[DnD 5e] Playthings in an Interplanar Dollhouse- A Path of the Planebreaker Adventure

[NiKkatsu]

Maker Kunnian AC: 15 | HP: 38/38 | HIT DICE: 5d8+10 Speed: 25ft | Initiative: +2 Passive Perception: 11 | Passive Insight: 11 Conditions: --- ''Hmm.'' Kunnian thinks in reply to Bil's question. ''I guess that depends of your abilities. The coins aren't magic - my spells are what allows me to track them. So if you have similar magic, it could be possible.'' Spoiler: OoC Show she is talking about the spell 'locate object'

[purepolarpanzer]

Star Elf Crystal Merchant

The star elf turns from her crystals to lock eyes with Hylusi for a moment before declining her head. "My path may be long, but it is no less worthy than yours, Cousin. And I think, based on appearances, that your own path may be closer to my own than most of The Family. I pray they are kinder to you. Skies gaze upon you kindly, as well." She then turns back to her display of crystals, tapping a magenta crystal with a silver rod, rapidly followed by a sapphire and an emerald. As the reverberation fills the air, the crystals reach for each other, entwine, and spiral. The dark eyed elf with the star eyes frowns, looking over the formation of the crystals with concern, before looking up at the bright blue sky with furrowed brows.

"The crystals are my livelihood. I must charge you for them, though your patrons are important. Thirty three gold for each color. One color is for vanity. Two are for curiosity. Three answer questions. A gold for your own silver rod. Any metal may do, but the silver rings the truest answers. Plus it sounds nice." She smiled and tapped the three crystals again, nervously looked up at the sky again, then turns to Hylusi. "I'm afraid my time at these festivities draws short. I do not mean to be rude, especially to one of your station or your patron's station, but I must go. Do you wish to buy a crystal trigram?"

The Monster Hunter

The scarred, scimitar wielding woman smiles wide, first taking Prince Doredan's hand, then quickly shifting her grip up to his arm in a grip speaking more of comradery than suspicion. "I have heard tales of the poison prince. Didn't ever think I'd meet him. Or that he'd have such a fetching smile." She winks and gives a small laugh before turning to move a box with some sort of ornery, hissing creature in it. "If we'd met a hundred miles to the east in Everarbor I would happily trade you venoms that would test your resistance, to be sure. But, knowing that I was coming to a kingdom where such wares are... less than welcome, I moved all my stock amongst the elves. They are a cunning people. Peace or no peace, they buy enough poisons that I think the only blades that go untreated are their butter knives. Your brother best be careful with his wedding." She uttered and angry word in a foreign language and shook the box, causing a louder hiss and a series of small, snapping crab-like claws to shoot between the bars.

When Doredan brings up taming wyverns, she grins and leans on her cart, the large, crystalized eye turning to look down at her. "You're talking to the wrong sister. I'm a warrior of nature, focused on doing battle with beasts and monsters and protecting my hunting grounds. My sister took vows with a druid circle, and she has allies that would send this crowd running for their homes. She hates places like this, so I travel and do the trade to earn us coin for her reagents and ingredients. Two years ago I returned to our home to find her missing. Spent days tracking her, only to have a wyvern the size of a rhino... do you ken rhinoceros? anyway, mini wyvern scoops me up in it's claws and carries me all the way home. I spend the whole trip praying and struggling and, quite honestly, sobbing like a child. Wyvern drops me about ten feet to the ground, and my loon of a sister is riding on top of it and laughing at me like I peed my pants. Crazy *****." She leans heavily on a cage, then is woken from her daydream by the cage growling and shaking. Releasing a small chuckle, she looks quickly to either side and deftly slides a vial out of her bracer, tossing it one handed to the Prince. "From my private stock. Made my sister let me milk the tail of the beast after it dropped me. If it kills you, you didn't get it from me. Not as strong as it's bigger family, but still should be enough to put a foe in the ground. Or put some hair on that chest of yours." Someone inquires about a beast that looks like a stuffed scaled feline, and her attention is drawn to other business.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

One dose of miniature wyvern poison. Nature DC 14 to learn it's exact stats.

Spoiler: DC 14

Show

Often mistaken for young wyverns, miniature wyverns live in areas that would be awkward for their larger cousins, such as sea cliffs or canyon walls. Their venom deals 4d6 poison damage, or half with a successful DC 13 Constitution saving throw.

The Lizardfolk Mask Merchant

The reptilian artisan blinks passively at Doredan's curiosity. "Masssssk meant for you, ssssssirrrr. Sssssooooullll ssssisssster callllsssss to you. Fifty gold pieeecccessss for the curio. The realm of eyesssss will open youuurrsss upon a new world!" If asked for another mask, the lizardfolk refuses, adamantly insisting that the three moon mask is perfect for Doredan, whispering "ssssoooooullll sssssiiisssster...."

The Goliath's Memory Stones

The coins are exchanged- the memory stones are quite pricey at 75 gold pieces. But if the magic that you've seen so far is any indication of what the full experience is like, it is well worth the cost. "My thanks, stoneling. Shaper Glomluch has returned below the earth to the Waking world, but I will send Maker Kunnian's regards. We are people of mist, smoke, and dream to the Great Shapers, but as the memory indicates, even beings as temporary as us can be a color in a palette that creates works of art that will live far beyond our lifetimes." The massive goliath reaches down and scruffs Kunnian's hair a bit. "You, friend, are a very bright and memorable color."

The Grass Shaman's Cart

When Felicity and Bil approach the centaur woman with the mottled grey hair, she welcomes Felicity with a warm smile and an affectionate clasping of hands, as is common for their people. At the mention of songblossom, the shaman turns to her cart and searches underneath several bundles of grass to extract an elegant white flower with a violet ring around the edges of it's petals. "Blossomed under the song of a wedding of our people. My last one. But I am honored to pass it on to the wedding of these two nations, that it may remind the two legs that peace and harmony depends on their bliss."

While moving through the market with Bil, Felicity and her Harengon ally find several people who have seen hints of the missing High Priest over the last day or so. "Oh, you mean the bulky bearded elf with a spilling cup on his robe? I saw him blessing drunks in a tavern on the other side of the market!" Says a woman selling dress clothes for the festivities. On the way to investigate, Bil passes by a armorer who has a a sturdy looking breastplate with the accompanying chain that sheens in the afternoon sun, on sale for an actual discount, as opposed to the local blacksmith. He is offering the armor for 375 gold pieces, extolling it's virtues to all who pass by.

Arriving at a winesink of a tavern called the Mountain's Grapes, it doesn't take long to locate the half-elf High Priest of Damh. If elves are known for the gracefulness and lithe bodies, Meriand Voskolm must favor his human side. He has the pointed ears of Everarbor, but the bear like man with a barrel chest and a flowing beard definitely favors his human parentage. And, unfortunately, he appears to be well into his cups, leaning heavily on the bar of the small hole in the wall tavern and mumbling blearily. The woman tending bar sees your interest in the man and shouts out to you. "At first I was happy to have a priest of the Mirthful One here. People drink more when it's a sacrament. But he's long overstayed his welcome, and well over-celebrated the wedding. He owes thirty silver in wine. Kept paying to fill everyone's cups in the common floor. I don't mean to muscle a man of the cloth, but I'd be paid before you drag him away, if you please."

The esteemed High Priest of Damh sits up, burps loudly, and sings a lopsided few bars of a wedding march before falling back on the bar heavily.

