8000/When We Last Left Our Intrepid Adventurers...

When We Last Left Our Intrepid Adventurers...
Date of Scene:	31 October 2021
Location:	Level 4 - Recreation - The Roost
Synopsis:	The Outsiders come together for a special Halloween edition of a long-standing (and long-paused) D&D campaign. New members are initiated to the party, a haunted manse is explored, and ultimately the great, terrible beast lurking in the attic is slain. The group earns some experience points and a haunted orchestra of mechanical instruments. Plans are put in place for more meetings around the gaming table in the future.
Cast of Characters:	Tim Drake, Conner Kent, Phoebe Beacon, Lonnie Machin, Strix, Barbara Gordon, M'gann M'orzz

---

Tim Drake has posed:
    In honor of the day, the Roost is fully done up in Halloween excellence, the best decor money can buy. There's Senor Bonesalot sitting in the Jurassic Park arcade cabinet that has taken up residence in the corner, and most of the furniture has been relocated elsewhere to clear space, though what pieces remain have been redecorated in Halloween throw pillows and blankets. Even the tiki bar and accoutrements are nowhere to be seen, because they aren't appropriate for the mood. Scattered around are dozens of (fake, LED) candles, the ceiling is trimmed in orange, green, and purple fairy lights. Blackout curtains have been installed to block the window entirely, because it might actually be midday on All Hallow's Eve, but, look. Sunlight is not spooky.

    Don't worry, though. In the center of the room, there's enough light by which to read character sheets.

    The gaming table is large enough to support the full party seated all around it with elbow room to spare, though right now there's plenty of space. A couple hours into the campaign, the group has been split, so the others are hanging out in front of one of the televisions in the opposite corner, watching a scary movie. For ambiance, the other tv is being used as a jukebox to play quiet, haunting music. Because of course Tim has a playlist set up for the game.

    So, how did our intrepid adventurers get here? Well, they were approached in a pub--where all good adventures begin--by a member of Neverwinter's constabulary, who the party has a long-standing friendly relationship with (she's trying to fight corruption in the system, it's been an on-going story thread). Several officials have gone missing during their investigation of the sprawling Fitzgerald Manse upon the hill overlooking the city. The manse is owned by the mysterious Mr. Cornthwaite, a now-retired adventurer who achieved great renown in his explorations of the Jungles of Chult in southwest Faerun. No word has reached the city from the manse in some time.

    Time to investigate. Off they go.

    Since then, the party has learned some of Cornthwaite's history from Laslo Brekegenn, their dwarven constabulary NPC friend who has accompanied them. About a nefarious series of murders linked to the manse, rumors of cultic activity on the grounds many years ago, and about the book Cornthwaite had recently published titled The Missing People, which elaborates on the enigmatic society Cornthwaite encountered in the jungles and the strange, disturbing deities they worship.

    They've also begun to explore the manse, which is similar to the Winchester House in the way none of the rooms link up to each other with any sense. Hallways go nowhere, doors open to bricked over walls, and there's an odd, damp smell to the whole place. The plaster is swollen with moisture and there have been more than one set of constitution saving rolls to avoid stat penalties due to some sort of spore hanging in the air in certain rooms, making it difficult to breathe. A projector above the table shows the blueprint of the manse as it is slowly uncovered by the party.

    Then, the unthinkable: half of the party failed a series of rolls that sent them careening down to the basement as an entire room collapsed around them. It is now up to Phoebe and Conner's characters, as well as Laslo, who is a rogue and thus especially nimble, to continue on in the hopes of finding a way to reunite with their friends.

    Tim is sat at the head of the table, behind a 3D printed model of the manse which is his DM screen for the day. He's already lowered the hood of his cultist robe and abandoned the carved (well, 3D printed) mask he'd been wearing, because it's too difficult to talk in. He pauses for a sip of his drink, which is sherbert fruit punch with peeled lychee eyeballs bobbing in it. There's dry ice in the punch bowl, because of course there is.

    "You all take a moment to catch your breath in the hallway beyond the now-inaccessible room. Laslo swings her repeating crossbow against her shoulder and wipes sweat from her brow.

Tim Drake has posed:
    'I'm sure your friends will be alright,' she assures you both," and of course Tim affects a light Irish accent for that part, because that's the voice he's been using for Laslo since the beginning of the campaign, "Now you face down a hallway you've never been in before. There are no doors to be seen, just corners to round either to your left, or your right. Which way do you go?"

Conner Kent has posed:
"Did you spend the whole day setting this up or bribed Bart with pizza?" Asked Conner upon seeing the room. That was about as much as he could get away with, because he has a new character and he is... well, not sorry. He could always bring back Ulric and his fighty self for the next game. But it has been over a year since the last game and he wanted to play something different.

But man, Cleric spell list never ends. He can't remember what half the spells do because he picked them up quickly a week ago. You see, Luther is a half-elf priest of Lathander, and he doesn't believe in violence. What was he thinking? "I know there was a spell to find directions," he mutters, going over his (highly disorganized) spell cards. "Umm, I guess we should search this room," he suggests to Phoebe.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe, AKA Brigid Steelhelm, Dwarven Fighter, gives a soft 'hmph sound, staring down the hallway as she looks over her sheet. Of course she's wearing some new jewlery over her normal T-shirt-and-jeans, which is under a blue cloak and a helm, "Of course our friends are awright, wouldn't be adventuring if they weren't!" she lilts in a LIverpuddlian accent, and she cracks her fingers, nipping a bit at some pizza.

    "I say we go left. See what's there and then swing back again."

Lonnie Machin has posed:
    This is when Lonnie swings in. "Sorry I'm late," He says, "I haven't played this game since I was twelve and I needed to relearn the rules. He peels off his character sheet and hands it to Tim, as he sits down. He made... a half-elven bard. Brave choice, Lonnie. "Okay, so what are we doing?" He asks.

Tim Drake has posed:
    No doubt Lonnie's late arrival is why Tim has been tapping away at his phone several times in the past few minutes. "Oh I *fully* bribed Bart," he says as he looks over Lonnie's character sheet, and his eyebrows go up slightly as he sees the class. "Huh, okay. Momentary sidebar while I catch Lonnie up--if you search the room Luther, give me an investigation roll."

    And then Tim gestures Lonnie over for a quick walkthrough of the group's progress so far, and a discussion on how to intro his character here in just a moment.

Conner Kent has posed:
"Investigation? Of course," it is often investigation with Tim, and this time Conner put some points there. It made sense for Luther. "A 15, not bad," he says after rolling the dice.

"Can you check that dwarf thing about buildings, Bridgit?" Beat. "Wait, does that sound specicism? But this place is weird. No one would build a building like this even if the architect was crazy. Unless they used magic, I guess."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Aye, I can." Bridge replies, and Phoebe gives a slight grin "Not racist, Dwarves actually have bonuses for this because they're folk of the Earth." Phoebe gives a grin, and rolls the die -- and then gives a grimmace "Except, apparently, Steelhelm." she replies, and looks at her d20 with the utmost dismay. "Traitor."

