Luke's Crimson Throne Campaign

Game Master GM Crimson

I'm thinking if we could keep them out for a couple of rounds or so it would give Nebbin extra time to recover while still inflicting some damage on them.

Kayleigh will be using her restorative touch to remove Nebbin's fatigue next round, so he'll be close to top form soon.

I like that idea, Emi. Maybe just I try to hold them closed, while two people shoot? We could get some good damage done that way.

Sorry, I was a little over-aggressive taking the map down. It's back up now.

The doors are 100% intact. The only thing broken about the room is the window, and though the windows are tall and let in alot of light, they are too skinny to afford passage. Better not let the Korvosan fire marshal see this place!

Yes, the windows could make decent firing loops. They start about knee-high and extend up the wall. Others of their kind are higher still and let shafts of light down to focus on the statue in the center of the room. The ceiling is high and the stairs long and steep.

Nebbin -- sheathing his sword again after quickly cleaning it -- moves to the door, setting himself to hold it closed.

Have to hold the door!

Ironically, despite having never seen the show and given up the books in disgust after the Red Wedding, IIRC, the very earliest concept of Nebbin was based on Hodor.

Emi puts away her sword as well, taking up her bow and positioning herself at a broken pane in the window.

"If you can hold the door, I can make it awfully uncomfortable for them to try forcing it!"

She aims at the closest body outside the door.

Attack (Ranged): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (10) + 8 = 18

Damage: 1d8 ⇒ 2

"Someone keep an eye out for whatever is going to be coming down the stairs! That's the real worry!"

Well, that and the second front door...

Nebbin runs over and puts his shoulder to the door as it begins to swing open. He gets a brief glance through the broken pane to see a small crowd of cultists outside. For so many to have arrived so fast, it has to be they've come from the basement steps Emi noticed as she came in. You've found the spiders alright. All of them, or at least it feels that way.

As if to confirm Emi's words as she takes her shot at the first torso she sees, the cultist trapped in the web shrieks once in terror, and then is covered by a wave of black spiders that cascade down the wall, through the strands of Tassira's magical web and down the steps. But it's not the spiders that run over his body that have the man transfixed with fear. It's the thing that comes after.

It looks like the biggest black spider you've ever seen, covered entirely in caked black gore that it leaves in streaks behind it as it moves. The segments of its legs are long as a man and they end in a great horn spike. At least some of them do. Its form is inconsistent - worn. It has cracks and holes in its carapace and tiny members of the spider swarm fill it, flow out of it, and surround it in every direction.

The thing's own abdomen is a glutinous, shifting mass that glows with an unhealthy pink. It settles on the writhing victim, muffling his screams as it smothers him. Its pink center reacts with a flash as the cultist is consumed.

Whoo! Those init rolls stink!

Tassira has the honor of kicking off round 1. If there are any other effects in place I've missed, please let me know. I'll add Tassira's Mage Armor on the next update.

Emi's attack is considered the only action in the surprise round, so we're starting with a full round.

Tactical notes on this encounter as you consider your actions. This monster is huge(long) and threatens 10' of space (Firinne and Emileva are in melee range for the creature as it comes down the wall). It is also surrounded by a swarm of spiders that will affect anyone within 5' of the monster. In its current form, the swarm is not separately targetable from the wider abomination.

Tassira's face pales as the enormous... spider-thing comes down the stairs.

"...NOPE." She quips before refreshing the speed-boosting spell she cast on the party earlier and running away!

Cast haste, then move to (13,10).

"Does anyone have magic to hold the door?" Nebbin cries out. "I can't fight and do that at the same time!"

Or maybe I hold the door by using it as a chokepoint while I cut them down, and Emi engages with the spider horror?

Kayleigh is also in a square that the monster threatens - not sure why I didn't call that out in my prior post. I'm going to drop a grey shade to represent the extent of the spider swarm around the monster, and will highlight (in orange tint) the threatened squares since it's novel to this fight. Let me know if you want those highlights to remain, or if they're making the map too hard to read.

Tassira's magic floods through your bodies, slowing down the world, clarifying your thoughts and surging adrenaline into tired muscles.

