(D&D 5e) The Plague of Nightmares IC

[Requilac]

With the guards

Yvonne regarded the men (or women - who knew?) looking at her for a moment. It didn't seem to add up.

"I can hardly think it usual for your ruling class to be skulking around. How many of your nobles have you met, anyway? I was told there has been no visitors to this fief in years, as hard as that is to believe, and I see little reason for the Lord Senckreid to creep around his own land with a hidden identity, and even less for a guest."

The guards look even more confused now. One of the others who wasn't spoken yet now regards you.

"Most of us in this division came from Grimtham Rock*, so we have a decent amount of experience with noble lords and ladies. We are here under the orders of Lady Senckried even. It's just that a lot of the nobles don't like to make their presence so clear for possible... opponents to see. Cults have been a thorn in our side for quite some time now. First The Spawn of the Black Woods, then the Disciples of Yeenoghu, and now The Aboleth's Cult and the Order of Umbra... a lot of reasons to not want to make a big show of your importance."

*the capital of Senckried

[Requilac]

Seeing that all your requests are fulfilled, Torbera orders some of the waiting helpers to get some rations. They soon come back with bowls of stew and a bucket of water. They have for some reason saturated the water with a dark berry so that it is impossible to see your reflection within, and the stew is a bland greyish, brown which tastes just as good as it looks. After that some of the acolytes hastily tend to your wounds, clearly overwhelmed and in a rush to handle other things. Thrognic eventually wakes up, but he is so tired that he can barely walk. Torbera guides you all (and Thrognic) to a room to the left where you can lay down your bedrolls and rest. The room is stuffy and poorly light, and managing to fall asleep after the ominous events of the day makes your sleep fitful, but rest does dome.

You call complete a long rest. I would to handle some OOC issues before we continue; nothing serious, I just would like some feedback.

You are all now level 3.

[Zergrinch]

The young teen wakes up, confused at first with his surroundings, but gradually realizing where he was, what he was doing, and that he was going to die of the Plague sooner or later. Despite the more fatalistic outlook, getting hit really hurts, as he has experienced the day before by getting psychic claws raked across his back, and a real blade piercing his sternum, both of which plunged him into unconsciousness. The mage resolves to armor himself once breakfast is done.

Zuzu takes his spellbook, now less sparse with the two spells secured from Thrognic. He places the finishing touches on his own variation of the "Shatter" spell with a careful analysis of what he saw during their first night in Senckreid, as well as a new trick he has been working on.

Level up options:
HP: Take average. Max HP is now 20.
New Spells: For level-up, Shatter and Levitate. From Thrognic, Comprehend Languages and Detect Magic.
Prepared (6): Chromatic Orb, Fog Cloud, Mage Armor, Sleep, Levitate, Shatter.
Rituals (4): Comprehend Languages, Detect Magic, Identify, Unseen Servant.

[Sariel Vailo]

Anastasia will walk to a window after her four hours of meditation. She will look out the window carefully weighing the things she has seen versus what she now knows.
"i had indeed come to this land originally to dance with death.however i now see the light of vitay is worth far more than some dead monsters.
She will sing hyms till all the others awaken.
max hp 21 thaumaturgy
calm emotions(zuzu)shatter.

[bc56]

Yaotl sleeps and dreams of power, of serpentine eyes that watch in the dark, of devouring flames, and of the face of the mysterious woman as she laughs, clearly overjoyed about something.

gain circle spells Acid Arrow and Darkness. Change prepared spells to 1st level: Cure Wounds, Entangle, Ice Knife, and 2nd level Acid Arrow, Barkskin, Darkness, Moonbeam

[Awful]

Yvonne dreamt as she slept, or perhaps she remembered instead.


She was six years old.

A prickly and argumentative child, she often could be found brawling with other children, little fists bunched tightly in the clumsy fights children have. Her mother was still alive, and half-driven to distraction by the endless torn dresses, bruises and scrapes Yvonne obtained in abundance. Naturally, Yvonne became leader and tiny tyrant of her little group of similarly-aged children.

One of them had done something to anger her - what it was, Yvonne couldn't recall. She shoved her friend, sending her stumbling back, and raised her hands to do it again when a hand came from above like the grip of the gods and lifted her into the air.
"Yvonne," Father rumbled, mouth drawn into a sharp line of disapproval. "Come with me."

Of course, Yvonne didn't have a choice in the matter - she was suspended in the air by her father's strong arm, after all. She was carried to a chamber, plonked down in front of her father - still a giant in her eyes. He frowned down at her, a titan as always in steel and bearskin, the fingers of one hand tapping on his sword hilt.
"What is the duty of a noble?" Ulfric asked, staring down at her.
The little Yvonne blinked, unsure at the question. She'd expected a scolding, not questions about nobility. The child thought about this for a moment, before she suggested:
"To tell the peasants what to do!" She smiled, pleased with herself, only for her father's frown to deepen.
"No, Yvonne," Ulfric said. He sighed, then drew his sword. He turned it in his grip, offered her the handle. She took it, staggering back under the sudden weight. The blade was a long as she was tall, adorned with gold chasework along the guard and hilt. It was a beautiful piece, and Ulfric carefully warded the blade away from himself as Yvonne struggled to get it upright.
"Heavy, isn't it?"
"N- No!" squeaked Yvonne, unwilling to show weakness. Ulfric merely snorted.
"That is the duty of a noble. Lift the blade. Higher."
"It's the duty?" Yvonne said, confused, but she obediently lifted the sword.
"A sword isn't just a sword. It's a symbol. A sword is power, Yvonne."
Her arms had begun to tremble with the weight of the longsword, though she valiantly tried to keep it upright.
"With a sword, you can protect what you need to protect, and destroy what you need to destroy. Nobles do not forge swords, Yvonne, but we wield them. The blacksmith works the steel, the farmer grows the crops, so we can wield that blade. They feed us, pay us taxes, obey us, so that when the dark creeps in we stand between them and the shadows."
He leaned in, fixating his daughter with his gaze. One armoured hand reached out and grasped the blade, pulling the weapon easily from her grip.
"We carry with us the weight of life and death. That is our duty, Yvonne. Never forget that."

She didn't understand just yet, not truly, but she never did forget.


Yvonne woke slowly, sitting upon her bedroll. She picked up her sword, laid besides her like an old lover. She was strong, now - a longsword was little to her.

But sometimes she still felt that weight.

[Requilac]

By the time the sixth bell rings, all of you wake up. Except for Anastasia that is, who had been humming to herself (and possibly to you all?) a sort of lullaby for the last four hours. Thrognic doesn't quite wake up yet and he still seems to be greatly weakened, but he is breathing fine. It is only then upon waking that you realized you were sleeping in the storage room which is full of bland rations, faded clothing and rusted tools. Rain pours down upon the stone roof of the temple and echos throughout the cramped closet.

As soon as any of you step out into the temple, you will find that another group of seven guards are resting there and playing some sort of odd combination of cards and chess. Next to them there is a person standing close to the door, apparently waiting for you, and approaches you.

"I am sorry Mrs. Bartlesby, Mrs. Sonnenstahl and umm... Mr Zuzu and umm... (she pauses look at Yaotl) sir, Vates Volgrith is currently out taking care of urgent matters. I am captain Traubon and have been tasked with commanding the force which we plan to use against the Wendi... I mean, the beast which has been attacking the village" The next sentence he/she says with a miniscule hint of frustration in his voice which uncharismatic characters probably couldn't pick up. " I have been given orders from Vates Volgrith to defer to your judgement on how to best deal with this monster. What is your proposed plan and what preparations will need to be made?"

[Sariel Vailo]

"Hello thraubon, might i have some plain village girl clothing,If i want to look like a damsel i have to be dressed like one."
Annastasia will turn to the group."how was your sleep was it good,no nightmares?A lullaby an hour brings forth the sweet not the sour."

[bc56]

Yaotl turns to Traubon He's mostly rested though. "Isss there a map we could ussse? We need to find a place to ssset our trapsss."

[Awful]

"My sleep was fine," Yvonne said shortly before she turned to the Captain.

"I believe the plan is for miss Bartlesby here to act as bait. On my end, I'd be better with some javelins, or some other throwing weapon."

[Zergrinch]

"VESTIMENTUM VENENIFER!"

As Zuzu casts Mage Armor on himself (AC is set to 16), he briefly wonders whether he can hide inside the Knightess' pack, but thinks the better of it. She would probably brush him off.

[Requilac]

"Hello thraubon, might i have some plain village girl clothing,If i want to look like a damsel i have to be dressed like one."
Annastasia will turn to the group."how was your sleep was it good,no nightmares?A lullaby an hour brings forth the sweet not the sour."

Traubon makes an odd facial expression which reminds you of someone almost cringing, but you can't quite tell what it means. "You are already pretty plainly dressed as is... my lady. Because of your skin, you certainly couldn't (*he is about to say something, but pauses)... pass yourself off as a native, but that isn't a matter which can be fixed with a change of clothes."


Yaotl turns to Traubon He's mostly rested though. "Isss there a map we could ussse? We need to find a place to ssset our trapsss."

Traubon pulls out a map he has lying on the table next to him, clearly anticipating your needs. He hands you a map of the city and some of the areas outside of it, but it isn't very intricately detailed. There really aren't many labels on anything. Regardless, it might suffice.

Here is a link to a rudimentary map (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CGWKkLnStDtF1ayH2a0TiUCa3F6orgt_/view) I made earlier. I know that it is poorly made, but I don't know how to draw a map like this very well at all. If you want anything more in depth, please ask me OOC.


"My sleep was fine," Yvonne said shortly before she turned to the Captain.

"I believe the plan is for miss Bartlesby here to act as bait. On my end, I'd be better with some javelins, or some other throwing weapon."

The captain nods as he commands two of the people playing cards to retrieve some javelins and return. Traubon then turns to face Yvonne. "They shouldn't be long, the armory is not even a block away from here. While they are doing that, we had better discuss business..."

[Sariel Vailo]

Anastasia will go somewhere to make sure she is as convincing as possible.
so i should walk like a normal girl but not like normal of my tribe hmmmm......
she will practice her sullen tired walk, have a expressionless face and voice.
hoows this, does it just drip with melancholy?

[Awful]

Yvonne ran a hand through her golden hair in mild exasperation.
"I do not think you need to practice your deception too hard, miss Anastasia. The creature doesn't seem to be specific in its victims; rather, perhaps you should practice your swordsmanship."
She sighed.
"What I believe the good Captain was getting at was that you are a drow, Anatasia. Melancholy air or not, you stand out from the peasantry by mere benefit of race."

[Sariel Vailo]

Anastasia will here what the knightess has said and remember that she wasnt human. Ooooooooooh i forgot i wasn't human.my bad,so still gonna be bait .

[Awful]

The Knightess gave a disbelieving look towards the dark elf.
"You forgot you weren't human?"
She stared at the strange drow for a moment, then shook her head.
"Vitay, take pity on us," she muttered.

[bc56]

Yaotl says nothing, but his doubts about the dark elf's sanity grow stronger. He prepares to leave.

[Requilac]

Soon the two guards return to Yvonne and hand her five javelins. They are crudely made and little more than what appears to be cut fence poles tipped with sharpened pitons. Regardless they should work well enough, but they are not nearly as high of a quality you are used to.

Traubon looks around at you all, seemingly satisfied that you have no other requests. "If that is your plan than I would advise you to start walking towards your desired location. The Vates I believe mentioned you wanted to do it by the river, is that still correct? If so you had best go there immediately. You can bring this troop of seven right here if you find it necessary to help."

"...But before that is done, do you require some more medical care? It appears that your rest didn't restore your bruises."

Bruises? How would you have gotten bruises? Yesterday you were attack by shadows who damaged you more mentally than physically, assassins who wielded daggers, and vultures who pecked you. None of those enemies used bludgeoning weapons that should have caused bruises. But if you look down at yourself, then you will notice that you all have received at least one large spot of bruising from 1 to 2 feet in diameter. But if you go to touch your wounds, then you realize that it doesn't actually feel any different, and you are experiencing none of the pain of the bruise. This is certainly not a normal phenomenon.

[bc56]

"What witchcraft isss thisss?" Yaotl glares at the bruises suspiciously.

[Sariel Vailo]

Anastasia will look at the bruises, and poke at them.
"they dont hurt? Sooooooo thats weird.

[Requilac]

Traubon's fist clenches at hearing this, body language you finally understand. "They don't hurt? Damn, you all have only been here for less than two days time, and you already have been touched by the plague!"

Soon after this comment you see Torbera, with two acolytes flanking her, rush towards the back of the room, seemingly in a hurry to collect something. The captain walks up to her, his face cringed in the same expression. "Did you get any more information?"

Torbera gives an odd nasal almost snorting noise and doesn't even look at him as she responds. "No. We got the letter only a few hours ago, it would be impossible to learn anything more that soon. You read it over and your guess is as good as mine as to what is going on. This caught me completely off guard too."

Traubon's face cringes even deeper, to a level which you didn't really think was humanly possible. "But this doesn't make any sense! We were sent to this town just a week and a half ago to fight the Order of Umbra, and now suddenly House Senckried are best buddies with them?! And they want us to serve them!? They murdered two of our own just yesterday!"

The priestess holds her hands out in front of her as if signalling to halt. "Please calm down. I know that this isn't quite as it should be, but commands are commands, and these were sent by Lady Yuria. You are going to be recalled back to the capital soon and you will know far more than I when that happens then. Until then please just focus on ending the Wendigo scourge... speaking of that, shouldn't you have left already?"

[Zergrinch]

While the grownups are arguing and poking at their bruises (which did not faze Zuzu -- after all, he contracted the Plague and was definitely going to die soon), the gnome sinks into a little trance, curious whether the bruises had magical effects.

Cast Identify via Ritual. Are these similar to dragonmarks that Zuzu has read about in the tower?

[Sariel Vailo]

"yes yes we should have .but toerba,thraubon may the light of vitay bless you and your kin for decades to come. "
Anastasia will curtsy and turn to wait for her group.

[Requilac]

While the grownups are arguing and poking at their bruises (which did not faze Zuzu -- after all, he contracted the Plague and was definitely going to die soon), the gnome sinks into a little trance, curious whether the bruises had magical effects.

Cast Identify via Ritual. Are these similar to dragonmarks that Zuzu has read about in the tower?

As you whisper to yourself the silent incantations you throw a powder made of pearls into your eyes and blink hard several times. It feels weird, but it does give you the ability to see magical energies which you couldn't normally. You pull up your sleeve and look at the bruise, and are nearly blinded by what you see. The parts of the bruise erupt with this intense dark blue light which you cannot stare at for long. This isn't a spell that you recognize, but the wounds are magical and are imbued with Conjuration magic. The only time you ever remember seeing this much Conjuration energies through identify is when you scanned your master's familiar once.

[Zergrinch]

"WHAT THE F***?!!" Zuzu exclaims as he takes in the magical bruises he received.

[Awful]

"It is as it is," Yvonne smiled grimly. "It is simply motivation to end this curse all the faster."
Unable to see or poke at the bruises under layers of cloth, leather and pristine steel, Yvonne mentally tabled the matter for later, instead inspecting her latest acquisitions. The javelins were crude things, hardly worthy of the name. Still, as missiles, they would do, and she slung them on her back with a nod.

The Knightess listened to the conversation between the priestess and the captain with a frown.
"This letter you speak of. Let me see it." She held out a hand for the letter to be deposited in. "I know Lady Yuria; I cannot imagine her falling in with vagabonds or wicked folk. What do you have to prove the validity of the letter? Even if it is real, it could have been tampered with. In any war, you misinform your enemy in any way you can."

[Requilac]

The Knightess listened to the conversation between the priestess and the captain with a frown.
"This letter you speak of. Let me see it." She held out a hand for the letter to be deposited in. "I know Lady Yuria; I cannot imagine her falling in with vagabonds or wicked folk. What do you have to prove the validity of the letter? Even if it is real, it could have been tampered with. In any war, you misinform your enemy in any way you can."

When you say war, everyone in the room's face... droops? It is not a facial expression you have seen used before, so it is really hard to tell what exactly that means. Torbera momentarily looks up from the desk to respond.

"I can show you later if you would like, but right we both have matters we must attend to. The bell has already rung six times. Please, hurry up. The monster could attack at any point."

She clearly isn't willing to spend time with that during this exact moment, and she is right that at any moment this creature could show up. The Captain's troops where pretty much ready, and are soon out the door flanking alongside him. You all walk alongside the guards as they make their way past the town. Nobody appears to be walking outside except for the other divisions of guardsmen, apparently 42 in total, patrolling the town, and the very rare sight of people you believe to be acolytes of the Octopraecantatio. Its actually kind of hard to tell, because none of them appear to be wearing holy symbols.

Come to think of it, you have never seen anyone wear any sort of holy symbol in Senckried. Or pray for that matter either. And really any sign of religious worship at all. Seeing as how the leader of the local temple is also the town's mayor, indicating that the temple has great sway over the political world, everyone is surprisingly lacking in devotion.

Eventually you reach the area where you staked out. Captain Traubon calls it Boulder Creek, and says that the area you stand one was once part of the river, but it long since receded. It is aptly named, because the area is littered with gigantic rocks which seem to take on menacing shapes in the fading twilight. A small streak of water, probably not more than a foot deep, crosses off from a much larger river towards your direction.

It is currently complete darkness outside, so some of you will probably need a torch or lantern.

Please place your characters on the editable map below and say what position you will be taking. Please also give your commands to the guards. I will trigger the next plot update once you all have made at least on IC post.

Map: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Y5lh646Ifi4WHaC5Tb2DiOcgECoO5F6PeBGuktenXIw/edit?usp=sharing

[Sariel Vailo]

Anastasia will be walking around humming picking flowers along the path toward the river.
(Leaving commanding the guards towards the others.)

[Zergrinch]

Zuzu takes cover behind a convenient rock. While waiting, he tries to find a small forest animal he can talk to.

[Requilac]

Zuzu takes cover behind a convenient rock. While waiting, he tries to find a small forest animal he can talk to.

You don't manage to find a forest animal, but eventually a crawfish saunters up to the rock next you. It is remarkably large, when it comes to crawdads at least, and its whole body is probably the size of an adult human head. The crustacean's pincers start digging in the ground until it unearths some sort of freshwater clam and it then proceeds to try to pry open the clam's shell.

[bc56]

A wolf stalks into the area and begins sniffing around. This is Yaotl, of course. He has chosen this form for its hunting ability. He searches for unusual scents.

wildshaped into wolf. 11 hp. Smelling using Keen Hearing and Smell
Perception: [roll0] or [roll1] (advantage)

[Awful]

Yvonne will remain in cover near the child, javelin in hand.

[Zergrinch]

Zuzu takes out a dagger and assists the crawfish with its meal.

Take the help action to grant it advantage in the check: [roll0]

Pantomiming like a fool and issuing a plethora of clicking sounds from his throat, s Zuzu attempts to convey a question to the crustacean: See big big animal that attack medium animal like me?

[Requilac]

A wolf stalks into the area and begins sniffing around. This is Yaotl, of course. He has chosen this form for its hunting ability. He searches for unusual scents.

wildshaped into wolf. 11 hp. Smelling using Keen Hearing and Smell
Perception: [roll0] or [roll1] (advantage)

The scents which infest Yaotl's nostrils are quite odd. The most noticeable thing is the musk of some sort of giant creatue, which seems kind of like a bear's with a hint of... something else indescribable. It vaguely reminds him of something is similar to scent of rotting flesh or mushrooms or ...ozone maybe, but all at once. Definetely doesn't seem natural for sure. Aside from that though he can also pick up on several other markings of humanoids walking through, which means that people must be coming down to this part of the lake frequently.


Zuzu takes out a dagger and assists the crawfish with its meal.

Take the help action to grant it advantage in the check: [roll0]

Pantomiming like a fool and issuing a plethora of clicking sounds from his throat, s Zuzu attempts to convey a question to the crustacean: See big big animal that attack medium animal like me?

The clam shell pops open, and the crawfish skitters back with fright. Once it is a few feet back, it goes to stare at you blankly with its eyestalks. It holds this gaze for a few moments, than slowly approaches the clam and snips out its foot, just as quickly walking back to its previous position. The lobster-esque beast still examines you with its blank stare as it nibbles on the clam's foot using its blurring mandibles. You are not quite sure what that means.

_____

The soldiers receiving no commands from you defer to to Traubon's words instead and hide beyond some of the rocks. An uneventful hour passes when nothing occurs. And then another hour. I will say that none of this time counts against how long Yaotl can be wildshaped, so he is still a wolf. Some of the less patient among you may now be getting bored. The so called Wendigo is really taking its time so it seems. Several of the soldiers, unused to stealth, aren't trying to be nearly as quiet or careful anymore. Some even decide to snack upon strips of charred bacon or drink from their water canteens.

Instead of having to all bare torches, the guards have set up a campfire. They don't enjoy how bright it is really, but being effectively blinded by the complete darkness of the area is much worst. You all notice that all of them are avoiding the creek though. Those affected by the plague do tend to experience hallucinations if they look at their reflection, so it makes sense. The sky is too dark to light up the water, but the campfire surely can.

After waiting for a while though, you hear a call from one of the sentries in the area. Said guard quietly directs your attention to a point Southeats of here. A pack of lights emerge from the woods about 600 ft. away from you and are advancing towards your position slowly. You can just barely make out what must be about 15 humanoids wielding hooded lanterns with all of the hoods up, making them cast only slight dim light. The lights move at a slow steady gait towards your area.

Traubon quietly approaches you all and speaks just loud enough for you all to here. "If these were from our army, I doubt they would approach by this angle from the woods. I don't have any idea who those people could be."

