want things to be fucked up before she had a chance to properly investigate.... especially after last nights events. She sighed she wasn't going to have luck on that front, was she? Probably not. she was ever known to have the purest form of luck around.


Arriving at the place shortly after Ureek she shrugged. "Wasn't really a race, but i'm glad you got your morning execersize." She sai. She had been content to walk across the square at her own pace. "Well, since your here, shall we begin exploring?" She askedd

 

[Naxtaroth]

~8am, Temple of the Sun and Moon~


As the Aarakocra and Aasimar make their way in through the large temple doors, the interior decorated with black and gold symbols of the Raven Queen and Pelor, they are greeted by an elderly gentleman in tattered black robes. "Ah, hello, I am High Priest Archibald and you must be the gold group. Yes, your business will actually be right here in the temple. Though, shouldn't there be more of you? No matter, we can always wait and I can inform you of the help we are in need of. Unless, of course, you'd prefer to wait on your companions. Either way, let us at least move to the lower levels where our problem lies." He was quite the representation of this temple with his tattered black robe, yet warm and glistening smile to accompany it. He waved for them to follow him down a set of large, spiraling stone stairs.


~9:30am, Temple of the Sun and Moon~


About an hour later, the last three members of the party wander into the temple, one of the resident acolytes showing them down the stairs and to a room where the high priest and other two party members were located.

 

[Grimsvald]

LeviCi proceeded to the temple and down there stairs with clenched fists. The mage mindlessly followed the acolyte, blind to the details of the temple around him. He was aggravated that he had been waiting for group members who turned out to have left without him. His mind was racing with different ways to rip their bodies apart with spell and sword alike. His jaw was clamped so tight his teeth creaked under the pressure.


Along the journey down the stairs LeviCi imagined a ghostly, skeletal hand wrapping around the light witches pretty little throat. The sweet satisfying feeling he could get from watching necrotic energy surge through her veins, her eyes slowly fading like the sound of her gasping breaths. He could see an image before his eyes as clearly as the acolyte that leads them. An image of his ungloved hands holding that bird to the ground by its wings and frying to extra crispy with bursts of electricity.


When LeviCi's boots left the final step of the stairs he took a deep breath. He realized his arms were becoming scaled and blue so he shook them until the effect disappeared. ~Better late than never~ He thought, but could not loosen his jaw to speak. Hopefully here and now their 'Teammates' would enlighten them with the details of the mission.


"Good to see you both again. What have you found out about the mission?"

 

[Cashdash25]

Twisting, winding tunnels, expansive caverns and deep pits, stretching on for endless miles all around him. They should have been alive with the sounds of the Underdark: the skittering of spiders, the sharp clacking of Hook Horrors, the terrified shrieks of a Quaggoth or Troglodyte's latest victim, the Underdark was home to a thriving ecosystem, whose assorted sounds and noises echoed for miles. But here there was but silence, save for the loud cursing of the small Drow party.


"How is there nothing here?" Tannin demanded, smacking his fist against the cave wall, "Six months ago this place was a thriving hunting ground!"


"I don't know." Valric replied, kneeling down, searching the cavern floor for any sign of what might have driven the life from this section of the Underdark. "For some reason this entire region has been emptied of life, everything is dead, missing or fled."


"Just like that spider nest last month." Ashara muttered. "Come on boys, we'd best get back quickly."





A scream from somewhere nearby shook him out of his Trance, interrupting the vivid memory. With a muttered curse he rose from the comfort of the bed and threw on his armor and gathered his weapons and equipment. Cautiously unlocking the door to his room and poking his head out he was unable to locate the source of the screaming, with a shrug he exited the room and locked the door behind him before heading downstairs. At the bottom of the stairs he caught a glimpse of his companions exiting the building and decided to follow them. Stepping out into the Lolth-damned sunlight was not pleasant, he felt his skin burn as he walked, every inch of his body protesting against this course of action.


Failing to heed his body's warnings he pressed onward, trailing about thirty or forty feet behind what looked like LeviCi and Sadam as they walked along the town square, heading for the temple. He finally caught up with them at the temple steps, wordlessly nodding at the pair of them as they stepped inside, quickly locating an acolyte to lead them to where they needed to go. Which as it turned out was down a flight of stairs into the lower levels of the temple, where they found the Cleric from last night, some sort of ranking clergy member and....... A bird......... A giant, two-legged bird.


