Heavy is the Head - Campaign thread

Viconia screams "To arms! We are under attack!" She shifts her gaze to focus squarely on Saoirse, and the eyes have murder in them. Her guardian drops into a battle stance as he faces Saoirse. The helm covers to much of his face to see anything of him but his eyes, but Saoirse could easily be convinced that those eyes widen in recognition when he sees her.

Billy fumbles as he tries to rebutton his trousers and turn towards battle as quickly as he can.

Time to roll initiative. 

Saoirse feels her heart skip a beat at the apparent sign of recognition in the guardian's eyes, but the blood hunter steels herself ... that was not the time to doubt.

Initiative: nat20! (24)

Hemlock watches Saoirse rush off, and looks to spring into action himself.

Initiative: 19+2=21 

Sha initiative 8 (Lam has vigilant blessing too I believe)

Lam had barely been paying attention to Billy and had instead been staring at Viconia and the man in the armor. When Saoirse rushes out into the open, that is Lam’s signal.

The battle begins, with Saoirse, Hemlock, and Lam setting the tempo, moving in before anyone is quite ready. Sha takes a moment longer, but that is half a moment more than it takes for Viconia and her Servant to enter the fight, and for the hidden firbolgs to act. The HMC workers around the clearing are slower to move, but they follow the soldier's lead for now. Billy and Ahmed are caught completely flat-footed, and Ahmed's grip on his shortsword suggests that he has rarely held one.

Initiative: Saoirse, Hemlock, Lam, Viconia, Servant, Firbolgs, Sha-Gravis, Soldiers, HMC group North, HMC pair West, Billy and Ahmed

"Don't you dare harm them", Saoirse repeats as she moves even closer to the guardian. If she's able to stand between him and the firbolgs, she will do so. Her rapier stands ready in case he attacks.

Movement: to stand between guardian and firbolgs (if possible). If not, I'll just stand where I'm now.

Action: ready a rapier attack. Unfortunately, I rolled an 11. So I guess that will miss.

You can feel that you are standing right on the barrier of the circle of silence, your left foot landing soundlessly. Your head is still out of the circle, but your threat falls on deaf ears anyway. The Servant barely reacts to your words.

Viconia grins. "Jonah mentioned you, during questioning. I was hoping to get the chance to kill you."

Initiative: Saoirse, Hemlock, Lam, Viconia, Servant, Firbolgs, Sha-Gravis, Soldiers, HMC group North, HMC pair West, Billy and Ahmed

Hemlock doesn't waste a moment, moving to the north, the shadows closing around him but he is not longer being careful.

When he hears Viconia speak of Jonah, and of killing Saoirse, he turns to look across from within the tree-line. He speaks into the mind of Firbolg Woman, "The Fire Genasi is here to help you, but we need the help of you and your people too".

He then marshals his magic and sends a bolt of radiant energy at Viconia. As has been seen before, when he decides someone is too dangerous, he does not tread lightly, and so it is this time. His form starts to glow with starlight, although dimmed by his magic, and an arrow flashes out toward Viconia as well.

Movement: 30ft North-ish
Free Action: Telepathic speech to Firbolg Woman
Action: Cast Guiding Bolt using star map at Viconia - To Hit: 16+6=22, Damage: 1+5+1+1=8 [radiant]
Bonus Action: Take Starry Form - Archer - Luminous Arrow at Viconia (possibly with Advantage from Guiding Bolt)- To Hit: 20+6=26 [crit], Damage: (8+7)+4=19 [radiant]
Special: Concentration Pass Without Trace  

The bolt of light that erupts from the trees has Viconia glowing slightly, and scanning for you in the shrubs, but she shows no sign of pain. When the luminous arrow flies towards her, she braces for the impact instead of trying to dodge. She seriously underestimated your power. The arrow crashes into her, and you can just make out a faint, ice-blue energy burst from her as her protective ward is overwhelmed and shattered. She winces in  unexpected pain, and in sudden fear.

Initiative: Saoirse, Hemlock, Lam, Viconia, Servant, Firbolgs, Sha-Gravis, Soldiers, HMC group North, HMC pair West, Billy and Ahmed

https://www.owlbear.rodeo/room/5nRs1L_uFdxM/HeavyistheHeadPBP

Lam had been waiting for the chance to head out into the fray. He had intended to go after the armored man who had been threatening the Firbolgs, but the moment Viconia says she’d been hoping to get the chance to kill Saoirse, something in his eyes change. He charges straight for her and swings his greataxe, only vaguely aware that she’d just had something magical around her that Hemlock’s light messed with. He isn’t focused on most of the battlefield right now- only on Viconia.

Your axe is swift and the blow is powerful. Viconia's robe is torn open, and she is bleeding (bloodied) from the torso. As Lam swings the battleaxe, he can see the Servant's greatsword moving towards him ([feat]sentinel[/feat]), and his singleminded focus lets him accept that this blow against her will cost him pain. That pain is 20 to hit, 13 slashing damage. 

