Looking around, Vira feels that her initial instinct is correct. There's nothing overtly threatening in the room, no strange collections of humblefolk teeth or birdfolk feathers that she might have expected to see in the lair of such a witch as Kenna was describing. The cauldron bubbles, and wafts off a foul smelling smoke as the hedge continues stirring, but for now the ritual doesn't seem to pose any danger.
"Bah, dream visions. Always hazy, never can trust them. Not that mine was much better, that is, hah! I saw a great blaze consuming the wood, near the Grove, I think. Some figures too–a large, lumbering, burning thing, and something shadowy watching from a distance–but hey, that's lizard spleens for ya! Now, if I'd had some MOONFISH, then we might actually get somewhere a little less cryptic. You can always get clear visions from moonfish...or was it starfish?" As she muses on the thought, the bubbling green liquid before her suddenly flares a deep orange-red color.
"Ah, there we are! No dear, nothing to be done to help now, just you sit back and watch." She plucks a jar from the wall and tosses in something slimy, beginning to chant in a strange rasping language that none of you can understand, finally shouting out, "O, great spirit, heed my call! Rise and grant me the wisdom I seek!" The smoke billowing from the cauldron grows thicker and thicker, obscuring Normal where he sits on the ground, then the entirety of the snail shell cauldron, then eventually all of Susan, before it begins to thin and dissipate, the cauldron once again visible, as something begins to stir inside. A red hand reaches up and grabs the edge of the cauldron, then another. Hoisting itself up you see a strange, furred creature unlike any humblefolk or birdfolk you've ever encountered. Its body lies somewhere between a mapach and a jerbeen, with bright red fur, and a face that's strangely flat, marked by two burning red eyes and a wide, toothy grin. It scans the room for a moment, before its eyes settle on Susan where they stay, looking at her expectantly.
B'Reh listens to Susan's musings with a neutral expression, though she takes note of the imagery in the hedge’s vision. A great blaze near the Grove, a burning figure, a shadowy presence watching—it sounds ominous, but before she can consider it further, the bubbling liquid shifts, and the ritual takes hold. As the thick smoke fills the room, B'Reh instinctively tenses. Her feathers bristle slightly, and she grips her spear firmly, though she does not yet raise it. Her keen eyes flicker between the curling fumes and Susan’s calm demeanor, searching for any sign of distress from the hedge.
Then, the creature rises... A red-furred, unnervingly flat-faced being with burning eyes and a too-wide grin hoists itself from the cauldron, its gaze scanning the room before fixing intently on Susan. B'Reh inhales sharply, her grip tightening further on her weapon as her talons press into the wooden floor. Her voice is low, wary, but not aggressive as she murmurs, more to herself than anyone else, "What in the name of the Great Rhythm is the meaning of this...?"
Vira’s feathers puff slightly as the creature emerges, her instincts screaming that this is not natural. The flat face, burning red eyes, that unsettling grin— it sets her on edge in a way even the slimes hadn’t. Her hand grips her greataxe, not drawing it, but ready. She doesn’t like this. Not one bit.
Her golden eyes flick to Susan, watching for her reaction. The hedge seems unbothered, even expectant. That means this thing is what she was hoping for. Whether that’s good or bad remains to be seen.
Susan looks almost surprised for a moment at the creature's sudden appearance, but as it looks at her expectantly, she quickly begins speaking again in the same guttural rasping language that you don't understand. Normal sits at Susan's feet, just behind her, as she seemingly questions the creature, perhaps about the vision she had. The whole scene would appear bizarre to anyone, but only Aric is able to ascertain the threat posed by the creature as it cocks its head to one side confusedly. The monk has only a moment to yell out a warning before the creature suddenly lunges at the hedge witch!
Combat Round 1
The furry red creature lurches out of the cauldron, tumbling onto the ground before Susan and Normal. It opens its mouth wide, but instead of biting at the hedge or her familiar, simply lets out a mighty *BELCH*. A thick, green smoke pours out of its mouth, forming a cloud around it, the cauldron, and the swamp witch, and extending right up to where Vira and B'Reh are standing. Susan immediately begins coughing as the entire group around the cauldron is obscured.
