Amaldaris remains on point, Nicolai walking slack. They probe forward carefully, expecting to meet whoever/whatever put the minotaur to flight shortly. Gronk takes the three slot, followed by Jenna, Corros, and Deepdelver.

Nic hears it first, this time. Footfalls, softer, but more numerous.

Four or five, maybe six, dark figures appear ahead, emerging one after the other from behind the curve of the tunnel wall. In height and shape, they are like humans or elves; their white hair, however, belies their true heritage. The adventurers have found the Drow.


Your Turn.

-
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:05, Tue 10 Apr 2018.

Drow, Nicolai thinks toward Corros.  There's no time for refined planning - if the ash elves haven't seen him and Amaldaris yet, they will within seconds, and this is arguably their home territory.  On the other hand, no one expects to be hunted in his own home territory.

There's not enough light down here for Nicolai's blades to glitter as he sweeps his rapier free of its sheath and flips his sleeve dagger into his off-hand.  He's driving forward as he moves, aiming through the Drow formation to take out the last one in line and cut off their retreat - and trusting speed, surprise, and ruthlessness to keep him alive through the first few moments of the fight.

Nicolai
AC 16; HP 61/61; Superiority Dice 4/4
Bonus: Cunning Action/Disengage to move through the drow line
Move: into melee with last Drow in line, readying rapier and dagger
Attack (x2): rapier +1 (hit +7, damage 1d8+4)
Bonus: attack dagger +1 (hit +7, damage 1d4+4)
Special: if given advantage from ambush, first hit does +2d6 sneak attack damage
Reaction: if attacked and missed, riposte (rapier attack against attacker, +1d8 damage if I hit)
This message was last edited by the player at 22:47, Sun 08 Apr 2018.

Gronk is tempted to keep pace with Nic, but he's got enough self-awareness to realize that he's not as quick and elusive as the Ardani, nor is his preferred fighting style particularly suited to that kind of maneuver.

What would Brawgo do?

Silently wishing Nic good luck, Gronk barrels towards the lead Drow, meaning to strike him/her down and move on to the next one.

Gronk
AC 19; HP 88
Move: to melee range v. D1
Attack: 2x melee (+9 attack; 1d8+8 damage)
Reaction: Riposte v. missed enemy melee attack

-
This message was last edited by the player at 01:44, Wed 11 Apr 2018.

As Amaldaris dropped into a fighting stance, he called out to his new companions, "Beware Drow magic! They're wont to play tricks with light and darkness, but they fear the power of the sun!"

NPC'ed

-
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:39, Wed 11 Apr 2018.

Jenna takes her usual place in the battle line, slightly behind Nicolai and Gronk but ahead of Corros, so that if anything wants to come after the warlock it will have to come through her first.

Taking a deep breath her eyes scan the shadows, watching for the first sign of the dark elves approaching, at which point she will call on Arma's favour to unleash a bolt of radiant energy at the first one that she sees.

Jenna
AC: 21, HP 56/56
Casting Guiding Bolt (Level 4) at first Drow spotted
Still casting Bless (Can I do that? If not forget about the Bless)

The sighting of the Drow brings a strange blend of emotions through Corros.  He's relieved that they've found their pray.  Now, though, they have to deal with them.

The power of the Library swirls around him, pulling glowing bolts of light from the energy around them.  The warlock scans the Drow he can see for any signs of a spellcaster and, in the age old tradition of breaking their enemy's advantages, he lets fly before pulling the Library in close again, letting its pages whisper in his mind.

Corros
AC 13, 61/61 HP
Casting Eldrtich Bolt x2 at any obvious spell casters.  Lead Drow if not.  +8 to hit, d10+5 damage each.  Will cast Counter Spell as a reaction should the Drow spellcaster get an attack off.

Nic slips through the pack of charging Drow warriors, arriving behind them unscathed. The nearest Drow is robed like a wizard, as opposed to the others, clad in dark mail or scale. The Ardani thrusts at the apparent magic user twice, with his rapier. Perhaps the Drow mage is protected by some sort of enchantment; perhaps the rogue's aim is just off. The sudden arrival and impact of Corros' twin Eldritch blasts suggests the latter (DM -21HP).

