Carl moves quickly to Auriel’s side, hunching down, his hand goes to a potion bottle for a second, considering, then he looks up at the huge Minotaur and says “Go away you beast, we have no quarrel with you! Get out of here if you wish, but leave us alone!” His hand shoots out and a bolt of eldritch energy shoots from it at the beast. He looks down at Auriel, examining his chest injury and attempts to help him up with any remaining action this round.
Movement : to Auriel’s side.
Action : Eldritch blast : 17 to hit, for 4 points of force damage
Auriel doesn’t even have time to scream as Walharrow hurls him to the floor, the impact driving the air from his lungs. He has endured severe wounds before, but never like this. For a moment, everything—Bhevek, Rathene, the fire—disappears, replaced by blinding pain and the red haze of his own blood spilling from too many wounds. It takes several seconds for Hex’s voice to break through the pounding in his ears, but she is right: as much as Auriel wants to help the others deal with the pirate, he won’t last without healing—be it the ranger's, or his own.
Gritting his teeth, the paladin forces himself to stand up, grabbing Carl’s hand just as he begins to collapse again. Then, pressing a hand against his bloodied chest, Auriel breathes a prayer, calling on his god for healing and protection.
Movement: stand up from prone.
Action: Lay on Hands on himself (14 / 15 points, to be at 20 / 30 HPs)
OOC: Correct me if I'm wrong about any of this, but I don't believe Hex would have enough actions to attack and drop her shortsword for Rathene, only because in order to drop the shortsword she would have to draw it first. So to draw her shortsword with her free object interaction, she would also then need to draw her bow in order to make the attack, which would take her action. Assuming here that she would rather make the attack than drop her shortsword.
Struck by a sizzling arcane blast from Carlthuzad, Walharrow has a sinister grin as he turns and charges toward Bhevek. Hex adds an arrow to the collection stuck in the minotaur, and Bhevek has just enough time to dive into a side office, allowing Walharrow to dash into a stairwell.
"A coward?" Bhevek calls as he reappears in the wake of the fleeing pirate. "Do you think I could have survived that?" He motions to Auriel, the wounded paladin still pressing a hand to his chest. Running back toward the party, the halfling starts in the opposite direction of Walharrow. "Come, this way! Something is seriously wrong if Walharrow escaped," he says.
(Oops my bad. I honestly wasn't sure either but thought I'll try it anyway haha.)
Hex helps Auriel stand and places her hands on his chest for a moment to heal his wounds.
Cure Wounds: 5
She looks to where Walharrow escaped and back at Bhevek with a worried look but follows him anyway. "Shouldn't we go after him? Where are you even taking us?" As she passes by Rathene, she unsheathes her shortsword and hands it to her. "Try not to die. We still need you."
OOC: Not that it seems to matter, and relying on the DM's good graces, but here's the advantage the DM specified, I had in mind, but still didn't utilize:
2nd roll of an attack: 22
damage: 5 + sneak attack: 8
Hildigrim glances in the direction Walharrow fled, mirroring Hex’s initial hesitation. But when she pivots to follow Bhevek, so does he. His movements are swift and fluid, his steps nearly silent as he darts forward, rapier at the ready. Alert and prepared for whatever might lie ahead, the halfling flows through the space like a shadow.
As Hex casts her healing magic on him, Auriel squeezes one of her hands for a brief moment. Though he’s accustomed to standing firm in the face of danger, the minotaur’s blow has rattled him more than he lets on. After taking a deep breath—meant to steady his still pounding heart—the eladrin gives the tiefling a thankful smile and follows Bhevek in silence, looking concerned. He doesn’t glance in the Walharrow's direction, but the worry is clear on his face: if that beast of a pirate nearly brought him down, what would he do to anyone less prepared who crossed his path? But there’s nothing they can do about it now. The situation in the prison still needs to be controlled, not to mention the task regarding Krulek they must complete.
"Shouldn't we go after him? Where are you even taking us?"
