Jisara frantically swats and stomps at the rats attacking her, before finally gathering her wits about her. "Chance, get the Hell out of my way," she growls, a cloud of negative energy building around her outstretched hands.
Success The creature takes half the negative damage and no persistent bleed damage.
Failure The creature takes full damage.
Critical Failure The creature takes double negative damage and double persistent bleed damage.
Unexpected Shift
Reaction Feat 1
Gnome
Source Lost Omens Character Guide pg. 32
Trigger You would take damage from an attack, spell, or other effect.
Your supernatural connection sometimes causes you to phase from reality when under threat, disappearing for split seconds before reappearing—often surprising you as much as your enemies. Roll a DC 16 flat check. On a success, you gain resistance to all damage equal to your level against the triggering effect, you gain a +2 circumstance bonus to saving throws against that effect until the start of your turn, and you gain the dazzled condition for 1 round.
Chance spreads out his hands and wiggles his fingers at the orange, green, and blue rats. He calls out "Gustumu la ĉielarkon!" and a wave of swirling colors rolls over the unusual-sized rodents.
The gnome takes a Step back and to the side, behind Rigel.
Vitalis intercepts the (orange) rat's bite on Chance and fends it off with his glaive.
Rigel reaches out at one of the nearby rats, his hand glowing a dark blue and as cold as the empty void of space.
Chance lets loose a cone of color against the rats.
And is met with varying degrees of success from the rats’ reactions.
Jisara stretches out her hand and inky black tendrils shoot forth from it!
The tendrils reach out to each individual rat in the swarm, causing them to bleed profusely before ultimately dying!
Rigel reaches out and grabs hold of Orange!
Round 2
==============
Jisara (-4)
Chance (-3)
Rigel (-3)
Vitalis (-16)
Blosodriette (-16 from “1” attacks [before resistances])
Orange (-3) {Dazzled: Round 0 of 1}
Yellow
Green {Stunned 1; Blinded: Round 0 of 1; Dazzled: Round 0 of 10}
Blue (-5) {Stunned: Round 0 of 1; Blinded: Round 0 of 10; 1 persistent bleed}
==============
"Great work, Jisara. That swarm could have spelled trouble. Now for the true threat."
Vitalis slices open the weakened (blue) rat then makes chase after the imp through the opening in the enemy line.
"There is no escape for you, imp!"
Vitalis cleaves the rat in half and rushes toward the devil they know!
Blosodriette smirks. ”Au contraire…” She flies straight at Vitalis and perches directly on the paladin’s left shoulder. ”…I’ve only just begun!” With a flick of her tail she stabs at Vitalis with the stinger at the end of her tail!
The imp’s stinger impales into the paladin’s cheekbone, causing him to roll his eyes back and fall to the ground in unconsciousness—but not before being injected with the devil’s venom!
As Vitalis falls to the ground, Blosodriette giggles. ”Well, how unfortunate for him. Hahaha!” Blosodriette then flies past the paladin’s unconscious body.
Green Strides forward and all of the rats attack!
*
*
Fail
Fail
Round 3
==============
Chance (-3)
Jisara (-6)
Rigel (-11)
Vitalis (-30) {unconscious; prone; dying 2}
Blosodriette (-16 from “1” attacks [before resistances])
Orange (-3)
Yellow
Green {Dazzled: Round 1 of 10}
==============
Rigel quickly holds his shield up against one of the rat's attacks, blocking the blow somewhat but causing his ethereal barrier to disintegrate. Noticing a break in the wall of rodents, he rushes forward, calling upon divine power to keep Vitalis up.
"Sometimes I even impress myself," Jisara says in reply to Vitalis. Her cocky grin quickly gives way to shock when she sees the imp's stinger lay the paladin low. She hurries to the corner and, with a gesture, sends a wave of healing energy right on the heels of Rigel's own magic. Then, with a shout, she pulls together another magical barrier around herself.
Vitalis peels himself off the stone floor. He has enough wits to retrieve his glaive and dodges to the side to give himself a chance to reorient.
"Thank you. That imp has a mean sting to it."
Chance calls out, “Flugantaj rokoj por ĵokeoj!” A loose stone - detritus not yet cleaned up from the collapsed wall - flies at the giant orange rat.
Chance hurries past the rats to join the others. "Wait for me!"
Rigel moves over and resuscitates Vitalis.
Jisara disengages and grants Vitalis healing as well.
Vitalis stands up and regroups.
Chance sends a loose stone at Orange and completely knocks out the rat!
The PCs hear Blosodriette utter magical incantations from the other side of the wall.
The giant rats once more engage with Jisara and Chance and bite at them!
