Varielky tries to look through the darkness, towards the sound, but cannot see much. Hearing Amistan's warning, however, she dons her shield and draws her sword, to which she whispers in Dreyen: ["Odur, lend me of your blinding powers and light my way so I can see the enemy in front of me and if needed, bring their bodies to their eternal rest."] As her eyes illuminate, Varielky steps forward and looks towards the noise. Once she sees the threat, she asks Benita and Amistan (now in Jenghen): "Should we wake everyone up? If you think we can deal with this by ourselves, perhaps we should allow them to keep sleeping a while longer." She doubts someone is still asleep after the quakes, but she can't be sure.
Benita responds to Varielky’s question by drawing her weapons and peering in the direction Varielky’s light beams splay.
Amistan yells, “Wake Up!! Hollow Ones come!!”
Everyone else, except for Mittens, was still mostly awake after the earthquake, and rises and picks up weapons.
Just at that moment, Mittens’ tent seems to explode upward, flutter in the wind for a moment, and then drop. Where it had been hanging in the air, hovering over your camp, Mittens now floats, his big pack with its big spellbook on his back, one hand holds his staff with its glowing stone at one end, and the other hand is held by a very tiny elf woman with blazing eyes.
Mittens yells, “Sorry, gotta go! Oh, this is Nona, by the way! Anyhow. See ya!” The two exchange a glance, then rocket silently skyward and are out of view in an instant.
You hear more shambling coming from the woods to your east.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
"Tiny warrior!" Varielky calls after Mittens, but to no avail. What happened? Who was the elf? Either way, there were more pressing matters. "Be ready, I'll knock down the first one that comes close so you can jump on it and finish them off," Varielky tells Benita as she moves forward, readying her shield for a bash against the first Hollow One that comes into range.
Move to M-23. Taking the Ready action. If an enemy enters her reach, she'll use her reaction to bash them with her shield to knock them prone. Athletics: 23.
Ednyss utters a prayer to Takal Demesh, and casts Divine Favor, then moves to T22 and attacks Hollow One 3 with his War Pick, but the undead raises a broken shield and blocks the blow.
Varielky moves to M23, but is not engaged by any enemies.
Dolkum moves to S22, and swings his hammer but the blow reflects off of the statue’s rusted and ragged chain mail.
Benita runs up to engage Hollow One 1 and brandishing two weapons, crits with her dagger for 10HP. It's abdomen shatters, but somehow it keeps moving.
Amistan fires an arrow at Hollow One 1, but, in the flickering light from the campfire, can’t draw a bead. He misses.
Flint urges Granophyre and Tuff to board the Carriage, which they do, and close the door.
Flint stands guard.
Wad advances to Hollow One 1 and strikes with his axe but the statue brings up its stone weapon and parries, then brings its weapon up and over to hit Wad for 5HP.
Hollow One 2, with remarkable speed, draws back and crits Dolkum for 7HP bludgeoning damage with its stone hammer.
Hollow One 3 swings its stone axe at Ednyss and misses.
The Dwarves see more Hollow Ones moving towards you from the woods. Varielky, roll perception to hear them.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Perception: 18
Varielky runs towards the Hollow One near Benita and Wad, striking at it with the Dreyen sword. Then, she bashes it with her shield, trying to knock it prone.
Ednyss attacks Hollow One 3 with his War Pick, and augmented by Divine Favor, hits for 16HP damage, shattering the undead, which falls apart like so many shards of pottery.
Varielky leaps atop Mittens’ collapsed tent, and her red-steel blade powers into Hollow One 1, beheading it. The undead shatters at her feet. She looks up and sees more approaching from the woods.
Dolkum’s warhammer strikes the Hollow One beside him hard, penetrating its shoulder and lodging in its chest, where a Word from Idiwala, <Svall!> resonates like a truck horn and the undead explodes, raining ceramic shards 20’ away.
Benita, benefitting from the light cast by Varielky’s beaming eyes, sees the other undead approaching, advances to S25, and readies an attack..
Amistan readies a shot for when an enemy comes within range.
Wad moves up to S25 and whirls has axe behind him, ready to strike.
Hollow One 4 advances and attacks Benita, but she is too quick, rolls away from its stone hatchet, and it misses.
Amistan’s attack is triggered, and his bow twangs, but the arrow snaps against Hollow One 4’s broken breastplate.
Benita’s readied attack strikes Hollow One 4, and her dagger crits for 20HP. The undead breaks into pieces and collapses
Hollow One 5 advances, moving up to attack Wad, critting him for 10HP with its stone axe. Wad’s riposte (readied attack) fails to connect.
More Hollow Ones advance, and one reaches Ednyss, striking at him with its stone mace, but he takes the blow on his shield and deflects it easily.
