Matrim roars in anger at seeing a friend fall. He continues to swing at the swarm, determined to make them feel his wrath. He wants to do this as clear as he can, and will not let the bloodthirsty rage take over his mind. More satisfying this way.

To Hit: Matrim Rogthor rolled 13 using 1d20+4

Daamge: Matrim Rogthor rolled 14 using 1d10+4

Cricket stops staring at the ridiculousness of the rats forming into one and hastily fires a bolt of silvery energy in the form of a raven skull at the rat. He also mutters an incantation in the voice of a woman and points at Matrim.

Cricket rolls a 3 on Initiative.
Cricket casts Eldritch Blast (9 to hit, 13 damage)
Cricket uses a bonus action to cast Sanctuary on Matrim. (Enemies must succeed a Wis save DC 13 to attack Matrim. If they fail, they must attack the next target in range, or give up their attack if they can't.)

Round Three

Initiative
Gnorlin 21
Kvanlanir 18
Xander 18
Mega-zombie-rat-swarm 15
Matrim 9
Cricket 3

Gnorlin, brave gnomish cleric, adventurer, friend and comrade for the past few days (and many months in real-time) feels his life slowly ... slipping ... away. Oddly, it doesn't hurt. Is that your mother's face, Gnorlin ? Relax ... your time to rest has arrived ...

Seeing Gnorlin go down, Kvanlanir sends another arrow flying,
again skewering multiple undead rats.

Xander rushes to where Gnorlin fell and gives a command in sylvan.
A deep mist obscures Gnorlin and Xander.

The mega-zombie-rat-swarm is much smaller and weaker than before.
Many pierced and smashed undead rats lay on the floor of the chamber.

The mega-zombie-rat-swarm, disappointed by the gnomes lack of dagger-swinging and decision to lay-down on the ground, combined with the confusion caused by Xander's sudden mist, changes its focus to Matrim and pushes up against the goliath, causing many bites and claws to lash out at the new target.
DM rolled 6 using 1d20+4.  Mega-zombie-rat-swarm attack.

Matrim is in no mood for tolerating the biting-scratching thing and avoids the attack of the mega-zombie-rat-swarm, retaliating with his own devastating warhammer blow, smashing through the mega-zombie-rat-swarm, sending undead rats pieces flying in all directions, destroying the foul mega-zombie-rat-swarm. It is dead.

---------------------------
+100 XP each for surviving characters.

Bandish 840 (who is this? you don't know yet!)
Bhelmyr 2200
Cricket 840
Kvanlanir 2050
Matrim 2250
Xander 1910
---------------------------

When the dust clears from the battle, the surviving adventurers survey the scene.
Gnorlin the gnome is dead, lying in a growing pool of blood.
Many undead rat corpses litter the chamber. (half-ammunition can be recovered again).

---------------------------

Gnorlin had equipment !

Padded Armor
Sling + 60 bullets
2 Daggers

Caltrops (bag of 20)

Burgler's Pack: (Backpack, bag of 1000 ball bearings, 10 ft. of string, a bell, 5 candles, a crowbar, a hammer, 10 pitons, a hooded lantern, 2 flasks of oil, 5 days rations, a tinderbox, a waterskin, 50 ft of hempen rope.)

A set of lockpicks

Signal whistle

Other Items :
Fix (Pet Mouse)

Money : 7 CP, 9 SP, 7 GP, 0 PP

---------------------------

Map !
https://drive.google.com/open?...5njOKF-b1SzjqTMgkPwE
This message was last edited by the GM at 09:14, Mon 08 Apr 2019.

Cricket looks over the dead friend, tilting his head.

"Fanganlan bless your-" Spoken in Gnorlin's voice. A cricket chirp, the shuffling of gear. Noises the bird was making from wherever he does that (he doesn't exactly have lips).

"Where in the blazes-Good fellow." more Gnorlin chatter as he looks over the fallen Gnome. The bird falls silent, then makes the sound of a church bell ringing once. He returns to being silent, staring at the body of the Gnome, unable to express how he feels or what he thinks. Stuck inside his own head. He shakes his head, then, and decides it's best to move on.

If he's allowed, he'll go to the gnome and begin rifling through his things. He's only interested in shiny baubles, really. And perhaps that mouse if he finds it. A good thing to remember his companion by, provided no one else lays claim to it.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:22, Mon 08 Apr 2019.

