Tali, seeing the fire monsters watches as it flew above her. As it opened it's mouth, her expression dropped as she muttered something. "Damn"

She rolls to the left almost on instinct, missing the fire, though the heat from it still burnt her arm. She came to her knee and foot, muttering to teh wyldmother to aide them, and lifted her head as if she was lifting an apple.

Where it flew, a column of white hot flame erupted towards the sky.

---

<OOC: Talianythn rolled 16 using 1d20+2.  Dex save.

Action - Cast Sacred Flame.

Talianythn rolled 7 using 2d8.  Sacred flame damage.

Dex save vs 15 or take 7 radiant damage


Bonus Action - None>

Bhelmyr twisted away from the flames, circling the mephit and sent more darts of force at the next nearest mephit.

Move: Circle the mephit so its breath can't hit both Bhelmyr and an ally (if Bhelmyr is in melee range, he'll stay in range so as not to provoke an opportunity attack. Otherwise, he will move as far as possible.
Action: Cast magic missile at nearest mephit, dealing 9 force damage

15:53, Today: Bhelmyr Godstouched rolled 9 using 3d4+3.  Magic Missile combined damage, level 1.

15:52, Today: Bhelmyr Godstouched rolled 21 using 1d20+2.  Dex save.

Grinning from feeling the healing magic course through his body, Matrim nods at Tali for a moment, before moving to and tearing into near creatures.

Attack 1:
To Hit: Matrim Rogthor rolled 24
Damage: Matrim Rogthor rolled 17

If MM 1 survives, Matrim will attack again. If MM 1 dies, Matrim will attack a different MM.

Attack 2:
To Hit: Matrim Rogthor rolled 24
Damage: Matrim Rogthor rolled 10

If one of the Magma Mephits drops near his feet, Matrim will attempt to move out of the way before it erupts!

DEX SAVE (If needed): 21

Action: Attack
Movement: Up to 40ft. of movement, moving first to the nearest mephit in melee range. Moving more if needed to a second mephit.
Bonus Action: None

Combat ! Round 3

19 Matrim
18 Grundold
17 Fulthor
14 Talianythn
12 Myra
11 Bryce
8 Gilthan
4 Bhelmyr
3 Daniel

19 magma mephits

----------

Check out the MAP.

----------

Matrim moves to the magma mephit closest to himself and Talianythn.
With one attack Matrim knocks the mephit out of the air and onto the ground.
Matrim then brings BoneBreaker down upon the mephit, killing it.

The mephit explodes in a burst of lava !
DM rolled 5 using 2d6.  mephit death burst
Matrim and Talianythn are hit by the lava !
(make DEX SAVES, DC 11,
 pass = 2 fire damage,
 fail = 5 fire damage)

Talianythn looks around and sees the last remaining mephit,
who had just flown past Bhelmyr and attempted his fire-breath attack.

Talianythn  summons a sacred flame ...
DM rolled 18 using 1d20+1.  mephit dex save
... which is dodged by the mephit.

As the mephit dodges the sacred flame and continues flying,
Myra releases an arrow, which smashes through the tiny skull
of the mephit. It falls to the floor, dead,
and explodes in a burst of lava !
Luckily no adventurers were nearby.

----------

Bhelmyr does not cast magic missile.

The mephits have been slain.
The interiors of the three furnaces still glow with weird magic,
but no more shadowy shapes move about.

The adventurers believe that, unless they disturb the furnaces further,
they are safe from the mephits for now.

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

REMEMBERING WHERE YOU ARE :

- you have explored the upper, top-most level of the dungeon.
- you are now on the second level of the dungeon.

D15 : Lower Landing

The staircase spirals down to the smooth floor of this level. This room
seems more cramped than the ones upstairs, probably due to the lower ceiling.
There is a doorway in each of the five walls. A large black rune, identical to
the one in the room above, but with a smaller rune floating above it, hangs in
the air. Each rune is located above a small glowing dot.

The adventurers continue exploring, moving into area D26 ...

D26 : Vault Entrance

This five-sided room is barely large enough to accomodate the spiral
staircase that leads downward into the darkness. The last vestige of
a continual light spell fades in and out on the ceiling.

This spiral staircase leads from dungeon level 2, down to dungeon level 3.

The adventurers continue exploring, moving into area D22 ...

D22 : Forge Antechamber/Supplies

Fragments of crates and other refuse litter the floor of this room.
A metal pipe emerges from one wall, hanging over a small grate in the
floor. The smell of metal and smoke is faint in the air. A dim glow
comes from the center of the ceiling.

As the adventurers stand in this room, they notice :
- There are two passageways leading from this room, leading deeper into the dungeon.
- An awful stench of rotting refuse comes from the first (upper) passageway.
  The adventurers cannot see far down this passageway, as though the area
  may be cloaked in deliberate magical darkness.

D24 : Forge

The smell of fire and metal hangs heavy in the air here. Three
great forges are set into the walls, each with a large anvil nearby.
The three forges interiors' all glow with a dim redness, but no fires
are lit within them. A strange scorch-mark has been burned on the floor
in the shape of a thin 5' tall humanoid.

----------

The adventurers can explore into :

D25 : FORGE (continued)

This area is almost identical to D24,
except the furnaces here are cold, with no weird magic present.

----------

- Matrim and Talianythn, please make those DEX SAVES,
  and update your BIOs as per damage taken.

----------

"Looks dark ahead. Matrim, you want me to light up your weapon?" asks Bhelmyr. He'll cast light on Bonebreaker if Matrim accepts.

Bio adjusted to take 2 damage from lave (See last post for DEX save)

"Yes, I think light might be for the best. Thank you Bhelmyr."

Matrim nods to his friend, and holds out Bone-Breaker to him.
Once Bone-Breaker has been lit, Matrim will head towards the passageway with the rotting corpse smell, getting ready for anything that might be waiting for them.

"No point in waiting for anything to come to us. If its here, lets kill it."

Tali jumped to teh side as the memph exploded in a pool of lava, a small splash landing ion her leg with a wince <OOC: Talianythn rolled 13 using 1d20+2.  dex save. Takes 2 damage>

As she pats the fire out on her leg, she looks into the darkness. "I don't know if a simple light spell will dismiss this. I know of a potent light spell that would work, but we need time for me to pray for it. Else we risk doing it blind."

Bhelmyr begins to follow Matrim. When Tali speaks, he responds, "Good point, Tali. Matrim, if the darkness swallows the light spell, perhaps we should back off and give Tali the time she needs."

"I agree. Lets try the light first."

Once the Light spell has been cast, Matrim will try to enter the darkness. If he cannot see after stepping in, Matrim will turn around and go back to his friends.

----------

Check out the MAP.

----------

With light-BoneBreaker in hand, Matrim strides down the
magically-dark, horrible smelling (rotting refuse) hallway.
Bones litter the floor, and break under Matrim's tread.

Were Matrim trained in magical arts of any sort,
he would have realized immediately upon entering the
area of magical darkness, that the area is, indeed,
unusual, and consists of a very rare version of the
common light/dark magical duality.
Matrim ponders upon none of this.

As Matrim enters the area affected by the magical darkness,
he is immediately aware of an eerie chill in the ...
... not the air, but the atmosphere, as the light
of the area is reduced down to very low moon-lightl.

The magical light on BoneBreaker has no effect against the low moon-light.
Looking at the weapon, Matrim sees no glow or light effect,
simply everything cast in eerie shadows of the low moon-light.

Matrim does not stop, but is aware that the next few
seconds, while his eyes adjust, are crucial, and the prime
time for an ambush.

No ambush comes, though ...

Matrim finds a chamber filled with rotting rubbish,
long-dead animals, bits and pieces of random junk, all piled up
in awful smelly heaps.

Matrim can hear a creature moving,
and can see, in the very low light, a stirring under a large pile
of rubbish nearby.

Bhelmyr follows Matrim.

Both adventurers (if you have dark-vision, or similar ability) find
that despite dark-vision, everything is still cast in that same eerie,
shadowy low moon-light.

The area affected by this magical moon-light begins approximately
half-way along the passageway to the smelly rubbish chamber.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:37, Tue 01 Feb 2022.

Matrim will return to his friends and report what he saw. It is a low light, not pure darkness.

As Matrim reports back to his comrades,
Bhelmyr stands nearby, behind Matrim, his back to the low-light area.

The hallway looks like :
---------------------------------------------------------------
[other adventurers] [Matrim] [Bhelmyr] [ ~ low-light area ~ room ~ ]
---------------------------------------------------------------

Bhelmyr can definitely still hear the shuffling-sounds
of a creature moving about beneath the rubbish in the nearby room ...

Tali, standing nervously out of the darkness, is surprised they can see somewhat in there, and takes a step in, confirming what they said. Behind them, she too hears a shuffling sound. she nods at the others, then pulling on her magic, she makes a sound above where the sound is, like a foot stepping on rubbish.

---

<OOC: Uses thamaturgy to make a sound above where the rustling sound is.>

Matrim sets himself first in front of everyone after Tali casts her spell. He is getting ready for some fun!

Myra has her bow at the ready with one of her +1 arrows. She waits for anything hostile to get close enough to be adjacent to one of her allies.

Behind Matrim, Bhelmyr hefts his axe in both hands, ready to swing at anything than manages to slither or fly past Matrim.

The adventurers stand ready,
Matrim and Bhelmyr at the edge of the darkness,
(the 'darkness' extends a short distance into the hallway)
Talianythn and Myra standing behind them.

Talianythn casts her spell, creating a sound like a foot stepping on rubbish.
This stirs the creature, who starts rummaging about beneath the rubbish.
The adventurers can hear, and somewhat-see, the creature moving around.

It throws off the rubbish it was hiding under,
and climbs atop a small mound of rubbish.

It appears as a grotesque, bulbous creature borne along on three sturdy legs,
its eyes and nose set along a vine-like stalk that snakes from the top of its
bloated body. Two rubbery tentacles end in spiky, leaf-like appendages that
the creature uses to shovel food into its gaping maw.
It is an otyugh !

The otyugh uses its tentacle-appendages to throw some pieces of rubbish
into the air. It then stomps its feet upon the mound of rubbish where it
stands, before moving around-and-around in three quick circles. It then
throws more rubbish about, before stopping, opening its mouth and emitting
a long, loud "Arrroooooo -- Eeeeee -- Eeeeee -- Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee !!!" call !

The creature stands atop the mound of rubbish in the 'dark' chamber.
The adventurers stand in the hallway, just outside the chamber.

Is Matrim within 40 feet of the creature?

Sorry for the delay, team.

From the edge of the darkness to the creature is less than 40'.
So the answer is YES.

All good!

Nodding to his friends, Matrim will charge the monster, grinning at the chance to let loose, while beginning to RAGE.

Initiative: 12

Attack 1:
To Hit: Matrim Rogthor rolled 19
Damage: Matrim Rogthor rolled 12

Attack 2:
To Hit: Matrim Rogthor rolled 18
Damage: Matrim Rogthor rolled 12

Matrim springs into action !

Matrim has effectively begun combat,
will be at initiative 12 in round 1,
and will do the actions he outlined above.

    Myra, Bhelmyr and Tali :

    You all see Matrim begin to move !

    Please declare actions for round 1 of combat with the otyugh !

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

Initiative

Matrim      12
Bhelmyr    ?
Talianythn ?
Myra         ?
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:10, Sun 13 Feb 2022.

Tali see's the movement in the garbage and reacts, holding her hand out she called for teh wyldmother to burn this beast. Flames seemed to erupt from teh earth, but wether the garbage, or dampness, it didn't seem it's usual intesity

---

<OOC: Talianythn rolled 14 using 1d20+2.  iniative.

Action - Cast Sacred flame at otyugh

Talianythn rolled 2 using 2d8.  sacred flame damage.

....really? Ok then. Dex save dc 15 or take 2 radiant damage (What a time to roll two natural 1's....dice roller hates me!)

Bonus action - none>

Myra waits for the right moment to strike watching for when her ally gets close enough.


