Let's Go Steal a Dungeon (MotBM IC/Campaign Log)

Chanterelle dips her head. "It is I who should thank you."

Liron appears by the painting on the south wall of the prison, becoming the fourth party member to enter. There's plenty of room in there: it seems a vast space to hold a single prisoner.

 

Stella sighed nervously, taking a bit of time first to grab some equipments from the kitchen. If things went wrong... There was a lot of trust in this plan for things to not go wrong. But the lure of money was good, and Chanterelle seemed trustworthy and with no benefit to betraying them. Still, bringing a bag of rations along would not be a poor decision, or a torch or bedroll for that matter. 'Luck favors the prepared', as Kieran would say, and luck would certainly be good to have on their side for this.

She nodded to Chanterelle, before entering the painting, holding her breath as she stepped in.

 

With that, the gang of thieves find themselves all within the painting that they lately stole.

Chanterelle approaches the portal with hesitant step. The cloak Stella gave her slips off a pale shoulder, and she clutches it to her chest. "Has the creature gone?"

 

"I'm not seeing anything, just us," Stella said, looking up at the lantern. Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea taking this, both to cover up Chanterelle's disappearance and to make it harder for any monster to see them first. She looked to the rest of the group, "I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who can see in the dark though, so I'm not going to mess with this unless you guys thing it's a good idea. Or if we're go ahead. It doesn't look tied down to anything, at least."

 

"Oh, no, I can see just fine. Elf, remember?" Liron is taking notes in tiny, precise shorthand so as to fit as much as possible onto every page. The note-taking has most of their attention and could potentially continue until they run out of parchment.

 

Chanterelle's face is abruptly empty of everything but cold purpose. Quick as a hunting mantis, she pulls Stella's cloak over the surface of the portal. The painting in the prison goes black.

 

Once inside, Sarnai goes directly to the doorway into the maze to look around for any sign of the construct or illusion. Between the group of them, someone would be able to slap her out of it if she were enchanted by it. But no, there's no signs of glitter on the floor, or flickering lights hovering by the ceiling. "Did any of you see where it went to?" She asks, turning around to face the group.

Spoiler

Perception roll to notice the blackened painting: 8. If she notices how dark it is, she probably assumes it's due to the difference of light level between the lantern-lit orange room vs the faintly moonlit safehouse.

 

"Ah, good." Stella nodded at Liron. She did try to remember about the things everyone else could do, not really having experience with many elves. Or many dragon-people for that matter, although humans were pretty normal everywhere as far as she could tell. Well, maybe not in 'painting dungeon maze-land', but who was to say? That was probably a question that college-science could answer.

"Where what went to?" She had not been paying attention before, missing a lot on the butterfly. Looking around, she could only see the clay-reds and the more neutral colors of the actual room compared to how bright and candy-like it had looked in comparison. Stella looked back at the painting, pointing back to it. "Is this about the painting? I thought it was supposed to look all shadowy and dark like that?"

 

Alabaster turns back from peering out the door after the hummingbird.

"Huh? Wait, what happened to the painting?"

 

Suddenly, the hummingbird whizzes back through the door, scattering multicolored shards of refracted light across the walls. You do not have time to admire its arc through the air, though. A green limb wedges its way into the gap and pulls the prison door further open.

The creature on the threshold is man-shaped and man-sized, but clearly vegetable. Its leafy body hisses as it moves. Where its head should be is a large, vividly colored orchid, purple streaked with gold and black. It fills the room with a sweet, musky scent that makes your head swim.

It lurches towards Sarnai and Alabaster. There are more behind it. A lot more.

((EVERYBODY ROLL INITIATIVE))


((god that's ugly, I forgot how transparency works))

 

Sarnai recoils, having expected a butterfly or colorful illusion, not a bunch of potent flower monsters. But surprise or no, she can't risk dying here. Her ancestors would mock her for the rest of time if she was done in by a plant, especially after refusing to properly train as an herbalist. She insults the front plant under her breath, glaring at it, as she draws her axe.

Spoiler: Actions

Sarnai casts the cantrip Vicious Mockery at the Orchid closest to the door, and draws her axe.

The flower needs to make a Wis saving throw vs her DC of 14, or else take 7 psychic damage and have disadvantage on the next attack roll it makes before the end of its next turn.

 

"Oh right, dangerous place!" Liron sighed. "Can we try to leave a few corpses at least somewhat intact? I'd like to do some basic surveying of the local wildlife, so the next researchers don't come in blind."

Spoiler: Magic!

Liron casts the cantrip Acid Splash at the two closest flowers. They have to make a Dex saving throw vs Liron's DC of 13 or they get 7 acid damage

 

"Oh, shit," says Lyriae under her breath, not really surprised or scared but entirely fed up. "Great. Monster time." She readies her already drawn swords and takes advantage of its preoccupation with her fellow thieves' attacks to sprint toward it unnoticed and strike twice with her swords.

