Auger pulls open the door, steps firmly to the top of the stairs, and utters a word of power. Struck by the invisible effects of the resulting spell, the goblin’s little frozen-adolescent-brain flares and explodes. Drooling, too-wide-eyed, its form tumbles and falls, crunching, down to the stone floor below, and if the spell did not kill him, the fall did; his body now lies at the feet of another man, whom we’ll call a Jlasi Warrior, who growls, raises his crossbow, and fires at Auger. The bolt THUMPS into the door beside the warlock as the man yells an alarm to the room, throws down the crossbow and takes up a glaive leaning against the wall beside him.
Ednyss steps forward, and, the goblin having already died, the war cleric’s toll the dead strikes Warrior 2, but the Jlasi henchman is primed for magical attack, grits his teeth and shirks off the effects.
Varielky throws open the other door and dashes down the stairs, ending her turn in front of Warrior 2. However, the stairs are very steep: each foot of stairs on the map requires 1.5’ of movement, and the distance from the top to the bottom of the steps is 45’. (If you fall prone on the steps, you will roll to the bottom and take damage.) Varielky must dash to get to the bottom and ends her turn there. Before she reaches him, the Warrior’s glaive comes up as the Shian takes an opportunity attack (polearm master). Varielky bats the wide-bladed polearm away with her shield and can take a reaction of her own following the Shian’s missed attack.
Benita runs down after Varielky, dashing to get to the bottom of the steps, and yelling a trilling war whoop.
There is a lot of motion and yelling downstairs as Py invisibly glides down and perches noiselessly on a pillar. The fey alyasub sends back to Auger a description something like the following, which Varielky can see where she now is:
(OOC: How far down the stairs does Auger have to get before he can see into the room? Is there a point on the stairs where Auger could safely Eldritch Blast into the room over Varielky and Benita's heads? Or if he wanted to drop an AoE at D18, where does he need to be?)
As she bats the glaive away, Varielky tries to make use of the opening she created and follows with a swift strike. After that, Varielky continues to slash her enemy with two quick strikes, which she follows with a bash that pushes the target closer to the centre of the room, knowing Auger can hit an area, rather than a single target.
If #2 dies before the end of her turn, Varielky moves to attack g12, then g13, moving as necessary.
Reaction: Riposte against #2. Attack: 25 Damage: 17.
Action: Attack.
Attack: 26 Damage: 13.
Attack: 18 Damage: 12.
BA: Shield Shove to move her target 5' towards the centre of the room. Athletics: 8.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
(OOC: Questions above still apply, but to help move things along will place some contingencies here based on what Auger can see.)
Hearing Py describe the scene Auger moves down the stairs, trying to obtain a sight line so that he can perhaps attack some of the guards en masse. Seeing Varielky and Benita have engaged the goblins, Auger is quite confident they can handle themselves and attempts to look past them into the room. If he can catch a large group unaware he does so.
Auger & Py
Py: Crawls up the side of the pillar as high as possible, while still invisible and keeping an eye on events in the room.
Move: to G10 and... squats lower to get a view of the inside area.
Action A: Assuming he can see the space, Auger casts Shatter centered at the line between D17 and D18. DC 17 CON save to take half damage: 7. Chairs and so on nearby also take damage. Since there is a pillar and the angle of the stairs to deal with I am guessing that Auger cannot see this spot and so I present Action B:
Action B: After moving to G10, Auger sits down on the stairs and moves his perception to Py, so as to see the room more clearly.
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DM of RotFM | AUGER the Warlock (Archfey & the Chain) / Shadow Sorcerer in Age of Resurgence | Rahui & Javier in Sea of Memory
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Ednyss DC12 CON Save: 136 radiant & blinded
Ednyss DC12 CON Save: 2011 necrotic
Auger DC12 CON Save: 156 necrotic
Varielky DC12 CON Save: 102 necrotic
Benita DC12 CON Save: 78 necrotic
Round 1 Results
(OOC: There is a pillar at E15. Auger cannot achieve LOS with D17/18 from G10. He can see E17/18 with almost the same effect, so we’ll assume he does that.)
Varielky, an unstoppable force, ripostes and then slashes the Warrior twice, her red-steel blade humming and splattering blood in all directions, and her trainer’s voice shouting ‘Yes!, You are learning!,’ as the object of her assault spins around and falls. Her spell-guard shield slams into the nearest goblin, the biggest of the bunch, and sends him sailing, yelling coarsely, into the pillar at E14.
Benita’s rapier and dagger lash at Goblins 14 & 15, making quick work of the pair, and as they fall, she lunges to I-15 to engage Goblins 8 & 9.
Auger rushes down the stairs to G10, and, Varielky having cleared the way, gestures at E17/18 and intones arcane words, unleashing shatter, which affects Warrior 3 and goblins 2,3,4,10,11. The goblins’ skeletons are pulverized, and as they take their final pained breaths, every bone is fractured internally, and the creatures fall in place like sacks of dough, as untethered nerves sever and catastrophic shock ends all five lives within seconds. Warrior 3 roars as two ribs crack and he suffers 7HP damage.
