Alzav casts Expeditious Retreat and bolts after the beast as it lumbers away. As he closes the distance, he reaches out mentally and hums soothing tones to the creature. If he can reach the reins, he will attempt to start turning the beast to the right in a spiral back towards the others (whether or not it has begun to calm), and slowing it to a controlled pace as best he can by the reins.
Alzav casts Expeditious Retreat and bolts after the beast as it lumbers away. As he closes the distance, he reaches out mentally and hums soothing tones to the creature. If he can reach the reins, he will attempt to start turning the beast to the right in a spiral back towards the others (whether or not it has begun to calm), and slowing it to a controlled pace as best he can by the reins.
You reach the back of the cart!
Thats a tick of time. How do you want to handle it? Blast a wheel off to guarantee stopping it, or Animal Handling on the beast? The most time consuming choice would be to climb over the cart and grab the reins, that’ll be a straight Dexterity check unless you have Land Vehicles.
General Notes
1. It’s raining. Not heavy enough to be a hindrance, but fire won’t catch easily. Don’t worry about using fire spells.
2. Explosive attacks will destroy fungus and kick up spores.
3. The top of the structure is open to the elements. You can see Arthur up there from the ground.
Before the fever within him really begins to boil, Evil-Eyed Gruush manages to take note of Arthur on the building far up above. Woozy and head feeling lighter every moment, the Rogue tries to ignore that odd, out-of-body rising feeling in his arms, and the sudden swirling of colors and motion around the landscape. Lad needs to be careful up there, Gruush manages to force the thought through the odd jumble about his brain. Everything floats, here. If he floats too high, he’ll hit the ceiling…what would happen then? Would he burst like a balloon? Would the magic rain out of him like an arcane downpour?
The Rogue, attempting to sprint up the stairs nearby, catches himself against the wall as the whole world suddenly turns ninety degrees, spilling him roughly into the side of a wall. Careful! Gruush tries to remember as he pulls himself to his feet, aware his mind isn’t working properly but the knowledge drawing further and further away all time. You’re not thinking clearly, Gruush. It’s those mushrooms: they’re running through your blood, now! Now, what would Verylin or Kirina think of you? Letting demons loose in your dirty blood like that…
Gruush finally gets to his feet, knees quaking, but he’s hot, so godawful hot. He takes the Mask from his face to wipe the buckets of sweat from his brow, and carefully touching the wall with each step he climbs, Gruush proceeds up the stairs, the only clear thought in his mind getting to Arthur before the lad can float into the ceiling and pop like a bubble.
He finally arrives at the top of the oddly fallen building. Seeing the young Wizard, he gives the lad an exhausted wave with both arms, before tripping and collapsing onto the floor in front of him, giggling like a child. “Arthur!” Gruush implores the Wizard. “Arthur, be careful! I had ta’ tell you something! It was…” The Rogue, sat upon the ground, seems to be searching his memory for something, but coming up short. Frustrated, Gruush looks down at the Mask in his lap. His eyes widen more than they already are. “Oh!” he says to the carved face in surprise. “Hullo, Gruush! Odd, seein’ you here…”
For Austin and Endless Only:
Evil-Eyed Gruush has wildly dilated eyes, can’t seem to maintain focus, is bright pink everywhere, and is sweating bullets right now. He’s acting high as a kite, and seems to be “letting the sides down” more than just a bit as a consequence
He’s also not wearing his Evil-Eyed Mask right now...or any Mask.
Uncovered, Gruush greatly resembles a young Gerard Way, clean cut and baby-faced (likely incapable of even growing facial hair, from the looks of it). His distinctive features are his two-color eyes, his bright red (almost orange) hair (recently chopped down to a shaggy cut by Kirina), and the canines which are ever-so-slightly larger than normal and ever-so-slightly jutting out from a minor underbite. Other than that, he’s actually a pretty good looking fella!
You didn’t stop to look it over in your haste to reach Arthur, but you saw that the part of the staircase leading through the second floor of the structure is imprisoned by a square of arcing lightning. The distinctive crackle and zap sounded dangerous, lethal even.
Upon reach him, Arthur… We shall see.
Between you is a plinth housing a jet black orb. No… tiny, tiny lights twinkle and swirl inside it. Something even darker swims across, blotting them out briefly—then it is gone.
