As Lyra gets 55' E the ground begins to give way, revealing a pit covered by no more than a cursory layer of dirt, leaves, and tarp. Fortunately it's not too deep (5ft) so no falling damage. Unfortunately there are spikes in the ground that pierce Lyra.
Lyra takes 11 piercing damage.
[[ Got a black circle under Lyra that'll indicate where the trap is later on when Lyra's token is moved. Just hidden by her token right now.
This little interruption takes place before the action. So, if expeditious retreat stays up, still have 15ft of movement there. Would say you need to get out of the hole to get an eldritch blast off. (Can use the normal climbing rules; so essentially 10ft movement to get out. No further athletics checks or so.) ]]
Initiative Rider 1 (mount is restrained) Fenric, Lyra (prone, concentrating on expeditious retreat, 15ft movement remaining if exp retreat stays up; still has action), Zephyr (z = +20, concentrating on web) <----------- currently up Longbow (63 damage), Panflute's Giant Lizard YugJug (sanctuary, 12thp)
Wait a just a moment, the ground there doesn't look quite...
Lyra recalls an instant too late that the woodcarvers had spoken of the bandits digging holes in the ground along the forest path. She moves to swerve south to avoid it, but not in time to avoid skidding into the edge of the spiked pit. (11 damage taken, down to 1 Temp HP from Protector Cannon.)
The grin gone from her face, Lyra hauls herself out from the mess of tarp and leaves covering the pit (clambering out with 10' movement) and steps 5' further east before grimly firing off her Eldritch Blast beams (as posted previously), the first at Mr. Longbow and the second at Rider 1.
(Edited to add: per our ensuing OOC discussion, Lyra is NOT prone after her fall into the pit as she took no falling damage, only spike damage.)
[[ I hadn't explicitly mentioned it in the part where I talked about the 10' to get out. (Should've on my part.) Though did list it in conditions that from falling Lyra would be prone. Since being prone only adds 1ft for crawling IIRC could still crawl out. But would have disadvantage from being prone. ]]
Following his threat with action, Zephyr flies out from behind the tree and hovers near the edge of the the web-covered area to get a clear shot at the lizardman. He points his arcane rod at the the rider and says magic words tracing a symbol on the rod -- a different one than usual. Suddenly, a long cord whips out from the end of the rod, similar to a raspberry cane but more flexible (like a vine) and with longer spikes. Zephyr tries to use the thorn whip to yank the lizardman from his mount and drag him into the webs. Then Zephyr flits away, triggering his Eldritch Cannon as he hides again behind a different tree.
Movement: 30-ft of movement. 1 square SE (also descending 5-ft), 1 square W, and then 2 squares NW (descending 5-ft). z Altitude: +5-ft Action: Cast spell Thorn Whip, 12, Damage: 12 (magical piercing), including extra damage from using his Arcane Firearm. Bonus Action: trigger the Protector Eldritch Cannon to replenish his own THP. The cannon and all allies within 10-ft (including Zephyr) gain 7Temporary Hit Points Free Action: Talking
Concentration: Web, round 3 of 600 Each creature that starts its turn in the webs or that enters them on its turn must succeed on a DC 16 DEX saving throw or be restrained by the webs.
No Concentration: Sanctuary on YugJug, round 5 of 10 Until the spell ends, any creature who targets YugJug with an attack or a harmful spell must first make a WIS 16 DC saving throw. On a failed save, the creature must choose a new target or lose the attack or spell.
--- Eldritch Cannon (Protector), carried by YugJug
AC 18, HP 30 (12 THP) Immune to poison and psychic damage
Lyra's blast from streaks across, not only knocking the Longbow lizardman off his mount but also off of life.
Zephyr's thorn whip strikes harmlessly against Rider 1's scales, but bereft of javelins and in the thick of the thickets, he is an easy target.
[[ Gonna end initiative here. For Rider 1 he's easy shooting with a plan to kill him. On his mind right now is "run run run" but if your goal is to capture him, willing to do that as an out-of-initiative thing. Plus this'll get Komus in quicker. ]]
Lyra, who typically manages somehow to look poised and stylish even when roughing it through the wilderness, appears far more disheveled than you've seen her, dirt and leaves covering her from her tumble into the spiked pit. Though thankfully no blood thanks to the Protector Cannon. Her melodious voice carries an annoyed tinge as she calls out in Elvish to Zephyr, Fenric and Yugjug. She points to anywhere else nearby where she sees the forest floor look "wrong," indicating the possible presence of any other similar traps (Passive Perception: 17)
"Beware these gods-forsaken hidden holes in the ground. I had forgotten what the woodcarvers told us. Never were logic and memory my strong suits."
Recomposing herself, she continues, still in Elivsh so that (hopefully) Rider 1 cannot understand. "We should gather, search and hide the corpses. And their mounts may help us bear Yug's liqueur back if Fen can convince them. Yet what to do with the surviving rider?"