Spoiler: Actions

Lyriae moves to A5 and uses her action to make a sneak attack against the first monster with one of her swords; attack is 18 to hit and does 5 piercing damage plus 16 sneak attack damage if it lands. She uses her bonus action to attack it again with her other sword with 26 to hit for 1 piercing damage plus 15 sneak attack damage.

 

It's hard to tell if Sarnai's insult has any effect. Liron's cantrip, hindered by the doorframe and their allies, only hits one of the orchids. That doesn't matter, though, as Lyriae sprints up and eviscerates the thing like a professional hedge trimmer.

The corpse bursts and spews foul, hissing fluid across the flagstones. Luckily, Lyriae, Sarnai, and Alabaster all duck, dodge, or step back so that none of the corrosive stuff touches them.

Two more plants move into the space left behind by the fallen one, arms stretched out for a grotesque embrace. An orchid with pure white petals seizes Sarnai. The sweet fumes are nearly overpowering, but the bard keeps her head as she grapples with the creature. Another, sickly yellow and vivid red like an infected wound, reaches for Alabaster, but they avoid its grip with extraordinary nimbleness.

The hummingbird continues to hover and sparkle.



@swirlingflight Sarnai is grappled.

 

Stella went quiet, a hard look in her eyes as she looked back and forth between the hummingbird, the party and the plants. Too many in front, there was too great of a risk of stabbing them, but getting closer would help. Gripping the throwing axes, she decided to go for the one gripping a party member. Free her first, get a better advantage, clear out the room quicker.

Spoiler: Action

Stella is going to C7 with her movement, and attacking with her two actions, both ranged. Both attacks are going for the monster holding Sarnai, a ranged attack with one throwing axe for 22 (14(rolled) + 8 (prof+str bonus)), with a damage of 7 (2 + 5). The second has an attack of 24 (16 + 8), and a damage of 11 (6+5).

 

Stella's first axe takes off the arm grasping Sarnai; the second splits the flower down the middle. It falls, spurting ichor. Sarnai dodges the burst; Alabaster, busy avoiding the other orchid, is not so lucky. Even as nasty burns appear, they rub distractedly at their injured scales, eyes glazing over.

Spoiler: Alabaster

The nectar burns for a split second, but then a tingling warmth spreads out from the places where it splashed you, making your knees go weak. Involuntarily, you clutch at the wound, trying to prolong the feeling.

@Wiwaxia take 10 acid damage and do not act this turn. @swirlingflight @thegrimsqueaker @esotericPrognosticator continue.

 

"Hang in there!" Sarnai exclaims, seeing Alabaster clutching their fresh acid burns. Even as she swings her axe at the other orchid in the doorway, she rants, "They're full of acid?! Spitting acid, sure, that makes sense, but having acid burst out of them when they die? When they move so fast? They're cheating!"

Spoiler: Action

Bonus action: Healing Words on Alabaster, +4 hp.
Action: Battleaxe vs the intact doorway orchid, 17 to hit, 5 damage if it hits. Slashing, so everybody's favorite acid attack may make a reappearance, sorry D:

 

Lyriae bares her teeth in fierce delight as her swords make short work of the purple orchid and dances away from the resulting acid spray easily; she even grins as Stella's axes bite into the white orchid. But her face falls when she sees the acid splatter Alabaster, and her frown deepens further as she notes the glassy look in their eyes—not pain or shock, but something else. She whirls to slash at the yellow orchid as it's distracted by Sarnai's axe swing, then sheathes her swords and launches herself at Alabaster, hoping to get them out of harm's way.

Spoiler: actions

Lyriae uses her bonus action to attack the yellow and red orchid with one of her swords with 22 to hit, dealing 6 piercing damage plus 13 sneak attack damage; she then makes an Athletics check with advantage to grapple Alabaster (rolls 6 and 14 + 6 proficiency - 1 ability modifier for 19) and moves herself and Alabaster to B3 if her grapple is successful.

 

The yellow orchid splits wetly, spraying the combatants. Lyriae evades it, but can't move fast enough to save Alabaster completely as she drags them out of the way. Nor can Sarnai dodge. Fortunately, this time, both of the injured party members can resist the warm, pleasant, chemical ruse and do nothing to aggravate their burns.

Beyond the disintegrating corpses, five more orchids are shuffling toward the doorway.

@swirlingflight and @Wiwaxia take 6 acid damage each. @thegrimsqueaker is up.

 

Liron looks at the bird and tilts their head.

"I wonder..." they say, musingly. Then, they raise a hand in its direction.

Spoiler: *Dresden voice* INFRIGA!

They cast Ray of Frost, and roll 18+2=20 to hit. Making the wild-ass assumption that it lands, it does 10 (+5=15?) damage to the birdie.