Erik Soong's Call of the Netherdeep

"Aho! That was uncalled for!" Morgan protests as the assassin’s poisoned blade sinks into his leg.

He immediately grabs the Clasp agent by the wrist.
"You really should’ve reconsidered your career choices."

A violent jolt of electricity surges through the criminal’s arm, forcing his teeth to chatter uncontrollably.
(Shocking Grasp: 22 to hit, 14 lightning damage.)

Morgan stumbles a step back (to A7), breathing hard. Then his eyes go completely empty once more... black voids buzzing with unstable energy.
(Metamagic: Quickened Spell.)

A new orb of raw power forms in his hand, crackling louder and louder.
(Chromatic Orb - 2nd level - thunder damage).

The orb rockets forward:

It crashes into Clasp Agent 1 (25 to hit, 14 thunder damage) with an explosive boom before ricocheting away.
It rebounds into Fiend 3 (20 to hit, 16 thunder damage) 
and leaps one final time into Fiend 1 (25 to hit, 16 thunder damage).

No Wild Magic surge follows... but the chaos within Morgan twists anyway.

With a soft puff, Morgan vanishes from sight... along with Nivi, Frek, and Randa.

(OOC: If Clasp 1 is dead, Morgan will try to retreat and hide back in the corridor.)
(Recharge of Tides of Chaos: 46 -> "You and up to three creatures you choose within 30 feet of you have the Invisible condition for 1 minute. This invisibility ends on a creature immediately after it makes an attack roll, deals damage, or casts a spell.")

DM: *Long whistle* Sorcerers, man... 

Sky must heal himself before he can re-enter the fray.  He looks back at Ylis, grimacing slightly at his current state.   "These guys are kinda hard to beat compared to the last," Sky says to the rabbitfolk.

Assuming he no longer feels the dark, unhallowed energy at his current location on the map, he would use a level 2 slot for Cure Wounds to heal ... a pitiful 11 HP.

Sky uses 10 more of his Lay on Hands for the day, bringing him to almost full.  

(He would use his movement to move further back if needed until he was no longer within the forbidden area.  Otherwise, he'll stay where he is this turn so he can heal safely.)

DM: Morgan, Clasp 1 is out of your range for a Touch spell (Shocking Grasp).

DM: Randa, it’s been two days, so we are moving along.

Nivi drives her blade into the Clasp agent’s flesh and she squeals in pain. She is a slippery one and manages to dodge the worst of it, but the strike is still true and visibly wounds her. As the magical energy envelops her, her eyes dart around in confusion and desperation. She saw what happened when Desu tries to leave this magical barrier.

Morgan’s thunderous chromatic orb bounces around dealing devastating blow after blow. Fiend 1 seems ready to attempt to curse Nivi again, but before it can, the terrifyingly effective orb blows it to smithereens. Nivi, while leaking a fair amount of her own blood, is showered in the fiendish ichor of all that remains of Fiend 1.

Fiend 3 is also blown apart, but not quite enough to kill it. A cavernous pit now exists in its abdomen, which would certainly have spelled death to any humanoid creature. It persists and after being blasted to the ground again, slowly climbs to its feet. It hisses at Morgan, but the overlord creature growls at it, and seems to communicate some message telepathically, for its entire behavior shifts from aggression to some other focus.

Fiend 3 limps over to the captives and uses its Free Action to unfasten the lashing that anchored the tables in place. It then moves one of the tables across the pulsing symbol on the floor.

The overlord moves forward, using its Free Action to move one of the tables also to one side of the symbol. Stepping up to the edge of the circle, the overlord begins to utter guttural chanting with its raspy voice. The sounds fill the room and the pulsing of the symbol causes the glowing runes of blood spattered on every square meter of this room to pulse with energy and intensify in its glow. The overlord then gestures to the three, firing out a dart that lances into their bellies.

As blood pours out of their bodies, it stretches out from them to the center of the circle, where it winds like rope with the other two cords of blood and then twists into a web. The web elevates to the ceiling and the room itself groans in agony as an unholy ritual seems to strain the very spirit of this room.

A face is seen pressing against the web, then a hand, which bursts through it. A black skeleton can be seen through red, semi-translucent flesh covered in blood, its heart can be seen beating, back-lit by a fiendish glow. Then the rest of the body slides through with an inhuman grace, touching down on the floor slowly, lowered with care by the web of blood that now forms a royal cloak that extends all the way up to the ceiling. Fragments of blood rain down like cherry blossoms around the creature.