Too far from any Hollow Ones, Varielky sprints eastward. She trusts her allies can handle those around them, so she runs in front of them, hoping to gather attention from the Hollow Ones that are still on their way. The undead seemed strong but easy to break. If a single swing can take one out of the fight, Varielky could deal with multiple ones at once, as long as she's careful. While she is running, Varielky looks to her right for a few moments to shed light for Benita, but mostly she looks forward, avoiding tripping over rocks or plants.
Dashing eastward, trying to get to W-23 if possible.
Ednyss shifts left flanking Hollow One 6, and his war pick hums and glows with Divine Favor, crashing down and splitting the undead in half from head to toe, pottery shards rain downward.
Varielky dashes to W23, helping the humans by bringing light to her surroundings.
Dolkum moves to Ednyss’ side, but the foe there is already defeated. Dolkum moves up to engage Hollow One 7, smashing it for 11HP, but it still stands.
Benita brings down both blades in a lunging strike, they snap out and down, and Hollow One 5’s left arm shatters but it is still standing.
Wad finishes the job with a crossarm blow, and Hollow One 5 shatters.
Amistan, seeing Hollow One 8 as Varielky glances over her shoulder, throwing light its way, looses an arrow over the others which crashes into the undead’s ear, taking off half its head, but it continues to advance.
Hollow One 7 slashes at Dolkum with its stone battle axe, hitting a glancing blow to the head, but Dolkum’s helmet deflects the impact.
Hollow One 8 advances and strikes Varielky with its stone mace for 4HP damage.
Hollow One 9 limps on one foot which seems immobile. It strikes at Benita but she parries while stepping quickly back.
Hollow Ones 10 & 11 close with Dolkum smashing him with stone hammers. One hits Dolkum for 5HP damage.
Many more Hollow Ones are shambling through the woods towards you.
Meanwhile, almost a month in the past: Auger Dannel Fetherlac
It is midsummer’s day in the Great Basin when Auger brings his son to the Gazebo of Vines on its tiny island, a day’s ride outside of Belliu Village in Anshin Subprefecture. Rowing out onto the lake, the humid air makes you both drowsy, and as you wait, a slight breeze rustles through the crowns of the tall trees on the near shore. Your son is dozing now, and, when the Dowager of the Lake arrives, only Auger sees her face or hears her voice. If it is truly seeing and hearing at all.
Her voice is like Auger’s mother’s, when she was young. Loving, thoughtful. Strong with a gentle strength, like a silken rope. “Auger. Brenneth...is lost to me. Lost to us, Auger. It is sad. Something’s...happening. I can...sense it, like an unexpected shift in the wind. It’s blowing...the wrong direction, Auger. I need you to find out why. Can you?” There is a long pause, almost an hour, but Auger remains, as white cotton clouds slowly spiral above and dragonflies hover and buzz over the lake waters. Then the voice returns.
“It’s far from here, and...you must leave right away. Today. I’m sorry you’ll have to rush, Auger.” There is another pause, and Auger hears the water of the lake gently lapping against the shore. “There. That will make it easier,” her voice, kindly, resonates in your mind. “Go to Kalahata. You’ll...meet someone on the way. Offer your help.”
Then, suddenly, with a sharp intake of breath, Auger feels it. The Sea of Stars. There is a connection to it now, in the deepest center of his mind. The power is overwhelming at first, almost as if his entire being will be incinerated, will never have existed. In another moment, Auger wills it to compress, shapes it, tames it, and he knows that its magic is now his to employ.
Later, at home, Auger finds the dragonfly puzzle, which he himself had crafted of delicate wooden pieces, has transformed into a living, magical creature. It speaks to you. “I am...Py. I am...yours to command. The Dowager, as you call her, will see you through my eyes when she wishes.” You also find gold -- enough to pay for transport.
Your journey takes three weeks. A carriage to the central prefecture, then disc trains north and west to Satanda, in Fa Tahesi, and then passage up the Gulf of Awhar on a passenger galley called the Dolifini. You had thought you’d sail only as far as Ishi Ammah, the capital of Orraca u Shia, which would be the most direct port of access to Kalahata, but Py tells you to buy passage to Inniri. Now that you are north of the equator, it is the end of winter here, and on the second day out of port from Ishi Ammah there is a torrential rain. The ship anchors off the coast for the night. The next day, Py tells you, “Here,” and you pay the captain to assign a crewman to row you ashore, with the last of the gold the Dowager gave you.
