"Divide and conquer." Ustemir shouts as he is drawing his blades. "Lone wolves, despite the common saying, are fairly rare.."
Yep!
Waedin stomps up to the other wolf and attempts to smack with warhammer.
Stepnik takes his whole round to fly into the new room and take position in a corner away from the melee scrum.
◆ Stride
◆ Stride
◆ Stride
Sebastien inspires everyone to think about the monetary value of wolf pelts! He then mentally flings some rubble toward the wolf!
Ustemir encourages Kolek forward, and the young bear valiantly charges the wolf with a bite. Snarling fangs clash and bear jaws snap down on empty air.
Asceade opens the front doors to the courtyard, spots an opening in the far wall, and is surprised by a second wolf moving in for a pincer attack!
Luckily, Weadin steps through and swings her hammer. She takes out a few dried weeds.
Stepnik follows her out into the courtyard but dashes to the corner, a good place for lobbing bombs.
The courtyard wolf lashes out at Weadin!
The hallway wolf fights back against Kolek!
Ascaede follows bravely alongside Waedin, whipping past and behind the wolf to set up a flanking position.
She reaches within her voluminous robes to produce a...rabbit's foot?!? She holds it high in one hand like some ridiculous talisman.
"Where the fleet are meek the predator is beat! How do you howl in the light of day?"
Thus bolstered, Ascaede snaps her blade down on the creature's back.
◆ Stride ◆ Exploit Vulnerability - Personal Antithesis ◆ Strike
Critical Success You remember the creature's weaknesses, and as you empower your esoterica, you have a flash of insight that grants even more knowledge about the creature. You learn all of the creature's resistances, weaknesses, and immunities, including the amounts of the resistances and weaknesses and any unusual weaknesses or vulnerabilities, such as what spells will pass through a golem's antimagic. You can exploit either the creature's mortal weakness or personal antithesis (see below). Your unarmed and weapon Strikes against the creature also become magical if they weren't already.
Success You recall an important fact about the creature, learning its highest weakness (or one of its highest weaknesses, if it has multiple with the same value) but not its other weaknesses, resistances, or immunities. You can exploit either the creature's mortal weakness or personal antithesis. Your unarmed and weapon Strikes against the creature also become magical if they weren't already.
Failure Failing to recall a salient weakness about the creature, you instead attempt to exploit a more personal vulnerability. You can exploit only the creature's personal antithesis. Your unarmed and weapon Strikes against the creature also become magical if they weren't already.
Critical Failure You couldn't remember the right object to use and become distracted while you rummage through your esoterica. You become flat-footed until the beginning of your next turn.
Sebastian begins flexing!
The halfling then flings some more broken pottery at it!
The brave, brave Bard then casts Shield!
Gonna be rich!
Waedin holds her ground against the attempt to trip her and grits her teeth before swinging again.
Raise Shield.
◆ Pull Crossbow
◆ Load Crossbow
◆ Strike
Crossbow
bolt
Asceade taunts the wolf and reminds it of its failings. It's a sensitive subject for the poor wolf.
However, even while flanking, her attack fails to impress.
Meanwhile, Sebastien continues the show off, flexing his brain muscle.
The wolf in the hallway falls!
Waedin swings her magical warhammer twice, honing her aim on the second try.
Stepnik opts for a precision strike, aims his crossbow, remembers Sebastien's inspiring words , aims again and fires.
With the first wolf taken care of, Ustemir charges to help Ascaede and Waedin. With both blades in hand, he rushes into the courtyard, looking at the wolf and slashing twice with a loud grunt. "Grrah!"
Ustemir quickly takes down the second wolf!
Sebastian whispers
Ustemir seems Inspired from here?
After slicing up the wolf, Ustemir calls Kolek to himself to give him a reassuring scratch and check on his wounds. "Oh, buddy, you got bit? Let's take a look at that."
He pulls out his medicine kit to clean up the wound and do some stitching. He seems to be struggling. "Well, boy. I really don't want to shave you, but I can't get in there through the fur. Maybe once we have some light, hm?" he pats Kolek empathically.
As he does that, he sees Weadin and Ascaede looking at him.
"You got bit, too?"
Stepnik will quickly brew up a couple more Infused Elixers of life and offer one to Ascaede and one to Waeden, and one to Kolek.
Heal Ascaede
Heal Waeden
Heal Kolek
Wow! Those were some powerful Elixers. Must be bad ingredients.
The sun is set and it is now dark in and outside, Sebastien's spell lights the way. Oh yeah, Ustemir also has some glow mold. There's a hall to the north to explore, the double doors to the west, and the hole in the courtyard wall to check out. Where to?
The sun is set and it is now dark in and outside, Sebastien's spell lights the way. Oh yeah, Ustemir also has some glow mold. There's a hall to the north to explore, the double doors to the west, and the hole in the courtyard wall to check out. Where to?
Sebastian muses aloud
There's a hall to the north to explore, the double doors to the west, and the hole in the courtyard wall to check out. Where to?
The Bard takes out a coin, flips it, puts it back in his pocket after catching it and points at the Double doors....
