Episode 2: Welcome to the Jungle!

Jul 17, 2018 4:39 pm
The short journey up the coast passes uneventfully. Ybus is able to appreciate Valrakas' skill as a sailor, and the Kestrel responds beautifully to the minotaur's expert hands. The three of you then bid your friends farewell before boarding a small but sturdy boat and make your way upriver. As you leave the bay behind, the roar of crashing surf fades away quickly and is replaced by bird and insect calls as the deep jungle closes in around you.

The sound of the oars in the water seem inordinately loud in the quiet of the morning. Fog hangs about in blotches on the river and in the thick vegetation along the banks. Ducks and long-legged birds hunt among the lotus and river weed. A few alligators lurk near the riverbanks, and you're unsure but you may have spotted a tiger watching you from the shadowed foliage.

https://theforestforthetreesblog.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.jpg
OOC:
Given Ybus' background I assume he's got the tiller and is giving commands to Baracus at the oars, while Erden keeps a lookout from the prow.

• Ybus, give me a Water Vehicles roll please. WIS+Prof.
• Erden, Perception roll.
• And lastly, let's have a group Survival check. DC 15.
Jul 17, 2018 7:37 pm
Baracus breathes deep the smell of nature. Although he is glad for the friends he has made at the temple, he is relieved to be free of the grip of civilization. The simple, nuanced movements of the tiller brings him satisfaction.

He sees the animals and makes sure they know that he is the Alpha predator in these woods, and they would be foolish to try to eat him.

Rolls

Survival - (1d20+4)

(16) + 4 = 20

Jul 17, 2018 7:54 pm
"Y'see, starboard ne'er meant the stars in the sky," Ybus says loudly, without prompting. "It's about the steering, 'cept ye say it like a proper sailor and it becomes starring. And like ye can see with this till, it be on the right, cos that's where it's s'posed to be.

And since ye don' put the till next to the dock, the opp'site side becomes port side. Hence port."


Ybus briefly looks back to check on his trailing fishing line, seeing if there's a catch.

Rolls

Vehicles, Water - (1d20+4)

(5) + 4 = 9

Survival - (1d20+2)

(16) + 2 = 18

Jul 17, 2018 8:03 pm
Erden stands at the prow of the ship, keeping an eye out for any sort of danger that may be lurking nearby. The encounters they faced in the city were too close for comfort and he blames himself for it all. He tries not to dwell on the departure of his two dear friends as they fade away in the distance, but vows that they will all meet again.

Rolls

Perception - (1d20+1)

(2) + 1 = 3

Jul 17, 2018 10:29 pm
Baracus senses Erden's heavy heart.

"Brother, why the long face? The air is clean and the shade is plentiful."
Jul 18, 2018 4:19 am
OOC:
Perception and Sailing checks failed.
You paddle upstream for many hours. With Ybus' attention wandering he steers the boat willy-nilly, crisscrossing the river on the most indirect route possible. And not without quite a few mishaps - with Erden brooding he fails to spot half-submerged rocks and tree branches on several occasions. Luckily, the boat isn't damaged much in the resulting collisions. It's slow going.
OOC:
Yeah please go ahead and RP amongst yourselves.
Jul 18, 2018 1:37 pm
OOC:
Will hold further narration to give Erden a chance to respond to Baracus. Might even be a whole conversation there. :-)
Jul 18, 2018 6:24 pm
"It's just..." Erden begins, and then sighs, and screws up his face in thought, "I guess it's a number of things, my friend. Foremost is the departure of our friends. I already miss them dearly, though it's barely been hours since we left them."

Erden sits in silence for a moment before continuing, "On top of that are my many failures as your supposed 'leader'," he says, head hanging low.
Jul 18, 2018 6:35 pm
A small puppet made from a desiccated rat wearing a miniature poofy blouse open at the chest creeps into view over Erden's shoulder. "I miss you, too," whispers Ybus' voice in a mimicry of Urban, close to Erden's ear.

Rat-Urban flexes its dried husk of an arm to show off bulging muscles.

Rolls

Minor Illusion Performance - (1d20+3)

(8) + 3 = 11

Voice Mimicry Performance - (1d20+3)

(8) + 3 = 11

Jul 18, 2018 7:14 pm
"We shall distract ourselves with much bloodshed of the cultists. And, we will bring back a souvenir for our friends from this jungle temple. Something golden for Rydler. Maybe a naked lady statue for Urban. Those always seem plentiful in old human temples."

Baracus is delighted by Ybus's puppetry.

"Ha ha ha! Do me next!"
Jul 18, 2018 7:20 pm
Erden smiles and chuckles at Ybus' display, "Thanks, Ybus, I needed a laugh."

He listens intently to his large friend and nods with a small smile, "That we shall. We'll make them regret ever having messed with us," he says firmly.
Jul 18, 2018 11:18 pm
A second dry husk of a rat appears on Erden's other shoulder, green-colored with an open vest that frames a chest rippling with two giant pectorals and 8 cleanly-defined abdominals. A meaty rat paw pats the top of Erden's head while a deep voice rumbles, "I pity the fool that make the little man small!"

Rolls

Prestidigitation for color - (1d20+3)

(19) + 3 = 22

Baracus mimicry - (1d20+3)

(3) + 3 = 6

Jul 19, 2018 12:00 am
"Ha ha ha! It is like me but small."

Delighted, Baracus starts crafting a battle axe for his action figure. He whittles a stick with the First Sword, and casually ponders

"So which way to the temple?"
Last edited July 19, 2018 12:02 am

Rolls

Crafting check (int) - (1d20)

(9) = 9

Jul 19, 2018 3:42 am
Baracus' carving is crude, but Mini-Baracus now has a wooden battleaxe.

You consult the map Sashvar gave you. The plan is to take the boat upriver (roughly northeast) until you reach The Fangs, a twin waterfall in the foothills of the north-eastern arm of the Q'sulth mountain range. It's hard to tell now because of the way you've been meandering, but it will probably take the better part of the day before you land this boat. From The Fangs, you will be faced with a difficult trek south through the jungle to find the temple.

(Map)

The light-hearted mood brought on by Ybus' puppets is short-lived. As the day wears on it turns humid and oppressive. By midday you are beset by swarms of flies. Luckily Baracus finds a patch of lemongrass by the riverbank. Rubbing the crushed leaves on your skin wards off the worst of the stinging bugs. (Group Survival check: success)

In some sections the river is deep and wide. In other sections where it narrows and runs rapid over treacherous rocks Baracus hoists the boat up onto his shoulders and you trudge up as best as you can.

All throughout, the jungle, presses in on both sides, dark and brooding. At times the tree boughs extend so far over the water and so thickly foliaged that you are plunged in dark shadow as you pass underneath. During these times you are able to glimpse eyes that you've felt watching you all day, glowing yellow in the gloom.
Jul 19, 2018 3:52 am
The sun is westering in the sky when you feel a bump and a scrape underneath the boat. Your vessel lurches violently and gets turned sideways - it's now pointed at the east riverbank, 40, maybe 50ft away.

You see a shape in the water, immense and sinuous, pass underneath the boat and swim off to your right. It looks like it's coming around for another pass.

Based on Sashvar's map you're still an hour, maybe two, from where you're supposed to land this boat. What do you do?
OOC:
Features:
1. Deep, murky water.
2. Up ahead: low-hanging branches/vines.
3. A gang of screeching monkeys hanging from #2.
4. Near the right (east) bank: slippery, moss-covered rocks.
Jul 19, 2018 4:47 am
OOC:
I almost forgot: ROLL INITIATIVE!

In the jungle welcome to the jungle
Watch it bring you to your shun n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n knees, knees!

Rolls

Monster initiative - (1d20+1)

(10) + 1 = 11

Jul 19, 2018 3:51 pm
Ybus, sea legs under him once again, laments about a black beast from the depths named Mother.

Rolls

Initiative - (1d20+1)

(7) + 1 = 8

Jul 19, 2018 4:14 pm
Erden stands and gets ready to fight, "Be careful, it's coming back!"

Rolls

Initiative - (1d20+6)

(1) + 6 = 7

Jul 19, 2018 7:02 pm
The drums of war beat in Baracus's heart as the creatures encircle the party's boat.

Rolls

Initiative - (1d20+3)

(14) + 3 = 17

Jul 20, 2018 6:09 am
The gang of monkeys hanging from the vines shriek madly as the monster in the water comes at you.

The temple is west of the river. On the west riverbank you only see impenetrable forest except for a small gap among a stand of bamboo trees a bit further upstream, 50ft away.

The boat is pointed at the east riverbank, where the jungle is thinner. About 40ft from your position there are some mossy rocks you might be able to climb onto.
OOC:
Baracus is up!

ROUND 1 (in progress)

Initiative order and status:
1. Baracus: 51/51hp, 3/3ki
2. Monster:
3. Ybus: 23/23hp
4. Erden: 26/26hp

Battlefield Features: 
1. Deep, murky water.
2. Up ahead: low-hanging branches/vines.
3. A gang of screeching monkeys hanging from the vines.
4. Near the right (east) bank: slippery, moss-covered rocks.
5. A gap in the trees, 50ft way on the left (west) bank.
Jul 20, 2018 3:09 pm
Baracus is trying not to let his anger overwhelm his judgement. He thinks about his two small companions and decides to try a more peaceful approach. Baracus points to the gap in the forest 50 feet away.

"West is best."

Baracus puts his back and legs into the oars, fueling his muscles through spirit and training.
OOC:
Baracus will try something new and move and dash to travel 20 ft toward the western shore gap. If possible he'll use a bonus action and Step of the Wind and dash again, empowering his strokes with ki.
Last edited July 20, 2018 3:15 pm
Jul 20, 2018 4:51 pm
Baracus and Ybus quickly turn the boat around and with the half-orc rowing madly, the vessel shoots at incredible speed towards the west bank. So close...almost there...you almost make it but the river monster is so much faster! You hear a loud THWACK! and suddenly the boat is airborne. It lands hard, thankfully right-side-up, further upstream back near the middle of the channel.

• Everyone roll STR or DEX save (your choice) to stay in the boat. Beat DC 15 or end up in the water.

The monster breaches the water's surface, and it's unlike anything you've ever seen before: it looks like a fish of some sort, sleek like a shark, but its skin is tough and pebbled like an alligator's. Its strange lower jaw, bristling with dagger-like teeth, extends like a cruel, barbed whip.
.
[ +- ] Helicoprion
.
• Ybus and Erden are up.
ROUND 1 (in progress)

Initiative order and status:
1. Baracus: 51/51hp, 2/3ki
2. Helicoprion:
3. Ybus: 23/23hp
4. Erden: 26/26hp

Battlefield Features: 
1. Deep, murky water.
2. Downstream: low-hanging branches/vines.
3. A gang of screeching monkeys hanging from the vines.
4. Near the east bank: slippery, moss-covered rocks.
5. A gap in the trees, 30ft away on the west bank.
Jul 20, 2018 4:56 pm
Ybus tries to keep hold of the till, even as a giddy and gleeful cackle utters from his throat as the boat lurches into the air.

EDIT:
Screw that, this is too much fun! Ybus thinks, and lets go of the till to throw his hands in the air as he goes airborne. He cannonballs into the water with a thunderous splash, and instinctively holds his breath even though his amulet allows him to breathe.

Breaking the surface, Ybus says, "Come on in, the water's fine!" However, he is saying that to the screaming monkeys above. The halfling points a finger and sends a bright bolt of energy streaking out towards the branch the simians are on, trying to break it and send all of them into the river.
[ +- ] [url=https://gamersplane.com/characters/dnd5/6546/
Last edited July 20, 2018 5:10 pm

Rolls

STR save - (1d20+2)

(2) + 2 = 4

Eldritch Blast, Force Damage - (1d20+5, 1d10)

1d20+5 : (15) + 5 = 20

1d10 : (6) = 6

Disadvantage due to murder-fish in close combat - (1d20+5)

(17) + 5 = 22

Jul 20, 2018 5:00 pm
OOC:
Note that whether you stay in the boat or end up in the drink, the monster is now adjacent to you.
Jul 20, 2018 6:30 pm
Baracus holds the boat beneath him, and makes the landing look easy even though he barely hung on.
Last edited July 20, 2018 6:33 pm

Rolls

Str save DC 15 - (1d20+6)

(9) + 6 = 15

Jul 21, 2018 9:40 pm
OOC:
Save!

Rolls

Dex Save - (1d20+2)

(20) + 2 = 22

Jul 22, 2018 3:04 pm
Erden manages to keep himself firmly in the boat as it rocks violently. As the creature breaches the water, he launches a firebolt at it.

Rolls

Firebolt - (1d20+6, 1d10)

1d20+6 : (8) + 6 = 14

1d10 : (2) = 2

Jul 23, 2018 3:26 pm
Baracus yells at the top of his lungs:

"Hey! I'm trying to be PEACEFUL!"

It's not clear if he's yelling at the fish or Ybus and Erden. He pushes the boat forward, but is careful not to upset the boat or the fish.
OOC:
Use action to disengage, then move and dash with second wind. I think we've travelled 50 ft now, and I'll beach the boat if safely possible.
Jul 23, 2018 6:29 pm
OOC:
Almost, but not quite. The monster knocked your boat back, so you lost some of the distance you'd rowed. Updates incoming.
Jul 23, 2018 6:31 pm
ROUND 1

Treading water, Ybus strikes one of the branches with his spell, sending a trio of monkeys tumbling into the water. They don't seem to interest the monster though. At least not yet.

Erden's firebolt lances into the monstrous fish, searing its flesh, forcing it to slip back into the water. (2 fire damage)
Jul 23, 2018 6:32 pm
Baracus rows as hard as he can, leaving Ybus behind, trusting the halfling can get to safety somehow.

The helicoprion lashes out at Ybus with its barbed whip of a jaw but with the help of his new necklace the halfling is too quick in the water.
OOC:
Ybus and Erden are up. Ybus is engaged with the monster in the water. Erden and Baracus, who are in the boat 20ft away, can just make out the submerged monster (treat as lightly obscured).

ROUND 2 (in progress)

Initiative order and status:
1. Baracus: 51/51hp, 1/3ki.
2. Helicoprion: taken 2 damage.
3. Ybus: 23/23hp.
4. Erden: 26/26hp.

Battlefield Features: 
1. Deep, murky water.
2. Downstream: low-hanging branches & vines.
3. A gang of screeching monkeys hanging from the vines.
4. Monkeys in the water.
5. Near the east bank: slippery, moss-covered rocks.
6. A gap in the trees, 10ft away on the west bank.

Rolls

Bite - (1d20+6, 2d8+4)

1d20+6 : (3) + 6 = 9

2d8+4 : (82) + 4 = 14

Jul 23, 2018 7:25 pm
Ybus breaks the surface of the water, pulling his little legs out of the way of the sharp teeth. His hands steeple to a point above his head and hold his belaying pin, not unlike a breaching stub-tooth narwhal. As he reenters the water, he points his rod at the helicoprion. A muffled sound expands underwater on the other side the fish, though only Ybus would know the sound said, "Splash!"
OOC:
Casting Minor Illusion to make the sound of something heavy entering the water at the same time Ybus does, except opposite the helicoprion. Of course, here I am assuming that Minor Illusion would generate vibrations for the fish to feel.
[ +- ] [url=https://gamersplane.com/characters/dnd5/6546/
Jul 24, 2018 5:54 am
OOC:
Well the spell text says you can produce sound, and we know sounds are just vibrations in a medium. And besides, that's such a cool, creative idea!
The helicoprion jerks its head around as the sound of something big and tasty falling into the water draws its attention. It finds nothing there but now it notices the floundering monkeys.
OOC:

You still have movement available, Ybus. You can now safely swim away without disengaging.

Erden's turn.
Jul 24, 2018 2:57 pm
Erden waits until the creature pops its head out of the water again and sends a trio of fiery rays at it.
OOC:
Scorching Ray!
[ +- ] Stats
[ +- ] Scorching Ray
Last edited July 24, 2018 3:38 pm

Rolls

Scorching Ray 1 - (1d20+6, 2d6)

1d20+6 : (9) + 6 = 15

2d6 : (26) = 8

Scorching Ray 2 - (1d20+6, 2d6)

1d20+6 : (3) + 6 = 9

2d6 : (43) = 7

Scorching Ray 3 - (1d20+6, 2d6)

1d20+6 : (8) + 6 = 14

2d6 : (25) = 7

Re-roll Ray 2! - (1d20+6)

(14) + 6 = 20

Jul 24, 2018 3:48 pm
As the river monster breaches the surface once more, thrashing about in search of prey that isn't there, Erden hits it with a trio of fiery beams. (22 fire damage) The helicoprion dives into the depths, lost from view. Has it been driven off, or is it about to strike again?
ROUND 2 (complete)

Initiative order and status:
1. Baracus: 51/51hp, 1/3ki.
2. Helicoprion: taken 24 damage.
3. Ybus: 23/23hp.
4. Erden: 26/26hp.

Battlefield Features: 
1. Deep, murky water.
2. Downstream: low-hanging branches & vines.
3. A gang of screeching monkeys hanging from the vines.
4. Monkeys in the water.
5. Near the east bank: slippery, moss-covered rocks.
6. A gap in the trees, 10ft away on the west bank.
Jul 24, 2018 3:50 pm
OOC:
New round. Baracus is up.
Jul 24, 2018 4:47 pm
Ybus swims in the direction of the boat, dolphin-kicking his legs for propulsion.
OOC:
This was movement for the previous round.
Last edited July 24, 2018 4:48 pm
Jul 24, 2018 5:46 pm
OOC:
Ybus, you're about 10ft behind the boat, 20ft from the west bank.
Jul 24, 2018 7:22 pm
Baracus brings the boat up to the gap in the trees on the western bank and picks up Erden, carrying him and the boat onto dry land.

"Hurry Ybus!"
Last edited July 24, 2018 8:30 pm
Jul 25, 2018 11:50 am
Baracus and Erden clamber to safety through the gap in the creaking bamboo but struggle to squeeze the boat through the narrow gap. It seems the gap will need to be widened to let the boat through.

As Ybus swims effortlessly and is almost to safety when something grabs his ankle painfully and begins pulling him under!

Ybus takes 13 piercing damage and is Grappled. Escape DC 12.
ROUND 3 (in progress)

Initiative order and status:
1. Baracus: 51/51hp, 1/3ki.
2. Helicoprion: taken 24 damage.
3. Ybus: 10/23hp. Grappled.
4. Erden: 26/26hp.

Battlefield Features: 
1. Deep, murky water.
2. A gap in the bamboo trees on the west bank.

Rolls

Bite - (1d20+6, 2d8+4)

1d20+6 : (12) + 6 = 18

2d8+4 : (36) + 4 = 13

Jul 25, 2018 1:24 pm
OOC:
Can Erden see anything under the water?
Jul 25, 2018 4:10 pm
You can just barely make out a shadow underwater. Could be the helicoprion is deeper in it than before. Then again this could be something else entirely.
Jul 25, 2018 4:49 pm
"Duuude," Ybus bubbles underwater, watching the pockets of air rise to the surface while he sinks downward. He looks down to try and see what is getting intimate with his leg meat and attempts to escape the painful grasp. His leg briefly flares with a warm glow as Ybus tries to staunch some of the wounds.
[ +- ] [url=https://gamersplane.com/characters/dnd5/6546/
Last edited July 25, 2018 4:50 pm

Rolls

Athletics - (1d20+4)

(11) + 4 = 15

Healing Light, Ybus - (1d6)

(6) = 6

Jul 25, 2018 5:29 pm
Looking down, Ybus sees the helicoprion's whiplike jaw wrapped around his leg. He manages to wriggle free and heal his own wounds.
Jul 25, 2018 6:04 pm
OOC:
Action and movement still available to Ybus. Erden can also go. You can see Ybus just beneath the surface.
Jul 25, 2018 6:11 pm
OOC:
Would the grapple escape attempt be considered an action?
Jul 25, 2018 6:39 pm
OOC:
Gee, you're right. Movement still available then. Risk of OA of course.
Jul 25, 2018 6:44 pm
OOC:
Yeah, I'll stay there. Should Ybus survive the next round, I've got plans.
Jul 25, 2018 6:47 pm
OOC:
Cool! Erden's turn then.
Jul 30, 2018 3:17 pm
OOC:
Sorry about that! It's been a busy couple of weeks
Erden will wait to see if the creature surfaces. If it does, he will launch a bolt of flame at it.

Rolls

Ready Action Firebolt - (1d20+6, 1d10)

1d20+6 : (15) + 6 = 21

1d10 : (1) = 1

Jul 30, 2018 4:56 pm
OOC:
No worries! Just wanted to be sure this hadn't fallen under the radar. :-)

It's the bottom of the round so as I understand it your readied action is going to go to waste. Are you sure you wouldn't rather do something else this turn?
Jul 30, 2018 5:05 pm
Jabes.plays.RPG says:
OOC:
No worries! Just wanted to be sure this hadn't fallen under the radar. :-)

It's the bottom of the round so as I understand it your readied action is going to go to waste. Are you sure you wouldn't rather do something else this turn?
OOC:
The readied action should remain active until the start of my next turn. There's really not much else for me to do, otherwise. I don't have any way to help Ybus come back to the team
Jul 30, 2018 6:38 pm
OOC:
Ah in that case I misunderstood the rules governing readied actions. Okay then, new round. Baracus' turn. That boat isn't coming through the gap in the trees unless you do something about it. Without a boat it will be a tough and treacherous (though not impossible) trek back to the city assuming you survive the temple.
Jul 30, 2018 6:59 pm
OOC:
Rule below just for ease of reference
[ +- ] Ready Action
Jul 30, 2018 7:29 pm
OOC:
Cool beans! That means the helicoprion might trigger your readied action on its turn.

LenInactive for 16 days

Jul 31, 2018 3:50 pm
OOC:
A little tight for time here Jabes, will post my intent to keep the game rolling. I want to get the boat on dry land of possible and wade back into the water to pull Ybus out. I'm including some rolls here if it helps. I'd rather not attack, but instead wrest Ybus from the fish's flippers/tooth whorl. I will bring him back even if I suffer an OA, although with those rolls I think it is unlikely.
Last edited July 31, 2018 7:50 pm

Rolls

Athletics - (1d20+6)

(5) + 6 = 11

Perception - (1d20+3)

(1) + 3 = 4

2 additional d20 for disadv / adv - (1d20, 1d20)

1d20 : (14) = 14

1d20 : (12) = 12

Aug 1, 2018 2:27 pm
OOC:
Ybus has broken free of the monster's grip but you don't know that. He is just below the surface - you can see him and also vaguely make out the creature underneath him. The water is too deep for wading - you'll have to swim to the action, and that will mean letting go of the boat. What do you want to do?
Aug 1, 2018 7:01 pm
Baracus lets go of the boat and dives in after Ybus.

"Stop fooling around, Ybus!"

Although he has every confidence in his diminutive comrades, he has always had trouble believing such a tiny beings could be so hardy in battle, and he does a poor job of disguising his concern with annoyance.
Aug 3, 2018 5:39 am
Baracus lets go the boat and dives into the water. He quickly makes it to Ybus and turns to swim back to shore but the helicoprion has other plans. It grabs Baracus about the torso and drags the half-orc away, trailing blood. Baracus struggles but is unable to break free (Athletics check failed). He can feel the monster begin to dive and drag him into the murky depths of the river. On the riverbank, Erden can't quite make out what's going on beneath the surface (ranged attacks on the monster that originate from the surface will be at Disadvantage). The current here isn't very strong but Erden sees the boat begin to drift nevertheless, and he realizes they could lose it if he doesn't tie off the mooring line.

• Baracus takes 17 piercing damage and is Grappled. Escape DC 12.
• The fish drags Baracus 40ft upriver and will dive next round.
• Ybus can take an OA if he wishes.
• Ybus and Erden are up.

ROUND 4 (in progress)

Initiative order and status:
1. Baracus: 34/51hp, 1/3ki.
2. Helicoprion: 24 damage.
3. Ybus: 16/23hp.
4. Erden: 26/26hp.

Battlefield Features: 
1. Deep, murky water.
2. A gap in the bamboo trees on the west bank.

