Ghosts of Saltmarsh (cbaer8) - Campaign Thread

Boko, keeping her eyes and ears open for any sign of movement or activity of an invisible fancy man, helps to search the other rooms. She also tries to investigate the illusory area Peri identified.

She uses druidcraft to light any candles or torches that remain unlit.

"I could use a short break, after we clear this place. Do we want to ask either of these two about the target?" she asks the others.

Kei 

"Pffft. Don't need to bother old Grumpyhammer, he has cultists to convert." He grabs the boots from beside the bedroll and begins to slip his own drab boots from his feet. "Thanks for the advise on the loose stone" his gratitude evident even with his hasty remark.

He slides his foot into one then the second boot - gritting his teeth as he does so. Kei had never heard of evil boots before, but neither had he been to a cult headquarters.

As the boots magical properties slowly become evident to him, he shimmies over to the loose cobblestone and checks closer for any traps. Whether he finds any or not he continues to remove the stone and inspect the contents of the newly revealed hole.

Investigation 19 plus Guidance 1 to look for traps.

Boko lights a lantern she finds, illuminating the dreary state of this ruined cellar. Examining the wall in front of the detected illusionary magic, she finds nothing but a solid wall, built of intact (if ancient) stone bricks and mortar. 

Kei finds the boots fit perfectly. Their magic will take a little longer to tease out.

The loose stone appears to be trap-free. Carefully removing the stone, Kei finds a pair of arcane scrolls, a leather pouch containing 75 gp, and a pair of ruby earrings. (Looking closer, Kei recognizes the bard-friendly spells on the scroll: silent image and phantasmal force.)

Peri:

"Ozyman- That's an unusual name. I once knew a man who claimed to have seen a statue -- well, part of one, what's left of it anyway -- that had that name on it. Couldn't be the same Ozymandias, right?" He shakes his head. "I doubt we'll waste any healing on him. He'll be right as rain in a bit. Until then," he says, now addressing Gerrard, "shall we start clearin rooms?"

Gerrard:

”You are right, Master Fenwader, we have done our best to impede the escape of our invisible foe, if he is even still here.  Let us explore,” replies Gerrard, finally relinquishing his post at the exit   Keeping his glowing blade at the ready for light as much as defense, Gerrard moves several steps away towards Peri…

…then suddenly turns and thrusts at a tiny sound in the barricade behind him, penetrating cleanly through an offending barrel stave that had the temerity to creak slightly.  Slightly embarrassed, the young noble says, “It was worth a shot.”

Deception for his ruse:  13

Perception:  13

Sighing in earnest this time, Gerrard follows Peri to the first unexplored room.

Boko stays focused on the illusory magic, and asks Peri to look again, to see if the magic was part of the wall, or actually the invisible Biscuits McFancypants.

If not, she plays a supporting role, looking and listening for anything of note as they clear rooms.

Perception: 15

Kei 

With fresh footwear, Kei emerges from the room with a fistful of loot. The grim on his face broader than it had been in quite some time. In an unusually generous manner he approaches both Gerrard and Dwal. To Gerrard he offers the ruby earrings - "Perhaps for your Esmerelda?" And to Dwal - "For your book of spells. This one's a favourite of mine" he says as he hands over the scrolls, emphasising the one of Phantasmal Force. "There's a stash of gold also. We'll split that went things are settled".

After handing out the loot he turns his attention to the ongoings. "Where are we at?"

Peri:

"One way's good as another, I guess." He presses his ear to the door west of the room with Kei's new boots and listens 14 for any sound inside. Hearing nothing ((assuming that's the case; otherwise disregard the rest of this)) he waits until the others are in a position to support and, at their nods, throws open the door.

Dwal shakes his head. "Aye lad," and puts all Kei hands him into the bag for safe keeping.

While the rest of the party checks out the rooms and doors, Dwal will hang a few steps from those captured and keep an eye on them. If the priest is in bad shape and near dying Dwal will pull out a Healer's Kit and make sure the priest doesn't die. 
Once finished Dwal will load his crossbow and keep it trained on the captives.

Peri, hearing nothing at the leftmost door on the north wall, throws it open.

This room is full of kegs, bags, and boxes. There is a rough cot in one corner and a great deal of clutter everywhere. Except for the cot, this appears to be nothing more than a disorganized storage room.

Meanwhile, Boko continues to examine the south wall of the main room. It appears both ordinary and solid, with no indications of tricks, traps, illusions, or doors. Peri reported a static magical signature a few feet beyond the wall surface; it's doubtful his arcane vision would pick up the invisible man, anyway.

