Malachi, not unused to needing to slip very quickly through a dense crowd to escape pursuit, manages to deftly keep out of the roots' grasp.
Vilus, on the other hand, doesn't think he'll be able to make it through quite as smoothly. There is an odd calm in his mind, however, and he reaches out to that familiar feeling. Touches upon it. At that moment, a root makes contact with his shoulder... and slides right past him, reaching for the next person.
Everyone hears or sees Joren in his loud armour getting pulled up to the ceiling. But then Joren flickers into place next to Samir and the vines close around nothing more than mist. On the other side of the group, Marion forges ahead, chopping through roots, but Ashley sees something beyond her. More shadowy figures. But though they are difficult to make out in the distant gloom, they do not look human, and they are definitely getting closer.
Initiative!
Marion: 22
Ashley: 3
Malachi: 13
Samir: 12
Vilus: 5
Joren: 10
Shadows???: 8
So Joren, Vilus, and Marion can go before the enemies
Joren senses he is far beyond his depth here. As he notices the vines leave Vilus alone despite having the chance to restrain him, he senses the goliath may have a connection to this place. Know your enemy. You do not know this enemy, but Silas or Marion might.
He summons his echo in front and moves it to the nearest shadow. He himself moves up so he is within 30' of it, on the front line of the party but back from the shadows. He then holds a greatsword attack from the echo's position - he will attack the instant he sees Vilus or Marion take action (stopping only if one of them warns him not to):
Calm and serenity washes over Vilus the noise of the fighting not effecting him as he watches the vine touch upon him and the slide around. He puts his hand upon it as it goes, petting it like a snake. "It's strange, I feel a kinship with these things, we share a power... But theirs was not gifted" he grabs at the one vine he was petting and yanks it back violently, windmilling his other arm to try gathering up as many of the other snaking vines as possible, the sudden actions stark contrast to his calmed face and smoothed somewhat heavy voice.
"They grow fatted on power not theirs to wield, this is a blasphemous thievery"
Marion shouts out into the gloom ahead, only able to see flickers of movement, "Halt! Who approaches?" Hearing no response, she holds forth her hand and draws a shape with her finger before muttering a few arcane syllables. A bolt of fire springs forth, streaking down the tunnel.
Attack: 22 Damage: 3
On its way, it illuminates roots and the rocky cave wall, and then it highlights the silhouette of a large mole bear and three bats as the bolt sails between them to strike another shadow further back.
Joren's echo takes up a solid stance in the face of the charging cultist shadow, and waits for it to get within reach. The moment the shadow gets too close, the echo snaps its greatsword out in a surprisingly swift attack.
For a moment, Joren's vision changes. He looks through the eyes of his echo, a version of himself that exists primarily in an alternate version of events, seeing a different reality. Seeing what might have happened in his own reality had things been slightly different.
He swings, relying purely on his darkvision to make the attack, for there is no light coming from behind him. Perhaps there could have been, were any of his companions still with him. Had they not been taken by these accursed roots while trying to sleep off the venom from the crab ambush earlier. But alas, he was the only one who had escaped their grasp. He is the only one remaining.
...Except that isn't completely accurate, he supposes. He can't even bring himself to snarl in defiance as his sword cuts loudly through the air. All he feels is sorrow and bitterness, as his blade slices clean through the neck of a shadow in the shape of a female fire genasi. "Sorry Ashley," he mutters, as he watches her head topple from her shoulders.
Back in his own body, Joren observes from a distance as the cultist's head hits the ground in a puff of black smoke.
Behind Joren, not far away, Vilus wrestles with large armfuls of the writhing roots as they try to grab at Samir and Malachi. But Vilus seems to anticipate their moves and keeps two steps ahead. He finds himself staring right into one of their eye-like knots, and as he does so, the sensation of the Watcher's power swells within him. He begins to feel like he is looking into the root. With a bit more time, he might even begin to understand it.
(If Vilus wants to try to maintain his grapple on the next turn, he may gain some insight. In the mean time, Samir and Malachi do not have to worry about the roots at the end of the combat round, unless they move away from Vilus)
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Joren looks hard down the passageway to see if anything else is coming, but then sees that the shadow he beheaded isn't down. Strands of shadow reach out from the severed head and reconnect with the stump of a neck on the main body. The thing continues to move towards Joren, in more of a shamble now, with its head dragging along behind, trying to draw itself back up.