In the ancient stone chamber, sections of the ceiling throughout the room shudder and splinter, and a thin fountain of water begins to spray down at E17, while a rhythm begins of large droplets forming and falling, throughout the space, hissing if they hit the torches.
Ednyss dashes down the steps, ending his turn at G13.
G5, G6, and G7 attack Benita, and G6 and G7 both hit for 7HP each, slashing with their scimitars.
G12 attacks Varielky, hitting with his scimitar for 4HP damage.
G13 attacks Varielky and misses.
G8 & G9 duck away from Benita to engage Ednyss, and both slash at him with scimitars but miss.
The Jlasi Warriors pick up their glaives and rush to form a second line of attack behind the goblins. They shout “JLASI!! JLASI!!,” and you witness them enter a barbaric rage, with unexpected results.
Warrior 3 emits a bolt of blinding radiance as he approaches Ednyss, requiring a DC12 CON save or Ednyss must succeed on a Constitution saving throw -- which he fails, despite advantage!. Ednyss takes 3HP radiant damage and is blinded until the start of W3’s next turn. The Warrior then attacks Ednyss with his polearm through the goblins, and hits, inflicting 8HP damage with his raging assault.
Shadowy tendrils lash out from Warrior 4, attacking Varielky, Ednyss, Auger, and Benita. Each of you must succeed on a Constitution saving throw vs. DC12 or take 1d12 necrotic damage. All make their saves! The Warrior attacks Varielky with his polearm through the intervening goblins, but does not connect.
Warrior 5’s form glows with repelling magical force. He also attacks Varielky with his polearm through the intervening goblins, but does not connect.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
"Half of you are down before we have even started. Lay down your arms! You cannot stand before us!"
Not waiting on a response Auger sights as best he can from his raised position and targets the Jlasi who sent the blinding light towards Ednyss the moment prior, sending his twisting energies at him and pushing him back.
Py, go take a look at the next room. Tell us if any are coming from below.
Py and Auger
Py: Moves to J18, circling around to avoid any combatants.
Auger move: none
Auger Intimidation roll (if needed): 22
Auger action: Casts Eldritch Blast targeting Jlasi 3, pushing him 10' on each hit.
Beam 1: Attack: 11 Damage: 14
Beam 2: Attack: 13 Damage: Unable to parse dice roll.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
DM of RotFM | AUGER the Warlock (Archfey & the Chain) / Shadow Sorcerer in Age of Resurgence | Rahui & Javier in Sea of Memory
Varielky is happy. Both from the thrill of the fight and from the voice she hears. That is not everything. She can do much more. The Goblins she knew she could deal with, but the warriors who shout Jlasi seemed more formidable. Pushing away one of the Goblins' small scimitar, Varielky retaliates with her own attack. Then, pushing through the Goblins, as possible, to the warriors, she raises her sword high and then forcefully slash downwards and to her right, trying to hit as many of the enemies as once with a single powerful swing. She's not done yet, though. With an uppercut aimed at the last warrior who tried to attack her, she attempts to make them fall on the ground. Then, she slashes with her sword at her targets, from the right to the left and upwards, tracing back the same line she made before.
Reaction: Riposte against G13. Attack: 20 Damage: 21.
Movement: If G13 is dead, move to the space he occupied before. Action: Attack, targeting warriors #4 and #5 if she can reach them, or goblins G13 and G12 if G13 didn't die. Movement: If G13 didn't die to the riposte and Varielky still stands in F-12, she moves over to the space of either G13 or G12, whichever is dead (if both died, to the space of G12). BA: Shield Shove to knock her target prone. Hopefully, at this point, it will be #5. If somehow she missed all her previous attacks, then G13. Action Surge: Attack, targeting #5 and #4 if she can reach them, or goblins G13 and G12 if somehow both still live.
First Attack, targeting #4 or G13 if she can't reach: 18 Damage: 16. Second Attack, targeting #5 or G12 if she can't reach: 11 Damage: 12. Athletics for shove, targeting #5 or G13 if she can't reach: 13. Third Attack, targeting #5 or G12 if she can't reach: 16 Damage: 16. If the target fell prone from her shove, here's the advantage's second roll: 25. Fourth Attack, targeting #4 or G13 if she can't reach: 11 Damage: 15.
Blinded, Ednyss settles into a defensive stance and raises his shield up to call the blessings of Takal Demesh down onto his allies. Even without being able to see them, Ednyss is able to grant them some measure of Demesh's power, and so the dwarf assists his allies and stays put himself to not get in their way (hopefully).
Action: Cast Bless (On Auger, Benita, and Varielky) You bless up to three creatures of your choice within range. Whenever a target makes an attack roll or a saving throw before the spell ends, the target can roll a d4 and add the number rolled to the attack roll or saving throw.
