Adventurers League: DDEX #1-05 The Courting of Fire (Inactive)

Game Master Aeshuura

Godfrey, where is Lightning Lure from?

EDIT: Nevermind, found it.

Godfrey moves in, stepping on the dead ghoul's body as he casts a spell, pulling the skeleton toward him and electrocuting it! The bones rattle, but it yet stands!

The remaining ghoul reaches for Sir Adrian now, as the knight's attack hurt more! But it ineffectually scratches at the paladin's armor!

The Skeleton, seeming happy to have an opponent, swings its rusty scimitar at the storm priest! The blade bites into Godfrey's arm, leaving a bloody wound. Godfrey takes 5 hp.

Ok, you are all up again!

whoa, easy there, I did not act in round 1 yet

Turok aims his bow at the first ghul his sees hit: 7 + 1d20 ⇒ 7 + (8) = 15 and also hunters marks it dmg: 1d8 + 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (3) + (5) + 3 = 11

If the Ghul does indeed drop, I will move to where it was, otherwise I stay put.

Hand Xbow Attack 1: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8
Hand Xbow Damage 1: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9
Hand Xbow Attack 2: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8
Hand Xbow Damage 2: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8

Wrathmire nearly shoots himself, TWICE!

Whoop, sorry there Turok! Your arrow does indeed drop that ghoul! I don't know why I thought you acted. Okay, NOW it is everyone's turn. ;)

Turok's arrow catches the Ghoul in the eye, dropping it to the ground! The hunter moves up into the room...

Quarrels go buzzing by Godfrey's ear and plink off Sir Adrian's armor, as Wrathmire's shots go wide, causing the crossbowman to shake the stiffness from his muscles.

A wry smile creeps across Godfrey's face as the skeleton faces him now, he knows bones crack easy with applied pressure. As he places his wand into his shield hand and then draws his warhammer and preceeds to crack the skull of the skeleton, then follow up with a bash his his shield.

warhammer: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (20) + 3 = 232d8 + 1 ⇒ (7, 2) + 1 = 10
shield: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 81d4 ⇒ 4

And with Vulnerability I think that means 20 damage to the skeleton

Yep.

With a mighty swing, Godfrey obliterates the skeleton, sending bones skittering across the floor!

Combat is over.

"Is everyone alright?" Ander asks, scanning the group.

Uriah once again flourishes his rapier. "They were naught but chaff meant for the reaping. "

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Wrathmire is bleeding a bit, and Godfrey has a small wound, but everyone is okay for the most part.

Wrathmire sits down and takes a few deep breaths while wrapping his wound.

Second Wind: 1d10 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7

Let's relax for a bit...

I like the idea of a short rest :)

How is everyone doing on ammunition? Is everyone keeping track? Anyone running low?

Haven't been keeping track - I'm so used to home games, where ammo is just hand waved away as being "Hollywood quivers".

Sen will cautiously search the room for a) portable valuables we could carry back to town and b) information about this complex, its purpose and history, or anything else of interest.

short rest, meh 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 1 = 8

In the crypt there is nothing of value. There are the gems in the eyes of the columns that look like they are probably worth something. There might be something of note in each of the living quarters as Wrathmire may tell you. Other than that it doesn't seem like there is anything left except what is behind that Red door.

@Sen, because this is AL, I will be kind of the stickler for this, just because it is more fair.

As we leave, we search all of the rooms. I found this.

Wrathmire also retrieves all spent ammo from each of the fights.

He does have 40 bolts, bought an extra set.

I still have 12 arrows and 9 bullets

Alright, last room, someone lead the way. As far as treasure in this cave, I plan to search for that when we are done. However as this last door needs to be unlocked with a magical, we will have to grab that before we leave that room, because it might not open again when we leave. Worry about the treasure in the columns after we cleared out the danger in the room ahead.

Lead on, then.

The rule is that you may recover half of your expended ammo with a minute's search after combat. (Though Turok's sling bullets are lost because the oozes dissolved them...)

As a seasoned combatant, I would probably have recovered as much ammo as possible as soon as it was safe enough. Therefore, I calculate that I should have approximately 15 usable arrows left - the 10 I didn't use, plus 5 that I and my companions have recovered. Does that sound reasonable?

Sen moves back into the room where we fought Spernik and his kobolds and examines the locked door. Anything interesting immediately apparent? Is it decorated or anything? Do you want me to make a roll to see how much I notice? If there are any markings, I will be trying to interpret them with some appropriate combination of History, Arcana, and Linguistics (I do have an empty slot or two for languages - I wasn't sure what languages would generally be useful for a sniper in the AL campaign setting. Advice on which language(s) to choose would be appreciated).

EDIT: Sen, you examine the door and find no traps, and notice that the symbol on the door seems to be the same shape as the key.

