Erik Soong's Call of the Netherdeep

Ylis shrugs questioningly, then holds a finger to her lips and makes double forward chops with her hands. Then she shrugs again, draws a dagger, makes a kicking motion, then stabbing motions and shrugs.

She makes a shooing motion indicating that you can pick.

Sky clasps his holy symbol -- a small but well-crafted, oft-cleaned amulet around his neck -- as he calls upon the unknowable powers of his deity.  Using a charge of Channel Divinity to activate Divine Sense, Sky senses whether or not there are any Celestials, Undead, or Fiends within 60' of his location.  Sky hopes to use this to determine if there's something on the other side that he needs to go in attacking immediately. He will also immediately sense any hallowed or unhallowed locations ...

(OOC: Nothing in the ability suggests a closed door should block this Divine Sense, and Channel Divinity doesn't seem to have any audible components.  So ... what does he sense? :) )

Morgan hangs back at the rear of the group, keeping an eye on the eastern approach. With the help of his familiar, he watches for any unpleasant surprises.

(OOC: Morgan makes an Arcana check to try to understand why his familiar is being so unusually silent. Is this tied to his recent chaotic behavior… or something more fiendish in nature? Arcana: 8.)

Frekor listens carefully (Perception check: 11,   3+8.  I don't think I should have disadvantage since it was sound-based instead of sight-based, still it wasn't the best but whatever.)

-You might be right. In any case, we should open the door to see who is in there and clear that room.- he whispered.

He then got ready to open the door, but before doing so, he signaled to the rest of the party to come closer. He waits for them to open the door.

(OOC: Frekor is not opening the door just yet. Quick question: if I want to open the door without making noise, should I do a Stealth check or a Sleight of Hand one?)

Quote from TeethAgatha >>

Morgan hangs back at the rear of the group, keeping an eye on the eastern approach. With the help of his familiar, he watches for any unpleasant surprises.

(OOC: Morgan makes an Arcana check to try to understand why his familiar is being so unusually silent. Is this tied to his recent chaotic behavior… or something more fiendish in nature? Arcana: 8.)

 (OOC: I think it was just flavor to say that it was really good at sneaking, which seems to not be something it does well, either because of bad stats or bad rolls in the past, or just a personality thing of your familiar.)

Nivi can tell that the door is not locked, but her careful and well-practiced touch reveals that a triggering mechanism. A trap or an alarm, she can’t tell from this side, but the almost imperceptible resistance on the door when she checked it informs her that whomever is on the other side wants something to happen if anyone attempts to open it from the hero’s side.

As Sky channels holy power through himself, he becomes acutely aware that there is one fiend on the other side of that door. He also notices a fiend 60ft to the west, three south and slightly west from his position, and three more beneath him. Below, as well, there is desecrated ground. The stench of evil burns his mind’s eye like fresh cut onions. Sky also can sense that Morgan’s bat is a fiend.

Morgan gets a sense that the oddity with it being without sound is at least related to what he saw earlier with the mirroring double, but he can’t determine what is the cause. Perhaps he is distracted by the stench of the sewers or how that demon seemed very confident last they saw it.

DM: I just wanted to address some thoughts on the Disadvantage situation. No one is in Darkness right now anyway, since Ylis is carrying around a handheld sun in her hand. Therefore, no Perception Check within that range is currently at a Disadvantage for anyone with Darkvision. When dealing with Darkness though, the Disadvantage would be imposed even with just listening checks for the same reason Invisibility forces Disadvantage on Attacks to locate the Invisible target. In both cases (Invisibility or listening in Darkness) the ability to see a target is being removed from your collection of senses. This imposes the Disadvantage because you are forced to rely exclusively on your ability to hear them. I acknowledge that this is imperfect and inelegant, but it is how I believe the penalty is intended to work.

DM2: Let’s say trying to open a door quietly would be a Stealth Check.

Sky makes horns atop his head with his fingers, and hisses silently, miming fangs.

He holds up 1 finger and points on the other side of the door the party is facing.

OOC: It is highly unlikely that we will be able to sneak past the door. Just kick it in (or pull it open), we now know there is at least one demon in there.

"Something on the door, though," Nivi whispers softly, her brow furrowing in concentration above pale green eyes.  "Trigger for a trap, might be.  Or an alarm.  Dunno exactly what, but they want us to trip it.  Tracker, yo.  Wanna help me out with this?"

