Arrencurses inwardly about his soaked boots and the cold he's going to feel once they step back outside, but there's nothing he can do about that. At least they've crossed without incident and can continue deeper into the tunnels.
Once everyone has crossed into the new room, his eyes linger briefly on the large skull before shifting to the voices beyond. He stops and, like their Elven associate, tries to listen for a moment. But no matter how much he strains, he can't make out a single word of what the four bandits are saying. (Perception: 7)
He glances back at the others and whispers, "Alright. There's no other entrance, so there's nothing for it but to go in. Let's try to keep things amiable with those four, yes?"
With that, he waits until everyone is ready, then steps into the doorway. He clears his throat just loudly enough to announce their presence and gives the bandit group a short nod.
"We spoke to Nohem and Lann and agreed we could take a look at what remains of the excavation." As he speaks, his eyes move over the four bandits, gauging whether they've already claimed any notable finds. "How are things here? Any sign of danger besides the plant-fish at the pool?" He pauses, then adds, "Nice trick getting rid of most of them so neatly, by the way."
He directs the last remark toward the High Elf woman, though his gaze briefly flicks to the human beside her as well. Even if it seems obvious that the High Elf would be the one wielding magic, who's to say it couldn't be the human instead?
Neither Arren nor Bryn can hear exactly what is said, but it's not long before the voices stop talking. There's a scent, though, faint at first but gradually intensifying. Smoke... perhaps someone is smoking a pipe? Something is burning, that's for sure.
When Arren steps into the next room, he first sees Nafnlaus and Akvedinn, with Nafnlaus still carrying his lantern. But there's light coming from deeper into the room... the second lantern, carried by the Human? Yes, that too, but also from behind him, where Arren sees a wall of thorns and roots, blocking a corridor. Besides that, the room looks mostly normal. Elongated like the previous one, with the south side strangely a natural wall rather than carved. In the western wall, there's what looks like an ancient fireplace. No coal or signs of fire remain there after so much time, but a fireplace must have a chimney, though it appears to have been constructed inside the wall. Lastly, next to the door and just next to Arren, there's another relief in the wall, this time in the shape of a life-size warrior, holding up a sword in two hands, looking up to the heavens.
"Took you longer than I thought," Akvedinn replies, "did Nohem lecture you about his injuries? I'm sure he did. We're fine over here, nothing since those fish. Well, there are these annoying thorns up ahead, but nothing a bit of fire can't get rid of."
Arren can't tell whether the bandits have found anything - none of them is holding a flaming sword or anything like that - but the Elven woman carries a small bag on her back. She came in with it, too, Arren recalls. Nothing special, probably, but there's no way to tell whether she's got anything inside that wasn't there before.
"You incompetent fools! Put that fire out before we all suffocate here!" Commandant Nattensbarn shouts all of a sudden. "All that smoke has nowhere else to go!" She starts walking backwards, away from the door and towards the pool.
But before the Commandant can exit the room, the ground begins to shake all of a sudden. Not as violently as in previous times, at first, but everyone around feels it. "Heh, I think all those gases in her stomach made Gai-" Akvedinn stops mid-sentence and stumbles back in horror. He looks, terrified, at Arren, stuttering while trying to warn those around him.
No, he's not looking at Arren. Akvedinn looks behind Arren, at the relief in the wall. What was previously sculpted into the wall, only partially protruding from it, has broken off the wall and started falling down. No, it's not broken, and it isn't falling. The life-size stone warrior emerges out of the wall as one might emerge from under the water, the wall behind it morphing to complete the structure where it was previously not sculpted. After mere seconds, next to Arren stands what would normally look like a beautiful statue, except looking very much alive, despite being made of stone.
Its sword looks like it will hurt, probably a lot, being made out of stone and all.
Please roll for initiative. If you roll above 21, you may act (please keep rolled order for now, if you both happen to roll above 21).
As usual, ignore all wooden furniture. At the top of the map, you can see I placed a fire sticker (the best I could find in the maps feature, but better than nothing) to indicate where the burning wall of thorns and roots is. Passage beyond that point is currently impossible. The tokens for the various characters are, of course, only visual aids and should not reflect what the characters really look like (and yet, I couldn't find anything I was happy with in my library for the superior officers there, so they'll keep the default token for now).
Bryn hangs back a bit letting the Sergeant do the talking, remaining wary as he looks through the doors to the next room.
When the Commandant reprimands the bandits, he can't help but smile a little. She seems back to her usual self.
When Akvedinn stops speaking mid sentence, with a look of horror on his face, Bryn immediately tenses. He sees the statue appear from seemingly nowhere next to the Sergeant, and his eyes widen in surprise. A new guardian made of stone?
He quickly takes a step back as he equips his crossbow, pressing himself against the wall so this likely new enemy cannot quite see him, and peeks out ready to take a shot if it attacks.
Initiative: 18+4=22 Movement: 5ft South Bonus Action: Hide Stealth: 7+6=13 Action: Ready a crossbow attack on the statue if it starts to make an attack against soldiers or bandits
Reaction: Held crossbow attack on Statue (advantage if hidden - sneak if advantage or it is next to an ally - assuming bandits are allies against the statue?) Crossbow - To Hit: (9, 8)+6=15, Damage: 8+4=12 [piercing], Sneak Damage: 2+2=4 [piercing]
While Bryn hides, Walnuts draws his firearm and prepares to fire should the moving statue not have come alive to invite everyone for tea. He steps a little forward to stand between the moving statue and the Commandant, just in case.