It is morning, on the 8th day of Beauty (according to the Jenghen calendar, IRL, the 8th of March) when you put ashore on the coast of the Gulf of Awhar, some 80 miles due west of Ishi Ammah as the gull flies -- and there are many seagulls here on the beach as you land. In a few minutes, you walk up the bluff and find yourself on the Queen’s High Road, a gravel road, wet and sandy, traversed by carriages and riders, one going up the coast, and three headed down. By late morning, the rain has stopped, and two Imperial Cavalrymen, wearing the livery of the Ishi Ammah garrison, canter past you on the road to Inniri, their eyes focused on the horizon ahead. While they are still in view on the High Road, continuing northwest, Py directs you to turn off the road, onto a wide merchant’s path leading northeast through a wood. The road climbs away from the gulf and into a range of coastal hills. There is bright sunlight for an hour before sunset, and then it is dark, and your legs are weary. But Py urges you to keep going as the half-moon begins to rise, shining through fast-moving silvery clouds far above.
That night, as the half-moon shines down through a delicate lace of silver-grey clouds moving quickly south high above, as you continue to walk, much more slowly now, under the trees, you hear a distant rumbling like thunder. Ten minutes pass. Then, the ground comes alive, as it reverberates and quakes under you, roughly, for almost a minute. You put out your arms to steady yourself from falling. Then, silence again, except for a tree which groans and collapses nearby. A few more within your hearing also fall in the wood at various distances.
You keep walking, and twenty minutes pass.
It is deep in the night, almost morning, when ahead of you, you hear the sounds of fighting. You rush forward, holding a lantern to light your way, and you see a campsite with a fire burning in a pit, which casts light on a large heavy carriage, and a series of pup tents beside it. In the road ahead of you, a melee between, apparently, the campers, and haunted beings you’ve only ever heard of before, Dwarven undead known as Hollow Ones, which are staggering out of the woods to your right to attack two human woman fighters with stone weapons. Light beams emanate from the eyes of a shield maiden holding a longsword with glowing runes, and the other, with long raven-black ponytail flicking behind her, is quick and agile, parrying and striking with scimitar and dagger. Beside them, a burly dwarven fighter in mail, shield, and battle axe. They all wear the livery of Core of Onyx, one of the Dwarven kingdoms. Past them on the road, closer to the carriage, you can make out two more dwarves in livery, armored and wielding divine magic, and atop the carriage, a human man with a wide hat over locs, aiming a longbow at the statue-like undead.
The campers seem to be holding their own for the moment, shattering the Hollow Ones with one or two blows. But more of the undead are coming.
“This is who you’re supposed to help,” says Py. “We’re here.”
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
The journey was relentless and here in the middle of the night a few travelers meet a swarm of dread creatures in the night. The Dowager says help is needed, and so help shall be supplied. Introductions would have to happen later. While still approaching, in a tense whisper Auger asks, "Which of them Py, which am I supposed to help?" Briefly seeing the Sea of Stars, Auger summons a confusing mist around himself, raising his AC to 15. (OOC: Hearing the fighting, Auger probably would have done this while approaching the area. If not allowed then Auger's first action would be to do this while moving forward).
In Round 5
"Py. Help those engaged as you can." Py flies away and up, striking at a Hollow One engaged with any of the frontline fighters at range and from above. "I am called Auger," he announces to the party. "What has stirred these against you?". Again envisioning the Stars and feeling their might Auger compresses and twists and again compresses and twists the energies. Sighting on a Hollow One that might hopefully be the first in a straight line of them, Auger releases the twisted energies into a thin violet stream surrounded by a simple corkscrewing stream of aqua.
Auger
Initiative: 9
Move: Auger advances to P28
Action: Auger casts Eldritch Blast modified as a Repelling Blast (When you hit a creature with eldritch blast, you can push the creature up to 10 feet away from you in a straight line.), hoping to push Hollow Ones back in a pile. Unless a better opportunity presents itself he would attempt to push 12 back into 13 and 14, tumbling them all perhaps. Attack: 20 Damage: 6
Bonus Action: None
Py
Move: Flies 40', ending up at Q27 and ~30' up. (OOC: the magic of diagonal movement in 5e)
Action: Use his Fey Sleeping Spell Attack on any Hollow One engaged with a frontline fighter. Order of preference (11, 10, 8, 9, 7). Attack: 14 Damage: 1, piercing damage. If there is a hit and these Undead statues happen to be poisonable then on failing a DC 10 Con saving throw they are poisoned for 1 minute. If it rolls <=5 then it becomes unconscious for 1 minute until awakened.
Ednyss charges up behind Varielky and Dolkum, swinging his pick furiously at the Hollow One between them, Ednyss calls out, "How many more do you think there are?" Glancing deeper into the forest and seeing more undead charging up, Ednyss summons his spectral shield to start weakening the skeletons and perhaps confuse or distract a few as the horde just keeps coming.
