Velspira is taken nearly a back when the ghouls had finally showed their hideous and disgusting faces. Long dead and turned into such horrid creatures, there was only one thing to do and that was to slay these abominations from the face of this realm. The solution was simple, summoning up magical power and throwing out a firebolt towards one of them, doing her best to get in position to hit it.
Round Two
Ghoul1 22 Dead
Ghoul3 21
Redemption 20
Malaya 18
Velspira 16
Ghoul2
Blaze 5
Shandi 4+
Sven 4 -
Round one
Ghoul1 22 Claw attack vs Blaze: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6 The first ghoul claws at the mighty centaur and misses
Ghoul3 21 Claw Attack vs Blaze: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10 Another claw misses Blaze
Redemption 20 Attempts to hit one and misses
Malaya 18 Casts word of radiance
Velspira 16 Throws a firebolt into melee and hits one of the ghouls
Ghoul2 Claw vs Blaze: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (19) + 4 = 23 Slashing Damage: 2d4 + 2 ⇒ (1, 3) + 2 = 6 The third ghoul gets a claw in Blaze. Make a DC 10 Con save or be paralyzed
Blaze 5 Fells one ghoul with a vicious attack
Shandi 4+ Hits a with a firebolt
Sven 4- Attempts to hit a far one with his crossbow The attack hits the corner of the wall
Tilting there head, Redemption considered the spells used. They were quite new, after all. The Warforged attempted to adjust his aim and try again, this time with a Vine.
Round Two
Ghoul1 22 Dead
Ghoul3 21 Claw Attack vs Blaze: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (13) + 4 = 17 Damage: 2d4 + 2 ⇒ (4, 4) + 2 = 10
Redemption 20 Is able to drop another ghoul with his vicious attack.
Malaya 18
Velspira 16
Ghoul2
Blaze 5
Shandi 4+
Sven 4 -
Shaking off the worst of the damage caused by the second attack, Blaze continues to swing her axe, rage fueling her strength.
Malaya throws a bolt of ice towards the final remaining ghoul.
Round Two
Ghoul1 22 Dead
Ghoul3 21 Claw Attack vs Blaze: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (13) + 4 = 17 Damage: 2d4 + 2 ⇒ (4, 4) + 2 = 10
Redemption 20 Is able to drop another ghoul with his vicious attack.
Malaya 18 Hits a ghoul with a ray of frost, its jaw freezes then falls to the ground.
Velspira 16
Ghoul2
Blaze 5 Blaze hits another one with a devastating blow
Shandi 4+
Sven 4 -
Once again, the Tiefling aims a firebolt towards one of the still living, or you could say undead ghouls that still remained upon this realm, "Just die already you berk," she curses at it, killing intent in her eye.
After trying with the crossbow, Sven arrives the same conclusion he had reached other times.
He sucks at during the crossbow.
He relies on his thunderous fist again while his mind thinks of ways to improve it through his crafts.
Another fiery ray from Shandi is looking for its target:
Round Two
Ghoul1 22 Dead
Ghoul3 21 Claw Attack vs Blaze: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (13) + 4 = 17 Damage: 2d4 + 2 ⇒ (4, 4) + 2 = 10
Redemption 20 Is able to drop another ghoul with his vicious attack.
Malaya 18 Hits a ghoul with a ray of frost, its jaw freezes then falls to the ground.
Velspira 16 Further Damages a ghoul with fire
Ghoul2 Tries to bite the mighty centaur Blaze and does Piercing damage.
Blaze 5 Blaze retaliates and demolishes her attacker viciously.
Shandi and Sven ensure their attackers are dead.
There is nothing of value on these ghouls. You can go straight ahead, left or right. The chant sounds stronger to south or to the left, but not the right.
When the last undead is dealt with, Sven walks to the brave centaur.
"Are you okay, Blaze? It seems you suffered some nasty wounds."
He searches in his bag and produces a necklace full of small stone chips, each inscribed with a rune. He picks one of the chips, inscribed with a rudimental P shape called Wunjo, and keeps it in his fingers while he awaits for the courageous horse-woman to response.
With this matter sorted out, Sven helps with investigating the doors and reaches the conclusion that both South and Left end up taking them the same place, closer to the chanting.
Malaya moves forward to heal Blaze, then reconsiders as Sven does the same. "If you need more, or if anyone else needs healing, let me know. I have two spells left."
She studies the two doors the chanting seems to be coming from. "We're getting closer. I'd say go south if there are no objections."
Blaze took a rag out from a pocket (she had several for just this purpose), and wiped the worst of the ghoul guts from her axe. It stank mightily, and she didn't want to carry the smell with her. She left the befouled rag on the floor with the corpses.
"Are you okay, Blaze? It seems you suffered some nasty wounds."
