In the moment that the enemies appear, Holm releases the spell energy he'd been holding, shooting another burst of flame. This one exits directly from his palm and streaks towards the purple specter directly over the seal. He quickly follows up with a few quick steps forward and another cone of flame from his wrist. He shoots a quick glance at the redhead beside him, hoping for protection as he kneels to examine the glowing green runes now that he's close enough to see them.
Previous round R:Fire bolt at the purple guy on top of the seal, 17 to hit for 3 fire damage.
BA: Flamethrower in a 15 ft. cone at as many guys on the left as possible (hoping to include purple guy on seal since I doubt the fire bolt killed him). 9 fire damage or DC 13 DEX save for 4.
A:Study action to make an arcana check (20, rolled last round with heroic inspiration), hoping to glean information about the seal's purpose and if/how it relates to where we are and how we got here.
“I see not even death wants to keep you!” Korran shouted at the first enemy to appear. Energy ran through his voice like blood runs through the body of a man and imbued his every word, trying to cut through the very thoughts of the ghastly figure. If it would succeed or not the bard didn’t wait to find. Three enemies surrounded Lucian and four more stood to the side of the three. Where the read haired to fall the battle could become too hard on those left standing.
The rebel ran towards the creature left of his ally. Before it he rose the right arm over the left shoulder, just to bring them down in the direction of the enemy. The strength of the arm flowed to the blade, changing into pure force. A cackling beam of blue energy leaving the edge of the pact weapon with speed and precision that revealed that melee was not his only option in combat. It was good to know that crew wouldn't mind spellcasting.
Now hit me, Korran said with the voice of his mind. The Armor of Agathys was unlikely to resist more than a hit, but maybe its retribution could be enough to finish the creature before it had any chance to attack his allies. That would leave Lucian free to finish another threat.
Notes: All rolls made in the campaign log. The first enemy to appear must make a Wisdom Save (DC 14) or take 4 psychic damage and have disadvantage on its next attack roll. For his turn Korran casts Eldritch Blast (21 to hit, 4 force damage).
A streak of fire smashes into the first specter's head. It (8 DEX), along with the other specter(7 DEX) take the full brunt of Holm's flamethrower...Although they seem to not be as bothered as much by the flames as the other creatures. They emerge from the attack only slightly disformed. The three shades(16 DEX) on the left side of platform whip out of the way, but the heat of the flames still burn away much of the shadow that makes up their forms.
Holm (Arcana): The artificer finds trying to study in the glyph in the heat of a battle a very difficult task, particularly with one of the creatures floating directly above the sigil. The runes are quite unlike anything he's ever seen before - this is not some simple summoning spell someone might find in a dusty tome somewhere. It's old knowledge...Old magic. He can recognize whiffs of necromancy in its form. Oddly enough, none of the runes are recognizable as being from the school of conjuration as one might expect for a spell that summons creatures.
As he attempts to assault the specter's(18 WIS) mind, Korranfinds an iron clad mental defense.
OoC For the rest of Korran'sturn, we have a bit of a space problem...As Holmhas moved to the top of the stairs to view the sigil on the ground.
Initiative --- Rest of Korran's turn revised, Dante, & Lucian
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Lucian, now no longer completely surrounded, stays back from most of the fighting with Roland. He takes his bow again, and produces another arrow, also hidden somewhere within the ruffles of his outfit, and prepares to shoot. He takes a deep breath, but still acts with haste.
his eyes land on his target: the leftmost specter, caught in Holm’s blast. Focusing on nothing but the enemy, he tries to let his previous panic subside, replacing it with a rather convincing mask of confidence. A quarter of a second later, he fires his arrow.
He uses the steady aim bonus action, granting himself advantage on the attack.
to hit: 24 damage: 3+11 piercing damage to the specter.
Dante's eyes narrow slightly as he notes the odd method by which these creatures are forming. If his suspicions were true, there would be nowhere that was safe for them in this realm. "Is everything in this forsaken place made of these spirits?!" He yells out in frustration.
Whirling the longsword around in his hands, he dances around the translucent specter, repositioning himself on the other side of it to make more room for his newfound allies on the platform. Lightning fast he strikes the monster with his blade as its blue radiance flares to life once more.
