A Faerie Affair - IC III: In the Court of the Faerie King

[tgva8889]

Orianna looks on at the situation, her face becoming a stone mask. She heaves herself up a bit, then notes that her flail and shield are missing. "I think this situation has gotten quite beyond bad." She tries to take a ready stance, taking one of her javelins in hand just in case, but it seems odd without her shield. "Retreat has got to be our best option, though there's not much I can do in that regard."

[Ninja_Prawn]

The ettercap stands up and screeches an order to its charges. They advance on both you and the people of Pinkleaf!

Roll initiative! This will be a 3-round skill challenge per the rules outlined in the OOC.

Initiative:
19 Korialstrasz
17 Orianna
9 Opal
5 Kyu
4 Astra

[Majin]

"Let's see how afraid these spiders are of fire", Kor says. Looks like he might have to burn Kyu's village down after all.

Kor moves the flaming sphere closer to the spider, hoping it might scare them. He also tries to spread the flames among spiders with a spell.

Spoiler: OOC

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Move Flaming Sphere with bonus action. Then use Control Flames to spread the flames, if anything catches fire. Skill check for that: (d20+6)[22]

[tgva8889]

Orianna takes a position at the back of the fleeing group, then holds her holy symbol in her empty hand and prays loudly. "Hefeydd, give me the presence to protect these fey from this swarm!" She raises her hand and a light seems to glow outward from her wooden symbol to her god, pushing at the spiders as if to keep them at bay. She tries to use herself to block their path, hoping the others can gain some ground as a result of her action.

((Cast sanctuary and have Orianna act as a half-human shield to block the oncoming swarm. Spell attack: (1d20+5)[15] 2/3 spell slots remaining.))

[Ninja_Prawn]

Kor's Flaming Sphere sends one spider leaping for cover and lights up a section of webbing, which seems to burn easily. Orianna's holy aura drives them back further, giving the villagers a chance to crowd in behind. You've made a good start!

Opal's move.

[Stan]

Opal works to widen the opening so villagers can start escaping. She charges the largest spider at the edge of the gap, going shield first and emitting a growl reminiscent of a rockslide. After the initial impact, she swings her hammer underhanded so that it catches the underside of the spider on the upswing, hopefully flipping it or pushing it back further.

Spoiler: OOC

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Athletics: (1d20+5)[22]

if we were in combat, Opal would use menacing attack, then use her bonus action shove to push it back. If it became frightened, it could not come any closer to her to reclose the gap.

[Ninja_Prawn]

Opal clears a dangerous-looking spider out of the way, her hammer-blow sending it flying through the air.

Kyu next, then Astra.

[Pyon]

"As good of a time as any to try this out." Kyu said, as she raised her hands up doing the motions for her spell. "Fly away and never bother us again!"

Spoiler

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Kyu stats: 21 HP, 13 AC, 13 Spell Save, 11 Passive Perception,
Used spell slots: 1st: 4 2nd: 1, Sorcery Points: 4 Concentration:

Casting Petal Storm at the point the spiders are coming from. Hopefully it will slow them down with all of the winds. Hopefully also catch the petals on fire for fiery petal storm!
Wild Magic (1d20)[19]

Spell attack: (1d20+6)[22]

[WindStruck]

Remembering Kor's flaming sphere and how he pretty much burned down the death dogs' den, Astra also remembered how she tried to put out those fires with Prestidigitation. Well, the spell could do the opposite as well! And so, Astra willed the magic forth though expertise of the simple cantrip, and she tried to make the flames the Flaming Sphere was spreading grow!

Spoiler

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(1d20+4)[10]

[Ninja_Prawn]

Kyu's spell suppresses more of the spiders, clearing a wide path through the encirclement. Well, except for the webbing, which remains something of a choke point. The Flaming Sphere has burned a small opening, but Astra isn't able to open it any further.

