Pizazz's Ravenloft and Beyond

"Blasted undead!" Lionel was picking pieces of dry bones from his beard (another reason to get rid of this thing) and looked non so pleased. "Now lets see what monstrosity does he keep in this pompous coffin."

A few minutes later Meepo finishes summoning a new disk.  He places the rat skull on the disk, and goes about searching the room some more.  He finds a gold bracelet laying on the ground in the dirt.  It looks to be worth about 100gp, very nice.  He tosses it on the disk. Oooh, partially in the dirt he spots a gem.  He digs it out, and pulls on it, but it seems to be sewn into a scarf..as he pulls the scarf pulls free of the dirt showing more scarf and more gems.  

And then the ground explodes upwards. 

Three filth covered female women, wearing soiled wedding gowns in white, red and gold, burst from beneath the ground around Meepo.  They hiss, brandishing their fingers ending in sharp claws, their mouths crowded with sharp fangs. 

At the same moment, Lionel hears a voice in his head....the voice of Strahd.  "At least my servants won't need to take your bodies far to be lain to rest....assuming I simply kill you....."  A quiet scuff, and Lionel, Mordekai, Ulthan, and Ketch turns around, seeing Strahd standing 60 feet behind them in amidst the crypts, he steps behind one of the crypts out of site. 

Roll initiative everyone. 

Strahd : 6

Spectre : 20

Spawn : 7

Other : 12

Map, green are skeletons, yellow are you guys, and blue are Strahd and the Vampire girls.  Squares are 10 ft x 10 ft!   Meepo, to explain, you're down the stairs and in the crypt and 3 Vampire girls have risen around you.  The rest of the group is up the stairs and 20 feet from the top of the stairs to avoid the magical traps.  Strahd is 60 feet behind them, and behind a crypt so they can't see him at the moment.  The "Spectre" and "Other" are not yet on the map. 

Meepo initiative: 21

Skeletons initiative: 20

Meepo casts Otiluke’s Resilient Sphere on himself.

He then commands his skeletons to attack with shortbows...

The 9 skeletons let loose, shooting at the vampire women...< br />
1 ... to hit: 17 Damage: 9
2 ... to hit: 8 Damage: 11
3 ... to hit: 21 Damage: 11
4 ... to hit: 22 Damage: 13
5 ... to hit: 15 Damage: 10
6 ... to hit: 13 Damage: 12
7 ... to hit: 19 Damage: 11
8 ... to hit: 16 Damage: 12
9 ... to hit: 11 Damage: 10

Meepo surrounds himself in the sphere.  The skeletons all jam into a narrow spot where they can get a line on one of the vampire women from up the stairs and let their arrows fly.  The arrows vanish one after another as they pass through the magical area.  

Mordekai initiative: 20

Mordekai grabs Lionel, assuming he's about to light up the sword, and casts Dimension Door, immediately taking Lionel to near the middle of the crypt room (just by the door of crypt 18, let's say) - so maybe 15ft from Strahd, I guess. As a bonus action, Mordekai will transfer Hex onto Strahd, giving him disadvantage on Wisdom checks (not saving throws, though, sadly?). 

Then Mordekai will move east through the crypt room, putting distance between himself and Strahd, but choosing to stay in sight so that Lionel is not his only target. 

(Meepo and Ulthan, don't forget your 12 temp hp. And inspiration if you've not tracked that)

Hah, take that stupid undead, we showed you. This is going to be easy pickings... I was soooooo right in thinking we should do this... Thinks Ulthan split second before the ground erupts. He does not get a chance to think I've never been soooo wrong....
At 10 Ulthan starts firing into his closest threat, Strahd. He'll move laterally to not get stuck in the middle between Strahd and the women. (basically left from where he is)
Arrow1: 17 Damage: 6
Arrow2: 23 Damage: 10

Ketch Initiative: 10

      Ketch lifts his shield on high, the rough and battered, but very clear and distinctive Eye of Gruumsh upon it being slowly moved from one side to the other for all to see.  "Gruumsh, you vile and cruel wastage, use your one good eye to look down upon this unholy crap and shed your violence upon these foul creatures!"  

((Turn Undead - Each undead that can see or hear you within 30 feet of you must make a Wisdom saving throw. If the creature fails its saving throw (I believe against Ketch's spell DC of 15?), it is turned for 1 minute or until it takes any damage.

