The Harbinger of Ferocity

D&D 5e - Hoard of the Dragon Queen

The feeling of magic in the air, its rush of peculiar, almost lifelike qualities born at the hands of the woman's arcane works, its energy then flooded the formerly dim confines of the room in brilliant globes of hovering light. A few of the invaders now surrounded by it, confused at first to what they were besieged by, were just in the same moment sprung upon as the attack commenced. Brannor spent not a moment of hesitation to this opportunity, placing the other hand upon the greatsword and rushing the first, most vulnerable of foes his eyes set to.

A pair of kobolds to the right, one by the other, were distracted by the glittering arcane orbs - one frantically reaching, attempting to be rid of them and the other mustering a defense against what he could see now in the counterattack. Both had little idea of just how grave an error they had made coming here on this night, how foolish this delve and endeavor was; what its price for them would be. Their panic, really nothing short of the scent of fear, drove a fair amount of added force behind the woodsman's blade and just as it did before with sword moving before body, it cut at a diving angle across his person from shoulder on down.

Rolls

Rolled a 22 for greatsword attack against close, right kobold affected by Faerie Fire.
Rolled a 14 for slashing damage if attack is successful.
Brannor will use his attack of opportunity on the next enemy to provoke from him, favoring the kobold he did not attack.

The steely, worn weapon's surface glinted in the magic light a moment before it almost certainly disappeared into its mark and by the time it returned to the ready, all in that same flash of controlled savagery, Brannor whipped about to his left and set fierce eyes upon the other foe. He did more than bare his teeth in menace, choosing to also wisely adjust his positioning; far more squared and interfering with the path seemingly now opened behind him. It was his hopes, as the sound of conflict evolved around him, that the enemy would be fool enough to move but only time would tell - other sensations filled his veins instead.

The thrill returned, once more the rush of the hunt, all the lull between had been cleared from his mind. It left the man, body armored in scrounged chain and hide, decorated at the hands and boots with old leathers and wrapped in hunting cloak with a euphoria unlike any other. He had tasted it only a few times before, striking down the odd wayward enemy that devoured the joy or beauty of the world outside. But to be one of the last few lights fighting, surrounded by darkness? Sublime.

He had few tastes or appreciations for the other finer things yet, learning as he was, but these events only opened his eyes more.

@Phoenix@Hekazu@Ryonara@Lucius Cypher

D&D 5e - Hoard of the Dragon Queen

@Lucius Cypher, I had figured as much where Orchid is going. Unless things change suddenly on the two (perhaps three) turns ahead of us, you are likely to receive your wish. If we are getting a true surprise round? All the better, but do let me know.

The Topic of Dreams

I will be the first to say that I encounter some routinely bad stuff in my dreams, frequent lucid dreamer or not. If it is a good day to sleep, nothing happens. If it is a decent day, I get some dreams that I have control over or have some sort of insightful meaning to me. If it is a bad day?

Talking About Bad (Really Bad) Personal Dreams and Experiences with Them

You start to realize how desensitized you have become when what are regularly considered nightmares leave you with only a few hours of bad sleep and a pretty cold, unemotional feeling when you get up. To be to the point without being too graphic, a lot of them are reliving events or recompiling them into newer and more unsettling realities. There's some deepseated insecurities I have with people that I have been working on and through for my entire lifetime that have only been made worse - we are talking to the point that I am pretty convinced when I go outside every day I am about to get picked off - but they are even more disturbing in dreams where your mind runs rampant without regular inhibitions.

Usually they turn from whatever seems to be a normal day, sometimes days I have lived before or ones that mirror life today, into disaster. This alone is pretty scary because if I am not aware, there's almost no easy indicator that this is not my life and is a fabrication of the mind. They follow patterns of involving people I distrust and for one reason or another we are forced into some sort of working scenario where they just cannot be uninvolved for whatever reason. Other times they are just faceless, nameless people. End result doesn't change. Somewhere along the line, usually in a city or confined environment, there starts up an exchange and my "own people" turn against me. Usually I am able to fend them off, withdraw, shoot - rinse, repeat. Sometimes it gets savage, other times it stays "neat" like that.

It is a bad feeling, I am not really sure what you can describe it as, other than you "know" what it feels like to be hunted. It is a lot worse when you knew, know or even regularly see these people and have to try to not think that, or not think you "killed" them in a dream or that you distrust them so much as individuals that they act as stand-ins. You can't un-see it. Other times you get glimpses back to them when you are going about life and you just time travel to another mindset and place, leaving everyone else looking at you and wondering where you went. It's cliché, I know, but it is a real thing.

But that isn't always the case. Sometimes other than finally catching up on sleep, I have the pleasure of getting to lucid dream. I make a pretty strong effort to double check reality, as the above compels me to, but when things do not align and I can tell it? What I would give to make those last longer. For myself the easiest way is to check the time, yet even that's hard to do. What I tend to notice is just strange inconsistencies.

For one, if I am not really me. If I am some other identity and my immediately recognizable dream qualities aren't manifest, something is off. That sounds backwards, but believe me, it is a lot more strange to be someone else in a dream and then have to think about returning to your own dream existence after. Other times it is when physics are off or the behavior of people are not aligning correctly with what I know to be true. Sometimes its the damn mist or haze, which is in places it shouldn't be - like indoors. That's when the limits are off. These I will share in time to come, because who does not want interesting or fascinating dreams?