A Few Moments Later

By one way or another, the Prince, the Magus, the Maker, the Cleric, and the Courser all find themselves moving through the central market. Some have had a merry time shopping, some have found rare or exotic goods with magical qualities from distant lands, and some are supporting a wide bodied High Priest singing drunkenly between themselves, but all have navigated the waves and tides of shoppers, hawkers, merchants, street chefs and festive celebrators for several hours. Whether you have enjoyed the crowded market or not, the merriment is contagious, and even the most cynical feel a tugging at the corners of their mouths. Every soul in Wissimvale is prepared for the great wedding between royal families, a new age of peace and prosperity, and at the very least, a raucous party that will be memorable even across the long life of an elf. The time for the rehearsal is coming up soon, however, and for those with official duties such as yourselves it is becoming time to leave the market and return to the castle.

The first sign of something wrong is the sky turning a deep, blood red, as though a massive lens had been erected between the noon sun and the ground. Most people notice slowly, with merriment turning into confusion. Then comes a massive, terrible sound like icebergs cracking against each other up in the sky, as though the foundations of the clouds was crumbling under the weight of some inexorable pressure. Those who look up see a distinct and disturbing bulge form in the sky overhead, which grows and stretches and rips open the very sky. Bright and terrible flashing lights emerge from the hole in the sky, causing the eyes of the onlookers to grow wide and dilated with otherworldly terror. Then it emerges, with a sublime sound of air being moved around it that reminds all who watch it of the worst storm they have ever witnessed. A red moon, moving across the sky, blocking the sun in an eclipse of terror. Those with sharp eyes can see veins of eldritch energy on the massive offensive body, roiling red liquid in a massive ocean on it's surface, and a wake of shrapnel, wreckage, scrap, and fragments break off it like a large dog shedding snow.

It starts to rain as clouds rumble into existence around the foreign object, with lightning crackling through the clear sky, torrential black clouds appearing from nowhere, and thunder rippling through reality. It starts to rain, but it is not water that comes down.

A baby cries. People take a deep breath. Someone screams. Then everyone screams. Madness begins to take control of the crowd. Then a chunk of stone the size of a wagon pulps a stall selling meat on a stick. Awe turns to panic. The crowd becomes a sea of madness.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Strength save, dexterity save, wisdom save, please. Everyone can post a reaction, anyone trained in Arcana may roll, then I will roll for initiative, and the real fun will begin. The Planebreaker has arrived.

[Awful]

Hylusi Quaternaros, Magus of Bleakpines Magework Necromancer Darkvision: 60ft AC: 15 HP: 32/32 PP: 14 PIv: 14 PIs: 11 Conditions: Concentrating on: detect magic 5/5 d6 HD Arcane recovery 1/1 Spell Slots- 3/4 1st, 3/3 2nd, 2/2 3rd Fingerbone staff 10/10 Star Elf Hylusi considered the star elf's words for a moment. <All must strive,> she sent at last. <To regret my path and its necessity would be folly. I have achieved already what many will never, and the zenith of my power is yet still far distant until I reach it.> The gold surrendered by the stupid plate merchant came in use much sooner than the Magus expected. She inclined her head and clicked her fingers, and the gold-masked servitor offered forth the hundred gold for the three crystals and the rod. Let it not be said she offered an incomplete gift, after all. <I will take all three and the rod, then.> As the crystals were prepared, the Magus watched the star elf carefully. <Do you foretell ill, cousin?> Apocalypse Moon Heading back through the market, the Magus was deep in thought. It was only the change in light that made her pay attention to the sky, and she saw crimson spread like inkblots across it, and then- Then the sky was screaming. Bloody red, it ripped and tore, as a monstrous scarlet moon hurled across the sky. Raw magic played across its length, crackling like lightning, as the magic energy sloshed in an eldritch sea across the surface. The wounded sky wept from it. It was... fascinating. Power unmatched by nigh any mortal work she knew of. She wanted it. She wanted that might, to tear the sky if she willed. Notes, she had to take notes! Paying no attention to the bedlam around her, she retrieved parchment and began scribbling feverishly. She didn't even notice when the servitors stepped closer, silently blocking the madness of the crowd from jostling her. For a moment, she was again a young girl, alone in a dim stone chamber, surrounded by books and scrolls piled high, working on magical equations even as limbs spasmed and the bitter iron taste of blood filled her mouth, even as her own body betrayed her, determined to live, to overcome, to gain the power never, ever, to feel so desperate- And then she was again the Magus of Bleakpines as her spidery writing danced across the page.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

str: 16, dex: 3, wis: nat 20 for 24, arcana: 15

[RandomWombat]

Prince Doredan Human Martial Bard 5 AC: 14 HP: 25/33 PP: 9 PIv: 11 PIs: 9 Conditions: --- Standing Reaction: Dodge Roll if critically hit (1/encounter) Squid Games "Everything?" with a playful expression, he draws the fencing blade at his side. Silver-coated steel glints gold in the light of the sun, and elaborate decorations dance upon the guard and pommel. "For the wedding? Oh, no, I live here," the well-dressed man responds with a good-natured laugh. He sweeps his fine, gold-threaded red sleeve to present his person dramatically - with the arm not presently showing off his sword. "Prince Doredan Reydalise, of Wissimvale," Doredan announces, letting that arm fall back to his side where it hangs casually. "Many an instructor has told me that every sword will tell you much about her wielder. And no blade is truly yours' 'till she has a name," he muses, carefully stowing the weapon back in its sheath. "She is called La Ilumineuse. And what might yours' be called?" the prince inclines his head to the rapier at his diminutive new acquaintance's side. The Monster Hunter Answering the shift in gesture in kind, Doredan chuckles in mild embarrassment at the familiar epithet. "So my reputation does precede me. Is the dwarven ambassador still telling that story?" Dwarves have long memories. And so the aftermath has been long of a night in which a dwarven bodyguard was mid-accusation upon Doredan of poisoning a goblet of wine only to be stunned speechless in the same breath as Doredan downed the entire poisoned goblet in hand. The drinking contest that followed was forever burned into the memory of the back of Doredan's throat, by some very potent dwarven whiskey. But the other details of that night were foggy at best, for everyone involved. Still, dwarves do have long memories. When the huntress moves to lean upon her catch's cage, Doredan steps up to the wall of the building behind her display, leaning back against it as well to aid the casual air. He sizes up her sword a little more closely as she talks, trying to figure the origin of its make. There is little doubt the blade has as storied a history as the scars upon its wielder. "My brother is many things, but careful is not something I would wager upon," he half-jests at her concern. "Fortunately, he has exemplary royal retainers." Spoiler: Rolls Show (1d20+6)[13] History to identify the make of her scimitar When asked in brief aside about rhinoceroses, Prince Doredan dips his head from side to side in a 'somewhat' gesture. He'd heard stories of the creatures, of course, even seen a few illustrations. If the drawings are to be believed, they are much like the offspring of a horse and a stone golem. He grins at the tale of her sister and the tamed pygmy wyvern. "Siblings," he responds simply, quickly reaching up to snatch the tossed vial out of the air. Inspecting it, Doredan grins even wider in giddy anticipation and tucks it away in his bag. "Many thanks!" Not one to leave a good turn unanswered, he waits for the other inquirer to move on before passing by and drawing a vial of bright purple liquid of his own. Inspecting the stylistically embossed glass, he sets it on a (not moving) box of hunt memorabilia, "Des Chemins Oubliés," he introduces the concoction of perfume from his own personal collection. "Warning on the bottle says do not wear near displacer beasts during mating season," with a devilish grin he adds, "I try not to think too hard about what they put in these... whether you like it, or find a more practical use for it in your hunting, I hope it serves you well." With a polite bow on his way, Doredan leaves the huntress to members of the crowd circling in again like vultures. Happy Mask Salesman Gauging the mask again, Doredan decides it's cheap enough to be worth his curiosity. "Then here you are," he deposits a pouch of fifty gold pieces into the reptilian saleman's outstretched claw - it is a common enough amount that having pouches of it on hand is, well, handy. Dawn of the Third Day Just as he is following the trail of a centauress looking suspiciously like one of his brother's royal retainers, and a drunken elf looking suspiciously like is quarry, and a familiar looking gnome lady, Doredan is brought to pause. For the sky is torn asunder in a display that leaves him gaping in awe. As the chunks of stone begin to fall, Doredan begins to sprint for cover in one of the terrace ramparts, the guard rooms beneath being the most secure place he can think of in the event of spontaneous meteor shower. "Dame Felicity!" he shouts in a panic, hoping it is indeed her. "To the wall!" Spoiler: Saves Show Strength 2 Dexterity 23 Wisdom 12