A figure stands before you, horns like a mountain range, wings unfurling with long, sword-like digits. The web of blood forms the membrane of the wings. A bony tail playfully swishes out from behind her. The spurs of each segment dangerously spiked and the tip of which is wide and flat as a shovel, but infinitely more dangerous with its three ragged prongs on it. The face is clearly familiar, though the angles of the face are now ridged with barbs. Desu has returned.

DM: It is a shame that embedding doesn’t seem to be working but this is essentially what you saw: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6CGYoxdADQ

The creature’s head angles up at the party and she opens her eyes. A smile curls up at the corner of her mouth and her hand gestures in the air.

DM: Those who speak Thieves Can’t can understand this message.

She turns to the overlord and her smile widens to a grin. “Weak.” she echoes and the overlord, despite a frozen expression, seems puzzled by her comment.

She jams her taloned fist through its hanging jaw and into its heart. It spasms and goes rigid as she seems to pull essence from it, then it collapses to its knees. A wave echos out and the spider fiend simply bursts from within, what appears to be a soul of the fiend is drawn into Desu’s form. The three humanoid bodies are blown up and back against the walls and merge with the stone and the ground cracks. Noxious gas bursts up through the cracks in jets.

DM: Morgan, please roll a Charisma Saving Throw for your bat friend, DC 14. On failure, its physical form is annihilated and its essence is consumed by Demon Desu.

Taskhand Thelyss summons what energy he has left. “FLEEEEEEE!!!!” he pleads he says from his kneeling cross.

The Clasp agents seem to take the advice and try to do so. Clasp 3 covers her face and pushes through the barrier. The explosion causes her to stumble, but she is undeterred.

DM: Nivi, you have an Opportunity Attack against Clasp 3.

DM: The party all can feel an intense power emanating from her. You might win... at full strength. In your current state, it is unclear. Thelyss however, does not seem to be bound by some elaborate lock. A simple crucifixion is all that anchors him to the cross. Sky and Ylis will also get OA on Clasp 1, 2, and 3. They can choose which ones they want to attack, if any.

DM: I also forgot to remove Frekor's status. He is no longer Incapacitated, though he is still bound by the webs. 

Quote from Erik_Soong >>

DM: The party all can feel an intense power emanating from her. You might win... at full strength. In your current state, it is unclear. Thelyss however, does not seem to be bound by some elaborate lock. A simple crucifixion is all that anchors him to the cross. Sky and Ylis will also get OA on Clasp 1, 2, and 3. They can choose which ones they want to attack, if any.

DM: I also forgot to remove Frekor's status. He is no longer Incapacitated, though he is still bound by the webs. 

 (OOC: It's fine, I knew that after your post Frekor would stop being incapacitated.  Also, where is Clasp 2? Morgan's orb hit them, but are they still invisible?)

Frekor's mind was in complete darkness with momentary scenes of a man and a woman he never met, but felt odly familiar, his parents perhaps? Then he saw his caretaker with his Luxon symbol slowly fade into the darkness. More and more people appeared and vanished, all the people he met and befriended throughout his multiple lives, each leaving him behind alone in darkness.

He was alone in a place without sound, no matter how much he screamed for the people that he loved to come back. Then suddenly, light and sound came back, Frekor shooked his head and looked around to understand what happened and calm himself. He realized he was trapped in a web and all the fiends were gone, except for the crimson red demon at the center of the room, who clearly means trouble.

(OOC: It would be funny if Frekor were to say "I was out for 6 seconds, what the hell happened?!"  I'll post the actual turn later.)

DM: Correct. Invisibility does not drop when hit. Only when you Attack. So Clasp 2 is still Invisible. Frekor would be able to hear them making their way for the door. Also, love the RP. 

Nivi's opportunity attack on Clasp 3 at advantage both from being invisible and from Vex Weapon Mastery, 3 d20s from Elven Accuracy:

Rapier to hit Clasp 3:  23 + 1 from Bless = 24
Rapier damage:  9 (base) + 10 (Sneak Attack) = 19 piercing
Vex Weapon Mastery:  Nivi has advantage on her next attack against Clasp 3 until the end of her next turn.

Nivi becomes visible.  Beyond being generously covered and drenched in Fiend 1's ichor and blood, Desu's, Clasp 3's ,and her own, the rogue looks almost... melancholy.  An incongruous expression for her face.  She sighs, resigned, as she looks up at the fiendish abomination that Desu has become.

(For flavor):  Nivi's Clasp hand-talk (Thieves' Cant) back to Desu:

 (Will post Nivi's actual turn later.)

Randa watched events unfold as despair kindled again in her heart, her mind flashed back to the road and the eldritch horrors encountered there....

As the demon was destroyed by its 'daughter' she spat, " Damn....I wasted SO many arrows on you...."

