Night Below (IC)

[BobMacBobson]

"A red star? Doesn't sound familiar to me. If it is an omen, I'd ask the gods for a clearer one." He coughs, and looks over to Avaris and Mirafa. "No offence, of course." As he watches Gordrenn leave, he packs up the few things he has. "And I agree; omens or no omens, we should keep our eyes open. Let's hope our package doesn't attract unwanted attention."

[Lentrax]

Mirafa returns her things to her now customary traveling position, shield slung over a small pack on her shoulders. The gods are often vague, sending a warning, but with few details. It is up to us to remain vigilant. Shall we be off?

[ProudGrognard]

Avaris

His packing mostly done, and having said goodbyes to the peddler, Avaris joins the conversation

"Well said, Mirafa. But on the topic of vigilance, yesterday on my watch, a lizardman came near our fire and left without coming too close. I think he was afraid of something. There is a thick atmosphere of fear in these parts and I would dearly like to know why. Our host was also too keen to leave.

I hope we will find out more when we deliver the package."

[Lentrax]

Speaking of the package, how should we carry it?

[Xihirli]

As the group travels north toward Milborne along the path the peddler had described, they note the rarity of farmland in the area. Haranshire, at least the parts that you've seen, is high elevation. The whole place is on a plateau with rolling hills. You're nearly always traveling up or downhill.
It isn't until almost sunset that you see any farmers. Three of them are trudging down the road headed towards you. You're about close enough that one of them - holding a pitchfork - raises her hand in greeting right about when Emrig and Avaris simultaneously call out a warning. They point toward a group of people who are trying (and failing) to conceal themselves behind the thin shrubbery off of the road. Two of them spring up with bows, and slowly rising between them is a man clad in scale mail with a greatsword hefted over his shoulder. None of them speak, but arrows are drawn. The two unarmed farmers scour along the ground, one picking up a long stick that could be used as a club, the other picking up a larger branch that he is wielding like a greatclub.

And it's initiative.

Spoiler: Initiatives

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Archers:
1. (1d20+2)[8]
2. (1d20+2)[16]
Leader: (1d20+2)[20]

Farmers:
1. (1d20)[6]
1. (1d20)[18]
1. (1d20)[18]

Spoiler: Positioning

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They were waiting in ambush for the greatsword wielder to be able to reach you easily, so they're about twenty feet off the road.

[Ricky S]

Liara is taken aback by the sudden appearance of bandits despite expecting some sort of trouble.
She immediately takes some sand from a pouch and begins casting a spell. Her eyes glow gold as the magic surges through her.

Spoiler

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She is casting a sleep spell on her turn, she rolled a 12 in the ooc but has a +3 to her initiative so 15 total. She will target the archers

(5d8)[12] hit points worth for the sleep spell

[Xihirli]

The leader points his greatsword right at Mirafa in a challenge.
"You two put the mages to sleep. I'm playing with this one."
He moves directly up to Mirafa and swings his greatsword in a broad arc, but Mirafa has fought brutes like him before, and pushes the blow aside with her shield.

The farmers are a bit too far off to melee. The two with improvised weapons dash up and end up behind the leader, panting a bit, the woman with the pitchfork a beat behind them.

The fastest of the archers, a male half-drow with a shortbow, follows the leader's orders and looses an arrow that grazes Liara's ribcage. Instantly she can feel her blood burning at the unwelcome intrusion.

Spoiler: Liara: DC 11 Constitution Saving Throw

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On a failure, you take one poison damage. If you fail by five or more, you are unconscious.

And you already took 4 piercing damage.

Next up is either Liara or Mirafa.

EDIT: Liara is unconscious, Mirafa is up.

[Lentrax]

Mirafa has been challenged. And true to Helm’s edicts, she will answer the challenge. She deflects the leader’s sword handily, then swings her sword in to strike his side.

Spoiler: Attack

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Attack: (1d20+4)[5]
Damage: (1d10+2)[5] Crit: (1d10)[6]

Wel, ****.

[Xihirli]

The leader, while put off-balance for a second by the weight of his swing, was a practiced warrior and twisted his body so that the sword bounced harmlessly from his armor.

((Avaris is up.))

[ProudGrognard]

Avaris

Amidst the missed blows and the chaos of the melee, Avaris looks as if enraptured around him. It takes him a bit to process what is happening, but as he does, he voice starts ringing around the battlefield:


"Those who walk with the Light have nothing to fear
I am the Lantern in the Dark
I am the hammer of the Sun
And I will smite thee, cause I have judged you and I have found you wanting.

Luminas Es!"

With the last syllable, a great wave of shimmering light fills the area, burning the bandits

Spoiler: OOC actions

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Cast Radiance of Dawn as Channel Divinity.
All hostiles in 30 ft make a Con save vs DC 13 and suffer (2d10+3)[18] or half if successful

[Xihirli]

Spoiler

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Hostile creatures... interesting.
Farmer 2: (1d20+1)[13]
Farmer 3: (1d20+1)[11]
Leader: (1d20+3)[11]
Archer 1: (1d20)[1]
Archer 2: (1d20)[9]

Narration to follow.