Suddenly, the ground starts shaking again. Violently, not like before. And while the cave holds firm for now, the balance of all who stand in it is thrown off. Most manage to stay on their feet, except for Akvedinn, who stumbles back and falls on the ground.
Please make a DC10 Dexterity saving throw. On a failure, fall Prone. Bryn, since your stealth check failed (reminder: 2024 rules need you to pass 15 to hide) and since you won't get a chance to stand back up before your turn, if you fail your dexterity save, your shot will be made (if triggered) with a disadvantage. No need to reroll, though, I'll just consult the other roll above.
Arren's turn.
Not updating the map yet, but Bryn moved 5 feet south, and Walnuts moved 5 feet west. Initiative order: Bryn→Walnuts→Arren→Human Bandit→???→Akvedinn→Commandant→Elven Bandit→Nafnlaus
Arrenis confused by the look Akvedinn gives him, until he catches movement out of the corner of his eye and turns to see the warrior statue come to life. The shock almost costs him his footing, but he manages to steady himself at the last moment.
His first instinct is to draw his longsword, but… what good would it do against stone? Will it shatter on impact? And if it does, then what? He doesn't know, and he isn't keen on finding out at the expense of his main weapon. Instead, he reaches for a javelin. If something has to break, better it be that.
The Half-Elf locks eyes with the creature but does not attack. Instead, he carefully pivots around it, never stepping fully out of its reach, until he places himself between the stone warrior and Nafnlaus. Hopefully, the bandint will take that for what it is — a sign they are allies in this fight.
Arren levels the javelin at the creature, shield held tight in his other hand, and gauges its intentions. He would be surprised if they were anything other than hostile, but for now, he simply readies himself in case the warrior strikes.
Dex Save: 8+2=10 Readied Action (Javelin attack): 11 (I guess that is a miss?)
"Oh, what is that?" The Human bandit calls. "A statue? Must be dense!"
The stone warrior doesn't seem like the insult affects it in any way. Finally out of the wall entirely, it spends no time and immediately slashes the nearest creature, attacking Arren twice. In response, Walnuts immediately shoots the stone warrior, and both Bryn and Arren do too. Bryn's bolt ricochets off the stone figure without leaving any visible damage, and Arren's handheld javelin fares no better. Indeed, a figure made of stone won't be hurt by weaker attacks (OOC: All flavour, both attacks just missed). The Lieutenant's shot, however (a crit!), breaks a sizable chunk off the stone warrior's head. A blow that would be lethal for any normal person, but is not enough to take down a warrior of stone.
Unbothered by all three attacks, the stone warrior resumes its attacks. A powerful first blow, which Arren just barely holds off with his shield. Although it feels less powerful than Emma's attacks, in terms of raw strength, the increased weight of the stone makes it about as dangerous. But unlike Emma, when Arren fought her, the stone warrior doesn't wildly flail in the dark, and instead attacks quickly and with precision. The second attack, faster than the first, aimed at Arren's hand, which holds the javelin, is too fast and strong for Arren to block. Second attack: 23 to hit, dealing 15 bludgeoning damage. It seems the sword isn't particularly sharp...
Akvedinn struggles back on his feet, takes aim and shoots. Unfortunately, his bolt, like Bryn's, slides off the hard stone without leaving even a dent.
Commandant Nattensbarn turns around and is about to retreat out of the room when suddenly, the ceiling above caves in and a large pile of rocks nearly buries the Commandant, who, in the last second, manages to fall backwards, missing her demise by the length of a hair. She crawls backwards, terrified. "I don't think it wants us to leave!"
The Elven woman and Nafnlaus both also try to shoot the warrior, but both miss completely while trying not to hit Arren. Nafnlaus's shot passes right by Arren's shoulder. "Sorry!" He calls, before running off to get a better angle for his next shot, as does the Elven bandit.
Bryn's turn again.
The stone south of the Commandant is where a very localised cave-in almost buried her. I surrounded it by an orange outline since it seemed hard to spot. The path isn't blocked off, however, should anyone try to leave, as passage is possible both over the large pile of debris, and of course around it.
Bryn watches as the statue swings its sword toward the Sergeant, pressing the trigger on his crossbow and releasing the bolt, only to see it harmlessly ping off it's stone skin.
At least the Lieutenant has fared better.
He winces as the Sergeant takes a couple of solid blows, the second seeming to connect with dangerous force, and then a second time as the Commandant is almost buried on rocks.
Not knowing how else to help, he loads another bolt into his crossbow, and takes more careful aim this time. He looks for areas that might be more vulnerable, perhaps the neck isn't as thick.
He releases the second bolt, hoping for a better outcome than last time.
The Sergeant doesn't look like he can take another hit like that. But then who of us can?!
Bonus Action: Steady Aim - advantage on next attack Action: Crossbow attack on Statue (advantage and sneak attack) Crossbow - To Hit: (10, 3)+6=16, Damage: 4+4=8 [piercing], Sneak Damage: 4+3=7 [piercing]
Bryn's bolt flies true again but pings off the hard stone. If the statue has softer or more brittle parts, the spot where he hit isn't one of them.
Meanwhile, Lieutenant Tireur struggles to load another bullet into his firearm, which takes longer than he'd like with one hand in a splint. "Commandant! Stay near! Sands! Keep it busy, but don't let it hit you! Bandits! Turn out that damned fire before we all suffocate! This stone thing is trouble enough as is!" Indeed, the air around starts feeling harder to breathe as the rooms slowly fill with smoke. Not a big issue yet, but it will only get worse.