—
Alzav
You grab the beast but it continues to trot forward! You end up half way hitched up it, making soothing noises and trying to pull it aside. It takes grit, but you manage to bring it to a halt!
Then a hellish big demon lumbers in, and the beast lets out a frightened moo! It’s large, dark eyes look to you for protection, and it’s right. Only you can save them!
Terrible rattles, hisses and clicks fill the forest. Communication, alien but purposeful.
In the dark of night, under the shadow of colossal mushrooms, fiends unlike anything you know have come. But why? To end you. Perhaps that’s all they exist for.
—
Alzav! The great demon leers around, eyes blinking out of sync, seeming to be in no rush. It sniffs the air before turning to you slowly.
4.
—
Solomon! You’re about to be chased down by a suit of heavy armour festering with rot! It leaps over a weathered rock and lands at full sprint.
6.
—
Three fiends, the same as those you faced earlier, fade into view. With a hiss, they command another festering suit to charge northwards, towards the structure.
@kime About time we got your followers involved. Make a command (free action) on your turn and at the end of the round they’ll do their best to follow through.
Arthur stands staring into the orb, one hand placed upon it. He hears a noise behind him, a voice calling out.
Arthur removes his hand from the orb, sliding his feet over towards Gruush. As he reaches the other man, his face twists into disgust. "You will not stop me from calling the Stars. I will bring them here!"
He raises his hands and unleashes a wave of magical energy.
Arthur casts Thunderwave.
Gruush has to roll a CON save (DC 14)
Fail is full dmg and pushed back 10 feet.
Save is half dmg only
Gruush frowns with surprise when he sees the dangerous look on Arthur’s face. “Lad? What’re you…” His eyes widen at the crackle of energy leaping from the wizards fingers, but too late…
I’ve been getting this sinking feeling recently that maybe making Constitution my dump stat was a bad call. Also, uh, if this hits, does Gruush get pushed off that tall tower?
1. Can Gruush make some sort of (Disadvantaged with the fever, of course) Intelligence or Wisdom Check to figure out what's gotten into Arthur as a bonus action? He'd try to save the lad from himself, if he thought it at all possible...but if he can't, the Rogue is gonna just assume that after murdering Jin back at the camp for being a Beast, Arthur's decided to turn on Gruush as well
2. If Gruush can't find a way to break whatever enchantment or madness is possessing the Wizard, he'll probably get down those stairs as fast as he possibly can, and drop several handfuls of ball bearings behind him to impede any attempt by Arthur to pursue him on foot. He's not cornered, so Gruush would be looking to get away instead of trying to kill Arthur back
3. I've watched Endless try to make players fight each other in one game or another for years now....I imagine this is a pretty good day for him!
The thief skids back to the edge, but keeps his footing. Pebbles are knocked to the ground; it takes seconds for them to strike. Death for a man from this height.
Yeah, you can do an Insight check as a bonus action, why not.
Quick question, is Kirina able to hear what's happening on the floor with Gruush/Arthur from here? I know Arthur is upstairs, and maybe Gruush too? So if there's a commotion, that would probably involve them...
It all clicks into place. You noticed Arthur swipe a ring back at Oudru, kid likes rings, that’s respectable. After you got back to the Belfry he questioned you about how long you’d been travelling in the Vastness—already knew the answer. When everyone else was getting their heads down, he was lying in wait for Jin. Something has been feeding him information… and who knows what Arthur has been feeding it in return.
He’s a good person, but truth be told you’ve known him compromised longer than he’s been his plain old self. Right now that thing is taking the reins, blatantly and aggressively, which is out of character. So why now? Because here and now whatever is corrupting Arthur has a golden opportunity to do something grand. Perhaps the very thing that has kept it going for however long it’s been trapped inside a ring.
You’ve got nothing but your gut to go on, but the thing is ancient. From the mythic age when the Sovereign ruled over all. Something terrible. Powerful. The kind of thing you have to trap in a ring because killing the body isn’t enough to be rid of it.
Where are you at now on the map? Here?
One floor down, stood on the staircase?
—
Kirina
You hear a thunderous boom and see pebbles and dust blow south up on top of the structure.
You don’t hear the exact words or anything, but you can head up as you please. Maybe there’s a demon attack up there?