Tim Drake has posed:
    Tim needs a few more moments to make some notes and adjustments, but shortly he nods and is ready to continue. It's also a good time for him to do some snacking. He definitely didn't use *all* the pizza to bribe Bart. "Okay," he says, and shifts forward slightly, though he doesn't actually stand up from his chair.

    "Luther, you don't notice anything unusual about the hallway that you're in--besides the whole lack of doors thing--but your eye catches on some of the framed artwork." There's been a lot of discussion about the various, often otherworldly, art that Cornthwaite had collected over his years of adventuring. "In that you realize it's not a painting, but a piece of sheet music, preserved between glass. And the rest of the decor has similar musical theming as well."

    To Brigid's role, Tim shakes his head lightly. "The construction of the hallway doesn't seem much different than elsewhere. The brickwork is unremarkable and could be sourced from any local masonry."

    Then he's tapping at his tablet for several moments, dragging things around. "Okay." The decision is made to go left, and when they round that corner, they're faced with another long hallway. This one, at least, has a grand pair of double doors at its end. "Laslo stops a few steps into this next hallway and cups her hand to one of her ears. "Do you hear that?" she asks. You're both close enough to also hear the heavy beat of music that seems to be coming from whatever is past those doors."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Hear the music?" Brigid questions a moment, her head tilting. Her lips purse. "Aye, I do -- someone trapped in one of these paintings -- or is it coming from the room?" she questions, "Who the devil could be behind those doors?"

Tim Drake has posed:
    Behind his DM screen, Tim rolls a die, and then nods. "Laslo starts to move towards the door. She says "It's getting louder," and when she reaches the double doors, she barrels through them with her usual bluster. How she has managed to survive all this years, once again, remains a mystery to you all."

    He taps his tablet, and a large room is added to the map of the manse projected onto the table at the end of the hallway. "When she opens the doors, the music increases dramatically in volume. There's a harsh drum beat and a rising fury of string instruments. Wagner-esque but with even more percussion. Past the doors is what looks to be a full-sized concert hall, with rows of seating and a stage that has been set up to house an orchestra of strange, mechanical instruments that seem to be playing on their own. And on the stage with them is a half-Elven man you recognize from several taverns in Neverwinter, a troublemaking bard by the name of Dave Ellesmere."

    The background music filtering in from the tv switches to, you guessed it, Ride of the Valkyries. "Laslo immediately starts rushing towards the stage. 'Oi, is this where you've been, Davey? I was wondering why you hadn't been hauled in to the station recently!'" And then a brief sidebar for Lonnie: "Laslo Brekegenn is a member of the Neverwinter constabulary that has been conspiring with the PCs to deal with the corruption plaguing Neverwinter's government. Feel free to have a cordial relationship with her--she's something of an outcast."

Lonnie Machin has posed:
    Lonnie looks at his sheet, and then says, "Well I'd hate to disappoint the rest of the pigs in the Neverwinter Guard, Laslo! But you know me, Dave says, as he reclines on the couch he's found, rhythmically thumping his Bodhran drum, after my last run-in I figured it was best if I laid low for awhile. But I won't rest until I've overthrown the corrupt government and instituted a society by the people, for the people!"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Brigid rushes in after Laslo, battle axe raised and ready for a fight, only to find Dave the Bard thumping his drum.

    There's no way that could possibly be taken as an entrende.

    "... huh. GUess it wasn't a buncha kobolds." Brigid grumps, sliding Ol' Reliable back into place. "Dave, Ol' Son. What are you doing in the middle of this manse? Trading singing a pretty song for adventuring?"

    Phoebe, meanwhile, is fiddling with some playing cards between palmfuls of M&M's.

Tim Drake has posed:
    "Laslo looks relieved to have found a friendly, familiar face in this awful manor." Tim rolls a couple more dice and seems to consult something on his tablet, before he looks back over at the projected map. "While you're all talking, the mechanical orchestra on the stage continues to play, though it--or they?--begin to shift to something more melancholy after Dave stops drumming. The temperature in the room begins to drop, and shortly you can all see your breath in front of your face as you talk."

    He frowns down at something, then looks up. "'We've lost the rest of our group,' Laslo says. 'Don't tell me you were in here by yourself, Davey! It's dangerous. There's somethin' slinkin' about.'"

Lonnie Machin has posed:
    "You can't generally hide out where it's not dangerous. Dave says, before he gets up off the couch." Lonnie taps his finger against his character sheet and says, "But to be honest I have noticed strange things going on. I thought maybe it was the family of gnomes the next hovel over."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe glances around, and purses her lips as she glances to Lonnie "The family of Gnomes? Affecting this -- okay with the musical ensemble, that makes sense. So the gnomes are musically inclined?" she asks, motioning outwards as if to the grand orchestra in-character. "... also... lads and lasses... is it... gettin' a wee bit nippy here?"

Tim Drake has posed:
    "The concert hall grows cold enough that goosebumps erupt on any exposed skin, and the instruments on the stage halt their playing with a screech that makes your teeth grind." The music cuts off at the same time, and Tim smiles. "A fog-like mist begins to rise from the orchestra with a haunting moan." One by one, enemy targets begin to appear on the projection on the table-top in the shape of ghostly figures.

    Tim starts to roll dice behind his screen. "Roll initiative!"

Tim Drake has posed:
    After said dice rolls have happened, the action list appears alongside the room projections on the table. Laslo's first, then Brigid, then Davey. The ghosts are grouped together under the name Spooky Horde which is maybe worrying for the amount of hostiles they're about to face.

    "Slowly the fog begins to separate into distinct figures, a ghostly troupe of orchestral players that begin to advance upon you all. Laslo swaps out her auto-cartridge of crossbow bolts for silver ones. 'Guess we should have expected some haunts in this haunted house, aye?' she calls out, before taking aim. When she fires, her first bolt embeds itself into the ectoplasmic flesh of the conductor, who howls." Tap tap at his tablet. "Brigid, you're up!"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "The ONE time I don't play a Cleric is when I can do this in real life --" Phoebe mutters to herself as she flips her sheet over. "Well I'm at a disadvantage. I'm going to place my Lucky Charm around Ol' Reliable, and I'm going to take a swing at the nearest ghost and see if we can't--" Phoebe gives a brilliant grin "Cut the Performance Short!"

    And Phoebe rolls her dice!

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "... see this is how you know I'm not cheating." Phoebe points out to her traitorous d20.

Lonnie Machin has posed:
    When Lonnie's turn comes up, he says, "I was reading about how their new game design philosophy stresses that combat isn't the solution to every encounter, maybe not even the best one. So since this is a music hall, maybe these ghosts will respond to the universal language of inspiring music! I'll play uh... something like The Red Flag." Lonnie says, as he rolls a D20.

Lonnie Machin has posed:
"...Fifteen." He says, "Even though it's a seven on the dice I have a 20 charisma and..." He rattles off the things that make his character good at performance checks.

Conner Kent has posed:
So, you see, Conner put in his sheet Luther is melphobic. Looked like a good idea for a quirk! So, he kept out of the music room (watching, in the case enemies come) until now.

Conner went to make a phone call.

