Erik Soong's Call of the Netherdeep

Quote from TeethAgatha >>

He watches Ylis go for one cutthroat and Sky for another.

"So much enthusiasm. I don't need to explain that it's better to focus our attacks on one at a time while they're still daydreaming, right? We don't want to wake them all up."

 

 OOC: I was guessing that A would be dead by now and chose the closest one for attention =)

Quote from TeethAgatha >>

OOC: @DM I'm not sure how you rule non-lethal attacks with spells/cantrips, but Morgan will try not to kill them.

 Knocking a Creature out can be done with a Melee Attack only and Monsters instantly die when they hit 0 hitpoints.

The first Clasp agent that Ylis approaches offers no resistance as she harpoons her from her low position. "Hurk!" She falls to the ground as blood pools around her.

Sky approaches his and tries to end things quickly with a merciful jam, much like Ylis did. Maybe it is the fact that Sky could see light behind the eyes of the Clasp member, even as they were shackled by a Charm effect, or maybe it was the fact that this person shifted to try avoiding the jab (Incapacitated, shockingly does not impact AC or Attacks at all) and this sign of awareness pulls his hand off target. Either way, he misses both times. 

Morgan however, does not and his magical fire impacts the Clasp member, who grunts against the pain, eyes wide in agony, before they too fall to the ground and move no more. 

DM: Morgan, being fairly familiar with your own magic, you know that this attack should not have been enough to kill someone. 

Two Clasp members stand, still as statues, as they stare past the party at some delightful pattern of light that still sparkles in their mind's eye. 

DM: Randa - Perception Check with Disadvantage, since Ylis is in the room now. 

DM: Still Incapacitated, the two remaining Clasp agents can do nothing but stare off into space. 

Heroes go!

Perception- 12

Ylis flicks a finger at B? and releases a puffball of moonlight.

Starry Wisp Attack: 23 Damage: 4

DM: Dead. One left. 

"What's the call - leave one breathing for now to question?  Or get done with it and keep moving?"

Nivi moves to finish off the Clasp member that Ylis had injured with her moonlight.  Shiv flies in, this time to merely flap his wings in their face (help) just before Nivi attempts to run them through unceremoniously with her rapier.

Movement:  Nivi walks to the Clasp member that Ylis attacked.  After Shiv helps and Nivi attacks, the owl flies back out of the room to watch the corridor.
Action:  Nivi attacks the Clasp member with Booming Blade using her rapier, with advantage from help and 3d20s from Elven Accuracy:
Booming Blade with Rapier to hit:  16
Booming Blade with Rapier damage:  9 (base) + 13 (sneak attack) = 22 piercing + 8 thunder from Booming Blade = 30 total
Vex Weapon Mastery:  Nivi's next attack against same opponent is with advantage.
Booming Blade Secondary Damage on a hit:  14 additional thunder damage if target moves willingly.
Bonus Action:  Nivi disengages and steps 10' away.

(OOC:  cross-posted all of the above before I saw the DM post indicating Ylis' 4 cantrip damage already killed the second-to-last Clasp member!).

Moving with Shiv to finish off the Clasp member that Ylis attacked, Nivi stops in her tracks in shock.  Her jaw drops as she stands, stunned at how easily the thug goes down, slain by a bit of wispy cantrip damage before Nivi could even get to them.  Recovering, she instead sheathes her blade, calls on Shiv to watch the corridor and uses her Action to attempt to securely tie up and restrain the final Clasp member with her rope.

"We talk to this one, yeah?  Or make an end?"  If she can, she disarms the thug as well, and tears the thug's clothing to blindfold and gag him.

As she does, she racks her brain for what might be happening with these Clasp cutthroats.  That seem right?  Clasp standards got so low that they got muscle no tougher than some civilian?  Or is this part of whatever sick deal we saw where the Imp exploded one of their heads?

Nivi's Insight on what is going on with these Clasp cutthroats who go down so easy and get their heads blown up at the snap of an Imp's fingers:  22
(Edited to add, at DM's request, Arcana:  9 - she knows her own magic and not much else about the arcane...)

Meanwhile, the owl familiar keeps watch with Jacaranda in the corridor.  Shiv's Perception at disadvantage (but 120' darkvision):  (10,12) + 5 = 15

If the guy calls out or screams an alarm, Ylis is going to be aggravated. Nivi said these guys were total scumbags PLUS they are associating with demons...

She sighs searches the corpses for anything useful.

"Hold on guys we're near done with this one." she whispers.

DM: Ylis is still in combat and must wait for another round before she can search pockets. :O

(Hoping quick off-turn speech is ok to reflect what Nivi would have thought from her above Insight check):

"Don't like this," Nivi mutters as she works to bind, blindfold and gag the surviving Clasp cutthroat.  "Seems too... easy."

She keeps an eye on the corpses.  Even the headless one in the corner.

Quote from Tybard >>

 

Moving with Shiv to finish off the Clasp member that Ylis attacked, Nivi stops in her tracks in shock.  Her jaw drops as she stands, stunned at how easily the thug goes down, slain by a bit of wispy cantrip damage before Nivi could even get to them.  Recovering, she instead sheathes her blade, calls on Shiv to watch the corridor and uses her Action to attempt to securely tie up and restrain the final Clasp member with her rope.

"We talk to this one, yeah?  Or make an end?"  If she can, she disarms the thug as well, and tears the thug's clothing to blindfold and gag him.