Action| True StrikeAttack: 25, Damage: 17 (Mastery Sap: Creature has disadvantage on its next attack roll before the start of Dante's next turn) Movement| 5ft northwest Active Spells| Jump (7 turns remaining), Armor of Agathys (5hp, 1 hour remaining)
A spear of arcane energy lances out from Korran's outstretched hand, blasting a chunk away from the specter's torso. From behind, Dante's glowing sword is driven through its torso. Its ghastly mouth opens in a scream as its form is burned away from the center, dissipating into the fog.
The two shades to Dante's right move in to attack him, grasping at him with ghostly claws (Melee Group Attack: 15 to hit), but fail to reach him...
Map State Update (From mobile this is the best I can do) - The specter in front of Holmis dead, opening up that space. - Dantehas moved into the space north of it. - The shade on the furthest right has moved into Dante's old space.
[I'm assuming the Vortex is to the South West based on the large map? Do I think this awareness and my mark pulsing started when Lojack bit me, or unrelated?]
Roland will drop another fire hopefully right in the middle of the three shades and one specter to the west. DC Dex 14 or 5 fire damage.
He will then alert Lucian, "my mark, it itches, and seems to be moving, similar to that vortex over there" pointing in the direction of the vortex.
He will then keep an eye on the vortex to see what happens, and will decide more next round.
Lucian glances to Roland, getting ready to fire another shot from his bow. “i knew something odd was going on with that…” he looks to the swirling vortex of magical energy. Does he sense anything as well?
A raging bonfire bursts into life on the platform, burning wisps of shadow away from the shades. Once more, you notice that while the fire seems to do some damage to the specter, it doesn't seem as bothered as you would expect.
Shades (3 group) DEX: 11 Specter DEX: 8
Roland: The vortex is more like directly south of you. You are quite sure when the mark started pulsing - it's a very subtle effect. Now that you do see it, you notice Lucian's doing the same. The awareness happened after Lojack bit you, which seems coincidental. What you felt in your mind was something intentional, like there was something intelligent behind it.
The remaining specter seems to phase out of existence, disappearing into thin air. Korranwould feel a cold presence move through him, and a moment later the ghostly creature reappears in front of Roland, thrashing at him with spectral claws (Melee Spell Attack against Roland:6 to hit). While the three shades flit around Holm, trying to grasp him with their clawed hands but failing to find purchase (Melee Group Attack against Holm:12 to hit).
As your battle continues, you notice once again that the chant grows louder. With every passing moment the fog seems to thicken, and each word rings with a hollow, metallic reverberation.
Lucian: Besides a deep sense of unease from the rolling thunder of syllables filling the air, you don't feel anything in particular. You look down at your mark for the same signs Roland mentioned, and you notice it to be very subtly pulsing.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Lucian, interested in his Mark’s sudden movements, is rather shocked as the specter appears right in front of Roland. He yells and swiftly produces an arrow, ready to fire at the accursed creature. “Why are they so fast-“ he whispers to himself, taking a deep breath and focusing on the ghastly creature, before letting loose the arrow.
for a bonus action, he uses steady aim for advantage. Then he uses his bow to fire an arrow at the specter attacking Roland.
Drawing on his past several years spent learning and researching, Holm quickly narrows down the nature of the runic circle between blasts from his metallic bracer. They didn't match anything he'd ever seen, divine or arcane, from any of the modern nations. But magic goes beyond structure, and there were elements here that he could recognize no matter their frame. He stands back up, releasing another burst of flame at the spirits as he shouts to the others. "This circle seems necromantic, but it's not any magic I recognize! Do we try to destroy it?"
BA: Flamethrower on the three right shadows for 13 fire damage or DEX 13 save for 6
A: Dagger attack at the guy between Holm and Dante. 13 to hit (I rolled twice in case we're using flanking advantage rules which we haven't discussed I don't think? But the second one was lower so it would be the first roll regardless) for 3 piercing damage.
An arrow flies between Rolandand the specter, vanishing into the fog. Across the bridge, Holm'scontraption lets out another fan of flames, incinerating what remained of the three shades. His dagger finds a fourth where its face should be, and it explodes into a fading black mist.