[truemane]

Felicity Fourhooves Centaur Paladin 5 AC: 17 HP: 44 PP:10 PIv: 09 PIs: 10 Lay on Hands: 25/25 Spell Slots: 4/2 Felicity was so, so, so happy when the Elderhoof placed the beautiful songblossom in her hand. It was perfect! Perfect! And the violet-ringed white flowers were among the rarest varietals. Her heart surged and her face broke out into a bright smile. She forgot her manners and jumped up, clopped forward, and hugged the Elderhoof. "Thank you thank you thank you!" she gushed. And then when, a short time later, she and Bil found the High Priest, she thought This is the greatest day of my whole life. And then the sky tore open. And the world went mad. Felicity was strong and brave. The surging crowd did not take her or move her. But even though she was screaming at herself inside her mind to Run! To the Castle! The Prince! The Pricess! Run! She. Just. Could. Not. Convince. Her. Feet. To. Move. So she stood, still and resolute, mouth agape, songblossom fluttering in her open palm until it was caught by the crowd and trampled into dust, staring at the sky. She even thought she heard Prince Dorendon's voice calling to her. But it seemed very far away. RUN! The sky! RUN! Look at the sky!

[purepolarpanzer]

A Marketplace In Chaos

Spoiler: The Hunter's Weapon

Show

The monster hunter's scimitar looks as though it has seen years of hard use. Judging by the distinct curve and odd heft at the end of the blade, this weapon, and perhaps it's wielder, comes from the Inscrutable East, though her armor and clothing looks more local to the center part of this continent. This woman appears to be something of a mutt as far as heritage and equipment can tell.

Spoiler: The Final Words of the Star Elf

Show

"Omens rarely speak of woe or weal, at least where my people are from, Cousin. They do, however, speak of change. I only hope that the change the crystals speak of simply means the upcoming wedding. Be wary in case it is not." She picks up the handles on her cart and wheels it off to a less populated part of the market without another word.

The chaos is absolute. People begin running to cover as more and more rubble begins to rain down from the scarlet moon above. It seems as though the force of making it's way into your world has dislodged a large amount of debris from the moon itself. As people scatter Doredan catches an errant elbow to the face, followed by a man twice his size bowling into him from the side and sending the prince sprawling ignobly in the dirt of the market. To put injury to injury, someone steps on his outstretched hand, threatening to break a finger but thankfully only hurting like the Nine. Make Kunnian, with her diminutive size, makes out even worse. Caught up in a current of running people she is trampled, with feet and fists and the weight of larger beings stomping, shoving, and crushing her beneath the crowd. The other members of the wedding party hold their ground firmly, with Bil, Felicity, and the High Priest weathering the worst of the crowd's pushing and shoving, while Hylusi's servants are quick to move to either side of her and ward off the violence of the crazed commoners.

Perhaps their abuse is for the best, however, as neither the Prince nor the Maker suffer from falling debris. Hylusi's servants cannot keep track of all directions at once, and a rain of what appears to be pebbles and shards rains down on her from above with the force to bruise skin. Bil, Felicity, and the drunken High Priest all lurch out of the way of a falling shard of metal that flies straight down through the sky like a blade, catching all three with it's sharp edge before it sticks straight out of the ground trembling slightly.

The sudden onset of a potential apocalypse overwhelms both Felicity and Doredan, the rushing people, falling objects, and potential for destruction causing them both to only look up in fear for a few moments and stare. Amongst the rubble of the market place, both terrestrial and extraterrestrial, there are numerous red boulders and shards that look potentially like pieces of the moon above. This proves to not be true, however. The market place is beginning to thin out, but some people are wounded, some are unwilling to leave their wares, and some are terrified into stunned silence, but all appear to be at risk as the five red pieces of rubble start making clicking, humming, hissing sounds. Chitinous bodies unfold, leathery wings unfurled, and it is revealed that the entire market place has been peppered with some sort of insectoid beings the size of a large halfling. A beggar missing his lower legs begins frantically crawling away from one of these things, but it appears that in the mass of bodies he was injured, his already slowed pace marked by a sprained arm.

The insects all begin clacking and hissing in the same alien tone, moving aggressively into the remaining people with mandibles and sharp pincers waving menacingly.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Rolled Initiative for you all. It ended up being the insects, then you all. The insects spend their turns falling, readying themselves, and moving towards prey without actually attacking anyone. That's the good news. Here's the bad news.

Doredan and Kunnian takes 10 bludgeoning damage each from the crush of bodies. Hylusi, Bill, Felicity, and the High Priest each take 10 damage from falling debris. Doredan and Felicity both can move, but not attack or cast a spell due to being overwhelmed by the situation for one round. The market is a crazed place with scattered people remaining, but most people have gotten inside the various shops. Each of you is within 30 ft of one of these mites, and on each turn if they are not intercepted there is a chance the mites will attack civilians, or a chance they will leap at you. They seem to be directed by predatory instinct.

Again, it is the Party's Turn.

Spoiler: Hylusi's Arcana Roll

Show

The Star Elves have a legend of a transient moon that travels THROUGH other world's skies, shattering the walls of reality and continuing onward from plane to plane like an omen of doom. It sometimes spends just a few minutes in a world, but sometimes spends a number of days. Either way, it will eventually move on after causing no shortage of chaos and doomsaying. The Star Elves say that there is a city on the moon, and an ocean, but that is all Hylusi has heard on this subject. Most think it the ramblings of aberrant minds and mutated bodies.

Spoiler: Perception DC 13, Hylusi has Advantage

Show

Some of the debris that has fallen down from the red moon looks like precious metals. Some look like odd coins. In particular, one that struck the Magus directly in the forehead and bounced off looks like a strange coin combining an arc of silvery metal and a reverse arc of some sort of precious gem.

[RandomWombat]

Prince Doredan Human Martial Bard 5 AC: 14 HP: 15/33 PP: 9 PIv: 11 PIs: 9 Conditions: --- Standing Reaction: Dodge Roll if critically hit (1/encounter) Left groaning, the prince rolls over onto his front after being stomped underfoot in the crowd. Bruised and battered, with bootprints on his fine gold and red ensemble. He forces himself up to his feet and stares around, stunned, mouth agape. At first he barely registers that the bugs are hostile, backing away and then spinning around to find them in all directions. Spoiler: Actions Show Stand from Prone, and take the Dodge action. No Dodge roll reaction this round since it would be redundant.