Rolls

OA: Bite vs. Baracus (AC 17) - (1d20+6, 2d8+4)

1d20+6 : (17) + 6 = 23

2d8+4 : (76) + 4 = 17

Aug 3, 2018 1:42 pm
Erden struggles for just a moment, torn between helping his friend and saving the boat. Trusting in Baracus, Erden dives over to the boat and secures it, tying it to anything that he can find.
Aug 3, 2018 2:05 pm
Erden is able to secure the boat by tying the line to one of the bamboo trees. The wind is starting to pick up, bearing a strong scent of rain and setting the bamboo a-creaking.
OOC:
Ybus is up.
Aug 3, 2018 4:56 pm
Ybus scrunches his nose in confusion, wondering why Baracus has opted to play with the fish and why he can't join in the fun. As the helicoprion swims away, Ybus thrusts his spear out to try and harpoon the creature.
OOC:
I'd like to try something here. If the OA spear hits, can I leave it in and hold onto the spear and ride the fish as it swims? I assume it'll be like a grapple so I'll include an Athletics roll.

If the spear does not hit, I'll take a different action.

Rolls

Opportunity Attack, Piercing Damage - (1d20+4, 1d6+2)

1d20+4 : (4) + 4 = 8

1d6+2 : (6) + 2 = 8

Athletics - (1d20+4)

(10) + 4 = 14

Aug 3, 2018 5:59 pm
OOC:
The spear does not hit. It's too bad because riding that fish is hella cool! Still your regular turn.
Aug 3, 2018 6:16 pm
"Och, he'p ma bob!" Ybus bubbles underwater. "Ahab it!" He streamlines his body and kicks his legs, dashing towards the fleeing fish. As he closes, he bathes the form of Baracus in a warm yellow light, not unlike the sensation of someone relieving themselves underwater.
OOC:
Bonus action, Healing Light for d6 HP to Baracus. Dash action, total swim distance 40 feet to catch up to the helicoprion and get back into melee distance.
[ +- ] [url=https://gamersplane.com/characters/dnd5/6546/

Rolls

Healing Light HP - (1d6)

(3) = 3

Aug 3, 2018 6:40 pm
Thunder rumbles from the mountains in the west as dark clouds heavy with rain scud across the sky. Underwater, everything is striped with shadows as the wind gusts whip ripples across the water's surface.
OOC:
New round. Baracus is up.

ROUND 5

Initiative order and status:
1. Baracus: 37/51hp, 1/3ki. Grappled.
2. Helicoprion: 24 damage.
3. Ybus: 16/23hp.
4. Erden: 26/26hp.

Battlefield Features: 
1. Deep, murky water.
2. A gap in the bamboo trees on the west bank.
3. Imminent thunderstorm.
Aug 3, 2018 11:39 pm
Baracus's eye twitches as the helicoprion pulls him along. He tries to roar:

"I PITTY THE FOOL THAT MISTAKES BARACUS FOR FOOD!"

But instead it comes out as bubbling nonsense as he flails in the water for the fish.

No more Mr. Nice Halforc.
OOC:
Action to draw First Sword and stab fish (d20=14, dmg=5), then a bonus action to use flurry of blows to slap it silly (d20=22, dmg=7; d20=14, dmg=8).

Using open hand technique: if I hit the first flurry, I'll attempt to push the fish 15 feet (str save DC 12) toward the shore and then swim toward it for the next attack. If I hit the second time, I'll attempt again again to push it 15 feet (str save again) toward the shore and move as much as I can toward it. I am assuming I am in difficult terrain and only have 40/2=20 feet of movement to work with.
[ +- ] open hand technique
(Oops forgot to add mod in first sword attack, added it in above summary)
Last edited August 4, 2018 1:26 am

Rolls

First sword attack on fish - (1d20, 1d6+4)

1d20 : (7) = 7

1d6+4 : (1) + 4 = 5

Flurry attack 1 (disadv from water) - (1d20+6, 1d20+6, 1d4+4)

1d20+6 : (19) + 6 = 25

1d20+6 : (16) + 6 = 22

1d4+4 : (3) + 4 = 7

Flurry attack 2 (disadv from water) - (1d20+6, 1d20+6, 1d4+4)

1d20+6 : (14) + 6 = 20

1d20+6 : (8) + 6 = 14

1d4+4 : (4) + 4 = 8

Aug 4, 2018 2:18 am
Baracus beats the helicoprion back with such ferocity it breaks the monster's grip on the half-orc.(20 damage) Enraged, the creature lashes out at Baracus anew. The helicoprion wraps the half-orc in its crushing grip and dives! The rapid descent makes Baracus' ears pop and the sounds of the surface fade away as he and his foe are enveloped in the murk. Ybus can just barely make out the battling pair in the gloom. He knows that if the monster dives any deeper he will lose sight of them entirely!

On the surface the thunderstorm descends on the river in full force. The trees sway violently in the gale and the boat bobs crazily in the water. Erden knows he needs to help his friends somehow so they can shelter.

• Baracus takes 9 piercing damage and is Grappled again, 40ft deep. Escape DC 12.
• Ybus and Erden are up.

Rolls

Bite vs. Baracus (AC 17) - (1d20+6, 1d20+6, 2d8+4)

1d20+6 : (13) + 6 = 19

1d20+6 : (3) + 6 = 9

2d8+4 : (32) + 4 = 9

Aug 4, 2018 2:41 am
Ybus tries again to impale his spear into the predator and ride the fish to wherever it goes.
OOC:
Assuming there's another OA as the helicoprion dives, I'll use my reaction!

Rolls

Opportunity Attack, Piercing Damage - (1d20+4, 1d6+2)

1d20+4 : (14) + 4 = 18

1d6+2 : (4) + 2 = 6

Athletics if spear hits - (1d20+4)

(13) + 4 = 17

Aug 4, 2018 2:56 am
OOC:
Baracus didn't beat it all the way back to your position, so they are 10ft, not 5ft from you when the fish dives. No OA.

Sure. The spear buries itself in the helicoprion (6 damage) and you are able to hold on as you are dragged down with them.

ROUND 5 (in progress)

Initiative order and status:
1. Baracus: 25/51hp, 0/3ki. Grappled.
2. Helicoprion: 50 damage.
3. Ybus: 16/23hp.
4. Erden: 26/26hp.

Battlefield Features: 
1. Deep, murky water.
2. A gap in the bamboo trees on the west bank.
3. Raging thunderstorm
Aug 4, 2018 3:06 am
Holding on, Ybus takes out a small vial filled with an aerated solution. He reaches out and jams the potion into Baracus' mouth, taking special care to wiggle his tiny fingers up the half-orc's nostrils.
OOC:
Action: Administer Potion of Waterbreathing to Baracus.
Bonus Action: Healing Light for 2d6 to Baracus.
[ +- ] [url=https://gamersplane.com/characters/dnd5/6546/

Rolls

Healing Light HP - (2d6)

(54) = 9

Aug 4, 2018 5:38 am
OOC:
I literally leaped to my feet and applauded that! I did NOT see that coming! I would like Len to describe the potion's effect on Baracus. And the Healing Light while you're at it.
Aug 4, 2018 9:44 pm
Baracus is none to pleased with his situation. Getting pulled under was bad enough but getting Ybus's fingers up his nose was worse! When he realizes what Ybus poured down his throat (on account of his lungs working again) he declares:

"Too clever by far!"

He cracks his knuckles. Now was the time to finish this.
Aug 5, 2018 1:21 am
On the surface the thunderstorm descends upon the river in full force. The trees sway violently in the gale and the boat bobs crazily in the water. Erden knows he needs to help his friends somehow so they can shelter.
OOC:
Erden is up

ROUND 5 (in progress)

Initiative order and status:
1. Baracus: 34/51hp, 0/3ki. Grappled.
2. Helicoprion: 50 damage.
3. Ybus: 16/23hp.
4. Erden: 26/26hp.

Battlefield Features: 
1. Deep, murky water.
2. A gap in the bamboo trees on the west bank.
3. Raging thunderstorm.
Aug 5, 2018 5:40 am
Erden ducks his head under the water and, if he can spot the monster, will fire a volley of magical owls at the beast!
OOC:
L2 Magic missile!
[ +- ] Stats

Rolls

Magic Missile level 2 - (4d4+4)

(1134) + 4 = 13

Aug 5, 2018 7:36 am
Erden ducks his head underwater but sees no sign of the monster or his friends. He can only hope that Ybus and Baracus have not ended up as fish-food. Up on the surface, with the downpour, the visibility isn't great either except when the lightning flashes. And with the din of the storm calling out would be pointless.

Lightning flashes again, and out of the corner of his eye Erden thinks he saw a figure further up the bank, watching him. But when he looks again there's nothing there.
OOC:
I've ignored the spellcasting as there was no target. You can still take some other action, Erden. Where is Timear right now?

Baracus can go for Round 6.
Aug 5, 2018 7:56 am
Baracus decides his goal of peaceful coexistence with the fish is no longer attainable. Perhaps they can get supper out of it at least, he thinks with a heavy heart.
OOC:
Action to attack (d20=25, dmg=7), bonus action to make unarmed attack with Martial Arts (d20=19, dmg=6).
Last edited August 5, 2018 7:59 am

Rolls

Stab with First Sword - (1d20+7, 1d6+5)

1d20+7 : (18) + 7 = 25

1d6+5 : (2) + 5 = 7

Martial arts attack (disadv b/c water) - (1d20+6, 1d20+6, 1d4+4)

1d20+6 : (20) + 6 = 26

1d20+6 : (13) + 6 = 19

1d4+4 : (2) + 4 = 6

Aug 5, 2018 8:04 am
The monster fish convulses and dies skewered on the First Sword. It appears that Baracus and Ybus can now swim to the surface unchallenged. You know that with so much blood in the water it won't be long until other hungry predators show up. What do you do?
Aug 5, 2018 1:56 pm
Baracus will swim to the surface with the body of the fish in tow and head for the gap in the trees in the western shore. When he gets there he will plunk down the fish's body and announce:

"Anyone hungry?"

He brandishes the first sword like a filet knife.
Last edited August 5, 2018 1:57 pm
Aug 5, 2018 2:59 pm
You are now in a tiny hollow in the trees, with barely enough room with everyone huddled together. There isn't even a spot to plunk a trout down on the muddy ground, let alone the 15-foot helicoprion. You realize that to get a proper camp going you'll need to move inland. And unless you widen the gap to beach the boat you'll have to leave the vessel and trust that the mooring line will hold against the now raging current. As you discuss this there's a loud thud as a floating branch as thick as Baracus' arm smashes against the boat. Luckily it was a glancing hit. If it had been head on or if it had been a bigger piece of debris the boat could've been damaged or lost.
Aug 5, 2018 3:40 pm
OOC:
is it possible to portage the boat inland?
Aug 5, 2018 5:14 pm
"I still say we should have scared Erden by making the fish head appear first," Ybus complains to Baracus, obviously disappointed in the lost opportunity. The halfling seems unperturbed by the amount of water soaking his clothes, though he oddly sways side-to-side as if keeping his balance.

Ybus points his belaying pin at the narrow gap and releases concentrated blasts of energy at the trees to make more space.
Aug 6, 2018 1:22 am
In the mood to indulge Ybus's humour on account of his help against the fish, Baracus slices off the teeth whorl and dangles it in front of Ybus.

"You could stuff this in your pants next time you go to a brothel."
Aug 6, 2018 2:37 am
Ybus' magic turns out to be an effective if inelegant bushwhacking tool. The halfling points his belaying pin at the trees the three of you are scrunched up against and lets loose, showering you with wood chips, mud, and pebbles. Several bamboo trees cut at the base but with no space to topple over, thud upright into the mud. With some effort Baracus is able to push these aside to make room. With this method you are able to clear enough space for the rowboat, which Baracus hoists onto land upside down - and none too soon as the vessel was starting to get waterlogged. Using lengths of bamboo to prop it up you are able to turn the overturned boat into a makeshift shelter. The storm continues unabated as night falls, and the river begins to swell its banks. All throughout you have a feeling that you are being watched.

What now? Do you stay here and risk the river? Do you attempt a fire to cook the fish and keep warm? Or do you strike inland? Either way let's see some survival rolls.
Aug 6, 2018 2:56 am
OOC:
I forgot to answer Len's question. Yes it is possible to portage the boat from this point but with the jungle so dense it will be tough going. When morning arrives or the storm subsides the next question will be whether to continue your journey upriver as planned or to strike inland to the temple ruin.
Aug 6, 2018 3:41 am
Ybus happily takes the tooth whorl as a trophy. "Ain't reckon y'all grow roots out yer toes, huh?" he says, beginning to move inland. "Even if this rain lets up, the river's gonna be so swole it can't wipe its backside." Ybus summons an Unseen Servant to help with clearing a path and a campsite to wait out the storm. Should a suitable place be found, Ybus will gather some firewood together, wet or not, and ignite them with castings of Create Bonfire until the flames persist of their own accord.

Rolls

Survival - (1d20+2)

(5) + 2 = 7

Aug 6, 2018 4:19 am
Baracus cooks the choicest parts of the fish over the fire, and waits for the magic users to flavour it.

"Extra spicy for me."
Last edited August 6, 2018 6:09 am

Rolls

Survival - (1d20+4)

(16) + 4 = 20

Aug 19, 2018 7:18 am
Baracus spends the rest of the evening anchoring the roof over their heads against the wind. The sounds of the rain pelting the boat's hull bring back long forgotten memories from the Qinglai highlands. In the space between the waking world and the dreaming, a melody surfaces from his past.
OOC:
Hey everyone, back from my trip and excited to get back into the jungle!
Aug 21, 2018 9:38 am
You spend the night huddled in your makeshift shelter while the storm rages unabated. The conditions are miserable but you are cheered by each other's company.

The next morning dawns wet but bright. A crisp breeze blows in from the sea and gently sways the trees, sending accumulated rainwater pitter-pattering into the muddy forest floor. The storm has passed, and the day is ripe with opportunity. What do you do?
Aug 21, 2018 4:16 pm
Ybus attempts to tie the whorl around his belaying pin, trying to create an impromptu shark-toothed club. "There be natives that make this kind of thing," he says to no one in particular. Failing to properly secure the whorl, however, Ybus resorts to wrapping the fleshy bit around his neck like a choker.

The halfling spends the next 10 minutes summoning an Unseen Servant, and once conjured he mentally commands it to mimic Erden's every move for the hour.
Aug 21, 2018 5:36 pm
"We must continue to the temple."

Baracus single-handedly carries the boat back to the river.
Aug 26, 2018 12:18 am
In the time left for his spell, Ybus mentally directs the Unseen Servant to assist Baracus in porting the boat. Of course, the height difference makes for a comical attempt... not that anyone notices.

"Afore we do," he says, picking up some broken pieces of bamboo, "we should check the river. Storms tend t' swell 'em up like sailors at sea catching the dawn's first glimpse of a boob." Ybus compares a few pieces, looking to make something out of something.
Aug 26, 2018 2:49 am
Baracus has no idea what Ybus is talking about, but he heeds his advice and gives him space to operate. He makes a sport balancing the boat on his head to pass the time.
Last edited August 26, 2018 2:49 am
Aug 27, 2018 7:15 pm
Ybus does not seem to be checking the river, interested instead in digging into the base of the bamboo grove to look for tender shoots. In the silence, he notices that everybody is waiting for him, so he says, "Just make sure the river's okay to ride on. Lots of rain means lots of water, and riverbeds ain't expand to comp'n'sate."

Rolls

Survival for bamboo shoots - (1d20+2)

(19) + 2 = 21

Aug 27, 2018 8:26 pm
Glad that Ybus knows something about water and boats, Erden nods, "Yes, we'd best be careful or we'll end up somewhere we don't wanna be," he says, trying to break out of the haze he's been in over the past couple of days. Over the course of the journey, Erden uses his magic to create illusions for entertainment as he re-tells the story of the time they were caught between a host of whores intent on killing Ybus (Never wanted to ask why!) and a group of enemy troops just a year into their military service.

Rolls

Survival - (1d20+1)

(13) + 1 = 14

Aug 27, 2018 8:35 pm
Baracus is now on one leg in addition to balancing the boat. He genuinely regards Ybus with surprise as he watches him work so methodically, the way a master works. He ends up losing his balance and stumbling awkwardly into Erden, to whom he turns and says quietly:

When he's serious, he is second to none.
Last edited August 27, 2018 10:22 pm

Rolls

Acrobatics - (1d20+3)

(4) + 3 = 7

Aug 27, 2018 8:42 pm
Ybus claps two pieces of bamboo together as applause during the magical reenactments, giggling hysterically when Erden gets to the juicy bits (both literally and figuratively).

Given time, Ybus will inspect the conditions on the river to assess whether it is safe to traverse.

Rolls

Investigation - (1d20+4)

(1) + 4 = 5

Aug 29, 2018 7:19 pm
Ybus determines it is safe to walk across the water's surface. However, testing his findings proves them inaccurate.

The water level is high and there's lots of debris from the storm but thankfully the river hasn't burst its banks. You pile into the boat and start rowing upstream. Thanks to the strengthened current it's a couple of hours before you glimpse the twin waterfall called The Fangs.

https://st3.depositphotos.com/6310012/17485/i/1600/depositphotos_174855444-stock-photo-double-waterfall-bali-indonesia.jpg

You land the boat on the western bank and prepare for the difficult trek south-west through the deep jungle to the temple of the rat cult.
OOC:
Instead of a boring cut-scene from me or running another combat encounter let's have some vignettes instead. Each of you post a notable, unusual event on this trek. Can be an obstacle overcome, but doesn't have to be. Can be a single encounter or an entire side quest. Go wild. Only one condition: no people - no adventurers, nomads, tribesmen, smugglers, etc. Things left behind by people long ago are fine, but no people in the last few decades.
Aug 29, 2018 7:26 pm
OOC:
Quote:
Survival for bamboo shoots - (1d20+2)
( 19 ) + 2 = 21
You are able to harvest plenty of the tender shoots. Planning to cook them? In the Philippines we make a nice soup with those, together with prawns, seasoned with patis, a fermented fish sauce.
Aug 29, 2018 7:40 pm
OOC:
Lacking extra ingredients, Ybus will likely boil the bamboo shoots a few times before using them to supplement any other dishes the team comes across. Or, in a pinch, serve as additional rations.

But man, if I can find salt and vinegar I'd totally try some adobong labong.

LenInactive for 16 days

Aug 31, 2018 11:18 pm
As the team headed inland, a terrible heat wave descended upon the jungle, making even the most routine tasks a case of suffering. A few days into the hot spell, a dire displacer beast twice the usual size darkened their trail. It played a game of cat and mouse with the adventurers, attacking them from odd angles and through the night, keeping them from resting.

Eventually, Ybus convinced everyone that soaking themselves in the cold mud of the riverbank would mask them from the displacer beast's infrared vision and sense of smell. They laid in wait, covered in mud, and sprang a trap on the monster. Erden and Baracus rigged a swinging log trap, and Ybus lured it into the trap with a foxy lady displacer beast illusion. They chased the creature into the forest and between javelin and magical fire, they took down the fearsome beast.
[ +- ] Gif
Last edited September 1, 2018 5:08 am
Sep 4, 2018 5:32 pm
Traversing through the undergrowth of a steaming jungle, the party fought off blood-sucking insects, tiny poisonous frogs, and the lingering malaise of ennui. So it was that when they discovered the entrance to an ancient temple and faced the prospect of horrible death and destruction from whatever lay within, the entrepid trio leaped at the opportunity.

Pushing their way past the long woody vines that covered the cave entrance, they pressed on through a rain of normal and harmless tarantulas. Erden cautioned the group after noticing a clever trap, where a wall of sharp spikes would lash out when a shaft of sunlight was interrupted. Baracus overcame a bottomless pit by tossing the smaller folk across like a shotput, then taking an easy running leap to clear the obstacle himself.

They found themselves in a large chamber, and upon a stone altar lay a golden idol. However, what looked like an easy approach to treasure was actually guarded by loose stones in the floor; stepping on one would trigger poison darts to fly out of the walls. Instead of carefully figuring out which stones were to be avoided, Ybus sent his Unseen Servant across to retrieve the idol and bring it to his waiting Mage Hand.

The halfling's rash and impulsive act triggered the temple's final trap. The altar, now left without the weight of the idol, sank into the floor and the entire structure began to tremble and shake. Threatened with the possibility of a cave-in, the three reversed course and ran back for the entrance.

Baracus once again tossed Erden and Ybus over the bottomless pit, but nearly fell when the floor shifted underneath him as he jumped. He caught the edge of the chasm, and both gnome and halfling managed to pull him up. A stone door began to sink in an attempt to cut off their escape, but the adventurers managed to roll under just in time; Ybus nearly lost his hat, but quickly snatched it through before the door slammed shut.

Erden remembered the sunlight-triggered trap, but it seemed that Ybus's Unseen Servant did not; its invisible body was impaled and quite deceased, at least in the time it took before its magic dissipated (scholars would forever debate the plausibility of something invisible triggering a trap of light). Ducking through, the party seemed poised to escape with their treasure... until a loud rumble of a huge boulder signaled the arrival of rolling doom. Left with little recourse, the team dashed for their lives. Erden quickly escaped with a timely Misty Step spell, and Baracus's furious defiance of death gave him incredible speed to pick up the small Ybus and outrun the boulder.

However, as Baracus dove for the temple entrance to escape the crushing boulder, Ybus was knocked out of the half-orc's grip by a low overhang. Ybus recovered from the momentary daze just in time to see the boulder upon him, and by sheer luck managed to Eldritch Blast himself away from death and through the entrance.

Unfortunately, the impact was enough to knock the golden idol from Ybus' hand, and the momentum carried it through the air and into the river where it was washed downstream, proving once again that there is nothing the party can possess which fate cannot take away.
Sep 10, 2018 6:54 pm
OOC:
Finally done... :P
As the party continued deeper into the jungle, their ration supply dwindled down to nothing. Beset by hunger, they decided that there was no choice but to risk eating some of the local flora.

Looking about the area, Ybus came back with some odd-looking mushrooms. They were green and blue, with oddly shaped caps. After some poking at them, feeding some to Timear, and smelling them a bit, they could find nothing obviously wrong with them. Deciding to wait on it to see if they could find some sort of meat, the party had found nothing else after another 24 hours, and so decided to take their chances, lest they starve to death.

Upon the first bite, the mushrooms proved to be delicious, and the party, ravenous with hunger, consumed all that they had collected before collapsing into a contented sleep...

It seems like hours later when they wake, feeling refreshed and awake. The day is bright and temperatures are bearable. All traces of hunger are gone as they set out the next day. Looking into the sky when they get to a clearing, there's something strange about it. The moon is still out, but none of them have any issue seeing in the dark in full color as opposed to their normal darkvision.

Confused, but not worried, the band presses on. The night wears on and they begin to hear a strange music coming through the trees. Erden and the others look confusedly at eachother before heading toward the source of the music. As they enter a clearing, they spot a strange creature, huge and colorful. The elephant acts oddly (to say the least) as it prances about the clearing. Fascinated, the party watches quietly as it's joined by others of its kind - some striped, others in plaid.

They quiet suddenly as a weasel in a ringmaster's outfit steps into the clearing with a baton. He looks them over and nods before raising the baton and apparently directs their movements and performance. It's both disturbing and amazing to see, as the huge creatures move gracefully about the clearing. The weasel seems intent on his work, but looks to the party and winks at them at one point.

Eventually the dancing ends and the creatures file out of the clearing. The weasel turns to the party just before leaving, "Ta-ta, my friends, I hope the show was enjoyable," he says, bowing low before leaving.

The party sags in exhaustion now before setting up camp and going to sleep for the night.

When they wake the next morning, their clothing is soiled with excrement and their mouths taste like tree bark and vomit. They can't quite look each other in the eyes as they clean up and pack their things away, setting out once more.

Here you go!
Sep 18, 2018 11:26 am
https://thumbs.dreamstime.com/b/honeycomb-gorge-kennedy-ranges-national-park-western-australia-56238727.jpg

In the heart of this lush jungle is a barren gorge. The reddish rocks that make up its pockmarked walls and floor are littered with rotten, half-eaten animal carcasses, crawling with vermin. It’s the middle of the day, and the stench wafting up is overpowering. There is a conspicuous absence of carrion birds. This gorge is marked on Sashvar's map as The Scar, and sitting in the bottom like a scabrous growth is the ruined temple of the Cult of the Rat. From your vantage point, lying on your stomachs on the lip of the gorge, you see no signs of recent activity. A dozen yards to your right there is an old, wooden ladder leading down but it is so rotten you doubt it’s still serviceable.