But now he is back. "I turn undead!" Wait, initiative first. He rolls one dice. "Let me know, when I go. I think I have extra dice for being a sun cleric or something," he grabs his tablet to check the rules. Again.

Tim Drake has posed:
    "The silver bolt that Laslo fires drives hard into the ghostly conductor's shoulder, and he slows, which briefly calls a pause to the advance of the orchestra towards you all. Brigid, you swing your sword to the nearest ghost, a violinist, but they deftly float out of the way." And after Lonnie announces the result of his roll, Tim drums his fingers against the edge of the table, eyes narrowed thoughtfully. Then, he throws a few dice.

    "...Your performance is enough to sway a few of the orchestra to your side. Three ghosts take point around you and begin to play, blocking the others from attacking you this turn. Instead--" More dice rolls. "They advance on Brigid and Laslo instead!" Though then Conner comes back from his phone call, and Luther's name slots into the initiative table below Dave but above the ghosts. "Okay, Luther's Turn Undead pushes the rest of the horde back, and they are frozen briefly in a rictus of pain."

Tim Drake has posed:
    Tim announces the next round. "Okay! You all have a little bit of breathing room--Brigid and Laslo from Luther's well-timed Turn Undead, and Dave with his posse of now-friendly ghosts." The clatter of dice is an ongoing accompaniement to the spooky soundtrack in the background, as well as the screams from over in the corner where the other half of the party are watching a horror film.

    "While the ghosts are further away, Laslo drops down to one knee as she aims again. This round, she fires two bolts;" dice roll sound effects go here, "One sails over the head of a floating ghost, but another strikes true, and the conductor ghost dissipates into nothing with a wail. Okay, Brigid!"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Well, as long as the dead aren't attacking, can I do a non-skilled performance check and see if one of my drinking songs will get them to my side, since I whiffed a ghost?" Phoebe inquires, raising her eyebrows as she looks to Tim with amusement in her eyes.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe grumps a moment "Well, that's an eleven with my negative charisma. I'll stick to swinging axes."

Conner Kent has posed:
"Eh, no more music, please," says Conner/Luther. Conner grabs a soda, Luther fidgets with his holy symbol, "So, where does a bunch of music-loving ghost fit with this Chult explorer adventurer, what's his name? Anything else to see in the room, Rob? More search rolls?"

Lonnie Machin has posed:
Lonnie says, "Dave says to the ghosts, 'All right guys, take five.' He then takes some time to give them a little encouragement and some coaching and says that he's going to help them set up a showw that will get their message out to the people." What is that message? 'OoOOoOoOOOoOOOooo'? Who knows.

Tim Drake has posed:
    Tim stares for the space of a heartbeat at Phoebe, before he looks down at something on his side of the DM screen. Another die clatters around. "As the ghosts slowly begin to recover from being paralyzed ...one of them floats over to you, Brigid, because it feels bad. She's wearing a long, flowing dress with tatters at the end, and opera gloves. All she manages to say is "OOoooOOOooOOOooooo" but it sounds like she's doing her best to give some singing advice, maybe?"

    So that's a total of four ghosts on their side, now! Including Dave's group, who seem to be hanging off of his every word. "The ghosts are no longer under the effects of your Turn undead, SB--combat still ongoing. But if you want to try an investigation roll during combat you can do it at a disadvantage." Then he glances downwards. "Cornthwaite is the name of the retired adventurer who owns the manse."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Thanks, girl, I'll take it to heart. OOoooOOoooOOOoo to YoooUUuuUUu tooooo." Phoebe replies, empthetically, to the ghost in-character, reaching out to pat the 'ghost' on the shoulder -- which means she's patting the air, and she then reaches down to her backpack and opens an expensive-looking tuppeware container, to show a mess of orange-and-black sugar cookies. "Peace offering to appease the Dice Gods." she states, and begins to offer them around the table.

Conner Kent has posed:
"Damn, I thought it would take longer," Conner considers having Luther attempt to hit a ghost with his staff. Undead are not included in his pacifistic stance. But a glance to his traits convinced him to think something else. "Okay, so does protection from evil help? 'Cause I can protect four people with a spell, I think." He hrms, "what can Ghost do? No, I am not rolling a knowledge skill now. Just casting."

Tim Drake has posed:
    "These ghosts aren't behaving like normal ghosts! They're still trying to approach you, though you don't need to roll Insight to sense a general discontent from them. But there's definitely something else at play here," Tim explains. He's reaching out to take a cookie from Phoebe as he does so, and his nose wrinkles as he lifts from his seat.

    But then, yes, a cookie has been claimed. "Laslo checks her ammo stock and then looks back at the rest of the group. 'Y'reckon I ought to apologize for shootin' up their boss man?' And before anyone answers, she does so, stepping forward in front of Brigid. 'I'm real sorry about assuming you were all trying to kill us!'" He looks around, first at Conner. "You can cast it but I won't say whether or not it'll help," Tim points out, and then he raises his brows at Lonnie and Phoebe. "Both of you could step in and try to back Laslo up--you're both friendly with her."

Lonnie Machin has posed:
    Lonnie says, "Dave says, "Everybody wants to be treated equitably, why would the ghosts be any different?" Then he tries to sit down to explain to the ghosts that there was a failure to communicate and she's very sorry, it wasn't an attempt to inflict the power of the state upon the post-living. Should I roll for that?"

Tim Drake has posed:
    "Give me a Persuasion check for that, Dave," Tim answers.

Lonnie Machin has posed:
"...Would it be all right if I take advantage on that check because I'm being assisted by the others?" Lonnie asks.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Aye, there was a failure on our part, O honored dead, please forgive us. And I'll try to take your lesson to heart." Brigid says, in a muddled Liverpuddlian accent. Because that's the accent she's been around the most in the last few weeks. Phoebe wiggles the cookies at everyone, and takes one herself. They are orange cookies.

Tim Drake has posed:
    Tim mumbles something through a mouthful of cookie because apparently he was brought up in a barn and not raised by rich folk. "Sorry," he says after. "Yeah, Laslo can assist you. Give me another roll--and, you know what, Brigid, give me one too. It's a big group of ghosts you have to convince here."

    He dusts his hands free of cookie crumbs.

Lonnie Machin has posed:
"There we go, twenty-six!" Lonnie says, apparently much more pleased with this end result.

Tim Drake has posed:
    Behind the 3D model standing in for a DM screen, Tim drags his finger across his tablet. On the projection, several of the ghostly figure icons start to migrate around where the player characters are. "You make an impassioned please on behalf of Laslo, explaining her history with the Neverwinter Constabulary and how she's been made to be always on edge because of her anti-corruption stance. Several of the spectral orchestra are moved by your defense of your friend, and they float away from the group, taking your side."

Conner Kent has posed:
Conner looks thoughtful as the ghosts begin acting like... well, not the usual kind of undead. "Uh, okay, I will also try to talk with them, I guess. We should really try to join with the others, anyway. Maybe they can help?" He sips from his soda and adds, "what do they look like? I mean, any clue who they were when alive? Sorry if you told us, Rob, I missed it."