[jscape2000]

Bil Twilight Cleric of Damh AC: 18 HP: 33/33 THP: PP: 17 PIv: 11 PIs: 17 Conditions: Concentrating on: 5 / 5 d8 HD Spell Slots- 4/4 1st, 3/3 2nd, 2/2 3rd Bil dons his new half plate with relish. It would impare him a little in the field, but no more than his old scale mail would have. And he cut such an imposing figure. Sleek fur, gleaming metal, the power of Damh at his fingertips, like great Hrairoo of old. He thanks the shopkeeper in formal tones and offers a blessing to his works, “You have honored the wedding with your labor and your craft, emptying your storehouse in the service of the celebration. When next you raise your glass, Great Damh will lift his too, in toast. And for all the days you labor here, he will mark this door as the place of a friend; and he who girds and guards, who knows the ways beneath the earth down from the warrens to the places of deep stone, of ore, of heat, will sing his songs in the time your hammer beats, that your work may be lighter and the hours fly.” Bil is thrilled to find the high priest, and popping energetically from foot to foot, helps to lead the celebrant towards the castle. Hopefully the old elf’s liver takes its time purging the toxins from his system. Bil could still assist in the wedding… As the market descends into chaos, Bil remains alert. Pushing the high priest towards cover, he asks the elf “are you well enough to defend yourself?” As the beetles approach, Bil takes a defensive position against a building. He calls a drum mallet into being, striking at the nearest beetle. Then he follows that by calling on Damh the protector. A bell tolls, marking the end of the feast, it is the sound of the last bottle falling empty on the table, a goblet set down drained, the spoon scraping the bowl for the final morsel, the end of life. Spoiler Show Spiritual weapon. To hit: 17, damage: 12 Toll the dead. Dc 17 wisdom or necrotic damage. 17 if hurt, 13 if not hurt

[jscape2000]

Bil Twilight Cleric of Damh AC: 18 HP: 33/33 THP: PP: 17 PIv: 11 PIs: 17 Conditions: Concentrating on: 5 / 5 d8 HD Spell Slots- 4/4 1st, 3/3 2nd, 2/2 3rd “To me, all of you with swords and spells. In the name of Damh, to protect weak and preserve the feast! Our strength is needed for our fellows, our voices needed for the song!” Bil breaks into a battle hymn.

[NiKkatsu]

Maker Kunnian AC: 15 | HP: 28/38 | HIT DICE: 5d8+10 Speed: 25ft | Initiative: +2 Passive Perception: 11 | Passive Insight: 11 Conditions: --- Kunnian rubs her chin and furrows her brow when the handsome man asks her the name of her rapier - she'd never actually thought about it! ''I-uh...'' She starts, blushing slightly When suddenly the sky is torn asunder, bleeding death and destruction upon the land below... ...and the people all around start panicking. Before she can even react, Kunnian and the prince are bludgeoned and trampled by the terrified horde. Instinctively, the gnome covers her face and curls up into a ball on the ground, trying as best she can to hold in her screams, to bear the pain as these people, most twice her size, crush her without even realizing she was there. The world around her is a blur of stomping feet and shapes rushing by. Then, the debris comes crashing down around her. One body falls over her, then another... In this moment she realizes she is so far from home. She feels so afraid. Then she realizes, with some surprise, that she is unscathed by the debris... The very people who, alive, almost trampled her to death, ended up unwillingly protecting her in death, taking the brunt of the falling rocks in her stead. She pushes the bodies away and gets to her feet with a pained groan. Her legs are shaking... ...and terrible creatures are now attacking the townsfolk all around, preying on the weak and the defenseless. She hesitates - what to do? What CAN she do? Then she hears it. The call of the priest of Dahm. And his battle hymn. That melody. That song... she knows the words - A satyr had taught it to her in the Feywilds! So she joins in, harmonizing her voice with the priest's, in hopes that her music can inspire others, lending her strength to the words of the Harengon. She was not used to a battle... But she needed to push through her fear and act. She swings her bandore around her shoulders. It feels comforting as it lands in her hands. She can feel its strength as she begings to strum, adding music to the song of Dahm. Reaching out with her voice, she invites the plants around the market to revel and to dance. And they answer, reaching out with their stems, their roots, their leaves and their stalks to hold down the abominations that fell out of the sky... Spoiler: OOC Show She casts shillelagh as a bonus action as she grasps her bandore and then entangle on three of the bugs

[Awful]

Hylusi Quaternaros, Magus of Bleakpines Magework Necromancer Darkvision: 60ft AC: 15 HP: 22/32 PP: 14 PIv: 14 PIs: 11 Conditions: Concentrating on: 5/5 d6 HD Arcane recovery 1/1 Spell Slots- 3/4 1st, 3/3 2nd, 2/2 3rd Fingerbone staff 10/10 So engrossed was Hylusi in her note-taking, it was only belated she realised something was falling towards her. She snapped up a hand to raise a shield, but it was too late; a flurry of hard objects struck her, making her emit a strange gurgling hiss of pain. A drop of mercury-like blood, beading like quicksilver, slowly rolled down her face where the sharp edge of something had cut her brow. Hylusi caught the drop with a hand, staring down at it with outraged astonishment. She was injured! Her! One of the servitors nudged her, and she began to round on it with a mental snarl, when she stopped. Around the marketplace, oversized insects had fallen, and now they unfurled themselves with clear hunger in their intent. This was remarkably inconvenient timing for the wedding, she mused. There were others scattered about the marketplace likely to fall prey to the insects. While she didn't care about the majority of the meaningless humans about, there was still the Prince about, and letting him be eaten by excessively large bugs might be the final nail in the coffin if the union wasn't already completely buried. She might be a necromancer, but there were some things so dead even she couldn't bring them back. <Prince Doredan!> Her mental voice was a sharp snap, now, like a cracking femur. <We must get to the castle. My servant-creations will clear a path.> To her masked servitors, she gave a glance and frowned. She could not leave them, either. She did not want them destroyed, and they were not designed for fighting, either. Hopefully, as unliving bones, with no scent of flesh or blood, the insects would be uninterested in them compared to the screaming prey about. <Stay behind me,> she commanded them. <Avoid any attacks you can.> The three of them silently obeyed. She breathed in, then out. She stamped the butt of her staff against the ground. <Gorelings! Defend your mistress! Come forth and devour!> Her clothing seemed to ripple, under her cloak, under her skirts, and shapes moved and pressed against it where before they had laid flat. Then there were pattering sounds, as heavy drops of the rain, and shapes began to emerge - first, slim black lines, like worms, then pushing out to reveal themselves as gloved hands, absent any arm or body, crawling like spiders on their fingers. They boiled forth from the Magus' robes, chittering with mindless noises from unseen mouths. Now they were stirred, they were a sea of motion, skittering on fingertips over and around each other. There was a sharp chemical smell, like formaldehyde. With a wave of her staff, the hands rippled, scrambling over each other, and swarmed towards the nearest insect, flinging themselves at it like ticks. They grabbed and twisted at it, trying to yank off chitin and pulling at antennae, hissing and chirping. In a couple of places, the touch of the gorelings spread rotten black like poison where they drew blood with nails or crushed in chitin. Hylusi frowned. The insect seemed tough - well, it had to be to survive the fall, never mind the planar journeys on the planetoid, and the gorelings were doing less immediately damage than she'd expected. She slammed her staff-butt on the ground again, and the air became brittle and sharp for a moment. There was the tolling of a bell, distant and cracked, a bleak and unkind sound, and where the gorelings had begun to wound the insect, necrotic energy bloomed on its chitin like verdigris. First: deal with the immediate threat. Then head for the palace.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

BA: Command the gorelings to emerge and attack the nearest bug. They hit twice, doing 9 bludgeoning and 9 necrotic.
Action: I rolled a 6+mod for its save, so it probably failed against Toll the Dead for 21 necromantic.
Reaction: Cast Shield if struck.

