Wrath of the Righteous - Worldwound Incursion [IC]

[Frosty]

Lunalesca
HP: 20/24 | AC: 19 | Init: +2 | Fort/Ref/Wil = 6/4/8
Diplomacy/Bluff +11 | Knowledge Religion/History +8 | Knowledge Planes +10 | Perception +11 | 
Resources:  Channels 5/5, Fire Bolt 6/7, Dragon Scale 1/3
Effects: Bless

Luna takes a step back (outside of dagger range), and then fires a bolt of flame at the glaive-wielding cultist! "Skerak, focus fire!" In her case, literal fire.

Spoiler: ooc

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5ft step away from the cultist. Use Fire bolt on the other cultist (who attacked Skerak): (1d20+5)[8]
Fire damage: (1d6+1)[3]

[Kish]

Hesper continues attacking the cultist blocking the stairs.

Spoiler

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Attack: (1d20+5)[22] (minus two if she can't flank with anyone) Critical threat check (on an 18-20): (1d20+5)[13] (minus two if she can't flank with anyone) Damage: (1d6+1)[7] Sneak attack damage if flanking: (1d6)[3] Critical damage: (1d6+1)[5]

[Zhentarim]

Diamond reloads his pistol and studies the nearest cultist.

[Kallimakus]

Upstairs, both cultists falter under the attacks, but remain standing. Skerak manages to step beyond the reach of their weapons now that one abandoned his glaive. The two cultists, seeing that they are outmatched here, share a determined look and nod. "Night will fall upon this mortal world" one of them says, "By the will of our master" the other concludes. Both raise their unholy symbols high, bathing the room in a pall of negative energy.

Downstairs, the tiefling buckles under Shauna's attack, out of breath and clutching his wound. "It's... not over" he gasps, his fingers forming into an arcane gesture before thrusting at the Paladin.

Spoiler: OOC

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(1d6)[4] Channel 1, Will half (Cultist will (1d20+5)[16])
(1d6)[2] Channel 2, Will half (Cultist will (1d20+5)[9])
(1d20+5)[9], (2d6)[8] Tiefling
(1d20+5)[6] Scorpion familiar vs Shauna (it provokes first, if she wants to AoO)

Results: Cultist 1, by the stairs, is still standing, barely, while the central cultist falls down.
Tiefling is Staggered at 0 hp

[Zhentarim]

Spoiler: Will Save

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(1d20+4)[23]

(What I do depends on the result)

[Diachronos]

Spoiler

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Will saves: (1d20+2)[8]/(1d20+2)[19]

Hit: (1d20+7)[16]/(1d20+7)[16]
Damage: (2d6+8)[11]/(4d6+16)[28]

[NeoSeraphi]

Shauna attacks the scorpion and then the tiefling, aiming to kill.

Spoiler

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(1d20+5)[16]
(1d8+6)[8]

(1d20+9)[21]
(1d8+9)[16]

[Kallimakus]

The second cultist is slain by Skerak's blast. The upstairs is clear. Downstairs, the sounds of struggle cease as well.

The downstairs room is divided in two with a wall and an ornate double door. Which is locked.

Spoiler: Loots

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The tiefling carries:
A wand.
Bracers with arcane sigils
Heavy Crossbow, 12 bolts
Morningstar
A cloak of Resistance (If you've seen one, you've seen all of them)
Two keys
29 gp

Cultists (each) have
potion of cure light wounds
unholy water
mwk chain shirt
mwk glaive
dagger
spell component pouch
Unholy symbol
10 gp

[Frosty]

"Who needs healing?" asks the cleric as the fight finishes up. After healing everyone up, she looks to the ornate door. "Let's try one of the keys. I wonder what's behind here."

[NeoSeraphi]

Shauna searches the bottom floor, looking for any evidence of wrongdoing or any new infromation.

[Kallimakus]

The door clicks open at the turn of the key, revealing the rest of the basement.

The semicircular room has been outfitted with numerous demonic decorations. The green glass lanterns hanging on the walls give the room an eerie glow. A brazen minotaur head hangs from one wall above an altar covered with wavy-bladed knives and curved bulls' horns, while star-shaped symbols in red decorate other walls. A large wooden chest sits near the west wall.

The second key opens up the chest, revealing a hoard of treasure, gold, silver and copper coins, with other items peeking out. You can see fine silverware, jewelled swords and silver holy symbols of Iomedae mixed in with the rest. It weighs about 150 lbs, full as it is, and is too cumbersome to be carried alone. On top of everything is a bound sheaf of papers.

Near the altar, there is a letter

Spoiler: OOC

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Everyone entering the room needs to make a Will Save.

Thea letter has relevant information gated behind skill checks. (Planes) and (history, planes, or local)

[Frosty]

Luna enters the room, wondering what the tingle she felt is. She likely didn't resist it, but for now she decides to try to see what that letter is about.

Spoiler: ooc

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Luna got a 12 on the will save. She will use Knowledge (history/planes) on the letter: (1d20+8)[10]

[Kish]

Hesper walks into the room as well, studying the altar curiously. "Not real subtle. They sure customized this place fast if they only set up here after the attack at Armasse."

Spoiler

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Will save against a spell: (1d20+3)[17]
Knowledge: History: (1d20+4)[21]

[Kallimakus]

Hesper recognizes the names on the note.
Minagho, the one that signed and wrote the note, is the fiendish ruler Raliscrad, a city swallowed by the Worldwound.
Vorlesh, on the other hand, is rumoured to be the one who helped open the Worldwound from the material plane in the first place.

This is going to be huge news.

[Kish]

"Huh. I don't know who that altar's consecrated to--Baphomet, from the letter, probably--but these names are big. Bigger than the Storm King of Iz, even. I'd say there's a real chance the city really is on the brink of getting eradicated," Hesper says in a surprisingly matter-of-fact tone. "We better tell Irabeth about this."

[Zhentarim]

Diamond said "Yes, we need to let the paladin know, right away. Wiping sweat from his fat, red face, he makes sure his pistol is loaded before dropping it to his side, but he doesn't holster it.

"Is there anything we need to do first?"

[Diachronos]

"We still have to investigate Topaz Solutions."

[Zhentarim]

"Let's get going, then." Diamond said gruffly.

[Frosty]

"Turn the wardstones to their use? But...isn't the wardstone here destroyed already?"

Luna is ready to go.

[Diachronos]

"Hm..." Skerak rubs his chin. "...We know the wardstone isn't maintaining the barrier, yes. But they could be trying to make use of whatever power is left within it."

[NeoSeraphi]

"This is an outrage! We need to retreat. Everyone, back to the Defender's Heart!" Shauna orders.

[Frosty]

"Err...retreat? Why? Head back to report our findings, yes...but I wouldn't qualify this as a retreat. After we report, we still have Topaz Solutions to investigate right?"

[Zhentarim]

"Yes, we need to investigate Topaz Solutions at once."

[Frosty]

"Diamond, the chest and everything else is too heavy. We should secure it back at Defender's Heart, and then give the intel we found to the others JUST IN CASE we get killed or we can't get back to the Heart after investigating Topaz Solutions."

[Kallimakus]

After some debate, you decide it would be for the best to head back to Defender's Heart. You pack the treasures to sacks to balance out the weight, to about 60 lbs, more manageable between the group. The dead are left where they lay, and you are armed with new information about the enemy and their plan. On your trek back, there are occasional distant screams that are the normal course for the ruined Kenabres, but then a woman screams nearby. Only on the next street would be your guess.

Do you investigate, or press on?

[Zhentarim]

"Guys, should we look into that? I am loaded and ready to go!"

[Frosty]

"Yeah. No time to be slow. We've got to help!"

[Kallimakus]

The group heads out to the sound of the screams. They emerge into the next street, finding four men holding down a woman to the ground. She's the one that screamed, though now she only whimpers in fear. The men are armed and armored as soldiers of Kenabres, though they have been living rough for days, and look like they've fought a few battles since the destruction. There's a desperate look to their actions, of men pushed to the breaking point and then right through it.

One of them raises a sword to slay the maiden, invoking the name of the Inheritor, to forgive them and bring victory.

[Kish]

Hesper nocks an arrow and aims it at the man and yells, "Stop, or die!"

[Frosty]

“What in the name of the Inheritor are you doing? Is that woman a demon cultist?” should the cleric as she looks upon the scene. “Stop and explain yourselves, or face the wrath of a paladin!”