She taps a customary finger to her dark harmonica-stained lips. "With the one escaping us, we will not easily surprise the bandit camp. I could convincingly propose a suggestion to the survivor that the other lizardfolk are on the verge of betraying him. That Sess'inek has decreed that he seize this opportunity to gain dominion and found his own band rather than forever following orders from those who have been so easily defeated. Cooperate fully (for now) with we fey and elven fools to destroy the rest of the bandits, and then use our help to move the stolen assets to a more secure location."
He looks around to her companions to check what they think, and whether they would rather just slay the rider, or take some other approach.
As Lyra speaks, she lopes back within the range of the Protector Cannon borne by Yugjug, gaining 10 Temp HP.
"Beware these gods-forsaken hidden holes in the ground. I had forgotten what the woodcarvers told us...."
At this comment, Zephyr looks to Fenric and says, "See? I told you so! I was expecting something like that. That's why the bandits kept having their Giant Lizards leap onto the road: they were avoiding the spiked pits."
Recomposing herself, she continues, still in Elivsh so that (hopefully) Rider 1 cannot understand. "We should gather, search and hide the corpses. And their mounts may help us bear Yug's liqueur back if Fen can convince them. Yet what to do with the surviving rider?"
Zephyr shrugs in an unconcerned way and replies (in Elvish): "Prisoners, interrogation, and treaties were never in my department."
She taps a customary finger to her dark harmonica-stained lips. "With the one escaping us, we will not easily surprise the bandit camp.
Zephyr looks surprised at this and says (in Elvish), "Oh! Didn't you see? Fenric was able to stop the one who tried to flee to the northeast." He holds up his fingers one at a time, counting as he continues:
"We started with the lizardman with the pan flute."
"As long as you killed the one with the longbow, Lyra,..."
"...that just leaves this one who got caught in my Web."
The only creatures who escaped the party's attack were a couple of the giant lizards.
As Lyra speaks, she lopes back within the range of the Protector Cannon borne by Yugjug, gaining 10 Temp HP.
[[ OOC: FYI - the Protector Cannon doesn't do that automatically. Zephyr has to be close enough to use a bonus action to trigger it. The cannon lasts for a full hour, so now that we're out of combat, Zephyr can keep triggering it until we all have 12 THP again. ]]
With combat over, Zephyr can maintain concentration on the Web until we're ready for it to dissolve. (The duration is 1 hour.) The Sanctuary on YugJug will also expire shortly.
Concentration: Web, round 4 of 600 Each creature that starts its turn in the webs or that enters them on its turn must succeed on a DC 16 DEX saving throw or be restrained by the webs.
No Concentration: Sanctuary on YugJug, round 6 of 10 Until the spell ends, any creature who targets YugJug with an attack or a harmful spell must first make a WIS 16 DC saving throw. On a failed save, the creature must choose a new target or lose the attack or spell.
--- Eldritch Cannon (Protector), carried by YugJug
AC 18, HP 30 (12 THP) Immune to poison and psychic damage
With the battle won, Fenric stows his bow and checks himself for any injuries. Finding himself mostly unscathed, he meets up with the rest of the group. "A keen eye you've got Zephyr, but it's much easier to avoid pit traps when you can fly. As for our hostage, we should at least try to get some information before killing him. Lyra, I believe you were the one who wanted to talk to them? I think getting the location of the liqueur would be the best place to start. In the meantime, I'll try and talk to this lizard over here and get him to cooperate."
Fenric walks over to the calm giant lizard (The flutist's mount), and casts Speak with Animals. "Hello friend. I'm sorry those other folk were riding you. Say, do you think you could help me out? Do you remember seeing any barrels recently? Maybe some other people had them, and then your rider took them?"
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As Lyra gets 55' E the ground begins to give way, revealing a pit covered by no more than a cursory layer of dirt, leaves, and tarp. Fortunately it's not too deep (5ft) so no falling damage. Unfortunately there are spikes in the ground that pierce Lyra.
Lyra takes 11 piercing damage.
[[
Got a black circle under Lyra that'll indicate where the trap is later on when Lyra's token is moved. Just hidden by her token right now.
This little interruption takes place before the action. So, if expeditious retreat stays up, still have 15ft of movement there. Would say you need to get out of the hole to get an eldritch blast off. (Can use the normal climbing rules; so essentially 10ft movement to get out. No further athletics checks or so.)
]]
Initiative
Rider 1 (mount is restrained)
Fenric, Lyra (prone, concentrating on expeditious retreat, 15ft movement remaining if exp retreat stays up; still has action), Zephyr (z = +20, concentrating on web) <----------- currently up
Longbow (63 damage), Panflute's Giant Lizard
YugJug (sanctuary, 12thp)
This is a signature. It was a simple signature. But it has been upgraded.