Round 4
==============
Chance (-3)
Jisara (-6)
Rigel (-6)
Vitalis (-10) {wounded 1; Fast healing 2: Round 1 of 4}
Blosodriette (-16 from “1” attacks [before resistances])
Yellow
==============
Chance concentrates and sends another rock flying, this time at the yellow rat, then hustles away and up the steps to peer out at whatever Blosodriette is doing.
"Uh-oh. Hey, folks, that imp - she's gone!"
"Of course she is," Jisara mutters, sending a jolt of electricity to finish off the remaining rat. She then moves to follow after Chance, hoping the imp is in hiding and hasn't just fled.
Vitalis moves around the corner and looks for traces of the imp.
"Not another creature with invisibilty."
Chance throws a rock magically and downs the final rat.
Vitalis searches for Blosodriette, but cannot find her.
Round 4
==============
Chance (-3)
Jisara (-6)
Rigel (-6)
Vitalis (-10) {wounded 1; Fast healing 2: Round 1 of 4}
Blosodriette (-16 from “1” attacks [before resistances])
==============
Rigel groans in frustration and runs around the corner, hoping to see any sign of the fleeing imp.
With the final rat dealt with, Jisara hurries after Chance and Rigel. Once she catches up, she looks to her familiar and, in a commanding tone, tells him "Thatch, find her!" The one-eyed feline does as he's told and rushes up next to Vitalis, furiously sniffing at the air. To cover their bases, she throws a bit of magical help Rigel's way, enhancing his senses.
Only thanks to Jisara’s magic does Rigel Seek to the north, only to notice dust sweeping across the ground in the space where Blosodriette “was”—she never moved!
The dust around Blosodriette’s space is blasted upward as the devil takes flight! Thatch feels a tiny hand bristle past his ears as the imp “pets” the cat along the way. Vitalis hears wingbeats right next to his ear, followed by ”Surprise, b*tch!”
Blosodriette stabs into Vitalis’s cheek once more, becoming visible as it becomes clear that the devil has healed her wounds. The imp’s venom seeps into Vitalis’s bloodstream !
Blosodriette cackles as she flies past, going back into the previous room!
Round 5
==============
Chance (-3)
Jisara (-6)
Rigel (-6)
Vitalis (-23) {wounded 1; Fast healing 2: Round 2 of 4; Imp Venom: Stage 1 [clumsy 1]}
Blosodriette (-11 from “1” attacks [before resistances])
==============
Thatch bristles in anger and swats ineffectually at the imp as she sails away, while Jisara, quite angry herself, begins crafting another spell to hurl at Blosodriette. With a word of power and a flourishing gesture, she sends a concentrated burst of pure terror flying away. The tiefling pulls a barrier into place with a shout just as Thatch comes running and leaps back into her arms.
Vitalis screams as he is stabbed and poisoned. But he musters enough strength to stumble after the imp and hack it up.
"How's this for surprise? Go back to Hell!"
Vitalis slices into Blosodriette twice, and miraculously the devil is still conscious, but she is clearly on the edge of her life!
Blosodriette coughs up blood and holds her hands up. "WAIT! Please! I know I'm a devil but please hear me out just this once; I don't wanna die!"
Combat is technically over if you wish it to be.
The bloodied and poisoned Vitalis wobbles clumsily and puts a hand against the wall for support. Between raspy breaths, he speaks. "...After your attempt to slay me, I am not inclined to acquiesce. I reckon you have until one of us puts a blade through you to state your pathetic case."
"...Beside, according to my understanding of Hell lore, devils don't actually die on the Material Plane but are banished back to Hell to continue their cycle of evil for eternity. Your pleas are unconvincing. I will not make a deal with a devil nor will I release an evil creature into the city."
”Well, your understanding is wrong! If you kill me, then I’m dead, plain and simple! Burn my contract and send me back to Hell, please! I’d rather that than actually die!”
"For the love of..." Jisara sputters, then hides a frustrated scream behind clenched teeth. "If all you wanted was to go home, you didn't think to just ask for someone to do that for you? Were you afraid we would want some imp lurking in the basement leading an army of giant rats? I've half a mind to feed you to my cat after all, unless you can provide us with something useful as repayment for all the trouble you've caused."
”I don’t want to go back to Hell—it’s Hell! But I’d rather go back there than die! I was trying to get my hands on my contract so I could get out of here, but that eccentric fop wouldn't get away from it, so I had to improvise! And besides, this self-righteous assh*le,” She motions to Vitalis. "Was hell-bent on killing me! Pretty sure any 'please'-s and 'thank you'-s wouldn't have done squat!"
Chance hurries back into the room, but is careful not to get too close to the malicious imp. When he sees how badly injured Vitalis is, he mutters "Whoa," then sings a quick magical verse before turning back to the devil.
