JBRam2002

Mysteries of Grimsworth

All of this effort for a stupid ring. Julian was strongly considering looking up their patron's husband's name and getting a jeweler to create a replica when Charlie came screaming through the halls to throw up in his sink. "Hey, keep it quiet!" Julian whispered loudly. "Someone is going to hear!" They were already borderline illegal as it was, and Julian did not relish the thought of prison showers.

As Charlie finished expelling the contents of her stomach, Julian reached over to hold her hair back. "What was it?" he asked, thankful that he had nothing left in his gut to puke or else it certainly would be surfacing now. He placed a comforting hand on Charlie's back, knowing from recent experience just how little fun she was having right now.

Mysteries of Grimsworth

This wasn't what Julian had pictured the newlyweds' home to be like, or really any home. Such a disgusting mess took place mostly in his worst nightmares. An investigator's job was meant to be glamorous, damnit! But Julian persevered, stepping forward into the -hrk!-

Trying again... stepping into the -mmf!-

Julian began to regret the cinnamon roll in a way he never thought possible. He took a deep breath of fresh air, then briskly charged into the kitchen. As long as he didn't breathe, everything would be fine. Everything was... fine... where's the sink?!

With the cinnamon roll no longer in his stomach and Julian's sweet tooth successfully suppressed for at least a millennium, Julian was finally able to focus on looking around the disgusting kitchen as commanded. If this couple had somehow left on a honeymoon without cleaning up after themselves, they deserved to be ransacked. Hell, they probably wouldn't even notice. Except maybe the mess in their sink. That was likely noticeable.

Mysteries of Grimsworth

If they had a bit more money to spare, then perhaps they could have purchased some faster transportation than walking, but it was a beautiful day today. Whoever had programmed today's weather should be commenced. On the other hand, walking three hours was not Julian's idea of a good time. Sweating ruined suits, and good suits were rarer than good cinnamon rolls... and also more expensive.

The doorbell rang to no avail. Twice. A third time seemed unnecessary, but Julian spied the dented watercan. An obvious place to hide a spare key! Julian lifted it with glee evident in his face... until he noticed there was nothing there. Perhaps these newlyweds were more cunning than Julian had expected. He returned to the door and jiggled the handle, only to find out, to his surprise, that it was unlocked. The likelihood of walking in on a pair of newlyweds in their marriage bed was a possibility, of course, but in their defense, they rang twice. "Let's come back here later," Julian said as he pushed open the door.

Mysteries of Grimsworth

The cinnamon rolls were a bit on the expensive side, but who could resist the taste of decadent sinful cinnamon twisted around a juicy pastry, flaking away into heavenly warmth? The currency left his pocket faster than one could think possible, and Julian delved into the sugary delight as he jotted down notes about ... oh god this was good. What were they doing again?

Ah yes, cake hunting. The most delicious of wild game.

Julian followed his employer out of the shop, following the instructions they were given and still jotting down notes about cinnamon rolls and talked about the missing cake with Charlie. "The ring she described did not seem very valuable. Even if it were solid gold, it likely was worth only a hundred pounds at most. Theft is not likely, unless the thief were extremely poor or really needed a gold band for some reason. These newlyweds sound suspicious, but it could all be circumstantial. My only hope is that the ring has not already been eaten, as I do not fancy a jaunt in the sewers." Julian shuddered. A man like him was destined for the high life, not for excremental excavations.

Beginner's DnD 5e Game - Group 2

Current Battle Map
Initiative!

20. Octy - @Oraculum
16. Ary - @corneredbliss
16. Solglia - @LovelyAnastasia
14. Yvah - @Ms Ravenwinter
10. Eilina - @JBRam2002
9. Fast Skelly
8. Angry Skelly
7. Peony - @Ermine
6. Ulor - @Oraculum

@Oraculum - As the skeleton leaps forth from its tomb, the octopus rapidly veered aside, sweeping wide of the undead creature's reach. Clinging close to the corner of the corridor's northern wall, and indeed almost flowing over it, it slides out of the chamber, rapidly propelling itself through the air to bring itself before its master. [Octy has learned its lesson from the fight in the marketplace and Disengages before moving away from the skeleton, flying to the spot between Eilina and Ulor.]