His mouth hung slightly agape as he processed the sight before him, he was somewhat dimly aware of LeviCi saying something, but he couldn't seem to draw his attention off the, thing, in front of him.

 

[The Nameless One]

Sadim walked into the temple with less focus than a broken lens, slowly following the patterns of the walls and the rest of decorations of the temples with his head as he wandered around, loosely following the acolyte and his companions. Were not for his rugged appearance, somebody would have mistaken him for a tourist. As he walked down the stairs he spouted "So, what are we going to do here? Admire the masonry?".


He promptly shut up as he turned to see Valric's expression at the sight of Urreek. His reaction amused him, he couldn't understand why they were so surprised at seeing him. He was quite used to travel between planes with his old friend, so extra planar beings were common sight for him. Before he would sink into a pool of nostalgia over the memory of his travels, he kept talking with the same arrogant and confident tone as always. "Well, look at the early birds. What's the job, then? Cleaning?"


Deep inside he was impatient, he needed the money fast because he knew his luck wouldn't save him again from his fate. Nonetheless, that preoccupation wouldn't stop him from trying to be on control of the situation; his pride always pushing him to try to be ahead of the rest, or at least look like he was.

 

[Naxtaroth]

Archibald looked up from the conversation hearing the other three enter. "Ah, yes, the rest of you have arrived. I am High Priest Archibald. I was just informing these two about a strange circle that the temple recently discovered in a cavern while we were making some expansions to our living space." He stands, motioning to the entire group. "Please, come, the others can explain on the way. Your bird friend here found some tracks, but they decided to wait on you before exploring further." He leads the group down a corridor familiar to Urreek and Senya and then out into a cavern, lit with few torches, the ceiling being surprisingly low at around 10 feet up. On the left side of the cavern is a dormant rune circle 5 feet in diameter, to the right the cavern continues, dimly lit for about 60 feet before total darkness.

 

[Grimsvald]

LeviCi finally subsided his anger issues well enough to take in his surroundings, but he saw nothing note worthy. He couldn't remember seeing anything like this before, but that didn't make it impossible to understand. Once he spotted the darkness ahead he looked around for the parties drow. "Looks like we'll be spending the rest of our day in an environment more suitable to your tastes." he smiled.


LeviCI took a deep breath of the warm stale air. It left an unpleasant taste on his tongue. He walked over to the rune and stood out of the torch light. The sorcerer did his best to examine the circular rune on the wall without touching it. Since his powers came naturally to him he didn't often comprehend these markings.


With a shrug and a sigh he walked away from the rune and over to the cleric. "So they found some circle. What do they want us to do about it?"

 

[Blaire Wisteria]

After quite sometime standing around the dim lights, his party members had finally arrived. Some dark elf was with the others he met the previous night, ad as he came to expect, he didn't know how to react to him. Urreek shook his head slightly, but shrugged it off.


"Well you all sure took your time getting here now didn't you? While you guys were sound asleep, this one and I got some work done." He said with a slightly annoyed tone in his voice. "Anyways, as the priest said, there are some strange runes here. Apparently they're draconic in nature, and one of them happens to be "serpent" but that's all we know about them. I know nothing about the arcane and apparently neither does the cleric." He screeched, shooting her a spiteful glare. "I did however find some very strange tracks and I am unsure of what left them. They're, er, human-ish, but definitely not created by a human. All I know is that they lead further into the darkness, so I think we should go follow them and see where they lead us." He chirped matter-of-factly. "If anyone else want to take a look, be my guest."


The less snarky and more magically inclined man approached the rune circle thing and inspected it. Not even he could figure out what was up with them.


"And I thought magic users were supposed to be smart..." He said under his breath.

 

[Grimsvald]

LeviCi approached Urreek with his hands in his pocket. "Yeah, it did take us a while to get here didn't it...Might have taken LESS time to get here if we weren't sitting in the tavern waiting for the two of you to come down stairs. Turns out you left without the rest of us. Thanks for the wake up call gang, you're real team players." he winked towards the cleric.