"Blosodriette, don't make us have to ask again. What contract?"
“And besides, this self-righteous assh*le was hell-bent on killing me!”
”I’m still hell-bent on killing you.”
”The longer we wait, we are just giving this evil being time to recover and plan another escape. We should finish it now while it is weak.” he says to his allies.
Thatch sits back on his haunches and fixes Blosodriette with his eye. "No more tricks, no more schemes." His gaze slowly moves to meet Vitalis's, and he nods. "Kill it."
Jisara, amused, crosses her arms and leans back against the wall. "I have to agree with the professor. She's caused us enough grief."
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While Rigel seemed quite happy with the devil's demise a moment ago, as her words repeat in his mind and the beginnings of a theory begin to form, he seems more hesitant. "What 'eccentric fop'?"
"Blosodriette, don't make us have to ask again. What contract?"
”I entered into a contract of servitude with House Sarini decades ago. I can’t stray more than several dozen feet from the physical contract. The contract got taken and put underground where I couldn’t get to it. I spent years trying to get help—my divinations into the future are vague and cryptic at best, but after decades of deciphering the riddles I managed to open up a portal to Hell to get help. Unfortunately, instead of something like a barbazu, all I managed to pull in were three lemures before the entire portal crapped out on me! Then you guys came and took my contract with you! I’ve been trying to get the contract back, but at this point I don’t even care anymore! Destroy the contract and my terms of service will be complete and I’ll return to Hell. I know I attacked you, but I have not lied to you guys once—withheld some truth for my own advantage, sure, but I haven’t flat-out lied to you at all!”
Vitalis raises his glaive for the killing blow but then abruptly lowers it. ”I can’t do it. I can’t bring myself to kill someone who has surrendered. Where’s that contract? But we aren’t entering into any deal with you, Blosodriette. We just want you gone.”
"It's with all those other papers you guys took with you; I haven't exactly had the opportunity to look for it myself."
"Pipes." Vitalis holds out his hand for the imp to give him the rat-summoning instrument. "If you try anything, you won't be given a second chance."
"Does anyone know how to identify this contract? Did we try detect magic? Unfortunately, I don't think I have anything to offer for this task."
Blosodriette hands over her pipes with no objection. ”Last I recall, the contract was disguised as a ledger. Not sure if it still is, though…”
Surprised by the idea that they have had an infernal contract under their noses for weeks, Chance paces quietly a few moments before speaking. Finally, he looks up. "So maybe one or two of us ought to go see if R... the eccentric fop really has a ledger that might be it. If he does, we could bring the ledger - and only the ledger - back down. The rest of us can keep our guest company, make sure she doesn't leave too soon or invite any more of her friends." Glaring at Blosodriette, he adds, "I can go."
As long as someone keeps an eye on her, Blosodriette doesn’t try to escape or do anything sneaky. Chance goes to Rexus (who is still looking for Finn’s rat) and asks about a ledger. Rexus is initially confused, but easily acquiesces. ”Yeah, there’s an old ledger among the documents that was out of place. I thought it was used for decoding some other cipher, but I wasn’t able to figure out its use.” Rexus hands over the ledger with little convincing.
The ledger itself is quite mundane and boring—detailing various transactions that occurred decades ago. The ledger, however, doesn’t detect as magic.
”Touch the page and say ‘raisin.’” Blosodriette explains.
Sure enough, when someone follows the imp’s instructions, the ledger shifts from detailing financial transactions into a slew of legalese—this is indeed a contract.
When someone destroys the contract, Blosodriette sighs sadly as she disappears in a puff of smoke that smells of brimstone. All that is left behind is her virtuoso pan flute and a gold ring with a sapphire (worth 20 gp) that the imp was wearing as an armband.
*
*
As the PCs wake up the morning following their confrontation with Blosodriette, they are greeted by an unfamiliar person sitting in the den just outside their rooms . A young tiefling woman with red skin and curving horns drinking a cup of coffee. She notices the PCs and smiles at them, revealing a pair of eyes with unsettling rectangular pupils. ”The, uh, slip woman told me to wait up here for you. Sorry.”
When Jisara wakes up, the woman smiles more warmly at the fellow tiefling. ”Hey, Jisara.”
Jisara, laser focused on getting herself some coffee to start the day, keeps walking for another two steps before realizing she had been spoken to. She stops mid-stride, turning in surprise. "Zea?"
She turns and heads over to sit next to her fellow tiefling. "What are you--how are you here? You're a long way from the Nursery, it couldn't have been an easy trip."
Chance scowls indignantly. "Halfling. She's a halfling. What is wrong with people?..."