Belolonandalogalo, Sunny
Eggo Lass, Bone and Oblivion | Tendilius Mondhaven Paxaramus, Drakkenheim
Karl Erikson, No Guts No Glory | Chipper, Curse of Strahd
Silverwood Group 1 | Silverwood Group 2
Get rickrolled here. Awesome music here. Track 51, 10/23/25, Viva La Vida
Wait a just a moment, the ground there doesn't look quite...
Lyra recalls an instant too late that the woodcarvers had spoken of the bandits digging holes in the ground along the forest path. She moves to swerve south to avoid it, but not in time to avoid skidding into the edge of the spiked pit. (11 damage taken, down to 1 Temp HP from Protector Cannon.)
DC10 CON Save to maintain concentration on Expeditious Retreat: 13
The grin gone from her face, Lyra hauls herself out from the mess of tarp and leaves covering the pit (clambering out with 10' movement) and steps 5' further east before grimly firing off her Eldritch Blast beams (as posted previously), the first at Mr. Longbow and the second at Rider 1.
(Edited to add: per our ensuing OOC discussion, Lyra is NOT prone after her fall into the pit as she took no falling damage, only spike damage.)
Tanis(Ranger1): Shiverquill's Tempest City | Xarian(Fighter2): NioNSwiper's Tyranny of Dragons | Lyra(Warlock2/Bard4): VitusW's Silverwood Forest
Dyson/Eleo(Cleric4): Vos' Beyond the Veil | Soren(Druid5): Bartjeebus' Ravenloft | Ophelia(Sorcerer4): Ashen_Age's Risen from the Sands
Joren(Fighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Sabetha(Monk3): Bedlymn's Murder Court | Seri(Cleric3/Sorcerer1): Bartjeebus' Greyhawk
[[ I hadn't explicitly mentioned it in the part where I talked about the 10' to get out. (Should've on my part.) Though did list it in conditions that from falling Lyra would be prone. Since being prone only adds 1ft for crawling IIRC could still crawl out. But would have disadvantage from being prone. ]]
This is a signature. It was a simple signature. But it has been upgraded.
Belolonandalogalo, Sunny
Eggo Lass, Bone and Oblivion | Tendilius Mondhaven Paxaramus, Drakkenheim
Karl Erikson, No Guts No Glory | Chipper, Curse of Strahd
Silverwood Group 1 | Silverwood Group 2
Get rickrolled here. Awesome music here. Track 51, 10/23/25, Viva La Vida
Round 5: Zephyr
Following his threat with action, Zephyr flies out from behind the tree and hovers near the edge of the the web-covered area to get a clear shot at the lizardman. He points his arcane rod at the the rider and says magic words tracing a symbol on the rod -- a different one than usual. Suddenly, a long cord whips out from the end of the rod, similar to a raspberry cane but more flexible (like a vine) and with longer spikes. Zephyr tries to use the thorn whip to yank the lizardman from his mount and drag him into the webs. Then Zephyr flits away, triggering his Eldritch Cannon as he hides again behind a different tree.
Movement: 30-ft of movement. 1 square SE (also descending 5-ft), 1 square W, and then 2 squares NW (descending 5-ft). z
Altitude: +5-ft
Action: Cast spell Thorn Whip, 12, Damage: 12 (magical piercing), including extra damage from using his Arcane Firearm.
Bonus Action: trigger the Protector Eldritch Cannon to replenish his own THP.
The cannon and all allies within 10-ft (including Zephyr) gain 7 Temporary Hit Points
Free Action: Talking
Concentration: Web, round 3 of 600
Each creature that starts its turn in the webs or that enters them on its turn must succeed on a DC 16 DEX saving throw or be restrained by the webs.
No Concentration: Sanctuary on YugJug, round 5 of 10
Until the spell ends, any creature who targets YugJug with an attack or a harmful spell must first make a WIS 16 DC saving throw.
On a failed save, the creature must choose a new target or lose the attack or spell.
---
Eldritch Cannon (Protector), carried by YugJug
AC 18, HP 30 (12 THP)
Immune to poison and psychic damage
Lyra's blast from streaks across, not only knocking the Longbow lizardman off his mount but also off of life.
Zephyr's thorn whip strikes harmlessly against Rider 1's scales, but bereft of javelins and in the thick of the thickets, he is an easy target.
[[ Gonna end initiative here. For Rider 1 he's easy shooting with a plan to kill him. On his mind right now is "run run run" but if your goal is to capture him, willing to do that as an out-of-initiative thing. Plus this'll get Komus in quicker. ]]
This is a signature. It was a simple signature. But it has been upgraded.
