Verna
Mo
← Previous Session: Session 021: Placeholder
5 Mirtul, (Day 41)
Night
- As Orthanc carries Vala and "Rig" through the halls of Cragmaw, "Rig" continues to scream and struggle, wanting to fight the next group of enemies that approach
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The Party flees Cragmaw Castle into Neverwinter Wood, Orthanc carrying
Gundren and Rig, each unconscious, one over each shoulder
- Orthanc scoops up a large pack of looted armor and weapons as well. He is fully loaded, at the limit of his carrying capacity.
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The Party attempts to retrace their path through Neverwinter Wood back to
where they left Meilu and the horse cart
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Vala was obviously shaken by her encounter with Vyerith, the Doppelganger, and
she is paranoid that it may be in the woods, stalking The Party
- She makes a plan to use Prestidigitation to provide Mo with an exact image of the Ceremonial Dagger Vyerith intended to kill Gundren with so Mo can cast Locate Object in efforts to know the whereabouts of Vyerith
- Vala is especially concerned that Vyerith could impersonate someone important and infiltrate Phandalin
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Vala was obviously shaken by her encounter with Vyerith, the Doppelganger, and
she is paranoid that it may be in the woods, stalking The Party
- Vala apologizes for herself and on Rig’s behalf for their shenanigans dragging King Grol's corpse through Cragmaw Castle and goading the incoming war party, which delayed The Party’s flight from the castle
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Vala informs The Party that when Orthanc finally snatched her and Rig, she saw
a shield wall within 20 feet from the front entrance of Cragmaw Castle.
- If the Bloodshields intend to pursue, they might not be far behind
- The Party takes off as fast as they can into the woods with Mo guiding.
- After running for a while through the dark and fog, Mo loses the tracks.
- Mo uses Grew to cast Speak with Plants, closing his eyes in concentration,
planting the end of the staff in the ground, and invoking a combination of
Dwarvish and Druidic.
- The plants in the immediate area begin to shift as if becoming keenly aware of Mo’s presence, which he greets with a simple, zen koan of “Hey.”
- Mo continues: “Don’t mean to bother you, but have we come this way before?
Have you seen me before?”
- A few brushes and shrubs respond “What is this ‘we?’ We are all one but we don’t understand ‘you’”
- Mo answers by saying “Do you know me? I’m not you.”
- The plants respond “Our limbs have felt much passing recently. But we need more information on what is ‘you.’ How can you express ‘you’ to us?”
- Mo struggles to answer the question in a way the plants could understand and instead asks the shrubs if they can point him in the direction of the setting sun.
- The shrub says “We of the lower strata see so little of the sun with the great trees among us.” Then Mo hears a rustling coming from the trees and the tree asks him. “Is someone speaking of my canopy?”
- Mo says to the tree” That’d be me. Can you please point us to west, maybe where the sun was most recently?”
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The tree responds “I know not your directions, but this one side of me always
seems to have green growing. It clings and climbs up my bark. Could that
help with your query?”
- Mo knows that moss always grows on the north side of the tree.
- Having what he needs, Mo says “Thanks, buddy” and pats the tree appreciatively, then turns to The Party and says “Well, this way is west, so I think that's the way we should go.”
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As The Party begins to move west, Mo says to the plants, “Would you mind just
making this whole area just really tight for as long as you can?” - intending
for the plants to create a path more difficult to follow
- The plants respond ”We would be happy to help one who can communicate with us, but it is so dark and we have such little energy. Is there something, some way that you could help us?”
- Mo uses Grew to cast Plant Growth, providing the plants with magical energy to grow beyond their normal capacity.
- The plants are appreciative and create a solid wall of thicket that would be very difficult for the pursuers to pass.
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Vala pulls some materials for trap making out of her Hunting and Trapping Kit, holding them
gingerly on display and says “I bought this. I’ve read about these, but I
don’t know how to use them.”
- Verna takes the items from Vala and immediately begins setting up a snare trap
- Vala casts Guidance on Verna and she expertly assembles 2 snare traps. She also tosses a bunch of caltrops around the area for good measure.
- Vala casts an Alarm Ritual to trigger when the traps do - she hopes to frighten the pursuers and give The Party notice when the traps spring so they can gauge how far ahead they are
- As they finish setting up their traps, they hear Wolves approaching - The Party has lost their lead!
