[D&D 5] Fight for your Right to Die, Part 1

[Izzarra]

At first it felt more like a blessing than a curse. Sure the other aspect of the curse was inconvenient but being able to shrug off death as if it was just a bad hangover was amazing... or so it seemed. As the years wore on you began to yearn for the long sleep as friends and family are repulsed or pass away and the simple pleasures of life no longer bring you joy. Then one day a message floats down out of the sky with a date and location offering an end to the curse in exchange for defeating a foe that only your unique situation can stand a chance against. Perhaps whoever has the power to track you down could break the curse, none of the clerics you have talked to before have been able to remove it.

You arrive at Zanobya, the city mentioned on the note, in the last week of summer. Situated between the great Eska lake and the Indrayudha sea, Zanobya is built looking over a chain of magnificent waterfalls. The city is packed as it is the yearly Reidr wine festival as the neighboring Reidr valley has the best vineyards on the continent. As you make your way though the market square a group of strangely cloaked people gather at the large marble fountain. They begin chanting as they pull ceremonial knives and plunge them into their chests. Thick tar like smoke billows from their eyes and mouths darkening the sky. The crowd panics but silhouettes form from the smoke and begin pouncing on the citizens. As each person falls they also start coughing up smoke.

Messages float down out of the air for you and a few others in the square. “Their plans are happening faster than expected, stop them.” Looking at the others that got messages you know in an instant from the look in their eyes that they probably suffer from a curse just like you.

Spoiler: OOC

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You have one round to prepare yourselves. Roll for initiative. Tableplop battlemap will be available soon.

Spoiler: Interlinking Game Threads

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Recruitment
OOC: Only on Discord, no thread

Spoiler: Players / Characters

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Player	Character	Class
Charybdis1618	Thurgen	Wild Magic Sorcerer
Infernally Clay	Leif Fýrisdotter	Gloomstalker Ranger
Esprit15	Ryuuto	Bladesinger Wizard
aguaracu	Amoukar	Trickery Cleric

[Infernally Clay]

Leif Fýrisdotter Half-Elf Gloomstalker Ranger 8 AC: 17 | HP: 68+5/68+5 | Initiative: +9 Spell Slots: 1st: 4/4 | 2nd: 2/3 Favoured Foe: 3/3 Active Effects: None Concentrating: None Conditions: None

If you had to pick a word to describe Leif, it would be autumnal. The Half-Elf was resplendent in browns and oranges, matching her red hair, but she is also autumnal in the sense that you feel she has made peace with death. You can see she isn't here to break her own curse.

"Stop them?" Leif says, equal parts amused and confused, "We could use a little more to go on."

She was, however, more disappointed she wouldn't be able to try the wine.

Spoiler

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Initiative: (1d20+9)[14]

Cast Aid on Amoukar, Ryuuto and Leif.
Move to cover.

[Charybdis1618]

Thurgen doesn't even read the note initially. He's already hoisting his shield and staff, charging forwards into the smoke.

[Esprit15]

These voices were so keen to nudge and prod but so slow to give any actual insight. Ryuuto sighs as he at least takes a swig of wine before drawing his rapier. As he does so, the kitsune man observes the shadows for a second to determine their nature, and begins to sing in exquisite Elven, magic woven into the words.

Spoiler

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Initiative: (1d20+2)[8]

Cast Protection from Evil and Good, targeting the creature’s type as revealed by that intelligence check. Mage Armor is normally cast in the late morning, so is already running.

[aguaracu]

Amoukar - currently travelling as Larek Sugha - wandered through the fair with a bored expression on his face. He remembered Sophia, she would drink him under the table in the early hours of the morning and then go straight to selling rotgut and drain cleaner to the richest merchants she could find. Now she was eulogised as the "legendary" founder of the achingly sophisticated Clavis vineyard. He sighed.

As the strange ritual began and the ridiculously unhelpful notes descended Amoukar turned to slip away but checked himself; this was actually trouble he was looking for. Amoukar decided that anyone receiving those notes needed any help they could get and started weaving some strands of blessing down.

Spoiler: Bless

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Casting Bless at level 2 to cover the four party members. Everyone gets +1d4 to attack rolls and saves.

Initiative (1d20+1)[21]

[Izzarra]

You step forward as the crowd begins to panic and run away.
There are four guards on the perimeter of the square though they do not look like they are very confident in their ability to handle this kind of situation.