[Zergrinch]

Zuzu sighs, and tosses the clam towards the crayfish. He opens a ration pack and add in some nuts and dried fruit to the food for the crayfish.

"I wish I understand what you are trying to tell me, Crawy" he whispers.

As the night drags on, Zuzu observes the approaching group with some interest. It is perhaps best to just observe them and maybe catch them in the midst of committing a crime, but the determination belongs to Lady Yvonne.

[bc56]

Wolf-Yaotl growls and points at the fire with a front paw. If the fire is not put out, he will continue to do so.

[Requilac]

Zuzu sighs, and tosses the clam towards the crayfish. He opens a ration pack and add in some nuts and dried fruit to the food for the crayfish.

"I wish I understand what you are trying to tell me, Crawy" he whispers.

As the night drags on, Zuzu observes the approaching group with some interest. It is perhaps best to just observe them and maybe catch them in the midst of committing a crime, but the determination belongs to Lady Yvonne.

The crawfish doesn't touch your rations until it finishes nibbling on the clam's foot, which takes a surprisingly long amount of time. After what must be half an hour it finishes its meal, staring at you intently.


Wolf-Yaotl growls and points at the fire with a front paw. If the fire is not put out, he will continue to do so.

Some guards approach the fire to do that, but it is apparently unnecessary as thunder crashes from the sky. Within almost a second a pouring rain floods from the sky upon you all and more cannonades of thunder sound off. It is almost as if you are swimming at this point the rain is so heavy. The thunder booms with an unnatural frequency, but is somewhat muffled by the pounding rain. It was raining a little bit before, but it suddenly just picked up at a speed higher than it should.

Suddenly a sound which most definitely isn't the storm takes flight from the copse of torches. It sounds almost like a... a strange mix of yodeling, grunting and shrieking.

Not long after lightning slams from the sky close to your position, nearly blinding you all. Someone close to your position screams in agony and then proceeds to sob on the ground.

Somehow the other groups torches aren't going out in the rain, and you can see the lights advancing hungrily towards you like evil fireflies.

You can hear Traubon's voice ring out once again. "Damn it! More f***ing cults I am willing to bet. With witchery far better than ours. Why can't Thrognic or the Vates ever be there when they are needed? Do any of you have a plan for this?"

[Awful]

The sudden rain beat on her armour like a drum. She drew her silvered warpick - perhaps time to put it to the test.
"If any of you have light magic, cast it now on the injured! The rest of you, form up! " Yvonne called to her companions. "Our cover is blown: prepare to fight!"

[Zergrinch]

[Flashback]

Zuzu gets a little frustrated that the crawfish remains skittish despite his overtures.

"C'mon, Crawy, c'mon. Here's some nuts for you."

Animal Handling: [roll0]

[Sariel Vailo]

Anastasia will withdraw her silvered Rapier.to say this unafraid.i trust my allies i trust vitay,i trust the light.

[Requilac]

The sudden rain beat on her armour like a drum. She drew her silvered warpick - perhaps time to put it to the test.
"If any of you have light magic, cast it now on the injured! The rest of you, form up! " Yvonne called to her companions. "Our cover is blown: prepare to fight!"

There is utter silence among the group as you shout out your command. Eventually Traubon turns behind to face you. "Light magic... we don't happen to have any of that. But I think I have a better idea of how we should form up. Those of you who have taken the Second Oath, step forward and draw your crossbows.The second you can see 'em, start gophering and make the curs pin cushions. As for the rest of you take cover behind the spherical boulder. Hey Hedmulir, grab Londirlum's sorry ass out of the line of fire please."


[Flashback]

Zuzu gets a little frustrated that the crawfish remains skittish despite his overtures.

"C'mon, Crawy, c'mon. Here's some nuts for you."

Animal Handling: [roll0]

The crawfish stares at you for a few more moments, then decides to skitter away. It starts shuffling towards the creek, completely putting you behind it.

_________________________________________________

Once the fire has been completely put out, the rain lets up a little, but not by much. You are no longer swimming, but it is still uncannily heavy outside. Another lightning bolt crashes down, but it doesn't manage to hit anything. Several other streaks of electricity slam down but don't manage to contact anyone. Regardless, it is unnerving to have the bolts land down so close to you.

The group advances to a position within 150 ft. of you, and it is only then you realize that none of them where actually wielding torches. Their weapons are just glowing with a brilliant light. And there is an apish, inhumane shadow flickering amongst the light.

If you have anything left to do before initiative combat begins, do it now. Initiative will begin in...
https://pending.me.uk/cd/cya_1532574000.png (https://www.pending.me.uk)

[bc56]

Yaotl hides among the rocks in order to better get the drop on the strangers.

[roll0]

[Zergrinch]

Zuzu backpedals a bit to put some distance between himself and the unknown parties. Sensing an opening, he fishes out the chip of mica he captured from the kenku. Planting his feet squarely on the ground, the young apprentice prepares to unleash the spell he had recently perfected on an unsuspecting foe!

Move to I4.
Hold Action: Once enemy party gets within range (60 feet; 12 squares from Zuzu) and if the spell can affect at least 4 enemies, cast Shatter.

Shatter has a radius of 10 feet (see drawing on map) and requires a DC13 CON save to avoid taking [roll0] thunder damage (half on save). A creature of inorganic material has disadvantage on the save. A non-magical object (like the rocks) that isn't being worn or carried also takes the damage if it's in the spell's area.

Zuzu's incantation for Shatter is CONFRINGO.

[Sariel Vailo]

i doubt i will have enought time to put on my armour unless i get those soldiers to help me.
Thraubon can some of your men help me get my studded leather on.

[Requilac]

The unknown group with the glowing weapons charges towards your position. Crossbow bolts swim through the air as some of Traubon's troops shoot and the attackers return fire. Arrows continue to whizz past your head, as you can see the enemies take formations behind the rocks. Several of Traubon's troops run towards their position, taking cover behidn boulders as more arrows thud against them. The area is now flooded with blinding light coming from your enemies weapons.

Initiative combat has begun, and the enemy has won initiative. While technically a larger fight is actually occurring, I will be representing that as background noise and will only include the PCs and a specific group of enemies in the fight. There are much more than 4 enemies, but I will only recognize four enemies as having mechanical standpoint.

The battefield is now cast in bright light by the enemies' glowing weapons.

Suddenly you can hear another yodelling grunt, much closer to you than before, as the monstrous shadow in the firelight bursts away towards your position. For a moment you can't see it, just here heavy thumping sounds on the ground. Before you can recognize it Anastasia screams in pain and is flung backwards as the monsters rams her with twisted antlers. It then rears up on its hind legs and you can all see it in its terrible glory.

The wendigo is vaguely humanoid shaped, but it is slightly larger than a bear. It appears horribly emaciated as if it hasn't eaten in years and its skin is stretched tighly across its sharp skeleton. The most noticeable features are its freakishly long arms that end in vicious oversided claws which scrape against the ground. Its head though is that of a rabid wolf's with bludgeoning antlers sprouting just behind its eyelid. Its skin is so thin around the stomach that you can see its ribcage attempting to burst from its chest. And last but not least, its legs are shaped like a goats and cloven.

Anastasia takes 17 bludgeoning damage, is pushed 5 ft. away and lands prone.

Popping out from a rock across the creek you can see a figure in black robes raise its staff to the sky as electricity pulses through it. Another lightning bolt crashes down right towards Anastasia. She manages to roll out of the way just in time as the searing lightning charrs the ground beside her.

Although those two may be the most showy of enemies, two arbelesters sneak up to your position. They pop up from behind the rocks and aim their crossbows at Yvonne. Two bolts come flying after her and miraculously crush right through her armor. The two of them of then duck behind their covers for protection. The attack really shouldn't have been that effective, but somehow they managed to hit with just the right speed and strength.

Yvonne takes 16 piercing damage.

They realize too late though that such a thing might have been a bad decision, as the ground around them shatters. You can only hear muffled cries instead of screams, which seems to indicate they took it better than you thought they would.

The two arbelesters take 4 thunder damage.

Your turns now.

[bc56]

Yaotl climbs over the rock (or goes around if he can't go over) and pounces on the nearest arbalester.


[roll0] to hit
[roll1] if my 15 stealth beats his perception.
[roll2] damage
And target must make a DC 11 str save or fall prone
[roll3]

[Zergrinch]

Zuzu's heart pounds as Anastasia gets flung like a rag doll. But there's little he can do for her at this point. No, better to thin out the crowd of attackers before tending to her injuries. And so, the little gnome climbs the rock to get a better shot on the crossbowmen. After he takes a pot shot with his light crossbow, the boy immediately drops to cover and repositions if there is enough time.

Note: Zuzu should already be starting his turn at I4.
Move: Climb rock at I5 to get an elevated line of sight on Swift Arbalester.
Attack: Light crossbow bolt to the chest. [roll0]. Hit: [roll1]. Crit: [roll2].
Move: To J1. If movement insufficient, I1.

[Sariel Vailo]

The best anastasia can do is stand. Than run to the closest place outside of enemy awareness to heal herself.
(Dash action move far away to heal self. Turn over)

[Requilac]

More arrows zip past your heads as the guardsmen and ambushers trade arrows. Surprisingly few people are actually going down due to the fact that everyone is trying to take cover. Regardless, the shadows of your allies lurk and move, some almost brushing past you as you make your attacks.

The Wendigo lets out another screech as it charges towards its new prey, seemingly forgetting all about Anastasia. It runs towards Yvonne and its hideously long claws reach out towards her farther away than she thought possible. The predator in its fury is not very precise, and claws scrape against the rock behind Yvonne instead of actually seeing her.

Now that you have a better look at the Wendigo, you notice something odd around its neck. A heavy collar made of brilliant silver chokes the monster's neck, and strange runes which glow a strange blue are engraved along it. The runes almost seem to resemble some sort of tree or branch*. And instead of their being a bestial rage in its eyes, the Wendigo seems more pained. Its pupils are wide and almost engulf its yellow irises, a sign of fear. If you didn't know better, you would think the creature was pleading for your help.

https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/lovecraft/images/e/e4/Lovecraft_circle_Seal.jpg/revision/latest/zoom-crop/width/480/height/480?cb=20170330174654

Yvonne takes no damage.

The sorcerer though is not clumsy as he pops up from the rock and points his scepter at Yoatl, currently a wolf who killed the arbelester. Electricity writhes through the scepter as a clap of thunder abounds from the sky. Suddenly a bolt of lightning comes from the sky and hits the wolf directly in its center of mass. The hound howls in pain and is wracked by horrible seizures. Although the wolf may be limp and and bloodied, it still stands in a miraculous show of endurance.

Yaotl's wolf form takes 10 lightning damage.

Your turns now

[Awful]

Yvonne grunted in pain and staggered back a step as two crossbow bolts slammed through her armour. She took a moment to grasp the shafts of the bolts, and with a pair of swift jerks she snapped them off, leaving the bolt-heads embedded within her flesh, then ducked further as the Wendigo hurtled towards her. Claws like sickle-blades scraped the stone behind her as she took a step back to give herself room. She slammed the warpick against her shield in a booming challenge and bellowed her ritual words, feeling the protective embrace of Vitay settle over her.

"Mine armour ist faith! Mine sword ist judgement! Come forth, ye wicked!"

She stepped in, warpick flashing in the witchlight of the enemy's blades as she swung it - once, twice, thrice.
"Whether beast-" she hissed as she attacked- "Or man or slave- your rampage ends this night!"


Move to Wendigo and attack with silvered warpick. Action surge, attack twice.
to hit, 1d8+3[/roll] damage
to hit, 1d8+3[/roll] damage

Bonus action: shield of faith, +2AC


Attack Wendigo
to hit, 1d8+3[/roll] damage

Second wind recover HP:
[roll3] HP restored

[Awful]

So hit twice, once a crit.
Damage: [roll0] + [roll1] =19 damage

[Sariel Vailo]

[roll0]
She will sing of the faith she has in vitay as well as the faith she has in her friends.

[Zergrinch]

Too far to help the electrified wolf, Zuzu instead resolves to deal with the wendigo first. Heading due east, he hurls a mote of flame at the creature before ducking behind cover.

Move to D3, via G1-F2-E3.
Action: Fire Bolt vs Wendigo. [roll0] to hit. Damage: [roll1] plus [roll2] on a crit.
Move to E3.

Stupid question, but can we aim attacks at the collar?

[bc56]

Yaotl's form bubbles and twists as he reverts to his humanities shape. He points at the sorcerer. "I sssmite you, mage!" Brilliant green fluid streaks from his outstretched hand to the sorcerer, splattering around and eating away at the ground.


Cast Acid Arrow on the sorcerer.
[roll0] to hit.
[roll1] damage this turn and [roll2] damage next turn
On a miss, halve initial damage and no secondary damage

[Requilac]

You see the runes on the wendigo's collar glows as the enslaved monster stares at Yvonne. It brings its claws back and instead of doing another horizontal slashing maneuver, it avoids the rocks by arcing its claws overhead and bringing them down towards her. It is rearing up to put extra force into its blow, exposing its body while doing so. Its first claw slams against Yvonne's upraised shield and slides off, but the second one comes down with such ferocious speed that nothing can stop it. The other claw lacerates her from shoulder to thigh as the claw tears through the armor like cotton.

Yvonne takes 7 magic slashing damage.

The Wendigo has used Reckless Attack, so all attack rolls against it have advantage until the end of its next turn.

The mage recoils backwards in pain from the caustic arrow, but he/she (Senckried look) is far from over. As the sorcer raises their staff high, a thin beam of shocking energy darts into the clouds above. From where this beam struck, webs of blue electricity race from the firmament towards Yaotl. The unnatural lightning has an almost mesmeric quality and Yaotl finds himself too disoriented by the dancing colors to dodge in time. The net of lightning drops over him and delivers him a vicious jolt, and as soon as it comes it leaves, the only remnant of it remaining being a low roll of thunder which is much quieter than it should be.

Then the sorcerer runs deeper behind the rocks, hoping to find cover from more bolts of acid or worst spells.

Yaotl takes 10 lightning damage.

Your turns now.

[Requilac]

Battle Statistics and
Map (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Y5lh646Ifi4WHaC5Tb2DiOcgECoO5F6PeBGuktenXIw/edit#gid=0)

Anastasia: 8 HP,
Zuzu: 20 HP,
Yaotl: 11 HP,
Yvonne: 19 HP (+5 THP), +2 AC from shield of faith, affected by song of the divines (d6)
The Wendigoe: HP 57,
Sorcerer: HP 33,
Brawny Arbelester: HP 0,
Swift Arbelester: HP 0,

Wendigo: AC 14, saves (str +6, dex +4, con +4, int +0, wis +3, cha +0), resistant to cold damage, immune to nonmagical, nonsilvered B/P/S damage, Dominated Mind (The Wendigo can't be magically compelled to act in a manner contrary to its orders.)

Sorcerer: AC 12, saves (str -1, dex +2, con +2, int +1, wis +1, cha +3),

Arbelester: AC 13, saves (str +2, dex +2, con +1, int +0, wis +1, cha +0)
[/QUOTE]

[Zergrinch]

Whilst in hiding, Zuzu fishes out the purple-pulsing fist-sized onyx liberated from the kenku.

"VIRIDIS LUMEN LUCERNAE!" he exclaims as he pours arcane magic into the gemstone. Stepping out of cover to get a better shot, he adds "VENENUM!" before a dazzling orb of sickly-green light bursts from the onyx and rockets towards the Wendigo!

Move to C3.
Action: Chromatic Orb (Poison) vs. Wendigo. To hit: [roll0]. Hit: [roll1] poison. Crit: [roll2] poison.
Move to F2.

[Sariel Vailo]

anastasia moves out to sing of vitays shielding light to protect the Knightess Yvonne.
"By the glory vitays light may she shield you, and burn our enemies,La fuego sagrado de mi señora.AmenStarting at 3rd level, by singing divine hymns, playing your instrument, or speaking through thaumaturgy.As an action, you may target a friendly creature that you can see within 60 feet of you and expend a single use of your Bardic Inspiration to bestow a ward upon them. The next time your warded ally is attacked by a hostile creature, the attacker takes radiant damage equal to your Bardic Inspiration die.

[Awful]

Yvonne found her face contorting into an almost-grin - the sickening exhilaration of a fight to a death one couldn't be sure of winning. The battles so far here hadn't compared in the slightest. She could feel her fighting spirit almost overflowing.
"Come at me!" she roared. "I still stand! Face a knight of Sonnestahl and your destruction!"


Fighting Spirit - advantage is already present but 5 Temp HP
Attack:
[roll0] or [roll1] : dam [roll2]

[bc56]

Yaotl races to the back of the Wendigo and jumps on it, slashing with acidic claws. "Fall, monssster!"

use primal savagery on Wendigo.
[roll0] [roll1]
[roll2] acid damage

[Requilac]

You can hear bodies collapse onto the ground as their shadows fall in the witchlight. You don't have the time to count, but a decent amount of people must have gone down. It doesn't seem as bright though now, and you even see one of the lights flicker out. The enemies must be powering the lights, and upon death the light they have bestowed upon their weapons fails.

The sorcerer steps forward grasps the crystal orb at the end of its staff. He or she pulls their hand off the orb and a rope of lightning is now in their hand, trailing behind them. They crawl forward towards Yaotl and casts the whip off lightning at him. The whip lashes out and wraps around his thighs as the sorcerer pulls back, knocking Yaotl off the Wendigo. A lash mark is along the spot where the whip made contact, but it is cauterized by the storm energy.

Yaotl takes 5 lightning damage.

The Wendigo rears and is poised to stike at Yvonne once again, but then a pulse of blue light comes from the sorcerer's staff and the runes on its collar suddenly start glowing brighter. The beast is suddenly jerked to face towards Yaotl, as if it were a marionette being flung around. Its head and its sorrowful pleading eyes are baring down on Yaotl's form who had just been knocked down, and with another sudden jerking movement the Wendigo bites down on Yaotl's chest. The chomp is hard and his ribs are displaced by the power as Yaotl goes unconscious.

Yaotl takes 13 piercing damage and is knocked unconscious. He now has to make death saving throws.

Your turns now.

[bc56]

Yaotl falls to the ground. His erratic breathing makes a soft hiss.


[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]
[roll4]

Result: Yaotl becomes stable in 4 turns.

[Zergrinch]

"No. SNAKEY!!!!!!!!"

Zuzu sprints steps out of cover and expends his magical power with casting of Chromatic Orb.

Move to C3.
Action: Chromatic Orb (Poison) vs. Wendigo. To hit: [roll0]. Hit: [roll1] poison. Crit: [roll2]
Move to E3.
PLEASE DON'T MISS. PLEASE ROLL HIGH DAMAGE.

[Awful]

"Don't turn your back, wretch!"

The Knightess raised her warpick and brought it down towards the Wendigo's back.


[roll0] or [roll1] : Dam: [roll2]

[Sariel Vailo]

She will run to yaotol and cast cure wounds.
[roll0]

[Requilac]

The wendigoe now rears its head back towards Yvonne, seemingly satisfied that it can take on its desired prey. It is still hunched over on four long as it pivots towards Yvonne and attempts to clamp down on her with its maw. Its enormous teeth drive at Yvonne with a force to break her armor, but when it makes contact the teeth only collide with the mystical forcefield and send ripples throughout it. Immidiately afterwards divine power pulses from Yvonne and knocks the Wendigo's antlered wolf head back. The monster raises its haunches in a pouncing motion as it looks dumstruck at Yvonne, not able to comprehend how it failed.

Yvonne takes no damage, but the Song of the Divines triggers and deals 3 radiant damage to the Wendigoe.

The sorcerer points its staff at Yvonne and electricity ripples through the scepter's gem once again as if trying to conjure lightning, but the energy within it flickers and fades after a moment. He or she looks down at their scepter in disappointment, flinging it to the ground as the arcanist draws a dart and launches it with their other hand. While flying through the air the dart becomes a large icecicle which hits Anastasia right in the thigh. The bite of the magical dart sends cold shivers through her whole body and she feels like she has fallen into hypothermic water.

Anastasia takes 5 cold damage and has her speed reduced by 10 until the end of her next turn.

Your turns now.

[Sariel Vailo]

Anastasia will scream at yaotol "wake up we need you by vitay wake UP.

[Zergrinch]

Zuzu furiously twirls his wand to gather up sufficient Mana, as he steps out of cover and sends a fiery dart of flame at the creature with a piercing "DEFLAGRO!"

Then the gnome scampers once again to relative safety.

Move to D4
Fire Bolt. [roll0]. Hit: [roll1]. Crit: [roll2].
Move to G7.

Edit: Dammit.

[bc56]

Yaotl stands up. He slashes at the Wendigo angrily with his claws.

[roll0],[roll1]

[Awful]

"I'll hang your head off my wall, beast!"

Attack, attack!


Use of Fighting Spirit
Hit : [roll0] or [roll1] ; Dam: [roll2] +1 from crit = 8

[Awful]

Since I got a crit as well:
[roll0]
¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[Requilac]

The sorcerer turns back to grab his staff, but as he picks it up lightning flows through it and courses through his or her body. They let out a screech as they drop the staff, but that screeched is almost immediately deafened as thunder erupts from the point where the staff hits the ground. You see the sorcerer's body get launched 10 ft. away from the staff and land in the creek, where he or she promptly picks themselves up on their hands and knees. After that the sorcerer's face cringes to an inhuman level as they point their hand towards the Wendigo and shout a command in a language you fail to understand. The light glows on the Wendigoe's collar, but then they suddenly spark out within moments after forming. Once again the sorcerer's expression changes and his or her jaw is agape and breathing heavily. Just then they shout out a word you can understand.

