Tychris' Tomb of Annihilation IC

[Tychris1]

Camp VENGEANCE
Day 17
18 Days of Rations Left
5 Days of Repellent Left

Minds set and steel sharpened the eight heroes and their two shanghaied native helpers settled in for the night tepidly under the watchful eyes of the Tyrian and Helmite crusaders of the Order of the Gauntlet. Plans were struck, maps drawn, and dreams of duplicitous revenge were brought sweetly on those in the party with a darker bend of mind. With the fading rays of dawn eking its way to twilight the pounding assault of heat began to slowly temper out and mellow to the crisp humid warmth of twilight. As if emboldened by the Morning Lords withdrawal the clouds began to swirl and condense once more, the at one time alien noise of thick sheet of rain now an intimate companion to Gertrude's saviors, and instantaneously elicited a collective groan from the various crusaders still conscious or well enough to register the change.

Still, not all was bleak that night as many had been rescued from death or great injury by the hands of a Drow priestess, and some tame revelry was had. A communion was held in the center of the collected moldy tents, cups now filling with rain water were passed in somatic ritual, and voices cracked by war and fatigue pushed onward to shout praises against the storming elements.

"To the gates of hell!
As we march our way to heaven!
Through these undead lands!
Hail Lathander's Secret!"

And so on and so forth did the non-secular celebration fade into the starry night. Even as the knights found shelter in their ostensibly bound allies and retired (For the most part) to rest the weather faltered not in its growing strength. The waking members of the party were not faced with a pattering of rain and the glorious rays of dawn but with full blown might of Chult's intense weather and the minutest cracks of sunlight through its roaring atmosphere. Hunkering down the knights restricted their patrols, their watches, and quickly yet efficiently brought in all of their boats (alongside the parties) within the walls of the camp as further shelter against the wind. The bluster, fervor, and righteous determination of the day prior was washed from Niles Breakbone's face with the powerfully soaking zephyr as he looked over his Camp, his diseased men, and his "recent recruits". He says nothing of their assignment to head towards the city, yet the drained expression of his eyes betray his inner defeat, and none of his subordinates make mention of forcing the party to leave Camp VENGEANCE. Nor do they make more than suspicious comments at Goring Almiraj's appearance as Azaka and her come in with the parties boat.

When Drow bring light and life who are warriors to question a converted goblin.

The rain and winds continue their assault for hours on end, howling winds rip through each of the heroes in turn, and drown out the soft inner voices of some. What cannot be drowned out is the shattering of a tree not too far from Camp. In a tropical storm it is far from an unusual circumstance.

Then another shatters.

And another shatters.

And eerily the moaning of the wind is accompanied by actual moaning and soon after the hollers and screams of guards on watch.

"It's a horde!" One man screeches from atop the central gates rampart, his hands shaking violently against the wood railing as he tries to keep a hold of his standing position, and readies his weapon. Like a hive rustled by an ignorant child the knights rouse from their disquiet zealous contemplation on the elements and look to their commander as he emerges from his tent rapier in hand.

"Gauntlet! Sharpen your faith, renew your steel, and CLENCH EVIL BY THE THROAT! ON ME TO THE GATE!"

Spoiler: Combat and Tropical Rain Storm OOC

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Place yourselves anywhere within the confines of Camp VENGEANCE. This horde is thrusted out of the jungle by the harsh conditions near the end of the day around evening so if you have anything you wish to do beforehand that's kosher. During this storm missile weapon ranges are halved and visibility is limited to 150 feet.

You all have one round of prep before the scene you see before you on the map comes into full effect.

[Othniel]

Aleandrae

As soon as the alarm was sounded, Aleandrae ran for the closest watchtower and peered out into the jungle. She paled slightly at the sight of the large creature amid the horde and then called down to Siward. "Found a challenge befitting your abilities, Siward!"

Spoiler: OOC

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Aleandrae will climb to the top of the watchtower I moved her too, and if I can, I'd also like to give Siward Bardic Inspiration.

[Nefarion Xid]

Darion hastens to the gatehouse with his whip ready and arcane fire burning in his free hand.

[TheDarkDM]

Siward

Racing up the northeast watchtower, Siward began to beat his sword against the rim of his shield as the enemy emerged.

"Come to me, spawn of darkness! Come and test the fires of the Foehammer!"

[CockroachTeaParty]

Bean grabbed a large bucket and followed Darion up one of the watch towers.
"Ciaran! Go to the other side of the fort and make sure nobody tries to sneak up on us from behind! Otherwise stay out of danger, please!"