B'Reh's instincts scream at her to retreat from the thick, unnatural smoke, but she forces herself to stand firm. If this creature meant to harm Susan, she would not abandon the hedge to her own folly. With a sharp inhale, she braces herself and steps forward, wading into the swirling green fog. Her eyes dart to Susan, barely visible through the haze as she coughs and sputters. No hesitation now—this thing needed to be removed from the hut before it could cause more damage. Tightening her grip on her spear, she swiftly shifts her stance and lunges toward the red-furred creature.
With a powerful heave, she attempts to grab hold of it with her talon, aiming to drag it toward the northwest exit, away from the witch and the rest of the group. If this is some summoned spirit gone rogue, then removing it from the ritual’s center might weaken its influence, she reasons, and -at the very least- outside it will not be able to hide in green vapors. Her muscles strain as she tries to wrench the strange being away from Susan. (DC 12 or grappled and moved towards the NW doorway; move: N, then grapple, then NW and NW again)
Vira coughs as the thick green smoke stings her lungs, but she doesn’t retreat. Seeing B’Reh grapple the creature, trying to drag it outside, Vira quickly steps in to finish the job. Trusting her instincts over her eyes, she charges through the haze, gripping her spear tightly. "You should have stayed in your cauldron, monster!"
Bonus Action: Activate Rage
Action: Spear to hit 15 w disadvantage, damage 11 and sap
Aric dashes into the smoke, lashing out at the creature with two quick attacks. He can't see, but neither can the strange red beast, so both attacks connect.
B'Reh quickly follows him, grabbing one of the creature's legs and dragging it towards the doorway. She just makes it outside, gulping down the fresh air, but the creature remains just hidden in the smoke, despite her firm grasp on it.
Vira rushes into the smoke as well, her lungs tightening as she stabs toward the sounds of the creature struggling against B'Reh. A sharp yelp lets her know the strike was true, and the beast seems to weaken slightly in its fight against the grapple.
Brynlee lingers just outside the smoke, but raises her crystal toward the creature. Lightning crackles around her as a sharp smell of ozone fills the air, and she looses a bolt of lightning towards the doorway, but it shoots just over B'Reh's head into the swampy air outside.
Susan sputters for a moment in the smoke, before raising one hand to the amulet around her neck and the other to point toward the creature. A crackling blast of purple energy streaks toward the creature, striking it in the chest (6 force damage). She calls out to everyone, "Get out of the smoke, it's poisonous!" before moving to stand between Kenna and Brynlee.
Round 2
The creature lashes out at B'Reh with its claws (sap disadvantage nat 1), then bites at the arms holding it in place (blinded disadvantage 17 to hit for 9 damage). It seems unaffected by the poison of the smoke.
[[ Players' turn. If you start your turn in the smoke, make a DC 12 CON save. On a failure, you take 5 poison damage and spend your action this turn coughing and retching. ]]
Vira grits her beak against the acrid sting of the smoke, her body resisting the poison’s worst effects—for now. She doesn’t hesitate, stepping towards the door and driving her spear toward the creature once more. She will move outside after B'Reh and the creature.
Action: spear to hit 14, damage 9 piercing and sap
B'Reh grits her beak, holding back a pained hiss as the creature’s sharp teeth sink into her arm. The foul smoke lingers around her, but out here, in the open air, it isn’t nearly as choking (Con save 14 if it was needed). At least she made the right call—if this thing wanted to hide in its poison cloud, she wouldn’t let it.
Digging her talons into the damp earth for leverage, she tightens her grip around the creature’s limb and heaves, dragging it further from the doorway. The thick green haze begins to break apart in the open air, carried away by the faint swamp breeze. “I have it outside!" she shouts to the others. "The smoke will clear here—come quickly!"
With a final burst of effort, she shifts her hold, using the creature’s own momentum against it as she attempts to force it down to the ground (shove prone - DC 12), trying to pin it beneath her weight in a prone condition. If it wanted to keep snapping and clawing, she’d make sure it had nothing but dirt to bite.
Vira's spear just misses this time, as the creature thrashes against B'Reh's firm hold. She tries to shove it to the ground, but it plants its feet firmly and stands against the attack.
