[ACO] Beginner Box 2 - Secrets of the Unlit Star (P1)

Game Master UncleFroggy

Please dot (add a post) in here and then delete your post to add yourself to this campaign.

1) I am based in Southeast Asia (UTC +8) so my posting hours may be unusual (especially for those in North America). I usually update at least one or twice per day. Just to keep the game moving, please post at least once every day and at least once during the weekend.

2) Please keep all posts and communication in all channels limited to a PG-13 level and be both positive and inclusive.

3) Please label all three of your actions. Even if you think what you are doing is obvious.

4) If I am unavailable for longer than 24 hours, I will let you know in the Discussion Tab. Out of respect for your fellow players and myself, I ask that you do the same. Real life happens, and real life will always take priority over the game, but out of fairness for your fellow players, please let us know if you will be unavailable for an extended period of time.

5) Please note that on the following days, my posting can get unpredictable:
Tuesday/Thursdays - all day, as they are the 2 busiest days of my work week

6) Please complete the Macros and the Slides linked at the top of the page.

7) Questions, concerns? Feel free to share them in the Discussion tab.

8) Let's have some fun and tell a great story together! After all, that's what we are here for.

You are all young travelers with dreams of becoming adventurers. The life of an adventurer is one of excitement, riches, and most of all, danger! You’ve left your home in search of an opportunity and are now traveling along the Path River in the eerie nation of Ustalav. The river’s route has led you past the small village of Grayce, perhaps the very village you came from originally! Regardless of where you began your journey, you soon find yourself in a small marshland along the river’s edge.

While you can’t explain it, you get a feeling that something is amiss within the marsh. It’s almost as if you hear an inexplicable voice calling you deeper into the area. Despite your initial reservations, you know that this is your opportunity for adventure! You continue to follow the voice that may or may not be calling to you and eventually stumble upon the ruins of a large stone building. The ruins consist of two chambers: an entryway and a larger chamber with several pedestals surrounding an altar at its center. The image of a large butterfly is carved into the altar and almost appears to glow with starlight. The pedestals each seem to have a weapon or other item like a staff resting upon them, as well as a parcel wrapped in leather.

The pedestals draw your attention and you enter the chamber. As you do, the ground beneath your feet begins to rumble. An earthquake! Before you can react, the floor beneath you falls away and you watch as the pedestals and altar are swallowed up by a massive sinkhole. As you try to escape, the sinkhole grows larger and you fall into the darkness below!

Pulling yourselves to your feet, you find yourselves in a cylindrical room. The rubble from the earthquake has lodged overhead, the grinding boulders forming a makeshift ceiling about ten feet high. The faintest bits of light filter through, but the surface is impossibly far away. You’re trapped deep underground! In the chaos of the fall, your gear was dislodged from your packs and scattered around the room, requiring you to take a moment to collect it all. You take this opportunity to introduce yourselves while you take stock of the situation.

Please introduce yourselves here
I'll move us along once Prynn's ready

Taga-utos quickly rises to his feet, gathering the gears and tools that had been scattered by the chaos. He takes a moment to assess his surrounding and it does not take long for him to reach a conclusion that they are trapped deep underground.

Despite the situation, he remains composed. Years of rigorous training at an elite military academy had taught him to stay calm under pressure. There, he honed his skills as a battlefield tactician, studying strategy, logistics, and the art of turning even the most unfavorable circumstances into opportunities for victory. Whether facing overwhelming odds or unforeseen complications, Taga-utos had built a reputation for finding a path forward.

Noticing the other travellers nearby, he approaches them and checks to see if anyone is injured.

"Looks like we're all in the same predicament," he says. "My name is Taga-utos. I specialize in battlefield tactics and coordination. If there's a way out of this mess, we'll find it together."

He then lets out a sharp whistle. Moments later, an eagle emerges from the dust and debris, circling overhead before landing beside him. Fastened securely to the eagle's talons is Taga-utos' personalized banner.

"And this is Matang Lawin, my trusted companion. Between his eyes and my planning, we've gotten through worse situations than this."

A young halfling man is among those who are picking themselves up and collecting their gear. He wears no armor and there are no weapons on the ground for him to gather up. Still, he has the look of a traveler about him, from the dust on his clothes to the random assortment of items he pulls out and checks on in his backpack, satisfying himself that nothing has broken. He also stops to pick up a lute carefully, plucking at the strings to make sure the thing is still in tune.