- The Party gets into position for an ambush
- Mo casts Spike Growth around the traps - telling everyone to “watch their feet.”
- Raemund covers the stone he has cast Light on as to not give away his location.
- After waiting for a while, The Party hears sniffing and then a yelp as one of the snare traps catches and strings up a wolf by its leg.
- The Party continues their flight, having successfully slowed the Bloodsword search party.
Midnight
- The Party has had a long and extremely strenuous day. They fought numerous battles in Cragmaw Castle and have been fleeing for hours without food, water, or rest, causing all to experience 1 level of Exhaustion.
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While running through the dark, foggy night, The Party inadvertently returns
to the large sinkhole pit they encountered while traveling to Cragmaw Castle.
Vala, Verna, and Sildar manage to see the pit in time and jump aside, but
Orthanc, Raemund, and Mo tumble into the bottom of the pit.
- Mo and Raemund slide down the walls of the pit and manage to stay on their feet, unharmed.
- Orthanc is not as fortunate, bogged down and unwieldy carrying 2 unconscious people and a large pack of looted gear.
- Verna quickly responds to the situation: expertly tying her rope around a nearby tree, casting Mage Hand, and sending her spectral hand servant to carry the opposite end of the rope down to Orthanc, Raemund, and Mo
- Mo casts Mold Earth, creating solid earthen steps to aid in the climb out.
- Raemund, Mo, and Orthanc all attempt to scrabble out of the pit at the same time, causing them to fumble and stumble over one another, then fall back into the bottom of the pit
- The difficulty with the pit slowed The Party’s progress from the woods, allowing time for the Bloodshield search party to gain some ground.
- The Party continues west, with Mo leading and Verna close behind.
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While leading The Party through the woods, Mo’s keen sense of perception picks
up on a strong smell of ash coming from their path
- Mo recognizes the telltale scent of Ash Zombies and relays to The Party, “Ash. There’s trouble up ahead, too.”
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Verna queries The Party as to a plan to fight the zombies or sneak around
them, because in lieu of sneaking, she would like to move real fast so they
don’t end up caught between the Ash Zombies and the advancing Bloodshield
search party.
- Verna also posits a plan in which The Party scatters in different directions while she gains the attention of the Ash Zombies and the search party, bringing both to her location. She would then dash through the woods, leaving the enemies to fight each other.
- Verna has a moment of clarity, realizing that it seems like a bad idea, but she is also very willing to do it.
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The Party decides on the latter of the plans: power through and hope for the
best.
- The Party continues and encounters mounds of Ash Zombies littering the ground in their path.
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Raemund, Verna, Mo, and Vala swiftly and deftly run past the zombies before they
can respond. Orthanc, weighed down with loot and two unconscious companions,
is not as lucky. A mound of Ash Zombies manage to reach out and grasp
Orthanc’s legs.
- Orthanc stomps furiously, crushing many Ash Zombies under his feet and stirring up a cloud of ash, and frees himself to continue fleeing.
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The Party continues along their path until they reach an area festooned with
spiderwebs.
- Verna and Vala slip through the webs, but Raemund, Mo, and Orthanc are caught
- From the canopy above, The Party hears screeching and hissing from several places in the trees.
- Vala demonstrates surprising deftness in cutting Raemund free with a single stroke, quietly admiring her own physical prowess.
- Orthanc has a moment of mini-rage at his continued ill luck during the flee and breaks himself free via brute strength.
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The woods begin to thin and The Party reaches the edge of the treeline,
opening into a dark, muddy field. The Party does not want to lead the search
party back to Meilu or their horsecart.
- Mo wonders how many are in pursuit.
- Verna supposes that pursuers were likely at least 3 in number considering what The Party heard during the pursuit. She also supposes that they couldn’t be more than 10, because The Party are “lowly things” not worth the trouble of dedicating large amounts of manpower.
- The Party prepares an ambush.
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Orthanc takes the rock Raemund cast Light on and stands in the middle of the
field, far from the treeline, as obvious bait.
- He positions himself so that dim light is cast far enough for The Party members without darkvision can see.
- Verna climbs a tree, as she is often wont to do.
- Mo & Sildar hide behind some lone trees nearest the treeline.