Even amidst the fighting, Varielky notices how greatly Dolkum has improved since their sparring not long ago. Indeed, she is now interested in testing him again, but it will have to wait until they're in a safe place. She'll have to do by watching him fighting others. Either way, she slashes her sword at the undead that hit her. "Only the gods know," she replies to Ednyss, "but it is not our task to find out. We are only to protect those in the carriage, be it assassins, crabs or dwarven shells." Varielky then turns sharply and bashes the undead behind her with her shield, trying to knock it prone. Then, she strikes down on it with a swift attack. It is then that Varielky hears the new human. Immediately, she is suspicious. A human just walking here in the middle of the night, offering their help? She is immediately answered with his attacks against their enemies. For now, at least, he's fighting beside them, but there's no telling... she'll have to be vigilant.
Action: Attack on HO8: 21 Damage: 7 BA: Shield Shove on HO11. Athletics: 15. Action Surge: Attack on HO11: 20 Damage: 10. Advantage's second roll if HO11 was pushed prone first: 25.
Ednyss moves and strikes with his war pick, but it rings with a resounding ‘CLANK’ as it is repelled by the Hollow One’s stone hammer. The War Cleric’s spiritual weapon appears, and smashes through the legs of Hollow One 22. Its body falls, but its arms continue to pull it along through the sedge.
Varielky’s red-steel sword finishes the job Amistan’s arrow started, slicing through Hollow One 8 from the collar bone to its hip. It falls, leaving large pottery pieces on the ground. She throws her shield arm outwards, and smashes Hollow One 11, which spins in place and falls prone.
Dolkum’s prayer is answered as book-sized glowing runes spelling the sigil of Idiwala interlock in an expanding cage around him, turning Hollow Ones 7, 10, 13, 18 (OOC: turned undead are now yellow. They move away on their turn.)
Auger & Py. Py's spore-sized dart flies at Hollow One 11, hitting it for 1HP damage, but the magical dragonfly discovers 'It’s immune to poison,’ which it messages to Auger, whose Eldritch Blast coils into Hollow One 12, pushing it back into 13, and they both careen into the tree trunk behind them, with a sound like bowling pins falling, each taking an additional 2HP damage.
Benita whirls and feints with her scimitar at Hollow One 9. It dodges directly into her dagger which, in Benita’s Champion’s hand, crits, impaling the undead’s chest. She kicks out and it falls and breaks into pieces.
Amistan leaps over the luggage atop the carriage to its rear ceiling, and there, fires his bow at Hollow One 19, which he can barely make out in flashes of light from Varielky, but his arrow misses.
Wad moves around Benita to strike at Hollow One 11, taking off a foot and doing 4HP damage as it rolls away from him.
Hollow Ones 7, 10, 13 & 18 are Turned, and move away from Dolkum as fast as they can, back the way they came.
Hollow One 11 twists up and brings its stone hammer around and up to strike at Ednyss, who sees it coming and steps aside.
Hollow One 12 moves up and attacks Varielky, hitting her with its stone mace for 3HP damage.
Hollow One 14 advances and also attacks Varielky, swinging at her with a heavy stone ball and chain, but it pounds into the earth at her feet, and pottery shards fly up.
You see many more advancing through the wood toward you.
Ednyss notices Dolkum's prayer and calls out to the group, "I can try that as well. But it will be futile if the skeletons simply replaced by others. We just need to hold them off until they are all a little closer." With that and seeing that his spectral weapon wasn't distracting the undead, he swings his pick twice, first at the skeleton he had earlier missed and if his first strike kills it, then at the one in front of Wad.
(OOC: The first attack was against Hollow One 11 and the second against Hollow One 15, in case my descriptions were unclear I forgot to mention it in the spoiler...)
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
“The mark of a successful DM is when you have caused more player deaths with doors than dragons, demons, or devils.”
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Varielky uses the chance to attack HO14 while his weapon is on the ground, right before she's hit from the side by a stone mace. Annoyed, she swings her sword at the Hollow One that attacked her. Then, she twists and bashes against one of the undead.
Reaction: Riposte Manoeuvre on HO14. Attack: 18 Damage: 12. Action: Attack HO12: 20 Damage: 12. BA: Shove one of the living Hollow Ones around her prone. Athletics: 22.
Varielky tries to look through the darkness, towards the sound, but cannot see much. Hearing Amistan's warning, however, she dons her shield and draws her sword, to which she whispers in Dreyen: ["Odur, lend me of your blinding powers and light my way so I can see the enemy in front of me and if needed, bring their bodies to their eternal rest."] As her eyes illuminate, Varielky steps forward and looks towards the noise. Once she sees the threat, she asks Benita and Amistan (now in Jenghen): "Should we wake everyone up? If you think we can deal with this by ourselves, perhaps we should allow them to keep sleeping a while longer." She doubts someone is still asleep after the quakes, but she can't be sure.
Varielky
Round 1 Results
Benita responds to Varielky’s question by drawing her weapons and peering in the direction Varielky’s light beams splay.
Amistan yells, “Wake Up!! Hollow Ones come!!”