"Geez," he says finally. "I know a whole bunch of stories that start out like this. I never thought I'd be in one." Looking around at the others who have ended up down here as well, he offers a little bow. "Name's Wayin." (pronunciation: WAY-in) "I'm a bit of a singer, but uh, don't worry," he grins sheepishly at his lack of obvious weapons, "I'm the kind who's got magic tricks too."

Wayin strums his lute theatrically, a burst of magical energy surrounding him for a moment. Even for just the one chord, there's something inspiring behind it. Maybe he's less useless than he looks in a fight.

Fae's mind kicks in as she shuffles some rubble aside. Her eyes quickly scan through the rubble. A curiously handsome halfling. A courageous human with an eagle. She makes a note to introduce herself. But first, top priority.

She digs and gathers a pile of crystals. She forms them around her wrist like a bracelet. She checks for damage. No it's fine. Satisfactory.

"Hello! My name is Fae Maleranti." The tiefling finishes digging her way out, and gathers her collection of doodads and gizmos. And the flail. "Hello Wayin. Hello Taga-utos. I would shake your hand but it's more important we look for survivors!"

She starts pulling rubble away. "I saw more people here. Please speak up if you are still alive, I will try to help!"

You hear a shriek from behind you and see a tiny little blue dragon about 2 feet tall staring at her nails that are long and sharp. "Oh! I chipped a nail digging out of that stupid rubble! What kind of a place is this to have all that fall in anyway?!" She effortlessly leaps up on some of the rubble and stares up at the blocked light and huffs. "Well, even with my size, I don't think we're getting back out that way."

She looks around at the others and sighs. "Well if we're going to be stuck here together, I guess we ought to know each other. I'm Tessa. And yes, I'm dragon and yes, I'm supposed to be this big." That last line is delivered in a tone that clearly has explained this before. Her scales are mostly blue with a mix of purple as well. She wears leather armor on top of a black crop top and hot pants. While you don't see any weapons, she clacks her nails on a piece of nearby rubble and you see it scratch the surface. She tries to smile sweetly, though her sharp dragon teeth make it slightly disconcerting.

A slim-but-toned figured pretty monkey-faced vanara should have listened to her instincts, but it is too late for that now. She finds herself face-first on the ground. At least she is alive, she thinks. Being swallowed by the shaking ground was certainly not on the list of things she ever wanted to happen to her.

Unggoy quickly pushes herself upright and gathers her scattered belongings, only to discover that she is not alone in this ill-fated situation.

"Oh, hi! You're trapped too?" she says cheerfully. "I am not supposed to be here, but my curiosity nearly got me killed. Thank the gods I'm still alive! I am Unggoy, by the way."

She introduces herself to anyone unfortunate enough to have ended up beside her.

Wayin considers the unfortunates who are assembling after their strange journey. Taga-utos the human with his eagle, Fae the tiefling, Tessa the dragon, Unggoy the... the... he doesn't know what Unggoy is, but he bows politely at her introduction all the same. He seems particularly fascinated by the tiny dragon, as he's never seen a dragon so small before. Or any dragon at all, come to think of it. But he's never even heard of one as small as Tessa. He was on the verge of asking Tessa something about why she is that size when she got a bit snappy, so he keeps his mouth shut about that one.

The halfling moves to help Fae move some rubble around to look for any other survivors. He's not very much help in the task as he's small and he isn't strong besides, but he does try. "It's nice to meet all of you, although, uh, I wish it wasn't in such strange circumstances." Plucking a small rock from the pile and moving it to an emptier part of the room, he asks, tentatively, "Did anyone else almost think they heard a voice leading them out here?"

"I am not supposed to be here, but my curiosity nearly got me killed. "

"Isn't that supposed to be cats?" Tessa says, indelicately. She scampers down from the rubbles and pulls out a metal file to begin working on her nails. You realize she's sharpening them to a keen edge.

"Curiosity is the first step toward existence." Fae recites, almost monotonically. She moves a few rocks near Unggoy to look for any equipment she may have dropped.

"If that is all of us? Wayin is correct. There was a voice that drew me here. I have to show my sister I can do things on my own." She draws her flail in one hand and keeps the crystals in her other hand, forming them into a rough sphere.

"Let us move ahead and continue exploring."

With a muted strum of the lute, Wayin calls an orb of light that floats just behind his shoulder, brightening the space with a color that sort of resembles daylight. He looks left, then looks right, the orb maintaining its position so that he never has to look through the source of the light to see anything. Satisfied, he focuses his attention more on the room around him and the others who've ended up here with him.

