Pax Viginti Team 1 IC [5E]

[TriciaOso]

Sardis is overwhelmed, clearly, by the dragonborn bursting into the scene, radiantly adorned and trumpeting his presence.

"My god!" he squeaks. "I've never seen one of the Big People! Are they all so... loud?"

He runs nervous hands over his sparse silver hair, but seems to focus and orient himself as the other gnome addresses him.

"Ah--yes. Welcome to Donegal, friends. The situation is not, not what I would hope for. I could hear the howling going up from the village last night. I, I must say I had expected you yesterday. However... sunrise is a good time for these things, I suppose." The sun is just barely appearing above the horizon; you should be able to reach the mansion before it's fully up, if you went straight there.

Spoiler: Perception 10+

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The shadows of the standing stones form a holy pattern; it is a little distorted because the sun is not fully up yet, but is coming more fully in focus.

"I have not yet been able to go down into Donegal and find out what the cost of the night was, but I would likely expect them to have added to their numbers." His fists clench with emotion.

Spoiler: Insight DC 5

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He's frightened and angry about what's happening.

Spoiler: DC 10

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He's growing scared the contagion is out of control and will consume the whole village.

Spoiler: DC 15

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It's clear there is something in his past that haunts him and that this reminds him of.

Spoiler: DC 20+

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Under the fear is an angry determination to see things through.

"I know you must make haste, but before you go, there is a blessing my gods I would like to place on each of you, if you agree." He channels the power of his god, Enlil of the sky, of the sun and moon and stars and rain, and opens eyes that shine with a mingling of all those light. "You were all born under strange stars, but I can see... I can see where you belong."

To Raven: "You carry the sign of the Satyr. You are the rescuer, the hero who saves rather than destroys. The youngest planet shines on you."

Spoiler: You feel a blessing granted.

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Once today on an INT-based saving throw or contested check, you may roll a d4 and add it to your score.

To Jeevok: "You, too, were born under the constellation Pan. The ringed planet shines on you."

Spoiler: You feel a blessing granted.

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Once today on a WIS-based saving throw or contested check, you may roll a d4 and add it to your score.

To Temaias, hesitantly: "You carry the sign of the Great Roe... how fitting! A mighty king, seeking who he may devour. And the red planet shines on you. A giant indeed, sent for our deliverance."

Spoiler: You feel a blessing granted.

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Once today on an STR-based attack or check, you may roll with advantage.

[Bobthewizard]

Raven Rune Attic Wizard 11/ Artificer 1 AC: 18 HP: 75/75 Ward 26/26 PP: 19 PInv: 18 PIns: 10 Conditions: none

When Raven sees Temaias in all his splendor, he rolls his eyes and speaks telepathically to Jeevok, "At least the vampires won't be focusing on us."

But when the Dragonborn starts to talk about the information he received from his god, Raven is intrigued and speaks to the King, "That is incredible. Nice work. This is fascinating. A plot to raise vampires. A conspiracy to hide their true intent. I wonder how far this goes? Is it limited to this world? Other planes? Maybe even Pax Viginti itself?"

He takes out his notebook and starts to write his theories down. Finally, he looks up to the cleric when Temaias finishes talking, "Does any of this mean anything to you?"

when the priest gives out the blessings, Raven bows his head a little, unsure of the proper customs here, "Thank you"

[Ninja Dragon]

"Thanks for the blessings, Sardis. And don't worry. We cannot recover the people who were lost, but we will end this today."

[Nyan]

Temaias Dragonborn Paladin/Sorcerer AC: 19 HP: 92/92 INIT: -1 Passive Peception: 15 Passive Investigation: 9 Passive Insight: 11 Conditions: Can reroll one str-based attack/skill once this day. Current Initiative: -

When the gnome cleric asks if all big people were loud he would reply in swift order. "One needs to be loud to scare away evil-dooers! You should shout your litanies to the heavens so that all will hear!" He speaks loudly bordering on shouting. However when the cleric spoke of the nights events...And the potential loss of multiple lives Temaias' demeanor deflates but not by much. His wide grin turns to a soft smile, kneeling down and placing a hand on the Clerics shoulder. "Then we will bring them salvation of an eternal rest...We might not have saved them in this life...But we will surely save their spirits." He speaks in a calm tone, hoping that his words would ease the gnomes greif. However Temaias at the same time felt his heart ache, his own fist clenching harder around the hilt of his sword. Slowly standing up again he curses in his own mind.< "If only I hadn't delayed..."> He thinks, giving a look towards Raven as he did...

When the cleric speaks of blessings Temaias would nod in acceptance, listening to the gnome as he spoke of their signs. He would close his eyes and feel its power suffuse his body and took a deep breath. "And deliverance you shall receive!" He replied, yet again returning to his normal demeanour. He wanted to ask the cleric about the visions he had seen but he figured those could wait until after the direct threat of the vampires had been dealt with. "Come on companions! We will delay no longer! To the castle!"

