Dragon of Icespire Peak ***CLOSED***

Vaxis thinks this is the perfect opportunity to use the new item. He takes out the Sending Stone, activates it, and sends a message to Connak.

”Gather everyone into the hall, now. The evil god still has sway over this place.”

Connak will reply, "As fast as we can."

But Connak will open the door and look inside the unexplored room first.

Dex Check: 21

Brutus rolls his shoulders a little to lumber up before deftly maneuvering through the tight space.  “Don’t worry, I’m coming guys!”

Meanwhile, back in the main temple room, Tabesha'l seems absorbed in a detailed examination of the evil cult's engravings and sculptures. Maybe something in here could tell her more about the true nature of this macabre dwarven deity, and reveal some way to circumvent its dangers ?

** Staying in main room and trying her Investigation skills on the temple, attempting to find writings or any other symbols she could decipher: 22 **

See Connak move to open the door, Barric follows, having only heard Vaxis' muffled cries and not hearing he voice or feeling anything yet.

Vaxis rushes past Tabesha'l

"Make preparation to leaving. The dark god's sway is still present here."

He then remembers the dwarves. "Tabesha'l...the dwarves are in danger. Do you know where they might be?"

Brutus deftly squeezes through the narrow passage and moves towards the muffled sound of Connak’s voice, noting an anxious tone that up till now he had not heard the wood elf use before. He runs squarely into Vaxis who is startled due to both being consumed by the darkness of the temple.

(OOC: Brutus and Vaxis are in total darkness so they don’t know they have bumped into each other. They also don’t see the secret door that is right in front of them.)

Tabesha’l finds some carvings on the front of the alter depicting several squat, round humanoids holding gems above their heads while others appeared to be stabbing at some other type of humanoid who was pinned to an alter. Above them the moon and the sun were shown coming together in an eclipse.

Opening the door to the room across the hall, Connak discovers another partially collapsed room. Half-buried in the rubble here is the skeleton of a dwarf wearing rotted red leather armor. The feelings of greed quickly return and seem to urge him to enter the room and examine the corpse (CONNAK PLEASE MAKE A CHARISMA SAVE)

Vaxis snarls in surprise, and whirls on his invisible attacker.

"By Bahamut's will, you will not harm my friends!"

(Ready an action: He cannot see his attacker, and as such wants to be sure he doesn't accidentally kill a friend. Any hostilty detected, using Sacred Flame)

Connak CHA saving throw: 6

At the feeling of running into something else Brutus stumbles backwards.  He instinctually goes invisible.  Shouting back “What’s a Bahamut?!” He will shove the creature in front of him backwards 5 feet.

Athletics: 14

(OOC: I’ll give Brutus advantage on his shove: 18 vs. Vaxis 17)

Vaxis stumbles backwards 5 feet and falls prone but hears Brutus’ voice as if he is standing right next to him.

Connak cannot resist the temptation to enter the room and search the skeletal remains. He finds a small pendant around its neck in the shape of a small jeweled dagger. Turning it over he finds dwarven runes on the back which he can’t immediately decipher. He takes the necklace off the skeleton and puts it in his pocket.

Connak will try to take the pendant without Barric noticing...

Sleight of Hand: 14

... then looks at Barric and says, "Best regroup with the others."

(OOC: no one sees Connak pocket the necklace)

Startled, Vaxis launches his sacred flame.

(Brutus DC 12 Dexterity Save)

As the light showers Brutus, Vaxis recognizes Brutus.

"BRUTUS?! Whats a Bahamut? By Bahamut you gave me a scare, are you okay? We will have a discussion of the gods and such when we are safe."

He gets up and brushes himself off.

"Come, let us move quickly and gather the other two members of our group. We are escaping. This place is tainted, and I fear for our friends."

He reaches into his pack, gets a torch, and ignites it.

"Come"

(Will attempt to get to where Barric and Connak are)

Barric hears some muffled voices beyond the wall. Seeing nothing of note in the room but a skeleton, he sighs in disappointment, and moves to open the door close by.

((Opening the secret door to the west, assuming I can hear them through the door as they are both shouting))

The party reassembles in the temple room briefly and retrieved their dwarven associates before making their way out of the temple. Dazlyn and Norbus want nothing more to do with the place and resolve to accompany the party back to the nearest settlement. They snatch up their backpacks of rations but leave most of their mining equipment aside from the picks in their hands behind.

The group casts wary glances behind them as they advance through the ruined settlement and out the stone gateway. They don’t immediately notice the five menacing orcs standing directly in their path.

The biggest one is flanked by four more or his kind, two on either side of him. He barks a gruff phrase in orcish, bringing the party to a swift halt and heads and eyes forward. He delivers the same phase again, (or perhaps it was a command?), shouting angrily this time as if this will speed the party’s compliance with his order. A moment later, the orcs draw their weapons...

ROLLING INITIATIVE!!

• 21 - CONNAK
• 2 - VAXIS
• 17 - TABESHA’L
• 5 - BRUTUS
• 12 - BARRIC
• 7 - DAZLYN
• 9 - NORBUS
• 19 - ORC 1
• 13 - ORC 2
• 19 - ORC 3 (this is the one in the middle)
• 2 - ORC 4
• 20 - ORC 5

INITIATIVE ORDER:

1. ORC 5
2. ORC 1
3. ORC 3
4. VAXIS
5. NORBUS
6. BARRIC
7. TABESHA’L
8. ORC 2
9. BRUTUS
10. CONNAK
11. DAZLYN
12. ORC 4

The two orcs at the outer flanks immediately pull their javelins and heave them into the group:

ORC 5 attacks VAXIS with a javelin throw(17 vs. AC 18), dealing 6 piercing damage with a successful hit.

ORC 1 attacks BARRIC with a javelin throw(15 vs. AC 14), dealing 8 piercing damage with a successful hit.

The large orc (ORC 3) at the center steps forward and swings his great axe at CONNAK’s head: (22 vs. AC 14), dealing 13 slashing damage with a successful hit.

Vaxis removes the javelin from his body, wincing in pain. He breaks it over his shield, and his eyes dialate.

Now, he's mad. He temporarily forgets WHO he is, and remembers WHAT he is. The Hunt has begun.

"Wrong move, Softskins"

He moves up towards Orc 2 and 4, drawing his mace as he does so. He seems to want to pound these creatures into submission. He inhales deeply. The air is suddenly warm as all the cold is sucked out of it, and ears pop from the sudden pressure differential.

He exhales it in an icy blast, frost clinging to the orcs and their equipment.

(Move: 1SE 1S 2 SW. Cardinal directions. Orcs 2 and 4 must make a DC 12 CON Save, taking half on success of 2 cold damage)

(OOC: Vaxis incurs an attack of opportunity as he moves into and the out of ORC #5’s reach)

ORC 5 attacks VAXIS with its great axe (18 vs. AC 18), dealing 9 slashing damage with a successful hit.

ORC 2 and ORC 4 make Constitution saving throws against Vaxis’ breath weapon: ORC 2 (14), ORC 4 (19)