[truemane]

Felicity Fourhooves Centaur Paladin 5 AC: 17 HP: 44 PP:10 PIv: 09 PIs: 10 Lay on Hands: 25/25 Spell Slots: 4/2 Absolutely flummoxed by the chaos (AND THE SKY) and the insects (AND THE SKY) and the people and the debris (AND THE SKY), it's all Felicity can manage to realize the insects mean to harm to the people. People who can't defend themselves. People she's sword to protect in the crown's name. So she chose the nearest one and, still barely able to tear her eyes away from the spectacle above, galloped up to it and called from the depths of her fierce, caring heart. "Stay away from them! I am here! Come to me!" Spoiler: OOC Show However I can best position myself to get as many as I can, use my Champion's Challenge. All the bugs I can snag within 30 feet make a Wisdom Saving Throw (DC 11, LOL), or they can't move more than 30 feet away from me

[purepolarpanzer]

Chaos in the Market

Doredan gets to his feet just in time for one of the insect creatures to fling itself at him, leathery wings buzzing the air at a nearly invisible pace. The creature extends a sizable pincer, which Doredan barely ducks, before skidding to a halt on the opposite side of the Prince, gnashing mandibles chittering angrily at the missed meal. Nearby, Bil's holy intonations summon the earth breaking mallet of Damh, bringing it down on one of the insects hard enough to send the creature skittering aside. A further spell announces the end of the feast, the cacophony of the end of festivities wracks the hard-shelled mite with pain. Similar to Doredan, the insect launches itself the short twenty foot distance to the harengon cleric, pincers reaching and mouth parts chittering. This time, however, it's pincer succeeds in catching Bil in a less defensive part of his armor, biting hard and nearly penetrating deep. The impact is not unlike a hundred pound bolder catching him in the stomach, and the mite knocks Bil to the ground in a heap. From there, the insect's mandibles extend outward, mouth opening up to an alarming degree and clamping down heavily on the rabbit's unlucky foot, nearly swallowing the appendage whole. The insect shakes Bil from side to side, trying to bite down deeper and keeping him off balance. The harengon's situation would look dire to anyone nearby.

Luckily, one of those nearby is a High Priest of Damh. The half-elf was a mumbling, bumbling mess mere moments ago, barely holding himself upright between Felicity and Bil and mostly ignoring their questions and assistance. However, upon seeing one of his own flock fighting with Damh's holy power, the disciple who sought peace between nations shakes himself, eyes blinking, and lumbers forward. He lifts Bil's top half off the ground, giving the rabbit leverage in his attempts to escape the madly biting insect. He also unleashes a mighty burp, and while the gaseous, wine smelling air is unpleasant, it carries with it a holy word of magic, easing some of Bil's wounds.

A few dozen feet away, Kunnian's magic causes plants of all shapes and sizes to rise from between the cobblestones, dancing to the bardic tune and reaching for the insect's legs in an attempt to hold them down. However, despite being not much larger than Kunnian, these insects have strength far greater than one would imagine, and each one of them wrestles it's way free from the vines. One of these insects spots Kunnian and takes off, racing toward the gnome and attacking with an outstretched pincer, which painfully scrapes the bard's arm as she enhances her instrument into a weapon. However, Kunnian braces against a nearby stall and avoids falling to the ground and being savaged by her attacker.

Like a coordinated storm, the grasping hands of Hylusi's gorelings races forward in a tide of roiling, grasping flesh. Those civilians who were not terrified and fleeing due to the boulder sized insects give wails of dismay at this undead wave launching itself forward. Little do they know, however, that these undead are servitors to the necromancer's will. Spilling into combat, the hands surround one of the insects and begin prying, punching, pinching, and pouring over it's chitinous shell. The beast recoils, gnashing mandibles and grasping pincers doing their best to stem the attack, but there are simply too many hands, their immaculate gloves serving as a leather armor of sorts. With a stamp of her staff Hylusi sounds the insects doom, the necrosis of her servants combining with the magic of her toning bell to leave the insect an empty husk of empty exoskeleton, the flesh of its body rotted away.

Felicity's call of challenge is resisted by the mites, but that does not mean that they leave her alone entirely. One of the remaining insects rushes her, managing to hit her from the side and grasp painfully at her foreleg with a pincer, but her mass is too muscular for the mite to effectively bowl her over.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

The mite attacking Doredan rolls a 17 and a 1 due to disadvantage and misses it's charge attack. This is good news. However, Bil's buggo is much luckier, first charging him with a claw for 10 damage, forcing a strength check, which Bil fails, and knocking him prone. This provokes a bite attack as a bonus action, which hits for 12 damage. The bite leaves Bil grappled and restrained, DC 13 to escape as a free action (which can be repeated as an action if need be). All is not lost, however, as the High Priest of Damh provides the help action on Bil's escape from the jaws of the buggo and hits him with a healing word for maximum healing at 17 HP recovered. Unfortunately the priest is a peaceful man, so he won't be much help in actually damaging the mites.

Kunnian suffers a fate similar to Bil. After all three buggos pass their saves, one of them decides the gnome will make a good meal and launches itself at her. It deals 8 damage with it's claw, but Kunnian succeeds the strength save with a 19 on the die and avoids being knocked prone and bitten. Next, Hylusi's necrotic assault simply snuffs one of the bugs as 8 goreling attacks and a high damage roll on a toll the dead wipe out the enemy closest to her without a problem. 3 buggos have gone (you all got your turns first, I'm just narratively describing a back and forth), one has been killed, and the remaining mite charges Felicity for 10 damage, failing to knock her prone and denying it it's super duper combo attack.

Party's turn. The bug biting Bil looks almost dead, the ones doing battle with Doredan, Kunnian, and Felicity are all unharmed, and you all easily reach any target with a move action, but if a bug menaces you and you move away from it there will be attacks of opp. I'm sure once you all have worked together for a while your combats will become more team work oriented and organized. It's kind of fun for me to have it be a chaotic scrum for the first battle.

[RandomWombat]

Prince Doredan Human Martial Bard 5 AC: 14 HP: 15/33 PP: 9 PIv: 11 PIs: 9 Conditions: --- Standing Reaction: Dodge Roll if critically hit (1/encounter) When he bug's jaws nearly ensnare him, Doredan's fighting instincts kick back in. He spins around to face it and leaps, drawing his blade in the same motion. Stomping upon the creature's back, the prince drives his blade down, trying to pierce something vital between its dorsal shell plates. The blade, whether striking true or glancing off, goes with him as he flips from the bug's back and crosses the battlefield to join forces with what is now very clearly Felicity. "We must break through and take the injured to the walls!" he declares, and points out the drunken priest dragging a harengon from the jaws of one of the bugs. The prince himself sports a few bleeding scrapes and dark bruises already. Spoiler: Actions Show Draw silver rapier and stab his buggo. (1d20+6)[24] to hit (1d6+5)[10] damage, and it takes +1d6 damage from attacks until the end of Doredan's next turn And some flavor text for using Mobile to break engagement and move next to Felicity. Reaction prepared to Dodge Roll if attacked and roll behind it for a counter.

