Chapter 21: The Razor's Edge

[Ken]

Belarin gently grips Histra's arm above the elbow to give her support as she uses her necromantic sight.

[Joe]

Streko listens in on the whispered conversation. "Sounds like a perfect time to look for traps lying about. Would dart throwers attack a skeletal creature? Ignorant ones, perhaps. So, when have we face ignorant foes with darts? I may be able to help locate traps once we move forward, spare Shorak some pain or embarrassment."

[Dave B.]

Shorak watches the zombie move further into the area and out of his view. He hesitates, wanting to get a better look at what's going on in there. Was the zombie attacked or did it set off a trap? He carefully and quietly moves back down the stairs to where Kal awaits. "I'm back. I couldn't tell if the zombie was actually attaacked or if he set off a trap." He pauses. "I'm willing to try entering the room to watch what happens with the zombie", Shorak suggests.

[Jeff]

A few moments pass, and then Histra frowns. She cocks her head, as if looking around. "It has fallen into a . . . concealed pit. Spiked. Situated at the bottom of the first bank of stairs going up. It is badly damaged now. At least one trap has been sprung."

All of you hear a quiet sound, as if from far away, but it makes its way even down here: a brief trilling sound, as if made by some animal. Then all is quiet again.

[Brian]

"That sounds like a signal," Melethos says about the trilling sound. "We're running out of time. The zombie triggered the trap. They know someone is here." He pauses to consider their options. "I'm going to walk into the square. Kal and Shorak can follow and watch what happens. With Orvak's party closing in, we need to push forward as quickly as possible."

He opens his belt pouch, removes a vial, and drinks the contents. "I don't know who fired those darts but this may help me. Shorak, wherever you are, follow about ten feet behind."

Melethos keeps his sword in its hilt and ascends the stairs. As he passes Kal, he says, "Follow about ten feet back. Shorak should join you soon." He explains what he is about to do. "Watch for what happens and be prepared to call everyone up if a fight breaks out."

Then the tiefling continues his ascent until he reaches the open square. There he pauses to look around.

___________________________________

Melethos drinks the Drow antivenom potion, providing "near immunity" to drow poison for an hour.

[Ken]

"They're calling others in to check out their new 'captive,'" says Belarin after he hears the trilling. "We need to get moving!" But his enthusiasm is dampened by Melethos' decision to step out there alone.

"I think we ALL need to start heading up, even if you first step out by yourself," he says. "If a fight does break out, you don't want us huffing and puffing up another flight before we stumble into combat."

[Brian]

"Yes," Melethos says, turning to speak to Belarin. "Have everyone start up. But wait until something happens before you move into the square. And don't pass Kal or Shorak."

[Dave W.]

Adamant moves up to stand next to Kal, "I'm not sure how I will know if I pass Shorak." He adds wryly.

[Jeff]

I just need to wait and see what Kal, Streko, Shorak, etc. are actually doing as Mel goes forward.

Remember, guys. I look for stated actions, not dialogue expressing intent (although that's all good, it's not what I need to move things).

[Joe]

Double Post...I must REALLY be tired!

[Joe]

As Melethos passes Streko, the Halfling reaches out, asking for Olladra's guidance, and passes it on to the Tiefling. "Be careful, Melethos. We still don't know what traps we may face. If you wish I can make another attempt at finding them and it would work better with me up toward the front, I suspect."

Streko will follow Melethos's directive, otherwise continuing the climb in the previously agreed-upon order.
______________________________________________________

Streko casts Guidance on Melethos, allowing the Tiefling to roll a d4 and add the number rolled as a bonus to one ability check of his choice. He may choose to roll the die before or after rolling the ability check. After this, the spell ends.

[Jeff]

As Melethos heads to the top of the stairs, Thul follows him. "Not staying in the back," is all he says, and the tiefling can hear the stubbornness in his voice, which invites no argument.

Histra blinks and her eyes are normal again. "It is not destroyed yet, but it is close to it," she says.

When Melethos steps out through the opening, daylight falls upon him at last though the sun is not on him directly.

He blinks against the light but is still glad to see he's in some shade, cast by the tall walls of this open chamber. The huge blocks of stone that form this ground have been weathered by centuries. Weeds have sprouted up in the cracks and lichen is everywhere. All around him, the walls and banks of stairs rise high, and plants of the jungle, huge leaves, bushes, and trees hang out over the lip of the top of the wall.

