3-2 The Forgotten Abbey

Round Twelve, continuedDying, Ishi succeeds on his first death save. At the end of his turn, Lunea blesses him. Ishi has 7 temp HP.

Elowin casts Booming Blade, but her darting, whistling rapier is parried by the robber. She entreats Lunea to give her aid. Lunea makes a shimmering sickle appear, floating in the air and obeying Elowin's commands (Spiritual Weapon). As the sickle appears, it slices into Lord Mayor's Man Five. LMM5 takes 12 force damage. Elowin uses the distraction to circle around behind the robber, moving herself adjacent to her two dying companions, Ishi and Elysia. At the end of her turn, Elowin is filled with the love of Lunea (Elowin has 9 temp HP).
Lord Mayor's Man Six moves forward to confront Elowin, straddling Ishi's dying body and swinging his mace menacingly. "You're going down for this, elf!" He attacks her twice, with ADV from his Pack Tactics. Elowin turns aside some of the blows with her rapier, but others smash into her shield, shaking her arm.
Lord Mayor's Man 3 yells "Youse guys'a got this one, yeah?" and runs forward past Elowin; her rapier lashes out and stabs him as he runs past. Lord Mayor's Man Three takes 6 damage. Lord Mayor's Man Nine is right behind him, yelling "Yeah, you getter while we help da boss!" Dodging around Lunea's sickle brings LMM9 past Elowin, too. Ignoring any such attacks, desperate to be seen helping their boss, Lord Mayor's Men Three and Nine load their heavy crossbows and attack Mara. Mara takes 5 piercing damage.
Morik the ferocious bear snaps and slashes at the Lord Mayor. He fends off the bear's jaws with his fitfully glowing staff, but Morik's claws get through. The Lord Mayor takes 12 slashing damage, grunting as blood fountains on his faded finery.
"Dweller! Dweller, help me!"
"The law of the deeps is that the strongest feast on the weaker. You know this, Gilles."Lord Mayor's Men 2, 4, and 7 are next, then Elysia's death save, then the Lord Mayor...

---

20 - Ishi (0/35, 7 temp HP) DYING one success
18 - Lord Mayor's Men Five and Eight
15 - Elowin (9/24, 9 temp HP) Twilight Sanctuary
13 - Lord Mayor's Men Three, Six, and Nine
10 - Morik (Bear 24/34, Dwarf 13/33)
10 - Lord Mayor's Men Two, Four, and Seven
8 - Elysia (0/24, 7 temp HP) DYING one success
3 - Lord Mayor
1 - Eozindra (12/15, 7 temp HP)
1 - Adran (22/26)
1 - Mara (7/20, 2 temp HP)

Round twelve, continued...

Lord Mayor's Man Two, who had been wounded and so scared for his life that he ran to raise the alarm for help earlier, is reassured by the unfair odds. He sets aside his longbow and draws his shortsword, rushing around Elowin to attack her from the side. "There's only room for one gang down here, and that's us!" The first stab bites deep, but then Elowin whirls and parries his later thrusts.
Elowin takes 8 damage.
Meanwhile, Lord Mayor's Men Four and Seven nock new arrows and run past the twilight cleric, each drawing and loosing a brace of arrows at Mara, which stands with the Lord Mayor's blood dripping from its jaws in the doorway. "Save the boss! Kill that dog thing!" Everyone can hear what these robbers are saying.
Mara takes 3 damage.

---

20 - Ishi (0/35, 7 temp HP) DYING one success
18 - Lord Mayor's Men Five and Eight
15 - Elowin (9/24, 1 temp HP) Twilight Sanctuary
13 - Lord Mayor's Men Three, Six, and Nine
10 - Morik (Bear 24/34, Dwarf 13/33)
10 - Lord Mayor's Men Two, Four, and Seven
8 - Elysia (0/24, 7 temp HP) DYING one success
3 - Lord Mayor
1 - Eozindra (12/15, 7 temp HP)
1 - Adran (22/26)
1 - Mara (6/20)

Round twelve, continued...

