Chapter 34: chapter 34

We chuckle and move our location. If these guys come around, they’ll be a problem. Tying them up could mean that a monster comes by and takes advantage of the buffet we set.

Meanwhile, my dad is back with Dana and her character.  “Okay, Faeln! What’s your plan?”

Dana smiles. “I’m going for the mill. If I can have a poke around in there, I might be able to find some useful information!”

Dad nods. “It’s worth a shot. Okay, make me a stealth check. Or, if you think you can sprint across the yard, I’ll let you do that, but with disadvantage. However, you’ll get advantage on a roll of your choice later. Your choice?”

Dana hems and haws for a few moments, and then shrugs. “I’ll take the risk! Can’t let these wee gobshites have all the fun!”

She takes two d20s and shakes them emphatically, hocking the pair into the dice tray. “Let’s see….. Welp, it won’t make a blind bit ‘o difference! 17 on both!”

Dad claps his hands twice. “Lucky beggar! Right, with that, Faeln manages to time his madcap dash across the yard perfectly, diving into cover just outside the windmill, behind a stone wall. Amazingly, no-one has seen a single trace of the furtive lizardman, and he makes cover without issue!”

Dana dances happily in her chair, before Dad grins. “What do now?”

She stops her happy dance. “Oh! Uh, I want to sneak inside the mill and investigate it for clues!”

“Roll me a stealth check, and an investigation check, please!” he steeples his fingers, peering at her over them like some anime villain.

“Ookay, stealth first…. Big money no whammies…. 11?”

Dad nods. “Since no-one’s in the mill currently, you manage to enter without much trouble. The only creature in there is a lazy farm cat, which studiously ignores you.”

Dana giggles huskily, and I bite my lip as she rolls her investigation check. “Ah, bollocks, that’s a 2… I’ll use that advantage to make a second roll! And that’s…a…. dirty 20! Yes!”

Dad inhales. “As you poke around, you manage to work your way all around the mill. Nothing seems unusual… until you enter the side room. The crates in here are neatly stacked. TOO neatly, for in every other space, they’re all willy-nilly and every-which-way.”

Dana makes a fist. “Can I roll to move the crates?”

Dad purses his lips. “You can certainly try. Make me a straight strength check, and a stealth check to see if you do it without attracting any unwanted attention.”

Dana rolls her dice. “That’s a 17 on the strength, and a 15 on the stealth!”

Our DM spreads his arms. “As you rock the crates out of the way, you can see a trapdoor beneath one of them. It’s locked with a shiny padlock that looks newer than it has any reason to be.”

Dana grins. “I want to go and get the others, so we can go together!”

Jeffrey, mum and I all share a look.  We all ready dice, as dad grins. “Stealth checks from everybody!”

My roll is… “9, thanks to my armour!”

Jeffrey chuckles, “we really need to get you some quieter gear! I got a Nat 20, and my modifier brings it to 23.”

I stick my tongue out at him, as my mum rolls her own dice. “17, dear!”

Dana rolls, scoring an impressive “19!”

Dad sighs. “You all manage, somehow, to meet up and make it back to the mill without being spotted. The cat is still there, and it glares beady little eyes at you. Faeln, I’m assuming you show them the trapdoor?”

Dana nods. “Anyone have any skill at picklock?”

Everyone shakes their heads. Jeffrey points. “Hey, since I have a 3 in sleight-of-hand, could I try?”

Dana shouts, “So do I! I’ll take the Help action, to give you advantage on the roll!”

Dad grins. “Love it! Okay, Jeffy-Lube, roll Dex Sleight-Of-Hand with advantage!”

“Okay, I got… 14?” Jeffrey asks, and dad thinks for a moment. “Well, it’s open, but let’s see how noisy you were about it. Stealth from you, Ironhand!”

Jeffrey rolls, and hisses in disgust. “That’s a 6! Dammit.”

Dad chuckles evilly. “Oof, that’s a noisy noise! Right. What do?”

Jeffrey winces, and then shrugs. “Well, I say we jump down and take up arms! Go for non-lethal if possible.”