Everyone else, except for Mittens, was still mostly awake after the earthquake, and rises and picks up weapons.
Just at that moment, Mittens’ tent seems to explode upward, flutter in the wind for a moment, and then drop. Where it had been hanging in the air, hovering over your camp, Mittens now floats, his big pack with its big spellbook on his back, one hand holds his staff with its glowing stone at one end, and the other hand is held by a very tiny elf woman with blazing eyes.
Mittens yells, “Sorry, gotta go! Oh, this is Nona, by the way! Anyhow. See ya!” The two exchange a glance, then rocket silently skyward and are out of view in an instant.
You hear more shambling coming from the woods to your east.
You’re now situated like so.
Please post actions for Round 2.
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
"Tiny warrior!" Varielky calls after Mittens, but to no avail. What happened? Who was the elf? Either way, there were more pressing matters. "Be ready, I'll knock down the first one that comes close so you can jump on it and finish them off," Varielky tells Benita as she moves forward, readying her shield for a bash against the first Hollow One that comes into range.
Varielky
Hollow Ones! Idiwalla! They'll get their eternal slumber when you separate their heads from their bodies!
Snatching up hammer and shield Dolkum approaches the Hollow One closest to him at an oblique angle (S22) and swings his hammer at it...
Attack: 25 Damage: 5
Round 2 Results
Ednyss utters a prayer to Takal Demesh, and casts Divine Favor, then moves to T22 and attacks Hollow One 3 with his War Pick, but the undead raises a broken shield and blocks the blow.
Varielky moves to M23, but is not engaged by any enemies.
Dolkum moves to S22, and swings his hammer but the blow reflects off of the statue’s rusted and ragged chain mail.
Benita runs up to engage Hollow One 1 and brandishing two weapons, crits with her dagger for 10HP. It's abdomen shatters, but somehow it keeps moving.
Amistan fires an arrow at Hollow One 1, but, in the flickering light from the campfire, can’t draw a bead. He misses.
Flint urges Granophyre and Tuff to board the Carriage, which they do, and close the door.
Flint stands guard.
Wad advances to Hollow One 1 and strikes with his axe but the statue brings up its stone weapon and parries, then brings its weapon up and over to hit Wad for 5HP.
Hollow One 2, with remarkable speed, draws back and crits Dolkum for 7HP bludgeoning damage with its stone hammer.
Hollow One 3 swings its stone axe at Ednyss and misses.
The Dwarves see more Hollow Ones moving towards you from the woods. Varielky, roll perception to hear them.
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
Perception: 18
Varielky runs towards the Hollow One near Benita and Wad, striking at it with the Dreyen sword. Then, she bashes it with her shield, trying to knock it prone.
Varielky
Dolkum shudders with the impact to his breastplate, and rolls away from it like he'd been trained, coming up swinging
There's more of them in the woods. Let's finish these 2...
Warhammer, smiting Attack: 18 Damage: 5; 10
<ooc Dolkum swinging at his prior target, sorry>
Round 3 Results
Ednyss attacks Hollow One 3 with his War Pick, and augmented by Divine Favor, hits for 16HP damage, shattering the undead, which falls apart like so many shards of pottery.
Varielky leaps atop Mittens’ collapsed tent, and her red-steel blade powers into Hollow One 1, beheading it. The undead shatters at her feet. She looks up and sees more approaching from the woods.
Dolkum’s warhammer strikes the Hollow One beside him hard, penetrating its shoulder and lodging in its chest, where a Word from Idiwala, <Svall!> resonates like a truck horn and the undead explodes, raining ceramic shards 20’ away.
Benita, benefitting from the light cast by Varielky’s beaming eyes, sees the other undead approaching, advances to S25, and readies an attack..
Amistan readies a shot for when an enemy comes within range.
Wad moves up to S25 and whirls has axe behind him, ready to strike.
Hollow One 4 advances and attacks Benita, but she is too quick, rolls away from its stone hatchet, and it misses.
Amistan’s attack is triggered, and his bow twangs, but the arrow snaps against Hollow One 4’s broken breastplate.
Benita’s readied attack strikes Hollow One 4, and her dagger crits for 20HP. The undead breaks into pieces and collapses
Hollow One 5 advances, moving up to attack Wad, critting him for 10HP with its stone axe. Wad’s riposte (readied attack) fails to connect.
More Hollow Ones advance, and one reaches Ednyss, striking at him with its stone mace, but he takes the blow on his shield and deflects it easily.
You’re now situated like so.
Please post Round 4 actions.
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
Too far from any Hollow Ones, Varielky sprints eastward. She trusts her allies can handle those around them, so she runs in front of them, hoping to gather attention from the Hollow Ones that are still on their way. The undead seemed strong but easy to break. If a single swing can take one out of the fight, Varielky could deal with multiple ones at once, as long as she's careful.
