"Wstfghul." Adeline snorted in her sleep at Tegan's toe-nudging. "Huh? What?" As sleep left her and she blearily came back to her senses, Adeline suddenly realised where she was and what had happened. Her face turned stormy for a moment at being subjected to the magical slumber, but when she looked over, saw the sleeping creature and put it all together in her head her expression changed from anger to her normal dour professionalism. Rolling to her feet, collecting her weapons as she did, the half-orc coiled her whip and slung it at her belt before looking at the others. "I don't care for being caught unawares like that, but I can't argue with the results." she shrugged, her voice low to avoid waking the creature. "I assume the magic don't last long. Best to bind that thing 'fore it wears off, I reckon. Be ready to catch him if he wakes before I get these bindings on." So saying, she took the manacles from her belt, produced a ring of keys from the thong around her neck and set to carefully putting the creature in irons, moving gently to avoid waking it. Unfortunately, she was more used to rough-handling her captives rather than treating them with kid-gloves.

OOC:
19:46, Today: Adeline Ashburner rolled 3 using 1d20+2.  Sleight of Hand.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:51, Tue 21 Feb 2023.

Even as Adeline tried to tie up the small creature as gingerly as possible, feeling the cold metal of manacles caused the thing's eyes to snap open, "Yen'lieth ar faeyen!". With its dagger lying on the ground, the creature lunged forward at the half orcs throat, its needle toothed mouth wide open, as it tried to grab her and tear a chunk out of her. Fortunately for Adeline the creature's confusion and haste caused the attack to miss, its jaws snapping shut inches from her neck.

OOC:
22:04, Today: GM, for the NPC the creature, rolled 13 using 1d20-1.  unarmed attack.

We are back in initiative. New round, Adeline is up.



This message was last edited by the GM at 21:19, Tue 21 Feb 2023.

Jerking instinctively back from the creatures snapping maw and cursing herself for her clumsy attempt to bind it while asleep, Adeline let her combat instincts take hold. Snatching her sword from it's scabbard, she thrust at its gut, trying to catch it off-guard before it came fully to its senses. "Back, cur!" she growled at it in response to whatever vile language it spat at her as it attacked.

OOC:
Free (as part of attack): Draw Short Sword
Attack: Short Sword vs. Creature (Sneak Attack for adjacent ally (Tegan))

22:35, Today: Adeline Ashburner rolled 16,14 using 1D20+5,2D6+3.  Attack (shortsword), Damage (inc. Sneak Attack).

"Bloody hells!" Tegan exclaimed as the situation spiraled out of control in the blink of an eye. Their foe -- whatever manner of vile creature it was -- jerked awake when Adeline started to bind it with shackles and lunged at her, seemingly trying to sink its fangs into her throat.

Adeline reacted more quickly than Tegan, and used her blade to good effect. The Half-Elf wrenched his own sword free from its scabbard, but his blade-work was hurried . . .

---

OOC:

Free Actions: Speak, draw longsword.

Action: 17:53, Today: Tegan rolled 12 using 1d20+5 with rolls of 7.  Melee Attack (Longsword).

17:56, Today: Tegan rolled 12 using 1d8+5 with rolls of 7.  Damage (Longsword, Dueling Fighting Style): If Applicable.

Comments: I went ahead and rolled Damage, even though it may well not be applicable. I suppose that a 12 *might* hit, if our foe is not wearing armor and is not particularly dodgy. :)
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 23:10, Tue 21 Feb 2023.

The creature came to an abrupt stop as Adeline drove her sword through its chest, staring down at the weapon for a second, before gurgling up a mouthful of dark, almost completely black, blood.  Looking back up, it tried to hiss at you through stained teeth, “Yen’lieth a…”, but slumped to the floor with a rattling sigh. As it hit the floor it suddenly flashed with an unbearable blindingly bright light. Looking back down at the floor you don’t see a body, but instead a thin layer of ash covered the ground where it had fallen. Also the flash fades, you hear a distant screeching howl echoing from the tunnel ahead of you. Not close, but something had definitely become aware of your presence by the sudden burst of light.

OOC:
Well that was quick :)

Everyone except Sasyra, please take a Con saving throw, DC 10. If failed you are temporarily blinded for one round, so six seconds since we are not currently in combat.

We are now out of combat, again.

You all recieve 25 xp.

Adeline snarled her contempt as the strange creature died on her blade. "Pathetic." she uttered before it slid off her weapon and she flicked the blood from her blade. She covered her eyes as the thing burst into a flash of light, but even so she still saw spots as her vision was forced to readjust. The howl from ahead brought her quickly back to task and she hurried to scoop up her shield and manacles from where they lay, after sheathing her sword. "Seems we've more company and they don't sound happy." she stated the obvious bluntly. The half-orc blessed Erdan with a stern gaze "And none of your witchery to the back of my skull this time, sharp-ear." She spat on the ground and turned her back on her traveling companion, her anger clear to see by her expression. Erdan well knew that her ire with him would expire in time, as much as he knew how much she loathed those things she didn't fully understand.

00:20, Today: Adeline Ashburner rolled 11 using 1d20+2.  Con vs. Blindness.