Responding in turn to @Shoryu Magami, I have a similar but different experience with my writing. In the rare circumstances I have a decent dream and I do encounter some of my own works, I cannot influence them or alter them at all. The identities of these select few individuals I have no power over. It's bizarre in that sense, because otherwise these dreams are completely lucid and malleable as well as subject to recall. Involving them? Information gets lost, I cannot exercise anything on them directly and the conversations tend to be surprisingly informative and satisfying, even if I could tell you nothing about them.

The Topic of Dreams

The Topic of Dreams

For a place of such creativity and novelty, there's not been too much ongoing discussion with this matter of dreaming outside of the various roleplay topics themselves. Before you ask, no I do not include the spam forum, as this topic is intended to be a more serious and sincere collection of people's recounting, understandings thereof and anything relative; for some people the whole is a personal matter yet for others it is little more than a nighttime television series with no plot. Some dream to remember, others dream to forget. Regardless if you're invested on the front of interpretation, oneirology, spirituality or just sharing stories there of, feel free to put them here.

Let me say it now that if you are going to be explicit, immature, offensive, or strangely close-minded about the discussion of dreams then this topic is not for you.

Politely share, comment and discuss at will.

I will share my experiences in my following post.

𝕋ℍ𝔼 𝕊𝔸𝔾𝔸 𝕆𝔽 𝕍𝕀ℕ𝔻𝔼ℝ𝕍𝔸𝕃𝕃

@Athinar you can post whenever, you do know that, correct? The longer we wait on posts the more likely people are to never respond and simply vanish.

𝕋ℍ𝔼 𝕊𝔸𝔾𝔸 𝕆𝔽 𝕍𝕀ℕ𝔻𝔼ℝ𝕍𝔸𝕃𝕃

If I do not hear from @Athinar in the next day or so I will just reply to your post directly, @Mag Lev.

D&D 5e - Hoard of the Dragon Queen

Brannor kept stride with the hurried dwarf, the other man making every movement of his journey knowingly, leaving the rest to do little more than follow. The halfling woman did lead now and then, caught up to by the rest only as they were being led the way and on a path their guide knew well. It took not too long in all truth for them to arrive before an entourage of guardsmen before a barred door, that of which their weapons and gear was set too in defense.

One issued his salute, speaking on how the enemy was trapped but only for the time being; the outlander, with a tightening of his knuckles upon the greatsword he bore then relaxed them in steady anticipation, allowing the others to converse. The dim candlelight of the keep's halls shrouded them all in flickering, shifting shadows, to which he hoped the enemy was not more concealed. He gave a nod, looking to the orc-blooded man beside him who seemed as eager as ever to charge into the fray and wreak havoc on the enemy's number.

"We will do more than just drive them out." Brannor replied in turn to Escobert afterward, noting in tone his intent to leave none of the darkness' children standing.

Shifting slightly in stance, feet readied and parted no more than the broadness of his shoulders, he prepared to draw up the weapon he carried and favored - its savage edges hungering once more. Over the shoulder did he give one last glance, seeing who else had joined the counterattack; for the moment, only man, halfling and half-blood were preparing their delve. It was about to be a very troubled, very bloodied effort if this were all they had.

@Phoenix@Hekazu@Ryonara@Lucius Cypher

D&D 5e - Hoard of the Dragon Queen

Brannor's initiative roll is 12. This said, I will write just a short reply and see where I fall in initiative from there, given we're about to clash again.

D&D 5e - Hoard of the Dragon Queen

Idle as we are, I can only hope all are still here. We've not yet even progressed to the second level and there's a lot of ground to cover yet.

The Manacles of Destruction - Loosely Based Dungeons and Dragons 3.5

Kerris Mardok

Kerris had been on edge since their delve into the depths began and at the first sign of trouble, the onset of combat, she was more than ready. She moved from the opening of the door and to the far side of the next, where the cloaked man and the priest seemed to be locked in combat now; the clatter of steel ringing out. Nearly sliding across the dusty floor in her studded leather boots, she ably put herself into an opportune spot to strike from, using the armor of her ally as her shield. With the reach of her weapon, a long, pointed spear she launched out an attack from just behind the servant of the sun, the weapon darting like a lash from around his side.

Effect

Kerris' readied action has her move behind Heddwyn Price, assisting him in battle and attacking. Using the reach of her long spear, she attacks with a roll of 23. If her weapon hits, she deals 10 points of piercing damage. Kerris will use her attack of opportunity if her attacked foe provokes from her.

Animal Companion

Effect

At the sound and initiation of combat, the defensive animal companion obeys its direction to defend the group from the obvious threat. Geraint declines to prevent the tiger from attacking as a free action, allowing the cat to target the nearest elf and begin fighting.

Like a blinding flash of living lightening, the great cat threw itself into the fray with startling speed from behind the man it paid heed to, who in return made no effort to unwisely impede its snarly advance. It came from the stairs and through the doorway, covering the room in between just as Kerris had, delivering with a blurring paw a vicious slash to the nearest of its foes - it cared not, let alone knew not, as to prefer the cleric or the ranger's enemy, striking only at the first threat it knew.

The sheer force and violence of the surprise strike against the now seemingly ill prepared elven ambushers was remarkable. The room stormed by man, woman and now beast, the animal companion visibly bristled its orange, striped body and withdrew the attacking paw.

Effect

The animal companion unleashes a mighty clawed swipe with a roll of 26. If the blow connects, it deals 11 points of slashing and piercing damage. Because it was not able to charge, it cannot Pounce and full-attack. It will use its attacks of opportunity to engage any foe who provokes it.

@ELGainsborough