Matrim allows his comrades to go through the items first, and will grab what no one lays claim to. He bows his head in respect, and mutters a soft prayer, in that Gnorlin may find adventures in the afterlife, and enjoy his ethereal hunt.

Bhelmyr caught up too late to save Gnorlin, but picked up his holy symbol. "Farewell little friend. Ffarlaghn watch over your soul on its eternal journey."

Xander will clean his now old friend with prestidigitation. Cleaning the body does little to ease things. The thousands of bites and tears in the little gnomes body is sickening. Xander then silent images Gnorlin whole again, almost as if he were sleeping soundly.

Xander will take a couple of daggers from Gnorlinn's possessions and his bolts.

Sorry friend, I'll put them to good use hopefully. Farewell on your travels

He'll look to the others

can we cremate him

Ignoring the man's armor, Kvanlanir threw the man's other possessions into Gnorlin's pack and hefted it onto his shoulder. Supplies may not be needed now, but it could come in handy later.

The adventurers take from Gnorlin whatever items they need/want, and Xander cleans the gnomes body.

Xander suggests cremation of Gnorlins body.
(Alternatively, you could take the body top-side when you leave and bury him, or leave him here in the tomb somewhere ...)

Once all is said and done, the adventurers continue, deeper into the Tomb of Everflowing Blood. Heading down the stairs, through the narrow passageway, the adventurers find themselves on a rocky platform at the southern end of the blood-lake. Broken columns protrude from the lake. The sound of splashing blood falling from above echoes throughout this vast space.

Looking across the lake (and near the limits of dark-vision) a broad hall can be seen. A two-foot wide river of blood runs down the center of this broad hall, between rows of tall black columns. Each column in the hall bears a painted-and-glowing red symbol of an open hand with an eye in the palm. The glowing symbols bathe everything in deep crimson. Faint eerie whispers fill the air of the hall and blood-lake.

As the adventurers survey the scene before them, the sound of scraping stone can be heard through the hall, as though a stone door is being opened and closed. Before long, a red-robed torch-bearing humanoid can be seen moving through the hall towards the blood-lake, dragging a smaller humanoid behind them with their non-torch-bearing hand.

The red-robed figure pulls the smaller humanoid figure to the edge of the blood-lake.
The adventurers can see that the red-robed figure is a middle-aged human male, though he does not match Veltargos description.

The smaller figure is also a human male, clad in furry-leather armor.
The smaller figure seems bruised, beaten, and dazed.

The red-robed cultist then places the torch on the floor nearby, and while the smaller figure lies on the floor, the cultist produces a ceremonial dagger from within the folds of his robe, raises it above his head, and begins chanting some ancient evil ritualistic words "abra cadabra..."

The cultist is so engrossed in the ritual that he has failed to yet notice the adventurers witnessing these events from the other side of the blood-lake. Perhaps because he has no dark-vision.

If the adventurers hurry, they may be able to save the furry-leather-clad man from whatever wicked fate the cultist has planned for him ...

---------------------

Roll Initiative do determine the order of events.
For the first round, Isalnarr (the cultist) is deemed surprised as he is engrossed in his chanting.

The smaller man (Bandish, the new character) has been beaten and is not on full HP.
He will remain dazed for two rounds, and if he is still alive,
will be fully-active in round three.

On the map Is is Isalnarr the cultist, while Ba is the dazed smaller man (Bandish).

---------------------

Isalnarr, cultist !
https://drive.google.com/open?...mPUQkpqdfTc_Ll4HHXfW

Map !
https://drive.google.com/open?...JfIYeFLqWcSS_Issq6Se
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:50, Sat 13 Apr 2019.

Seeing a cultist about to sacrifice a man caused Kvanlanir to stop and stare in shock for a moment. As he realized that yeah, this was real, he was filled with the clarity of white hot rage and he fired not one, but two arrows.