[TriciaOso]

At Raven's description of the visions, the old gnome trembles, clearly disturbed. "The summoner... the mists... yes... yes." He glances at the sun. "We have so little time... when I was young... my brother and I were adventurers. We fought a necromancer who was opening a gate to... a terrible place. A land of mists, and shadows, and... evil. That was far from here, but the evil... the evil is the same."

He closes his eyes and shudders. "But you must go." He locks eyes with Temaias, craning his neck. "Yes. To the castle, my friends. The only way out is through. We have to pass through the bitter waters to reach the sweet."

He reaches behind a standing stone and draws out a pack. "I have prepared these for you, from the font here in the temple." The satchel contains six vials of holy water.

---

As you hurry down the hill and reach the southern edge of the village, all is quiet. In the surrounding countryside, farmers are rising to tend to their fields and their livestock, but with the danger in the village no one is getting up too early. The street is empty, but you pass one house where the door has been broken down. The doorway is dark and ominous. In the market square, no early vendors are setting up, and all the inn door is barred, the windows shuttered.

And ahead of you, all the time, stands the mansion on the outcropping, glowering over the town. The file told you that before Talbot bought the mansion, it had passed through many owners, but at one time it belonged to a country squire named Stuart, with an unsavory reputation. There was a time when this village lived in fear of the mansion on the rise, a terrified, pallid satellite of a grim and brooding land. And now it's happening again.

As you pass through the market square, a dreadful ululating howl, uglier and more insane than any wolf howl you've ever heard, rises, and is answered. It falls silent as the sun rises full above the horizon.

---

By the time you reach the end of the village, you have been in this world less than an hour. No one in the village of Donegal has approached you; you are strangers in a haunted town, and accompanied by a towering, scaly giant. Ahead of you lie old and unsteady steps cut into the slope, leading up to the higher ground, an approach to the front door in full view of the blind windows of the mansion. If you want to circle around the back door, there is an old and grassy path, or you could keep a greater distance cutting through fields and approach from the woods behind the house.

What do you do?

[Bobthewizard]

Raven Rune Attic Wizard 11/ Artificer 1 AC: 18 HP: 75/75 Ward 26/26 PP: 19 PInv: 18 PIns: 10 Conditions: none

Raven takes his holy water and places it in his own backpack on top. One vial attached to the outside next to the wooden stake.

As they walk through town, Raven is constantly muttering incantations and spells. He casts rituals of telepathic bond and water breathing on the party, including Sardis if he is with us. In between, he keeps casting non detection on himself, despite not needing it. It's almost a tic at this point. He summons an unseen servant and gives it a flaming dagger. The servant walks ahead of the party by about 20 feet.

Raven then remembers something. He pulls out two more daggers in their sheaths. When removed from their sheaths, the blade of each one burns as bright as a torch. He gives one to Temaias and one to Jeevok.

"Keep this. If you are ever in magical darkness, this should cut through it. Jeevok, which way should we approach the house?"

Spoiler: OOC

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Each dagger has a level 6 continual flame cast on it.

[Ninja Dragon]

Jeevok grabs one of the vials of holy water and puts it into his bag. Another back-up plan he hopes he won't have to use. There is nothing good about the prospect of not being able to solve a problem with weapons.

He grabs some of the oil of slipperiness and puts it on his arms, legs and neck, to make grappling more difficult for the vampires.

He then answers Raven's question.

"Let's follow the plan. Storm the building through the back door, as quickly and silently as we can. Once the vampires see us, we must already be attacking them."

He then marches ahead of the two, through the grassy path that leads to the back.

[Bobthewizard]

Raven Rune Attic Wizard 11/ Artificer 1 AC: 18 HP: 75/75 Ward 26/26 PP: 19 PInv: 18 PIns: 10 Conditions: none

Raven follows along behind Jeevok, staying on the path about 30-50' behind the goblin. He tries to keep just close enough to see the fighter but not so close to mess up his stealth. His arcane mutterings have slowed and he's no longer looking at his spellbook, but he still mutters quietly to himself as he walks. He checks the telepathy to make sure everyone is on board.

"For the next 50 minutes, we should all be able to talk with this telepathy. Let's try not to speak out loud. I suggest clearing out the house first, starting on the first floor by the stairs to the basement and working our way up to the second floor. As we go, we open all of the curtains to let more light in. Then we take care of the basement. I don't want anything coming from behind us when we attack the vampires."

[TriciaOso]

The three of you creep along outside the fence that surrounds the grounds, making your way to the western gate where this service path leads along the back of the house. As you ease your way along quietly, you begin to get a sense of the mansion for the first time. A solid, well-crafted wooden home, worn a little by the elements, rises from a stone foundation to two stories. edges, once well-trimmed but now overgrown, wrap all around the house. The large yards, front and back, are overgrown; not with years of neglect, but perhaps weeks. Temaias, you can see that on the ground floor at least, and barring any light fixtures, crawl spaces or large exposed beams, you should have just enough space to stand upright. The windows are all lightless beyond the glass.