While she is running, Varielky looks to her right for a few moments to shed light for Benita, but mostly she looks forward, avoiding tripping over rocks or plants.
Varielky
Dolkum feels invigorated by Idiwalla =)
He steps forward to Ednyss's left and hammers the Hollow One next to his friend SVALL!
Attack: 24 Damage: 11
If HO6 falls then continue moving to melee range of HO5Dolkumm ends his movement T21 in melee range of HO6
Round 4 Results
Ednyss shifts left flanking Hollow One 6, and his war pick hums and glows with Divine Favor, crashing down and splitting the undead in half from head to toe, pottery shards rain downward.
Varielky dashes to W23, helping the humans by bringing light to her surroundings.
Dolkum moves to Ednyss’ side, but the foe there is already defeated. Dolkum moves up to engage Hollow One 7, smashing it for 11HP, but it still stands.
Benita brings down both blades in a lunging strike, they snap out and down, and Hollow One 5’s left arm shatters but it is still standing.
Wad finishes the job with a crossarm blow, and Hollow One 5 shatters.
Amistan, seeing Hollow One 8 as Varielky glances over her shoulder, throwing light its way, looses an arrow over the others which crashes into the undead’s ear, taking off half its head, but it continues to advance.
Hollow One 7 slashes at Dolkum with its stone battle axe, hitting a glancing blow to the head, but Dolkum’s helmet deflects the impact.
Hollow One 8 advances and strikes Varielky with its stone mace for 4HP damage.
Hollow One 9 limps on one foot which seems immobile. It strikes at Benita but she parries while stepping quickly back.
Hollow Ones 10 & 11 close with Dolkum smashing him with stone hammers. One hits Dolkum for 5HP damage.
Many more Hollow Ones are shambling through the woods towards you.
Meanwhile, almost a month in the past: Auger Dannel Fetherlac
It is midsummer’s day in the Great Basin when Auger brings his son to the Gazebo of Vines on its tiny island, a day’s ride outside of Belliu Village in Anshin Subprefecture. Rowing out onto the lake, the humid air makes you both drowsy, and as you wait, a slight breeze rustles through the crowns of the tall trees on the near shore. Your son is dozing now, and, when the Dowager of the Lake arrives, only Auger sees her face or hears her voice. If it is truly seeing and hearing at all.
Her voice is like Auger’s mother’s, when she was young. Loving, thoughtful. Strong with a gentle strength, like a silken rope. “Auger. Brenneth...is lost to me. Lost to us, Auger. It is sad. Something’s...happening. I can...sense it, like an unexpected shift in the wind. It’s blowing...the wrong direction, Auger. I need you to find out why. Can you?” There is a long pause, almost an hour, but Auger remains, as white cotton clouds slowly spiral above and dragonflies hover and buzz over the lake waters. Then the voice returns.
“It’s far from here, and...you must leave right away. Today. I’m sorry you’ll have to rush, Auger.” There is another pause, and Auger hears the water of the lake gently lapping against the shore. “There. That will make it easier,” her voice, kindly, resonates in your mind. “Go to Kalahata. You’ll...meet someone on the way. Offer your help.”
Then, suddenly, with a sharp intake of breath, Auger feels it. The Sea of Stars. There is a connection to it now, in the deepest center of his mind. The power is overwhelming at first, almost as if his entire being will be incinerated, will never have existed. In another moment, Auger wills it to compress, shapes it, tames it, and he knows that its magic is now his to employ.
Later, at home, Auger finds the dragonfly puzzle, which he himself had crafted of delicate wooden pieces, has transformed into a living, magical creature. It speaks to you. “I am...Py. I am...yours to command. The Dowager, as you call her, will see you through my eyes when she wishes.” You also find gold -- enough to pay for transport.
Your journey takes three weeks. A carriage to the central prefecture, then disc trains north and west to Satanda, in Fa Tahesi, and then passage up the Gulf of Awhar on a passenger galley called the Dolifini. You had thought you’d sail only as far as Ishi Ammah, the capital of Orraca u Shia, which would be the most direct port of access to Kalahata, but Py tells you to buy passage to Inniri. Now that you are north of the equator, it is the end of winter here, and on the second day out of port from Ishi Ammah there is a torrential rain. The ship anchors off the coast for the night. The next day, Py tells you, “Here,” and you pay the captain to assign a crewman to row you ashore, with the last of the gold the Dowager gave you.