Init: 4
Action: Attack w/ Longbow - Pushing Maneuver
Result: Hit AC 17 for 8+5=13 Piercing damage
Special: Pushing Maneuver, Str DC 14 vs 15 ft Pushback

Special: Action Surge!
Action: Attack w/ Longbow - Menacing Maneuver
Result: Hit AC 22 for 11+7=18 Piercing damage
Special: Menacing Maneuver, Wis DC 14 vs Frighten (cannot move closer to me, disadv. on attacks)

22:22, Today: Kvanlanir rolled 7 using 1d8.  Menacing Longbow,  Dmg. Wis 14 vs Disadv.
22:22, Today: Kvanlanir rolled 22,11 using d20+7,d8+3.  Attack w/ Longbow.
22:20, Today: Kvanlanir rolled 5 using 1d8.  Pushing Longbow,  Dmg. Str 14 vs 15' Push.
22:20, Today: Kvanlanir rolled 17,8 using d20+7,d8+3.  Attack w/ Longbow.
22:20, Today: Kvanlanir rolled 4 using 1d20+3.  Initiative.

Round One

Initiative
Isalnarr 20
Kvanlanir 4

(DM rolled 20 using 1d20+2.  Isalnarr initiative)

Isalnarr, with his ceremonial dagger above his head, begins chanting louder and louder.
"Abrac ... adabra ... superca ... lafraga ... listic ... expi ... ala ... "

While the adventurers take in the scene, Kvanlanir fires two arrows in quick succession.
Both arrows strike Isalnarr, one through his arm holding aloft the dagger, the other deep into his chest.

Isalnarr is hurled backwards by Kvanlanirs attack, letting go of the dagger as he falls back onto the ground of the hall.
The dagger spins in the air ... and plops! into the deep red of the blood-lake.

As the ceremonial dagger disappears into the blood, the eerie whispers in the chamber grow louder and more disturbing.
Slowly, six horrible skeletal warriors stand up in the waist-deep blood of the lake.
Each wears tattered-and-torn leather armor and carries an old rusted-broken shortsword, suitable for undead.

Isalnarr, meanwhile, begins to crawl northwards, through the hall.
He is very badly injured by Kvanlanirs arrow attack, and is bleeding heavily
(although everything here is red-coloured by those weird glowing symbols painted on the hall columns).
The cowardly cultist cries out "Veltargo ! Veltargo !" as he crawls north.

Map !
https://drive.google.com/open?...TVAm1p3zzfb47KzZDfHP

---------------------

Adventurers can still opt to do something in Round One,
but as Kvanlanirs action was so effective and rather extraordinary, I had to reply !
If there's no objections, we'll move onto Round Two ...

(DM rolled 13 using 1d20+2.  Skeleton initiative.)

Initiative
Isalnarr 20
Skeletons 13
Kvanlanir 4

For next turn when I can act.


06:58, Today: Bandish the Bug rolled 20 using 1d20+2.  Initiative.

[Private to GM: So I'm down a few HP..what else should I modify? Do I still have a few spell slots? Do I have any wild shapes remaining? Let me know please...great introduction! Gnorlin had 1 1st level slot left so I'd be fine with that].
This message was last edited by the player at 12:01, Sat 13 Apr 2019.

Xander will silent image an illusion of Butterbell, his once familiar somewhere distracting to the enemy.

Initiative 4
08:27, Today: Xander rolled 4 using 1d20+3 ((1)).

Initiative conflicts !

We need to roll some initiative tie-breakers !

Skeletons and Bandish both got 20 initiative and have +2 initiative mod (dex).
DM rolled 5 using 1d20.  skeleton initiative tie-breaker
Skeleton tie-breaker : 5
Bandish tie-breaker : ?

Kvanlanir and Xander both got 4 initiative and have +3 initiative mod (dex).
Kvanlanir tie-breaker : ?
Xander tie-breaker : ?

Tie-breaker rolls, please !

EDIT : oops, I meant Isalnarr, not skeletons.
This message was last edited by the GM at 10:25, Sun 14 Apr 2019.

10:56, Today: Bandish the Bug rolled 2 using 1d20.  tie breaker.

12:37, Today: Kvanlanir rolled 15 using 1d20+3.  Initiative.

got a 2 on the tie breaker

Bhelmyr sees the skeletons, but decides to focus on the robed man first.

Action: L1 Magic Missile on cultist for 14 force damage.

13:26, Today: Bhelmyr Godstouched rolled 14,14 using 1d20+2,3d4+3.  Initiative, Magic Missile .
This message was last edited by the player at 20:31, Sat 13 Apr 2019.

Seeing the scene unfold, and seeing his companions react, Cricket joins the soon-to-begin fray and unleashes a whispy bolt of eldritch energy.

