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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Goonalan" data-source="post: 9510571" data-attributes="member: 16069">Dark Squad in the Secrets of SaltmarshSession #151: The Dark Squad’s First Plan.Dark Squad (in alphabetical order, no egos here).Daktari/Dak (played by Haggis) Male Human Uthgardt Sky Pony Barbarian Lvl 9Fellowyn Silverstream (played by George) Male Eladrin Wizard Bladesinger Lvl 9New Tricks/Newt (played by Bear) Male Tabaxi Warlock Lvl 9Ramshambo/Ram (played by Kev) Male Half-Elf Rogue/Fighter Lvl 7/2Vincenzo/Vinnie (played by Haggis) Male Shifter (Wildhunt) Druid Lvl 9DEAD PCs<s>Nicholai Barbaros Kostyiev/Nicky (played by George) Male Dhampir Cleric of Twilight Lvl 8 </s>RIPNPCs<s>Inverna Nightbreeze (played by George) Female Wood Elf Fighter Lvl 8 (Sidekick) </s>RETIRED<s>Garumn Male Mountain Dwarf Paladin of Moradin Lvl 5 </s>RIP*<s>Tarbin Tul (played by goonalan) Male Human Bard </s>RETIRED<s>Ubmo (played by Goonalan) Supreme Being Lvl 1</s> EXPLODEDUbdug (played by Goonalan) Supreme Being Lvl 2 (When we remember)*Trapped in the Land of the Bad Dead Ancestors.Servants/FamiliarsGerald (Bat/Giant Bat) servant/mount of New TricksOwly (Owl) Vinnie’s familiarArchimedes (very scruffy & old, Owl) Fellowyn’s familiar.The Dark Squad’s to-do list-<ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Find the other four Symbols of Ub, one was left in Deepbridge (Duergar fortress in the Underdark). The others need to be found, they belonged to- Rambles 'Shambles' Bowspirit (halfling killer from Lowhill), Antonio De La Crane (posh kid druid alchemist) & Giggles (crazy wood elf). All of these folk lived in the Saltmarsh region, the Dark Squad have found the De La Crane Manse (in the Dreadwood) and the De La Crane Crypt (in Saltmarsh Cemetery).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Nightshade is in the Deep Dreadwood- except she's not there anymore, but a big red dragon is?</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Blackedge and the Goblin Stair?</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">To join the Pact of the Wild Flame prepare the Witch's Tor for the coming of the starfall, the Witch's Tor is in the Drowned Forest, in the Mere of the Dead Men.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">To join the Pact of the Wild Flame track down the last member of the Pact, a wild elf adventurer called Giggles- and finally put her spirit to rest, and also recover her maze button. Location unknown. SEE 2. ABOVE.</li> </ol>This is session 151, and the Dark Squad are still in the Witch’s Tor, they still have a beacon to light here.They are however, atm, stuck.Or else, last week Daktari got attacked by a Star Spawn ceiling creeper (actual identity unknown) and reduced to 10 hit points in one turn. Ub-Pam (and she’s much tougher than previous incarnations of the Supreme Being- with over 50 HP) also got destroyed in seconds, and the ritual (lighting fire pits etc.) was easily curtailed by the Star Spawn.Things went badly-ish.Also, the Squad have worked out that they have only two more attempts to get this thing right.Or else that’s their initial thinking.So, first thing’s first- bickering.Basically, Vinnie is of the opinion that the Squad should retreat, strategize (back on Castle Argentriver) and then return here with new spells, refreshed and ready to go.Fellowyn is also in favour.Newt is against it- and all other forms of weakness (like planning and resting).The arguments go back and forth for… well, it was certainly over an hour, and keep in mind (this to every DM everywhere) if you just leave the PCs to stew (quite often) they do a lot of the work for you.At the end of the bickering hour (or so) the aforementioned ceiling crawling Star Spawn has developed (possibly) a dozen extra powers- teleportation (possibly), invisibility (possibly), six attacks every turn (possibly), etc.They do the work for you.So, and eventually, we get to here-[ATTACH=full]386203[/ATTACH]Back on-board Castle Argentriver.Hang on![ATTACH=full]386204[/ATTACH]What’s happened to Fellowyn?Has the Wizard done something different with his hair?