From the gate, you can see three possible entrances--one, the closest, is set in the stone wall of the ice house built next to the kitchen; the second is the back door leading to the kitchen itself; the last is a sloped cellar door, where deliveries of roots or, latterly, coal would be carried in. You can see the neglected gardens of the back yard, with a footpath leading to a different gate that opens to the rear of the house, and continuing to the woods. You can see that there is a second floor terrace in the back, which is set upon the roof of the kitchen, with a low wall to keep people from falling off without hiding the vista. There are no windows on the ground floor in the back, but there are on the second floor. These windows, too, are pitch black.

All in all, it looks like a pleasant country home, if somewhat gone to seed; however, there is a palpable sense of fear and for the devout among you (just Temaias), unholiness around it. Gathering in the dawn-shadow of the house by the gate, you all feel your skin crawl and a sense of revulsion sets in to the pit of your stomach. Raven and Temaias, you are able to shake it off after a moment, thanks to your faith and battered but still present gnome cheer, respectively. Jeevok, despite your warm cloak, you feel a cold shadow, a bone-achey awareness of your own mortality, and it stays with you even as you are moving out of the dawn-shadow of the building and into the light.

Separating from the group, you hand off one Sending Stone to Raven and ease open the gate as silently as you can, which is very. You creep along the path running beside the house towards the rear doors. As you come to the doors, the first thing you notice is that the cellar door has been nailed shut, messily but thoroughly. You don't think you could open it without a lot of noise and time.

The second thing you see are the six wolves lurking in the bushes. They have not seen you (you're very, very sneaky), but they are awake and alert for intruders. They are somewhat smaller than wolves you have seen before--you don't think you could ride them--but look just as mean.

[Ninja Dragon]

Jeevok realizes even if he can get in unnoticed, his teammates probably will have to either fight the wolves or sneak past them. If they are going to lose the element of surprise, they may as well use it on the wolves.

Attack 1: 27
Damage: 15

Attack 2: 17
Damage: 11

Attack 3: 20
Damage: 17

[Ninja Dragon]

Taking advantage of the surprise, the goblin quickly moves to attack the other three, if he can reach them fast enough.

Rolls: higher than enemy AC/HP

[Bobthewizard]

Raven Rune Attic Wizard 11/ Artificer 1 AC: 18 HP: 75/75 Ward 26/26 PP: 19 PInv: 18 PIns: 10 Conditions: none

Staying behind the fence for now, Raven shoots beams of icy frost at the wolves that are farthest away, leaving the closer ones for Jeevok. Still speaking telepathically,

"I'll get the ones over there. Keep going. Temaias, let's wait here for a second until Jeevok clears things quietly.."

[TriciaOso]

The lone surviving wolf raises an ululating howl to the heavens, then charges toward Jeevok. It snaps uselessly at his armor before being cut down by a ray of frost.

As you all move towards the kitchen door, two more wolves come around the near corner of the house. They stand their ground, growling, and a moment later four more join them.

[Bobthewizard]

Raven Rune Attic Wizard 11/ Artificer 1 AC: 18 HP: 75/75 Ward 26/26 PP: 19 PInv: 18 PIns: 10 Conditions: none

Entering the yard but staying behind Jeevok, Raven shoots another beam of icy frost at the now farthest wolf.

"We've lost our surprise, Temaias. Feel free to run in and make some noise."

[Ninja Dragon]

Jeevok will attack the new wolves who arrive.

Spoiler: OOC

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Attacks 1 and 3: hit
Damage: enough

Attack 2: 1 (fumble)

[Nyan]

Temaias Dragonborn Paladin/Sorcerer AC: 19 HP: 92/92 (2 temp) INIT: -1 Passive Peception: 15 Passive Investigation: 9 Passive Insight: 11 Conditions: Can reroll one str-based attack/skill once this day. Telepathic Bond Water breathing Freedom of Movement. Continual Flame Armor of Agathys See Invisibility Current Initiative: -

At Raven's description of the visions, the old gnome trembles, clearly disturbed. "The summoner... the mists... yes... yes." He glances at the sun. "We have so little time... when I was young... my brother and I were adventurers. We fought a necromancer who was opening a gate to... a terrible place. A land of mists, and shadows, and... evil. That was far from here, but the evil... the evil is the same."

He closes his eyes and shudders. "But you must go." He locks eyes with Temaias, craning his neck. "Yes. To the castle, my friends. The only way out is through. We have to pass through the bitter waters to reach the sweet."

He reaches behind a standing stone and draws out a pack. "I have prepared these for you, from the font here in the temple." The satchel contains six vials of holy water.

Temaias would react as if he was struck by something at the clerics words. One word passing through his lips as his eyes narrowed and he exuded a low growl that would reverberate throughout the entire temple. "...Ravenloft..." He would slowly accept the the holy vails, taking the rest that his companions had left. Meeting the eyes of the cleric, his no longer filled with that innocent gusto and bravery. But the cold white flame of zeal and determination. Yes..It was time...It was time for that.