Inside, Brynlee takes a deep breath and runs through the smoke, bursting out into the open air. She reaches deep within, the thumping of the Rhythm growing louder in her ears, and channels her magic outward (BA Innate Sorcery) before hurling another blast of lightning at the creature (no kidding I just rolled two 2s for her advantage), but the blast shoots wide once more.
A window on the side of the hut suddenly bursts open, and Normal comes flying out ahead of Susan and Kenna, who climb out behind it. Susan moves around the side of the house and fires another purple beam at the creature (10 damage). It lets out another screech as the energy hits, looking quite injured.
Combat Round 3
The creature lashes out at B'Reh with its claws once more, landing a glancing blow against her chestplate (16 to hit for 9 damage) and breaking free of the grapple as she falls. It tries to bite at Aric (7 to hit), but he dodges out of the way.
B'Reh barely registers the world around her as her vision narrows, the sounds of battle fading beneath the sharp ringing in her ears. The last thing she sees is her companions—Vira's rage-fueled form towering over the creature, Aric weaving between its strikes, Brynlee drawing on her magic, and Susan’s unwavering focus as another blast of energy slams into the beast. 'They have this,' she tells herself, trying to hold on to that thought.
Then the creature's claws rake across her chest, pain flaring for only a moment before her body betrays her. The iron grip on its limb falters, and darkness rushes in faster than she can fight it. Her knees buckle, her talons sinking into the damp soil, and then there’s nothing but silence.
Aricclearing his lungs continues his assault on the pink creature. Inside he feels bad and wishes the creature had a personality as cute as its outside.
Quarterstaff: 18 to hit for 6 damage, followed by a foot strike: 19 to hit for 8 damage.
Seeing their companion fall, Aric and Vira both strike out viciously at the creature, hitting it several times but feeling that their attacks just aren't damaging it as much as Susan's blasts have been.
Brynlee calls out,"B'Reh!" as the strig falls, and shifts her focus for a moment to her companion, sending a flow of healing energy to get her back into the fight (9 healing). She then releases another burst of lightning towards the creature, hitting it dead on but again, not seeming to do as much damage as Susan (nat 20 for 4 lightning damage).
Susan calls out, "Normal, distract it!" and waves toward the creature. The beetle flies forward to draw the creature's attention for a moment, and Susan sends one final blast of purple at the creature (9 force damage). As it hits, the creature cries out one final time before vanishing into a cloud of red mist.
[[ Combat over. ]]
Susan walks over with Kenna following, perhaps a bit less nervous than before."Ha! We sure took care of him. You all are quite competent in a fight!" Normal lands near her feet and trills happily."Are you alright, dear?" the witch asks, looking down to where B'Reh is lying on the ground."I might have something inside to help out, once this awful smoke clears up!"
Brynlee takes another breath and pokes her head back inside for a moment, before backing up to just outside the door and summoning her magic once more, beckoning a light breeze that slowly begins to carry the smoke out the back window where Susan and Kenna exited the house a few moments ago.
B'Reh blinks as consciousness returns, the familiar warmth of divine magic suffusing her body. With a slow inhale, she pushes herself upright, the pain fading as she instinctively calls upon the Great Rhythm to mend the last of her wounds (Channel Divinity: Divine Spark for 9 HP healing). The fresh energy knits together the gashes left by the creature's claws, and she exhales sharply, steadying herself. Her eyes dart toward the dissipating red mist where the creature once stood. “Is it truly gone?” she asks, her voice still carrying the weight of exhaustion. Without waiting for confirmation, she turns her sharp gaze on Susan, brushing dirt from her feathers. "You said this was a divination ritual," B'Reh continues, her tone firm, but not accusatory. "How could it go so wrong? What was that thing?" The tension in her posture betrays her unease—whatever this was, it was no simple vision.
"My dear, I am most certain I said that was a summoning ritual, and summon we did! Unfortunate that the little demon saw fit to attack me instead of answering my questions, which he shouldn't even have been able to do...ah, well. Perhaps those frog livers weren't as fresh as I thought. I'll have to remember that for next time!" As she speaks, she grabs a thin animal hide from a hook to the side of the door and begins waving it through the air, helping Brynlee's breeze to remove the last of the poisonous smoke from the room.