Bhevek stops in place. "Go after him? Did you see what he did to your friend?" Continuing to walk, he adds, "We're going back the way we came. We'll rendezvous with Ukharim and the other jailers before anything else. Then you can leave if you wish, but you will be taking none of our prisoners with you unless you pay our ransom."
Rathene nods, accepting Hex's shortsword. Seeing the action, Bhevek says, "Think about using that sword on us, girl, and you'll have a bolt in your throat before you can so much as think about gloating."
The source of the smoke finally greets you as you enter the next spiraling stairway. Part of the stairwell has broken off, laying as rubble at the bottom of the tower, and flames billow from the side of the landing at the floor below. Growling at the state of things, Bhevek nonetheless leaps across the broken section of stair onto the next landing, avoiding the flames raging at him from a room to the side. "Come on, we're almost there."
OOC: Applied Hildigrim's damage from the advantage roll to Walharrow. Any character making the jump, go ahead and make an Acrobatics check.
Hildigrim crouches, ready to spring into action, his body coiled like a taut wire. Just as he begins to leap, a dense cloud of smoke swirls around him, cutting off his vision entirely. The acrid fumes invade his lungs, burning his throat and forcing a rasping cough as his momentum falters.
Hex sighs but can't help and agree with Bhevek. Walharrow, as dangerous as he was, was not the party's concern at the moment. She kept concentrating on her Hunter's Mark as they made their way through the prison, occasionally focusing on it to see if she can gauge his location relative to their own. When they reach the collapsed stairwell, she goes to follow Bhevek over the jump without much of a thought but stops when she sees Hildigrim falter. "Oh, no you don't!" She calls out to him, reaching with her hand to try and grab and pull him back to safety before he falls.
Carl looks at the jump, his chin raising slightly and he leaps forward with false confidence. “How hard can tha be…” comes as he leaps forward, a board giving way as he jumps down awkwardly.
Acrobatics check : 4
(If allowed) Feeling himself fall, Carl’s eyes almost roll back in his head and turn black for a moment as he feels the fall to the ground coming, he casts misty step to teleport himself in a shimmering mist to safety.
Auriel lets out an annoyed sound as when he sees the state of the stairway. He glares at Bhevek, thinking that if the Grimshackles hade made any effort on mantaining this ruin of a building, it might have stood a better chance against the fire.
Watching the lighter members of the group struggle with the jump, he decides he isn't going to even try. "Is there really no other way to reach our destination?” he asks Bhevek, though he’s already expecting the answer to be a no. With a resigned sigh, he waits for the others to finish crossing before muttering in Elvish "Minuir." In an instant, Auriel vanishes, reappearing beside Bhevek on the other side.
Hildigrim and Carlthuzad, choosing the same moment to jump and tumble into each other at the landing, which also partially splits, sending them sprawling into the flames together. Carl quickly dissipates into mist, reappearing outside of the flames with only some singed hairs. Hildigrim quickly returns to his feet, somewhat burned but rolling and leaping back from the danger before it can wound him further.
Auriel similarly fades to mist, reappearing on the landing below, leaving only Hex remaining on the higher stairwell, her hand outstretched from her attempt to keep Hildigrim from his poorly timed leap.
"Damn it, Bhevek,"Auriel snaps as he takes in Hildigrim's and Carlthuzad's burns. "Ten gold for entry, another ten to move Rathene to a better cell, and this is what we get? A rampaging minotaur, a collapsing staircase, and an inferno trying to kill us. If you think you can squeeze more out of us after this, think again."
Without waiting for a response, he turns to watch Hex as she jumps, stepping back to clear the way so she can find safe footing.
Hildigrim grimaces as he rises to his feet, brushing soot from his sleeves with quick, practiced motions. His sharp eyes dart over his clothes and gear, ensuring nothing is smoldering or singed. Satisfied all is intact, he takes a steadying breath and surveys his surroundings, scanning the nearby section of the tower for damage, danger, or any signs of escalating flames.