Solomon is far enough away that I imagine he doesn't know what Arthur has done, but probably hears some kind of commotion up top.
Solomon rushes north and attempts to climb up to the platform where Kirina and her followers are. When he reaches the top, he turns to face the oncoming demons and slams his shield into the floor, becoming an unmovable wall. "Come and face me if you dare! I'll send you all back to hell!"
Will try to move and reach the level where Kirina is at. Use my action to activate my Black Dragon Shield to prevent forced movement. Rolling athletics check in case I need it to climb / jump up.
I would like to clarify that just a bit too. My plan is to try and get a viewpoint on "whoever" I see first upstairs (presumably Gruush) and Solomon so that I can Bless the three of us.
Alzav quickly takes stock of the situation: scattered and out-wanded. This might be a good time to bolt, but the group was not together.
"The orb! Use it somehow, or better yet break it - if we don't get an edge soon here, we run or we all die!"
In the meantime: a greater demon was bearing down on Alzav. He had no idea if the group could fight it alone, in ideal circumstances. But, if it came to fighting it, he'd rather start the fight off right.
Three beams of searing flame catch the demon before it can pounce!
Alzav attempts to turn the packbeast away from the demon - hopefully something it wants to do anyhow - and send it to a spot slightly aside from the fight, just north of the structure. If it's not cooperating, I'm not hanging around to convince it.
With 60' move, I want to head SE. I want to be out of the obvious danger zones presented by all the critters - whatever that means once it's my turn (since the other beasties go before me).
Geth roll 6d6 for fire damage
Geth roll 6d6 for Surprise Attack
I won't Empower this spell, unless I can use it on the Surprise dice as part of the deal?
I would like to clarify that just a bit too. My plan is to try and get a viewpoint on "whoever" I see first upstairs (presumably Gruush) and Solomon so that I can Bless the three of us.
Yeah let's just do this! I bet it'll be fine! Also I didn't recognize that Bless is slightly less effective with no Attack Rolls, but it's fiiiiine.
Kirina yells out to her followers, "guard Solomon's flanks. Milla, be ready to help him if anything comes up! Saros, don't let anything pass!" Hoping maybe Milla will Help and give Solomon Advantage on any future checks he needs, and Saros can attack anything that's coming up (or otherwise Ready an attack). I don't want them to leave the area, ideally.
Then, Kirina starts running towards (and up) the stairs. When she sees Gruush, she casts Bless, and then both herself, Gruush, and Solomon glow briefly. "Gruush! What's happening up there, it sounded dangerous! We've got issues down here too..."
Saros, wide eyed, starts whipping the air and poking nothing with his bident. He’s hopping on his toes like a boxer, or at least, what a scholar thinks warriors move like.
You head up, meeting Gruush on the staircase.
—
Solomon
You inspire Kirina’s followers. You have advantage every turn so long as Milla is near.
—
Trio of Fungal Fiends
#1, #2, #3
The fiends prance and twirl through the undergrowth and around mushroom caps, their paths crossing as they ebb in and out of view. In moments what once was three is now six! Each one is completely silent.
—
Heavy Festering Suits
#5
Sprinting with alarming speed for such a heavy suit, the corrupted warrior leaps onto the structure. It aims a spear chest height at Milla!
#6
Likewise, this one jumps many feet higher than the structure’s base and dives upon Solomon, spear first!
Solomon! You suffer 21 piercing damage, and a further 8 poison damage (extra damage on a max damage roll).
Geth roll 3d8+5 for Rot Spear
Alzav
You pull the beast’s heavy head away from the demon, which causes its two brain cells to spark. It begins to trot away some distance, but won’t leave the party behind.
You outdo yourself! Your spell blasts a leg clean off the demon, and flames engulf it. If not for the rain, you’d no doubt have set it and the forest on fire permanently!
—
Greater Demon
#4
Reeling from Alzav’s attack, the greater demon gives chase! It stops yards from its quarry however, falling hard onto all fours (threes?), and begins to convulse!
The demons’s head snaps open, first along the mouth, then vertically, and from within it a mass of tendrils bursts forth! In seconds the tendrils have encompassed space far larger than the demon itself. They swing and sift in the air and along the ground, snatching at everything they touch… and they continue to grow!
—
Saros & Milla
“Oh! Um! Well!”, Milla shouts to Solomon.
