Weekly Gaming Summary #45 (01/30/2021)

A Thank You For Playing today's Dungeons & Dragons 5 th Edition game of 01/30/2021 - From 10:00 am EDT, until 1:00 pm EDT, and our 54th Gaming Session, goes out to:   Barbarian – Human - Marcuria Violezi - Connor D. Druid – Wood Elf – Baeshra - Elizabeth K. Monk – Elf – Farren Nidanas - Bahrrenn Drakke Ranger – High Elf – Willie Belson –  Buddy-D Rogue – High Elf - Roqar -  Roxxifarius Wizard (Sage/Scribe) – Drow Elf - Daniel M.     Whom Could Not Make It Today!   Bard – Half Elf – Avery - Avery     Everyone was in attendance!   Game Summary for Saturday (01/30/2021):   Opening Scene: Day 20 : June 26th  11:00 am   Things start as the adventurers make their way into the mouth of Wave Echo Cave, also known as the Phandalin Mine. The entrance is left completely unguarded, so getting inside the dark cave was not a problem. Dia Xiloscient, casts a light cantrip onto a pebble, so that those without infra/dark vision can see in the dark.   Roqar gives the lantern to Marcuria, whom then places the pebble inside of it, which will last an hour.   Dia, then casts Mage Armor upon herself, giving her the equivalent of chain mail protection for 8 hours.   They travel 35 feet down a passage and enter into a cavern area, the mine feels cold, damp and surprisingly drafty. The ceiling is about 10 feet in height in the passage, the cavern is about 30 feet in height and dotted with stalactites. The entrance tunnel leads into a large cavern supported by a natural pillar of rock and containing three stalagmites. In the western part of the cave, behind the column of rock, are three bedrolls and a heap of ordinary supplies—sacks of flour, bags of salt, casks of salted meat, lanterns, flasks of lamp oil, pickaxes, shovels, and other gear. Amid the supplies, you see the body of a dwarf miner, dead for at least a week. The northeastern section of the cavern has collapsed, forming a ten-foot-wide, twenty-foot-deep pit. A sturdy hemp rope is tied off around a nearby stalagmite and dangles down the side of the pit, at the bottom of which is a rough-hewn tunnel heading northwest and east. Marcuria and Gundren Rockseeker, goes over to examine the body. Gundren had recognized the gear right away and when they got near the dwarf body, knew it was his brother Tharden. Gundren points out that his other brother Nundro is not to be seen in this cavern area.   Gundren, proceeds to remove the boots off Tharden, saying, “These are magical boots which helps one move around faster, and I am going to put them on, so I can get out of here quickly if need be.”   Two jugs of lantern oil is taken, each one has enough for 6 lantern refills and will last 2 hours each fill. Some of the salted meat is taken as well.   The party looks around the cavern some more, investigating it for anything out of the ordinary or hidden and nothing more is to be found. Juan had climbed down the rope to have a look at the passage entrance in the east end of the pit, (there is one on the north west side as well), as did Marcuria. It goes for 10 ft, turning north and continuing another 10 ft east into another cavern area.   Marcuria, heads into the passage then the cavern to the east first stopping short of entering it when several skeletons of various sizes are seen strewn about the cavern floor. She returns and calls for the others to come down.   When they are all near the mouth of the cavern this is what is seen:   Many tunnels intersect at this natural, thirty-foot-high cavern. The walls are carved with simple reliefs showing dwarf and gnome miners hard at work. Below them, nearly two dozen skeletons in rusted scraps of armor are scattered across the cavern floor. Some are dwarf skeletons, while others are orc remains. Half a dozen large brass lanterns stand in niches or on ledges around the cavern, but none are lit.   As soon as Marcuria steps into the cavern, a strige descends upon her trying to lash unto her neck for a blood meal! It successfully does so doing 5 hit points of damage!   Marcuria quickly rushes back out of the cavern, trying to pull it off as she does so, but it is latched on tight!   Initiative for a combat round was rolled just in cased needed.   Marcuria , using her Reckless Attack move, to gain an advantage, grabs her warhammer at it’s base in an attempt to swat the Stirge off of her. It hits it full on delivering 11 bludgeoning damage,  causing the creature to go limp and let go. Marcuria, makes sure it’s gets off, ripping it of f with her free hand, say, “Ah… That could have been worse”!   