Carl pats the area of his skin that was singed and looks up, ready to follow further, getting prepared for what lies before them. “Everyone okay? I almost fell flat on my face. We need to get outta here….”
"If you think you can squeeze more out of us after this, think again."
We need to get outta here….
"Ain't nobody squeezing nobody unless we get to the ground floor. The tower's stone, the only part that's in danger are the floors, and we're standing on 'em. So I agree, let's get outta here," Bhevek says.
Hex leaps safely to the current floor, joining the rest of the party.
By the time Rathene jumps, there is little landing left that is not coated in flame. The half-orc's muscles out of use from her time in a jail cell, she misjudges the distance and falters as she lands, rolling into part of the blaze. Howling in pain, she nonetheless rolls herself out of it, but her side looks badly burned.
"Great, the gang's all here. Shall we?" Bhevek says. "We're almost there."
Auriel shakes his head as Rathene too gets burned. Fortunately, Hex has been spared from the fire. With all of them together, the paladin is eager to continue downward and gives Bhevek a curt, "Lead the way."
As they walk, Auriel carefully mirrors the jailer’s movements, stepping exactly where he does. After all, Bhevek knows better than anyone which sections of the floor are weak and most likely to collapse due to the fire.
You press forward, Rathene limping alongside and Bhevek staying close as you move into another stairwell, this one more intact and sturdy. You descend on the main floor and hear shouting voices from the hallway before you.
As you approach the chamber where you first met with the Grimshackle brothers, ahead you see a dwarf jailer struggling with Ukharim, the pair locked in conflict. The jailer holds his boss in a headlock, a shortsword pressed to the halfling's throat. Another jailer stands in their way, waving a spear at the hostage taker.
"Back off or I'll slit the halfling's throat!" the traitor growls.
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Carl moves quickly to Auriel’s side, hunching down, his hand goes to a potion bottle for a second, considering, then he looks up at the huge Minotaur and says “Go away you beast, we have no quarrel with you! Get out of here if you wish, but leave us alone!” His hand shoots out and a bolt of eldritch energy shoots from it at the beast. He looks down at Auriel, examining his chest injury and attempts to help him up with any remaining action this round.
Movement : to Auriel’s side.
Action : Eldritch blast : 17 to hit, for 4 points of force damage
Helps Auriel to stand.
Auriel doesn’t even have time to scream as Walharrow hurls him to the floor, the impact driving the air from his lungs. He has endured severe wounds before, but never like this. For a moment, everything—Bhevek, Rathene, the fire—disappears, replaced by blinding pain and the red haze of his own blood spilling from too many wounds. It takes several seconds for Hex’s voice to break through the pounding in his ears, but she is right: as much as Auriel wants to help the others deal with the pirate, he won’t last without healing—be it the ranger's, or his own.
Gritting his teeth, the paladin forces himself to stand up, grabbing Carl’s hand just as he begins to collapse again. Then, pressing a hand against his bloodied chest, Auriel breathes a prayer, calling on his god for healing and protection.
Movement: stand up from prone.
Action: Lay on Hands on himself (14 / 15 points, to be at 20 / 30 HPs)
Bonus Action: Shield of Faith
It's only forever, not long at all ♫
OOC: Correct me if I'm wrong about any of this, but I don't believe Hex would have enough actions to attack and drop her shortsword for Rathene, only because in order to drop the shortsword she would have to draw it first. So to draw her shortsword with her free object interaction, she would also then need to draw her bow in order to make the attack, which would take her action. Assuming here that she would rather make the attack than drop her shortsword.
Struck by a sizzling arcane blast from Carlthuzad, Walharrow has a sinister grin as he turns and charges toward Bhevek. Hex adds an arrow to the collection stuck in the minotaur, and Bhevek has just enough time to dive into a side office, allowing Walharrow to dash into a stairwell.
