Round 2
C4 (26/33)
Bridgette, Mysleen
Necrya, Trystane, Talorin, Yurgojin << your turns
M1 (9/40, incapacitated, unconscious)
M2 (11/40, unconscious)
C2 (18/33, unconscious)
C3 (24/33, booming blade'd, unconscious)
C5 (dead) 

Yurgojin will go for C4 now that there is someone next to them:

Attack 1: 10 miss

Attack 2: 20 to hit damage 8 plus 13 sneak plus 4 fire total 25 damage

Talorin is in awe at Yurgojin's powerful strikes. He follows up on C4 with a Chill Touch.

To-Hit: 29

Damage: 8 necrotic

"What do you think?" he asks, "Kill the mages and interrogate a cultist?"

Necyra's crimson gaze sweeps across the fallen foes, a chilling glint in her eyes.  "Killing them all might be a waste," she says coolly.  "Mages hold valuable secrets, especially when coerced a little."  A cruel smile flickers across her lips.  "We'll wake Oxtu," she continues, gesturing towards mage M1, "but the other mage..." Necyra's hand trails down to the hilt of her moon sickle, a deadly glint reflecting in the polished metal.  With a swift, silent motion, she draws the weapon and delivers a killing blow to M2, silencing the mage permanently.

Turning her attention to the cultists, Necyra's gaze settles on the ugliest one (C3).  However, a different strategy forms in her mind.  In a flash of movement, she delivers a decisive blow with her moon sickle, eliminating the other remaining sleeping cultist (C2).  Necyra nods towards the remaining cultist (C3), who stirs awake to find themselves surrounded by their unconscious comrades and a party with a very purposeful glint in their eyes.  "First, let's see what this one has to say, and then we wake Oxtu" Necyra says with a hint of menace, her gaze hardening as she leans closer to the trembling cultist.  "Who are you?  What are you doing here?  And who is this Oxtu?" 

Persuasion: 18

Trystane towers menacingly over the sleeping cultists when Necyra wakes up one of them. He is not at all interested in extracting information from this bunch, who is to say that they even tell the truth, or know anything of import? Trystane grows anxious and snarls at the waking cultist, when he says, "I'll have a look around the corner. It won't do that someone walks in on us." He melts into the shadows and peeks through the next door/around the next corner.

(Stealth: 20+9 = 29)

Quote from Engineered_Beard >>

Attack 2: 20 to hit damage 8 plus 13 sneak plus 4 fire total 25 damage

C4 takes 25 damage. C4 (1/33)

Quote from VitusW >>

Talorin is in awe at Yurgojin's powerful strikes. He follows up on C4 with a Chill Touch. To-Hit: 23 Damage: 7 necrotic

C4 takes 7 damage and dies.

Quote from o_Merlin_o >>

Necyra nods towards the remaining cultist (C3), who stirs awake to find themselves surrounded by their unconscious comrades and a party with a very purposeful glint in their eyes.  "First, let's see what this one has to say, and then we wake Oxtu" Necyra says with a hint of menace, her gaze hardening as she leans closer to the trembling cultist.  "Who are you?  What are you doing here?  And who is this Oxtu?"  Persuasion: 11

The trembling cultist, still reeling from the battle and the intimidating presence of Necyra, hesitates before speaking. His eyes dart around, seeking any possible escape or reprieve, but finding none. Finally, he takes a deep breath and begins to speak, his voice shaky but laced with a twisted pride.

"My name is Mercer Darvin, though my brothers and sisters of Vecna just call me Memory. I was once a simple scholar in Neverwinter, a man dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge and the mysteries of the arcane. But knowledge in this world is fractured, incomplete, like a shattered mirror. It was Oxtu who showed me the truth, who revealed the hidden paths of enlightenment that only Vecna can provide."

Mercer's eyes light up with a fanatic gleam as he continues, gaining confidence from his own words. "Oxtu, The Teeth of Vecna, is a good leader and guide. He is the one who showed us how to harness the true power of the Whispered One, the Undying King. We made a plan and we captured the nobles. This is much bigger than me, it's bigger than you. It is what our Lord Vecna desires."