"Destroy it if you can, I'll return shortly." With his legs still enhanced by spellwork, Dante locks onto the specter threatening Roland and Lucian as the other monsters fall before him. He gives the remaining shade wide berth, leaping over the railing of the platform and onto the bridge. The longsword shimmers as he lands, and he dashes forward to plunge it into the specter.
Action| True StrikeAttack: 20, Damage: 13(Mastery Sap: Creature has disadvantage on its next attack roll before the start of Dante's next turn) Movement| 5ft southeast, [Tooltip Not Found] (6 turns remaining), Armor of Agathys (5hp, 1 hour remaining)
“You, open space, !” He shouts to Holm, advancing towards the remaining specter, taking mental note to avoid using spells that target the mental resistance of that kind of creature. Attacking a spell circle was a dangerous idea if song and tale were to be believed, but if the last moments were anything to go by more undead would appear if the thing was left alone. If his thought was right, if those dead were people at the summit, then maybe the sigil would gradually bring forth any number of those who stood there during the explosion. The crew would be exhausted long before making a dent on the enemy force. Dante was more mobile and his strikes had more impact. Roland and Lucian were too far away and the Artificer was the one with better understanding of magic. It has to be me, Korran decided. “I’ll attack the circle!”
And if the worse were to happen, well, it was enough of a miracle he didn’t die at the temple. To use a few extra minutes in order to save a few others wasn’t that bad of a way to go. Determined, the bard ran towards the circle, dropping both of his blades. As he extended his right hand a wharhammer appeared on it. After raising the weapon overheard with both hands, he made steel fall over stone.
Notes: Korran misses the flor drop his scimitars, spend a bonus action to use his Pact of the Blade and summon a warhammer as a pact weapon, and spends his action to attack the circle (13 to hit, 7 radiant damage).
The stone cracks under the weight of Korran'sswing, interrupting the flow of the odd sigil. Behind him, another bonfire erupts as Rolandburns away another shade as it fails to lay a deathly hand on Holm. The chanting ceases, and for a moment you feel relief - it's over.
And then a deep reverberation fills the air, like a hammer striking an anvil.
The dreadful voice begin to chant once more, even louder than before - feeling closer than before. To the north, rising above the cliffs you begin to see the silhouette of a massive structure reaching into the sky, a castle or a tower of some kind.
To Korran's horror, the sigil beneath his feet alights anew as the stone mends itself, and additional runes carve themself into existence on either side of it. You recognize now that this is not the mortal realm, that this world belongs to something evil, something powerful. And it is watching. And it is in near absolute control of this realm. You will not be able to stop it by merely breaking some arcane circles.
A denser, freezing fog begins to rise from the ground on the platform; more shades and another specter form out of it. Something seems different about them though, they appear fiercer, more frightening...Something else begins to build in front of you. Not another spectral form, but something more solid.
Your marks thrum and simultaneously you all feel a psychic spike drive itself into your minds. A strained voice all but screams. "RUN! I CAN'T HOLD HIM ANY LONGER, THE PORTAL!" Behind you, the arcane vortex in the distance flares brighter than before, and the swirling energies begin to calm into a still image. Through a thin shimmering veil, you can just make out the snow capped Blackstar Mountains, where the Temple of Sacred Light had once stood.
Wisdom Saving Throws (I rolled these to save time) Holm - 4 Dante - 8 Korran- 13 Lucian- 15 Roland- 15
As the presence withdraws from your minds, some of you feel a lingering pain in your heads. (Holmand Dantetake 4 psychic damage)
”Oooooooooh Solarion…”Lucian whispers, Vaguely remembering the name of the paragon of light, shocked, confused and so, so very scared. A spike of psychic energy embeds itself into his mind temporarily, and he clutches his head in shock. As the pain recedes, he looks up, and sees the bright vortex, and… the Blackstar Mountains. Somewhere potentially safe. It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to Lucian, but combined with what the voice told him, it’s his best shot.