Saros meanwhile let’s out a wail and pokes the nearest foe with his bident.
When Gruush got hit with Arthur's Thunderwave, they were both standing about ten-fifteen feet away and up on the tower's roof together, correct?
Alright, knowing what he now knows, I'm thinking Gruush's thoughts are:
IC:
1. Get that ring off Arthur's finger ASAP, or
2. Choke him out to stop whatever's possessing him from using him as a vessel long enough to safely separate him
One seems like the quickest option/the best option to minimize the odds of accidentally killing him outright in a struggle/one or both of us falling off this tower. Plus, it means Gruush gets to do Arthur the favor he promised him earlier in the game by mutilating one of his hands! No idea what to do with that Accursed Ring if I get it though, which brings me to my OOC suspicion that this is a big fallen Sauron Eye-Tower, and we just delivered them "The One"...
Alright, @Endless_Serpents : What should I roll to attempt to attempt to grapple/hold Arthur long enough to pull a Gollum and slice/bite that ring finger off?
When Gruush got hit with Arthur's Thunderwave, they were both standing about ten-fifteen feet away and up on the tower's roof together, correct?
Alright, @Endless_Serpents : What should I roll to attempt to attempt to grapple/hold Arthur long enough to pull a Gollum and slice/bite that ring finger off?
1. Yep!
2. A regular contested grappling check to grab him, then an action on your next turn to remove it. On ‘Arthur’s’ turn he can do what he wants to get away if you succeed on the grapple.
Arthur frowns as Gruush resists his spell, but the other man retreats down the stairs and leaves him alone, which was what he wanted anyways. With one last scowl down the stairs, he returns to the orb, placing both hands on either side of it and closing his eyes, concentrating.
The lightning from the Wizard shoots and cascades into the air around, as the twitching Rogue (more through a sheer instinct than any real rational thought) digs his Evil-Eyed mask into the ground before him, heels sliding back towards the ledge until Gruush is literally hanging on by his toes over the precipice! The strange man wobbles there unevenly for a moment, looking down at the lethal drop below. They say you die before you hit the bottom, he reassures himself, to little comfort. From a distance, Gruush can make out the others, and (approaching quickly) the familiar shifting shapes of the mushroom demons. A mocking sound peeks it’s way through the dull fog in his brain: It’s happening again- You’ll fail them, here. This is how it always ends…
Gruush, gasping, grasps his way up off the edge, heart racing. No, he tells the still small voice, trying to drown it out through a sheer force of will. NO
The Rogue, quiet as he’s ever been in his life, inches his way back towards the poor, possessed Lad, and suddenly within his sight, the dark is made a glowing, unbearable bright by a strange, star-lit vision, like a waking-dream he steps inside of:
- Within the swirling corona of light, Gruush sees the Lad Arthur turn towards the Black Orb, curling his hands over it with dark ambition, a familiar yet heartbreaking light in his eyes…
- The Wizard in Gruush’s vision is almost immediately replaced by a slight, familiar looking redhead viewed from behind, who places his hands over the Evil-Eyed Mask with something like trepidation…
- Behind the redhead, a tall and regal figure suddenly strolls forward from out of sight, brilliant golden hair, placing a motherly yet insistent hand on his shoulder. The redhead, reluctant, is forced by the armor-plated maiden to wrap his hands around the offered gift…as he accepts the”gift”, she hugs him firmly, his slim body becoming crushed by her armoured frame… the small man cannot breathe, but the maiden seems not to notice…
- A tinny, hammering sound emerges from the scene. The Armour of the maiden begin to crack and buckle in places. As she squeezes the slim man between her mighty arms, a rending sound is heard, and from holes forced open within the metal, alien, insect-like limbs begin to emerge
- First the multiple arms of the alien-maiden are caressing the redhead as he takes his Mask…then, an oddly familiar lad is watching something bubble within the black orb. Except now, the same figure from Gruush’s vision now stands hugging the Wizard, the insectile, armoured Maiden rubbing her multiple arms together in a cloying manner behind herself as she holds the young Wizard firmly by the hand wearing the Ring…
“It wasn’t him…it was you!”, the fever-addled Gruush whispers, drawing his shortsword from his hilt with murder in his eyes. Sneaking forward quickly as young Arthur gazes lustily into the orb, Gruush takes a deep, focused breath, darts forward, and yells, “Remove yur’ hands from the Lad, you devil!”, as he moves to wrap his arms around Arthur’s midsection…
Also, oof, I cannot take another hit like that. I can bonus action heal myself with my Channel Divinity, but it won't be a lot. But I'm gonna have to use my action to attack and try and smite one of these enemies off the board.
