Hello, everyone. WaterDragonMaverick here with the next update to my Owl House Dungeons and Dragons fic, "Your Turn To Roll". When we last left off, our heroes were trekking through a murky swamp in Helhemichi to meet with a Green Knight from the Fey Realm, Bertilak. He was sent on a mission from Queen Titania to investigate the mysterious appearance of Lockstone Fruit in the mortal realm, which happened to be growing on the island of Helhemichi thanks to a hag, who is tainting the fruits for the creation of a disease plaguing the island's villages. After besting some trolls that acted as guards, the party discovers that the amount of Lockstone Fruit is greater than expected, leading them to believe there's more than one hag involved in this matter. If this is the case, it appears they'll be having more trouble than they thought.
Can our heroes and their helper handle this hag's harvest? Will they save Helhemichi and keep this disease from spreading to other islands? What can they expect from their enemy now that they've entered their territory? You'll just have to tune in and see for yourself.
Also, some rough news to hear on March 6th, 2024, but one of my favorite companies that makes entertaining shows, Rooster Teeth, has started shutting down because of Warner Brothers Discovery. It sucks that the employees are out of work there, the shows they've been making might not get to finish their stories, and the current seasons of currently airing projects are up in the air. I'm still going to hold onto hope that my favorite shows like Death Battle, RWBY, Red VS Blue, and Camp Camp are able to finish what they can or be obtained by other people who will treat them with respect. And bring the crews that worked on them as well. Until then, at least we'll always have fanmade content.
And the news of Akira Toriyama passing is also sad. Rest in Peace, sensei. You gave generations a wonderful experience and lots of inspiration. I believe in the future, I'll have a character that's a Sun Soul Monk be included in the adventures of the Hexsquad's D&D games. Maybe call their temple/dojo something like "The Order of the Mountain Bird".
The Owl House is owned by Disney and was created by Dana Terrace
Dungeons and Dragons is published by Wizards of the Coast and was created by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson
When Luz and the others met up for their game night, they were setting up for everything in the living room of the Noceda house this time. "Okay, we've got everything set up," Luz said. "Now we just have to wait for King. Eda should be bringing him over any minute now." Just as she got the last word out, there was a knock at the door. "Make that any second," Luz remarked as she got up and opened the door to see Eda and King arrive with King's D&D supplies.
"Hey, dweebs. Thought I'd stick around this time and have drinks with Camila while watching you kids play," Eda said as she and King entered.
"Good to see you again, Eda," Camila said as she arrived in the living room.
Eda waved to the elder Noceda before facing the kids as her adopted son sat next to Gus and Amity. "So, what have you all been up to since I last heard? King said something about fighting trolls with a knight, but I was a bit sleepy when he told me."
"When we last left off, our adventurous heroes made their way through the Southern Swamp of Helhemichi to discover that Lockstone Fruit was brought from the Feywild. A Green Knight from that realm appeared and revealed he was on a mission to deal with the one who brought the fruit here. It turns out that it's a hag who's using those fruits to create a disease known as Blood Inves and causing the Gloom of Helhemichi. After besting some troll guards at the entrance to her territory, everyone was healed up by the knight known as Bertilak before they found that there was far more Lockstone Fruit than they expected," Vee explained. "With that, we start our story as you look around the murky and swamp-like forest. The rotting stench of the thick mud at your feet and the sinister figurines in the trees alongside the Lockstone Fruit are overwhelming. You can see the thick and twisted plants around you as things seem like it's out of a creepy horror game," she elaborated.
"If the stink is that strong, I'll get out of Wild Shape and use Druidcraft to handle the smell around us," Willow suggested.
"The rotting stench of the mud and swamp gas is then replaced by the sweet and delightful scent of a citrus orchard in the summertime, making it a lot easier to breathe," Vee described.
"Not what I'd expect from a witch's garden," Eda chuckled from the kitchen as she was making a drink concoction she liked to call 'Apple Blood' with Camila.
"Bertilak then speaks to everyone as he looks around the area," Vee states before doing her voice for the Green Knight. "This is much worse than we thought. We'll need to be cautious now. We have to reach that hag's lair and handle her immediately. When we do, then we can burn these trees safely and destroy the fruit."
"Why can't we just burn them now," King asked as Reverence.
"For one, it would just cause a fire that would spread around the island without control. We'll need to contain the blaze we'd make," Willow said as Sariel. "Not only that, but I fear the fruit will just grow again if the hag's around. She'll just bring more here or grow it from the ashes."
"Then I guess we have to find the lair," Luz declared as Carmen. "Any suggestions on where to start?"
"The hag would likely have it in the center of this area, closer to where the fruits can grow on trees," Vee said as Bertilak.
"Philomena's Keen Mind would let her know where north is, so she'll help point us in the right direction if Bertilak's magic items aren't enough," Amity stated.
"Good to know. The two of you piece together what direction to head in, then start to guide the others where you believe the hag's lair is located," Vee described. "As you make your way through, you hear the sounds of vicious animals like bears and other beasts. I'd like everyone to roll a Perception check for me," she added as she rolled some dice. "Bertilak got a 12 total."
"I got a natural 20," King exclaimed.
"I have 10 total," Hunter says.
"I got 13," Gus stated.
"Ugh, that's a 3 on my die," Willow groaned. "But as for the total, that's 10."
"3 on my roll as well," Amity stated. "My total is 5."
"I have a 14 and my Expertise means that I have a 19 total," Luz cheered.
Vee nodded as she heard all the results, then began to explain what happened. "After a good ten minutes of walking, Reverence and Carmen see something strange in the woods and turn to see what's there."
"I pull out Picaro and get ready if something hostile comes out," Luz says.
"I'll do the same with my crossbow," King declared.
