Shadowthorn's Princes of the Apocalypse

(Have a good break!)

Kethra's initiative 4

Marros initiative 15

(Glad I used only a 1st level on that one. And.. we know the others at least have over 25 Hp.)

Xanranzan Initiative: 6.

Enemy init: 10

(Everyone is up again.  Both remaining enemies are in Tyde’s web, so you have advantage on all attacks against them.)

Rubin attacks...

Attack: 15 Damage: Unable to parse dice roll.
Attack: 17 Damage: 9

Now that there's sticky webs everywhere, Marros stows his scimitar and begins tracing circles in the air. A crackling bolt of orange light streaks towards one of the robed figures.

Eldritch Blast 12 Dmg 12

Xan, though not the sharpest tool in the shed by ANY measure, at least looked to his blades and considered trying to throw them. However, he immediately dismisses the idea with a shake of his head, and instead rather boldly sprang forward fully intending to enter the webbing if need be to cut down and hopefully disable at least one of the guarding in a slashing/bashing flourish of strikes!

Dex Save for DC[13]: 5.
(if needed)

Action: Attack w/ Saw-Toothed Longsword.
To Hit: 24 For: 8 slashing damage.
(If target is unarmored, it takes another 4 slashing damage.)

Bonus Action: Attack w/ Off-Hand Longsword.
To Hit: 11 For: 9 slashing damage.
(Two Weapon Fighting Style included in damage)

(If either two are hit, spending Bardic Die on the first to hit for Slashing Flourish and deal 5 damage to both guards.)

(Above also assumes flat roll if stuff in Web. If not, here's the advantage rolls: 12, 25)

(Bonus action attack is meant to be non-lethal)

A combination of all 3 of you manage to drop one, leaving only one lone figure.  Xan flourishes his blades menacing, cutting into the next one, then following up with a vicious slash that just barely connects.

(Kethra and Tyde are up, unfortunately the figure did die since only the bonus action attack was non-lethal.)

Using the opening in the webs created by Mr. Tyde's fire, a spinning figure in a dark cloak bursts through with a running long jump and strikes the white cloaked guard with another saw-tooth longsword--switching to the the flat side right before contact! Aimed right at the white cloaked guard's hood, the attack is both non-lethal and an attempt to see if uncover if there's a cult symbol underneath the hood.

Sword to-hit (reckless, non-lethal): 22 Damage: 10

With gleaming blue eyes illuminated by the webs ablaze, Kethra attempts a tornado kick right before landing, aimed right at cloaked guard's chin.

Unarmed to-hit (reckless, non-lethal): 15 Damage: 7

(If 37 damage from Xanranzan, Mr. Tyde and Kethra isn't enough, Kethra will spend 1 ki point so the unarmed strike becomes a flurry of blows and I'll make another hit.)

(You would have to flurry before seeing if it kills, but it does anyways.)

(So the tornado kick knocked him out? YESSS haha. I'll mark down the one ki point, then.)

Sees him slump over unconscious while in mid leap to knee the white cloaked guard in the gut, Kethra catches him in her lap as she softly impacts him amidst the embers of flaming webs fizzling out all around them.

(If we're out of initiative) the dark cloaked girl pauses quietly as she holds the white cloaked man, listening for any noise coming from down the stairs...

Perception: 9

...then methodically checks the guard on the forehead for a cult symbol. If there's nothing there, Kethra will turn him over to check if he has the same symbol from the body they found in the shallow graves before.

"WOW!" That's all that Marros can manage to say. After a moment's silence "I've seen fighting before but never such precision. Such determination. The Warrior of Light stands humbled in your presence." His bow accentuated even more by the wisps of web as they are dismissed by Tyde.

Even while complimenting the group, his heritage shows through just slightly as, without thinking, he checks the bodies for loot.

Investigation 3

In spite of being a caster himself, Xanranzan looks genuinely amazed when Tyde's words had been answered by the gods. "If anyone here aughta be humbled, it aughta be me. 'cause I ain't never knew you were godsman." He admits, nodding his head approvingly. He's blushing soon after seeing Kethra had stayed focused and were checking the bodies. Something he tried help if after the fact. However, either having forgotten the memo or having not thought to look for symbols, his search was more focused on digging up any incriminating evidence or coin. The latter of which he'd leave where it is, but finding anything of the former would get a quiet cheer and show his findings.

Body Search: 18.

Regardless of finding anything or not, he looks to last living guy before whispering to the others, "So we checking out the way ahead or try'n talk to this fella?"

Quote from See_Ess >>

"WOW!" That's all that Marros can manage to say. After a moment's silence "I've seen fighting before but never such precision. Such determination. The Warrior of Light stands humbled in your presence." His bow accentuated even more by the wisps of web as they are dismissed by Tyde.

Even while complimenting the group, his heritage shows through just slightly as, without thinking, he checks the bodies for loot.

Rising up slowly, Kethra shivers at the webs dissipating then turns to face Marros, shyly raising her free arm in celebration. The hooded girl starts to cheer back, but stops and steals a quick look down the stairs.