A turned creature must spend its turns trying to move as far away from you as it can, and it can’t willingly move to a space within 30 feet of you. It also can’t take reactions. For its action, it can use only the Dash action or try to escape from an effect that prevents it from moving. If there’s nowhere to move, the creature can use the Dodge action))  Strahd not in the range, or the wives, but they probably would succeed anyway. 

     As a last ditch action ((bonus action)) Ketch concentrates on the small piece of scripture he has tucked on the inside of his shield.  With that in mind, and with a whispered prayer, Ketch casts Shield of Faith upon Meepo.

Lionel's Initiative: 9

Lionel did not need to activate his sword - it was out from the previous fight. But he was thankful for the transportation nevertheless. What he did activated was his shield (Bonus action). And he got out the Raven Symbol: Hold Vampires - DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be paralyzed for 1 minute

(Uh, Ketch, the vampire girls and Strahd aren't in range. Are you trying to turn all (Meepo's) skeletons?  There's...uh..noone else around atm.  Also, Meepo is surrounded in a sphere of protection, you don't think your spell will reach him through it.) 

Lionel, Mordekai, and Ulthan all go rushing laterally, two of them via magic, to try and close on Strahd.  As Ulthan rounds the corner, Strahd is nowhere to be seen...perhaps he kept moving all the way around the far side of the crypt....but...on the other side of that crypt 21, in the center of the room, Mordekai and Lionel appear, and likewise, Strahd is nowhere to be seen by them either.

The vampire girls all leap at Meepo, scratching their fingers along the outside of the magical sphere, hissing at the small copper kobold within. Inside one of their eyes, Meepo sees his own reflection, but his scales are dim...he vanishes inside those eyes, facing his own undead self...and...slipping into his own eyes, he sees Strahd beneath.  Suddenly the lack of his undead state is like a heat within him...and he withdraws from all those eyes until he is back in the world.  Glancing around, no time having passed, he feels chilled to the bone, understanding that Strahd control all such creatures around him....and he has escaped this fate. 

(Pausing here for Lionel, Ketch, Mordekai and Ulthan to adjust their turns.... 

Ulthan, you have taken your full movement and arrived near 31, looking straight down where Strahd stepped away, but you can't see him.

Mordekai, you have taken your action, but may still move + bonus action if you have one you want to take.

Lionel, you have done nothing for your turn yet.

Ketch, you've done nothing yet, until you confirm you're trying to turn all of Meepo's skeletons...lol.  ) 

Mordekai will use his bonus action to curse at Strahd. He'll then begin to move back towards Meepo, coming round between crypts 21 and 22, towards 26 (so trying to move towards Meepo from the centre of the crypt room, to try and see straight down those stairs and open up line of sight to Meepo as soon as possible, but his focus is more on the cursing than the moving).

((Damn my speed reading skills!  Ground exploding, then a map where I'm surrounded by skeletons...  oops, my bad, good skeletons!))

     With the trap still obviously in place, Ketch would also have rushed after Strahd at a full sprint...  Pointlessly in retrospect.

Ulthan whips out the shortsword, maybe it will do some good, and just has it caught on his belt (not that he has a sheath for it unless it decided to have one. Then he vaguely remembers something about some women, so he asks "hrmpfh how get to women hrmpfh" Apparently completely forgetting about the dimension door thing.

Lionel, as you stand there glancing around, a shimmering evil transparent creature rises up from the stone before you, it's face covered in the look of terrible misery. 

Attack: 8 Damage: 7  It's incorporeal hand reaches for you, the cold touch of death emanating from the creature, but you dodge away. 

Ketch meanwhile comes rushing past 26 on his way to where Strahd was, and then suddenly is assaulted by the sound of a thousand voices screaming in terror and horror. (Wisdom Save, DC 16, or 9 psychic damage, half on a save) 

Then an elf with pale skin and black hair steps out from behind a pillar Grenk was just passing, a scimitar in his hand, as he advances, moving like a snake, his attacks and feints lashing out with the skill of an ancient master sword fighter. 

Attack: 32 Damage: 14

Attack: 32 Damage: 15

Attack: 23 Damage: 9

Mordekai, as you come around the corner between 21 and 22 you see the dusk elf Rahadin, his fine elven blade out and lashing over and over at Ketch who is taken by surprise. 

Everyone can go. Note, Meepo, you are unaware of everything going on up top, except you can see your skeletons arrows are not reaching the room down here where you are. 

