(5.24 PBP) Vault of the Dracolich (IC) Redux

[FitzTheRuke]

"Hey, if some of you want to go to the Caves," suggested Corrah, "I know a way across the river down under the waterfall. It would be a bit of a climb back up on the other side, though! No road! But I can get ya there, without us all passing in front of the Watchtower."

 

[Steve Gorak]

After relaying what he has seen through Svetlana's eyes and what whe had relayed to him, Aywin sets about preparing for the trek down.

OOC: Attack with paddle: 16 (true strike)

 

[Lidgar]

Bjorn patted Bill's head before standing and stretching a bit. He then turned towards the water's edge and his eyes took on a glazed looked.

"I will lead the way. Follow my wake."

He then got down on his hands and knees and with a whirl of leaves and the smell of wet earth, he and his equipment transformed into a giant frog. With a small croak he then leapt into the water and began swimming deeper into the tunnel.

Spoiler: OOC

OOC: @FitzTheRuke Hoping Bjorn can give advantage on the navigation checks for the boats if he leads the way. Bjorn AC:17 HP: 43/43 HD:4/4 PP:15 SSdc14 3/4 2/2 WS:1/2 SC:2/2 Giant Frog Form Size: Medium; Actual HP (43) +12 Temp HP; AC 17; Speed 30 ft., Swim 30 ft.; Str 12, Dex 13, Con 11, Int 10, Wis 16, Int 10; Senses Darkvision 30 ft., Passive Perception 15; Stealth +4 Amphibious. The frog can breathe air and water. Standing Leap. The frog's Long Jump is up to 20 feet and its High Jump is up to 10 feet with or without a running start. Bite. Melee Attack Roll: +3, reach 5 ft. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) Piercing damage. If the target is a Medium or smaller creature, it has the Grappled condition (escape DC 11). Swallow. The frog swallows a Small or smaller target it is grappling. While swallowed, the target isn't Grappled but has the Blinded and Restrained conditions, and it has Total Cover against attacks and other effects outside the frog. While swallowing the target, the frog can't use Bite, and if the frog dies, the swallowed target is no longer Restrained and can escape from the corpse using 5 feet of movement, exiting with the Prone condition. At the end of the frog's next turn, the swallowed target takes 5 (2d4) Acid damage. If that damage doesn't kill it, the frog disgorges it, causing it to exit Prone.

 

[MetaVoid]

"I don't expect they need extra weapons. They probably don't truly expect trouble this far out. And the food...we need to hurry if this is enough food for until they are done." The ranger grabs the cloak and looks at it, shaking off the dust.
"If we're doing this deception, we should do it properly. I would prefer caves to just walking in, even if we bluff our way in, this will be most difficult fight because they will all ne there. However many that is. We don't know anything, so, let me cast the scroll, beside their numbers, and pass phrases, what should I ask?"

 

[Tonguez]

TEAM LAKE-SUBJECT: Shade-9 - SYSTEM UPGRADE v.4.0

Shade-9 stood by as the team settled along the stream bank, stretching, drying out and making what repairs and preparations they required. A thin blue line shimmered across his chest plate and then vanished, 14.3 seconds, like an indrawn breath as internal access nods opened, his core temperature spiked and a lattice of faint myofilaments expanded, compressed and reknit across his framework and joints. An arm twitched, recalibrating and then settled, fingers flexed more quickly, more fluidly.

[Core System Upgrade v.4.0 ASIDx2: Improved Dexterity Subroutines-Reaction Time--Precision Targeting
Tactical Role: Stealth Recon / Precision Ranged
Override Log: Mission Fidelity 68% Team Cohesion 83% Heuristic Adaptability 80% significant divergence due to emergent companion-priority algorithms]

When Svetlana returned, he was ready, renewed and moved back towards the Kayaks
"I will take Bjorns place" he suggested, as Bjorn took to the water, leaving Loklafd to join Aywin.
"The cave is dark ahead" he continued, his vision adjusting for the dark conditions "Aywin and I can see in darkness, the current seems moderate, I am confident we can navigate without light."

OOC: Really! Dexterity check: 1D20+3 = [8]+3 = 11 1D20+3 = [1]+3 = 4 - It seems my ASI Level Ups havent quite fully updated

 

[Kobold Stew]

Team Ambush/Team Kobold

Urgan comes down the road to the wagon, and as he passes through the illusionary barrier he has made, he releases concentration on it. He surveys the damage, and the corpses, when someone suggests using Speak With Dead from a scroll.