"A coward?" Bhevek calls as he reappears in the wake of the fleeing pirate. "Do you think I could have survived that?" He motions to Auriel, the wounded paladin still pressing a hand to his chest. Running back toward the party, the halfling starts in the opposite direction of Walharrow. "Come, this way! Something is seriously wrong if Walharrow escaped," he says.
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(Oops my bad. I honestly wasn't sure either but thought I'll try it anyway haha.)
Hex helps Auriel stand and places her hands on his chest for a moment to heal his wounds.
Cure Wounds: 5
She looks to where Walharrow escaped and back at Bhevek with a worried look but follows him anyway. "Shouldn't we go after him? Where are you even taking us?" As she passes by Rathene, she unsheathes her shortsword and hands it to her. "Try not to die. We still need you."
OOC: Not that it seems to matter, and relying on the DM's good graces, but here's the advantage the DM specified, I had in mind, but still didn't utilize:
2nd roll of an attack: 22
damage: 5 + sneak attack: 8
Hildigrim glances in the direction Walharrow fled, mirroring Hex’s initial hesitation. But when she pivots to follow Bhevek, so does he. His movements are swift and fluid, his steps nearly silent as he darts forward, rapier at the ready. Alert and prepared for whatever might lie ahead, the halfling flows through the space like a shadow.
As Hex casts her healing magic on him, Auriel squeezes one of her hands for a brief moment. Though he’s accustomed to standing firm in the face of danger, the minotaur’s blow has rattled him more than he lets on. After taking a deep breath—meant to steady his still pounding heart—the eladrin gives the tiefling a thankful smile and follows Bhevek in silence, looking concerned. He doesn’t glance in the Walharrow's direction, but the worry is clear on his face: if that beast of a pirate nearly brought him down, what would he do to anyone less prepared who crossed his path? But there’s nothing they can do about it now. The situation in the prison still needs to be controlled, not to mention the task regarding Krulek they must complete.
It's only forever, not long at all ♫
Bhevek stops in place. "Go after him? Did you see what he did to your friend?" Continuing to walk, he adds, "We're going back the way we came. We'll rendezvous with Ukharim and the other jailers before anything else. Then you can leave if you wish, but you will be taking none of our prisoners with you unless you pay our ransom."
Rathene nods, accepting Hex's shortsword. Seeing the action, Bhevek says, "Think about using that sword on us, girl, and you'll have a bolt in your throat before you can so much as think about gloating."
The source of the smoke finally greets you as you enter the next spiraling stairway. Part of the stairwell has broken off, laying as rubble at the bottom of the tower, and flames billow from the side of the landing at the floor below. Growling at the state of things, Bhevek nonetheless leaps across the broken section of stair onto the next landing, avoiding the flames raging at him from a room to the side. "Come on, we're almost there."
OOC: Applied Hildigrim's damage from the advantage roll to Walharrow. Any character making the jump, go ahead and make an Acrobatics check.
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OOC: Two nat 1's in a row. Yikes.
Hildigrim crouches, ready to spring into action, his body coiled like a taut wire. Just as he begins to leap, a dense cloud of smoke swirls around him, cutting off his vision entirely. The acrid fumes invade his lungs, burning his throat and forcing a rasping cough as his momentum falters.
(OOC: Bhevek stole your rolls lmao)
Hex sighs but can't help and agree with Bhevek. Walharrow, as dangerous as he was, was not the party's concern at the moment. She kept concentrating on her Hunter's Mark as they made their way through the prison, occasionally focusing on it to see if she can gauge his location relative to their own. When they reach the collapsed stairwell, she goes to follow Bhevek over the jump without much of a thought but stops when she sees Hildigrim falter. "Oh, no you don't!" She calls out to him, reaching with her hand to try and grab and pull him back to safety before he falls.
Carl looks at the jump, his chin raising slightly and he leaps forward with false confidence. “How hard can tha be…” comes as he leaps forward, a board giving way as he jumps down awkwardly.