Tim Drake has posed:
    "It's fine--they're all dressed as if they're members of a high-class orchestra, so lots of tuxedos and evening dresses--though the ghost that sided with Brigid out of pity is a stand-out, she's likely a singer. And the ghost that Laslo managed to take down first was the conductor, he had the baton." Tim pauses to sip the last of his punch through the straw of his cup, and then he uses said straw to stab one of the lychee in it for further snacking. "Mm--sorry, their clothes are all in various states of disarray, though. Tattered, like it's decaying from their bodies."

    More of the ghost tokens slide over to their side. "Between your respectfulness and the singer having already sided with you, Brigid, more of the ghosts break away from the group to support you! Luther, if you want to try and persuade the last few, let me know what you want to say and give me a Persuasion check too."

    Then, under his breath, Tim murmurs, "This is *not* how I expected this encounter to go."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Woo! I have ghost band! This is not at all un-awesome!" Phoebe cheers quietly. "Brigid Steelhelm smiles brightly, and respectfully gives a bow to those who have joined her side, and starts talking about cameraderie and freeing their spirits so they can go to the beautiful music of the here-after."

    Pheobe also leans over to TIm "No campaign survives the initial encounter with the players." she jokes, and slides him another cookie.

    This one's special. It has the Red Robin symbol on it.

Conner Kent has posed:
Conner nods, "I guess... oh yeah, we always manage to foil you, Rob. Okay, Luther gets all priest-y and attempts to set aside his opinion that ghost musicians are even more evil than normal ghosts. Good, uh, unloving persons, we apologize for interrupting your unlives, but we are quested to unveil the mysteries of this manor, and also we need to find our companions that stumbled into a trap," he glances to the movie-watching group. "So, if you could help us... we will also try to help you. To find a peace or just leave you alone if you prefer."

Lonnie Machin has posed:
Lonnie looks around, and then he leans in to kiss Tim on the cheek. Mwah. "You're doing great. I'm having fun! This is fun, right?" He looks around at the others, and then he says, "...Bardic Inspiration?"

Tim Drake has posed:
    "It's true. That's the best part, you all keep me on my toes. You and Dave both now have most of the spectral orchestra's forgiveness, and they do their best to communicate with you, though again--it's just them going OOoooOooOOOooooo." Tim narrows his eyes at the tablet that has now migrated to his lap, balanced against the edge of the table. He looks up at Conner's roll and starts to shake his head, but then Phoebe offers him another cookie.

    Immediately upon receiving said special Red Robin-frosted cookie, Tim has to stop to take a picture of it. Because he is Gen Z, after all. And then he pops the whole thing into his mouth, which means he's chewing as Lonnie leans over. All that comes out, after, is muffled. Seriously, is this an alternate version Tim that was raised by wolves?

    Nah, just a Tim that has rediscovered carbs in his young adult years. "Spirationhow?" is kind of what it sounds like he says. And then he stops, clears his throat, and gestures between Lonnie and Conner. "How does Dave inspire Luther? With a song?" This is what happens when you pick a baaaaard.

    

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "This is fun, I'm having fun! But --" Phoebe pauses, and touches her sapphire-and-copper looking necklace.

    "I've got a warding lesson with Magic Dad tonight. I've gotta get back to Hell's Kitchen." Phoebe smiles a bit. "Brigid's going to take her new friends drinking in order to solidify her new ghostly retin-boo." she jokes.

Lonnie Machin has posed:
    "...I give him a thumbs-up and a fistbump?" Lonnie asks, his eyebrows going up. He ruffles Tim's hair, as he mumbles around a mouthful of cookie. Good boy, carbs are good for you.

Tim Drake has posed:
    Tim steeples his fingers together, and even though his nose scrunches up briefly at the hair-ruffle, he flashes a smile towards Lonnie. "I'll allow it," he decides, and then he sits up a little more straight and puts on his serious-DM-voice. "At first, the orchesta doesn't seem to be buying Luther's apology, as if they can sense his inner conflict about them. However, after Dave's quick gesture of support from the side-lines, Luther's voice manages to become more steady and sincere, and the last remaining holdouts accept that the group, Laslo especially, is sorry for killing their conductor."

    Then, Tim tips his head to the side. "They maybe weren't all that fond of him in the first place," he adds.

    He goes through a long explanation of first how the ghosts do their best to pantomime in efforts to communicate, before Laslo redeems herself by producting her constabulary notebook, which one of the ghosts manages to write in. They're cursed, trapped in the mechanical instruments, doomed to play forever... which they're pretty much okay with, so long as the group can start organizing concerts for people to attend. "Working together, the group manages to carry several of the instruments off the stage and through the house, guided by the ghosts. You're escorted swiftly to the front door of the manse."

    And that's where he calls for a break--the PCs and Laslo making the trips back and forth to remove the trapped musicians from the house in relative safety--while he addresses the other half of the party.

Conner Kent has posed:
"Yeah, inspirational support and a cantrip to get me a +1," Conner is not sure if they are cantrips when they are for clerics, but whatever. He will google what 'cantrip' means later.

The idea of having ghost performing music for the citizenry is vaguely disturbing for Luther, but if he has to be sincere, he has seen weirder in Neverwinter. (Particularly when Bart is at the table). "And now I guess is time for us to watch movies," he concludes.

Tim Drake has posed:
    The supply of jack-o-lantern shaped pizzas is only just now starting to run low, but the dry ice in the green ooze punch (with floating lychee eyeballs) has just been refreshed, so it's boiling anew. There's still plenty of other snacks, Phoebe's cookies, and the pumpkin bars sent over by Alfred, so they're not liable to run out of food before the end of the evening.

    At the gaming table in the center of the rec room, which has been otherwise nearly cleaned out of furniture--aside for one sitting area near one of televisions, and the Jurassic Park arcade cabinet in the corner, which has a skeleton sitting inside it, posing with the lightguns--is now just Tim, wearing a heavy velvet robe. Very big cultist vibes, and he's back to wearing the ornate carved mask that covers the top half of his face.

    His DM screen is a 3D printed model of the Fitzgerald Manse, the sprawling estate that sits atop a hill overlooking Neverwinter. The party was approached by one Laslo Brekegenn, a dwarven constable who has been secretly working with many of the player characters in the on-going Outsiders campaign to combat corruption in the city government.

    She escorts the group out to the manse and explains that Mr. Cornthwaite, the retired adventurer of some renown that bought the manse last year, has stopped responding to summons. Members of the constabulary have gone to investigate but never returned to their posts. It's all very suspicious.

    A search of the manse had begun, and it proved to be a sprawling, nonsensical building not unlike the Winchester Mansion, with hallways that lead nowhere, strangely decorated rooms, and doors that open up to bricked over walls. The air is thick with moisture, the plaster on the walls swells, and several rooms filled with heavy spores has prompted constitution saving throws to avoid struggling to breathe.

    Then, about two hours into the campaign, the unthinkable happened: one of the rooms they were searching collapsed. Two of the PCs--Phoebe's and Conner's--had managed to roll high enough to avoid it, as had Laslo, but the rest of the party was thrown down, down, deep into the basement.

    And that's where the split happened, and the players of the now-trapped PCs watched a scary movie in the corner and probably ate popcorn. What happened with the other half of the group? Well... if everyone survives and manages to meet back up, they'll find out!