Dwal watches the bound captives. The old man is alive, but out cold. The cards woman is sitting and watching your movements warily. The yellow priest is awake but out of it, his eyes unfocused and rolling, making (gagged) noises and incoherent moans. He seems medically stable, but he's a bit of a mess.

The invisible man remains missing.

Peri:

Peri pokes through the storeroom, making sure no one is hiding among the barrels and crates. He also used his Eldritch sight to find the source of magic he sensed from the other room.

Kei 

Stomping around with his new shiny shoes, Kei offers Help to Peri, aiding in the search of the storeroom. "What's your thoughts on this lot? Full of it, like most cults or is this Thatizdun or Ozymandias someone...something we need fear?" He makes small talk as they search.

Peri and Kei poke around the storeroom. Digging among the barrels and crates, they find a couple of kegs of corned beef and pork; bags of beans, rice, and flour; and two boxes of reasonable fresh root vegetables. They also find gardening tools, a keg of nails, a box of carpentry tools (saws, hammers, planes, etc,), three lanterns, ten flasks of oil, two 50-foot coils of rope, twenty torches, and two 10-foot wooden poles. Carefully searching under the cot with Peri's eldritch sight reveals four potions in fancy crystal decanters. (The decanters alone seem valuable to Kei's discerning eye.)

Peri:

"What's your thoughts on this lot? Full of it, like most cults or is this Thatizdun or Ozymandias someone...something we need fear?"

"I dunno. If there were a lot of 'em, maybe; but if this lot's all that's left of the cult, I'd say we've done for 'em. What is it with all these cults, anyway? First Xolor, then Iuz, and now this Tharizdun. People should just pick a good, sensible religion, like Yondalla's children, say their prayers, make their offerings, and go on about your business. Quit tryin to summon, or unchain, or call forth and all that nonsense!"

"Aha!" he says on finding the potions. "We'll have to let Dwal tell us whether these are useful or not." A sly grin spreads on his face. "Watch this -- you're gonna like it."

He picks up the four decanters and cradles them in his left arm. Then he picks up one of the oil flasks in his right and winks at Kei. He hides the flask down by his leg as he rushes out of the room, looking like a kid at a carnival. "Hey Dwal! Look, we found some potions!" He makes a show of the decanters in his arm. "Here, let us know what they do!" and he lobs the oil flask in a deliberately high arc over the dwarf's head, a little too high for him to catch it.

The oil flask flies high over Dwal's head, coming down in near the far corner of the room, where it bounces and then explodes with oil, spraying an unseen figure squatting silently in the corner.

With a muttered curse, the semi-invisible, oil-spattered form bursts toward the barricaded doors. 

He dives over the table with a mighty leap, attempting to use the doors as leverage to overturn the planks and barrels and slip out the doors.
Athletics check: 13

...but fails. He finds himself standing on top of the rickety table, scrambling to open them. He mutters a magically-laced insult toward Dwal, who's standing the closest. "Fat dwarven cutpurse, stealing my stuff!" (Dwal must succeed on a DC 12 Charisma saving throw or have disadvantage on ability checks, attack rolls, and saving throws until the start of the oil-spattered man's next turn.)

(Who's caught off-guard? I suppose we can give him a Stealth check: 7 )

Initiative:
Oil-spattered not-so-invisible-man: 4 
KeI: 15 
Gerrard  19 - surprised
Peri:  19 
Dwal:  24 - surprised. (If he fails his DC12 CHA save, disadvantage Initiative roll:  20 )
Boko: 7 

...Kei, Peri, and Boko may act.

Dwal's save attempt: 7

Boko calls out: "FREEZE OR BURN! That sphere will hit you right now if you do not surrender immediately. Bad idea for someone covered in oil..."

She will cast flaming sphere and hit him if he does not surrender. She's had it with these people, and him in particular.

Kei 

"So, you're still here? Bad move." threatens one bard to the other. Kei runs his fingers through his deck of cards as he finishes his casting. Here goes nothing he thinks to himself as the spell takes hold.

((WIS 15 save))

Oily guy: DC15 WIS Save: 15

Before he is able to respond to Boko's ultimatum, Kei's spell takes effect. The man tightens into a paralyzed, grotesque statue, dripping with a slick of brownish oil, balanced precariously atop the table.

Peri:

Peri carefully places the potions on the ground beside the door, then strolls over to where he has a clear view of the four remaining cultists (say 15' south of his current position). He readies an eldritch blast, the purplish energy crackling around his fist, to fire off at the first one to move. "I'd listen to her, boyo. She's got that 'not messin around anymore' look, and you are pretty flammable right now."