Corryn, sighting carefully down your weapon you attempt to track the rapidly flickering lightning streaked ball as it menaces Mika and Fodd. You wait until you believe you can predict its trajectory and fire your bolt into its path, only to involuntarily mutter a curse as at the last minute it shifts minutely and the bolt glances harmlessly off its side.
Ragnor, you command the moonbeam to glide noiselessly across the rubble-strewn floor of the chamber until it engulfs the larger of the two remaining orbs even as it harries Fodd and Mika. The searing moonlight washes over the orb and significantly burns it, melting parts of its outer armor to slag, the constructs rapid movement proving no defense against the wide, all-encompassing beam.
Mika steps partially out from behind Fodd and raises both her hands, palms flat downward, uttering words in that same twisted tongue. Ropes of green, like webbing, spray out from her fingertips and engulf the rapidly moving orb. She grabs the threads before they can slip away and braces herself, shouting with effort as the orb twitches and snarls in the webbing as it attempts to rip itself free.
Fodd! I can't hold it!
She screams, her voice desperate and high with effort ((next two attacks against the bigger orb before Mika's next turn have advantage)).
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Abandoning ranged combat, which was never his forte, Fodd makes the most of the orb's confinement, roaring a slightly strangled battle-cry as he launches himself at the trapped ball, scything down with trusty short-sword with all his might, fervour and desire to impress Mika. (16 to hit for 8 damage, plus 7 for Divine Smite)
Fodd, stepping forward you raise your mighty short-sword and in a flash of inspiration turn it flat just as you connect with the entangled orb. Unable to dodge while wrapped in Mika's webs, the orb takes the hit head on and your downward scything blade smashes it into the floor, cracking it asunder like an egg. The broken remnants of the orb lie shattered at your feat as you heave great lungfuls of air.
Only a single, damaged orb remains, spinning wildly as it conjures the masked form of the far-away official.
Ella hesitates, lowering her hands to her side, dimming the remaining flickers of silver light. Pushing her shoulders back, she summons courage in the place of magic and addresses the projection in the perfect, clipped diction she heard throughout her earliest years. "We have acted only in self defence. We flee only because your government has failed to keep us safe, only because cults have taken the place of law enforcement and taken murder into their hands in the place of justice. Hurts done to us compile injustice upon injustice. You should know that before you expend precious resources on persuing us."
(Sensibly braced against her words having no impact, she takes the dodge action)
Ella, you deliver your entreatment while resting lightly on the balls of your feet, prepared to leap in any direction should the remaining small orb cease spinning and begin aggressive action.
Mid-way through your words you are interrupted by high pitched, deranged laughter coming from the figure beyond the portal.
"Self-defense? Government failure? Cults? Murder? Why didn't you say so. We shall call off the Enforcement Patrols immediately madam. Please, continue into the depths in violation of the strictest edicts and do not worry about stepping on any of the Ministry's equipment you have now strewn all over the floor, it is doubtless broken beyond repair in any case..."
The voice begins to distort and the image to twist as smoke rises from the damaged orb. Horrence, you have a moment to act as the tiny sphere starts glowing an angry, flickering yellow and red light.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
As Horrence listens to the uncaring, callous laugh of the Ministry figure a rage bubbles up within him, as he thinks of the harm the Government has caused his family and what it now risks doing to his new companies.
He steps forward with grim determination towards the figure with his turret following beside him. As he walks, he says, in a voice that has lost much of the warmth of his usual speech:
”No. We will not run. We will not hide from you, or cower or beg. Not to you. You who care nothing for our community, or our friends or our... family” he swallows as he says the last word. “If you come for us then sobe it, but I will not submit to you or your rules anymore.”
With his piece said he continues to stride forth, and with each of the next three steps, like a relentless barrage does the following:
He raises his crossbow again, firing off another shot. 8 for 7 piercing damage.
second his turret, rolling beside him, launches another volley of fire at the orb.16 For 1 force damage.
Finally he reaches into his pocket and draws a dagger that looks as though it was fashioned from an old Stanley knife blade. As he reaches the orb he plunges the blade into it as hard has he can. 18 for 5. [DM- bonus action for two weapon fighting]
He will then stand there panting in front of the orb, lost in his own anger.