”Everyone! We need to go! If we don’t, we might as well be dead!” he yells to the others across the bridge. He takes another arrow, lining up a quick shot with his bow, aiming for the spectre diagonal from Korran. Whether it hits or not, he then makes a frantic dash towards the portal, gesturing for the others to follow, heading towards the portal by the shortest route.
as an action, he attacks the spectre with his bow. To hit: 11 damage: 8+9 piercing damage.
as a bonus action, he uses cunning action to dash, increasing his speed from 35 ft to 70, and he runs towards the portal, in the most direct route he can.
When steel fell over stone he expected to die in an explosion, instead the circle simply stopped glowing and for a moment, a brief moment, he felt relief. Then came the sound, the renewed glow, the presence. Korran had never felt anything like that. It covered everything, overpowered everything, made him feel in the bones that whatever was coming was greater than the whole place, controlled it. We’re a different plane and its master’s coming, he understood as the undead appeared. He felt pain encroaching on his head and out of instinct fought it, repelled it, just before the voice echoed on his mind. The same was likely to have happened with the others, he understood as Lucian shouted.
“Daaaaash!” He shouted, pointing to the portal and starting to run ignoring the close specters. He was unhurt and had the Armor of Agathys. That should be enough to allow racing. On the way he stopped for the briefest of moments, to retrieve the scimitar he had dropped but a moment earlier. All his focus, all his forces, where channeled into running. The scenery beyond the portal didn’t exactly inspire hope. There was destruction there and if the leaders of the summit had died… Well, those were worries for later. Scaping had priority.
Notes: Korran spends his action to dash, moving 60ft towards the portal/exit. On the way he uses a free action to get his scimitar back.
Once Korran runs, and assuming Holm follows suit, Roland will cast a spell and cover the stairs in front of the undead swarm with spikes. He will then run 30 feet towards the portal, and as a bonus action, magically leap another 30 feet towards it.
dmg if needed for spike growth per 5 feet: 4 piercing.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
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In the moment that the enemies appear, Holm releases the spell energy he'd been holding, shooting another burst of flame. This one exits directly from his palm and streaks towards the purple specter directly over the seal. He quickly follows up with a few quick steps forward and another cone of flame from his wrist. He shoots a quick glance at the redhead beside him, hoping for protection as he kneels to examine the glowing green runes now that he's close enough to see them.
Previous round R: Fire bolt at the purple guy on top of the seal, 17 to hit for 3 fire damage.
BA: Flamethrower in a 15 ft. cone at as many guys on the left as possible (hoping to include purple guy on seal since I doubt the fire bolt killed him). 9 fire damage or DC 13 DEX save for 4.
A: Study action to make an arcana check (20, rolled last round with heroic inspiration), hoping to glean information about the seal's purpose and if/how it relates to where we are and how we got here.
DM - A Humblewood Adventure | Holm Erebos - Dread Tyrant
“I see not even death wants to keep you!” Korran shouted at the first enemy to appear. Energy ran through his voice like blood runs through the body of a man and imbued his every word, trying to cut through the very thoughts of the ghastly figure. If it would succeed or not the bard didn’t wait to find. Three enemies surrounded Lucian and four more stood to the side of the three. Where the read haired to fall the battle could become too hard on those left standing.
The rebel ran towards the creature left of his ally. Before it he rose the right arm over the left shoulder, just to bring them down in the direction of the enemy. The strength of the arm flowed to the blade, changing into pure force. A cackling beam of blue energy leaving the edge of the pact weapon with speed and precision that revealed that melee was not his only option in combat. It was good to know that crew wouldn't mind spellcasting.
Now hit me, Korran said with the voice of his mind. The Armor of Agathys was unlikely to resist more than a hit, but maybe its retribution could be enough to finish the creature before it had any chance to attack his allies. That would leave Lucian free to finish another threat.
Notes: All rolls made in the campaign log. The first enemy to appear must make a Wisdom Save (DC 14) or take 4 psychic damage and have disadvantage on its next attack roll. For his turn Korran casts Eldritch Blast (21 to hit, 4 force damage).
A streak of fire smashes into the first specter's head. It (8 DEX), along with the other specter(7 DEX) take the full brunt of Holm's flamethrower...Although they seem to not be as bothered as much by the flames as the other creatures. They emerge from the attack only slightly disformed. The three shades(16 DEX) on the left side of platform whip out of the way, but the heat of the flames still burn away much of the shadow that makes up their forms.
