"Thank you." Pursuit takes the notes and moves to the side with them, sitting down cross-legged as she takes her own notes and starts cross-referencing what she knows with what is happening.
As she looks through the notes, her idea of who is responsible becomes more solidified. She isn't sure enough of the culprit to reveal her thoughts, though. She merely continues to look through Jeremiah's and her own notes for the time being.
Pursuit finds an unnerving pattern to the curses. She recals a mad rambling by another seeker of What Lies Beyond who spoke of a great maw that would devour the continent.
Jeremiah shudders and continues."Sometimes at night there are also undead appearing around town. Everyone gets nervous as the sun starts to set. They are mostly harmless if unprovoked, but people still find it very unsettling. The magical signature of these undead shows the typical signs of necromatic magic, except for one disturbing thing. You see, this type of undead activity normally does not have the soul of the deseased person, despite many superstitions about it. These walking corpses however...do have a hapless soul of the former occupant inside...but unresponsive."
"That must be a horrific fate... perhaps it explains the strange behavior."
"That must be a horrific fate... perhaps it explains the strange behavior."
"Indeed it is." He sighs.
"What do you suppose we do about it?"
"We could put each and every single one to a violent end, but I'd prefer to find and root out the cause. It'd both be more merciful and more effective."
Shaani turns to the rest of the group: "Since the sun is well past its zenith today, I say we set out for Carcosa in the morning. I don't know if we can afford horses for everyone. Perhaps we could also get a cart and have my horse pull it."
"Whatever is chosen is fine." Pursuit looks at Jeremiah and "speaks" {May I keep these notes?}
"Whatever is chosen is fine." Pursuit looks at Jeremiah and "speaks" {May I keep these notes?}
Jeremiah nods solemly at Pursuit.
The place where you are seems pretty quiet and safe. Jeremiah continues to pour through his notes.
That is, until...
Something huge crashes through the window!
It is big, dark, with a carapace and wings. It also has a huge, sharp probiscus!.
If you know about demons you would identify the creature as a chasme, a type of demon.
The horrid giant fly goes straight for the person closest to it, it goes to Robin!
Robin suffers 38 damage, his max HP has been reduced to 17 until a long rest or restoration spell.
Also initiative order will go:
Slashiir
Pursuit
Monster
Robin
Shaani
Lady Slashiir's attacks hit! The Chasme gets 25 damage!
Pursuit quickly gets up and fires an eldritch blast at the creature.
Casting Cantrip: Eldritch Blast
Each hit will cause the creature to get pushed back up to 10 feet
Pursuit quickly gets up and fires an eldritch blast at the creature
The chasme gets hit by both eldritch blasts, it gets slammed into a wall.
The chasme gets 21 damage and is already pretty beaten up.
Monster turn:
The fiend becomes enraged at being slammed and hammered. Rather than getting up to attack however, it begins buzzing it's foul wings!
Everyone make a Constitution save vs. DC 12. Any who fail the save become unconscious for 10 minutes, this is not the same as sleep. Due to fiendish ancestry, Pursuit gets advantage on this.
Seeing her companions assaulted by the fiend shaani raises her shield and crashes into the creature: "Pick on someone your own size!"
Seeing her companions assaulted by the fiend shaani raises her shield and crashes into the creature: "Pick on someone your own size!"
Unfortunately, the chasme manages to get our of Shaani's way before she can use her longsword against it.
Robin runs over to the small elf girl. "Come child, now is not the time to sleep on the job! There are monsters afoot!" He proceeds to shake her awake.
Robin advances, blades drawn to assault the errant beast!
Robin advances, blades drawn to assault the errant beast!
The rapier bends at the giant bug's carapace, but not the scimitar!
The chasme suffers 38 damage.
It has been reduced to 0 hp and is now knocked out and dying.
This would be the end of the encounter, but suddenly from the remains if the broken window, two hideous creatures emerge. These creatures look like twisted, hard-skinned and spined humanoid bodies. They have claws and feet more at home with a dragon or dinosaur, and they have one large, hideous eye.
Nothic A pounces and slashes at Shaani.
Meanwhile Nothic B uses it's Weird Insight to gather information from Jeremiah.
Jeremiah huddles in the safety of a corner the entire time. The Nothic has managed to gather from him a few bits of information that are still pretty vague but slightly useful. Jeremiah can feel it and shudders.
Shaani swats both of the demon's claws aside with her shield and takes a low swing at its legs.
She then repositions herself to gain the attention of the other nothic with a vicious overhead chop.
Shaani's first attack hits, Nothic A recieves 15 damage.
Nothic A has been tripped and is now prone.
The nothic is slashed, and then trips, falling to the floor.
Nothic B has been hit and recieves 16 damage.
Shaani's goading attack maneuver suceeds!
Pursuit turns to the Nothic on the ground, seeing Shaani getting the second Nothic's attention, and fires yet another repelling eldritch blast. Each hit will send the Nothic flying back up to 10 feet.
The eldritch blast hits the nothic on the ground!
Nothic A recieves 9 damage and is knocked 10 ft away from Pursuit.
Unfortunately, the second blast misses.
Slashiir's turn is next. I'm going to let her make a Wisdom save vs. 13 to wake up.
The prone nothic is beaten unconscious and is now dying.
The remaining nothic scowls at Slashiir.
Lady Slashiir must make a DC 12 Constitution save or receive the following damage:
Robin chases after the remaining, and prone, demon with his swords drawn. "A-ha!"
The nothic recieves 27 damage
The remaining nothic is seriously wounded and bleeding, it does not have much life left. Yet it still driven by the madness to kill.
Shaani turns to the remaining nothic and bears down upon it with two strikes.
Unfortunately, the nothic still has enough fight to dodge Shaani's attacks.
Intending to finish off the last monster, Pursuit turns towards it. She mutters an incantation as she thrusts her right hand towards the Nothic. A ghostly looking skeletal hand appears at the Nothic's location and attempts to grab onto it.
Cantrip: Chilling Touch
Unfortunately for the nothic, it's attempt to evade Pursuit fails. The spectral hand grab's it's throat and squeezes the life out of it. It plops to the ground dying and unconscious.
XP gained:
2,500 + 450(2) = 3,200
3,200/4 = 800 xp gained individually
Shaani walks to the fly-like demon and runs her blade through its skull, before proceeding to each of the cyclopean beasts and doing the same to them in turn.
"Is everyone okay?"
Jeremiah shudders and stands up, still shaking.
"Demons....demons....demons....they have demons on their side!"
Pursuit grabs the notes left out due to the sudden nature of the attack and puts them away. She then looks to Shaani.
{"We should hurry to our next destination. If the prophet and his assistant were attacked, the Queen could be in danger as well."}
"Jeremiah, do you have any other place that you can disappear to? These attacks are no coincidence, I believe these creatures are after you for what you know, as they were after Alhazred. We need to make for Carcosa and cannot keep you safe here."
"I-i-i don't know! I-i-i....maybe the temple! Yes! The temple can protect me. Thank you, you all, may the good gods help you wherever they may be. We can only hope they are still around." Jeremiah stammers, he wipes some tears from his eyes.
"Good, we shall see you there safely and then be on our way in the morning." Shaani decides.