"Is your sister from around Grayce, then?" he asks Fae with polite interest. "I thought I might be able to hit up the taverns around here. Instead..." The halfling counts those down with him. "Well, I've played for smaller audiences than this." Wayin gives a self-deprecating chuckle at this remark. He's ready to follow along into the unknown.

A young elf rose gracefully and brushed the dust from her traveling cloak. A small flame danced briefly across her fingertips as she checked her belongings, confirming that her scimitar, bow, and worn collection of journals had survived the descent. Satisfied, she extinguished the flame with a closing fist.

She looked around at the others gathered in the chamber. Strangers only moments ago, yet somehow brought together by the same mysterious call.

"I am Prynn Fyrion," she said, inclining her head politely. "A fire-born champion and scholar, though I have recently taken up a more... adventurous path. Whether it was a blessing, a warning, or something else entirely, I do not believe our arrival here was an accident. Regardless, we are here now."

As if to emphasize her words, a tiny ember briefly flickered between her fingers before fading away. Prynn offered a reassuring smile to the group. "My faith teaches that even those who lose their way can find redemption and purpose. Let us hope this place intends to teach us something."

"My sister? She lives near Absalom now, but my father is from Ustalav. I visit the two locations regularly." Fae finishes moving the stone Wayin is struggling with. "I had left my parents' home when I heard someone calling for me. I thought someone needed my help." She helps clear the rocks for Prynn. "Gotta help."

Tessa watches the flame dance at Prynn's on fingers with delight. "Oh, girl, that's hot! I don't know about redemption and helping, but I like ya'll's style." She smiles at Fae with her pointy teeth. "And that bracelet is fire! Is it pure crystal?"

There is a certain stereotype about bards that they are always going around flirting with all of the women. Wayin is not one of those bards. Yet even so, he feels just a little bit of regret that there is some talk about fire tricks and his meager spell assortment doesn't have anything where he can flashily join in to impress them.

"Glad you're with us too, Prynn," he says after the elf introduces herself. "I could do with some purpose right about now."

Fae kneels down to Tessa to showcase the crystal in her hand. "Oh yes, the crystal is pure, yet malleable. It reminds me of home..." The crystals fall flat over her hand, wrapping it like a very thick stiff glove. "It helps me think."

Prynn chuckled softly at Tessa's enthusiasm. "The fire is a gift of my faith. Though I confess it is usually more useful for discouraging enemies than entertaining friends."

Her gaze lingered on Fae's shifting crystal bracelet. The elf's eyes brightened with genuine curiosity. "Remarkable. I've read of living crystals and magically attuned minerals, but I've never seen anything quite like that." She leaned forward slightly, careful not to invade the Fae's space.

Prynn turned toward Wayin and offered him a small smile "Purpose has a way of finding those willing to look for it. Besides, I set out hoping to find answers. Purpose seemed like something that would reveal itself eventually." She gestured vaguely at their surroundings. "Though I admit, I did not expect it to arrive quite so dramatically."

"Wait, did you say Absalom?" Tessa looks up at Fae. "You live there? I was headed there to see my little cousin, Vinny. He's got some sort of sweet deal there. Something about dragons. I figure I'm waaay more dragon than he is. I mean, right?" Tessa strikes a pose.

"So I was headed there to check it out. Little Vinny was never the brightest bulb, so I figure if he can make it there, I ought to be able to. I bet I can get him to put me up for a bit until I can show my worth!"

She looks around with Prynn gesturing to their surroundings. "I mean, I guess once we get out of here, that is."

While they are at it, Unggoy looks for a possible exit while listening to their conversation.

"We should get out of here soon, or we'll be stuck here forever."

Noticing the vanara nearby, Taga-utos approaches with a friendly smile with Matang Lawin perched beside him.

"Hello there," Taga-utos says, offering a polite nod. "I'm Taga-utos, and this is Matang Lawin."

He gestures toward the eagle before chuckling softly.

"Don't worry, I hope he doesn't make you nervous. He's well-trained and not the sort to go around eating monkeys."

Matang Lawin lets out a low cry as if in protest, prompting Taga-utos to grin.

"Well... At least, not anymore."

"Ah, Absalom," Wayin says wistfully after Fae and Tessa have brought it up. "I suppose they call it the City at the Center of the World for a reason. No sparse crowds there, I bet."

His gear gathered back up, he nods his agreement with Unggoy. "Whatever's between us and the outside down here, we might as well go find it before it finds us."