"f***, the wendigo is loose!"

Almost immediately afterwards the sorcerer limps back out of the creek and rushes along it as fast as their injured and soaked legs can.

The sorcerer dashes away.

The Wendigo then unleashes another yodelling grunt howl, but this one with much more force and vigour. Apparently ts former screech was one of pleading pain, but its current one is of triumphant rage. The ogreish thing stares down Yvonne as it raises up tall and unleashes the hellish scream. With one swift movement it rips the collar off with its claw and then leaps towards her like a wild dog. Its flurry of claws are pounding right against Yvonne but she keeps her shield in front of her and stands her ground warding off the blows.

Yvonne avoids taking damage. Its dominated mind feature has been replaced by immunity to being charmed and frightened (some specific enchantments and illusions will still work against it).

[Requilac]

Battle Statistics and
Map (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Y5lh646Ifi4WHaC5Tb2DiOcgECoO5F6PeBGuktenXIw/edit#gid=0)

Anastasia: 3 HP, speed reduced by 10,
Zuzu: 20 HP,
Yaotl: 7 HP,
Yvonne: 19 HP (+5 THP), +2 AC from shield of faith,
The Wendigoe: HP 13,
Sorcerer: HP 19,
Brawny Arbelester: HP 0,
Swift Arbelester: HP 0,

Wendigo: AC 14, saves (str +6, dex +4, con +4, int +0, wis +3, cha +0), resistant to cold damage, immune to nonmagical, nonsilvered B/P/S damage, immunity to being charmed or frightened,

Sorcerer: AC 12, saves (str -1, dex +2, con +2, int +1, wis +1, cha +3),

Arbelester: AC 13, saves (str +2, dex +2, con +1, int +0, wis +1, cha +0),

[Awful]

The clanging of the creature's claws was a cacophony, but Yvonne held firm, her shield interposed between her plate and every attack. A oppotunity; the warpick arced upwards to spike the creature in the ribs.


Hit: [roll0] ; dam: [roll1]

[bc56]

Yaotl hisses and strikes at the Wendigo again.

[roll0]
[roll1]

[Zergrinch]

Please note I will like to move AFTER Anastasia attacks the Yeti. But I want to be sure I make a post before the deadline.
Picking up a pinch of fine sand from the ground, Zuzu blows it towards the Wendigo.

"Odormisco!" he incants, his pulse pounding that the creature would be susceptible to its effects.

Action: Sleep vs. Wendigo. Sleep is a 20-foot radius spell that affects up to [roll0] of HP, starting from creatures with lowest current HP and moving on to higher-HP creatures. Target the spell in such a way as to exclude everything other than the Wendigo from its effects.


Once the creature drops, the boy acquires a bit of bravura. He runs after the Sorcerer, and makes what is possibly an ill-advised taunt.

"Hey mister, are you running away from me like a little kid? Wow, your balls haven't dropped yet, huh!"

Move to L9. Taunt him.

[Sariel Vailo]

Anastasia misses her opportunity dumbstruck that they would use a beast so cruel for their own ends.

[Requilac]

The wendigo prepares to lunge at Yvonne once again, but just as it haunches back towards that position like a coiling snake, it starts to have some sort of seizure. Its leg twitches, then its neck, and then its whole body convulses. It lets out a barely perceptible whimper as it collapses onto the gravelly dirt in a psychotic, almost cataleptic, state.



Once the creature drops, the boy acquires a bit of bravura. He runs after the Sorcerer, and makes what is possibly an ill-advised taunt.

"Hey mister, are you running away from me like a little kid? Wow, your balls haven't dropped yet, huh!"

Move to L9. Taunt him.

At your taunt the sorcerer only seems to pick up their pace, curling around the rock and nearly skidding into the lake, as they run off into the darkness. He or she disappears somewhere in the night. You can see several lights join the arcanist in their egress from the area. Some bolts slam after them, but very few of them can hit at this distance.

The guards stay tensed up for what must be half a minute more, but once they realize the conflict is over they come out from cover, albeit they are still crouching in case the brigands fire back. Captain Traubon scours around the area with unusual speed for crouching, checking on all of his troops. You can hear some of the guards shouting to Traubon medical statuses; mostly for themselves, but also for others. Luckily, no one says that a member of their team is dead. Eventually he comes to you all, clutching his shoulder as blood seeps through his spindly fingers.

"This fight was intense, but luckily with you all distracting the Wendigo it wasn't as bloody as it could be. Two people are only touched by superficial wounds, another 2 are alive but have passed out, Logous is limping, I got clipped in the shoulder, and Dastotum has got a nasty gut wound. What about you, how are you all faring?"

[Zergrinch]

"Umm, Mister Guard, the thing isn't dead yet! Do you want to kill it? Maybe we should capture it for study! You got some manacles?"

Still pumped full of adrenaline, the boy picks up the creature's collar, and, with his mage hand, the staff dropped by the sorcerer. The young wizard is careful not to touch it himself; after all, he saw the thing suddenly blow up in the sorcerer's hands.

[bc56]

"We ssshould kill the abomination now, while it isss helplessssss to ssstop usss." Yaotl moves toward the downed Wendigo, standing over it and preparing to attack.

[Awful]

The Knightess nodded to the Captain.
"Some injuries on our parts. I'll survive. They "

She looked down at the creature and flicked her warpick. Blood splattered on the ground off the silvered head.
"I agree with Yoatl. It's far too dangerous to be left alive. It was a powerful foe, indeed, and if it escapes once we have moved on I doubt the guards remaining could defeat it."
She glanced up at Traubon.
"The wendigo was being controlled, and the witch responsible escaped. If you have any trackers - or know any, at least - send them after the sorcerer as soon as you can."

[Requilac]

"Umm, Mister Guard, the thing isn't dead yet! Do you want to kill it? Maybe we should capture it for study! You got some manacles?"

Traubon now realizes that he can't hold his glaive well with his wounded shoulder, so he drops it on the ground and draws out a handaxe before speaking. "Capture it?! Hell no! We can't contain this thing. As much as I want to study the bastard, dissection will prove more prudent than behavioral psychology."



Still pumped full of adrenaline, the boy picks up the creature's collar, and, with his mage hand, the staff dropped by the sorcerer. The young wizard is careful not to touch it himself; after all, he saw the thing suddenly blow up in the sorcerer's hands.

The whole right side of the collar is in tatters and the runes are very faint and now longer glowing. It takes you a very long time to actually analyze the spidery letters while it is raining so heavily, and you the only conclusion you can draw is that is a language you don't know. Otherwise it appears like a pretty sturdy but simple steel ring.

The scepter fizzles a little upon the touch of the mage hand, but the power of the electricity is barely that of a static shock from a blanket. Currently you can hold it without harm, but it will surely tingle.


"We ssshould kill the abomination now, while it isss helplessssss to ssstop usss." Yaotl moves toward the downed Wendigo, standing over it and preparing to attack.


The Knightess nodded to the Captain.
"Some injuries on our parts. I'll survive. They "

She looked down at the creature and flicked her warpick. Blood splattered on the ground off the silvered head.
"I agree with Yoatl. It's far too dangerous to be left alive. It was a powerful foe, indeed, and if it escapes once we have moved on I doubt the guards remaining could defeat it."
She glanced up at Traubon.
"The wendigo was being controlled, and the witch responsible escaped. If you have any trackers - or know any, at least - send them after the sorcerer as soon as you can."

Traubon kneels down next to the Wendigo and places the flat head of the axe on his knee. "I couldn't agree with this sentiment more, we need to kill it. As soon as you see me hit it, strike at it." There is a pause before he does so though as he spends a few moments whispering something to himself in a language none of you understand. After a couple of seconds which feels like an eternity, he eventually raises his axe brings it down on the creature's neck. It suddenly convulses heavily and tries to push itself back up, but Yaotl's acidic claws hamstring it and cause it to collapse back down as Yvonne pierces into its skull with her warpick. It gives another whining whimper just before it finally dies.

After some more moments of silence he eventually stands himself up. "Yes my lady, we will need to work on this as soon as possible. I will send some of the more healthier men with us to follow the rats as the rest of us go back to town and call for reinforcements. Once we have scouted ahead properly, I am sending several squadrons to find the stronghold of these son of b****es and wipe them out. This stinks of the Order of Umbra, and I have no tolerance for their meddling."

"This witchrain is letting up as soon as it began, which means their muddy footprints will be deep and easily noticed but the rain will not wash it away."

"I will have to get my shoulder patched up and the other men hear attended to before we prepare a raid though. If you all would like to rest for about an hour, you may do so. We are going to getting on their trail soon after though."

[Zergrinch]

Zuzu, studiously trying to ignore the Wendigo's execution, spends the time they took taking the creature down to rub the staff with an owlbear feather, all the while focusing energy on the kenku's gemstone and occasionally touching it to the feather.

The young curious (and probably stupid) wizard also experimentally puts the collar around his neck to see what it feels like.

Cast Identify (as a ritual) on the staff.
After the short rest, use "Arcane Recovery" to recover two level 1 slots.

I'm going to strongly suggest that Sariel uses song of rest to enable everyone to recover with healing surges.

[Requilac]

Zuzu, studiously trying to ignore the Wendigo's execution, spends the time they took taking the creature down to rub the staff with an owlbear feather, all the while focusing energy on the kenku's gemstone and occasionally touching it to the feather.

The young curious (and probably stupid) wizard also experimentally puts the collar around his neck to see what it feels like.

Cast Identify (as a ritual) on the staff.
After the short rest, use "Arcane Recovery" to recover two level 1 slots.

I'm going to strongly suggest that Sariel uses song of rest to enable everyone to recover with healing surges.

The collar was made for a 10 ft. tall beast which weighed more than two horses, not a less than 3 ft. tall gnome who weighed 30 lbs. Thusly, he can't really fit the collar around his neck, when he tries it just kind of slides down him and lands on the ground like a hula hoop.

Your efforts with the Identifying the staff work out better for you though. As you brush the owlbear feather against, you can almost see images in your mind of what it can do and has done as if through some sort of telepathy. Zuzu learns that the following object is a...

Staff, Rare (Requires Attunement by a Sorcerer, Warlock or Wizard)

While attuned to this item, you have a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with it. When you hit a target with this weapon, you can choose to have it deal up to 12 extra lightning damage, but by doing so you take half as much lightning damage (rounded up).

In addition, you can use an action to tap the staff on a location on the ground within 5 ft. of you. Everything within 5 ft. of that point must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or take 1d6 thunder damage and be pushed up to 10 ft. away from the point of origin. You are included in the area of effect, but have advantage on the saving throw. Once you use this property, you cannot use it again until you complete a long rest.

[Zergrinch]

Zuzu's eyes widen after he realizes what the sorcerer had dropped. After hastily stuffing the collar into his pack, the gnome immediately attempts to attune to the scepter.

I am aware the attempt is likely to fail since (a) he has already used part of the rest to identify the item and rules say attunement rest can't be the same as the learn properties rest, and (b) I still want to recover expended spell slots. Let's just call the results a learning experience.

Also, does this function as a +1 focus, in that it also increases save DCs on spells it casts by 1?

[Sariel Vailo]

Anastasia will go to provide medicine to the wounded and aid any attempt to heal.

[Requilac]

I will be considering the time while you all are waiting here as a short rest. Roll as many of your hit dice as you would like, but please inform me about it.


Anastasia will go to provide medicine to the wounded and aid any attempt to heal.

Traubon's observations where accurate, this fight could have gone a lot worst. Arrows tend to not be very accurate when shot during a rainstorm at midnight with blaring lights in your face. Two of them only got slight scratches and harmless bruises, and the man (or woman?) with a limp and Traubon's shoulder wound where easy to create splints for. One of them has an arrow in the leg and has lost so much blood that they went unconscious, and that was a little more of a challenge. Also another person must have slipped in the mud and hit their head against a rock; you hope their skull isn't broke, but is hard to tell in this light. There is certainly more blood on their unconscious head than you are comfortable with though.

The final person Dastotum though has suffered a grievous wound. A crossbow bolt went straight through his abdomen and pierced through his armor. Several other arrows are stuck in him at the same general area of his gut. He is desperately trying to speak, but he can only give coughing moans and other stertorous noises of agony. With the help of some of the other better of guards you take off his breastplate and then it becomes clear to you that the intestine has been pierced.

Traubon looks down at Dastotum, the axe still at his side, as he speaks to you. "His intestine is broken beyond repair. He can't really live without it; his fate here is sealed. We're probably going to need to kill him. He couldn't move with us back to camp anyway."

[Sariel Vailo]

Anastasia will first use cure wounds on the dyimg man.
And ask thraubons men to bring him by yaotol and the knightess.when that is done she will sing.
"my friends,my allies my warriors of light,come now my friends for the day is won.
we have none lost nor souls yet wander,so come with me for a drink or two for in the end we have won.
now go and see your lovers. i know they must miss you all dearly.

[Awful]

Yvonne's mouth quirked, a small satisfied smile as Anastasia healed the fatally wounded man.
"It seems that Vitay has ensured he will live another day, Captain."
During the rest, she worked on severing the antlered head of the Wendigo. When she was done, she held the grisly trophy up to look into its beastly eyes.
"A strange creature, this. I've never heard of the like in the rest of the kingdom. Still, it'll make a good trophy for the Sonnenstahl hall... And if the Umbra want to do any more sorcery with it, they'll be hard-pressed to do so without its head."

[Zergrinch]

When Yvonne starts to decapitate the Wendigo, Zuzu nearly vomits, and instead moves away from the grisly sight. He tries to pretend not being disturbed by the sight.

Oh no, he was actually examining the dead arbalests for clues to their identify.

Honest.

Totally not avoiding the decapitation.

Performance: [roll0]
Investigation: [roll1]

[Requilac]

Anastasia will first use cure wounds on the dyimg man.

As you wave your hands over the soldier's broke intestine, a blinding wave of light forms under it. Usually you would see it flawlessly mend the wound and bring a sense of calm, but something goes wrong this time. Dastotum screams in pain and the wave of light practically cauterizes the wound instead of simply mending it. He still is inflicted with heavy breathing and clutches at his side, causing one of the other guards to bat his hand away. The wounded man whimpers in pain as if he had been burned, but the wound heals up just the same.

The spell definitely seemed to have worked, but the exact result was not what you expected. It has never been that painful for the recipient before.



And ask thraubons men to bring him by yaotol and the knightess.when that is done she will sing.
"my friends,my allies my warriors of light,come now my friends for the day is won.
we have none lost nor souls yet wander,so come with me for a drink or two for in the end we have won.
now go and see your lovers. i know they must miss you all dearly.

Your song doesn't seem to provide them with the joy you were expecting, and they all suddenly drop quiet. They are clearly calmed by your voice, but something about the song upsets them. None of them speak up as to what the cause of this sudden sorrow is before another one of the guards finally gains the courage to say something.

"We haven't won yet. We still have to march on against this witch cult and find their base. This is unfortunately not the time for us to return to our lovers, and even if it was, that is... unattainable for many of us."

For once, Traubon is overcome by complete silence and is unwilling to say much of anything. You must have mentioned something which brought back bad memories.


Yvonne's mouth quirked, a small satisfied smile as Anastasia healed the fatally wounded man.
"It seems that Vitay has ensured he will live another day, Captain."
During the rest, she worked on severing the antlered head of the Wendigo. When she was done, she held the grisly trophy up to look into its beastly eyes.
"A strange creature, this. I've never heard of the like in the rest of the kingdom. Still, it'll make a good trophy for the Sonnenstahl hall... And if the Umbra want to do any more sorcery with it, they'll be hard-pressed to do so without its head."

Traubon now seems to realize that he is acting much too quiet for his role as a leader and comes to Yvonne, studying the severed head. "Yes, cutting of the head does make it much less effective when reanimated. I am guessing you have had some experience with the undead to know that then? I am surprised, because I could have sworn that Braughlmurk hasn't seen any undead since king Gavin and queen Rosalinda drove Amkihlma the Bonenaga out only a few years after the Godsfall Cataclysm."


When Yvonne starts to decapitate the Wendigo, Zuzu nearly vomits, and instead moves away from the grisly sight. He tries to pretend not being disturbed by the sight.

Oh no, he was actually examining the dead arbalests for clues to their identify.

Honest.

Totally not avoiding the decapitation.

Performance: [roll0]
Investigation: [roll1]

The arbelesters are largely unremarkable. They look like the people of Senckried you have seen so far, albeit with some more pronounced features than you have seen much. You can't recognize who they are by looking at their faces.
Each of them are equipped with leather armor which are now in tatters, a light crossbow, about 15 or so bolts, a long dagger which is probably closer to a sword really, and the contents of an explorer's pack. One of them has 9 SP with them and the other has 8 SP.

[Sariel Vailo]

She will perform this time only so it can lift their spirits.no lyrics just vocal
[roll0]

[Zergrinch]

Zuzu scavenges the following from the fallen arbalesters:

All the 17 Silver
Mess kit
Waterskin (he will empty it)
Crossbow ammunition (15 bolts)


I am ready to move on to the next scene.

[Awful]

Traubon now seems to realize that he is acting much too quiet for his role as a leader and comes to Yvonne, studying the severed head. "Yes, cutting of the head does make it much less effective when reanimated. I am guessing you have had some experience with the undead to know that then? I am surprised, because I could have sworn that Braughlmurk hasn't seen any undead since king Gavin and queen Rosalinda drove Amkihlma the Bonenaga out only a few years after the Godsfall Cataclysm."

She tied the head across her back. She (or more likely, someone she hired to do so) would boil it until the flesh came off, then she'd hire a courier to transport it back to her house. If she did not return from this quest, at least they would have a trophy of her victory here to remember her by.

Yvonne looked up at the captain as he spoke, vaguely amused and slightly sardonic.
"Hmm? No, I've not encountered the wretched creatures until I came here - and they fell to sturdy steel well enough. I merely assumed that being headless would hinder them somewhat, much as it hinders us."
She smiled grimly.
"There were many strange and vile monsters in the hills of my family's holdings, but none, as far as I know, were of the unliving kind. Vitay be kind, once I've ended the curse on this land, I'll not encounter such vile sorcery again."

The Knightess glanced over where the young gnome was picking over the bodies of the dead crossbowmen like a vulture.
"Anything of interest on the foe, child?"

[Requilac]

She will perform this time only so it can lift their spirits.no lyrics just vocal
[roll0]

They all seem to perk up a little bit and are slightly more active, but none of them are what you would call jovial. It doesn't seem to do as much as you wanted it to, it rarely ever does in Senckried so it seems, but there is a difference among them. Or maybe their positivity is actually more pronounced and you just have trouble understanding their body language to know that.


She tied the head across her back. She (or more likely, someone she hired to do so) would boil it until the flesh came off, then she'd hire a courier to transport it back to her house. If she did not return from this quest, at least they would have a trophy of her victory here to remember her by.

Yvonne looked up at the captain as he spoke, vaguely amused and slightly sardonic.
"Hmm? No, I've not encountered the wretched creatures until I came here - and they fell to sturdy steel well enough. I merely assumed that being headless would hinder them somewhat, much as it hinders us."
She smiled grimly.
"There were many strange and vile monsters in the hills of my family's holdings, but none, as far as I know, were of the unliving kind. Vitay be kind, once I've ended the curse on this land, I'll not encounter such vile sorcery again."

The Knightess glanced over where the young gnome was picking over the bodies of the dead crossbowmen like a vulture.
"Anything of interest on the foe, child?"

Traubon pauses, apparently at a loss for words. As he is quiet, all of you overhear a conversation going on between some of the militia, which certainly seems of interest to you.

"What is with the Order of Umbra as of late? They spend years not hurting so much as a fly, and then all the sudden they go like a hornet's nest all over the country. Assassinations, raids on resource caravans, getting involved in gang warfare, and now their sicking monsters on the villagers... and now they somehow get their meat hooks into the capital's politics. It would have been much better for us all if they stayed a creepy book club."

The other person responds in a slightly hushed tone. "It's probably got something to do with this plague. That's when they got all screwy with us... Speaking of that, have you noticed how not one apparent member of the Order of Umbra has died from the plague. Not on of them. I was in a raiding party up north which had to hunt down one of their hidey holes, and in there nobody so much as seemed to cough. They didn't even have medical supplies set aside for it. They have got something to do with it.'

A final one who hasn't spoken seems much more aggressive. "Well, no s*** the order is involved. How long did it take you to figure that out? Even the squirrels know that much at this point. It me pisses me off to no end that the House Senckried is buddying up with them after all they have done. I am looking forward to this one last blow to them before all hell breaks loose."

[Zergrinch]

Zuzu cringes at being addressed by the person he was trying to avoid looking at, so thoroughly intimidated he was by her butchery. To disguise his jitteriness, he uses an Illusory sound to confidently answer back, "Just a few silver, some ammunition, and an explorer's pack, Knightess. Is there anything interesting the Wendigo ate lately?"

****

Hearing about the Order's apparent immunity to the Plague piques the boy's interest. Repeating the ritual he had done with the scepter, and stroking the decedent's face with the owlbear feather, Zuzu tries to ascertain whether there was a spell affecting the man that shielded him somehow from the deletorous effects of the Plague...

Cast identify as a ritual.

[Requilac]

Hearing about the Order's apparent immunity to the Plague piques the boy's interest. Repeating the ritual he had done with the scepter, and stroking the decedent's face with the owlbear feather, Zuzu tries to ascertain whether there was a spell affecting the man that shielded him somehow from the deletorous effects of the Plague...

Cast identify as a ritual.

