Aubreen looks up and down the cold, windswept frozen beach. Not a tree in sight, alive or otherwise. The camp did not provide the provisions he needed for a rest but he was determined to do so. He heads in the opposite direction as Perrin, scanning the ice for anything burnable. survival (Rolled in log with guidance): 18
Carrying his load of driftwood back to the camp he ties the wood off and lifts it to the higher cave opening. He speaks with Perrin about his anger, his disappointment. "You heard what she said. She expects us gone before she returns. She has already considered our treachery, it is what she would do herself. It is not right Perrin. Torm will not be happy with this action." He quiets for time, finding solace in one who listens without judgment. Or perhaps the quiet bird simply finds it easier to say little. "I would not forgive myself, Torm would not forgive, if she was to escape." His eyes scan the landscape in the fading light. The greyness of the day quickly shifting to heavy dark. The temperature plunges, even here, out of the wind and next to the guttering fire. I wonder if Sirius is having a quaff at a warm tavern as we speak, a bowl of rich stew and a crusty bread.
"We will need to appear as scarce, do you think we can chip out that boat over there and flip it over. A couple of us could hide underneath. Sirius has his bauble. I am willing to try." He pauses considering a new thought. "Do you think the magic will hurt?"
Needing something to do, he works on chipping the boat from the ice. Using pick and hammer he smashes the ice, exercising his anger.
Perrin listens intently in his mute fashion as Aubreen vents some of his frustration. Of course, he can't really do much besides nod and feel a bit guilty at causing his still-new friend feelings of frustration and anger. He tries to give a reassuring smile, but he remembers that having a beak made smiling impossible. All he can do is watch helplessly as Aubreen stands and heads towards the boat. He considers going over to help him chip away the ice, but he figures Aubreen wanted some time to himself. Looking to Marlede, he shrugs and then starts working on getting a fire started. Thankfully, starting a fire was much easier with magic than flint and steel, and soon, he has a nice, cheery blaze burning away in the cave they chose to stay in for the night.
Following Perrin's lead, Marlede will hand over the eye. She will also gather lumber for the campfire (rolled a 20), and suggests we rest in area 5 of the cave system.
Noticing she brought more than enough for two long rests, she instead uses just enough of the lumber to make miniatures of each party member:
17- Aubreen: His figurine looks dynamic. The pose suggests he's about to strike someone with his sword is a swift downward motion.
19- Perrin: This figurine depicts Perrin holing onto the White Moose antlers excitedly like the first time they met.
25- Sirius: Marlede took an especially longer time with this one. All the intricacies of Sirius' armor, his weapon, and facial features are carefully and meticulously carved into this figurine in a heroic pose.
11- Herself: There's nothing wrong with the carving itself, but anyone that looks at it can see she didn't put nearly enough effort into carving it than she did with the others.
Noticing Aubreen's mood, and respecting that he wasn't talking to her, Marlede says nothing during their heart-to-heart. Instead, she offers him the figurine of himself.
"Here. This is for you. I can carve your full name into the bottom of the base if you want."
And she will give Perrin and Sirius their figurines and offer to carve their names or initials.
"We can use the ice picks to free the boat, flip it over and cover it with snow so she doesn't see any of you hiding nearby. I can camouflage myself with the surroundings pretty easily," she says to Aubreen and the others.
OOC:
I believe the hag said it would take a day to come back with the treasure, so Marlede will cast Snare once before taking a long rest. If the trap isn't triggered by the time she wakes up, she will recast the spell every 8 hours in the same spot, assuming someone offers 25ft of their 50ft rope. (The spell says it consumes 25ft of rope but I don't think it mentions that I can reuse the same rope if the trap isn't triggered.)
Using her Mask of the Wild feature, she'll stay hidden nearby.
What little color that remains on Waylens face drains away as he hears the story and sees what the cauldron contains. "Gods have mercy!" He turns to a nearby guard. "Fetch a towel to cover this."
The soldiers move the cauldron inside of the town hall, out of public view. The town speaker turns to Sirius once more, his facial expression carefully controlled. "Please tell me that you killed that monster."
He takes the personal items from Sirius. "I'll make sure these go to the families. We'll do a lake burial as soon as possible."
Taking a look at the cauldron, he becomes pensive, his hand touching the copper. "Magic courses through this, apart from it being a work of artisanship. I'll make inquiries about how best to use it. After it's been scrubbed thoroughly, that is. How do 50 gold pieces sound?"
If Sirius agrees to this, Waylen hands over the money and adds. "Return to me once you finished your business at the lake and I'll fetch the wizards magical items that you were promised."
Sirius and Bouncer head across the lake back to the cliffside cave. They arrive when it starts to get dark in the early afternoon.
Aubreen sends chunks of ice flying, has little trouble hacking the boat free from the encroaching cold grasp of the lake. Marlede helps with flipping over the boat and covering it with snow. It now looks like an oblong snow hill and provides space for two people to hide within.