Curious, Blaze takes the little stone chip from the bearded human. As he gestures for her to snap it, she does so. A curious feeling washes over her, and she lets out a surprised laugh as some of her wounds begin to knit. "That tickles!"
The centaur took stock of herself. Her flanks ached from the ghoul's claws, and she still felt a bit weak in the arm. Accepting healing as her due, she nodded to Malaya. "I will be better able to protect you all if my body is in better condition."
"If anyone else needs help, I can change the Stars and heal two people at once. It will limit my ability to change again, however."
A chandelier is suspended above a table in the middle of the room. Two high-backed chairs flank the table, which has an empty clay jug and two clay flagons atop it. Iron candlesticks stand in two corners, their candles long since melted away.
There is a door to the southeast, and a doorway to the southwest that leads to a 30' long hall and a master bedroom
Sven checks the SE door; he tries to open it and see what's the alternative to the bedroom.
"There. That should take care of the last of your injuries." Malaya nods as Blaze's wounds finish closing. Then she follows Sven to the SE door and listens to hear if the chanting is coming from beyond it.
Blaze shook herself, hair and mane waving in the dark dungeon air. "My thanks! I feel as good as new."
She entered the small dining room with curiosity. "This seems to be a strange place for a room." She followed Sven and peered into the bedroom. "Another hallway, then a bedroom? This isn't how human houses are normally laid out, is it?"
Her long, pointed ears swiveled, trying to determine if the chanting was still getting louder.
Redemption puttered around, seeing if he could spot anything either.
The room opposite the bedroom:
This room is festooned with moldy skeletons that hang from rusty shackles against the walls. A wide alcove in the south wall contains a painted wooden statue carved in the likeness of a gaunt, pale-faced man wearing a voluminous black cloak, his pale left hand resting on the head of a wolf that stands next to him. In his right hand, he holds a smoky-gray crystal orb.
The room has exits in the south and north walls .
"Sacrifices..." Sven comments, pointing at the skeletons and the statue with his chin.
"The chanting comes from the south. Do we want to rush ahead, or do we want to peek at the bedroom instead?"
I'd like to be done with this already. It's time to pay a visit to these singers. Even if it's all just a nightmare, it's time to wake up.
Shandi intercepts the dagger more conveniently.
I studied at the faculty of combat magicians. I can cover for you. I'm not half as strong in body as Blaze, but it's going to be much harder to hit me. I'll distract their attention. Well... whoever it is. And you attack. These sacrifices, this whole horrible house... We have no one and nothing to talk about there.
Sven nods at Shandi's words, then quickly turns his head to check the others.
"I'm with you. If no one has objections, let's do this."
Sven reaches the southern for and checks for traps or any possible threat before trying to open it.
Blaze nodded, and handed the lantern to Velspira. Gripping her axe tightly with both hands, she readied herself for whatever was beyond the door. Even though it was likely just another passage to nowhere.
Redemption nodded, once again infusing the staff with power and joining the others as they prepared to deal with whatever was to the South. Somehow, the warforged doubted it was a simple matter. The all-pervasive chanting suggested that this was another undead of some kind, the spirits bound to the ritual they'd been performing or something equally dark.
Perhaps they would be grateful to end this, too.
Eyes opened wide as she was given the lantern. She'd put her knife away before raising the lantern up quickly. She may not like the horse girl much, but she didn't want to be in the dark, surrounded by all manner of terrible creatures inside. Whatever was behind that door made her feel terrible and sick to her stomach with fear, but she trudged on anyway.
Sven detects no traps, and the door opens without difficulty.
The chanting stops as you peer into this forty-foot-square room. The smooth masonry walls provide excellent acoustics. Featureless stone pillars support the ceiling, and a breach in the west wall leads to a dark cave heaped with refuse. Murky water covers most of the floor. Stairs lead up to dry stone ledges that hug the walls. In the middle of the room, more stairs rise to form an octagonal dais that also rises above the water. Rusty chains with shackles dangle from the ceiling directly above a stone altar mounted on the dais. The altar is carved with hideous depictions of grasping ghouls and is stained with dry blood.
The water is 2 feet deep. The ledges and central dais are 5 feet high (3 feet higher than the water’s surface), and the chamber’s ceiling is 16 feet high (11 feet above the dais and ledges). The chains dangling from the ceiling are 8 feet long
Redemption looked around the chambers, paying special attention to the water as the warforged hunted for danger.
"But... Who was chanting? There's no one here!"
Perhaps spirits? Ghosts? Or is this another evil illusion of this place?
Holding the dagger at the ready and carefully looking around, Shandi approaches the altar.
Blaze stood just inside the door, having made room for the others to enter. Still holding her axe in both hands, she cocked her long ears back and forth, trying to understand what was happening. "Ghosts? Or just invisible?" Where the chains moving, or was it her imagination.