- Vala and Raemund huddle behind another tree, further away from the treeline.
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Orthanc takes the rock Raemund cast Light on and stands in the middle of the
field, far from the treeline, as obvious bait.
Begin Combat
- A small band of enemies emerges from the forest.
- A Hobgoblin Warrior emerges from the treeline, scouts the field, and retreats out of sight.
- A Wolf advances and tries to bite Sildar, but misses.
- A Goblin Sniper fires its Shortbow at Vala, but misses.
- From the concealment of her favored tree, Verna kills theGoblin Sniper with a single shot from her Light Crossbow, the bolt landing between its eyes.
- The Party hears Hobgoblin speech from concealment within the woods.
- Another Wolf runs out, tries to bite Mo, but misses.
- Orthanc Rages, but backs away further, goading any potential combatants to attack him.
- A Goblin Skirmisher aims a javelin at Sildar, but it embeds in the tree Sildar uses for cover.
- Mo pulls some dried meat from his ration box, throws it to the Wolf that just missed biting him, and casts Animal Friendship saying “We’re gonna be friends!”
- A massive Ogre Conscript comes crashing out of the woods, immediately clocks Orthanc, and barrels toward him.
- A Hobgoblin Scout launches an arrow from its Longbow, hitting Vala in the shoulder.
- Vala casts True Strike, fires her Light Crossbow at the wolf attacking Sildar, and lands a broadside shot, piercing the Wolf’s lungs and killing it.
- The Party hears more concealed activity in the forest.
- Sildar watches the Ogre Conscript run past his position, decides he’s too old for that shit, and stays hunkered down behind his tree.
- Raemund harries the Ogre Conscript with a blast of radiant energy from Sacred Flame as it passes.
Round 2
- A Goblin Sniper wildly misses Sildar with a shot from its Shortbow.
- The Party hears more movement and voices from within the forest.
- Verna hits the Ogre Conscript with an Alchemist's Fire Arrow, catching a good portion of its flank on fire.
- Mo’s Wolf thoroughly enjoys its time with Mo, oblivious to the battle.
- Orthanc continues to back away, renewing his Rage, and further goading the Ogre Conscript.
- A Goblin Skirmisher advances and misses Sildar with a stab of its Shortsword.
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Mo says to his Wolf “Come on, let’s have some fun!” and Wildshapes into a Dire Wolf
- Mo ’s magic and charming influence change the Wolf from a pacified enemy into a bonded, active ally, creating “Baby Wolf Friend”
- WolfMo runs to the treeline and tries to bite a Goblin Sniper, but misses.
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The Ogre Conscript continues to run toward Orthanc, ignoring its flaming
flesh, and stops within inches of Orthanc’s face before Belligerently
Bellowing in his face: a challenge to battle.
- Orthanc becomes Frightened of the ogre.
- A Hobgoblin Scout fires an arrow on target toward Vala
- Vala casts Shield with the Glass Staff, causing the arrow to carom off an invisible shield.
- The Hobgoblin Scout closes ground, attacks Vala with his Shortsword, but his attack cannot break through her magical shield.
- A Goblin Skirmisher sprints at Sildar, javelin poised for a spear attack, but aims poorly and overcommits, giving Sildar the opportunity to Shield Bash the top of the vulnerable goblin’s head, cracking its skull..
- Vala lights a torch so she, Sildar, and Raemund aren’t fighting Blind.
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Sildar capitalizes on his previous attack, rolling Winter’s Oath into a
downward grip, and skewering the goblin into the ground.
- Vala watches the display and swoons in the torchlight.
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Raemund imposes himself between Vala and the nearest tree, saying “You might want
to get behind the tree, my lady” then casts Burning Hands
- A massive fan of flames erupts from his hand immolating a Hobgoblin Scout and catching the tree alight
- Vala tosses her torch to the ground, finding it unnecessary in the literal light of a burning 30 foot tree torch.
Round 3
- A Goblin Sniper hits Sildar with an arrow from its Shortbow, but the arrow ricochets off of a plate in his brigandine and does no harm.
- Baby Wolf Friend sees WolfMo attacking and joins with him, latching its jaws onto a Goblin Skirmisher’s arm.
- Verna fires her Light Crossbow at a Hobgoblin Warrior, but it deflects the bolt with its shield.
