Pizazz's Ravenloft and Beyond

Olin, the broken hole in the floor turns into a gaping jagged wooden mouth as you grab the stone, and closes on your arm as you try to yank your arm out in surprise.  6 damage.  The wooden jagged bits drag against your arm as you pull it out, and you lose grip on the gem and drop it back into the hole.  The jaws nash and jam opened and closed before you, the gem flashing with each opening. 

Mordekai blasts the house twice while Meepo's magic continues to assault it.  The thing is massive though and the blasts, though blowing chunks off, are taking only small bits off at a time. From up in the foggy sky, the grey lights up with blue and a thunderous boom rips through the sky.  Lionel, on his own battles the witch in the sky.....

It flings a rock at Mordekai as he back away.  (you get +2 to AC for cover) Attack: 23 Damage: 21

Lionel, you slash her as she zooms away, spraying more blood, and then she unleashes a blast of lightning that rips through your body, your ears ring, you smell ozone and the smell of burnt flesh as you swoop towards her.  You manage to grab onto the edge of the skull and pull yourself towards her.  She hisses as she senses your intent and she vanishes appearing in the sky thirty feet away to the side.  She's about to begin plummeting from the sky, but suddenly her body dissolves into a swarm of black flies that buzzes through the air further away.  (the swarm is now 60 feet away).  The skull comes to an abrupt halt, lurching to a stop as you find yourself kneeling within it.  

Everyone's action.  Olin, you want to make another attempt at the gemstone, roll a Dex Save.

Meepo continues his toll the dead...

DC14 Wis or take 13

.

Olin takes a deep breath, trying to time the chomping of the maw, and swipes for the gem once again. Dex save, 9+4

The jaws smash open, closed, open, closed....Olin lets his muscles propel his arm forward just as the jaws close....his arm darting down as the maw is still just opening.  He grasps the gem, and his arm yanks back in a flash before the maw can close.  With a sudden lurch, the house ceases its movement.  The hole in the floor is once again just a hole in the floor.   

Outside, Ismark, Meepo and Mordekai all watch the house freeze...and then it slowly settles a few feet into the ground, it's roots once again just roots....the house once again just a house. 

Ismark, leaning heavily on a tree, works his way around to the front of the tree and glances into the dark foggy sky.  Sighing heavily, he pulls out his blade with his unbroken arm, and seems to wait.  Then he glances about, and notices that Mordekai lays on the ground, bloodied and unconscious from a rock strike.  "Olin, Olin, we need you, Mordekai is dying!!!"   He limps towards Mordekai's body. 

Inside, with the illusionary baby still babbling at him, Olin lays on his back, his arm bleeding, the bright green acorn gem firmly in his grasp.

Mordekai lies on the ground, unconscious.

Death Save: 2

Unexpected success - the skull was in his possession now! - instantly changed into disappointment: the cursed thing refused to move! He was not a swallow to chase around insects, but ... well... insects reminded him about one thing evil beings share with them - they all hate fire. The torch was with him, so he lightened it, since skull allowed to put the shield down for a moment. While insects were deciding whether to come or not, Lionel checked if the skull is fireproof. 

(I hope it's possible to drop the shield, light the torch (sword does not weight anything, so hilt can be in the teeth), put away hilt and pick up the shield. If it's too many actions and interactions with the objects, Lionel can instead attack the skull) 

Still smoking himself, Lionel quickly juggles his shield and sword and lighting a torch.  He then holds the burning torch to the bone of the skull.  It appears to slowly blacken against the flame, much as any bone may....but it would take a pretty hot fire to burn this thing up...with a torch it would take quite a while. 

The swarm of insects buzz away into the fog, vanishing into the mists, leaving Lionel hanging high in the air, sitting inside a large floating skull that doesn't seem to respond to his urges to make it go.

At his next turn Lionel will try to cut the skull - to see how destructible it is and if the witch come to rescue her vehicle.

Attack: 2 Bless + 26 Damage: 11 + 5 radiant

Attack: 2 Bless + 24 Damage: 7

Olin lies on his back, head swimming, as the hut settles and stops moving. "Thank Silvanus." he mutters, trying to catch his breath. Ismark's calls drift up to him and pull him back to himself. There's a battle going on out there! Olin pushes himself to his feet, cradling the gem in his arms, and stumbles to the door of the hut, looking for Mordekai. If he is within 60 feet, Olin shouts a healing word, healing Mordekai for 8. If Mordekai is too far away Olin will begin to climb his way down toward him, dashing if necessary. (Healing word is a bonus action, so unless Mordekai is really far away I should still be able to reach him (half of 35ft on normal turn, additional 35ft from dash, 60ft from the spell...)

Meepo moves towards the house, then over to Mordekai when he hears he is down.  He pulls up short when the healer comes out of the house with a glowing gem, and nods as he fully expects healing to start.  Plopping down in place then, he waits to see if their flying companion returns.  Meepo's eyes scanning the fog-filled sky.