Farren says, “True”. Marcuria says, “… And maybe it will be. Get the others down here, please. There’s almost certainly more.”   Farren goes to get the others, pointing up to the ceiling saying, “ Careful… More of them…”, as they spot the dead stirge laying on the ground bleeding out.   Dia, thinking she has just the spell for ridding of the stirges, says, “I have just the spell for that. Let’s burn these creepy biters”.   Juan, meanwhile enters the cavern himself and of course another stirge swoops down from the 30 ft high ceiling, and lashes right onto his neck biting and sucking blood for 4 piercing damage!   Once again Initiative rolls are made for combat and Round #01 begins:   Dia, casts the Mage Hand spell, sending it over to grip at the stirge on Juan.    Juan, managed to bludgeon off the stirge with his footman’s mace in the same manner as Marcuria, then the Mage Hand spell, rips it off his neck! Marcuria says, “Good. Now get back, all of you! … Dia … you go ahead. Rest of you keep back.”   Dia, was about to cast her Flaming Sphere spell but realized it would only travel by rolling along the ground, only able to go over nothing more than 5 ft in height or leap over a pit no more than 10 ft wide. So that idea was scrapped.   Farren spots other Stirges along the ceiling with his Infra/dark vision and points them out to the party.   Dia, then decides, to cast the Web spell along the ceiling hoping to entrap as many stirges as possible then burn the webbing afterwards. Rolo then casts his Fire Bolt to ignite the webbing, catching it on fire and burning up all four that were in it, watching them drop to the ground as they and the webbing are consumed by the flames, filling up the cavern with a fog of smoke haze that makes the adventurers cough!   Farren pulls out a torch from his pack, Juan lights it with a Light cantrip which will last 1 hour.   Juan, moves northeasterly down a 35 ft long passage and comes to the entrance of another cavern, looking up at the ceiling he spots a couple more stirges up there and here is what he sees inside the cavern:   Dense carpets of weird fungi cover large sections of the floor in this cavern. The growth includes puffballs a foot across, weird shelf fungus growing on stalagmites, and large stalks and caps a good five feet tall. Some of the puffballs glow with an eerie green phosphorescence.   Juan Lets loose an arrow from his light crossbow, nailing one of the stirges, dropping it to the floor with 7 damage, defeating it!   In spite of having spotted the stirges, one swoops in on him and gaining the upperhand, attached itself to Juan’s neck! Juan, then managed to bludgeon the creature with his footman’s mace, hitting for 7 damage, defeating it, then yanking it off with his free hand!   Marcuria says, “Juan, you really are something else. And not in a good way”.   Both Dia and Juan look intently at the fungal growth ahead, Juan, believes he has spotted fungus that is known to release poisonous spores along the floor of the cavern, navigating well enough to avoid stepping on the poisonous stuff and both see the obvious skeleton resting on the floor 15 ft ahead at the end of the north passage off the fungi cavern.   [I forgot to have you all make constitution checks as you crossed the cavern, to avoid being hurt from the poison gas released!]   Glittering minerals in the ceiling of this large cavern catch the light and send it back to create the impression of a starry night sky. Dozens of skeletons—many crushed under fallen debris—are scattered across the floor.   There are two visible free standing structures inside the new cavern as well. One is reached by going up a flight of stairs cut into a 10 ft high escarpment. The one the party is near has a door that is human sized unlike the other doors seen so far which were dwarf sized.  Both structures have battered and blackened masonry walls, the current structure’s double doors are cracked and scorched.   Avery, Dia, Juan and Rollo, all get a subtle sense of magical auras here in this cavern. This has Dia cast her Detect Magic spell as a ritual, which lasts for 10 minutes and now the entire cavern is aglow in a faint magical aura for her. The aura are strongest emanating from the cracked doors of the first structure (she can’t see the doors for the 2 nd structure right now). Dia says, “The magic is stronger through that door”.

