With the ambush started and the vines in place to at least slow the summoner's escape Cinnabar joins in by starting to throw stones, little pebbles really, but regardless of their size they fly far and hit hard enough to be almost certainly some kind of magic trick.

Knowing that these beasties weren't quite real, that they were some sort of extradimensional constructs sent to kill and destroy and pillage, Willem had no problem dispatching the second gargoyle.

22:53, Today: Grey Willem rolled 20,15,12,17 using 1d20+10,2d6+10,1d20+10,2d6+10 ((10,4,1,2,1,6)).

Oh, not good. Just one hit. Take it down, Mithra!

Just waiting for you to swing, Willem--didn't want to steal your thunder.

As the gargoyle partially avoids Willem, Mithra prepares to finish the job. Even with the Belt of Giant Strength, she wasn't as formidable as she felt she should be.

22:58, Today: Mithra Stormraven rolled 20,18 using 1d20+9,1d8+14 ((11,4)).

Was the gargoyle getting better as they battle progressed, or were she and Willem getting tired already?

BACK AT THE ROCKY OUTCROPPING vs. THE DROW SUMMONER


Once Sala started the encounter with his Fairie Fire spell, it made things easier for everyone... almost.

First to jump in then was Theirastra with a boosted Magic Missile for 15 pts of damage. Only Sala and Xar'ach are close enough to hear what sounds like breaking glass.

Alecks then cast Spiritual Weapon but could not get it to attack the Drow!

Sala then followed up his first spell with a Firebolt, hitting only through Advantage but only delivering 4 points of damage.

Stonecrow is the first to move into melee with quarterstaff swinging. With Advantage, he hits for 7 points of damage. He now hears breaking glass coming from the Drow.

Cinnabar, having secured the perimeter, now joins the fray with a Magic Stone that hits with Advantage for 6 points of damage.

Artagel the Battlemaster was the last to leap into action, following right behind Stonecrow, short sword in one hand, Scimitar of Speed in the other.

23:42, Today: Artagel rolled 15,13,17,7,4,6,21,7 using 1d20+9,1d8+9,1d20+8,1d6+5,1d6,1d6,1d20+9,1d8+5 ((6,4,9,2,4,6,12,2)). 1st attack with Scimitar, damage, 2nd Action Surge attack with short sword, lightning, sneak attack, 3rd attack from scimitar, damage.

This barrage of blows causes more broken glass.

Once the battle starts, Xar'ach the newcomer bugbear atop the outcropping lets loose his own attack on the Drow with a barrage of crossbow attacks. His first attack misses, but the next two hit with Advantage for 21 and 15. More breaking glass!

And then the Tiefling teleports in. For a moment, it seems like the Drow summoned a new monster, but then Drow, Tiefling, Stonecrow and Artagel all seem to get tangled up in a twist of arms, legs, weapons, cloaks and what-nots, stumble against the rock...

...and disappear!

OOC: Re-enter Axia Gryxis! Don't think anyone in this group except Mithra will remember her.

"Ow!" The tiefling exclaimed as she came to after first being teleported somewhere then abruptly finding herself in a tumble and hitting something rather hard. "Oh, hex-bex." She said as she untangled herself and gathered her things. Then she stood, staff in hand, taking in the scene. It wasn't until a moment later that this taller than average (even if only for her horns) red skinned beauty started turning about more frantically searching her surroundings. "Moongazer!" She called out waiting for some sort of reply.

As Xar'ach released his final bolt, he wasted no time. The rocky terrain provided little refuge now that he had launched his assault. As he scrambled down the precipice, chaos erupted when a Tiefling suddenly materialized and then vanished, taking a few unsuspecting travelers and his target with them.

He sought refuge amidst the shadowy foliage, realizing that it offered scant protection against his quarry. His eyes darted frantically in every direction, searching for any sign of the vanished individuals. Meanwhile, a portion of his mind sifted through memories, trying to pinpoint a familiar sound.

~ Breaking glass. I've heard that quality of sound before. Probably in the master’s sancta sanctorum?

Alecks, Cinnabar, Sala, Theirastra and Xar'ach can make a DC 15 Perception check to figure out what's going on.

Artagel, Axia, and Stonecrow can also make a DC 15 Perception check but should also make an Initiative roll.
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:52, Tue 28 Mar 2023.

Stonecrow wasn't sure what that noise was that kept happening, the breaking glass. He could only think that it might be one of two things. Either the Drow had a bunch of potions and vials on him that were being broken, or it was a spell, likely some kind of protection. He would err on the side of caution and assume the latter, which made him frown.

And then things got a bit...weird?

11:06, Today: Sala Menes rolled 13 using 1d20+3 with rolls of 10.  Perception. – 13

Sala is thoroughly confused, but he checks to see if the drow is still there to be fought...

The tiefling stood there looking around panicked, but couldn't seem to see all that well.

