Act 3: Return

[mzipser]

Dragos Draper - Cleric of Heilja

"Yeah", Dragos says quietly, "And why is the king acting so strange? Something is off"

 

[rogueblade0729]

Sir Belithar Galviston

A curious smile crossed Sir Belithar's lips upon hearing Alberich's words. "I am surprised, Professor. I had thought you would take your leave once we were within the walls. No slight to your character, of course, but surely a knight-errant and a devotee of the Free Lady are not the most appealing company for a scholar as yourself?" With a nod, the Templer added, "Your presence and talents are most welcome in our little fellowship.

"As for the king... there are those who have begun to believe him to be a weak ruler. As far as the goblin is concerned, I witnessed firsthand her people raiding a village of these very lands not so long ago. Had myself and several other travelers not banded together, the place would have been overrun. His treatment may be cruel, but as king, he may carry out justice as he sees fit. Given that he is the rightful leader of these lands, I cannot oppose his judgement too directly.

"If you believe he is acting strangely, perhaps you would like to investigate the matter a little closer?"

Mechanics & OOC

Statblock

Sir Belithar Galviston

Human (variant) Paladin (Oath of the Crown) 4 LG/LN

AC 19 HP 32/46 Speed 30ft

Str 16 (3) Dex 10 (0) Con 16 (3) Wis 10 (0) Int 8 (-1) Cha 16 (3)

Attacks
+1 Cold Iron Longsword +6 1d8+4
Javelin +5 1d6+3

Features

• Knightly RegardYou receive shelter and succor from members of your knightly order and those who are sympathetic to its aims. If your order is a religious one, you can gain aid from temples and other religious communities of your deity. Knights of civic orders can get help from the community–whether a lone settlement or a great nation that they serve, and knights of philosophical orders can find help from those they have aided in pursuit of their ideals, and those who share those ideals.
  
  This help comes in the form of shelter and meals, and healing when appropriate, as well as occasionally risky assistance, such as a band of local citizens rallying to aid a sorely pressed knight in a fight, or those who support the order helping to smuggle a knight out of town when he or she is being hunted unjustly.
• Bonus Feat (Heavy Armor Master)
• Bonus Skill Proficiency (Athletics)
• Divine SenseThe presence of strong evil registers on your senses like a noxious odor, and a powerful good rings like heavenly music in your ears. As an action, you can open your awareness to detect such forces. Until the end of your next turn, you know the location of any celestial, fiend, or undead within 60 feet of you that is not behind total cover. You know the type (celestial, fiend, or undead) of any being whose presence you sense, but not its identity (the vampire Count Strahd von Zarovitch, for instance). Within the same radius, you also detect the presence of any place or object that has been consecrated or desecrated, as with the hallow spell.
  
  You can use this feature a number of times equal to 1 + your Charisma modifier. When you finish a long rest, you regain all expended uses. (4/4)
• Lay on HandsYour blessed touch can heal wounds. You have a pool of healing power that replenishes when you take a long rest. With that pool, you can restore a total number of hit points equal to your paladin level x 5.
  
  As an action, you can touch a creature and draw power from the pool to restore a number of hit points to that creature, up to the maximum amount remaining in your pool. Alternatively, you can expend 5 hit points from your pool of healing to cure the target of one disease or neutralize one poison affecting it. You can cure multiple diseases and neutralize multiple poisons with a single use of Lay on Hands, expending hit points separately for each one. This feature has no effect on undead and constructs. (20/20)
• Fighting Style (Defense)At 2nd level, you adopt a style of fighting as your speciality. Choose one of the following options. You can't take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.
  
  DEFENSE
  While you are wearing armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC.
• Divine SmiteStarting at 2nd level, when you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you can expend one paladin spell slot to deal radiant damage to the target, in addition to the weapon's damage. The extra damage is 2d8 for a 1st-level spell slot, plus 1d8 for each spell level higher than 1st, to a maximum of 5d8. The damage increases by 1d8 if the target is an undead or a fiend.
• Sacred Oath: Oath of the CrownThe Oath of the Crown is sworn to the ideals of civilization, be it the spirit of a nation, fealty to a sovereign of service to a deity of law and rulership. The paladins who swear this oath dedicate themselves to serving society and, in particular, the just laws that hold society together. These paladins are the watchful guardians on the walls, standing against the chaotic tides of barbarism that threatened to tear down all that civilization has built, and are commonly known as guardians, exemplars, or sentinels. Often, paladins who swear this oath are members of an order of knighthood in service to a nation or a sovereign, and undergo their oath as part of their admission to the order’s ranks.
  