What do you do?
Sep 18, 2018 4:06 pm
Nose in the dirt, Ybus's eyes light up. "Look!" he hisses, pointing down at his discovery with the enlightenment of a plan in formation.

He reaches forward and picks up a reddish rock. "This will be perfect for my collection," he says, pocketing the stone and returning to his prone position before looking at Erden and Baracus.

"What?"
Sep 18, 2018 4:24 pm
Erden just smiles and shakes his head, having long ago given up on trying to understand Ybus' eccentricities. He begins looking around the area to see if there's a good way to get down or anything that can serve as an anchor to lower a rope down.
OOC:
Questions!

1. How deep is the gorge?
2. Are there any rocks, plants, etc to tie a rope off to so we can climb safely down?

Rolls

Perception - (1d20+1)

(15) + 1 = 16

Sep 18, 2018 6:30 pm
OOC:
1. Depth is roughly 120ft. I may be using the word "gorge" incorrectly. It's a fissure in the earth, barren despite the lush jungle surrounding it.
2. There is an abundance of handholds, and anchor points for rope.
3. You are going to be pretty exposed however you decide to descend.
4. There are no apparent threats. Yet.

Everyone gimme 3 straight d20 rolls, then tell me what you'd like to do.
Sep 19, 2018 5:38 am
Baracus examines some of the dead animals to understand better what killed them and what has been eating them. Then he sets himself to the task of descending the stone walls of the gorge. He doesn't like how exposed the rock face is. He, of course, will be fine, but he worries for his more fragile comrades. He waits for them to secure whatever preparations for their decent and then leads the decent, climbing freehand.

Rolls

Three d20s - (3d20)

(839) = 20

Sep 19, 2018 6:10 am
Ybus peeks over the edge again. "I think I have just enough rope," he says, obviously miscalculating the distance. Nonetheless, he brings out 100 feet of rope from his pack and ties the two ends together with a secure sailor's hitch.

He unties the knot when he realizes he connected a 50-foot coil to itself. Trying again, Ybus attempts to connect the two coils the proper way.

Rolls

d20 x3 - (1d20, 1d20, 1d20)

1d20 : (14) = 14

1d20 : (7) = 7

1d20 : (19) = 19

Sep 19, 2018 1:03 pm
Erden assists Ybus with attaching the ropes to one another and tying it off, "We'll be down soon," he calls to Baracus as the half-orc begins his descent into the gorge, "Stay safe!"

Rolls

d20 1 - (1d20)

(11) = 11

d20 2 - (1d20)

(8) = 8

d20 3 - (1d20)

(6) = 6

Sep 20, 2018 4:44 pm
Ybus considers the relative sizes of everyone. "Should I make him invisible?" he asks Erden, pointing to Baracus. "Nah, he blends into the vegetation, I guess." He continues working with the rope upon the bare ground.
Sep 23, 2018 2:28 pm
Baracus: The carcasses are in such bad shape there's no telling whether these creatures were slain here or if some predator killed them elsewhere before dragging them here to feed upon them. One thing is apparent: whether or not it was what killed them, these creatures clearly suffered from one disease or another, as evidenced by the blighted, pustulent flesh. At present the rotting flesh is being feasted on by swarms of diseased rats that hiss and snap at you as you climb past.

As you descend, you are eventually able to pick out a familiar sound above the rats' squeaking and scrabbling: sussurations identical to those made by the gibbering mass you fought in the sewers lap at the fringes of your consciousness, except this time the malevolent murmuring seems less intent on driving you mad and more bent on coaxing you deeper and deeper into the gorge, closer and closer to the temple.

When you finally reach the bottom you become aware of a low thrumming. It's definitely coming from within the temple ruin, beyond the dark, crumbling doorway before which you now stand.

What do you do?
Sep 23, 2018 5:54 pm
Ybus says, "I guess someone's home," as he allows Erden to climb down the rope first. He casts Unseen Servant to remain at the top and when Ybus reaches the midway point, he anchors the second rope to the cliff face before mentally commanding the servant to untie the first and bring that down, where they may secure it for the final descent. In this manner, Ybus tries to navigate the 120 feet distance with only 100 feet of rope.

Once down, Ybus coils the rope to store in his pack, and whatever time left in his spell is used to command the servant to sweep the path as he walks towards the temple.
OOC:
Hoping to ritual cast Unseen Servant, but if pressed for time Ybus will spend a spell slot.
Sep 25, 2018 6:18 pm
Erden takes his time climbing down the rope, having never been good at the more athletic activities. When he reaches the bottom, he lets out a sigh of relief.

LenInactive for 16 days

Sep 26, 2018 12:40 am
Baracus waits for the invisible sweeper to finish. Then, he brandishes the first sword and heads to the entrance. He looks at the others.

"Rydler would look for traps, if he were here. What do you think?"

He gives it a once-over himself.
Last edited September 26, 2018 12:41 am

Rolls

Perception - (1d20+2)

(20) + 2 = 22

Sep 26, 2018 12:54 am
"I think he would look for traps," says Ybus, and waits patiently for Rydler to do just that.
Sep 26, 2018 2:05 pm
The doorway to the ruin stands gaping at you like a toothless maw. Baracus stares into its gullet but doesn't see anything untoward. Ybus' unseen servitor doesn't trigger any traps, and there don't appear to be guardians of any sort. The thrumming continues, and so does the gibbering. It raises the hairs on the backs of your necks but unlike down in the Pradeshi sewers the madness does not come for you. A loose pebble comes tumbling down the gorge but it's probably just the rat swarms gone back to their feasting.

Suddenly, a scream rends the air, floating up from the bowels of the temple. It is the sound of ultimate suffering. The sound your heart would make if a six-fingered man killed your father. The sound a man might make on a nightmarish torture-machine. What do you do?
Sep 26, 2018 2:22 pm
Baracus will take the lead, his dark vision turning the world to shades of gray as he steps into the dark entrance.
Sep 26, 2018 2:27 pm
Erden follows right behind Baracus, eyes sweeping back and forth. He has a bad feeling about this place...
Sep 26, 2018 3:50 pm
Ybus follows from behind, casting Light upon the helicoprion tooth whorl around his neck.
Oct 3, 2018 7:19 pm
You step through the temple door. In here, the floor is completely covered in a living carpet of filthy, disease-ridden rats which scurry away, but only as far as the edge of Ybus' light. The air is heavy with the stench of decay and rat piss. Down a short entry hall, you find yourselves in a squarish room, about eight paces across. On the wall before you is a mural, faded beyond any hope of recognition. There is nothing else of note here other than the four rough stone pillars that support the ceiling. Through a doorway in the wall to your left you glimpse stairs leading up. On the opposite wall, through an identical doorway, stairs descends into darkness. The thrumming sound seems to be coming from down there.
Oct 3, 2018 7:42 pm
Ybus giggles and moves back and forth, eager to see if the carpet of rats shifts along with the movement of his Light spell.
Oct 3, 2018 8:03 pm
OOC:
How tall is the temple (from the outside)? I want to know how far the stairs might extend up
Oct 3, 2018 8:20 pm
The rats do indeed shift along with Ybus' every movement.
OOC:
The temple's facade is about 25ft tall but the temple is carved out of the chasm wall. The stairs could potentially go all the way up to the top, 120ft up.
Oct 4, 2018 12:15 am
"Enough! We are in a temple; show some respect."

Evil or not, this was a divine place. (although Baracus secretly wonders what would happen if you cast Light on one of the rats...).

He bends down and places an offering - a days' worth of rations - on the flat of the blade of the axe of his father, loyal servant of Gruumsh. He says a few words in Orc to properly convey his awe of the sea of rats and then extends the blade into the shadows.

He rises once he has noted the rats' reaction, and points with the axe to stairs leading down.

"I want to know what makes that noise"
Last edited October 4, 2018 1:16 am
Oct 4, 2018 12:27 am
"Is a temple still a temple if nobody's around to hear it?" says Ybus, secretly wondering why he didn't think of trying to cast Light upon a rat. He heads for the stairs leading down.
Oct 4, 2018 1:18 am
"As good a choice as any," Erden says, following along and humming a low tune to drown out the sound of rats scurrying across the floor.
Oct 5, 2018 8:34 am
The ravenous rats swarm over Baracus' offering, and the food is gone in moments. The vermin seem emboldened after that, edging a little closer, regarding you hungrily. A few brave ones nip at Erden's heels before they are kicked away.

You take the south door and descend the stairs deep into the rock. When you reach the bottom, the narrow passage doubles back north and leads to another rat-infested chamber. Broken pottery crunches underfoot here. In the far wall is an archway flanked by glazed jars as tall as Baracus. Similar jars stand in alcoves that line the short passage beyond. The constant thrumming is interrupted by the crash of breaking pottery, followed by an agonized scream like the one you heard earlier, then a strange buzzing that sets your teeth on edge. The sounds come from your right, where another archway offers a glimpse of a well or font of some sort in the room beyond.
OOC:
Judging by the sounds, whatever is going on is not in the next room but much further in.
Oct 5, 2018 3:35 pm
"This is supposed to be a rat cult, right?" Ybus asks. "That's what you said?"
Oct 5, 2018 5:25 pm
"Sounds like they take their worship seriously..." Erden says, shaking a too-brave rat off of the bottom of his robes with distaste, "Right behind you, Baracus."
Oct 5, 2018 6:01 pm
"Correct."

Baracus will move toward the archway to the right, the one with the well and the scream. With the light around them, he feels stealth is useless so he calls out to the screamer.

"You who scream in the dark: come out. We are here for the rat worshipers."
Oct 5, 2018 6:14 pm
"Very convincing," says Ybus, with genuine praise.
Oct 8, 2018 7:41 am
Baracus: You turn east toward the sounds. By the light of Ybus' spell you see a circular room with a pit or well in the center. Apart from the one you are standing in, three other passages lead away from here. To the north and south are stairs leading a short distance up. East no doubt leads to the temple's main hall. From that direction flickering, bluish light seems to emanate. You call out, but there is no response. There is only the constant thrumming accompanied by a faint, erratic buzzing.

Ybus: As you move your light about, you note a glint in the gaps between flagstones (where the rats are not obscuring). The floor appears to be inlaid with copper. But not for aesthetic reasons (there is no artistry at all in the patterns), and the inlays appear to be a recent addition to this otherwise ancient structure.

Erden: A spark in the north hall catches your eye, forcing you to give the hall of jars a second look. You notice something rather odd: from the top of each jar stick out two metal rods. As you look, a ghostly spark crawls up a pair of rods before dissipating.
Oct 8, 2018 2:25 pm
OOC:
Forgot that Baracus has darkvision. A few more details incoming.
Oct 8, 2018 3:35 pm
Baracus: Your orcish sight allows you a glimpse of more of this temple's secrets. Evenly spaced along the circumference of the well room are four metal statues depicting horribly disfigured individuals. In addition to two of them having rat heads, all appear to be afflicted with some disease or other, riddled with boils or weeping sores of some unknown pox, or stand on twisted limbs. The stench here is unbelievable, and it's concentrated in the well.

Though you retch and your eyes begin to water, you see that the stairs to north and south only go up half a dozen steps before reaching a landing. More jars line the walls up there.

You glimpse the columned main hall beyond the low east passage. You'll have to get closer to see more.
Oct 8, 2018 3:35 pm
OOC:
Baracus and anyone who has stepped into the well room, make a DC 12 CON save or take poison damage.

Rolls

Poison damage - (1d4)

(4) = 4

Oct 8, 2018 4:23 pm
Ybus gags and holds his nose. "Geez, B.A, what did you eat?"

Rolls

CON save, Advantage from Halfling Stout Resilience - (1d20, 1d20)

1d20 : (14) = 14

1d20 : (13) = 13

Oct 8, 2018 4:26 pm
OOC:
Con Save!

Rolls

Con save - (1d20+2)

(17) + 2 = 19

Oct 8, 2018 11:00 pm
Baracus steadies himself as the poison enters his bloodstream, but he is not prepared for its intensity.
Last edited October 8, 2018 11:01 pm

Rolls

Con save - (1d20+6)

(2) + 6 = 8

Oct 9, 2018 3:09 am
Being nearest the well, Baracus is most affected by the vapors billowing from it. You all know you need to move or it will only get worse.

What now? Up one of the stairs? Push onward east? Or turn back?
Oct 11, 2018 1:26 am
Never one to back down from a challenge, Baracus presses forward further east! He'll try to glimpse down the well as they pass it.

"This stench is as strong a barrier as a stone wall. Can't one of you banish it with magic?"
Oct 11, 2018 3:09 am
Ybus follows Baracus. "Ain't got nothing that can save you from the smell of Davey Jones' toe jams."
Oct 11, 2018 4:14 am
Baracus's eye is twitching from the assault on his olfactory senses. Through gritted teeth, he spits out:

"Why must you always talk in nonsense! "
Oct 11, 2018 4:37 am
"I'm proficient in it," says Ybus.
Oct 11, 2018 1:51 pm
"It's his only redeeming feature," Erden says distractedly as he keeps an eye out for any danger from rat-cultists.

Rolls

Perception - (1d20+1)

(14) + 1 = 15

Oct 14, 2018 6:48 pm
Peering down into the well, Baracus sees that it is filled with some unknown liquid that smells like a mixture of vomit, rotten meat, and a badly festered wound.

Music

The east passage opens up into a columned hall about 30ft wide. As you cross the threshold you come upon the dead body of a rat cultist. Half a body, actually, as everything below the tattered flesh below the man's navel appears to have been chewed off. You recognize this cultist as one of Sardo Numspa's lackeys, the one with the mismatched eyes. Those eyes now stare lifelessly out of the man's agonized face.

On a dais at the far end, 50ft away, stands a large, ring-shaped structure. Glowing runes etches into its metal surface are the source of both the bluish light you have been seeing, as well as the thrumming you have been hearing. Inside the ring is a swirl of dark clouds punctuated by flashes of what could be lightning. Erden and Ybus can both tell this thing is a portal of some sort. Lining this chamber's walls and littered about its floor are more of the huge jars. Sparks dance up their metal spikes and race through the network of floor inlays towards the portal, as if it's drawing some sort of energy from whatever is in the jars.

That question of what the jars contain is answered when you hear a loud crash to your left. Stepping out of the shadow of a column is a creature of nightmare. A cloud of flies buzzes about the diseased flesh hanging in uneven lumps from its body, which resembles a bear, or a great ape. For a head, it has the skull of an immense rodent. This matches Sashvar's description of Aplu, the Avrunan rat god of pestilence. It has just toppled one of the jars and begun feeding on the unconscious rat cultist that has spilled from it. The woman regains consciousness just in time to scream before the monster rips her to bloody shreds.

The creature has either not noticed you yet, or doesn't care. What do you do?
OOC:
If you decide to fight it, you have surprise.
Oct 14, 2018 11:31 pm
Disgusted by the creature and its barbaric actions, Erden weaves a spell of fire. When it finishes, three rays of scorching energy zoom towards the monster.
[ +- ] Scorching Ray
[ +- ] Stats
Last edited October 14, 2018 11:32 pm

Rolls

Scorching Ray 1 - (1d20+6, 2d6)

1d20+6 : (16) + 6 = 22

2d6 : (33) = 6

Scorching Ray 2 - (1d20+6, 2d6)

1d20+6 : (8) + 6 = 14

2d6 : (44) = 8

Scorching Ray 3 - (1d20+6, 2d6)

1d20+6 : (5) + 6 = 11

2d6 : (61) = 7

Oct 15, 2018 6:53 am
"Are we fighting a god? I love fighting gods!" Ybus says with glee, maneuvering to the side to attack from a different angle. He launches a bright beam of energy at the rat god.

Rolls

Eldritch Blast, Force Damage - (1d20+5, 1d10)

1d20+5 : (6) + 5 = 11

1d10 : (1) = 1

Oct 15, 2018 12:32 pm
Baracus hesitates out of concern for the smaller folk, but snorts in laughter after they lead the charge. They have the true heart of a warrior, regardless of their size.

As their magic spells light up the dark chamber, Baracus charges down the middle, leaps into the air and brings the First Sword down on the God's back.

"WITNESS!"
OOC:
Bonus action: Rage!
Action: charge and attack with the First Sword
[ +- ] Stats

Rolls

Initiative - (1d20+3)

(3) + 3 = 6

Attack with First Sword - (1d20+7, 1d6+7)

1d20+7 : (12) + 7 = 19

1d6+7 : (1) + 7 = 8

Oct 16, 2018 3:11 pm
[ +- ] Map
Music

Erden's first fire beam sizzles Apul's diseased flesh, but the monstrous deity seems to just shake it off. The last two beams, as well as Ybus' crackling bolt, miss the rat god but smash against the fuel jars, dumping several slumbering cultists unceremoniously onto the floor. The portal flickers as it begins to lose power. What dark power could have suborned this cult and modified this temple to suit their own purpose?

The Rat God tosses aside the half-devoured cultist, throws back its skeletal head, and roars just as Baracus buries the First Sword in its back. In response to their lord, the diseased rats swarm towards the adventurers.

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/0d/b4/a1/0db4a15e0ad99c9bca6ad99015221c4e.jpg
OOC:

Cloud of Vermin. Any creature that starts its turn within 20 feet of the Rat God must make a DC 11 Constitution saving throw. On a failure, the creature takes 1d4 piercing damage from the cloud of disease-carrying flies buzzing about its body.

Rolls

Rat God initiative - (1d20+3)

(20) + 3 = 23

Oct 16, 2018 3:23 pm
OOC:
Initiative!

Rolls

Initiative - (1d20+6)

(19) + 6 = 25

Oct 16, 2018 4:48 pm
Ybus nods, content. "That showed 'im," he chortles.

Rolls

Initiative - (1d20+1)

(15) + 1 = 16

Oct 16, 2018 4:51 pm
OOC:
Initiative order:
25 Erden
23 Aplu, Rat God of Pestilence
18 Urban
16 Ybus
6 Baracus
0 Plague Rats

Go, Erden!
Oct 17, 2018 8:06 am
Urban, still distracted, tries to impose some discipline on himself and get his head in the game.

Readying the Captain's Shield, he prepares to charge against the beast.
OOC:
Yo, fellas. DM Jabes.
I hope this is appropriate, was a little unsure of the cosmetics to frame out the absence - but hey, will work on it.
Initiative
OOC:
Sending rolls now to be applied as needed - likely unable to get on again until late tonight or tomorrow.
Move: Charge to Rat God
Action: Attack with shield
Bonus Action: Thunderous Smite. STR DC 13.
[ +- ] Thunderous Smite
OOC:
edit: failed to add Attack bonus +7. Total Attack 23.
Last edited October 17, 2018 8:25 am

Rolls

Initiative - (1d20+1)

(17) + 1 = 18

Attack, shield - (1d20)

(16) = 16

Damage - (1d4+7)

(3) + 7 = 10

Thunderous Smite Damage - (2d6)

(52) = 7

Oct 17, 2018 1:03 pm
Erden takes a deep breath, glad that Urban had snapped out of his strange distractedness, and fires a trio of magical owls at the Rat God.
[ +- ] Stats

Rolls

Magic Missile - (1d4+1, 1d4+1, 1d4+1)

1d4+1 : (1) + 1 = 2

1d4+1 : (2) + 1 = 3

1d4+1 : (4) + 1 = 5

Oct 17, 2018 2:56 pm
Music

Erden's arcane owls lance into the rat god's diseased flash. Apul's eyes, malevolent red orbs in the dark sockets of its skeletal face, gaze upon you with pure hatred. It roars once more before savagely raking its claws across Baracus' chest (18 slashing damage before DR). The monster tries to bite the half-orc's head off, but Urban slams into its flank with the Captain's Shield with such force it is thrown violently to the ground, towards the foot of the dais.
OOC:
Ybus and Baracus are up!

Initiative Order & Status:
Erden: 26/26hp
Aplu, Rat God of Pestilence: 38 damage taken.
Urban: 44/44hp
Ybus: 23/23hp
Baracus: 42/51hp, Raging
Plague Rats

Rolls

Bite vs. Baracus AC 17, piercing damage - (1d20+7, 1d10+5)

1d20+7 : (7) + 7 = 14

1d10+5 : (7) + 5 = 12

Claws vs. Baracus AC 17, slashing damage - (1d20+7, 2d8+5)

1d20+7 : (18) + 7 = 25

2d8+5 : (76) + 5 = 18

STR save vs. Smite push (DC 13) - (1d20+4)

(8) + 4 = 12

Oct 17, 2018 6:08 pm
Hearing the skittering patter of little diseased feet, Ybus turns and points his belaying pin down the hallway the plague rats are coming from. "I summon the power of her aberrant servant, Barbie Q!" shouts Ybus, weaving a spell.

The apparition of an abnormally shaped young woman with long combed blonde hair dances into existence. Her feet touch the floor and she explodes into a raging bonfire that blocks the path.
OOC:
Casting Create Bonfire, placing it at a far chokepoint beyond the corridors with the vats. Hopefully this buys us time from the swarm of plague rats, or cooks some of them medium-rare.
[ +- ] Create Bonfire
[ +- ] [url=https://gamersplane.com/characters/dnd5/6546/

Rolls

Fire Damage on failed DEX save DC 13 - (1d8)

(4) = 4

Oct 18, 2018 2:13 pm
The Rat God's claws leave burning lines across Baracus chest. Baracus snarls loudly at the flies buzzing around the Rat God, chasing them from his presence.

He laughs a horrible, gutteral laugh. In Orcish he yells:

"Oh great Lord of Pestilence! Return at once to the Hells where you belong!"

He ducks under the God's swing and goes to town on his divine underbelly.
OOC:
Action: attack with First sword
Bonus action: Flurry of blows
[ +- ] Stats
Last edited October 18, 2018 2:47 pm

Rolls

Con save DC 11 - (1d20+6)

(7) + 6 = 13

Attack with First sword - (1d20+7, 1d6+7)

1d20+7 : (15) + 7 = 22

1d6+7 : (3) + 7 = 10

Fist - (1d20+6, 1d4+6)

1d20+6 : (9) + 6 = 15

1d4+6 : (4) + 6 = 10

Fist - (1d20+6, 1d4+6)

1d20+6 : (13) + 6 = 19

1d4+6 : (2) + 6 = 8

DMJInactive for 28 days

Oct 18, 2018 5:19 pm
OOC:
Jabes, can Barracus Attack at Advantage?
Rat God has Prone condition from failed Save vs. Thunderous Smite.

LenInactive for 16 days

Oct 18, 2018 5:29 pm
OOC:
Whoop whoop, throwing in 3 more d20s in the event that is approved by our glorious leader. Here are the new results; spoiler alert: only the second attack roll improved and only by 1 (highlighted in green).
[ +- ] results
Good to have you back, DMJ!

Last edited October 18, 2018 5:44 pm

Rolls

Advantage dice - (1d20, 1d20, 1d20)

1d20 : (1) = 1

1d20 : (10) = 10

1d20 : (7) = 7

Oct 18, 2018 5:40 pm
OOC:
That's right, Baracus has advantage for prone target. Second set of rolls do not change the outcome, however: it's still hit, miss, hit. Will post plague rats' turn tomorrow. Speaking of which, I want to clarify: plague rats are EVERYWHERE so Ybus' bonfire will not block them (well, not all of them), but will almost certainly harm them.

That's it for now. Gotta go sleep. I know Naatkinson is offline til Sunday, too..
Oct 18, 2018 6:00 pm
OOC:
Darn, I thought the Rat God chamber was free of the tiny cousins. Oh well, it would still be in Ybus' purview to (in)conveniently believe such.
Oct 19, 2018 1:47 am
OOC:
DM, after watching the development of the round, requesting to continue with some same-round Action...
Bonus Action: Attempt Grapple on Rat God
(based on Tavern Brawler Feat)
[ +- ] Tavern Brawler Bonus Action Potential
Seeing the wretched man-beast knocked to the floor, Urban keeps up the pressure. He grapples with the fiend, trying to pin him down to the floor and deny him mobility.

