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Reinforcing Raseri’s work, Gunnar follows up with Dispel Magic as needed. Cradling the eggs and floating like a delicate Dwarven feather through the night sky, Gunnar replies, ”We have done what we can. Let us take care to protect the eggs on the way down.”
While he was in the dome Gunnar tried to lash all the eggs together and protect them with blankets and such, but it makes sense that carrying them separately may have been necessary to protect them. Having found out how to fix the eggs, Gunnar is happy to do them individually as he can get close enough (Dispel Magic has a range of 120 feet and he will cast once per round).
Do we need to fix the eggs individually, or has the dispelling already done apply to them all? Gunnar is happy to keep casting dispel magics until all the eggs are fixed if needed.
“Let me cast a Dispel Magic while you simultaneously use Greater Restoration. Hopefully that will purge any remaining malevolent influence and heal any stunting of the growth that occurred during their imprisonment,” suggests Gunnar. Coordinating with Luthael, he begins a second casting of the magic unraveling spell, in case there were any hidden eddies of corruption remaining.
”I think I have unraveled most of the hag’s magical influence on the eggs, but a Remove Curse or other powerful divine magical blessing would certainly be helpful,” remarks Gunnar to Luthael as they float towards the ground. Gunnar senses his spell of flight continuing to be used, so he continues to concentrate and simultaneously keep vigil for any fresh threats, poised to extend his Arcane Shield should his friends or the eggs be threatened.
His Arcane Ward springing into being as the residual power from the unravelling spell powers it, Gunnar keeps a sharp eye out for any threats to his feather-falling allies or the eggs. If he sees such a threat—maybe that lurking small wyvern—he will cast lightning on it. If not, he merely prepares to extend his shield around them all at need (projected ward).
”Then whatever we have that might purge the eggs of the evil hag influence should be cast now, lest we lose the opportunity once the mother arrives,” suggests Gunnar, preparing to cast his own Improved Abjuration Dispel Magic if he can discern which threads of malevolent arcana to pull away from the eggs.
Scanning the skies for threats, Gunnar spots the opportunistic wyvern chomping down on the fried goblin. Keeping a grip on the bundle of eggs, he positions himself between the others and the wyvern, shield at the ready, prepared to defend his allies and the precious cargo.
Gunnar scrambles to keep the eggs secure and still concentrate on that fly spell. At the news of the incoming featherfall, he says, ”Right, everyone grab a corner of the egg carrier and prepare to lift free of the falling inn!”
Gunnar spent some time carefully strapping in the eggs for transport since he expected the place to fall eventually. Hopefully that helps.
Gunnar does his best to brace and protect the eggs. He keeps his focus on the flight spell and hopes for the best. His options limited, he says, "We are falling or will fall soon. Let us hope the others come to us with a solution. I cannot keep us all aloft simultaneously."
Maintaining concentration on his flight spell, Gunnar encourages Raseri to use the gift of flight he has given her and go join the battle. Muttering under his breath, the Dwarven wizard says to Mamluk, ”This would be so much easier if you were still a flying carpet.”
Gunnar is desperately trying to keep the eggs and the NPC's safe inside the Tiny Hut. A soft landing would be preferable to aid him in his endeavors. He is also quite reluctant to join the fray where any loss of concentration would send at least two companions plummeting to their deaths...
Tiny Hut stays up unless Gunnar exits it. Anyone's guess what happens if the ground moves, as it has. I have been playing as if the spell is still active and protecting us and the eggs from the goings-on outside.
Continuing to concentrate on the flight spell that keeps his allies aloft, Gunnar looks to the others, saying, "I must stay here to protect you all and the eggs. I have not the power to make us all fly, or otherwise we could attempt to flee." With the eggs secured for transport, Gunnar continues to ready his Banishment spell should any foes enter the dome.
”Go,” replies Gunnar to Luthael, adding, ”If I feel the structure starting to fall, I will teleport 90 feet straight up, and I will likely need help carrying the eggs,”
Concentrating on the Fly spell that supports Scramsax, Ingryd, and himself, Gunnar gathers the eggs as best he can to carry them himself, but he worries they might be too much for him to carry alone. He says to Luthael, ”Perhaps we should work together to carry the eggs and prepare to make a run for it, using the others’ actions as a distraction.”