Taking a collapsible cup from one of the pockets of her vest, she filled it with water from the floor, and began throwing it at the air under the shackled. "Just in case there are invisible singers hanging there," she explained. She looked carefully to see if the water seemed to be intercepted by an invisible creature.
"Well love, I think this be some sort of an illusion there. We've been in this here spook house for how long? Velspira protested, looking around as she readied herself, "Now we be just tryin' to figure where the song be?"
The chanting rises once more as thirteen dark apparitions appear on the ledges overlooking the room. Each one resembles a black-robed figure holding a torch, but the torch’s fire is black and seems to draw light into it. Where you’d expect to see faces are voids.
“One must die!” they chant, over and over. “One must die! One must die!”
Blaze rolled her shoulders and splashed over to the nearest ledge. Her voice became a low growl, more reminiscent of a bear than a horse. "No need to choose. You can all die. Um...again."
Shandi flinches, but not as much as one might expect. Apparently, she was preparing for the bad by walking down the altar. She stares intently at what happens from the blow of Blaze's axe. Did centaur manage to inflict damage?
Redemption paused, and asked, "Why?" He charged his staff in case the ghosts were unreasonable.
Malaya stiffens as the ghosts appear, eyes darting between the thirteen new arrivals. While Blaze tests out an apparition's resistance to great axes, she moves carefully into the exact center of the room. "Five paces, ten, twenty..."
The cultist are not affected by your interactions, but they begin to chant "Lorghoth the Decayer, we awaken thee!”
The water recedes and begins to form a giant plant-like creature.
It forms between the steps leading to the altar and the door you entered.
Round 1
Mayala 18+
Redemption 18-
Blaze 15
Shandi 14
? 10
Velspira 9
Sven 4
Let's dance. Shandi throws back her shock of black hair, looking at the monster standing in front of her and takes a low stance, intercepting the dagger with a reverse grip. At the same time, she begins to sing a sad and beautiful song, which perhaps somehow resonates in the memory of Redemption, because this is the famous song of the Cyre's soldiers going to a noble death.
Then, with a gesture, she releases the already familiar ray of fire, and after that she takes a couple more steps towards the monster.
- Shandi yells furiously, distracting attention to herself, and then continues the song.
Round 1
Mayala 18+ based on readiness
Redemption 18-
Blaze 15
Shandi 14 attempts to hit the large beast, but misses as it moves faster than expected for a creature its size.
? 10
Velspira 9
Sven 4
Redemption raised the staff, pausing as Shandi sung. The hooded figure turned and looked, confused as to what the song meant. It was...familiar. Never sung for Redemption, but near, yes?
With a shake of their head, the warforged refocused on the attacking plant...water...creature. That this whole ritual seemed to have been to call this into the world was confusing, to slay the least. What possible benefit for the people could this serve?
Redemption responded by hurling Guiding Bolt to hope the others could benefit.
Frustrated as her greataxe swishes harmlessly through the ghost's legs, Blaze hears splashing behind her and turns to see a great, big, something rise up from the water. Splashing her way back across the room, she mutters, "I don't think my axe has ever hewn wood before."
Redemption's fancy light spell hit the plant-man, and she grinned as it lit up as from inside, making it even easier to target. She swung hard, and was rewarded with the satisfying thunk of metal on...something.
Round 1
Mayala 18+ based on readiness
Redemption 18- The large creature lights up and the room fills with light from Redemption's guiding bolt
Blaze 15 Scores a solid hit
Shandi 14 attempts to hit the large beast, but misses as it moves faster than expected for a creature its size.
? 10
Velspira 9
Sven 4
Sven raises his fist again, charging it with power, and lunges forward to deliver the thunderous blow.
He stays close so as to offer another target to split the potential attacks.
Velspira was going to say something likely stupid, but the horse girl would stop any sort of attempt as she struck at the entities. It definitely an ugly creature that struck up from whatever depths. Of course, the best thing she could thing of with throwing at a plant like creature was to hit it with a fire ball and so she did, "How about this be for n' opening negotiation," but the shot rather likely misses as she takes a few steps back and away.
round 1
Mayala 18+ based on readiness
Redemption 18- The large creature lights up and the room fills with light from Redemption's guiding bolt
Blaze 15 Scores a solid hit
Shandi 14 attempts to hit the large beast, but misses as it moves faster than expected for a creature its size.
? 10 Blaze takes 16 bludgeoning damage from the large beast's slam attack.
Velspira 9 Shots a fire bolt that bounces off the ceiling
Sven 4 Sven lands a solid hit, but it has no effect on the beast
Round 2
Mayala 18+
Redemption 18-
Blaze 15
Shandi 14
? 10
Velspira 9
Sven 4