One of the Clasp members dashed past ( 3) and she stuck out a foot to trip them.

AoO- Attack: 10 Damage: 8

She looked across at Ylis, " Brave Heart.  This is where we stand."

She sighted on the newly risen demoness and loosed arrows, holding the first for a moment as she drew power from her own blood to infuse it.

Attack: 26 Damage: 5 + Bursting Arrow- 8 Force damage.

Attack: 11 Damage: 12 

Quote from Damian_May >>

Randa watched events unfold as despair kindled again in her heart, her mind flashed back to the road and the eldritch horrors encountered there....

As the demon was destroyed by its 'daughter' she spat, " Damn....I wasted SO many arrows on you...."

One of the Clasp members dashed past ( 3) and she stuck out a foot to trip them.

AoO- Attack: 10 Damage: 8

OOC: Randa, you still have bless if it can help with your AOO

(Bat's Charisma save: 3)

As the bat familiar fades away, Morgan slowly removes his hat and holds it against his invisible chest.

"You served me poorly, my friend… but with enthusiasm."
A faint smile tugs at the corner of his mouth.

"I couldn't really ask for more."

He looks for a moment at the empty space where the tiny creature vanished.

"I hope to see you again on this side…"
A small pause. He looks at the creature in from of them. He gulps loudly.

"…or, more probably, on the other one."

Quote from TeethAgatha >>

Quote from Damian_May >>

Randa watched events unfold as despair kindled again in her heart, her mind flashed back to the road and the eldritch horrors encountered there....

As the demon was destroyed by its 'daughter' she spat, " Damn....I wasted SO many arrows on you...."

One of the Clasp members dashed past ( 3) and she stuck out a foot to trip them.

AoO- Attack: 10 Damage: 8

 

OOC: you still have bless if it can help

( Thanks but I don't see a 14 or 15 cutting it even if I roll lucky. :) )

Quote from Damian_May >>

Quote from TeethAgatha >>

Quote from Damian_May >>

Randa watched events unfold as despair kindled again in her heart, her mind flashed back to the road and the eldritch horrors encountered there....

As the demon was destroyed by its 'daughter' she spat, " Damn....I wasted SO many arrows on you...."

One of the Clasp members dashed past ( 3) and she stuck out a foot to trip them.

AoO- Attack: 10 Damage: 8

 

OOC: you still have bless if it can help

 

( Thanks but I don't see a 14 cutting it even if I roll lucky. :) )

  (as Tybard rightly pointed out, invisibility also gives you advantage)

Ylis hears something gross and from the look on the face of the cultist running at her, she missed out on seeing something gross too. She makes a grimace trying not to imagine what it could have been while grounding her spear ready to receive a charge. (vs Clasp 1)

OA Stab! Attack: 28 Damage: 17

Quote from Tybard >>

 

Movement:  (After everything below) 20' N, 10' NE to finish at A4, just at the entryway, and 5' E of Clasp 1 (5' W of where he's shown on the map).

Ylis moves forward and drops her Medal of the Meat Pie at the feet of Nivi.

You gain 2d4 + 2 temporary hit points when you use an action to press this medal to your mouth. Once this property has been used, it can’t be used again, and the medal becomes nonmagical.

While magical, this medal is slightly warm to the touch (as if it’s fresh from the oven) and smells faintly of baked pie crust.

Taking in the scene before her, you see the white bunny girl go pale with horror. This is absolutely not ok, and SUPER gross! She takes a moment to nod at Randa.

Swiping with her hand the beam of moonlight crosses the floor hovers over the super gross Desi then continues across the room to stop on the northern commoner.

Moonbeam DC 15 CON save vs 11 radiant, Save for half.

Then she backs up to hide from the abomination. Her hand grips her chest fur as she takes deep breaths. "Ew! ew ew ew!"

( Advantage-   14 and 12. Sozz completely missed the Invisibility on the other three as well.)

( Bless- 1 and 1 )

Quote from Wysperra >>

Swiping with her hand the beam of moonlight crosses the floor hovers over the super gross Desi then continues across the room to stop on the northern commoner.

Moonbeam DC 15 CON save vs 11 radiant, Save for half.

 DM: For clarity, are you sweeping the Moonbeam over the commoner corpse? 

Quote from Erik_Soong >>

Quote from Wysperra >>

Swiping with her hand the beam of moonlight crosses the floor hovers over the super gross Desi then continues across the room to stop on the northern commoner.

Moonbeam DC 15 CON save vs 11 radiant, Save for half.

 DM: For clarity, are you sweeping the Moonbeam over the commoner corpse? 

 Yes.