  TENETS OF THE CROWN
  The tenets of the Oath of the Crown are often set by the sovereign to which their oath is sworn, but generally emphasize the following tenets.
  LAW. The law is paramount. It is the mortar that holds the stones of civilization together, and it must be respected.
  LOYALTY. Your word is your bond. Without loyalty, oaths and laws are meaningless.
  COURAGE. You must be willing to do what needs to be done for the sake of order, even in the face of overwhelming odds. If you don’t act, then who will?
  RESPONSIBILITY. You must deal with the consequences of your actions, and you are responsible for fulfilling your duties and obligations.
• Channel DivinityWhen you take this oath at 3rd level, you gain the following Channel Divinity options.
  
  CHAMPION CHALLENGE. You issue a challenge that compels other creatures to do battle with you. Each creature of your choice that you can see within 30 feet of you must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, a creature can’t willingly move more than 30 feet away from you. This effect ends on the creature if you are incapacitated or die or if the creature is moved more than 30 feet away from you.
  
  TURN THE TIDE. As a bonus action, you can bolster injured creatures with your Channel Divinity. Each creature of your choice that can hear you within 30 feet of you regains hit points equal to 1d6 + your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1) if it has no more than half of its hit points. (1/1 per rest)

Feats

• Heavy Armor MasterYou can use your armor to deflect strikes that would kill others. You gain the following benefits:
  
  Increase your Strength score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
  While you are wearing heavy armor, bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage that you take from non magical weapons is reduced by 3.

OOC: -

Edited March 23 by rogueblade0729 (see edit history)

[AFreebornManoftheUSA]

OOC: Are you guys following the guard to the dungeon or stopping to chat? If you pause, the guard will wait.

[mzipser]

Dragos Draper - Cleric of Heilja

"Perhaps I will", Dragos says quietly.

Then, with a nod to the guard, "But right now, let's follow our friend here and talk to the prisoner."

 

[AFreebornManoftheUSA]

Castle Bronwend's dungeon is entered through a separate stairwell than the one that provides access to the cellars and archives. The stairwell ends at the warden's chamber where a stout, topless bald man with a thick beard and numerous tattoos covering his arms sits chewing on something and hocking into a wooden spitoon.

"Bers, these men want to speak to Effalreich. King's orders."

Bers spits sideways into the bucket while eyeing the five and says, "'right then, he's this way." Without much haste, he leads them through a door and around a corner to a row of cells. At the last cell, he takes out some keys and unlocks the door.

"You all go in. I ain't leaving this door unlocked so you'll be in there with him. Look like you can handle youseselves if he gets rowdy. Knock when you want out and I'll unlock you. Understood?"

[mzipser]

Dragos Draper - Cleric of Heilja

Dragos smiles and says, "Oh yes, my good man, we can take care of ourselves".

 

He enters the cell and gestures for Belithar and Albeicht to join him.

 

[rogueblade0729]

Sir Belithar Galviston

The Templer moved quietly, with an assured aura of confidence and authority. Acting directly at the will of the king, he felt emboldened to fulfill his oath and see what must be done to save this kingdom from rebellion. When let into the cell, Sir Belithar took the center of their formation, looking upon Effalreich.

"Hail, oathbreaker," he began, calm and dutiful. "I hope your time in the dungeon had given you ample opportunity to reflect on your actions. Your people are in danger, and instead of standing with them, you forsook your sacred vows sought to take advantage of them. This may be your only chance to atone, to save lives, and to stop an evil that has been unleashed on these lands. In Artema's name, will you heed us?"

Mechanics & OOC

Statblock

Sir Belithar Galviston

Human (variant) Paladin (Oath of the Crown) 4 LG/LN

AC 19 HP 32/46 Speed 30ft

Str 16 (3) Dex 10 (0) Con 16 (3) Wis 10 (0) Int 8 (-1) Cha 16 (3)

Attacks
+1 Cold Iron Longsword +6 1d8+4
Javelin +5 1d6+3

Features

• Knightly RegardYou receive shelter and succor from members of your knightly order and those who are sympathetic to its aims. If your order is a religious one, you can gain aid from temples and other religious communities of your deity. Knights of civic orders can get help from the community–whether a lone settlement or a great nation that they serve, and knights of philosophical orders can find help from those they have aided in pursuit of their ideals, and those who share those ideals.
  