As they walk through town, Raven is constantly muttering incantations and spells. He casts rituals of telepathic bond and water breathing on the party, including Sardis if he is with us. In between, he keeps casting non detection on himself, despite not needing it. It's almost a tic at this point. He summons an unseen servant and gives it a flaming dagger. The servant walks ahead of the party by about 20 feet.

Raven then remembers something. He pulls out two more daggers in their sheaths. When removed from their sheaths, the blade of each one burns as bright as a torch. He gives one to Temaias and one to Jeevok.

Temaias would as well prepare himself on the journey to the castle. Anointing his already blessed armor with the sacred oils to stave away the grasp of the vampires. He would move at a quick pace but not so quick he would leave his companions behind. He was almost eerily quiet during their march, briefly halting to accept the flaming dagger from Raven with a quick nod and attaching it to himself with a strap on the armor. But then he also spoke. "We need to be even more vigilant...The place of which the cleric spoke of...It is a dark place of horrors that has left scars on the collective consciousness of the world...This will not be no ordinary monsters we will face in there." His expression grew dark, looking towards the mansion, his fist clutching with fury.

"Let's follow the plan. Storm the building through the back door, as quickly and silently as we can. Once the vampires see us, we must already be attacking them."

He then marches ahead of the two, through the grassy path that leads to the back.

As they finally arrived at the front of the mansion he felt the evil from the place. It was like a slick, black ooze and all of his senses were appalled by it. He had to use every bit of his resolve not to charge straight through the front door and listen to his goblin companion. Every fiber of his being wanted to cleanse this place of its horrible corruption, this anathema to himself and all that he stood for. But he bided his time, watching the goblin scout ahead as he would follow the gnome while they moved after.

Temaias marvelled at the way Jeevok moved through the shadows, as much as he disdained the use of such means himself he could appreciate skill when he saw it. He infact lost the goblin from his sight even tho he was looking right at him. Temaias could definitely tell why Jeevok had reached the point he was at.

We move around the back and notice the wolves.

Temaias noticed the wolf creatures only when a couple of them had already been slain. First a couple of them by Jeevok and his radiant sword, another by a ray of frost by Raven. He then took a sprint towards the kitchen door only to be blocked by two wolves that came running from other sides of the building. Temaias wasted no time as he mumbled a prayer under his breath, his sword sparking to life crackling lightning as he swung at the first wolf, cleaving it in twain. The second would be subsequently squashed underfoot as he never even paused his stride to the door. A rather brutal display for the otherwise benevolent Dragonborn. "...You may have wondered." Temaias speaks to his companions as he takes the few steps remaining to the door while Jeevok gets it open. Blood now dripping from his thrumming sword. His expression now grim and cold. "Why I, a paladin have never mentioned an oath. The code that which all warriors of faith swear to their god, for there are many. And usually paladins swear one to devote themselves to, to represent that aspect of their deity." Temaias would at this point take one of the bottles of holy water and over his head he would crush the vail so its contents started pouring all over him. "Ancients, Watchers, Devotion, The Crown, Redemption, Glory, Conquest...And Vengance." Temaias exhales and from his mouth pours and a cold mists that seems to start swirling around him, it is painfully cold freezing you to the very bones. "I am an Exarch of my god...I swear the oath that is needed...I uphold all of them!" There would then be another voice. It wasnt Temaias, but something else. It came from somewhere, from the very minds of his two companions, with each phrase the stone fitted in to Temaias' armor would thrum with power. The voice was powerful, regal, divine. It asked questions, questions that Temaias answered. In their minds they all heard.

What is your life?
"My Honor is my life."
What is your fate?
"My duty is my fate"
What is your fear?
"My fear is to fail."
What is your reward?
"My salvation is my reward."
What is your craft?
"My craft is death."
What is your pledge?
"My pledge is Vengance."
What is your duty?
"To serve Bahamuts will."
What is Bahamuts will?
"That I fight until my death."
What is death?
"It is my Duty."

At the crescendo of his oath Teamaias' eyes flared with blue light, his armors countless runes, sigils and purity seals would flare as well before the entirety of his form was encased in an armor of ice. A second layer of skin forming itself perfectly to his plate, over his head the haunting visage of a true dragon, around his arms and hands massive claws. You could think its chill would harm you even from several feet away and you could not even imagine touching it.

He then stepped past his companions in to the building. Not speaking a single word as he did, he didn't have to. His oath was made, the vampires fate was sealed.

Once he stepped through the door however, his large foot went straight through the doormat on the other side. Underneath the sounds of cracking of ice and shattering metal was heard and a foul greenish liquid would seep up through the ice of his leg, the armor of ice cracking throughout but not shattering. "Wyvern poison..." He scoffs, simply stepping out of the hole, seemingly completely unharmed. "Lets move on. Be vigilant for more traps."