- Orthanc lashes out with a frightened swing of his Greataxe at the Ogre Conscript, but misses.
- WolfMo clamps his jaws onto the shoulder of the Goblin Skirmisher, breaking its neck and tossing its limp corpse to the ground.
- The Ogre Conscript smashes its Greatclub into the side of the frightened Orthanc’s head, then tries to follow up with a punch, but misses.
- The Hobgoblin Scout continues to uselessly stab Vala’s Shield with his Shortsword, infuriating him. He stabs again, wildly in his frustration, and misses.
- Vala moves behind Sildar, away from the burning tree and the attacking Hobgoblin Scout, who attempts an Attack of Opportunity, but misses.
- Three Hobgoblin Warriors link their shields, entering into Formation.
- A Dire Wolf runs from the woods and latches its teeth onto Sildar’s shield arm.
- Sildar attempts to stab the Dire Wolf attached to his arm with Winter's Oath, but the oversized weapon is awkward in such close quarters preventing a good strike. However, Sildar is able to shake the Dire Wolf free and Shield Bash it in the skull.
- Raemund casts Sacred Flame on a Goblin Sniper, killing it with a column of radiant light. He flees melee with a Hobgoblin Scout and joins the fray alongside Vala and Sildar.
- A Hobgoblin Warrior searches the tree where Verna’s arrow had flown to strike its shield but is unable to see her in her concealment.
- Baby Wolf Friend flanks the Goblin Skirmisher battling WolfMo but its bite is knocked aside.
- A Wolf viciously bites one of Baby Wolf Friend’s hind legs, causing it to limp in great pain..
- A Hobgoblin Scout finds a small gap in Sildar’s defenses, hitting him with an arrow from its Longbow, but only manages to do minor damage.
Round 4
- One of the Hobgoblin Warrior in formation stabs Sildar with a Shortsword, minorly wounding him through his Brigandine.
- Verna lines up a perfect shot on the Dire Wolf, piercing it through the heart and killing it with a bolt from her Light Crossbow.
- Orthanc fights through his fright and manages to slice the Ogre Conscript across the stomach with his Greataxe.
- Vala calls out to Orthanc that he “will make that Ogre a hot dog yet!” referring to Orthanc’s penchant for cleaving his opponents vertically.
- WolfMo plunges his snout through the shield wall of the Hobgoblin Warrior, grabs one in his massive maw, and crushes its ribcage, throwing the body aside.
- The Ogre Conscript takes a mighty swing of his Greatclub at Orthanc, but the pain of its abdominal wound distracts it, causing it to miss. It also misses with a followup punch. The fire from the Alchemist's Fire Arrow continues to burn at its flesh.
- A Hobgoblin Scout misses Raemund with a shot from its Longbow. It then sprints toward Vala, intending to pierce her with a running stab from its Swortsword. The Hobgoblin Scout overcommits in its attack, stabbing with an overabundance of force and not taking into account Vala’s Shield. The Shortsword is driven aside by the shield and the Hobgoblin’s momentum carries its face into the Shield, bloodying its nose.
- Vala notices the vulnerability of the Hobgoblin, quickly casts True Strike, and swings the Glass Staff up under its chin, breaking some of its teeth.
- A Dire Wolf lunges to bite Vala, but Sildar interposes his shield and knocks the attack away.
- Another Dire Wolf sees Sildar’s open shield arm, bites onto it, and shakes him violently to the ground.
- Raemund casts Sacred Flame on the Dire Wolf pinning Sildar to the ground, but the Dire Wolf resists the attack.
- A Hobgoblin Scout takes advantage of Sildar’s dire situation, and stabs him with his shortsword. The many minor wounds Sildar has sustained are starting to add up to some serious injuries.
Round 5
- The Hobgoblin Warrior advance in Formation toward WolfMo. One stabs through the shield barrier but misses.
- Verna sees Sildar in danger and shoots a Light Crossbow bolt into the Hobgoblin Scout’s unprotected back. The arrow pierces through its chest and it spits up blood but manages to stay on its feet.
- Baby Wolf Friend jumps and bites at the Hobgoblin Warrior but cannot get through their shield defenses.