From the depths of nowhere, you peer through the slits that are your own eyes. You see into the orb, and the cosmos looks down at you.
Entities are gliding gently towards the orb via an impossible direction. The smallest can make it through now, with your body as the conduit, but time, much more time, will be required for the greatest of them to pass even a sliver of themselves through—even then, somethingis pushing back against this act. Something fundamental. A lock against this act.
Your mind is flooded with knowledge. You can’t perceive it all now, nothing but noise and painful void… but you fear soon you will know, and remember, and be changed forever.
Roll them bones against Gruush.
You feel your body grabbed by Gruush, squeezing you as blazing pain blasts from your eyes! Something has got through, something is coming through you, pouring out through your pupils! You can’t close them! You’re not allowed.
First it appears as a cloudy mucus floating away from the wizard’s eyes, but it quickly begins to take shape, pulling stone, moss and rain into itself and altering it, as a legendary alchemist might in the stories of old. This is the least of the things that exist far, far away from this world. A nameless apparition, alien in design and thought.
Small sized creature, floating off the ground, adjacent to Arthur.
Posts
Alzav casts Expeditious Retreat and bolts after the beast as it lumbers away. As he closes the distance, he reaches out mentally and hums soothing tones to the creature. If he can reach the reins, he will attempt to start turning the beast to the right in a spiral back towards the others (whether or not it has begun to calm), and slowing it to a controlled pace as best he can by the reins.
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You reach the back of the cart!
Thats a tick of time. How do you want to handle it? Blast a wheel off to guarantee stopping it, or Animal Handling on the beast? The most time consuming choice would be to climb over the cart and grab the reins, that’ll be a straight Dexterity check unless you have Land Vehicles.
You have but a moment until fiends burst onto the scene. Finish up your actions (Alzav and Gruush in particular), then roll for Initiative!
General Notes
1. It’s raining. Not heavy enough to be a hindrance, but fire won’t catch easily. Don’t worry about using fire spells.
2. Explosive attacks will destroy fungus and kick up spores.
3. The top of the structure is open to the elements. You can see Arthur up there from the ground.
3DS Friend Code: 3110-5393-4113
Steam profile
The Rogue, attempting to sprint up the stairs nearby, catches himself against the wall as the whole world suddenly turns ninety degrees, spilling him roughly into the side of a wall. Careful! Gruush tries to remember as he pulls himself to his feet, aware his mind isn’t working properly but the knowledge drawing further and further away all time. You’re not thinking clearly, Gruush. It’s those mushrooms: they’re running through your blood, now! Now, what would Verylin or Kirina think of you? Letting demons loose in your dirty blood like that…
Gruush finally gets to his feet, knees quaking, but he’s hot, so godawful hot. He takes the Mask from his face to wipe the buckets of sweat from his brow, and carefully touching the wall with each step he climbs, Gruush proceeds up the stairs, the only clear thought in his mind getting to Arthur before the lad can float into the ceiling and pop like a bubble.
He finally arrives at the top of the oddly fallen building. Seeing the young Wizard, he gives the lad an exhausted wave with both arms, before tripping and collapsing onto the floor in front of him, giggling like a child. “Arthur!” Gruush implores the Wizard. “Arthur, be careful! I had ta’ tell you something! It was…” The Rogue, sat upon the ground, seems to be searching his memory for something, but coming up short. Frustrated, Gruush looks down at the Mask in his lap. His eyes widen more than they already are. “Oh!” he says to the carved face in surprise. “Hullo, Gruush! Odd, seein’ you here…”
For Austin and Endless Only:
He’s also not wearing his Evil-Eyed Mask right now...or any Mask.
Uncovered, Gruush greatly resembles a young Gerard Way, clean cut and baby-faced (likely incapable of even growing facial hair, from the looks of it). His distinctive features are his two-color eyes, his bright red (almost orange) hair (recently chopped down to a shaggy cut by Kirina), and the canines which are ever-so-slightly larger than normal and ever-so-slightly jutting out from a minor underbite. Other than that, he’s actually a pretty good looking fella!
