Auger casts Shape Water at N6 and a humanoid form of water appears to rise up and out of the creek, pointing at the Hyena and then collapsing back into the creek. The hyena, however, is quite busy attacking the tree, and now snaps off the branch with a loud CRACK. The animal sees no more movement from its defeated foe (the tree), but now notices a humon on the other side of the tree making somatic motions.
Varielky dashes to S-18, and slashes at O1 with the red-steel blade. The orc dodges the blow, but not the following shield bash, which, bolstered by divine strength, knocks him with such force that he does a full rotation mid-air before falling flat on his belly. The sword-maiden’s words, if heard, are immediately forgotten.
Ednyss’ Spiritual Weapon moves to Q18, then smashes down on the prone orc 1 for 7HP damage as his guiding bolt smothers orc 2 in radiant light for 13 HP damage. The war cleric moves to X27.
Granophyre remains invisible.
Hyena 1 (described above).
Hyena 2, snarling, darts forward to attack Varielky’s flank. She easily evades its bite.
Hyena 3 growls and yips ferociously but does not move.
Orc 1 quickly flips onto his back, flings up strong legs and throws himself upright, and in a smooth motion, draws the magic battle axe you recognize belonged to Wad and swings a glowing arc at Varielky, hitting her for 13HP.
Orc 2 & Orc 3 sidestep and fire their bows at Ednyss. An arrow scratches his arm for 5HP damage.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Concentrating heavily on the spell, Auger is quite pleased to see the water begin to make the motions he intends. To Py he sends It is so satisfying to see these powers develop into something--
Looking back to the Hyena they make eye contact and Auger realizes he has been seen. Deciding to take action at last, Auger stands and shifts as needed to get a clear view of the hyena. He brings forth the deathly red dragonfly and sends it into the beast, impeding its coordination. Shifting again to maximize his view of the beast Auger draws forth his powers. Drawing and twisting and then drawing and twisting, he releases his energies into the beast as he retreats further away from it and towards another tree.
Py
Move and Dash: Still invisible, continues moving back towards Auger and the Hyena, ending at P6 and 30' up.
Free interaction: Sending and talking. Py keeps his eyes on the other parts of the fight and tries to keep Auger aware of what is going on.
Auger
Bonus Action: Casts Hex on Hyena 1. It now has Disadvantage on DEX-based abilities.
Action: Casts Eldritch Blast targeting Hyena 1 with repelling action of 10' on a hit. Attack: 25 Damage: 11
Side note: Its not entirely clear from the text but Auger is really hoping the Hyena is still in the tree and so some falling damage may come into play (with disadvantage on the DEX check) and/or momentum may carry it further than 10'.
Move: Auger stands for half his movement, will shift left or right 5' to improve his shot if makes any difference and then will move back with any remaining movement, ending at Rneg1 or Rneg2 if possible.
Final note: As Auger steps out of range, the Mage Hand fades but the shaped water keeps going.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
DM of RotFM | AUGER the Warlock (Archfey & the Chain) / Shadow Sorcerer in Age of Resurgence | Rahui & Javier in Sea of Memory
Ednyss maintains his focus on Varielky's buff, even though an arrow sneaks past his defenses and manages to clip his arm. Swiveling to keep his shield pointed at the Orc that he had hit before, he lets another blast of radiant energy loose. This time, he is guided by the radiant light of his first blast which makes hitting the Orc that much easier. His spiritual weapon then continues its assault on the Orc that just hit Varielky. He then rushes forward towards the Orcs that were firing arrows at him.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
As she evades the hyena's attack, Varielky retaliates with her own attack. Doing that, however, she lets her guard down too much and is hit by the Orc. "What good will that do for you? I've already died once. I'll come back as many times as I need to!" She didn't think that was true, but maybe the Orc would. She swings her sword at him and then bashes him with her shield.
Auger Casts Hex and Eldritch Blast on Hyena 1, which takes 9HP and is pushed back 10’. It was standing on hind legs (as I mentioned, there is no place to stand in or on the tree). The warlock moves to Rneg1.(the shaped water keeps going.)
Ednyss: Casts Guiding Bolt at O2. The orc disintegrates in a burst of radiant energy, a look of agonizing epiphany on his face. The Spiritual Weapon hits O1 for 7HP. The dwarf moves to S26.