About midway into the speech, the leader laughs.
"And by whose power do you - " his grunts interrupt his own taunt as he averts his eyes, taking the full force of Mithras's light. The two archers backing him up cry out - the half-drow and goblin alike crumple to the ground behind the foliage. Surprising some of you, the farmers who had ostensibly been charging in to help you ward off the bandits also take the light of the sun, one of them collapsing as though their soul has simply been burned out of his body, the other remaining in position, gasping as though he'd briefly glimpsed death.
The leader looks back, surprised that the farmers were hit.

Spoiler: Insight DC 12 that will become pointless in a second

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The "farmers" were part of the ambush, and therefore hostile creatures.

Spoiler: DC 17, same check

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the leader’s grunts are off-time. He started reacting to the pain just a bit late. He’s faking it, though his body is certainly taking the punishment.

The remaining farmer calls out to the man who challenged Mirafa: "You're on your own, Carlanis!" It seems likely that on her turn she'll be running the other way.

((Emrig is up. The remaining "farmer" and Carlanis are directly adjacent to one another.))

[BobMacBobson]

Emrig mutters a few words, and a thin dark mist starts to emanate from the bandit leader. The dwarf notches an arrow, aims, pulls back, and lets go.

Spoiler: Rolls

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Bonus action --> cast Hunter's Mark
Action --> attack with longbow

(1d20+4)[18]

Damage:
(1d8+2)[10] piercing from bow +
(1d6)[1] piercing from mark

[Xihirli]

The arrow flies straight and true toward Carlanis’s head, but at the last moment he lifts his left hand, which is impaled palm-first. You hear bones crack and muscles tear, but no groans. He grips his greatsword in both hands, snapping the arrow in half to allow this.

The woman with the pitchfork was lucky enough not to have charged in yet, and turns away, running off as quickly as she can. ((Dash away. She's out of sight behind the slope of a hill.))

Carlanis lifts the greatsword over his head and brings it down on Mirafa. The blow cuts her through the chain mail and blood pools through the chains.

The standing "farmer" with a large club drops it and ducks away from the conflict, running off the way he'd come. ((Disengage, retreating 30 feet.))

((Mirafa takes 9 slashing damage and is up. Next hit on him is almost certainly lethal.))

[Lentrax]

Mirafa grunts as the sword tears into her. But she isn’t dead. Far from it. And so the paladin raises her sword, and brings it down, slashing toward the leader, this Carlanis.

Spoiler: Attack

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Attack: (1d20+4)[22]
Damage (1d8+2)[4]

[Xihirli]

As Mirafa swings, something odd happens. She's certain she was about to kill him anyway, but Carlanis moves his head directly into the path of the blade. Her sword buries itself partway into his skull, and the man dies, his body still twitching. He falls to the ground, and with a loud CRACK the man's skull breaks further, and out of it comes...
No, that couldn't possibly be his brain. It's got legs.

((Avaris is up. Strike that. You're all before its next turn except Mirafa and Liara, go as you arrive.))

[BobMacBobson]

"What in the nine hells is that?!" Not wanting to loose momentum, Emrig pulls out the two small axes at his sides, and charges the creature. He swings one in a sweeping arc, then tries to bring the other one down on top of the brain.

Spoiler: Rolls

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Action --> attack with handaxe
Bonus action --> off hand attack with handaxe

Main hand:
(1d20+4)[14] attack roll
(1d6+2)[8] handaxe damage
(1d6)[6] hunter's mark damage

Off-hand:
(1d20+4)[7] attack roll
(1d6+2)[8] handaxe damage
(1d6)[5] hunter's mark damage

[Xihirli]

Emrig's first handaxe chop cuts into the right hemisphere of the four-legged brain, causing purple ooze to seep out of the thing's frontal lobe. A hissing sound fills not the air but your mind. The four legs scuttle rapidly, and Emrig's next chop clangs into the dirt road.
You've taken my suit, you each hear whispered in the back of your heads.
Your mage will make a fine replacement.

[ProudGrognard]

Avaris

Continuing to recite in a clear voice, Avaris points at Liara and targeted beam of sunshine engulfs her.

"And the Herald said
Those who walk in the Valley of the Shadow
Have no fear, cause I am there
With comfort, warmth and light

Therapeia licht!"

Even as some of the wounds of Liara start to mend, Avaris then turns his light to the weird creature. He has had no time to think what it is, but there is no point now, His light becomes hot and intence

"The Bearer looked and said:
By the Lantern and the Light
You have wounded my brethen
So I shall wound you too

Hiera ignis!"