@corneredbliss - Ary, frustrated because she predicted these coffins held something sinister, sort of growled as she recollected herself from the floor after contact with the fallen lid. She took a few steps back until she was just at the edge of the entrance to the room while simultaneously hissing her spell at the skeleton to her left. Whatever the effect, she shouted out to the party, "Someone hit it!" [Araerys casts Dissonant Whispers on the skelly between her, Yvah, and Peony. 8 psy dmg. The skeleton passes his Wis save for half damage.]

@LovelyAnastasia - Solglia grunts with a short nod when her rites are called beautiful but then flinches when bones come to life in their own coffins. She grumbles something about reckless blind wand wrings being too much like her own troubles, and lifts up her war hammer. People were brought down by the bag of bones so she doesn't have to worry about hitting anyone. "This One really has been wanting to hit something... Praise AllFather for this gift!" The she-dwarf lets a smile slip over her mouth and looks right at the bonezo who has too much gear. She swings... And it misses. The bonezo is too fast! Fine! She focuses on the one with the new person's things and takes out her holy symbol. If anyone can, Moradin can. So she calls on the GreatHammer to place his strength into a weapon of his spirit, the divine magic glowing in the darkness. Her God answered her call, his form shifted into that of a far more impressive foraging hammer than her own war hammer. It drove through the air and focused on the hissing mad skellator who stood in his own coffin. The AllFather did not miss.

@Ms Ravenwinter - As Yvah slipped around the falling coffin lid, she found herself unable to maneuver in such cramped quarters. Looking for a way through, she swung her staff in the skeletal man's direction, followed by a swift jab of her foot. Wood and heel both caught air as the undead swooped around each strike.

@JBRam2002 - Eilina stepped forward, barely able to see the enemies. "Draw them out here!" she called out before sending a handful of arcane bolts of energy forward, blasting the angry skeleton for 11 damage.

The fast skeleton, after dodging the monk's attacks, retaliated with a stab from its short sword, hitting Yvah for 8 damage.

The angry skeleton flew into a rage, slamming its hammer into Solglia in retaliation, dealing 9 damage as it roared.

@Ermine - Peony makes a mad dash for her sword, wanting to dispatch the skeleton as quickly as possible and keep it from attacking anyone else, despite her own defenselessness at the moment. She picks up her longsword and runs the blade through her clenched hand, and where her blood touches the blade, flames erupt. She chants a quick prayer that sends electricity into it as well, before swinging it at the skeleton guarding it. [So...it appears she's right by this skeleton, but free action to pick up the sword, swift for rite of flame, action for booming blade to keep it where it is for now. In her haste, the blade swings wide.]

@Oraculum - Made aware of the sudden appearance of the skeletal assailants by the octopus's hasty retreat and the surge of fearful thought that came with it before even the party's calls and rush to arms, Ulor craned his neck, squinting to glimpse the nearest undead creature from behind both the gnome and the corner. Immediately, he intoned a litany of discordant, cacophonic sussurrations which wound their way through the air like a toxic miasma. [Ulor casts Dissonant Whispers at the angry skeleton, dealing 16 damage.]

@Oraculum - Seeing its master's spell rattle the creature's skull, the octopus, emboldened, though still cautious, retraced its winding way through the air, flowing over the gnome's head and slipping into the chamber. As it hovered under the ceiling, it contracted its gelatinous body and spun in an odd way, weakly though determinedly sending some drops of ink flying at the skeleton. All the while, it seemed to wave its tentacles in the dwarf's direction, as if inciting her to strike. [Octy Helps Solglia (@LovelyAnastasia) for her next attack against the skeleton, hopefully distracting it - however that would work - with an ink drizzle.]

@corneredbliss - After noting the skeleton had no reaction to her spell, she finally drew her rapier from its sheath for the first time since joining the group and yelled at the rest of the party: "The gnome's right! It's too crowded in this damned room!" Ary, assuming a stance proper to the blade, darted forward and jabbed at the one still caught between the three of them. Whether or not it made contact, she jumped back and, keeping her eyes on the monstrosity, called to Yvah, "Try once more! Chances are you'll definitely hit it this time!" She was inching back toward the doorway where Solglia stood, but did not exit yet, realizing her spells were few and her rapier could only reach so far. [Ary jabs at skelly with her rapier (12 attack, missed), then casts Bardic Inspiration on Yvah.]