Bonus Action: None
Move: None
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“The mark of a successful DM is when you have caused more player deaths with doors than dragons, demons, or devils.”
(OOC: I almost forgot: the Warriors also get bonus attacks with the blunt ends of their polearms. Two against Varielky and one against Ednyss in the prior round all miss.)
Round 2 results
Py circles to look down the next set of stairs. ‘Another heavy door at the bottom of the steps blocks the way.’
Auger’s accented threat is ignored by the raging combatants and goblins. The warlock’s twin energy beams smash into W3 twice, and the berserker is sent careening back across the floor to G18 where he rolls up back onto his feet, glaring at the southerner.
Varielky’s riposte cleaves through both Goblins in front of her, slicing off G12’s right shoulder and arm and continuing in a downward arc to chop through G13’s thigh. Both fall, screaming in their high grainy voices. Stepping on top of G13 as he wails in agony, the shield-maiden, her eyes blazing, launches a ferocious flurry of blows against the two Warriors, all of which hit their mark, while her shield knocks W5 prone. But each time she strikes W5, a repelling burst of force explodes from the warrior into her, and she takes 8 damage from the combined blasts.
Ednyss sends divine inspiration to his comrades-at-arms as his eyes begin to clear.
Benita follows Varielky’s lead and her attacks surge forth, slashing and killing g7 and g5 with her rapier, wounding g6 with her dagger, then slashing g6 again with her rapier and flipping up and over to sweep g8 and g9, defending Ednyss, and all 5 goblins fall to her whistling blades.
All three Warriors continue in their berserk rage.
Warrior 5, when Benita closes within range, reacts by whirling his glaive around, sweeping her as she had the goblins, but she barely reacts in time, springing up, and the blade slices under her, missing by a hair’s breadth. The Warrior then stands, spins and lunges at Varielky, the broad blade slicing past her shield to inflict 14HP damage, and then he pulls the polearm back abruptly, using the inertia to once again attack Benita with the blunt end, but she again evades the attack.
Warrior 4 attacks Varielky, but she parries both the blade and the blunt end of the Shian’s weapon.
Warrior 3 moves forward and strikes at Benita with his glaive from 10’ distance, but she ducks quickly behind a pillar and the weapon rebounds off of it, a chunk of stone chipping off of it from the brutal attack. Then the warrior faces Auger and another burst of light shoots from his chest, this time aimed at the southerner.
Auger: CON 12 save or be blinded until the end of W3’s next turn.
Watching Varielky and Benita tear through their opponents Auger is struck by their amazing abilities with weapons. In fact it is only because he happens to be watching Benita make her series of moves, that he is not quite looking at the Jlasi warrior who somehow chooses to send a beam of light his way. Avoiding the blinding effect Auger refocuses his attention on the Jlasi warrior who emitted the beam of light and targets him again with another pair of blasts.
Py, keep an eye on the door and tell me if someone is coming.
Auger
Move: steps sideways to F10
Action: Casts Eldritch Blast again targeting Jlasi 3 and pushing him 10' on any hit. If perchance #3 goes down, target will become #5 for Beam 2.
Beam 1: Attack: 11 Damage: 8
Beam 2: Attack: 17 Damage: 10
Forgot to include the Bless bonuses, Beam 1: 3, Beam 2: 2
After parrying his attacks, Varielky makes her own swift attack against Warrior 4, trying to seize the chance she opened for herself. After Warrior 5's well-made attack, Varielky is hurt. No, she will not fall. Not yet. Not right after her efforts were recognised by the voice in her head. With the resolve to win stronger than before, Varielky realises she must deal with each target separately, and so she slashes one of the Jlasi warriors until they fall, before moving on to the next one.
Reaction: Riposte against Warrior 4. Attack: 4+19 Damage: 21. (Adding the d4 from Bless separately before the d20 for every attack.)
BA: Second Wind, healing 6 hit points. Action: Attack. Her attacks will target Warrior 4 first, until they fall, and then Warrior 5. If somehow both fall and Varielky still has another attack, she will make it against Warrior 3, moving to get within range as needed. Attack: 2+19 Damage: 12. Attack: 1+24 Damage: Unable to parse dice roll..
Edit: I don't know why it doesn't roll the damage for the last attack, but I won't edit it to avoid the manipulated tag. It's not a critical hit, so the damage is: 9.
Auger’s twisting energies shoot at W3, who raises his glaive and free arm in an X-shape and leans into the attack, ferociously blocking the force beam, which splays around him, blowing chunks out of the ceiling and floor. But Auger renews and reinforces the assault, and drives more and more tightly into the Warrior until with a groaning shout, the Shian is thrown off his feet and smashed against a pillar, broken and dying.
Varielky’s attacks -- all of them -- hit, and though W4 should have been slain by the repeated slashes of her red-steel blade, he remains standing, the dark energy which surrounds and suffuses the berserker, coupled with single-minded ferocity, propping him up.
