Caer Mortling #5

 

Caer Mortling #5 

The party is able to spend Hit Die as they cleanse themselves and naturally heal from the past encounters.

Alias spends no hit die, keeping her available hit die to 4/4. Her HP is: 23/27

Nindur spends 2 hit dice and returns health to 30/30. His hit die is at 2/4

Cuthbert spends 1 hit dice and raises health to 39/40. His hit die is at ¾

Lucille’s hit dice is at 4/4 and her HP is at 36/36.

Fenthick’s HP is at 27/27 and his hit dice is at ¾.

---

“I think we are doing well so far,” Alias notes while wearing a clean tunic and shorts. She needed to use some of the falling water to clean her armor. She could handle her male companions seeing her in her undergarments, but both male and female counterparts had agreed to give their respective colleagues privacy while washing unclad under the constant spray. She watched as Lucille fixed her braid.

“You got a lover back at Seaside?” Alias asked. Unlike Lucille, Alias was from Port Kyna, far to the north of Seaside. She was a stranger to the region.

Lucille nodded, “He’s up north with his own adventuring group exploring some of the ruins in the Great Salt Marsh.”

“You don’t adventure with your lover?” Alias asked with a click of her tongue, “Why did he go off and leave you?”

“He was part of his own adventuring company, and sometimes those bonds and contracts are hard to break. Would you believe he said that this was his last job with them?” Lucille asked as she finished her braid and touched both the hilt of her knife and the curved shaft of her bow for reassurance against whatever lingered in the darkness. They had already scouted the tower where the metal spiders lay broken, but they had yet to finish their full scouting of the castle.

“Has he said that line before?” Alias asked.

“He’s grumbled a little, but this was the first time he made a promise and backed it with a band,” Lucille showed her finger which contained a simple gold band. A sign of a bonding with this mysterious, and what Alias assumed as, a male halfling.

Lucille looked to Alias and asked, “What about you, gnome? Are there any that are attracted to soft blue skin and fiery hair?”

“Maybe attracted, but none to ever reach out and ask much of me,” Alias said, “Plus, I gave several of them false names. Donni Pell… Hester Pond… Gloria Chifferobe. That’s how I got the name… ‘Alias.’ People got annoyed trying to keep up with the names.”

“Are any of them your actual name?” Lucille asked.

All Alias did was look coy and said, “Maybe.”

It was not long before the party was gathered, clean, and relatively rested before picking up where they left off. ---

The party opts to actually perform a Long Rest in the relative protection of two spiked doors within tower #7 in order to take advantage of the rainfall that flows through the open roof of the tower, providing a constant cascade of fresh water while the storm lasts. The party stretches out their bedrolls in a portion of the tower furthest from the rain and builds a small hearth to provide warmth while the party takes shifts to keep watch. The good news was that with the doors spiked, it would be difficult for a physical threat to sneak into the room without alerting the party. The only way one could slip in was through the slick waterfall created by the flowing water out of the breach.

As the party conducts a reconnoiter and prepares to continue mapping out the castle, Nindur casts Mage Armor on himself. He also rolls two d20 dice for his portent pool. Results: 19 & 9 ---

The clouds were gray and the rain fell steadily, but not with the same intensity that the party experienced the prior evening. Nothing had moved through the halls since the night before and no one had tried the spiked doors leading into the tower. After breakfast, the party gathered their gear and unjammed both doors. They planned to return to Room #7 to rest if they needed another rest, but the rest of the castle now awaited them.

“We cleaned out the east wing and found the stairs going down. We also cleaned out the north wing. I say we return to the first tower we met the steel spiders and start from there,” Lucille suggested. ---

The party undoes the spikes and starts making their way to tower #4. Let’s roll a 1-in-8 chance for an encounter, especially as the party passes by Room #5

5 - No Encounter.

The party reaches Tower 4 and turns south, heading to the right and past the entryhall. They reach the door to Room #11 which means the southwest tower to the fortress. Alias performs a check of the doorway. Satisfied that there were no traps, Alias opens the door and peers in. She finds pieces of broken stained glass scattering a dimly lit and in the center a floating sphere hovers over a central pedestal. ---

Looking at the orb, the party looks to Nindur to see if he can learn anything. He does burn a charge of Detect Magic to automatically learn that the orb has a potent abjuration charm enchanted on its surface.

