Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk

Quinn yells out.

"Boona...hold still!"

Quinn whistles and calls in his raven to attack. Quinn follows suit and attempts to smash one the the nuggets. The raven screeches loudly and attacks.

Quinn's Attacks

Attack 1: 18 to hit for 19 damage (12 +7 colossus slayer)
Attack 2:  8 (CRIT FAIL! 1+7) for 10 damage

Raven's Attack

Attack: 5 (CRIT FAIL! 1+4) for 12 damage

These strange creatures don't have eyes in any normal sense. (Auto-save.) But it does have a small reaction:
(Psychic Slam Attack vs. Nightblade: 21. Hit: 13 psychic damage....
That last hit on Nightblade retroactively becomes Psychic Slam Attack vs. Nightblade: 21-2. Hit: 13 psychic damage.)
Then Nightblade outright slays it, injuring (and bloodying) the other one as well.

Bryony slays the other one with her next hit.

Combat is over for the moment. Everyone may act.
 

Boona nods thanks and grips her maul tightly then takes a single step towards the four cultists at the east door....

Nightblade:

”A moment, Boona.  Let me fetch the sons so they may speak with their father,” asks Nightblade. Shaking his head at the psychic scrambling, he heads off to fetch them in the nearby room.

"Make sure they're safe," Ontharyx instructs Thialia, quietly. She nods and follows Nightblade.

"The rest of you, my guests, follow me." Ontharyx invites the party into what looks like a darkened dwarven ceremonial hall through the open doorway to the east. You can see stone basins beneath metal spigots on the walls, and the sounds of dripping water.

Meanwhile, Nightblade finds his sibling employers in the Librarian's Room, where they have been waiting. The other drow are keeping a careful watch. Nightblade hasn't had a good look in this room until now - it has a wide bed surrounded by tall bookshelves, and a scattering of papers - presumably the brothers' notes and maps.

Nightblade:

”Your father has made an appearance and wishes to talk,” says Nightblade as he expends a charge from his armor to heal the psychic damage done by the gemmule.  “The first cultist and her small psychic horrors are dead, but more cultists remain with him,” he adds beckoning them to come with him back to see their father.

Cure Wounds:  11

Quinn's head is still ringing and he finds it difficult to focus on his spell. He reaches into his coin purse and holds up a single copper piece to attract the attention of his raven. The raven does not miss a beat and it flies over and lands on Quinn's shoulder. 

"A copper piece and my thanks for your help, my friend."

The raven squawks and croaks before snatching up the coin and flying off.

Quinn takes a step or two to follow Boona, but stops to look down at the winged cultist lying dead on the floor. Quinn kneels down beside. Quinn inspects her body for any belongings or valuables. He plucks a few feathers and adds them to his possibles pouch.

DM: Anything of interest on the strange bird woman's body?

Nythalyn nods soberly to Nightblade's news. "Those cultists are dangerous. It could be a trap. We will not go to him. Draw him out, away from the others. Bring him here, alone if possible. He may be under the influence of these madmen. But you've done well. Thank you." Thiala remains in the other room, watching the door.

Meanwhile, Quinn examines the body of the dead cultist. She seems to be unarmed except for the hammer she was using to deface the statue. She carries nothing else. She looks like like she might have been human once, but her body has been deformed by alien forces. For one, her skin is covered in otherworldly slime.

"Come, come," urges Ontharyx, beckoning the rest of the party into the other room. "Let us lay down our weapons and talk. We can wait for your drow friends in here. How did you meet Thiala? Her mother once taught me to dance, would you know? A fine teacher, she was." The room ahead is pitch dark, filled with the sound of dripping water, although the basin and spigot you see immediately ahead of you is bone dry. The three cultists with Ontharyx relax a little, and step back to allow you to enter.

(Remind me - who has darkvision, and who has a light source right now?)

( Boona does not have darkvision but if all the lights leave she will light any nearby torches with Druidcraft.)