Ednyss’ eyes clear, and he invokes a deathly tolling of the dead from the God of War in W5’s mind, inflicting 11HP damage.
Benita then lunges at W5 with her rapier, which he only partly parries, taking 12HP damage, then Benita crits the warrior, plunging her dagger into his breast to the hilt, but not before a final wave of force blasts into the comely Indallian, knocking her back onto one knee and inflicting 4HP damage.
The final Warrior (4), in a berserk rage, attacks all nearby opponents recklessly, critting Varielky, but doing minimum damage, 6HP, plus another 6HP damage to the Ednyss with the blunt end of his polearm.
Surprised by the warrior's ferocity, Varielky is not even upset about getting hit. "Wonderful! A warrior like you is a worthy opponent! Let me send you to Hallvala where you will forever serve the gods!" With that, she swings her sword twice at him. However, unlike usually, she does not try to follow that up with a bash of her shield. This warrior needs to go up, rather than down.
Action: Attack warrior 4 twice, normally.
Attack: 21 Damage: 16.
Attack: 11 Damage: 15.
BA: None.
Forgot to add Bless. 2 for first attack, 4 for second.
Ednyss maintains his focus on the blessings given to his allies despite the hit that he took from the warrior. The dwarf's mind is sharpened and his focus is unwavering.
In case Varielky cannot finish the last warrior, Ednyss darts past Benita and over the dead body of the warrior that she killed around to the other side of the last remaining warrior. "Takal Demesh will welcome your soul with open arms. Your death is honorable." If the warrior still stands, Ednyss swings his War Pick hard and fast at the man's head.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Auger advances into the room thinking to blast the final warrior but he begins to take notice of the damage he has been doing, particularly the damage to the ceiling where it is dripping, and changes strategies, instead opting to attack the Warrior's mind.
Auger and Py
Py stays put
Auger moves to G15, attempting to skirt any chance of being attacked by the final Jlasi Warrior in the process
Action: Casts Mind Sliver targeting #4. DC 17 INT save or take 5 psychic damage and subtract 1d4 from next saving throw before end of Auger's next turn.
Alternately, if #4 is already down, Auger examines the spot where the ceiling is dripping to see how bad it looks. (Investigation?: 16) if it looks like it is deteriorating then he will attempt to freeze the water (Shape Water) with the 5' cube's bottom being on the ceiling, hopefully freezing the water up and through the crack.
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DM of RotFM | AUGER the Warlock (Archfey & the Chain) / Shadow Sorcerer in Age of Resurgence | Rahui & Javier in Sea of Memory
Batting aside his pole arm with her shield, Varielky drives her red-steel blade deeply into Warrior 4’s belly. Growling, grimacing, the Warrior drops his glaive, which clatters on the moist stone floor, grips the sword’s blade with both hands, and, struggling for breath, falls to his knees, looking into the shield-maiden’s eyes, his countenance losing the berserker rage, replaced by — not fear, not gratitude, but perhaps — grim respect. Two shuddering breaths later he collapses and his soul departs the broken corpse.
Turning your attention to survey the carnage: several goblins are still groaning in death throes, while the one whose leg was severed is screaming in agony. But after another minute, blood loss and shock bring silence to the subterranean chamber.
Except for the thin stream of clear water, which pressure from above is pushing through a narrow crack. To this leak, Auger applies arcane energies, freezing and stopping the flow, at least temporarily.
Exploring the next door at the base of the stairs, you find it is perfectly sealed, and locked by chains and a padlock. Repeated Yin-Yang glyphs etched in the stone completely surround the entry, with the yang symbols giving off a faintly red-tinted magical illumination. Ednyss and Auger discuss this briefly and together determine the symbols most likely are enchanted with a powerful ward against undead, and moreover, that such a ward may be strong enough to destroy any Azhvuv who would attempt to pass through the portal. The door is cold to the touch, though not freezing.
Searching for a key, you find two upon a thin chain worn around the final warrior’s neck, both engraved with the yin-yang symbol, and one of which fits the padlock.
Auger freezes the stream of water and examines his work, pointing at it he says to the others, "This may last for as much as an hour. Longer if I stay to maintain it. I wish we had kept one alive so we could learn how much further there is to go. Unless your wounds demand stopping we should keep going."
Belatedly Auger pulls out the guiding amulet to see if it is presenting any clues about how far they have to go.
If any need to stop, Auger agrees and sets himself for a short rest, the pain of his headache barely containable. (OOC: Auger could get his Pact Magic back with a short rest)
If all want to proceed then Auger sends to Py, I do not like the look of this entryway. I am going to send you away when we step through it. Your form has been burned up enough for today.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
DM of RotFM | AUGER the Warlock (Archfey & the Chain) / Shadow Sorcerer in Age of Resurgence | Rahui & Javier in Sea of Memory
Varielky holds the sword in her hands even after the battle ends. In case there is no light ahead, she doesn't want to ask the gods repeatedly for the power of light. It was a blessing that was given to her, but it was not something she should take for granted. Rather, keeping the light up for long seemed the better course of action. Also, she wonders just how long it will last. She never really found out. Rather, even after sending his soul to the gods, the warrior still piques her interest. "Those are some strange powers they had. I've never seen any like them. Could it be something granted by the gods? Benita, my Shian and knowledge of this land and its history aren't great. That word they used... Je... Jely? Jelasi? Jlasi? What does it mean?"
