The Severed Hand
Though neither of them speak, they clearly have different personalities. The girl is curious, freely poking into bags and with little sense of personal space. The boy is much more serious, showing little expression and observing more than acting.
Tonight Halla is very reserved around the party members, still ashamed of the part she has played in the recent events. She spends much more time with the children, oddly, and quickly puts together some animal skins for them to wear. She stays close to them, speaking softly and stroking their hair.
It seems oddly maternal for the druid woman, but those who know her better remember that her parents had been murdered when she was very young. After growing up in the wilderness, Arundel had taken her in to teach her some civility - and then he, too, had been murdered. Though human, she has up until recently always lived on the fringes of town and people. Perhaps in these young cambions she sees some innocence to preserve. Or perhaps seeing to their needs is merely more comfortable than interacting with the friends she has let down. Every so often she glances over at Zenithral, but then goes back to watching the children.
Ug reaches out to the boy in his thoughts, My name is Ug, what’s yours?
The boy does notice Ug's intent gaze, however, and shies away from the large barbarian.
When they are ready, the heroes approach the drawbridge. It is with some understandable trepidation that they move forward, Zenithral at their head. As they walk along the old planks, however, there is no sign of the figure who questioned Zenithral yesterday. Seeing no better alternative, they slowly move to the other side of the drawbridge and into the Hand.
Within, it is dark. Even those in the party whose eyes are accustomed to darkness have trouble seeing more than a stone's throw away, and that dimly. Their footsteps echo on floor tiles that once were finely crafted, but now are thoroughly cracked and worn.
This place is wrong. The air they breathe seems different - heavy and unsatisfying. Small things seem to change between glances, as though a pile of rubble has moved over several feet from where it was, or footsteps that appear and disappear in the dust that coats the floor. At times even gravity seems to be shifted slightly, which makes walking down a straight corridor a dizzying affair.
They pass by one wall, where they notice words scratched into the stones. Erevain dusts the engraving off with the fingers of one hand, peering closely. "I cannot quite make it out, Alalla. What do you think of it?"
Rolls
DC 15 charisma saving throw vs madness - (1d20+1)
(9) + 1 = 10
Manifestation of Madness - (1d100, 1d10)
1d100 : (84) = 84
1d10 : (4) = 4
Alalla is pondering this for a moment when the creature appears. Seemingly from nowhere, it launches itself into the midst of the party and tears into Ras with deadly claws (Ras takes 80 damage, a mix of slashing and psychic). Hunched over and gnarled with muscle, its unearthly, bestial shriek shatters the silence of the hall into a hundred jagged pieces. Half a dozen times it shreds at the small gnome, and in the blur of movement Alalla knows she sees the slightly porcine face of an orc, tusks and all, but its face... Warped. Twisted. Where are its eyes?
As the heroes grab their weapons and turn on the creature, Alalla can only stand in complete shock, her mind unable to accept the horror of what she is seeing.
Twitching madly and lightning fast, enough creature slips out from the midst of the party and charges across the hall, sometimes loping on all fours, sometimes half-rolling as its limbs propel it forward. It is uncanny how little sound it makes as it moves so fast.
Rolls
Mangler vs Ras (6 attacks, adv) - (2d20+7, 2d20+7, 2d20+7, 2d20+7, 2d20+7, 2d20+7)
2d20+7 : (1715) + 7 = 39
2d20+7 : (84) + 7 = 19
2d20+7 : (1211) + 7 = 30
2d20+7 : (819) + 7 = 34
2d20+7 : (1711) + 7 = 35
2d20+7 : (510) + 7 = 22
Dmg to Ras (slashing, psychic) - (5d8+20, 10d6)
5d8+20 : (31836) + 20 = 41
10d6 : (3224625645) = 39
Al is stunned for 4 minutes.
"R-Ras!" She knows she should do something, but what? Zenithral said they had been working on a powerful spell to stop the invaders. Now it was stopping her, too.
Rolls
Attack 1 - (1d20+2)
(4) + 2 = 6
Attack 1 adv - (1d20+2)
(12) + 2 = 14
Attack 2 - (1d20+2)
(16) + 2 = 18
Attack 2 adv - (1d20+2)
(7) + 2 = 9
Expert Damage 2x - (4d6+32)
(6664) + 32 = 54
Cold damage 2x - (2d4)
(44) = 8
Fergy doubles over dry heaving. Finally getting his stomach under control, Fergy tosses out a firebolt.
"Kill the abomination with fire!"
Rolls
Firebolt attack - (1d20+8)
(12) + 8 = 20
Firebolt damage - (3d10)
(899) = 26
Rolls
Mangler recharge - (1d6)
(1) = 1
Mangler vs Ug (2 attacks adv) - (2d20+7, 2d20+7)
2d20+7 : (2014) + 7 = 41
2d20+7 : (1516) + 7 = 38
Dmg to Ug (slashing, psychic) - (2d8+16, 4d6+12)
2d8+16 : (25) + 16 = 23
4d6+12 : (5653) + 12 = 31
Rolls
Cure Wounds - (5d8+4)
(23165) + 4 = 21
With help (reroll 3, 2, &1) - (3d8)
(233) = 8
Walking over to Zen Fergy hands over the magic dagger. "I used it up for today healing Ras. It's yours next."
Rolls
Healing Ras - (2d8+4)
(66) + 4 = 16
Oops missed a d8 - (1d8)
(4) = 4
85/126 hp
Rolls
Stones endurance - (1d12+3)
(3) + 3 = 6
It moves forward through the darkness, reaching for the gnome, and seemingly oblivious to the other companions.