--

After a short rest, You each begin getting up and moving toward the red door in the Northern-most section of the temple. Sen fishes out the key and fits it into the lock and clicks into place. A grating roar of mechanical action fills the air as the door slides down in the the floor, revealing the room beyond.

The first thing you notice as the torchlight spills into the room are a number of eyes flickering in the darkness and a voice, cold and unwelcoming comes from somewhere to your right, " Turn from your path, mortals, else your lives are forfeit..."

You all see 7 figures in the darkness, mere silhouettes in the dark. Four figures stand on the left of the room, and three stand on the right.

As you strike a defensive posture, they do not advance upon you, instead stand, almost as if on guard.

As torches are brought to bear, a brilliant red and orange arrangement of tiles on the walls gleam with the reflected torchlight and a faint red glow that emanates from what looks something like a kite shield floating lazily above a red, stone altar in the middle of the room. This object looks to be made of polished red metal inscribed with runes in a pattern.

Six of the figures wear the robes of the druids of the past, and are obviously zombies. The speaker, however, is clearly undead, but unlike its kin, this one speaks and in a clear, though unnerving tone.

He/it tilts its head to see what you intend to do.

"...Turn where, specifically?"

I move back without turning around, until I am behind the rest of the group. I then make sure my weapons are ready for a fight, because it seems likely given certain personalities in this group of misfits I've fallen in with. While I'm intrigued by the contents of the room and the potential for new (or at least rediscovered) and interesting information, I'm not yet sure if it's worth another battle. But I'm also not going to abandon my companions - they seem a competent bunch, if rather rough around the edges.

You should say please, it keeps with the story. Nevermind, I'll add that in the song. Uriah says to Sir Ander the Polite.

The undead creature's face splits in a wry smile, "Don't be coy, child. Leave this place and forget that it exists or you may find yourself cursed like me... An undead minion serving his penance to protect the scale."

"You're cursed?" Ander asks. "Maybe I can help; I'm kinda sorta like a doctor. Can you tell me more about this curse?"

The undead druid looks at you incredulously, "What would call this state that I am in? Undeath is my own personal hell, my curse for my hubris. As such, I cannot let this artifact fall into the wrong hands..."

"Yes, I got that you were undead, I was looking for more details. Did it happen all on its own after you did something? Did some third party intentionally punish you? Things like that."

Ander puts his hands on his hips.

"You'd be a lot easier to help if you weren't being so damn cryptic."

"And how do you intend to free me? With herbs and potions?" the wight laughs, "I believe it was the scale that cursed me, or perhaps it was the gods? I do not know honestly, but after hundreds of years of contemplation, it is the only conclusion that I can come to."

He stops and makes a shallow bow at his waist, "My name... is Skovac. In life I fancied myself the Scalebinder, a rank in my order that was supreme among all others. In my conceit, I believed that I could bend the will of a great red wyrm to my own... How easily he proved me wrong. How easily he killed us all. Maybe it was a week, or maybe a month later, I was raised in the form I am now. As I touched my kin, they arose to serve me again, as they had in life. I vowed, that day that I would seal us and the Scale away. Now, hundreds of years, or more have passed. I don't know, time has a way of slipping away from you when you no longer hunger... or feel tired..."

"That's it, now we're getting somewhere!" Ander says enthusiastically. "Nice to meet you, Skovac. I'm Ander. So! You tried to boss a dragon around, he killed you, then later you woke up undead. So, how is this floating scale tied into all of this? Is it a remnant of the dragon who killed you? Was it a tool you used to try and control the dragon? Perhaps most importantly, was it present when you died or when you awoke?"

The undead druid shrugs, "Yes, it was here when I died. I assume that it is what cursed me with this farce of a life. It is the artifact that I had hoped would help me control the dragon, but perhaps I had misjudged what it can do."

He takes a step forward as he continues to talk, "Look, I am happy to discuss history with you, but if you intend to take the Scale, I must stop you. If you wish to leave, I send you off, unharmed and with my blessing. But, if you hope to talk me into giving you this artifact, do not waste your time..."

So, we free you all, by taking you away from these undead bodies. Your souls are trapped in the undead cursed bodies. Got it. It is like being possessed by a demon.

Turok readies his longbow and moves over I'm ready when you all are. We have to send their souls to heaven so they can rest.

history: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (16) + 5 = 21
arcana: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (10) + 7 = 17

Do I know anything about this guy, his rank/order, or his Undead state?

"No no, don't worry, I'm not interested in something that might be so hazardous to my health. As it happens, we're here for unrelated business."

Ander gestures toward his companions.

"See, we followed a thief here, Spernik, to get back the books he stole. He tried to kill us, but not before revealing that he was trying to assemble the key to this very door. We thought it prudent to investigate. Now I'm guessing that the scale was probably what he was after. And from your story, it sounds like whatever he was planning was a TERRIBLE idea."