He knows he can cast the spell, but says he is not certain why any of the deceased would answer their questions. Neverhteless, he will cast it if others wish.

In the meantime, he looks to the wagon itself, and makes any quick repairs to hide battle damage -- if a board has been knocked loose, or an axel needs tightening, he's the man for it.

OOC: Crafter's Fast Crafting, if needed or relevant. After his rest, he can cast Prestidigitation to remove bloodstains on clothing, too.

 

[Hriston]

Spoiler: Terrin - Team AMBUSH

Terrin AC:15* HP:27/31 HD:4/4 PP:14 SSdc14 4/4 3/3 CD:2/2 Slp:1/1

Observing his level of armor compared to the rest of his companions, Terrin declines Merrick's offer of a cultist's robe and opts for the cloak and badge of one of the deceased human mercenaries, affixing the badge prominently to his shield to obscure the fountain-image displayed thereon.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Team Lake

The winding tunnel was, perhaps longer than they imagined it would be - certainly quite long for the two humans, blinded by darkness. But Darius had practiced long hours of meditation, and he used that training to keep himself calm as he paddled, trusting Shade-9 to navigate. Loklafd also found the darkness somewhat disturbing, paddling into dangers unknown, but he kept himself busy, keeping the craft steady by feel while Aywin pushed them off of the walls with a paddle.

Bjorn swam on ahead, sometimes sliding on his belly at the bottom along well-worn slick stone, sometimes popping up to the top where his frog-eyes could make out the next turn. Finally, the tunnel opened up into a massive cave, and the stream poured over a fifteen-foot drop into much calmer water. He hopped up onto the bank and croaked out a warning for the kayaks behind him. Aywin and Loklafd beached on a patch of mud, but there was little room left for Shade-9 and Darius to do the same - they moved past, a little too far, and were thrown over the waterfall, plunging into the lake. When they bobbed back up, Bill had been washed off the bow, but he popped up a moment later and weasel-paddled his way to shore, shaking the water off and squeaking in indignation.

OOC: In the Dungeon for real now!

Spoiler: Map

 

[Kobold Stew]

Team Ambush.

The wagon repaired as best as he is able, corpses carried to a pile at the side of the road, Urgan drags that of the lone orc and intones the spell from the scroll. The harsh guttural words of the necromancy spell are uncomfortable on his tongue, as he plays with magicks he personally dislikes: necromancy is an ugly business.

As he reads the words, they vanish from the scroll he reads, and eventually life, or a semblance of it, returns to the deceased. He addresses him in orcish, hoping that will prove familiar and perhaps less reluctant to share what this body once knew.

He asks the following:

1. What is your name?

2. What last request can we fulfill for you if your answers to my following questions prove to be true?

3. What is the password at the gate?

4. How many are inside?

5. What do you know that the cultists inside kept secret from you?

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Team Ambush

The orc coughed and spat the blood that still choked its unbreatging lungs. The unnatural movements of its face muscles did nothing to make Urgan feel any better about his use of necromancy. He hoped the answers he received would do more.

"Ghhuuh. I'm called Brogh the Blade. Twas so long, long ago, but I 'member now... my mum called me Bruggie." the orc replied to the first question, his scarred, veteran face scrunched up at the memory, looking almost soft and vulnerable.

"I sired two orclings," he said to the second, turning proud and serious once more, "Give Angur my axe - he was always too soft, an' show 'im ta use it!"

To the third he answered, "We was told ta yell at the bridge, 'Feed the Beast!' Or the Watchtower is ta kill us all Again at the gatehouse, though ol'Argyle will laugh at it. An' he should. Tis stupid. Bah! I guess it will feed 'im. The Beast I mean."

To the fourth question, he shrugged, "I don't do no roll-call. Cultists comin'. Cultists goin'. Priests, wizards, alchemists. I dunno. Maybe a hundred, all told. Probably less. Not less than half that, for sure."

To the last question, he answered, "I dunno if tis true. Rumor says the Dragon ain't real. A watchyacallit, fake. A construct, maybe. Cultists might be lyin' to us, but I don't think that's it. I think crafty ol' Sikakul is lyin' ta the Cultists. Keeps 'em in line, see?"

The corpse chuckled - a horrible wheezing sound through what was left of its pierced lung. Then it shuddered and was still once more, the spell having ended