The ground begins to shake again, more violently than last time. Everyone seems to keep their footing, except the Commandant, who's still on the ground, and both Akvedinn and Nafnlaus (who rolled 1 and 2, respectively, before bonuses), who drop down to steady themselves. Please make a DC11 Dexterity save or fall Prone.
Sand grunts in pain as the stone sword smashes into his arm. The blow sends a jolt through him, sharp and heavy, but nothing seems to have broken — at least, not that he can tell in the moment.
He knows he's at his limits, though, and realizing that, he doesn't need Walnuts to tell him twice to forego the javelin for the moment. He raises his shield instead, gripping it tightly, hoping this time it will be enough to deflect any further attacks.
The Human bandit draws a dagger, but instead of rushing towards the enemy or even throwing it, he instead presses his pinky's pad against the blade, until a drop of blood runs down it. "I mighty foe it may be, but whether it can land a blow we will see." Just what is he doing in the middle of a situation like this?
The stone warrior keeps attacking Arren, but its attacks feel significantly weaker all of a sudden? Both attacks rolled a total of exactly 6 to hit, which Arren fends off almost effortlessly, despite his injury.
Akvedinn stands back up, loads a bolt into his light crossbow and fires, but it fares no better than Bryn's bolt.
Commandant Nattensbarn crawls back to the wall, then struggles on her feet using it as support. "Can't you help him somehow?" She calls to Bryn in panic. Although she refrains from naming it, to Bryn, it is quite clear she meant helping Arren in some way greater than an occasional crossbow's bolt. Not that she does anything herself, though.
The Elven woman drops her crossbow on the ground and draws her scimitar. "Don't let it hit me!" She calls. "May Tyr guide my sword!" She rushes forward and stands next to Arren, then tries to hew the warrior's side. But the blade strikes the stone and bounces off without dealing any damage. At least it doesn't seem broken...
Finally, Nafnlaus also stands up and runs south to get a better angle where he's less likely to hit Arren or the Elven woman. He aims the crossbow well, and when he squeezes the trigger, the bolt flies true, striking the warrior's 'arm'. The bolt breaks a piece off. Nothing that thwarts the living statue, but at least deals some damage before falling to the ground. Thrilled by his success, he hollers: "Keep shooting! Our attacks can hurt it! We can break it into pieces!"
Bryn is up. Don't forget to make a Dexterity save from my previous comment.
Bryn once again rides out the quake, keeping his feet as the tremors hit.
When the human bandit speaks in rhyme, drawing a drop of blood, he is sure that they are a bard. The one Nohem mentioned.
"Ah, he's a bard!", he says under his breath, likely loud enough for the Commandant and the Lieutenant to hear.
He looks briefly to the Commandant as she calls to him to help the Sergeant, "This is the best I can do against something like this thing. If I can just hit it right....".
His eyes then flick across to the Lieutenant, "Commandant, that firearm seemed like it made easy work of it. Perhaps if you can help the Lieutenant reload?".
Lining up another shot with the crossbow, he then carefully takes aim at the broken part of the head from the Lieutenant's shot, before shooting another bolt at the statue.
Dex Save: 13+6=19 Bonus Action: Steady Aim - advantage on next attack Action: Crossbow attack on Statue (advantage and sneak attack) Crossbow - To Hit: (18, 10)+6=24, Damage: 4+4=8 [piercing], Sneak Damage: 3+1=4 [piercing]
Bryn's third bolt finally breaks off a piece of the warrior's head. Still standing, but maybe bit by bit, everyone will reduce it to nothing more than small rocks? They'd better, if they wish to see sunlight again...
Meanwhile, Lieutenant Tireur's second shot misses the warrior completely, passing between Arren and the Elven woman and striking the wall behind them. "Ah, you jinxed it!" He calls, exasperated.
The ground begins to shake again, even more powerfully than last time. It seems to be intensifying, and it seems to be intensifying quickly. Despite that, most remain on their feet (rolling surprisingly well, including a crit), but Nafnlaus and the Elven woman must both drop to their knees and lay a hand on the ground to keep their balance. Although only brief, this window of opportunity seems to catch the stone warrior's attention, who turns slightly to face the Elven woman, and clearly intends to thrust his sword at her while her mobility is limited.
Besides that, the smoke in the air gets thicker every second. Not felt as strongly in the eastern room, but in the western room - where Arren is - it's already getting hard to breathe. Arren, please make a DC5 Constitution save. On a failure, Arren is caught in a coughing fit, struggling to breathe, and gains one level of exhaustion. None in the room seems affected yet, but it is now clear that it will only get worse (DC will increase with time).
Arren feels the smoke seeping into his lungs, making his breathing more and more difficult. Though he doesn't start coughing just yet, this, combined with the shaking ground, finally makes him lose his footing. Fortunately, he's able to stand up again without much issue.
He realises they need to get out of this room quickly. And he could circle around the stone warrior to do it, but that would mean leaving the elven woman exposed, just as she lies on the ground and is most vulnerable.
Deciding that one of them being badly hurt is more than enough, Arren grabs the woman by the shoulder without hesitation, switching places with her. The movement, though small, will hopefully give her a bit of cover, while he keeps his shield raised, protecting himself as well.
He remains fixed on the creature, ready to interpose his shield if the monster tries to strike her.
DEX Save: 2+2=4 Action:Dodge Maneouver: Bait and Switch. giving the Elf woman an extra 5 AC. Provided she is willing. Reaction: Impose the shield to cause disadvantage if the stone warrior attacks the elf woman.