[TriciaOso]

The floor of this room is all flagstones, and someone has pried up the one beneath the mat and hidden a bunch of poisoned caltrops and jagged shards underneath it. It is, as Temaias said, Wyvern poison.

Spoiler: Active or Passive Inv 15+

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One of the adventurers who fell here was a rogue; you're willing to bet he's been fighting wyverns in the last year or so.

Other than the trap, the kitchen seems fairly ordinary. It hasn't been refurbished at all--vampires don't cook--but most of the large fixtures were too big or antiquated or both to remove the last time the house fell empty. It's a large room, with a relatively low roof compared to the rooms you saw from the front. The terrace overhead lands between the first and second floors; between that and the duct work from the stove and some racks for pots and pans (now empty), Temaias will have to move through here at a crouch.

A huge butcherblock counter takes up the center of the room, and a cast-iron sink is next to a pump on your left. It's full of water for some reason. Smaller counters line the walls. Across the room is an antique and battered stove big enough to fit an entire (Small) roast pig. Perhaps surprisingly, a fire is burning on one of the top burners. The exit to the foyer is behind it--the grease and soot on the ground and the broken flue make it clear it was dragged over to block the door, which is also nailed shut.

The room is broadly T-shaped, with hallways stretching left and right at the far end of the room; from the maps, you know these these lead to the servant quarters and dining room respectively.

Standing on the counter is a contraption; a broom is braced against the ceiling, secured in place between two large barrels and lashed together with ropes. Looking closely at the ceiling overhead, you see that several joists have been sawn through. The barrels smell of lamp oil, and are canted towards the hot stove; the flagstone pried from the floor has been incorporated for counterweighting.

Spoiler: Active or Passive Inv 15+

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You can trace the action of the trap; the ceiling overhead is held up, just barely, by the broomstick. Anyone trying to climb up and enter through the terrace would have crashed down into this room, probably right into these barrels, smashing them and tipping over into the open flame. It's chancy, though; might have missed the flame.

Spoiler: Inv 20+

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Of course, someone with a flame cantrip--even just control flame--could make those odds much better.

Spoiler: Inv 25

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The fact that they were willing to set the house on fire, plus, the water-filled sink, means someone nearby has control water, probably. An ice spell would work, too, but then--why the water in the sink?

You see some small signs that a fight took place here; scuffs and hacks taken out of the counters, and a long smear of blood. Nearby, on your right, is the door to the larder or ice house. The door is standing slightly ajar.

Spoiler: Active or Passive Inv 15+

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Raven is able to deduce from the pattern that someone came out of the larder, was subdued, and was dragged back into the cold room. The blood has had time to dry.

Spoiler: Inv 20+

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You are probably looking at where the last of the adventurers before you feel. Looks like they entered through the larder and it went badly for them. One of them made it out the door into here, but not much further.

Spoiler: Perception 20+

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You hear a whispered incantation from the larder.

[Bobthewizard]

Raven Rune Attic Wizard 11/ Artificer 1 AC: 18 HP: 75/75 Ward 26/26 PP: 19 PInv: 18 PIns: 10 Conditions: none

Raven looks around the room. This does not look like a normal kitchen. He describes what he sees to the others, telepathically of course.

As he looks at the trap that Temaias stepped in. "One of the adventurers who fell here was a rogue; you're willing to bet he's been fighting wyverns in the last year or so. But maybe Jeevok should go first."

He looks at the barrels and the flame in the stove, realizing it is a trap. He points out the mechanics to the others. "You can trace the action of the trap; the ceiling overhead is held up, just barely, by this broomstick. Anyone trying to climb up and enter through the terrace would have crashed down into this room, probably right into these barrels, smashing them and tipping over into the open flame."

Looking at the signs of struggle, "From the pattern, it looks like someone came out of the larder, was subdued, and was dragged back into the cold room. The blood has had time to dry. Perhaps one of the last group, but I can't be sure."

He walks over to the stove, careful to avoid the trap, and uses the fire to light a cigar. He takes a few puffs, continuing to mutter his now incessant spells, one of which causes the fire to go out.

"Temaias, do you think you can carry these barrels to the basement?"

Spoiler: OOC

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casts prestidigitation or control flames to put out the fire. Not sure why I took both of those cantrips

[Ninja Dragon]

Jeevok grabs his Sun Blade and lights it. He then points to the larder and says, telepathically: "Spellcaster."

He moves slow towards it, and then kicks the door open, getting ready to attack whatever is behind.

[Bobthewizard]

Raven Rune Attic Wizard 11/ Artificer 1 AC: 18 HP: 75/75 Ward 26/26 PP: 19 PInv: 18 PIns: 10 Conditions: none

Raven runs in right after Jeevok, staying close enough to counter any enemy spellcasters. He keeps his cigar lit in his mouth and his hands ready.

"Be careful. Make sure I can see them when we get in. Temaias, let me go in front of you for now. I'll step to the side when we get in, and then you can charge in after Jeevok."