Spoiler: OOC

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Round One
Initiative Order:
Amoukar 21
GM 15
Leif 14
Thurgen 12
Ryuuto 8

[aguaracu]

Amoukar leapt forward to confront these horrors, these new acquaintances should not see him as unable to pull his weight.

Spoiler: Attack!

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Leftmost baddy.

Attack (1d20+7)[19]
+ Bless (1d4)[3]

Damage (1d6+4)[6]
+ Cleric extra damage (1d8)[3]

[Izzarra]

Amoukar approaches the first shadow being and lands a solid blow. It tries to retaliate but the dark claws scrape across Amoukar's armor with an unnatural sound.
The other two grab onto nearby citizens draining them of their life energy, and even the color of their skin, leaving gray husks behind.

Spoiler: OOC

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13 attack is a miss.
Groups of players in the initiative order can intersperse their turns to expedite gameplay.

Round One
Initiative Order:
_ Amoukar 21
_ GM Enemies 15
> Leif 14
> Thurgen 12
> Ryuuto 8
_ GM City Guards 1

[Esprit15]

Continuing his song, Ryuuto moves swiftly through the panicking crowd, making several quick thrusts with the rapier on the distracted wraith.

Spoiler

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+1 Rapier
Attack: (1d20+6)[10]
Advantage: (1d20+6)[10]
Damage: (1d8+3)[11]

Attack: (1d20+6)[26]
Advantage: (1d20+6)[10]
Damage: (1d8+3)[10]

[Charybdis1618]

Thurgen shouts "Break your blade upon the shield of righteousness!"

The flame-shaped icon at the tip of his staff flares brightly. A mote of fire streaks from it towards the nearest specter. It bursts in front of the specter, then reconstitutes and streaks back to the staff. It seems to draw the eye with it on its return journey.

Spoiler

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Compelled Duel on it, DC13 Wisdom
Firebolt at it, 17 to hit, 12 Fire damage

[Infernally Clay]

Leif Fýrisdotter Half-Elf Gloomstalker Ranger 8 AC: 17 | HP: 68+5/68+5 | Initiative: +9 Spell Slots: 1st: 4/4 | 2nd: 2/3 Favoured Foe: 3/3 Active Effects: None Concentrating: None Conditions: None

Spoiler

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Move ten squares east.
Attack enemy #3, gaining a third attack due to Dread Ambusher.

Attack #1 - To hit: (1d20+6)[12], to damage: (1d8+18)[19]
Attack #2 - To hit: (1d20+6)[24], to damage: (1d8+18)[19]
Attack #3 - To hit: (1d20+6)[14], to damage: (2d8+18)[29]

If enemy #3 dies before all three attacks land, shift target to enemy #2.

[aguaracu]

Revolted by the horror in front of him, Amoukar turned to Binyu to chase it away. The eyes on his shield briefly glowed purple as long unuttered words formed themselves on his tongue but then he shook his head and the moment passed. He was here to kill, destroy, this thing, not send it careering around the people in the town.

He struck again.

Spoiler: Attack

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Attack (1d20+7)[13]
+ Bless (1d4)[1]

Damage (1d6+4)[8]
+ Cleric extra damage (1d8)[5]

[Izzarra]

The three strangers join the battle landing several blows but are unable to drop any the shadowy beings.

Four city guards run in to help. One of them gets close enough to take a swing, but the sword simply passes through the shadow-stuff that that these horrors are made of without apparently having any effect.

It responds by passing a limb through the man who falls over as the color is seaming sucked from his body and the being reconstitutes a bit from Leif's barrage.

The one that Amoukar attacked swipes back and as it's shadowy claws rend into his flesh. However, it doesn't feel much different then previous wounds he has sustained, unlike the guard and civilians that are falling over from the slightest touch.

From the bodies of some of the slain civilians more shadowy figures emerge though they are less clearly defined as the original three.
Two of them wander away from the fountain chasing civilians, one takes a swipe at Ryuuto.

Spoiler: OOC

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With Bless all of PC attacks have hit so far.
#2 makes the save vs Compelled Duel.

Dirty 20 to hit Amoukar for 8 slashing damage.
13 to hit Thurgen, miss.
13 to hit Ryuuto, miss.

One guard is dead.

Round Two
Initiative Order:
_ Amoukar 21
_ GM Enemies 15
> Leif 14
> Thurgen 12
> Ryuuto 8
_ GM City Guards 1