Belolonandalogalo, Sunny
Eggo Lass, Bone and Oblivion | Tendilius Mondhaven Paxaramus, Drakkenheim
Karl Erikson, No Guts No Glory | Chipper, Curse of Strahd
Silverwood Group 1 | Silverwood Group 2
Get rickrolled here. Awesome music here. Track 51, 10/23/25, Viva La Vida
Lyra, who typically manages somehow to look poised and stylish even when roughing it through the wilderness, appears far more disheveled than you've seen her, dirt and leaves covering her from her tumble into the spiked pit. Though thankfully no blood thanks to the Protector Cannon. Her melodious voice carries an annoyed tinge as she calls out in Elvish to Zephyr, Fenric and Yugjug. She points to anywhere else nearby where she sees the forest floor look "wrong," indicating the possible presence of any other similar traps (Passive Perception: 17)
"Beware these gods-forsaken hidden holes in the ground. I had forgotten what the woodcarvers told us. Never were logic and memory my strong suits."
Recomposing herself, she continues, still in Elivsh so that (hopefully) Rider 1 cannot understand. "We should gather, search and hide the corpses. And their mounts may help us bear Yug's liqueur back if Fen can convince them. Yet what to do with the surviving rider?"
She taps a customary finger to her dark harmonica-stained lips. "With the one escaping us, we will not easily surprise the bandit camp. I could convincingly propose a suggestion to the survivor that the other lizardfolk are on the verge of betraying him. That Sess'inek has decreed that he seize this opportunity to gain dominion and found his own band rather than forever following orders from those who have been so easily defeated. Cooperate fully (for now) with we fey and elven fools to destroy the rest of the bandits, and then use our help to move the stolen assets to a more secure location."
He looks around to her companions to check what they think, and whether they would rather just slay the rider, or take some other approach.
As Lyra speaks, she lopes back within the range of the Protector Cannon borne by Yugjug, gaining 10 Temp HP.
Tanis(Ranger1): Shiverquill's Tempest City | Xarian(Fighter2): NioNSwiper's Tyranny of Dragons | Lyra(Warlock2/Bard4): VitusW's Silverwood Forest
Dyson/Eleo(Cleric4): Vos' Beyond the Veil | Soren(Druid5): Bartjeebus' Ravenloft | Ophelia(Sorcerer4): Ashen_Age's Risen from the Sands
Joren(Fighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Sabetha(Monk3): Bedlymn's Murder Court | Seri(Cleric3/Sorcerer1): Bartjeebus' Greyhawk
As Lyra returns to the others, Zephyr finally lands back on the ground, but he keeps his arcane rod ready and aimed toward the surviving lizardman.
At this comment, Zephyr looks to Fenric and says, "See? I told you so! I was expecting something like that. That's why the bandits kept having their Giant Lizards leap onto the road: they were avoiding the spiked pits."
Zephyr shrugs in an unconcerned way and replies (in Elvish): "Prisoners, interrogation, and treaties were never in my department."
Zephyr looks surprised at this and says (in Elvish), "Oh! Didn't you see? Fenric was able to stop the one who tried to flee to the northeast." He holds up his fingers one at a time, counting as he continues:
The only creatures who escaped the party's attack were a couple of the giant lizards.
[[ OOC: FYI - the Protector Cannon doesn't do that automatically. Zephyr has to be close enough to use a bonus action to trigger it. The cannon lasts for a full hour, so now that we're out of combat, Zephyr can keep triggering it until we all have 12 THP again. ]]
With combat over, Zephyr can maintain concentration on the Web until we're ready for it to dissolve. (The duration is 1 hour.) The Sanctuary on YugJug will also expire shortly.
Concentration: Web, round 4 of 600
Each creature that starts its turn in the webs or that enters them on its turn must succeed on a DC 16 DEX saving throw or be restrained by the webs.
No Concentration: Sanctuary on YugJug, round 6 of 10
Until the spell ends, any creature who targets YugJug with an attack or a harmful spell must first make a WIS 16 DC saving throw.
On a failed save, the creature must choose a new target or lose the attack or spell.
---
Eldritch Cannon (Protector), carried by YugJug
AC 18, HP 30 (12 THP)
Immune to poison and psychic damage
With the battle won, Fenric stows his bow and checks himself for any injuries. Finding himself mostly unscathed, he meets up with the rest of the group. "A keen eye you've got Zephyr, but it's much easier to avoid pit traps when you can fly. As for our hostage, we should at least try to get some information before killing him. Lyra, I believe you were the one who wanted to talk to them? I think getting the location of the liqueur would be the best place to start. In the meantime, I'll try and talk to this lizard over here and get him to cooperate."
Fenric walks over to the calm giant lizard (The flutist's mount), and casts Speak with Animals. "Hello friend. I'm sorry those other folk were riding you. Say, do you think you could help me out? Do you remember seeing any barrels recently? Maybe some other people had them, and then your rider took them?"