The Human bandit starts walking southwards, away from the fire. "Ah, look, its head is broken, yet it still stands. I knew it had no use for it," he utters as he passes not far from the stone warrior.
The stone warrior attacks the Elven woman on the ground. Arren reaches for her and pulls her behind him, but just a little late. Its first thrust still hits the woman hip, and she lets out a pained scream while Arren snatches her just before a second thrust, probably a lethal one, could hit her.
Akvedinn follows the Human bandit southwards and away from the fire before shooting another bolt. But like many before, it leaves no lasting damage on the stone warrior.
"I can't! I don't know how!" The Commandant shouts in response to Bryn's suggestion. "If you can't breathe, lower your head! The smoke is thicker closer to the ceiling!" She then calls to all.
The Elven woman, despite the pain, rises to her feet. She hesitates briefly, but for now remains near Arren and continues to hew the stone warrior with her scimitar. This time, the blade strikes the stone and breaks a chunk off. Probably bad for the blade, but she doesn't seem to care.
Finally, Nafnlaus stands back up and shoots a bolt at the stone warrior, but it, like the others, ricochets without breaking anything off.
Bryn is up. (Sorry, no map right now. I'll update it with my next post.)
Bryn reaches out a hand to the wall to steady himself this time, but remains standing.
He looks across to the Commandant and calls back, "I assumed he just needed an extra hand for holding the thing. Never mind then". "And Lieutenant, I had no idea Meyen soldiers were defeated by the law of jinx, if only the Pohjan soldiers had known", he quips to the Lieutenant with a chuckle before getting serious again.
He looks to the double doors that he has been shooting through. "Perhaps if we all get into this room, we can shut the doors on the statue and the fire?", he calls out.
Not seeing a better course of action until the others get out of the smokey room, he simply aims his crossbow at the statue and fires again.
Dex Save: 5+6=11 (11 was the last DC I saw for the Dex save so assumed this succeeded - if not he will stand and take the shot without advantage, but still with sneak - he will also have a spare Bonus Action so let me know) Bonus Action: Steady Aim - advantage on next attack Action: Crossbow attack on Statue (advantage and sneak attack) Crossbow - To Hit: (20, 19)+6=26 [crit!], Damage: 6+6+4=16 [piercing], Sneak Damage: 6+6+6+4=22 [piercing]
((As I wrote in the OOC chat, the DC was 12. In any case...))
Bryn must lean heavily against the wall, but has no trouble righting himself once the quakes momentarily cease. But as they've been periodic so far, he believes he has no time to take extra care aiming, and spends only the necessary time to aim. But as it turns out, that is enough.
Bryn's bolt flies true, shattering the stone warrior's already partially broken head into many small pieces. It stands for a moment, and it might seem like it really doesn't need a head, but the statue then falls lifeless on the floor, shattering upon impact.
A sudden scream fills the halls in which the group stands. It echoes between the walls, no, it seems to simply come from all directions, as if the ground itself is the source, but as suddenly as it started, it ends. While all look around in confusion, or perhaps fix their eyes on the dead statue for a moment more, just to be sure it doesn't plan on standing up again, Akvedinn starts coughing. "The woman was right, we'll suffocate if we stay here!"
A few moments pass, and it seems like the earth stopped quaking. The fire in the western room has become intense, though, and smoke fills the room faster and faster. Lieutenant Tireur takes a chance and approaches the spot where the Commandant was nearly buried earlier, carefully, but nothing seems to happen. "I think it's safe now, we should leave!"
Bryn watches with satisfaction as the head of the statue shatters and it eventually falls to the ground, but winces and looks around nervously as the scream permeates the air around them.
When Akvedinn mentions the woman being right, he turns to the bandit, "A little respect, please! The Commandant will suffice, rather than, the woman". Wow, when did I actually become protective over her?
"Anyway, there was a fireplace in there, did you see a mechanism to control air flow? If there was, and we pushed these doors too leaving a small gap for air flow, there is a chance it will clear before we all die of old age", he suggests, trying to see through the smoke to where he spotted the fireplace.
It would likely settle in time, but long after we have left. Possibly after we reached Pyorre and sent soldiers back. Will the bandits risk letting us go before they have seen what's in here?
Arrenexhales as the statue falls lifeless, shattering as it hits the ground. He feels the ground still rumbling, and hears the scream that seems to come from everywhere, but he mostly ignores it, focused instead on getting the hell out of a room that is rapidly suffocating them all.
"Out, out, out!"he yells to the bandits still with him in the room, and without waiting to check on them, he moves to exit himself.
A quick glance tells him that Walnuts and their elven associate are doing fine, and with steps not quite as steady as when he first entered the room, he walks over to the Commandant. "Are you all right, ma'am?"
Seeing that she is mostly unharmed, he finally allows himself a moment to catch his breath, leaning against the wall and closing his eyes for an instant.
He is about to suggest that they leave the tunnels entirely when the man they formerly knew as the Corporal mentions a mechanism to control airflow. If such a device exists, perhaps they don't need to abandon the place just yet. Perhaps there is still a chance to investigate further, after all.
In any case, the pain and exhaustion begin to catch up with him now that the immediate danger has passed. He lets himself slide down the wall and sits for a moment.
Arren curses inwardly about his soaked boots and the cold he's going to feel once they step back outside, but there's nothing he can do about that. At least they've crossed without incident and can continue deeper into the tunnels.