In the cliffside cave (area 5 of the cave inside map, if the suggestion of Marlede is accepted by all), Perrin causes the flames of the campfire to flicker up. They send plays of shadow out of the opening onto the dimming lake. Here, you are protected from the elements, a rare and precious thing to have in the frozen hellscape of the Dale.
Marlede pepares the snare. She can estimate when she would need to cast the spell in order to match the timing that the hag had proposed. The rope disappears and the trap is ready. (DM note: yeah, the rope is consumed in the casting, so it wouldn't be reusable)
Long Rest Complete Encounter Roll: [no encounter]
From the safety of the cave, you look out onto the lake and how it slowly disappears into darkness. Eventually, Aurils aurora appears once more in the sky, as it does in the depth of every night.
You spot a white bird, it's plumage a stark contrast to the aurora. First, it seems like a tiny thing, moving with frightening speed. But Perrin [Nature prof.]: is quite sure that this is a Roc, the largest bird in the known world. It must be miles up in the sky. There have been persistent tales about this sight. The bird seems to mingle with the aurora, basking in the color spectrum. The sight has only ever been reported during the northern lights. Before long, the roc has disappeared behind some clouds.
The next day, you awaken in your camp, the cold having seeped into your sleeping bags, into your bones. It is best practice not to leave any patch of skin exposed, lest you find it numb and black in the morning. The campfire and the shelter of the cave were enough to spare you this fate.
The boat is on the ice and covered with snow, blending in with the cliff wall (pos 3). As the hour of your agreement with the hag approaches, how is everyone choosing to position themselves? The snare is at position 4. (DM assumes that the eye has also been placed there, in the middle of the snare)
Sirius looks down as the speaker inquires about the fate of the hag. "The hag is not dead yet, but we're working on it. If all goes well, we'll bring the head of the vile monster on the point of my spear tomorrow."
Sirius frowns when the speaker informs him that they would not be getting the magic items now. "I'm afraid bringing the hag down might prove to be a difficult fight still, might I ask that we have those magic items now so that we have the best odds of bringing that ungodly beast to justice. Perhaps I could leave the payment for the cauldron instead of the magic items here." (Persuasion: 23)
On the way back to the lake, Sirius starts pondering if he's made a huge mistake. Have I strayed too far from the light of Tyr? What kind of a devotee of the Lord of Justice lets a murderous hag on the loose without proper punishment. Well I didn't make the decision to let the hag go. I didn't stop it either. Is it my duty to limit the will of my peers based on a truth that only holds sway with me? Would it not peer on evil to command others based on my own conviction? Besides, the hag promised riches beyond imagination. Is enacting vengeance on the criminal more just, than providing the victim with the unimaginable wealth of the criminal? One gives the victim closure sure, but that doesn't help much when you're left starving on the street. Two infinitely heavy weights on the opposite sides of the scale.
Only one thing is clear. If the hag gets away, my relationship to Tyr will be altered permanently. Perhaps I'll even lose a third of my divine power if the god is really mad.
Getting back to the camp, Sirius is ready for more positive thoughts but is met with similar existential concerns of Aubreen. At least Marlede seems positive enough. "No carving is needed, if all goes to plan, everyone in Faerun will soon enough know my name either way." Sirius takes the figurine with thanks and offers a broken reindeer figurine in return. "Sorry that it's broken, it's the best I've got."
To Sirius, it seems strange that Aubreen was associating the same guilt to Torm, that Sirius was to Tyr. Having only one god, makes all moral dilemmas the matter of that one god? I'll find out soon enough when Tyr has rightfully abandoned me. Confused by all the religious thoughts bouncing around in his head, he simply closes his eyes, clears his mind and really hopes the next day goes to plan.
In the morning, Sirius concentrates his divine power on his will to defeat the hag and immediately feels new kinds of divine power coursing through his veins (changed some of my prepared spells). Sirius then hides in the boat, waiting for a call to action.
Danneth Waylen looks Sirius in the eyes, then nods. "Very well. Your task was learning the fate of the fishermen and so you have. One moment."
The speaker heads into a separate room and returns with a scroll and a wand. He explains: "We have reason to believe that this scroll contains a destructive spell of terrible power. Please handle it with care." (a spell scroll of fireball). He holds up the wand. "And this was the wizards spellcasting implement. It posesses the ability to detect magical interference" (a wand of magic detection).
He inclines his head in agreement as Sirius proposes to delay the payment for the cauldron, a rare smirk on his face. "A shrewd proposal. So be it. The money will be waiting here."
Once in the camp, Sirius sets down the magic items from the speaker. "Can anyone of you make any sense of this scroll? It seems completely unintelligible to me, but the speaker said it's some powerful spell of destruction." He leaves the decision of who should get the wand up to the others.