"Is anyone else injured?"she asks, moving to one of the shelves lined with bottles. "I'm sure I have some healing potions around here somewhere."
Aric says "Thank you for your hospitality. Is there anything I can do to help, especially since I interrupted your ritual?"
D&D since 1984
Looking around, Vira feels that her initial instinct is correct. There's nothing overtly threatening in the room, no strange collections of humblefolk teeth or birdfolk feathers that she might have expected to see in the lair of such a witch as Kenna was describing. The cauldron bubbles, and wafts off a foul smelling smoke as the hedge continues stirring, but for now the ritual doesn't seem to pose any danger.
"Bah, dream visions. Always hazy, never can trust them. Not that mine was much better, that is, hah! I saw a great blaze consuming the wood, near the Grove, I think. Some figures too–a large, lumbering, burning thing, and something shadowy watching from a distance–but hey, that's lizard spleens for ya! Now, if I'd had some MOONFISH, then we might actually get somewhere a little less cryptic. You can always get clear visions from moonfish...or was it starfish?" As she muses on the thought, the bubbling green liquid before her suddenly flares a deep orange-red color.
"Ah, there we are! No dear, nothing to be done to help now, just you sit back and watch." She plucks a jar from the wall and tosses in something slimy, beginning to chant in a strange rasping language that none of you can understand, finally shouting out, "O, great spirit, heed my call! Rise and grant me the wisdom I seek!" The smoke billowing from the cauldron grows thicker and thicker, obscuring Normal where he sits on the ground, then the entirety of the snail shell cauldron, then eventually all of Susan, before it begins to thin and dissipate, the cauldron once again visible, as something begins to stir inside. A red hand reaches up and grabs the edge of the cauldron, then another. Hoisting itself up you see a strange, furred creature unlike any humblefolk or birdfolk you've ever encountered. Its body lies somewhere between a mapach and a jerbeen, with bright red fur, and a face that's strangely flat, marked by two burning red eyes and a wide, toothy grin. It scans the room for a moment, before its eyes settle on Susan where they stay, looking at her expectantly.
DM - A Humblewood Adventure | Holm Erebos - Dread Tyrant
B'Reh listens to Susan's musings with a neutral expression, though she takes note of the imagery in the hedge’s vision. A great blaze near the Grove, a burning figure, a shadowy presence watching—it sounds ominous, but before she can consider it further, the bubbling liquid shifts, and the ritual takes hold. As the thick smoke fills the room, B'Reh instinctively tenses. Her feathers bristle slightly, and she grips her spear firmly, though she does not yet raise it. Her keen eyes flicker between the curling fumes and Susan’s calm demeanor, searching for any sign of distress from the hedge.
Then, the creature rises... A red-furred, unnervingly flat-faced being with burning eyes and a too-wide grin hoists itself from the cauldron, its gaze scanning the room before fixing intently on Susan. B'Reh inhales sharply, her grip tightening further on her weapon as her talons press into the wooden floor. Her voice is low, wary, but not aggressive as she murmurs, more to herself than anyone else, "What in the name of the Great Rhythm is the meaning of this...?"
|| Oriace - Halfling Bard - Dragon Heist || Valerian - Pallid Elf Rogue - Wildnis || b'Reh - Stig Order Cleric - Humblewood || Rowan - Halfling Giant Path Barbarian - Runewarren || Shaephina - Half-Drow Blood Cleric/Wizard - Murder Court || Ianjin - Gallus Open Hand Monk - Mad Empiricist || Khazela - Spiritfarer Dervish - Tribute Court || Arista - Human Frost Giant Sorcerer - The Old Keep ||
Vira’s feathers puff slightly as the creature emerges, her instincts screaming that this is not natural. The flat face, burning red eyes, that unsettling grin— it sets her on edge in a way even the slimes hadn’t. Her hand grips her greataxe, not drawing it, but ready. She doesn’t like this. Not one bit.
Her golden eyes flick to Susan, watching for her reaction. The hedge seems unbothered, even expectant. That means this thing is what she was hoping for. Whether that’s good or bad remains to be seen.
Insight on creature: 6
Aric looks on in interest, but as the create emerges he focuses on the create reading to jump into action to help his new friend Susan.
