Candlekeep Mysteries

Quote from Kol_Drake >>

Bell whispers to Valna, "Ma'am, can you lightning bolt the chains and superheat them?  They might melt fail?"

Bell berates herself for not having some icy spell to hit heated melt... or even the basic shatter spell...  'ever day I am learning that my spell selection is missing so many options.'

 

 

"I cannot!," the Keeper hisses. "I have used my strong magic already, to no avail against it! Each time I destroyed it, it simply respawned itself from the ashes. And my cantrips... only work against creatures, not objects!"

Quote from Damian_May >>

Meredith sags noticeably, " Frack!"

She summoned the quill and sent it at the chain in desperation.

Attack: 8 Damage: 4

" Erudisia!! Listen to me not it!! You are a proud Banfennid of the Ffolk! Destroy it!!"

( BA- Bardic Inspiration again- 1d6.)

 The quill rebounds off one of the chain-links, doing no damage!

Quote from Kol_Drake >>

Bell goes in and out of consciousness as she vaguely feels Little One lift and carry her across the room.  She knows all her spell magic is gone and all she has left are handful of cantrips - none of which would touch the stone 'book' or the chains.   Instead, she can only call down another Sacred Flame in the hope it distracts the ebony shadow on the study table.

3 pts radiant dmg

 

 Shemshime disintegrates to icky black fluid, but regenerates right away, laughing!

Quote from NycrolB >>

((Huzzah.))

Erudisia digs deep. It’s sing-song like voice tickles in her throat, but for one thundering moment, the power of her stormy blast overcomes it, and her words are her own (or at least, her usual master’s).

Attack 14 (+2 on bardic die). 16 total. Drat. 

 Erudisia can't seem to harness the proper arcane energy to damage the chain! The bolt bathes the chain in force, but the chain holds!

Recharge: 5

Action: 2

1 Meredith

2 Erudisia

3 Bell

4 Little One

5 Valna

6 Gloat

In response to Bell's radiant attack, the lanky shadow narrows its featureless eyes. Its ghoulish voice, resonating inside Bell’s head, suddenly blasts through her mind in a Howling Babble, threatening to drive her mad! 

(Bell, please make a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, suffer 27 psychic damage and Bell is stunned until the end of her next turn. On a successful save, Bell takes half as much damage and isn’t stunned.)

Meredith is lost in despair, she knows only Erudisia among them has spells....or cantrips....powerful enough to sunder the chains and she knows that the shade is not stupid and will soon realise what they are trying to do.....with no other option she tried the Quill on the chain once more.

( Dammit Hunters Mark requires a Creature.....ok well here goes nothing...    Aware this action will likely come after the next DM action but just want to make sure its here in case I can't post later.)

Attack: 6 Damage: 3

Bell Wis Saving Throw: 13

She takes 14 pts psychic damage which takes her past zero hp.     

Death Save #1 - 5  = Failure

Meredith’s quill etches along the chain, probing for weakness, but is unable to damage it yet.

Bell falls again. Valna keeps the wizard’s head from hitting the floor, catching her and gently lying her down.

" Little One! Can you go jump on that big book for me? Please.", Meredith pleaded rapidly running out of ideas...

Then she ran across and put a hand on Bells forehead. (  14 )

( Cure Wounds)

(Holding for Erudisia, then Little One, Valna & Shemshime :)

Erudisia turns to Tymora, and Beshiba. She prays to Corellon. She even casts her mind around for the name of the Brightmaiden, the dwarven goddess of luck, to no avail. Then she turns her mind from prayer and makes her own luck. 

Attack Roll: 19!

Damage: 6 force and 2 thunder. 

Huzzah! 

Quote from NycrolB >>

Erudisia turns to Tymora, and Beshiba. She prays to Corellon. She even casts her mind around for the name of the Brightmaiden, the dwarven goddess of luck, to no avail. Then she turns her mind from prayer and makes her own luck. 

Attack Roll: 19!

Damage: 6 force and 2 thunder. 

Huzzah! 

One of the heavy chain links is blasted open resoundingly by Erudisia's twisting blast, and the book statue lurches while, with a deathly rattle, the sundered chain halves whip and grind against stone!

Quote from Damian_May >>

" Little One! Can you go jump on that big book for me? Please.", Meredith pleaded rapidly running out of ideas...

The ogre nods once firmly and...

10

...barely manages to grab the edge of the statue and...

1

...the extra weight pulls the remaining eye hooks out of the ceiling with a splintering crack!!

23

Editing...

...and Shemshime, its eyes bulging in glee, holding the book under one arm and raises its other hand menacingly toward Meredith, notices the falling statue a moment too late!

The words BE CURIOUS, followed by the rectangular body of the book statue, followed by its wings, and then the heavy chains clattering and grinding, crunch loudly to the ground, crushing the study table which splinters and bends like holly leaves and grass under a heavy boot.

A poof of dust...

Silence...

And you notice, the melee outside has stopped.

The Eternal Chant has stopped.

A slick pool of ectoplasm slowly expands from the edges of the fallen statue, giving off necrotic mist for a moment... then... dissipating to nothing.

The temperate begins to rise...

Shemshime is no more.

Meredith tries to gather everyone together in a desperate hug....

As the ectoplasm evaporates and the incorporeal discorporates, Erudisia falls to her knees. Still weakened from their first altercation with shadow, she feels the heaviness of her limbs now as Meredith embraces her and pulls Bell toward them. 

As Little One stomps over to join from where he has pulled himself from the shattered statue-time, Erudisia looks over to Valna. Is that perhaps a softening in her eyes?

Perhaps this is not the fierce image the Scholar’s Shield should project, but it is honest. One more scrape narrowly survived. Erudisia closes her eyes. Until the next one. 

" Well done, Little One!"

" We should probably check on the rest of those in the Cellar and beyond..."

Yes, Shemshime is no more. The groans of the injured and the confusion of the Avowed, the sense of violation that all feel following this spiritual incursion within the thick, protective keep’s walls, is deep. The Keeper of Tomes and Keeper of the Emerald Door and other ranking Avowed meet and discuss what can be done to stave off future trespasses. 

The Scholar’s Shield are celebrated with a sumptuous feast, well, sumptuous by academic standards at least. Janussi, Keeper of Tomes, gifts the characters with 200GP each (beyond your salary) and a Bag of Holding to share. A passing bard invited to the feast composes a gripping story song featuring Bell, Meredith, Erudisia and Little One, and when he goes on his way, the song becomes popular in taverns up and down the Sword Coast.

In time, those who were injured in Shemshime’s attack are healed, although the fear of shadows takes many moons to pass. The lamps in the Court of Air are made extra bright throughout the night for a time…

But just as the etchings of frost along the castle walls receded with the evil spirit’s defeat, so too do the chill breezes of memory recede into the past, for summer comes fully into its own and the courtyard structures hang heavy with summer blossoms, and now the asters come out and the bees buzz a symphony and hatchlings line the castle walls in their nests as jays and mourning doves call.

Flamerule, the seventh month of the Calendar of Harptos, arrives, and the sun like a knife cuts early each morning over the rise, bringing sultry heat to the castle walls and with it, warm sea smells mixed with all the earthy fragrance of the hilly woods nearby.

(Several tendays will pass without major incident. How do you wish to spend the time?)