The sorcerer pointed back towards the rune without actually looking at it. "As for that, it doesn't say serpent. That is a teleportation rune to the jungle temple of Pafnear, the Noxious Huntress. But, hey, what would I know." He cracked his neck and his skin shimmered with blue draconian scales. " It's not like I've got dragons blood. Lets follow birdbrain and his half human footprints into the heart of darkness. F**k it I like to party..." And the mage removed his hand from his pocket gesturing 'after you' to Urreek.


As soon as LeviCi was done throwing his little fit, he felt better and worse at the same time. He didn't mean to let out his frustrations. At the same time he felt they deserved to be scolded, in some way, for what they did. Either way these actions were in the past now. He could only hope there was no karmic reaction coming up to make him look foolish after his outburst.

 

[Blaire Wisteria]

Urreek was taken aback by the man's sudden outburst. Why was he getting so mad, he was just telling the truth.


"Well excuse me princess dragonblood, I was just trying to chase after miss shine and bright over here thinking everyone already left. Beside, I'm not about to wake any grump old man up anytime soon, for all I know, you could sleep in the nude and I don't want to get attacked by a naked hairless man!" He screeched furiously. "And how should I know what the hell that says, I'm just sayin' what that old man said! And I'll take birdbrain as a compliment since birds are some of the smartest creatures in the world." He said in a humph. "If you have any other ideas where we should go instead, just say it before all the creatures that may be down there come out and kill everyone while we're busy bickering." He sighed.


Urreek was getting fed up with everyone in his sad motley crew and just wanted to go home.

 

[The Nameless One]

In the middle of the incessant bickering, Sadim was standing, thinking. He left aside all contempt for the sorcerer he deemed too crazy for his own good and thought "I'm not ever going into a jungle temple with whatever lurks in there and not getting paid first! Better to die with a purse full of coins than to get lost empty handed". He looked down, scratched the back of his head, sighed and after cracking his neck he prepared to try out some deception and get some easy money.


He looked at the acolyte, calmed down and said with a calm and charming voice. "I thought the Baron said we would get part of the payment first as a warranty for the risk, don't you remember? After all, nobody would go to a faraway land, into a dark temple and not expect payment, you get me?" He smiled with confidence in an attempt to fool the priest. "And we couldn't ask for less, we are the best adventurer group to do the job" He said as he held the golden paper with a smirk.


In his mind, it could only go two ways for him. Get money and die in whatever place that portal thing sends him, or get kicked into the portal for his own good, broke as always. His best hope was to have his companions to shut up.

 

[ValkyrieRose]

"There's not much of a chooce here. We promised to help." Seyna said, watching the bir and the sorcerer go at it. "If this really ddoes lead us to some jungle temple then that means we have a few questoins. "Why is there a portal from there to here, and who made it?" She asks. "For all we know this could be connected to the dissappearences somehow. We have to check it out." She says

 

[Naxtaroth]

The acolyte nodded to Sadim, "Of course, sir. I shall return in but a moment." While the acolyte was gone, Archibald sighed and walked into the group, voice coming out quite loud for such a frail old man. "By Pelor and Selune will you get your acts together. Whatever is beyond that circle, it'll have easy pickings if you guys do not work together." He glanced around the group, a true stern touch to the once gentle, kind face. "You, Urreek, was it? I believe you had some findings. I think before you go blindly teleporting to gods know where, you should do some more research. Or walk to your possible dooms still bickering like a bunch of misbehaved toddlers" He glanced around once more before straightening his robes and heading to the entrance to the cavern. "Now, if you will get on with it, this body isn't what it used to be. I grow weary and must rest." With a flick of his wrist and a flash of golden energy, some of the runes around the entrance begin glowing faintly before going dormant once again. With that, Archibald walks out of view, leaving the five adventurers in the cavern, alone.

 

[Cashdash25]

Valric closed his mouth, shaking his head at his companions' idiotic bickering. "Have none of you fools taken into consideration the fact that this teleportation circle is quite clearly inactive?" He demanded, "Given that none of you buffoons are likely to possess any means what so ever of reactivating it, I'd suggest you stop wasting mine and the Baron's time and instead worry about the rest of these caves." He pointed into the darkness with his staff, "This corridor continues down for another hundred feet or so before it splits to the left and right, now unless you want to wander around these caves for hours like a lost Spiderling I would strongly advise that you follow the one person present who's actually familiar with underground navigation while we investigate them."