You perform your odd rite in search of the secret which is gnawing so desperately back in your head, but nothing is revealed. The brigand has no spell effecting them. Their weapon quite clearly had the Light spell cast on it, but no spell was on the bandit themself.

Now that you do get a look at the fallen enemies though, you do realize that they don't seem to have been touched by the plague. So far everyone you have seen in Senckried has had a pale, sickly grey pallor to them and they didn't appear to be very lively, but these enemies don't have that same poisoned appearance to them and their skin is a much more opaque blueish grey like that of a shark's. At first you assumed the wan appearance of the people you have seen so far was natural to them, but that doesn't appear to be the case. It doesn't seem like any of the cultists you have fought where ill in such a manner either.

The rain how now let up enough that the militia can relight the campfire to burn the bodies. It appears that about 8 of them were killed.

[Awful]

Zuzu cringes at being addressed by the person he was trying to avoid looking at, so thoroughly intimidated he was by her butchery. To disguise his jitteriness, he uses an Illusory sound to confidently answer back, "Just a few silver, some ammunition, and an explorer's pack, Knightess. Is there anything interesting the Wendigo ate lately?"

Yvonne gave a quiet snort.
"Aside from the poor devils it's assaulted? If you want to look at its stomach contents, child, come over here and I will open its belly for you. You can help in pulling out the viscera."

[Zergrinch]

Zuzu gives an are-you-kidding-me look at Yvonne before mumbling a barely audible "Umm I'll pass on that, Milady."

Turning to the guard Captain, he says, "Hey Mister, why do you have different skin colors from these guys? I don't sense any magic affecting them, so are they from out of town or something?"

[Requilac]

Turning to the guard Captain, he says, "Hey Mister, why do you have different skin colors from these guys? I don't sense any magic affecting them, so are they from out of town or something?"

Traubon walks over from where he was standing next to Yvonne, seemingly out of words to say. None of you are quite sure whether he simply has no desire to speak any longer or if he is feeling too awkward to know what to say next, it could really be either.

"No, they appear to be natives. That is actually what our skin colors naturally look like, it's just that not one of us has been spared from the plague and it takes its toll. A combination of physical weakness and too many restless nights causes us to loose the brightness of our skin. I am sure this isn't the most foreign concept you have heard of."

As he is saying this, almost all of the other militia glance at Yvonne, and a couple even stare. Many of them also turn their gaze towards Traubon. Some of them seem to let their hands drop to their sheathed weapons, but none of them draw. It appears that this topic of conversation is making them nervous about Yvonne, but you really don't have any idea what they are frightened of her doing.

[bc56]

Yaotl looks at them frightened militia carefully. "It might be unwissse, knight, to continue thisss dissscusssion. We ssshould find out where thessse cultissstsss came from."

[Zergrinch]

"Oh okay, Mister. Let's go kick their butts!"

[Sariel Vailo]

"Please children behave now is definitely not the time to be fighting amongst one another.now is the time to lick our wounds and prepare for the next battle."

[Awful]

That was their natural skin colour? Yuria was nothing of the sort... it would hardly beggar belief to learn the natives of Senckreid were not human at all.

Yvonne returned the gazes cast her way, a frown deepening on her face. Her eyes narrowed as some of them dropped their hands to their weapons. Her hand subtly hovered over her swordhilt - not quite touching it, but ready to draw in a heartbeat. The others in her party seemed to meekly accept the potential for bloodshed, but Yvonne was not cowed.
"If any of you intend violence," she announced, glaring towards those who had put their hands on their weapons, "Then draw your weapon now, and test your steel against Sonnenstahl's - or drop your hands from your hilts. I'll not stand for skulking looks."

She looked surveyed the guards, fierce and proud, and if sufficiently satisfied none of them were about to kick off and attack she would then ask the captain a question.
"You all normally have such a look, then? Captain, you say that every man jack among you has the Plague?"


She thought back to the inn - there, the child had had the Plague for certain... the parents had spoken in a way which suggested they did not. Did they too have the same sickly pallor?

Had the Captain just lied?

[Requilac]

"Please children behave now is definitely not the time to be fighting amongst one another.now is the time to lick our wounds and prepare for the next battle."

Some of the guards look almost offended by you calling them children, but then they remember that you are an elf who is probably old enough to be their mothers and calm down.


That was their natural skin colour? Yuria was nothing of the sort... it would hardly beggar belief to learn the natives of Senckreid were not human at all.

Yvonne returned the gazes cast her way, a frown deepening on her face. Her eyes narrowed as some of them dropped their hands to their weapons. Her hand subtly hovered over her swordhilt - not quite touching it, but ready to draw in a heartbeat. The others in her party seemed to meekly accept the potential for bloodshed, but Yvonne was not cowed.
"If any of you intend violence,"[/COLOR] she announced, glaring towards those who had put their hands on their weapons, "Then draw your weapon now, and test your steel against Sonnenstahl's - or drop your hands from your hilts. I'll not stand for skulking looks."

All of them remove their hands from their weapons meekly and don't say another word. Some of them still give you a glare which carries some message through body language you can't ever hope fathom before they look away. None of them are really looking to engage you it seems.



She looked surveyed the guards, fierce and proud, and if sufficiently satisfied none of them were about to kick off and attack she would then ask the captain a question.
"You all normally have such a look, then? Captain, you say that every man jack among you has the Plague?"[/COLOR]


She thought back to the inn - there, the child had had the Plague for certain... the parents had spoken in a way which suggested they did not. Did they too have the same sickly pallor?

Had the Captain just lied?

Traubon looks at his troops, and for this rare occurrence you are actually confident you know what that nonverbal gaze is communicating. He is upset and disappointed at them. Regardless, he saves his words for later.

"Yes, I do indeed say that the whole lot of people who are in Senckried have became victims to the plague. Even you, who have only had the time to sleep here twice have been inflicted with it. So have all the other adventurers. It seems that every last creature with the intelligence to know sleep can't escape it; everything down to the salmon and frogs have been cursed. Everyone except for those involved in The Order of Umbra that is."

Once he is done addressing you, Traubon pivots around to the other troops. His voice is clear and commanding but without the anger his words would imply. "You show disgrace to this nation and everything it stands for when you try to challenge the Lady Yvonne like this. She has come here to help us and has rid the world of this devouring beast known as the Wendigoe. The only thing she has done to this community is good. We are in desperate need of such help, and when we called for the rest of all of Braughlmurk to our aid she is one of the few people that cared enough to come. Further acts of disgraceful aggression to anyone in this party will be dealt with by the court martial... now let us head off."

The militia stamp out the fire before marching onwards up into the mountains, following the muddy tracks. Most of the footprints at this point are actually troops of the rest of the meagre army following the fleeing cultists. Several of them went before you. Half of the militia in the area has dedicated themselves to marching against wherever the brigands are hiding, a body of 24 soldiers. The other 21 have gone ahead of you at this point.

You all descend deeper into the twilight forest of the Senckried mountains. The lights of your torches casts flickering shadows against the thick coniferous trees and it is not uncommon for you to jump at a shadow believing it is an enemy. There are no stars in the sky tonight, engulfing the terrain in such a darkness that you would almost believe you where in a vaulted cavern. Massive swarms of cicadas flood the woodlands with a gloomy drone that becomes almost deafening after a while. Sometimes you can see these oversized insects forming a writhing sheathe over a tree trunk, but as soon as they glisten in the torchlight they scatter into the darkness as if the light itself was poisonous to them. The only sound mixed in there is the chirping of unseen bats and croaking of ugly warted frogs.

As you are venturing forward Traubon eventually goes to Yvonne and speaks to her in hushed tones. "I am sorry about their behavior early. They are simply scared. Ever since Senckried was established as a fief of Braughlmurk only 50 years ago, the people hear have not been treated well. They have been the subject of disdain and violent racism from the other people of Braughlmurk. And many of the foreigners after seeing what our skin color would look like if we are healthy enough, which seldom ever happens in all but the wealthiest families, have responded to it poorly. We have had to many self proclaimed heroes assault those with more extreme... racial ... features for arbitrary reasons. Only a few weeks ago a cleric of Prolus killed Mr. Thrognic's wife because he believed she was "a hag in disguise". My soldiers have their minds too fixed on these concerns of you reacting the same to them to actually recognize you mean us no harm. Please don't judge them too harshly."

[Zergrinch]

Attempting to get some kind of reconnaissance during the trek, the young gnome attempts to look for a friendly forest creature he might be able to communicate with.

Perception: [roll0]

[Requilac]

Attempting to get some kind of reconnaissance during the trek, the young gnome attempts to look for a friendly forest creature he might be able to communicate with.

Perception: [roll0]

Zuzu manages to come across a giant olive green toad that has more warts than skin. It appears to be too bloated to manage to flee from the torchlight from on top of its wet, mossy rock. This is probably the friendliest thing you come across.

[Zergrinch]

Perhaps the toad was not exactly what he had in mind, but Zuzu tries to put it at ease and coax it to come with him all the same.

Hey there little toady friend, I'm not gonna hurt you.

Animal Handling: [roll0]

[Requilac]

Perhaps the toad was not exactly what he had in mind, but Zuzu tries to put it at ease and coax it to come with him all the same.

Hey there little toady friend, I'm not gonna hurt you.

Animal Handling: [roll0]

The huge toad barely lifts its head as it stares at you with an expression of supreme boredom. You appear to have gotten its attention at the very least.

[Zergrinch]

Zuzu leans over, and starts pantomiming picking up the toad, attempting to communicate the idea that he wants to bring the toad along so they can communicate some more.

[Sariel Vailo]

to you men and women let me look at you with the kindest gaze.i am 60 years old and by this time id say im a fairly good judge of character, be proud of what makes you difrent.im an elf i lived in a cave and i stand before you far prouder of my decision to leave home live or die our atories will be told with courage and bravery.

[Requilac]

Zuzu leans over, and starts pantomiming picking up the toad, attempting to communicate the idea that he wants to bring the toad along so they can communicate some more.

The giant toad just blinks at you, still keeping the same bored demeanor to it. It hasn't expressed any sort of disinclination towards the idea, but then again it hasn't really expressed much of anything.


to you men and women let me look at you with the kindest gaze.i am 60 years old and by this time id say im a fairly good judge of character, be proud of what makes you difrent.im an elf i lived in a cave and i stand before you far prouder of my decision to leave home live or die our atories will be told with courage and bravery.

You don't notice any sort of massive change among the fellow soldiers, but they do turn to look at you so you must have been able to convey something. Most of them listen on until the end of your speech, but don't say much of anything. Everyone appears to be quiet, but you do believe you have boosted their confidence a little bit at least. Eventually one of the soldiers, it is hard to tell which is which when they are all in the same helmeted uniform, does mumble a (probably sarcastic) remark of "Well, at least someone is hopeful."

[Requilac]

Traubon begins to urge Zuzu to carry on, so he hastily scoops up the toad before being prodded to move on. The amphibian gives a throaty groan as it is picked up, but does absolutely nothing to resist. It still looks at Zuzu with the same stultified face, seemingly still not excited in the least bit even though it is being carried by a gnome wizard to war.

You all continue to walk among the grimly sylvan trail until eventually you see rays of light cutting through the passages between trees. Albeit many are weary of further attacks and grow tense, the source of the light is none other than torches of fellow guardsmen, their breastplates glimmering in the faint light. Eventually you reach their position and arrive at the edge of a forest glade, flanked by nearly 50 guards.

Their is a gradual hill leading upwards in the glade, and as you look up you see an imposing stronghold atop the hill given ghastly illumination by the waning moon. The mighty fortress is constructed entirely out of thick dark gray cobblestone which has gathered moss with neglect but isn't even beginning to crumble. Roots, vines and various mosses have reclaimed this old fort and crawl through it like veins filled with diseased blood. This appears to be none other than a fortified keep which could suitably hold up to 50 soldiers with ease. Its appearance in the middle of the woods away from any sort of settlement is baffling.

Traubon immediately addresses the group of guards and berates them for their lack of action and decision "just stand there doing nothing", but this hardly filters through your mind at the moment.

You are so focused on this gothic sight that it takes you a moment to fully recognize that a row of vague lumps are leading up from your current position to the dark keep. At first you assume they are logs or rocks, but you now realize that they are actually corpses. A pair of them lie slumped before the stronghold's walls, but another three of them appeared to have rolled down the hill various distances. One of them is hardly a few paces away from your feet, and those of you who investigate it see a horrid sight.

The person resembles one of the more "healthy" members of Senckried with grayish skin, but they have two massive puncture wounds in their neck the size of golden coins which have swollen into festering red lumps. Around the bite mark the skin has turned deathly white and rock solid as if it was almost petrified. The poor person's prostrate head lies in a pool of their own vomit and drool. Naturally your focus is much more on the wounds than their clothing, but you do eventually recognize that the deceased woman or man is wearing an armor of hide and is still gripping a simple but stout iron mace, indicating that they must have been a soldier.

The captain stops his complaint almost a few seconds after he began as he stares at the corpse. Every one of the militia glances at each other and there seems to be some sort of nonverbal agreement in their gazes. Finally Traubon clears his throat and changes his attitude.

"I am sorry for denouncing you all as cowards, I see now why you had chosen not to act. We cannot interfere with the endeavors of the Vigilant Serpent. We should get out of here as quick as possible."

His sudden desire to leave seems entirely irrational. Traubon knew very well the risks that he was taking when sending his troops to fight a group of know cultists with access to eldritch magic. If anything, seeing that someone was killed by some sort of venomous weapon is one of the least shocking things to expect. This is the same person that led the strike against the Wendigoe, so he has definitely seen people killed in more gruesome manners than this. You get the distinct feeling something is going on here which none of you are fully aware of yet.

[bc56]

Yaotl is intrigued and steps forward. "Who isss thisss ssserpent?"

[Awful]

As you are venturing forward Traubon eventually goes to Yvonne and speaks to her in hushed tones. "I am sorry about their behavior early. They are simply scared. Ever since Senckried was established as a fief of Braughlmurk only 50 years ago, the people hear have not been treated well. They have been the subject of disdain and violent racism from the other people of Braughlmurk. And many of the foreigners after seeing what our skin color would look like if we are healthy enough, which seldom ever happens in all but the wealthiest families, have responded to it poorly. We have had to many self proclaimed heroes assault those with more extreme... racial ... features for arbitrary reasons. Only a few weeks ago a cleric of Prolus killed Mr. Thrognic's wife because he believed she was "a hag in disguise". My soldiers have their minds too fixed on these concerns of you reacting the same to them to actually recognize you mean us no harm. Please don't judge them too harshly."
The guards subsided as she'd expected, and Yvonne gave them one last glare. SHe removed her hand from where it hovered above her sword hilt and began the march.

As Traubon came to speak with her, her mulled on what he said.
"Hmmm." Yvonne grumbled noncommittally. "I will not lie - your people do look quite different to those in the wider world. Enough to wonder what has mixed in the bloodline of Senckried. But..."
She looked at the Captain, unsmiling.
"It is of no matter to me. As long as your people adhere to their duty, I will not make an issue of their disrespect this time."



Traubon begins to urge Zuzu to carry on, so he hastily scoops up the toad before being prodded to move on. The amphibian gives a throaty groan as it is picked up, but does absolutely nothing to resist. It still looks at Zuzu with the same stultified face, seemingly still not excited in the least bit even though it is being carried by a gnome wizard to war.

You all continue to walk among the grimly sylvan trail until eventually you see rays of light cutting through the passages between trees. Albeit many are weary of further attacks and grow tense, the source of the light is none other than torches of fellow guardsmen, their breastplates glimmering in the faint light. Eventually you reach their position and arrive at the edge of a forest glade, flanked by nearly 50 guards.

Their is a gradual hill leading upwards in the glade, and as you look up you see an imposing stronghold atop the hill given ghastly illumination by the waning moon. The mighty fortress is constructed entirely out of thick dark gray cobblestone which has gathered moss with neglect but isn't even beginning to crumble. Roots, vines and various mosses have reclaimed this old fort and crawl through it like veins filled with diseased blood. This appears to be none other than a fortified keep which could suitably hold up to 50 soldiers with ease. Its appearance in the middle of the woods away from any sort of settlement is baffling.

Traubon immediately addresses the group of guards and berates them for their lack of action and decision "just stand there doing nothing", but this hardly filters through your mind at the moment.

You are so focused on this gothic sight that it takes you a moment to fully recognize that a row of vague lumps are leading up from your current position to the dark keep. At first you assume they are logs or rocks, but you now realize that they are actually corpses. A pair of them lie slumped before the stronghold's walls, but another three of them appeared to have rolled down the hill various distances. One of them is hardly a few paces away from your feet, and those of you who investigate it see a horrid sight.

The person resembles one of the more "healthy" members of Senckried with grayish skin, but they have two massive puncture wounds in their neck the size of golden coins which have swollen into festering red lumps. Around the bite mark the skin has turned deathly white and rock solid as if it was almost petrified. The poor person's prostrate head lies in a pool of their own vomit and drool. Naturally your focus is much more on the wounds than their clothing, but you do eventually recognize that the deceased woman or man is wearing an armor of hide and is still gripping a simple but stout iron mace, indicating that they must have been a soldier.

The captain stops his complaint almost a few seconds after he began as he stares at the corpse. Every one of the militia glances at each other and there seems to be some sort of nonverbal agreement in their gazes. Finally Traubon clears his throat and changes his attitude.

"I am sorry for denouncing you all as cowards, I see now why you had chosen not to act. We cannot interfere with the endeavors of the Vigilant Serpent. We should get out of here as quick as possible."

His sudden desire to leave seems entirely irrational. Traubon knew very well the risks that he was taking when sending his troops to fight a group of know cultists with access to eldritch magic. If anything, seeing that someone was killed by some sort of venomous weapon is one of the least shocking things to expect. This is the same person that led the strike against the Wendigoe, so he has definitely seen people killed in more gruesome manners than this. You get the distinct feeling something is going on here which none of you are fully aware of yet.
"Hold your ground!" snapped Yvonne. "I'll not turn tail without a reason!"

She knelt down by the corpse, giving it a quick inspection. Did it have any other wounds than the (assumed) bites? Was it an Umbra soldier, or one of the guards?

She wrapped a hand around the hilt of her blade, stepping forward.
"Captain Traubon. You failed to mention they'd be in a castle, it seems. Anyway - what is this Vigilant Serpent, and why does it fill you with such timorousness?"

[Requilac]

Yaotl is intrigued and steps forward. "Who isss thisss ssserpent?"

Traubon stays completely silent, but another one of the uniformed guards who was there before you gives a response in an hushed, drawn tone as if she or he was afraid someone was listening. "This" he or she says pointing accusingly at the corpse "is the work of Yig, The goddess of snakes, the avatar of vengeance, she who watches from the blighted fissure. When nature has been desecrated, she will coil and prepare for months or years before delivering the ruthless bite of justice upon those who defy her. Many have tried to escape from her grasp, but none have succeed. And tonight it looks like she is on one of the dreaded Wild Hunts that the Fey Wardens take to bring demise to mortals." She or he looks you up and down as if probing you. "It seems as if you may be familiar with her, because I can see that the blood of Yig flows through you. Maybe she shall allow you to intrude on the hunt, be we have no chance of such a liberty."

Yvonne, you have been in Senckried for some time so this sounds vaguely familiar to you. You are pretty sure that Yig is some sort of demigod who is worshipped by the Octopraecantatio. Yuria was always afraid to say anything on this matter though, so your information is highly limited.


The guards subsided as she'd expected, and Yvonne gave them one last glare. SHe removed her hand from where it hovered above her sword hilt and began the march.

As Traubon came to speak with her, her mulled on what he said.
"Hmmm." Yvonne grumbled noncommittally. "I will not lie - your people do look quite different to those in the wider world. Enough to wonder what has mixed in the bloodline of Senckried. But..."
She looked at the Captain, unsmiling.
"It is of no matter to me. As long as your people adhere to their duty, I will not make an issue of their disrespect this time."

Traubon looks terribly grim as soon as you make mention of mixing in the Senckried bloodline. After a pause which has lasted far too long, he finally croaks something out. "I sincerely hope that it will not become a matter to either of us."



"Hold your ground!" snapped Yvonne. "I'll not turn tail without a reason!"

She knelt down by the corpse, giving it a quick inspection. Did it have any other wounds than the (assumed) bites? Was it an Umbra soldier, or one of the guards?

There doesn't appear to be any wounds except for one precise bite. You know it is not one of the guards because the equipment is much too crude for them, and you assume that they are a member of the Order of Umbra because they are not sickly pale, but there is no actual symbol on their body or equipment which solidly proves this.



She wrapped a hand around the hilt of her blade, stepping forward.
"Captain Traubon. You failed to mention they'd be in a castle, it seems. Anyway - what is this Vigilant Serpent, and why does it fill you with such timorousness?"

The captain responds to you with the same conspiratorial tone, as if he were expecting eavesdroppers. "Although this stronghold is mighty, it is no castle. But the size wouldn't have mattered, their fate would have been the same. And this fills me with such terror because I am beholding the wrath of the snake goddess Yig. Dazeag (who you assume is the person who explained who this deity was to Yaotl) is right, we cannot interfere with a wild hunt. Perhaps you may be allowed in as you are friends with one who possesses Yig's blood, but we are guaranteed death by simply setting a foot into that place, now a cursed crypt."

[Sariel Vailo]

Anastasia will just hum until she feels comfortable.

[bc56]

"I will ssseek to ssspeak to thisss Yig. You ssshould ssstay here." Yaotl indicates to the group they he should be the only one to move on.

[Sariel Vailo]

"i trust your judgement,so thank you for the warning."