"Wyvern poison, aerosolized," replies Gunnar to the question about the poison, "And the spell lasts 8 hours from the time of casting, theoretically enough time for a good night's sleep." "If you want to fly out there and thwack some goblins, I can cast the appropriate spell," he offers as well to Ingryd, "But I will have to stay in here and guard the eggs."
If he has the time to do so, Gunnar will try and identify the gas escaping from the canister.
Gunnar calls it “Freyja’s Respite”. He learned it this past level after being ambushed or freezing his toes once too many times just using the wall of stone. Didn’t expect it to come in useful so quickly.
”I’ll protect the eggs and keep the hut going,” says Gunnar as he focuses on doing just that. Standing protectively over the eggs, Gunnar readies a spell should the enemy be able to breach the hut’s defenses.
Gunnar has to stay inside the hut to keep it active, so he will plan to stay put and guard the eggs, making him basically a non-factor in this fight. I will see if there is any spell he can cast on an ally before they leave the hut to fight that might be of benefit.
Note for those inside the protective spell: Freyja's Respite* Legacy • 3rd LevelEvocation
Nine creatures of Medium size or smaller can fit inside the dome with you. The spell fails if its area includes a larger creature or more than nine creatures. Creatures and objects within the dome when you cast this spell can move through it freely. All other creatures and objects are barred from passing through it. Spells and other magical effects can't extend through the dome or be cast through it. The atmosphere inside the space is comfortable and dry, regardless of the weather outside. Until the spell ends, you can command the interior to become dimly lit or dark. The dome is opaque from the outside, of any color you choose, but it is transparent from the inside.
Rolling over and waking, Gunnar remains inside the dome. He rubs his eyes and listens for now, hoping the dragon has not reached them yet so they might still have time to cleanse the eggs of any necromantic corruption.
”Hmm, yes, Losing the eggs seems to be part of her strategy,” says Gunnar, ”We must be careful not to fall into the hag’s trap. Purging the eggs of the witch’s evil influence and making sure the girl is okay should go a long way towards opposing her plans.” ”Still, a bit of extra protection can’t hurt,” Gunnar adds, preparing to cast his “Tiny Hut” spell for their nighttime protection.
Gunnar will use a total of 4 hours and 100 gp of reagents to scribe Knock from the captured spellbook into his own spellbook. It may extend a bit into his watch for the night, but he should still get good rest.
”A good plan, unless we can teleport back more quickly,” suggests Gunnar, settling down to rest and try to scribe some of the captured spells into his own spellbook.
Gunnar looks at the devastation and puts a weathered hand on Ingryd’s shoulder. Sadly, he says, “These witch hags have much for which to answer. I worry we may waste too much time resting and cleansing these eggs while the wildfires rage.” ”Still, if we rush to deliver the eggs and return to do battle with the hag we may unleash corrupted dragons on the world and fail in our efforts to defeat the hag, being too depleted to bring our full might to bear during the final battle,” he adds. In a rare moment of indecision, Gunnar says, ”I truly don’t know which course of action is better, my friends. Does anyone have wisdom to offer?”
”If we can communicate with the dragon and let here know where we are, we can direct her here to pick up her eggs,” suggests Gunnar, ”Though perhaps purging them of any lingering effects from their ley line ordeal first would be prudent.”
Recovering his bearings, Gunnar says, “Yes, let’s take a look. It may be worth detecting for evil or undead given the previous auras.” Casting Detect Magic, he evaluates the condition of the eggs, asking, “About how far away from the dragon’s lair are we? We may want to move to an open area soon assuming she has detected the liberation of her eggs so we don’t scare the townspeople too much.”
With the outline of a plan, Gunnar sets it in motion once the others are ready. Casting Dispel Magic, he finds his skill in abjuration magic has matured and the spell itself has become more powerful (Improved Abjuration)--a much-needed boost as he tries to deflect and divert the massive power of the ley line for the precious few moments needed.
”Excellent, let us work together, Luthael. You and I work our abjuration and supplement with a wall of force from the wand, then our companions dart in and rescue the eggs,” says Gunnar, relating his plan to the others. ”That would get us an additional 3 cubits of clearance to get the eggs,” Gunnar calculates mentally.
