A chaos nexus freakishly formed in Limbo and the Slaad lords were able to take advantage of its potential but once. Only beings of a lesser life energy could use it, any higher order entities would be too much, and cause it to burst. Several attempts were made over a thousand years until a signal was sent on the far side confirming it was a way past the Wall of M’drone. And then a raiding party was sent to establish a permanent connection – and invasion.
> Kildaer’s Plane: A copse of glass trees where there is evidence of a “camp” and activity.
[Potentially a completely seperate quest: A Back door to Escalon]
* Arcane DC 20 “non-sigil” (some sort of true chaos, all-sigil and non-sigil in the same)… this is the only remnant of what they could find.. But the power hum in the air if you stay for more than 24 hours. A certain faint smell and mirage like effects are also present. After finding it, they can
a) look up the information at the monastery OR b) intuit it w/improv @DC 15 Sanity check (-1 hp permanently if fail); the research reveals a lot of confusing and contradictory details on an “anti-sigil” seemingly so complex its difficult to even think about (headaches). If a character attempts it afterward, they automatically lose 1 HP in enacting it and slip into sleep for a Long Rest at the end.
>> Attempting to ‘recreate’ it will result in an endless doodle, with days of working up to using an entire wall as a mural for one symbol. The character must be restrained or they must be left to finish. All activities will never allow them to lift chalk from surface of mural; they become crazed and mad eyes/feverish. Anyone trying to stop them must make a DC 10 + charisma modifier of madness source. Failure means they can ignore the madness, otherwise they begin their own sigil.
Each day they get not enough food and water = cumulative -1 all checks from strain; 3 days is disadvantage. The source of the tracing gets their Charisma bonus.
Each day they must make a Sanity check DC 5 on day 2, going up by 5.
Survive 2 days: Become literate in a language for which you have no spoken skill in & age a D20-10 years.
… > Anyone with Rage: DC 15 to gain a Personality Trait from your Background
… > Anyone with Nature skill: You may change your Personal Trait of your Background; DC 10 to get a use of Inspiration (only one may be gained this way, ever)
Survive 3 days: Lose 5 feet from base movement rate – walking seems like a meander; effects/spells which negatively affect your movement are all halved in impact. Anyone trying to track you does so ALWAYS with disadvantage. If you can roll under or equal to your Charisma or Intelligence bonus (whichever is higher) on a D10 you can additionally gain the effects of Day 2.
… > Echo Chamber of Dreams combat – fight yourself? In fight take a wound which accounts for movement drops. Cheering for you is the Guardian. Opposite is a hideous floating coatl-corpse. Win: +1 Essence + corpse leaves diamond worth 1000sc; Lose: -1 Essence
Survive 4 days: Your aura is forever altered, you detect as Celestial, Fiend, Fey, etc. Pick one – all spells and abilities that target it as if you were both your original and the new aura. Your name changes and it will be as if was always that in the memories of you and people (not written accounts). You gain the Natural Illusionist trait (per gnome race) AND Improved Minor Illusion of the Illusionist Wizard school. Your cantrips can be of specific living creatures and appear to interact and gain a range of Charisma x 5m.
Survive 5 days: Cantrip can move up to 15’ round (must be within Charisma x 10m and visible to caster at all times); you can concentrate on 2 concurrent ones. They can be an object of 10’ cube or a stationary covering (wall, terrain, etc.) 10 x 30. You can project 1 prestidigitation effect onto or through 1 illusion each round as a bonus action. Each day, when you awaken from a night’s rest you are affected by the Misty Step spell (you must go the full range). Gain a Feat of your choice. DC 9 Sanity check or acquire a Flaw trait from a random Background.
GROUP:
Survives 2! They can battle a creature. Win = gain 1 Essence, Lose = lose 1 Essence; War Cry can be used in once combat but its a Bless spell (anyone in group can trigger) if they were successful or a Chaos Surge if failure. (regardless, they should be lead to believe its beneficial “lessons” learned).
Survives 3! Win = +1 on the 2 worst skills; Lose = -1 on the 2 best skills; This will happen in the first night – dreams will bring visions of weal or woe.
Track them across one of the land
The perils of the Pleading Victim Statues will be difficult to overcome. Their sanity will eb assaulted at every turn and violence among their ranks on each other may be required to maintain their pace and direction.
Make way through traps and sentry’s
Stop the sacrifice
Figure out how they got in
Restore the sacrificial victims