He sees his own attack hit, and as he prepares to attack or defend himself, he hears Viconia begin to speak in a dark, strange tongue; then suddenly he (and Saoirse) see nothing at all, and feel the air go chill around them. Lam and Saoirse are surrounded by the strange, cold chill of the void, completely blind. At the same instant that light disappears around them, they suddenly hear the Firbolg women near them stubbornly continuing their song, and then stopping abruptly and gasping in terror. From Hemlock and Sha's vantage point, an inky blackness in the middle of the clearing now completely blocks your view of Lam, Saoirse, the firbolg women, Viconia, and her Servant.

Saoirse and Lam can hear chattering teeth, a grunt of pain in the cold, and then a blade swing in the blackness. The sound first moves towards Saoirse, guided by the memory of where she was standing. 12 to hit, 16 slashing, then thrusts towards Lam, still standing fully exposed (10 to hit, 13 slashing. Then the armored servant moves away from them.

From north of the clearing, firbolg voices sing in a powerful chorus in the Giant language, and around the tents and below the feet of the HMC and soldiers to the north, the forest's underbrush grows swiftly back, making the ground nearly impassable. "Látum skóginn verjast"

The two women in the darkness with Lam and Saoirse shout in pain. Their teeth chatter, and Saoirse can feel the older woman push past her, struggling north towards the burning tree. Then they scream again, as though suddenly bitten by some horror of the void. The woman's scream trails off into the sigh of her final breath, but the younger one's scream only becomes louder and more pained.

Initiative: Saoirse, Hemlock, Lam, Viconia, Servant, Firbolgs, Sha-Gravis, Soldiers, HMC group North, HMC pair West, Billy and Ahmed

https://www.owlbear.rodeo/room/5nRs1L_uFdxM/HeavyistheHeadPBP

Sha-gravis approaches the darkness.  There is the sound of terrible violence emanating from the utter black.  Sha raises both arms in a circle above his head, channeling his goddess’ divine power through the very fabric she has blessed.  Creating not only Twilight Sanctuary but also Daylight to overcome, the horror hidden within.

The opposite magical energies clash, and even though everyone in the field squints at the brilliant light coming from the middle of the clearing, none of that light can pierce the horrible void. From inside the blackness, Saoirse and Lam have no way of knowing that intense daylight waits just outside. But they do feel a tranquility that they recognize - they know that Sha-Gravis is nearby, and feel his rejuvenating magic. The void feels less horrible now... but it is no less deadly, or less dark.

There is overlapping shouting among the tents in the north part of the clearing, but the consensus among the voices seems to be that Viconia can handle herself (and none of then want to approach her foul magics), and that they should focus on the singers in the trees. There is a lot of chopping at overgrown bushes and shrubs, and a slow push towards the chorus. There are also a few crossbows fired, and one grunt of pain that suggests a bolt found purchase in firbolg flesh.

The two HMC folks to the west ask "where do you need us, ma'am?" in a tone that implies that they fear she will tell them.to enter the void. "Walk around the spell that way. Kill anyone who steps out of it." The sound of the voice confirms that Viconia exited the void to the west.

There is a sigh of relief, and running feet. Hemlock and Sha see the pair of HMC folks round the circle of darkness, and enter Sha's soothing twilight. They are approached by Billy and Ahmed, and Billy speaks to them. "This is our best chance to get rid if that woman. She's injured, and with her gone we can save Jonah!" 

"If we oppose her, we'll die. And then we'll be hanged."

"Have you no honor? Better to die in service of the light than to live in service of the devil." Ahmed's words put shamed expressions on the other faces, but they also shake their heads slightly, sadly. They grip their weapons, and face towards Sha-Gravis. 

 Initiative: Saoirse, Hemlock, Lam, Viconia, Servant, Firbolgs, Sha-Gravis, Soldiers, HMC group North, HMC pair West, Billy and Ahmed

https://www.owlbear.rodeo/room/5nRs1L_uFdxM/HeavyistheHeadPBP

It all happens too quickly. The blood hunter's frustration at not being able to hit the servant, her renewed hope when Hemlock and Lam's attacks hurt Viconia badly. The shroud of blackness and cold, that envelops them. She's afraid, that is undeniable. But that terror increases when she hears the guardian slashing and finding purchase. She hasn't been hurt, but Lam has. And trained as she is, Saoirse knows when a sword cut has been perfectly executed. It has cut, and it has cut deeply.

Her first instinct is to scream at Lam, to warn him to get away. But at the same time, she has felt the older firbolg fall to Viconia's spell. Yet there's still hope for the younger one. Biting her lip and fighting the guilt of leaving Lam alone, she makes a decision: one of the firbolgs has died inside this void, and she can't let the other suffer the same fate. The familiar warmth of Sha's magic acts as an invisible guiding force that helps her search in the dark until her hands meet the young firbolg. The blood hunter shoves her out of the darkened zone, and then she herself steps outside.

Beginning of the turn: Saoirse takes 6 points of cold damage.

 Movement: full movement to get out of the Hunger of Hadar due to difficult terrain.