Round 2

Status: =========|===

The flames die down and the party surges through the opening, civilians streaming behind you. The narrowness of the opening means you form a long, thin train, but your efforts in battling the invaders are sufficient to keep the people safe so far. They aren't out of the woods yet, however. The figurative woods, that is... after all, these are forest creatures who would be quite happy to stay in the literal woods... The invaders were many and the five of you are now in amongst their second rank. Bulbous ettercaps leer at you from every shadow, while giant spiders stationed in the trees ready their spinnerets...

Kor's turn.

[Majin]

Kor nervously flutters around the small opening, letting villagers pass through first. He could have tried to burn a bigger hole, but then the villagers would have to stop and wait. Kor instead decides to blast one of the closer spiders with a small torrent of wind. He hopes this might cause one of the spiders to stumble and hopefully create at least some confusion amongst them.

Spoiler: OOC

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Use Gust to push back a spider. (d20+6)[20]

[Ninja_Prawn]

Kor knocks a spider out of a tree, sending it tumbling to the ground! This leaves a gap in their air defenses, so that a number of pixies are able to escape into the forest canopy.

Orianna is next.

[tgva8889]

As they continue forward, Orianna checks on the stragglers, helping any of them to their feet she can with a bit of divine help. Letting her healing gifts flow through her, she tries to subtly help those falling behind to catch up with the others by revitalizing their bodies.

((Using Lay on Hands to help people who are injured, flagging, potentially poisoned, etc. and to keep people moving. Spell attack! (1d20+5)[16] Will spend however many points of Lay on Hands you deem appropriate for this action.))

[Ninja_Prawn]

Orianna uses (1d6)[6] points of her Lay on Hands to support the flagging and the wounded. They pick themselves up and push forward with renewed vigour.

Over to Opal!

[Stan]

Once there is an opening for escape, Opal heads for the rear. She intends to be the last one out as she's probably the only one fully armored and in full health. She scans the village for anyone still alive but not moving towards the escape route. If she finds anyone she scoops them up. Then she hovers at the rear in to protect those exiting.

ooc: perception to find wounded stragglers. (1d20+3)[4]

[Ninja_Prawn]

Opal spots a pair of stragglers who have gotten turned around in the maze of webbing the spiders have been laying down - but not quick enough to help them. An ettercap pounces mercilessly, grabbing both and dragging them off...

By and large though, most people seem to be well on their way to freedom.

Go, Kyu!

[Pyon]

She stay above the villagers, putting herself between the villagers and the spiders. Kyu looks up at the spiders above on the trees and takes aim for one; she gathers flames in her hands and shoots them out as a bolt hoping to bring the spider reeling down in pain.

Spoiler

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Kyu stats: 21 HP, 13 AC, 13 Spell Save, 11 Passive Perception,
Used spell slots: 1st: 4 2nd: 1, Sorcery Points: 2 Concentration: Petal Storm

Action: Firebolt! (1d20+6)[17]

Bonus action: Turning 2 sorcery points into a first level spell slot!

[Ninja_Prawn]

Kyu hits her target, eliminating a spider just before it can web her.

Astra is up.

[WindStruck]

Seeing two villagers getting pounded up by an ettercap right in front of her made Astra's blood boil. "Take this, you nasty monsters!" she yelled, brandishing the pilfered wand at the next nearest ettercap like it were a pixie-sized staff.

Spoiler: lol I don't know what it does.

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arcana! (1d20+4)[22]

[Ninja_Prawn]

Perhaps tapping into a subconscious understanding of the Weave, Astra successfully intuits the wand's activation sequence... and sends a tangled mass of webbing at the ettercap. It and several of its comrades are covered in the sticky ropes and are distracted for long enough that the entire party slips past unmolested!

Round 3

Status: ============|

The ettercaps quickly recover from their entanglement - it looks like they are able to move freely in the stuff just like spiders can - and give chase moments later. The warm afternoon sun, only partly obscured by the forest canopy, shines golden on the path ahead... but there is still a deal of running, flying and scurrying to do before you can be certain that you are safe!

Kor's turn.

[Majin]

"Oh!" Kor exclaims as Astra manages to activate the wand. "Well, I guess that's what you'd have expected. With them sort of being spiders and all".