As she does, she racks her brain for what might be happening with these Clasp cutthroats.  That seem right?  Clasp standards got so low that they got muscle no tougher than some civilian?  Or is this part of whatever sick deal we saw where the Imp exploded one of their heads?

Nivi's Insight on what is going on with these Clasp cutthroats who go down so easy and get their heads blown up at the snap of an Imp's fingers:  22
(Edited to add, at DM's request, Arcana:  9 - she knows her own magic and not much else about the arcane...)

Meanwhile, the owl familiar keeps watch with Jacaranda in the corridor.  Shiv's Perception at disadvantage (but 120' darkvision):  (10,12) + 5 = 15

 -I think we should keep him alive for now so that we can interrogate him. The more information about what we're dealing with, the better.- says Frekor.

-Or does someone doesn't like the idea?- adds while looking at the group.

"He's already tied up (yes?) so slap him awake and you can find out." Ylis shrugs, she is not an interrogator.

Morgan looks the cutthroat in the face.
"If you want to see another sunset, or another dawn... or whatever it is you enjoy down here in the sewers... explain clearly what your business is with the fiends. Slowly. And don't lie. I assure you," he says, pointing at Ylis, "you don't want to see that bunny angry."

And then he gives him a good slap.

(intimidation: 15, if with advantage... still 15)

DM: Combat has ended.

Both Randa and Shiv see nothing worth mentioning in the corridor.

The Clasp member stared through Morgan as he spoke until a thunderous slap brings his mind back into focus on the now. He is an orc male, but lean, almost wiry. As his eyes fix on his attacker, they betray his shock and anger, and a desire to hurt back, until he notices the bodies all around the room. 

"Gods..." he says. He looks back to Morgan. "What?"

He takes a moment. It seems he heard the words, but they had taken a scenic route in his mind and are only just now arriving for processing. "Ah... the demons." He rubs his cheek where Morgan had hit him. "You lot seem serious and... tough. Our business? Pretty uninteresting stuff, really. Help them a bit and they help us. It seems we were had though." He looks down at the four bodies and clicks his tongue. "Spireling Desu sure won't like this."

DM: Nivi. You know the name Desu. A tiefling of the Clasp, notably a Blade; one of their assassins. She was of fairly low rank for most of the time you knew of her, though you never interacted with her directly. She started rapidly climbing through the ranks with each increasingly difficult assassination contract. She has never failed as far as you know and each success was more remarkable than the last. She still would have been a long way from Spireling. For her to be of that rank now indicates either a strong shift in the politics of the Clasp, or a calculated move to send a blade to carve a foothold into Bazzoxan after other methods failed.

Clearly, the man isn't going to say much and thus isn't long for this world, yet Nivi's pale green eyes go dead flat at the mention of Spireling Desu.

Desu??  Murderous broad is a blade, not a chief.  Who's shitty idea was it to raise her to bloody Spireling?  (Nivi thinks but does not say this, in part because she knows perfectly well that the term 'murderous broad' could justifiably be used to describe a certain she-elf too.)

Anyone perceptive would notice her fingers waggle strangely and at length, in view of the bound man out of the corner of his eye.  Thieves' Cant:

Nivi does not expect a direct, voluntary response to her encoded overture.  But keeps her eyes on the Clasp cutthroat's own eyes, mouth throat, and breathing.  Searching for any clue whatsoever that her speculation might have hit the mark.  (She is speculating on the only high-leverage assassination target she can think of in the city:  the Taskhand, who, unlike the rest of the party, she hasn't met, but who I believe she would have heard plenty about.)

Nivi's Insight:  19

Nivi watches carefully, for any sign of recognition and she gets it. The orc's eyes linger only a moment on her hands before he shifts his eyes away. That lingering moment again betrays him. It is a moment of recognition. He doesn't watch her directly, but the orc does watch her intently through his peripheral vision, which only Nivi notices. When she makes her the connection, a slight smile turns at the corner of his mouth. He smothers it immediately and takes on a very casual bearing.

"You lot are smart. It's a shame the demons lied to us. Devils these demons aren't; didn't even bother with a contract. You just can't trust anybody these days. I bet even if they did sign something, they would have just screwed us anyway. Absolute scoundrels, they are. Obviously, I am thinking I need to switch sides and get some payback. What do you think about letting me out of these bindings and I lead you to where they are all located? It's not far."

Nivi's hand waggles a final time as her other hand reapplies the gag.  Thieves' Cant:

She turns to her new companions.  "Well.  That's a wrap, I'm thinking?  Don't believe a thing this chump actually says.  Turns out, he let something slip anyway.  Can fill you in once he's not breathing.  Anyone have any objections before that?  Or final words?"

Nivi puts her rapier to the throat of the bound prisoner, pauses a moment glancing at the others for confirmation, and IF no one moves or speaks to forestall her, ends his life unceremoniously.  (If this happens, she wipes her blade on his cloak, then unties her rope to put back in her pack.)

The orc urgently tries to protest through the gag. He struggles against his bonds and tries to chew his way through the gag. 

Ylis has a look of complete surprise! No she doesn't.

She makes a shooing motion to say go ahead, then looks through the bodies for anything useful - rough search, obvious things like cash and good quality weapons. An intense search would take too long. 

Ylis Investigation roll if needed 15

"OK," she holds a finger before her lips and double chops in the direction we were traveling. Then she points at her eyes and motions to the left (South passageway).