Episode 1: Carpe Diem!

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In a world of magic and mystery...

Intra Tenebras Lux

Episode 1 Carpe Diem!

The long peace between the surface dwelling nations of the LORD'S ALLIANCE is being disturbed by strange whispers and rumors from below. Under the ground, in the vast complex of tunnels and caverns known as the UNDERDARK, an ancient evil stirs.

From the depths of the world, the DROW, dark elves imbued with unholy magical powers, gather slaves to sacrifice to their horrific spider queen LLOLTH, one of the great demons of the Abyss...

[The camera pans quickly down from the night sky and stops on a flat black triangle shape overlapping an out of focus shiny pattern for one or two seconds... and then SPLASH... a footstep... torchlight... the camera pans up from the puddle in the cobblestone street to chaos... two figures run charging past the camera hotly pursued by two drow wearing leather armor with shortswords and torches. The camera catches a close up of a bird-like face] 

Beneath his feathery brow Aranala has large, eerie, black pools for eyes, and they gleam with mischief and excitement

"Boys and girls of every age, wouldn't you like to see something strange?"

[The camera pans across to empty space, and then down to show the other's face... a gnome]

The gnome's features are pinched in effort as she strains to keep up  with the long legs of the fast running kenku. With tears streaming down her cheeks and a unruly mop of muddy brown hair obscuring her eyes, she yells in between hard breaths,

"Strange or not...huff.. get .. huff.. them ... Huff.. to... Huff.. slow .... Huff... DOWN!!"

[SOUNDTRACK fades in: Hurry FFVII] https://soundcloud.com/triarque/hurry-ffvii-rpg-ambiance-dangeureuse 

[There's a thud as a crossbow bolt lands in the wooden pillar of a door by you. You are in a chaotic street full of nightwatch guards, civilians running and screaming, and a legion of drow seeming to close in on every side. The street you are standing in is in a commercial district, with a blacksmith and apothecary on one side and a tavern with large stable on the other side of the street. There's an alleyway behind the inn to the right of the direction you are running, but there are two drow that have their eyes on you coming up quickly behind.]

INITIATIVE ORDER: 
Drow: 21 (19+2)
Aranala: 12 (9+3)
Vaxraff: 8 (8+0)

Roll initiative and then tell me how you would like to use your surroundings to get an advantage.

The Drow each take a shot with their hand crossbows, one at each:
7 (3+4) at Aranala
9 (5+4) at Vaxraff... two misses!
They move to close the gap.

Aranala lets the bag of all 1000 ball bearings loose upon the cobblestone street behind them to buy some getaway time, and wants to take the most familiar path to the stables, preferably alleyways, where he feels most able to get away unnoticed. Just before going stealth Aranala hands the Gnome the end of a long thread and says,

"My dearest friend, if you don't mind, I'd like to join you by your side.”

The other end of the long stringy thread is tied to my belt. Aranala takes off stealthily. Stealth roll: 18 (13+5) 

Steel bearings scatter across the street. You make for the alley. It's dark and wraps around the back of the inn towards the stables. 

Vax, taking the string in one hand while still point with the other, watches the kenku disappear.  barely registering his cryptic message.. her voice dies in her throat. She looks at the thread in dismay while her thoughts race in her mind. What am I supposed to do with this?!  Maybe he has a plan? Bird brain has a plan... He does... Right? But as her mind races her body continues onward. Gripping the thread tightly she tries to make it to the shop and hopefully inside before the drow can get their filthy hands on her. Her hope, to find something chemical and lethal to drow or make them believe it is.

The drow split up to follow but are slowed by the steel bearings. The one chasing Vax runs to the store, but doesn't quite reach the door on this turn. The one chasing Aranala makes it to the entrance of the alleyway and then speaks a filthy word of the abyss. The alley lights up with a glowing light that looks like northern lights that sticks to every surface.

DEX save 24 (19+5)

Aranala deftly moves aside preventing this gooey light from getting stuck his clothes.

Vax looks around inside the apothecary. The building has a storefront with shelves and a counter at the back, behind the counter there's an open door to what is probably the living space of the owner, through which Vax can see the glow and hear the roar of fire. Roll an Arcana check and I'll tell you what kinds of things you can see on the shelves of the shop.

Vax dashes into the shop, whipping her hair out of her eyes. Not having any offensive spells prepared she scans the shelves for anything in a bottle that looks dangerous. Something preferably that will burn. She also looks for any simple object she can quickly tinker to make it release an odor of burning flesh. Honestly they could have given prior warning before pillaging this town she thinks to herself in half exasperation and half desperation. Arcana 15+5 so.. 20.

In the dim light it’s tough to see what exactly is in each of the vials and pouches on the shelves but you grab see a clear glass jar with a semitransparent liquid in it that could be some kind of flammable oil or ointment. What do you do?