"As you two ready your weapons, a rustling sound is heard before you see a scratched and bruised human woman stumble out into view. She's panting heavily as she falls to her knees and a bag drops off her shoulder," Vee narrated.
"What? It's a little old lady," King remarked in Reverence's voice.
"What's somebody like her doing here," Luz questioned in Carmen's accented voice.
"The first things you see in the bag as it spills open are various liquid-filled bottles and pouches of plants," Vee states.
"Is this that medicine woman that's been sighted along with the Blood Inves," Hunter asked with suspicion in his voice.
"Think she's using magic for a disguise," Gus asked, equally suspicious about the new arrival in the game's story.
"You could talk to her and ask some questions," Vee said in a neutral tone.
"I'll go over and talk with her," Amity says before speaking in Philomena's voice. "Are you alright, ma'am?"
"Oh, yes. I'm alright. These old bones still have a spring in their step," Vee said as the elderly lady.
"Why are you here? This is a dangerous area," Hunter said as Caleb. "There are monsters around us."
"Are there now? I never saw any when I came by this way. I must have simply come in a different direction than all of you," Vee said as the old woman.
"I'd like to see if she's lying," Willow said.
"Same here," Gus, Hunter, and Amity all added.
"Go ahead and give me a roll for Insight or Investigation," Vee said. "Either figure out her body language or notice clues that don't add up to her claims."
The four players then rolled their dice and checked their results. "12 on my die. So that makes it 16 for Insight and 17 for Investigation. Whichever one fits more," Amity said.
"I got a 4, so that makes 7 on Insight," Hunter states.
"I have a 19 for a total of 26 on Investigation and 22 on Insight," Gus says.
"I got a natural 20," Willow said with a smile.
Vee took the rolls into account and then explained what each player saw. "Caleb believes that the old woman is telling the truth and she wandered into the area before the group got here," she stated. "However, the others are all able to pick up on details that don't add up," she added before texting Gus and Willow secretly thanks to their high rolls. "Philomena's experience with dealing with her family means that she can tell the old woman is speaking in a way that hides something. She just isn't sure what the woman is hiding, but can tell that the sounds from earlier are also imitations of animals. They weren't the real ones."
"Philomena keeps herself composed, but is still cautious around this woman," Amity states. "She'd be reminded of her mother's silver tongue and her siblings playing innocent when they pranked her."
"So, Edric and Emira," Luz asked.
"Basically," Amity shrugged.
"Wrenn will pick up the bag and return it to the woman as he helps her up," Gus declared after reading the text Vee sent him. "Here you are, ma'am," he says in Wrenn's voice.
"Oh, thank you very much," Vee said as the old lady and pretending to pick up a bag from Gus' hand. "I was out collecting medicinal herbs to assist in my work."
"With what we saw in the nearby village, I'm sure that you're trying to do all that you can," Willow voiced as Sariel.
"It's quite the hassle, but I'm doing what I can," Vee says in an elderly voice. "However, you then hear a cackling sound as the trees and bushes rustle. Turning toward the source of the laugh, you see a figure on the path you were walking," she declared. "You see they have a slightly hunched back and tangled white hair that falls to her knees. Her wrinkled green skin looks rough and dry, especially compared to the black dress she's wearing. Her sinister smile is missing a few teeth, adding to her creepy appearance. She also holds a Lockstone Fruit in her clawed hands that looks like it's beginning to rot."
"One of the hags," King exclaimed.
"I see that I've got some uninvited guests in my garden," Vee said in a raspy voice to show she was speaking as the hag. "It's quite rude of you to step in unannounced."
"You're the one that intruded on our ship earlier and got the crew sick," Luz exclaimed in Carmen's voice.
"I just wanted to test my latest experiment and some fresh volunteers happened to arrive," Vee said in the hag's voice.
"Experiment? You mean the Blood Inves," Willow asked lividly to show Sariel's anger.
"Such a fascinating disease, isn't it? I wonder why the ones who survive gain the potential to have a greater connection to nature," Vee stated as the hag.
"You're doing this just to satiate your curiosity? Infecting all those children," Hunter questioned in an angry tone as Caleb.
"It's much easier to figure things out with younger volunteers," Vee answered as the hag, then gave a witchy cackle.
"I fire my crossbow at her," King declared. "I got a natural 20!"
"The bolt from your crossbow fires and nails the hag in the head, but the ugly witch disappeared when the attack hit," Vee stated.
"An illusion," Gus remarked.
"Because you got a natural 20 on that, I'll say that you ended up hitting a giant wasp and killed it before it could attack any of you," Vee added, making King feel better about not being able to hit the hag.
"Sweet! It didn't go to waste," King exclaimed.
"That's my boy," Eda called out proudly.
"After that attack, Wrenn will speak up," Gus said before doing his character's voice. "She made an illusion of herself appear just to taunt us? I guess she's pretty smug about what she's doing if she's not bothering to actually show up."
"Oh dear… That was quite the surprise," Vee said as the elderly lady.
"I think it would be safer if you head back in that direction," Hunter said as Caleb, pointing the way the group originally came from. "We'll handle this witch and anything she throws at us."
"Oh, such brave warriors. Thank you very much. I have to return to the village and see if I can help with that illness," Vee says in the old lady's voice. "And then she leaves in the direction that you pointed out, disappearing into the thick foliage."
"I say that we keep moving forward," Luz states.
"Good idea," King agreed. "Gotta find the real hag. As Reverence heads off, he finds that wasp he killed and takes his bolt back like he did with all the others he fired into the trolls."
"With your equipment secured, you head down the path the hag came from and try to make your way through the thick plants and mud," Vee narrated. "Do you have anything to discuss while you make the trek through the murky and swampy forest?"
Taking that as a sign to finally discuss what was texted to them with the party, Willow and Gus nodded before the boy spoke up in Wrenn's voice. "Did anybody else notice her feet when she showed up?"
"Her feet? Why do you ask," King asked as Reverence.
"Look at our feet. All of our shoes are filthy with mud from getting into this area. But when I looked at her, there wasn't a speck of mud on her. Not only that, but when I was giving back her stuff, her hands felt rough and sharp. Like that hag's skin looked," Gus explained as Wrenn.
"That is strange," Amity remarked as Philomena. "I did get this strange feeling about her as she was talking. Like she was hiding something."
"Because she is. I've seen that sort of thing before," Willow said as Sariel, getting everyone's attention. "Remember when I said I had Blood Inves? The day before I got it, I was out playing in the woods of my village when I saw a woman who needed help with something. I did what I could and got scratched by something before I finished. I thought it was nothing and returned home. But then, I became sick and my family couldn't do anything to stop it," Willow said as Sariel. "If it wasn't for that Paladin returning from a mission, I would have become a monster and died. After I told them how I got the scratch that made me sick, they went to find the woman and learned she never lived around town."
"Wait, what are you saying," Hunter questioned in Caleb's voice.
"I'm saying that how she acted was the same as when I met that woman before I got sick. I think she's the same one and that she's one of the hags we're after," Willow explained as Sariel.
"Whoa. Backstory," Luz muttered with excitement.
"Then, I guess this would be more personal for you," Gus said as Wrenn.
Willow nodded in response. "We need to deal with them as soon as possible," she said in Sariel's voice.
"Then let's pick up the pace," Vee said as Bertilak. "With Bertilak leading the way and speaking to the plants to find the exact direction of where to go now, it takes you a good two hours of travel because of all the mud and plants. Along the way, more animal cries attempt to scare you away, but Bertilak's able to tell they're imitations done by somebody. When you get to the center of the territory, you find yourselves at the bottom of a cliff that leads up to another part of the forest. From the position you are on the map you obtained before, you can tell that if you were to climb this cliff, you'd be able to head for the northern sides of the island."
"If this is a cliffside area, maybe we should look for caves. Would that be Perception or Investigation," Amity asked.
"Everyone, roll a Perception check to find a cave if you want," Vee told everyone as she answered Amity's question.
With the sound of rolling dice in the living room, the mothers watched as the kids counted up the results. "Who's got what," Eda asked.
"Do you find anything," Camila questioned.
"I have a 2 for a total of 3," Gus remarked.
"19 for me," King exclaimed.
"I got a natural 20," Hunter cheered.
"6 plus 5 and my proficiency… 13," Willow counted.
"Natural 20," Amity hollered in joy.
"Modified 20," Luz grinned.
Eda and Camila smiled as Vee began to describe the scene after the rolls. "Everyone begins to search the cliff wall and thanks to the keen senses of Caleb, Philomena, Carmen, and Reverence, they're able to find the hidden entrance to a cave with ease. Sariel was just on the other side of where the boulder could move out and Wrenn was about 20 feet away from the entrance in the opposite direction," she stated.
"Can't find everything," Gus remarked.
"Bertilak works to move the boulder aside and after a struggle, he's able to move it out of the way to reveal a cave inside of the cliff. The putrid stench of some foul concoction floods your sense of smell as the airflow adjusts," Vee described.
"Druidcraft to clear the stink away," Willow says.
"You might as well start a perfume company," Amity joked, earning a snicker from Luz.
"After you manage to clear away the smell, Bertilak speaks up," Vee says. "We'll be entering the hag's lair now. Be careful."
"Let me go first," Luz says as Carmen. "And as I enter what seems like a dimly lit or dark cave, I'll use my Ring of Shooting Stars to cast Dancing Lights."
"When you use the ring, the glyph you once saw in the gem before appears again, producing four wisps of light that surround you before you spread them out to wherever you choose that's in range," Vee narrated.
"That's cool. Kind of a rare item, if I recall," Eda mentioned.
"It's busted, though. Need to get it repaired," Luz replied.
"You all make your way through the long, dark, and twisted tunnel. The wisps of light provide the only illumination you have, but there are only four of them as you have Carmen guide you," Vee stated. "Who's next in the marching order?"
"I'll go next," Willow said. "This is personal."
"I'm after her," King says.
"Maybe Bertilak goes in the middle and I'm after him," Gus suggested.
"Then I'll be behind Wrenn and use my own Dancing Lights for extra illumination," Amity decided.
"Then that leaves me behind everyone else in case something comes our way," Hunter remarked.
Vee nodded in response and started to describe the scene. "As you all march through the tunnel, you go around several different curves. The path snakes along and all of you feel exasperated at these long winding tunnel walls," she said. "Hunter, I'd like you to roll a Wisdom saving throw."
The players were surprised since they now had to roll saving throws. Hunter picked up his favorite gold-colored die and rolled to see what he got for his saving throw. "That's a 4 to make 7," Hunter says.
"You feel as if something has touched your shoulder, then as you turn around to see, you slip on a loose rock and hit your head against the wall," Vee described. "You don't take any damage, but for the next 8 hours in the game, you'll have bad luck. I'll explain more as we continue," she stated.
"Bad luck? What happened," Camila asked as the kids looked at each other.
"You'll all see," Vee said before continuing. "After another 10 minutes of walking through the tunnel, you see an entrance that looks like a skull's visage was carved into the wall. A symbol of demise that warns all trespassers to turn back immediately surrounds a makeshift door of rotting wood."
"Skull cave in a tunnel in a hidden cave in a cliff in a forest. These hags really like their privacy," King remarked in Rev's voice.
"I'm sure that they're expecting us," Willow voiced as Sariel.
"You'd be right," Vee said in a slightly deeper raspy voice than the one from earlier. "A new hag walked through the wall next to the skull door. This one looks very similar to the first hag, but this one has a nasty scar on her face, a long hooked nose, and a gray dress. She also doesn't have a hunch, showing she's pretty tall. She then speaks to all of you again," Vee stated before voicing the hag again. "Such troublesome intruders trying to barge in on our home. What have we ever done to simple folk such as yourselves?"
"For one, you're causing those villagers to get sick," Luz exclaimed as Carmen.
"And second, all of those fruits used to do so aren't meant to be in this realm," Amity shouted as Philomena.
"By order of the Seelie Court and the Summer Queen, you will pay for ruining the beauty of this land," Vee says as Bertilak.
"You won't get away with this, you misery-making witch," Willow exclaimed as Sariel.
Vee then started cackling as the hag, sounding like an actual evil witch from a fairy tale. "If that's what you believe, then why not talk things out inside," she says. "With that, she opens the door to her lair for all of you, confident that she's still got the advantage despite being alone. When you enter, you see the interior is about 50 feet wide and 120 feet long, decorated with all sorts of things that look like magical tools and ingredients. Cages of bones strung up to hold crows and other birds, mummified shrunken heads with eyes and lips sewn shut with black thread, and preservation jars full of several body parts and animals like toads and bugs. A large cauldron on the far side of the chamber illuminates the area with a green flame, giving the entire room a dim lighting that allows you to see everything. You can also see shelves of books that look bound by strange leather and a few trunks that look like they're holding other things. The walls are also lined with ivy that's growing even more of the Lockstone Fruit."
"Dang, this place is creepy," Eda remarked.
"I'll say," Gus agreed.
"The hag then urges you to enter, smiling wickedly as she does," Vee narrates.
"I'll pull out my sword and get ready for a fight," Hunter declared.
"As you do, you struggle to pull your weapon free and when you do, you trip and cause everyone to enter the lair when you stumble into them. This also gets rid of the Dancing Lights as you lose concentration on them," Vee stated.
"That bad luck's happening again," Amity noted.
"Heeheeheehee… looks like Agatha's curse is in effect. Don't you agree, Morgan," Vee said as the hag. "When you all look where she's facing, you see a new hag appear next to the cauldron by appearing out of thin air like she was invisible earlier. This one looks similar to the two you encountered, but her hair only falls to her waist, her face and hands are covered in warts, and she wears a brown tunic-like dress."
"A third one," King asked. "I hope this is the last."
"It sure looks like it, Ethel. I'm sure that she's happy to have at least placed one on them since she's the youngest of us and just learned how to bestow curses," Vee said in a higher-pitched raspy voice. "But if you ask me, this lot of trespassers should be handled immediately."
"How about we deal with you instead," Luz exclaims as Carmen.
"Don't be rude, brat. You're our guest here. Even if you invited yourself into our home," Vee said in the first hag's voice. "As you hear the voice of the first hag, you see that old woman from before standing at the doorway, blocking off any escape route. She then turns into the exact image of the hag you first encountered, showing that Wrenn was right about an illusionary disguise."
"Since Caleb already has his sword out and I never put away my crossbow, I say we fight," King declared.
"Good idea," Gus says. "We're already back at full health thanks to Bertilak's help earlier. We can fight with everything we have."
"Alright, then everyone roll for initiative," Vee declared. "Hunter, your Paladin will have disadvantage on all Dexterity saving throws for the next 8 hours."
"Dexterity, huh? Makes sense because Caleb's tripping so much," Hunter remarked as he rolled his die. "I've got a 10 for my initiative roll."
"Natural 1 for me, so that's 5," Luz says.
"7 for a total of 8," Willow stated.
"16 to make 19," Amity says.
"2 for a 6 total," Gus tells everyone.
"12 to make a modified 20 on the initiative roll," King says.
"And Bertilak got a 12," Vee says before rolling for the hags. "Okay, Wicked Ethel Titchwillow gets an 8 for her initiative. Old Agatha Twigmouth gets a 15 total and Auntie Morgan Greenteeth has 11. We've got the turn order," the Dungeon Master declared. "King, Rev goes first."
"Alright, since they've all noticed us, I don't think I'll be able to get a Sneak Attack. Instead, I'll move up into some free space as far as I can, then fire my crossbow at the one in the brown dress," King said before rolling his d20. "That's a modified 20."
"That will hit," Vee confirmed.
"Then I just grab my d6 and… I got a 5 for 8 piercing damage," King stated.
"You immediately aim and pull the trigger of your hand crossbow, firing the bolt into Auntie Morgan," Vee described. "She grunts in pain as you manage to get her in the shoulder, staining her dress with her blood."
"Nice shot, King," Eda cheered.
"Thanks, Eda! Let's see how the others do," King replied.
"Amity, you're up as Philomena," Vee told the purple-haired girl.
"I activate my Bladesong and head for the scarred hag, thrusting my rapier forward," Amity says as she rolls her d20. "17 on the die. That's 23 total with my bonuses."
"Roll damage," Vee said, confirming the hit on the second hag.
"I got a 7, so she takes 10 piercing damage," Amity exclaimed.
"You rush forward with your Bladesong granting you a boost to your speed, allowing you to catch Ethel Titchwillow off guard. You strike at her and injure her hand when the blade goes through her palm and pierces into her forearm," Vee described.
"Nice going, Amity," Luz cheered.
"It's now Old Agatha Twigmouth's turn," Vee declared. "She'll chuckle to herself before speaking in Sylvan. I believe some of you speak that," she said, getting nods from Willow and Amity. "What she says translates into 'Sky's wrath, strike' and she pulls out a piece of fur tied around a rod of black crystal. The objects begin to spark with electrical discharge before she points it at all of you. I need Hunter, Gus, Willow, and Luz to roll Dexterity saving throws for your characters. I'll do the same with Bertilak and I'll tell you all that the DC save is 12," Vee told them.
"Oh man, it's only the first turn and we're getting struck by lightning?! These hags mean business," Gus exclaimed as he rolled. "Modified 20!"
"I have a 12 for 13," Willow says.
"I got a 3 for a total of 9," Luz grumbled.
"I have disadvantage, so my first roll is 6 and the second is 19," Hunter says.
"And Beritlak's total is 21," Vee says as she begins rolling more dice. "Carmen and Caleb will take full damage, but everyone else takes half. The spell fires and a Lightning Bolt hits you all for 8d6 lightning damage. That's a 1, another 1, a 2, a 4, three 5s, and a 6. That's 29 points of lightning damage total to Carmen and Caleb, but everyone else takes 14," Vee stated.
"Ouch. How does that happen in the scene," King asked.
"Agatha's crystal rod sparks with electricity, then she points it at everyone in front of her, unleashing a 100-foot long and 5-foot wide line of lightning. As Carmen is facing the other hags, she is unable to see the blast in time. Meanwhile, Caleb's curse causes him to get his cloak caught on a bone cage as he tries to flee. Wrenn, Sariel, and Bertilak are able to dodge in time, but the sparks from the spell still hit all of them," Vee stated.
"What's everyone at now,," Camila asked, worried for the kids who had their characters hurt by the lightning.
"I'm at 15 hit points," Luz said.
"19 for me," Hunter says.
"26," Willow replied.
"I'm at 18," Gus answered.
"And Bertilak is at 64 hit points. Mad at being struck by lightning, he runs toward Agatha and strikes at her with his attacks. A 21 for his battle axe and a 24 for his shield bash. Both hit, so it's time for damage rolling," Vee states. "His axe hits Agatha in the leg for 6 slashing damage while his shield bash hits her for 5 bludgeoning damage, restraining her with the vines that sprout from the shield."
"Yes! We've got one handled," Hunter cheered.
"You've made several grave mistakes, you ugly hags," Vee says as Bertilak.
"Oh, thank you for such kind words," she voiced as Agatha.
"They like being called ugly," Camila asked in confusion.
"They're twisted like that," Vee says before saying her next move. "Morgan will get in closer as she avoids Reverence, then use Ray of Sickness on Bertilak. She casts the spell, but it fails to hit as the sickly green energy that fires from her finger is unable to get through his armor. Hunter, it's your turn."
"Since that was some powerful damage, I'll swing my sword at Agatha with two hands," the blond boy declared as he rolled his die. "7 for a 12. But since she's restrained, I have advantage. My second roll is 2 on the die. Guess that's pointless then."
"As you swing your sword at Agatha, she's able to wiggle her way around enough that your attack misses," Vee described. "Willow, you and Ethel go at the same time, so I'll let you say what your move is first."
"Considering the scar on Ethel, I'll talk to her as I'm casting a spell," Willow declared. "There was an old woman that was hunted down after a young girl was afflicted with Blood Inves in Annwin Village. The last I heard, she suffered a face injury before escaping. Was that you," Willow says in Sariel's voice.
"Heeheehee… I haven't heard of that place in years. That man left quite the reminder of our experiments that day," Vee replied, touching her face like she was running her fingers across a scar.
"I knew it," Willow voiced as Sariel before continuing her move. "With that confirmation, Sariel will teleport close to her with Fey Step, then cast Ice Knife and throw it at Ethel, aiming right for her face."
"I love it when backstories come into play for battles," Luz said in excitement as Willow was ready to cast her spell.
"Ethel only cackles as she stops you from using that attack by using her reaction to cast Counterspell," Vee declared. "When you throw that knife, she simply holds out her hand and it turns the icy rose-shaped dagger into ordinary water droplets. She'll then counter by casting Ray of Sickness on you," she adds before rolling her die. "Okay, that'll hit you for a total of… 11 poison damage and you need to roll a Constitution saving throw."
"I got an 18 total for that," Willow says.
"As the dagger melts into water drops, Ethel blasts you with a sickening green energy that makes you feel like you're about to vomit. But despite feeling like your insides are being destroyed, you manage to force yourself through the pain and keep yourself from being sick," Vee described.
"I'm now down to 15 hit points," Willow says.
"I guess it's my turn now," Gus declared. "With this getting intense, I'll get closer while keeping my distance. When I get within 90 feet of them and I'm obscured from the other ones, I'll use Tasha's Mind Whip on that scarred hag. They need to make an Intelligence saving throw."
"Your DC is 15, right," Vee asked, getting a nod of confirmation from Gus. "And the hag doesn't make the save with a 2 on the die. Ethel cackles as she blasts Sariel with her magic, but then feels a splitting migraine in her head as psychic energy lashes out from the gnome that went past by," she described after making her roll.
"She'll take 7 points of psychic damage," Gus said after rolling 3d6. "Not only that, but only move, take an action, or use a bonus action. Only one of them and it can't take any reactions until its next turn."
"Nice. Too bad it already used up the reaction earlier, but good move," Luz congratulated. "My turn, now. Carmen will use Second Wind to recover some health," she said before rolling a d10. "That's 9, so I get 11 hit points back. I'm at 26 and I'll run toward the warty hag with my sword out, swinging it into her." Rolling her die, Luz checked to see if her attack worked. "12 for 18 total."
"That hits," Vee confirmed.
"I rolled a 6, so it's max damage at 12 slashing damage thanks to my Dueling Fighting Style," Luz says with a big grin on her face.
Marking down the health of the hag, Vee then described the scene. "Carmen rushes in, energizing herself after the damage she took from the lightning before swinging her cutlass with all her might. She strikes at Auntie Morgan, cutting into her chest and causing blood to splatter across the ivy-covered walls. She gasps in pain and glares at the pirate woman as she clutches her chest. King, it's the top of the round and Rev's up."
"Alright. I'll turn around and since I see the first hag tangled up, I'll move into range and attack with my crossbow. Would this mean I get Sneak Attack damage," King asked.
"Yes, you do," Vee confirmed.
"Sweet! Come on, big number," King exclaimed as he rolled his d20 twice. "Natural 20 on the first roll! That's double damage!"
The entire table cheered as Eda soon rushed in and picked up her son to give him a great big hug. "That's my boy! Stick it to those jerks!"
"Thanks, Mom. But can I please roll the damage," King asked before Eda released her son. Grabbing the needed six-sided dice, King then rolled to see what damage he dealt to the hag that struck his friends with lightning. "Two 5s and a 6! I'll double that instead of rolling again," King said before doing the math. "That makes it a total of 35 piercing damage!"
"How do you want to do this," Vee asked, confirming the death of the first hag and getting the teenagers to cheer.
"I'll have my bolt fly through the air, hitting the hag in the eye, and making it fly out the back of her skull," King exclaimed.
"I can't believe you managed to do that on your second turn," Gus exclaimed in awe.
"I know! That's so cool," Hunter confirmed.
Clearing her throat, Vee calmed everyone down before narrating the scene. "As Agatha struggles to escape the vines Bertilak trapped her in, Reverence's crossbow bolt flies through the air and narrowly avoids the knights. The projectile then pierces into Agatha's eye and the back of her skull explodes from the force, causing the eyeball to remain on the bolt like an olive on a toothpick before it clatters on the floor of the tunnel behind her."
"Wow… That's amazing," Willow cheered.
"And the kid who isn't even in middle school got it," Amity remarked with an impressed smile.
"The hags gawk at what just happened and Morgan is livid that the tiefling was the one that killed a fellow member of her coven. She rushes up and strikes at you with her claws," Vee described as she rolled her dice. "Your AC is 15, so 17 on the die means it hits you for 11 slashing damage as she swipes her claws at you and gets you in the arm."
"Ouch," King says, upset that his Tiefling was hurt.
"Wouldn't I get an attack of opportunity," Luz asked.
"You would, Luz. Go ahead and roll an attack," Vee remembered.
Rolling her die, Luz looked at the result. "17 for a total of 23. That'll hit for 11 slashing damage as I get her in the leg as she runs," she declared.
"As the enraged Morgan runs, she forgets the pirate that cut her earlier and is slashed by the sword once again as she tries to claw out Rev's eyes," Vee described.
"Why didn't she use a spell," Amity asked. "I'd like to roll and figure that out before doing something."
"Go ahead and roll me an Arcana check," Vee told Amity, letting her try to figure out the reason why the hag didn't use another strong spell.
Rolling her d20, Amity looked at the result and added her bonuses. "9 plus 5 plus 2. I've got a total of 16 for my Arcana check."
"From what you've been seeing and hearing today, the hags themselves don't have a lot of magical capability compared to any of you individually. If just battling them one-on-one, you would probably be able to take them. But when all three were together like they had been, they had access to more powerful magic," Vee explains. "In short, it was the numbers of the coven that made them a threat."
"Realizing this, Philomena shouts it out to everyone as she attacks Morgan with a flurry of Magic Missiles at 2nd-level," Amity declared. "They don't have their full magic anymore! They needed all three members of the coven alive!" After saying what she needed to say as Philomena, Amity then rolled her dice. "Wow! Two 3s and two 4s. That's 13 points of damage she can't defend against and the last dart goes for the last hag."
"Good to know," Vee says. "With your magical darts created and sent flying toward their target, Morgan takes a barrage of magical force while Ethel gets hit by the final dart. Amity, how do you want to do this," the DM asked, getting the party to cheer again. "Morgan is dead, so you have one less hag to handle. The final one is still up, but loses 5 hit points."
"I'll have my three darts that hit Morgan blast off her wrists and pierce her throat, making it so even if she would live, her days of using magic are over," Amity stated.
Nodding in response, Vee began to narrate. "The darts of magical force fly toward their targets, one of them hitting Ethel in the chest while the other three pierce into Morgan's hands and throat, severing her limbs in the magical bursts before her throat is destroyed and she collapses to the ground."
"Dang, that's brutal," Eda remarked, impressed by the second kill of the fight.
"Seeing what happened, Bertilak faces the final hag and with the vines falling off from his shield, he gets close enough to Ethel to throw a javelin he carries at her," Vee stated, rolling her die again. "With a plus 7 to hit and a 17 on the die, he hits with a 24. He hurls the javelin at Ethel and deals 8 piercing damage to her as he gets her in the thigh," Vee stated. "Hunter, you're up."
"Okay, I don't think I can do much, so I'll just Dash over to help Sariel handle that last hag," Hunter said.
"Back to Willow and Ethel," Vee said. "Ethel will fume over the fact her coven is dead within seconds of this battle starting, then attempt to strike at Philomena with her claws for killing the second member. However, this happens at the same time as Sariel attacks, so you say what you're doing at the same time, Willow."
"I'll cast Ice Knife again at 2nd-level and like before, throw it at the hag's scar like it's a target for me," Willow declared as she rolled her die. "12 on my die for a 19."
"That hits. Go ahead and roll damage," Vee said.
Getting her d10 and several d6s, Willow rolled to see what she did for damage. "9 piercing damage to hit her in the face and 10 cold damage thanks to the 3d6 I rolled," she told Vee.
"How do you want to do this," Vee said, making the table cheer yet again.
"I said the Ice Knife goes into her face, so I'll have her freeze from the frozen thorns piercing into her and the hag's head shatters," Willow declared.
"As Ethel attempts to strike at Philomena, Sariel throws her frozen rose dagger into the hag's scar, cutting deep into her wounded face before it explodes into the cold thorn shrapnel. The icy needles freeze the hag's head solid before it shatters like glass and her body drops to the floor," Vee narrated. "With all three hags defeated, Bertilak turns to face you."
"Looks like we've beaten them. Now to just deal with all of these Lockstone Fruit," Gus says as Wrenn.
"I can have other associates help me with securing the spread of these. You've all done the Seelie Court a favor with your assistance in dealing with these hags. Know that if you ever find yourselves in the Feywild, mention Bertilak the Green Knight or that you have favor with Titania. It will aid you well if you journey there," Vee says as Bertilak. "I believe it would be wise to search this lair for any supplies you could utilize in your travels. You were only on this island until you helped with your ship's crew, correct? There might be something here to help. And if not, I'm sure your Paladin ally may help those remaining people who are afflicted with the disease."
"You're right. Come on, everyone. Let's see if these hags had anything important," Hunter said as Caleb.
"I'd like everyone to roll for Investigation to find what you think would be useful," Vee told the players.
Everyone then rolled their favored 20-sided dice before counting up the numbers for the Intelligence skill check. "Okay, mine is a total of 7," Luz remarked, sounding upset at her low roll.
"10 for 15 total," Amity said.
"Modified 20," Willow says.
"10 for 17 total," Gus voiced.
"Natural 20 for me," Hunter exclaimed.
"Same with me," King added with a loud cheer.
"Alright. The six of you do some investigating and as Carmen is distracted by some of the animals in cages or jars, the rest of you manage to find several things on the shelves and in the trunks around the witch's cave," Vee stated. "Philomena finds a strange and smooth stone that's perfectly round and the size of a human fist. You can sense something unique about it, so you decide to take it with you. Sariel discovers a cloak that looks like it's made out of leaves or designed like them inside one of the trunks in the lair. Wrenn locates a few spell books that might be of use to him and Philomena on the shelves. Reverence finds an unusual broom in the dark corner of the cave lair and thinks that it could be worth something if a trio of hags had it in their possession. And finally, Caleb obtains a crate that's filled with potions and a small jewelry box with strangely designed rings."
"A lot of those are magic, aren't they," Camila asked.
"One way to find out," Luz said. "We might as well put them all in the Bag of Holding and return to Kachidoki Village."
"Agreed," everyone says.
Nodding at their choice, Vee then began to describe what happened. "After gathering everything you could, you prepare to leave the cave and head back toward Kachidoki Village. After bidding farewell to Bertilak, he pulls out a small vial of powder and sprinkles it on you, allowing you to safely return to the village without encountering any other monsters," she tells everyone.
"Thank you, strange fairy person magic," King says happily.
"After the several hours you need to exit the cave and swamp, you eventually reach Kachidoki Village as night falls and exhaustion from the day's events starts to take its toll on you. Especially because of the Manachaar's side effect finally showing up after entering the forest near town and through the trek there, Caleb's curse gave him bad luck in the travel," Vee states. "With everyone glad to see you return, you tell them all about the hags that have been responsible and the village is shocked to hear it. After the surprise, they're all grateful and give you a free night at the Calabash Tavern before you return to sea."
"How's Captain Marsh and the crew doing," Amity asked.
"You head toward the doctor's hut and see that there's a second doctor there oddly enough. He's human and looks like he's in his 60s or early 70s. He wears a traveling coat, a pair of slacks and nice shoes, a bow tie with his dress shirt, and he also has glasses on," Vee says before speaking in a new voice. "Ah, hello there. You must be the adventurers that I was told about when I arrived here a few hours ago. I'm an associate of the doctor here and when this dreadful affliction was affecting the island, I was messaged about it. I came as quickly as I could, but some trouble kept me from arriving sooner," she said in a man's voice that sounded like it had a bit of a light Scottish accent.
"Why does that voice sound familiar," Hunter asked, feeling like the voice Vee was doing was an impression of somebody he recognized.
"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Doctor Bartholomew Chaplin Jr. You can call me 'Buddy' if you wish. Come and sit, let me give you a checkup," Vee said in the doctor's voice. "Can you tell me how you seem to have gotten these electrical burns?"
"We were fighting some hags and one of them blasted us with a Lightning Bolt spell," Gus explained in Wrenn's voice.
"Quite the dangerous spell to encounter if unprepared. And from the looks of your injuries, it appears two of you took the most of it," Vee noted as the doctor. "Has anything else happened to you?"
"Well, our Empire's Paladin, who's been with us since he's supposed to bring our noblewoman to somebody, got cursed by one of the hags. He's been tripping over things for most of our way back," Luz voiced as Carmen.
"Oh dear, allow me to solve that, then," Vee said as Doctor Chaplin. "He then casts Remove Curse, restoring you to normal as you feel like a weight has been lifted off your chest."
"That… that feels much better now," Hunter says as Caleb.
"A curse that gives bad luck may be a problem to most as bad luck in general is. But if you ask me, luck is what you make of it. I once knew a soldier who was considered so unlucky that his squad didn't want to be anywhere near him in combat. However, when his team was captured by enemies, he offered to be the only prisoner in exchange for them to be let go free. When they eventually went to save him because they were touched by his selfless actions, they discovered that his misfortune caused a variety of troubles for the fortress he was kept prisoner. After that, he was rescued and given the moniker of 'Bad Luck Charm' as a title of what he's capable of when he needs to handle enemies on his own terms," Vee states, telling a story as Doctor Chaplin.
Hearing this, Hunter snapped his fingers. "Now I know where I heard this voice! It's Ducky from NCIS," he declared. "The stories he tells about various things made me remember."
"I can hear it now," Amity said.
"Same here," Luz agreed.
"Guilty. I wanted to make a Cleric character based on him," Vee admitted. "Anyways, after saying story, he tends to your wounds and he heads to tend to his other patients, which happen to be the infected crew members of the Luminous Gull."
"I'll use what I can with Lay on Hands to cure them and ourselves of the Blood Inves since I think Rev might have caught it if the hag scratched him," Hunter declared.
"With Caleb assisting Doctor Chaplin and curing who he can of the Blood Inves, he returns and you can all enjoy some time to yourselves," Vee stated.
"Let's have Wrenn use Identify on everything we got from the hag lair, then," Luz says, miming that she's pulling out everything from the Bag of Holding.
"On it," Gus says. "I'll take 11 minutes for each item to cast Identify as a ritual. That way, we find out what everything is while you relax." Writing down the list of what each item was on a text, Vee sent the list to Gus so he could say what each one was. "Okay, the cloak is a Cloak of Elvenkind. When attuned to it, you can put the hood up with an action to gain advantage on Stealth checks and enemies have disadvantage when making Perception checks to find you. It can blend in with your surroundings, so it helps hide up much easier," Gus says as read the text out loud.
"Dibs," King declared.
"Wrenn will give it to him," Gus says before reading the next item. "The broom is actually a Broom of Flying, which lets the user ride it after the command word is spoken. You can fly 50 feet in six seconds unless it's carrying over 200 pounds, then it's lowered to 30 feet. But it can carry up to 400 pounds safely. You can also send it away up to a mile if you know the location you want to send it and if you say the command word, it can return to you if in that same mile."
"Witch's broom! I'd love to have it for now. I can give it to anyone that needs to fly," Luz exclaimed.
"Okay then. We'll figure out the command word later," Gus says as he reads the next items. "The stone Sariel found is capable of rolling toward sources of fresh water at 20 feet per round. The potions include one Greater Healing Potion and two Potions of Water Breathing. We also have a Ring of Water Walking and a Ring of Protection. The first lets the wearer walk on any liquid surface as if it was land and the second gives a bonus to your Armor Class."
"I'll take that second one," Hunter said.
"We also apparently found enough money to bring us up to 300 gold pieces and a sort of map in the box, but it isn't magical. I don't even know what it's for," Gus stated, showing the text from Vee as proof that none of them were allowed to know what the map was for just yet.
"Huh. Guess it's a mystery to solve later," Luz says.
"At least we got quite a bit of treasure," King says with a grin.
"Doctor Chaplin soon returns with Captain Marsh and the sailor speaks up," Vee said before voicing Marsh. "I'm glad to see you're back and that everyone's alright. We can set sail tomorrow. No need to have you work on the boat now."
"That sounds good to me, Captain," Luz voiced as Carmen.
"If you wouldn't mind, I'd prefer transport to Orphechelon Island myself. I have family there and I'd like to visit them," Vee said as Chaplin.
"It wouldn't be a problem for us," Willow voiced as Sariel.
"Excellent. Then it would be wise to turn in early. We have a big day ahead of us," Vee said as Chaplin.
"We might as well," Amity remarked.
"Yeah," everyone agreed.
"Alright, everyone takes a long rest and your exhaustion is removed after a good night of sleep. In Sariel's case, a meditative trance. When morning comes, you're greeted to a nice hot meal for free before the village bids you farewell. Before you leave, the little girl that Caleb first healed earlier comes up and gives him a big hug, thanking him for everything," Vee narrated.
"Caleb will smile at the girl and pat her head before saying goodbye," Hunter said.
"After you reach the Luminous Gull, the whole crew is all ready to go out to sea and reach Orphechelon Island, where the Alexandrian Empire has a presence and you can get into communication about your previous assignment of escorting Philomena Yolande to an Empire outpost. That way, you can communicate with somebody to confirm if Philomena is the woman you were tasked with reuniting with her family," Vee stated.
"Philomena still isn't fond of that whole thing," Amity added.
"I'll be honest and say that since he's gotten to know you a bit, Caleb's starting to grow attached. Plus, all I was told was to confirm your identity or not," Hunter stated.
"And we do have magic," Gus reminded with a smirk.
"I could easily disguise myself as her," King remarked, mentioning his Tiefling abilities.
"Seems like we have some sort of plan here," Willow said with a smile.
"Then with all of you getting on the ship, we'll end it with you setting sail and joined by Doctor Bartholomew Chaplin," Vee stated. "We'll continue more later."
"Oh, and I was just starting to enjoy everything with the fight," Eda remarked.
"We'll play more later, then you can make comments," Luz told Eda.
"Fair enough," the older woman shrugged before finishing off her drink.
As everyone wrote down what they had for new equipment and packed up, they were all excited about what would happen next time. "I still wonder when one of our friends will become available," Luz muttered, thinking of asking Viney about how things were going when she saw her interning at her mom's vet clinic.
And with this, the Helhemichi arc is complete. Hags killed, Bertilak happy to have stopped them with help, a future favor from the queen of the fairies, and a new NPC ally for the upcoming island. Ever since David McCallum's passing, I thought a Cleric based on him as Ducky from NCIS would be fun for a character. So he'll be important since the next chapters focus on his family in Orphechelon.
With new gear after their latest victory, we'll see what the team does with it all later. Until next time, WaterDragonMaverick signing out.