She whispers back, "Hey you were great too, um...Warrior of Light! I wish I could shoot magic from my sword like that! And you don't have to do any dancing to cast magic with your swords? That's different from..."

Quote from Mehmen >>

He's blushing soon after seeing Kethra had stayed focused and were checking the bodies. Something he tried help if after the fact. However, either having forgotten the memo or having not thought to look for symbols, his search was more focused on digging up any incriminating evidence or coin. The latter of which he'd leave where it is, but finding anything of the former would get a quiet cheer and show his findings.

Body Search: 6.

Regardless of finding anything or not, he looks to last living guy before whispering to the others, "So we checking out the way ahead or try'n talk to this fella?"

As she gathers herself and the adrenaline dies down Kethra covers her mouth, realizing that this is the first time she had ever seen the gentle Xanranzan actually kill someone with a sword. She had always seen the man of earth use his swords to knock someone unconscious or perform elaborate dances to cast spells with them, so she gives him a concerned look before being interrupted by the wizard.

Quote from Brian_Avery >>

 "We should explore these stairs leading down, be quick but alert!"

Quote from Brian_Avery >>

"Should we move somewhere else first, maybe the relief duty guards will show up at some point?"

Upon seeing him approach, Kethra looks up to Mr. Tyde with a smug little head tilt.

"Nice trick back there," she says with a knowing smile as someone who's a little too familiar with the effects of the web spell. She retrieves the makeshift anchor from earlier, puts the rope with the special hitch away, and uses her second set of rope to tie up the cloaked man.

"It seems like you've considered all the angles, so I'll leave the decision to you. I think we can go either way...if we wait to ambush the next shift that's fine, but if we push on ahead that's fine too, I'll take him with us and he can be a distraction. What do you think Rubin?"

“I’d say to end him here and move on.” Rubin says with a glance to the captive.  “He is just a liability as we move ahead.”  He shrugs though.  “Do as you wish, I will check the path ahead.”  He then disappears as he moves into the tunnel and becomes invisible.  He will move down the passage a bit, scouting the way ahead as the others decide to bring the captive or not.

There’s nothing useful on the bodies at all, strangely so in fact.  The only weapons you can find are simple daggers, and none of them had any of the usual odds and ends you’d expect to find—and even more strangely, no money.  The stairway behind them winds downwards into the gloom, and you here the noise of sighing winds echoing up it.

"That's odd" he says, more an escaped thought that managed to verbalise itself. His search of the corpses revealing absolutely nothing. He looks to Kethra. "These... cultists you've fought before - have they been empty? I mean, have their pockets been empty."

He stands with a huff and walks over to stand near Kethra. He peers down the hall that Rubin just vanished into. "He do that often?"

Quote from DragonDenn >>

“I’d say to end him here and move on.” Rubin says with a glance to the captive.  “He is just a liability as we move ahead.”  He shrugs though.  “Do as you wish, I will check the path ahead.”  He then disappears as he moves into the tunnel and becomes invisible.  He will move down the passage a bit, scouting the way ahead as the others decide to bring the captive or not.

The hooded girl looked visibly conflicted as she first starts to nod but then shakes her head no.

"But he doesn't have a...cult....symbol.." Kethra only manages to use her words as Rubin disappears down the tunnel, only to stop herself from yelling down the tunnel.

Quote from See_Ess >>

"That's odd" he says, more an escaped thought that managed to verbalise itself. His search of the corpses revealing absolutely nothing. He looks to Kethra. "These... cultists you've fought before - have they been empty? I mean, have their pockets been empty."

He stands with a huff and walks over to stand near Kethra. He peers down the hall that Rubin just vanished into. "He do that often?"

Kethra answers the Warrior of Light beside her while still peering into the darkness below. "He tends to have a bit of a one-tracked mind, and always keeps everything close to his chest. Walked into our camp in the middle of the night saying he was after an evil prophet who was prophesied to do 'some very bad things' and...yeah!"

She stops, clenches her fist at the darkness jokingly then smiles at the old sailor with pale eyes with a hint of blue. "I wish he'd be more open with us but...it's a work in progress. The guy used to live with dwarves, after all. I'm sure he's happy to be back underground again, though!"

Moving away from the stairwell, the pale eyed girl gestures seems to remember something then gags the prisoner so that he can't talk or utter magic words.

"Anyways, what did you mean their pockets are empty? Do they actually have pockets? Maybe they ran out and only have pocketless girl uniforms? Are they so low that...we just ran into a cult initiation?" she laughs, then throws the prisoner over her shoulder.

"I mean, this guy has a white cloak just like one of the guys we found in the shallow graves near here, but the white cloak there was a little fancier and had a cult symbol embroidered on it."

"Quite the mystery though, I'll give ya that Ms. Smith." Xanranzan commented on absently after Kethra spoke her piece. Tyde's follow-up gets a grim nod. But as much as he agreed, Xan either pretends or genuinely forgets about the unconscious guard, as he rose sheathing his blades without finishing the job in spite Rubin's suggestion. "I got yer back, boss." He adds in a stage whisper while following along after Tyde.