History, just in case: 8. If it is Religion instead, add +3 to the roll.
Auger pulls open the door, steps firmly to the top of the stairs, and utters a word of power. Struck by the invisible effects of the resulting spell, the goblin’s little frozen-adolescent-brain flares and explodes. Drooling, too-wide-eyed, its form tumbles and falls, crunching, down to the stone floor below, and if the spell did not kill him, the fall did; his body now lies at the feet of another man, whom we’ll call a Jlasi Warrior, who growls, raises his crossbow, and fires at Auger. The bolt THUMPS into the door beside the warlock as the man yells an alarm to the room, throws down the crossbow and takes up a glaive leaning against the wall beside him.
Ednyss steps forward, and, the goblin having already died, the war cleric’s toll the dead strikes Warrior 2, but the Jlasi henchman is primed for magical attack, grits his teeth and shirks off the effects.
Varielky throws open the other door and dashes down the stairs, ending her turn in front of Warrior 2. However, the stairs are very steep: each foot of stairs on the map requires 1.5’ of movement, and the distance from the top to the bottom of the steps is 45’. (If you fall prone on the steps, you will roll to the bottom and take damage.) Varielky must dash to get to the bottom and ends her turn there. Before she reaches him, the Warrior’s glaive comes up as the Shian takes an opportunity attack (polearm master). Varielky bats the wide-bladed polearm away with her shield and can take a reaction of her own following the Shian’s missed attack.
Benita runs down after Varielky, dashing to get to the bottom of the steps, and yelling a trilling war whoop.
There is a lot of motion and yelling downstairs as Py invisibly glides down and perches noiselessly on a pillar. The fey alyasub sends back to Auger a description something like the following, which Varielky can see where she now is:
You are now situated like so. White numbers are Jlasi Warriors, black g’s are Goblins.
You have the initiative. Please post actions for Round 1 in any order.
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
(OOC: How far down the stairs does Auger have to get before he can see into the room? Is there a point on the stairs where Auger could safely Eldritch Blast into the room over Varielky and Benita's heads? Or if he wanted to drop an AoE at D18, where does he need to be?)
DM of RotFM | AUGER the Warlock (Archfey & the Chain) / Shadow Sorcerer in Age of Resurgence | Rahui & Javier in Sea of Memory
As she bats the glaive away, Varielky tries to make use of the opening she created and follows with a swift strike. After that, Varielky continues to slash her enemy with two quick strikes, which she follows with a bash that pushes the target closer to the centre of the room, knowing Auger can hit an area, rather than a single target.
Varielky
(OOC: Questions above still apply, but to help move things along will place some contingencies here based on what Auger can see.)
Hearing Py describe the scene Auger moves down the stairs, trying to obtain a sight line so that he can perhaps attack some of the guards en masse. Seeing Varielky and Benita have engaged the goblins, Auger is quite confident they can handle themselves and attempts to look past them into the room. If he can catch a large group unaware he does so.
Auger & Py
Py: Crawls up the side of the pillar as high as possible, while still invisible and keeping an eye on events in the room.
Move: to G10 and... squats lower to get a view of the inside area.
Action A: Assuming he can see the space, Auger casts Shatter centered at the line between D17 and D18. DC 17 CON save to take half damage: 7. Chairs and so on nearby also take damage. Since there is a pillar and the angle of the stairs to deal with I am guessing that Auger cannot see this spot and so I present Action B:
Action B: After moving to G10, Auger sits down on the stairs and moves his perception to Py, so as to see the room more clearly.
DM of RotFM | AUGER the Warlock (Archfey & the Chain) / Shadow Sorcerer in Age of Resurgence | Rahui & Javier in Sea of Memory
Ednyss DC12 CON Save: 13 6 radiant & blinded
Ednyss DC12 CON Save: 20 11 necrotic
Auger DC12 CON Save: 15 6 necrotic
Varielky DC12 CON Save: 10 2 necrotic
Benita DC12 CON Save: 7 8 necrotic
Round 1 Results
(OOC: There is a pillar at E15. Auger cannot achieve LOS with D17/18 from G10. He can see E17/18 with almost the same effect, so we’ll assume he does that.)
Varielky, an unstoppable force, ripostes and then slashes the Warrior twice, her red-steel blade humming and splattering blood in all directions, and her trainer’s voice shouting ‘Yes!, You are learning!,’ as the object of her assault spins around and falls. Her spell-guard shield slams into the nearest goblin, the biggest of the bunch, and sends him sailing, yelling coarsely, into the pillar at E14.
