Tests and Trials

[NotStickFigures]

Wisdom. 1d20 = [6] = 6

[Rodgeir]

Jaq runs the final distance up the raised dais to the pool, his mother's pleading for help drowning out all other noise. An images of her suffering, burning, being cut starving filling his vision. Kroshav is nearby but Jaq doesn't notice him.

Looking down into the pool Jaq sees his mother looking up towards him with her hand extended and knows he only needs to reach in and take her hand. To grab her and pull her beyond the torment to safety.

Those nearby see a look of determination on Jaq's tear covered face as he plunges his arm into the dark, reflection-less surface of the pool. Jaq's screaming starts at the same instant, but he's face remains turned down to the water. ((Constitution saving throw please))

Kroshav can see veins of black surging up Jaq's arm as he slumps down on the lip of the pool, arm still in the liquid almost like it's being held there.

Pool (necrotic) damage: 2d8+3 = [6, 4] = 13

Init:

Ves (14 hp)
Kroshav (25 hp)
Jolly
Giant skeleton
Jaq (0 hp)
Lurn (21 hp)<------
Joe (7 hp)

((Map soon, Jaq is two squares west and one north of Kroshav.))

[Dlover]

"Damn! Kroshav, can you get him out of there? I'll restore him soon!" Lurn Sprints to get around the skeleton and as close to Jaq as possible.

((Well, that seems like a decent time to give Jaq a level 2 Cure Wounds. 21 health sounds like a good amount. Just have to get into touching distance before he dies...))

[Arch Lich Burns]

Firebolt [1d20+4] = 4+4 = 8[1d10] = 1

"Feck. Now Ah wish Ah prepar'd tasha's hideous laught'r. Then he woulda fall'n prone n not in tha pool."

(Only time where it would be useful. He wouldn't have to attempt to make saving throws on turns that he failed the skelly's)

[NotStickFigures]

Constitution 1d20 = [14] = 14

[Rodgeir]

Lurn moves quickly around the giant skeleton until he is standing over the partially collapsed figure of Jaq, the darkness from the pool clearly visible and moving up the elf's arm.

Joe is distracted by Jaq going down and misses her shot before lamenting her spell choices to Jolly, who mostly ignores her.

Init:

Ves (14 hp) <------
Kroshav (25 hp)
Jolly
Giant skeleton
Jaq (0 hp)
Lurn (21 hp)
Joe (7 hp)

Map!, it is a bit grainy but don't have time to fix it now!

[thinkslogically]

Seeing Lurn has made it to Jaq, Ves keeps attacking the skeleton, trying to keep it's attention on her as she attacks its eye sockets but the screaming is distracting until she gathers herself to land a kick.

1d20+5 = [3] = 8
Luck: 1d20+5 = [5] = 10

Kick: 1d20+4 = [16] = 20
Dam: 1d4+2 = [4] = 6 + 3 = 9 total

[Rodgeir]

Swinging wide Ves misses the socket she was aiming at with her staff but recovers and knocks free a few of the skeleton's teeth with her knee.

Init:

Ves (14 hp)
Kroshav (25 hp)<------
Jolly
Giant skeleton
Jaq (0 hp)
Lurn (21 hp)
Joe (7 hp)

[spiderwrangler]

Lurn called for his help, but seeing that the cleric was able to reach their elven companion, Kroshav trusts the skinny firbolg to be able to handle it, and keeps his focus on the big skeleton, circling around (without stepping in the pool), to get on the other side of it from Ves.

Attack: 1d20+7 = [11] = 18
Damage: 1d4+7 = [3] = 10

[Rodgeir]

As Kroshav moves around to the back of the skeleton he smashes away a chunk of the increasingly unsteady giant"s leg.

Jolly takes a shot but, like some of the others, is too concerned by Jaq to steady his already shaky aim.

Jolly attack: 1d20-1 = [9] = 8

The skulls all hiss,

"One of your number has begun his way into service. I will send the rest."

The giant swings once more at its glowing attacker and once again something pops in it's shoulder sending the blow awry. The skulls around the room hiss in something that sounds very much like frustration as the giant uses the momentum of the first strike to slam it's club into Kroshav. Kroshav takes the hit well and manages to get his shield up to block most of what could have been a far more damaging blow.

Attack 1:1d20+6-1d4 = [10] = 12
Attack 2: 1d20+6-1d4 = [17] = 21
Attack 2 damage: 2d8+4 = [2, 2] = 8

Jaq shudders in front of Lurn as the darkness starts to appear along his neck.

Init:

Ves (14 hp)
Kroshav (17 hp)
Jolly
Giant skeleton
Jaq (0 hp)
Lurn (21 hp)<------
Joe (7 hp)

((NSF, PM me a death saving throw please.

Bane for the save again!))

[Dlover]

((Oh, since I could actually reach him, I don't suppose a Bonus action would have been enough to pull Jaq out of the pool, would it?))

[Rodgeir]

((Nope, pool's got ahold of him.))

[Rodgeir]

((Sooooo....Lurn going to heal Jaq or touch the oh so mysterious pool?))

[Dlover]

((Oh, jeez, I completely missed that it had already rolled around to Lurn's turn again, sorry!))

Lessee, first things first... probably healing Jaq. Level 2 slot with Cure Wounds, max healing thanks to Grave Domain, for a total of 21 healing. It'll deal some damage to him again, but I can't tell how close he is to proper death, so taking a turn to pull him out would be risky.