Marlede takes the reindeer figurine appreciatively. "I didn't intend for there to be an exchange, but I'll accept it anyways. When we get back to Bryn Shander, I might be able to fix it in the workshop."
She smiles nostalgically as she thinks about her family and their home.
As Sirius shares what the items can do, Marlede approaches the wand.
"I can't say I know anything about magical scrolls, but I might know someone in Bryn Shander that does. As for the wand, maybe we should use it to scan the eye for any magic. Mind if I give it a try?"
Present day:
Marlede would have cast the spell before placing the eye in the center. And because she doesn't know if the hag can hear or see through it, she would place it facing the lake, not our hiding spots.
Speaking of which, Marlede would be hiding next to Perrin in his spider form if there's enough room. If not, she'll stay within the 30ft radius of Pass without Trace somewhere else next to the snow bank.
[ OOC: I'll leave whatever rolls need to be done up to you, DM. Or you can let me know and I'll roll. ]
The morning of the next day, Perrin awakes feeling anxious. The air practically thrummed with tension as everyone prepared for the return of the hag. About an hour before the hag said she’d arrive, Perrin calls upon his inner well of magic and forces it out of himself. In response, the air around him dims slightly, almost like a veil was placed over them. Knowing instinctively that he and his friends are able to hide easier now, Perrin shifts into a giant spider behind the snow bank the the others, ready to fling webs at Maud when she goes to retrieve her eye.
Aubreen perks up a little as the day winds down. With no expectation she will arrive, even if we had her eye. This plan was foolish, based on greed. Perhaps the less righteous of the reasons possible. Never the less he joins his companions. With nothing further to add to the trap he simply crawls under the boat as the hour draws near. The thin crack of light under the gunnel showing a narrow band of the beach. The eye sitting, eerily staring out towards the lake.
[DM Note: We can skip the stealth rolls, due to your preparations and Perrins pass without trace].
The air whistles across the flat expanse of the lake as you lie in wait. Slowly, morning arrives and the dim light makes it easier to see the location where Marlede has prepared the snare and the eye within.
Half an hour passes, leaving you shivering under and behind the boat. Marlede has virtually disappeared in the everpresent haze.
Then, the water parts and Maud appears. She makes sure that the eye is at the agreed upon location, then approaches the ice shore. With a grunt, the skinny fish creature pulls herself out of the water, then drags a large, barnacle-encrusted chest after her.
She approaches the eye with haste, awkwardly dragging the chest.
Maud grabs for the eye. The snare activates. Like air itself, the spell closes around one of her legs, too quick for her to respond, hoisting her into the air. She lets out a shriek and dangles there, helpless.
Initiative: All of you [at position 3]: < YOUR TURN Maud [at position 4]: surprised, restrained
Since the hag is surprised and rolled bad on initiative, you can do two consecutive turns before she can react.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
She fell hook, line and sinker!
Marlede immediately begins to shoot arrows at the helpless Maud.
[ First longbow to hit is a 26, dealing 9 points of damage total. Second longbow to hit is a 14, dealing 12 damage total. And as a reaction, she will hide again using Mask of the Wild to remain out of sight. Stealth: 19 ]
[ OOC: I'm assuming everyone can see this, so she won't yell out and give away our position. But thankfully, she was restrained by the Snare. So she'll be easier to hit. ]
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Turn 1:
Feeling a moment of guilt for betraying the hag, Perrin leaps out from his position behind the snow bank and launches a mass of sticky webs at Maud to ensure that there was no way she could escape easily.
Web 25. Hit: The target is restrained by webbing. As an action, the restrained target can make a DC 12 Strength check, bursting the webbing on a success. The webbing can also be attacked and destroyed (AC 10; hp 5; vulnerability to fire damage; immunity to bludgeoning, poison, and psychic damage).
Turn 2:
Upon webbing Maud, Perrin scurries across the frozen lake, his many legs kicking up plumes of snow in his haste. When he arrives at her side, he plunges his fangs into her, pumping her full of venom in the process. The guilty part of him hoped that his poison would knock her out like it did last time. That way, they could take her back to Easthaven and let the town decide what to do with her. If that were to happen, he suspected that would ease some of the guilt he felt for betraying and ambushing Maud. This treasure better be worth it...
Bite Attack: 18 Damage: 8 piercing damage, and the target must make a DC 11 Constitution saving throw, taking 6 poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. If the poison damage reduces the target to 0 hit points, the target is stable but poisoned for 1 hour, even after regaining hit points, and is paralyzed while poisoned in this way.
As soon as the commotion starts, Sirius heaves the boat of them and shares a look of guilt with Aubreen. This better go well. (Bonus action: Divine favor)
He runs right for the monster, spear raised, and with the fury of betraying his values and gods.