Rant thus finished he started walking forwards, with any luck the moronic surface dwellers would follow him, if not they'd hopefully get eaten by an Umber Hulk and he could collect their share of the reward. He idly dragged a finger along the surface of the cave wall as he walked, these caves weren't quite like the Underdark, carved stone walls, low ceiling, but it was infinitely better than the surface. He inhaled deeply, tasting the staleness of the air. "These caverns have been sealed off for sometime." He said to no one in particular, "No airflow."

 

[Grimsvald]

Urreek's words deepened LeviCI's anger. Then the rogue's greed and lies frustrated him. Finally, the drow's condescending tone drove the nail in the preverbal coffin. He heard ringing in his head, ~Non of you fools..You buffoons.. So stupid, you're so stupid LaviCi. Can't believe you allow your worthless self to live. You should have died with the rest of them~ The sorcerer walked to the back of the room and half-heartedly punched the wall a few times to get his anger out. Electricity surged through his fist and he took a deep breath.


"Fine. we will follow them into the darkness. No, you'll be fine. I promise. I don't care what he said, you can do it." LeviCi quietly talked to himself before returning to the party. He fell in line with the others and followed the drow.

 

[The Nameless One]

Sadim was getting anxious, he wouldn't let his newfound companions' problems ruin his chance of getting paid. He quickly blurted out what was supposed to be an inspirational speech to stop the groups fighting, but he spoke with a condescending tone that would made things worse.


"Okay boys, why don't we listen to the dark-skinned pointy ears and stop fighting once for all? Because you are going to drive me mad if you keep bickering about your petty differences when what's important is that we got a job to do and a paycheck to receive." He turned to LeviCi and did exactly what he initially thought he shouldn't do: "So why don't you simply stop acting like a berk and follow the drow?"


After letting out an exasperated sigh while thinking "I'm surrounded by idiots", he said to Urreek: "You okay with going into the caves, o' mighty warrior?"

 

[ValkyrieRose]

"I thought that was the plan." Senya said,sighing. "Let's just get in there, get our jobs done, and get out." She says. "The faster we complete or goals and help who we can the sooner we can all leave and not bother with each other any more." She says, trying to add her calming nature into the situation. "Let's all just focus on relaxing cooling off,and getting ready, because this won't be easy."

 

[Cashdash25]

Valric kept moving, ignoring his companion's continued bickering as he walked along the right side of the cavern. As he walked he was busily ponder the nature of these caverns, who built them? Why? and a dozen other questions ran through his head. He was so distracted by his musing he almost didn't notice the soft slithering and hissing coming from up ahead, almost. Three things happened in the span of a half second: First his head snapped up, locking eyes upon the three biggest snakes he had ever seen coming up the corridor, second, his shield arm shot upward, bringing the solid object between him and the enemy and thirdly LeviCi walked into him because he had stopped directly in front of him and the fucking surface dwellers couldn't see in the dark.


"Lolth spare me..." He muttered in Undercommon as he straightened up and regained his footing. His 'teammates' were going to be useless in the dark like this, luckily he had a way to fix that. "Giant fucking snakes here!" He called out as he raised his staff, a few seconds later the cavern was illuminated by glowing orbs of light floating near the ceiling, exposing the looming threat to his companions.

 

[Naxtaroth]

Though the drow had seen the snakes, the rest of the group was caught off guard between the shouting, sudden appearance of lights, and in LeviCi's case, a faceful of Valric, who had suddenly stopped. The constrictors used this moment of confusion to strike, the first slithering forward toward Senya, only to whip around and strike at Urreek. Between the chaos of the moment and the fake out of the constrictor, Urreek could not move fast enough and the snake's fangs sank into his legs before the creature retracted, coiling up as it hissed and prepared for another strike. The second snake slithered forward, attempting to bite at the man who seemd to be bumbling about behind the drow, though LeviCi's draconic bloodline came through as the snakes fangs glanced off of the hardened blue scales that had suddenly appeared in the sudden intensity of the moment. Finally, the last snake, sensing Valric directly in front of him, attempted to wrap around the drow. However, due to LeviCi's proximity and the two being so close to the cavern wall, the creature could not find enough room to squeeze around. All three serpents hissed menacingly as the group regained form and came out of their surprised daze. Well, everyone except for Valric, of course, who had seen the snakes, lit the cavern, and was already preparing his counter attack.