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Kaine slams the door open and the scene is very different from how you imagined it might be...
Threadbare curtains hang on the east wall of a long hall, in the middle of which a muscular half-orc in dingy robes stands with his foot on the chest of a male human with wavy red-blond hair. Fire burns around the orc’s clenched fist, and his victim whimpers and squirms helplessly beneath him.
Seated on a raised platform to the south is a nightmarish figure wearing black robes. It has large white eyes and rubbery purple skin, with four tentacles encircling its inhuman mouth. It cradles and gently caresses what looks like a disembodied brain with feet.
All eyes are turned in your direction, and look like they have been for a while before even the door opened.
The tentacled horror looks at you with curiosity and you all hear in your mind,
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The creature lets the weird brain dog down to the ground and stands. It walks toward you, again your mind echoing with its thoughts,
And it seems to walk past you through the double doors. It is not disengaging, so if anyone WANTS to take an attack of opportunity, you are welcome to it.
The half-orc snarls at you, Lies! This man knows about the Stone and your arrival proves it! Where are you going?
The alien tentacled horror waves its hand dismissively at the half-orc and continues on its way...
[B]"ME? I am the dreaded pirate Dacknar, who might you be?"[b]
Dacknar watches the squid head creature walk out, not sure what to make of it.
Blanching at the sight of the tentacle faced creature and some of the horrible legends she has heard about such beings, Annett remains quiet until the creature passes from the room.
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The creature stops and turns back to regard the half-orc pirate...
The tentacles around its mouth twitch. Then it nods, as if coming to some conclusion, its face wrinkling slightly,
It continues on, but the half-orc in the center of the room sputters, B-but, I am outnumbered! Where are you going?
The illithid stops and the echoes threaten to drive you mad,
The robed half-orc thinks better of it, glancing at the brain dog and swallowing hard, N-no, lord Nihiloor, I will take care of it.
Initiative
Initiative - Round 1
Dack / Unmei -> Badguys -> Annett / Rakdon -> Gramm -> Kaine -> Took
"Stand down now or I will split your head wide open!" Dacknar growls.
Annett attempts to join in the efforts to subdue the wizard peaceably by cowing him into surrendering. Unfortunately her slight frame and young face just aren't as menacing or threatening as the others.
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Dack growls at the other half-orc, but he postures trying to a put on a brave face and casts a spell at Unmei, thinking that she is actually the scariest of the bunch of you! A gout of flame bursts forth and catches a bunch of you in its area!
The brain dog lopes over to the top of the stairs and shakes at Dacknar!
Dacknar watching the brain animal come to him and does not notice the flame hitting him. As his attention shifts to the spell caster, Dacknar's mind gets assaulted by the brain dog.
Annett screams as clothing and flesh burn under the fiery onslaught.
Still smoldering and feeling her body nearly ready to give out. Annett crawls back behind to cover of the door and conjures an hums a few bars of an ancient healing charm, first taught to her by her mother after she had fallen in those briars while picking berries as a child.
After a few moments the burned flesh heals and the pain calms enough for her to refocus her attentions on the half-orc wizard.
Took moves into the room, looking at the foes on either side he worries that he has made a poor decision.
After a moment he tosses his dagger and levels his palm at the half-orc caster and a blast of eldritch ice flashes out.
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Before Unmei even casts her spell, she notices that Dacknar is unresponsive, though his eyes are open... you are not confident that he will regain consciousness any time soon...
Took hurls his eldritch ice and it pierces the apprentice mage's heart, dropping him dead!
Rakdon pops in around the corner and feathers the brain dog, right in the wrinkles! The thing squeals in your head, an unnerving sensation to say the least!
I am fine with it.
That works for me as well.
Dacknar Steps up to the brain dog and takes some swings with his axes
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Initiative - Round 2
Dack / Unmei -> Badguys -> Annett / Rakdon -> Gramm -> Kaine -> Took
Dacknar's initial axe swing flies wide, but it distracts the ugly little creature allowing him to cut in with his off-hand swing!
Unmei, will you be curing Kaine or take a different action?
If Gramm does not post by tomorrow morning, I will bot him.
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The old woman hurls her dagger and it looks like the creature is about to leap out of the way, but leaps into it by mistake! It crumples in a heap with a squeal.
The room is silent. As you look out the door, the mind flayer is gone!
The only sound is the soft whimpering of the man curled in a ball on the floor, next to the corpse of the half-orc!
Annett steps back into the room, rapier at the ready, but quickly realizes both wizard and gruesome pet are dead. Sheathing her blade she steps over to the trembling man and kneels down next to him. "Easy...easy." She says in a calming voice. "Are you Floon? Your friend Volothamp sent us looking for you after you went missing. Can you stand and walk so we can get you out of here, before someone realizes that wizard is off to meet his gods?"
Dacknar pokes around the dead brain dog thing to see if any thing is of value. Then he goes over to the wizard, because wizards always have good stuff.
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Floon looks up at Annett, Volo? Oh thank the gods! Y-yes, I think so...
The man crawls to his feet, a little unsteady, but able to move with little help.
Quickly, Dacknar searches the remains, finding only a spellbook on the wizard. When he moves to search the brain creature, he notices behind the throne is a small chest. The chest is unlocked and contains some coin, along with a pair of healing potions.
EDIT: Leaving?
Helping Floon get his feet, Annett shakes her head at the suggestion they track down the mindflayer. "I've no interest in becoming that...things next puppet...or meal. We're getting paid to find this man and get him to safety." She says starting to guide Floon back out the way they came in "Let the city watch deal with the rest of these trouble makers if they want." She adds with a glance toward Gramm.
Annett nods at Unmei, Rakdon and Dacknar and continues to help Floon out the way they came. "The sooner we're out of these sewers, the better." She says. [b]"Let's get Floon back to Volo and then I'm taking a long, bath and enjoying a bottle of Waterdeep's finest whiskey to celebrate."
"I found a book and some loot in this chest. 'n thar are wha' looks t' be two potions o' healin'. Does anyone mind if I keep one?
"I reckon I could 'ave taken squid face."
Mumbles Dacknar, as he heads out of the room.
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As more time passes, anxiety starts to build and you all head out the way you came and back out the sewers. As you pass out into the murky water, none of you see signs of passage of the tentacled horror. As if he completely disappeared!
There is a close call as you leave the sewer, when a group of toughs passes the alley mouth as you begin to emerge...