Insight on the creature: 24
D&D since 1984
Susan looks almost surprised for a moment at the creature's sudden appearance, but as it looks at her expectantly, she quickly begins speaking again in the same guttural rasping language that you don't understand. Normal sits at Susan's feet, just behind her, as she seemingly questions the creature, perhaps about the vision she had. The whole scene would appear bizarre to anyone, but only Aric is able to ascertain the threat posed by the creature as it cocks its head to one side confusedly. The monk has only a moment to yell out a warning before the creature suddenly lunges at the hedge witch!
Combat Round 1
The furry red creature lurches out of the cauldron, tumbling onto the ground before Susan and Normal. It opens its mouth wide, but instead of biting at the hedge or her familiar, simply lets out a mighty *BELCH*. A thick, green smoke pours out of its mouth, forming a cloud around it, the cauldron, and the swamp witch, and extending right up to where Vira and B'Reh are standing. Susan immediately begins coughing as the entire group around the cauldron is obscured.
[[ Players' turn. ]]
DM - A Humblewood Adventure | Holm Erebos - Dread Tyrant
Aric moves quickly and strikes the pink creature with his staff (25:NAT 20 to hit for 14 damage) and follows up with a kick (22 to hit for 5 damage)
D&D since 1984
B'Reh's instincts scream at her to retreat from the thick, unnatural smoke, but she forces herself to stand firm. If this creature meant to harm Susan, she would not abandon the hedge to her own folly. With a sharp inhale, she braces herself and steps forward, wading into the swirling green fog. Her eyes dart to Susan, barely visible through the haze as she coughs and sputters. No hesitation now—this thing needed to be removed from the hut before it could cause more damage. Tightening her grip on her spear, she swiftly shifts her stance and lunges toward the red-furred creature.
With a powerful heave, she attempts to grab hold of it with her talon, aiming to drag it toward the northwest exit, away from the witch and the rest of the group. If this is some summoned spirit gone rogue, then removing it from the ritual’s center might weaken its influence, she reasons, and -at the very least- outside it will not be able to hide in green vapors. Her muscles strain as she tries to wrench the strange being away from Susan. (DC 12 or grappled and moved towards the NW doorway; move: N, then grapple, then NW and NW again)
|| Oriace - Halfling Bard - Dragon Heist || Valerian - Pallid Elf Rogue - Wildnis || b'Reh - Stig Order Cleric - Humblewood || Rowan - Halfling Giant Path Barbarian - Runewarren || Shaephina - Half-Drow Blood Cleric/Wizard - Murder Court || Ianjin - Gallus Open Hand Monk - Mad Empiricist || Khazela - Spiritfarer Dervish - Tribute Court || Arista - Human Frost Giant Sorcerer - The Old Keep ||
Vira coughs as the thick green smoke stings her lungs, but she doesn’t retreat. Seeing B’Reh grapple the creature, trying to drag it outside, Vira quickly steps in to finish the job. Trusting her instincts over her eyes, she charges through the haze, gripping her spear tightly. "You should have stayed in your cauldron, monster!"
Bonus Action: Activate Rage
Action: Spear to hit 15 w disadvantage, damage 11 and sap
Aric dashes into the smoke, lashing out at the creature with two quick attacks. He can't see, but neither can the strange red beast, so both attacks connect.
B'Reh quickly follows him, grabbing one of the creature's legs and dragging it towards the doorway. She just makes it outside, gulping down the fresh air, but the creature remains just hidden in the smoke, despite her firm grasp on it.
Vira rushes into the smoke as well, her lungs tightening as she stabs toward the sounds of the creature struggling against B'Reh. A sharp yelp lets her know the strike was true, and the beast seems to weaken slightly in its fight against the grapple.
Brynlee lingers just outside the smoke, but raises her crystal toward the creature. Lightning crackles around her as a sharp smell of ozone fills the air, and she looses a bolt of lightning towards the doorway, but it shoots just over B'Reh's head into the swampy air outside.
Susan sputters for a moment in the smoke, before raising one hand to the amulet around her neck and the other to point toward the creature. A crackling blast of purple energy streaks toward the creature, striking it in the chest (6 force damage). She calls out to everyone, "Get out of the smoke, it's poisonous!" before moving to stand between Kenna and Brynlee.