[ATTACH=full]386205[/ATTACH]Fellowyn, just prior to getting back on-board Castle Argentriver.Afterwards…[ATTACH=full]386206[/ATTACH]The Eladrin is now a Drow.Somehow this makes him look even more Papa Smurf.To make clear, the PCs were in the Witch’s Tor for four hours- that’s a 4% that the DM is going to mess with your PC if and when they you get back aboard the Castle/Time Machine.George (playing Fellowyn) rolls ‘04’.Oh dear.In truth the old geezer takes the change in his stride.And yes, we changed all of his racial traits etc.The rest of the Dark Squad only briefly remark upon the change, although now they’re all (the players) getting a little more concerned about their future rolls- they don’t like the idea of the DM messing with their beloved PCs.Some of them are getting very het up.Then, the first ever meeting of the Dark Squad planning committee.No really, in game none of us can remember the Squad ever doing this before, a five minute- we need to get to X, or kill Y- sure, I’ve heard that before, but not this… Not a group-think full blown strategy summit.And so, another thirty or so minutes are spent drafting the plan- and keep in mind the plan has intricacies, it needs to because the bad guys can teleport, turn invisible, etc. Then a brief shopping trip- back to Waterdeep for a much-needed scroll- Wall of Stone, I think.Which, of course, also requires more rolls for the PCs doing the shopping once they get back on-board the Castle again.And so, eventually, we get back to here.[ATTACH=full]386207[/ATTACH]But here’s the thing- here is yesterday.That may require a little clarification.The PCs, with a little help from the DM- basically I kept shouting at them ‘a Time Machine’, work it out.If they turn the dial on Castle Argentriver for the day before they arrived at the Witch’s Tor then… they’ll still have all five attempts to complete the ritual.That’s what all the clues were about in the magic circle- and other places. You can get on and off time, you can be two places at once- sorta.So, respawn.Fellowyn puts a maze button (Ram’s) on the pedestal.The image appears on the far wall- light the first/large fire pit.[ATTACH=full]386208[/ATTACH]Check, but what’s that? That’s a Wall of Stone which has been left to become permanent, and the triple thick bits are the doorways to the north- both have been sealed shut.Anything beyond the doorways is blocked, unless the creatures can teleport.Spoiler Alert! They can’t.They can’t turn invisible either.Also, they don’t have six attacks per turn, the ceiling Star Spawn have a six attack Action but it’s on a recharge and the power itself only does the big-hit damage if the creature has advantage on its attacks.So, these guys are v. tough, and can be nasty, but… well, we’ll see.Back to the Wall of Stone.Alas beyond one of the northern portals is the exit- the way out of the tor.But that’s in the plan.The Dark Squad have Shatterspike, a magical sword that cuts through stone, basically they’ve packed the can-opener.Therefore, the only way in or out of the three chambers that hold the fire pits is through the door to the south, the one that Daktari is guarding.Then, after a bit of buffing- and the readying of actions, and…[ATTACH=full]386209[/ATTACH]Both fire pits have newly conjured Walls of Fire in them- their damage inflicting fiery goodness pointing inwards, of course.To make clear, the only way to put out the fire pits and disrupt the ritual now requires the Star Spawn to extinguish the Walls of Fire.Or at least one of them.That’s my task.Then- when the second Wall of Fire springs into life-[ATTACH=full]386210[/ATTACH]Oh, but Gerald (Newt’s bat familiar) has been left to watch the pedestal- to see what happens next, what’s the next part of the ritual.Note, Gerald is a tiny bat, he’s a big token (shown above) because that makes him easier to grab and move about.Go…Shimmer in the air, series of dull thuds and-[ATTACH=full]386211[/ATTACH]The Star Spawn arrive- and keep in mind that they too have refreshed, so any the PCs killed previously are no longer dead.Time cuts both ways.There are initially three of the creatures in the chambers, the first- a little three-foot-high aberrant goblin-like psychic screamer is slapped to death by Ub-Pam- five attacks, way to go.Oh, and just to say- Ub-Pam is back, and in style.Remember Pam Ayres it to the max.“An’ so into combat we go again, Daktar-iiiiii.I am Ub-Pam, your metal Matahar-iiiii.An’ you are my stallion, my raging Ferrar-iiiiii.Now let’s chop these bastards up into, Calamar-iiiii.”I had a stash of Ub-Pam’s this week.Anyway, in the opening moments the ceiling crawling Star Spawn- in the corner, gets slowed and shot at a bit.But not much.Keep in mind the instigators of the two Walls of Fire (Vinnie and Newt) are trying to stay out of trouble here, neither of them wants to take damage and then have to make concentration checks.