Holm (Arcana): The artificer finds trying to study in the glyph in the heat of a battle a very difficult task, particularly with one of the creatures floating directly above the sigil. The runes are quite unlike anything he's ever seen before - this is not some simple summoning spell someone might find in a dusty tome somewhere. It's old knowledge...Old magic. He can recognize whiffs of necromancy in its form. Oddly enough, none of the runes are recognizable as being from the school of conjuration as one might expect for a spell that summons creatures.
As he attempts to assault the specter's(18 WIS) mind, Korran finds an iron clad mental defense.
OoC
For the rest of Korran's turn, we have a bit of a space problem...As Holm has moved to the top of the stairs to view the sigil on the ground.
Initiative --- Rest of Korran's turn revised, Dante, & Lucian

Lucian, now no longer completely surrounded, stays back from most of the fighting with Roland. He takes his bow again, and produces another arrow, also hidden somewhere within the ruffles of his outfit, and prepares to shoot. He takes a deep breath, but still acts with haste.
his eyes land on his target: the leftmost specter, caught in Holm’s blast. Focusing on nothing but the enemy, he tries to let his previous panic subside, replacing it with a rather convincing mask of confidence. A quarter of a second later, he fires his arrow.
He uses the steady aim bonus action, granting himself advantage on the attack.
to hit: 24 damage: 3+11 piercing damage to the specter.
Dante's eyes narrow slightly as he notes the odd method by which these creatures are forming. If his suspicions were true, there would be nowhere that was safe for them in this realm. "Is everything in this forsaken place made of these spirits?!" He yells out in frustration.
Whirling the longsword around in his hands, he dances around the translucent specter, repositioning himself on the other side of it to make more room for his newfound allies on the platform. Lightning fast he strikes the monster with his blade as its blue radiance flares to life once more.
Action| True Strike Attack: 25, Damage: 17 (Mastery Sap: Creature has disadvantage on its next attack roll before the start of Dante's next turn)
Movement| 5ft northwest
Active Spells| Jump (7 turns remaining), Armor of Agathys (5hp, 1 hour remaining)
A spear of arcane energy lances out from Korran's outstretched hand, blasting a chunk away from the specter's torso. From behind, Dante's glowing sword is driven through its torso. Its ghastly mouth opens in a scream as its form is burned away from the center, dissipating into the fog.
The two shades to Dante's right move in to attack him, grasping at him with ghostly claws (Melee Group Attack: 15 to hit), but fail to reach him...
Map State Update (From mobile this is the best I can do)
- The specter in front of Holm is dead, opening up that space.
- Dante has moved into the space north of it.
- The shade on the furthest right has moved into Dante's old space.
Roland is up in initiative!
[I'm assuming the Vortex is to the South West based on the large map? Do I think this awareness and my mark pulsing started when Lojack bit me, or unrelated?]
Roland will drop another fire hopefully right in the middle of the three shades and one specter to the west. DC Dex 14 or 5 fire damage.
He will then alert Lucian, "my mark, it itches, and seems to be moving, similar to that vortex over there" pointing in the direction of the vortex.
He will then keep an eye on the vortex to see what happens, and will decide more next round.
Lucian glances to Roland, getting ready to fire another shot from his bow. “i knew something odd was going on with that…” he looks to the swirling vortex of magical energy. Does he sense anything as well?
A raging bonfire bursts into life on the platform, burning wisps of shadow away from the shades. Once more, you notice that while the fire seems to do some damage to the specter, it doesn't seem as bothered as you would expect.
Shades (3 group) DEX: 11
Specter DEX: 8
Roland: The vortex is more like directly south of you. You are quite sure when the mark started pulsing - it's a very subtle effect. Now that you do see it, you notice Lucian's doing the same. The awareness happened after Lojack bit you, which seems coincidental. What you felt in your mind was something intentional, like there was something intelligent behind it.
The remaining specter seems to phase out of existence, disappearing into thin air. Korran would feel a cold presence move through him, and a moment later the ghostly creature reappears in front of Roland, thrashing at him with spectral claws (Melee Spell Attack against Roland: 6 to hit). While the three shades flit around Holm, trying to grasp him with their clawed hands but failing to find purchase (Melee Group Attack against Holm: 12 to hit).