To hit: 24, damage: 8 piercing, 5 radiant (divine smite) To hit: 22, damage: 7 piercing, 8 radiant (divine smite)
Aubreen leaps to his feet, thanks to Siruis for tossing the boat aside. He didn't think the hag would return, perhaps justice would be served after all. His long sword clears the scabbard with the snick of metal rubbing against metal. He pumps his arms in a mad rush to reach her, slashing wildly at the restrained crone.
Long sword attack: 23 damage 4
BA, long sword attack: 24 damage 7
2nd round
Long sword attack : 25(crit) damage 17
BA long sword attack: 22 damage 10
Due to restraint above attacks made with advantage
"Curses upon you! We had a deal!" is the only thing Maud can say before you're upon her. She is riddled with arrows, bit by a spider, pierced by a spear and slashed with a sword. Blood sprays, splatters dark red upon the white of the ground.
The snare snaps, the monster crumples onto the ice. Maud Chislebone is dead.
For a moment, tension lingers in the air. Then the soft sounds of your surroundings come back into focus. The corpse of the hag lies next to the ancient chest she dragged out of the water. Her eye still lies on the ice, staring blindly at the lake.
Seeing Maud fall lifeless to the ground, Perrin just stands there, adrenaline still pumping through his body. Once he registers that the fight was already over, Perrin shifts back to his normal form and immediately begins spitting upon the frozen laketop with a disgusted expression, even going as far to wipe his thin slit of a black tongue. Hags tasted awful, and he wasn't about to spend the rest of the day with essence of hag in his mouth.
Once he's gotten most of the foul taste out of his mouth, he takes a moment to glare at the corpse before turning back to his companions. Unable to congratulate them verbally, he ends up giving them a thumbs up. Considering the situation, it was a wee bit tacky, but he didn't really have any other way to express himself.
Marlede shakes off the effects of Mask of the Wild and walks towards everyone. She gives a thumbs up back at Perrin with a smug look on her face.
"I guess even evil hags have a code of honor," she says without any remorse for what just took place. "And while that might be the case, the amount of suffering she's caused deserved to be punished. I remember like it was yesterday how she screamed at the top of her lungs how she was going to skin us alive and then cook us. So I hope you don't feel sorry for this monster. Because that's all she was." You can tell she's trying to make everyone feel less guilty about 'betraying' the hag in a very insensitive manner.
Marlede kicks some snow over Maud's remains and picks up the hag's eye to keep it as a trophy. Then she looks towards everyone.
"Is anyone gonna use the new wand on this loot," she asks as she smacks the chest with a swortsword. "Or shoud I just open it?"
[ OOC: I'm assuming Sirius has the wand, so he can either use it or Marlede is gonna open the chest without checking. ]
Aubreen turns from the scene, the feeble lunch returning to splatter upon the ground. He wipes his mouth, regarding the woman? creature? that now lies torn and bloody before them. Serene in death, innocent and pathetic? How can this end be just, how can their actions be considered righteous. He feels disgusted by the choices he has made. So feeble and defenseless she is now, she is no different from any of them. Why, her visage is horrific to 'normal' people of the dale but what of Perrin? He is as different from them as Maude was from him. He recalls the Druid, a situation not so different, a woman, hoisted into the air by a snare of his own devising. Was that any more righteous than this.
His inner thoughts in turmoil he barely registers the words of Marlede. Looking to the sky, the aurora, a splash of mauve and aqua, beautiful with a sinister allure. skin us alive and then cook us. So I hope you don't feel sorry for this monster. Because that's all she was. As the words penetrate his thoughts he turns, regarding marlede and her strange wisdom. A single clear thought penetrates, Auril is responsible for this misery, she must be vanquished. He nods at the woman, a smile slowly creeping to replace the scowl. Thank you Torm for your guidance. Thank you for bringing the friends, and tools into my grasp. I will do as you wish.
"Lets be done with this place, this task. Let us see what has been proffered and use it against the evil that pervades this cursed land"
Sirius collapses on the ground right next to the hag, exhausted by the massive outburst of magic in such a short time. He looks on the body with great relief. The evil murderer has been brought to justice. And made to forfeit their wealth. Perhaps I won't be abandoned by Tyr after all.
He gathers himself of the ice and begins to justify the less than honorable ambush out loud. "Good riddance. As the hag herself said, we could hunt her down just as long as we let her go first. Deal fulfilled. Maybe faster than the hag thought, but fulfilled all the same. Criminals don't deserve honor. If Zenos were here, he'd spin this to be a legendary tale I'm sure."