It is morning, on the 8th day of Beauty (according to the Jenghen calendar, IRL, the 8th of March) when you put ashore on the coast of the Gulf of Awhar, some 80 miles due west of Ishi Ammah as the gull flies -- and there are many seagulls here on the beach as you land. In a few minutes, you walk up the bluff and find yourself on the Queen’s High Road, a gravel road, wet and sandy, traversed by carriages and riders, one going up the coast, and three headed down. By late morning, the rain has stopped, and two Imperial Cavalrymen, wearing the livery of the Ishi Ammah garrison, canter past you on the road to Inniri, their eyes focused on the horizon ahead. While they are still in view on the High Road, continuing northwest, Py directs you to turn off the road, onto a wide merchant’s path leading northeast through a wood. The road climbs away from the gulf and into a range of coastal hills. There is bright sunlight for an hour before sunset, and then it is dark, and your legs are weary. But Py urges you to keep going as the half-moon begins to rise, shining through fast-moving silvery clouds far above.
That night, as the half-moon shines down through a delicate lace of silver-grey clouds moving quickly south high above, as you continue to walk, much more slowly now, under the trees, you hear a distant rumbling like thunder. Ten minutes pass. Then, the ground comes alive, as it reverberates and quakes under you, roughly, for almost a minute. You put out your arms to steady yourself from falling. Then, silence again, except for a tree which groans and collapses nearby. A few more within your hearing also fall in the wood at various distances.
You keep walking, and twenty minutes pass.
It is deep in the night, almost morning, when ahead of you, you hear the sounds of fighting. You rush forward, holding a lantern to light your way, and you see a campsite with a fire burning in a pit, which casts light on a large heavy carriage, and a series of pup tents beside it. In the road ahead of you, a melee between, apparently, the campers, and haunted beings you’ve only ever heard of before, Dwarven undead known as Hollow Ones, which are staggering out of the woods to your right to attack two human woman fighters with stone weapons. Light beams emanate from the eyes of a shield maiden holding a longsword with glowing runes, and the other, with long raven-black ponytail flicking behind her, is quick and agile, parrying and striking with scimitar and dagger. Beside them, a burly dwarven fighter in mail, shield, and battle axe. They all wear the livery of Core of Onyx, one of the Dwarven kingdoms. Past them on the road, closer to the carriage, you can make out two more dwarves in livery, armored and wielding divine magic, and atop the carriage, a human man with a wide hat over locs, aiming a longbow at the statue-like undead.
The campers seem to be holding their own for the moment, shattering the Hollow Ones with one or two blows. But more of the undead are coming.
“This is who you’re supposed to help,” says Py. “We’re here.”
Auger joins the battle.
You are now situated like so.
All, please post Round 5 actions
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
The journey was relentless and here in the middle of the night a few travelers meet a swarm of dread creatures in the night. The Dowager says help is needed, and so help shall be supplied. Introductions would have to happen later. While still approaching, in a tense whisper Auger asks, "Which of them Py, which am I supposed to help?" Briefly seeing the Sea of Stars, Auger summons a confusing mist around himself, raising his AC to 15. (OOC: Hearing the fighting, Auger probably would have done this while approaching the area. If not allowed then Auger's first action would be to do this while moving forward).
In Round 5
"Py. Help those engaged as you can." Py flies away and up, striking at a Hollow One engaged with any of the frontline fighters at range and from above. "I am called Auger," he announces to the party. "What has stirred these against you?". Again envisioning the Stars and feeling their might Auger compresses and twists and again compresses and twists the energies. Sighting on a Hollow One that might hopefully be the first in a straight line of them, Auger releases the twisted energies into a thin violet stream surrounded by a simple corkscrewing stream of aqua.
Auger
Initiative: 9
Move: Auger advances to P28
Action: Auger casts Eldritch Blast modified as a Repelling Blast (When you hit a creature with eldritch blast, you can push the creature up to 10 feet away from you in a straight line.), hoping to push Hollow Ones back in a pile. Unless a better opportunity presents itself he would attempt to push 12 back into 13 and 14, tumbling them all perhaps. Attack: 20 Damage: 6
Bonus Action: None
Py
Move: Flies 40', ending up at Q27 and ~30' up. (OOC: the magic of diagonal movement in 5e)
Action: Use his Fey Sleeping Spell Attack on any Hollow One engaged with a frontline fighter. Order of preference (11, 10, 8, 9, 7). Attack: 14 Damage: 1, piercing damage. If there is a hit and these Undead statues happen to be poisonable then on failing a DC 10 Con saving throw they are poisoned for 1 minute. If it rolls <=5 then it becomes unconscious for 1 minute until awakened.
Bonus Action: None
DM of RotFM | AUGER the Warlock (Archfey & the Chain) / Shadow Sorcerer in Age of Resurgence | Rahui & Javier in Sea of Memory
O great Idiwalla! Tend these venerable Hollow Ones! Enfold them in your mercy and lead them away from hither and towards their eternal repose!
Dolkumm presents his holy shield and it glows with devine fervour....