  This help comes in the form of shelter and meals, and healing when appropriate, as well as occasionally risky assistance, such as a band of local citizens rallying to aid a sorely pressed knight in a fight, or those who support the order helping to smuggle a knight out of town when he or she is being hunted unjustly.
• Bonus Feat (Heavy Armor Master)
• Bonus Skill Proficiency (Athletics)
• Divine SenseThe presence of strong evil registers on your senses like a noxious odor, and a powerful good rings like heavenly music in your ears. As an action, you can open your awareness to detect such forces. Until the end of your next turn, you know the location of any celestial, fiend, or undead within 60 feet of you that is not behind total cover. You know the type (celestial, fiend, or undead) of any being whose presence you sense, but not its identity (the vampire Count Strahd von Zarovitch, for instance). Within the same radius, you also detect the presence of any place or object that has been consecrated or desecrated, as with the hallow spell.
  
  You can use this feature a number of times equal to 1 + your Charisma modifier. When you finish a long rest, you regain all expended uses. (4/4)
• Lay on HandsYour blessed touch can heal wounds. You have a pool of healing power that replenishes when you take a long rest. With that pool, you can restore a total number of hit points equal to your paladin level x 5.
  
  As an action, you can touch a creature and draw power from the pool to restore a number of hit points to that creature, up to the maximum amount remaining in your pool. Alternatively, you can expend 5 hit points from your pool of healing to cure the target of one disease or neutralize one poison affecting it. You can cure multiple diseases and neutralize multiple poisons with a single use of Lay on Hands, expending hit points separately for each one. This feature has no effect on undead and constructs. (20/20)
• Fighting Style (Defense)At 2nd level, you adopt a style of fighting as your speciality. Choose one of the following options. You can't take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.
  
  DEFENSE
  While you are wearing armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC.
• Divine SmiteStarting at 2nd level, when you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you can expend one paladin spell slot to deal radiant damage to the target, in addition to the weapon's damage. The extra damage is 2d8 for a 1st-level spell slot, plus 1d8 for each spell level higher than 1st, to a maximum of 5d8. The damage increases by 1d8 if the target is an undead or a fiend.
• Sacred Oath: Oath of the CrownThe Oath of the Crown is sworn to the ideals of civilization, be it the spirit of a nation, fealty to a sovereign of service to a deity of law and rulership. The paladins who swear this oath dedicate themselves to serving society and, in particular, the just laws that hold society together. These paladins are the watchful guardians on the walls, standing against the chaotic tides of barbarism that threatened to tear down all that civilization has built, and are commonly known as guardians, exemplars, or sentinels. Often, paladins who swear this oath are members of an order of knighthood in service to a nation or a sovereign, and undergo their oath as part of their admission to the order’s ranks.
  
  TENETS OF THE CROWN
  The tenets of the Oath of the Crown are often set by the sovereign to which their oath is sworn, but generally emphasize the following tenets.
  LAW. The law is paramount. It is the mortar that holds the stones of civilization together, and it must be respected.
  LOYALTY. Your word is your bond. Without loyalty, oaths and laws are meaningless.
  COURAGE. You must be willing to do what needs to be done for the sake of order, even in the face of overwhelming odds. If you don’t act, then who will?
  RESPONSIBILITY. You must deal with the consequences of your actions, and you are responsible for fulfilling your duties and obligations.
• Channel DivinityWhen you take this oath at 3rd level, you gain the following Channel Divinity options.
  
  CHAMPION CHALLENGE. You issue a challenge that compels other creatures to do battle with you. Each creature of your choice that you can see within 30 feet of you must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, a creature can’t willingly move more than 30 feet away from you. This effect ends on the creature if you are incapacitated or die or if the creature is moved more than 30 feet away from you.
  
  TURN THE TIDE. As a bonus action, you can bolster injured creatures with your Channel Divinity. Each creature of your choice that can hear you within 30 feet of you regains hit points equal to 1d6 + your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1) if it has no more than half of its hit points. (1/1 per rest)

Feats

• Heavy Armor MasterYou can use your armor to deflect strikes that would kill others. You gain the following benefits:
  
  Increase your Strength score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
  While you are wearing heavy armor, bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage that you take from non magical weapons is reduced by 3.