Rolls

Grapple Attempt - (1d20+9)

(6) + 9 = 15

Oct 19, 2018 2:16 am
[ +- ] Map
Battle Music

Ybus' conjures a flaming puppet to block the west passage. Screeches of dying vermin echo around the crumbling halls, and the smell of burning rat flesh adds to the already vomitous stench filling your lungs. But there are just too many of the diseased beasts! They swarm around you, clawing and biting! Erden takes 9 piercing damage, and Urban takes 6 before DR.

Urban and Baracus rush the downed rat god. The paladin tries and fails to pin the hulk to the ground, but creates enough of an opening for the half-orc to land a crushing punch to the monster's skull-head, and pierce its thigh with a deft thrust of the First Sword.

Rolls

Rat God's grapple resist vs.15 - (1d20+4)

(14) + 4 = 18

Plague Rats DEX save (DC 13) - (1d20)

(8) = 8

Plague Rats vs. Erden AC 12, piercing damage - (1d20+2, 2d6)

1d20+2 : (10) + 2 = 12

2d6 : (54) = 9

Plague Rats vs. Urban AC 18, piercing damage - (1d20+2, 2d6)

1d20+2 : (14) + 2 = 16

2d6 : (16) = 7

Plague Rats vs. Ybus AC 12, piercing damage - (1d20+2, 2d6)

1d20+2 : (2) + 2 = 4

2d6 : (65) = 11

Plague Rats vs. Baracus AC 17, piercing damage - (1d20+2, 2d6)

1d20+2 : (15) + 2 = 17

2d6 : (51) = 6

Oct 21, 2018 7:21 pm
Some of the cultists, freed from their jars, begin to stir. Groaning and wild-eyed, some rise to their knees, slick with whatever foul mixture they were immersed in to effect the strange alchemy powering the portal. The glowing ring begins to spin - slowly, but gaining speed - and the space in its center begins to pulse with the dark energies being channeled into it from the jars.
OOC:
Erden's turn!

Initiative Order & Status:
Erden: 17/26hp.
Aplu, Rat God of Pestilence: 52 damage taken.
Urban: 44/44hp.
Ybus: 23/23hp.
Baracus: 39/51hp, Raging.
Plague Rats: 4 damage taken.
Oct 22, 2018 10:10 pm
As the rats begin to bite and claw him, Erden calls upon latent magic he keeps just under his skin to repel the bites. In return, he begins grabbing rats and sending jolting surges of electricity through them to kill them.
[ +- ] Stats
[ +- ] Arcane Deflection
[ +- ] Shocking Grasp

Rolls

Shocking Grasp - (1d20+6, 1d8)

1d20+6 : (7) + 6 = 13

1d8 : (3) = 3

Oct 26, 2018 12:13 pm
OOC:
Hit negated. Erden remains unhurt.
Erden's magical wards spare him from the vicious rats. Lightning surges from him, turning several of the filthy little beasts into charred corpses. It also races up the circuitry and feeds into the portal, which flickers violently.

The awakened cultists, seeing their god embattled, stumble forward. Some seem intent on attacking the human and the half-orc, others fall to their knees spouting prayers and hexes, but many, overcome with fear, simply collapse to the floor and wail incoherently.
OOC:
Everyone give me a CON save.
Additionally, Baracus and Urban give me Athletics checks at possible disadvantage.
I will posts the Rat God's action when your rolls are in.

Initiative Order & Status:
Erden: 26/26hp.
Aplu, Rat God of Pestilence: 52 damage taken. Prone.
Urban: 44/44hp.
Ybus: 23/23hp.
Baracus: 39/51hp, Raging.
Plague Rats: 7 damage taken.

Rolls

Rat God Athletics - (1d20+8)

(5) + 8 = 13

Rat God Athletics - (1d20+8)

(16) + 8 = 24

Necrotic damage - (4d6)

(1453) = 13

Oct 26, 2018 1:09 pm
OOC:
Con save

Rolls

Con save - (1d20+2)

(5) + 2 = 7

Oct 26, 2018 1:36 pm
Any god that does this to its followers is beneath my respect!

Rolls

Con save - (1d20+6)

(20) + 6 = 26

Athletics - (1d20+6)

(5) + 6 = 11

Possible disadvantage - (1d20+6)

(11) + 6 = 17

Oct 26, 2018 4:36 pm
OOC:
Con save

Rolls

CON Save - (1d20)

(13) = 13

DMJInactive for 28 days

Oct 27, 2018 11:23 pm
Urban tries to endure the oppressive wave of evil.
OOC:
one of my rolls didn’t load the first time.
Last edited October 28, 2018 12:28 am

Rolls

CON Save - (1d20+4)

(18) + 4 = 22

Athletics Check possible Disadvantage - (1d20+9)

(1) + 9 = 10

Athletics check - (1d20+9)

(19) + 9 = 28

Oct 28, 2018 2:43 pm
Battle Music

The Rat God rears up and roars once more, and a wave of pestilence washes over the entire hall. The cultists sprout black tumors and collapse, writhing on the floor in agony, leaking blood and excrement from every orifice, slain by their terrible god.

Aplu swipes at Baracus savagely, knocking him back into a bank of jars, shattering the lot. The rat god then grabs Urban and hurls him right through the portal! With less and less energy being channeled into it as the rat god continues to wreak havoc on its power banks, the infernal machine begins to shudder and whine. The portal begins to close!
OOC:
Stand by, Urban.
Your turn, Ybus and Baracus!

Oops, I honestly thought I gave you the DC for those CON saves! Predictably, the big boys make it while Erden and Ybus fail (though Erden's cigar might save him here).

Summary of Action (rolls are attached to my previous post):
• Bringer of Plagues: Erden & Ybus take 13 necrotic damage, and are Poisoned (and see below). Concentration check please, Ybus.
• Shove vs. Baracus: 13 vs. 11: Rat God wins.
• Shove vs. Urban: 24 vs. 10: Rat God wins.
[ +- ] Bringer of Plagues
Initiative Order & Status:
Erden: 13/26hp.
Aplu, Rat God of Pestilence: 52 damage taken.
Urban: 44/44hp.
Ybus: 10/23hp.
Baracus: 39/51hp, Raging.
Plague Rats: 7 damage taken.

Rolls

Recharge? - (1d6)

Oct 28, 2018 5:39 pm
Urban tumbles through the void, flung through the planes like a leaf in a hurricane. As the paladin plummets in a dizzying spiral, falling through the cracks between realities, he glimpses an array of visions familiar and bizarre. By sheer force of will he clings to his sanity by seeking a pattern to the madness. Out of the chaos he singles out:

• Aishwarya standing at the prow of a ship. Urban cannot tell if it is the Kestrel or not...

• A tribe of tattooed warriors with the heads, hooves, and tails of majestic horses locked in a desperate battle against a horde of goat-headed cultists. Over the battleground hovers a round portal etched with strange, glowing symbols...

• A ritual on the lip of a volcano. A man dressed in jaguar pelts, his head adorned with a headdress of condor feathers, approaches a stone altar upon which lies a human sacrifice. With an obsidian blade, the priest carves a sigil of pain into the chained man's forehead before draining his blood into a stone trough. Above the altar, a round portal begins to glow...

• In the shadow of a great obelisk, slaves quake in abject fear as they prostrate themselves before a colossal statue of a crocodile-headed god. In one hand he holds a chain. In the other, a many-tailed whip. At his feet, standing before a round portal, an arch-priest dressed in the manner of Hiptos raises his hands...

• The Pradeshi sewers. The turtle monks have returned to the tunnel crossing where you fought the slimes. In the unexplored north chamber they discover an inert portal connected to a small jar just large enough to house a child...
Oct 28, 2018 9:18 pm
Urban's body and mind is stretched to breaking point. He fights desperately to keep from losing his mind in the sensory assault.

Unsure if he can even move, unsure if he even has a bodily form any longer, Urban tries to focus his thoughts and his motion. He tries to get to an anchor, a place where he can stabilize and regain himself somehow.
OOC:
Cool scene, DM Jabes. Pretty crazy! I'm up for rolling with whatever it is - high stakes or low stakes. Let me know what Urban might discern to attempt. At this point, I don't think he can even see the jungle cave location with his companions and the rat god!

He would currently be wondering: Could these openings take me to these places pictured? If so, must I choose to go there to avoid being torn apart here?!

Rolls

Insight Check (desperate discernment!) - (1d20)

(10) = 10

Oct 28, 2018 11:13 pm
Baracus looks up to late to help his friend as Urban is hurled through the portal.

Baracus is lost, consumed in a raging inferno of hatred.

ROOOAR!!!

He charges directly for that steaming piece of shit, dodges a whiplashing tail strike, and clamps on to the fucker with all his god-damned might. He draws upon all his inner strength and pulls the doomed God toward the portal.
OOC:
Action: Grapple the Rat God.
If successful on the grapple, I'll use a nonus action and 1 Ki point for step of the wind. Brings my speed to 80.
Move: However far I need to close the distance to grapple, and then move him toward the portal. If possible, I'll put him half inside the portal and half outside, and the keep moving to slice it's body in half along the edge of the portal
Last edited October 28, 2018 11:15 pm

Rolls

Grapple with advantage from rage - (1d20+6, 1d20+6)

1d20+6 : (10) + 6 = 16

1d20+6 : (9) + 6 = 15

DMJInactive for 28 days

Oct 29, 2018 12:34 am
lenpelletier says:
OOC:
... If possible, I'll put him half inside the portal and half outside, and the keep moving to slice it's body in half along the edge of the portal
OOC:
Sounds awesome. Like this maybe?
Oct 29, 2018 2:55 am
With a true feat of strength, Baracus wrestles the hulking god up the ramp and grinds its skeletal face against the portal's spinning metal ring. Aplu thrashes about, but Baracus has him held fast.

Rolls

Rat God's grapple resist vs.16 - (1d20+8)

(3) + 8 = 11

Raging monk damage - (1d4+6)

(2) + 6 = 8

Oct 29, 2018 6:32 am
The spinning rings begin to falter, and the portal slowly begins to close. If it shuts completely, it may sever both the rat god's neck and Baracus' arm. And Urban would be lost!

Urban: The images dissolve and reform. Now you can no longer see Aishwarya, but you do see your friends doing battle with the rat god. That portal is fading fast! A conviction grows in you that you can make your way to any of the portals you choose. But even as you sense this, you become aware of a new presence, an evil that chills your blood. A malevolence that feeds on energy siphoned through the portals. It blocks your path back to your friends. That way is closed.
OOC:
Still Ybus' turn.
Oct 29, 2018 12:18 pm
Jabes.plays.RPG sent a note to DMJ

DMJInactive for 28 days

Oct 29, 2018 1:26 pm
DMJ sent a note to Jabes.plays.RPG
Oct 29, 2018 2:10 pm
Jabes.plays.RPG sent a note to DMJ
Oct 29, 2018 4:39 pm
OOC:
I'm assuming that while the cultists were slain, the rats are still around and in melee?
Not paying attention the large rat god and its dance with Baracus, Ybus maintains his concentration on the bonfire while sweeping sweeps his spear at the plague rats that surround them.

As he sweeps, Ybus hums an grooving song, sending a warm loving light upon Erden.
OOC:
I think I failed the concentration check, so I've amended my post
[ +- ] [url=https://gamersplane.com/characters/dnd5/6546/
Last edited October 29, 2018 4:41 pm

Rolls

Two-Handed Spear, Piercing Damage - (1d20+4, 1d8+2)

1d20+4 : (16) + 4 = 20

1d8+2 : (1) + 2 = 3

Healing Light HP for Erden - (2d6)

(42) = 6

Concentration check! - (1d20)

(12) = 12

Oct 29, 2018 7:10 pm
OOC:
Reminder: Those affected by Bringer of Plagues (currently Ybus and Erden) are Poisoned, and therefore have Disadvantage on Attack Rolls and Ability Checks. Also, healing spells targeting affected creatures are only half as effective: Erden gains 3 HP from Ybus' spell.
[ +- ] Bringer of Plagues
Oct 29, 2018 7:12 pm
OOC:
Sorry, forgot about that condition!

Rolls

Disadvantage from Poisoned Condition - (1d20+4)

(11) + 4 = 15

Oct 29, 2018 7:20 pm
OOC:
No worries! I'll try to have the next post up within the hour.

Rolls

Plague Rats vs. Erden AC 12, piercing damage - (1d20+2, 2d6)

1d20+2 : (14) + 2 = 16

2d6 : (22) = 4

Plague Rats vs. Ybus AC 12, piercing damage - (1d20+2, 2d6)

1d20+2 : (5) + 2 = 7

2d6 : (15) = 6

Plague Rats vs. Baracus AC 17, piercing damage - (1d20+2, 2d6)

1d20+2 : (17) + 2 = 19

2d6 : (11) = 2

Oct 29, 2018 9:24 pm
Battle Music

The Plague Rats continue to surge around everyone, clawing and biting. (see rolls above)

Ybus sweeps his spear around him. The movement feels awkward, weakened as he is by the plague running through his veins, but there are so many rats it's difficult to miss (3 piercing damage). His song washes over Erden, and the gnome gets his love despite the blight afflicting all but Baracus now (Erden regains 3hp). As the infection takes hold of him, making it difficult to concentrate, Ybus' bonfire winks out, opening the way back to the well room.

Baracus continues to grind Aplu's skull into the portal. The Rat God is looking a little worse for wear, but the machine is the one that's near-death; it will close any moment now, and when it does Aplu's corporeal form will die, Baracus will lose half an arm, and Urban and Rydler will be trapped wherever it is that they been transported to!
OOC:
Erden's turn!

Initiative Order & Status:
Erden: 12/26hp. Poisoned.
Aplu, Rat God of Pestilence: 60 damage taken.
Urban: Disappeared through the portal.
Ybus: 10/23hp. Poisoned.
Baracus: 38/51hp; Raging.
Plague Rats: 10 damage taken.

DMJInactive for 28 days

Oct 30, 2018 2:14 am
OOC:
Really struggling to operate on the site. I hope this posts.
OOC:
I was digesting what you wrote initially and went to conclusion in the mix of your last few comms. At this point I'm afraid to switch pages to read previous with a high risk that I cannot load a page again.
Not sure if you want to steer this another way because it is too dramatic or course-breaking. If so, I can easily adjust. Here's thoughts from inside Urban's head, first person...
I cannot even see the place from which I came.
Erden, Ybus, and Barracus are gone.
Aishwarya is gone.
Reaching the turtles at the sewer seems nearly impossible.
I'm losing myself here. I may not have much time.

Now there is a feeling of growing dread, like something is approaching. Is it something here in this place?
All of these visions, these places on the world. Are they calling to an evil here?
The brutal sacrificer. The slaves. The foul army. They all seem to be seeking a link to this place. Wishing for something evil to come to them. To deliver pestilence, slavery, war, and death to them. To unleash malevolence on other men.

What is lurking here that could send dread power to unholy men throughout the world?
Could such a force be stalled on its arrival? Or perhaps thwarted?
What if it could be defeated here?

Urban decides. He had to do what he could to save his friends. And perhaps he could save others, but he was not sure.

Urban strives again to gain focus, trying his best to pull himself together. If only he could find a ground to stop his fall, a ledge to grab and pull to. Anything to keep from breaking apart.

Urban tries to pray, tries to remember one of the devotions. But he cannot.

Urban must face it now that he does not even know what god to pray to anymore. He does not know what gods are anywhere in the world, much less a place like this where all things are falling away.

With resolve he sends out a last plea for aide from any god who might sponsor him, a poor man who has nothing to give in return. Save his offering to make a stand.

And if no god will hear him, then Urban will stand alone.

Stand and fight if he can.
Or die trying.

Use Divine Sense power with hopes of finding the lurking evil.
CHA roll to fight with inner strength to stabilize and make a stand.
Shield up. Ready to defend or attack.
OOC:
So there's a thought. Probably a terrible one. Maybe a fatal one.
Won't attempt to edit because GP site is freaking out so bad on tech right now.
Will send an extra d20 for unknown check to be applied however you need it.
I'm good with whatever this might be, from being pulled back through the portal or another all the way to this being the end for the character.
Last edited October 30, 2018 2:22 am

Rolls

CHA check/save (can't get to character sheet to see bonuses!) - (1d20)

(11) = 11

Variable d20 - (1d20)

(19) = 19

Oct 30, 2018 3:28 pm
Urban:

As you stretch out with your feelings you realize the evil presence isn't as interested in you as it is in the people around the portals. From it you sense anger when it gazes upon the failed sewer portal which presumably the Golden Child was supposed to have fueled, irritation at the battle in the Rat God's temple, hunger and anticipation as it watches the rest.

With those rolls you can go to the sewer or rejoin your friends in two rounds. Or go to one of the other locations in one round. Your choice.
Nov 1, 2018 7:36 pm
After stretching out with his feelings, Urban feels reality stabilize, at least momentarily. He concentrates and is able to regain a glimpse of the portal through which he was thrown.

Believing now that he might be able to make it back to his friends, Urba tries his best to will himself towards the spatial rift that leads back to the wicked cult cave of the bestial rat god.
Nov 1, 2018 8:17 pm
Erden calls upon his magic to transport him away. He quickly determines the spot in the room that's furthest from the swarm of rats but also outside of the rat god's aura.

Once he reappears, he launches a bolt of flame at the swarm's writhing masses
OOC:
Bonus Action: Misty Step
Action: Firebolt
[ +- ] Stats

Rolls

Firebolt - (1d20+6, 1d10)

1d20+6 : (2) + 6 = 8

1d10 : (1) = 1

Nov 4, 2018 8:10 pm
OOC:
[ +- ] Map
Erden, you can Misty step to the top of the stairs (north, or south) or back to the well room. Up the stairs, you won't be able to see Baracus, the rat god, or portal. In the well room you will be exposed to noxious vapors again (DC 12 CON save or take 1d4 poison damage - roll the damage yourself). Your choice.

Jan 26, 2019 3:23 pm
Previously on First Foray...

The PHULES have tracked down the rat cult to a ruined temple deep in the northern jungle. Inside, they find the temple taken over by some yet unknown faction - the cult members are being used as living fuel to power an inter-planar portal. Aplu, the rat god of pestilence himself, appears to destroy his unfaithful followers. In the desperate fight that ensues, both Urban and Rydler are thrown through the portal to realms unknown. Baracus wrestles with Aplu, while Erden and Ybus contend with its swarming, diseased minions. Now the portal begins to close. Can Urban and Rydler find their way back, or be lost forever? Will Erden, Ybus, and Erden survive the temple of the rat god?
Five years ago a crack commando unit was sent to prison by a military court for a crime they didn't commit. These men promptly escaped from a maximum security stockade to the Port Llif underground. Today, still wanted by the Cysegrian government, they survive as soldiers of fortune. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire... the A-Team.* The PHULES.

Cue intro music.
OOC:
Alright, folks, we're back on the air! We're officially at the top of Combat Round 3, but I'd like to see some RP posts from each one to get us re-situated before I resolve Erden's action and post Aplu's. Below is the updated status tracker for reference.

Initiative Order & Status:
• Erden: 12/26hp. Top of south stairwell. Poisoned.
• Aplu, Rat God of Pestilence: 60 damage. Grappled by Baracus.
• Urban: Disappeared through the portal.
• Rydler: Disappeared through the portal.
• Ybus: 10/23hp. Poisoned.
• Baracus: 38/51hp; Raging.
• Plague Rats: 10 damage.

*A-Team is still a working title. Am still hoping to see our team named (though there have been a couple of suggestions)

LenInactive for 16 days

Jan 26, 2019 5:49 pm
Raised among the warrior monks of Qing'lai, Baracus spent his childhood failing at exercises to achieve inner peace. When he was older he learn the monks had hidden his past from him. Baracus was in fact the son of the legendary warchief who had bloodied the nose of the Qing'lai when Baracus was but a baby. They planned to tame Baracus, but discovering his heritage shattered any chance of that happening.

Baracus escaped Qing'lai, determined to live up to his father's legacy. Armed with his father's axe, he fought everything and anything, trying to stack up enough deeds that he would be worthy enough to follow his father into Acheron, the plane of eternal war. But, when he came to Cysgre, he found something else.

Joining the Cysegrians as a commando, he met the most astounding warriors. Erden, who wielded the twin weapons of war magic and strategy; Rydler, who worshipped the light but fought in the shadow; Urban, the only man to ever best his strength; and Ybus, who was too clever by far. Baracus had found something he never had before: family.

And now his family was in trouble.

Baracus's very bones bent under the extreme weight of the Rat God's disgusting mass. He had watched as his brothers Urban and Rydler had been cast into the hellish portal. Impossible. He grappled with monstrosity, grinding its face against the edge between worlds, bringing out delicious screams of its agony. If he could not save his brothers then he would make the God pay.

His body groaned under the force of the God's resistance, so fearsome that he could feel his skin cracking and viens bursting. But Baracus was no longer a creature of flesh and blood.

He was made of rage.

"WITNESS!"
OOC:
Welcome back everyone!
Last edited January 26, 2019 11:07 pm
Jan 26, 2019 9:53 pm
Urban struggles to stabilize. He still cannot seem to get control of his body nor his mind. He is falling. Being thrown.

The dark force still lurks in this place, but Urban cannot get enough control to see - or feel? - where it is.

He is losing his orientation, but...does he sense something nearby? Or perhaps, someone?

Urban tries to focus all of his will. Just focus on one thing: making himself still.

He closes his eyes to block out the sensory overload. He takes a deep breath. He cannot think of the gods here. He is not sure they can reach this place, where reality is broken.

He thinks instead of the simple things. Familiar things. Home. Cadarnle. The house he grew up in. His father. It has been a long time.

It doesn't seem to work. He opens his eyes again to get his bearing.

Now though he is sure of it. He sees...someone. Through the blur.

Rydler?
Last edited January 27, 2019 12:28 am
Jan 26, 2019 11:00 pm
His minds swarms at his surroundings; sensory overload, too much to take in, too many questions...too many unknown answers. Where was he? How did these portals come to be? All gathered in a single void. So much to be gained from here for the mystery-inclined but so little...time.

Time? What is time? How long has he been here? How long has it been? It makes no sense. So many questions...so few time. His eyes spot a fading portal, the contents of which appear his most trusted allies, his closest friends, and not to far from that he finds company in this paradise. Urban; fairing less then well in the realm of questions. So little time, cut down evermore. He thinks to himself with a smirk.

"What is lost will eventually be found, friend." A familiar voice calls out to Urban "But not all who wander are lost!" His hand caresses across his chest, causing a low warm light to begin to emanate from the amulet around his neck.

Basking in the light of Lathander, Rydler steps closer revealing his signature smile; warm, bright, inspiring.

"A riddle here, a riddle there; our eyes see, but our minds doth not tell."
Jan 27, 2019 5:49 pm
Ybus is standing on the shore, ankle-deep in the crystalline sea. The froth of waves lapped upon his legs, kissing his cheeks with the salty air. He is wearing a shirt, but he has no pants, and in his blistered hands he holds a shovel.

"That's right, I was supposed to dig," Ybus says aloud, commencing his task with duty and obligation. He thrusts his shovel into the water and chucks a fistful of wet sand back into the ocean. Through the sun-burnt reflections on the water, Ybus can see the small divot quickly filling in from the tide.

Now Ybus is standing below deck, ankle-deep in the murky sea. The slick oily waves press against his legs as the ocean pours in from a gigantic crack in the hull. Ash and cinder from the burning timbers above sting his cheeks. In his bloodied hands he holds a shovel. He still has no pants.

"That's right, I was supposed to dig," Ybus says aloud, commencing his task with due haste and panic. He thrusts his shovel into the water and chucks the inky-black water into the hole in the hull. Through the smoke in the air, Ybus can see the space around him quickly filling in from outside.

Ybus begins to laugh.

