Fivin tells you that this is the only entrance to the keep. Looking around the structure, you don’t see any other doors, and around the sides, the butte drops off to a steep overhang.
Not finding any traps, Nym pushes on one of the heavy oaken doors with her hand, and it slowly opens without a sound. Peering beyond, you don't see or hear any immediate threats, so you look inside and find yourselves at the entrance to a large chamber, nearly 80-feet across on either side, with a 20-foot high ceiling.
The most eye-catching feature of this room is the floor mosaic, a huge disk, surrounded by flames, with a crescent moon and two stars set in shimmering stone that's been partially painted over with what looks like tar in the crude shape of a dragon's head. Above, the ceiling is actually a dome that's formed by thick tree limbs, and you actually can hear birds chirping from somewhere above your heads. The walls are also painted and carved with ornate decorations that depict the appearance of being inside a forest.
You can see that several exits lead off from this chamber to other areas of the keep, including three that sit in the wall directly across from you on the far side of this grand entrance room. As soon as she steps inside, Nym's magical sense continues to point straight ahead.
Hanging back for safety, Fivin has not yet looked into the room yet. He whispers, "What do you see?"
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
At Fivin's question, she replies in the same quiet tone, "Bad artwork. More defacement of your home's beauty." She clarifies before continuing, "They're forward still. Not sure which path yet though." The drow crept forward as silently as she possibly could with a prayer to help, hoping that the closer she got that her spell would guide her down one path specifically.
"Oh dear... let's hope that's the worst of it." Fivin says as he waits until you give the "all clear." Once you're inside, he whispers and points across the room, "The library is straight ahead on the other side of the this main hall."
The light is fairly bright in here, with sunlight streaming through the large windows in the main hall. With this large entry chamber empty, there's really nothing to hide behind as you make your way across. Relying on silence and gentle elven steps across the floor, Kess joins Nym as they both slip as quietly as possible across the chamber. Chrys remains at the entrance, so as not to clang around and make a bunch of noise. Vesper remains with her, as does Fivin. Lumen can either stay with them, or join Nym and Kess as they cross the room.
Glancing back, you can see the entry ways to the two guard towers, which you realize is how the kobolds you just fought reached the battlement.
Nym's spell energy keeps directing her forward, and as you get about a third of the way across, you glance left and see that the far left corner of the main entry chamber opens up into a vestibule made of spiralling wood and beautifully sculpted stone. Ivy crawls across the entire structure, and birds feast upon the blackberries that sprout from it. Standing within the vestibule itself are two vigilant statues of elven warriors, cracked with age and worn smooth by the touch of a thousand hands.
There's also a large stairway that leads up, and next to it, you spot three more kobolds, who are milling about, seemingly not paying any attention.
Even though you're being very quiet, you're still right out in the open, and if any one of them looks up, they'll see you.
Being very aware that she is not the most gentle of foot, Silver hangs back with Chrys, Fivin and Vesper. The two elves creep across the large hall silently, a feat that Silver can only marvel at. This must be a tried and tested tactic of the group, the silent ones scouting ahead while the others remain, so as not to jeopardise their friends safety. She is happy to follow their lead.
She whispers to Fivin as they stand in the doorway, "This is a beautiful hall. I can see how impressive the floor mural will be once it is cleaned up. What does it represent?"
Fivin answers Silver in a whisper, while watching Kess and Nyn creep silently across the room. At one point, he sees as Kess slowly crouches down and begins unslinging her longbow from her shoulder.
"The mosaic is a testament to a treaty signed in Askavar by the moon, sun and star elves. It created a tranquil but short era of peace. As a show of the newfound unity, it was named after the name of the elves themselves, the Tel’Quessir."
What is immediately around the kobolds, and what's between the party at the kobolds? Lumen is looking to perhaps create a silent image that screens the party from view. A 15-foot painting that matches the view of the rest of the chamber (without the party). Or perhaps a piece of rubble or big furniture right next to them, that would provide a good hiding/screening opportunity. Or is it wide open and just aa matter of seconds before they look around and see us?