Geth roll 1d20+3 Initiative (Fever-Gruush)
Geth roll 1d20+2 for Handle Animal
(I think I have +2 Wis? And I think it's Wis?)
You didn’t stop to look it over in your haste to reach Arthur, but you saw that the part of the staircase leading through the second floor of the structure is imprisoned by a square of arcing lightning. The distinctive crackle and zap sounded dangerous, lethal even.
Upon reach him, Arthur… We shall see.
Between you is a plinth housing a jet black orb. No… tiny, tiny lights twinkle and swirl inside it. Something even darker swims across, blotting them out briefly—then it is gone.
—
Alzav
You grab the beast but it continues to trot forward! You end up half way hitched up it, making soothing noises and trying to pull it aside. It takes grit, but you manage to bring it to a halt!
Then a hellish big demon lumbers in, and the beast lets out a frightened moo! It’s large, dark eyes look to you for protection, and it’s right. Only you can save them!
In the dark of night, under the shadow of colossal mushrooms, fiends unlike anything you know have come. But why? To end you. Perhaps that’s all they exist for.
—
Alzav! The great demon leers around, eyes blinking out of sync, seeming to be in no rush. It sniffs the air before turning to you slowly.
4.
—
Solomon! You’re about to be chased down by a suit of heavy armour festering with rot! It leaps over a weathered rock and lands at full sprint.
6.
—
Three fiends, the same as those you faced earlier, fade into view. With a hiss, they command another festering suit to charge northwards, towards the structure.
5.
1, 2, 3.
Geth roll 1d20 for Trio
Geth roll 1d20-6 for GD
1. Arthur
2. Gruush
3. Kirina
4. Solomon
5. Trio of Fungal Fiends (#1, #2, #3)
6. Heavy Festering Suits (#5, #6)
7. Alzav
8. Greater Demon (#4)
About time we got your followers involved. Make a command (free action) on your turn and at the end of the round they’ll do their best to follow through.
Arthur removes his hand from the orb, sliding his feet over towards Gruush. As he reaches the other man, his face twists into disgust. "You will not stop me from calling the Stars. I will bring them here!"
He raises his hands and unleashes a wave of magical energy.
Arthur casts Thunderwave.
Gruush has to roll a CON save (DC 14)
Fail is full dmg and pushed back 10 feet.
Save is half dmg only
Geth, roll 2d8 for Wave dmg
In that case, I can Firebolt/kite for 59 rounds with 60' speed
As for the terrain here, what does it take to move up a level?
I’ve been getting this sinking feeling recently that maybe making Constitution my dump stat was a bad call. Also, uh, if this hits, does Gruush get pushed off that tall tower?
Geth roll 1d20 Con Save (Surprised-Gruush)
1. Can Gruush make some sort of (Disadvantaged with the fever, of course) Intelligence or Wisdom Check to figure out what's gotten into Arthur as a bonus action? He'd try to save the lad from himself, if he thought it at all possible...but if he can't, the Rogue is gonna just assume that after murdering Jin back at the camp for being a Beast, Arthur's decided to turn on Gruush as well
2. If Gruush can't find a way to break whatever enchantment or madness is possessing the Wizard, he'll probably get down those stairs as fast as he possibly can, and drop several handfuls of ball bearings behind him to impede any attempt by Arthur to pursue him on foot. He's not cornered, so Gruush would be looking to get away instead of trying to kill Arthur back
3. I've watched Endless try to make players fight each other in one game or another for years now....I imagine this is a pretty good day for him!
The thief skids back to the edge, but keeps his footing. Pebbles are knocked to the ground; it takes seconds for them to strike. Death for a man from this height.
Yeah, you can do an Insight check as a bonus action, why not.
Edit- BOOYAH
Geth roll 2d20-1 Insight (Confused-Gruush)
3DS Friend Code: 3110-5393-4113
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It all clicks into place. You noticed Arthur swipe a ring back at Oudru, kid likes rings, that’s respectable. After you got back to the Belfry he questioned you about how long you’d been travelling in the Vastness—already knew the answer. When everyone else was getting their heads down, he was lying in wait for Jin. Something has been feeding him information… and who knows what Arthur has been feeding it in return.