OOC: -

[artsmythe]

Prof. Alberich von Nibelungen, Rock Gnome Wizard

 

Statblock

[b][url=http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=2582688]Prof. Alberich von Nibelungen[/url][/b]
[i]Rock Gnome Wizard 4 LG[/i]

[b]AC[/b] 12 [b]HP[/b] 26 [b]Speed[/b] 25ft

[b]Str[/b] 10 (0) [b]Dex[/b] 14 (2) [b]Con[/b] 14 (2) [b]Wis[/b] 12 (1) [b]Int[/b] 16 (3) [b]Cha[/b] 10 (0)

[b]Attacks[/b]
[b]Quarterstaff[/b] 1d20 +2 1d6
[b]Dagger[/b] 1d20 +4 1d4 +2
[b][/b]  
[b][/b]  
[b][/b]  

Wizard Features

Hit Points, PHB, pg. 113
Proficiencies, PHB, pg. 113
Arcana
History
Spellcasting, PHB, pg. 114
You can cast prepared wizard spells using INT as your spellcasting modifier (Spell DC 16, Spell Attack +8) and wizard spells in your spellbook as rituals if they have the ritual tag. You can use an arcane focus as a spellcasting focus.

Arcane Recovery, PHB, pg. 115
Once per day when you finish a short rest, you can choose expended spell slots to recover - up to a combined level of 3, and none of the slots can be 6th level or higher.

Arcane Recovery: (No Action)
/
Long Rest
Arcane Tradition, PHB, pg. 115
School of Illusion
Illusion Savant, PHB, pg. 117
The gold and time you must spend to copy an illusion spell into your spellbook is halved.

Improved Minor Illusion, PHB, pg. 115
2nd level
When you choose this school at 2nd level, you learn the minor illusion cantrip. If you already know this cantrip, you learn a different wizard cantrip of your choice. The cantrip doesn’t count against your number of cantrips known.

When you cast minor illusion, you can create both a sound and an image with a single casting of the spell.

FEAT, PHB, pg.
Magic Initiate (Wizard)
You learn two cantrips of your choice from the wizard's spell list -- Minor Illusion and Mold Earth.

In addition, choose one 1st-level spell from the wizard's spell list -- Color Spray. You learn that spell and can cast it at its lowest level. Once you cast it, you must finish a long rest before you can cast it again using this feat.

Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

RACIAL TRAITS
Darkvision, BR, pg. 37
You can see in darkness (shades of gray) up to 60 ft.

Gnome Cunning, BR, pg. 37
You have advantage on all Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saving throws against magic.

Artificer’s Lore, BR, pg. 37
Add twice your proficiency bonus to History checks related to magic items, alchemical objects, or technological devices.

Tinker, BR, pg. 37
You are proficient with tinker's tools and can use them to construct tiny clockwork devices.

The rock gnome positively beamed at being welcomed into the cadre of experienced adventurers, but he decided not to openly comment while the group was being escorted to the palace dungeons.

Once they were led into the cell of someone named Effalreich, he looked at the prisoner, trying to quietly gauge the reasons for the animosity that was directed by the others at this person.

HP: 26/26
AC: 12 (15)
Spells: Lev1 -- 2/4; Lev2 -- 2/3

 

 

OOC

N/A

 

[AFreebornManoftheUSA]

Effalreich curls his lip up at being called oathbreaker by his erstwhile friend.

"What do you know of it? You accuse me of breaking my oath but what oath binds you? An oath to a fool who would kill us all?"

He turns his back to Belithar, "I tried to save us. We need a true king, a strong king, if Bronwend is to be led out of this decay."

[mzipser]

Dragos Draper - Cleric of Heilja

Dragos moves to be next to the prisoner and says quietly, "My friend takes his oath very seriously. Perhaps you could explain to me how you tried to save Bronwend and what kind of a king you think it needs."

 

[AFreebornManoftheUSA]

OOC

Dragos, roll a persuasion check.

 

[mzipser]

Here you go

Pesuasion

[AFreebornManoftheUSA]

Effalreich looks physically wasted and pale from his days in the dungeon. More wasted, in fact, than a few days in even this pit would do to as strong a knight as he was. Despite this wasted appearance, when he turns to Dragos and snarls there is a light in his eyes.