@LovelyAnastasia - Solglia grunted with each near miss her fellows flew at the too fast bag of bones. Octosquad, nearly on the ceiling, seemed to try and distract the hissing guardian of darkness that was her own target. Picking up her warhammer she grinned at the angry creature, paying little attention to the quick target everyone else focused on. "I hear bone dust can be useful for spells," she growled in her guttural Dwarven language, "How about a little harvest then?" With a gnash of her teeth the war cleric wondered a bit why the boney creatures didn't attack. Not that it mattered to her. The undead did not belong in this realm. She had no qualms about sending it straight back to the afterlife.

Solglia grunted with each near miss her fellows flew at the too fast bag of bones. Octosquad, nearly on the ceiling, seemed to try and distract the hissing guardian of darkness that was her own target. Picking up her warhammer she grinned at the angry creature, paying little attention to the quick target everyone else focused on. "I hear bone dust can be useful for spells," she growled in her guttural Dwarven language, "How about a little harvest then?" With a gnash of her teeth the war cleric wondered a bit why the boney creatures didn't attack. Not that it mattered to her. The undead did not belong in this realm. She had no qualms about sending it straight back to the afterlife. Of course not even The Hammer of Moradin was making a hit on these things. Both she and the Spiritual Weapon failed. What in Dacorian's pits was going on?

@Ms Ravenwinter - Yvah gathered her bearings from the previously dodged strikes which had nearly put her off balance. With a calm exhalation, she summoned the presence of mind and body to set upon the skeletal automaton with a flurry. A decisive swing of her staff hooked under the thing's ribcage. The blow was deftly parried, but her strike held true as Araerys's honeyed words sang into her ear. The strike blew through its defense and shattered several bones on its way up.

As the the thing recoiled, Yvah drew her weapon back and shifted her weight into a vicious kick in the same motion. With a resounding crack of bone, her heel impacted the skull, sending it flying backward and bouncing off the shimmering spectral hammer at its flank.

Using her surge of energy, Yvah bounded backward around the tank. Another forward strike with her heel was leveled against the furious skeleton. The impact splintered its shoulder with a small shower of bristled bones. Immune to pain, the creature seemed to shrug off the blow, but its rage burned brighter. [Yvah bounces off that last kick into the nearest unoccupied space.]

@JBRam2002 - Seeing that the skeletons weren't going to be coming out any time soon, Eilina carefully slipped past Yvah and Solglia, making sure the dwarf blocked any potential attacks from the remaining skeleton. [Eilina uses Disengage and moves forward to get a clear shot.]

The angry skeleton held its hammer aloft and laughed at the pitiful attempts against it, but its reckless swing not only left him open for a counter attack, but failed to connect with anyone, harmlessly bouncing off Solglia's protective armor. [Any attack rolls vs Angry Skeleton have advantage until his turn!]

@Ermine - Peony roars at the skeleton, and repeats her previous action: casting Booming Blade through her flaming sword, although it required moving closer to the other skeleton, although doing so from the stairs wasn't exactly easy. [Hits for 11 damage, slashing is resisted]

@Oraculum - From what little Ulor could see beyond the room's corner, the skeleton - the last remaining one, if the motions of the rest of the group were any indication - had exposed itself in a rather reckless strike. This afforded an excellent window of opportunity to land his own blow, one that would have been even better had everyone not apparently decided to fill the corridor between him and the creature. Bending forward in a manner that almost made him appear hunchbacked and contorting his face into a startling grimace, Ulor spent some brief moments lining up his hand to the visible parts of the skeleton, then abruptly thrust it forward, wraithly energy crackling in a stream from his fingers. [Ulor's attack misses its target, instead striking Peony @Ermine for 1 damage!]

@Oraculum - It seemed that Ulor's blast striking not its intended target, but someone who was fairly clearly not a hammer-wielding skeleton had somewhat displeased the octopus. Deftly slinnking away from its place near the dwarf and viscously brushing the heads of those it passed in the corridor, it hovered in circles above its master, pulsing in a way that might have vaguely reminded one of a goblin cursing at an unruly device of their construction (though, fortunately, it was nowhere as loud as that). However, it did not seem very eager to return to the forefront and engage the undead itself, and, despite its flailing, continued to slightly edge further from where it had come. [Octy Disengages again to move away from the skeleton.]