He’s a good person, but truth be told you’ve known him compromised longer than he’s been his plain old self. Right now that thing is taking the reins, blatantly and aggressively, which is out of character. So why now? Because here and now whatever is corrupting Arthur has a golden opportunity to do something grand. Perhaps the very thing that has kept it going for however long it’s been trapped inside a ring.
You’ve got nothing but your gut to go on, but the thing is ancient. From the mythic age when the Sovereign ruled over all. Something terrible. Powerful. The kind of thing you have to trap in a ring because killing the body isn’t enough to be rid of it.
Where are you at now on the map? Here?
One floor down, stood on the staircase?
—
Kirina
You hear a thunderous boom and see pebbles and dust blow south up on top of the structure.
You don’t hear the exact words or anything, but you can head up as you please. Maybe there’s a demon attack up there?
Oh no, not a bit. This is just some other horrible thing you’ve stumbled across.
That’s where the compass points. Take heart! After this you’ll go the right way.
Solomon rushes north and attempts to climb up to the platform where Kirina and her followers are. When he reaches the top, he turns to face the oncoming demons and slams his shield into the floor, becoming an unmovable wall. "Come and face me if you dare! I'll send you all back to hell!"
Will try to move and reach the level where Kirina is at. Use my action to activate my Black Dragon Shield to prevent forced movement. Rolling athletics check in case I need it to climb / jump up.
Geth roll 1d20+5 for Athletics
I would like to clarify that just a bit too. My plan is to try and get a viewpoint on "whoever" I see first upstairs (presumably Gruush) and Solomon so that I can Bless the three of us.
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You manage to climb up, but it takes effort. The rest of your turn goes to plan.
Gotta run gang. Back tomorrow!
"The orb! Use it somehow, or better yet break it - if we don't get an edge soon here, we run or we all die!"
In the meantime: a greater demon was bearing down on Alzav. He had no idea if the group could fight it alone, in ideal circumstances. But, if it came to fighting it, he'd rather start the fight off right.
Three beams of searing flame catch the demon before it can pounce!
Alzav attempts to turn the packbeast away from the demon - hopefully something it wants to do anyhow - and send it to a spot slightly aside from the fight, just north of the structure. If it's not cooperating, I'm not hanging around to convince it.
With 60' move, I want to head SE. I want to be out of the obvious danger zones presented by all the critters - whatever that means once it's my turn (since the other beasties go before me).
Geth roll 6d6 for fire damage
Geth roll 6d6 for Surprise Attack
I won't Empower this spell, unless I can use it on the Surprise dice as part of the deal?
Yeah let's just do this! I bet it'll be fine! Also I didn't recognize that Bless is slightly less effective with no Attack Rolls, but it's fiiiiine.
Kirina yells out to her followers, "guard Solomon's flanks. Milla, be ready to help him if anything comes up! Saros, don't let anything pass!" Hoping maybe Milla will Help and give Solomon Advantage on any future checks he needs, and Saros can attack anything that's coming up (or otherwise Ready an attack). I don't want them to leave the area, ideally.
Then, Kirina starts running towards (and up) the stairs. When she sees Gruush, she casts Bless, and then both herself, Gruush, and Solomon glow briefly. "Gruush! What's happening up there, it sounded dangerous! We've got issues down here too..."
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“Of course your holiness!”, stammers Milla.
Saros, wide eyed, starts whipping the air and poking nothing with his bident. He’s hopping on his toes like a boxer, or at least, what a scholar thinks warriors move like.
You head up, meeting Gruush on the staircase.
—
Solomon
You inspire Kirina’s followers. You have advantage every turn so long as Milla is near.
—
Trio of Fungal Fiends
#1, #2, #3
The fiends prance and twirl through the undergrowth and around mushroom caps, their paths crossing as they ebb in and out of view. In moments what once was three is now six! Each one is completely silent.
—
Heavy Festering Suits
#5
Sprinting with alarming speed for such a heavy suit, the corrupted warrior leaps onto the structure. It aims a spear chest height at Milla!
#6
Likewise, this one jumps many feet higher than the structure’s base and dives upon Solomon, spear first!
Solomon! You suffer 21 piercing damage, and a further 8 poison damage (extra damage on a max damage roll).