Elysia struggles to breathe, her fingers clutching at her wounds......at the end of her turn, Lunea's blessing falls once more on the half-elf. Elysia has 9 temp HP.

---

20 - Ishi (0/35, 7 temp HP) DYING one success
18 - Lord Mayor's Men Five and Eight
15 - Elowin (9/24, 1 temp HP) Twilight Sanctuary
13 - Lord Mayor's Men Three, Six, and Nine
10 - Morik (Bear 24/34, Dwarf 13/33)
10 - Lord Mayor's Men Two, Four, and Seven
8 - Elysia (0/24, 9 temp HP) DYING two successes
3 - Lord Mayor
1 - Eozindra (12/15, 7 temp HP)
1 - Adran (22/26)
1 - Mara (6/20)

Round twelve, continued...

"B-b-but...Dweller...!" The Lord Mayor's eyes widen as he clutches his side where bear Morik had savaged him in the same place that Mara had. Had his patron actually abandoned him, consigning him to be eaten...?

The Lord Mayor screams as understanding dawns on him. His dark patron was not abandoning him! His scream extended into a shriek as his body convulsed violently and his flesh tore open. No, his patron was admonishing him, telling him what to do as it has done so often previously...! In a split second, the earthly vessel that was once the noble scion Gilles Lavertine and was more recently the devotee who called himself the Lord Mayor burst apart, shattered as something else, larger and more feral, erupted from within, too large to be contained by his puny humanoid form. Glossy fur covered his body, large, membranous wings extended from his back, his limbs ended in large pads that extended vicious claws, and his tail lashed behind him, bristling with long, serrated spines. The wreckage that was the Lord Mayor's human body fell to the ground with a wet splat. His glowing staff clatters to the ground with a clang. Only a twisted version of his humanity remained in his face, his eyes and nose appearing incongruously stretched on a long leonine snout featuring a mouth filled with long yellow fangs.

Where the Lord Mayor once stood, wounded and afraid, now stands a manticore.



The monster roars a challenge in Morik's face that echoes everywhere through the ancient Abbey. His dark master had told him eat, or be eaten. "We shall see who gets eaten!"

---

20 - Ishi (0/35, 7 temp HP) DYING one success
18 - Lord Mayor's Men Five and Eight
15 - Elowin (9/24, 1 temp HP) Twilight Sanctuary
13 - Lord Mayor's Men Three, Six, and Nine
10 - Morik (Bear 24/34, Dwarf 13/33)
10 - Lord Mayor's Men Two, Four, and Seven
8 - Elysia (0/24, 9 temp HP) DYING two successes
3 - Lord Mayor
1 - Eozindra (12/15, 7 temp HP)
1 - Adran (22/26)
1 - Mara (6/20)

Round twelve, continued...

Elysia hears the thump of her heartbeat slowing, slowing, and gradually getting drowned out by the sound of rushing wind and waves, a storm threatening to drown out all other sensation...but then her sister Eozindra's words break through the noise. "Get up, Sia!" The storm recedes, and her heart beats again, louder. "You can't leave me like this" Elysia takes a rasping breath. "I need you!" The warm sensation of her sister's embrace suffuses Elysia's torn body, and her eyes snap open. Prone Elysia has 5 HP from Eozindra's Healing Word. Eozindra stabs at the Lord Mayor, but his thick hide is tougher than his human skin was.

---

20 - Ishi (0/35, 7 temp HP) DYING one success
18 - Lord Mayor's Men Five and Eight
15 - Elowin (9/24, 1 temp HP) Twilight Sanctuary
13 - Lord Mayor's Men Three, Six, and Nine
10 - Morik (Bear 24/34, Dwarf 13/33)
10 - Lord Mayor's Men Two, Four, and Seven
8 - Elysia (5/24, 9 temp HP) two successes
3 - Lord Mayor
1 - Eozindra (12/15, 7 temp HP)
1 - Adran (22/26)
1 - Mara (6/20)

Adran sinks a crossbow bolt into the thick hide of the Manticore Mayor. The manticore takes 8 damage. Mara hunkers down and initiates the self-repair routine. Mara gains 9 HP.