It's quiet up here. The loudest sounds are birds in the air and the rustling sounds of the zombie in the pit. Melethos can't immediately tell what was on top of the pit to have disguised it.

"Well?" Thul says impatiently, just behind him, eager to come out with Syndra.

He doesn't spot the zombie but can surely see where it's fallen: a section of stone opening into a pit*

Melethos can choose to make a Perception check, with a bonus from Streko's spell, if he wishes to look or hear from where he's standing.

*Melethos cannot currently actually see the spikes or anything.

[Brian]

"Soon, Captain," Melethos says, his voice soft. Hs gaze drifts across the square, searching. He listens for anything that sounds out of place. "Soon you will be able to bash something."

_____________________________________________

Melethos: D20 + 1 #Wisdom (Perception) check → 12(11 + 1)

Melethos: D4 #Bonus from Guidance spell → 1

[Jeff]

Melethos keeps thinking he's seeing some bit of movement up at the top of the walls that form this "sunken" chamber, but when he looks he sees only swaying leaves and branches. He can't feel it from where he's standing, but to him it looks rather gusty up there. If this is the top of the stairs and the edge of the plateau, he can well imagine the winds.

[Brian]

"I don't see anything out of place," Melethos tells Thul. "But something shot that zombie." He shrugs. "Time to see what we're up against. Ready to beat somebody to death?"

He doesn't wait for an answer, knowing what the captain will say. Instead, he steps out into the square, making himself plainly visible.

____________________________________

Melethos moves three squares west and two squares south.

[Dave W.]

Adamant move right behind Kal. "When do we move up, Kal? I'm a bit nervous about us being split so far apart."

"Splitting forces in with an enemy nearby is generally frowned upon... at least in the theory books I've read. There is the danger of being defeated in detail."

[Darren]

Sorry, y'all. I'm back.

Kal feels reassured by the solid form of Adamant next to him. He squares his shoulders. "Now," he says, seeing Melethos move into the square. We're right behind you. "Keep formation and move up with me," Kal says, beginning the climb up the stairs towards the archway. "Shorak," he says, realizing he doesn't know where the Drow is, "move into the square with Melethos. Keep an eye on him."

_____________
Kal will advance the party up until he is even with Thul.

[Dave B.]

Shorak starts to nod at Melethos, forgetting for a moment that he can't be seen. "Got it." He whispers as Melethos passes by him. Shorak follows 10 feet behind Melethos and Thul, keeping that pace even when they both enter the square. He just smiles when Kal tells him to move into the square with Melethos. He can't tell him that he is already there, so Kal will just have to assume Shorak is following, which he is.

Shorak looks around the room and listens carefully, beyond the noise of the struggling zombie.

Perception check: 1d20+5=21.

[Jeff]

Melethos, then Thul, pass fully out of the shade. The sun is still too low to be seen, but the daylight remains bright. It's feeling less like a room and more like just the bottom of a huge pit—if well-ordered by stairs and probably having served some purpose long ago beyond things being thrown in it. After all, it connects to the stairs down.

But still, the stairs and sized for giants.

Kal emerges with the others, moving cautiously. Tangat stays close to him. 

Shorak, eyes trying to take in all the possible places that could conceal a threat—and there are many—catches sight of something up on the high wall diagonally opposite where your party has emerged. A green shape, rather bright in hue but good camouflage amid the hanging leaves. He can't tell what it is, only that it is small. Smaller than he is, and only just peeking.

And that's when Melethos sees something flipping through the air—thrown from somewhere above—and glinting like a crystal. An irregular shape, like a rod or shard. But he has no time to guess, it's going to fall upon him, or near him. He can either try to dodge out of the way (easy-ish), block it with his shield (a little harder), or catch it in his hands (harder!).

If Melethos wishes to dodge, make a Dexterity saving throw. If he wishes to block it with his shield, make a Dexterity saving throw with advantage. If he wishes to catch it in his hand, make a Dexterity (Acrobatics) check at disadvantage.

[Brian]

Catching sight of the object, Melethos raises his hand and attempts to snatch it out of the air.

