Rara wants to investigate the well, with elcato helping everyone with the investigation. Yazhi sends his white owl skeleton into the well. At the bottom of the well, the owl finds the top bit of a skull. Rara tries to draw two specs on Yazhi, who feels it and slaps her hand away. The skeleton is 64 feet below. Yazhi uses his catapult to extract the skull after bending into the skull. El Cato tries to catch it, but misses, but Yazhi catches it.
We have one skull of a creature. It looks humanoid, but we cannot figure out if its a human or an elf. The box fits into by backpack so I keep it. Yazhi fastens the skull to his belt. Galsariad gives him a weird looks and walks away.
We then continue on our path, happy with what we have accomplished. We face no new challenges on the road, and set up camp. The next day we all wake up with a little burst of energy and excitement. We see this red mountain range towards the east. We know that somewhere of that base is the city of Bazoxxan.
While we are travelling, we are sticking to the path, and not travelling through the wilderness. On the path, we often see aurora watch patrolmen resting on the sides or walking along the path minding their own business. These are the only other travelers we see on the journey. It does not surprise us when we see around six to seven aurora watch patrolmen when they are ambushed by a creature.
We cannot see the creature. They enter into a formation and start fighting the creature. Woolf, Jazco and Yazhi hide. Rangu wants to fight, and so do I. We roll for initiative.
Ayo attacks with the longbow and misses both times. Dermot attacks but can't do much. Galsariad attacks and does 12 points of necrotic damage to the monster. Irvan cannot do anything and goes closer. Maggie also edges closer, but cannot attack at this point. The creature continues to attack the soldiers around it. Jazco sneaks up to the action, while staying hidden. Rara also edges closer, and is just out of reach.
Rara casts the Crimson Right bonus action, cutting herself a bit and letting the blood fall on the crossbow, which absorbs it and starts shining in a crimson glow.
The guildmaster goes 'Jesus Christ'.
Rara sees very little of the monster, but manages to shoot it. Rangu lobs some cards towards the creature, but misses and hits Maggie instead. It grazes her armour, and Maggie glares at Rangu and asks, "What are you doing?"
I hear the sound of a rock closeby, I turn around and see another creature just looking around, not taking any action, but ready to pounce. I lob three magic missiles at the creature, doing 13 points of force damage. The other creature is about 20 feet away, and on a ledge that is 20 feet high. Woolf looks at the second creature and casts bane on it. The Bane does not work. Woolf tries to scoonch around the edge of the rock.
It's the guards turn now. 4 of the guards are poisoned, while 2 manage to escape the effect. The 4 have to fight with a disadvantage. One of them manage hit it with a longsword attack, dealing 10 points of damage. Yazhi attacks. Dermot listens to me and does a searing wrath attack, which hits, blinding the creature. Galsariad also turns its attention to the one behind and does the same attack, drawing dark shadows from the body of the creature. Irvan goes right next to the monster and does a twin dagger attack, the first one hits, doing two points of damage with his little knives. Maggie comes down on the monster with a giant maul, but ends up going right into the hit, taking 7 points of bludgeoning damage.
Now the first monster attacks the first guard, biting down on him. The guard's body is shredded by the creature. The second monster scrambles down, but takes a misstep because he is blinded and falls flat down on the ground, and is also prone, using up half its movement to get up.
Jazco makes his way straight towards the monster in a running dash and attacks with his rapier. Rara attacks with her crossbow, and does 13 points of damage, and then curses it with the Bloodcurse of Bloated Agony. Vermillion arcane wisps surround the monster and go into his body, making him sluggish in his movements. Rangu tries to lob cards, and uses his bonus action to summon tentacles to attack the monsters. I split chaos bolt and hit both of them. Woolf tells the second monster 'your catwalk stinks' and casts vicious mockery. Then Woolf gives me bardic inspiration.
The guards fight back a bit, but are struggling. Ayo misses again. Dermot has an advantage and does 7 points of radiant damage. (Guildmaster says so much maths). Dermot rushes up to the monster and makes a warhammer attack, but the hammer bounces off the natural armour. Galsariad makes the same attack again, and has advantage, dealing 26 points of damage.
That's an insane round from the spellcasters.
Irvan continues to attack the monsters with daggers, and misses on both attacks. Maggie gets poisoned, and has disadvantage on the attack, taking 6 points of damage.
The monster attacks guard and hits two guards. Jazco is about to attack with a rapier, but gets poisoned and feels like throwing up. Rara attacks and deals 11 points of damage and looks super weak. Rara amplifies it by cutting her middle finger. Rangu sends out tentacles that straighten up and then converge at the mosnter, blooming like a flower with cards on the tips of the tentacles. The tentacles rotate very fast brrr and release cards one after the other, slicing through the middle parts of the monster. I bless Galsariad, Dermot and Yazhi. Woolf casts some spell and lies down.