- Orthanc is still Frightened, but invigorated by his successful strike on the Ogre. He buries his Greataxe into the Ogre’s flaming ribs and yanks it free in a shower of blood.
- WolfMo batters aside a Hobgoblin Warrior's shield, grabbing onto its shield arm with his teeth and ripping the arm off. The Hobgoblin Warrior falls to the ground, bleeding profusely from its ruined stump of an arm, barely clinging to life.
- The Hobgoblin Scout arises from Vala’s strike to its face and brutally stabs her in the abdomen with its Shortsword, causing her to begin Bleeding.
- Vala quaffs a Potion of Healing I (Lesser) and the gaping, bleeding wound in her midsection closes. She then turns her attention to aiding Sildar.
- A Wolf notices Vala’s distracted attention on Sildar and lunges to bite her in the back. Ever vigilant to Lady Vala’s wellbeing, Sildar pulls her from danger, switching places with her, gladly accepting a wolf bite to his face and neck in her stead. The wolf pierces the weak areas of his Brigandine, and Sildar begins spitting up blood.
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Sildar finds his Second Wind. Some of his wounds heal and he defiantly wipes
blood from his face. Sildar is DONE with this shit. He drops his shield and
takes Winter's Oath into a more decisive two-handed hold before skewering the
Dire Wolf onto its blade and kicking the corpse from it to the ground.
- Vala decides to add to her Diary a “Kebab Tally” for Sildar alongside the “Enemies Split in Twain by Orthanc Tally” (enemies bisceted vertically or horizontally by Orthanc).
- Sildar then Action Surges and stabs forward again, piercing through and killing two wolves at once on his massive sword.
- He turns toward the Hobgoblin Scout, pulls Winter's Oath back in ready position for another attack, and beckons “You’re next. I’m going to run you through!”
- Raemund calls a Sacred Flame down on a Hobgoblin Scout near Vala, sizzling it to death.
- The Hobgoblin Scout stabs at Sildar with its Shortsword twice, but Sildar bats both attacks aside with the most minor of effort.
Round 6
- Verna waits patiently for an opening and slips a Light Crossbow Bolt past the remaining Hobgoblin Warrior’s shield. The bolt sinks into the Warrior’s neck and it falls dead in a bloody puddle.
- Baby Wolf Friend bites an enemy Wolf attacking WolfMo and throws it to the ground.
- Orthanc screams in rage at the Ogre Conscript and swings his Greataxe down to split through its clavicle. The Greataxe strikes into the bone but does not break through it. The Ogre screams in furious anger into Orthanc’s Face, grabs the head of the Greataxe and pushes back up out of the wound.
- WolfMo finishes off the Wolf pinned to the ground by Baby Wolf Friend, ripping out its throat, quick and painful. He then growls at the remaining enemies, hoping they shit their britches.
- The Ogre Conscript makes a Cleaving Swing with its Greatclub, clobbering Orthanc 10 feet through the area and knocking him Prone.
- Vala casts True Strike and fires her Light Crossbow at the Ogre, to take its attention from Orthanc, but misses.
- Sildar, always true to his word, swiftly runs the Hobgoblin Scout through. He wipes the copious blood from Winter's Oath and calls to Orthanc: “Get up off your ass!” Rallying Orthanc to battle and providing him with Temp HP.
- Raemund continues to harry the remaining Hobgoblin Warrior with Sacred Flame, burning him with a blast of Sacred Flame.
Round 7
- The Hobgoblin Warrior drops his shield and sword and flees, leaving a trail of feces in its wake..
- Verna tries to finish off the fleeing Hobgoblin Warrior, but the Light Crossbow Bolt doesn’t fully penetrate its armor.
- Baby Wolf Friend Dashes after the fleeing Hobgoblin.
- Orthanc yells at himself “Get off my ass!” echoing Sildar. He takes both of their advice, pushes himself to his feet, and chops down with his Greataxe, aiming for the wounded clavicle. This time, he strikes hard and true, splitting the Ogre down to its hips. The Ogre stumbles aimlessly and falls to the ground, each portion of its torso falling in opposite directions.
- Vala yells “Hot dog!” and opens her Diary to make another Hotdog Tally.
- Inspired by the carnage, Baby Wolf Friend leaps at the fleeing Hobgoblin and rips out its throat.
End combat
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