" yeah, looks like student's foot locker. "
Thressa waits.
This message was lightly edited by the GM at 18:48, Wed 22 Dec 2021.

"Good point, Kassan," Mithra replies. "We're hunting Orcs. I doubt if any are hiding inside a locked and trapped chest."

"Still, we probably shouldn't leave behind anything that the Orcs could potentially use against us or anyone else."

"A student? Or perhaps a traveling wizard? It does kind of concern me that these have been left behind in what is clearly an abandoned base of some kind."

"I suppose these bones belong to the owners of the chests. I wonder what killed them? Any chance, Thressa, you can tell the cause of death?"

Mithra then starts looking around the room for... anything, really. As near as she can tell by the downward distance they traveled along the tunnel, they are probably a level below the main caves. Seems like an odd place and way for a dead end.

Other than the expected dust of years if not centuries that would have made its way into this room, all Mithra notices at first is that the room looks like it started as a natural cave, but then was worked into its more regular shape.

At some point, though, as she disturbs the dust, she notices that it seems to move towards the wall rather than just swirl about and settle back to the floor. With a little bit more effort, she's able to tell that there's a faint draft pulling the dust to the wall. And that turns out to be the seams of a secret door. She then finds a loose 'stone' to the side of the door. Pressing it causes the door to be released, though she still needs to push the door fully open to get through it.


Due to the desiccated state of the bodies, Thressa can't really tell what caused their deaths, but she can say that it wasn't from a weapon, as there are no broken bones that would have accompanied such a death blow. While she can't rule out magic, she gets a vague impression that it might have been a poisonous gas.

While the others check out different things, Cunaar decides to examine the books in the chests.

"If you don't remember... or don't know... anything from before you just woke up here, Kassan," Cunaar says to the Warforged, "there might be information in these books about how you came to be."

"I find it very strange that you can be fully functional the instant you wake up. Somehow, you had to have been given that information and training. I suppose what concerns me is that some event may suddenly trigger a resurgence of those memories--if you have them--and that may change who you are."

"In any case, while I check out these books, would you mind seeing if there are any secret compartments in either of these chests?"

Mithra goes over to the wall and examines it the best she can.

"There's an airflow over here," she informs the others. "I think there may be a secret door here."

"Are you any good at finding and unlocking secret doors, Kassan?"

"Yes I could, I apologize for not noticing it earlier, clearly I am not a one hundred percent yet."
Going over to wall where Mithra had mentioned air flow, Kassan could find nothing.  His eyes narrowing becoming pin pricks of green in concentration.

"Well I can not find what it is you are looking for."



09:46, Today: Kassan rolled 5 using 1d20+3 with rolls of 2.  Investigation for hidden passage.
Terrible

" No weapon used. Interesting and Terrifying. "
This message was lightly edited by the GM at 21:23, Sun 02 Jan 2022.

Even with the knowledge that there might be a secret door there, and with the assistance of the others, Kassan can't quite spot it. He didn't spot it the first time because he hadn't stirred up the dust as much as Mithra did, and he probably wasn't sensitive enough to detect the airflow on his own.

There's clearly not a regular straight seam that marks the door, though it could be disguised as the workmanship if there were several similar lines.

Kassan did find the small slots near the bottom that were hidden in the design. Since the airflow is going into them, rather than coming out, it would see as if the temperature on the other side is slightly higher so that the colder air in the room flows in that direction.

Since Mithra carries a crowbar, she can use it to tap the wall and try to determine where the door actually is.

That does the trick, since just the tapping causes some of the dust to cascade off the irregular seams.

It also shows the pattern in the center that is probably the release for the door--a horizontal stone 'bar' in the bottom of a half-circle. Moving the bar to a vertical position might release the door's mechanism... or do something else nasty.

While it didn't look like any Orcs had gone this way... through the secret door, that is... she had enough battle savvy to realize that you didn't leave a potential enemy behind you. However slim, there was still a chance that other Orcs were lurking behind this secret door. She certainly didn't want them bursting out to attack them when they weren't looking.

"Once you know it's there, it's kind of obvious," Mithra comments as she reaches forward and pushes the horizontal bar to the upright position.

Although it looks easy enough, it turns out to require a bit more effort to move the lever. As Mithra forces it into the vertical position, she can hear the faint grinding of metal on stone. When it's finally fully vertical, the right edge of the door suddenly springs forward into the wall.

That appears to be as far as it will go on its own. It needs to be pushed all the way open in order to get through the opening.

The passage beyond is in darkness, but you can see that it curves off to the left.

"Ah excellent, I was sure that it would be easy enough for you guys to find."  Peering around the edge of the door.

"I shall proceed ahead and make sure the way is safe."

As he reached for a torch to light, Kassan accidently backed into one of the open chests spilling it contents on the ground.

"The element of surprise is still on our side, only a strong party would be so bold as to make this much noise.  All very strategic"


10:48, Today: Kassan rolled 15 using 1d20+3 with rolls of 12. Perception
Checking for Traps

10:47, Today: Kassan rolled 6 using 1d20+5 with rolls of 1.  Stealth check. oH dear.

Kassan leads the way down the tunnel, lighting the way with one of the torches.