This ends round twelve.

---

20 - Ishi (0/35, 7 temp HP) DYING, one success
18 - Lord Mayor's Men Five and Eight
15 - Elowin (9/24, 1 temp HP) Twilight Sanctuary
13 - Lord Mayor's Men Three, Six, and Nine
10 - Morik (Bear 24/34, Dwarf 13/33)
10 - Lord Mayor's Men Two, Four, and Seven
8 - Elysia (5/24, 7 temp HP) prone, two successes
3 - Manticore Mayor
1 - Eozindra (12/15, 7 temp HP)
1 - Adran (22/26)
1 - Mara (15/20)

Round Thirteen
(this was preceded by round twelve, followed by round fourteen)

Twitching at the feet of Lord Mayor's Man Six, Ishi attempts his second death save. He crits fails the save, and now has two failures and one success. At the end of his turn, Elowin's Twilight Sanctuary grants Ishi 9 temporary HP.

Lord Mayor's Man Five attempts to stab Elowin again. She manages to fend off the blows. In the background, though, Lord Mayor's Man Eight moves to the right to get a better shot at Elowin with his hand crossbow. His aim is true, and the bolt wings in under her shield into her side. Elowin takes 9 piercing damage. Elowin staggers, barely on her feet.Elowin calls out "Stand, nephew!" in a small, tired voice. But Lunea is strong and hears her simple prayer: life and health flow back into her priestess' companion's limbs, the barbarian's wounds close significantly, and Ishi's vision clears. Ishi is prone and has 9 HP (and 9 temp HP). Lord Mayor's Man Five barely catches the blade of the holy sickle that Elowin has attack him from behind, just before it was going to eviscerate him from atlas to tailbone. The sickle bears down, and he strains with his shortsword to keep it at bay; the tip slices a shallow cut in his cheek, but the robber finally manages to shove it away. As Elowin's turn ends, Lunea's love throbs; Elowin has 4 temporary HP.

Lord Mayor's Man Nine rushes forward and attacks Mara with his mace. The robber hits the construct multiple times; Mara takes 13 bludgeoning damage.
Lord Mayor's Man Six, starting by the barbarian stirring at his feet, disengages and jumps away, moving around Elowin so that he can attack her again next round.
Lord Mayor's Man Three follows Nine more slowly; he's reloading his crossbow. He then launches a bolt at Mara! The hit is too much for the damaged construct. Mara, at 0 HP, falls apart into its component pieces.In response to the manticore's Abbey-shaking roar, Morik rises up on his shaggy hind legs and matches the monster's roar with a titanic bellow of his own. Morik drops down, putting his heavy weight into his paws to stomp down on the beast, pushing the distorted human face down, and then clamps down on the monster's exposed shoulder with his massive bear jaws. With a twist of his head, Morik tears a big chunk of the monster's flesh out and blood sprays across the pews. The Lord Mayor Manticore takes 12 piercing damage.

