DreamLyrics™ Play-by-Post Forums Fantasy SKT: The Storm King's Thunder 3H - Second night in Yartar

<Bern>

He shrugged and turned to join Davroar. "As will I."

Zhu


She nods, returning the retrieve her gear.

DM

Lady Atalia assures the party that she picked a nearby tavern that offered gambling because it's strange for a lady such as her to meander alone in the streets at night and that she was known there because of her gambling. It would not seem to be out of character.

ooc: We'll fast forward now. I'm sending Zindra off to bed. This isn't her job.

There were no incidences that were worthy of note while most of the party went off to arm themselves. Davroar, Bern and Zindra all watched Lady Atalia gamble for a half hour. She was unreasonably successful. When the others started returning, Zindra said, "This is your deal. I'm heading to bed. Let me know in the morning what your next step is," before she bid them good night.

When questioned about her success, Atalia simply said, "Oosith expects me to draw on the powers to lure the lordlings."

She then led the group back out into the night, telling them to stay behind while she makes sure it is safe for them to join her. She led them to a dark ally and said, "That's the entrance to the sewers. I bring them here and put them to sleep. Then I lower them into the sewer. That is as far as I go with them. What happens from here, I do not know."

The party can see a large sewer grate at the end of the dead-end street.

Jaliera

She checks that Davroar has everything he needs including the potions they purchased earlier. Then she goes to get her gear before meeting with the others.

"Maybe we should get Whisper in there, concealed as best she can, to keep a watch out whilst we all go down? Is he coming here for a collection? Or do we have a direction in which he goes. Sewers can be quite complex."

Arus

Well at least Lady Atalia hasn't done anything as outrageous as entering the sewers in a purple dinner dress.

Arus is fully equipped at this point and ready for battle but he isn't ready to let Atalia off the hook yet.

The party have played along nicely but so far all Lady Atalia has done for them is exactly what she'd done to the lords. Delivered unwitting victims to a sewer grate and the promise of a messy end.

The only difference is the purple lady alleging that this time she hopes Oosith is the victim.

"Thou knowest exactly what's going on here, methinks. Why canst thou not read Oosith's mind?"

DM

Lady Atalia begins to answer Arus.

"I can't read Oosith's mind. Ossith......"

Her face turns sheet white and a look of absolute dread washes over her face as she tries to answer Arus's question. She starts to shiver. Blood begins trickles to down her face from her nose, ears and eyes. Her knees give out and she crumbles to the ground.

A quick examination of her indicates that she has died.

<Bern>

It was not good that their 'employer' collapsed dead for no obvious reason, he thought with a sigh. For one thing it might interfere with their getting paid. But worse than that, it meant that they might be the next target for ... whoever.

He took a moment to look around to see if there was someone that could have been responsible.

[[ You can certainly think that Nep, but that doesn't mean that =we= do <gd&r lmao> ]]

Arus

Scowling, hand on the hilt of his sword, he kneels next to the purple lady and checks her life signs. She's quite dead.

"That's the worst response to one of my lines I've ever had." He says with dark humour.

What had killed her, Arus wonders, musing aloud:

"Some kind of mind bomb perhaps. If she was being actively monitored so might we be."

All the more reason to kill this foe. He stands.

"Leave her to the rats." The triton says coldly, noting, "No better than what befell the poor bastards she led here."

<Bern>

He shook his head. "Mind 'bomb', perhaps. But from what I have heard over the years ... I don't think that we would be at risk ... since we have not 'interacted' with ... whoever is behind this."

He took a breath and then continued. "But that means we need to be looking for who has the most to gain at this point", he said.

Kriv

"We can be fairly certain she was telling the truth. A link between them, I'd wager, her powers from whatever it is, borrowed, and now withdrawn. With interest. Likely knows we're coming, expect trouble. Scout to the fore, with a strong front line in easy reach after. The rearguard should be the ones to hold the grate until we're all in."

Kriv strode forward, with any pretense at an unseen approach presumably gone, speed was their last remaining potential ally.

Davroar

Lady Atalia's sudden death stuns him for several seconds and was going to try a healing spell, but Arus's comment to leave her be stops him from doing anything more.
Davroar is not entirely believing Bern's assumption that they are safe from whatever this bomb in the head is, but he does silently agree with Kriv that they have limited time to act.