Benita’s rapier and dagger lash at Goblins 14 & 15, making quick work of the pair, and as they fall, she lunges to I-15 to engage Goblins 8 & 9.
Auger rushes down the stairs to G10, and, Varielky having cleared the way, gestures at E17/18 and intones arcane words, unleashing shatter, which affects Warrior 3 and goblins 2,3,4,10,11. The goblins’ skeletons are pulverized, and as they take their final pained breaths, every bone is fractured internally, and the creatures fall in place like sacks of dough, as untethered nerves sever and catastrophic shock ends all five lives within seconds. Warrior 3 roars as two ribs crack and he suffers 7HP damage.
In the ancient stone chamber, sections of the ceiling throughout the room shudder and splinter, and a thin fountain of water begins to spray down at E17, while a rhythm begins of large droplets forming and falling, throughout the space, hissing if they hit the torches.
Ednyss dashes down the steps, ending his turn at G13.
G5, G6, and G7 attack Benita, and G6 and G7 both hit for 7HP each, slashing with their scimitars.
G12 attacks Varielky, hitting with his scimitar for 4HP damage.
G13 attacks Varielky and misses.
G8 & G9 duck away from Benita to engage Ednyss, and both slash at him with scimitars but miss.
The Jlasi Warriors pick up their glaives and rush to form a second line of attack behind the goblins. They shout “JLASI!! JLASI!!,” and you witness them enter a barbaric rage, with unexpected results.
Warrior 3 emits a bolt of blinding radiance as he approaches Ednyss, requiring a DC12 CON save or Ednyss must succeed on a Constitution saving throw -- which he fails, despite advantage!. Ednyss takes 3HP radiant damage and is blinded until the start of W3’s next turn. The Warrior then attacks Ednyss with his polearm through the goblins, and hits, inflicting 8HP damage with his raging assault.
Shadowy tendrils lash out from Warrior 4, attacking Varielky, Ednyss, Auger, and Benita. Each of you must succeed on a Constitution saving throw vs. DC12 or take 1d12 necrotic damage. All make their saves! The Warrior attacks Varielky with his polearm through the intervening goblins, but does not connect.
Warrior 5’s form glows with repelling magical force. He also attacks Varielky with his polearm through the intervening goblins, but does not connect.
You are now situated like so.
Please post actions for Round 2. Ednyss begins the round blinded.
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
"Half of you are down before we have even started. Lay down your arms! You cannot stand before us!"
Not waiting on a response Auger sights as best he can from his raised position and targets the Jlasi who sent the blinding light towards Ednyss the moment prior, sending his twisting energies at him and pushing him back.
Py, go take a look at the next room. Tell us if any are coming from below.
Py and Auger
Py: Moves to J18, circling around to avoid any combatants.
Auger move: none
Auger Intimidation roll (if needed): 22
Auger action: Casts Eldritch Blast targeting Jlasi 3, pushing him 10' on each hit.
Beam 1: Attack: 11 Damage: 14
Beam 2: Attack: 13 Damage: Unable to parse dice roll.
DM of RotFM | AUGER the Warlock (Archfey & the Chain) / Shadow Sorcerer in Age of Resurgence | Rahui & Javier in Sea of Memory
Varielky is happy. Both from the thrill of the fight and from the voice she hears. That is not everything. She can do much more. The Goblins she knew she could deal with, but the warriors who shout Jlasi seemed more formidable.
Pushing away one of the Goblins' small scimitar, Varielky retaliates with her own attack. Then, pushing through the Goblins, as possible, to the warriors, she raises her sword high and then forcefully slash downwards and to her right, trying to hit as many of the enemies as once with a single powerful swing. She's not done yet, though. With an uppercut aimed at the last warrior who tried to attack her, she attempts to make them fall on the ground. Then, she slashes with her sword at her targets, from the right to the left and upwards, tracing back the same line she made before.
Varielky
Blinded, Ednyss settles into a defensive stance and raises his shield up to call the blessings of Takal Demesh down onto his allies. Even without being able to see them, Ednyss is able to grant them some measure of Demesh's power, and so the dwarf assists his allies and stays put himself to not get in their way (hopefully).
Action: Cast Bless (On Auger, Benita, and Varielky)
You bless up to three creatures of your choice within range. Whenever a target makes an attack roll or a saving throw before the spell ends, the target can roll a d4 and add the number rolled to the attack roll or saving throw.
Bonus Action: None
Move: None
“The mark of a successful DM is when you have caused more player deaths with doors than dragons, demons, or devils.”
(OOC: I almost forgot: the Warriors also get bonus attacks with the blunt ends of their polearms. Two against Varielky and one against Ednyss in the prior round all miss.)
Round 2 results
Py circles to look down the next set of stairs. ‘Another heavy door at the bottom of the steps blocks the way.’
Auger’s accented threat is ignored by the raging combatants and goblins. The warlock’s twin energy beams smash into W3 twice, and the berserker is sent careening back across the floor to G18 where he rolls up back onto his feet, glaring at the southerner.