Heal: 3
It slashes with its dagger at Joren's echo.
Attack: 14 Damage: 9
On the other side, the mole bear shadow charges at Marion, taking two swings with it large paws.
Attack: 11 Damage: 6
Attack: 21 Damage: 6
The three bat shadows fly overhead and descend with their fangs bared. 2 attack Ashley, and the 3rd goes for Malachi.
Attacks on Ashley:
Attack: 20 Damage: 5
Attack: 21 Damage: 5
Attack on Malachi:
Attack: 18 Damage: 3
All the while, more roots grab at Marion, Ashley, and Joren.
(DC 12 Dex save, or on your turn you are grappled and will have disadvantage on your next saving throw or attack. If you roll a nat 1, you are restrained.)
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
As the shadow bear approaches, Marion brings up her shield to block. The first attack glances harmlessly off, but Marion doesn't notice the root wrapping around her armoured arm. As the second paw swipe bears in on her, the root goes taut and pulls her arm out of the way. The paw slams into her ribs, leaving behind wispy trails of blackness at the point of impact. Marion winces and reaches for her sword. But then she stops and instead grabs the root and says "By the authority of the Blue, I rebuke you!" Lightning dances out from her fingertips.
As the eyed roots reach out on all sides, Ashley cannot fight them all off at once and they take hold, securing her tight against the cave wall. Looking around at all the enemies, she is unsure what to fight first, but the thing that is coming after Joren, gives her the most fright, so she targets it. "Joren, look out, it's coming back!!" She casts sacred flame, hoping the radiant flame will purge it from the earth.
Mind reeling in anguish and confusion as his echo decapitates the shadow of Ashley, Joren is distracted enough that roots snake around him and bind him to the wall. As the shadow's attack glances off his echo's armor, he moves his echo away from the shadow, bringing it to stand right next to where roots have also encircled Ashley. (Note, the echo is not a creature, so it suffers no opportunity attack.)
He then uses his bonus action and half his movement to switch places with it so that he is no longer grappled by the roots. (And neither is the echo, since the echo can't be grappled.)
"Ashley,Marion, freeing ourselves we must. Defensive position around Silas, whereSamirandMalachi are maybe? The goliath perhaps can be controlling the roots."
With that, he attempts to free Ashley, afraid to use is greatsword for fear of hitting the fire genasi, his memory of what happened with the shadow fresh in his head. Stowing the greatsword behind his back, he attempts to pull the roots off Ashley with his hands instead, glad to see that Marion is already free.
Ashley calls forth a radiant flame upon the headless shadow pursuing Joren, but it shifts to the side uncannily, imperceptibly, as if it had never been in the spot where Ashley's fame scours the stone.
Joren tries to pull Ashley free, but the roots only seem to tighten further as they resist his pull.
Samir stares agog at the encroaching shadows and roots as the tunnel descends into chaos. For a moment he finds himself frozen, unable to act, his mind reeling as he desperately tries to think of something, anything, that he can do. Finally, he snaps out of his daze and acts, spurred into motion by the massive bear monster attacking Marion. Runes glisten over his glove as he reaches towards a nearby stone several feet away. The stone quivers for a second, and then launches itself at the bear from the side, careening forward with violent intent.
Casting Catapult and targeting the bear shadow monster whatsit that's attacking Marion. DC 14 Dex save or take 11 Bludgeoning damage.
Vilus becomes mesmerised by the eye, looking deep into and through eachother, the calm doesn't help either, as he unknowingly loosens his grasp on some of the roots.
The moment the stone begins to quiver next to it, the bear turns its attention on it. As the stone catapults towards it, the bear swiftly rears up, though it looks less like the bear moves, and more like the shadows forming it simply change shape to that of a bear standing on its hind legs.
Falling deeper and deeper into the eye on the root, Vilus finds understanding within.
The roots do not seem moved by some volitional will, but rather by an blind instinctual drive. A drive to know. To see. To understand. And to do so, they consume.
And Vilus realizes that the shadows that are attacking them are... memories. Hollow imitations of those that the roots have consumed. Like a small child playing with sock puppets.
They do not serve Vilus's master, but they have been twisted and morphed inadvertently by the Watcher's power.
But even as Villus reaches this conclusion, the roots begin to escape from his slackened grip. (Malachi is still clear for this round)
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Malachi is immediately overwhelmed in the swirl of confusion as he sees his companions fighting swirling shadows and entangling roots. He feels a sharp sense of something in the back of his mind, not panic or fear exactly, but unease. “Vilus, do you know what these things are? Are they protecting your Watcher's tower?”