Spoiler: OOC

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If he finds someone casting a spell, he will cast a 3rd level counterspell.

[TriciaOso]

As Jeevok charges through the door and the sunblade fills the room with light, there are screams of pain and revulsion from overhead. Before things go sideways, he gets a brief glimpse of the room; it's a stone room with a dirt floor, about 15 feet on each side and about 7 feet high, but criss-crossed with high wooden beams used to enhance the storage space, just above head height for a Small humanoid. There's a wooden door on your right, but it's been nailed shut.

At the fair end of the room, slumped on the ground, is an unmoving corpse. His eyes are open, but very obviously dead, even with all the spectral bats that seem to infest the space. They zip and burrow through your flesh, and into Raven as he crowds behind you. Raven, you steel your arcane will against the spell, but Jeevok, already shaken and sickened by the desecrated energies of the house, cannot resist.

That's all you see before the readied spell attacks go off.

One of them fizzles; of the other, one beam misses. The other beam, though, hits, and slams Jeevok back ten feet, smacking into Raven and shoving them both out of the room. Both of you hit the counter in the middle of the room, but fortunately, it's heavy, and Raven absorbed some of the impact. The roof doesn't cave in.

Spoiler: Raven

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Even your brief glimpse is enough to tell, with your high perception, that the corpse was that of a muscular dwarf, a bloody greataxe lying across his lap. He's not wearing armor, or a shirt. He's also not moving. There are two dead people who are moving. They are standing on the ceiling, one in a breastplate--this is the one whose spell you cancelled--and the other in leather armor. They had pale dead faces and burning eyes. The breastplate had a glowing glyph on it. The dirt floor was disturbed and churned up; the other door is nailed shut.

You take 11 damage from the spirit guardians, halved because you made your saving throw. 5 damage total.

Spoiler: Jeevok

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In addition to the 11 points of Spirit Guardians damage, you take 15 necrotic damage from the Eldritch Blast, and are pushed backwards. Total of 26 damage, all necrotic--which is then doubled to 52, because you are vulnerable.

Spoiler: Temaias

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You didn't get to enter yet; Raven asked you to wait, and besides the door is low. With Jeevok and his sunblade lying against the kitchen island, the room is shadowy, but you fear no darkness, and also you can see in the dark. You move at half-speed into the cramped room as you charge in to see what happened to your friends, ignoring the spirit guardians. There is an axe-bearing corpse against the wall and two vampires on the ceiling--but the ceiling is just above your head, here. The churned-up ground is difficult underfoot and the beams are in your way, but you have lots of options besides your sword.

You take no damage from the spirit guardians because Raven dispels them.

[Bobthewizard]

Raven Rune Attic Wizard 11/ Artificer 1 AC: 18 HP: 75/75 Ward 26/26 PP: 19 PInv: 18 PIns: 10 Conditions: none

Raven somehow keeps his cigar in his mouth as he tumbles backward and is attacked by the necrotic spirits.

Forgetting the telepathy, he speaks out loud, "No. no. no. This won't do. We can't have this magic in here."

He waves his hand in an attempt to remove the spirit guardians form the battle, replenishing his ward. He then goes back in the larder to continue the fight, ready to stop the spell casters, but allowing Jeevok and Temaias to go in first if they want to.

"Let's get 'em, boys."

Spoiler: OOC

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Casts Dispel Magic on the spirit guardians.

If the cleric or one of the vampires casts a spell, he will cast a 3rd level counterspell. He will not counterspell the warlock.

[Nyan]

Temaias Dragonborn Paladin/Sorcerer AC: 19 HP: 92/92 (2 temp) INIT: -1 Passive Peception: 15 Passive Investigation: 9 Passive Insight: 11 Conditions: Can reroll one str-based attack/skill once this day. Telepathic Bond Water breathing Freedom of Movement. Continual Flame Armor of Agathys See Invisibility Current Initiative: - Concentration: Sunbeam

Temaias takes a quick scan around the room but finds nothing. Rather relying on the information relayed by the gnome. His expression is serious and grim but none the less encourages his ally. "Good eye, Raven. And yes, I could take those barrels to the basement." But before he has time to go for them Jeevok points out the presence of a spellcaster in the cold storage. Temaias readies himself but stays back as instructed by Raven, nodding at him in understanding and pulling out his scroll of sunbeam as he did. As they fling the door open and all hell breaks loose Temaias wastes no time to barrel head first in to the room. The hostile spirit guardias just being removed as he passes through the shattered remnants of the spell. The floor is rough, and the room is cramped but none the less Temaias sees the three assailants cowering in the rafters and in the back. And cower they shall as without warning Temaias' hand flares up like a miniature sun, illuminating the shadows of the room. All the vampires see before they close their eyes in horror is the flash but when they open them again The shining knight in gleaming armor, the Anathema to their being is suddenly standing bellow them. And then he shouts in the Celestial tounge. "I AM THE SWORD THAT CLEAVES THE WICKED! I AM BAHAMUTS WRATH MANIFEST!" As he with one mighty swing cuts upwards towards the vampire cleric above him.