 Action: Shove

"Illt... skrímsli í kuldanum..." The firbolg girl is muttering in giant as she stumbles and nearly falls out of the Hunger. Her shadow falls long on the forest floor, as the impossible second sun sitting atop the sphere of darkness shines on her back.

Saoirse's shadow is almost as long as she emerges, and she blinks in the brightness that feels so intense in contrast to the dark that she just escaped. She is within greatsword's reach of the armored servant, who speaks to her even as he readies his blade. "Rith. Rith i bhfad ar shiúl. Viconia, Strixwell, seo ar fad. Rith amach uaidh." The voice is almost a whisper, it is a plea, and he does not seem to want Viconia to hear it. You can not place the voice, but it feels vaguely familiar, and the words are spoken in the same ignan slant of the primordial tongue that Saoirse speaks.

 Initiative: Saoirse, Hemlock, Lam, Viconia, Servant, Firbolgs, Sha-Gravis, Soldiers, HMC group North, HMC pair West, Billy and Ahmed

https://www.owlbear.rodeo/room/5nRs1L_uFdxM/HeavyistheHeadPBP

So much seems to happen, and Hemlock has to adapt his thinking. The Firbolgs have already engaged the soldiers and the HMC, the circular black void has obscured his view of Viconia and her bodyguard, and he also can't see Lam or Saoirse.

Hearing the discussion between Billy and his two comrades, and their reluctance to stand down, he decides to take action there.

Dropping the now ineffectual concealment magic, as he is glowing anyway, he instead takes a leaf out of the other Firbolg's book. Weeds and vines sprout around the HMC people near Shar, looking to ensnare them. He then moves around the black void, just staying within Sha's soothing field.

Action: Entangle on HMC by Billy - DC 14 Strength Save and difficult terrain
Movement: 30ft North West to by the cart (moved in Owlbear), trying to get some cover from the cart from people to the North
Special: Concentration: Entangle - 1/10, Starry Form - 10 minutes-ish, Twilight Sanctuary - 6+4=10

The HMC pair struggle for a second against the entangling vines, but as soon as it is clear that their purpose is to restrain and not to harm, the two men stop struggling, seeming almost relieved to have an excuse to be ineffectual in this battle.

As you pay attention to the other firbolgs, you recognize the magic that they are demonstrating as collective treesinging. You have never heard a group of treesingers this powerful though. Among the members of your home tribe, treesinging is quite rare, and not the primary way into druidic power.

Initiative: Saoirse, Hemlock, Lam, Viconia, Servant, Firbolgs, Sha-Gravis, Soldiers, HMC group North, HMC pair West, Billy and Ahmed

https://www.owlbear.rodeo/room/5nRs1L_uFdxM/HeavyistheHeadPBP

Lam finds himself disoriented and unable to see. He cannot fully tell what’s going on anymore. He can hear Saoirse and the armored servant fighting, and then the servant’s sword finds its way into him. Between the pain in his side and the terrible sounds all around them, and the loss of his sight, Lam begins to lose his grip on reason. He hears Saoirse and the Firbolg woman move away, probably out of the void, towards where Viconia went… away from Sha’s rejuvenating aura. Lam is just about to follow, then the cold chill of the void causes him to double over. He roars in pain. Even as he desperately wants to get to Viconia, he can’t afford to get too far from Sha- and he doesn’t know how far the void goes, but he knows he has to get out now.

Lam turns back roughly the way he came, using Sha’s magic as a guide to get himself out. Finally he sees the light- literally, which turns out to be his illuminated Firbolg friend. Once he can see and breathe again, he takes stock of the field, his wild eyes darting each and every which way. He knows Sha is near from the magic he still feels. Saoirse is somewhere on the other side, with the Firbolg woman and with the enemies. Where Lam should be. Hemlock is positioned carefully behind a cart… why? Lam looks north and sees a crowd of HMC folks trying to enter the battle. This gives him his target. Lam steps by Hemlock and turns his focus north. There is a desperate fury in his eyes, and his breathing is heavy. He stops at the very edge of Sha’s magic, but doesn’t dare to go beyond where he can feel the presence of his friend.

Viconia looks drained and weak. She is farther away from the edge of the void than she should have been able to run in that time, but her robe is opened by the giant axe wound at her center, and steepd in her own blood. There are scorch marks between her prominent collarbones, from where the luminous arrow hit her dead center. She is barely standing after taking so much damage and expending so much of her magic so quickly. Still, she looks at Saoirse with the wild fury of a wounded wildcat, points and screams at her. Two beams of red energy arc from her finger towards the genasi. (8 to hit, 6 force; 22 to hit, 5 force). Then she shouts at her servant. "Send her back into the dark. Let her die in there."

"Tá brón orm." (I am sorry) The armored man says this as he reposintions himself around Saoirse slightly. He whispers even more quietly. "mair. le do thoil." (Survive. Please.) Then, he shoves Saoirse with his considerable strength. Through his helm, she can see light, eyes that shine like fire, and glowing red-orange cracks in his skin... just like hers. Make an acrobatics or athletics check (your choice).

6 or above: