Ashley is here! And tonight's sponsor is @MarvelPuzzle! They want to thank the community.
Sam has opera. And props.
Last time: VM researched Vecna, climbed through titan bowels, battled undead and cultists, found Sphere of Annihilation.
The Thomaran Courtyard
We begin at the end of a short rest.
What would you like to do? "Cry."
Vax dumps 29 of 30 healing points into Scanlan's face.
Grog is very glad that Pike is here, even though she has technically been here. "Love you, Grog." "LOVE YOU, PIKE."
Short rest not taken. The party marches onward, twins in front, Pike and Grog in the back. Vex casts PWT. Trinket is out.
Vax: 18 for traps as they climb caved-in steps. There is very bare structure in the room ahead.
The Thomaran courtyard is filled with dead trees, dead paths, twitching but nonfunctional undead corpses...
The smell of the Shadowfell permeates this cavern, which has already been filled with collapsed earth in addition to ash.
Vex reminds Vax to stay within 30 ft to keep PWT, 60 ft to keep out of Vecna's vision. He's fine with just the latter.
Scanlan can move the sphere of annihilation (aka Simon 3) at 15 ft per round. It does let off a faint buzzing sound.
The twins listen. They hear conversation in the distance, and a weakly crawling hand. Mostly vacant otherwise.
Percy does not trust Scanlan as a sphere artisan. Scanlan trusts in his ball-handling skills. Vax volunteers as tribute.
The party doesn't want to be slowed by Simon III. Scanlan tests how far his connection with it stretches. It goes out of site.
After 70 ft, Scanlan summons Simon back. It comes back.
Vax senses that the party has reached the edge of Thar Amphala.
The left archway has two hooded humanoids holding torches, surrounded by 5 or more dwarven skeletons.
Middle archway: armored humanoid with a few more skeletons, plus a 10-ft tall figure.
Right archway: 3 small humanoids, two are hunched and on all fours. The last is hunched slightly, but hooded and cloaked
Each archway is about 40 ft from each other.
Percy hands Vax his scope to check the armored figure. Not the Death Knight, but similar to the Marquesian ziggurat knight.
Pike looks through the scope. She sees big guys. But everyone looks big. She is so brave.
Keyleth’s Scry
Vex suggests scrying on Delilah or the Death Knight to see where they are in relation to Vecna. Kiki scries on Death Knight.
Kiki is using her spell, not the scrying eye, to increase the spell DC. Last 5th level spell.
The party keeps watch as Kiki prepares the ritual. 10 mins later, her vision rushes into Thar Amphala.
Kiki sees a vague image of a room behind the death knight, who is with two other armored figures, standing watch.
Kiki sees the Death Knight walking up a winding tower stairway. She sees a swelling of greenish-blue light at the apex.
At the top of the tower, Kiki sees the familiar top. The sky is a sickly-blue green. A shape glides in the air.
Kiki hears, "Now." The sight ends. (Matt rolls. He reminds her that individuals with True Sight can see the scry.)
Vex recalls the names of Viskorad and Odell, the cultists they just killed. They consider Scanlan in disguise.
Percy suggests "Odell" tell everyone to assist the other murdered cultists, then lock them down there. Grog gets it.
Scanlan’s Ruse
Scanlan wants to make sure Vex can remain 60 ft of him as he pulls off the ruse. There is some cover the party can use.
Scanlan prepares his motivation. Grog: Odell's wife left him, so he went to Vecna.
"We have the actual robe!" Vex looks for a label on the robe. In sharpie. 24: "If found, return to..."
Matt is loading up his notes. We have ours:
Odell is the one who ran off.
Viskorad is the one who found sneaky prey.
The party suggests that Scanlan just tell them there are interesting things that Odell found that should be checked out.
Trinket goes back in the necklace. Scanlan recites Red Leather Yellow Leather.
Vex prepares Hide in Plain Sight. Vex's Wis check: 8. The shale is hard to match. The party relies on PWT.
Kiki casts Freedom of Movement on Scanlan. She also burns her last 2nd level to give Scanlan advantage on CHA checks.
Vax rolled a Nat20 on stealth. He appears in another show.
Scanlan chooses to limp forward. The torches shift in his direction.
Scanlan approaches the knight with the sphere to slightly obscure himself. "Power...So much power... I need aid..."
Deception check with advantage: 28. Nat10 +18.
The armored figure steps forward. The rock behemoth (which VM fought before) follows behind him.
"What did you say?" Scanlan tries to explain why his voice changed. They found something very powerful.
There is a stillness that makes Scanlan's hair stand on the back of his neck. He is told to lead them to it.
Scanlan suggests they take the orb with them while he recovers, to go help Odell. A crew is told to go.
After a first failed attempt to control the orb, the B Team takes control of the orb (with Scanlan's blessing) before going.
A female half orc with a missing left eye leads the knight and the behemoth. Skeletons are told to keep watch.
As the new crew continues, Matt rolls perception checks. Pike's elbow is not as hidden as she'd like...
A cultist begins to investigate Pike's location. The titan's footfall throws off their attention. The crew continues past.
12 skeletons, 2 hunched figures, and one hooded humanoid. The party prepares to cave in the group with the sphere.
The tunnel entrances are about 12 ft wide, 10 ft tall. The tunnels were carved, but stable enough.
Scanlan tries to go past the rock behemoth, which apparently stayed behind. 25 deception.
This area was carefully carved with the sphere. Scanlan doesn't know how far he is from Vex.
Scanlan walks 3 ft past the behemoth before taking a knee. He attempts to speak into the earring.
Vax tells Scanlan to convince the behemoth to go assist. He feigns going back. The DM's confusion matches the creature.
Scanlan rolls 23. DM asks if he wants to add anything to that CHA check. Inspiration: 31.
The rock behemoth is usually tethered to the will of one creature, but Scanlan convinces the undead creature to aid its master
Four skeletons join the behemoth after the knight and company.
Through the Tunnel
Vex suggests collapsing the middle tunnel.
Grog points out that most of the danger is on the other side of the center archway.
The party considers collapsing both tunnels. Kiki considers going earth elemental, but it might take extra time.
Tunnel entrance is about 80 ft behind the party.
Kiki casts 6th level Wall of Stone over the tunnel entrance, two minutes after the crew has past.
As the wall goes up, Percy and Vax go for the surprise kill against the hunched figures.
Two chained shadowghasts flank the cloaked female figure holding the chains and a torch. Autocrit by Twins.
Travis may have trouble with reverse math, but has double math on LOCK.
After the twins take their surprise shots, Percy finishes off the first shadow ghasts with a sounding shot.
The cultist and one ghast is down. The second ghast is on Vex. 8 skeletons turn their attention to the gunfire.
Vax stabs the ghast. Scanlan feigns fear of the interlopers to avoid skeleton assault.
Vax jabs his dagger into the ghast. It gets no damage in on her. Vax kills the creature.
The rest of the party rush up toward the tunnel. Four skeletons attack Pike. They all miss.
The last skeleton gets one hit on Pike (AoO) with a Nat19, which is as low as it can roll to hit. 8 piercing damage.
Scanlan feigns being kidnapped. Grog looks for a nice crack in the archway: 13. Maybe? Grog hits it.
Vex and Percy open fire on approaching skeletons as Grog continues wailing on the archway.
Grog picks up Pike by her armor and runs. Some of the collapsing rocks slam into them as he runs. He is not restrained.
The party slows down as they near the surface to the city (15 ft away). Vex didn't cast HM so casts PWT.
The Spire of Entropis is surrounded by a few remaining wyvern riders, who can't break through arcane defenses.
J'Mon Sa Ord is struck by an arcane blast, but continues flight. The city has suffered some damage.
The party stands at the surface, watching the onslaught on Thar Amphala. And, break.
Mid-Break: Thar Amphala Proper
We return to Thar Amphala proper.
Vax sees that the gloomstalkers are patrolling the skies, looking for any infiltrators. There are many undead on the street.
Vax sees a porous, skeletal, dragon-shaped entity.
Vax suggests everyone stays underground. Everyone up here is dead or undead.
Grog and Percy discuss the Sword of Kas. The party debates having Vex attempt to scry on it. First time scry.
Kiki gives Vex advice on scrying. Vex tries not to think of Mr. StayPuft.
The sword is surrounding by muck. It is in some thick, molasses-like silt. There is no light in the vicinity.
Vex gives Vax a very descriptive description of the sword. She attempts to uses their nonexistent twin mind link.
Kiki reclaims her scrying eye. Big Black Sword jokes are continued
Vex casts Locate Object on the Sword of Kas. Vex senses that it is lateral to their location, though distance is unknown.
The sword is within 1000 ft. Vex considers sending Kiki to earth glide to retrieve it, but she won't be able to glide it back.
Vax presents his Oil of Etherealness to get to the sword. Vex suggests Kiki go to the sword with a Gate Stone.
The party continues discussing the best way to send Kiki more than 60 ft away from Vex to retrieve the Sword of Kas.
Planning to get the Sword continues.
Vax attempts to Locate Object, but fails because he hasn't seen the sword.
Vex REALLY wants to just send Kiki in the right direction.
Vax remembers the ring.
"This was SO much D&D."
"All the D&D."
"10 pounds of D&D."
Vex begrudgingly orders that the full party tunnels to the sword.
Every 10 mins, Kiki can move 40 ft of earth.
The party debates taking several hours to get to the sword. They are hoping for caverns.
The WAIT joke is invoked for the fourth time tonight.
Kiki suggests Scanlan cast Mansion. Or not at all.
Kiki and Vex feel a faint vibration in the ground.
Scanlan wants to cast the Mansion. He always carries a closet with him.
The party looks for a good place to put the mansion. A dilapidated building 20 ft from their hole looks promising.
Percy activates his Silence spell with Grog and Pike in the space. Kiki pasts PWT. The party rushes.
With advantage and PWT, Grog rolled 24 for him and Pike.
The party dashes into the doorway, careful not to disturb the old door. The smell of decay is overwhelming.
A gloomstalker lands nearby....
And continues it route.
Scanlan looks for a closet to hide the shimmering entrance to his mansion. He casts it in the cupboard.
(Sam has started reading Harry Potter. Everyone wants to take him to Universal.)
The party debates the best distribution of the gate stone. Vex ends up with it.
Scanlan is a little cautious regarding drinking the red wine.
Finding the Sword
Team Half Elf stealths outside the mansion.
Kiki rolled a Nat1.
A distant shriek responds to the shriek Kiki makes upon stubbing her toe. She goes Earth Elemental.
Earth!Kiki disappears into the ground below. Two gloom stalkers land where Kiki was. Twins hide, ducking out of the way.
Gloomstalkers fly off. Kiki tremorsenses where the twins are. Her PWT continues as Vex focuses Locate Object.
As Kiki continues following below the surface, her stealth check is unnecessary. The twins continue, stealthily.
The twins dart between streets. (Ashley stress exhales.) The sword is directly below Vex, somewhere.
Earth!Kiki swims down, feeling through earth. Investigation check with disadvantage: 5.
"I'm wise, I'm not smart. There's a DIFFERENCE."
Mental communication continues. Vex wonders if she can sense the Sword while on another plane (ethereal). No idea.
WAIT joke count: 5.
Vax points out that Vex needs to stay within 60 ft of him. The ethereal plane might be more than 60 ft. Rule interpretation.
As the oil begins to be pressed on Vex's body... EVERYTHING begins to fade. This is not a location on the Ethereal Plane.
Because Thar Amphala as it is on the Material Plane is not present on the Ethereal Plane, Vex can move through it.
As Vex disappears into the Ethereal Plane... The cast is very unhappy as Vax hears Vecna.
"Ah. There you are. I have been looking all over for you and your friends. Well. Welcome."
"Back in the mansion, we're all sipping wine..."
Kiki is floundering in the ground, unable to find the sword. Vax began to leave, but stays when he gets no response.
Vex can't sense or see Kiki, but can still sense the sword. After 150 ft, she emerges in a small, 10 ft, rubble-filled cavern.
The etherealness allows Vex to see the otherwise pitch black cavern. She can't see the sword in the muck, but can sense it.
The Sword of Kas, a sentient weapon that has a history and desire to see the fall of Vecna. This is not exactly benevolent.
Vecna to Vax: "But where are all your friends. Why are you alone?"
Vex tries to call to Kiki through the earring. It's only been 15 mins since she used the oil.
Kiki arrives to the cavern, and searches for the sword. Without disadvantage, 9. Looks like a cavern. Can't see Vex.
Vax notices that Vecna hasn't actually moved. He also notices approaching wings that don't belong to a gloom stalker.
Without PWT, Vax rolls 35 stealth. He keeps moving. He orders Kiki to stay underground. He returns to the mansion.
The undead draconic wings circle the area where the mansion entrance is. Vex waits for her oil to wear off.
Kiki goes over to the thick greenish sludge. It doesn't look like typical acid.
She dips her toe in. 2 points of acid damage.
Back in the mansion, Vax tells them that Vecna knows where they are. Scanlan is not happy with this. "We have to leave."
In the acid, Kiki investigates for the sword. 16. 6 acid damage taken, and she finds bones. This whole basin has stacked bones
Kiki keeps looking, to no avail. 4 acid damage, and keeps looking. 10 acid damage.
Kiki keeps checking into the earring, getting nothing. She keeps searching the pit. Eventually, she comes across not bone.
Kiki tries to pull the metallic object. 24 STR check for 7 acid damage. It is the hilt of a blade.
Kiki notices that the bones are trying to grab her. She breaks free, and earthglides up, sword in hand.
Vex watches as the liquid surface bursts with an Earth Elemental holding a sword.
Vex considers releasing Trinket. Ethereal or Material?
Trinket is ejected.
Trinket bursts forth from the necklace. Kiki sees Trinket on the Material. This is a very cramped space.
Vex successfully told Kiki where she was with a bear. Kiki pets Trinket until Vex returns, 30 mins later.
Vex hates this idea. She and Kiki hug. Trinket goes back in the necklace. Kiki holds her form. Vex has the sword.
Vex focuses on the gatestone, returning to the mansion entrance. Kiki proceeds to glide to the mansion through stone.
Kiki hears a little voice in her ear. "It's not going to help you."
Kiki hears the loud flapping of wings jumping from rooftop to rooftop. She rushes into the mansion.
Scanlan thinks they need to make another mansion location. Kiki can Plane Shift.
The mansion suddenly disappears...
Everyone is thrust out to see a bone dragon, Delilah Briarwood, and Sylas.
Kiki casts Plane Shift to the Feywild. Delilah attempts to counter.
The Shift is successful.
The Sword of Kas
The party sees nothing that has noticed their presence in the Feywild. Grog begins attuning to Sword. He hears a voice.
The sword speaks to Grog. "I get the sense this isn't the first time."
Grog asks if anyone else can hear anything. Nope.
"The lich must die." "You talkin' about Vecna?" "Yessss."
The party totally knows Grog's new weapon is also sentient. Grog attunes.
This sword considers Grog an instrument to topple Vecna, his followers, and everything that supports him.
Grog asks what is required in return. The sword only needs, NEEDS to cut The Undying King's throat. "It doesn't want much."
Vax casts Bless on Grog. Grog makes a CHA saving throw. 12.
"If the sword isn't bathed in blood within 1 min of being drawn from its scabbard.." DC 15. Failed: Psychic damage, dominated.
The sword demands blood. Grog is forced to make attacks against Vax. 21, with luck 18. Misses. 16 misses.
Grog then turns its attack on Vex, who protests. 27 hits for 10 slashing. Second hits for 9 slashing.
After Vex takes damage, the sword drinks in the blood. Grog takes a breath, regaining control.
Vex tries to punch Grog in the face. 14, with negative strength.
Travis is handed the Sword of Kas card. It is the full page. (Check DMG p226.)
Pike: Desperate times call for desperate measures. She hopes she can pull Grog out of future bad times.
Grog asks the Sword what to call it. After a long pause, it settles on Kas in honor of its last master.
"Are you going to take me to the Undying King's innards?" "Oh, yeah, We gonna rock that body real hard."
Grog cites his expertise in sentient weapons.
Vax offers to feed Kas the next time, instead of Vex taking hits. The sword drinks in blood Vax cuts from himself.
"Does he ever get full?" Grog points out that past experience says that's not a question they want to answer.
Artagan
The party discusses the problem of time being weird while leaving the Feywild.
"I lost my house today, all right?"
"You can get it back, right?"
"It's insured."
Kiki wonders if an archfey can help VM leave the realm without time passing.
The party really wants to sleep. They are frustrated and upset about how the sword plan ended.
Pike sends a message to Artagan. The message includes a little doodle. Which Ash draws for our pleasure.
The doodle is a happy penis. "This is Vox Machina, btw."
Artagan is standing right behind Vex.
"Well? Show me a good time." Kiki: "Okay!"
Percy has a nervous breakdown. He strips entirely and jumps in the water. Vax will join him for the stripping part soon.
Vex asks Artagan for aid. "Define your request, please." Artagan points out time is fun.
Artagan redefines the request: Come unannounced, call him for a good time, and instead ask him to bend time and space.
Artagan can help. More or less. Scanlan asks what he wants in return.
"You're dressed very differently from the last time we met." They play catch-up with him.
"I've become unkillable for a while." "THAT'S fun." This makes Vax nervous.
Artagan has two conditions.
1. If it goes well, he wants a doorway to the Material Plane.
2. He wants to strangle Vax to death. DRAMATIC ZOOM.
Artagan will give VM an hour for a 24 hour stay.
Scanlan asks if Artagan will be pleasuring himself during his time with Vax. He doesn't deny this.
Scanlan: "I respect you so much right now."
Artagan identifies the blue crystal as a pulse stone, which passively distracts undead.
Artagan will focus on the passage of time. Kiki will work on a location in Thar Amphala.
Percy asks if Artagan has been to the Material Plane before. "Long time ago." Percy checks his knowledge. Nope.
"Things rearrange every eon or so." Arcane laylines readjust over time.
Vax makes an insight check on Artagan's predilection for strangling. No idea.
Grog and Scanlan are requested to stay for the strangling. Everyone else is to leave. (Scanlan may pleasure himself.)
Grog lets Vax know that he has never been more proud. "You're about to take the ride of a f*ing lifetime, literally."
Vax comes to terms with being strangled with Grog and Scanlan. Artagan is a little amazed that Vax believes he'll really come back.
"To the immortals." Artagan takes Vax's throat.
Eventually Vax's vision goes dark.
Scanlan looks away.
Grog does not.
"Even the nicest of fey are weird and have their dark sides." "Preach, David Bowe."
Artagan is satisifed, but it's not how he thought it'd be.
Vax's body dissolves into ash. The armor falls.
Artagan appears in the pool behind the party who wasn't present for the execution. Time for rest.
On the edge of the pool, a bunch of stumps have suddenly appeared into furniture.
Vex asks if Artagan would be interesting in killing a god, which would be more fun than killing a half elf.
The party tries to sell Artagan on coming with them. But he needs a doorway. VM sympathizes on door troubles.
There is plenty of food on the stools.
But first, the party wants to know why TF Sylas is back.
Pike ponders over Vax's empty armor.
Scanlan needs to accomplish SOMETHING. He has a spell for before bed.
Scanlan suggests turning an animal into a flying steed for Grog. He'd love to turn Trinket into a wyvern. But, forever.
Vex asks if Trinket would like to be turned into a wyvern forever (say no). Not so much. (Scanlan can speak with animals, too.)
Scanlan also suggests making another ally. Another Scanlan, another Pike...
Hours pass in a bubble of time. The party eagerly waits for Vax's return. Doubts emerge... Then so does Vax. Nude.
We end the session with butt-naked Vax.
"A lot of weird s*** happened that game!"
"I HAVE TO GO HOME WITH YOU"
The party admits that it was only a matter of time before they messed up the Band of Shrouds.
There will be a special guest next week. Last guest for the campaign!