Lord Mayor's Man Four rushes forward, kicking aside pieces of Mara, and looses arrows at Eozindra and Adran (but does so with DISADV because he didn't see the bear adjacent to him until he was in that space). His hands tremble at the terrible sight of the huge ursine beast tearing into his boss, and both arrows miss their marks.
Lord Mayor's Man Seven, however, recognizes that the second roar is not his boss, and he runs up until he sees the bear, and looses two arrows at Morik. One hits; Morik takes 8 piercing damage.
The injured Lord Mayor's Man Two is starting to look worried again, what with his wounds and Elowin's healing of two other intruders. He stabs at Elowin twice. He slips the sword in between her ribs. Elowin takes 4 piercing damage. Blood gushes, but she still does not fall! LMM2 backs away in horror as the elf turns her gaze upon him.In the blink of an eye, Elysia kips up to her feet, flips her rapier up into her hand with a flick of her foot, and stabs at Lord Mayor's Man Five. "Surprised?" she coos to him as he looks down to see a foot of rapier sticking out of his chest. Lord Mayor's Man Five takes 15 damage and slumps to the ground, dead, as she yanks her blade free. As his body falls away, Elysia waves to Eozindra. "Hi, Zin! Love you!"The Lord Mayor Manticore, furious at her stab, set out to eviscerate Eozindra with his claws. But his attack misses, interrupted by the battering and tearing by Morik, he rounds on the bear and tries to bite and claw him. His jaws sink into Morik's exposed belly. Morik takes 11 piercing damage."You aren’t allowed to scare me like that!" Eozindra shouts at her little sister, while dancing around the claws and lashing tail of the Lord Mayor Manticore. Seeing her opportunity, she sinks her rapier into its flank. The Lord Mayor Manticore takes 6 piercing damage. Eozindra calls "We need everyone in this!", casting L1 Healing Word on Elowin, who is beset by enemies on all sides.
Elowin is healed for 4 HP.

Running low on options and realizing just how slim the chances of winning are starting to look, Adran raises his hand crossbow and aims at the rear of the manticore. The shaft sinks deep into the base of its tail. The Lord Mayor Manticore takes 9 piercing damage. The Lord Mayor shrieks in pain and outrage.

---

20 - Ishi (9/35, 9 temp HP) prone one success, two failures
18 - Lord Mayor's Men Five and Eight
15 - Elowin (5/24) Twilight Sanctuary
13 - Lord Mayor's Men Three, Six, and Nine
10 - Morik (Bear 5/34, Dwarf 13/33)
10 - Lord Mayor's Men Two, Four, and Seven
8 - Elysia (5/24, 9 temp HP) two successes
3 - Manticore Mayor
1 - Eozindra (12/15, 7 temp HP)
1 - Adran (22/26)
1 - Mara (0/20)

Round thirteen continued...

Elowin calls out "Stand, nephew!" in a small, tired voice. But Lunea is strong and hears her simple prayer: life and health flow back into her priestess' companion's limbs, the barbarian's wounds close significantly, and Ishi's vision clears. Ishi is prone and has 9 HP (and 9 temp HP). Lord Mayor's Man Five barely catches the blade of the holy sickle that Elowin has attack him from behind, just before it was going to eviscerate him from atlas to tailbone. The sickle bears down, and he strains with his shortsword to keep it at bay; the tip slices a shallow cut in his cheek, but the robber finally manages to shove it away. As Elowin's turn ends, Lunea's love throbs; Elowin has 4 temporary HP.

Lord Mayor's Man Nine rushes forward and attacks Mara with his mace. The robber hits the construct multiple times; Mara takes 13 bludgeoning damage.
Lord Mayor's Man Six, starting by the barbarian stirring at his feet, disengages and jumps away, moving around Elowin so that he can attack her again next round.
Lord Mayor's Man Three follows Nine more slowly; he's reloading his crossbow. He then launches a bolt at Mara! The hit is too much for the damaged construct. Mara, at 0 HP, falls apart into its component pieces.

Edit: The main Round Thirteen post has been updated with these turns.

---

20 - Ishi (9/35, 9 temp HP) prone one success, two failures
18 - Lord Mayor's Men Five and Eight
15 - Elowin (1/24, 4 temp HP) Twilight Sanctuary
13 - Lord Mayor's Men Three, Six, and Nine
10 - Morik (Bear 24/34, Dwarf 13/33)
10 - Lord Mayor's Men Two, Four, and Seven
8 - Elysia (5/24, 9 temp HP) prone two successes
3 - Manticore Mayor
1 - Eozindra (12/15, 7 temp HP)
1 - Adran (22/26)
1 - Mara (0/20)