Varielky’s Riposte strikes Hyena2 for 13HP and she smashes it with her shield but it keeps its footing. Orc 1 falls dead to her slashing blade, Wad’s magic battle axe flopping to the ground.
Granophyre suddenly appears as he throws a pair of tiny stones at the ground under O3. They splay open, latching to the ground, and the air between and above them grows suddenly hazy, capturing the Orc in an energy field which raises him 10’ above the earth, flaying out his arms and legs helplessly.
Hyena 1 rushes at Auger and snaps at him, his teeth clacking shut inches from the spellcaster’s face.
Hyena 2 disengages and flees from Varielky & Ednyss.
Hyena 3, growling and yipping fiendishly, stands on wobbly legs, and backs away, limping.
So close and its teeth so big! Auger moves through the Sea of Stars and away from the Hyena and then stepping across the water nearly under Py, moves as much as he can to get to the other side of the campfire.
Py, curious at the strangely animated water below, moves along with Auger, telling him not to kill the final Orc.
Auger
Bonus Action: Misty Step to Q6
Move and Dash: to M16. I am assuming the water contains the doubled movement penalty. If not then Auger will finish his turn at M18.
Py
Move: To O14, maintaining his height at 30'
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
DM of RotFM | AUGER the Warlock (Archfey & the Chain) / Shadow Sorcerer in Age of Resurgence | Rahui & Javier in Sea of Memory
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Varielky dashes to the last Orc, but stops a few feet away from it. "Your friends are dead, and soon you will be too. Tell us where your leader took Benita!" Varielky feels like she's ready to kill the Orc, but she must restrain herself until she gets her answer.
Action: Dash, I guess? Move: To L-21. BA: Second Wind, healing for 13 HP.
Ednyss waves his shield towards the floating Orc, and the spiritual weapon comes menacingly closer to the helpless Orc. As he does this, Ednyss continues to run as fast as his legs can carry him, coming to a halt next to Granophyre. Seeing Varielky's hand tense on her weapon, Ednyss recognizes her desire to kill this Orc, and as a result, does his best to get an answer out of him as soon as possible. Ednyss's eyes flash with divine energy as a rumble of thunder rolls loudly over the head of the Orc. In the same booming divinely loud voice, Ednyss says, "I would listen to her if I were you."
(OOC: Note that Ednyss's voice is still 3 times as loud as normal as the spell lasts for 1 minute)
Action: Cast Thaumaturgy (Trying to use the spell to offer Varielky the Help Action with her Intimidation?) You create an instantaneous sound that originates from a point of your choice within range, such as a rumble of thunder, the cry of a raven, or ominous whispers.
Auger teleports to Q6 then runs to M16 (correct about difficult terrain crossing the creek).
Varielky moves to L-21.
Ednyss moves his spiritual weapon to M20, and himself moves to N24. He uses thaumaturgy to help with intimidation.
Granophyre continues concentration.
Hyena 1, confused at the sudden disappearance of Auger, dashes to Orc 1 for its next command, nuzzling the body with its nose without effect.
Hyena 2 flees the scene.
Hyena 3 continues making a terrific noise, yipping and growling terribly, while falling back into the creek.
++++
Combat is now over.
The remaining orc is still wind-milling and bicycling in freefall 10’ above the ground, yet the flow of adrenaline coursing through his veins begins to slow, allowing him to process more of his surroundings. Asleep less than a minute ago, it took only a few moments for his comrades to fall, and the relative safety of his camp to be utterly smashed. Peering at his assailants back and forth, with the increasing certainty of his own death on the immediate horizon, his eyes finally flash back to Varielky, and Ednyss can see that a mote of recognition is beginning to form. In growling Jenghen, he slowly replies, “You!”
“Yes,” replies Granophyre. “You remember, don’t you. We rode in a carriage. Your company gave us chase, four days ago. Until we reached a bridge, which we destroyed. You found us again yesterday, in battle with lizard people. You took one of us captive, a woman,” gesturing to Varielky, “...Benita, as the shield-maiden said. You then finished the job the lizard people began, killing any of us you found who still breathed. Take a moment, I think you remember. We want the human woman back. I can pay a handsome ransom.”
It does indeed take a few moments for the orc to put it all together, and Ednyss, with piercing insightfulness, believes the humanoid now understands the situation.