Moving forward to the grate he will take a corner to help in removing it. At the same time he volunteers, "Want me to shape change into a giant spider and scout ahead?"

Jaliera

"I think we should put her body in the sewers."

The less questions asked the better.

"We have been seen with her earlier."

She is liking this job less and less but if Davroar is going so is she. Thinking his idea of the spider is a good one, she calls Whisper to her shoulder.

Zhu

The sudden death of Lady Atalia is a shock, but it triggers a memory. She turns to Arus and asks, "Didn't that history book I showed you at the inn mention something about Mind Flayers? Oosith sounds like a Mind Flayer name."

Jaliera

"What's a mind flayer?"

Zhu

She turns to Jaliera. "It is a creature of the Underdark. The realm that exists far below the surface. A place of Dark Elves and Dwarves. Sivrfneblin, Kuo-toa, and other creatures you don't normally see on the surface."

"Mind Flayers are mentalists. They have psionic powers that affect a person's mind, such as the ability to Dominate someone and make them do their bidding. Reading minds and so forth. They have tentacles protruding from a face that", she glances at Arus for confirmation, "is much like an Octopus or a Squid."

"While those powers sound overwhelming, and they are powerful, Mind Flayers normally are not well versed in physical fighting. They often mentally dominate others to fight for them. Should we run into one, and it comes to combat, attacking it physically is often the best approach."

<Bern>

He was curious as well. Clearly Zhu knows more.

OOC:
I'm going to need a marching order. Both double and single file. And any spells or actions before you go down. For example, a light source.
Thanks!

DM
The grate is lifted any you peer into absolute pitch black darkness. You do see the top run of a metal ladder.

<Bern>

"I was thinking that ... with my bow ... I could bring up the rear. I can cover the rear and I can cover you all if something comes at us from the front. But I am open to suggestions", he added with a grin.

Zhu

Settling her gear securely about herself she makes ready to proceed. She has no need of light herself, and thus never chose to learn the Cantrip. "If you need a torch, I can light it for you." She offers. "Also, my best placement is in the middle of the group where I can address threats from any direction."

Arus

He shrugs in vague agreement with Zhu. How close are a mind flayer's features to those of a squid? Arus is no expert on the creatures of the Underdark. Mind flayers are said to have tentacles around a beak, as do squid.

But the name 'Oosith' reminds Arus of his previous adventure in the Ooze-Tomb of the Oathbreaker. Where he found his plate armour. He hopes there's not another undead mummy lord lurking in the sewer.

"A scout shining a light in the dark is not much of a scout." Arus points out, so he nods to Davroar:

"Giant spider it is. Don't be offended if any drow down there try to mount you."

Arus falls in line with Kriv. Together they can present a formidable front-line.

Sindar - (ghosted)

"I'll take a spot in the middle," the bard says. "I don't need light either, but here.

He takes out a few coppers and hands one to each person that cannot see in the dark and casts a light spell on each. As he does so, he sings.

OOC: Each coin casts 20 foot bright light and 20 foot dim light beyond.

Sindar Top 4 rolls get bardic inspiriation. Arus, Bern, Davroar, Jaliera, Kriv, Zhu
Neptune rolled 1d100,1d100,1d100,1d100,1d100,1d100 and got 16, 66, 74, 96, 59, 6
Sorry Arus and Zhu.
Everyone else, for the next 10 minutes, you can add 1d6 to any save, ability check or attack roll.
We'll assume he does this down below so as to not waste it.

Kriv

As usual, he illuminated the glasstaff with the light cantrip.

Davroar

He stifles a short laugh at Arus's dry humour about the Drow, even though it seems things are getting quite serious with talk about going against a Mind Flayer that can take over ones mind.

"I'll go ahead as a giant spider. Give me twenty paces lead, and since I can't talk in that form if I spot any danger I'll hold up a single leg. I'll hold up two if the way ahead is clear at any fork in the tunnels."

He takes a peak down the grate to see how deep it goes and then adds, "If there's a big threat or we find Oosith's hiding hole I'll retreat back to you. And if you want to ask me questions I'll tap once for 'No', twice for 'Yes', otherwise I'll have to give up the spider form if we need to talk more."

If no one has any further questions to him, Davroar will shape change into a giant spider, and spin out a single thread of web (sticking it to the metal grate) to slowly and quietly lower himself down. Leaving the thread hanging will allow the others to use it if they want.