"Dig deep boys!" Ybus cackles, returning to his task and dutifully thrusting his spear into the swarm of rats. He can't feel his legs in the tide of rot-filled rodentry, and the pus and disease splatter across his cheeks. Time and again as he clears a divot of space, another rat fill the void, but still Ybus digs, laughing all the while.
Jan 30, 2019 4:18 pm
As Erden reappears from his short teleportation, he surveys the battlefield. Swarms of rats cover the floor, beginning the horrible work of consuming his companions. Erden can hear Baracus grunting and shouting from the exertion of wrestling with a god as Ybus continues his odd speech about digging.

His mind crosses back across the years to their time in the military, to his many failures as their leader, all leading up to their incarceration. The responsibility for that weighs heavily on his shoulders and he feels his knees start to buckle as things begin to look more hopeless; as he realizes that their deaths will be on his conscience.

"WITNESS" he hears Baracus shout angrily.

The resolve in his strong friend's voice makes him stand up straighter and smile grimly. The shackles of guilt fall away as he turns his mind in another direction. His friends, all so capable, continue to look to his as leader. They wouldn't do so if they didn't think him worthy.

Baracus, always living in the shadow of his father, but so strong, confident, and sure.

Ybus, so powerful and seemingly insane, but always there when he's needed.

Rydler, a good man with a sordid past, but so reliable, loyal, and clever.

Urban, so conflicted and at odds with his own religion, yet so stalwart and always seeking growth.

He realizes at that moment that he can't fail them. They had brought so much light into his world and it's his responsibility to see that it isn't extinguished. His responsibility to the past is not gone, but it's pressed down under his responsibility for the future, which is so much more important.

The air around him heats up and he seems to grow slightly taller as he growls, summoning a ball of flame into his hand. "Witness, indeed."
Feb 4, 2019 5:51 pm
https://media3.giphy.com/media/kWjfmsa4ncfny/giphy.gif

Rolls

Melee spell attack vs. Baracus AC 17 - (1d20+7)

(12) + 7 = 19

Dice of Fate!

2 Positive, 1 Blank, 3 Negative - Total: -1

Feb 7, 2019 4:18 pm
[ +- ] Map
New Battle Music

Erden transports himself up the stairs and sends fire lancing towards the rats down below. The angle is awkward though, and the firebolt misses the rats after glancing off the wall of the narrow stairway. The rats surge upward towards him.

The rat god focuses all its malevolence on the mighty half-orc that has it pinned down. With a rake of its filthy claws, the avrunan god of pestilence infects Baracus with raging fever. He can feel his muscles begin to tremble and weaken.

Contagion spell. Baracus is infected with Filth Fever (disadvantage on Strength Checks, Strength Saves, and attack rolls that use Strength.)

The portal diminishes, hardly large enough for a man to fit through. Glancing up, Baracus glimpses Urban and Rydler tumbling in a dark void. Something terrible and ravenous lurks there. Something far more horrible than this puny rat god.
Urban and Rydler: you cling together in the cold void. The portal closes, but there is hope yet. If you can just reach it!

Roll WIS or CHA save, your choice, but sell it to me through the description. How are you making your way back to your friends?

Your physical bodies seem unable to affect your surroundings, so no Movement this turn.

Actions, bonus actions, and reactions are available! You can cast spells on each other, Aplu, or Baracus (you cannot see the others).You can use items or class features. For this purpose, consider range as 30ft.

OOC:
Initiative Order & Status:
• Erden: 12/26hp. Top of south stairwell. Poisoned.
• Aplu, Rat God of Pestilence: 60 damage. Grappled.
• Urban: Disappeared through the portal.
• Rydler: Disappeared through the portal.
• Ybus: 10/23hp. Poisoned.
• Baracus: 38/51hp; Raging.
• Plague Rats: 10 damage.

All PC's may act. This is it, guys! No more commercial breaks! Do or die! Good luck!
Feb 7, 2019 5:16 pm
Surrounded by the swarm, Ybus loops one end of his rope to his spear and lashes it tight. "Heads up, buttercup!" he yells, and flings his spear for the closing portal with whatever strength his poisoned muscles can muster. He attempts to lodge or brace the spear against the small opening and allow the rope to trail into the other world, giving his lost companions a way point and a possible hand in escaping.

As if to morbidly assist Urban and Rydler, a vivisected rat is affixed to the trailing end of the rope, tiny husk of an arm moving up and down as if waving.
[ +- ] [url=https://gamersplane.com/characters/dnd5/6546/

Rolls

Spear anchor attempt, disadvantage - (1d20+4, 1d20+4)

1d20+4 : (10) + 4 = 14

1d20+4 : (15) + 4 = 19

Feb 7, 2019 6:04 pm
Erden summons up his strength and hold both hands forward, launching several rays of flame at the swarm of rats moving toward him.
[ +- ] Scorching Ray
[ +- ] Stats

Rolls

Ray 1 - (1d20+6, 2d6)

1d20+6 : (17) + 6 = 23

2d6 : (21) = 3

Ray 2 - (1d20+6, 2d6)

1d20+6 : (11) + 6 = 17

2d6 : (61) = 7

Ray 3 - (1d20+6, 2d6)

1d20+6 : (12) + 6 = 18

2d6 : (26) = 8

Disadvantage Ray 1 - (1d20+6)

(18) + 6 = 24

Disadvantage Ray 2 - (1d20+6)

(19) + 6 = 25

Disadvantage Ray 3 - (1d20+6)

(17) + 6 = 23

Feb 8, 2019 1:32 am
Urban is encouraged to see Rydler. His hope is bolstered at the sight of his friend.

But the sensory assault continues. Urban knows that Rydler is speaking, can hear his friend's voice cutting in and out.

But sound is stolen in this place. Rydler's words are only sporadically decipherable. Soon Urban feels as if he will be tossed away again. The strain is unbearable.

Movement is different here, and Urban cannot master it. The strength of the body, the press and pull of limbs - it is not entirely ineffective, yet it does not control position or change. There is something else at work. Something elusive. Something based on will, but erratically so.

Urban knows he must dig deep and solve this. The opening is closing. He can barely see Barracus now.

Focus!

Urban hopes to move forward. He tries to draw strength from his own desire, from his own intentions.

It feels like an eternity now. Time is slipping away like everything else.

Rydler is disappearing.

Urban just wishes to be back with his team, with his feet on the ground. There he could fight.

CHA Save Attempt
OOC:
ugh. not an inspirational Save attempt.
Last edited February 8, 2019 1:33 am

Rolls

CHA Save - (1d20+5)

(4) + 5 = 9

CHA Save Advantage - (1d20+5)

(1) + 5 = 6

Bless adjustment - (1d4)

(1) = 1

Holy Inspiration adjustment - (1d6)

(5) = 5

LenInactive for 16 days

Feb 8, 2019 5:04 am
Baracus feels the fires burning inside his veins as the Filth Fever takes hold. It is nothing compared to the white-hot rage. What truly floors him is that out of the corner of his eye, he thinks he sees Urban and Rydler still in the portal.

Fever phantoms! His rage takes on the voices of his Qing'lai instructors screaming in his mind. Nothing more! Focus! they say.

But even lost so deep inside his rage, his heart surges. His mind remembers. He sees Ybus's spear fly through the portal - too clever by far - and he knows it is not just an illusion. His brothers are out there!

Except this Rat God is blocking the goddamn portal.

With all of his waning might, Baracus heaves the Rat God back from the portal. Then he delivers a beating, starting with the First Sword and followed up with savage head butts into the skull of the Father of Pestilence.

"I pitty the God that fucks with the PHULES!"
[ +- ] Stats
Last edited February 8, 2019 7:11 pm

Rolls

Attack with First sword - (1d20+7, 1d20+7, 1d6+7)

1d20+7 : (20) + 7 = 27

1d20+7 : (13) + 7 = 20

1d6+7 : (2) + 7 = 9

Flurry head butt - (1d20+6, 1d20+6, 1d6+6)

1d20+6 : (1) + 6 = 7

1d20+6 : (10) + 6 = 16

1d6+6 : (6) + 6 = 12

Flurry head butt - (1d20+6, 1d20+6, 1d6+6)

1d20+6 : (6) + 6 = 12

1d20+6 : (9) + 6 = 15

1d6+6 : (6) + 6 = 12

Contagion con save - (1d20+6)

(16) + 6 = 22

Feb 8, 2019 7:03 pm
Round 3: Plague Rats

New Battle Music

Ybus winds up for a spear throw as the plague rats claw and bite, threatening to overwhelm him! (7 damage)

Erden incinerates a large number of rats, greatly thinning their numbers. A pillar still blocks his view, but for the moment, a path has now been cleared towards the portal dais where Baracus wrestles the rat god. (18 fire damage)

Even as his body is wracked by the debilitating fever, Baracus yanks Aplu back from the portal and stabs him with the First Sword (9 damage) just as Ybus' spear sails overhead and lodges in the failing portal's opening. Carried by the impetus of the throw, the desiccated rat zips through the portal, carrying the rope into the void with it. (spear successfully anchored!)

Beyond, the vivisected rat on the end of the rope waves like a beacon to Urban and Rydler.
[ +- ] Map
OOC:
Initiative Order & Status:
• Erden: 12/26hp. Top of south stairwell. Poisoned.
• Aplu, Rat God of Pestilence: 69 damage. Grappled.
• Urban: Disappeared through the portal.
• Rydler: Disappeared through the portal.
• Ybus: 3/23hp. Poisoned.
• Baracus: 38/51hp; Raging. Filth Fever (1 save).
• Plague Rats: 28 damage.

Still to act: Rydler.

Rolls

Plague Rats vs. Ybus AC 12, piercing damage - (1d20+2, 2d6)

1d20+2 : (19) + 2 = 21

2d6 : (43) = 7

Feb 8, 2019 8:08 pm
Quote:
Beyond, the vivisected rat on the end of the rope waves like a beacon to Urban and Rydler.
OOC:
Rydler, make your save with Advantage. Urban, you can add an Advantage roll to your post.

DMJInactive for 28 days

Feb 8, 2019 9:39 pm
OOC:
Added Advantage Save above.
Ha! Not looking good.
Feb 8, 2019 10:29 pm
Rydler feels at home here, almost innately so, though it pains him to see his friend struggling. "Your focus is there Urban, but your direction is skewed. Focus not on them, but on yourself; you need to save yourself before you can save them. Who's going to save us if you're not around, huh?"
OOC:
Action: Casting Bless on myself, Urban, and Baracus.
B.Action: Holy Inspiration on Urban (D6 to one ability check, Attack roll, or saving throw).
Last edited February 8, 2019 10:45 pm

Rolls

Wis. save - (1d20+4, 1d20+4)

1d20+4 : (14) + 4 = 18

1d20+4 : (12) + 4 = 16

Bless - (1d4)

(3) = 3

Feb 9, 2019 6:33 am
OOC:
Rydler and Urban's actions are happening simultaneously. You can both apply the d4 from Bless to those saves. In addition, Urban can apply the d6 from Holy Inspiration.

DMJInactive for 28 days

Feb 9, 2019 9:19 am
Jabes.plays.RPG says:
OOC:
Rydler and Urban's actions are happening simultaneously. You can both apply the d4 from Bless to those saves. In addition, Urban can apply the d6 from Holy Inspiration.
OOC:
Done. Total Save result 15.
Feb 9, 2019 12:00 pm
OOC:
Also done. Total Save result 21.
Feb 10, 2019 1:54 pm
Guided by the light of Lathander, Rydler finds the end of Ybus' rope in his hands. A tug on his left boot makes him look back to see Urban holding on for dear life and sanity. The paladin would have been lost, were it not for his friend! The two are nearly there, but as the portal continues to shrink, Ybus' spear bends, will soon snap like a twig!
[ +- ] Map
OOC:
Initiative Order & Status:
• Erden: 12/26hp. Top of south stairwell. Poisoned.
• Aplu, Rat God of Pestilence: 69 damage. Grappled.
• Urban: At the portal. Blessed 1d4.
• Rydler: At the portal. Blessed 1d4.
• Ybus: 3/23hp. Poisoned.
• Baracus: 38/51hp; Raging. Filth Fever (1 save), Blessed 1d4.
• Plague Rats: 28 damage.

New round! Go, Erden!
Feb 11, 2019 1:44 am
OOC:
Bit of correction just in case, Blessed isn't a one time use; as long as I keep concentration on it, it's continuous. It is also a 1d4, not 1d6. Inspiration is the one time 1d6 use.
Feb 11, 2019 1:49 am
OOC:
That's good to know! Edited the status tracker above. Thanks, Hyp!
Feb 12, 2019 12:59 am
Taking a deep breath, knowing his arcane power is running low, Erden nevertheless calls upon his power to send a stream of magical missiles at the rats swarming around Ybus' feet. Hang on... he thinks, his eyes flicking toward Baracus.
[ +- ] Stats

Rolls

Magic Missile Lvl 1 - (3d4+3)

(434) + 3 = 14

Feb 12, 2019 5:25 pm
Round 4: Erden, Aplu

Erden darts down the stairs and sends a stream of arcane owls to tear into the rat swarm around Ybus. (14 fire damage)

The rat god knocks the feverish Baracus to the ground, then slashes at the half-orc savagely with its filth-ridden claws. (18 damage before DR)
[ +- ] Map
OOC:
Erden: I had you descend the stairs to cast from in between those columns because you wouldn't have had line of sight on Ybus otherwise.

Baracus: I rolled your Shove resist for you. Advantage from Rage and Disadvantage from Filth Fever cancel out.

Uran & Rydler: GO! Rydler can crawl through the portal with Movement. Urban can do so with a Dash action.

Initiative Order & Status:
• Erden: 12/26hp. Top of south stairwell. Poisoned.
• Aplu, Rat God of Pestilence: 69 damage. Grappled.
• Urban: At the portal. Blessed 1d4.
• Rydler: At the portal. Blessed 1d4.
• Ybus: 3/23hp. Poisoned.
• Baracus: 29/51hp; Raging. Prone. Filth Fever (1 save), Blessed 1d4.
• Plague Rats: 42 damage.

Rolls

Shove attempt - (1d20+4)

(18) + 4 = 22

Baracus Athletics to resist shove - (1d20+6)

(14) + 6 = 20

Claws vs. Baracus AC 17 (advantage), slashing damage - (1d20+7, 1d20+7, 2d8+5)

1d20+7 : (2) + 7 = 9

1d20+7 : (15) + 7 = 22

2d8+5 : (58) + 5 = 18

Feb 12, 2019 6:15 pm
"Come, Urban, our guests await our return. And how will you ever 'woo' Lady Aishwarya by being rude?" Rydler turns to Urban and winks before strolling out of the portal, his arms outstretched wide. "Have no fear, the Rydler has appeared." His hand planting firmly on Baracus' arm, this strangely tickles Baracus, though Rydler is focused on something else; his once confident face, now twisted with confusion "Ybus, where are your pants? You continue to be an enigma, even to me."
OOC:
Action: Cure Wounds on Baracus
Bonus Action: Holy Inspiration to Ybus (1d6 on any one save, attack, or ability check)
Reaction!: Holy boon to Ybus (Use Healing Light without subtracting from Healing Dice pool)

On mobile so linking is a pain, everything is viewable on my character sheet if you don't want to wait for my edit.
Note to future self: Remove one spell and one inspiration, thank you.


Pre-edit: Just noticed it said "crawl through", he imagined he was outspread.
Last edited February 12, 2019 6:40 pm

Rolls

Cure wounds Baracus - (1d8+6)

(8) + 6 = 14

Feb 13, 2019 5:05 pm
OOC:
Ybus and Baracus can go. We'll say it's taking Urban some time to clamber through.

Initiative Order & Status:
• Erden: 12/26hp. Top of south stairwell. Poisoned.
• Aplu, Rat God of Pestilence: 69 damage. Grappled.
• Urban: 44/44hp. Blessed 1d4.
• Rydler: 24/24hp. Blessed 1d4.
• Ybus: 3/23hp. Poisoned.
• Baracus: 43/51hp; Raging. Prone. Filth Fever (1 save), Blessed 1d4.
• Plague Rats: 42 damage.
Feb 13, 2019 6:01 pm
Watching Rydler crawl through the closing portal, Ybus returns his attention to himself. He sends a wave of healing energy through his bitten body, then points his belaying pin at the rat god. "Beautiful unique sparklepony!" he cries out, firing a bolt of radiant power streaking for the enormous pestilent pusball.
[ +- ] [url=https://gamersplane.com/characters/dnd5/6546/
Last edited February 13, 2019 6:03 pm

Rolls

Healing Light - (3d6)

(242) = 8

Guiding Bolt, Disadvantage, Radiant Damage - (1d20+5, 1d20+5, 5d6)

1d20+5 : (8) + 5 = 13

1d20+5 : (20) + 5 = 25

5d6 : (16553) = 20

Holy Inspiration - (1d6)

(6) = 6

Feb 14, 2019 1:19 am
Urban still struggles to get his bearings but luckily has some stability from Rydler’s hold.

As he wills himself forward, Urban is again overwhelmed with the dread of the evil presence so oppressive to him in this place. This dark entity, though unseen, is lurking and striving for his destruction - Urban is sure of it.

Seeing the portal about to close, Urban gives it everything he has to push through.

Dash Action

DMJ sent a note to jabes.plays.RPG
Last edited February 14, 2019 1:19 am
Feb 15, 2019 8:33 am
Rydler's sudden reappearance gives Ybus the focus he needs. The halfling digs deep and surrounds himself in healing light (8 hp healed), then blasts the rat god with a multicolored bolt of sparkling brilliance.(20 radiant damage, and the next attack roll on Aplu has advantage).
OOC:
Still to act: Baracus.

Initiative Order & Status:
• Erden: 12/26hp. Top of south stairwell. Poisoned.
• Aplu, Rat God of Pestilence: 89 damage. Grappled.
• Urban: 44/44hp. Blessed 1d4.
• Rydler: 24/24hp. Blessed 1d4.
• Ybus: 11/23hp. Poisoned.
• Baracus: 43/51hp; Raging. Prone. Filth Fever (1 save), Blessed 1d4.
• Plague Rats: 42 damage.
Jabes.plays.RPG sent a note to DMJ
Feb 15, 2019 2:58 pm
Baracus's physical form is under seige, battling the Filth Fever, face down in filth. But, his mortal soul is elated! His friends he had thought lost had returned. He rises out of the muck, anger and euphoria merging together.

At that moment, Ybus's magical bolt slams into the Rat God, illuminating his chakras, and Baracus smiles. To clever by far.

Seeing double, he probes the left rat god with the first sword and hits nothing. So, he drives furious palm strikes at the other one, aiming for weak points in its physical form.
OOC:
Action: first sword attack, crit fail
Bonus action: flurry of blows: 16 for 10 damage and 18 for 10 damage
Con save: Success!
All outta ki points
Last edited February 15, 2019 3:06 pm

Rolls

Attack with First Sword (adv/disadv cancel, bless) - (1d20+7, 1d4, 1d6+7)

1d20+7 : (1) + 7 = 8

1d4 : (3) = 3

1d6+7 : (1) + 7 = 8

Flurry 1 (disadv, bless) - (1d20+7, 1d20+7, 1d4, 1d4+6)

1d20+7 : (12) + 7 = 19

1d20+7 : (8) + 7 = 15

1d4 : (1) = 1

1d4+6 : (4) + 6 = 10

Flurry 2 (disadv, bless) - (1d20+7, 1d20+7, 1d4, 1d4+6)

1d20+7 : (7) + 7 = 14

1d20+7 : (14) + 7 = 21

1d4 : (4) = 4

1d4+6 : (4) + 6 = 10

Con save (bless) - (1d20+6, 1d4)

1d20+6 : (18) + 6 = 24

1d4 : (4) = 4

Feb 18, 2019 3:56 am
Round 4: Baracus, Plague Rats

In Baracus weakened state, he is unable to land as many blows as he's like. But bolstered by his friends, he still proves a worthy match for the Rampaging Rat God. (10 bludgeoning damage)

Though the rats are greatly reduced in number, and many of those that remain have begun feeding on their own dead, a few still remain to nip at Ybus' heels. However, the halfling is just too quick for them.

Rolls

Plague Rat survivors attack Ybus at lowered damage output - (1d6)

(3) = 3

Attack roll vs. AC 12 - (1d20+2)

(6) + 2 = 8

Feb 18, 2019 7:23 pm
Erden sends another wave of magical owls toward the swarming mass of plague rats. His body sags with exhaustion, but he maintains his focus, refusing to give in. Seeing Rydler emerge from the portal gives Erden hope and his grimace is replaced by a wide smile.
[ +- ] Magic Missile
[ +- ] Stats
Last edited February 18, 2019 7:24 pm

Rolls

Magic Missile Lvl 1 - (3d4+3)

(432) + 3 = 12

Feb 18, 2019 7:51 pm
Round 5: Erden

Erden's magical owls rid the temple of the rats once and for all. A handful of survivors scurry away into crevices in the stonework. With the incessant squeaking gone, a new sound becomes just barely discernible. A familiar whispering, snickering, and gibbering - its coming from the well.

Rolls

Eeny, meeny, miny, moe - (1d2)

(2) = 2

Feb 19, 2019 6:12 pm
Round 5: The Rat God

Battle Music

As Rydler comes through the portal, The Rat God gives him the evil eye, but Lathander's light protects him.
OOC:
Casting Eyebite. Rydler makes the save. Urban, Rydler, Ybus, and Baracus may act in any order.
[ +- ] Map
Initiative Order & Status:
• Erden: 12/26hp. Bottom of south stairwell. Poisoned.
• Aplu, Rat God of Pestilence: AC 17. 99 damage. Below dais. Grappled.
• Urban: 44/44hp. On dais. Blessed 1d4.
• Rydler: 24/24hp. On dais. Blessed 1d4.
• Ybus: 11/23hp. At the well. Poisoned.
• Baracus: 43/51hp. Below dais. Raging. Filth Fever (2 saves). Blessed 1d4.
• Plague Rats: AC 10. DEAD & FLED
• Gibbering Mouther: ?

Rolls

Rydler's WIS save, Bless - (1d20+4, 1d4)

1d20+4 : (17) + 4 = 21

1d4 : (2) = 2

Gibbering Mouther initiative - (1d20-2)

(16) - 2 = 14

Feb 19, 2019 6:41 pm
Baracus is down in the muck and the shit and the flies, so he feels right at home. He's out of fancy moves, but he hangs on to Rat God with all his waning strength and tries to stab him somewhere sensitive so that the Rat God fights him and nobody else.
OOC:
Action: Stab Aplu with an attack roll of 17 for 11 piercing damage (bless made that one squeak by). Also made my con save so I'm free of the Filth Fever!
[ +- ] Baracus Stats
Last edited February 19, 2019 6:42 pm

Rolls

First Sword (disadv, bless) - (1d20+7, 1d20+7, 1d6+7, 1d4)

1d20+7 : (8) + 7 = 15

1d20+7 : (19) + 7 = 26

1d6+7 : (4) + 7 = 11

1d4 : (2) = 2

Con save (bless) - (1d20+6, 1d4)

1d20+6 : (18) + 6 = 24

1d4 : (1) = 1

Feb 19, 2019 6:56 pm
Round 5: Baracus

The first sword pierces the Rat God's flesh (11 piercing damage). The stench from the wounds he has dealt it makes Baracus gag, but the fever that had him in its grip seems to be fading and the fever still races through his veins, but Baracus feels the fire of his rage overtaking the effects of the disease.
OOC:
That's Baracus' third successful CON save, so next round he will no longer be suffering from the effects of Filth Fever.

Rolls

Rat God's concentration check vs. DC 10 - (1d20+8)

(19) + 8 = 27

Feb 20, 2019 3:19 am
"Something's coming up like day-old eggs!" Ybus calls out as he moves away from the well. "Maybe we oughta clog it up with Big Stinky there!" He points at the Rat God and launches a sizzling beam of arcane force from the tip of his belaying pin, while sending a spray of Healing Light at Erden.
[ +- ] [url=https://gamersplane.com/characters/dnd5/6546/

Rolls

Healing Light, Erden HP - (2d6)

(51) = 6

Eldritch Blast, Poisoned, Force Damage - (1d20+5, 1d20+5, 1d10)

1d20+5 : (9) + 5 = 14

1d20+5 : (6) + 5 = 11

1d10 : (6) = 6

Feb 20, 2019 3:09 pm
Urban is still a bit disoriented but seeing Barracus locked in conflict against the vile rat fiend, he launches into action.