[jscape2000]

Bil Twilight Cleric of Damh AC: 18 HP: 33/33 THP: PP: 17 PIv: 11 PIs: 17 Conditions: Concentrating on: 5 / 5 d8 HD Spell Slots- 4/4 1st, 3/3 2nd, 2/2 3rd "Ow, ow, OW! I'm not dead yet!" Bil sighs with relief as the High Priest's sweet, sweet healing washes over him. First, he brings he shimmering holy mallet down on the bug nearest him. Then he launches into a fresh prayer: "Damh the Devious, you lure our enemies to their doom. Grant your blessing to me so we might return to the feast!" Phantasmal shapes swirls and form around Bil, satyrs and nymphs frolic and flit, until they come close to one of the bugs, and then suddenly their joyful dancing becomes a vicious attack. Spoiler: ooc Show bonus action - Spiritual Weapon, 21 to hit, 7 damage to the closest wounded looking bug cast spiritual guardians. 15' radius. bugs' speed is halved, and when the creature enters the area for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there, it must make a Wisdom saving throw DC17. On a failed save, the creature takes 14 (3d8) radiant damage. half damage on success.

[truemane]

Felicity Fourhooves Centaur Paladin 5 AC: 17 HP: 24/44 PP:10 PIv: 09 PIs: 10 Lay on Hands: 25/25 Spell Slots: 4/2 Bleeding and in pain, Felicity looked around in panic. There were too many people who needed her help. Too many things she needed to do, all at once, right now. And she felt unequal to the task. Then she heard Prince Doredan call out (and he had such a clear, commanding, regal voice!) and her duty was suddenly clear to her. She skipped back out of range of bug attacking her and moved to stand next to Kunnian (and, in fact, as many of her new allies as she could manage). A stern, focused expression crossed her sunny features. She sighed. She knew she was going to regret this. "Quick!" She yelled to the Gnome, "Jump up on my back!" Bil seemed fine. Prince Doredan too. She wasn't sure who the dark-haired, kinda-cute-in-a-spooky-sort-of-way elf-lady was, but she might also benefit from some tactical transportation. Meanwhile, she swung out her trusty pike and stabbed the nearest, most injured bug within reach, twice. And then tried to catch it with the back swing. Her first attack went wide, the second one bit, and the third was way off. Spoiler: OOC Show Okay, Move Action to move away from the bug threatening me (and I know that provokes an AoO), to move adjacent to Kunian (and anyone else, if they're close enough). Attack the most damaged bug within 10 feet of me twice. 6 damage. Current Things: -I am threatening 10 feet around me with my pike. So I get an AoO should any bad guys enter. -Should Kunnian (or anyone else within five feet of me) take an attack, I'll use my Reaction to give that roll Disadvantage.

[Awful]

Hylusi Quaternaros, Magus of Bleakpines Magework Necromancer Darkvision: 60ft AC: 15 HP: 22/32 PP: 14 PIv: 14 PIs: 11 Conditions: Concentrating on: 5/5 d6 HD Arcane recovery 1/1 Spell Slots- 3/4 1st, 3/3 2nd, 2/2 3rd Fingerbone staff 10/10 As the insect before her withered into a husk before her eyes, Hylusi felt a thrum of satisfaction. But there was more to do. She swung the Fingerbone Staff like a conductor's baton, and the swarm of hands flowed across to consume the bug the Prince had injured. With its carapace already fractured, the Gorelings were able to lever the opening wider and crawl inside, and a few frantic spasms later the big beetle was dead - and perhaps glad of it, too. The gorelings began to squirm free, the ichor on them already cracking and flaking off to show the pristine 'leather' beneath. Would the pre-priming of the necrotic energy make raising the insects easier, or let their carapace be utilised as necrotic materials? Anything from the sky-cutting planetoid was sure to have at least some kind of interesting property, if she could unlock it. There was the symbolic connection, too, with insects and decay. Grounds for study. <Remind me to have some of these insect corpses retrieved for research later,> she commanded her servitors, and they nodded in unison. With a mental sigh, the Magus paced towards the prince, the centaur and her rider, though she aimed to keep them between her and any remaining bugs. When she broadcast now, it was simply to everyone nearby, her icy tones rippling into people's heads like a cold river overflowing its banks. <We don't have time to stay here playing with insects. We need to get to the castle.> Again, she sharply cracked the butt of her staff against the ground, and the interplanar parasite currently trying to eat the oversized rabbit was wreathed in necromantic power. She looked that way, and - wait, wasn't that the High Priest of Dahl? What was his name again? Whatever it was, shouldn't he be at the castle already, having prepared for the marriage rehearsal? Well, whatever - it wasn't important right now. She regretably added another entry to the list of creatures not to let get eaten by space bugs: In order of importance from most to least, herself of course, her servitors, then the prince, and now the Priest of Dahl.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

BA: Command the gorelings to emerge and attack the injured bug the Prince hit. They hit twice, 29 damage in a spicy blend of bludgeoning and necrotic.
Action: I rolled a 5+mod for its save, so 16 necromantic against the insect eating Bil.
Reaction: Cast Shield if struck.

[NiKkatsu]

Maker Kunnian AC: 15 | HP: 20/38 | HIT DICE: 5d8+10 Speed: 25ft | Initiative: +2 Passive Perception: 11 | Passive Insight: 11 Conditions: --- Maker Kunnian's song was interrupted by the pincer of one of the chittering beasts. Although the scrape hurt pretty bad, by some form of providence the tiny bard managed to stay on her feet even as the creature tried to drag her to the ground... She turned around to face the thing, remembering her many sparring sessions with Aphareus, one of the Centaur blademasters of the Seelie court under whom she'd trained all those year ago. She gripped her bandore in two hands and swung it in a graceful arc, almost as though she was wielding a sword... But the instrument simply bounced on the thick chitin of the insect. She felt suddenly very afraid... she crouched into a defensive posture, hoping she could survive another savage attack, mentally hoping Aphareus would forgive her terrible fighting form... Then, almost as though the thought of her equine master had conjured another one of his kin, Felicity appears next to Kunnian and yells: ''Jump on my back!'' Kunnian hesitates for a second... She was well-versed in the way of the Fey and she knows how disrespecteful it was regarded by centaur for two-legged races to mount them. But her train of thought was quickly disrupted by the beetle rearing up and striking at her once again. She closes her eyes and disappears in a puff of pink smoke, while the vicious pincers close around the spot where she was couching a mere second ago... ... and she reappears on Felicity's back. Kunnian's eyes are wet with tears: ''Thank you,'' She mutters with a trembling voice. ''I'll support you as best I can! A-Are you hurt?'' Spoiler: OoC Show A failed attack and a misty step onto Felicity

[purepolarpanzer]

Chaos in the Market

Doredan's flashing rapier smacks a pincer away from him, followed up by piercing stab that impacts deep into the carapace of the insect. Using his leverage, the Prince pushes the beetle onto it's side, leaving it's legs kicking and it's less armored underside exposed to assault from his allies. Meanwhile, Bil's holy mallet and reveling spirits cause the insect attacking him to dissolve in a rush of radiant ligfht that leaves only a faintly smoking spot on the cobbles.