They had made a nice headway, but it wouldn't hurt to put some more distance between them. Kor casts a spell on one of the ettercaps, if not to kill it, at least distract it.

Spoiler: OOC

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Cast Frostbite on one of the Ettercaps. (d20+6)[15]

[Ninja_Prawn]

One ettercap is slowed enough that it drops out of the chase. You can feel your freedom getting closer!

Ori takes over...

[WindStruck]

While everyone is being chased, Astra can't help but bring up as they scurry through the woods, "Uh, guys, does anyone have any idea where we are actually going??"

[tgva8889]

Orianna's response to Astra is firm and short: "Away from them." Noting her things in the nearby cart, she hefts the javelin she has been carrying and takes pause for a moment to aim at an oncoming ettercap, hoping to slow it down with a well-placed strike. She then grasps her flail and shield out of the cart, giving Dumpling a small pat as they run.

((Athletics to throw the javelin at the ettercaps as they approach, hoping to slow them down either with a hit or at least a forced dodge. Strength (Athletics) (1d20+6)[13]))

[Ninja_Prawn]

The javelin is a miss. You can't be sure, but it feels like they might just be gaining on you...

Opal time!

[Stan]

As Opal is moving along, she looks around for things to slow pursuit. She pulls down a dead tree covered with semi-poisonous vines so it falls on the path behind them. Then she spots some mint and growing among some lavender and grabs bunches of both to strew behind her, hoping the ripping and throwing will spread the scents noxious to spiders.

ooc: survival (1d20+3)[22]

[Ninja_Prawn]

Opal turns her survivalist skills into a weapon, creating environmental hazards and leaving them in the group's wake. Your pursuers balk at the strong scent and you build up a substantial lead.

The creatures are still chasing you, but they are so far back that you only glimpse them occasionally and even the beating of their clawed feet on the ground is getting attenuated.

It's Kyu and Astra to bring us home!

[WindStruck]

"I have an idea to misdirect them!" Astra says. Eventually the group comes upon the precise thing Astra was looking for. A large boulder and a slope. "Go that way!" she said, indicating a direction that didn't follow the decline. Then Astra cast Levitate on the boulder and brought it as high as she could, while following the others. But she kept moving and soon she was too far away to maintain the spell. All as planned.

The boulder fell, and now here was the plan: the boulder would make a lot of ruckus and continue to do so as it crashed one way down the slope. But the faeries would be running a completely different direction. That ought to be enough to misdirect and confuse the spiders and lose them for good!

Spoiler

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epic plan, or too many loose ends??

(1d20+4)[16]

[Pyon]

Kyu looks for any villagers who might be looking tired or beat up. She will look for the most tired looking one and cast a quick spell on them.

Spoiler

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Kyu stats: 21 HP, 13 AC, 13 Spell Save, 11 Passive Perception,
Used spell slots: 1st: 4 2nd: 2, Sorcery Points: 0 Concentration: Enhance Ability: Constitution

Bonus Action: Turning my last two sorcery points into another first level spell slot.
Action: Casting Enhance Ability: Constitution on a tired villager.
Wild Magic: (1d20)[1]

Enhance Ability-ness: (1d20+6)[10]

[Ninja_Prawn]

The stress of the situation is too much for Kyu, who loses control of her magic and begins to glow brighter than the noonday sun. Fortunately, Astra thinks on her feet (or wings, I guess) and incorporates this development into her plan...

Just as you predicted, the monsters follow the beacon-like sorceress, who lures them right into the path of the falling boulder! Spider-faced villains are scattered everywhere - it looks like they will not be chasing anyone for quite some time now. You each gain 500 XP for escaping the spiders and keeping most of the villagers safe!

Deep in the forest now, everyone pauses to catch their breath. Kyu's parents, looking frantic, cry with joy when they find her, and the poor dryad who Astra had saved also comes out of the woodwork to thank you. The few surviving sprites line up before Opal and give a formal bow while Ferb slaps Orianna's back heartily. No one congratulates Kor, but that means he has more time to look around. Kor, please make a Wisdom (Perception) check.