Once everyone has crossed into the new room, his eyes linger briefly on the large skull before shifting to the voices beyond. He stops and, like their Elven associate, tries to listen for a moment. But no matter how much he strains, he can't make out a single word of what the four bandits are saying. (Perception: 7)
He glances back at the others and whispers, "Alright. There's no other entrance, so there's nothing for it but to go in. Let's try to keep things amiable with those four, yes?"
With that, he waits until everyone is ready, then steps into the doorway. He clears his throat just loudly enough to announce their presence and gives the bandit group a short nod.
"We spoke to Nohem and Lann and agreed we could take a look at what remains of the excavation." As he speaks, his eyes move over the four bandits, gauging whether they've already claimed any notable finds. "How are things here? Any sign of danger besides the plant-fish at the pool?" He pauses, then adds, "Nice trick getting rid of most of them so neatly, by the way."
He directs the last remark toward the High Elf woman, though his gaze briefly flicks to the human beside her as well. Even if it seems obvious that the High Elf would be the one wielding magic, who's to say it couldn't be the human instead?
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren
Neither Arren nor Bryn can hear exactly what is said, but it's not long before the voices stop talking. There's a scent, though, faint at first but gradually intensifying. Smoke... perhaps someone is smoking a pipe? Something is burning, that's for sure.
When Arren steps into the next room, he first sees Nafnlaus and Akvedinn, with Nafnlaus still carrying his lantern. But there's light coming from deeper into the room... the second lantern, carried by the Human? Yes, that too, but also from behind him, where Arren sees a wall of thorns and roots, blocking a corridor. Besides that, the room looks mostly normal. Elongated like the previous one, with the south side strangely a natural wall rather than carved. In the western wall, there's what looks like an ancient fireplace. No coal or signs of fire remain there after so much time, but a fireplace must have a chimney, though it appears to have been constructed inside the wall. Lastly, next to the door and just next to Arren, there's another relief in the wall, this time in the shape of a life-size warrior, holding up a sword in two hands, looking up to the heavens.
"Took you longer than I thought," Akvedinn replies, "did Nohem lecture you about his injuries? I'm sure he did. We're fine over here, nothing since those fish. Well, there are these annoying thorns up ahead, but nothing a bit of fire can't get rid of."
Arren can't tell whether the bandits have found anything - none of them is holding a flaming sword or anything like that - but the Elven woman carries a small bag on her back. She came in with it, too, Arren recalls. Nothing special, probably, but there's no way to tell whether she's got anything inside that wasn't there before.
"You incompetent fools! Put that fire out before we all suffocate here!" Commandant Nattensbarn shouts all of a sudden. "All that smoke has nowhere else to go!" She starts walking backwards, away from the door and towards the pool.
But before the Commandant can exit the room, the ground begins to shake all of a sudden. Not as violently as in previous times, at first, but everyone around feels it. "Heh, I think all those gases in her stomach made Gai-" Akvedinn stops mid-sentence and stumbles back in horror. He looks, terrified, at Arren, stuttering while trying to warn those around him.
No, he's not looking at Arren. Akvedinn looks behind Arren, at the relief in the wall. What was previously sculpted into the wall, only partially protruding from it, has broken off the wall and started falling down. No, it's not broken, and it isn't falling. The life-size stone warrior emerges out of the wall as one might emerge from under the water, the wall behind it morphing to complete the structure where it was previously not sculpted. After mere seconds, next to Arren stands what would normally look like a beautiful statue, except looking very much alive, despite being made of stone.
Its sword looks like it will hurt, probably a lot, being made out of stone and all.
Please roll for initiative. If you roll above 21, you may act (please keep rolled order for now, if you both happen to roll above 21).
As usual, ignore all wooden furniture. At the top of the map, you can see I placed a fire sticker (the best I could find in the maps feature, but better than nothing) to indicate where the burning wall of thorns and roots is. Passage beyond that point is currently impossible. The tokens for the various characters are, of course, only visual aids and should not reflect what the characters really look like (and yet, I couldn't find anything I was happy with in my library for the superior officers there, so they'll keep the default token for now).
Varielky | Werhann
Arren's initiative= 15
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren
Bryn hangs back a bit letting the Sergeant do the talking, remaining wary as he looks through the doors to the next room.
When the Commandant reprimands the bandits, he can't help but smile a little. She seems back to her usual self.
When Akvedinn stops speaking mid sentence, with a look of horror on his face, Bryn immediately tenses. He sees the statue appear from seemingly nowhere next to the Sergeant, and his eyes widen in surprise. A new guardian made of stone?
He quickly takes a step back as he equips his crossbow, pressing himself against the wall so this likely new enemy cannot quite see him, and peeks out ready to take a shot if it attacks.
Initiative: 18+4=22
Movement: 5ft South
Bonus Action: Hide
Stealth: 7+6=13
Action: Ready a crossbow attack on the statue if it starts to make an attack against soldiers or bandits
Reaction: Held crossbow attack on Statue (advantage if hidden - sneak if advantage or it is next to an ally - assuming bandits are allies against the statue?)
Crossbow - To Hit: (9,
8)+6=15, Damage: 8+4=12 [piercing], Sneak Damage: 2+2=4 [piercing]While Bryn hides, Walnuts draws his firearm and prepares to fire should the moving statue not have come alive to invite everyone for tea. He steps a little forward to stand between the moving statue and the Commandant, just in case.
Suddenly, the ground starts shaking again. Violently, not like before. And while the cave holds firm for now, the balance of all who stand in it is thrown off. Most manage to stay on their feet, except for Akvedinn, who stumbles back and falls on the ground.