Once the gnome reached the top of the watch tower, she turned the bucket upside down and placed it on the ground, standing on it so that she stood a better chance of seeing over the edge. The shuffling shapes of the undead in the rain made her tiny heart pound in her chest, but she bit her lip and did her best to steel herself, fey magic crackling at her fingertips.

[zabbarot]

Srirak followed Siward up a tower to get a look at what they were up against. "Azaka, I think I am maybe appreciating the walls now," He shouted as he readied his bow.

[TheDarkDM]

Siward

As the enormous zombie approached the walls, Siward's blade erupted in ruby flames. Raising it high over his head, he took a deep breath before launching himself from the tower, sailing over the walls to land before the rotten behemoth.

"DEATH!"

Spoiler: Attack!

Show

Siward rages and moves. Athletics rolled OOC (18).

Attack: (1d20+5)[13]
Bless: (1d4)[2]
Damage: (1d8+5)[12]
Radiant Damage: (1d6+1)[4]

[BladeofObliviom]

Jack

The sailor scrambled at the sight of Siward's leap, cursing something utterly muffled by the high winds. She made it to the wall beneath the tower, scrambled up the footholds and leaned herself against the edge of the tower, nodding back at the lizard and the tiefling inside, before lining up her shots. She quailed a touch at the sight of the enormous undead monster, but her focus was elsewhere: Maybe she could slow down the main horde, keep them from overwhelming him. The winds were difficult to account for, but she'd just have to do her best.

Spoiler: pew pew

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Disadvantage attacks sadly.
Attack: (1d20+5)[9]
Attack: (1d20+5)[15]
#blessed: (1d4)[1]
damage: (1d6+3)[7]


Attack: (1d20+5)[25]
Attack: (1d20+5)[17]
#blessed: (1d4)[1]
damage: (1d6+3)[8]

[CockroachTeaParty]

It was hard to see in the rain and darkness. Bean kept wiping off her glasses with the back of her hand.
"We need to be able to see better! This should help!"

She cast a spell at a particularly dense knot of shambling shapes, illuminating them in eerie green light.

Telepathically, her familiar warned her of another threat. The gnome made her way towards the ladder back down.
"Oh no! There's more enemies sneaking up behind us! On the other side of the fort! EEEK!"

Spoiler: OOC

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Bean casts faerie fire on all the peeps in the 20 ft. cube I drewed on the map. They can make a DC 14 Dex save or else they glow with dim light and attacks against them have advantage for as long as Bean can maintain the 1 minute concentration duration situation.

[Nefarion Xid]

"Siward! This kills people!" Darion yelled in protest. He torched the giant lizard that Siward was fighting to help a little. (Fire Bolt for 9 damage)

[PepperP.]

Lyndal

The sorceress couldn't hear Siward's cry, but she watched the brute of a man leap beyond the relative safety of the wall in open-mouthed astonishment and no little admiration.

"Siward!" The gale likewise muffled her own cry but it did little to quench the flames of desperate fear she unleashed at the undead t-rex from the top of her tower.

Spoiler: ooc

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Quickened Scorching Ray at T-Rex
Ray 1 Attack
(1d20+5)[8]
Ray 1 Bless
(1d4)[2]
Damage
(2d6)[3]
Ray 2 Attack
(1d20+5)[11]
Ray 2 Bless
(1d4)[1]
Damage
(2d6)[6]
Ray 3 Attack
(1d20+5)[13]
Ray 3 Bless
(1d4)[2]
Damage
(2d6)[11]
Fire Bolt
Attack
(1d20+5)[17]
Bless
(1d4)[1]
Damage
(1d10)[9]

[zabbarot]

Why even have walls? Srirak wondered to himself as the barbarian leapt out into the oncoming horde. He shrugged and knocked an arrow for the rotting tyrannosaurus. Hopefully they could kill it before Siward was buried in bodies.

Spoiler: pew pew

Show

thwip thwip* One bow attack with advantage.
(1d20+4)[10](1d20+4)[7]

Damage
(1d8+2)[5]

[Tychris1]

Camp VENGEANCE
Day 17

Hunkered down on the fortified wooden pallisade of the front entrance, Ser Ord Firebeard and his roosted squadron of crossbow wielding warriors watched mouth agape at the northern barbarian's reckless display of derring do bravado and quickly began to open fire.