20:13, Today: Axia Gryxis rolled 11 using 1d20+2 with rolls of 9.  Initiative.

20:12, Today: Axia Gryxis rolled 9 using 1d20+1 with rolls of 8.  Perception roll.

It was as plain as the nose on his face what happened! That fershluggin' Drow summoned a demon to sntch up his attackers!

23:54, Today: Alecks Senechal rolled 18 using 1d20+7 ((11)).

Ha! See? I told you he knew what happened! Well, maybe not quite like that, but something like it...

Cinnabar sighs a bit then breaks cover to walk over to the fake rock face and inspect it for more clues.
On her way she gestures casually at the entangling plants and they go back to normal, almost as an afterthought she raises her voice to a loud talking level to update any allies who might have missed it.

”This is all some kind of trick, likely an illusion, the real summoner is behind the fake rock somewhere but expect more traps.”

As his gaze shifted from the diminutive halfling to the rugged rock face that he had just descended, Xar'ach struggled to comprehend how she could declare it an illusion.

~He had thoroughly examined the terrain and was certain that the rock face was authentic. Grankhul’s eyes! Had she not seen him climb down? That seemed unlikely given the path he’d been forced to take. If she had, who did she think he was that could scale an illusion?

Still unsure of the group’s intentions and unwilling to be mistaken as a Drow minion, he shrank in upon himself, until he was seemingly no larger than the red-haired halfling, keeping to the deeper shadows in the trees.

07:07, Today: Xar'ach rolled 20 using 1d20+8 with rolls of 12.  Perception check.

With but a moment's cognitive consideration, it was easy to disentangle the flailing of arms and legs into an ad hoc wrestling match that sent the four people not through an illusion but a secret door!

Sala realizes that the impromptu arrival of the teleporting Tiefling also disrupted the Drow's latest effort to summon another monster.

The secret door was spring-loaded, which is why the others tumbled through it and it promptly snapped shut again once they were through.


Axia, Artagel and Stonecrow were suddenly swallowed up by darkness as they fell through a secret door set in the back of the rocky outcropping that was concealed by the irregular cracks and moss and weeds growing on it.

In the lingering afterlight, Stonecrow and Axia can see that they are in a small alcove--it doesn't quite qualify as a room--with a few kegs and sacks tucked into niches and corners. There's a second slightly bigger alcove which looks to have a bedroll stashed in it.

Artagel is feeling around in the dark with his arms and trips over the Drow who is laying face down on the dirt trying to disentangle himself from Stonecrow--and now Artagel--who is sprawled atop him.

Sala performs his magic upon a coin, making it emit light within a 5' radius so that he could see what was going on. (Artificer Magical Tinkering ability).

Using her staff as a focus, Axia casts the cantrip light on it lighting up the darkness around her and shedding light for a 20-foot radius and dim light for an additional
20 feet. "Moongazer! Answer me! please..." While the tiefling woman continued looking for her familiar the light put her form in full view. She was curvy with a black crop top wrap, pants, and a pair of her favorite black heeled boots. She wore a black hooded cloak which accentuated her bright red skin nicely. Her strong and curved horns made her a bit taller than 5'6. Her hazel eyes seemed to glow with a bit of magic behind them. She didn't seem to care or even notice that her toned stomach was showing skin and all. To her the important stuff was covered, most of the breasts (especially the nipples) and her lower half starting just under the belly button.

~~~~~ NEMEIA ~~~~~

Nemeia's next attack misses but Death Seeker hits with the second swing. It's not enough to take out the gargoyle, so once again, her mighty steed Despair gets a shot at it. His first hoof attack succeeds but not the second, though it does get in a tremendous bite.

Still not enough to destroy the creature, but it's been damaged sufficiently that it can't make a full attack.

00:09, Today: StarMaster rolled 22,7 using 1d20+10,1d6+4 ((2,6)). Bite.


~~~~~ GREY WILLEM ~~~~~

As the four-armed gargoyle #2 attacked again, Willem was also only able to hit once, but enough to draw retaliation.

00:32, Today: StarMaster rolled 26,9 using 1d20+10,1d6+4 ((6,4)). Bite.

Also of diminished capacity, plus fighting two foes, it only manages to bite for 9 points of damage.


~~~~~ MITHRA ~~~~~

That left it to Mithra to finish it off, but also only hits it once. That's just enough to kill it.


~~~~~ PRIZZARD ~~~~~

Realizing his non-magical weapons are only half-effective against these stony creatures, Prizzard is reluctant to waste his last darts on what will likely be a futile attempt, but seeing what condition it's in after Nemeia's latest attacks, he decides to go for it!