Basically, on the left side of the huge entry hall, instead of a wall, there are 4 carved wooden pillars that separate the room you're in from that other chamber. They kobolds are milling about near the pillars and the stairway, which is just behind them. They're about 40' away from your current position, with nothing but open air between you and them. They just don't happen to be looking this way at the moment.
Nym froze as still as the statues that they had seen outside as her eyes fell on the trio of kobolds. Mystified that they hadn't heard the battle with their fellows but more focused on what she should do now. At any second now they might look up and notice them. She didn't think Lumen or Vesper had any sort of spell to silence the kobolds or they likely would have cast it when encountering the other ones. So they just needed to silence these ones just as quickly if not quicker. Seeing that there was too great of a distance for her to rush them with her longsword, Nym caught the eyes of first Kess, silently communicating with a glance what needed to happen before looking back to their other companions and silently held up three fingers before pointing forward and slowly and silently drawing out her longsword. Assuming she isn't motioned to stop, the drow would continue.
Then she holds out her free left hand to call down a Sacred Flame onto the Kobold closest to the stairs before rushing forward towards it thirty feet.
((I will let Nym die before I let her use anything other than weapons or cantrips on kobolds. Savin those Spell Slots for Duskbringer! Another 13DC DEX Save GM~ Not sure if this counts as surprise round and/or if surprise does anything for them rolling a save.))
With Kess and Nym glancing to each other, with the understanding that they both know what must happen, and that you don't have very long to make it happen, Kess silent puts an arrow to her bow string and raises it as she takes aim towards one of the kobolds. Nym holds out her free hand and points it at the kobold that's standing by the stairs.
When you're both ready, Kess gives the signal with a slight nod, then releases the arrow. As she watches it fly, she realizes that it's a good thing that you have the element of surprise. She instantly sees that if the kobold she shot at was paying attention, he would have likely been able to dodge the shot, which was on the verge of being slightly wide. However, the little reptilian creature had no idea that there was arrow flying straight toward his head, and so he remained motionless as the arrow caught him right in the eye. Without a sound, the creature drops to the floor dead with the shaft poking eight inches out of his skull.
Just then, Nym releases her Sacred Flame spell, hoping to take out one of the other kobolds.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Lumen grabs two daggers and throws one and then the other, with an "okay so we're doing this" look on his face. He aims for the remaining kobold and darts forward to get within 20 feet after Kess' arrow looses.
Attack: 18 Damage: 4 BA Offhand Attack: 13 Damage: 4
Lumen’s two daggers spin through the air like tiny windmills, before embedding themselves to a stop in the kobold’s chest. He falls dead with barely a gasp as the air expelled from his punctured lungs.
Within barely a second, two of the kobolds drop dead from their instant and deadly injuries. Somehow, though, the third exhibits lightning quick reflexes and leaps aside as Nym’s divine flames descend upon it, seemingly out of nowhere.
Seeing his two dead companions, and then spotting you three out in the middle of the entry hall, the little beast gives a shout and turns to flee towards the stairs.
Wasting no time, Kess quickly fires a second arrow and drops the kobold before he reaches the bottom step. His momentum causes him to stumble and crash face first into the handrail of the stairway, and he falls dead with barely a sound.
Fivin tells you that this is the only entrance to the keep. Looking around the structure, you don’t see any other doors, and around the sides, the butte drops off to a steep overhang.
Seeing that this was the only way, Nym tried to look for herself at the door to determine if there were any hazardous traps laid on or around it.
Perception (rolling with disadvantage since I'm pretty sure the sun's out): 16 13
Assuming she doesn't notice any traps, Nym will open the door herself after warning her companions she was going to do so.
Nym Durnodel - Aspiring Heroes of Faerûn // Danica Amastacia - Red Dead Annihilation
Lumen tries to help Nym look around the door for traps or oddities (so maybe we take the first roll?)...