Horrence, as the small orb slows to begin whatever arcane overload procedure is causing it to leak light and smoke, you leap into action. Your crossbow bolt slams partially into the orb and sets it to wobbling, barely stable. Your turret, rolling forth in a supporting fire configuration takes aim and fires, but the abrupt distortion of the orb's flightpath by the bolt sends your turret's projectile wide. Despairing, you throw yourself upon it and in a fit of rage simply impale it, directly through a weakened seam, upon your dagger.
Lightning flickers out from the orb for several moments and you fear for a second it will explode, or sear you with more electric discharges but finally, with a pop and a burst of black smoke, the orb seems to lose animation and revert back to an inert lump of badly damaged metal.
Looking around the room, you all, see yourselves surrounded by the broken wreckage of the wall blocking downward passage into the tunnels and the equally shattered remnants of the broken orbs.
"Well, I guess we have the mural high ground." Corryn mutters supportively while spending a short while collecting his spent bolts and checking whether they can be used again, then putting an intact bold away, fastening his hand-crossbow, checking and stowing his other things. "I don't think we should linger long. Is everyone alright?"
Corryn, looking around you see primarily superficial wounds on Mika and your fellow party members. In fact, it's possible your terrible pun inflicting more damage than the orbs or exploding wall ever had a chance to.
"All fine. We need to move. Fodd, can you move some of this wreckage so we can get through?" Ella asks, her voice losing its clipped cadence as she moves to Fodd's side, brushing his shoulder to grant him Guidance
The downward slope of the staircase looms before you, stone steps disappearing out of sight. The smell that wafts up from below is curiously bland for a sewer, an almost sterile aroma that's impossible to define mixing in with the stone dust of the shattered barrier wall and the ozone of the air where it was charged by the orbs' attacks. Those of you who have Delved before know first hand, and the rest of you by tale, that the sewers of the city lie barely 18 feet below the surface. Given you are already underground, you can infer the stairs before you to be comparatively shallow.
Fodd, excited to be useful, finds himself saluting Ella before he can stop himself then, in embarrassment, bowing. He carries the surge of excruciating shame into his attempts to move as much of the wreckage aside as possible. (STR check? Athletics?)
Fodd, you step up to the pile of debris and conscious of everyone's eyes upon you, prepare to apply your prodigious strength to clearing a path for the party. You seize upon a particularly easy to grip rock and, setting your feet into a bracing position heave with all your might. When it doesn't move, you continue tugging and flexing, chest heaving in and out as a short lifetime's worth of training in armor and with shield strives to overcome the brick's stubborn refusal to move.
Finally, after over three minutes of fruitless heaving, you sit down heavily, flushed with both exhaustion and humiliation.
Corryn, you watch Fodd heave and pull, the large boy's muscles straining as he attempts to shift the seemingly immovable brick. As he finally collapses, defeated you wander over very carefully pick up the brick he was heaving on and cast it aside. Fodd stares at you, open mouthed in wonder and you consider how exactly to inform him that he was attempting to move the very brick he was standing on to brace himself.
Moving a few more bricks, you open up a narrow passage down into the darkness and believe you can make up the bottom of the stairs below. With careful movement, even Fodd should now be able to squeeze through the gap and down the stairs without difficulty.
Horrence is still stood looking at the remains of the orb, panting for breath as he tries, without much success, to calm himself down.
"Those bastards took everything from me." He says, looking up towards Ella,.
"You're right, we need to move quickly, but it's only a matter of time before they find us and either kill us where we stand or turn us into yet more cannon fodder for their bloody war. I may be old, but when they come I won't be afraid of them..."His eyes gleam slightly as he picks up the broken remains of the orb. "... and, with any luck I might have time to turn some of their own tricks against them."
With that he shoves the orb into his bag and says, trying to fain a smile, "Right- onwards and downwards eh?!" before marching off towards the stairs. About 2 second later, as though an afterthought, his turret trundles along to catch him up.