    In the meantime, Tim waits for people to settle into chairs at the table. A projector hooked up to the ceiling above the table shows a blueprint of the basement, with only one room labeled 'Junk Room' uncovered. This is, of course, where the PCs have landed.

    "When you all come to, you realize you've landed in a huge pile of trash. Discarded clothes and toys, linens, old mattresses and the like. It's all started to mold and mildew, but luckily most of it is soft enough that none of you take any damage. You see a door half-buried in all of the garbage on a nearby wall." Tim smiles. "Good news it, it opens *out*."

Strix has posed:
Strix is still fairly new to this whole organized roleplaying thing. When she was a child, before the bomb, she and her brother would play pretend all the time, and this is kind of like that, but with rules and dice.

She thinks about about what her character, Orikea, would do, and then puffs out her chest, to indicate that she's the Barbarian now, and stands up out of the chair. She mimes walking, and then opening the door.

Barbara Gordon has posed:
Babs settles in to the chair, tucking her legs up underneath her and peers at Tim's mask, then back to to the layout of the basement. Lyria on the other detangles herself from a feather bao that was left in the junk room that she landed on. Feathers. Why'd it have to be feathers.

"Graceful as always..," she mutters and then offers Helia a hand up, "Looks like we're deeper. Let's go I guess?"

M'gann M'orzz has posed:
M'gann makes a face at the description of landing in garbage. "Oh gross. Is anyone hurt? Thanks Lyria." She says in her Helia voice, putting Martian acting talents and the ability to literally rearrange her vocal chords to good use.

"Helia will look up and take Lyria's hand, getting to her feet before following the others towards the door." Her voice switching back to normal to describe her character's actions.

Tim Drake has posed:
    Tim had been pretty ecstatic when Strix wanted to play, so he's explained the rules to her as best he can, but rules are only there to serve the enjoyment of the game, in his opinion, so they're just going to... wing it.

    Bird pun, eyyyoooooo.

    "You all dust yourselves off and stand up, somewhat unsteadily in the pile of garbage that served as a landing pad. Orikea is the first to make it across the piles to the door, which opens into a long hallway," and here Tim taps at his tablet. The projected display of the map grows, showing said hallway on the table. "Which has three doors on the left wall. As you all step out, a good amount of the trash that was somehow stored in that room comes sprawling out across the mildewed carpet running the length of the hallway. There's no way to shut the door behind you unless you spend a considerable amount of time cleaning up."

Strix has posed:
Strix, still puffing out her chest, waves the other two characters over and points. She holds up three fingers and mimes opening a door and tilts her head questioningly. Which door should we go through?

Barbara Gordon has posed:
"Seriously who has this much junk?," Babs says wryly and raises an eyebrow. A mystery probably not worth solving, "If I were a good way out which way would I be," she says looking at their hallway options. "Eine Meinie?," she suggests and grins. "Which way should we go, our party does not know, the group can be see, doors we count three..." is she about to break out in to song? not quite, may be just warming up.

"Helia can choose."

M'gann M'orzz has posed:
"It seems like they just threw everything down here and never cleaned it out. When you can afford to buy a lot of things, I guess you have a lot of garbage." M'gann says in her Helia voice.

The red haired Martian girl thinks for a moment. "Helia looks between her Barbarian and Bard companions and gives a little shrug." She switches back to Helia's voice again, "Let's just take them in order. First door first, second door second, third door third. I mean depending what happens of course."

Tim Drake has posed:
    "First door it is," Tim says. "There isn't anything to visually distinguish the three doors from one another, they all look the same. The first door swings open to reveal a yawning chasm, nothing but darkness below and the drip, drip, drip of water from the stalactite-decorated ceiling above." He pauses there for dramatic impact, and also to switch the soundtrack playing from the nearby television, which is now... echoing noises and water dripping. "A rickety bridge stretches out into it. You can't see the other side, and there is only a crumbling, maybe six-inch wide lip of flooring for you to step on if you don't want to try the bridge."

    Another tap at his tablet reveals the first part of a room beyond that door, though the projection is only partial. "Stale cave air wafts against your face. So, is anyone going to take the bridge?"

Strix has posed:
Strix mimes peering into the darkness, a hand going over the eyebrow in the classic 'looking' pose. She makes exaggerated looking around motions before scowling, shaking her head and making an X with her arms. Nope. Orikea does not like heights.

Barbara Gordon has posed:
Babs smirks and says, "Oh please. I'll go first and if I don't die, then you can follow okay? Lyria heads out on to the unstable bridge, keen balance but also keenly aware that if it breaks.. well.. may be this will be the end."

M'gann M'orzz has posed:
"Wait.." Helia starts to say. But Lyria is already going. M'gann thinks and looks over towards Strix. "I could use my wings and fly us across, but I can only do that once per day." She switches back to M'gann's voice. "Helia is going to watch Lyria, ready to swoop in if need be."

Tim Drake has posed:
    Tim starts to swipe his finger over his tablet's screen, and slowly the bridge as well as the chasm it hangs over, begins to extend further out on the projection. "You take the first few steps out onto the bridge, Lyria, while Orikea stands back and Helia perches, ready to swoop in for a save. But so far, it holds." He taps his chin. "Give me a Perception check, Lyria."

Tim Drake has posed:
    "You do your best to step only on the wooden boards that look particularly strong and avoid the ones that seem like they might be on the verge of breaking, and for a while you manage crossing the bridge without issue."

    More and more of the room's shape begins to show on the projected floorplan as Tim continues, "The opposite end comes into view, even! But in your haste to reach it, your next step sends your foot straight through the board. The bridge begins to shake but you do not immediately fall through--give me an Athletics check!"

Tim Drake has posed:
    After the roll, Tim nods. "Thankfully, once the bridge stops swaying, you're able to pull yourself back up onto your feet and make it the last few steps onto solid ground." The rest of the room is filled out on the map, with another passage beyond where Barbara's icon shows her standing now.

    "The sound of dripping water is louder, here, and the air smells wet." He turns to look at Strix and M'gann. "Okay you two. Are you going to cross and join her?"

Barbara Gordon has posed:
"Lyria pauses, catching her balance with her foot fallen through the board. She says: All good.. we're all good.. everything is fine. It's just a little old and ricketty and all that. The real mystery is who dug the chasm. Because really, who digs a chasm under their house. That's bad foundations.."

Babs crinkles her nose and grins, "Yeah.. are you coming?"

Strix has posed:
Strix reaches out as if to grab Lyria when her foot goes through the floor, then she puts her hands over her heart and mimes it beating as she waits with baited breath to see how she'll roll. Once it's clear she's safe she lets out a breath and exaggeratedly wipes her brow.

When beckoned, she looks about the room as if looking for anybody who's watching and sticks two fingers onto the table, and has them carefully 'walk' across it, even making sure that at one step she carefully taps the step in front of it before going forward.

M'gann M'orzz has posed:
Tension! M'gann is completely absorbed in the challenge of getting the party across the bridge, seemingly more focused with getting everyone else across than herself. Something is a little different in the way she plays lately, seeming to place a bit more attention on strategy and tactics. "Helia will follow Orikea across the bridge."