Sirius whips out the wand and points it at the chest. "Don't be so hasty, the hag has probably loaded that chest with dozens of curses."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
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Aubreen looks up and down the cold, windswept frozen beach. Not a tree in sight, alive or otherwise. The camp did not provide the provisions he needed for a rest but he was determined to do so. He heads in the opposite direction as Perrin, scanning the ice for anything burnable. survival (Rolled in log with guidance): 18
Carrying his load of driftwood back to the camp he ties the wood off and lifts it to the higher cave opening. He speaks with Perrin about his anger, his disappointment. "You heard what she said. She expects us gone before she returns. She has already considered our treachery, it is what she would do herself. It is not right Perrin. Torm will not be happy with this action." He quiets for time, finding solace in one who listens without judgment. Or perhaps the quiet bird simply finds it easier to say little. "I would not forgive myself, Torm would not forgive, if she was to escape." His eyes scan the landscape in the fading light. The greyness of the day quickly shifting to heavy dark. The temperature plunges, even here, out of the wind and next to the guttering fire. I wonder if Sirius is having a quaff at a warm tavern as we speak, a bowl of rich stew and a crusty bread.
"We will need to appear as scarce, do you think we can chip out that boat over there and flip it over. A couple of us could hide underneath. Sirius has his bauble. I am willing to try." He pauses considering a new thought. "Do you think the magic will hurt?"
Needing something to do, he works on chipping the boat from the ice. Using pick and hammer he smashes the ice, exercising his anger.
Perrin listens intently in his mute fashion as Aubreen vents some of his frustration. Of course, he can't really do much besides nod and feel a bit guilty at causing his still-new friend feelings of frustration and anger. He tries to give a reassuring smile, but he remembers that having a beak made smiling impossible. All he can do is watch helplessly as Aubreen stands and heads towards the boat. He considers going over to help him chip away the ice, but he figures Aubreen wanted some time to himself. Looking to Marlede, he shrugs and then starts working on getting a fire started. Thankfully, starting a fire was much easier with magic than flint and steel, and soon, he has a nice, cheery blaze burning away in the cave they chose to stay in for the night.
DM- Azalin's Doom
DM- Surviving the Unsurvivable
Following Perrin's lead, Marlede will hand over the eye. She will also gather lumber for the campfire (rolled a 20), and suggests we rest in area 5 of the cave system.
Noticing she brought more than enough for two long rests, she instead uses just enough of the lumber to make miniatures of each party member:
17- Aubreen: His figurine looks dynamic. The pose suggests he's about to strike someone with his sword is a swift downward motion.
19- Perrin: This figurine depicts Perrin holing onto the White Moose antlers excitedly like the first time they met.
25- Sirius: Marlede took an especially longer time with this one. All the intricacies of Sirius' armor, his weapon, and facial features are carefully and meticulously carved into this figurine in a heroic pose.
11- Herself: There's nothing wrong with the carving itself, but anyone that looks at it can see she didn't put nearly enough effort into carving it than she did with the others.
Noticing Aubreen's mood, and respecting that he wasn't talking to her, Marlede says nothing during their heart-to-heart. Instead, she offers him the figurine of himself.
"Here. This is for you. I can carve your full name into the bottom of the base if you want."
And she will give Perrin and Sirius their figurines and offer to carve their names or initials.
"We can use the ice picks to free the boat, flip it over and cover it with snow so she doesn't see any of you hiding nearby. I can camouflage myself with the surroundings pretty easily," she says to Aubreen and the others.
OOC:
I believe the hag said it would take a day to come back with the treasure, so Marlede will cast Snare once before taking a long rest. If the trap isn't triggered by the time she wakes up, she will recast the spell every 8 hours in the same spot, assuming someone offers 25ft of their 50ft rope. (The spell says it consumes 25ft of rope but I don't think it mentions that I can reuse the same rope if the trap isn't triggered.)
Using her Mask of the Wild feature, she'll stay hidden nearby.
Currently DMing:
What little color that remains on Waylens face drains away as he hears the story and sees what the cauldron contains. "Gods have mercy!" He turns to a nearby guard. "Fetch a towel to cover this."
The soldiers move the cauldron inside of the town hall, out of public view. The town speaker turns to Sirius once more, his facial expression carefully controlled. "Please tell me that you killed that monster."
He takes the personal items from Sirius. "I'll make sure these go to the families. We'll do a lake burial as soon as possible."
Taking a look at the cauldron, he becomes pensive, his hand touching the copper. "Magic courses through this, apart from it being a work of artisanship. I'll make inquiries about how best to use it. After it's been scrubbed thoroughly, that is. How do 50 gold pieces sound?"
If Sirius agrees to this, Waylen hands over the money and adds. "Return to me once you finished your business at the lake and I'll fetch the wizards magical items that you were promised."
Sirius and Bouncer head across the lake back to the cliffside cave. They arrive when it starts to get dark in the early afternoon.
Aubreen sends chunks of ice flying, has little trouble hacking the boat free from the encroaching cold grasp of the lake. Marlede helps with flipping over the boat and covering it with snow. It now looks like an oblong snow hill and provides space for two people to hide within.