[Rodgeir]

Upon Lurn's touch Jaq gasps as his eyes fly open and the black around his neck recedes all the way back to his wrist. He finds that a gentle tug isn't enough to pull his hand free, and looking into the pool that he can't see any of his hand below the surface. It feels very much like something is aggressively removing the flesh from everything under the surface and ice creeping up.

Init:

Ves (14 hp)
Kroshav (17 hp)
Jolly
Giant skeleton
Jaq (21 hp)
Lurn (21 hp)
Joe (7 hp)<------

[Arch Lich Burns]

Joe fires another bolt at the giant.

[1d20+4] = 11+4 = 15[1d10] = 8

[Rodgeir]

Joe pings the distant skeleton again with enough force to knock it's head to the side. The scorch marks only help highlight the number of factures in the skull.

Init:

Ves (14 hp)<------
Kroshav (17 hp)
Jolly
Giant skeleton
Jaq (21 hp)
Lurn (21 hp)
Joe (7 hp)

[thinkslogically]

Ves sees the skull fractures light up from Joe's blast, and focusses her attacks on the weak points:

2h: 1d20+5 = [9] = 14
Dam: 1d8+3 = [6] = 9 +3 radiant = 12 dam

Kick: 1d20+3 = [18] = 21
Dam: 1d4+2 = [1] = 3

[Rodgeir]

Ves glides forward and collapses a portion of the skeleton's skull in before sending a a knee in that causes it's lower jaw to fall free, clattering down it's remaining ribs. It's looks to on its last, skeletal legs.

Init:

Ves (14 hp)
Kroshav (17 hp)<------
Jolly
Giant skeleton
Jaq (21 hp)
Lurn (21 hp)
Joe (7 hp)

[spiderwrangler]

TIME TO DIE AGAIN!", Kroshav bellows before slamming his forging hammer into it again.

Attack: 1d20+7 = [15] = 22
Damage: 1d4+7 = [3] = 10

[Rodgeir]

Kroshav smashes a leg out from the giant and lands in a twisted heap but manages to lift itself up to a semblance of a sitting position in time for Jolly to clip it with a bolt in the collar bone that doesn't seem to do much.

The voice echos around the ruins once again,

"You have all been marked, even if you destroy this animation. If I cannot do my Lord's will another will."

At this the skeleton twists and lashes out, surprising Ves hovering above. The club passes through an ethereal wing before connecting with Ves' side and catching allowing the skeleton to bear her to the stone floor with a sickening crunch. The skeleton's arm almost instantly snaps backwards, sending a jarring blow into Kroshav.

► Show Spoiler

Jolly attack: 1d20-1 = [19] = 18
Jolly attack damage: 1d8-1 = [2] = 1

Skeleton attack 1: 1d20+6-1d4 = [20] = 24
Skeleton attack 1 damage: 3d8+4 = [8, 7, 6] = 25
Skeleton attack 2: 1d20+6-1d4 = [17] = 22
Skeleton attack 2 damage: 2d8+4 = [6, 5] = 15

Init:

Ves (0 hp)
Kroshav (2 hp)
Jolly
Giant skeleton
Jaq (21 hp) <------
Lurn (21 hp)
Joe (7 hp)

((Couple of big hits there, not even bane could help. The skeleton's movement speed has been reduced.

Thinks can you PM some death saves.

NSF - removing Jaq's hand from the pool is an action, strength roll DC 10. Succeed and you can move and take the rest of your turn normally, fail and...well don't fail.))

[Dlover]

"Good, let them come for me. It is my sacred duty to strike down the undead, and you do naught but provide me the means to do so. Even should my body be claimed eventually, I shall rid the world of more abominations than you will be able to create through the use of this flesh, for without mine soul and my Lord's power it is useless."

When Lurn's turn rolls around, he'll either try to pull Jaq free if he doesn't manage it himself, grabbing the elf about the waist and heaving him away from the pool, or he'll use Toll The Dead on the skeleton (Well, unless Jaq has a non-action way to finish it off).
Strength: 1d20+3 = [8] = 11
Toll: 1d12 = [4] = 4

Regardless of which course of action he takes, he'll also spare a Healing Word for Ves. +8 hp for our would-be-angel.

[thinkslogically]

((not to make everything worse for myself, but ves should probably also take 1 or 2d6 falling damage... I don't think it'll kill her outright either way, but still.))

[NotStickFigures]

Strenght 1d20+1 = [18] = 19


Jaq opens his eyes when healed, lets out a strangled cry of fear and used all of his strength to pull himself free of the black goo pool. He is absolutely backing away from the pool and the skeleton, and then taking cunning action to move even further away. If tricked into going into the pool by magic again, he doesn't want to be right next to it.

[Rodgeir]

Jaq jerks his hand free from the pool and stumbles backwards away from it as quickly as he can. A quick glance at his hand shows that it is still there but it looks pale and withered. A quick opening and closing reveals that it is working just fine but it feels...numbed.

A gesture and some whispered words from Lurn brings Ves back to awareness, radiance still intact, as she lays sprawled on the ground slightly confused as how she got there. Lurn then turns his attention to the skeleton and clenches a fist. The skeleton shudders and nearly tips over.

Wis save: 1d20 = [8] = 8

Init:

Ves (8 hp)
Kroshav (2 hp)
Jolly
Giant skeleton
Jaq (21 hp)
Lurn (21 hp)
Joe (7 hp)<------