You can't use your skill proficiencies more than once in this Skill Challenge. Also, think of this as your chance to really describe how your character uses their special skills to chase down the cultists.
As Theldrin moves quickly through the passageways and rooms of the cult's underground complex, he does his best to keep an eye out for anything noteworthy. He especially looks for clues that might give the party information as to the number of enemies to expect or what types of skills or weaponry they might use against the party.
Theldrin looks through the guardrooms and notices the amount of beds in them. These last 4 guards are definitely the last. You catch them all in the next hallway heading south, Avery and Liarin up front.
They turn around in terror, realising they aren't getting away by running. I'll give you all a turn each before the guards go, and post a map tomorrow.
They turn around in terror, realising they aren't getting away by running. I'll give you all a turn each before the guards go, and post a map tomorrow.
Xanrym: round 1
As Xanrym rounds the turn to hallway that heads south, he sees the cultists ahead in the distance. He's relieved that it looks like the party will catch up to the guards in time to prevent them from warning others or summoning "Araphise" from its "den"! On the other hand, Xanrym's spell is no longer in effect. Conscious of the injuries he and Avery have already suffered from the previous three fights with the cultists, Xanrym has already decided that it's safer to kill these cultists than to try to take them alive. These cultists seem to be unskilled guards, unlike those Naga's Teeth, but a cornered and panicked opponent can be dangerous. Even the cultists who were unwilling thralls of the naga, like Oliver, have rarely given them any useful information.
Xanrym raises his crossbow and fires a bolt as soon as he gets a clear shot at one of the cultists.
Movement: Close to within about 30' of the nearest cultist. Action: Attack, Crossbow, Light (80/320): 18, Damage: 11 (piercing) Free Action: None
(OOC: Hope we're not using up these good rolls on low level guards before going up agains the naga!)
(OOC: Heh, yeah. On the other hand, I'm not going to complain about a streak of lucky attack and damage rolls when Xanrym and Avery are both below 1/2 Max HP, and Liarin is on her last wild shape until we get a Short Rest. If we can prevent these guards from giving us away, I think that we have a good chance of completing a Short Rest in peace right after this fight.)
Here's what you've successfully cleared of the dungeon so far. One thing I missed that may be relevant is that there is one tunnel Xanrym would have seen that I forgot to point out. Just below room 14 there's another pathway heading to the west.
Theldrin leans on his staff and takes a few deep breaths, listening intently until he's convinced no more enemies are nearby. "Perhaps it's best we find a place to hole up for a bit," he suggest quietly, though he also eyes the various rooms in Area 8 for possible searching.
Xanrym leans against the wall to catch his breath after the race through the tunnels and the sudden end to their battles with the cultists guarding the entrance to the naga's lair. He looks to Avery and Liarin-bear and says, "Truly, the Wind Dukes must have leant you their speed to catch the guards so fast!"
Xanrym listens and looks around briefly, but it seems that they stopped the guards before they reached the "Den of Araphise." He goes to retrieve the crossbow bolt from the cultist he killed and nods in agreement at Theldrin's suggestion. "It sounds quiet, but I could use a rest before we explore further."
Before they leave the site of this fight, Xanrym takes advantage of the relative quiet to take out a sheet of paper from the case that he carries over his shoulder with his lyre. He squats down and quickly sketches a map of the tunnels and rooms that they've seen so far. (Xanrym has proficiency with Cartographer's Tools.) Now that they have a moment's peace, Xanrym lays out the map on a patch of dry ground so that everyone can see and says, "Before I lead Benn and Jarvis back to our ambush in the room with the mud pool (13), I heard them talking here." He points to room 14 on the map and then continues, "From what they said, I think that we have killed all of the human cultists who were guarding the entrance. They mentioned these other guards and their dormitories along here (7 & 8), but I think that these four may have been the last of them. But there's still danger ahead. Since Blayze was injured, she wanted to hide from us and hoped that we'd run into some other creatures in their subterranean temple: she mentioned harpies, crocodiles, and more troglodytes."