Spoiler: ACTIONS

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Will move in to the room. Use the scroll with subtle as an action, triggering the astral shard to teleport me in to melee with the Vampires then quicken a use of booming blade at the cleric above me. Will save my reaction for either shield, counterspel or absorb elements.

[Ninja Dragon]

Jeevok screams in pain as he falls on the ground. He then mutters a very ugly swear from goblin language. He then wonders if the pin translated that, but that's not important.

He gets up quickly. This is no time to focus on the pain. He has got way closer to death before. He can't lose this soon.

He grabs his Short Bow, gets close enough to the kitchen to see the vampires, and starts shooting.

Spoiler: OOC

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Attack: 21
Damage: 12

Attack: 21
Damage: 11

Distracting Strike: 28
Damage: 8

[TriciaOso]

The creatures hanging from the ceiling bare their teeth in rage when sunlight invades in their lair again; it's even worse when the giant begins to shout in that despised language. Then he transports himself across the room somehow, and hits John for an absolutely incredible amount of damage, his sword burning with hateful fire.

If John hadn't set that Glyph of Resistance to be triggered by and halve radiant magic, it might have destroyed him completely.

They are both infuriated; Polipox the gnome warlock goes first, burning in the terrible light, and raises his hands to the... ceiling, calling upon his new dark patron to bolster him and to cast down this hateful creature. And his Master answers...

Polipox feels darkness flow into him, filling him with new strength; his fangs listen, his eyes burn like torches, his shadow dances and capers in the shadow cast by the dreadful star the dragon holds. His armor somehow takes on the suggestion of evening wear, his ragged red cloak a velvet opera cloak.

The twitch of a finger, and darkness begins to swirls around the dragon. It fills the room, swallowing up even the sunlight he holds in his hands; darkness from before the sun, between the stars, deepest darkness from the darkest dungeon. But then the dreadful creature calls on his god and he! counterspells! No! The darkness slips away, and Polipox tugs at his collar aghast.

The corpse of Jorge the dwarven barbarian, lying at the giant's feat, twitches, finally roused to its hunger. Poor Jorge didn't make it to vampiric status, no, the Master broke his neck for him. But he still has his uses. He lumbers upright, forgetting the axe of his father in the dirt, and reaches out with bare hands and ravenous teeth for the dragon. His fists batter uselessly against the armor, but he sinks his teeth into the scaly flesh. The last crystal spikes of holy water pierce him, but he doesn't even notice, even as it shreds him. Poor Jorge.

John the halfing cleric, burning likewise in the terrible light and so much closer to the end of his new unlife, shrieks and loses his wits entirely, surrendering to his new hungers. He scrambles down to reach the dragon, heedless of the booming energy that blasts him, and claws and snaps at the dragon fruitlessly.

From somewhere, from a hallway, from behind a stealth check Jeevok did not roll high enough to notice, a dagger flies and strikes the broom, cleaving it in two. And the ceiling comes down. The goblin leaps out of the way just in time, escaping into the ice house as rubble rains down. He takes a glancing blow from one chunk, but the piano, rolled out on the terrace for just this occasion, misses him, and most of the lamp oil that floods the kitchen. The kitchen is nearly impassable, though. A mote of light zips across it, from one side to the other.

Spoiler: OOC

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11 damage to Jeevok; 12 damage to Temaias. 20 damage to John and Polipox from the sunlight, 30 damage to Jorge from Armor of Agathys, 31 damage to John from the arrows.

The goblin is not shaken by this; the goblin has a bow, his horrible sword put away for now, and John has left the safety of the ceiling to batten onto the dragon. He takes three arrows, punching straight through his armor, and crumples to the ground, but scurries back up the wall and under cover. He hisses at the goblin, for a moment taking his eyes off the despicable dragon.

But no one is watching the deep gnome...

[Bobthewizard]

Raven Rune Attic Wizard 11/ Artificer 1 AC: 18 HP: 75/75 Ward 26/26 PP: 19 PInv: 18 PIns: 10 Conditions: none

Raven watches the mote of light fly into the room. What is that? He sees that Temaias is outnumbered and that Jeevok is cut off. Hmm, Banishment? But which one? Perhaps I should Teleport away? Nah, that would be mean. Put up a force field? Light the oil on fire? No, the fairy would just fly over it? Is that mote the fairy? Well, let's make it harder for them to hit us. Blindness it is.

"Let's see if this helps."

Spoiler: OOC

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Casts 4th level blindness, targeting the warlock, the barbarian and the mote of light. DC19 CON save or blinded.

[TriciaOso]

Once there was an adventuring party called the Worldbeaters. From their name, you could tell they thought pretty highly of themselves. They were John, a halfling cleric of a trickster god; Polipox, a gnome fey warlock; Jorge, a wild magic barbarian, and a fairy rogue named Samara. Their story had a tragic ending.