"He's right lost his mind!" Ord hollered out as he switched back to look at the arrayed soldiers lower below. Though they could not directly see the zombified apex predator the knights below let loose their bolts in a concentrated and efficient manner, with no small amount of divine intervention with the precarious winds snapping about, and they bellowed in joy as their shots rang true. The misshapen horror given ignoble life however failed to even recognize the damage foisted upon it as sloughs of flesh were melted away and it reached down with its slavering jaws and picked up Siward in one fell swoop. Gnashing on his body Siward felt an undead hand reaching up from further within the zombified kaiju's throat in a mindless attempt to drag him further into the rotting moist abyss.

Stumbling about with Siward lodged in its throat the decrepit tower of necromancy slammed approached the gate and slammed its tail against the hard wood cracking it instantaneously. Lumbering on shorter yet no less impressively revolting legs the Ankylosaurus zombie reached the front gates at the same time as the zombified t rex while withstanding a hail of oncoming arrows within the forward "court" of the camp. Standing beside the goat pen, Xandala shouts a magical secret in draconic, and in a flurry of white snowy energy two translucent white dragon wings emerge from her back and lift her up onto the wall in a zephyr of arcane energy. Staring with rapt attention at the two swarms of zombies rapidly converging on the camp, Xandala focused her gaze to the south, wrapped her fist into a tight tube, and deeply inhaled before exhaling a single blazing hot bead of red fire that detonates along the tree line consuming a batch of undead monsters with the roar of a red dragon. Unfazed by the death of their comrades the zombies began to rapidly surge forward and climb ontop of and mindlessly push into their larger brethren. Whipping through the air she points her finger and shoots a scorching ray of fire at the zombified hulk chewing on Siward but a strong gust of wind throws her hand movements wild and she retreats further back into the camp at the winds behest.

Situated along the edge of the wall Jack witnessed three zombies at the flank of the norther path beeline for her in a ravenous dash for the most exposed flesh. Amidst the rain and the strong winds two of them slip off the wood and muck about in the pit below but a single flesh eating creation manages to grip directly beneath her and threaten her.

Spoiler: Damages and OOC

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Siward gets bitten by the T rex and it deals 19 piercing damage after reduction. He is currently grappled and restrained. It then steps forward and tail whips the entrance really hard. The zombies all dash including the ankylosaurus whilst the knights and the hunter lieutenants open fire blindly or at sight within the camp. Sister Cyas casts Sanctuary on Commander Niles Breakbone while Xandala shoots a fireball and a quickened firebolt.

Everyone is up.

[Othniel]

Aleandrae

Overwhelmed by the sheer number of enemies in the area, Aleandrae wracked her brain for ideas, settling on an area effect spell.

Spoiler: OOC

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Shatter on the dudes marked on the map.

[TheDarkDM]

Siward

Held fast in the fangs of the undead scourge, Siward struggled to bring his blade to bear.

"Zounds! Release me, foul beast!"

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Siward will Reckless Attack to cancel out the Disadvantage from Restrained.

Attack: (1d20+5)[8]
Bless: (1d4)[2]

Damage: (1d8+5)[11]
Radiant Damage: (1d6+1)[2]

[CockroachTeaParty]

Too short to really see what was happening at the gate or beyond, Bean slipped down the ladder and began dashing across the camp to the opposite side.

"Oh no! Ciaran! Wait for me! BLEEEEEE!"

[Nefarion Xid]

"Stop kicking! Hold still!" Darion barked. Aiming for an exposed vertebra, he brought the barb of his whip down with such spectacular force that the monster's spine shattered, sending its top half sloughing limply away from the rest of its body. The whole thing collapsed into a spongy wet heap of flesh with Siward bouncing on top.

[PepperP.]

Lyndal

The sorceress's attention whipped from Siward gripped in the mouth of the Tyrannosaurus monstrosity to the Ankylosaurus at their front gate. She sent a burst of magical energy out of it, praying it struck true as she tried her best to not be distracted by the remaining horde of zombie footmen behind the dinos.

Spoiler: ooc

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Chromatic Orb at the Anklyosaurus level 1 (Fire)
(1d20+5)[17]
Bless
(1d4)[4]
damage
(3d8)[16]

[Jade_Tarem]

Secret

"Aah! Siward, hold on!" Secret was, once again, out of her strongest spells, but hopefully the healthier troops would make up for the lack. Instead she tried to set the zombie dinosaur aflame.

Spoiler: OOC

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Casting Sacred Flame on the thing biting Siward.