Quote from cyreon >>

 "I'll have a look around the corner. It won't do that someone walks in on us." He melts into the shadows and peeks through the next door/around the next corner. (Stealth: 20+9 = 29)

You pass by a kitchen, This small crypt has been converted into a kitchen. Dirty utensils soak in a large basin to the east. A stone coffin serves as a firepit; the coffin’s lid has been repurposed as a table, which bears platters of dried fruit, nuts, and meat.

On the other side of the common room you see a vacant cell, This squalid cell contains nothing but a bucket and a small heap of filthy blankets. Perception, Investigation DC 10: You find a small notebook inside the blanket. The pages are filled with his cramped writing about extraplanar intersections, planar conjunctions, and similar esoterica.

Past the empty cell, you find a large Library with two mages barking orders over four cult fanatics, overseeing two ghouls who seem to be moving and sorting books into separate piles.

Hallix C1-C2 Mausoleum (816 XP each)
Hallix Common Room Rewards (1141 XP each)

Quote from NathanAscher >> 

Quote from cyreon >>

 "I'll have a look around the corner. It won't do that someone walks in on us." He melts into the shadows and peeks through the next door/around the next corner. (Stealth: 20+9 = 29)

You pass by a kitchen, This small crypt has been converted into a kitchen. Dirty utensils soak in a large basin to the east. A stone coffin serves as a firepit; the coffin’s lid has been repurposed as a table, which bears platters of dried fruit, nuts, and meat.

On the other side of the common room you see a vacant cell, This squalid cell contains nothing but a bucket and a small heap of filthy blankets. Perception, Investigation DC 10: You find a small notebook inside the blanket. The pages are filled with his cramped writing about extraplanar intersections, planar conjunctions, and similar esoterica.

Past the empty cell, you find a large Library with two mages barking orders over four cult fanatics, overseeing two ghouls who seem to be moving and sorting books into separate piles.

If you continue to explore the next rooms, you find two hulking demons stalking around a large room, scratching the walls barlgura

The next room appears to be haunted by wraiths and as you pass, they whisper, "Vecnans die!"

That's as far as you can explore, the next corridor is filled with cultists and sleeping quarters.

Necyra's lips curl into a sneer as Mercer finishes his tirade.  "Vecna's desires, huh? How convenient" she says, her voice dripping with sarcasm.  "Your enlightenment sounds more like a recipe for madness to me.  But enough philosophy.  Let's get down to brass tacks, Mercer.  You mentioned a plan.  What exactly were you planning to do with these captured nobles?  And where are they being held?"  Her crimson eyes bore into Mercer, searching for any sign of deception.  The tension in the room hangs thick, punctuated only by the ragged breaths of the shaken cultist.

Necyra leans in even closer to Mercer, her voice dropping to a low whisper.  "Look around you, Mercer" she says, gesturing to the unconscious cultists and mages.  "This is what happens to those who stand in the way.  Now, tell me where the nobles are, and perhaps your 'enlightenment' won't end quite so abruptly."  The air crackles with a barely contained power, a chilling reminder of the consequences of non-compliance.

"To be fair, if Vecna wants to sacrifice a bunch of snooty nobles he might not be all that bad," Bridgette chuckles, remembering how incredibly ungrateful both of the nobles had been after their rescue.

She does genuinely feel a bit bad for the cultists. She gets the feeling that they've probably been fooled into following this being against their own best interests. To be fair, she also serves a powerful undead master... but she has the sneaking suspicion that this Vecna is a completely different beast than the one who found it within himself to take pity on a little orphan all those years ago.

"You do remember that the aforementioned 'snooty nobles' are following us, right Bridgitte?", says Mysleen as she cocks an eyebrow. When Trystane says he will take a peek around the corner, she says, "I'll come too. You're going to need some backup if your plan goes up in flames because you get spotted."