@corneredbliss - Araerys then turned her attention to the remaining skeleton, and, being a bit further from it than the one she'd been sparring with, repeated her unpleasant melody for it. [Ary casts Dissonant Whispers on remaining skelly for 9 damage, defeating it.]

A guttural “yeh!” of victory flew from the bard’s lips as her words proved true, their bony acquaintance toppling from Yvah’s blows. A renewed surge of adrenaline burst through her and she whipped around to their final adversary, who was still swinging the damned hammer at the rest of her party. “Enough!” Araerys barked, her eyes squinting in focus on the skeleton. Once it was locked in her gaze, her lips parted once again, this time emitting a series of jarring, discordant notes that only the fleshless corpse could hear. Immediately the melody took hold of its figure, the pain from its psyche apparent in the way it suddenly began shaking and jerking about. The motions added to its already demonic presence, becoming faster and harsher in its intensity until the bones themselves seemed to be vibrating violently. Finally the thing let out an agonized howl as cracks began to rapidly form along its chalky structure, which tumbled backwards from lack of balance and smashed itself into the wall behind it, transforming into a cloud of white dust upon impact. “Tha’s right, ya do!” Ary screeched in reckless delight, pushing in front of Solglia to gloat in front of what was now just a pile of powder and bones. “I fuckin’ knew you were hidin’ in there all along! Serves ya right fer climbing up outta yer bed, thinkin’ you could get the best of us, huh?” The half-elf snorted, flicking her rapier at one of the lifeless things before buttoning her excitement with a huff as she resheathed her blade.

Combat Complete!

Everyone gains 900 exp (except Ceria).

Mysteries of Grimsworth

Charlie's enthusiasm could be annoying at times, especially when it involved messing up Julian's impeccable fashion sense. His sleeves were being wrinkled by her haste, and Julian could only imagine what filth was finding its way onto his shoes as he was dragged through nearly every puddle between their business and destination. They arrived to a decadent display of culinary creations, and Julian had just finished tidying up his outfit when someone tugged on his shirt again. Whirling with fury upon the offender, his ire was prematurely silenced by the kind demeanor of the old woman.

"A few quick questions before we inevitably solve the case and reunite you with your precocious jewelry," Julian requested, pulling out a pen and a pad of paper. "How certain are you that the ring is in this particular cake? Can you describe the ring, and its approximate value? Is there a jewel on it? Do you know anyone who would want to steal the ring intentionally, or do you believe it to be an honest mistake? And, most importantly, how much are the cinnamon rolls, because they look absolutely delicious?"

Mysteries of Grimsworth

There was much to be said for the enthusiasm of his employer, but much less to be said about the state of their bank accounts. However, as she put it, work was work, and it needed to be done. Julian reached for his hat as he stood. "Well, let us track down this elusive cake. Perhaps we can catch it before it goes for a swim."

It was no secret that, in this insular society of the greatest minds of the world, more than a few were slightly unhinged. Julian seemed to pass such every day on his trip to work, and his boss, in Julian's eyes, met the same criteria. However, she was energetic, a quality that Julian envied, and a quite handsome woman in her own right. He could allow for some minor insanity under those circumstances.

Mysteries of Grimsworth

The morning was, until now, peaceful as it could ever be. His employer, an eclectic woman like many in this city, tended to fill her study with noisrmakers: ticking clocks and whirring gizmos, but Julian's study held books. Tomes upon tomes of the greatest works collected before Grimsworth's submersion, bound in leather or hardback, as well as a few new books penned by the city's finest authors. And yes, he considered himself among that number, despite the fact that writing fiction was not classified as a great enough scientific study to pay the bills by itself, and so between novels, he worked for Bell.

It just so happened that he was currently several years between novels with no ideas for a follow-up. Completely unrelated fact.

And so, when the door to his quiet study crashed open with a shout that the Archangel Michael himself would be jealous of, the scratching of his pen across the page, blotting out the name of the person who was to be receiving the bill he was writing, did not fill him with the same level of excitement that Charlie showed. Julian stared at the ruined page a moment before setting the pen down gently. "Was it a circus elephant juggling an Encyclopedia Brittanica? Oh, I suppose you're right; I shall never guess. Please enlighten me."

Mysteries of Grimsworth

Gonna be fun ~

Mysteries of Grimsworth

Julian Cagle

Age: 29