Olin runs out the door, leaping into the boggy muck and rushes across the ground, letting his healing word spell funnel life energy into Mordekai.  Mordekai's eyes blink open, his face half covered in mud as he lays on the ground....the ringing in his ears and the last view of a boulder striking him fading from his vision.  He sits up, looking dazed.  Ismark, equally broken looking limps up to him.  "Lionel is still in the sky with the witch....but it's gone quiet."

Lionel takes out his sword back out, dropping the torch in the bottom to sizzle and sputter....and swings his blade into the floating bone skull.  The skull is quite thick though, obviously from a giant creature, the blows glance of, not getting good enough hits to really do much damage. 

Meepo, Olin, Mordekai, you scan the sky above, waiting for some sign of your friends battle with the witch. However motion draws your eye, and you see a black swarm of flies enter the house.  It's too quick for you to blast it with a spell.   You then see some shadows from within the house.  The house is 90 feet away from where you are. 

Actions? 

Mordekai moves towards the house, and uses his Infernal Legacy to cast Darkness targeting the inside of the house, hoping to flush out whatever it was he just saw go inside. (Mordekai can see through the darkness so will be watching to see what happens inside the house) 

There was no point in sitting inside immobile thick skull. Lionel Jumped out and flew back to earth (dashing - while there is still some flight in his wings) towards the battle (gravity and skull orientation should help with direction).

"No see!"  Meepo calls out as he rushes towards the house.  he would stop outside of the darkness.

(Not sure how you are running darkness, but it should not allow the individual inside of it to be unable to be located, especially if they did not take a hide action.  If someone is inside of there, then Meepo should be able to know where they are.  If you are running it differently, then let me know.  Meepo's attack would be with disadvantage, due to not being able to see the target, but his attack would have advantage, due to the target being blinded, so advantage and disadvantage should cancel each other out.)

Meepo attacks with a ray of frost.

To hit: 9

damage: 12

(I think the bigger issue is that since she's inside the hut she probably has at least 3/4 cover, if not full cover. Unless she's standing directly in the doorway.)

Olin starts rushing toward the hut, but suddenly it goes dark. "I trust you Mordekai, but I can't do much when I can't see!" Olin dashes toward the hut, moving to spread out from the rest of the group, hoping to cut off any avenue of escape for if whatever was moving in the hut comes out of the darkness.

Quote from Burl >>

(I think the bigger issue is that since she's inside the hut she probably has at least 3/4 cover, if not full cover. Unless she's standing directly in the doorway.)

Olin starts rushing toward the hut, but suddenly it goes dark. "I trust you Mordekai, but I can't do much when I can't see!" Olin dashes toward the hut, moving to spread out from the rest of the group, hoping to cut off any avenue of escape for if whatever was moving in the hut comes out of the darkness.

 I see Meepo right at the door, unless the darkness does not stop there.  If she has cover, alertness feat, blindsight, or a host of other things, that I cannot know of, since they are behind the DM Screen, I have no problems with any of that.  She may even have taken the hide action, which then Meepo would not be able to target her unless her stealth was lower than his passive perception.  Lots of things could make Meepo not be able to attack, so I leave all that in the DM's capable hands.) 

Mordekai moves towards the house, getting within 60 feet and then filling the inside with darkness.  Meepo rushes past, splashing through the muck, getting to within 30 feet of the front door. Olin does as well, but goes at an angle so that he gets some separation from the group. Ismark glances about, and, limping with his face still full of blood, also moves towards the house at a different angle.  The fog sits heavy in the surrounding forest, quiet aside from some thumping coming from within the house of darkness. Lionel emerges from the thick fog above, swooping down, still 60 feet off the ground, and 60 feet from the house.  Lionel, you see the house is filled with blackness and your allies rush towards the thing.  Interestingly the house seems to have moved from where it was when you left, but it's not moving now.  You hear the shouts of Olin and Meepo as they try to get to the front of the house. 

Next round.  Olin and Meepo, you're 30 feet from the black house along with Ismark, but separated, and can get to the front door and start blasting inside if you like.  It's a small space inside so you figure if you hear her moving it should be easy to target her.  Lionel and Mordekai, you're both 60 feet from the house.   Lionel is the only one who has a good line of site to the back of the house incase she tries to escape out the back. 

Let me know what you do for the next action.

If anyone isn't happy with their position, let me know and I can move them about a bit.  The terrain is just for color on the map.  None of it is difficult terrain around here.It's all muddy with puddles.

There was no time for cartography - if house shaken itself away from where it was before, so be it. More important thing was that witch returned in there. Not loosing the sight of the back entrance (window?) Lionel flied there in hope to enter the blackness and find his wounded enemy in there.