Urban tries to stun the beast with a shield strike first. He then signals to Barracus, attempting to work together to cast the wretch into the well pit.

Attack with Divine Smite (1 slot)
Bonus Action (from Tavernbrawler) Grapple Attempt
Movement as possible
OOC:
that’s probably a Miss on the Shield as Improvised Weapon. If so unfortunately Urban doesn’t get the Bonus Action for Gapple attempt. Loser .
Last edited February 20, 2019 3:28 pm

Rolls

Shield Strike - (1d20+7)

(4) + 7 = 11

Damage - (1d4+7)

(4) + 7 = 11

Grapple Attempt - (1d20+9)

(13) + 9 = 22

Extra STR Athletics (for Advantage or throw or any necessity) - (1d20+9)

(16) + 9 = 25

Divine Smite extra damage - (2d8)

(25) = 7

Feb 20, 2019 3:29 pm
OOC:
Urban: Shield strike misses vs. AC 17. Spell slot not expended. Tavern Brawler not triggered, so bonus action still available.

Got anything else you can do with that bonus action?
Feb 20, 2019 5:40 pm
Jabes.plays.RPG says:
OOC:
...

Got anything else you can do with that bonus action?
OOC:
Why yes I do, DM. Thank you for the opportunity.
Urban strikes again with the Captain's Shield, seeking to knock the Rat God down somehow.

Bonus Action: Shield Bash (House Rule)
OOC:
If this is a hit, I think Smite damage from previous entry could apply?

Rolls

Bonus Action Shield Bash/Shove - (1d20+7)

(13) + 7 = 20

damage (by House Rule) - (1d4)

(4) = 4

Shove Attempt to knock Prone - (1d20+9)

(8) + 9 = 17

Feb 20, 2019 6:55 pm
Round 5: Urban

Pivoting on his heels, Urban lets the momentum of his first, missed swing carry him into a full rotation, bringing the Captain's Shield all the way around to slam into the rat god's breastbone with both a sickening crunch and a flash of holy light! (4 bludgeoning damage + 7 radiant) Aplu is almost knocked off his feet, but Baracus' grip on him helps him recover.

The Rat God's corporeal form can't take any more of this! From the well, the gibbering and chattering is growing louder.
OOC:
Still to act: Rydler

Rolls

Shove resist vs 17 - (1d20+8)

(12) + 8 = 20

Feb 20, 2019 8:12 pm
"Wonderful plan, Ybus!" Rydler calls out, running to catch up with the Baracus and Urban freight. Placing a hand on each of their backs, he stares at the Rat God "You are going to pay for what you did to that little girl; courtesy of the Phules."
OOC:
Help action to Urban (Advantage on one ability check or attack).
Bonus action to Inspiration to Baracus (1d6 on 1 ability check, saving throw, or attack roll).
Reaction to Holy Boon Baracus (flurry of blows without spending Ki).
Feb 22, 2019 3:22 pm
Erden lifts a finger to the cigar in his mouth and lights it off of his finger before taking a few puffs and pointing his index finger at Aplu, "Do you feel lucky? Well... do you, punk?" he says before pushing his thumb forward and sending a bolt of flame shooting at the Rat God.
[ +- ] Stats
Last edited February 22, 2019 8:06 pm

Rolls

Firebolt - (1d20+6, 1d10)

1d20+6 : (5) + 6 = 11

1d10 : (9) = 9

Lucky! - (1d20+6)

(10) + 6 = 16

Disadvantage - (1d20+6)

(12) + 6 = 18

Feb 22, 2019 8:17 pm
Round 6: Erden:

Erden's lucky shot curves in the air and lances into Aplu's shoulder. The smell of burning hair and flesh mingles with the sickening pus oozing out of the Rat God's many wounds.
[ +- ] Map
OOC:
Initiative Order & Status:
• Erden: 15/26hp. Bottom of south stairwell. Poisoned.
• Aplu, Rat God of Pestilence: AC 17. 119 damage. Below dais. Grappled. Bloodied.
• Gibbering Mouther: ?
• Urban: 44/44hp. On dais. Blessed 1d4. Advantage on 1 ability check or attack.
• Rydler: 24/24hp. On dais. Blessed 1d4.
• Ybus: 11/23hp. Middle of the main hall. Poisoned.
• Baracus: 43/51hp. Below dais. Raging. Blessed 1d4. 1d6 on 1 ability check, save, or attack.
• Plague Rats: AC 10. DEAD & FLED
Feb 25, 2019 9:17 am
Round 6: Aplu

Aplu turns his baleful gaze on Urban. The paladin feels sick to his stomach, and begins to gag.

A tendril snakes out of the well. A mouth sprouts from it, then a mouth.
OOC:
Urban fail the save against Eyebite this round, and is Sickened (disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks. At the end of each of his turns, can make another Wisdom save to end the effect.)

Urban, Rydler, Ybus, and Baracus may act in any order.
[ +- ] Map
Initiative Order & Status:
• Erden: 15/26hp. Bottom of south stairwell. Poisoned.
• Aplu, Rat God of Pestilence: AC 17. 119 damage. Below dais. Grappled. Bloodied.
• Gibbering Mouther: ?
• Urban: 44/44hp. On dais. Blessed 1d4. Sickened. Advantage on 1 ability check or attack.
• Rydler: 24/24hp. On dais. Blessed 1d4.
• Ybus: 11/23hp. Middle of the main hall. Poisoned.
• Baracus: 43/51hp. Below dais. Raging. Blessed 1d4. 1d6 on 1 ability check, save, or attack, free Flurry of Blows til Rydler's next.
• Plague Rats: AC 10. DEAD & FLED

Rolls

Urban's WIS save vs. Eyebite - (1d20+2)

(6) + 2 = 8

Bless - (1d4)

(2) = 2

Feb 25, 2019 4:21 pm
Baracus feels a clarity fall over him. Gone is the Rat God's temple; now he is on a mist-shrouded mountain, in Qinglai.

Though his body is incredibly weary, he climbs. He feels Rydler's divine touch elevating him, and feels the burning fires in his mind quiet. He rises above the clouds and ascends to the top of the peak, where a titanic figure sits cross-legged, the sun to their back so that he cannot see their face.

"Father?" Baracus calls out, but his voice feels weak. No confirmation comes. He continues to climb until he is face to face with the figure.

It is ... himself.

The figure opens his eyes.

"Witness." he whispers.

The mountain becomes the Rat God. The mists become the darkness. The Baracuses becomes Baracus, but also Baracus becomes his friends. Baracus understands.

Witness.
OOC:
Action: First Sword
Bonus Action: Free FoB
Move: Towards well 20 feet, dragging rat god
Last edited February 25, 2019 4:32 pm

Rolls

Attack, first sword - (1d20+7, 1d4, 1d6+7)

1d20+7 : (1) + 7 = 8

1d4 : (1) = 1

1d6+7 : (5) + 7 = 12

FoB 1 - (1d20+6, 1d4, 1d4+6)

1d20+6 : (5) + 6 = 11

1d4 : (1) = 1

1d4+6 : (1) + 6 = 7

FoB 2 - (1d20+6, 1d4, 1d4+6)

1d20+6 : (12) + 6 = 18

1d4 : (1) = 1

1d4+6 : (2) + 6 = 8

inspiration - (1d6)

(3) = 3

Feb 25, 2019 4:23 pm
"Let's do this!" shouts Ybus as he points his belaying pin at the Rat God, "Before we break the world!" With a laugh, he conducts a sequence of magic to first afflict Aplu's body before ending in a bolt of force.
OOC:
Bonus Action, cast Hex on Aplu, with disadvantage on Strength ability checks. Action, cast Eldritch Blast.
[ +- ] [url=https://gamersplane.com/characters/dnd5/6546/

Rolls

Eldritch Blast, Poisoned, Force damage, Necrotic damage - (1d20+5, 1d20+5, 1d10, 1d6)

1d20+5 : (17) + 5 = 22

1d20+5 : (12) + 5 = 17

1d10 : (8) = 8

1d6 : (5) = 5

Feb 25, 2019 4:52 pm
Urban is overtaken by a sickening nausea as if it fell over him like a wave. Foul magic!

Urban works to counter, to ward off the dark arts causing this unnatural plague. Inspired by Rydler's motivation, Urban tries yet again to hammer the disgusting beast to the ground with his shield.
OOC:
DM Jabes, I'm seeing if you will allow this. If the cure effort can't apply, I understand. I just had to try it. I'm so inept at managing spellcaster characters. Lack of optimization many times, so I'm trying to improve.
Action: Lay on Hands to defeat Disease.
Bonus Action: Shield Bash Shove Prone attempt, STR Athletics for comparison plus 1d4 damage
OOC:
Throwing in 2 rolls if the cure works and rids Urban of Disadvantage, allowing Rydler's booster to actually become Advantage. Otherwise, it will just neutralize Disadvantage and make the Attack normal. If that is the case, then the first roll will be the only that applies. As I understand it that is.

Rolls

STR Athletics Shove Attempt possible Advantage - (1d20+9)

(13) + 9 = 22

damage HR Shield Bash - (1d4)

(3) = 3

Shield Bash Shove Attempt - (1d20+9)

(14) + 9 = 23

Aplu Athletics to resist Shove (DC 22) - (1d20+4)

(2) + 4 = 6

Smite damage - (2d8)

(36) = 9

Feb 25, 2019 4:56 pm
OOC:
Lemme roll Aplu's concentration checks, because Urban might now be free of the Sickened condition!

Nope. Ah well.

Rolls

Concentration check vs. 10 - (1d20+4)

(14) + 4 = 18

Concentration check vs. 10 - (1d20+4)

(13) + 4 = 17

Concentration check vs. 10 - (1d20)

(6) = 6

Feb 25, 2019 5:17 pm
OOC:
I went back and forth on this, trying to decide if Eyebite's Sickened effect is an actual disease or if it's a just sick feeling akin to dread. The fact that it's a WIS rather than CON save makes me rule the latter. So no go on the Lay On Hands.

Furthermore (and this is probably a dick move) Urban would have spent the healing energy anyway, to no effect.

The good news is Urban successfully knocked Aplu prone AND broke the Rat God's concentration! Sickened condition ends.

DMJInactive for 28 days

Feb 25, 2019 5:32 pm
OOC:
Makes sense.

I missed the opportunity to Smite too. Should have typed that in. See what I mean?! I think Urban needs to switch to Fighter so I can speak the same language on the operating system.
Feb 25, 2019 6:16 pm
OOC:
Put the Smite in! I haven't resolved your turns yet, so it's legit! Thank my broken laptop!

DMJInactive for 28 days

Feb 25, 2019 6:35 pm
Jabes.plays.RPG says:
OOC:
Put the Smite in! I haven't resolved your turns yet, so it's legit! Thank my broken laptop!
OOC:
Not necessary, but won't turn down the generosity. 9 Damage. Thanks, DM.
Feb 25, 2019 7:29 pm
Round 6: Baracus, Ybus, Urban

Battle Music!

Fighting through fever dreams, Baracus strikes with sword and fist as he wrestles the Rat God towards the well. (Sword miss, punch miss, punch hit: 8 bludgeoning. Aplu dragged 20ft towards well. Aplu's concentration holds.)

Ybus laughs despite the poison giving him the shakes. First, his curse wracks Aplu's corporeal form, then his eldritch beam tears into the Rat God, sending gore splattering in all directions. (8 force, 5 necrotic. Aplu's concentration holds.)

Battling nausea, Urban smashes the Captain's Shield into Aplu's skull. With a flash of holy light, bits of shattered bone fly as the Rat God is knocked to the ground. (3 bludgeoning, 9 radiant. Aplu loses STR contest. Aplu's concentration breaks. Sickened condition ends.)
OOC:
Still to act: Rydler.
[ +- ] Map
Initiative Order & Status:
• Erden: 15/26hp. Bottom of south stairwell. Poisoned.
• Aplu, Rat God of Pestilence: AC 17. 152 damage (bloodied). 10ft from well. Grappled by Baracus. Prone.
• Gibbering Mouther: ?
• Urban: 44/44hp. Engaged with Rat God. Blessed 1d4.
• Rydler: 24/24hp. On dais. Blessed 1d4.
• Ybus: 11/23hp. Middle of main hall. Poisoned.
• Baracus: 43/51hp. 10ft from well. Grappling Rat God. Raging. Blessed 1d4.
• Plague Rats: AC 10. DEAD & FLED
Feb 26, 2019 12:06 am
"I speak in tongue," Rydler outstretches his arms with them slightly relaxed "you may find dumb but HERE I am and there you go." He begins to stride towards the well. "A gibbering beast awaits to feast, on a main course of Fat Rat meat." He strides ever closer. "A death most deserved to a despicable fuck...I'll go easy on you, no riddles here..." Rydler stops face to face with the Rat God and smirks. "You're shit out of luck, dear."
OOC:
Everything to Baracus; Help, Inspiration, Kato.

Witness.
Feb 26, 2019 5:53 am
OOC:
Witness, indeed! Go, Erden! Kick us into Round 7!
Feb 28, 2019 8:46 pm
Erden continues launching fiery owls at the creature, not wanting to launch his final spell for the day.
OOC:
Miss!
Last edited February 28, 2019 8:46 pm

Rolls

Firebolt - (1d20+6, 1d10)

1d20+6 : (2) + 6 = 8

1d10 : (3) = 3

Mar 3, 2019 8:20 pm
Erden's firebolt streaks past Aplu and explodes harmlessly against one of the statues in the well room.

The Rat God opens its mouth and vomits a cloud of bilious vapors just as the Gibbering Mouther fully emerges from the depths of well!
OOC:
Lots of effects going on here! Here's the breakdown:

• Aplu's Cloudkill (DC 15 CON save for half damage): Baracus, Urban, Ybus, Erden.
• Mouther's Gibbering (DC 10 WIS save, or roll 1d8 for effect): Baracus, Urban, Ybus.
• Mouther's Aberrant Ground (DC 10 STR save, or speed reduced to zero): Baracus, Urban.
• Mouther's Blinding Spittle (DC 13 DEX save, or be Blinded until the end of the mouther's next turn.): Baracus, Urban.

In addition, if/when Baracus (and Urban?) enter the well room, they are exposed to the well vapors (DC 12 CON save or take 1d4 poison damage).

Roll the saves, then take your actions.
[ +- ] Map
[ +- ] Initiative Order & Status:

Rolls

Cloudkill (poison damage) - (5d8)

(62112) = 12

Mar 3, 2019 8:30 pm
Baracus powers through every obstacle.
Last edited March 3, 2019 8:33 pm

Rolls

DC 15 - (1d20+6)

(11) + 6 = 17

Wis save DC 10 - (1d20+2)

(13) + 2 = 15

Str save (adv) DC 10 - (1d20+6, 1d20+6)

1d20+6 : (15) + 6 = 21

1d20+6 : (3) + 6 = 9

Dex save DC 13 - (1d20+3)

(18) + 3 = 21

Mar 3, 2019 9:33 pm
"These are like the samosas coming out for seconds!" Ybus chortles, even as he gags on the vapors.

With a giant smile on his face, the poisonous gas fills Ybus' lungs and he collapses to the ground.
[ +- ] [url=https://gamersplane.com/characters/dnd5/6546/
Last edited March 3, 2019 9:34 pm

Rolls

CON save DC 15 - (1d20)

(1) = 1

WIS save DC 10 - (1d20+4)

(15) + 4 = 19

Concentration Check DC 10 - (1d20)

(13) = 13

Mar 3, 2019 11:13 pm
The Rat God gives ground to evade Baracus's strikes. He pushes his advantage, forcing him ever closer to the well. He feels Rydler's presence and draws clarity from his old friend, beating back the familiar chaotic presence of a gibbering mouther.
[ +- ] Actions
[ +- ] Baracus's Stats
Last edited March 3, 2019 11:19 pm

Rolls

First Sword (adv, bless) - (1d20+7, 1d20+7, 1d4, 1d6+7)

1d20+7 : (3) + 7 = 10

1d20+7 : (3) + 7 = 10

1d4 : (4) = 4

1d6+7 : (5) + 7 = 12

Flurry 1 (bless) - (1d20+6, 1d4, 1d6+6)

1d20+6 : (16) + 6 = 22

1d4 : (2) = 2

1d6+6 : (2) + 6 = 8

Flurry 2 (bless) - (1d20+6, 1d4, 1d6+6)

1d20+6 : (8) + 6 = 14

1d4 : (3) = 3

1d6+6 : (4) + 6 = 10

Inspiration on First Sword attack - (1d6)

(6) = 6

Well vapours, DC 12 CON save - (1d20+6, 1d4)

1d20+6 : (18) + 6 = 24

1d4 : (3) = 3

Mar 4, 2019 7:20 am
OOC:
Baracus was a mere 10ft from the well at the end of the last round, so this round he could have Shoved the Rat God into the Mouther. I apologize if I didn't describe it clearly enough. If you wish, we can convert the First Sword attack into a Shove, and the Flurry will stand.
Mar 4, 2019 1:42 pm
OOC:
Con Save DC 15
Erden begins to gag as the cloud of noxious vapors covers him, but pulls on the cigar, hoping to use its familiar scent and taste to regain his focus.
OOC:
Edit: Made it with an 18

Edit 2: Oddly, the poisoned condition doesn't affect saves, so I got an 11
[ +- ] Stats
Last edited March 4, 2019 1:45 pm

Rolls

Con Save - (1d20+2)

(7) + 2 = 9

Lucky Reroll + poisoned condition disadvantage - (1d20+2, 1d20+2)

1d20+2 : (9) + 2 = 11

1d20+2 : (16) + 2 = 18

Mar 4, 2019 2:40 pm
Ybus succumbs to the cloud of putrescence, and falls to the ground. Erden just barely manages to stay conscious, and leans, vomiting, to a nearby column.

Baracus attempts to hurl Aplu into the waiting arms of the Gibbering Mouther, but the Rat God clings onto the half-orc, and all three go tumbling down into the well!
OOC:
Still to roll saves and (possibly) act: Rydler and Urban

Baracus must make a DEX save against DC 16 to catch himself on the lip of the well. Advantage if someone (Urban or Rydler) uses their action to try to catch him.
[ +- ] Map
[ +- ] Initiative Order & Status:

Rolls

Rat God's Athletics to resist Shove - (1d20+8)

(20) + 8 = 28

Mar 4, 2019 3:36 pm
Baracus can hear his friends choking on the poison spewing from the Rat God's maw, and Baracus knew he had been beaten. Despite dragging the god across its own temple, despite inflicting a dozen lethal wounds upon its hide, in the end, he was powerless. Ybus had fallen. The others were not far behind.

At that moment, his head was filled with a deep and powerful voice:

A warrior's strength does not only lie in his arms, my son.

He nearly wept that moment. Finally, his father's eye was upon him. That he should finally witness his deeds when surrounded by bitter failure was heartbreaking. But, he considered his father's words. Of course it was true that a warrior's strengths were not just in his muscles. Ybus, smallest of them all, was as mighty as he. His strength lay in his creative spark, his unorthodox tactics. Erden too, was his equal on the battlefield - was his strength defined by his muscles? There were other reservoirs to draw upon. Infinite reservoirs.

He reached deep into his mind and imagined what Ybus would do. And then he had it.

"Too clever by far."

With his father's eye upon him, he hoisted the Rat God over the edge of the well, and toppled down with him, smashing into the Gibbering Mouther, sending all three down the cursed well.
Last edited March 4, 2019 4:18 pm

Rolls

Dex save DC 16 - (1d20+3)

(10) + 3 = 13

bless - (1d4)

(3) = 3

Mar 4, 2019 6:24 pm
Seeing the Rat Monster struggle furiously to resist Barracus, Urban strikes hard with his shield, striving to bash the beast backwards and into the well.

Rolls

Cloudkill Save, DC 15 CON - (1D20+4)

(17) + 4 = 21

Gibbering Save, DC 10 WIS - (1D20+2)

(10) + 2 = 12

Blinding Spittle Save, DC 13 DEX - (1d20+1)

(12) + 1 = 13

Bonus Action, HR Shield Bash Shove Attempt - (1d20+9)

(1) + 9 = 10

Abberant Ground Save, DC 10 STR - (1D20+5)

(6) + 5 = 11

Action, Shove Attempt - (1d20+9)

(6) + 9 = 15

Mar 4, 2019 6:36 pm
Baracus feels a powerful arm reach out to him, grabbing him by the scruff of his neck. A voice fills his head:

I didn't mean kill yourself, you idiot! You still have much work to do.

The unseen force hurls Baracus onto the edge of the well like a ragdoll, knocking the wind out of him. Although withered from the Filth Fever, he wraps his arms around the stone and pulls himself up.

I'll be watching.

Then, he feels his father's presence fading.
Last edited March 4, 2019 6:40 pm
Mar 4, 2019 6:44 pm
Rydler smiles, knowing his work is done.
Last edited March 4, 2019 7:29 pm

Rolls

Cloudkill DC 15 - (1d20+2)

(15) + 2 = 17

Gibbering DC 10 - (1d20+4)

(16) + 4 = 20

Aberrant DC 10 - (1d20+1)

(17) + 1 = 18

Blinding - (1d20+6)

(20) + 6 = 26

Concentration for bless - (1d20+2)

(19) + 2 = 21

Mar 4, 2019 7:12 pm
Working together, the PHULES hurl the pestilent rat god into the well. Aplu grapples the Gibbering Mouther as both fall and disappear into darkness.

All is quiet now in the ruined temple, save for the faint humming of the barely-there portal into realms unknown.
OOC:
VICTORY! What now?
Status
• Erden: 3/26hp. Poisoned.
• Urban: 44/44hp. Blessed 1d4.
• Rydler: 24/24hp. Blessed 1d4.
• Ybus: 0/23hp. Unconscious. Poisoned.
• Baracus: 37/51hp. Raging. Blessed 1d4.
Mar 4, 2019 7:33 pm
Coming out of the moment, Rydler spots Ybus laying on the floor. Seeing it isn't one of the usual halfling's strange antics, he rushes over, digging in his bag, and pulls out a potion. He skids to the ground, uncorks, and pours the liquid into Ybus' open maw.
OOC:
Have 2 healing potions that I forgot where there from, anyone dependant on the second one? I think there basic?

Rolls

Pot - (2d4+2)

(41) + 2 = 7

Mar 4, 2019 8:06 pm
Ybus coughs as he is roused from unconsciousness. "Ya miss me that much?" he croaks weakly with a grin.
Mar 4, 2019 8:32 pm
Rydler pats Ybus on the cheek and returns a smile "Of course! If you were gone, who would I steal pancakes from?"
Mar 5, 2019 2:50 am
Erden wanders over to the rest of the PHULES and plops down on the ground, "Well that was... exciting," he says with a laugh, "Glad you're all okay, more or less."

Turning to Rydler and Urban, he raises an eyebrow, "Any idea how you got here?"
Mar 5, 2019 4:24 am
Baracus forgoes his usual post-battle ritual and lies down on the cold stone floor near the rest of the PHULES. For now, he listens and gathers what's left of his strength.
Last edited March 5, 2019 7:34 am
Mar 5, 2019 7:05 am
OOC:
Are you resting here? There's no certainty the plague rats won't come back. Same for the two badasses in the bottom of the well, for that matter. And that portal is still partly open thanks to the few jars still powering it.

Status
• Erden: 3/26hp. Poisoned.
• Urban: 44/44hp. Blessed 1d4. 
• Rydler: 24/24hp. Blessed 1d4. 
• Ybus: 3/23hp. Unconscious. Poisoned. 
• Baracus: 37/51hp. Raging. Blessed 1d4. 

Notice that Ybus only regained 3hp from the healing potion. Recall the effects of Bringer of Plagues, which still persists.
[ +- ] Bringer of Plagues
Mar 5, 2019 11:32 am
Urban bends down to help Ybus up if he can. "Come on now - on your feet, you stinker."

Lay on Hands to Ybus: 3 HP and 1 Poison Neutralize
OOC:
Trying again, Jabes. I see that effect is a CON Save rather than WIS Save as was the previous that Urban tried and did not work.
Turning to assess the others, Urban sees that everyone is a bit worse for wear. He puts a hand on Erdan's shoulder.