Mordekai smiles what comes out as the most cruel, menacing, sadistic smirk yet - mainly because this was exactly the face he was intending to make - as he sees a real target (and one who i assume won't be immune to necrotic damage like i suspect Strahd may be!).  Mordekai this time does transfer Hex, as he shouts, "Lionel!" and now will send his Eldritch Blasts. 

Attack: 13 Damage: 13

Attack: 21 Damage: 17

(Stop-stop-stop! We just landed - Mordekai and Lionel)

Disappearance of Strahd was not surprising but still very disappointing. "Argh! Would he ever fight?!!" Lionel yelled to the the bats on the ceiling - well can be the monster was hiding among them.

There was another enemy, however, Lionel was eager to meet - that murderer in the service of the murderer, Rahadin. Incorporeal enemies could wait for a while. Lionel rushed to the elf:

(BA remains - Shield up, AC21)

Attack: 15 Damage: 9

Attack: 16 Damage: 7

Meepo sits down in his sphere, having no actions he can do from within, and not knowing enough of the situation above to command his skeletons.

Ketch Wisdom Save:  17

     Rushing after the vile vampire Strahd, Ketch is caught unprepared when facing an auditory attack instead of a physical one.  Ketch drops the thighbone and brings his hands up to cover his ears, which helps... but not enough.  ((Half damage))

     Before Ketch could fully recover, a pale elf was upon him, striking Ketch again and again and again.  Ketch is too shocked by the noise to be ready to defend himself and is unable to dodge, getting sliced up by the elf with ease.  Ketch curses and creatively questions the Elf's lineage as he grabs up his trust battle axe.

     "Gruumsh give me strength," the Half Orc mutters, healing himself for 10 ((Cure Wounds 1st lvl))

     "And strike that sickly elf!" he finishes, causing a spectral, transparent battle axe to appear behind his attacker and chop down at it's pale, ugly face! ((Bonus action Spiritual Weapon ))

Spiritual Weapon Attack: 27 Damage: 7

((Grrr... I think this is second time in a row I criticized on the attack, then rolled 1 and 2 for damage.  *sigh*  At least I hit I guess?))

Ulthan redirects his arrows towards the dumbass we chose to not previously attack when he was wounded. Basically he already rolled above so don't think I should change that unless new round.
If old round
At 16
Arrow1: 22 Damage: 8
Arrow2: 12 Damage: 9
If new round
R2A1: 11 Damage: 11
R2A2: 17 Damage: 4
He'll try to flank whenever he can and be mid range so the bad Rahadin can't just rush forward and slice Ulthan into little bits.

Lionel charges away from the Spectre. (AoO : Attack: 16 Damage: 6 ) ... and up to the elf, swinging her glowing blade at him twice.  He casually steps away from one, and deflects the other with his blade.  As Lionel gets close she hears a roaring pressure in her mind. All of her own ghosts start to grown and shriek in her mind as she hears the death howls of thousands of Rahadin's victims.   (DC 16 Wisdom saving throw. 16 damage, save for half) 

Ketch turns to the elf, shaken from the blows, and a spiritual weapon appears next to the elf and plows into his head.  He stumbles but catches himself, a look of malevolence creeps onto his face as he stares at Ketch. 

Ulthan moves into position and fires two arrows, they whistle amidst Ketch, Rahadin, Lionel, and Mordekai, missing everything. 

Rahadin glancing around calmly at his various foes, continues pressing towards Ketch. 

Attack: 13 Damage: Unable to parse dice roll.

Attack: 29 Damage: 14

Attack: 21 Damage: 10

Lionel and Ketch, you both hear the screeching of Rahadin's kills in your minds.  (Both, Wisdom DC 16.  10 Pyschic damage, save for half.) 

Meanwhile the spectre rises up from the ground behind Lionel and takes a swipe at him, Attack: 16 Damage: 10

Ulthan, you suddenly have a tingling sensation of threat.....there's something directly behind you, and it's scraping it's claws down your back.....

Attack: 24 Damage: 12 + 14 Necrotic damage. 

Attack: 16 Damage: 9 + 11 Necrotic damage. 

You spin around...but the droplets of your blood on the invisible claw drop away, leaving your foe invisible once again....though you hear Strahd's voice, "Come undead slayer, do your worst..."  

(To be super clear, Strahd is on this map, but is invisible...)