Spoiler: OOC actions

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Casting Healing Word on Liara as a bonus action, healing (1d4+3)[4] and Sacred Flame at the thing, ST vs Dexterity or suffer (1d8)[4] damage

[Xihirli]

Blinding light descends toward the four-legged brain, but it scuttles sideways and is untouched. While the "farmer" continues his full-on retreat, the brain runs directly for Liara's head, running around Mirafa's legs.

Spoiler: OOC

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Emrig can make an attack of opportunity on the brain. If you hit an AC 12 and deal at least 7 damage, nothing beneath this spoiler can happen.

Rather than attacking Liara, it simply leans toward her head. Liara feels her mind going numb as something foreign is trying to consume it, replace it. It is trying to dominate her intellect.

Spoiler: Liara

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I need you to make an Intelligence check against this thing's (1d20+1)[15].

[Ricky S]

Though unconscious, the portents she read in the morning flicker through her mind. Things which made no sense at the beginning of the day become clear and she steels her resolve against intrusion.

[Lentrax]

This thing, whatever it is, wants Liara. And Mirafa is not going to let it have her. She pulls her sword up, and channeling the night of her devotion to Helm, slams it down, bringing the cutting edge of the old blade down to the brain.

Spoiler

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Attack: (1d20+4)[21] Damage: (1d8+2)[4]

If the attack hits, I am also going expend a 1st level spell slot to use Divine Smite. (2d8)[10]

And I it counts as a fiend (probably not) it takes an additional (1d8)[7] Radiant damage.

[Xihirli]

The blade slices until it's embedded halfway into the monster, and when the radiance of Helm's power bursts from the weapon, the brain is torn apart by the forces and scatters in five pieces, each oozing purple blood.

((We're out of initiative.))

[Lentrax]

Seeing the deed done, Mirafa bends down and wipes her blade off on what is left of the former bandit leader’s clothes before returning it to her scabbard.

She then kneels down over Liara, places a hand on her shoulder and gently shakes her.

Wake up, sleepyhead, we haven’t made camp yet.

[Ricky S]

Liara wakes with a start "What happened?" She looks up at Mirafa with a confused expression.

She sits up and looks around noting whats left of the brain and the general mess of the fight. She touches her chest where the arrow grazed through. The cloth torn but only a faint mark on the skin underneath.

She smiles at seeing her companions standing there. "Thank you, I thought I was prepared for the road ahead. I was clearly not."

She dusts herself off and collects her belongings that may have fallen down. She casts mage armour on herself.

"I am ready to keep going, we should search the remains of those here.

[Lentrax]

Indeed. And we must be wary as we go. One of them ran away. There may be more bandits about. But hopefully not more of... these Mirafa says, pointing at the brain oozing purple blood.

[BobMacBobson]

Emrig cleanes the blades of his axes on his sleeves, before collecting his arrow from the fallen bandit captain. "Aye, don't think I'll have a good night's sleep in a good long while after seeing that." he says, pointing at the remainders of the creature. He nodges it with the tip of his bow to make sure it isn't moving. "We should get moving; I'd rather have a roof over me head and a couple walls around me if things like this are running around these parts." He looks over to Liara. "If yer feeling fit to travel, of course. Gods know anything that messes with yer mind is nasty business."

[Ricky S]

"My mind is strong it appears though my body is more frail. In amy case it is preferable to keep moving than tarry on the side of the road"

[Xihirli]

Liara begins searching the bodies. Between all of the bodies, Liara locates 9 gold and 32 silver coins. In addition, the goblin and half-drow (the archers) each have handwritten journals. The goblin's is in Goblin, and the half-drow's is in Elvish.

Spoiler: Half-drow's journal

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It details various alchemical formulas struggling to replicate Drow Poison, with the last entry talking about a weakened version that the owner of the book, Zeresh, had managed. It would have to do for now, Carlanis just told him of a necromantic threat that Zeresh was going to have to gear up to face.

The archers have leather armor, shortbows and 39 arrows between them, two of which have that poison drying out on them. Zeresh has three empty bottles and Poisoner's kit. The dead "farmer" intentionally didn't bring any gear for the con to work. Carlanis had that big greatsword and was wearing scale mail.

[Ricky S]

Liara hands out 3gp and 10 silver to each party member only keeping 2 silver for herself "It is not much but without the three of you I wouldnt be here."

She relays to the group what she read in the half drows journal. "I dont suppose anyone can read Goblin? If not then im ready and good to leave"

[ProudGrognard]

Avaris

Avaris hands back Liarra her fair share.

"Don't be silly. You were just unfortunate. I don't agree to start apportioning shares according to perceived usefulness. Take your fair share. You have earned it.

Now, I am most interested on what happened here. This ...creature is not something we should have met in a roadside ambush.And the existence of a half-drow here trying to replicate drowish poisons I find most disturbing"

Avaris tries to think if he knows anything about such a creature.

Spoiler: Intelligence check

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Intelligence (1d20+1)[21] , +2 if religion is applicable

EDIT: Hah! I learned its name and its favorite hobbies!