(1d8)[5]

[Tychris1]

Camp VENGEANCE
Day 17

As Darion's whip felled the giant fell beast the knights of the Gauntlet roared out in unison cheer. It was short lived however as Bean's cries of revelation became tangibly clear, the rear most Chultan hunter guard skewered with two spears thrown down from atop a newly repurposed watchtower, and was replaced with the manic hollering of bloodthirsty madmen. Turning on his heels Niles Breakbone began to dictate and bark a series of commands, the squires of his order holding their spears fast in readied thrusting motions for the impending wave of undead, and the lightly armored and nimbler natives sent sprinting back to reinforce the rear rushing past Bean with their longer legs. Briefly, one of them stops and offers a hand to the short Gnome Warlock, and waits only the briefest of moments for her response before dashing along.

From deep within the bowels of the slain zombie T-rex a fully formed zombified human ripped its way free and began to savage the prone Siward in concert. A wave of undead hands gripping, slamming, and throttling the man as he vigorously rolled and brought his shield to bear amidst the rain and bloody viscera. From behind at Secret's behest a rain of holy flame doused the other hulking zombified weapon as the Helmites sang out a war chant to invoke the most sacred of elements onto the world. It isn't quite enough however, until Azaka withdraws her scimitar and runs past the rushing undead horde towards Siward shaking her head exasperatedly. Piling over one another the zombies begin to overwhelm the walls of Camp VENGEANCE as their combined mass and numbers lead to a few spilling over the spiked walls in a mad frenzy for living flesh. Several use the corpses of their slain larger brethren as ramps to engage their enemies, some of them more successfully then others, and one even manages a grazing punch against Darion just as the Knights retrieve their longswords to surge forward. Bolstering their forward assault, Xandala whipped around the center of the xamo with her magical zephyr of chill air, and landed behind Ord Firebeard and Perne Salhana to invoke a spell upon Siward, and hissed the arcane litany of a green dragon. The stragglers who do land inside find themselves instantly engaged by Goring Almiraj and Sister Cyas screaming in completely different languages and for totally opposite reasons as holy flame crackles and scimitars cut through the howling wind. Arrows fly over the goblins head, assisting her unexpectedly from the Chultan lieutenants, and a brief moment of unease arises as the creature continues to stumble forward ignorant of the immense damage wrought to it.

Praying to his native god for the strength and tenacity to survive this day Srirak's eyes grow sharper with the hunter's keen ferocity. Pulling back his longbow with all his might he burrows an arrow deep into the skull of the zombie threatening Jack and watches it careen off the wall before thudding against the muddy bloody trench below.

Spoiler: OOC and damage

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Siward takes 10 bludgeoning after resistance. Darion takes 2.

You're all up to bat again.

[CockroachTeaParty]

Bean gladly let herself get pulled along by one of the big folk. Roughly in the middle of the western tents, Bean telepathically called out to her familiar.
<Get out of there Ciaran! It's dangerous!>

<Of course, My Lady. But first, a parting gift for our guests.>

An invisible hand lifted up one of the cannibal's horrid skin-cloaks, covering his eyes momentarily. Bean took aim with a crackling beam of green fire and sent it rocketing toward the disadvantaged target of Ciaran's caprice.

Spoiler: OOC

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Bean will EB the already injured cannibal with advantage from Ciaran's help action. Ciaran will then move to the tents, while Bean will take cover if she can.

Attack: (1d20+6)[7] (1d20+6)[20]
Force damage: (1d10+4)[7]

[Othniel]

Aleandrae

Lining up a shot at one of the wounded zombies, Aleandrae let fly with an arrow and followed it up with a spell of healing upon Siward.

Spoiler: OOC

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Pew pew! (1d20+4)[21]
Damage: (1d6+2)[4]

Healing Word on Siward: (1d4+4)[8]

[PepperP.]

Lyndal

Lyn gaped in wonder as Siward turned into a dragon-dino in front of her eyes and was barely able to focus enough to blast the zombie climbing up the ladder in her face.

Spoiler: ooc

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Attacking the zombie directly east of Lyn.

Chromatic Orb (1st level, Fire)
(1d20+5)[10]
Bless
(1d4)[1]
damage
(3d8)[11]

[TheDarkDM]

Siward

Taken aback as magic suffused his very being, Siward's cry transformed into a thunderous roar as he trampled the Tyrannosaur beneath might treads. Bloody fury filled saurian eyes, and he lased out against the nearest of the oncoming horde.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Tail Slamming: (1d20+7)[24]
Damage: (4d6+4)[16]

[zabbarot]

Srirak moves his hunter's mark to a new target as he readies another arrow. He fires at the nearest zombie.