Stealth: 22

"Snooty nobles or not," Necyra replies coolly, "they're still pawns in someone else's game.  And pawns have a nasty habit of getting crushed underfoot."  She throws Bridgette a pointed look.  "Perhaps your undead master wouldn't mind a few more pawns at their disposal?  These cultists, misguided as they may be, seem to possess some knowledge.  Knowledge we could potentially exploit."

"Sacrifice these pawns," she muses, her voice low, "or should we use them to get to more worthwhile pieces on the board?  Like... Oxtu, for example?"

Necyra, her eyes never leaving the trembling Mercer, allows the silence to stretch for a moment.  Finally, she leans forward, her voice dripping with icy command.  "Well, Mercer?  It seems you have some choices to make as well.  Tell me everything you know about these captured nobles and Oxtu's plans.  Perhaps your cooperation will earn you a slightly less... permanent fate."

Trystane and Mysleen move stealthily, passing through the various rooms. Returning to the group, Trystane briefs them, his voice low and urgent. "We found a kitchen - probably the one that the fish man wanted to flood - but there was no one in there, then an empty cell with some notebook on planar stuff, and a library with mages, fanatics, and ghouls. Two barlguras in another room, and wraiths chanting 'Vecnans die!' Not sure why the wraiths have such bad blood with the cultists. Then the next corridor is packed with cultists in sleeping quarters. We need a solid plan to handle what's ahead, there's quite a number of them."

During this time, while the rogues are "rouging" and looking into other rooms, Umberto is reciting chapters from his new book about, "The Secret, True to Life Story of the Cult of Vecna," a working title competing with his other title, "The Cult of Secrets and the Truth About Vecna"

"As powerful as he had become, Vecna grew old. The thought of death didn’t scare the tyrannical wizard, it only filled him with rage. Just as he was determined to exact revenge on the order of wizards and forge an empire on Oerth, he was determined not to die. In his arrogance, he believed that immortality was not merely possible but was his right. How Vecna accomplished his task isn’t known for sure. According to some tales, Vecna amassed enough power to confront his own death and forever imprison it, thus escaping his doom. According to others, Vecna's pride and arrogance so offended the deities of the Outer Planes that they cursed him to dwell forever on the border between life and death, never again to fully live or rest in tranquil death. What is known is that Vecna achieved immortality by becoming a lich, just another Undead, and thus, an immortal being made by performing a profoundly vile ritual. His physical body continued to wither away, yet his soul and power only strengthened. Once he achieved his goal of becoming immortal, Vecna’s interest in his kingdom began to lessen. He traveled to other worlds where he wreaked havoc, coerced a greater following, and expanded his arsenal of powerful secrets."

Umberto looks around and feigns that he doesn't care if people are listening.

"Kas was once a good paladin. He served great and noble houses but eventually was tasked to join the forces of Vecna's army. It was at that time that Vecna took an interest in the good Paladin and noticed that in his heart was a hunger for power. So Kas rose through the ranks of Vecna’s army he became ruthless and cruel. Eventually, he became a fallen paladin and some called him, The Bloody Handed Paladin. Kas became Vecna’s foremost lieutenant and was tasked with presiding over Vecna’s judgments and directing his army. As a sign of Kas’s authority, Vecna forged him a blade that empowered the fallen paladin even further. Legend says that the iron for the blade was taken from the heart of a frozen star, and no man could withstand Kas when he wielded it. Unbeknownst to Vecna, the sword grew a malicious sentience that began to whisper to Kas, urging him to usurp Vecna’s throne. At last, Kas gave into the sword’s urges and struck at Vecna. The resulting battle shattered Vecna’s fortress and saw both Vecna and Kas vanquished. The only remanents of the combatants were the Eye of Vecna, the Hand of Vecna, and the Sword of Kas.

Umberto looks sad and dejected but perks up saying, "Oh yes, now I remember!"

"When Kas finally betrayed Vecna, it all happened while he was casting a very dangerous ritual in his Wizard's Tower. Kas killed Vecna, but before Vecna died, Vecna flung Kas across the multiverse. Kas lost the Sword of Kas in his flight. All that was left of Vecna after he died was one hand and one eye. These eventually became artifacts. In the aftermath of this battle, Kas transformed into a vampire and became lost in the multiverse."

