D&D 5E (IC) Rise of the Dracolich

[FitzTheRuke]

Maccath informed Mord, as he made his plans to confound the Cultists, "The ice-hunters will sometimes send a man down to negotiate with the dracolich or entreat with the cultists. It is not inconceivable that the trolls would escort them. The trolls being decked-out for war is a bit of a giveaway, however. And it would be unusual for so many of them to be involved."

 

[FitzTheRuke]

The Scriptorium "Crack"

The crack in the ice that led from the scriptorium to the dracolich's lair was a treacherous climb over a difficult, icy surface that sloped steeply and unevenly downward - steep to the west, and even steeper toward the south. After sixty feet, it opened into a ceiling fifteen feet above the floor below - or at least it appeared that way, as the floor was covered in a cloying mist that made it difficult to determine exactly where it was, and exactly how large it was before possibly plummeting further.

The "Chute"

Mord and the Trolls had gone down the circular corridor to the lair's primary access - a chamber known as 'the Chute". The chamber was far colder than any area of the ice caves that Mord had explored so far. The cold issued from a yawning pit in the floor that twisted down into darkness, and above which was anchored a heavy iron hook in the ice of the ceiling.

Carved by kobolds into the ice of the walls were images of white dragons in flight. A five-foot-wide walkway extended around both sides of the pit, connecting the entrance to an exit across the room. A portion of the walkway was damaged (by Lorenn), crumbled away into the pit.

These trolls had never descended into the lair, and they had no ropes. Mord quickly realised that there was probably no way to get them to go quietly, and it seemed likely that they intended to jump in and risk the slide. (After all, Trolls were never afraid of minor injury that did not include the chance of being burned.)

OOC: Who's first? (We should probably discuss things like marching order and any precautions that anyone is taking.) Feel free to do it in the OOC thread if it seems like something that requires much back-and-forth.

 

[tglassy]

OOC: Oogabooga always goes first, for fresh meat. Primus is more than happy to let someone else be the first to get eaten.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Before Mord could communicate any sort of plan to the trolls, one of them shouted "Oogabooga!" and jumped foot-first into the Chute.

@tglassy

Spoiler: Oogabooga

Oogabooga slides violently down a sloping tunnel, then out into the cold air of the lair (he likes cold air) and he lands hard on an ice-shelf (taking half of Fall: 3D6 = [2, 6, 1] = 9 so 4 falling damage). He then slides toward the ledge of the shelf, which drops into mist. He can dig his claws in to stop himself from going over with a dc18 Strength save.

 

[gargoyleking]

Mord smiles at this information and after taking a moment to reminisce, he molds his form into that of a particular Ice Hunter warrior with a chip on his shoulder. And before they set out he asks Loklafd to instruct him in the phrasing and pronunciation of a likely battlecry for the warrior in question. (And in their language)

Maccath informed Mord, as he made his plans to confound the Cultists, "The ice-hunters will sometimes send a man down to negotiate with the dracolich or entreat with the cultists. It is not inconceivable that the trolls would escort them. The trolls being decked-out for war is a bit of a giveaway, however. And it would be unusual for so many of them to be involved."

 

[tglassy]

Troll str save: 1D20+4 = [19]+4 = 23


Oogabooga is good at what he does.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Mord did his best to simulate the look of the Ice-Hunter who was known as Orcaheart, and who was Chief Barking Seal's champion and had not been friendly at all to Imani's Agents (he had not been friendly to the Dragon Cultists either).

* * *

Oogabooga dug in his claws and stopped well before sliding off of the ledge. The Lair was dark and shrouded with mist. Other than a single flat-topped nearby pillar looming out of the mist, Oogabooga could not see anything beyond the ledge he was on. As he stood, four other trolls came sliding down. There was not a lot of room on the ledge and the first two trolls that came down slid right for him, uncontrolled. The following two managed to stop themselves with their claws.

OOC: Oogabooga can side-step and watch them slide past and over the ledge, or he can try to stop them with a claw attack each (so +7 vs AC16). If he misses either of them, they'll bowl him over and all three will go over the ledge. Edit: Haw! The second troll broke his fall on the first - look at his low falling damage! Hehe.

GM: Damage Taken: (BGs) None; (PCs) None; (NPCs) IceTroll1 5; IT2 2: IT3 6; IT4: 4 (Falling Damage - So far) Spoiler: Notes Strength Saves; Falling Damage Fall: IT1: 1D20+4 = [6]+4 = 10; 3D6 = [4, 6, 1] = 11 IT2: 1D20+4 = [2]+4 = 6; 3D6 = [2, 2, 1] = 5 IT3: 1D20+4 = [20]+4 = 24; 3D6 = [6, 5, 2] = 13 IT4: 1D20+4 = [18]+4 = 22; 3D6 = [1, 3, 4] = 8 [/sblock]

 

[gargoyleking]

Mord sent his skeletons down next with instructions to catch him if they could. Then, casting a spell for guidance and readying a couple of small kobold daggers he'd pucked up just for similar tasks, he turned around and started his slide belly first and using the daggers to 'try' to slow his fall. It wasn't dignified, but he wasn't likely to come off as dignified antwhere short of teleporting down directly. And he wasn't about to waste any of his precious magic outside of an immediate and dire need. Not that he could see to safely target his landing at this time.

Unfortunately, the skeletons inferiority to the trolls themselves becomes clear as they lose all control on the descent.

Spoiler: OOC

Athletics: 2#1d20+3 10 6
Casting guidance on himself.
Athletics: 1d20+1d4 21

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Mord & his Troll Skeletons

Mord was able to control his descent down the chute. At the end, there was nothing to be done but drop the last fifteen feet onto the icy shelf. By the time he got there, a little bruised, his skeletons had slid right past the gathered trolls and over the ledge into the dark roiling mists. The trolls varied from outright offended to superstitious about the skeletons, and none of them made any attempt to stop them from going over the ledge.

OOC: Just @Charwoman Gene the troll sergeant to get down for this group. (And everyone in the other group).

GM: Damage Taken: (BGs) None; (PCs) Mord 6 (Fall); (NPCs) MordTroll1 11; MT2 16 (Fall) Spoiler: Notes Fall: Mord: 1D6 = [6] = 6 MT1: 3D6 = [5, 4, 2] = 11 MT2: 3D6 = [6, 6, 4] = 16 [/sblock]

 

[tglassy]

Oogabooga side steps.