Granophyre signals that he will lower the orc, who has stopped struggling, and suggests that the three of you restrain him.
In the meantime, Hyena 3 has stopped yipping, and is now lying on its side just on the far creek bank. Hyena 1 has stolen over to the fireside and now has a huge portion of dried antelope clutched in its jaw. It seems ready to flee, and when the party looks at it, a terrible growl emanates from it once again.
Varielky keeps her weapons in hand and approaches closer to the Orc (now standing within reach), ready to act if he triea to run away, or to resist while someone ties him up. "Speak." She demands while motioning to Ednyss (or Auger if he's with us now) to tie the Orc. Her rope is holding tying her old shield to her back, but she would give it away if needed.
The orc resists while being tied, but is soon overpowered, and he is now bound, staring straight ahead. Hyena 1 retreats across the creek and out of sight.
"The castle is one day west. By foot," your captive grunts, a few words at a time after spitting at Varielky and then being roughed up three times. A smudge of light is visible on the eastern horizon (OOC: it is now about 3 bells and you have had opportunity to short rest and eat some antelope meat) when he finally gives up this information: "The way is 'loshing treacherous. Quicksand'll eat you if go the wrong way. SLUURRRPP!! No patrols that direction. Other way? Three days. North then west then south. Safer journey. YES, patrols."
"Guide you there? Go to hells."
"Eat my flocking turds!!"
And, finally, after more roughing up, "Yes…..yes…..(cough)...I will show you the way." He then passes out, blood and spittle trickling loosely from his lips.
Varielky stays for questioning most of the time, but after she almost kills the Orc when he spits in her face, she steps aside and let the others continue while she tries to figure out the properties of Tuff's shield. (Trying to attune to it during the short rest.) Once she feels calmed by practising what she knows, Varielky goes back to help rough the Orc up when needed.
Varielky retreats from the unconscious Orc, panting. Her fists hurt slightly, but she gladly embraces the pain, knowing that it is punishment for what she failed to do. Knowing that Benita suffers much more. Her braid is slightly undone, some hair leaving the organised pattern and wildly waving in the air. Either Varielky doesn't notice, or she doesn't care. Overall, it gives her a bit of a wild look. "I may have gone a little overboard." She says eventually, though the only guilt she feels is that it might delay Benita's rescue. "Can we start walking? I'll carry him, or drag if he's too heavy, until he wakes up. Surely, the sands he spoke of aren't that close."
(From what I understood, the Orc knows the short way well and will guide us there safely, or at least says he will. If you meant he'll guide us through the long way, ignore the last sentence Varielky said.)
Listening to the Orc before it passes out, Auger summarizes what he has heard out loud, "A trip through quicksand, guided by this surviving orc, while harried by hyenas, with a goal of some mysterious castle at the end of it where we would have to save Benita and get her away somehow. This sounds like we will trap ourselves. Perhaps Py can help scout...", Auger trails off unsure how to continue. This was going to be difficult.
(OOC: When the camp is clear of hyenas Auger does spend some time looking for any useful survival tools, rations or equipment that could aid their journey. Are there any maps? The hyenas were at rest so presumably things like their saddle bags would have been left behind.)
Looking to the others, Auger says, "We should not delay here. Let's start through the quicksand and see how far we can get today. Perhaps we can mark the way as we go to ensure we have a path out?" Looking at the trees Auger believes he can harvest some wood and perhaps turn it into reasonable markers of their path.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
DM of RotFM | AUGER the Warlock (Archfey & the Chain) / Shadow Sorcerer in Age of Resurgence | Rahui & Javier in Sea of Memory
(From what I understood, the Orc knows the short way well and will guide us there safely, or at least says he will. If you meant he'll guide us through the long way, ignore the last sentence Varielky said.)
(OOC: I didn't mean one thing or the other. He can guide you either way. You'll need to decide which route you want to take.)
Listening to the Orc before it passes out, Auger summarizes what he has heard out loud, "A trip through quicksand, guided by this surviving orc, while harried by hyenas, with a goal of some mysterious castle at the end of it where we would have to save Benita and get her away somehow. This sounds like we will trap ourselves. Perhaps Py can help scout...", Auger trails off unsure how to continue. This was going to be difficult.