In the cliffside cave (area 5 of the cave inside map, if the suggestion of Marlede is accepted by all), Perrin causes the flames of the campfire to flicker up. They send plays of shadow out of the opening onto the dimming lake. Here, you are protected from the elements, a rare and precious thing to have in the frozen hellscape of the Dale.
Marlede pepares the snare. She can estimate when she would need to cast the spell in order to match the timing that the hag had proposed. The rope disappears and the trap is ready.
(DM note: yeah, the rope is consumed in the casting, so it wouldn't be reusable)
Long Rest Complete
Encounter Roll: [no encounter]
From the safety of the cave, you look out onto the lake and how it slowly disappears into darkness. Eventually, Aurils aurora appears once more in the sky, as it does in the depth of every night.
You spot a white bird, it's plumage a stark contrast to the aurora. First, it seems like a tiny thing, moving with frightening speed. But Perrin [Nature prof.]: is quite sure that this is a Roc, the largest bird in the known world. It must be miles up in the sky. There have been persistent tales about this sight. The bird seems to mingle with the aurora, basking in the color spectrum. The sight has only ever been reported during the northern lights. Before long, the roc has disappeared behind some clouds.
The next day, you awaken in your camp, the cold having seeped into your sleeping bags, into your bones. It is best practice not to leave any patch of skin exposed, lest you find it numb and black in the morning. The campfire and the shelter of the cave were enough to spare you this fate.
The boat is on the ice and covered with snow, blending in with the cliff wall (pos 3). As the hour of your agreement with the hag approaches, how is everyone choosing to position themselves? The snare is at position 4. (DM assumes that the eye has also been placed there, in the middle of the snare)
Sirius looks down as the speaker inquires about the fate of the hag. "The hag is not dead yet, but we're working on it. If all goes well, we'll bring the head of the vile monster on the point of my spear tomorrow."
Sirius frowns when the speaker informs him that they would not be getting the magic items now. "I'm afraid bringing the hag down might prove to be a difficult fight still, might I ask that we have those magic items now so that we have the best odds of bringing that ungodly beast to justice. Perhaps I could leave the payment for the cauldron instead of the magic items here." (Persuasion: 23)
On the way back to the lake, Sirius starts pondering if he's made a huge mistake. Have I strayed too far from the light of Tyr? What kind of a devotee of the Lord of Justice lets a murderous hag on the loose without proper punishment. Well I didn't make the decision to let the hag go. I didn't stop it either. Is it my duty to limit the will of my peers based on a truth that only holds sway with me? Would it not peer on evil to command others based on my own conviction? Besides, the hag promised riches beyond imagination. Is enacting vengeance on the criminal more just, than providing the victim with the unimaginable wealth of the criminal? One gives the victim closure sure, but that doesn't help much when you're left starving on the street. Two infinitely heavy weights on the opposite sides of the scale.
Only one thing is clear. If the hag gets away, my relationship to Tyr will be altered permanently. Perhaps I'll even lose a third of my divine power if the god is really mad.
Getting back to the camp, Sirius is ready for more positive thoughts but is met with similar existential concerns of Aubreen. At least Marlede seems positive enough. "No carving is needed, if all goes to plan, everyone in Faerun will soon enough know my name either way." Sirius takes the figurine with thanks and offers a broken reindeer figurine in return. "Sorry that it's broken, it's the best I've got."
To Sirius, it seems strange that Aubreen was associating the same guilt to Torm, that Sirius was to Tyr. Having only one god, makes all moral dilemmas the matter of that one god? I'll find out soon enough when Tyr has rightfully abandoned me. Confused by all the religious thoughts bouncing around in his head, he simply closes his eyes, clears his mind and really hopes the next day goes to plan.
In the morning, Sirius concentrates his divine power on his will to defeat the hag and immediately feels new kinds of divine power coursing through his veins (changed some of my prepared spells). Sirius then hides in the boat, waiting for a call to action.
Danneth Waylen looks Sirius in the eyes, then nods. "Very well. Your task was learning the fate of the fishermen and so you have. One moment."
The speaker heads into a separate room and returns with a scroll and a wand. He explains: "We have reason to believe that this scroll contains a destructive spell of terrible power. Please handle it with care." (a spell scroll of fireball). He holds up the wand. "And this was the wizards spellcasting implement. It posesses the ability to detect magical interference" (a wand of magic detection).
He inclines his head in agreement as Sirius proposes to delay the payment for the cauldron, a rare smirk on his face. "A shrewd proposal. So be it. The money will be waiting here."
Once in the camp, Sirius sets down the magic items from the speaker. "Can anyone of you make any sense of this scroll? It seems completely unintelligible to me, but the speaker said it's some powerful spell of destruction." He leaves the decision of who should get the wand up to the others.