20:19, Today: Cricket rolled 9 Force damage using 1d10+3. Eldritch Blast Damage.
20:19, Today: Cricket rolled 8 using 1d20+5. Eldritch Blast to hit.
18:29, Today: Cricket rolled 16 using 1d20+2. Initiative.

Cricket casts Eldritch Blast at the cultist.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:44, Sun 14 Apr 2019.

Matrim will jump into the lake in front of the group, and hold his action until a skeleton comes into melee range. The following rolls are for if that happens:

To Hit: Matrim Rogthor rolled 21 using 1d20+4

Damage: Matrim Rogthor rolled 13 using 1d10+4 (Bludgeoning)

Round Two

Initiative
Isalnarr 20
Bandish 20
Cricket 16
Bhelmyr 14
Skeletons 13
Matrim holding action ...
Kvanlanir 4
Xander 4

Isalnarr, the cowardly cultist cries out "Veltargo ! Veltargo !" as he crawls northwards through the great hall.
He leaves a trail of his own blood as he crawls.

Bandish shakes his head and comes to his senses.
Looking around, Bandish takes in the scene before him.
(Bandish can act normally in round three.)

Cricket unleashes a whispy bolt of eldritch energy which streaks toward the cultist,
who manages to duck his head just in time to avoid the eldritch energy.

Bhelmyr decides to focus on the cultist, casting magic missile.
The missiles strike Isalnarr in the back of the head, blasting his head apart.
Brains and blood splatter onto the floor of the great hall. Isalnarr is dead.

The skeletons slowly amble forward through the blood-lake, towards the adventurers.
S3 comes within range of Matrim and attacks the goliath with its old rusted shortsword, but slices only the air.
DM rolled 9 using 1d20+4.  skeleton attack

Matrim retaliates, smashing the skeleton to pieces with his warhammer !
S3 is destroyed!

Kvanlanir can take an action now, for round two ...
(and then also declare an action for round three ...)

Xander silent images an illusion of Butterbell, the sprite.
(Do you still have a familiar, Xander ? I forget what happened to Butterbell, sorry ...)

From the north, the sound of scraping stone once again echoes through the area.
The scraping stone sound is followed by solid footsteps, as a creature begins making its way southwards through the great hall.
Alas, the creature is not visible yet, due to being beyond to range of dark-vision and the torch-light (of the torch laying on the floor near Bandish).

Map !
https://drive.google.com/open?...1lqDVU_IWzD9sKt8cY65

Blinking his eyes a few times helps him clear his head. Something had attacked him in the woods and now he finds himself here? He was investigating the area after several mysterious happenings had taken place. He though it might be a group of Orcish hunters but never had he been so wrong.

Lying here looking around he feels the abhorrent nature of this place. Rank with sticky blood and it's brazen display of necromantic energy everything about it was an insult to the natural order.

He reaches down to a small slit in his armor, he feels around and to his surprise its still there. He pulls it from the pocket and wraps his fist around the totem. It's just a small piece of bone carved with intricate designs but it immediately grounds him and he feels his lady's power once again, even here deep in this place. Shaking his head at their stupidity for not taking it he feels the stir of power begin again and he draws on it.

---

looking forward to next round!

Spell Slots: 1st 3 of 3
Wild Shape: 2 of 2
This message was last edited by the player at 12:39, Mon 15 Apr 2019.

Round 2
Kvanlanir considered his options between the more immediate threat of the skeletons, and that of the crawling cultist. He had companions to deal with the bones, and the man was calling for aid it seemed, so his mind was set. He loosed another arrow at the crawling man.

Action: Attack
Result: Hit AC 11 for 9 Piercing damage

08:25, Today: Kvanlanir rolled 11,9,23 using d20+7,d8+3,d20+7.  Attack w/ Longbow, disadv.


Round 3
Kvanlanir continued the ranged assault, trying to ensure the cultist was no more before he worried about the skeletons.

Action: Attack with Longbow
Result: Hit AC 22 (or AC 8 if disadvantage) for 8 Piercing

08:27, Today: Kvanlanir rolled 22,8,8 using d20+7,d8+3,d20+7.  Attack w/ Longbow, disadv.

Bandish, you can act fully in the upcoming round (round three).
Kvanlanir, the cultist is dead, killed by Bhelmyr in round two.
Do you guys want to edit your round three actions ?

Huh, alright I missed that. I would just redirect the attacks to the skeletons.