Tim Drake has posed:
    "Because you both watched Lyria as she crossed the bridge, one-by-one, Orikea and then Helia are able to make it across without further incident, noting where not to step from Lyria's demonstration." On the projection, the tokens move across the bridge until it's once again a cluster of three all together.

    Tim pauses for a sip of punch. DMing is thirsty business! "You continue through the passageway that opens in the cavern wall beyond the bridge. The drip, drip, drip of water continues getting louder and the humidity of the air grows thick, until you exit out into a large cavern. Up above, things chitter and rustle in the dark, and below, an underground lake stretches out beyond the limits of your vision." A low, lilting, somber musical piece begins to play beneath the sounds of echoing water, through the speakers. "The water at the lake's edge ripples. Further ahead, you see another opening in the cavern wall, light showing through."

Barbara Gordon has posed:
"Lyria adjusts her clothing when she gets to the other side and sweeps her hair back. So graceful. as always, an amused grin on her face." Babs pauses and eats a few oreos she brought for herself. "Hmm.. well there's light up ahead, let's progress forward. Lyria shrugs off the nagging fear from almost falling in to a giant chasm."

Strix has posed:
Strix mimes clapping Barbara on the back, careful not to actually touch her, and then points forward, hooo!

She breaks character to get herself some punch and one of Alfred's famous pumpkin bars. Setting herself down she takes a sip of the punch and nods appreciatively. The pumpkin bar gets a roll of the eyes upwards: Heavenly!

M'gann M'orzz has posed:
A pumpkin bar and a glass of punch float over to M'gann as well, taking advantage of her telekinesis to continue focusing on the game and thinking about the next play.

"We should probably be careful of the water, monsters seem to love hiding under water." She says in Helia's voice. "Look, ahead! There's is light coming from that opening!"

Tim Drake has posed:
    "In what is probably a wise move, none of you go to investigate the rippling water at the edge of the lake." Tim flashes a rueful smile and tucks that encounter away for another time and another day. "As you avoid the lake's waters and head into the passage beyond, behind you, you hear a faint gurgling noise, but it soon ceases. As you make your way forward, you get the faint sense that you're moving upwards by some small degree. You arrive at another opening that seems to have broken through one of the walls of the basement, which explains the light."

    Another room, connected to the underground lake via a twisting passage, appears on the map. As do one, two, three... four... five... six new tokens. "You see a gathering of hooded figures standing around some sort of strange, star-like shape in the ground. Their faces are partially obscured by carved masks," like the one Tim's wearing! "And they each wield a ceremonial dagger as they mutter underneath their breath and gesticulate wildly."

    The background music suddenly goes tense with beating drums and faint wisps of chanting. "One facing in your direction notices the three of you enter through the hole in the wall, and lets out a shrieking gibber. The other five turn as well and begin to advance."

    Tim starts tossing dice. "Time to roll initiative!"

Barbara Gordon has posed:
Babs waggles an eye to Strix and grins, "I like your barbarian character." And then to M'gann, "And your cleric." And is she studying the two of them? oh you betcha she is. Bruce has taken an interesting in M'gann and Strix has.. a very curious history. Yet they both seem to know what they're getting themselves in for.. hanging around with the Outsiders.

Babs offers everyone at the table an oreo because, well, she's a little old for hoarding chocolate cookies and she's playing an elven bard, not a dragon. "Now, it's time we kick some arse," she adds with a wink as if that were something she were very used to encouraging people to do.

Strix has posed:
Strix gasps in delight as an Oreo is offered to her. Somebody at one point in time while living here has shown her the proper way to eat one of these cookies. She twists the two cookies to open it up and starts licking at the filling. Soon the filling is gone and then she nibbles at one, then the other half of the cookie.

When asks for initiative she picks up a D12 and holds it up to Tim questioningly. He points out the right dice and she rolls it. 16! That's a good number, right?

M'gann M'orzz has posed:
M'gann looks curiously at the Orea, she's never had one before. Certainly J'onn has never given her one. "Thank you!" She smiles at Babs, quickly eating it before washing it down with some punch.

Initiative is rolled and M'gann gets a 13. "I cast fireball!" She announces, in her own voice, though it's not her turn yet. Something seems different, is she high? Can Martians get high?

Tim Drake has posed:
    As the dice rolls for initiative start coming through--after Tim points out the right one for Strix, he's doing a bunch of dice rolling too, behind his screen--a list appears on the projected view. It's probably not surprising that Lyria comes in first, then Orikea, followed by two cultists, and then Helia, before the other four cultists come in.

    Though before he starts calling for actions, Tim leans forward to nab an oreo. "Thanks!" It's certainly not his first cookie of the day, and it will not be his last, either.

    "Okay, Lyria, you're up!" The battle music has kicked in. It's from FF7, if anyone at the table is nerdy enough to recognize it.

    Tim is also doing the twist-open-lick method, though he pauses to peer over at M'gann. "Very funny," he says, but then his eyes narrow. Even with the difficulty seeing through his mask, he can tell something is wrong. Or, different? "...are you okay?"

Barbara Gordon has posed:
Babs clears her throat and while she has no guitar or lute to strum, nor is she particularly skilled in either, her fingers wrap against the table top rhythmically and she gives a playful little wink at Tim. Why else invite big sister to D&D night if she's not going to lean in to the character.

"Ahem. Lyria draws her lute and begins to play and ... sing: From the darkness to the light, braves heroes must fight. Cultists casting crazy curses, sadistic stabbers seeking sacrifices, triumphant trio tasked must do what's right. No one can underestimate, nor can they articulate, the strength of will determining their course.... brave heroes: unstoppable force"

She picks up the dice. "Everyone in the party gains 1d8 to their rolls from bardic inspiration. Lyria then draws her rapier and attacks the nearest cultist." And then rolls for attack and hopefully damage.

Tim Drake has posed:
    The smile on Tim's face slowly begins to spread as Barbara leans into her character. His head bops up and down, pleased, and once she's done, he steps out of his DM role long enough to flash her a thumbs up. "Your companions feel truly inspired by your uplifting composition!"

    And then he's leaning forward to peer at her attack roll. "A 15 hits! Roll your damage." Once Babs does so, Tim nods. "Okay. You can tell that the cultist is weakened significantly. Does that end your turn?"

    If so, his attention moves to Strix next. "Okay, now, what does Orikea want to do?"

Strix has posed:
Strix thumps her chest and mimes yelling, indicating that Orikea is going into a rage. Then she points to a token on the screen indicating a cultist and then mimes hacking at it with an axe.

She, then, picks up the d20 and rolls! 12! She screws her face in concentration on the sheet, trying to figure out which number to add to it. Axe... hm... that's a +7 so a 19!

When it comes to rolling damage she looks at Tim for help. He points to the D12, which she rolls! 6! She gets help from Tim to do the math to see how much damage she does. RAWR!

Tim Drake has posed:
    "Orikea rages!" Tim announces, reading the gesture for what Strix means without issue. When he stands to peer over the top of the 3D model of the manse to help her do the math for her hit, he leans heavily on one leg, though his expression doesn't flinch. He's a Bat, who knows what kind of bruises he's sporting under his costume on any day of the week.