The spider pulls its bulk forward, dragging its victim off the stairs with its abdomen and leaving streaks of smoking blood behind it. It strikes out with its huge arms, trying to hook a new victim. Firinne narrowly sidesteps one of the legs while the other makes an ineffective lunge at Emi.

A voice burns in your brains like acid. It's not audible. It's empathic, so it has no true pitch or tone. It's the voice that drives your sub conscience, on nights when your dreams are worst. A familiar evil. Intimate, even. There's a sudden fear that comes with it, a feeling of inevitable doom. That no choices you make can avoid the onset of the coming nightmare. It comes with a panicky and illogical need to wake up.

"Dance for me, little sweets. You have nowhere to run."

Nebbin's actions dictate what happens at the front door you all came in. Nebbin, roll an opposed strength check to hold the door, or go ahead and declare a different action for the round. Some of the cultist's will act on the door being forced from their side. But also...

The 'other' front door suddenly bursts open and three cultists come pouring into the room. Seeing the manifestation of their worship, they cry out, phrases in some base language that mean nothing to you. It's hard to tell terror from adoration in these people. They've lost their minds.

Firinne, Emileva & Kayleigh suffer the effects of a swarm in their squares: Fort Save DC 11 to avoid becoming nauseated. 6 hp damage to Firinne, 1 hp to Emi, 5 hp to Kayleigh. Also, each of you must make a DC 11 Fort save vs poison.

The rest of the party is up...

Kayleigh finds herself unable to get to Nebbin without putting herself at great personal risk from the spider-thing. She fights off the insidious urge to just curl up and accept defeat and instead takes a cautious step behind Emi ({H6, V9}), protecting the warrior woman's flank while taking a couple of mean swings at the nearest cultist's ribcage.

Kayleigh Fairwind Fortitude Save (nausea): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27

Kayleigh Fairwind Fortitude Save (poison): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (6) + 8 = 14

Kayleigh Fairwind masterwork silver morningstar (haste): 1d20 + 6 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 6 + 1 = 26 for bludgeoning, piercing, silver damage: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 1 = 8

Kayleigh Fairwind masterwork silver morningstar Bonus Haste Attack (haste): 1d20 + 6 + 1 ⇒ (17) + 6 + 1 = 24 for bludgeoning, piercing, silver damage: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

Nebbin makes the decision that holding the door by brute force doesn't make sense when he has enemies at his back looking to kill him, so he lets it swing open, stepping aside while he pulls his sword. As soon as it finishes opening, he chops at the cultist on the other side.

Still fatigued, but the haste essentially offsets that for both AC and to hit
Mwk greatsword, power attack: 1d20 + 12 - 2 ⇒ (11) + 12 - 2 = 21
Damage: 2d6 + 12 - 1 ⇒ (5, 2) + 12 - 1 = 18

@Nebbin, For clarity do you end up standing in front of the open door so these guys can't rush by without overrunning you, or stepping aside to allow them to enter the room (move through allies, provoke AoOs)?

Pending actions for Emi and Firinne (round 1) and Tassira (round 2). I'll DMPC Firinne as necessary until Losonti feels better again.

I was planning to try to stand in front of the door, so basically only one person can fight me at a time from that point.

Sorry to hold things up. I had a big, chore filled weekend.

Emi feels her hair stand on end and she grits her teeth to stop herself from screaming. She holds her ground though. There's probably no way out of the house, even if they had the luxury of trying to find one. They must kill the great spider, they have to. Emi doesn't know think they can though. This is probably the end she thinks, which sucks because things were starting to kind of work out for her.

Emi drops her bow and draws her falchion again. As soon as aprt of the thing is within arm's reach she starts swinging.

"Nebbin! Keep 'em off my back! Really busy here!"

FORT (Nausea): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (20) + 8 = 28

FORT (Poison): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (8) + 8 = 16

Attack: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (9) + 10 = 19

Damage: 2d4 + 6 ⇒ (1, 2) + 6 = 9

Attack (Haste): 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (6) + 10 = 16

Damage: 2d4 + 6 ⇒ (1, 1) + 6 = 8

Tassira sends a volley of magic missiles towards the spider-beast, boosting them with a dose of arcane power!