Chance scowls indignantly. "Halfling. She's a halfling. What is wrong with people?..."
Zea, whose face was already tinged red, turns completely crimson as Chance responds. ”S-sorry! I-I just…F-force of…I d-didn’t mean…” The tiefling looks askance as her voice trails off.
She turns and heads over to sit next to her fellow tiefling. "What are you--how are you here? You're a long way from the Nursery, it couldn't have been an easy trip."
Zea lets out a small ”Mmp!” when Jisara sits next to her then nervously tucks some of her hair behind her ear, not making eye contact with anyone. ”W-well, I was j-just in the n-neighborhood and I t-thought I’d s-see how…Oh I can’t do small talk! The Nursery has been in disarray since Strea disappeared—the Society’s basically disbanded, more and more tieflings are being arrested, and now there are the corpses! People were saying that you went to Aria Park with something related to Strea, then something about you heading toward Yolubilis Harbor. Nedani and Carnon have gone missing and I found Comfort d-d-d-d…Urp! I just didn’t know who else to talk to and I’m really worried that things are going to go wrong, especially without the Society on our side, and I just…I just…” The tiefling closes her eyes and mutters out ”Sorry…”
Vitalis casually strolls by with a cup of coffee in hand. "I was over by the Nursery not too long ago. Couldn't make much headway though." He takes a sip of his drink. "You've come to the right place if you are looking for help."
Seeing how uncomfortable Zea appears to be and that Jisara has a connection to the woman, he let's the two of them hash out the details. He stands ready to help once it is time to go.
"You've come to the right place if you are looking for help."
Rigel nods. "Do you have any idea what's been causing this? Is it just related to the dottari growing more and more aggressive, or is something else going on?"
Jisara visibly deflates as Zea goes on. "You heard right," she says, sighing. "I thought I might be able to find some clues as to what happened to Strea, but mostly I just found some well-meaning humans and our gnome friend there."
She turns to Zea and looks her over, evaluating the woman. Coming to some kind of decision, she leans forward and takes Zea's hands into her own and speaks in a low, comforting tone. "Zea, I'm glad you came to me. I know it's hard, but I need you to tell me everything you know, even if it's something you think doesn't matter. When was the last time anyone saw Nedani and Carnon? What about Comfort? When you found Comfort, what did their body look like? Did you notice any unusual things on or around them?"
Rigel nods. "Do you have any idea what's been causing this? Is it just related to the dottari growing more and more aggressive, or is something else going on?"
Zea shakes her head. ”The dottari don’t kill if they can help it; too much paperwork. This is different.”
Jisara visibly deflates as Zea goes on. "You heard right," she says, sighing. "I thought I might be able to find some clues as to what happened to Strea, but mostly I just found some well-meaning humans and our gnome friend there."
She turns to Zea and looks her over, evaluating the woman. Coming to some kind of decision, she leans forward and takes Zea's hands into her own and speaks in a low, comforting tone. "Zea, I'm glad you came to me. I know it's hard, but I need you to tell me everything you know, even if it's something you think doesn't matter. When was the last time anyone saw Nedani and Carnon? What about Comfort? When you found Comfort, what did their body look like? Did you notice any unusual things on or around them?"
Zea noticeably relaxes. ”Sorry; I don’t know when I last saw Nedani and Carnon, maybe around three weeks ago. But when I went looking for them yesterday, I just couldn’t find them. And Comfort…I was walking home two nights ago along the southern wall when I just cut through an alley and found…And her face was…I’m sorry! I can’t! They…they probably haven’t moved her from that alley, if you want to know so bad. But Comfort wasn’t the first one—there have been other bodies. All of them tieflings. Maybe the Slasher has come back…”
If you critically succeeded, open the spoiler below
Jisara shakes her head emphatically in response. "No, I don't think so. He's very dead and has been for a long time. It's...not impossible for the stories to be true, but I think whoever is behind this is just another human, maybe one obsessed with our kind. Either way, we're going to find and stop them." Jisara lifts her gaze from Zea to the others, almost daring them to contradict her.
Chance leans forward excitedly. "The Slasher? What stori... OW!" Rubbing his shin, the gnome glares at each of his comrades in turn, not knowing which of them kicked him. "I mean, yeah, we'll find the culprit and stop them. Can you give us directions to the alley where you, ah," he pauses when he realizes what he is asking, then just plows ahead, "where you found your friend's body?"
"It's unlikely that it's the Slasher. I'm sure it is something much more real. I'm also sure that we can handle this problem for you. We can't bring the dead back, but we won't allow this murderer to claim any more victims either. I'm ready immediately."
Vitalis finds his armor and starts suiting up.