Corryn, sighting carefully down your weapon you attempt to track the rapidly flickering lightning streaked ball as it menaces Mika and Fodd. You wait until you believe you can predict its trajectory and fire your bolt into its path, only to involuntarily mutter a curse as at the last minute it shifts minutely and the bolt glances harmlessly off its side.
Ragnor uses his action to move the beam onto the remaining orb, hoping to finish it off (CON13 save 8 radiant damage or half on fail).
With his bonus action, Ragnor uses [Tooltip Not Found] to turn into a Giant Toad
If the orby thing dies then Ragnor hops 20ft towards the exit. If it doesn't die he hops towards the orby thing.
Ragnor, you command the moonbeam to glide noiselessly across the rubble-strewn floor of the chamber until it engulfs the larger of the two remaining orbs even as it harries Fodd and Mika. The searing moonlight washes over the orb and significantly burns it, melting parts of its outer armor to slag, the constructs rapid movement proving no defense against the wide, all-encompassing beam.
Mika steps partially out from behind Fodd and raises both her hands, palms flat downward, uttering words in that same twisted tongue. Ropes of green, like webbing, spray out from her fingertips and engulf the rapidly moving orb. She grabs the threads before they can slip away and braces herself, shouting with effort as the orb twitches and snarls in the webbing as it attempts to rip itself free.
Fodd! I can't hold it!
She screams, her voice desperate and high with effort ((next two attacks against the bigger orb before Mika's next turn have advantage)).
Fodd and Ella, you're up.
Abandoning ranged combat, which was never his forte, Fodd makes the most of the orb's confinement, roaring a slightly strangled battle-cry as he launches himself at the trapped ball, scything down with trusty short-sword with all his might, fervour and desire to impress Mika. (16 to hit for 8 damage, plus 7 for Divine Smite)
Fodd, stepping forward you raise your mighty short-sword and in a flash of inspiration turn it flat just as you connect with the entangled orb. Unable to dodge while wrapped in Mika's webs, the orb takes the hit head on and your downward scything blade smashes it into the floor, cracking it asunder like an egg. The broken remnants of the orb lie shattered at your feat as you heave great lungfuls of air.
Only a single, damaged orb remains, spinning wildly as it conjures the masked form of the far-away official.
Ella hesitates, lowering her hands to her side, dimming the remaining flickers of silver light. Pushing her shoulders back, she summons courage in the place of magic and addresses the projection in the perfect, clipped diction she heard throughout her earliest years. "We have acted only in self defence. We flee only because your government has failed to keep us safe, only because cults have taken the place of law enforcement and taken murder into their hands in the place of justice. Hurts done to us compile injustice upon injustice. You should know that before you expend precious resources on persuing us."
(Sensibly braced against her words having no impact, she takes the dodge action)
Ella, you deliver your entreatment while resting lightly on the balls of your feet, prepared to leap in any direction should the remaining small orb cease spinning and begin aggressive action.
Mid-way through your words you are interrupted by high pitched, deranged laughter coming from the figure beyond the portal.
The voice begins to distort and the image to twist as smoke rises from the damaged orb. Horrence, you have a moment to act as the tiny sphere starts glowing an angry, flickering yellow and red light.
As Horrence listens to the uncaring, callous laugh of the Ministry figure a rage bubbles up within him, as he thinks of the harm the Government has caused his family and what it now risks doing to his new companies.
He steps forward with grim determination towards the figure with his turret following beside him. As he walks, he says, in a voice that has lost much of the warmth of his usual speech:
”No. We will not run. We will not hide from you, or cower or beg. Not to you. You who care nothing for our community, or our friends or our... family” he swallows as he says the last word. “If you come for us then so be it, but I will not submit to you or your rules anymore.”
With his piece said he continues to stride forth, and with each of the next three steps, like a relentless barrage does the following:
He raises his crossbow again, firing off another shot. 8 for 7 piercing damage.
second his turret, rolling beside him, launches another volley of fire at the orb.16 For 1 force damage.
Finally he reaches into his pocket and draws a dagger that looks as though it was fashioned from an old Stanley knife blade. As he reaches the orb he plunges the blade into it as hard has he can. 18 for 5. [DM- bonus action for two weapon fighting]
He will then stand there panting in front of the orb, lost in his own anger.