Nindur Arcana check: 17 & Tool Kit Proficiency + Int (2+5 = +7): 24

Nindur is able to explain to the party that the orb is used to suppress the undead.

“We should be safe as long as we are in here,” Nindur notes.

“Yeah, but we’ll have to contend with these shards of glass laying around the room,” Alias noted.

“Is there a way we can take this orb and word the room that is getting rain?” Cuthbert asked.

“It may be marble in construction, but I sense a glass-like quality to the orb, probably from the magic. If we touch it, it will shatter. What ill could be gotten if it shatters, I do not know, but this maybe why we have yet to run into any undead in the halls. The orb may be warding the outer regions.” ---

The party shifts east, heading up 30 feet to the door next to the fetid larder. Alias checks over the door and, satisfied that the door is safe, enters and finds a room overgrown with various plants. The rest of the party enters and Fenthick immediately notes in the corner alcove the symbol of ‘The Holy Light.’ The same power that he and Cuthbert worship.

Fenthick breaks from the party to approach the shrine in order to pray. Possibly unaware of the danger as an assassin vine hides within a Mithridatium bush.

Fenthick receives a Perception roll nearing the bush. Perception: 17. He spots the crimson colored plant that might give him pause.

His Perception is also to detect the Assassin Vine, which receives a Stealth roll: 18 - It beats Fenthick by 1, he is aware, but just a little too late. Before the vine moves, the Mithridatium Bush explodes with its payload of pollen.

Fenthick Save vs. Pollen: 10 vs. 13 - He falls unconscious as the vine slithers out towards.

Assassin Vine surprise attack vs. Fenthick. Attack: 24 - Hit. Damage: 10. Fenthick HP: 17/27. Unconscious, the vine wraps around his neck without resistance and can soon strangle the vulnerable cleric.

Initiative - Round #1 Party: 17 GM: 6

Alias stands still, takes aim, and fires a Sneak Attack at the Assassin Vine. Attack: 14 - Hit. Damage: 17 - Vine HP: 68/85

Nindur points his finger and conjures a gob of web that covers the area around the Mithridatium Bush, the Assassin Vine, and ultimately an unconscious Fenthick. The bush is automatically trapped, so is Fenthick.

Assassin Vine Save: 8 vs. 13 - It is restrained

Cuthbert notes that the area is covered in sticky web to try and move. He keeps his distance and his shield up. If the vine breaks free, he can act as an obvious target while the others fire at range.

Lucille fires an arrow at the Vine. Attack: 14 - Hit. Damage: 6. Vine HP: 62/85

Hordebreaker on the Bush. Attack: 12 - Hit. Regardless of damage, the bush is immune to piercing-based damage. As a Ranger, Lucille gets a free Nature roll: 19 - Success. She recalls that these sorts of bushes require to be snipped with slashing, or hit with energy.

Assassin Vine is restrained this round and cannot do much more than struggle in vain to try and break free to strangle Fenthick some more.

Round #2  Alias aims and fires her Sneak Attack again. Attack: 21 - Hit. Damage: 15. Vine HP: 47/85

Nindur casts Ray of Frost at Assassin Vine. Attack: 17 - Hit. Damage: 4. Vine HP: 43/85

Nindur drops shield and hammer and grabs a new surprise for the vine. A blunderbuss. Attack: 16 - Hit. Damage (2d6): 7. Vine HP: 36/85

Alias spends one of her Favored Foe (½ Remaining) on the Assassin Vine before attacking w/ Shortbow. Attack: 15 - Hit. Damage: 11. Vine HP: 25/85

Fenthick remains unconscious

Assassin Vine: Last round it was restrained. On its turn THIS round, the vine attempts to break free from the web. Dex Save: 18 - It does break free. The vine constricts automatically and deals 7. Fenthick HP: 10/27

Oracle (Given there are supposed to be two Mithridatium Bushes in the room)

Q: While Lucille and Nindur maneuver for shots, does either get near the second Mithridatium Bush?