One of the guards tries to resuscitate the guard that went down. The other guards start moving towards the other monster, stepping over Woolf. Yazhi attacks.
Ayo finally manages to hit the creature with a longbow, but the creature is unfortunately resistant to the damage. Dermot jumps up the monster's knees and sticks his Warhammer into the creature's mouth, puts the other arm into the creature's mouth and lets off a bolt of energy that lights up the monster, and them summersaults backwards. The creature falls down next to Dermot.
"That was pretty cool wasn't it, I usually don't get carried away like that." Dermot rushes to the other guard who is bleeding on the ground and casts spare the dying, and then casts cure wounds as well, healing him up a bit.
The other guards come up to us and say, "That was quite an event, we had no idea where they came up from. Aren't you guys from the emerald loop caravan stop?"
Yazhi and and Rara go to investigate the bodies, and Rara is angry that her one drop of blood got wasted. Similar to the Udaak, the Gloomstalker, and the Roc, all of the fiends seem to dissolve and evaporate after being killed. A similar thing happens to the creatures, their bodies cannot sustain themselves in this plane of existence, and turn into pools and puddle of black ichor.
Rara is about to kick the creature but stops herself remembering what happened the last time she does that. One of the guards who was right next to the fallen guard, thanks him. "Looks like Will is really, really hurt and we want to take him to Bazoxxan." Rara checks the guards and senses that they are all somewhat relieved right now.
The guards offer to travel with us to Bazzoxan. Dermot smiles and nods at us. Ayo goes up to Jazco and says "This might actually be a good thing. From what I have heard, getting into Bazoxxan might have been a tough thing to get in without these guards."
Jazco says "Yeah I was pretty ready to fight."
Ayo says "yeah things worked out well."
Jazco quizzes Ayo on what the team was planning during the event, and Ayo tells her she was planning to have a go at the event on her own, angering Galsariad. Ayo does an insight check and realises she is telling the truth. "I wanted to see how good I am against you people, and I wanted to do it on my own." Jazco tells, "Dermot told us to tell you something after the event, but I cannot remember what it was." Ayo says "They just wanted to know what to do after the event, but that worked out well doesn't it. The celebration after the competition, oof." Jazco does another check, and understands that Ayo seems to blurt everything out, and easily shows the emotions she is feeling. " Thanks for being straight with me. I come from a pretty not-so-ethical collective, some might call it a cult, but I don't like cults. I just wanted to know you guys."
Ayo asks, "What are your plans?" Jazco says, "My father has a business. He is in the trade business. My brother is posing a bit of a problem in taking over. I'm adventuring right now, going wherever life takes me, and prove my mettle." Ayo asks "What about the jewel, what was that all about. We all know that you have visions, what did you hear? What did we see?" Jazco describes the vision to Ayo. Ayo says, "It sounds like you were chosen, what would I not give to be in your position. That is what I wanted my entire life, to be adventurer, and have my name spoken about throughout the world."
The hurt guard is moaning, despite the restored health, so we start moving towards the east. Dermot tends to the hurt guard a bit, poking his innards back into place. It takes us a night and half a day to reach Bazoxxan. When we wake up in the morning, we have levelled up! But fuck me because while adding HP, I rolled 5 straight 1s followed by a 2. That was such a streak of bad luck for me that people thought that DND Beyond was glitched.
We have a discussion on what passive investigation is all about, which God says has mostly to do with detecting traps.
We start walking eastwards, the red mountain range starts getting closer and closer. Around afternoon, we see hints of the city. There are tall dark spires jutting out from the red sandstone. There are two spires in particular that are looming over the city. We have heard of the place, The Betrayer's Rights, a fortress leftover from during the calamity. A vast gate blocks all entry to the military outpost of Bazoxxan which was once a city, sitting in the shadows of the Betrayer's Rights.
Crumbling beneath the Betrayer's Rights are crumbling iron structures. We can see Aurora Watch soldiers patrolling the walls. We make our way towards the gate, by which time it is noon. As we approach, a guard on the wall notices us walking towards the city.
"Identify yourselves"
"Friends of the Dynasty, we are guards of Bazoxxan, these people helped us fight some Hezrous, one of us is injured, let us in."
There is a scraping noise and the gate opens. The guards take their leave. One of the guards says, "There is a sort of inn in this place. Just head north, past the engine of destruction and the whirling blades, you should be able to see the Ready Room. Maybe I can introduce you to the task hand Verin Thelyss, who is in charge and will be happy that you have helped us. Best of luck to you, try to stay out of trouble and take care." The wounded guard is still limping and needs the help of the two guards to walk.