(OOC: When the camp is clear of hyenas Auger does spend some time looking for any useful survival tools, rations or equipment that could aid their journey. Are there any maps? The hyenas were at rest so presumably things like their saddle bags would have been left behind.)
Looking to the others, Auger says, "We should not delay here. Let's start through the quicksand and see how far we can get today. Perhaps we can mark the way as we go to ensure we have a path out?" Looking at the trees Auger believes he can harvest some wood and perhaps turn it into reasonable markers of their path.
(OOC: The dried antelope meat will suffice for another two days of rations for the four of you, three if you stretch it. There are more water skins, and the creek water is clean. There are no maps or tools you don't already have. You find 82CP in the saddlebags. And, Wad's battle axe, which Granophyre picks up.)
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Ednyss uses the short rest to take a quick breather, but not before tying the Orc up firmly. Once the Orc is restrained, Ednyss cooks up some of the antelope meat over the Orcs' fire and passes it out to the others. It is delicious, and Ednyss enjoys the process of cooking some actual meat for the first time in a while. After everyone starts to feel a little better, Ednyss heads back to the Orc and the conversation the others are having about proceeding forward. "The sands sound dangerous, but waiting could be even more dangerous for Benita. I am in favor of heading through the quicksand to get to the castle as soon as possible. However, I am not sure about bringing the Orc with us. He could be a liability in a fight, and the last thing we need is someone who might stab us in the back in an unknown environment."
Bonus Action: Use Harness Divine Power to Expend Channel Divinity and Regain a 1st Level spell slot
"Going through the sands seems the optimal choice. I don't like taking him either, but can we really navigate without him? My sword can cut his throat but it won't do much against sand. Also, we can't leave him here so he can warn the others later, but I'm not killing an unconscious person either. I've gone far enough out of my ways." It's true. Those who know her well enough can tell she had not been acting like herself since Benita was taken. Even offering to sneak on the Orc camp was very uncharacteristic.
Oh, right. Advantage's second roll: 24. The result is either this or 19, whichever is higher.
Varielky
Round 2 Results
Py Dashes to Z18, rising to 30' as he flies.
Auger casts Shape Water at N6 and a humanoid form of water appears to rise up and out of the creek, pointing at the Hyena and then collapsing back into the creek. The hyena, however, is quite busy attacking the tree, and now snaps off the branch with a loud CRACK. The animal sees no more movement from its defeated foe (the tree), but now notices a humon on the other side of the tree making somatic motions.
Varielky dashes to S-18, and slashes at O1 with the red-steel blade. The orc dodges the blow, but not the following shield bash, which, bolstered by divine strength, knocks him with such force that he does a full rotation mid-air before falling flat on his belly. The sword-maiden’s words, if heard, are immediately forgotten.
Ednyss’ Spiritual Weapon moves to Q18, then smashes down on the prone orc 1 for 7HP damage as his guiding bolt smothers orc 2 in radiant light for 13 HP damage. The war cleric moves to X27.
Granophyre remains invisible.
Hyena 1 (described above).
Hyena 2, snarling, darts forward to attack Varielky’s flank. She easily evades its bite.
Hyena 3 growls and yips ferociously but does not move.
Orc 1 quickly flips onto his back, flings up strong legs and throws himself upright, and in a smooth motion, draws the magic battle axe you recognize belonged to Wad and swings a glowing arc at Varielky, hitting her for 13HP.
Orc 2 & Orc 3 sidestep and fire their bows at Ednyss. An arrow scratches his arm for 5HP damage.
You are now situated like so.
Please post Round 3 actions.
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
Concentrating heavily on the spell, Auger is quite pleased to see the water begin to make the motions he intends. To Py he sends It is so satisfying to see these powers develop into something--
Looking back to the Hyena they make eye contact and Auger realizes he has been seen. Deciding to take action at last, Auger stands and shifts as needed to get a clear view of the hyena. He brings forth the deathly red dragonfly and sends it into the beast, impeding its coordination. Shifting again to maximize his view of the beast Auger draws forth his powers. Drawing and twisting and then drawing and twisting, he releases his energies into the beast as he retreats further away from it and towards another tree.
Py
Move and Dash: Still invisible, continues moving back towards Auger and the Hyena, ending at P6 and 30' up.