Jenna sends a Guiding Bolt sizzling past Gronk's ear into the lead Drow. It disintegrates the dark elf in a burst of holy fire (Jenna does 21 points of damage- D1 is dead!). Gronk moves quickly through a gently falling rain of sparks and ash, all that remains of the Drow point man, and attacks the next nearest enemy. Spike crashes down once, twice, but the gladiator's opponent does not go down (DEW -28HP). Instead, this particularly tough dark elf stabs at the Half-orc with his sword, missing on the first pass, but connecting with the backswing (Gronk -7HP -10 poison damage).

With his dominant hand, Amaldaris slashes at his adversary (D2) with his elven spear; with his free hand, he attempts to deliver a rapid series of palm strikes. He misses more than he connects, but the monk still manages to seriously injure his opponent (D2 -12HP). The grievously wounded drow strikes back, cutting the high elf with a short-sword slash (Amaldaris -5HP).

The Drow warrior nearest to his magic-user comrade (D3) stops in his tracks and doubles back, attacking Nic with short-sword- the blade tastes flesh (Nic -5HP).

With elegant fingers, the dark elf spell caster weaves arcane symbols in the air, his lips spilling abyssal incantations. Spell complete, the Drow mage's expression changes self-satisfaction and triumph to shock and disappointment. Apparently, the spell failed.


Your Turn.

-

Jenna felt her hair beging to dance of its own accord as the first drow that she targeted disintegrated before her milky white eyes, its death a manifest demonstration of the Goddess's power and glory, bringing light to this dark underworld, smiting Her enemies wherever they might be found. And Jenna was the vessel of that power.

She was already seeking out her next target, saw the dark elves' magic user attempting to cast his spells, his hands scything through the air, his lips moving, but to no avail. Doubtless he would try again though and so Jenna turned her attention to him, her own lips invoking a silent prayer to the Goddess, her back arching as she felt Her power course through, her body the bridge that it flowed through, her hand the instrument of Arma's will, another bolt of radiant energy shooting from her fingers, this time aimed at the dark elf spell caster.

Jenna
AC: 21, HP 56/56
Casting Guiding Bolt (Level 3) at Drow spell caster
Still casting Bless

Nicolai twists away from the worst of the Drow swordsman's attack, turning a stab through his brachial artery into a thin line along the underside of his arm.  He backs a pace, deflecting blows with his rapier, then whirls inside the spellcaster's line of attack and smashes at the mage with the pommels of both weapons.  The group needs a prisoner and this seems as good as any.

Nicolai
AC 16; HP 56/61; Superiority Dice 4/4

If Jenna's Guiding Bolt hits:
Attack (x2): rapier +1 (hit +7, damage 1d8+4)
Bonus: attack, dagger +1 (hit +7, damage 1d8+4)
Special: first attack has advantage and does +2d6 sneak attack damage if it hits

If Jenna's Guiding Bolt misses:
Bonus: feinting attack (-1 superiority die)
Attack (x2): rapier +1 (hit +7, damage 1d8+4)
Special: first attack has advantage and does +2d6 sneak attack damage +1d8 feinting attack damage if it hits

Note: All attacks are against drow mage until he drops, then D3.  If I drop either target with my attacks, I want him unconscious, not dead.

With Nic and Jenna taking the spell caster into their sights, Corros shifts to support his other companions.  The half-elf twists slightly ensuring that he has a clear angle of fire and splits his attack sending a blast of energy from each of his hands, one toward the Drow that has poisoned Gronk and the other in support of the monk.

Corros
AC 13, 61/61HP
Eldritch Blast x2, d10+5, +8 to attack
Still holding CounterSpell in reserve.

Gronk's been cut enough to know when an opponent's blade has been doctored. It's a dirty trick, one that gets his blood boiling. On the precipice of rage, he swings his morning star at the Drow champion's white-topped crown.