Please make a DC10 Dexterity saving throw. On a failure, fall Prone. Bryn, since your stealth check failed (reminder: 2024 rules need you to pass 15 to hide) and since you won't get a chance to stand back up before your turn, if you fail your dexterity save, your shot will be made (if triggered) with a disadvantage. No need to reroll, though, I'll just consult the other roll above.
Arren's turn.
Not updating the map yet, but Bryn moved 5 feet south, and Walnuts moved 5 feet west.
Initiative order:
Bryn→Walnuts→Arren→Human Bandit→???→Akvedinn→Commandant→Elven Bandit→Nafnlaus
Varielky | Werhann
Bryn feels the rumble of the ground, but manages to keep his footing.
Dev Save: 8+6=14 (Success!)
(OOC: Noted regarding stealth., thanks for the reminder)
Arren is confused by the look Akvedinn gives him, until he catches movement out of the corner of his eye and turns to see the warrior statue come to life. The shock almost costs him his footing, but he manages to steady himself at the last moment.
His first instinct is to draw his longsword, but… what good would it do against stone? Will it shatter on impact? And if it does, then what? He doesn't know, and he isn't keen on finding out at the expense of his main weapon. Instead, he reaches for a javelin. If something has to break, better it be that.
The Half-Elf locks eyes with the creature but does not attack. Instead, he carefully pivots around it, never stepping fully out of its reach, until he places himself between the stone warrior and Nafnlaus. Hopefully, the bandint will take that for what it is — a sign they are allies in this fight.
Arren levels the javelin at the creature, shield held tight in his other hand, and gauges its intentions. He would be surprised if they were anything other than hostile, but for now, he simply readies himself in case the warrior strikes.
Dex Save: 8+2=10
Readied Action (Javelin attack): 11 (I guess that is a miss?)
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren
"Oh, what is that?" The Human bandit calls. "A statue? Must be dense!"
The stone warrior doesn't seem like the insult affects it in any way. Finally out of the wall entirely, it spends no time and immediately slashes the nearest creature, attacking Arren twice. In response, Walnuts immediately shoots the stone warrior, and both Bryn and Arren do too. Bryn's bolt ricochets off the stone figure without leaving any visible damage, and Arren's handheld javelin fares no better. Indeed, a figure made of stone won't be hurt by weaker attacks (OOC: All flavour, both attacks just missed). The Lieutenant's shot, however (a crit!), breaks a sizable chunk off the stone warrior's head. A blow that would be lethal for any normal person, but is not enough to take down a warrior of stone.
Unbothered by all three attacks, the stone warrior resumes its attacks. A powerful first blow, which Arren just barely holds off with his shield. Although it feels less powerful than Emma's attacks, in terms of raw strength, the increased weight of the stone makes it about as dangerous. But unlike Emma, when Arren fought her, the stone warrior doesn't wildly flail in the dark, and instead attacks quickly and with precision. The second attack, faster than the first, aimed at Arren's hand, which holds the javelin, is too fast and strong for Arren to block.
Second attack: 23 to hit, dealing 15 bludgeoning damage. It seems the sword isn't particularly sharp...
Akvedinn struggles back on his feet, takes aim and shoots. Unfortunately, his bolt, like Bryn's, slides off the hard stone without leaving even a dent.
Commandant Nattensbarn turns around and is about to retreat out of the room when suddenly, the ceiling above caves in and a large pile of rocks nearly buries the Commandant, who, in the last second, manages to fall backwards, missing her demise by the length of a hair. She crawls backwards, terrified. "I don't think it wants us to leave!"
The Elven woman and Nafnlaus both also try to shoot the warrior, but both miss completely while trying not to hit Arren. Nafnlaus's shot passes right by Arren's shoulder. "Sorry!" He calls, before running off to get a better angle for his next shot, as does the Elven bandit.
Bryn's turn again.
The stone south of the Commandant is where a very localised cave-in almost buried her. I surrounded it by an orange outline since it seemed hard to spot. The path isn't blocked off, however, should anyone try to leave, as passage is possible both over the large pile of debris, and of course around it.
Varielky | Werhann
Bryn watches as the statue swings its sword toward the Sergeant, pressing the trigger on his crossbow and releasing the bolt, only to see it harmlessly ping off it's stone skin.
At least the Lieutenant has fared better.
He winces as the Sergeant takes a couple of solid blows, the second seeming to connect with dangerous force, and then a second time as the Commandant is almost buried on rocks.
Not knowing how else to help, he loads another bolt into his crossbow, and takes more careful aim this time. He looks for areas that might be more vulnerable, perhaps the neck isn't as thick.
He releases the second bolt, hoping for a better outcome than last time.
The Sergeant doesn't look like he can take another hit like that. But then who of us can?!
Bonus Action: Steady Aim - advantage on next attack
Action: Crossbow attack on Statue (advantage and sneak attack)
Crossbow - To Hit: (10,
3)+6=16, Damage: 4+4=8 [piercing], Sneak Damage: 4+3=7 [piercing]Bryn's bolt flies true again but pings off the hard stone. If the statue has softer or more brittle parts, the spot where he hit isn't one of them.
Meanwhile, Lieutenant Tireur struggles to load another bullet into his firearm, which takes longer than he'd like with one hand in a splint. "Commandant! Stay near! Sands! Keep it busy, but don't let it hit you! Bandits! Turn out that damned fire before we all suffocate! This stone thing is trouble enough as is!" Indeed, the air around starts feeling harder to breathe as the rooms slowly fill with smoke. Not a big issue yet, but it will only get worse.