Not finding any traps, Nym pushes on one of the heavy oaken doors with her hand, and it slowly opens without a sound. Peering beyond, you don't see or hear any immediate threats, so you look inside and find yourselves at the entrance to a large chamber, nearly 80-feet across on either side, with a 20-foot high ceiling.
The most eye-catching feature of this room is the floor mosaic, a huge disk, surrounded by flames, with a crescent moon and two stars set in shimmering stone that's been partially painted over with what looks like tar in the crude shape of a dragon's head. Above, the ceiling is actually a dome that's formed by thick tree limbs, and you actually can hear birds chirping from somewhere above your heads. The walls are also painted and carved with ornate decorations that depict the appearance of being inside a forest.
You can see that several exits lead off from this chamber to other areas of the keep, including three that sit in the wall directly across from you on the far side of this grand entrance room. As soon as she steps inside, Nym's magical sense continues to point straight ahead.
Hanging back for safety, Fivin has not yet looked into the room yet. He whispers, "What do you see?"
At Fivin's question, she replies in the same quiet tone, "Bad artwork. More defacement of your home's beauty." She clarifies before continuing, "They're forward still. Not sure which path yet though." The drow crept forward as silently as she possibly could with a prayer to help, hoping that the closer she got that her spell would guide her down one path specifically.
Stealth: 6
Guidance: 3
Nym Durnodel - Aspiring Heroes of Faerûn // Danica Amastacia - Red Dead Annihilation
"Oh dear... let's hope that's the worst of it." Fivin says as he waits until you give the "all clear." Once you're inside, he whispers and points across the room, "The library is straight ahead on the other side of the this main hall."
The light is fairly bright in here, with sunlight streaming through the large windows in the main hall. With this large entry chamber empty, there's really nothing to hide behind as you make your way across. Relying on silence and gentle elven steps across the floor, Kess joins Nym as they both slip as quietly as possible across the chamber. Chrys remains at the entrance, so as not to clang around and make a bunch of noise. Vesper remains with her, as does Fivin. Lumen can either stay with them, or join Nym and Kess as they cross the room.
Glancing back, you can see the entry ways to the two guard towers, which you realize is how the kobolds you just fought reached the battlement.
Nym's spell energy keeps directing her forward, and as you get about a third of the way across, you glance left and see that the far left corner of the main entry chamber opens up into a vestibule made of spiralling wood and beautifully sculpted stone. Ivy crawls across the entire structure, and birds feast upon the blackberries that sprout from it. Standing within the vestibule itself are two vigilant statues of elven warriors, cracked with age and worn smooth by the touch of a thousand hands.
There's also a large stairway that leads up, and next to it, you spot three more kobolds, who are milling about, seemingly not paying any attention.
Even though you're being very quiet, you're still right out in the open, and if any one of them looks up, they'll see you.
Being very aware that she is not the most gentle of foot, Silver hangs back with Chrys, Fivin and Vesper. The two elves creep across the large hall silently, a feat that Silver can only marvel at. This must be a tried and tested tactic of the group, the silent ones scouting ahead while the others remain, so as not to jeopardise their friends safety. She is happy to follow their lead.
She whispers to Fivin as they stand in the doorway, "This is a beautiful hall. I can see how impressive the floor mural will be once it is cleaned up. What does it represent?"
DM - Storm King's Thunder
DM - Torosevia (WIP homebrew world)
Kelytha Meliamne - Matti Silverstorm - Silver - Star-Setting-In-The-East - Tor Baltos
Fivin answers Silver in a whisper, while watching Kess and Nyn creep silently across the room. At one point, he sees as Kess slowly crouches down and begins unslinging her longbow from her shoulder.
"The mosaic is a testament to a treaty signed in Askavar by the moon, sun and star elves. It created a tranquil but short era of peace. As a show of the newfound unity, it was named after the name of the elves themselves, the Tel’Quessir."
What is immediately around the kobolds, and what's between the party at the kobolds? Lumen is looking to perhaps create a silent image that screens the party from view. A 15-foot painting that matches the view of the rest of the chamber (without the party). Or perhaps a piece of rubble or big furniture right next to them, that would provide a good hiding/screening opportunity. Or is it wide open and just aa matter of seconds before they look around and see us?
Basically, on the left side of the huge entry hall, instead of a wall, there are 4 carved wooden pillars that separate the room you're in from that other chamber. They kobolds are milling about near the pillars and the stairway, which is just behind them. They're about 40' away from your current position, with nothing but open air between you and them. They just don't happen to be looking this way at the moment.
Nym froze as still as the statues that they had seen outside as her eyes fell on the trio of kobolds. Mystified that they hadn't heard the battle with their fellows but more focused on what she should do now. At any second now they might look up and notice them. She didn't think Lumen or Vesper had any sort of spell to silence the kobolds or they likely would have cast it when encountering the other ones. So they just needed to silence these ones just as quickly if not quicker. Seeing that there was too great of a distance for her to rush them with her longsword, Nym caught the eyes of first Kess, silently communicating with a glance what needed to happen before looking back to their other companions and silently held up three fingers before pointing forward and slowly and silently drawing out her longsword. Assuming she isn't motioned to stop, the drow would continue.
Then she holds out her free left hand to call down a Sacred Flame onto the Kobold closest to the stairs before rushing forward towards it thirty feet.
((I will let Nym die before I let her use anything other than weapons or cantrips on kobolds. Savin those Spell Slots for Duskbringer! Another 13DC DEX Save GM~ Not sure if this counts as surprise round and/or if surprise does anything for them rolling a save.))
Nym Durnodel - Aspiring Heroes of Faerûn // Danica Amastacia - Red Dead Annihilation
With Kess and Nym glancing to each other, with the understanding that they both know what must happen, and that you don't have very long to make it happen, Kess silent puts an arrow to her bow string and raises it as she takes aim towards one of the kobolds. Nym holds out her free hand and points it at the kobold that's standing by the stairs.
When you're both ready, Kess gives the signal with a slight nod, then releases the arrow. As she watches it fly, she realizes that it's a good thing that you have the element of surprise. She instantly sees that if the kobold she shot at was paying attention, he would have likely been able to dodge the shot, which was on the verge of being slightly wide. However, the little reptilian creature had no idea that there was arrow flying straight toward his head, and so he remained motionless as the arrow caught him right in the eye. Without a sound, the creature drops to the floor dead with the shaft poking eight inches out of his skull.
Just then, Nym releases her Sacred Flame spell, hoping to take out one of the other kobolds.
(Need damage roll for the spell from Nym.)
Lumen grabs two daggers and throws one and then the other, with an "okay so we're doing this" look on his face. He aims for the remaining kobold and darts forward to get within 20 feet after Kess' arrow looses.
Attack: 18 Damage: 4
BA Offhand Attack: 13 Damage: 4
(if adv due to surprise, guessing not: 25 and 19)
Lumen’s two daggers spin through the air like tiny windmills, before embedding themselves to a stop in the kobold’s chest. He falls dead with barely a gasp as the air expelled from his punctured lungs.
Sacred Flame: 8
Nym Durnodel - Aspiring Heroes of Faerûn // Danica Amastacia - Red Dead Annihilation
Kobold DEX save: 17
Within barely a second, two of the kobolds drop dead from their instant and deadly injuries. Somehow, though, the third exhibits lightning quick reflexes and leaps aside as Nym’s divine flames descend upon it, seemingly out of nowhere.
Seeing his two dead companions, and then spotting you three out in the middle of the entry hall, the little beast gives a shout and turns to flee towards the stairs.
Nym and Lumen, roll initiative.
Initiative (with advantage because of Vigilant Blessing): 13
Nym Durnodel - Aspiring Heroes of Faerûn // Danica Amastacia - Red Dead Annihilation
Initiative: 9
Kess Initiative: 19
Kobold Initiative: 3
Wasting no time, Kess quickly fires a second arrow and drops the kobold before he reaches the bottom step. His momentum causes him to stumble and crash face first into the handrail of the stairway, and he falls dead with barely a sound.