I nod. “Let me go first, I’m the tank!”

Mum and Dana nod. “We’ll provide support!”

I grin at dad. This is fun!

I take my chance and hop down the trapdoor. It’s a short fall, and, according to dad, there’s a lever down there with me. I give it a tug, and a ladder pushes out of the wall, allowing the others to climb down without jumping.

 

“As you land, two bandits, both humans, spot you and fall back, retreating into a cavernous space with ten more bandits, working with strange alchemical contraptions and emptying barrels into filters. As the bandits who spotted Naa’ril raise the alarm, they all draw curved swords. Everyone? ROLL FOR INITIATIVE!”

We all roll. I score a 4 for my Initiative, with mum’s at 12, Dana’s 8, and Jeffrey’ 16. I look over at him. “How are you so good at rolling?!”

He chuckles, “the dice gods love me, Ky!”

Dad checks over our Initiative rolls, and booms, The BANDITS go first! Three of them aim crossbows at you, Naa’ril, and fire! Two bolts whisper across the space between you and strike, thunking into your shoulder and hip, the third bolt spiralling harmlessly past to shatter against the cave wall! You take ten piercing damage!”

I wince and tally the damage, subtracting it from my HP.

Dad points. “Jeffrey, you’re the target of the next three! Two of them fire their crossbows at you, while the third closes to get into melee combat!”

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Jeffrey howls in a staccato monotone, “BRING IT, M-MUH-MUH-THERFUCKERS!”

Dad rolls for the bandits, and grins. “The two bolts blur past, impacting the wall behind you, while the third bandit’s scimitar slashes, cutting the air in front of you as he misjudges his wild strike!”

Mum winces as dad’s attention switches to her. “The next trio targets you, Nesta! As you slash one of the bolts out of the air, the other strikes you in the thigh for 10 damage! The bandit with the scimitar rushes in and slices, cutting you across the same thigh for an additional 6 slashing damage!”

Finally, he turns to Dana. “And you! The same thing happens! Two bandits loose crossbow bolts at you, both impacting! The wounds aren’t too deep, but the pain distracts you long enough for the swordsman to lash out, digging into you side with the edge of his scimitar! You take a total of… 20 damage!”

Dana swears in Irish, and I wince in sympathy. Dad announces, “I hope you’re up for some revenge, since it is now Ironhand’s turn! Jeffrey, what do?”

Jeffrey smirks. “Well, I’m going to punch the bandit with the sword in front of me!” he rolls dice. “Does a 21 hit?” Dad nods. “Roll damage!”

Jeffrey deals 5 against his target, following it up with a Flurry of Blows. The first blow misses, and the second lands for an extra 4. Dad narrates, “The bandit staggers under the fearsome weight of each of Ironhand’s mighty blows, blood running from his cheek where the metal knuckles cracked his jaw.”

Dad looks at mum. “Nesta, you’re up. What are you planning?” My mum simply grins. “I think you’ll like this one, so… I cast Armour of Agathys at first level! A swirling cloak of chill wind forms around me, protecting me, before I use my bonus action to cast Agonizing Blast, at the one furthest away from me!” she points to the one on the battle-map.

After a frantic roll, she hits, dealing 10 damage with a beam of sickly blue light.

Dad’s face is alight with a free, fierce joy that I’ve only seen occasionally. He’s totally in his element here! “Ouch, lovely! The bandit screams as the magical assault almost flays him alive, smoke billowing off him in sheets as the beam flickers and dies, glowing cobalt embers sparking in his clothes!”

Dana takes her turn. “I go in at the closest one with a pair of quick scimitar blows! The first one misses, but the second hits! 7 damage!”

Dad notes it down. “Anything else?” When Dana shakes her head, he turns to me. “Now it’s our lovely Tiefling’s turn! What do, baby girl?”

I blush a little, and think. My friends are getting beaten to H-E-Double-Hockey-sticks and back.

“I move up next to Faeln and cast Cure Wounds on them at first level for 11 HP, and then I will… cast Sacred Flame on the bandit next to Ironhand!”