As your battle continues, you notice once again that the chant grows louder. With every passing moment the fog seems to thicken, and each word rings with a hollow, metallic reverberation.
Lucian: Besides a deep sense of unease from the rolling thunder of syllables filling the air, you don't feel anything in particular. You look down at your mark for the same signs Roland mentioned, and you notice it to be very subtly pulsing.
Lucian, Holm, Dante, and Korran you're up!
Full Map
Lucian, interested in his Mark’s sudden movements, is rather shocked as the specter appears right in front of Roland. He yells and swiftly produces an arrow, ready to fire at the accursed creature. “Why are they so fast-“ he whispers to himself, taking a deep breath and focusing on the ghastly creature, before letting loose the arrow.
for a bonus action, he uses steady aim for advantage. Then he uses his bow to fire an arrow at the specter attacking Roland.
to hit: 21 damage: 5+9 piercing damage.
Drawing on his past several years spent learning and researching, Holm quickly narrows down the nature of the runic circle between blasts from his metallic bracer. They didn't match anything he'd ever seen, divine or arcane, from any of the modern nations. But magic goes beyond structure, and there were elements here that he could recognize no matter their frame. He stands back up, releasing another burst of flame at the spirits as he shouts to the others. "This circle seems necromantic, but it's not any magic I recognize! Do we try to destroy it?"
BA: Flamethrower on the three right shadows for 13 fire damage or DEX 13 save for 6
A: Dagger attack at the guy between Holm and Dante. 13 to hit (I rolled twice in case we're using flanking advantage rules which we haven't discussed I don't think? But the second one was lower so it would be the first roll regardless) for 3 piercing damage.
DM - A Humblewood Adventure | Holm Erebos - Dread Tyrant
An arrow flies between Roland and the specter, vanishing into the fog. Across the bridge, Holm's contraption lets out another fan of flames, incinerating what remained of the three shades. His dagger finds a fourth where its face should be, and it explodes into a fading black mist.
Dante and Korran are next!
"Destroy it if you can, I'll return shortly." With his legs still enhanced by spellwork, Dante locks onto the specter threatening Roland and Lucian as the other monsters fall before him. He gives the remaining shade wide berth, leaping over the railing of the platform and onto the bridge. The longsword shimmers as he lands, and he dashes forward to plunge it into the specter.
Action| True Strike Attack: 20, Damage: 13(Mastery Sap: Creature has disadvantage on its next attack roll before the start of Dante's next turn)
Movement| 5ft southeast, [Tooltip Not Found] (6 turns remaining), Armor of Agathys (5hp, 1 hour remaining)
“You, open space, !” He shouts to Holm, advancing towards the remaining specter, taking mental note to avoid using spells that target the mental resistance of that kind of creature. Attacking a spell circle was a dangerous idea if song and tale were to be believed, but if the last moments were anything to go by more undead would appear if the thing was left alone. If his thought was right, if those dead were people at the summit, then maybe the sigil would gradually bring forth any number of those who stood there during the explosion. The crew would be exhausted long before making a dent on the enemy force. Dante was more mobile and his strikes had more impact. Roland and Lucian were too far away and the Artificer was the one with better understanding of magic. It has to be me, Korran decided. “I’ll attack the circle!”
And if the worse were to happen, well, it was enough of a miracle he didn’t die at the temple. To use a few extra minutes in order to save a few others wasn’t that bad of a way to go. Determined, the bard ran towards the circle, dropping both of his blades. As he extended his right hand a wharhammer appeared on it. After raising the weapon overheard with both hands, he made steel fall over stone.
Notes: Korran
misses the flordrop his scimitars, spend a bonus action to use his Pact of the Blade and summon a warhammer as a pact weapon, and spends his action to attack the circle (13 to hit, 7 radiant damage).Roland sees a glowing blade burst through the chest of the specter, followed by it slowly fading into the mist.
Korran is up!Full Map
Roland will drop another fire on the shade standing next to Holm. DC Dex 14 or 8 fire damage.
"I'm concerned with that vortex to the south, but don't think we should run off there yet" he'll say to Lucian.