Surprisingly, he hits it, doing just enough damage to finish it off!


~~~~~~~~~~ GARGOYLES LOSE! ~~~~~~~~~~

Dead in mid-flight, the two creatures tumble from the sky but vanish without ever impacting the ground.

Stonecrow fell along with the rest and landed with a small "oof!" but it wouldn't have hurt him if he'd been able to slow his fall. Regardless, he didn't seem the worse for wear.

And the drow was within reach still - so Stonecrow attempted to hold him in place!

OOC: Not his strong suit but...
22:45, Today: Stonecrow rolled 13 using 1d20+2 with rolls of 11.  Grapple (Athletics).

Although the new source of Fairie Fire had suddenly vanished, the gloom around the outside of the stone was now back. Other than that, it's daylight, so Sala's glowing coin doesn't have much effect.

Inside the rock, the Fairie Fire has vanished, but Axia's light spell reveals that the Drow is wearing a spider mask. Axia's familiar is right there with.

Stonecrow's effort to grapple the Drow is unsuccessful due to the narrow confines of the space and the there are four people shoved into a closet.

Stonecrow suddenly takes 20 points of force damage from what is probably a Magic Missile spell from a device. In the grappling and wrangling, Artagel gets his head driven into a protruding rock. Thinking it's another attack, he lashes out with the swords still in each hand.

And now the Drow is dead.

A moment later, the secret door opens to reveal the scene.

Stonecrow let out a pained grunt with the impact of the spell on his body, battering him about. His grip went slack on the drow, and he hadn't managed to really get a good grip anyway. He lay there, a little dazed and surprised from the suddenness of it all.

"ow, damn."

Then the drow went limp and still, but Stonecrow hadn't yet taken notice. He was still calming himself after the harrow last thirty seconds or so.

Hoping the bola and darts remained in this realm when the creatures returned to theirs, Prizzard makes a quick search for the sizable throwing weapons.

rolled 12 using 1d20+4 with rolls of 8.  Perception.

Nemeia's face showed no emotion as her red eyes looked where the gargoyle would have fallen. There was no sense of accomplishment, no excitement over a well fought battle with the forces of evil. Just a dull emptiness. The wounds she received was the only proof a battle happened at all. But most of the wounds the paladin received would soon vanish just like the gargoyle.

The paladin slipped off the gauntlet on her right hand. Nemeia then placed the palm of her hand on her chest and spoke. "The wounds I receive will be nothing compared to the might of my vengeance I will inflict upon my foes." A soft, radiant red glow shimmered for a few moments before fading away. Most of the wounds had been closed and healed but a dull ache still remained. That small amount of pain always reminded the Knight of Taelther that death was never far away.

The tiefling warrior then went up to Despair and used that same unarmored hand to gently stroke the dire warhorse's neck. Nemeia's face actually seemed to soften and her voice sounded gentle and sweet as she spoke to Despair. "Thank you, my great companion. I would have likely perished without you. I will send you home soon. Our mission is not yet complete." As the Paladin of Vengeance put the gauntlet back on, the solemn expression and the serious look in her eyes returned.

Nemeia got back in the saddle and turned Despair to face The Reluctant One. Now came the worse part. Trying to wait...patiently...for their leader to make a quick decision on what to do next.

OOC:

Using the entire 25 HP pool for Lay on Hands, leaving Nemeia only 1 hp shy of being at full.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:08, Wed 29 Mar 2023.

OOC: Just a little confused. I'm guessing I'm not inside with the drow but outside near the rock still?

A flood of memories rushed into his mind without warning. He found himself transported back to a time when he was imprisoned in the master's sanctum, chained to the floor in the pitch-black darkness.

~For hours on end, the master and his minions launched one attack after another in his direction, hurling rocks, arrows, javelins, and spells at him with deadly precision. With each approaching missile, he would hear the shattering sound of … CRYSTAL! not glass. The master had devised a new device to protect himself, and each time a missile or spell struck, the barrier it projected would deflect it, leaving him cringing in terror.

~He knew from past experience what was coming but couldn’t predict when. After what seemed like an eternity, a bolt of lightning pierced the blackness, accompanied by blinding light and searing pain. The shattering sound was conspicuously absent this time, replaced by the sound of thunder and an overwhelming sensation of burning fur and flesh as the barrier failed. Even as they dragged him back to his dank cell, he knew the process would begin anew in a few days unless the master had perfected his creation.

Breaking from his recollection, Xar’ach continued to watch as the others recovered from their battle. Under normal circumstances, he would have simply disappeared back into the forest. But they had obviously seen him and given their numbers and arms were more than simple travelers. Better to deal with them face-to-face than risk having pursuers on his back trail.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:25, Wed 29 Mar 2023.

Rushing up to the now open trap door Cinnabar takes one look in, a small pebble clutched in her hand as if it was a readied weapon, but doesn't throw it and instead seems to be a little disappointed to find the Summoner already dead.

”Well I suppose that works too, before the last one of you gets out of there make sure to look around and see if there is any indication of why he was harassing us.”