After curving off to the left for about 20 feet, the floor gives way to stairs going down for another 20 feet before they make a sharp turn to the right.

Once you turn that corner, you can see that the stairs end at an open door to a room. The torch light doesn't give any clear image of the room, but then there's a sudden bright flash of blue light with which you can see shelves with books on them, and half a dozen Orcs surrounding the source of the light flash--a human.


Sala was going about his business when he felt a sudden spot of warmth that he quickly realized was coming from where he kept the talisman. A second later, the talisman started to glow, there was a bright flash of blue light, and Sala suddenly find himself... somewhere else.

The flash of light let him see that he was in an otherwise small but dark room--a library, based on the books he saw on the shelves. He also saw that he was surrounded by Orcs, though they seemed as astonished as Sala was. They conveyed the appearance that their focus was on the single doorway out of the room.... at least the only doorway that you saw.

Then the darkness closes in once again.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:04, Sat 08 Jan 2022.

"Here hold this"

Handing the torch to his Mage Hand Legerdemain Kassan pauses and relays quickly to the others what he saw.

"Six orcs surrounding a humanoid down there, I believe he requires assistance.  I think rushing in maybe our best option, the element of surprise is gone."


Kassan sends the mage hand ahead 30 feet from himself with the torch into the room raising it to a height that will be hard to strike while staying in distance so as not to loose the spell.

"That's what we're here for--to smash Orcs!" Mithra whispers, and then charges ahead into the room right behind the floating torch.

She attacks the first Orc she runs across!

15:53, Today: Mithra Stormraven rolled 22,14 using 1d20+7,1d8+6 ((15,8)).

That should be a hit and may even kill that Orc!

She'll take her extra action to attack a different Orc.

16:01, Today: Mithra Stormraven rolled 9,13 using 1d20+7,1d8+6 ((2,7)).

Pfui! Miss! Would have been good damage!

"I hope you don't mind us barging in," she says to the Human (Sala) in the room, "but I believe these are our Orcs."

Sala, who was actually in the middle of musing about the relative density of several alchemical substances, was caught off guard by his appearance in the middle of a library dominated by orcs. The fact that he had no clear way to see in the dark was surely a hindrance, so he did what any self-respecting wizard did in these situations.

He hid.

Given that he was in a library, and with no other reference to consider, a block of library book shelves appeared around him as he ducked down. He cautiously waited as the help that was so vociferous engaged the orcs.

Casting Minor Illusion in the square I'm in. Looks like a cube with shelves and library books lining the edges.

He'd been wondering about everything that had been happening since the initial group had left Neverwinter. It had started as a simple escort job, soon turned into a real adventure, and had then escalated into... well, he wasn't quite sure. There seemed to be a confluence of events happening in the area now. At first, it had seemed like the mine had been the focus. Something had transpired to make it leap to prominence once again.

And then came the Orcs. Lots of them. There didn't seem to be any overlying organization to them... yet. They'd run across at least three groups now. Yet, they didn't seem to be interested in the mine. So, what was bringing them here? Was it just some sort of bizarre Orcish cycle?

Whatever it was, interest in the area had increases a hundredfold. Maybe it was the refounding of Phandalin that was the trigger. There was no way of knowing if people had left well enough alone with Phandalin if the Orcs would have come any way.

Seeing that the room ahead was a library full of books, Cunaar decided a firebolt spell wasn't the best option. Instead, he chose to cast his last Magic Missile at one of the Orcs not immediately in combat.

8:20, Today: Cunaar Clothar IV rolled 15 using 4d4+4 ((2,1,4,4)).

OOC: just waiting on Thressa?

Thressa points at one of the orcs not in melee with her friends and casts Flamming Sphere.


17:40, Today: Thressa Wildflamme rolled 10 using 2d6 with rolls of 4,6.  Flamming Sphere.
DC 14 Dex save for half.

Mithra's attack didn't quite kill the first Orc she hit, and she missed the second Orc.

Cunaar's spell kills the one Orc he targeted.

Thress's spell damages a third Orc but doesn't kill it.

With only one Orc down, there's only 5 left, but only one of them is in melee with Mithra.

Sala's illusion and Thressa's flaming sphere are enough to disorient three Orcs so that they don't step up to fill their dead comrade's place.

The Orc Mithra hit tries to attack back, but he's in bad shape, and his attack is practically half-hearted. He misses.

14:23, Today: StarMaster rolled 8,12 using 1d20+6,1d10+4 ((2,8)). Orc attack on Mithra.

The second Orc that Mithra missed is encouraged by her miss and swings back at her. He's not nearly good enough to hit her.

14:24, Today: StarMaster rolled 14,5 using 1d20+6,1d10+4 ((8,1)).

The brief flash of blue light, Kassan's torch, and Thressa's flaming sphere provided adequate light for everyone to see more detail now. The back wall and the two side walls are covered in shelves full of books and assorted knickknacks, though it isn't immediately clear that these things might not be 'books' unto themselves.

Two of the remaining Orcs pull out javelins in preparation for throwing them at those currently out of reach.