Ascaede waits for Stepnik to provide succour, and gives quiet thanks.
”Sebastien - I worry that the wolf in the courtyard may have come from the door in the north - given likely inhabitation I feel that way requires urgent attention.”
Both blades in hand, Ustemir moves to back up Sebastien in case it's needed.
Sebastian just stands there watching the others. He looks to Ascaede for confirmation. The halfling nods to Ustemir as the Ranger takes the lead.
Sebastian will back him up....
"Alright." Ustemir walks up to the double doors. "Let's get this thing over with." he pushes one of the doors to peek inside.
"Double doors work for me.
The doors are already askew, and Ustemir pushes one further open to peek inside. He sees a darkened room, an ancient chapel by the looks of it. Darkwood pews lie tumbled over and broken, covered in dust and grime. At the far end is a stone slab altar, atop which stands a large ceremonial anvil, its surface defaced and ruined.
Ustemir turns and speaks with a lowered voice. "Looks clear from here. A place of prayer, it seems."
Then steps into the doom to confirm.
Stepnik enters as well heading for his normal corner.
Sebastian stands in the doorway allowing his Light spell to spill into the room.
Ascaede moves up beside Ustemir, ostensibly to provide support, but also to get a closer look at the altar...
Ascaede thinks on the significance of the ceremonial anvil and wonders back to the other signs of Ferrakus worship around the ruins, but she also wonders about the name of this place, The Crucible of Kamus. The two deities don't appear to be reconcilable. What could their connection be?
Ustemir begins to approach the altar at the far end of the chapel. He notices that there are five small hexagonal depressions in the altar.
From the doorframe, Sebastien helps shine light into the room. As he does, he notices movement along the ceiling. Two black mollusk-like creatures cling to the ceiling up above with six tentacles, red eyes, and toothy maws!
perception
perception
perception
perception
perception
stealth
stealth
There's like six of them! This place needs a cleansing!
Waedin drops her hammer raises her holy symbol to castDivine Lance on the closest one and raises her sheild!.
You unleash a beam of divine energy. Make a ranged spell attack against the target's AC. On a hit, the target takes 2d4 spirit damage (double damage on a critical hit).
There's a monster clinging to the ceiling above each exit out of this room. Weadin unleashes a beam of divine energy at the one just inside the double doors. The creature shrieks in pain!
The second creature sheds an inky blob of black fluid from its body which falls to the floor and explodes into a globe of darkness that envelopes Asceade. Not even Sebastien's light spell nor Ustemir's darkvison can penetrate this globe of pure darkness. Asceade finds herself effectively blinded!
The creature then flies down from the ceiling and lands next to Asceade.
?
Ustemir immediately drops his shortsword and reaches out towards Asceade to drag her out of the darkness bubble. He reaches around into the darkness, shouting "Behind you! Grab my hand!"
In the meantime, looking into the bubble is to no avail, so he looks at the other creature in the room, and to Kolek. "Kolek! Sic!" he orders the bear to pounce the other creature.
Kolek, a well trained murder machine with a heart of gold, rakes at the leathery creature with both claws.
Ascaede clasps the proffered hand, allowing Ustemir to pull her to safety. The acolyte holds her blade high and raises her shield to ward off any physical attack.
◆ Interact (grab hand) ◆ Step ◆ Raise Shield
Ustemir and Asceade take each other by the hand and do a little do-si-do, while Kolek rushes into the globe of darkness and scratches into leathery flesh.
The monster falls beneath Kolek's blind fury, leaving the globe of darkness behind.
The other creature follows suit, drops a second globe of darkness enveloping now everyone but Stepnik. It then falls to the floor, hidden from all.
Sebastian begins expounding upon the virtues of Sight!
The darkness must have his tongue! The Bard still Inspires Courage!
The halfling Seeks!
Your eyes are sharp, allowing you to make out small details about concealed or even invisible creatures that others might miss. You gain a +2 circumstance bonus when using the Seek action to find hidden or undetected creatures within 30 feet of you. When you target an opponent that is concealed from you or hidden from you, reduce the DC of the flat check to 3 for a concealed target or 9 for a hidden one
He then Points Out the devious dark...mantle...thing.
The halfling begins cursing as he casts Shield!
◆ Waedin picks up her hammer
◆ Seeks
Failing to know where it is. Raises her Shield.
◆Raise Shield.
Monster 1 is Undetected from all, Seek DC 17 to make that Hidden. If you pass the Seek check, it's still a DC 11 Flat Check to hit on an attack roll. Monster 2 is Dead. Everyone except for Stepnik is in a globe of darkness and is effectively Blinded.
Sebastian begins expounding upon the virtues of Sight!
[dice=Lingering Composition Performance(T)]1d20+9
The darkness must have his tongue! The Bard still Inspires Courage!
The halfling Seeks!
[dice=Perception(E)]1d20+8+2
** spoiler omitted **
[dice=Perception(E)]1d20+8+2
He then Points Out the devious dark...mantle...thing.
The halfling begins cursing as he casts Shield!