Pizazz's Ravenloft and Beyond

Mordekai rushes across the balcony and down the stairs, trying to stay quiet, but being as quickly as possible.   Lionel, as you battle the skull, two more swipes going wide, you turn and notice Mordekai rushing towards you in the darkness.  Mordekai, you hear a voice in your head, "No!  He is my play thing, leave him!" 

DC 17 Wisdom save. 

Lionel, the skull blasts you for 3 psychic damage.  

Lionel, you may take your turn. 

"You are alive!" It was the brief moment of happiness in that dreadful place, but Lionel immediately returned to fighting - he could not allow the skull to attack Mordekai:

Attack: 9 Damage: 9

Attack: 12 Damage: 9

(Mordekai can remember, that when he is standing about 10 ft from Lionel, he feels more confident +3 bonus to all saving throws.)

DC17 WIS save (Inc +3 from Lionel): 26 

Mordekai leaps forward, feeling his limbs freeze, but somehow manages to push through the spell trying to wrap itself around his muscles and stop him where he stands....Lionel's glowing presence just enough to help him push through and grab Lionel who continues to try and fight the invisible opponent.  Lionel, you're grabbed and Mordekai attempts to teleport you away.  Do you let him? 

Does Lionel understands what is going on? Otherwise it will take some talking.

"Mordekai, tell me Meepo is still alive too!" Paladin was talking to the man, but was looking at the skull's movements. "We lost everyone here. And that monster took The Sword - my frie... our only hope against Strahd! I have to get it back!"

"Meepo's waiting for us outside, let's go and regroup! We can come back more prepared." 

(Can we say that Lionel did take the ring from Kasimir, when he took his rapier? If only to return to his people)

Should Lionel be alone, he would stay, but he could not risk life of others. They will return - he will return no matter what! "Take Olin's backpack" (he did not add "and the cloak" - it was obvious, that they need anything useful now). "And we go". While Mordekai prepared the retreat, Lionel was doing his best to keep skulls attention on himself.

The skull continues to float and bob as Lionel does a small move get near Kasimir and slip the ring off of his finger.  The skull blasts Lionel.  2 Psychic damage.   (by my Math, you should be at 24 hps now)

Mordekai...it seems Lionel seems intent on his invisible battle, and he is going to resist your spell if you attempt to dimension door him away, at least until you grab the bag.  Do you run over and grab Olin's backpack?  (FYI, this will put you outside Lionel's protective +3 to saves, it will also take a round to run over there, grab the bag, then get back to Lionel.) 

(By my calculations Lionel is at 28hp by now, but I could be mistaken. However, Lionel did not say he will resist Mordekai's spell, he only asked to grab the backpack and going to protect tiefling until he is ready to go, Mordekai is free to act as he wishes, including taking paladin through the door.)

(OOC: Ok, sounds good.  Mordekai, do you take an extra turn to grab stuff, or do you just teleport Lionel away?)

Yes, Mordekai sees that Lionel is focused and at least lucid enough to think of Olin's things, and also believes it will be easier to take Lionel once he's done as requested. Plus, Olin's stuff is good, and important. So Mordekai will take a moment and do that.

(I assume another DC17 WIS save without Lionel's +3: 20) 

You assume correctly!!!    In his mind, "Now now....where are you going?  Come...don't leave...play with me...." 

Mordekai fights off the beguiling magic and the irritating thoughts in his head and grabs Olin's backpack, cloak, and then rushes back to Lionel and grabs his wrist.  "NO!!"  *bamf*

You both appear out in the darkness, on the snowy peaks of the mountains, snow blowing down, the wind howling in the darkness.  The crisp mountain air feels somehow less foul than the frigid air inside. You are a hundred feet from Meepo and move towards him. He's busy casting a spell, while Ulthan, bow drawn, stands guard nearby. Meepo casts the large man waspish looks as he tries to focus on his spell.  Finally he completes the magic.  The four of you take shelter within.  Immediately the wind is gone....the air is warm, the skin on your cheeks begins to burn. 

You appear to be safe....for the moment, though everyone looks burned, bloodied, cut, and hurt in some way.  Lionel in particular looks drawn and pale.  

Lionel also looked devastated. "I lost the sword," he confessed now to Meepo too. "Olin, Izmark, Kasimir... They are all there. All what is left of Kazimir." He gave their versed in magic comrades the ring. "We shall return it to his people. But for now... We have to get back. Smarter, this time. And prepared. That monster of a man is still there I saw him again. And he commands floating skulls. Makes more of them from the dead. We might need holy water to stop him from raising our friends."

(I suppose ring should be identified)

"Get sword back." Meepo assures Lionel.  He sits quietly otherwise, not talking with the others unless a question is asked of him.  He realizes just how close he had come to dieing in there, and his undead minions had been worse than useless.

Meepo, you're handed a gold ring with elven script on it.  You can feel its magic.  You guys also have Olin's blood spear which gives you health when it kills someone, and Olin's cloak of protection.  Olin also had a scroll of revivify, and a scroll of mass cure wounds.  The blood spear is a magical weapon, but has no bonus to hit and damage. He also had 26 gold and 20 silver and some other mundane equipment. 

Lionel will keep the spear (attuning to it now) but the cloak would be more useful to Mordekai with his 12 AC. We also had silver shortsword. Might get handy now even it as a last resort.

(I typed out a post handing stuff to Meepo - not sure what happened to it!)

Mordekai hands the cloak to Meepo.  "He'd want you to take this."

"You should take these, too," he adds, handing him the spell scrolls.  "We should really try to find you the means to learn some of these spells.  I think they'd be useful on our return."

 (Lionel can cast revivify - and it does not make him happy, he could but did not save Olin. Mass cure - that is for true healers, though)

I presume you guys are staying here for a long rest?