The mention of troglodytes reminds Xanrym of something else. "I remember...yes, Blayze said that the troglodytes were guarding the way to the lower level." He gestures to the map that he's drawn so far and says, "So all of this is just part of the first level, and there's at least one more level. I assume that the naga is in the lower level, putting more guards between us and her. Like I said before, the lair of this naga is much larger than I expected."
Xanrym is worried about going into any area that they haven't already explored in his current state. He still aches from the mace blows and the onslaught he faced from Benn and Jarvis before he got back to the mud room. He suggests either confirming that the rooms 8a - 8e are empty and then picking one of them to rest or going back to 14a to rest. In particular, he suggests that the higher-ranking cultists may have had more comfortable quarters. "I saw some comfortable chairs there and a fireplace," he says of 14a.
Theldrin leans on his staff and takes a few deep breaths, listening intently until he's convinced no more enemies are nearby. "Perhaps it's best we find a place to hole up for a bit," he suggest quietly, though he also eyes the various rooms in Area 8 for possible searching.
Avery agrees as he cleans the blood and muck from his sword. "We're getting a little worse for wear."
(OOC: Not sure whether @Charwoman_Gene is back online, but if no one objects, and assuming no new discoveries or attacks...)
Once Theldrin is done searching the guards, Xanrym will lead the way back to 14a. On the way there, they can stop in the mud room (13) to search Benn and Jarvis. Xanrym suggests that they should hide Benn's and Jarvis's bodies: either taking them back to room 14a or dragging them up the stairs to give them to the swamp. In either case, he just wants to make it unclear to any other cultists / guards who may come through this area whether the "Naga's Teeth" are alive.
Xanrym will also gather up his caltrops and recover any of his crossbow bolts that are still intact before they go to 14a to rest.
Not sure whether anyone else wants to do anything specific before the party starts a Short Rest.
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(OOC: Needs more description / narration of what Avery's doing through this feat of athletics. 🙂)
He is chasing after the guards and attempting to catch up. If he can close with them enough, he will attempt to engage or knock them down somehow
You can't use your skill proficiencies more than once in this Skill Challenge. Also, think of this as your chance to really describe how your character uses their special skills to chase down the cultists.
Still 5 Successes and 1 Failure.
Sorry, was still on the last page. Great description, but you cannot roll the same skill more than once.
As Theldrin moves quickly through the passageways and rooms of the cult's underground complex, he does his best to keep an eye out for anything noteworthy. He especially looks for clues that might give the party information as to the number of enemies to expect or what types of skills or weaponry they might use against the party.
Investigation: 19
Thats 6 successes and 1 failure.
Theldrin looks through the guardrooms and notices the amount of beds in them. These last 4 guards are definitely the last. You catch them all in the next hallway heading south, Avery and Liarin up front.
They turn around in terror, realising they aren't getting away by running. I'll give you all a turn each before the guards go, and post a map tomorrow.
Xanrym: round 1
As Xanrym rounds the turn to hallway that heads south, he sees the cultists ahead in the distance. He's relieved that it looks like the party will catch up to the guards in time to prevent them from warning others or summoning "Araphise" from its "den"! On the other hand, Xanrym's spell is no longer in effect. Conscious of the injuries he and Avery have already suffered from the previous three fights with the cultists, Xanrym has already decided that it's safer to kill these cultists than to try to take them alive. These cultists seem to be unskilled guards, unlike those Naga's Teeth, but a cornered and panicked opponent can be dangerous. Even the cultists who were unwilling thralls of the naga, like Oliver, have rarely given them any useful information.
Xanrym raises his crossbow and fires a bolt as soon as he gets a clear shot at one of the cultists.
Movement: Close to within about 30' of the nearest cultist.
Action: Attack, Crossbow, Light (80/320): 18, Damage: 11 (piercing)
Free Action: None
Theldrin aims a Fire Bolt at the nearest guard.
Attack: 9 Damage: 6
If Avery is close enough, will attack the closest guard: Attack: 26 (Natural 20), damage 19
(OOC: Hope we're not using up these good rolls on low level guards before going up agains the naga!)
