The Exploits of Misfit Company

"Finally." Kasha got up. "Let's DO this, *****es!" 

She backed up, and took a running start into the air where she leapt up, launched off, and assumed a superhero pose as she flew through the air.

Very slowly.

But she held the pose.

Yvan wasn’t exactly a fan of this place. It was ominous and the castle had loomed over them like a large spider, and they were it’s prey. While he wasn’t scared, he definitely was not comfortable here. He keeps himself guarded, keeping an eye out as the spell casters conversed among themselves regarding the spells they had at hand.

With Alys now leading the way, the barbarian follows close behind, but stops himself as he views Kasha slowly floating in a silly pose forward. He chuckles at the sight and helps move her along, sure to not ruin the pose somehow for her. 

Stella follows the group, hands near the hilts of her blades as she eyes the city a little nervously.

You all enter the city. As you pass through the city, you sometimes hear eerie sounds coming from behind the buildings, like there's some strange, otherworldly creature behind it. Everyone make a DC18 Wisdom Save as you move towards the castle.

Vastra:22

To Infinity and beyond 19

Ok ok: 5

I’m so good at these: 9

Alys: 17 

Bixby Wisdom(DC 18): 11.

Alys, Bixby, Stella, Yvan: You're swimming, but you aren't getting any closer to the castle. In fact, it's getting further away. So are Vastra and Kasha.

Kasha: You're swimming along with Vastra, but you don't sense the others following you. You turn around to see them just making motions but not moving, like NPCs in a video game that are glitching.

"Kasha, should we do something about the others?"

 After it became increasingly clear that no progress would be made, Bixby at least tried to stop all forward momentum and floated there for a moment. Behind the tinted lenses of night vision goggles, eyes would flit back and forth between the various points in the city, searching for any keys or clues to the restriction. At one he even mentally questioned if the Helms were doing their job, or if some illusion was yet at work. In the case of the later Bixby took some kind of tonic to temporarily bolster himself.

Perception: 17.

Arcana: 24.

If at the end nothing stood out to warrant the increasing distance Bixby whispered "One last experiment" prior to flourishing the cape, and trying to Teleport beside Vastra.

Kasha looked at Vastra. Then at the rest of the team. Then to Vastra again.

"Maybe we just need to take our their cartridges, blow on em, and put em back in?" she suggested.

After a few more moments of thinking, and boy the wheels were grinding, she shrugged. "I dunno! You're the smart one! I'm just the big dinosaur." she floated awkwardly, making a dino pose. "RAR!"

Bixby is indeed able to teleport over to Vastra, but once he makes it over to her, he once again remains incapable of moving. "Don't worry Kasha, I think I can solve this mystery." Vastra casts Detect Magic burning a first level slot since she doesn't feel like taking the time to ritually cast it (and because she's level 11 and can afford to be down a first level slot).

"Ah, I understand it now. They're under some kind of illusion that makes them think they're moving, while keeping them treading water, so to speak. I think that I can Dispel it." 

22

Vastra does indeed dispel the effect, allowing Bixby to move as normal. "Bixby, Kasha, are either of you capable of helping me dispel the effects on the others?"

"Nerp!" Kasha says, finger pointing to her head, thinking. "I'm a druid, not a wizard. Guess it's up to you, or...him." she says, with clear disdain.

Bixby stops idly examining his hands to nod to simply nod to Vastra, and then turned towards the distant others. It takes him a few moments to get the mandolin situated comfortably in hand and mind in the right place, but eventually the changeling began strumming along a tune. The moment he could feel its magic start to work, the changling scrunched up his face and held that last note, stretching the magic bent by the song to encompass both Alys and Yvan.

Assuming all went well, he telepathically passed on the mental recap of Vastra's words to Alys, before as well as an encouraging 'Remember that you've come too far to let some silly trick halt your advance now'. Free Stella, and let us proceed'.

--> Dispel Magic (3rd level) from Mandolin, augmented with Twinned Casting(4sp) to effect Yvan and Alys.
--> Y's(DC ???): 18.
--> A's(DC ???): 21.
--> Bardic Inspiration(d6) for Alys.
-->Added to roll for Alys: 4.

Alys is free.

Vastra attempts to dispel the effect on Stella and Yvan

21
23

And succeeds. "Okay, that's everyone. Onwards!"

Stella lurches forward as the effect is dispelled on her, then sighs, nodding. "That was um...interesting. Yup, let's go."

"Welp." Kasha nodded once, hands on her hips. "My job here is done."

And she resumed her superhero flight pose and continued lazily along.