Free interaction: Sending and talking. Py keeps his eyes on the other parts of the fight and tries to keep Auger aware of what is going on.
Auger
Bonus Action: Casts Hex on Hyena 1. It now has Disadvantage on DEX-based abilities.
Action: Casts Eldritch Blast targeting Hyena 1 with repelling action of 10' on a hit. Attack: 25 Damage: 11
Side note: Its not entirely clear from the text but Auger is really hoping the Hyena is still in the tree and so some falling damage may come into play (with disadvantage on the DEX check) and/or momentum may carry it further than 10'.
Move: Auger stands for half his movement, will shift left or right 5' to improve his shot if makes any difference and then will move back with any remaining movement, ending at Rneg1 or Rneg2 if possible.
Final note: As Auger steps out of range, the Mage Hand fades but the shaped water keeps going.
DM of RotFM | AUGER the Warlock (Archfey & the Chain) / Shadow Sorcerer in Age of Resurgence | Rahui & Javier in Sea of Memory
(OOC: A note that Ednyss does have a +2 to his AC against ranged attacks from the Shield of Takal Demesh.)
Concentration Check (On Enhance Ability): 3
“The mark of a successful DM is when you have caused more player deaths with doors than dragons, demons, or devils.”
Ednyss maintains his focus on Varielky's buff, even though an arrow sneaks past his defenses and manages to clip his arm. Swiveling to keep his shield pointed at the Orc that he had hit before, he lets another blast of radiant energy loose. This time, he is guided by the radiant light of his first blast which makes hitting the Orc that much easier. His spiritual weapon then continues its assault on the Orc that just hit Varielky. He then rushes forward towards the Orcs that were firing arrows at him.
Action: Cast Guiding Bolt
(Against O2) Attack: 25 Damage: 14
Bonus Action: Use Spiritual Weapon to Attack
(Against O1) Attack: 26 Damage: 7
Move: X27 --> S26
“The mark of a successful DM is when you have caused more player deaths with doors than dragons, demons, or devils.”
As she evades the hyena's attack, Varielky retaliates with her own attack. Doing that, however, she lets her guard down too much and is hit by the Orc. "What good will that do for you? I've already died once. I'll come back as many times as I need to!" She didn't think that was true, but maybe the Orc would. She swings her sword at him and then bashes him with her shield.
Varielky
OOC: Thanks. Already factored in.)
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
Round 3 Results
Py moves to P6, 30' up.
Auger Casts Hex and Eldritch Blast on Hyena 1, which takes 9HP and is pushed back 10’. It was standing on hind legs (as I mentioned, there is no place to stand in or on the tree). The warlock moves to Rneg1.(the shaped water keeps going.)
Ednyss: Casts Guiding Bolt at O2. The orc disintegrates in a burst of radiant energy, a look of agonizing epiphany on his face. The Spiritual Weapon hits O1 for 7HP. The dwarf moves to S26.
Varielky’s Riposte strikes Hyena2 for 13HP and she smashes it with her shield but it keeps its footing. Orc 1 falls dead to her slashing blade, Wad’s magic battle axe flopping to the ground.
Granophyre suddenly appears as he throws a pair of tiny stones at the ground under O3. They splay open, latching to the ground, and the air between and above them grows suddenly hazy, capturing the Orc in an energy field which raises him 10’ above the earth, flaying out his arms and legs helplessly.
Hyena 1 rushes at Auger and snaps at him, his teeth clacking shut inches from the spellcaster’s face.
Hyena 2 disengages and flees from Varielky & Ednyss.
Hyena 3, growling and yipping fiendishly, stands on wobbly legs, and backs away, limping.
You are now situated like so.
Please post around 4 actions.
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
So close and its teeth so big! Auger moves through the Sea of Stars and away from the Hyena and then stepping across the water nearly under Py, moves as much as he can to get to the other side of the campfire.
Py, curious at the strangely animated water below, moves along with Auger, telling him not to kill the final Orc.
Auger
Bonus Action: Misty Step to Q6
Move and Dash: to M16. I am assuming the water contains the doubled movement penalty. If not then Auger will finish his turn at M18.