Sasyra had paused, turned and walked to pick back up the lamp before stalking forward on tip-toes to pick up her dagger when the fracas had broken out. The press of bodies between her and the creature had protected her from the flash of bright light. She paused, thinking.

"It mentioned the hunt. I do be thinking - I don't be an expert mind - but I do be thinking that this is some underworld version of the Hunter's cult. Who did be hearing such things? Not I of course, but maybe... Could that be a thing?" She stepped forward, glancing at her allies, making sure any that were blinded didn't wander into rocky outcrops, pushing her way forward and hunting for her knife amid the ash of the dead creature.

"I think we're in for a fight soon," she muttered, nodding further down the tunnel.

Guided by some instinct that he did not fully understand, Tegan raised his shield in front of his eyes just as the creature that they had been fighting disappeared in  searingly-bright flash of light. It lasted but an instant, and when the Half-Elf looked again, there was nothing left of their foe but a pile of ashes.

Tegan knew . . . well, he had seen it in a dream . . . that, when landing a successful attack with his sword, he could call upon his Patron's power to unleash a powerful burst of radiant light to harm his foes. He found himself wondering if Adeline had the same sort of ability.

He walked over and stirred the ash with the toe of his boot, then turned and glanced back at the Half-Orc. "Damn," he said quietly.

"Did you do this?" he asked, stirring the ashes again with his boot.

---

OOC:
20:19, Today: Tegan rolled 20 using 1d20+2 with rolls of 18.  Con Save v. Blindness (DC 10). Success.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:44, Wed 22 Feb 2023.

Adeline was turning to look at Sasyra, her brow furrowed at something she'd said when Tegan interrupted her train of thought. "What? Stab it so hard it burst into flames? Don't be ridiculous." The bounty hunter snorted, incredulous at her own suggestion, whatever Tegan thought of her. "I ain't some witch or mageling, but I can tell you that thing weren't no goblin or gnome for sure. They don't explode when you stab 'em." Adeline laughed at the macabre humour before finishing her thought from earlier, her gaze bearing down on Sasyra. "Hey. You said it mentioned a hunt. That mean you understood what it said, girl? Sounded like gibberish to me."

Erdan opened his mouth to protest attacking the creature, but it was too late.  In an instant, he found himself blinded for a few moments.  He covered his sightless eyes with the back of the hands that held his weapons.  He spent the next six seconds blinking and looking about until his vision cleared.

"It was Sylvan," Erdan interrupted. "Could've been fey...  I wouldn't be surprised, honestly. Fey do love their games and that includes hunts."

He frowned down at what was left of the creature.  "You could've flat-bladed it or punched it with your hilt."  The wood elf shook his head.  Violence didn't beget answers and Erdan would rather have information over blood and ash.

Sasyra turned and smiled sweetly at her companion. "I do be understanding you, too." She winked, and bend, recovering the blade she'd thrown. "In truth, I recognized the root of the words, rather than the message itself. It sounded... familiar."

Tegan cocked his head and listened, in case the howl that he had heard earlier was repeated -- it might give him a clue as to how fast whatever had made the noise was moving.

Sasyra had obviously made note of it also, having warned that they were likely going to have another fight on their hands soon.

Tegan understood after-battle chatter -- it was not unusual for people to be on edge and still fired up after fighting for their lives against someone or something that wanted to kill them.  But he needed to get them thinking about fighting the next battle -- not the one that was over and done with.

The Half-Elf cleared his throat. "My vote would be to move ahead and see if we can find better terrain in which to do battle," he said.

"This narrow tunnel is fine for a defensive stand, but it makes it difficult for those in the rear ranks to support those in the forefront."

"We can always retreat back to this narrow choke-point if we find ourselves outnumbered and hard-pressed."

Inclined to agree with Tegan and his pragmatic attitude toward the situation, Adeline nodded her assent. "I agree. I'm taking point this time, though. Any knives from the dark can hit my shield instead of Erdan's soft, elven belly." She uncoiled her whip again, letting it sinuous length hit the ground and shot a dark look at Erdan. "And you can comment on my methods when you have a gremlin up in your business trying to eat your face. I stand by my kill." With that, she stalked forward to see what lay ahead.

11:15, Today: Adeline Ashburner rolled 16 using 1d20+5.  Perception.

11:14, Today: Adeline Ashburner rolled 8 using 2d20+4, dropping the highest dice only.  Stealth (disadvantage for armour)

Walking on you finally exit the tunnel and instead enter another cavern. Not as wide as the statue room, it does stretch farther than you can immediately see, even with darkvision, and seems to descend further in. A natural space, like the room you've just come from, it too is filled with stalagmites hanging from the twenty foot ceiling above you, and as before the floor in here has been leveled and smoothed.
What immeditely catches your attention though, is in the centre of the floor as you enter you see what looks like a massive square block of blood stained, grey stone. Splashed across the top of the stone you see more blood, seemingly fresh as far as you can tell from where you are. Along the sides of the block are more images, as well as flowing script etched into the rock.
The tops of the walls in here bear more ingraved images, though these are not entirely of the Hunter. Here he is reduced to a more faint figure in the background and the focus instead seems to be on his canine companions. Pictures of large, snarling wolflike creatures, their stone eyes carved to seemingly follow you wherever you are in the space. Glancing about in the faint light of the lantern, you see shadows dance along the walls. The flickering flame almost brining life to the picutes and reliefs.
 Below each image, set into the wall, you notice metal slabs, each one about three feet wide and covered in dark green verdigris.