Malachi easily avoids one of the shadow bats swooping down upon him. He notices Vilus begin to lose his grip on the roots and he strikes out at the nearest root with his cultist dagger.
Having just escaped from Vilus's grip, the vine takes Malachi's strike straight on. The curved blade passes easily through the root, severing it entirely. It goes limp, and a small trickle of black sap leaks out.
(There is still another root nearby that can try to grab Malachi, but Malachi will have advantage to avoid it as long as he remains where he is. He gets the impression that if a certain amount more damage is inflicted to the roots in a given area, whoever is standing there will no longer have to make dex saves.)
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Malachi, not unused to needing to slip very quickly through a dense crowd to escape pursuit, manages to deftly keep out of the roots' grasp.
Vilus, on the other hand, doesn't think he'll be able to make it through quite as smoothly. There is an odd calm in his mind, however, and he reaches out to that familiar feeling. Touches upon it. At that moment, a root makes contact with his shoulder... and slides right past him, reaching for the next person.
Everyone hears or sees Joren in his loud armour getting pulled up to the ceiling. But then Joren flickers into place next to Samir and the vines close around nothing more than mist. On the other side of the group, Marion forges ahead, chopping through roots, but Ashley sees something beyond her. More shadowy figures. But though they are difficult to make out in the distant gloom, they do not look human, and they are definitely getting closer.
Initiative!
Marion: 22
Ashley: 3
Malachi: 13
Samir: 12
Vilus: 5
Joren: 10
Shadows???: 8
So Joren, Vilus, and Marion can go before the enemies
Joren senses he is far beyond his depth here. As he notices the vines leave Vilus alone despite having the chance to restrain him, he senses the goliath may have a connection to this place. Know your enemy. You do not know this enemy, but Silas or Marion might.
He summons his echo in front and moves it to the nearest shadow. He himself moves up so he is within 30' of it, on the front line of the party but back from the shadows. He then holds a greatsword attack from the echo's position - he will attack the instant he sees Vilus or Marion take action (stopping only if one of them warns him not to):
If the attack is triggered: Attack: 22 Damage: 8
Barn(Paladin1): Damian_May's Ereworn Under the Shadow | Lyra(Warlock2/Bard4): VitusW's Silverwood Forest | Nivi(Rogue5): Erik_Soong's Netherdeep
Joren(Fighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Quyen(Adept1, ba5ic): ConstancePhokas' Nentir Vale (Discord) | Seri(Druid1): Hunter_Orien's Saltmarsh
Xarian(Fighter3): Luna_Dust's Marks on the Map | Ophelia(Sorcerer2): BillM's Icewind Dale | Shin(Wizard1): Culuril's Strixhaven
Calm and serenity washes over Vilus the noise of the fighting not effecting him as he watches the vine touch upon him and the slide around. He puts his hand upon it as it goes, petting it like a snake. "It's strange, I feel a kinship with these things, we share a power... But theirs was not gifted" he grabs at the one vine he was petting and yanks it back violently, windmilling his other arm to try gathering up as many of the other snaking vines as possible, the sudden actions stark contrast to his calmed face and smoothed somewhat heavy voice.
"They grow fatted on power not theirs to wield, this is a blasphemous thievery"
Grapple attempt 20
Marion shouts out into the gloom ahead, only able to see flickers of movement, "Halt! Who approaches?" Hearing no response, she holds forth her hand and draws a shape with her finger before muttering a few arcane syllables. A bolt of fire springs forth, streaking down the tunnel.
Attack: 22 Damage: 3
On its way, it illuminates roots and the rocky cave wall, and then it highlights the silhouette of a large mole bear and three bats as the bolt sails between them to strike another shadow further back.
Joren's echo takes up a solid stance in the face of the charging cultist shadow, and waits for it to get within reach. The moment the shadow gets too close, the echo snaps its greatsword out in a surprisingly swift attack.
For a moment, Joren's vision changes. He looks through the eyes of his echo, a version of himself that exists primarily in an alternate version of events, seeing a different reality. Seeing what might have happened in his own reality had things been slightly different.
He swings, relying purely on his darkvision to make the attack, for there is no light coming from behind him. Perhaps there could have been, were any of his companions still with him. Had they not been taken by these accursed roots while trying to sleep off the venom from the crab ambush earlier. But alas, he was the only one who had escaped their grasp. He is the only one remaining.