Magic Missile, boost CL by 1 with a reservoir point.

Magic Missile: 4d4 + 4 ⇒ (1, 2, 4, 1) + 4 = 12

Ok, Nebbin, I'm interpreting your action as a readied attack on someone coming through that door. As such, you interrupt the cultists' turn.

Kayleigh connects twice with her morning star, making sure to award each of her opponent's swings with a parry made of iron spikes.

Emi takes a swipe at the first taloned leg to come within reach. She connects, splitting the hard shell of the leg and sending a spray of little spiders into the air. Their little bodies are everywhere, biting and dying. Her second attack does not hit.

Firinne is overcome by the flood of insects. She backpeddles from the horror and retches, coughing up a spider that somehow ended up in her mouth.

After an unfortunate fort save (nat 1), Firinne is nauseated for the turn. She steps to (11,9) to seek momentary cover behind the statue. At least I managed to pass the poison save :/

The empowered missiles streak across the room and smash into the spider, but don't distract it from the nearer prey. It focuses its ire on Emileva, attacking with its front legs in an attempt to bring the woman close enough to bite. One of the legs hooks her behind the knee, raking her down the side and she gets bit on the back of her shoulder. Emi suffers 2 hp from the swarm, 16 hp from the leg attack, and 20 hp from the bite. That brings her to 24 hp by my reckoning and she needs to save again (DC 11) v Nausea and poison.

Though in his peripheral vision Nebbin can see the the cultists coming in the second door, his focus on the door in front of him pays off. The leading cultist opens the door and is met with Nebbin's blade. His enemy curses in pain as the blade bites, then kicks the door wide and flows straight into a practiced combat routine. The punches land, but Nebbin naturally shakes off much of the damage. Nebbin is hit twice, 3 and 2 hp respectively after DR.

Kayleigh's opponent focuses on the weapon that keeps biting him. He tries to tie up her weapon arm, but fails the attempt. More of his brothers route around Nebbin's roadblock and come through the second front door. These split up, each of them going after one of the spellcasters by the statue.

Firinne's new opponent goes after her blade arm, but misses clumsily. I've rolled 4 nat 1s resolving this turn at this point. Tassira's opponent connects with a painful roundhouse kick, bloodying the mage again. 15 hp of damage from one of his flurry attacks.

Kayleigh, Emi, Firinne & Tassira are up. Nebbin acts between the spider and the cultists now, so you can post or wait on the resolution of all that, as you prefer.

Kayleigh cautiously steps back toward Nebbin. "Have hope! Milani is with us in this fight!" The cleric clenches the fingers of her buckler hand into a fist and raises it defiantly against the spider monster and cultists alike.

5-foot step to {H8, V5} and then casting good hope on the party. I think Tassira misses out, being more than 30 feet from Nebbin. Good hope effects: Each affected creature gains a +2 morale bonus on saving throws, attack rolls, ability checks, skill checks, and weapon damage rolls.

Will post now, since I'm holding the door so probably doesn't matter what happens elsewhere for this round at least.

Nebbin cuts at the cultist in the door before realizing that his plan isn't going to work with the enemies instead using the other door.

This accounts for haste and fatigue and good hope; attacking No. 4, but if he goes down and I don't see any cultists behind him, I'll 5-foot step to the northeast and go after 1.
Mwk greatsword, power attack: 1d20 + 12 - 2 + 3 - 1 ⇒ (18) + 12 - 2 + 3 - 1 = 30
Damage: 2d6 + 12 + 2 - 1 ⇒ (4, 3) + 12 + 2 - 1 = 20
Mwk greatsword, iterative: 1d20 + 7 - 2 + 3 - 1 ⇒ (6) + 7 - 2 + 3 - 1 = 13
Damage: 2d6 + 12 + 2 - 1 ⇒ (1, 6) + 12 + 2 - 1 = 20

Haste attack: 1d20 + 12 - 2 + 3 - 1 ⇒ (7) + 12 - 2 + 3 - 1 = 19
Damage: 2d6 + 12 + 2 - 1 ⇒ (3, 3) + 12 + 2 - 1 = 19

Pain from the spider abomination's raking cut and bite swamp Emi with pain. Those injuries, along with the blanket of spiders crawling about all over her and biting, elicit a moan of agony as Emi's eyesight fades almost to black for a moment.