(Nivi is asking for Frekor's help for a Thieves' Tools check to attempt to carefully locate and disarm the trigger from this side if possible.  OOC:  Both she and he are proficient in both Thieves' Tools and Sleight of Hand - both have a +7).

Nivi's Thieves' Tools or Sleight of Hand check to disarm trigger on door with or without advantage from Frekor's help (first roll higher):  25

Quote from Tybard >>

"Something on the door, though," Nivi whispers softly, her brow furrowing in concentration above pale green eyes.  "Trigger for a trap, might be.  Or an alarm.  Dunno exactly what, but they want us to trip it.  Tracker, yo.  Wanna help me out with this?"

(Nivi is asking for Frekor's help for a Thieves' Tools check to attempt to carefully locate and disarm the trigger from this side if possible.  OOC:  Both she and he are proficient in both Thieves' Tools and Sleight of Hand - both have a +7).

Nivi's Thieves' Tools or Sleight of Hand check to disarm trigger on door with or without advantage from Frekor's help (first roll higher):  25

 Frekor helps Nivi with disarming the possible trap. (Nivi has advantage on the action.)

Jacaranda watches patiently as the others play with the door trying to keep watch in both directions in case of danger....

Initially, it was hard to discern what it was that was on the other side. However, with her deft use of the Thieves Tools and without knowing exactly what it was, she somehow disabled the triggering mechanism. She doesn’t hear it, but a familiar release against the pressure gingerly applied by the tools lets Nivi know that a plate had been released and a thread slid, slowly, through a loop in her tool. It quietly lowers until the thread slackens. Whatever it was is no longer a threat.

Nivi exhales softly and straightens back up, giving Frekor a quick, thankful nod.  Her voice is still a whisper.

"Dunno what that was, but took out the trigger for it.  Not locked either.  Should be all good for Tiny to make his grand entrance.  I can go right after, if the rest of you all want to hang back at range?  Just, we should decide beforehand..."  She chews her lip.

"Any demons, we put down right quick, no question.  Anyone decently armed too, I'm thinking.  Could leave one alive to question.  Don't think they'd have prisoners, but it turns out to be a demon guarding snoring captives, or we can't tell, then it gets muddy.  Not here to kill innocents."

Nivi moves some  distance away to renew her concentration on Blade Ward before returning to the door.  She stands aside for Sky to bust in and readies herself to follow immediately after, but first looks to all of her new companions in case they have anything to add or suggest.

Ylis re-energizes her spear and moves to the dot.

Morgan follows Ylis, then moves closer to the door, leaving space for the others to maneuver (OOC: he positions himself about three spaces (15 feet) to the left of Ylis).

He gets ready. Whenever possible, he will avoid using lethal attacks.

Jacaranda moved close up behind Ylis trying to sight targets within the door when it opens....

Sky moves up to the door and has his halberd ready.  He taps Nivi on the shoulder and points at the door, hefting his two-handed weapon in hand, silently tasking her with opening the door, as he prepares to move in immediately afterward.

Nivi's rapier remains at her belt for the moment as she visually confirms that the others all seem ready.  She grins sardonically and throws Sky a mock salute as he gives her the go ahead.  Well, no turning back now...  (She thinks, but does not say.)

She attempts to glide the unlocked door open at medium speed.  Not slow enough to give warning, nor fast enough to make noise, ideally.  Ready to take an instant to clock what she sees along with Shiv on her shoulder, then accompany the goliath into whatever lies beyond.

The moment Nivi opens the door, the blazing light from Ylis' Light spell fully illuminates the room. Five heavily armed people, clad in fine leather armor with thin swords on their belts and enough daggers to fill a large basket can be seen in the room. Four are lying on bedrolls, some snoring, one is sitting at a two person table with a familiar imp, playing cards. 

As the light bursts into the room like the Kool-Aid Man, the imp turns to the heroes. He regards them with an exhausted expression. "Told you... to bring... an army. Not smart," he says in the same stilted manner of speaking he used with the party before. "Probably going... to die down here... covered in filth."

Across from the table, the man, a human, stands from his seat, kicking the chair over with a clatter, which rouses the others. The imp sets its card face down, so his opponent can't see the hand.

DM: Any aggressive action starts Initiative, but it isn't your only available option at the moment. The blue lines indicate where the door cuts the light, since it does not wrap corners to fill a room like Fireball.

Randa sighted on the cutthroat standing next to the imp, holding her shot until the frontline made a move....or spoke.

Held Attack: 11 Damage: 9