...Except that isn't completely accurate, he supposes. He can't even bring himself to snarl in defiance as his sword cuts loudly through the air. All he feels is sorrow and bitterness, as his blade slices clean through the neck of a shadow in the shape of a female fire genasi. "Sorry Ashley," he mutters, as he watches her head topple from her shoulders.
Back in his own body, Joren observes from a distance as the cultist's head hits the ground in a puff of black smoke.
Behind Joren, not far away, Vilus wrestles with large armfuls of the writhing roots as they try to grab at Samir and Malachi. But Vilus seems to anticipate their moves and keeps two steps ahead. He finds himself staring right into one of their eye-like knots, and as he does so, the sensation of the Watcher's power swells within him. He begins to feel like he is looking into the root. With a bit more time, he might even begin to understand it.
(If Vilus wants to try to maintain his grapple on the next turn, he may gain some insight. In the mean time, Samir and Malachi do not have to worry about the roots at the end of the combat round, unless they move away from Vilus)
Joren looks hard down the passageway to see if anything else is coming, but then sees that the shadow he beheaded isn't down. Strands of shadow reach out from the severed head and reconnect with the stump of a neck on the main body. The thing continues to move towards Joren, in more of a shamble now, with its head dragging along behind, trying to draw itself back up.
Heal: 3
It slashes with its dagger at Joren's echo.
Attack: 14 Damage: 9
On the other side, the mole bear shadow charges at Marion, taking two swings with it large paws.
Attack: 11 Damage: 6
Attack: 21 Damage: 6
The three bat shadows fly overhead and descend with their fangs bared. 2 attack Ashley, and the 3rd goes for Malachi.
Attacks on Ashley:
Attack: 20 Damage: 5
Attack: 21 Damage: 5
Attack on Malachi:
Attack: 18 Damage: 3
All the while, more roots grab at Marion, Ashley, and Joren.
(DC 12 Dex save, or on your turn you are grappled and will have disadvantage on your next saving throw or attack. If you roll a nat 1, you are restrained.)
As the shadow bear approaches, Marion brings up her shield to block. The first attack glances harmlessly off, but Marion doesn't notice the root wrapping around her armoured arm. As the second paw swipe bears in on her, the root goes taut and pulls her arm out of the way. The paw slams into her ribs, leaving behind wispy trails of blackness at the point of impact. Marion winces and reaches for her sword. But then she stops and instead grabs the root and says "By the authority of the Blue, I rebuke you!" Lightning dances out from her fingertips.
Attack: 19 Damage: 7
It goes slack and slides off of her arm.
Ashley DEX save 18
As the eyed roots reach out on all sides, Ashley cannot fight them all off at once and they take hold, securing her tight against the cave wall. Looking around at all the enemies, she is unsure what to fight first, but the thing that is coming after Joren, gives her the most fright, so she targets it. "Joren, look out, it's coming back!!" She casts sacred flame, hoping the radiant flame will purge it from the earth.
DEX of 12 or 8 radiant damage
Joren DEX save: 6
Barn(Paladin1): Damian_May's Ereworn Under the Shadow | Lyra(Warlock2/Bard4): VitusW's Silverwood Forest | Nivi(Rogue5): Erik_Soong's Netherdeep
Joren(Fighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Quyen(Adept1, ba5ic): ConstancePhokas' Nentir Vale (Discord) | Seri(Druid1): Hunter_Orien's Saltmarsh
Xarian(Fighter3): Luna_Dust's Marks on the Map | Ophelia(Sorcerer2): BillM's Icewind Dale | Shin(Wizard1): Culuril's Strixhaven
Mind reeling in anguish and confusion as his echo decapitates the shadow of Ashley, Joren is distracted enough that roots snake around him and bind him to the wall. As the shadow's attack glances off his echo's armor, he moves his echo away from the shadow, bringing it to stand right next to where roots have also encircled Ashley. (Note, the echo is not a creature, so it suffers no opportunity attack.)
He then uses his bonus action and half his movement to switch places with it so that he is no longer grappled by the roots. (And neither is the echo, since the echo can't be grappled.)
"Ashley, Marion, freeing ourselves we must. Defensive position around Silas, where Samir and Malachi are maybe? The goliath perhaps can be controlling the roots."