The ground begins to shake again, more violently than last time. Everyone seems to keep their footing, except the Commandant, who's still on the ground, and both Akvedinn and Nafnlaus (who rolled 1 and 2, respectively, before bonuses), who drop down to steady themselves. Please make a DC11 Dexterity save or fall Prone.
Arren is up.
Varielky | Werhann
Sand grunts in pain as the stone sword smashes into his arm. The blow sends a jolt through him, sharp and heavy, but nothing seems to have broken — at least, not that he can tell in the moment.
He knows he's at his limits, though, and realizing that, he doesn't need Walnuts to tell him twice to forego the javelin for the moment. He raises his shield instead, gripping it tightly, hoping this time it will be enough to deflect any further attacks.
Action: Dodge / Dex ST: 10+2 = 12
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren
The Human bandit draws a dagger, but instead of rushing towards the enemy or even throwing it, he instead presses his pinky's pad against the blade, until a drop of blood runs down it. "I mighty foe it may be, but whether it can land a blow we will see." Just what is he doing in the middle of a situation like this?
The stone warrior keeps attacking Arren, but its attacks feel significantly weaker all of a sudden? Both attacks rolled a total of exactly 6 to hit, which Arren fends off almost effortlessly, despite his injury.
Akvedinn stands back up, loads a bolt into his light crossbow and fires, but it fares no better than Bryn's bolt.
Commandant Nattensbarn crawls back to the wall, then struggles on her feet using it as support. "Can't you help him somehow?" She calls to Bryn in panic. Although she refrains from naming it, to Bryn, it is quite clear she meant helping Arren in some way greater than an occasional crossbow's bolt. Not that she does anything herself, though.
The Elven woman drops her crossbow on the ground and draws her scimitar. "Don't let it hit me!" She calls. "May Tyr guide my sword!" She rushes forward and stands next to Arren, then tries to hew the warrior's side. But the blade strikes the stone and bounces off without dealing any damage. At least it doesn't seem broken...
Finally, Nafnlaus also stands up and runs south to get a better angle where he's less likely to hit Arren or the Elven woman. He aims the crossbow well, and when he squeezes the trigger, the bolt flies true, striking the warrior's 'arm'. The bolt breaks a piece off. Nothing that thwarts the living statue, but at least deals some damage before falling to the ground. Thrilled by his success, he hollers: "Keep shooting! Our attacks can hurt it! We can break it into pieces!"
Bryn is up. Don't forget to make a Dexterity save from my previous comment.
Varielky | Werhann
Bryn once again rides out the quake, keeping his feet as the tremors hit.
When the human bandit speaks in rhyme, drawing a drop of blood, he is sure that they are a bard. The one Nohem mentioned.
"Ah, he's a bard!", he says under his breath, likely loud enough for the Commandant and the Lieutenant to hear.
He looks briefly to the Commandant as she calls to him to help the Sergeant, "This is the best I can do against something like this thing. If I can just hit it right....".
His eyes then flick across to the Lieutenant, "Commandant, that firearm seemed like it made easy work of it. Perhaps if you can help the Lieutenant reload?".
Lining up another shot with the crossbow, he then carefully takes aim at the broken part of the head from the Lieutenant's shot, before shooting another bolt at the statue.
Dex Save: 13+6=19
Bonus Action: Steady Aim - advantage on next attack
Action: Crossbow attack on Statue (advantage and sneak attack)
Crossbow - To Hit: (18,
10)+6=24, Damage: 4+4=8 [piercing], Sneak Damage: 3+1=4 [piercing]((1000th!))
Bryn's third bolt finally breaks off a piece of the warrior's head. Still standing, but maybe bit by bit, everyone will reduce it to nothing more than small rocks? They'd better, if they wish to see sunlight again...
Meanwhile, Lieutenant Tireur's second shot misses the warrior completely, passing between Arren and the Elven woman and striking the wall behind them. "Ah, you jinxed it!" He calls, exasperated.
The ground begins to shake again, even more powerfully than last time. It seems to be intensifying, and it seems to be intensifying quickly. Despite that, most remain on their feet (rolling surprisingly well, including a crit), but Nafnlaus and the Elven woman must both drop to their knees and lay a hand on the ground to keep their balance. Although only brief, this window of opportunity seems to catch the stone warrior's attention, who turns slightly to face the Elven woman, and clearly intends to thrust his sword at her while her mobility is limited.
Besides that, the smoke in the air gets thicker every second. Not felt as strongly in the eastern room, but in the western room - where Arren is - it's already getting hard to breathe. Arren, please make a DC5 Constitution save. On a failure, Arren is caught in a coughing fit, struggling to breathe, and gains one level of exhaustion. None in the room seems affected yet, but it is now clear that it will only get worse (DC will increase with time).
Arren's turn.
Varielky | Werhann
Arren feels the smoke seeping into his lungs, making his breathing more and more difficult. Though he doesn't start coughing just yet, this, combined with the shaking ground, finally makes him lose his footing. Fortunately, he's able to stand up again without much issue.
He realises they need to get out of this room quickly. And he could circle around the stone warrior to do it, but that would mean leaving the elven woman exposed, just as she lies on the ground and is most vulnerable.
Deciding that one of them being badly hurt is more than enough, Arren grabs the woman by the shoulder without hesitation, switching places with her. The movement, though small, will hopefully give her a bit of cover, while he keeps his shield raised, protecting himself as well.
He remains fixed on the creature, ready to interpose his shield if the monster tries to strike her.