    A little bit of pointing at Strix's character sheet and counting gets them where they need to be, Tim slowly settles back down. "Orikea pulls the massive axe from her back and holds it in both hands. Her face snarls with rage as she swings it through the air towards the nearest cultist, and it cuts deep into their abdomen! After the deep stab in their side from Lyria's rapier, the cultist can stand no more, and they crumple to the ground!"

    On the projection, one of the cultist icons turns red, and a skull replaces it. One of the cultists on the initiative table between Strix and M'gann's turn also gets crossed out. "And then she swings again! The next cultist in the line nearly loses their head, but they manage to sway backwards at the last moment so instead the blade of Orikea's axe slices through the cultist's robes and into their chest! Nice work, Orikea."

    Tim settles back down. "The injured cultist lifts the dagger in their hands and tries to stab Orikea with it, twice quickly in rapid succession!" The clatter of a single sounds, and then Tim snorts out laughter, before he rolls again, and then he chokes on his own spit. His head shakes. "The cultist misses the first time, and on the second attempt it slips in its own blood and falls to the floor. You all have advantage on attacking them until their next turn. Okay, Helia, you're up!"

M'gann M'orzz has posed:
"What? No! I'm fine!" M'gann protests with a grin. "Oh right not my turn." She does her best to be quiet with a kind of silly grin as she waits for her turn.

"So no fireball?" She giggles. "Okay okay ummmm" She squints at her spell list. "How about Scorching Ray! Aaaaaat.." She looks over the tokens. "That one!" she points to one in the back. "Zzt zzt!" She actually immitates raygun noises in what may be the Martian equivalent of 'Pew pew'.

Figuring out which dice to roll takes a few moments, it really does seem like she is either tipsy or high. "Uhhh, 24, OOOH A CRIT!!! Aaaand hmm an 18!" Damage is rolled, lots of damage, and as Tim indicates opponents are defeated the targets of the new rays change accordingly.

Tim Drake has posed:
    "Yeah, that's a--" And M'gann keeps going. "Yep, a hit, it's d--" Then he bites his lip, looking once between Strix and Babs as if to ask 'Is anyone else seeing this?' before he just shakes his head, mouthing "Oreos?" with some confusion. "Your first ray of fire consumes the first cultist, and they begin to scream. But it isn't until the second one bursts forth, scorching a blazing path in the air towards them, that they are entirely engulfed in flames! They fall to the floor."

    Another token turns red, another cultist removed from the initiative list. "And then the last beam manages to catch the sleeve of another cultist's robe! They frantically begin trying to swat the fire out."

    And now, time for dice rolls for the remaining cultists.

    "The cultists in the back all advance across the carving in the floor, their daggers lifting in the air in a synchronized movement! They each slash at you, and as if this is a perfectly practiced dance, their hits land true. Helia takes 6 damage, and then both Lyria and Orikea take 4 damage each."

    He pauses so that people can note their damage. "Then they all try again! However, they're not so lucky this time. A quick burst of light from Helia's palm disorients the cultist facing her down enough that their dagger doesn't even get close, and Lyria is too nimble for the blade to touch her again. Orikea, however, gets diced once more, taking another 4 damage."

    Then Tim drums his hands on the table. "Back to the top of the initiative order! Lyria, your turn!"

Barbara Gordon has posed:
"Have you ever seen a cultist who was down on his luck, stuck, tripped on his own leakin' blood? it's shame he's got no game, there ain't no one to blame.. but yo mumma," she says with a wink at the man as she draws her lute around and power chords at him with her vicious mockery.

Tim Drake has posed:
    "That was an incredibly cutting little rhyme," Tim has to acknowledge. But the dice gods do as the dice gods do, so he gives a quick shake of his head. "Unfortunately, though, the cultist's head is ringing too much from his slip and fall, so he doesn't really pay any attention to it!" He looks over at Babs. "Is there anything else you want to do on your turn?"

Barbara Gordon has posed:
Babs raises an eyebrow at Tim, "Well ... I say cultist dude, you should pay more attention when i'm making a yo mumma joke at your expensive.. and Lyria stabs him with her rapier."

Tim Drake has posed:
    Tim's lips press together, clearly in an attempt to keep himself from laughing. He only nods silently and taps at his tablet. "The tip of your rapier easily pierces through the cultist as he remains basically flat on his back. Somewhere, many many miles away, an old woman who has (had) a very disappointing son feels her ears burning. That's one less cultist!"

    Another red token, another strike through the list. "Okay, Orikea, you're mad and you have three targets still in range to take that anger out on!"

Strix has posed:
Strix nods and takes a pencil to scribble in the hit points that she's taken in big blocky numbers. At Barbara's rhyme she gives a happy clap, grinning at her to show her appreciation of the craft.

When Tim announces it's her turn she stands up out of her chair and runs in place holding her hands up over her head like she was wielding an axe, mouth open in a silent roar. Then she points to one of the tokens on the screen.

She rolls the dice and rolls an 18! That's a big number so she knows it hits! She takes the d12 and rolls it for damage! 6! She makes a swinging motion in the air to indicate that she's attacking again. This time she rolls a 17! Another hit! And for damage another 6!

Tim Drake has posed:
    "Orikea is unstoppable in her rage! The cultist that made the unfortunate decision to attack her staggers back a step as Orikea's axe cleaves right through him, cutting off an arm! And then on her next swing, she takes off his head!" Tim crumples up a piece of paper and lobs it across the table, as if to signify the path of the cultist's tumbling head.

    Look, dark humor is just a thing most people in Gotham have. It's a coping mechanism.

    Tim lets out a whistle that follows the paper through the air, slowly getting lower until he makes a wet sound by smacking his hand, damp with the condensation from his glass of punch, on the table. Clearly he was planning that.

    "Two cultists remain! Oh--and I'm sorry, Orikea has resistance to piercing and slashing damage while raging, so she only takes 4 damage total." More tapping at the tablet in his lap has their enemy count further reduced to the two remaining icons. "Okay! Straight to Helia now!"

M'gann M'orzz has posed:
As M'gann drinks more punch and has some of the other snacks the tipsiness begins to ebb, it was only one Oreo after all. "What were those cookies called again?" She asks Babs, "I've never had anything like it."

She peers at the state of the map when it gets to her turn. "If I move here I can cast burning hands on both of them right? I do that. Evil cultists, face Sarenrae's light of redemption! May you know light in your next incarnations!"

Tim Drake has posed:
    Tim gives M'gann a thumbs up over his DM screen, and after the both of them spend a few moments throwing dice, he nods. "Alright... you step forward and extend your hands towards the two cultists that remain. From your palms, a gout of fire bursts forth, though at first it does little more than sizzle and pop. But then you remember the song Lyria had sung to you, and you dig in deep, pulling forth more magical energy. The flame turns into a roaring inferno, fully engulfing one cultist and significantly scorching the other!"

    The penultimate cultist token turns red. A name on the list scratched through.