Lay on Hands to Erden: 2 HP and 1 Neutralize Poison

Urban thinks it over, wondering how to answer the question of how he got here. "That place..." Urban points to the floating portal. "...I do not know how I got back. There are other places inside. Places in the world I think... I saw Rydler... and then..."

Urban trails off. He remembers the evil presence and cannot think of anything else. It was all around him.

He does not say anything about it.

"We're steady enough, Boss," Urban bluffs, knowing that everyone is taxed, but wanting to show his willingness to drive on. "What is next - in this foul place?" he asks the gnome.

Urban listens as he scans the room, trying to take time to get his bearing after all the confusion.

Divine Sense. Trying to see if there is anything to be gleaned or understood about the room, the casks, the portal, etc.

"Maybe we should smash those big jars," Urban says. "They give some sort of power to the portal and ... to something else."
[ +- ] Divine Sense
[ +- ] Urban Quick Stats
Last edited March 5, 2019 11:36 am
Mar 5, 2019 1:46 pm
This whole place emanates strong evil, but the entity beyond the portal is stronger still.

Healing energy flows from Urban, cleansing Ybus and Erden of the taint in their blood.
OOC:
Mechanically it's the Poisoned condition but in truth, Aplu's Bringer of Plagues ability gave Ybus and Erden a disease. Urban is able to cure them both of this disease, and heal them for 3hp and 2hp. If the order were reversed, only half hp would have been restored.
Mar 5, 2019 5:45 pm
Rydler stands and smiles at Erden, walking over to Baracus "How ever we did, I'm glad we did. We are all pretty hagard, I shiver to think the outcome with minus two." he pats Baracus on the knee "Come on, big guy, we've got work to do. It'd seem there ain't no rest for the wicked."
Mar 5, 2019 5:52 pm
"Whatever happened, I'm glad you are back," he says, smiling at his companions, "Let's smash up some of this stuff real quick and then we can rest. Preferably outside. This place gives me the creeps."
Mar 5, 2019 6:09 pm
Ybus remains on the ground amidst the rat corpses and his own vomit. "Pew pew," he croaks as, without looking, he fires off two blasts of celestial energy towards the vats. His aim is terrible.
Mar 5, 2019 6:15 pm
Baracus rises. Though exhausted, he is also feeling a strange peace in his heart. He helps Ybus smash the vats, glad for the PHULES to be back to normal again.
Mar 5, 2019 7:36 pm
Smashing the remaining vats releases their gory contents. They must have recently contained human cultists. Now, the contents are definitely alive by some definition, else they would provide no power to the machine on the dais, but they are no longer human either. Horribly disfigured...the wrong number of limbs...bloated, hairless bodies twisted up...too many eyes...teeth growing in all the wrong orifices. Freed of the foul-smelling but probably sustaining fluid, these things slowly choke on the noxious vapors lingering in these halls and soon die. It's horrible, but a mercy of a sort. Robbed of its fuel, the portal finally grinds to a halt and falls silent.

You make your way out of the temple and find yourselves back in the bottom of The Scar. What do you do now?
Mar 5, 2019 7:56 pm
OOC:
It's been so long that I don't remember. Was there more to the temple than what we explored? I thought there was.
"Let's make camp, relax a bit, and get our spirits back up. Once we're feeling better, we can see what else is going on in that temple," Erden says, "I'm sure that there's more to it than we've seen."
Mar 5, 2019 8:18 pm
OOC:
You didn't explore stairway leading up to that north platform. You only glanced down the first hall of jars. No one explored the mezzanine levels north and south of the main hall. You could camp outside as planned, or shelter in the mural hall.

https://www.elventower.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/21-Cult-Temple-L-1200x902.jpg
Mar 5, 2019 8:20 pm
OOC:
I don't trust the place, so my vote for outside still stands
Mar 5, 2019 8:39 pm
"Sleep is good," says Ybus, following along at a meander. "We should all sleep, at the same time. We'll spoon BA."
Mar 6, 2019 3:09 pm
Baracus's voice and stature are diminished as struggles with the after effects of wrestling a god of plagues. Despite his physical condition, his spirit is light.

"I might crush you in my sleep," he razzes Ybus in a hoarse voice. He knows he cannot win a test of wits against the Embershard, but today he looks forward to the familiarity of the exchange.

"We should climb out of this diseased scar before we rest. The jungle may not be safer, but at least we will fight natural things."
Last edited March 6, 2019 3:09 pm
Mar 6, 2019 4:16 pm
"You should say that when you're finished with the ladies in the Putrescent Prawn," Ybus says. "I"m sure they'll love it!"

The halfling begins to draw in the dirt with his belaying pin, creating the image of a jovial faun with an Aplu-inspired penis sheath. "Gimme 10 minutes," he says as he adds minor details. He finishes by dropping his 100 feet of rope by the drawing's hand, and an Unseen Servant is conjured to help carry the rope up the canyon walls; a reverse of The PHULES' initial descent.

Unbeknownst to most, the ritual-cast Unseen Servant looks nothing like Ybus' drawing.
Mar 6, 2019 5:08 pm
You make the climb and set up camp. The sun sets, and soon darkness falls.

Music: A Brief Respite

This close to The Scar, you hear none of the night sounds you would expect in the jungle. No insects, no nocturnal animals rooting about. Nothing but the rats. Are the scratching, scraping and gnawing sounds real, or is it all just in your head?
Mar 6, 2019 5:35 pm
Ybus offers to take first watch. He spends his time working on one of his vivisected rats, combining it with leaves and twine. Even as others wake for their turn at watch, Ybus claims he is not tired and continues his primitive crafting.

As the last watch takes its turn, Ybus stuffs his morbid art project down his pants. He hasn't slept at all, but looks as rested as anyone if his shit-eating grin and big round eyes are any indication.
Mar 6, 2019 6:42 pm
Baracus takes the next watch, standing vigil with his father's axe. He spends his time stacking stones in difficult geometries to quiet the pain in his body so that his mind can sense dangers.

He awakes the next morning feeling somewhat better and chooses to fast rather than eat any rations in order to purge the Filth Fever.
[ +- ] Baracus's Stats
Mar 7, 2019 4:17 pm
Though everyone is settled down at the camp, Urban is seen walking away a short distance. He separates to sit atop a large fallen tree, reflecting on what had just happened.

All of those places he saw: sites of malice and malevolence.

All of the men there: wicked, corrupted.

The Dark Force felt real like a presence, like a personification. Still it was men that were performing the evil acts.
War. Strife. Slavery. Maiming and human sacrifice. Murder.

"The line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every man. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?"

Urban remembers the words of Bachusan, a man who had been imprisoned and brutalized himself.

Urban reflects on his own life. What side of the line was he on now? Would he be pulled through the portal again, cast away by his own sins?
Last edited March 7, 2019 4:18 pm
Mar 10, 2019 4:01 pm
Night passes uneventfully, though your sleep is plagued by nightmares filled with rat tails, melting eyeballs, worm-infested guts, slurping noises...
OOC:
Everyone benefits from a Long Rest.
Feeling a strong pull from the First Sword, Baracus decides to rest the weapon in his lap during his morning meditations. He discovers sacred geometries never revealed to him before.

Toying with the Heat of the Ocean as he urinates into The Scar, Ybus finds he is now able to comprehend the spell inscribed on the back.

Puffing on his cigar, Erden is pleased to find he can now create incredibly complex smoke rings.

Urban fails to notice the Captain's Shield has been sitting right next to the fire. When he picks the shield up, it suddenly glows red hot, but he suffers no burns!

Rydler discovers the Wondrous Robin is missing. A frantic search turns up nothing, until the unnatural silence surrounding the Scar is broken by a lone bird song, and Rydler spots a red-breasted robin regarding him curiously from its perch on a nearby rock.
[ +- ] Item Power-ups

OOC:
Assuming you immediately return to the temple. Let me know of any preps you would have made before breaking camp.
Crossing the temple's threshold, you find that the plague rats have returned, but they scurry away at your approach. You also notice that you are no longer affected by the foul miasma that hangs about these halls.
OOC:
Inoculation: For the next 30 days, saving throws against disease have Advantage. Take that, anti-vaxxers!
Now and then you seem to hear whispers tickling the back of your minds. Is the Gibbering Mouther roaming around down here, or is it just your imagination?

What do you do next?
Mar 10, 2019 5:08 pm
This temple truly was a site of revelations for Baracus. He bows as he enters the temple, not to the Rat God but to the divinity inherent in this holy place. Baracus's voice is raspier than ever.

"I want to make sure that god stayed dead."

He marches off to the well.
Quote:
Take that anti-vaxxers!
OOC:
Too funny!
Last edited March 10, 2019 5:09 pm
Mar 10, 2019 5:37 pm
Urban follows Barracus in but looks off to the left down the hall that they bypassed the first time, holding his lantern out to illuminate the staircase.

"Hey, big guy," he calls. "What do you say we check out some of the other rooms that we haven't seen on the way?"

He nods his head towards the upward ascending stairs.
OOC:
Jabes, giving it a shot to understand the rooms that we haven't checked yet. Set me straight if I'm off course.
Mar 10, 2019 5:57 pm
Ybus is five steps behind Baracus, muttering in tune with the ticklish whispers. Light from his spell hangs from a vivisected rat tied to his belt.
Mar 10, 2019 6:18 pm
Baracus is uneasy with the idea of leaving such a powerful enemy unaccounted for. He narrows his eyes and glares down the hall to the well.

After a moment passes, he turns down the hall to the unexplored rooms instead, as Urban suggested.

"My trophy can wait."
Mar 10, 2019 11:59 pm
[ +- ] Map
The short staircase leads to a cluster of small, interconnected rooms, each equipped as a workstation for a complex laboratory. Glass instruments and vials fill one station. Another is crammed with vats in which float bizarre living specimens, no doubt the results of twisted experiments. Yet another is a sizable library in which Erden finds, among other things, several scrolls inscribed with some of the most unspeakable of magics.

A muffled crash from one of the stations tells you you might not be alone here.
Mar 11, 2019 1:11 am
Ybus yawns. He unhooks his Light-rat and hurls it into the cluster of rooms to plant its illumination as close to the center as possible.
Mar 11, 2019 11:57 am
Rydler slowly draws his dagger and calls out "If you wish to live, come out slowly. If you do not wish to live though, we are more than willing to oblige on that matter as well. The choice is yours."
Last edited March 11, 2019 11:57 am
Mar 11, 2019 3:17 pm
Ybus' glowing rat lands in the middle of the rooms, illuminating the nearer half of each station, and throwing the farthest corners in shadow. You see movement here and there, just out of your vision, but Baracus and Erden can see that it is mostly just the plague rats scurrying about. There is no response to Rydler's challenge.

Rolls

Rydler Perception (disadvantage) - (1d20+7, 1d20+7)

Ybus Perception (disadvantage) - (1d20+5, 1d20+5)

Baracus Perception - (1d20+2)

Urban Perception (disadvantage) - (1d20, 1d20)

Erden Perception - (1d20+1)

Timear Perception - (1d20+4)

Mar 11, 2019 3:26 pm
Baracus will go to the stations and search each one, and then the rest of the room. He will give no pretense of being stealthy as he goes about this task, but he will be swift about it.
Mar 11, 2019 3:34 pm
The search turns up a variety of items, mostly related to the disease-related research being conducted here, as well as some evidence of study on the construction of the portal machine in the halls below. There is no sign of an intruder, but under one alembic, a candle is burning.
[ +- ] Laboratory Loot
OOC:
Let me know if anything specific interests you and I will provide more details. For example, if you are interested in the herbs, I will give you a list. Tell me even if what you have in mind is not listed.
Mar 11, 2019 3:40 pm
Erden leaves their findings behind for now aside from the potions, scrolls, crushed gemstones, the salve, and the antitoxins, We can grab the rest of the stuff on the way out, he thinks to himself. He takes a position in the center of the group, prepared to help no matter which direction danger comes from.
OOC:
Taking this stuff:
• 1,000 gp worth of crushed gemstones
• 2 vials of antitoxin
• Potion of Vitality
• Potion of Necrotic Resistance
• Insect repellent salve
• Spell Scroll: Maddening Darkness
• Spell Scroll: Abi-Dalzim's Horrid Wilting
• Spell Scroll: Contagion
Last edited March 11, 2019 3:43 pm
Mar 11, 2019 4:05 pm
Ybus follows along, pocketing the items that have been left behind. The various herbs and poisons are maniacally shoved into the same pouch, then the vials of Blue Sky join the other pale blue crystals he acquired from the sewers. He then wraps rope and leather straps around the three equipment kits and lugs them like a schoolboy, complete with hunched back due to the weight.
Mar 11, 2019 10:47 pm
It's Erden who discovers the crawl-space behind the bookcase, half concealed by a treatise on tumors and a heavy volume filled with anatomical drawings. The tunnel is too small for anyone but Erden or Ybus to crawl through.

What do you do?
Mar 12, 2019 1:00 am
Disappointed to have not found the source of the crash, Baracus stalks the room impatiently. The discovery of the crawlspace makes him feel no better. This enemy is using his size against him.

"Can you shrink me?" he rasps to Erden, Rydler, and Ybus.
Last edited March 12, 2019 1:01 am
Mar 12, 2019 2:42 am
Erden pulls Timear off of his shoulder, "Go my friend, let me see through your eyes what's in this tunnel..."

With that, Timear takes off down the tunnel while Erden watches through his familiar's eyes.
Mar 12, 2019 2:54 am
Baracus marvels at the never-ending ingenuity of his friend.

"Too clever by far"
Mar 12, 2019 5:30 am
Ybus kneels in front of the crawlspace and leans over to catch a sideways view, conveniently blocking his own Light from entering.
Mar 17, 2019 4:25 pm
Urban sees that Ybus' eccentric habits are culminating up towards self-destructive habits once again. Knowing his own role here, Urban heaves a heavy sigh - it's time to do it: a maintenance intervention.

"Stop, Ybus. That's poison. Those are dangerous drugs. You don't need those - you're going to hurt yourself." Urban starts pilfering through the halfling's pockets and bags, setting the nefarious substances back on the table.

He shakes his head at the string of rat corpses. "And this? Come on, Ybus. We're in a RAT CULT TEMPLE right now! Did you notice? It's full of monsters trying to give us DISEASE and turn us into ORGAN SLUDGE. Don't you think it might be a good idea to at least decide not to carry around PIECE OF FILTH STRING OF RAT CORPSES!"

Urban takes the string of rats and pulls them away. "Use something else for a light. I know it doesn't matter what you use, so don't argue with me. Here use this if you want." Urban offers a small bauble-handled whirling drum that he bought back at the craft market at Pradesh. "Or use something else. The rats are disgusting. You're driving me crazy right now."

Urban keeps an eye on the tunnel as he motions through the chastisement, moving Ybus back for safety and restoring him to some level of order. "Come on look sharp, Ybus. We don't know what's going to happen next. Be ready and stay behind me."

Urban takes position with shield forward to protect his friend.
Mar 17, 2019 5:09 pm
"Noooo! Not my lucky penis sheath!" Ybus complains as he is frisked and all his precious belongings confiscated. "Wait! Wait, I need that jar! Aww."

He glumly settles behind Urban and the shield, and waits for the report from animal reconnaissance. While attention is fixated upon the tunnel, Ybus lithely stretches out a hand to reclaim the vials of pale blue crystals, and the jar of a black pudding.
Mar 18, 2019 12:16 am
Baracus grabs the vial of pale blue crystals before Ybus can.

"Urban is right. Don't do drugs!"
[ +- ] Mr T Reference #148
Mar 18, 2019 4:53 am
Ybus pouts, jumping twice to reach up in vain towards Keep-Away-BA. Unable to traverse the insurmountable mountain, Ybus tries to settle for the slime-jar.
Mar 18, 2019 1:01 pm
Erden can be heard to let out a deep sigh, but doesn't say anything, focused as he is on seeing through Timear's eyes.
Mar 19, 2019 1:14 am
Rydler stares at Ybus with a mix of disgust, amusement, and utter confusion. He opens his mouth to talk but words escape him briefly. He opens again, stammering out his words "I...You...Did you really put a rotting rat corpse around your..." he looks down and shudders at what horrors might lay behind Ybus' pants "I don't see the problem with just carrying it around, I mean it was a savior of ours when Urban and I were in the portal. You really shouldn't put it around anywhere near where your body has openings though. What is this jar? Why is it so important to you, Ybus?"
Mar 19, 2019 1:30 am
Ybus speaks in a conspiratorial, child-like whisper, as though letting Rydler in on the secrets of the universe. "It's got stuff!"
Mar 19, 2019 6:44 am
Rydler shrugs and whispers back with a wink "Good enough for me." Addressing the rest "I say give the little guy the jar of goop back. One, it probably isn't the weirdest thing he owns. Two, it beats the alternative of him wearing a dead rat on his member. If the jar of goop prevents that, I say what's the worst that can hap..." He gives a sideways glance down at Ybus before looking back and continuing "We can give him guidelines! To begin, Guideline 1: Don't eat the goop. Guideline 2: Don't stick the goop in any of your other orifices or your orifice into the goop."

Rydler bends over to Ybus and whispers "Feel free to pitch in your own guidelines; it'll show them you have chutzpah and are responsible enough to carry the jar."
Last edited March 19, 2019 6:45 am
Mar 19, 2019 10:53 am
There isn't enough space for flying in the cramped tunnel, so Timear is forced to waddle along. Thankfully, the crawl-space is devoid of rats, at least for the moment. The tunnel's purpose is unclear, possibly a ventilation shaft. Timear passes several branchings, some of them blocked off, but eventually comes across a shaft directly above the well room. Two individuals are having a whispered argument as they shapeshift from rat form to humanoid, then begin to descend using metal rungs set in the stone.

"Well, what were we supposed to do? Fight those people? They killed Lord Aplu and threw him down there! I'm not throwing my life away!" hisses the pale-skinned one with greasy hair.

"Our lives are forfeit anyway," the fat one wails. "'Don't fail me again, Wormtail and Wormtongue,' he said!!! 'I'll cut off your paws, and make you eat each other's tails,' he said!!! And why is it he always sees me first when he's angry?!"

These two have not noticed Timear. What do you do?

https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/intermediary/f/95ae03fd-2eb2-4f85-a5d3-a3446ff4c71a/daljymk-ead91c7d-ede7-4ad3-b1b1-f793a806614d.jpg/v1/fill/w_1192,h_670,q_70,strp/wormtail_vs__grima_wormtongue_by_omnicidalclown1992_daljymk-pre.jpg
Mar 19, 2019 4:29 pm
"Wererats," Erden says quietly to the others, "Wormtail and Wormtongue are their names. They're talking about their boss, it sounds like."

As they begin to climb down the ladder, he pulls his consciousness back into his body, silently calling Timear back to him, and turns to the others, "They're heading to the room with the well, let's go!"
Mar 19, 2019 4:39 pm
Ybus ensures that the black goop has settled to the bottom of the jar, then snatches a vivisected rat in the distraction and tears off the head. He pops open the jar, drops the dried head and skull in, and re-seals. "Science!" he hisses, wanting to observe the reaction.

At the call to action, Ybus diverts his attention to the new orders, reasoning that an unobserved experiment ought to conveniently delay itself until the appropriate time. Meanwhile, he mentally commands his Unseen Servant to acquire the pale blue crystals (For Science!) from the confiscation table and follow him with the party.
Mar 19, 2019 4:53 pm
OOC:
All: Are you trying to be stealthy heading down to the well room? Or just marching down there like bosses?

Ybus: Are you still lugging the alchemy, herbalism, and poisoner's kits? Stealth checks will be at disadvantage if yes.
Mar 19, 2019 4:57 pm
OOC:
Reminder that Ybus and Erden have the option of using the crawlspace rather than heading to the lower level via the conventional route. Based on what he saw, Erden surmises the branches will let him out on the dais or either of the mezzanine levels north and south of the main hall.
[ +- ] Map
Mar 19, 2019 4:59 pm
OOC:
Ybus is definitely lugging all three kits, unless someone confiscates those, too. In the event someone poops Ybus' party, ignore the second roll.
Ybus tries to follow Erden as quietly as an overburdened donkey with conniption.

Rolls

Stealth, Disadvantage - (1d20+1, 1d20+1)

1d20+1 : (20) + 1 = 21

1d20+1 : (2) + 1 = 3

Mar 19, 2019 5:13 pm
As they begin to move, Erden turns to Ybus, "Quiet down!" he whispers harshly.

Rolls

Stealth - (1d20+2)

(12) + 2 = 14

Guidance bonus to stealth - (1d4)

(3) = 3

Mar 19, 2019 6:12 pm
OOC:
If Erden goes through the crawlspace, Ybus will follow, and leave the kits behind.

DMJInactive for 28 days

Mar 19, 2019 6:15 pm
Jabes.plays.RPG says:
OOC:
All: Are you trying to be stealthy heading down to the well room? Or just marching down there like bosses?
...
Jabes.plays.RPG says:
OOC:
Reminder that Ybus and Erden have the option of using the crawlspace rather than heading to the lower level via the conventional route. Based on what he saw, Erden surmises the branches will let him out on the dais or either of the mezzanine levels north and south of the main hall.
[ +- ] Map
OOC:
Reflecting on the above...
Do y'all want to attempt some sort of two-front flank and surprise maneuver?
Big beefcakes like Barracus and Urban stroll down the main route - being as quiet as possible but assuming that it will be tough to make it the whole way on stealth. In the end start the confrontation against the rat guys. In truth, somewhat of a diversion for...

...meanwhile little sneakers like Ybus, Erden take the high road unseen in those alternate tunnels. Set up overwatch at a good vantage point and hold there. Wait until the Muscle Goon Brothers start the fight.

Bang. Ambush. Rats caught in crossfire, no route to flee.
Last edited March 19, 2019 6:16 pm
Mar 19, 2019 6:21 pm
OOC:
Sure, crawlspace it is. Pincer formation!
Mar 19, 2019 6:28 pm
OOC:
Okay! Ybus would leave the kits behind and follow Erden into the crawlspace.
Mar 19, 2019 6:29 pm
Erden goes over the flanking plan.

"Got it." Urban says, setting his shield tightly in the strap and reclaiming the light in his free hand.

"Let's go, Barracus, Rydler." he says, nodding to his fellows on his way to exit by the stairs. "We'll close those rats into a pinch for sure."

Proceed down the two flights of stairs, around the corner, back to the well room.
Shield forward. Lantern in other hand.
Mar 19, 2019 6:52 pm
Rydler nods at the plan and begins to depart from the littles but his ears hint him at something. He stops and races back to the crawl space, grabbing Erden by the foot as he crawls through "You forgot to cinch your belt; your baubles are making quite the racket."
Mar 19, 2019 8:54 pm
Baracus does not participate in the tactical discussion, only listens. He finds himself contemplating the worth tactics. The use of trickery and deceit had allowed the weaker, civilized Qinglai to punch above their weight in the wars against his people. But his father had shown them that tricks were no match for peerless individual skill in combat. The stories told of many ways the Qinglai had trapped or tricked his father, but through sheer power and brutality he had won out every single time, at least until his objective was complete.

He patiently lets the others decide on their course of action. The PHULES operated with tactics and he respected them like brothers, so he played his part without complaint. But, when their tricks ran out he would be there to make sure the PHULES did not fail.

He moved with the others like a big jungle cat stalking the undergrowth.
Last edited March 19, 2019 8:56 pm

Rolls

Stealth if needed - (1d20+3)

(18) + 3 = 21

Mar 19, 2019 9:13 pm
The PHULES execute the plan flawlessly. The two rat-men try to scurry away when Baracus, Urban, and Rydler suddenly appear, but they are cut off all from their escape routes by Erden, Ybus, and Timear.

All except the well, that is. Wormtongue tries to climb in, while Wormtail just cowers.

Do you try to stop Wormtongue?
Mar 19, 2019 9:28 pm
Baracus is tempted to let him dive in - a deserving fate for an idiot. But he knows there is more at stake here. He springs into action to grab him from the edge.

Rolls

D20 required? - (1d20)

(15) = 15

Mar 20, 2019 11:38 am
Baracus grabs the man by his greasy black hair, pulls him back from the lip of the well, and sets him down, hissing and spitting curses, next to his buddy.