DEX Save: 2+2=4
Action: Dodge
Maneouver: Bait and Switch. giving the Elf woman an extra 5 AC. Provided she is willing.
Reaction: Impose the shield to cause disadvantage if the stone warrior attacks the elf woman.
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren
The Human bandit starts walking southwards, away from the fire. "Ah, look, its head is broken, yet it still stands. I knew it had no use for it," he utters as he passes not far from the stone warrior.
The stone warrior attacks the Elven woman on the ground. Arren reaches for her and pulls her behind him, but just a little late. Its first thrust still hits the woman hip, and she lets out a pained scream while Arren snatches her just before a second thrust, probably a lethal one, could hit her.
Akvedinn follows the Human bandit southwards and away from the fire before shooting another bolt. But like many before, it leaves no lasting damage on the stone warrior.
"I can't! I don't know how!" The Commandant shouts in response to Bryn's suggestion. "If you can't breathe, lower your head! The smoke is thicker closer to the ceiling!" She then calls to all.
The Elven woman, despite the pain, rises to her feet. She hesitates briefly, but for now remains near Arren and continues to hew the stone warrior with her scimitar. This time, the blade strikes the stone and breaks a chunk off. Probably bad for the blade, but she doesn't seem to care.
Finally, Nafnlaus stands back up and shoots a bolt at the stone warrior, but it, like the others, ricochets without breaking anything off.
Bryn is up. (Sorry, no map right now. I'll update it with my next post.)
Varielky | Werhann
Bryn reaches out a hand to the wall to steady himself this time, but remains standing.
He looks across to the Commandant and calls back, "I assumed he just needed an extra hand for holding the thing. Never mind then". "And Lieutenant, I had no idea Meyen soldiers were defeated by the law of jinx, if only the Pohjan soldiers had known", he quips to the Lieutenant with a chuckle before getting serious again.
He looks to the double doors that he has been shooting through. "Perhaps if we all get into this room, we can shut the doors on the statue and the fire?", he calls out.
Not seeing a better course of action until the others get out of the smokey room, he simply aims his crossbow at the statue and fires again.
Dex Save: 5+6=11 (11 was the last DC I saw for the Dex save so assumed this succeeded - if not he will stand and take the shot without advantage, but still with sneak - he will also have a spare Bonus Action so let me know)
Bonus Action: Steady Aim - advantage on next attack
Action: Crossbow attack on Statue (advantage and sneak attack)
Crossbow - To Hit: (20,
19)+6=26 [crit!], Damage: 6+6+4=16 [piercing], Sneak Damage: 6+6+6+4=22 [piercing]((As I wrote in the OOC chat, the DC was 12. In any case...))
Bryn must lean heavily against the wall, but has no trouble righting himself once the quakes momentarily cease. But as they've been periodic so far, he believes he has no time to take extra care aiming, and spends only the necessary time to aim. But as it turns out, that is enough.
Bryn's bolt flies true, shattering the stone warrior's already partially broken head into many small pieces. It stands for a moment, and it might seem like it really doesn't need a head, but the statue then falls lifeless on the floor, shattering upon impact.
A sudden scream fills the halls in which the group stands. It echoes between the walls, no, it seems to simply come from all directions, as if the ground itself is the source, but as suddenly as it started, it ends. While all look around in confusion, or perhaps fix their eyes on the dead statue for a moment more, just to be sure it doesn't plan on standing up again, Akvedinn starts coughing. "The woman was right, we'll suffocate if we stay here!"
A few moments pass, and it seems like the earth stopped quaking. The fire in the western room has become intense, though, and smoke fills the room faster and faster. Lieutenant Tireur takes a chance and approaches the spot where the Commandant was nearly buried earlier, carefully, but nothing seems to happen. "I think it's safe now, we should leave!"
Varielky | Werhann
Bryn watches with satisfaction as the head of the statue shatters and it eventually falls to the ground, but winces and looks around nervously as the scream permeates the air around them.
When Akvedinn mentions the woman being right, he turns to the bandit, "A little respect, please! The Commandant will suffice, rather than, the woman". Wow, when did I actually become protective over her?
"Anyway, there was a fireplace in there, did you see a mechanism to control air flow? If there was, and we pushed these doors too leaving a small gap for air flow, there is a chance it will clear before we all die of old age", he suggests, trying to see through the smoke to where he spotted the fireplace.
It would likely settle in time, but long after we have left. Possibly after we reached Pyorre and sent soldiers back. Will the bandits risk letting us go before they have seen what's in here?
Arren exhales as the statue falls lifeless, shattering as it hits the ground. He feels the ground still rumbling, and hears the scream that seems to come from everywhere, but he mostly ignores it, focused instead on getting the hell out of a room that is rapidly suffocating them all.
"Out, out, out!" he yells to the bandits still with him in the room, and without waiting to check on them, he moves to exit himself.
A quick glance tells him that Walnuts and their elven associate are doing fine, and with steps not quite as steady as when he first entered the room, he walks over to the Commandant. "Are you all right, ma'am?"
Seeing that she is mostly unharmed, he finally allows himself a moment to catch his breath, leaning against the wall and closing his eyes for an instant.
He is about to suggest that they leave the tunnels entirely when the man they formerly knew as the Corporal mentions a mechanism to control airflow. If such a device exists, perhaps they don't need to abandon the place just yet. Perhaps there is still a chance to investigate further, after all.
In any case, the pain and exhaustion begin to catch up with him now that the immediate danger has passed. He lets himself slide down the wall and sits for a moment.
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren