Tali looked at the beast, irritated that the spiritual fire only hurt it minorly. She then took another attack avenue. Muttering, the tattoo on her arm seemed to glow slightly and grow, until from her arm grew a vine with thorny barbs. She reared back and let the the whip fly.

---

<OOC: Action - Cast Thorn whip

Talianythn rolled 15 using 1d20+7.  attack - thorn whip.
Talianythn rolled 2 using 2d6.  damage - thorn whip.

Bonus Action - None>

Remaining behind Matrim, Bhelmyr spoke a prayer of healing for Matrim, and called another sacred flame upon the Otyugh.

Action: Sacred flame, Dex save DC 15 for 6 damage.
Bonus: Healing Word lvl 3 on Matrim, for 12 hp.

15:58, Today: Bhelmyr Godstouched rolled 12 using 3d4+3.  Healing word lvl3.

15:57, Today: Bhelmyr Godstouched rolled 6 using 2d8.  Sacred Flame Damage, Dex DC 15 to avoid.

Matrim does not feel the need to break out since the creature is within hitting distance! (The rage fog is thick)


Attack 1:
To Hit: Matrim Rogthor rolled 13
Damage: Matrim Rogthor rolled 10

Attack 2:
To Hit: Matrim Rogthor rolled 14
Damage: Matrim Rogthor rolled 13

Myra draws back again, but this time takes better aim.

Action: Myra will take the shot with a +1 arrow while an ally is adjacent from the enemy.
If Myra is shooting from being hidden from the creature.
22:25, Today: Myra Highbrow rolled 28 using 2d20+9, dropping the lowest dice only.  Attack roll w/ Advantage.
22:27, Today: Myra Highbrow rolled 10 using 1d6+8.  Damage roll.
22:28, Today: Myra Highbrow rolled 14 using 3d6.  Sneak Attack Damage roll.

Bonus Action: Hide among the shadows.
22:29, Today: Myra Highbrow rolled 26 using 1d20+7.  Stealth Check.
Move: None

COMBAT : ROUND 2

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

15 Bhelmyr
14 Talianythn
12 Matrim
8 Myra

18 Otyugh

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

Check out the MAP.

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

Staying behind Matrim, Bhelmyr casts two spells.
One to heal Matrim, and another to call a sacred flame upon the otyugh.
DM rolled 18 using 1d20
The otyugh manages to dodge the sacred flame !

Talianythn casts thorn whip, causing her arm to grow a vine with thorny barbs.
Talianythn whips the thorny vine at the otyugh.
The vine wraps around the the general-neck-area of the otyugh,
causing minor damage, and pulling the beast 10' closer to Talianythn !
The otyugh, in-turn, pulls Matrim a short distance, too.

Deep in his rage, Matrim brings his weapon down twice.
The first attack smashes into the rubbish-pile upon which Matrim and the otyugh stand,
but the second attack smashes down hard onto the otyugh's skull.
making a distinctive crack! sound.

Myra, crouching low behind a rubbish pile, pokes her head out and releases an arrow.
The well-aimed shot slams! into the otyugh's already-cracked skull !
The arrow smashes bone and penetrates the creature's brain,
but it does not yet die !

The hirelings move towards the action.
Grundold stands directly behind Talianythn,
with the rest of the hirelings not far behind.

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

The otyugh continues fighting Matrim.

The otyugh attempts to take a large bite out of the goliath.
DM rolled 24 using 1d20+6
DM rolled 11 using 2d8+3 (5 damage)
Matrim feels this bite, as the sting-of-poison enters his bloodstream.
Matrim, make a DC 15 CON save !
( Last round I forgot about the poison on the bite. Oh well. )

The otyugh lashes out with it's free tentacle ...
DM rolled 11 using 1d20+6
... and simply just waves it around in the air !
( like it just don't care )

The otyugh's other tentacle, wrapped around Matrim's leg,
flails about, in an attempt to slam Matrim onto the hard ground.
Matrim, make a DC 14 STR save !

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

Matrim, before your turn, please make the DC 14 STR save.
Pass = ok, proceed as normal
Fail = damage and stunned until the start of otyugh's next turn (you miss a turn)

Matrim, please also make the DC 15 CON save,
to determine if you were poisoned by the otyugh bite.

DM has adjusted BIO :
 - Matrim healed by Bhelmyr
 - Matrim damage from otyugh

If we were playing 4th edition D&D I'd declare that the otyugh is bloodied,
meaning it has dropped below half hitpoints.

Myra peeks over her hiding spot and shoots another arrow. Then before disappearing back down says to the hirelings, "If you get a clear shot at the beast take it down!"

Action: Myra will take the shot with a +1 arrow while an ally is adjacent from the enemy.
If Myra is shooting from being hidden from the creature.
18:27, Today: Myra Highbrow rolled 23 using 2d20+9, dropping the lowest dice only.  Attack roll w/ Advantage.
18:28, Today: Myra Highbrow rolled 14 using 1d6+8.  Damage roll.
18:28, Today: Myra Highbrow rolled 10 using 3d6.  Sneak Attack Damage roll.

Bonus Action: Hide among the shadows.
18:29, Today: Myra Highbrow rolled 21 using 1d20+7.  Stealth Check.
Move: None
This message was last edited by the player at 02:30, Sun 27 Feb 2022.

Bhelmyr moved  to within 10' of the Otyugh, and to Matrim's right, and chanted as he thrust his hand out toward the Otyugh, then opened his palm. A small puff of noxious gas left his palm at high speed and spread in the creature's face.

Move: 10' sw of Otyugh
Action: Poison Spray. Con save DC 15 or take 9 poison damage.

18:25, Today: Bhelmyr Godstouched rolled 9 using 2d12.  poison spray damage, Con DC 15 to avoid.

STR Save: 11
CON Save: 11

The dice have been good to me overall, so I accept this poor result with grace, and end my turn.

<OOC: Sorry guys...i thouht i posted!>

Tali again concentrated, the vine like whip from her arm glowin as she again reared back and let fly with a crack.

---

<OOC: Acytion - Cast Thorn Whip

Talianythn rolled 14 using 1d20+7.  attack - Thorn Whip
Talianythn rolled 7 using 2d6.  damage - Thorn Whip.

Bonus Action - None>

COMBAT : ROUND 3

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

15 Bhelmyr
14 Talianythn
12 Matrim
8 Myra

18 Otyugh

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

Bhelmyr moves to Matrim's right-side.
Bhelmyr chants and thrusts his hand out toward the otyugh,
casting poison spray right in the creature's face !
DM rolled 5 using 1d20+4.  otyugh con save
(rolled a 1 !)
The otyugh *cough cough coughs* as the poison wafts around
it's head and enters any available nostril-like hole.

Talianythn again concentrates and casts thorn whip.
The vine-like whip from her arm glows as she again rears back
and lets fly with a crack, opening a bloody-thorny-wound across the otyugh's side.

Result of Matrim failing the CON save :
Last round, the otyugh poisoned Matrim with a bite.
Matrim, in his rage, barely feels the poison surge through his bloodstream,
but the poison takes hold, causing a disease inside Matrim's blood.
(more details to come later ...)

Result of Matrim failing the STR save :
Earlier in the fight, Matrim was leg-grappled by one of the otyugh's tentacles.
DM rolled 10 using 2d6+3.  otyugh slam matrim (5 damage)
The otyugh, showing amazing tentacle-strength, pulls Matrim off his goliath feet,
lifts him part-way up into the air, and slams him down onto a nearby pile of
rubbish and broken-pieces-of-wood.
The otyugh maintains the leg-grapple around the now-prone Matrim.

Halfling badass Myra pokes her head up,
yells some orders to the hirelings in the nearby hallway,
and looses an arrow from her shortbow.

The arrow thuds! up through the bottom of the otyugh's head,
pushing it's way through the otyugh's tough skull,
and finishing deep within the brain of the beast.

The otyugh slumps to the ground, blood pouring from any opening
in it's head, such as eyes, ear-holes, and nose.
The beast is not-quite-dead, but very near death.
(The otyugh is defeated and no longer a threat.)

The otyugh tentacle maintains a hold around Matrim's leg,
but it is weak, and Matrim can easily pull his leg free.

COMBAT HAS ENDED

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

DM adjusted BIO :
 - Matrim, slam damage : 5

Matrim has a disease !

The otyugh is very-near-death and no threat.

Searching the area, the adventurers can find some partially-eaten,
and very-rotted corpses.

Looting these corpses yields :
- 35 gold pieces
- leather boots
- a 50' length of rope
- small wooden carving of a cat

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

Check out the MAP.

Locations of note :

D15 : spiral stairs UP
      three unexplored hallways
D23 : fight with the otyugh
D24 : fight with the mephits
D26 : spiral stairs DOWN

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

Tali looks on as the beast stops fighting, but then looks at Matrim. "Matrim - come here."

She sits ho=im in the light and inspects the wound to see if she can determine the severity of teh bite and the toxin it has infected her friend with.

---

<OOC:  Talianythn rolled 13 using 1d20+6.  medicine check.

Determine what disease Matrim has>

Looking at the poisoned bite wound on Matrim,
Talianythn can see evidence of inflamation (etc),
and she determines that the wound will have a
very difficult time healing.

Matrim's constitution will need to fight
hard to combat the disease.

( Matrim will make another CON saving throw after a period of time ... )

Myra paid attention to their surroundings for any sign of danger, but never took her bow's aim from the creature who had so recently been a threat.

Before coming over to Tali to be inspected, Matrim will finish the creature that had given him a concerning bite.

"Here, put this on it, quick!" Bhelmyr exclaims as he hands Matrim a jar of creme that smells faintly of aloe.

OOC: Keoghtom's Ointment. This glass jar, 3 inches in diameter, contains 1d4 + 1 doses of a thick mixture that smells faintly of aloe. The jar and its contents weigh 1/2 pound. As an action, one dose of the ointment can be swallowed or applied to the skin. The creature that receives it regains 2d8 + 2 hit points, ceases to be poisoned, and is cured of any disease.

Not sure how many doses it had.

Sniffing the cream, Matrim wrinkles his nose. "Thank you Bhelmyr. As much as I dislike the smell the aloe, I know its healing properties well. Such is the cost of pale white skin when working under the sun."

Healed: 14 (Matrim Rogthor rolled 14 using 2d8+2)
Bio Adjusted

Matrim finishes off the otyugh,
then applies Bhelmyr's Keoghtom's Ointment.

The soothing balm goes to work almost instantly,
healing Matrim's wound (for the 14 HP he rolled).

Looking at the wound, Talianythn can see that
all signs of disease have also vanished.

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

DM rolled 5 using 1d4+1

The Keoghtom's Ointment had 5 doses,
and now has 4 doses left.

Matrim lets out a sign of relief once the cream soothes his wound.

"Again, my thanks to you Bhelmyr. I owe you some ale and a hearty meal.

I'll put these items we found into the bag for now."

Matrim clears his throat and continues

"Good fighting all of you. Thank you. I am sure that this monster would have killed me were you not here.

So, shall we look quickly in the area past those floating lava things, or continue our way further into the dungeon?"

Bhelmyr grins. He says, "You're very welcome, my friend, as is your offer of ale and food! If the area past those little flying devils is safe now, perhaps we have our mercenaries search it while we continue forward taking out threats?"

Bhelmyr suddenly remembers that the party had already
checked out that area and it was just more cold, old forges,
but without magic and mephits.

-----

The options inside the dungeon are :

- one of the three unexplored hallways on this dungeon level
- go down the spiral stairs
- go back up to the first level
 - leave ?
  - do something else ?
   - the option is always there ....

-----

Thoughts :

Does the party consider the bandits defeated ?
What do they make of the shape-changers and Sally ?
Whatever did happen to the elven priestess Elora ?
Should the party continue exploring this ancient Cairn ?
Have any weird things been found ... like those floating runes ?

"Those unexplored hallways need to be checked out, but I'm not about to split our group in case there is something there to worry about. I'll go where the group goes." Myra spoke as she kept her eyes looking ahead towards the unexplored area with her arrow still drawn.

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

Check out the MAP.

D15 : spiral stairs UP
      three unexplored hallways
D26 : spiral stairs DOWN

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

Myra keeps her eyes towards the unexplored area ...

( ... assuming Myra is in location D15 ... )

D15 : Lower Landing

Spiral staircase leading up to the dungeon level already explored.
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.

( ... i will provide images of the runes later  ... )

Myra peers down and listens at each of the three passageways before her.

( ... from the top passageway on the map ... )

1. A very faint light source exists down the passageway, lighting up a nearby chamber ... very faintly.
The light flickers a little bit, making Myra think it may be somehow natural, or, if magical,
less magically-consistant than the strange magical darkness engulfing the otyugh chamber.
Nothing can be heard or smelt.

2. Pitch black darkness. Numerous odd smells remind Myra of recent times walking through an
open-food market in Greyhawk or Hardby, with many exotic smells hitting the nose. The smells
do not smell like food ingredients that Myra would use, however.
Some smells are rather unpleasant.

3. Pitch black darkness, again. No strange smells, but Myra believes she may have heard
a shuffling or scraping sound ... very faint ... but she can't be sure.

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

If anyone wishes to investigate any of the three passageways,
make appropriate rolls depending upon what you're doing
(sneak, hide, perception, etc).

Myra indicates towards the pitch black hallway where she thinks she may have heard a noise and says to the group, "I think I heard something in that direction. I don't know about you lot, but I'd rather not leave anything to sneak up on us. I think we should head that direction first."

"Sounds good to me. Matrim, if you like, I can refresh the light spell on your weapon." Bhelmyr recasts light if Matrim accepts the offer.

Tali nodded at the the others, following after Matrim