Initiative: 11:11, Mon 14 Feb: Myra Highbrow rolled 8 using 1d20+4.  Initiative.
Action: Myra will hold her action until one of her allies becomes adjacent to the enemy then take the shot with a +1 arrow.
11:42, Today: Myra Highbrow rolled 11 using 1d20+9.  Attack roll.
11:44, Today: Myra Highbrow rolled 13 using 1d6+8.  Damage roll.
11:45, Today: Myra Highbrow rolled 12 using 3d6.  Sneak Attack Damage roll.

Bonus Action: Hide among the shadows.
11:52, Today: Myra Highbrow rolled 19 using 1d20+7.  Stealth Check Lucky.
Move: None
This message was last edited by the player at 21:25, Thu 17 Feb 2022.

Bhelmyr moves ahead slowly, staying behind Matrim, and calls a sacred flame. He looks at the creature, trying to gauge how far those tentacles can reach.

Action: Sacred Flame.
Move: to within 25 feet of the creature, staying behind Matrim.

13:23, Today: Bhelmyr Godstouched rolled 15 using 1d20+2.  initiative.

13:22, Today: Bhelmyr Godstouched rolled 7 using 2d8.  Sacred Flame Damage, Dex DC 15 to avoid.

COMBAT : ROUND 1

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

15 Bhelmyr
14 Talianythn
12 Matrim
8 Myra

18 Otyugh

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

Check out the MAP.

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

Bhelmyr stays behind Matrim, and calls forth a sacred flame.
While doing so, Bhelmyr tries to gauge how far those tentacles can reach.
Bhelmyr thinks the tentacles could probably reach 10' away.
DM rolled 11 using 1d20 - otyugh dex save fail
The sacred flame is able to momentarily pierce the weird darkness of the place,
scorching the otyugh, before being snuffed out !

Talianythn moves a few steps along the hallway,
and also summons a sacred flame to pierce the darkness and scorch the creature.
DM rolled 8 using 1d20 - otyugh dex save fail
The sacred flame causes another brief flash of light,
scorching the otyugh !

Matrim charges the now-scorched otyugh, raging as he does so.
Matrim hacks and chops at the otyugh,
smashing a few ribs and causing serious damage to the creature.

Myra moves along the hallway,
waits until Matrim is next to the creature,
and releases an arrow !
The arrow tings! off the tough hide of the creature.
Disappointed, Myra manages to hide, ducking down low-to-the-ground,
just inside the dark chamber.

The otyugh reacts to the sudden onslaught !

The otyugh attempts to bite Matrim !
DM rolled 19 using 1d20+6 - bite attack - hit !
DM rolled 11 using 2d8+3 - bite attack - damage (5)
Matrim, in his rage, feels nothing as the otyugh
rakes it's teeth along the goliath's arm.

The otyugh lashes out with both tentacles.
DM rolled 13 using 1d20+6 - tentacle attack - miss
DM rolled 17 using 1d20+6 - tentacle attack - hit !
DM rolled 6 using 1d8+3 - tentacle attack - damage (3)

Matrim ducks below one tentacle,
but another tentacle wraps around Matrim's leg.
Matrim is leg-grappled by the otyugh tentacle !

The hirelings crowd around the opposite end of the hallway,
wondering if their help will be needed in the weird darkness.

Grundold grunts and walks a short distance down the hallway.

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

For ease-of-play, and to make the combat order-of-events make sense,
I've moved the adventurers forward, to just inside the dark chamber.

Matrim is in immediate danger.
Other adventurers are beyond the range of the otyugh attacks.
All adventurers are inside the weird darkness.

Matrim has been leg-grappled by the otyugh !
Matrim , make a DC 13 strength or dexterity check to attempt to break free.
This will take a standard action, as Matrim hacks at the tentacle,
or does whatever he needs to do to break free.
Alternatively, Matrim can stay leg-grappled, which stops his movement,
but he can still swing his weapon, taking normal attack-based actions.

I have adjusted Matrim's BIO for his damage taken (41 - 8 = 33)

Also, the hirelings will be semi-passive while the adventurers
take the spotlight of the adventure, but feel free to order them around !
They won't be stupid, though. They'll still help !