<Turn Undead DC WIS 11 for 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 18>
Ednyss charges up behind Varielky and Dolkum, swinging his pick furiously at the Hollow One between them, Ednyss calls out, "How many more do you think there are?" Glancing deeper into the forest and seeing more undead charging up, Ednyss summons his spectral shield to start weakening the skeletons and perhaps confuse or distract a few as the horde just keeps coming.
Move: To U22
Action: Attack (War Pick)
(Against Hollow One 11) Attack: 9 Damage: 14
Bonus Action: Cast Spiritual Weapon at g22 and making an attack
(Against Hollow One 22) Attack: 21 Damage: 11
“The mark of a successful DM is when you have caused more player deaths with doors than dragons, demons, or devils.”
Even amidst the fighting, Varielky notices how greatly Dolkum has improved since their sparring not long ago. Indeed, she is now interested in testing him again, but it will have to wait until they're in a safe place. She'll have to do by watching him fighting others. Either way, she slashes her sword at the undead that hit her. "Only the gods know," she replies to Ednyss, "but it is not our task to find out. We are only to protect those in the carriage, be it assassins, crabs or dwarven shells." Varielky then turns sharply and bashes the undead behind her with her shield, trying to knock it prone. Then, she strikes down on it with a swift attack.
It is then that Varielky hears the new human. Immediately, she is suspicious. A human just walking here in the middle of the night, offering their help? She is immediately answered with his attacks against their enemies. For now, at least, he's fighting beside them, but there's no telling... she'll have to be vigilant.
Varielky
Round 5 Results
Ednyss moves and strikes with his war pick, but it rings with a resounding ‘CLANK’ as it is repelled by the Hollow One’s stone hammer. The War Cleric’s spiritual weapon appears, and smashes through the legs of Hollow One 22. Its body falls, but its arms continue to pull it along through the sedge.
Varielky’s red-steel sword finishes the job Amistan’s arrow started, slicing through Hollow One 8 from the collar bone to its hip. It falls, leaving large pottery pieces on the ground. She throws her shield arm outwards, and smashes Hollow One 11, which spins in place and falls prone.
Dolkum’s prayer is answered as book-sized glowing runes spelling the sigil of Idiwala interlock in an expanding cage around him, turning Hollow Ones 7, 10, 13, 18 (OOC: turned undead are now yellow. They move away on their turn.)
Auger & Py. Py's spore-sized dart flies at Hollow One 11, hitting it for 1HP damage, but the magical dragonfly discovers 'It’s immune to poison,’ which it messages to Auger, whose Eldritch Blast coils into Hollow One 12, pushing it back into 13, and they both careen into the tree trunk behind them, with a sound like bowling pins falling, each taking an additional 2HP damage.
Benita whirls and feints with her scimitar at Hollow One 9. It dodges directly into her dagger which, in Benita’s Champion’s hand, crits, impaling the undead’s chest. She kicks out and it falls and breaks into pieces.
Amistan leaps over the luggage atop the carriage to its rear ceiling, and there, fires his bow at Hollow One 19, which he can barely make out in flashes of light from Varielky, but his arrow misses.
Wad moves around Benita to strike at Hollow One 11, taking off a foot and doing 4HP damage as it rolls away from him.
Hollow Ones 7, 10, 13 & 18 are Turned, and move away from Dolkum as fast as they can, back the way they came.
Hollow One 11 twists up and brings its stone hammer around and up to strike at Ednyss, who sees it coming and steps aside.
Hollow One 12 moves up and attacks Varielky, hitting her with its stone mace for 3HP damage.
Hollow One 14 advances and also attacks Varielky, swinging at her with a heavy stone ball and chain, but it pounds into the earth at her feet, and pottery shards fly up.
You see many more advancing through the wood toward you.
You are now situated like so.
Please post Round 6 actions.
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
Ednyss notices Dolkum's prayer and calls out to the group, "I can try that as well. But it will be futile if the skeletons simply replaced by others. We just need to hold them off until they are all a little closer." With that and seeing that his spectral weapon wasn't distracting the undead, he swings his pick twice, first at the skeleton he had earlier missed and if his first strike kills it, then at the one in front of Wad.
Move: None
Action: Attack (War Pick)
Attack: 20 Damage: 9
Bonus Action: War Priest (War Pick)
Attack: 26 Damage: 19
“The mark of a successful DM is when you have caused more player deaths with doors than dragons, demons, or devils.”
(OOC: The first attack was against Hollow One 11 and the second against Hollow One 15, in case my descriptions were unclear I forgot to mention it in the spoiler...)
“The mark of a successful DM is when you have caused more player deaths with doors than dragons, demons, or devils.”
Varielky uses the chance to attack HO14 while his weapon is on the ground, right before she's hit from the side by a stone mace. Annoyed, she swings her sword at the Hollow One that attacked her. Then, she twists and bashes against one of the undead.
Varielky