A loud scratching begins to echo through the chamber. By what little light is in this room, you see a mass of skittering legs making their way through cracks in the ceiling. Three enormous centipedes climb down the walls with surprising speed. The moment they reach the sunken floor, they begin to rush toward you, their mandibles snapping!

Lighting: there's enough light to see by (although the scenario text describes this as an underground chamber, it doesn't say anything about lighting. Also the Begbox tends to introduce combat aspects one at a time and it doesn't say anything about dim light conditions

------------------
COMBAT TRACKER
Round: 1
Tactical Map
------------------
Those with ** may go

**Wayin - AC 16 (17 w/shield) 15/15
Red
Prynn - AC 15 16/16
Blue
Fae Maeleranti - AC 18 18/18
Taga-utos - AC 18 (20 w/shield) 19/19; Matang Lawin AC 16 11/11
Unggoy Unggoyan - AC 18 (19 Parry) 15/15
Tessa Dragonkin - AC 18 20/20
White

Wayin gapes for a brief moment as the bugs appear, then gets down to what he does best. Let's hope this works like I think it does, he thinks to himself, having never been in a real fight to test out his magic. The halfling strums a chord on his lute, the start of a recognizable joyful tavern anthem, and tries to keep the music's energy lingering in the air.

Performance for Lingering Composition, DC 15: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (9) + 7 = 16 Success: 3 rounds for Courageous Anthem.

"The cannibal king with the big nose ring fell in love with the sweet young maid..." he sings. The bard feels the power and grins with satisfaction and also a bit of surprise. Determined to show these surprise companions he can actually do something useful, he opts to attack with a cantrip rather than step away from the creatures. With a lifted hand and a few gestures, shards of metal float in the air and zip towards Red.

Needle Darts Attack vs. Red, anthem: 1d20 + 7 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 7 + 1 = 17
Needle Darts Damage: 3d4 + 1 ⇒ (3, 2, 2) + 1 = 8 piercing

◇ Lingering Composition (success)
◆ Cast Courageous Anthem (duration: 3 rounds)
◆◆ Cast Needle Darts vs. Red

Anthem active: +1 status bonus to attack rolls, damage rolls, and saves against fear within 60-foot emanation of Wayin. (round 1 of 3)

Then...

Unggoy turns to Taga-Utos as he approaches while she is busy searching for a way out. After the introductions, and once she is certain his eagle poses no threat, she gives them both a quick once-over before responding.

"Alright! If you say so. I'll take your word for it."

With that, she resumes her search for an exit.

Now...

When Unggoy spots the creatures snapping their mandibles at them, she jolts upright.

"Alright! They want to eat us!" she snaps.

Wayin begins a bawdy ballad of a cannibal king which gets everyone's heart pumping. He then follows it up with a trio of needles to Red's head, dropping it instantly.

------------------
COMBAT TRACKER
Round: 1
Tactical Map
------------------
Those with ** may go

Wayin - AC 16 (17 w/shield) 15/15
**Prynn - AC 15 16/16
Blue
Fae Maeleranti - AC 18 18/18
Taga-utos - AC 18 (20 w/shield) 19/19; Matang Lawin AC 16 11/11
Unggoy Unggoyan - AC 18 (19 Parry) 15/15
Tessa Dragonkin - AC 18 20/20
White

As Wayin's anthem echoed through the chamber, Prynn felt her courage kindle alongside the divine fire within her. She extended her hand toward the blue centipede. A spark flared at her fingertips before erupting into a burst of divine fire that streaked toward the creature.

◆◆Ignition Vs Blue: 1d20 + 6 + 1 ⇒ (12) + 6 + 1 = 19 Fire damage: 2d4 + 1 ⇒ (4, 3) + 1 = 8

As the fire leapt toward the creature, Prynn immediately shifted into a defensive stance. With practiced efficiency, she brought her shield up and set her feet firmly against the stone floor.

Prynn joins the party and incinerates Blue as well...

------------------
COMBAT TRACKER
Round: 1
Tactical Map
------------------
Those with ** may go

Wayin - AC 16 (17 w/shield) 15/15
Prynn - AC 15 (17 w/shield) 16/16 (AC 17)
**Fae Maeleranti - AC 18 18/18
**Taga-utos - AC 18 (20 w/shield) 19/19; Matang Lawin AC 16 11/11
**Unggoy Unggoyan - AC 18 (19 Parry) 15/15
**Tessa Dragonkin - AC 18 20/20
White (AC <= 17)

Tessa roars a tiny dragon roar and rushes towards the centipede. Her confidence makes her overeager though and she nearly faceplants in front of the centipede as she tries to tumble. A feint goes no better as the insect easily tracks her movement. Finally she just rips at it with her well-manicured claws.