[Zergrinch]

Zuzu spends the entire trek engrossed with the toad. Namely, he tries to freeze flies and small insects in midair with his chilly cantrip, and then offering the delicious food to the toad.

Will you be my friend? Animal Handling: [roll0]. Edit: whelp, there goes my toad.

He does stop once the snakebite victim is revealed. Kneeling down, Zuzu once again sinks into a ritualistic trance to identify whether the poor soul has been affected by a spell if some sort.

[Awful]

Yvonne looked vaguely unimpressed, being a devout follower of a rather different pantheon, but had sense enough not to tempt fate entirely.
"I'll place my faith in Vitay, not some halfgod serpent. If Yig wants this curse ended, then she should have sense enough to not assault us."

She looked up towards the fort, looking for light, signs of life, and most importantly the gates - were they open? The wretch lying by her feet had to have got here somehow, after all.
"I do not intend to tuck my tail between my legs and flee at the sight of a few corpses. Stay here, and keep your ears peeled."
She untied the head of the Wendigo and tossed it to the captain, then paused and pulled out a small - somewhat crumpled - sheet of parchment. She scribbled some words down with a stick of charcoal, folded it in two, then handed it to Traubon.
"Take care of my trophy until I return. If I do not, have it cleaned and sent to my family. The letter will act as proof." She raised her voice - not to shouting, but loud enough the rest of the guards could hear. "I'll hold any man who loses or destroys the wendigo skull to recompense, if any of you have any ideas as to that end."

[bc56]

"You ssshould not come, knight. If I ssshould find that Yig'sss goalsss align with mine, and you try to ssstop her, I will not hesssitate to kill you."

I'm going to find some excuse to prevent PvP, but Yaotl is supposed to be dead (heh) serious right now.

[Awful]

Yvonne's eyes narrowed as she heard the snake-man's voice from behind her. She turned to look at him, scabbard clinking softly as she placed a hand upon her sword hilt.
"I intend to end the Plague. If you seek to continue this curse upon the land..."
The knightess half-drew her sword. A foot of steel gleamed in the moonlight.
"... Then I'll cut you down right here, snake-priest. There's room still for a serpentine skull next to the Wendigo's in my family hall. "

[Sariel Vailo]

Anastasia will finally be done and say to the both of them"

Knightess and yaotol as the oldest person here im going to let you both in on a secret. When you kill one another our chances of succeeding lower drastically.so holy knightess is your kingdom next to be targeted by yig for messing with her hunt.some gods are petty knightess she may not come after you alone she may hurt the land you love.
Your turn Lizard if you spoke natura i would berate you on the most literal part of nature but i will settle for common.we are a small wolf pack we killed a wendigo and saved lives.this is important to you i see that but threatening someone in the little family we have going here is you saying.(mimicking yaotol) pleassse missss anasstasssia dont heal me the next time i get hurt."
The thin and maybe even hollow happiness she showed is being discovered to be a slim defense mechanism,Even optimists have a breaking point it seems this childish quarrel finally brought it out.

[bc56]

"I can heal myssself, sssinger, I have no need for your minissstrationsss." Yaotl turns and stalks into the keep, but gives one last retort, in Natura. "Be careful who you insssult..."

[Sariel Vailo]

"I can heal myssself, sssinger, I have no need for your minissstrationsss." Yaotl turns and stalks into the keep, but gives one last retort, in Natura. "Be careful who you insssult..."

Anastasia will let him walk with one last comment in natura
"Be careful how often you bleed boy,ive saved you once i may not do so again.may you walk where flys fear to tread for their may be spiders ahead."

[Awful]

The knightess pushed her sword back fully into its sheath.
"Hmm." she vocalised, watching the drow and the snake-man stalk away with a grim expression.
Yoatl could not be trusted; Anatasia seemed close to breaking down; Zuzu was a impetuous child.
Those were the three she had. A troublesome scene to be sure.

She took a brief moment to regret not bringing some of the Sonnenstahl knights - but then, she'd left them behind for a good reason, too. She sighed and headed up towards the fort cautiously, keeping both eyes open - and one on Yoatl.

[Requilac]

Yaotl sneaks towards the imposing stone walls of the castle-like fortress. Your ascent takes several grueling minutes up the hill. Were it not for the four corpses lying about, no one could have assumed there was anything wrong. Once you reachs the walls you can more fully appreciate the intimidating nature of this place. Its dark walls look as if they are constantly under a shadow, the fortress blots out the light of the silvery moon, and the creeping vines and roots on it seem to reach towards you as if they wanted to strangle you. There is only one entrance you can see into this citadel of this forest, a single door.

The door is unusually large, nearly seven feet tall and half as wide. It is crafted from a heavy, dark oak that looks like it didn't go through any sort of treating process, and it is reinforced by a frame and column of four metal struts. Yaotl walks forward and attempts to open the door, but it stands firm; probably boarded from the other side. It appears that Yig didn't finish the job completely. It is possible for this door to be force opened, but it would be nearly impossible to do without the assistance of tools. Setting it on fire would definitely do the job, but not quickly and it would undoubtedly alert your presence to anyone inside. Unless that fire was particularly powerful that is. You also presume that acid could also eat through the wood sufficiently.

How does Yaotl get past the door?

[bc56]

Yaotl studies the gate for a time, then undergoes a grotesque transformation. Limbs sprout from his sides and his posture keels over as he becomes an oversized spider. He then climbs the wall adjacent the gate to try to find a way over.


Wildshaped into Giant Wolf Spider

[Requilac]

Zuzu spends the entire trek engrossed with the toad. Namely, he tries to freeze flies and small insects in midair with his chilly cantrip, and then offering the delicious food to the toad.

Will you be my friend? Animal Handling: [roll0]. Edit: whelp, there goes my toad.

The frog doesn't even open its mouth to try the flies and just looks at you with hollow, disdainful eyes. You swear you can almost see disappointment and shame in its flacid features.



He does stop once the snakebite victim is revealed. Kneeling down, Zuzu once again sinks into a ritualistic trance to identify whether the poor soul has been affected by a spell if some sort.

You cast your ritual as Yaotl takes off, but it gives you no information. No spell is affecting the decedent.


Yvonne looked vaguely unimpressed, being a devout follower of a rather different pantheon, but had sense enough not to tempt fate entirely.
"I'll place my faith in Vitay, not some halfgod serpent. If Yig wants this curse ended, then she should have sense enough to not assault us."
"I do not intend to tuck my tail between my legs and flee at the sight of a few corpses. Stay here, and keep your ears peeled."
She untied the head of the Wendigo and tossed it to the captain, then paused and pulled out a small - somewhat crumpled - sheet of parchment. She scribbled some words down with a stick of charcoal, folded it in two, then handed it to Traubon.
"Take care of my trophy until I return. If I do not, have it cleaned and sent to my family. The letter will act as proof." She raised her voice - not to shouting, but loud enough the rest of the guards could hear. "I'll hold any man who loses or destroys the wendigo skull to recompense, if any of you have any ideas as to that end."


The other guards seem to barely give your comments a second thought, and Captain Traubon holds the bull-sized head with as much emotion as if the trophy was a mere firelog. He looks at you all, an ominous shroud over his face.

"The Vigilant Serpent does not kill for the sake of fun my lady, she only does so given reason. Don't provoke her, and you will survive."


She looked up towards the fort, looking for light, signs of life, and most importantly the gates - were they open? The wretch lying by her feet had to have got here somehow, after all.

There are no sort of goats or moat on this relatively small stronghold, just a solid wooden door; albeit one reinforced with iron that would require a battering ram to break down. A very faint glow comes from out the bottom of the door, which would be imperceptible where it no so dark out. Faint streams of pulsing yellow also come from high windows. It appears to still be inhabited.


Yaotl studies the gate for a time, then undergoes a grotesque transformation. Limbs sprout from his sides and his posture keels over as he becomes an oversized spider. He then climbs the wall adjacent the gate to try to find a way over.


Wildshaped into Giant Wolf Spider


These walls are covered in ivy and moss, making your descent all that easier. You scan through this side of the wall to the stronghold and come across a series of six windows. By peaking into all of them, you can discover that by using the windows you can gain access into three different rooms. Each room looks different...

Everyone except for BC56, please do not read these room descriptions.

From your vantage point on the window, you can look down and see absolute carnage in the room below. It must have been a barracks used to provide beds and storage for people, but now it is graveyard. Nearly twenty bodies are scattered around the place as if a tornado landed down within. As many deceased are crumpled against their blood soaked cots as there are ones collapsed onto the ground. Almost all of them are covered in red swellings at vital points around their bodies, in contrast to the rest of their bodies which have gone deathly pale. There are also the wounds of weapons as blades and venomous fangs worked together to massacre those within. Silver and personal belongings are strewn around the room among the bodies without care, indicating that the attackers cared not for wealth. A small candle in the corner of the room casts ghastly shadows of the corpses against the walls, turning the room into some sort of hellish theatre.

One of the corpses though catches your eye more than the others. While the rest are all of citizens of Senckried without the plague, one of them is... something even more inhuman. At first, they just appear to be a normal human infected with a terrible leprosy that made their skin scaly, flaky and sallow, but then you realize that the being has no legs. A strong serpent's tail, the color of a rattlesnake in autumn, replaces the legs of the freakish humanoid.

You look downwards onto the stone floor and find it to be a storage room. Stacks of crates and barrels form up against the sides of the walls. Some of the containers are opened, revealing their contents to be bland rations, grayed clothing, crude weapons and simple ammunition. Rats swarm throughout the place, squabbling over the food inside of the crates, burrowing into the soft clothes and nibbling on the tips of blades. The vermin all walk over the corpse of a commoner inside, treating her or him as just another barrel to step over.

You look downwards into a spacious entry room, at least 20 yards in length. Where you to open the outside door, this is where you would have arrived. The room is sparsely furnished except for more than five doors around its walls, two steps leading downwards into dimness below, and a massive brazier in the center of the room illuminating the floor and showering the walls in dimmer light. Even more dead bodies are tossed around the room and killed in the same manner as in the barracks, but there is something off about them; some of them are still standing up as if animate.

Only then do you realize the creature that stands in front of the brazier. Your mind is struggling to understand what you are seeing, as the blasphemous creature seems entirely alien*. Your first instinct is to call it an insect, but the bulbous unsegmented body and asymetrical claws disprove this. A crustacean may be a better thing to call it, but the otherworldly being's claws seem to pointed for that and its body isn't large enough. A fungus may indeed be the best descriptor, because that appears to be what the monster is. You are so offset by its membranous wings that it takes you a while to realize it only has a grotesque bouquet of feelers in place of a head. Those feelers point towards you though as you see it, and you swear they wriggle and vibrate at you from their position almost 60 ft. away. You quickly duck out of the window, hoping it will not see more.

But how could it have seen you? You where as quiet as the shadows themselves, and people ever hardly look up. It was almost as if the creature could detect you without actually having to see you.

https://t00.deviantart.net/VwzJhGTwHsby3kdnWvVcP3yBk5M=/fit-in/700x350/filters:fixed_height(100,100):origin()/pre00/f9b3/th/pre/i/2016/049/c/7/lovecraft___mi_go__soldier_caste_by_kingovrats-d7qhqxt.jpg

[bc56]

Quietly as a wisp of shadow, Yaotl slips into the leftmost window and returns to humanoid shape. He moves to the half serpent corpse, examining it and trying to determine what the creature is.


[roll0]
If survival, +4
If nature or arcana, -1

[Zergrinch]

The guard was certainly killed by mundane means and not by supernatural means. The wizard apprentice heads off to rejoin the Knightess. There is confusion on his face as he realizes that the snake man is not there.

Lady Yvonne, where did Snakey go? Are we supposed to split up?

[Requilac]

Quietly as a wisp of shadow, Yaotl slips into the leftmost window and returns to humanoid shape. He moves to the half serpent corpse, examining it and trying to determine what the creature is.


[roll0]
If survival, +4
If nature or arcana, -1




Here is a link to the map on roll20. You may have to scroll around for a little bit until you find the room Yaotl is in. https://app.roll20.net/join/3076330/sclkCA

You can't honestly tell what this creature is, but you have sworn that you saw something like it before. The fog of your memory though is too thick for you to recall when you saw such a monster though. Its skin though looks almost similar to yours, but even more snakelike.

Now that you get a closer look, you can see some details you didn't immediately recognize. The halfsnake must be a warrior, for it wears a thick pelt of some black skinned animal over it that has been stained by blood; blood of both it and its enemies. Still clutched in its hands are crimson scimitars; both of which where well fed in the hunt before they had clattered to the ground. This being fought in this room, and for it, died in this room among the fallen of its enemies.

[Awful]

The other guards seem to barely give your comments a second thought, and Captain Traubon holds the bull-sized head with as much emotion as if the trophy was a mere firelog. He looks at you all, an ominous shroud over his face.

"The Vigilant Serpent does not kill for the sake of fun my lady, she only does so given reason. Don't provoke her, and you will survive."

Yvonne merely grunted in acknowledgement.


The guard was certainly killed by mundane means and not by supernatural means. The wizard apprentice heads off to rejoin the Knightess. There is confusion on his face as he realizes that the snake man is not there.

Lady Yvonne, where did Snakey go? Are we supposed to split up?
Yvonne looked down at the little gnome.
"Yoatl threatened my person, should the aims of this Yig correspond with whatever his are... and not with mine, and headed up towards the castle. No doubt his sorcery has gained him entrance already."
She breathed an irritated huff.
"We must find our own way in, I suspect. Have you any magic that might aid us?"

She turned her head and raised her voice.
"Anatasia? If you're coming, come. Time is short."

[Zergrinch]

"No, I've spent most of my casting force in the Yeti battle, Knightness. I hope the bad guys are all dead or at least weakened by this Yig," Zuzu laments before following her towards the foreboding structure.

[Requilac]

As Yaotl stalks over to examine the corpse, a faint jingling is heard. With his tread he is pushing away piles of silver coins and which are submerged in pools of blood. Now that he is looking around he can also notice some grotesque trinkets around the room too including a mask made from black velvet and red thread that resembles a rat's face, a fist sized statuette of a ghoulish humanoid carved from a bone, a pair of bone dice which are only engraved with one pip on all six sides, a heavy silver bracelet with imagery of purple eyes etched into it, a chalice made of obsidian that features paintings of shadowy figures fading away, and a handheld mirror set in a frame of petrified wood which you dare not to look into. Next to a strongbox which was imploded by the strike of a blunt weapon are two vials. The vials contain a swirling compound of a mint-green sort of slime and a brown substance which vaguely reminds you of beer.

As Zuzu steps forward he suddenly stops and shrieks as he stares toward the sky. Anastasia and Yvonne both jerk their heads over there but don't find anything out of the ordinary and Zuzu looks dumbfounded. He could have sworn that out of the corner of his eyes he saw a swarm of bats silhouetted against the moon coming down upon them, but when he goes to look at them directly the only thing there is the unblemished waning moon.

[bc56]

Yaotl gathers up the unusual items and places them into his pack, then looks out of the doorway

(Unusual items meaning the two potions, the mask, mirror, chalice, bracelet, dice, and figurine. He leaves the gold and glances out of the window to see if he's being followed, then out the doorway to see what lies ahead.

[Sariel Vailo]

Anastasia will give zuzu a hug and say"Zuzu breathe their was nothing their.
Anastasia shall turn to yvonne to say."Knightess i shall follow you in but you know henceforth i trust yaotol less."

[Awful]

Yvonne retrieved her rope from her pack, tying a large noose at the end. She gave it a strong tug, ensuring it was tight and strong, then handed it to Zuzu.
"Child. Use your sorcery to hook that over one of the battlements. We will climb up, and enter through the courtyard."

[Requilac]

Yaotl gathers up the unusual items and places them into his pack, then looks out of the doorway

(Unusual items meaning the two potions, the mask, mirror, chalice, bracelet, dice, and figurine. He leaves the gold and glances out of the window to see if he's being followed, then out the doorway to see what lies ahead.

The window is a good 20 ft. above the ground, so despite the fact that you can't see through it from this range, you are confident that no one is following you. You step over the dead body of the snake humanoid and go to look out the door. The door doesn't have a window, but it does have a great gash in forming a slit in the splintered wood just large enough for your eyes to see. You are very careful as you step forward, because you see that the door is ever so slightly ajar.

What you see is undoubtedly the spacious entry chamber you saw in the center window. The room is massive with a high vaulted ceiling, and the fact that the floor wall and cieling are all made of the same grayed cobblestone make it seem even larger. In the southern corner of the room you see a barred door which you presume leads out of the building. You can see several more smaller doors on the sides of the room, and two large staircases leading downwards at the north side.

As you glance around your eye comes across a massive brazier in the center which illuminates the whole room. The brazier is made from a brilliantly polished silver and almost seems to glow itself. A massive fire stands in the center of the room flickering erratically, which shouldn't be happening when there is no wind around. Hunched in front of the fire you see the mysterious fungus creature, but there also other figures around the room. Bodies are littered around the area, possibly around ten, but four of those appear to be standing. Despite the fact that they are standing though, they appear just as motionless as the prone corpses.

Your only option now is to enter into the chamber and face the enemies alone or climb up the wall and out the window above you. It should be possible considering how overgrown the plants on the inside wall are.

[bc56]

You got that I picked up the stuff, right?
Yaotl decides to watch and wait, rather than confronting the creature immediately. Maybe he recognizes it?
Arcana (I presume)
[roll0]

[Requilac]

You got that I picked up the stuff, right?

Yes, I saw that. They don't do anything special when Yaotl picks them up. Please mark them one your character sheet, they will likely become relevant later in one way or another.



Yaotl decides to watch and wait, rather than confronting the creature immediately. Maybe he recognizes it?
Arcana (I presume)
[roll0]
[/SPOILER]

You are just as clueless as you where before. The fungus being is definitely not natural, but that is about all you know.

[Zergrinch]

As Zuzu steps forward he suddenly stops and shrieks as he stares toward the sky. Anastasia and Yvonne both jerk their heads over there but don't find anything out of the ordinary and Zuzu looks dumbfounded. He could have sworn that out of the corner of his eyes he saw a swarm of bats silhouetted against the moon coming down upon them, but when he goes to look at them directly the only thing there is the unblemished waning moon.


Anastasia will give zuzu a hug and say"Zuzu breathe their was nothing their.

"G-g-giant b-b-bats!" the young gnome gibbers, pointing at the sky. After a fashion, realizing that there was nothing there, he turns to his companions.

"But... I... saw... Never mind, it was probably the Plague."

General intelligence check [roll0] as to why he saw the bats. I know that as a player, this is due to attuning with the staff. But, is Zuzu smart enough to draw the connections?


Yvonne retrieved her rope from her pack, tying a large noose at the end. She gave it a strong tug, ensuring it was tight and strong, then handed it to Zuzu.
"Child. Use your sorcery to hook that over one of the battlements. We will climb up, and enter through the courtyard."

With a snap of the fingers and a briefly-muttered "Excieo manus!", a spectral hand appears, takes the loop from Yvonne, carries it 30 feet up, and drops it on a suitable merlon or corbel, and dematerializes.

Zuzu uses the Mage Hand cantrip.

[Requilac]

With a snap of the fingers and a briefly-muttered "Excieo manus!", a spectral hand appears, takes the loop from Yvonne, carries it 30 feet up, and drops it on a suitable merlon or corbel, and dematerializes.

Zuzu uses the Mage Hand cantrip.

The rope easily loops around one of the corbels and locks in places, draping the remainder down onto the ground. It looks like it should be easy enough to climb it without challenge and then walk across the battlements to wherever the courtyard is.

[Zergrinch]

Zuzu scoots up the rope, hoping that Yvonne won't make too much clanking in her armor and betray their presence.

Stealth: [roll0]

[Awful]

The Knightess had drawn her sword at Zuzu's sudden fear, but at his subsidence and seeing nothing, she sheathed it again.

Yvonne grunted softly with exertion as she hauled herself up, hand-over-hand, the rope until she clambered onto the battlements. That done, she surveyed what she could see.


Stealth: [roll0] or [roll1], whichever's lower

[Sariel Vailo]

Anastasia shall climb the rope thinking of things far brighter than this.

[Requilac]

You all manage to climb up the rope with relative ease, but it does take more time than you would want it to. As you are climbing up you almost begin to fear that the vines are coming out to grab at you, but that is luckily just your paranoia getting the better of you. When you reach the top you see that the roof of this stronghold is in just as good condition as the walls. The roof hasn't started crumbling yet though luckily.

Unlike most keeps of this sort, the roof here entirely seals off the exterior of the building. There are sorts of battlements, but they only appear to be flanking a roof slate-colored masonry that forms the roof. Along the battlements you can't see any towers, but you can see two different sets of stairs leading down at the corners of the building. The one closest to you descends into a sort of gardened courtyard for the fortress and the one farthest from you leads down into a courtyard with a floor of... obsidian? It's hard to tell. Walking to either should be easy enough, but you have a fear the things within might hear you.

[Zergrinch]

Zuzu's heart is pounding at his chest. He looks nervously at Yvonne and Anastasia, and then at the courtyards. Are there giant bats hiding in there???

Perception: [roll0]

Edit: He sees nothing! Fear has blinded him!

[Sariel Vailo]

Anastasia looks towards the group she asks,"Where to friends, towards the garden or towards the obsidian."

[Awful]

Yvonne pondered for a moment, then hauled her rope back up and stowed it. That done, she drew her sword once more, and held it low and ready.
"Courtyard. First we open the gate, so we can make easy egress, should that be necessary."
She began pacing steadily towards the courtyard and gate.
"Keep your eyes open, especially for that snake-priest slithering around here somewhere."