Sala can see more clearly now, and from his position he can see a few orcs that seem to be injured. Quickly, he commands his owl familiar to help Mithra, whilst he targets one of them with a Mind Sliver spell, knowing full well that flinging fire around in a room full of books is a perfect storm for a conflagration.

Staying well under cover, his arcane chanting would be easily heard by any orc within range.

You drive a disorienting spike of psychic energy into the mind of one creature you can see within range. The target must succeed on an Intelligence saving throw (DC 14) or take 5 psychic damage and subtract 1d4 from the next saving throw it makes before the end of your next turn.

HP: 29/29 | AC: 18 | Spd: 30ft. | Arcane Recovery 1/1 (SR)| Chronal Shift 2/2 (LR)
Spell Slots: | Level 1 | 4/4 | Level 2 | 2/2 |
Action: Cast Mind Sliver for 5 damage | Move:  N/A  | Bonus: N/A | Free: Owl help action for Mithra
09:48, Today: Sala Menes rolled 5 using 1d6 with rolls of 5.  Mind Sliver (DC 14 save for nil). – [roll=1642729713.58184.364018]
This message was last edited by the player at 07:10, Fri 21 Jan 2022.

Moving with haste Kassan flanks an orc to the opposite side of Mithra.  A flash of glistening steel from what just appeared to be a cane at the orc.  With a flourish the blade disappears back to it scabbard.

18:15, Today: Kassan rolled 11 using 1d20+5 with rolls of 6.  atk.roll.
18:16, Today: Kassan rolled 9 using 2d6 with rolls of 5,4.  sneak atk. dmg.
18:15, Today: Kassan rolled 8 using 1d8+3 with rolls of 5.  attack dmg.

He'd just given it his best shot, but there were still more Orcs to deal with. His only option now was to whittle away at them by using his cantrips. He targeted one Orc with a Ray of Frost.

22:28, Today: Cunaar Clothar IV rolled 16,6 using 1d20+4,2d8 ((12,3,3)).

Well, he hit, but it wasn't much damage.

An owl suddenly starts attacking Orc #2, the one Mithra is fighting. It doesn't really hit him or do any damage, but the claws and beak scratching at the Orc's hair and head distract enough to keep it from attacking Mithra again.

Sala attacks another Orc #3 as his owl aids Mithra and manages to hit it and do damage.

Kassan doesn't hits Orc #4 that he attacked. The combined damage is just enough to kill it!

Cunaar's spell hits Orc #6 but doesn't kill it.

Thressa sends her Flaming Sphere towards Orc #4 and does 10 points of damage to it, but it's not enough to kill it.

At this point, all five of the remaining Orcs have been injured.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:29, Tue 01 Feb 2022.

She'd fought enough Orcs already to know that they were tough creatures--it took more than one hit normally to kill one, but she and the others were getting better. She could tell she'd almost killed this Orc with her first attack.

"What the frell?!" she exclaimed as an owl suddenly attacked the Orc she was fighting.

She almost laughed when she realize it was distracting the Orc and kept it from attacking her. It probably wouldn't have hit her, but it could have gotten lucky.

"Well, Nasty Orc! You're luck has just run out!"

She swung at it again.

23:18, Today: Mithra Stormraven rolled 22,7,13,7 using 1d20+7,1d8+6,1d20+7,1d8+6 ((15,1,6,1)).

The damage she inflicted wasn't much, but added to what she'd already done, it was enough to kill it.

She was then able to direct her bonus action attack against the next closest Orc, which was #1--the one that had suffered from Thressa's flaming sphere. She just barely hit it, and while the damage wasn't great again, it was enough to finish off the Orc.

As Kassan's blade looks likely to miss, Sala influences his timing, causing his attack to shift in his favour and strike the orc which he had been attacking instead (Reaction: Use Chronal Shift to reroll Kassan's attack, hitting AC 19 instead of missing.)

From where he was at, Sala could see that five orcs stood. Once again, he called upon his familiar to aid Mithra in battle, while he used his own cantrips to deal a meagre amount of damage to the orc originally targetted by the first Mind Sliver spell he had cast.

You drive a disorienting spike of psychic energy into the mind of one creature you can see within range. The target must succeed on an Intelligence saving throw (DC 14 -1d4 on the roll as he would still be affected by Mind Sliver) or take 1 psychic damage and subtract 1d4 from the next saving throw it makes before the end of your next turn.

HP: 29/29 | AC: 18 | Spd: 30ft. | Arcane Recovery 1/1 (SR)| Chronal Shift 1/2 (LR)
Spell Slots: | Level 1 | 4/4 | Level 2 | 2/2 |
Action: Cast Mind Sliver for 1 damage | Move:  N/A  | Bonus: N/A | Free: Owl help action for Mithra | Reaction (last round): Chronal shift on Kassan, causing his last attack to hit for 8 damage and 9 sneak attack damage
18:12, Today: Sala Menes rolled 19 using 1d20+6 with rolls of 13.  Kassan Reroll for last round attack. – [roll=1643191960.04891.364018]
18:04, Today: Sala Menes rolled 1 using 1d6 with rolls of 1.  Mind Sliver vs damaged orc. – [roll=1643191449.90943.364018]