Tumble Through vs Reflex DC: 1d20 + 7 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 7 + 1 = 9
Hmm, as a tiny PC, she can move into a space normally, so I think a failure here still puts her in the space.

Feint: 1d20 + 5 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 5 + 1 = 7 *facepalm*

Claw Attack (anthem): 1d20 + 7 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 7 + 1 = 27
Damage (anthem): 1d6 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 + 1 = 6

◆ Tumble Through
◆ Feint
◆ Strike

"Threat detected!" Fae declares and Strides into melee, drawing her flail in one hand.

Light Mace: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 7
Bludgeoning: 1d6 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 + 2 = 10
Implement's Empowerment: +2 damage if she's holding her Implement

"I missed!"

Tessa tries to impress the remaining centipede but falls over herself. Frustrated, she slashes at it with her claws and rips its head clean off...

COMBAT OVER

No treasure unless you like collecting pieces of centipede...

You head through the door. The creaking of the door echoes off the walls of this long balcony as you enter. Lightly glowing mushrooms under two rows of cracked stone pews cast the room in a pale blue light, though it fails to penetrate a curtain of darkness to the east, which ripples like oil. At the distant end of the balcony, a fire flickers, two creatures dancing about it.

This room appears to be a balcony of some kind, though whatever the balcony is meant to view is obscured by a shadow veil.

You have a few seconds to look around

"Poor centipedes. I wish I could fulfill your wishes." Fae looks forlorn for a moment before snapping back to attention. "Onward."

She crosses the door and fixates on the figures dancing around the flame. "Hello!" She waves to get their attention. "Perhaps you may assist us?" The crystals around her hand harden into a large glove as she waves her hand.

Wayin barely had time to register that he was fighting giant bugs for his life before it was over. The one chord he struck on the lute still lingers in the air for seconds longer. He offers a sheepish grin. "Guess I'll have to finish that one next time around."

Whatever is going on in here, he feels a little better about it after having seen these other people in action. None of them were expecting what has happened here, but perhaps they're all prepared to face the unexpected together.

His eye drawn to the fire in the distance and particularly the creatures dancing around it, Wayin tries to get a better look at them figure out what they are. He watches with curiosity to see how they respond to Fae's shouting at them. Recall Knowledge: Occultism 4, Society 4, anything else 1.

"Wow, you all are good combatants." Unggoy compliments them, realizing there is no left for her to fight.

She then continues examining the next area they move into. She finds the fire flickering pretty interesting, but it looks dangerous.

She tightens her grip on her weapon. "I assume we'll gonna fight them too? Not hostile yet though."

Tessa flicks the centipede's blood and guts off her claws before clacking them against a nearby stone in glee. "Well, not my best work, but it did the job."

As they enter into the next room, Tessa peers at the darkness. She had never seen something like that where here eyes couldn't penetrate. She ignores the creatures at the others call out to them.
Gotta be weird to someone with darkvision.

Taga-utos spent so much time analyzing the battlefield and formulating strategies that he failed to notice the fight had already ended. Realizing this, he lets out a quiet chuckle and offers his allies an approving nod.

"Well fought! With combat prowess like that, I may find myself out of a job."

He compliments his companions on their impressive display before falling in line with the group as they move into the next chamber.

Upon entering, he notices two strange creatures dancing amidst the flames. Their movements immediately catch his attention, prompting him to study them. Drawing upon his military education and accumulated field experience, Taga-utos searches his memory for any information that might identify the creatures, their behavior, or any potential threats they might pose.

You move in to the second room. Fae sees the dancing figures and waves at them to get their attention. However, they pull out slings and attack instead of waving back.

N.B. It was always going to end in combat

------------------
COMBAT TRACKER
Round: 1
Tactical Map
------------------
Those with ** may go

**Unggoy Unggoyan - AC 18 (19 Parry) 15/15
**Fae Maeleranti - AC 18 18/18
Red
Tessa Dragonkin - AC 18 20/20
Wayin - AC 16 (17 w/shield) 15/15
Taga-utos - AC 18 (20 w/shield) 19/19; Matang Lawin AC 16 11/11
Prynn - AC 15 (17 w/shield) 16/16
Blue

"Hostile entities!" Fae points (with her big crystal glove) and quickly closes in.

She takes a swing at the Blue creature.
Light Mace: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (18) + 5 = 23
Bludgeoning: 1d6 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 + 2 = 7
Implement's Empowerment: +2 damage if she's holding her Implement

"Stop that! Violence will not be tolerated!"