    "Only one more enemy stands before you and the rest of the room. They try to slash at you with their dagger, but their movements are staggered, burnt flesh making it difficult to lift their arm. A second attempt fairs no better! Alright, back to you Lyria. You three are crushing it! Power team!"

Barbara Gordon has posed:
Babs holds up the packet, "Oreos?" It hasn't quite clued on her yet that that wasn't just M'gann being M'gann since she doesn't know her that well yet. But cookie-crack will have to be banned once she figures it out. Babs smirks and says, "Lyria, with a flourish, sheathes her rapier and draws out her dagger. She says pithily: Catch!, and throws it at the final cultist..."

Tim Drake has posed:
    "The dagger goes sailing past the cultist's head, embedding itself with a thunk in an old, dusty bookshelf against the wall," Tim says, with a wry smile aimed at Babs.

Barbara Gordon has posed:
Babs chuckles, "Well. I mean, Lyria clearly needs more training..."

Tim Drake has posed:
    With a nod, Tim's attention shifts over to Strix. "Orikea's turn now," he tells her, and then he brings his cup up to slurp through the straw noisily as he waits.

Strix has posed:
Strix nods to Tim when her turn comes around again. She makes a slashing motion across the throat with a thumb indicating that she's going to try to behead this cultist!

She rolls.... NAT 20! She jumps around in glee, and when she rolls to do damage she does a whopping 20!

Tim Drake has posed:
    It is somewhat unlike Tim to let out a whoop of glee when Strix rolls a natural 20, but he does, because he's a nerd, and this is assuredly something to get excited about.

    "Orikea takes one look at this charred cultist, standing amidst the bodies of their fellows with nothing more than a little pointy knife to fight with. Her axe has already tasted their blood, but it has not yet had its fill... so with a great heave, she swings her arms back," and he's miming the motion himself, "Before she brings the weight of it down and across the cultist! Not only does she behead him, she practically cuts him in half!"

    For a couple of seconds, Tim pauses for effect. "His body remains standing, blood spurting too many places to name... before slowly it crumples to the floor. They're dead, and you have put a stop to their blasphemous worship of dangerous outer gods!"

    He starts dolling out the experience points.

M'gann M'orzz has posed:
M'gann claps when Strix rolls her Crit! "Okay, well that seems to be the end of the danger for now. Helia will let out a cheer and the cast Cure Wounds on Lyria!" Dice are rolled, "11 points of healing!"

Barbara Gordon has posed:
Babs half stands, "Nice!" When the crit 20 happens. She grins and lowers back down to her seat. "Wait.. why me?" She laughs and points to Strix, "The Barbarian is far more hurt than Lyria.. but okay. Then Lyria will do a healing song for Strix."

Strix has posed:
Still standing, Strix primly brushes off imaginary dust off of each shoulder before sitting back down. When Orikea is healed she nods, and makes a note of it on her character sheet.

When Tim describes the room, she gets a thoughtful look. She mimes walking with two fingers and then holds out her hands, palms pressed together and then opens them like a book. She would like to check out the bookshelf!

Tim Drake has posed:
    Tim flips through something on his tablet. "Okay, you're going to examine the bookshelf? Give me an Investigation check!" While Strix does so, Tim slurps down the last of his drink, and gives his cup a shake after, frowning down at it. He really shouldn't have any more fizzy stuff. It's not his usual diet.

    But it's Halloween, who cares.

    "You notice that the bookshelf is very dusty... except for one book in particular. And then, as you step closer, your boots brush against uneven ground. When you look at the floor you realize there are scratch marks in it."

Strix has posed:
Strix makes a show of thinking, tapping at the corner of her mouth with a finger. She does a little aha! pointing that finger up, and she mimes hooking her fingers around something and pulling, as if she was, dunno, pulling open a secret door!

Tim Drake has posed:
    Tim cups his cheeks in his palms as he watches Strix work it out, with little concern of her having issues finding the solution. And of course, she does! "All it takes is a light tug on the one dust-free book for something to click behind the bookshelf, and it swings open easily, especially with Orikea's goliath strength. You walk through the opening... out onto the basement landing that you all briefly visited when the party was together!" And just so, the small amount of the basement that had been previously explored joins the projected map, basically clicking into place, with the ritual room and its various connections all fitting together like a puzzle.

    "The staircase to the entryway of the manse is just beyond. You've found your way back! Now it's time to meet up with your friends again and get to the bottom of this."

Barbara Gordon has posed:
Babs offers a cookie to Tim.. pulls it back, then offers it again, "No. You've earned it. Good job." She smiles to Strix and M'gann. "Good job team. We kicked cultist butt."

Barbara Gordon has posed:
Lyria walks up to the bookshelf and pries her knife out of a dusty old book it embedded in to when she threw, and failed, to hit the cultist, "So graceful." She slides it back in to its holster and casually plucks at strings on her lute as she walks through the secret passage way with the group. "I hope that wasn't a harbinger of something darker or something..."

Strix has posed:
Strix throws her hands up in a silent 'Yay!' and claps excitedly. She nods enthusiastically to Barbara in agreement, and holds out a hand for high fives!

M'gann M'orzz has posed:
M'gann cheers again, "Onward to victory! We got this! Helia follows after the others through the mysterious passage to reunite with everyone!"

Tim Drake has posed:
    There's plenty to celebrate. Tim gleefully accepts another oreo and sits back to enjoy it as the three members of the party at the table celebrate their good fortune (and bounty of experience points). Now, it's time to get the group back together.

    It actually takes a while for the end of the session to kick off. There's a need for another break, some more pizza, and tearing the other half of the party away from watching The Thing over yonder.

    Everyone sits back down at the table, not quite elbow-to-elbow, but nearly. The group now has an entire spectral orchestra serenading them from out on the lawn as at they make the trek back into the manse, following a map drawn in Laslo's constable notebook by one of the ghosts. It isn't the basement where the danger lurks, no.

    It's in the attic.

    What follows is an intense hour-long battle as a gargantuan, eldritch beast is unleashed from the crawl spaces of the house. Half of the manse's roof is destroyed in the battle as the creature's tentacles burst forth and begin swiping at the adventurers.

    Strix's Orikea wades into the thick of it with her axe, while Phoebe's Brigid plays more defensively with sword and shield. M'gann's Helia reigns fire down upon the beast's mottled, slimey flesh while Conner's Luther lays out magical wards and healing to keep the party going. Laslo, the NPC rogue, cackles as she darts here and there, pelting the beast with bolts from her auto-crossbow. And then further back, Barbara's Lyria and Lonnie's Dave rock out with a truly awe-inspiring concert of lyre and drumbeat that surges adrenaline through the party's blood and cuts the creature's psyche to pieces in the same verse.

    There are close calls. More than once, it's only by teamwork and the skin of their teeth that death is averted. But with spell slots expended, rages all used up, and our adventuring heroes tired and bloodied... the final blow is landed.

    The day is saved. The horror that lurks in Fitzgerald Manse is slain, before it can grow to its full strength and ravage Neverwinter. Arthur Cornthwaite is never found. The weary party returns to their favorite tavern to rest and recuperate from their hard-won battle, and to fight another day.