Emi believes it's over, only time for one more effort before she falls. She walks forward enough to get right at the great spider's body without even bothering with evasive footwork, and starts hacking at it for as long as the thing will let her.

Studied Target and Good Hope Bonuses included. Full round attack with no movement, the step mentioned is just for fluff.

Power Attack 1: 1d20 + 10 + 2 + 2 - 2 ⇒ (18) + 10 + 2 + 2 - 2 = 30

Damage: 2d4 + 6 + 6 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (1, 3) + 6 + 6 + 2 + 2 = 20

Power Attack 2: 1d20 + 5 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 5 + 2 + 2 = 25

Damage: 2d4 + 6 + 6 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (3, 4) + 6 + 6 + 2 + 2 = 23

Power Attack (Haste): 1d20 + 10 + 2 + 2 - 2 ⇒ (5) + 10 + 2 + 2 - 2 = 17

Damage: 2d4 + 6 + 6 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (4, 4) + 6 + 6 + 2 + 2 = 24

Crit?: 1d20 + 10 + 2 + 2 - 2 ⇒ (8) + 10 + 2 + 2 - 2 = 20

Damage: 2d4 + 6 + 6 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (3, 2) + 6 + 6 + 2 + 2 = 21

Good Hope adds +2 to Emi's +8 on FORT saves so she can only fail the nausea and poison checks on a nat 1: 2d20 ⇒ (9, 20) = 29

Tassira takes a step away from the cultist in her face and casts an invisibility spell on herself.

Tassira is covered by the Good Hope spell. Near-corner to near-corner, I make it exactly 30' between Nebbin and Tassira.

Boosted by the power of Milani singing in her veins, Emi brings her massive blade crashing down on her revolting foe. She buries the blade nearly to its hilts in the thing's thorax, almost severing one of its limbs.

It staggers, and the soundless scream it unleashes leaves a headache between your ears that smolders like fire. Gouts of blood, thick and dark, leak out onto the floor as it shifts its mass away from the pain.

I recorded 64 hp of damage from that blow, and that's without the hasted attack hitting.

Not seeing any way to bring the great monster down in time save Emi from the consequences of her abandon, Firinne tries to provide distraction. She mumbles arcane phrases and produces a defensive illusion that creates duplicates of herself. The coordinated cadre of tieflings spins into the spider's threat range like a dance troupe.

Casting mirror image defensively and stepping to (10,10) on behalf of Firinne. 5 copies are produced. I'm also assuming a willingness to use the last panache point in the pool to riposte any parried monster's attack directed her way (not cultist's).

Tassira blinks out of sight in the face of another of these abusers. Her attacker growls and lashes out blindly. Another of the cultists comes up and flanks the first.

"Spread out!" he says, directing his partner to his right. "Keep that b$%%+ from running. We've got her trapped in this corner somewh..."

The second man catches some notion. A brush of air or the rustle of a robe and lashes out in the correct direction, narrowly missing the mage.

"Heh. Keep dancing girl..." he taunts.

The wounded spider monster springs back, lashing out at both of the targets it sees. It catches Emi in one of its front legs, crushing her with its strength and biting her again before dropping her inert form onto the gore-streaked floor. The carpet of spiders flood over her body as Kayleigh watches in horror.

The swarm deals 3 hp of damage. The smash/grab does 14. The ensuing bite attack does 12 hp, which drops Emi to -5.

A second taloned leg swipes at Firinne and shatters one of her copies to nothing.

Nebbin makes short work of the cultist in the doorway, but fails to hit his next chosen opponent. Nebbin's opponents throw kicks and punches his way, many of which land superficial blows. Nebbin takes another 14 hp from 3 attacks that land. That DR has paid off sooooo much in this and the bookstore fights.

The last of the cultists pursues Firinne but can't land an attack.

Back to the you guys...