Varielky’s riposte cleaves through both Goblins in front of her, slicing off G12’s right shoulder and arm and continuing in a downward arc to chop through G13’s thigh. Both fall, screaming in their high grainy voices. Stepping on top of G13 as he wails in agony, the shield-maiden, her eyes blazing, launches a ferocious flurry of blows against the two Warriors, all of which hit their mark, while her shield knocks W5 prone. But each time she strikes W5, a repelling burst of force explodes from the warrior into her, and she takes 8 damage from the combined blasts.
Ednyss sends divine inspiration to his comrades-at-arms as his eyes begin to clear.
Benita follows Varielky’s lead and her attacks surge forth, slashing and killing g7 and g5 with her rapier, wounding g6 with her dagger, then slashing g6 again with her rapier and flipping up and over to sweep g8 and g9, defending Ednyss, and all 5 goblins fall to her whistling blades.
All three Warriors continue in their berserk rage.
Warrior 5, when Benita closes within range, reacts by whirling his glaive around, sweeping her as she had the goblins, but she barely reacts in time, springing up, and the blade slices under her, missing by a hair’s breadth. The Warrior then stands, spins and lunges at Varielky, the broad blade slicing past her shield to inflict 14HP damage, and then he pulls the polearm back abruptly, using the inertia to once again attack Benita with the blunt end, but she again evades the attack.
Warrior 4 attacks Varielky, but she parries both the blade and the blunt end of the Shian’s weapon.
Warrior 3 moves forward and strikes at Benita with his glaive from 10’ distance, but she ducks quickly behind a pillar and the weapon rebounds off of it, a chunk of stone chipping off of it from the brutal attack. Then the warrior faces Auger and another burst of light shoots from his chest, this time aimed at the southerner.
Auger: CON 12 save or be blinded until the end of W3’s next turn.
You are now situated like so.
Please post Round 3 actions.
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
CON 12 save: 16
(OOC: will take turn in another post later)
DM of RotFM | AUGER the Warlock (Archfey & the Chain) / Shadow Sorcerer in Age of Resurgence | Rahui & Javier in Sea of Memory
Watching Varielky and Benita tear through their opponents Auger is struck by their amazing abilities with weapons. In fact it is only because he happens to be watching Benita make her series of moves, that he is not quite looking at the Jlasi warrior who somehow chooses to send a beam of light his way. Avoiding the blinding effect Auger refocuses his attention on the Jlasi warrior who emitted the beam of light and targets him again with another pair of blasts.
Py, keep an eye on the door and tell me if someone is coming.
Auger
Move: steps sideways to F10
Action: Casts Eldritch Blast again targeting Jlasi 3 and pushing him 10' on any hit. If perchance #3 goes down, target will become #5 for Beam 2.
Beam 1: Attack: 11 Damage: 8
Beam 2: Attack: 17 Damage: 10
Forgot to include the Bless bonuses, Beam 1: 3, Beam 2: 2
DM of RotFM | AUGER the Warlock (Archfey & the Chain) / Shadow Sorcerer in Age of Resurgence | Rahui & Javier in Sea of Memory
After parrying his attacks, Varielky makes her own swift attack against Warrior 4, trying to seize the chance she opened for herself.
After Warrior 5's well-made attack, Varielky is hurt. No, she will not fall. Not yet. Not right after her efforts were recognised by the voice in her head. With the resolve to win stronger than before, Varielky realises she must deal with each target separately, and so she slashes one of the Jlasi warriors until they fall, before moving on to the next one.
Varielky
Round 3 Results
Auger’s twisting energies shoot at W3, who raises his glaive and free arm in an X-shape and leans into the attack, ferociously blocking the force beam, which splays around him, blowing chunks out of the ceiling and floor. But Auger renews and reinforces the assault, and drives more and more tightly into the Warrior until with a groaning shout, the Shian is thrown off his feet and smashed against a pillar, broken and dying.
Varielky’s attacks -- all of them -- hit, and though W4 should have been slain by the repeated slashes of her red-steel blade, he remains standing, the dark energy which surrounds and suffuses the berserker, coupled with single-minded ferocity, propping him up.
Ednyss’ eyes clear, and he invokes a deathly tolling of the dead from the God of War in W5’s mind, inflicting 11HP damage.
Benita then lunges at W5 with her rapier, which he only partly parries, taking 12HP damage, then Benita crits the warrior, plunging her dagger into his breast to the hilt, but not before a final wave of force blasts into the comely Indallian, knocking her back onto one knee and inflicting 4HP damage.
The final Warrior (4), in a berserk rage, attacks all nearby opponents recklessly, critting Varielky, but doing minimum damage, 6HP, plus another 6HP damage to the Ednyss with the blunt end of his polearm.
You are now situated like so.
Please state Round 4 actions.