Py
Move: To O14, maintaining his height at 30'
DM of RotFM | AUGER the Warlock (Archfey & the Chain) / Shadow Sorcerer in Age of Resurgence | Rahui & Javier in Sea of Memory
Varielky dashes to the last Orc, but stops a few feet away from it. "Your friends are dead, and soon you will be too. Tell us where your leader took Benita!" Varielky feels like she's ready to kill the Orc, but she must restrain herself until she gets her answer.
Varielky
Ednyss waves his shield towards the floating Orc, and the spiritual weapon comes menacingly closer to the helpless Orc. As he does this, Ednyss continues to run as fast as his legs can carry him, coming to a halt next to Granophyre. Seeing Varielky's hand tense on her weapon, Ednyss recognizes her desire to kill this Orc, and as a result, does his best to get an answer out of him as soon as possible. Ednyss's eyes flash with divine energy as a rumble of thunder rolls loudly over the head of the Orc. In the same booming divinely loud voice, Ednyss says, "I would listen to her if I were you."
(OOC: Note that Ednyss's voice is still 3 times as loud as normal as the spell lasts for 1 minute)
Bonus Action: Move Spiritual Weapon to M20
Move: S26 --> N24
Action: Cast Thaumaturgy (Trying to use the spell to offer Varielky the Help Action with her Intimidation?)
You create an instantaneous sound that originates from a point of your choice within range, such as a rumble of thunder, the cry of a raven, or ominous whispers.
Free Action: Talking
“The mark of a successful DM is when you have caused more player deaths with doors than dragons, demons, or devils.”
Round 4 Results
Py Moves to O14, maintaining his height at 30'.
Auger teleports to Q6 then runs to M16 (correct about difficult terrain crossing the creek).
Varielky moves to L-21.
Ednyss moves his spiritual weapon to M20, and himself moves to N24. He uses thaumaturgy to help with intimidation.
Granophyre continues concentration.
Hyena 1, confused at the sudden disappearance of Auger, dashes to Orc 1 for its next command, nuzzling the body with its nose without effect.
Hyena 2 flees the scene.
Hyena 3 continues making a terrific noise, yipping and growling terribly, while falling back into the creek.
++++
Combat is now over.
The remaining orc is still wind-milling and bicycling in freefall 10’ above the ground, yet the flow of adrenaline coursing through his veins begins to slow, allowing him to process more of his surroundings. Asleep less than a minute ago, it took only a few moments for his comrades to fall, and the relative safety of his camp to be utterly smashed. Peering at his assailants back and forth, with the increasing certainty of his own death on the immediate horizon, his eyes finally flash back to Varielky, and Ednyss can see that a mote of recognition is beginning to form. In growling Jenghen, he slowly replies, “You!”
“Yes,” replies Granophyre. “You remember, don’t you. We rode in a carriage. Your company gave us chase, four days ago. Until we reached a bridge, which we destroyed. You found us again yesterday, in battle with lizard people. You took one of us captive, a woman,” gesturing to Varielky, “...Benita, as the shield-maiden said. You then finished the job the lizard people began, killing any of us you found who still breathed. Take a moment, I think you remember. We want the human woman back. I can pay a handsome ransom.”
It does indeed take a few moments for the orc to put it all together, and Ednyss, with piercing insightfulness, believes the humanoid now understands the situation.
Granophyre signals that he will lower the orc, who has stopped struggling, and suggests that the three of you restrain him.
In the meantime, Hyena 3 has stopped yipping, and is now lying on its side just on the far creek bank. Hyena 1 has stolen over to the fireside and now has a huge portion of dried antelope clutched in its jaw. It seems ready to flee, and when the party looks at it, a terrible growl emanates from it once again.
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
Varielky keeps her weapons in hand and approaches closer to the Orc (now standing within reach), ready to act if he triea to run away, or to resist while someone ties him up. "Speak." She demands while motioning to Ednyss (or Auger if he's with us now) to tie the Orc. Her rope is holding tying her old shield to her back, but she would give it away if needed.
Varielky
The orc resists while being tied, but is soon overpowered, and he is now bound, staring straight ahead. Hyena 1 retreats across the creek and out of sight.
"The castle is one day west. By foot," your captive grunts, a few words at a time after spitting at Varielky and then being roughed up three times. A smudge of light is visible on the eastern horizon (OOC: it is now about 3 bells and you have had opportunity to short rest and eat some antelope meat) when he finally gives up this information: "The way is 'loshing treacherous. Quicksand'll eat you if go the wrong way. SLUURRRPP!! No patrols that direction. Other way? Three days. North then west then south. Safer journey. YES, patrols."