As Felicity repositions herself, the monster menacing her flanks takes a swipe at her, but her armor absorbs the blow. She rushes to cross the square, pike flashing in a maneuver that gouges the upended beetle in it's underbelly, causing viscous goo to start to flow. That is the only opening Hylusi's army of hands needs as they scrabble and crawl across the market and leap onto the exposed insect, burying it in a wave of assault. By the time the hand's master is prepared to execute her cantrip the bug is already dead, a dried husk devoid of life. She turns her attention to the two remaining mites. Bil's radiant spirits have danced and dashed their way outward, impacting and scorching the insects with holy power, which makes the foes all the more susceptible to the tolling bells of doom that the Magus intones.

Wounded, with the smell of dead and dying mites filling the air, the two remaining wounded monsters in the square release a new high pitched buzz, one that is picked up and resounds around the city. Both lift up into the air, wings chopping upward and lifting their body sixty feet in the air. This mass lift off is replicated in other parts of the market, and even other parts of the city as dozens of insects that had fallen over the capital lift off into the air. Disturbingly, some of them have corpses or still living humanoids in their grasp. However, when the insects get sixty feet into the air, something strange happens.

They land. They land on a semi-translucent ribbon of ethereal smoke that looks almost like a wisp of cloud. This trail of path seems to follow the roving moon like the trail of a comet, and once they have landed on it the mites begin to work together to drag the remains (and screaming victims) of their raid upwards towards the celestial body like hornets returning to a hive. While this grisly display may tug on the heart strings of some of the people on the ground, it is over quickly, as this milky, transparent path seems to accelerate the insect's journey to improbably speed, conveying them upwards towards the moon far faster than a bowshot or even a spell could manage.

In the distance, stone rumbles. The mountain shakes. Looking to the castle, one of the higher spires of the castle, undoubtedly an important wing filled with important people, suddenly shifts, tilts, and begins to tumble down the mountain. People of the market begin to scream and wail, pointing towards the crumbling tower with fresh waves of dismay. Something is wrong at the castle, it is has collapsed nearly a tenth of the entire mountainside structure.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Time for reactions, and then back to the castle, I'm guessing?

[jscape2000]

Bil Twilight Cleric of Damh AC: 18 HP: 33/33 THP: PP: 17 PIv: 11 PIs: 17 Conditions: Concentrating on: 5 / 5 d8 HD Spell Slots- 4/4 1st, 3/3 2nd, 2/2 3rd "Well, if we're all quite agreed we have places to be, and that place is coming to the defense of the castle, we should make all haste. All haste at once." Bil turns to the high priest. "I'm quite sorry to leave you, sir, but I hope you can aid the people here. They will need your ministries." "Kunnian, Felicity - this little blessing won't be much, but I fear we will need it soon enough." He picks up his song where he left off, singing in a strong clear baritone, even as he begins to run. "There was a duke of Ryle, who had ten thousand elves. He marched them to the woods one day, and left them by themselves. For when must you frolic, you frolic. And when you must fight, you fight. But whether you have to frolic or fight, it keeps you up all night!"

Spoiler: ooc

Show

cast Aid, then start running to the castle. Bil, Kunnian and Felicity's max hp and hp increase by 5 (duration 8 hours)

[NiKkatsu]

Maker Kunnian AC: 15 | HP: 38/38 | HIT DICE: 5d8+10 Speed: 25ft | Initiative: +2 Passive Perception: 11 | Passive Insight: 11 Conditions: --- ''I am very grateful for your blessing, Son of Dahm.'' Kunnian says, her eyes teary from the beautiful song. ''Let me lend some of my magic to the efforts, too.'' She expertly strums a few quick notes on her bandore and then gestures to the Prince to come closer. Sitting on Felicity, she is high enough to lay her hands on his head. When she does, Gossamer wings made of shimmering energy sprout from behind the prince, bearing him aloft: ''Take flight.'' She says, the last notes still ringing through the air. ''Now let's go.'' An almost uncharacteristic seriousness befalls her stare as she gazes towards the crumbling castle.

[RandomWombat]

Prince Doredan Human Martial Bard 5 AC: 14 HP: 15/33 PP: 9 PIv: 11 PIs: 9 Conditions: Fly (Kunnian Concentration) Standing Reaction: Dodge Roll if critically hit (1/encounter) As the bugs scatter and flee before them, Doredan wipes clean his blade o their oozing gut juices with a kerchief, but keeps it at the ready. And his eyes turned skyward for any other falling rubble. However, that nightmarish celestial horror appears to be moving on. Thanking his (perhaps not so) lucky stars, he reconvenes with the other survivors. "They came to abduct my people," the prince says, solemnly. "And naught that I can do about it." Solemn footsteps are replaced with stunned silence as an entire tower of the castle crumbles down into the structure. When Kunnian's wings sprout from his back, Prince Doredan looks back and tests them, hovering clumsily above the ground and getting his bearings. "My thanks, songstress! We go!" Angling himself forward, Doredan zips ahead.

[Awful]

Hylusi Quaternaros, Magus of Bleakpines Magework Necromancer Darkvision: 60ft AC: 15 HP: 22/32 PP: 14 PIv: 14 PIs: 11 Conditions: Concentrating on: fly 5/5 d6 HD Arcane recovery 1/1 Spell Slots- 3/4 1st, 3/3 2nd, 1/2 3rd Fingerbone staff 10/10 Truly fascinating. Were the insects like her goreling hands; the obedient servitors of a greater being? Something that made the path to draw them back to some nest, a calculated harvest from worlds the planetoid passed? Or was it simply a phenomenon they'd learned or evolved to take advantage of when capturing prey? She recalled the gorelings to her with a flex of her will. Once again, they assembled before her, jittering, tapping, in motion, before she clicked her tongue. They swarmed towards her, to cling onto the insides of her robe, her cloak, on her slender legs, until they were again out of sight. A rumble interrupted her thoughts as part of the castle collapsed. Was it - no, it didn't seem to be the wing given over to the elven delegation - it was probably just humans who had become dirt. Hylusi couldn't let panic colour her actions. The Princess was a capable mage. While Hylusi's alchemy was probably ahead in the arts of ritual flesh-crafting, that was born of necessity to stave off the Magus' impending death; in all other matters, the scion of Bleakpines had fallen far behind the Princess' magic capabilities. The rabbit was singing. The gnome ensorcelled the Prince; as it stood, she would be left behind, without the speed of a centaur to mount upon. As the others began to move forward, she spared a glance to the servitors. <Hurry to the castle,> she told them. <Retrieve my work materials if you can. I am heading to the Princess' chambers.> With a click of her fingers, she wound magic in and around her staff, sitting on it held horizontal like the archetypical witch on a broom. It lifted off with a flex of her will, and she too began hurtling at all speed towards the castle.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Action: Cast fly on self

[jscape2000]

Bil Twilight Cleric of Damh AC: 18 HP: 23/33 THP: PP: 17 PIv: 11 PIs: 17 Conditions: Concentrating on: Spirit Guardians 5 / 5 d8 HD Spell Slots- 3/4 1st, 1/3 2nd, 1/2 3rd; channel 1/2 While the group gathers around, Bil shifts his song into one of praise for the moment. "Lord Damh, we revel in this moment you've given us when we stand upon the precipice. We find ourselves between - our enemies retreating but still a thread, our friends standing but hurt. Lend us your blessing, as the light fades and we plunge into the dark." Turning to Prince Prince Doredon, the rabbit bows low, his ears twitching - "My liege, give me a moment to see to your wounds." With a fresh prayer, he lays a long fingered paw upon the lowest hem of the prince's cloak, allowing Damh's healing power to pour out. When the castle crumbles, Bil lets out a quiet prayer for the fallen. Is this Maril all over again? When invited, he springs eagerly onto Felicity's back. As his sudden companions take flight, he thanks sweet Damh who provides the strength we need to survive the moment we find ourselves in.

