Mahaffy did indeed suffer a tentacle slap for 15 points, but he managed to get to the other side of the monster, which has taken a lot of damage at this point. It resists Roylenna's magic but still is palpably weakened.
Gregori, Lyria, Tika and Artival still to go.
Tika will step back and shoot the creature
Attack
Perception
damage
Lyria keeps chanting in the middle of the chaos, her symbol raised up in her hand as another wave of positive energy flows around, healing everyone again. Unfortunately, it also heals the monster.
Exhausting the last of his magical reserves, Artival casts one more spell at the part of the monster that was visible.
Magic Missle
The way I see it : moving last round should have enabled Mahaffy yo move opposite Ka'kara.
The monster has taken 73 points of damage, but it is still flailing about rather nastily. Gregori is up, then the monster.
"Works for me!" Gregori shouts, swinging again at the plant monster.
Lyria keeps chanting in the middle of the chaos, her symbol raised up in her hand as another wave of positive energy flows around, healing everyone again. Unfortunately, it also heals the monster.
Lyria:
Gregori:
Gregori fails to penetrate the layers of seaweed and do any real damage. The monster suffers from several gashes and smoking craters where Artival's magic hit it, crossbow bolts sticking out in awkward places but it still fights on, lashing at Mahaffy and Ka'kara. The former takes 14 points of damage, the latter 15. You shudder to think what it would have done if it weren't weakened by Roylenna's magic.
Your turn.
Lyria stands her ground while continuing to channel healing energy over everyone. Sweating from the effort, she tries to concentrate on holding her hand up and letting another wave of blue energy wash over the party.
Mahaffy decides it's all or nothing ...
Attack
Yeh possible crit
Critical
Tika shoots the thing again
attack
Damage
Artival, still possessing a few minor magicks, casts a different spell than the group had seen before.
Acid Splash Ranged Touch Attack
Damage
Roylenna begins another Enlarge Person, this one for Gregori.
The carnage continues....
...and just like that, with Ka'kara's last attack, she manages to slice one of the roots off the monster, sending it tumbling into the maelstrom. With a wet ripping sound the remaining root snaps and the entire mound is sucked under and swept away.
Panting, you look at each other, unnerved by the sudden stillness.
Roylenna goes ahead and completes the spell on Gregori. "It is good for a few minutes and it will serve you better next time if you have experienced what it is like when you are not under stress. Right, Ka'kara?"
"So... as we're all exhausted, I guess this would be the right time to head back up to the city. We can come back in a couple of days."
"I agree 100%, Lyria. I am exhausted."
Once we are out of the sewer (and no longer expect to use it as a weapon), Roylenna will expend her uses of Heavenly Fire for healing on Ka'kara, Mahaffy, and Gregori:
Ka'kara:
Mahaffy:
Gregori:
The battle-worn but happy barbarianess heads back with a weary smile.
If the party decides to head back up, Lyria will channel energy 3 times, healing everyone who's still hurt for points.
I think you have amply deserved some rest, and you have a warm bath and a soft bed waiting for you at the Bathhouse and the Market Tavern, respectively. There is time for you to level up and still catch Rasputin's performance at the Market Tavern tonight. After that you can get a good night's sleep and consider your options.
So who comes with Mahaffy to inform the authorities of what we have done ? ...
After a relaxing evening, Artival would be willing to accompany Mahaffy to tell about the good (and bad) deeds the party achieved over the last day.
Does that mean that you'll want to wait until the next day? That's entirely reasonable, but in that case some things (like Rasputins's performance) are going to happen before that.
Roylenna will accompany Mahaffy, whether it is first thing after emerging from the tunnels, after we clean up, or tomorrow.
Ka'kara stays behind obviously not wishing to deal with uptight "authorities".
You return from the dungeon rather beat up and smelling of sewers and rotting seaweed. After returning to your rooms for a quick wash and a change of clothes you review your options. There are still a few hours to spare before the performance, so here are some suggestions as to what to do.
Mahaffy and possibly some others might want to notify one of the Angus brothers of what you have found so far.
You might want to just spend the time levelling up.
The wizard's tower is still there if you want to give it another go.
You might want to gather some more rumors or investigate further.
You have found some loot that you may want to have identified, and some valuables to sell. Maybe you want some shiny new equipment.
Or you might just want to go to the bathhouse and have a good time. Exactly how good a time is up to you.
I'm sure there are more things to do. The citadel is your oyster. But let's be back for the performance.
Or you might just want to go to the bathhouse and have a good time. Exactly how good a time is up to you.
About the bathhouse: It's 5 sp to visit the public baths, but you can also rent a private room for 2 gp. There are also masseuses available for the private rooms.