(OOC: Heh, yeah. On the other hand, I'm not going to complain about a streak of lucky attack and damage rolls when Xanrym and Avery are both below 1/2 Max HP, and Liarin is on her last wild shape until we get a Short Rest. If we can prevent these guards from giving us away, I think that we have a good chance of completing a Short Rest in peace right after this fight.)
Absolutely some good rolls here have come in clutch. 3 guards go down,
Liarin is still up.
Liarin lashes at the last guard:
Bite against Cultist Attack: 23 Damage: 5 Piercing
Claw against Cultist Attack: 11 Damage: 13 Slashing
The last guard goes down, torn apart by Liarin's attacks. The halls of the dungeon are eerily quiet after all that combat.
Here's what you've successfully cleared of the dungeon so far. One thing I missed that may be relevant is that there is one tunnel Xanrym would have seen that I forgot to point out. Just below room 14 there's another pathway heading to the west.
Theldrin leans on his staff and takes a few deep breaths, listening intently until he's convinced no more enemies are nearby. "Perhaps it's best we find a place to hole up for a bit," he suggest quietly, though he also eyes the various rooms in Area 8 for possible searching.
Xanrym leans against the wall to catch his breath after the race through the tunnels and the sudden end to their battles with the cultists guarding the entrance to the naga's lair. He looks to Avery and Liarin-bear and says, "Truly, the Wind Dukes must have leant you their speed to catch the guards so fast!"
Xanrym listens and looks around briefly, but it seems that they stopped the guards before they reached the "Den of Araphise." He goes to retrieve the crossbow bolt from the cultist he killed and nods in agreement at Theldrin's suggestion. "It sounds quiet, but I could use a rest before we explore further."
Before they leave the site of this fight, Xanrym takes advantage of the relative quiet to take out a sheet of paper from the case that he carries over his shoulder with his lyre. He squats down and quickly sketches a map of the tunnels and rooms that they've seen so far. (Xanrym has proficiency with Cartographer's Tools.) Now that they have a moment's peace, Xanrym lays out the map on a patch of dry ground so that everyone can see and says, "Before I lead Benn and Jarvis back to our ambush in the room with the mud pool (13), I heard them talking here." He points to room 14 on the map and then continues, "From what they said, I think that we have killed all of the human cultists who were guarding the entrance. They mentioned these other guards and their dormitories along here (7 & 8), but I think that these four may have been the last of them. But there's still danger ahead. Since Blayze was injured, she wanted to hide from us and hoped that we'd run into some other creatures in their subterranean temple: she mentioned harpies, crocodiles, and more troglodytes."
The mention of troglodytes reminds Xanrym of something else. "I remember...yes, Blayze said that the troglodytes were guarding the way to the lower level." He gestures to the map that he's drawn so far and says, "So all of this is just part of the first level, and there's at least one more level. I assume that the naga is in the lower level, putting more guards between us and her. Like I said before, the lair of this naga is much larger than I expected."
Xanrym is worried about going into any area that they haven't already explored in his current state. He still aches from the mace blows and the onslaught he faced from Benn and Jarvis before he got back to the mud room. He suggests either confirming that the rooms 8a - 8e are empty and then picking one of them to rest or going back to 14a to rest. In particular, he suggests that the higher-ranking cultists may have had more comfortable quarters. "I saw some comfortable chairs there and a fireplace," he says of 14a.
Theldrin searches the guards.
Investigation: 24
Avery agrees as he cleans the blood and muck from his sword. "We're getting a little worse for wear."
(OOC: Not sure whether @Charwoman_Gene is back online, but if no one objects, and assuming no new discoveries or attacks...)
Once Theldrin is done searching the guards, Xanrym will lead the way back to 14a. On the way there, they can stop in the mud room (13) to search Benn and Jarvis. Xanrym suggests that they should hide Benn's and Jarvis's bodies: either taking them back to room 14a or dragging them up the stairs to give them to the swamp. In either case, he just wants to make it unclear to any other cultists / guards who may come through this area whether the "Naga's Teeth" are alive.
Xanrym will also gather up his caltrops and recover any of his crossbow bolts that are still intact before they go to 14a to rest.
Not sure whether anyone else wants to do anything specific before the party starts a Short Rest.