Spoiler: ooc

Show

everyone gets 11 temp hp, and Doredon gets 10 hp of healing

[truemane]

Felicity Fourhooves Centaur Paladin 5 AC: 17 HP: 44 PP:10 PIv: 09 PIs: 10 Lay on Hands: 25/25 Spell Slots: 4/2 Felicity knew that her people had complicated feelings about bipeds riding on their backs. It was generally seen as demeaning, as being treated akin to a beast of burden. Felicity didn't very strongly about (even though sometimes she thought she could). However, when Kunian and Bil climbed up and she became like a living seige engine, she forgot all that and just took to hoof. She made sure that Prince Dorendon (so brave!) and the spooky looking elf lady were keeping up, and she took off full speed toward the castle.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

70 move! Let's gooooooooooooooo!

[purepolarpanzer]

A Sprint Through Velein

The wedding party leaves the High Priest behind, who, having sobered up considerably after the fight, utters blessings upon you and speaks of aiding the wounded before making his way up the mountain to the castle himself. In his own words "The revel of nuptials is secondary to the suffering of the common people. I did everything for them..." The High Priest looks saddened and lost, but with renewed purpose he sets about bandaging wounds on those with cuts and bruises and administering healing to those with broken arms and crushed limbs. He also utters prayers of mourning for those taken byu the insects, but quietly.

Sprinting and flying through the city streets, the party finds that the entire city was raided by the insects. Things get more militant and therefore less damaged as you all get closer to the castle, and it seems that military order has faltered but is in the process of being restored. Watch captains and castle sergeants are belting orders to the soldiers on alert in the streets, but the cry is always the same. "To the castle! To the castle! The Royalty are In Danger!", and without hesitation the men-at-arms (and even some less ordered and militant sword arms) begin flooding like a tide throughout the city towards the castle.

The march is met with consternation, however. The drawbridge had been down when this... event? attack? catastrophe? came about, and the rubble cascading down the mountain crashed down on the bridge, snapping thick timbers as old and solid as Doredan can ever remember like match sticks. The flowing Velein River washes over the smashed rubble, creating a haphazard path that only the brave or the fool hardy could manage. One of the bravos of the city, surely a sellsword, leaps ahead of the pack and attempts to leap the gap, and when he does he slips on a wet stone and comes crashing down into the water, immediately swept away by the fast moving flow of the river. The officer on duty, an old, grizzled Captain bearing insignia marking him a veteran of the war, calls for a rope, which is quickly brought forward.

He turns to Doredan, hovering as he is on gossamer wings, and says "Prince! If you could fly this rope across, we can start a slow flow of troops into the castle! Can you aid us, sir?" another mercenary scoffs at this idea, looking to Doredan's wings and saying "The threat is whatever knocked down the turret of the castle! You could fly straight there and get to the heart of the action before this procession of ants makes it to the foyer!"

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Here's a problem for the party. The drawbridge has become something of an obstacle course of water flowing over stone rubble and shattered wood. I'm going to need an athletics check from anyone who tries to cross it (unless they are being carried). There's also the question of if you should split the party- those with wings could fly straight to the top of the mountain rather than moving up through the halls of the castle. Let's see how careful, how risky, or how determined you all are to get to the fight. This is an area where I'm ok with a party split, but the question is whether you will be weakened by leaving part of the party behind. Then again, Felicity moves with insane speed, so your reinforcements can't be far behind... if she can cross the raging river!

[RandomWombat]

Prince Doredan Human Martial Bard 5 AC: 14 HP: 25/33 +11 PP: 9 PIv: 11 PIs: 9 Conditions: Fly (Kunnian Concentration) Standing Reaction: Dodge Roll if critically hit (1/encounter) After the harengon's intervention, the Prince feels much better, the scrapes and bruises from his fall and the falling debris mending themselves. A shimmering barrier of half-light surrounds him, pairing with the wings to give him an appearance as fey as many of his new allies. Descending to the ruined drawbridge, he lands to assess the situation. "Of course, Captain," Doredan agrees, taking an end of the rope. He glances at Hylusi, who had also taken to the air, as he glides across to find something to affix the rope to. "Magus, the two of us could fly ahead. Perhaps I could even carry our gnomish friend with me - apologies miss, I think I forgot to ask your name in the chaos!" Once the safety rope is secured, Doredan flies back over to convene with the others. "What say you?"

[truemane]

Felicity Fourhooves Centaur Paladin 5 AC: 17 HP: 44 PP:10 PIv: 09 PIs: 10 Lay on Hands: 25/25 Spell Slots: 4/2 Felicity knew she wasn't getting across on a rope (no matter how dashing Prince Dorendon looked getting it secured!). And she didn't know if any flying magic was goign to work on her or not. On the one hand it was magic. On the other hand, she was a very, highly, truly ground-bound sort. So she clenched her fists and set her jaw and yelled out, "Anyone who wants to come with me hop on quick!" And then she ran across with all the might of her little quadraped heart.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Athletics roll: 11.

+7 from Bardic Inspiration with Advantage.
+3 from Guidance

FOR A TOTAL OF 21!

Boo!

BUT if the GM agrees that having four feet should give me advantage, then...

Athletics roll: 22.

My fate hangs in the balance...

[NiKkatsu]

Maker Kunnian AC: 15 | HP: 20/38 + 11 temp | HIT DICE: 5d8+10 Speed: 25ft | Initiative: +2 Passive Perception: 11 | Passive Insight: 11 Conditions: --- Although she was afraid because of all the chaos unfolding around her and she knew it was a stupid reaction to have right now, the little bard couldn't help it: she blushed when the prince asked her name. ''Kunnian. Um- Maker Kunnian of Wyrdtown, actually. Friend to all the Fey and disciple of the song of Creation.'' She said quickly. She then grabbed his outstretched hand, ready to fly off with the Prince and magus: Make haste.'' she said to Felicity, Let's meet again on the other side. She begins to whistle a few melodious notes and the very air blowing from her lips seems to take form: it takes the shape of a golden mote of frantic, dancing energy that flies towards Felicity and begins orbiting around her head. This should help you get across. she said, hopeful. Spoiler: OoC Show she uses inspiration

[RandomWombat]

Prince Doredan Human Martial Bard 5 AC: 14 HP: 25/33 +11 PP: 9 PIv: 11 PIs: 9 Conditions: Fly (Kunnian Concentration) Standing Reaction: Dodge Roll if critically hit (1/encounter) "Doredan Reydalise," the prince introduces himself, not remembering in the head of the chaos whether he had already. "And pleasantries can wait until later!" Not quite confident in his ability to carry Kunnian with one arm, and with the wings in the way of a piggyback ride, Doredan sweeps her up into both arms. "Apologies, but this seems the least likely to drop you." Kicking off of the ground, he starts flying up to the towers and fallen parts of the castle, leaving a trail of sparkling fey magic.