Lyria leaves the group and walks around in town, thinking of the vast catacombs and caves down in the sewers. She asks some of the townspeople if they know anything useful about it, and about the other problems the city is dealing with.
¨As Lyria wanders about the market she is accosted by a band of dwarves. “Excuse me”, says one of them, a well-dressed man with a short, tidy blonde beard “Are you by any chance a member of the Band of the Crimson Mantle?” “Lay off her, Bendrik”, shouts another before Lyria has even the time to respond. “Can you see her wearing anything crimson? She’s with the other lot, the ones that fought the dragon.” “It wasn’t a dragon, you know” interposes another dwarf. It was a half-dragon ogre.” “Well, bad enough if you ask me”, retorts the second dwarf, who is fully armored even in town and wears his dark hair and beard long and unbraided. After the bickering dies down and proper introductions have been made, you understand that these dwarves are from a trading company in Byrny (a town to the south), but they seem well-versed enough in the history and layout of Thunderhold.
The dwarves are pleasant enough company and soon enough you find yourselves resting from your chores over a beer or five (which they insist on paying for) as Lyria relates her adventuress. The dwarves are hanging at her lips and one is even taking notes. Then one of them shakes his head. “I don’t believe all the talk of demons underground. They say there’s an underground river beneath the city, runs right down the middle. Nothing could live in those sewers.” “Yeah, but there’s a cesspit under the mill, where all the sawdust and grain hulls are thrown. They say it’s spawned its own life force.” The dwarves look at one another. “That would explain the plant monster you fought.” A shudder goes around the table, and they down their beer in a brief silence.
As Lyria tries to steer the conversation (no mean task, that) to the catacombs below the city she picks up some interesting information: “This city came under siege many years ago, and the heroes that saved it were buried in lavish tombs near the gates of the Keep. Those burial chambers are still under there….” “Yes, but that’s just the top of it”, Bendrik adds, smugly. It’s rumored that an ancient, forgotten race had a great city right under our feet, abandoned now, but still rich with treasures and fearsome traps.”
The other dwarves agree. “That would be the gnomes, you know. Evil, flesheating gnomes. There used to be lots of them, but today no one knows what became of them. But to this day, every so often, somebody disappears without a trace, no bodies, no remnants. That’s the gnomes, I tell you. The gnomes, mark my word. Can’t trust those little buggers any farther than you can thow them.” Fortunately”, the dwarf making notes points out, “you can throw them quite far.” The dwarves all roar with laughter.
Lyria spends some time with the dwarves, listens to their words, and then asks a few questions of her own, as they seem knowledgeable about the city and its history.
"Gnomes you say... We haven't seen any, but obviously that doesn't say there aren't any deeper in. This place sure seems like a city built on a huge dungeon..."
"Do you know anything about the demons that appear here, or The missing wizard?"
Remembering something, she adds: "What do you know about Rappan Athuk? I think it's something dwarven".
Roylenna will see what Mahaffy's plans are -- she'd like to have time to go to the bathhouse (public baths are fine) and see if there's any place where her clothes can be laundered -- but she will accompany him first if that's his plan.
Shopping for a second set of clothes seems like a really good idea right about now, too.
Tika will go straight to getting herself and her clothes clean.
Let's have a bath before going to see the leaders of this town
When asked about the wizard the dwarves nod approvingly. "She used to work with Ulf Nine-Fingers, over at the Ironworks. They say he ain’t been quite right since she left. She must have made quite an impression." They nudge each other and giggle.
As soon as Lyria mentions Rappan Athuk, though, they all go silent. "Rappan Athuk, the dungeon of graves..." The dwarf with the long mane, Hasdrak, shakes his head and looks seriously at Lyria. "You don't want to go there, lass. That place is death. It's actually the death of Death, where Death goes to die. Oh, there is treasure galore down there, but most of it has been brought there by adventurers who haven't come back. The place is cursed." The dwarves finish their drinks in a hurry and go about their business.
The bathhouse is one of Thunderhold's unique institutions. Situated on the slope below the market, it takes advantage of a geothermal natural hot spring bubbling up from the volcanically active bedrock below the
city. It is a gathering place for negotiating merchants, weary adventurers, and wayward lovers. Both public and private baths are available, as well as several services.
You can have a hot bath, a hot meal and have your clothes laundered. If any of you should want a private room and a masseuse too, let me know.
"The bathhouse sounds like an exceptional way to rest and recover," Artival says to no one in particular. As he sees some of the team, heading in that direction, he follows along with them. Once he arrives at the bustling facility, he looks for some sort of guide to services at the bathhouse.