Gunnar considers, ”Is it possible the wall of force from the wand and the Dispel Magic could divert the ley line and break the connection to the eggs and nest for a few precious seconds so his companions can snatch up the eggs? Yes, perhaps angled just so and with the first, third, and fifth frequencies damped the flow should divert almost a meter out of line for 3.8 seconds, assuming the wall of force is set at the right angle to assist in diverting the flow…” Quickly checking his calculations, Gunnar shares his plan if the equations solve correctly…
“That nest of bones supporting the dragon eggs reeks of undeath,” says Gunnar, “I fear the eggs themselves may be affected, but regardless it will likely complicate our attempt to liberate the eggs.” Gunnar will plan to either suppress the necrotic magic if the bones if it counts as a magic item—Dispel Magic to divert the ley line—or he will banish it if it counts as an undead creature—Banishment.
Gunnar focuses on the eggs now they they are well-lit and his gaze can also see both invisible and ethereal emanations.
Gunnar considers, ”This may be the coven of hags responsible for the unnatural winter.” Casting ’See Invisibility”, Gunnar looks into the darkness for some sign of their adversaries.
Baffled by Scramsax’s complex pontifications as usual, Gunnar says, “Let us open the doors and see if the eggs are guarded. If we can liberate the eggs and get them someplace safe, we are one big step closer to saving the region and defeating the hag.”
After his frustration with not being able to heal the priest last time, Gunnar asks to have one of the superior healing potions.
Standing up from his studies, Gunnar stretches in the radiance of the Sun God. ”First time I’ve been truly warm in what seems like ages,” he mutters as he pulls himself together. ”We ready to move on?” he asks. Looking to Luthael, he asks, ”Can you locate a path to the Dragon Eggs, or should we try and find this hag next?”
Actually, reading the description, Gunnar's Improved Abjuration may not work through the ring for the counterspell, so maybe an extra Shield and a Misty Step (bonus action) would be useful instead.
How about if we load the ring with spells that cast as a reaction? That way it won't mess up your action economy. Gunnar could load it with Shield (+5 ac, stops magic missiles), Absorb Elements (resistance to incoming elemental damage and add it to your melee weapon), and Counterspell (1d20+9 vs. 10 + incoming spell level). All reactions and abjuration spells that would protect you and/or the party...
Thanks! New stuff for Gunnar:
- In honor of the last combat and the blessing of Kohrs, he has picked up Fire Bolt "Flame of the Sun God". - For our convenience, he has picked up Tiny Hut "Freyja's Respite" as a ritual to keep us protected and warm while traveling. - New 5th level spell is Bigby's Hand "Fist of Odin", a fun force-based multi-faceted attack spell that uses bonus actions in subsequent rounds to activate.
Scramsax: Really hard to pass up Dex +2 if you are not already at a 20. Other than that, skilled seems like a good choice to further character goals, though you may want to multiclass or pick up magic initiate (druid) at some point if you are wanting to pursue that route long-term.
Gunnar smiles at the change and claps Luthael on the back, saying, "We've done a good work here, my friend. Surely your deity smiles upon us now." Casting Detect Magic, Gunnar looks for anything that Kohrs may have decided to bless them with for their upcoming battle with the hag. Afterwards, he capitalizes on the surge of renewing power surging through him to reach the next plateau of spellcasting capability (time for a short rest would be good if possible). In particular, he finds that the blessing of the Sun God has given him some power with flame in addition to his typical lightning and thunder (Fire Bolt).
Just glad I rolled high enough for it to work! We roll for hp? It has been a while.
Gunnar sees an actual attack spell being cast and attempts to counter it!
Standing and raising his hammer high, Gunnar calls down lightning from the storm sphere onto the death knight. He then centers Shatter spell on the chains lashing the death knight to the altar including the knight himself! Lastly, he pushes forward between Ingryd and the knight, hoping to protect her until she recovers!
The maelstrom makes maintaining the smoky screen difficult as it whips around the form of the airborne demon. Buffeting winds damage it even as Gunnar tries to draw a bead on it.
Catching a glimpse of the demon through its smoke, Gunnar sends another Storm Sphere bolt of lightning at it even as he uses a scroll to send Magic Missiles it’s way to try and avoid its apparent resistance to electrical damage.
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