Acrobatics check : 4
(If allowed) Feeling himself fall, Carl’s eyes almost roll back in his head and turn black for a moment as he feels the fall to the ground coming, he casts misty step to teleport himself in a shimmering mist to safety.
Auriel lets out an annoyed sound as when he sees the state of the stairway. He glares at Bhevek, thinking that if the Grimshackles hade made any effort on mantaining this ruin of a building, it might have stood a better chance against the fire.
Watching the lighter members of the group struggle with the jump, he decides he isn't going to even try. "Is there really no other way to reach our destination?” he asks Bhevek, though he’s already expecting the answer to be a no. With a resigned sigh, he waits for the others to finish crossing before muttering in Elvish "Minuir." In an instant, Auriel vanishes, reappearing beside Bhevek on the other side.
"Forward"
It's only forever, not long at all ♫
Hildigrim and Carlthuzad, choosing the same moment to jump and tumble into each other at the landing, which also partially splits, sending them sprawling into the flames together. Carl quickly dissipates into mist, reappearing outside of the flames with only some singed hairs. Hildigrim quickly returns to his feet, somewhat burned but rolling and leaping back from the danger before it can wound him further.
Auriel similarly fades to mist, reappearing on the landing below, leaving only Hex remaining on the higher stairwell, her hand outstretched from her attempt to keep Hildigrim from his poorly timed leap.
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"Damn it, Bhevek," Auriel snaps as he takes in Hildigrim's and Carlthuzad's burns. "Ten gold for entry, another ten to move Rathene to a better cell, and this is what we get? A rampaging minotaur, a collapsing staircase, and an inferno trying to kill us. If you think you can squeeze more out of us after this, think again."
Without waiting for a response, he turns to watch Hex as she jumps, stepping back to clear the way so she can find safe footing.
It's only forever, not long at all ♫
Hex winces as she fails to grasp Hildigrim's hand and gives him an apologetic look before jumping over the gap herself.
Acrobatics: 11
Hildigrim grimaces as he rises to his feet, brushing soot from his sleeves with quick, practiced motions. His sharp eyes dart over his clothes and gear, ensuring nothing is smoldering or singed. Satisfied all is intact, he takes a steadying breath and surveys his surroundings, scanning the nearby section of the tower for damage, danger, or any signs of escalating flames.
Carl pats the area of his skin that was singed and looks up, ready to follow further, getting prepared for what lies before them. “Everyone okay? I almost fell flat on my face. We need to get outta here….”
"Ain't nobody squeezing nobody unless we get to the ground floor. The tower's stone, the only part that's in danger are the floors, and we're standing on 'em. So I agree, let's get outta here," Bhevek says.
Hex leaps safely to the current floor, joining the rest of the party.
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By the time Rathene jumps, there is little landing left that is not coated in flame. The half-orc's muscles out of use from her time in a jail cell, she misjudges the distance and falters as she lands, rolling into part of the blaze. Howling in pain, she nonetheless rolls herself out of it, but her side looks badly burned.
"Great, the gang's all here. Shall we?" Bhevek says. "We're almost there."
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Auriel shakes his head as Rathene too gets burned. Fortunately, Hex has been spared from the fire. With all of them together, the paladin is eager to continue downward and gives Bhevek a curt, "Lead the way."
As they walk, Auriel carefully mirrors the jailer’s movements, stepping exactly where he does. After all, Bhevek knows better than anyone which sections of the floor are weak and most likely to collapse due to the fire.
It's only forever, not long at all ♫
You press forward, Rathene limping alongside and Bhevek staying close as you move into another stairwell, this one more intact and sturdy. You descend on the main floor and hear shouting voices from the hallway before you.
As you approach the chamber where you first met with the Grimshackle brothers, ahead you see a dwarf jailer struggling with Ukharim, the pair locked in conflict. The jailer holds his boss in a headlock, a shortsword pressed to the halfling's throat. Another jailer stands in their way, waving a spear at the hostage taker.
"Back off or I'll slit the halfling's throat!" the traitor growls.
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