The previous day:
Marlede takes the reindeer figurine appreciatively. "I didn't intend for there to be an exchange, but I'll accept it anyways. When we get back to Bryn Shander, I might be able to fix it in the workshop."
She smiles nostalgically as she thinks about her family and their home.
As Sirius shares what the items can do, Marlede approaches the wand.
"I can't say I know anything about magical scrolls, but I might know someone in Bryn Shander that does. As for the wand, maybe we should use it to scan the eye for any magic. Mind if I give it a try?"
Present day:
Marlede would have cast the spell before placing the eye in the center. And because she doesn't know if the hag can hear or see through it, she would place it facing the lake, not our hiding spots.
Speaking of which, Marlede would be hiding next to Perrin in his spider form if there's enough room. If not, she'll stay within the 30ft radius of Pass without Trace somewhere else next to the snow bank.
[ OOC: I'll leave whatever rolls need to be done up to you, DM. Or you can let me know and I'll roll. ]
Currently DMing:
The morning of the next day, Perrin awakes feeling anxious. The air practically thrummed with tension as everyone prepared for the return of the hag. About an hour before the hag said she’d arrive, Perrin calls upon his inner well of magic and forces it out of himself. In response, the air around him dims slightly, almost like a veil was placed over them. Knowing instinctively that he and his friends are able to hide easier now, Perrin shifts into a giant spider behind the snow bank the the others, ready to fling webs at Maud when she goes to retrieve her eye.
DM- Azalin's Doom
DM- Surviving the Unsurvivable
Aubreen perks up a little as the day winds down. With no expectation she will arrive, even if we had her eye. This plan was foolish, based on greed. Perhaps the less righteous of the reasons possible. Never the less he joins his companions. With nothing further to add to the trap he simply crawls under the boat as the hour draws near. The thin crack of light under the gunnel showing a narrow band of the beach. The eye sitting, eerily staring out towards the lake.
He waits, impatiently as the time ticks by.
[DM Note: We can skip the stealth rolls, due to your preparations and Perrins pass without trace].
The air whistles across the flat expanse of the lake as you lie in wait. Slowly, morning arrives and the dim light makes it easier to see the location where Marlede has prepared the snare and the eye within.
Half an hour passes, leaving you shivering under and behind the boat. Marlede has virtually disappeared in the everpresent haze.
Then, the water parts and Maud appears. She makes sure that the eye is at the agreed upon location, then approaches the ice shore. With a grunt, the skinny fish creature pulls herself out of the water, then drags a large, barnacle-encrusted chest after her.
She approaches the eye with haste, awkwardly dragging the chest.
Maud grabs for the eye. The snare activates. Like air itself, the spell closes around one of her legs, too quick for her to respond, hoisting her into the air. She lets out a shriek and dangles there, helpless.
Initiative:
All of you [at position 3]: < YOUR TURN
Maud [at position 4]: surprised, restrained
Since the hag is surprised and rolled bad on initiative, you can do two consecutive turns before she can react.
She fell hook, line and sinker!
Marlede immediately begins to shoot arrows at the helpless Maud.
[ First longbow to hit is a 26, dealing 9 points of damage total. Second longbow to hit is a 14, dealing 12 damage total. And as a reaction, she will hide again using Mask of the Wild to remain out of sight. Stealth: 19 ]
[ OOC: I'm assuming everyone can see this, so she won't yell out and give away our position. But thankfully, she was restrained by the Snare. So she'll be easier to hit. ]
Currently DMing:
Turn 1:
Feeling a moment of guilt for betraying the hag, Perrin leaps out from his position behind the snow bank and launches a mass of sticky webs at Maud to ensure that there was no way she could escape easily.
Web 25. Hit: The target is restrained by webbing. As an action, the restrained target can make a DC 12 Strength check, bursting the webbing on a success. The webbing can also be attacked and destroyed (AC 10; hp 5; vulnerability to fire damage; immunity to bludgeoning, poison, and psychic damage).
Turn 2:
Upon webbing Maud, Perrin scurries across the frozen lake, his many legs kicking up plumes of snow in his haste. When he arrives at her side, he plunges his fangs into her, pumping her full of venom in the process. The guilty part of him hoped that his poison would knock her out like it did last time. That way, they could take her back to Easthaven and let the town decide what to do with her. If that were to happen, he suspected that would ease some of the guilt he felt for betraying and ambushing Maud. This treasure better be worth it...
Bite Attack: 18 Damage: 8 piercing damage, and the target must make a DC 11 Constitution saving throw, taking 6 poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. If the poison damage reduces the target to 0 hit points, the target is stable but poisoned for 1 hour, even after regaining hit points, and is paralyzed while poisoned in this way.
DM- Azalin's Doom
DM- Surviving the Unsurvivable
As soon as the commotion starts, Sirius heaves the boat of them and shares a look of guilt with Aubreen. This better go well. (Bonus action: Divine favor)
He runs right for the monster, spear raised, and with the fury of betraying his values and gods.