He will then move 30 feet north towards the symbol on the ground Dante is off to attack.
The stone cracks under the weight of Korran's swing, interrupting the flow of the odd sigil. Behind him, another bonfire erupts as Roland burns away another shade as it fails to lay a deathly hand on Holm. The chanting ceases, and for a moment you feel relief - it's over.
And then a deep reverberation fills the air, like a hammer striking an anvil.
The dreadful voice begin to chant once more, even louder than before - feeling closer than before. To the north, rising above the cliffs you begin to see the silhouette of a massive structure reaching into the sky, a castle or a tower of some kind.
To Korran's horror, the sigil beneath his feet alights anew as the stone mends itself, and additional runes carve themself into existence on either side of it. You recognize now that this is not the mortal realm, that this world belongs to something evil, something powerful. And it is watching. And it is in near absolute control of this realm. You will not be able to stop it by merely breaking some arcane circles.
A denser, freezing fog begins to rise from the ground on the platform; more shades and another specter form out of it. Something seems different about them though, they appear fiercer, more frightening...Something else begins to build in front of you. Not another spectral form, but something more solid.
Your marks thrum and simultaneously you all feel a psychic spike drive itself into your minds. A strained voice all but screams. "RUN! I CAN'T HOLD HIM ANY LONGER, THE PORTAL!" Behind you, the arcane vortex in the distance flares brighter than before, and the swirling energies begin to calm into a still image. Through a thin shimmering veil, you can just make out the snow capped Blackstar Mountains, where the Temple of Sacred Light had once stood.
Wisdom Saving Throws (I rolled these to save time)
Holm - 4
Dante - 8
Korran - 13
Lucian - 15
Roland - 15
As the presence withdraws from your minds, some of you feel a lingering pain in your heads. (Holm and Dante take 4 psychic damage)
All 5 of you are up again in initiative.
Full Map
”Oooooooooh Solarion…”Lucian whispers, Vaguely remembering the name of the paragon of light, shocked, confused and so, so very scared. A spike of psychic energy embeds itself into his mind temporarily, and he clutches his head in shock. As the pain recedes, he looks up, and sees the bright vortex, and… the Blackstar Mountains. Somewhere potentially safe. It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to Lucian, but combined with what the voice told him, it’s his best shot.
”Everyone! We need to go! If we don’t, we might as well be dead!” he yells to the others across the bridge. He takes another arrow, lining up a quick shot with his bow, aiming for the spectre diagonal from Korran. Whether it hits or not, he then makes a frantic dash towards the portal, gesturing for the others to follow, heading towards the portal by the shortest route.
as an action, he attacks the spectre with his bow. To hit: 11 damage: 8+9 piercing damage.
as a bonus action, he uses cunning action to dash, increasing his speed from 35 ft to 70, and he runs towards the portal, in the most direct route he can.
When steel fell over stone he expected to die in an explosion, instead the circle simply stopped glowing and for a moment, a brief moment, he felt relief. Then came the sound, the renewed glow, the presence. Korran had never felt anything like that. It covered everything, overpowered everything, made him feel in the bones that whatever was coming was greater than the whole place, controlled it. We’re a different plane and its master’s coming, he understood as the undead appeared. He felt pain encroaching on his head and out of instinct fought it, repelled it, just before the voice echoed on his mind. The same was likely to have happened with the others, he understood as Lucian shouted.
“Daaaaash!” He shouted, pointing to the portal and starting to run ignoring the close specters. He was unhurt and had the Armor of Agathys. That should be enough to allow racing. On the way he stopped for the briefest of moments, to retrieve the scimitar he had dropped but a moment earlier. All his focus, all his forces, where channeled into running. The scenery beyond the portal didn’t exactly inspire hope. There was destruction there and if the leaders of the summit had died… Well, those were worries for later. Scaping had priority.
Notes: Korran spends his action to dash, moving 60ft towards the portal/exit. On the way he uses a free action to get his scimitar back.
Once Korran runs, and assuming Holm follows suit, Roland will cast a spell and cover the stairs in front of the undead swarm with spikes. He will then run 30 feet towards the portal, and as a bonus action, magically leap another 30 feet towards it.
dmg if needed for spike growth per 5 feet: 4 piercing.