Boona hesitates in her walk towards the four cultists as she was told to stop.....she considers just picking up the old elf and carrying him to his sons.....

 Jurgen hands her another light-up ball

Jorzu 

Exercising utmost hesitance in moving forward, Jorzu communicates with Alâedixx mentally; "Sneak into that room and relay what you see" to which Alâedixx agrees before casually making his way towards the door. When close by he darts inside and attempts to duck out of sight.

Alâedixx Stealth 6

Quinn notices the slime all over the feathered cultist and he thinks twice about plucking the feathers.

He gets up and stands next to Boona. He leans forward and looks into the room ahead. Something about following cultists into a pitch black room does not sit right with Quinn. He scratches is scruffy beard and ponders the situation.

"I do not know your name, sir, but our business is not with you or your...friends...in the other room. We aim to reunite you with your children and then be on our way." 

OOC: Quinn doesn't have night vision. He does have a torch, though it's not lit at the moment.

Nightblade:

(As a drow, Nightblade has 60’ Darkvision)

”I will try, Nythalyn,” replies Nightblade, “But he seems intent on drawing us in…we may require a more hands-on approach.”

He turns around and moves back to join the others, planning to further parley with Ontharyx if possible.

Nightblade starts back to rejoin the party. Thiala pauses, then slowly follows.

Alâedixx is far from quiet as he shuffles into the next room, quietly but deeply clearing his throat as he walks. The cultists do not stop him, but you can tell they are subtly clocking him. "Four stone basins. Two north, two south," he replies telepathically to Jorzu. "Metal spigots. The northwest spigot looks broken. It's choked with fungus and drips murky water into its basin. The other basins are dry. Double door to the northeast," he concludes in a telepathic monotone. "Just four of these clowns. No weapons, no possessions, nothing else of note in here." 

"Forgive me," replies Ontharyx to Quinn. "I am Ontharyx Henlifel, leader of The Cult of the Obelisk. We are but humble students of the black stone, here. It is a keyhole to impossible truths of the Far Realm. Tell us your names. Come and rest and sup with us. We have no quarrel here. I apologize for Malinia's rudeness." 

"Cult of the Obelisk?" Quinn does a poor attempt at stifling a laugh. "I can't think of of any cults that refers to themselves as a cult. I appreciate the openness. And your apology is accepted. "

Quinn leans in and obviously looks into the darkened room.

"Any others with a loose fuse amongst your cult initiates? Any more of these nuggets of flesh in there?" Quinn nudges one of the flesh nuggets with his boot. 

"Yes, that's the name the surface-dwellers and the drow call us. The language we share with the Obelisk is not spoken. Our true name in the Far Realm is not one that physical lips can utter. If you quiet your mind and listen, perhaps you can hear it too," replies Ontharyx. Quinn can see the dry basins behind the cultists, and hear the sound of water dripping further within.

"The encephalon gemmules are mere infants, the hatched spawn of the Guardian. Would you like to meet the Guardian?"

((Bryony does not have Darkvision but carries torches.))

Bryony peers into the pitch black room and hesitates at the entrance. She relaxes slightly when Jurgen hands Boona a light-up ball, but she doesn't trust Ontharyx. She eyes the drow suspiciously. 

"So you admit to being in a cult?" the halfling says. "From the stories I've read, cults are usually bad things. Why should we trust you? And why would we want to meet this Guardian of yours? Unless he's guarding my Aunt Qelline. Where is she?"

Boona walked right up, chest to chest, to the four cultists, " Answer Bryony."

Intimidation- 9

"Oh... dear!" replies Ontharyx to Bryony, mostly ignoring Boona aside from a polite half-nod. "Your family member has been taken? I'm so very sorry. You'll undoubtedly need to address that with Qunbraxel, I'm afraid. We have nothing to do with that unpleasant business, I assure you. Are you familiar with Qunbraxel? Do you know where to find him? I may direct you if you like."