Spoiler: Roll

Show

(1d20+4)[10]
(1d8+2)[6]+(1d6)[2]

[Tychris1]

Camp VENGEANCE
Day 17

The carnage reaches a fever pitch as the Cannibals to the rear pour over the wall like a malcontent flood of madness. Their spears in hand they skewer a Chultan hunter as their teeth gnash and curse in their locked lines of combat. "Grind their flesh, eat their bones! We will live forever our lives we loans!" They chant as one of them begins the brazen process of openly feasting on one of the deceased warriors on the camp's unsanitary and disease ridden grounds. To the east the zombies continue their unending push forward, many of them piling over and grabbing onto each other as a small cadre of 7 zombies topple over the walls and begin to savage Inete and Goring Almiraj. The small Goblin, her mask cracked as a rotting fist slams her head into the earth below, screeches in fear as she swings her scimitar recklessly, and splits a zombie in twain as squires rush forward to hold the line alongside her. Joy suffuses the goblin as she rapidly runs away from the frontlines amidst the carnage, and she narrowly avoids a fully armored knight hitting the ground as she is shoved off of the pallisade and over the side. Picking themselves back together, the knights pull forth their longswords and shortswords and begin to join the melee in earnest, Ord and Perne still supporting the backline with their powerful crossbows yet it seems in vain. Their blows while mighty are unrecognized by the hideous undead monsters as they continue to move about unabated. Even Commander Breakbone, whose thin yet elegant blade finds a masterfully precise strike in one of the intruding nightmares skull finds no reprieve in his onslaught.

"Hold the line! Cyas! Summon reinforcements! NOW." He barked as his blade parried a lazy and wide haymaker.

Nodding her head Cyas took her helmet off and held it aloft with both hands. "Almighty Helm I entreat you to come to us in our hour of need. Send forth from your tower your most adamant warriors!" The air around her suddenly became flush with a pale blue light as a translucent man in full concealing adamantine plate wielding a silver glaive appeared next to her. And then another appeared. And another. Soon a whole host of soldiers surrounded her swimming about and floating through the air, their weapons bared, and their voices little more than a whisper beyond the occasional chant or hymn in Celestial. From atop the pallisade Xandala pointed her fingers in two seperate directions, her arms glowing bright orange with fiery energies, and then suddenly exploding in a flash and roar of destructive draconic magics. Another bead of fire landed itself outside the Camp's walls, vaporizing several zombies in the process, and horribly melting one. Her other hand shot a coruscating ray of flame directly over Lyndal's shoulder and melted the face of the zombie that swiped at her and drew blood.

Beyond the Camp's walls Azaka and the newly transformed Siward were ripped and torn into by the undead horde, the grizzled Chultan womans scimitar proving of little use to the ghoulish fortitude the horde presented.

Spoiler: Damage and OOC

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Siward takes 21 damage as more zombies pile in to attack him.

Lyndal is struck by a zombie (Will record damage after Shield and such is declared)

Darion needs to make 3 Dexterity (Acrobatics) checks as a trio of Zombies try to shove him off of the pallisade and over the side.

[CockroachTeaParty]

"Oh dear oh dear oh dear... Hmmm GO TO SLEEP!"

Bean blasted the knot of cannibals with soporific magic, hoping that it put more enemies to sleep than allies. She then skirted further away from the encroaching melee.

Spoiler: OOC

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Bean will try to put (7d8)[32] hp of stuff to sleep. There are some injured enemies mixed in there, so they take priority, etc. etc.; she's trying to catch all the cannibals while getting the fewest allies in the 20 ft. radius of the point, etc. etc. you got me fam.

She'll then move a bit further away, with Ciaran in tow.

[PepperP.]

"Get off of me!" Lyn recoiled in disgust even as she unleashed flames upon the zombie than bit her and the one standing next to it.

Spoiler: ooc

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Twinned Fire Bolt zombie that bit me
(1d20+5)[22]
Bless
(1d4)[1]
damage
(1d10)[6]

Twinned Fire Bolt zombie 2
(1d20+5)[14]
Bless
(1d4)[3]
damage
(1d10)[1]

[Nefarion Xid]

"Where did they find so many identical corpses!? Did someone raise vigintuplets from the dead!?" Darion punted a clambering zombie off the palisade and whipped him in half on the way down.

14 damage to the one in front of Darion.

[TheDarkDM]

Siward

Undeterred by the press of undead flesh all around him, Siward continued to lash out against the zombies approaching the fort.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Attack one of the zombies closer to the fort.

Attack: (1d20+7)[19]
Damage: (4d6+4)[22]