Vax holds the jar in her hand and turns toward the door she came in. As she turns she looks for any other material she can use to tinker in order to make the odor maker...but time is probably not so kind. Vax curses luck and tries to aim at where she thinks the drows head will come in... What should she cast?... Something dangerous sounding.. like uhh.... Dragons venom!! She will yell it in undecommon while she lobs the vial. Hopefully they understand undercommon. Ranged attack roll 14 (14+0). Deception roll 10 (8+2)

The drow rolled 14 for wisdom to detect the deception and wasn’t fooled, and the jar flew past her shattering with a splash on the door, but the fluid soaks her. She steps in the room and laughs, saying,

“I’m going to enjoy giving you to Llolth. Now come easily and maybe I’ll make it quick on you.”

She swings with her short sword. 18+4. A hit. 3+2=5 slashing damage

Very well. Vax grunts in pain as the short sword finds it Mark. In glutteral Dracoian language she retorts with a deep snarl dragon's fire!! as she weaves magic to create a bit fire where the drow is standing. [SPELL CREATE BONFIRE DEX DC13]

The drow rolls 10 (8+2). DC13 so you hit with the bonfire. The oil catches and she is engulfed in flame. She spends the next few rounds rolling in the street trying to put out the fire.

Backing away from the burning drow vax's red eyes flash in hatred for the drow and her filthy god, while trying her best to keep the bonfire going wherever the drow tries to roll. Vax waves a hand down palm down whispering "dragon's..." and brings it back up, finishing the encantation "fire!" fingers curled fiercly facing upwards as her red eyes flash and her hair blows with magical wind. The fire starts as a spark and a roar as it comes to life before settling into a patient crackling.

This time the flames burst from within and come streaming out her mouth. She lies still, smoke rising in the gentle rain.

Vax roll a perception check.

4+3 a whopping 7.

Okay. While you’ve been focused on the drow, you didn’t notice the flames inside the house growing behind you. The room is now an inferno, and your first hint is that the heat behind you is hotter than the heat of your flame on the door frame.

Vax's danger senses are tingling or it's the ends of her hair on the back of her head that are on fire...

(Meanwhile) Aranala captures the sounds of the drow spell and keeps it perfectly memorized in his repertoire for later. Finding himself still enveloped in darkness while the rest of the alley lights up, he Ducks (quack) into the stables making a beeline for the best looking shadows to hide in...and tosses his thread in a misleading direction away from his hiding place. I want to mislead the drow, and while stealthed, hold a short sword attack until they come within 5 feet.

The drow comes hot on your heels. Attack and roll with advantage.

15 + 5 = 20 to hit

That’s a hit! roll 1d6+3 plus sneak attack 1d6

5+3+6 = 14 damage

One shot. The short sword goes in through the throat and straight into the skull carried on by the force of the drow’s running momentum. It’s about this moment that you hear the screaming in the street of a drow burning to death... sounds like Vax is doing alright as well.

Holy @#%&

The body slumps off your sword into a pile in the mud and straw with a fleshy slurpy sound. Do you head out to the street to check on Vax?

No I seek a mount.

The stable is empty. Except for that drow corpse. Anything living had the good sense to run long ago.

Okay...might be a long shot, but it's time to look for anything useful on the body. Aranala takes their torchlight. In addition to weaponry, gadgets, and gold...are there any signed messages, symbols of lords or patrons, etc. that will give any clue what or why they are here for??

Their armor is emblazoned with a spider in a web. The drow is traveling light and doesn’t have much else than the weapons they were carrying and some manacles.

I loot their person and look out across the street to the apothecary through the nearest opening in the stable.

You grab the manacles and then look out across the paddocks just in time to see Vax give the finishing blow. But from your vantage point, something else stands out... the entire shop is engulfed in flames and looks ready to collapse and all you can make out of Vax is a silhouette in the doorway. But it's not just the apothecary, there's something else... roll a perception check.

Aran gets a 17.

It’s not so much what you notice as what you don’t. The sounds of chaos from the raiding of the town seem to have grown softer. The alarm bell at the garrison has stopped and the only sound in the air is that of burning buildings. As the pounding in your ears from adrenaline subsides, it is the silence that bothers you.

In the ominous silence Aranala calls (caws) once at Vax and breathes out through his beak holes while readying his shortbow. He moves steadily to the stable exit to take a better look up and down the town. Can he find the quickest and safest possible exits?

Aranala, as you look out at the scene on the street looking for safety, you suddenly feel a sharp pain from behind and then a warm numbing sensasion spread through your body. Your vision fades to black as you hear a voice from far away.

My name is Shoor Vandree.... you will pay for his death many times over. I will see to that.

The last thing you remember is a black face framed with white hair and black orbs of eyes.

Vax, smelling the ends of her hair starting to singe, and her body screaming in her brain to get away from the angry heat behind her reflexively staggers out of the shop while half turning to see the blaze.

* Oh no!.. no, no, no...* She looks at the blaze in dread. it's jail time for sure. Oh I pray, Luck, nobody be inside. If the town survives the raid.. The singular caw in the darkness behind her, smashes reality back into focus. * The raid!!*.

Snapping back to the reality at hand, her offhand tightens on the end of thread she was given, she quickly glances up and down the road to ascertain the status of the town…

Vax turns around again and ends up looking into the eyes of a powerful drow standing over you with a wand pointed directly into your eyes.

"My name is Shoor Vandree. The pain you inflicted on this one will not compare to your suffering."

*Cruel laughter*

[FADE TO BLACK… white text on a black background]