CF - Volo's Adventurers' Guild - PbP Campaign

Having decided to explore the northern halls first, they are left with the choice: which door will they go through first?

There are two doors on the northern wall of this chamber, 

• one to the West (Door #1) and
• one to the East (Door #2).

"Why don't we start over here?" Serena says, checking the western door for traps and picking any locks after listening at it, then peeking inside.

Investigation: 7
Thieves Tools if needed: 23
Perception: 19
Flappy perception: 17

(Suggested marching order: Tresvar, Serena, Livia and Banjo?)

tresvar gladly takes the lead, after Serena does her thing with the doors.   Sword and shield out, she’s ready.

Banjo finishes his notes and stows his quill.  "Hrrm.  Undead and curses.  Lovely.  We had best be on our toes, then."  He draws the wand of entangle and takes a ready position at the end of the line.

The doors themselves are recessed by a ten-foot square into the northern wall. Approaching the western door the party can see an inscription in the same crude lettering as the graffiti which mars the walls elsewhere. It defaces the once beautiful carved door.

((Any who can read orc?))

 The door being otherwise untrapped and unlocked, Serena opens it a crack and looks inside:

Serena sees:

"Banjo, can you tell what that says?" Serena asks the gnome, pointing to the crude lettering on the door, assuming he would be the one to ask for translations, then motioning for Tresvar to take point into the next room.

"Of course.  Assuming we have ten minutes time to spare?"  Without waiting for confirmation, Banjo sets down his pack and rummages for his chalk.  He then begins drawing words and symbols on the floor around him.  He looks sideways at a few letters, wipes them away and draws them again.  When satisfied, he sits down crosslegged in the center of his drawings and begins murmuring while tracing invisible letters with his wand and his free hand. 

When complete, he stands, walks to the doorway, and places his hand upon it.  Having ritually cast comprehend languages, he tries to read the message.

Seeing no hurry to proceed, Serena stands guard by the door together with Tresvar while Banjo performs his eccentric ritual.

Banjo reads:

“Hmm.. that sounds ominous.  Well, let’s go check it out.  Maybe they still are here.  The sun was still burning this morning.  Maker of death..”. Tresvar says, and pushes open the door and walks in, looking around and poking through the rubble with her sword.

Serena nods and smiles to Banjo, then cautiously following the mighty dragonborn inside to face this maker of death.
Stealth: 22 Perception, helped by Flappy on her shoulder: 18

"Hmmn.  'Maker of Death'.  Keeping in mind that this was written by the conquering Orcs, and that it is clear from the cursing that they despised the entity being entombed here, and that they refer to it as the 'Maker of Death'... I think it is fair to assume they locked away some of the dwarves in these chambers... perhaps even the venerable Durgeddin himself."

He notes the inscriptions in his journal along with his own theories about their meaning and then dismisses his quill again and follows the others into the darkness.

Entering into room all can now see that it was once a shrine to the gods of the dwarves. The walls are carved with their dour images, now defaced by crude carvings and gashes; likely made in rage. Stone benches have been smashed and thrown askew, although the party can make out the path between them that leads to a low stone altar stands at the western end of the room.

Atop the altar, arms folded over his chest, lies the ancient corpse of a dwarf warrior in plate armor.

Bones lie heaped around the altar’s base, and at its foot crouches the desiccated body of an orc in studded leather.

As the party enters the room fully, there is a movement within the armor of the orc. Then they see its head rise, and it stands to its full height. It slavers and wipes its mouth with its arm. It growls hungrily. The party starts to realize that this is no normal undead, but probably a wight.

At the sound of his growl, the bone piles begin to shuffle, rising up to reveal the animated skeletons of two ogres!

Initiative! (Rolled in Encounter Tool: https://www.dndbeyond.com/combat-tracker/6489f045-37f7-42d6-a812-a61cc5b7ddd8)

Livia: 22

Serena: 19

Wight: 16

Ogre Skeletons: 10 (I took the difference between both rolls, rounded down to the nearest even number)

Banjo: 6

Tresvar: 2

Combat Order: Livia -> Serena -> Wight -> Ogre Skeletons -> Banjo -> Tresvar

(Tresvar, totally distracted with stabbing her sword into random bits of rubble, misses the appearance of the undead entirely) 

Perhaps merely knowing they're about to encounter beings of undeath puts Livia on edge. Even without realising it, her magical energies are ready to discharge at the first sign of danger. Like a static electric charge formed after walking on a carpet with socks, ready to discharge on the first person or metallic object that comes into contact. And so, when the wight appears, Livia's immediate thought is to wish it were gone, and her magic responds to match her will. Holy magic that had built up around Livia condenses into a single point, then shoots across the room towards the wight.

Action: Livia casts Guiding Bolt, targeting the wight. Attack: 23 Damage: 10. On a hit, the wight is also surrounded by glittering lights that will aid the next attack made against it, granting that attack an advantage.

A confident smile on her lips, brought on by Livia's radiant bolt, smiting the undead menace, covering it briefly in a mystical dim light, guiding her attack, Serena calls upon her fey powers to swiftly curse the wight before unleashing a beam of green crackling eldritch force against it.

Hex (dex)
Eldritch blast: 27 Force: 6 Necrotic: 2

Serena would then try to position herself in front of Livia and Banjo but clearly behind Tresvar, hoping that the mighty dragonborn will shield the team.

((Wight hexed DEX))

The Wight roars and charges Tresvar making two slashing attacks with its longsword.

Attack 1: 20 Damage: 12

Attack 2: 17 - misses as Tresvar twists to the side

The skeletons begin to move around the benches, being too large to approach the party directly.

Ogre Skeleton A throws a javelin at Tresvar:

Attack: 14 - which misses and clatters against the wall

Ogre Skeleton B being a little further into the room, but still on the other side of the benches throws a javelin at Serena:

Attack: 11 - which also misses, skidding into the floor amongst the party

Combat Order: Banjo -> Tresvar -> Livia -> Serena -> Wight (Hexed DEX) -> Ogre Skeletons

Banjo’s eyes widen as they pan up the enormous forms of the ogre skeletons.  He quickly flicks the wand of entangle toward a point that will catch the most of their enemies.  Those caught in the area of effect must succeed on a STR save DC 13 or succumb to the effects of the entangle spell.

With a mighty Roar, Tresvar uses BA Vow of Enmity on the wight, and attacks with advantage,  if she hits she uses divine smite:

(all rolls in log..)

25 to hit, 15 magical slashing damage plus 11 radiant damage.