"Guide you there? Go to hells."
"Eat my flocking turds!!"
And, finally, after more roughing up, "Yes…..yes…..(cough)...I will show you the way." He then passes out, blood and spittle trickling loosely from his lips.
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
Varielky stays for questioning most of the time, but after she almost kills the Orc when he spits in her face, she steps aside and let the others continue while she tries to figure out the properties of Tuff's shield. (Trying to attune to it during the short rest.) Once she feels calmed by practising what she knows, Varielky goes back to help rough the Orc up when needed.
Varielky retreats from the unconscious Orc, panting. Her fists hurt slightly, but she gladly embraces the pain, knowing that it is punishment for what she failed to do. Knowing that Benita suffers much more. Her braid is slightly undone, some hair leaving the organised pattern and wildly waving in the air. Either Varielky doesn't notice, or she doesn't care. Overall, it gives her a bit of a wild look. "I may have gone a little overboard." She says eventually, though the only guilt she feels is that it might delay Benita's rescue. "Can we start walking? I'll carry him, or drag if he's too heavy, until he wakes up. Surely, the sands he spoke of aren't that close."
(From what I understood, the Orc knows the short way well and will guide us there safely, or at least says he will. If you meant he'll guide us through the long way, ignore the last sentence Varielky said.)
Varielky
Listening to the Orc before it passes out, Auger summarizes what he has heard out loud, "A trip through quicksand, guided by this surviving orc, while harried by hyenas, with a goal of some mysterious castle at the end of it where we would have to save Benita and get her away somehow. This sounds like we will trap ourselves. Perhaps Py can help scout...", Auger trails off unsure how to continue. This was going to be difficult.
(OOC: When the camp is clear of hyenas Auger does spend some time looking for any useful survival tools, rations or equipment that could aid their journey. Are there any maps? The hyenas were at rest so presumably things like their saddle bags would have been left behind.)
Looking to the others, Auger says, "We should not delay here. Let's start through the quicksand and see how far we can get today. Perhaps we can mark the way as we go to ensure we have a path out?" Looking at the trees Auger believes he can harvest some wood and perhaps turn it into reasonable markers of their path.
DM of RotFM | AUGER the Warlock (Archfey & the Chain) / Shadow Sorcerer in Age of Resurgence | Rahui & Javier in Sea of Memory
(OOC: I didn't mean one thing or the other. He can guide you either way. You'll need to decide which route you want to take.)
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
(OOC: The dried antelope meat will suffice for another two days of rations for the four of you, three if you stretch it. There are more water skins, and the creek water is clean. There are no maps or tools you don't already have. You find 82CP in the saddlebags. And, Wad's battle axe, which Granophyre picks up.)
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
Ednyss uses the short rest to take a quick breather, but not before tying the Orc up firmly. Once the Orc is restrained, Ednyss cooks up some of the antelope meat over the Orcs' fire and passes it out to the others. It is delicious, and Ednyss enjoys the process of cooking some actual meat for the first time in a while. After everyone starts to feel a little better, Ednyss heads back to the Orc and the conversation the others are having about proceeding forward. "The sands sound dangerous, but waiting could be even more dangerous for Benita. I am in favor of heading through the quicksand to get to the castle as soon as possible. However, I am not sure about bringing the Orc with us. He could be a liability in a fight, and the last thing we need is someone who might stab us in the back in an unknown environment."
Bonus Action: Use Harness Divine Power to Expend Channel Divinity and Regain a 1st Level spell slot
Short Rest Recharge: Channel Divinity
Short Rest Hit Dice:
HD 1: 8
“The mark of a successful DM is when you have caused more player deaths with doors than dragons, demons, or devils.”
"Going through the sands seems the optimal choice. I don't like taking him either, but can we really navigate without him? My sword can cut his throat but it won't do much against sand. Also, we can't leave him here so he can warn the others later, but I'm not killing an unconscious person either. I've gone far enough out of my ways." It's true. Those who know her well enough can tell she had not been acting like herself since Benita was taken. Even offering to sneak on the Orc camp was very uncharacteristic.
Varielky