[ATTACH=full]386212[/ATTACH]Moments later Gerald makes a friend.Or rather, he doesn’t.[ATTACH=full]386213[/ATTACH]The other little screaming Star Spawn attempts to put a fire pit out.But is consumed by the Wall of Fire.It gets to fighting.To here…[ATTACH=full]386214[/ATTACH]Right then, the slowed ceiling Star Spawn is quickly killed (actually not that quickly, these things are pretty tough). Both Daktari and Ub-Pam have both just been sliced and diced by another ceiling Star Spawn (with ‘26’ Stealth)- however it then scampers away to hide (badly- ‘1’) on the ceiling just to the north.Just to note these things have a terrifying six attack routine (with extra 2d6 psychic damage on each hit if circumstances permit) but it’s on a recharge.What’s that drawing- well, that’s the chest, the chest that the Dark Squad recovered from the Empress of the Sea, the one that required them to insert three maze buttons into it, the chest that can resize to massive (and shrink to a very small chest), it’s a chest of holding too.Fellowyn identified it in seconds.This is the image that Newt sees through Gerald’s eyes- drawn on the wall across from the pedestal, this is the next stage of the ritual.Note, Newt is sharing this info with his friends thanks to their Rary’s Telephonic Whatnot.And so…The chest needs to be put on the pedestal.Note, it also requires Newt use his action to see this, to use Gerald’s senses.Fellowyn, as it happens, has the chest in his backpack.But…[ATTACH=full]386216[/ATTACH]The Star Spawn are not giving this up. Oh, and at this point Ram is quite certain that there are more Star Spawn through the northern door here- which is sealed by the Wall of Stone atm.The Moonboar and Newt are still trying to stay away from the rough stuff, they’re still concentrating on their respective Walls of Fire.Ub-Pam is down (again) and Daktari is getting hammered (again).[ATTACH=full]386217[/ATTACH]In fact, the barbarian is just about to drop, he can’t take another hit.Therefore, Fellowyn has to get into the fight- get to Daktari, grab him and then dimension door the pair back to safety.While Newt fills the newly vacated far chamber with his synaptic static.[ATTACH=full]386218[/ATTACH]Which is also the moment the PCs discover that the Star Spawn are immune to psychic damage.Which Fellowyn also mentioned earlier.There is swearing.However, the Star Spawn failing their saves are debilitated by the spell’s effects (-6 on lots of stuff).[ATTACH=full]386219[/ATTACH]Meantime tiny Gerald disengages- flaps and flees for his life and is eventually caught up with, his escape route blocked off, by his newfound Star Spawn friend.Moments later Gerald disengages and flee/flaps all the way back to the pedestal- alas the Star Spawn can never catch Gerald this way, and the DM knows it- so, the Star Spawn heads off to kill the Dark Squad instead.[ATTACH=full]386220[/ATTACH]Here we all are again.As it turns out there were quite a few of the Star Spawn ceiling crawlers.But then…[ATTACH=full]386221[/ATTACH]Newt blasts one of the little Star Spawns into (and through) the Wall of Fire on the large fire pit, more importantly after all the damage dice have been rolled- it survives.So, thanks for that.This however is actually the last round of combat for the night, the end of the session.Although…[ATTACH=full]386222[/ATTACH]At the very last moment (initiative something like ‘3’) there’s a shimmering in the air and another dislocated THUD! A transparent-skinned Ogre-sized Star Spawn (presumably) materializes in the midst of the PCs and starts flailing- in quick succession Fellowyn, Newt, the Moonboar and Ram all take a beating.All of them except for Ram are knocked prone by the flailing gorilla-sized Star Spawn.The ferocious creature yawps, screams and bellows like a mini (but not so mini) King Kong.But that’s where we leave it, for next time.I think the plan is working.Depends on what that little Star Spawn screamer inside the Wall of Fire does next.We’ll see.Alt game next week- 19th, George is working, then back to the Dark Squad on the 26th.Stay safe and well you lovely people.Cheers the Dark Squad and goonalan.</blockquote>

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