When her time comes Emi isn't surprised, she knows it's going to happen. It turns out she's as terrified as any regular person would be though. There isn't much room for coherent thought amongst the agony as her ribs are crushed and a piece of her is torn away by the spider's bite; but the thing that occupies the last of her thought is her wish she hadn't waited too long to go visit her uncle.

CON (Stabilize): 1d20 + 2 - 5 ⇒ (10) + 2 - 5 = 7

Kayleigh gasps as Emi is dropped and then immediately blanketed by the monster's accompanying spider swarm.

Where is Majenko when we need him most? comes a random thought through her panic and terror.

Knowing that she's going to get chewed on by the smaller spiders--and possibly worse by the huge monster--Kayleigh nonetheless steps carefully to Emi's fallen form. Taking a defensive stance, the priestess raises her morningstar, but not to attack. She holds it above and in front of her, as a defensive barrier against any incoming attacks from the great arachnid. Dropping into a defensive crouch, the cleric reaches through the scuttling spiders with her buckler hand to touch Emi and deliver some healing. She silently beseeches Milani to make it another big one....

5-foot step and trade out dispel magic for cure serious wounds; no AoO thanks to Kayleigh's Combat Medic ability.

Kayleigh cure serious wounds (Emileva): 3d8 + 6 ⇒ (7, 3, 6) + 6 = 22 x 1.5 (Healer's Blessing) = 33 hps healed.

Nice heal. Are we all thinking of new characters for after the TPK?

"No, leave her alone!" Nebbin shouts, seeing Tassira in mortal peril, and Emi falling, and Kayleigh going to help. Plus Regeris' replacement, though she seems to be able to handle herself, thank goodness.

He slaughters the two men standing between him and the others, quick chops of his massive sword spraying blood and body parts across the room. That'll do, dice "I'm coming for you next!" he warns the men in the back as he moves closer.

Accounts for haste, fatigue, good hope; full attack, starting with 5, then 1; then a 5-ft step directly north.
Mwk greatsword, power attack: 1d20 + 12 - 2 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 12 - 2 + 2 = 27
Damage: 2d6 + 12 ⇒ (5, 4) + 12 = 21
Mwk greatsword, iterative: 1d20 + 7 - 2 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 7 - 2 + 2 = 26
Damage: 2d6 + 12 ⇒ (3, 2) + 12 = 17

Mwk greatsword, haste: 1d20 + 12 - 2 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 12 - 2 + 2 = 22
Damage: 2d6 + 12 ⇒ (2, 6) + 12 = 20

Crit?: 1d20 + 7 - 2 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 7 - 2 + 2 = 26
Damage: 2d6 + 12 ⇒ (2, 4) + 12 = 18

At Kayleigh's touch Emi pulls in a sharp breath and stirs back to consciousness. There's a profound aching in the places where her mortal wounds have re-stitched and the spiders still swarm and bite, but she is alive!

Firinne casts a spell that charges first her hand and then her entire weapon with crackling electricity. The cultist in her face tries to take advantage of her moment of concentration and succeeds in planting a perfect blow right in the face of one of her mirror images, shattering it. The tiefling steps lightly through the disgusting swarm and delivers a mortal strike. The electric fluid flows into the monster, destroying it in an blue and white explosion that sends tiny electric spiders flying everywhere.

I took a chance on Firinne's behalf and let the opponent mook take his swing rather that try to pass the DC 19 defensive casting check. The mook confirmed a critical, but hit one of the remaining mirror copies. I then confirmed a critical on Firinne's behalf, dealing 75 hp of damage to the spider monster and killing it outright.

Tassira is up.

Damn! Nice, Firinne!

Smiling underneath her invisibility, Tassira moves to the north of Firinne and fires a blast of lightning at the cultist who kept trying to punch her.

Move to (9,12). Zap Cultist 3.

Lightning Lance *Good Hope*: 1d20 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 4 + 2 = 25
Damage *Good Hope*: 3d6 + 6 ⇒ (1, 4, 1) + 6 = 12

DC 17 Fortitude to avoid vision impairment.

Ha! The people botting my characters while I've been gone have gotten more crits than when I'm the only playing them. GM, how many HP am I at currently?