Tegan took a look around the chamber, then moved towards the area that was shrouded in darkness. He figured that if Trouble came, it would come from that direction, and he wanted to stand so as to be one of the first to meet it.

Then he glanced back at the Fleck adventureress. "It appeared to me that some what we saw earlier may have struck a chord with you, Sasyra," he said quietly.

"Does any of what we are seeing now mean anything to you?"

Itching to investigate, especially the plates set into the floor, Adeline nonetheless recognised the importance of their safety first and allowed Tegan to take the lead into the room and stayed at his right shoulder as he advanced. While he looked ahead into the darkness, she scanned side to side trying to discern if she could see any signs of recent activity or movement in this grisly altar room.

15:47, Today: Adeline Ashburner rolled 12 using 1d20+5.  Perception.

"Let me see..." she muttered as she held the lantern close to the engravings, examining them closely. In the lantern light, she traced the engravings with her finger, scowling.

"Baba Maughn used to talk a little of these creatures - the Hounds. They were the wolves that hounded down the Hunter's prey. But here... I don't know... I'm trying to remember any tales of them - like this."  The images intrigued her, and disgusted her in equal measure.

OOC: Sasyra rolled 11 using 1d20+2.  Religion, proficient.

Sasyra tries to remember what the Elder had said about the Hunter and his hounds. It's faint, but she does remember that the hounds were supposedly fierce beasts, that followed him in a large pack. There was something about the hounds hiding among the prey, hidden until called, but the exact story eludes her.

Ahead the rest of you as you walk closer see more of the room. The whole room seems to descend downward, as if the entire room itself goes down deeper into the ground. The smooth floor seems to turn back into more rough stone as it disappears into darkness. Adeline notices more of the marks she had seen outside, along the walls and on the stalagmites in the ceiling.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:15, Sun 26 Feb 2023.

As he listened to Sasyra's explanation, Tegan's lips compressed into a thin line as he considered the possibility that they might be set upon by a pack of ferocious hounds.

"Seems likely that they'll be coming from that direction," he said to his companions, motioning towards the end of the chamber that was shrouded in darkness as he thought back upon the baying that he had heard when they killed the . . . whatever it was . . . that had attacked them.

"I'm going to head that way to see if I can find a good defensive position -- perhaps the mouth of a tunnel. Hopefully, with this slope to the floor, those making ranged attacks can shoot over the heads of those fighting on the front line."
This message was last edited by the player at 17:52, Sun 26 Feb 2023.

Erdan frowned at Adeline chiding him. He sheathed his sword and retrieved his bow from his back, replacing it with his staff.  He readied an arrow with it and followed behind Tegan without saying anything.

The room did indeed disappear into the earth and floor of the room you're in, the stone becoming rougher and rougher into the natural stone forming a much smaller, shallow hole. On the floor inside it you suddenly become aware of a naked figure lying on the cold uneven stone, shivering slightly. Around it is more blood, some on the walls and ceiling, but most splattered across it and on the ground around it. You can hear rapid, shallow breaths as you stop at the edge of the descent.

"I'm going down to try and get him out of there," Tegan announced to his companions.

"Be ready. He did not get down there by himself."

"Be careful," Erdan warned the half-elf.  He pulled the arrow back on the string, making it tight and ready to be unleashed at a moment's noticed.  His ears twitched with agitation and his eyes narrowed as they searched the surroundings ahead for danger.

13:11, Today: Erdan Amakiir rolled 15 using 1d20+3.  Perception. – 15

As Tegan approached, he could see that the male figure was lying flat on its stomach, completely naked. In the light from the lantern you all suddenly see intricate runes, lettering and slashes across the man's back and legs, each one looking as if it had been carefully carved into his flesh.

Despite the man's shallow, rapid breathing he seemed to remain otherwise completely still, lying motionless on the stone floor. Around him were more bloody chunks of meat, the remains of the deer you had seen earlier.

Behind the rest of the group, Leon whipped around, his sword at the ready. "I heard something. There's something back here.".

~Nine hells!~ Tegan thought to himself upon hearing Leon's warning. ~How did it -- or they -- get behind us?~

But he did not feel comfortable abandoning the seemingly helpless man at his feet. For, for all he knew, there were more foes nearby, other than the one that Leon had heard.

Plus, the young noble from Selincourt was well-armed and -armored, and perfectly capable of giving a good account of himself . . . whereas the pitiful wretch whom Tegan had just found had neither the means nor the training to defend himself.

And so it was that, at least until the situation became more clear, the Half-Elf stayed put. His shield had long been readied on his off-arm, and now his blade was drawn.

"Are you Halric, husband of Gwen?" he asked the naked man.