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
Surprised by the warrior's ferocity, Varielky is not even upset about getting hit. "Wonderful! A warrior like you is a worthy opponent! Let me send you to Hallvala where you will forever serve the gods!" With that, she swings her sword twice at him. However, unlike usually, she does not try to follow that up with a bash of her shield. This warrior needs to go up, rather than down.
Varielky
Concentration Check: 11
Ednyss maintains his focus on the blessings given to his allies despite the hit that he took from the warrior. The dwarf's mind is sharpened and his focus is unwavering.
“The mark of a successful DM is when you have caused more player deaths with doors than dragons, demons, or devils.”
In case Varielky cannot finish the last warrior, Ednyss darts past Benita and over the dead body of the warrior that she killed around to the other side of the last remaining warrior. "Takal Demesh will welcome your soul with open arms. Your death is honorable." If the warrior still stands, Ednyss swings his War Pick hard and fast at the man's head.
Move: G12 --> E15
Bonus Action: None
Action: Attack (War Pick)
(Against Warrior 4) Attack: 10 Damage: 12
“The mark of a successful DM is when you have caused more player deaths with doors than dragons, demons, or devils.”
Auger advances into the room thinking to blast the final warrior but he begins to take notice of the damage he has been doing, particularly the damage to the ceiling where it is dripping, and changes strategies, instead opting to attack the Warrior's mind.
Auger and Py
Py stays put
Auger moves to G15, attempting to skirt any chance of being attacked by the final Jlasi Warrior in the process
Action: Casts Mind Sliver targeting #4. DC 17 INT save or take 5 psychic damage and subtract 1d4 from next saving throw before end of Auger's next turn.
Alternately, if #4 is already down, Auger examines the spot where the ceiling is dripping to see how bad it looks. (Investigation?: 16) if it looks like it is deteriorating then he will attempt to freeze the water (Shape Water) with the 5' cube's bottom being on the ceiling, hopefully freezing the water up and through the crack.
DM of RotFM | AUGER the Warlock (Archfey & the Chain) / Shadow Sorcerer in Age of Resurgence | Rahui & Javier in Sea of Memory
Denouement and a Discovery
Batting aside his pole arm with her shield, Varielky drives her red-steel blade deeply into Warrior 4’s belly. Growling, grimacing, the Warrior drops his glaive, which clatters on the moist stone floor, grips the sword’s blade with both hands, and, struggling for breath, falls to his knees, looking into the shield-maiden’s eyes, his countenance losing the berserker rage, replaced by — not fear, not gratitude, but perhaps — grim respect. Two shuddering breaths later he collapses and his soul departs the broken corpse.
Turning your attention to survey the carnage: several goblins are still groaning in death throes, while the one whose leg was severed is screaming in agony. But after another minute, blood loss and shock bring silence to the subterranean chamber.
Except for the thin stream of clear water, which pressure from above is pushing through a narrow crack. To this leak, Auger applies arcane energies, freezing and stopping the flow, at least temporarily.
Exploring the next door at the base of the stairs, you find it is perfectly sealed, and locked by chains and a padlock. Repeated Yin-Yang glyphs etched in the stone completely surround the entry, with the yang symbols giving off a faintly red-tinted magical illumination. Ednyss and Auger discuss this briefly and together determine the symbols most likely are enchanted with a powerful ward against undead, and moreover, that such a ward may be strong enough to destroy any Azhvuv who would attempt to pass through the portal. The door is cold to the touch, though not freezing.
Searching for a key, you find two upon a thin chain worn around the final warrior’s neck, both engraved with the yin-yang symbol, and one of which fits the padlock.
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
Auger freezes the stream of water and examines his work, pointing at it he says to the others, "This may last for as much as an hour. Longer if I stay to maintain it. I wish we had kept one alive so we could learn how much further there is to go. Unless your wounds demand stopping we should keep going."
Belatedly Auger pulls out the guiding amulet to see if it is presenting any clues about how far they have to go.
If any need to stop, Auger agrees and sets himself for a short rest, the pain of his headache barely containable. (OOC: Auger could get his Pact Magic back with a short rest)
If all want to proceed then Auger sends to Py, I do not like the look of this entryway. I am going to send you away when we step through it. Your form has been burned up enough for today.
DM of RotFM | AUGER the Warlock (Archfey & the Chain) / Shadow Sorcerer in Age of Resurgence | Rahui & Javier in Sea of Memory
Varielky holds the sword in her hands even after the battle ends. In case there is no light ahead, she doesn't want to ask the gods repeatedly for the power of light. It was a blessing that was given to her, but it was not something she should take for granted. Rather, keeping the light up for long seemed the better course of action. Also, she wonders just how long it will last. She never really found out.
Rather, even after sending his soul to the gods, the warrior still piques her interest. "Those are some strange powers they had. I've never seen any like them. Could it be something granted by the gods? Benita, my Shian and knowledge of this land and its history aren't great. That word they used... Je... Jely? Jelasi? Jlasi? What does it mean?"
History, just in case: 8. If it is Religion instead, add +3 to the roll.
Varielky