Fírinne swiftly recovers to a defensive stance, though she can't help but grin and flick the gore on her blade at the nearest cultist with a flourish.

If it's all right with you, GM, I'll spend an arcane point and a swift action to reprepare chill touch, since I think I still had that left over after killing the spider monster.

Yeah, Firinne I rolled better for you than for any of my baddies. No worries on the arcane point spend, and good to have you back!

The blast that Tassira delivers is probably less shocking to the cultist than the sight of the object of his devotion being blown to spider bits. He falls to his knees, shielding his eyes from the glare of lightning and the vision of his cultist world collapsing. The uninjured bully is equally distraught. They share a look of stunned disbelief as they surrender themselves to the party.

The room is filled with your fallen enemies. Gazing through the broken panes of the window, you can see two people running across the lawn, fleeing the manor. Whether they escaped from the basement, where you assume the second wave of attackers came from, or some other part of the house, you have no way of knowing. Whether this organization is broken and they are running off to hide somewhere, or they're headed off to someplace for reinforcements is equally hard to say, but looking at the remains of the bloated spider-thing you cannot help feeling you've accomplished something significant here.

Kayleigh helps Emileva to her feet, taking care to swat away as many lingering spiders from the dispersing swarm as she can. Realizing that she's shaking from the adrenaline rush from the nearly fatal battle, the cleric draws her friend into a fierce hug as she tries to regain control over her own frayed nerves while providing what comfort she can after Emi's near-death experience.

Next she moves to Nebbin, finally able to use her restorative touch to eliminate his post-rage fatigue. The priestess gives her protector a simple smile, letting the big guy know she loves and appreciates him.

Giving the quivering remains of the spidery abomination a wide berth, the priestess moves across the great hallway. Making eye contact with Fírinne, she can't help but flash a wide smile at the grinning tiefling. "Good things truly do come in small packages!" she tells the group's newest associate. At the same time, Kayleigh deeply misses Regeris. Would he have allowed me to lead the others so blindly into this ambush? she can't help but think. That's followed by another uncomfortable thought: Had the inquisitor been with the group instead of the little firecracker, Fírinne, would he have been able to deliver the killing blows to the lead cultist and spider-monster like the tiny tiefling had done? Unlikely--instead, it seemed probable they all would have died, led to their demise by Kayleigh and her inexplicable (and dead wrong) near-certaint belief that this place would hold an ally capable of saving Madame Carington. How could I have been so horribly wrong?

The sight of Tassira battered, bloodied, and bruised breaks Kayleigh's heart. She rushes forward and embraces the mage. "I'm so sorry--I couldn't get to you...then I lost track when you turned invisible, and...."

As her eyes begin to leak tears, the flustered priestess steps back and casts a serious healing spell upon the mage. She follows up with a couple of cure light wounds spells on those who need them most, reserving only one spell from her daily repertoire that can be converted to healing (just in case there's another emergency before the group can leave this hellish place).

Though she doubts her friends will follow her lead ever again after having led them into this trap, Kayleigh decides to push them one more time. "Let's see what else is here while our spells are still in effect," she tells the others after wiping a few stray tears from her cheeks. "Maybe killing that...thing will release Madame Carington from her affliction, but maybe not. We need to get back to her quickly."

The sight of a few cultists escaping weaves new webs of fear around the Milanite's heart; she hates to think that all that's between them and finishing off Carington is a locked door and poor, distraught Felix....

Kayleigh cure serious wounds (Tassira): 3d8 + 6 ⇒ (2, 8, 7) + 6 = 23 x 1.5 (Healer's Blessing) = 34 hps healed.

Kayleigh cure light wounds (???): 1d8 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7 x 1.5 (Healer's Blessing) = 10 hps healed.

Kayleigh cure light wounds (???): 1d8 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7 x 1.5 (Healer's Blessing) = 10 hps healed.

Swapping out dispel magic, bless, and hide from undead for cure spells. I'm pretty sure Kayleigh already used her domain cure light wounds spell on someone during the fight and I forgot to mark it off on her sheet as cast. If my record-keeping is correct, she's down to remove disease (a domain spell that she can't swap out for healing) and shield of faith (which she'll hold on to for now in case there's another surprise or two in the mansion).