Round 2
The creature lashes out at B'Reh with its claws (sap disadvantage nat 1), then bites at the arms holding it in place (blinded disadvantage 17 to hit for 9 damage). It seems unaffected by the poison of the smoke.
[[ Players' turn. If you start your turn in the smoke, make a DC 12 CON save. On a failure, you take 5 poison damage and spend your action this turn coughing and retching. ]]
DM - A Humblewood Adventure | Holm Erebos - Dread Tyrant
Vira con save: 22
Vira grits her beak against the acrid sting of the smoke, her body resisting the poison’s worst effects—for now. She doesn’t hesitate, stepping towards the door and driving her spear toward the creature once more. She will move outside after B'Reh and the creature.
Action: spear to hit 14, damage 9 piercing and sap
B'Reh grits her beak, holding back a pained hiss as the creature’s sharp teeth sink into her arm. The foul smoke lingers around her, but out here, in the open air, it isn’t nearly as choking (Con save 14 if it was needed). At least she made the right call—if this thing wanted to hide in its poison cloud, she wouldn’t let it.
Digging her talons into the damp earth for leverage, she tightens her grip around the creature’s limb and heaves, dragging it further from the doorway. The thick green haze begins to break apart in the open air, carried away by the faint swamp breeze. “I have it outside!" she shouts to the others. "The smoke will clear here—come quickly!"
With a final burst of effort, she shifts her hold, using the creature’s own momentum against it as she attempts to force it down to the ground (shove prone - DC 12), trying to pin it beneath her weight in a prone condition. If it wanted to keep snapping and clawing, she’d make sure it had nothing but dirt to bite.
|| Oriace - Halfling Bard - Dragon Heist || Valerian - Pallid Elf Rogue - Wildnis || b'Reh - Stig Order Cleric - Humblewood || Rowan - Halfling Giant Path Barbarian - Runewarren || Shaephina - Half-Drow Blood Cleric/Wizard - Murder Court || Ianjin - Gallus Open Hand Monk - Mad Empiricist || Khazela - Spiritfarer Dervish - Tribute Court || Arista - Human Frost Giant Sorcerer - The Old Keep ||
CON Save: 4
Aric feeling pleased with his first attack takes in a breath and begins to choke and cough. He does his best to move outside.
D&D since 1984
Vira's spear just misses this time, as the creature thrashes against B'Reh's firm hold. She tries to shove it to the ground, but it plants its feet firmly and stands against the attack.
Inside, Brynlee takes a deep breath and runs through the smoke, bursting out into the open air. She reaches deep within, the thumping of the Rhythm growing louder in her ears, and channels her magic outward (BA Innate Sorcery) before hurling another blast of lightning at the creature (no kidding I just rolled two 2s for her advantage), but the blast shoots wide once more.
A window on the side of the hut suddenly bursts open, and Normal comes flying out ahead of Susan and Kenna, who climb out behind it. Susan moves around the side of the house and fires another purple beam at the creature (10 damage). It lets out another screech as the energy hits, looking quite injured.
Combat Round 3
The creature lashes out at B'Reh with its claws once more, landing a glancing blow against her chestplate (16 to hit for 9 damage) and breaking free of the grapple as she falls. It tries to bite at Aric (7 to hit), but he dodges out of the way.
[[ Players' turn. ]]
DM - A Humblewood Adventure | Holm Erebos - Dread Tyrant
B'Reh barely registers the world around her as her vision narrows, the sounds of battle fading beneath the sharp ringing in her ears. The last thing she sees is her companions—Vira's rage-fueled form towering over the creature, Aric weaving between its strikes, Brynlee drawing on her magic, and Susan’s unwavering focus as another blast of energy slams into the beast. 'They have this,' she tells herself, trying to hold on to that thought.
Then the creature's claws rake across her chest, pain flaring for only a moment before her body betrays her. The iron grip on its limb falters, and darkness rushes in faster than she can fight it. Her knees buckle, her talons sinking into the damp soil, and then there’s nothing but silence.