[Zergrinch]

Zuzu meekly follows behind, visibly quaking with the eerie silence. It is unnerving how the highly intelligent gnome's mind can play such base and animalistic tricks on itself.

[Requilac]

Zuzu's heart is pounding at his chest. He looks nervously at Yvonne and Anastasia, and then at the courtyards. Are there giant bats hiding in there???

Perception: [roll0]

Edit: He sees nothing! Fear has blinded him!

Zuzu does not spot any bats nor signs of them.


Yvonne pondered for a moment, then hauled her rope back up and stowed it. That done, she drew her sword once more, and held it low and ready.
"Courtyard. First we open the gate, so we can make easy egress, should that be necessary."
She began pacing steadily towards the courtyard and gate.
"Keep your eyes open, especially for that snake-priest slithering around here somewhere."

Yvonne walks along the battlements to the staircase leading down into the gardened courtyard. There is no gate getting in her way so it easy enough to walk down into the garden. Unlike the rest of the of the place, the greenery here actually seems to be well maintained. A tall evergreen pine tree dominates the center of this relatively small 60 ft. square space. It is a largely open yard, but six rows of ferns stripe throughout the area at regular increments to liven up the space. Several smaller pines and dead pushes are pushed against the hardly 5 ft. stone wall, making it seem very spacious. You have little doubt about these plants ability to survive in the winter that is to come in less than a week. This place has clearly been tended too, and by people who knew what they where doing.

In this courtyard there are only two exits, one being the stairs you just came down from and another being a doorway into the stronghold.

_________________

The fungus creature points its feelers towards the door directly north of you. The sound of footsteps and clanking metal can be heard from that direction if you listen closely. It speaks a word in a language you don't understand, and one you don't wish to understand as it sounds blasphemous just to hear. Something about the resonating but raspy tone sends a chill down your spine. Two of the raised corpses show that they are indeed animate as they limp over to the door and then stand still once again. As the winged being backs away from the door two of the other zombies form up around it with the discipline of a trained soldier.

[bc56]

Yaotl knows who is beyond the door now. The foolish woman has followed him. Well, foolish she may be, but she's still part of the pack. Yaotl readies himself to attack the monster if it should engage Yvonne.

[Zergrinch]

As Yvonne moves toward the doorway, the jittery gnome prepares to unload a fiery bolt at the first sign of trouble.

Ready Action: Fire Bolt against first hostile sighted. [roll0]. [roll1] + [roll2] on crit.

[Sariel Vailo]

"by the light may these cultists already have met their end."

[Awful]

No bodies... Yvonne's spine prickled as she stopped in front of the dead.
"Hush now. Zuzu, use your sorcery and open the door."

She hissed out her war-prayer, feeling the magic embrace her with Vitay's power, and stood to ready by the door, so only one foe could come at her at once.

Yvonne casts shield of faith and prepares to face the foe once Zuzu opens the door.

[Zergrinch]

Cowering a few feet behind both Yvonne and Anastasia, Zuzu nods vigorously a dozen times. He points a trembling arm at the door.

"E-e-xcieo m-m-manus!"

A spectral hand appears right in front of the door, and opens it. What horrors await the poor frightened little gnome child?

[Requilac]

As the door unhinges you expect some monster to leap out at you, but luckily nothing immediately occurs that shocks you. Your eyes adjust to the room within as you all can scan it over. This appears to be a chamber about 10 yards in area with a stone floor, roof and walls. The roof is vaulted with pointed arches, making the space seem much more spacious than it really is. A small candle on a wooden desk burns in the corner of the room, its light illuminating the pages of a book with bloody splattered on it. A chair is in front of the book, but it has fallen backwards and broken, its wood soaked with the blood of an unseen corpse. To your left is a massive opened chest, holding medical supplies of all sorts such as potions, bandages, salves, splints, tonics, some sweet smelling herbs and bricks of soap. Tools related to the trade such as a magnifying glass, scale, and abacus are also there.

When you move your head over to the other side of the room you see a row of straw mats on them with several corpses upon them, one of which is leaning against the wall. Suddenly the seemingly dead body (of a woman you presume, since they are wearing a peasant's dress) makes a sharp intake of breath and jumps at the sight of your presence, holding a useless scalpel out in front of her. Then the body seemingly loses its footing too easily and collapses. In a haste she gets back up quickly, but cannot manage to do so fully and can only sit up quasi-straight, stares at you all with fear. The almost skeletal gauntness and gray paleness of skin made you believe that the figure was dead, but her frantic breathing and lively, although sluggish, actions seems to signify otherwise. Suddenly she croaks something out, still holding the small useless scalpel at her side.

"Please don't hurt me, I haven't done anything wrong. I don't fully know what is going on here. I am not part of the Order, I promise."

On the straw mats behind her are two more frail human figures. One of them appears to be a man, (or at least you assume so as he is not wearing a dress) taller than the woman who spoke but no less bony, lying prone and only able to shiver their body slightly towards you. The other figure is that of a woman (who is wearing a dress), who doesn't appear to be conscious.

You were expecting a dungeon filled with hungry zombies baying for your blood, but instead you found a medicine office containing poor people who where so ill as to be zombies.

[Zergrinch]

Zuzu nearly jumps out of his skin when the corpse proved to not be a corpse.

He points his new Sceptre at the speaker with the scapel, voice quivering with fear.

"W-w-who are you? Who are they? W-what are you doing here if you're not with the c-c-cult?"

Insight: [roll0]

[Awful]

"Drop your scalpel and come here! Now!" Yvonne barked fiercely, not lowering her guard.

[Requilac]

"Drop your scalpel and come here! Now!" Yvonne barked fiercely, not lowering her guard.

The sickly woman lets go of the scalpel and lets it drop to the ground with a faint ting. She tries to get back up but cant keep her footing and falls back down on the ground. She grabs some of the crevices of the wall and pulls herself up, using them to support her as she moves across. Finally she reaches the doorway and is 5 ft. in front of you. The exhertion appears to have been so painful that she is tearing up, but she is holding herself as valiantly as possible and not sobbing yet. In those watery eyes you see many things, mostly at this moment fear coupled by almost a sort of depression.


Zuzu nearly jumps out of his skin when the corpse proved to not be a corpse.

He points his new Sceptre at the speaker with the scapel, voice quivering with fear.

"W-w-who are you? Who are they? W-what are you doing here if you're not with the c-c-cult?"

Insight: [roll0]

When Zuzu pulls out the sceptre the woman stares at and jumps a little again, but keeps herself from falling by leaning against the wall. After examining the staff, she looks back and forth between Yvonne and you as she speaks out another quieted, raspy plead.

"My name is Kikeana Gindraen. My friend here *she gesture to the man who can't get up from his bed* is called Herrunli Nogrolir and she *the woman points to the unconscious woman in the corner* is Kathilsia Urdruni. We aren't members of the Order of Umbra, I promise. We just got the plague and they offered to to try to heal us so we came to their monastery. They where a weird bunch for sure, what with all those rituals of transcendence or whatever they named it, but we knew nothing about their militancy. I don't even know why this place was crawling with soldiers, they weren't even here a month ago and now suddenly this place goes from monastery to barracks. We don't have any idea what they are trying to do, they will not tell us, and we have done nothing wrong to insult the name of Yig. I swear on my life that I Didn't do anything to help these people with their cruel intentions."

Zuzu carefully analyzes her speech patterns, as he is beggining to get a hold of some of the strange body language of the natives of Senckried now. Despite his anxiety, he is confident that the patient here does not seem to be lying or witholding information or anything deceptive. Quite the contrary, she is spilling out everything she knows it seems.

Soon after, you hear muffled words from a doorway to your right, leading into what you assume to be the main hall. It sounds like some sort of chant or meditation in a hideous language, but the door blocks most of the sound. The woman looks at the door, then at you with fear, as if she believed you where the cause.

The fungus creature unfolds its membranous wings as it speaks once again and the standing corpses form around the door. With a leap the thing flies across the room and lands in front of the word with uncanny quietness. It then starts chanting in a low tone to itself, and seems to be making an incantation. A ring of blue runes appear in front of the door and start to glow. This is a magical glyph of some sort, and one that you have little doubt about its malice.

[Zergrinch]

Zuzu relaxes visibly and stows the scepter. He finds himself drawn to the bloodstained book, which he manuevers towards while still facing the woman.

She seems to be telling the truth but do her words match Zuzu's limited knowledge of the plague's symptoms?

[roll0]. +3 if general intelligence. +0 if wisdom.

Check to compare symptoms exhibited by the people in the room. I'm not sure what kind of check is needed but I want to know

1. Are these symptoms the same as the ones exhibited by Zuzu's master or by the people who died of the plague that Zuzu might have read about?

2. If so, is it terminal or can they be revived by potions, food, and drink?

[Sariel Vailo]

Anastasia will apologize but say once more," Angry gods care little for collateral damage.im sorry for what has happened.

[Requilac]

Zuzu relaxes visibly and stows the scepter. He finds himself drawn to the bloodstained book, which he manuevers towards while still facing the woman.

She seems to be telling the truth but do her words match Zuzu's limited knowledge of the plague's symptoms?

[roll0]. +3 if general intelligence. +0 if wisdom.

Check to compare symptoms exhibited by the people in the room. I'm not sure what kind of check is needed but I want to know

1. Are these symptoms the same as the ones exhibited by Zuzu's master or by the people who died of the plague that Zuzu might have read about?

2. If so, is it terminal or can they be revived by potions, food, and drink?

From what you have heard so far her condition matches with the plague's symptoms. It has been described as a disease where people gradually become more and more like a corpse every day until they eventually die. Movement becomes sluggish, the skin and hair grays grays, the eyes loose their lustre, skin becomes cold to the touch, breathing and heart beat lessens, and they don't seem to blink as much. Kikeana is showing all of these signs.


Anastasia will apologize but say once more," Angry gods care little for collateral damage.im sorry for what has happened.

Kikeana still stares at the chanting coming from the doorway but then snaps her head back to Anastasia with great effort. "Our sickness wasn't the work of Yig. We have had the plague for what must be at least three months now. And Yig dealt us no harm. On of the Yuan-Ti Lasher did come in here and kill one of the cultists *she looks towards the crashed and bloodied chair and the book upon it*, but they dealt no damage to us. He or she just kind of stared at us for a moment, seemingly analyzing us, and then dragged the corpse back out without coming any nearer."

[Zergrinch]

"We cannot help them, but maybe we can help make their final moments a little more comfortable," Zuzu murmurs uncharacteristically to Yvonne. A small tear rolls down an eye, which he quickly wipes. The master. Was he like them now, nothing more than a walking corpse and waiting to die?

Zuzu takes stock of any medical supplies and foodstuff contained in the chest and in the room that can be used to provide some hospice care to the dying. He will also give the bloody book a cursory examination. If he finds no food, he will instead use up his own stash of trail rations.

Investigation: [roll0]. My intent for this roll is to get a detailed listing of the helpful things that are in the room. Zuzu will be specifically looking for food, drink, and medical supplies. He will keep an eye out for anything that may seem like a magical item. Money or jewelry would be nice, but he will not be paying special attention to them and may just as miss them as find them.

[Awful]

Yvonne looked back at the gnome, the little demihuman stricken with sympathy. She regarded the wretched condition of the woman and finally grunted.
"...Do what you can. Be quiet and quick."

She stepped carefully closer to the door the chanting emanated from, and listened carefully.
"Anatasia, come here and listen," the amazon rumbled quietly. "Your ears are no doubt keener than mine, inhuman as they are."

She stepped back, and assuming it didn't sound like the legions of hell were about to crash through the door, moved closer to the sickly woman.
"Kikeana. I need you to tell me how many cultists were in this fort. How long did the fighting last? Was there anyone important to the Umbra hierarchy here?"
She grasped the woman by the shoulder firmly.
"Focus and speak."


Perception: [roll0]

[Sariel Vailo]

Anastasias elven hearing exceed that of the knightess.(21 perception)

[Requilac]

"We cannot help them, but maybe we can help make their final moments a little more comfortable," Zuzu murmurs uncharacteristically to Yvonne. A small tear rolls down an eye, which he quickly wipes. The master. Was he like them now, nothing more than a walking corpse and waiting to die?

Zuzu takes stock of any medical supplies and foodstuff contained in the chest and in the room that can be used to provide some hospice care to the dying. He will also give the bloody book a cursory examination. If he finds no food, he will instead use up his own stash of trail rations.

Investigation: [roll0]. My intent for this roll is to get a detailed listing of the helpful things that are in the room. Zuzu will be specifically looking for food, drink, and medical supplies. He will keep an eye out for anything that may seem like a magical item. Money or jewelry would be nice, but he will not be paying special attention to them and may just as miss them as find them.

The recently opened chest in the corner is full of medical supplies, and can give you most of what you need. In it you find three potions of healing, which you doubt will improve her condition much at all but it may relieve some of the symptoms temporarily, two flasks of holy water in case you are in want of a more metaphysical approach to healing, collections of medicinal herbs which have been labelled that may be helpful if you know how to use them (may require a medicine check). Also inside the chest you find six healer's kits, but you are fairly confident splints and bandages will not help her here, and several other tools which wouldn't be of much use to you such as a magnifying glass, merchant's scale, and abacus. Sadly, there does not seem to be many rations here.

You flip to the book's cover and find it to be called "Observations and Studies on the Somniapestilencia" (that must be the technical term for the plague). You flip to a page in the middle and it seems like someone was recording information on the patient's condition and making commentaries on the reason as to why these phenomena where happening. To be honest, you where kind of expecting something much more creepy coming from this cultist, but it in reality it just appears to be a medical diary.


Anastasias elven hearing exceed that of the knightess.(21 perception)

It sounds as if someone is directly on the other side of the door, whispering some sort of indecipherable chant. There is something deeply unnatural about the tone, and you can almost immediately tell that no human could drop their voice that low. The creature must be trying to be quiet, but their voice is echoing too much in that other room and is too booming to be hidden well. You have no idea what it is saying, but you know an incantation when you hear one.




She stepped back, and assuming it didn't sound like the legions of hell were about to crash through the door, moved closer to the sickly woman.
"Kikeana. I need you to tell me how many cultists were in this fort. How long did the fighting last? Was there anyone important to the Umbra hierarchy here?"
She grasped the woman by the shoulder firmly.
"Focus and speak."


Perception: [roll0]


Kikeana looks you straight in the eye, and you slightly shiver to see that it does not seem to carry the keenness that it should. She is staring at you, but there is not that focused look people you typically see do, hers seem glassy and tired. Regardless, she croaks once again and you swear that you can feel your body vibrate with hers as she does so.

"There are about 50 of the cultists here, but half of them really aren't the soldiering type. Originally when we came here there where only about 25 of them, but sometimes people would come and go, and they seemed a lot more focused on collecting books, studying medicine and committing to the oddest rituals instead of actually drawing blood back then. It wasn't until less than a month ago that these infantry came in. I am really not sure how long the fighting here went for. At first everything seemed fine. Magister Lechsinska was out and was having her apprentice Sarsorlum right make his own observations on our symptoms, but suddenly a yuan-ti lasher opened the door without as silently as a ghost, strangled and bite him and then dragged him out. A few minutes after we heard the sounds of a pitched fight into the room to our South, but in truth it was over so quickly and so much of the screaming was from the Umbra soldiers that it was much more of a massacre... I am not sure whether there where any high ranking members of the order here. Magister Lechsinska always seemed to be like she was in command of everything here, but I am not sure if being the lead doctor in a monastery of less than 30 people qualifies as high ranking by your standards."

[Zergrinch]

Zuzu locates a bowl, places all the herbs inside, mixes in the holy water, and mashes them into a paste using the scepter. He heats the concoction with a couple of mild firebolts, and pours the warm mixture into one of the potion vials. He proceeds to stuff this down the throat of one of the unconscious plague victims, washing it down with water.

[Requilac]

Zuzu locates a bowl, places all the herbs inside, mixes in the holy water, and mashes them into a paste using the scepter. He heats the concoction with a couple of mild firebolts, and pours the warm mixture into one of the potion vials. He proceeds to stuff this down the throat of one of the unconscious plague victims, washing it down with water.

The man (Herrunli) is immobilized but still conscious, so you decide to skip past him on your way over to the older woman (Kathilsia). You pour the liquid down her throat, but she can't really swallow it being unconscious. Regardless, surely some of it will drip down the throat and have at least some effect. You stand intently to see what happens.

The woman suddenly levitates a few feet above the ground, the blanket falling off of her and on the ground. She lays there in midair, asleep just the same, but floating. Nothing else seems wrong with her aside from phenomenon. This is an odd sight to see to say the least.

[Zergrinch]

Zuzu watches the scene with awe. He has done it. Created a potion of levitation! And from such common ingredients too!

It is admittedly a shame that the mixture didn't appear to ameliorate the plague's symptoms. Oh well.

Zuzu hurriedly causes his mage hand to drop a blanket on the floater, before stuffing the medical diary and magnifying glass into his backpack.

"Umm, did you see a snake man come in here? He speaksssss like thisssss."

[Sariel Vailo]

Anastasia will tell the knightess Yvonne,"its chanting i dont know in what language but ive never heard anything like it."

[Awful]

Yvonne had also listened, and made a noise of discontent.
"We'll see whatever is making the chant, but prepare for a fight. I doubt it is friendly."

She looked to the gnome with mild confusion and some irritation before letting go of Kikeana's shoulder.
"I thought you intended to give them care, child, not do some... mage's experiment! Leave the wretches be. Thank you, Kikeana. May Vitay embrace thee gently."

Once Zuzu was done twisting reality and asking questions, the Knightess took up position by the door, and pulled out one of her javelins.
"Same as before - we'll hold the doorway, if there are foes. Come besides me, Anastasia, and ready your blade. Zuzu, open the door with your magery."

[Sariel Vailo]

Anastasia will get near the knightess and do a quick prayer to prolus.
"in my time here to shed the radiant light i have invoked vitays name.but in this moment i invoke the name of prolus blessed be your,battles your strategies and finally bless my blade."
She withdraws her rapier.

[Zergrinch]

"I thought you intended to give them care, child, not do some... mage's experiment! Leave the wretches be. Same as before - we'll hold the doorway, if there are foes. Come besides me, Anastasia, and ready your blade. Zuzu, open the door with your magery."

"That wasn't supposed to happen," Zuzu mutters, as he takes position cowering behind both the knightess and the drow. The gnome squeaks out an "Excieo Manus!" thereby materializing a ghostly hand and opening the door once the others are ready....

OOC: Sure we don't want to take a potion or two? Anastasia is out of spell slots entirely, and Yaotl is not with us at the moment.

[Requilac]

Zuzu watches the scene with awe. He has done it. Created a potion of levitation! And from such common ingredients too!

It is admittedly a shame that the mixture didn't appear to ameliorate the plague's symptoms. Oh well.

Zuzu hurriedly causes his mage hand to drop a blanket on the floater, before stuffing the medical diary and magnifying glass into his backpack.

"Umm, did you see a snake man come in here? He speaksssss like thisssss."

Kikeana gives a sideways glance at the floating woman, seemingly shrugging and treating that as if it were something completely normal. Your last comment though catches her attention, and her hollow voice lets out another response. "Yes, a snake person came in here, assassinated the doctor's apprentice and dragged him out. I didn't her them speak though. I am sorry if I forgot to mention that, my memory... its so foggy nowadays."


Yvonne had also listened, and made a noise of discontent.
"We'll see whatever is making the chant, but prepare for a fight. I doubt it is friendly."

She looked to the gnome with mild confusion and some irritation before letting go of Kikeana's shoulder.
"I thought you intended to give them care, child, not do some... mage's experiment! Leave the wretches be. Thank you, Kikeana. May Vitay embrace thee gently."

Once Zuzu was done twisting reality and asking questions, the Knightess took up position by the door, and pulled out one of her javelins.
"Same as before - we'll hold the doorway, if there are foes. Come besides me, Anastasia, and ready your blade. Zuzu, open the door with your magery."

Kikeana awkwardly smiles at you, not sure how else to respond, before leaning back against the wall. Suddenly, the chanting stops though and a faint shuffling off feet is all that can be hear afterwards.

The vaguely insectoid, half plant thing backs stops chanting and slowly backs away from the rune, and then the zombies move to surround the door, careful to avoid the glowing blue rune it placed on the floor. It appears that they are preparing to fight something on the other side off the door.

[bc56]

Seeing the monsters preparing for battle, Yaotl takes his chance to act. He raises his arm, flinging a whirling blade of ice at the grouped zombies.


To Hit: [roll0], [roll1] cold damage.
Also, each zombie must make a DC 12 Dex save or take [roll2] cold damage.

[Requilac]

As the door opens you can immediately see that you are blocked. Surrounding a large circle of glyphs on the ground directly in front of the door are six people. The appear to be a mob of four commoners surrounding you, but something is not right about their posture and movement. The chest of no one in the mob rises or falls and they don't seem to be moving at all. Then you suddenly realize the cause of this possible immobility as you see the wounds on the bodies of these people. One of them has a massive festering bite wound on their neck, the other is peppered with a barrage of arrow against them, one has become sallow and sickly looking, and one has been crushed around their ribcage as if constricted. A blue fungus is sprouting from their wounds, and you already know what that grim symbol means.