Geth roll 3d8+5 for Rot Spear
Alzav
You pull the beast’s heavy head away from the demon, which causes its two brain cells to spark. It begins to trot away some distance, but won’t leave the party behind.
You outdo yourself! Your spell blasts a leg clean off the demon, and flames engulf it. If not for the rain, you’d no doubt have set it and the forest on fire permanently!
—
Greater Demon
#4
Reeling from Alzav’s attack, the greater demon gives chase! It stops yards from its quarry however, falling hard onto all fours (threes?), and begins to convulse!
The demons’s head snaps open, first along the mouth, then vertically, and from within it a mass of tendrils bursts forth! In seconds the tendrils have encompassed space far larger than the demon itself. They swing and sift in the air and along the ground, snatching at everything they touch… and they continue to grow!
—
Saros & Milla
“Oh! Um! Well!”, Milla shouts to Solomon.
Saros meanwhile let’s out a wail and pokes the nearest foe with his bident.
Geth roll 1d6-1 for No Idea How To Use a Bident
When Gruush got hit with Arthur's Thunderwave, they were both standing about ten-fifteen feet away and up on the tower's roof together, correct?
Alright, knowing what he now knows, I'm thinking Gruush's thoughts are:
IC:
1. Get that ring off Arthur's finger ASAP, or
2. Choke him out to stop whatever's possessing him from using him as a vessel long enough to safely separate him
One seems like the quickest option/the best option to minimize the odds of accidentally killing him outright in a struggle/one or both of us falling off this tower. Plus, it means Gruush gets to do Arthur the favor he promised him earlier in the game by mutilating one of his hands! No idea what to do with that Accursed Ring if I get it though, which brings me to my OOC suspicion that this is a big fallen Sauron Eye-Tower, and we just delivered them "The One"...
Alright, @Endless_Serpents : What should I roll to attempt to attempt to grapple/hold Arthur long enough to pull a Gollum and slice/bite that ring finger off?
1. Yep!
2. A regular contested grappling check to grab him, then an action on your next turn to remove it. On ‘Arthur’s’ turn he can do what he wants to get away if you succeed on the grapple.
Gruush, gasping, grasps his way up off the edge, heart racing. No, he tells the still small voice, trying to drown it out through a sheer force of will. NO
The Rogue, quiet as he’s ever been in his life, inches his way back towards the poor, possessed Lad, and suddenly within his sight, the dark is made a glowing, unbearable bright by a strange, star-lit vision, like a waking-dream he steps inside of:
“It wasn’t him…it was you!”, the fever-addled Gruush whispers, drawing his shortsword from his hilt with murder in his eyes. Sneaking forward quickly as young Arthur gazes lustily into the orb, Gruush takes a deep, focused breath, darts forward, and yells, “Remove yur’ hands from the Lad, you devil!”, as he moves to wrap his arms around Arthur’s midsection…
Geth roll 1d20+5 Grapple Attack (Helpful-Gruush)
Also, oof, I cannot take another hit like that. I can bonus action heal myself with my Channel Divinity, but it won't be a lot. But I'm gonna have to use my action to attack and try and smite one of these enemies off the board.
From the depths of nowhere, you peer through the slits that are your own eyes. You see into the orb, and the cosmos looks down at you.
Entities are gliding gently towards the orb via an impossible direction. The smallest can make it through now, with your body as the conduit, but time, much more time, will be required for the greatest of them to pass even a sliver of themselves through—even then, somethingis pushing back against this act. Something fundamental. A lock against this act.
Your mind is flooded with knowledge. You can’t perceive it all now, nothing but noise and painful void… but you fear soon you will know, and remember, and be changed forever.
Roll them bones against Gruush.
You feel your body grabbed by Gruush, squeezing you as blazing pain blasts from your eyes! Something has got through, something is coming through you, pouring out through your pupils! You can’t close them! You’re not allowed.
First it appears as a cloudy mucus floating away from the wizard’s eyes, but it quickly begins to take shape, pulling stone, moss and rain into itself and altering it, as a legendary alchemist might in the stories of old. This is the least of the things that exist far, far away from this world. A nameless apparition, alien in design and thought.
Small sized creature, floating off the ground, adjacent to Arthur.
Edit: Geth!
Geth, roll 1d20 for Athletics