(Death Save 13)
|| Oriace - Halfling Bard - Dragon Heist || Valerian - Pallid Elf Rogue - Wildnis || b'Reh - Stig Order Cleric - Humblewood || Rowan - Halfling Giant Path Barbarian - Runewarren || Shaephina - Half-Drow Blood Cleric/Wizard - Murder Court || Ianjin - Gallus Open Hand Monk - Mad Empiricist || Khazela - Spiritfarer Dervish - Tribute Court || Arista - Human Frost Giant Sorcerer - The Old Keep ||
Aric clearing his lungs continues his assault on the pink creature. Inside he feels bad and wishes the creature had a personality as cute as its outside.
Quarterstaff: 18 to hit for 6 damage, followed by a foot strike: 19 to hit for 8 damage.
D&D since 1984
Seeing B'Reh fall unconscious only bolsters Vira's rage further and she aims to finish the creature once and for all with her greataxe.
Action: Greataxe to hit 16, damage 12
Seeing their companion fall, Aric and Vira both strike out viciously at the creature, hitting it several times but feeling that their attacks just aren't damaging it as much as Susan's blasts have been.
Brynlee calls out, "B'Reh!" as the strig falls, and shifts her focus for a moment to her companion, sending a flow of healing energy to get her back into the fight (9 healing). She then releases another burst of lightning towards the creature, hitting it dead on but again, not seeming to do as much damage as Susan (nat 20 for 4 lightning damage).
Susan calls out, "Normal, distract it!" and waves toward the creature. The beetle flies forward to draw the creature's attention for a moment, and Susan sends one final blast of purple at the creature (9 force damage). As it hits, the creature cries out one final time before vanishing into a cloud of red mist.
[[ Combat over. ]]
Susan walks over with Kenna following, perhaps a bit less nervous than before. "Ha! We sure took care of him. You all are quite competent in a fight!" Normal lands near her feet and trills happily. "Are you alright, dear?" the witch asks, looking down to where B'Reh is lying on the ground. "I might have something inside to help out, once this awful smoke clears up!"
Brynlee takes another breath and pokes her head back inside for a moment, before backing up to just outside the door and summoning her magic once more, beckoning a light breeze that slowly begins to carry the smoke out the back window where Susan and Kenna exited the house a few moments ago.
DM - A Humblewood Adventure | Holm Erebos - Dread Tyrant
B'Reh blinks as consciousness returns, the familiar warmth of divine magic suffusing her body. With a slow inhale, she pushes herself upright, the pain fading as she instinctively calls upon the Great Rhythm to mend the last of her wounds (Channel Divinity: Divine Spark for 9 HP healing). The fresh energy knits together the gashes left by the creature's claws, and she exhales sharply, steadying herself. Her eyes dart toward the dissipating red mist where the creature once stood. “Is it truly gone?” she asks, her voice still carrying the weight of exhaustion. Without waiting for confirmation, she turns her sharp gaze on Susan, brushing dirt from her feathers. "You said this was a divination ritual," B'Reh continues, her tone firm, but not accusatory. "How could it go so wrong? What was that thing?" The tension in her posture betrays her unease—whatever this was, it was no simple vision.
|| Oriace - Halfling Bard - Dragon Heist || Valerian - Pallid Elf Rogue - Wildnis || b'Reh - Stig Order Cleric - Humblewood || Rowan - Halfling Giant Path Barbarian - Runewarren || Shaephina - Half-Drow Blood Cleric/Wizard - Murder Court || Ianjin - Gallus Open Hand Monk - Mad Empiricist || Khazela - Spiritfarer Dervish - Tribute Court || Arista - Human Frost Giant Sorcerer - The Old Keep ||
"My dear, I am most certain I said that was a summoning ritual, and summon we did! Unfortunate that the little demon saw fit to attack me instead of answering my questions, which he shouldn't even have been able to do...ah, well. Perhaps those frog livers weren't as fresh as I thought. I'll have to remember that for next time!" As she speaks, she grabs a thin animal hide from a hook to the side of the door and begins waving it through the air, helping Brynlee's breeze to remove the last of the poisonous smoke from the room.
"Is anyone else injured?" she asks, moving to one of the shelves lined with bottles. "I'm sure I have some healing potions around here somewhere."
DM - A Humblewood Adventure | Holm Erebos - Dread Tyrant