"Aplu blight your bones!
Sebek-Ra devour your heart!
Kuntur torment you!
Kaliya-te take your soul!"


Urban has heard these names before, but can't quite place them. Minor deities, like Aplu? Forgotten gods of old, powerful beings, or revered spirits? He knows "Ra" often suffixes god names in Hiptos. Kuntur! The name Kuntur was being chanted by the Camaxacali priest in his vision!
OOC:
In case you've forgotten, Camaxacal is a land (analog of Meso-America) across the strait to the west. Hiptos (analog of Ancient Egypt) is in the Far West.
Mar 20, 2019 12:13 pm
"Let's move a distance away from that well," Urban says. He picks a corner that blocks off at least some escape routes or enemy attack routes and sets the prisoners up there.

He acts cold and imposing at first, and also makes sure that the towering menace of Barracus is there nearby. Urban knows that the threat of Barracus will likely help his efforts, but he also knows that his friend is insightful as well.

After a lingering pause, Urban shifts tone to attempt a matter-of-fact interchange. "I do not wish to hurt you, but I will if I must. I would rather ask questions and get honest answers from you."

Urban makes eye contact with Wormtongue and speaks calmly. "I recall the names you curse my friend with. I have seen Kuntur's work at his bitter altar of sacrifice. The crocodile of Hiptos wields a sharp whip and a strong chain. What business do you have with these faraway gods."

With an air of calm and imposing certainty, Urban tries to slowly but steadily move through a line of interrogation to gain what information as he can, working a line of persuasion and exchange as best he can.

Channel Divinity, Emissary of Peace (gives +5 to CHA Persuasion checks for 10 minutes)
OOC:
Trying something different here.
OOC:
Dang it! Mediocre. I wish that had been more of a home run. Urban might have to go back to shield-bashing these mofos.
OOC:
DM Jabes, hoping to take this conversation wherever it will based on what these rat goofs say and of course within the range of what is possible given that performance roll.

Some general concerns:
What is the nature of the portal?
Are there others like it elsewhere?
Confirm who the individual minor deities are. What are their goals? Sponsorships? Are they linked to specific sites?
What or who is the presence that pervades the portal? I believe that there is one being greater than all of the minor manifestations - Who is it? What does he want?
Are there any more of their allies here in the tunnel? Any other monsters?
Who is there superior? Where is he now?
Do they work only in Pradesh or in other cities? Where?
What were they going to do next?
Last edited March 20, 2019 12:24 pm

Rolls

CHA Persuasion (with Emissary of Peace booster) - (1d20+11)

(4) + 11 = 15

CHA Persuasion, possible Advantage - (1d20+11)

(9) + 11 = 20

Guidance - (1d4)

(3) = 3

Mar 20, 2019 4:37 pm
Baracus falls into the role of tough cop, roughly handling the rat cultists and assuming an imposing posture with a grim scowl.
OOC:
Trying to aid Urban's good cop play! Hopefully granting advantage.
Mar 20, 2019 4:53 pm
Rydler leans on Urban and looks down on the two wererats "Quite the predicament you've found yourselves in, ayy Wormsies?"
OOC:
Casting Guidance on Urban.
Mar 20, 2019 5:14 pm
From the crawlspace comes a soft whisper. "Psst. Erden!" hisses Ybus. "I think I'm stuck."
Mar 20, 2019 6:15 pm
Sighing (a common occurence when dealing with Ybus), Erden moves over to the crawl space and grabs hold of Ybus' arm and begins to tug, "Then get unstuck!"
Mar 20, 2019 6:19 pm
"Wait wait wait," says Ybus as he is tugged along. "I think I got it. Here, pull my finger."
Mar 20, 2019 6:23 pm
Erden stops and stares at Ybus, then raises a hand sparking with electricity, "I swear to any gods that are listening that if you fart, your dangly bits are going to get a jumpstart..." he says, the edge of his lips quivering with the effort of holding back a laugh.
Mar 20, 2019 6:54 pm
Ybus looks hurt and surprised by the accusation. "No, seriously, I think it will shrink my belly enough to get through!" he claims, then pauses.

"Eh, nevermind, I got it," he sighs in relief. He then wiggles forward out of the crawlspace. "Whoo, I would not go back in there just yet."

Prior to his exit, Ybus mentally commands his Unseen Servant to put the Blue Sky vials back into his pocket. Good thing those servants don't have noses.
Mar 20, 2019 9:52 pm
Wormtongue is defiant, but Wormtail spills his guts. It quickly becomes apparent, however, that these two aren't high enough on the food chain to be privy to the specifics of the nefarious plot being carried out here.

Wormtail reveals, with constant interruptions by Wormtongue, that the rat cult's high priest, Shudraka, was in league with the demon, Sardo Numspa. They lured Lord Aplu to the temple to power the portal here, and abducted the Golden Child to power a portal under the city. A network of portals, situated in key locations around the world, was established by Sardo Numspa to allow his master to come and begin his dark reign here. Now, with Sardo Numspa dead, and the two Pradeshi portals destroyed, the future is uncertain.

The other deities (that they are aware of) are:
Sebek-Ra, crocodilian god of fear in Hiptos.
Kuntur, condor god of pain in Camaxacal.
Kaliya-te, goat-headed death god in Bimar.

It seems the superior that Wormtail was fretting about was the high priest Shudraka (current location unknown). Wormtail and Wormtongue have never dealt with anyone higher in the pecking order.

That is all they know. What do you do?
Mar 21, 2019 4:10 am
"The danger to Skandrana-Varhu is over then," Baracus croaks. He turns to Wormtail and Wormtongue.

"Do you want to join your god now?"
Mar 21, 2019 6:08 pm
"Threat to Skandrana-Varhu?!" Wormtongue mocks. "When the Great Lord steps through the portals he comes to devour all the world and all its puny gods!" Cackling, the man lunges at Baracus, clawing at the half-orc's throat.

Wormtail takes rat form and tries to run away.

What do you do?
OOC:
No rolls necessary here. Just tell me if you're striking or restraining one or both. If striking, is it to kill or to knock out?
Mar 21, 2019 6:27 pm
Erden, his hand still crackling with electricity, grabs hold of Wormtail and sends the power through him (hoping to shock, not kill)

He turns to look at Ybus, "Ah well, I guess we'll have to save it for another time."
Mar 21, 2019 6:51 pm
Ybus follows up with a light rap of his club against Wormtail's noggin, attempting to knock the creature out.
Mar 22, 2019 1:50 am
Urban throws up his hands in frustration.

"He cooperated - leave him be!"

Urban cannot help but be a bit disappointed. These are scoundrels, but Wormtail did not even attack, but was only fleeing for his life.
Mar 22, 2019 3:01 am
"I'm not going to kill him, but I sure as hell am not letting a crazed cultist go," Erden says, trying to placate Urban.
Mar 22, 2019 3:35 am
Baracus is confused as he often is by Urban's civilized morals. He sincerely asks "What's wrong about sending them to their god? I'll make it quick."

He turns to the cultists.

"What plane will your god take you to? Gruumsh will bring me to Acheron when I die, where I will join my father in the Endless War."
Mar 22, 2019 4:39 am
"Cooperated with something that wants to end the world." Rydler states deadpan "I do not think his punishment should be a slap on the wrist and a free pass to allow them the opportunity to kidnap more children and sacrifice them. They show no signs of reforming; he answered the question because he thinks we aren't a threat, he runs because we killed his god. In normal circumstances, I'd agree with you Urban; we aren't dealing with normal here though."
Mar 22, 2019 5:53 am
Ybus looks over at Baracus, palming Wormtongue's head like a ball and holding the cultist at arm's length, all while casually speaking to them as if nothing's the matter. Now that's strength.
Mar 22, 2019 6:10 am
Zapped and knocked unconscious, Wormtail changes back to his human form. Held fast in Baracus' powerful grip, Wormtongue kicks and screams.

"Aplu take your eyes!
Sebek-Ra curse you!
Kuntur feast on your liver!
Kaliya-te bathe in your blood!"
Mar 23, 2019 12:36 pm
Urban takes the rebuttal from Erdan, the chastising correction from Rydler, the question from Barracus.
Wormtongue suspended in the air with the moment between life or death balanced on the strength of Barracus' grip.
Wormtail terrified - being shocked and clubbed.
These are heinous men - they deserve it.
But this doesn't seem right, at least not for the scared one who had trusted him with the assurance that he wouldn't be hurt.

It's too much. Urban does not have the right words. He cannot even get the right thoughts.

Again, Urban fails. He does not know. Does not know what to do or what to say.

"Ahh..." , he throws up his hands and turns away. Embarrassed. Frustrated with the situation, but most of all with himself. He paces off to get some space.

He looks down, trying to remember one of the Measures of Teuser that could help him reset.

Instead he remembers his face again. Calisio. Choking.
His face turning pale. Blue.
Agony in his eyes, and fear.
Trying to beg for mercy, but no sound. He couldn't make a sound with no air - suffocating.
Last edited March 23, 2019 4:18 pm
Mar 23, 2019 4:15 pm
Seeing the pained look in his friend's eyes as he stalks off, Baracus realizes that this is a matter of honour for Urban, and while he doesn't understand it, he won't fuck with it either. Not even a little bit.

"Find a cage." he declares "Turn yourselves into rats and climb inside it. We are taking you to face the Golden Child."

He watches very carefully to make sure the cultists obey his words. Once the task is complete, he finds Urban and shows him the caged cultists.

"Witness."

His tone only rings with respect.
OOC:
I'm assuming we can find a cage or some container in the laboratory to make this work?
Last edited March 23, 2019 4:18 pm
Mar 23, 2019 6:02 pm
Ybus stretches and pops his back. "I'm gonna take a look around," he says. "The last time we were here, I thought I saw something over... there!" He picks an area at random and wanders off.

Rolls

Investigation - (1d20+5)

(14) + 5 = 19

Mar 23, 2019 10:28 pm
Erden holds Wormtail at arm's length and looks at the rat in distaste, "You will face justice, just you wait," he says with narrowed eyes.
Mar 24, 2019 4:20 am
OOC:
Remember that these are R.O.U.S., giant rats about as big as Erden and Ybus. You are able to find metal cages for them. If you're lugging them all the way back to Pradesh I guess Baracus and Urban each carry one.
Ybus goes exploring, but the only thing of interest that he finds is a silver spoon engraved with the symbol of a satyr with an exaggerated erection.

What do you do now?
Mar 24, 2019 5:56 am
Ybus happily sees the silver spoon, and sticks it in his pocket. "If that's everything, I left some of my stuff in the other room. I'll be right back," he says, skipping towards the laboratory and seeking the three kits that were there. And probably whatever contraband was removed from his person.
Mar 24, 2019 6:33 am
Baracus returns to the well room. Ybus, make this glow, he requests, holding up a glass beaker. If Ybus agrees, he tosses the glowing beaker into the well, watches as it drops. He is looking for signs of the dead god's corpse.
Last edited March 24, 2019 6:34 am
Mar 24, 2019 7:12 am
Ybus jumps up to high-five the beaker, applying the Light spell should he make contact.
Mar 24, 2019 1:58 pm
Urban nods to Barracus humbly when the monstrous half-orc obliges his appeal for restraint against the captives. Urban knows that he has now placed an extra burden on the team. He commits to carrying as much of the load and responsibility of it as he possibly can.

Urban moves aside with Erden and discusses what he saw in the portal, the different places where this dreadful dark force operates. He explains his belief that this priest Shudraka must be a real villain, perhaps one who knows more about this terrible network of evil.

He asks Erden if he thinks the ally priests back at the Shandrana-Varhu temple might have a lead or know anything about Shudraka or the greater threat.

Erden can tell that Urban is quite unnerved by what he saw while he was briefly stranded adrift between worlds.

"It was something terrible,"
he says, "Something worse than we've ever faced before. We have to ... do something."

Urban struggles for ideas, and hopes that Erden will have a plan or a command to follow, an action that Urban can commit to.
Last edited March 24, 2019 2:00 pm
Mar 24, 2019 5:36 pm
Erden takes Urban's concerns very seriously, "I think the priests are the first place to start. Some of the things that you saw may mean something to them or at least give us an idea where to start looking. Don't worry, my friend, we'll figure it out one way or another."

Turning to the others, he says, "We'll do a quick search for anything we may have missed and then straight back to the temple. We've got some work to do."
Mar 28, 2019 7:58 pm
The magically lit glass beaker falls for what seems an unnaturally long time until the pinprick of light is swallowed up by the darkness. You don't hear it hit bottom. A search of the entire place, including the crawl-space, turns up only one more interesting find: all of the pottery found so far has been of Pradeshi design. This one, sitting in an insignificant corner of one of the lesser galleries, is of distinctly Bimari* make. Made of glazed red clay, and topped with a leering goat-headed idol.
[ +- ] If smashed...
[ +- ] If carefully opened...
What do you do?
OOC:
*Little is known about the small nation of Bimar (if it can even be called a nation) huddled on the western slopes of the northeastern arm of the Q'sulth mountain range, dismissed by most as an untamed land inhabited by savages. Cysegr's claim to that land came with its subjugation of Pradesh, but it's doubtful whether the Bimari understand or recognize either of those two nations as having dominion over them. The crude pottery style is known in Cysegr because of samples brought back by the few rangers who returned from exploring that area of the mountains.
[ +- ] Map of Cysegr and nearby territories
Mar 28, 2019 8:13 pm
After lifting the lid, Ybus calls out to the PHULES, "I think I found dinner!"

He pokes the top of the horse head with a Mage Hand. "Pickled fresh!"
Mar 28, 2019 8:19 pm
Erden looks in and then briefly recoils. Once he realizes it's alive, he says to Ybus, "Stop that," and then shows the others what's inside.
Mar 28, 2019 8:36 pm
"Kaliya-te, goat-headed death god in Bimar. Horse head, goat head; I do not trust it." Rydler states plainly, as he stares in the Bimari made pot.
Mar 28, 2019 8:52 pm
"I'm sure if we cook it really well, it will taste the same," says Ybus, elbows upon the lip of the jar. His Mage Hand tries to pry open the eyelid.
Mar 28, 2019 9:34 pm
Baracus doesn't know what to make of the weird thing in the red clay jar.

"This is not life. I say kill it, let it go to its ancestors."
Mar 28, 2019 9:58 pm
"Wait!," Urban intervenes. "I saw these horse men fighting against wicked goat-headed cultists on a great battlefield. The horses are noble - I feel certain of it."

Urban pushes in quickly to see what he can do. He is at a loss for words when he sees the gravity of this horror. What can he do to help this creature? He is not even sure if the poor soul wants to be helped.

He cannot stand idle and do nothing though. Urban puts his hand on the suffering beast-man's head and takes the risk.

Lay on Hands. Going to start out with a mere 2 HP to see if this is a good or a bad thing to do. Yikes!

"Speak if you can, resilient one. What is your message, or what can we do to give you peace?"
Mar 28, 2019 10:23 pm
The horse-man's eyes flutter open when Ybus pokes at it. As Urban's healing flows into it, the creature begins to struggle more vigorously, trying to lift its head out of the liquid, or perhaps climb out of the vat altogether. From the way its shoulders are thrust forward, you guess its hands are bound behind its back. Perhaps its feet as well.

What do you do?
Mar 28, 2019 10:28 pm
"I think he said, blurble gurgle," says Ybus. "Sorry, I don't speak seahorse."
Mar 28, 2019 10:58 pm
"If what Urban says is true, this burial or whatever this is was most likely out of disrespect. If what Urban says is true, I say smash this jar. Free this thing from it's bounds. If what Urban says turns out false, we simply kill it. If we are giving thos rats a pass, a potential ally deserve far more." Rydler looks to Urban and Baracus
Mar 28, 2019 11:06 pm
OOC:
DM Jabes, I totally misinterpreted this scene. A quick read and I thought it was a horse HEAD! Head only. Like straight out of the movie exec’s silk sheets in The Godfather. Will try to get Urban back on track. Sorry.
Urban cracks the giant urn with his shield and helps the animal man, removing his gag tie but momentarily cautious, slow to remove other restraints until the situation is clarified.

"We can help, but first would know who you are and why you are here. Tell us, and speak only the truth."
Mar 28, 2019 11:07 pm
Baracus doesn't need any more encouragement to smash things. He breaks the container with a well-placed knife-hand strike. but Urban beats him to it.
Last edited March 28, 2019 11:08 pm
Mar 29, 2019 12:35 am
"Oh no! He'll suffocate!" Ybus tries to splash more of the liquid over the man-seahorse.
Apr 2, 2019 3:23 am
The vat shatters, spilling its contents - a bound figure with a wiry human body, tanned skin covered with tribal tattoos, head and tail of a horse, equine hooves. The creature collapses to the ground, convulses, and vomits. As Urban crouches down to cut its bonds, the creature struggles to say something before it loses consciousness once more.

"Must warn... Apo Mai'ngor of... other portals... gather the tikbalang... stop the kalding..."

Then, the horse-man passes out, slumped against Urban's shoulder.

What do you do?
Apr 2, 2019 5:02 am
Ybus splashes more liquid, getting most of it onto Urban. After the tikbalang falls unconscious, Ybus pauses and lowers his head. "Dearly beloved, we solemnly gather to mark the passage of our most favorite meal. Let us not forget the precious moments of life we held together and instead reflect upon the many years of joyous companionship we shared, before our ties were cut from this mortal coil."

The halfling points in the direction of the well. "BA, time to flush this noble soul to his watery afterlife, where he may frolic in the dense kelp fields and cavort with scaly mermaidens."
Apr 2, 2019 10:11 am
Urban tries to revive the horseman.

Sending another 8 HP in via Layeth on Thy Hands.

Also, checking for injuries.
Last edited April 2, 2019 10:11 am
Apr 2, 2019 4:04 pm
As Urban channels healing energy into it, the horse-man jerks awake and sits up with its equine head in its hands.

"Who are you people? You don't look Pradeshi." Without waiting for an answer, the creature gets up, strength returning to its bruised limbs. Then he lays eyes on Wormtail and Wormtongue in their cages, and he goes crazy. He leaps on top of the cages, raining down blows with his hooves, til the bars are bent and broken. Then he tries to claw at them with his bare hands.

What do you do?
Apr 2, 2019 4:11 pm
"Aiee, he's back from the living!" Ybus screams, evidently not caring about his choice of words. He leaps upon the creature's back, trying to grapple and restrain them from damaging the cages further. "No! Learn to share!"

Rolls

Athletics check - (1d20+5)

(2) + 5 = 7

Apr 2, 2019 11:17 pm
Baracus wonders if allowing this horse-headed creature to crush the ratmen would accomplish justice and free Urban of his guilty conscious. He looks over at Urban, and realizes that it would take a being much stronger than Baracus to free Urban of his guilty conscious, so he acts.
OOC:
Ybus has +5 athletics? He be swole!
Last edited April 2, 2019 11:18 pm

Rolls

grapple to restrain the horse-man - (1d20+7)

(5) + 7 = 12

Apr 3, 2019 12:56 am
Urban intervenes in an effort to restore some order.

When he can get enough calm to speak with the horse-man, he asks him pointedly, "Did these shapeshifters wrong you, traveler? Capture and restrain you for torture and slow death?"

Just moments before the horse-man was gagged, tied, and packed in a cask flooded with ichor. Urban remembers the melted sludge of flesh and deformed bones they had found in the tanks when more time had passed - a cruel and sick ritual of total depravity.

Urban looks down at Wormtongue in the battered cage as he continues to ask lead questions to the muscular tikbalang warrior, "Do you charge them with crimes and seek justice?"
Last edited April 3, 2019 1:01 am
Apr 4, 2019 3:48 pm
With Baracus and Ybus (mostly Baracus) restraining him, and with the sobering effect of Urban's words, the tikbalang eventually regains his composure. Though still visibly shaking with rage, the creature draws himself to his full height - almost as tall as Baracus - and speaks formally with an accusing finger pointed at the terrified wererats.

"The wretched creatures are in league with the kalding - the goat-men who serve dark Kaliya-te. The kalding have tortured and defiled our people, our land, and even our dead for generations! I am Makisig, son of Handyong, and I do seek justice. Allow me to slay these vermin now, or bring them before my chieftain, Apo Mai'ngor, and the Council of Elders to face judgement!"
Apr 4, 2019 4:04 pm
Ybus slides down the tikbalang's wet body until he comes to rest upon the ground, clutching the hoofed leg. Noting that a relative calm has returned to the room, Ybus lets go and scoots free.
Apr 4, 2019 4:06 pm
Erden nods, "I understand your anger," he says, "But you must maintain your calm and let these two face true justice. You can't just kill prisoners whenever you want. We will discuss what should be done with them, but they are our prisoners, not yours."
Apr 4, 2019 4:12 pm
"We are at war. But as you say, they are your prisoners." Makisig looks at Erden pointedly. "And am I yours?"
Apr 4, 2019 4:13 pm
Erden's expression softens, "You are a free tikbalang," he says, "You have done nothing other than feel the rage of a person who's been wronged."
Last edited April 4, 2019 4:13 pm
Apr 4, 2019 4:16 pm
"Is this a trick question?" asks Ybus. "I love trick questions! Um, um, is the answer... blue?"
Apr 4, 2019 7:19 pm
"I care not for myself," Makisig bristles, "I protect my people!" He calms himself again and gestures vaguely towards the great hall. "Were you responsible for silencing the portal here? For that, and for freeing me, I thank you. What do you know of its workings? Anything you have learned here could help save my home."
Apr 4, 2019 9:14 pm
"How did you get here?," Urban asks. "A journey from Bimar is a long travel."

Urban remembers back when he was in the portal, when it seemed like places great distances apart were side by side to one another like different doors in a house.

"Did you travel through the strange place - with the magic doorways floating in the air all around?"
Apr 4, 2019 11:22 pm
"Long travel?" Makisig looks at Urban quizzically. "Bimar is but two days through the mountain passes!"

"I have not gazed into the portal," the tikbalang shudders, making a warding gesture, "but the Elders say a ravenous evil lurks beyond, waiting to devour the world. Are you saying you have been through the portal and returned? Then you are even greater warriors than I thought! You must come with me and speak with the Elders! I implore you!"
Apr 4, 2019 11:47 pm
Urban talks with Erden. He is not sure what is best and will follow any decision made. Urban wants Erden to know that he won't stand in the way of punishment to the rat finks if that is what must be done. They seem like criminals, and now it has been exposed that they were likely responsible for the torture and intent to kill the horseman Makisig. Urban just feels that it is dishonorable if the shapeshifters are killed while shackled and without a charge or some sort of chance for defense.

It is a tough predicament.
Apr 5, 2019 1:17 am
"Honoroble Makisig, can you wait here just a moment while my companions and I discuss our options here?" Erden asks politely.
Apr 5, 2019 5:01 am
Ybus doesn't join the huddle at first, remaining near Makisig. He leans over to the tikbalang and whispers, "So you breathe both air and pickle juice? That's awesome."
Apr 5, 2019 5:03 am
Baracus releases the horse-man and joins his brothers in a talking circle.

"I like the horse-man. I say we go to his village."
Apr 5, 2019 2:16 pm
As you discuss what to do next, Makisig sits on his haunches, glowering at the rats from a distance.
Apr 5, 2019 3:52 pm
"It's blue, right?" asks Ybus. "The answer's gotta be blue."
Apr 5, 2019 3:54 pm
Urban tilts his head, and offers a shrug and raised eyebrow to Erden and Barracus.

"Bimar is as good of a next stop as any."

Urban hopes that the ruling will be to go. Fond of adventure, he is enthusiastic about a chance to see new sights and engage with an exotic culture.
Apr 5, 2019 4:06 pm
Ybus hops up and down, raising his hand like a schoolboy. "Ooo! Ooo! What if we cut these rats in half, and the seahorseman can take one side to his pappy and mama, while the other side goes to the gold kid? Win-win!"
Apr 5, 2019 4:26 pm
Erden ignores Ybus completely and nods, "Bimar it is, then."

Turning back to Makisig, Erden speaks, "We will go with you if you're willing to lead the way."
Apr 7, 2019 8:20 am
OOC:
Anything else you want to wrap up here? The journey to Bimar begins in Episode 3.

*cue commercial break*

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