"Somehow, Vecna brought himself back to life. Rather, brought his soul back to his lich-body, bringing him back to un-life but still retaining all his wizardly powers and his godhood-ness."

Sarcelle says to Umberto, "Please stop saying that name."

Umberto says, "What Vecna?"

Sarcelle says, "Yes, please don't mention it. Every time I heard that name, I have psychic flashbacks and migraine. A few nights back, I was experimenting with psychic exploration and saw a glimpse of a dreadful future. I saw a dried out corpse of a man levitating off the ground, gathering evil energy around himself in glowing wisps. The desiccated man then screamed and the energy exploded, causing something terrible to happen. My head hurts so much, I think I'm taking actual psychic damage."

Half in a display of power, half to prepare for the coming battles, Trystane performs an ancient ritual. With his eyes closed, he moves through something reminiscent of a kata with both his hands forcefully clasped together at its end to the point that the veins bulge in his arms. A slow pulsation starts and he appears to be forcing some of his life force through his body, into his arms and concentrated into his hands. A purplish crackling energy commences to arc around his joined hands moments before he opens his eyes. 

(He deals 2 necrotic damage to himself to invoke a crimson rite on his unarmed attacks. He will add 1d6 lightning damage to all unarmed strikes for as long as the Hybrid form holds. I also added a secret to our spoils from the adventure to keep track of these things. See post #112 for details. Though, I'm not entirely sure what exactly the secret is. The spoiler shows what was in the DM post immediately before we unlocked the secret.)

Quote from NathanAscher >>

Secrets unlocked one out of ???

At anytime you can turn in a secret exactly once to gain advantage on all D20 rolls for 10 Rounds for all party members. Spending a secret this way means that you can no longer use that secret again for the remainder of the adventure. It's possible that you can spend secrets later in the adventure for a completely different effect or to lessen the strength of Vecna when you confront him.

Sarcelle's vision of the future is secret number two.

Umberto is a historian and an author who somehow has learned the secret truth of Vecna's origin. Details about Kas and Vecan's life before he became a god are not readily known and even Umberto does not know how he learned these "Secrets" but because of his personality, he is overwhelemed with this knowledge and feels compelled to share it with you.

Secrets Reward
Umberto's Secret
Sarcelle's Secret

Having successfully scouted ahead, the scouts can report back to the party and decide which path to take first. We have the following combats that you can surprise inhabitants.

Library
three mages
four cult fanatics
two ghouls

Haunted Room
three wraiths

Remembrance Room
three barlgura demons

Corridor
One human looking zombie woman, shambling down the hallway

OOC: @DM - Anything come out of Necyra's interrogations of Mercer?  And is it worthwhile for her to interrogate Oxtu?  Or, to further the story along, should we just say that Necyra finishes off both, and we move on?  I was hoping one of them would be able to tell us where the other two nobles are being held.

OOC: @Everyone - I vote for the Library.  Yeah, it has the most baddies, but it also has the highest potential for gathering information on the whereabouts of the two remaining nobles, and maybe just what the heck Vecna and his acolytes are up to.  And those barlgura demons sound downright nasty...maybe save them for later?

Quote from o_Merlin_o >>

OOC: @DM - Anything come out of Necyra's interrogations of Mercer?  And is it worthwhile for her to interrogate Oxtu?  Or, to further the story along, should we just say that Necyra finishes off both, and we move on?  I was hoping one of them would be able to tell us where the other two nobles are being held.

OOC: @Everyone - I vote for the Library.  Yeah, it has the most baddies, but it also has the highest potential for gathering information on the whereabouts of the two remaining nobles, and maybe just what the heck Vecna and his acolytes are up to.  And those barlgura demons sound downright nasty...maybe save them for later?

 OOC: Looking through the options, I'd say library. You're right, those barlguras don't look pretty. They can deal some damage over time. I also don't like that they can go invisible.