A: Yes, no modifier

Who gets too close? D100 with a 1-50 = Lucille / 51-100 = Nindur. Result: 50 - As Lucille maneuvered for shots, she took a step too close to the second Mithridatium bush that she did not see. Her ears perk when she hears a soft hiss of pollen.

Lucille Save: 8 vs. 13 - Lucille suddenly drops unconscious.

Round #3  Alias takes Aim and fires at Assassin Vine. Attack: 19 - Hit. Damage: 12. Vine HP: 13/85

Nindur fires a Ray of Frost at Assassin Vine. Attack: 7 - Failure

Cuthbert spends his free action to reload his Blunderbuss. The web is not broken, the vine just managed to free itself for a moment. He cannot get close without possibly getting stuck. He fires another blast into the blasted plant. Attack: 18 - Hit. Damage: 8. Vine HP: 5/85

Lucille is unconscious

Fenthick is unconscious

Vine must begin the round making a Dex Save vs. Web. Save: 16 vs. 13 - Success.

The vine acts freely and constricts Fenthick. Damage: 15. Fenthick is at 0. As a GM, I note the vine lets go of his body and he begins dying rolls as Fenthick’s neck is potentially broken (depending on if he makes his rolls or not)

Fenthick’s first Death Save: 13 ≥ 10 - Success! 1 / 0

Round #4  Alias Aims and Attacks Vine: Natural 20! Crit. Damage: 14 +11 = 25. That’s a true OVERKILL!

Nindur dismisses Web with the wave of his hand. He fires a Ray of Frost at the Mithridatium bush. Attack: 12 - Hit. Damage: 1. Mith Bush #1 HP: 21/22

Cuthbert braves trying to get close and heal his comrade Fenthick. As he draws close, the Mithridatium Bush that the vine had been using expels more pollen. Fenthick makes a Save. This pollen is treated as a Poison, granting the Dwarf an Advantage. Result: 11 < 13 - Failure. Cuthbert’s eyes roll back and he is unconscious from the pollen.

Fenthick’s second Death Save: 13 ≥ 10 2 / 0

Lucille remains unconscious ---

Alias snapped at Nindur, seeing Cuthbert, one of the party’s secondary healers drop to the cloud of red mist with Cuthbert still in trouble. “Can’t you fire more of those?”

Nindur shot back, “I have to be careful what we throw as we now have TWO allies in the path. Unless you have some way to turn those bolts into some kind of energy, I guess we’re stuck with what we have.”

Round #5  Nindur fires a Ray of Frost at Bush #1. Attack: 12 - Hit. Damage: 1. Bush #1 HP: 20/22

Alias looks around the room for a possible flame, or at least a torch sconce.

Oracle Question: Is there a torch sconce in the room? Yes, but it is covered in foliage requiring a Perception check.

Alias Perception: 19 - Success. She is able to use her dagger to cut enough leaves and expose an empty sconce she can place a torch in. She has a plan to turn her crossbow shots into flaming bolts next round.

Fenthick Death Save: 10 ≥ 10 - 3 / 0!

Round #6 

Alias uses Fast Hand to light one of the bolts and takes aim from where she stands at Bush #2. Sneak Attack: Nat 20! Hit. Damage: 13 + 17 = 30x2 = 60 to Bush #2. It is certainly burned to a crisp.

Nindur fires another Ray of Frost. Attack: 17 - Hit. Damage: 8. Bush #1 HP: 12/22

Alias, Cuthbert, and Fenthick remain unconscious - Alias and Cuthbert will wake up 1 minute (10 rounds), albeit with Cuthbert exposed to more pollen if he happens to stir and Bush #1 is active. Fenthick will need healing.

Round #7 Alias lights another bolt using Fast Hands and moves towards the bush. She has used Cunning Action for Use Object and moved. Meaning it will be a straight shot. Attack: 11 - Hit. Damage: 9x2 = 18. Bush #1 HP: 0/22 - Destroyed!