The Sundered Way

[Rodgeir]

((Any chance Dornikal can tell VII to move?))

[thinkslogically]

Nem raises an eyebrow and clears her throat loudly.

"Well well. What a place to find a couple of thieves. You know you look awfully familiar... A family resemblance, perhaps?"

((Cant: Are you connected to the thieves guild?))

[spiderwrangler]

((Dornikal could have hollered at him on his turn to move after dispatching the squid-hand.))

Coljin relays instructions to Junara to bring him over closer to the stairs.

The two guards nearest the sea creature by the portal stab their spears into it, one of them following Dornikal's bellowed command to fall back as the creature splashes dead into the water.

► Show Spoiler

_: 1D20+3 = [18]+3 = 21
1D6+1 = [4]+1 = 5
1D20+3 = [9]+3 = 12
1D6+1 = [3]+1 = 4

Their squad-mates, no longer held at bay by Holger's chaos storm, push past Randerwaith to join them near Dornikal.

Anders calls out, "Any ideas on closing this thing? We keep it bottled up, or let it through and surround it?"

No enemies are present, but those pincers have been darting in and out of the portal recently...



Turn Order:

Dornikal (56/56)
Holger (14/33) (Conc: Hex: 1 hour; Rounds of Chaos Remaining: 0; rounds of 20 ft teleport remaining: 8; rounds of target on his back remaining: 3; fog cloud: 1 hour; Can only shout: 8; surrounded by faint ethereal music: 9)
Pincers-through-the-portal
Squad A (gnome mounts) (Readied Attacks)
Squad C (G20 dodging)
Squad B
Randerwaith (28/37)
Coljin (32/32) (Dash held?)
Squad E
Squad F
Anders
Squad D (Readied)
Ulmwin (37/37) <--------------------<<<

---

---

The kids sit bolt upright in the dark, the boy pulling a dagger from beside him, pushing the girl behind him and waving it around in the dark.

"Who's there? We don't want no trouble, and ain't gonna give no trouble. Just let me be... or... or you'll be sorry!"

[thinkslogically]

Nem uses her mage hand to take the dagger off the kid then shoves him backwards to sit down.

Athletics: 1D20+1 = [17]+1 = 18


"You stole from me, remember? I offered you a way to pay me back, but now I've had to come and find you and I REALLY don't like having my time wasted."

She'll emphasise the last point with a thaumaturgy tremor to shake the ground under them for a few seconds.

"So. Let's talk, shall we? I have found you, and you have nowhere to go. Unless... You've had a change of heart of course? Perhaps you can still salvage something out of this and I won't have to turn you into slime."

Intimidation: 1D20+2 = [9]+2 = 11


((Guessed on the rolls, but let me know if you want any others))

[spiderwrangler]

From where you cling to the ledge, you grab hold of the knife with your mage hand, but the kid doesn't let go until you shove him in the chest across the small sleeping area.

"Fork, it's the witch!"

"I... I won't let you hurt my sister!", he balls up his hands angrily as he looks furtively around in the dark.

[Theis2]

Ooof, think I threw up hit points and you guys ate it up! Holger stops concentrating on the hex as he casts detect magic. Takes a good look at the portal before teleporting between guard 12 and 18. He watches closely to what kind of magic it is and how it interacts with his teleportation.

[thinkslogically]

"I... I won't let you hurt my sister!", he balls up his hands angrily as he looks furtively around in the dark.

Nem Minor Illusions a good witchy cackle in the space behind the kids. Quiet, but audible to them, and echoing so they can't quite place it.

"Better do as I say then, hadn't you?"

[Rodgeir]

Dornikal bites his cheek and moves into the vacated spot to his east.

[spiderwrangler]

They both look around furtively, and the girl starts hiccuping and sobbing, a faint scent of urine waft out of the hole.

"You... you wanted us to look into some guy, right? Pembleton? If you want him so bad, go sneak up on him while he's sleeping and terrorize him!"

The boy sits forward in a crouch, his head rotating side to side, his hands gripping at the earthen floor.

---

---

((Ulmwin, you holding another Mockery?))

[M0rtimer]

((Yeah, he'll hold an mockery- If something big is going to come through, he wants to be ready to try and debuff it))

[thinkslogically]

"Actually, I'm far more interested in what's happening in the sewers. I want you to find that out for me. Don't go down there unless you want to get eaten, but I'm sure you overhear plenty of interesting things while you're... Working. Do a good job and keep quiet about it and I'll see that you're rewarded.

Leave this mark on the wall outside when you want to talk. Don't make me wait too long. And don't make me come and find you again."

Nem casts Disguise Self to make herself look like a creepy old high elf woman, hunched over and wearing rags, then casts Light on the stone lip of the alcove, and THEN casts minor illusion to make the symbol appear in front of the kids for a minute until they've memorised it.

"Got it? Ill be watching. Don't disappoint me a second time."

Nem tosses the dagger back to the boy and leaves.

[spiderwrangler]

The boy seems to be getting angry, but they both shy back from your spooky visage.

"Is that what she... she really looks like?", the girl whispers.