Let's do a quick sweep of the rest of the manor while good hope and our other buffs are still active.

The first of Kayleigh's healing magics are enough to restore Tassira to full health.

"...you don't need to apologize, Kayleigh."

When the light comes back on for Emi the first thing she notices is that everything hurts. It's a few seconds before she can open her eyes and begin to pull herself up off the floor.

With Kayleigh's help she gets to her feet and looks around.

"It's over? What happened?" she asks while staring at the huge spider.

"Firinne happened." Tassira grins at the tiefling.

"I told a man downstairs that the only thing their 'Dreamer' would get from me was three feet of steel," Fírinne replies, looking down at the charred and crackling remains of the creature. "I suppose that was not the whole truth."

Once it's clear that the fight is well and truly out of the surviving cultists, she moves to follow Kayleigh's direction and sweep the rest of the manor for any other threats that may be waiting for them.

Emi is still scattered. Near enough to death she can't tell the difference under a spider blanket, then right back to awake and on her feet takes some processing. She nods at Kayleigh, and giggles at Firinne's comment. It seems very funny to her at that moment.

She decides to bend over and look at the floor with her hands on her knees for just a minute.

"You know Firinne, our evenings out aren't usually like this."

"Indeed--one would be forgiven for thinking this spider cult is more deadly than a highly-virulent plague."

The manor is quiet as the party gathers its thoughts. The bald, granite fellow in the center of the room frowns down upon your deliberations. Your voices echo in the airy chamber.

It occurs to you that one of the cultists fled up the stairs and is unaccounted for. He could have been one of those seen fleeing, if there's another way down. Or he could still be up there.

Are you heading through the curtain to your left, the door to the right, or through the gore and up the stairs?

And are you letting the surrendered cultists go free?

Kayleigh's initially a bit put off by the lighthearted banter being tossed between her friends; then she realizes they're letting off some tension from the life-and-death battle they'd all just survived. More to the point, it seems they've either forgotten or don't blame her for leading them all into the trap in the first place. Her momentary pique at her friends is quickly replaced by feelings of love and admiration.

Still, Madame Carington's life may yet hang in the balance....

Although it's a known fact that at least one surviving cultist fled upstairs, Kayleigh has deep reservations about leaving the lower floor of the manor unexplored; there's a possibility they'd be leaving enemies behind them as well as ahead. Motioning for Nebbin to follow, Kayleigh moves to the curtain on the left, pushes it aside, and peers at what lies beyond.

Letting the cultists go seems like a bad idea to me. Anyone got some rope?

Sorry for my delay in posting. It's been a long week.

I definitely don't think we want to let them go free. I have no rope, but we can probably use clothes from the dead cultists.

Nebbin waits a moment to finish catching his breath from their fights. "Is everyone OK? I'm sorry I couldn't get to that thing faster, but there were just so many of them! Thank you, Firinne, for helping protect everyone!"

He looks around at the others as they banter. "I think it's almost killed us twice. We should make sure it doesn't come back," he says, voice hard.

He glances at the stairs as Kayleigh indicates the way she wants to go, but follows her lead. Can we make sure we're healed up too before we go on. I'm down 33 hp, but I think Emi probably would have gotten the CLWs

Kayleigh notices Nebbin wince from the pain of his untreated wounds, and it sets her off on a guilt trip.

If you hadn't used three of your daily channels to remove the blood veil from folks at the clinic, you'd be able to heal everyone's wounds properly....

Still, it was a choice between probable death for the strangers she'd treated and (hopefully) just a temporary discomfort for dear Nebbin and the rest of her friends.

Just then, a thought strikes her. She turns and casts detect magic before scanning all the fallen cultists. Sometimes, folks who could afford it carried a healing potion with them in case of emergency....

I've been assuming from the start of the campaign that most of the healing potions or scrolls have gone to Regeris (possibly to be distributed further from there). Now that he's gone, he may have taken those items with him. According to THIS POST (which is over a year old), Tassira may have a potion of cure serious wounds in her possession, unless she's used it already. This is the first instance I can recall where Kayleigh hasn't been able to stay on top of the amount of damage we've been dealt, so maybe Tassira still has it. A possibility going forward is to spend Regeris's share from the sale of the +2 dagger Kayleigh's still carrying around (see the post after the one linked above) toward the purchase of a wand of cure light wounds in case something similar happens in the future.