"This kingdom was great once because great rulers led it. They were strong and led by example. The people of this land were strong because they had a strong example to follow. This slice of wilderness on the edge of civilization was stamped by men with names like Bron and Arda. What if we could have those men back? Not men like them, but those men? Men whose courage and competence was matched only by their love for the nation and its people. What if we could have Arda back on the throne? Instead of their weakling descendant who inherited the comfort their strength created and has grown weak for it!!"

Arda III ruled Bronwend well over 100 years ago. Legends of his rule survive today that Belithar would have heard as a child. He ruled for an unnaturally long period of time. He was said to be obsessed with finding ways to extend his life. His rule was quite bloodthirsty. And, famously, he exiled the Sword Templars in the later years of his reign. It is said that their return to Bronwend is what finally deposed him, not death. Though his ultimate fate is unclear. Did he die? And, if so, where was he buried? Or was he exiled? And to where?

OOC

Everyone roll two d20s. One for knowledge: history and one for insight. Label each roll before rolling, please!!

 

Edited March 27 by AFreebornManoftheUSA (see edit history)

[artsmythe]

Prof. Alberich von Nibelungen, Rock Gnome Wizard

 

Statblock

[b][url=http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=2582688]Prof. Alberich von Nibelungen[/url][/b]
[i]Rock Gnome Wizard 4 LG[/i]

[b]AC[/b] 12 [b]HP[/b] 26 [b]Speed[/b] 25ft

[b]Str[/b] 10 (0) [b]Dex[/b] 14 (2) [b]Con[/b] 14 (2) [b]Wis[/b] 12 (1) [b]Int[/b] 16 (3) [b]Cha[/b] 10 (0)

[b]Attacks[/b]
[b]Quarterstaff[/b] 1d20 +2 1d6
[b]Dagger[/b] 1d20 +4 1d4 +2
[b][/b]  
[b][/b]  
[b][/b]  

Wizard Features

Hit Points, PHB, pg. 113
Proficiencies, PHB, pg. 113
Arcana
History
Spellcasting, PHB, pg. 114
You can cast prepared wizard spells using INT as your spellcasting modifier (Spell DC 16, Spell Attack +8) and wizard spells in your spellbook as rituals if they have the ritual tag. You can use an arcane focus as a spellcasting focus.

Arcane Recovery, PHB, pg. 115
Once per day when you finish a short rest, you can choose expended spell slots to recover - up to a combined level of 3, and none of the slots can be 6th level or higher.

Arcane Recovery: (No Action)
/
Long Rest
Arcane Tradition, PHB, pg. 115
School of Illusion
Illusion Savant, PHB, pg. 117
The gold and time you must spend to copy an illusion spell into your spellbook is halved.

Improved Minor Illusion, PHB, pg. 115
2nd level
When you choose this school at 2nd level, you learn the minor illusion cantrip. If you already know this cantrip, you learn a different wizard cantrip of your choice. The cantrip doesn’t count against your number of cantrips known.

When you cast minor illusion, you can create both a sound and an image with a single casting of the spell.

FEAT, PHB, pg.
Magic Initiate (Wizard)
You learn two cantrips of your choice from the wizard's spell list -- Minor Illusion and Mold Earth.

In addition, choose one 1st-level spell from the wizard's spell list -- Color Spray. You learn that spell and can cast it at its lowest level. Once you cast it, you must finish a long rest before you can cast it again using this feat.

Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

RACIAL TRAITS
Darkvision, BR, pg. 37
You can see in darkness (shades of gray) up to 60 ft.

Gnome Cunning, BR, pg. 37
You have advantage on all Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saving throws against magic.

Artificer’s Lore, BR, pg. 37
Add twice your proficiency bonus to History checks related to magic items, alchemical objects, or technological devices.

Tinker, BR, pg. 37
You are proficient with tinker's tools and can use them to construct tiny clockwork devices.

The rock gnome tries to understand what is being said.

HP: 26/26
AC: 12 (15)
Spells: Lev1 -- 2/4; Lev2 -- 2/3

 

 

OOC

N/A

 

[mzipser]

Dragos listens to the prisoner and tries to remember what he knew about the history and to understand what he really thinks.