The epilogue isn't looking great either.

The hateful light the dragon holds in his bare hand seems, from the point of view of the Worldbeaters, to intensify in brightness, scorching their eyes. Jorge is dead; nothing touches him now. John has lost the scrap of identity the Master gave him back, reduced to a feral spawn; he shrugs it off too. For Polipox, however, the world goes dark. The tiny, horrible sun in the room is gone, except it's not gone; it's frying him. He just can't see it anymore. He clings to the ceiling and tries desperately to stay oriented to the room. If he loses his bearings, he's got no chance at all.

He screams desperately, "I'm blind! I'm blind!"

Outside, around the corner, Samara hears him.

"Meet me downstairs, Pol!" she shouts back, and readies herself.

[Nyan]

Temaias Dragonborn Paladin/Sorcerer AC: 19 HP: 82/92 INIT: -1 Passive Peception: 15 Passive Investigation: 9 Passive Insight: 11 Conditions: Can reroll one str-based attack/skill once this day. Telepathic Bond Water breathing Continual Flame See Invisibility Current Initiative: - Concentration: Sunbeam

Temaias stares defiantly at the Warlock as he calls on his dark patron but then his attention is drawn to the darkness that starts to surround him. He sees his world go dark and even the sun in his hand get swallowed by it...He is reminded, reminded of the darkness he had stood before once. The cold chill, the hopelessness, he could not see his companions anymore...He was alone. Or so his foes would think! Out of the shadows they would hear a voice. A voice of power, a litany that wounds them simply by hearing. In the celestial tounge he chants "Where there is shadow, I shall bring light! Where the is shame, I will bring atonement! Although I am surrounded by blackness, no shadow shall enter my heart!" From the shadows a bead of light will be seen, slowly growing, flaring. "One unbreakable shield against the oncoming darkness! Unbowed, Unbroken I stand defiant against death itself!" The shadows formed cracks like dark glass and then shatters with a roar from the gleaming dragonborn once again covering the room in the light of his god. "My sword shall burn with the flames of retribution! And those with evil hearts will fear its wrath!" As he shouts his his blade flares with a white fire and before they have time to blink the massive sword cleaves the vampire clerics head of his body. "No demon, fiend or dead shall escape his final vengeance!" The holy flames cascade off the blade as its swung through the air, dousing the warlock in its biting flames. And although he does not see it he feels the presence of the blade as it is bearing over him. Temaias lifting it over his head. "Nothing shall ever avoid my cleansing fire! For I am the hope that burns the tainted!" And with that final phrase he bears down the blade in an overhead swing cleaving a searing wound straight down the middle of the warlock, his wounds scorched by the holy radiance.

[TriciaOso]

Samara the Fairy Rogue streaks across the kitchen, flat out. The moment she can see into the cold room, over the head of the gnome, she gestures and calls out a spell. She's waiting, braced for the counterspell, but it doesn't come. The gnome must be saving it for Pol. Good luck to him, then. She zips into the next hallway then uses her bonus action, too.

The large double doors of the cold house, used long ago for loading in goods and removing barrels and casks once they were empty, have been blocked and barred from within by the vampires to protect their resting place. Now they tremble... shake... and blast open, with a resounding KNOCK.

Polipox the Gnome Warlock scuttles closer, orbiting the horrible dragon, scurrying through the dusty remains of his friend as they settle to the ground, blind to all of it. But he heard the knock; he knows Samara's tricks. All he has to do is go out the door and up the side of the wall... but this. Giant. Thing. Keeps speaking those horrible words. He has to--has to--

He shrieks and stretches out his hand, but the magic evaporates before he can cast it. Was it the dragon who counterspelled him? He curses bitterly and darts out the double doors, groping for the opening, and scrambles up the side of the building. On his way past, the dragon slashes him again--his last coherent thought for some time is no, it must have been the gnome, but the overriding urgency of escape stays with him. He's gone.

Back in the cold room, abandoned by his friends, the corpse of Jorge Son of Harald fights on. Its teeth gnaw useless on the dragonborn's armor, but its hands tear at Temaias, heedless of injury to Jorge, ravenous of injury to Temaias. It hurts. A lot, actually.

Spoiler

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Temaias takes 25 bludgeoning damage.

John Pepper's soul, freed by the servant of Bahamut is greeted joyously at Maneki's Tower of Infinite Diversion.

[Ninja Dragon]

Jeevok is frustrated that the enemies are escaping, he wanted to punish them for the damage taken. He considers chasing after the warlock. But he's not going to push his luck again so soon. Caution is important in this kind of mission, and he just got a big reminder of that.

"Your friends abandoned you, huh?" - he says to the barbarian, who seems way less "sentient" than the vampires, before pulling his Sun Blade again and slashing him.

As he runs, he feels a burst of stamina running through his body, and the pain he is feeling gets somewhat weaker.

Spoiler: OOC

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Action: Sun Blade Attack x3
BA: Second Wind = 20 HP