"Now, see here! How did we disappoint you a first time? You only asked us to check on Pembleton a few hours ago, and you're tracking us down and changing your mind in the middle of the night?! You planning on finding my when I'm having my morning squat to pop up and scare the spoon out of me and tell us you want that guy checked in on after all?"

He's shaking as he shouts at you, his sister hiding her face behind him.

[thinkslogically]

"I made a deal with the little girl who was brave enough to stay and talk. I seem to remember the rest of you running away..."

[spiderwrangler]

"Cause some freaky witch and her cat tried to kill Billy, making him jump off a roof!"

[thinkslogically]

"Is that what you think happened? Brave of you to threaten me then... Don't you think?"

Nem leaves.

[spiderwrangler]

Ulmwin primes another insult, and Dornikal chomps his cheek, blood dribbling out through his short, patchy beard.

Holger startlingly appears amid the guards, and can tell that there is definitely magic within 30 feet of him. The portal remains unchanged.

The pincers dart through the portal, but the guard who placed himself directly on front of it puts on a masterclass in defensive fighting, knocking aside and ducking both.

► Show Spoiler

_: 2D20.LOW(1)+6 = [1, 8]+6 = 7
2D20.LOW(1)+6 = [3, 7]+6 = 9

Coljin's squad moves west, Junara pushing past to set the gnome down on dry (mostly) stone steps.

Randy looks around, but doesn't see anything that would be tying the portal to this position.



Turn Order:

Dornikal (56/56)
Holger (14/33) (Conc: Detect Magic: 1 hour; rounds of 20 ft teleport remaining: 7; rounds of target on his back remaining: 2; fog cloud: 1 hour; Can only shout: 7; surrounded by faint ethereal music:
Pincers-through-the-portal
Squad A (gnome mounts) (Readied Attacks)
Squad C (G20 dodging)
Squad B
Randerwaith (28/37)
Coljin (32/32) (Dash held?) <--------------------<<<
Squad E
Squad F
Anders
Squad D (Readied)
Ulmwin (37/37)

---

---

The kid is speechless at the unfairness of the mean lady waking him up to yell at him and then tell him he shouldn't threaten people.

[thinkslogically]

((I didn't say he shouldn't threaten ANYONE, just that he was brave for trying to pick this particular fight. Ah well. We'll see what happens!))

Nem heads back to the streets and goes looking for somewhere else quiet and secluded and safe where she can have a little privacy.

Perception: 1D20+4 = [5]+4 = 9

((I had advantage on one "finding my way around" roll from her previous night exploring I think. If that's still good to cash in, I'll use it now))

Perception: 1D20+4 = [19]+4 = 23

[spiderwrangler]

((The party has a few rooms purchased at the Lame Goat?))

[thinkslogically]

((I want to find a more secluded spot. In case anyone comes looking for the stolen goods, I don't want it to lead back to the group so easily))

[spiderwrangler]

You prowl the streets, and find a narrow alley that has a dead end. There are a couple shops that open into it from side doors, but none of them are open, and there are a few empty crates and barrels awaiting pick up that should provide you plenty of cover. If anyone comes down this particular alley, you'd be able to see them well in advance.

[NotStickFigures]

Coljin checks out what is in this not yet explored area. Looking at the shrine area first. (On vacation with phone no computer. Please make any rolls for me If needed thru Tuesday. I’ll be posting. Just not easy to roll )

[thinkslogically]

((no more thieves guild nooks to find? Fair enough))

Nem settles down out of the way, reads over the files she found, and makes a rubbing of the wax seal with charcoal (just in case).

[spiderwrangler]

Coljin trots along the top of the steps, towards the central, seemingly functional cylinder.

((Perception check was under your passive.))

You see a few interesting things.

• The creature within the central tube, which seems to be the focus of the crude shrine, is roughly humanoid, but with various tentacles emerging from the face and body, as best you are able to tell in the murky liquid in which it floats.
• There is a grey sphere placed on the ground in front of the central tube that looks an awful lot like what Kreldoran sent you here for
• There is a large, dark, scaled... and still form slumped on its side, half submerged on the steps 30 feet north of you.

Turn Order:

Dornikal (56/56)
Holger (14/33) (Conc: Detect Magic: 1 hour; rounds of 20 ft teleport remaining: 7; rounds of target on his back remaining: 2; fog cloud: 1 hour; Can only shout: 7; surrounded by faint ethereal music:
Pincers-through-the-portal
Squad A (gnome mounts) (Readied Attacks)
Squad C (G20 dodging)
Squad B
Randerwaith (28/37)
Coljin (32/32) (Dash held?)
Squad E
Squad F
Anders
Squad D (Readied)
Ulmwin (37/37) <--------------------<<< (Presumably holding another Mockery?)

[Rodgeir]

Dornikal roughly shoves his sword into the corpse below him for easy retrieval, pulls a javelin and hurls it through the portal at pincers.

Attack on pincers in the portal: 1D20+6 = [9]+6 = 15
1D6+4+1D6+2 = [6]+4+[3]+2 = 15


"Stay on yer side monster or aye'll end ye like aye did the other! Dumathoin!"

[spiderwrangler]

((Tess, I'm not looking to write out everything that would be in the file, so why don't you tell some questions you're looking to find, and make an INT check for me?))