Erik Soong's Call of the Netherdeep

Nivi barely notices as Ylis drops the strange medal at her feet (can we say she handed it to her?  Nivi needs her Free Action... maybe).  One day maybe she would get to know Killer Bunny.  Or more likely never, current circumstances considered.

Blood and ichor slick both her hand and the warm pie-scented medal, rendering them both slippery as all hell while she brings it to her mouth, the taste of meat mingling nauseatingly with the metallic tang of blood and filth of the ichor.  Yet it fortifies her.  For all the good it would do.

Do you remember where the heart is, Niva'ele?  She hears her lord father's voice, deep and quiet with disappointment.  Nivi breathes and chooses.

"Good hunting with you all, while it lasted," she drawls in the general direction of her new companions as she pivots and darts away, just in time to see with a pang of sadness, Morgan's bat, the one she had reviled, yet had helped her just now, be sucked into the newly Descended Desu.

Stay distracted, you bloody b!itch she thinks at Desu the Descended, willing it to be true, sprinting east toward the far side of the room as arrows and moonglow fly by, down and up stairs towards where the crucified Taskhand kneels, just reaching the spot and working to free him as best she can.

Nivi's Tal'Dorei drawl is almost conversational as she works.  "Taskhand.  You know the others, not me, yeah?  Nivi.  Funny story, being a High Elf and all, getting killed trying to free a Drow who's a dead man anyway, most likely...  Ironic.  Don't you think?  Not the way I thought I'd go."

Action:  Nivi leans out of the room (she is at the door) and uses the Medal of the Meat Pie - 2d4+2 = 10 (max) Temp HP

Bonus Action and Movement:  Cunning Action dash 60' - 5' SE - 25' E - 5' SE - 20' E - 5' SE, finishing D16, 5' ENE of Taskhand Thelys.  Avoiding Desu.

Free Action:  Nivi does everything she can do to to liberate the Taskhand from his crucifixion, likely getting blood all over him in the process.

Nivi is concentrating on Blade Ward - 1 more round after this one.  She has Uncanny Dodge available as a Reaction.

Frekor is in shock for the scene unfolding in front of him, but it doesn't last long. He looks around again to reassess the situation and makes his choice. "Nivi! Get as far as you have to to heal. Someone get Verin!" orders the ranger before disappearing in a cloud of smoke and reappearing 30 feet closer to Desu, then closing the distance and attacks Desu.

(Bonus action: Misty step: Appearing at E7. Movement: to E9.)

The elf plunges his shortsword at Desu's body.  (First attack: To hit: 17, 10+7.  If it hits: Damage: 7, 3+4.   If it hits: Using Vex for next attack.)

Then he slashes Desu with his scimitar. (Using Nick: To hit 1: 20, 13+7.  Damage: 5, 1+4.    If Vex procs: To hit: 27, Nat 20+7.  Damage: 12, 5+3+4.  Adding Colossus Slayer: 4, 2+2.)

He finishes by stabbing Desu again.  (Second attack: To hit: 25, 18+7.  Damage: 5, 1+4.)

Frekor is doing his best to keep Desu's attention on him for now, he is aware that he won't be able to kill her alone. But Verin is first.

Quote from Wysperra >>

 Yes.

DM: You have played in my games long enough to learn my tricks. :p

Quote from Erik_Soong >>

Quote from Wysperra >>

 Yes.

DM: You have played in my games long enough to learn my tricks. :p

 OOC: Surely not =)

(OOC: I'll try something... let me know if it flies.)

Seeing Nivi dash toward the Taskhand, and Frekor spring into action, trembling Morgan decides to do what he does best: Improvisation. Chaos. Distraction.

Or at least, that is the theory. He grabs his waterskin full of holy water and takes a quick sip from it for courage (and flavor).

"Well… I hope this does something."

Still invisible, Morgan hurls the entire waterskin straight at Desu’s face. At the same instant, he thrusts out a hand and unleashes a Sorcerous Burst of thunder toward it, trying to make the skin explode mid-air and drench her in holy water.

Then he bolts toward the corridor before anyone can properly react.

Rolls:

* Ranged attack throwing the waterskin (<20 ft, invisible): 14 + 1 (Bless) -> 15 to hit
* Sorcerous Burst on the waterskin (advantage from Innate Sorcery): 12 + 2 (Bless) 14 to hit, 12 damage
* Acrobatics check (with Lucky for advantage): 13

Nothing spectacular… but maybe spectacular enough?
(If relevant, Morgan can also use Mote of Possibility to reroll one of these checks. I'm looking at you, Sorcerous Burst...)

The Clasp agents bark some curses and demands to let them pass as they take their hits from the party. Suddenly all lust for battle has fled them as their leader has returned.

Nivi arrives at Taskhand Thelyss and finds that while he is not bound by a complicated lock, he is well-crucified and has been flayed, with wide sheets of his skin hanging limply from his chest, back, and arms. He hangs from his y-shaped cross on his knees, and he struggles to raise his head as Nivi arrives. “Pull… Me off,” he labors to say and he tries to demonstrate with a failed attempt to yank his arms off the nails pinning his hands. He hasn’t the strength to complete the task.

DM: A Free Action won't be enough to yank him off. It is an easy thing to do, what with the frailty of his flesh, but it will take an Action for this. No Check needed.

Randa fires her bow at Desu the Descended and Frekor bamfs out of his restraints, appearing with scimitar in hand, where he charges at Desu to attack. Desu’s entire body begins to vibrate and then becomes two blinking images, as if she oscillates between two spaces right next to each other. An attack would seem difficult to land.

A hollow pit can be felt in Frekor’s and Randa’s chest in knowing that they are going to miss. But then, a waterskin tumbles through the air, then is blown up over Desu’s head. A shower of holy water rains down upon the dual images of Desu and with a hiss of burning, the double-image collapses and Desu’s skin steams with burning. She winces against the pain and when arrow and blade come at her, she is a much easier a target.

DM: Her displacement illusion is temporarily arrested by the holy water. Attacks against her will no longer have Disadvantage imposed, allowing the current rolls to ride. The holy water also wipes out the center of the ritualistic runes, causing the desecration to lose much of its power. Sky can sense that healing can take place inside the room again.

Randa’s first arrow finds its mark in Desu's chest and burns against her semi-transparent flesh before dissolving. The second she nimbly dodges right into Frekor’s torrent of blades.

DM: All Frekor’s Attacks hit.

Desu seems mildly inconvenienced by these strikes but her flesh immediately and visibly begins to mend. She is careful to avoid the Moonbeam however, and seems to relish in the thought of what you all sound like screaming. This distracted thought allows the Moonbeam to continue on until it stops on the corpse merged with the wall to the north, causing the mending of her flesh to halt. Indeed she is brought to her knee and her nose starts to bleed as the corpse is disintegrated.

She recovers and narrows her eyes at the little bunny girl standing in the doorway. The flesh heals, but noticeably slower than before. 

DM: Desu the Descended will have her turn tomorrow. Sky can still post their turn if they managed to post it before I post Desu's. Please congratulate Teeth and Wysp both for their effective resourcefulness. It played well here.