_______________________________________

Melethos: repeat 2D20 #Dexerity (Acrobatics) Check to attempt to catch the object → 20; 18

Woot, I think he may have done it!

[Jeff]

Melethos catches it! He finds himself holding a thin rod of quartzlike material, but it looks more fragile and immediately, he can hear—feel?—a hum issuing from it. There is power within it, and instinctively Melethos can tell this was meant to shatter against something. The ground, his shield, either would have sufficed.

He also has the feeling this was meant to start something. A signal for attack?

In your next post, roll Initiative. Since it's a weekend, I'd rather you guys roll for yourselves on this one. You can state your intent, but let's see what the order is first. Aside from possibly that one little green figure that Shorak spots high overhead, there's no obvious enemies yet.

The elevations amounts on the map above all indicate how far above the ground level you're starting on at the bottom of this space.

[Brian]

Melethos looks at the crystal in his hand, smiles, then raises his head. "You're not good at this, are you?" he says, his voice ringing out. "Imagine how quickly you'll die in the next few minutes if you don’t run now.”

___________________________________________

Melethos: D20 #Initiative roll → 5

[Dave W.]

Adamant notes Meletthos catching the object, whatever it might be. He tries to look threatening…

---

Initiative… 8
You could have probably done better…

[Ken]

Belarin's eyes briefly tear up as he squints in the bright light. He takes several steps forward - and vanishes into the shadows of the stairs.

________________________________

Yay, actual shadows again! Belarin moves 20 feet west and 5 feet northwest and uses the One with Shadows Invocation to become invisible.
Initiative: 1d20(17) + 4 = 21.

[Joe]

Streko feels he is prepared, having steeled himself for the possibility of a fight upon entering the bright sunlight at the top of the mountain. Still, he is troubled by what they might find. He watches Melethos move quite deftly and catch something that was thrown. Part of his is amused and surprised and Streko wonders if this was the beginning of their new battle-to-come. He removes his sickle, Therendor, from the haversack at his back, and readies himself, glancing above and around him, searching for hidden threats.
____________________________________________________________________

Initiative → 22

[Ken]

Ooopsie, I was getting used to the bigger scale on the lower levels. Adjusted in my post!

[Darren]

Kal sees Melethos catch an object with an almost supernatural timing. He grins, but it quickly turns to a frown as he realizes battle is upon them from an unseen foe. "Spread out," he commands. "Don't bunch up and give them a massed target." Kal moves himself further into the room, unconsciously pushing up his sleeve to expose his glowing dragonmark as his body becomes indistinct and difficult to pinpoint.

______________
Initiative is a 17. Kal will cast Blur on himself and move 15' to the west.

[Dave B.]

Shorak will move closer to the pit the zombie fell into, away from the currently bunching up group. He draws his tri-bladed boomerang as moves, keeping one eye on the small green shape and the other for any potential foes that he can test the edges of his weapon on. "There is a small bright green...something, high up on the wall to the west, above the first landing going up. Not sure if it is a foe or just a native animal." He says, both to offer up the information and to give the group a bit of an idea where he is.

Initiative roll: 1d20+9=22.

Move action: Shorak moves 25 feet south.

Shorak readies a ranged attack action against the first obvious foe he sees. Since he will have advantage on the attack, he will use his Sharpshooter feat to subtract 5 from the attack roll, so that he can add 10 points of damage if he hits.

[Jeff]

Shorak moves across the ground, and soon comes close enough to glance down the pit. Huge metal spikes jut from a twenty-foot pit, and the zombie is hopelessly impaled on several of them. It still thrashes, but it's not going anywhere anytime soon.

Shorak readies his boomerang, but looking up, quickly realizes that if any foes are lurking at the top of the high walls, they are far out of range. Only if something currently unseen (like him) attacks might he be able to reach them.

---

Streko's up next.

Round 1 continues:

22 - Shorak / Streko
21 - Belarin
17 - Kal & Tangat
9 - ?
8 - Adamant
6 - Histra, Sem, Starg, Thul
6 - ?
5 - Melethos

60 ft. is long range for Shorak's Xen'drik boomerang. The walls, as indicated on the map, are 125 ft. up.

[Dave B.]

Yep! Well aware of the range issue. Doesn't mean he can't be optimistic that someone will move within range.