I'll be happy to give my CSW potion to whoever needs it.

I honestly cannot think of an instance where any of you have consumed a potion. Please consider any potions you've found to still be in your possession.

Happily, Kayleigh's inspiration pays off. The detect magic spell sends you rifling a few choice pockets and sacks and coming away with three potions of cure light wounds and a handful of coins.

Using makeshift bindings, you secure the two prisoners as best you can, but you have little doubt that if you left them unattended, they could and would slip them or burst them, and flee immediately. They're both dangerous, trained martial artists, and your intuition tells you they don't flee now because of the direct threat of your attention. They're also crazy people trying to process a personal apocalypse, and can't be trusted to keep acting rationally.

Kayleigh pulls back the curtain to reveal a library, filled with chairs and small reading tables. The walls between the windows are lined with shelves that are filled with books. The chairs of the room are all disturbed, no doubt hastily abandoned when the fighting began and whatever was happening here was interrupted. There are many copies of the same thin volume, Whispers of the Dreamer, lying about on tables and chairs.

This room takes up the entirety of this wing of the house. There's a window that looks back out over the lawn, and a second that looks out on the rugged slope and cliff faces of Garrison Hill. The upper floor of the neighboring manor is just visible over a wall.

There's no one in the room, and there are no other doors or stairs.

Kayleigh casts another detect magic spell and checks the library for signatures, either magic items or possibly a ping from invisible foes still lurking inside the manor. Assuming she detects nothing, the priestess grabs two copies of Whispers of the Dreamer off the tabletop, returns to the main hall where the captives are being bound and watched, and then again casts detect magic before poking her head through the eastern door to see what there is to see there.

Maybe we can bind the prisoners' ankles with a bit of slack in between; just enough so they can waddle slowly and climb the stairs but not enough that they'll be able to move quickly enough to escape.

Tassira hands off her healing potion to Emi. "Here. You need it more than I do."

Here's your CSW potion!

Did the two "????" CWL spells go to Emi or Nebbin? If it's still undecided I think Nebbin should take them. If necessary Emi can keep out of harm's way a little better and use her bow. Not a great alternative but it could be done.

We have lots of curtains to use. Maybe we could tie and then suspend the two prisoners? Their own weight would take away most of their ability to wriggle and flex in trying to undo their binding. Maybe."

Emi takes the vial from Tassira but doesn't drink it just yet. She gives the tall mage a light pat on the back. "Thank you Tassira."

Emi pulls herself together and joins in with the search.

Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (2) + 10 = 12

Let's say Nebbin got the healing then; I do think Emi should drink that vial or maybe at least one of the new CLW potions.

"They're just going to run away if we leave them here," Nebbin whispers to the others. "Maybe we could knock them out or something while we look around upstairs?"

Peeking in the doorway, Kayleigh is unsurprised to find a kitchen. The larder to this place looks embarrassingly full, like multiple staff or cult members might have just abandoned the task of preparing a large meal. There are four unbutchered chicken carcasses and mounds of vegetable mass to feed the army you just routed.

Kayleigh's sweep doesn't turn up anything magical, but it does reveal a second staircase leading up to the second floor, and a door in the corner that stands open leading to a staircase down to the cellar.

As you come to the moment of decision, up, down or out, the fate of your prisoners comes to its crisis. They don't look repentant to you. They look dazed at the sudden reversal of their fortunes. Not conciliatory.

Kayleigh reports back to the others about the stairs leading up and down; she also makes a mental note to scavenge the chickens and veggies, either for the priests and Lambs at the Temple of Aroden, for a meal at the clinic, or maybe as another gift for Majenko and sons (just the chickens). She know better than to even try to peek into the cellar--there are always spiders in a cellar.

I think Emi should render them unconscious, and then we haul them up the stairs with us. But Nebbin wouldn't suggest that!

"Should we go upstairs first? That's where they came from, right?"