Gronk
AC 19; HP 71/88
Move: to melee range v. D1
Attack: 2x melee (+9 attack; 1d8+8 damage)
Reaction: Riposte v. missed enemy melee attack

-
This message was last edited by the player at 02:02, Tue 17 Apr 2018.

Another bolt of radiant energy leaps from Jenna's outstretched hand, screams through the melee and smashes into the Drow mage, disintegrating him before Nic can land a stroke (Jenna kills the Drow Mage!). The Ardani quickly shifts the focus of his attack to the fighter who'd just cut him. Like a snake's tongue Touch of Sylk kisses the Drow's foot, causing him to drop his guard. Taking advantage of the opening, the Ardani backhands the pommel of his dagger into the side of the Drow's exposed head, knocking him out and opening up a nasty gash (Nic incapacitates D2!),

Gronk does not fare well. The elite Drow warrior manages to avoid both of the half-orc's attacks, countering with one of his own, blade biting into his opponent's green-grey flesh (Gronk -17HP). Corros' Eldritch blast causes the Drow to miss his second attack, but Gronk can't take advantage, missing with a clumsy riposte (Corros does 15 damage to DEW).

Corros' second blast misses its target, but Amaldaris handily strikes down his opponent, leaving only the elite Drow warrior, currently facing off against Gronk, standing (Amaldaris kills D2!).


Your Turn.

-
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:57, Tue 17 Apr 2018.

Corros decides that one prisoner is more than enough, especially since the Drow that Gronk is fighting refuses to do the polite thing and die under their combined attacks.  That doesn't especially bode well for his future cooperation under interrogation.  So the warlock does what he does best and flings two more blasts of energy the champion's way.

Corros
AC 13, 61/61HP
Eldritch Blast x2, d10+5, +8 to attack
Still holding CounterSpell in reserve.

There's just a flicker of black in Jenna's eyes as she looks for her next target, her lips moving in silent prayer to the Goddess as the fingers of her right hand point towards the last Drow still on his feet, hoping to channel Arma's divine grace to strike that one down just as she had struck down the others.

Jenna
AC: 21, HP 56/56
Casting Guiding Bolt (Level 3) at Drow Elite Warrior
Still casting Bless

Gronk was getting his ass kicked. The embarrassment was unbearable- he could take the pain, but not the humiliation. Rage building, the Half-Orc lashed out at the elite Drow warrior with the first of an intended triplet of powerful blows.

Gronk
Raging
54/81 HP
- 1 combat manouver (failed riposte)
2x melee attacks, +9 to hit

-
This message was last edited by the player at 17:13, Fri 27 Apr 2018.

Before Gronk get a single shot in, the elite Drow warrior is felled by the party's spell-casters (Corros hits with one Eldritch Blast, Jenna hits with her Guiding Bolt: DEW is dead!). The Half-Orc gladiator, caught up in his own range, mindlessly pummels the smoking, fallen corpse for a bit.

The party has defeated the Drow slaving party. Only one Dark Elf remains alive- he lies, unconscious, at Nicolai's booted feet.

OOC: Please make sure to track all expended powers and/or spell slots.


Your Turn.

-
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:15, Fri 27 Apr 2018.

"Huh.  Everyone relatively okay?"  Nicolai looks around, as if expecting more Drow to materialize from the stone.  When no reinforcements are forthcoming, he sheathes his blades and begins searching the unconscious Drow.  Anything that could be used as a weapon or a tool to escape winds up in a pile at Gronk's feet.  "We should find someplace out of the way to have this conversation," he notes absently, with a nod in the direction toward which the minotaur fled.  "This tunnel feels a bit too much like a high-traffic market street."

"Regular high-road of death, looks like from here," Corros says while he prods the Drow on the ground softly with his boot.  The elf's mind is blank with unconsciousness, the warlock can't feel the link necessary to speak to the prisoner.  Probably a good thing, that, he muses.  Blue eyes look over his lady love, searching for damage he knows she didn't take and would have been annoyed with him for fretting over her had there been any.