[Rolo, did you still want to cast your Detect Magic as a ritual here? Since Dia’s use revealed what you would have as seen well anyways.]   Marcuria, takes out her thieve’s tools to gently probe around door and no trap was to be found in the search. She then opens the door.   Dust, ash, walls blackened by fire, and heaps of debris beneath the sagging ceiling show that this room was damaged by a destructive blast. The furnishings—tables, chairs, bookshelves, beds—are charred or splintered, but otherwise well preserved. A scorched iron chest stands near the foot of one of the beds.   The furnishings here are all human proportioned.  Dia sees that a few of the tomes have a magical aura emanating from them.   As Marcuria was the first to enter with Dia behind her, a lone ghostly figure is seen to rise out of the floor.   Mormesk the wraith says in a grave whisper, “Your presence is offensive to me, your life forfeit. My treasures are mine alone, not yours to plunder!”   Marcuria slams her gauntlets together saying, “I’d try not mixing that with a threat if I were you.”, trying to intimidate the wraith, she is successful in the attempt. Still  the wraith  simply  reaches out and touches Marcuria, trying to drain her life force but was unsuccessful in the attempt (which was at a disadvantage due to the successful intimidation).   Initiative rolls are made as the party contemplates a combat with the Mormesk the wraith.   Rolo, was going to cast the Hold Person spell but it would not work on a incorporeal being such as Mormesk.   Marcuria says, “Farren… help me get this wraith to cool off a bit.”   Farren rolls a persuasion check but was unsuccessful.  He then uses a Ki point to use his Patient Defense move, which gives him a dodge action on his turn.   Dia Xiloscient says, “Calm down, no one has touched your treasure.”, she motioned for the others to keep their distance, at least for now.   Mormesk the wraith , pauses and looks at Dia, says, “Yet you all appear to gang up on me? Explain yourselves!”   Juan says, “We are adventurers, we don’t want to steal your loot. If you want to keep it, that’s fine.”   Mormesk says, “Perhaps I will reconsider attacking you all if you have something to offer a collector such as I?”   Juan tries to offer the wraith, white lightning, saying it is very valuable.  Mormesk says, “Bah, a drink that would just go right through me!”. He then once again ponders in thought.   Marcuria says, “Something on your mind wraith?”   Mormesk says, “Hmmm, perhaps I could let you have a small trinket, if you would agree to kill the spectator in the forge of spells? Would you?”   Marcuria says, “…Forge of spells? … What’s that?”. Mormesk simply points a finger to the  north. Marcuria says, “And… if we kill this… ‘spectator’ .. you’ll give us a little something in return?”   Mormesk says, “It is that way”, “Yes, have you anything at all to offer in return?”   Roqar, thinks of the gold chalice and censor found back in the ruins of Cragmaw castle but she did not bring them along, having left them at home in Phandalin with Dolores.   Marcuria says, “… This spectator… I think I’d rather deal with him, than the wraith.”   The adventurers agree to go north to deal with this spectator.   Marcuria says, “Alright, we’ll get rid of that spectator for you. But the reward better be good, wraith… Whatever your name is.”   Mormesk says, “I am Mormesk!”, Marcuria says, “Marcuria. It’s almost a pleasure.” She leaves the room slowly, keeping an eye on Mormesk as she leaves.   Marcuria says, “… Spectators… been a long time since I had to test out my Undercommon, (language).”   Dia, does a history check and was successful. She had heard of spectators before. They are known to be guardians of treasures. They were said to be spherical in nature with eye stocks of magical ability.     And this ends the gaming session for the day, until next time!   It is now June  26 th at 1:00 pm.   The Adventurers’ Experience Points Earned This Session: Stirges (10) = 25 * 10 = 250 XP     Total:  250 XP 250 / 6 = 41.6 XP per Adventurer   ----------   Grand Total Experience Points:   Everyone is at 5,745.6 XP  Level 5 reached at 6,500 XP!   Loot Found: Magical boots of striding (adds 10 ft to movement)     Number of Sessions for current Adventure Module: 54th Session for “Lost Mines of Phandelver / Dragon of Icespire Peak” 01/30/2021   [1st Session start was 08/15/2019]