To hit: 24, damage: 8 piercing, 5 radiant (divine smite)
To hit: 22, damage: 7 piercing, 8 radiant (divine smite)
Aubreen leaps to his feet, thanks to Siruis for tossing the boat aside. He didn't think the hag would return, perhaps justice would be served after all. His long sword clears the scabbard with the snick of metal rubbing against metal. He pumps his arms in a mad rush to reach her, slashing wildly at the restrained crone.
Long sword attack: 23 damage 4
BA, long sword attack: 24 damage 7
2nd round
Long sword attack : 25(crit) damage 17
BA long sword attack: 22 damage 10
Due to restraint above attacks made with advantage
"Curses upon you! We had a deal!" is the only thing Maud can say before you're upon her. She is riddled with arrows, bit by a spider, pierced by a spear and slashed with a sword. Blood sprays, splatters dark red upon the white of the ground.
The snare snaps, the monster crumples onto the ice. Maud Chislebone is dead.
For a moment, tension lingers in the air. Then the soft sounds of your surroundings come back into focus. The corpse of the hag lies next to the ancient chest she dragged out of the water. Her eye still lies on the ice, staring blindly at the lake.
Initiative over
Seeing Maud fall lifeless to the ground, Perrin just stands there, adrenaline still pumping through his body. Once he registers that the fight was already over, Perrin shifts back to his normal form and immediately begins spitting upon the frozen laketop with a disgusted expression, even going as far to wipe his thin slit of a black tongue. Hags tasted awful, and he wasn't about to spend the rest of the day with essence of hag in his mouth.
Once he's gotten most of the foul taste out of his mouth, he takes a moment to glare at the corpse before turning back to his companions. Unable to congratulate them verbally, he ends up giving them a thumbs up. Considering the situation, it was a wee bit tacky, but he didn't really have any other way to express himself.
DM- Azalin's Doom
DM- Surviving the Unsurvivable
Marlede shakes off the effects of Mask of the Wild and walks towards everyone. She gives a thumbs up back at Perrin with a smug look on her face.
"I guess even evil hags have a code of honor," she says without any remorse for what just took place. "And while that might be the case, the amount of suffering she's caused deserved to be punished. I remember like it was yesterday how she screamed at the top of her lungs how she was going to skin us alive and then cook us. So I hope you don't feel sorry for this monster. Because that's all she was." You can tell she's trying to make everyone feel less guilty about 'betraying' the hag in a very insensitive manner.
Marlede kicks some snow over Maud's remains and picks up the hag's eye to keep it as a trophy. Then she looks towards everyone.
"Is anyone gonna use the new wand on this loot," she asks as she smacks the chest with a swortsword. "Or shoud I just open it?"
[ OOC: I'm assuming Sirius has the wand, so he can either use it or Marlede is gonna open the chest without checking. ]
Currently DMing:
Aubreen turns from the scene, the feeble lunch returning to splatter upon the ground. He wipes his mouth, regarding the woman? creature? that now lies torn and bloody before them. Serene in death, innocent and pathetic? How can this end be just, how can their actions be considered righteous. He feels disgusted by the choices he has made. So feeble and defenseless she is now, she is no different from any of them. Why, her visage is horrific to 'normal' people of the dale but what of Perrin? He is as different from them as Maude was from him. He recalls the Druid, a situation not so different, a woman, hoisted into the air by a snare of his own devising. Was that any more righteous than this.
His inner thoughts in turmoil he barely registers the words of Marlede. Looking to the sky, the aurora, a splash of mauve and aqua, beautiful with a sinister allure. skin us alive and then cook us. So I hope you don't feel sorry for this monster. Because that's all she was. As the words penetrate his thoughts he turns, regarding marlede and her strange wisdom. A single clear thought penetrates, Auril is responsible for this misery, she must be vanquished. He nods at the woman, a smile slowly creeping to replace the scowl. Thank you Torm for your guidance. Thank you for bringing the friends, and tools into my grasp. I will do as you wish.
"Lets be done with this place, this task. Let us see what has been proffered and use it against the evil that pervades this cursed land"
Sirius collapses on the ground right next to the hag, exhausted by the massive outburst of magic in such a short time. He looks on the body with great relief. The evil murderer has been brought to justice. And made to forfeit their wealth. Perhaps I won't be abandoned by Tyr after all.
He gathers himself of the ice and begins to justify the less than honorable ambush out loud. "Good riddance. As the hag herself said, we could hunt her down just as long as we let her go first. Deal fulfilled. Maybe faster than the hag thought, but fulfilled all the same. Criminals don't deserve honor. If Zenos were here, he'd spin this to be a legendary tale I'm sure."
Sirius whips out the wand and points it at the chest. "Don't be so hasty, the hag has probably loaded that chest with dozens of curses."