Dad rolls, and “the bandit fails his save! As you gesture at him and speak words of chastisement, pale flames burst into life around him, the power of Kelemvor singing through you. The flames bind around the hapless bandit, burning him to death.”

I bite my lip. “Sorry, Jeffrey! But you can kill the next one!”

He waves his hand in a good-natured ‘don’t worry about it’ gesture.

Dad chuckles, “let’s see if the optimism holds out! The first flurry of blows has been exchanged, with the bandits coming off worse in the melee, two of their number cut down!”

He starts rolling for the bandits, occasionally muttering something inaudibly.

“Ironhand! Three bandits mob you, but each of them is shaken by your appearance and all they can do is swing wildly, their accuracy suffering enough that they miss all of their attacks!”

Jeffrey grins, and then Dad adds, “Naa’ril, you are not so lucky! The fourth bandit charges, swinging his scimitar, and manages to catch you on the shoulder! You take… 6 slashing damage!”

I wince and mark off my lost hitpoints, then shudder as Dad continues. “Three more, emboldened by the apparent success of their friend, attempt to mob you, too, but their excitement causes them to inflict no damage, missing and getting in each other’s way rather than co-operating!”

“The final three attempt to engage you as well, Naa’ril, but only add to the disorganised melee, leaving you unscathed! Ironhand! Your turn!”

Jeffrey pounds a fist into his palm. “Right! Ironhand is going to lash out at the nearest bandit! 21 hits, and I deal 4 bludgeoning damage!”

Dad claps. “That’s a dead bandit, my metal friend! Anything else?”

The Warforged player nods. “Flurry of Blows! Plus, Ki-Fuelled Attack!”

Dad raises his eyebrows. “Okay, roll up!”

Another 21, a 19, and a 7. “Two fives and another 4!”

Dad whistles. “That’s another two dead bandits! Look at the Monk go!”

Jeffrey ends his turn, and my mum claps her hands eagerly.

 “El-dritch Blast!  El-dritch Blast! El-dritch Blast!” she chants, grinning evilly.

Dad nods. “Alright, the same target as last time?”

Mum nods, and then points at a second target. “I’m going to drop my concentration on the Armour of Agathys to fire a second Agonizing Blast!”

She rolls, hits both times, and uses the lower-damage roll to finish off the bandit she’d almost vaporized with the first shot. Dad narrates how the bandit’s life is cut short by a second beam of horrible, pale-blue light, the second lance boring a hole through the chest of a second bandit and dropping them to one knee.

“Next, the Ranger! Whatchu got, Dana?!”

Dana grins, and starts scheming. “Okay, I’m going to cast Hunter’s Mark on the nearest bandit, and rush him with the dual scimitars!”

Dad nods approvingly. “Clever girl… go on then, you oversized Velociraptor!”

With a dry chuckle, Dana makes her attack rolls, chanting some kind of Gaelic good-luck saying.

“First hits, 8 damage plus 4 from the Hunter’s Mark!”

Dad snaps his fingers. “And the Ranger brings the pain with a savage kill! You still have one more hit!” Dana rolls again, and Dad sighs, “make that a second kill! Way to go, young lady!”

I smile as Dana hands the reins over to me. The last three bandits are surrounding me, and I have the perfect plan. “I’m going to double-cast Word of Radiance! They’re all within 5 feet of me, so they’ll all be in range!”

Dad rolls for the first cast. “So, one bandit manages to duck behind his companions, avoiding the blast of brilliant, searing energy. The other two aren’t so lucky, taking the full effect! Roll damage!”

I roll a 5, and then the second cast begins. Dad rolls another trio of dice to determine the bandits’ luck. I roll 6, scoring max damage on the cast, and Dad rolls his counter. “Okay, two more failures! Two of the remaining three bandits are incinerated by the power of Kelemvor’s words and you speak holy prayers to the god of death! The last bandit, the only one still standing, is beginning to look VERY unsure of himself… and THAT is where we’ll end tonight’s session! Congratulations, that fight is pretty definitively concluded! Give yourselves a well-deserved pat on the back, and take a level-up!”

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