We start making our way through the town and notice that everyone here seems to be a soldier. The more perceptive ones do see some who are soldiers, who seem to be scurrying busily carrying boxes or caskets. While talking to the bugbear and the drow, we hear a rumbling. The two scurry off.
We start walking, past a weathered looking bugbear fixing a wheelchair while a drow with crutches waiting for the bugbear to finish. The drow seems like a young guy and has a morose look. Jazco stays "you don't look particularly happy." "It's Bazzoxan, what is there to be happy about?" The bugbear gives a chuckle.
With three thumps, two hands and a tentacles reach around a building. It is a fleshy creature with many appendages, many eyes and many mouths sort of rolls and slides out from the side of a building, followed by four more. Trumpets are blaring all around. We hear marching and clinking of armour. We hear the soldiers of the aurora watch, drows, bugbears and orcs rushing towards the commotion. Right through us, a drow stands in front of us taking a look at the situation
The drow says get ready to fight or run to safety. Ayo and team run off to safety. We face the creatures.
We roll for initiative.
Verin casts fairy fire, and then he uses his bonus action to create an echo of himself that is grey in colour, but on the top of one of the roofs, that is doing the same actions as Verin. The creatures are gibbering mouthers.
Yazhi attacks with his dagger. The ground that he is moving on is moving like how dough would move. It is not sticky, but it is like stepping on quicksand, but not sinking through. As Yazhi starts making his way to the creatures, he starts hearing whispering and clacking noises, but Yazhi fights the effect, and attacks them with daggers. Rangu is up next and attacks them with tentacles.
Rara says its Urotsukidoji.
The creatures are easy to hit, and the cards slice through them easily. Some of the tentacles get cut away. Wolf attacks next, and hides behind the statue. Rara tries to climb a building and almost falls down, then thinks about casting darkness on Rangu, but instead casts crimson right on herself and attacks the gibbering mouther in the centre, dealing 11 points of damage. The guards move in and attack the mouthers with their spears. Jazco uses the Jewel of Three Prayers and moves towards the 'bozos' and attacks M1 with a rapier.
Jazco is not sure if he is a thief or an assassin, finds out it is the former.
I cast Melf's Minute Meteors, and six balls of lava surround me, emanating light and heat. One of the mouthers burn to a crisp, with flames coming out of its many mouths, and slumps into a formless flat shape. Then it starts dissolving into a pool of black ichor. Another one goes down too.
Three of the mouthers eject a blog of green goo that explodes in a blinding flash of light. I am the only one blinded.
I am in character, I cannot see anything happening at this point :)
I unblind myself, and then cast the two meteorites right between the two pairs of mouthers, managing to kill one of them.
M2 goes towards one of the guards, opens its mouth wide and beheads the guard, and with another mouth, absorbs the body of the guard into itself. The guard is gone. One of the mouthers bites me all over and I take 15 points of damage.
Verin regains consciousness, somehow breaks free of the effect of the mouthers, overcoming the noise invading his brain and rushes towards towards M5 making 3 glaive attacks, all of which hit, doing 29 points of damage, shredding M5 completely into tiny ribbons. Then Verin creates another copy of himself, exactly where he was. Yazhi is pretty far away but nonetheless has to make a wisdom saving throw, succeeds, and walks back into the fight, catapults a barrel at M3, dealing 20 points of bludgeoning damage. Yazhi walks up angrily, points at a barrel on the ground, swings her arm catapulting the creature away with it, up into the air, falling somewhere far away. Yazhi stabs the last mouther, which is a glorified letter opener. Rangu manages to make the wisdom saving throw, and uses the bonus action first to attack with the tentacles, dealing 12 points of cold damage. Then walks up to M3, extends his little finger and casts inflict wounds.
The creature withers away, and is dropping bits of pus on the ground. Woolf fails the wisdom saving throw. Rara gets a nat 20 on the wisdom saving throw, and an unnatural 20 on the strength saving throw, and attacks the M3. Rara uses the crossbow to turn it into ribbons, making a gaping hole right in the centre, finally killing it.
We have finally taken care of the immediate danger. We continue to hear alarm bells and horns from the city, that go on for an additional five minutes before finally coming to a stop. People start stepping out of their houses, looking around, and getting back to business. The bugbear and the drow come back out from a different place than they were originally, and continue working on the wheelchair.
We see around us, many aurora watch people heading towards one place in the city, carrying wounded people, some being held up by the guards, others in stretchers. Verin looks at all of us, and says "Huh, well done. That's quite a complicated arrival for you guys. I would like to apologise on behalf of the people of Bazzoxan for this very unceremonious welcome. My name is Verin Thelyss, I am the task hand of Bazzoxan. I would like to thank you all for your help and assistance during the attack. You should meet me later at the barracks. I am usually around the baracks or the infirmary. I need to be on my way now making sure there are no stragglers." Then he walks away with the guard.
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