"If Gronk feels up to it, or if he needs a little divine pick me up, he can drag our friend here the way the bull went."  Corros' eyes drift up the hall. "Make sure this guy doesn't have friends, yeah?"

Rage subsided, Gronk walked over to the unconscious drow and hoists him up on to his broad right shoulder. With a grunt, he starts walking back the way that the party had come. It is an uphill climb but not a particularly steep or long one. The party emerges from the tunnel into a larger chamber, natural, dimly lit by luminous fungi. There's no sign of the minotaur, just a cluster of quiescent miconids scowling in a dark corner- the adventurers didn't notice the fungal creatures the first time that they passed through the room. Gronk unceremoniously dumps the drow warrior on the damp rock floor and takes a seat nearby, where he begins to inspect his wounds. A lizard watches the proceedings from atop a stumpy stalagmite.

-
This message was last edited by the player at 20:07, Wed 02 May 2018.

"I'm good." Jenna said in reply to Nicolai's question, her eyes slowly returning to their normal colour as she looked around at all that remained of the Drow. None of them would be taking any more slaves.

She then followed the others as they retraced their steps until they merged into the chamber and Gronk put the captive down. "Let me look at your wounds." she said to the Half Orc, moving over to where he sat.

Corros leaves the wounds and healing to the others and turns to their prisoner. "Let's bind him before he wakes up, then we can have a little chat, yeah?" he says to Nic.  While the warlock isn't generally the interrogating type, he figures that he might have to come up to the task.  Unless one of the others speaks Drow, or by some chance this guy speaks Common, Corros figures he's probably looking at another throat tearing round of Abyssal.  Or telepathy.

But that would be showing their cards a little more than he'd like.

"Hey, little guy," Nic says in passing to the lizard, hoping belatedly that it's not some wizard's familiar.  He turns to Gronk.  "Hey, big guy," he continues, pulling a poultice from his pack.  "Put this on that cut.  I didn't like the look of whatever that guy had on his blade."

"If only I'd paid more attention in dungeon school," he replies to Coros.  "Oh, wait, I didn't go to dungeon school."  As humor goes, it's a sad attempt even for him, but it beats screaming from thinking too much about the innumerable tons of rock over his head... no.  Instead, he applies himself to the task of securing, and more thoroughly searching, a probably-concussed subterranean elf.

After applying a poutlice to the worst of Gronk's sword cuts (Gronk regains 13HP), Nic secures the prisoner's bonds (applied by Corros) and searches through the dark elf's clothing. The only items of interest he finds are a dagger, a small red gemstone in a small, hard leather belt pouch, and a spider brooch fastening a dark purple cloak. Amalaris steps forward and examines the objects, starting with the brooch.

"Lloth- the Spider Queen. Their demon goddess," the high elf spits in the dust. He tosses the brooch aside and picks up the dagger. "Poisoned, as are all drow blades," he comments, turning the weapon over to inspect the pommel. "House Dzex," he explains, "Operating far from its homeland. This is worrisome."

The prisoner starts to stir.


Your Turn.

-

Before the Drow could awaken the curious lizard scurried over to it.  With quick darting movements, the reptile climbed onto the dark elf's forehead, where it appeared to pause just long enough to excrete a white liquid substance from its cloaca.  The lizard then darted away, not more than 3 paces before turning back to face the assembled adventurers.

Suddenly the lizard started to grow as powerful druidic magic, familiar to all assembled but Amaldaris, began to transform the squamate into a hill dwarf.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 01:26, Mon 07 May 2018.

"Ha, I've been wanting to do that to a drow for a long time," the transformed dwarf said.  "Good to see you all again," Ulfgar Frostbeard added as he looked to Gronk, Corros, Jenna, and Nicolai.  The hill dwarf druid's gaze stopped at Amaldaris.

"Except you, I don't know you."  A primal dwarven 'not too fond of elves I don't know' tone permeated the statement.  Still, the hill dwarf produced his empty right hand and offered it to the high elf.

"I'm Ulfgar Frostbeard.  Well met," he said, his tone somewhat friendlier.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:38, Mon 07 May 2018.