Horrence, as the small orb slows to begin whatever arcane overload procedure is causing it to leak light and smoke, you leap into action. Your crossbow bolt slams partially into the orb and sets it to wobbling, barely stable. Your turret, rolling forth in a supporting fire configuration takes aim and fires, but the abrupt distortion of the orb's flightpath by the bolt sends your turret's projectile wide. Despairing, you throw yourself upon it and in a fit of rage simply impale it, directly through a weakened seam, upon your dagger.
Lightning flickers out from the orb for several moments and you fear for a second it will explode, or sear you with more electric discharges but finally, with a pop and a burst of black smoke, the orb seems to lose animation and revert back to an inert lump of badly damaged metal.
Looking around the room, you all, see yourselves surrounded by the broken wreckage of the wall blocking downward passage into the tunnels and the equally shattered remnants of the broken orbs.
"Well, I guess we have the mural high ground." Corryn mutters supportively while spending a short while collecting his spent bolts and checking whether they can be used again, then putting an intact bold away, fastening his hand-crossbow, checking and stowing his other things. "I don't think we should linger long. Is everyone alright?"
"All fine. We need to move. Fodd, can you move some of this wreckage so we can get through?" Ella asks, her voice losing its clipped cadence as she moves to Fodd's side, brushing his shoulder to grant him Guidance
The downward slope of the staircase looms before you, stone steps disappearing out of sight. The smell that wafts up from below is curiously bland for a sewer, an almost sterile aroma that's impossible to define mixing in with the stone dust of the shattered barrier wall and the ozone of the air where it was charged by the orbs' attacks. Those of you who have Delved before know first hand, and the rest of you by tale, that the sewers of the city lie barely 18 feet below the surface. Given you are already underground, you can infer the stairs before you to be comparatively shallow.
Fodd, excited to be useful, finds himself saluting Ella before he can stop himself then, in embarrassment, bowing. He carries the surge of excruciating shame into his attempts to move as much of the wreckage aside as possible. (STR check? Athletics?)
Strength check = 14
Athletics = 14
Guidance added to whichever one is lower = 2
Corryn, in an attempt to redeem himself, tries to help Fodd.
Athletics: 1
(yes! I've always wanted a "Lift with the legs, not the back" moment :D)
Fodd, you step up to the pile of debris and conscious of everyone's eyes upon you, prepare to apply your prodigious strength to clearing a path for the party. You seize upon a particularly easy to grip rock and, setting your feet into a bracing position heave with all your might. When it doesn't move, you continue tugging and flexing, chest heaving in and out as a short lifetime's worth of training in armor and with shield strives to overcome the brick's stubborn refusal to move.
Finally, after over three minutes of fruitless heaving, you sit down heavily, flushed with both exhaustion and humiliation.
Corryn, you watch Fodd heave and pull, the large boy's muscles straining as he attempts to shift the seemingly immovable brick. As he finally collapses, defeated you wander over very carefully pick up the brick he was heaving on and cast it aside. Fodd stares at you, open mouthed in wonder and you consider how exactly to inform him that he was attempting to move the very brick he was standing on to brace himself.
Moving a few more bricks, you open up a narrow passage down into the darkness and believe you can make up the bottom of the stairs below. With careful movement, even Fodd should now be able to squeeze through the gap and down the stairs without difficulty.
Horrence is still stood looking at the remains of the orb, panting for breath as he tries, without much success, to calm himself down.
"Those bastards took everything from me." He says, looking up towards Ella,.
"You're right, we need to move quickly, but it's only a matter of time before they find us and either kill us where we stand or turn us into yet more cannon fodder for their bloody war. I may be old, but when they come I won't be afraid of them..." His eyes gleam slightly as he picks up the broken remains of the orb. "... and, with any luck I might have time to turn some of their own tricks against them."
With that he shoves the orb into his bag and says, trying to fain a smile, "Right- onwards and downwards eh?!" before marching off towards the stairs. About 2 second later, as though an afterthought, his turret trundles along to catch him up.
With a loud croak, Ragnor starts to lead the way down the stairs, hopping two steps at a time.
Ella glances up to the cieling, inhaling a breath filled with trepidation, before following her comrades downwards.