Ander pauses a moment, then scratches his head.

"I think we have a predicament. Your hiding place did its job for a good long time, but now..." Ander scrunches his face pensively, then continues, "Can you lock the door from the inside? Maybe keep the key in there with you so nobody can get in? Also—and this will probably sound different than I mean it, just bear with me—if we cleaned out the valuables from the hall and the other rooms, then any future wandering looters might assume the whole place has already been sacked and leave YOUR door alone. Do you think that would work?"

As Turok draws the bow, Skovac's blade is drawn and the zombies begin moving. Ander gestures toward Turok, and there are a few tense moments as there is a sort of standoff...

If Ander can keep his companions from attacking, he can make a Charisma (Diplomacy) check to resume, elsewise it devolves into initiative rolls.

Persuasion: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 2 = 21

BWAHAHAHAHA!!! I'm like a friggin' bard!

"Whoa, whoa, let's not anyone do anything rash, alright?"

Looking sternly at Turok/Kane, Ander says, "I'm sure you mean well for their souls, but they might actually prefer to stay and guard the scale. And honestly, for an object like that, I'm thinking that might actually be a good idea. Now, let's talk about long-term solutions for this artifact, whose hiding place is now breached. Skovac, any suggestions?"

I cannot believe we are negotiating with undead!

Sir Adrian leans on his drawn Greatsword in a relaxed manner as he watches th ed shenanigans.

Are they actually negotiating with the undead? Wait that scale will fetch a pretty penny, that's a month in the whore house!

F&@+ this! Sending a shatter to hit Skovac and as many minions as possible.

Do anything rash, me? no!

DC 14 Con for half, channel divinity
25 damage

Wrathmire gives a brief smile before springing into action.

I'm thinking the undead would affect the resale value of this hideout, going to have to agree with Godfrey...

Uriah is thoroughly impressed with Ander's actions, and then he remembers that he came to this place with a gaggle of bloodthirsty idiots. "Oh joy, another fight. " he says his voice dripping sarcasm.

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All of a sudden, to Ander's dismay, his companions unleash hell!

Godfrey curses loudly and casts his thunderous spell! Two of the zombies explode, while the others rock back and Skovac growls, "Honorless dogs, I didn't want to send you to your graves, but you asked for this!"

Turok and Sir Adrian may move before the undead, then after the baddies move, everyone may go!

Round 1, GWF, Divine Smite

Sir Adrian walks in and attacks the speaking Wight with his Greatsword, adding a prayer to Torm for a divine smite.

GS Att: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (9) + 5 = 14
GS Dam: 2d6 + 3 + 2d8 + 1d8 ⇒ (3, 4) + 3 + (2, 6) + (3) = 21

If he fails to connect, the divine smite is not triggered.

Oof, a palpable hit!

Sir Adrian steps in, right up to Skovac and swings, radiant energy running up the length of his blade! The undead druid looks as if he is about to step away, but Sir Adrian adjusts his swing and catches the wight with a deep cut!

Turok moves in while dropping his bow to pull out his shortsword.

He will huntersmark the zombie and slice at it hit: 5 + 1d20 ⇒ 5 + (13) = 18
dmg: 1d6 + 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (6) + (5) + 3 = 14 piercing.

Turok, are you out of movement? If not, you may move to use hordebreaker without drawing an attack of opportunity.

Turok slices deep into a zombie, rocking it back on its heels!

no I had 5 more feet left, I forgot. Placing him where he should have been

hit: 5 + 1d20 ⇒ 5 + (19) = 24
dmg: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9 I won't get hunters mark for the 2nd attack, but here goes

The two zombies on Turok swarm the elf, but he fends them off like an elf that is used to fighting in crowds!

The other moves to strike Godfrey, but his armor wards off the zombie's attack!

Skovac reaches for Sir Adrian with his off-hand, but hesitates. It clenches its fist as if making up its mind about something and instead swings a pair of mighty strokes with his longsword! The paladin ducks the first hit, but doesn't realize that the second swing is coming and steps right into it! Critical hit on Sir Adrian! 13 hp damage!

The other zombie on the right strikes ineffectually at Sir Adrian!

Everyone may go!

Take a few steps back and toward the center of the doorway (no more than 15 ft total), readying her bow. Don't let the wight touch you! Use silvered weapons if you have them - he's resistant to most other damage.

You may take the shot at either the one on Ander or the one on Godfrey, but they will have 3/4 cover, giving them +5 to AC. However, past experience tells you that they are not difficult to hit normally.

"Go team, you can do it" Uriah says but you can tell his heart is not in it. Giving Bardic Inspiration to Adrian and then Uriah casts a spell Dissonant Whispers on the wight, DC13 Wis save. Wight takes Psychic : 3d6 ⇒ (1, 1, 5) = 7 and must flee for one round on a failed save.

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