Far behind them in the back of the room you see... something else though. Your mind is struggling to understand what you are seeing, as the blasphemous creature seems entirely alien*. Your first instinct is to call it an insect, but the bulbous unsegmented body and asymetrical claws disprove this. A crustacean may be a better thing to call it, but the otherworldly being's claws seem to pointed for that and its body isn't large enough. A fungus may indeed be the best descriptor, because that appears to be what the monster is. You are so offset by its membranous wings that it takes you a while to realize it only has a grotesque bouquet of feelers in place of a head.

https://t00.deviantart.net/VwzJhGTwHsby3kdnWvVcP3yBk5M=/fit-in/700x350/filters:fixed_height(100,100):origin()/pre00/f9b3/th/pre/i/2016/049/c/7/lovecraft___mi_go__soldier_caste_by_kingovrats-d7qhqxt.jpg

You can immediately detect this group's desire to bring harm to you, and these zombies are slow to respond, so you may act first. You all have won initiative.

[bc56]

Yaotl hurls another ice blade at the zombies, where it explodes amongst them. All the zombies but the one injured by bite wounds are lacerated with ice shards and go down.

[roll0] to hit, [roll1] cold damage.
[roll2] cold damage
Saves
[roll3]
[roll4]
[roll5]
[roll6]
Only the bitten zombie succeeded its save.

[Zergrinch]

Zuzu steps forward to take a better look. Some strange attack took out the zombies, but the fungus creature is still moving! The young gnome raises his scepter, and looses a bolt of fire with "DEFLAGRO!" before retreating behind a table.

Move 2 squares northeast.
Action: Fire Bolt vs. Fungus. To hit: [roll]d20+5[roll] vs AC 13. Hit: [roll0]. Crit: [roll1].
Move 2 squares southwest and 1 square south. I have already adjusted Zuzu's position on Roll20.

Result: I rolled in OOC, result is a non-critical 20. Fungal creature takes 5 fire damage.

Catching a glimpse of a faintly-glowing rune ten feet of Yvonne's position, Zuzu hisses out to her, "Knightess, watch your step! That rune on the ground ten feet ahead of you is harmful!"

[Sariel Vailo]

Anastasia will look to zuzu and ask "is their any way we can make those zombies have to work to get to us.maybe we should target the insect.

[Awful]

"Good eye!" Yvonne shouted to Zuzu before she hefted her javelin at the remaining zombie.
"Return to the grave, you undead wretch!"

After having hurled the javelin, she moved back to take cover using the doorway and shut the door.


Yvonne throws a javelin at the zombie then draws her sword.
[roll0] to hit, [roll1] damage
Remember Yvonne is on AC23 with Shield of Faith.

[Zergrinch]

Anastasia will look to zuzu and ask "is their any way we can make those zombies have to work to get to us.maybe we should target the insect.

"Okay, maybe we can start by hurting its feelings so it would come to us?"

OOC: A most unsubtle way to tell her to use Vicious Mockery.

[Sariel Vailo]

Anastasia will say to zuzu,you may have a point my friend.
She will target the insect with vicious mockery
To say step into my parlour said tbe spider to the fly.
creature ([roll0]damage ([roll1])

[Requilac]

The fungoid insect, seeing its enemies retreat into the room under fear of the ward changes its strategy. It half-flies, half-leaps to the side of the massive brazier opposite to you, using it as cover. After it does so it points its feelers towards Yaotl and lets out another chant which is impossible to hear, but there is something especially potent about this one. It seems to echo within your head with a force that is almost disorienting and shakes your entire cognition. You manage to stay stay stolid though and stand your ground.

It is only then you realize that one of the corpse's eyes in front of you to respond to this blasphemous call. The animated cadaver crawls towards you as the other final zombie strides towards your position stoically. The bitten zombie attempts to scratch at you, but it cannot tear through your hide armor. The stabbed zombie attempts to bite at your ankles but you swiftly move it out of the way.

A new zombie has arisen.

[Zergrinch]

Zuzu sprints for the door, nudges it open a bit, and upon determining that the abomination's attention was focused elsewhere, once again looses a gout of flame with his scepter with a bold DEFLAGRO! before retreating to what he considers to be relative safety.

Move: North (1), Northeast (2).
Item Interaction: Open Door.
Attack: Fire Bolt vs. Fungal Creature. [roll0] vs AC13. Hit: [roll1]. Crit: [roll2].
Move: West (1), Northwest (1).

[bc56]

Yaotl stabs downward at the prone zombie, his hand becoming an acidic claw. "If you wisssh to kill me, come do it yourssself." He hisses at the monster.

[roll0] [roll1] with advantage because prone, [roll2] acid damage.

[Awful]

And there was Yoatl, having slithered from some corner.
Yvonne readied another javelin and hurled it at the standing zombie, only to curse as the ill-made projectile missed once more.


[roll0] to hit
[roll1] damage

[Requilac]

The mosslike crab's feelers turn focus on the door, seeming to take in all the activity coming from it. Its feelers begin to wave hastily as a cluster of coals from the brazier next to it levitate into the air. The coals are then shot like searing bullets at the door. It falls from its hinges under the reign of the flaming projectiles and collapses on the ground shattered.

The fungus creature shatters the door of the Northeast room.

One of the corpses from inside the brazier suddenly snaps awake. The fungus whispers a command to it which you can't clear make out and the zombie strides over to beside the door, standing as still as a rock. Its eyes are staring into the doorway unemotionally and appears to be waiting for something.

The burned zombie takes the readied action to attack whoever comes out of the door.

The other two zombies follow through with their commands. The stabbed zombie gets up and both it and its ally attempt to claw you, but the strikes are slow and telegraphed making them easy to dodge. Once they are done the creatures stand completely still once again, and if you didn't know any better you would be convinced that they where not animated at all and were simply upright corpses.

[Sariel Vailo]

[roll0]
[roll1]
Hey you their you ugly pile of fungus how about you die!

[Awful]

Yvonne reached out and seized hold of the burnt-looking zombie. In a quick motion, she twisted and shoved it onto the ominously glowing runes.


Zombie rolls athletics or acrobatics vs Yvonne's athletics: [roll0]

[Zergrinch]

Unable to see anything but the zombie Yvonne grabbed, Zuzu instead chooses to freeze it solid.

HIEMO!

Action: Frostbite. Zombie must succeed on DC 13 CON Save [roll0] or suffer [roll1] ice damage and make its next weapon attack at disadvantage.

[bc56]

"Face me, monssster." Yaotl reaches out, a thorny vine extending from his hand to lash at the fungus creature.

casting Thorn Whip
[roll0] to hit, [roll1] damage. On a hit, it is pulled 10ft toward Yaotl.

[Requilac]

Yvonne reached out and seized hold of the burnt-looking zombie. In a quick motion, she twisted and shoved it onto the ominously glowing runes.


Zombie rolls athletics or acrobatics vs Yvonne's athletics: [roll0]


The zombie has little strength to resist as it slams right down into the rune. Suddenly the colors on it glow blindingly bright and seems to spark with energy. A bolt of lightning flies up from the rune into the sky and absolutely disintegrates the zombie's body. Some pebbles drop from the cieling onto the pile of ash which was once a corpse.

The burned zombie takes 13 lightning damage and is reduced to 0 hit points.

The insect-crustacean-fungus hybrid with wings shrugs off Yaotl's whip after being pulled and leaps onto an area behind the brazier so as to put cover between itself and Yaotl. It directs its "head" towards the door with Yvonne in it. The alien appears to be waiting for something to happen. It whispers another word, which is barely audible across the room.

The migo readies an action.

Suddenly another corpse springs to animation next to Yaotl and joins the fray against him. All three of the zombies release a flurry of claws and bites upon Yaotl, but he is beginning to learn their tricks and knows how to counter them. In a series of deft sidestepping, dodging and parrying he wards off all of the blows of these clumsy creatures like a bear does when fending off a pack of wolves. It is uncanny how good Yaotl does this and should not be physically possible, but he does it anyway.

Yaotl avoids taking damage.

[Zergrinch]

Zuzu's eyes go wide as the zombie is completely disintegrated.

"Wow." was the only thing he could immediately say. "I have got to get me one of those!"

Movement from the corner of his eye grabs the young gnome's attention, as the fungal creature slithers out of its hiding place. Maneuvering behind Anastasia, the young wizard sees a clear shot, and takes it.

Move southwest 1 square.
Attack: Light Crossbow vs Migo. [roll0]. Hit: [roll1]. Crit: [roll2].
Knowledge Check: Arcana. Having now seen it in action, can Zuzu identify the magic behind the rune?

[bc56]

Yaotl backs off, there are too many zombies for him to fight alone. He retreats to the entrance he came into the room through.


Disengage and retreat

[Awful]

Javelin at mi-go

[roll0]

[Zergrinch]

Zuzu smirks internally at the third miss. There may be a slight impish grin on his face, which hopefully Yvonne won't notice since he's hiding behind Anastasia.

"Knightess, there seems to be something wrong with your javelins. Would you like to use my crossbow instead, next time?"

[Awful]

Yvonne let out a growl of frustration as yet another javelin spanged harmlessly off the floor tiling.
"I would be better served throwing rocks than these worthless scrapworks!"

[Sariel Vailo]

Anastasia shocked at the fact zuzu would use her as a shield will begin to get mad.forgetting completly of the danger and prepares to scold zuzu
(Ooc a good excuse considering irl stuff got in the way)

[Zergrinch]

Zuzu looks unrepentant. Instead he points to The MiGo and makes a slashing motion across his throat.

[Requilac]

The fungus creature only shifts its position behind the brazier slightly to the South as it maintains its feelers on Yvonne who is standing at the door. It utters out another blasphemous word as the zombies change their positions once again with perfect obedience. Two of the corpses surround themselves in front of the door where Yoatl is, ready to pounce at a moment's notice if he steps through the door.

The migo readies a mysterious action but the the bitten and amputated zombie ready an action to make an attack against Yoatl if he opens the door from the room.

The two other zombies do a similar formation around the collapses door where Yvonne stands over, which is odd considering that you didn't even see the second one a few seconds ago. Instead of waiting though, these enemies go in for the kill and try to bite and scratch Yvonne like a wolf surrounding a bear. But their attacks cannot get break past her armor and merely throw against the to no avail.

Yvonne avoids taking damage.

[Sariel Vailo]

Anastasia will begin to focus back on the fungoid beast. Her eyes will narrow and she will unleash her moat hazardous insult ever.


you un repentant waste of flesh, you bring death darkness and decay if i had but a fraction of vitays light i would burn you to ashes.
[roll0]
[roll1]

[Zergrinch]

"Where are these undead coming from? Is that thing summoning them or something?!" Zuzu says as he shoots a crossbow bolt at the zombie he has a clear shot at.

Crossbow attack vs Stabbed. [roll0]. [roll2]. [roll3]
Arcana check [roll1]: What's that thing whispering? Attempting to identify its effects.

What was the result on my previous Arcana check?

[Awful]

Yvonne roared in frustration.
"Enough of this! Have at you!"
She took a slash at the zombie remaining in reach before, it dead or no, so bulked past into the room.
"Do your worst, beast! I'll take your head!"


Burn a use of fighting spirit for +5 temp hp
[roll0] or [roll1] to hit
[roll2] dam

[bc56]

Yaotl does not open the door. He'd rather not get mauled by those zombies right now. He prepares himself to fight back if the door is opened or broken down.


Ready to attack zombie if it breaks down the door or opens it.
[roll0] to hit
[roll1] damage

[Requilac]

When Yvonne approaches the fungus creature, it quickly responds by unleashing a roaring chatter at her in some eldritch language. Something about the words in it are deeply disturbing and make her ears feel as if they are bleeding. It really has much more shock value than actual damage though.

The migo's readied action triggerred, and Yvonne takes 1 psychic damage from it.

The creature then continues its unholy cacapohany of a speech. More foul incantations issue forth from some unseeable orifice which constitutes as its mouth. Whatever these words are saying deeply strike a chord into her soul and crushes her morale. She can't tell what the creature is saying, but the fabric of the words themselves seem to speak of dreadful secrets.*

Yvonne takes 8 psychic damage.

Under the call of this hideous monologue a the corpse of a cat, which you didn't notice among the larger humanoid corpses, springs up and attempts to claw at Yvonne. Needless to say, the cat's claws can't break her armor. The other two zombies don't appear to be reacting at all to the oration and are simply waiting for something.

The cat zombie misses, but the other two ready an action.

The migo is essentially saying that the gods are dead.

[Requilac]

Battle statistics and battle map (https://app.roll20.net/join/3076330/sclkCA)

Ana: 14 HP
Yaotl: 19 HP
Yvonne: 22 HP, AC 23 (shield of faith)
Zuzu: 20 HP
fungus creature: 9 HP, distracted
Arrowed zombie: 0 HP
Bitten zombie: 5 HP
Constricted Zombie: 0 HP
Poisoned Zombie: 0 HP
Stabbed zombie: 0 HP
Burned Zombie: 0 HP
Amputated Zombie: 7 HP
Impaled Zombie: 0 HP
Cat Zombie: 4 HP

Zombie: AC 13, saves (str +2, dex -2, con +3, int -4, wis +0, cha -4), vulnerability to radiant damage, resistance to necrotic damage, immune to poison damage, immunity to being exhausted, poisoned and unconscious, undead nature (the zombie doesn't need to breathe)

Fungus Creature: AC 13, saves (str +1, dex +3, con +4, int +5, wis +3, cha +3), immunity to poison damage, advantage on saving throws against being paralyzed, immune to being blinded, deafened or poisoned, Spores (A creature that touches the [REDACTED] or hits it with a melee attack while within 5 ft. of it must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or take 1d4 poison damage.)



the round ends in...

https://pending.me.uk/cd/gre_1538542200.png (https://www.pending.me.uk)

[Zergrinch]

Zuzu sprints forward, ready to fire sink another crossbow bolt at the creature. Unfortunately, the mushroom thing is merrily hiding behind that accursed brazier, and there is no way to hit it from his current angle. What is maddening about the entire thing is while Zuzu cannot attack it, he can hear its stupid whispers.

First things first. Yvonne will be able to get up close and personal with the Mi-Go, and so Zuzu tries to eliminate one of the pesky distractions. Without a hint of remorse, he takes a quick shot at the cat.

With the projectile loose, an idea pops unbidden into the gnome's head. The Mi-Go is apparently controlling the zombies through Deep Speech. Could he somehow drown out the control by babbling some deep speech of his own? It is certainly worth a try, and the gnome quickly turns to one of the first potions his master required him to commit to memory -- Amortentia, the Love Potion.


Drop one ashwinder egg into your cauldron. Next add in a handful of rose thorns. Pour a vial of refined peppermint oil, and a piece of moonstone into the pot. Let the cauldron stew, and once steam starts to rise, start stirring the mixture.

Once the potion is ready, steal will begin to rise in spirals, and a strong aroma can be smelled. Everyone smells Amortentia differently, reminding each person of the things they find the most attractive.

A single drop of Amortentia will last up to 24 hours. While affected by the spell, the drinker will hold an obsession for the person who administered the potion. Amortentia must be drunk continuously to maintain the infatuation it creates in the drinker.

Warning: despite the power to create intense infatuation, it is impossible to manufacture or imitate love. Use with caution, since powerful infatuation is very dangerous to underestimate.

Move East, right behind door.
Attack: Crossbow vs. Zombie Cat. [roll0]. Hit: [roll1]. Crit: [roll2]

Contested Arcana Check: Zuzu [roll3] vs. Mi-Go [roll4]

[Awful]

Yvonne felt a trickle of blood run from her nose. She merely growled in anger as she stepped forward, blade ready.
"I'll tear whatever tongue you have from your mouth, monster!"



Fightin' spirit, 5 BHP
[roll0] or [roll1]
[roll2], + [roll3] if crit

[Requilac]

The abominable creature attempts to continue its deadly chant, but it is hastily interrupted by Zuzu's instructions. It starts stuttering and its sentences don't come together properly. Whereas it used to sound like a song, the thing's words sound more like a discordant mix of noises. Its grating, but it doesn't seem to have any effect other than making you cringe.

Yvonne's sword than hacks into its fungal flesh and leaves spores flying. Some of the creature's legs are twitching at awkward angles and it appears to be having trouble keeping itself up. A slight hissing sound escapes from its plant-like throat and then suddenly its form starts to become translucent like a thin canvas, then transparent like glass, and finally it is nowhere to be seen. Where there was once a monster, nothing is there. You swear that you can hear a light buzzing from somewhere in the room, but you can't pinpoint its exact location; all other trace of the fungus creature's existence are gone.

The migo becomes invisible, takes the hide action and beats all of your passive Perception scores. You can neither see nor hear it until the start of its next turn. Magic may allow you to find its location if any of you know the proper spells.

The two zombies guarding Yaotl's suddenly pause in place on their strange commander's rant is over. In confusion, they look around. Eventually there eyes settle on each other and they gaze into each other's eyes for a moment.

Then suddenly out of nowhere all hell breaks loose. You can't quite tell exactly what is happening, but the two zombies are now right at each other's throats and wrestling with eachother. The brawl happens too quickly for you to recognize what is happening, but they blood and severed organs are showering the ground. Eventually the two combatants collapse into a mass consisting of both of their gore and destroyed organs. This brawl started in seconds and ended in seconds.

Both zombies have been reduced to 0 hit points.

All that is left of the enemies is the bloodied cat, who has seemingly lost its murderous intent and is now simply pawing at Yvonne's armored feet playfully; which is a shockingly similar motion to the attack it had just performed. Regardless, it seems to have lost any sense of hostility.

The zombie cat has surrendered.

Combat is over.

______________________

Kikeana, the only sick patient in the room who can still stand, has returned to sitting at the end of her straw mat and is looking out of the room almost wistfully. "I remember hearing that chanting coming from the ritual chamber. It always gave me the deepest fears. I used to wonder how someone could get their voice to reach such a pitch. It simply never occurred to me that what was saying it wasn't human, but I should have known better. "

[Zergrinch]

"Watch out, it's too early to relax!" Zuzu squeaks out. "That thing is still around! Do we have something like flour that we can throw around the room?"


In an effort to get it to reveal itself, Zuzu starts talking in Deep Speech about stinky mushrooms and their general uselessness in magic.

[Sariel Vailo]

Anastasia will turn to zuzu firat with a worried look than to a mildly annoyed one."It may return i could try to taunt it but i doubt that would help.".
(*Prepare for the annoyed look now)
*" you used me as cover when im not even back up to full strength!"

[Awful]

Yvonne raised her blade and thrust it down once, returning the cat to rest.
"Get in and shut the door, you damnable fools!" she barked before the two could squabble.
"Yoatl! If you're slithering about, show yourself!"

She glanced around the room. How to find something invisible...?

[Zergrinch]

Anastasia will turn to zuzu firat with a worried look than to a mildly annoyed one."It may return i could try to taunt it but i doubt that would help.".
(*Prepare for the annoyed look now)
*" you used me as cover when im not even back up to full strength!"

Zuzu raises an eyebrow, looking extremely confused. "I used you as cover? But, you could have moved away anytime. I wasn't holding you in place or anything!?"


The mosslike crab's feelers turn focus on the door, seeming to take in all the activity coming from it. Its feelers begin to wave hastily as a cluster of coals from the brazier next to it levitate into the air. The coals are then shot like searing bullets at the door. It falls from its hinges under the reign of the flaming projectiles and collapses on the ground shattered.

The fungus creature shatters the door of the Northeast room.


Yvonne raised her blade and thrust it down once, returning the cat to rest.
"Get in and shut the door, you damnable fools!" she barked before the two could squabble.
"Yoatl! If you're slithering about, show yourself!"

She glanced around the room. How to find something invisible...?

Zuzu steps over the shattered door into the new room. "You mean this door, Knightess?"

[Sariel Vailo]

Anastasia will look verry exhausted and say, (low hp)was their a potion of some kind to heal me up or at least perk me up.yes knightess but i thought the door was broken as well."

[Awful]

Yvonne looked at Zuzu.

Yvonne looked at the shattered door.

Yvonne wiped the blood trickling from her nose and sighed.
"... Vitay's blood. The door had broken, yes. Belay that order."

[Requilac]

In an effort to get it to reveal itself, Zuzu starts talking in Deep Speech about stinky mushrooms and their general uselessness in magic.

You are fairly confident that your 6th senses are telling you that the migo is deeply insulted by these comments and is fleeing out of embarrassment and shame.


Yvonne raised her blade and thrust it down once, returning the cat to rest.
"Get in and shut the door, you damnable fools!" she barked before the two could squabble.
"Yoatl! If you're slithering about, show yourself!"

She glanced around the room. How to find something invisible...?

The sword cleaves through the gaunt cat with nearly impossible ease, cutting through its tiny bones as if they where mere toothpicks. It it of such a small size that the downwards thrust actually manages to bisects it into two smoothly cut pieces. Blood pools out from the two severed parts, but the cut was made so perfectly that no organs seem to come out. A disturbing purring noise is still coming from its dead jaws, and its black, glassy, soulless eyes still gaze at you as if to make you feel guilt.

Kikeana looks at this without changing her facial expressions much at all. "Poor pearlmint, he was always so sweet. Why did he so innocent have to face the worst fate?" She places her hands over her eyes and begins to sob, but not nearly as much tears come out as the sobbing noises she makes indicates. She would probably be crying a stream right now, but there simply isn't enough energy left in her body to produce the tears.

The other patient, Herrunli, can't get back up, but manages to roll onto his back and turn his head towards Kikena. "Think the order will do that to us too when we kick the bucket?"

Kikeana responds in a shrill scolding voice. "Herrunli! Why do you say such things. The order has done nothing to hurt you, except for the minor pains necessary for medical testing, why do you seem to hate them?"

A slightly humorless smile is on Herrunli's face but you can't tell why he would have such an expression. "I hate 'em because they're terrorists who masked themselves as monks. And lookin' at that scene out there, I can see that that ain't just a theory anymore. I warned you, but you didn't listen. "

[bc56]

Yaotl cautiously opens the doors and peers into the room, hearing voices. He doesn't want a confrontation with Yvonne, not now, not when the Migo could still be about.