With that, he attempts to free Ashley, afraid to use is greatsword for fear of hitting the fire genasi, his memory of what happened with the shadow fresh in his head. Stowing the greatsword behind his back, he attempts to pull the roots off Ashley with his hands instead, glad to see that Marion is already free.
Action - Athletics to free Ashley: 11
Barn(Paladin1): Damian_May's Ereworn Under the Shadow | Lyra(Warlock2/Bard4): VitusW's Silverwood Forest | Nivi(Rogue5): Erik_Soong's Netherdeep
Joren(Fighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Quyen(Adept1, ba5ic): ConstancePhokas' Nentir Vale (Discord) | Seri(Druid1): Hunter_Orien's Saltmarsh
Xarian(Fighter3): Luna_Dust's Marks on the Map | Ophelia(Sorcerer2): BillM's Icewind Dale | Shin(Wizard1): Culuril's Strixhaven
Dex Save: 18
Athletics Contest: 22
Ashley calls forth a radiant flame upon the headless shadow pursuing Joren, but it shifts to the side uncannily, imperceptibly, as if it had never been in the spot where Ashley's fame scours the stone.
Joren tries to pull Ashley free, but the roots only seem to tighten further as they resist his pull.
Grimacing in frustration, Joren finishes his turn by moving his echo out of the roots and between him (and Ashley) and the advancing shadow.
Barn(Paladin1): Damian_May's Ereworn Under the Shadow | Lyra(Warlock2/Bard4): VitusW's Silverwood Forest | Nivi(Rogue5): Erik_Soong's Netherdeep
Joren(Fighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Quyen(Adept1, ba5ic): ConstancePhokas' Nentir Vale (Discord) | Seri(Druid1): Hunter_Orien's Saltmarsh
Xarian(Fighter3): Luna_Dust's Marks on the Map | Ophelia(Sorcerer2): BillM's Icewind Dale | Shin(Wizard1): Culuril's Strixhaven
Samir stares agog at the encroaching shadows and roots as the tunnel descends into chaos. For a moment he finds himself frozen, unable to act, his mind reeling as he desperately tries to think of something, anything, that he can do. Finally, he snaps out of his daze and acts, spurred into motion by the massive bear monster attacking Marion. Runes glisten over his glove as he reaches towards a nearby stone several feet away. The stone quivers for a second, and then launches itself at the bear from the side, careening forward with violent intent.
Casting Catapult and targeting the bear shadow monster whatsit that's attacking Marion. DC 14 Dex save or take 11 Bludgeoning damage.
Vilus's athletics to maintain grapple
5
Vilus becomes mesmerised by the eye, looking deep into and through eachother, the calm doesn't help either, as he unknowingly loosens his grasp on some of the roots.
Dex Save: 22
Athletics Contest: 21
The moment the stone begins to quiver next to it, the bear turns its attention on it. As the stone catapults towards it, the bear swiftly rears up, though it looks less like the bear moves, and more like the shadows forming it simply change shape to that of a bear standing on its hind legs.
Falling deeper and deeper into the eye on the root, Vilus finds understanding within.
The roots do not seem moved by some volitional will, but rather by an blind instinctual drive. A drive to know. To see. To understand. And to do so, they consume.
And Vilus realizes that the shadows that are attacking them are... memories. Hollow imitations of those that the roots have consumed. Like a small child playing with sock puppets.
They do not serve Vilus's master, but they have been twisted and morphed inadvertently by the Watcher's power.
But even as Villus reaches this conclusion, the roots begin to escape from his slackened grip. (Malachi is still clear for this round)
Malachi is immediately overwhelmed in the swirl of confusion as he sees his companions fighting swirling shadows and entangling roots. He feels a sharp sense of something in the back of his mind, not panic or fear exactly, but unease. “Vilus, do you know what these things are? Are they protecting your Watcher's tower?”
Malachi easily avoids one of the shadow bats swooping down upon him. He notices Vilus begin to lose his grip on the roots and he strikes out at the nearest root with his cultist dagger.
Attack: 18 Damage: 5.
.
Having just escaped from Vilus's grip, the vine takes Malachi's strike straight on. The curved blade passes easily through the root, severing it entirely. It goes limp, and a small trickle of black sap leaks out.
(There is still another root nearby that can try to grab Malachi, but Malachi will have advantage to avoid it as long as he remains where he is. He gets the impression that if a certain amount more damage is inflicted to the roots in a given area, whoever is standing there will no longer have to make dex saves.)