Unggoy stomps the butt of her bo staff against the ground, and the weapon crackles with surging energy.

◆ Overdrive (manipulate)
DC 15 Crafting to Overdrive: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15
S: +2 damage to Strikes for 1 minute

She advances toward the enemies.

◆ Stride

As she closes the distance, she studies Red carefully, searching for any weakness she can exploit.

◆ Recall Knowledge about Red's weaknesses.

"Hey! What are you weak against?!" she calls out to Red.

Fae walks up to Blue and drops him with one swing of her mace.

Red swaps out his sling for a sickle and swings at Fae twice.

Sickle vs Fae AC 18: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (20) + 5 = 25 for Slashing: 1d4 ⇒ 4
Sickle vs Fae AC 18, MAP, Agile: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 1 = 19 for Slashing: 1d4 ⇒ 4

ouch

Red chatters in a language you can't understand. But it's obvious he's overjoyed over the spray of blood from Fae...

------------------
COMBAT TRACKER
Round: 1-2
Tactical Map
------------------
Those with ** may go

-2-
**Unggoy Unggoyan - AC 18 (19 Parry) 15/15
**Fae Maeleranti - AC 18 6/18

-1-
Red
**Tessa Dragonkin - AC 18 20/20
**Wayin - AC 16 (17 w/shield) 15/15
**Taga-utos - AC 18 (20 w/shield) 19/19; Matang Lawin AC 16 11/11
**Prynn - AC 15 (17 w/shield) 16/16

Wayin picks up right where he left off from the centipede fight with his little song: "And every night by the pale moonlight, this is what you'd hear him say..." A strum of his lute and again the shards of metal dart out towards the enemy.

Needle Darts Attack vs. Red AC, anthem: 1d20 + 7 + 1 ⇒ (17) + 7 + 1 = 25
Damage if hit: 3d4 + 1 ⇒ (3, 1, 2) + 1 = 7 piercing (and 1 persistent bleed if crit)

The halfling is alarmed at the wounds taken by Fae, and is just as determined to look brave in front of these people who he's just met.

◆ Courageous Anthem active (+1 status to attacks, damage, saves vs. fear for allies within 30 feet)
◆◆ Cast Needle Darts on Red

Wayin continues his ballad and unleashes a trio of darts on the remaining creature. The dart punch clean through his chest and Red drops.

COMBAT OVER!

Searching the room, you don't find anything other than a sickle and a sling for each of the two. There's also the shadowy veil to look at.

You can also spend some time to put Fae back together...

"Ah! My internal fluids! I need those." Fae bluntly states.

"Can anyone repair, ah, heal me?"

Tessa doesn't seems to give Fae's cries much mind, and she goes to inspect the shadowy curtain. "It's like some sort of smoke curtain..." She suddenly reaches out to try and touch the darkness.

With these latest hostiles dispatched, Wayin considers some things that he was not as focused on while the group was being threatened. There's something odd about the way that Fae was speaking during the fight that he can't figure out. He hasn't met anyone who talks like that. Maybe it's a nephilim thing.

"Hey, uh," he says after a few moments, unable to contain his curiosity, "why did you call it fluids? Of course blood is a fluid, but I wouldn't have thought to say it like that." The halfling tries a grin to show he's not suspicious about the answer, just curious.

He will offer healing if out of combat efforts from other party members aren't successful or don't materialize. It would be his one soothe per day so looking to save that for a fight.

I don't have healing capabilities.

"Oooh." Unggoy winces at the sight of fluid oozing out of a sentient being. "I can repair robots, but I don't think the same applies to androids."

"Oh, it's fine! I can..." Fae stands up. "While blood is the most common fluid lost upon injury, but there are others!" She ducks under Wayin's question.

"If we do not have a way to recover, then we should continue on. I'll be more cautious."

Tessa's hand (claw?) sinks into the shadowy veil but nothing really happens...

"There is only 1 way forward." Fae pokes her head through the smoky curtain.

With his detect magic cantrip active, Wayin moves around the room, trying to figure out if he can glean any information about what is happening in this place.

"The strange voice that led us all down here is only the beginning of the mystery," he muses.

I think our group's out-of-combat healing capabilities are: Taga-utos attempting Treat Wounds, and Prynn doing Lay on Hands for 6hp/10 minutes (requiring a refocus each time).

I'll gladly take either healing option, if people don't mind waiting 10 minutes.