[Zergrinch]

"Oh look there's Mr. Snakey! We can't see it, but maybe a wolf can smell it!"

[Sariel Vailo]

Anastasia will call to yaotol
"Yaotol i would like to apologize for how acted. Zuzu may have a point a animal may have keen enough senses to detect the beast."

[Requilac]

You can hear a rustling sound coming from the upper part of the cieling, and those of you out in the foyer can see some vines and leaves in front of a window briefly part. Suddenly afterwards the buzzing stops. It appears that the fungus creature has left the building.

There are still four rooms you all have yet to explore. A room to the southwest corner which Yaotl ducked into during the fight, a room to the north which is blocked by an oaken door supported by thick metal struts and chained with a heavy padlock, a room to the northeast where a sickly green light coming from the slit at the bottom of the door, and another room to the southeast with a largely unremarkable door.

Map of the Building: https://app.roll20.net/join/3076330/sclkCA

[Zergrinch]

Trying his best to ignore the splattered remnants of the poor cat, Zuzu approaches the brazier and gives it a thorough investigation. What is its purpose given the context of the room?

Investigation: [roll0]

[bc56]

Yaotl moves to the door with the green light and attempts to open it.

[Requilac]

Trying his best to ignore the splattered remnants of the poor cat, Zuzu approaches the brazier and gives it a thorough investigation. What is its purpose given the context of the room?

Investigation: [roll0]

It seems like the purpose of the brazier is simply illuminate the foyer. Or at least, it certainly achieves that goal without doing anything else out of the ordinary. You suppose that one could possibly cook something over it, but the brazier is a little too tall for that.


Yaotl moves to the door with the green light and attempts to open it.

The door is seemingly closed, but it is not locked or otherwise barred. You can swing it open into what can't be anything other than a ritual room. Five approximately human sized statues of hideous monsters cover the wall. All of them are illuminated by the light issuing forth from a cauldron in the center where some sort of strange flowers are burning.

The first statue to your left you almost mistaken as a sort of human, but then you realize that this cannot possibly be. The most obvious sign of the statue's freakishness is that the face is stretched too tightly across the skull and takes on a much too quasi-canine cast for it to possibly be a mortal. Looking down from the face you recognize that the statue is abnormally thin and its legs and arms are disproportionately large for its body. Wicked claws scrape against the ground and the statue's leering face is lined with fangs. On the base of the statue there is an inscription which reads "Know the name of Vrahmorelic, That Which Lurks in the Darkness to carry out her sinister schemes. Learn from the goddess of cunning by showing her art made from her prey which has been carved into her likeness and then you will become one with the shadows. "

Next to it on the right you see a gaunt creature slightly reminiscent of a gargoyle. What you notice most is its massive pairs of bat-like wings sprouting from the statue's hunched back. This statue too has a vaguely humanoid form, but you can't possibly mistaken it for a human like you did the last one. A long barbed tail is poised to lash at you from under the statues head which is barren of any sort of face. The gargoyle's claws flank an inscription on the statue's base which reads "Behold Netopyrkazahn, The Soaring Reaper who feasts upon all that dwell within Zihnn. Show deference to the blind goddess of fear and the night by submitting to a game of chance with no hope and your senses will be adapted to the impenetrable dark. "

At the point in the room furthest from you a mass of seemingly randomly carved stone is placed. It takes you a while to realize that someone had actually carved this rock, but in the most chaotic way possible. It appears like a conglomeration of fist sized formless bubbles are overlapping each other in the same space, but each bubble has a face representing a different emotion. Each of the bubble-shaped spirits seem to want to pull away and escape from the mass, but all in vain. An inscription at the base of this statue reads "Praise Azathoth, The Lord of the Dead who embodies the pure chaos of the lightless vaults of Zihnn. Worship the god of the underworld by sipping from oblivion and be bestowed with the form of the master. "

Next your eyes drifts around to the next statue which is carved into the likeness of some sort of creature which vaguely reminds you of a kangaroo. But except for having the normal head of a kangaaro, it has a craning, snake like neck which leads to a barren head with nose and eyes where its forehead should be. The statue's arms are freakishly long and end in long, sickle shaped claws that could tear through metal with ease. Where you to walk in front of it, you would have noticed that it is posed in such a way to look like it is scanning the prey in front of it before pouncing. An inscription on the statue's base states that you should "Witness Podkankrysa, The Queen of Rodents who mothered all the vermin of Zihnn. Appreciate the goddess of rodents by wearing her mask and then you shall be gifted with her vicious tenacity."


Finally, in the corner of the room you see a statue of what appears to be of a strange giant. It is largely of apish shape, but the beast you see has two arms that seem normal up until they elbow where each arm splits into two separate forearms, forming a total of four arms. Disturbingly, instead of the mouth opening horizontally from ear yo ear as you are used to, the creature's maw runs from where its nose should and arches around the top of its head to create a vertical opening. Two large eyes made from a lustrous silver stone are aside its mouth and gaze at you with scrutiny. At the giant's massive feet, there is a base which holds an inscription which says that. Admire Strazhliadka, The Undying Sentinel who protects Zihnn from the intrusion of the living. Pay homage to the goddess of vigilance by wearing the shards of her destruction around your wrist and embracing her strength.

[bc56]

Yaotl inspects each of the statues in turn, lingering longer on the first and fourth statues, those of Vrahmorelic and Podkankrysa. It seems the messages beneath them are instructions in order to gain some sort of blessing. Maybe there are items nearby which could fulfil the requests? Suddenly, it occurs to him. The items he picked up in the other room might be connected, after all, it includes items similar to those requested by each statue. Experimentally, he retrieves the bone figurine and shows it to the statue of Vrahmorelic, making sure its stony gaze falls upon the statuette.

[Zergrinch]

Zuzu conjures a ghastly floating hand to take out a fistful of the coals inside the brazier, and drop them on the ground. For research purposes!

While they cool, the young wizard pokes his head into the room Yaotl came from (Southwest).

[Requilac]

Yaotl inspects each of the statues in turn, lingering longer on the first and fourth statues, those of Vrahmorelic and Podkankrysa. It seems the messages beneath them are instructions in order to gain some sort of blessing. Maybe there are items nearby which could fulfil the requests? Suddenly, it occurs to him. The items he picked up in the other room might be connected, after all, it includes items similar to those requested by each statue. Experimentally, he retrieves the bone figurine and shows it to the statue of Vrahmorelic, making sure its stony gaze falls upon the statuette.

The hollow eyes of the statue are suddenly hazed over by a sheen of maroon light of such a dark shade that you are amazed that it can glow. Abruptly you can hear the grinding of stone as the jaws off the statue closes, drawing its eyes towards you. Under this gaze you experience an unearthly feeling which you have trouble describing but vaguely reminds you of the slight unfocused nature of the senses which comes before sleep. Eventually this sensation largely dies down and you regain your faculties but its residual affects remain in slight. Due to this, you feel as if you can almost meld into the shadows and become one with the darkness...

You gain proficiency in the stealth skill, or if you already had proficiency with this skill, then you gain expertise in stealth. While in dim light or darkness you may choose to take the Hide action as a bonus action. You have disadvantage on ability checks and attack rolls while in an area of direct sunlight though.

You can't fathom a guess as to when this magic wear off.




Zuzu conjures a ghastly floating hand to take out a fistful of the coals inside the brazier, and drop them on the ground. For research purposes!

While they cool, the young wizard pokes his head into the room Yaotl came from (Southwest).

The coals clatter onto the floor with a faint hissing as they swelter the stone below. Nothing special or out of the ordinary happens when you do so.

You then walk into the Southwstern room and see absolute carnage within It must have been a barracks used to provide beds and storage for people, but now it is graveyard. Nearly twenty bodies are scattered around the place as if a tornado landed down within. As many deceased are crumpled against their blood soaked cots as there are ones collapsed onto the ground. Almost all of them are covered in red swellings at vital points around their bodies, in contrast to the rest of their bodies which have gone deathly pale. There are also the wounds of weapons as blades and venomous fangs worked together to massacre those within. Silver and personal belongings are strewn around the room among the bodies without care, indicating that the attackers cared not for wealth. A small candle in the corner of the room casts ghastly shadows of the corpses against the walls, turning the room into some sort of hellish theatre.

One of the corpses though catches your eye more than the others. While the rest are all of citizens of Senckried without the plague, one of them is... something even more inhuman. At first, they just appear to be a normal human infected with a terrible leprosy that made their skin scaly, flaky and sallow, but then you realize that the being has no legs. A strong serpent's tail, the color of a rattlesnake in autumn, replaces the legs of the freakish humanoid. The halfsnake must be a warrior, for it wears a thick pelt of some black skinned animal over it that has been stained by blood; blood of both it and its enemies. Still clutched in its hands are crimson scimitars; both of which where well fed in the hunt before they had clattered to the ground. This being fought in this room, and for it, died in this room among the fallen of its enemies.

Piles of spilled silver coins are lying in pools of blood on the floor. If you take the time to pick through them, you could definitely find a small fortune.

[Zergrinch]

CON save: [roll0]

Perhaps it was the knowledge that he was about to die, or perhaps the gruesome vision of his own entrails that was shown to him. It could also be the vicious way Yvonne has been dispatching enemies as of late, the kitten being the most latest example. Whatever the reason, Zuzu doesn't feel a thing when he surveys the absolute carnage within the barrack. In fact, he observes from a rather clinical viewpoint that most of the humans were killed by a being more snake-like than Yaotl himself.

Even though his stomach no longer threatens to rebel, the lifeless eyes still bother the young gnome. And so, he spends 11 minutes summoning an unseen servant, whilst his mage hand flits around to close the lifeless eyes of the decedents.

The Mage Hand and Unseen Servant will:


Close all of the eyes of the decedents
Gather every object in the room, including coin, into three piles in the brazier room. Pile 1 shall contain weapons and armor. Pile 2 shall contain coin. Pile 3 shall contain personal effects and adventuring gear.

Zuzu will:


Examine the snake-man, paying attention to its fangs (can he extract venom from it still?) and its crimson scimitars.

[Sariel Vailo]

Anastasia will try to find a room to go into that was yet unsearched.(the map is not loading on my phone)

[Requilac]

CON save: [roll0]

Perhaps it was the knowledge that he was about to die, or perhaps the gruesome vision of his own entrails that was shown to him. It could also be the vicious way Yvonne has been dispatching enemies as of late, the kitten being the most latest example. Whatever the reason, Zuzu doesn't feel a thing when he surveys the absolute carnage within the barrack. In fact, he observes from a rather clinical viewpoint that most of the humans were killed by a being more snake-like than Yaotl himself.

Even though his stomach no longer threatens to rebel, the lifeless eyes still bother the young gnome. And so, he spends 11 minutes summoning an unseen servant, whilst his mage hand flits around to close the lifeless eyes of the decedents.

The Mage Hand and Unseen Servant will:


Close all of the eyes of the decedents
Gather every object in the room, including coin, into three piles in the brazier room. Pile 1 shall contain weapons and armor. Pile 2 shall contain coin. Pile 3 shall contain personal effects and adventuring gear.

Zuzu will:


Examine the snake-man, paying attention to its fangs (can he extract venom from it still?) and its crimson scimitars.


The snake person appears to have venom dripping from their fangs, and it was recently slain, so you assume that you might be able to extract the poison given the proper time. Next you pick up its scimitars and begin to analyze them. The handle is made from a twisted green root and the blade appears to be a solid silver which still has quite a bit of lustre. This weapon was certainly made using some sort of magic, but in and of itself doesn't seem to have any special properties.


Anastasia will try to find a room to go into that was yet unsearched.(the map is not loading on my phone)

You see a room to the southeast that has not been explored, and you find that to be your destination. You walk over and open the door to the door to a chamber of absolute blackness. Luckily due to your darkvision you can look all around you and see that it is a storage room. Crates and barrels of food, clothing, simple weapons, and ammunition, some of which are unopened, are stacked tightly against all of the walls.

What is most remarkable about this room though is the half eaten corpse you almost step on as you enter. A hive of rats are swarming around the corpse feasting upon it with fiendish delight. The person may have been recognizable once, but now so much as been devoured by these evil rats to do so. When the rodents see you, they hiss in unison at you in a clear sign of disapproval. There is something not right about the way these rats are organization.

[Sariel Vailo]

anastasia will say to the rats "i have no quarrel with you continue your meal good night.
she will think to herself these rats either have the plague or work for the order of Umbra.than leave believing it safer to go find Yvonne.

[Requilac]

CON save: [roll0]

Perhaps it was the knowledge that he was about to die, or perhaps the gruesome vision of his own entrails that was shown to him. It could also be the vicious way Yvonne has been dispatching enemies as of late, the kitten being the most latest example. Whatever the reason, Zuzu doesn't feel a thing when he surveys the absolute carnage within the barrack. In fact, he observes from a rather clinical viewpoint that most of the humans were killed by a being more snake-like than Yaotl himself.

Even though his stomach no longer threatens to rebel, the lifeless eyes still bother the young gnome. And so, he spends 11 minutes summoning an unseen servant, whilst his mage hand flits around to close the lifeless eyes of the decedents.

The Mage Hand and Unseen Servant will:


Close all of the eyes of the decedents
Gather every object in the room, including coin, into three piles in the brazier room. Pile 1 shall contain weapons and armor. Pile 2 shall contain coin. Pile 3 shall contain personal effects and adventuring gear.

Zuzu will:


Examine the snake-man, paying attention to its fangs (can he extract venom from it still?) and its crimson scimitars.


As the party seems to be largely not preoccupied with other pressing matters, you can complete the ritual in relatively good time. You can find a wide array of simple weapons and ammunition on the people to put into the 1st pile, about 1 or 2 per person, but the armor is a little lacking. Most of them just had a simple aketon, and a couple managed to fashion armor from animal hide, but nothing metal was involved. These sets of rudimentary armor or for the most part too broken to be used until they are fixed. The pile of adventuring gear is pretty slim as the cultists did not seem to carry much on them. Mostly just rations, waterskins, torches, lanterns and whetstones, where only four books and a fishing tackle are objects which strike you as out of the ordinary. The different books are titled The Book of Azathoth, Dhol Chants, The Necronomicon, and The Pnakotic Manuscripts. . As for the coins, you are able to collect 135 silver coins, which is really about as much as you expected.

[Zergrinch]

Zuzu takes out the empty potion vial which he used to make a levitation potion, and gives it to his unseen servant. He orders it to extract a full portion from the snake creature's venom sac, before heading back to the brassier room.

"Hey everyone," he calls out. "Here's all the stuff I gathered from the other room! Boy, Mr. Snakey and his friend sure showed the stupid Order who's boss!"

Zuzu then approaches the pile of loot, and picks out the following gear for himself:


One whetstone
One fishing tackle
One ration, which he immediately tries to feed to the oversized toad that miraculously didn't run away. "C'mon Toady, speak to me, I'm your friend!"
All the coins (135 silver). OOC: Zuzu is now holding 152 silver coins on behalf of the party. We can split it right now. There are four of us, so each person can get 38 silver.
Unable to decide which book is more interesting, he takes ALL of them for further study, stuffing them into his burgeoning pack. The wizard's apprentice is simply greedy like that.


"Oh, and Mr. Sna-- Mr. Yaotl sir," he goes to Yaotl showing him the pair of scimitars recovered from the snake person, "I got these from your friend. I thought maybe you should have them, because the handles are made of wood. Good for druids, right? And it's properly silvered too!"

[bc56]

Yaotl enters, at Zuzu's call. "Thank you, child," he says, taking the blades from the gnome.

[Zergrinch]

Zuzu takes a look at Anastasia, who seems to still be paler than usual.

"Miss Anastasia, you don't look so good still. Maybe you should drink the potion you got? Oh, and what's in that room you went into? Anything good?"

[Requilac]

One ration, which he immediately tries to feed to the oversized toad that miraculously didn't run away. "C'mon Toady, speak to me, I'm your friend!"

During the battle you dropped the toad in the other room, so you now have to go back and get it. The frog hasn't moved from its spot one bit and is just glaring at Kikeana absentmindedly. She seems slightly uncomfortable with that. Recognizing this you bring the toad out into the main room and hold some stale crumbs of a biscuit out in front of him.

You instantly regret that decision as its massive slimy tongue comes out and scrapes against your hand. It moves much slower than you thought it would as it laps up the crumbs. It then lets out the most disgusting rolling gurgle (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61f81QiwJxo) you have ever heard and despite the fact that it only actually last for seconds it feels like the noise goes on for hours. Eventually it ends and that noise is still buzzing in your head.

[Sariel Vailo]

She will drink one of the potions praying to vitay it be a healing one.angry murder rats and they are having a feast.strange enough they hissed together as if having one mind but many stomachs.

[Zergrinch]

You instantly regret that decision as its massive slimy tongue comes out and scrapes against your hand. It moves much slower than you thought it would as it laps up the crumbs. It then lets out the most disgusting rolling gurgle (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61f81QiwJxo) you have ever heard and despite the fact that it only actually last for seconds it feels like the noise goes on for hours. Eventually it ends and that noise is still buzzing in your head.

Instead of being put off by this, Zuzu seems amused instead. And amused he is, for he has discovered an annoying noise he can use later for his Minor Illusion cantrip.

Patting Toady on the head, he squishes the remaining biscuits and nuts in the ration pack he opened, and set it on the floor in front of the oversized toad.


She will drink one of the potions praying to vitay it be a healing one.angry murder rats and they are having a feast.strange enough they hissed together as if having one mind but many stomachs.

Zuzu raises an eyebrow at this. Murderous angry rats with a hive mind? This he's got to see.

Cautiously, of course.

And so, he pokes his head into the room Anastasia vacated. "Hello, Ratties!"

[Awful]

Yvonne have the pile of discarded weapons a brief look.
"Hmmph. Worthless," she dismissed the shoddy implements before she crossed her arms and stared at the yuan-it.

"Well, Yoatl," she said. "What did you find as you skulked about before us?"

[Requilac]

Instead of being put off by this, Zuzu seems amused instead. And amused he is, for he has discovered an annoying noise he can use later for his Minor Illusion cantrip.

Patting Toady on the head, he squishes the remaining biscuits and nuts in the ration pack he opened, and set it on the floor in front of the oversized toad.

The toad gluttonously devours the remaining food as if he has never eaten before. She or he doesn't appear to like the nuts as much, but is against all odds managing to eat them anyway. Last time you checked, this wasn't anywhere close to a toad's natural diet, but your friend seems to not mind it that much at all.



Zuzu raises an eyebrow at this. Murderous angry rats with a hive mind? This he's got to see.

Cautiously, of course.

And so, he pokes his head into the room Anastasia vacated. "Hello, Ratties!"

You look into the room and automatically you hear a cacophany of screeches echo shake the walls around you. What must be a hundred sets of red, beaty eyes stare at you with malevolent intent. Suddenly the loose group starts to clump into one massive group at the center of the room which are climbing over each other. Then the sound of a hundred claws of murderous rodents scraping against the ground is heard as they rush towards you like bullets.

Luckily, you were aware of the threat and can react first. Combat has begun, but the party has won initiative.

[Zergrinch]

"Bad ratties!" Zuzu says as he reacts quickly with a cantrip. "Exceio Manus!"

Action: Cast Mage Hand to close the door. Trigger: End of Party's turn.
Move: Move as far away as possible.

[Requilac]

Battle Statistics and Map (https://app.roll20.net/editor/)

Anastasia: 14 HP
Yaotl: 19 HP
Yvonne: 22 HP, 5 THP
Zuzu: 20 HP, affected by Song of the Divines (1d6)
Rat Swarm: 52 HP


AC 11, HP 52, saves (STR +2, DEX +3, CON +4, INT -4, WIS +0, CHA -2), resistance to necrotic damage, resistance bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage from attacks without area of effects, immunity to poison damage, immunity to being exhausted, grappled, poisoned, prone, restrained and unconscious.

[bc56]

Yaotl gestures and summons a bonfire beneath the rats.


Fire damage: [roll0]
Rats Dex save: [roll1] DC 12

[Awful]

"Even the common vermin rise against us now?"
Yvonne readied her blade, as much as that'd do against a swarm of rats.

Yvonne readied an attack but otherwise held.

[Requilac]

The door may be in their way, but the rats attempt to charge it anyway. They slam against it with full force and you can hear it buckling on its hinges. A hundred teeth and claws tear and dig through it with a ravenous ambition. You can’t imagine the door holding up much longer after this onslaught.

Enemy turn has ended, Your turns now.,

[Zergrinch]

"T-they're still coming! Toady, run!"

The young gnome backpedals behind the brazier, and nudges Toady back towards the other room. As his eyes alight on the hot coals in the brazier, Zuzu has a sudden flash of inspiration. He mentally commands his magic hand to scoop up a handful of coals and scatter them in front of Yvonne and Yaotl. Surely, surely some rats will be cooked by the coals if they charge!

Surely?

Move behind brazier.
Action: Instruct Mage Hand to scatter hot coals from the brazier in front of Yaotl and Yvonne.
Bonus Action: Instruct Unseen Servant to temporarily suspend venom harvesting, and to push one of the fresh corpses towards the brazier room. Given the rats' ferocity, the corpse might serve as a good distraction.

[Sariel Vailo]

"This was why i left them alone,vitays breath i dont have enough power to handle this.."

[Zergrinch]

"Then lend us your remaining power, Miss Anastasia! Please?"

(OOC: A very unsubtle hint to give bardic inspiration to one of us.)